Continued Fraction as a Discrete Nonlinear Transform

The connection between a Taylor series and a continued-fraction involves a nonlinear relation between the Taylor coefficients $\{ a_n \}$ and the continued-fraction coefficients $\{ b_n \}$. In many instances it turns out that this nonlinear relation transforms a complicated sequence $\{a_n \}$ into a very simple one $\{ b_n \}$. We illustrate this simplification in the context of graph combinatorics.Comment: 6 pages, OKHEP-93-0

Photoluminescence-based measurements of the energy gap and diffusion length of Zn_3P_2

The steady-state photoluminescence spectra of zinc phosphide (Zn_3P_2) wafers have revealed a fundamental indirect band gap at 1.38 eV, in close proximity to the direct band gap at 1.50 eV. These values are consistent with the values for the indirect and direct band gaps obtained from analysis of the complex dielectric function deduced from spectroscopic ellipsometric measurements. Bulk minority carrier lifetimes of 20 ns were observed by time-resolved photoluminescence decay measurements, implying minority-carrier diffusion lengths of ≥ 7 µm

A Practical Meta-Analysis of Prayer Efficacy in Coping with Mental Health

Given the large number of people who identify as religious in the United States and the large number of the overall population diagnosed with a mental illness, there is a need for linking an easily accessible practice like prayer to a common and often painful problem of managing mental health symptoms. Using a Practical Meta-Analysis, this research project examined prayer’s efficacy when used as a coping strategy to relieve mental health symptoms. A Practical Meta-Analysis is a statistical method that synthesizes findings from multiple research studies and provides a quantitative measure of an intervention’s efficacy as a whole. Of 598 articles located in five databases searched, the thirteen included studies produced thirty unique effect sizes that were used in the Practical Meta-Analysis calculations. The meta-analysis’ result was an average effect size of -0.0184 with a p-value of 0.3665, which is a small, yet insignificant magnitude. However, when considering the overall group of included studies, sixty percent of these studies showed prayer being associated with improved mental health symptoms. The findings of this study support the need for future research on how prayer can be a helpful intervention for people to use in coping with mental health symptoms

Hydrogeochemistry and Water Quality of Echo Hills

Ground water of the Echo Hills area in Clark County, Ohio was investigated for common water contaminants such as nitrate and coliform bacteria. Thirty-four water samples were collected from locations including private wells, streams and a spring. Nine of those samples were selected for nitrogen isotope analysis. Three locations were chosen for a tracer test. Additionally, well log data, historical water quality data, and GIS data were obtained from the Clark County Health Department in Springfield, Ohio. Results show that local agriculture likely has the greatest impact on ground water quality in Echo Hills especially the north-eastern portion, with local septic systems possibly contributing contaminants to the ground water as well. N-15 isotope values indicate that nitrogen found in the ground water originates from synthetic fertilizer along with other sources, possibly human or animal waste. The drinking water quality is also affected by well construction. Open borehole wells allow contaminated water from the upper aquifer to mix with relatively clean water from the lower aquifer. The results suggest that proper well and septic system construction, along with a good understanding of local geology can greatly reduce domestic water quality issues