Creativity, dialogue, and place: Vitebsk, the early Bakhtin and the origins of the Russian avant-garde

This paper attempts to avoid both the ‘Bakhtinology’ that has become the basis of the ‘Bakhtin industry’ in Russia and the Americanization of his work as a “a sort of New Left celebrator of popular culture” (McLemee, 1997) to argue for a radical contextual understanding a set of relationships among Bakhtin, Malevich, Chagall and others. The appreciation of a Bakhtinian notion of the inherently creative use of language is used as a basis for the idea of the creative university as the ‘dialogical university’. The paper begins by exploring the connections between Bakhtin, Malevich and Chagall to explore the ontological sociality of artistic phenomena. A small town called Vitebsk in Belorussia experienced a flowering of creativity and artistic energy that led to significant modernist experimentation in the years 1917-1922 contribution to the birth of the Russian avant-garde. Marc Chagall, returning from the October Revolution took up the position of art commissioner and developed an academy of art that became the laboratory for Russian modernism. Chagall’s Academy, Bahktin’s Circle, Malevich’s experiments, artistic group UNOVIS, all in fierce dialogue with one another made the town of Vitebsk into an artistic crucible in the early twentieth century transforming creative energies of Russian drama, music, theatre, art, and philosophy in a distinctive contribution to modernism and also to a social understanding of creativity itself

Synthesis and Characterization of Cobalt-Based Complexes and Metal-Organic Frameworks for Hydrogen Evolution Catalysis Under Acidic Conditions

The synthesis of two cobalt(II) complexes: the novel complex [Co(phen)₃]₂[Co(pytc)₂]•16.25H₂O 1 and the previously reported [Co(bpy)₃](OH)₂•7H₂O 2, along with a cobalt(II/III)-containing MOF, Co-PPF2, previously reported as well, was achieved. These complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, X-ray crystallography, microscopy, conductivity measurements, TGA, SEM, CV , and UV-visible , and FTIR spectroscopies. From the CV scan rates, diffusion coefficients for complexes 1 and 2 were determined to be 1.0 × 10−6 cm2 s−1 and 4.8 × 10−7 cm2 s−1. Electrocatalytic studies with complexes 1 and 2 revealed insights into the mechanistic aspects of hydrogen evolution and the influence of acid strength on catalytic performance utilizing p-cyanoanilinium tetrafluoroborate, p-toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate, trifluoroacetic acid, and acetic acid by using DMSO and DMF:H2O (90:10, v/v). Under homogeneous photocatalytic conditions, the maximum turnover frequency (TOFmax) for complex 1 was 1118 min-1 in DMF:H2O (90:10, v/v) and 1038 min-1 in DMF:H2O (50:50, v/v), with turnover numbers (TON) of 41 and 16, respectively. Meanwhile, under heterogeneous photocatalytic conditions, Co-PPF2 exhibited a TOFmax of 2361 min-1 and a TON of 60 in DMF:H2O (50:50, v/v). The reduction of sodium bromate (NaBrO3) by [Co(dmgBF2)2(OH2)2] (where dmgBF2 = difluoroboryldimethylglyoximato) was investigated in hydrochloric and nitric acids. Analytical studies were carried out via gravimetric analysis and UV-visible spectrophotometry. In the gravimetric analysis, a 0.100 M AgNO3 solution was added to the HCl-acidified reaction mixture, forming a precipitate of AgX (X = halide). The gravimetric analysis proved that sodium bromate was reduced to from quantitative amounts of sodium bromide in the presence of hydrochloric acid. Through simulated stoichiometric calculations, the amount of AgBr that precipitated gave a yield of 98 ± 1%. Biochar was used to sequester the complex from the reaction mixture and to neutralize the acidic media. The UV-visible data confirmed the sequestration of the complex from the reaction mixture after exposure to the biochar. The collected pH data proved a direct relationship between pH and the amount of biochar used in the form of a titration curve. These findings demonstrate the efficiency of using biochar in the sequestration and neutralization process

When Goods Become Gods: Fractured Identities and the Call for Safe Spaces in Sports

What is the relationship between identity, idolatry, wholeness, and community? What are the ways in which sports culture bolsters or misdirects God-given identity? How can leaders in sports cultivate authentic, loving community that provides athletes safe spaces to explore and discern messages from the world and truth from God? In this paper, we will explore existential questions such as these. First, we will describe how identity is inherently physiological, psychological, social, and spiritual, developing subconsciously through explicit and implicit messaging. Then, we will explore the ways in which sports – organized play, human creation, and a good gift from God – can become an idol, and how idolatry both stems from and perpetuates fragmented identity. Next, we will explain what a life of wholeness means for sportspeople. Lastly, we will conclude with recommendations for leaders in sports to provide authentic and safe communities driven by love and faithfulness

Introduction: Reading Bakhtin educationally

Reading Bakhtin is a literary experience that leaves the reader gasping for air yet wanting more. His ideas are elusive, foreign, and dark, while at the same time alluring, hopeful, and joyous. To read Bakhtin and the work of other members of his circle calls the reader to a place of instability and confusion-not only in reading the seemingly contradictory nature of the text and grappling with translated misunderstandings, but also in grasping the Aesopian style of writing that characterizes his work. We offer this collection as a starting point to explore and perhaps even exploit some of the ramifications of Bakhtin's dialogic work; and in doing so consider its relevance for educational theory, practice, and policy across the globe. We welcome the potential for dialogical engagement within this collection by educationalists and others, and look forward to the resulting dialogues-pedagogies and policy encounters-this book will, hopefully, invoke

Chandra Observation of the Radio Source / X-ray Gas Interaction in the Cooling Flow Cluster Abell 2052

We present a Chandra observation of Abell 2052, a cooling flow cluster with a central cD that hosts the complex radio source 3C 317. The data reveal ``holes'' in the X-ray emission that are coincident with the radio lobes. The holes are surrounded by bright ``shells'' of X-ray emission. The data are consistent with the radio source displacing and compressing, and at the same time being confined by, the X-ray gas. The compression of the X-ray shells appears to have been relatively gentle and, at most, slightly transonic. The pressure in the X-ray gas (the shells and surrounding cooler gas) is approximately an order of magnitude higher than the minimum pressure derived for the radio source, suggesting that an additional source of pressure is needed to support the radio plasma. The compression of the X-ray shells has speeded up the cooling of the shells, and optical emission line filaments are found coincident with the brightest regions of the shells.Comment: accepted for publication in ApJ Letters; for high-resolution color figures, see http://www.astro.virginia.edu/~elb6n/abell2052.htm

The Role of GIS to Enable Public-Sector Decision Making Under Conditions of Uncertainty

Uncertainty is inherent in environmental planning and decision making. For example, water managers in arid regions are attuned to the uncertainty of water supply due to prolonged periods of drought. To contend with multiple sources and forms of uncertainty, resource managers implement strategies and tools to aid in the exploration and interpretation of data and scenarios. Various GIS capabilities, such as statistical analysis, modeling and visualization are available to decision makers who face the challenge of making decisions under conditions of deep uncertainty. While significant research has lead to the inclusion and representation of uncertainty in GIS, existing GIS literature does not address how decision makers implement and utilize GIS as an assistive technology to contend with deep uncertainty. We address this gap through a case study of water managers in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, examining how they engage with GIS in making decisions and coping with uncertainty. Findings of a qualitative analysis of water mangers reveal the need to distinguish between implicit and explicit uncertainty. Implicit uncertainty is linked to the decision-making process, and while understood, it is not displayed or revealed separately from the data. In contrast, explicit uncertainty is conceived as separate from the process and is something that can be described or displayed. Developed from twelve interviews with Phoenix-area water managers in 2005, these distinctions of uncertainty clarify the use of GIS in decision making. Findings show that managers use the products of GIS for exploring uncertainty (e.g., cartographic products). Uncertainty visualization emerged as a current practice, but definitions of what constitutes such visualizations were not consistent across decision makers. Additionally, uncertainty was a common and even sometimes helpful element of decision making; rather than being a hindrance, it is seen as an essential component of the process. These findings contradict prior research relating to uncertainty visualization where decision makers often express discomfort with the presence of uncertainty.

Form Follows Function: Adapting the Strength Model to Facilitate Implementation and Sustainability

Case management is a common social service intervention that has been applied across a range of disciplines, populations, and types of organizations. Despite its widespread use, the activities constituting case management are often poorly specified (Lukersmith, Millington, & Salvador-Carulla, 2016). The Strengths Model is an important exception—not only does it offer a structured approach to service delivery, but it provides enough flexibility to facilitate implementation and support sustainability. The goal of this chapter is to help practitioners think creatively about implementation, so they can meet the needs of their organization while remaining true to the core components of the Strengths Model. In the first part of this chapter, we discuss the delicate balance between implementing a model to fidelity and mak- ing adaptations to address organizational barriers and constraints, highlighting some of the prior modifications made to the Strengths Model to ease implementation. In the second part of the chapter, we describe one agency’s approach to implementa- tion, the structural adaptations staff made to the Strengths Model, and the benefits and challenges associated with their approach

Student Choice During Silent Solitude: An Examination of Reading Motivation in an Urban Elementary School

This study was designed to examine differences in students’ reading motivation based on the frequencies with which they choose to read over other options. A modified version of the Motivation for Reading Questionnaire (MRQ; Wigfield & Guthrie, 1997), using four of the eleven categories it was designed to assess including Challenge, Self- Efficacy, Reading Importance and Reading Curiosity. The students were also observed inside the classroom by their teaching staff and their choices were recorded on a Behavioral Analysis Checklist during a structured silent break in their day. The students also indicated whether they felt more confident in reading activities or to engage in others such as math or art. Exploratory factor analysis will demonstrate reliability of the four factors under examination. Students who chose to read over other activities compared to children who did not report minimally statistically significant differences in their perceptions of reading importance or their curiosity to the task of reading. Students who chose to read over other activities did report moderately statistically significant higher perception of their own efficacy and in their desire to pursue reading challenges. These results suggest that teachers can maximize motivation to pursue reading activity by selecting passages that will challenge the readers skills and put less emphasis on the topic as students report no distinction in their curiosity levels based on subject. Classroom instruction can be tailored to identify the skills that students do not feel effective in, and teachers can use those tools to further encourage motivation to pursue challenging reading tasks

Economic Development and Public Transit: Making the Most of the Washington Growth Management Act

Rapid and unplanned urban growth in the urbanizing and rural fringe areas of the United States has led to numerous problems for state, local, and regional governments. In particular, six crises are readily identifiable, each of which threatens to undermine quality of life and local competitive economic advantage. These crises include the following: (1) deterioration of central cities, first-ring suburbs, and closer-in neighborhoods, resulting in depopulation and abandonment of housing and the employment base; (2) spiraling suburban sprawl, creating massive infrastructure as well as energy costs; (3) loss of prime agricultural lands; (4) environmental crises and threats to open space, air and water quality, environmentally sensitive lands, and natural resources; (5) transportation congestion and resultant loss of quality of life; and (6) inflating cost of housing and its effect on affordable housing. These problems do not lend themselves to facile solutions or quick fixes; they must be addressed through the development and application of comprehensive state and regional growth management plans. This Article explores the history and development of growth management and delineates how growth management planning for the Washington Puget Sound region can be effectively implemented to provide a comprehensive system for attaining environmental and transit objectives

The Developement of an Educational Program in Iowa State Parks

The first state park was created in 1918; consequently the state park educational program is of recent development. Although the educational program and the development of a park system by the state is relatively new, the idea of state-owned lands for recreational purposes is almost as old as our statehood. T. S. Parvin, registrar of lands back in the fifties, advocated in one of his reports that the state should buy a large tract of land in Des Moines to preserve the statehouse ground, for in time the state would need it for recreational purposes. It is evident now that Parvin was at least a half century ahead of his time, because the act providing for the establishment of state parks was passed by the Thirty-seventh General Assembly in 1917