Science Icebreaker Activities: An Example from Gravitational Wave Astronomy

At the beginning of a class or meeting an icebreaker activity is often used to help loosen the group and get everyone talking. Our motivation is to develop activities that serve the purpose of an icebreaker, but are designed to enhance and supplement a science-oriented agenda. The subject of this article is an icebreaker activity related to gravitational wave astronomy. We first describe the unique gravitational wave signals from three distinct sources: monochromatic binaries, merging compact objects, and extreme mass ratio encounters. These signals form the basis of the activity where participants work to match an ideal gravitational wave signal with noisy detector output for each type of source.Comment: Accepted to The Physics Teacher. Original manuscript divided into two papers at the request of the referee. For a related paper on gravitational wave observatories see physics/050920

Hands-on Gravitational Wave Astronomy: Extracting astrophysical information from simulated signals

In this paper we introduce a hands-on activity in which introductory astronomy students act as gravitational wave astronomers by extracting information from simulated gravitational wave signals. The process mimics the way true gravitational wave analysis will be handled by using plots of a pure gravitational wave signal. The students directly measure the properties of the simulated signal, and use these measurements to evaluate standard formulae for astrophysical source parameters. An exercise based on the discussion in this paper has been written and made publicly available online for use in introductory laboratory courses.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures; submitted to Am. J. Phy

Best Interventions for Working Adults Experiencing Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain

Chronic musculoskeletal pain is defined as ongoing pain felt in the bones, joints, and tissue of the body that persists for longer than three months (Booth et al., 2017; Joelsson et al., 2017). Worldwide, 30% of the population has experienced some form of chronic pain in their lifetime (Guy et al., 2020). When living with chronic pain, it can become difficult for working adults to engage in their everyday occupations such as activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), health management, social participation, and leisure (American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2020). These troubles can affect an individual’s performance range by minimizing the number of activities they are able to comfortably participate in. The study by Stubbs et al. (2013) confirmed that older working adults with chronic pain are significantly less active than older working adults without chronic pain. The population of working adults with chronic pain and less physical activity is at risk for experiencing secondary consequences such as fear of movement, fear of falling, pain catastrophizing, anxiety, and nervous system sensitization (Booth et al., 2017; Stubbs et al., 2013)

Prognosis and Therapy When Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia and Other “Good Risk” Acute Myeloid Leukemias Occur as a Therapy-Related Myeloid Neoplasm

Treatment for a pre-existing condition using chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunosuppressive therapy, or a combination of these modalities may lead to the devastating complication of therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome or acute myeloid leukemia (t-MDS/t-AML), collectively known as therapy-related myeloid neoplasm (t-MN). This disorder arises as a direct consequence of mutational events induced by the primary treatment. The outcomes for these patients have been historically poor compared to people who develop AML de novo. Currently comprising 10–20% of all cases of AML, t-MN is relatively resistant to conventional leukemia therapies, and is associated with s ort survival times. Median life expectancy from diagnosis is about 8–10 months in most series. Although the spectrum of cytogenetic abnormalities in t-AML is similar to AML de novo, the frequency of unfavorable cytogenetics, such as a complex karyotype or deletion or loss of chromosomes 5 and/or 7, is considerably higher in t-MN. Two distinct groups of patients with t-MN have been described. The more common subtype, seen in about 75% of patients, typically occurs 5–7 years after first exposure to alkylating agents or radiation, is often preceded by a myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), and is frequently accompanied by clonal cytogenetic abnormalities such as the loss of all or part of chromosomes 5 or 7. Mutations of the P53 tumor suppressor gene are also common. The risk is related to total cumulative exposure over time to alkylating agents. In contrast, among individuals who develop t-AML after treatment with topoisomerase II inhibitors, the latency period to the development of t-AML is often only 1–3 years, antecedent MDS is rare, and gene rearrangements involving MLL at 11q23 or RUNX1/AML1 at 21q22 are common. It is now well recognized that APL and other subtypes of AML with balanced translocations sometimes occur as therapy-related myeloid neoplasms (t-MN) in patients who have previously received cytotoxic therapy or ionizing radiation therapy (RT). The most of this review will focus on these “good risk” leukemias, i.e. those with APL or inv(16)/t(16;16) or t(8;21)

Bridging Formal and Informal Learning Environments

Out-of-school time programs that provide science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educational content are promising approaches to develop skills and abilities in students. These programs may potentially inspire students with engaging hands-on, minds-on activities that encourages their natural curiosity around STEM content areas. However, it is also important to align out-of-school time learning activities with what is being taught in the formal classroom so that the experiences are congruent. Two examples of congruent programs are described in this article

Simulations of Glitches in Isolated Pulsars

Many radio pulsars exhibit glitches wherein the star's spin rate increases fractionally by $\sim 10^{-10} - 10^{-6}$. Glitches are ascribed to variable coupling between the neutron star crust and its superfluid interior. With the aim of distinguishing among different theoretical explanations for the glitch phenomenon, we study the response of a neutron star to two types of perturbations to the vortex array that exists in the superfluid interior: 1) thermal motion of vortices pinned to inner crust nuclei, initiated by sudden heating of the crust, (e.g., a starquake), and 2) mechanical motion of vortices, (e.g., from crust cracking by superfluid stresses). Both mechanisms produce acceptable fits to glitch observations in four pulsars, with the exception of the 1989 glitch in the Crab pulsar, which is best fit by the thermal excitation model. The two models make different predictions for the generation of internal heat and subsequent enhancement of surface emission. The mechanical glitch model predicts a negligible temperature increase. For a pure and highly-conductive crust, the thermal glitch model predicts a surface temperature increase of as much as $\sim$ 2%, occurring several weeks after the glitch. If the thermal conductivity of the crust is lowered by a high concentration of impurities, however, the surface temperature increases by $\sim$ 10% about a decade after a thermal glitch. A thermal glitch in an impure crust is consistent with the surface emission limits following the January 2000 glitch in the Vela pulsar. Future surface emission measurements coordinated with radio observations will constrain glitch mechanisms and the conductivity of the crust.Comment: 21 pages, 10 figures, submitted to MNRA

The FIRST+ Year Information Systems Faculty Experience

The transition from information systems (IS) doctoral student to new faculty member is usually accompanied by a sense of satisfaction. The transition takes place on the heels of a significant investment of time, energy, and financial sacrifice for most students. While landing a new faculty position is generally viewed in itself as a huge achievement, new faculty members face plenty of challenges. The FIRST+ framework we present here details the key elements of transitioning from student to faculty and serves as a basis for sharing experiences among soon-to-be graduates and junior faculty members regarding this transition. This paper presents the FIRST+ framework, a panel discussion on the topic led by this paper’s authors at the 2013 Americas Conference on Information Systems in Chicago, and subsequent analysis of AACSB data on PhD degrees conferred and new faculty hires in IS and other business disciplines. The analysis indicates that PhD graduates in all disciplines encountered a decrease in faculty job placement opportunities in 2009 and 2010, but that IS PhD graduates were especially hard hit. The good news for IS PhD graduates and challenge for faculty selection committees is that a resurgence in the job market has occurred since

The significance of environmental values for destination competitiveness and sustainable tourism strategy making: insights from Australia's Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area

Sustainable destinations must deliver products that perform better than their competitors and at the same time protect key environmental drawcards. This research explores the environmental–economic interface of a major destination, both as a case study in how to approach this complex relationship and as a contribution to the methodology of tackling the need for understanding competitive pressures as part of sustainable tourism strategy creation. Using the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA) as an example, the paper assesses 21 key environmental values, including Indigenous culture, against market-based factors, in terms of their importance for visitors as regional drawcards, satisfaction with them and the way in which changes in them might affect trip numbers and duration across different regions. While the natural values of the GBRWHA are found to be the most important drawcards, satisfaction scores were significantly lower than importance scores for a number of these values. Visitors responded more negatively to the prospect of environmental degradation than to the prospect of a 20% increase in local prices: the detailed impact depends, however, on location and visitor mix. Clear ocean, healthy coral reefs, healthy reef fish, and lack of rubbish were the top four most important values

Civic and religious education in Manado, Indonesia: ethical deliberaion about plural coexistence

This dissertation project is an ethnographic analysis of multi-leveled interactions taking place in the process of deliberation about plural coexistence in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. The focus of the dissertation is on how youth are socialized into ethical perspectives, and how they negotiate, implement, and circulate frameworks for approaching religious difference. As Indonesian society is becoming increasingly divided along religious lines, the pressing need for a viable consensus for national cohesion has heightened the importance attributed to civic and religious education in schools. The particular field site is a majority-Protestant region with a national reputation for success in modeling tolerance and inter-religious relations. Starting by mapping relevant institutions and organizations that shape the public conversation on questions of plurality and citizenship, I demonstrate how schools channel ethical dispositions toward difference through the curriculum and the everyday realities of the schools. I continually consider how these ethical perspectives articulate with the broader public sphere. I provide case studies in three educational institutions in North Sulawesi, Indonesia: a public high school, a private Catholic high school, and a public madrasah (Islamic high school). My theoretical perspective on ethical socialization links education as “deliberation” (Varenne 2007) with the concept of “reflective freedom” (Laidlaw 2014) as intrinsic to ethics in order to demonstrate how educational institutions channel ethics and act as arenas for individual and public deliberation. Furthermore, I consider how the ethical deliberations about difference at these schools are negotiated by youth. As young Indonesians navigate institutional policies and take classes in religious and civic education, they also make daily decisions, including whom to befriend, how to wear the school uniform, and what to eat for lunch. In doing so, they engage in ethical deliberation about difference. I argue that this ongoing and dynamic process is significant because of the consequences for how these actors understand the conditions of inclusion and exclusion in the national context, and in turn, shape the broader political context with which the analysis begins

Relationship of surface changes to metal leaching from tungsten composite shot exposed to three different soil types

Physical changes that occur on the surface of fired shots due to firing and impact with soil may increase the dissolution of muniton metals. Increased metal dissolution could potentially increase metal transport and leaching, affecting metal concentrations in surface and groundwater. This research describes the relationship between the surface changes on fired tungsten–nickel–iron (94% W:2% Ni:4% Fe) composite shots and metals leaching from those shots. Tungsten composite shot was fired into, and aged in, three soil types (Silty Sand, Sandy Clay, and Silt) in mesoscale rainfall lysimeters to simulate live-fire conditions and subsequent interactions between the metals of the composite and soil. Leachate, runoff, and soil samples were collected from the lysimeters and analyzed for metal content. The shots were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to evaluate surface changes. SEM results indicated that a soil’s particle size distribution initially affected the amount of metal that was sheared from the surface of the fired W-composite shots. Shearing was greatest in soils with larger soil particles (sand and gravel); shearing was least in soils composed of small soil particles (fines). Increased metallic shearing from the shot’s surface was associated with increasedWdissolution, compared to controls, following a simulated 1 year soil aging