DOE/NASA wind turbine data acquisition system. Part 4: Operations and maintenance manual (Plumbrook Station)

Preventive maintenance, calibration procedures, system verification, system operating procedures, systems software fundamentals, data base (program files), and patchboard layout are discussed

Moving beyond a limited follow-up in cost-effectiveness analyses of behavioral interventions

Background Cost-effectiveness analyses of behavioral interventions typically use a dichotomous outcome criterion. However, achieving behavioral change is a complex process involving several steps towards a change in behavior. Delayed effects may occur after an intervention period ends, which can lead to underestimation of these interventions. To account for such delayed effects, intermediate outcomes of behavioral change may be used in cost-effectiveness analyses. The aim of this study is to model cognitive parameters of behavioral change into a cost-effectiveness model of a behavioral intervention. Methods The cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) of an existing dataset from an RCT in which an high-intensity smoking cessation intervention was compared with a medium-intensity intervention, was re-analyzed by modeling the stages of change of the Transtheoretical Model of behavioral change. Probabilities were obtained from the dataset and literature and a sensitivity analysis was performed. Results In the original CEA over the first 12 months, the high-intensity intervention dominated in approximately 58% of the cases. After modeling the cognitive parameters to a future 2nd year of follow-up, this was the case in approximately 79%. Conclusion This study showed that modeling of future behavioral change in CEA of a behavioral intervention further strengthened the results of the standard CEA. Ultimately, modeling future behavioral change could have important consequences for health policy development in general and the adoption of behavioral interventions in particular

Bulk Moisture and Salinity Sensor

Measurement and feedback control of nutrient solutions in plant root zones is critical to the development of healthy plants in both terrestrial and reduced-gravity environments. In addition to the water content, the amount of fertilizer in the nutrient solution is important to plant health. This typically requires a separate set of sensors to accomplish. A combination bulk moisture and salinity sensor has been designed, built, and tested with different nutrient solutions in several substrates. The substrates include glass beads, a clay-like substrate, and a nutrient-enriched substrate with the presence of plant roots. By measuring two key parameters, the sensor is able to monitor both the volumetric water content and salinity of the nutrient solution in bulk media. Many commercially available moisture sensors are point sensors, making localized measurements over a small volume at the point of insertion. Consequently, they are more prone to suffer from interferences with air bubbles, contact area of media, and root growth. This makes it difficult to get an accurate representation of true moisture content and distribution in the bulk media. Additionally, a network of point sensors is required, increasing the cabling, data acquisition, and calibration requirements. measure the dielectric properties of a material in the annular space of the vessel. Because the pore water in the media often has high salinity, a method to measure the media moisture content and salinity simultaneously was devised. Characterization of the frequency response for capacitance and conductance across the electrodes was completed for 2-mm glass bead media, 1- to 2-mm Turface (a clay like media), and 1- to 2-mm fertilized Turface with the presence of root mass. These measurements were then used to find empirical relationships among capacitance (C), the dissipation factor (D), the volumetric water content, and the pore water salinity

Undergraduate Study Abroad Perceptions Post Pandemic – A Study on BGSU Students

The purpose of this project is to answer the following research questions: 1). What benefits of doing a study abroad are most impactful in a BGSU undergraduate student’s decision on whether to study abroad? 2). What are the most significant barriers for students of taking action to study abroad at BGSU? I will be generating primary data from interviewing undergraduate students and analyzing the data using statistical tools. I will use this data to figure out which groups of benefits and which groups of barriers are most impactful for different demographic groups so I can provide insightful recommendations to policy makers in the education abroad office. Using BGSU as my research context, I have developed a questionnaire to administer to 100 undergraduate students to obtain the data and used Hofstede\u27s cultural dimensions theory to tie the data with theory-backed support. I also researched study abroad benefits and barriers across other American universities to help me develop an adequate questionnaire. Also, since there were not many Covid-related barriers that have been fully studied, I am contributing my own background to develop new research in terms of how impactful Covid-19 was to BGSU undergraduate students\u27 perception of barriers related to this specific virus