Effect of humidity on transonic flow

An experimental investigation of the effects of humidity-induced condensation on shock/boundary-layer interaction has been conducted in a transonic wind-tunnel test. The test geometry considered was a wall-mounted bump model inserted in the test section of the wind tunnel. The formation of a λ-shape condensation shock wave was shown from schlieren visualization and resulted in a forward movement of the shock wave, reduced shock wave strength, and reduced separation. Empirical correlations of the shock wave strength and humidity/dew point temperature were established. For humidity levels below 0.15 or a dew point temperature of 268 K, the effect of humidity was negligible. The unsteady pressure measurements showed that if a condensation shock wave formed and interacted with a main shock wave, the flow becomes unsteady with periodic flow oscillations occurring at 720 Hz

Effect of Group Lending Approach on the Effectiveness of Youth Enterprise Development Fund in Financing Group Owned Agribased Micro and Small Enterprises in Kisii County, Kenya

The purpose of the study was to establish the effect of group lending approach on the effectiveness of the Youth Enterprise Development Fund in financing Group Owned agribased Micro and Small Enterprises in Kisii County, Kenya. A Multistage Sampling Technique was used to sample out 62 MSEs from a target population of 302 Group Owned agribased MSEs. A combined closed and open ended questionnaire was used to obtain primary data. The data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings confirmed that group lending reduced the need for loan security and it ensured that the loans were used for the intended purpose. The study thus, recommends that group lending approach be enhanced and improved in terms of streamlining membership numbers to levels minimally conducive for rapid decision making

Effects of Budgetary Participation On Hospital Performance: A Survey Of Public Hospitals In Trans Nzoia County

Hospital performance is a set of nonfinancial indicators which offer information on the degree of achievement of objectives and results (Lebans & Euske, 2006). It also refers to the metrics regarding how a certain request is handled, or the act of doing something effectively; of performing; using knowledge as notable from just possessing it.  The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of budgetary participation  on performance of hospitals in Trans Nzoia County. The study was guided by theory of budgetary process and contingency approach. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The target population comprised of 72 employees in Finance Department drawn from 7 hospitals in Trans Nzoia County. A census was used to select a sample of 54 employees. The instrument for data collection was questionnaires. A Cronbach alpha value was used to determine reliability for the study. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistical method, the statistical tools such as pie charts and measures of central tendency such as mean, mode and standard deviation were used. Inferential statistics such as ANOVA and multiple regression models also were used. This study is significant to the management of the Trans Nzoia County hospitals in execution of effective and efficient budgetary controls and administration towards enhancing performance of hospitals’ operations. Hypothesis 1 (Ho1) revealed that budget participation has no significant effect on hospital performance implying that we reject the null hypothesis stating that budget participation has no significant effect on hospital  performance. Findings showed that budget planning had coefficients of estimate which was significant basing on β2 = 0.222 (p-value = 0.007 which is less than α = 0.05) hence we reject the null hypothesis, However, study findings showed that budget control had coefficients of estimate which was significant basing on β3 = 0.308(p-value = 0.000 which is less than α = 0.05) hence we fail to accept the hypothesis and conclude that budget control has a significant effect on hospital performance. As evidenced from study findings, budgetary participation plays a key role in enhancing hospital performance. There is therefore need for all departments to participate in the budgeting process. Keywords: Hospital  performance, budgetary participation, budgetary planning.

Quantity and Functionality of Protein Fractions Isolated from 3 Ecotypes of Indigenous Chicken in Kenya

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the cluster ecotype and the part of chicken on nutritional composition, and functionality of sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar proteins that are most relevant to the technological features of chicken meat. Over 50 chickens from each ecotype cluster purchased, slaughtered and the meat stored under refrigeration at -20oC and later on transferred in cooler box on ice and flown to South Africa, at the Durban University of Technology. Protein fractions were extracted with a cocktail of Sodium Chloride buffer (50mM NaCl, 50mM Tris HCl; 75mM DTT and 1mM EDTA at pH 7) and quantified by Bradford method. One dimensional Sodium Dodecyl Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS PAGE) was applied to separate protein fractions. Emulsifying capacity, emulsifying stability, solubility, and in vitro digestibility were determined on the total protein isolates. Significant differences in band expressions were recorded for the myofibrillar and the sarcoplasmic proteins. The three ecotypes had high quality proteins with all the limiting and essential amino acids at concentrations higher than FAO/WHO recommended daily allowance for adults and children. Distinct protein bands at larger molecular weight proteins >100 kDa, corresponding to Myosin Heavy Chain, medium fractions 75 kDa and 45 kDa and even lower molecular weight fraction <25 kDa were present in the chicken breast and the thighs. It concludes that Indigenous chicken protein isolates’ nutritional and functional properties are affected by part of chicken and ecotype clusters

THE MEMS FLUX CONCENTRATOR: POTENTIAL LOW-COST, HIGHSENSITIVITY MAGNETOMETER

Progress on the development of a device, the MEMS flux concentrator, for mitigating the problem of 1/f noise in magnetic sensors will be presented. The MEMS flux concentrator essentially eliminates the effect of 1/f noise by increasing the operating frequency of the sensor to a frequency region where 1/f noise is small. This is accomplished by putting flux concentrators on MEMS structures whose motion modulates the magnetic field at the position of the magnetic sensor. Depending on the sensor, mitigating the effect of 1/f noise will increase the sensitivity of magnetic sensors by one to three orders of magnitude. Combining the MEMS flux concentrator with magnetic tunnel junctions with MgO barriers should lead to low cost magnetic sensors that are able to detect 1 pT signals at 1 Hz

Circadian rhythms identified in Caenorhabditis elegans by in vivo long-term monitoring of a bioluminescent reporter

Circadian rhythms are based on endogenous clocks that allow organisms to adjust their physiology and behavior by entrainment to the solar day and, in turn, to select the optimal times for most biological variables. Diverse model systems-including mice, flies, fungi, plants, and bacteria-have provided important insights into the mechanisms of circadian rhythmicity. However, the general principles that govern the circadian clock of Caenorhabditis elegans have remained largely elusive. Here we report robust molecular circadian rhythms in C elegans recorded with a bioluminescence assay in vivo and demonstrate the main features of the circadian system of the nematode. By constructing a luciferase-based reporter coupled to the promoter of the suppressor of activated let-60 Ras (sur-5) gene, we show in both population and single-nematode assays that C elegans expresses approximately 24-h rhythms that can be entrained by light/dark and temperature cycles. We provide evidence that these rhythms are temperature-compensated and can be re-entrained after phase changes of the synchronizing agents. In addition, we demonstrate that light and temperature sensing requires the photoreceptors LITE and GUR-3, and the cyclic nucleotide-gated channel subunit TAX-2. Our results shed light on C elegans circadian biology and demonstrate evolutionarily conserved features in the circadian system of the nematode