The History of the Name \u3ci\u3ePanorpa\u3c/i\u3e Linnaeus (Mecoptera)

(excerpt) Attempts to understand the origin of Linnaeus\u27 name for the scorpionfly Panorpa have come to nought for a very good reason. The word does not mean anything at all. It is an interesting example of the futility of looking up names in a Latin or Greek dictionary to find their meaning when the history of the word is at all complicated. The word Panorpa is born of a series of taxonomic, philological, grammatical, and (perhaps) typographical errors which can be sorted out by a survey of the pre-Linnaean history of the word and of the insect. In order to keep the end in view throughout the argument that follows, the reader may be gratified to anticipate the conclusion that Panorpa comes ultimately from the Greek word parnops (genitive parnopos) meaning \u27locust.\u2

Scottish contributions to rotary wing flight

This paper charts the history of rotorcraft development in Scotland. Beginning with the early efforts of Mumford to achieve rotor-borne flight, through the major technology advances of G and J Weir in the 30s and 40s up to present day activities. The paper shows that despite being a relatively small country, Scotland’s traditional expertise in engineering when applied to the development of rotorcraft,generated significant technological advances

Hybrid computer technique yields random signal probability distributions

Hybrid computer determines the probability distributions of instantaneous and peak amplitudes of random signals. This combined digital and analog computer system reduces the errors and delays of manual data analysis

Analysis of Selective Laser Sintering print parameter modelling methodologies for energy input minimisation : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering in Mechatronics at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is the name given to a series of processes used to create solids, layer upon layer, from 3 Dimensional (3D) models. As AM experiences rapid growth there exists an opportunity for Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) to expand into markets it has not previously accommodated. One of the ways SLS can accomplish this is by expanding the range of materials that can be processed into useful products, as currently only a small number of materials are available when compared to other AM technologies. One of the biggest barriers to the adoption of materials is the danger inherent to high-energy processes such as SLS. The aim of this research was to identify opportunities to improve current methods for modelling the relationship between material specifications, and printing parameters. This was achieved by identifying existing models used to determine printing parameters for a new material, identifying weaknesses in current modelling processes, conducting experimentation to explore the validity of these weaknesses, and exploring opportunities to improve the model to address these weaknesses. The current models to determine printer parameters to achieve successful sintering include both the Sintering Window (SW) and the Energy Melt Ratio (EMR). These two models are complementary, and both are required to establish all common print parameters. They include both thermal and physical powder properties, but do not include any optical properties. This is significant because the nature of the SLS printing process relies on concentrated delivery of laser energy to achieve successful sintering. Analysis of two similar polyamide powders, one black and one white, identified that the two powders were similar thermally and physically, which meant the models predicted that they should both sinter successfully utilizing the same set of print parameters. Results of the experimental trials showed that no trials involving the white powder sintered successfully, and trials involving the black powder suffered from issues with either insufficient energy to successfully remove parts without damage, or excessive energy causing excess powder to bond to the part. Further experimentation was carried out to investigate the differences in optical properties using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Spectrofluorophotometry. FTIR revealed that there was a difference in absorption as a material property, indicating that differences in laser energy absorption could explain the results seen in the trials. Spectrofluorophotometry revealed minimal differences in fluorescence of the powders, suggesting it an unlikely source of energy loss. Future work is recommended to research a standardised form of testing setup that can be used to categorize the reflectance of a material, as current work relies on proprietary experimental setups. Finding methods of classifying the laser absorption that is easily available to operators would enable refinement of the EMR equation to reflect the energy losses during printing, and remove another barrier for adoption of new materials

A Survival Analysis of Australian Equity Mutual Funds

Determining which types of mutual (or managed) investment funds are good financial investments is complicated by potential surbivorship biases. This project adds to a small recent international literature on the patterns and determinants of mutual fund survivorship. We use statistical techniques for survival data that are rarely applied in finance. Of specific interest is the hazard rate of fund closure, which gives the variation over time in the conditional probability of fund closure given fund survival to date. For a sample of 251 retail investment funds in Australia from 1980 to 1999 we identify a hump-shaped hazard function that reaches its maximum after about five or six years, a pattern similar to the UK findings of Lunde, Timmermann and Blake (1999). We also consider the impact of monthly and annual fund performance (gross and relative to a market benchmark). Returns relative to the benckmark are much more important than gross returns, with hgiher relative returns associated with lower hazard of fund closure. There appears to be an asymmetric response to performance, with positive shocks having a larger impact on the hazard rate than negative shocks.mutual funds; survivorship bias; duration analysis; cox regression

The Etymology of the Names Pipunculus Latreille and Dorilas Meigen (Diptera, Pipunculidae)

(excerpt) There are at least two good reasons for understanding the etymology of scientific names. The first is to satisfy the natural curiosity about the history of the terms we use, and to gain an entree into the mind of the man ~.ho fist used a name. A study of Fabricius\u27 names, for instance, reveals that he had a playful sense of humor. Secondly, such understanding contributes to the stability of names, and helps to prevent irresponsible emendation of spelling, gender, or morphology such as burden the synonomies of most groups. It is happil

U.S. East Coast Trough Indices at 500 hPa and New England Winter Climate Variability

Using monthly gridded 500-hPa data, two synoptic indices are defined to better understand the principle mechanisms controlling intraseasonal to multiannual winter climate variability in NewEngland (NE). The “trough axis index” (TAI) is created to quantify the mean longitudinal position of the common East Coast pressure trough, and the “trough intensity index” (TII) is calculated to estimate the relative amplitude of this trough at 42.5°N. The TAI and TII are then compared with records for NE regional winter precipitation, temperature, and snowfall with the goal of understanding physical mechanisms linking NE winter climate with regional sea surface temperatures (SST), the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), and the Pacific–North American (PNA) teleconnection pattern. The TAI correlates most significantly with winter precipitation at inland sites, such that a western (eastern)trough axis position is associated with greater (lower) average monthly precipitation. Also, significant correlations between the TAI and both NE regional SSTs and the NAO suggest that longitudinal shifting of the trough is one possible mechanism linking the North Atlantic with NE regional winterclimate variability. The NE winter temperature is significantly correlated with the TII, regional SSTs, and the NAO. While the PNA also correlates with the TII, NE winter climate variables are apparently unrelated to the PNA index

Jane Eyre and Education

Charlotte Brontë created the first female Bildungsroman in the English language when she wrote Jane Eyre in the mid-nineteenth century. Brontë’s novel explores the development of a young girl through her educational experiences. The main character, Jane Eyre, receives a formal education as a young orphan and eventually becomes both a teacher and a governess. Jane’s life never strays far from formal education, regardless of whether she is teaching or being taught. In each of Jane’s experiences, she learns invaluable lessons, both in and out of the classroom environment. Jane excels in the sphere of formal education, which allows her to become a graceful and accomplished woman. However Jane learns the most important lessons of her life during crises. The moral and spiritual lessons Jane acquires in times of difficulty are the most important educational experiences she receives, and they allow her to progress from a lonely orphan to a happily married woman

An investigation of pulsar searching techniques with the Fast Folding Algorithm

Here we present an in-depth study of the behaviour of the Fast Folding Algorithm, an alternative pulsar searching technique to the Fast Fourier Transform. Weaknesses in the Fast Fourier Transform, including a susceptibility to red noise, leave it insensitive to pulsars with long rotational periods (P > 1 s). This sensitivity gap has the potential to bias our understanding of the period distribution of the pulsar population. The Fast Folding Algorithm, a time-domain based pulsar searching technique, has the potential to overcome some of these biases. Modern distributed-computing frameworks now allow for the application of this algorithm to all-sky blind pulsar surveys for the first time. However, many aspects of the behaviour of this search technique remain poorly understood, including its responsiveness to variations in pulse shape and the presence of red noise. Using a custom CPU-based implementation of the Fast Folding Algorithm, ffancy, we have conducted an in-depth study into the behaviour of the Fast Folding Algorithm in both an ideal, white noise regime as well as a trial on observational data from the HTRU-S Low Latitude pulsar survey, including a comparison to the behaviour of the Fast Fourier Transform. We are able to both confirm and expand upon earlier studies that demonstrate the ability of the Fast Folding Algorithm to outperform the Fast Fourier Transform under ideal white noise conditions, and demonstrate a significant improvement in sensitivity to long-period pulsars in real observational data through the use of the Fast Folding Algorithm.Comment: 19 pages, 15 figures, 3 table