Approximate properties of the response of nonlinear dynamic systems to stochastic inputs

Indirect method considers effect of nonlinearity and obtains approximate probability densities of certain characteristics, from these densities various statistical properties are calculated. Direct method determines response moments directly. Neither method is restricted by system motion with regard to whether or not it is stationary

Creating a Culture of Philanthropy: Three Things to Keep in Mind

A culture of philanthropy is necessary for a nonprofit to be successful in 2016. Resources and funds are not so bountiful as they were in the past. Every nonprofit is different and has a different audience, but in general, there are three items to keep in mind while developing a philanthropic culture: 1) nonprofits should strategically plan their culture; 2) nonprofits should engage their own employees and volunteers in the culture; and 3) nonprofits must actively appreciate their donors, old and new

Cultural Intelligence Development and Study Abroad: The Effect of Destination

Cultural intelligence (CQ) is an emerging field in a globalized world. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, study abroad opportunities at higher educational institutions have become widely-accepted means for developing students’ CQ. While a number of variables seem to impact CQ development through study abroad programs, one variable seems as yet to have been largely unexplored. This research examines anonymous archival data from juniors in Liberty University’s Global Studies program during the spring semesters of 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 to observe a potential pattern that suggests the role of a study abroad host-culture on the student’s CQ development. Though lacking the substantial qualitative or statistical analysis necessary for conclusive results, the observations made in this study strengthen calls for the further exploration of the impact of cultural distance between home and host cultures on the change in CQ

Access Barriers Experienced By Adults In Distance Education Courses And Programs: A Review Of The Research Literature

Distance education in the American education system continues to expand. However, despite technological improvements and nearly universal accessibility to the Internet, adult learners continue to experience barriers to accessing distance education courses and programs. Building on prior work by Cross (1981) and Darkenwald and Merriam (1982), this literature review focuses on the institutional and student barriers experienced by adult learners. Institutional barriers consist of program costs, resource availability, lack of equipment and infrastructure, scheduling, instructional concerns and technical assistance. Student barriers include costs and motivators, feedback and teacher contact, alienation and isolation, student support and services, and a lack of experience and/or training. Recommendations for addressing institutional barriers include continual evaluation of noninstructional areas, faculty training, and adoption of new technologies. Recommendations for alleviating student barriers include providing opportunities for distance students to interact with faculty, other students, and other parts of the campus, providing toll-free phone support to all areas of the campus, requiring faculty to have online office hours, and developing electronic tutorials for new distance students. The use of distance education in the United States continues to grow. A recent study by the National Center for Education Statistics (Waits & Lewis, 2003) documented the increased use of distance education in a multitude of academic and technical disciplines in postsecondary institutions. Private industry and business, along with governmental agencies, have also recognized the attraction of learning “any time and any place” in providing education and training opportunities for their employees. Relieving adult learners of the time and place constraints of a traditional classroom, distance education can present a new set of constraints, or barriers, to accessing educational opportunities. These barriers can be significant for adult learners, many of whom are “non-traditional” students, i.e., older, employed, needing job skill updates, seeking career change, or returning to college after a long absence. These students may also be single parents or transfer students, who, because of family responsibilities, work commitments or geographic limitations, are seeking to access educational opportunities at their convenience. Distance education offers the promise of unfettered access for these individuals; however, at present, the promise remains unfulfilled

The Tao and the Art of Feminine Beauty

I first encountered Elizabeth Elliot’s work somewhere between my Junior and Senior years of High School. Her timeless classic Passion and Purity shaped my opinions of relationships, femininity, and above all, pursuing holiness. My personal copy of this book sits on my shelf, dog-eared and underlined, with scribbled notes throughout. Time and again, it has been a source of wisdom in my life. Recently, when I was when attempting to consider the application side of ethical theory, I saw a link between her thoughts and those of C.S. Lewis, in The Abolition of Man. Lewis’ natural law theory, which he calls the Tao, provides an objective system of values, which in turn gives intrinsic worth to the art of feminine beauty

The Effect of Insects on Seed Set of Ozark Chinquapin, Castanea ozarkensis

Ozark chinquapin (Castanea ozarkensis), once found throughout the Interior Highlands of the United States, has been decimated across much of its range due to accidental introduction of chestnut blight, Cryphonectria parasitica. Efforts have been made to conserve and restore C. ozarkensis, but success requires thorough knowledge of the reproductive biology of the species. Other Castanea species are reported to have characteristics of both wind and insect pollination, but pollination strategies of Ozark chinquapin are unknown. Experiments were conducted to determine the influence of insects on successful pollination of C. ozarkensis, as measured by production of burs and seeds. Exclosure treatments were applied to C. ozarkensis inflorescences during flowering, including exclusion of both insects and wind, exclusion of insects but allowing wind, and a control that excluded neither insects nor wind. Exposure to both wind and insects (no exclusion) resulted in a greater proportion of successfully pollinated flowers, greater numbers of burs and a significantly greater proportion of burs that produced seeds than both exclosure treatments. There were no differences between the treatments that excluded insects or both insects and wind. Pollination occurred in the absence of insects, demonstrating wind alone could pollinate flowers, but at levels far less than when flowers were exposed to both wind and insects. Limited surveys of nocturnal and diurnal insects present on Ozark chinquapin inflorescences yielded 122 species in 6 orders. The number of insect species recorded was much greater than the numbers reported in studies of other Castanea species. Insects were present on male flowers, foraging for nectar and pollen, and on female flowers. The combination of the presence of insects on flowers and the reduced pollination in the absence of insects indicate Ozark chinquapin to be an amphiphilic species. This better understanding of pollination strategies suggest that increasing pollinator presence could increase seed production, thus contributing to restoration practices for this functionally extinct species

Court action as influenced by public opinion directed by the newspaper

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Kansas, Journalism, 1931

Developing a four-mallet marimba technique featuring the alternation of mallets in each hand for linear passages and the application of this technique to transcriptions of selected keyboard works by J.S. Bach

The goal of this study is to develop a four-mallet marimba technique that utilizes alternation within each hand on linear passages, then apply this technique to selected keyboard works of J. S. Bach. This paper provides a method of training the hands for this type of alternation and will hypothesize a conception of hand positions as a method of facing the visual/spatial logistics issues of marimba performance. A performance annotation chapter will then apply the alternation sticking, and its resultant positional concepts, to three new transcriptions of J. S. Bach\u27s inventions and a prelude and fugue from his Well-Tempered Clavier (Book II). The alternation technique of this study is predicated on the hypothesis that certain linear passages for the two mallets of a single hand may be played with increased stability, accuracy, and efficiency using an alternation-based sticking in lieu of the repetition-based sticking practice used by contemporary marimbists. In many passages, the player may simply apply standard two-mallet left and right sticking practices to the two mallets of a single hand. The increased stability mentioned above may also aid the marimbist\u27s kinesthetic sense of the bars, thereby improving accuracy in one hand and freeing more of the player\u27s visual attention for the non-linear (or other-linear ) hand. The improved kinesthetic sense can assist in sight-reading, where the player must rely on the mind\u27s eye (a combination of the player\u27s kinesthetic sense and a mental picture of the keyboard) for both hands while the eyes remain trained on the unfamiliar page