Attacks on US federal funding of the social sciences date back to the 1940s and will continue to intensify

In the wake of the restrictions placed on US political science funding, Jeanne Zaino examines the extent to which social scientists should be concerned on future eligibility of funding. More recent events in Congress suggest the attacks on funding will not only continue but will intensify. It is also worth remembering that these attacks are just the latest in a long standing effort by conservatives to eliminate funding for social science dating back to at least the mid-1940s

Searching for Arnica: A Yellow-Flowered Plant Goes Missing

A rare flower in the aster family, Arnica Lanceolata, goes missing from many of its historic spots

Crafting Democratic Classrooms. A Book Review of \u3cem\u3eTeaching for a Living Democracy: Project-based Learning in the English and History Classroom

Teaching for a Living Democracy: Project-based Learning in the English and History Classroo

Teaching in the Service of Fugitive Learning

In educational scholarship, abolition and fugitivity have been used to theorize youth literacy practices (The Fugitive Literacies Collective, 2020), teaching in solidarity with Black and brown communities (Love, 2019), and learning as an act of rebellion within the oppressive structures of schooling (Patel, 2016; 2019). Additionally, recent works in sociology (Shedd, 2015) and anthropology (Shange, 2020; Sojoyners, 2016) have thoughtfully and comprehensively documented the ways in which the disciplinary mechanisms of schools serve to contain, surveil, and expunge Black students. This paper draws on these recent scholarly interventions as a lens through which educators might engage with the students who and schools in which they teach. Patel (2016) suggests that authentic learning in schools structured by racial capitalism is a “fugitive act”—elusive, subaltern, and, as a result, under-theorized” (Patel, 2016, p. 397). What “fugitive acts of learning” take place in our schools? What relationship to these practices can teachers adopt so that we might “serve and shield” these spaces of “unruly learning” (Patel, 2016, p. 400)

Poll use and policy-making in the White House : 1993-2000.

In the later half of the twentieth century, political polling increased dramatically. Increased reliance on polling has been particularly evident in the White House. Every president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt has relied on polling and pollsters to assess opinion on a variety of important issues. Despite this, there has been relatively little examination as to how officials use this data and how it impacts policy and decision-making. The dearth in research has given rise to a great deal of speculation. Some scholars and journalists have suggested that officials pander to opinion. Others have argued that polls are used to craft rhetoric and market favored policies. While still others have concluded the data is not used at all. This study examines how officials use survey data in policy and decision-making. It builds on the sociology of knowledge application literature to both define and develop several models of use. These models are then applied to several cases of decision and policy-making during the Clinton administration (1992–2000), the most recent White House for which we have a complete record. The case analysis shows that polls are used in a variety of ways, not only to pander and craft rhetoric, but also to set parameters, legitimize, and develop an offensive strategy. The findings show that while polls are used in ways that result in responsiveness to the majority will, they are also used in ways that do not. Democratic officials not only act contrary to popular opinion, but polls aid in this endeavor. These findings suggest that while polls do not consistently undermine democratic government, neither do they necessarily facilitate it either. Consequently, those seeking a larger voice for the public in democratic affairs are cautioned against relying on polls as a primary linking mechanism

Effeds of Coupling Agent on Mechanical Properties of Rice Husk Filled Polyethylene Composite

This project presented the experimental study of the effects of the coupling agents concentration on the mechanical properties of natural fibers reinforced composites such as tensile and flexural properties. The chosen natural fiber used in the project is rice husk flour (RHF), a type of agricultural waste. Based from previous research, RHF has good potential as reinforcement in thermoplastic composite. RHF was combined with high density polyethylene (HDPE) as the matrix to create the composite with the addition of maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene (MAPE) as a coupling agent. The concentration of coupling agent used in the compounding process of RHF and HDPE depended on the pre-determined compositions. The addition of the coupling agents were varied using the percentage varying from 0 wt.%, 2.5 wt.% 5 wt.%, 7.5 wt.% and 10 wt. %. Experiment parameters such as temperature and moisture content affected the results of the composite. The pallets produced from extrusion process below 200°C with screw speed 60rpm. The pallets produced were injection moulded at temperature around 185-200°C to produce specimens for the tensile tests (ASTM D638) and flexural tests (ASTM D790). Five good samples were used for each type of compositions of the composites for the tensile and flexural tests. Based from the conducted tests, it was found that the tensile strength of the composites when using the concentration of 5 wt. % of MAPE is the highest value. The highest value for flexural strength however found using only at 2.5 wt.% ofMAPE. ii

Design and Development of In-motion Tyre Inflator

This report contains the final prototype working principal and result gained from the experiment for the final year project, which is The Design and Development of InMotion Tyre Inflator. The objective of the project is to design and fabricate a tyre inflator which can control the pressure of air inside the tyre while the vehicle is moving. The final result and analysis shown that the project is a success but can be modified for future improvement. The challenge in this project is to design the rotary joint or seal bearing that will act as the connectors between the tubes of the tyre to the compressor. The design of the system and the test rig are completed and all the technical drawing done by AutoCAD software. The system comprises of an external compressor that will transfer air to the under inflated tyre via a rotary joint that have been designed. The rota,7 joint can effectively be the medium for air transfer and avoid hose tangling during the transfer. The relationship between the air pressure and the tyre width are demonstrated by the relationship of pressure with the tyre footprints. The pressure range used for the experiment is 26 psi until 32 psi. The rotary joint was also tested to rotate at 25 Rpm for three minutes in order to detect any air leakage at 28 psi

Blue-Space Restoration Theory extends the Understanding of the Quranic Verses of Water

Through all times, scholars interpreted the Quranic verses of water by emphasising on the essential role of water upon the physical formation of plants. This study aimed to extend this interpretation from a behavioural science background. Mix methods were used, systematic literature review and integrative analysis. With the blue-space theory, It concluded that water does not have a role in building the physical-form only. But, also the spiritual-creation. God mentioned in the Quran that water brings everything alive; it seemed that it was not limited to the physical form of a human, as mentioned by scholars. But also the spiritual form.  Keywords: Blue-space; Water; Quran; Quality Of Life. eISSN: 2398-4287© 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer-review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v5i14.219

Single-case Experimental Research: Designing emotions by designing spaces - A pilot study

The belief that the environment shapes human emotions followed by behaviour is not new, as acknowledged by many researchers. Recent studies show that the most significant illness by 2030 is depression, as most of our time spent inside the buildings. Hence, the importance of "re-connecting architecture with emotions" is an essential solution to improve the quality of life. A single-case experimental design (SCED) aimed to investigate the relationship between neural underpinnings of the brain, for a single participant and various environments. Data collected was based on the Electroencephalography tests. Findings showed a significant contrast between different water elements and environmental settings, each with its unique effect on participant emotions as well as the electrical activity of the brain.Keywords: Depression; Neural underpinnings; Water-bodies environment; Quality of Life.eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v5i13.210