The development of a set of criteria for the evaluation of elementary choral material.

Thesis (M.M.E.)--Boston Universit

A Noise Investigation of Tunnel-Diode Microwave Amplifiers

An analysis and derivation of the noise figure of a tunnel-diode microwave amplifier are presented. The agreement between the measured noise figure and the theoretical results is an indirect check on the existence of full shot noise in germanium tunnel diodes at microwave frequencies. The limiting noise temperature of the amplifier is eI0R/2k, and can be approached by using diodes with small (RC) products in which the extreme overcoupling (load mismatch) and high gain can be achieved simultaneously

Duration of Public Assistance Receipt: Is Welfare a Trap?

This paper uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to answer two questions about the effects of the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program: (1) Does the length of time that one receives AFDC affect the likelihood of permanently leaving AFDC? (2) What personal and family characteristics are associated with the long-term receipt of AFDC? The answer to the first question is that the likelihood of permanently leaving AFDC decreases with the length of time that individuals receive benefits, after adjustments for other measured and unmeasured attributes of individuals and their families. The answer to the second question is that not having a high school diploma, never having married, having more than two children, and having little work experience are associated with long-term receipt. Many of the recipients who will reach the five-year limit imposed by the new federal legislation are in situations that make it difficult for them to support themselves and their families without public assistance.

Biased random satisfiability problems: From easy to hard instances

In this paper we study biased random K-SAT problems in which each logical variable is negated with probability $p$. This generalization provides us a crossover from easy to hard problems and would help us in a better understanding of the typical complexity of random K-SAT problems. The exact solution of 1-SAT case is given. The critical point of K-SAT problems and results of replica method are derived in the replica symmetry framework. It is found that in this approximation $\alpha_c \propto p^{-(K-1)}$ for $p\to 0$. Solving numerically the survey propagation equations for K=3 we find that for $p<p^* \sim 0.17$ there is no replica symmetry breaking and still the SAT-UNSAT transition is discontinuous.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figure

Determining crustal strain rates with a spaceborne geodynamics ranging system. 2: Station coordinate analysis

The use of a spaceborne geodynamics ranging system for determining crustal strain rates is analyzed. The use of site coordinates rather than intersite baseline distances for the strain rate determinations is emphasized. After discussing the analytical techniques which are to be employed, numerical results are presented which suggest that the use of site coordinates would result in a 20-70% improvement in the precision of the deduced values of straining. Precision of a few parts in 10 to the 9th power would be achievable with simple geometrics and a decade or two of measurements; precisions of a few parts in 10 to the 8th power would be achievable in a few years. A consideration of possible correlations among the derived target site coordinates leads to the conclusion that, with the proper choice of coordinate systems, the correlations can be made small and non-detrimental to the strain rate determinations

The Effect of Professional Development on a Mexican Mission School: A Case Study

Since the early 1990s, there has been a growing body of literature regarding the facilitation of deeper thinking among educators based on the opportunity for in-service professional development (Darling-Hammond, 2003; Garet, Porter, Desimone, Birman, & Yoon, 1999, 2001; Reeves, 2010; Smith & O’Day, 1991). In-service professional development provides teachers with the opportunity to consider alternative solutions to teaching and learning situations. Providing solid professional development is the goal of schools globally. This effort can be challenging to small private schools that are pouring as many resources as possible into the necessary materials and curricula for their students. Few budget resources are left over to provide the necessary professional development for teachers in these schools. This project was born of a strong partnership between a church located in the Midwestern United States and a small mission school located in the Mexico City area. The mission school typically enrolls approximately 60 – 80 students who live in one of four children’s homes. The children have primarily been sent to the mission as orphans and typically have lived in poverty prior to their arrival. Many may have been to school only sporadically, if at all. The average age of the children enrolled in the school is ten years of age. Reeves (2010) made a strong case for moving past teachers liking professional development sessions or presenters and moving toward assessing if the professional development activity has lasting impact on teaching and learning. While the positive assessment of long-term impact is the desired goal, it was also noteworthy that this particular professional development activity would not have a long-term impact on the teaching and learning occurring in this school if the participants’ feelings were discounted during the presentations

Investigating facial animation production through artistic inquiry

Studies into dynamic facial expressions tend to make use of experimental methods based on objectively manipulated stimuli. New techniques for displaying increasingly realistic facial movement and methods of measuring observer responses are typical of computer animation and psychology facial expression research. However, few projects focus on the artistic nature of performance production. Instead, most concentrate on the naturalistic appearance of posed or acted expressions. In this paper, the authors discuss a method for exploring the creative process of emotional facial expression animation, and ask whether anything can be learned about authentic dynamic expressions through artistic inquiry