The X-ray spectrometer and what it reveals

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universit

Utilizing CoCoRaHS Climate Data to Improve Climate Literacy at the Middle School Level

One of the biggest obstacles seen in K-12 education today is the lower scores in math and science related subjects versus language arts and historical perspectives. Due to the need to improve these scores, many different methods are being tested and reviewed to improve overall understanding and ability. It is becoming more recognized in these efforts that the use of scientific method, experimentation, data collection and measurements are fantastic ways to improve understanding in math. One commonly noted difference is that math is “just numbers” and one can often go through the motions and complete the problem, but not necessarily understand the thought behind the numbers. However, science requires understanding of the situation and applying math accordingly, a skill that carries over into basic math understanding. The improvement of the sciences would not only benefit students in their science courses, but also in math as well

Some novel aspects of flow-driven aerodynamic noise

Imperial Users onl

Cyclic adenosine 3' :5'-monophosphate and cyclic guanosine 3' :5'-monophosphate metabolism during the mitotic cycle of the acellular slime mould Physarum polycephalum (Schweinitz)

Imperial Users onl

Technological Linkages, Market Structure, and Optimum Production Policies

There has been an increased interest in the efficacy of industrial policy. We show that policy design for vertically-related industries hinges on the nature of market interactions as well as technological linkages. Using a model in which final-good producers realize productivity gains from increasing domestic specialization of intermediate processes, we find no theoretical basis for presuming that an imperfectly competitive intermediates sector restricts output below the optimal level or that the market produces too many varieties. The direction of distortion depends on the relationship between the extent of the external economy and the market power of individual intermediates producers. Optimal corrective policies require two instruments: an output subsidy and a lump-sum tax or subsidy. If only one instrument is available, it may be optimal to tax instead of subsidize the externality-generating activity.

Learners’ strategies for transliterating English loanwords into Katakana

Post-World War II, the Japanese language has experienced massive infl uxes of foreign words and expressions into its lexicon, known as “loanwords” or borrowings. Th ese lexical items are commonly written in Japanese using katakana symbols. Transliterating these words into katakana accurately is a primary source of diffi culty for foreign learners of Japanese. Previous studies in the fi eld of learners’ transliteration of foreign loanwords have focused mainly on error analysis and no formal study has investigated the basis for learners’ methods of transliteration

Impacts of Human Development and Salt Marsh Characteristics on Variation in the Growth and Reproduction of Spartina alterniflora

This study focused on how human development may impact salt marshes using the common native species Spartina alterniflora as an indicator. Salt marshes are vital coastal ecosystems that help protect against major flooding and can filter pollutants from the water. Like many environments, salt marshes have been impacted by human development in many ways, from construction of cities and roadways to pollution from industrial facilities and equipment. The salt marshes that once dominated many coastlines along the North American Atlantic coast have been destroyed or reduced in size dramatically with the extensive development that has occurred along these shores. Three local salt marshes in the New Haven, CT, area were selected for this study based on their level of human development in the surrounding area, including the highly developed Long Wharf area in New Haven harbor, the relatively less impacted Sandy Point at the mouth of New Haven harbor, and a marsh in Branford which is located within a low human impact coastal landscape. At each marsh, Spartina alterniflora was the dominant species in the low marsh where samples were taken. At each site, samples of the stems and inflorescences of Spartina alterniflora were sampled along a transect and processed to determine their sizes and wet and dry weights. These were then compared to assess differences among the marshes relative to the impact gradient. Results indicated that although plant characteristics were statistically different among each site, there were no clear relationships to the impact gradient as it appeared that Spartina alterniflora was being impacted differently by the surrounding development and natural environment conditions