Lights, Camera, Lawsuit

As the speed of Internet access improves, the film industry will need to explore its options for eliminating the downloading of digital movie files. After examining the successes and failures of the music industry in its battle with peer-to-peer networks, the film industry has begun to follow its predecessor. However, the nature of film as an entertainment medium is quite different than that of music. As a result, the film industry could implement creative solutions to this problem that would not have been available to the music industry. A recent study shows that most films available on the Internet have been leaked by industry insiders. By implementing an increasingly publicized use of trade secret litigation, the film industry could take a tough and effective stance against the digital dragon

Lights, Camera, Lawsuit

As the speed of Internet access improves, the film industry will need to explore its options for eliminating the downloading of digital movie files. After examining the successes and failures of the music industry in its battle with peer-to-peer networks, the film industry has begun to follow its predecessor. However, the nature of film as an entertainment medium is quite different than that of music. As a result, the film industry could implement creative solutions to this problem that would not have been available to the music industry. A recent study shows that most films available on the Internet have been leaked by industry insiders. By implementing an increasingly publicized use of trade secret litigation, the film industry could take a tough and effective stance against the digital dragon

Embedded layer of Ag nanoparticles prepared by a combined PECVD/PVD process producing SiOxCy-Ag nanocomposite thin films.

Structural properties of SiOxCy–Ag nanocomposite thin films prepared by a dual process PVD–PECVD in the same reactor have been investigated. The experimental results have demonstrated the influence of a PECVD process carried out at room temperature for the growth of a dielectric matrix on the size and the distribution density of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) deposited beforehand by magnetron sputtering. The plasma during the growth of the encapsulation SiOxCy layer caused a diffusion of silver from NPs through the SiOxCy matrix associated with a decrease in the average size of nanoparticles and an increase of their distribution density. Silver diffusion is blocked at a barrier interface to form a buried layer of individual Ag NPs which, for instance, can find plasmonic applications. Silver also diffuses toward the outer surface inducing antibacterial properties. In both cases initial Ag NPs act as reservoirs for multifunctional properties of advanced nanostructured films

To Lead or Not To Lead: Undergraduate Women’s Experiences in Leadership

Women have increasingly occupied a greater percentage of the college student population in recent history. Given the importance of involvement and leadership development during the undergraduate years, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect that participating within a leadership role can have on a woman’s view of self-as-leader as well as her overarching leadership development. This study implemented a qualitative, phenomenological design through the use of individual interviews. The interview protocol was designed to be semi-structured which allowed the participants freedom in their ability to communicate about their leadership experiences. The data collected from these interviews revealed five major themes: the importance of voice, acknowledgement of unequal expectations, fear of judgements, confusion toward the validity of their perceptions, and hesitancy in regard to the role of female leadership and faith. The findings of this research serve as a foundation for designing programming that supports the specific needs and development of undergraduate women in leadership positions

The Effect of Student Agency in a Kindergarten Classroom

By providing opportunities for students to practice agency in the learning environment, students can make decisions and choices in their learning that will allow them to be motivated and take ownership over their own learning. This mixed methods research study examined the effectiveness of fostering student agency in a kindergarten classroom by comparing the surveys, interviews, and performance results of two groups of students within one classroom. The first group of students were given a choice in what literacy activities they completed and the length of time it took to complete them. The second group of students were given explicit directions from the teacher on which activities needed to be completed and the order to complete them in. Students completed surveys and interviews used to examine their lived experiences. In addition, they were individually assessed in naming letter sounds to show their growth in literacy skills throughout the study. This data was analyzed to determine whether providing students with choice in their learning can increase student motivation and success

Training Effectiveness Analysis Of Osha Silica And Excavation Safety Standards For Construction

ABSTRACT TRAINING EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS OF OSHA SILICA AND EXCAVATION SAFETY STANDARDS FOR CONSTRUCTION by BEDEL DESRUISSEAUX May 2019 Advisor: Dr Mumtaz Usmen Major: Civil Engineering Degree: Master of Science As construction safety and health standards evolve due to changing industry practices and stakeholder expectations, and the mandates get stronger on compliance with these standards, the need for training programs become more pronounced. The proposed paper covers the training material development and program delivery and evaluation efforts associated with two OSHA standards applicable to construction; one on Respirable Crystalline Silica (29 CFR 1926.1153) and other on Excavation and Trenching (29 CFR 1926 Subpart P). The work reported were undertaken through federally funded grants under the auspices of OSHA’s Susan Harwood program. The training materials developed consisted of PowerPoint instructional modules; pretests and posttests to measure incremental knowledge gain; exercises to support better understanding of the training contents; and survey instruments to evaluate the effectiveness of the training materials and training delivery systems used in implementing the programs. Trainees included employees and employers representing various trades (operating engineers, laborers, masons, facilities personnel and others). The delivery was performed by an instructor led traditional lecture method for the Silica standard, while a combination of instructor led traditional lecture and independent self-spaced online methods was implemented for the Excavation and Trenching standard. Training material and program delivery details and the acquisition and analysis of all the data pertaining to training effectiveness analysis and evaluation based on Kirkpatrick levels 1 and 2 are described and discussed in this thesis

A descriptive study of the structure of the broiler and livestock-meat industry in Tennessee

This study was undertaken, primarily to provide a starting point for future research into the effect the Tennessee Meat and Poultry Inspection Act may have on the structure of the slaughtering and processing sector in Tennessee, Specifically, the objectives are: (1) to determine by area and county the number of broilers and livestock produced, the number of commercial farms involved, and the average size and distribution of size for swine, beef, and broiler producers, (2) to determine the type of livestock marketing channels available for each county, some indication of their volume, and a discussion of the marketing arrangements for broilers, (3) to determine the number, location, and size of the present slaughtering and processing firms in Tennessee. Data were obtained from secondary sources, primarily census reports, the records of the Division of Food and Drugs, Tennessee Department of Agriculture, and the records of the Packers and Stockyard Administration, United States Department of Agriculture. The location of cattle and calf production was widely spread throughout the state. Of the total number of cattle sold. Middle Tennessee was the largest producing area, followed by West Tennessee. The greatest concentration of cattle by county was in middle Middle Tennessee and upper West Tennessee. Middle Tennessee also sold the highest percentage of calves of the three areas observed. The greatest concentration of calves by county was also found in middle Middle Tennessee, with the upper section of West Tennessee the next most concentrated area of the state. The average number of cattle sold per commercial farm was 9.63 head for the state. The average size of the cattle farm in the state was primarily small in terms of head sold, with a few large units, and with the average size unit increasing as we move from East to West Tennessee. The average number of calves sold was almost 12 head per commercial farm for the state. The size of the calf production unit can be summerized as mostly small, with the smallest average sale per firm in East Tennessee, followed somewhat closely by West Tennessee, with Middle Tennessee farms the largest. Hog and pig production is highly concentrated in certain sections of West Tennessee, scattered generally throughout Middle Tennessee, with very few hogs and pigs sold in East Tennessee. The highest concentration of swine by county is in upper West Tennessee. The smallest average sale per farm was found in East Tennessee. Middle and West Tennessee had about the same percentage of small producers, with West Tennessee having a higher percentage of large producers and therefore a larger average sale per farm. Broiler production took place primarily in East Tennessee, secondarily in Middle Tennessee, with West Tennessee producing very few birds. The production units were quite large, with the state average of 41,442 birds per firm. Most broilers are produced by vertically integrated firms. This results in a very few live broilers entering a market. Production prices are therefore determined by bargaining between producer and processor. The marketing sector is made up of three types of livestock markets, terminal, auction, and country markets. Country markets include packer and independent buying stations, order buyers, and dealers. There were two terminal markets available for the sale of livestock, one in Memphis, the other in Nashville. Auction markets were generally located throughout the state. Country buying stations were located mostly near the packer plants. There were 18 packer buying stations and 12 Independent buying stations. There were 13 order buyers registered in the state, with their locations generally spread throughout Tennessee. All the commission firms, 43 of the auction markets, and 157 registered dealers operated in Tennessee. The highest concentration of dealers was in Middle Tennessee, with the remainder generally located throughout East and West Tennessee. The slaughtering and processing industry contains a relatively few firms. Furthermore, most of the meat slaughtering and processing firms are small. Many of the slaughtering plants, especially the large federally inspected plants are located in or near the large urban areas. The same is true of meat processing plants. Poultry eviscerating and processing occur in a very few firms with large volumes. Most of these firms are located in Davidson, Knox, and Hamilton counties