Reducing Errors in Excel Models with Component-Based Software Engineering

Model errors are pervasive and can be catastrophic. We can reduce model errors and time to market by applying Component-Based Software Engineering (CBSE) concepts to Excel models. CBSE assembles solutions from pre-built, pre-tested components rather than written from formulas. This is made possible by the introduction of LAMBDA. LAMBDA is an Excel function that creates functions from Excel's formulas. CBSE-compliant LAMBDA functions can be reused in any project just like any Excel function. They also look exactly like Excel's native functions such as SUM(). This makes it possible for even junior modelers to leverage CBSE-compliant LAMBDAs to develop models quicker with fewer errors.Comment: 27 page

Mining geology in the Rosiclare fluorspar district

The Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar district is the largest of its kind in the United States and is one of the most important in the world. It lies on either side or the Ohio River in the extreme southeastern part of Illinois and the western part of Kentucky. The mineralized area is relatively small, embracing about 1500 square miles in all. On the Illinois side, the village of Rosiclare is the center of activity. With the exception of Cave-in-Rock, practically the entire production of Illinois comes from the immediate vicinity of Rosiclare and is produced by two companies, the Rosiclare Lead and Fluorspar Mining Co. and the Hillside Fluor Spar Mines. Fluorspar is of considerable economic importance. In the steel industry and in foundry practice it is extensively used as a flux. It is of especial advantage in the basic open hearth process where it not only lessens the viscosity of the slag but materially assists in the passage or impurities into the slag. It is used in the ceramic industry in the making of certain kinds of opalescent glass. It is also the principal source for the manufacture of hydrofluoric acid and is used to some extent in the aluminum industry. From a geological standpoint the district as a whole has always attracted considerable attention. The various phases of the historical, structural, and economic geology have been abundantly discussed at different times by the most capable of authorities. In general the country is composed of nearly flat-lying sedimentaries such as limestone, shale, and sandstone, which have been extensively faulted. Some of these faults have been subsequently filled with calcite, fluorite and associated minerals to form typical fissure veins. This injection from deep-seated magmas was probably in the order as named. It is probable that mineralization and faulting were contemporaneous to some extent and that the various minerals intruded overlapped each other in the several stages of vein filling --Introduction, pages 1-2

Population genetics and genomics within the genus \u3ci\u3ePityopsis\u3c/i\u3e

Pityopsis (Asteraceae) includes seven species; one species, P. ruthii, is federally endangered. The genus exhibits a range of ploidy levels, widespread hybridization among species with overlapping ranges, and interesting adaptive traits such as fire-stimulated flowering. However, taxonomy of Pityopsis has remained unresolved. Resolving interspecific relationships can lead to a deeper understanding of the inheritance and hybridization patterns, as well as the evolution of adaptable traits. Our first objective was to examine population structure and gene flow within Pityopsis ruthii. Polymorphic microsatellite markers (7 chloroplast and 12 nuclear) were developed and used to examine genetic diversity of 814 P. ruthii individuals from 33 discrete locations along the Hiwassee and Ocoee Rivers. A total of 198 alleles were detected with the nuclear loci and 79 alleles with the chloroplast loci. Bayesian cluster analyses of both rivers identified six clusters when the chloroplast microsatellites were used, whereas only two clusters were identified from the nuclear microsatellites. The population structure of P. ruthii will allow delineation of conservation units that account for subpopulations along each river. Our second objective was to examine the relationships of the seven species within Pityopsis using phylogenetic analyses. The chloroplast genome was sequenced for six species and two varieties. A reference chloroplast genome was assembled de novo from P. falcata, the species with the highest depth of read coverage. Reads from seven other individuals were then aligned to the P. falcata chloroplast genome and an individual genome was assembled for each. To utilize all informative sites for the full length of the chloroplast, a multiple sequence alignment of the eight chloroplast genomes was constructed, and from this, a phylogeny using both the maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony methods. Our findings using the entire chloroplast genome deviate from the results of previous phylogenetic studies of Pityopsis and do not support previously defined clades or sections within the genus. Our two objectives add meaningful information about the diversity of P. ruthii and the evolutionary history of Pityopsis, now available for use by conservationists, molecular ecologists, and evolutionary biologists

The Effects of High School Instrumental Music Performance Anxiety on the Accelerated Recovery of Social Anxiety

This quantitative correlational study aims to examine the challenges secondary students encounter in sustaining positive mental health and how the benefits of music performance anxiety in secondary school students can aid in the accelerated recovery of social anxiety. There is a present gap in the research exploring the benefits of situational anxiety on clinically diagnosed anxiety disorders and noting that this situational anxiety is a standard expectation and volunteered for when participating in performing arts environments. The objective is to understand the therapeutic benefits of micro-dosing the brain with music performance anxiety in a controlled environment and its potential uses in aiding students\u27 mental resilience development. This quantitative study uses a correlational approach guided by the theoretical framework of Edward Thorndike’s learning theory of connectionism. This research aims to gain a comparative understanding of individuals that have consistent music performance anxiety within a controlled environment and how that can assist the brain in its ability to process the symptoms of an anxiety disorder efficiently. The study focuses on the research obtained from data collected in a survey administered to secondary school-aged students. The questions in the survey center on music performance anxiety and how that affects the students. Findings revealed by the research lead to rejecting the null hypothesis as there is evidence for instrumental music experience’s predictive nature and improvement in musical performance anxiety on general anxiety disorder

Preparation, Characterization, and Catalytic Reactivity of Immobilized Rhodium Olefin Catalysts on -Alumina

Dinuclear rhodium (I) complexes, such as [Rh(μ-Cl)(C₂H₄)₂]₂ (1) are irreversibly adsorbed onto the surface of partially dehydroxylated alumina (PDA) by mixing the complexes with the alumina in a solvent such as methylene chloride. The supported complexes are spectroscopically characterized by ESCA; solid stated ¹³C NMR, and attenuated total reflectance infra-red studies. The supported complex (1) has been found to exchange ethylene for 1, 5-cyclooctadiene and carbon monoxide and is catalytically active in reactions with diazoalkanes. The reaction of (1) with 4, 4\u27-dimethyldiazobenzophenone (4, 4\u27-DMBP) in the presence of excess olefins gives one carbon extended olefins. When (1) is reacted with 4, 4\u27-DMBP in the presence of ethylene, 1, 1-di-p-tolylpropene is observed, and when this reaction is done in the presence of 1-octene, 1, 1-di-p-tolylnonene is observed

Wind Ensemble and Concert Band

Kennesaw State University School of Music presents Wind Ensemble and Concert Band.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1577/thumbnail.jp

Wind Ensemble and Concert Band

Kennesaw State University School of Music presents Wind Ensemble and Concert Band.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1617/thumbnail.jp

Kennesaw State University Wind Ensemble and Concert Band

Kennesaw State University School of Music presents Wind Ensemble and Concert Band.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1601/thumbnail.jp

Effects of exotic invasive vegetation on breeding birds along the North Chickamauga Creek

The invasion of exotic plants into riparian areas of southeastern United States is a conservation concern not only for native plant communities, but also for wildlife. Breeding bird community structure could be particularly affected by such invasions and subsequent habitat changes as birds respond quickly to changes in habitat resources. During the 2007 breeding season, bird communities were surveyed using the line transect census method at four sites along the North Chickamauga Creek in Hamilton County, Tennessee. Two of the sites were regarded as being highly invaded by exotic understory plant species, while the other two sites remain relatively free of such invasion. The primary attributes of avian community structure analyzed were diversity and density, both of which were relatively similar among all four sites, showing an overall neutral effect from understory plant invasions. However, a slightly higher diversity index and density of individuals was found at one of the invaded sites. This particular site is also the most highly managed of the four and is also in the early stages of invasion, suggesting that research should be conducted to better understand how avian communities respond to various levels of invasion. Species composition among the sites also varied and the most natural of the four sites supported a greater number of habitat specialists and migratory species, showing that measures of diversity and density should not be used alone when examining avian-habitat relationships. Control of these invasive plants in natural areas is encouraged as some species may actually benefit from their absence. Long-term research on both community structure and demographic measures is needed to observe avian responses over a spatial and temporal scale of habitat change due to plant invasions