Trendovi u američkoj sociologiji

The popularity and support for American Sociology rises and falls with larger cycles in American Society. Currently, not only is there a crisis of institutional support for Sociology, but Sociologists appear to have relatively low images of their discipline. The nature of American Colleges and Universities is changing as are the students and their goals. Sociologists must use their tools of analysis to understand and strengthen their position in American academic institutions.Popularnost američke sociologije raste i pada slijedeći općenitije cikluse unutar američkog društva. Trenutno, kriza se ne iskazuje samo u slabljenju institucionalne podrške sociologiji već, kako čini se, i u opadajućem ugledu struke u očima samih sociologa. Američka se sveučilišta mijenjaju, jednako kao i studenti i njihovi ciljevi; sociolozi moraju upotrijebiti sva svoja analitička oruđa kako bi razumjeli i ojačali svoju poziciju u američkim akademskim institucijama

Relationship Between Virginia\u27s Fiscal Effort and Public School Graduation Rates

Prior education finance studies have measured the effect of funding on various student achievement variables. These studies demonstrate the need for resources in education, but this need requires further exploration. Previous literature shows several limitations regarding study length, scope and fiscal resources analyzed. This study further investigates school funding by analyzing the relationship between school funding and high school graduation rates over a nine-year time frame. This research examines what role Virginia\u27s school districts\u27 division fiscal effort (the proportion of its wealth invested in K-12 public education) plays in determining several identified measurable student outcomes from 2003 to 2012. The methodology used within the study includes linear regression, bivariate correlation, time-lagged correlation and a fixed effects least square dummy variable model. Results demonstrate that division fiscal effort and high school graduation rates are not significantly correlated. The results indicate that division fiscal effort alone was not the only predictor of academic success and that other variables like poverty status and minority classification have a greater impact on graduation rate than division fiscal effort

Usporedba kompjutorskog i klasičnog anketiranja: pribavljanje osjetljivih podataka

The paper discusses the validity of computer interviewing compared to the paper and pencil one. The results support the hypothesis that computer interviewing is at least as appropriate data gathering technique as classical survey interviewing. Especially when soliciting some highly personal information, as in the case of a research on sexual behavior, microcomputers - being the "cooler media" - might even yield more accuracy.U radu se uspoređuje validnost anketiranja uz pomoć kompjutora u odnosu spram klasičnog anketiranja. Rezultati govore u prilog hipotezi da je kompjutorsko anketiranje barem podjednako prihvatljiva metoda prikupljanja podataka kao uobičajena metoda papira i olovke. Postoji mogućnost, posebice kada se radi o osjetljivim podacima, kao što je to slučaj u istraživanju seksualnog ponašanja, da kompjutorsko anketiranje - zbog korištenja "hladnijeg medija" - daje točnije rezultate

Podcasts United - Episode 1: Economic Mobility

This podcast examines the decrease in social and economic mobility in the United States and the effect it has on both the rich and the poor. Mobility has been decreased by a number of factors including funding based on property taxes, a changed interpretation of cultural fit and an overestimation of economic mobility by the general public. This decrease in mobility is apparent in society today but is not being realized by the public. In order to illustrate why this decreasing mobility is such an issue, we are going to analyze the reasons why it is happening and how it effects everyone in their own way

Balancing Reactive Inertia Cube

Attitude Determination and Control Systems (ADCS) are used to detect and alter the orientation of spacecraft in orbit. Most spacecraft contain ADCS, but they are especially important for satellites whose onboard instruments require a high degree of directional precision. In satellites, reaction wheels are commonly used as the actuators of the control system. The goal of our capstone project is to apply the same technology to a ground-based system. The Balancing Reactive Inertia Cube (BRIC) is a self-contained cube that uses reaction wheels to balance on a corner. This project is inspired by the Cubli created by the Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control at ETH Zurich. Our project mostly focuses on a prototype that limits the system to a single dimension. The system can be dynamically modeled as an inverted pendulum and using a Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) control model we can efficiently achieve inverted balance using an 8-bit microcontroller

Dealing with “Humanewashing” Claims: Vital Farms’ Crucial Next Step

Vital Farms prides itself in their ethical and environmentally-friendly production of pasture-raised eggs, butter, and ghee. A popular tagline for the company is “keeping it bullsh*t-free.” This is core to their company mission and values. However, they are currently facing a PETA class action lawsuit for potential humanewashing and greenwashing, essentially false advertising. So, what happens when the Certified B-Corporation is under attack for the very thing that sets it apart from its competition? Is it possible to rebuild trust with the public and regain ethical standing after bad PR? What are humanewashing and greenwashing, and is Vital Farms guilty

Synthesis of Cycloheptatriene-Containing Azetidine Lactones

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in The Journal of Organic Chemistry, copyright © 2022 American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.joc.2c00367.We prepared a collection of complex cycloheptatriene-containing azetidine lactones by applying two key photochemical reactions: “aza-Yang” cyclization and Buchner carbene insertion into aromatic rings. While photolysis of phenacyl amines leads to a rapid charge transfer and elimination, we found that a simple protonation of the amine enables the formation of azetidinols as single diastereomers. We provide evidence, through ultrafast spectroscopy, for the electron transfer from free amines in the excited state. Further, we characterize the aza-Yang reaction by establishing the dependence of the initial reaction rates on the rates of photon absorption. An unanticipated change in reactivity in morpholine analogues is explained through interactions with the tosylate anion. The Buchner reaction proceeds with a slight preference for one diastereomer over the other, and successful reaction requires electron-donating carbene-stabilizing substituents. Overall, 16 compounds were prepared over seven steps. Guided by an increase in structural complexity, efforts such as this one extend the reach of chemists into unexplored chemical space and provide useful quantities of new compounds for studies focused on their properties

Launch Vehicle Design for the FAR-Mars Competition

Zenith Propulsion is constructing a launch vehicle, named Altair, to compete in a competition hosted by the Friends of Amateur Rocketry (FAR) and the Mars Society. The objective for Zenith Propulsion is to design, build and launch Altair to a qualifying altitude of 30,000 feet in the FAR-Mars competition. Altair will utilize a rocket engine that has been in development at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Prescott campus since late 2018. This engine, named Janus, uses liquid oxygen and Jet-A and is designed to deliver 1000 lbf of thrust. Altair will be launched from the FAR launch site, in Mojave, CA, on April 18th, 2020. POSTER PRESENTATION EAGLE PRIZE AWAR

Zenith Propulsion

Launch Vehicle Design for the FAR-Mars Competition The Zenith Propulsion team took on the challenge put forth by the Friends of Amateur Rocketry (FAR), to build and launch a rocket propelled by a liquid rocket engine. In 2018-2019, a capstone team called Tiber Designs successfully designed and tested a 1,000 lbf-thrust rocket engine, named Janus, that uses liquid oxygen and jet-A (aviationgrade kerosene) as propellants. Zenith Propulsion would design a vehicle – 21 ft long, 6 in diameter, 170 lbm loaded – that uses the Janus rocket engine to fly to a target altitude of 30,000 ft above ground level. The vehicle requires propellant tanks, an internal structure to support the tanks, a propellant feed system to direct fuel and oxidizer to the engine, an aeroshell with fins to passively stabilize the rocket in flight, a ground support system to control the launch sequence, and a parachute system to recover the rocket. The vehicle was designed and constructed and reached 82% completion in March 2020 when vehicle testing began. A simulated launch was to be performed with the vehicle in a captive vertical orientation in order to qualify all systems for launch. Due to the onset of COVID-19 related closures, the ability to perform the vehicle test, or to travel to the FAR launch site in California, became impossible. Current plans call for testing and launch efforts to resume in the Fall 2020 semester, with the support of additional funds from the URI