Advanced Building Energy Data Visualization

Advanced Building Energy Data Visualization is a way to detect performance problems in commercialbuildings. By placing sensors in a building that collects data from example, air temperature and electricalpower, then makes it possible to calculate the data in Data Visualization software. This softwaregenerates visual diagrams so the building manager or building operator can see if for example thepower consumption is to high.A first step (before sensors are installed in a building) to see how the energy consumption is in abuilding can be to use a Benchmarking Tool. There is a number of Benchmarking Tools that is availablefor free on the Internet. Each tool have a bit different approach, but they all show how much energyconsumption there is in a building compared to other similar buildings.In this study a new web design for the benchmarking tool CalARCH has been developed. CalARCHis developed at the Berkeley Lab in Berkeley, California, USA. CalARCH uses data collected only frombuildings in California, and is only for comparing buildings in California with other similar buildingsin the state.Five different versions of the web site were made. Then a web survey was done to determine whichversion would be the best for CalARCH. The results showed that Version 5 and Version 3 was the best.Then a new version was made, based on these two versions. This study was made at the LawrenceBerkeley Laboratory.

Tuberculosis diagnosis after bleach processing for early stage tuberculosis laboratory capacity building

The diagnosis of tuberculosis is seriously hampered in the absence of standard biosafety laboratory facilities for specimen concentration and Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture. Within a laboratory twinning arrangement, heat-fixed direct smear and sediment from 74 bleach-processed and 20 non-processed specimens from Cumura Hospital, Guinea-Bissau, were sent to Lisbon for molecular evaluation of rifampicin resistance. Sequence analysis of a 369 base-pair ppoB locus detected 3.2% (3/94) resistant specimens. To our knowledge, this represents the first report on the molecular analysis of M. tuberculosis from bleach-processed sputum, an alternative to current diagnostic practice in low-resource settings.

A visual tool for building synchronous generator capability curves

Synchronous generators are essential components of electric power systems. They are present both in hydro and thermal power plants, performing the function of converting mechanical into electrical energy. This paper presents a visual approach to manipulate parameters that affect operation limits of synchronous generators, using a specifically designed software. The operating characteristics of synchronous generators, for all possible modes of operation, are revised in order to link the concepts to the graphic objects. The approach matches the distance learning tool requirements and also enriches the learning process by developing student trust and understanding of the concepts involved in building synchronous machine capability curves. © 2012 IEEE.

A polêmica como interincompreensão no discurso da política acadêmica da Universidade Federal do Pará

As universidades, além de suas atribuições constitucionalmente previstas de ensino, de pesquisa e de extensão, possuem um 'quarto elemento essencial e indissociável dos outros três, concretizado na intensa prática política desenvolvida no ambiente acadêmico. Dada a existência desse fator, a presente pesquisa examina o fenômeno da polêmica como elemento de interincompreensão nos confrontos da política acadêmica na Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA), com base no suporte teórico principal de Maingueneau (2005), observando-se como se estabelece essa relação de interincompreensão, analisando os simulacros que cada sujeito constrói do seu interlocutor e de si mesmo. Constituem o corpus deste trabalho, de um lado, as notas das três entidades acadêmicas da UFPA, quais sejam o Diretório Central dos Estudantes - DCE, a Associação dos Docentes da UFP A - Adufpa e o Sindicato dos Trabalhadores da UFP A - Sintufpa, que representam, respectivamente, estudantes, docentes e servidores técnico-administrativos; e, de outro, as notas da Administração Superior. Essas notas referem-se à tomada da Reitoria, pelos estudantes, ocorrida em junho de 2007, motivada, segundo nota da entidade estudantil (Anexo 3A), por não terem sido atendidas suas reivindicações, relacionadas a problemas acadêmicos diversos. A pesquisa é desenvolvida em uma perspectiva discursiva, cuja metodologia compreende um objetivo geral, que é identificar os simulacros que se constroem na política acadêmica da UFP A. Para tanto, nos valemos de quatro frentes de pesquisa, materializadas em objetivos específicos, a saber: 1. Investigar o contexto dessa política; 2. Resgatar o vocabulário constitutivo da material idade discursiva, observando as ações, referidas por meio de verbos e nomes, e as caracterizações, efetuadas por meio de adjetivações e nomes; 3. Identificar as marcas da heterogeneidade mostrada; 4. Capturar os flagrantes de infração ao "código dogmático" da prática política. Ao longo das notas, no embate discursivo que se desenvolve, percebemos o chamado "diálogo de surdos", em que não se vislumbra a possibilidade de os adversários reverem seus posicionamentos.

Processos educacionais e as estratégias de municipalização do ensino no Município de Breves no Arquipélago do Marajó

A dissertação investigou os processos educacionais e as estratégias de municipalização do ensino no Município de Breves no Arquipélago do Marajó. Assim, buscou-se identificar as dificuldades para a implementação desse processo, além de compreender as estratégias que as comunidades rurais usam para superarem os problemas político-pedagógicos das escolas. A pesquisa norteou-se pelo estudo de caso, onde se utilizou de entrevista semi-estruturada com professores, gestores, exgestores, lideranças comunitárias e sindicais; a análise documental de legislação educacional, planos, relatórios e projetos. O estudo aponta que a adesão a municipalização foi cheio de conflito entre o poder público municipal e os educadores por ter sido materializada sem nenhuma forma de diálogo com os educadores e a sociedade civil para esclarecimento sobre as condições políticas que se realizaria. Além do mais, constata-se que a municipalização foi o mecanismo utilizado pelo governo central para realizar a descentralização da gestão das políticas educacionais, no entanto, verifica-se que a estratégia de superar os problemas educacionais locais ainda não surtiu efeito, ao contrário, o município assumiu toda a responsabilidade em superar os seus baixos indicadores educacionais. Nesse sentido, é possível inferir que o gestor da época estava mais preocupado com os recursos que o município passaria a receber, através do FUNDEF hoje FUNDEB, que com a responsabilidade pela qualidade educacional. Isto se verifica ao se analisar os indicadores educacionais do município, principalmente das escolas do campo em que após a municipalização não se visualiza nenhuma estratégia dos governos locais, tendo em vista universalizar o atendimento educacional, ou políticas capazes de oferecer a qualidade educacional às populações do campo. Os prédios escolares a grande maioria funciona em locais inadequados o que tem prejudicado as condições de trabalho do professor e de estudo dos alunos. Aliado a este problema está a questão do acesso e permanência dos educandos, uma vez que o transporte escolar não atende todas as comunidades. Diante de todos esses desafios, as comunidades rurais, mesmo que de forma individual, tem buscado dialogar com o poder público municipal formas de garantir o atendimento educacional no próprio local. Isso tem levado a constituição de dezenas de escolas no campo mesmo que funcionando em situações precárias em casas de família, igrejas, barracões comunitários, salões de festas ou até mesmo construindo com seus próprios recursos. No entanto, esta é uma estratégia política e pedagógica que as comunidades visualizam para garantir a presença do Estado em seus territórios sociais, de forma silenciosa têm buscado legitimar a garantia do direito a educação no campo. Por fim, a pesquisa constitui-se em um momento de reflexão e análise a cerca das condições que a educação vem sendo ofertada aos sujeitos do campo de Breves. Foi um momento de reconhecer e problematizar as experiências educativas para fomentar elementos teóricos e práticos nas discussões de uma educação no e do campo na Amazônia Marajoara.

Building Leadership: The Knowledge of Principals in Creating Collaborative Communities of Professional Learning

Research literature is replete with the importance of collaboration in schools, the lack of its implementation, the centrality of the role of the principal, and the existence of a gap between knowledge and practice--or a "Knowing-Doing Gap." In other words, there is a set of knowledge that principals must know in order to create a collaborative workplace environment for teachers. This study sought to describe what high school principals know about creating such a culture of collaboration. The researcher combed journal articles, studies and professional literature in order to identify what principals must know in order to create a culture of collaboration. The result was ten elements of principal knowledge: Staff involvement in important decisions, Charismatic leadership not being necessary for success, Effective elements of teacher teams, Administrator‘s modeling professional learning, The allocation of resources, Staff meetings focused on student learning, Elements of continuous improvement, and Principles of Adult Learning, Student Learning and Change. From these ten elements, the researcher developed a web-based survey intended to measure nine of those elements (Charismatic leadership was excluded). Principals of accredited high schools in the state of Nebraska were invited to participate in this survey, as high schools are well-known for the isolation that teachers experience--particularly as a result of departmentalization. The results indicate that principals have knowledge of eight of the nine measured elements. The one that they lacked an understanding of was Principles of Student Learning. Given these two findings of what principals do and do not know, the researcher recommends that professional organizations, intermediate service agencies and district-level support staff engage in systematic and systemic initiatives to increase the knowledge of principals in the element of lacking knowledge. Further, given that eight of the nine elements are understood by principals, it would be wise to examine reasons for the implementation gap (Knowing-Doing Gap) and how to overcome it.

Student Problem Solving

The purpose of this study is to determine if students solve math problems using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division consistently and whether students transfer these skills to other mathematical situations and solutions. In this action research study, a classroom of 6th grade mathematics students was used to investigate how students solve word problems and how they determine which mathematical approach to use to solve a problem. It was discovered that many of the students read and re-read a question before they try to find an answer. Most students will check their answer to determine if it is correct and makes sense. Most students agree that mastering basic math facts is very important for problem solving and prefer mathematics that does not focus on problem solving. As a result of this research, it will be emphasized to the building principal and staff the need for a unified and focused curriculum with a scope and sequence for delivery that is consistently followed. The importance of managing basic math skills and making sure each student is challenged to be a mathematical thinker will be stressed.

Building Math Esteem in Fifth Grade Students

In this action research study of my classroom of 5th grade mathematics, I investigate the levels of math esteem in each student and as a classroom. The definition of esteem on which I am basing my research is the judgment or estimation of the self-assurance of a student in math. I discovered that several of the students entered my classroom with a middle to low level of esteem in math, and about a third of the class already exhibited a positive, high esteem in math. After implementation of the research, and interpreting the data, I believe almost all the students achieved higher math esteem by the end of the school year. The surveys and interviews I performed with the parents and students lead me to believe the four components of my research had an affect on this outcome. As a result of this research, I plan to continue to facilitate a high level of math esteem in each one of my students.

Awareness of Daylighting on Student Learning in an Educational Facility

This study examines how awareness of the interior architecture of a building, specifically daylighing, affects students academic performance. Extensive research has proven that the use of daylighting in a classroom can significantly enhance students’ academic success. The problem statement and purpose of this study is to determine if student awareness of daylighting in their learning environment affects academic performance compared to students with no knowledge of daylighting. Research and surveys in existing and newly constructed high schools were conducted to verify the results of this study. These design ideas and concepts could influence the architecture and design industry to advocate construction and building requirements that incorporate more sustainable design teaching techniques.

"IF YOU BUILD THEM UP, THEY WILL STAY": THE ROLE OF RECOGNITION AND FEEDBACK ON STUDENT RETENTION

While such stratagems are certainly well founded, and have achieved varying degrees of success, it may be that a more fundamentally vital area of examination is being largely overlooked, namely the impact of the high school experience.

“FAILING TO FIT: STUDENT DEVELOPMENT THEORIES AND STUDENTS OF COLOR”

Theories proposed by Chickering, Astin, Helms, Gilligan, and Perry serve as a framework for under¬standing and explaining the development of college students.

The changing politics of preference formation in international trade negotiations: the European Union in the Doha Round

This research seeks to provide an explanation for variations of “politics” of preference formation in international trade negotiations. Building on the ‘policy determines politics’ argument, I hypothesize the existence of a causal relationship between issue-characteristics and their variations with politics dynamics and their variations. More specifically, this study seeks to integrate into a single analytical framework two dimensions along which variations in the “politics of preference formation” can be organized: configurations of power relationships among the relevant actors in the structures within which they interact as well as the logic and the motivations of the actors involved in the policy making process. To do so, I first construct a four-cell typology of ‘politics of preference formation’ and, then, I proceed by specifying that the type of state-society configurations as well as the type of actors’ motivations in the “politics of preference formation” depend, respectively, on the degree to which a policy issue is perceived as politically salient and on the extent to which the distributional implications of such an issue can be calculated by the relevant stakeholders in the policy making process. The empirical yardstick against which the validity of the theoretical argument proposed is tested is drawn from evidence concerning the European Union’s negotiating strategy in four negotiating areas in the context of the so-called WTO’s Doha Development Round of multilateral trade negotiations: agriculture, competition, environment and technical assistance and capacity building.

Campus Architecture and Student Culture in American Higher Education

Human-environment interaction theory, as it specifically relates to architectural determinism, has an indispensible impact on student culture on college campuses. Under the assumptions of architectural determinism, this thesis examines the relationship between architecture and student culture on 30 American college campuses. Specifically, this thesis looks at uniformity of architectural style and color and the prevalence of traditional styles of architecture in relation to the institutions' campus cultures. The results of the study found that a significant relationship exists between student culture and uniformity of building color, but not between student culture and uniformity of style or the prevalence of traditional styles on a given campus. The thesis concludes with a discussion of the findings, limitations of the study, and suggestions for further research.

Executive Reorganization: Building a State Government That Worked for People -- Tom Harrison, Diana Dowling & Sheena Wilson “In the Crucible of Change”

One of the primary accomplishments of Governor Forrest Anderson in 1969-71 was the reorganization of the Executive Branch of Montana government, something that had been attempted six different times between 1919 and 1962 as state government had grown from twenty agencies to almost 200 uncontrolled boards, bureaus and commissions. The chaotic structure of the executive branch disempowered governors of both parties and empowered the private corporations and organizations that were the power structure of Montana. With remarkable political acumen, Governor Anderson figured out how to get that near impossible job done. Central to his efforts was the creation of an Executive Reorganization Commission, including eight legislators and the Governor, the adoption of a Constitutional Amendment that limited the executive branch to no more than twenty departments under the Governor, and the timely completion of a massive research effort to delineate the actual structure of the twenty departments. That story is told in this episode by three major players in the effort, all involved directly with the Executive Reorganization Commission: Tom Harrison, Diana Dowling and Sheena Wilson. Their recollections reflect an insider’s perspective of this significant accomplishment that helped change Montana “In the Crucible of Change.” Tom Harrison is a former Republican State Representative and State Senator from Helena, who was a member of the Executive Reorganization Commission. As Majority Leader in the Montana House of Representatives in 1971, he was the primary sponsor of the House’s executive reorganization bill and helped shepherd the Senate’s version to passage. Harrison was the Republican candidate for Attorney General in 1976 after which he practiced private law for 3 more decades. He served in the Montana Army National Guard for almost 34 years, rising to the rank of Colonel in the position of Judge Advocate General. He was a founding Director of Federal Defenders of Montana (legal representation for indigents accused within the Federal Judicial System); appointed Chairman of the original Montana State Fund (workers' compensation insurance) by Gov. Stephens; served as President of the Montana Trial Lawyers Association, Helena Kiwanis Club and St. Peter's Community Hospital Foundation, as well as Chairman and Director of AAA MountainWest; and was a founder, first Chairman and Director of the Valley Bank of Helena for over 25 years. Diana Dowling was an attorney for the Executive Reorganization Commission and helped draft the legislation that was passed. She also worked for Governor Forrest Anderson and for the 1972 Constitutional Convention where she prepared and directed publication of official explanation of the new Constitution that was mailed to all Montana voters. Diana was Executive Director of the Montana Bar Association and for 20 years held various legal positions with the Montana Legislative Council. For 12 years she was a commissioner on the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws and for 7 years was a member of Montana State Board of Bar Examiners. Diana was the first director of the Montana Lottery, an adjunct professor at both Carroll College and the UM Law School, and an administrative officer for Falcon Press Publishing Co. Diana is currently - and intends to continue being - a perpetual college student. Sheena Wilson came fresh out of the University of Montana to become a Research Assistant for the Executive Reorganization Commission. Later she worked for seven years as a field representative in Idaho and Montana for the Mountain Plains Family Education Program, for thirteen years with Congressman Pat Williams as Executive Assistant in Washington and Field Assistant here in Montana, owned and managed a Helena restaurant for seven years, worked as Executive Assistant for State Auditor John Morrison and was Deputy Chief of Staff for Governor Brian Schweitzer his full 8 years in the Governorship. Though currently “retired”, Sheena serves on the Montana Board of Investments, the Public Employees Retirement Board and the Capitol Complex Advisory Council and is a partner in a dry-land wheat farm in Teton County that was homesteaded by her great uncle.

Caring Minds

Welcome from Dean Patricia Starck The Face of Health Care Leading Technology School of Nursing Collaborates to Initiate Texas Medical Center’s First Digital Repository Nursing Research, A Growing Field Nursing in the Wake of the Storm Profile: Huaping Liu, RN, PhD, Dean and Associate Professor, School of Nursing at Peking Union Medical College Newsbrief: Planning for the Future with a New Doctor of Nursing Practice Program in Fall 2006 Newsbrief: Fast Track Nursing Program Gives Students a Speedy Start Profile: Susan Bankston, RN, BSN, Psychiatric Nursing, Currently enrolled in the MSN to DSN track Newsbrief: University of Texas Health Services Reports Outstanding Achievements in FY’05 Student Grants Newsbrief: New Degree Program Develops Leadership and Business Skills for Today’s Nurses Profile: Pamela Klauer Triolo, PhD, RN, FAAN Clinical Professor of Nursing Director, Nursing Leadership and Administration in Health Systems Newsbrief: Successful Luncheon Completes $1 Million Endowment UT School of Nursing Building Recognized as Blending Form and Function Faculty Scholarship Endowed Faculty Positions