QM-8 final performance evaluation report: SEALS, volume 4

The Space Shuttle Redesigned Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM) static test of Qualification Motor-8 (QM-8) was conducted. The QM-8 test article was the fifth full-scale, full-duration test, and the third qualification motor to incorporate the redesigned case field joint and nozzle-to-case joint. This was the second static test conducted in the T-97 test facility, which is equipped with actuators for inducing external side loads to a 360 degree external tank (ET) attach ring during test motor operation, and permits heating/cooling of an entire motor. The QM-8 motor was cooled to a temperature which ensured that the maximum propellant mean bulk temperature (PMBT) of 40 F was achieved at firing. All test results are not included, but rather, the performance of the metal case, field joints, and nozzle-to-case joint is addressed. The involvement is studied of the Structural Applications and Structural Design Groups with the QM-8 test which includes: assembly procedures of the field and nozzle-to-case joints, joint leak check results, structural test results, and post-test inspection evaluations

Performance Evaluation of a Two-Row Okra Planter

Rosana G. Moreira, Editor-in-Chief; Texas A&M UniversityThis is a paper from International Commission of Agricultural Engineering (CIGR, Commission Internationale du Genie Rural) E-Journal Volume 8 (2006): Performance Evaluation of a Two-Row Okra Planter. Manuscript PM 06 002. Vol. VIII. July, 2006

Quantification of leachate discharged to groundwater using the water balance method and the Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance (HELP) model

Landfills are a source of groundwater pollution in Gaza Strip. This study focused on Deir Al Balah landfill, which is a unique sanitary landfill site in Gaza Strip (i.e. it has a lining system and a leachate recirculation system). The objective of this article is to assess the generated leachate quantity and percolation to the groundwater aquifer at a specific site, using the approaches of (i) the Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance model (HELP) and (ii) the water balance method (WBM). The results show that when using the HELP model, the average volume of leachate discharged from Deir Al Balah landfill during the period 1997 to 2007 was around, 6800 m3/year. Meanwhile, the average volume of leachate percolated through the clay layer was 550 m3/year, which represents around 8% of the generated leachate. Meanwhile, the WBM indicated that the average volume of leachate discharged from Deir Al Balah

Experimental investigation on CO2methanation process for solar energy storage compared to CO2-based methanol synthesis

The utilization of the captured CO2 as a carbon source for the production of energy storage media offers a technological solution for overcoming crucial issues in current energy systems. Solar energy production generally does not match with energy demand because of its intermittent and non-programmable nature, entailing the adoption of storage technologies. Hydrogen constitutes a chemical storage for renewable electricity if it is produced by water electrolysis and is also the key reactant for CO2 methanation (Sabatier reaction). The utilization of CO2 as a feedstock for producing methane contributes to alleviate global climate changes and sequestration related problems. The produced methane is a carbon neutral gas that fits into existing infrastructure and allows issues related to the aforementioned intermittency and non-programmability of solar energy to be overcome. In this paper, an experimental apparatus, composed of an electrolyzer and a tubular fixed bed reactor, is built and used to produce methane via Sabatier reaction. The objective of the experimental campaign is the evaluation of the process performance and a comparison with other CO2 valorization paths such as methanol production. The investigated pressure range was 2–20 bar, obtaining a methane volume fraction in outlet gaseous mixture of 64.75% at 8 bar and 97.24% at 20 bar, with conversion efficiencies of, respectively, 84.64% and 99.06%. The methanol and methane processes were compared on the basis of an energy parameter defined as the spent energy/stored energy. It is higher for the methanol process (0.45), with respect to the methane production process (0.41–0.43), which has a higher energy storage capability

Haematoma detection using EIT in a sheep model

Performance evaluation of a portable digital electrical impedance tomography system to detect haematomas using a sheep model is presented. Two different experiments have been performed using 8-electrode full array configuration. Artificial haematomas were introduced in the first experiment by injecting blood-like conductivity solution via the brainstem, and in the second by placing blood-like conductivity gel at a certain position on top of the parietal lobes of the brain on the left and right sides. For the first experiment, the Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) images were reconstructed sequentially for different injection volumes and the quantity index (QI) was calculated as a function of the injected solution volume. The results show a linear relationship of QI to the injected volume. For the second experiment, the images were successfully reconstructed and haematoma was clearly detected and localised using our developed system. The promising results of sheep experiments prove that our developed EIT system is able to detect and quantify small haematomas in head

Utilizing a Protocol to Reduce Post-Operative Urinary Retention in Total Joint Arthroplasty

Foley catheters have not routinely been used for our total joint patients for many years, leading staff to bladder scan and straight catheterize patients postoperatively. Bladder scanning and catheterization were identified as an inconsistent practice. Patients were commonly straight catheterized when nurses determind bladder scan volume and time of last void; yet the amounts for both and decision to catheterize were inconsistent. Also, the clinical evaluation and treatment was inconsistent among physicians. Variations in practice included rationale for a urology consult, use of medications for urinary retention, and documentation. Baseline urinary retention condition codes ranged from 8-18%, which led our team to choose urinary retention as a performance meansure in 2012 for The Joint Commission Disease Specific Care Certification. Objective: Describe the clinical and cultural impact the total joint urinary protocol has on decreasing urinary retention.https://digitalcommons.centracare.com/nursing_posters/1054/thumbnail.jp

A Class of Computationally Fast First Order Finite Volume Solvers: PVM Methods

In this work, we present a class of fast first order finite volume solvers, named as PVM (Polynomial Viscosity Matrix), for balance laws or, more generally, for nonconservative hyperbolic systems. They are defined in terms of viscosity matrices computed by a suitable polynomial evaluation of a Roe matrix. These methods have the advantage that they only need some information about the eigenvalues of the system to be defined, and no spectral decomposition of Roe Matrix is needed. As consequence, they are faster than Roe method. These methods can be seen as a generalization of the schemes introduced by Degond et al. in [12] for balance laws and nonconservative systems. The first-order path conservative methods to be designed here are intended to be used as the basis for higher order methods for multi-dimensional problems. In this work, some well known solvers as Rusanov, Lax-Friedrichs, FORCE (see [30], [8]), GFORCE (see [31], [8]) or HLL (see [18]) are redefined under this form, and then some new solvers are proposed. Finally, some numerical tests are presented and the performance of the numerical schemes are compared among them and with Roe schem

Clinical Experience and Examination Performance: Is There a Correlation?

Context  The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) requires there to be: ‘…comparable educational experiences and equivalent methods of evaluation across all alternative instructional sites within a given discipline’. It is an LCME accreditation requirement that students encounter similar numbers of patients with similar diagnoses. However, previous empirical studies have not shown a correlation between the numbers of patients seen by students and performance on multiple-choice examinations. Objective  This study examined whether student exposure to patients with specific diagnoses predicts performance on multiple-choice examination questions pertaining to those diagnoses. Methods  The Department of Pediatrics at the University of Nebraska Medical Center has collected patient logbooks from clerks since 1994. These contain information on patient demographics and students\u27 roles in patient care. During week 7 of an 8-week course, students took an examination intended to help them prepare for their final examination. Logbooks and pre-examination questions were coded using standard ICD-9 codes. Data were analysed using Minitab statistical software to determine dependence between patient encounters and test scores. Subjects comprised a convenience sample of students who completed the clerkship during 1997−2000. Results  Our analysis indicates that performance on a multiple-choice examination is independent of the number of patients seen. Conclusions  Our data suggest knowledge-based examination performance cannot be predicted by the volume of patients seen. Therefore, too much emphasis on examination performance in clinical courses should be carefully weighed against clinical performance to determine the successful completion of clerkships