Goal Achievement in Classical Stoicism and Modern $toicism

Many claim the philosophy of Stoicism is useful for goal achievement, suggesting it is conducive to productivity and success. However, classical Stoicism is directly opposed to goal-achievement mentalities. While Stoicism focuses primarily on developing a certain standard of moral character regardless of external circumstances, this modern goal-orientation focuses exclusively on external achievements, most often toward financial ends. Thus, I distinguish the two as Stoicism in the former and $toicism in the latter. I discuss key differences in how the two views approach goal achievement, revealing that modern$toicism is not a revival but a misrepresentation of classical Stoicism

What Wouldn't Robin Do? The Hacker as Outlaw in Conquests of the Longbow: The Legend of Robin Hood

This essay explores how burgeoning gaming communities and hacker networks of the 1970s to the 1990s created a form of “outlaw” ethics that directly invoked Robin Hood as a model for anti-corporate resistance. Gamers and hackers sought to relieve popular anxieties related to digital high technology by figuring hacking as a means through which defiant individuals could revive a revolutionary heroism from a fictional medieval past. This link between rogue technology use and medievalism is apparent in the gameplay of Christy Marx’s 1991 video game Conquests of the Longbow: The Legend of Robin Hood; however, Marx’s use of in-game anti-piracy tactics signals an ironic allegiance with the high-tech capitalism that players would expect Robin Hood to subvert. In framing their discussion of hackers’ “outlaw” ethics with a critical analysis of how Marx’s game complicates these ethics, the authors of this essay reveal the extent to which medievalisms have shaped modern perceptions of technology

“Finding Home- Migration, Exile, and Diaspora in Our Lives” Introduction

Migration studies is a complex field that seeks to understand the emotional and social effects on individuals and communities as well as the broader economic, political, and cultural impacts of migration and exile. It studies migrants, countries that the individuals migrate to, and the countries and cultures they come from, creating an incredibly complicated and ever-evolving field. According to Peter Scholten et al., “It is an inherently pluralistic field, bringing often fundamentally different theoretical perspectives on key topics” (4). The methods they use range from “ethnographic f ieldwork with specific migrant communities to large-n quantitative analyses of the relation between economics and migration” (4). These different—and often contradictory—perspectives create a field of study that is very diverse and complicated. It has been extensively developed in a variety of disciplines including, but not limited to: sociology, political science, anthropology, geography, and law and economics

Activist Tiered Systems of Support (ATSS) Framework: An Ecosystem of Care and Well-Being for Student and Athlete Activists

The re-emergence of the convergence of sports and activism highlights athletes' roles as advocates for social justice, reflecting their engagement with complex dynamics that intertwine their public personas, personal beliefs, and the socio-political context. This intersection presents unique challenges, especially for athletes of marginalized communities, who must navigate the compounded pressures of visibility, and personal conviction, thereby impacting their mental well-being. Recognizing the need for specialized support, this paper introduces the Activism Tiered Systems of Support (ATSS) framework. The ATSS draws inspiration from the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) used in educational settings (Sailor et al., 2020; Roth and Erbacher, 2021) and is enriched by the insights of Critical Race Theory (Crenshaw, 1989; Delgado & Stefancic, 1993; Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995), Black Athlete Activist Leadership Model (BAAL) (George-Williams, 2019), The Activism Growth Model (George-Williams, 2021), the Racial Identity Development Model (Tatum, 1992) and the Sexual Identity Development Model (Cass, 1984). The ATSS framework aims to provide comprehensive mental health support tailored to athlete activists, fostering resilience, and enabling their success in sports and activism.  This paper seeks to establish a foundation for sustained athlete engagement in activism, ensuring they are equipped to face the challenges and leverage their platforms effectively

Where is Social Work? An Exploration of the Scholarship on the Impact of Name Image and Likeness in College Athletics

This paper examines disciplines of those engaged in research regarding the impact of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) on college athletes. The authors reviewed scholarly articles published from July 2019, which marks the beginning of the Pay to Play Act, until November 2023, examining the first author's discipline and the type of research completed. The study found that most of the research on NIL has come from the law profession (56%) and sports management (17%) and that only 14% involved actual primary data collection. No NIL research was found within social work scholarship. The authors outline a case for the inclusion of social work in NIL space, given the profession's long and rich history in social justice. The authors also argue from a social-ecological perspective that there is an urgent need for social work to actively engage in NIL research, given its potential to impact the lives of college athletes significantl

Objective Lens: Insect antimicrobial peptides as a promising source for antibiotic “substitutes”

Currently, at least 2.8 million infections and over 700,000 deaths are reported from AMR bacterial infections globally (1,2). If no new antibiotics are isolated and made available by 2050, the CDC estimates that 10 million annual deaths will occur globally as a result of this inaction (5,8). Yet, surprisingly few have even heard of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, or understand the implications for global health. In fact, no new classes of antibiotics have been developed to treat microbial infections in well over 30 years, as pharmaceutical companies have instead pursued research and development of more lucrative drugs for non-infectious diseases. Since this trend is likely to continue into the foreseeable future, this crisis must be addressed using alternative creative approaches. Unfortunately, this problem is exacerbated poor antibiotic stewardship practices by healthcare providers and consumers for decades. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial and fungal pathogens to be one of the principal threats to global public health (5,7-9)

Introduction to Special Education Policy for Higher Education Faculty

Policy plays a crucial role in shaping special education practices. It is essential that special education professionals, particularly those in higher education, understand the policies that shape programs and practices and take an active role in their ongoing development. This article will provide historical context for special education law and policy. The authors also emphasize key components at the local, state, and federal levels. Finally, the article will highlight the critical role of higher education faculty engagement in policy development and implementation, including actionable steps for faculty to undertake

Analyzing selected FDA approved drugs for effects on template switch mutagenesis in E. coli

Quasipalindromes (QPs) are DNA sequences that are imperfectly mirrored, known to form secondary structures like hairpins and cruciforms. These sites have been linked with a specific type of mutation called template-switch mutation (TSM). Certain drugs like 5-azaC, AZT, and ciprofloxacin are known to induce TSM. This study aims to assess the impact of five FDA-approved drugs—three antitumor drugs (CPT-11, Doxorubicin hydrochloride, and Gemcitabine hydrochloride) and two anti-inflammatories (Ibuprofen and Dexamethasone)—on template-switch mutagenesis. The findings reveal no statistically significant effects on frequency of mutations after treatment with Gemcitabine hydrochloride, Ibuprofen, Dexamethasone, or Doxorubicin hydrochloride. However, CPT-11 treatment showed a notable decrease in TSM, suggesting a potential role in disrupting the template-switching process

ChatGPT and World History Essays: An Assignment and its Insights into the Coloniality of Generative AI

This article describes an assignment used in a 100-level college world history class that requires students to produce history essays using ChatGPT and then annotate and assess those essays according to how well they analyze topics covered in the course. The article first demonstrates how the assignment has proved a useful tool in promoting student learning objectives and assessing their mastery of course content. The second section of the article offers quantitative analysis of the content of the 57 ChatGPT essays submitted by students in the spring semester of 2023. That data demonstrates that ChatGPT produces history essays with a strong Eurocentric and Anglocentric bias. This essay thus has two conclusions: first, that ChatGPT can productively be used in a college history course to encourage student learning and critical thinking. Second, that it is imperative for educators to impart to our students the significant limitations of generative AI’s knowledge-production abilities, as algorithms trained on large language models (LLMs) reproduce historic inequalities

Finding the Cheapest Way to Build a Graph

The Concept Reinforcement Problem is a graph optimization problem introduced by Novikoff. One seeks to build a graph G vertex by vertex in the cheapest way possible for that graph. The cost function for each vertex is a positive, decreasing, convex function where the input is determined by the number of neighbors already built. We solve this problem for a variety of different graphs such as simple connected small-sized graphs, trees, cycles, wheels, grid graphs, ladder graphs, and complete bipartite graphs