The political economy of education research

Government agencies and professional organizations have attempted to improve education research by creating common standards for judging research quality. However, the absence of agreement regarding research quality has limited the effectiveness of this approach. This article argues that, rather than focusing on standards, policy makers should leverage the market-like behaviors of those engaged in education research by influencing the incentives that drive them. Drawing on political philosophy and social theory, I argue that governments should focus less on standards and protocols and more on reforming the processes by which research capital is distributed. © 2011 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.published_or_final_versio

PHYSICAL CONDITIONS INCLUDING MAGNETIC FIELDS IN SEVERAL STAR FORMING REGIONS OF THE GALAXY

This document describes studies of two independent regions of the interstellar medium (ISM). These studies have the common element that both pertain to regions in our Galaxy that are known to be associated with present-day star formation. These studies aim to help us understand the ISM, star formation, and ultimately where we came from, since, after all, our star, the Sun, is itself the product of star formation 4.5 billion years ago. The first project measured the Zeeman Effect on the 21 cm H I absorption line in order to create a map of the line of sight magnetic fields near a star forming region called W3. From the map of the field, it was possible to create a three dimensional model of the magnetic field morphology. Also, calculating the various energies associated with W3 revealed that it is most likely in virial equilibrium, not expanding or contracting. The second project used an instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to measure the abundance of iron in a neutral region near the Orion Nebula called Orion’s Veil. One of the goals of this project is to investigate whether solid dust grains can be destroyed by ionizing radiation by comparing the amount of solid iron in Orion’s Veil to the amount in the nearby ionized regions. By measuring the depletion of iron in the neutral Veil and comparing it to the depletion of iron the H+ regions of the Orion Nebula, it was possible to conclude that iron was not being released into the gas phase by ultraviolet photons. In addition, oscillator strengths for two Fe II transitions were measured

Unsteady Aerodynamic and Dynamic Analysis of the Meridian UAS in a Rolling-Yawing Motion

The nonlinear and unsteady aerodynamic effects of operating the Meridian unmanned aerial system (UAS) in crosswinds and at high angular rates is investigated in this work. The Meridian UAS is a large autonomous aircraft, with a V-tail configuration, operated in Polar Regions for the purpose of remotely measuring ice sheet thickness. The inherent nonlinear coupling produced by the V-tail, along with the strong atmospheric disturbances, has made classical model identification methods inadequate for proper model development. As such, a powerful tool known as Fuzzy Logic Modeling (FLM) was implemented to generate time-dependent, nonlinear, and unsteady aerodynamic models using flight test data collected in Greenland in 2011. Prior to performing FLM, compatibility analysis is performed on the data, for the purpose of systematic bias removal and airflow angle estimation. As one of the advantages of FLM is the ability to model unsteady aerodynamics, the reduced frequency for both longitudinal and lateral-directional motions is determined from the unbiased data, using Theodorsen's theory of unsteadiness, which serves as an input parameter in modeling. These models have been used in this work to identify pilot induced oscillations, unsteady coupling motions, unsteady motion due to the slipstream and cross wind interaction, and destabilizing motions and orientations. This work also assesses the accuracy of preliminary aircraft dynamic models developed using engineering level software, and addresses the autopilot Extended Kalman Filter state estimations

The Deaf Experience in a Hearing Medical World

Background: The purpose of this narrative study was to understand personal experiences of a Deaf individual when communicating with healthcare professionals, to describe personal feelings regarding challenges and successes experienced during healthcare interactions, and express the need for culturally competent healthcare providers with increasingly diverse populations. Method: The participant interviewed is a member of the Deaf community, uses American Sign Language (ASL), and had multiple decades of major medical treatments. The study was conducted using a semi-structured method with a certified interpreter (CI) present to interpret and was audio and video recorded to account for all aspects of the signed language. Results: There were a total of 5 narratives and 4 major themes found throughout the interview. In addition, a section of other important information as stated by the Deaf participant was added to better explain the viewpoints of the participant. Results demonstrate the importance of including a certified interpreter to facilitate comprehension and understanding by Deaf individuals during medical treatments. Conclusion: Utilizing a person’s native language gives them the opportunity to be fully involved and competent when making important health decisions. Culturally competent healthcare professionals are needed as populations continue to grow in diversity in order to provide all clients with satisfying care

Consulting for church health : a look at the effectiveness of David Vaughn Consulting for independent Christian churches

https://place.asburyseminary.edu/ecommonsatsdissertations/2557/thumbnail.jp

Eye-tracking in sex research: Comparing genders on processing of erotic stimuLi

The fact that sexual experiences, comprising cognitive, affective, and behavioral components, are private and socio-culturally laden has limited the types of methodology useful in exploring their characteristics. Eye-tracking methodology has the capacity to overcome some methodological difficulties We presented men and women with erotic and non-erotic pictures to examine the oft-published gender difference in self-reported attentional focus to erotica (i.e., men are most interested in body parts, and women are most interested in romantic context). After adjusting for scene region size, we found no gender differences in the amount of time that men and women looked at different aspects of an erotic image. Both men and women focused more on faces than on bodies or contextual cues. Significant differences were also found in attention to erotic and non-erotic pictures, providing support for eye-tracking\u27s usefulness in sexuality research. Results are interpreted using the Information Processing Approach, and future directions are suggested