Investigating the Feasibility of Open Development of Operations Support Solutions

The telecommunications Operations Support Systems supply chain must address many stakeholders: R&D, Product and Requirements Management, Purchasing, Systems Integration, Systems Administration and Users. While the management of next generation networks and services poses significant technical challenges, the present supply chain, market configuration, and business practices of the OSS community are an obstacle to rapid innovation. Forums for open development could potentially provide a medium to shorten this supply chain for the deployment of workable systems. This paper discusses the potential benefits and barriers to the open development of OSS for the telecommunications industry. It proposes the use of action research to execute a feasibility study into the open development of OSS software solutions within an industry wide Open OSS project

Viability of Carbon Offset Generating Projects in Boreal Ontario

Carbon offsets generated under the Kyoto Protocol should be included in the management options that resource managers are considering. This paper investigates investments in afforestation for the generation of KP compliant carbon offsets in the Timmins Management Unit, concentrating on the availability of quality carbon budget models, domestic carbon market concerns and the presence of an enabling environment. A modelling exercise is undertaken using GORCAM-WC1, with ownership, leading species, investment horizon, site productivity and carbon price as variables. Under current institutional frameworks, afforestation projects with the purpose of generating carbon offsets in the TMU are not viable investments for the first commitment period, though such projects will be profitable under certain conditions if constraints are removed and investment is long term.Afforestation, Kyoto Protocol, Boreal Ontario, Carbon Sequestration

Bringing Community College Students and Employers Together: A Guide for Employers and Career Centers in an Economic Decline

This paper emerges from my work as Coordinator of Job Placement at Bristol Community College over the last 19 months, in which I have had the opportunity to try new approaches to problem-solving and pursue professional growth as I serve students in higher education. The recent economic crisis has left millions of Americans out of work across most sectors. Displaced workers are flocking to community colleges to upgrade and learn new skills with the goal of becoming more marketable to potential employers. Enrollments have soared, while costs have risen and budgets cut. These conditions place an undue burden on these institutions, which are responsible for educating and training tomorrow\u27s workforce. This paper examines the role of community colleges in our society in the context of how an economic decline impacts their mission. Businesses, which depend on community colleges to supply a steady stream of talent so they can grow and prosper, are urged to continue on-campus recruitment programs despite dwindling recruitment budgets. A guide presents employers with a rationale and strategies for maintaining a strong campus presence

Implementation of The Essential Elements of Standards-Focused Middle-Level Schools and Programs and Their Relationship to Student Achievement

In New York State, there are regulations that describe many of the practices that middle-level schools are supposed to implement. Yet, little is known about the effectiveness of these middle-level practices in schools in the state. Without definitive information about the impact of middle-level practices on student achievement, it\u27s difficult for practitioners and leaders to know if the school improvement decisions they make are the right ones and whether they will have the desired impact on student achievement. This study compares the implementation of the middle-level guidelines for New York State, known as The Essential Elements of Standards-Focused Middle-Level Schools and Programs, with the student achievement in these schools. Survey data were collected from 185 middle-level schools about their level of implementation of these Essential Elements. After controlling for economic disadvantage, the data about implementation in these schools was compared to the student achievement as measured by the New York State testing program. Based on the data, it is apparent that implementation of the Essential Elements is incomplete. A correlation was identified, however, that suggests that the degree of implementation of the Essential Elements does have a statistically significant impact on student achievement. Consequently, middle-level schools should work to implement the Essential Elements with greater attention and fidelity

Monomization of power Ideals and parking functions

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mathematics, 2010.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 47-48).A zonotopal algebra is the quotient of a polynomial ring by an ideal generated by powers of linear forms which are derived from a zonotope, or dually it's hyperplane arrangement. In the case that the hyperplane arrangement is of Type A, we can rephrase the definition in terms of graphs. Using the symmetry of these ideals, we can find monomial ideals which preserve much of the structure of the zonotopal algebras while being computationally very efficient, in particular far faster than Gröbner basis techniques. We extend this monomization theory from the known case of the central zonotopal algebra to the other two main cases of the external and internal zonotopal algebras.by Craig J. Desjardins.Ph.D

Using a Coaching Model To Develop Lead School Counselors’ Leadership Self-Efficacy

The supervision role and responsibilities of lead school counselors vary widely across and within schools and school districts. One role is increasingly significant – the role of clinical supervisor. The researcher used a case study design to investigate the leadership self-efficacy of three lead school counselors working in a major suburban school district. The intent of this record of study was to examine whether and how the implementation of a leadership intervention impacted counselors' sense of self-efficacy related to their ability to lead and supervise other school counselors. The findings suggest that a lead school counselor professional development model, based on a conceptual framework that includes leadership and coaching principles, resulted in positive changes in lead school counselors’ leadership self-efficacy. Recommendations for further research include examining the model with a broader range of lead school counselors and involving school administrators in the conception and use of the clinical supervision model

Molecular Systematics of Red Algae.

Phylogenetic analyses of nucleotide sequences for the nuclear-encoded small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU) gene were used to test current hypotheses of relationships within the Corallinales and among the florideophycidaean orders of red algae. Analyses of SSU gene sequences indicate that the order Corallinales includes four major lineages. The Sporolithaceae is resolved as the earliest-diverging lineage within the order and forms the sister group to a monophyletic Corallinaceae. The molecular data also support the monophyly of the subfamilies Melobesioideae and Corallinoideae. The latter subfamily is inferred as sister to a fourth lineage including non-geniculate and geniculate species classified in the subfamilies Mastophoroideae, Metagoniolithoideae, Lithophylloideae, and Amphiroideae. Genicula are inferred to have arisen independently in three separate lineages and are not homologous structures. These results indicate that the common taxonomic practice of separating corallines on the basis of the presence or absence of genicula does not accurately reflect the evolutionary history of the group. Cladistic analysis of SSU gene sequences indicates that the Florideophycidae is a monophyletic taxon comprised, roughly, of two large sister clades. One clade includes all orders possessing pit plugs with two cap layers. Within this assemblage, the orders Corallinales and Rhodogorgonales are inferred to be closely related. The second florideophycidaean clade includes, with the exception of the Gelidiales, those orders in which pit plugs are characterized by the absence of cap layers and the presence of a cap membrane. These results support Pueschel\u27s (1994) contention that: (1) naked pit plugs are the plesiomorphic type in the Rhodophyta, (2) all orders possessing pit plugs with two cap layers are derived from a common ancestor, (3) outer cap layers are homologous structures, and (4) domed outer caps and cap membranes are derived features within the two cap layer lineage. Results also indicate that although the inner cap layers found in the Bangiales, Hildenbrandiales, and the two-cap-layer lineage may be homologous, inner caps in the Gelidiales are independently derived