A comparison of the results of dynamic wind-tunnel tests with theoretical predictions for an aeromechanical gust-alleviation system for light airplanes

Dynamic wind tunnel tests have been conducted on a 1/6-scale model of a general aviation airplane equipped with an all-mechanical gust alleviation system which uses auxiliary aerodynamic surfaces to drive the flaps. The longitudinal short period motions were studied under simulated gust conditions in order to verify the mathematical model used in a previous study to predict the performance of the full scale system and determine the amount of normal acceleration alleviation which could be attained. The model responses were measured for different configurations with the system active and without the system active for comparison. The tests confirmed the general relationships between the experimental variables and the model responses predicted by the mathematical model, but there were significant differences in the magnitudes of the responses. The experimental results for the model were used to estimate a reduction of 30 percent in the rms normal acceleration response of a similar full scale airplane in atmospheric turbulence

Hepatitis C Diagnoses in an American Indian Primary Care Population

BACKGROUND: Despite large disparities in the burden of chronic liver disease, data on hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among American Indians (AIs) are lacking. We reviewed hepatitis C diagnoses in 35,712 AI/AN primary care patients. MAIN FINDINGS: At least one HCV-associated ICD-9 code was recorded in 251 (1%) patients between October 1, 2001 and September 30, 2003. An HCV enzyme-linked immunoassay (HCVEIA) was sent in 209 (83.0%); 206/209 (99%) were positive. Confirmatory testing was performed in 144/206 (70%) HCV-EIA positive patients; HCV infection was confirmed in 144 (100%). In the 90/144 (63%) charts with risk factor documentation, injection drug use was the most common risk factor (61/90, 68%). Deficiencies were present in hepatitis B and HIV testing, and hepatitis A and B vaccination. PRINCIPAL CONCLUSIONS: Improvements in laboratory workup of HCV and co-infections, risk factor ascertainment and documentation, and adult vaccination are needed to address HCV effectively in this population

Funding and Distribution of Institutional Grants in 1999-2000: Results from the 2001 Survey of Undergraduate Financial Aid Policies, Practices, and Procedures

In 1999-2000, postsecondary institutions awarded more than $10 billion in institutional grants to undergraduates. Since 1990, institutional spending on grant aid has grown by more than 84 percent in inflation-adjusted value. This rapid expansion has led to several important questions: How do institutions fund their grant programs? What criteria do colleges and universities use to award grants? Are institutional grants still being directed toward students with demonstrated financial need? This article uses data from the 2001 Survey of Undergraduate Financial Aid Policies, Practices, and Procedures (SUFAPPP) to help answer these questions about institution-based financial assistance

Is There Still a Need for Perkins Loans? Differences in the Demographic Characteristics and Income Levels of Perkins and Stafford Loan Borrowers

In recent years, some policy-makers in Washington have called for the elimination of federal funds for the Federal Perkins Loan program. Federal law requires the Perkins Loan funds to be provided to the neediest students. However, despite this provision, several Democratic and Republican presidential administrations have implied that the program is not as need based as other federal student aid programs. The Clinton Administration has said that reducing Perkins Loan contributions would allow for greater increases in federal student aid programs that are a higher-priority and more strictly need-based (U.S. Department of Education, 1994a). In the face of these criticisms, higher education leaders have fought to preserve federal funding for Perkins Loans. These advocates believe the program provides a low-interest source of self-help assistance to very needy students (Committee for Education Funding, 1994). The arguments for and against Perkins Loans raise some important questions for education policy analysts: Are Perkins Loans still necessary? Do financial aid administrators effectively target Perkins Loans to the most needy students? Do the characteristics of Perkins Loan borrowers differ substantially from those who receive subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford Loans? Are changes needed in the loan programs, particularly Perkins Loans, to serve students better? This paper addresses these questions by describing the recent trends in borrowing under the federal student loan programs and comparing the demographic characteristics, income levels, educational costs, and financial need levels of Perkins Loan and subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford Loan recipients. For purposes of this paper, the term Stafford Loan refers to student loans through both the Stafford Loan and the Direct Loan programs

Tuition Discounting: A View from the Financial Aid Office

The total amount provided by postsecondary education institutions for institutional grants increased nearly 70% during the 1990s. Much of the additional funding was provided for merit scholarships and other non-need based grants. Increases in merit aid suggests that many more higher education institutions used their institutional aid dollars for strategic tuition discounting purposes, rather than meeting students\u27 demonstrated financial need. Given the shift in institutional aid from need- to non-need based purposes, what role did financial aid administrators play in the distribution of institutional grants? How has the financial aid administrator\u27s role changed? This article uses data from the 1996 Survey of Undergraduate Financial Aid Policies, Practices, and Procedures to discuss the growing use of need- and non-need based institutional aid from the financial aid office\u27s perspective

Affirmative Action, Minority Student Access to College, and College Retention: What Does the Future Hold?

Affirmative action programs seek to address admissions at selective, predominately White institutions, but do not consider the role minority-serving institutions play in providing access to higher education. Affirmative action programs also do not address low minority student retention rates at selective institutions. This study discusses the recent challenges to affirmative action and the alternative policies states have used to diversify their college campuses, and describes the role minority-serving institutions and financial aid administrators may play in providing access to higher education for underrepresented groups. Given the threats to affirmative action by several federal court rulings and voter initiatives, minority-serving institutions and financial aid administrators may need to play a greater role in providing educational opportunities for students of color in the years ahead

Evaluation of a wind-tunnel gust response technique including correlations with analytical and flight test results

A wind tunnel technique for obtaining gust frequency response functions for use in predicting the response of flexible aircraft to atmospheric turbulence is evaluated. The tunnel test results for a dynamically scaled cable supported aeroelastic model are compared with analytical and flight data. The wind tunnel technique, which employs oscillating vanes in the tunnel throat section to generate a sinusoidally varying flow field around the model, was evaluated by use of a 1/30 scale model of the B-52E airplane. Correlation between the wind tunnel results, flight test results, and analytical predictions for response in the short period and wing first elastic modes of motion are presented

Net Cost: How Much Do Students Really Pay for College?

Increasingly, the media, parents and students, and policy-makers are asking how much students must pay to attend college after financial aid is taken into account. We present four ways to calculate net cost and we discuss the merits and drawbacks of each net cost calculation. The results suggest that college remains affordable for most students

Microprocessor-based Pressure Controller

A device for automatic control of pressure in an ion-atom scattering experiment has been constructed. The system was modeled to achieve the minimum time for transition from one pressure to another. The pressure controller learns the system response and iterates the parameters used in profiling the valve voltage to reduce the transition time. The device has been used with two different scattering chambers and has worked well with both

Using Students to Support Faculty Development

Howard University’s Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (CETLA) provides faculty development for more than fifteen hundred facuity. Yet it is CETLA’s students who make the difference. They are both the motivation for improving teaching and the means to that end. Students have contributed to everything from the design of CETLA’s infrastructure, to the implementation of instructional technologies, to the assessment of student learning. Meanwhile, supporting faculty development has contributed to the students’ own development. A cost-benefit analysis as well as survey data confirms that working with students at CETLA is a win-win opportunity for the university, faculty, students, and CETLA