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Functional testing of rapid prototypes (RP) represents an exciting area of research in solid freeform fabrication. One approach to functional testing is to use similitude techniques to correlate the behavior of an RP model and a product. Previous research at UT, Austin has resulted in the development of an empirical similitude technique for correlating the behavior of parts with different material properties. Advances in the empirical similitude technique are presented in this paper. Sources of coupling between material properties and geometric shape that produce distortions in the current empirical similitude technique are outlined. A modified approach that corrects such distortions is presented. Numerical examples are used to illustrate both the current and the advanced empirical similitude methods.

This paper aims to present a new fabrication method for fuel cell current collectors. Demonstration of its usefulness and discussion of its impact on current collector design and performance are also given.

The selective laser sintering (SLS) technique is used to create green parts followed by a high temperature curing process and pressureless infiltration treatment to meet basic part design requirements.

A material system and process satisfying both manufacturing constraints and product property requirements can be used for fabrication of current collectors via SLS. Relative particle size and composition of the constituents play an important role in successful manufacture of the plates. Strategies to improve electrical conductivity are also discussed.

A new manufacturing method has been developed for the construction of fuel cell current collectors that could generate opportunities for performance enhancement and fuel cell application by eliminating the constraints imposed by traditional fabrication processes.

To illustrate the benefits of using the empirical similitude method when creating scale models with rapid prototyping processes, particularly in the context of evolutionary product design.

Apply the empirical similitude method in two experimental examples. Utilize rapid prototyping processes to create scale models. Both examples are based on the context of evolutionary product design. For one example, evaluate accuracy of empirical similitude results as compared to traditional similitude.

The first experimental example showed improved accuracy in the empirical similitude results as compared with traditional similitude. The second experimental example illustrated an effective approach for applying the empirical similitude method to a realistic product evolution.

Limited to two experimental examples. Examples involve a single prototyping process (selective laser sintering). Does not cover limitations of the empirical similitude method.

The approach provides for an effective way of utilizing rapid prototypes to predict the functional behavior of an evolutionary product. Rapid prototypes are readily available, but are rarely used in evaluating product function, due to limitations in part sizes and material properties.

This paper provides a practical way of utilizing rapid prototypes to predict the functional behavior of a product through scale models. It also illustrates the proposed method with two experimental examples.

Functional testing with rapid prototypes is confined to certain areas due to a number of issues: the lack of a reliable similarity method that can solve distorted similarity problems; limited material choices; range of prototype sizes; and distinct material structures between prototypes and actual products. Methods are thus needed to expand the application of functional testing with rapid prototypes, and thus potentially impact the performance and cycle times of current product development processes. In this context, an improved similarity method that utilizes a geometrically simple specimen pair is developed in this paper. A realistic numerical simulation and an experimental mold design example (using a selective laser sintering prototype) demonstrate the validity and impact of the new method.

In recent years, a wide range of psychosocial health interventions have been implemented among military service members and their families. However, there are questions over the evaluative rigor of these interventions. We conducted a systematic review of this literature, rating each relevant study (k = 111) on five evaluative rigor scales (type of control group, approach to participant assignment, outcome quality, number of measurement time points, and follow-up distality). The most frequently coded values on three of the five scales (control group type, participant assignment, and follow-up distality) were those indicating the lowest level of operationally defined rigor. Logistic regression results indicate that the evaluative rigor of intervention studies has largely remained consistent over time, with exceptions indicating that rigor has decreased. Analyses among seven military sub-populations indicate that interventions conducted among soldiers completing basic training, soldiers returning from combat deployment, and combat veterans have had, on average, the greatest evaluative rigor. However, variability in mean scores across evaluative rigor scales within sub-populations highlights the unique methodological hurdles common to different military settings. Recommendations for better standardizing the intervention evaluation process are discussed.

The purpose of this bibliographic guide is to acquaint librarians with resources on health care provision for patients of various cultures. The sources in this bibliography address lingual and cultural barriers to communication between patients and health care providers. They also cover the health care needs of specific ethnic groups, the impact of cultural beliefs on health behavior and knowledge, and traditionally held health care practices.

We explore the antecedents of workplace ostracism and delineate possible organizational interventions to deter ostracism. Under the lens of evolutionary psychology we argue that individuals deemed capable of contributing to social and organizational goals become valued group members while those who threaten group stability and viability risk being shunned or ostracized. Specifically, we review empirical evidence and present the results of a pilot study suggesting that those who are perceived to violate injunctive and descriptive norms, as well as threaten one’s self-concept are at increased risk for ostracism. In terms of intervention, we propose mindfulness techniques and organizational support as a route to deter employees’ inclinations to ostracize coworkers. Thus, a primary goal of this chapter is to explicate a framework for identifying the predictors and deterrents of workplace ostracism in order to generate additional research on this important topic.

This research aims to investigate the influence of building design on the thermal comfort of occupants of naturally ventilated hospital (NVH) wards to identify the aspects with the most significant influence on the thermal comfort of hospital buildings during the hot-dry season in the hot-humid tropics of Southeast Nigeria.

Field measurements, physical observations and a questionnaire survey of 60 occupants of the wards of the Joint Presbyterian Hospital, Uburu in Ebonyi State, Nigeria were undertaken. The data were analysed using Humphreys' neutral temperature formula, descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis.

The results revealed that the neutral temperature for the wards ranges from 26.2 °C to 29.9 °C, the thermal condition in the wards was not comfortable because it failed to meet the ASHRAE Standard 55 as only 65% of the occupants said the thermal condition was acceptable. The number and sizes of windows, building orientation, the presence of high-level windows and higher headroom significantly influenced the occupants' thermal comfort vote.

This research is valuable in estimating comfort temperature and identifying aspects that require attention in enhancing the capacity of NVH wards to effectively meet the thermal comfort needs of occupants in the hot-humid tropics of Southeast Nigeria and other regions that share similar climatic conditions.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of this nature that provides valuable feedback for building design professionals on the performance of existing hospital buildings in meeting users' thermal comfort needs in the hot-dry season of the hot-humid tropics in Southeast Nigeria.

This paper aims to examine the broad concept of university–community partnerships as it applies to creating sustainability initiatives. The benefits of university–community partnerships are increasingly recognized, and this paper offers direct insights from community stakeholders on the principles, functions and activities they see as foundational to effective university–community partnerships in northern British Columbia.

CommunityStudio was a co-learning partnership that sought to place students into the community and region to collaborate with community/government partners on interdisciplinary projects identified by the city, regional district or other community stakeholders. Through key informant interviews and a thematic analysis, the authors examine the expressed needs that CommunityStudio partners identified as key to ensuring such collaborations are mutually beneficial.

Within the community/regional development context of northern British Columbia, community experience highlights the importance of equity and inclusion, flexible programme design and an institutional culture that supports risk taking in teaching and learning as keys to the success of university–community partnerships.

This work contributes to calls for knowledge-based institutions such as universities to act as catalysts for social innovation within regional contexts outside of major metropolitan urban centres.

This study aims to test a theoretical research model specifying how two emerging job stressors, i.e. centralized authority and reporting requirements, influence hotel managers’ well-being. A mediated model through reappraisal is hypothesized.

The model was tested on 600 Norwegian and Swedish hotel managers using a questionnaire survey (72 per cent response rate). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analyses, correlation and structural equation modeling, which included bootstrapping.

Job stressors were negatively related to well-being, whereas reappraisal had a positive influence on well-being. A positive relationship was found between reporting requirements and reappraisal, while the opposite appeared for centralized authority. A negative mediating role of reappraisal existed in the relationship between centralized authority and well-being, while there was a positive one in the relationship between reporting requirements and well-being.

The findings will have important implications for management practices, as they illuminate how job stressors reduce well-being on the one hand and how reappraisal positively influences well-being on the other. This knowledge indicates that reappraisal is important for well-being when faced with stressful environments. The findings illustrate the importance of controlling stress in the managerial environment, and for hotel managers to maintain the ability to reappraise.

The study advances the knowledge of the managerial role, as well as the importance of reappraisal and well-being. This is the first empirical study among hotel managers testing a research model that illustrates how job stressors and reappraisal influence well-being.