4,362 research outputs found

    Graduate Catalog of Studies, 2023-2024

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    Researching animal research: What the humanities and social sciences can contribute to laboratory animal science and welfare

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    Every year around 80 million scientific procedures are carried out on animals globally. These experiments have the potential to generate new understandings of biology and clinical treatments. They also give rise to ongoing societal debate.This book demonstrates how the humanities and social sciences can contribute to understanding what is created through animal procedures - including constitutional forms of research governance, different institutional cultures of care, the professional careers of scientists and veterinarians, collaborations with patients and publics, and research animals, specially bred for experiments or surplus to requirements.Developing the idea of the animal research nexus, this book explores how connections and disconnections are made between these different elements, how these have reshaped each other historically, and how they configure the current practice and policy of UK animal research

    Improving Cross-Lingual Transfer Learning for Event Detection

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    The widespread adoption of applications powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) backbones has unquestionably changed the way we interact with the world around us. Applications such as automated personal assistants, automatic question answering, and machine-based translation systems have become mainstays of modern culture thanks to the recent considerable advances in Natural Language Processing (NLP) research. Nonetheless, with over 7000 spoken languages in the world, there still remain a considerable number of marginalized communities that are unable to benefit from these technological advancements largely due to the language they speak. Cross-Lingual Learning (CLL) looks to address this issue by transferring the knowledge acquired from a popular, high-resource source language (e.g., English, Chinese, or Spanish) to a less favored, lower-resourced target language (e.g., Urdu or Swahili). This dissertation leverages the Event Detection (ED) sub-task of Information Extraction (IE) as a testbed and presents three novel approaches that improve cross-lingual transfer learning from distinct perspectives: (1) direct knowledge transfer, (2) hybrid knowledge transfer, and (3) few-shot learning

    Graduate Catalog of Studies, 2023-2024

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    Climate Change and Critical Agrarian Studies

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    Climate change is perhaps the greatest threat to humanity today and plays out as a cruel engine of myriad forms of injustice, violence and destruction. The effects of climate change from human-made emissions of greenhouse gases are devastating and accelerating; yet are uncertain and uneven both in terms of geography and socio-economic impacts. Emerging from the dynamics of capitalism since the industrial revolution — as well as industrialisation under state-led socialism — the consequences of climate change are especially profound for the countryside and its inhabitants. The book interrogates the narratives and strategies that frame climate change and examines the institutionalised responses in agrarian settings, highlighting what exclusions and inclusions result. It explores how different people — in relation to class and other co-constituted axes of social difference such as gender, race, ethnicity, age and occupation — are affected by climate change, as well as the climate adaptation and mitigation responses being implemented in rural areas. The book in turn explores how climate change – and the responses to it - affect processes of social differentiation, trajectories of accumulation and in turn agrarian politics. Finally, the book examines what strategies are required to confront climate change, and the underlying political-economic dynamics that cause it, reflecting on what this means for agrarian struggles across the world. The 26 chapters in this volume explore how the relationship between capitalism and climate change plays out in the rural world and, in particular, the way agrarian struggles connect with the huge challenge of climate change. Through a huge variety of case studies alongside more conceptual chapters, the book makes the often-missing connection between climate change and critical agrarian studies. The book argues that making the connection between climate and agrarian justice is crucial

    A Critical Review Of Post-Secondary Education Writing During A 21st Century Education Revolution

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    Educational materials are effective instruments which provide information and report new discoveries uncovered by researchers in specific areas of academia. Higher education, like other education institutions, rely on instructional materials to inform its practice of educating adult learners. In post-secondary education, developmental English programs are tasked with meeting the needs of dynamic populations, thus there is a continuous need for research in this area to support its changing landscape. However, the majority of scholarly thought in this area centers on K-12 reading and writing. This paucity presents a phenomenon to the post-secondary community. This research study uses a qualitative content analysis to examine peer-reviewed journals from 2003-2017, developmental online websites, and a government issued document directed toward reforming post-secondary developmental education programs. These highly relevant sources aid educators in discovering informational support to apply best practices for student success. Developmental education serves the purpose of addressing literacy gaps for students transitioning to college-level work. The findings here illuminate the dearth of material offered to developmental educators. This study suggests the field of literacy research is fragmented and highlights an apparent blind spot in scholarly literature with regard to English writing instruction. This poses a quandary for post-secondary literacy researchers in the 21st century and establishes the necessity for the literacy research community to commit future scholarship toward equipping college educators teaching writing instruction to underprepared adult learners

    Nice Food, Good People : Technologies of subjectivity and class distinction in media texts about the right kind of food

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    MinkĂ€lainen ruoka mÀÀrittyy kulttuurissamme hyvĂ€ksi? Ruoka mÀÀritellÀÀn useimmiten hyvĂ€ksi koska se maistuu hyvĂ€ltĂ€, mutta ruoka voi olla hyvÀÀ myös muilla tavoin. Ruokaan liittyvĂ€t arvomÀÀritykset kiinnittyvĂ€t muodostamiimme moraalisiin arvostelmiin: siihen, millainen ruoka ansaitsee huomiomme tai hyvĂ€ksyntĂ€mme, minkĂ€laista ruokaa pidĂ€mme sosiaalisesti ja kulttuurisesti arvokkaana ja ennen kaikkea siihen, mÀÀritymmekö me itse hyviksi, arvokkaiksi ja legitiimeiksi kuluttamamme ruuan kautta. TĂ€ssĂ€ vĂ€itöskirjassa esitĂ€n, ettĂ€ ruuan kulttuurista diskurssia asuttavan subjektin arvo kietoutuu yhtÀÀltĂ€ kulttuuriseen erottautumiseen ja toisaalta itsen hallinnointiin. Tutkimuksessa pohdin, kuinka arvottaminen ja se liike, jonka kautta kuulumme jonnekin ja etÀÀnnymme jo(i)stakin muotoutuu ruuan kuluttamiseen kiinnittyvien merkitysten kautta. TĂ€mĂ€ vĂ€itöskirja lĂ€hestyy hyvÀÀ ruokaa eettisen syömisen ja terveellisen syömisen perspektiiveistĂ€. Eettiseen ja terveelliseen ruokaan kiinnittyy muun muassa luonnollisuuteen, puhtauteen ja elinkelpoisuuteen (fitness) viittaavia kulttuurisia arvostelmia, ja siten joitakin keskeisiĂ€ (ruoka)kulttuurisia kysymyksiĂ€ voi lĂ€hestyĂ€ niiden analyysin kautta. VĂ€itöskirjassa perehdyn eettisen syömisen merkityksiin luomua ja lĂ€hiruokaa kĂ€sitteleviĂ€ journalistisia tekstejĂ€ tarkastelemalla, ja analysoin ruokaa ja terveellisyyttĂ€ digitaalisten mediasisĂ€ltöjen wellness ruokaan keskittyvien aineistojen avulla. VĂ€itöskirjan neljĂ€ osajulkaisua avaavat monipuolisia nĂ€kökulmia mediavĂ€litteiseen ruokakulttuuriin ja sen tarjoamiin subjektiasemiin. EnsimmĂ€isessĂ€ tutkimusartikkelissa tutkin luomu- ja lĂ€hiruokaan Helsingin Sanomissa kiinnittyviĂ€ merkityksiĂ€ ja selvitĂ€n, minkĂ€laisin diskursiivisin keinoin ruoka mÀÀritellÀÀn luomuja lĂ€hiruokateksteissĂ€ kulttuurista arvostusta ansaitsevaksi, ja miten erityisesti autenttisuuden ja nostalgian diskurssit kietoutuvat aineiston teksteissĂ€ kulttuuriseen pÀÀomaan. Toinen artikkeli keskittyy Helsingin Sanomien uutisartikkeleihin ja niissĂ€ muodostuviin luokkamerkityksiin: artikkelissa tutkin, minkĂ€laisia kulttuurisia erontekoja luomu- ja lĂ€hiruokateksteissĂ€ tuotetaan, millaisiin luokkakulttuureihin eettisen ruoan kuluttaminen lehden diskursseissa kiinnittyy ja minkĂ€laisiin diskursiivisiin keinoihin nĂ€mĂ€ kĂ€ytĂ€nnöt nojaavat. Kolmas artikkeli uppoutuu wellness-ilmiöön liittyviin merkityksiin, ja analysoin artikkelissa wellness-kulttuuriin yhdistyviĂ€ ruokablogeja kiinnittĂ€en huomiota niihin minĂ€tekniikoihin, joiden keinoin ’ideaali wellness-yksilö’ blogiteksteissĂ€ rakentuu. NeljĂ€s ja viimeinen tutkimusartikkeli pureutuu digitaaliseen wellness-kulttuuriin analysoimalla Instagramin #womenswellness (pseudo)yhteisöÀ ja sen sisĂ€llöissĂ€ kierrĂ€tettyjĂ€ tunnesÀÀntöjĂ€ ja neuvoteltua naiseutta. Artikkeli kysyy, minkĂ€laisten tunteiden nĂ€yttĂ€miseen yhteisön tunnesÀÀnnöt kannustavat, ja miten nĂ€mĂ€ affektiiviset kĂ€ytĂ€nnöt kietoutuvat yhteen populaarimedian feminististen muodostelmien kanssa. NĂ€iden neljĂ€n tutkimusartikkelin puitteissa lĂ€hestyn aineistojani 1) sosiaalisen luokan (erityisesti keskiluokan) ja kulttuurisen erottautumisen sekĂ€ 2) hallinnallisuuden ja (sukupuolittuneisiin) subjektiviteetteihin liittyvien terveysaatteen (healthism) ja uusliberalismin kĂ€sitteiden kautta. Tarkoituksenani on tuoda työn yhteenvedossa yhteen edellĂ€ mainittuja teoreettisia nĂ€kökulmia ja niihin liittyviĂ€ tutkimusongelmia, ja siksi vĂ€itöskirjan yhteenvedossa lĂ€hestyn osatutkimuksia ja niissĂ€ tĂ€rkeĂ€ssĂ€ osassa olleita teoreettisia kehyksiĂ€ hyvĂ€n elĂ€mĂ€n kĂ€sitteen kautta. Tavoitteenani on vastata yhteenvedossa kysymykseen, jota voi pitÀÀ erÀÀnlaisena hyvÀÀ subjektia painottavana koosteena vĂ€itöskirjan analyyseista ja osatutkimusten monista tutkimuskysymyksistĂ€. Keskityn siten yhteenvedossa hyviin ihmisiin hyvĂ€n ruuan konteksteissa, kysyen: minkĂ€laisia arvokkaita subjekteja nykykulttuurin ruokadiskurssit tuottavat? Yhteenvedon lopussa esitĂ€n, ettĂ€ ruuan diskurssit kiinnittyvĂ€t hyvĂ€n elĂ€mĂ€n ideaaleihin ensinnĂ€kin tavoitellen jotakin, kurkottaen kohti edessĂ€ siintĂ€vÀÀ tĂ€ydellisyyttĂ€ (tĂ€ydellistĂ€ terveyttĂ€, kehoa, tasapainoa), ja toiseksi pyrkimĂ€llĂ€ turvaamaan hyvĂ€n ja huonon sekĂ€ hyvien ja huonojen ihmisten vĂ€liset etĂ€isyydet, jĂ€hmettĂ€en asemiinsa tiettyjen ruokien tai elĂ€mĂ€ntyylien kulttuurisen legitiimiyden ja toisenlaisten ruokien tai elĂ€mĂ€ntyylien epĂ€legitiimiyden. Hahmottelen yhteenvedossa neljĂ€ erilaista kulttuurista subjektiasemaa, joita analysoidut mediatekstit lukijalleen tarjoavat. NimeĂ€n nĂ€mĂ€ subjektiasemat hyvĂ€n maun subjektiksi, moraaliseksi subjektiksi, tasapainoiseksi subjektiksi sekĂ€ resilientiksi subjektiksi, ja pohdin sitĂ€, miten kulttuurinen erottautuminen, luokka ja sukupuoli kytkeytyvĂ€t subjektiasemiin aineistoissa erilaisin tavoin. VĂ€itöskirja tuo esiin, kuinka ruokaan kiinnittyvĂ€t makuarvostelmat ja subjektiasemat eivĂ€t mÀÀrity ensisijaisesti esimerkiksi valinnanvapauden tai itsen kehittĂ€misen kautta, ja kuinka ruuan diskursiiviset neuvottelut tuovat nĂ€kyviksi toimijoiden eriarvoisuuden suhteessa kulttuuriseen statukseen tai itsen toteuttamiseen. Analyysien perusteella voidaan todeta, ettĂ€ luokka ja sukupuoli mÀÀrittĂ€vĂ€t vahvasti sitĂ€, miten ja minkĂ€laisista lĂ€htökohdista hyvĂ€n elĂ€mĂ€n ideaalia yhteiskunnassamme tavoitellaan.What kind of food might be categorised as good in our contemporary society? Describing food as good most often means that it tastes good, however, food is evaluated as good in other ways as well. These evaluations touch upon the moral judgements we make: what kind of food is worthy of our attention and approval, what kind of food is deemed as socially and culturally legitimate, and, most importantly, whether the food we eat and the culinary lifestyles we aspire towards make us good, worthy or legitimate. I argue that evaluating the subject of mediated food discourse – be it ourselves or ‘the other’ – is entangled, firstly, with cultural distinction and secondly, with governing the self. In this dissertation, I ponder how evaluation, the movement through which we belong somewhere or turn away from something else is done through mediated meanings connected with food consumption. This dissertation approaches good food from the perspectives of ethical eating and healthy eating. Ethical and healthy food incorporate cultural evaluations connected with, for example, naturalness, pureness, cleanliness and fitness, and thus some of the central food-related judgements of goodness and legitimacy can be addressed through mediated meanings connected with ethicality and healthiness. In this dissertation, ethical eating is examined in terms of how organic and locally grown food (i.e., sustainable food) are framed in journalistic texts, and healthy eating is viewed through the wellness food culture of digital media. The four publications open multiple perspectives on the contemporary mediated food culture and the legitimate subjectivities inhabiting it. The first publication analyses the meanings connected with organic and local food in Helsingin Sanomat through an examination of texts that can be categorised as ‘lifestyle journalism’, asking how organic and local food are legitimised in the data, and how authenticity and nostalgia are deployed in connection with sustainable lifestyle. The second publication centres on Helsingin Sanomat news articles and the class-related meanings created there in connection with organic and local food. The paper asks what kind of cultural distinctions are produced in these journalistic texts, and through which discursive strategies ethical consumption becomes associated with and attached to different class cultures. The third publication delves into the cultural field of wellness, analysing the ways in which subjectivity is discursively produced in the blog content of three wellness food blogs run by women. The article seeks answers to the question of how, and through what kind of technologies of the self the ‘ideal wellness subject’ is created in the blog texts. Finally, the fourth publication examines digital wellness culture through an analysis of the #womenswellness intimate public of Instagram, concentrating on the affective practices observable in the food-related content of this intimate public and how gendered existence and popular feminism factor into the displays of feeling in that space. The paper asks what emotions are encouraged in the #womenswellness public of Instagram, and how these affective practices intertwine with contemporary configurations of feminism in popular media. In these four research articles I approach my data predominantly through theoretical discussions on 1) social class (especially the middle class) and cultural distinction as well as 2) governmentality and the (gendered) subjectivities related to healthist and neoliberal ‘sensibilities’. With the intention of bringing these scholarly discussions together, the introductory part of this dissertation reflects on the research articles and on their theoretical frameworks through the concept of ‘the good life’. As I endeavour to answer an overarching research question focusing on the good people behind the good food, this dissertation asks: What kind of a valuable subject is being produced in contemporary food discourses? I propose that mediated, everyday food discourses adhere to the good life through, firstly, aspiring towards something (a lifestyle or a state of being for example): reaching for a beacon glimmering in the distance, promising perfection and happiness if we only stretch our reach far enough. Secondly, these food discourses work to secure the symbolic distance between good and bad, solidifying and reaffirming the legitimacy of certain foodstuffs, practices and eaters and the illegitimate status of others. In the concluding section of this dissertation, I formulate four different subject positions that seem to be offered to the (right kind of) recipient in food-related media texts. These are the tasteful subject, the morally-righteous subject, the balanced subject and the resilient subject, all of which attach to cultural distinction, class and gender in different ways. This dissertation shows that the judgements and subject positions related to good food are not a matter of free choice or self-improvement, as the discursive negotiations relating to food depict how subjects are on unequal footing with regard to cultural status or possibilities for ‘selfactualisation’. On the basis of the analyses, what is evident is that formations of class and gender have a crucial bearing on from which positions and with what kind of stakes the good life is pursued to begin with

    A BIM - GIS Integrated Information Model Using Semantic Web and RDF Graph Databases

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    In recent years, 3D virtual indoor and outdoor urban modelling has become an essential geospatial information framework for civil and engineering applications such as emergency response, evacuation planning, and facility management. Building multi-sourced and multi-scale 3D urban models are in high demand among architects, engineers, and construction professionals to achieve these tasks and provide relevant information to decision support systems. Spatial modelling technologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are frequently used to meet such high demands. However, sharing data and information between these two domains is still challenging. At the same time, the semantic or syntactic strategies for inter-communication between BIM and GIS do not fully provide rich semantic and geometric information exchange of BIM into GIS or vice-versa. This research study proposes a novel approach for integrating BIM and GIS using semantic web technologies and Resources Description Framework (RDF) graph databases. The suggested solution's originality and novelty come from combining the advantages of integrating BIM and GIS models into a semantically unified data model using a semantic framework and ontology engineering approaches. The new model will be named Integrated Geospatial Information Model (IGIM). It is constructed through three stages. The first stage requires BIMRDF and GISRDF graphs generation from BIM and GIS datasets. Then graph integration from BIM and GIS semantic models creates IGIMRDF. Lastly, the information from IGIMRDF unified graph is filtered using a graph query language and graph data analytics tools. The linkage between BIMRDF and GISRDF is completed through SPARQL endpoints defined by queries using elements and entity classes with similar or complementary information from properties, relationships, and geometries from an ontology-matching process during model construction. The resulting model (or sub-model) can be managed in a graph database system and used in the backend as a data-tier serving web services feeding a front-tier domain-oriented application. A case study was designed, developed, and tested using the semantic integrated information model for validating the newly proposed solution, architecture, and performance

    2023-2024 Catalog

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    The 2023-2024 Governors State University Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog is a comprehensive listing of current information regarding:Degree RequirementsCourse OfferingsUndergraduate and Graduate Rules and Regulation

    Archaeological palaeoenvironmental archives: challenges and potential

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    This Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) sponsored collaborative doctoral project represents one of the most significant efforts to collate quantitative and qualitative data that can elucidate practices related to archaeological palaeoenvironmental archiving in England. The research has revealed that archived palaeoenvironmental remains are valuable resources for archaeological research and can clarify subjects that include the adoption and importation of exotic species, plant and insect invasion, human health and diet, and plant and animal husbandry practices. In addition to scientific research, archived palaeoenvironmental remains can provide evidence-based narratives of human resilience and climate change and offer evidence of the scientific process, making them ideal resources for public science engagement. These areas of potential have been realised at an imperative time; given that waterlogged palaeoenvironmental remains at significant sites such as Star Carr, Must Farm, and Flag Fen, archaeological deposits in towns and cities are at risk of decay due to climate change-related factors, and unsustainable agricultural practices. Innovative approaches to collecting and archiving palaeoenvironmental remains and maintaining existing archives will permit the creation of an accessible and thorough national resource that can service archaeologists and researchers in the related fields of biology and natural history. Furthermore, a concerted effort to recognise absences in archaeological archives, matched by an effort to supply these deficiencies, can produce a resource that can contribute to an enduring geographical and temporal record of England's biodiversity, which can be used in perpetuity in the face of diminishing archaeological and contemporary natural resources. To realise these opportunities, particular challenges must be overcome. The most prominent of these include inconsistent collection policies resulting from pressures associated with shortages in storage capacity and declining specialist knowledge in museums and repositories combined with variable curation practices. Many of these challenges can be resolved by developing a dedicated storage facility that can focus on the ongoing conservation and curation of palaeoenvironmental remains. Combined with an OASIS + module designed to handle and disseminate data pertaining to palaeoenvironmental archives, remains would be findable, accessible, and interoperable with biological archives and collections worldwide. Providing a national centre for curating palaeoenvironmental remains and a dedicated digital repository will require significant funding. Funding sources could be identified through collaboration with other disciplines. If sufficient funding cannot be identified, options that would require less financial investment, such as high-level archive audits and the production of guidance documents, will be able to assist all stakeholders with the improved curation, management, and promotion of the archived resource
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