18431 research outputs found
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Diophantine Avoidance, Number Fields, and Quadratic Forms
Get PDFDiophantine avoidance has been studied by several authors in recent years. This term refers to effective results on existence of points of bounded size (where size is measured by norm or height, depending on the context) in a given algebraic set avoiding some specified subsets. The application of avoidance conditions allows to understand how ``well distributed are points of bounded size in a given set. If it is possible to find them outside of some prescribed collection of subsets of the set in question, then it suggests that they are evenly distributed, in some appropriate sense. Our first result investigates small-norm points in lattices with avoidance conditions outside of a hypersurface of arbitrary degree. The main application of this investigation is to small-height generators of number fields satisfying certain natural avoidance conditions. Further, we study small-size integer zeros of integral quadratic forms with avoidance conditions. We apply our results to the problem of effective distribution of angles between vectors in Z n
Pathways to Positive Youth Development in African Contexts: The Role of Contribution
No full textContribution, generally considered an emergent outcome of positive youth development (PYD) in the Lerner and Lerner Five Cs model of PYD is described as a commitment by youth to give back to the world around them in personally meaningful ways following sufficient development of the five Cs - competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring (e.g. Lerner et al., 2005; Lerner et al., 2019). The Five Cs model has been extensively tested and validated in the United States and other Western or industrialized contexts, but it remains unclear how contribution and the other five Cs co-develop for youth growing up in more communalistic African countries such as Uganda. This dissertation study drew on three waves of data from the Compassion International Study of PYD in Uganda to determine the extent to which the Lerner Five Cs model of PYD fitted in the Ugandan context and whether Ugandan youth aged between 9 and 16 years (in Wave One) demonstrated the social-emotional Cs of character, caring, and connection more than the efficacy-related Cs of confidence and competence. Exploratory structural equation modeling using data from youth in Uganda found that there was a good fit with competence, confidence, caring, connection and contribution, but highlighted challenges with the measurement of character in later waves as the cohort moved toward late adolescence. There were few gender differences in reported levels of the Cs, despite Ugandan girls and young women facing multiple gender equity-related challenges, which limit their access to education and other development opportunities (Ndidde et al., 2020). Finally, auto-regressive cross-lagged panel models were used to explore whether contribution predicted subsequent development of the other five Cs in this sample of Ugandan adolescents and evaluate other effects between the Cs. Despite a context where cultural traditions encourage early and active participation in the social and economic activities of family and community (Nsamenang, 2011), it was found that contribution at earlier time points did not predict development of the other Cs. These results highlight the need for the development and validation of more culturally relevant measures for the assessment of PYD constructs such as character and contribution in understudied contexts such as Uganda
The Invisible Union: How French Policy Fuels Rising Euroscepticism
Get PDFDespite France’s historical role as a leading and founding member of the European Union, the 2022 and 2024 legislative elections saw a surge in support for Eurosceptic parties such as the Rassemblement National (RN) and the Nouveau Front Populaire (NFP). This appears to suggest a rise in Euroscepticism among French voters. This paper aims to examine the cause of these shifting electoral patterns in France through exploration of the question: How do French voters’ perceptions of political disillusionment, economic strength and national sovereignty relate to their growing support for Eurosceptic parties? This pa-per concludes that a growing disillusionment with establishment, traditional politics drives voters into the arms of more radical politics and parties. All these factors work towards the detriment of establishment, EU-friendly politics—and to the favor of populist, Eurosceptic alternatives
WHAT MAKES A MULTI-LEVEL MARKETING COMPANY SUSTAINABLE? AN ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL INCENTIVIZATION IMPACTS O
No full textThis thesis examines the role of incentivization on the profitability and sustainability of multi-level marketing firms. Specifically, a case study was performed with four “successful” MLMs and four “failed” MLMs. Using a fixed effects regression model, I assess the relationship between firm revenues and profits with their incentivization costs, the number of independent business owners (IBOs) they possess, and the maturity of the MLM as a publicly offered company. The analysis showed that variations in capital allocation to IBOs, measured as a percentage of total costs, were statistically significant, particularly for failed and young firms. The data indicated a negative relationship between the increasing years since initial public offering and dollar generation across almost all company stages. Finally, pure incentive costs, when analyzed separately from total costs, were better predictors of earnings, highlighting the critical role of outstanding operational costs in determining MLM success or failure
Precipitation, Perceptions, and Participation: An Analysis of Individual Perceptions of Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority\u27s Cloud Seeding Pilot Program and Suggestions for Public Outreach and Communications
Get PDFCloud seeding is a form of weather modification intended to increase the amount of precipitation by introducing a seeding agent. The Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA) has implemented a four-year cloud seeding pilot program utilizing silver iodide as a seeding agent during rain storm events. Over the last year, SAWPA received various feedback, much of which exists in the social media realm. This research consists of open-ended interviews with water resource managers, SAWPA employees, and individuals expressing disapproval of the program on social media and Instagram comment analyses. Interview and comment analyses are put into conversation with the theory of sensemaking developed by Weick (1995) to analyze the development and reinforcement of individual perceptions and their existence in a larger sociocultural and sociopolitical context. Within this research, analysis of the labeling of individuals as conspiracy theorists is revealed to perpetuate mistrust of authority further. Various definitions of technopolitics are used to understand the role of technopolitical devices in producing forms of agency in the context of SAWPA’s Cloud Seeding Pilot Program. This thesis provides insights into the continuation of the program\u27s public outreach and public communications processes through enlisting the framework of non-technical infrastructure, or communications and outreach infrastructure development and improvements, as a suggested approach. This research thus contributes to the limited research on perceptions of cloud seeding operations, particularly ground-based operations. The conclusions of this research emphasize the importance of conducting further research on individualized perceptions and public perceptions of such operations
Feeding Frenzy: Tastemakers and Food Influencers in the Age of Social Media
No full textAt its inception Web 2.0, what we now know as social media, was celebrated as a tool that would change the world; It was supposed to be a space of equal opportunity where anyone could create and distribute content without monetary compensation. In some ways this vision has come to fruition. However, I explore how the entrepreneurial capitalist structures of the tech industry were built into social media, and the impact that structure has on content and culture production on Instagram. I look at how two food influencers named Lexie Smith and Pierce Abernathy are impacted by the structures of Instagram given that the values they promote seem to be in opposition to the entrepreneurial capitalist values built into the app. The main questions I ask are: 1) How has the creation of social media changed the production of culture? 2) In what ways does the structure of Instagram and social media constrain Food Influencers abilities to promote ideologies outside of the mainstream? I argue that social media has broadened what is “mainstream” through the creation of networked publics and taste regimes. However, entrepreneurial capitalist values are built into Instagram (such as self-branding) and straying too far from those values limits one’s ability to be seen. Food Influencers such as Lexie Smith and Pierce Abernathy must play a delicate game in which they attempt to balance the branding and conspicuous consumption necessary to gain and maintain influence on the platform, while sticking to their own ethics and ideas
AFFIRMING THE SELF: PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS IN STRESSFUL SITUATIONS
No full textThe purpose of this thesis is to examine the psychological benefits of self-affirmation practices, focusing on how they impact self-perception, emotional resilience, and prosocial behaviors, especially in times of stress or adversity. Self-affirmations—simple statements that reinforce one’s core values—have been shown to activate brain systems associated with self-processing and reward, helping to buffer against stress and enhance well-being. The study examines how self-affirmations influence self-esteem, self-compassion, emotional resilience, and empathy. It also explores whether self-affirmations can encourage prosocial behaviors, such as increased empathy and a greater willingness to support others. Using a between groups design, participants from the Claremont Colleges, ages 18 to 24, will complete either self-affirmation or control exercises, with pre- and post-assessments measuring key psychological outcomes. By investigating the mechanisms behind self-affirmations, including their role in coping strategies and self-compassion, this study aims to expand our understanding of self-affirmations as a tool for improving psychological health and strengthening social connections
Housing on the Ballot: A Comparative Analysis of Measure United to House LA and Bring Chicago Home
Get PDFIn 2022 and 2024 respectively, activists in the cities of Los Angeles and Chicago put forward ballot measures to address their city’s housing crisis by implementing a progressive real estate transfer tax to fund affordable housing and homelessness services. While Measure United to House LA overwhelmingly passed, Bring Chicago Home later failed. To understand why two seemingly similar ballot measures in two large, progressive cities resulted in such different outcomes, I employ a three-pronged framework, rooted in the literature of social movement studies, which examines each city’s historical context around housing and homelessness, policy design and framing opportunities, and process of coalition building. Through an analysis of historical secondary sources, policy language, and interviews with community organizers in Los Angeles and Chicago, I ultimately find that the simultaneous success of Measure ULA and failure of Bring Chicago Home is an inseparable result of both structural constraints and campaign decisions. As activists across the country continue to think about how they can address the housing crisis in their cities, Measure ULA and Bring Chicago Home offer important insight into the impact of local progressive politics, the viability of the real estate transfer tax, and the importance of building labor-housing coalitions
El Maíz del Abuelo: Fidel Márquez Sanchez’s Legacy and Mexico’s Historical Maize Agriculture
No full textThe Green Revolution was an era of scientific development in productive agricultural methods and technologies in the mid-twentieth century. High-yielding seed varieties, artificial fertilizers, irrigation infrastructure, pesticides, and herbicides all developed from this period. Texcoco, Mexico was the center of much of the Green Revolution\u27s education and research from the 1940s onward at the Autonomous University of Chapingo, a prestigious agricultural school, with funding from the US-based philanthropic Rockefeller Foundation. Powerful consequences in the globe\u27s agriculture emerged from the Green Revolution, including the production of maize, a staple crop in Mexico, especially for Indigenous and campesino populations. My abuelo, Fidel Márquez Sanchez was an agricultural science professor and researcher of maize breeding at the Autonomous University of Chapingo with the support of his wife, Elvira Ortiz Cereceres. In this thesis, I interview former colleagues, conduct archival research, and examine literature of the period to understand my grandparents\u27 contributions to the Green Revolution and use their stories to add depth to historical narratives about this period. I argue that my abuelo\u27s research, despite its funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, strived to empower Mexican campesinos with plant breeding methods in the face of commercial and genetically modified intensive maize agriculture
Sounding like a Normal Gay: A Sociophonetic Analysis of Homonormativity and Identity Performance on the LGBTQ Right
Get PDFPrevious linguistic research has noted the remarkable ability of LGBTQ speakers to tailor their identity expression contextually based on the perceived safety of their context: studies of queer style-shifting have contrasted this group’s behavior in queer-friendly contexts with their speech in socially conservative ones. However, the patterns identified by this research do not account for the behaviors of outspokenly conservative queer people whose political ‘safe spaces’ are unaccepting of their queer identity. In order to index their belonging to two groups that are frequently in opposition with one another, I suggest that the style shifting behaviors of LGBTQ conservatives may differ from the patterns observed for queer speakers more generally. This thesis explores these unique style-shifting behaviors through case studies of three queer right-wing influencers, measuring the pitch patterns of their speech across a variety of interactional contexts. Combining linguistic studies of phonetic style-shifting with non-linguistic theories on gender, sexuality, and political identity, this thesis seeks to further explore the intra-speaker variation of queer speech at the intersection of gender/sexual identity, political ideologies, and performance. I situate the findings of my phonetic research within feminist and queer critiques of homonationalism, and connect my analysis of phonetic speech styles with the way they reflect speakers’ attitudes towards their own identities and communities