Fatigue damage of notched boron/epoxy laminates under constant amplitude loading

Fatigue damage in (0, + or - 45) and (0, + or - 45,90) boron/epoxy laminates was studied with X-ray radiography and scanning electron microscopy. In addition, limited tests for residual strength and stiffness were performed. The results of this study suggest that in boron/epoxy laminates the 45-degree plies play a key role in the fatigue process of boron/epoxy laminates that contain them. The fatigue process in the + or - 45-degree plies starts as intralaminar matrix cracks

Farmland Control Decisions under Different Intertemporal Risk Behavioral Constructs

Simulation-optimization techniques are employed to analyze changes in farmland control arrangements as a result of using different constructs of intertemporal risk behavior. Risk behavior based on constant absolute risk aversion (CARA) and constant relative risk aversion (CRRA) mean-standard deviation functions are used to achieve this objective. Specfically, a multi-period programming framework for a representative grain farm is developed to explore farmland control decisions under these two behavioral assumptions. Our results suggest that the use of a CRRA behavioral construct in analyzing farmland control decisions produce predictions that are more consistent with observed farm behavior.Farm Management,

Crack propagation in aluminum sheets reinforced with boron-epoxy

An analysis was developed to predict both the crack growth and debond growth in a reinforced system. The analysis was based on the use of complex variable Green's functions for cracked, isotropic sheets and uncracked, orthotropic sheets to calculate inplane and interlaminar stresses, stress intensities, and strain-energy-release rates. An iterative solution was developed that used the stress intensities and strain-energy-release rates to predict crack and debond growths, respectively, on a cycle-by-cycle basis. A parametric study was made of the effects of boron-epoxy composite reinforcement on crack propagation in aluminum sheets. Results show that the size of the debond area has a significant effect on the crack propagation in the aluminum. For small debond areas, the crack propagation rate is reduced significantly, but these small debonds have a strong tendency to enlarge. Debond growth is most likely to occur in reinforced systems that have a cracked metal sheet reinforced with a relatively thin composite sheet

Experience is a Good Teacher: Integrating Service and Learning in Information Systems Education

Over the last decade, the incorporation of service-learning into higher education has grown at an astounding rate. Despite the increase, service-learning remains an under-researched and underexplored pedagogical innovation in information systems education. This study investigates the impacts of service-learning on student learning and development outcomes in a juniorlevel systems design course. The results confirmed that service-learning had a positive impact on student learning and development along three dimensions: academic learning, interpersonal development, and personal development. The study concludes with implications for research and practice

The influence of state merit-based aid on access and educational experiences: an exploration of the Louisiana Tuition Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS)

Access to higher education at the beginning of the new millennium faces unprecedented challenges. Although many of those challenges have been identified and addressed through research and federal and state policies, there still exists an inherent gap in the current and potential future success of today’s college students. This is particularly true for minority and lower-income students. Some of the identified challenges include: lack of financial assistance, persisting through and graduating from college, pre-college preparation, socioeconomic status, and family support/motivation. This study focuses primarily on the financial barriers that impede the process of providing equal access to all students, which is the access dilemma. The purpose of this study is to assess the Louisiana TOPS program a) to determine its primary goals according to key administrators, policy makers, and legislators, b) to determine the extent to which key administrators, policy makers and legislators believe that TOPS has impacted the status of higher education in Louisiana, and c) to ascertain perceptions of students on the influence of the TOPS program on their educational experiences. This study also explored the various aspects of the access dilemma in Louisiana and how TOPS has positively and/or negatively influenced its various components. Qualitative and quantitative measures are employed in this study in an effort to explore the access dilemma in Louisiana and the impact that TOPS has had since its inception in 1997. Two primary sources of data resulting from a researcher-developed questionnaire and elite interviews with selected experts were merged to form the basis for this study. Major findings of the study show that a) the lack of declared goals for the TOPS program has hindered its effective administration and evaluation, b) a majority of the qualitative responses revealed that the TOPS initiative has positively impacted higher education in Louisiana, and c) TOPS has had positive and negative influences on the educational and social experiences of its recipients

The Ambidextrous Pursuit of Strategic Information Technology Alignment and Organizational Agility in the Community Benefit Sector

The information systems literature suggests a positive relationship between strategic information technology alignment and organizational agility, and the implications on performance for organizations operating in turbulent environments. This emerging stream of integrated research has begun to provide key insight on the positive benefits of the ambidextrous pursuit of alignment and agility in for-profit organizations. However, these relationships have been largely unexplored in nonprofit settings. Nonprofit organizations exist to address social, political, economic, and cultural challenges rather than maximizing shareholder wealth. In order to address this void in research, this paper draws on the alignment and agility research in order to examine how one exemplary nonprofit is strategically exploiting its information system resources in order to improve performance and social value creation. This paper concludes with implications for research and practice