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Learning Effects Of Design Strategies On High School Students, John Mativo, Robert Wicklein

Journal of STEM Teacher Education

No abstract provided.

Learning Styles In Technical Drawing Courses As Perceived By Students In Egypt And Nigeria, Hamdy M. Elbitar, Kennedy E. Umunadi

Journal of STEM Teacher Education

No abstract provided.

The Exploration Of The Relationship Between Guessing And Latent Ability In Irt Models, Song Gao

Dissertations

This study explored the relationship between successful guessing and latent ability in IRT models. A new IRT model was developed with a guessing function integrating probability of guessing an item correctly with the examinee's ability and the item parameters. The conventional 3PL IRT model was compared with the new 2PL-Guessing model on parameter estimation using the Monte Carlo method. SAS program was used to implement the data simulation and the maximum likelihood estimation. Compared with the traditional 3PL model, the new model should reflect: a) the maximum probability of guessing should not be more than 0.5, even for the highest …

The Teaching Philosophy Framework: Learning, Leading, And Growing, Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe, Beth S. Woodard

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2009

A teaching philosophy statement is a powerful framework for exploring one's beliefs about student learning, classroom leadership, assessment, teaching and learning styles, and programmatic development. Unfortunately, developing a teaching philosophy statement can be a daunting task. Librarians may find though that having a statement is necessary (e.g., promotion dossier) and/or desirable (e.g., personal reflection). The workshop will offer a structured and scaffolded approach to drafting a philosophy statement and identifying evidence from one's teaching practice as the framework for a teaching portfolio. Participants will have the beginning of a draft personal statement at the conclusion of the workshop.

The Spirit And The Intellect: Lessons In Humility, Duane Boyce

BYU Studies

Some individuals have great confidence in their knowledge of both intellectual and spiritual things. Boyce does not share this confidence. "I have come to believe, after many a false start," he admits, "that if I am honest and thorough in my approach to the gospel, and if I am honest and thorough in my approach to intellectual disciplines, there resides in each the imperative for a profound sense of humility. I discover in both of them that what we don't know far outstrips what we do." He then goes on to illustrate the limits of human knowledge by presenting three …

Anisotropic Thermal Property Measurement Of Carbon-Fiber/Epoxy Composite Materials, Tian Tian

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This work originated from a need for understanding heat transfer in carbon-fiber/epoxy natural-gas tanks undergoing rapid heating during refilling. The dissertation is focused on the determination of the anisotropic thermal properties of carbon-fiber/epoxy composite materials for in-plane and through-thickness directions. An effective anisotropic parameter estimation system consisting of the 3ω experimental technique and an anisotropic two-dimensional heat transfer model is developed.

In the present work, the 3ω method, an experimental technique that has been well established to evaluate the thermal properties of isotropic materials, especially thin film materials, is extended to treat the thermal properties of bulk anisotropic …

Water Quality Models For Stormwater Runoff In Two Lincoln, Nebraska Urban Watersheds, Jake Fisher

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Water quality monitoring was conducted in two urban watersheds (Colonial Hills and Taylor Park) located in southeast Lincoln, NE over a three year period spanning from October 2008 through September 2011. In-line probes continuously measured for turbidity, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and water temperature while other water quality constituents were analyzed for discrete water samples collected using grab and automatic sampling techniques. The water quality data was used to calculate event mean concentrations (EMCs) for sixteen storm events sampled over the duration of the project period. Three types of stormwater quality multiple linear regression models were developed for the estimation of …

Prospects For Determination Of Thermal History After Inflation With Future Gravitational Wave Detectors, Sachiko Kuroyanagi, Kazunori Nakayama, Shun Saito

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Thermal history of the Universe between inflation and big-bang nucleosynthesis has not yet been revealed observationally. It will be probed by the detection of primordial gravitational waves generated during inflation, which contain information on the reheating temperature as well as the equation of state of the Universe after inflation. Based on the Fisher information formalism, we examine how accurately the tensor-to-scalar ratio and reheating temperature after inflation can be simultaneously determined with space-based gravitational wave detectors such as the DECI-hertz Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory and the Big-Bang Observer. We show that the reheating temperature is best determined if it is around …

Relational Neighborhood Inverse Consistency For Constraint Satisfaction: A Structure-Based Approach For Adjusting Consistency And Managing Propagation, Robert J. Woodward

School of Computing: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Freuder and Elfe [1996] introduced Neighborhood Inverse Consistency (NIC) as a local consistency property defined on the values in the variables' domains of a Constraint Satisfaction Problem (CSP). Debruyne and Bessiere [2011] showed that enforcing NIC on binary CSPs is ineffective on sparse graph and too costly on dense graphs. In this thesis, we propose Relational Neighborhood Inverse Consistency (RNIC), an extension of NIC defined as a local consistency property on the tuples of the relations of a CSP. We characterize RNIC for both binary and non-binary CSPs, and propose an algorithm for enforcing it whose complexity is bounded by …

Use Of Constraint Solving For Testing Software Product Lines, Jiangfan Shi

School of Computing: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A new software engineering methodology, software product line (SPL) engineering, has been increasingly studied in academia and adopted inindustry in the past decade. It allows the delivery of similar, but customized, software products to customers in the same domain within a short timeperiod. Software product line engineering produces an SPL by defining feature commonality and variability, and is supported by a well-managed asset base. SPL engineering can improve productivity from three to ten times, however, we require more efficient testing methods, so that we canensure the correctness of SPLs with the same resource allocation percentage as in the traditional software …

Design, Analysis, And Testing Of In Vivo Surgical Robots, Tyler David Wortman

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Advances in technology have shaped the history of surgical procedures. Recent developments have allowed surgical procedures to become less invasive than traditional open procedures. The transition to Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) has resulted in decreased recovery times, improved cosmetic results, and reduced costs. For these reasons, there is interest in further reducing the invasiveness of surgical procedures by accessing the abdominal cavity through a single incision, such as with Laparoendoscopic Single-Site (LESS) surgery. Added complexities, such as unintuitive controls and limited dexterity, prevent the widespread adoption of LESS for complex surgical procedures. Multi-functional in vivo surgical robots have been designed …

Implementation Of A First-Year Seminar: Retention And Student Views Of Advising And Engagement At A Small Midwestern University, Kristi Bitz

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore student perceptions of a first-year seminar course as well as academic advising and other student engagement activities before and after the implementation of a first-year seminar course at a small Midwestern university. Retention rates prior to and after the implementation of the first-year seminar course were considered and comparisons of retention rates for students who completed the first-year seminar with students who did not complete the course were analyzed.

Research questions included:

1. What were student perceptions with regard to the first-year seminar course?

2. Was there a difference in advising perceptions …

General Anesthetics And The Developing Brain, Tracy A. Stanz

Theses and Dissertations

Millions of children undergo seemingly safe general anesthesia and sedation to facilitate procedures located in surgery, imaging suites, radiology suites, emergency departments, and intensive care units. With appropriate doses and administration, anesthetics are thought to be fully reversible and free from lasting harm. However, those assumptions are being challenged with recent research documenting anesthesia-induced neurotoxicity with subsequent neurological sequelae. A comprehensive literature review will be performed using medical databases including CINAI-IL, Google Scholar, Medline, and PubMed. The information gathered will be presented at the North Dakota Association of Nurse Anesthetists bi-annual meeting in Bismarck, North Dakota and to the anesthesia …

Call For Articles

Sci-Tech News

No abstract provided.

Feasibility Study And Best Practices For A Campus Community Garden On The University Of Arkansas Campus, Samantha Jones

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Although community gardening on college campuses is not a new concept, campus community gardens have recently grown in popularity. Campus community gardens, however, have not been extensively researched. In order to better understand campus community gardens and to determine the feasibility of a campus community garden at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville (UAF), this study was conducted in three components. An online survey of 88 campus community gardens in the United States and Canada served as the first national survey of universities and colleges with campus community gardens. The survey included demographic information, management, funding, liabilities, risks, obstacles and …

Individualism And Collectivism In A Korean Population, Diana D. Ahn

Scripps Senior Theses

Though much research has been conducted concerning the horizontal and vertical attributes of individualism and, not much has been done comparing and contrasting an Eastern culture, collectivism to a specific aspect of American culture, individualism, such as Korean American. The 32-item INDCOL scale was used to measure the 4 attributes (Singelis et al., 1995). Contrary to the proposed hypothesis, this study found high scores in horizontal individualism in Korean American participants and high scores in horizontal individualism and horizontal collectivism in Korean participants. These results could indicate a shift towards a different attribute in the Korean and Korean American community.

Transcript From Faculty Senate Meeting December 1, 2011, Frank Bove

The University of Akron Faculty Senate Chronicle

No abstract provided.

Escape Rates For Coupled Particles In A Stochastic Environment, Gregory Slusarczyk

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

A particle placed in a deterministic, overdamped potential well will move towards an attractor located at the bottom of the well. Once the particle reaches the attractor, it remains there forever since no other forces are acting on the particle. However, if weak stochasticity is introduced, the particle will fluctuate around the attractor. As a rare event, the noise can organize itself in such a way that a large fluctuation is created that causes the particle to escape from the basin of attraction. The escape rates/escape times can be found both analytically and numerically. Furthermore, it is possible to predict …

Integration Versus Apartheid In Post-Roman Britain: A Response To Thomas Et Al. (2008), John E. Pattison

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

The genetic surveys of the population of Britain conducted by Weale et al. and Capelli et al. produced estimates of the Germani immigration into Britain during the early Anglo-Saxon period, c.430-c.730. These estimates are considerably higher than the estimates of archaeologists. A possible explanation suggested that an apartheid-like social system existed in the early Anglo-Saxon kingdoms resulting in the Germani breeding more quickly than the Britons. Thomas et al. attempted to model this suggestion and showed that it was a possible explanation if all Anglo-Saxon kingdoms had such a system for up to 400 yrs. I noted that their explanation …

Inventory Models For Intermittent Highly Variable Demand And Policy Parameter Adjustments To Meet Desired Service Level Requirements, Yasin Unlu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three assays. The first assay examines the robustness of lead time demand models for the continuous review (r;Q) inventory policy. A number of classic distributions as well as distribution selection rules are examined under a wide variety of demand conditions. First, the models are compared to each other by assuming a known demand process and evaluating the errors associated with using a different model. Then, the models are examined using a large sample of simulated demand conditions. Approximation results of inventory performance measures - ready, rate excepted number of backorders and on-hand inventory levels are reported. …

In Context, Kate Felzien

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The present thesis seeks to show the influences to my artwork and describe the body of work found in my thesis exhibition, In Context. The role of family and childhood are discussed and related to the work. The feminist writers bell hooks, Jane Tompkins, and Hélène Cixous are cited as influential to the initial exploration of my content. Artists discussed include Louise Bourgeois, Kiki Smith, Annette Messager, and Robert Rauschenberg. It is further shown how poetry and prose evolve as the catalyst for content for my work and how this enforces my belief that only through examining the personal can …

Why Do Parents Choose To Send Their Children To Private Schools?, Ava M. Davis

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Private schools were the original educational entities in the United States and have continued playing a prominent role in educating America's youth. The number of private schools has increased over the last decade while the number of private school students has remained stable at approximately nine percent of school-aged children. The reasons for choosing a private school are just as varied as the types of private schools available. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the reasons parents give for choosing a private school education for their children. A basic interpretive qualitative study was used to discover and …

Instructional Coaching In Elementary Schools: Perceptions Of Principals, Instructional Coaches, And Teachers, Latoya Doby-Holmes

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The political climate surrounding academic achievement and teacher accountability is more demanding than ever before. Administrators might be able to improve teacher quality and address teacher accountability with the use of instructional coaching. It is important for all stakeholders to have data on the effectiveness of instructional coaches to enhance teacher performance and student achievement. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of instructional coaches in terms of student achievement through the perceptions of principals, instructional coaches, and teachers in Georgia elementary schools. A phenomenological research approach was designed for this purpose. In order to triangulate data, …

Secondary Students' Perceptions Of Teacher Quality, Catherine P. Sutcliff

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the perceptions of secondary students and teacher quality during their years in high school. The study sought to compare responses among males and females and among ethnicities to determine if there were differences in perceptions of teacher quality with respect to student-teacher relationships, instructional methods, and justice and fairness. Surveys were given to students from eight public high schools in a southeastern region of Georgia. Demographic questions were included in the survey to delineate responses by gender and ethnicity. This study generated data from 663 students to determine student perceptions of teacher quality in the areas of …

Credit Rating And Assignment Of Naics Codes Using Lsi Method, Jerome Ouedraogo

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The objective here is first, to improve automatic assignment of industry codes using LSI (lexical processing) by increasing the algorithm efficiency (both computationally and in term of input requirements), then quantify the lender's risk as "distance to default" (higher distance to default indicates default is less likely to occur), estimate the distance to default for each company and combine the results to obtain an estimate of the distance to default for each NAICS code.

Career Changers As First-Year Teachers In Rural Schools, Sara Winstead Fry, Holly Anderson

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The challenges novice teachers face as they adjust to inservice teaching are well documented. However, relatively little attention has been given to beginning teachers in rural schools who have had previous careers in other professions. We used qualitative methods to examine the professional experiences and perceptions of four career-changing first-year teachers in rural schools, seeking to identify significant issues in their professional developmental processes. Three primary themes emerged: evidence of effectiveness as teachers; mentoring career changers, and; adjustment to rural school and community. We conclude with implications and recommendations for educators working to support this unique population of educators in …

Scotts Bluff National Monument Plant Community Composition And Structure Monitoring, 2011 Annual Report, Isabel W. Ashton, Michael Prowatzke, Michael R. Bynum, Tim Shepherd, Stephen K. Wilson, Kara Paintner-Green

United States National Park Service: Publications

Executive Summary

The Northern Great Plains Inventory & Monitoring Network (NGPN) was established to develop and provide scientifically credible information on the current status and long-term trends of the composition, structure, and function of ecosystems in thirteen parks located in five northern Great Plains states. NGPN identified upland plant communities, exotic plant early detection, and riparian lowland communities as vital signs that can be used to better understand the condition of terrestrial park ecosystems (Gitzen et al. 2010). Upland and riparian ecosystems are important targets for vegetation monitoring because the status and trends in plant communities provide critical insights into …

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument Plant Community Composition And Structure Monitoring, 2011 Annual Report, Isabel W. Ashton, Michael Prowatzke, Michael R. Bynum, Tim Shepherd, Stephen K. Wilson, Kara Paintner-Green

United States National Park Service: Publications

Executive Summary

The Northern Great Plains Inventory & Monitoring Network (NGPN) was established to develop and provide scientifically credible information on the current status and long-term trends of the composition, structure, and function of ecosystems in thirteen parks located in five northern Great Plains states. NGPN identified upland plant communities, exotic plant early detection, and riparian lowland communities as vital signs that can be used to better understand the condition of terrestrial park ecosystems (Gitzen et al. 2010). Upland and riparian ecosystems are important targets for vegetation monitoring because the status and trends in plant communities provide critical insights into …

Spring Migration Of Mallards From Arkansas As Determined By Satellite Telemetry, David George Krementz, Kwasi Asante, Luke W. Naylor

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

We used satellite telemetry to document spring migration phenology, routes, stopover regions, and nesting sites of mallards Anas platyrhynchos marked in Arkansas during the winters of 2004–2007. Of the 143 marked mallards that migrated from Arkansas, they did so, on average, by mid-March. Mallards flew over the Missouri Ozarks and 42% made an initial stopover in Missouri, where they used areas that had larger rivers (Mississippi River, Missouri River) embedded in an agricultural landscape. From this stopover region they either migrated directly to the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) or they migrated north to Minnesota where they either moved next to …

Fungal Virulence And Development Is Regulated By Alternative Pre-Mrna 3′End Processing In Magnaporthe Oryzae, Marina Franceschetti, Emilio Bueno, Richard A. Wilson, Sara L. Tucker, Concepción Gómez-Mena, Grant Calder, Ane Sesma

Fungal Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions

RNA-binding proteins play a central role in post-transcriptional mechanisms that control gene expression. Identification of novel RNA-binding proteins in fungi is essential to unravel post-transcriptional networks and cellular processes that confer identity to the fungal kingdom. Here, we carried out the functional characterisation of the filamentous fungus-specific RNAbinding protein RBP35 required for full virulence and development in the rice blast fungus. RBP35 contains an N-terminal RNA recognition motif (RRM) and six Arg-Gly-Gly tripeptide repeats. Immunoblots identified two RBP35 protein isoforms that show a steady-state nuclear localisation and bind RNA in vitro. RBP35 coimmunoprecipitates in vivo with Cleavage Factor I (CFI) …