The social history of a moral vision : a qualitative study of the Ulster Project in Decorah, Iowa

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the beliefs, feelings, and experiences of 10 people involved with the Ulster Project in Decorah, Iowa. In addition, the study sought to assess the merits and consequences of the Project and to evaluate the validity of the contact hypothesis. The Ulster Project is a non-profit organization, which sponsors an ecumenical summer visit of Northern Irish youth to the United States. By exposing its visitors to people of the opposite religion, the Project\u27s long range goal is to heal the many scars which have been built up through years of violence and ignorance so that, in the end, reconciliation can be brought to the various parties in these troubles. The participants in this study were 10 white, middle-class, men and women from various religious denominations. They ranged in aged from 21 to 69 and also differed in how long they had been involved in the project. The participants were selected through referrals by an initial contact. The data for this study were gathered through document analysis and in-depth interviews. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed to discover emergent patterns, and themes. Analysis was guided by the framework of Interpretive interactionism, as described by Norman Denzin. Results indicated that the participants were united in their goal of breaking down barriers of mistrust and ignorance among the Northern Irish youth, building friendships at home and abroad, establishing cross-community links in Decorah, and building bridges across the religious and political divide in Northern Ireland. The results further highlight the importance of social identity in Northern Ireland while describing the means the Project employs to reconcile these differences at both the interpersonal and intergroup level. The data suggest that the Project is successful in promoting healing and reconciliation at the interpersonal level. It is less clear on the effects at the intergroup level. With very limited evidence available concerning the impact of the various reconciliation schemes in Northern Ireland, this study contributes to the existing literature by evaluating the various attempts at reconciliation that are now being undertaken. As a result of these evaluations, recommendations for the Ulster Project included encouraging open discussion of the conflict in Northern Ireland, changing the practice of placing the teenagers with host families of the same faith, and deciding on whether bringing teenagers from a more troubled area of Northern Ireland would be more productive in the long run

Inhibition of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis in Human C-Reactive Protein Transgenic Mice Is FcγRIIB Dependent

We showed earlier that experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in human C-reactive protein (CRP) transgenic mice (CRPtg) has delayed onset and reduced severity compared to wild-type mice. Since human CRP is known to engage Fc receptors and Fc receptors are known to play a role in EAE in the mouse, we sought to determine if FcγRI, FcγRIIb, or FcγRIII was needed to manifest human CRP-mediated protection of CRPtg. We report here that in CRPtg lacking either of the two activating receptors, FcγRI and FcγRIII, the beneficial effects of human CRP are still observed. In contrast, if CRPtg lack expression of the inhibitory receptor FcγRIIB, then the beneficial effect of human CRP is abrogated. Also, subcutaneous administration of purified human CRP stalled progression of ongoing EAE in wild-type mice, but similar treatment failed to impede EAE progression in mice lacking FcγRIIB. The results reveal that a CRP → FcγRIIB axis is responsible for protection against EAE in the CRPtg model

Mechanical forces due to lightning strikes to aircraft: a pseudo-stereo DIC technique for measuring full-field displacement

One of the major considerations currently affecting the design of composite aircraft structures is the damage resulting from lightning attachment. Full-field measurements of the displacement of materials under lightning attachment would provide a greater understanding of the forces induced by the high current waveform. Furthermore the understanding of the forces involved would allow for the validation of finite element models to simulate the effects of lightning attachment, therefore aiding in the design of solutions to reduce damage to aircraft structures. The study aimed to develop a pseudo-stereo high speed digital image correlation technique in order to obtain full-field information during lightning attachment based on a 100kA initial strike over a 500μs duration, the most severe waveform experienced. The technique that was developed gave full-field measurements for a 550x550x2mm 6082-T6 aluminium panel under a 100kA lightning attachment. Two correlation measurements were recorded at 3000 and 5000 frames per second. The displacement results are comparative with the theory of a cylindrical pressure expansion arising from the acoustic shockwave on attachment to the material. Further developments to this system could allow for more reliable results and higher frame rates which can be used to develop finite element simulations based on measured physical data

Performance and Endocrine Responses to Differing Ratios of Concurrent Strength and Endurance Training

The present study examined functional strength and endocrine responses to varying ratios of strength and endurance training in a concurrent training regimen. 30 resistance-trained men completed 6 weeks of 3 d·wk-1 of i) strength training (ST), ii) concurrent strength and endurance training ratio 3:1 (CT3), iii) concurrent strength and endurance training ratio 1:1 (CT1) or iv) no training (CON). Strength training was conducted using whole-body, multi-joint exercises, while endurance training consisted of treadmill running. Assessments of maximal strength, lower body power, and endocrine factors were conducted pre-training and following 3 and 6 weeks. Following the intervention ST and CT3 elicited similar increases in lower body strength; furthermore, ST resulted in greater increases than CT1 and CON (all p < 0.05). All training conditions resulted in similar increases in upper body strength following training. ST group observed greater increases in lower body power than all other conditions (all p < 0.05). Following the final training session, CT1 elicited greater increases in cortisol than ST (p = 0.008). When implemented as part of a concurrent training regimen, higher volumes of endurance training result in the inhibition of lower body strength, whereas low volumes do not. Lower body power was attenuated by high and low frequencies of endurance training. Higher frequencies of endurance training resulted in increased cortisol responses to training. These data suggest that if strength development is the primary focus of a training intervention, frequency of endurance training should remain low

Deploying the NASA Valkyrie Humanoid for IED Response: An Initial Approach and Evaluation Summary

As part of a feasibility study, this paper shows the NASA Valkyrie humanoid robot performing an end-to-end improvised explosive device (IED) response task. To demonstrate and evaluate robot capabilities, sub-tasks highlight different locomotion, manipulation, and perception requirements: traversing uneven terrain, passing through a narrow passageway, opening a car door, retrieving a suspected IED, and securing the IED in a total containment vessel (TCV). For each sub-task, a description of the technical approach and the hidden challenges that were overcome during development are presented. The discussion of results, which explicitly includes existing limitations, is aimed at motivating continued research and development to enable practical deployment of humanoid robots for IED response. For instance, the data shows that operator pauses contribute to 50\% of the total completion time, which implies that further work is needed on user interfaces for increasing task completion efficiency.Comment: 2019 IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robot

The Concussion Recognition Tool 5th Edition (CRT5): Background and rationale

The Concussion Recognition Tool 5 (CRT5) is the most recent revision of the Pocket Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 2 that was initially introduced by the Concussion in Sport Group in 2005. The CRT5 is designed to assist non-medically trained individuals to recognise the signs and symptoms of possible sport-related concussion and provides guidance for removing an athlete from play/sport and to seek medical attention. This paper presents the development of the CRT5 and highlights the differences between the CRT5 and prior versions of the instrument

Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sportâ The 4th International Conference on Concussion in Sport Held in Zurich, November 2012

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147044/1/pmr2255.pd

A new methodology for automating acoustic emission detection of metallic fatigue fractures in highly demanding aerospace environments: An overview

The acoustic emission (AE) phenomenon has many attributes that make it desirable as a structural health monitoring or non-destructive testing technique, including the capability to continuously and globally monitor large structures using a sparse sensor array and with no dependency on defect size. However, AE monitoring is yet to fulfil its true potential, due mainly to limitations in location accuracy and signal characterisation that often arise in complex structures with high levels of background noise. Furthermore, the technique has been criticised for a lack of quantitative results and the large amount of operator interpretation required during data analysis. This paper begins by introducing the challenges faced in developing an AE based structural health monitoring system and then gives a review of previous progress made in addresing these challenges. Subsequently an overview of a novel methodology for automatic detection of fatigue fractures in complex geometries and noisy environments is presented, which combines a number of signal processing techniques to address the current limitations of AE monitoring. The technique was developed for monitoring metallic landing gear components during pre-flight certification testing and results are presented from a full-scale steel landing gear component undergoing fatigue loading. Fracture onset was successfully identify automatically at 49,000 fatigue cycles prior to final failure (validated by the use of dye penetrant inspection) and the fracture position was located to within 10. mm of the actual location