Hearing loss: theoretical absence and visual bullying

The origins of Anglophone cultural theory in the mid-twentieth century were predominantly scopocentric, partly because of its epistemological history, and for the cognate reason that visual tropes are so deeply embedded in the English language. As this scopocentricity comprehensively colonised cultural research, studies of nonvisual practices and texts were both marginalised and deformed. The discipline of film studies was dominated by attention to visual theoretical models, centred for example on “the gaze”. Studies of film sound have burgeoned in recent times, but often have been hobbled by inappropriately scopic theoretical models, or they have eschewed these models by withdrawing into more purely empirical approaches, such as genre studies or atomised “case studies”. While disclosing what E.P. Thompson called “the poverty of theory”, such studies have often found themselves in a conceptual no-man’s land. Without proposing a return to theoretical “master narratives” which compromise the integrity of the text, we argue that studies of film sound should build on the work of scholars like Philip Tagg to develop further theoretical modelling based on the specificity of sound and its deployment in film

Sensitivity of the Lidar ratio to changes in size distribution and index of refraction

In order to invert lidar signals to obtain reliable extinction coefficients, sigma, a relationship between sigma and the backscatter coefficient, beta, must be given. These two coefficients are linearly related if the complex index of refraction, m, particle shape size distribution, N, does not change along the path illuminated by the laser beam. This, however, is generally not the case. An extensive Mie computation of the lidar ratio R = beta/sigma and the sensitivity of R to the changes in a parametric space defined by N and m were examined

Quantifying density fluctuations in water at a hydrophobic surface: evidence for critical drying

Employing smart Monte Carlo sampling techniques within the grand canonical ensemble, we investigate the properties of water at a model hydrophobic substrate. By reducing the strength of substrate-water attraction we find that fluctuations in the local number density, quantified by a rigorous definition of the local compressibility $\chi(z)$, increase rapidly for distances $z$ within $1$ or $2$ molecular diameters from the substrate as the degree of hydrophobicity, measured by the macroscopic contact angle $\theta$, increases. Our simulations provide evidence for a continuous (critical) drying transition as the substrate-water interaction becomes very weak: $\cos(\theta)\to -1$. We speculate that the existence of such a transition might account for earlier simulation observations of strongly enhanced density fluctuations

Evaluation of a metering, mixing, and dispensing system for mixing polysulfide adhesive

Tests were performed to evaluate whether a metered mixing system can mix PR-1221 polysulfide adhesive as well as or better than batch-mixed adhesive; also, to evaluate the quality of meter-mixed PR-1860 and PS-875 polysulfide adhesives. These adhesives are candidate replacements for PR-1221 which will not be manufactured in the future. The following material properties were evaluated: peel strength, specific gravity and adhesive components of mixed adhesives, Shore A hardness, tensile adhesion strength, and flow rate. Finally, a visual test called the butterfly test was performed to observe for bubbles and unmixed adhesive. The results of these tests are reported and discussed

Summary of JAYGO mixing and FSM-1 application of castable inhibitor and liner

Two JAYGO planetary mixers (12 and 42 gallon) are being qualified to mix STW5-3224 liner and STW5-3223 castable inhibitor. These mixers are an integral part of a mix process which allows for safe addition of the asbestos component. An essential part of the engineering evaluation (ETP-0347) of these mixers is the generation of static test fire data. Ultimately, these results will help confirm the adequacy of these mixers for production mixing of liner and inhibitor. (These data are not required for qualification of the Certification Test Plan CTP-0125). The details on the mixing, inhibiting, and sling-lining of JAYGO-mixed castable inhibitor and liner which were applied to the FSM-1 segments are presented. The objectives are the following: (1) to document processing events surrounding the JAYO mixing of castable inhibitor and liner, and the subsequent inhibiting and sling lining onto the FSM-1 segments; and (2) to substantiate the measured properties of these JAYGO-mixed materials (rheological and mechanical) and compare these properties to existing production database

On some properties of the water-vapor spectrum and their relations to atmospheric radiation

In the present paper we investigate the physical consequences of the fact that the water vapor spectrum in the far infrared consists of a large number of narrow lines. It will be shown that the average width of these lines is much smaller than the intervals which could be resolved with the spectrographs used hitherto. For thick layer of vapor complete absorption is nevertheless reached in most parts of the spectrum. It can be shown that under such circumstances the total absorption is approximately proportional to the air pressure in the absorbing layers and is inversely proportional to the square root of the absolute temperature. There is an additional variation with temperature of a more complex type which cannot yet be quantitatively evaluated from the available measurements, but it is probably not very large

Phase Transition in the ABC Model

Recent studies have shown that one-dimensional driven systems can exhibit phase separation even if the dynamics is governed by local rules. The ABC model, which comprises three particle species that diffuse asymmetrically around a ring, shows anomalous coarsening into a phase separated steady state. In the limiting case in which the dynamics is symmetric and the parameter $q$ describing the asymmetry tends to one, no phase separation occurs and the steady state of the system is disordered. In the present work we consider the weak asymmetry regime $q=\exp{(-\beta/N)}$ where $N$ is the system size and study how the disordered state is approached. In the case of equal densities, we find that the system exhibits a second order phase transition at some nonzero $\beta_c$. The value of $\beta_c = 2 \pi \sqrt{3}$ and the optimal profiles can be obtained by writing the exact large deviation functional. For nonequal densities, we write down mean field equations and analyze some of their predictions.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figure

The importance of parents and teachers as stakeholders in school-based healthy eating programs

Schools have a crucial role for promoting and establishing healthy behaviors early in the life-course. In recent years, a substantial effort and resources have been invested in attempts to change the 'food culture' in schools in westernized societies. Large school-based programs which promote healthy eating often utilize an ecological model for instigating behavior change amongst school children. An ecological model is a set of comprehensive intervention strategies that target a multitude of factors which influence the eating practices of children in the school setting. The cultural issues that necessitate these healthy eating programs mean that interventions are not without challenges to their application and effectiveness particularly as they rely on collaboration between stakeholders: teachers, parents, public health practitioners, policy makers and more. The stakeholder input and relations are key parts of planning, implementing and evaluating complex health promotion and education programs in schools. This commentary will outline the importance of considering both teachers and parents as influencing agents or 'enablers' in the process of creating change in this context. Parental perceptions and teachers’ insights are critical for underpinning intervention feasibility, acceptability and performance. Their perceptions and understandings can provide ground-level and highly applicable expertise and importantly motivate children in the school environment. The philosophical principles behind parent and teacher integration into formal program evaluation are discussed, providing a theoretical basis for program evaluation. Recommendations are made for policy makers, researchers and professional evaluation experts’ to consider and integrate these stakeholders in future programs

Revisiting a Historic Manuscript: Vere Huddleston’s Report on East Place (3CL21) Excavations

Vere L. Huddleston was one of several amateur archaeologists who excavated Caddo sites in Clark County, Arkansas, during the 1930s and 1940s. Huddleston took better notes about the sites and contexts of his finds than many of his contemporaries. His large collection of artifacts is now part of the Joint Educational Consortium’s Hodges Collection in Arkadelphia. A manuscript on his excavations at the East Place – the largest Caddo mound group in Clark County – is presented here with new vessel documentation and grave lot information. Since many of these artifacts have appeared in previous publications with little description, this work provides context for interpreting the site and its placement in the Caddo Indian history of this region