Staying objective: the effect of corporate public relations on video game journalists

The video game industry makes more than $10 billion a year in the United States alone. It is a young and booming medium. Growing alongside the video game business is the video game media, a niche form of journalism comprised mostly of gaming websites and a few reporters in traditional media. This thesis examines the young gaming news industry through in-depth interviews conducted with six journalists from various news outlets. The research focused on two things: if game journalists followed the same norms and routines as news journalists and if game companies were able to influence what game journalists wrote through public relations efforts. To determine what standards game journalists followed, the researcher asked the participants about each of the journalistic norm and routines. The norms of journalism are news value, objectivity, balance and fairness, professionalism, watchdog role, enduring values, style and format, scoop, and professional cooperation. To find out about outside influence affecting the work of the journalists, the researcher asked participants questions about their interaction with PR workers, how they perceived themselves being influence, and how they perceived other being influenced. The researcher found that video game journalists followed the norms and routines of news journalism and that game journalists are perceived themselves to be free from the influence of video game companies

Accelerometer calibration for NASA\u27s magnetospheric multiscale mission spacecraft

This thesis presents several methods for the on-board and/or ground-based calibration of accelerometers for the spacecraft (s/c) of the NASA Magnetospheric Multi-Scale (MMS) Mission during mission operation. A lumped bias is estimated to correct for the total effect of the MMS accelerometer sensor bias, orthogonal misalignment and the shift in the s/c\u27s center of mass. Various estimation techniques are evaluated and compared, including both dynamically driven real-time filters/observers and post processing batch algorithms. Both methods are shown to accurately determine lumped bias, so long as the s/c inertia tensor is well known. If, however, there is any uncertainty in the inertia tensor, only post processing methods yield accurate lumped bias estimates. Analytical simulations show that these methods are able to correct accelerometer readings to within 1 micro-g of true acceleration. Preliminary experimental verification also shows proof of concept

Dynamics of Droplet Arrays

A mathematical model, motivated by the adhesion mechanism found in Hemisphaerota Cyanea, is constructed and studied. This model consists of N first order ordinary differential equations constructed to model fluid flow in a series of connected tubes. The equilibrium points of the system are established, and Lyapunov and Chetaev functions are constructed to determine stability of these equilibrium points. The eigenvalues of the linearized system are then used to further classify which equilibrium points correspond to stable final solutions. A computer model is created to run different tests, construct figures, and generate videos for the system

The perceived impacts of disability on family by individuals with disabilities in VR services: A multivariate analysis

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of individuals with disabilities regarding the impact of disability on family as encountered in the literature. Despite an abundance of research and literature documenting the experience of disability in the family the individual with the disability has largely been excluded from this research. This study investigated perceptions of individuals with disabilities regarding the impacts their disabilities have on their family that have been documented in the literature. Specific demographic variables were examined to determine any differences in perceptions based on these variables. Lastly, the underlying concepts of the perceptions of individuals with disabilities on their family experiences were explored and compared to literary and theoretical conjectures on the topic. The dependent variables observed in this study were the claims made in the literature regarding the physical, psychological, social, financial, and spiritual impacts of disability on family compiled into the Individual Perception of Family and Disability-Revised (IPFD-R) survey. The IPFD-R consisted of two likert-type scales of agreement and frequency. The independent variables consisted of select demographic variables. The study participants included 410 state VR clients predominantly from Oklahoma, District of Columbia, and Florida. Descriptive and inferential statistical methods including Pearson\u27s product moment correlation coefficient were employed to analyze data and respond to the stated research questions. The overall results reveal that individuals with disabilities disagree or perceive that their disability never or rarely affects their family as documented in the literature. Analyses of participant perceptions point to significant social and financial/economic concerns for individuals with disabilities and their family. Based on the findings, implications will be offered for educators, practitioners, employers, and policy makers. Limitations of the study, future research and suggestions are also discussed

The Next Generation Of Chilling Uncertainty: Indirect Expropriation Under CAFTA And Its Potential Impact On Environmental Protection

For centuries, the signatory countries of the Central America- Dominican Republic-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) have been linked by the migratory patterns of their sea turtle populations. This Comment proposes to use the sea turtle as a means of analyzing the CAFTA agreement. The goal is not simply to evaluate the potential effects of this trade proposal on sea turtle populations, but rather to examine how the sea turtle illuminates the unique challenges of protecting the natural environment in this region. In considering the challenges of creating effective environmental protections in the Caribbean and Central America, it is possible to forecast the potential impact of CAFTA’s environmental and investor’s rights chapters. President George W. Bush stated the goals of CAFTA: “Open trade and investment bring healthy, growing economies, and can serve the cause of democratic reform. [With CAFTA][,] our purpose is to strengthen the economic ties we already have with these nations . . . to reinforce their progress toward economic, political and social reform.” Although CAFTA did not draw much attention from the mainstream media in the United States, it created widespread protest in the other six signatory countries. The Agreement is similar in many regards to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) signed by the United States, Mexico, and Canada in 1994; an analysis of NAFTA ten years after implementation is a useful tool to examine the potential effects of CAFTA. Additionally, the Harken Oil case, in which Costa Rica’s efforts to protect the Talamanca coast ecosystem were challenged by an international oil company, offers an opportunity to apply the environmental and investment language of CAFTA to a real-world scenario in order to understand its potential impact on the protection of the marine environments of the region. This Comment maintains that, while CAFTA contains language that superficially addresses the issue of environmental protection, the underlying heart of the Agreement ultimately could hinder efforts to protect the natural environment in Central America

The Next Generation Of Chilling Uncertainty: Indirect Expropriation Under CAFTA And Its Potential Impact On Environmental Protection

For centuries, the signatory countries of the Central America- Dominican Republic-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) have been linked by the migratory patterns of their sea turtle populations. This Comment proposes to use the sea turtle as a means of analyzing the CAFTA agreement. The goal is not simply to evaluate the potential effects of this trade proposal on sea turtle populations, but rather to examine how the sea turtle illuminates the unique challenges of protecting the natural environment in this region. In considering the challenges of creating effective environmental protections in the Caribbean and Central America, it is possible to forecast the potential impact of CAFTA’s environmental and investor’s rights chapters. President George W. Bush stated the goals of CAFTA: “Open trade and investment bring healthy, growing economies, and can serve the cause of democratic reform. [With CAFTA][,] our purpose is to strengthen the economic ties we already have with these nations . . . to reinforce their progress toward economic, political and social reform.” Although CAFTA did not draw much attention from the mainstream media in the United States, it created widespread protest in the other six signatory countries. The Agreement is similar in many regards to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) signed by the United States, Mexico, and Canada in 1994; an analysis of NAFTA ten years after implementation is a useful tool to examine the potential effects of CAFTA. Additionally, the Harken Oil case, in which Costa Rica’s efforts to protect the Talamanca coast ecosystem were challenged by an international oil company, offers an opportunity to apply the environmental and investment language of CAFTA to a real-world scenario in order to understand its potential impact on the protection of the marine environments of the region. This Comment maintains that, while CAFTA contains language that superficially addresses the issue of environmental protection, the underlying heart of the Agreement ultimately could hinder efforts to protect the natural environment in Central America

A Study of the Lhires III Spectrograph on the Hard Labor Creek Observatory 20 inch Telescope

I present a study done to determine the characteristics of the LHIRES III spectrograph on the 20 inch RC Optics telescope at Hard Labor Creek Observatory. I describe the settings of three different diffraction gratings, collimation and focus issues, and practical aspects of use. The spectrograph was used with a SBIG ST-8XME camera for all studies. Data collection was accomplished with the Maxim DL software package and analysis was completed with IRAF. Solutions for the dispersion relation with all three diffraction gratings were found. Several projects are underway with this instrument. I present time series spectra of α Vir to demonstrate the practical applications of the spectrograph. This non-radially pulsating star shows Doppler shifts that were recorded in the Si III 4552, 4568, 4574 Å triplet over the course of a night. The observed profile variations showed the spectrograph capable of exacting scientific work