Keeping Up with the Joneses: New Models to Support Developing Needs

The purpose of this paper is to explore models that may improve interdisciplinary collection strategies. Practical alternatives and expansions to existing services that can be explored without the burden of irreversible consequences will be discussed. This paper is intended more so as a conversation starter about altering our thought processes in regards to how librarians carry out their work to meet new demands. It is not intended to be a guide with proven methods that will work universally. These proposals are set within the context of a library that is part of a large research institution.International Federation of Library AssociationsUniversity of Toronto, LibraryUniversity of Toronto, Faculty of InformationUniversity of Illinois, LibraryTitle VI National Resource Center Grant (P015A060066)unpublishednot peer reviewe

Project Management Using Modern Guidance, Navigation and Control Theory

The idea of control theory and its application to project management is not new, however literature on the topic and real-world applications is not as readily available and comprehensive in how all the principals of Guidance, Navigation and Control (GN&C) apply. This paper will address how the fundamental principals of modern GN&C Theory have been applied to NASA's Constellation Space Suit project and the results in the ability to manage the project within cost, schedule and budget. A s with physical systems, projects can be modeled and managed with the same guiding principles of GN&C as if it were a complex vehicle, system or software with time-varying processes, at times non-linear responses, multiple data inputs of varying accuracy and a range of operating points. With such systems the classic approach could be applied to small and well-defined projects; however with larger, multi-year projects involving multiple organizational structures, external influences and a multitude of diverse resources, then modern control theory is required to model and control the project. The fundamental principals of G N&C stated that a system is comprised of these basic core concepts: State, Behavior, Control system, Navigation system, Guidance and Planning Logic, Feedback systems. The state of a system is a definition of the aspects of the dynamics of the system that can change, such as position, velocity, acceleration, coordinate-based attitude, temperature, etc. The behavior of the system is more of what changes are possible rather than what can change, which is captured in the state of the system. The behavior of a system is captured in the system modeling and if properly done, will aid in accurate system performance prediction in the future. The Control system understands the state and behavior of the system and feedback systems to adjust the control inputs into the system. The Navigation system takes the multiple data inputs and based upon a priori knowledge of the input, will develop a statistical-based weighting of the input to determine where the system currently is located. Guidance and Planning logic of the system with the understanding of where it is (provided by the navigation system) will in turn determine where it needs to be and how to get there. Lastly, the system Feedback system is the right arm of the control system to allow it to affect change in the overall system and therefore it is critical to not only correctly identify the system feedback inputs but also the system response to the feedback inputs. And with any systems project it is critical that the objective of the system be clearly defined for not only planning but to be used to measure performance and to aid in the guidance of the system or project

Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of lipids from Pythium irregulare

Lipids that contain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) have therapeutic value. Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of PUFA from the lower fungi, Pythium irregulare was attempted for freeze-dried material in the presence of an aqueous phase. Extraction showed some success at moisture contents up to 30% (wb) and with the addition of a novel CO2 -philic surfactant. Equilibrium and kinetic data are presented. Equilibrium data were taken for the fungal oil in a flow-through apparatus at a low flow rate for two isotherms (40 and 60°C) over a pressure range of 13.7 to 27.5 MPa. Equilibrium data were also taken for pure naphthalene at 40°C to test the system. The compressed-gas model utilizing the Peng-Robinson equation of state was then applied to the data. The kinetic data portrayed three types of mass transfer behavior including an initial surface-film regime where pseudo steady-state conditions prevailed, a diffusion-controlled regime where unsteady-state conditions were evident and a temporary transition region. For tests with extraction times of 5 to 6 hours, data for the diffusion-controlled region were modeled with an analytical solution to Fick\u27s Second Law assuming the particles were spherical shaped. The models worked well for both equilibrium and kinetic data, however the physical property values for the equilibrium data were altered substantially to obtain a reasonable fit with the compressed-gas model

Drying cut fruits with recirculated air for energy savings

The main focus of this study was to test the feasibility of saving energy while drying fruit by recirculating drying air at a constant rate. Four recirculation rates (0, 25, 50, and 75%) were used to dry peaches and apples. For these treatments, the amount of energy consumed, the moisture removed, and the total drying times were measured. Three quantitative parameters (color, shelf-life, and sugar content) were used to determine the final quality of the dried fruit. For both fruits tested, total energy consumption showed very significant differences among recirculation rates (with 75% recirculation requiring the least energy). The 75% recirculation rate produced an energy savings over no recirculation of approximately 53% for drying peaches and 46% for drying apples. The total processing times, however, were nearly the same for all recirculation rates. In general, no substantial losses occurred in the product quality for fruits subjected to the higher recirculation rates as compared to those subjected to no recirculation. The results of this experiment helped to decide an optimal fixed recirculation rate for maximizing the energy savings without causing destruction in the product quality. By optimizing the energy saved, fruit dehydrators may be improved to produce dried fruits at a lower cost

How clinicians make (or avoid) moral judgments of patients: implications of the evidence for relationships and research

Physicians, nurses, and other clinicians readily acknowledge being troubled by encounters with patients who trigger moral judgments. For decades social scientists have noted that moral judgment of patients is pervasive, occurring not only in egregious and criminal cases but also in everyday situations in which appraisals of patients' social worth and culpability are routine. There is scant literature, however, on the actual prevalence and dynamics of moral judgment in healthcare. The indirect evidence available suggests that moral appraisals function via a complex calculus that reflects variation in patient characteristics, clinician characteristics, task, and organizational factors. The full impact of moral judgment on healthcare relationships, patient outcomes, and clinicians' own well-being is yet unknown. The paucity of attention to moral judgment, despite its significance for patient-centered care, communication, empathy, professionalism, healthcare education, stereotyping, and outcome disparities, represents a blind spot that merits explanation and repair. New methodologies in social psychology and neuroscience have yielded models for how moral judgment operates in healthcare and how research in this area should proceed. Clinicians, educators, and researchers would do well to recognize both the legitimate and illegitimate moral appraisals that are apt to occur in healthcare settings

Manufacturing strategy : developments in approach and analysis

For established manufacturing nations, increased competitive pressure has been the way of life since the late 1970s. For the most part however, production decision making in manufacturing industry has not changed to meet these new challenges. It usually takes a subordinate strategic role to the marketing and finance functions with the consequence that it accepts a reactive role in the corporate debate. The outcome is that strategic initiatives and developments are predominantly based on corporate marketing-decisions at the "front end" with manufacturing being forced to react at the "back end" of the debate. Since manufacturing managers come late into these discussions, it is difficult for them to successfully influence corporate decisions. All too often, the result is the formulation and later development of strategies which manufacturing is unable to successfully support. That is not to say that this happens for want of trying - strong is the work ethic in the manufacturing culture. However, if the basic link between the manufacturing processes and infrastructure (ie manufacturing strategy) and the market is not strategically sound, then the business will suffer. There are many reasons why manufacturing is typically reactive in the strategic debate. One important factor is the lack of appropriate concepts and language with which to explain or contribute to corporate decisions. This research has been undertaken to help redress this deficiency. The work began in the early 1980s. Upto that time, both the professional and academic contributions to the field of manufacturing strategy principally concerned statements which highlighted the problem and alerted manufacturing industry as a whole to its size and potential. However, there were in addition some important early pointers as to ways of overcoming the inadequacy of production's contribution to strategy formulation as well as some alternative approaches which firms needed to consider as ways of improving their overall performance. The inability of the production executive to contribute appropriate functional inputs provided the stimulus to undertake this work and to endeavour to build on initial insights as a way of taking forward the subject area of manufacturing strategy. The core of this thesis concerns these developments. Reported here are three contributions to this field of study all of which have been tested in different firms and are increasingly being used by academics, consultants and businesses as a way of helping to gain essential insights into what is a complex problem. The three facets are: • Typically, corporate strategies are composites of functional statements which are inadequately debated one with another in order to understand and test the coherence of the approaches proposed. The result is that the opportunity to fashion corporate strategies supported by all the functions within a business is not adequately pursued. In addition, the necessity to develop corporate strategy in this way and the advantages which ensue have gone unrecognised • The reactive role of manufacturing results in a lack of strategic direction within this function. As a result, typical developments and investments tend to take the form of operational responses undertaken without strategic context. One outcome of the research is a methodology which provides a way in which a business can develop a manufacturing strategy which links manufacturing developments and investments to the needs of its agreed markets. Two applications of this are provided in Chapter 4 • It is most important for an industrial company to recognise that it is attempting to support the inherently changing nature of its markets with manufacturing investments the characteristics of which are fixed in nature and will not change without further investments and developments. Product profiling is a methodology for enabling companies to assess the current level of match between its markets and manufacturing and to recognise the extent to which decisions will effect this in the future. Examples of its application illustrating different sources of mismatch are given in Chapter

Exploration Space Suit Architecture: Destination Environmental-Based Technology Development

This paper picks up where EVA Space Suit Architecture: Low Earth Orbit Vs. Moon Vs. Mars (Hill, Johnson, IEEEAC paper #1209) left off in the development of a space suit architecture that is modular in design and interfaces and could be reconfigured to meet the mission or during any given mission depending on the tasks or destination. This paper will walk though the continued development of a space suit system architecture, and how it should evolve to meeting the future exploration EVA needs of the United States space program. In looking forward to future US space exploration and determining how the work performed to date in the CxP and how this would map to a future space suit architecture with maximum re-use of technology and functionality, a series of thought exercises and analysis have provided a strong indication that the CxP space suit architecture is well postured to provide a viable solution for future exploration missions. Through the destination environmental analysis that is presented in this paper, the modular architecture approach provides the lowest mass, lowest mission cost for the protection of the crew given any human mission outside of low Earth orbit. Some of the studies presented here provide a look and validation of the non-environmental design drivers that will become every-increasingly important the further away from Earth humans venture and the longer they are away. Additionally, the analysis demonstrates a logical clustering of design environments that allows a very focused approach to technology prioritization, development and design that will maximize the return on investment independent of any particular program and provide architecture and design solutions for space suit systems in time or ahead of being required for any particular manned flight program in the future. The new approach to space suit design and interface definition the discussion will show how the architecture is very adaptable to programmatic and funding changes with minimal redesign effort required such that the modular architecture can be quickly and efficiently honed into a specific mission point solution if required

Improved protocols for Aspergillus minimal medium: trace element and minimal medium salt stock solutions

Simplified protocols for ingredients of Aspergillus minimal medium (MM) are presented. These either do not change the final composition of MM or at most involve only minor modifications which, in extensive comparative tests, have not shown any effects on growth patterns of all strains/cultures tested

Preliminary Studies Leading Toward the Development of a LIDAR Bathymetry Mapping Instrument

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has developed a laser ranging device (LIDAR) which provides accurate and timely data of earth features. NASA/GSFC recently modified the sensor to include a scanning capability to produce LIDAR swaths. They have also integrated a Global Positioning System (GPS) and an Inertial Navigation System (INS) to accurately determine the absolute aircraft location and aircraft attitude (pitch, yaw, and roll), respectively. The sensor has been flown in research mode by NASA for many years. The LIDAR has been used in different configurations or modes to acquire such data as altimetry (topography), bathymetry (water depth), laser-induced fluorosensing (tracer dye movements, oil spills and oil thickness, chlorophyll and plant stress identification), forestry, and wetland discrimination studies. NASA and HARC are developing a commercial version of the instrument for topographic mapping applications. The next phase of the commercialization project will be to investigate other applications such as wetlands mapping and coastal bathymetry. In this paper we report on preliminary laboratory measurements to determine the feasibility of making accurate depth measurements in relatively shallow water (approximately 2 to 6 feet deep) using a LIDAR system. The LIDAR bathymetry measurements are relatively simple in theory. The water depth is determined by measuring the time interval between the water surface reflection and the bottom surface reflection signals. Depth is then calculated by dividing by the index of refraction of water. However, the measurements are somewhat complicated due to the convolution of the water surface return signal with the bottom surface return signal. Therefore in addition to the laboratory experiments, computer simulations of the data were made to show these convolution effects in the return pulse waveform due to: (1) water depth, and (2) changes in bottom surface reflectivity