Strengthening a sense of community through collaboration

A sense of community can be interpreted in diverse ways, dependent on various individual, group and organisational forces working for and/or against feelings of being part of a community. This chapter examines how senses of community were developed through an AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award (CDA) between the University of Northampton (UoN) and Northamptonshire Black History Association (NBHA) from 2008 to 2012. This chapter will give some examples of how collaborative research between a university and community-based non-academics can be fruitful for both parties, individuals unaffiliated to either group; as well as the larger regional community as a whole. Furthermore, this article discusses the added value of collaborative doctoral research to develop an understanding of how the triplicate of academia, community-based organisations and individuals unaffiliated with either partnership group, can simultaneously benefit from research collaboration both during and after the direct timeframe of the research

The influence of feature-based information in the age processing of unfamiliar faces

The influence of the internal features (eyes, nose, and mouth) in the age processing of unfamiliar faces was examined. Younger and older versions of the faces of six individuals (covering three different age ranges, from infancy to maturity) were used as donor stimuli. For each individual in turn, the effects on age estimates of placing older features in the younger face version (or vice versa) were investigated. Age estimates were heavily influenced by the age of the internal facial features. Experiment 2 replicated these effects with a larger number of faces within a narrower age range (after growth is complete and before major skin changes have occurred). Taken together, these two experiments show that the internal facial features may be influential in conveying age information to the perceiver. However, the mechanisms by which features exert their influence remain difficult to determine: although age estimates might be based on local information from the features themselves, an alternative possibility is that featural changes indirectly influence age estimates by altering the global three-dimensional shape of the head

Recognising the ageing face: the role of age in face processing

The effects of age-induced changes on face recognition were investigated as a means of exploring the role of age in the encoding of new facial memories. The ability of participants to recognise each of six previously learnt faces was tested with versions which were either identical to the learnt faces, the same age (but different in pose and expression), or younger or older in age. Participants were able to cope well with facial changes induced by ageing: their performance with older, but not younger, versions was comparable to that with faces which differed only in pose and expression. Since the large majority of different age versions were recognised successfully, it can be concluded that the process of recognition does not require an exact match in age characteristics between the stored representation of a face and the face currently in view. As the age-related changes explored here were those that occur during the period of growth, this in turn implies that the underlying structural physical properties of the face are (in addition to pose and facial expression) invariant to a certain extent

From accelerating and Poincar\'e coordinates to black holes in spacelike warped AdS3_3, and back

We first review spacelike stretched warped AdS$_3$ and we describe its black hole quotients by using accelerating and Poincar\'e coordinates. We then describe the maximal analytic extension of the black holes and present their causal diagrams. Finally, we calculate spacetime limits of the black hole phase space $(T_R,T_L)$. This is done by requiring that the identification vector $\partial_\theta$ has a finite non-zero limit. The limits we obtain are the self-dual solution in accelerating or Poincar\'e coordinates, depending respectively on whether the limiting spacetimes are non-extremal or extremal, and warped AdS with a periodic proper time identification.Comment: 43 pages, 11 figures. v4: version to appear in CQG, presentation changes (parts to appendices

Factors influencing the accuracy of age-estimates of unfamiliar faces

Factors affecting the accuracy with which adults could assess the age of unfamiliar male faces aged between 5 and 70 years were examined. In the first experiment twenty-five 'young' adult subjects, aged 16-25, and twenty-five 'old' adults, aged 51-60, were used. Each subject saw five versions of three different faces: these consisted of an original version of each face and four manipulated versions of it. The manipulations consisted of mirror reversal, pseudo-cardioidal strain, thresholding, and elimination of all but the internal features of the face. The second experiment was similar except that a between-subjects design was used: each subject saw three faces for each age category of target face, but was exposed to only a single type of manipulation (plus a set of 'original' faces which were identical for all groups, so that the comparability of the different groups in age estimation could be checked). Results from both experiments were similar. Age estimates for unmanipulated 'original' faces were highly accurate, although subjects were most accurate with target faces that were within their own age range. Results for the manipulated faces implied that the importance of cardioidal strain as a necessary and sufficient cue to age may have been overestimated in previous reports: subjects' age estimates were accurate when cardioidal strain was absent from the stimulus, and poor when cardioidal strain was the only cue available

Simple pressure gauge for uranium hexafluoride

A sensitive detector and pressure gauge for uranium hexafluoride in high‐vacuum systems is described. Negative surface ionization of UF_6 occurs on ribbon filaments operated at temperatures too low for electron emission to be significant. The ion current measured on a cylindrical collector surrounding the filament assembly varies regularly with UF_6 pressure below 10^(−3) Torr. Different filament materials are considered, including rhenium, thoriated tungsten, and platinum. Rhenium is found to be the most satisfactory material for operation of diode emitters as a pressure gauge. Gauge constants (in A Torr^(−1)) are derived from comparing negative surface ionization currents with the response of a capacitance manometer and are shown to be independent of temperature within a reasonable operating range. The effects of exposing the rhenium filament to various gases is considered, and it is shown that brief exposure to acetylene substantially improves the operating characteristics of the gauge

Understanding High School English Learners’ Chronic Absenteeism

Chronic absenteeism has significant implications for both the individual student and society at large and has been receiving attention for over a century. Every school day counts. Regular attendance provides students with opportunities to learn and has a strong link to achievement. Conversely, poor attendance has serious implications for high school students. For each subgroup of students there is a similar pattern: the likelihood of chronic absenteeism increases as students progress through high school. Notably, the U.S. Department of Education found English learners experience higher chronic absenteeism than their non-English learner peers when they reach high school. Furthermore, compared to their white peers, Hispanic students were found to be 17 percent more likely to lose three weeks of school or more. This dissertation was designed to determine barriers to attendance for suburban New Jersey high school English learners who have been identified as chronically absent. The focus of this qualitative case study was on the importance of understanding high school English learners’ chronic absenteeism from their perspective. While views about the place of young people in schools and society have changed over the past few years, student voice is noticeably absent from the discussion about chronic absenteeism at the state and district level. Specific studies of high school English learners’ experiences related to their chronic absenteeism do not exist. There is an abundance of research on student attendance and its impact on student achievement, but little research exists on high school English learners’ views regarding barriers to attendance. By taking student voice into account when addressing chronic absenteeism, there is a possibility for school leaders to combat chronic absenteeism with policies and programs that address student barriers to attendance. A qualitative research design was conducted by examining the experiences of student and school personnel, as well as the practices and policies, being implemented to combat the issue. The case study focused on understanding individual perspectives to identify themes and patterns related to student barriers to attendance. In the context of exploring student voice related to English learners’ chronic absenteeism, the research design focused on understanding strategies for improved attendance with particular interest on how school personnel were engaged in using specific strategies. Through the collection of interview, documentation, and observational data, a detailed conceptual theory for guiding interventions within the field of education related to chronic absenteeism. A constant comparative analysis of the data revealed the emergence of several themes and patterns. The findings reflect commonalities in the themes of family influences, financial pressures, transportation issues, immigration concerns, academic challenges as English learners, and some notable experiences, if not widely spread. Interviews with school personnel also elicited ideas about how to combat chronic absenteeism at the high school by building relationships with students, families, and stakeholders. Keywords: chronic absenteeism, English learners, student voice, ESSA, attendanc

EFFECTS OF ALTERNATIVE ACREAGE RESTRICTION PROVISIONS ON ALABAMA COTTON FARMS

The 1985 Farm Bill departs from recent farm bills in moving toward more restrictive acreage control. The change from a two- to a five-year average in calculating base acreage and enforcement of limited cross-compliance appear to significantly alter crop mix decisions on representative Alabama cotton farms.Political Economy,

INCORPORATING THE 1990 FARM BILL INTO FARM-LEVEL DECISION MODELS: AN APPLICATION TO COTTON FARMS

A five-year, 0.1, mixed integer programming model was developed to analyze the effects of 1990 Farm Bill legislation on the crop-mix decisions made on cotton farms. Results showed that, when compared to the 1985 Farm Bill, the 1990 Farm Bill can result in higher whole-farm income despite new "triple base" provisions limiting payment acres. The increase in income results from elimination of limited cross-compliance provisions and the change to a three-year base calculation. The model was also used to assess the likely impact of possible changes in the current legislation.Cotton farms, Farm programs, Programming models, Agricultural and Food Policy, Crop Production/Industries,