A Dual Digital Signal Processor VME Board For Instrumentation And Control Applications

A Dual Digital Signal Processing VME Board was developed for the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) Beam Current Monitor (BCM) system at Jefferson Lab. It is a versatile general-purpose digital signal processing board using an open architecture, which allows for adaptation to various applications. The base design uses two independent Texas Instrument (TI) TMS320C6711, which are 900 MFLOPS floating-point digital signal processors (DSP). Applications that require a fixed point DSP can be implemented by replacing the baseline DSP with the pin-for-pin compatible TMS320C6211. The design can be manufactured with a reduced chip set without redesigning the printed circuit board. For example it can be implemented as a single-channel DSP with no analog I/O.Comment: 3 PDF page

A review of the mallet impact test for small scale explosive formulations

Presented at 19th Seminar on New Trends of Energetic Materials (NTREM 2016); 20-22/04/2016, Pardubice Czech RepublicDevelopment of new explosive formulations begins with the generation of only a few milligrams of material which is investigated using a number of small scale tests such as DSC, TGA, response to flame, mallet impact (mallet friction either glancing or direct blow) to determine whether the formulation is safe to scale up to 10 g. The latter of these tests, mallet impact, can be particularly subjective as the result is directly influenced by the operator carrying out the assessment. Not only can there be a change from one operator to another but there can also be a change in the force applied during each strike potentially leading to inconsistent results. This study highlights this encountered variation and assesses the load applied by a variety of operators with varying levels of explosive experience. This paper also proposes the use of a small scale laboratory based impact test which would provide improved confidence in the assessment of impact sensitiveness of explosive formulations and assist in justifying whether a formulation can be taken to the next scale. A small scale version of the BAM impact test (EMTAP Test 43) has been devised that allows the comparison of the sensitiveness of small scale formulations relative to RDX (8.7 J, EMTAP Test 43B) whilst also ensuring a reproducible result

Productive resources in students’ ideas about energy: An alternative analysis of Watts’ original interview transcripts

For over 30 years, researchers have investigated students’ ideas about energy with the intent of reforming instructional practice. In this pursuit, Watts contributed an influential study with his 1983 paper “Some alternative views of energy” [Phys. Educ. 18, 213 (1983)]. Watts’ “alternative frameworks” continue to be used for categorizing students’ non-normative ideas about energy. Using a resources framework, we propose an alternate analysis of student responses from Watts’ interviews. In our analysis, we show how students’ activated resources about energy are disciplinarily productive. We suggest that fostering seeds of scientific understandings in students’ ideas about energy may play an important role in their development of scientific literacy

Students Talk about Energy in Project- Based Inquiry Science

We examine the types of emergent language eighth grade students in rural Maine middle schools use when they discuss energy in their first experiences with Project-Based Inquiry Science: Energy, a research-based curriculum that uses a specific language for talking about energy. By comparative analysis of the language used by the curriculum materials to students’ language, we find that students’ talk is at times more aligned with a Stores and Transfer model of energy than the Forms model supported by the curriculum

HIDVA Final Report

The purpose of the evaluation was to assess the impact of hospital-based IDVAs in Surrey with reference to five Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): 1. Trust staff are confident in identifying and safely enquiring with patients about DA and know how to seek support within the Trust with DA-related matters. 2. DA survivors supported by the IDVAs have access to the right information, services, and support, at the right time, in the right place, at the earliest opportunity, through clearly defined referral pathways. 3. IDVAs enhance the Trusts’ Safeguarding response to DA. 4. DA survivors feel enabled to access IDVA and outreach support services. DA survivors are viewed as experts by experience and their feedback on the IDVA service informs the delivery of IDVA services. 5. IDVA data collection in the Trusts provides the Trusts and Commissioners with a better understanding of the level of DA need in Surrey

Midazolam use for dental conscious sedation: how safe are we?

Aim: To explore the safety awareness of midazolam use amongst dentist in the UK. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study on 203 dentists was undertaken, 146 of whom currently practice conscious sedation using intravenous midazolam. Use of high strength midazolam; awareness of the Rapid Response Report (RRR) and the National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS); and midazolam related incidents were explored. Results: Formal training in conscious sedation was variable with 35.6% holding a postgraduate sedation qualification. Flumazenil administration was common practice (63%) although used very selectively. Use to reverse respiratory depression was minimal (4%). Awareness of the RRR and the NRLS was generally low but higher among those working in general dental practice (p<0.05). Comparative analysis showed that high dose midazolam was administered more frequently in gastroenterology than in dentistry (p<0.001) with higher incidences of overdose (12.4% Vs 4.8%) and death (8.3% Vs 0%) within a 3 year period. Conclusions: High strength midazolam administration remains prevalent in dentistry, despite recommendations by the DoH. Use of flumazenil for reasons other than respiratory depression in dentistry should warrant little concern. The low incidence of reported harm is positive but may be due to a lack of uptake of national reporting systems

Conquering the Professional Learning Network labyrinth: what is required from the networked school leader if schools are to benefit from engaging in Professional Learning Networks

Increasingly, policymakers, school and school system leaders are turning to Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) as a means to achieve bottom-up educational improvement at scale (Brown and Poortman, 2018). Likening the leadership challenges of establishing PLNs to conquering a labyrinth, this paper draws on extant literature to explore one key factor thought vital to the success of PLNs: the role of school leaders in creating a two-way link between PLNs and schools. Drawing on Bauman’s [2012. Liquid Modernity. Cambridge: Polity Press] notion of liquid modernity to ground the emergence of education networks within wider trends affecting society, this theoretical paper provides a conceptual exploration of the role of school leaders in maximising the benefits of networked ways of working for their school. Settling on three vital network leadership functions of formalising, prioritising and mobilising PLN engagement, the paper concludes by establishing some of the key areas school leaders need to consider if they are to successfully negotiate the PLN maze. Also detailed are the suggested ‘lessons’ school and system leaders should heed to maximise the impact of PLNs for all schools involved

GaAs homojunction solar cell development

The Lincoln Laboratory n(+)/p/p(+) GaAs shallow homojunction cell structure was successfully demonstrated on 2 by 2 cm GaAs substrates. Air mass zero efficiencies of the seven cells produced to date range from 13.6 to 15.6 percent. Current voltage (I-V) characteristics, spectral response, and measurements were made on all seven cells. Preliminary analysis of 1 MeV electron radiation damage data indicate excellent radiation resistance for these cells

Grain quality inspection system

A review of grain quality indicators and measurement methods was conducted in order to assess the feasibility of using remote sensing technology to develop a continuous monitoring system for use during grain transfer operations. Most detection methods were found to be too slow or too expensive to be incorporated into the normal inspection procedure of a grain elevator on a continuous basis. Two indicators, moisture content and broken corn and foreign material, show potential for automation and are of an economic value. A microprocessor based system which utilizes commercially available electronic moisture meter was developed and tested. A method for automating BCFM measurement is described. A complete system description is presented along with performance test results

Lost in translation? Can the use of theories of action be effective in helping teachers develop and scale up research-informed practices?

Theories of action represent the systematic exposition of why it is believed strategies or interventions have led, or will lead, to change (e.g. Earl and Timperley (2015)). The notion of research-informed teaching practice meanwhile corresponds to the use of research evidence to improve aspects of teaching and learning (Walker, 2017). To date there has not been substantive research into how best to engage teachers with research evidence on teaching and learning strategies and yet, at the same time, there are many examples of educational scale-up ‘failure’: in other words a failure by teachers to successfully replicate existing impactful evidence-informed practices (e.g. Bradford & Braaten, 2017; Dede, 2016.) Exploring the question ‘Does engaging teachers with theories of action aid the development of impactful research-informed interventions?’ this paper examines whether the use of theories of action can help teachers translate extant research evidence into contextually appropriate research informed teaching practices. Furthermore the paper also explores whether these practices are perceived to have positive benefits both for teachers and for students