Lunar penetrometer Patent

Development and characteristics of pentrometer for measuring physical properties of lunar surfac

Teacher Well-Being and Virginia Standards of Learning

The Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) were created by the Virginia Department of Education as a method to assess student learning. The SOLs were implemented in the mid-1990s and were used as end of grade and end of course assessments for grades 3-8 and secondary courses. The SOLs have taken on a foundational role within the Virginia public schools as they now count toward student graduation and teacher evaluation. Virginia now uses a teacher evaluation system that is in large part based upon student performance on the SOL assessments. This evaluation system is in place in all public school divisions in Virginia. This study began as an attempt to understand the potential changes in the mental and physical well-being of teachers as related to the Virginia SOLs. Teachers were asked to complete a brief survey designed to measure their response to various mental and physical stressors. One hundred twenty-one surveys responses were received with 117 completed. The survey data will be used to discuss the possibility of creating a quality program of professional development that will help teachers guide their stress into positive and productive areas. This study revealed that elementary/middle school teachers tended to experience higher rates of insecurity, vulnerability, depression, and coping ability than secondary teachers during SOL test administration. However, it was also determined that elementary/middle school instructors did not experience changes in most aspects of physical well-being during the SOL test administration that are drastically different than their secondary school counterparts. The study indicated elementary teachers experienced a higher rate of heart racing than their secondary colleagues. The means and standard deviations across the areas surveyed were similar and did not vary significantly across surveyed responses except for the areas mentioned above

The Quest to End Human Trafficking: An Educational and Practical Guide for Everyone Who Wants to Help Break the Bonds and Assist Survivors

People often assume that only legislators and law enforcement personnel can take meaningful steps to fight human trafficking, one of the most lucrative transnational crimes in the world. This inquiry sought to assess the validity of that belief. The study was informed by the author’s experience as a college instructor of human trafficking and the inspiration he drew from the range and quality of his students’ projects. The methodology included examining the strategies that governmental and non-governmental organizations are using to fight trafficking and assist survivors. It also considered the work of individual activists and service providers such as social workers and health/mental health professionals. Business allies selected for review included convenience store managers and those in the lodging, tourism, airline, and transportation industries. Community influencers such as public officials, members of the press, spiritual leaders, and college instructors were studied as well. The research demonstrated that each group is making a valuable contribution. The analysis first summarizes major concepts and laws that every antitrafficking activist needs to know. The author then organized the insights and lessons learned into five types of activities: Awareness, political advocacy, prevention, reducing demand (shopping wisely), and survivor intervention/aftercare. A separate discussion focused on ideas for student service projects, internships, and relevant career opportunities. The concluding chapters offer an easy-to-follow game plan for anyone interested in joining the cause. Altogether, the Guide has more than 1,100 hyperlinks to articles and free resources that advocates can use to pursue their personal antitrafficking interests and priorities

Some effects of adverse weather conditions on performance of airplane antiskid braking systems

The performance of current antiskid braking systems operating under adverse weather conditions was analyzed in an effort to both identify the causes of locked-wheel skids which sometimes occur when the runway is slippery and to find possible solutions to this operational problem. This analysis was made possible by the quantitative test data provided by recently completed landing research programs using fully instrumented flight test airplanes and was further supported by tests performed at the Langley aircraft landing loads and traction facility. The antiskid system logic for brake control and for both touchdown and locked-wheel protection is described and its response behavior in adverse weather is discussed in detail with the aid of available data. The analysis indicates that the operational performance of the antiskid logic circuits is highly dependent upon wheel spin-up acceleration and can be adversely affected by certain pilot braking inputs when accelerations are low. Normal antiskid performance is assured if the tire-to-runway traction is sufficient to provide high wheel spin-up accelerations or if the system is provided a continuous, accurate ground speed reference. The design of antiskid systems is complicated by the necessity for tradeoffs between tire braking and cornering capabilities, both of which are necessary to provide safe operations in the presence of cross winds, particularly under slippery runway conditions

A Dynamic Model Investigation of the Effect of a Sharp-Edge Vertical Gust on Blade Periodic Flapping Angles and Bending Moments of a Two-Blade Rotor

A two-blade rotor having a diameter of 4 feet and a solidity of 0.037 was subjected to sharp-edge vertical gusts while being operated at various forward speeds to study the effect of the gusts on the blade periodic bending moments and flapping angles. Variables studied included gust velocity, collective pitch angle, flapping hinge offset, and tip-speed ratio. Dimensionless coefficients are derived for the periodic components of the incremental changes in blade flapping angles and bending moments which arise when a rotor blade penetrates a sharp-edge gust. Mental changes in both the flapping angles and bending moments are essentially proportional to gust velocity, and the coefficients express the ratio of these increments to gust velccity. The results show that the flapping coefficient usually increases with an increase in collective pitch angle, is generally dependent on tip-speed ratio, and is essentially independent of the amount of flapping hinge offset. The bending-moment coefficient is also dependent on collective pitch angle and tip-speed ratio. Expected reductions in bending moments are realized by the use of flapping hinges, and further reductions in bending moments are achieved as the amount of flapping hinge offset is increased. Comparison of the experimental results of this investigation with limited available theoretical results shows substantial agreement but indicates that the assumption that the response of the rotor to a sharp-edge gust is independent of the collective pitch angle prior to gust entry is probably inadequate

THE IMPACT OF CURRENT COTTON PRICE AND PRODUCTION COSTS ON SKIP-ROW COTTON

According to conventional wisdom, low prices favor skip-row planting patterns while high prices favor solid planted cotton. Production costs have been trending upward for many years. Current high production costs have redefined the point at which a low price becomes a high price relative to skip-row versus solid planting pattern decisions. Growers considering a shift from solid to skip-row cotton must be able to produce high yields, more than 90% of the solid yield on a land acre basis.cotton, no-till yields, returns, Production Economics,

Chemical Vapour Deposition of Amorphous Ru(P) Thin Films from Ru Trialkylphosphite Hydride Complexes

The ruthenium phosphite hydride complexes H2Ru(P(OR)(3))(4) (R = Me (1), Et (2), Pr-i (3)) were used as CVD precursors for the deposition of films of amorphous ruthenium-phosphorus alloys. The as-deposited films were X-ray amorphous and XPS analysis revealed that they were predominantly comprised of Ru and P in zero oxidation states. XPS analysis also showed the presence of small amounts of oxidized ruthenium and phosphorus. The composition of the films was found to depend on ligand chemistry as well as the deposition conditions. The use of H-2 as the carrier gas had the effect of increasing the relative concentrations of P and O for all films. Annealing films to 700 degrees C under vacuum produced films of polycrystalline hcp Ru while a flowing stream of H-2 resulted in polycrystalline hcp RuP.Welch Foundation F-816Petroleum Research FundAmerican Chemical Society 47014-ACSNSF 0741973Chemistr