A conceptual current surge protector for incandescent lamps

Negative-temperature coefficient device /thermistor/ in series with a lamp filament alleviates high filament surge current during initial application of power. The thermistor should be selected for a cold resistance approximately equal to one fourth of the normal hot resistance of the filaments to be protected

Nuclear reactor control rod assembly with improved driving mechanism Patent

Nuclear reactor control rod assembly with improved driving mechanis

Sexual Iconoclasm in Early Modern Drama

My thesis examines the relationship between sexuality and the destruction of images – iconoclasm – in the context of post-Reformation English theatre by analyzing three plays: Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, Middleton and Rowley’s The Changeling, and Aphra Behn’s The Rover. I argue that the idea of sexual iconoclasm is not only present in these plays but also contributes to the discussion of the religious and sociopolitical contexts (and perhaps commentary) of these plays and early modern theatre in general. So what exactly is sexual iconoclasm? In short, it describes the destruction of sexual images, and by sexual images I mean ‘of sex,’ both individual sexuality and any depictions of sexual relationships, be they physically sexual or describing relationships between the male and female sexes. In my analysis of Titus Andronicus, The Changeling, and The Rover, I use sexual iconoclasm as a new theoretical lens that allows us to examine the obsession with and destruction of sexual imagery in the context of larger sociopolitical concerns of a culture

A Neural Network Method for Efficient Vegetation Mapping

This paper describes the application of a neural network method designed to improve the efficiency of map production from remote sensing data. Specifically, the ARTMAP neural network produces vegetation maps of the Sierra National Forest, in Northern California, using Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data. In addition to spectral values, the data set includes terrain and location information for each pixel. The maps produced by ARTMAP are of comparable accuracy to maps produced by a currently used method, which requires expert knowledge of the area as well as extensive manual editing. In fact, once field observations of vegetation classes had been collected for selected sites, ARTMAP took only a few hours to accomplish a mapping task that had previously taken many months. The ARTMAP network features fast on-line learning, so the system can be updated incrementally when new field observations arrive, without the need for retraining on the entire data set. In addition to maps that identify lifeform and Calveg species, ARTMAP produces confidence maps, which indicate where errors are most likely to occur and which can, therefore, be used to guide map editing

California four cities program, 1971 - 1973

A pilot project in aerospace-to-urban technology application is reported. Companies assigned senior engineering professionals to serve as Science and Technology Advisors to participating city governments. Technical support was provided by the companies and JPL. The cities, Anaheim, Fresno, Pasadena, and San Hose, California, provided the working environment and general service support. Each city/company team developed and carried out one or more technical or management pilot projects together with a number of less formalized technology efforts and studies. An account and evaluation is provided of the initial two-year phase of the program

High torque bellows seal rotary drive

Bellows seal rotary drive device was developed which allows high torque transmission through sealed compartments. Bearing friction which would normally be carried by sealing bellows in comparable devices is absorbed by universal-gimbal joint. It can be used to transmit high torque, low speed, rotary motion through sealed barriers to prevent contamination or escape of fluids

Kids' Share 2010: Report on Federal Expenditures on Children

Examines 1960-2009 trends in federal spending and tax expenditures on children, including food stamps, tax credits, and Head Start. Analyzes the effects of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding, projected funding through 2020, and implications

Family Security: Supporting Parents' Employment and Children's Development

Offers a policy framework combining support for full-time work with children's well-being and developmental needs: stability, health, nurturing, and activity. Calls for access to quality child care, parental leave time, and comprehensive family services

Adoption and Foster Care by Gay and Lesbian Parents in the United States

Discussion and debate about adoption and foster care by gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) parents occurs frequently among child welfare policymakers, social service agencies, and social workers. They all need better information about GLB adoptive and foster parents and their children as they make individual and policy-level decisions about placement of children with GLB parents. This report provides new information on GLB adoption and foster care from the U.S. Census 2000, the National Survey of Family Growth (2002), and the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (2004)

Intentions and Results: A Look Back at the Adoption and Safe Families Act

Compiles papers and policy briefs examining the intended and unintended consequences for children, families, and the child welfare system of the 1997 law to prioritize child safety in case decision making and connect children to permanent families