Self-Regulation in a Web-Based Course: A Case Study

Little is known about how successful students in Web-based courses self-regulate their learning. This descriptive case study used a social cognitive model of self-regulated learning (SRL) to investigate how six graduate students used and adapted traditional SRL strategies to complete tasks and cope with challenges in a Web-based technology course; it also explored motivational and environmental influences on strategy use. Primary data sources were three transcribed interviews with each of the students over the course of the semester, a transcribed interview with the course instructor, and the students’ reflective journals. Archived course documents, including transcripts of threaded discussions and student Web pages, were secondary data sources. Content analysis of the data indicated that these students used many traditional SRL strategies, but they also adapted planning, organization, environmental structuring, help seeking, monitoring, record keeping, and self-reflection strategies in ways that were unique to the Web-based learning environment. The data also suggested that important motivational influences on SRL strategy use—self-efficacy, goal orientation, interest, and attributions—were shaped largely by student successes in managing the technical and social environment of the course. Important environmental influences on SRL strategy use included instructor support, peer support, and course design. Implications for online course instructors and designers, and suggestions for future research are offered

Influence of early exercise on bone mineral density in equine distal third metacarpal condyles

Although musculoskeletal injuries have a large impact on the horse industries, little is known as to the effects of early exercise. Prior research suggests that repeated loading and exercise leads to an increase in higher density, low quality bone that is slow to repair. However, adapting the musculoskeletal system to high intensity exercise early may lead to less injuries in the equine metacarpophalangeal joint (MCP), a common site of fracture in Thoroughbred (TB) racehorses. The objective of this study was to determine bone density patterns in the equine MCP joints of young TBs to evaluate the effects of early exercise.Highest Honors

The Unionid Mussel Fauna of Northeastern Ohio’s Grand River

Author Institution: Environmental Studies Program, Hiram College, OHAuthor Institution: Dept. of GBES, Cleveland State University, OHAuthor Institution: EnviroScience, Inc., Stow, OHAuthor Institution: Hiram College, OHUnionid mussel distribution, numbers, and species were examined in the Grand River to provide a recent and comprehensive study of mussels from northeast Ohio’s longest river. The entire length of the Grand was canoed and examined for unionid mussel beds, with the exception of upstream areas where the river was small; SCUBA was used to survey just upstream of Fairport Harbor. The lower river, designated Grand River’s Wild and Scenic section, was studied in 1995, the middle reaches, called the Scenic section, were surveyed in 1996, and completion of the headwater region followed in 1998. Finally, a survey near the mouth of the river was made in 2002. A total of 95 sites were examined visually, by hand, with bottom sieves, dip nets, or by diving, as conditions demanded; riverbanks were searched for dead shells. A total of 11,625 living mussels and 4,514 dead shells comprising 27 species were identified. All species found were represented by living specimens. Comparisons to earlier collections indicated that the unionid fauna is changing, especially in downstream areas, but the diversity of these threatened acroinvertebrates in the Grand River has been much less affected than in the neighboring Ohio rivers to the west

The Unionid Mussel Fauna of Northeastern Ohio’s Grand River

Unionid mussel distribution, numbers, and species were examined in the Grand River to provide a recent and comprehensive study of mussels from northeast Ohio’s longest river. The entire length of the Grand was canoed and examined for unionid mussel beds, with the exception of upstream areas where the river was small; SCUBA was used to survey just upstream of Fairport Harbor. The lower river, designated Grand River’s Wild and Scenic section, was studied in 1995, the middle reaches, called the Scenic section, were surveyed in 1996, and completion of the headwater region followed in 1998. Finally, a survey near the mouth of the river was made in 2002. A total of 95 sites were examined visually, by hand, with bottom sieves, dip nets, or by diving, as conditions demanded; riverbanks were searched for dead shells. A total of 11,625 living mussels and 4,514 dead shells comprising 27 species were identified. All species found were represented by living specimens. Comparisons to earlier collections indicated that the unionid fauna is changing, especially in downstream areas, but the diversity of these threatened macroinvertebrates in the Grand River has been much less affected than in the neighboring Ohio rivers to the west

Project Cerberus: Flyby Mission to Pluto

The goal of the Cerberus Project was to design a feasible and cost-effective unmanned flyby mission to Pluto. The requirements in the request for proposal for an unmanned probe to Pluto are presented and were met. The design stresses proven technology that will avoid show stoppers which could halt mission progress. Cerberus also utilizes the latest advances in the spacecraft industry to meet the stringent demands of the mission. The topics covered include: (1) mission management, planning, and costing; (2) structures; (3) power and propulsion; (4) attitude, articulation, and control; (5) command, control, and communication; and (6) scientific instrumentation

Winter Conditions Influence Biological Responses of Migrating Hummingbirds

Conserving biological diversity given ongoing environmental changes requires the knowledge of how organisms respond biologically to these changes; however, we rarely have this information. This data deficiency can be addressed with coordinated monitoring programs that provide field data across temporal and spatial scales and with process-based models, which provide a method for predicting how species, in particular migrating species that face different conditions across their range, will respond to climate change. We evaluate whether environmental conditions in the wintering grounds of broad-tailed hummingbirds influence physiological and behavioral attributes of their migration. To quantify winter ground conditions, we used operative temperature as a proxy for physiological constraint, and precipitation and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) as surrogates of resource availability. We measured four biological response variables: molt stage, timing of arrival at stopover sites, body mass, and fat. Consistent with our predictions, we found that birds migrating north were in earlier stages of molt and arrived at stopover sites later when NDVI was low. These results indicate that wintering conditions impact the timing and condition of birds as they migrate north. In addition, our results suggest that biologically informed environmental surrogates provide a valuable tool for predicting how climate variability across years influences the animal populations

Comparison of measured and calculated dynamic loads for the Mod-2 2.5 mW wind turbine system

The Boeing Company, under contract to the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), has completed a test program on the Mod-2 wind turbines at Goodnoe Hills, Washington. The objectives were to update fatigue load spectra, discern site and machine differences, measure vortex generator effects, and to evaluate rotational sampling techniques. This paper shows the test setup and loads instrumentation, loads data comparisons and test/analysis correlations. Test data are correlated with DYLOSAT predictions using both the NASA interim turbulence model and rotationally sampled winds as inputs. The latter is demonstrated to have the potential to improve the test/analysis correlations. The paper concludes with an assessment of the importance of vortex generators, site dependence, and machine differences on fatigue loads. The adequacy of prediction techniques used are evaluated and recommendations are made for improvements to the methodology

Visualizing Spacetime Curvature via Frame-Drag Vortexes and Tidal Tendexes III. Quasinormal Pulsations of Schwarzschild and Kerr Black Holes

In recent papers, we and colleagues have introduced a way to visualize the full vacuum Riemann curvature tensor using frame-drag vortex lines and their vorticities, and tidal tendex lines and their tendicities. We have also introduced the concepts of horizon vortexes and tendexes and 3-D vortexes and tendexes (regions where vorticities or tendicities are large). Using these concepts, we discover a number of previously unknown features of quasinormal modes of Schwarzschild and Kerr black holes. These modes can be classified by mode indexes (n,l,m), and parity, which can be electric [(-1)^l] or magnetic [(-1)^(l+1)]. Among our discoveries are these: (i) There is a near duality between modes of the same (n,l,m): a duality in which the tendex and vortex structures of electric-parity modes are interchanged with the vortex and tendex structures (respectively) of magnetic-parity modes. (ii) This near duality is perfect for the modes' complex eigenfrequencies (which are well known to be identical) and perfect on the horizon; it is slightly broken in the equatorial plane of a non-spinning hole, and the breaking becomes greater out of the equatorial plane, and greater as the hole is spun up; but even out of the plane for fast-spinning holes, the duality is surprisingly good. (iii) Electric-parity modes can be regarded as generated by 3-D tendexes that stick radially out of the horizon. As these "longitudinal," near-zone tendexes rotate or oscillate, they generate longitudinal-transverse near-zone vortexes and tendexes, and outgoing and ingoing gravitational waves. The ingoing waves act back on the longitudinal tendexes, driving them to slide off the horizon, which results in decay of the mode's strength. (iv) By duality, magnetic-parity modes are driven in this same manner by longitudinal, near-zone vortexes that stick out of the horizon. [Abstract abridged.]Comment: 53 pages with an overview of major results in the first 11 pages, 26 figures. v2: Very minor changes to reflect published version. v3: Fixed Ref