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

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

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)

Development of Low-Alkali, Fly Ash/Slag Geopolymers: Predictive Strength Modelling and Analyses of Impact of Curing Temperatures

The present work analyses the effects of curing temperature (25, 40, 60 °C for 24 h), silicate modulus Ms value (1.5, 1.7, 2.0), and slag content (10, 20, 30, 40 wt%) on the compressive strength development (1, 7, 14, 28 days) of low-alkali geopolymer mortars with matrices from fly ash and blast furnace slag. These data were used to generate predictive models for 28-day compressive strength as a function of curing temperature and slag content. While the dominant variable for the 1-day compressive strength was the curing temperature, the slag content was dominant for the 28-day compressive strength. The ratio of the 1-day and 28-day compressive strengths as a function of curing temperature, Ms value, and slag content allows prediction of the maximal possible curing temperature and shows cold-weather casting to present an obstacle to setting. These data also allow prediction of the 28-day compressive strength using only the 1-day compressive strength

Preferences and skills of Indian public sector teachers

With a sample of 700 future public sector primary teachers in India, a Discrete Choice Experiment is used to measure job preferences, particularly regarding location. General skills are also tested. Urban origin teachers and women are more averse to remote locations than rural origin teachers and men respectively. Women would require a 26-73 percent increase in salary for moving to a remote location. The results suggest that existing caste and gender quotas can be detrimental for hiring skilled teachers willing to work in remote locations. The most preferred location is home, which supports decentralised hiring, although this could compromise skills

Evaluation of etoricoxib in patients undergoing total knee replacement surgery in a double-blind, randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Optimal postoperative pain management is important to ensure patient comfort and early mobilization. METHODS: In this double-blind, placebo- and active-controlled, randomized clinical trial, we evaluated postoperative pain following knee replacement in patients receiving placebo, etoricoxib (90 or 120 mg), or ibuprofen 1800 mg daily for 7 days. Patients \u3e=18 years of age who had pain at rest \u3e=5 (0--10 Numerical Rating Scale [NRS]) after unilateral total knee replacement were randomly assigned to placebo (N = 98), etoricoxib 90 mg (N = 224), etoricoxib 120 mg (N = 230), or ibuprofen 1800 mg (N = 224) postoperatively. Co-primary endpoints included Average Pain Intensity Difference at Rest over Days 1--3 (0- to 10-point NRS) and Average Total Daily Dose of Morphine over Days 1--3. Pain upon movement was evaluated using Average Pain Intensity Difference upon Knee Flexion (0- to 10-point NRS). The primary objective was to demonstrate analgesic superiority for the etoricoxib doses vs. placebo; the secondary objective was to demonstrate that the analgesic effect of the etoricoxib doses was non-inferior to ibuprofen. Adverse experiences (AEs) including opioid-related AEs were evaluated. RESULTS: The least squares (LS) mean (95% CI) differences from placebo for Pain Intensity Difference at Rest over Days 1--3 were -0.54 (-0.95, -0.14); -0.49 (-0.89, -0.08); and -0.45 (-0.85, -0.04) for etoricoxib 90 mg, etoricoxib 120 mg, and ibuprofen, respectively (p \u3c 0.05 for etoricoxib vs. placebo). Differences in LS Geometric Mean Ratio morphine use over Days 1--3 from placebo were 0.66 (0.54, 0.82); 0.69 (0.56, 0.85); and 0.66 (0.53, 0.81) for etoricoxib 90 mg, etoricoxib 120 mg, and ibuprofen, respectively (p \u3c 0.001 for etoricoxib vs. placebo). Differences in LS Mean Pain Intensity upon Knee Flexion were -0.37 (-0.85, 0.11); -0.46 (-0.94, 0.01); and -0.42 (-0.90, 0.06) for etoricoxib 90 mg, etoricoxib 120 mg, and ibuprofen, respectively. Opioid-related AEs occurred in 41.8%, 34.7%, 36.5%, and 36.3% of patients on placebo, etoricoxib 90 mg, etoricoxib 120 mg, and ibuprofen, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative use of etoricoxib 90 and 120 mg in patients undergoing total knee replacement is both superior to placebo and non-inferior to ibuprofen in reducing pain at rest and also reduces opioid (morphine) consumption.Clinical trial registration: NCT00820027