<br> <p>The interest in understanding the <i>f</i>-block elements has been increasing because of the large applications of these elements across all fields of science and technology. The lanthanides are used in various technologies like car batteries and phone screens. The actinides are the basis of current nuclear fuel processes. The <i>f</i> -block has many interesting properties and has been proven to be fruitful in inorganic chemistry. Neodymium is redox inactive and was studied with a redox active ligand pyridine diimine to see if multielectron chemistry was viable. The neodymium chemistry is still in the preliminary stages of research, but there is possibility of fruitful reactivity. Recently neptunium chemistry was introduced to the Bart lab to study its rich redox chemistry. Neptunium’s fundamental properties have been investigated for the last 80 years with new bonding properties and behavior still being discovered today. Studies of neptunium began with investigating the trivalent oxidation state. Synthesis of new low valent trans-uranic starting materials is important because the fundamental chemistry of these trivalent compounds is not well studied. By creating Neptunium materials that are analogous to known uranium and lanthanide starting materials, <i>f</i>-block chemists will be able to apply their previously studied syntheses to a new element. </p>

No description available.

The equilibrium phase behavior of disperse diblock copolymers is studied using the self-consistent field theory. We first examine how dispersity affects the formation of complex spherical phases in conformationally asymmetric diblock copolymers. For disperse diblock copolymers with Poisson and Schulz-Zimm distributions, the Frank-Kasper σ phase appears at a lower degree of conformational asymmetry than what is predicted in monodisperse systems. We next present a general method of treating molecular weight distributions (MWDs) specified by a set of molecular weight fractions in numerical self-consistent field theory. The procedure is applied to MWDs with similar dispersity indices and different skewness obtained from experimental measurements. We find that consistent with experiments, the domain spacing and equilibrium morphology could vary with the skewness. Lastly, we investigate how the MWD shape characterized by the dispersity index and skewness affects the relative stability of complex spherical phases. The predicted set of complex phases could differ between MWDs with identical dispersity indices and different skewness. In particular, it is found that the formation of the C14 and C15 phases is favored for more positively-skewed distributions. Overall, the work underlines the importance of the MWD shape on the phase behavior of disperse diblock copolymers and the need of considering other statistical measures alongside the dispersity index, such as the skewness. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

In the 1980s and 1990s, publications like A Nation at Risk and Prisoners of Time were highly critical of the American public school system. In response, school administrators reviewed their master schedules to evaluate how time was scheduled and the majority of them chose block scheduling to secure longer, uninterrupted periods of instructional time. Upon implementing block scheduling, schools noted a need for a change in pedagogy. Constructivist teaching, shown to be effective with multiple ages, has become a preferred pedagogy for elementary and middle school teachers during a block period. The review of literature includes a description of the forces behind block scheduling and provides a background of constructivist theory and teaching practices based on the writings of Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. Combining constructivist teaching with block scheduling creates an environment conducive to young adolescent learning; however, properly preparing teachers through professional development is key to effective implementation. The purpose of this action research study was to facilitate the professional growth of new teachers by providing job embedded professional development opportunities that were grounded in constructivist practices and demonstrated to be effective with young adolescent learners while teaching in a block period. / Ed. D.

Educators across the nation are rethinking the organization of the high school day in relation to time as they face the challenges of a new century. Block scheduling, the use of extended periods of time for learning, is one response to the reorganization of the high school where in Virginia during the 2000-2001 school year, 74% of the high schools were on some form of block scheduling. Two models of block scheduling continue to receive attention in the review of educational literature. They are the alternating day or A-B model and the 4 x 4 model. Although there are numerous qualitative research studies regarding the effects of block scheduling on school climate and student achievement, there is limited quantitative evidence that supports the use of block scheduling to improve student academic achievement on criterion-referenced standardized test scores. This study compared the effects of the 7-period alternating day schedule, the 4 x 4 block schedule, and the traditional single-period schedule on high school student academic achievement as measured by the Virginia Stanards of Learning (SOL) end-of-course assessments. An Analysis of Variance was used as the primary tool to test for mean differences between the test scores. The results indicated that the mean scaled scores for the 7-period alternating day were significantly higher (p<.05) than the mean scaled scores for the 4 x 4 block on the English:Reading, English:Writing, and geometry SOL end-of-course tests. In addition, the mean scaled scores for the 7-period alternating day and the traditional schedule were significantly higher (p<.05) than the 4 x 4 block on the English:Writing SOL end-of-course tests. It appears that the 7-period alternating day schedule has merit in terms of English and geometry instruction. Division and school leaders will want to explore the effects of the 7-period alternating day schedule on English and geometry courses. As a new century unravels, the question of time and how it is used for student learning will continue to be a major focus. Educational leaders must continue to work together with teachers to design and to develop a high school schedule that will provide a maximum learning experience for all students. / Ed. D.

Block-based programming languages were originally designed for educational purposes. Due to their low requirements for a user's programming capability, such languages have great potential to serve both introductory programmers in educational settings as well as domain experts as a data processing tool. However, the current design of block-based languages fails to address critical factors for these two audiences: 1) domain experts do not have the ability to perform crucial steps: import data sources, perform efficient data processing, and visualize results; 2) the focus of online assignments towards introductory programmers on entertainment (e.g. games, animation) fails to convince students that computer science is important, relevant, and related to their day-to-day experiences. In this thesis, we present the design and implementation of DataSnap, which is a block-based programming language extended from Snap!. Our work focuses on enhancing the state of the art in block-based programming languages for our two target audiences: domain experts and introductory programmers. Specifically, in this thesis we: 1) provide easy-to-use interfaces for big data import, processing, and visualization methods for domain experts; 2) integrate relevant social media, geographic, and business-related data sets into online educational platforms for introductory programmers and enable teachers to develop their own real-time and big-data access blocks; and 3) present DataSnap in the Open edX online courseware platform along with customized problem definition and a dynamic analysis grading system. Stemming from our research contributions, our work encourages the further development and utilization of block-based languages towards a broader audience range. / Master of Science

The boundary between public and private dwelling presents a complex architectural problem in that it must provide separation and transition, exposure and closure, privacy and interaction, and embodiment and orientation. This thesis explores this boundary and its role in developing a sense of community in the context of artist live/work studios in a dense urban block. / Master of Architecture / This thesis explores the physical boundary between public and private space and how architectural elements can help transition the spaces to create a better connection between individuals and their communities, resulting in stronger communities. This concept is explored in the context of artist live/work studios where you have private residences overlapping more public work and display areas.