Building Stones of the U.S.

By examining the NIST Stone wall via the Internet, students will determine the weathering rate of various rocks in the mid-Atlantic region. They will then pick a rock to use in building their "dream house" and justify their choice. Students should have a background in types of rocks. Educational levels: High school

Tidal oscillations at the head of Monterey Submarine Canyon and their relation to oceanographic sampling and the circulation of water in Monterey Bay. Annual report, Part 6, September 1972

During a 25-hour hydrographic times series at two stations near the head of Monterey Submarine Canyon, an internal tide was observed with an amplitude of 80 to 115 m in water depths of 120 and 220 m respectively. These large oscillations produced daily variations in hydrographic and chemical parameters that were of the same magnitude as seasonal variations in Monterey Bay. Computed velocities associated with the internal tide were on the order of 10 em/sec, and this tidally induced circulation may have a significant role in the exchange of deep water between Monterey Submarine Canyon and the open ocean. (PDF contains 49 pages

Ammonia production by human faecal bacteria, and the enumeration, isolation and characterization of bacteria capable of growth on peptides and amino acids

DA - 20130125 IS - 1471-2180 (Electronic) IS - 1471-2180 (Linking) LA - eng PT - Journal Article PT - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't SB - IMPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Algebra Tutorial for Prospective Calculus Students

Many undergraduate degrees require students to take one or more courses in calculus. Majors in mathematics, science, and engineering are expected to enroll in several rigorous calculus courses, but those majoring in social and behavioral sciences and business must also have some basic understanding of calculus. The goal of this project is to create a web-based tutorial that can be used by the GSU Mathematics faculty to reinforce the algebra skills needed for introductory or Applied Calculus. The tutorial covers the concepts of the slopes of lines, polynomial arithmetic, factoring polynomials, rational expressions, solving quadratic equations, linear and polynomial inequalities, and finding the roots of polynomial equations. The tutorial will also provide sections that review basic algebra concepts such as interval notation, order of operations, laws of exponents, and arithmetic with radicals. Each topic covered will provide a concise description followed by step-by-step instructions, where appropriate, along with numerous examples and illustrations to assist the reader in understanding the concept. The tutorial is run through a web browser and uses HTML along with a LaTeX library called MathJax for displaying mathematical expressions and equations appropriately. Each section will also include links to tools such as Desmos’ online graphing calculator and Khan Academy videos to allow the reader to interact and experiment with algebraic concepts. These included activities are intended to help the student develop a deeper understanding of each topic. Each section will also provide a multitude of practice exercises of varying difficulty along with an answer key. Complete solutions to various problems will also be provided

The Integration of Sentence-Combining and Sentence-Reduction and its Effect on the Writing and Reading Comprehension of Fifth Grade Students

This study investigated the effectiveness of a structured sentence-combining/sentence-reduction program used to instruct fifth graders of average to above average reading ability. The primary purpose was to determine whether significant differences occurred between the performances of a treatment and control group on measures of writing maturity and reading comprehension. Writing performances of both groups on a Syntactic Maturity Test were analyzed using t-unit analysis. Three measures of writing maturity: words per t-unit, clauses per t-unit, and words per clause, were compared to determine if the writing maturity of the treatment group on each of these measures was significantly greater than that of the control group. Reading performances on an instructor designed cloze test were compared to determine whether the treatment group improved in their comprehension ability significantly beyond the control. Thirty-six fifth grade students with average to above average reading ability participated in this study. The treatment and control groups were randomly chosen and found to be comparable in both reading and writing ability prior to beginning treatment. The treatment group received three half-hour instructional sessions a week for six weeks. A program of instruction was devised by the researcher based on exercises from previous research studies and published texts. Writing and reading performances were compared using a t-test for independent means. The data were analyzed at the .05 level of significance. Significant differences were found between treatment and control group performances on two measures of writing maturity and on the cloze test measure of reading comprehension. No significant differences were found between the two groups in the number of words per clause used in their writing. However significant differences in words per t-unit, clauses per t-unit, and comprehension raw scores on the cloze test indicated gains in writing maturity and reading comprehension. It was concluded that students instructed in a structured sentence-combining/sentence-reduction program improved both their reading and writing skills. Limitations and suggestions for further research in this area were noted. Suggestions for classroom applications of this program were discussed

Social constructions of environmental quality and opportunities for enterprise in rural Scotland

Environmental values are inherently subjective, yet in the past objective approaches to valuing the environment have dominated. Many scientific approaches to evaluating the quality of the environment have been developed, but they fail to capture the diversity and richness of wider public perceptions of the 'natural' environment, and as such they cannot claim to fully represent the values of 'ordinary people'. The development of 'social indicators'. of environmental quality offers an alternative to the scientific approach. It appears that environmental value hinges on 'use value': the ability of the environment to satisfy the particular use that the individual makes of it This approach allows a far richer understanding of concepts of 'value' in environments. Yet while we increasingly 'value' rural places and environments, rural communities are finding themselves under increasing pressure to remain viable: in modern parlance they are often described as being 'unsustainable'. Efforts to improve this situation have focused on the stimulation of rural enterprise. This study aims to investigate the actions and motivations of 'environmental entrepreneurs' in rural areas. A model of environmental enterprise is developed and explored. It appears that certain rural businesses are highly reliant on the quality of the environment in which they are located, as perceived by their market. Such businesses incorporate perceptions of 'the rural' and 'the natural' into various aspects of the entrepreneurial process: marketing and advertising, production processes and experiential setting, for example. The model suggests that such businesses are ideally suited to post-modern forms of business, engaged as they are in the production of environmental symbols and concludes that such forms of enterprise are likely to continue to flourish, while remaining susceptible to external influences on public perceptions of rural environmental quality