Grid generation strategies for turbomachinery configurations

Turbomachinery flow fields involve unique grid generation issues due to their geometrical and physical characteristics. Several strategic approaches are discussed to generate quality grids. The grid quality is further enhanced through blending and adapting. Grid blending smooths the grids locally through averaging and diffusion operators. Grid adaptation redistributes the grid points based on a grid quality assessment. These methods are demonstrated with several examples

Reliable and robust molecular sexing of the hen harrier (Circus cyaneus) using PCR-RFLP of the CHD1 gene

The hen harrier (Circus cyaneus) is a bird of prey that is persecuted in the United Kingdom, and there is a need for a DNA-based individual identification and sexing system for the use in forensic investigations. This study reports a new set of PCR primers for the chromo-helicase-DNA-binding protein 1 gene, which allows sexing using PCR-RFLP. Instead of exonic primers that amplify across a large intron, this set consists of a primer within the intron, enabling reduction in amplicon sizes from 356 to 212 bp and 565 to 219 bp in W and Z chromosomes. DNA degradation and dilution experiments demonstrate that this set is significantly more robust than one that amplifies across the intron, and sequencing of the intronic primer-binding region across several individuals shows that it is highly conserved. While our objective is to incorporate this primer set into an STR-based individualization kit, it may in the meantime prove useful in forensic or conservation studies

The effects of molybdenum and chromium on the malleablization of white cast iron

A study has been made of the quantitative effect of molybdenum upon the decomposition of iron carbide in the malleabilization process for white cast iron. Molybdenum contents from one to five percent were employed;It has been shown that the rates of graphitization for both secondary and primary stages definitely decrease with an increase of the molybdenum content. The secondary stage is practically negligible for the five percent molybdenum alloy over a time interval of 255 hours;Definite time requirements for the primary and secondary stages of graphitization have been determined for each molybdenum composition. These results are shown in tables in their proper sequence;It has been shown that the presence of molybdenum results in a positive refinement of the grain structure;No attempt has been made to correlate the physical properties of the alloys with the chemical composition except the observations that were made during the breaking, grinding and polishing of the samples. Such observations have led to the belief that molybdenum imparts increased hardness, toughness and tensile strength to the malleabilized iron;The effect of chromium, alone and in combination with molybdenum, upon the rates for the decomposition of iron carbide in white cast iron has been determined. It has been found that the graphitization is completely stopped in all alloys containing chromium from one to five percent;Photographs have been included to show the effects of molybdenum, chromium and molybdenum-chromium combinations;The general free energy equation has been applied in the theoretical prediction of the effects of selected elements on the rates of graphitization of commercial white cast iron. Experimental evidence offers confirmation to these theoretical predictions;A general review of the literature, as applied to the effects of various elements on graphitization rates, has been given. A comprehensive bibliography is appended

Organizational Health and Student Achievement Gains in Elementary Schools

With increasing pressures to improve student performance, schools are in need of ways to positively affect student achievement that they can control. The concept of organizational health, which includes academic emphasis, teacher affiliation, collegial leadership, resource influence, and institutional integrity, offers educators an opportunity to gauge the climate of their building and in turn positively affect academic outcomes. Using Hoy and Tarter’s (1997) concept of organizational health in elementary schools as a conceptual framework, this study undertook a mixed method approach to examining the relationship between organizational health and student achievement gains in elementary schools. The Organizational Health Inventory-Elementary Version, a 37 item four-point Likert survey, was given to a sample of 25 elementary schools from a southeastern metropolitan school district. The results of the survey were analyzed with value-added student achievement gains using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. Quantitative analysis revealed inverse relationships between organizational health, the subcategory academic emphasis, and student achievement gains. A direct relationship was found between organizational health and institutional integrity. Interviews and observations were performed at four of the schools, which were selected through purposeful sampling. These schools were selected based on their survey results and value-added achievement scores. Data from the interviews and observations were analyzed according to Merriam’s (1998) constant comparative method. Qualitative data served to verify and expand upon the quantitative findings

Office Training Programs: Study of the Office Training Programs in Ten Land-Grant Colleges with Emphasis on the Prairie View Program

It was the purpose of this study (1) to present a description of training programs which are planned to prepare business students for specific employment in offices; (2) to show the early development of co-operative office training programs; (3) to present the current practices in, and standards for, co-operative office training programs; (4) to examine the criteria for a well-planned co-operative office training program; (5) to determine the effectiveness of the Prairie View College office training program; and (6) to compare the Prairie View program with the office training programs of nine other land-grant colleges in terms of their operational procedures. The study also sought information concerning the following questions: 1. What are the aims of co-operative office training programs? 2. what are the advantages and disadvantages of co-operative office training programs? 3. What are some suggestions for improvement of co-operative office training programs as stated by participants in the program

MAG3D and its application to internal flowfield analysis

MAG3D (multiblock adaptive grid, 3D) is a 3D solution-adaptive grid generation code which redistributes grid points to improve the accuracy of a flow solution without increasing the number of grid points. The code is applicable to structured grids with a multiblock topology. It is independent of the original grid generator and the flow solver. The code uses the coordinates of an initial grid and the flow solution interpolated onto the new grid. MAG3D uses a numerical mapping and potential theory to modify the grid distribution based on properties of the flow solution on the initial grid. The adaptation technique is discussed, and the capability of MAG3D is demonstrated with several internal flow examples. Advantages of using solution-adaptive grids are also shown by comparing flow solutions on adaptive grids with those on initial grids

Interactive solution-adaptive grid generation procedure

TURBO-AD is an interactive solution adaptive grid generation program under development. The program combines an interactive algebraic grid generation technique and a solution adaptive grid generation technique into a single interactive package. The control point form uses a sparse collection of control points to algebraically generate a field grid. This technique provides local grid control capability and is well suited to interactive work due to its speed and efficiency. A mapping from the physical domain to a parametric domain was used to improve difficulties encountered near outwardly concave boundaries in the control point technique. Therefore, all grid modifications are performed on the unit square in the parametric domain, and the new adapted grid is then mapped back to the physical domain. The grid adaption is achieved by adapting the control points to a numerical solution in the parametric domain using control sources obtained from the flow properties. Then a new modified grid is generated from the adapted control net. This process is efficient because the number of control points is much less than the number of grid points and the generation of the grid is an efficient algebraic process. TURBO-AD provides the user with both local and global controls

Google online marketing challenge and research opportunities

The Google Online Marketing Challenge is an ongoing collaboration between Google and academics, to give students experiential learning. The Challenge gives student teams US$200 in AdWords, Google’s flagship advertising product, to develop online marketing campaigns for actual businesses. The end result is an engaging in-class exercise that provides students and professors with an exciting and pedagogically rigorous competition. Results from surveys at the end of the Challenge reveal positive appraisals from the three—students, businesses, and professors—main constituents; general agreement between students and instructors regarding learning outcomes; and a few points of difference between students and instructors. In addition to describing the Challenge and its outcomes, this article reviews the postparticipation questionnaires and subsequent datasets. The questionnaires and results are publicly available, and this article invites educators to mine the datasets, share their results, and offer suggestions for future iterations of the Challenge

A Comparison of Psychotic Symptoms Recorded in Patient Files of Persons with a First Diagnosis of Schizophrenia in 1930 and 1960 Cohorts Drawn from a Large State Hospital

The growth of mental hospital populations during the 19th and 20th centuries along with the corresponding increase in the number of mental institutions is well documented. The cause of the growth is the subject of considerable debate. One hypothesis is that the growth in hospital population was due, in part, to an increase in the prevalence or incidence of schizophrenia. Another is that diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia changed with time in such a manner that increasing numbers of patients were given this diagnosis. The present study sought to address these issues in two ways: 1) by comparing the number and type of symptoms recorded in the files of patients who had a first diagnosis of schizophrenia in either 1930 or 1960; and 2) by retrospective diagnosis of these patients based on recorded symptoms using the DSM-IV-TR and ICD-10 diagnostic criteria. Subjects were two groups of 50 patients (N=100) randomly selected from a large state hospital in Louisiana. The results showed that recorded symptoms of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia changed dramatically between 1930 and 1960. In addition, patients from the 1930 cohort were significantly more likely to receive a retrospective diagnosis of schizophrenia than those from the 1960 cohort. Limitations of the study are discussed: 1) recorded symptoms are not necessarily veridical to actual symptoms; 2) the results may not be generalizable to other hospitals. The central finding of this study is that despite clear evidence of a change in the way schizophrenia was conceived – from a narrow Kraepelinian perspective to a broader psychoanalytic perspective – the percent of the hospital population diagnosed with schizophrenia did not change. This undermines the hypothesis that apparent changes in prevalence and incidence are due to a psychoanalytic redefinition of the boundaries of schizophrenia