4,992 research outputs found
Jamestown Board of Public Utilities and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 459
In the matter of the fact-finding between the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities, employer, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 459, union. PERB case no. M2009-336. Before: James R. McDonnell, Ph.D., fact finder
Institutional development in the Nile equatorial lakes sub-basin: learning from the experience of the Kagera Basin Organization
River basinsInstitutional development
Institutional development in the Nile equatorial lakes sub-basin learning from the experience of the Kagera Basin Organisation
River basinsInstitutional development
Modeling and parameter uncertainties for aircraft flight control system design
Values of plant dynamic uncertainties for some recent aircraft design and development programs are given. Histories of pertinent aerodynamic, inertial, and structural parameter variations are given for a period of time from program initiation to aircraft certification. These data can be used as typical of future vehicles so that control system design concepts are evaluated with due consideration to their sensitivity to uncertainties in plant dynamics
Extensional viscosity of copper nanowire suspensions in an aqueous polymer solution
Suspensions of copper nanowires are emerging as new electronic inks for
next-generation flexible electronics. Using a novel surface acoustic wave
driven extensional flow technique we are able to perform currently lacking
analysis of these suspensions and their complex buffer. We observe extensional
viscosities from 3 mPas (1 mPas shear viscosity) to 37.2
Pas via changes in the suspension concentration, thus capturing low
viscosities that have been historically very challenging to measure. These
changes equate to an increase in the relative extensional viscosity of nearly
12,200 times at a volume fraction of just 0.027. We also find that interactions
between the wires and the necessary polymer additive affect the rheology
strongly. Polymer-induced elasticity shows a reduction as the buffer relaxation
time falls from 819 to 59 s above a critical particle concentration. The
results and technique presented here should aid in the future formulation of
these promising nanowire suspensions and their efficient application as inks
and coatings.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, under review for Soft Matter RS
Searching for Hyperspectral Optical Proxies to Aid Chesapeake Bay Resource Managers in the Detection of Poor Water Quality
Shellfish aquaculture is a growing industry in the Chesapeake Bay. As population grows near the coast, extreme weather events cause a greater volume of pollutant runoff from impervious surfaces and agricultural lands. Resource managers who monitor shellfish beds need reliable information on a variety of water quality indicators at higher frequency than is possible through field monitoring programs and at a higher level of detail than current satellite products can provide. Although many factors causing degraded water quality that can impact human health are not currently discernable by traditional multispectral techniques, hyperspectral imagery offers a new opportunity to detect phytoplankton communities associated with harmful algal blooms and biotoxin production. Together with resource managers in their routine monitoring of sites around the bay from small boats, we have been exploring remotely sensed optical proxies for the detection of harmful algal blooms and sewage. Early warning by remote sensing could guide sampling and improve the efficiency of shellfish bed closures, ultimately improving health outcomes for humans and animals. An extensive network of routine sampling by Chesapeake Bay Program managers makes this is an ideal location to develop and test future satellite data products to support management decisions. Next generation hyperspectral measurements from the future Plankton Aerosol Cloud ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission at nearly daily frequency, combined with the potential of higher spatial resolution from the Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) observing system recommended in the recent Decadal Survey, along with high frequency observations from the newly selected Geostationary Littoral Imaging and Monitoring Radiometer (GLIMR) Earth Venture Instrument make this a critical time for defining the needs of the aquaculture and resource management community to save lives, time, and money
Trade-Offs Between Responsiveness and Naturalness for Player Characters
Real-time animation controllers are fundamental for animating characters in response to player input. However, the design of such controllers requires making trade-offs between the naturalness of the characterâs motions and the promptness of the characterâs response. In this paper, we investigate the effects of such tradeoffs on the playersâ enjoyment, control, satisfaction, and opinion of the character in a simple platform game. In our first experiment, we compare three controllers having the same responsiveness, but varying levels of naturalness. In the second experiment, we compare three controllers having increasing realism but at the expense of decreased responsiveness. Not surprisingly, our least responsive controller negatively affects playersâ performance and perceived ability to control the character. However, we also find that players are most satisfied with their own performance using our least natural controller, in which the character moves around the environment in a static pose; that differences in animation can significantly alter playersâ enjoyment with responsiveness being equal; and that players do not report increased motion quality with our most natural controller, despite viewers outside of a game context rating the same controller as significantly more natural than our other conditions
ELEVATED Î-FETOPROTEIN IN ASSOCIATION WITH LOSS OF SERUM HBeAg
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73663/1/j.1572-0241.1993.tb07621.x.pd
Motility induced changes in viscosity of suspensions of swimming microbes in extensional flows
Suspensions of motile cells are model systems for understanding the unique
mechanical properties of living materials which often consist of ensembles of
self-propelled particles. We present here a quantitative comparison of theory
against experiment for the rheology of such suspensions. The influence of
motility on viscosities of cell suspensions is studied using a novel
acoustically-driven microfluidic capillary-breakup extensional rheometer.
Motility increases the extensional viscosity of suspensions of algal pullers,
but decreases it in the case of bacterial or sperm pushers. A recent model
[Saintillan, Phys. Rev. E, 2010, 81:56307] for dilute active suspensions is
extended to obtain predictions for higher concentrations, after independently
obtaining parameters such as swimming speeds and diffusivities. We show that
details of body and flagellar shape can significantly determine macroscale
rheological behaviour.Comment: 12 pages, 1 appendix, 7 figures, submitted to Soft Matter - under
revie
A randomised controlled trial of sensory awareness training and additional motor practice for learning scalpel skills in podiatry students
Background: The process of using a scalpel, like all other motor activities, is dependent upon the successful integration of afferent (sensory), cognitive and efferent (motor) processes. During learning of these skills, even if motor practice is carefully monitored there is still an inherent risk involved. It is also possible that this strategy could reinforce high levels of anxiety experienced by the student and affect student self-efficacy, causing detrimental effects on motor learning. An alternative training strategy could be through targeting sensory rather than motor processes. Methods: Second year podiatry students who were about to commence learning scalpel skills were recruited. Participants were randomly allocated into sensory awareness training (Sensory), additional motor practice (Motor) or usual teaching only (Control) groups. Participants were then evaluated on psychological measures (Intrinsic Motivation Inventory) and dexterity measures (Purdue Pegboard, Grooved Pegboard Test and a grip-lift task). Results: A total of 44 participants were included in the study. There were no baseline differences or significant differences between the three groups over time on the Perceived Competence, Effort/ Importance or Pressure/ Tension, psychological measures. All groups showed a significant increase in Perceived Competence over time (Fâ,ââ = 13.796, p = 0.001). Only one variable for the grip-lift task (Preload Duration for the non-dominant hand) showed a significant difference over time between the groups (Fâ,ââ = 3.280, p = 0.038), specifically, Motor and Control groups. Conclusions: The use of sensory awareness training, or additional motor practice did not provide a more effective alternative compared with usual teaching. Further research may be warranted using more engaged training, provision of supervision and greater participant numbers.Ryan S Causby, Michelle N McDonnell, Lloyd Reed and Susan L Hillie
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