Vocationalism in Higher Education

In their recent book, The Outrageous Idea of Academic Faithfulness, Donald Opitz and Derek Melleby (2007) note how “expectations have profound implications on what students actually find when they arrive at college” (p. 15). In recent decades, a paradigmatic shift has occurred among college students concerning their views of the purpose of a college education. Student expectations have grown increasingly pragmatic, utilitarian, and vocational in nature. This shift toward a vocational emphasis has had a profound impact on the landscape of higher education, changing the shape of many institutions and how higher education is both viewed and offered in the 21st century. The following paper shall examine the growth of vocationalism within higher education, its impact on the student, and the unique role that Christian higher education and student affairs professionals share in the preservation of the liberal arts tradition

The development of the collegiate percussion ensemble: its history and educational value

The purpose of this study is to determine if participation in percussion ensemble has a distinct value as compared to participation in larger ensembles, and whether it promotes a specific form of percussion education not available to members participating in larger ensembles. People who participated in or who are currently instructional leaders, coaches, or conductors of collegiate percussion ensembles were contacted to better understand how experiences in the percussion ensemble influenced their approach to teaching percussion once they entered the teaching field. Research conducted for this study included interviews with preservice, inservice, and university percussion professors. Findings suggest that participation in a collegiate percussion ensemble is beneficial for percussion education and for teachers in the field. Students who participate in collegiate percussion ensembles have the opportunity to get a more specialized percussion education, from which they gain better quality skills in basic musicianship, score study, repertoire selection, and percussion performance than they would have simply preforming in a larger ensemble. In addition, students who participate in a collegiate percussion ensemble reported that it provided a greater sense of self-worth and a camaraderie with fellow percussionists that was not available in large ensemble performance

Near-net-shape Fabrication of Ni(x)Al(y) – TiC Cermets by Binder Jet Additive Manufacturing and Pressure-less Melt Infiltration

Binder jet additive manufacturing effectively replaces preform preparation by traditional powder metallurgy methods and allows more complex geometries to be potentially fabricated. The use of a pressure-less melt infiltration technique provides a method of achieving a fully dense composite in a near-net-shape fashion, cost effective and scalable. TiC preforms (15 x 15 x 10/7.5 mm) were fabricated via Binder Jet Additive Manufacturing and then infiltrated by NiAl3 and Ni3Al using a pressure-less melt infiltration technique. Two compositions, Ni3Al and NiAl3, were used as infiltrant materials in order to compare wetting behavior and infiltration kinetics.A stark difference in shape retention between Ni3Al and NiAl3 infiltrated preforms was observed after infiltration. It was found that the TiC particles in the as printed preform were arranged in an interconnected network structure as a result of the binder jet process and/or sintering step and is responsible for maintaining structural integrity of the printed preform. TiC dissolution by liquid Ni3Al was significant enough to disband this network structure and force particle rearrangement and lead to poor shape retention. Conversely, TiC particle rearrangement did not occur during infiltration of the Al-rich NiAl3 alloy and thus the network structure remained intact leading to excellent shape retention of the infiltrated preform.It was found NiAl3 exhibits a complex melting and solidification behavior where an Al-rich phase segregates heavily from the melted material. The presence of an Alrich inter-particle matrix phase indicates the possibility of a “metered” infiltration process where multiple liquid phases of variant compositions infiltrate the “macro” and “micro” capillaries of the TiC preform in a staggered fashion. The composition and time of infiltration remains unknown and a topic of future work. Additionally, Thermodynamic simulation predicts a reaction at the TiC interface by liquid NiAl3 to form Al4C3, with an interfacial reaction product potentially explaining the lack of TiC dissolution and volumetric shrinkage during and after infiltration by NiAl3

Matthewson St. United Methodist Church: Rehabilitation Feasiblity Report

The first-story floor plan was altered significantly during the 1951 renovations, and the entry vestibule is adorned with Neo-Gothic panelling. The chapel on the first floor is handsomely finished. The two-story sanctuary space has a semi-circular configuration with pews radiating from the altar, a balcony and substantial crown moulding

\u3cem\u3ep\u3c/em\u3e-Value Histograms: Inference and Diagnostics

It is increasingly common for experiments in biology and medicine to involve large numbers of hypothesis tests. A natural graphical method for visualizing these tests is to construct a histogram from the p-values of these tests. In this article, we examine the shapes, both regular and irregular, that these histograms can take on, as well as present simple inferential procedures that help to interpret the shapes in terms of diagnosing potential problems with the experiment. We examine potential causes of these problems in detail, and discuss potential remedies. Throughout, examples of irregular-looking p-value histograms are provided and based on case studies involving real biological experiments

An explorative study on robotics for supporting children with Autism Spectrum Disorder during clinical procedures

This short report presents a small-scale explorative study about children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) interaction with robots during clinical interactions. This is part of an ongoing project, which aims at defining a robotic service for supporting children with developmental disabilities and increase the efficiency of routine procedures that may create distress, e.g.having blood taken or an orthopaedic plaster cast applied. Five children with confirmed diagnoses of ASD interacted with two social robots: the small humanoid NAO and the pet-like MiRo. The encounters mixed play activities with a simulated clinical procedure. We included parents/carers in the interaction to ensure the child was comfortable and at ease. The results of video analysis and parents' feedback confirm possible benefits of the physical presence of robots to reduce children’s anxiety and increase compliance with instructions. Parents/carers convincingly support the introduction of robots in hospital procedures to their help children

Metal-only Lewis pairs between group 10 metals and Tl(I) or Ag(I): insights into the electronic consequences of Z-type ligand binding†

Complexes bearing electron rich transition metal centers, especially those displaying coordinative unsaturation, are well-suited to form reverse-dative σ-interactions with Lewis acids. Herein we demonstrate the generality of zerovalent, group 10 m-terphenyl isocyanide complexes to form reverse-dative σ-interactions to Tl(I) and Ag(I) centers. Structural and spectroscopic investigations of these metal-only Lewis pairs (MOLPs) has allowed insight into the electronic consequences of Lewis-acid ligation within the primary coordination sphere of a transition metal center. Treatment of the bis-isocyanide complex, Pt(CNArDipp2)2 (ArDipp2 = 2,6-(2,6-(i-Pr)2C6H3)2C6H3) with TlOTf (OTf = [O3SCF3]−) yields the Pt/Tl MOLP [TlPt(CNArDipp2)2]OTf (1). 1H NMR and IR spectroscopic studies on 1, and its Pd congener [TlPd(CNArDipp2)2]OTf (2), demonstrate that the M → Tl interaction is labile in solution. However, treatment of complexes 1 and 2 with Na[BArF4] (ArF = 3,5-(CF3)2C6H3) produces [TlPt(CNArDipp2)2]BArF4 (3) and [TlPd(CNArDipp2)2]BArF4 (4), in which Tl(I) binding is shown to be static by IR spectroscopy and, in the case of 3, 195Pt NMR spectroscopy as well. This result provides strong evidence that the M → Tl linkages can be attributed primarily to σ-donation from the group 10 metal to Tl, as loss of ionic stabilization of Tl by the triflate anion is compensated for by increasing the degree of M → Tl σ-donation. In addition, X-ray Absorption Near-Edge Spectroscopy (XANES) on the Pd/Tl and Ni/Tl MOLPs, [TlPd(CNArDipp2)2]OTf (2) and [TlNi(CNArMes2)3]OTf, respectively, is used to illustrate that the formation of a reverse-dative σ-interaction with Tl(I) does not alter the spectroscopic oxidation state of the group 10 metal. Also reported is the ability of M(CNArDipp2)2 (M = Pt, Pd) to form MOLPs with Ag(I), yielding the complexes [AgM(CNArDipp2)2]OTf (5, M = Pt; 6, M = Pd). As was determined for the Tl-containing MOLPs 1–4, it is shown that the spectroscopic oxidation states of the group 10 metal in 5 and 6 are essentially unchanged compared to the zerovalent precursors M(CNArDipp2)2. However, in the case of 5 and 6, the formation of a dative M → Ag σ-bonding interaction facilitates the binding of Lewis bases to the group 10 metal trans to Ag, illustrating the potential of acceptor fragments to open up new coordination sites on transition metal complexes without formal, two-electron oxidation