Conceptual MEMS Devices for a Redeployable Antenna

Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) are becoming an integral part of our lives through a wide range of applications, including MEMS accelerators for air bag deployment in vehicles, micromirrors in projection devices, and various sensors for chemical/biological applications. MEMS are a key aspect of ever-increasing significance in a myriad of commercial and military applications. Because of this importance, this thesis utilizes MEMS devices that can deploy and retract an antenna suitably sized for placement on an insect or microrobot for communication purposes. A target monopole antenna with a length of 1 mm was used as a test metric. From this requirement, several MEMS designs using scratch drives and thermal actuators as the basis for powering the motor were developed. Some of the fabricated and tested designs included a gear with side flaps that flip up perpendicular to the substrate; gears that push an antenna beam off the edge of the substrate; and an antenna beam that is moved upwards such that it stands perpendicular to the substrate. These designs had the highest likelihood of success. Other designs included an array of micro gears and guiding beams, a large wheel powered by scratch drives, and a gear with the pawl requiring assembly. For these designs to be successful, several basic modifications would be necessary. The antenna beam that moves into a position perpendicular to the substrate was successfully self-assembled

A King and a Fool?

In A King and a Fool? The Succession Narrative as a Satire Virginia Miller argues that the genre of the Succession Narrative is a satire. Accordingly, this narrative is pejoratively critical of King David. ; Readership: All who are interested in the Succession Narrative, the books of Second Samuel and First Kings, and irony in the Bible

Effects of Intervention Programs on the Self Concept of Rural Preschool Children

The effects of intervention programs on the self concept of rural preschool children were examined using 86 children, ages 5 to 6 1/2 years, who had and had not had preschool experience. The relationships between the Total Self Concept and the subscales of Body Image, Competence, and Social Interactions to the variables of socio-economic level, sex, and preschool experience were determined. Significant differences (p \u3c.001) were found between the different population variables and the Total Self Concept score, and the subscale scores of Body Image, Competence, and Social Interactions. The locations of these differences were determined by a Newman Kuel analysis. Significant effects (p\u3c.05) on sex differences were found on Total Self Concept scale and on the Competence subscale. There were no significant (p \u3c.05) interaction effects. Implications of these findings were discussed

Analysis of success in beginning reading in relation to knowledge of letter names, experiential background and school adjustment.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Experimental modification of appraisal style : benefits of seeing the big picture

textThe purpose of the present study was to determine whether computer-based cognitive bias modification (CBM) procedures could alter appraisal style toward viewing events from a big picture perspective and thereby influence emotional reactivity. Big picture appraisal entails viewing difficult situations and one's reactions to them in terms of a larger context. Appraisal training was implicit in that participants completed a series of vignettes, framed as a reading comprehension task, which trained either a big picture perspective or a personal/evaluative focus. When subsequently confronted with novel vignettes, participants produced interpretations that were consistent with assigned training condition. In addition, participants trained in big picture as compared to personal/evaluative appraisal subsequently demonstrated less emotional reactivity to a stressful task.Educational Psycholog

Who flourishes in college? Using positive psychology and student involvement theory to explore mental health among traditionally aged undergraduates

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between undergraduate students\u27 mental health and their engagement in the educational experience. The researcher identified traditionally-aged college students (18-23) who were flourishing and distinguished them from students who were moderately mentally healthy and/or languishing according to Keyes\u27 (2002) continuum of mental health model. Mental health was the dependent variable. Student involvement was defined as the extent to which students engage in empirically derived good educational practices as measured by the National Survey of Student Engagement\u27s College Student Report (2005). The five benchmark measures of student engagement were independent variables: (a) level of academic challenge, (b) student/faculty interactions, (c) active/collaborative learning, (d) enriching educational experiences, and (e) supportive campus environment. Analyses also considered students\u27 academic achievement (GPA), gender, and parents\u27 highest level of education (SES) as variables.;Chi square analyses showed that mental health category was independent of gender and parents\u27 highest level of education. ANOVA results also showed that student GPA also did not differ significantly by mental health category. However ANOVA results showed that mean scores for all five engagement variables did differ significantly by mental health category (p \u3c .001) with flourishing students scoring highest and languishing students scoring lowest. A series of stepwise multiple regressions were conducted using mental health score as a continuous variable based on confirmatory factor analysis of Keyes\u27 model. Results showed that supportive campus environment was the engagement variable most significantly predictive of mental health for both males and females

An Evaluation Of Continuation Programs In San Joaquin County And A Follow-Up Study Of Their Former Students

A study was initiated to evaluate continuation programs in San Joaquin County touching upon the former students’ and current teachers’ perceived content and value of the programs being offered. Also the investigator decided to examine the following general areas: (A) What are the personal backgrounds of the participants?; (B) To what degree are the intentions of Education Code 5950 being followed/applied according to the perceptions of former continuation students and teachers currently teaching in continuation programs under study?; and (C) What reactions and suggestions do the respondents have for improving the continuation program in which they have participated? Since the study was exploratory in nature, the investigator did not use stated hypotheses. Rather, ten research questions were asked about study participants’ responses

A King and a Fool?

In A King and a Fool? The Succession Narrative as a Satire Virginia Miller argues that the genre of the Succession Narrative is a satire. Accordingly, this narrative is pejoratively critical of King David. ; Readership: All who are interested in the Succession Narrative, the books of Second Samuel and First Kings, and irony in the Bible

Three-dimensional low Reynolds number flows near biological filtering and protective layers

Mesoscale filtering and protective layers are replete throughout the natural world. Within the body, arrays of extracellular proteins, microvilli, and cilia can act as both protective layers and mechanosensors. For example, blood flow profiles through the endothelial surface layer determine the amount of shear stress felt by the endothelial cells and may alter the rates at which molecules enter and exit the cells. Characterizing the flow profiles through such layers is therefore critical towards understanding the function of such arrays in cell signaling and molecular filtering. External filtering layers are also important to many animals and plants. Trichomes (the hairs or fine outgrowths on plants) can drastically alter both the average wind speed and profile near the leaf's surface, affecting the rates of nutrient and heat exchange. In this paper, dynamically scaled physical models are used to study the flow profiles outside of arrays of cylinders that represent such filtering and protective layers. In addition, numerical simulations using the Immersed Boundary Method are used to resolve the 3D flows within the layers. The experimental and computational results are compared to analytical results obtained by modeling the layer as a homogeneous porous medium with free flow above the layer. The experimental results show that the bulk flow is well described by simple analytical models. The numerical results show that the spatially averaged flow within the layer is well described by the Brinkman model. The numerical results also demonstrate that the flow can be highly 3D with fluid moving into and out of the layer. These effects are not described by the Brinkman model and may be significant for biologically relevant volume fractions. The results of this paper can be used to understand how variations in density and height of such structures can alter shear stresses and bulk flows.Comment: 28 pages, 10 figure