Army Patriot Launching Station Enhanced Operator (14T)

Army Patriot Launching Station Enhanced Operator (14T)Army Patriot Launching Station Enhanced Operator (14T)A Patriot Launching Station Enhanced Operator is an important parte of the Armys air defense artillery team. Theyrepart of the Patriot missile system team that maintains and launches this technologically advanced system, which consists of an engagement control station, electronic power plant, communication relay group and up to eight launching stations. The Patriot Launching Station Operator works directly with the Patriot launching stations. This job is a military occupational specialty (MOS) 14T. MOS 14T Duties and Skills These soldiers conductpreventive maintenance checks and service vehicles and operate a 10-ton crane. Theyll perform checks and adjustments and load the M60 machine gun, as well as maintenance checks on the Radar Set, the Engagement Control Station, the Guided Missile Transporter, the Launching Station and the Guided Missile Canister (all parts of the Pat riot system). In combat situations, this MOS will load and reload Patriot missiles, which may include engaging with hostile targets. Patriot Launching Station Enhanced Operators will assist with tactical overlays, including mapping, reconnaissance, and selecting positions. Theyll also supervise lower grade soldiers and give them technical guidance. And these soldiers also prepare situation reports and warning orders. Some of the skills youll learn in this job include,as the title suggests, learning how to operate Patriot technology and rocket systems, as well as artillery tactics and battle strategy. Training for PatriotLaunching Station Enhanced Operator Job training for MOS14T requires ten weeks of Basic Combat Training and 13 weeks of Advanced Individual Training with on-the-job instruction. Part of this time is spent in the classroom and in the field under simulated combat conditions. Qualifying for MOS 14T Successful candidates for this job need to score a 92 in the Ope rators and Food aptitude area on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test. The subtests in the OF area include Auto and Shop Information, Mechanical Comprehension,.Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension. Since youll be handling advanced, highly technical weapons systems, in order to qualify for MOS 14T, youll need a confidential security clearance. This may involve a background check into any criminal activity or drug use, as well as mental and emotional fitness. Normal color vision is required (no colorblindness), and soldiers in this job must be U.S. citizens.

A Green Alternative to Insulation Materials

A Green Alternative to Insulation Materials A Green Alternative to Insulation Materials As demand grows for green construction materials, more builders are starting to take a serious look at hempcrete a mix of hemp fibers and cement-like binders that can serve as an effective building envelope. Hemp is a low-maintenance, fast-growing crop that thrives in both temperate and tropical climates. It also absorbs a significant amount of carbon dioxide during its growth process, making it a naturally environmentally-friendly crop to cultivate. For centuries hemp has been used to manufacture paper, fabric, rope, and other products. Over the last two decades, hempcrete has become increasing popular as a building material in Europe as engineers and builders learn more about its mechanical properties. Hemp is an important agricultural crop in Manitoba, where it is mostly used for seed and oil. The leftover cellulose wood core, called the hurd, can then be mixed with binders and water to form he mpcrete. Hempcrete is used as an environmental barrier for providing resistance to heat transfer and managing moisture of the building envelope, says Kris J. Dick, an associate professor in the Department of Biosystems Engineering at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg and director of Alternative Village, its construction research facility. Engineers and architectural designers practicing in the field of nonconventional material applications have clearly indicated a need for more design data regarding hempcrete.Building construction using hempcrete bricks. Image Olivier Duport / Wikimedia Commons Testing Hempcrete in a Northern Climate To provide this data, Dick conducted research using a 23.8-square-meter test building at the Alternative Village. The purpose welches to compare the thermal, moisture, and energy wertmiger zuwachs of the hempcrete structure to that of a conventional, wood-framed, batt-insulated building. We wanted to determine the efficacy of hempcrete as a viable insulation material for use in wall systems in the harsh prairie winters, Dick adds. The walls of the hempcrete building consisted of 300-mm-(11 and 7/8 in.) thick prefabricated hempcrete panels. The sill and top plates were constructed using 300-mm laminated veneer lumber with 38 x 140 mm (2 x 6 in.) dimensional lumber vertical members. Each panel was 1.62 m in width with an overall height of 2,440 mm (8 feet). Hempcrete was placed into the panels in 200-mm layers using slip forms up to the form height, and then left for 24 hours before the process continued. The exterior of the hempcrete structure was finished with a wood paneling offset from the framing with 19-mm (3/4-inch) strips to provide a rainscreen. Typar, a weather-resistant house wrap, was used on the surface of the hempcrete. Temperature was monitored at 40 locations within the envelope (at the interior, middle, and exterior), providing a profile through the wall system. Similarly, relative humidity was monitored within the wall and used in conjunction with a sorption isotherm to estimate the moisture content within the assembly. The building was kept at a constant temperature during the heating season with the energy consumption monitored continuously. Promising Results Temperature profiles through the wall indicated the hempcrete provided a stable temperature through the wall system. In addition, the temperature profiles were also consistent throughout the wall. Investigation of the relative humidity through the wall shows that the internal portion of the wall manages moisture in a consistent manner, says Dick. A possible concern, he notes, is that a house wrap or air barrier on the exterior of the hempcrete may not allow moisture within the wall system to exit at an acceptable rate. From a building function point of view, hempcrete manages moisture within the wall by allowing water vapor to move through the building envelope, explains Dick. As long as the hempcrete is combined with a breathable cover, such as earth or lime plaster, then the system will manage moisture. Hempcrete could also be considered as a mass wall with the ability to store heat energy when used in conjunction with passive solar design. The power consumption of the hempcrete structure was 153.9 kWh, while the R2000 was 118.8 kWh. Although it may not have performed as well as the R2000 building, an increase in wall thickness will likely improve thermal performance. Ongoing and future research includes investigating other binders that are natural materials and ideally by-products of industrial processes, says Dick. We are also looking at ways to increase hempcretes structural strength without compromising its thermal resistanceanother challenging direction for research. Mark Crawford is an independent writer. For Further DiscussionHempcrete is used as an environmental barrier for providing resistance to heat transfer and managing the moisture of the building envelope.Kris J. Dick, University of Manitoba

Special Journal Issue Focuses on the Future of Musculoskeletal...

Special Journal Issue Focuses on the Future of Musculoskeletal... Special Journal Issue Focuses on the Future of Musculoskeletal... Special Journal Issue Focuses on the Future of Musculoskeletal BiomechanicsJan. 12, 2018 The ASME Journal of Biomechanical Engineering recently published a special issue, Spotlight on the Future of Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Frontiers and Challenges in Musculoskeletal Biomechanics, which highlights the work of young investigators and their scientific contributions to emerging frontiers and challenges in musculoskeletal biomechanics.The new issue concentrates specifically on several key areas for musculoskeletal biomechanics, including advances in assessment of tissue function in vivo integrating physiological processes and systems within the context of mechanical function sophisticated assessments of tissue structure and function and emerging uses of rodent models to study musculoskeletal systems.By featuring the work of young investigators on these c ritical frontiers, the guest editors of the special issue hope to highlight the research of emerging leaders and laboratories working in musculoskeletal biomechanics and help introduce new ideas, innovative solutions, and novel approaches to key challenges in musculoskeletal biomechanics.In addition to the review article Primary and Secondary Consequences of Rotator Cuff Injury on Joint Stabilizing Tissues in the Shoulder, the special issue also features seven research papers A Novel Method for Repeatable Failure Testing of Annulus Fibrosus, Noninvasive Assessment of Biochemical and Mechanical Properties of Lumbar Discs Through Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Asymptomatic Volunteers, Functionally Distinct Tendons From Elastin Haploinsufficient Mice Exhibit Mild Stiffening and Tendon-Specific Structural Alteration, Wireless Implantable Sensor for Noninvasive, Longitudinal Quantification of Axial Strain Across Rodent Long Bone Defects, The Functional Roles of Muscles, Passi ve Prostheses, and Powered Prostheses During Sloped Walking in People With a Transtibial Amputation, Reproduction Differentially Affects Trabecular Bone Depending on Its Mechanical Versus Metabolic Role, and Strain Distribution of Intact Rat Rotator Cuff Tendon-to-Bone Attachments and Attachments With Defects.The guest editors for the special issue are Dawn M. Elliott of the department of biomedical engineering at the University of Delaware, Newark, Del., and Kyle Allen of the department of biomedical engineering at the University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.To read the articles online, visit http//biomechanical.asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/issue.aspx?journalid=114issueid=936510. For more information on the ASME Journals program, visit http//asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/journals.aspx.