Chinese whispers

This short piece is based on a reading of James Moran's 'Reflections of the first onstage protest at the Royal National Theatre &c' published in STP, Volume 32, Number 1 (2012). It looks in some detail at the exact nature of the protest from the perspective of someone who was actually present at the event, and offers some tentative connected thoughts about the way in which theatrical histories can sometimes be constructed

Changes in United Kingdom hardwood importing sources 1853 to 2015

This paper identifies changes in the United Kingdom (UK) hardwood importing sources between 1853 and 1992 and changes in UK sawn hardwood sources between 1999 and 2015. A comparison was made of the changes of UK importing sources between the two sets of data. The comparisons are useful to determine alternative sawn hardwood sources for the UK after the UK leaves the European Union (EU), i.e. the BREXIT negotiations. This paper shows the massive reduction in UK importing sources that have taken place both in Africa and in Asia. The UK will need to expand the number of sources in Africa, Asia and in Latin America and the Caribbean. The UK imports significant proportions from EU member states. Following BREXIT, there may be severe restriction on UK/EU trade. These changes of sources may mean a change in cost and in imported species

NASA systems autonomy demonstration project: Advanced automation demonstration of Space Station Freedom thermal control system

The NASA Systems Autonomy Demonstration Project (SADP) was initiated in response to Congressional interest in Space station automation technology demonstration. The SADP is a joint cooperative effort between Ames Research Center (ARC) and Johnson Space Center (JSC) to demonstrate advanced automation technology feasibility using the Space Station Freedom Thermal Control System (TCS) test bed. A model-based expert system and its operator interface were developed by knowledge engineers, AI researchers, and human factors researchers at ARC working with the domain experts and system integration engineers at JSC. Its target application is a prototype heat acquisition and transport subsystem of a space station TCS. The demonstration is scheduled to be conducted at JSC in August, 1989. The demonstration will consist of a detailed test of the ability of the Thermal Expert System to conduct real time normal operations (start-up, set point changes, shut-down) and to conduct fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) on the test article. The FDIR will be conducted by injecting ten component level failures that will manifest themselves as seven different system level faults. Here, the SADP goals, are described as well as the Thermal Control Expert System that has been developed for demonstration

John Bull to John Kean, July 13, 1788

John Bull wrote from Philadelphia to John Kean, addressed to New York. He had just arrived in Philadelphia and was planning to travel to Trenton, NJ, and then to New York. He had previously been in Charleston and Beaufort, SC, and said the weather had damaged crops. He referenced a letter sent by Robert Barnwell.https://digitalcommons.kean.edu/lhc_1780s/1218/thumbnail.jp

Bard College Bell Tower Architectural Lighting Project

The Bard Bell Tower is located in front of the Fisher Studio Arts Building, between the Bertelsmann Campus Center and the Anna Jones Memorial Garden. Until recently, the tower structure, built by students in the spring and summer of 1965, existed in a slow state of decay due to natural aging and disuse. It is an important piece of Bard’s history that has been ignored in recent years, which is something I set out to change. My Senior Project in Studio Arts is focused on restoring the Bell Tower by stabilizing the structure and implementing a permanent light installation of my own design, which will emanate from below the bells. The illumination creates a glowing volume, or essence that escapes the tower and casts light on branches of the neighboring trees. The sequence will begin at 6pm with the color temperature of 1,600 kelvin, which mimics the glow of a candle and after 14 hours will conclude at 20,000 kelvin, the wash of a clear blue sky. During this period of time, the entire color spectrum is revealed. The illumination is elusive and minimal, while captivating, it is in no way harsh. Light moving over time, alive, creating shadows addresses the possibilities life presents. The restoration of the structure includes the repair of the bell ringing mechanism so the bell will ring, eight times at 8am, twelve times at 12pm, and six times at 6pm, to mark the passing of the day. The mechanized bell is controlled by a system of gears and cogs that are programmed by a digital WR–2 system. Six Chroma Q Compact lighting fixtures have been installed with two fixtures on the front and back walls and one on each of the side walls. The light fixtures are powered by a Chroma Q PSU 15 and are controlled by a ENTTEC DMXStreamer. A small lean-to plexiglass roof with a tempered glass shelf was built to protect the electronics and bell ringing mechanism from the elements. A sample of the existing mortar has been analyzed by Edison Coatings in Plainville, Connecticut. Edison Coatings will replicate a mortar to the exact color and composition of the original. Over spring break, I took a historic repointing class at Edison Coatings on how to repoint the tower structure properly. In addition to cleaning out the 80 gallons of bird feces, bat guano, sticks, leaves, tooth paste, beer bottles, and dirt, a net was installed to keep the birds from the bells. A copper water drainage system to protect the mortar is currently in the works. Since half of the tower is at a higher gradient of ground and the other half is at a lower gradient of ground, Bard College Buildings and Grounds is digging a drainage trench so the tower floor will no longer flood during storms. This project is a monumental feat which has required collaborating with approximately 30 different people and various organizations. It is the official 2016 Senior Class Gift. My intent was to evaluate the environmental performance of the structure and to use light as an ethereal ever changing force. Addressing the physical building, preserving its historical importance, while at the same time transforming the tower through light to a place of hope, a beacon during dark times, and a symbol of the ever changing future ahead of us, encourages the Bard community to experience the space differently while making it an integral part of campus life. If there was what would it be

Systems autonomy technology: Executive summary and program plan

The National Space Strategy approved by the President and Congress in 1984 sets for NASA a major goal of conducting effective and productive space applications and technology programs which contribute materially toward United States leadership and security. To contribute to this goal, OAST supports the Nation's civil and defense space programs and overall economic growth. OAST objectives are to ensure timely provision of new concepts and advanced technologies, to support both the development of NASA missions in space and the space activities of industry and other organizations, to utilize the strengths of universities in conducting the NASA space research and technology program, and to maintain the NASA centers in positions of strength in critical space technology areas. In line with these objectives, NASA has established a new program in space automation and robotics that will result in the development and transfer and automation technology to increase the capabilities, productivity, and safety of NASA space programs including the Space Station, automated space platforms, lunar bases, Mars missions, and other deep space ventures. The NASA/OAST Automation and Robotics program is divided into two parts. Ames Research Center has the lead role in developing and demonstrating System Autonomy capabilities for space systems that need to make their own decisions and do their own planning. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory has the lead role for Telerobotics (that portion of the program that has a strong human operator component in the control loop and some remote handling requirement in space). This program is intended to be a working document for NASA Headquarters, Program Offices, and implementing Project Management

Outdoor Recreation Enterprises - A New Source of Income in Iowa

Higher incomes and more free time create greater demand for outdoor recreation. In response to this demand, some farm owners are using part of their land to develop recreation facilities

Intramolecular palladium(II)/(IV) catalysed C(sp3)–H arylation of tertiary aldehydes using a transient imine directing group

Palladium catalysed β-C(sp3)–H activation of tertiary aldehydes using a transient imine directing group enables intramolecular arylation to form substituted indane-aldehydes. A simple amine bearing a methyl ether (2-methoxyethan-1-amine) is the optimal TDG to promote C–H activation and reaction with an unactivated proximal C–Br bond. Substituent effects are studied in the preparation of various derivatives. Preliminary mechanistic studies identify a reversible C–H activation, product inhibition and suggest that oxidative addition is the turnover limiting step

Translational Aspects of the Novel Object Recognition Task in Rats Abstinent Following Sub-Chronic Treatment with Phencyclidine (PCP): Effects of Modafinil and Relevance to Cognitive Deficits in Schizophrenia

Phencyclidine (PCP) induces a behavioral syndrome in rodents that bears remarkable similarities to some of the core symptoms observed in schizophrenic patients, among those cognitive deficits. The successful alleviation of cognitive impairments associated with schizophrenia (CIAS) has become a major focus of research efforts as they remain largely untreated. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of selected antipsychotic and cognition enhancing drugs, namely haloperidol, risperidone, donepezil, and modafinil in an animal model widely used in preclinical schizophrenia research. To this end, the novel object recognition (NOR) task was applied to rats abstinent following sub-chronic treatment with PCP. Rats were administered either PCP (5 mg/kg, i.p.) or vehicle twice a day for 7 days, followed by a 7-day washout period, before testing in NOR. Upon testing, vehicle-treated rats successfully discriminated between novel and familiar objects, an effect abolished in rats that had previously been exposed to PCP treatment. Acute treatment with modafinil (64 mg/kg, p.o.) ameliorated the PCP-induced deficit in novel object exploration, whereas haloperidol (0.1 mg/kg, s.c.), risperidone (0.2 mg/kg, i.p.), and donepezil (3 mg/kg, p.o.) were without significant effect. Given the negligible efficacy of haloperidol and risperidone, and the contradictory data with donepezil to treat CIAS in the clinic, together with the promising preliminary pro-cognitive effects of modafinil in certain subsets of schizophrenic patients, the sub-chronic PCP–NOR abstinence paradigm may represent an attractive option for the identification of potential novel treatments for CIAS