Synthesis of structural damping, volume I Final report

Hysteresis model for analyzing dynamic behavior of complex structure

Untersuchungen zur Zuchtstrategie in Schweizer Bio-Braunviehbetrieben

A survey on 1000 organic dairy cattle farms was done to obtain information on the state of breeding affairs in Switzerland. The response of 60% of returned questionnaires was very high. Milk performance data were average for organic as well as for traditionally managed farms. The farmers weighted functional traits to be very important in breeding. The bulls used on organic farms were compared with the bulls used on traditional farms. A total of 25067 organic and 28003 traditional matings of Swiss Braunvieh was analysed. The comparison of breeding values of the sires showed that in the scope of selection strategies the functional traits were not as important. It is concluded that organic farmers persecute an organic breeding strategy but in the particular mating it is not implemented. On one hand the chosen organic breeding strategy has to be reconsidered and on the other hand there seems to be a backlog in consulting and sensitizing the farmers

Genetic Studies of Deafness and of Retinitis Pigmentosa

In experimental animals where the generation time is short and matings can be controlled experimentally, it is a relatively simple task to determine whether a trait is genetic, how it is inherited, and where the causal gene pair is located. However, in human genetics, inferences must be drawn by pooling observations on many small families in which the trait of interest has occurred. The condition may be etiologically heterogeneous, resulting from environmental causes in some families and showing variable patterns of inheritance in others. Hereditary deafness and retinitis pigmentosa (RP) provide instructive examples of the problems involved in the genetic analysis of family data in man

Model-based spacecraft and mission design for the evaluation of technology

In order to meet the future vision of robotic missions, engineers will face intricate mission concepts, new operational approaches, and technologies that have yet to be developed. The concept of smaller, model driven projects helps this transition by including life-cycle cost as part of the decision making process. For example, since planetary exploration missions have cost ceilings and short development periods, heritage flight hardware is utilized. However, conceptual designs that rely solely on heritage technology will result in estimates that may not be truly representative of the actual mission being designed and built. The Laboratory for Spacecraft and Mission Design (LSMD) at the California Institute of Technology is developing integrated concurrent models for mass and cost estimations. The purpose of this project is to quantify the infusion of specific technologies where the data would be useful in guiding technology developments leading up to a mission. This paper introduces the design-to-cost model to determine the implications of various technologies on the spacecraft system in a collaborative engineering environment. In addition, comparisons of the benefits of new or advanced technologies for future deep space missions are examined

La política exterior alemana a partir de 1949 : ¿Un persistente retraimiento?

El lema a desarrollar no se propone incursionar en los diversos aspectos vinculados a la política exterior de la República Federal de Alemania durante el pasado medio siglo. Tampoco se hará un bosquejo de las relaciones que ha tenido el país con otras naciones o su papel en el marco de pactos regionales u organismos internacionales. Los planteamientos se limitan a analizar dos cuestiones. En primer lugar, si la habitual discreción con la cual el gobierno alemán manejó sus relaciones internacionales hasta 1990 se ha mantenido a partir de la reuniflcación y, en caso dado, si esta reseñada actitud podrá sustentarse en el futuro. Dado a que estas interrogantes están íntimamente vinculadas a la orientación occidentalista que ha caracterizado a la República Federal y a que esta orientación tiene su expresión más significativa en la adhesión del país a la Unión Europea y a la Alianza Atlántica a partir de la Guerra Fría, las relaciones con estos bloques así como con países del ex-bloque socialista europeo tendrán que ocupar, necesariamente, el lugar central en las reflexiones

Spin-polarization-induced structural selectivity in Pd3X_3X and Pt3X_3X (X=3dX=3d) compounds

Spin-polarization is known to lead to important {\it magnetic} and {\it optical} effects in open-shell atoms and elemental solids, but has rarely been implicated in controlling {\it structural} selectivity in compounds and alloys. Here we show that spin-polarized electronic structure calculations are crucial for predicting the correct $T=0$ crystal structures for Pd$_3X$ and Pt$_3X$ compounds. Spin-polarization leads to (i) stabilization of the $L1_2$ structure over the $DO_{22}$ structure in Pt$_3$Cr, Pd$_3$Cr, and Pd$_3$Mn, (ii) to the stabilization of the $DO_{22}$ structure over the $L1_2$ structure in Pd$_3$Co and to (iii) ordering (rather than phase-separation) in Pt$_3$Co and Pd$_3$Cr. The results are analyzed in terms of first-principles local spin density calculations.Comment: 4 pages, REVTEX, 3 eps figures, to appear in PR

Towards Systems Design for Supporting Enabling Communities

Communities and community support systems should be designed to enable participants to work effectively towards conducting both collective and individual activities and achieving their goals. Such communities are called Enabling Communities. Our focus is the systems that support community members in doing whichever tasks or activities they need or want to. These systems include processes, technology, information and people. This paper provides a framework for Supporting Enabling Communities (SEComm) in two major components: (1) Participant Support Systems (PaSS) and (2) Community Participation Levels (CPaL). Three case studies apply this framework to an emerging virtual community and a community of practice