Use of experimental separation limits in the theoretical design of V/STOL inlets

Experimental data from several model inlets are used to generate two parameters which are related to the limit of operation for inlet flow separation. One parameter, called the diffusion ratio, is the ratio of the peak velocity on the inlet surface to the velocity at the diffuser exit and is related to the boundary-layer separation at low throat Mach numbers. The other parameter, the peak Mach number on the inlet surface, is related to the separation at high throat Mach numbers. These parameters are easily calculated from potential flow solutions and thus can be used as a design tool in screening proposed inlet geometries. An illustrative example of an application to an inlet design study for a tilt nacelle VTOL airplane is presented. The value of contraction ratio required to meet the operating requirements yet allow the inlet to remain free of separation as indicated by the two separation parameters is shown

Pivoting Under Pressure: Cultural Proficiency, Race, and Reforms

There is a new conversation in legal education about a pernicious problem. As the COVID-19 pandemic raged in spring 2020, legal educators around the country had to pivot to remote teaching. At the same time, racial protests erupted in response to the brutal and successive killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. As law schools grappled with the pressure of the latest racial reckoning, Black law faculty and students demanded cultural change within legal education in response to their devastation, desperation, battle fatigue, and frustration. Unwilling to accept the performative diversity efforts of the past, there was a clear demand for immediate, comprehensive, and reconceptualized action: diversify legal education, increase scholarships for diverse students, hire more faculty of color, divest investments in private prisons, create administrative positions focused on inclusion initiatives, and reform the traditional curriculum to integrate the operation of race in the law. Unfortunately, many law schools were ill-equipped to meet these demands, especially in a remote learning environment

Theoretical flow characteristics of inlets for tilting-nacelle VTOL aircraft

The results of a theoretical investigation of geometric variables for lift-cruise-fan, tilting nacelle inlets operating at high incidence angles are presented. These geometric variables are investigated for their effects on surface static to free stream pressure ratio, and the separation parameters of maximum to diffuser exit surface velocity ratio and maximum surface Mach number for low speed operating conditions. The geometric parameters varied were the internal lip contraction ratio, external forebody to diffuser exit diameter ratio external forebody length to diameter ratio and internal lip major to minor axis ratio

Is Instrumental Music In Christian Worship Scriptural?

https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/crs_books/1389/thumbnail.jp

Whistleblowing in the Compliance Era

International events over the last year have propelled theimportance of whistleblowers to the forefront. It is increasinglyevident that whistleblowers provide immense value to society.Yet, for years, whistleblowers have been victims of retaliation,commonly experiencing threats, discrimination, andemployment termination due to their reporting. Against thebackdrop of a society heavily defined by compliance-focusedinitiatives—where organizations and industries constructrobust compliance programs, internal policies, and codes ofconduct—this Article highlights a significant gap in legalprotections for would-be whistleblowers. While complianceinitiatives demonstrate that active self-regulation isincreasingly a staple of organizational governance, this Articlepinpoints the problems that arise when such initiatives extendbeyond applicable legal thresholds for retaliation protection.This over-extension leaves vulnerable employees and potentialwhistleblowers without legal recourse following adverseemployment actions, even if they comply with their employers’ internal policies and compliance programs. We examine thisgap in legal protections in the context of compliance initiativesin three domains: equal employment opportunity and sexualharassment; securities fraud; and anti-corruption. We thencompare these initiatives with the legal and regulatorycompliance postures under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of1964, the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and ConsumerProtection Act, and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act,respectively, to illustrate how most compliance initiatives failto mirror the retaliation protections under those statutes. Toremedy this gap in protections, we propose complementarysolutions under contract and tort law frameworks, coupledwith soft law initiatives

Vertebrate Taphonomy and Paleoecology of a Cretaceous-Paleogene Marine Bonebed

In this dissertation, I characterize the vertebrate taphonomy and paleoecology of the Cretaceous-Paleogene Main Fossiliferous Layer (MFL) of the Hornerstown Formation, exposed at the Rowan Fossil Quarry in Mantua Township, New Jersey. The MFL has been proposed to represent a: 1) reworked deposit; 2) time-averaged deposit; or 3) a mass-death assemblage, possibly related to the K/Pg impact event. If the mass-death scenario is correct, the MFL would represent the only known vertebrate bonebed located stratigraphically at the K/Pg Boundary and would offer unique insight into the immediate aftermath of the bolide impact event. In spite of the potential importance of this site, no systematic taphonomic studies had been conducted prior to my research. Beginning in 2012, the MFL was systematically excavated and all contextual information was recorded. Several associated and articulated partial skeletons were recovered from an area of ~ 150 m2 in addition to hundreds of isolated bones. A “bloat and float” scenario can explain the abundance of isolated skeletal elements. Preservation of skeletal elements varies, although abrasion is typically minor or absent. Bioerosion is relatively common and may account for much of the damage to the bones. My taphonomic data, when viewed in light of other previous studies, favors the hypothesis that the MFL formed over a relatively short period of time due to a sudden influx of vertebrate carcasses. I also report the first recovery of soft-tissue-like structures from marine vertebrate fossils with known handling history and negative controls. Osteocyte-like structures were isolated from turtle shell elements of various taxa as well as from an indeterminate turtle humerus. Osteocyte- and vessel-like structures were also isolated from the femur of a marine crocodile, Thoracosaurus neocesariensis. However, not all of the sampled bone samples yielded soft-tissue-like structures. At least within the MFL, preservation of these microstructures is independent of taxon, skeletal element, or the macroscopic preservation of the bone. Instead, the best indicator of both the preservation of microstructures and bone microstructure is the fossil color. In the sampled bone fragments, tan colored samples yielded no or poorly preserved osteocyte-like structures whereas darker colored samples provided abundant and/or well-preserved cell-like structures. This study indicates that soft-tissue-like structures can be preserved in a marine setting and that they can be recovered from sediments completely waterlogged over geologic time. My third chapter focuses on the preservation and identification of vertebrate coprolites in the MFL. At least 178 coprolites were recovered from the MFL and at least seven morphotypes are recognized based on size, morphology, and the presence of inclusions. Heteropolar spiral coprolites are abundant and were likely produced by chondrichthyans with a spiral valve. Pellets, small cylindrical coprolites and large cylindrical coprolites may have been produced by bony fish, sea turtles, crocodilians, and/or mosasaurs. None of these morphotypes, except for the single large heteropolar spiral coprolite and a few indeterminate coprolite fragments, possess identifiable inclusions. Instead, most visible inclusions are small brown or black structures that may represent highly digested bone fragments. The phosphatic nature of the coprolites and the presence of some bone material suggest that carnivores likely produced many of them. However, the specific producer(s) cannot be identified. Complete coprolites are uncommon with most exhibiting some degree of pre-fossilization damage including breaks and bioerosion (e.g. coprophagy). For my final chapter, I described the shell bone histology of six of the eight turtle taxa known from the MFL. Based on the histology, overall architecture, and compactness of the bones, I was able to infer the habitat preference of the turtles. Agomphus pectoralis and Adocus beatus likely inhabited freshwater habitats near the shore, whereas Bothremys barberi and Taphrosphys sulcatus were shallow marine sea turtles. The bone histology of Peritresius ornatus suggests a shallow marine environment whereas the compactness values and overall shell morphology suggest a more pelagic lifestyle. Catapleura repanda is suggested to be a pelagic turtle based on bone histology, bone compactness values, and overall shell morphology.Ph.D., Biological Sciences -- Drexel University, 201

Development of a D-xylose fermenting and inhibitor tolerant industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain with high performance in lignocellulose hydrolysates using metabolic and evolutionary engineering

Background: The production of bioethanol from lignocellulose hydrolysates requires a robust, D-xylose-fermenting and inhibitor-tolerant microorganism as catalyst. The purpose of the present work was to develop such a strain from a prime industrial yeast strain, Ethanol Red, used for bioethanol production. Results: An expression cassette containing 13 genes including Clostridium phytofermentans XylA, encoding D-xylose isomerase (XI), and enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway was inserted in two copies in the genome of Ethanol Red. Subsequent EMS mutagenesis, genome shuffling and selection in D-xylose-enriched lignocellulose hydrolysate, followed by multiple rounds of evolutionary engineering in complex medium with D-xylose, gradually established efficient D-xylose fermentation. The best-performing strain, GS1.11-26, showed a maximum specific D-xylose consumption rate of 1.1 g/g DW/h in synthetic medium, with complete attenuation of 35 g/L D-xylose in about 17 h. In separate hydrolysis and fermentation of lignocellulose hydrolysates of Arundo donax (giant reed), spruce and a wheat straw/hay mixture, the maximum specific D-xylose consumption rate was 0.36, 0.23 and 1.1 g/g DW inoculum/h, and the final ethanol titer was 4.2, 3.9 and 5.8% (v/v), respectively. In simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of Arundo hydrolysate, GS1.11-26 produced 32% more ethanol than the parent strain Ethanol Red, due to efficient D-xylose utilization. The high D-xylose fermentation capacity was stable after extended growth in glucose. Cell extracts of strain GS1.11-26 displayed 17-fold higher XI activity compared to the parent strain, but overexpression of XI alone was not enough to establish D-xylose fermentation. The high D-xylose consumption rate was due to synergistic interaction between the high XI activity and one or more mutations in the genome. The GS1.11-26 had a partial respiratory defect causing a reduced aerobic growth rate. Conclusions: An industrial yeast strain for bioethanol production with lignocellulose hydrolysates has been developed in the genetic background of a strain widely used for commercial bioethanol production. The strain uses glucose and D-xylose with high consumption rates and partial cofermentation in various lignocellulose hydrolysates with very high ethanol yield. The GS1.11-26 strain shows highly promising potential for further development of an all-round robust yeast strain for efficient fermentation of various lignocellulose hydrolysates

Gazelle seasonal mobility in the Jordanian steppe: The use of dental isotopes and microwear as environmental markers, applied to Epipalaeolithic Kharaneh IV

The Early/Middle Epipalaeolithic aggregation site of Kharaneh IV in the east Jordan steppe is one of the largest of the period, showing repeated use, high degrees of site investment, and relatively prolonged periods of occupation. Hunters relied heavily on the single prey species, Gazella subgutturosa. This paper reports on isotopic analyses of gazelle teeth, drawn from the Kharaneh IV assemblage, to explore the seasonal and spatial distribution of gazelle in life and examine models of long-distance seasonal gazelle migrations. Dental microwear analysis is also employed to assess hunting seasons. Results from sequential isotope analyses of 11 Epipalaeolithic gazelle molars show that, with one exception, gazelle did not move seasonally from the limestone steppe onto other geologies, nor did they seasonally relocate to areas with different climate regimes. Rather, seasonal herd mobility seems to have been local, meaning animals would have been available in the vicinity of Kharaneh IV year-round. Results from 19 microwear analyses show some gazelle to have died in spring when grass graze was available, whilst others had been browsing around their time of death, indicating non-spring hunting. Microwear evidence thus suggests gazelle were hunted in more than one restricted season. The implications of these new datasets for hunter-gatherer use of the steppe, and potential hunting methods, is highlighted