Analysis of the Torsional Load Capacity of V-Section Band Clamps

This paper investigates the torsional load capacity of three sizes of V-section band clamps when assembled onto rigid flanges by comparing experimental data with a developed theoretical model. This mode of failure is of particular interest for turbocharger applications where, in use, they are subjected to torsional loading via thermal and vibrational effects. The theoretical model developed allows the impact on torsional load capacity of a number of joint parameters to be investigated and good correlation of the results, incorporating variations in coefficients of friction and dimensions, has been shown for the two larger band sizes. For smaller diameter bands, the experimental data suggests that as the band is tightened, contact with the flange is localised rather than being over the full circumference of the band. The coefficients of friction, in particular that between the flanges, and the position of the contact point between band and flange have been shown to have a significant impact on the theoretical torsional load capacity of V-section band clamps

Oral History Interview on Bloomfield, CT, part one

Adelle Wright reflects on housing and demographic changes in the Bloomfield area before and after the second World War. She was born in Bloomfield, then resided in Newington for nine years, then returned to live in Bloomfield around 1960. As a white woman, she became active against housing discrimination as a member and chairperson of the Bloomfield Human Rights Commission during the 1970s, on issues such as racial steering, blockbusting, testing realtors, the ordinance against real estate signs, and cooperation with the National Neighbors organization. She mentions how her children attended Bloomfield public schools during a period of racial transition and never had an issue. This oral history interview was conducted in front of the Cities, Suburbs, and Schools seminar from Trinity College

Involvement of Chromosome Remodeling Complexes on Chromosome Segregation

Errors in chromosome segregation during cell replication are detrimental to the health of living cells. These errors cause aneuploidy: daughter cells with an incorrect number of chromosomes, as well as polyploidy: the complete duplication of a genome. In humans, these segregation errors are responsible for many harmful diseases and disorders. Using the model organism S. cerevisiae, a double mutant was created by removing two key chromosome remodeling complexes, SWR1 and INO80, both known to independently cause aneuploidy, decreased fitness, and damages the sensitivity of a cell\u27s DNA (Andalis et al. 2004). By creating a double mutant strain, genetic cell ploidy was analyzed after several generations of growth to identify the effects of removing both complexes. To further investigate possible mechanical sources of aneuploidy during mitosis, chromosome centromeres and microtubules were tagged with fluorescent proteins to track and follow the movement of centrosome during cell division. After twelve passages of continuous growth for each yeast strain, cell ploidy was analyzed using flow cytometry. It was found that the removal of either the SWR1 or INO80 complexes in haploid cells led to diploidy after various generations. SWR1 began displaying diploidy by the sixth passage while the INO80 showed diploidy by the first passage and appeared to have stabilized in the diploid form by the twelfth passage. The double mutants carrying deletions of both complexes displayed results like that of a single deletion of INO80 and stabilized in diploidy slightly quicker than the INO80 single mutant. The centromere tag was then tracked using fluorescent microscopy and found that the mutant strains that had diploidized contained two copies of the signal, indicating the duplication of that chromosome, consistent with the diploid DNA content seen by flow cytometry

Learning from their mistakes - an online approach to evaluate teacher education students\u27 numeracy capability

Teachers’ numeracy capability is essential for student learning in the classroom and important across all subject areas, not only within mathematics. This study investigated the use of online diagnostic tests as a form of assessment for learning, to evaluate and support teacher education students (TES) in developing their numeracy skills. Data was collected using the “Test” feature through the Blackboard learning management system at two Australian universities. In this paper, we report on trends amongst TES who showed growth in their numeracy capability through the repeated use of the diagnostic test

Effect of Corrective Surgery on Lower Limb Mechanics in Patients with Crouch Gait

Crouch gait a progressively degrading gait deviation associated with the neurological disorder cerebral palsy. If left untreated it can lead to anterior knee pain and a loss of ambulation. At present there exists no agreed upon metric for determining the surgical procedures used to treat crouch gait and there is insufficient means to analytically compare the results of different procedures. The aims of this thesis work were to create a pipeline to transform a patient’s gait analysis data into a finite element model, develop a model of sufficient complexity to evaluate a range of outcomes by which to judge the efficacy of a surgical procedure, analyze the change between pre- and post-operative models and the changes between models with different surgical procedures, and to quantify the impact of varying different surgical parameters. A generic lower limb rigid body musculoskeletal model was developed and used in conjunction with patient-specific static and dynamic motion capture to create scaling factors and joint kinematics, respectively. The musculoskeletal model was scaled and converted into a finite element model. This lower torso model was integrated with a detailed finite element model of the knee joint including patella, femur and tibia heads, associated articular cartilage, patellofemoral ligaments, patellar tendon, and quadriceps tendons. This type of combined finite element model was created for each patient, pre- and post-operatively, for a series of patient’s treated for crouch gait at Children’s Hospital Colorado. Each model was modified to replicate the surgical procedure(s) that each individual patient underwent. Comparison between pre- and post-operative models show significant improvement in tibiofemoral flexion-extension and patellar articular cartilage stress in post-operative models. In order to assess the effect of surgical parameters on muscle efficiency, the finite element model was modified such that tibiofemoral flexion-extension was controlled by adaptive muscle forces calculated using a proportional-integral feedback control system. The feedback system adjusted quadriceps and hamstrings forces to try and meet a target flexion profile. A feedback control model was created for three patients; subsequently, each model was modified to run multiple simulations with modified surgical procedures and parameters. The models were modified to include distal femoral extension osteotomy procedures of 0º, 15º, or 30º, or patella tendon advancement procedures with 0 cm, 1 cm, or 2 cm shortening. The muscle forces needed to reach the target kinematics were compared. Further simulations are required to identify clear links between surgical decisions and patient-specific parameters, but the developed model shows promise for future studies both for crouch gait and other musculoskeletal pathologies

The Role of Knowledge in Food Democracy

If food democracy is about who gets to determine the food that we eat and the character of the underlying food system, then we must examine not only who gets to make decisions that impact on food but also on what evidence, or knowledge, these decisions are made. This article argues that widening the democratic scope of knowledge on which our decisions on food are based is an essential component of food democracy. Food democracies do not just call for citizens to be knowledgeable about the food system but for all stakeholders to actively contribute to the holistic understanding of the food system. Four dimensions of knowledge democracy are set out: The co-production of knowledge with stakeholders; harnessing non-cognitive knowledge represented in arts and culture; knowledge as a tool for action; and the open access and sharing of knowledge. This framework is then used to explore how knowledge is currently already produced and used in a way that enhances food democracy, including through Participatory Action Research with peasant farmers, using the arts to create a ‘contemplative commons’ about food and the unique dialogue process through which the social movement La Vía Campesina operates. Based on these, and other, examples the article concludes that universities, and other recognized centres of knowledge production, need to focus not only on creating new knowledge partnerships but also on finding spaces to challenge and shift accepted ways of knowing in order to better promote food democracy

Metal-Catalysed Hydroamination

This thesis describes the synthesis of terminal and internal amino and amidoalkynes and their hydroamination (cyclisation) catalysed by the complex (bis(N-methylimidazol-2-yl)methane)dicarbonylrhodium(I) tetraphenylborate (1). A series of analogous palladium complexes were also prepared and investigated for catalytic hydroamination. The scope of the rhodium(I) complex (1) for the intramolecular hydroamination of more complex amino and amidoalkyne substrates was investigated. This was made possible with the synthesis of aliphatic substrates, namely, 4 pentyn 1 amide (3) and 5 hexyn 1 amide (4) and a number of aromatic substrates, namely, 1, 4 diamino-2, 5 diethynylbenzene (5), 1, 4-diamino-2, 5 bis(phenylethynyl)benzene (6), 2, 3-diamino-1, 4-diethynylbenzene (7), 2, 3-diamino-1, 4-bis(phenylethynyl)benzene (8), 1, 5-bis(acetamido)-2, 4-diethynylbenzene (9), N-(acetyl)-2-ethynylbenzylamine (10) and N-(acetyl)-2-(phenylethynyl)benzylamine (11). The rhodium(I) complex (1) catalytically cyclised the aliphatic 4 pentyn 1 amide (3) regioselectively to the 6 membered ring, 3, 4 dihydro 2 pyridone (64) as the sole product. Attempts to cyclise 5 hexyn 1 amide (4) to produce either the 6 or 7 membered ring were unsuccessful. Compounds 5, 6, 7 and 8 were doubly cyclised to 1, 5 dihydro pyrrolo[2, 3 f]indole (71), 1, 5-dihydro-2, 6-diphenyl-pyrrolo[2, 3 f]indole (73), 1, 8-dihydro-pyrrolo[2, 3 g]indole (74) and 1, 8-dihydro-2, 7-diphenyl-pyrrolo[2, 3 g]indole (75) respectively. The aromatic amides with terminal acetylenes 9 and 10 cyclised to give 1, 7 diacetyl pyrrolo[3, 2 f]indole (76) and N (acetyl) 1, 2 dihydroisoquinoline (77) respectively. However, attempts to cyclise 11 were unsuccessful. Thus the rhodium(I) complex (1) successfully catalysed via hydroamination both terminal and internal acetylenic amine and amide substrates, to give pyridones, indoles and isoquinolines. Cationic and neutral palladium complexes incorporating the bidentate heterocyclic nitrogen donor ligand bis(N-methylimidazol-2-yl)methane (bim; 2) were synthesised: [Pd(bim)Cl2] (15), [Pd(bim)2][BF4]2 (17) [Pd(bim)(Cl)(CH3)] (14), [Pd(bim)(CH3)(NCCH3)][BF4] (16). All of the complexes were active as catalysts for the intramolecular hydroamination reaction, using the cyclisation of 4 pentyn 1 amine (21) to 2 methyl 1 pyrroline (22) as the model test reaction. Percentage conversions, turnover numbers and reaction profiles for each complex were compared to the rhodium(I) complex (1). These studies have shown that the catalytic activity was not significantly dependent on the bim donor ligand or the choice of metal. Substitution of the bim (2) ligand with the COD ligand and the use of methanol as the solvent did impact significantly on the efficiency of the hydroamination reactions