Experimental characterisation of fatigue damage in single Z-pins

Z-pins have been shown to significantly improve delamination resistance and impact strength of carbon fibre reinforced (CFRP) composites. In this paper, an experimental investigation of the influence of different fatigue parameters (mean opening/sliding displacement, amplitude, frequency, number of cycles) on the through-thickness reinforcement (TTR) is presented. For mode I, it is shown that the degradation on pin behaviour during fatigue is mostly affected by the applied displacement amplitude. The degradation is primarily caused by surface wear. Due to the brittleness of the Z-pins, mode II fatigue does not have a significant effect for very small sliding displacements. Exceeding a critical displacement causes the pin to rupture within the very first cycles

Lily Perennializing in Ithaca, Louisiana and Holland

In May 2006, we published a newsletter (number 10) where we first reported on our experiences with multi-year flowering of a variety of “cut flower” hybrid lilies at Cornell’s outdoor trialing site, Bluegrass Lane, in Ithaca NY. In 2002-2003, we planted a range of LA, Asiatic and Oriental hybrid lilies to investigate perennialization. While not a formal trial, the 2006 newsletter showed that a range of hybrids, primarily bred for cut flower use, performed very well in outdoor garden situations in upstate New Yor

Predicting complex system behavior using hybrid modeling and computational intelligence

“Modeling and prediction of complex systems is a challenging problem due to the sub-system interactions and dependencies. This research examines combining various computational intelligence algorithms and modeling techniques to provide insights into these complex processes and allow for better decision making. This hybrid methodology provided additional capabilities to analyze and predict the overall system behavior where a single model cannot be used to understand the complex problem. The systems analyzed here are flooding events and fetal health care. The impact of floods on road infrastructure is investigated using graph theory, agent-based traffic simulation, and Long Short-Term Memory deep learning to predict water level rise from river gauge height. Combined with existing infrastructure models, these techniques provide a 15-minute interval for making closure decisions rather than the current 6-hour interval. The second system explored is fetal monitoring, which is essential to diagnose severe fetal conditions such as acidosis. Support Vector Machine and Random Forest were compared to identify the best model for classification of fetal state. This model provided a more accurate classification than existing research on the CTG. A deep learning forecasting model was developed to predict the future values for fetal heart rate and uterine contractions. The forecasting and classification algorithms are then integrated to evaluate the future condition of the fetus. The final model can predict the fetal state 4 minutes ahead to help the obstetricians to plan necessary interventions for preventing acidosis and asphyxiation. In both cases, time series predictions using hybrid modeling provided superior results to existing methods to predict complex behaviors”--Abstract, page iv

Faculty Perceptions of Self-efficacy in Remote Teaching during COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown in a Selected University in Sub-Saharan Africa

The major purpose of this study was to establish the faculty perceptions of self-efficacy in remote teaching during COVID-19 Pandemic lockdown in a selected University in Sub-Saharan Africa. A quantitative survey method was used to collect data, analyse, and interpret results. The modified 24-items, 5 point Likert Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Scale (TSES) developed by Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk Hoy (as cited in Butucha, 2010) was used to gather data. It consisted of possible responses ranging from 1 = nothing to 5 = a great deal. Participants were 69 male (68.3%) and 32 female (31.7%) faculty members drown from a total of 145 across all schools in the selected university. The survey instrument assessed self-efficacy in three areas; instructional strategies, classroom management and student engagement. Data was gathered immediately after the faculty had completed their remote teaching and administered the final examinations online while still in the CIOVID-19 pandemic Lockdown.  Since all faculty members were in the lockdown, online survey was sent out to them in google forms. Using excel for Windows version 10, a statistical analysis of the data was done. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation were generated to answer the research question. Results revealed that the faculty believed that they can do quite a bit in student engagement (M=4.03, SD=0.81), instructional strategies (M=3.98, SD=0.80) and classroom management (M=3.93, SD =0.79), in teaching remotely during the COVID 19 lockdown. The study recommends  that since technology use in the classroom is now inevitable, the faculty should make intentional efforts to move from doing quite a bit to a great deal in online instructional strategies, classroom management and student engagement

The Home Mission Work of the Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference: A Description and Evaluation

The scope of this dissertation is to describe, analyze, and evaluate the home mission work5of the Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference, which was a mission toAfro-Americans.6 The purpose is to expose the various factors which impacted this mission work and either helped or hampered its success. As a result of the study, it is the hope of the author that the church will learn from its past and manage to put fewer obstacles in the path of the Gospel it proclaims. In making this study of the black mission work of the Synodical Conference, it became apparent to the author that the two theological disputes which disrupted the Synodical Conference, the Predestinarian Controversy of the 1880s and the fellowship dispute which began in 1938, had little impact on its black mission work.? There appear to be two reasons for this. The first was timing. The Predestinarian Controversy occurred just as the mission to the Afro-Americans was beginning, and the mission was still tiny. While it was true that the first missionary, Rev. John F. Boescher, sided with the opponents of C. F. W. Walther and left the Missouri Synod, Boescher had by that time already taken a callout of the black mission. In the case of the Fellowship Controversy, by the time the majority of the heat was generated by this controversy, the process of amalgamating the black congregations into the existing synods, begun in 1946, was already well underway