Retention and application of Skylab experiences to future programs

The problems encountered and special techniques and procedures developed on the Skylab program are described along with the experiences and practical benefits obtained for dissemination and use on future programs. Three major topics are discussed: electrical problems, mechanical problems, and special techniques. Special techniques and procedures are identified that were either developed or refined during the Skylab program. These techniques and procedures came from all manufacturing and test phases of the Skylab program and include both flight and GSE items from component level to sophisticated spaceflight systems

Design, fabrication, and tests of a metallic shell tile thermal protection system for space transportation

A thermal protection tile for earth-to-orbit transports is described. The tiles consist of a rigid external shell filled with a flexible insulation. The tiles tend to be thicker than the current Shuttle rigidized silica tiles for the same entry heat load but are projected to be more durable and lighter. The tiles were thermally tested for several simulated entry trajectories

The Allocation of Public School Expenditures

While the Serrano v Priest decisions and Proposition 13 effectively rendered California school district budgets exogenous, intra-district resource allocation remains largely at the discretion of school district administrations. As a result, Serrano v Priest and Proposition 13 alleviate concerns about the potentially endogenous relationship between student body composition and inter-district resource disparity and allow us to focus on consistently estimating the effect of classroom versus non-classroom spending. We find that teaching expenditures have a positive effect on student performance while nonteaching expenditures have a negative effect. Either the reallocation of $100 from administrative to classroom spending, with no change in overall expenditures, or an$100 increase aimed directly at the classroom moves the average California high school approximately 5 percentage points higher in the state test score rankings. These results are similar across grade levels (elementary, middle and high schools) and subject areas (mathematics, reading, language, spelling, social studies, and science). Our results suggest that both current and future educational expenditures should be targeted towards the classroom.school spending; test scores

Shell tile thermal protection system

A reusable, externally applied thermal protection system for use on aerospace vehicles subject to high thermal and mechanical stresses utilizes a shell tile structure which effectively separates its primary functions as an insulator and load absorber. The tile consists of structurally strong upper and lower metallic shells manufactured from materials meeting the thermal and structural requirements incident to tile placement on the spacecraft. A lightweight, high temperature package of insulation is utilized in the upper shell while a lightweight, low temperature insulation is utilized in the lower shell. Assembly of the tile which is facilitated by a self-locking mechanism, may occur subsequent to installation of the lower shell on the spacecraft structural skin

RESOURCE ALLOCATION IN JOINT PUBLIC-PRIVATE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

Federal technology transfer legislation has encouraged increased collaboration between the public and private sectors, including joint research ventures known as Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs). While several economically important technologies have been developed through CRADAs, there is concern that CRADA may divert public research from its central research missions. This study compares the pattern of research resource allocation for CRADA projects at the U.S. Department of Agriculture with research priorities of public and private intramural agricultural research. The findings suggest that CRADAs have attracted considerable private co-financing of joint research projects, and may have enabled public research to concentrate more resources on research areas where private incentives are relatively weak.agricultural research, CRADA projects, research priorities, technology transfer, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

School Size and the Distribution of Test Scores

After forty years of school consolidation, the preponderance of the evidence, including the results presented in this paper, suggest that the race to reap returns to scale and specialization in education may have come at a high price. This paper uses newly available STAR test score data from California to explore the relationship between school size and the distribution of test scores across elementary, middle, and high schools. We find that school size has a statistically significant and economically large impact on school performance. For example, the probability that an average suburban high school is dominated by low scorers rises from 47% to 71% as the school grows from 200 to 800 students per grade.school size, test scores

Empowering and Retaining New Graduate Nurses Through a Structured Mentoring Program

The purpose of this project is to improve the orientation experience of the new graduate nurse at a metropolitan Minnesota hospital through the development of a structured mentoring program. The transition from student nurse to professional nurse is stressful for new graduate nurses. Stress combined with increased technology and patient acuity in the acute care setting has led to many new graduate nurses leaving the profession, contributing to the anticipated nursing shortage. Literature on new graduate nurse orientation, the nursing shortage, mentoring, and generational differences were incorporated in the development of the structured mentoring program. The importance of nursing leadership engagement and support from a consistent mentor are stressed. Imogene King\u27s theory of Goal Attainment provides support for the structured mentoring program to focus on relationship building, engaging the new graduate nurses in the orientation process, and empowering the new nurse through encouragement and praise for accomplishments

Sexual Violence As A Crime Against Humanity As Seen In The Indian Partition Of 1947

This research project looks into the nature of violence of the Indian Partition of 1947. The goal in this work is to place sexual violence towards women in this particular moment in history into a global context through applying international law to the violent acts committed by citizens of both India and Pakistan, as well as comparing it to other ethnic conflicts of history. This history has only recently become relevant, alongside the feminist movement of the 1990’s with oral historians such as Kamla Patel and Urvashi Butalia. Upon analyzing memoirs, newspapers, official government documentation from social workers, as well as oral histories, it is clear a crime against humanity occurred in the South Asian subcontinent in 1947; however, there has been little action taken by these states’ governments to memorialize these women, aid them, or punish their attackers. This research is an attempt to remember these women and uncover the true extent of the violence they faced

Boosted Beta regression.

Regression analysis with a bounded outcome is a common problem in applied statistics. Typical examples include regression models for percentage outcomes and the analysis of ratings that are measured on a bounded scale. In this paper, we consider beta regression, which is a generalization of logit models to situations where the response is continuous on the interval (0,1). Consequently, beta regression is a convenient tool for analyzing percentage responses. The classical approach to fit a beta regression model is to use maximum likelihood estimation with subsequent AIC-based variable selection. As an alternative to this established - yet unstable - approach, we propose a new estimation technique called boosted beta regression. With boosted beta regression estimation and variable selection can be carried out simultaneously in a highly efficient way. Additionally, both the mean and the variance of a percentage response can be modeled using flexible nonlinear covariate effects. As a consequence, the new method accounts for common problems such as overdispersion and non-binomial variance structures