Experiencing Science, An Introduction to Real Methods of Science for the Preservice Teacher

The scientific method presented in the middle school classroom introduces the experimental approach of science in a way that may actually bear little resemblance to the processes actually used by working scientists. Teachers equipped with an insight into the motivations, philosophy, tools, and culture of science will better convey an accurate and positive picture of science as a critically important human endeavor. The Experiencing Science course was designed to answer the challenge of giving the pre-service teacher and decision-maker better insight into actual processes used by scientists, in the context of each of the major disciplines

Flight investigation of insect contamination and its alleviation

An investigation of leading edge contamination by insects was conducted with a JetStar airplane instrumented to detect transition on the outboard leading edge flap and equipped with a system to spray the leading edge in flight. The results of airline type flights with the JetStar indicated that insects can contaminate the leading edge during takeoff and climbout. The results also showed that the insects collected on the leading edges at 180 knots did not erode at cruise conditions for a laminar flow control airplane and caused premature transition of the laminar boundary layer. None of the superslick and hydrophobic surfaces tested showed any significant advantages in alleviating the insect contamination problem. While there may be other solutions to the insect contamination problem, the results of these tests with a spray system showed that a continouous water spray while encountering the insects is effective in preventing insect contamination of the leading edges

Summary of flight tests of an airborne lighting locator system and comparison with ground-based measurements of precipitation and turbulence

Data from an airborne lightning locator system and data relating to storm intensity obtained by ground-based Doppler radars and the S-band research radar are presented. When comparing lightning locations from the airborne lightning locator system with ground-based Doppler radar measurements of reflectivity and spectrum width, the lightning locations tended to be further from the aircraft position than the Doppler radar contours, but at the same relative bearing from the aircraft as the Doppler contours. The results also show that convective storms generate little or no lightning for a significant part of their life cycle, but can produce at least moderate turbulence. Therefore, it is concluded that a lack of lightning activity cannot be accepted as an inference of a corresponding lack of other hazards to the flight of aircraft through convective storms

Constituency campaigning at the 2015 general election

The context of the 2015 general election suggested that the electoral impact of parties’ constituency campaigns could vary as a consequence in particular of the relative unpopularity of the Liberal Democrats. Using data from a survey of election agents, this paper analyses how the main GB level political parties adapted the intensity of their constituency level campaign’s to ensure that to varying degrees they produced positive electoral payoffs. It further analyses the electoral effects of face-to-face campaigning and e-campaigning at constituency level and shows that while e-campaigning has grown in importance, face-to-face campaigning continues to deliver stronger electoral benefits. Overall, the 2015 election illustrated that intense constituency level campaigning continues to be electorally beneficial for all the parties, but that this was the election when the Conservative Party became genuinely effective in terms of the delivery of electoral payoffs.This research was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (Grant No. ES/M007251/1

Color homography

We show the surprising result that colors across a change in viewing condition (changing light color, shading and camera) are related by a homography. Our homography color correction application delivers improved color fidelity compared with the linear least-square.Comment: Accepted by Progress in Colour Studies 201

Determinants of project success

The interactions of numerous project characteristics, with particular reference to project performance, were studied. Determinants of success are identified along with the accompanying implications for client organization, parent organization, project organization, and future research. Variables are selected which are found to have the greatest impact on project outcome, and the methodology and analytic techniques to be employed in identification of those variables are discussed

Weyl group multiple Dirichlet series constructed from quadratic characters

We construct multiple Dirichlet series in several complex variables whose coefficients involve quadratic residue symbols. The series are shown to have an analytic continuation and satisfy a certain group of functional equations. These are the first examples of an infinite collection of unstable Weyl group multiple Dirichlet series in greater than two variables.Comment: incorporated referee's comment

A flight evaluation of a trailing anemometer for low-speed calibrations of airspeed systems on research aircraft

Research airspeed systems on three low-speed general aviation airplanes were calibrated by the trailing anemometer method. Each airplane was fitted with an NASA pitot-static pressure tube mounted on either a nose or wing boom. The uncalibrated airspeed systems contained residual static-pressure position errors which were too large for high-accuracy flight research applications. The trailing anemometer calibration was in agreement with the tower flyby calibration for the one aircraft for which the comparison was made. The continuous deceleration technique for the trailing anemometer method offers reduced test time with no appreciable loss of accuracy for airspeed systems with pitot-static system lag characteristics similar to those described

Fluctuating loops and glassy dynamics of a pinned line in two dimensions

We represent the slow, glassy equilibrium dynamics of a line in a two-dimensional random potential landscape as driven by an array of asymptotically independent two-state systems, or loops, fluctuating on all length scales. The assumption of independence enables a fairly complete analytic description. We obtain good agreement with Monte Carlo simulations when the free energy barriers separating the two sides of a loop of size L are drawn from a distribution whose width and mean scale as L^(1/3), in agreement with recent results for scaling of such barriers.Comment: 11 pages, 4 Postscript figure

Summary of NASA landing-gear research

Research relative to tire tread, powered-wheel taxiing, air cushion landing systems, and crosswind landing gear is discussed