Modeling the viscoplastic behavior of Inconel 718 at 1200 F

A large number of tests, including tensile, creep, fatigue, and creep-fatigue were performed to characterize the mechanical properties of Inconel 718 (a nickel based superalloy) at 1200 F, the operating temperature for turbine blades. In addition, a few attempts were made to model the behavior of Inconel 718 at 1200 F using viscoplastic theories. The Chaboche theory of viscoplasticity can model a wide variety of mechanical behavior, including monotonic, sustained, and cyclic responses of homogeneous, initially-isotropic, strain hardening (or softening) materials. It is shown how the Chaboche theory can be used to model the viscoplastic behavior of Inconel 718 at 1200 F. First, an algorithm was developed to systematically determine the material parameters of the Chaboche theory from uniaxial tensile, creep, and cyclic data. The algorithm is general and can be used in conjunction with similar high temperature materials. A sensitivity study was then performed and an optimal set of Chaboche's parameters were obtained. This study has also indicated the role of each parameter in modeling the response to different loading conditions

Pemeriksaan Tersangka Oleh Penyidik Berdasarkan Kitab Undang-undang Hukum Acara Pidana

Penelitian ini berjudul, pemeriksaan tersangka oleh penyidik berdasarkan kitab undang-undang hukum acara pidana dengan rumusan masalah yaitu bagaimanakah bentuk pemeriksaan tersangka oleh polisi penyidik dalam KUHAP dan apakah faktor penghambat dalam pemeriksaan tersamgka oleh Polisi penyidik dalam KUHAP. Adapun tujuan penelitian ini yaitu untuk mengetahui bentuk pemeriksaan tersangka oleh polisi penyidik dalam KUHAP dan untuk mengetahui faktor penghamabt dalam pemeriksaan tersamgka oleh Polisi penyidik dalam KUHAP. Metode penelitian yang digunakan yaitu Penelitian hukum dapat dibedakan dalam penelitian yang bersifat normatif dan doktrinal. Penelitian normatif adalah penelitian peraturan Perundang-undangan. Penelitian doktrinal adalah penelitian terhadap asas-asas hukum, pandangan-pandangan para sarjana hukum, literatur hukum dan kegiatan perbandingan hukum. Dalam hasil penelitian bahwa bentuk pemeriksaan tersangka oleh polisi penyidik dalam KUHAP adalah mempergunakan sistem pemeriksan “akuisatur”, dimana sitersangka diproyeksikan sebagai subjek hukum dan bukan sebagai objek pemeriksan. Yang menjadi objek pemeriksaan adalah kesalahan atau perbuatan yang disangkakan kepada tersangka

A decentralized proportional-integral sliding mode tracking controller for a 2 D.O.F robot arm

Trajectory tracking with high accuracy is a very challenging topic in direct drive robot control. This is due to the nonlinearities and input couplings present in the dynamics of the arm. This paper deals with the tracking control of a class of direct-drive robot manipulators. A robust Proportional-Integral (PI) sliding mode control law is derived so that the robot trajectory tracks a desired trajectory as closely as possible despite the highly non-linear and coupled dynamics. The controller is designed using the decentralized approaches. Application to a two degree of freedom direct drive robot arm is considered

Kompetensi Guru IPS dalam Pembelajaran Berbasis Pedidikan Karakter di SMP Muhammadiyah Kota Ternate

Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif kualitatif. Subjek penelitian terdiri atas: semua guru, kepala sekolah, dan siswa sebagai responden. Objek penelitian ini adalah kompetensi guru dalam menerapkan berbagai metode untuk pendidikan karakter pada pembelajaran IPS yang terintegrasi. Pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui wawancara, dokumentasi dan observasi. Teknik analisis data yang digunakan adalah teknik analisis kualitatif model induktif. Hasil penelitian adalah sebagai berikut: (1) Kompetensi guru IPS dalam pedidikan karakter di SMP Muhammadiyah 1 dan 2 Kota Ternate belum memuaskan. Hal ini disebabkan oleh guru IPS masih kurang memiliki wawasan dasar keilmuan karakter. Di samping itu juga, guru belum aktif dan kreatif, serta memiliki kemampuan untuk mengembangkan wawasan pendidikan karakter ke dalam mata pelajaran IPS. (2) Metode pembelajaran IPS di SMP Muhammadiyah 1 dan SMP Muhammadiyah 2 Kota Ternate masih cenderung bersifat konvensional, yaitu ceramah. (3) Kendala-kendala yang ditemukan dalam pembelajaran pendidikan karakter di SMP Muhammadiyah 1 dan SMP Muhammadiyah 2 Kota Ternate yaitu berasal dari guru, sarana, dan prasarana yang belum memadai, lemahnya kesadaran peserta didik, dana dan pembiayaan yang masih kurang, program pembelajaran, pembinaan karakter karena masih kurangnya pemahaman dari pembina atau guru, serta buku-buku penunjang yang digunakan untuk kepentingan proses pembelajaran

Clinically insignificant association between anterior knee pain and patellofemoral lesions which are found incidentally.

Patellofemoral chondral lesions are frequently identified incidentally during the arthroscopic treatment of other knee pathologies. A role has been described for arthroscopic debridement of such lesions when symptoms are known to originate from pathology of the patellofemoral joint. However, it remains unclear how to manage lesions which are found incidentally whilst tackling other pathologies. The purpose of this study was to establish the strength of association between anterior knee pain and patellofemoral lesions identified incidentally in a typical arthroscopic population. A consecutive series of patients undergoing arthroscopy for a range of standard indications formed the basis of this cross section study. We excluded those with patellofemoral conditions in order to identify patellofemoral lesions which were solely incidental. Pre-operative assessments were performed on 64 patients, where anterior knee pain was sought by three methods: an annotated photographic knee pain map (PKPM), patient indication with one finger and by palpated tenderness. A single surgeon, who was blinded to previous recordings, performed standard arthroscopies and recorded patellofemoral lesions. Statistical correlations were performed to identify the association magnitude. Associations were identified between incidental patellofemoral lesions and tenderness palpated on the medial patella (P=0.007, χ2=0.32) and the quadriceps tendon (P=0.029, χ2=0.26), but these associations were at best fair, which could be interpreted as clinically insignificant. In which case incidental patellofemoral lesions are not necessarily associated with anterior knee pain, we suggest that they could be left alone. This recommendation is only applicable to patellofemoral lesions which are found incidentally whilst addressing other pathology

Audit of Antenatal Care at a Rural District of KZN, South Africa

Background: Maternal and perinatal mortality remain a big challenge in developing countries, including South Africa, where the figures are amongst the highest in the world. Provision of adequate antenatal care is regarded as a cornerstone of maternal and perinatal health care and is expected to have a considerable impact on achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The detection of high-risk pregnancies through antenatal care has been advocated as a good tool to reduce maternal mortality in developing coun- tries. The South African Government\'s response in terms of providing free maternal care in public health facilities is commendable but access to quality antenatal care is still questionable. We conducted this audit to evaluate the quality of antenatal care/services provided against the set national standards at the first (booking) visit, and visits at 28 and 36 weeks of gestation, as part of a quality improvement initiative.Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study was undertaken, targeting women who attended public health institutions for antenatal care in the Empangeni sub-district of Uthungulu, which is a health district in KwaZulu-Natal province. Data were collected from 244 pregnant mothers\' antenatal care records after delivery, and a random selection from a total of 5 109 women who delivered in Empangeni hospital during July to December 2004. Frequency tables were produced on the predetermined selective antenatal care indicators. A Pearson correlation test was conducted to determine the significant relations, if any, among variables. Results: The majority of the pregnant mothers were unemployed and poor. Virtually all of them (99.6%) had attended public healthcare (PHC) facilities for antenatal care (88% attended PHC clinics and the rest attended hospitals) and each woman had, on average, six antenatal visits. One quarter did not enrol for a prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) programme. Only 9% of pregnant women booked a visit during their first trimester period but most of them (two-thirds) booked a visit during the second trimester of pregnancy. History-taking was done for every woman. Recording of haemoglobin (Hb) estimation was high at the first visit (95%) but low at 28 and 36 weeks (46% and 30% respectively). Recording of syphilis screening was very low (18%) at the first visit and only 2% was screened at 36 weeks. Only 16% received adequate treatment in cases where the results were positive. At 36 weeks, only 2% had a Wasserman reaction (WR) test done to screen syphilis at term. Over half (55%) of the pregnant women received three doses of tetanus toxoid vaccination before delivery. Conclusion: The study showed that the standard of antenatal care offered in the Empangeni sub-district fell short of the required level. This lack of proper care represents missed opportunities to impact optimally on maternal and perinatal health outcomes. Thus strategies are urgently needed to improve antenatal care through a quality improving initiative. South African Family Practice Vol. 50 (3) 2008: pp. 66-66

Risk Factors for Anaemia in Pregnancy in Rural KwaZulu-Natal – South Africa: Implication for Health Education and Health Promotion

Background: Anaemia in pregnancy is a major public health problem in developing countries. It is associated with an increased risk of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. A high rate of anaemia in pregnancy in the rural population of KwaZulu-Natal (30% according to national and 57% according to the World Health Organization [WHO] definition of anaemia in pregnancy) is observed. The risk factors for anaemia, particularly during pregnancy, are multiple and complex and their relative contributions are known to vary by geographic areas and by seasons. In order to design an intervention for treatment and prevention of anaemia in pregnancy, studies to assess the aetiological factors are necessary. The aim of this study was to evaluate the strength of association between intestinal helminthiasis, urinary schistosomiasis and HIV infection on anaemia in pregnancy.Methods: A retrospective case-control study design was used in a rural district hospital of South Africa. A total of 300 pregnant women, 100 of them with anaemia (haemoglobin less than 10 gm/dL according to the national definition of anaemia in pregnancy) referred as cases and 200 controls were studied from Empangeni Hospital. Both cases and controls were matched for age, parity and gestational age. Data were collected from the antenatal clinic and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) programme registers for cases and controls at their booking visit during the months of May, June and July of 2004. Univariate and multiple logistic regression were performed to analyse the data.Results: Of the cases, 48% and 1% among the controls had intestinal helminthiasis, resulting in the odds ratio of 42 (p = 0,000 and 95% CI 9,96 – 176.59). The risk of anaemia was related to urinary schistosomiasis, as 27% of the cases compared to 1% of controls was found with anaemia. The odds ratio was 12 (p = 0,000 and 95% CI 3.58 – 41.02). These parasitic infestations are known to cause chronic haemorrhage and iron deficiency resulting in the development of anaemia in pregnancy. Transmissions of intestinal parasitic infestation occur through the faecal-oral route. Personal hygiene and other environmental factors are therefore an important factor for the transmission of the disease. To reduce the transmission of faecaloral diseases (e.g. intestinal helminthiasis and urinary schistosomiasis) key interventions recommended are: 1) safe disposal of human excreta, 2) hand-washing practices with soap after defecation, and 3) maintenance of drinking water free from faecal contamination. Similarly, HIV infection increased the chance of developing anaemia in pregnancy twofold as HIV infection was more common among cases (56%) than among controls (37%), resulting in an odds ratio of 2.11 (p = 0,003 and 95% CI 1.123 – 3.21). The prevention of HIV infection and transmission can be achieved through the improvement of knowledge of these conditions. These can be achieved through health education and health promotion.Conclusion: These findings confirm and conform to other studies on the association between anaemia in pregnancy and parasitic and HIV  infections. Antenatal care should promote de-worming and education on personal hygiene and HIV (risk factors, mode of transmission, etc.). The provision of safe water supply and toilet facilities for the rural communities should be considered urgently to prevent and promote better health for all, including pregnant women