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Planting the Yankee Identity: An Analysis of the Macrobotanical Assemblage at the ca. 1638 Waterman House Site in Marshfield, Massachusetts
No full textIn 2013, Archaeological and Historical Services, Inc. conducted an extensive data recovery program in Marshfield, Massachusetts at the ca. 1638 Waterman House Site. Located in one of the earliest satellite communities established after the founding of Plymouth Colony, this site offers a detailed view into the daily life of a yeoman family during this critical and poorly understood first period of settlement. The burning of the house in the mid-1640s created a level of preservation which allowed for the recovery of a wide diversity of wild and cultivated fruit, nut, herb, vegetable, and grain remains. By analyzing the taxa identified at the Waterman House Site through the lens of contemporary English botanical knowledge and historical accounts of Indigenous-English cultural encounters, current interpretive frameworks utilized in studies of English colonization of the New World are challenged. Highlighted throughout this research is the flexibility exercised by colonists as they blended Indigenous plants into English cuisine, and exploited Old World taxa alongside New World plants associated with intrageneric Old World species. This thesis illustrates the multi-directional effects of colonization on English foodways, and provides evidence of Puritan colonists transitioning into what would become the New England “Yankee” cultural identity of later generations
Numerical Investigations of SICs
No full textIn this work, we use numerical techniques to investigate a conjecture first posited in \cite{sicNumerics} to do with the structure of quantum mechanics. Particularly, we investigate a mathematical property of objects known as symmetric informationally complete positive operator valued measures (SIC POVMs), which are especially important to QBism. SIC POVMs, when they exist, may be used to represent quantum states in a unique way, and their many beautiful symmetries have been noticed in a number of subfields of mathematics and in quantum information theory. The conjecture at its most basic concerns whether we can use the symmetries of these objects to reduce the complexity of searching for them. In general, to search for these objects we need to solve simultaneous 4th-order equations, where d is the dimension of the vector space. However, if the conjecture is true, we would only need to solve about 3/2 of them. The numerical results imply that the conjecture is true, dropping the complexity of searching for SICs from a quadratic to a linear number of equations in . Here we take a quantum information theory perspective for how these objects are discussed
An Empirical Study of GPU Programming Patterns
No full textGPU kernels have exploded in popularity over the last decade due their immense power for parallel computation with applications in science, cryptography, graphics, vision, and machine learning. With that added power comes the complexity of programming in a commonly unfamiliar paradigm. To help developers avoid errors and performance issues, researchers have developed tools to spot problems in source code by static analysis. Since these tools aim to serve developers who want rapid feedback, performance is important, so a trade-off exists between the compromising the precision of false alarms and simplifying analyses. Feature selection may have a significant impact on the effectiveness of these compromises. In order to improve these tools and commit to compromises that produce useful tools, we need a more careful study of real world programming techniques. To do this, we investigated the challenges of one language of GPU Kernel programming (CUDA) and the techniques and compromises of existing tools to understand common patterns of programming in public, open-source data. We wrote a client to obtain public data from GitHub, parse the available code using LLVM, reuse code from Faial (a CUDA static analyzer) to recognize code patterns, and then quantify and analyze the results in Python. We were able to obtain 263 projects and about 6,526kernels for analysis. The results of the analysis showed that the programming features usage by GPU kernel developers tend to be shallow rather than sophisticated, justifying compromises on analysis
Editor\u27s Note
Get PDFTo coincide with COP28 in Dubai, this issue of the New England Journal of Public Policy published a series of articles on climate warming
Collaborating with Employers: Tips for Successful Partnerships
Get PDFWhile supporting students in getting a job is important, support doesn’t stop once the student gets a job. Once students are hired, it is necessary to provide on-the-job support through job coaches or staff that provide on the job support. In addition to supporting students, a key component of job coaching is supporting employers. This resource explains the various roles of job coaches and tips on how to build collaborative partnerships with employers
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Agencies’ Employment And Day Services (1988–2021)
Get PDFData Note 87 summarizes core findings from the Institute for Community Inclusion’s (ICI) National Survey of State Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Agencies’ Employment and Day Services through FY 2021
Security, Gender, and Power: NATO’s Advising Program in Afghanistan
No full textThis research critically questioned NATO security force advising in Afghanistan by examining how NATO’s notions of security are gendered and hierarchical, how NATO advisors embody these notions, and what power hierarchies result due to NATO’s discourses and security narratives. This research contributes to the critical military studies and feminist security studies literature on military/security organizations by questioning security assumptions made about advising and how NATO’s use of this program promotes gendered and hierarchical notions of (in)security. Other research on advising typically lacks analysis from a feminist lens that engages with gendered power relations. Here, using NATO’s Afghanistan security advising program as a case study, a feminist poststructuralist framework is utilized to examine security narratives and gendered power relations within the 2016–2019 NATO advisor program. Feminist poststructuralism specifically examines gender as materializing through power relations, which is vital for toward understanding the propagation of security concepts within the security advising relationship. Participant interviews, advising observations, and feminist critical discourse analysis support this investigation into NATO’s construction of (in)security. Through guided theory, contradictory themes were discovered across the three sets of data, which simultaneously promoted gender and women’s empowerment and reinforced patriarchal power dynamics by hierarchizing between and within gender and “Othering” Afghan men. Recommendations are offered as a “critical friend” (Rech et al.) to support NATO in its gender programming and highlight the need for recognition of a counterpart’s voice in advising relationships
Understanding the Relationship Between Teacher Depression and Children\u27s Challenging Behavior Scores Among Female Hispanic Head Start Teachers
No full textFemale Hispanic teachers working in stressful and demanding environments may be more prone to alarming low levels of well-being, leading to depression. In turn, higher depression is associated with higher reporting of children’s challenging behavior and disproportional exclusionary practices. Yet, studies on depression among female Hispanic teachers and reported challenging behavior are few and demand further study, as very little is understood about this topic. This quantitative study addresses that gap within the literature to understand how teachers’ depression levels relate to the reported rates of children’s challenging behavior scores and how teachers’ socio-economic characteristics influence this relationship. This dissertation used Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES 2014) data to analyze, from two data points throughout an academic year, the (1) prevalence of depression among female Hispanic Head Start (HS) teachers compared to other ethnic groups, (2) the relationship between female Hispanic HS teacher depression and reported children’s challenging behavior scores, and (3) the impact of teacher professional characteristics on these relationships. Although reported depression was found high for the general teacher sample (32%), results implied that female Hispanic teachers were less likely to experience depressive symptoms than females teachers of other race groups, and when they did report depression, scored 1.23 units lower (low scores = depression experienced less frequently). In terms of behavior reporting, depressed female Hispanic teachers alone was not a significant predictor of challenging behavior scores. Lastly, education was found to moderate the relationship between depression, gender, race, and reported behavior scores (Fall 2014, ß = 1.17, p = .017; Spring 2015, ß = 1.34, p = .013), such that depressed female Hispanic teachers with a Bachelors degree rated challenging behavior with higher scores (i.e., high scores = more frequency of exhibited behavior) when compared to other depressed female Hispanic teachers with more education (i.e., Masters). Results from this study uncovered significant associations that may inspire future research to identify cultural factors to improve teacher mental health interventions as well as inform future interventions and policies, promoting depression reduction and cultural competency for mental health interventions in Head Start classrooms.
Abstract (Spanish)
Las maestras hispanas que trabajan en entornos estresantes y exigentes pueden ser más propensas a niveles alarmantes de bienestar, lo que lleva a la depresión. A su vez, una mayor depresión se asocia con un mayor informe del comportamiento desafiante de los niños y las prácticas de exclusión desproporcionadas. Sin embargo, los estudios sobre la depresión entre las maestras hispanas y el comportamiento desafiante reportado son pocos y exigen más estudio, ya que se entiende muy poco sobre este tema. Este estudio cuantitativo aborda esa brecha dentro de la literatura para comprender cómo los niveles de depresión de los maestros se relacionan con las tasas reportadas de los puntajes de comportamiento desafiante de los niños y cómo las características socioeconómicas de los maestros influyen en esta relación. Esta disertación utilizó datos de la Encuesta de experiencias familiares e infantiles de Head Start (FACES 2014) para analizar, a partir de dos puntos de datos a lo largo de un año académico, la (1) prevalencia de depresión entre las maestras hispanas de Head Start (HS, sigla en inglés) en comparación con otros grupos étnicos, (2) la relación entre la depresión de las maestras hispanas de secundaria y los puntajes de comportamiento desafiante de los niños informados, y (3) el impacto de las características profesionales de los maestros en estas relaciones. Aunque la depresión reportada se encontró alta para la muestra de maestros generales (32%), los resultados implicaron que las maestras hispanas tenían menos probabilidades de experimentar síntomas depresivos que las maestras de otros grupos raciales, y cuando informaron depresión, obtuvieron 1.23 unidades más bajas (puntuaciones bajas = depresión experimentada con menos frecuencia). En términos de informes de comportamiento, las maestras hispanas deprimidas por sí solas no fueron un predictor significativo de puntajes de comportamiento desafiante. Por último, se encontró que la educación modera la relación entre la depresión, el género, la raza y las puntuaciones de comportamiento reportadas (Otoño de 2014, ß = 1.17, p = .017; Primavera de 2015, ß = 1.34, p = .013), de modo que las maestras hispanas deprimidas con una licenciatura calificaron el comportamiento desafiante con puntajes más altos (es decir, puntajes altos = más frecuencia de comportamiento exhibido) en comparación con otras maestras hispanas deprimidas con más educación (es decir, maestrías). Los resultados de este estudio descubrieron asociaciones significativas que pueden inspirar futuras investigaciones para identificar factores culturales para mejorar las intervenciones de salud mental de los maestros, así como para informar futuras intervenciones y políticas, promoviendo la reducción de la depresión y la competencia cultural para las intervenciones de salud mental en las aulas de Head Start
E-Quality: An Analysis of Digital Equity Discourse and Co-Production in the Era of COVID-19
Get PDFThe digital divide refers to the social stratification due to an unequal ability to access, adapt, and create knowledge via information and communication technologies (Andreasson, 2015). Digitally disadvantaged individuals have inadequate access to services and resources, exacerbating existing vulnerabilities. The COVID-19 pandemic instigated a new model of digital equity policymaking that leverages co-production between numerous actors. As citizens faced new financial and community constraints and governments reached administrative capacities, both the digital divide and the policymaking process evolved.
This inductive study explores how digital equity policymaking shifted to a co-production model (Ostrom, 1996) amid the pandemic. Using a sequential mixed-methods approach, this research considers the interconnections of digital equity, co-production, and crisis policymaking. Digital divide discourse was first examined through a large-scale text analysis of verified tweets. Methods of investigation include natural language processing techniques, regression modeling, and unsupervised machine learning topic modeling. Descriptive and inferential analyses demonstrate a statistically significant increase in policy discourse as well as a diversification of topics, though suggest a disconnect between outputs and on-the-ground needs.
Next, semi-structured interviews were conducted with City of Boston policymakers, and the resulting data was open-coded and axially coded to reveal insights into the design and implementation of co-productive solutions. Additionally, interviews detail what conditions contribute to successful outcomes while working with limited time, knowledge, and resources. Analyses reveal that co-productive behavior is critical to coping with the effects of the pandemic and highlight the influential role of community-based organizations. Furthermore, the study provides contextual information on co-production prerequisites that were previously understood, and sheds light on interpersonal conditions that Ostrom does not address. This dissertation contributes to the developing body of scholarly literature on the digital divide in the era of COVID-19. This case study also advances theoretical knowledge, offers methodological innovations, and provides concrete policy recommendations to promote more egalitarian digital use
Impacts of Attribution Style on Academics, Personal Relationships, and Extracurricular Activities: A Mixed Methods Study of Learned Helplessness in Secondary Students
Get PDFThe phenomenon of learned helplessness is the state in which an individual no longer views their outcomes as contingent upon their effort in response to previous failure outcomes and stressful events which were out of their control. Learned helplessness symptoms are often observed amongst students who experience other challenges simultaneously, such as low academic achievement, emotional disability (ED) diagnosis, and/or low-socioeconomic status (low-SES). The existing LH research focuses on identification, labeling, and offering interventions, such as learned optimism (LO) and attribution retraining. The lack of qualitative data, specifically student input, is a gap in the current body of research that is possibly preventing a more comprehensive understanding of LH, critical insights into the experience of the phenomenon, and more comprehensive interventions. The purpose of this study is to begin to fill this gap by incorporating qualitative data involving student input into the conversation around LH. This mixed-methods approach first inquired about the correlations between LH and causal/resulting factors. Statistical significance was found between attribution styles and certain correlating factors across all three life realms (academic, personal relationships, and extra-curricular activities) and composite scores. Interviews were also conducted to promote student voice and help explain the quantitative findings. The data were integrated and discussed. Educators and educational researchers can incorporate the results of this work to create actionable steps to support struggling LH students to gain a sense of control over their own academic outcomes