A deterministic algorithm for experimental design applied to tomographic and microseismic monitoring surveys

SUMMARY Most general experimental design algorithms are either: (i) stochastic and hence give different designs each time they are run with finite computing power, or (ii) deterministic but converge to results that depend on an initial or reference design, taking little or no account of the range of all other possible designs. In this paper we introduce an approximation to standard measures of experimental design quality that enables a new algorithm to be used. The algorithm is simple, deterministic and the resulting experimental design is influenced by the full range of possible designs, thus addressing problems (i) and (ii) above. Although the designs produced are not guaranteed to be globally optimal, they significantly increase the magnitude of small eigenvalues in the model–data relationship (without requiring that these eigenvalues be calculated). This reduces the model uncertainties expected post-experiment. We illustrate the method on simple tomographic and microseismic location examples with varying degrees of seismic attenuation

Two Ethnographic Case Studies of Response to Intervention

Response to Intervention (RtI) is being implemented in classrooms across the nation as a method of strengthening instruction and an option for replacing the severe discrepancy model in the identification of Learning Disability (LD). This study explores two teachers’ understandings of the construct of LD and describes implementation of RtI in their classrooms. These two ethnographic case studies allow data triangulation of archival documents and pre-research events, classroom observations, and teacher interviews. The implementation of the RtI policy was interpreted by the teachers and interrupted by First to the Top, but the explanatory ethnographic case studies provide a classroom level glimpse of RtI that is missing in the literature

Analysis of color variation during four-color offset lithographic press runs by monitoring changes in three-filter density values of overprint tints

A densitometric method of monitoring color variation during four-color offset lithographic press runs is proposed. Once an \u27OK\u27 press sheet has been approved for the run, a standard color reference is established with which successive sheet pulls can be compared. In order to develop an accurate and repeatable system for monitoring and controlling color variation, densitometric analysis of three color overprinted tints can be utilized. In relation to the OK sheet, changes in the three-filter density readings measured at specific points across successive press sheets, indicate the visual change in color hue and strength that occurs during the press run. This work suggests that offset printers could use the following color control technique: zero the densitometer on a seventy percent overprint control point or dark neutral image area of the OK sheet and compare the difference in density of the same point of any sample sheet. The difference will indicate the change in the amount of red, green and blue light being reflected from that point in the sample relative to the OK sheet and suggest the corrective action necessary to control color variability during the press run

Relationships Among Adult Student Performance and Satisfaction Variables for One Campus of a Career University\u27s MBA Programs

The number of adult learners has grown significantly since World War II, and workplace environments have expanded to embrace many new areas of expertise and knowledge. The expectations of these learners in terms of the courses offered by career universities have become increasingly diverse. University personnel need to find ways that optimize and align courses offered with those expectations. The purpose of this correlational study was to understand the relationships between outcome variables in adult education programs and students\u27 perceptions of the quality of their educational programs. Five historically tracked variables were examined: program GPA, job placement rate, program completion rate, Net Promoter Scores, and student satisfaction. The study was underpinned by 3 andragogical areas as understood through the lenses of Mezirow and Knowles: adult student perceptions of educational experiences (as measured through student-completed evaluations), adult learner motivation, and content and curriculum design. The research question addressed relationships between and among the 5 variables for each of the 14 specialized MBA programs at a career university in the northwestern United States. Data for 400 adult students from the years 2008 to 2014 were used. Spearman\u27s Rho correlations revealed no consistently significant relationships between the variables. Other metrics may be more useful to assess the overall effectiveness of programs. Possible future research can explore different variables so that university staff will have better data to address the demands of adult students, which will contribute to their educational and social wellbeing and to the needs of their present and future employers

Higher Education during Crisis: A Phenomenological Study of Educator Perceptions on Their Transition to Online Education during the Covid-19 Pandemic

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study is to describe the experience of higher education faculty during the crisis-response transition to online learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. By gaining a perspective of the experiences of faculty during this crisis experienced during the 2020-2021 academic year, valuable insight can be gained for higher education institutions on how to better prepare for future crises. Phenomenology allows the participant’s perspectives to be treated as complete truth and analyzed from multiple vantage points through horizontalization. This study uses Transition Theory to draw conclusions about the adaptability of faculty without prior experience teaching online that were rapidly forced to transition during the COVID-19 crisis. Given the global nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the study uses a snowball sampling method and maintained a broad setting of the United States. The data collection plan process showed that faculty prefer in-person teaching to online due to control of class dynamics and a lack of online pedagogy. The study also found that there is a growing double standard with faculty expressing the need for online teaching training but not a willingness to participate

A Comparative Study of Knots of Star Formation in Interacting vs. Spiral Galaxies

Interacting galaxies are known to have higher global rates of star formation on average than normal galaxies, relative to their stellar masses. Using UV and IR photometry combined with new and published H-alpha images, we have compared the star formation rates of ~700 star forming complexes in 46 nearby interacting galaxy pairs with those of regions in 39 normal spiral galaxies. The interacting galaxies have proportionally more regions with high star formation rates than the spirals. The most extreme regions in the interacting systems lie at the intersections of spiral/tidal structures, where gas is expected to pile up and trigger star formation. Published Hubble Telescope images show unusually large and luminous star clusters in the highest luminosity regions. The star formation rates of the clumps correlate with measures of the dust attenuation, consistent with the idea that regions with more interstellar gas have more star formation. For the clumps with the highest star formation rates, the apparent dust attenuation is consistent with the Calzetti starburst dust attenuation law. This suggests that the high luminosity regions are dominated by a central group of young stars surrounded by a shell of clumpy interstellar gas. In contrast, the lower luminosity clumps are bright in the UV relative to H-alpha, suggesting either a high differential attenuation between the ionized gas and the stars, or a post-starburst population bright in the UV but faded in H-alpha. The fraction of the global light of the galaxies in the clumps is higher on average for the interacting galaxies than for the spirals. Thus the star forming regions in interacting galaxies are more luminous, dustier, or younger on average.Comment: Astronomical Journal, in pres

Alien Registration- Smith, Harriet E. (Lewiston, Androscoggin County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/29521/thumbnail.jp

Star Formation in Mergers and Interacting Galaxies: Gathering the Fuel

Selected results from recent studies of star formation in galaxies at different stages of interaction are reviewed. Recent results from the Spitzer Space Telescope are highlighted. Ideas on how large-scale driving of star formation in interacting galaxies might mesh with our understanding of star formation in isolated galaxies and small scale mechanisms within galaxies are considered. In particular, there is evidence that on small scales star formation is determined by the same thermal and turbulent processes in cool compressed clouds as in isolated galaxies. If so, this affirms the notion that the primary role of large-scale dynamics is to gather and compress the gas fuel. In gas-rich interactions this is generally done with increasing efficiency through the merger process.Comment: 6 pgs., 2 figs., proceedings of IAU Symp. 237, Triggered Star Formation in a Turbulent ISM, eds. B. G. Elmegreen & J. Palou