Mutual Empowerment in Cross-Cultural Participatory Development and Service Learning: Lessons in Communication and Social Justice from Projects in El Salvador and Nicaragua

Two cross-cultural participatory development and service-learning projects conducted in El Salvador and Nicaragua illustrate a model of mutual empowerment formed from the unification of the three related literatures on developmental communication, intercultural communication and cross-cultural adaptation, and service learning

Summary of Vehicle Classification Data

As part of an attempt to calculate accident rates for different vehicle types on various kinds of roads, it was necessary to determine the percentage of each vehicle type in the traffic stream for each type road. This was accomplished by summarizing Kentucky\u27s Vehicle Classification File. The procedure used in summarizing the file and the results of the summary are presented in this report. Vehicle distributions are reported by number of lanes, by functional classification, by administrative classification, by federal-aid system, by hour of day, by day of week, and by month of year. It is believed this report provides the most extensive and accurate data currently available on vehicle type distributions in Kentucky

The Intended and Unintended Consequences of International Service-Learning

Previous research on service-learning in international contexts tends to focus on the benefits and outcomes for students and educational institutions. This essay is intended to provoke further examination of issues related to university-community engagement in global contexts, particularly in terms of the consequences for host communities. In order to explore complex issues surrounding international service-learning, the author offers a composite scenario in a series of snapshots gleaned from projects organized by U.S.-based organizations and universities in partnership with host country organizations and communities. Revealed are a variety of typical outcomes—intended and unintended, positive and negative—for students, faculty, organizations and their staff, and the communities that host visiting service-learning teams. A framework for analysis is offered along with recommendations for ways to mitigate potential unintended negative consequences of international service-learning

AN ASSESSMENT AND ANALYSIS OF USING DEDICATED SHORT-RANGE COMMUNICATIONS (DSRC) TECHNOLOGY FOR INCIDENT DETECTION ON RURAL FREEWAYS

This report describes an assessment of using dedicated short-range communications(DSRC) technology to perform travel time monitoring and automated incident detectionon a segment of rural freeway. The assessment used the CORSIM traffic simulation toolto simulate traffic and incidents on a segment of rural freeway. Output data from thesimulation was subjected to post-processing to produce the probe and beacon data thatwould be produced by a DSRC-based system. An incident detection algorithm wasdeveloped, which used a travel time threshold and a counter. Travel times exceeding thethreshold incremented the counter, while travel times below the threshold decrementedthe counter (unless it was at zero). An alarm was generated when the counter reached apre-selected level. This algorithm was tested on selected data files, and the results wereused to identify the best values of the threshold and counter alarm level. Using these best values, the algorithm was then applied to the probe and beacon data todetermine how quickly the system could detect various traffic incidents. The analysisshowed that the system could provide rapid and reliable detection of incidents.During the simulation and analysis, several parameters were varied to observe theirimpacts on the system performance. These parameters included traffic volume, incidentseverity, percentage of vehicles with transponders, spacing of roadside readers, andlocation of the incident relative to the next downstream reader. Each parameter proved tohave a significant effect on the detection time, and the observed impacts were consistentwith logical expectations. In general, the time to detect an incident was reduced inresponse to (1) an increase in traffic volume, (2) an increase in incident severity, (3) anincrease in transponder population, (4) a reduction in reader spacing, and (5) a reductionin distance from incident location to next downstream reader.Preliminary estimates were developed of the costs associated with implementing aDSRC-based traffic monitoring system. The relationship between system cost andsystem performance was explored and illustrated.Recommendations were developed and presented. These included further analysis basedon traffic simulations, followed by a limited field deployment to validate the analysisresults

MgB2 tunnel junctions and 19 K low-noise dc superconducting quantum interference devices

Point contact junctions made from two pieces of MgB2 can be adjusted to exhibit either superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) or superconductor-normal metal-superconductor (SNS) current-voltage characteristics. The SIS characteristics are in good agreement with the standard tunneling model for s-wave superconductors, and yield an energy gap of (2.02 +/- 0.08) meV. The SNS characteristics are in good agreement with the predictions of the resistively-shunted junction model. DC Superconducting QUantum Interference Devices made from two SNS junctions yield magnetic field noise as low as 35 fT/Hz^{1/2} at 19 K.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

First Time-dependent Study of H2 and H3+ Ortho-Para Chemistry in the Diffuse Interstellar Medium: Observations Meet Theoretical Predictions

The chemistry in the diffuse interstellar medium initiates the gradual increase of molecular complexity during the life cycle of matter. A key molecule that enables build-up of new molecular bonds and new molecules via proton-donation is H3+. Its evolution is tightly related to molecular hydrogen and thought to be well understood. However, recent observations of ortho and para lines of H2 and H3+ in the diffuse ISM showed a puzzling discrepancy in nuclear spin excitation temperatures and populations between these two key species. H3+, unlike H2, seems to be out of thermal equilibrium, contrary to the predictions of modern astrochemical models. We conduct the first time-dependent modeling of the para-fractions of H2 and H3+ in the diffuse ISM and compare our results to a set of line-of-sight observations, including new measurements presented in this study. We isolate a set of key reactions for H3+ and find that the destruction of the lowest rotational states of H3+ by dissociative recombination largely control its ortho/para ratio. A plausible agreement with observations cannot be achieved unless a ratio larger than 1:5 for the destruction of (1,1)- and (1,0)-states of H3+ is assumed. Additionally, an increased CR ionization rate to 10(-15) 1/s further improves the fit whereas variations of other individual physical parameters, such as density and chemical age, have only a minor effect on the predicted ortho/para ratios. Thus our study calls for new laboratory measurements of the dissociative recombination rate and branching ratio of the key ion H3+ under interstellar conditions.Comment: 27 pages, 6 figures, 3 table

Could parental rules play a role in the association between short sleep and obesity in young children?

Short sleep duration is associated with obesity in young children. This study develops the hypothesis that parental rules play a role in this association. Participants were 3-year-old children and their parents, recruited at nursery schools in socioeconomically deprived and non-deprived areas of a North-East England town. Parents were interviewed to assess their use of sleep, television-viewing and dietary rules, and given diaries to document their child's sleep for 4 days/5 nights. Children were measured for height, weight, waist circumference and triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses. One-hundred and eight families participated (84 with complete sleep data and 96 with complete body composition data). Parental rules were significantly associated together, were associated with longer night-time sleep and were more prevalent in the non-deprived-area compared with the deprived-area group. Television-viewing and dietary rules were associated with leaner body composition. Parental rules may in part confound the association between night-time sleep duration and obesity in young children, as rules cluster together across behavioural domains and are associated with both sleep duration and body composition. This hypothesis should be tested rigorously in large representative samples