Effective and Promising Summer Learning Programs and Approaches for Economically-Disadvantaged Children and Youth

Reviews research on summer learning program outcomes for low-income children and identifies the characteristics of effective programs such as experienced teachers, small groups, and fun activities. Finds reading and math achievement gains are possible

Community detection with spiking neural networks for neuromorphic hardware

We present results related to the performance of an algorithm for community detection which incorporates event-driven computation. We define a mapping which takes a graph G to a system of spiking neurons. Using a fully connected spiking neuron system, with both inhibitory and excitatory synaptic connections, the firing patterns of neurons within the same community can be distinguished from firing patterns of neurons in different communities. On a random graph with 128 vertices and known community structure we show that by using binary decoding and a Hamming-distance based metric, individual communities can be identified from spike train similarities. Using bipolar decoding and finite rate thresholding, we verify that inhibitory connections prevent the spread of spiking patterns.Comment: Conference paper presented at ORNL Neuromorphic Workshop 2017, 7 pages, 6 figure

Generation and measurement of surface plasmon coupled emission

Surface plasmon coupled emission (SPCE) is a process by which isotropic fluorescent emission, from a fluorescent dye or biological agent labeled with a fluorescent dye, is channeled into highly directional emission. This process relies on the interaction between fluorescent dye molecules and thin silver films in close proximity to each other. Recent studies have shown that SPCE greatly increases the sensitivity of spectroscopic methods by increasing the amount of light that can be collected from a fluorescent molecule. The work described in this thesis encompasses the study of new materials for SPCE sample manufacture as well as the design and construction of a compact, automated apparatus for SPCE measurement. Novel material sets have been explored to improve the adhesion of silver films to glass slides and to protect them against corrosion from the fluorescent dye coating. These sets are made with reactive gas sputtering of materials. Examples of the SPCE signals from these materials will be shown. The apparatus built to measure the angular distribution of SPCE signals measures 18 x12 x12 . Measurements of SPCE with angular resolutions as low as 0.5° are demonstrated with accurate, repeatable scans. With a 1.0° step size, a full angular scan through 180° can be completed in less than 5 minutes

Spatial, temporal and social dimensions of a ‘destination-in-motion’

• Purpose The purpose of our paper is to raise awareness of the mobilities paradigm by exploring the role of tourist mobilities in destination marketing. • Design/methodology/approach We use the context of the Jacobite steam train which runs in the Scottish Highlands. We draw on multiple qualitative methods including participant observation, interviews and netnography. • Findings We explore the spatial, temporal and social mobilities associated with the journey and the destination and reveal how a rail journey becomes a ‘destination-in-motion’ and, in turn, transforms what might otherwise be a neglected destination. • Practical implications We demonstrate how modes of transport which offer rich embodied experiences to visitors can present an important differentiation strategy and become core to a destination’s product and service portfolio. • Originality/value By approaching destination marketing from a mobilities perspective, our paper recognises the significance of human and object mobility to tourist experiences and offers a new perspective to existing research which biases a geographically-bounded understanding of destinations

Introduction : politics

This volume establishes a link between politics and consumption. Understanding the multifaceted relationship between these two is becoming increasingly important in different areas of scholarship such as marketing and consumer research, sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, political science, economics, and urban and environmental studies. One of the main reasons for such convergence amongst these disciplines is that in the age of neoliberal political economy, consumption, taken either literally or metaphorically (Askegaard, 2014), is generally seen as a prominent feature of modern society (McCracken, 1988; Gauthier and Martikainen, 2013). Once conceptualised as the ‘using up’ of material goods, and hence subordinated to production as a means of driving the economic engine of society (e.g., in the Marxist tradition), consumption is now broadly viewed as a cultural practice, a mode of being and an active process of creating meanings, self-images, self-identities, symbols, and values (Baudrillard, 1981; Firat and Venkatesh, 1995). It is not solely a private act; it is also a social activity in which consumer culture avails individuals with the means to actively articulate and negotiate their identities, values, meanings, and life goals with(in) their social settings (Featherstone, 1991; Murray, 2002; Arnould and Thompson, 2005; 2007)