The lose-lose situation : identity prioritization and gendered communication in co-recreational intramural basketball.

Co-recreational sports deserve to be studied due to their relationship between the environment, identity prioritization, and gendered communication for individuals. In spite of the environment’s importance in collegiate student development, few have asked the questions of: how do co-recreational intramural basketball players manage their multiple identities and statuses when playing with or against members of the same or opposite sex; and how do players of both sexes use gendered communication strategies to negotiate predominantly masculine leisure environments, like intramural basketball leagues? Using in-depth interviews from co-recreational intramural basketball players at the University of Louisville triangulated with observations of co-recreational intramural basketball games, results are uncovered to show that players manage their multiple statuses in ways that differ by gender and skill level and claim to negotiate the predominantly masculine leisure environment if they feel they should, though they rarely do

So Old and So New: Memory and Expectation in the Fantastic Works of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien

For both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, the realms and stories of Faërie and the fantastic, in addition to being entertaining were revelatory: insights about the very nature of Reality come through the images and narratives of these secondary worlds, in which the perception of time often plays a major role. Examining such issues as time and ultimate reality in Lewis’s and Tolkien’s works must take into account each author’s devout and profound Christian faith, oriented around the eucatastrophe of the Gospel message radiating backwards and forwards throughout human history. This faith thus shaped how they understood the past, present, and future: Tolkien looked backward and Lewis forward. In The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Space Trilogy, and Lord of the Rings and The Simarillion, each author worked within these theological boundaries in the “Primary World”, believing that he was drawing upon, as well as revealing, Reality in creating as he did. St. Augustine’s meditation on the perception of time as memory and expectation frames this exploration of Lewis and Tolkien’s understanding of the relationship between faith and Faërie, leading, as always, “further up and further in.

Leading Effective Inclusive Schools: How Principals Make the Difference

In effective inclusive schools, school principals are the difference-makers. Principals of these schools possess a commitment to leading schools adept at delivering high academic achievement outcomes and providing an inclusive education for students with disabilities. This leadership is predicated upon their inclusive consciousness, or a dogged determination to provide ethical and meaningful educational experiences to all students, but especially those with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to understand how four elementary-level public school principals acquired, developed, and demonstrated an inclusive consciousness that guided their leadership of effective inclusive schools. Data were collected using a basic qualitative methodology and a series two of semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed via the constant comparative and cross-case methods of data analysis. Findings indicated that how principals (a) defined inclusion; (b) exhibited a disposition for inclusion; and (c) engaged in effective and inclusive leadership behaviors determined their acquisition, development, and demonstration of an inclusive consciousness that guided their leadership of effective inclusive schools. The discussion includes explication of findings, implications, limitations, and recommendations for further research

Scalable microwave waste-to-fuel conversion

[EN] This paper presents an efficiency study for scalable microwave waste management. When waste with carbon content is subjected to volume power densities on the order of 0.25W/cm3 at GHz frequencies, it converts to solid coke fuel with oil and gas bi-products that can further be processed for fuel, leaving no trace. For an efficient process, a well-controlled uniform RF field should be maintained in a non-uniform and time-variable material. We are developing a 2.45-GHz active microwave cavity with solid-state (GaN) spatially power combined sources for lower volumes, Fig.1. In the energy balance calculations, the input energy into the system consists of the waste chemical energy and the DC electrical energy used to obtain the RF power with an efficiency that can reach 70% for kW power levels. The efficiency of RF power conversion to heat in the waste mass is calculated from full-wave simulations for typical waste mixtures and ranges from 10 to 90% depending on the material and cavity filling. The output energy estimates are collected from various pyrolysis process descriptions, e.g. [1], with the total energy being that of the solid fuel (35MJ/kg) and oil caloric values, e.g. 40MJ/kg for plastics and about 10-15MJ/kg for nonplastics [2]. A byproduct is flue gas which can be converted to Syngas [3]. The total worse-case carbon footprint balance (0.3-3) calculations will be presented. Fig. 1. Block diagram of active microwave cavity for waste to fuel conversion. References D. Czajczyńska, “Potential of pyrolysis processes in the waste management sector,” Thermal Science and Engineering Progress, vol. 3, p. 171. Sept., 2017. J.A. Onwudili, “Composition of products from the pyrolysis of polyethylene and polystyrene in a closed batch reactor: effects of temperature and residence time,” Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, vol. 86 p. 293–303. Nov., 2009. S. Chunshan, "Tri-reforming of methane: a novel concept for synthesis of industrially useful synthesis gas with desired H2/CO ratios using CO2 in flue gas of power plants without CO2 separation." Prepr. Pap.-Am. Chem. Soc., Div. Fuel Chem 49, no. 1 (2004): 128.This work was funded by DARPA under contract W911NF-18-1-0073.Robinson, M.; Popovic, Z. (2019). Scalable microwave waste-to-fuel conversion. En AMPERE 2019. 17th International Conference on Microwave and High Frequency Heating. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 210-216. https://doi.org/10.4995/AMPERE2019.2019.9839OCS21021

Improving the FAIRness of Australia’s grains research sector data

Across Australia’s arable landscapes, thousands of crop trials have been conducted to improve the profitability and sustainability of Australian grain production. Although there have been significant steps to make knowledge gained from trials available to users, there is the potential to further support the development of next generation data models and knowledge products by integrating trials from disparatei sources by adhering to FAIR principles of data management. That is, making data: findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable. This research explores whether Online Farm Trials increase the FAIRness of agricultural grains trial datasets through a comparison of the trial data capture and handling practices of organisations whose datasets are not discoverable through Online Farm Trials (OFT) (N = 50) with the FAIRness of the datasets discoverable through OFT. The findings demonstrate that OFT is helping to make the results of Australia’s grains trials more FAIR to the users of trial data, and suggests a number of improvements to the FAIRness of trial datasets, foremost through the use of machine-readable metadata

Development of a fabric-based surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) sensor for rapid detection of human disease biomarkers

1 online resource (xiii, 83 p.) : ill. (some col.)Includes abstract and appendix.Includes bibliographical references (p. 70-75).Currently, there is a growing demand for continuous monitoring of human disease and the development of analytical techniques capable of reliably detecting and diagnosing various illnesses. The objective of this project was the development of inexpensive, sensitive, and reproducible substrates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), from metal-coated silk fabric. Potentially, these substrates could be incorporated into clothing and other textiles for regular monitoring of biomarkers in bodily fluids or air pollutants. The main focus of this work was the roughening of the fabric samples on the nanoscale, which is a required feature of SERS substrates. This was achieved through electrochemical methods and the deposition of nanoparticles. All synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The substrates were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, as well as by the SERS signal of 4,4’-bipyridine (4,4’-byp) collected on their surface. It was found that in situ synthesis of silver colloids on the fabric was most effective method for obtaining reliable and sensitive substrates, and the incubation of the fabric in gold nanoflowers provided a uniform and reproducible SERS substrate. The detection of 4,4’- byp on these surfaces was achieved with ease, whereas the biomolecules 2’-deoxyguanosine 5’-monophosphate, and guanosine could not be detected. A single band for guanine was identified in the SERS spectrum collected on a fabric substrate. Interference from the silk fibers, citrate and other reagents used in the synthesis of nanoparticles was identified as a key obstacle in the fabrication of fabric substrates for the detection of biomolecules by SERS

Social media recruitment and online propaganda by extremist groups

As billions of people turn to their technologically elite phones and laptops for immediate information, online groups have learned how to take advantage of social media patterns and isolate people into a specific belief or carefully tailored platforms that eliminate opposing ideas. Extremist groups’ online presence have been studied as individual dilemmas, rather than being studied for patterns to combat the rapidly increasing radicalization of people who had no claim to these beliefs before social media. This study will contrast the online presence of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the January 6th insurrectionists in terms of platforms usage, targeted populations, and effectiveness. Analysis of two distinctly opposing groups for their evolution of recruitment tactics and propaganda strategies can become the foundation for creating an online system that rejects groups who promote and breed violence in real life

Attachment, defense mechanisms and emotion usage in children in institutions during middle childhood within a South African context.

Although the importance of Attachment in the normal development of a child has repeatedly been shown (Bowlby, 1961; 1979) there is a limited amount of research into its relationships with the usage of defense mechanisms and emotions. This research, therefore, investigated the relationships between attachment type, defense mechanisms and emotions during middle childhood (8-12 years) in 64 children from 4 children’s homes and 1 hospital in the Gauteng area. The children completed the Deferential Emotions Scale IV (DES-IV), the Attachment Story Completion Test (ASCT) and the Attachment Security Scale (ASS). The legal guardians of the children completed the Comprehensive Assessment of Defense Scale (CADS). Significant correlations were found to exist between the usage defense mechanisms and emotions. The results obtained from the analyses therefore suggest a complex interplay of relationships between attachment, defense mechanisms and emotion during middle childhood for the children in these institutions. For example, the research found that certain defense mechanisms and emotions were found to be correlated in a complex and interrelated system of interactions. Similarly, although no significant associations were found between attachment, defense mechanisms and emotions were found, the frequency distributions provided detailed information suggesting that attachment does influence the defenses used and emotion during middle childhood. These finding suggest that further research needs to be conducted in this area to further this knowledge base and to inform the caregivers and staff at institutions such as those included in the study