Spectroscopic studies on non-transition metal compounds

Imperial Users onl

A fast MPP algorithm for Ising spin exchange simulations

A very efficient massively parallel processor (MPP) algorithm is described for performing one important class of Ising spin simulations. Results and physical significance of MPP calculations using the method described is discussed elsewhere. A few comments, however, are made on the problem under study and results so far are reported. Ted Einstein provided guidance in interpreting the initial results and in suggesting calculations to perform

A Perspective on Space Programs beyond North America

The popular image of space programs today is dominated by the activities of NASA, even here in Canada where our own space agency has a relatively low profile. But space exploration is a global effort, and numerous national governments undertake space activities without being well known to North Americans. This talk, originally a public lecture for the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, revisits the history of national space programs, and discusses examples of established, emerging, and new space actors from around the globe, including the motives of governments in undertaking them. It concludes with a survey of the activities of the European Space Agency as an example of a successful and comprehensive space program in today\u27s era of international and multilateral co-operation in space

Automated Image Interpretation for Science Autonomy in Robotic Planetary Exploration

Advances in the capabilities of robotic planetary exploration missions have increased the wealth of scientific data they produce, presenting challenges for mission science and operations imposed by the limits of interplanetary radio communications. These data budget pressures can be relieved by increased robotic autonomy, both for onboard operations tasks and for decision- making in response to science data. This thesis presents new techniques in automated image interpretation for natural scenes of relevance to planetary science and exploration, and elaborates autonomy scenarios under which they could be used to extend the reach and performance of exploration missions on planetary surfaces. Two computer vision techniques are presented. The first is an algorithm for autonomous classification and segmentation of geological scenes, allowing a photograph of a rock outcrop to be automatically divided into regions by rock type. This important task, currently performed by specialists on Earth, is a prerequisite to decisions about instrument pointing, data triage, and event-driven operations. The approach uses a novel technique to seek distinct visual regions in outcrop photographs. It first generates a feature space by extracting multiple types of visual information from the image. Then, in a training step using labeled exemplar scenes, it applies Mahalanobis distance metric learning (in particular, Multiclass Linear Discriminant Analysis) to discover the linear transformation of the feature space which best separates the geological classes. With the learned representation applied, a vector clustering technique is then used to segment new scenes. The second technique interrogates sequences of images of the sky to extract, from the motion of clouds, the wind vector at the condensation level — a measurement not normally available for Mars. To account for the deformation of clouds and the ephemerality of their fine-scale features, a template-matching technique (normalized cross-correlation) is used to mutually register images and compute the clouds’ motion. Both techniques are tested successfully on imagery from a variety of relevant analogue environments on Earth, and on data returned from missions to the planet Mars. For both, scenarios are elaborated for their use in autonomous science data interpretation, and to thereby automate certain steps in the process of robotic exploration

Bis phenol epichlorohydrin condensate modification of alkyd resins

A method is given for the modification of alkyd resin systems with Bis-Phanol Epichlorohydrin Condensates. The properties of the modified alkyd resins are evaluated using similar unmodified alkyd resins as reference. A theory of linear esterification is postulated

Engaged: Making Large Classes Feel Small Through Blended Learning Instructional Strategies That Promote Increased Student Performance

It is not enough to be great at sharing information in a large classroom setting. To be an effective teacher you must be able to meaningfully engage your students with their peers and with the content. And you must do this regardless of class size or content. The issues of teaching effectively in large classroom settings have presented ongoing problems with enormous implications for both student learning and faculty performance. Issues about student engagement with the content, peers, and faculty persistently are discussed with little change in practice. However, the effective infusion of technology targeted through strategies for large-class instruction and management have great potential for increasing student performance. In this work Blended Learning Instructional Strategies (BLIS) are highlighted to effectively address common issues related to teaching and student engagement in large classroom settings

The prophetic consciousness

This item was digitized by the Internet Archive. Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universityhttps://archive.org/details/thepropheticcons00whi

Cognitive organizational obstruction: Its nature, antecedents and consequences

The concept of cognitive organizational obstruction is developed in this dissertation. Cognitive organizational obstruction is defined as an employee's global belief that the organization obstructs, hinders or interferes with the accomplishment of his or her goals and objectives and is a detriment to his or her well-being. In addition to developing the COO construct, COO is theoretically differentiated from the related constructs of psychological contract breach, perceived organizational support, organizational politics and organizational frustration. In addition to being theoretically distinct, a new concept should be empirically differentiated from existing related constructs. The development of the COO scale is described. One major implicit assumption running throughout the theoretical development of the cognitive organizational obstruction construct is that employees distinguish between the treatment received from the organization and from agents of the organization. Employees' ability to differentiate between similarly conceptualized constructs of cognitive organizational obstruction, cognitive supervisor obstruction (CSO) and organizational frustration is assessed. A cognitive supervisor obstruction scale is created by changing the referent of the COO scale from organization to supervisor. Results suggest that employees are able to distinguish between these sources of obstruction and frustration.The results from a validation study are presented next. The main objective of this study is to validate the COO scale and empirically distinguish COO from the related constructs of organizational frustration, perceived organizational support (POS), psychological contract breach (PCB), and perceived organizational politics (POP). Results suggest that employees are able to distinguish between these concepts. Additional analysis evaluates whether COO explains additional variance beyond POS, PCB, POP and frustration is described next. The overarching hypothesis of this study is: COO explains additional variance in the exit, voice, loyalty and neglect outcome framework beyond the existing constructs of psychological contract breach, perceived organizational support, organizational politics and organizational frustration. More specific hypotheses are developed and tested using hierarchical multiple linear regression. Results suggest that COO explains additional variance for exit, voice and neglect, but not loyalty