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Toray Cart and Winch System Product Design Capstone
Get PDFThis report will comprehensively discuss the preliminary design, concepts, and the overall progress achieved by Team 03 throughout the year of Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design at the University of Rhode Island (URI). Toray Plastics of America, Inc. (Toray) has presented Team 03 with an exceptional design and manufacturing challenge to create a cart and winch system (cart) for a section of their A6 thin film processing line called the transverse directional machine (TDO). An overview of the thin film making process is—raw material in the form of pellets is inserted into an extruder where the material is melted down then the melted material is casted into a film, once the material is in a film state the film is lengthen by a set of rollers in the machine direction stretching machine then the film is widen in the TDO, after the film is stretched to the correct dimensions the film is rolled by a winder into a large roll of film until it unwound and slit into smaller rolls that are packaged and shipped out. This thin film will then be sent out to companies for packing such as food containers or decorative for non-food containers, labels, digital printing, etc. Toray has 3 of these thin film processing lines which produce miles of film daily.
The primary concerns from Team 03’s sponsor Toray were to reduce the downtime of the A6 machine when replacing the TDO chains, to reduce the number of breaks in the chain, and to create a storage area for the chain. These concerns and a set of dimensional and weight restrictions for the cart were the driving design requirements.
Throughout the year Team 03, completed research of structural material, weight of components and structural analysis, and produced various component designs. Once the concept designs were created Team 03 filtered the components down to those that most closely aligned or solved the customer and engineering requirements. Team 03 then validated the design completing a structural analysis on the material and welds, a dynamic analysis for the force required to pull the chain from rest, and engineering analysis was done for the cart. A SolidWorks 3D model was then created for the cart and the team continued making a cross section made out metal as a final prototype as proof of concept. The purpose of this final prototype was to confirm that the chain could smoothly integrate into the railing system. Our goal was to verify that there were no obstructions or disruptions during the curved section
NUWC - Universal Data Collection Mount
Get PDFIn this engineering project, the focal point was the design of a secure apparatus to hold data collection equipment specifically for port side operations in a maritime environment. The specific challenge was to create a versatile mounting solution capable of affixing to a variety of I beams inside the vessel without necessitating modifications or causing permanent damage to the existing structure. The paramount requirement was ease of installation, as the device was intended to be deployed at port when needed. Importantly, the mounting device needed to adhere to a set of predefined specifications outlined in the TEMPALT (Temporary Altercation), ensuring its compatibility and effectiveness on the ship.
The project unfolded meticulous planning and execution, as evidenced by the utilization of Microsoft Project software, a detailed Gantt Chart, and a phased approach entailing problem definition, concept generation, and proof of concept. The team successfully navigated the complexities of the concept generation phase, which consisted of designing 30 different concepts each member of the team, generating, and evaluating multiple design concepts through individual Pugh analyses and a comprehensive Quality Functional Deployment (QFD) analysis. The resulting top design was then modeled on a CAD program, specifically SolidWorks and the K1 Max AI Fast 3D Printer. The achievement of 100% completion on all deadlines throughout the semester underscored the team’s commitment to robust project planning and effective management, ensuring the successful development of a versatile and non-intrusive mounting device for maritime data collection equipment
Lithium in drinking water: Review of chemistry, analytical methods, and treatment technologies
No full textLithium was included in the fifth Unregulated Contaminants Monitoring Rule, signaling the Environmental Protection Agency\u27s interest in regulating lithium. Many questions regarding occurrence, health effects, and treatability of lithium exist. This review primarily focuses on the relationship between lithium chemistry and treatability. Sampling indicates nationwide lithium occurrence in drinking water. Yet, lithium is not included in the Integrated Risk Information System, reflecting a lack of censuses regarding its health effects. Aqueous lithium is a monovalent cation with size, charge density, and solubility properties that present treatment challenges. Lithium\u27s growing economic value is stimulating new extraction and isolation technologies, but these may not be transferable to drinking water treatment. Currently, reverse osmosis is the only full-scale drinking water treatment technology that can reliably remove significant levels (\u3e50%) of lithium. Focusing future research efforts on electrodialysis and inorganic ion sieves may yield significant gains in effectiveness and readiness for the drinking water industry
Application of the T-Z Method to the Analysis of Rigid Inclusions
No full textThis paper revisits the use of the load transfer (i.e., “t-z”) approach for modeling rigid inclusions (RI) and demonstrated through an analysis of a recently published load test case study on an RI-supported embankment in Connecticut. The load on the head of the rigid inclusion was estimated using a published “soil cone” model for the pullout capacity of shallow circular plates that accounts for the peak friction angle and dilation angle of the fill. A consolidation settlement analysis was performed to estimate the profile of ground settlement between RIs for input into a pile “t-z” analysis. The load distribution in the RIs was modeled and compared to the load distribution observed in the full-scale load tests. The modeled and observed results were in very good agreement further supporting the efficacy of the approach as a simple analysis tool
Immigrant Women from Iran and Afghanistan in Sweden: Experiences of Domestic Violence During the COVID Pandemic
Get PDFThis paper explores the firsthand experiences of immigrant women victims of domestic violence amidst the COVID-19 crisis. Sixteen Iranian and Afghan women residing in Sweden were interviewed. Their responses were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. An intersectional perspective was used to understand domestic violence among the immigrant women. The study found high levels of psychological violence and controlling behavior by the women’s partners. The harm was compounded by economic instability, the temporality of residency permits, and the limited access to support services. The intersectional analysis suggests that multiple factors in the midst of the pandemic increase the vulnerability of abused immigrant women and lead to further marginalization
Overall, Direct, Spillover, and Composite Effects of Components of a Peer-Driven Intervention Package on Injection Risk Behavior Among People Who Inject Drugs in the HPTN 037 Study
Get PDFWe sought to disentangle effects of the components of a peer-education intervention on self-reported injection risk behaviors among people who inject drugs (n = 560) in Philadelphia, US. We examined 226 egocentric groups/networks randomized to receive (or not) the intervention. Peer-education training consisted of two components delivered to the intervention network index individual only: (1) an initial training and (2) “booster” training sessions during 6- and 12-month follow up visits. In this secondary data analysis, using inverse-probability-weighted log-binomial mixed effects models, we estimated the effects of the components of the network-level peer-education intervention upon subsequent risk behaviors. This included contrasting outcome rates if a participant is a network member [non-index] under the network exposure versus under the network control condition (i.e., spillover effects). We found that compared to control networks, among intervention networks, the overall rates of injection risk behaviors were lower in both those recently exposed (i.e., at the prior visit) to a booster (rate ratio [95% confidence interval]: 0.61 [0.46–0.82]) and those not recently exposed to it (0.81 [0.67–0.98]). Only the boosters had statistically significant spillover effects (e.g., 0.59 [0.41–0.86] for recent exposure). Thus, both intervention components reduced injection risk behaviors with evidence of spillover effects for the boosters. Spillover should be assessed for an intervention that has an observable behavioral measure. Efforts to fully understand the impact of peer education should include routine evaluation of spillover effects. To maximize impact, boosters can be provided along with strategies to recruit especially committed peer educators and to increase attendance at trainings
Hit or miss? Impact of time series resolution on resolving phytoplankton dynamics at hourly, weekly, and satellite remote sensing frequencies
Get PDFCharacterizing marine phytoplankton community variability is crucial to designing sampling strategies and interpreting time series. Satellite remote sensing, microscopy sampling, and flow through imaging systems have widely different resolutions: from weekly or monthly with microscopy sampling to daily when no cloud cover or glint is present with polar-orbiting satellites, and hourly for autonomous imaging instruments. To improve our understanding of data robustness against sampling resolution at different taxonomic levels, we analyze 2 yr of data from an Imaging FlowCytobot with hourly resolution and resample it to daily, satellite-temporal, and weekly microscopy sampling resolution. We show that weekly and satellite-temporal resolutions are sufficient to resolve general community composition but that the randomness of satellite-temporal resolution can result in overrepresenting or underrepresenting certain categories. While the yearly phytoplankton biomass bloom is detected in late winter by all four resolutions, category-specific yearly blooms are generally consistent in timing but often underestimated or missed by the weekly and satellite-temporal resolutions, introducing a bias in year-to-year comparisons. A minimum of biweekly sampling, particularly during known bloom periods, would lower the bias in such categories. Similarly, sampling time should be considered as daily variations are category-specific. Overall, morning and low tide sampling tended to have higher biomass. We provide tables for categories detected by the IFCB in Narragansett Bay with their major bloom characteristics and recorded daily variability to inform future sampling designs. These results provide tools to interpret past and future time series, including possible detection of specific taxonomic groups with targeted satellite algorithms
Censorship of Family Violence in Cinema in Iran
Get PDFPrevention and control of family violence require an accurate understanding of its causes and effects. Iranian filmmakers try to fulfil their mission to raise awareness about family violence by showing hidden and unpleasant social issues in the family and presenting an accurate picture of family violence. However, to do so is taboo and goes against the Islamization policy of the Iranian regime against portraying family violence. Breaking the taboo leads to the seizure and censorship of films that show negative perspectives of family relationships. This article analyzes the Iranian regime’s approach to film productions based on Islamization policies and investigates the films that have been censored and seized. An interpretive analysis takes a critical look at Iran’s politicized cinema with a focus on paternalism. The article looks at the banned films Friday Evening, The Paternal House, and Girl’s House. The filmmakers’ goal is to remove the barriers to raising awareness in the area of victimization of girls. The depoliticization of Iranian cinema will support the process of breaking cultural taboos and thus support women’s protection from family violence
Zürich II Statement on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs): Scientific and Regulatory Needs
Get PDFPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a class of synthetic organic chemicals of global concern. A group of 36 scientists and regulators from 18 countries held a hybrid workshop in 2022 in Zürich, Switzerland. The workshop, a sequel to a previous Zürich workshop held in 2017, deliberated on progress in the last five years and discussed further needs for cooperative scientific research and regulatory action on PFASs. This review reflects discussion and insights gained during and after this workshop and summarizes key signs of progress in science and policy, ongoing critical issues to be addressed, and possible ways forward. Some key take home messages include: 1) understanding of human health effects continues to develop dramatically, 2) regulatory guidelines continue to drop, 3) better understanding of emissions and contamination levels is needed in more parts of the world, 4) analytical methods, while improving, still only cover around 50 PFASs, and 5) discussions of how to group PFASs for regulation (including subgroupings) have gathered momentum with several jurisdictions proposing restricting a large proportion of PFAS uses. It was concluded that more multi-group exchanges are needed in the future and that there should be a greater diversity of participants at future workshops
Helping faculty members work more efficiently by reducing digital file clutter
Get PDFPoster presented at NERCOMP Annual Conference, Providence, RI, March 2024