University of Akron

About: University of Akron is a education organization based out in Akron, Ohio, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Polymer & Polymerization. The organization has 17401 authors who have published 29127 publications receiving 702386 citations. The organization is also known as: The University of Akron.

The Relationship between Parental Involvement, Self-Regulated Learning, and Reading Achievement of Fifth Graders: A Path Analysis Using the ECLS-K Database.

Abstract: This study examined the relationship between parental involvement, self-regulated learning (SRL), and reading achievement through analyzing the fifth grade data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–1999 (ECLS-K). The results identified six dimensions of parental involvement that are likely to foster SRL of fifth graders: School Involvement, TV Rules, Homework Help, Homework Frequency, Parental Education Expectations, and Extracurricular Activities. Of these three dimensions, Parental Education Expectations, School Involvement, and Homework Help, were found to have stronger effects on SRL; Parental Education Expectations was found to have the strongest beneficial effect on SRL. The results also suggest that SRL mediates the relationship between parental involvement and reading achievement. These results provide a framework for parents to help their children develop SRL skills and guide educators and school administrators as they intend to increase parental involvement and its effectiveness.

Nano-Raman spectroscopy with side-illumination optics

Abstract: We describe an apertureless near-field Raman spectroscopy setup that has successfully produced substantial enhancements for a wide variety of samples and achieved a high contrast. The tremendous potential of tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) for nanoscale chemical characterization has been demonstrated by various groups by measuring organic dyes, biological molecules, single-walled carbon nanotubes and silicon. Keys to rapid advances in the application of TERS to pressing scientific problems include the optimization of the method to achieve greater reproducibility and greater enhancement factors if possible, but more importantly, greater imaging contrast. Using a side-illumination geometry, we demonstrate reproducible enhancements of the Raman signal per volume on the order of 103–104 using silver- and gold-coated tips on various molecular, polymeric and semiconducting materials as well as on carbon nanotubes. We have experimentally verified localization of the enhancement to a depth of ∼20 nm. Most importantly, optimization of the polarization geometry makes possible a contrast between the near-field and far-field signals of 900% in the case of silicon—a level that makes the technique attractive for various applications. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Infrared Study of Strongly and Weakly Adsorbed CO2 on Fresh and Oxidatively Degraded Amine Sorbents

Abstract: CO2 adsorption on fresh and oxidatively degraded tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG-200) supported on amorphous silica (SiO2) was studied by diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS). Fresh TEPA sorbents adsorb CO2 in the form of ammonium ions, carbamates, and carbamic acid of which infrared features and binding strength strongly depend on the type of amine sites (i.e., primary or secondary) and their densities. CO2 adsorbed on the primary amine sites exhibited a strong IR intensity of carbamate in the 1680–1200 cm–1 region, and CO2 adsorbed on the secondary amine sites showed a high IR intensity of ammonium ion in the 2800–2100 cm–1 region. Oxidative degradation of the fresh sorbents in the presence of air at 100 °C for 12 h converted a high fraction of secondary amines in TEPA to amide and imide species, isolating the primary amine sites and decreasing the overall density of amines in the sorbent. The isolated primary amine sites of the degraded sorbent...

Suicide An Overview

Abstract: Suicide is a major mental health problem in the United States and an issue that significantly impacts the mental health treatment community. Although the suicide rate remains relatively stable, the discipline of counseling psychology has broadened in scope and work settings have diversified. Thus, counseling psychology trainees are increasingly exposed to suicidal clients. Despite this reality, research suggests that comprehensive, systematic training in suicidology in counseling psychology programs rarely occurs. One reason for this state of affairs may be that the suicide literature is spread across a variety of disciplines, making it difficult for educators and practitioners to stay informed about the knowledge base in suicidology. The purpose of this contribution, therefore, is to provide counseling psychology educators and practitioners with an overview of the field of suicidology as it applies to the training and practice of counseling psychology.

Power Flow Management of a Grid Tied PV-Battery System for Electric Vehicles Charging

Abstract: The prospective spread of electric vehicles (EV) and plug-in hybrid EV raises the need for fast charging rates. High required charging rates lead to high power demands, which may not be supported by the grid. In this paper, an optimal power flow technique of a PV-battery powered fast EV charging station is presented to continuously minimize the operation cost. The objective is to help the penetration of PV-battery systems into the grid and to support the growing need of fast EV charging. An optimization problem is formulated along with the required constraints and the operating cost function is chosen as a combination of electricity grid prices and the battery degradation cost. In the first stage of the proposed optimization procedure, an offline particle swarm optimization (PSO) is performed as a prediction layer. In the second stage, dynamic programming (DP) is performed as an online reactive management layer. Forecasted system data is utilized in both stages to find the optimal power management solution. In the reactive management layer, the outputs of the PSO are used to limit the available state trajectories used in the DP and, accordingly, improve the system computation time and efficiency. Online error compensation is implemented into the DP and fed back to the prediction layer for necessary prediction adjustments. Simulation and 1 kW prototype experimental results are successfully implemented to validate the system effectiveness and to demonstrate the benefits of using a hybrid grid tied system of PV-battery for fast EVs charging stations.