Two plays by Ghelderode: The Blind Men and The Women at the Tomb

Thesis (M.F.A.)--Boston Universit

Evaluation of the propulsion control system of a planetary rover and design of a mast for an elevation scanning laser/multi-detector system

Vertical wheel loads, wheel speeds, and torque relationships are considered in the design of a propulsion system capable of responding to steering, slope climbing, and irregular local terrains. The system developed is applied to the RPI Mars roving vehicle. The mechanical system required to implement the elevation laser scanning/multidetector principle was the design and construction of a mechanical system for implementing the elevation scanning/multidetector principle is also discussed

Structural analysis of dilute bismide alloys by means of high resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy

Energy efficiency plays a key role in the development of new industrial as well as daily life applications. There exists a strong demand for a new energy efficient generation of optoelectronic devices, especially in the growing market of internet data transfer where devices operate in the 1.55 µm wavelength regime. A promising material system that could face the challenge of efficient devices is the dilute Bi containing Ga(AsBi) and the dilute bismides in general. The novel material system Ga(AsBi) has been proven that the incorporation of dilute Bi amounts reduces the bandgap energy. Furthermore, a suppression of non-radiative loss mechanisms and a decreased temperature-dependency of the emission wavelength could be verified which can be described by the valence band anti crossing model. Moreover, first electrically pumped Ga(AsBi) based laser devices could be fabricated which reveal once more the huge potential of dilute bismides. In this work structural analysis of MOVPE grown Ga(AsBi), Ga(PAsBi) and Ga(NAsBi) on GaAs substrates were carried out by means of spherical aberration corrected STEM. In addition to STEM ADF measurements, ADF image simulations of Ga(AsBi) supercells were performed which allowed the interpretation of the measurements as well as the Bi quantification in Ga(AsBi)-QWs. Despite STEM measurements, image processing was applied for further analysis, i.e., determination and separation of the crystal sublattices in HR measurements via the MATLAB software. Image processing is mandatory since it allows on the one hand a quantification of the Bi fraction in Ga(AsBi), and on the other hand a further statistical evaluation of the atomic column intensities is possible. The results of this work show that STEM is inevitable for the characterization of novel semiconductors as well as for the detection of atomic ordering. Finally, Bi has the ability to distribute homogeneously in dilute Bi-containing materials, when MOVPE takes place under optimized growth conditions which is very promising for the realization and fabrication of new energy efficient semiconductor devices

Reducing Stress Through Morning Meetings

Stress in the lives of urban students, caused by multiple factors, specifically from violence and bullying, can affect their ability to do well both academically and socially. Student observation notes that the majority of students lack the coping mechanisms needed to deal with this stress in healthy and productive ways. This thesis project examines some of the causes of urban childhood stress and how educators can help their students reduce that stress and develop appropriate coping strategies for dealing with situations students may encounter daily at school. As part of this action research project, the use of daily morning meetings, student journals, weekly surveys, and group meetings were conducted. The literature review section briefly discusses the following as they bear on the research topic: family, violence, bullying, coping strategies, stress, and social constructivism. The project was conducted in a third grade classroom in an urban school district in western New York. Analysis of the research data confirms the positive effect of morning meetings to reduce stress and increase coping strategies for students

Missed Connections: a case study of the social networks of physics doctoral students in a single department

Gender disparity is an issue among the many science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Although many previous studies examine gender issues in STEM as an aggregate discipline, there are unique issues to each of the fields that are considered STEM fields. Some fields, such as physics, have fewer women graduating with degrees than other fields. This suggests that women's experiences vary by STEM field. The majority of previous research also examines gender and other disparities at either the nationwide or individual level. This project entailed social network analysis through survey and interview data to examine a single physics department's doctoral students in order to provide a comprehensive look at student social experiences. In addition to examining gender, other demographic variables were studied to see if the results are truly associated with gender; these variables include race/ethnicity, year in program, student type, relationship status, research type, undergraduate institute, and subfield. Data were examined to determine if there are relationships to social connections and outcome variables such as persistence in completing the degree and the time to degree. Data collected on faculty were used to rank faculty members; data such as h-indices and number of students graduate over the past 5 years were collected. Fifty-five (55) of 110 possible participants completed the survey; forty-three are male, and twelve are female. Twenty-eight of the fifty-five survey participants were interview; twenty-three are male, and five are female. Findings for peer networks include that peer networks are established during the first year and do not change drastically as one progresses in the program. Geographic location within the campus affects socializing with peers. Connections to fellow students are not necessarily reciprocated; the maximum percentage of reciprocated connections is 60%. The number of connections one has varies by network purpose, with students having more connections for the more social purposes. Students are isolated when working on their research, even in their early years. Research discussion does not occur, unless one is providing casual updates to a peer. Findings for student-faculty networks indicate that these relationships are important but complicated. Advisor selection is often done casually, even when one is switching advisors. Faculty have a lot of influence on the doctoral students such as motivating research collaborations among students or aiding in the job search. Most doctoral students feel as though there is a power dynamic that hinders them from socializing with faculty and thus, are not close to the faculty. Opportunities to develop stronger relationships and for professional development are often missed. The total number of peer and faculty ties has significant relationships to whether a student considers leaving the program. Analyzing the qualitative and quantitative data through demographic variables showed how complex these experiences are. All demographic variables indicated there are statistically significant differences in social experience among the groups, though the extent varies. The year in program variable showed the most differences among cohort years, primarily with those in the fifth year. While gender showed few differences, women tended to have more homophilous peer networks than men and women tended to have more connections to higher prestige faculty. The race/ethnicity, student type, undergraduate institute, subfield, and relationship status variables produced few statistically significant results. Peer networks have statistically significant differences in homophily when examining research type. The regression model suggests that being female, having a higher year in the program, and/or completing undergraduate studies from a liberal arts college increases the time to degree. Being in a relationship (dating or married) and/or working on experimental research decreases the time to degree. Only research peer network and departmental information network variables remain in this model. Suggestions for further research for both physics/STEM education and social network analysis are included. Suggestions for ways in which the Jonas University physics department can improve its climate are also included. Although these suggestions are written based upon the Jonas University data, they may be applicable to other physics/STEM graduate programs

An emperical study of diffusion: The role of particle size, particle shape, gravity, and edge effects

The theories of Brownian motion and diffusion are often treated as separate idea, though Brownian motion is believed to cause diffusion. Both theories were initially studied separately in this project via two experiments; the theories were then studied in conjunction. The Brownian motion experiment examined milk fat globules and Cabosil particles in colloidal suspensions under a microscope, following their trajectory for 10 seconds. A flow model was developed to determine the diffusion coefficients. Drag coefficients revealed the geometry is correlated with the diffusion coefficients. The Diffusion experiment used a custom-made, thermally isolated chamber to study diffusion in the horizontal and vertical planes. Diffusion in the vertical direction took approximately 100 times longer than the horizontal. the two theories were then linked by using the diffusion data to determine the microscopic water molecule radius. The horizontal data agreed within uncertainty of the accepted value for the water molecule radius, while the vertical direction data did not. Gravity, particle geometry, and edge effects are suspected of affecting the rate of diffusion as suggested by its demonstrated influence on the Brownian motion of colloidal particles

A donor function for methanolic sodium methanolic sodium methoxide solutions

A directly measured donor function was determined in .1 to 5 molar methanolic sodium methoxide solutions at 25 degree celsius using three of the substituted benzaldehyde indicators that were used by MacGregor to develop a donor function for aqueous alkalide hydroxide solutions