Schwarz-Weiß im Dunkeln. Zur Aushandlung von Gender, Hautfarbe und Ethnizität in Kölner Tanzclubs

Bei der vorliegenden Arbeit von Sonja Esters, die von Frau Prof. Dorothea Schulz betreut wurde, handelt es sich um eine Ethnographie Kölner Nachtclubs und Lokale, in denen Schwarze Männer und Weiße Frauen Kontakt miteinander aufnehmen. Sie beschreibt wie diese Orts-und ‚Nachtzeit‘-spezifischen Normen der sozialen Interaktion gesellschaftliche Machtverhältnisse, insbesondere in Bezug auf geschlechtsspezifische und ethnisch markierte Differenz, wiederspiegeln, reproduzieren und/oder in Frage stellen. Diese Fragestellung ist hochaktuell und die zu ihrer Bearbeitung vorgeschlagene Forschungsperspektive innovativ, da sie neben den Themen Rassismus und Illegalität auch die Themen Migration, europäische Diaspora, Globalisierung berührt und sie darüber hinaus Ansätze aus der Critical-Whiteness-Debatte und die ‚Bourdieuschen Konzepte der ‚Distinktion‘ und des ‚Geschmacks‘ bei der Erfassung einer nächtlichen ‚Ökonomie‘ der Gefühle und der sexuellen Anziehung einsetzt. Zudem verspricht die Arbeit, einen wichtigen Beitrag zu einer – bisher kaum existierenden – Ethnologie des städtischen Nachtlebens beizutragen. Ausgehend von der Feststellung, dass es kaum empirisch fundierte Arbeiten zur Situation afrikanischer MigrantInnen in Deutschland gebe, kritisiert Sonja Esters überzeugend die kulturalistischen Tendenzen, die vielen soziologischen Arbeiten zu interethnischen Partnerschaften zugrunde liegen und sich in der (nicht problematisierten) Annahme von feststehenden kulturspezifischen Identitäten zeigen. Dagegen begründet die Autorin die beobachteten Praktiken aus einer machtkritischen Perspektive. Unter Rückgriff auf Nagels Begriff der ‚ethnosexual frontiers‘ argumentiert Esters, dass die beobachteten Praktiken vor dem Hintergrund eines hegemonialen gesellschaftlichen Diskurses stattfinden, der farb- und genderspezifische Rollenerwartungen und Handlungsmöglichkeiten festlegt bzw. vorstrukturiert. Als eine Arbeit, die wissenschaftliche Debatten zur Konstruktion von Männlichkeit, Ethnizität mit den ‚Critical Whiteness Studies‘ einerseits, und Cultural Studies Ansätzen in der Tradition der ‚Birmingham Cultural Studies School‘ andererseits zusammenbringt, zeigt diese Magisterarbeit, wie eine ethnologische Feldforschung, die im multikulturellen Köln angesiedelt ist, empirisch fundiert zur sozialwissenschaftlichen Ansätzen innerhalb der Diaspora Studies beitragen kann

Factors that Impact Successful Student Achievement in Post-Secondary Online Courses

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant differences in students based of education demographics and what factors contributed to the successful completion of online courses for postsecondary education students. Specifically, this study sought to determine if there was a significant difference between certain educational demographics (gender, race, classification, course, and professor) and grade; a significant relationship between specific online course features (availability of chat, videos, discussion boards, and video conferences) and grade; a significant relationship between certain student behaviors (location of access, time to complete assignments, interaction with content, frequency of access, interaction with instructor, and interaction with students) and grade; and students’ perception and grades. A Kruskal-Wallis analysis was conducted to analyze differences within and between groups by educational demographics. Spearman Rho’s Correlations were computed to examine if a significant relationship existed between the aforementioned independent variables and the dependent variable of students’ grades. After the data were collected and analyzed, the findings showed that there were no statistically significant differences among students who completed online courses. There was no statistically significant relationships between the independent variables and students’ grades

An analysis of the methods used to calculate the emissions of rolling stock in the UK

The aim of this paper is to analyse and compare the methods used for calculating emissions of UK rolling stock based on their type and mode of operation. The three modes under comparison were; diesel, electric and bi-mode. As well as comparing these three modes of operation, a comparison between Conventional, Freight and High Speed Rail was made. Alternate fuels were considered for diesel and bi-mode locomotives and compared based on their environmental impact. The emissions of trains were studied using three methods. Specifically, the three chosen methods were used to calculate the emissions of each train and a comparison of these methods was made. In the current UK energy climate, diesel trains emit less emissions than electric trains when factoring in mechanical and air resistances. Bi-mode trains have their place in the UK network but with electrification of the network currently in place, this mode of operation will become redundant in the near future. High Speed Rail, although time efficient, releases high emissions due to energy consumption increasing with the square of speed. Alternative fuels, such as biodiesel, should be a consideration for the future of rail, as emissions fall dramatically with content of biodiesel in fuel blends

Fluorinated esters of polycarboxylic acids

Fluorine containing esters of polycarboxylic acids are discussed. The use of these esters as extreme temperature lubricants and base fluids for greases is investigated

Descriptors for terpene esters from chromatographic and partition measurements: Estimation of human odor detection thresholds

We have used gas chromatographic retention data together with other data to obtain Abraham descriptors for 30 terpene esters. These include the air-water partition coefficient, as log Kw, for which no experimental values are available for any terpene ester. The other descriptors are the ester dipolarity, S, the hydrogen bond basicity, B, (the ester hydrogen bond acidity is zero for the esters studied), and L the logarithm of the air-hexadecane partition coefficient. Both S and B are larger than those for simple aliphatic esters, as expected from the terpene ester structures that include ring systems and ethylenic double bonds. These descriptors can then be used to obtain a large number of physicochemical and environmental properties of terpene esters. We have analyzed experimental results on human odor detection thresholds and have constructed another equation for the calculation of these thresholds, to go with a previous equation that we have reported. Then the descriptors for terpene esters can be used to estimate the important odor detection thresholds

Wear prevention characteristics of binary oil mixtures

This work presents the results of wear prevention tests carried out with mixtures of a polyalphaolefin (PAO 6) and two esters (TMP-05 and Sunflower oil, SO), on a four-ball machine tester. Results show that esters are excellent wear reducers when they are mixed with a low viscosity polyalphaolefin. The optimum ester percentages in PAO 6 were 5% and 15% for TMP-05 and SO, respectively. Better results than in pure PAO 6 occurred in all mixtures. The addition of esters (less than 15%) to PAO 6 hardly changed volume viscosity

Separator for alkaline batteries and method of making same

The preparation of membranes suitable for use as separators in concentrated alkaline battery cells by selective solvolysis of copolymers of methacrylate esters with acrylate esters followed by addition of a base and to the resultant products is described. The method of making copolymers by first copolymerizing a methacrylate ester (or esters) with a more readily hydrolyzable ester, followed by a selective saponification whereby the methacrylate ester moieties remain essentially intact and the readily hydrolyzable ester moiety is suponified and to the partial or complete neutralization of the relatively brittle copolymer acid with a base to make membranes which are sufficiently flexible in the dry state so that they may be wrapped around electrodes without damage by handling is described