Fear in the Classroom: Campus Carry at the University of Texas at Austin

This article examines the significance of fear of concealed handguns in the classroom at a public university in Texas, analyzing perceived changes in shared social space and the collective learning environment in terms of affect. This multimethod study provides a framework for understanding the factors behind the fear, which may be seen as personal, societal, or a dynamic combination of those manifested in local relationships. Furthermore, it explores disruptions of instruction and discussion, the profiling of other students as potential gun carriers, and the introduction of situational awareness in class. Based on ethnography conducted at The University of Texas at Austin, where campus carry was implemented in 2016, this article provides a context for those in the discipline of education, as well as instructors and administrators at other institutions of higher learning in the United States, to consider the complex nature of fear of guns and its impact on the classroom atmosphere.Educatio

Changing Faces of Change: Metanarratives in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election

This article explores the significance of the theme of “change” in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, going beyond its rhetorical use by the candidates or as a way of defining a historic electoral shift (making an “election of change”) to examine how change played a critical role in the political landscape itself. One can locate voters’ desire for change in many existing conditions leading up to the race, but also ideologically and as a force in its own right. Framing of the election as a story reveals that the various actors were increasingly aware of their shifting identities, representations, and agency; thus, change was not just a plot of the story, frequently expressed in terms of populism and popular culture, but a fundamental dynamic behind competing metanarratives and contestations of how the story should be told

Boundary Objects as Facilitators of Knowledge Transfer in Project Based Organisations

Boundary objects are tools used to transfer knowledge across organisational and functional divides. Where boundaries can create challenges for organisational learning and knowledge management, boundary objects can be an effective tool for overcoming them through translation and communication. Much of the project work in today’s large infrastructure organisations is carried out by cross-functional teams under pressure to deliver project objectives on time and within budget and it is crucial for staff to access meaningful information and knowledge from experts in the organisations involved in projects and from other areas of the business. Understanding the features that make boundary objects effective can improve organisational learning and better inform decision-making, eventually improving organisational performance. This paper assesses whether the features of boundary objects found to be effective in biological and manufacturing environments are valid in project-based industries, particularly construction. The findings suggest that, by maximising the efficacy of boundary objects, large construction organisations can address the knowledge-sharing issues literature has identified as arising from the complex and temporary nature of construction projects. This article contributes to theory by identifying three new features of boundary objects, in addition to those listed by Leigh Star, that are used effectively in the organisation under scrutiny. The findings also demonstrate that all of the features in Star’s theory contribute to knowledge transfer in a project-based environment, although not all are as effective compared to other industries

Popularizing Electoral Politics: Change in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Race

This special issue of the European Journal of American Studies examines the popularization of electoral politics during the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election. The popularization processes include the rise of populism penetrating the U.S. political landscape; a media focus on human interest, rather than policy substance questions; personality politics and celebrity culture at the center stage of the election; and the appropriation and dissemination of popular culture discourses by social media users. The articles draw from transdisciplinary American Studies approaches to tackle a range of issues which arose during the election, from contestations of “American-ness” and competing narratives of truth—or “post-truth”—to questions of campaign finance and displays of violence, verbal and physical. The issue also takes a closer look at specific expressions of popular culture as reflected in the media, specifically in relation to the rise of nativism and the alt-right movement, the political impact of comedy on the election, and the significance of memes in the battle over image and meaning-making. The processes of popularizing electoral politics of the 2016 race had distinct consequences, not only in shaping political culture as we know it, but also in destabilizing established rules of political conduct

Investigation in Hardsurfacing a Nickel-Copper Alloy (MONEL400)

Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) investigated the causes of weldability problems and materials failures encountered with the application of Monel (Ni-Cu) 400 as a base material and Stellite 6 (Co-Cr) as the hard-surfacing material when using the oxyacetylene welding process. This work was performed under a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with the Target Rock Division of the Curtiss-Wright Flow Control Corporation. BNL evaluated two heats of Monel 400 material. One of the heats had performed well during manufacturing, producing an acceptable number of ''good'' parts. The second heat had produced some good parts but also exhibited a peculiar type of hardsurfacing/base metal collapse during the welding process. A review of the chemistry on the two heats of material indicated that they both met the chemical requirements for Monel400. During examination of the failed component, linear indications (cracks) were evident on the valve body, both on the circumferential area (top of valve body) and below the hard surfaced weld deposit. independent measurements also indicated that the two heats met the specification requirement for the material. The heat affected zone (HAZ) also contained linear discontinuities. The valve body was welded using the oxyacetylene welding process, a qualified and skilled welder, and had been given a pre-heat of between 1400-1600 F (760-871 C), which is the Target Rock qualified procedure requirement. Both original suppliers performed mechanical testing on their material that indicated the two heats also met the mechanical property requirements of the specification. The BNL investigation into the cause of the differences between these heats of material utilized the following techniques: (1) Heat Treatment of both heats of material; (2) Hardness testing; (3) Optical microscopy; (4) Scanning electron microscope (SEM)/Fractography; and (5) Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The report concludes that the cause of the failure of the valve body during welding is not obvious, however, it does not appear to be a welding issue. The observed inter-granular fractures indicate a grain boundary problem. Further research is recommended

Fear in the Classroom: Campus Carry at The University of Texas at Austin

This article examines the significance of fear of concealed handguns in the classroom at a public university in Texas, analyzing perceived changes in shared social space and the collective learning environment in terms of affect. This multimethod study provides a framework for understanding the factors behind the fear, which may be seen as personal, societal, or a dynamic combination of those manifested in local relationships. Furthermore, it explores disruptions of instruction and discussion, the profiling of other students as potential gun carriers, and the introduction of situational awareness in class. Based on ethnography conducted at The University of Texas at Austin, where campus carry was implemented in 2016, this article provides a context for those in the discipline of education, as well as instructors and administrators at other institutions of higher learning in the United States, to consider the complex nature of fear of guns and its impact on the classroom atmosphere.</p

Are the INTEGRAL Intermediate Polars Different?

One of the biggest surprises of the INTEGRAL mission was the detection of large numbers of magnetic cataclysmic variables – in particular the intermediate polar (IP) subclass. Not only have many previously known systems been detected, but many new ones have also been found and subsequently classified from optical follow-up observations, increasing the sample of IPs by ! 15%. We have recently been using a particle hydrodynamic code to investigate the accretion flows of IPs and determine the equilibrium spin-rates and accretion flow patterns across a wide range of orbital periods, mass ratios and magnetic field strengths. We use the results of these accretion flow simulations to examine whether the INTEGRAL IPs differ from the overall population and conclude that they do not. Most IPs are likely to be INTEGRAL sources, given sufficient exposure. Currently however, none of the 'EX Hya-like' IPs, with large spin-to-orbital period ratios and short orbital periods, are detected by INTEGRAL. If this continues to be the case once the whole sky has a comparable INTEGRAL exposure, it may indicate that the ring-like mode of accretion which we demonstrate occurs in these systems is responsible for their different appearance

(Dis)Belief in QAnon: Competing Hermeneutics in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election

Among many disruptive events in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election, the meta-conspiracy theory known as QAnon surged, intertwining politics and (quasi-)religious belief in ways that have yet to be fully understood. This article explores the power of deep memetic frames—namely, how we ideologically see the world and communicate that worldview—as a means used by certain individuals and amplified by politicians, including President Trump, to mobilize the voting public across party lines. It also reveals how representations of QAnon by the mainstream media played into the movement’s success. For QAnon followers, the election became a crossroads moment, a “Great Awakening” whereby one could identify as part of a collective insider movement. Examining the epistemological de/construction of truth in a media context and diverging hermeneutical approaches—faith and suspicion, respectively—the article argues for the importance of religion as a lens to better understand QAnon in a deeply polarized United States. </p

Beyond Argumentum in Terrorem: The Contested Rhetoric of Campus Carry

This essay reflects on the use of competing rhetorical frames of fear strategically used by the academic community of The University of Texas at Austin in the debate on Campus Carry policy. With the legalization of concealed handguns on campus, fear emerged as a prominent trope in public discussions, albeit used in very different ways by supporters or opponents of the law. Against the more standard interpretation of fear-based rhetoric as an exploitation of others’ insecurities, this essay draws on mixed-methods research to examine expressions of fear by activist opponents of Campus Carry and the way in which supporters of the law sought to deconstruct it. </div