Response analyzers for sensors Patent

Response analyzing apparatus for liquid vapor interface sensor of sloshing rocket propellan

Ergometer

An ergometer is described that has a pedal driven direct current motor as a load and includes a frame for supporting the body of a person in either a sitting or a prone position. The pedals may be operated by either the feet or the hands. The electrical circuitry of the ergometer includes means for limiting the load applied to the pedals as a function of work being performed, heart rate, and increases in heart rate

Mobile automatic metabolic analyzer

Two flexible pipes, attached to face mask, are connected to spirometers in mobile cart. Inhaled air volume is measured as it is drawn from one spirometer, and exhaled air volume is measured as it is breathed into second spirometer. Sensor is used to monitor heartbeat rate

Multimode ergometer system

System overcomes previous ergometer design and calibration problems including inaccurate measurements, large weight, size, and input power requirements, poor heat dissipation, high flammability, and inaccurate calibration. Device consists of lightweight, accurately controlled ergometer, restraint system, and calibration system

Observed Racial Socialization and Maternal Positive Emotions in African American Mother-Adolescent Dyadic Discussions about Racial Discrimination

This study examined patterns of: (1) racial socialization messages in dyadic discussions between 111 African American mothers and adolescents (M age = 15.50) and (2) mothers’ positive emotions displayed during the discussion. Mothers gave more total racial socialization responses to a hypothetical dilemma involving potential mistreatment by a White teacher than a dilemma involving rude treatment by a White salesperson. Mothers displayed more advocacy on behalf of their adolescents in response to the teacher dilemma than to the salesperson dilemma. Mothers displayed consistent emotional support of adolescents’ problem solving across both dilemmas but lower warmth in response to the salesperson dilemma. The role of adolescent gender in mothers’ observed racial socialization responses is also discussed

EM-100 Precision Irrigators Network

Identifying best management practices (BMPs) promoting greater water use efficiency while maintaining crop yields is essential to the future of Texas cropping systems. Available water for irrigated crops is vital for sustaining crop production throughout the state. However, the availability of this water for irrigation is diminishing through competition by urban development and, in some regions such as the Edwards Aquifer, is falling under state regulation. The awareness and improvement of efficient irrigation and best management practices to conserve water while maintaining crop production will help preserve the aquifer levels and increase water savings to producers. One component of BMPs for conserving water use is the application of decision support systems (DSS) that are used as tools for implementing irrigation BMPs. This DSS guide was developed as a complement to TWDB Report 362, "Water Conservation Best Management Practices Guide," which is a more comprehensive report on water conservation including an "Agricultural Irrigation Water Use Management" BMPs section. The full TWDB Report 362 can be found at: http://www.twdb.state.tx.us/assistance/conservation/consindex.asp. DSS include the Texas High Plains Evapotranspiration Network (TXHPET), the Precision Irrigators Network (PIN) and the Crop Production Management (CroPMan) model. These DSS strive to promote grower awareness of water conservation strategies. Irrigation conservation strategies are proposed to result in savings of approximately 1.4 million acre-feet per year by 2060 (TWDB and TWRI). TXHPET operates 18 meteorological stations located in 15 counties across the Texas North Plains and Texas South Plains. The regional coverage of TXHPET is estimated at 4 million irrigated acres. The network offers insight to evapotranspiration (ET)-based crop water use that producers and agricultural consultants can reference when making decisions on when and how much to irrigate their crops. This information is available to data users via fax or online (http://txhighplainset.tamu.edu) and currently results in approximately 300,000 downloads or faxes annually. The PIN program was formed in 2004 with a goal of saving millions of gallons of water annually by reducing irrigation water use by as much as 20 percent over several years and currently supports several crops (corn, cotton, sorghum, wheat) in seven counties of South Central Texas. Cooperation of the PIN programs consists of area producers, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station researchers, Texas Cooperative Extension personnel, San Antonio Water System, Edwards Aquifer Authority, Texas Water Resources Institute, Texas Water Development Board, Uvalde County Underground Water Conservation District and Wintergarden Water Conservation District. The PIN database will allow producers to gain historical and real-time information for better management of irrigation scheduling. The PIN program estimates that when all irrigators in the Edwards Aquifer region implement limited irrigation scheduling, approximately 50,000 to 60,000 acre-feet of water can be saved per year and made available for purposes other than agriculture. CroPMan is a computer model designed to aid producers and agricultural consultants in optimizing crop management and maximizing production and profit through a production-risk approach. CroPMan will help growers identify limitations to crop yield, assist in making replant decisions and help recognize management practices that reduce the impact of agriculture on soil erosion and water quality. CroPMan is a Windows-based application program that can be downloaded from the CroPMan Web site (http://cropman.brc.tamus.edu)

Compressible flow structures interaction with a two-dimensional ejector: a cold-flow study

An experimental study has been conducted to examine the interaction of compressible flow structures such as shocks and vortices with a two-dimensional ejector geometry using a shock-tube facility. Three diaphragm pressure ratios ofP4 =P1 = 4, 8, and 12 have been employed, whereP4 is the driver gas pressure andP1 is the pressure within the driven compartment of the shock tube. These lead to incident shock Mach numbers of Ms = 1:34, 1.54, and 1.66, respectively. The length of the driver section of the shock tube was 700 mm. Air was used for both the driver and driven gases. High-speed shadowgraphy was employed to visualize the induced flowfield. Pressure measurements were taken at different locations along the test section to study theflow quantitatively. The induced flow is unsteady and dependent on the degree of compressibility of the initial shock wave generated by the rupture of the diaphragm

The Cost-Effectiveness of Continuous Commissioning® Over the Past Ten Years

Continuous Commissioning® data including savings, costs, and implemented measures from over 60 buildings and sites commissioned by staff from the Energy Systems Laboratory at Texas A&M University are presented. Measured annual whole building data is included and is used to calculate indicators describing energy savings, commissioning cost, and the relationship between the two. The measures are organized by component and type and analyzed for frequency of implementation. The average unit area savings for the data set is $0.51/(ft2a) ($5.52/(m2a)) with an average annual energy cost savings of 14%. The average cost of commissioning is $0.43/(ft2a) ($4.60/(m2a)) resulting in an average simple payback of 1.6 years. Just over half of the measures implemented are related to air handling and distribution and 13% of the total number of measures implemented are advanced resets of air side systems. Overall, the analysis reinforces previous studies demonstrating the effectiveness of Continuous Commissioning®