Vernacular Creativity, Cultural Participation and New Media Literacy: Photography and the Flickr Network

Livingstone (2004) proposes that most discussions of new media literacy are characterised by historically unresolved tensions between 'critical' or 'enlightenment' views of literacy - polarised philosophical positions that see literacy as a normative and exclusionary construction on the one hand (the 'critical' view); or as an aid to progress and equality that we should aim to extend to all people on the other (the 'enlightenment' view). In this paper, I begin from a position that critically evaluates and balances these two available approaches. Drawing on cultural and media studies perspectives and methodological concerns, the paper historicises and analyses the emerging patterns of cultural competencies and cultural value that work to construct new media literacy for cultural participation in the Flickr photosharing network

How Frequently do Private Businesses Pay Workers?

[Excerpt] This Beyond the Numbers article analyzes pay frequencies, or lengths of pay periods, that private businesses use in the United States, as collected by the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey. Data of this nature are not published in any standard Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, the Bureau) source, but are available upon request. The article also explains why the CES program collects such data

Kostenberger, Bock, and Chatraw\u27s Truth Matters: Confident Faith in a Confusing World (Book Review)

A Review of Truth Matters: Confident Faith in a Confusing World, by Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing, 2014. 188 pp. $9.00. ISBN 978143368226

The Effects of Cytokinin on the Transcriptional Regulation of PIN Expression in Arabidopsis thaliana

The processes of cell division and differentiation are critical to the development of any multicellular organism. During the formation of plant roots these processes take place at a region of the root tip called the meristem. Cytokinin and auxin are two plant growth hormones that influence this process. Although these two growth hormones are both necessary they also appear in many ways to have an antagonistic relationship. As meristematic root cells undergo differentiation they cease dividing. It has been proposed that the size of the root meristem and thus the overall rate of root growth are determined by the balance between the rate of cell division, determined by auxin, and the rate of cell differentiation, determined by cytokinin. One of the ways cytokinin may have an antagonistic influence on auxin regulation is by limiting auxin transport. Directed auxin transport from one part of a plant to another is controlled by a family of auxin efflux proteins called PIN proteins. To date, studies reported in the literate are inconsistent as to whether and how cytokinin influences PIN protein production at the transcriptional and/or translational level. This study was undertaken to explore the effect of cytokinin signaling on PIN gene expression using real-time quantitative PCR

Characterisation of dairy strains of Geobacillus stearothermophilus and a genomics insight into its growth and survival during dairy manufacture : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

The thermophilic bacilli, such as G. stearothermophilus, are an important group of contaminants in the dairy industry. Although these bacilli are generally not pathogenic, their presence in dairy products is an indicator of poor hygiene and high numbers are unacceptable to customers. In addition, their growth may result in milk product defects caused by the production of acids or enzymes, potentially leding to off-flavours. These bacteria are able to grow in sections of dairy manufacturing plants where temperatures reach 40 – 65 °C. Furthermore, because they are spore formers, they are difficult to eliminate. In addition, they exhibit a fast growth rate and tend to readily form biofilms. Many strategies have been tested to prevent the formation of thermophilic bacilli biofilms in dairy manufacture, but with limited success. This is, in part, because little is known about the diversity of strains found in dairy manufacture, the structure of thermophilic bacilli biofilms and how these bacteria have adapted to grow in a dairy environment. In Chapters 2 and 3, phenotypic approaches were taken to understand the diversity of strains within a manufacturing plant. Specifically in Chapter 2, strains of the most dominant thermphilic bacilli, G. stearothermophilus, were isolated from the surface of various locations within the evaporator section and ten strains were evaluated for different phenotypic characteristics. Biochemical profiling, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and fatty profiling demonstrated that the population was diverse. In Chapter 3, it was shown that the same ten strains varied in their ability to form biofilms and produce spores. Three strains of G. stearothermophilus, A1, P3 and D1, were selected for further analysis. SEM demonstrated that there were differences in biofilm morphologies between the three strains, particularly D1 versus the other two strains, A1 and P3. In Chapters 4, 5 and 6 a comparative genomics approach was taken to determine how these bacteria are able to grow and survive within a dairy manufacturing environment, as well as how they differ from other strains of Geobacillus. In Chapter 4 draft genome sequences were generated for three strains of G.stearothermophilus. Identification of a putative lactose operon in the three dairy strains provided evidence of dairy adaptation. In Chapter 5 a phylogenomics approach was taken to resolve relationships within the Geobacillus genus and to identify differences within the G. stearothermophilus group itself. Finally in Chapter 6 comparison with the model organism B. subtilis, gave a genomics insight into the potential mechanisms of sporulation for Geobacillus spp

Can you hear me now? Creating a Library Class in an LMS to Reach Out to Students

In the Fall of 2016, SWBTS (Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) Libraries designed a Library Blackboard course into which all students would be enrolled. The course was not a class for which students were physically present and received a grade. This class served as an online resource for assisting students in building research skills as well as a place that students could discover library services. This essay covers the design and layout of this course as well as how it has impacted library services

Overflowing Cities: The State of the World's Toilets 2016

Human beings are now largely an urban species: for the first time in history, more than half of the world's population (54%, or 3.9 billion people) lives in towns, cities and megacities. By 2050, that's expected to rise to two-thirds.Many new urbanites, and particularly the poorest, are not moving into gleaming apartment blocks or regenerated postindustrial areas. They are arriving – or being born into – overcrowded, rapidly expanding slums. Economic growth is usually driven by urbanization, and all industrialized countries already have a mostly urban population. This means that nearly all the current urban population growth is happening in developing countries.UN Habitat estimates that more than one-third of the developing world's urban population – over 863 million people – live in slums.Often, city planning and infrastructure building have been unable to keep pace