LIFTING AS WE CLIMB: EXPERIENCES OF BLACK DIVERSITY OFFICERS AT THREE PREDOMINANTLY WHITE INSTITUTIONS IN KENTUCKY

Recently, colleges and universities across the country have created executive level positions responsible for institutional diversity. The origins of this work within higher education lay in the civil rights movements and its consequences for desegregation of higher education. Early diversity officer positions usually resided within student affairs. However, as the responsibilities of these offices have changed, the reporting lines have also changed such that diversity officers are now commonly situated within academic affairs. This exploratory study examines these administrative positions responsible for diversity at southern white institutions. The research takes an in-depth look at how these positions have shifted over time and how people who hold these positions understand their work. This study presents an analysis of nine personal narratives of diversity officers at three predominantly white institutions in Kentucky from the early 1970s to the present. Counterstories, or stories that challenge majority accounts, are used to elicit the experiences of the black diversity officers. The analysis uses critical race theory to begin telling stories that have been muted. Pigeonholing and its relevance to the counterstories of the administrators are discussed to contextualize the administrators’ experiences at predominantly white institutions. The shift in responsibilities and reporting lines and changes in required credentials resulted in tensions, including intraracial tensions, among the diversity officers. Despite the tensions between generations of officers, these administrators shared a common interest in racial uplift. This was evident as they discussed what attracted them to positions responsible for diversity. In the past, scholars writing on black diversity officers suggested that the positions were the result of tokenism; however, administrators holding these positions view themselves and their roles as an opportunity to help others on their educational journeys

Influência do clima sobre as principais fontes renováveis de energia em Portugal e Brasil: passado, presente e futuro

Mediante as mudanças climáticas, sejam elas causadas de forma natural ou em decorrência das ações antrópicas, têm-se observado alterações no comportamento do ciclo hidrológico, assim como dos recursos naturais capazes de prover energia nas suas mais diferentes formas. Desse modo, o objetivo deste estudo consiste em analisar o nexus existente entre clima, água e energia, com enfoque nos países Portugal e Brasil. Para tanto, foram realizados testes e análises que demonstram a disponibilidade eólica sazonal para os dezoito Distritos de Portugal Continental, bem como a disponibilidade hídrica e hidrelétrica para a Bacia do Rio São Francisco Estendido (BRSFE) no Brasil. As análises realizadas para Portugal foram: a decomposição dos ventos em componentes zonal e meridional (para as alturas de 10 m e 80 m); Rosa dos Ventos, Frequência Acumulada e Distribuição de Weibull (para a altura de 80 m). Para a BRSFE no Brasil, foram realizadas as seguintes análises: aplicação de métodos clássicos como Média Móvel, Regressão Linear e teste de Mann-Kendall Sen em dados de precipitação e vazão natural; geração do espectro de ondeletas globais e de potência (Wavelets) para anomalias na vazão natural e em índices climáticos atuantes; formulação de curvas de duração de frequência das vazões naturais, suas respectivas vazões de garantia Q90, e a simulação das garantias de disponibilidade de água para usuários consuntivos; cálculo da energia hidrelétrica gerada em usinas inseridas na região em estudo. De forma conjunta, também foi feita uma análise sobre as perspectivas energéticas atuais e futuras para Portugal e Brasil, com projeções de demandas de consumo de água e energia, possibilidade de expansão do setor energético através das diferentes fontes renováveis, dificuldades a serem enfrentadas para atingirem seus objetivos e possíveis cooperações entre os países. Os resultados demonstram, em Portugal, ventos com maior frequência de ocorrência advindos do Sul, com velocidades que variam principalmente entre 2 m/s e 4 m/s, e com maior densidade de potência eólica na região Sul de Portugal. O Brasil, por sua vez, apresentou resultados que mostram alguma influência de fenômenos climáticos que colaboram com episódios de escassez de água e redução da geração de energia hidrelétrica para a Bacia em estudo. As demandas de água e energia deverão continuar a crescer no Brasil, enquanto que Portugal necessitará diminuir sua dependência energética de outros países, o que faz com que ambos necessitem expandir suas matrizes energéticas através de fontes renováveis. Os resultados das análises também demonstram que Portugal e Brasil possuem potencial para essa expansão, mas para isso precisarão investir em planejamento, cooperação e ações mitigatórias, no horizonte de médio e longo prazo, a fim de atingirem seus objetivos mesmo frente às incertezas futuras.Climate changes, whether caused naturally or as a result of anthropic actions, have affected the behavior of the hydrological cycle and natural resources used for providing energy in its most different forms. Thus, the objective of this study is to analyze the existing nexus between climate, water, and energy, focusing on Portugal and Brazil. To do so, tests and analyses were carried out, which demonstrated the seasonal wind availability for the eighteen Districts of Mainland Portugal, as well as the water and hydroelectric availability for the São Francisco Extended River Basin (BRSFE) in Brazil. The analyses carried out for Portugal were: the decomposition of the winds into zonal and southern components (for heights of 10 m and 80 m); Compass Rose, Accumulated Frequency and Weibull Distribution (for the height of 80 m). For BRSFE in Brazil, the following analyzes were carried out: application of classic methods such as Moving Average, Linear Regression and Mann-Kendall Sen test on rainfall and natural flow data; generation of the spectrum of global and power wavelets for anomalies in the natural flow and in active climatic indexes; formulation of frequency duration curves for natural flows, their respective Q90 guarantee flows, and the simulation of water availability guarantees for consumptive users; calculation of hydroelectric energy generated in plants located in the region under study. An analysis was also made of the current and future energy prospects for Portugal and Brazil, with projections of water and energy consumption demands, the possibility of expanding the energy sector through different renewable sources, difficulties to be faced in achieving its objectives and possible cooperation between countries. The results show, in Portugal, winds with a higher frequency of occurrence coming from the South, with speeds that vary mainly between 2 m / s and 4 m / s, and with a higher density of wind power in the South of Portugal. Brazil, in turn, showed results that show some influence of climatic phenomena that collaborate with episodes of water scarcity and reduction of hydroelectric energy generation for the Basin under study. Demand for water and energy is expected to continue to grow in Brazil, while Portugal will need to decrease its energy dependence on other countries, which means that both need to expand their energy matrices through renewable sources. The results of the analyzes also show that Portugal and Brazil have the potential for this expansion, but for that they will need to invest in planning, cooperation and mitigating actions, in the medium and long term, in order to achieve their goals even in the face of future uncertainties

Kanavatyyppien dynaamisen muuntelun tukeminen Apache Service Mix –palveluväylässä

Nykyaikaiset ketterät liiketoimintamallit ovat tuoneet mukanaan uusia vaatimuksia järjestelmien dynaamisuudelle ja ajonaikaiselle mukautumiselle. Palvelukeskeinen arkkitehtuuriin (Service Oriented Architecture, SOA) pohjautuvilla järjestelmillä pyritään vastaamaan näihin haasteisiin. Palveluväylä on väliohjelmisto, joka tarjoaa työkalut ja ajonaikaisen infrastruktuurin palvelukeskeisen arkkitehtuurin toteuttamiselle. Kanavatyypit ovat ajonaikaisten kanavien alustariippumattomia kuvauksia, jotka määrittelevät palvelukeskeisen arkkitehtuurin palveluiden välisen sidoksen. Palveluiden välisen sidoksen elinkaaren aikana voi tapahtua ympäristön ja vaatimusten muutoksia, joihin kanavatyypin pitää pystyä reagoimaan. Perinteisesti palveluväylien tarjoamien kanavatyyppien rajapinnat ja ominaisuudet asetetaan pysyvästi rakentamisvaiheessa ja ne tarjoavat hyvin rajalliset mahdollisuudet ominaisuuksien valinnalle sen jälkeen, kun kanavatyypit on asennettu ajoympäristöön. Ongelman ratkaisuna työssä suunniteltiin ja toteutettiin OpenChannel -kehys. OpenChannel -kehys toteuttaa rajapinnan, jonka kautta päästään käsiksi kanavatyyppien sisäiseen rakenteeseen ja sitä kautta kehys mahdollistaa kanavatyyppien dynaamisen muuntelun ja elinkaaren hallinnan. OpenChannel kehys käyttää reflektiota kanavatyyppien rakenteen tutkimiseen ja se hyödyntää mallipohjaista lähestymistapaa muunneltavuuden hallintaan. Kehyksen kohdealustana toimii Apache ServiceMix -palveluväylä, jonka käyttämä ajoympäristö mahdollistaa komponenttien lisäämisen, muokkaamisen ja poistamisen ajonaikaisesti ja tekee siitä siten kehykselle sopivan kohdealustan. Kehystä arvioitiin toteuttamalla dynaamista muuntelua tukeva kanavatyyppi, jota ajettiin oikeaa käyttöympäristöä simuloivassa testiympäristössä. Tulosten perusteella kehys soveltuu hyvin käytettäväksi kaikissa ympäristöissä, joissa suorituskykyvaatimukset eivät ole erityisen korkeat

Paleobathymetric Reconstruction, Modeled Ocean Circulation, and Sedimentation History in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica

The Weddell Sea basin is of particular significance for understanding climate processes, including the generation of ocean water masses and their influences on ocean circulation as well as the Antarctic ice sheets dynamics. The sedimentary record, preserved in the basin serves as an archive of the pre-glacial to glacial development, ocean circulation and tectonic evolution. This thesis focuses on understanding the sedimentation history and reconstructing paleo-water depths, using all available multichannel seismic lines and existing drilling sites, with the aim to apply the paleo-water depths to General Circulation Models (GCM) of the Weddell Sea basin. A series of sedimentary thicknesses grids (pre-glacial, transitional, full-glacial) and paleobathymetric grids produced in this work are essential contributions for numerical climate simulations and ocean circulations. These sedimentary thickness grids allow the comparison of sedimentary regimes of the pre-glacially dominated and glacially dominated stages of Weddell Sea history. The pre-glacial deposition with thicknesses of up to 5 km was controlled by the tectonic evolution and sea-floor spreading history interacting with terrigenous sediment supply. The transitional unit shows a relatively high sedimentation rate and has thicknesses of up to 3 km, which may be attributed to an early formation of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet having partly advanced to the coast or even inner shelf. The main deposition centre of the full-glacial unit lies in front of the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf and has sedimentation rates of up to 140-200 m/Myr, which infers that ice sheets grounded on the middle to outer shelf and that bottom-water currents strongly impacted the deep-sea sedimentation in the middle Miocene. The paleobathymetric grids at 15, 34 and 120 Ma are reconstructed by using a backstripping technique and applied to constrain paleoclimate models. Coupled GCM runs are forced by global warm climatic boundary conditions of the Mid-Miocene and the new Weddell Sea paleobathymetry data. The GCM model results suggest that deep water formation and ocean circulation are especially sensitive to the paleobathymetric configuration of the Weddell Sea which is mainly characterized by a more southerly shelf break than at present or in previous paleobathymetric reconstructions for the Miocene. The southwards shifted shelf break of the Weddell Sea results in dramatic changes in simulated mixed layer depth and bottom water formation. Intensification of this bottom water plays a significant role in sediment distribution and the geomorphology of the Weddell Sea margin, e.g. through the build-up of a number of large sediment drifts. In addition to the paleobathymetric study of the Weddell Sea, I carried out two seismic interpretation studies in the southeast Weddell Sea and along the Dronning Maud Land margin. Large deposition centers, the Crary Trough Mouth Fan and prominent sediment ridges, are interpreted as glacial deposits of the southeastern Weddell Sea. Two giant, sinuous, NE-SW-oriented sediment ridges are interpreted as turbidity-contourites, due to the complicated down-slope/along-slope processes occurring across their margins. The large catchment area, abundant sediment supply, fluctuating sea level and ice sheet dynamics are the major contributions for the sedimentation. The remarkable increase in mass-transport deposits during the Late Miocene and Middle to Late Pliocene is related to the build-up of pore overpressure during rapid sediment accumulation as well as changing sea level and may be triggered by glacio-isostatic paleoearthquakes. Based on seismic reflection data and well data acquired on the continental margin offshore Dronning Maud Land, the sedimentation processes are investigated. My investigations reveal that the Jutul-Penck Graben system on the Dronning Maud Land plays a significant role in erosion, transport, and deposition of sedimentary material. I further found seismic chimney structures in this region for the first time and attribute their formation to volcanic processes

OntoTrader

Modern Web-based Information Systems (WIS) are becoming increasingly necessary to provide support for users who are in different places with different types of information, by facilitating their access to the information, decision making, workgroups, and so forth. Design of these systems requires the use of standardized methods and techniques that enable a common vocabulary to be defined to represent the underlying knowledge. Thus, mediation elements such as traders enrich the interoperability of web components in open distributed systems. These traders must operate with other third-party traders and/or agents in the system, which must also use a common vocabulary for communication between them. This paper presents the OntoTrader architecture, an Ontological Web Trading agent based on the OMG ODP trading standard. It also presents the ontology needed by some system agents to communicate with the trading agent and the behavioral framework for the SOLERES OntoTrader agent, an Environmental Management Information System (EMIS). This framework implements a “Query-Searching/Recovering-Response” information retrieval model using a trading service, SPARQL notation, and the JADE platform. The paper also presents reflection, delegation and, federation mediation models and describes formalization, an experimental testing environment in three scenarios, and a tool which allows our proposal to be evaluated and validated

The origin and diversification of pteropods precede past perturbations in the Earth’s carbon cycle

Open AccessPteropods are a group of planktonic gastropods that are widely regarded as biological indicators for assessing the impacts of ocean acidification. Their aragonitic shells are highly sensitive to acute changes in ocean chemistry. However, to gain insight into their potential to adapt to current climate change, we need to accurately reconstruct their evolutionary history and assess their responses to past changes in the Earth’s carbon cycle. Here, we resolve the phylogeny and timing of pteropod evolution with a phylogenomic dataset (2,654 genes) incorporating new data for 21 pteropod species and revised fossil evidence. In agreement with traditional taxonomy, we recovered molecular support for a division between “sea butterflies” (Thecosomata; mucus-web feeders) and “sea angels” (Gymnosomata; active predators). Molecular dating demonstrated that these two lineages diverged in the early Cretaceous, and that all main pteropod clades, including shelled, partially-shelled, and unshelled groups, diverged in the mid- to late Cretaceous. Hence, these clades originated prior to and subsequently survived major global change events, including the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), the closest analog to modern-day ocean acidification and warming. Our findings indicate that planktonic aragonitic calcifiers have shown resilience to perturbations in the Earth’s carbon cycle over evolutionary timescales.Copyright © 2020 the Author(s). Published by PNAS. This open access article is distributed under Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CC BY)