Skylab experiment performance evaluation manual

A series of preparation analyses used for evaluating the performance of the Skylab corollary experiments under preflight, in-flight, and postflight conditions is given. Experiment continegency plan work-around procedure and malfunction analyses are presented in order to assist in making the experiment operationally succesful

Auto covariance computer

A laser velocimeter covariance processor which calculates the auto covariance and cross covariance functions for a turbulent flow field based on Poisson sampled measurements in time from a laser velocimeter is described. The device will process a block of data that is up to 4096 data points in length and return a 512 point covariance function with 48-bit resolution along with a 512 point histogram of the interarrival times which is used to normalize the covariance function. The device is designed to interface and be controlled by a minicomputer from which the data is received and the results returned. A typical 4096 point computation takes approximately 1.5 seconds to receive the data, compute the covariance function, and return the results to the computer

MS-171: Corporal Luther Jacob “Jake” Thomas Papers

This collection consists of letters, photographs, documents, and artifacts relating to Luther J. “Jake” Thomas’s military service during the Second World War. The majority of the collection features correspondence between Thomas and his family, particularly his mother Anna Thomas, between 1943 and 1945. While serving as an MP in the Army Air Corps, Thomas regularly mailed letters and photographs home detailing his training, travels, and experiences as a soldier. The collection also includes Thomas’s military documentation (for example, induction and separation papers), training materials, wartime souvenirs and artefacts, and post-war awards and honors. The collection includes documents related to Thomas’s veteran status following his discharge in late 1945, as well as his subsequent enrollment in the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. Finally, the collection contains general information about the Thomas family, including photographs, obituaries, and documents concerning Luther C. Thomas (Thomas’s father)’s military service in World War I. Special Collections and College Archives Finding Aids are discovery tools used to describe and provide access to our holdings. Finding aids include historical and biographical information about each collection in addition to inventories of their content. More information about our collections can be found on our website http://www.gettysburg.edu/special_collections/collections/.https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/findingaidsall/1142/thumbnail.jp

Specimen geometry effects on graphite/PMR-15 composites during thermo-oxidative aging

Studies were conducted to establish the effects of specimen geometry on the thermo-oxidative stability and the mechanical properties retention of unidirectional Celion 12000 graphite fiber reinforced PMR-15 polyimide composites. Weight loss, flexural strength and interlaminar shear strength are measured at isothermal aging times as long as 1639 hr at a temperature of 316 C for three different specimen geometries. It is found that the three different types of specimen surfaces exhibit different values of weight loss/unit area. The mechanical properties retention is also found to be dependent on geometry for these composites. The interlaminar shear strength decreases significantly over the complete range of aging times. The flexural strength retention starts showing geometric dependency after about 1000 hr of aging at 316C. Weight loss fluxes, associated with the three different types of exposed surfaces, are calculated and used to develop an empirical mathematical model for predicting the weight loss behavior of unidirectional composites of arbitrary geometries. Data are presented comparing experimentally determined weight loss with weight loss values predicted using the empirical model

Increased Rates of Prolonged Length of Stay, Readmissions, and Discharge to Care Facilities among Postoperative Patients with Disseminated Malignancy: Implications for Clinical Practice.

BackgroundThe impact of surgery on end of life care for patients with disseminated malignancy (DMa) is incompletely characterized. The purpose of this study was to evaluate postoperative outcomes impacting quality of care among DMa patients, specifically prolonged length of hospital stay, readmission, and disposition.MethodsThe American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database was queried for years 2011-2012. DMa patients were matched to non-DMa patients with comparable clinical characteristics and operation types. Primary hepatic operations were excluded, leaving a final cohort of 17,972 DMa patients. The primary outcomes were analyzed using multivariate Cox regression models.ResultsDMa patients represented 2.1% of all ACS-NSQIP procedures during the study period. The most frequent operations were bowel resections (25.3%). Compared to non-DMa matched controls, DMa patients had higher rates of postoperative overall morbidity (24.4% vs. 18.7%, p<0.001), serious morbidity (14.9% vs. 12.0%, p<0.001), mortality (7.6% vs. 2.5%, p<0.001), prolonged length of stay (32.2% vs. 19.8%, p<0.001), readmission (15.7% vs. 9.6%, p<0.001), and discharges to facilities (16.2% vs. 12.9%, p<0.001). Subgroup analyses of patients by procedure type showed similar results. Importantly, DMa patients who did not experience any postoperative complication experienced significantly higher rates of prolonged length of stay (23.0% vs. 11.8%, p<0.001), readmissions (10.0% vs. 5.2%, p<0.001), discharges to a facility (13.2% vs. 9.5%, p<0.001), and 30-day mortality (4.7% vs. 0.8%, p<0.001) compared to matched non-DMa patients.ConclusionSurgical interventions among DMa patients are associated with poorer postoperative outcomes including greater postoperative complications, prolonged length of hospital stay, readmissions, disposition to facilities, and death compared to non-DMa patients. These data reinforce the importance of clarifying goals of care for DMa patients, especially when acute changes in health status potentially requiring surgery occur

Comparison of hot wire/laser velocimeter turbulence intensity measurements

The question of whether a random measure of particle velocities yields a good statistical estimate of the stationary condition of the turbulence flow field was investigated by comparing hot-wire and laser velocimeter turbulence intensity measurements. Great care was taken to insure that the instrument precision of both the laser velocimeter and hot wire was maximized. In this attempt to reduce the measurement uncertainties in the hot wire, direct digitization of the analog output signal was performed with point-by-point conversion to velocity through a spline fit calibration curve and the turbulence intensity function was calculated statistically. Frequent calibrations of the hot wire were performed using the laser velocimeter as the velocity standard to account for the presence of the small seed particles in the air flow and signal drift in the hot wire

THE IMPACT OF DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN MACROECONOMIC VARIABLES ON U.S. MEAT EXPORTS

This paper examines the impact of domestic and foreign macroeconomic variables on U.S. meat exports, including beef, pork, turkey, and chicken, in the context of an open economy. The results show that foreign macroeconomic variables exert more significant and persistent effects on U.S. meat exports than domestic macroeconomic variables. The implication is that the U.S. can increase its meat exports more effectively by expending efforts on international macroeconomic policy coordination rather than on domestic sectoral policy. The results also suggest that macroeconomic models of the agricultural sector should include foreign variables and should not be limited only to domestic ones.International Relations/Trade,

Speech Sensorimotor Learning through a Virtual Vocal Tract

Studies of speech sensorimotor learning often manipulate auditory feedback by modifying isolated acoustic parameters such as formant frequency or fundamental frequency using near real-time resynthesis of a participant\u27s speech. An alternative approach is to engage a participant in a total remapping of the sensorimotor working space using a virtual vocal tract. To support this approach for studying speech sensorimotor learning we have developed a system to control an articulatory synthesizer using electromagnetic articulography data. Articulator movement data from the NDI Wave System are streamed to a Maeda articulatory synthesizer. The resulting synthesized speech provides auditory feedback to the participant. This approach allows the experimenter to generate novel articulatory-acoustic mappings. Moreover, the acoustic output of the synthesizer can be perturbed using acoustic resynthesis methods. Since no robust speech-acoustic signal is required from the participant, this system will allow for the study of sensorimotor learning in any individuals, even those with severe speech disorders. In the current work we present preliminary results that demonstrate that typically-functioning participants can use a virtual vocal tract to produce diphthongs within a novel articulatory-acoustic workspace. Once sufficient baseline performance is established, perturbations to auditory feedback (formant shifting) can elicit compensatory and adaptive articulatory responses