Process Planning Based on User Preferences

Typical approaches to adaptive slicing in previous literature have typically used surface finish requirements to control the slicing process. As a result, slice schemes improve the part's surface quality, but do not enable explicit trade-offs between finish and build time. The purpose of this article is to present a process planning method that enables the preferences of the user for surface finish, build time, and accuracy to control how trade-offs are made in a process plan. A multiobjective goal formulation is used by this method to evaluate how well user preferences are met by a process plan. This method consists of three modules, for determining part orientation, for slicing the part, and for determining other parameter values. An example with several scenarios representing different user preferences is provided to illustrate the process planning method.Mechanical Engineerin

When Does Teacher Incentive Pay Raise Student Achievement? Evidence from Minnesota's Q-Comp Program

Since 2005, dozens of Minnesota school districts have implemented pay for performance (P4P) plans as part of the state's Quality Compensation (Q-Comp) program. This paper performs the first systematic study of Q-Comp's impact on student achievement, exploiting variation across districts in the timing of participation as well as in the design of districts' P4P plans to study effects on achievement for grades 3 through 8. Results show a consistent zero average effect of Q-Comp participation on both reading and math achievement. However, effects on reading achievement differ depending on the design of the P4P plan. Specifically, districts offering greater rewards for teacher-centered actions or outcomes evidently experienced large gains in reading (0.11 SD per $1,000 bonus) while those offering rewards based on school-wide goals or formal subjective evaluations did not. Gains from specific P4P design features were not consistently evident in math. We also study effects on other outcomes, such as teacher characteristics and parent demand.

A Process Planning Method and Data Format for Achieving Tolerances in Stereolithography

When building parts in a stereolithography apparatus (SLA), the user is faced with many decis!ons regarding the setting of process variables. To 'achieve a set of tolera~ces as closely as pOSSIble, relationships between part geometry, tolerances, and process v~nables ~ust be understood quantitatively. This paper presents a method for SLA process plannIng that IS based on response surface methodology and multi-objective optimization, where the response surfaces capture these relationships. These response surfaces were generated by extensive design-of-experiment studies for a variety of geometries. An annotated STL data format is also presented that enables the inclusion of tolerance and surface information in fatetted representations. Application of the data format and process planning method is illustrated on one part.Mechanical Engineerin

Too continuous to continue? Multiple electronic surfaces and derivatives

The current document includes six chapters, which are published, accepted, or prepared for submission in various journals. Chapter 2 introduces a study on the triplet surface of O+C2H4. Chapter 3 presents a study on the singlet and triplet surfaces of O+C2H4 with a focus on biradical species. Chapter 4 continues the previous study with a more extensive study on the energetically lowest-lying singlet surface of O+C2H4. Chapters 2-4 rely on a several multireference methods to model ground and excited states and on some single-reference methods. Chapter 5 presents a multireference study on SiCH4 and butadiene with ORMAS energy, first-order nuclear derivative, and first-order nuclear derivative coupling contours, which characterize whether or not the ORMAS approximation effects correct analytical derivatives with seemingly smooth energies over a range of geometries. Chapter 6 presents the interface of NEWTON-X (a dynamics driver program) and GAMESS (an electronic structure suite) along with a dynamics study on CNH4+ that demonstrates the possible effects of the ORMAS approximation on product distributions

Modulation of basal and peptide hormone-stimulated Na transport by membrane cholesterol content in the A6 epithelial cell line

These studies examined the effect of altering plasma membrane cholesterol on basal Na+ flux as well as on the natriferic responses to the peptide hormones, insulin and anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) in the A6 model renal cell line. Membrane cholesterol concentrations were depleted or enriched using methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (MbetaCD) or a MbetaCD/cholesterol inclusion complex respectively. Effects of changes in the apical and basolateral plasma membranes were examined independently. Apical membrane cholesterol removal or supplementation had no effect on the basal Na+ transport rate. Short-term apical membrane cholesterol supplementation also had no effect on insulin-stimulated Na+ transport or on the initial phase of the ADH response. Interestingly, the additional apical membrane cholesterol had an inhibitory effect on the ADH response after 30 minutes. Apical membrane cholesterol depletion partially inhibited the responses to both insulin and ADH. Conversely, supplementation of basolateral cholesterol caused a significant increase in basal Na+ flux. Removal of cholesterol from the basolateral plasma membrane caused a decrease in basal Na+ flux with a time course analogous to channel turnover and completely inhibited peptide hormone responses. None of the changes in membrane cholesterol content decreased transcellular resistance. These results indicate an important role for membrane cholesterol content in the regulation of ENaC-mediated Na+ uptake

Soybean Cyst Nematode Hatching Behavior

The ability of soybean cyst nematodes (SCN. Heterodera glycines) to lay dormant as eggs within a cyst for up to 11 years, has made this parasite a principal target for soybean crop pest management. Research on SCN hatching will improve understanding of SCN biology will uncover new mechanisms for their control. This poster summarizes three experiments using hatching stimulants, soybean root exudate (SRE) zinc chloride, testing whether it affects post hatch development

Caught Between Jazz and Pop: The Contested Origins, Criticism, Performance Practice, and Reception of Smooth Jazz.

In Caught Between Jazz and Pop, I challenge the prevalent marginalization and malignment of smooth jazz in the standard jazz narrative. Furthermore, I question the assumption that smooth jazz is an unfortunate and unwelcomed evolutionary outcome of the jazz-fusion era. Instead, I argue that smooth jazz is a long-lived musical style that merits multi-disciplinary analyses of its origins, critical dialogues, performance practice, and reception. Chapter 1 begins with an examination of current misconceptions about the origins of smooth jazz. In many jazz histories, the origins of smooth jazz are defined as a product of the jazz-fusion era. I suggest that smooth jazz is a distinct jazz style that is not a direct outgrowth of any mainstream jazz style, but a hybrid of various popular and jazz styles. Chapters 2 through 4 contain eight case studies examining the performers of crossover jazz and smooth jazz. These performers have conceived and maintained distinct communicative connections between themselves and their audiences. In the following chapter, the unfair treatment of popular jazz styles is examined. Many early and influential jazz critics sought to elevate jazz to the status of art music by discrediting popular jazz styles. These critics used specific criteria and emphasized notions of anti-commerciality to support their theoretical positions. In Chapter 6, the studio recordings and live performances of smooth jazz are discussed. Critics frequently complain that most smooth jazz recordings feature glossy packaging and pristine studio editing, resulting in a too-perfect product. Although this aesthetic is the result of a unique series of interactions, recordings do not represent the complete musical nature of smooth jazz. Live performances contain important, but typically neglected aspects of smooth jazz. Live performances enable performers to extend solos, interact, and communicate directly to the audience. While recordings are a useful source for musical analysis, smooth jazz, like other styles of jazz, is an improvisatory music that utilizes multiple sites of production and cannot be accurately judged on recordings alone

Enhancement of the ν=5/2\nu = 5/2 Fractional Quantum Hall State in a Small In-Plane Magnetic Field

Using a 50-nm width, ultra-clean GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well, we have studied the Landau level filling factor $\nu = 5/2$ fractional quantum Hall effect in a perpendicular magnetic field $B \sim$ 1.7 T and determined its dependence on tilted magnetic fields. Contrary to all previous results, the 5/2 resistance minimum and the Hall plateau are found to strengthen continuously under an increasing tilt angle $0 < \theta < 25^\circ$ (corresponding to an in-plane magnetic field 0 $<$ $B_\parallel$ $< 0.8$ T). In the same range of $\theta$ the activation gaps of both the 7/3 and the 8/3 states are found to increase with tilt. The 5/2 state transforms into a compressible Fermi liquid upon tilt angle $\theta > 60^\circ$, and the composite fermion series [2+$p/(2p\pm1)$], $p =$ 1, 2 can be identified. Based on our results, we discuss the relevance of a Skyrmion spin texture at $\nu = 5/2$ associated with small Zeeman energy in wide quantum wells, as proposed by W$\acute{\text o}$js $et$ $al$., Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 086801 (2010).Comment: 5+ pages, 3 figures, accepted for by Phy. Rev. Let

Strengthening patient-family engagement amidst a pandemic: Lessons learned and paths forward

The COVID-19 pandemic was highly disruptive to healthcare and negatively affected healthcare worker and patient experience on multiple levels. Patient Family Advisors serve an important role in partnering with health systems to improve patient experience, yet the work of many volunteer programs were interrupted by the onset of the pandemic, at a time when integrating patient voice into care delivery was sorely needed. This case study presents one health system’s experience adapting a system-wide Patient Family Advisory program in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the transition to a virtual format and increased flexibility in how Patient Family Advisors engage with staff projects. Despite challenges, we were able to maintain meaningful Patient Family Advisory program work throughout the first two years of the pandemic, with at least fifteen Patient Family Advisor project activities each six months. We focused on three primary areas: early patient engagement, increasing visibility of patient engagement, and increasing the effectiveness of our Patient Family Advisors. Adaptation to virtual meetings and adding project-based embedments in addition to traditional council models also allowed the recruitment of new, diverse PFA membership. Commitment to patient engagement and co-design can be challenging but is of particular importance during times of stress for health systems. Flexibility in methods to engage and utilize Patient Family Advisors are needed to maintain success. Increasing agency of Patient Family Advisors will drive meaningful engagement for both volunteers and staff. Experience Framework This article is associated with the Patient, Family & Community Engagement lens of The Beryl Institute Experience Framework (https://www.theberylinstitute.org/ExperienceFramework). Access other PXJ articles related to this lens. Access other resources related to this lens

A Comprehensive Analysis of Molecule-Intrinsic Quasi-Atomic, Bonding, and Correlating Orbitals. I. Hartree-Fock Wave Functions

Through a basis-set-independent web of localizing orbital-transformations, the electronic wave function of a molecule is expressed in terms of a set of orbitals that reveal the atomic structure and the bonding pattern of a molecule. The analysis is based on resolving the valence orbital space in terms of an internal space, which has minimal basis set dimensions, and an external space. In the internal space, oriented quasi-atomic orbitals and split-localized molecular orbitals are determined by new, fast localization methods. The density matrix between the oriented quasi-atomic orbitals as well as the locations of the split-localized orbitals exhibit atomic populations and inter-atomic bonding patterns. A correlation-adapted quasi-atomic basis is determined in the external orbital space. The general formulations are specified in detail for Hartree-Fock wave functions. Applications to specific molecules exemplify the general scheme