Are open news systems credible? An investigation into perceptions of participatory and citizen news

The growth of the web has led to a shift in the news industry and the emergence of novel news services. Due to the importance of news media in society it is important to understand how these systems work and how they are perceived. Previous work has ranked news systems in terms of their openness to user contribution, noting that the most open systems (such as YouTube) are typically not viewed as news systems at all, despite having most of the same functional characteristics. In this paper we explore whether credibility is an appropriate characteristic to explain this perception by presenting the results of a survey of 79 people regarding their credibility assessments of online news websites. We compare this perceived credibility with the openness of the systems as identified in previous work. Results show that there is a modest but significant correlation between the openness of a news system and its credibility, and suggest that credibility is an appropriate if imperfect explanation of the difference in perception of open and closed news system

Space station thermal control surfaces

Mission planning documents were used to analyze the radiator design and thermal control surface requirements for both space station and 25-kW power module, to analyze the missions, and to determine the thermal control technology needed to satisfy both sets of requirements. Parameters such as thermal control coating degradation, vehicle attitude, self eclipsing, variation in solar constant, albedo, and Earth emission are considered. Four computer programs were developed which provide a preliminary design and evaluation tool for active radiator systems in LEO and GEO. Two programs were developed as general programs for space station analysis. Both types of programs find the radiator-flow solution and evaluate external heat loads in the same way. Fortran listings are included

SAE Aero West Heavy Lift Competition Team - Eaglenautics

ERAU’s SAE Aero Design West Competition team encourages students of all majors who have an interest in the design of heavy-lift cargo and passenger aircraft to design, build, and fly a large RC aircraft to meet a new set of regulations each competition year. Since the team, Eaglenautics, was founded in 2017 it has successfully been to competition once in April 2019 in California. The team’s aircraft flew 4 out of 5 flight rounds, passed all technical inspections, and is now on display in ERAU’s Aero-Fab in the AXFAB. The 2020 competition requirements are unique in that the cargo’s weight-to-volume ratio directly affect the team’s overall flight score. The 2020 rules also dictate a maximum wingspan of 10 feet, maximum gross takeoff weight (GTOW) of 55 lbs, and a maximum power limitation of 1000 Watts. For Eaglenautics’ competition class, fiber-reinforced plastics such as carbon fiber are prohibited. These regulations simulate similar design requirements for large passenger or cargo aircraft. The team utilizes modern engineering techniques like Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), aircraft optimization, and structural analysis to verify more traditional methods. This process gives students practical experience with aircraft design not found in coursework which can be applied at companies such as Boeing after graduation. The team’s 2020 aircraft design has a wingspan of 5.5 ft, an estimated GTOW of 31 lbs, and will be manufactured by the team over the next month to compete in Texas in April 2020. POSTER PRESENTATION EAGLE PRIZE AWAR

Trends and Seasonality of Emergency Department Visits and Hospitalizations For Suicidality among Children and adolescents in the Us From 2016 to 2021

IMPORTANCE: The detection of seasonal patterns in suicidality should be of interest to clinicians and US public health officials, as intervention efforts can benefit by targeting periods of heightened risk. OBJECTIVES: to examine recent trends in suicidality rates, quantify the seasonality in suicidality, and demonstrate the disrupted seasonality patterns during the spring 2020 COVID-19-related school closures among US children and adolescents. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This population-based, descriptive cross-sectional study used administrative claims data from Optum\u27s deidentifed Clinformatics Data Mart Database. Participants included children aged 10 to 12 years and adolescents aged 13 to 18 years who were commercially insured from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2021. Statistical analysis was conducted between April and November 2022. EXPOSURES: Month of the year and COVID-19 pandemic. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Rates and seasonal patterns of emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations for suicidality. RESULTS: The analysis included 73 123 ED visits and hospitalizations for suicidality reported between 2016 and 2021. Among these events, 66.1% were reported for females, and the mean (SD) age at the time of the event was 15.4 (2.0) years. The mean annual incidence of ED visits and hospitalizations for suicidality was 964 per 100 000 children and adolescents (95% CI, 956-972 per 100 000), which increased from 760 per 100 000 (95% CI, 745-775 per 100 000) in 2016 to 1006 per 100 000 (95% CI, 988-10 024 per 100 000) in 2019, with a temporary decrease to 942 per 100 000 (95% CI, 924-960 per 100 000) in 2020 and a subsequent increase to 1160 per 100 000 (95% CI, 1140-1181 per 100 000) in 2021. Compared with January, seasonal patterns showed peaks in April (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 1.15 [95% CI, 1.11-1.19]) and October (IRR, 1.24 [95% CI, 1.19-1.29]) and a nadir in July (IRR, 0.63 [95% CI, 0.61-0.66]) during pre-COVID-19 years and 2021. However, during the spring of 2020, which coincided with school closures, seasonal patterns were disrupted and April and May exhibited the lowest rates. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The findings of this study indicated the presence of seasonal patterns and an observed unexpected decrease in suicidality among children and adolescents after COVID-19-related school closures in March 2020, which suggest a potential association between suicidality and the school calendar

An Examination of George Orwell\u27s Newspeak through Politeness Theory

This thesis aims to analyze the formation of politeness in the use of Orwell\u27s artificial language, Newspeak. Multiple theories of politeness will be utilized for the examination but with primary focuses on Brown and Levinson\u27s (1987) original theory and Watts\u27 (2003) views on politic behavior. Orwell\u27s (1949) original novel will be used for the grammatical and lexical basis of the language as well as the source for the language\u27s sociolinguistic aspects. It will be shown that politeness is present within the society and its language, even though it is mechanically altered due to the structure of Newspeak. The largest changes are through the realization of face in INGSOC where a hybrid of Western and Eastern social principles are present

The impact of time spent in natural outdoor spaces on children’s language, communication and social skills : a systematic review protocol

There has been increasing interest over the past decade with regard to the health and wellbeing implications of time spent outdoors in nature for children. Universal systematic reviews of evidence report benefits to physical health, social-emotional mental health and wellbeing, cognition and academic learning. Internationally, there is indicative evidence to suggest outdoor engagement with nature may also impact children’s language and communication skills, skills that are critical to development, education, social relationships and life opportunities. Yet, at present such evidence has not been synthesised. Despite evidence for the benefits of the outdoors, the amount of time children are spending outdoors is in rapid decline, and has been further exacerbated by the COVID- 19 pandemic. Alongside this are increasing numbers of children starting primary education with significant speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) which remain persistent over time. With established wide-reaching benefits of nature to children’s physical and mental health and psychological development, there is a need to further explore the more specific impacts of the natural environment on children’s language, communication and social skills, which could provide a unique opportunity to consider nature as a universal public health intervention for SLCN. The current review will aim to synthesise existing qualitative and quantitative evidence of the impact of time spent in natural outdoor spaces on the language, communication and social skills of 2–11-year-old children. Literature will be searched across seven databases and considered for inclusion against inclusion and exclusion criteria. Potential implications of the review include informing public health practice and policy for child development and education, informing priorities for speech, language, and communication interventions, and providing directions for future international research

Tilt and Translation Motion Perception during Off Vertical Axis Rotation

The effect of stimulus frequency on tilt and translation motion perception was studied during constant velocity off-vertical axis rotation (OVAR), and compared to the effect of stimulus frequency on eye movements. Fourteen healthy subjects were rotated in darkness about their longitudinal axis 10deg and 20deg off-vertical at 0.125 Hz, and 20deg offvertical at 0.5 Hz. Oculomotor responses were recorded using videography, and perceived motion was evaluated using verbal reports and a joystick with four degrees of freedom (pitch and roll tilt, mediallateral and anteriorposterior translation). During the lower frequency OVAR, subjects reported the perception of progressing along the edge of a cone. During higher frequency OVAR, subjects reported the perception of progressing along the edge of an upright cylinder. The modulation of both tilt recorded from the joystick and ocular torsion significantly increased as the tilt angle increased from 10deg to 20deg at 0.125 Hz, and then decreased at 0.5 Hz. Both tilt perception and torsion slightly lagged head orientation at 0.125 Hz. The phase lag of torsion increased at 0.5 Hz, while the phase of tilt perception did not change as a function of frequency. The amplitude of both translation perception recorded from the joystick and horizontal eye movements was negligible at 0.125 Hz and increased as a function of stimulus frequency. While the phase lead of horizontal eye movements decreased at 0.5 Hz, the phase of translation perception did not vary with stimulus frequency and was similar to the phase of tilt perception during all conditions. During dynamic linear acceleration in the absence of other sensory input (canal, vision) a change in stimulus frequency alone elicits similar changes in the amplitude of both self motion perception and eye movements. However, in contrast to the eye movements, the phase of both perceived tilt and translation motion is not altered by stimulus frequency. We conclude that the neural processing to distinguish tilt and translation linear acceleration stimuli differs between eye movements and motion perception

Evaluation of XL370A-Derived Maize Germplasm for Resistance to Leaf Feeding by Fall Armyworm

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is an economically important insect with larvae damaging maize (Zea mays L.) leaves and ear tissue. The pest has become resistant to several classes of insecticide and Bt-maize grown in some geographical areas. Once discovered and characterized, native sources of maize resistance to this pest could be effectively integrated with existing control tactics. The objective for this study was to test experimental lines derived from maize germplasm XL370A for resistance to leaf feeding by fall armyworm. Plants were grown in the field in 2018 and 2019, artificially infested with fall armyworm, and leaf damage scores recorded. Average 14-day scores for experimental maize lines GEMN-0095 (5.8), GEMN-0096 (5.7), and GEMN-0133 (5.6) were moderately resistant and 7- and 14-day scores for these entries were not significantly different across both years. Cuba 94 was not significantly different from the three entries with the exception of having greater 7-day damage scores in 2019. GEMN-0048 was not resistant but variability was observed in 14-day scores between 4 (resistant) and 8 (susceptible) in individual plants. The experimental lines are adapted for growth in temperate regions and might provide maize breeding programs with useful levels of resistance to fall armyworm

Status of the Lake Ontario Food Web in a Changing Ecosystem: the 2003 Lake Ontario Lower Aquatic Food Web Assessment (LOLA)

Understanding stressor impacts on ecological processes in Lake Ontario over the last three decades has resulted from a commitment to long-term binational studies by environmental agencies and their dedicated scientists and support staffs in both Canada and the United States. LOLA was initiated at the request of the United States and Canada Lake Ontario Lakewide Management Plan (LaMP) and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission’s Lake Ontario Committee with the following two goals: 1) assess the status of and 2) develop recommendations for the long-term comprehensive assessment of the Lake Ontario lower aquatic food web. The 2003 LOLA project incorporated seasonal sampling at a large spatial scale, providing the most comprehensive assessment of the status of Lake Ontario’s lower food web since the Lake Ontario Trophic Transfer Program in 1995. Partners from seven government agencies and six universities and colleges participated in the LOLA project. A workshop attended by LaMP representatives, government agencies, and academics was held at Cornell University on November 16-17, 2005. Discussions based on significant findings that were presented at the workshop resulted in seven recommendations for future assessment of the Lake Ontario lower aquatic food web