Polygonal Numbers

UMKC Honors Colleg

Service Management in Operations

In recent years, the growth in popularity of frameworks such as the IT Information Library (ITIL®), the Control Objectives for Information and Technology (COBIT), and the Capability Maturity Model Integrated (CMMI) have caused IT organizations to begin to develop specific service processes for their organizations. This research surveys IT managers on their understanding and practice of service management in IT operations. The results found significant conceptual confusion across the several IT service management models, indicating a need for better definitions, clearer terminology, and broader dissemination of framework information

Vapor Compression and Thermoelectric Heat Pumps for a Cascade Distillation Subsystem: Design and Experiment

Humans on a spacecraft require significant amounts of water for drinking, food, hydration, and hygiene. Maximizing the reuse of wastewater while minimizing the use of consumables is critical for long duration space exploration. One of the more promising consumable-free methods of reclaiming wastewater is the distillation/condensation process used in the Cascade Distillation Subsystem (CDS). The CDS heats wastewater to the point of vaporization then condenses and cools the resulting water vapor. The CDS wastewater flow requires heating for evaporation and the product water flow requires cooling for condensation. Performing the heating and cooling processes separately would require two separate units, each of which would demand large amounts of electrical power. Mass, volume, and power efficiencies can be obtained by heating the wastewater and cooling the condensate in a single heat pump unit. The present work describes and compares two competing heat pump methodologies that meet the needs of the CDS: 1) a series of mini compressor vapor compression cycles and 2) a thermoelectric heat exchanger. In the paper, the CDS system level requirements are outlined, the designs of the two heat pumps are described in detail, and the results of heat pump analysis and performance tests are provided. The mass, volume, and power requirement for each heat pump option is compared and the advantages and disadvantages of each system are listed

Vapor Compression and Thermoelectric Heat Pump Heat Exchangers for a Condensate Distillation System: Design and Experiment

Maximizing the reuse of wastewater while minimizing the use of consumables is critical in long duration space exploration. One of the more promising methods of reclaiming urine is the distillation/condensation process used in the cascade distillation system (CDS). This system accepts a mixture of urine and toxic stabilizing agents, heats it to vaporize the water and condenses and cools the resulting water vapor. The CDS wastewater flow requires heating and its condensate flow requires cooling. Performing the heating and cooling processes separately requires two separate units, each of which would require large amounts of electrical power. By heating the wastewater and cooling the condensate in a single heat pump unit, mass, volume, and power efficiencies can be obtained. The present work describes and compares two competing heat pump methodologies that meet the needs of the CDS: 1) a series of mini compressor vapor compression cycles and 2) a thermoelectric heat exchanger. In the paper, the system level requirements are outlined, the designs of the two heat pumps are described in detail, and the results of heat pump performance tests are provided. A summary is provided of the heat pump mass, volume and power trades and a selection recommendation is made

Venting of a Water/Inhibited Propylene Glycol Mixture in a Vacuum Environment-Characterization and Representative Test Results

A planned use of the Orion space vehicle involves its residence at the International Space Station for six months at a time. One concept of operations involves temporarily venting portions of the idle Orion active thermal control system (ATCS) during the docked phase, preventing freezing. The venting would have to be reasonably complete with few, if any, completely filled pockets of frozen liquid. Even if pockets of frozen liquid did not damage the hardware during the freezing process, they could prevent the system from filling completely prior to its reactivation. The venting of single component systems in a space environment has been performed numerous times and is well understood. Local nucleation occurs at warm, relatively massive parts of the system, which creates vapor and forces the bulk liquid out of the system. The remnants of the liquid will freeze, then evaporate over time through local heating. Because the Orion ATCS working fluid is a 50/50 mixture of water and inhibited propylene glycol, its boiling behavior was expected to differ from that of a pure fluid. It was thought that the relatively high vapor pressure water might evaporate preferentially, leaving behind a mixture enriched with the low vapor pressure propylene glycol, which would be vaporization ]resistant. Owing to this concern, a test was developed to compare the evaporation behavior of pure water, a 50/50 mixture of water and inhibited propylene glycol, and inhibited propylene glycol. The test was performed using room temperature fluids in an instrumented thin walled stainless steel vertical tube. The 1 in x 0.035 in wall tube was instrumented with surface thermocouples and encased in closed cell polyurethane foam. Reticulated polyurethane foam was placed inside the tube to reduce the convection currents. A vacuum system connected to the top of the tube set the pressure boundary condition. Tests were run for the three fluids at back pressures ranging from 1 to 18 torr. During each test, the mass of the test article was measured as it changed over time, as was its temperature and backpressure. The tests were successful. Somewhat surprisingly, the results showed that the evaporation behavior of the three fluids had more similarities than differences. The 50/50 mixture evaporated similarly to the pure water - albeit at a slower rate. The test results indicate that our extensive space - based experience with venting of single component fluids can be applied to the problem of Orion ATCS venting as long as the appropriate puts, takes, and caveats are applied

A Nurse Practitioner Model for Delivering Primary and Coordinated Care to Adults with Disabilities - CLASS Inc., Lawrence, MA and Academic Partners, Brandeis University and University of Massachusetts Lowell

The project will (1) design and plan the implementation of a nurse practitioner model for delivering primary and coordinated care to adults with disabilities who are receiving day habilitation services, and (2) evaluate the design and planning processes using a participatory and iterative approach. The project is a collaborative effort between a university-based research center, provider agencies, a nursing school, and government officials. Products include a logic model of the intervention, materials for training nurses to provide care and service coordination, and an analysis of the process to disseminate lessons learned, support a demonstration project and encourage replication efforts

Determining Thermal Management Requirements for an ISRU Plant Using a Reduced Order Model

No abstract availabl

Climate Variability and the Millennium Development Goal Hunger Target

Climate variability contributes significantly to poverty and food insecurity. Proactive approaches to managing climate variability within vulnerable rural communities and among institutions operating at community, sub-national, and national levels is a crucial step toward achieving the Millennium Development Goal of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger. Climate variability can impact a household's access to food by affecting subsistence production, income from primary production, local food prices, and sometimes the economy of an entire region. The risk of household food insecurity is determined by the success of livelihood strategies in the face of climate and other shocks. Across the economy, climate variability affects food security through its influence on investment, adoption of agricultural technology, aggregate production, market prices and economic development, and hence the ability of individuals, communities and nations to produce and purchase food. The impacts of climate variability are both ex post – losses that follow a climate shock — and ex ante — opportunity costs of conservative risk management responses to climatic uncertainty. The report summarizes the scientific basis, current methodology, and prospects for improving climate prediction at a seasonal time scale. Current forecast methods give modest to moderately-high prediction skill in "hunger hotspots" in East, West and Southern Africa, and other regions in the tropics and subtropics. Applications of climate information contribute to a comprehensive strategy to combat hunger. First is the use of seasonal climate prediction in early warning systems to guide interventions to avert food crises. Second is the use of climate information to manage risk in agricultural systems within vulnerable rural communities and among a range of institutions. This includes smallholder farmers who comprise the largest group of poor and food-insecure; intermediary institutions that interface with farmers, and can provide the information, technical guidance and production inputs required for effective climate risk management; and institutions that make climate-sensitive decisions at a broader scale that influence food security. We also discuss measures to strengthen institutional capacity and coordination to improve management of climate variability. Improved management of climate variability has appealing synergies with other interventions that target hunger, including soil fertility management, small-scale water management, markets, and extension and communication systems

Approach for Sizing and Tumdown Analysis of a Variable Geometry Spacecraft Radiator

No abstract availabl