An Organizing Framework for Specifying and Maintaining Catholic Identity in American Catholic Higher Education

All Catholic institutions are increasingly involved in discussions about what constitutes Catholic identity. It is a pressing question for schools, universities, hospitals, and social service agencies. As the debate proceeds on the possible implementation of formal norms for Catholic universities according to Ex Corde Ecclesiae, the question of Catholic identity becomes a most crucial for Catholic colleges and universities. Through a content analysis of literature on Catholic higher education, the author suggests a framework for specifying the content of Catholic identity. Within a structure of three major influences which are delineated in 18 categories, Catholic identity is described as a rich and multifaceted phenomenon

Learning Communities in Fraternity/Sorority Housing

The purpose of this study was to examine the degree to which members living in fraternity/sorority housing experienced learning outcomes associated with living in a residential learning community. Additionally, the study explored differences in the degree to which selected learning outcomes were achieved by members of fraternities compared to members of sororities. Data were collected by administering the Learning Communities Assessment (Turrentine, 2001) to members living in fraternity and sorority houses at a major research institution in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Respondents characterized their fraternity/sorority living experience as an important living community, but not as a learning community

The Effect of the Clery Act on Campus Judicial Practices

This article describes a study seeking to assess perceptions of campus judicial officers/members of the Association for Student Judicial Affairs (ASJA) regarding the effectiveness of the Clery Act (Campus Security Act) on campus judicial practices. In addition it provides information regarding overall effectiveness of Clery as perceived by the respondents. The researchers surveyed 1,143 members of the Association for Student Judicial Affairs (ASJA) whose institutions are covered by the Act. A total of 422 ASJA members returned questionnaires. This provided a response rate of 36.9%. The respondents included 39% Senior Student Affairs Officers who supervise a judicial conduct administrator, 44% who were judicial affairs officers and 17% who indicated that they were either faculty members, graduate students or other. The overall population of respondents was divided among both public and private institutions. Here, 60% of the respondents were from public institutions and 40% were from private institutions. A large majority (88%) of the respondents worked at four-year institutions with the remainder (12%) working at two-year institutions

Changing Trends in the Undergraduate Fraternity/Sorority Experience: An Evaluative and Analytical Literature Review

Fraternal organizations in American institutions of higher education have a significant influence on student life and campus culture. Historically, research has shown that fraternities and sororities provide environments that support negative and often illegal activities that can be detrimental to individuals and communities at large. However, recent research has identified new trends that suggest this may be changing. This article identifies these trends and implications

Paper Session III-A - NASA/ CARES Dual-Use Ceramic Technology Spinoff Applications

NASA has developed software that enables American industry to establish the reliability and life of ceramic structures in a wide variety of 21st Century applications. Designing ceramic components to survive at higher temperatures than the capability of most metals and in severe loading environments involves the disciplines of statistics and fracture mechanics. Successful application of advanced ceramics depends on proper characterization of material properties and the use of a probabilistic brittle material design methodology. The NASA program, known as CARES (Ceramics Analysis and Reliability Evaluation of Structures), is a comprehensive generalpurpose design tool that predicts the probability of failure of a ceramic component as a function of its time in service. The latest version of this software, CARES/LIFE, is coupled to several commercially available finite element analysis programs (ANSYS, MSC/NASTRAN, ABAQUS, COSMOS/M, MARC), resulting in an advanced integrated design tool which is adapted to the computing environment of the user. The NASA-developed CARES software has been successfully used by industrial, government, and academic organizations to design and optimize ceramic components for many demanding applications. Industrial sectors impacted by this program include aerospace, automotive, electronic, medical, and energy applications. Dual-use applications include the design of automotive engine components, graphite and ceramic high temperature valves, TV picture tubes, ceramic bearings, electronic chips, glass building panels, infrared windows, radiant heater tubes, heat exchangers, and artificial hips, knee caps, and teeth

Durability evaluation of ceramic components using CARES/LIFE

The computer program CARES/LIFE calculates the time-dependent reliability of monolithic ceramic components subjected to thermomechanical and/or proof test loading. This program is an extension of the CARES (Ceramics Analysis and Reliability Evaluation of Structures) computer program. CARES/LIFE accounts for the phenomenon of subcritical crack growth (SCG) by utilizing the power law, Paris law, or Walker equation. The two-parameter Weibull cumulative distribution function is used to characterize the variation in component strength. The effects of multiaxial stresses are modeled using either the principle of independent action (PIA), the Weibull normal stress averaging method (NSA), or the Batdorf theory. Inert strength and fatigue parameters are estimated from rupture strength data of naturally flawed specimens loaded in static, dynamic, or cyclic fatigue. Application of this design methodology is demonstrated using experimental data from alumina bar and disk flexure specimens which exhibit SCG when exposed to water

CARES/Life Ceramics Durability Evaluation Software Enhanced for Cyclic Fatigue

The CARES/Life computer program predicts the probability of a monolithic ceramic component's failure as a function of time in service. The program has many features and options for materials evaluation and component design. It couples commercial finite element programs--which resolve a component's temperature and stress distribution--to reliability evaluation and fracture mechanics routines for modeling strength-limiting defects. The capability, flexibility, and uniqueness of CARES/Life have attracted many users representing a broad range of interests and has resulted in numerous awards for technological achievements and technology transfer. Recent work with CARES/Life was directed at enhancing the program s capabilities with regards to cyclic fatigue. Only in the last few years have ceramics been recognized to be susceptible to enhanced degradation from cyclic loading. To account for cyclic loads, researchers at the NASA Lewis Research Center developed a crack growth model that combines the Power Law (time-dependent) and the Walker Law (cycle-dependent) crack growth models. This combined model has the characteristics of Power Law behavior (decreased damage) at high R ratios (minimum load/maximum load) and of Walker law behavior (increased damage) at low R ratios. In addition, a parameter estimation methodology for constant-amplitude, steady-state cyclic fatigue experiments was developed using nonlinear least squares and a modified Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. This methodology is used to give best estimates of parameter values from cyclic fatigue specimen rupture data (usually tensile or flexure bar specimens) for a relatively small number of specimens. Methodology to account for runout data (unfailed specimens over the duration of the experiment) was also included

Effect of ventricular function on the exercise hemodynamics of variable rate pacing

AbstractTo determine the effect of ventricular function on the exercise hemodynamics of variable rate pacing, 16 selected patients underwent paired, double-blind, randomized exercise tests in single rate demand (VVI) or variable rate (VVIR) pacing modes. Ejection fraction and cardiac index were determined by two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography at baseline and during peak exercise.Baseline ejection fraction ranged from 14 to 73% and was < 40% in 6 patients (Group 1) and ≥ 40% in 10 patients (Group 2). Duration of exercise was longer during the VVIR mode (502 s) than during the VVI mode (449 s) (p < 0.01) and unrelated to baseline ejection fraction. Heart rate during exercise increased 9% in the VVI mode and 35% in the VVIR mode (p < 0.005). Cardiac index increased 49% in the VVI mode and 83% in the VVIR mode. Analysis of variance for repeated measures showed a significant effect of pacing mode (p < 0.01) and exercise (p < 0.001), but not baseline ejection fraction, on cardiac index. Baseline ejection fraction did not correlate with the increase in cardiac index in either pacing mode or with the difference in increase between modes. There was no significant difference between Groups 1 and 2 in exercise duration, peak heart rate-blood pressure (rate-pressure) product, baseline or peak heart rate or baseline or peak cardiac index.Therefore, in selected patients, VVIR pacing during exercise results in an increase in heart rate, duration of exercise and cardiac index that is unrelated to the degree of baseline left ventricular dysfunction. These data have clinical implications for the use of variable rate pacemakers in patients with abnormalities of ventricular function

Cystathionine beta-synthase mutants exhibit changes in protein unfolding: conformational analysis of misfolded variants in crude cell extracts

Protein misfolding has been proposed to be a common pathogenic mechanism in many inborn errors of metabolism including cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) deficiency. In this work, we describe the structural properties of nine CBS mutants that represent a common molecular pathology in the CBS gene. Using thermolysin in two proteolytic techniques, we examined conformation of these mutants directly in crude cell extracts after expression in E. coli. Proteolysis with thermolysin under native conditions appeared to be a useful technique even for very unstable mutant proteins, whereas pulse proteolysis in a urea gradient had limited values for the study of the majority of CBS mutants due to their instability. Mutants in the active core had either slightly increased unfolding (p.A114V, p.E302K and p.G307S) or extensive unfolding with decreased stability (p.H65R, p.T191M, p.I278T and p.R369C). The extent of the unfolding inversely correlated with the previously determined degree of tetrameric assembly and with the catalytic activity. In contrast, mutants bearing aminoacid substitutions in the C-terminal regulatory domain (p.R439Q and p.D444N) had increased global stability with decreased flexibility. This study shows that proteolytic techniques can reveal conformational abnormalities even for CBS mutants that have activity and/or a degree of assembly similar to the wild-type enzyme. We present here a methodological strategy that may be used in cell lysates to evaluate properties of proteins that tend to misfold and aggregate and that may be important for conformational studies of disease-causing mutations in the field of inborn errors of metabolism