The Straightedge Subculture on the Internet: A Case Study

This dissertation is a case study analysis of the straightedge youth subculture on an Internet bulletin board system (forum), located on the worldwide web between September 2001 and May 2003. Ethnographic methods, including participant observation, e-focus groups, in-depth interviews, and qualitative content analysis are used to collect relevant data. Concepts from subcultural theory, identity and social identity/categorization theory are used throughout my analysis of the Straight Edge Discussion Forum to highlight cultural and social-psychological aspects of subculturally-based behavior and identity. Substantive chapters are divided as follows. First, the types of subcultural information available to subculture members and visitors of the straightedge website under investigation are described. Second, data are presented to demonstrate how three subcultural processes – style displays, affiliation, and boundary maintenance – occur through textual interaction in the forum. Third, I demonstrate that straightedge subculture is not comprised of a homogenous group, but rather of different member types. These member types are based on whether one uses the Internet to supplement participation in face-to-face straightedge culture versus reliance on the Internet as the sole means of subcultural participation. Fourth, subcultural norms are shown to be negotiated and contested through textual interaction between forum participants. The analysis informs sociological knowledge in three areas. It provides more detailed knowledge of straightedge by deconstructing the taken-for-granted meanings attached to subcultural norms. It suggests that the Internet serves as both medium and resource for subculturalists. Lastly, it shows how identity theory and social identity/categorization theories can be used in tandem to better illuminate subcultural identity processes

Use of multi-modal media and tools in an online information literacy course: College students\u27 attitudes and perceptions

This project studies the use of multi-modal media objects in an online information literacy class. One hundred sixty-two undergraduate students answered seven surveys. Significant relationships are found among computer skills, teaching materials, communication tools and learning experience. Multi-modal media objects and communication tools are needed to strengthen course interactions and student engagement

Pedagogical Design for an Online Information Literacy Course: College Students\u27 Learning Experience with Multi-modal Objects

This project is an exploratory study on the use of multi-modal objects in an online information literacy course. This paper reports on the second phase of the project, which focused on students’ learning experience within five course modules employing different multi-modal media objects for instruction. Seven online surveys were conducted at the beginning of the course, immediately after each of the webcast discussion sessions accompanying each course module, and at the end of the course. The findings show significant relationships among computer skills, online teaching materials, use of communication tools, learning experience, and satisfaction with the cours

SDSS J142625.71+575218.3: A Prototype for A New Class of Variable White Dwarf

We present the results of a search for pulsations in six of the recently discovered carbon-atmosphere white dwarf ("hot DQ") stars. On the basis of our theoretical calculations, the star SDSS J142625.71 + 575218.3 is the only object expected to pulsate. We observe this star to be variable, with significant power at 417.7 s and 208.8 s ( first harmonic), making it a strong candidate as the first member of a new class of pulsating white dwarf stars, the DQVs. Its folded pulse shape, however, is quite different from that of other white dwarf variables and shows similarities with that of the cataclysmic variable AM CVn, raising the possibility that this star may be a carbon-transferring analog of AM CVn stars. In either case, these observations represent the discovery of a new and exciting class of object.NSF AST-0507639, AST-0602288, AST-0607480, AST-0307321Astronom

Crystallization of dense binary hard-sphere mixtures with marginal size ratio

Molecular dynamics simulations are performed for binary hard-sphere mixtures with a size ratio of γ=0.9 and a volume fraction of ϕ=0.58 over a range of compositions. We show how, at this high volume fraction, crystallization depends sensitively on the composition. Evidence is presented that crystallization in these mixtures does not proceed by the standard nucleation and growth paradigm. Rather, some crystallite forms almost immediately and then an interplay between compositional fluctuations and crystal growth is able to dramatically extend the time scale on which further crystallization occurs. This can be seen as a form of geometric frustration

Pre-Service Educator Preparation to Teach Children with Disabilities Through Service-Learning

The purpose of the multi-year study discussed in this article was to investigate the impact of pre-service educator participation in a community-based service-learning program for children with disabilities. Pre-service educators who were enrolled in either an adapted physical education or introduction to special education course participated in the Children’s Adaptive Physical Education Society!, a skill-development program for 35 children (ages 5-12) with developmental disabilities. Two measures—a modified regular education initiative survey and a reflective blog assignment—were administered to the participants to identify changes in their beliefs and attitudes toward teaching and including children with disabilities in their future classrooms. The results revealed statistically significant gains in their understanding, confidence, willingness, skill set, and educational satisfaction. Responses in the reflective blogs further supported the statistical findings, suggesting that a community-based learning program provides pre-service educators with sufficient experiences to positively and effectively change their beliefs and attitudes toward teaching and including children with disabilities in their future classrooms

Gluons, quarks, and the transition from nonperturbative to perturbative QCD

Lattice-based investigations of two fundamental QCD quantities are described, namely the gluon and quark propagators in Landau gauge. We have studied the Landau gauge gluon propagator using a variety of lattices with spacings from a = 0.17 to 0.41 fm. We demonstrate that it is possible to obtain scaling behavior over a very wide range of momenta and lattice spacings and to explore the infinite volume and continuum limits. These results confirm that the Landau gauge gluon propagator is infrared finite. We study the Landau gauge quark propagator in quenched QCD using two forms of the O(a)-improved propagator and we find good agreement between these. The extracted value of the infrared quark mass in the chiral limit is found to be 300 +/- 30 MeV. We conclude that the momentum regime where the transition from nonperturbative to perturbative QCD occurs is Q^2 approx 4GeV^2.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, 1 table. Talk presented by AGW at the Workshop on Lepton Scattering, Hadrons and QCD, March 26-April 5, 2001, CSSM, Adelaide, Australia. To appear in the proceeding