Agents Provocateurs: State Infiltration in BlacKkKlansman and the Greensboro Massacre

In 2018, director Boots Riley posted a short, but scathing critique of the film BlacKkKlansman to his Twitter. His criticism emanates mostly from the film’s portrayal of the real-life police detective Ron Stallworth as a hero and its numerous omissions regarding Stallworth’s infiltration of Leftist groups. Much of Riley’s commentary focuses on the film’s failure to account for the police as a foundational aspect of everyday white supremacy, but his essay also speak to the consistent use of white nationalist forces by the State to suppress Leftist and Black radical activism. This paper uses both the film and memoir BlacKkKlansman, as well as Riley’s critique, to frame an analysis of the Klan as a synergistic form of State, white nationalist, and anticommunist repression against a broad spectrum of Leftist activism. Beyond Stallworth, I focus on the Greensboro Massacre of 1979, in which Klansmen and Neo-Nazis murdered five Communist Worker’s Party organizers. The events in Greensboro prove a far more representative example of the true nature of police infiltration of radical groups than those presented in BlacKkKlansman. I argue that despite the popular belief that the Klan and Communist groups constitute the disavowed fringes of American society, the State has routinely provided a space for the Klan’s existence while it has simultaneously persecuted, villainized, and criminalized American Communists and Black radicals. This is borne out by the fact that there has rarely, if ever, been a point where the violence of the Klan has not been favored by law enforcement and government officials over the activism of the Klan’s radical adversaries

Denouncing the Hooded Order: Radicalism, Identity, and Dissent in the UMWA

My work examines how the radical immigrant miners of Franklin County, Illinois preserved radical sentiment in southern Illinois during the mid 1920s, despite the decline of both the coal industry in the region and radicalism within the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA). In particular, this paper focuses on the grassroots activism and interethnic solidarity displayed by union miners from southern Illinois at the 42nd annual convention of the Illinois Federation of Labor in 1924. A number of mining representatives disrupted the proceedings and demanded that the conference openly denounce the Ku Klux Klan and their use of terrorism within mining communities. Despite the prevalence of Klan attacks on union members, the miners met heavy opposition from the UMWA hierarchy present at the convention. This was due to not only the political influence held by the KKK in the area, but also the southern Illinois organizers’ affiliation with the Communist party. The dispute at this convention spoke to the presence of a divided working class in southern Illinois that often erupted in violent conflicts based on ethnic identity, national origin, and radical affiliation. I contend that the events at this convention informed the next decade of labor disputes in the coalfields of Franklin County, in which the UMWA consistently neglected the needs of their immigrant members and left them exposed to repression at the hands of the coal operators, the KKK, and the courts.&nbsp

Colloidal bimetallic platinum–ruthenium nanoparticles in ordered mesoporous carbon films as highly active electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction

Hydrogen features a very high specific energy density and is therefore a promising candidate for clean fuel from renewable resources. Water electrolysis can convert electrical energy into storable and transportable hydrogen gas. Under acidic conditions, platinum is the most active and stable monometallic catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Yet, platinum is rare and needs to be used efficiently. Here, we report a synthesis concept for colloidal bimetallic platinum–ruthenium and rhodium–ruthenium nanoparticles (PtRuNP, RhRuNP) and their incorporation into ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) films. The films exhibit high surface area, good electrical conductivity and well-dispersed nanoparticles inside the mesopores. The nanoparticles retain their size, crystallinity and composition during carbonization. In the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), PtRuNP/OMC catalyst films show up to five times higher activity per Pt than Pt/C/Nafion® and PtRu/C/Nafion® reference catalysts.TU Berlin, Open-Access-Mittel - 2020European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP), 16ENG0, Hybrid metrology for thin films in energy applications (HyMET)BMBF, 03VP05390, Nanostrukturierte Elektroden der nächsten Generation für eine energieeffiziente Produktion von Chlor - Next-Gen-ChlorBMBF, 03EK3009, Design hocheffizienter Elektrolysekatalysatore

A Holistic Sustainable Approach to Small-Scale Water Desalination in Remote Regions: Development of a thermal desalination method based on vapour transfer processes in water-filled bubble columns

This thesis describes the development of a novel thermal desalination process based on the vapour transfer processes occurring in a water-filled bubble column. A strong focus on facilitating the involvement of local people and on promoting local capacity building by utilising simple technologies steers the research towards thermal desalination. The problem is addressed by first identifying alternative and previously unused water sources that can be utilised for sustainable water provision in remote places. The experimental analysis of a new desalination concept that combines a bubble column evaporator with a simple passive flatplate copper condenser is then provided. A comprehensive condenser assessment under a range of different physical conditions that examine the effects of external water cooling, partial insulation and aspects of air circulation on condenser performance is presented. Subsequently, for the purpose of mitigating high bubble column vapour temperatures without risking greenhouse plant survival in a prospective Bubble-Greenhouse, an alternative set of cooling and pre-condensing devices is assessed. Based on the findings, a conceptual Bubble-Greenhouse design that promotes a holistic sustainable approach to combined water provision and community development is then described. A prototype bubble evaporator is quantitatively and qualitatively assessed for the consistency of its performance and demonstrates a steady evaporation rate. The resulting data provides the basis for extrapolation of bubble evaporator capacity, both for relatively small standalone systems and for significantly up-scaled components that would operate in a Bubble-Greenhouse. In passive mode, condensate recovery rates of around 73% are achieved without the need for external cooling. Estimated by extrapolation, a standalone bubble desalination system with a 1m2 condenser may produce around 19 litres of distilled water per day. The common feature of the alternative set of cooling and pre-condensing devices is that they are easy to manufacture, of low energy demand and low investment cost and technically and operationally appropriate for local people in remote places. Under laboratory conditions, the passive copper tube concepts achieve water recovery rates of between 65-75% and the air cooled bubble condenser columns achieve condensate recovery rates of at least 50%. However, it emerges that a well designed latent heat recovery system is required to keep the energy demand of a thermal desalination system within acceptable limits, both technically and financially. Although the stacked evaporator-condenser bubble column array cannot demonstrate a significant cooling and condensing advantage over the flat-plate condenser, the concept facilitates the implementation of a heat recovery cycle. This attribute ultimately leads to the multistage evaporator-condenser module concept with an effective latent heat recovery system that is integrated into the horizontally stacked chambers, a key element of the Bubble- Greenhouse technology. The greenhouse desalination system is designed with a water production capacity of 8m3 per day. Due to the strongly reduced water demand of plants inside a humidified greenhouse, only a fraction is required for irrigation and the bulk of water is intended for human consumption. This study aims to contribute to the field of water service provision in remote communities, particularly by improving some of the shortcomings of conventional high-tech water treatment technologies that often fail in these situations. A comprehensive discussion posits the Bubble-Greenhouse concept in the context of these remote community water provision shortcomings and highlights how the proposed new treatment method aims to alleviate these. Consequently, the findings presented here may help to inform the essential transition from externally-led water service provision towards a self-determined community operated service, recommendations for future research and recommendations for implementation of a Bubble- Greenhouse field trial conclude the thesis

Experimental and numerical investigation on the impact response of CFRP under 3-point-bending

The strain rate-dependent material characteristic of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) is widely known and has been investigated in detail at coupon level. In this study, for the first time the strain rate dependent characteristic of a three-dimensional CFRP structure was investigated. The evolution of the determined strain rate dependency was correlated with the results at coupon level. For this purpose two special 3-point-bending fixtures were developed to obtain the flexural impact response of the investigated T700S DT120 prepreg system at coupon and component (hat profile) level. The rectangular coupon specimens were loaded with quasi-static to intermediate impact velocities from 3.3x10$^{-5}$ to 10ms$^{-1}$ while the structural sub components were tested using impact velocities from 3.3x10$^{-5}$ to 1m s$^{-1}$ With increasing impact velocities, the experimental tests showed a significant increase in force at first failure and maximum deflection at coupon level. The increases in force were of 52% and 120%, respectively. However, the increase for structural hat profile components was just 12.4% due to a different failure mode. The observed initial failure modes were compressive failure provoked by fiber kinking for the coupon and interlaminar shear failure for the structural component. Regardless of the different failure modes this work proves the necessity of considering the strain rate dependency of a composite material to accurately predict the maximum load capacity of a CFRP structure during a dynamic load event. Additionally, the comparison of the experimental results restults to numerical results revealed weaknesses in the prediction accuracy of the currently used models

Inner Border: ein hochspezifisches und signifikantes kolposkopisches Zeichen für eine schwergradige zervikale intraepitheliale Neoplasie II. oder III. Grades

In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird retrospektiv ein kolposkopisches Phänomen, der sogenannte "Inner Border", an 947 Frauen, die in der Dysplasiesprechstunde untersucht wurden, evaluiert. Es kann gezeigt werden, daß der "Inner Border" ein hochspezifisches Zeichen für eine schwergradige intraepitheliale Neoplasie darstellt und bei 20% dieser schwergradigen Veränderungen nachweisbar ist. "Inner Border" wurde signifikant häufiger bei Frauen jünger als 35 Jahre gefunden, eine signifikante Assoziation mit high-risk Typen humaner Papillomviren konnte nicht gefunden werden

Curriculum Judaism and Pupils’ Attitude Development

The thesis examines the relationship between the teaching of Judaism and secondary school pupils’ perceptions of and attitudes to Jews. The study has two distinct contexts. The first is the perpetuation of negative attitudes towards Jews in England, and the second is the study of Judaism within Religious Education (‘curriculum Judaism’). Following an introductory chapter Chapters 2 and 3 analyse attitudinal development and the impact of strategies to challenge misconceptions. Particular reference is made to negative attitudes and behaviours to Jews in contemporary England and the impact of characteristics traditionally attributed to Jews. In Chapter 4 and 5 the context of curriculum Judaism is examined. Through a review of scholarly literature and policy documentation it is argued that the history of curriculum Judaism is unique and has been shaped by factors not conducive to presenting the tradition accurately. It maintains that teachers’ confidence in selecting appropriate content and teaching methods, and in challenging misconceptions, is pivotal for positive attitudinal development. Through a mixed methods approach, qualitative data is gathered from the three sources closest to curriculum Judaism - pupils, teachers and class textbooks. The data analysis in Chapter 7 and 8 contends that teachers often lack both confidence and appropriate knowledge to reflect the integrity of contemporary Judaism. Discussion of the selection and presentation of curriculum content and resources leads on to a consideration of the impact on pupils’ attitudes to Jews, with particular reference to the teaching of the Holocaust as a part of curriculum Judaism. The thesis argues that to meet the demands described above new approaches need to be established which develop teachers’ knowledge, discernment and confidence regarding appropriate content selection; effective learning experiences and strategies to effectively challenge misconceptions and stereotypes which inevitably develop into antisemitism

ZnO Coatings with Controlled Pore Size, Crystallinity and Electrical Conductivity

Zinc oxide is a wide bandgap semiconductor with unique optical, electrical and catalytic properties. Many of its practical applications rely on the materials pore structure, crystallinity and electrical conductivity. We report a synthesis method for ZnO films with ordered mesopore structure and tuneable crystallinity and electrical conductivity. The synthesis relies on dip-coating of solutions containing micelles of an amphiphilic block copolymer and complexes of Zn2+ ions with aliphatic ligands. A subsequent calcination at 400 °C removes the template and induces crystallization of the pore walls. The pore structure is controlled by the template polymer, whereas the aliphatic ligands control the crystallinity of the pore walls. Complexes with a higher thermal stability result in ZnO films with a higher content of residual carbon, smaller ZnO crystals and therefore lower electrical conductivity. The paper discusses the ability of different types of ligands to assist in the synthesis of mesoporous ZnO and relates the structure and thermal stability of the precursor complexes to the crystallinity and electrical conductivity of the zinc oxide

Biased Recognition of Facial Affect in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder Reflects Clinical State

Cognitive theories of depression posit that perception is negatively biased in depressive disorder. Previous studies have provided empirical evidence for this notion, but left open the question whether the negative perceptual bias reflects a stable trait or the current depressive state. Here we investigated the stability of negatively biased perception over time. Emotion perception was examined in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy control participants in two experiments. In the first experiment subjective biases in the recognition of facial emotional expressions were assessed. Participants were presented with faces that were morphed between sad and neutral and happy expressions and had to decide whether the face was sad or happy. The second experiment assessed automatic emotion processing by measuring the potency of emotional faces to gain access to awareness using interocular suppression. A follow-up investigation using the same tests was performed three months later. In the emotion recognition task, patients with major depression showed a shift in the criterion for the differentiation between sad and happy faces: In comparison to healthy controls, patients with MDD required a greater intensity of the happy expression to recognize a face as happy. After three months, this negative perceptual bias was reduced in comparison to the control group. The reduction in negative perceptual bias correlated with the reduction of depressive symptoms. In contrast to previous work, we found no evidence for preferential access to awareness of sad vs. happy faces. Taken together, our results indicate that MDD-related perceptual biases in emotion recognition reflect the current clinical state rather than a stable depressive trait