The effect of heavy rain on an airfoil at high lift

No serious studies of the relationship of heavy rain to aircraft safety were made until 1981 when it was suggested that the torrential rain which often occurs at the time of severe wind shear might substantially increase the danger to aircraft operating at slow speeds and high lift in the vicinity of airports. While these data were not published until early 1983, appropriate measures were taken by NASA to study the effect of heavy rain on the lift of wings typical of commercial aircraft. One of the aspects of these tests that seemed confirmed by the data was the existence of a velocity effect on the lift data. The data seemed to indicate that when all the normal non-dimensional aerodynamic parameters were used to sort out the data, the effect of velocity was not accounted for, as it usually is, by the effect of dynamic pressure. Indeed, the measured lift coefficients at high lift indicated a dropoff in lift coefficient for the same free-stream water content as velocity was increased. indicated a drop-off in lift coefficient for the same free-stream water content as velocity was increased

The Identification of the novel gene SENEX and its role in Endothelial Cell Senescence and Survival

The Identification of the novel gene SENEX and its role in Endothelial Cell Senescence and Survival Cellular senescence was originally described as a mechanism to inhibit the growth of mammalians cells after oncogenic activation, in response to damage or following stress. Senescence is a permanent halt in the cell cycle and causes major alterations in the genetic profile of the cell. Recent research has demonstrated a significant role for senescence in human pathologies, such as tumour development and cardiovascular disease. We describe here the identification of a novel gene, which we have called SENEX, that regulates stress induced premature senescence pathways in endothelial cells (EC) involving p16INK4a and Rb activation. Endogenous levels of SENEX remain unchanged during replicative senescence but are upregulated by H2O2 mediated stress. In contrast to that previously described for senescence in other cell types, the SENEX induced senescent EC are profoundly anti-inflammatory. The cells are resistant to TNFα induced adhesion of neutrophils and mononuclear cells and the surface expression of E-selectin and VCAM1 is decreased in SENEX induced senescent cells. SENEX is also essential for EC survival since depletion by siRNA causes apoptosis. Together, these findings expand our understanding of the role of senescence in the vasculature and identifies SENEX as a fulcrum for driving the resultant phenotype of the endothelium

Design Research for Our Future Selves (Royal College of Art Research Papers, Vol 1, No 2, 1993/4)

As technology increasingly plays a role in improving the lives of an aging population, this paper argues that it is the role of the creative disciplines to humanise technological developments. Roger Coleman describes how the establishment of DesignAge at the Royal College of Art led to an approach which unified different fields of study: gerontology, art and design, market research, sociology, ergonomics and others. The author provides examples of cross-disciplinary projects with a ‘human-centred approach’. He concludes that the humanising of technology will always remain the province of the creative disciplines, and that to pursue this aim successfully requires a contextual and cross-disciplinary approach, not a narrow and specialised one