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Arizona’s Rising STEM Occupational Demands and Declining Participation in the Scientific Workforce: An Examination of Attitudes among African Americans toward STEM College Majors and Careers
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2008), science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) occupations constitute a growing sector of Arizona’s economy. However, the number of African Americans earning degrees related to these occupations has not kept pace with this growth. Increasing the participation of African Americans in STEM education fields and subsequent related occupations in Arizona is vital to growing and maintaining the state’s economic stature. This objective is made even more compelling given that each year, from 2008– 2018, there are 3,671 projected job openings in STEM fields in Arizona. This study explores the extent to which the attitudes held by African Americans in Arizona toward STEM related majors and careers influence their likelihood of joining the state’s scientific workforce. Our analyses reveal the importance of career consideration, confidence in one’s ability to be successful in a STEM related field, and family support of the pursuit of STEM education and careers.Educatio
The Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury XI: The Spatially-Resolved Recent Star Formation History of M31
We measure the recent star formation history (SFH) across M31 using optical
images taken with the \texit{Hubble Space Telescope} as part of the
Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury (PHAT). We fit the color-magnitude
diagrams in ~9000 regions that are ~100 pc 100 pc in projected size,
covering a 0.5 square degree area (~380 kpc, deprojected) in the NE
quadrant of M31. We show that the SFHs vary significantly on these small
spatial scales but that there are also coherent galaxy-wide fluctuations in the
SFH back to ~500 Myr, most notably in M31's 10-kpc star-forming ring. We find
that the 10-kpc ring is at least 400 Myr old, showing ongoing star formation
over the past ~500 Myr. This indicates the presence of molecular gas in the
ring over at least 2 dynamical times at this radius. We also find that the
ring's position is constant throughout this time, and is stationary at the
level of 1 km/s, although there is evidence for broadening of the ring due to
diffusion of stars into the disk. Based on existing models of M31's ring
features, the lack of evolution in the ring's position makes a purely
collisional ring origin highly unlikely. We find that the global SFR has been
fairly constant over the last ~500 Myr, though it does show a small increase at
50 Myr that is 1.3 times the average SFR over the past 100 Myr. During the last
~500 Myr, ~60% of all SF occurs in the 10-kpc ring. Finally, we find that in
the past 100 Myr, the average SFR over the PHAT survey area is
M yr with an average deprojected intensity of M yr kpc, which yields a total SFR of ~0.7
M yr when extrapolated to the entire area of M31's disk. This
SFR is consistent with measurements from broadband estimates. [abridged]Comment: 23 pages, 17 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in Ap
Some Finite Size Effects in Simulations of Glass Dynamics
We present the results of a molecular dynamics computer simulation in which
we investigate the dynamics of silica. By considering different system sizes,
we show that in simulations of the dynamics of this strong glass former
surprisingly large finite size effects are present. In particular we
demonstrate that the relaxation times of the incoherent intermediate scattering
function and the time dependence of the mean squared displacement are affected
by such finite size effects. By compressing the system to high densities, we
transform it to a fragile glass former and find that for that system these
types of finite size effects are much weaker.Comment: 12 pages of RevTex, 4 postscript figures available from W. Ko
Testing Mode-Coupling Theory for a Supercooled Binary Lennard-Jones Mixture II: Intermediate Scattering Function and Dynamic Susceptibility
We have performed a molecular dynamics computer simulation of a supercooled
binary Lennard-Jones system in order to compare the dynamical behavior of this
system with the predictions of the idealized version of mode-coupling theory
(MCT). By scaling the time by the temperature dependent -relaxation
time , we find that in the -relaxation regime and
, the coherent and incoherent intermediate scattering functions, for
different temperatures each follows a -dependent master curve as a function
of scaled time. We show that during the early part of the -relaxation,
which is equivalent to the late part of the -relaxation, these master
curves are well approximated by the master curve predicted by MCT for the
-relaxation. This part is also fitted well by a power-law, the so-called
von Schweidler law. We show that the effective exponent of this power-law
depends on the wave vector if is varied over a large range. The early
part of the -relaxation regime does not show the critical decay
predicted by MCT. The -dependence of the nonergodicity parameter for
and are in qualitative agreement with MCT. On the time
scale of the late -relaxation the correlation functions show a
Kohlrausch-Williams-Watt behavior (KWW). The KWW exponent is
significantly different from the effective von Schweidler exponent . At low
temperatures the -relaxation time shows a power-law behavior
with a critical temperature that is the same as the one found previously for
the diffusion constant [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 73}, 1376 (1994)]. The critical
exponent of this power-law and the von Schweidler exponent fulfill the
connection proposed by MCT between these two quantities. We also show that theComment: 28 Pages of REVTEX, Figures available from W. Ko
Ghosts of Landuse Past: Legacy Effects of Milldams for Riparian Nitrogen (N) Processing and Water Quality Functions
Milldams and their legacies have significantly influenced fluvial processes and geomorphology. However, less is known about their effects on riparian zone hydrology, biogeochemistry, and water quality. Here, we discuss the potential effects of existing and breached milldams on riparian nitrogen (N) processing through multiple competing hypotheses and observations from complementary studies. Competing hypotheses characterize riparian zone processes that remove (sink) or release (source) N. Elevated groundwater levels and reducing soil conditions upstream of milldams suggest that riparian zones above dams could be hotspots for N removal via denitrification and plant N uptake. On the other hand, dam removals and subsequent drops in stream and riparian groundwater levels result in drained, oxic soils which could increase soil nitrification and decrease riparian plant uptake due to groundwater bypassing the root zone. Whether dam removals would result in a net increase or decrease of N in riparian groundwaters is unknown and needs to be investigated. While nitrification, denitrification, and plant N uptake have typically received the most attention in riparian studies, other N cycle processes such as dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) need to be considered. We also propose a novel concept of riparian discontinuum, which highlights the hydrologic and biogeochemical discontinuities introduced in riparian zones by anthropogenic structures such as milldams. Understanding and quantifying how milldams and similar structures influence the net source or sink behavior of riparian zones is urgently needed for guiding watershed management practices and for informed decision making with regard to dam removals
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