Mobilising the global significance of multidisciplinary discourses of performativity: lessons from an Australian major league baseballer in the United States and Australian circus performers

The discursive construction and expression of multiple forms of identities (self and other; individual, group and community; local, national and international) continue to exercise scholars across a wide range of disciplines, who in turn sometimes seek to exorcise less constructive and enabling representations of certain kinds of marginalised identities. This multi-valenced character of identity discourses is illustrated starkly in the very different status and forms of capital of two occupationally mobile communities with whom this paper is concerned. One group is the highly successful internationally mobile major league baseball players – specifically in this case an Australian player who spent many years travelling the baseball circuits in the United States. The other group is the circuses who travel from place to place in Australia providing public entertainment based on equally specialised skill sets. The paper presents a critically engaged and theoretically informed discourse analysis of empirical data collected with the two groups. The analysis is framed by selected aspects of Judith Butler’s notion of performativity, augmented with more recent theorisation in the field and taking note of the critiques of the concept. The analysis interrogates the discourses of mobility and performativity across the three disciplines of sports biography, life course studies and the sociology of education, in the process distilling areas of potential convergence while acknowledging the appropriate aspects of disciplinary specificity. The analysis is clustered around the emergent organising themes of constructions of home, selfhood and otherness, and multiple identities created and communicated through repeated performances of evolving skills. The paper concludes by examining possible implications of this analysis for contemporary debates about global discourses related to in/equality, discrimination and marginalisation, with particular reference to current and possible future developments in the European polity and society

First XMM-Newton observations of strongly magnetic cataclysmic variables - II. Timing studies of DP Leo and WW Hor

XMM-Newton was used to observe two eclipsing, magnetic cataclysmic variables, DP Leo and WW Hor, continuously for three orbital cycles each. Both systems were in an intermediate state of accretion. For WW Hor we also obtained optical light curves with the XMM-Newton Optical Monitor and from ground-based observations. Our analysis of the X-ray and optical light curves allows us to constrain physical and geometrical parameters of the accretion regions and derive orbital parameters and eclipse ephemerides of the systems. For WW Hor we directly measure horizontal and vertical temperature variations in the accretion column. From comparisons with previous observations we find that changes in the accretion spot longitude are correlated with the accretion rate. For DP Leo the shape of the hard X-ray light curve is not as expected for optically thin emission, showing the importance of optical depth effects in the post-shock region. We find that the spin period of the white dwarf is slightly shorter than the orbital period and that the orbital period is decreasing faster than expected for energy loss by gravitational radiation alone.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 12 pages, 6 figure

Online Mathematics Homework Increases Student Achievement

In a randomized field trial with 2,850 seventh-grade mathematics students, we evaluated whether an educational technology intervention increased mathematics learning. Assigning homework is common yet sometimes controversial. Building on prior research on formative assessment and adaptive teaching, we predicted that combining an online homework tool with teacher training could increase learning. The online tool ASSISTments (a) provides timely feedback and hints to students as they do homework and (b) gives teachers timely, organized information about students’ work. To test this prediction, we analyzed data from 43 schools that participated in a random assignment experiment in Maine, a state that provides every seventh-grade student with a laptop to take home. Results showed that the intervention significantly increased student scores on an end-of-the-year standardized mathematics assessment as compared with a control group that continued with existing homework practices. Students with low prior mathematics achievement benefited most. The intervention has potential for wider adoption

The Antiferromagnetic Band Structure of La2CuO4 Revisited

Using the Becke-3-LYP functional, we have performed band structure calculations on the high temperature superconductor parent compound, La2CuO4. Under the restricted spin formalism (rho(alpha) equal to rho(beta)), the R-B3LYP band structure agrees well with the standard LDA band structure. It is metallic with a single Cu x2-y2/O p(sigma) band crossing the Fermi level. Under the unrestricted spin formalism (rho(alpha) not equal to rho(beta)), the UB3LYP band structure has a spin polarized antiferromagnetic solution with a band gap of 2.0 eV, agreeing well with experiment. This state is 1.0 eV (per formula unit) lower than that calculated from the R-B3LYP. The apparent high energy of the spin restricted state is attributed to an overestimate of on-site Coulomb repulsion which is corrected in the unrestricted spin calculations. The stabilization of the total energy with spin polarization arises primarily from the stabilization of the x2-y2 band, such that the character of the eigenstates at the top of the valence band in the antiferromagnetic state becomes a strong mixture of Cu x2-y2/O p(sigma) and Cu z2/O' p(z). Since the Hohenberg-Kohn theorem requires the spin restricted and spin unrestricted calculations give exactly the same ground state energy and total density for the exact functionals, this large disparity in energy reflects the inadequacy of current functionals for describing the cuprates. This calls into question the use of band structures based on current restricted spin density functionals (including LDA) as a basis for single band theories of superconductivity in these materials.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. B, for more information see http://www.firstprinciples.co

Potential Energy Curves of Hydrogen Fluoride

Potential energy curves for the X(sup 1)sigma+ and V(sup 1)sigma+ states of HF and DF have been calculated by the Rydberg-Klein-Rees method. The results calculated from the different sets of data for HF and DF are found to be in very good agreement. The theoretical results of Karo are compared to the experimental results obtained here

Sources and Deposition of Reactive Gaseous Mercury in the Marine Atmosphere

Observations of reactive gaseous mercury (RGM) in marine air show a consistent diurnal cycle with minimum at night, rapid increase at sunrise, maximum at midday, and rapid decline in afternoon. We use a box model for the marine boundary layer (MBL) to interpret these observations in terms of RGM sources and sinks. The morning rise and midday maximum are consistent with oxidation of elemental mercury (Hg0) by Br atoms, requiring <2 ppt BrO in most conditions. Oxidation of Hg0 by Br accounts for 35–60% of the RGM source in our model MBL, with most of the remainder contributed by oxidation of Hg0 by ozone (5–20%) and entrainment of RGM-rich air from the free troposphere (25–40%). Oxidation of Hg0 by Cl is minor (3–7%), and oxidation by OH cannot reproduce the observed RGM diurnal cycle, suggesting that it is unimportant. Fitting the RGM observations could be achieved in the model without oxidation of Hg0 by ozone (leaving Br as the only significant oxidant) by increasing the entrainment flux from the free troposphere. The large relative diurnal amplitude of RGM concentrations implies rapid loss with a lifetime of only a few hours. We show that this can be quantitatively explained by rapid, mass-transfer-limited uptake of RGM into sea-salt aerosols as HgCl3− and HgCl42−. Our results suggest that 80–95% of HgII in the MBL should be present in sea-salt aerosol rather than gas-phase, and that deposition of sea-salt aerosols is the major pathway delivering HgII to the ocean.Earth and Planetary SciencesEngineering and Applied Science

Assessing the Impact of a Geospatial Data Collection App on Student Engagement in Environmental Education

A critical component of environmental education is to ensure student understanding and use of available technologies to better experience and analyze spatially distributed features of the environment. Combining mobile technologies with geographic information systems in field data collection may provide a unique opportunity for students to feel engaged in what they are learning and take ownership of their learning process. We customized an open access data collection application using Collector for ArcGIS and investigated its impacts on student engagement and perception of the incorporation of technology within an environmental science curriculum. Analyses of pre- and post-surveys indicate that the inclusion of geospatial technologies as a part of environmental curricula allows students to take the lead on their own research, view field data interactively as opposed to looking at a database in hindsight and analyze multiscale data as it is presented during field data collection. The findings of this study are consistent with previous studies, suggesting a strong association between the inclusion of geospatial technologies as a part of curricula and student engagement

Antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy for non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes in a general hospital

Aim: To audit compliance with the 2011 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines for prescribing antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy in patients diagnosed with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACS). Methods: Five-month audit at Cardiac Catheterisation Suite, Mater Dei Hospital, Malta. A data collection form for inpatients diagnosed with NSTE-ACS was developed, psychometrically evaluated and completed for each patient by the investigator. Comparative analysis to assess whether these patients were being managed according to the guidelines was undertaken. Results: 165 patients were recruited; 73% were male, 37% were between 66 and 75 years and 44% were active smokers. The most common risk factors for cardiovascular disease in these patients were hypertension (27%), dyslipidemia and obesity (both 16%). 41% of the patients underwent a percutaneous coronary intervention, either ad hoc (34%) or elective (7%). Compliance to guidelines for prescription of aspirin and clopidogrel 300mg loading dose was 95% and 88% respectively. Compliance to guidelines for prescription of aspirin and clopidogrel 75mg daily maintenance dose was 97% and 96% respectively. Compliance to guidelines for prescription of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) in patients receiving dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) was only 19%; 81% of the patients were prescribed omeprazole against guideline recommendations. Compliance to guidelines for prescription of anticoagulation therapy was 95% with respect to prescription of heparin treatment in combination with DAPT. Compliance to guidelines for prescription of enoxaparin was 81%. Compliance to guidelines for other antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs recommended in the guidelines, including ticagrelor, prasugrel, glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor antagonists, fondaparinux and bivalirudin, was not measured. Conclusions: Prescription of antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy for NSTE-ACS in Malta is predominantly in accordance with ESC guidelines. Alternative antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs and PPIs should be included in the Maltese hospital formulary to improve NSTE-ACS management in line with guideline recommendations.peer-reviewe