DEVELOPMENT OF CASE STUDIES FOR THE NAVAL ACADEMY NE 203 ETHICS AND MORAL REASONING FOR NAVAL LEADERS COURSE

This thesis reviews the structure and teaching methods used in the United States Naval Academy’s NE 203 Ethics and Moral Reasoning for Naval Leaders course. We begin with a broad overview of the utility and effectiveness of the case method as a means of instructing undergraduate students in the field of ethics. We then focus on its current implementation in the Naval Academy’s NE 203 course, using interviews with senior faculty to understand the importance of the case method in teaching practical ethics. The culminating products created within this thesis are two ethical case studies, with associated teaching plans, designed for instruction by Naval Academy faculty in the NE 203 ethics course. The first case study narrates the story of Michael Izbicki, a 2008 Naval Academy graduate and designated submarine officer who petitioned for discharge as a conscientious objector upon considering the possibility that his military duty may include launching nuclear-armed weapons against American adversaries. The case study examines the moral tension that one experiences when facing a contradiction between the special obligation incurred by taking the military Oath of Office, and one’s deeply held religious views. The second case study is on when USS Mason was attacked in 2016.Lieutenant, United States NavyCaptain, United States Marine CorpsApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Informal knowledge transfer in the period before formal health education programmes: case studies of mass media coverage of HIV and SIDS in England and Wales

Background: How advances in knowledge lead via behaviour change to better health is not well understood. Here we report two case studies: a rapid reduction in HIV transmission in homosexual men and a decline in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome ( SIDS) that took place in the period before the relevant national education programmes commenced, respectively, in 1986 and 1991. The role of newspapers in transferring knowledge relevant to reducing the risk of AIDS and SIDS is assessed. Methods: HIV. Searches were made of The Times (1981-1985), Gay News (1981-1984) and, for the key period of April to June 1983, of eight newspapers with the highest readership. Information on transmission route and educational messages were abstracted and analysed.SIDS Searches were made of The Times and the Guardian (1985-1991), The Sun ( selected periods only, 1988-1991) and selected nursing journals published in England and Wales. Information on sleeping position and educational messages were abstracted and analysed.Results: HIV Forty-five out of 50 articles identified in newspapers described homosexuals as an at risk group. Sexual transmission of AIDS was, however, covered poorly, with only 7 (14%) articles referring explicitly to sexual transmission. Only seven articles (14%) associated risk with promiscuity. None of the articles were specific about changes in behaviour that could be expected to reduce risk. Gay periodicals did not include specific advice on reducing the number of partners until early 1984.SIDS Out of 165 relevant articles in The Times and 84 in the Guardian, 7 were published before 1991 and associated risk with sleeping position. The reviewed nursing journals reflected a pervasive sense of uncertainty about the link between SIDS and sleeping position. Conclusion: Presumptively receptive audiences responded rapidly to new knowledge on how changes in personal behaviour might reduce risk, even though the 'signals' were not strong and were transmitted, at least partly, through informal and 'horizontal' channels. Advances in knowledge with the potential to prevent disease by behaviour change may thus yield substantial health benefits even without the mediation of formal education campaigns ('interventions'). Formal campaigns, when they came, did make important additional contributions, especially in the case of SIDS

An in-home study of subjective response to simulated sonic booms

The proposed development of a second-generation supersonic commercial transport has resulted in increased research efforts to provide an environmentally acceptable aircraft. One of the environmental issues is the impact of sonic booms on people. Aircraft designers are attempting to design the transport to produce sonic boom signatures that will have minimum impact on the public. Current supersonic commercial aircraft produce an 'N-wave' sonic boom pressure signature that is considered unacceptable by the public. This has resulted in first-generation supersonic transports being banned from flying supersonically over land in the United States, a severe economic constraint. By tailoring aircraft volume and lift distributions, designers hope to produce sonic boom signatures having specific shapes other than 'N-wave' that may be more acceptable to the public and could possibly permit overland supersonic flight. As part of the effort to develop a second-generation supersonic commercial transport, Langley Research Center is conducting research to study people's subjective response to sonic booms. As part of that research, a system was developed for performing studies of the subjective response of people to the occurrence of simulated sonic booms in their homes. The In-Home Noise Generation/Response System (IHONORS) provides a degree of situational realism not available in the laboratory and a degree of control over the noise exposure not found in community surveys. The computer-controlled audio system generates the simulated sonic booms, measures the noise levels, and records the subjects' rating and can be placed and operated in individuals' homes for extended periods of time. The system was used to conduct an in-home study of subjective response to simulated sonic booms. The primary objective of the study was to determine the effect on annoyance of the number of sonic boom occurrences in a realistic environment

Multiethnic women's identity and perceptions of competent communication

This study identified some of the ways that multiethnic women describe their ethnic identities, how they perceive ethnic-specific gender identities and what they think are appropriate norms for, and effective outcomes of, communicative behavior. Twelve multiethnic women described their ethnic identity names or labels, and ethnic-specific gender identities; they also recalled a recent situation in which inappropriate ethnic-relevant conversational behaviors occurred. These multiethnic women were found to share an average of nearly six situations in which ethnic identity is most important; the most frequently reported situation being constantly. They significantly differed in respect to the names or labels, and descriptors they used to define and describe their multiethnic identities. The 12 respondents unanimously stated that there are different expectations for women and men within the ethnicities that they identified as components of their multiethnicity. The most frequently cited situation in which it is most important for them to intensify their gender identity is during celebratory occasions and at home or with family. 10 of the total 12 respondents perceive that their gender identity is shared by a large number of other people. Recently recalled conversations indicate that work and employment-related individuals specifically discussing ethnicity, most frequently used inappropriate communicative behaviors. The most frequently reported situation in which they intensify their multiethnic identities is while being with other ethnic ingroup members, though 75% of them indicated that their particular definition of their ethnic identity was shared by only a small number of other people. Nearly 70% responded that they very often--on a daily or weekly basis--experience others' violation of rules for competent communication. The most frequently cited recommendations they made for others to be more competent communicators were: 1) get informed/take some ethnicity classes, and don't be so harsh; 2) give individuals credit for being unique and diverse; 3) be polite/respectful; 4) recognize and refrain from stereotyping; 5) don't be prejudiced and change feelings/perceptions about ethnicized individuals & groups; 6) don't assume, approach individuals directly and don't discriminate

ARtonomous: Introducing Middle School Students to Reinforcement Learning Through Virtual Robotics

Typical educational robotics approaches rely on imperative programming for robot navigation. However, with the increasing presence of AI in everyday life, these approaches miss an opportunity to introduce machine learning (ML) techniques grounded in an authentic and engaging learning context. Furthermore, the needs for costly specialized equipment and ample physical space are barriers that limit access to robotics experiences for all learners. We propose ARtonomous, a relatively low-cost, virtual alternative to physical, programming-only robotics kits. With ARtonomous, students employ reinforcement learning (RL) alongside code to train and customize virtual autonomous robotic vehicles. Through a study evaluating ARtonomous, we found that middle-school students developed an understanding of RL, reported high levels of engagement, and demonstrated curiosity for learning more about ML. This research demonstrates the feasibility of an approach like ARtonomous for 1) eliminating barriers to robotics education and 2) promoting student learning and interest in RL and ML.Comment: In Proceedings of Interaction Design and Children (IDC '22

EVALUATION OF AIR CLEANING SYSTEMS FOR FFTF CONTAINMENT MARGINS

Alternative air cleaning concepts were evaluated for possible application to FFTF containment margins. For evaluation purposes, it was assumed that the air cleaning system must process 3.07 m{sup 3}/s (6500 ACFM) of gas containing sodium compound aerosols (mainly NaOH) at temperatures up to 4070C (7000 F) and pressures up to 0.184 MPa (26.4 psia) and accommodate 5450 kg (12,000 lb) of aerosol material. Three systems designed for 90% efficient removal (a venturi scrubber, a submerged gravel scrubber and a spray scrubber) were compared. The submerged gravel scrubber and the venturi scrubber were rated as prime candidates. Four systems designed for 99% removal efficiency (the two optimum scrubbers chosen for 90% removal efficiency fitted with fibrous elements, a sand and gravel filter and a HEPA filter bank) were compared. The tI~ scrubbers were again rated as prime candidates. Both the sand and gravel filter and the HEPA filter bank were found to be excessively large and costly. Considerable experience supports the use of the optimum scrubber systems and it is concluded that their use is technically feasible for the FFTF containment margins application

U. S. position paper on sodium fires, design and testing

Sodium combustion phenomena and U.S. computer codes developed for sodium fires are discussed. Ways of preventing and mitigating sodium fires are described. Effects of sodium fires and spills on LMFBR structural materials, thermal insulation materials, and equipment/instrumentation are considered. (DLC

Expansion of a novel population of NK cells with low ribosome expression in juvenile dermatomyositis

Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is a pediatric autoimmune disease associated with characteristic rash and proximal muscle weakness. To gain insight into differential lymphocyte gene expression in JDM, peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 4 new-onset JDM patients and 4 healthy controls were sorted into highly enriched lymphocyte populations for RNAseq analysis. NK cells from JDM patients had substantially greater differentially expressed genes (273) than T (57) and B (33) cells. Upregulated genes were associated with the innate immune response and cell cycle, while downregulated genes were associated with decreased ribosomal RNA. Suppressed ribosomal RNA in JDM NK cells was validated by measuring transcription and phosphorylation levels. We confirmed a population of low ribosome expressing NK cells in healthy adults and children. This population of low ribosome NK cells was substantially expanded in 6 treatment-naïve JDM patients and was associated with decreased NK cell degranulation. The enrichment of this NK low ribosome population was completely abrogated in JDM patients with quiescent disease. Together, these data suggest NK cells are highly activated in new-onset JDM patients with an increased population of low ribosome expressing NK cells, which correlates with decreased NK cell function and resolved with control of active disease

Amniotic fluid volume: Rapid MR-based assessment at 28-32 weeks gestation.

OBJECTIVES: This work evaluates rapid magnetic resonance projection hydrography (PH) based amniotic fluid volume (AFV) estimates against established routine ultrasound single deepest vertical pocket (SDVP) and amniotic fluid index (AFI) measurements, in utero at 28-32 weeks gestation. Manual multi-section planimetry (MSP) based measurement of AFV is used as a proxy reference standard. METHODS: Thirty-five women with a healthy singleton pregnancy (20-41 years) attending routine antenatal ultrasound were recruited. SDVP and AFI were measured using ultrasound, with same day MRI assessing AFV with PH and MSP. The relationships between the respective techniques were assessed using linear regression analysis and Bland-Altman method comparison statistics. RESULTS: When comparing estimated AFV, a highly significant relationship was observed between PH and the reference standard MSP (R(2) = 0.802, p < 0.001). For the US measurements, SDVP measurement related most closely to amniotic fluid volume, (R(2) = 0.470, p < 0.001), with AFI demonstrating a weaker relationship (R(2) = 0.208, p = 0.007). CONCLUSION: This study shows that rapid MRI based PH measurement is a better predictor of AFV, relating more closely to our proxy standard than established US techniques. Although larger validation studies across a range of gestational ages are required this approach could form part of MR fetal assessment, particularly where poly- or oligohydramnios is suspected. KEY POINTS: • MR projection hydrography can be used to estimate amniotic fluid volume. • MR projection hydrography relies on the T2w signal from amniotic fluid. • Amniotic fluid volume (AFV) is more accurately assessed than with ultrasound.This study was supported by the National Institute of Health Research, Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre. The authors also acknowledge the support of Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust and thank the participants for their contribution to the study.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00330-015-4179-