Automated Retrieval of Non-Engineering Domain Solutions to Engineering Problems

Organised by: Cranfield UniversityBiological inspiration for engineering design has occurred through a variety of techniques such as creation and use of databases, keyword searches of biological information in natural-language format, prior knowledge of biology, and chance observations of nature. This research focuses on utilizing the reconciled Functional Basis function and flow terms to identify suitable biological inspiration for function based design. The organized search provides two levels of results: (1) associated with verb function only and (2) narrowed results associated with verb-noun (function-flow). A set of heuristics has been complied to promote efficient searching using this technique. An example for creating smart flooring is also presented and discussed.Mori Seiki – The Machine Tool Compan

Developing A Sustainable Model for Impactful Academic Advising

The primary focus of this research is advising delivery models for community colleges. This capstone focused on the Virginia Community College System (VCCS), namely John Tyler Community College (JTCC). The research focused on delivering the most consistently supportive advising framework for faculty, staff, and students. A mixed-methods study was used by way of an online survey and in-person focus groups. Secondary data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) was used to compare JTCC to other colleges in the VCCS. This study also focused on best practices regarding academic advising and advisor development, evaluated the needs of current advising personnel, and provided academic advising strategies specifically for the JTCC student population. Using that information, this paper offers strategies for the successful implementation of new advising processes for institutions experiencing structural change

Development of High Intensity Neutron Source at the European Spallation Source

The European Spallation Source being constructed in Lund, Sweden will provide the user community with a neutron source of unprecedented brightness. By 2025, a suite of 15 instruments will be served by a high-brightness moderator system placed above the spallation target. The ESS infrastructure, consisting of the proton linac, the target station, and the instrument halls, allows for implementation of a second source below the spallation target. We propose to develop a second neutron source with a high-intensity moderator able to (1) deliver a larger total cold neutron flux, (2) provide high intensities at longer wavelengths in the spectral regions of Cold (4-10 \AA ), Very Cold (10-40 \AA ), and Ultra Cold (several 100 \AA ) neutrons, as opposed to Thermal and Cold neutrons delivered by the top moderator. Offering both unprecedented brilliance, flux, and spectral range in a single facility, this upgrade will make ESS the most versatile neutron source in the world and will further strengthen the leadership of Europe in neutron science. The new source will boost several areas of condensed matter research such as imaging and spin-echo, and will provide outstanding opportunities in fundamental physics investigations of the laws of nature at a precision unattainable anywhere else. At the heart of the proposed system is a volumetric liquid deuterium moderator. Based on proven technology, its performance will be optimized in a detailed engineering study. This moderator will be complemented by secondary sources to provide intense beams of Very- and Ultra-Cold Neutrons.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, proceeding of the 23rd meeting of the International Collaboration on Advanced Neutron Sources (ICANS XXIII) 13th - 18th October 2019 in Chattanooga, Tennesse

McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica - A Mars Phoenix Mission Analog

The Phoenix mission (PHX; May 25 - Nov. 2, 2008) studied the north polar region of Mars (68deg N) to understand the history of water and potential for habitability. Phoenix carried with it a wet chemistry lab (WCL) capable of determining the basic solution chemistry of the soil and the pH value, a thermal and evolved-gas analyzer capable of determining the mineralogy of the soil and detecting ice, microscopes capable of seeing soil particle shapes, sizes and colors at very high resolution, and a soil probe (TECP) capable of detecting unfrozen water in the soil. PHX coincided with an international effort to study the Earth s polar regions named the International Polar Year (IPY; 2007-2008). The best known Earth analog to the Martian high-northern plains, where Phoenix landed, are the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), Antarctica (Fig. 1). Thus, the IPY afforded a unique opportunity to study the MDV with the same foci - history of water and habitability - as PHX. In austral summer 2007, our team took engineering models of WCL and TECP into the MDV and performed analgous measurements. We also collected sterile samples and analyzed them in our home laboratories using state-of-the-art tools. While PHX was not designed to perform biologic analyses, we were able to do so with the MDV analog samples collected

Effects of parental imprisonment on child antisocial behaviour and mental health: a systematic review

Parental imprisonment can cause many problems for the family left behind, including difficulty organising childcare, loss of family income, trouble maintaining contact with the imprisoned parent, stigma, and home, school and neighbourhood moves. Children and parents can be distressed by the separation. Children may respond by acting out or becoming withdrawn, anxious or depressed. We conducted an exhaustive search for studies that examined children's antisocial behaviour and mental health after parental imprisonment. We found 16 studies with appropriate evidence. These studies all showed that children of prisoners are more likely than other children to show antisocial and mental health problems. However, it was unclear whether parental imprisonment actually caused these problems. They might have been caused by other disadvantages in children's lives that existed before parental imprisonment occurred. Children of prisoners are a vulnerable group. More research is required to determine whether or not parental imprisonment causes an increase in child antisocial behaviour and mental health problems

The Critical Need to Enforce Title IX as it Relates to Pregnant and Parenting Students

In this presentation, attendees will be able to identify nine (9) educational barriers pushing pregnant and parenting students out of school. These barriers were identified in a National Women’s Law Center study. To better understand what healthy and safe schools look like for all girls, the National Women’s Law Center collaborated with Lake Research Partners to conduct a study of girls from January 5-19, 2017. The study included an online survey of 1,003 girls ages 14-18 nationwide. Black, Latinas, Asian/Pacific Islander girls, Native American girls, and LGBTQ girls were oversampled. The data were weighted by age, race, and census region to reflect the actual proportions of the population. Oversamples were weighted down to reflect their proportions in the population. The study also included six focus groups on barriers facing girls who are survivors of sexual assault and girls who are either currently pregnant or those who are parenting children. Attendees will learn recommendations on how to support the academic success of pregnant and parenting students. These recommendations were provided in a pamphlet–Supporting the Academic Success of Pregnant and Parenting Students Under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972- published by the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights. Attendees will hear the lived experiences of pregnant and parenting students. This information was gathered in the fall of 2013 during interviews with students who had a teen pregnancy and still graduated high school on time. At the time of the interviews, students were college students or recent college graduates. Graduates were interviewed using an interview protocol to discover what factors helped them graduate. The findings revealed they graduated because they had support from home, school, and the community