Enhanced Dynamometer for Conducting Long-Term Brake Wear Testing

The purpose of this project is to develop an automated control system for two constant torque dynamometers Krauss Friction Tester Type RWS60A – Serial no. 080 built in Orangeburg, West Germany recently obtained by FDP Friction Science. This control system will be efficient, effective, safer, and meet the standards of modern day technologies. Currently, the machines are outdated, obsolete, and unable to operate. Therefore, to bring the dynamometers back into full operation and be competitive in today’s industry a new control system that meets industry expectations must be implemented. For this reason, a programmable logic controller from Automationdirect named ClickPLC is being utilized. This industrial computer control system will continuously monitor the state of input for the device while determining the desired outputs based on a ladder logic program written by the control system designers. To create interference between the operator and the machine a C-more touch panel human machine interference from Automationdirect will be use. The HMI will provide a graphical interface designed to interchange and display graphics, animation and data from the PLC by touching the screen. The HMI will be programed accordingly to replace pushbuttons, switches, meters and any other analog input devices. This will streamline the brake life testing process down to a one-man operation for cost effectiveness.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/capstone/1196/thumbnail.jp

Observaciones sobre el comportamiento de Schroederichthys chilensis (Carcharhiniformes, Scyliorhinidae)

Schroederichthys chilensis, the redspotted catshark or chilean catshark, is an endemic species to Peruvian and Chilean waters. Observations on its behavior in the National Reserve System of Guano Islands, Islets, and Capes – Punta San Juan and Paracas National Reserve reveal that it curls when threatened. This hypothesized survival strategy has not been previously documented in this species and we recommend further studies to elucidate this behavior.Schroederichthys chilensis, tiburón gato o tollo gato, es una especie endémica de las aguas peruanas y chilenas. Observaciones sobre su comportamiento en el medio natural de la Reserva Nacional Sistema de Islas, Islotes y Puntas Guaneras - Punta San Juan y Reserva Nacional de Paracas, revelan que se enroscan ante la presencia de peligro inminente. Esta estrategia de sobrevivencia no ha sido documentada para esta especie y se sugiere la realización de estudios que permitan conocer más sobre este comportamiento

A Good Life in Later Years: A Co-Produced Research Project

The ‘A Good Life Project’ evolved as a co-production study looking at quality of life in later years. Funded by the Life Changes Trust, and in partnership with Age Scotland, researchers from the University of Stirling worked hand in hand with community researchers all over Scotland to explore what really matters to people as they grow older

EFFECTIVENESS OF SQUIRREL FENCING FOR PROTECTING PECAN GROVES

During 1994, we tested the hypothesis that an energized, high-tensile wire fence prevents fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) from crossing into a pecan (Carya illinoensis) grove. When the fence was energized, we recorded fewer (P = 0.03) trips across the fence by squirrels (n - 19) and fewer (P \u3c 0.001) telemetry fix-points in the pecan grove. Effective squirrel fencing may offer wildlife managers an alternative method of damage prevention. Ecological ramifications to target and non-target species are discussed

The effects of two versions of the games for understanding approach on the application of tactics, motor skills and physical fitness of grade four children

Philosophiae Doctor - PhDThe aim of this study was to determine the effects of participation in a single sport small-sided games (SSG) programme compared to a multi-sport SSG programme on the physical fitness, gross motor coordination, soccer skills and application of tactics during soccer games of grade four children from a disadvantaged community. Two intact classes of boys and girls (n= 39 and n=40) participated in a six-week, 2x per week intervention programme. One class specialized in soccer and the other engaged in a diversified programme where they sampled hockey and team handball along with soccer. In terms of pedagogy, both classes followed a deliberate play model with its focus on intrinsic learning and non-intervention by a coach. Data were collected during pre-, post- and retention test periods. Both boys’ groups achieved significant improvements in their muscle endurance-push-ups, power and aerobic endurance on the retention test. Only the boys who participated in the multi-sport SSG programme achieved a significant improvement on their muscle endurance-sit-ups. The girls from both groups showed significant improvements in all physical fitness variables, with the exception of the girls in the muti-sport programme who did not achieve a significant improvement in their speed. Significant improvements were experienced by all groups for gross motor coordination and soccer skills. The boys in the soccer SSG programme demonstrated improvements in both offensive and defensive tactics while the boys in the multi-sport SSG programme improved in the application of their defensive tactics only. The girls who participated in the soccer SSG programme also improved in their defensive tactics while the girls who participated in the multi-sport SSG programme achieved improvements in their application of both offensive and defensive tactics. The results of this study support proponents of the Developmental Model of Sport Participation as presented in current sport pedagogy literature, who claim that the physical and tactical benefits pre-pubescent children derive from participation in a diversified games programme will be similar to those benefits derived from participation in a specialized sport-specific game programme, providing the sports involved are late specialization sports. These results support the conclusion that it is not necessary for pre-pubescent children to specialize in a late specialization sport such as soccer in order to progress in their ability to play soccer. They can make similar progress if they participate in a diversified games programme that provides them with a broader experience with sports that have similar physical and tactical requirements

Topological complexity of motion planning in projective product spaces

We study Farber's topological complexity (TC) of Davis' projective product spaces (PPS's). We show that, in many non-trivial instances, the TC of PPS's coming from at least two sphere factors is (much) lower than the dimension of the manifold. This is in high contrast with the known situation for (usual) real projective spaces for which, in fact, the Euclidean immersion dimension and TC are two facets of the same problem. Low TC-values have been observed for infinite families of non-simply connected spaces only for H-spaces, for finite complexes whose fundamental group has cohomological dimension not exceeding 2, and now in this work for infinite families of PPS's. We discuss general bounds for the TC (and the Lusternik-Schnirelmann category) of PPS's, and compute these invariants for specific families of such manifolds. Some of our methods involve the use of an equivariant version of TC. We also give a characterization of the Euclidean immersion dimension of PPS's through generalized concepts of axial maps and, alternatively, non-singular maps. This gives an explicit explanation of the known relationship between the generalized vector field problem and the Euclidean immersion problem for PPS's.Comment: 16 page

Shaping our literate lives: Examining the role of literacy experiences in shaping positive literacy identities of doctoral students

The purpose of this study was to examine the ways in which literacy histories and present literacy experiences of doctoral students shaped their literacy identities. Data were collected through surveys, interviews, and visual identity representations. This paper focuses on the literacy stories of two doctoral students with positive literacy identities. Findings suggest that participants valued literacy as a social learning experience from an early age through higher education. These social experiences with reading and writing can take many forms and can be embraced in various home and school contexts. Additionally, these findings highlight the need for schools to create and nurture such experiences across all grade levels, through multiple forums, which may lead to positive literacy identities

N-alkane as an Internal Market for Predicting Digestibility of Forages

Independent digestion trials were conducted with three immature grasses, mature grass hay, and alfalfa hay to compare n-alkane with indigestible ADF (IADF) as internal markers to predict in vivo dry matter digestibility (DMD). Forage DMD estimated with n-alkane ratios were lower than in vivo DMD. N-alkanes predicted higher DMD than IADF for alfalfa hay and two of the immature grasses. Comparison of freeze-drying and oven-drying on fecal n-alkane concentrations showed oven drying reduced amounts of n-alkane extracted for alfalfa hay but had no effect on grass hay. Although fecal recovery of markers was incomplete, more n-alkane was recovered than IADF

A real time, longitudinal, qualitative evaluation of the first two cohorts to participate in the Queen’s Nurse Development Programme.

Background: The Queens Nurse Development Programme (QNDP) has been delivered to community nurses in Scotland since 2017, born out of a commitment to reintroduce the Queen’s Nurse title in Scotland after 50 years. The aim of the QNDP was to connect individuals with a shared passion for delivering high - quality nursing throughout Scotland’s communities, to create a safe space where participants could develop and grow on a personal level to become change makers, to inspire others, help those most in need and champion community nursing. As such, the participants selected were employed in a wide-range of diverse roles, from throughout Scotland. The programme takes place over a nine-months, during which participants engaged with a varied programme involving residential workshops, where they experienced a range of creative and contemplative awareness based change practices, the development of a practice issue, and individual coaching. This report presents an independent evaluation of the QNDP based on the first two cohorts of participants to engage with the programme (2017 & 2018). Evaluating the QNDP is important to optimise the programme for subsequent cohorts of Queen’s nurses and to inform the transferability of the programme to other professions and contexts. Methods: A comprehensive, longitudinal, qualitative evaluation, where data was collected at various time points, using interviews, focus groups and a ‘member-checking’ event with all 41 QNDP participants (20 fromcohort 1 and 21 fromcohort 2), as well as 12 community nursing managers and the 3 QNDP facilitators. The purpose was to uncover and explore perceptions and experiences of the QNDP: what was learned; how this was implemented into everyday practice; as well as the impacts and sustainability of changes. The data was analysed using Braun and Clarke’s six-point framework of analysis; familiarisation, coding, generating themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming themes and writing up (Clarke et al., 2015). Double coding and independent analysis ensured trustworthy, rigorous and valid findings. Summary and Conclusions: Participants were overwhelmingly positive about the programme, and appreciated its design, facilitation, approach and methods utilised, as well as the resulting impacts and outcomes. Engaging with the QNDP led to an unexpected ‘journey of self-discovery and transformation’, with notable self-development, growth and positive change. Essentially, the programme enabled participants to see through a new lens, re-position themselves and embody new (person-centred) ways of being and doing, which transcended both their personal and professional lives as community nurses, colleagues, ‘leaders’, service providers, networkers, family members and friends. The participants perceptions of this work and learning was that as it was personal, changing their thinking and identity and therefore, the impact of the programme and the personal and professional transformation and changes introduced were perceived to be sustainable for the rest of their professional life and beyond. The programme facilitated the building of close bonds with their peers which enabled them to confidently share problems and challenges, reinforce their learnings and new thinking, and engage them in a journey of transformation. As such, a community of practice has been created within and across the cohorts which has the potential to become a social movement as intended by QNIS. The programme also equipped them with novel, creative approaches, skills and tools that they were able to share with colleagues, friends and family. Thus, the programme achieved a key aim of connecting individuals and equipping QNDP participants with a range of new skills. The findings of this evaluation and the QNDP are likely to be transferable to other health and social care professionals and beyond the Scottish context