Visualizing networked writing activity

In conjunction with the Honors Fellow program and two faculty advisors from both the English and Computer Science departments, another student and I have written software to visualize how participants collaborate on networked writing projects. Using Google Docs as a way to allow students to instantaneously interact with a document in real-time, this software captures data from Google's cloud service and displays it in a pair of visualizations. We used agile methods of software development to devise a way to implement their ideas in an appealing way. This document contains detailed instructions on where the latest iteration of the software can be located. It also details the process of making the system operational on a new machine, stating how the software works and where it should be placed in the file system. The document also explains how one can use the system to visualize writing collaboration. Finally, many failed iterations of the software have led to meaningful reflections on software development practices. The document serves as a technical report for the software, but also elaborates on the hardships of development, as well as provides insight on how this software may evolve toward richer experiences. Also included is an Author's Statement which reveals many of the learning experiences that arose throughout the development of this project.Honors CollegeThesis (B.?.

Electricity deregulation and the valuation of visibility loss in wilderness areas: A research note.

Visibility in most wilderness areas in the northeastern United States has declined substantially since the 1970s. As noted by Hill et al. (2000), despite the 1977 Clean Air Act and subsequent amendments, human induced smog conditions are becoming increasingly worse. Average visibility in class I airsheds, such as the Great Gulf Wilderness in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, is now about one-third of natural conditions. A particular concern is that deregulation of electricity production could result in further degradation because consumers may switch to lower cost fossil fuel generation (Harper 2000). To the extent that this system reduces electricity costs, it may also affect firm location decisions (Halstead and Deller 1997). Yet, little is known about the extent to which consumers are likely to make tradeoffs between electric bills and reduced visibility in nearby wilderness areas. This applied research uses a contingent valuation approach in an empirical case study of consumers’ tradeoffs between cheaper electric bills and reduced visibility in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. We also examine some of the problems associated with uncertainty with this type of analysis; that is, how confident respondents are in their answers to the valuation questions. Finally, policy implications of decreased visibility due to electricity deregulation are discussed

Spacelab 3 Mission Science Review

Papers and abstracts of the presentations made at the symposium are given as the scientific report for the Spacelab 3 mission. Spacelab 3, the second flight of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) orbital laboratory, signified a new era of research in space. The primary objective of the mission was to conduct applications, science, and technology experiments requiring the low-gravity environment of Earth orbit and stable vehicle attitude over an extended period (e.g., 6 days) with emphasis on materials processing. The mission was launched on April 29, 1985, aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger which landed a week later on May 6. The multidisciplinary payload included 15 investigations in five scientific fields: material science, fluid dynamics, life sciences, astrophysics, and atmospheric science

Characterization of the Rose Rosette Disease causal agent: potential for biological control and multiflora rose

Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose), introduced to America from Japan for ornamental pur­poses 200 years ago, was promoted in Iowa during the mid-1930s as a living fence that would help to conserve soil and provide cover for wildlife. Multiflora rose has since natural­ized, and today some two million acres of Iowa land are infested with this pest, which renders pastures unusable (dense stands exist in coun­ ties south of a line from West Pottawattamie through Winneshiek, affecting the southeast­ern two-thirds of the state). Cattle avoid the prickly stems, and grass dies beneath its thick growth. Although tillage can control the weed, land in permanent pasture or under the Conser­vation Reserve Program is at risk for the spread of multiflora rose

A step toward control of bean pod mottle virus: Identifying field tolerance

So, have you been wondering what to do about all those soybean plants that have mottled leaves? Populations of bean leaf beetles, the insect that efficiently transmits bean pod mottle virus, have been very high. The last issue of the ICM newsletter told you to expect potential yield reductions this fall and reduced seed quality evidenced by seeds that are stained (hilum bleeding). But there may be some soybean cultivars/accessions that are not so bad. We have known for some time that soybean cultivars can vary significantly in response to disease caused by the virus