Isolated major aortopulmonary collateral as the sole pulmonary blood supply to an entire lung segment

Congenital systemic-to-pulmonary collateral arteries or major aortopulmonary collaterals are associated with cyanotic congenital heart disease with decreased pulmonary blood flow. Though it is usually associated with congenital heart diseases, there is an increased incidence of isolated acquired aortopulmonary collaterals in premature infants with chronic lung disease. Interestingly, isolated congenital aortopulmonary collaterals can occur without any lung disease, which may cause congestive heart failure and require closure. We present a neonate with an echocardiogram that showed only left-sided heart dilation. Further workup with a CT angiogram demonstrated an anomalous systemic artery from the descending thoracic aorta supplying the left lower lobe. He eventually developed heart failure symptoms and was taken to the catheterization laboratory for closure of the collateral. However, with the collateral being the only source of blood flow to the entire left lower lobe, he required surgical unifocalization. Isolated aortopulmonary collaterals without any other congenital heart disease or lung disease are rare. Our patient is the first reported case to have an isolated aortopulmonary collateral being the sole pulmonary blood supply to an entire lung segment. Due to its rarity, there is still much to learn about the origin and development of these collaterals that possibly developed prenatally

Combining Plant Pathogenic Fungi and the Leaf-Mining Fly, Hydrellia pakistanae, Increases Damage to Hydrilla

Four fungal species, F71PJ Acremonium sp., F531 Cylindrocarpon sp., F542, Botrytis sp., and F964 Fusarium culmorum [Wm. G. Sm.] Sacc. were recovered from hydrilla [ Hydrilla verticillata (L. f.) Royle] shoots or from soil and water surrounding hydrilla growing in ponds and lakes in Florida and shown to be capable of killing hydrilla in a bioassay. The isolates were tested singly and in combination with the leaf-mining fly, Hydrellia pakistanae (Diptera: Ephydridae), for their capability to kill or severely damage hydrilla in a bioassay

Mutual Perception and Relational Strategies of Hindus and Muslims in India

The present study examines mutual perception and relational strategies of the Hindu and Muslim groups in the cultural context of India by focusing on religion-based “othering.” A sample of 264 participants belonging to Hindu and Muslim groups was studied in Varanasi City. An instrument developed and used in an international project was adapted and given to participants (age range 20–60 years) for measuring their relational strategies, mutual perceptions and perceived discriminations. The findings revealed the ‘Coexistence’ relational strategy to be strongly placed in both Muslim and Hindu participants. Both ‘Integration’ and ‘Assimilation’ strategies were stronger in Muslim participants than in Hindu participants. Hindus preferred the ‘Separation’ strategy, perceived greater discrimination and held less positive views of Muslims. The findings are discussed along with their implications for dealing with the problem of Hindu-Muslim relationships in India

A direct method for analyzing the nonlinear vehicle–structure interaction

This article presents an accurate, efficient and stable algorithm to analyze the nonlinear vertical vehicle-structure interaction. The governing equilibrium equations of the vehicle and structure are complemented with additional constraint equations that relate the displacements of the vehicle with the corresponding displacements of the structure. These equations form a single system, with displacements and contact forces as unknowns, that is solved using an optimized block factorization algorithm. Due to the nonlinear nature of contact, an incremental formulation based on the Newton method is adopted. The vehicles, track and structure are modeled using finite elements to take into account all the significant deformations. The numerical example presented clearly demonstrates the accuracy and computational efficiency of the proposed method

Low Speed Estimation of Sensorless DTC Induction Motor Drive Using MRAS with Neuro Fuzzy Adaptive Controller

This paper presents a closed loop Model Reference Adaptive system (MRAS) observer with artificial intelligent Nuero fuzzy controller (NFC) as the adaptation technique to mitigate the low speed estimation issues and to improvise the performance of the Sensorless Direct Torque Controlled (DTC) Induction Motor Drives (IMD). Rotor flux MRAS and reactive power MRAS with NFC is explored and detailed analysis is carried out for low speed estimation. Comparative analysis between rotor flux MRAS and reactive power MRAS with PI as well as NFC as adaptive controller is performed and results are presented in this paper. The comparative analysis among these four speed estimation methods shows that reactive power MRAS with NFC as adaptation mechanism shows reduced speed estimation error and actual speed error at steady state operating conditions when the drive is subjected to low speed operation. Simulation carried out using MATLAB-Simulink software to validate the performance of the drive especially at low speeds with rated and variable load conditions

Effect of laser surface treatment on the corrosion and fatigue performance of aa5456-h116 alloys

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Computation of damping derivative of an Ogive at highspeed flow

This paper aims to derive an expression for the damping derivative of an ogive in pitch. The Ogive shape is achieved by superposing an arch on the cone. The inertia levels considered are M = 5, 7, 9, 10, and 15. The contemporary theory applies to the connected shock case & the Mach M2 behind the shock M2 ≥ 2.5. Damping derivatives are examined for ogive for γ = 1.4 at various semi angles for differing pivot positions and Mach numbers and λ = ± 5, 10. Results indicate a continued decrease in stability derivatives. However, the damping derivatives turn independent of Mach M for Mach more than ten— with a surge in the cone angle, a continued rise in the damping derivatives attained

A study on wear evaluation of railway wheels based on multibody dynamics and wear computation

The wear evolution of railway wheels is a very important issue in railway engineering. In the past, the reprofiling intervals of railway vehicle steel wheels have been scheduled according to designers' experience. Today, more reliable and accurate tools in predicting wheel wear evolution and wheelset lifetime can be used in order to achieve economical and safety benefits. In this work, a computational tool that is able to predict the evolution of the wheel profiles for a given railway system, as a function of the distance run, is presented. The strategy adopted consists of using a commercial multibody software to study the railway dynamic problem and a purpose-built code for managing its pre- and post-processing data in order to compute the wear. The tool is applied here to realistic operation scenarios in order to assess the effect of some service conditions on the wheel wear progression