Measurement of local creep properties in stainless steel welds

A high temperature measurement system for creep deformation based on the digital image correlation (DIC) technique is described. The new system is applied to study the behaviour of a multi-pass welded joint in a high temperature tensile test and a load controlled creep test at 545°C. Spatially resolved tensile properties and time dependent creep deformation properties across a thick section type 316 stainless steel multi-pass welded joint are presented and discussed. Significantly lower creep strain rates are observed in the HAZ than in the parent material which is attributed to the introduction of substantial plastic strain in the parent material on initial loading. The weld metal shows the fastest creep rates and a variation that appear to correlate with individual weld passes. The visual information provides not only the local creep strain distribution but also the reduction of area and true stress distribution based on strains measured in the transverse direction. The results demonstrate the capability of the DIC technique for full field measurement of displacement and strain at high temperature long term creep tests

Comparison of Abstinence and Coital Frequency between Two Natural Methods of Family Planning

Problem Statement: The length of periodic abstinence, due to overestimation of the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle is often a reason for dissatisfaction, discontinuation, and user error with natural family planning (NFP) methods. The objective of this research was to compare the length of required abstinence (i.e., estimated fertility) and coital frequency between two NFP methods. Study Design: Analysis of existing data from a 12 month prospective comparison study in which participants were randomized into either an electronic hormonal fertility monitor (EHFM) group or a cervical mucus monitoring (CMM) group, both of which included a fertility algorithm as a double check for the beginning and end of the estimated FW. The current study involved 197 women (mean age 29.7, SD=5.4) who used the EHFM to estimate the FW and 162 women (mean age 30.4, SD=5.3) who used CMM to estimate the FW. They produced 1,669 menstrual cycles of data. Number of days of estimated fertility and coitus was extracted from each cycle and t-tests were used to compare the means of these two variables between the two NFP methods. Results: After six months of use, the EHFM group had statistically fewer days of estimated fertility than the CMM group (13.25 days, SD=2.79 versus 13.65 days, SD=2.99; t=2.07, p = .04) and significantly more coitus (4.22 coital acts, SD=3.16 versus 4.05 acts, SD=2.88, t=1.17, p=.026). Conclusion: The use of the EHFM seems to provide more objectivity and confidence in self-estimating the FW and use of non-fertile days for intercourse when avoiding pregnancy

Asymmetric Cuts In The Contour Method For Residual Stress Measurement

The standard contour method is limited to sectioning test components into two symmetric halves. In this study a new approach is developed to deal with asymmetric cuts in the contour method of residual stress measurement. The proposed approach is demonstrated using finite element (FE) simulations and is validated experimentally using a series of asymmetric contour cuts and neutron diffraction measurements

Jespersen v. Harrah\u27s Operating Co.: Employer Appearance Standards and the Promotion of Gender Stereotypes

In Jespersen v. Harrah’s Operating Co., Harrah’s Casino (Harrah’s) gave Darlene Jespersen (Jespersen), a female employee, thirty days to comply with the new mandatory makeup requirement the business imposed on its female beverage service employees. Jespersen refused, thirty days passed, and Harrah’s immediately terminated her. After unsuccessfully seeking administrative relief with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Jespersen filed a lawsuit against Harrah’s in federal district court. The claim alleged “disparate treatment sex discrimination” by Harrah’s in violation of Title VII. Subsequently, Harrah’s moved for summary judgment, and the district court granted the motion. The court found that Harrah’s employee appearance standards for beverage service employees imposed equal burdens on both its male and female employees. Moreover, the court found that Jespersen was not discriminated against based on any “immutable characteristic” of her sex. Consequently, Jespersen filed a timely appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. A divided panel of judges upheld the decision of the district court, finding that Jespersen failed to raise any genuine issue of material fact as to whether Harrah’s policy violates the umbrella of Title VII protections. The appeal provided the Ninth Circuit with an opportunity to find Harrah’s actions unlawful through the company’s imposition of a costly and demeaning makeup policy on its female service employees. Moreover, the appeal provided the Ninth Circuit with a critical opportunity to adopt the progressive decision of the United States Supreme Court in Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins. This groundbreaking case held that an employee could institute a Title VII action against her employer if she could prove she was discriminated against in the form of sexual stereotyping. Although the Ninth Circuit had previously applied Price Waterhouse in the context of sexual harassment cases, it refused to extend the case’s application to the context of an employer’s appearance standards for employees. Overall, the Ninth Circuit, citing to its past decisions, decided the Jespersen case in a fashion that requires an employee who has been adversely affected by an employer’s appearance standard to produce tangible evidence of an undue burden on her gender. Furthermore, this economic-centered approach frowns upon the use of sex stereotypes to prove a violation of Title VII. The question now becomes: Did the panel of judges on the Ninth Circuit decide this case correctly and produce an appropriate precedent for subsequent similar cases? This Note considers whether courts should be more liberal in their application of Title VII in the context of employer standards that require employees to conform to a certain mode of appearance on the job, especially when the appearance is rooted in gender stereotypes. Reviewing the sparse history of Title VII’s gender provisions and the development of Title VII jurisprudence, this Note examines how courts have created the roadmap for how to apply the very broad and sweeping statute when it comes to employer appearance standards. This Note also considers that the Ninth Circuit has been particularly active in the jurisprudence regarding employer appearance standards, adhering to an unequal burden analysis in reviewing these standards. This Note concludes that the Ninth Circuit’s decision in Jespersen was based on an outdated unequal burden test that fails to adequately consider the full ramifications of policies like Harrah’s. Employer appearance policies based on gender stereotypes, such as one that presumes women should wear makeup, should be evaluated under a more modern policy that recognizes the inherent discrimination in the stereotypes and addresses them directly. As a result of the Jespersen case, however, the law in the Ninth Circuit remains in a stagnant position

Alien Registration- Cormier, Marie J. (Van Buren, Aroostook County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/33281/thumbnail.jp

Book Review: Choosing Elites: Selecting the Best and the Brightest at Top Universities and Elsewhere. by Robert Klitgaard.

Book review: Choosing Elites: Selecting the Best and the Brightest at Top Universities and Elsewhere. By Robert Klitgaard. New York: Basic Books. 1985. Pp. 267. Reviewed by: Thomas J. Bouchard, Jr