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When in Rome, Do as Meloni and Salvini Do: Dissecting the Potentially Extreme Nature of the Political Communication of Italy\u27s New Right-Wing Populist Duo
Get PDFThe fundamental question that this research project aims to answer is: what are the defining characteristics of the style and rhetoric of the communication practices of Italian right-wing populist leadership and how do they relate to those of fascism? After the Italian elections of 2022, in which a right-wing populist coalition led by Giorgia Meloni and Matteo Salvini came to power, further research is necessary to understand the potential implications of this electoral result. Political communication has developed in recent years to shift towards direct communication from the leader to their base through social media and speeches published on YouTube. Through an analysis of this direct political communication from Salvini and Meloni, this study will add to the scholarly understanding of Italian right-wing populist leadership by investigating whether there is a slide toward a more extreme form of right-wing populism occurring. In a time where the popularity and electoral success of right-wing populists have surged, it is important to gain a more comprehensive understanding of whether these leaders are spreading extremist ideas that endanger their country’s democratic system and the rule of law
On the Pursuit of Developer Happiness: Webcam-Based Eye Tracking and Affect Recognition in the IDE
Get PDFRecent research highlights the viability of webcam-based eye tracking as a low-cost alternative to dedicated remote eye trackers. Simultaneously, research shows the importance of understanding emotions of software developers, where it was found that emotions have significant effects on productivity, code quality, and team dynamics. In this paper, we present our work towards an integrated eye-tracking and affect recognition tool for use during software development. This combined approach could enhance our understanding of software development by combining information about the code developers are looking at, along with the emotions they experience. The presented tool utilizes an unmodified webcam to capture video of software developers while interacting with code. The tool passes each frame (Figure 4) to two modules, an eye tracking module that estimates where the developer is looking on the screen, and an affect recognition module that infers developer emotion from their facial expressions. The proposed work has implications to researchers, educators, and practitioners, and we discuss some potential use cases in this paper
Biomechanics of Mantis Prey Capture
Get PDFMantis species have a variety of different morphologies, so do the extreme forms of mantis limbs trade prey catching capability for camouflage? We hypothesize that some extreme forms of mantis limbs that are associated with cryptic species may be associated with a tradeoff of the capability of those limbs. Previous research has developed 2D morphologies of several hundred species of mantises. We are creating a 3D morphology by using micro dissection, micro CT imaging to construct our 3D biomechanical model. We found the attachment points of the ligaments and muscles from a Tenodera forearm and have constructed a 2D biomechanical model
InstaDAMN –The Power of Instagram’s Platform As An Instigator and Indicator For Offline Political Participation Among Young Adults
No full textOver the past decade, exposure to various forms of political content on social media, as well as social media usage for political means, has been studied by scholars as a link to predicting offline political participation by social media users. While evidence has been gathered that categorizes activity on the platforms of Facebook and Twitter as potential influencers and predictors of offline political behavior, the literature on the political relevance of Instagram as a predictor of offline political participation has yet to be fully explored. Additionally, although younger generations have historically participated in some forms of political behavior (particularly voting) to a lesser extent than older generations, recent data has shown that the number of active voting adults within Gen Z has increased immensely since the 2016 election, in addition to a larger portion of this generation being able to vote simply because of turning 18 years of age. In this thesis, I look at the effects of exposure to political content on Instagram, as well as the effect of active political participation within the Instagram app, on offline political participation by Instagram users, specifically of a young demographic: those aged 18-24, or those who would be categorized under the “Generation Z” label. I conduct a survey of young people aged 18-24 and question them on their use of Instagram, and also on their offline political behavior. My results demonstrate the value of Instagram as a platform on which to share political ideas that hold significant power to spur those already engaged with the app to take political action in an offline setting and presents implications for the future about what news sources the younger generations will turn for information that will, in turn, predict how they participate in the United States’ democracy
Portraits of Practice: A Case Study on Elementary Schools Successfully Implementing Multi-Tiered Systems of Support
Get PDFMulti-tiered systems of support (MTSS) is an educational framework that aims to make the general education classroom more inclusive to all students and types of learners. MTSS has been found to improve student growth and achievement and decrease special education referrals through the use of layered supports that allow students to stay in the classroom as much as possible. There is a direct focus on progress monitoring, universal screening, and data-based decision making in order to ensure that all students are getting the support they need, whether it be universal, group-based, or individualized. This study aimed to understand what factors allow schools to successfully implement the framework. Through interviews with staff at two elementary schools in a New England state, findings shed light on why these schools have been successful in implementing MTSS when others have struggled. These findings suggest that collaboration between educators, families, and the state is necessary to fully support both students and teachers. Strong school leadership that prioritizes communication and listening also seemed to contribute to teachers’ abilities to better support students. Teachers’ understanding and buy-in to the framework further enhanced their implementation. Despite these positive factors, educators identified areas for improvement, such as their communication from the state during the exploration phase, efficiency of everyday processes, and integration of gifted programs in an MTSS. This research may be able to inform some scaffolding for other schools looking to implement MTSS in the future. These findings contribute to the conversation on successful MTSS implementation and provide implementation recommendations
Merchants of Blood and Gunpowder: The English Arms Trade in West Africa
Get PDFThe period between 1500 and 1650 saw the development of a transoceanic trade network, multiple European colonial empires in the Americas, and rapid developments in firearms technology. Combined, these factors laid the groundwork for two interrelated phenomena, the transatlantic slave trade, and the emergence of a global trade in arms. Examining the documents of the Royal African Company and assembling a broad selection of secondary sources, this paper seeks to contribute to the ongoing debate over the role of slavery in the development of modern capitalism. This paper argues that the transatlantic slave trade was vital for the development of the English arms industry, and the trade in English arms for slaves contributed significantly to the destabilization and devastation of West Africa. Firearms did not constitute the majority of the goods carried on British ships, but they made up a substantial and vital section of the slave trade, offered enormous profit margins, and created far more immediate geopolitical ramifications than other goods
Detecting High-Lying Rydberg States using Two-Step Electromagnetically Induced Transparency and Frequency Modulation Spectroscopy Techniques
Get PDFResonant optical excitation of high-lying Rydberg states in room temperature 85Rb was investigated using light from two homemade external cavity diode lasers (ECDL). This was done using a ladder schema of the Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT) technique. The approximate EIT wavelengths used were 780 nm (the probe beam) to provide step-wise excitation of valence rubidium electrons from the 5S1/2 → 5P3/2 tran- sition, and then 482 nm (the coupling beam) to excite from the 5P3/2 state to a high-lying Rydberg nD state with an orbital angular momentum = 2. Successful excitation of the Rydberg states was observed using Frequency Modulation Spectroscopy (FMS). Also included in this discussion is a description of efforts made to maximize the sensitivity of the FMS technique throughout this study.
Similar work has been done in the past for Rb atoms but have employed very powerful commercial laser systems (for instance, those made by the German company Toptica) which typically exceed $100,000 in price (depending on power) and hence makes such research financially inaccessible in many institutions. The novel aspect of this research project is the use of homemade diodes which were assembled for a fraction of the price. Higher-n Rydberg transitions are relatively improbable quantum-mechanically; conse- quently, the 482 nm coupling beam at the highest power possible to boost the chances of this transition occurring which requires particular attention when using self-built cavity diode lasers. Here we attempt to demonstrate that the signal from a combination of EIT and FMS techniques can be equally strong as when using expensive commercial laser systems with the appropriate experimental methods
Trends in Cyanotoxin Production Potential in China Lake: an eDNA Analysis of Microcystis and Dolichospermum and the Environmental Drivers of Cyanotoxin Production
Get PDFEpisodes of cyano-harmful algal blooms (cyano-HABs) are hypothesized to be exacerbated by the effects of climate change. However, the dynamics of the interactions between elements of climate change and toxigenic cyanobacteria proliferation are not well defined. China Lake is the drinking water source for 7 municipalities in the Kennebec County and is one of many lakes in central Maine that has been subjected to high levels of cyano-HABs and microcystin toxin contamination in recent years. Monitoring the toxicity of these blooms in relation to various aspects of climate change may lead to identification of the major drivers of microcystin production in cyanobacteria. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis of lake water samples can detect low-level presence of the microcystin producing gene mcyE in cyanobacteria. This method of toxin analysis is emerging as one of the most efficient in estimating toxin presence in lakes. eDNA analysis via qPCR provides species specific toxin producing gene quantification, allowing for identification of dominant toxin producing species trends as well as trends in the presence and absence of toxin producing genes during bloom seasons. During the 2022 bloom season, China Lake experienced cyano-HABs dominated solely by Microcystis until midway through the bloom season when sole dominance shifted to Dolichospermum. Presence of microcystin production potential was significantly correlated with low temperature and low drought index for toxin produced by Dolichospermum, however there were no significant drivers in the presence of the mcyE gene for Microcystis. This study is one of many research efforts contributing to the Maine eDNA Project, and provides insight into the nuances of examining drivers of cyanotoxin production to elucidate the functioning of cyano-HABs
Examining the Impact of Living Arrangements on Children\u27s Academic Achievement
Get PDFIn my paper I examine how different living arrangements impact how well a child performs in school. The living arrangements are: living with both biological parents, living with biological mother, and living with biological father. Using a linear regression method, I regress living arrangements against GPA and find that children who do not live with both of their biological parents are expected to perform about 0.3 GPA points worse in school than children who do. With added control variables the difference in predicted GPAs decreases. Additionally, I find that living arrangements aren’t predicted to impact children differently depending on their gender. Using getting suspended and disobedience as dependent variables supports the results from the primary regression. I also find that children who live with their mothers that have always been single from the child’s father are predicted to have lower GPAs than with mothers who haven’t always been single