433 research outputs found
Far-infrared emission from dusty ellipticals
The incidence of dust lanes in elliptical galaxies has been estimated at approx. 40 percent by Sadler and Gerhard (1985), although the observed fraction is lower because of inclination effects. A similar percentage of ellipticals has been detected by the Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) at 100 microns (Knapp et al. 1989); these have far-infrared colors expected for emission from cool dust (S sub 60 micron/S sub 100 micron approx. 1/3). For the far-infrared detected galaxies, neither L sub 100 microns/L sub B nor L sub 60 microns/L sub 100 microns are very dependent on dust content, suggesting that the source of the infrared luminosity is the same in both cases; and hence that dust is responsible even when not detected optically. Despite this indication, L sub 100 microns does not prove to be a good indicator of the quantity of cool interstellar matter in elliptical galaxies, as measured by the mass of neutral hydrogen. There even exist several examples of ellipticals with dust, strong 100 micron flux density and sensitive limits on HI mass (Walsh et al. in preparation). Chief reasons for the lack of correlation include the existence of other important sources of far-IR power in ellipticals, such as nonthermal continuum emission extending from longer wavelengths in flat spectrum radio sources (Golombek, Miley and Neugebauer 1988); and the fact that far-infrared luminosity per unit dust mass is extremely sensitive to the temperature of the ambient radiation field, which is not accurately known. In addition to having their appearance distorted by dust, several ellipticals also show such features as shells, box-shaped isophotes or inner disks. These may be signatures of past mergers, which could also add to the ISM content of the system
The highlight reel and the real me: how adolescents construct the Facebook fable
Facebook is framed as a dangerous tool or at best, a colossal waste of time for adolescents. Stories of bullying, sexual exploitation, and adolescent idiocy dominate the mainstream and sociological narrative. Yet, there are few sociological studies of 13-18 year olds' social media experience. Available research on this age group is presented from the perspectives of adults or focused on college students. This dissertation seeks to address this gap in the literature by presenting the Facebook stories of 26 adolescents (13-18). It reveals a more contemplative and positive story of adolescent Facebook use than that described in the literature.
To capture their lived experience I developed a social media ethnography, including a survey, focus groups, observation of Facebook images, and follow up interviews. These data show that while adolescents spend considerable effort on their impression management work to "document us being awesome," they also want to present an authentic self. When this visual self presentation enters the public realm of Facebook it is altered by the awareness of an audience, and thus their authenticity is bounded by gendered social media rules that highlight masculinity/femininity. Simultaneously they also engage in significant back stage work to evaluate how this presentation aligns with the "real me now." Facebook provides a public space for this self reflection; it allows them to visualize the presentation of self and the feedback they receive on it. Over time these micro interactions and moments of self reflection work to constitute the evolving self.
This multi-method study offers media studies a new framework from which to consider the deeper meanings that adolescents make and take from social media. It presents an example of thoughtful decision making that may challenge brain development research indicating that adolescents struggle with impulse control. It also addresses a significant gap in the adolescent development literature by suggesting that work normally done internally to craft the self narrative now has a public presentation. Adolescents are forging a new path to development, and impressively they are taking control of social media technology to do so in a way that is both complicated and potentially helpful
Views on alternatives to imprisonment: a citizens jury approach
Abstract
Alarming over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australian prisons, combined with high recidivism rates and poor health and social outcomes among those released from prison, has led many to claim that incarceration is a social policy failure. An important obstacle to a reform agenda in the criminal justice area is public opinion. The public are often perceived to hold punitive attitudes towards offenders, a situation often exploited by politicians to perpetuate punitive penal policies at the expense of developing decarceration initiatives. However, alternatives to public opinion surveys/polls are needed to assess the publicâs views, as survey/poll-based methods typically present shallow, unconsidered public opinion and thwart good policy development and reform. Citizens Juries offer an alternative method to assess the publicâs views, views that are critically informed and thus better aid policy development. This project aimed to explore, through Citizens Juries, the views of a critically informed public in three states/territories towards how we, as a community, should address offenders in terms of incarceration and incarceration alternatives. The research focused on a range of incarceration alternatives including Justice Reinvestment. The study also aimed to examine the thoughts of senior policymakers on the outcomes of Citizens Juries. This research provides important information and evidence in the offender health area and contributes to the Justice Reinvestment debate among offender health, criminal justice, political and community stakeholders. 
A STUDY OF RETENTION AND RECRUITMENT AT SOUTHERN AND MIDWESTERN WEEKLY U.S. NEWSPAPERS
Daily and weekly newspapers are closing at alarming rates, leaving readers without local coverage in many parts of the country. More than 5,000 of the remaining newspapers in the United States are weeklies, providing meeting coverage, agricultural news and keeping small towns informed. Yet, not nearly enough research exists about the people working at those newspapers. More than 1,000 email surveys were sent in early 2021 to weekly news editors, publishers or owners in seven states seeking opinions on successes and challenges in hiring and retaining weekly journalists. Survey results and follow-up interviews revealed a number of insights including data indicating weekly newspaper leaders are challenged by lack of funding, lack of qualified candidates and candidates lacking an interest in living in rural America. The weekly newspaper leaders also indicated that staffing challenges have negatively affected local news coverage. Workplace culture and community engagement were two of the main reasons journalists stayed in their jobs
Philosophical Approaches to Qualitative Research
This chapter reviews some of the major overarching philosophical approaches to qualitative inquiry and includes some historical background for each. Taking a âbig pictureâ view, the chapter discusses post-positivism, constructivism, critical theory, feminism, and queer theory and offers a brief history of these approaches; considers the ontological, epistemological, and axiological assumptions on which they rest; and details some of their distinguishing features. In the last section, attention is turned to the future, identifying three overarching, interrelated, and contested issues with which the field is being confronted and will be compelled to address as it moves forward:retaining the rich diversity that has defined the field, the articulation of recognizable standards for qualitative research, and the commensurability of differing approaches
Personal Power and Agency When Dealing with Interactive Voice Response Systems and Alternative Modalities
In summer 2015, we conducted an exploratory study of how people in the U.S. use and respond to robot-like systems in order to achieve their needs through mediated customer service interfaces. To understand this process, we carried out three focus groups sessions along with 50 in-depth interviews. Strikingly we found that people perceive (correctly or not) that interactive voice response customer service technology is set up to deter them from pursuing further contact. And yet, for the most part, people were unwilling to simply give up on the goals that motivated their initial contact. Consequently, they had to innovate ways to communicate with the automated systems that essentially serve as gatekeepers to their desired ends. These results have implications for communication theory and system design, especially since these systems will be increasingly presented to consumers as social media affordances evolve
You Know, the South is a Breeding Ground for Gluttony : A Qualitative Evaluation of Dissonance between Christian Beliefs and Eating Habits
This research is intended to initiate understanding of how obesity in the South persists even though the majority of inhabitants subscribe to a faith that discourages unhealthy lifestyles. Grounded in the Cognitive Dissonance Theory, this study examined Protestant evangelical Christians in the South (N = 11), who participated in semi-structured interviews. The first emergent theme was that, to these Southerners, the purpose of food is for sustenance and survival, as well as for bringing people together. Most participants reported having an average level of knowledge of nutrition and health. Furthermore, participants generally agreed that marketing or educational efforts had little effect on their understanding of nutrition. Another theme emerged when participants provided Biblical references to food or health. âThe Body is a Templeâ and âgluttonyâ were the most common Biblical concepts. All participants referred to taste or desirability as the driver of their food selections. Furthermore, most participants claimed habitual gluttony as a personal experience in their lives. This study concluded that subjects employed two modes of âtrivializingâ as a way of resolving dissonance. Some participants justified their eating habits based on Southern culture, while others explained that their church culture supported unhealthy eating as a means of gathering in fellowship
Flow rate impacts on capillary pressure and interface curvature of connected and disconnected fluid phases during multiphase flow in sandstone
We investigate capillary pressure-saturation (PC-S) relationships for drainage-imbibition experiments conducted with air (nonwetting phase) and brine (wetting phase) in Bentheimer sandstone cores. Three different flow rate conditions, ranging over three orders of magnitude, are investigated. X-ray micro-computed tomographic imaging is used to characterize the distribution and amount of fluids and their interfacial characteristics. Capillary pressure is measured via (1) bulk-phase pressure transducer measurements, and (2) image-based curvature measurements, calculated using a novel 3D curvature algorithm. We distinguish between connected (percolating) and disconnected air clusters: curvatures measured on the connected phase interfaces are used to validate the curvature algorithm and provide an indication of the equilibrium condition of the data; curvature and volume distributions of disconnected clusters provide insight to the snap-off processes occurring during drainage and imbibition under different flow rate conditionsWe gratefully acknowledge funding from the Australian Research Council through Discovery Project DP160104995, and the member companies of the ANU/UNSW Digicore Research Consortium
- âŠ