Drag Coefficients of Varying Dimple Patterns

There are many golf balls on the market today with varying dimple sizes, shapes, and distribution. These proprietary differences are all designed to reduce drag on the balls during flight. There are limited published studies comparing how varying the dimples affects the reduction of drag. An experiment was developed in which golf balls were pulled through a water tank to measure the drag force acting on each ball. The water was chosen to allow for testing at slower velocities. A range of dimple patterns were tested and compared to determine which pattern has the lowest associated drag coefficient

Temperature dependance of charge packet velocity in XLPE Cable peelings

The generation and transit of charge packets in 150μm thick peelings from the insulation of Medium Voltage Cables manufactured using the same XLPE batch have been investigated at a number of different temperatures. Charge packet motion was investigated in peelings taken from cables that have been electro-thermally stressed at T= 90 degrees C for 5000 hours with a Laplacian field E ≈ 20kV/mm at the location of the samples. It was found that charge packets were generated by an applied field of 120kV/mm when the internal space charge field reached 140-150kV/mm. Measurements were made in three controlled temperature environments and it was found that the transit time fitted an Arrhenius behaviour with an activation energy of ~1.2 eV. This value is similar to estimates made for the deepest traps (>1.1eV) made from the decay of space charge accumulated at lower fields of 46.67kVmm. It is also close to the activation energy for the conductivity (~1.25 eV) obtained from the dielectric spectroscopy of unpeeled cable sections at Erms ≈ 0.41 V/mm, and ~1.15eV from the dielectric spectroscopy of the peelings (E = 40V/mm). It is therefore concluded that the transit of the charge packet is associated with the trap-to-trap transport of charge carriers located in the deepest traps available. The implications of these results for the mechanism of charge packet generation is discussed

Early Interferon-γ Production in Human Lymphocyte Subsets in Response to Nontyphoidal Salmonella Demonstrates Inherent Capacity in Innate Cells

Background Nontyphoidal Salmonellae frequently cause life-threatening bacteremia in sub-Saharan Africa. Young children and HIV-infected adults are particularly susceptible. High case-fatality rates and increasing antibiotic resistance require new approaches to the management of this disease. Impaired cellular immunity caused by defects in the T helper 1 pathway lead to intracellular disease with Salmonella that can be countered by IFNγ administration. This report identifies the lymphocyte subsets that produce IFNγ early in Salmonella infection. Methodology Intracellular cytokine staining was used to identify IFNγ production in blood lymphocyte subsets of ten healthy adults with antibodies to Salmonella (as evidence of immunity to Salmonella), in response to stimulation with live and heat-killed preparations of the D23580 invasive African isolate of Salmonella Typhimurium. The absolute number of IFNγ-producing cells in innate, innate-like and adaptive lymphocyte subpopulations was determined. Principal Findings Early IFNγ production was found in the innate/innate-like lymphocyte subsets: γδ-T cells, NK cells and NK-like T cells. Significantly higher percentages of such cells produced IFNγ compared to adaptive αβ-T cells (Student's t test, P<0.001 and ≤0.02 for each innate subset compared, respectively, with CD4+- and CD8+-T cells). The absolute numbers of IFNγ-producing cells showed similar differences. The proportion of IFNγ-producing γδ-T cells, but not other lymphocytes, was significantly higher when stimulated with live compared with heat-killed bacteria (P<0.0001). Conclusion/Significance Our findings indicate an inherent capacity of innate/innate-like lymphocyte subsets to produce IFNγ early in the response to Salmonella infection. This may serve to control intracellular infection and reduce the threat of extracellular spread of disease with bacteremia which becomes life-threatening in the absence of protective antibody. These innate cells may also help mitigate against the effect on IFNγ production of depletion of Salmonella-specific CD4+-T lymphocytes in HIV infection

The general population cohort in rural south-western Uganda: a platform for communicable and non-communicable disease studies.

The General Population Cohort (GPC) was set up in 1989 to examine trends in HIV prevalence and incidence, and their determinants in rural south-western Uganda. Recently, the research questions have included the epidemiology and genetics of communicable and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to address the limited data on the burden and risk factors for NCDs in sub-Saharan Africa. The cohort comprises all residents (52% aged ≥13years, men and women in equal proportions) within one-half of a rural sub-county, residing in scattered houses, and largely farmers of three major ethnic groups. Data collected through annual surveys include; mapping for spatial analysis and participant location; census for individual socio-demographic and household socioeconomic status assessment; and a medical survey for health, lifestyle and biophysical and blood measurements to ascertain disease outcomes and risk factors for selected participants. This cohort offers a rich platform to investigate the interplay between communicable diseases and NCDs. There is robust infrastructure for data management, sample processing and storage, and diverse expertise in epidemiology, social and basic sciences. For any data access enquiries you may contact the director, MRC/UVRI, Uganda Research Unit on AIDS by email to [email protected] or the corresponding author

Metabolic Comparison of One-Anastomosis Gastric Bypass, Single-Anastomosis Duodenal-Switch, Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass, and Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy in Rat

Background One-anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) and single-anastomosis duodenal switch (SADS) have become increasingly popular weight loss strategies. However, data directly comparing the effectiveness of these procedures with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and vertical sleeve gastrectomy (SG) are limited. Objectives To examine the metabolic outcomes of OAGB, SADS, RYGB, and SG in a controlled rodent model. Setting Academic research laboratory, United States. Methods Surgeries were performed in diet-induced obese Long-Evans rats, and metabolic outcomes were monitored before and for 15 weeks after surgery. Results All bariatric procedures induced weight loss compared with sham that lasted throughout the course of the study. The highest percent fat loss occurred after OAGB and RYGB. All bariatric procedures had improved glucose dynamics associated with an increase in insulin (notably OAGB and SADS) and/or glucagon-like protein-1 secretion. Circulating cholesterol was reduced in OAGB, SG, and RYGB. OAGB and SG additionally decreased circulating triglycerides. Liver triglycerides were most profoundly reduced after OAGB and RYGB. Circulating iron levels were decreased in all surgical groups, associated with a decreased hematocrit value and increased reticulocyte count. The fecal microbiome communities of OAGB, SADS, and RYGB were significantly altered; however, SG exhibited no change in microbiome diversity or composition. Conclusions These data support the use of the rat for modeling bariatric surgical procedures and highlight the ability of the OAGB to meet or exceed the metabolic improvements of RYGB. These data point to the likelihood that each surgery accomplishes metabolic improvements through both overlapping and distinct mechanisms and warrants further research

Heat kernel of non-minimal gauge field kinetic operators on Moyal plane

We generalize the Endo formula originally developed for the computation of the heat kernel asymptotic expansion for non-minimal operators in commutative gauge theories to the noncommutative case. In this way, the first three non-zero heat trace coefficients of the non-minimal U(N) gauge field kinetic operator on the Moyal plane taken in an arbitrary background are calculated. We show that the non-planar part of the heat trace asymptotics is determined by U(1) sector of the gauge model. The non-planar or mixed heat kernel coefficients are shown to be gauge-fixing dependent in any dimension of space-time. In the case of the degenerate deformation parameter the lowest mixed coefficients in the heat expansion produce non-local gauge-fixing dependent singularities of the one-loop effective action that destroy the renormalizability of the U(N) model at one-loop level. The twisted-gauge transformation approach is discussed.Comment: 21 pages, misprints correcte

When information does not suffice: young people living with HIV and communication about ART adherence in the clinic.

Despite mounting evidence recommending disclosure of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status to young people with perinatally acquired HIV as a central motivating factor for adherence to antiretroviral therapy, many young people continue to experience disclosure as a partial event, rather than a process. Drawing from two longitudinal, interview-based qualitative studies with young people living with HIV (aged 10-24) in five different countries in low and high income settings, we present data regarding disclosure and information about HIV in the clinic. The article highlights the limits of discussions framing disclosure and patient literacy, and young people's reluctance to voice their adherence difficulties in the context of their relationships with clinical care teams. We suggest that a clinician-initiated, explicit acknowledgment of the social and practical hurdles of daily adherence for young people would aid a more transparent conversation and encourage young people to disclose missed doses and other problems they may be facing with their treatment. This may help to reduce health harms and poor adherence in the longer-term

Maternal experiences of caring for an infant with neurological impairment after neonatal encephalopathy in Uganda: a qualitative study

Purpose: The study investigated maternal experiences of caring for a child affected by neurological impairment after neonatal encephalopathy (NE) (“birth asphyxia”) in Uganda. Methods: Between September 2011 and October 2012 small group and one-on-one in-depths interviews were conducted with mothers recruited to the ABAaNA study examining outcomes from NE in Mulago hospital, Kampala. Data were analysed thematically with the aid of Nvivo 8 software. Findings: Mothers reported caring for an infant with impairment was often complicated by substantial social, emotional and financial difficulties and stigma. High levels of emotional distress, feelings of social isolation and fearfulness about the future were described. Maternal health-seeking ability was exacerbated by high transport costs, lack of paternal support and poor availability of rehabilitation and counselling services. Meeting and sharing experiences with similarly affected mothers was associated with more positive maternal caring experiences. Conclusion: Mothering a child with neurological impairment after NE is emotionally, physically and financially challenging but this may be partly mitigated by good social support and opportunities to share caring experiences with similarly affected mothers. A facilitated, participatory, community-based approach to rehabilitation training may have important impacts on maximising participation and improving the quality of life of affected mothers and infants. Implications for Rehabilitation Caring for an infant with neurological impairment after NE in Uganda has substantial emotional, social and financial impacts on families and is associated with high levels of emotional stress, feelings of isolation and stigma amongst mothers. Improved social support and the opportunity to share experiences with other similarly affected mothers are associated with a more positive maternal caring experience. High transport costs, lack of paternal support and poor availability of counselling and support services were barriers to maternal healthcare seeking. Studies examining the feasibility, acceptability and impact of early intervention programmes are warranted to maximise participation and improve the quality of life for affected mothers and their infants

Different Ankle Joint Energetic Pattern Between Subjects with Copers and Ankle Instability

Please refer to the pdf version of the abstract located adjacent to the title