Reusable thermal cycling clamp

A reusable metal clamp for retaining a fused quartz ampoule during temperature cycling in the range of 20 deg C to 1000 deg C is described. A compressible graphite foil having a high radial coefficient of thermal expansion is interposed between the fused quartz ampoule and metal clamp to maintain a snug fit between these components at all temperature levels in the cycle

Development of a long life thermal cell Final report

Development of long life thermal cells, environmental and electrochemical performance tests to evaluate their capability and reproductibilit

Fatal Distraction? A Comparison of the Cell-phone Driver and the Drunk Driver

We used a high-fidelity driving simulator to compare the performance of cell-phone drivers with drivers who were legally intoxicated from ethanol. When drivers were conversing on either a hand-held or hands-free cell-phone, their reactions were sluggish and they attempted to compensate by driving slower and increasing the following distance from the vehicle immediately in front of them. By contrast, when drivers were legally intoxicated they exhibited a more aggressive driving style, following closer to the vehicle immediately in front of them and applying more force while braking. When controlling for driving difficulty and time on task, cell-phone drivers exhibited greater impairment than intoxicated drivers

Temperature profiles in high gradient furnaces

Accurate temperature measurement of the furnace environment is very important in both the science and technology of crystal growth as well as many other materials processing operations. A high degree of both accuracy and precision is acutely needed in the directional solidification of compound semiconductors in which the temperature profiles control the freezing isotherm which, in turn, affects the composition of the growth with a concomitant feedback perturbation on the temperature profile. Directional solidification requires a furnace configuration that will transport heat through the sample being grown. A common growth procedure is the Bridgman Stockbarger technique which basically consists of a hot zone and a cold zone separated by an insulator. In a normal growth procedure the material, contained in an ampoule, is melted in the hot zone and is then moved relative to the furnace toward the cold zone and solidification occurs in the insulated region. Since the primary path of heat between the hot and cold zones is through the sample, both axial and radial temperature gradients exist in the region of the growth interface. There is a need to know the temperature profile of the growth furnace with the crystal that is to be grown as the thermal load. However it is usually not feasible to insert thermocouples inside an ampoule and thermocouples attached to the outside wall of the ampoule have both a thermal and a mechanical contact problem as well as a view angle problem. The objective is to present a technique of calibrating a furnace with a thermal load that closely matches the sample to be grown and to describe procedures that circumvent both the thermal and mechanical contact problems

Enhancing The Learning Environment Of Nursing Students Through Interprofessional Collaboration

The AACN position statement (1999) supports interprofessional collaboration. The development of innovative collaborative teaching methods within education may enhance the learning environment of students. Educational institutions utilize student evaluations as a method of listening to the voices of students, but research related to their use is limited. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of interprofessional collaboration on nursing students’ perceptions of the online learning environment. An innovative collaborative teaching methodology was developed using a variety of disciplines, including physicians, pharmacists, chiropractic physicians, and nurses. Quantitative data analyses indicated a significant increase in student satisfaction with the online course as well as the online environment p < 0.05 following the establishment of the collaborative teaching methodology. Qualitative analysis illustrated enhanced satisfaction among students following the institution of interprofessional collaboration. Findings that view the learning environment through the lens of students’ eyes have many implications, including increased student and faculty satisfaction with the teaching/learning experience and enhanced collaboration among healthcare professionals. In addition, results may impact the curriculum by identifying a multidisciplinary approach to nursing education as an important resource. If we believe that students have a right to be active participants in their educational experiences, then we must give voice to their values, choices, concerns, and requests. A collaborative teaching methodology is one way to ensure that students’ voices are heard and acted upon, and it was found to be an innovative solution in meeting enrollment demands and healthcare needs. Collaborative relationships within nursing practice and nursing education are essential in the preparation of future nurses.

Development of a long life thermal cell Status report no. 1

Quality control program and cell construction flow chart for development of 50 ampere hour thermal cell with copper oxide cathod

Microgravity science at Langley Research Center

Although space research is still in an embryonic state, a combination of Earth based and space flight experiments are being coupled to yield a better understanding of the complex interaction of heat and fluid flow on the dynamics of crystal growth. Continued efforts on the ground as well as additional flight opportunities are needed to continue the drive to fully understand the advantages, both scientifically and economically, of microgravity crystal growth

Sublinear Estimation of Weighted Matchings in Dynamic Data Streams

This paper presents an algorithm for estimating the weight of a maximum weighted matching by augmenting any estimation routine for the size of an unweighted matching. The algorithm is implementable in any streaming model including dynamic graph streams. We also give the first constant estimation for the maximum matching size in a dynamic graph stream for planar graphs (or any graph with bounded arboricity) using $\tilde{O}(n^{4/5})$ space which also extends to weighted matching. Using previous results by Kapralov, Khanna, and Sudan (2014) we obtain a $\mathrm{polylog}(n)$ approximation for general graphs using $\mathrm{polylog}(n)$ space in random order streams, respectively. In addition, we give a space lower bound of $\Omega(n^{1-\varepsilon})$ for any randomized algorithm estimating the size of a maximum matching up to a $1+O(\varepsilon)$ factor for adversarial streams

Evaluating Loss to Follow-Up in Newborn Hearing Screening in a Southern State

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine loss to follow-up on the usage of diagnostic or intervention services for South Carolina infants screened or diagnosed with hearing loss and the risk factors associated with loss to follow up. Design: A cross sectional analysis of data from South Carolina was used to examine loss to follow-up on the use of audiologic evaluation services after initial newborn hearing screening and receipt of intervention services after confirmation of hearing loss. Results: Three percent (3.1%) of all children screened in the state of South Carolina did not pass their newborn hearing screening test in 2013 with less than half (49.1%) of those children not reported to have used audiologic diagnostic services within one month of their initial screening test. Factors significant with receipt of services include birth weight, mother’s education, insurance type, and rurality. The degree of hearing loss was a significant determinant of receiving intervention at some point in time. Conclusions: The highest risk children are “lost follow-up” for both the initial diagnostic services and follow-up intervention services in South Carolina. Interventions targeted at specific groups are needed to improve the delivery of hearing services and prevent a public health shortfall

Existence of solutions for a higher order non-local equation appearing in crack dynamics

In this paper, we prove the existence of non-negative solutions for a non-local higher order degenerate parabolic equation arising in the modeling of hydraulic fractures. The equation is similar to the well-known thin film equation, but the Laplace operator is replaced by a Dirichlet-to-Neumann operator, corresponding to the square root of the Laplace operator on a bounded domain with Neumann boundary conditions (which can also be defined using the periodic Hilbert transform). In our study, we have to deal with the usual difficulty associated to higher order equations (e.g. lack of maximum principle). However, there are important differences with, for instance, the thin film equation: First, our equation is nonlocal; Also the natural energy estimate is not as good as in the case of the thin film equation, and does not yields, for instance, boundedness and continuity of the solutions (our case is critical in dimension $1$ in that respect)