Thread cutting with 3-axis N/C milling machine

TAPDIE, a generalized macro written for the APT numerical control system, cuts threads in stock too big for conventional machines or for which conventional methods are unsuitable. TAPDIE computes the machine tool path necessary and the information is passed on to a post-processor which produces a control tape

IPAD: A unique approach to government/industry cooperation for technology development and transfer

A key element to improved industry productivity is effective management of Computer Aided Design / Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) information. To stimulate advancement, a unique joint government/industry project designated Integrated Programs for Aerospace-Vehicle Design (IPAD) was carried out from 1971 to 1984. The goal was to raise aerospace industry productivity through advancement of computer based technology to integrate and manage information involved in the design and manufacturing process. IPAD research was guided by an Industry Technical Advisory Board (ITAB) composed of over 100 representatives from aerospace and computer companies. The project complemented traditional NASA/DOD research to develop aerospace design technology and the Air Force's Integrated Computer Aided Manufacturing (ICAM) program to advance CAM technology. IPAD had unprecedented industry support and involvement and served as a unique approach to government industry cooperation in the development and transfer of advanced technology. The IPAD project background, approach, accomplishments, industry involvement, technology transfer mechanisms and lessons learned are summarized

ACCURACY OF A BITE-COUNT BASED CALORIE ESTIMATE COMPARED TO HUMAN ESTIMATES WITH AND WITHOUT CALORIE INFORMATION AVAILABLE

Obesity is an increasing health problem in the US, associated with such dangerous health risks as heart disease and diabetes. Self-monitoring in the form of calorie counting is a critical aspect of successful weight loss. However, calorie estimations are subject to several perceptual and cognitive biases, and there are limited tools available to assist these estimations. The present study seeks to assess the accuracy of participants\u27 estimations of the calorie content of meals in the presence or absence of calorie information, and to compare their accuracy with calorie estimations based on bite count. Data were analyzed for 87 participants from a study in which participants were allowed to select from a wide variety of meals in a cafeteria setting, which they consumed while wearing a device designed to count bites of food. They were asked to estimate the number of calories they consumed either with or without calorie information available. True calorie intake and a calorie intake estimation based on bite count were calculated for each participant. A 2x2 Mixed-Design ANOVA revealed a significant main effect for estimation method (F(1, 83) = 14.381, p \u3c .001), a marginally significant effect for the presence of calorie information (F(1, 83) = 3.835, p = .054), and a significant interaction between estimation method and the presence of calorie information (F(1, 83) = 6.384, p \u3c .05). Post-hoc tests revealed that errors in human calorie estimations were significantly improved by the presence of calorie information (t(45.89) = -2.731 p \u3c .01). Calorie estimations based on bite count were significantly more accurate than human estimates without the aid of calorie information (t(32) = -3.578, p \u3c .005), but there was no significant difference between estimations based on bite count and human estimates with the aid of calorie information (t(52) = -1.116, p = .270). The results suggest that bite count may aid individuals with calorie estimation when other aids are unavailable or be a less burdensome alternative to certain calorie estimation aids

Comments on the OBE/Lucid Dream Controversy

The lucid dream experience and the out-of-body ex-perience are currently being interpreted in quite different ways. The two positions I would like to focus on are the most extreme positions taken by the lucid dream and OBE camps. The OBEers, who describe their experiences as actual separation from the physical body, tend to relegate lucid dreaming to a lesser state of awareness or a state from which one can catapult oneself out-of-body. The extreme lucid dreamer position claims that OBEers are simplistically naive and are “just” dreaming lucidly confusing a hallucinated dream world for a supposed spiritual world or “real” physical world (LaBerge, 1985)

Robert Monroe's Far Journeys

Far Journeys is the long awaited sequel to Robert Monroe's Journeys Out of the Body. This latter work has become an international classic in the out-of-body literature. In Far Journeys, Monroe describes the further development of his own out-of-body experiences (OBEs) and his development of an institute to study states of consciousness. This new work is likely to be even more widely read than his first book although, unfortunately, neither book has been, or is likely to be, widely read in current scientific circles. The world view that Monroe presents is simply so foreign to the current scientific zeitgeist that most will view this book as a work of fantasy or kookery. I view this book as neither

Impacts of the Chimney Tops 2 Wildfire on Soil and Stream Water Chemistry in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The 2016 Chimney Tops 2 wildfire in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM) has given a unique opportunity to investigate the effects of wildfire in the eastern US, in a humid climate that rarely experiences wildfire. With ongoing water quality monitoring efforts in the GRSM and a 2010 soil study, pre-fire data were available for evaluation of the potential effects to water and soil chemistry. The acid-base status of soils and streams which govern transport, fate and effects of acidic pollutants were considered in this study. Soils from A/O and B horizons were compared based upon burn severity level, with categories of high burn, low/medium burn, unburned and reference. Collections began immediately after the fire and continued into 2019. A post-fire characterization was conducted for stream water and soil on chemical parameters that were also measured pre-fire. In burned soils, pH, percent base saturation, exchangeable base cations and nitrate were significantly lower than non-burned soils. Exchangeable acidity and Al were significantly greater in burned areas than non-burned areas. An increase in exchangeable Al coupled with a decrease in exchangeable base cations resulted in increased exchangeable acidity and decreased percent base saturation in burned soils. These soil impacts could affect the regrowth of sensitive plant species due to loss of available nutrient cations and increased Al. The water samples showed consistent decreases in pH, conductivity and acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) post-fire, at all sites, burned and reference. The most significant change in stream water was a decrease in ammonium in burned watersheds, however the decline in pH and ANC remains unexplained based on this study’s measured parameters. This study contributes valuable information noting the lack of post-fire export of sulfate and nitrate in streams, and generally aligns with the few studies published on responses of forest fires on soil and stream chemistry in humid, acidic environments. The relationships identified on the response of soil and stream chemical properties to burn severity will inform understanding of patterns and timing of revegetation and recovery of the ecosystem from wildfire as well as the role of wildfire in exacerbating effects of acid deposition

Does Joint Attention Mediate the Relationship between Temperament and Language?

Individual differences in child temperament have been associated with individual differences in language development; similarly, relationships have been separately reported among temperament, language and early nonverbal social communication (joint attention). The present study examined the relationship between temperament and language, in the context of joint attention as an underlying developmental variable mediating this association. Temperament, language and joint attention were assessed in 51 Appalachian 21-month-old toddlers. Results indicate a relationship between aspects of temperamental difficulty, including low executive control and high negative affect, and low language. A relationship was also found between temperament and joint attention, such that aspects of high negative affect were predictive of less frequent joint attention engagement. No association was found between joint attention and language at 21 months. Therefore in general, the utility for a model of joint attention as a mediating variable in the relationship between temperament and language was not substantiated