The study of the thermal behavior of a new semicrystalline polyimide

Thermal properties of a new semicrystalline polyimide synthesized from 3,3',4,4' benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) and 2,2 dimethyl 1,2-(4 aminophenoxy) propane (DMDA) were studied. Heat capacities in the solid and liquid states of BTDA-DMDA were measured. The heat capacity increase at the glass transition temperature (T sub g = 230 C) is 145 J/(C mol) for amorphous BTDA-DMDA. The equilibrium heat of fusion of the BTDA-DMDA crystals was obtained using wide angle X ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry measurements, and it is 75.8 kJ/mol. Based on the information of crystallinity and the heat capacity increase at T sub g, a rigid amorphous fraction is identified in semicrystalline BTDA-DMDA samples. The rigid amorphous fraction represents an interfacial region between the crystalline and amorphous states. In particular, this fraction increases with the crystallinity of the sample which should be associated with crystal sizes, and therefore, with crystal morphology. It was also found that this polymer has a high temperature crystal phase upon annealing above its original melting temperature. The thermal degradation activation energies are determined to be 154 and 150 kJ/mol in nitrogen and air, respectively

A Case Study of the Integration of 21st Century Technology within the Place-Based, Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound (ELOB) Approach to Education

This study focused on the integration of 21st Century technology as determined by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards•T within a place-based curriculum framework supplemented by the Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound approach to education as presented in a rural Colorado mountain community K-8 charter school. The case study involved an in-depth look regarding how 21st century technology integration affected the place-based, Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound approach to teaching and learning practices specific to the North Routt Community Charter School (NRCCS). The particular research aimed to inform or enhance the charter school’s current practices by questioning: How has the charter school integrated 21st Century technology in support of 21st Century skills as identified by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards•T ? How has 21st Century technology integration enhanced or challenged the charter school’s place-based, Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound curriculum? The case study and data analysis answered the two stated research questions. The charter school’s Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound curriculum presented a natural conduit for technology integration in support of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards•T through their utilization of 21st century tools such as iPads, applications, laptops, and web sites. The findings also revealed certain barriers or challenges as highlighted in question two. The lack of time, knowledge, technology-centered college preparation courses, and professional development opportunities comprised the main obstacles, with ease of use and limited devices referred to secondary, yet, paralleling the shortcomings, the findings demonstrated the participants’ persistence and real-life skill with integrating the available technology in best practices to support the Expeditionary Learning curriculum

Thinging : powerful objects.

The works in Thinging” are inspired by desire, the genuine and the false, systems of real and perceived values, the quest for immortality, the allure of things, our use of them to make ourselves, and imagining pasts and futures via objects. The following concepts are threaded through the work: cathexis, ritual as a value builder, collections, hoarding, display, object history, exchange, use, and sign values, and vibrant materiality. At the heart of my investigation is the quest to examine the origins of object power, and by what measures it can be evaluated: value from belief, market value, and something perhaps intrinsic and still to be explored. The first takes place in the mind, the second in the marketplace, the third, upon engagement, and often, they intersect. This thesis explores these concepts from three points of view: sociological, phenomenological, and ideological

Assessing Indicators of Early Reading Skills

Measures that assess pre-reading skills were examined. The measures included a typical informal kindergarten inventory for Initial Consonant Sound Identification, and Good\u27s (1997) DIBELS measures that include: Letter Naming Fluency, Onset Recognition Fluency, and Phonemic Awareness Fluency. Participants included 50 kindergarten students from three different classrooms from two elementary school buildings in the same school district. Results demonstrated that the four measures were highly correlated with each other, and that the Onset Recognition Fluency measure best predicted the classroom teacher\u27 predictions of at-risk students for reading difficulties. The four measures together were moderately to highly predictive of the teachers\u27 ratings of at-risk students. In addition, means, standard deviations, ranges, and cut off points were established for the group of participants in this study

Regulatory Challenges for Treating Failure to Disclose FCOI as Research Misconduct in Public Health Research

It is unlikely that a court would find that current HHS regulations provide legal authority for PHS funding-agencies to address “serious noncompliance” with FCOI disclosure requirements as research misconduct. With one exception—the culpability standard for research misconduct—the administrative law governing bias and integrity in PHS-funded research does not support treating even the most serious cases of failure to disclose FCOI in itself as research misconduct in violation of PHS regulations. Indeed, there are at least four features of that law which would support a claim that an HHS action to treat FCOI nondisclosure as research misconduct was “arbitrary and capricious.” First, “serious noncompliance” with institutional FCOI disclosure requirements does not fall within the definition of “research misconduct” under 42 C.F.R. § 93.103. Second, one of the regulatory standards for a finding of research misconduct rests on a comparison with the “accepted practices” within the “relevant research community,” and there is currently no discernable consensus on FCOI disclosure requirements among major research institutions sufficient to establish clear parameters of “accepted practices.” Third, the intent behind the 2004– 2005 rulemaking process that revised research misconduct policies across agencies of the federal government, including NIH, was to create a uniform federal policy on research misconduct—a historical legacy that may throw up legal constraints to any agency’s unilateral effort to reshape the contours of administrative actions for research misconduct. Fourth, the regulatory structure within Title 42 of the C.F.R. that was created by the 2004–2005 rulemaking process supports the conclusion that HHS rulemakers saw FCOI nondisclosure as distinct from research misconduct

State Responsibility and Maritime Terrorism in the Strait of Malacca: Persuading Indonesia and Malaysia to Take Additional Steps to Secure the Strait

The Strait of Malacca, located between Indonesia and Malaysia, and opening into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Singapore, is not only one of the world\u27s busiest and most vital waterways, but also a likely target for maritime terrorists. High levels of piracy and the presence of numerous regional terrorist organizations suggest the Strait is particularly vulnerable to a maritime terrorist attack. Such an attack would significantly disrupt international trade and could inflict billions of dollars in damage to the global economy. Primary responsibility for the security of the Strait lies with the coastal states of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Despite recent efforts by the coastal states to improve security in the Strait, sustained piracy rates indicate such efforts have had a limited effect. Although Singapore has expressed a willingness to consider additional steps, Malaysia and Indonesia have refused to take further steps to improve security, such as implementing joint patrols or allowing for the presence of extra-regional forces, arguing such steps infringe upon their sovereignty. Current international piracy and maritime terrorism laws do not provide an effective mechanism for addressing the security threat in the Strait or for encouraging Malayasia and Indonesia to take additional available steps. Emerging international terrorism law, however, may impose liability on Malaysia and Indonesia for a maritime terrorist attack in the Strait unless they improve the security of this vital international shipping route