The Gulf Stream Voyage: Using Real Time Data in the Classroom

This paper describes the Gulf Stream Voyage, an Internet-based multidisciplinary project which utilizes both real time data and primary source materials to help guide students to discover the science and history of the Gulf Stream. There are several advantages of using real time data in the classroom, including: the infusion of inquiry-based learning; fostering problem solving skills; addressing several learning styles; and student relevance. Educational levels: Graduate or professional

Design of gates for quantum computation: the NOT gate

We offer an alternative to the conventional network formulation of quantum computing. We advance the analog approach to quantum logic gate/circuit construction. As an illustration, we consider the spatially extended NOT gate as the first step in the development of this approach. We derive an explicit form of the interaction Hamiltonian corresponding to this gate and analyze its properties. We also discuss general extensions to the case of certain time-dependent interactions which may be useful for practical realization of quantum logic gates.Comment: 9 pages in LaTe

Design and Fabrication of Flow-Focusing Devices for Tissue Engineering Applications

While the lifespan of humans has increased, the durability of cartilage has not, leading to increasing rates of arthritis in aging humans. As both natural and surgical methods for repairing osteochondral defects tend to fall short, UVM’s Engineered Biomaterials Research Laboratory (EBRL) is working towards a solution where biomimetic, polymeric, and porous engineered tissue scaffolds are seeded with drugs and human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). The seeded scaffold is then implanted or injected into the patient’s osteochondral defect, where the hMSCs differentiate and grow a new cartilaginous extracellular matrix to heal the defect as the artificial scaffold breaks down. Microspheres in three distinct size ranges are required to create pores and embed drugs and cells in the scaffold. In order to produce these microspheres, we turn to the field of microfluidics, which examines fluid interactions at micro-scale geometries and flow rates. A microfluidic flow-focusing device (MFFD) leverages the low Reynolds numbers and pronounced effects of surface tension in such flows to create highly monodisperse droplets of one fluid in a second. This project investigates the design and fabrication of MFFDs for the production of homogeneous microspheres. A MFFD must be consistently reproducible, readily characterized, and easy to test and use. MFFDs show great potential to successfully play a role in the EBRL’s investigation of engineered tissue scaffolds

GENETIC PERSPECTIVES ON BIODIVERSITY IN ROCKY MOUNTAIN ALPINE STREAMS

In alpine regions worldwide, climate change is dramatically altering ecosystems, affecting biodiversity across habitats and taxonomic scales. For streams, the associated recession of mountain glaciers and snowfields, paired with altered precipitation regimes, are driving shifts in hydrology, species distributions, and basal resources – often threatening the very existence of some habitats and biota. Globally, alpine streams harbor particularly substantial species and genetic diversity due to significant habitat insularity and environmental heterogeneity: however, anthropogenic warming threatens to homogenize habitats through the reduction of the cryosphere, thereby reducing biodiversity from micro- to macroscopic organisms and genes to communities. Still, alpine stream biodiversity, particularly in North America, is poorly understood, making it difficult to predict future changes without baselines for comparison. For my dissertation, I used genetic tools to assess biodiversity in alpine streams of the central Rocky Mountains in North America. Here, I begin by reviewing the current state of alpine stream biology from an organismal perspective. Next, I provide two perspectives on macroinvertebrate diversity. The first, a population genetic comparison of three highly similar species, is followed by a fine-scale genomic study of one species, Lednia tumana. I follow these largely macroinvertebrate-centric chapters with a modern synthesis of the microbial ecology of mountain glacier ecosystems. Finally, I conclude with a study of microbial diversity that addresses how microbial diversity is shaped by geography, habitat, and hydrological source in North America. Collectively, this research refines existing themes in alpine stream biology by revealing unexpected differences in population genetic patterns among closely related species, the influence of recent deglaciation on population genetic structure and demographic history of a threatened stonefly, and clarification of the environmental drivers shaping microbial diversity

Effect of clinical laboratory practitioner licensing on wages

Professional licensing directly affects about 29% of U.S. workers and is considered a primary means to establish and maintain health care practitioner competence. Clinical laboratory practitioner licensing was largely ignored in the literature with only 2 studies 30 years apart that provided conflicting conclusions regarding wage effects. This research provided the first study of clinical laboratory practitioner licensing effects on wages after controlling for human capital and individual characteristics wage determinants. This nonexperimental correlational study extended the literature on licensing effects on wages, including women\u27s wages and professions not uniformly licensed across 50 states. The theoretical foundation relied on the human capital wage model that wages vary according to human capital investment, namely education and experience. Census 2000 5% Public Use Microdata Sample provided wages and control variable data, including educational attainment, experience, gender, marital status, and children. Using hierarchical regression analysis, this study found clinical laboratory practitioner wages were significantly higher (5.8%) in licensing states compared to nonlicensing states after controlling for these human capital and individual characteristics, R 2change (p \u3c .001). Female clinical laboratory practitioners working in licensing states earned significantly higher wages (5.0%) compared to those in nonlicensing states, R 2change (p \u3c .01). This study has potential for positive social change in clinical laboratory practitioner licensing policy development, implementation, and analysis by providing urgently needed empirical wage data for legislators to make informed decisions on costs to adopting such legislation

Extended Quantum XOR Gate in Terms of Two-Spin Interactions

Considerations of feasibility of quantum computing lead to the study of multispin quantum gates in which the input and output two-state systems (spins) are not identical. We provide a general discussion of this approach and then propose an explicit two-spin interaction Hamiltonian which accomplishes the quantum XOR gate function for a system of three spins: two input and one output.Comment: 15 pages in plain TeX with 1 Postscript figur

Short Line Railroading in the Northeastern United States: Its Relevance and Future in Connecting Industry to the North American Rail Network

Short line railroads are vital links in the North American rail network. To remain profitable and viable they must keep abreast of technological advancement and increase cooperation both amongst themselves and with large railroads. Short line railroads fulfill a need in the market place: efficiently distributing and collecting freight transferred locally, nationally, and abroad. Their health and success are a vital component to the continued economic viability of industry in the American northeast. This paper examines short line railroading in the northeastern United States and its relevance and future in connecting industry to the North American Rail Network. To determine a quality background of the short line railroad industry, extensive research was conducted using a variety of sources. The author’s long time enthusiasm for and knowledge of the railroad industry aided in having a substantial understanding from the beginning. Armed with a decade long accumulated knowledge base allowed for immediate immersion, and knowledge gathering from industry magazines, trade journals, textbooks, databases, websites, insider PowerPoint presentations, and personal interviews with short line railroad executives expanded this knowledge base. Industry executive interviews provided pivot points for continued research, guiding the author further. Research confirmed again and again the importance of short line railroads to industry in the northeastern United States. Faced with road congestion, increased costs, and degraded service levels from large railroads, industry needs short lines to provide access to the North American Rail Network. It also distinctly outlined the importance of entrepreneurial spirit and creativity among short line operators as methods to continued growth. The short line railroad industry materially contributes to the economy of the northeastern United States. Preservation of active freight moving companies is important to industry, and ultimately the public. Growth of short line railroads creates increased competition with trucking companies and provides shippers, even ones not located along a railroad, with alternatives to moving freight. Increased freight transportation efficiencies are important for industry, especially if competitors move to right-to-work states, or overseas, where labor costs are generally lower. The short line railroad industry is substantial and worth studying in an effort to sustain and grow the success. This research provides a clear purpose for local, state, and government funding, private investment, and public support for the continued short line railroad activity in the American northeast