Unbridled Access: Using Wikis to Document Policies and Procedures

Providing staff access to policies and procedures is vital to keeping Technical Services, and the rest of the library system, functioning smoothly. As staff members come and go, good documentation aids training and ensures continuity. The challenge is finding a way to make important resources available to all staff, while keeping it easy to use and up to date. Both Boone and Campbell County Public Libraries chose to use a wiki to accomplish this goal. Boone’s wiki is less than a year old, while Campbell’s has been in use for over ten years. Though both libraries set out with the same basic solution to the same problem, their differing priorities lead to two somewhat different approaches. Join us as we compare and contrast two documentation wikis that are helping to demystify Technical Services and further internal communication throughout the library system. We’ll also discuss getting a documentation wiki off the ground, and how it evolves over time

Defect tolerance: fundamental limits and examples

This paper addresses the problem of adding redundancy to a collection of physical objects so that the overall system is more robust to failures. In contrast to its information counterpart, which can exploit parity to protect multiple information symbols from a single erasure, physical redundancy can only be realized through duplication and substitution of objects. We propose a bipartite graph model for designing defect-tolerant systems, in which the defective objects are replaced by the judiciously connected redundant objects. The fundamental limits of this model are characterized under various asymptotic settings and both asymptotic and finite-size systems that approach these limits are constructed. Among other results, we show that the simple modular redundancy is in general suboptimal. As we develop, this combinatorial problem of defect tolerant system design has a natural interpretation as one of graph coloring, and the analysis is significantly different from that traditionally used in information redundancy for error-control codes.©201

#BewareOfOvershare: Social Media Discovery and Importance in Intellectual Property Litigation, 12 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 449 (2013)

As the use of social media continues to expand, lawyers will increasingly rely on evidence gleaned from social media sources. This is already true in several areas of litigation, including various types of intellectual property litigation. Thus far, the rules of civil procedure, evidence, and professional conduct have addressed many of the issues that arise regarding the acquisition and use of social media evidence. Lawyers should at least investigate social media usage by key parties in each particular case in order to be aware of what social media evidence could be available. Lawyers are also responsible for having a basic understanding of how to obtain and effectively use social media evidence to advocate on behalf of the client. Several recent cases and bar association opinions shed light on the utility and traps of obtaining and using social media evidence

The Troll Next Door, 6 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 292 (2007)

The term Patent Troll is increasingly permeating news headlines. This comment explains where the term came from and how the changing landscape of patent enforcement has contributed to the evolution of the Patent Troll. Some have suggested that segregating Patent Trolls from other patent enforcers will solve many of the patent system’s woes. This comment analyzes proposed ways of distinguishing Patent Trolls and reveals them all as prejudicial and ineffective. The use of the term Patent Troll is a mask for underlying fears based on real shortcomings in the patent system, which need to be addressed

THE LONGITUDINAL EFFECTS OF THE TAMU NOYCE SCHOLARS PROGRAM ON STEM TEACHERS' CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION AND PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHING

Staffing high schools with highly qualified mathematics and science teachers continues to be a challenge for school districts across the U.S. One way to address this challenge is to offer financial incentives, in the form of scholarships or grants, for high performing college students to become high school mathematics or science teachers. It is not clear, however, the effects these types of scholarship programs have on the recruitment, retention, and classroom contexts of the students who receive the scholarships. More research in this area is needed. One of the most well-known scholarship programs for prospective mathematics and science teachers is The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce Program). This dissertation contains three studies that examine the effects a Noyce Program had on a group of Robert Noyce Scholarship recipients. More specifically, the studies investigate (a) the perceptions of STEM teaching and decisions participants made regarding STEM teaching, (b) the influence of the Noyce Program on the Scholars’ decisions to teach in high-need schools, stay in high-need schools, and the effects of the program on the Scholars themselves, and (c) the interactions and behaviors observed in participants’ classrooms as well as their overall classroom contexts. Sixty-one participants were recruited (29 experimental group, 32 control group) for the three-year longitudinal, quasi-experimental study. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected via annual surveys, bi-annual classroom observations, and annual telephone interviews. Descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, and statistical methods for comparing means were used to analyze the quantitative data. A modified version of Burnard’s (1991) general inductive approach was used for qualitative data analysis. Findings indicate some statistically significant differences between groups in a number of areas and researchers found the Noyce Program had positive effects on the Noyce Scholars’ financial status, overall sense of well-being, and opportunities for professional development. Further findings indicate the scholarship had little influence on their decisions to become a teacher or stay in a high-need school setting

Differential introgression and the maintenance of species boundaries in an advanced generation avian hybrid zone

Background: Evolutionary processes, including selection and differential fitness, shape the introgression of genetic material across a hybrid zone, resulting in the exchange of some genes but not others. Differential introgression of molecular or phenotypic markers can thus provide insight into factors contributing to reproductive isolation. We characterized patterns of genetic variation across a hybrid zone between two tidal marsh birds, Saltmarsh (Ammodramus caudacutus) and Nelson’s (A. nelsoni) sparrows (n = 286), and compared patterns of introgression among multiple genetic markers and phenotypic traits. Results: Geographic and genomic cline analyses revealed variable patterns of introgression among marker types. Most markers exhibited gradual clines and indicated that introgression exceeds the spatial extent of the previously documented hybrid zone. We found steeper clines, indicating strong selection for loci associated with traits related to tidal marsh adaptations, including for a marker linked to a gene region associated with metabolic functions, including an osmotic regulatory pathway, as well as for a marker related to melanin-based pigmentation, supporting an adaptive role of darker plumage (salt marsh melanism) in tidal marshes. Narrow clines at mitochondrial and sex-linked markers also offer support for Haldane’s rule. We detected patterns of asymmetrical introgression toward A. caudacutus, which may be driven by differences in mating strategy or differences in population density between the two species. Conclusions: Our findings offer insight into the dynamics of a hybrid zone traversing a unique environmental gradient and provide evidence for a role of ecological divergence in the maintenance of pure species boundaries despite ongoing gene flow

Differential introgression and the maintenance of species boundaries in an advanced generation avian hybrid zone

Background: Evolutionary processes, including selection and differential fitness, shape the introgression of genetic material across a hybrid zone, resulting in the exchange of some genes but not others. Differential introgression of molecular or phenotypic markers can thus provide insight into factors contributing to reproductive isolation. We characterized patterns of genetic variation across a hybrid zone between two tidal marsh birds, Saltmarsh (Ammodramus caudacutus) and Nelson’s (A. nelsoni) sparrows (n = 286), and compared patterns of introgression among multiple genetic markers and phenotypic traits. Results: Geographic and genomic cline analyses revealed variable patterns of introgression among marker types. Most markers exhibited gradual clines and indicated that introgression exceeds the spatial extent of the previously documented hybrid zone. We found steeper clines, indicating strong selection for loci associated with traits related to tidal marsh adaptations, including for a marker linked to a gene region associated with metabolic functions, including an osmotic regulatory pathway, as well as for a marker related to melanin-based pigmentation, supporting an adaptive role of darker plumage (salt marsh melanism) in tidal marshes. Narrow clines at mitochondrial and sex-linked markers also offer support for Haldane’s rule. We detected patterns of asymmetrical introgression toward A. caudacutus, which may be driven by differences in mating strategy or differences in population density between the two species. Conclusions: Our findings offer insight into the dynamics of a hybrid zone traversing a unique environmental gradient and provide evidence for a role of ecological divergence in the maintenance of pure species boundaries despite ongoing gene flow

Adhesive Bonding of Titanium to Carbon-Carbon Composites for Heat Rejection Systems

High temperature adhesives with good thermal conductivity, mechanical performance, and long term durability are crucial for the assembly of heat rejection system components for space exploration missions. In the present study, commercially available adhesives were used to bond high conductivity carbon-carbon composites to titanium sheets. Bonded pieces were also exposed to high (530 to 600 Kelvin for 24 hours) and low (liquid nitrogen 77K for 15 minutes) temperatures to evaluate the integrity of the bonds. Results of the microstructural characterization and tensile shear strengths of bonded specimens will be reported. The effect of titanium surface roughness on the interface microstructure will also be discussed