Interactive Tutorials For Upper Level Quantum Mechanics Courses

This thesis explores the ongoing need for interactive tutorials in the upper level undergraduate Quantum Mechanics course. It first summarizes the development and evaluation of tutorials at the introductory physics level by others, and then challenges the belief that upper level students do not need this type of intervention by citing research in student difficulties in learning Quantum Mechanics. Physics Education research shows that there are common student misconceptions that persist even in the upper level undergraduate courses such as Quantum Mechanics. Cognitive research serves as a guide for effective curriculum design. A description of the iterative process for developing and evaluating the tutorials is discussed. The development and evaluation of "The Time Evolution of a Wave Function" Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorial (QuILT) is described in detail. Finally, the success of the QuILT in reducing the common misconceptions about time evolution is discussed

A RE-EXAMINATION OF EVENT STUDIES APPLIED TO CHALLENGED HORIZONTAL MERGERS

A growing body of empirical studies have been interpreted as support for a laissez-faire policy towards mergers. These "event studies" examine the reaction of stock market prices of firms that announce an agreement to merge. The type ~f reaction reveals whether a merger is motivated by a desire for market power or purely to improve market efficiency. In this paper, a version of the capital asset pricing model (CAPM) is applied to determine if abnormal returns are earned by rivals of 22 pairs of firms whose attempted horizontal mergers were challenged by the federal antitrust agencies. At most eight, and possibly only five, of the cases were found to be motivated by efficiency in seeking merger, and at most six, and possibly only one, were motivated by market power; the rest were inconclusive. The event-study technique is highly flawed for the study of business-regulation effects. Numerous unrealistic assumptions, inappropriate data constraints, and questionable interpretations hamper .the application of this technique to policy analysis.Industrial Organization,

Self Induced Quenched Disorder: A Model for the Glass Transition

We consider a simple spin system without disorder which exhibits a glassy regime. We show that this model can be well approximated by a system with quenched disorder which is studied with the standard methods developped in spin glasses. We propose that the glass transition is a point where quenched disorder is self induced, a scenario for which the `cavity' method might be particularly well suited.Comment: Latex, LPTENS 94/14, three figures upon reques

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationIn this project, I explore the economic integration of refugees resettled in Utah. I argue that previous models of economic integration have been applied to research in a piecemeal fashion and a more comprehensive approach is warranted. To fill this gap, I outline a Holistic Model of Refugee Economic Integration composed of refugee ethnic origins, forms of capital, and the contexts of reception. This study analyzes the relationship of these dimensions to three markers of economic integration: labor market participation, adequate income, and two-way integration. To ensure a comprehensive analysis of these dimensions I use a mixed methods research design involving the collection of quantitative data from closed-ended administrative forms, and qualitative data from the free-form text of case notes and from focus groups. I employed event history analysis to examine the association between the amount of time it takes to formally enter the labor market (i.e., find a job) and later to find a job with a livable wage. I also conducted textual analysis of the case notes and open-coded the transcripts from to focus groups to identify central themes. With these analyses, I investigate sociological issues surrounding migration, integration, and discrimination. I find that existing sociological theories of immigrant economic integration are applicable to refugees, but with an important caveat: piecemeal application of integration theories is inadequate for understanding refugee outcomes. The skills and training of refugees are frequently undervalued in the U.S. labor market. Forms of capital theories often fail to explain this. However, ethnic origins are critical predictors of the economic integration of refugees. Refugee adherence to origin culture can contribute to conspicuous foreignness forming the basis for labor market discrimination. "Creative discrimination" is especially problematic for conspicuously Muslim refugees. More importantly, while two-way integration is an important goal, ethnoreligious discrimination is both an immediate contextual predictor and a potential future outcome, indicating possible cumulative causation. Finally, the analyses show that the factors influencing economic integration interact, change over time, and have different effects on different aspects of economic integration, indicating the need for a more exhaustive theoretical approach namely the Holistic Model of Refugee Economic Integration

Punishment of Health Care Fraud

Although the definition of health care fraud is only one of the numerous issues of concern to health law practitioners and health care providers, the language that defines the conduct in question is the foundation of all other concerns related to health care fraud. This Article will demonstrate the need for a narrowly construed definition of health care fraud. The Article begins by providing a scenario to explain how a situation involving potential health care fraud can arise in the delivery of health care services. The Article then addresses how health care fraud is defined through a discussion of the process of the applicable proceedings and the penalties that may result. The Article concludes by proposing a way to define health care fraud that will result in a system of sanctions that is equitable and proportional to the conduct committed by the health care provider

President\u27s Column A New Year: New Challenges, Abundant Opportunities Vol. 55, No. 4

Greetings my fellow jurists and Court Review readers, I am overjoyed to begin my term serving as the 60th president of the American Judges Association. It is the rich history of this Association that humbles and makes me feel honored to lead at this challenging juncture in our journey. I view it as a privilege to be given the opportunity and responsibility to protect and preserve our legacy. I stand on the shoulders of 59 other AJA presidents who have guided this Association thus far, five of which hail from my great state of Louisiana: Judge G. Randall Whitmeyer, Judge Oliver S. Delery, Judge James F. McKay III, Judge Toni M. Higginbotham, and Judge John Conery. Realizing that the success of the American Judges Association is the result of the tireless efforts of so many others, I salute them for their tenacity and leadership. Their leadership is a model for us all. Our accomplishments of yesterday can only be sustained by the vigilance of today; therefore, we must all labor incessantly to sustain our beloved AJA