Balloon Borne GPS-Enabled Radiosondes That Enable Simultaneous Multi-Point Atmospheric Sensing With a Single Ground Station

Radiosondes are balloon borne atmospheric instruments that are a critical tool for understanding dynamics in the lower layers of the atmosphere. The low-cost radiosondes developed in the Space and Atmospheric Instrumentation Lab have been further developed to improve the system\u27s use as a science-quality atmospheric instrument that is unique in its ability to simultaneously track multiple sondes with a single ground station. Sensors to measure temperature and pressure were added to improve measurements of the atmospheric state. A printed circuit board shield and 3D-printed shell were designed to make mass manufacturing possible. A thermistor-based temperature sensor was developed and tested in a thermal chamber to verify its accuracy, precision, and repeatability between different payloads. The payloads have been launch tested in a variety of locations and during different atmospheric events such as thunderstorms and solar eclipses. This work presents system design details, as well as performance results from a variety of launches

Evaluation of the epidemiological importance of classical swine fever infected, E2 sub-unit marker vaccinated animals with RT-nPCR positive blood samples

&lt;p&gt;It has been demonstrated that pigs that have been double vaccinated with an E2 sub-unit marker vaccine and that are infected with classical swine fever virus (CSFV) through a natural contact infection may react positive in a CSFV detecting RT-nPCR test, whereas no virus could be isolated by using the conventional virus isolation (VI) technique. To evaluate whether these vaccinated and infected pigs may spread the virus, three experiments were set up. In the first, susceptible pigs were inoculated with serum originating from vaccinated RT-nPCR positive pigs. In the second, vaccinated RT-nPCR positive pigs were brought into contact with sentinel animals. In the third, vertical transmission was evaluated in RT-nPCR positive vaccinated pregnant gilts. In the first two experiments, no proof of virus transmission was found, whereas in the third vertical transmission was observed. The conclusion is that in vaccinated pigs that are positive in RT-nPCR but negative in VI, the level of circulating virus is probably not high enough for horizontal transmission, whereas vertical transmission of the virus is possible.&lt;/p&gt;</p

Making Sense of Family Deaths in Urban Senegal: Diversities, Contexts, and Comparisons

Despite calls for cross-cultural research, Minority world perspectives still dominate death and bereavement studies, emphasizing individualized emotions and neglecting contextual diversities. In research concerned with contemporary African societies, on the other hand, death and loss are generally subsumed within concerns about AIDS or poverty, with little attention paid to the emotional and personal significance of a death. Here, we draw on interactionist sociology to present major themes from a qualitative study of family deaths in urban Senegal, theoretically framed through the duality of meanings-in-context. Such themes included family and community as support and motivation; religious beliefs and practices as frameworks for solace and (regulatory) meaning; and material circumstances as these are intrinsically bound up with emotions. Although we identify the experience of (embodied, emotional) pain as a common response across Minority and Majority worlds, we also explore significant divergencies, varying according to localized contexts and broader power dynamics

The influence of managerial optimism and self-regulation on learning and business growth expectations within an emerging economic context

This paper examines psychological and behavioral mechanisms that underlie business growth expectations by examining how managerial optimism and self-regulatory focus influence learning behaviors. To empirically examine these relationships, the study situates in a resource-constrained business context by studying managers in two Pacific Island economies. Results indicate that a positive view toward gains encourages exploratory learning in unknown situations; whereas, a less optimistic disposition and avoidance are related to exploitative learning. This finding is consequential as managerial learning that leans toward development of new insights and possibilities is associated with greater business growth expectations versus learning that adheres to familiar and proven ideas and alternatives. The study results have implications for both practice and theory

Parallel Solution of Generalized Symmetric Tridiagonal Eigenvalue Problems on Shared Memory Multiprocessors

This paper describes and compares two methods for solving a generalized eigenvalue problem , where T and S are both real symmetric and tridiagonal, and S is positive definite, and the target architecture is a shared memory multiprocessor. One method can be viewed as a generalization of the treeql algorithm of Dongarra and Sorensen [1987]. The second algorithm is a straightforward parallel extension of the bisection/inverse iteration algorithm treeps of Lo, Philippe, and Sameh [1987]. The two methods are representative of families of algorithms of quite different character. We illustrate and compare sequential and parallel performance of the two approaches with numerical examples

Opportunities and barriers for adoption of a decision-support tool for Alzheimer's Disease

Clinical decision-support tools (DSTs) represent a valuable resource in healthcare. However, lack of Human Factors considerations and early design research has often limited their successful adoption. To complement previous technically focused work, we studied adoption opportunities of a future DST built on a predictive model of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) progression. Our aim is two-fold: exploring adoption opportunities for DSTs in AD clinical care, and testing a novel combination of methods to support this process. We focused on understanding current clinical needs and practices, and the potential for such a tool to be integrated into the setting, prior to its development. Our user-centred approach was based on field observations and semi-structured interviews, analysed through workflow analysis, user profiles, and a design-reality gap model. The first two are common practice, whilst the latter provided added value in highlighting specific adoption needs. We identified the likely early adopters of the tool as being both psychiatrists and neurologists based in research-oriented clinical settings. We defined ten key requirements for the translation and adoption of DSTs for AD around IT, user, and contextual factors. Future works can use and build on these requirements to stand a greater chance to get adopted in the clinical setting

Balloon Borne GPSsondes that Enable Simultaneous Multi-Point Atmospheric Sensing with a Single Ground Station

Balloon-borne radiosondes provide measurements of in-situ atmospheric data such as wind velocity, temperature, and pressure, amongst many others. The Space and Atmospheric Instrumentation Laboratory at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has developed low cost (\u3c $150, all inclusive) GPS-enabled radiosondes that are capable of having multiple balloons simultaneously in the air communicating to a single omni-directional ground station antenna. Each GPS-sonde is equipped with a GPS Module for zonal and meridional winds, thermistor for in-situ temperature, and a pressure sensor. Slant range of greater than 120km is achieved through low-cost LoRa radio modules. Interference-free transmission timing between multiple payloads is done by time division multiplexing. The current design allows for up to six payloads to be simultaneously airborne and transmit live atmospheric data through one ground station. A higher number of simultaneous transmissions are also possible, albeit with a minor hit to spatial resolution. We present the system design, complete with hardware and software details, as well data from our current test flights and plans for future development

Revisiting Qualitative Data Reuse

Secondary analysis of qualitative data entails reusing data created from previous research projects for new purposes. Reuse provides an opportunity to study the raw materials of past research projects to gain methodological and substantive insights. In the past decade, use of the approach has grown rapidly in the United Kingdom to become sufficiently accepted that it must now be regarded as mainstream. Several factors explain this growth: the open data movement, research funders’ and publishers’ policies supporting data sharing, and researchers seeing benefits from sharing resources, including data. Another factor enabling qualitative data reuse has been improved services and infrastructure that facilitate access to thousands of data collections. The UK Data Service is an example of a well-established facility; more recent has been the proliferation of repositories being established within universities. This article will provide evidence of the growth of data reuse in the United Kingdom and in Finland by presenting both data and case studies of reuse that illustrate the breadth and diversity of this maturing research method. We use two distinct data sources that quantify the scale, types, and trends of reuse of qualitative data: (a) downloads of archived data collections held at data repositories and (b) publication citations. Although the focus of this article is on the United Kingdom, some discussion of the international environment is provided, together with data and examples of reuse at the Finnish Social Science Data Archive. The conclusion summarizes the major findings, including some conjectures regarding what makes qualitative data attractive for reuse and sharing. </jats:p

Low Cost Magnetometer Calibration and Distributed Simultaneous Multipoint Ionospheric Measurements from a Sounding Rocket Platform

Low cost and low size-weight-and-power magnetometers can provide greater accessibility for distributed simultaneous measurements in the ionosphere, either onboard sounding rockets or on CubeSats. The Space and Atmospheric Instrumentation Laboratory at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University launched a midlatitude sounding rocket named SpEED Demon from Wallops Flight Facility in August 2022. SpEED Demon has a comprehensive suite of instruments for electrodynamics and neutral dynamics measurements. Among this suite is one high performance Billingsley magnetometer (TFM65VQS) and six commercial-off-the-shelf magnetometers manufactured by the PNI Corporation (RM3100). Of the six, two PNI magnetometers are situated on a deployable boom on the main payload that also carries the Billingsley magnetometer. The remaining four PNI magnetometers are distributed among four ejectable subpayloads. These low-cost and low SWaP magnetometers can achieve a resolution of approximately 1.5 nT and a precision of +/- 4 nT (one sigma) at 15 Hz in a uniform magnetic field. This performance is sufficient for detecting and measuring field aligned currents as well as a variety of other geomagnetic disturbances. The magnetometers are calibrated against an independently calibrated flux-gate magnetometer inside a Helmholtz cage. Zero field offsets are quantified inside a triple-layer mu-metal zero gauss chamber. This work will present the calibration process, the calibration results, and the flight performance of these sensors from the SpEED Demon sounding rocket launch

Visions in monochrome: Families, marriage and the individualisation thesis

This paper takes issue with the way in which the individualisation thesis – in which it is assumed that close relationships have become tenuous and fragile - has become so dominant in ‘new’ sociological theorising about family life. Although others have criticised this thesis, in this paper the main criticism derives from empirical research findings carried out with members of transnational families living in Britain whose values and practices do not fit easily with ideas of individualisation. It is argued that we need a much more complex and less linear notion of how families change across generations and in time