Interhemispheric comparison of atmospheric circulation features as evaluated from Nimbus satellite data. A comparison of the structure and flow characteristics of the upper troposphere and stratosphere of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres

The general circulations of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are compared with regard to the upper troposphere and stratosphere, using atmospheric structure obtained from multi-channel radiance data from the satellite infrared spectrometer instrument aboard the Nimbus 3 spacecraft. The inter-hemispheric comparisons are based on two months of data (one summer month and one winter month) in each hemisphere. Topics studied include: (1) mean meridional circulation in the Southern Hemisphere stratosphere; (2) magnitude and distribution of tropospheric eddy heat flux; (3) relative importance of standing and transient eddies in the two hemispheres; (4) magnitudes of energy cycle components; and (5) the relation of vortex structure to the breakdown climatology of the Antarctic stratospheric polar vortex

Development of Rene' 41 honeycomb structure as an integral cryogenic tankage/fuselage concept for future space transportation systems

The status of the structural development of an integral cryogenic-tankage/hot-fuselage concept for future space transportation systems (STS) is discussed. The concept consists of a honeycomb sandwich structure which serves the combined functions of containment of cryogenic fuel, support of vehicle loads, and thermal protection from an entry heating environment. The inner face sheet is exposed to a cryogenic (LH2) temperature of -423 F during boost; and the outer face sheet, which is slotted to reduce thermal stress, is exposed to a maximum temperature of 1400 F during a high altitude, gliding entry. A fabrication process for a Rene' 41 honeycomb sandwich panel with a core density less than 1 percent was developed which is consistent with desirable heat treatment processes for high strength

Assessing Unmet Needs of Caregivers after Stroke: Occupational Therapist Practices and Perspectives

Background: Family caregivers of stroke survivors often feel unprepared and overwhelmed post discharge with numerous unmet needs. Occupational therapists can play an integral role in addressing family caregivers’ needs. Limited research exists on assessment practices of occupational therapists in identifying caregivers’ needs poststroke. This study explores the practices and perspectives of occupational therapists in assessing unmet caregivers’ needs. Method: A cross-sectional, mixed methods research design was used to electronically survey 15 occupational therapists. Part 1 of the survey explored participant methods for identifying caregivers’ needs and their views on using formal caregiver assessment tools. Part 2 gathered participant perspectives on three selected caregiver assessments. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used to interpret the data. Results: The participants perceive formal assessments as beneficial. However, they use informal strategies to assess the unmet needs of caregivers rather than formal assessment. Reimbursement challenges, productivity pressure, and questionable necessity are barriers to conducting formal assessments. Advantages and disadvantages of each assessment are discussed. Conclusion: Occupational therapists face barriers to conducting formal assessment across settings. Implementation of recent policies is needed to further support occupational therapy’s role in addressing caregivers’ needs. This study can inform future development of assessment tools tailored to occupational therapy

An investigation into the application of Claims Analysis to evaluate usability of a digital library interface

There is a need for tools that help developers evaluate the usability of digital library interfaces. The potential for using Claims Analysis to help developers in this way has been investigated in three linked case studies. The first explored the design rationale of an existing design with its developers. This showed that they had considered positive consequences for novice uses but that they found it difficult to identify negative effects. The second study explored the detailed design of an add-on feature. A scenario and sample claims were introduced to evaluate exploratory use within an action cycle of planning, execution and evaluation. This framework provided an effective stimulus to enable the developers to evaluate the design and explore opportunities for redesign. Finally, some novice users explored the digital library and the findings from this were used to validate a user scenario and claims

Bell's Theorem from Moore's Theorem

It is shown that the restrictions of what can be inferred from classically-recorded observational outcomes that are imposed by the no-cloning theorem, the Kochen-Specker theorem and Bell's theorem also follow from restrictions on inferences from observations formulated within classical automata theory. Similarities between the assumptions underlying classical automata theory and those underlying universally-unitary quantum theory are discussed.Comment: 12 pages; to appear in Int. J. General System

Buckling behavior of Rene 41 tubular panels for a hypersonic aircraft wing

The buckling characteristics of Rene 41 tubular panels for a hypersonic aircraft wing were investigated. The panels were repeatedly tested for buckling characteristics using a hypersonic wing test structure and a universal tension/compression testing machine. The nondestructive buckling tests were carried out under different combined load conditions and in different temperature environments. The force/stiffness technique was used to determine the buckling loads of the panel. In spite of some data scattering, resulting from large extrapolations of the data fitting curve (because of the termination of applied loads at relatively low percentages of the buckling loads), the overall test data correlate fairly well with theoretically predicted buckling interaction curves. Also, the structural efficiency of the tubular panels was found to be slightly higher than that of beaded panels

The theoretical reflectance of X-rays from optical surfaces

The theoretical reflectance of X-rays from various materials and evaporated films is presented. A computer program was written that computes the reflected intensity as a function of the angle of the incident radiation. The quantities necessary to generate the efficiency and their effect on the data are demonstrated. Five materials were chosen for evaluation: (1) fused silica, (2) chromium, (3) beryllium, (4) gold, and (5) a thin layer contaminant. Fused silica is a versatile and common material; chromium has high reflection efficiency at X-ray wavelengths and is in the middle of the atomic number range; beryllium contains a single atomic shell and has a low range atomic number; gold contains multiple atomic shells and has a high atomic number; the contaminant is treated as a thin film in the calculations and results are given as a function of thickness for selected wavelengths. The theoretical results are compared to experimental data at lambda = 8.34 A

Interhemispheric comparison of atmospheric circulation features as evaluated from Nimbus satellite data

A relationship is established between relative geostrophic vorticity on an isobaric surface and the Laplacian of the underlying layer-mean temperature. This relationship is used to investigate the distribution of vorticity and baroclinicity in a jet-stream model which is constantly recurrent in the winter troposphere. The investigation shows that the baroclinic and vorticity fields of the extratropical troposphere must be bifurcated with two extrema in the middle and subpolar latitudes. This pattern is present in daily tropospheric meridional cross-sections. The reasons for the disappearance of bifurcation in the time-and-longitude averaged distributions are discussed

Effect of short schemes on body composition measurements using Air-Displacement Plethysmography

BACKGROUND: Air-displacement plethysmography (ADP) is becoming a popular method to assess body composition. Several studies have shown certain types of clothing can affect measurements of body density, however no study has specifically investigated the effect of cotton gym shorts and spandex bicycle shorts on body density. METHODS: Thirty-seven males (23.0 ± 3.2 yr., 177.3 ± 5.4 cm., 74.8 ± 7.5 kg.) and thirty-eight females (23.7 ± 5.3 yr., 163.6 ± 8.4 cm., 57.1 ± 7.0 kg.) had their body density measured by ADP in three clothing schemes: 1) a tight fitting Speedo(® )swim suit (criterion measure), 2) cotton gym shorts, and 3) spandex bicycle shorts. The clothing was provided by the University of Oklahoma Body Composition Laboratory and the testing schemes were performed in random order. RESULTS: The regression of body density by the criterion measure against body density while wearing cotton gym shorts for the entire group (y = 0.001 + 0.991x, SEE = 0.003 g/cm(3)) and the females (y = 0.059 + 0.934x, SEE = 0.003 g/cm(3)) did not significantly deviate from the line of identity. However in males the regression significantly deviated from the line of identity (y = 0.052 + 0.944x, SEE = 0.002 g/cm(3)). Body density by the criterion measure and body density while wearing spandex bicycle shorts did not significantly differ from the line of identity for the entire group (y = -0.018 + 1.013x SEE = 0.003 g/cm(3)), in males (y = -0.002 + 1.001x, SEE = 0.003 g/cm(3)), or females (y = 0.073 + 0.925x, SEE = 0.003 g/cm(3)). Residual plot analysis revealed no group or gender bias in either the cotton gym shorts or in the spandex bicycle shorts. CONCLUSION: It would appear bicycle spandex shorts are an acceptable alternative to a Speedo(® )like swim suit, however we advise that subjects adhere to the strict clothing protocol that is recommended by the manufacturer

A Clinical Interview for Assessing Student Learning in a University-Level Craft Technology Course

This paper describes the design and development of a clinical interview protocol, the “Interactive Toy Interview” (ITI), that was used to assess prior knowledge and resultant learning among undergraduate students enrolled in a new, university-level “Craft Technologies” course. This new course involved several weeks of project work with electronic textiles and soft circuits. The ITI draws on prior work assessing learning with e-textiles, such as circuit diagram drawing tasks and ‘debuggems’, but it is based on use of existing commercial toys and objects. We present excerpts from interviews with a student who reported no prior background with sewing, circuitry, or programing and discuss what kinds of progress we see in her thinking about interactive toys as they relate to experiences she had in the Craft Technology course