Foam-on-Tile Damage Model

An impact model was developed to predict how three specific foam types would damage the Space Shuttle Orbiter insulating tiles. The inputs needed for the model are the foam type, the foam mass, the foam impact velocity, the foam impact incident angle, the type being impacted, and whether the tile is new or aged (has flown at least one mission). The model will determine if the foam impact will cause damage to the tile. If it can cause damage, the model will output the damage cavity dimensions (length, depth, entry angle, exit angle, and sidewall angles). It makes the calculations as soon as the inputs are entered (less than 1 second). The model allows for the rapid calculation of numerous scenarios in a short time. The model was developed from engineering principles coupled with significant impact testing (over 800 foam impact tests). This model is applicable to masses ranging from 0.0002 up to 0.4 pound (0.09 up to 181 g). A prior tool performed a similar function, but was limited to the assessment of a small range of masses and did not have the large test database for verification. In addition, the prior model did not provide outputs of the cavity damage length, entry angle, exit angle, or sidewall angles

The host galaxies of strong CaII QSO absorption systems at z<0.5

We present new imaging and spectroscopic observations of the fields of five QSOs with very strong intervening CaII absorption systems at redshifts z<0.5 selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Recent studies of these very rare absorbers indicate that they may be related to damped Lyman alpha systems (DLAs). In all five cases we identify a galaxy at the redshift of the CaII system with impact parameters up to ~24 kpc. In four out of five cases the galaxies are luminous (L ~L*), metal-rich (Z ~Zsun), massive (velocity dispersion, sigma ~100 km/s) spirals. Their star formation rates, deduced from Halpha emission, are high, in the range SFR = 0.3 - 30 Msun/yr. In our analysis, we paid particular attention to correcting the observed emission line fluxes for stellar absorption and dust extinction. We show that these effects are important for a correct SFR estimate; their neglect in previous low-z studies of DLA-selected galaxies has probably led to an underestimate of the star formation activity in at least some DLA hosts. We discuss possible links between CaII-selected galaxies and DLAs and outline future observations which will help clarify the relationship between these different classes of QSO absorbers.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 14 pages, 9 figures. Version with full resolution images available at http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~bjz/papers/Zych_etal_2007a.pd

Cultivar Influences Milk Production of Grazing Dairy Cows

Perennial ryegrass is considered one of the most important forage grass species used in temperate ruminant animal production systems. Maximizing milk production from grazed grass is a major objective of pastoral-based dairy systems. While DM yield is an important trait, it fails to define the ultimate value of a grass cultivar, which is its potential to improve animal performance from a pasture sward (Reed 1994). The majority of cultivar evaluation trials are conducted under cutting, so therefore inferior cultivars from an animal production perspective may not be identified until commercialisation when animals graze a pasture sward. Reed (1978) reported that ryegrass pastures of similar digestibility can have different animal production responses depending on the season. Without exposure to animal production trials, practical differences between cultivars under field conditions may not be detected. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effect of four perennial ryegrass cultivars with different sward characteristics on milk yield, milk composition and dry matter intake (DMI) of lactating dairy cows during the spring and mid-season period

High Frequency of Extra-Pair Paternity in Eastern Kingbirds

Genetic parentage in the socially monogamous and territorial Eastern Kingbird( Tyrannust tyrannus) was examined in a central New York population by multilocus DNA fingerprinting. Extra-pair young were identified in 60% (12 of 20) of nests. Of the 64 nestlings profiled, 42% were sired by extra-pair males, but no cases of conspecific brood parasitism were detected. These results are markedly different from a previous electrophoretic study of the same species in a Michigan population, which reported 39% of nestlings were unrelated to one (typically the mother, quasiparasitismo)r both (conspecificb roodp arasitism) of the putative parents. In the New York population, extra-pairp aternityw as most common among females that returned to breed on a former territory. Among females that were new to a breeding territory, extrapair paternity increased directly with breeding density. Although the power of the tests was low, neither breeding synchrony nor male experience with a breeding territory appeared to be associated with the occurrence of extra-pair young

The Use of New Media by Political Parties in the 2008 National Election

The overall purpose of this research project has been to undertake an empirical, exploratory study into how political parties in New Zealand make use of ICTs in and around the 2008 national election campaign, and their implications. The following research questions have been explored: How, in what form, and to what extent did political parties in New Zealand make use of ICTs during the 2008 national election? How can the use, and non-use, of ICTs be understood and explained? What are the implications of the uptake and use of ICTs by New Zealand political parties for their external relationships with voters? What recommendations can be made regarding the use of ICTs by New Zealand political parties for election campaigning

Efficient Activation of Reconstructed Rat Embryos by Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitors

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publication by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contac

Learning to teach (LETS): developing curricular and cross curricular competences in becoming a 'good' secondary teacher: executive summary

The aim of this research, the Learning to Teach Study (LETS), the first of its kind on the Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) in Ireland, funded by the Department of Education and Skills (DES), was to develop and implement a study of initial teacher education in the PGDE in post-primary education, in the School of Education, University College Cork. Its aim was to identify the individual and contextual dynamics of how student teachers develop curricular and cross-curricular competences during initial teacher education (ITE). Within an overall framework that explores how student teachers develop their skills, competences and identity as teachers, it focuses on curricular competences in mathematics, science and language teaching, and on the cross-curricular competences of reading and digital literacy and the development of inclusive teaching practices. LETS is the first programme level research on the PGDE, familiarly known to generations of student teachers and teachers as ‘the Dip’ or ‘the HDip’. Drawing on research on teacher education both in Ireland and internationally, the LETS report is divided into six sections encompassing thirteen chapters. Section 1 includes the review of literature and study aims in Chapter 1 and the research methodology in Chapter 2. Adopting an interpretive approach, LETS involved the collaborative development of three interviews protocols and a survey by the research team. Seventeen (n=17) students were interviewed three times over the course of PGDE programme, and one hundred and thirty three students completed a detailed survey on their learning to teach experience (n=133, i.e. response rate of 62.7% of the 212 students in the PGDE 2008/09 cohort). The four chapters in Section 2 focus on professional identity as a central dimension of learning to teach. Among the dimensions of learning to teach addressed in this section are the role of observation and cultural scripts in becoming a teacher, the visibility/invisibility of PGDE students as learners and the relationships between emotions, resilience and commitment to teaching. The three chapters in Section 3 focus on mathematics, modern languages and science respectively in the context of conventional and reform-oriented visions of good teaching. A number of common as well as subject-specific themes emerged in this section in relation to subject matter teaching. Section 4 focuses on PGDE students’ experience of inclusion (chapter 10) and reading literacy (chapter 11) while learning to teach. Section 5 focuses on a key aspect of initial teacher education, namely, the school-university partnership. The final section provides a summary of the findings, identifies seven key issues emerging from these findings, makes Learning to Teach Study (LETS) recommendations under four headings (system, teacher education institutions, partnerships in ITE and further research) and discusses some implications for research, policy and practice in initial teacher education. Among the main findings emerging from the study are: (i) schools provide valuable support for PGDE students but this typically does not focus on classroom pedagogy, (ii) PGDE students typically felt that they had to be ‘invisible’ as learners in schools to gain and maintain authority and status, (iii) inherited cultural scripts about what it means to be a ‘good’ subject teacher shaped teacher identity and classroom practice, and (iv) as PGDE students begin to feel competent as teachers of maths, modern languages and science, this feeling of competence typically does not include their capacity to teach for inclusion and reading literacy within their subject teaching. In the context of research on teacher education, many of the findings are not unique to the PGDE or to UCC but reflect perennial dilemmas and emerging challenges in initial teacher education. This fact is important in setting a context for the wider dissemination2 of the Learning to Teach Study

Moving Forwards by Blocking Back-Flow: The Yin and Yang of MI Therapy.

Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production has emerged as an important pathological mechanism in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury. Attempts at targeting reactive oxygen species by scavenging using antioxidants have, however, been clinically disappointing. This review will provide an overview of the current understanding of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species in ischemia/reperfusion injury. We will outline novel therapeutic approaches designed to directly target the mitochondrial respiratory chain and prevent excessive reactive oxygen species production and its associated pathology. This approach could lead to more effective interventions in an area where there is an urgent need for new treatments.Work in our laboratories is supported by the Medical Research Council (UK) and the British Heart Foundation.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the American Heart Association via http://dx.doi.org/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.115.30656