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The Relationship between a Nation-State Being Land-Locked and Its Economic Development
Get PDFThis research will look at the relationship between a nation-state being landlocked and its economic development. Based on the literature, my theory is that landlocked nation-states will have less economic development than coastal nation-states. Also, the more that a nation-state is landlocked, measured as the more countries around it and the farther away it is from the coast, the less economic development it will have. I will look at a dataset related to economic growth and compare countries to evaluate my theory
The Man Who Wore Red: Allen Stringfellow
Get PDFKnown as the man who wore red, Allen Stringfellow (1923-2004) is an African American collage and water-color artist. His pieces are memorable for their radiant energy and vibrant colors, particularly the color red, which became a signature character for his work. By learning from Stringfellow’s childhood and history of Chicago, we can begin to understand the depths he pulled his influences from to bring his art to life, ringing through the paintings and collages that brought a sense of pride for African-Americans across the nation. Much of Stringfellow’s work sheds light into the Chicago black community and how it developed its own character of nightlife and artistry. With his father owning a jazz club in Chicago, we can see how those childhood experiences shaped his image about jazz and jazz musicians who are portrayed in his artwork. Stringfellow was also raised in the church with his grandmother, witnessing numerous water baptisms. The bright colors and elaborate patterns in the clothes of painted black women symbolize the pride, dignity, and strong Christian faith the women held in 20th century American society. Stringfellow explains in an interview that even if you were poor, you always looked your best on Sunday mornings. The artist celebrates the unique blend of jazz and church lifestyles seen in every spirited occasion. In order to gather information about Allen Stringfellow, I compiled his artwork from multiple art-buying websites. I listened to interviews where Stringfellow discusses the intentions behind his paintings. In the pursuit to learn more about his childhood and adult lifestyle that may have influenced his art, I interviewed one of his nieces and received more first-hand experience and biographical information that expanded my research to a sacred depth
Modeling Motor and Sensory Axons
No full textSurface electrical stimulation of the median nerve at the elbow can be used to elicit a sensation in the hand or fingers. However, perception of the stimulus can be strongly dependent on precise electrode placement. A model was needed to predict the ideal size and placement of electrodes to control activation of the nerve. To accurately predict activation of sensory and motor axons, a separate model for each axon type was required. The existing full axon model developed by McIntyre, Richardson, and Grill (2002) was created using the properties of a motor axon, but did not focus on the differences between motor and sensory axons. Previous work by this research team noted that sensation could be achieved at a lower stimulation voltage than movement. It was hypothesized that sensory axons would have a lower threshold voltage of activation than motor axons due to the differences in the properties of the membrane. The MRG (2002) model of a motor axon was modified to reflect the membrane properties of a sensory axon using motor-sensory comparisons found in literature. Both the motor and sensory models now include fast potassium channels and hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels. The parameters with the largest effect on threshold were found to be the conductance values of the fast sodium channel, HCN channels, and leak. The model results compare well with experimental measurements for conduction velocity, strength duration curves, and action potential shapes found in the literature. For a given fiber diameter, the sensory axon model predicted activation at a lower stimulation voltage than the motor axon model, similar to experimental results. The validated models can be used to predict activation of sensory and motor neurons in applications such as sensory feedback from prosthetics and treatment to increase neuroplasticity in patients after spinal cord injury, stroke, or amputation
Spectroscopic Emission from Argon and Nitrogen Microplasmas
No full textMany electronics use microgaps as tuning elements for high frequency operation.The residual gas inside these microgaps can breakdown into a plasma either unintentionally or by design. The breakdown condition and spectral emission of nitrogen and argon plasmas were examined under microwave excitation. The differences among the plasma discharges were studied in three different microgap ranges using nitrogen and argon. The breakdown condition was defined as the input power that ignites microplasma, and the breakdown condition exhibited three distinct pressures. These three ranges were: under 10 torr, multipactor branch, 10 – 300 torr, Paschen branch, and 300 – 700 torr, diffusion-drift branch. A high resolution diffraction grating spectrometer was used to test nitrogen and argon by exploring the emission spectra and by comparing the spectra from microgaps to large gaps across these three pressure domains, revealing suppression and enhancement of spectral peaks in the microgaps compared to large gaps. As examples, enhancement is shown in a gap of 15 microns and is then suppressed in a gap of 1.6mm. A similar peak suppression occurs in Argon at wavelengths of 591.2nm with a 4 -\u3e 6 vibration transition and 419.8nm with a 2 -\u3e 4 vibration transition
Rock, Paper, Scissors, iPads: A Qualitative Study of the Choices Kindergarten Children Make When Composing Texts
No full textThe Common Core State Standards (CCSS) indicate that kindergarten students will: With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.6). While this goal is clear, the professional literature stating how children will attain the requisite skills for reaching it is less so. This study adds to this emerging body of work. Specifically, our research explores opportunities and conditions for skill attainment prior to entering kindergarten and how these may influence students’ attitudes, comfort, and facility with digital tools for writing compositions as they enter kindergarten. We further explore how school-based access to, and modeled uses of, digital technology impact the choices kindergarten students make in the selection of tools for writing – namely paper and pencil or digital devices. In short, this study describes what teachers need to know about the digital influences on young learners, as well as how to match young learners with appropriate pedagogy for digital writing as they enter school
Sex Trafficking in the United States and Russia
No full textHuman trafficking in the form of sex trafficking is an issue that has continued to grow around the world. In the global world today, the US Department of State ratings shows that Russia is a tier three country indicating a high percentage of trafficking and the United States is a tier one country indicating a low percentage of trafficking. However, both countries still contribute and supply to a larger market for other countries to trade with. The purpose of this paper is to understand which factors are present in tier one and tier three countries that could be contributing to the growth of trafficking in tier one countries. In studying the sex trafficking industry in both countries, this paper will underline the contributing factors such as; poverty rates, globalization, and government legal systems. This paper begins by outlining the problem: sex trafficking, and then goes on to outlining contributing factors in both countries. Following, this paper examines whether or not laws are in place in each country that would help lower the percentage of trafficking within their country. This paper concludes by discussing possible solutions
The Myths and Realities of the Independence of the Federal Reserve System
No full textThe independence of the Federal Reserve System has been a topic of debate since 1951. The debate being center upon whether independence is true in nature or is influenced by short-term political agendas has been called into the legitimacy of the Federal Reserve’s use of monetary policy. Does the Federal Reserve use their monetary policy in a manner that is strictly natural and mathematical to fit the economic needs, or is it impacted by outside political gain? Through examination of what the nature the Federal Reserve is built on, along with past and current monetary actions, will allow for the myths and realities of the Federal Reserve System’s independence to be transparent
Exploration of the Political Gender Gap in the U.S.
No full textWhile the majority of women voted Democrat in the 2016 election, why did 53% of white women vote Republican? The intention of this research is to examine the discrepancy in opportunities, status and attitude between men and women in American politics at the federal level. This is referred to as the gender gap. By understanding this we can determine how women vote and specifically how it affects their party identification. This is conducted through a historic exploration of literature discussing this topic. In the article “Behind Trump’s Victory,” author Alec Tyson reveals the deep divisions in campaigns emphasizing the impact gender possesses. This paper analyzes the vast variables that give dimension to the research, and attempt to formulate an answer for the causation of the gender gap in American politics
Childhood Technology Use: A Predictor of Adult Perspectives on Technology in Education
No full textTechnology is ubiquitous in today’s society, particularly since the advent of smartphones, and has been increasingly becoming a vital component of education (Rosen, 2013). This study seeks to understand how childhood and adolescent technology usage informs college students’ perspectives of the importance of technology for education. A self-report Qualtrics survey explored college students’ experiences and perceptions of technology use. Survey questions pertain to the age of initial implementation of various technologies and frequency of classroom technology use. Furthermore, this survey assesses participants’ perceptions of the importance of technology for learning and the benefit of increasing technology use in the classroom. Preliminary correlational analyses have been conducted to assess the relationship between previous usage and current perceptions. Further analyses determine which past technology experiences serve as predictors for current perceptions of its importance and benefit for learning. A higher frequency of technology use in elementary and middle school classrooms was associated with a higher perceived importance of electronics for learning, and a higher perceived benefit for increasing classroom technology use. In addition, students who received their first cellphone/smartphone at a later age viewed electronics as less important for learning. Similarly, students who first engaged with both one-on-one technology and various types of screen-based play at younger ages were more likely to rate increasing technology use as beneficial for preschool through elementary school classrooms. Childhood enjoyment of electronics was also positively associated with a perceived benefit of increasing technology in middle school through college. These students will be future parents and teachers, and their perspectives can help shape how future generations interact with technology. As technology continues to develop, researchers must investigate societal perceptions and impact as well as the implications of technology for desired educational outcomes
Associations of Supernatural Beliefs and Depressive Symptoms in Three Nationally Representative Samples
No full textPeople who engage in religious practices are generally healthier than those who do not. Despite the growing research on these associations, few studies have examined how afterlife and other “supernatural” beliefs are associated with mental health. One study found that beliefs in the afterlife were associated with fewer psychological symptoms (Flannelly, Koenig, Ellison, Galek, & Krause, 2006). Follow up studies have suggested that this association may depend on the positive or negative nature of such afterlife beliefs (e.g., Flannelly, Ellison, Galek, & Koenig, 2008). Similarly, images of God as angry have been associated with worse mental health (e.g., Silton, Flannelly, Galek, & Ellison, 2014), further suggesting that negative supernatural beliefs would be associated with more psychological symptoms. However, these studies have not examined supernatural beliefs such as the belief in angels or demons. The present study analyzes the link between mental health, specifically depressive symptoms, and a variety of religious afterlife and supernatural beliefs. For the present study, we identified three nationally representative datasets from the Association of Religion Data Archives with items which assessed depressive symptoms and afterlife and supernatural religious beliefs: the Portraits of American Life Study (PALS), the Baylor Religion Survey, and the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR). PALS is a panel study of over 2,500 adults. The Baylor Religion Survey is a multi-year study of over 1,500 adults. The NSYR is a multi-year telephone survey of over 3,000 teenagers. We are analyzing associations of supernatural and afterlife beliefs with depressive symptoms in each dataset using basic correlational analyses and regression. Initial results suggest an association of supernatural beliefs with more depressive symptoms. Complete descriptions of beliefs and depressive symptoms in each sample will be presented along with predictive findings. The implications of our findings for the field and for health will be discussed