Predicting Major League Talent through the First-year Player Draft

The Major League Baseball first-year player draft is a relatively unexplored topic. Until two years ago it was not even televised, even though other major spoils drafts like basketball and football are major television events. I predict the probability of reaching the major leagues and the probability of a player making it big in the major leagues for a player drafted based on a series of variables, like draft position, whether a player is lefthanded, and the schooling the amateur has received. This should help a team determine which players are most risky, and which players are most likely to make it to and succeed in the major leagues. The conceptual framework underlying my work is human capital theory. A multivariate regression model is used to predict the probability that a drafted player will make it to the major leagues. The major results of the study are that draft rank is the most important variable; scouts are effective at identifying and ranking talent. The other important finding is that college players are significantly more likely to make the major leagues, but high school players are more likely to make it big and become superstars in the major leagues

Evaluation of ARCAM Deposited Ti-6Al-4V

A wide range of Metal Additive Manufacturing (MAM) technologies are becoming available. One of the challenges in using new technologies for aerospace systems is demonstrating that the process and system has the ability to manufacture components that meet the high quality requirements on a statistically significant basis. The widest-used system for small to medium sized components is the ARCAM system manufactured in Gothenburg, Sweden. This system features a 4kW electron-beam gun, and has a chamber volume of 250mm long x 250mm wide x 250mm to 400mm tall. This paper will describe the basis for the quality and consistency requirements, the experimental and evaluation procedures used for the evaluation, and an analysis of the results for Ti-6Al-4V

Analysis of Noise Coupling from Printed Circuit Board to Shielding Enclosure

The power distribution network in a printed circuit board (PCB) inside a compact-size enclosure is an effective path for high-speed digital noise to be coupled to the RF receivers inside the same enclosure, causing RF interference (RFI) issues. This noise coupling mechanism from PCB to shielding enclosure is investigated in this paper using the cavity model and the segmentation technique. In this approach, the structure of an enclosure with a PCB inside is divided into cavities with both horizontal and vertical connections. Modeling result agrees well with full wave simulations, and the simulation time is considerably reduced. Furthermore, the relationship among the noise coupling, the PCB-related resonances, and the enclosure-related resonances is studied as well

A Study of the Probe Induced Disturbances on the Near-Field Measurement

Numerical simulations were used to investigate the disturbance introduced by placing a small magnetic loop probe in the near field of a driven loop. In the absence of the loop probe, the numerical simulations were compared with an approximate closed-form analytical expression for the magnetic field produced by the driven loop. The agreement between the approximate analytical results and the simulation was good. The next set of simulations was based on a physical model that included the probe and showed that the probe does exert an effect on the field being measured. Examples of these simulations and their implications on measurements will be discussed

Calibration and Compensation of Near-Field Scan Measurements

A procedure for the calibration and compensation of near-field scanning is described and demonstrated. Ultimately, the objective is to quantify the individual field components associated with electromagnetic interference (EMI) from high speed circuitry and devices. Specific examples of these methods are shown. The effects of compensation are small but noticeable when the uncompensated output signal from near field scanning is already a very good representation of the field being measured. In other cases, the improvement provided by compensation can be significant when the uncompensated output signal bears little resemblance to the underlying field

Divergent Transcriptional Regulatory Logic at the Intersection of Tissue Growth and Developmental Patterning

The Yorkie/Yap transcriptional coactivator is a well-known regulator of cellular proliferation in both invertebrates and mammals. As a coactivator, Yorkie (Yki) lacks a DNA binding domain and must partner with sequence-specific DNA binding proteins in the nucleus to regulate gene expression; in Drosophila, the developmental regulators Scalloped (Sd) and Homothorax (Hth) are two such partners. To determine the range of target genes regulated by these three transcription factors, we performed genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments for each factor in both the wing and eye-antenna imaginal discs. Strong, tissue-specific binding patterns are observed for Sd and Hth, while Yki binding is remarkably similar across both tissues. Binding events common to the eye and wing are also present for Sd and Hth; these are associated with genes regulating cell proliferation and “housekeeping” functions, and account for the majority of Yki binding. In contrast, tissue-specific binding events for Sd and Hth significantly overlap enhancers that are active in the given tissue, are enriched in Sd and Hth DNA binding sites, respectively, and are associated with genes that are consistent with each factor's previously established tissue-specific functions. Tissue-specific binding events are also significantly associated with Polycomb targeted chromatin domains. To provide mechanistic insights into tissue-specific regulation, we identify and characterize eye and wing enhancers of the Yki-targeted bantam microRNA gene and demonstrate that they are dependent on direct binding by Hth and Sd, respectively. Overall these results suggest that both Sd and Hth use distinct strategies – one shared between tissues and associated with Yki, the other tissue-specific, generally Yki-independent and associated with developmental patterning – to regulate distinct gene sets during development

using Near-Field Scanning to Predict Radiated Fields

Near-field scanning has often been used to measure and characterize magnetic fields surrounding individual integrated circuits (IC) and high speed digital electronic circuits. The paper describes the use of near-field scanning data, performed in a typical laboratory bench top environment, to predict radiated electromagnetic interference (EMI) in a typical product environment. The product environment may include enclosures and apertures. The approach begins by acquiring sufficient near-field scanning data to allow representation of an unintentional radiating source by an equivalent surface current distribution. The equivalent current distribution is used as a source in numerical full wave modeling. The agreement between direct full wave simulation results and full wave simulation results using equivalent sources works well under certain assumptions

Yorkie Promotes Transcription by Recruiting a Histone Methyltransferase Complex

SummaryHippo signaling limits organ growth by inhibiting the transcriptional coactivator Yorkie. Despite the key role of Yorkie in both normal and oncogenic growth, the mechanism by which it activates transcription has not been defined. We report that Yorkie binding to chromatin correlates with histone H3K4 methylation and is sufficient to locally increase it. We show that Yorkie can recruit a histone methyltransferase complex through binding between WW domains of Yorkie and PPxY sequence motifs of NcoA6, a subunit of the Trithorax-related (Trr) methyltransferase complex. Cell culture and in vivo assays establish that this recruitment of NcoA6 contributes to Yorkie’s ability to activate transcription. Mammalian NcoA6, a subunit of Trr-homologous methyltransferase complexes, can similarly interact with Yorkie’s mammalian homolog YAP. Our results implicate direct recruitment of a histone methyltransferase complex as central to transcriptional activation by Yorkie, linking the control of cell proliferation by Hippo signaling to chromatin modification

Applications of a Hybrid Manufacturing Process for Fabrication and Repair of Metallic Structures

Since its appearance, rapid prototyping technology has been of interest to various industries that are looking for a process to produce/build a part directly from a CAD model in a short time. Among them, the direct metal deposition process is the only process which directly manufactures a fully dense metal part without intermediate steps. However, challenges of the direct metal deposition process include building overhang structures, producing precision surfaces, and making parts with complex structures. Coupled between the additive and the subtractive processes into a single workstation, the integrated process, or hybrid process, can produce a metal part with machining accuracy and surface finish. Therefore, the hybrid process is potentially a very competitive process to fabricate and repair metallic structures. This paper summarizes the current development of the hybrid process to process high temperature metallic materials, including tool steel and Ti64. Research in simulation and modeling, process development, and actual part building and repair are discussed