Design, Construction and Testing of a 3-Component Force Balance for Educational Wind Tunnels in Undergraduate Aerodynamics

This article is focused on providing detailed instructions on how to build and use a force balance for educational wind tunnels. The article’s objective is to encourage undergraduate students in underfunded programs to engage in the field of aerodynamics. The discussed force balance represents an affordable device that only requires basic components like Arduino board, a servo motor, and acrylic and aluminum as construction materials. A simple data collection example is included at the end of the article showing that this simple force balance can collect meaningful data about lift, drag, and moment coefficient of a tested airfoil

Towards a Comprehensive Asset Integrity Management (AIM) Approach for European Infrastructures

Abstract Transport infrastructure is the backbone of national economies, providing connections for people and goods, access to jobs and services, and enabling trade and economic growth. It is of paramount importance to preserve, maintain and upgrade the infrastructure network so that to sustain the economic growth and an intelligent mobility. Asset Integrity Management (AIM) approaches will therefore represent key tools for facing the infrastructure maintenance issue and for tackling the ageing that characterize already existing assets. This paper, starting from analyzing the current state of the art solutions in assets management (Enevoldsen, I., 2008), proposes a comprehensive AIM approach that aims at replacing current time-based approaches with a performance-based approach that can systematically take into account the dynamic nature of the transport network. This means moving from a deterministic to a probabilistic approach in design, rehabilitation and retrofitting of infrastructures for increasing life-time and reducing maintenance costs. Such approach therefore laid the basis of secure sustainable impact since by improving awareness and reducing uncertainties, it might allow achieving an optimal balance among available resources and planning of investments

Reduction of cardiac imaging tests during the COVID-19 pandemic: The case of Italy. Findings from the IAEA Non-invasive Cardiology Protocol Survey on COVID-19 (INCAPS COVID)

BACKGROUND: In early 2020, COVID-19 massively hit Italy, earlier and harder than any other European country. This caused a series of strict containment measures, aimed at blocking the spread of the pandemic. Healthcare delivery was also affected when resources were diverted towards care of COVID-19 patients, including intensive care wards. AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim is assessing the impact of COVID-19 on cardiac imaging in Italy, compare to the Rest of Europe (RoE) and the World (RoW). METHODS: A global survey was conducted in May–June 2020 worldwide, through a questionnaire distributed online. The survey covered three periods: March and April 2020, and March 2019. Data from 52 Italian centres, a subset of the 909 participating centres from 108 countries, were analyzed. RESULTS: In Italy, volumes decreased by 67% in March 2020, compared to March 2019, as opposed to a significantly lower decrease (p < 0.001) in RoE and RoW (41% and 40%, respectively). A further decrease from March 2020 to April 2020 summed up to 76% for the North, 77% for the Centre and 86% for the South. When compared to the RoE and RoW, this further decrease from March 2020 to April 2020 in Italy was significantly less (p = 0.005), most likely reflecting the earlier effects of the containment measures in Italy, taken earlier than anywhere else in the West. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic massively hit Italy and caused a disruption of healthcare services, including cardiac imaging studies. This raises concern about the medium- and long-term consequences for the high number of patients who were denied timely diagnoses and the subsequent lifesaving therapies and procedures

Parametrically amplified Mathieu-Duffing nonlinear energy harvesters

The steady-state response of a nonlinear piezoelectric energy harvester subjected to external and parametric excitation is investigated based on the Mathieu-Duffing nonlinear oscillator model. The parametric excitation is introduced to amplify the external harmonic excitation and extend the capabilities of the nonlinear piezoelectric energy harvester device. To obtain the approximated solution of the nonlinear periodic responses for displacement and electrical voltage of the energy harvester, the incremental harmonic balance method in combination with the path-following technique is adopted. It is assumed that the proposed nonlinear model consists of cubic and quadratic nonlinearity, where parametric amplification appears in the form of a trigonometric function. The frequency is tuned as one-to-one and the one-to-two ratio between external and parametric excitation. The effects of quadratic and cubic nonlinearity as well as parametric amplification are studied in detail, and their incredible properties to extend harvester application performance is illustrated. It is explicitly demonstrated that for some particular combination of the system parameters, vibration amplitudes and harvested power can be amplified up to three or five times in comparison to the classical broadband nonlinear energy harvester based on the forced Duffing oscillator. This extraordinary amplification shown to be a key motivation to realize the proposed concept in practice. The presence of combined quadratic and cubic nonlinearities resulted in both hardening and softening spring behavior and leading to the appearance of coexisting periodic solutions in the amplitude-frequency responses. Periodic orbits obtained by the proposed methodology are verified with the results from direct numerical integration and fine agreement is demonstrated. Moreover, a significant influence of the parametric amplification on the instantaneous power is revealed in time response diagrams, thus showing better performance of the proposed energy harvester system

Innovative education and training in high power laser plasmas (PowerLaPs) for plasma physics, high power laser matter interactions and high energy density physics: experimental diagnostics and simulations

The second and final year of the Erasmus Plus programme "Innovative Education and Training in high power laser plasmas", otherwise known as PowerLaPs, is described. The PowerLaPs programme employs an innovative paradigm in that it is a multi-centre programme where teaching takes place in five separate institutes with a range of different aims and styles of delivery. The "in class" time is limited to four weeks a year, and the programme spans two years. PowerLaPs aims to train students from across Europe in theoretical, applied, and laboratory skills relevant to the pursuit of research in laser plasma interaction physics and inertial confinement fusion (ICF). Lectures are intermingled with laboratory sessions, and continuous assessment activities. The programme, which is led by workers from the Hellenic Mediterranean University, and supported by co-workers from Queens University Belfast, the University of Bordeaux, the Czech Technical University in Prague, Ecole Polytechnique, the University of Ioannina, the University of Salamanca, and the University of York, has just finished its second and final year. Six Learning Teaching Training (LTT) activities have been held, at the Queens University Belfast, the University of Bordeaux, the Czech Technical University, the University of Salamanca, and the Institute of Plasma Physics and Lasers (CPPL) of the Hellenic Mediterranean University. The last of these institute hosted two two-week long Intensive Programmes (IPs), whilst the activities at the other four universities were each five days in length. In addition to this a "Multiplier Event" was held at the University of Ioannina, which will be briefly described. In this second year the work has concentrated upon training in both experimental diagnostics and simulation techniques appropriate to the study of Plasma Physics, High Power Laser-Matter Interactions and High Energy Density Physics. The nature of the programme will be described in detail and some metrics relating to the activities carried out will be presented. In particular this paper will focus upon the overall assessment of the programme

Beam test of a large area silicon drift detector

The results from the tests of the first large area (4 [times] 4 cm[sup 2]) planar silicon drift detector prototype in a pion beam are reported. The measured position resolution in the drift direction is ([sigma]=40 [plus minus] 10)[mu]m

Risk factors associated with adverse fetal outcomes in pregnancies affected by Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a secondary analysis of the WAPM study on COVID-19.

Objectives To evaluate the strength of association between maternal and pregnancy characteristics and the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes in pregnancies with laboratory confirmed COVID-19. Methods Secondary analysis of a multinational, cohort study on all consecutive pregnant women with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 from February 1, 2020 to April 30, 2020 from 73 centers from 22 different countries. A confirmed case of COVID-19 was defined as a positive result on real-time reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) assay of nasal and pharyngeal swab specimens. The primary outcome was a composite adverse fetal outcome, defined as the presence of either abortion (pregnancy loss before 22 weeks of gestations), stillbirth (intrauterine fetal death after 22 weeks of gestation), neonatal death (death of a live-born infant within the first 28 days of life), and perinatal death (either stillbirth or neonatal death). Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate parameters independently associated with the primary outcome. Logistic regression was reported as odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Results Mean gestational age at diagnosis was 30.6+/-9.5 weeks, with 8.0% of women being diagnosed in the first, 22.2% in the second and 69.8% in the third trimester of pregnancy. There were six miscarriage (2.3%), six intrauterine device (IUD) (2.3) and 5 (2.0%) neonatal deaths, with an overall rate of perinatal death of 4.2% (11/265), thus resulting into 17 cases experiencing and 226 not experiencing composite adverse fetal outcome. Neither stillbirths nor neonatal deaths had congenital anomalies found at antenatal or postnatal evaluation. Furthermore, none of the cases experiencing IUD had signs of impending demise at arterial or venous Doppler. Neonatal deaths were all considered as prematurity-related adverse events. Of the 250 live-born neonates, one (0.4%) was found positive at RT-PCR pharyngeal swabs performed after delivery. The mother was tested positive during the third trimester of pregnancy. The newborn was asymptomatic and had negative RT-PCR test after 14 days of life. At logistic regression analysis, gestational age at diagnosis (OR: 0.85, 95% CI 0.8-0.9 per week increase; pPeer reviewe

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition)

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. For example, a key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process versus those that measure fl ux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process including the amount and rate of cargo sequestered and degraded). In particular, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation must be differentiated from stimuli that increase autophagic activity, defi ned as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (inmost higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium ) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the fi eld understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. It is worth emphasizing here that lysosomal digestion is a stage of autophagy and evaluating its competence is a crucial part of the evaluation of autophagic flux, or complete autophagy. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. Along these lines, because of the potential for pleiotropic effects due to blocking autophagy through genetic manipulation it is imperative to delete or knock down more than one autophagy-related gene. In addition, some individual Atg proteins, or groups of proteins, are involved in other cellular pathways so not all Atg proteins can be used as a specific marker for an autophagic process. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field