Abstract
This paper discusses how engineering encounters many surfaces that posses vast quantities of irregularities and application of fundamental theories neither proves practical nor precise in obtaining true representations due to these irregularities. The paper further discusses how there exists a need for accuracy in thermo-physical property data in both industrial applications which demand a reliable method of determining data. According to the paper, this need can be met by the establishment of the optical/thermal scattering facility at the University of Central Oklahoma. The paper then reviews the advantages and disadvantages of this research program.

Outline:

Introduction
Importance of the Research
Review of the Literature
Scope of Academic Benefits
Research and Academic
Management Plan and Timeline
Dissemination and Sustainability
Evaluation
Summary and Conclusion
Methodology

From the Paper
"This project also plans to augment the radiative heat transfer science behind this experimentation. The Hemispherical Scatterometer will be constructed based on the most widely used methods for solution of the radiative transfer equation (RTE) and the discrete ordinate method (DOM). Despite the fact that there has been a wide construction of similar apparatuses for BRDF determination [4,15,17,18,33-35,40,43-46] there has not been any device that makes use of the quadrature scheme of the DOM to obtain this property. By using the DOM theory, commercial computational fluid dynamic (CFD) software can be easily incorporated to develop new research and/or mathematical models. These involve heat transfer problems to be compared with standard or previous models. Another aspect where the PI's project will certainly have an impact on the community is in the surface and cataloging of pattern recognition of the mentioned surfaces. Many surfaces in engineering, specially the ones dealt in this project will perhaps contain roughness characteristics similar to the ones shown in Figure 4. Even though is a very smooth material (looked through one's eye) theoretical prediction of reflectance or surface properties is not feasible. However, performing cataloging and pattern recognition is a method that will allow us to recognize intrinsic features of materials and provide a deeper knowledge of material's use and extended applicability. At the same time possible complication while using textbook calculations comes from the fact that they take the surface to be an homogeneous material rather than, say, a layered structure without considering subsurface complications or they are too cumbersome to apply. Therefore, the result is that actual measurement of the reflectance function is the best way to determine this radiative property and measure it in such manner that could also be applied to radiation heat transfer solution method or any other industrial application. This is again, where this project takes the lead."

Tags:optical/thermal, scattering, facility, cancer, thermal, radiation, light, pigmentation, DNA

Abstract
The following paper is a review of the psychometric properties of the Geriatric Depression Scale. Specifically, the paper will examine the indices of reliability and validity as discussed in published research and ascertain whether or not the scale is psychometrically sound. Along the way, the paper will summarize the history and development of the GDS and the paper will also provide some - but not all - of the items on the scale. The paper will finally conclude by looking at whether the scale is appropriate for use with older adults and what limitations should be kept in mind when using the scale. Ultimately, the GDS is very good for assessing/diagnosing mental illness (chiefly depression) in elderly patients - but it should be understood that GDS in its Long Form is far from ideal and may be ill-suited for patients who tire easily, who are especially elderly (the "oldest-old") and/or who have dementia.

From the Paper
The Geriatric Depression Scale: Its Psychometric Properties The following paper is a review of the psychometric properties of the Geriatric Depression Scale. Specifically, the paper will examine the indices of reliability and validity as discussed in published research and ascertain whether or not the scale is psychometrically sound. Along the way, the paper will summarize the history and development of the GDS and the paper will also provide some - but not all - of the items on the scale. The paper will finally conclude by looking at whether the scale is appropriate for use with older adults and what limitations should be kept in mind when using the scale. Ultimately, the GDS is very good for

Tags:geriatric, depression, scale

Abstract
The paper relates that pressure ulcers are one of the most commonly encountered problems in hospitals, yet they can produce serious effects. The paper then looks at the Braden Scale that is known to be a highly reliable assessment tool but is normally just used on admission. The paper argues that the population consisting of surgical patients and other patients on prolonged bed rest requires ongoing and periodic skin assessment, and the intervention should be continued use of the Braden scale. The paper points out that the usual comparison intervention occurs only when a pressure ulcer actually appears. The paper argues for a policy that involves ongoing use of the Braden Scale at specific points during hospitalization, and especially two days post-op for surgical patients and then at set points. In the paper's opinion, the policy is important for continuity of care and uniformity of practice since many nurses are following what they consider to be most effective.

From the Paper
"Pressure ulcers are one of the most commonly encountered problems in hospital yet can produce serious effects. The Braden Scale is known to be a highly reliable assessment tool but is normally just used on admission. The population consisting of surgical patients and other patients on prolonged bed rest requires ongoing and periodic skin assessment. The intervention should be continued use of the Braden scale. The usual comparison intervention occurs only when a pressure ulcer actually appears. The policy involves ongoing use of the Braden Scale at specific..."

Tags:scale, assess, ulcers

Abstract
This paper provides a brief biography of the psychologist David Wechsler and his part in the quest for understanding human intelligence. The paper explains the influential scale that he eventually devised to carry out intelligence tests on children, known as the Wechsler Intelligence Scale. Although the test has remained the most commonly used scale in children from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds it has attracted some criticisms, also mentioned in the paper.

From the Paper
"Wechsler was born in Romania to Jewish parents and immigrated to the United States in his early childhood. After getting his master's degree in psychology, Wechsler became an army psychologist assigned to Camp Logan, Texas in 1917. He was then sent to the University of London to work with Charles Spearman and Karl Pearson, who administered the Stanford-Binet to recruits who had done poorly on group intelligence tests. Wechsler viewed intelligence as an effect rather than a cause (unlike his superior Spearman). He also thought that Spearman's theory of general intelligence (g) was too narrow (Fancher, 1985). From 1922 to 1925, Wechsler worked as a clinical psychologist at the Bureau f Child Guidance in New York City. He maintained a private practice between the years of 1925 and 1932. He worked as chief psychologist at Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital from 1932 until 1967. While at Bellevue, he published many assessment instruments, including: Wechsler-Bellevue Scale of Intelligence (1939); Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) (1945); the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) (1949); the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) (1955); and the Wechsler Primary and Preschool Scale of Intelligence (1967) (Plucker, 2007). He is known for his use of the deviation quotient (DQ) and, according to Fancher (1985), the DQ was a "technical innovation that replaced the use of mental ages in computing IQ scores" and that it "greatly improved the utility of normative comparisons when intelligence tests are used with adult examinees." Wechsler died in 1981. His intelligence tests were already incredibly respected in the field (Fancher, 1985)."

Tags:professional, recognition, innovation

Abstract
This paper explains Alfred Marshall's theory regarding economies of scale, which created a distinction between internal and external economies. The paper explains what is meant by internal and external economies and what factors are responsible for them. The paper then explains why firms tend to benefit from economies of scale and why larger firms are usually in a better position to take advantage of economies of scale. Microsoft is cited as an example of one such firm. In addition, this paper looks at the concept of barriers to entry. The concept is defined in the context of competition, and examples are used to illustrate how barriers work.

From the Paper
"Economies of scale almost kill competition because it tends to favor larger firms in an industry. Very often large firms would use their competitive and financial advantage to crush competition in the market. This situation arises because of "absolute-capital-requirement effect" (Bain, 1956, p. 55) This means that due to the high level of investment required for reaching the same level as bigger firms, most smaller firms stand to lose when bigger firms create more internal economies of scale."

Tags:increased, production, lower, costs, adam, smith, division, of, labor, non, competitive, market, structure

Abstract
This paper outlines the steps involved in constructing a Likert (1932) scale to evaluate university students' attitude towards vivisection and addresses issues both within the scale itself and in the broader context of all measurements of attitude. Ultimately, it questions the usefulness of attitude scales in light of their unavoidable limitations given the complexity of the hypothetical construct they seek to evaluate.

From the Paper
"Reliability interacts with validity and where reliability is high ("equal to or more than .80" - Oppenheim, B, 1988), as with the Likert scale, validity will tend to be also, but its fundamental shortcoming, which it shares with other attitude scales, is that construct validity of the attitude concept itself is questionable. No external factual criterion exists against which declared attitudes may be defined and calibrated: for example, group membership or voting habits - seemingly objective measures - may be mediated by situational or pragmatic factors (Oppenheim, 1966). Declared attitude, as measured by self-report rating scales, may not wholly - or at all - correspond to the attitude held and thus it follows that predictive validity also tends to be poor."

Tags:vivisection, thurstone

Abstract
This paper discusses how standardized testing has become a norm for structuring studies on human behaviors and, in particular, examines the "Wechsler Memory Scale-Third Edition" (WMS-III), a scale for assessing learning and memory functions in adults between 16 and 89 years old. Through a literature review, it attempts to evaluate the usefulness of the WMS-III as practical instrument for extensive research by assessing its advantages and disadvantages.

From the Paper
"In most assessment tools the tests rely on specific structured procedures and instructions so that the administrators can read the results in accordance to the problem as the criteria. Experience with the tests as well as understanding of the test procedure is important because as participants would want to ask test administrators of the role of the factors that are associated with the tests and also what is expected of the participants during the process. In psychological tests for example administrators must be motivated to identify the utility of the test exercise in order to help support the participants to pay more attention on the criteria set by the test."

Tags:tests, tools, instruments, learning, research

Abstract
The paper discusses the article "Adaptation, Culture Scale, and the Environmental Crisis" by M.Sahlins & E.R Service. It looks at the interaction of culture and the environment and the role that this interaction plays in damaging the environment and depleting resources. It also examines the character and scope of the world's current environmental crisis.

From the Paper
"This quote raises some of the most salient points that are brought out further in the article. First, it notes that the scale of the culture and the concentration of social power have very little to do with the longevity of a civilization on an evolutionary timescale. Second, the quote brings to mind the scale of resource depletion and environmental degradation that accompany large and powerful cultures. Simply put, large, powerful cultures have often depleted their natural resources, and polluted their environment to the extent that their civilization has collapsed."

Tags:civilizations, social, power, cultural, evolution, natural, world

Abstract
This paper is an analysis of the book "Success in Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises", a report written by Cortes, Berry, and Ishaq on a research project undertaken and published by the World Bank. The paper discusses the main findings of the study, which set out to explain the escalated growth of selected businesses, in comparison to large industries, during the 1970s in Colombia.

From the Paper
"Cortes, Berry, and Ishaq in "Success in Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises" set out to explain the escalated growth of these businesses, in comparison to large industries, during the 1970s in Colombia. This book is a report on a research project undertaken and published by the World Bank. The data used in the study are mainly based on surveys of the metal-working and food processing industries. Determinants of efficiency in these industries are examined, along with determinants of viability. Patterns and trends in firm size and distribution are explained by technological factors, demand factors, input supply factors, and constraints on the rate of exchange of output.

Tags:colombia, industry, success

Abstract
Many education districts in the United States use an individually administered Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition, commonly referred to as the WISC-III. The score from this test is used as the determinant factor as to whether or not to allow these students to enter the gifted program in their district. The paper shows that, in more recent years, this method has come under fire by education specialists, as well as parents, as being to limiting in its scope and ability to identify a gifted child. Some believe it is used because it is one of the easiest evaluation methods, taking about an hour in a room with the child. Others believe it is a mistaken belief by advocates of the test that it is the only true way to measure ones intellectual ability and, therefore, giftedness. This paper presents a proposed study of the validity of using the WISC-III for the purpose of choosing students for gifted programs in schools.

From the Paper
"For example, in some states, gifted students must have an IQ of 130 or higher; some states require achievement test scores at the 95th percentile or higher; in other states, students must score at or above the 98th percentile. Further, some states identify the highest 3% of the student population; other states identify 5%(Ford, 1998). Some states require schools to use four sources or types of information during the decision-making process; others require five sources or types of information. Thus, a student can be identified as gifted in one state (or even neighboring school district), but not in another based upon the definition adopted. Further, when and how that student is screened, identified, and served varies from one school district to another(Ford, 1998)."

Tags:IQ, mapper, leaper, John, Gardner, Multiple, Intelligence