Digital Commons Network^™

Going By The Book: Want To Improve Your Information Seeking And Management Skills? Ask Your Librarian, Marilia Antunez

Marilia Y. Antunez, MLS, MA

As you embark on your career in communication disorders, take advantage of the many services and resources available at your university library.

Aggregated Interdisciplinary Databases And The Needs Of Undergraduate Researchers, Barbara Fister, Amy Fry, Julie Gilbert

Amy Fry

After seeing growing frustration among inexperienced undergraduate researchers searching a popular aggregated interdisciplinary database, the authors questioned whether the leading interdisciplinary databases are serving undergraduates' needs. As a preliminary exploration of this question, the authors queried vendors, analyzed their marketing materials, surveyed librarians and students, and examined what titles were being downloaded at 14 liberal arts institutions. Although librarians are satisfied with these databases, and vendors intend to continue the trend of adding more content, actual usage patterns suggest that these databases are not serving the purpose one might expect. Librarians should learn more about user experiences in order to …

Ssrn As An Initial Revolution In Academic Knowledge Aggregation And Dissemination, David Bray, Sascha Vitzthum, Benn Konsynski

Sascha Vitzthum

Within this paper we consider our results of using the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) over a period of 18 months to distribute our working papers to the research community. Our experiences have been quite positive, with SSRN serving as a platform both to inform our colleagues about our research as well as inform us about related research (through email and telephoned conversations of colleagues who discovered our paper on SSRN). We then discuss potential future directions for SSRN to consider, and how SSRN might well represent an initial revolution in 21st century academic knowledge aggregation and dissemination. Our paper …

Staff In Australia's Schools : Teacher Workforce Data And Planning Processes In Australia., Susanne Owen,, Julie Kos, Phil Mckenzie

Dr Phillip McKenzie

This report forms part of the Australian School Teacher and Leader project which was commissioned by the former Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) in June 2006. The purpose of the project is to provide a detailed picture of the Australian teacher workforce and to gather information to assist future planning on teacher supply. This particular report focuses on longer-term approaches to workforce data and processes. The project also included the Staff in Australia's Schools survey, a national data collection involving all States and Territories and school sectors. [p.4]

Sub-Micron Parallel Laser Direct-Write, Christina Othon, Arnoldo Laracuente, H Ladoucuer, Bradley Ringeisen

Christina M Othon

We have developed a modified laser induced forward transfer (LIFT) technique which allows for the parallel deposition of hundreds of sub-micron features. The approach utilizes a self-assembled monolayer of monodisperse polystyrene microspheres as the focusing element. A monolayer of close-packed microspheres is formed on top of an ultra-thin quartz support (25 m thick), and a metallic thin film is then deposited on the underside of the quartz. This approach is different from previous parallel microsphere-assisted LIFT experiments that required the deposition of metal directly onto the surface of the periodic microsphere structure. For this study, an 800 nm, 130 fs …

Psychological Distress Among Prostate Cancer Patients: Fact Or Fiction?, Christopher Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, David Christie

Vicki Bitsika

Although the detrimental effect upon psychological well-being of receiving a diagnosis of, or treatment for, cancer has been demonstrated across many different types of cancer, three recent reviews of the psychological health of prostate cancer patients have produced contradictory conclusions. In order to elucidate the reasons for these apparent different conclusions, each of these reviews is described, with principal methods and fi ndings summarised. Actual data, methodology used to select/reject research studies for inclusion in reviews, plus the validity of strict methodological culling of some research studies are discussed. Several extra studies and commentaries are also described, and a resolution …

The Role Of Private Military Companies In Us-Africa Policy, Emmanuel Aning, Thomas Jaye, Samuel Atuobi

Emmanuel Kwesi Aning

This article discusses the increasing use of private military companies (PMCs) in United States' security policy in Africa, and examines this phenomenon in relation to the US' various military training programmes on the continent. We argue that the increasing use of PMCs in US security policy has evolved due to two critical and mutually dependent developments; African state weakness and resource stringency on the one hand, and the US's overwhelming security commitments around the world, combined with military downsizing, on the other. The article further argues that the involvement of PMCs is to a large extent informed by US concerns …

An Aztec 1.1 Mm Survey Of The Goods-N Field – I. Maps, Catalogue And Source Statistics, Thushara Perera, E. Chapin, J. Austermann, K. Scott, G. Wilson, M. Halern, A. Pope, D. Scott, M. Yun, J. Lowenthal, G. Morrison, I. Aretxaga, J. Bock, K. Coppin, M. Crowe, L. Frey, D. Hughes, Y. Kang, S. Kim, P. Mauskopf

Thushara A. Perera

No abstract provided.

Autism Spectrum Disorders: Neurobiology And Current Assessment Practices, Ryan Allen, Diana Robins, Scott Decker

Ryan A. Allen

This study reviews recent research related to the neurobiology of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) and provides an empirical analysis of current assessment practices. Data were collected through a survey of 117 school psychologists. The Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (GARS), and Gilliam Asperger's Disorder Scale (GADS) were the most frequently used measures. Among the less popular, but more intensive instruments, the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) appears to be gaining popularity within school-based evaluations. Generally, respondents approached the assessment of ASDs from a traditional psychoeducational perspective and reported the use of a very narrow range of …

Towards Self-Organizing, Smart Business Networks: Let’S Create ‘Life’ From Inert Information, David Bray, Benn Konsynski

David A. Bray

We review three different theories that can inform how researchers can determine the performance of smart business networks, to include: (1) the Theory of Evolution, (2) the Knowledge-Based Theory of the Firm, and (3) research insights into computers and cognition. We suggest that each of these theories demonstrate that to be generally perceived as smart, an organism needs to be self-organizing, communicative, and tool-making. Consequentially, to determine the performance of a smart business network, we suggest that researchers need to determine the degree to which it is self-organizing, communicative, and tool-making. We then relate these findings to the Internet and …

Guide To The Ezra Stoller Collection, 1947, 1987, Nancy Loe, Ken Kenyon

Nancy E. Loe

Collection contains 9 mounted vintage images by famed architectural photographer Ezra Stoller of the Clark residence in Lake Placid, New York, taken in 1947.

Utility Of The Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test-Second Edition In The Assessment Of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Ryan Allen, Scott Decker

Ryan A. Allen

This study examined the use of the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test- Second Edition (BGT-II) with children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Previous research has examined the relationship of ADHD and visual-motor functioning based on overall developmental scores or specific emotional indicators. Although several studies have examined the relationship of the previous edition of the BGT-II and ADHD symptoms, psychometric issues associated with the original edition limit the validity of the results. The current study examined the utility of the BGT-II in the assessment of behaviors associated with ADHD. A group of 62 subjects diagnosed with ADHD (M= 11 yr., 5 …

Co-Encapsulation Of Gallium With Gentamicin In Liposomes Enhances Antimicrobial Activity Of Gentamicin Against Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Majed Halwani, B. Yebio, Zacharias E. Suntres, M. Alipour, Ali Azghani, A. Omri

Ali Azghani

Adhesion And Interfacial Fracture Toughness Between Hard And Soft Materials, Nima Rahbar, Kurt Wolf, Argjenta Orana, Roy Fennimore, Zong Zong, Juan Meng, George Papandreou, Cynthia Maryanoff, Wole Soboyejo

Nima Rahbar

This paper presents the results of a combined experimental and theoretical study of adhesion between hard and soft layers that are relevant to medical devices such as drug-eluting stents and semiconductor applications. Brazil disk specimens were used to measure the interfacial fracture energies between model parylene C and 316L stainless steel over a wide range of mode mixities. The trends in the overall fracture energies are predicted using a combination of adhesion theories and fracture mechanics concepts. The measured interfacial fracture energies are shown to be in good agreement with the predictions.

A Major Transformation, Joseph Turow

Joseph Turow

We argue strenuously, strenuously against the naive sentimentalism on the part of companies that insist "We love all our customers and we love all our customers the same." -advertising executive quoted in Advertising Age, March 1995 [These customers] don't spend much money with you now/aren't big spenders in the category with your competitors and, for whatever reason, lack the capacity to increase consumption in your category in the future....If you can avoid recruiting them into your program from the beginning, do so. In many cases, however, until they have joined the program, you have no way of assessing their value....The …

Piling On Palin, Hating On Hillary, Caroline Heldman

Caroline Heldman

No abstract provided.

Fitness And Action Monitoring: Evidence For Improved Cognitive Flexibility In Young Adults, Jason R. Themanson, Matthew B. Pontifex, Charles H. Hillman

Jason R. Themanson, Ph.D

To improve behavior, one must detect errors and initiate subsequent corrective adaptations. This action monitoring process has been widely studied, but little is known about how one may improve this aspect of cognition. To examine the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and action monitoring, we recorded the error-related negativity (ERN), an event-related brain potential believed to index action monitoring, as well as post-error behavioral indices of action monitoring from healthy young adults (18–25 years) who varied in cardiorespiratory fitness. These measures were collected during the execution of flanker tasks emphasizing response accuracy or speed to better assess the specificity of any …

Potential Driven Deposition Of Poly(Diallyldimethylammonium Chloride) Onto The Surface Of 3-Mercaptopropionic Acid Monolayers Assembled On Gold, Wesley Sanders, Mark Anderson

Mark R. Anderson

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) measurements are used to examine the ability of applied potential to drive the ionic self-assembly of poly(diallyldimethylammonium) chloride (PDDA) onto a substrate modified with a monolayer of 3-mercaptopropionic acid (3-MPA). The potential of zero charge (PZC) of the gold electrode modified with a monolayer of 3-MPA was found by differential capacitance measurements to be −0.12 (±0.01) V versus Ag−AgCl. Changing the substrate potential to values positive (−0.01 V vs Ag−AgCl) of the PZC induces interfacial conditions that are favorable for the electrostatic deposition of cationic polymers onto the surface of 3-MPA …

The Role Of Science And Engineering In Water Regulation Over The Past 100 Years, James R. May, Patrick Clary

James R. May

This article explores how scientific and engineering principles are inexorably linked to the regulation of water. Scientists and engineers first discovered the link between disease and water sources in the mid-19th century. Over the years, scientists and engineers have led the way to identifying water quality problems and their causes. These discoveries have directly contributed to the scope of water regulation in the United States and elsewhere. In addition, changes in water quality regulation have dictated the need for increasingly sophisticated water treatment technologies and engineers have been at the forefront of the development of these water control technologies. This …

Ilr Impact Brief - Workforce Alignment And Fluidity May Yield A Competitive Advantage, Lee Dyer, Jeff Ericksen

Lee Dyer

[Excerpt] The authors postulate that workforce scalability is the key competency necessary for ongoing marketplace success. Workforce scalability encompasses two factors: alignment and fluidity. The former is an ideal target that calls for the right number of the right type of people in the right place at the right time doing the right thing. The latter is the means by which organizations hit the target, and specifically refers to the speed and ease with which employees are moved around and adjust their behaviors to suit changing business requirements. A set of operating principles facilitates the simultaneous attainment of workforce alignment …

Perspective - Calculating Political Risk, Catherine Althaus

Catherine E. Althaus

No abstract provided.

Factory System, Meghan Burke, David Embrick

Meghan A. Burke

Dr. Burke's additional contributions to this publication include "Colorism" and "Biological Determinism", also coauthored with David G. Embrick.

Success Attained, Deterred, And Denied: Divergent Pathways To Social Mobility In Los Angeles's New Second Generation, Min Zhou, Jennifer Lee, Jody Vallejo, Rosaura Tafoya-Estrada, Yang Xiong

Rosaura Conley-Estrada

This article highlights divergent pathways to mobility among members of the new second generation, identifies key mechanisms affecting the choices they make in their pursuit of success, and explains how specific choices were pivotal in determining outcomes of segmented assimilation. First, the authors evaluate definitions of success and pathways to social mobility, advancing a subject-centered approach to study second-generation mobility. Second, the article turns to the results from the authors' ongoing qualitative study of the new second generation in Los Angeles to examine cases that exemplify predictable and anomalous outcomes. Third, the authors zoom in on patterns that emerge from …

Investigating Bimanual Coordination In Dominant And Non-Dominant Virtual Hands, Gavin Buckingham, David Carey

Gavin Buckingham

A bias in attention towards the dominant hand has been cited as a possible factor in the lateralisation of human bimanual coordination (Peters, 1981). A mirror was placed between the hands of 18 dextral participants performing rhythmic anti-phase movements. This set-up gave the appearance of a reflected virtual hand (moving in time with the un-occluded hand), in the same spatial location as the occluded left or right hand. This asymmetrical conflict between vision and action examined whether the left hand would show higher levels of error when replaced by a virtual right hand than the converse condition. Higher levels of …

Job Hopping, Earnings Dynamics, And Industrial Agglomeration In The Software Publishing Industry, Matthew Freedman

Matthew Freedman

Evaluation Of Scrotal Masses, Jeffrey D. Tiemstra Md, S Kapoor

Jeffrey Tiemstra, MD, FAAFP

Cyber Civil Rights (Mp3), Danielle Citron

Danielle Keats Citron

No abstract provided.

Eloquence And Reason: Creating A First Amendment Culture, Robert L. Tsai

Robert L Tsai

This book presents a general theory to explain how the words in the Constitution become culturally salient ideas, inscribed in the habits and outlooks of ordinary Americans. "Eloquence and Reason" employs the First Amendment as a case study to illustrate that liberty is achieved through the formation of a common language and a set of organizing beliefs. The book explicates the structure of First Amendment language as a distinctive discourse and illustrates how activists, lawyers, and even presidents help to sustain our First Amendment belief system. When significant changes to constitutional law occur, they are best understood as the results …

Love Your Body Day, Caroline Heldman

Caroline Heldman

No abstract provided.

Demographic Parameters Of Yellowfin Croaker, Umbrina Roncador (Perciformes: Sciaenidae), From The Southern California Bight, Daniel Pondella, John Froeschke, Lynne Wetmore, Eric Miller, Charles Valle, Lea Medeiros

Daniel Pondella

The yellowfin croaker, Umbrina roncador Jordan & Gilbert, 1882, is a common nearshore and surf-zone species in the southern California bight. Age was determined for individuals (n = 1,209) using annual increments in otoliths, and size at age was modeled using the von Bertalanffy growth curve (L∞ = 307.754 mm, k = 0.278 yr−1, t0 = −0.995 yr; maximum age = 15 yr). Females (L∞= 313.173 mm, k = 0.307 yr−1, t0 = −0.771 yr) grew significantly faster and larger than males (L∞= 298.886, k = 0.269 yr−1, t0 = −1.072 yr). Age and growth modeling based upon otolith length …