Documentation of computer program GRIDDEL

The GRIDDEL computer program which generates finite element meshes for NASTRAN in a manner convenient to the study of laminated composite flat plates is discussed. The program is capable of creating 8 node HEXA elements, GRID coordinates, and PSOLID data in the appropriate NASTRAN format. It is more convenient for this purpose than use of NASTRAN's preprocessors

Research priorities for advanced fibrous composites

Priorities for research in advanced laminated fibrous composite materials are presented. Supporting evidence is presented in two bodies, including a general literature survey and a survey of aerospace composite hardware and service experience. Both surveys were undertaken during 1977-1979. Specific results and conclusions indicate that a significant portion of contemporary published research diverges from recommended priorites

Prostate Biopsy Assistance System with Gland Deformation Estimation for Enhanced Precision

Computer-assisted prostate biopsies became a very active research area during the last years. Prostate tracking makes it possi- ble to overcome several drawbacks of the current standard transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) biopsy procedure, namely the insufficient targeting accuracy which may lead to a biopsy distribution of poor quality, the very approximate knowledge about the actual location of the sampled tissues which makes it difficult to implement focal therapy strategies based on biopsy results, and finally the difficulty to precisely reach non-ultrasound (US) targets stemming from different modalities, statistical atlases or previous biopsy series. The prostate tracking systems presented so far are limited to rigid transformation tracking. However, the gland can get considerably deformed during the intervention because of US probe pres- sure and patient movements. We propose to use 3D US combined with image-based elastic registration to estimate these deformations. A fast elastic registration algorithm that copes with the frequently occurring US shadows is presented. A patient cohort study was performed, which yielded a statistically significant in-vivo accuracy of 0.83+-0.54mm.Comment: This version of the paper integrates a correction concerning the local similarity measure w.r.t. the proceedings (this typing error could not be corrected before editing the proceedings

Structures for small scientific satellites

Structures and design for scientific satellite

Medical Training for Disaster Situations

Medical practice in disaster relief has a very specific aspect as compared with medicine in general, but I must point out that the difference lies in its organization rather than in its therapeutic nature. A doctor who has before him a sick or wounded person, or any other patient, will unstintingly provide care according to the knowledge and training he received at medical school. He will do so in accordance with the code of ethics of his calling, inculcated by his throughout the world draw inspiration from the Hippocratic Oath, the Prayer of Maimonides or the Geneva Declaration. All of this has been accepted and need not enter the type of training which we are about to define. The same applies to nurses and to the doctor's specialized auxiliaries, who are adequately trained for their occupation, in similar yet differentiated fashio

In Search of Signature Pedagogies for Teacher Education: The Critical Case of Kodály-Inspired Music Teacher Education

The purposes of this study are to identify the features of Kodály-inspired music teacher education programs that either confirm or refute the notion that signature pedagogies (Shulman, 2005 a, b, c) are present in this form of teacher education and to identify whether and how philosophical, pedagogical, and institutional influences support such pedagogies. Signature pedagogies are shared modes of teaching that are distinct to a specific profession. These pedagogies, based in the cognitive, practical, and normative apprenticeships of professional preparation, dominate the preparation programs of a profession, both within and across institutions. This study employs a collective case study design to examine Kodály-inspired teacher education programs, specifically those endorsed by the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE). This study serves as a critical test of the applicability of the construct of signature pedagogies to teacher education. Because these programs purport to hold shared philosophical and pedagogical ideals and are governed by an endorsing body (OAKE), signature pedagogies ought to be present in these programs if they are present in any teacher education programs. Embedded in this collective case are: (1) a history of Kodály-inspired pedagogy and its adoption and adaptation in the U.S., (2) case studies of two prominent and influential OAKE-endorsed Kodály-inspired teacher education programs, and (3) case studies of four to five faculty in each of these programs. Data sources include primary and secondary texts and documents, observations of the various events and activities that occur as a part of Kodály-inspired teacher education programs, and focus group and individual interviews with program faculty and students. This study finds that the two case sites possess four signature pedagogies: (1) demonstration teaching, (2) master class teaching, (3) discovery learning, and (4) the music literature collection and retrieval system. These pedagogies appear to be inextricably tethered to the contexts, professional body (OAKE), and work of Kodály-inspired music educators though multiple complex linkages. The study closes by assessing the applicability and usefulness of the construct for the discourses and study of teacher education and by offering revisions to the construct that may help to improve the construct's usefulness in future research

A possible signature of terrestrial planet formation in the chemical composition of solar analogs

Recent studies have shown that the elemental abundances in the Sun are anomalous when compared to most (about 85%) nearby solar twin stars. Compared to its twins, the Sun exhibits a deficiency of refractory elements (those with condensation temperatures Tc>900K) relative to volatiles (Tc<900K). This finding is speculated to be a signature of the planet formation that occurred more efficiently around the Sun compared with the majority of solar twins. Furthermore, within this scenario, it seems more likely that the abundance patterns found are specifically related to the formation of terrestrial planets. In this work we analyze abundance results from six large independent stellar abundance surveys to determine whether they confirm or reject this observational finding. We show that the elemental abundances derived for solar analogs in these six studies are consistent with the Tc trend suggested as a planet formation signature. The same conclusion is reached when those results are averaged heterogeneously. We also investigate the dependency of the abundances with first ionization potential (FIP), which correlates well with Tc. A trend with FIP would suggest a different origin for the abundance patterns found, but we show that the correlation with Tc is statistically more significant. We encourage similar investigations of metal-rich solar analogs and late F-type dwarf stars, for which the hypothesis of a planet formation signature in the elemental abundances makes very specific predictions. Finally, we examine a recent paper that claims that the abundance patterns of two stars hosting super-Earth like planets contradict the planet formation signature hypothesis. Instead, we find that the chemical compositions of these two stars are fully compatible with our hypothesis.Comment: To appear in Astronomy and Astrophysic

When All the World\u27s a Stage: The Impact of Events on News Coverage of South Africa, 1979-1985

A time series analysis was used to investigate: (1) whether a significant increase in news coverage of South Africa occurred during the critical years of 1979-1985 ; (2) whether the geographic origin and/or sociopolitical impact of events, rather than deaths per se, caused the increase; and (3) the manner in which the increase occurred. Results indicated that two symbolic events (i.e., a series of riots in twenty-one South African townships, internal to South Africa; and the awarding of the Nobel Prize to Bishop Desmond Tutu, external to South Africa) cumulatively were responsible for a significant rise in news coverage of South Africa. The relationship of these symbolic sociopolitical events to the forces that shape short-term news headlines and long-term social change in general, including the imminent demise of apartheid in particular is discussed