Digital Commons Network^™

At Issue: Students Must Understand Both Theory And Practice, Kevin Kaluf, Kara S. Harris

Journal of STEM Teacher Education

No abstract provided.

Examination Of Assessment Practices For Engineering Design Projects In Secondary Education (Second In A Three Part Series), Todd R. Kelley, Robert C. Wicklein

Journal of STEM Teacher Education

No abstract provided.

Complete Issue

Journal of STEM Teacher Education

No abstract provided.

Contextual Problem Solving Model Origination, Jeremy V. Ernst

Journal of STEM Teacher Education

Problem solving has become a central focus of instructional activity in technology education classrooms at all levels (Boser, 1993). Impact assessment considerations incorporating society, culture, and economics are factors that require high-level deliberation involving critical thinking and the implementation of problem solving strategy. The purpose of this study was to analyze components, sequencing, and challenges associated with technology education student identification and development of problem solving models that factor societal, cultural, and economic considerations. Additionally, this study investigated individual problem solving strategies concerning methods, solutions, and abilities. This study identified that there is no apparent effect on initial component selection …

The Relationship Between Personality Type And Learning Style: A Study Of Automotive Technology Students, Mark D. Threeton, Richard A. Walter

Journal of STEM Teacher Education

In an effort to provide career and technical education (CTE) professionals with additional insight on how to better meet the individual education needs of the learner, this study (a) sought to identify the predominant personality type of postsecondary automotive technology students and (b) examined whether there was a relationship between the participants’ predominant personality classifications and learning styles. The findings suggested that the majority of participants had a predominantly Realistic personality classification, and identified a relationship between personality type and learning style. Findings may be useful to CTE teachers and teacher educators interested in diversifying curriculum and instruction via strategies …

Feasibility Of Ellipsometric Sensor Development For Use During Pecvd Siox Coated Polymer Product Manufacturing, Daniel Lynn Helms

Master's Theses

Polymeric materials have provided pathways to products that could not be manufactured otherwise. A new technology which merges the benefits of ceramics into these polymer products has created materials ideally suited to many different industries, like food packaging. Nano Scale Surface Systems, Inc. (NS3), a company which coats polymers with ceramic oxides like SiO2 through a process known as plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), was interested in the feasibility of an in line measurement system for monitoring the deposited films on various polymer products. This project examined two different coated polymer products, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) beverage containers and biaxially …

Extended Defects In The Potts-Percolation Model Of A Solid: Renormalization Group And Monte Carlo Analysis, H. T. Diep, Miron Kaufman

Physics Faculty Publications

We extend the model of a 2d solid to include a line of defects. Neighboring atoms on the defect line are connected by springs of different strength and different cohesive energy with respect to the rest of the system. Using the Migdal-Kadanoff renormalization group we show that the elastic energy is an irrelevant field at the bulk critical point. For zero elastic energy this model reduces to the Potts model. By using Monte Carlo simulations of the three- and four-state Potts model on a square lattice with a line of defects, we confirm the renormalization-group prediction that for a defect …

Assessment Of Mixing In Passive Microchannels With Fractal Surface Patterning, Petru S. Fodor, M. Itomlenskis, Miron Kaufman

Physics Faculty Publications

We explore numerically the feasibility of enhancing the mixing capability of microchannels by employing the Weierstrass fractal function to generate a pattern of V-shaped ridges on the channel floor. Motivated by experimental limitations such as the finite resolution (similar to 10 mu m) associated with rapid prototyping through soft lithography techniques, we study the influence on the quality of mixing of having finite width ridges. The mixing capability of the designs studied is evaluated using an entropic measure and the designs are optimized with respect to: the distances between the ridges and the position range of their tip along the …

Casimir Chemistry, D. P. Sheehan

Physics and Biophysics: Faculty Scholarship

It is shown that, at the nanoscale, the Casimir effect can be used to mechanically tune critical aspects of chemical reaction e.g., energies, equilibrium constants, activation energies, transition states, reaction rates by varying the spacing and composition of reaction vessel boundaries. This suggests new modalities for catalysts, nanoscale chemical manufacturing, chemical-mechanical engines, and biochemical processes in organisms.

Continuous Trace C*-Algebras, Gauge Groups And Rationalization, John R. Klein, Claude Schochet, Samuel B. Smith

Mathematics Faculty Research Publications

Let ζ be an n-dimensional complex matrix bundle over a compact metric space X and let A_ζ denote the C*-algebra of sections of this bundle. We determine the rational homotopy type as an H-space of UA_ζ, the group of unitaries of A_ζ. The answer turns out to be independent of the bundle ζ and depends only upon n and the rational cohomology of X. We prove analogous results for the gauge group and the projective gauge group of a principal bundle over a compact metric space X.

Contributing Efforts In The Search For Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay, Laura Christine Sparks

Physics

Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE) will be part of the next generation of detectors used to search for neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ). Located in Assergi, Italy at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS), CUORE will be a large cryogenic bolometer composed of 988 tellurium dioxide (TeO2) detectors with a total mass of 750 kg, and will search for 0νββ in 130Te. As the experiment will monitor the extremely rare event of 0νββ, all factors contributing to background need to be minimized to effectively increase the sensitivity. I assisted the LNGS researchers over the summer of 2008 by …

"Genetics In Geographically Structured Populations: Defining, Estimating And Interpreting Fst.", Kent E. Holsinger, Bruce S. Weir

EEB Articles

Wright's F-statistics, and especially F(ST), provide important insights into the evolutionary processes that influence the structure of genetic variation within and among populations, and they are among the most widely used descriptive statistics in population and evolutionary genetics. Estimates of F(ST) can identify regions of the genome that have been the target of selection, and comparisons of F(ST) from different parts of the genome can provide insights into the demographic history of populations. For these reasons and others, F(ST) has a central role in population and evolutionary genetics and has wide applications in fields that range from disease association mapping …

Movements And Habitat Utilization Of Two Longbill Spearfish Tetrapturus Pfluegeri In The Eastern Tropical South Atlantic Ocean, David W. Kerstetter, Eric S. Orbesen, S. Robert Snodgrass, Eric Prince

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

The longbill spearfish Tetrapturus pfleugeri Robins and de Sylva, 1963, is a small istiophorid billfish found in the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas that occurs as an infrequent by-catch in recreational and commercial pelagic fisheries. Although some data exist on diet and reproduction based on dead specimens, little is known of the species’ habitat preferences or individual movement patterns. In 2004, two longbill spearfish were tagged with pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) near Ascencion Island in the South Atlantic for 11 d and 45 d. Individual movement tracks derived from light-based geolocation estimates suggested little relationship with sea surface temperature …

Why Not License Referees?, Thomas Nelson Winter

Department of Classics and Religious Studies: Faculty Publications

The referee system in scholarly publishing offers us many benefits and also carries with it attendant problems. The problems need to be addressed. Referees are arguably the linchpins of academic scholarship: they do the heavy lifting for editors, they provide editors with vicarious expertise, and they monitor the gateway to publication and thus to tenure and promotion. Their presence in the editorial process is the guarantee to deans and program directors that scholarship is scholarship. Referees are also, however, the bottleneck of the publication system. Dilatory or slothful referees idly and thoughtlessly put careers on hold.

The system needs changing. …

Unity And Continuity In Jon Lee’S Abstract Woodblock Prints, Michael Schreyach

Art and Art History Faculty Research

No abstract provided.

The B → Πlν Semileptonic Form Factor From Three-Flavor Lattice Qcd: A Model-Independent Determination Of |Vub|, James E. Hetrick, J. Bailey

All Faculty Articles - School of Engineering and Computer Science

We calculate the form factor f+(q2) for B-meson semileptonic decay in unquenched lattice QCD with 2+1 flavors of light sea quarks. We use Asqtad-improved staggered light quarks and a Fermilab bottom quark on gauge configurations generated by the MILC Collaboration. We simulate with several light-quark masses and at two lattice spacings, and extrapolate to the physical quark mass and continuum limit using heavy-light meson staggered chiral perturbation theory. We then fit the lattice result for f(q2) simultaneously with that measured by the BABAR experiment using a parameterization of the form-factor shape in q2, which relies only on analyticity and unitarity …

Distribution Of News Information Through Social Bookmarking: An Examination Of Shared Stories In The Delicious Website, Deborah S. Chung, Kwan Yi

Journalism and Media Faculty Publications

Introduction. This study examined the selection and sharing of news stories from Delicious, a popular social bookmarking site, in order to identify the most frequently consulted news information sources and news topics.

Method. Targeting US-specific sources through initial computer screening of URLs, we employed content analysis to further analyse story topics and sources that were unclassified through the initial computer screening method.

Analysis. After examining frequencies and percentages of the variables, a qualitative analysis was employed to assess relationships between story sources and story topics.

Results. Findings document the diverse nature of stories from both traditional and new media …

Full Issue 12(3)

Journal of Public Transportation

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Shoe Traction And Obstacle Height On Lower Extremity Coordination Dynamics During Walking., Leslie Decker, Jeremy J. Houser, John M. Noble, Gregory M. Karst, Nicholas Stergiou

Journal Articles: Physical Therapy

This study aims to investigate the effects of shoe traction and obstacle height on lower extremity relative phase dynamics (analysis of intralimb coordination) during walking to better understand the mechanisms employed to avoid slippage following obstacle clearance. Ten participants walked at a self-selected pace during eight conditions: four obstacle heights (0%, 10%, 20%, and 40% of limb length) while wearing two pairs of shoes (low and high traction). A coordination analysis was used and phasing relationships between lower extremity segments were examined. The results demonstrated that significant behavioral changes were elicited under varied obstacle heights and frictional conditions. Both decreasing …

How The Malaysian Chinese View Their Malay Counterparts: A Version Of Accepting Others, K.C. Hei, J. Mohd Ali

Research Publications (2006 to 2010)

A change in the political landscape of Malaysia has been emerging in a gradual manner, for the past few months, since the new premiership in March, 2009. After more than 51 years of independence, it became apparent that the ruling Malaysian government, Barisan Nasional, is not taking things in this country for granted. A number of things can be attributed to this change. First, it was the taking over of five (since 2009) Malaysian states by the opposition party, Pakatan Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) after the March 8, 2009 election. The states of Selangor, Kedah, Pulau Pinang, Kelantan, and until recently, …

The Effect Of Frequent Managerial Turnover On Organizational Performance: A Study Of Professional Baseball Managers, Gregory C. Hill

Public Policy and Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

This analysis is designed to study the question of a manager’s contribution to the organization, particularly in terms of uncertainty related to managerial succession. The theory of managerial succession, which is the replacement of one public manager with another, suggests a negative relationship between change and organizational performance. Organizations’ decision to change managers more often exacerbates the negative effect on performance. The hypotheses are tested using baseball managers as proxies for public managers, as they perform similar duties, have similar goals, and operate under similar constraints. The results suggest that managerial succession has a negative effect on organizational performance. Frequent …

Improved Confidence In (U-Th)/He Thermochronology Using The Laser Microprobe: An Example From A Pleistocene Leucogranite, Nanga Parbat, Pakistan, J. W. Boyce, K. V. Hodges, D. King, James L. Crowley, M. Jercinovic, N. Chatterjee, S. A. Bowring, M. Searle

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The newly developed laser microprobe (U-Th)/He thermochronometer permits, for the first time, the ability to generate precise (U-Th)/He cooling ages for even very young (Ma) samples with a spatial resolution on the order of tens of micrometers. This makes it possible to test the reproducibility of independent (U-Th)/He age determinations within individual crystals, further increasing the reliability of the method. As an example, we apply it here to a Pleistocene granite from Nanga Parbat, Pakistan, where previous constraints on the thermal history are consistent with rapid exhumation and cooling. Twenty-one (U-Th)/He dates determined on two monazite crystals from a single …

Multiproxy Lake Sediment Records At The Northern And Southern Boundaries Of The Aspen Parkland Region Of Manitoba, Canada, Rebecca Teed, Charles Umbanhower, Philip Camill

Earth and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications

Aspen parkland in central Canada may change substantially with increased warming and aridity as prairies replace forests, fire return intervals decrease and lake levels decline. We examined the relationships among vegetation, climate, fire and lake-ecosystem properties using lake sediment cores from the current northern and southern boundaries of the aspen parkland in southwestern Manitoba. We analyzed pollen, charcoal, sediment magnetics, biogenic silica, phosphorus, grain size and LOI, and dated the cores using ²¹⁰Pb and ¹⁴C (AMS, calibrated). The Jones Lake record, from the southern edge of the parkland, began considerably earlier (~11 000 cal. BP) than the Mallard …

Electric Field Enhancement Of Electron Emission Rates From Z(1/2) Centers In 4h-Sic, A. O. Evwaraye, S. R. Smith, William C. Mitchel, Gary C. Farlow

Physics Faculty Publications

Z_1/2 defect centers were produced by irradiating 4H-SiC bulk samples with 1 MeV electrons at room temperature. The emission rate dependence on the electric field in the depletion region was measured using deep level transient spectroscopy and double-correlation deep level transient spectroscopy. It is found that the Z_1/2 defect level shows a strong electric field dependence with activation energy decreasing from E_c−0.72 eV at zero field to E_c−0.47 eV at 6.91×10⁵ V/cm. The phonon assisted tunneling model of Karpus and Perel [Sov. Phys. JETP 64, 1376 (1986) ] completely describes the …

Control Of A Hydrolyzer Using Neural-Network Based Controller, Mohd Azlan Hussain, Mohamed Kheireddine Aroua, J.S. Lim

Research Publications (2006 to 2010)

Hydrolyzer is a commonly found unit operation in oleochemical industry. Control of hydrolyzer has to be done carefully since efficiency in the control of this unit will affect the yield of the process. At present conventional controllers such as PI and PID have been used to achieve the setpoint especially under presence of disturbances. In this study, neural network have been applied as an alternative to cope with the dynamics behavior of the hydrolyzer. Two types of control strategies namely, direct inverse controller (DIC) and internal model controller (IMC) were implemented in the control system. Two sets of data were …

Developing Malay Children's Literary Resources, F.P. Chew, M. Arshad, Z. Ishak, S.C. Loh, Y.W. Teh

Research Publications (2006 to 2010)

The materials and resources for Malay literature for early childhood in Malaysia are still in the infant stage and have not expanded to include main references or developed into big book form. The children literature in our market is not published based on education philosophy and research, but it is produced based on profit. The process of evaluating the quality of children's literature need to take into account the interest of the children, their visual ability, messages of the story, and the effect of the story towards the children. Hence a survey was carried out among 941 respondents including university …

Development Of Partially Simulated Chemical Reactor For The Implementation Of Advanced Control Systems, Ahmad Khairi Abdul Wahab, M.A. Hussain, R. Omar

Research Publications (2006 to 2010)

In this work, a partially simulated exothermic chemical reactor (PARS-EX) pilot plant available in our department is designed and utilized to implement and test various conventional and advanced control strategies. In this reactor, an exothermic chemical reaction is simulated, where heat energy generated from the reaction is replaced by a calculated and controlled steam flow rate through a coil immersed in the reactor. A control valve is used to regulate flow rate of fresh water into a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger then cools the process fluid and recycles it back to the reactor, hence controls the temperature of the …

Can Socialization Influence Identification Levels? Formal And Informal Socialization Of Graduate Students And Graduate Assistants, Tanna White

UNIversitas: Journal of Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Every organization has standard expectations for member behavior. Socialization ensures that employees learn the accepted ways of responding to each situation and the expected ways of working with others. Socialization may be formal, taking place during orientation meetings, training sessions, workshops, and with assigned mentors. Informal socialization, conversely, involves off-site meetings and social interactions as well as employees learning by watching their coworkers and supervisors (Cousins, Handfield, Lawson & Petersen, 2006; Mujtaba & Sims, 2006).

Ctbt Evasion Scenarios: Possible Or Probable?, David W. Hafemeister

Physics

No abstract provided.

Some Determinants Of Classroom Psychosocial Environment In Australian Catholic High Schools: A Multilevel Analysis, Jeffrey P. Dorman

Journal of Catholic Education

This research investigated some determinants of classroom environment in Australian Catholic high schools. The Catholic School Classroom Environment Questionnaire (CSCEQ) was used to assess seven dimensions of the classroom pyschosocial environment: student affiliation, interactions, cooperation, task orientation, order and organization, individualization, and teacher control. The sample consisted of 1,719 students from 80 classes in 20 Catholic coeducational and single-sex schools. Validation data attested to the sound structural properties of the CSCEQ. Because the data were nested (i.e., students within classes within schools), multilevel analyses were used to investigate the influence of student gender, grade, subject, and school type on students' …