Study of application of space telescope science operations software for SIRTF use

The design and development of the Space Telescope Science Operations Ground System (ST SOGS) was evaluated to compile a history of lessons learned that would benefit NASA's Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF). Forty-nine specific recommendations resulted and were categorized as follows: (1) requirements: a discussion of the content, timeliness and proper allocation of the system and segment requirements and the resulting impact on SOGS development; (2) science instruments: a consideration of the impact of the Science Instrument design and data streams on SOGS software; and (3) contract phasing: an analysis of the impact of beginning the various ST program segments at different times. Approximately half of the software design and source code might be useable for SIRTF. Transportability of this software requires, at minimum, a compatible DEC VAX-based architecture and VMS operating system, system support software similar to that developed for SOGS, and continued evolution of the SIRTF operations concept and requirements such that they remain compatible with ST SOGS operation

Exploring Public Opinion on the Role of Human Rights in Foreign Policy (abstract)

Much of the literature on human rights foreign policy assumes - sometimes explicitly but usually implicitly - that constituents want foreign policy conditioned on human rights or that human rights policy is a political “good” for policymakers to pursue. Yet, little scholarly work has been done to support this assumption, either in terms of providing theoretical foundations for this assumption or assessing the empirical support for it. And this assumption matters not just for the academic literature but also for the practice of human rights advocacy. One tool to promote human rights norms globally and to improve conditions is through advocating for human rights-oriented foreign policy. The conditions under which we would expect to observe this type of human rights policy rests on two mechanisms: political elite preferences and constituent preferences about human rights foreign policy. In this paper, I explore the latter, investigating the conditions under which constituents want foreign policy to account for human rights. Using an experimental survey design on a national sample, I will analyze public opinion about human rights foreign policy. In particular, I will assess three primary hypotheses about public opinion of human rights foreign policy. First, I hypothesize that respondents will be more likely to favor a human rights-oriented foreign policy against smaller, less strategically or economically important states. I further hypothesize that NGO framing of abuses can activate public opinion about human rights foreign policy. Lastly, I hypothesize that certain demographic characteristics of respondents will matter, namely that women, liberal, and more educated respondents will be more likely to favor conditioning foreign policy on human rights

Differences in user-centeredness in a large R&D organization

Many organizations employ formal methodologies for developing systems and software. Formal methodologies help ensure that systems meet requirements, increase the predictability of outcomes, help manage complexity, and reduce risk. Expertise and certification in prominent methods can also serve promotional purposes for the organization. Despite these benefits, there appears to be much less methodological standardization in how organizations engage in user-centered activities, such as user interface design and usability testing. This study examines this issue in a single large research and development organization that emphasizes formal methodology in its software development. The study examined why different projects within the organization engaged in different amounts and types of user-centered activities. We interviewed system engineers and human factors engineers involved with four different system development projects. We developed case studies for each project and identified several trends. First, user-centered activities are sometimes seen as being more expendable than other parts of the development process and therefore are more likely to be cut when delays or cost overruns occur. Second, when the formal methodology did not specifically include steps for user-centered design or usability testing, it was difficult for engineers to incorporate such activities because there was nowhere to put them due to resource constraints. Finally, several participants reported that their projects included user-centered activities mainly because the system engineers had first been exposed to human factors on earlier projects

Leading Large-Scale Change in an Engineering Program

While many efforts have been made to improve technical and professional skills in engineering graduates, there has been little comprehensive change in the pedagogy of most engineering education institutions in the U.S. Many of these efforts involve changing only one or two aspects of the curriculum, and therefore are less likely to make significant changes in the student learning outcomes. For better success, engineering curricular changes will need to address the entire education system. In order to see real, sustainable improvement in engineering education practice, both the behaviors of the participants and the systems within which these participants act must have change. Changes in education practices are unlikely to develop and persist without concurrent and structural changes at the administrative level; thus this study focuses on understanding the activities of individuals during an administrative change. Further, this study highlights the importance of how change agents work with the various groups, or sub-cultures, within universities as well as the opportunity for leadership from the faculty and department chair ranks. This study seeks to better understand the change management activities and opportunities that occurred as the Iron Range Engineering program was developed and implemented. Iron Range Engineering (IRE) is a two-year, project-based program that allows students with two-year college degrees to complete a bachelor’s degree in engineering. The program is a partnership between a community college and a state university, separated geographically by several hundred miles. The program takes place at the community college, targeting students in that part of the state and responding to the needs of local industries. Because of the complex nature of the institutional partnership, as well as the project-based, team-focused emphasis, the program serves as an innovative model for engineering education

Experimental study of digital image processing techniques for LANDSAT data

The author has identified the following significant results. Results are reported for: (1) subscene registration, (2) full scene rectification and registration, (3) resampling techniques, (4) and ground control point (GCP) extraction. Subscenes (354 pixels x 234 lines) were registered to approximately 1/4 pixel accuracy and evaluated by change detection imagery for three cases: (1) bulk data registration, (2) precision correction of a reference subscene using GCP data, and (3) independently precision processed subscenes. Full scene rectification and registration results were evaluated by using a correlation technique to measure registration errors of 0.3 pixel rms thoughout the full scene. Resampling evaluations of nearest neighbor and TRW cubic convolution processed data included change detection imagery and feature classification. Resampled data were also evaluated for an MSS scene containing specular solar reflections

Topological Investigation of the Fractionally Quantized Hall Conductivity

Using the fiber bundle concept developed in geometry and topology, the fractionally quantized Hall conductivity is discussed in the relevant many--particle configuration space. Electron-magnetic field and electron-electron interactions under FQHE conditions are treated as functional connections over the torus, the torus being the underlying two-dimensional manifold. Relations to the $(2+1)$--dimensional Chern--Simons theory are indicated. The conductivity being a topological invariant is given as $\frac{e^2}{h}$ times a linking number which is the quotient of the winding numbers of the self-consistent field and the magnetic field, respectively. Odd denominators are explained by the two spin structures which have been considered for the FQHE correlated electron system.Comment: LaTeX-file with psfig 1.

How information visualization systems change users’ understandings of complex data

User-centered evaluations of information systems often focus on the usability of the system rather its usefulness. This study examined how a using an interactive knowledge-domain visualization (KDV) system affected users’ understanding of a domain. Interactive KDVs allow users to create graphical representations of domains that depict important papers, authors, or terms. Interactive KDVs have several potential advantages over other presentation methods, such as making connections explicit, and the ability for users to see the overall structure of the domain.The project examined CiteSpace, an interactive KDV that uses article cocitation analysis and text analysis to create visualizations of important papers and terms in a domain. In this study, participants completed several tasks related to the field of artificial intelligence. Depending on the experimental condition, participants read a review article about the domain, interacted with a CiteSpace visualization containing equivalent information, or both. Participants who neither read the article nor used the KDV system served as a baseline. The participants completed three tasks in which they sorted papers and terms according to their importance and relatedness. The hypotheses predicted that participants who used the KDV, especially in conjunction with the review article, would show a more expert-like understanding of the domain compared to the baseline and to participants who used only the article.The study measured the quality of participants’ understanding by comparing their card sorting responses to benchmark responses obtained from domain experts. Participants who produced judgments of importance and relatedness that were similar to the benchmarks were considered as demonstrating a good understanding of the domain. The card sorting results were analyzed using several statistical techniques, including multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis.The results showed that while participants’ understanding of the domain was influenced by using the KDV, this influence was not in the direction of the benchmarks. The data suggest that a lack of agreement between the benchmarks and the depiction of the field presented in the KDV may have led to these findings. The study discusses several possible reasons for these results and recommends possible changes to KDVs that may increase their usefulness.Ph.D., Information Studies -- Drexel University, 200

When Do Human Rights Matter? Finding a Place for Human Rights in Foreign Policy.

This dissertation asks when will states consider human rights in foreign policy decisions, specifically using foreign aid to punish human rights violators. I argue that to understand why and when states react to human rights violations abroad, we must consider the domestic political context that donors face, as well as the relationship between the donor and recipient. The decisions to use foreign policy tools to pursue a human rights agenda are part of a larger framework of foreign policy decisions. Incorporating a broader understanding of foreign policy, and the domestic political context that informs foreign policy, will provide a more robust understanding of human rights foreign policy. Building on the existing literature regarding foreign aid, I argue that human rights matter under specific conditions. In particular, when non- governmental organizations act in an information-providing role and draw attention to violations, policymakers are more likely to perceive political benefits to doing something. At the same time, the opportunity costs of acting - measured in terms of other foreign policy goals - must be low. Further, I consider how political institutions affect the incentive structure of politicians to act in response to human rights violations. I find preliminary support for my hypothesis that NGO pressure mediates the effect of human rights on foreign aid. In addition, I find some support that the economic or strategic relationships between donors and recipients modify this effect to some extent, although sometimes the direction of this relationship runs counter to my expectations.Ph.D.Political ScienceUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78938/1/mallendo_1.pd

Graduate student development through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

The scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) can be a valuable tool in preparing graduate students as future faculty. Yet, graduate students are often warned that the academic job market does not value SoTL research. We present results of a survey of current and former graduate students who conducted SoTL research. Respondents overwhelmingly perceived positive reactions to their SoTL work while on the academic job market, and reported that SoTL played an important role in their professional development. These findings have important implications for those who seek to encourage graduate student involvement in the scholarship of teaching and learning

Compatibility of Gauss maps with metrics

We give necessary and sufficient conditions on a smooth local map of a Riemannian manifold $M^m$ into the sphere $S^m$ to be the Gauss map of an isometric immersion $u:M^m \to R^n$, $n=m+1$. We briefly discuss the case of general $n$ as wellComment: 14 pages, no figure