A Science Writing Center as a Catalyst for Improving Undergraduate Writing Skills in the Sciences

Having earned a PhD in the sciences, I am keenly aware that writing skills are at the core of being a successful scientist. Undergraduate students in the sciences not only face the immediate demands of complex course material, but in many cases the prospect of a career in which writing skills can determine professional success. Unfortunately, due to the complexity of science course material, writing assignments, revisions, and feedback to students are given relatively little attention. The Utah State University Science Writing Center is unique platform in its ability to address this limitation; bringing together a diverse pool of trained undergraduate students, graduate students, and PhDs like myself to help science majors navigate the writing process and improve writing skills. Here, I use my experiences over the past few months in the Utah State University Science Writing Center as a case study in why such a platform could be critical towards improving science writing and learning outcomes

A Larson-Zuckman Checklist for Partnership Tax Classification of ULPA Real Estate Shelters

Real estate developments necessarily require large amounts of capital, and are usually dependent on financing from sources other than the venture group assembled to construct and operate a proposed project. Theoretically, such ventures may be undertaken in many forms, corporate and otherwise, and the available financing vehicles may include debt instruments, equity shares and innumerable combinations thereof. In reality, however, business and legal considerations often dictate organization and operation of such ventures within more narrowly defined limits

Modeling and parameter uncertainties for aircraft flight control system design

Values of plant dynamic uncertainties for some recent aircraft design and development programs are given. Histories of pertinent aerodynamic, inertial, and structural parameter variations are given for a period of time from program initiation to aircraft certification. These data can be used as typical of future vehicles so that control system design concepts are evaluated with due consideration to their sensitivity to uncertainties in plant dynamics

Detailed investigation of a vaporising fuel spray. Part 1: Experimental investigation of time averaged spray

A laser tomographic light scattering technique provides rapid and accurate high resolution measurements of droplet sizes, concentrations, and vaporization. Measurements using a computer interfaced thermocouple are presented and it is found that the potential exists for separating gas and liquid temperature measurements and diagnosing local spray density by in situ analysis of the response characteristics of the thermocouple. The thermocouple technique provides a convenient means for measuring mean gas velocity in both hot and cold two phase flows. The experimental spray is axisymmetric and has carefully controlled initial and boundary conditions. The flow is designed to give relatively insignificant transfer of momentum and mass from spray to air flow. The effects of (1) size-dependent droplet dispersion by the turbulence, (2) the initial spatial segregation of droplet sizes during atomization, and (3) the interaction between droplets and coherent large eddies are diagnosed

How severe is antibiotic pharmacokinetic variability in critically ill patients and what can be done about it?

The pharmacokinetics (PK) of antimicrobial agents administered to critically ill patients exhibit marked variability. This variability results from pathophysiological changes that occur in critically ill patients. Changes in volume of distribution, clearance, and tissue penetration all affect the drug concentrations at the site of infection. PK-pharmacodynamic indices (fC(max):MIC; AUC(0-24):MIC; fT(>MIC); fC(min):MIC) for both antimicrobial effect and suppression of emergence of resistance are described for many antimicrobial drugs. Changing the regimen by which antimicrobial drugs are delivered can help overcome the PK variability and optimise target attainment. This will deliver optimised antimicrobial chemotherapy to individual critically ill patients. Delivery of beta-lactams antimicrobial agents by infusions, rather than bolus dosing, is effective at increasing the duration of the dosing interval that the drug concentration is above the MIC. Therapeutic drug monitoring, utilising population PK mathematical models with Bayesian estimation, can also be used to optimise regimens following measurement of plasma drug concentrations. Clinical trials are required to establish if patient outcomes can be improved by implementing these techniques. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Effects of low energy electron irradiation on formation of nitrogen-vacancy centers in single-crystal diamond

Exposure to beams of low energy electrons (2 to 30 keV) in a scanning electron microscope locally induces formation of NV-centers without thermal annealing in diamonds that have been implanted with nitrogen ions. We find that non-thermal, electron beam induced NV-formation is about four times less efficient than thermal annealing. But NV-center formation in a consecutive thermal annealing step (800C) following exposure to low energy electrons increases by a factor of up to 1.8 compared to thermal annealing alone. These observations point to reconstruction of nitrogen-vacancy complexes induced by electronic excitations from low energy electrons as an NV-center formation mechanism and identify local electronic excitations as a means for spatially controlled room-temperature NV-center formation

Groundwater Flow and Elastoplastic Stress-Strain Model for Cohesive Soils with Application to Channel Bank Stability

A saturated-unsaturated groundwater flow and elastoplastic stress-strain finite element model was developed for simulating the mechanical behavior of rill and gully sized channel banks. The model coupled the two-dimensional saturated-unsaturated groundwater flow equation with a plane strain formulation of the virtual work equation. The constitutive relationship used the modified Cam clay yield function. The model included the effects of seepage force and variation in soil cohesive strength due to changes in water content and void ratio. A staggered solution procedure was used in which the groundwater equation was solved first to determine seepage force and soil cohesive force, and then the stress-strain equation was solved. Upon reaching the failure point, the elastoplastic constitutive relationship was replaced with a weak elastic relationship. The model was verified by comparing predictions with (1) one-dimensional analytic solutions for unsaturated flow, saturated flow, and elastic strain; (2) other numerical solutions using the modified Cam clay yield function; (3) triaxial tests; and (4) laboratory experiments. The laboratory experiments employed a specially designed cyclic soil compactor and plexiglass flume to form and compact channel banks. The channel banks were subjected to a rising and falling hydrograph. Model simulation included groundwater movement into the channel bank, strain in the x-direction, and the location of finite elements which reached ultimate strength. Failure surfaces were delineated by zones of high x-strain in conjunction with finite elements which reached ultimate strength. The model provided good insight into the failure mechanism for popout failure and a reasonable prediction of plane failure

Longitudinal study of local authority child and family social workers (wave 1) Findings from a 5 year study of local authority child and family social workers in England.

The longitudinal study investigates recruitment, retention and career progression in local authority child and family social work over 5 years. This is the first of 5 reports. It provides workforce information for employers and policy makers. Topics covered in this report include: •entry routes into local authority child and family social work •current employment and career history •workplace wellbeing •management, supervision and working environment •job satisfaction •career progression and future career plan

Pedagogy, Protests, and Moving Toward Progress

Our world is in constant flux and educators are at the ship’s helm steering toward what former U.S. Representative John Lewis called “good trouble.” However, in many cases, educators lack the training required to be most effective in doing so. As instructors face student demands to address topics on race and social justice, many educators are unsure about how to respond appropriately to the chants of “No Justice, No Peace!” Thus, this essay explores humanistic and pragmatic approaches for doing so in terms of fostering cultural communication competence when incorporating topics on race and social justice issues in the classroom