El Rayo is an archaeological site in Pacific Nicaragua that spans two time periods the Bagaces (AD 300-800) and Sapoa (AD 800-1350). In addition to the domestic assemblage of the site, El Rayo also contains burials from both time periods. El Rayo is one of the most well documented archaeological sites in Nicaragua and the presence of both Bagaces and Sapoa material makes it a valuable archaeological site. In comparing the burial assemblage, the patterns which appear in the archaeological record are distinct in the different time periods. These patterns, including the change in the location of burials from within domestic areas to specific mortuary contexts, a transition from single to multiple burials, and the inclusion of burial goods with the burials that appear to represent significant changes in the rituals associated with the burial of the dead. By exploring the mortuary program at El Rayo I argue that the changes represent the negotiation of a single community through changing cultural circumstances that mark and in some ways define the transition from the Bagaces Period to the Sapoa Period. The mortuary program shows continuity which supports the notion of cultural interactions without the complete replacement of one group by another. I focus on the burial area and the nature of the remains to interpret a changing mortuary program rather than focusing on the mortuary goods recovered with specific individuals. Based on Arthur Saxe’s Hypothesis 8 that argues for the connection between the use and maintenance of formal cemeteries and control of critical resources (1970:119). I suggest that the changing mortuary program is the result of increased population pressures and the desire to create public markers of identity and ownership of local resources.

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No description available.

Part-time nurse faculty play an important role in the production and quality of the nursing workforce. However, the shortage of nurse faculty exacerbates current shortages of nurses. In Canada, the shortage is predicted to reach 60,000 full-time equivalent RNs by 2022. Therefore, retaining qualified part-time nurse faculty in academia is a key component in managing the shortage problem. The purpose of this study was to test and refine a model of part-time nurse faculty intent to remain employed in the academic organization. Cross-sectional survey methods were employed. A total of 282 part-time nurse faculty employed within Ontario, Canada colleges or universities were invited to participate. Survey instruments and items measured demographic, workplace, nurse responses to the workplace, and external variables. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were conducted using data from 119 participants (47.6% true response rate). Of the 19 variables hypothesized to affect intent to remain employed in the academic organization, seven influenced intent to remain. The resulting model indicated that the older the part-time nurse faculty member, the lower the level of intent to remain and the more years worked in the organization, the higher the level of intent to remain. The more opportunities perceived to exist outside of the employing organization, the higher the level of intent to remain. Additionally, the more satisfied part-time nurse faculty were with their job overall, the higher their level of intent to remain. In the workplace, the more support from the leader, the more formal or informal recognition received, and the more fair work procedures were perceived to be, the higher levels of part-time nurse faculty intent to remain employed in the academic organization, mediated by job satisfaction. Although age, organizational tenure, and external career opportunities are non-modifiable variables, deans and directors can encourage part-time nurse faculty to remain employed in their academic job by focusing on enhancing overall job satisfaction. Effective strategies may include formal or informal acknowledgement of good performance, consistent verbal and behavioural support, and implementation of procedural practices, such as performance evaluations and pay raises in a fair manner.

Part-time nurse faculty play an important role in the production and quality of the nursing workforce. However, the shortage of nurse faculty exacerbates current shortages of nurses. In Canada, the shortage is predicted to reach 60,000 full-time equivalent RNs by 2022. Therefore, retaining qualified part-time nurse faculty in academia is a key component in managing the shortage problem. The purpose of this study was to test and refine a model of part-time nurse faculty intent to remain employed in the academic organization. Cross-sectional survey methods were employed. A total of 282 part-time nurse faculty employed within Ontario, Canada colleges or universities were invited to participate. Survey instruments and items measured demographic, workplace, nurse responses to the workplace, and external variables. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were conducted using data from 119 participants (47.6% true response rate). Of the 19 variables hypothesized to affect intent to remain employed in the academic organization, seven influenced intent to remain. The resulting model indicated that the older the part-time nurse faculty member, the lower the level of intent to remain and the more years worked in the organization, the higher the level of intent to remain. The more opportunities perceived to exist outside of the employing organization, the higher the level of intent to remain. Additionally, the more satisfied part-time nurse faculty were with their job overall, the higher their level of intent to remain. In the workplace, the more support from the leader, the more formal or informal recognition received, and the more fair work procedures were perceived to be, the higher levels of part-time nurse faculty intent to remain employed in the academic organization, mediated by job satisfaction. Although age, organizational tenure, and external career opportunities are non-modifiable variables, deans and directors can encourage part-time nurse faculty to remain employed in their academic job by focusing on enhancing overall job satisfaction. Effective strategies may include formal or informal acknowledgement of good performance, consistent verbal and behavioural support, and implementation of procedural practices, such as performance evaluations and pay raises in a fair manner.

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Abstract An integrated bearing prognostics method for remaining useful life prediction Nowadays, in order to improve the productivity and quality, more and more resources are invested in maintenance. In order to improve the reliability of an engineering system, accurate predictions of the remaining useful lifetime of the equipment and its key parts are required. Bearing plays an important role in the rotating machines. The purpose of using a bearing is to reduce rotational friction and support the load imposed on it in radial and axial directions. The common types of bearing defects include damage in rolling elements, inner and outer races, etc. In this thesis, we focus on the spall propagation caused by rolling contact fatigue. The existing bearing prognosis methods are either model-based or data driven. In this thesis, we develop an integrated bearing prognostics method, which utilizes both physical models and condition monitoring data. In the physical model part, a Hertz contact model is used to analyze the stress developed from the contact point between two curved surfaces which are pressed together, the ball and the deep groove. Based on Paris’ law, a damage propagation model is used to describe the spall propagation process. It is difficult to measure a defect size when the machines are running. Therefore, online data is obtained and processed to transform raw signals into useful information. In this thesis, the uncertainty factors are considered, including material uncertainty, model uncertainty and measurement error. A Bayesian method is used to update the distribution of this uncertainty factor by fusing the condition monitoring data, to achieve updated predictions of remaining useful life. Finally, two sets of data are used to verify and validate the proposed integrated bearing prognostics method. The first set of data includes a group of simulated bearing degradation histories. The second set of data were collected from lab experiments conducted using the Bearing Prognostics Simulator. These examples demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method. The key contribution of this thesis is the development of an integrated bearing prognostics method, where the uncertain model parameters are updated using the collected condition monitoring data, while the existing bearing prognostics methods are either model-based or data driven. Both the development of the method and the experimental validation are significant contributions to the field of bearing prognostics.

No description available.

No description available.

The display of human remains in Western museums is established practice but one that has been increasingly contested by a variety of constituencies. Nonetheless, such displays continue to attract UK museum visitors. However, little is known about what encountering human remains in museum settings actually means to visitors or about the methods through which researchers can access such responses. Also comparatively little is known (at least from the Anglophone literature) about the display of human remains in non-western museum settings, where remains may be those of actual or imagined ancestors of both staff and visitors. The thesis contextualises human remains within available literature on material culture before considering the poHtks and poetics of the collection and display of Peruvian mummified human remains in three museum settings: the Wellcome Collection (London), the Museo Inka in Cusco (Peru) and the Museo de Arqueologia de Alta Montana in Salta (Argentina). In each setting, the context and manner of display, impliCitly or explicitly, imbue the human remains with meaning. The study explores encounters between the researcher and museum staff, between the researcher and museum visitors, and most significantly, between visitors and displayed human remains. Accessing the visitor encounter in ways that capture the power of such displays has been relatively unexplored by researchers and is demanding methodologically. To this end, the research borrows from psychoanalytic theory, adapting the concept of 'free talking' (and 'free writing') in order to elicit visceral responses to displayed human remains, and considering the concept of 'the uncanny' to understand them. This approach has profound implications: acknowledging museums and curators as contextualised and contextualising agents, and recognising visitors (and researchers) as both feeling and sense-making subjects, renders both the researcher and the traditionally impersonal institution visible. But more than this, it makes the visitor truly present.