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An Item Response Curves Analysis Of The Force Concept Inventory, Gary A. Morris, Nathan Harshman, Lee Branum-Martin, Eric Mazur, Taha Mzoughi, Stephen D. Baker

Faculty Articles

Several years ago, we introduced the idea of item response curves (IRC), a simplistic form of item response theory (IRT), to the physics education research community as a way to examine item performance on diagnostic instruments such as the Force Concept Inventory (FCI). We noted that a full-blown analysis using IRT would be a next logical step, which several authors have since taken. In this paper, we show that our simple approach not only yields similar conclusions in the analysis of the performance of items on the FCI to the more sophisticated and complex IRT analyses but also permits additional …

Expression And Localization Of Aquaporin‐1 In Temporomandibular Joint Disc With Internal Derangement, Carla Loreto, Concetta Galanti, Luis Eduardo Almeida, Rosalia Leonardi, Giuseppe Pannone, Giuseppe Musumeci, Maria Luisa Carnazza, Rosario Caltabiano

School of Dentistry Faculty Research and Publications

Background: Internal derangement is the most frequent arthropathy affecting the temporomandibular joint, where its commonest form is anterior disc displacement with or without reduction. Despite the frequency of the disorder, the biochemical features of displaced discs are still unclear.

Methods: We investigated the expression pattern and localization of aquaporin‐1, an important channel protein involved in plasma membrane water permeability, in patients with anterior disc displacement (both with and without reduction), with a view to assessing the characteristics of local tissue responses to the microenvironmental changes induced by abnormal mechanical loading of the displaced disc. Protein expression was studied by immunohistochemistry …

A Framework Of Academic Persistence And Success For Ethnically Diverse Graduate Nursing Students, Margaret J. Bull, Judith Fitzgerald, Josie L. Veal

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

The goal of this qualitative study was to examine how ethnically diverse graduate nursing students persisted with academic studies. Ethnically diverse nurses are vastly underrepresented in the workforce. This problem is accentuated by high attrition rates in academic programs. A grounded theory approach was used. Five focus groups were conducted with 16 ethnically diverse graduate students in nursing and interviews were conducted with two diversity advisers. Analysis of the data indicated that the process of learning to balance stressors with moderators was key to academic persistence and retention. A conceptual framework emerged from the data that provides a guide for …

Asset Prices, Credit Growth And Monetary Policy In Nigeria, Kama Ukpai, Dinchi J. Yilkudi, Hannah Ukeje

Economic and Financial Review

This paper contributes to the debate on the monetary policy transmission mechanism in Nigeria. The paper explores the impact of monetary policy on credit growth, and whether these credit developments are capable of influencing asset prices (stock prices) in the Nigerian economy. Using the VAR model spanning annual data from 1986 to 2012, the impulse response functions revealed that the relationship between asset prices, captured by the All-Share Index, and monetary policy, is not direct, but operates mainly through the response of inflation to key monetary aggregate. A positive shock to money supply growth would raise credit and inflation which …

Evaluating Adverse Effects Of Supply Shocks On Monetary Policy: Evidence From Nigeria, Musa Narkorji, Jibrin Yakubu

Economic and Financial Review

This paper applied structural VAR to identify supply shocks (defined as sudden impulses to crude oil prices) for the Nigerian economy from l990 Q1 to 2011 Q4. Results indicated that oil price modeled as supply shocks statistically influences some key macroeconomic variables and consequently shapes monetary policy direction. Price of crude oil exerted influence on monetary policy role, real GDP and real non-oil GDP. The effect of oil price shock on inflation, real oil GDP and nominal interest role was not significant. Developments in the foreign exchange market and real GDP comparatively exerted more influence on the monetary policy directive; …

Exchange Market Pressure In Nigeria And The Reaction Of The Monetary Authority: An Empirical Investigation, Maaji U. Yakub, Fatima U. Ismail

Economic and Financial Review

,The paper used monetary model approach to exchange market pressure developed by Girton and Roper (1977) to construct Exchange Market Pressure (EMP) index for Nigeria and the reaction of the monetary authority in dampening the pressure during managed floating regime spanning 1999 Q I through 20 12Q4. Empirical findings from the Vector Autoregressive (VAR) method suggested that interest rate differential and external reserves were important variables in managing EMP, while domestic credit related inversely with EMP. The policy implication of this is that foreign reserves remained the most important determinant of EMP in Nigeria. Essentially, contractionary monetary policy, through increase …

Transmission Of Exchange Rate Shocks Into Domestic Pries Does It Exist For Nigeria, Toyin S. Ogunleye, Nkenchor N. Lgue, Adebola A. Aremu

Economic and Financial Review

The study re-examined the transmission of exchange shock into domestic prices in Nigeria. The non-recursive Structural VAR methodology was employed to examine long-run pass-through of exchange rate to domestic inflation. It found from the result of the lRFs that exchange rate pass-through to domestic prices in Nigeria do exist; and is incomplete. The results further shows that the response of core inflation to shocks in nominal exchange rate was more pronounced and persistent over time than the headline inflation. Using FEVD, the study found that exchange rate and supply constraints are key drivers of domestic prices in Nigeria. The study …

Does China Still Have A Labor Cost Advantage?, J. Ceglowski, Stephen S. Golub

Economics Faculty Works

In recent years wages in China have been rising and the yuan has appreciated, potentially eroding China’s cost advantage in manufactures. This paper explores the evolution of China’s relative unit labor costs in manufacturing over 1998-2009. Between 1998 and 2003 China’s unit labor costs fell, but since 2003 they have increased both absolutely and relative to US unit labor costs. Much of the rise in China’s relative unit labor costs can be traced to a real appreciation of the yuan against the dollar. Despite the recent rise, China’s unit labor costs remain low relative to those in most other countries.

Nasig 2012 Conference Reports

NASIG Newsletter

No abstract provided.

31st Annual Charleston Conference Report

NASIG Newsletter

No abstract provided.

2012 Er&L Report, 1

NASIG Newsletter

No abstract provided.

April 30, 2012 Report

NASIG Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Profile Of Bob Boissy

NASIG Newsletter

No abstract provided.

2012 Conference Evaluation Report

NASIG Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Nasig Communication

NASIG Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Title Page, Faculty And Editorial Board

Florida A & M University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Editor's Note, Courtnie E. Swearingen

Florida A & M University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents

Florida A & M University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Credit Risk Dynamics In Response To Changes In The Federal Funds Target: The Implication For Firm Short-Term Debt, Kwamie Dunbar, Abu S. Amin

WCBT Faculty Publications

The recent credit crisis has raised a number of interesting questions regarding the role of the Federal Reserve Bank and the effectiveness of its expected and unexpected interventions in financial markets, especiallyduring the crisis, given its mandate. This paper reviews and evaluates the impact of expected and unexpected changes in the federal funds rate target on credit risk premia. The paper's main innovation is the use of an ACH-VAR (autoregressive conditional hazard VAR) model to generate the Fed's expected and unexpected monetary policy shocks which are then used to determine the effects of a Federal Reserve policy change on counterparty …

Declaratory Judgment Before Exhausting Administrative Remedies Under Illinois Law, Deborah A. Ostvig, Brian E. Neuffer

Northern Illinois University Law Review

Government agencies increasingly are pursing enforcement actions and litigation against companies they believe have violated laws and the agency's regulations. News reports of multimillion-dollar settlements with government agencies are commonplace. Companies targeted by government agencies often feel powerless because the agency has its own administrative review procedure for challenging its enforcement actions, and that process is usually time consuming and futile. However, from our nation's founding, the judicial branch has been the primary check on government agencies. This Article explores how the declaratory judgment procedure in Illinois may be used to test the validity of agency actions in the courts …

Religion / State: Where The Separation Lies, Vincent J. Samar

Northern Illinois University Law Review

Recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions regarding the scope of the Establishment Clause have failed to provide a clear framework for determining what government actions are prohibited. Part of the problem concerns what kinds of actions constitute an establishment of religion. What criteria should determine the boundaries of an establishment challenge? Are governmental actions that may only indirectly affect religion (either positively or negatively) prohibited? This article aims to provide a coherent and normatively justified understanding of the Establishment Clause to help answer these questions by considering not just the history of the Clause or the cases the Court has decided …

The Forgotten Jurisdiction, John C. Massaro

Northern Illinois University Law Review

This article is the first exclusively devoted to analyzing nine over-looked words in Article III of the Constitution. While there has been extensive mining of most of the three sentences in Article III that the framers used to describe the role and jurisdiction of the federal courts, little, if any, attention has previously been given to the “affecting jurisdiction,” which is the second of the nine heads of jurisdiction and the first of the two forms of Supreme Court original jurisdiction. Examining the language and structure of Article III, the proceedings at the constitutional convention, the ratification debates, and the …

Volume 32, Number 3, September 2012 Olac Newsletter, Marcy A. Strong, Bruce Evans, Jan Mayo, Barbara Vaughan, Katie Eller, Jay Weitz

OLAC Newsletters

Digitized September 2012 issue of the OLAC Newsletter.

Reforming Trade Remedies, Wentong Zheng

Michigan Journal of International Law

This Article aims to restart the debate on trade remedies by offering new perspectives on the fundamental defects of the current trade remedy regime and proposing a bold yet feasible road map for reforms. As shall become clear, the debate on trade remedies is an essential component of the broader debate on trade protectionism, an issue that has never been more important in light of the challenges facing the world economy today. Reforming trade remedies, therefore, has far-reaching implications for the global trade agenda.

Quaternary Ammonium Silane-Functionalized, Methacrylate Resin Composition With Antimicrobial Activities And Self-Repair Potential, Shi-Qiang Gong, Li-Na Niu, Lisa K. Kemp, Cynthia K.Y. Yiu, Heonjune Ryou, Yi-Pin Qi, John D. Blizzard, Sergey Nikonov, Martha G. Brackett, Regina L.W. Messer, Christine D. Wu, Jing Mao, L. Bryan Brister, Frederick A. Rueggeberg, Dwayne D. Arola, David H. Pashley, Franklin R. Tay

Faculty Publications

The design of antimicrobial polymers to address healthcare issues and minimize environmental problems is an important endeavor with both fundamental and practical implications. Quaternary ammonium silane-functionalized methacrylate (QAMS) represents an example of antimicrobial macromonomers synthesized by a sol–gel chemical route; these compounds possess flexible Si–O–Si bonds. In present work, a partially hydrolyzed QAMS co-polymerized with 2,2-[4(2-hydroxy 3-methacryloxypropoxy)-phenyl]propane is introduced. This methacrylate resin was shown to possess desirable mechanical properties with both a high degree of conversion and minimal polymerization shrinkage. The kill-on-contact microbiocidal activities of this resin were demonstrated using single-species biofilms of Streptococcus mutans (ATCC 36558), Actinomyces naeslundii (ATCC …

Hidden Dragon, Crouching Lion: How China's Advance In Africa Is Underestimated And Africa's Potential Underappreciated, David E. Brown Mr.

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

The explosive growth of China’s economic interests in Africa—bilateral trade rocketed from $1 billion in 1990 to $150 billion in 2011—may be the most important trend in the continent’s foreign relations since the end of the Cold War. In 2010, China surpassed the United States as Africa’s top trading partner; its quest to build a strategic partnership with Africa on own its terms through tied aid, trade, and development finance is also part of Beijing’s broader aspirations to surpass the United States as the world’s preeminent superpower. Africa and other emerging economies have become attractive partners for China not only …

From The Editor, Robert H. Taylor

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

American Landpower And The Middle East Of 2030, Michael R. Eastman

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

The Afghanistan Experience: Democratization By Force, Cora Sol Goldstein

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

The Futility Of Force And The Preservation Of Power: British Strategic Failure In America, 1780-83, Daniel T. Canfield

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.