3,411 research outputs found
Flat conductor cable commercialization project
An undercarpet flat conductor cable and a baseboard flat conductor cable system were studied for commercialization. The undercarpet system is designed for use in office and commercial buildings. It employs a flat power cable, protected by a grounded metal shield, that terminates in receptacles mounted on the floor. It is designed to interface with a flat conductor cable telephone system. The baseboard system consists of a flat power cable mounted in a plastic raceway; both the raceway and the receptacles are mounted on the surface of the baseboard. It is designed primarily for use in residential buildings, particularly for renovation and concrete and masonry construction
Accounting for choice of measurement scale in extreme value modeling
We investigate the effect that the choice of measurement scale has upon
inference and extrapolation in extreme value analysis. Separate analyses of
variables from a single process on scales which are linked by a nonlinear
transformation may lead to discrepant conclusions concerning the tail behavior
of the process. We propose the use of a Box--Cox power transformation
incorporated as part of the inference procedure to account parametrically for
the uncertainty surrounding the scale of extrapolation. This has the additional
feature of increasing the rate of convergence of the distribution tails to an
extreme value form in certain cases and thus reducing bias in the model
estimation. Inference without reparameterization is practicably infeasible, so
we explore a reparameterization which exploits the asymptotic theory of
normalizing constants required for nondegenerate limit distributions. Inference
is carried out in a Bayesian setting, an advantage of this being the
availability of posterior predictive return levels. The methodology is
illustrated on both simulated data and significant wave height data from the
North Sea.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/10-AOAS333 the Annals of
Applied Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aoas/) by the Institute of
Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org
Superplastic forming of ceramic insulation
Superplasticity has been demonstrated in many fine-grained structural ceramics and ceramic composites, including yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (YTZP), alumina, and Al2O3-reinforced zirconia (Al2O3/YTZ) duplex composites and SiC-reinforced Si3N4. These superplastic ceramics obviously offer the potential benefit of forming net shape or near net shape parts. This could be particularly useful for forming complicated shapes that are difficult to achieve using conventional forming techniques, or require elaborate, subsequent machining. In the present study, we successfully demonstrated the following: (1) superplastic 3Y-TXP and 20 percent Al2O3/YTZ composite have for the first time been successfully deformed into hemispherical caps via a biaxial gas-pressure forming technique; (2) no experimental difficulty was encountered in applying the required gas pressures and temperatures to achieve the results, thus, it is certain that higher rates of deformation than those presented in this study will be possible by using the current test apparatus at higher temperatures and pressures; and (3) an analytical model incorporating material parameters, such as variations during forming in the strain rate sensitivity exponent and grain growth-induced strain hardening, is needed to model accurately and therefore precisely control the biaxial gas-pressure forming of superplastic ceramics. Based on the results of this study, we propose to fabricate zirconia insulation tubes by superplastic extrusion of zirconia polycrystal. This would not only reduce the cost, but also improve the reliability of the tube products
Rocky Mountain Alba Emoting Training for Creative Arts Therapists
This dissertation research explored what experiences and influences Rocky Mountain Alba Emoting (RMAE) training generated for creative arts therapists in both their personal and professional lives. RMAE builds upon the effector patterns of Alba EmotingTM which uses innate physiological processes to induce, experience, and cease six genuine basic emotions. RMAE uses the process of learning these patterns as a means of enhancing emotional expression, awareness, and balance. With emotions and emotional regulation playing an increasing role in psychotherapy, a therapistâs emotional life and ability to work with emotions have become more important. RMAE shares some characteristics with the practices of creative arts therapies and its philosophy was partially influenced by the creative arts therapies. Applying this training with creative arts therapists within an arts-based research design was a logical step in exploring the potential of RMAE. In this study, five credentialed creative arts therapists, four females and one male, who were currently working in their fields and had at least two years of professional experience were provided with a full initial training in RMAE via two 2-day trainings with six weeks between trainings. Data generation and analysis were arts-based. Participants created written responses along with original arts pieces in various forms that responded to guiding questions about the experiences and influences of the training both during and after the experience. These data were analyzed through a process which utilized the core elements of live theatre in the form of intuitive dramatic enactments, and final results were presented in dramatic performance pieces. Results indicated that participants reported expanded emotional awareness, high degrees of emotional arousal, and novel experiences with emotion and emotional understanding, among other experiences. All of these were reported to influence participants in meaningful ways in various aspects of their lives. Conclusions indicated that RMAE is worthy of additional exploration as a means of training creative arts therapists and others in and about emotions, and could be further combined with creative arts therapies principles to become an effective means of emotional restoration, enlivenment, and empowerment
Tetrahydrobiopterin analogues with NO-dependent pulmonary vasodilator properties
Reduced NO levels due to the deficiency of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) contribute to impaired vasodilation in pulmonary hypertension Due to the chemically unstable nature of BH4 it was hypothesised that oxidatively stable analogues of BR, would be able to support NO synthesis to improve Endothelial dysfunction in pulmonary hypertension Two analogues of BH4 namely 6-hydroxymethyl pterin (HMP) and 6-acetyl 7 7-dimethyl 7 8-dihydropterin (ADDP) were evaluated for vasodilator activity on precontracted rat pulmonary artery rings ADDP was administered to pulmonary hypertensive rats followed by measurement of pulmonary vascular resistance in perfused lungs and eNOS expression by immunohistochemistry ADDP and HMP caused significant relaxation in vitro in rat pulmonary arteries depleted of BH4 with a maximum relaxation at 0 3 mu M (both P<005) Vasodilator activity of ADDP and HMP was completely abolished following preincubation with the NO synthase inhibitor L-NAME ADDP and HMP did not alter relaxation induced by carbachol or spermine NONOate BH4 Itself did not produce relaxation In rats receiving ADDP 141 mg/kg/day pulmonary vasodilation induced by calcium ionophore A23187 was augmented and eNOS immunoreactivity was increased In conclusion ADDP and HMP are two analogues of BH4 which can act as oxidatively stable alternatives to BH4 in causing NO-mediated vasorelaxation Chronic treatment with ADDP resulted in Improvement of NO-mediated pulmonary artery dilation and enhanced expression of eNOS in the pulmonary vascular endothelium Chemically stable analogue, of BH4 may be able to limit endothelial dysfunction in the pulmonary vasculatur
Regulating the employment dynamics of domestic supply chains
This paper sheds light on the role that the regulation of primarily domestic, rather than global, supply chains could play in protecting and enhancing standards of workplace health and safety, as well as employment standards more generally. The analysis presented confirms the potential relevance of such regulation in these regards. However, it also reinforces existing evidence pointing to the fact that only very rarely will market-related considerations on their own prompt purchasers to seek to directly influence the employment practices of their suppliers. The paper ends therefore by highlighting a number of key issues relating to the design of regulatory initiatives aimed at protecting and enhancing employment conditions within supply chains
Protecting workers through supply chains: lessons from two construction case studies
Two case studies of the successful use of supply chains to support the effective management of health and safety on constructions sites are analysed to identify the factors supporting this success. The analysis reveals that a combination of external regulatory pressures and an industry structure facilitative of the establishment and implementation of âgood practiceâ played a crucial role in the outcomes achieved. It is concluded therefore that while the findings lend weight to policy initiatives to utilise the power dynamics in supply chains to protect working conditions, they also suggest that surrounding institutional and industrial contexts exert a potentially crucial influence over their effectiveness. Consequently, it is further argued that such initiatives need to be responsively shaped to them
Valuations on Algebras with Involution
Let A be a central simple algebra with involution sigma of first or second
kind. Let v be a valuation on the sigma-fixed part F of Z(A). A sigma-special
v-gauge g on A is a kind of value function on A extending v on F, such that
g(sigma(x) x) = 2g(x) for all x in A. It is shown (under certain restrictions
if the residue characteristic is 2) that if v is Henselian, then there is a
sigma-special v-gauge g if and only if sigma is anisotropic, and g is unique.
If v is not Henselian, it is shown that there is a sigma-special v-gauge g if
and only if sigma remains anisotropic after scalar extension from F to the
Henselization of F re v; when this occurs, g is the unique sigma-invariant
v-gauge on A.Comment: 27 page
The impact of within-herd genetic variation upon inferred transmission trees for foot-and-mouth disease virus
Full-genome sequences have been used to monitor the fine-scale dynamics of epidemics caused by RNA viruses. However, the ability of this approach to confidently reconstruct transmission trees is limited by the knowledge of the genetic diversity of viruses that exist within different epidemiological units. In order to address this question, this study investigated the variability of 45 foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) genome sequences (from 33 animals) that were collected during 2007 from eight premises (10 different herds) in the United Kingdom. Bayesian and statistical parsimony analysis demonstrated that these sequences exhibited clustering which was consistent with a transmission scenario describing herd-to-herd spread of the virus. As an alternative to analysing all of the available samples in future epidemics, the impact of randomly selecting one sequence from each of these herds was used to assess cost-effective methods that might be used to infer transmission trees during FMD outbreaks. Using these approaches, 85% and 91% of the resulting topologies were either identical or differed by only one edge from a reference tree comprising all of the sequences generated within the outbreak. The sequence distances that accrued during sequential transmission events between epidemiological units was estimated to be 4.6 nucleotides, although the genetic variability between viruses recovered from chronic carrier animals was higher than between viruses from animals with acute-stage infection: an observation which poses challenges for the use of simple approaches to infer transmission trees. This study helps to develop strategies for sampling during FMD outbreaks, and provides data that will guide the development of further models to support control policies in the event of virus incursions into FMD free countries
Preferences of children in grades two through eight in social studies subject areas
Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit
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