22 research outputs found
Third-Party Tracking in Online Public Library Environments in the United States and Canada: A Statistical Analysis
No full textA Review of:
Gardner, G. J. (2021). Aiding and abetting: Third-party tracking and (in)secure connections in public libraries. The Serials Librarian, 81(1), 69–87. https://doi.org/10.1080/0361526X.2021.1943105
Objective – To determine through statistical data collection the frequency of tracking by third parties in online public library environments along with the visibility and ease of discovery of online library policies and disclosures related to third-party tracking in particular and data privacy in general.
Design – Online evaluation of public library websites.
Setting – English-language public libraries in the United States and Canada.
Subjects – 178 public library websites (133 in the United States and 45 in Canada). The libraries included in the study were intentionally selected for their membership in either the Canadian Urban Libraries Council (CULC) or the Urban Libraries Council (ULC) in the Unites States, since these libraries have some of the largest systems membership serving predominantly urban and suburban communities in both countries. The included Canadian libraries serve nearly 41% of the population in that country while the included libraries in the United States are positioned to serve 28% percent of the total population. The author notes that “These percentage figures serve as hypothetical, upper-bound estimates of the population affected by third-party tracking since not every member of these communities actually uses their local public library” (Gardner, 2021, p.72).
Methods – In addition to evaluating the public library catalog and website in general with regards to third-party tracking and data privacy, 10 common content sources (databases) available at all of the included libraries were also included in the examination. Two browser add-ons designed to detect third-party tracking, Ghostery and Disconnect, were used in the study due to their popularity and incorporation into previous similar studies. In addition to third-party tracking the author executed word searches on library homepages using Ctrl-F for words commonly used to denote privacy or terms of use statements. No qualitative analysis was performed to determine if information shared regarding third-party tracking was accurate, and subpages were not examined. The data collection period lasted a total of three months beginning in March 2017 and running through May 2017.
Main Results – The data gathered between March and May of 2017 clearly indicates a general disregard among most sampled public libraries regarding the protection of patron data gathered by third-party tracking. Of Canadian libraries included in the sample 89% (40) enabled third-party tracking, while libraries in the United States allowed it at a rate of 87% (116). Both Ghostery and Disconnect revealed an almost identical number of incidences of third-party tracking in library catalogs and in the 10 popular public library databases examined in the study. Certain OPACS were associated with higher tracking counts as were certain library databases. Libraries were found to be lax when it came to providing a link on the homepage potentially informing users of the presence of third-party tracking. Of the 156 total libraries with third-party tracking in their online catalogs, 69 (44%) included a homepage link while the rest did not. The author notes that the presence of a link was all that was examined, and not specific language used to disclose the level of third-party tracking or data privacy. In total, 8 of the 10 common content sources allowed third-party tracking. All 10 provided a link to either privacy or terms of service statements on their landing pages.
Conclusion – Although patron privacy is an issue addressed in the American Library Association (ALA) Code of Ethics (American Library Association, 2021), the author concludes that “Together with previous research on usage of privacy-enhancing tools in public libraries, these results suggest that public libraries are accessories to third-party tracking on a large scale” (Gardner, 2021, p.69)
ISOTOPIC LOGS OF THE SEA OF CORTEZ: OXYGEN AND CARBON STABLE ISOTOPES IN OTOLITHS OF MARINE FISH RECORD THE IMPACT OF DIVERTING THE COLORADO RIVER FROM THE SEA. By
No full textRights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author
Strategic leadership in school education and the public and corporate sectors
No full textDeposited with permission of the author. © 2000 Dr. Pam DettmanToday's schools operate in a climate of great change, along with increased responsibility and accountability for their own futures as a result of the move towards self-management. This has resulted in calls for a new kind of leadership, called strategic leadership, at the school level. The essential features of strategic leadership are its future orientation and its concern with both the external and internal environments of the school. Strategic leadership is usually associated in policy documents with the role of the principal.
Information on the exercise of strategic leadership and the development of relevant capacities was gathered from eight outstanding strategic leaders from the school education, public and corporate sectors, who were identified through a peer-group nomination process. A hermeneutic phenomenology methodology was used, which consisted chiefly of the collection of lived-experience accounts of the participants, and the interpretation of these by the researcher. Information was collected through in-depth interviews over a period of four years.
A body of information was produced, not only through areas of similarity and difference between the eight individual participants, but through comparison and contrast of education with non-education, public' sector with private sector" and to a more limited degree, male with female.
Outstanding strategic leaders in schools were found to be strongly involved in a values-based personal journey, but at the same time to be grounded in current realities through the constant collection and interpretation of information to determine outcomes. They exhibited several levels of vision and a complexity of futures thinking across a range of areas, the most prominent of these being technology and the change process. Their planning reflected a move from traditional strategic planning towards a more dynamic and fluid approach based on values. In working with people, emphasis was placed on empowerment, professional development, mentoring and appraisal.
The leaders saw themselves generally as energetic, restless, risk-taking, strong in decision-making/ hard-working and sensitive. Major factors in the development of their strategic leadership capacities had been early exposure to a mentor either at university or the workplace, reading broadly, involvement in personal development programs and/ for women/ the family.
The study confirmed indications in the literature that approaches to strategy formulation have changed. The approach used by these leaders borrowed from several current concepts, but most closely resembled the 'heroic quest,' with the addition of the interest in data. The way in which strategic leadership was exercised tended not to change with changes in time and context.
The study suggested areas for further investigation in terms of the leader-follower dynamic, the leader's involvement in school culture, the effects of the leader’s adrenalin-fed behaviour, the effects of context, and gender difference
Identification of nine new susceptibility loci for testicular cancer, including variants near DAZL and PRDM14.
Get PDFTesticular germ cell tumor (TGCT) is the most common cancer in young men and is notable for its high familial risks. So far, six loci associated with TGCT have been reported. From genome-wide association study (GWAS) analysis of 307,291 SNPs in 986 TGCT cases and 4,946 controls, we selected for follow-up 694 SNPs, which we genotyped in a further 1,064 TGCT cases and 10,082 controls from the UK. We identified SNPs at nine new loci (1q22, 1q24.1, 3p24.3, 4q24, 5q31.1, 8q13.3, 16q12.1, 17q22 and 21q22.3) showing association with TGCT (P < 5 × 10(-8)), which together account for an additional 4-6% of the familial risk of TGCT. The loci include genes plausibly related to TGCT development. PRDM14, at 8q13.3, is essential for early germ cell specification, and DAZL, at 3p24.3, is required for the regulation of germ cell development. Furthermore, PITX1, at 5q31.1, regulates TERT expression and is the third TGCT-associated locus implicated in telomerase regulation
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Multi-Disciplinary Paleoenvironmental Context for the Integration of the Lower Colorado River Corridor, Bouse Formation, CA-AZ, USA, and Middle to Late Pleistocene Human Evolution, the Koora Plain, Southern Kenya
No full textSince the seminal works of Wegener and Darwin the notion that things evolve, and the how and the why of it, has generated intense debate. The surface of the Earth, and the creatures that live on it, are not static entities. Landscapes evolve. Organisms evolve. Understanding the how and the why requires a firm understanding of a myriad of interdependent and complex variables such as (but not limited to) climate, ecology, and tectonics. Unravelling the complexities though which landscapes and ecosystems evolve requires a broad interdisciplinary approach, where multiple investigative tools are simultaneously brought to bear on a given question. The study of old lake sediments, or paleolimnology, is a marquee example of a powerful interdisciplinary methodology that has been used extensively in reconstructing the Earth's past. This work showcases two examples where the discipline of paleolimnology advances our understanding of evolution on a landscape scale and on a human scale. In the southwestern United States, a record of the processes involved during the late Miocene and early Pliocene (~ 5 Ma) evolution of a major continental river drainage - the Colorado River – is partially preserved along the southern border of Arizona and California as the enigmatic Bouse Formation. And in southern Kenya, nearly 170 meters of lake and wetland sediments that have accumulated in the Koora Plain preserve a one-million-year long record of the environmental conditions against which our species, Homo sapiens, evolved. My research allows me to conclude that the depositional environment of the Bouse Formation was lacustrine; a fully marine interpretation that has been previously proposed is untenable. I also demonstrate that over the past 1.0 Ma, Homo sapiens in southern Kenya evolved against a backdrop of increasing regional aridity.Release after 01-Sep-2021Originally embargoed through 26-Sep-2019; contacted by author 09-Jul-2019 to extend embargo through 01-Sep-2021, Kimberl
Bimba IntelliSense
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The main problem of this proposal is building a test stand that can be used to test a seal leak for Bimba actuators in order to create a “self-healing” property for these actuators. Some of the design criteria were not able to be implemented because of difficulties with the budget and schedule of the project; however, the test stand this team will design follows all of the main design goals and functional requirements needed for the completion of this project. Once completed, it will implement the IntelliSense software, be able to test actuators with a load, simulate air leaks in both seals of an actuator, and be able to utilize a control algorithm for the “self-healing” cylinder. This cost-effective solution was based on the budget given by Bimba and the test stands they have already created. In order to build on their previous work, this test stand will set the ground work for Bimba actuators to improve their life span so that they become even more reliable and effective in the industry today
Velocity correlations in type Ia supernovae
No full textType Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia), the result of exploding carbon/oxygen white dwarfs, are powerful cosmological distance indicators. They are excellent standardizable candles, which must be corrected using parameters such as their lightcurve shape, color, or host galaxy properties. Properly standardizing SNe Ia is essential as there is currently a tension in the measurement of the Hubble constant, , between local and early Universe measurements. In this thesis I will present work done with the Foundation Supernova Survey to investigate previously seen correlations between ejecta velocity and other supernova properties. Additionally, I will re-analyze previous results through the use of the lightcurve fitter SALT2 to create a uniform comparison. We find that while the previous results still show a clear offset in color between high-velocity and normal-velocity SNe, the Foundation data do not. Additionally, the Foundation data do not show a significant split in Hubble diagram residual either. Intriguingly, we find that SN Ia ejecta velocity information can possibly be determined from photometry, in the reddest bands, alone. For high-redshift SNe, these rest-frame wavelengths will be observed by the future Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Our results are in line with work which suggests that SN Ia host-galaxy mass is correlated with ejecta velocity: high-velocity SNe Ia are nearly exclusively found in high-mass hosts. However, host-galaxy properties alone cannot clear the discrepancy between Foundation and the older data. Finally, I discuss the ongoing Hubble Space Telescope (HST) survey, Supernova in the Infrared avec Hubble (SIRAH). This low-redshift, infrared (IR) survey aims to create a legacy sample of high quality IR lightcurves and spectra to be used in future IR space and ground based surveys, most notably the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope which will observe thousands of SNe across a variety of redshifts and rest-frame bands. I present preliminary data from the SIRAH survey including two serendipitous observations. SN~2020bpi was the first object observed with SIRAH and was also observed by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) which obtained extremely high cadence photometry of SN~2020bpi's explosion. Using this data, we can look for evidence of a companion star through excess flux. We have found no significant excess flux signature in SN~2020bpi, effectively putting an upper limit on the size of any possible companion. SN~2021hpr is a more recent SIRAH SN which exploded in the same galaxy as another SN already under observation. We were therefore able to obtain extremely early ( days) color information which is largely unprecedented in the field. I compare this early photometry to existing models of the similar SN~2018oh to attempt to draw conclusions as to the nature of its progenitor.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical reference
Use of the Genealogical Sorting Index (GSI) to delineate species boundaries in the Neofusicoccum parvum-Neofusicoccum ribis species complex
Get PDFNeofusicoccum is a recently described genus of common endophytes and pathogens of woody hosts, previously placed in the genus Botryosphaeria. Many morphological characteristics routinely used to describe species overlap in Neofusicoccum, and prior to the use of molecular phylogenetics, isolates from different hosts and locations were often misidentified. Two cryptic species Neofusicoccum ribis and Neofusicoccum parvum were initially described from different continents and recently another four species within this complex were described using fixed nucleotide polymorphisms for differentiation. In a survey of eucalypt cankers in eastern Australia, a collection of morphologically similar Neofusicoccum isolates were obtained. This collection was analysed within the framework of the morphological (MSRC), ecological (ESRC) and phylogenetic (PSRC) species recognition concepts. Morphological data based on spore measurements (MSRC), together with pathogenicity trials (ESRC) were considered alongside molecular analysis (PSRC), which included multiple gene phylogenies constructed from four nuclear gene regions. We also used the Genealogical Sorting Index method to provide objective evidence for the status of terminal taxa in the phylogenetic analysis. The isolates examined exhibited overlapping morphological and culture characteristics, similar pathogenicity to excised stems and shared hosts within the same locations. Phylogenetic analysis separated isolates into 8 clades corresponding to six described species: N. ribis, N. parvum, Neofusicoccum kwambonambiense, Neofusicoccum cordaticola, Neofusicoccum umdonicola, Neofusicoccum batangarum, and two new species. GSI support indicated combined phylogenetic data were monophyletic for all clades and all p-values were significant allowing us to reject the null hypothesis that all groups were from a single mixed group. Consequently the description of Neofusicoccum occulatum is presented
HOMOPARENTALIDADE: A PERCEPÇÃO DE PAIS HOMOAFETIVOS DA GRANDE VITÓRIA SOBRE ESTIGMA E APOIO SOCIAL NA CRIAÇÃO DOS FILHOS
Get PDFA história da homoafetividade e da homoparentalidade remonta séculos de opressão e marginalização, cujos efeitos se estendem até os dias atuais em diferentes setores da sociedade. Nos últimos anos, com um número significativo de pesquisas sendo desenvolvido no sentido de investigar a conjuntura familiar homoparental, alguns autores apontaram a estigmatização e a falta de apoio como conflitos traduzíveis em desafios enfrentados por essas famílias. Tais desafios parecem diminuir em certos contextos com maior apoio social e atitudes positivas, tanto no que se refere ao casamento homoafetivo quanto à aceitação de seus filhos, como é o caso de países que se comprometeram com tais mudanças há mais tempo que o Brasil. Partindo desse pressuposto, a pesquisa em questão adota uma abordagem qualitativa descritiva, a partir da aplicação de um questionário, entre os dias 21 de abril e 23 de maio de 2022, com 13 questões estruturadas, numa amostra de sete pais ou mães homoafetivos, independente de gênero, residentes da Grande Vitória, mapeados em grupos de redes sociais destinados ao público-alvo, com o objetivo de investigar sua percepção sobre a estigmatização e o apoio social no processo de parentalidade. Os resultados apontaram boas percepções sobre apoio familiar, tanto na decisão de ser pai ou mãe e durante a criação dos filhos, quanto nos ambientes de ritos religiosos. Ainda assim, sugeriram a presença de estigmatização, quando as questões se referiram à aceitação nos espaços públicos, julgamentos morais e dúvidas quanto à capacidade de criar filhos bem ajustados, com bom caráter e saúde mental.Palavras-chave: Homoparentalidade. Pais do mesmo sexo. Estigmatização. Apoio social. Saúde mental
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Age-growth relationships, temperature sensitivity and palaeoclimate-archive potential of the threatened Altiplano cactus Echinopsis atacamensis
No full textThe tall (>4 m), charismatic and threatened columnar cacti, pasacana [Echinopsis atacamensis (Vaupel) Friedrich & G.D. Rowley)], grows on the Bolivian Altiplano and provides environmental and economic value to these extremely cold, arid and high-elevation (∼4000 m) ecosystems. Yet very little is known about their growth rates, ages, demography and climate sensitivity. Using radiocarbon in spine dating time series, we quantitatively estimate the growth rate (5.8 and 8.3 cm yr-1) and age of these cacti (up to 430 years). These data and our field measurements yield a survivorship curve that suggests precipitation on the Altiplano is important for this species' recruitment. Our results also reveal a relationship between nighttime temperatures on the Altiplano and the variation in oxygen isotope values in spines (δ18O). The annual δ18O minimums from 58 years of in-series spine tissue from pasacana on the Altiplano provides at least decadal proxy records of temperature (r = 0.58; P < 0.0001), and evidence suggests that there are longer records connecting modern Altiplano temperatures to sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) in the Atlantic Ocean. While the role of Atlantic SSTs on the South American Summer Monsoon (SASM) and precipitation on the Bolivian Altiplano is well described, the impact of SSTs on Altiplano temperatures is disputed. Understanding the modern impact of SSTs on temperature on the Altiplano is important to both understand the impact of future climate change on pasacana cactus and to understand past climate changes on the Altiplano. This is the best quantitative evidence to date of one of the oldest known cactus in the world, although there are likely many older cacti on the Altiplano, or elsewhere, that have not been sampled yet. Together with growth, isotope and age data, this information should lead to better management and conservation outcomes for this threatened species and the Altiplano ecosystem. © 2021 The Author(s).National Science Foundation of Sri LankaOpen access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]
