US Trade Strategy and European Interests

Außenwirtschaftspolitik, Handelsregionalismus, Vereinigte Staaten, EU-Staaten, Foreign economic policy, Economic regionalism, United States, EU countries

Source Term Estimation of Atmospheric Pollutants Using an Ensemble of HYSPLIT Concentration Simulations

In support of Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) monitoring and nuclear event detection, this study works toward source term estimation (STE) of dispersive pollutants using a novel method|an ensemble of forward trajectory concentration simulations using a meteorology-coupled dispersion model. Traditionally a mathematically and physically rigorous problem, STE of a plume of atmospheric pollutants can be solved in a variety of ways depending on what is known regarding the emission, but little has been studied on the sensitivity between the horizontal resolution of the meteorology data in relation to the dispersion model and the results derived from known concentrations at multiple locations. This study tackles both these issues of resolution and observation sensitivities by employing the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model, coupled with data from the 1983 Cross-Appalachian Tracer Experiment (CAPTEX), to determine the location of the experimental tracer releases. This is accomplished by conducting an ensemble of HYSPLIT forward concentration simulations using a grid of first-guess locations and storing the model-derived concentration values in a source-receptor matrix (SRM). The model rank for each simulation is calculated using ground measurements, and the location yielding the highest model rank is determined to be the source. Simultaneously, this study produces information regarding source-receptor relationships to terrain features. Furthermore, the study then applies the SRM methodology to locate the detonation location of two nuclear tests conducted in the 1950s at the Nevada Test Site (NTS). Knowing the sensitivity of the STE solution based on the number of available measurements is useful for determining the location of a release of radionuclides into the atmosphere in support of nuclear treaty monitoring

Lock them up! Lock them up? A critique of the prison mosaic

Incarceration has become the routine response to severe criminal offence and is presented as the most humane form of punishment. Yet, multiple biases combine to form a discriminatory criminal justice system targeting poor men of colour. Drawing on Michel Foucault, Loïc Wacquant, and Angela Davis the development of prisons to the hegemonic form of managing misconduct and ultimately poverty is analysed. These include analyses of the prison-industrial complex as a close connection between incarceration and industry, as well as the role of neoliberal ideology and agenda in transforming the state based on discipline and control as responses to social ills. Following Castoriadis’ “decolonisation of the imaginary”, these fundamental critiques are connected with alternatives to incarceration. Finally, exemplary alternatives to the neoliberal state complete the mosaic of social injustice and provide a broader picture on this important debate

Will the Adoption of Science Standards Push Maine Schools Away from Authentic Science?

Maine is considering revision of rules that provide guidance to school districts about the science knowledge students are expected to have as they graduate from high school. Some science educators suggest adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) as a substantial component of the rules. In this paper, we argue that the NGSS are overly prescriptive and narrow and that a NGSS-based standard would push science instruction toward school science where outcomes are known in advance and away from authentic science where students explore questions that are useful to the community because answers are not yet known. Our experience has been that authentic science learning is more likely to re-engage students who have decided that science learning is for others, not for them. We seek to stimulate a deep, careful consideration of the consequences of moving toward standards based on the NGSS

Amused, accepted, and used? Attitudes and emotions towards automated vehicles, their relationships, and predictive value for usage intention

Automated vehicles (AVs) have left the laboratories and can be experienced in several projects, e.g. at the premises of a clinic in Germany. With this transition, research on AV attitudes no longer needs to rely on questionnaires with hypothetical scenarios and simulations. Previous research – limited by the unavailability of AVs – has provided ambivalent results regarding age and gender differences in attitudes towards AVs. We present research results about the role of age and gender in connection with attitudes such as acceptance, perceived safety, and trust, as well as intention to use. We additionally demonstrate relationships between those constructs and emotions such as amusement, fear, and surprise. Data were collected from participants (n = 125) after having experienced an AV ride with level 4 automation on two campuses of a clinic in Berlin, Germany. Results reveal strong correlations between all attitudes (0.55 ≤ r ≤ 0.71; p < 0.01) and show acceptance and perceived safety to be solid predictors of intention to use AVs. We also found age to be a significant predictor for usage intention even when other attitudes are considered (β = −0.22; p < 0.01). MANOVA results point to gender differences in all constructs, but with limited confidence (5.40 ≤ F ≤ 18.34; p ≤ 0.02). However, we reject our hypothesis that young men are highly accepting, trusting, and intending to use AVs compared to other combinations of age and gender. We recommend using a mix of attitude, emotion, and behavioural (intention) measures in future research on AVs together with more transparency regarding construct definitions and study materials

It's not (all) about efficiency: Powering and organizing technology from a degrowth perspective

Transgressions of ecological boundaries and increasing social inequality question the paradigm of continual economic growth guided by technological efficiency - often cited as the only solution to these crises. This paper develops a critical and diversified viewpoint on technology for degrowth. 'Classical perspectives' of Illich's convivial society, Elull's critique of technique, Mumford's tools and machines, and Schumacher's critique of gigantic technoinfrastructures are explored and combined with Arendt's instrumentality of technologies and Marxist perspectives on ownership. Two questions are posed regarding technology. First, which technologies are 'suitable' for a degrowth context? Previous frameworks by Illich and Schumacher are extended by ecological aspects to assess the suitability of technologies. Second, how should 'suitable' technologies be structured to enable egalitarian utilization? Here, Schumacher's "intermediate technologies" and ownership are central elements. The frameworks and analysis add value for degrowth activists and bridge the gap scientifically between Marxist views and those of degrowth. In conclusion, technologies in degrowth are suitable if they reduce ecological impact, enhance autonomy and conviviality, and are structurally available in an egalitarian way based on open-access regimes. In the discussion further research questions are posed regarding transforming agents and power relations between grassroots and the state. Limitations of the framework include the role of digital technologies for communication, here treated as electric tools, and the focus on industrialized societies

Philosophical Orientation to Adult Learning: A Descriptive Study of Minnesota Environmental Education Practitioners

Thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Master of Education in Environmental Education in the College of Education and Human Service Professions, University of Minnesota Duluth, 2009. Committee names: Julie Ernst (Chair), Sue Damme, Nate Meyer. This item has been modified from the original to redact the signatures present.Adult education and environmental education (EE) are well-established, separate fields whose intersection requires further research and understanding. To reach the adult audience, EE practitioners throughout the state of Minnesota offer adult EE programs that work toward a variety of EE's goals. This study explored the adult education philosophical orientations of Minnesota EE practitioners using The Philosophy of Adult Education Inventory© (PAEI). As a result, this study also addressed the relationships of adult education philosophical orientation to position, training, and experiences of EE practitioners. Results inform EE practitioners' strategies for designing and delivering adult EE programs.University of Minnesota, Duluth. College of Education and Human Service Profession

The Power of Invitation: Teacher Leaders as Agents of Change

Programs offered by universities and other entities outside the organizational boundaries of schools are an important source of ideas and support for educational improvement. Such organizations can focus on important needs—such as improving teaching of science—that schools perhaps cannot address on their own due to resource constraints. In such cases, teacher leaders can play key roles in bringing the knowledge and insights from external organizations into schools, sharing them with colleagues, and gaining administrative support. This kind of teacher leadership, responding to external initiatives rather than just to administrative priorities, is understudied, but programs in Maine that connect schools to universities and nonprofit organizations provide insight into the nature of such teacher leadership. We draw upon cases from two of these programs to offer suggestions to other organizations that might wish to develop programs for teacher leaders in support of educational improvement