August 2017: Volume 2 Issue 2

The present experiment aims to recreate and analyze known behavior of high-voltage gaps in a near vacuum with low-cost equipment. It has been previously observed that the application of high voltages in rarified gas results in electrical breakdown and corona discharge, characterized by the production of observable plasma in the experimental area. The current study aims to identify and document a do-it-yourself (DIY) method for producing and containing electrical discharge. Further, the requirements of electrical phenomena were recorded in terms of voltage and pressure to be compared to previous models, namely Paschen’s Law, as a measure of accuracy (Berzak et al., 2006). The operating experimental apparatus was demonstrated to exhibit the same discharge phenomena as previously recorded (Peek, 1929). New models for voltage and pressure requirements for electrical breakdown and corona discharge were produced. Literature comparison was available for the voltage model of electrical breakdown, where significant difference was identified between Paschen’s model and current data. The present study may contribute further evidence to the inadequacy of Paschen’s law in describing breakdown voltages at high pressure-distance configurations.

The effects of different temperatures on Acheta domesticus speeds, based on metabolic changes, were determined to discover the biological implications on their survival during natural temperature fluctuations. As a result, the effects of both short term and long term climate change on the physical performance of house crickets can be assessed. Two separate treatment trials were conducted with hot and cold baths to attain three arenas of 20°C, 30°C and room temperature (22°C and 24°C). 10 replicates were placed into each arena and the average speeds of the crickets (cm/s) were found through tracing and timing. The crickets from Trial 1 had a larger mean speed difference and decreasing speeds with increasing temperatures, whereas the Trial 2 crickets had increasing speeds with increasing temperatures and a smaller difference in means. In both trials, the treatments resulted in sufficiently different speeds; however, the results were not statistically significant which indicates the null hypothesis, that states there is no difference between cricket speeds due to varying temperatures, cannot be rejected. Younger crickets in Trial 1 were more affected by temperature fluctuations and had speeds negatively correlated with temperature, whereas the older crickets in Trial 2 were less affected by temperature fluctuations but had speeds positively correlated with temperature. This suggests that younger crickets are less likely to survive in their natural habitats when temperatures slightly increase, while older crickets are more likely to survive when temperatures change; however, no definite conclusions can be made due to the experiment’s statistical insignificance.

Visually driven and braille driven reading share common language attributes, yet the skills, cognitive load, and sensory system processing required to perform either task are dramatically different. Despite the significant differences in the processes of braille and print reading, traditional approaches to developing braille literacy have primarily relied upon adaptations of approaches used to establish sighted literacy. Furthermore, little research has investigated the effectiveness of these strategies for students who read braille. The outcomes, however, are clear; braille readers struggle to develop effective decoding and fluency skills. One promising literacy program, called the Wilson Reading System (WRS), has been adapted for braille literacy development because it emphasizes fluency and comprehension. Recent research suggests positive qualitative outcomes using the WRS for students with visual impairments. However, no quantitative changes in braille decoding and fluency using the WRS have been established. This case study extends previous findings to assess the effectiveness of the WRS on decoding ability, comprehension, oral fluency rate, and reading motivation in a braille-reading student with a language-based learning disability. Results demonstrate an increase in decoding ability, comprehension, reading motivation, but no sign of improvement in oral reading fluency.

Pride emerged as a radical demonstration of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights movement. Over the years, its purpose and form have evolved. While Pride is a necessary source of LGBTQ representation, it often fails to observe the intersectionality within its community, resulting in racism, ableism, sexism, homophobia, classism, and homonormativity. This essay explores this lack of intersectionality, drawing on Nanaimo Pride as a source of discussion, with references to celebrations in Edmonton, Toronto, and New York. It concludes by offering suggestions for making Pride more inclusive.

In silico mathematical modeling and optimization has been a reliable means to predict the morbidity of diseases. Diseases associated with Carbapenem-Resistant Entero-bacteriacae (CRE) are difficult to treat and have been with high mortality rates due to the highly adaptive nature of this bacterial family. Currently, CRE is resistant to almost all antibiotics available (Chen, Todd, Kiehlbauch, Walters, & Kallen, 2016) with mortality rates of about 45% (“Vital Signs”, 2013). To better evaluate the severity of CRE outbreaks in Canada and the United States (US), a Python program that analyzes and predicts the potential of outbreaks escalating into epidemics was developed. The program uses two mathematical models that compare and graph the relative amounts of individuals/patients that are susceptible, infected or dead. The first model is deterministic which involves static rates taken from various data sources, whereas the second model is stochastic, which reflects dynamic rates according to parameters like time and changes in infectivity rate. Both models predicted epidemics in Canada and the US under current conditions, as expected.

Water will always remain a valuable commodity due to its unique properties and availability. Therefore, its transport in pipes has great significance. Further, if leakage is controlled, an efficient mechanism of fluid administration can be created, as seen in common drip irrigation techniques. This study changed two variables of pipe perforation: hole area and pipe incline, and measured the resulting leakage rates. The experimental setup consisted of a pipe of varying hole areas attached to a water reservoir at varying angles. We hypothesized that for a horizontally configured pipe with a single hole, the leakage rate would increase linearly with hole area. The experimental data shows consistency with the hypothesis for a certain range of hole sizes but deviates from linearity outside this range. The study also presents a novel equation that models the correlation between pipe incline and leakage rate. The findings of this study provide more knowledge to incorporate variations to the drip-irrigation technique on both flat and oblique land.