Measurement of mechanical and thermophysical properties of dimensionally stable materials for space applications

Mechanical, thermal, and physical property test data was generated for as-fabricated advanced composite materials at room temperature (RT), -150 and 250 F. The results are documented of mechanical and thermophysical property tests of IM7/PEEK and discontinuous SiC/Al (particulate (p) and whisker (w) reinforced) composites which were tested at three different temperatures to determine the effect of temperature on material properties. The specific material systems tested were IM7/PEEK (0)8, (0, + or - 45, 90)s, (+ or - 30, 04)s, 25 vol. pct. (v/o) SiCp/Al, and 25 v/o SiCw/Al. RT material property results of IM7/PEEK were in good agreement with the predicted values, providing a measure of consolidation integrity attained during fabrication. Results of mechanical property tests indicated that modulus values at each test temperature were identical, whereas the strength (e.g., tensile, compressive, flexural, and shear) values were the same at -150 F, and RT, and gradually decreased as the test temperature was increased to 250 F. Similar trends in the strength values was also observed in discontinuous SiC/Al composites. These results indicate that the effect of temperature was more pronounced on the strength values than modulus values

Composite materials for space applications

The objectives of the program were to: generate mechanical, thermal, and physical property test data for as-fabricated advanced materials; design and fabricate an accelerated thermal cycling chamber; and determine the effect of thermal cycling on thermomechanical properties and dimensional stability of composites. In the current program, extensive mechanical and thermophysical property tests of various organic matrix, metal matrix, glass matrix, and carbon-carbon composites were conducted, and a reliable database was constructed for spacecraft material selection. Material property results for the majority of the as-fabricated composites were consistent with the predicted values, providing a measure of consolidation integrity attained during fabrication. To determine the effect of thermal cycling on mechanical properties, microcracking, and thermal expansion behavior, approximately 500 composite specimens were exposed to 10,000 cycles between -150 and +150 F. These specimens were placed in a large (18 cu ft work space) thermal cycling chamber that was specially designed and fabricated to simulate one year low earth orbital (LEO) thermal cycling in 20 days. With this rate of thermal cycling, this is the largest thermal cycling unit in the country. Material property measurements of the thermal cycled organic matrix composite laminate specimens exhibited less than 24 percent decrease in strength, whereas, the remaining materials exhibited less than 8 percent decrease in strength. The thermal expansion response of each of the thermal cycled specimens revealed significant reduction in hysteresis and residual strain, and the average CTE values were close to the predicted values

A sense of embodiment is reflected in people's signature size

BACKGROUND: The size of a person's signature may reveal implicit information about how the self is perceived although this has not been closely examined. METHODS/RESULTS: We conducted three experiments to test whether increases in signature size can be induced. Specifically, the aim of these experiments was to test whether changes in signature size reflect a person's current implicit sense of embodiment. Experiment 1 showed that an implicit affect task (positive subliminal evaluative conditioning) led to increases in signature size relative to an affectively neutral task, showing that implicit affective cues alter signature size. Experiments 2 and 3 demonstrated increases in signature size following experiential self-focus on sensory and affective stimuli relative to both conceptual self-focus and external (non-self-focus) in both healthy participants and patients with anorexia nervosa, a disorder associated with self-evaluation and a sense of disembodiment. In all three experiments, increases in signature size were unrelated to changes in self-reported mood and larger than manipulation unrelated variations. CONCLUSIONS: Together, these findings suggest that a person's sense of embodiment is reflected in their signature size

Do government schools improve learning for poor students? Evidence from rural Pakistan

Pakistan’s Punjab province has witnessed numerous education reforms in recent years. Many of these reforms have been aimed at improving the well-documented low levels of learning by focusing on improving teaching quality. The rhetoric suggests that government schools, particularly those in rural areas with a more disadvantaged pupil base, are especially ineffective at imparting learning. This paper seeks to investigate whether children in rural Punjab are learning literacy and numeracy over the course of a year, and if so, are some pupils progressing more than others. Using recently collected data, it finds that children in our sample are making progress. Variation in progress is found to be greater within schools rather than across them. The competence and qualifications of a teacher also makes a significant difference to a child’s academic progress. The paper further finds differential progress for rich and poor students within schools, suggesting an important role for education policy to put in place targeted support towards those from disadvantaged backgrounds to ensure improvements in their learning keep pace with their peers.Department for International Development (DFID

Developing a 3D geometry for Urban energy modelling of Indian cities

The advancement in the field of Urban Building Energy Modelling (UBEM) is assisting urban planners and managers to design and operate cities to meet environmental emission targets. The usefulness of the UBEM depends upon the quality and level of details (LoD) of the inputs to the model. The inadequacy and quality of relevant input data pose challenges. This paper analyses the usefulness of different methodologies for developing a 3D building stock model of Ahmedabad, India, recognizing data gaps and heterogenous development of the city over time. It evaluates the potentials, limitations, and challenges of remote sensing techniques namely (a) Satellite imagery (b) LiDAR and (c) Photogrammetry for this application. Further, the details and benefits of data capturing through UAV assisted Photogrammetry technique for the development of the 3D city model are discussed. The research develops potential techniques for feature detection and model reconstruction using Computer vision on the Photogrammetry reality mesh. Preliminary results indicate that the use of supervised learning for Image based segmentation on the reality mesh detects building footprints with higher accuracy as compared to geometrybased segmentation of the point cloud. This methodology has the potential to detect complex building features and remove redundant objects to develop the semantic model at different LoDs for urban simulations. The framework deployed and demonstrated for the part of Ahmedabad has a potential for scaling up to other parts of the city and other Indian cities having similar urban morphology and no previous data for developing a UBEM

A comparative clinical study to evaluate the effect of Indrayavadi Yoga and Bhoomyamalaki Choorna in the management of Asrigdara w.s.r. to Puberty Menorrhagia

A normal menstruation denotes a healthy state of female reproductive system. If the menstrual bleeding is abnormally excessive, prolonged and is associated with pain, it indicates some pathology. The abnormal menstrual cycle not only disturbs the general health, it also disturbs routine work schedule of the woman and her entire family. There is no direct reference of Puberty menorrhagia in classics. Puberty menorrhagia is defined as excessive bleeding occurring between menarche to 19 years of age. Anovulatory bleeding with irregular shedding of endometrium is the cause for puberty Menorrhagia which can be effectively tackled with the help of herbal drugs which contains hemostatic action. Asrigdara mainly due to vitiation of Vata and Pitta Doshas, hence the treatment should be based on use of drugs which are having predominance of Kashayarasa and Pitta-Vatashamaka properties and Stambhan action. Thus selected drugs are Indrayavadi Yoga and Bhoomyamalaki Choorna possess Vata-Pitta Shamaka and Raktastambhaka. This research work is comparative clinical study. 40 patients presenting with Pratyatma Lakshana of Asrigdara were randomly selected and divided into 2 groups of 20 patients each. Group A were given Indrayavadi Yoga and group B were given Bhoomyamalaki Choorna for a period of 2 menstrual cycle and two follow up during treatment and one follow up after treatment. After the completion of clinical trial, it was found that Bhoomyamalaki Choorna which was group B is more effective than group A. The overall effect in group A and Group B, both the groups shown excellent response, but when comparing all the parameters Bhoomyamalaki Choorna shown more significant response than Indrayavadi Yoga. Trial drug is a better remedy for Asrigdara. It has no side effect, cost effective

Prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity and their associated risk factors in Nepalese adults: Data from a nationwide survey, 2016

INTRODUCTION:Over the past few decades, the total population of Nepal has increased substantially with rapid urbanization, changing lifestyle and disease patterns. There is anecdotal evidence that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and associated risk factors are becoming key public health challenges. Using nationally representative survey data, we estimated the prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity among Nepalese adults and explored socio-demographic factors associated with these conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS:We used the Nepal Demographic Health Survey 2016 data. Sample selection was based on stratified two-stage cluster sampling in rural areas and three stages in urban areas. Weight and height were measured in all adult women and men. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using Asian specific BMI cut-points. RESULTS:A total of 13,542 adults aged 18 years and above (women 58.19%) had their weight and height measured. The mean (±SD) age was 40.63±16.82 years (men 42.75±17.27, women 39.15±16.34); 41.13% had no formal education and 60.97% lived in urban areas. Overall, 17.27% (95% CI: 16.64-17.91) were underweight; 31.16% (95% CI: 30.38-31.94) overweight/obese. The prevalence of both underweight (women 18.30% and men 15.83%, p<0.001) and overweight/obesity (women 32.87% and men 28.77%, p<0.001) was higher among women. The older adults (≥65 years) (aOR: 2.40, 95% CI: 1.92-2.99, p<0.001) and the adults of poorest wealth quintile (aOR: 2.05, 95% CI: 1.62-2.59, p<0.001) were more likely to be underweight. The younger age adults (36-45 years) (aOR: 3.05, 95% CI: 2.61-3.57, p<0.001) and women (aOR: 1.53, 95% CI 1.39-1.68, p<0.001) were more likely to be overweight or obese. Also, all adults were twice likely to overweight/obese (p<0.001). No significant difference was observed for overweight/obesity by ecological regions and place of residence (urban vs. rural). CONCLUSION:These findings confirm co-existence of double burden of underweight and overweight/obesity among Nepalese adults. These conditions are associated with increased risk of developing NCDs. Therefore, effective public health intervention approaches emphasizing improved primary health care systems for NCDs prevention and care and using multi-sectoral approach, is essential

Aid conditionalities, international Good Manufacturing Practice standards and local production rights: a case study of local production in Nepal

© 2015 Brhlikova et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.This work was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Department for International Development [RES-167-25-0110] through the collaborative research project Tracing Pharmaceuticals in South Asia (2006 – 2009). In addition to the authors of this paper, the project team included: Soumita Basu, Gitanjali Priti Bhatia, Erin Court, Abhijit Das, Stefan Ecks, Patricia Jeffery, Roger Jeffery, Rachel Manners, and Liz Richardson. Martin Chautari (Kathmandu) and the Centre for Health and Social Justice (New Delhi) provided resources drawn upon in writing this paper but are not responsible for the views expressed, nor are ESRC or DFID. Ethical review was provided by the School of Social and Political Science at the University of Edinburgh, and ethical approval in Nepal for the study granted by the Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC)