Ablative shielding for hypervelocity projectiles

A hypervelocity projectile shield which includes a hollow semi-flexible housing fabricated from a plastic like, or otherwise transparent membrane which is filled with a fluid (gas or liquid) is presented. The housing has a inlet valve, similar to that on a tire or basketball, to introduce an ablating fluid into the housing. The housing is attached by a Velcro mount or double-sided adhesive tape to the outside surface of a structure to be protected. The housings are arrayed in a side-by-side relationship for complete coverage of the surface to be protected. In use, when a hypervelocity projectile penetrates the outer wall of a housing it is broken up and then the projectile is ablated as it travels through the fluid, much like a meteorite 'burns up' as it enters the earth's atmosphere, and the housing is deflated. The deflated housing can be easily spotted for replacement, even from a distance. Replacement is then accomplished by simply pulling a deflated housing off the structure and installing a new housing

Effects of Diet-Induced Obesity on Extracellular Matrix Remodeling During Skeletal Muscle Regeneration

THE EFFECT OF DIET-INDUCED OBESITY ON EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX REMODELING DURING SKELETAL MUSCLE REGENERATION Michelle A. Tedrowe, Lemuel A. Brown, Richard A. Perry Jr., Megan E. Rosa, Jacob L. Brown, David E. Lee, Nicholas P. Greene, Tyrone A. Washington. University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas Skeletal muscle has the ability to regenerate from damage; however, recent studies have reported a negative effect of obesity on skeletal muscle regenerative capacity. The extracellular matrix (ECM) contributes to skeletal muscle structure acting as a scaffold for skeletal muscle. Additionally, skeletal muscle serves as a reservoir for proteins and growth factors that promote regeneration. Optimal skeletal muscle regeneration includes inflammation, ECM remodeling, and myofiber growth. Disruption to any of these processes can negatively affect skeletal muscle regeneration. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine how diet-induced obesity (DIO) affects ECM remodeling during skeletal muscle regeneration. METHODS: Fifty-six male C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to two groups; lean diet (10% fat) and high fat diet (HFD) (60% fat). Within those two groups, mice were randomly assigned to either a PBS (uninjured) group or a bupivacaine (injured) group. Bupivacaine is a myotoxin which induces injury to skeletal muscle. Both groups received injections into the tibialis anterior (TA). Three or 28 days post-bupivacaine injection, the TAs were extracted and PCR reaction was done to quantify ECM-related gene expression (i.e. Collagen-I, Collagen-III, Fibronectin, TGF-β, MMP-2, MMP-9, and TIMP-I). RESULTS: There was no difference in Collagen III:I gene expression 3 days post-injection in the lean group (p\u3e0.05). However, there was a 3 fold increase (p0.05). Three and 28 days post injection there was a main effect of injury to increase MMP-2 gene expression (pCONCLUSION: Obesity altered ECM composition during skeletal muscle regeneration. This could negatively impact the ability of obese muscle to recovery form injury. These findings suggest that an altered composition could lead to a change in exercise prescription for this specific population. This work was supported by a grant from the American Biosciences Institute and a Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship Grant

Checking the fact-checkers in 2008: predicting political ad scrutiny and assessing consistency

Which types of political ads are most likely to draw criticism from fact-checkers? Are fact-checkers consistent in their evaluations of political ads? Examining general election television ads from the 2008 U.S. presidential race, and based upon the evaluations of FactCheck.org, PolitiFact.com, and the Washington Post's Fact Checker, this study demonstrates it was the attack ads from candidates that were most likely to draw scrutiny from the fact-checkers. Most importantly, a high level of agreement between the fact-checkers indicates their success at selecting political claims that can be consistently evaluated. While political advertisers are increasingly using evidence to support their claims, what may be more critical in drawing evaluations from fact-checkers is the verifiability of a claim. The implications of consistent fact-checking on the public, political actors, journalism and democracy are discussed. With the revelation that fact-checking can be consistently practiced, localized efforts at fact-checking need encouragement, particularly as political TV ads increasingly drown out other potential sources of information for the public and increasingly are used in downballot races, local initiatives, referendums and judicial races

Journalistic interventions: The structural factors affecting the global emergence of fact-checking

Since the emergence of FactCheck.org in the United States in 2003, fact-checking interventions have expanded both domestically and globally. The Duke Reporter’s Lab identified nearly 100 active initiatives around the world in 2016. Building off of previous exploratory work by Amazeen, this research utilizes the framework of critical juncture theory to examine why fact-checking interventions are spreading globally at this point in time. Seen as a professional reform movement in the journalistic community, historical research on reform movements suggests several possible factors influencing the emergence of fact-checking such as a decline in journalism, easy access to technology for the masses, and socio-political strife. This study offers empirical support that fact-checking may be understood as a democracy-building tool that emerges where democratic institutions are perceived to be weak or are under threat and examines similarities between the growth of fact-checking interventions and previous consumer reform movements. As politics increasingly adopts strategies orchestrated by marketing and advertising consultants and agencies – exemplified in the Brexit referendum – political fact-checking may benefit from examining the path of consumer reform movements. For, before fact-checking can be effective at informing individuals, it must first establish itself within a structural environment

Computerised ACER advanced test BL : analysis of equivalency, test anxiety, and the effects of input device using New Zealand university participants : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University

Study I examined the effects of the computerised format of the ACER Advanced Test BL (ACER-BL) on the test scores and anxiety of undergraduate participants, compared with the traditional paper-and-pencil format. Forty-one students were assigned to either a computer or paper-and-pencil treatment group using a stratified random design. Participants sequentially completed a general background questionnaire, the ACER-BL, an anxiety questionnaire, the ACER-BL, and a final anxiety questionnaire, with a 10 minute test-retest period between the ACER-BL administrations. There were no significant differences in ACER-BL score, and subsection scores, between the 2 treatment groups on either administration. The internal consistency reliability of each formats was moderate to high, and there was a high test-retest reliability for each format. While the mean scores for each treatment group were higher for the second test administration compared with the first, this result only reached significance for the computerised group. Gender, Undergraduate Year, and Typing Ability significantly influenced test score, although these failed to remain significant when treatment group was included in each analysis. These results suggest that the computerised version of the ACER-BL is equivalent to the paper-and-pencil version. Generally, there was no significant difference in reported test anxiety measures between the treatment groups, with mean reported anxiety indicating "slight anxiety." These anxiety results suggest little influence of test format on test anxiety. Study 2 examined the influence of input device (keyboard, numeric pad, and mouse) on ACER-BL scores and test anxiety of undergraduate participants. Using stratified random assignment, 90 subjects were tested on all three input devices using a one factor repeated measures design. Each participant sequentially completed a general background questionnaire, the ACER-BL, an anxiety questionnaire, the ACER-BL, an anxiety questionnaire, the ACER-BL, and a final anxiety questionnaire, with a 10 minute delay between each ACER-BL administration. There was no significant main effect of input device on test score, and there was no significant order effect for input device. Between- subjects analyses indicated a significant increase in mean test score across administrations for the keyboard and numeric pad, but no significant change in mean scores with the mouse. These results were also reflected in the analyses of mean input response time. While there was no significant effect of any measured participant characteristic on input device scores, mathematical ability and undergraduate year each had a significant influence on mean scores in the first ACER-BL administration. Participants with higher mathematical ability or more years at university had significantly higher mean test scores than participants with less mathematical ability or first year undergraduates respectively. While mean reported anxiety on all test anxiety measures decreased over the ACER-BL administrations, all mean reported anxiety indicated "slight anxiety." These anxiety results suggest little influence of input device on test anxiety. The lack of test-retest comparisons between the computerised and paper-and-pencil formats of a test was discussed along with the need for future computerised testing research to use participants from the general population

Practitioner perceptions: critical junctures and the global emergence and challenges of fact-checking

Since 2003 and the emergence of FactCheck.org in the United States, fact-checking has expanded both domestically and internationally. As of February, 2016, the Duke Reporter’s Lab identified nearly 100 active initiatives around the world. This research explores why fact-checking is spreading globally at this point in time. Seen as a professional reform movement in the journalistic community (Graves, 2016), historical research on reform movements suggest several possible factors influencing the emergence of fact-checking including a decline in journalism, easy access to technology for the masses, and socio-political strife (McChesney, 2007; Pickard, 2015; Stole, 2006). Using a phenomenological approach, two focus groups were conducted among fact-checkers during the 2015 Global Fact-checking Summit in London, England. Participants shared rich experiences about conditions and contexts surrounding the emergence and challenges facing their organizations. Ultimately, as the purpose of this research is to help future fact-checkers around the world become aware of the circumstances under which fact-checking is most likely to emerge and thrive (or fail), recommendations from current global practitioners are offered.Accepted manuscrip

Revisiting the epistemology of fact-checking

Joseph E. Uscinski and Ryden W. Butler (2013) argue that fact-checking should be condemned to the dustbin of history because the methods fact-checkers use to select statements, consider evidence, and render judgment fail to stand up to the rigors of scientific inquiry and threaten to stifle political debate. However, the premises upon which they build their arguments are flawed. By sampling from multiple “fact-checking agencies” that do not practice fact-checking on a regular basis in a consistent manner, they perpetuate the selection effects they criticize and thus undermine their own position. Furthermore, not only do their arguments suffer from overgeneralization, they fail to offer empirical quantification to support some of their anecdotal criticisms. This rejoinder offers a study demonstrating a high level of consistency in fact-checking and argues that as long as unambiguous practices of deception continue, fact-checking has an important role to play in the United States and around the world

The politics of memory: contesting the "Convention Night" version of this historic day

To the degree that the American press corps serves as the creator of the first draft of history, it is in a privileged position of shaping not only what we remember but also how we remember it. This article presents a case study of a political advertisement that aired during the 2008 U.S. presidential election. The mainstream media’s uncritical consideration of the ad invoking Martin Luther King Jr.’s memory in representing Barack Obama’s achievements suggests not only an uncontested version of racial achievements in America but also the power granted to political ads in narrating a naturalized version of memory. As political advertising increasingly drives news coverage in the U.S., the journalistic failure to scrutinize a political message beyond its face value illustrated by this case becomes all the more alarming and is indicative of a concerning disservice to the public interest

Dostoevsky’s Women: Finding a Voice

In Fyodor Dostoevsky\u27s works Notes from Underground, Crime and Punishment, and The Idiot, the characters of Lisa, Sonya, and Nastasya Filippovna reveal the author\u27s inability to envision an autonomous woman leading a functional life independent of male influence. These three female characters possess distinct levels of credibility, independence, and predictability. In an evaluation of Dostoevsky\u27s female characters, one must not only address whether these characters are well-rounded, but also question whether Dostoevsky\u27s female characters author their own stories with a unique voice or whether male protagonists always overpower them. Both Lisa and Sonya are ultimately defined by the male protagonists in their respective novels and are so idealized that they seem unrealistic. While Lisa and Sonya fail to be either completely credible or well-rounded, Dostoevsky proves with his character of Nastasya Filippovna that he is capable of creating a believable, authentic, and autonomous female character. Nevertheless, it is precisely this independent character who actively seeks her own self-destruction, illustrating that the credible, autonomous cannot properly function in Dostoevsky\u27s literary world