Manufacturing and testing of a magnetically suspended composite flywheel energy storage system

This paper presents the work performed to develop a multiring composite material flywheel and improvements of a magnetically suspended energy storage system. The flywheel is constructed of filament would graphite/epoxy and is interference assembled for better stress distribution to obtain higher speeds. The stationary stack in the center of the disk supports the flywheel with two magnetic bearings and provides power transfer to the flywheel with a motor/generator. The system operates under a 10(exp -4) torr environment and has been demonstrated to 20,000 rpm with a total stored energy of 15.9 Wh. When this flywheel cycles between its design speeds (45,000 to 90,000 rpm), it will deliver 242 Wh and have a usable specific energy density of 42.6 Wh/kg

Type 5 secretion system antigens as vaccines against Gram-negative bacterial infections

Infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria are leading causes of mortality worldwide. Due to the rise in antibiotic resistant strains, there is a desperate need for alternative strategies to control infections caused by these organisms. One such approach is the prevention of infection through vaccination. While live attenuated and heat-killed bacterial vaccines are effective, they can lead to adverse reactions. Newer vaccine technologies focus on utilizing polysaccharide or protein subunits for safer and more targeted vaccination approaches. One promising avenue in this regard is the use of proteins released by the Type 5 secretion system (T5SS). This system is the most prevalent secretion system in Gram-negative bacteria. These proteins are compelling vaccine candidates due to their demonstrated protective role in current licensed vaccines. Notably, Pertactin, FHA, and NadA are integral components of licensed vaccines designed to prevent infections caused by Bordetella pertussis or Neisseria meningitidis. In this review, we delve into the significance of incorporating T5SS proteins into licensed vaccines, their contributions to virulence, conserved structural motifs, and the protective immune responses elicited by these proteins

Cardiovascular disease risk prediction in older people: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Despite cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk prediction equations becoming more widely available for people aged ≥75 years, views of older people on CVD risk assessment are unknown. AIM: To explore older people's views on CVD risk prediction and its assessment. DESIGN AND SETTING: Qualitative study of community-dwelling older people in New Zealand. METHOD: A diverse group of older people was purposively recruited. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analysed. RESULTS: Thirty-nine participants (mean age 74 years) of Māori, Pacific, South Asian, and European ethnicities participated in one of 26 interviews or one of three focus groups. Three key themes emerged: poor knowledge and understanding of CVD and its risk assessment; acceptability and perceived benefit of knowing and receiving advice on managing personal CVD risk; and distinguishing between CVD outcomes - stroke and heart attack are not the same. Most participants did not understand CVD terms, but were familiar with the terms 'heart attack' and 'stroke', and understood lifestyle risk factors for these events. Participants valued CVD outcomes differently, fearing stroke and disability - which might adversely affect independence and quality of life - but were less concerned about a heart attack, which was perceived as causing less disability or swifter death. These findings and preferences were similar across ethnic groups. All but two participants wanted to know their CVD risk, how to manage it, and distinguish between CVD outcomes. Those who did not wish to know perceived this as something only their God could decide. CONCLUSION: To inform clinical decision making for older people, consideration of an individual's wish to know their risk is important, and risk prediction tools should provide separate event types rather than just composite outcomes

Testing a capacity-load model for hypertension: disentangling early and late growth effects on childhood blood pressure in a prospective birth cohort.

In 2005, it was estimated that hypertension affected 26.4% of the adult population worldwide. By 2025, it is predicted that it will affect about 60% of adults, a total of 1.56 billion. Both pre- and postnatal growth patterns have been associated with later blood pressure (BP), but in contrasting directions. These inconsistent associations of growth during different developmental periods merit elucidation. We tested a theoretical model treating birth weight as a marker of homeostatic metabolic capacity, and childhood height, lean mass and fat mass as independent indices of metabolic load. We predicted that decreased capacity and increased load would be independently associated with increased BP

The plight of the sense-making ape

This is a selective review of the published literature on object-choice tasks, where participants use directional cues to find hidden objects. This literature comprises the efforts of researchers to make sense of the sense-making capacities of our nearest living relatives. This chapter is written to highlight some nonsensical conclusions that frequently emerge from this research. The data suggest that when apes are given approximately the same sense-making opportunities as we provide our children, then they will easily make sense of our social signals. The ubiquity of nonsensical contemporary scientific claims to the effect that humans are essentially--or inherently--more capable than other great apes in the understanding of simple directional cues is, itself, a testament to the power of preconceived ideas on human perception

Validity of new child-specific thoracic gas volume prediction equations for air-displacement plethysmography

BACKGROUND: To determine the validity of the recently developed child-specific thoracic gas volume (TGV) prediction equations for use in air-displacement plethysmography (ADP) in diverse pediatric populations. METHODS: Three distinct populations were studied: European American and African American children living in Birmingham, Alabama and European children living in Lisbon, Portugal. Each child completed a standard ADP testing protocol, including a measured TGV according to the manufactures software criteria. Measured TGV was compared to the predicted TGV from current adult-based ADP proprietary equations and to the recently developed child-specific TGV equations of Fields et al. Similarly, percent body fat, derived using the TGV prediction equations, was compared to percent body fat derived using measured TGV. RESULTS: Predicted TGV from adult-based equations was significantly different from measured TGV in girls from each of the three ethnic groups (P < 0.05), however child-specific TGV estimates did not significantly differ from measured TGV in any of the ethnic or gender groups. Percent body fat estimates using adult-derived and child-specific TGV estimates did not differ significantly from percent body fat measures using measured TGV in any of the groups. CONCLUSION: The child-specific TGV equations developed by Fields et al. provided a modest improvement over the adult-based TGV equations in an ethnically diverse group of children

Controllable Photonic Time-Bin Qubits from a Quantum Dot

Photonic time bin qubits are well suited to transmission via optical fibres and waveguide circuits. The states take the form $\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}(\alpha \ket{0} + e^{i\phi}\beta \ket{1})$, with $\ket{0}$ and $\ket{1}$ referring to the early and late time bin respectively. By controlling the phase of a laser driving a spin-flip Raman transition in a single-hole-charged InAs quantum dot we demonstrate complete control over the phase, $\phi$. We show that this photon generation process can be performed deterministically, with only a moderate loss in coherence. Finally, we encode different qubits in different energies of the Raman scattered light, demonstrating wavelength division multiplexing at the single photon level

Body shape and size in 6-year old children: assessment by three-dimensional photonic scanning.

BACKGROUND: Body shape and size are typically described using measures such as body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference, which predict disease risks in adults. However, this approach may underestimate the true variability in childhood body shape and size. OBJECTIVE: To use a comprehensive three-dimensional photonic scan approach to describe variation in childhood body shape and size. SUBJECTS/METHODS: At age 6 years, 3350 children from the population-based 2004 Pelotas birth cohort study were assessed by three-dimensional photonic scanner, traditional anthropometry and dual X-ray absorptiometry. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on height and 24 photonic scan variables (circumferences, lengths/widths, volumes and surface areas). RESULTS: PCA identified four independent components of children's body shape and size, which we termed: Corpulence, Central:peripheral ratio, Height and arm lengths, and Shoulder diameter. Corpulence showed strong correlations with traditional anthropometric and body composition measures (r>0.90 with weight, BMI, waist circumference and fat mass; r>0.70 with height, lean mass and bone mass); in contrast, the other three components showed weak or moderate correlations with those measures (all r<0.45). There was no sex difference in Corpulence, but boys had higher Central:peripheral ratio, Height and arm lengths and Shoulder diameter values than girls. Furthermore, children with low birth weight had lower Corpulence and Height and arm lengths but higher Central:peripheral ratio and Shoulder diameter than other children. Children from high socio-economic position (SEP) families had higher Corpulence and Height and arm lengths than other children. Finally, white children had higher Corpulence and Central:peripheral ratio than mixed or black children. CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive assessment by three-dimensional photonic scanning identified components of childhood body shape and size not captured by traditional anthropometry or body composition measures. Differences in these novel components by sex, birth weight, SEP and skin colour may indicate their potential relevance to disease risks.This article is based on data from the study ‘Pelotas Birth Cohort, 2004’ conducted by the Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology at Federal University of Pelotas, in collaboration with Brazilian Public Health Association (ABRASCO). The 2004 birth cohort study is supported by the Wellcome Trust through the scheme called ‘Major Awards for Latin America on Health Consequences of Population Change’. The World Health Organization, Brazilian National research Council (CNPq) and Brazilian Ministry of Health have supported previous phase of the study. LPS is supported by ‘Science without Borders’ Brazilian scheme under protocol number 201801/2014-0.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Nature Publishing Group via http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2016.3

Comparison of air displacement plethysmography to hydrostatic weighing for estimating total body density in children

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine the accuracy of total body density and percent body fat (% fat) using air displacement plethysmography (ADP) and hydrostatic weighing (HW) in children. METHODS: Sixty-six male and female subjects (40 males: 12.4 ± 1.3 yrs, 47.4 ± 14.8 kg, 155.4 ± 11.9 cm, 19.3 ± 4.1 kg/m(2); 26 females: 12.0 ± 1.9 yrs, 41.4 ± 7.7 kg, 152.1 ± 8.9 cm, 17.7 ± 1.7 kg/m(2)) were tested using ADP and HW with ADP always preceding HW. Accuracy, precision, and bias were examined in ADP with HW serving as the criterion method. Lohman's equations that are child specific for age and gender were used to convert body density to % fat. Regression analysis determined the accuracy of ADP and potential bias between ADP and HW using Bland-Altman analysis. RESULTS: For the entire group (Y = 0.835x + 0.171, R(2 )= 0.84, SEE = 0.007 g/cm(3)) and for the males (Y = 0.837x + 0.174, R(2 )= 0.90, SEE = 0.006 g/cm(3)) the regression between total body density by HW and by ADP significantly deviated from the line of identity. However in females, the regression between total body density by HW and ADP did not significantly deviate from the line of identity (Y = 0.750x + 0.258, R(2 )= 0.55, SEE = 0.008 g/cm(3)). The regression between % fat by HW and ADP for the group (Y = 0.84x + 3.81, R(2 )= 0.83, SEE = 3.35 % fat) and for the males (Y = 0.84x + 3.25, R(2 )= 0.90, SEE = 3.00 % fat) significantly deviated from the line of identity. However, in females the regression between % fat by HW and ADP did not significantly deviate from the line of identity (Y = 0.81x + 5.17, R(2 )= 0.56, SEE = 3.80 % fat). Bland-Altman analysis revealed no bias between HW total body density and ADP total body density for the entire group (R = 0.-22; P = 0.08) or for females (R = 0.02; P = 0.92), however bias existed in males (R = -0.37; P ≤ 0.05). Bland-Altman analysis revealed no bias between HW and ADP % fat for the entire group (R = 0.21; P = 0.10) or in females (R = 0.10; P = 0.57), however bias was indicated for males by a significant correlation (R = 0.36; P ≤ 0.05), with ADP underestimating % fat at lower fat values and overestimating at the higher % fat values. CONCLUSION: A significant difference in total body density and % fat was observed between ADP and HW in children 10–15 years old with a potential gender difference being detected. Upon further investigation it was revealed that the study was inadequately powered, thus we recommend that larger studies that are appropriately powered be conducted to better understand this potential gender difference

An extended finite element model for modelling localised fracture of reinforced concrete beams in fire

Open Access funded by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council under a Creative Commons license.A robust finite element procedure for modelling the localised fracture of reinforced concrete beams at elevated temperatures is developed. In this model a reinforced concrete beam is represented as an assembly of 4-node quadrilateral plain concrete, 3-node main reinforcing steel bar, and 2-node bond-link elements. The concrete element is subdivided into layers for considering the temperature distribution over the cross-section of a beam. An extended finite element method (XFEM) has been incorporated into the concrete elements in order to capture the localised cracks within the concrete. The model has been validated against previous fire test results on the concrete beams.The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council of Great Britain under Grant No. EP/I031553/1