THE DEMAND FOR BUTTER, MARGARINE, AND OILS: A NONPARAMETRIC TEST FOR EVIDENCE OF STRUCTURAL CHANGE

The objective of this study was to determine whether structural change in the demand for butter, margarine, and salad and cooking oils occurred between 1967 and 1986. A nonparametric method, which does not require that a functional form be imposed on the data, was used to test for violations from stable, well-behaved preferences. Violations were found, but they were small in magnitude. Therefore, the results failed to show strong evidence that consumption patterns for butter, margarine, and oils were inconsistent with stable preferences.Demand and Price Analysis,

Equal Opportunity?: The Impact of Specialized Tournaments on Forensics Pedagogy, Forensics Professionals, and the Forensics Laboratory

Among the most significant changes in the evolution of forensic activities has been the growth of specialized participation, with students, educators, and programs focusing on debate or individual events. The manifestations of this specialization are seen in the decreasing number of tournaments offering opportunities for students to compete in both categories of competition. While some preservation of broad-based participation is seen with the growing popularity of parliamentary formats, the move away from broad-based participation is clear. This trend is argued to be alarming due to its negative impact on forensics pedagogy, the training of forensics educators, and the forensics laboratory. Suggestions for compromise are offered

Introducing Data Science to Undergraduates through Big Data: Answering Questions by Wrangling and Profiling a Yelp Dataset

There is an insatiable demand in industry for data scientists, and graduate programs and certificates are gearing up to meet this demand. However, there is agreement in the industry that 80% of a data scientist’s work consists of the transformation and profiling aspects of wrangling Big Data; work that may not require an advanced degree. In this paper we present hands-on exercises to introduce Big Data to undergraduate MIS students using the CoNVO Framework and Big Data tools to scope a data problem and then wrangle the data to answer questions using a real world dataset. This can provide undergraduates with a single course introduction to an important aspect of data science

An Optimum Balance of Forensic Goals: Balancing Competitive and Educational Ends Through Forensic Honoraries

The myriad benefits found through participation in forensics are well documented. Few co- or extracurricular activities boast the range of opportunity and benefit that are found through forensics. At the same time, this diversity within the activity creates tension for some programs that struggle with the best approach to forensic participation. Few would argue that forensics is at the same time educational and competitive. The argument that evolves from this duality of mission is which, if any, is more important or prevalent. Answering this question has led to multiple associations, a wealth of scholarship, and the conclusion that there is likely no definitive answer to the query of which is most important. This paper reviews the debate over balancing competitive and educational goals in forensics. Particular attention is paid to forensic honoraries as associations that bring attention to multiple forensic goals, including both educational and competitive excellence. I conclude with arguments in support of forensic honoraries as outlets for programs seeking a balance of multiple forensic goals

Finding Strength in Numbers: A Collaborative Team Approach to Directing Forensic Programs

Much has been written regarding pressures facing directors of forensics and forensic educators in general. Most of these pressures are associated with managing a slate of professional responsibilities that exceed those of most professional educators, along with balancing professional and personal lives. While much attention has been paid to the role of the director of forensics as an educator, colleague, and mentor, less has been written regarding the director as a manager of professional colleagues. Similarly, little discussion is found within forensic scholarship regarding the challenges and opportunities associated with multiple staff members within a single forensic program. We advocate a collaborative team approach to directing the forensic program. Our paper addresses the rationale for such an approach, justifying assistants as a means of improving programs and enhancing lives of the professionals leading those programs. We also detail one model for collaborative administration that has, on balance, worked to attain and exceed university and program goals. Finally, the paper outlines particular issues associated with collaborative administration and strategies for responding to such issues. In the end, we advocate a collaborative team approach to directing forensic programs as an excellent means of maximizing the potential of forensic students and professionals

Note on Perfect Forests in Digraphs

A spanning subgraph $F$ of a graph $G$ is called {\em perfect} if $F$ is a forest, the degree $d_F(x)$ of each vertex $x$ in $F$ is odd, and each tree of $F$ is an induced subgraph of $G$. Alex Scott (Graphs \& Combin., 2001) proved that every connected graph $G$ contains a perfect forest if and only if $G$ has an even number of vertices. We consider four generalizations to directed graphs of the concept of a perfect forest. While the problem of existence of the most straightforward one is NP-hard, for the three others this problem is polynomial-time solvable. Moreover, every digraph with only one strong component contains a directed forest of each of these three generalization types. One of our results extends Scott's theorem to digraphs in a non-trivial way

An Intelligent Strain Gauge with Debond Detection and Temperature Compensation

The harsh rocket propulsion test environment will expose any inadequacies associated with preexisting instrumentation technologies, and the criticality for collecting reliable test data justifies investigating any encountered data anomalies. Novel concepts for improved systems are often conceived during the high scrutiny investigations by individuals with an in-depth knowledge from maintaining critical test operations. The Intelligent Strain Gauge concept was conceived while performing these kinds of activities. However, the novel concepts are often unexplored even if it has the potential for advancing the current state of the art. Maturing these kinds of concepts is often considered to be a tangential development or a research project which are both normally abandoned within the propulsion-oriented environment. It is also difficult to justify these kinds of projects as a facility enhancement because facility developments are only accepted for mature and proven technologies. Fortunately, the CIF program has provided an avenue for bringing the Intelligent Strain Gauge to fruition. Two types of fully functional smart strain gauges capable of performing reliable and sensitive debond detection have been successfully produced. Ordinary gauges are designed to provide test article data and they lack the ability to supply information concerning the gauge itself. A gauge is considered to be a smart gauge when it provides supplementary data relating other relevant attributes for performing diagnostic function or producing enhanced data. The developed strain gauges provide supplementary signals by measuring strain and temperature through embedded Karma and nickel chromium (NiCr) alloy elements. Intelligently interpreting the supplementary data into valuable information can be performed manually, however, integrating this functionality into an automatic system is considered to be an intelligent gauge. This was achieved while maintaining a very low mass. The low mass enables debond detection and temperature compensation to be performed when the gauge is utilized on small test articles. It was also found that the element's mass must be relatively small to avoid overbearing the desired thermal dissipation characteristics. Detecting the degradation of a gauge s bond was reliably achieved by correlating thermal dissipation with the bond s integrity. This was accomplished by precisely coupling a NiCr element with a Karma element for accurately interjecting and quantifying thermal energy. A finite amount of thermal energy is consistently placed in the gauge by electrically powering the NiCr element. The energy will only be temporarily stored before it begins to dissipate into the surrounding structure through the gauge bond. The ability to transmit the energy into the structure becomes greatly inhibited by any discontinuity in the bond s substrate. Therefore, the way the thermal dissipation occurs will reveal even the slightest change in the integrity of the bond

Comparison of Student Versus Employee Test Populations for Warning Sign Research Based on Severity Ratings for Signal Words

Most studies of warning signs involve undergraduate students as subjects. This paper reports a direct comparison of findings from an undergraduate population and an employed population. The 48 employed subjects from this study were compared with 59 undergraduate subjects from a companion study. Subjects from both populations were shown the same signs and asked to rate the severity level connoted by each sign. The signs differed only in signal word. Results for each population indicated that signal word had a highly significant effect on severity ratings. When the two populations were compared for ratings of each signal word, the only significant difference was for Caution. Median ratings of each population were the same: Deadly (4), Danger (3), Warning (2), Caution (1), and Notice (0)

A Spanish Language Milker\u27s School for Idaho Dairy Employees

Educational opportunities for Hispanic employees are consistently one of the top Idaho dairy industry-identified needs. Consequently, University of Idaho Extension Faculty developed a Spanish language Milker\u27s School. The Milker\u27s School provides Spanish-speaking dairy employees with an opportunity to improve their knowledge and understanding of the entire milking process, including the importance of their role in the process. The Milker\u27s School provides an educational opportunity for a traditionally underserved group, and narrows the language and culture gap that exists between English speaking dairy owners and Spanish speaking employees