Resolving the evolution of pore structures in 304-L laser welds

The failure of partial-penetration Nd:YAG laser welds in 304-L stainless steel have been investigated through the direct incorporation of pore structures at the specimen level. Microcomputed tomography is employed to characterize multiple weld schedules and develop idealized representations of the size, shape, and spacing of the pores. Pore growth and the subsequent necking are natural outcomes of the simulation. The large deformations between pores require a robust mapping scheme for the remeshing and mapping of internal state variables [1]. We employ higher-order tetrahedral elements to resolve strong gradients and ease the burden of discretizing complex and evolving pore structures. Through our ability to idealize, resolve, and evolve pore structures, we can investigate the performance of candidate weld schedules. Sandia National Laboratories is a multiprogram laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000. REFERENCE [1] Mota, A., Sun, W., Ostien, J.T., Foulk III, J.W., Long, K.N. Computational Mechanics. 2013, 52, 6

THE MEANINGS OF UNDERPANTS AND OLD PHOTOGRAPHS: NOTIONS OF PERSONHOOD AND POLLUTION IN THE ESTATE SALE

In the estate sale, actors (shoppers and estate sale workers) form notions ofpersonhood and pollution through objects such as half-used bottles of perfume, floral dishes, and family photographs. Actors use these objects to create the gender, personality, religion, hobbies, and occupation of the objects\u27 former owners. The context of the estate sale contributes to these notions of personhood. Estate sales usually occur after a death, almost everything this person has owned is priced for sale, and the estate sale is held within the house of the deceased.This study draws on Mary Douglas\u27 work on pollution as matter out of place. In the estate sale, pollution takes on various forms (in association with death and illness, the body, the identity of their previous owner, and physical dirt) and degrees, which affect how out of place an object is, as well as how actors react to this object. These four forms of pollution are then linked back to the objects\u27 previous owner due to actors\u27 perceived lack of anonymity of this person. Suggestions are made as to how these forms of pollution extend and refine Douglas\u27 continuum of purity and pollution, and how they link to notions of gendered personhood

Tissue culture and recombinant DNA technology: Developing protocols for potentially higher yielding switchgrass cultivars

The purpose of this thesis project was to, firstly, establish and optimize protocols for high-throughput callus induction and plant regeneration for the new, higher yielding switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) cultivars NSL and SL93. Secondly, to subclone the complementary DNA (cDNA) of the anthocyanin transcription factor, C1, from pBECKS.red into pUC18 and pBSL15 for downstream use. For the first part of this project the cultivars, NF/GA992, NF/GA993, NSL, and SL93, were tested for callus induction by plating whole dehusked caryopses on callus induction media (CIM) containing 8.5uM of the auxin dicamba. NF/GA992 responded best to the treatment with 44% of plated seeds producing callus. For the second experiment seeds of the cultivars NSL, SL93, and Alamo were plated on CIM containing various molar concentrations of dicamba (0uM, 8.5uM, 17uM, and 34uM) and 6-benzylamino purine (BAP) (0uM, 5uM, 15uM, and 45uM). This research revealed that the presence of BAP in CIM plates did not promote callus induction in Alamo, SL93, and NSL, but elevated concentrations (34uM) of dicamba significantly increased callus formation in all three cultivars. It was also found that the SL93 callus derived from CIM plates containing 34uM dicamba and 15uM BAP regenerated the most shoots, 27 shoots were regenerated from 3 calluses. Seed pretreatments were evaluated to determine their impact on callus induction and subsequent plant regeneration. For this experiment, seeds of NSL, SL93, and Alamo were plated on CIM containing 34uM of dicamba. Seeds were subjected to one of three treatments before plating: a) dehusked with H2SO4 , b) chilled for two weeks at 4°C then plated, and c) sterilized with sodium hypochlorite and ethanol. This research revealed that seed pretreatment significantly increased callus induction amongst the three tested cultivars. The second part of this experiment compared the shoot regeneration efficiencies of seed-derived calluses to inflorescence-derived calluses. Analysis showed that SL93 calluses induced from inflorescences produced significantly more shoots than any of the other explants. The final arm of this thesis project focused on sub-cloning the C1 anthocyanin regulatory cDNA. The C1 cDNA isolated from pBECKS.red was sub-cloned into pUC18 and pBSL15 using a sticky-end ligation

Sensibility in English lyric poetry, circa, 1750-1830

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Kansas, English, 1916. ; Includes bibliographical references

Factors Affecting Indication Rates of Child Abuse and Neglect for Similar Counties in Illinois

This exploratory study examines child abuse and neglect by concentrating on one aspect of this complex public issue: the current state of advocacy in Illinois. Following a review of the literature, this paper explores the vital role of the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and its participation in advocacy for abused and neglected children. A sample of six demographically similar counties from the state of Illinois is selected for study. Although demographically similar, the counties have statistically significant differences between their indication rates--those children found to be abused and neglected through investigation by DCFS. Current and respected theories in the fields of sociology, social work, and criminology are examined to explain these differences in indication rates. Although there is statistical significance and face validity indicated between some of the variables and indication rates, the small sample restricts this to an exploratory study. Two final hypotheses are examined. The first regards the possible influence of the organizational structure and cohesion of each individual DCFS office on its indication rate. The second studies the possible effect of public visibility of the individual agency on its indication rate. Data was obtained from telephone interviews of the six agency directors. Of all the variables considered, the visibility of the DCFS office in the community is found to have the highest correlation to indication rates both statistically and on face validity. These findings are discussed and recommendations are made for continued study in the hope that this information will increase public knowledge of child abuse and neglect, thereby increasing protection of the vulnerable child

Nonlocal regularization for loss of ellipticity in inelastic problems

A mixed three-field finite element formulation is proposed as a method for the alleviation of mesh dependency in finite-deformation inelastic problems subjected to bifurcation. The additional fields in the formulation are the internal variables that cause bifurcation and the corresponding conjugate thermodynamic forces. The formulation leads to expressions for the additional fields that are akin to nonlocal averages that extend to a domain defined by the interpolation functions selected for these fields. The size of the nonlocal domain controls the length scale of the problem. The performance of the formulation is demonstrated by several examples where it is shown that it is effective in alleviating mesh dependence. The formulation provides effective regularization, entirely by-passes the introduction of new and independent mechanical variables into the problem, discretizes naturally, computes averages with regular interpolation functions, and does not require changes to constitutive relationships