A View From the Field: Helping Community Organizations Meet Capacity Challenges

Based on monitoring and site visits, examines the capacity needs of community-based out-of-school time organizations, including a full, qualified staff, support from schools, adequate curriculum development, and fiscal management. Suggests solutions

Kenyan Children & Youth Acquire a Space to Create During COVID -19

COVID-19 brought along myriad problems making it difficult especially for parents and school-going children in Kenya. It produced conditions not only for children’s interrupted learning but also conditions for mental and physical health challenges for children and youth. In mid-March 2020, Kenya, like many countries was caught unaware by the COVID-19 situation. This meant that the Kenyan government did not have proper guidelines in place to take care of the needs of the children who had to stay home for an indefinite length of time after the lockdown. Many parents, therefore, had to look for creative, alternative means of taking care, educating, and keeping their children busy and mentally healthy while at home. This paper explores a pedagogical project, which arose out of a graduate school course, grounded in public pedagogy, and socially engaged art practice in the Spring of 2020/2021. As an art educator, I used WhatsApp mobile App as a pedagogical tool to instruct the students while in their homes. The students expressed moments of rapture, renewed creative drive, great social engagement, and discovery of locally available resources for art-making. I propose the inclusion of multidimensional methods of instruction in and out of school art practice

Understanding Transparency in Supply Chains

The purpose of this thesis paper is to examine what standards should be used for supply chain product transparency across industries to satisfy the needs of external stakeholders, specifically Gen Z consumers. Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in supply chain management with growing stakeholder pressure, strict government regulations, and scarcity of resources. A scenario-based role-playing experiment is conducted using descriptive vignettes to measure Gen Z consumer reactions to the following factors: timing of transparency, type of product, and type of sustainability. Online survey methods are used involving 33 students in one of the Honors and Scholars Programs at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and students in classes in the Haslam College of Business. After performing moderation analysis, our results show that social sustainability matters more to Gen Z consumers than environmental sustainability. In addition, after a supply chain scandal, a company will lose sales from Gen Z consumers. Companies must address social sustainability and transparency in their supply chain to meet the expectations of their stakeholders

Bias correction factors for near-Earth asteroids

Knowledge of the population size and physical characteristics (albedo, size, and rotation rate) of near-Earth asteroids (NEA's) is biased by observational selection effects which are functions of the population's intrinsic properties and the size of the telescope, detector sensitivity, and search strategy used. The NEA population is modeled in terms of orbital and physical elements: a, e, i, omega, Omega, M, albedo, and diameter, and an asteroid search program is simulated using actual telescope pointings of right ascension, declination, date, and time. The position of each object in the model population is calculated at the date and time of each telescope pointing. The program tests to see if that object is within the field of view (FOV = 8.75 degrees) of the telescope and above the limiting magnitude (V = +1.65) of the film. The effect of the starting population on the outcome of the simulation's discoveries is compared to the actual discoveries in order to define a most probable starting population

Pengaruh Keadilan Organisasi terhadap Komitmen Organisasi melalui Kepuasan Kerja pada Karyawan Bank Bni Kantor Cabang Utama Margonda, Depok, Jawa Barat

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis keadilan organisasi, kepuasan kerja dan komitmenorganisasi pada Bank BNI Kantor Cabang Utama Margonda, Depok, Jawa Barat dan menganalisispengaruh keadilan organisasi terhadap komitmen organisasi melalui kepuasan kerja pada BankBNI Kantor Cabang Utama Margonda, Depok, Jawa Barat. Responden dalam penelitian ini adalahkaryawan tetap Bank BNI Kantor Cabang Utama Margonda, Depok, Jawa Barat yang terdiri dari113 responden. Metode analisis data yang digunakan adalah dengan menggunakan statisticdeskriptif dan juga Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Hasil dari pengujian statistik deskriptifkeadilan organisasi memiliki rata-rata sebesar 3.4531 yang menunjukkan bahwa rata-ratakaryawan menyatakan bahwa keadilan organisasi di Bank BNI KCU Margonda sudah baik,sementara itu hasil statistik deskriptif kepuasan kerja memiliki rata-rata sebesar 3.473 yangmenunjukkan bahwa rata-rata karyawan menyatakan bahwa kepuasan kerja di Bank BNI KCUMargonda sudah baik dan hasil statistik deskriptif komitmen organisasi memiliki rata-rata sebesar3.591 yang menunjukkan bahwa rata-rata karyawan menyatakan bahwa komitmen organisasi diBank BNI KCU Margonda sudah baik. Hasil analisis pengaruh keadilan organisasi terhadapkomitmen organisasi dengan estimate (β) 0.581 menunjukkan bahwa terdapat pengaruh keadilanorganisasi terhadap komitmen organisasi dengan p-value sebesar 0,034 < 0.05. Sementara ituhasil analisis pengaruh keadilan organisasi terhadap komitmen organisasi melalui kepuasan kerjadengan estimate (β) 0.814 menunjukkan bahwa terdapat pengaruh keadilan organisasi terhadapkomitmen organisasi melalui kepuasan kerja dengan p-value sebesar 0.000 < 0.05

Strong UV and X-ray variability of the Narrow Line Seyfert 1 Galaxy WPVS 007 -- on the nature of the X-ray low state

We report on multi-wavelength observations of the X-ray transient Narrow Line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxy WPVS 007. The galaxy was monitored with Swift between October 2005 and July 2013, after it had undergone a dramatic drop in its X-ray flux earlier. For the first time, we are able to repeatedly detect this NLS1 in X-rays again. This increased number of detections in the last couple of years may suggest that the strong absorber that has been found in this AGN is starting to become leaky, and may eventually disappear. The X-ray spectra obtained for WPVS 007 are all consistent with a partial covering absorber model. A spectrum based on the data during the extreme low X-ray flux states shows that the absorption column density is of the order of 4 x 10^23 cm^-2 with a covering fraction of 95%. WPVS 007 also displays one of the strongest UV variabilities seen in Narrow Line Seyfert 1s. The UV continuum variability anti-correlates with the optical/UV slope alpha-UV which suggests that the variability primarily may be due to reddening. The UV variability time scales are consistent with moving dust `clouds' located beyond the dust sublimation radius of approximately 20 ld. We present for the first time near infrared JHK data of WPVS 007, which reveal a rich emission-line spectrum. Recent optical spectroscopy does not indicate significant variability in the broad and FeII emission lines, implying that the ionizing continuum seen by those gas clouds has not significantly changed over the last decades. All X-ray and UV observations are consistent with a scenario in which an evolving Broad Absorption Line (BAL) flow obscures the continuum emission. As such, WPVS 007 is an important target for our understanding of BAL flows in low-mass active galactic nuclei (AGN).Comment: Accepted for publications in the Astronomical Journal; 29 pages, 10 Figures, 7 Table

The Inner Rim of YSO Disks: Effects of dust grain evolution

Dust-grain growth and settling are the first steps towards planet formation. An understanding of dust physics is therefore integral to a complete theory of the planet formation process. In this paper, we explore the possibility of using the dust evaporation front in YSO disks (`the inner rim') as a probe of the dust physics operating in circumstellar disks. The geometry of the rim depends sensitively on the composition and spatial distribution of dust. Using radiative transfer and hydrostatic equilibrium calculations we demonstrate that dust growth and settling can curve the evaporation front dramatically (from a cylindrical radius of about 0.5 AU in the disk mid-plane to 1.2 AU in the disk upper layers for an A0 star). We compute synthetic images and interferometric visibilities for our representative rim models and show that the current generation of near-IR long-baseline interferometers (VLTI, CHARA) can strongly constrain the dust properties of circumstellar disks, shedding light on the relatively poorly understood processes of grain growth, settling and turbulent mixing.Comment: 26 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap

Plasma exosomes from children with juvenile dermatomyositis are taken up by human aortic endothelial cells and are associated with altered gene expression in those cells

BACKGROUND: The pathology of juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is characterized by prominent vessel wall and perivascular inflammation. This feature of the disease has remained unexplained and under-investigated. We have hypothesized that plasma exosomes, which play an important role in inter-cellular communication, may play a role in the vascular injury associated with JDM. OBJECTIVE: To characterize the circulating exosomes of children with JDM and determine whether the small RNA cargoes within those exosomes are capable of altering transcriptional programs within endothelial cells. DESIGN/METHODS: We purified exosomes from plasma samples of children with active, untreated JDM (n = 6) and healthy controls (n = 9). We characterized the small RNA cargoes in JDM and control exosomes by RNA sequencing using the Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform. We then incubated isolated exosomes from healthy controls and children with JDM with cultured human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC) for 24 h. Fluorescence microscopy was used to confirm that both control and JDM exosomes were taken up by HAEC. RNA was then purified from HAEC that had been incubated with either control or JDM exosomes and sequenced on the Illumina platform. Differential expression of mRNAs from HAEC incubated with control or JDM exosomes was ascertained using standard computational methods. Finally, we assessed the degree to which differential gene expression in HAEC could be attributed to the different small RNA cargoes in JDM vs control exosomes using conventional and novel analytic methods. RESULTS: We identified 10 small RNA molecules that showed differential abundance when we compared JDM and healthy control exosomes. Fluorescence microscopy of labeled exosomes confirmed that both JDM and control exosomes were taken up by HAEC. Differential gene expression analysis revealed 59 genes that showed differential expression between HAEC incubated with JDM exosomes vs HAEC incubated with exosomes from controls. Statistical analysis of gene expression data demonstrated that multiple miRNAs exerted transcriptional control on multiple genes with HAEC. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma exosomes from children with active, untreated JDM are taken up by HAEC and are associated with alterations in gene expression in those cells. These findings provide new insight into potential mechanisms leading to the targeting of vascular tissue by the immune system in JDM

Determinants of Livelihood Outcome Differentials among Urban Youth in Nairobi, Kenya

Youth livelihood outcomes (YLO) are important factors in the development of sustainable community livelihoods in Kenya.  The purpose of the study was to determine the predictors of urban youth livelihood outcomes in Nairobi, Kenya. The study was guided by the General Systems Theory by Bertalanffy (1968) and the Department for International Development (DFID) livelihoods framework (1999). A survey of 206 youths was conducted in Kamukunji Sub-County in Nairobi County. Results showed that there was a significant relationship between individual attributes and youth livelihood outcomes (χ2= 44.47; d.f. =14; ρ<0.01). Specifically, age (p<0.05), marital status (p<0.05), household headship (p<0.01), individual savings (p<0.05), individual assets (p<0.01) were important predictors of youth livelihood outcomes. Implications for formulating appropriate intervention programs to enhance youth livelihood outcomes are included. Keywords: capitals, individual attributes, livelihood strategies, youth livelihood outcome

The Underserved Communities: Overview of Information Services in the Riverrine Areas of Anambra State, Nigeria

Very often, low services are experienced in some areas, denying some people the opportunities to be informed and empowered on improvement of standard of living. This study investigated the riverrine communities of Anambra East and West Local Government Areas (LGAs) with access to library and information services. Two hundred self designed questionnaires were purposely sampled in ten communities in the areas. Questionnaire and interview were used to elicit data from different groups of people in the communities. Data were collected and analyzed using frequency counts and percentages. The study found out that some communities are cut off and cannot be accessed except by river. Also discovered was that the rural dwellers desire information more on health, agriculture and economic activities. The available information provisions are through the NGOs, gate-keepers and friends. There is no rural library or information centre in the areas. The challenges of  information services were found out to be lack of funds, transportation difficulty, inadequate personnel and inadequacy of mobile library. It was recommended that the State Library Board should repackage its programs and collaborate with agencies in relevant information services to the dwellers. The government should also include rural communities in its priority of social services.Key words: community, library and information services, riverine areas, rural dwellers service delivery, underserve