Terrestrial whisker growth experiments which anticipate some special effects of a space station environment

The effects of the absence of gravitationally driven thermal convection on the growth of whiskers by chemical reduction of metal salts was studied. It was possible to accomplish nearly complete suppression of such convection. Suppression of the convection does indeed effect the growth but in subtle, not necessarily detrimental ways: none of the changes observed were such as to hamper efforts to produce whiskers in space. Copper whiskers grown from cuprous iodide respond most positively to the suppression of convection; therefore, they are strongly recommended for tests in the space environment. Cobalt whiskers grown from cobaltous bromide show the greatest independence from conditions of convection and applied electric fields of any material studied; therefore, this medium is highly recommended. A strong pulse of electric field forces the whiskers to stick to the growth vessel top plate, this facilitates study or "harvesting'. On the space station it is recommended that the growth vessels be mounted outside the laboratory and joined with the station by means of double vacuum valves and gas service lines

Whisker growth studies under conditions which resemble those available on an orbiting space station

Minimal funding was provided by NASA with one designated 'mission' being the clear demonstration of the relevance of previously supported whisker growth studies to microgravity research. While in one sense this work has shown the converse, namely, that ambient gravitational fields as high as 1 Earth normal have no relevance to growth of whiskers by hydrogen reduction of metal halides, a case is made that this does not demonstrate lack of relevance to microgravity research. On the contrary, the driving forces for this growth are precisely those which must be understood in order to understand growth in microgravity. The results described suggest that knowledge gained from this work may be highly fundamental to our understanding of the genesis of metal crystals. Time and money ran out before this work could be considered complete. At least another year's study and analysis will be required before publications could be justified

The General Electric MOD-1 wind turbine generator program

The design, fabrication, installation and checkout of MOD-1, a megawatt class wind turbine generator which generates utility grade electrical power, is described. A MOD-1/MOD-1A tradeoff study is discussed

Democratic theory and constitutional design: Hearing persistent electoral minorities

© koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2017. Questions of constitutional design, that is, of structuring the political relationship between dominant and non-dominant communities, are recurrent across the globe. While the particular issues faced by each state are distinct, at their root lies a common problem: how should legal and political institutions and processes be designed to provide minority groups or peoples with the capacity to have their interests heard in the processes of government? In this article, I explore how democratic theory conceives of, and answers, this fundamental question

Constitutional recognition and reform: developing an inclusive Australian citizenship through treaty

© 2018 Australian Political Studies Association. Eight years after the Expert Panel on Recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the Australian Constitution was established, institutional reform to empower Indigenous peoples in this country has not been realised. This article argues that the persistent failure to progress constitutional reform stems, in part, from dominant conceptions of Australian citizenship that deny Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoplehood. It follows that meaningful institutional reform is possible only if Australian citizenship is reconceptualised in a manner that makes room for the distinctive status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Treaties offer a path forward to develop this new understanding of Australian identity and ground institutional reform

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and multinational federalism in Australia

© 2018, © 2018 Griffith University. Democratic governance is premised on the belief that all citizens are empowered to shape the society in which they live. Over generations, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have maintained that Australian democratic practice does not live up to this ideal, contending that the state's legal and political framework does not empower them with the capacity to have their voices heard and their interests considered in the processes of government. However, non-Indigenous Australians remain suspicious of Indigenous-specific political and legal mechanisms designed to rectify this structural fault. In this paper, I argue that this suspicion–and Australia's governance framework more broadly–arises from a particular conception of democratic theory that marginalises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoplehood. If, as the Uluru Statement from the Heart calls for, Australia's political institutions are to be rebuilt so as to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples ‘to take a rightful place in [their] own country’, that conception of democratic theory must first be revealed and re-centred. Multinational federalism offers one path towards a more equitable future

Family Businesses and the Business of Families: A Consideration of the Role of the Lawyer

The principal theme of this article explores the impact to the family and the business when the family structure is shattered, and devises an analytical process for lawyers to work with family business owners and/or managers to minimize the impact on the business. The article draws on family systems theory as used in family therapy and as relied upon by many family business consultants. Part One considers the economic and social significance of small and family-owned businesses to our society. Part Two borrows from the theoretical literature of family therapy to describe a framework and context for working with clients who own family businesses. This literature provides insight on how families function and suggests a frame of reference for assessing problems presented by a family owning a business. Part Three furthers the inquiry by focusing on how issues facing a family business are often interrelated with issues facing the family itself. Part Four proposes an analytical model based on a family systems perspective which could aid lawyers in solving legal problems of the client involved in a family business. The process considers how to gather social, emotional, legal, and financial information useful for structuring a solution to the problem. Part Five presents a hypothetical problem to which the family systems approach is applied