Digital Commons Network^™

The Quality Movement Discourse In The Higher Education Sector: A General Review, Aidan Kenny

Articles

This paper – the first of a series of three – describes some of the macro milestones in the evolution of the Quality Movement in the industrial environment. The emphasis then shifts to reviewing the discourse relating to quality in the higher education sector in the UK. Attention is given to Quality Assessment, Quality Assurance and Quality Enhancement models. The interface or tension lines between quality as a controlling mechanism or as a tool for development are outlined. Predominant concerns and issues as expressed by academics are clustered into macro questions, the answers to which will require further longitudinal research.

Minimal Rankings And The A-Rank Number Of A Path, Victor Kostyuk, Darren Narayan, Victoria Shults

Articles

Given a graph G, a function f:V(G)→ {1,2,…,k} is a k-ranking of G if f(u)=f(v) implies every u-v path contains a vertex w such that f(w)>f(u). A k-ranking is minimal if the reduction of any label greater than 1 violates the described ranking property. The arank number of a graph, denoted ψr(G), is the largest k such that G has a minimal k-ranking. We present new results involving minimal k-rankings of paths. In particular, we determine ψr(Pn), a problem posed by Laskar and Pillone in 2000 (Refer to PDF file for exact formulas).

The Law Of Implicit Bias, Cass R. Sunstein, Christine Jolls

Articles

Considerable attention has been given to the Implicit Association Test (IA T), which finds that most people have an implicit and unconscious bias against members of traditionally disadvantaged groups. Implicit bias poses a special challenge for antidiscrimination law because it suggests the possibility that people are treating others differently even when they are unaware that they are doing so. Some aspects of current law operate, whether intentionally or not, as controls on implicit bias; it is possible to imagine other efforts in that vein. An underlying suggestion is that implicit bias might be controlled through a general strategy of "debiasing …

Modeling The Spectral Effects Of Water And Soil As Surface Contaminants In A High Resolution Optical Image Simulation, Kristin Strackerjan, Lon Smith, John Kerekes

Articles

The primary interest of this research is to introduce selected environmental effects into RIT’s Digital Imaging and Remote Sensing Image Generation (DIRSIG) Model. DIRSIG is capable of producing high resolution images (meter scale) using Computer Aided Design models (CAD) of buildings, vehicles, trees, etc. across the full optical spectrum (0.35-25μm). Currently, these objects are modeled in a pristine manner and there is no option to simulate them after exposure to environmental effects. Ideally, we would like to subject a given material to these environmental effects and then accurately model the modified reflected or emitted spectrum. As a first step, we …

Copyright And Incomplete Historiographies: Of Piracy, Propertization, And Thomas Jefferson, Justin Hughes

Articles

Because we learn from history, we also try to teach from history. Persuasive discourse of all kinds is replete with historical examples – some true and applicable to the issue at hand, some one but not the other, and some neither. Beginning in the 1990s, intellectual property scholars began providing descriptive accounts of a tremendous strengthening of copyright laws, expressing the normative view that this trend needs to be arrested, if not reversed. This thoughtful body of scholarly literature is sometimes bolstered with historical claims – often casual comments about the way things were. The claims about history, legal or …

A Survey Of Kiloparsec-Scale Radio Outflows In Radio-Quiet Active Galactic Nuclei, Jack F. Gallimore, David Axon, Christopher P. O'Dea, Stefi A. Baum, Alan Pedlar

Articles

Seyfert galaxies commonly host compact jets spanning 10—100 pc scales, but larger structures are resolved out in long baseline, aperture synthesis surveys. Previous, targeted studies showed that kiloparsec-scale radio structures (KSRs) may be a common feature of Seyfert and LINER galaxies, and the origin of KSRs may be starburst or AGN. We report a new Very Large Array (VLA) survey of a complete sample of Seyfert and LINER galaxies. Out of all of the surveyed radio-quiet sources, we find that 44% (19 / 43) show extended radio structures at least 1 kpc in total extent that do not match the …

The Effect Of Physiological Cyclic Stretch On The Cell Morphology, Cell Orientation And Protein Expression Of Endothelial Cells, V. Barron, Claire Brougham, K. Coghlan, C. Stenson-Cox, D. O'Mahoney, P.E. Mchugh

Articles

In vivo, endothelial cells are constantly exposed to pulsatile shear and tensile stresses. The main aim of this study was to design and build a physiological simulator, which reproduced homogenous strain profiles of the tensile strain experienced in vivo, and to investigate the effect of this cyclic tensile strain on the cell morphology, cell orientation and protein expression of endothelial cells. The biological response of human umbilical vein endothelial cells to a uniaxial cyclic stretch, in this newly developed simulator, was examined experimentally using immunohistostaining and confocal imaging and it was

found that the cells elongated and oriented at 58.9± …

Optical Polarimetry Of The Jets Of Nearby Radio Galaxies. I. The Data, Eric Perlman, Alex Padgett, Markos Georganopoulos, Christopher P. O'Dea, Stefi A. Baum, Et Al.

Articles

In this paper, the first in a series, we present an overview of new Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging polarimetry of six nearby radio galaxies (3C 15, 3C 66B, 3C 78, 3C 264, 3C 346, and 3C 371) with optical jets. These observations triple the number of extragalactic jets with subarcsecond-resolution optical polarimetry. We discuss the polarization characteristics of each jet and, as our Stokes I images also represent by far the deepest optical images yet obtained of each of these jets, we also discuss the morphology in total flux of each jet in detail. We find evidence of high …

Automatic Tie Point Selection Using Laplacian Of Gaussian (Log) Spatial Filtering, Seth Weith-Glushko, Karl Walli, Carl Salvaggio

Articles

This research examines the utility of an automated image registration technique that utilizes the Laplacian of Gaussian filter to extract semi-invariant ground control points, the use of matrix transformations for efficient management of affine image relationships, and wavelet theory for multi-resolution analysis. Additionally, advances in both composite and predictive transformations will be covered. Results will be presented that demonstrate the utility of these techniques for processing large data sets such as HyVista Corporation’s HyMap sensor. Automation techniques will be highlighted, demonstrating the strengths and weaknesses when applied to images with high degrees of parallax, cloud-cover, and other types of temporal …

A Fundamental Relation Between Compact Stellar Nuclei, Supermassive Black Holes, And Their Host Galaxies, Laura Ferrarese, Patrick Côté, Elena Dalla Bontà, David Merritt, Et Al.

Articles

Imaging surveys with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) have shown that 50–80% of low- and intermediate-luminosity galaxies contain a compact stellar nucleus at their center, regardless of host galaxy morphological type. We combine HST imaging for early-type galaxies from the ACS Virgo Cluster Survey with ground-based long-slit spectra from KPNO to show that the masses of compact stellar nuclei in Virgo Cluster galaxies obey a tight correlation with the masses of the host galaxies. The same correlation is obeyed by the supermassive black holes (SBHs) found in predominantly massive galaxies. The compact stellar nuclei in the Local Group galaxies M33 …

Note: Computation Of The Ramsey Number R(W5,K5), Stanislaw Radziszowski, Josh Stinehour, Kung-Kuen Tse

Articles

We determine the value of the Ramsey number R(W5;K5) to be 27, where W5 = K1 + C4 is the 4-spoked wheel of order 5. This solves one of the four remaining open cases in the tables given in 1989 by George R. T. Hendry, which included the Ramsey numbers R(G;H) for all pairs of graphs G and H having ve vertices, except seven entries. In addition, we show that there exists a unique up to isomorphism critical Ramsey graph for W5 versus K5. Our results are based on computer algorithms.

Efficient Merger Of Binary Supermassive Black Holes In Non-Axisymmetric Galaxies, Peter Berczik, David Merritt, Rainer Spurzem, Hans-Peter Bischof

Articles

Binary supermassive black holes form naturally in galaxy mergers, but their long-termevolution is uncertain. In spherical galaxies, N-body simulations show that binary evolution stalls at separations much too large for significant emission of gravitational waves (the “final parsec problem”). Here, we follow the long-term evolution of a massive binary in more realistic, triaxial and rotating galaxy models. We find that the binary does not stall. The binary hardening rates that we observe are sufficient to allow complete coalescence of binary SBHs in 10 Gyr or less, even in the absence of collisional loss-cone refilling or gas-dynamical torques, thus providing a …

Instruction Via Chat: Does Co-Browse Help?, Stephanie J. Graves, Christina M. Desai

Articles

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to determine whether instruction would be welcomed by instant messaging (IM)/chat users, whether instruction is possible in this medium, whether it can be effectively provided, and if the use of co-browsing enhances learning.

Design/methodology/approach – Two studies were conducted in which IM/chat reference transcripts were analyzed and patron surveys collected. This research paper compares results from these studies, the first based on use of text-only IM software, the second using commercial chat software with a co-browse feature.

Findings – Findings indicate that patrons welcome instruction, whether they ask for it or not, …

After Autonomy, Carl E. Schneider

Articles

Bioethicists today are like Bolsheviks on the death of Lenin. They have, rather to their surprise, won the day. Their principle of autonomy is dogma. Their era of charismatic leadership is over. Their work of Weberian rationalization, of institutionalizing principle and party, has begun. The liturgy is reverently recited, but the vitality of Lenin's "What Is To Be Done?" has yielded to the vacuity of Stalin's "The Foundations of Leninism." Effort once lavished on expounding ideology is now devoted to establishing associations, organizing degree programs, installing bioethicist commissars in every hospital, and staffing IRB soviets. Not-so-secret police prowl the libraries …

The Business Of Minor League Baseball: Amateur Eligibility Rules, Peter A. Carfagna, Cleveland Indians

Articles

No abstract provided.

Lossless Compression Of Color Palette Images With One-Dimensional Techniques, Ziya Arnavut, Ferat Sahin

Articles

Palette images are widely used on the World Wide Web (WWW) and in game-cartridge applications. Many images used on the WWW are stored and transmitted after they are compressed losslessly with the standard graphics interchange format (GIF), or portable network graphics (PNG). Well-known 2-D compression schemes, such as JPEG-LS and JPEG-2000, fail to yield better compression than GIF or PNG due to the fact that the pixel values represent indices that point to color values in a look-up table. To improve the compression performance of JPEG-LS and JPEG-2000 techniques, several researchers have proposed various reindexing algorithms. We investigate various compression …

Streaming Motions Toward The Supermassive Black Hole In Ngc 1097, Kambiz Fathi, Thaisa Storchi-Bergmann, Rogemar A. Riffel, Claudia Winge, David J. Axon, Andew Robinson, Alessandro Marconi

Articles

We have used GMOS-IFU and high resolution HST-ACS observations to map, in unprecedented detail, the gas velocity field and structure within the 0.7 kpc circumnuclear ring of the SBb LINER/Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 1097. We find clear evidence of radial streaming motions associated with spiral structures leading to the unresolved (< 3.5 parsecs) nucleus, which we interpret as part of the fueling chain by which gas is transported to the nuclear starburst and supermassive black hole.

The Supermassive Black Hole In Centaurus A: A Benchmark For Gas Kinematical Measurements, Alessandro Marconi, Guia Pastorini, Franco Pacini, David J. Axon, A. Capetti, D. Macchetto, A. M. Koekemoer, E. J. Shreier

Articles

We present new HST/STIS observations of Centaurus A. [SIII] 9533A was used to study the kinematics in the nuclear region with a 0.1" spatial resolution. The STIS data and the VLT/ISAAC spectra by Marconi et al. (2001) provide independent and consistent measures of the BH mass, which are in agreement with our previous estimate based on the ISAAC data alone: MBH=(1.1+/-0.1) 10^8 Msun for a disk inclination of i=25deg or or MBH=(6.5+/-0.7) 10^7 Msun for i=35deg, the largest i value allowed by the data. We find that the choice of the intrinsic surface brightness distribution, a crucial element in the …

The Acs Virgo Cluster Survey Ix: The Color Distributions Of Globular Cluster Systems In Early-Type Galaxies, Eric Peng, Andres Jordan, Patrick Cote

Articles

We present the color distributions of globular cluster (GC) systems for 100 Virgo cluster earlytype galaxies observed in the ACS Virgo Cluster Survey, the deepest and most homogeneous survey of this kind to date. While the color distributions of individual GC systems can show significant variations from one another, their general properties are consistent with continuous trends across galaxy luminosity, color, and stellar mass. On average, galaxies at all luminosities in our study (−22 < MB < −15) appear to have bimodal or asymmetric GC color distributions. Almost all galaxies possess a component of metal-poor GCs, with the average fraction of metal-rich GCs ranging from 15 to 60%. The colors of both subpopulations correlate with host galaxy luminosity and color, with the red GCs having a steeper slope. The steeper correlation seen in the mean color of the entire GC system is driven by the increasing fraction of metal-rich GCs for more luminous galaxies. To convert color to metallicity, we also introduce a preliminary (g–z)-[Fe/H] relation calibrated to Galactic, M49 and M87 GCs. This relation is nonlinear with a steeper slope for [Fe/H] . −0.8. As a result, the metallicities of the metal-poor and metal-rich GCs vary similarly with respect to galaxy luminosity and stellar mass, with relations of [Fe/H]MP ∝ L0.16±0.04 ∝ M0.17±0.04 ⋆ and [Fe/H]MR ∝ L0.26±0.03 ∝ M0.22±0.03 ⋆ , respectively. Although these relations are shallower than the mass-metallicity relation predicted by wind models and observed for dwarf galaxies, they are very similar to the mass-metallicity relation for star forming galaxies in the same mass range. The offset between the two GC populations varies slowly (∝ M0.05 ⋆ ) and is approximately 1 dex across three orders of magnitude in mass, suggesting a nearly universal amount of enrichment between the formation of the two populations of GCs. We also find that although the metal-rich GCs show a larger dispersion in color, it is the metal-poor GCs that have an equal or larger dispersion in metallicity. The similarity in the M⋆–[Fe/H] relations for the two populations, implies that the conditions of GC formation for metal-poor and metal-rich GCs could not have been too different. Like the color-magnitude relation, these relations derived from globular clusters present stringent constraints on the formation and evolution of early-type galaxies.

The Acs Virgo Cluster Survey. Ix. The Color Distributions Of Globular Cluster Systems In Early-Type Galaxies, Eric W. Peng, Andrés Jordán, Patrick Côté, John P. Blakeslee, Laura Ferrarese, Simona Mei, Michael J. West, David Merritt, Milos Milosavljević, John L. Tonry

Articles

We present the color distributions of globular cluster (GC) systems for 100 Virgo cluster early-type galaxies observed in the ACS Virgo Cluster Survey, the deepest and most homogeneous survey of this kind to date. While the color distributions of individual GC systems can show significant variations from one another, their general properties are consistent with continuous trends across galaxy luminosity, color, and stellar mass. On average, galaxies at all luminosities in our study (−22 < MB < −15) appear to have bimodal or asymmetric GC color distributions. Almost all galaxies possess a component of metal-poor GCs, with the average fraction of metal-rich GCs ranging from 15 to 60%. The colors of both subpopulations correlate with host galaxy luminosity and color, with the red GCs having a steeper slope. The steeper correlation seen in the mean color of the entire GC system is driven by the increasing fraction of metal-rich GCs for more luminous galaxies. To convert color to metallicity, we also introduce a preliminary (g–z)-[Fe/H] relation calibrated to Galactic, M49 and M87 GCs. This relation is nonlinear with a steeper slope for [Fe/H] . −0.8. As a result, the metallicities of the metal-poor and metal-rich GCs vary similarly with respect to galaxy luminosity and stellar mass, with relations of [Fe/H]MP ∝ L0.16±0.04 ∝ M0.17±0.04 and [Fe/H]MR ∝ L0.26±0.03 ∝ M0.22±0.03, respectively. Although these relations are shallower than the mass-metallicity relation predicted by wind models and observed for dwarf galaxies, they are very similar to the mass-metallicity relation for star forming galaxies in the same mass range. The offset between the two GC populations varies slowly (∝ M0.05) and is approximately 1 dex across three orders of magnitude in mass, suggesting a nearly universal amount of enrichment between the formation of the two populations of GCs. We also find that although the metal-rich GCs show a larger dispersion in color, it is the metal-poor GCs that have an equal or larger dispersion in metallicity. The similarity in the M–[Fe/H] relations for the two populations, implies that the conditions of GC formation for metal-poor and metal-rich GCs could not have been too different. Like the color-magnitude relation, these relations derived from globular clusters present stringent constraints on the formation and evolution of early-type galaxies.

Massive Star Formation In The Central Regions Of Spiral Galaxies, Johan H. Knapen, Lisa M. Mazzuca, Torsten Böker, I. Shlosman, L. Colina, F. Combes, David J. Axon

Articles

The morphology of massive star formation in the central regions of galaxies is an important tracer of the dynamical processes that govern the evolution of disk, bulge, and nuclear activity. Aims: We present optical imaging of the central regions of a sample of 73 spiral galaxies in the H alpha line and in optical broad bands, and derive information on the morphology of massive star formation. Methods: We obtained images with the William Herschel Telescope, mostly at a spatial resolution of below one second of arc. For most galaxies, no H alpha imaging is available in the literature. We outline …

Hi Absorption In 3c 49 And 3c 268.3. Probing The Environment Of Compact Steep Spectrum And Ghz Peaked Spectrum Sources, Alvaro Labiano, Rene C. Vermeulen, Peter D. Barthel, Christopher P. O'Dea, J. F. Gallimore, Stefi A. Baum, W. De Vries

Articles

We present and discuss European VLBI Network UHF band spectral line observations, made to localise the redshifted 21cm HI absorption known to occur in the subgalactic sized compact steep spectrum galaxies 3C 49 and 3C 268.3. We have detected HI absorption towards the western radio lobe of 3C 49 and the northern lobe of 3C 268.3. However, we cannot rule out the presence of similar amounts of HI towards the opposite and much fainter lobes. The radio lobes with detected HI absorption (1) are brighter and closer to the core than the opposite lobes; (2) are depolarized; and (3) are …

Atomic Hydrogen In The One-Sided "Compact Double" Radio Galaxy 2050+364, Rene C. Vermeulen, Alvaro Labiano, Peter D. Barthel, Stefi A. Baum, W. H. De Vries, Christopher P. O'Dea

Articles

European VLBI Network spectral imaging of the “compact double” radio source 2050+364 in the UHF band at 1049 MHz has resolved the HI absorbing region, and has shown a faint continuum component to the North (N), in addition to the well-known East-West double (E, W). Re-examination of VLBI continuum images at multiple frequencies suggests that 2050+364 may well be a one-sided core-jet source, which appears as a double over a limited frequency range. One of the dominant features,W, would then be the innermost visible portion of the jet, and could be at or adjacent to the canonical radio core. The …

Brownian Motion Of Black Holes In Dense Nuclei, David Merritt, Frederik Laun

Articles

We evaluate the Brownian motion of a massive particle ("black hole") at the center of a galaxy using N-body simulations. Our galaxy models have power-law central density cusps like those observed at the centers of elliptical galaxies. The simulations show that the black hole achieves a steady-state kinetic energy that is substantially different than would be predicted based on the properties of the galaxy model in the absence of the black hole. The reason appears to be that the black hole responds to stars whose velocities have themselves been raised by the presence of the black hole. Over a wide …

Misfearing: A Reply, Cass R. Sunstein

Articles

No abstract provided.

A Stackelberg Game Model Of Trade In Renewable Resources With Competitive Sellers, Amitrajeet A. Batabyal, Hamid Beladi

Articles

We model international trade in renewable resources between a single buyer and competitive sellers as a Stackelberg differential game. The buyer uses unit and ad valorem tariffs to indirectly encourage conservation of the renewable resource under study. First, we show that the efficacy of these trade policy instruments in promoting conservation depends fundamentally on whether harvesting costs are stock dependent or independent. When harvesting costs are stock independent, the optimal open loop tariffs are dynamically consistent. In contrast, when harvesting costs are stock dependent, the optimal open loop tariffs are dynamically inconsistent. Second, we point out that whether the terminal …

Dynamical Cusp Regeneration, David Merritt, Andras Szell

Articles

After being destroyed by a binary supermassive black hole, a stellar density cusp can regrow at the center of a galaxy via energy exchange between stars moving in the gravitational field of the single, coalesced hole. We illustrate this process via high-accuracy N-body simulations. Regeneration requires roughly one relaxation time and the new cusp extends to a distance of roughly one-fifth the black hole’s influence radius, with density r ∼ r−7/4; the mass in the cusp is of order 10% the mass of the black hole. Growth of the cusp is preceded by a stage in which the stellar velocity …

Medical Imaging And What Lies Ahead, María Helguera

Articles

Even though the discovery of X-rays by Roentgen happened in 1895, more than 100 years ago, it wasn’t until the early 1960s that computerized analysis of radiological images was possible. Although the mathematical foundation for computed tomography was derived by Radon in 1917, it was not until the early 1970s that computed tomography scanners were initially developed. Since then computers have become an integral part of medical imaging systems and hospitals, being utilized for data acquisition, image generation and display, and image analysis.

Detection Of Gaseous Effluents From Airborne Lwir Hyperspectral Imagery Using Physics-Based Signatures, David Messinger, Carl Salvaggio, Natalie Sinisgalli

Articles

Detection of gaseous effluent plumes from airborne platforms provides a unique challenge to the remote sensing community. The measured signatures are a complicated combination of phenomenology including effects of the atmosphere, spectral characteristics of the background material under the plume, temperature contrast between the gas and the surface, and the concentration of the gas. All of these quantities vary spatially further complicating the detection problem. In complex scenes simple estimation of a “residual” spectrum may not be possible due to the variability in the scene background. A common detection scheme uses a matched filter formalism to compare laboratory-measured gas absorption …

Eruptive Young Stellar Object In Ldn 1415, Joel Kastner, M. Richmond, T. Simon

Articles

J. Kastner and M. Richmond, Rochester Institute of Technology; T. Simon, Institute for Astronomy, Honolulu; N. Grosso, Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Grenoble; D. Weintraub, Vanderbilt University; and K. Hamaguchi, Universities Space Research Association, Greenbelt, report that they obtained a 9630-s Director's Discretionary Time exposure on Nov. 18 with the Chandra X-ray Observatory's Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer imaging array (ACIS-I) of a field centered at R.A. = 4h41m35s.8, Decl. = +54d19'20" (equinox 2000.0), the position of a low-luminosity, eruptive, young stellar object reported by Stecklum (CBET 690). No x-ray source is detected within several arcminutes of this position. The upper limit on …