16,904 research outputs found
Electrical self-aligning connector
A self-aligning electrical connector device includes a receptacle component having a conically contoured interior and a plug component having a correspondingly contoured conical body receivable in the receptacle component. The plug component has a number of spaced conductive ring elements with a mating face and the receptacle component includes corresponding spaced conductive ring elements providing mating interface with the mating face of the ring elements of the plug component when connected to it. Each ring element of the receptacle component has several segmented portions which defect downwardly when the plug component is inserted. A biasing force is asserted against the face of the ring elements of the plug component providing positive electrical contact and connection between the ring elements of the components
Handedness and social anxiety:using Bryden's research as a catalyst to explore the influence of familial sinistrality and degree of handedness
Phil Bryden's work has impacted on many areas of laterality, including degree and measurement of hand preference, as well as influences of familial sinistrality (FS). For example, Bryden[(1977). Measuring handedness with questionnaires. Neuropsychologia, 15, 617–624] is a well-cited and influential paper that remains relevant to this day. Inspired by this we extended our analysis of the relationship between handedness and anxiety in a number of ways. We used familial handedness and strength of handedness to examine their potential influences on anxiety, and extended our research by exploring their relationship to social anxiety, using the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN). Inconsistent left-handers (ILH) were found to be more socially anxious. In all categories of SPIN except avoidance, ILH were significantly more anxious than consistent right- and left-handers. There were FS differences between ILH with a first degree left-handed relative (FS+) compared to ILH with no first degree left-handed relative (FS−) on all categories of anxiety scores. Within FS+ participants, ILH had significantly higher anxiety scores, compared with consistent handers across all categories. This suggests that ILH's social anxiety may be influenced by a close left-handed relative. Inspired by examining Bryden's work for this special issue, we will continue to add both strength of preference and familial handedness to our work
A critically conscious approach to fostering the success of college students from underrepresented groups
Over the past decade, many student affairs professionals have turned their attention to non-cognitive factors that can play a role in supporting students from underrepresented groups in making it to and through college. The work in this area that has gotten the most attention in recent years has focused on students’ sense of belonging and efficacy. In this article, the authors begin by acknowledging the numerous strengths of belonging-centered and efficacy-centered approaches to fostering college student success but also argue that these approaches are incomplete. They posit that a more critically conscious approach to fostering college-going success can deepen participating college students’ sense of purpose and, in so doing, increase their likelihood of successful college completion
Coupled aerodynamic and acoustical predictions for turboprops
To predict the noise fields for proposed turboprop airplanes, an existing turboprop noise code by Farassat has been modified to accept blade pressure inputs from a three-dimensional aerodynamic code. A Euler-type code can handle the nonlinear transonic flow of these high-speed, highly swept blades. This turbofan code was modified to allow the calculation mesh to extend to about twice the blade radius and to apply circumferential periodicity rather than solid-wall boundary conditions on the blade in the region between the blade tip and the outer shroud. Outputs were added for input to the noise prediction program and for color contour plots of various flow variables. The Farassat input subroutines were modified to read files of blade coordinates and predicted surface pressures. Aerodynamic and acoustic results are shown for the SR-3 model blade. Comparison of the acoustic predicted results with measured data show good agreement
Unconditional preparation of entanglement between atoms in cascaded optical cavities
We propose a scheme to unconditionally entangle the internal states of atoms
trapped in separate high finesse optical cavities. The scheme uses the
technique of quantum reservoir engineering in a cascaded cavity QED setting,
and for ideal (lossless) coupling between the cavities generates an entangled
pure state. Highly entangled states are also shown to be possible for
realizable cavity QED parameters and with nonideal coupling.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Physical Revie
Investigating dark matter substructure with pulsar timing: I. Constraints on ultracompact minihalos
Small-scale dark matter structure within the Milky Way is expected to affect
pulsar timing. The change in gravitational potential induced by a dark matter
halo passing near the line of sight to a pulsar would produce a varying delay
in the light travel time of photons from the pulsar. Individual transits
produce an effect that would either be too rare or too weak to be detected in
30-year pulsar observations. However, a population of dark matter subhalos
would be expected to produce a detectable effect on the measured properties of
pulsars if the subhalos constitute a significant fraction of the total halo
mass. The effect is to increase the dispersion of measured period derivatives
across the pulsar population. By statistical analysis of the ATNF pulsar
catalogue, we place an upper limit on this dispersion of . We use this to place strong upper limits on the number density of
ultracompact minihalos within the Milky Way. These limits are completely
independent of the particle nature of dark matter.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figues, includes erratum published in MNRA
FARM-LEVEL EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVE POLICY APPROACHES TO REDUCE NITRATE LEACHING FROM MIDWEST AGRICULTURE
Policies to reduce nitrate leaching are evaluated using a mixed integer linear programming model of a representative Michigan cash grain farm. At spring 1993 prices, elimination of the current deficiency payment program is found to be more efficient at reducing leaching than a nitrogen input tax, a tax credit on biologically fixed nitrogen, a rotation payment, or obligatory use of the Integrated Farm Management Program Option (IFMPO). However, elimination of the deficiency payment program would significantly reduce farm income. Modeling risk management and nitrate leaching dynamics are useful extensions of this research, as is estimating the benefits from averting nitrate leaching.Agricultural and Food Policy,
Evaluating the Long-run Impacts of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks on US Domestic Airline Travel
Although the US airline industry began 2001 with 24 consecutive profitable quarters, including net profits in 2000 totaling $7.9 billion, the impact of the 9/11 event on the industry was substantial. Whereas the recession that began in early 2001 signaled the end of profitability, the 9/11 terrorist attacks pushed the industry into financial crisis after air travel dropped 20% over the September–December 2001 period compared to the same period in 2000. Given the decline in domestic air travel, an important question is whether the detrimental impact of the attacks was temporary or permanent. That is, did airline travel return to the trend that existed prior to the terrorist attacks? There are theoretical reasons to the believe that it would not. Economists have long viewed travel-mode choices as the outcome of a comparison of opportunity costs and benefits. Thus, anything that permanently raises the opportunity cost of travel, holding benefits constant, should reduce the level of travel volume. To determine whether air travel was permanently reduced, we use econometric and time-series forecasting models to generate a counter-factual forecast of air travel volume in the absence of the terrorist attacks. These dynamic forecasts are compared to actual air travel levels to determine the impact of the terrorist attacks. The findings suggest that domestic air travel did not return to the levels that would have existed in the absence of the attack
Fluctuations in Student Understanding of Newton's 3rd Law
We present data from a between-student study on student response to questions
on Newton's Third Law given throughout the academic year. The study, conducted
at Rochester Institute of Technology, involved students from the first and
third of a three-quarter sequence. Construction of a response curve reveals
subtle dynamics in student learning not captured by simple pre/post testing. We
find a a significant positive effect from direct instruction, peaking at the
end of instruction on forces, that diminishes by the end of the quarter. Two
quarters later, in physics III, a significant dip in correct response occurs
when instruction changes from the vector quantities of electric forces and
fields to the scalar quantity of electric potential. Student response rebounds
to its initial values, however, once instruction returns to the vector-based
topics involving magnetic fields.Comment: Proceedings of the 2010 Physics Education Research Conferenc
- …