A Project to Design, Implement, and Populate an Effective Geodatabase in Order to Re-Organize Geographic Information Systems Instructional a Small Community College

Geographic information systems instruction at a small community college was deemed inadequate by instructional staff and students. Inadequate resources and inefficient organization of data resulted in frustration for all users. Slow infrastructure resulted in excessive time needed to complete student projects and precluded the course objectives to be fully met. A project was completed to define requirements and recommendations, obtain necessary upgrades to both hardware and network infrastucture, reorganize data storage in a local geodatabase, and institute methods for more efficient instruction using ArcView and ArcCatalog applications from the software suite ArcGIS Desktop by ESRI. Subsequent adoption of the changes to infrastructure and data organization resulted in a marked improvement in student productivity and a perception of lessened frustration

On Reflection

This book commences with a criticism of constructivism as the basis for curriculum design followed by an attempt to argue an alternative. It is possible to proceed to criticise constructivism as the basis for curriculum design by illustrating the issues with references to extracts from curricula used by various countries and Departments of Education. This book takes a different route. The assumption is made that criticism will be clearer if related to a substantial part of a curriculum rather than extracts from a variety of curricula from a variety of countries. The focus is on the recently developed, and currently in use, South Australian Curriculum Standards and Accountability Framework (the Framework) and the Science Curriculum within it. This is not to indicate that the criticisms of the Framework do not have application beyond the confines of South Australia. It is clear from the arguments that they do.https://research.acer.edu.au/saier/1008/thumbnail.jp

Water relations, phenology and drought adaptation of understorey trees in tropical lowland rain forest.

1. The ecology of common understorey species associated with ridges was compared with species found on lower-slopes and those species occurring ubiquitously in two 4-ha plots in lowland rain forest at Danum, Sabah, East Malaysia (4" 58’ N, 117’ 46’ E) over 3 years. 2. During the study period one dry period occurred (psychrometer-measured ridge soil water potential, 20 cm depth -0.67 MPa), but other, more severe, dry periods have occurred since records began in 1985 (estimated ridge water potential -1.21 MPa, March 1992). Lower soil water potentials occurred on ridges which had up to 0.22 MPa lower water potentials than lower-slopes (estimated difference March 1992, 0.40 MPa). 3. At dry times, Dimorphocatyx muricatus (ridge species) had higher pre-dawn (-0.21 v. -0.57 MPa; all quoted differences are significant at p<0.05) and mid-day (-0.59 v. -1.77 MPa) leaf w'ater potentials than Mallotus wrayi (ubiquitous). Leaf osmotic potentials of D. muricatus were higher (-1.11 v. - 1.58 MPa), and both species osmotically adjusted between wet and dry times. D. muricatus trees were more deeply rooted (mean root depth, 97.4 cm) than M. wrayi trees (69.8 cm). M. wrayi seedlings on ridges had lower assimilation rates than on lower-slopes (1.9 v. 3.4 pmol CO2 m " s '). 4. Leaf production of Arciisia co/orata (ubiquitous), Cleistanthus glaber (ridge), D. muricatus and A/. wrayi trees varied from year to year. C. glaber, D. muricatus, and A/, wrayi all had peaks in leaf and flower production associated with sunnier drier spells, A. colorata did not. A. colorata leaves were longer lived (5.7 years, estimated from leaf turn-over) than D. muricatus (2.7 years) and M. wrayi (2.2 years). There were no size or site differences for leaf life-span or leaf production. More large trees flowered than small trees. More trees flowered on ridges than lower-slopes but more trees set fruit on lower-slopes. 5. D. muricatus seedlings grew equally well on ridges and lower-slopes under different water regimes. A/, wrayi and D. muricatus cutting mortality was higher than D. muricatus seedling mortality for all treatments. M. wrayi cutting mortality was highest in lower-slope drought plots. Cutting mortality was higher in logged forest than primary forest. 6. A/, wrayi seed germination rates (1 %) were much lower than Baccaurea stipulata (lower-slope) (65 %) and D. muricatus (53 %). Germination rates were higher on ridge than lower-slope sites. D. muricatus nursery germination rates (32 %) were lower than in the field. B. stipulata seed took longer to germinate (35 days) than D. muricatus (21 days). 7. Under nursery conditions A/, wrayi wildings grown under 2.7 % daylight grew taller and increased leaf area, specific leaf area (SLA) and fine and coarse root weight than under 1.2 % daylight. Addition of phosphate had no effect on growth 8. Un-watered D. muricatus seedlings took significantly longer to wilt (36 v. 16 days) and die (46 v. 29 days) than B. stipulata seedlings. 9. The results suggest that droughts may have an important effect on understorey ridge community species composition at Danum

Cardinal Gibbon\u27s Letter to Father Finn Concerning Tom Playfair

https://www.exhibit.xavier.edu/tlm_2015_documents/1000/thumbnail.jp

7.2% efficient polycrystalline silicon photoelectrode

After etching, n-type cast polycrystalline silicon photoanodes immersed in a solution of methanol and a substituted ferrocene reagent exhibit photoelectrode efficiencies of 7.2%±0.7% under simulated AM2 illumination. Scanning laser spot data indicate that the grain boundaries are active; however, the semiconductor/liquid contact does not display the severe shunting effects which are observed at a polycrystalline Si/Pt Schottky barrier. Evidence for an interfacial oxide on the operating polycrystalline Si photoanode is presented. Some losses in short circuit current can be ascribed to bulk semiconductor properties; however, despite these losses, photoanodes fabricated from polycrystalline substrates exhibit efficiencies comparable to those of single crystal material. Two major conclusions of our studies are that improved photoelectrode behavior in the polycrystalline silicon/methanol system will primarily result from changes in bulk electrode properties and from grain boundary passivation, and that Fermi level pinning by surface states does not prevent the design of efficient silicon-based liquid junctions