Non State Sovereignty: A case of the European Union

This paper uses the European Union as a case study to look at sovereignty and the formation of a new type of sovereignty which both diverges and interacts with existing state sovereignty. The European Union is developing a new form of non-state sovereignty which diverges from traditional conceptions in three ways: The EU is a non-state actor; unlike in the past, a body is operating with and exercising sovereign rights outside of the nation-state formation. Secondly, the sovereignty of both the European Union and its member states overlaps. Both maintain exclusive responsibilities often tied to the state, but with the EU also taking over some essential functions of the state and sharing some responsibilities with the member states. Finally, the state no longer has a monopoly on the security apparatus within the state; the EU has an influence on the makeup of the police and military in individual countries within its domain. Despite these divergences from what is traditionally considered necessary for a body to be sovereign, the E.U. has created a structure which is de facto sovereign

Mapping the engineering education research landscape in Ireland and the UK

The growth of Engineering Education Research (EER) has led to claims about it becoming a globally connected field of inquiry. This paper presents data on the development of EER within the UK and Ireland with the aim of contributing towards our understanding of the field. A computer-aided process was used to extract the names of authors, affiliated with UK and Irish institutions, that had published in a sample of 13 different EER journals in the years 2018 and 2019. We identified 122 UK authors and 17 from the Republic of Ireland. Selected experts in both countries were contacted to obtain complementary data that were used to build a picture of the research landscape in which EER practitioners function. Similarities and differences between EER in both geographic contexts were identified. In both there were few institutions listed as having EER centres, and it was more common for participants to refer to individual researchers. There also appeared to be a lack of formal PhD programmes and funding opportunities in EER within both countries. Whilst recognition for EER in the UK was primarily associated with teaching awards and fellowships, in Ireland EER outputs appeared to be as valued as disciplinary research activities. The overall portrait that emerges from the data collected suggests that in both the UK and Ireland, EER does not benefit from a national support infrastructure but rather, is typically carried out by individuals or small groups of researchers

Why Grievances Matter: An Analysis of the Influence Grievances Have on Domestic Terrorism Globally

This research project examines how both legitimate and perceived grievances, specifically those related to a state’s economy, government, identity-based groups or societies, and security, influence domestic terrorism. While theories of radicalization show that there is no one method that will motivate one to act on their radicalized thoughts, this research study assumes that the presence of certain grievances can create conducive mechanisms for one’s radicalization to violent action. The hypothesis of this study argues that the steady increase in violent radicalization across the globe is the result of a combination of grievances, and that a state’s quantity of violent extremist-related incidents will be relative to its degree of grievances. Utilizing an approach of multiple regression, this project examines over 90,000 incidents of domestic terrorism from 2009 to 2019, across 123 states. All four grievance categories, taken together, were found to be moderately correlated with the quantity of extremist-related violence in states. Moreover, lending particular support to social movement theory, as well as social identity theory, group-based grievances were found to have the most significant impact on a state’s quantity of domestic terrorism from 2009 to 2019. However, its impact could not be understood without accounting for a state’s level of political grievances; group-based grievances had a much more substantial influence on a state’s level of domestic terrorism in the presence of high political grievances. This study suggests that counterterrorism research and strategies should focus more on the grievances of identity-based groups, as well as those surrounding a state’s political processes and institutions

Direct Optical Detection of Microorganisms in Exoplanet Atmospheres: Methods

The purpose of this project is to develop an optical method for detecting the presence of life, specifically microorganisms, in the atmosphere of an exoplanet. We are developing algorithms that distinguish between aerosols of biological origin (microorganisms) from aerosols of non-biological origin (dust, hydrosols, etc.) using analysis of their respective and combined extinction spectra. The method uses large databases of computer-modeled spectra to analyze optical measurements and identify biological aerosols. Whereas most exoplanet researchers focus on detecting molecular spectral signatures, we are focusing on detecting the microorganisms directly rather than their molecular by-products. This method holds significant potential for detecting microorganisms from light scattered from an exoplanet’s atmosphere. In order to simulate exoplanet atmospheres using information available today, Jupiter’s atmosphere was used as a model. This was accomplished by creating a MATLAB program that simulates the scattering of light using complex mathematical models. The optical information for clouds of different types was programmed into MATLAB, as well as the optical data for different kinds of microorganisms. Extinction spectra were simulated using many different size distributions; these distributions were centered at particle sizes typical of microorganisms, liquid clouds, and ice clouds. Many experiment were carried out in order to analyze the effects of different variables on the resulting extinction spectra. These experiments and their results are detailed in our second poster, entitled “Direct Optical Detection of Microorganisms in Exoplanet Atmospheres: Models & Results.

Direct Optical Detection of Microorganisms in Exoplanet Atmospheres: Models & Results

This poster will focus on the analysis of extinction spectra obtained from simulations of exoplanet atmospheres; these spectra have been simulated using a variety of particle types and size distributions. To simulate these spectra, we have created a MATLAB program that uses mathematical models and complex algorithms to model Mie and spherical scattering. This scattering of light from aerosols has been modeled in the ultraviolet to near infrared band (200-1100 nm). We have modeled atmospheric compositions that are typical of Jovian planets, using known information about the atmosphere of Jupiter (see our first poster, entitled “Direct Optical Detection of Microorganisms in Exoplanet Atmospheres: Methods”). Extinction spectra were simulated for six particle types: Erwinia herbicola (EH), Bacillus atrophaeus (BG), ovalbumin (OV), ammonia ice, water, and water ice. Initial results show that the extinction spectra of microorganisms are distinctly different from those of water and ammonia ice clouds; all spectra resemble complex polynomial functions, but the size and location of the peaks vary according to the composition of the particles simulated. These differences are amplified when the size of the particles tested is proportional to the wavelength of the light. There are many variables that could affect this change in extinction spectra. The resulting data from the simulations detailed above has been analyzed to determine which variables most affect the spectra. This analysis focused on the variation of four parameters: refractive index, average particle size, percent volume, and standard deviation

Lithium-6 from Solar Flares

By introducing a hitherto ignored Li-6 producing process, due to accelerated He-3 reactions with He-4, we show that accelerated particle interactions in solar flares produce much more Li-6 than Li-7. By normalizing our calculations to gamma-ray data we demonstrate that the Li-6 produced in solar flares, combined with photospheric Li-7, can account for the recently determined solar wind lithium isotopic ratio, obtained from measurements in lunar soil, provided that the bulk of the flare produced lithium is evacuated by the solar wind. Further research in this area could provide unique information on a variety of problems, including solar atmospheric transport and mixing, solar convection and the lithium depletion issue, and solar wind and solar particle acceleration.Comment: latex 9 pages, 2 figures, ApJ Letters in pres

Confronting Systemic Racism in Occupational Therapy: A Mixed Methods Study

This study aimed to examine how occupational therapists and students perceive systemic racism in occupational therapy practice and the effectiveness and impact of the delivery of a keynote address on confronting systemic racism in practice delivered to occupational therapists and students. The study aimed to help inform future efforts in creating a more diverse and inclusive profession at the practice, policy, and education level by providing input into the challenges and opportunities that occupational therapists and students face when reckoning with issues of racism in practice. A mixed methodology research design was used with Likert-style scale and open-ended questions delivered via online survey. Eighty-nine occupational therapists and students completed the online survey. Most of the respondents reported responding favorably to the keynote address and shared sentiment that it could be a difficult and uncomfortable topic, yet it was important to discuss because of its impact on the profession and the clients occupational therapists serve