Ford: The Evolution of Automobiles, Components, and Design

Due to interest in automobiles and the way the advancement in technology has brought the production of cars a long way, I decided to focus my research on the evolution of Ford. Knowing no previous history of Ford, I was always amazed at the design and gadgets within the cars of the 21st century that it sparked my interest to know how these cars, and how the company came about. Throughout the various articles and research I have come across during my time of research, I was impressed at the craftsmanship of the different components and their purpose within the various vehicles. I was able to find out Henry Ford’s initial goal within the company, and how he continued to live by his message over the years, despite the growth in the economy and downfalls that the company endured. After graduating from my undergraduate institute, I am going to pursue a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering, where my goal is to be a part of a motor company just as Henry Ford. Writing this paper helped me in seeing the production of cars from a different perspective that was quite informative

The effects of wall color and room size on the classroom social behavior of nursery school children

The purpose of this study was to replicate in part and to extend Webb's (1971) findings regarding color as a discriminative stimulus (SD) for social behavior. The research problem was to assess whether wall color and room size act as SD's for the social behavior of nursery school children within a structured group task. The Null Hypothesis was predicted for the main effects of color, and room size and for their interaction on the dependent variables Disruptive Behavior, Relevant Behavior, and Noise Level. Twenty-four 3-4- and 5 year old children attending the morning session, spring semester 1973, of the Nursery School of the School of Home Economics served as subjects for the experiment. An experimental room was created in which simultaneous varying of wall color and room size was possible. Pre-experimental instruments were the Dvorine Pseudo-Isochromatic Plates to test for color blindness and a color preference test based on the experimental colors. Experimental instruments were the Becker, Madsen, Arnold, and Thomas (1967) scale and a sound-level meter

The effects of 400 Hz, 100 db sound on the kinetics and thermodynamics of isothermal seed germination

It was the purpose of this study to determine the effects of 4000 Hz, 100 db sound on the germination rate of Grand Rapids Lettuce seeds. The data were tested for agreement with the mathematical model for germination developed by Dr. Gaylord T. Hageseth. Using this model the activation energy and other parameters were determined. Comparison was made with the results obtained from experiments under similar conditions except for a quiet environment, performed by Mr. Leon Jaynes. Random samples of Grand Rapid Lettuce seeds were germinated under identical conditions of light, humidity and exposure to sound. Each sample was observed during germination at a different constant temperature. Computer methods were used to analyze the data and to fit theoretical curves to the experimental data by the method of least squares. The chi-square test was used as the criteria for closeness of fit. It was found that the Hageseth model fit the data and that while the kinetics for the noise groups and the quiet groups were different the thermodynamics were the same

The impact of the Circle of Security-Parenting© program on mothers in residential substance abuse treatment: an action research study

Child maltreatment (CM) is a pervasive social problem in the United States that occurs across all socioeconomic, religious, cultural, and ethnic groups (United States Department of Health & Human Services, 2012). Though the causes of CM are complex and involve multiple factors, researchers have found that specific parenting factors are associated with child maltreatment, including harsh discipline practices, hostile attributions, difficulties with emotion regulation, maternal substance abuse, and a parent's personal history of child abuse (Azar, 2002; Belsky & Jaffee, 2006; Mayes & Truman, 2002). Improving parenting through parenting programs is one of the most important approaches to reducing CM (Barth, 2009). The primary purpose of this study was to determine the impact of a manualized, group-based, parenting program on mothers in residential treatment for substance abuse. The Circle of Security-Parenting© (COS-P; Cooper, Hoffman, & Powell, 2009) program is a shortened, eight session version of the original Circle of Security® protocol that has shown efficacy in working with parents at risk for CM (Cassidy et al., 2010; Hoffman, Marvin, Cooper, & Powell, 2006). A secondary purpose involved assessing if COS-P can positively impact three measurable social information processing and attachment variables associated with child maltreatment: (a) hostile attributions (b) emotion regulation, and (c) harsh discipline practices. Utilizing action research methodology, qualitative, quantitative, and secondary data sets were gathered. Quantitative results indicated that some participants who attended the majority of COS-P sessions showed reliable change (Jacobson & Truax, 1991) from pretest to posttest, with the largest changes in parental discipline practices. Qualitatively, COS-P participants, staff members at the agency, and the group researcher/facilitator overwhelmingly commented positively on the new curriculum, with the only noted weakness being more time needed with the curriculum. Further, a review of the participant's background demographic data indicated that participants who had reliable change (i.e., change that was larger than measurement error) on their dependent pretest to posttest measures differed from those who did not have reliable change on their measures on three background variables: education level, self-reported personal history of CM, and time in residential treatment. Results indicate that COS-P is a well-received, engaging program that may impact the parenting factors associated with CM for mothers in residential substance abuse treatment

Some psychological and physiological effects of aerobic exercise on adult inpatient alcoholics

The purpose of this study was to examine the usefulness of aerobic exercise as a treatment intervention with adult Inpatient alcoholics. More specifically, it was hypothesized that regular aerobic exercise would decrease depression and anxiety levels in participants, while Increasing aerobic capacity and self-concept level. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Self-Rating Depression Scale, Tennessee Self-Concept Scale, and Astrand- Rhyming bicycle-ergometer test were used as dependent measures, and were administered to a treatment and a control group on admission and again at discharge from a 28-day inpatient treatment program. Control group data were gathered prior to initiating the exercise program, with recruitment for the treatment-group beginning only after the last control was discharged

Carbon Integration in Plantago Aristata (Plantaginaceae): The Reproductive Effects of Defoliation

Patterns of carbon integration in aclonal species are poorly understood in spite of their potential to influence individual fitness. To provide more information about these patterns, we performed a defoliation experiment with P. aristata. We examined, at the metameric level, the reproductive responses to the removal of the major carbon sources within metamers. Bracts on marked reproductive spikes and leaves subtending these spikes were removed at three stages of reproductive maturity: spike elongation, flowering, and fruiting. Spike dry weight and length, capsule number, seeds per capsule, and seed weight were measured. We tested the hypothesis that seed weight would respond least to defoliation. We also performed a complementary 14C translocation experiment to measure the amount of radioactive carbon moving into the marked spikes from outside the metamer. Defoliation depressed all components of reproduction within marked spikes, and little 14C was translocated from outside the metamer into the reproductive spikes, even those that were defoliated. Both results support the view that reproductive metamers in this species are largely autonomous with respect to their carbon budget. Defoliation during spike elongation most depressed reproduction, and bract removal depressed reproduction more than did leaf removal. The data suggest that bracts compensate for leaf removal by increasing their photosynthetic rate; however, the ability to compensate differs among plant populations. Of all the reproductive components, seed weight was least affected by defoliation. The data show, however, that the time of defoliation relative to reproductive development influences which reproductive components are affected

Toward a free appropriate public education for African American male students with disabilities : a case analysis of culturally responsive leadership

It is hard to overstate the plight of African-American boys and young men in our education system today. The gap between their performance and that of their peers from other racial and ethnic backgrounds is perceptible from the first day of kindergarten, and only widens thereafter. In the 2008 National Assessment of Educational Progress—the massive, federally mandated report card on student performance, measured in grades four, eight, and 12—the reading scores of African-American boys in eighth grade were barely higher than the scores of White girls in fourth grade. In math, 46% of African-American boys demonstrated “basic” or higher grade-level skills, compared with 82% of White boys. One out of every three Black boys born today can expect to be sentenced to prison, compared to 1 out 6 Latino boys and, one out of 17 White boys (NAACP, 2021). Only 10 percent of African American males in the United States are deemed proficient in 8th grade reading, and only 52% are graduating from high school in a four-year period. Two issues that systematically and negatively impact African American males are disproportional rates of placement in special education and school suspensions after being placed in special education. The purpose of my case study research project was to examine how key school personnel in a small district described their experiences in regard to African American male students’ suspensions and placement in special education. I also investigated participants’ experiences with using Culturally Responsive School Leadership (CRSL). In studying the Saint John’s School District (SJSD), I analyzed state-level, district-level, and school-level policies and data. I also conducted interviews with district-level and school-level participants from SJSD. After analyzing the data and policies and coding the interviews, I found that African American male students in the SJSD are referred to special education at disproportionate rates when compared to other races. The African American males in SJSD experience educational difficulties and engage in behaviors that are deemed disruptive, therefore leading to high referrals to special education and high suspensions. In SJSD, participants at the school level are not familiar with the laws regarding disproportionate placement in special education, but the district-level special staff is familiar with the law and the ramifications of violating the law. The difference is concerning because students are placed in special education at the school level. Based on my findings, I recommend that SJSD establish additional equitable procedures and programs to address low student performance and to address discipline incidents in the district. There is also a need for SJSD to implement all state mandated programs and to develop a culturally responsive professional development plan to address the needs of their marginalized students

Design for social wellbeing : creating a restorative urbanism model for interior environments

Social wellbeing, or healthy relationships and sense of belonging in society, is an important component of mental health. To build and sustain social wellbeing people need social infrastructure, or community places and spaces where they can gather in-person to live, work, and play. Roe & McCay (2021) propose a restorative urbanism model for creating salutogenic (health-promoting) environments in public open space to support mental health and wellbeing. This studio investigation explores how this model could extend to interior environments, and specifically interior spaces that support social wellbeing. The objective is to redesign a former mill building in Greensboro, North Carolina as a “micro restorative city” that could be used as a model for restorative interior environments that promote social wellbeing. This study focuses on bumping places or transition spaces where people have positive impromptu encounters that enhance social cohesion. This paper presents conceptual designs for bumping places within the mill building and discusses concepts central to this investigation: how the principles of restorative urbanism could translate to interior environments, the characteristics of interior bumping places that promote social wellbeing, and the relationship between interiors and public outdoor space in a restorative urban environment

From Nonspecific DNA–Protein Encounter Complexes to the Prediction of DNA–Protein Interactions

©2009 Gao, Skolnick. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000341DNA–protein interactions are involved in many essential biological activities. Because there is no simple mapping code between DNA base pairs and protein amino acids, the prediction of DNA–protein interactions is a challenging problem. Here, we present a novel computational approach for predicting DNA-binding protein residues and DNA–protein interaction modes without knowing its specific DNA target sequence. Given the structure of a DNA-binding protein, the method first generates an ensemble of complex structures obtained by rigid-body docking with a nonspecific canonical B-DNA. Representative models are subsequently selected through clustering and ranking by their DNA–protein interfacial energy. Analysis of these encounter complex models suggests that the recognition sites for specific DNA binding are usually favorable interaction sites for the nonspecific DNA probe and that nonspecific DNA–protein interaction modes exhibit some similarity to specific DNA–protein binding modes. Although the method requires as input the knowledge that the protein binds DNA, in benchmark tests, it achieves better performance in identifying DNA-binding sites than three previously established methods, which are based on sophisticated machine-learning techniques. We further apply our method to protein structures predicted through modeling and demonstrate that our method performs satisfactorily on protein models whose root-mean-square Ca deviation from native is up to 5 Å from their native structures. This study provides valuable structural insights into how a specific DNA-binding protein interacts with a nonspecific DNA sequence. The similarity between the specific DNA–protein interaction mode and nonspecific interaction modes may reflect an important sampling step in search of its specific DNA targets by a DNA-binding protein