A virtual test-bed for the prediction of holistic effective elastic properties of UD composites

Most existing computational approaches are restrictive in their predictive capabilities by using non-representative virtual geometric domains (RVEs) of test materials. The strategy proposed here relaxes these restrictions by utilizing statistically representative 3D RVEs with appropriate boundary conditions and a robust homogenization implementation based on a micromechanical modelling philosophy. The strategy was implemented as a self-consistent, rigorous, virtual testing framework analogous to a physical experimental testing scheme. The strategy proposed in this work was shown to give a holistic set of elastic properties of the test composites considered when compared with other predictive approaches. Also, parametric studies were carried out to explore the different features of the virtual framework. Therefore, this virtual test-bed strategy represents a suitable substitute for realistic experiments and can be used in designing different virtual experiments

Mycotoxigenic Aspergillus flavus from ginger and turmeric consumed in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Ginger and turmeric sold in the open markets and retail outlets in southern Nigeria were sampled between April and August, 2017. This period coincided with the first bimodal peak of the rainy season of the 2017 cropping season. Malt extract agar (MEA) and Dichloran 18% glycerol (DG18) media were used to isolate fungi from samples with or without surface sterilisation. Aspergillus spp isolated were examined for the production of orange-yellow pigmentation and blue fluorescence on the reverse side of the plate on CAM under UV light. Aflatoxin production by Aspergillus flavus on yeast extract sucrose (YES) was verified quantitatively using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Data showed that Fusarium, Penicillium and Aspergillus spp were the dominant fungal flora. Toxigenic isolates of A. flavus; AFg1, AFg3, AFt1, and AFt3 produced both orange-yellow pigmentation and blue fluorescence on CAM. The production of AFB1 and AFB2 on YES medium was confirmed using HPLC. The occurrence of toxigenic fungi indicates that there is a potential risk of mycotoxin contamination in ginger and turmeric consumed in southern Nigeria and problems can arise from contamination with aflatoxins

Generation of virtual geometric domains for woven textile composites

The definition of an appropriate geometric domain is a prerequisite for performing virtual thermo-mechanical analyses on materials. Most of the current methods for generating virtual geometric domains for textile composites rely on complex equations conjured from the machining/manufacturing of the textiles; consequently, an intuitive method for developing a variety of virtual geometric domains for woven textile composites is desirable. The literature describes several techniques for generating geometric models for textile composites using advanced energy minimisation principles and computational imaging tools, but these techniques require specialist equipment, for deducing necessary empirical data, and heuristics to obtain acceptable results. This communication proposes a method for generating virtual geometric models using simple geometric metrics from the topology of the desired woven textiles. We describe and implement a geometric modelling algorithm for generating woven textile composites and show that the proposed technique yields geometric models with comparable characteristics to actual textile fabrics. Due to its modular structure, the proposed algorithm can be readily implemented on any programming platform and adapted to generate bespoke woven textile fabrics. This has been demonstrated by generating CAD models of woven textiles which can be adopted in any pre-processing tool for subsequent analysis in a finite element scheme

Dietary Fat Intake and Cognitive Decline in Women With Type 2 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE: Individuals with type 2 diabetes have high risk of late-life cognitive impairment, yet little is known about strategies to modify risk. Targeting insulin resistance and vascular complications—both associated with cognitive decline—may be a productive approach. We investigated whether dietary fat, which modulates glucose and lipid metabolism, might influence cognitive decline in older adults with diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Beginning in 1995–1999, we evaluated cognitive function in 1,486 Nurses' Health Study participants, aged ≥70 years, with type 2 diabetes; second evaluations were conducted 2 years later. Dietary fat intake was assessed regularly beginning in 1980; we considered average intake from 1980 (at midlife) through initial cognitive interview and also after diabetes diagnosis. We used multivariate-adjusted linear regression models to obtain mean differences in cognitive decline across tertiles of fat intake. RESULTS: Higher intakes of saturated and trans fat since midlife, and lower polyunsaturated to saturated fat ratio, were each highly associated with worse cognitive decline in these women. On a global score averaging all six cognitive tests, mean decline among women in the highest trans fat tertile was 0.15 standard units worse than that among women in the lowest tertile (95% CI −0.24 to −0.06, P = 0.002); this mean difference was comparable with the difference we find in women 7 years apart in age. Results were similar when we analyzed diet after diabetes diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that lower intakes of saturated and trans fat and higher intake of polyunsaturated fat relative to saturated fat may reduce cognitive decline in individuals with type 2 diabetes.Statistic

Climate Data Empathy

In the era of climate services, which provide globally complete data products in a ready-to-use form, the context of climate data is in danger of being neglected or forgotten. However, the historical and present-day context imprinted on this climate data is important in its own right. The data depend on political, economic and technological factors, as we show with a range of data coverage maps. We term awareness of and sensitivity to this context-dependence “climate data empathy,” and argue that context should be seen as a source of information to be communicated along with the data. Such context not only provides additional information about the data products, but may help in designing communication strategies and contribute more generally to raising awareness of the contingency of environmental data. Decision making should thus make use of both climate data and its context

Climate justice and the international regime: before, during and after Paris

With a focus on key themes and debates, this article aims to illustrate and assess how the interaction between justice and politics has shaped the international regime and defined the nature of the international agreement that was signed in COP21 Paris. The work demonstrates that despite the rise of neo-conservatism and self-interested power politics, questions of global distributive justice remain a central aspect of the international politics of climate change. However, while it is relatively easy to demonstrate that international climate politics is not beyond the reach of moral contestations, the assessment of exactly how much impact justice has on climate policies and the broader normative structures of the climate governance regime remains a very difficult task. As the world digests the Paris Agreement, it is vital that the current state of justice issues within the international climate change regime is comprehensively understood by scholars of climate justice and by academics and practitioners, not least because how these intractable issues of justice are dealt with (or not) will be a crucial factor in determining the effectiveness of the emerging climate regime

Single- and double-sided coated gas diffusion layers used in polymer electrolyte fuel cells: a numerical study

A new three-dimensional numerical model of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) with a single straight channel was developed to primarily investigate the important impact of the double-sided microporous layer (MPL) coating on the overall performance of the fuel cell and the distribution of the current and the oxygen concentration within the cathode gas diffusion layers (GDLs). Realistic experimentally estimated interfacial contact resistance values between the gas diffusion layer and each of the bipolar plates and the catalyst layer values were incorporated into the model, and parametric studies were performed. The results showed that the double-sided MPL coating could significantly improve the fuel cell performance by up to 30%. Additionally, it was shown that the neglect of the contact resistance between the MPL and the catalyst layer could overestimate the fuel cell performance by up to 6%. In addition, the results showed that the fuel cell performance and the distribution of the current and oxygen are more sensitive to the porosity of the MPL facing the bipolar plate than the porosity of the MPL facing the catalyst layer. All the above results are presented and critically discussed in detail

Perceived Role of Agricultural Extension Services in Promoting Cooperative Entrepreneurship among Farmers in Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area, IMO State

Cooperative entrepreneurship avails participating entrepreneurs the opportunity to combine different skills and competencies to set up an enterprise. This study assessed the perceived roles of agricultural extension services in promoting cooperative entrepreneurship among farmers in Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area, Imo State. Data was collected from 120 respondents with the aid of a well-structured questionnaire. Results revealed that farmers in the study area were engaged in different entrepreneurial activities. They perceived the roles of agricultural extension services as effective in promoting cooperative entrepreneurship with the provision of vocational/skill training; sanitation activities; provision of storage/processing facilities; procurement of agricultural input and information on credit sources. The perceived constraints militating against extension service delivery to the respondents were inadequate finding; lack of technical support and poor infrastructure in communities. It was recommended that government and non-governmental organizations should provide adequate funding and technical support to extension personnel to enable them deliver agricultural extension services geared at promoting cooperative entrepreneurship to farmers