Test apparatus for locating shorts during assembly of electrical buses

A test apparatus is described for locating electrical shorts that is especially suited for use while an electrical circuit is being fabricated or assembled. A ring counter derives input pulses from a square wave oscillator. The outputs of the counter are fed through transistors to an array of light emitting diodes. Each diode is connected to an electrical conductor, such as a bus bar, that is to be tested. In the absence of a short between the electrical conductors the diodes are sequentially illuminated. When a short occurs, a comparator/multivibrator circuit triggers an alarm and stops the oscillator and the sequential energization of the diodes. The two diodes that remain illuminated identify the electrical conductors that are shorted

Influence of Steroids and Gonadotropins on Reproduction in Beef Cattle

The objective of this thesis was to evaluate the influence of steroids and gonadotropins on reproduction in beef cattle. In experiment 1, beef heifers were used to determine the influence of growth-promoting implants on growth, reproductive development, estrous behavior, and pregnancy rate. Heifers were assigned to 1 of 4 implant treatment groups: control (CON); trenbolone acetate (TBA); trenbolone acetate plus estradiol (TBA+E2) or zeranol (ZER). Heifers were implanted once, A.I. and exposed to bull during this experiment. Body weight, BCS, HH, RTS, estrous behavior and pregnancy data were collected throughout this experiment. Average daily gain of heifers was greater for TBA+E2 heifers. Fewer heifers treated with ZER were classified with a cyclic RTS on d 106 than CON and TBA treated heifers while heifers treated with TBA+E2 were similar to all treatments. Heifers treated with TBA had increased mounts during estrus compared with all other treatments. Overall and A.I pregnancy rates did not differ among treatments.In experiment 2, superovulated beef donors were utilized to determine the feasibility of performing a cow-side LH assay (PrediBov®) on superovulated donors, with emphasis on determining how to use the results in a commercial program. Donors were subjected to superstimulation; blood samples were collected starting at CIDR removal, continuing every 6 h until a positive test was acquired or 36 h after CIDR removal. Whole blood (0.5 mL) was submitted to the assay and donors were inseminated approximately 12 and 24 h after a positive test or onset of estrus. The majority of positive LH tests occurred within 12 to 24 h after CIDR removal. Forty-four percent of the positive tests occurred 0 to 6 h after the onset of estrus. Donors that were inseminated 6 to 10 h after a positive LH test produced more viable and grade 1 embryos than donors inseminated either \u3c 6 or 10 to 14 h after a positive test. There were no differences in embryo production between insemination times from the onset of estrus or between donors inseminated approximately 12 and 24 h after a positive test or the onset of estrus

Development of the Functional Classification System for the Rehabilitation Unit of St. Alexius Medical Center

Medical rehabilitation is being influenced by a changing health care system that is putting pressure on care providers to increase emphasis on monitoring and documenting the functional outcomes of their clients. Rehabilitation needs tools that will assist in documentation of patient progress and attainment of goals and give an overview of the facility for program review. The Functional Classification System (FCS) is the tool used at the Rehabilitation Unit at 8t. Alexius. This paper documents the revision of the system. A literature review was done to develop an understanding of the history of rehabilitation and functional assessment, to look at other functional assessment measures and their strengths and weaknesses, and to research the necessary characteristics of a functional assessment tool. The individuals who were using the original system (FCS:ver. 2) were then asked to rate the system and give suggestions for possible improvement through a questionnaire. After this groundwork was completed, a thorough review of the individual elements was performed. When the system had been in place for approximately four months, professionals using it were given the same questionnaire and asked to rate their satisfaction with the scale and the changes made. Results of this survey show improved rater satisfaction with all areas reviewed. Continued validity studies wi II be necessary but the new version of the FCS has improved in all necessary characteristics of a functional classification tool

Breaking the prejudice habit: Mechanisms, timecourse, and longevity

The prejudice habit-breaking intervention (Devine et al., 2012) and its offshoots (e.g., Carnes et al., 2012) have shown promise in effecting long-term change in key outcomes related to intergroup bias, including increases in awareness, concern about discrimination, and, in one study, long-term decreases in implicit bias. This intervention is based on the premise that unintentional bias is like a habit that can be broken with sufficient motivation, awareness, and effort. We conducted replication of the original habit-breaking intervention experiment in a sample more than three times the size of the original (N = 292). We also measured all outcomes every other day for 14 days and measured potential mechanisms for the intervention’s effects. Consistent with previous results, the habit-breaking intervention produced a change in concern that endured two weeks post-intervention. These effects were associated with increased sensitivity to the biases of others and an increased tendency to label biases as wrong. Contrasting with the original work, both control and intervention participants decreased in implicit bias, and the effects of the habit-breaking intervention on awareness declined in the second week of the study. In a subsample recruited two years later, intervention participants were more likely than control participants to object on a public online forum to an essay endorsing racial stereotyping. Our results suggest that the habit-breaking intervention produces enduring changes in peoples’ knowledge of and beliefs about race-related issues, and we argue that these changes are even more important for promoting long-term behavioral change than are changes in implicit bias

An Analysis of Engineering Design Graphics Journal Articles - Volumes 67-78

An analysis of articles published in the Engineering Design Graphics Journal (EDGJ) from 2003 - 2014 was conducted following the methodology used by Robert Chin in his 2003 study of articles published in the EDGJ from 1987 - 2002. Both studies look at feature-articles published in the EDGJ that were later indexed by ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center). ERIC provided abstract data that was compiled into a spreadsheet, which was then sorted and analyzed. The data collected from ERIC was also verified using the archives on the EDGJ website. The similar nature and analysis of the data gathered in the two studies allows direct comparisons to be made between the results of the studies

Cavitation-induced ignition of cryogenic hydrogen-oxygen fluids

The Challenger disaster and purposeful experiments with liquid hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (Ox) tanks demonstrated that cryogenic H2/Ox fluids always self-ignite in the process of their mixing. Here we propose a cavitation-induced self-ignition mechanism that may be realized under these conditions. In one possible scenario, self-ignition is caused by the strong shock waves generated by the collapse of pure Ox vapor bubble near the surface of the Ox liquid that may initiate detonation of the gaseous H2/Ox mixture adjacent to the gas-liquid interface. This effect is further enhanced by H2/Ox combustion inside the collapsing bubble in the presence of admixed H2 gas

Research notes: Aluminum tolerance in soybean germplasm

Aluminum in the soil solution is a severe growth limiting factor in certain acid soils (Foy, 1964; Long and Foy, 1970). This problem is particularly serious in acid subsoils (Adams and Lund, 1966; Foy, 1964) which are difficult to lime. Recent research has centered on selecting those plant cultivars which demonstrate a degree of tolerance to soil aluminum

Strategies to address the complex challenge of improving regional and remote children’s fruit and vegetable consumption

Fruit and vegetables (F&V) are imperative for good health, yet less than one per cent of Australian children consume these food groups in sufficient quantities. As guided by Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), this paper aimed to: (i) understand key informant perspectives of the amount, types and quality of F&V consumed by rural and remote Western Australian (WA) children; and, (ii) determine strategies that could increase F&V consumption among rural and remote WA children. This qualitative study included 20 semi-structured interviews with health, school/youth and food supply workers, focusing on topics including: quantity and type of F&V consumed and strategies to increase children’s consumption. A thematic analysis was conducted using NVivo qualitative data analysis software (Version 10, 2014. QSR International Pty Ltd., Doncaster, Victoria, Australia). Key informants reported children consumed energy-dense nutrient-poor foods in place of F&V. Strategy themes included: using relevant motivators for children to increase their preference for F&V (i.e., gaming approach, SCT construct of ‘expectations’); empowering community-driven initiatives (i.e., kitchen gardens, SCT construct of ‘environment’); increasing food literacy across settings (i.e., food literacy skills, SCT construct of ‘behavioural capacity’); developing salient messages and cooking tips that resonate with parents (i.e., parent newsletters, SCT construct of ‘self-control’); increasing F&V availability, safety, and convenience (i.e., school provision); and, considering the impact of role models that extend beyond the family (i.e., relatable role models, SCT construct of ‘observational learning’). Overall, a comprehensive strategy that incorporates relevant motivators for children and families, supports local initiatives, reinforces the range of role models that are involved with children and creates healthier environments, is required to increase F&V consumption among children