Development of a heterogeneous laminating resin system

The factors which effect the impact resistance of laminating resin systems and yet retain equivalent performance with the conventional 450 K curing epoxy matrix systems in other areas were studied. Formulation work was conducted on two systems, an all-epoxy and an epoxy/bismaleimide, to gain fundamental information on the effect formulation changes have upon neat resin and composite properties. The all-epoxy work involved formulations with various amounts and combinations of eight different epoxy resins, four different hardeners, fifteen different toughening agents, a filler, and a catalyst. The epoxy/bismaleimide effort improved formulations with various amounts and combinations of nine different resins, four different hardeners, eight different toughening agents, four different catalysts, and a filler. When a formulation appeared to offer the proper combination of properties required for a laminating resin Celion 3K-70P fabric was prepregged. Initial screening tests on composites primarily involved Gardner type impact and measurement of short beam shear strengths under dry and hot/wet conditions

A Cross-Sectional Examination of Alternative Dispute Resolution: A Search for the Antecedents of Success

This study examined Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in an attempt to identify antecedents common to successful uses of ADR. The goal was to isolate factors which have the greatest impact on the successful implementation of ADR. A cross sectional examination was designed that included both private industry and government applications of ADR as a resolution method. Documents, audiovisual materials, and personal interviews were utilized to collect the data. An informal interview guide was used to interview individuals with conflict resolution authority within their organizations. Analysis of the data resulted in the identification of five antecedents that increase the probability of a successful ADR implementation. It is believed that the antecedent model resulting from this research will prove useful in the selection of the most appropriate conflict resolution forum

Echoes of ECOs: gravitational-wave signatures of exotic compact objects and of quantum corrections at the horizon scale

Gravitational waves from binary coalescences provide one of the cleanest signatures of the nature of compact objects. It has been recently argued that the post-merger ringdown waveform of exotic ultracompact objects is initially identical to that of a black-hole, and that putative corrections at the horizon scale will appear as secondary pulses after the main burst of radiation. Here we extend this analysis in three important directions: (i) we show that this result applies to a large class of exotic compact objects with a photon sphere for generic orbits in the test-particle limit; (ii) we investigate the late-time ringdown in more detail, showing that it is universally characterized by a modulated and distorted train of "echoes" of the modes of vibration associated with the photon sphere; (iii) we study for the first time equal-mass, head-on collisions of two ultracompact boson stars and compare their gravitational-wave signal to that produced by a pair of black-holes. If the initial objects are compact enough as to mimic a binary black-hole collision up to the merger, the final object exceeds the maximum mass for boson stars and collapses to a black-hole. This suggests that - in some configurations - the coalescence of compact boson stars might be almost indistinguishable from that of black-holes. On the other hand, generic configurations display peculiar signatures that can be searched for in gravitational-wave data as smoking guns of exotic compact objects.Comment: 13 pages, RevTex4. v2: typo in equation 7 corrected, references added, to appear in PR

Preliminary Investigation of Maine Virtual Charter School Costs Relative to the Essential Programs and Services Funding Model

In 2015, the Maine State Legislature\u27s Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs commissioned the Maine Education Policy Research Institute (MEPRI) to study the state\u27s Essential Program and Services (EPS) K-12 education funding model in relationship to the funding for Maine\u27s two virtual charter schools. The study was initiated with a review of available literature and reports on virtual school funding in other states. Because the structure of Maine\u27s virtual schools differs from typical models in other states, most notably because core academic subject teachers are required to teach from one central physical location, further cost analysis was conducted using only Maine-­based data. The expenditure data available was from one school (Maine Connections Academy) in its first year of operation in 2014-­15. This limits the generalizability of the findings. Data were analyzed by categorizing the virtual school expenditures as much as was possible into nineteen separate components of Maine\u27s Essential Programs and Services funding model. In each category, the report first provides a qualitative description of how the virtual school carries out that type of work. This provides background to aid the reader in understanding how virtual schools operate, and in interpreting any differences in expenditures. Next the quantitative analysis for that cost category is detailed, followed by a concise summary of whether the expenditures for that category were higher, lower, or similar to the EPS cost model, unless inadequate data were available to make a determination. An appendix provides a summary of virtual school policies in other states

Dementia ambient care: multi-sensor support to enable independent home-based living for people with dementia

The quality of life of the person with dementia is often impacted by the loss of autonomy and independence that can arise during dementia progression. Ambient assistive technologies represent a way of enabling independence and facilitating “ageing in place”, by supporting the health, lifestyle, and safety of the person with dementia in an unobtrusive manner. Dem@Care is a European FP7 funded project, which is using ambient and wearable sensors to maintain independent home-based living for as long as possible. We have identified five frequently problematic areas for the person with dementia that can be supported by technology: Sleep, Activities of Daily Living, Physical Activity, Social Interaction, and Mood. In Dem@Care, a clinical assessment is carried out with the person with dementia and their family to identify their unique needs in each of the 5 areas. An individualised sensor “toolbox” is tailored and discussed with the individual and their family, and an acceptable and useful system is configured and deployed. Over time, information gathered by sensors is used to provide feedback to identify changes in patterns of behaviour that may indicate deterioration, improvement, stasis, or the risk of future deterioration, and to increase awareness of behaviours that are detrimental to health and well-being. We report relevant guiding principles from the literature, and findings from the first Dem@Care pilot evaluation, regarding user-centred design, individualization, ethics, and the acceptability and usability of current Dem@Care sensors. We present results from the monitoring of sleep, physical activity, and daily-living activities and following promising initial results, we are expanding data collection to incorporate additional sensors and new participants with the expectation that we can demonstrate the ability of the Dem@Care system to enable persons with dementia to remain independent and living in their own homes for longer

Dementia ambient care: ethical issues arising from the use of a home-based multi-sensor support system

Background: With the worldwide increase in dementia prevalence acceptable cost-effective home-based solutions are needed to support people with dementia (PwD) living in the community and to delay institutionalisation. Ambient assistive technologies represent a way of enabling independence and facilitating “ageing in place”, by supporting the health, lifestyle, and safety of PwD in an unobtrusive manner. However, ethical issues associated with their use remain under-reported. Methods: Dem@Care is an FP7 project that uses ambient and wearable sensors to support physical activity, sleep, activities of daily living, social interaction, and mood in PwD. It uses a multiple case study design with purposive sampling of people with early stage dementia. An individualised sensor “toolbox” and intervention strategy is developed for participants based on a clinical assessment of their needs. Sensor data is aggregated over time to identify changes in patterns of behaviour that could signify improvement, stasis, or deterioration of function. Results: Our first two case studies raised important ethical issues associated with sensor use. Difficulties using the technologies resulted in heightened anxiety for the PwD and their carer. Sensor ‘privacy’ buttons were often forgotten resulting in image capture that might not have been intended and was potentially embarrassing to the PwD, and ambient video recording could not be deployed given the lack of an acceptable solution to obtaining third party consent. Conclusions: Although potentially beneficial to PwD, the ethical issues associated with the use of ambient assistive technologies require further discussion given the vulnerability of this population

A Molecular Phylogenetic Study of Generic and Subgeneric Relationships in the Southwest Australian Endemics Conostylis and Blancoa (Haemodoraceae)

We sequenced the plastid gene matK and the nuclear ribosomal spacer ITS for 39 of the 47+ species of Conostylis as well as its monotypic sister genus Blancoa, which some authors have included within Conostylis. Conostylis received 99% bootstrap support as monophyletic, with 100% support that Blancoa is its sister. Within Conostylis, the study provides strong support for two large sister clades, which we refer to as clades A (100%) and B (99%). Clade A consists of C. subgen. Conostylis plus the recently discovered C. glabra of C. subgen. Pendula sect. Divaricata (100%), and C. subgen. Pendula sect. Appendicula (100%). Clade B consists of species mostly placed within the remainder of C. subgen. Pendula but also contains members of the other small subgenera. Subgenus Pendula can be recircumscribed as monophyletic by excluding sect. Appendicula, Conostylis phathyrantha, and C. glabra and including subgen. Androstemma and subgen. Greenia. The status of the other two minor subgenera—C. subgen. Brachycaulon and C. subgen. Bicolorata—requires further investigation. Conostylis sect. Divaricata is polyphyletic. Ancient vicariance events are postulated for Conostylis involving separation of major clades in the northern and southern kwongan regions of southwestern Australia. The phylogenetic pattern in Conostylis is consistent across several lineages with the prolonged persistence of relictual taxa combined with explosive more recent speciation, the latter pronounced in the northern kwongan. There is evidence of significant divergence in major speciation mechanisms and chromosome number change among the three most species-rich subgenera/sections (dysploidy in Pendula and Appendicula vs. diploid speciation in Conostylis). Further investigation is needed to evaluate these ideas and elucidate the patterns of speciation in this most diverse genus of Haemodoraceae