A Pedagogy of Freedom for Forensics: Moving from Convention to Theory

Even a brief survey of academic journals and communication convention programs will reveal that ethics is a major concern among forensics professionals. The 2008 National Developmental Conference in Individual Events is no exception. A panel has been convened to present papers, discuss implications, and suggest policy action regarding ethical procedures in competitive intercollegiate forensics. While much past discussion and action has occurred on the subject of rules violations—ethical issues which enjoy essentially consensual agreement in the discipline—there is also a substantial concern over normative standards. These normative standards, which I refer to as conventions, largely govern what actually occurs during individual events competitions. While national forensics organizations have taken some actions to restrain judges from relying on convention to the detriment of adherence to event rules, and literature decries the constraint upon creativity resulting from this reliance, the fact remains that convention continues to create “unwritten rules.” In this paper, I contend that there is an ethical imperative for coaches and judges to take further action to overcome the negative effects of these conventions. Applying the educational philosophy of Paulo Freire, which he calls a pedagogy of freedom, (Freire, 1998), I contend that to allow convention to dominate is to dehumanize forensics activities, resulting in an anti-educational factory product which fails the student. Finally, I will suggest proactive methods of using forensics pedagogy to further current actions in response to rules violations and to prevent convention from usurping the educational values of the activity

Structure, function, and functional morphology of Mitra idae Melvill 1893 and M. catalinae Dall 1920

The morphology of the proboscis--particularly the epiproboscis, the feeding behavior, the function(s) of the epiproboscis, and the functional morphology of the epiproboscis, were studied in Mitra idea Melville and fi. catalinae Dall (Gastropoda: Neogastropoda; Mitridae. In M. idae, the epiproboscis is an extensible muscular J-shaped rod which curves under the odontophore, and lies parallel to the longitudinal axis of the proboscis. A muscular external sheath encloses that portion of the epiproboscis which lies within the proboscis haemacoel; an invaginated muscular-epithelial internal sheath covers the ventral part of the epiproboscis. The dorsal part of the epiproboscis consists principally of longitudinal muscle; the ventral part of the epiproboscis consists principally of circular muscle surrounding a core of longitudinal muscle. Specialized postural muscles are present along the surface of, and within the circular muscle of, the ventral part of the epiproboscis. The epiproboscis of M. idae was observed to perform four functions: (1) prey location during attachment of the proboscis to the prey; (2) retrieval of prey viscera; (3) leverage and physical support of the odontophore; and (4) assistance in maintaining a hold on the prey as the proboscis attempts to retract. The anterior displacement of blood along the surface of the epiproboscis serves to protract the organ. The external and internal sheaths displace and contain this blood. The musculature of the epiproboscis provides postural control and assists in retraction of the epiproboscis. The epiproboscis of M. catal inae was observed to act as a buccal pump to withdraw small volumes of the prey\u27s body fluid, and small numbers of eggs from gravid adults. The anterior displacement of blood within the epiproboscis serves to protract the organ. The external and internal sheaths displace this blood and maintain the cross-sectional form of the epiproboscis, respectively. The musculature of the epiproboscis retracts it. The epiproboscis of M. catalinae is part of a functional unit which includes a pair of peristomial lips and the esophagus. A model was proposed to account for the coordinated actions of each part of this functional unit. These are the first observations of the function and functional morphology of the mitrid epiproboscis. In M. idae and M. catalinae, the salivary gland ducts connect to the. epiproboscis., and open to the outside of the anterior tip of the epiproboscis as a common lumen. The significance of the presence of the ducts within the epiproboscis remains unclear, but there is no evidence that the ducts carry a toxic or venomous substance. The behavioral events leading up the prey are similar in both species. of the act and means of attachment of to attachment of the proboscis to Differences exist in the details the proboscis to the prey. The proboscis morphology of M. idae is representative of other members of the subfamily Mitrinae. The probsocis morphology of M.· catalinae is very different from M. idae with respect to: (l) the peristomial rim; (2) the epiproboscis;-(3) the odontophore; ( 4) the radula; and (5) the esophagus. M. catalinae should probably be placed within the subfamily Cylindromitrinae. M. idae and M. catalinae feed on supinculids, as do other species of mitrids studied. The observed function of the epiproboscides of these two species, and the essentially homogenous diet of mitrids in general, suggest that the epiproboscis is an adaptation for feeding on softbodied reclusive prey which occupy some form of protective confinement. A model of the evolution of the epiproboscis is proposed, beginning with a structure analogous to the subradular organ of other gastropods, and ending with the -M. -idae epiproboscis type

Facilitating Dual Service Programs: Imperatives for the Future of Forensics

I do not recall the last time I was at any sort of gathering of directors of forensics for any length of time when the discussion did not at some point turn to the issue of program mortality. Everyone has a story to tell of a program that recently ended, or is at risk of doing so. The most difficult moment in my own forensic career came only three years ago, when secret political maneuverings by a couple of self-aggrandizing administrators (who have since flown from their positions) put an end to a forensics program that was over 100 years old and had produced an average of two national champions over the previous twenty of those years. My story is not unusual; Derryberry (1991, p. 19) cited similar concerns as he reviews the literature and argues that forensic programs are always at the risk of the budget pen. In the current economy, I am convinced that only a few programs—those fortunate enough to be funded by major endowments or alumni/donor agreements— are more than one new administrator away from elimination. In an activity with so many clear educational benefits that I am not even going to bother to review the pertinent literature, it is astonishing to me that this situation endures. Having won every argument made to save my previous program, refuting every single false claim made by the administration for the unfortunate necessity of its elimination and even winning the battle in the local press, I am convinced that we can no longer rely on the argumentation techniques of presenting our evidence and assuming a rational audience. We won the popular vote of the community in my situation; but the two administrators at the foot of the program\u27s elimination were in no mood for rationality. Shrewd deal-making and power-playing won the day, and forensics lost. Instead, I will argue in this paper that we need to embrace some of the movements in contemporary education and link forensics to them. Forensics can win these battles just as successfully as it can demonstrate its educational benefits, and by doing so, will have a chance to survive. I will also argue that the best way to reach this goal is to support the dual purpose, or full-service, forensics program. I will begin by defining what I mean by a dual purpose program. Then, I’ll look at the justifications, both historical and potential, of such a program. Finally, and in the spirit of this developmental conference, I will suggest some possible ways to encourage dual purpose programs

A Gyrochronology and Microvariability Survey of the Milky Way's Older Stars Using Kepler's Two-Wheels Program

Even with the diminished precision possible with only two reaction wheels, the Kepler spacecraft can obtain mmag level, time-resolved photometry of tens of thousands of sources. The presence of such a rich, large data set could be transformative for stellar astronomy. In this white paper, we discuss how rotation periods for a large ensemble of single and binary main- sequence dwarfs can yield a quantitative understanding of the evolution of stellar spin-down over time. This will allow us to calibrate rotation-based ages beyond ~1 Gyr, which is the oldest benchmark that exists today apart from the Sun. Measurement of rotation periods of M dwarfs past the fully-convective boundary will enable extension of gyrochronology to the end of the stellar main-sequence, yielding precise ages ({\sigma} ~10%) for the vast majority of nearby stars. It will also help set constraints on the angular momentum evolution and magnetic field generation in these stars. Our Kepler-based study would be supported by a suite of ongoing and future ground-based observations. Finally, we briefly discuss two ancillary science cases, detection of long-period low-mass eclipsing binaries and microvariability in white dwarfs and hot subdwarf B stars that the Kepler Two-Wheels Program would facilitate.Comment: Kepler white pape

Wildfire and Abrupt Ecosystem Disruption on California\u27s Northern Channel Islands at the Allerod-Younger Dryas Boundary (13.0-12.9 ka)

Sedimentary records from California\u27s Northern Channel Islands and the adjacent Santa Barbara Basin (SBB) indicate intense regional biomass burning (wildfire) at the Ållerød–Younger Dryas boundary (~13.0–12.9 ka) (All age ranges in this paper are expressed in thousands of calendar years before present [ka]. Radiocarbon ages will be identified and clearly marked “14C years”.). Multiproxy records in SBB Ocean Drilling Project (ODP) Site 893 indicate that these wildfires coincided with the onset of regional cooling and an abrupt vegetational shift from closed montane forest to more open habitats. Abrupt ecosystem disruption is evident on the Northern Channel Islands at the Ållerød–Younger Dryas boundary with the onset of biomass burning and resulting mass sediment wasting of the landscape. These wildfires coincide with the extinction of Mammuthus exilis [pygmy mammoth]. The earliest evidence for human presence on these islands at 13.1–12.9 ka (~11,000–10,900 14C years) is followed by an apparent 600–800 year gap in the archaeological record, which is followed by indications of a larger-scale colonization after 12.2 ka. Although a number of processes could have contributed to a post 18 ka decline in M. exilis populations (e.g., reduction of habitat due to sea-level rise and human exploitation of limited insular populations), we argue that the ultimate demise of M. exilis was more likely a result of continental scale ecosystem disruption that registered across North America at the onset of the Younger Dryas cooling episode, contemporaneous with the extinction of other megafaunal taxa. Evidence for ecosystem disruption at 13–12.9 ka on these offshore islands is consistent with the Younger Dryas boundary cosmic impact hypothesis [Firestone, R.B., West, A., Kennett, J.P., Becker, L., Bunch, T.E., Revay, Z.S., Schultz, P.H., Belgya, T., Kennett, D.J., Erlandson, J.M., Dickenson, O.J., Goodyear, A.A., Harris, R.S., Howard, G.A., Kloosterman, J.B., Lechler, P., Mayewski, P.A., Montgomery, J., Poreda, R., Darrah, T., Que Hee, S.S., Smith, A.R., Stich, A., Topping, W., Wittke, J.H. Wolbach, W.S., 2007. Evidence for an extraterrestrial impact 12,900 years ago that contributed to the megafaunal extinctions and Younger Dryas cooling. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104, 16016–16021.]

Interview with Jeff M. Sirmon, Deputy Chief for International Forestry

Gerald W. Williams Collectio

Dynamics of the Globular Cluster System Associated with M87 (NGC 4486). II. Analysis

We present a dynamical analysis of the globular cluster system associated with M87 (= NGC 4486), the cD galaxy near the dynamical center of the Virgo cluster. The analysis utilizes a new spectroscopic and photometric database which is described in a companion paper (Hanes et al. 2001). Using a sample of 278 globular clusters with measured radial velocities and metallicities, and new surface density profiles based on wide-field Washington photometry, we study the dynamics of the M87 globular cluster system both globally --- for the entire cluster sample --- and separately --- for the metal-rich and metal-poor globular cluster samples. This constitutes the largest sample of radial velocities for pure Population II tracers yet assembled for any galaxy. We discuss the implications of our findings for models for the formation of giant elliptical galaxies, globular cluster systems, and the Virgo cluster. (ABRIDGED)Comment: 28 pages, 19 postscript figures, 1 jpeg image. See http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/ast/ast-rap.html to download the manuscript with higher quality figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Understanding innovators' experiences of barriers and facilitators in implementation and diffusion of healthcare service innovations: A qualitative study

This article is made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund - Copyright @ 2011 Barnett et al.Background: Healthcare service innovations are considered to play a pivotal role in improving organisational efficiency and responding effectively to healthcare needs. Nevertheless, healthcare organisations encounter major difficulties in sustaining and diffusing innovations, especially those which concern the organisation and delivery of healthcare services. The purpose of the present study was to explore how healthcare innovators of process-based initiatives perceived and made sense of factors that either facilitated or obstructed the innovation implementation and diffusion. Methods: A qualitative study was designed. Fifteen primary and secondary healthcare organisations in the UK, which had received health service awards for successfully generating and implementing service innovations, were studied. In-depth, semi structured interviews were conducted with the organisational representatives who conceived and led the development process. The data were recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed. Results: Four main themes were identified in the analysis of the data: the role of evidence, the function of inter-organisational partnerships, the influence of human-based resources, and the impact of contextual factors. "Hard" evidence operated as a proof of effectiveness, a means of dissemination and a pre-requisite for the initiation of innovation. Inter-organisational partnerships and people-based resources, such as champions, were considered an integral part of the process of developing, establishing and diffusing the innovations. Finally, contextual influences, both intra-organisational and extra-organisational were seen as critical in either impeding or facilitating innovators' efforts. Conclusions: A range of factors of different combinations and co-occurrence were pointed out by the innovators as they were reflecting on their experiences of implementing, stabilising and diffusing novel service initiatives. Even though the innovations studied were of various contents and originated from diverse organisational contexts, innovators' accounts converged to the significant role of the evidential base of success, the inter-personal and inter-organisational networks, and the inner and outer context. The innovators, operating themselves as important champions and being often willing to lead constructive efforts of implementation to different contexts, can contribute to the promulgation and spread of the novelties significantly.This research was supported financially by the Multidisciplinary Assessment of Technology Centre for Healthcare (MATCH)

Forest Service centennial history bibliography, 1891-1991

Gerald W. Williams Collectio