Financial Analysis for Measuring and Comparing Risk in Grantmaking Portfolios

· Risk has not been treated in a systematic way that allows for a rich understanding of the extent to which foundations are, or should be, incorporating or evaluating risk in philanthropy. · In this article, we conceptualize and develop a tool to evaluate the levels of philanthropic risk that foundations maintain through their grant portfolios. · We create an index of aggregated risk at the portfolio level using several financial indicators based on previous theory and literature. Then, we test the index on a sample of foundations and their grantees in the state of Georgia and compare risk levels across community, corporate, family, independent, and operating foundations. · Our results show small differences in philanthropic risk levels when measured by financially oriented proxies between foundation types

Large eddy simulation of subsurface phytoplankton dynamics: an optimum condition for chlorophyll patchiness induced by Langmuir circulations

Phytoplankton patchiness occurs on a plethora of spatial and temporal scales which can be extremely patchy in both horizontal and vertical directions. This patchiness directly affects the dynamics of the overall bloom, so understanding the mechanisms for patchiness to occur on each scale is therefore integral to the understanding of plankton bloom dynamics as a whole. This modelling study aims to introduce a mechanism for patch formations which has had very little exposure, but is ubiquitous to the oceanic mixed layer – patchiness induced by the interaction between the nutrient upwelling and Langmuir circulations. By combining a Large-Eddy Simulation which resolves Langmuir circulations, with a Nutrient-Phytoplankton-Zooplankton biological model, one can examine the horizontal and vertical patchiness which results from a flux of nutrients into the bottom of the mixed layer. Here, phytoplankton form significant horizontal patchiness in a depth interval where vertical currents from Langmuir cells are apparent and turbulent mixing is not; this comprises the lower region of the surface mixed layer. Aggregations have frequently been observed in lower regions of the surface mixed layer and have been attributed to the high nutrient flux associated with the pycnocline. This modelling study also shows patches occurring in this region and it is hypothesised that Langmuir cells are a catalyst for patchiness. The results clearly demonstrate that for certain levels of wind forcing, which are strong enough to introduce turbulent mixing only to the upper part of the mixed layer whilst inducing deeper Langmuir circulation, patchiness is greatly enhanced

The Socioeconomics of Lynching in Central Mississippi

https://aquila.usm.edu/blackstudies_theredrecord/1002/thumbnail.jp

Questioning the promise of interdisciplinarity: an ethnography of an interdisciplinary research project

Interdisciplinarity has been portrayed as the research approach of choice by funders in Europe and the UK. As it is lauded as the necessary research configuration to reach ‘holistic’ solutions to complex problems such as sustainability, researchers and institutions organise their projects accordingly. Interdisciplinarity has become a research topic in itself. However, existing research has principally focused on the reasons why interdisciplinarity research is needed and the challenges to doing it successfully. The popularity of this research approach, coupled with the continued challenges of ‘doing’ interdisciplinarity, suggests that more research is needed to investigate the experiences of the researchers themselves. This research investigates interdisciplinarity in practice by conducting an ethnographic study of academics from both the natural and social sciences at a UK university charged with studying urban sustainability. The research is based on thematic and interpretive analysis and theories from Science and Technology Studies. The data collected between 2016 and 2019 drew from field notes, participant observation, semi-structured interviews, self-recorded diaries and document analysis. The findings from this research suggest that despite the motivation to work in an interdisciplinary way, the lack of a unified definition or incentive to do interdisciplinary work prevented researchers from viewing interdisciplinarity as a primary, integrated objective. In addition, due to the lack of evaluation measures, it was difficult to measure a successful interdisciplinary collaboration; therefore, expectations to meet an interdisciplinary ‘goal’ were unmet. This thesis argues that practising interdisciplinarity within an academic environment makes it difficult to create the incentives necessary to pursue interdisciplinary collaborations and that, in embracing conflict and experimentation, an appreciation for the practice of interdisciplinarity rather than a focus on the outcomes can be achieved

She\u27s Having A Baby and Cancer

In October 2011, Megan Harris, a 38-year-old high school teacher from Atlanta, Georgia, found out she was pregnant with a new addition to her happy family of three. But she didn’t know until three months later that she’d be planning a funeral rather than a nursery

Reliability of mechanical sprint profiles in state U16 female basketball athletes

BLUF: Mechanical sprint characteristics produce acceptable trial to trial reliability in state U16 female basketball athletes. INTRODUCTION: Sprint acceleration is a key component of basketball performance that occurs frequently during competition that is commonly measured over various distances using timing gates. Sprint profiling is a topical area of research that provides practitioners an insight into the underlying mechanical characteristics that contributed to the performance. These include theoretical maximal force, theoretical maximal velocity, maximum power, slope of the force velocity relationship, maximum ratio of force, decrease in ratio of force and max speed. This study aimed to investigate the reliability of mechanical sprint characteristics in state U16 female basketball athletes

Hypothetical proposed Hale Passage salmon aquaculture site: environmental impact assessment

The Hale Passage Salmon Aquaculture Site is a hypothetical Atlantic salmon aquaculture site located within the coastal waters of the Salish Sea in Whatcom County, Washington. The proposed operation would include two 20x40 meter net pens sited within Hale Passage between Lummi Island and Lummi Nation, eastsoutheast of the ferry route