Liquid nitrogen blackbody for spectral emittance studies

Cryogenic black body used in spectral emittance of rock

Experimental Investigation of N2O/O2 Mixtures as Volumetrically Efficient Oxidizers for Small Spacecraft Hybrid Propulsion Systems

A hybrid thruster system utilizes propellants in two different stages, traditionally a solid fuel and a gaseous or liquid oxidizer. Recently hybrid thrusters have become a popular topic of research due to the high demand of a ”green” replacement for hydrazine. Not only are hybrid thruster systems typically much safer than hydrazine, but they are also a low-cost system with a high reliability in performance. The Propulsion Research Laboratory (PRL) at Utah State University (USU) has developed a hybrid thruster system using 3-D printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) as the fuel and gaseous oxygen (GOX) as the oxidizer. This system has been spaceflight flown and tested in a hard vacuum environment with success. However, GOX has a low density and must be stored at high pressures to be considered viable. This thesis investigates the use of N2O/O2 mixtures, ”Nytrox”, and more commonly known as ”laughing gas”, as a higher density replacement oxidizer for GOX. Ina manner directly analogous to the creation of soda-water using dissolved carbon dioxide, Nytrox is created by bubbling gaseous oxygen under high pressure into nitrous oxide until the solution reaches saturation level. Oxygen in the mixture ullage dilutes the nitrous oxide vapor, and increases the required decomposition activation energy of the fluid by several orders of magnitude. Data from tests using each oxidizer are analyzed and presented for performance comparisons. Comparisons include, ignition reliability, ignition energy, thrust coefficient, characteristic velocity, specific impulse, and regression rate. Nytrox is shown to work effectively as a “drop in” replacement for gaseous oxygen, exhibiting slightly reduced specific impulse and regression rate, but with the trade of a significantly higher volumetric efficiency

Civility Matters: Overcoming Workplace Incivility using an Interactive Education Intervention

Workplace Incivility, a global issue, particularly affects healthcare settings due to stressful work environments and a largely female workforce. Victims of WPI have up to 33% increased turnover, with many leaving their professions entirely. The cost of turnover, particularly within the first year, may be as high as 125% of the nurse\u27s salary Researchers identified the need to implement measures to prevent and manage WPI. The Joint Commission (TJC) calls for requiring hospitals to implement code-of-conduct policies defining acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. Code-of-conduct policies assist leaders in addressing offenders of WPI. Targets of WPI typically lack the skill set and assertiveness to confront misconduct. This scholarly project focused on the interactive educational training necessary to empower targets of WPI in healthcare settings. The project utilized an established interactive educational program developed by the 2012 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellows Program, PACERS. The social-ecological model (SEM) served as the foundational framework for the educational progrm. A quantitative analysis was carried out, using descriptive statistics to analyze the demographic data of the voluntary participants from an adult inpatient service line at a central New Mexico hospital. Participants identified rates of WPI utilizing a Civility Index survey. Survey data was then examined, comparing rates of WPI at baseline, 2-weeks, 3-months, and 5-months post educational offering Results indicated that there were lower-than-expected levels of WPI reported at baseline. Civility Index scores increased post-intervention and were sustained at 3 and 5 months post-intervention. Results of the study suggested that the educational intervention increased civility awareness among healthcare workers, with sustained results over time

Mind your B's and R's: bacterial chemotaxis, signal transduction and protein recognition

AbstractThe crystal structures of two key regulators of the bacterial chemotaxis pathway (CheR and CheB) have been determined. These studies add further detail to the growing picture of signal transduction and attenuation in the bacterial chemotaxis pathway. The recently determined structure of the methyltransferase CheR bound to a peptide of its target receptor, provides a structural model for intermolecular receptor modification during signaling

Waiting

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/3006/thumbnail.jp

Genomic-based root plasticity to enhance abiotic stress adaptation and edible yield in grain crops

Phenotypic plasticity refers to changes expressed by a genotype across different environments and is one of the major means by which plants cope with environmental variability. Multi-fold differences in phenotypic plasticity have been noted across crops, with wild ancestors and landraces being more plastic than crops when under stress. Plasticity in response to abiotic stress adaptation, plant architecture, physio-reproductive and quality traits are multi-genic (QTL). Plasticity QTL (pQTL) were either collocated with main effect QTL and QEI (QTL × environment interaction) or located independently from the main effect QTL. For example, variations in root plasticity have been successfully introgressed to enhance abiotic stress adaptation in rice. The independence of genetic control of a trait and of its plasticity suggests that breeders may select for high or low plasticity in combination with high or low performance of economically important traits. Trait plasticity in stressful environments may be harnessed through breeding stress-tolerant crops. There exists a genetic cost associated with plasticity, so a better understanding of the trade-offs between plasticity and productivity is warranted prior to undertaking breeding for plasticity traits together with productivity in stress environments.Phenotypic plasticity refers to changes expressed by a genotype across different environments and is one of the major means by which plants cope with environmental variability. Mull-fold differences in phenotypic plasticity have been noted across crops, with wild ancestors and landraces being more plastic than crops when under stress. Plasticity in response to abiotic stress adaptation, plant architecture, physio-reproductive and quality traits are multi-genic (QTL). Plasticity QTL (pQTL) were either collocated with main effect QTL and QEI (QTL x environment interaction) or located independently from the main effect QTL. For example, variations in root plasticity have been successfully introgressed to enhance abiotic stress adaptation in rice. The independence of genetic control of a trait and of its plasticity suggests that breeders may select for high or low plasticity in combination with high or low performance of economically important traits. Trait plasticity in stressful environments may be harnessed through breeding stress-tolerant crops. There exists a genetic cost associated with plasticity, so a better understanding of the trade-offs between plasticity and productivity is warranted prior to undertaking breeding for plasticity traits together with productivity in stress environments.Peer reviewe

The Marriage Game

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/4322/thumbnail.jp

Sweet Little Stranger

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/4064/thumbnail.jp

Efficiency and regulation of gasoline electric generator

Citation: Carlson, Torje S., Stoddard, Albert D., and Dow, Jay L. Efficiency and regulation of gasoline electric generator. Senior thesis, Kansas State Agricultural College, 1906.Morse Department of Special CollectionsIntroduction: The dynamo tested is a 1.5 K.W. machine generating 115 volts at a speed of 1850 R.P.M. and is short shunt compound wound. It is constructed so as to require little care, having self oiling ring bearings and brushes that do not require shifting with increase of load. The terminal block on the side of the machine is arranged so simply that no mistake could be made in making the connections. External Characteristic. The curve following shows the external characteristic of the dynamo. In obtaining the data for this curve the dynamo was run at constant speed. The rheostat in the shunt field was adjusted so that a voltmeter placed across the terminals reads 110 volts when the dynamo is running without load. The position of the rheostat arm is not changed during the test. A variable resistance and an ammeter are placed in the external circuit. The resistance is decreased, thus increasing the load until the limit of the machine is reached. Readings are taken simultaneously of line amperes and terminal volts for a number of intermediate points. This data is plotted with terminal volts as ordinates and line amperes as abscissas. The object of compounding a dynamo is to maintain a constant voltage at some point on the circuit. The voltage of a shunt dynamo gradually falls as the load increases, therefore in order to maintain a constant potential regulation of the rheostat would be necessary. By compounding the regulation is automatic and no adjustment of the rheostat is necessary

Building Professional Dispositions in Pre-Service Special Educators: Assessment and Instructional Tactics

Teacher preparation programs, in part due to national accreditation mandates, are beginning to examine assessment and instruction of teacher trainees’ professional behavior and dispositions more carefully than in the past. The faculty at University of South Florida St. Petersburg developed the Professional Behavior Assessment tool (PBA) for rating levels of competence within six professional behavior domains; punctuality, reaction to supervision, collaboration with colleagues, effort, enthusiasm, and ethical professionalism. Four pre-service teachers (PST) were taught the characteristics of the six domains employing written scenarios and rubrics of the PBA. Initially, the pre-service teachers held very different perceptions than faculty regarding behavior expected within each domain. After instruction the PST’s were able to use the PBA to rate scenarios similarly to faculty. Following training, PST’s reported better understanding regarding the level of expected professional behavior in the schools. As the semester progressed, faculty noted improvement in pre-service professional behavior in field settings