Toxicity of Pyrolysis Gases from Elastomers

The toxicity of the pyrolysis gases from six elastomers was investigated. The elastomers were polyisoprene (natural rubber), styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), ethylene propylene diene terpolymer (EPDM), acrylonitrile rubber, chlorosulfonated polyethylene rubber, and polychloroprene. The rising temperature and fixed temperature programs produced exactly the same rank order of materials based on time to death. Acryltonitrile rubber exhibited the greatest toxicity under these test conditions; carbon monoxide was not found in sufficient concentrations to be the primary cause of death

Design and implementation of a compliant robot with force feedback and strategy planning software

Force-feedback robotics techniques are being developed for automated precision assembly and servicing of NASA space flight equipment. Design and implementation of a prototype robot which provides compliance and monitors forces is in progress. Computer software to specify assembly steps and makes force feedback adjustments during assembly are coded and tested for three generically different precision mating problems. A model program demonstrates that a suitably autonomous robot can plan its own strategy

1.5V fully programmable CMOS Membership Function Generator Circuit with proportional DC-voltage control

A Membership Function Generator Circuit (MFGC) with bias supply of 1.5 Volts and independent DC-voltage programmable functionalities is presented. The realization is based on a programmable differential current mirror and three compact voltage-to-current converters, allowing continuous and quasi-linear adjustment of the center position, height, width and slopes of the triangular/trapezoidal output waveforms. HSPICE simulation results of the proposed circuit using the parameters of a double-poly, three metal layers, 0.5 μm CMOS technology validate the functionality of the proposed architecture, which exhibits a maximum deviation of the linearity in the programmability of 7 %

The Perceived Impact of Online Student Evaluation to the Performance Among Faculty from PUP Branches and Campuses: Basis for Policy Review and Implementation

The study aims to determine the perception of the PUP faculty from branches and campuses about the student’s online evaluation and investigate the implication of results to their performance as teacher in higher education institution. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to interpret data. The researchers utilizedprimary data through self-administered survey questionnaire and secondary data. Findings revealed that in general, the faculty find the content in four areas of evaluation namely: commitment, knowledge of the subject, teaching for independent learning and management, highly acceptable. They agree with the rating scaleand its equivalent description. The perceived performance of the faculty in four areas showed improvement. The faculty recognized that their personal and social development had improved. When respondents were grouped according to highest educational attainment, significant difference was observed on commitment area. Majority of the faculty felt that students do not fully understand the content of the evaluation instrument, and worst, they use the evaluation as the chance to get even with the professors they dislike. It is recommended to simplify the statements in the instrument. To substantiate the comments and maintain objectivity, the researchers recommend inclusion of students’ personal assessment regarding learning. To further improve the performance of the faculty, deans and chairpersons may identify the administrative concerns of their faculty and identify areas that need training, retraining, coaching, and/or policy revision. Keywords: effective teaching, instruction, faculty performance, student evaluatio