Band-Pass SAW Filters on 128 Rotated Y-Cut Black Lithium Niobate

128° rotated Y-cut Black Lithium Niobate is used as a substrate material for the creation of simple one pass SAW bandpass filters. Center frequencies between 100 and 300 MHz were designed with varying aperture widths and designed bandwidths. The S21 measurements were made with Agilent Technologies E5071C, two port network analyzer, and were compared to theory. Without considering the effects of the asymmetric coplanar waveguides (ACPW) used to connect the ground-signal-ground probes to the device under test (DUT) the average distance between measured and theoretical data is 0.523dB, near the center frequency

Black and White and Red All Over: Communist Editorial Cartoons in the 1920s and the Issue of Race

The U.S. Communist Party’s (CP) fight for racial justice is one of the most important and neglected chapters in the history of civil rights struggles in the United States. When it is studied the focus tends to be on the 1930s, however this conventional periodization ignores the dramatic growth in the Party’s understanding of race during the 1920s. A focus on this period forces a reexamination of the relationship between the CP and the Soviet–based Communist International (Comintern). Rather than dictated from Moscow, the CP’s understanding of the issues facing African Americans evolved through a dialogue between Communists of all races around the world. This challenges the assumptions of the “Cold War” historians, who paint the Party as puppets of Russia, as well as “revisionist” histories, which tend to ignore the Comintern by focusing on the Party’s grassroots. By neither denouncing nor ignoring the relationship between international and domestic Communists, I show how this exchange provided a catalyst to the CP’s changing position on race. This not only has implications for the historiography of the Communism, but also sheds light on current debates over the feasibility of the political left as a vehicle for addressing issues of race. In this thesis, I address this omission by analyzing previously unexamined editorial cartoons from Communist Party publications during the 1920s to highlight the CP’s changing views on race. Intended to succinctly communicate key policies and dictates to a heterogeneous, mass audience, these cartoons provide unique insights into the evolution of the Communist’s position on racial inequality in America and provide a critical lens through which to understand and rethink the complex domestic and international forces that reshaped the CP’s approach to race during this important period in the history of American racial politics

Using the Three Stooges to Illustrate the Scientific Method

An exercise using a comedy film is proposed for illustrating social science experimentation and the scientific method. Not every consumer of research or data reports may have had training in research methodology. This article offers a way of introducing research methods and the critical examination of such reports to these consumers, who are often the ones most needful of rigor in assessing data, rather than taking things at face value. Whether one is evaluating information from business, government, or media sources, the lessons learned from Moe, Larry, and Curly in Hoi Polloi are quite valuable

NK Cells and Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic condition of the skin characterised by distinctive scaly plaques. The immune system is now thought to play a major role in the development and pathogenesis of psoriasis with immune cells and cytokines influencing keratinocyte function. Keratinocytes in turn, can activate and recruit immune cells leading to a positive feedback loop in disease. Natural Killer (NK) cells are lymphocytes that are best known for killing virally infected and cancer cells. However, evidence is emerging to support a role for NK cells in psoriasis. NK cells are found in the inflammatory infiltrate in psoriatic skin lesions. They can produce a range of inflammatory cytokines, many of which are important in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Recent genetic studies have identified a range of potential molecules relating to NK cell biology that are known to be important in psoriasis. This paper will discuss the evidence, both cellular and genetic, for NK cell involvement in psoriasis

Using Word Scrambles as an Information Systems Creativity Warm-Up Exercise

A warm-up exercise for the purpose of fostering creativity, imagination and interest is suggested for use in the introductory Management of Information Systems course. Specifically, a series of word scrambles are proposed the solution of which comprises a surprise answer based on a concept in the information systems course textbook. In the first condition students attempt to solve two word scrambles on their own. In the second condition, students solve the exercises using the computer as an aid. Because this is a timed exercise, it is posited that students will report greater ease in solving the second set of word scrambles more quickly and with greater accuracy. The exercise can serve as an example of a computer aided decision support system resulting in greater textbook understanding now and may also prove useful in the development of other possible decision support systems later

Accelerating Student Learning of Technology Terms: The Crossword Puzzle Exercise

The authors suggest using an alternative teaching methodology to impart knowledge regarding information systems phraseology and vocabulary. Specifically, a series of crossword puzzles or scrabbles are used to present information system (IS) terminology to students in an introductory business information systems course. The puzzle terms and answers are selected from a computer concepts textbook used by all students. The terms or phrases used are representative of those the students will need in later IS courses and IS related careers. Reported classroom results are given using statistical testing and qualitative feedback indicating that the exercises were both well received and effective as a conduit for learning

Mosquito and Arbovirus Activity

Mosquitoes are public health concerns as vectors of arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) and/or as nuisances to humans, so surveillance efforts are important to determine areas and times that may pose a risk. The Horticulture Research Station (HRS), Ames, Iowa, consistently yields mosquitoes that are positive for West Nile virus (WNV). Objectives were to continue to assess human risk by monitoring both mosquitoes and sentinel chickens, which serve as vertebrate hosts for arbovirus

Building Camaraderie Through Information Processing: The Wuzzle Picture-Puzzle Exercise

Information systems (IS) and other instructors sometimes express frustration with coordinating and developing cohesiveness among their student project teams. The \u27wuzzle-picture puzzle\u27 exercise requires individual students, under the direction of the IS professor, to solve a series of information coded anagrams on their own, and then solve a similar series within a diversified team. The improvement concomitant with a diverse group of individuals in the second, wuzzle-puzzle condition demonstrates that cohesive and cooperative groups may indeed improve decision-making. This demonstration may be of special interest to the IS instructors as they encourage collaborative work. Further, systems practitioners may find the exercise useful for encouraging diversity in the workplace while improving teamwork, communication and cooperation among team members