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Multivariate quadrature rules on crosslet sparse grids
No full textWe introduce a new configuration of node sets: crosslet grids for high-dimensional numerical integration, and develop symmetric quadrature rules on the unit cube of the d-dimensional Euclidean space based on these node sets. Our algorithms give the same order of accuracy as those established on full grids, but require much fewer nodes, and therefore encounter far less computational complexity in execution. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulations show that quadrature rules based on crosslet grids are effective when applied to integrands that have localized nonsmoothness. The research work here reveals a close connection between quadrature rules and quasi-interpolation
Civic Engagement through Theatre: Running a Brechtian Workshop in the Classroom
No full textThis study presents an innovative active learning technique to support the development of civic education: a theatrical workshop based on the dramaturgy of Bertolt Brecht. I argue that the Brechtian workshop can develop three skills necessary for effective civic engagement: perspective taking, collaboration, and critical judgment/self-reflection, and that these skills are directly tied to the three civic values of pluralism, community, and civic responsibility. Using qualitative data gathered in the course of teaching this workshop to two distinct student populations — a self-selecting group of students in a liberal arts environment and a group of students at a commuter campus taking a course required for the major — I reflect on the workshop’s varying levels of success in developing these skills and offer recommendations for future use of this learning technique
Assessing and Improving Political Learning and Engagement on College Campuses
No full textThe American Association for State Colleges and University’s (AASCU’s) American Democracy Project (ADP) and the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education (IDHE), located at Tufts University’s Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life, formed a three-year partnership to pilot a process for fostering institutional change to advance political learning and engagement on college campuses. The multidimensional approach to collecting information, deploying dialogues, and crafting interventions provided insight into the necessity of generating institutional support for civic engagement initiatives.
This article reviews the goals, plan, and process of this three-year, multi-phased initiative. We weave throughout the results of multi-stage evaluations of the project’s successes, challenges, and lessons learned, evaluations drawn from a mid-term survey and focus groups and exit focus groups upon the completion of the project. Throughout this report, we insert testimonials authored by campus teams, offering direct insight on a range of stages of the project and conclusion. We also offer a meta-analysis of the reports each campus team produced from their own focus groups and interviews, identifying common themes and overarching findings.
We conclude that qualitative methods, followed by dialogue, provide an effective approach to assessing and shifting campus climates for political learning and engagement. Not only does this approach produce compelling insights and influence campus structures and culture, it also serves to catalyze change. Campuses reported that the dialogic approach used in the focus groups during the assessment phase itself fostered discussion, raised awareness, and generated interest in political learning and democracy.
Finally, we found that a cohort model and the multi-campus community of practice served to strengthen both the project and the participating representatives from the campuses. The importance of the community of practice speaks to the broader ethos of conversation, collaboration, and community in the project
Winter roosting by eastern red bats in ozark mountain forests of missouri
No full textThe eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis Müller, 1776) is a widespread species that roosts in evergreen or dead foliage suspended in trees during winter but retreats to leaf litter during colder periods. Roosting in leaf litter by eastern red bats makes them vulnerable to prescribed fires in winter. Using radio telemetry, we tracked 33 male eastern red bats to 101 winter (November–February) roosts and quantified roost locations, habitat surrounding roosts, and landscape attributes of roost locations. When roosting in trees, bats preferred oaks but generally avoided other tree species; they used pines in proportion to their availability. During colder periods, bats retreated to roosts in leaf litter where 21% suffered mortality either from predation/scavenging or unknown causes while roosting on the ground. Models of roost selection indicated that southerly aspect was the most important factor determining roost selection, and both tree- and leaf-litter roosts were predominately (≥94%) on upper south-facing slopes. Prescribed burning in late morning/early afternoon on clear days when temperatures under leaf litter are warmest in winter could reduce potential mortality by allowing faster arousal time for hibernating bats
Artist and Patron Relationships: Social Power Dynamics in Renaissance Italy
No full textIn historical discourse, one of the main discussions that can be found is in relation to determining who holds power in social and political environments. The world of art in Renaissance Italy is a place where such power dynamics were of great importance. My thesis examines social power dynamics in the artist-patron relationship in Renaissance Italy in order to discern who held power in these complex bonds and how such relationships influenced and impacted Renaissance society at large. This work is divided into two units. The first unit provides examples and arguments that maintain that the patron was the main influence in this dynamic. The second section argues the contrary; here I will explore circumstances wherein the artist executes power over their patron. The conclusion of my thesis explores the possibility of the existence of a middle ground, wherein power in the artist patron relationship during the Renaissance was flexible and shifted between both parties depending on the circumstance
Method Development for a Short-Term 7-d Toxicity Test with Unionid Mussels
No full textUS Environmental Protection Agency\u27s short-term freshwater effluent test methods include a fish (Pimephales promelas), a cladoceran (Ceriodaphnia dubia), and a green alga (Raphidocelis subcapitata). There is a recognized need for additional taxa to accompany the 3 standard species for effluent testing. An appropriate additional taxon is unionid mussels because mussels are widely distributed, live burrowed in sediment and filter particles from the water column for food, and exhibit high sensitivity to a variety of contaminants. Multiple studies were conducted to develop a relevant and robust short-term test method for mussels. We first evaluated the comparative sensitivity of 2 mussel species (Villosa constricta and Lampsilis siliquoidea) and 2 standard species (P. promelas and C. dubia) using 2 mock effluents prepared by mixing ammonia and 5 metals (cadmium, copper, nickel, lead, and zinc) or a field-collected effluent in 7-d exposures. Both mussel species were equally or more sensitive (\u3e2 fold) to effluents compared to the standard species. Next, we refined the mussel test method by first determining the best feeding rate of a commercial algal mixture for 3 age groups (1-, 2-, and 3-wk old) of L. siliquoidea in a 7-d feeding experiment, and then used the derived optimal feeding rates to assess the sensitivity of the 3 ages of juveniles in a 7-d reference toxicant (NaCl) test. Juvenile mussels grew substantially (30 to 52% length increase) when the 1- or 2-wk-old mussels were fed 2 mL twice daily and the 3-wk-old mussels were fed 3 mL twice daily. 25% inhibition concentrations (IC25s) for NaCl were similar (314 to 520 mg Cl/L) among the 3 age groups, indicating that an age range of 1- to 3-wk-old mussels can be used for a 7-d test. Finally, using the refined test method, we conducted an interlaboratory study among 13 laboratories to evaluate the performance of a 7-d NaCl test with L. siliquoidea. Eleven laboratories successfully completed the test, with \u3e80% control survival and reliable growth data. IC25s ranged from 296 to 1,076 mg Cl/L, with a low (34%) coefficient of variation, indicating that the proposed method for L. siliquoidea has acceptable precision. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Eastern red bat responses to fire during winter torpor
No full textPrescribed fires are a forest management tool used to improve natural areas for a variety of benefits including increased plant diversity, reduced competition for desired species, decreased fuel loads, and improved wildlife habitat. The post-fire results in landscapes have shown positive benefits for bat populations. However, prescribed fires set in the winter may cause direct mortality of eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis) populations that use leaf litter for roosting during periods of colder (10◦C to provide eastern red bats with a better chance to passively rewarm and react to an approaching fire
Evolutionary modelling of subdwarf B stars using MESA with the predictive mixing and convective pre-mixing schemes
No full textThe results of the evolutionary modelling of subdwarf B stars are presented. For the first time, we explore the core and near-core mixing in subdwarf B stars using new algorithms available in the MESA code: the predictive mixing scheme and the convective pre-mixing scheme. We show how both methods handle problems related to the determination of the convective boundary and the discrepancy between the core masses obtained from asteroseismology and evolutionary models, and long-standing problems related to the core-helium-burning phase, such as the splitting of the convective core and the occurrence of breathing pulses. We find that the convective pre-mixing scheme is the preferable algorithm. The masses of the convective core in the case of the predictive mixing and the combined convective and semiconvective regions in the case of the convective pre-mixing scheme are higher than in the models with only the Ledoux criterion, but they are still lower than the seismic-derived values. Both algorithms are promising and alternative methods of studying models of subdwarf B stars
Beliefs to Behaviors: How Religiosity Alters Perceptions of CSR Initiatives and Retail Selection
No full textThe purpose of this study is to bring more clarity to the complex discussion of religiosity and its effects on consumer attitudes toward corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives and socially responsible shopping. Drawing on the Hunt-Vitell theory of marketing ethics, we investigate how intrinsic religiosity indirectly affects retail selection through the mediating variable of attitudes toward CSR. We also investigate whether a retailer\u27s corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate social irresponsibility (CSI) moderate the relationship between consumer attitudes toward CSR and retail selection. We find that intrinsic religiosity indirectly affects where consumers shop for groceries, clothing, shoes, electronics, and home goods, and we find that only CSI impacts the retail selection decision. Implications for macromarketing theory, marketing strategy, and public policy are discussed
A conceptual model of perceived motor skill competence, successful practice trials, and motor skill performance in physical education
No full textSelf-efficacy theory assumes that students\u27 efficacy beliefs affect their performance through process variables, including behavior, cognition, and affection. The purpose of this study was to utilize self-efficacy theory as a theoretical framework to propose a conceptual model of a mediating relationship among perceived motor skill competence, successful practice trials, and motor skill performance in physical education. In addition, the authors reviewed the literature to provide evidence to support the potential mediating relationship by following the steps recommended by Baron and Kenny. This paper is significant because the authors integrated the literature of motor development/learning and physical education pedagogy to propose a conceptual model where successful practice trials would act as a behavioral mediator through which perceived motor skill competence affects students\u27 motor skill performance. This conceptual model can guide future research to identify students\u27 behaviors affecting their skill development, thus helping teachers develop pedagogies to improve motor skill performance in physical education