Spaces of matrices of fixed rank. II

AbstractWhen min{m, n} = k + 1, the exact value of l(k, m, n), the maximum dimension of all possible linear spaces of rank k matrices of order m × n, is known. The situation when min l(k, m, n) ⩾ k + 2 is not clear. Partial results are obtained for l(k, k + 2, k + 2) in this paper

Understanding Proxemics through Restrooms: A Hands-Off Approach to Personal Space and Communication

Numerous methods of teaching nonverbal communication have been well documented in the literature. However, some instructors may struggle to create transformative learning experiences for their students. This teaching activity provides a creative and original way for students to discuss nonverbal communication, specifically proxemics, in a fun, engaging, and memorable learning experience. This exercise asks the learners to reflect upon a previous experience with using a public restroom, critically reflect upon that experience individually, engage in classroom discourse about the experience, and take action by being aware of the space and territoriality choices they make. Students have responded positively to the classroom discussions about the use of personal space, territoriality, and nature of nonverbal interactions within the restroom context

Understanding Proxemics through Restrooms: A Hands-Off Approach to Personal Space and Communication

Numerous methods of teaching nonverbal communication have been well documented in the literature. However, some instructors may struggle to create transformative learning experiences for their students. This teaching activity provides a creative and original way for students to discuss nonverbal communication, specifically proxemics, in a fun, engaging, and memorable learning experience. This exercise asks the learners to reflect upon a previous experience with using a public restroom, critically reflect upon that experience individually, engage in classroom discourse about the experience, and take action by being aware of the space and territoriality choices they make. Students have responded positively to the classroom discussions about the use of personal space, territoriality, and nature of nonverbal interactions within the restroom context

Overcoming Public Speaking Anxiety: Practical Applications for Classroom Instruction

During the 2013 Speech Communication Association of South Dakota annual conference, there was a lively discussion surrounding students’ Public Speaking Anxiety (PSA). During the dialogue, numerous strategies on how to help reduce students’ speaking anxiety were discussed. However, I was surprised at the number of suggestions that refuted tested and proven strategies for PSA reduction. Moreover, I was startled and dismayed to hear comments such as “I have just given up and allowed my students to read from a manuscript” or “the only way I can get [my students] to stay calm is when I allow them to write as many keywords on multiple notecards as they need.” These instructors felt strongly that these were the most effective procedures to help their students cope with their speaking anxiety.I share a different perspective; based on the abundance of literature on PSA reduction and successful strategies used within the curriculum at my institution, I posit that the tactics referenced above are not necessarily the best practices for helping students cope with their PSA. The aforementioned instructors, while certainly well-meaning, were not necessarily helping their students cope with their anxiety. Rather, they suggested strategies that overlooked PSA reduction and/or prohibited an opportunity for students to reduce their anxiety and increase their public speaking competency. I sympathize with these instructors as their methods were similar to those that I used early in my teaching career. Yet, through the years, I have utilized numerous strategies which have proven successful in reducing my students’ anxiety about speaking in public. Grounded in instructional implications and empirical research, this essay offers practical strategies for new and seasoned public speaking instructors to help their students face their speaking fears head-on and reduce their PSA

Understanding Proxemics through Restrooms: A Hands-Off Approach to Personal Space and Communication

Numerous methods of teaching nonverbal communication have been well documented in the literature. However, some instructors may struggle to create transformative learning experiences for their students. This teaching activity provides a creative and original way for students to discuss nonverbal communication, specifically proxemics, in a fun, engaging, and memorable learning experience. This exercise asks the learners to reflect upon a previous experience with using a public restroom, critically reflect upon that experience individually, engage in classroom discourse about the experience, and take action by being aware of the space and territoriality choices they make. Students have responded positively to the classroom discussions about the use of personal space, territoriality, and nature of nonverbal interactions within the restroom context

Understanding Proxemics through Restrooms: A “Hands-Off” Approach to Personal Space and Communication

Numerous methods of teaching nonverbal communication have been well documented in the literature. However, some instructors may struggle to create transformative learning experiences for their students. This teaching activity provides a creative and original way for students to discuss nonverbal communication, specifically proxemics, in a fun, engaging, and memorable learning experience. This exercise asks the learners to reflect upon a previous experience with using a public restroom, critically reflect upon that experience individually, engage in classroom discourse about the experience, and take action by being aware of the space and territoriality choices they make. Students have responded positively to the classroom discussions about the use of personal space, territoriality, and nature of nonverbal interactions within the restroom context

LINKING PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES TO BEHAVIOR AND HEALTH IN THE HONEY BEE (\u3ci\u3eApis mellifera\u3c/i\u3e)

An organism’s ability to respond to changing conditions can be vital to its success. Indeed, plasticity is a common feature of living organisms. Much of the research in this area, though, has focused on effects caused by environmental conditions. What has received relatively less attention is how social experiences and broader features of an organism’s social environment can lead to long-lasting changes in health and behavior. This knowledge gap exists despite the well-documented existence of health and behavioral effects after social interactions in certain taxa such as humans. Social insects such as honey bees provide an excellent opportunity to better understand this phenomenon due to their well-characterized behavioral repertoire, complex social dynamics, and experimental tractability in natural and semi-natural settings. This project examines multiple aspects of honey bee behavior and health to determine how they are affected by a bee’s previous experiences. Additionally, this project aims to uncover how elements of the social environment (such as colony-level aggression) lead to different outcomes in adult behavior, physiology, and health in these insects. I first documented the existence of high colony-level variation in the nutritional profile of “worker jelly.” Worker jelly is a nutritional secretion that is synthesized by adult nurse bees and comprises the entirety of the nutritional resources available to a honey bee larva, making it a critical feature of the early-life development period for bees. Next, I examined the social interaction element of nurse bees inspecting and feeding larvae. I determined that this vital interaction can be affected by social pheromones such as the honey bee alarm pheromone. This effect was dependent on the colony-level aggressive social environment, however, despite these nurses not being specialized for aggressive nest defense. I then followed up on the previous results by using electrophysiology to determine that colony-level aggression differentially affects the peripheral detection of some social pheromones in nurses but not in bees of a typically more aggressive task specialization, foragers. Finally, I turned the lens to the adult social interaction of allogrooming. Allogrooming is a key component of a honey bee colony’s health-promoting “social immunity.” I tested how an acute allogrooming event affects the expression of key immune genes from multiple pathways as well as deeply conserved genes implicated in social responsiveness across taxa. This work demonstrates how early life experiences and social interactions can affect the health and behavior of a highly social organism. Additionally, given the recent challenges faced by these important pollinators, this research provides key foundational knowledge on the importance of social factors in maintaining the overall health and vitality of honey bees and honey bee colonies

A Precarious Prediction: Applying Predicted Outcome Value Theory to Classroom First Impressions

First impressions have a significant impact on our initial and long-term communication interactions. The predicted outcome value theory suggests that the initial impressions we make upon meeting someone new stimulate us to make predictions about potential outcomes and values of continuing or terminating a relationship (Sunnafrank, 1986). This classroom activity provides an opportunity to explore predicted outcome value theory through application and discussion-based learning. Students have praised the activity and demonstrated growth in the learning outcomes

Development and Optimization of a High-Temperature Geopolymer Based Adhesive for Metallic Substrates

Geopolymers (GPs) are defined as a unique class of inorganic polymers synthesized through polycondensation of monomeric Al and Si species into a complex 3D framework. Due to their good mechanical properties, fire resistance, and low thermal conductivity, much research has been conducted on possible use in construction materials and in fire resistant coatings. Despite the abundance of research on geopolymer based coatings on metallic substrates, very little research has been done on the adhesive properties at both room and high temperature of geopolymer gels on metallic substrates. In this work, substrates adhered with geopolymer based adhesives were analyzed for surface wettability, adhesive layer thickness, lap shear and tensile strength at room and elevated temperatures. In addition, photographic analysis was conducted through use of optical and electron microscopy with Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS). Results of testing are conclusive in showing that geopolymer based adhesives are comparable in tensile and shear strengths to alternative commercially available polymer adhesives at room temperature, while maintaining good performance after exposure to elevated temperatures, i.e., up to 800 °C. Exposure to elevated temperatures appears to cracking in the geopolymer matrix without delamination due to thermal expansion mismatch, leading to a reduced strength adhesive without complete debonding or failure. In addition, it was shown that a Si-O-M oxygen bridge develops between the Si in the geopolymer gel and the metal (M) oxide on the surface leading to increased strength

Overcoming Public Speaking Anxiety: Practical Applications for Classroom Instruction

During the 2013 Speech Communication Association of South Dakota annual conference, there was a lively discussion surrounding students’ Public Speaking Anxiety (PSA). During the dialogue, numerous strategies on how to help reduce students’ speaking anxiety were discussed. However, I was surprised at the number of suggestions that refuted tested and proven strategies for PSA reduction. Moreover, I was startled and dismayed to hear comments such as “I have just given up and allowed my students to read from a manuscript” or “the only way I can get [my students] to stay calm is when I allow them to write as many keywords on multiple notecards as they need.” These instructors felt strongly that these were the most effective procedures to help their students cope with their speaking anxiety. I share a different perspective; based on the abundance of literature on PSA reduction and successful strategies used within the curriculum at my institution, I posit that the tactics referenced above are not necessarily the best practices for helping students cope with their PSA. The aforementioned instructors, while certainly well-meaning, were not necessarily helping their students cope with their anxiety. Rather, they suggested strategies that overlooked PSA reduction and/or prohibited an opportunity for students to reduce their anxiety and increase their public speaking competency. I sympathize with these instructors as their methods were similar to those that I used early in my teaching career. Yet, through the years, I have utilized numerous strategies which have proven successful in reducing my students’ anxiety about speaking in public. Grounded in instructional implications and empirical research, this essay offers practical strategies for new and seasoned public speaking instructors to help their students face their speaking fears head-on and reduce their PSA