Participation in a professional association's annual national conference A phenomenological inquiry into the perceptions of underrepresented educational leadership faculty

Researchers have noted the persistent challenges that underrepresented faculty still encounter in higher education. For example, female and ethnic minority faculty members continue to experience barriers in achieving tenure and promotion. In spite of efforts to increase their presence and visibility, structural barriers account for the continued under representation of these minority faculty. Within this context, this study investigated the perceptions of underrepresented faculty regarding their participation in annual national conferences conducted by the leading professional association for Educational Leadership faculty. Three research questions guided this study: (1) What are the perceptions of underrepresented Educational Leadership faculty members regarding their experiences at their Association's annual national conferences? (2) How do these perceptions relate to their career advancement and professional development as professors of Educational Leadership? (3) What differences, if any, are reflected in the perceptions of assistant, associate, and full professors; and what factors are associated with these differences? Participant observations and open-ended interviews during two of the Association's annual conferences were the primary data collection methods. Conference activities included governance meetings, general assemblies, scheduled meetings, roundtable discussions, paper presentations, symposia, and informal evening receptions. Data were gathered from 18 participants: nine underrepresented Educational Leadership faculty and nine non-underrepresented faculty [i.e., Anglo male]. The professorial rank of participants ranged from pre-tenured assistant professor to full professor. Data were analyzed using a phenomenological approach that enabled the researcher to explore in depth the lived experiences of participants. Results are presented in the form of three "composite" personal narratives representing a synthesis of perceptions of underrepresented faculty members at the assistant, associate, and full professor levels. One "amalgamated" portrait is of a young African-American male who recently received his Ph.D.; another is of a 45-year-old White female tenured associate professor; and the third is of a nationally known Latina full professor. Results suggest that issues of inclusion, exclusion, status, recognition, gender, identity construction, reference groups, specialized development and treatment, and racial diversity were challenges faced by the participants

An analysis of pupils' likes and dislikes

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Valence losses at interfaces in aluminium alloys

The aim of this project was to investigate EELS from two-layer systems and relate the results to the existing theory. Two systems were investigated, magnesium silicide platelets within an aluminium matrix and silicon precipitates within an aluminium matrix. Both systems were prepared through thermal treatment of a 6061 A1 alloy. The majority of the data presented in this thesis was acquired using EELS. However, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and electron microscopy were also used. EELS was performed on two different electron microscopes, the VG HB5 STEM and the FEI Tecnai TF20 (S)TEM. The bulk of the results were acquired on the HB5. To facilitate the comparison of theoretical and experimental results, the data was separated into bulk and interface components. The component amounts were then plotted against distance from the interface. Bessel functions were then fitted to this plot to give characteristic values. These values represented how well the optimal interface position had been chosen, the comparative decay of the interface plasmon on each side of the interface and the relative thickness of the bulk material. The experimental data from most of the interfaces examined indicated significant variations in the thickness of the sample. Despite this, the experimental results were found to follow the trend suggested by the theoretical equations. Analysis of the characteristic values indicated that the data from the HB5 and Tecnai for an interface showed a strong correlation. However, comparison of the experimental values with the theoretical reference showed a deviation of ~20%. Though the source of this deviation was not clear, a number of possible causes were investigated. Theoretical models were generated of systems with a variety of thickness profiles. In addition, systems containing steps, wide and narrow bulk plasmons and a thin interfacial layer of a third material were all considered. The deviation between the results from experiment and the simple theoretical model was believed to be consistent with the factors affecting EELS from a real interface. In particular, thickness variations and imperfections at the interface were found to be the most likely cause of the discrepancy between theory and experiment

Optimal capital growth with convex shortfall penalties

The optimal capital growth strategy or Kelly strategy, has many desirable properties such as maximizing the asympotic long run growth of capital. However, it has considerable short run risk since the utility is logarithmic, with essentially zero Arrow-Pratt risk aversion. Most investors favor a smooth wealth path with high growth. In this paper we provide a method to obtain the maximum growth while staying above a predetermined ex-ante discrete time smooth wealth path with high probability, with shortfalls below the path penalized with a convex function of the shortfall so as to force the investor to remain above the wealth path. This results in a lower investment fraction than the Kelly strategy with less risk, and lower but maximal growth rate under the assumptions. A mixture model with Markov transitions between several normally distributed market regimes is used for the dynamics of asset prices. The investment model allows the determination of the optimal constrained growth wagers at discrete points in time in an attempt to stay above the ex-ante path

Optimal capital growth with convex shortfall penalties

The optimal capital growth strategy or Kelly strategy, has many desirable properties such as maximizing the asympotic long run growth of capital. However, it has considerable short run risk since the utility is logarithmic, with essentially zero Arrow-Pratt risk aversion. It is common to control risk with a Value-at-Risk constraint defined on the end of horizon wealth. A more effective approach is to impose a VaR constraint at each time on the wealth path. In this paper we provide a method to obtain the maximum growth while staying above an ex-ante discrete time wealth path with high probability, where shortfalls below the path are penalized with a convex function of the shortfall. The effect of the path VaR condition and shortfall penalties is less growth than the Kelly strategy, but the downside risk is under control. The asset price dynamics are defined by a model with Markov transitions between several market regimes and geometric Brownian motion for prices within regime. The stochastic investment model is reformulated as a deterministic program which allows the calculation of the optimal constrained growth wagers at discrete points in time

Efficiently simulating an endograft deployment : a methodology for detailed CFD analyses

Numerical models of endografts for the simulation of endovascular aneurysm repair are increasingly important in the improvement of device designs and patient outcomes. Nevertheless, current finite element analysis (FEA) models of complete endograft devices come at a high computational cost, requiring days of runtime, therefore restricting their applicability. In the current study, an efficient FEA model of the Anaconda™ endograft (Terumo Aortic, UK) was developed, able to yield results in just over 4 h, an order of magnitude less than similar models found in the literature. The model was used to replicate a physical device that was deployed in a 3D printed aorta and comparison of the two shapes illustrated a less than 5 mm placement error of the model in the regions of interest, consistent with other more computationally intensive models in the literature. Furthermore, the final goal of the study was to utilize the deployed fabric model in a hemodynamic analysis that would incorporate realistic fabric folds, a feature that is almost always omitted in similar simulations. By successfully exporting the deployed graft geometry into a flow analysis, it was illustrated that the inclusion of fabric wrinkles enabled clinically significant flow patterns such as flow stagnation and recirculation to be detected, paving the way for this modelling methodology to be used in future for stent design optimisation

History, Memory, and the Past in Management and Organization Studies

Our goals in writing this editorial are threefold. First, we contextualize the growing interest in matters of history, memory, and the past by management and organization scholars. Despite the increasing number of works in historical organization studies, functionalism and functional-interpretivism remain dominant approaches in management and organizational studies (MOS). Moreover, because European and North American scholars are overrepresented there has been limited analysis of the historical impact of global trade and multinational organizations in the relations between the global North and global South. Second, we map the literature connecting history, memory, and the past to organizations and organizing. We provide an overview of the initial efforts of MOS scholars to develop humanist approaches to organization studies and we discuss the role that history plays in illuminating epistemological, theoretical, methodological, and empirical conversations in the field. Third, we highlight the specific contribution of the articles in this special issue to the overall literature on historical organization studies