The Validity of the General Intellectual Humility Scale as a Measure of Intellectual Humility

Early intellectual humility research has largely relied on questionnaires that require individuals to self-evaluate their own intellectual humility, despite concerns that people low in intellectual humility may lack awareness of their degree of intellectual humility. Because of this potential source of error, it is important that self-report measures of intellectual humility are thoroughly tested for validity. In Chapter 1, I conducted a systematic literature review of measures of intellectual humility. For each measure, validity evidence is summarized and critically evaluated. Validity evidence was found lacking with respect to addressing potentially serious problems with self-report. This finding points to a need for additional validity testing for self-report measures of intellectual humility. In Chapter 2, I conducted a set of pointed tests of validity for one such measure, the General Intellectual Humility Scale (GIHS). In a sample recruited from Prolific (N = 481), GIHS scores were weakly associated with or unassociated with endorsement of epistemically unwarranted beliefs, unassociated with endorsing such beliefs as certainly true, and unassociated with endorsing such beliefs despite claiming to have carefully researched the issue. Additionally, GIHS scores predicted greater bias blind spot, and this effect remained significant when controlling for science intelligence. Finally, GIHS scores predicted belief in anthropogenic global warming when controlling for political orientation but did not attenuate political polarization about global warming. I argue that these findings are clear departures from theory yet are consistent with suspected problems with direct self-report. I conclude by discussing limitations and implications for future research

An Experimental and Computational Investigation of n-Dodecane Ignition and Chemical Kinetics

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90619/1/AIAA-2011-90-831.pd

Tributyltin in whole water and sediment collected from marinas and the Hampton Roads area in the southern Chesapeake Bay : a final report

This report presents data gathered in a program designed to monitor tributyltin (TBT) levels in water and sediment from areas in the southern Chesapeake Bay which experience high boating activities. The concentrations reported will hopefully give an insight into the extent and magnitude of TBT contamination in these areas

Experimental and Modeling Studies of the Combustion Characteristics of Conventional and Alternative Jet Fuels. Final Report

The objectives of this project have been to develop a comprehensive set of fundamental data regarding the combustion behavior of jet fuels and appropriately associated model fuels. Based on the fundamental study results, an auxiliary objective was to identify differentiating characteristics of molecular fuel components that can be used to explain different fuel behavior and that may ultimately be used in the planning and design of optimal fuel-production processes. The fuels studied in this project were Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) fuels and biomass-derived jet fuels that meet certain specifications of currently used jet propulsion applications. Prior to this project, there were no systematic experimental flame data available for such fuels. One of the key goals has been to generate such data, and to use this data in developing and verifying effective kinetic models. The models have then been reduced through automated means to enable multidimensional simulation of the combustion characteristics of such fuels in real combustors. Such reliable kinetic models, validated against fundamental data derived from laminar flames using idealized flow models, are key to the development and design of optimal combustors and fuels. The models provide direct information about the relative contribution of different molecular constituents to the fuel performance and can be used to assess both combustion and emissions characteristics

Development of a diesel surrogate for improved autoignition prediction: Methodology and detailed chemical kinetic modeling

While the surrogate fuel approach has been successfully applied to the simulation of the combustion behaviors of complex gasoline and jet fuels, its application to diesel fuels has been challenging. One of the main challenges derives from the large molecular size of the representative surrogate components necessary to simulate diesel blends, as the development of detailed chemical kinetic models and their validation becomes more complex. In this study, a new surrogate mixture that emulates the chemical and physical properties of a well-characterized diesel fuel is proposed. An optimization procedure was used to select surrogate components that can match both the physical and chemical properties of the target diesel fuel comprehensively. The surrogate fuel mixture composition was designed to have fuel properties (e.g., boiling point, cloud point, etc.) that enable its use in future diesel engine experiments. A detailed kinetic model for the surrogate fuel mixture was developed by combining well-validated sub-mechanisms of each surrogate component from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The ability of the surrogate mixture and kinetic model to emulate ignition delay times was assessed by comparing the simulated results with measurements for the target diesel fuel. Comparison of the experimental and simulated ignition delay times shows that the current surrogate mixture and kinetic model well capture the autoignition response of the target diesel fuel at varying conditions of pressure, temperature, oxygen concentration, and fuel concentration. The current study is one of the first to demonstrate the efficacy of detailed chemical kinetics for diesel range fuels by assembling validated sub-mechanisms for palette compounds and successfully simulating the autoignition characteristics of a target diesel fuel. The experimental ignition delay times of diesel measured with a rapid compression machine, the surrogate mixture, and the kinetic model developed shall aid in progress of understanding diesel ignition under engine relevant conditions

Oxidation of hazardous waste in supercritical water: A comparison of modeling and experimental results for methanol destruction

Recent experiments at Sandia National Laboratories conducted in conjunction with MODEC Corporation have demonstrated successful clean- up of contaminated water in a supercritical water reactor. These experiments targeted wastes of interest to Department of Energy production facilities. In this paper we present modeling and experimental results for a surrogate waste containing 98% water, 2% methanol, and parts per million of chlorinated hydrocarbons and laser dyes. Our initial modeling results consider only methanol and water. Experimental data are available for inlet and outlet conditions and axial temperature profiles along the outside reactor wall. The purpose of our model is to study the chemical and physical processes inside the reactor. We are particularly interested in the parameters that control the location of the reaction zone. The laboratory-scale reactor operates at 25 MPa., between 300 K and 900 K; it is modeled as a plug-flow reactor with a specified temperature profile. We use Chemkin Real-Gas to calculate mixture density, with the Peng-Robinson equation of state. The elementary reaction set for methanol oxidation and reactions of other C{sub 1} and C{sub 2} hydrocarbons is based on previous models for gas-phase kinetics. Results from our calculations show that the methanol is 99.9% destroyed at 1/3 the total reactor length. Although we were not able to measure composition of the fluid inside the experimental reactor, this prediction occurs near the location of the highest reactor temperature. This indicates that the chemical reaction is triggered by thermal effects, not kinetic rates. Results from ideal-gas calculations show nearly identical chemical profiles inside the reactor in dimensionless distance. However, reactor residence times are overpredicted by nearly 150% using an ideal-gas assumption. Our results indicate that this oxidation process can be successfully modeled using gas-phase chemical mechanisms. 23 refs., 8 figs

The effect of oxygenate molecular structure on soot production in direct-injection diesel engines.

A combined experimental and kinetic modeling study of soot formation in diesel engine combustion has been used to study the addition of oxygenated species to diesel fuel to reduce soot emissions. This work indicates that the primary role of oxygen atoms in the fuel mixture is to reduce the levels of carbon atoms available for soot formation by fixing them in the form of CO or COz. When the structure of the oxygenate leads to prompt and direct formation of CO2, the oxygenate is less effective in reducing soot production than in cases when all fuel-bound 0 atoms produce only CO. The kinetic and molecular structure principles leading to this conclusion are described

Diesel Combustion: An Integrated View Combining Laser Diagnostics, Chemical Kinetics, And Empirical Validation

This paper proposes a structure for the diesel combustion process based on a combination of previously published and new results. Processes are analyzed with proven chemical kinetic models and validated with data from production-like direct injection diesel engines. The analysis provides new insight into the ignition and particulate formation processes, which combined with laser diagnostics, delineates the two-stage nature of combustion in diesel engines. Data are presented to quantify events occurring during the ignition and initial combustion processes that form soot precursors. A framework is also proposed for understanding the heat release and emission formation processes