Predicting the Effect of Gaps Between Pallet Deckboards on the Compression Strength of Corrugated Boxes

The majority of corrugated boxes are transported and stored on pallets where the reduced support area due to deckboard gaps has an adverse effect on the strength of the corrugated boxes Therefore, an adjustment factor is used to adjust the box compression strength to account for the lack of support, but these factors were developed for a limited range of deckboard gaps, box sizes, and box orientations. In addition, there is no predictive model that can estimate the reduction in compression strength based on the size of the box and the size of the gap. The main objective of this study was to investigate and predict the loss in compression strength produced by top deckboards with a wide range of gaps between them using empirical data from two different corrugated box sizes. Results indicated that corrugated box compression strength decreased as the gap between the pallet deckboards increased. Larger boxes (305mm wide) were far less susceptible to the effect of gaps than the smaller boxes. A decrease in strength was observed when the location of the gap was relocated within 10 mm of the box corner. Gaps were found to produce the same reduction in compression strength when subdivided into two smaller gaps. Finally, a modification of the McKee equation was put forth and the analysis found the equation to be capable of predicting the loss in compression strength produced by gaps. The predictive accuracy was similar to the original McKee equation, and thus equally limited by the inherently large variation in corrugated boxes

A Case Study Exploring the Perceived and Actual Person-Environment Fit of Teacher Aspirants in Agricultural Education

This study assessed the factors that led students who did not participate in secondary agricultural education programs to the agricultural education teaching major. Findings indicated that these participants were motivated to pursue an agricultural education degree because of their passion for agriculture and youth, and affinity for people and the job. Parents and friends were their biggest influences in pursuing a degree in agricultural education. Their greatest perceived strengths were content knowledge in agriculture, leadership skills, and ability to persevere; their greatest perceived limitation was lack of experience in a secondary agricultural education program. Unfortunately, none of the students secured employment as agriculture teachers. Because these findings are more subjective and personal (P) in nature, future research should investigate more objective measures of the demands from teachers in the workforce (i.e., environment-E)

Apparatus and Method for Restoring Eyelid Function

An apparatus is provided to restore eyelid function in a patient unable to voluntarily raise an eyelid. The apparatus includes a spiral torsion spring and pulley arrangement mounted in a housing that is implanted in the superior portion of the orbit of the eye. A wire connects the pulley to the eyelid. A spiral torsion spring provides the necessary spring force in tension to overcome the weight of the eyelid and draw the eyelid open. The natural muscles of eye closure are, however, sufficiently strong to overcome the spring tension thereby paying out wire from the pulley and closing the eye so as to provide normal blinking function. A position setting gear allows the biasing force of the spring to be selectively reduced sufficiently to allow the eye to remain closed for sleep or at other desired times. A method of treating ptosis is also disclosed

Effect of Kolb's experiential learning model on successful secondary student intelligence and student motivation

Experiential learning, as defined by Kolb (1984), is an important pedagogical approach used in secondary agricultural education. Though anecdotal evidence supports the use of experiential learning, a paucity of empirical research exists supporting this approach. The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of an experiential learning approach to instruction on secondary agricultural education students' successful intelligence and motivation for the course and knowledge retention. The experimental examination compared the commonly used DI approach to experiential learning, and investigated the interaction between students' learning style and instructional approach. The study was framed by three research questions: (1) What interactions exist between students' preferred learning styles, successful intelligence, and the instructional approach chosen? (2) What statistically significant differences exist in students' successful intelligence and motivation for the course between experiential learning and direct instruction approaches? (3) Do the analytical effects achieved by experiential and direct instructional approaches persist over time? Data were analyzed using a CRF - 22 and SPF 2.3 design. It was concluded that experiential learning led to higher domain specific creativity and practical use of knowledge, while direct instruction yielded higher practical knowledge scores. There were no statistically significant differences in motivation based on instructional approach. Also, it was concluded that, though students in both groups demonstrated a statistically significant increase in analytical scores, those gains significantly decreased for both treatment groups six weeks after the instruction. Thus, it was recommended that agricultural educators utilize a blended approach of instruction to provide balanced growth in all four modes of learning. Also, methods of assessment should be expanded to include not only analytical examinations, but also practical and domain specific creative measures. Experiential learning is an effective pedagogical approach when designed purposefully to meet each of the four learning modes inherent in Kolb's (1984) ELT model

Building inclusive neighborhoods: assessing the socio-spatial implications of transit-oriented development in St. Louis, Missouri

This dissertation research emphasizes achieving greater urban inclusion through transit-oriented development (TOD). In exploring St. Louis, Missouri's Delmar Loop TOD site, I specifically focus on the impact public transportation activities have on residents in neighborhoods surrounding light rail transit stations. I seek to understand if these developments indeed improve living conditions and urban inclusion for residents in areas around the station. TODs can be desirable spaces for residents, planners, and developers as they potentially enhance economic development, improve regional connectivity, increase transit ridership, among many other benefits and goals. However, this desirability of TODs may lead to the people with the most need for public transportation and improved neighborhood conditions being further marginalized. I argue that TOD activities can indeed assist in establishing non-inclusive spaces. By TOD activities, I refer to TOD plans, plan-making, plan implementation, and developments related to TOD plans. The following research questions guide this research: 1) Does gentrification and TOD related neighborhood change occur in light rail transit station neighborhoods? 2) What principles guide TOD activities? 3) What are the (overall and inclusive) TOD activities planners should undertake? 4) What overall and inclusive TOD activities occur? 5) How can planners better assist in establishing inclusive TOD neighborhoods? I answer these questions through a mixed method analysis, employing both quantitative and qualitative analyses. First, I use spatial regression analyses to explore the relationship between gentrification-related residential change and LRT stations. The results from the analyses point toward St. Louis, Missouri and the Delmar Loop TOD site specifically as a place to further examine gentrification and inclusivity. Second, I undertake a case study of the Delmar Loop utilizing interviews, observations, and document analysis to identify and analyze whether and how planners engage in inclusive TOD activities. I ultimately found that: 1) planners did not assist in establishing the Delmar Loop TOD site as an inclusive neighborhood and; 2) it is not a homogenous neighborhood where all TOD residents and spaces benefit from transit and neighborhood developments. Delmar Loop TOD activities ignored a portion of the TOD site largely occupied by minorities that most needed neighborhood improvements and increased transit access. Overall, the results of this dissertation describe the ways that planners consciously and inadvertently undertake activities that socially, spatially, and economically affect urban spaces largely occupied by minorities and the poor. Demonstrating how such planning activities unfold will show the specific, everyday ways in which blacks, minorities in general, and the poor are marginalized – contributing to the production and reproduction of U.S. urban segregation. The study of the Delmar Loop TOD site is instructive to TOD planners in general as it shows how not maintaining active leadership focusing on inclusion may possibly result in non-inclusive neighborhoods. It is also instructive to planners as it identifies how not identifying existing contextual issues may result in the marginalization of black (and minorities in general) and poor TOD residents. Both of which specifically aim to ensure that the people who need urban inclusion the most are served through projects improving transit access

Majorisation with applications to the calculus of variations

This paper explores some connections between rank one convexity, multiplicative quasiconvexity and Schur convexity. Theorem 5.1 gives simple necessary and sufficient conditions for an isotropic objective function to be rank one convex on the set of matrices with positive determinant. Theorem 6.2 describes a class of possible non-polyconvex but multiplicative quasiconvex isotropic functions. This class is not contained in a well known theorem of Ball (6.3 in this paper) which gives sufficient conditions for an isotropic and objective function to be polyconvex. We show here that there is a new way to prove directly the quasiconvexity (in the multiplicative form). Relevance of Schur convexity for the description of rank one convex hulls is explained.Comment: 13 page

The Effects of High Liquid Water Content on Thunderstorm Charging

Charge transfer to a riming graupel target during interactions with ice crystals has been investigated in the laboratory. When liquid water contents sufficiently high to cause wet growth are achieved, the charge transfer falls to values which are insignificant to thunderstorm electrification. The implications of this null result to a recent analysis of thunderstorm-charging processes by Wiliams et al. (1991) are discussed