Studies the pressure and energy of particles interacting through a Lennard-Jones potential and correlates thermodynamical properties with system structural characteristics. Analyzes the relationships between computer simulated data and the van der Waals equation. (YP)

Supercomputing is described in terms of computing power and abilities. The increase in availability of supercomputers for use in chemical calculations and modeling are reported. Efforts of the National Science Foundation and Cray Research are highlighted. (CW)

Presents an overview of a computerized Decision Support System (DSS) for academic administrators. Following a discussion of its capabilities, the various components of a DSS are examined as well as the development tools needed. Examples follow of DSS in two universities, and various development and implementation issues are considered. (TE)

An Oregon Health Sciences University medical school experiment adapted the quarterly Objective Structured Clinical Examination, in which medical students interact with standardized patients, to accommodate 23 small groups rather than 94 individual students at each testing station. Results indicated the method favorably influenced students,…

Expert systems technology was applied to placement decisions of deaf and hard-of-hearing children. The application involved developing a model of how experts make placement decisions. The decisions of the expert system were found to agree with those of a majority of teachers in 90% of the cases. (DB)

Some ethical issues associated with use of disability simulations as a teaching tool in college-level courses on individuals with disabilities are discussed. Issues include maximizing authenticity of the experience, the value of confronting difficult situations; teacher responsibility to various constituencies, and relevance of simulations. (MSE)

Describes the PLUTO model, an interactive computer program designed for use in education and training of city planners and engineers. Emphasizes four issues: (1) the balance between realism and simplification; (2) the design of the user interface; (3) comparative advantages of group and solo working; and (4) factors affecting the decision to…

Examines three studies that investigated the use of technology in social studies education: (1) Project ICONS (International Communication and Negotiation Simulation) for college and high school students; (2) a study of sixth graders that used "Archaeotype," a computer simulation archaeological site; and (3) a decision-making study of…

Discusses the performance of a long-term intelligent training system for the U.S. Air Force, Sherlock I and II. The Sherlock systems have been effective, but their acceptance rate has not been high. An attempt is made to understand this paradox, and approaches for improving the systems' effectiveness are proposed. (Contains 19 references.) (JLB)

In response to the enormous changes taking place in the former Soviet Union, a growing number of Russian programs in American universities are developing business Russian courses. This article suggests simulation exercises and situational role plays as a foundation for integrating business-related materials into general language courses. (12…

Reports the results of a study that examined the patterns of interactions of high school student partners engaged in problem-solving activities while working through computer simulation activities in an astronomy lab. Observations, interviews with teachers and students, and a software program evaluation are discussed. (LRW)

Discusses the contexts where virtual reality (VR) training environments might be appropriate; examines the advantages and disadvantages of VR as a training technology; and presents a case study of a VR training environment used at the NASA Johnson Space Center in preparation for the repair of the Hubble Space Telescope. (AEF)

Examines Nickels's claim that interactive models of lexical access in speech production cannot account for naming data from a group of anomic patients. This paper reiterates that the behavior of connectionist models is not easily predictable without running the appropriate simulations, and discusses the role of frequency in lexical access in…

Simulated data are used to assess the appropriateness of using separate calibration and between-fit approaches to detecting item bias in the Rasch rating scale model. Results indicate that Type I error rates for the null distribution hold even when there are different ability levels for reference and focal groups. (SLD)

CPU SIM, an interactive low-level computer simulation package that runs on the Macintosh computer, is described. The program is designed for instructional use in the first or second year of undergraduate computer science, to teach various features of typical computer organization through hands-on exercises. (MSE)