118 research outputs found
Inclusive Feminism: A Third Wave Theory of Women’s Commonality
No full textIn this bold book, Naomi Zack insists that an unapologetic reclaiming of
women’s commonality is what must drive forward feminism’s third wave. The
author wants to move beyond a focus on intersectionality, which she argues
has resulted in fragmentation that has prevented the establishment of common
goals and basic empathy. The book seeks to offer a new model of feminism that
will be ‘inclusive’. Outlined in the book’s eight chapters, this comprehensive
framework consists of what Zack terms ‘inclusive’ feminist theories of psychol-
ogy, social theory and history. Linking these components are her ‘relational’,
non-biological definition of women and an emphasis on individual agency. The
conclusion offers a utopian vision of women’s worldwide political rule
Nitrogen and oxygen containing heteroaromatic systems: synthesis and characterization by 1d and 2d NMR techniques
No full textPolyaromatic systems containing fused benzene rings such as; fluoranthene, coronene and triphenylene and heteroaromatic systems such as; pyrylium, pyridine and pyridinium are important structures and motifs in materials, analytical, environmental, and synthetic chemistry. This research demonstrates how modular systems can be created to give a range of pyridine and pyridinium based systems as well as their potential use in material and synthetic applications. Previous work from Watson and co-workers found that if primary alkylamines were reacted with 2,4,6-triphenylpyrylium tetrafluoroborate an N-alkyl pyridinium salt would be created. In the presence of an aryl boronic acid and nickel catalyst the N-alkyl system would undergo radical fragmentation, resulting in the formation of a new C(sp2)-C(sp3), aryl-alkyl bond. This work expands on that idea by utilizing primary arylamines to synthesize a library of N-(aryl)-2,4,6-triphenylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate salts. Two different methods were developed for the synthesis of these salts. The first involving more electron-rich or electron neutral species in which both the pyrylium salt and arylamine starting materials are put into a round bottom flask with ethanol and refluxed and 7 hours. The second method was employed for more electron-deficient systems and included the addition of an acid (acetic acid) and base (triethylamine) to the previous methods. It was eventually discovered that the N-aryl salts of interest could not undergo radical fragmentation due to unfavorable thermodynamic conditions; however, a new N-aryl tetrahydroacridinium based system has recently been identified that shows the ability to fragment. This new system is currently being explored as a way to form aryl-aryl bond via nickel catalysis.
Work by Surendranath and co-workers as well as the work of Gokhale et al. have shown that hetero-polyaromatic systems are capable of binding to different metal centers. These new scaffolds are known as graphene-conjugated catalysts and have been shown to be able to perform oxygen and carbon dioxide reduction reactions. This work sets out a synthesis a library of nitrogen-containing graphene scaffolds based on the benzene, fluoranthene and triphenylene structures. Two approaches were taken to incorporate the pyridine motifs needed for transition metal binding. The first was by a 1,2-bis(pyridine)ethyne synthesized over three steps involving two Sonogashira reactions and a deprotection. This method proved difficult as many issue were discovered to occur over the course of the multi-step synthesis of the 1,2-bis(pyridine)ethyne component. The second method proved much more viable as the pyridine motifs could be incorporated into the scaffold from the aldol condensation reaction resulting in a cyclopentadienone derivative. Continuing work will investigate the ability of different transition metals to bind to these scaffolds as well as examining their photochemical and electrochemical properties
High-resolution analysis of trace elements in crustose coralline algae from the North Atlantic and North Pacific by laser ablation ICP-MS
No full textWe have investigated the trace elemental composition in the skeleta of two specimens of attached-living
coralline algae of the species Clathromorphum compactum from the North Atlantic (Newfoundland) and
Clathromorphum nereostratum from the North Pacific/Bering Sea region (Amchitka Island, Aleutians).
Samples were analyzed using Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS)
yielding for the first time continuous individual trace elemental records of up to 69 years in length. The
resulting algal Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca, U/Ca, and Ba/Ca ratios are reproducible within individual sample specimens.
Algal Mg/Ca ratios were additionally validated by electron microprobe analyses (Amchitka sample). Algal Sr/
Ca, U/Ca, and Ba/Ca ratios were compared to algal Mg/Ca ratios, which previously have been shown to
reliably record sea surface temperature (SST). Ratios of Sr/Ca from both Clathromorphum species show a
strong positive correlation to temperature-dependent Mg/Ca ratios, implying that seawater temperature
plays an important role in the incorporation of Sr into algal calcite. Linear Sr/Ca-SST regressions have
provided positive, but weaker relationships as compared to Mg/Ca-SST relationships. Both, algal Mg/Ca and
Sr/Ca display clear seasonal cycles. Inverse correlations were found between algal Mg/Ca and U/Ca, Ba/Ca,
and correlations to SST are weaker than between Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca and SST. This suggests that the incorporation
of U and Ba is influenced by other factors aside from temperatur
Coralline algal Barium as indicator for 20th century northwestern North Atlantic surface ocean freshwater variability
No full textDuring the past decades climate and freshwater dynamics in the northwestern North Atlantic have undergone major changes. Large-scale freshening episodes, related to polar freshwater pulses, have had a strong influence on ocean variability in this climatically important region. However, little is known about variability before 1950, mainly due to the lack of long-term high-resolution marine proxy archives. Here we present the first multidecadal-length records of annually resolved Ba/Ca variations from Northwest Atlantic coralline algae. We observe positive relationships between algal Ba/Ca ratios from two Newfoundland sites and salinity observations back to 1950. Both records capture episodical multi-year freshening events during the 20th century. Variability in algal Ba/Ca is sensitive to freshwater-induced changes in upper ocean stratification, which affect the transport of cold, Ba-enriched deep waters onto the shelf (highly stratified equals less Ba/Ca). Algal Ba/Ca ratios therefore may serve as a new resource for reconstructing past surface ocean freshwater changes
Rethinking the Knowledge-Based Organization
No full textMany companies have embraced the notion that to operate effectively in today's economy, it is necessary to become a knowledge-based organization. But few truly understand what that means or how to carry out the changes required to bring it about. Perhaps the most common misunderstanding is the view that the more a company's products or services have knowledge at their core, the more the organization is, by definition, knowledge based. But products and services are only what are visible or tangible to customers ¿ they're the tip of the iceberg. Like the iceberg, most of what enables a company to produce anything lies below the surface, hidden within the so-called invisible assets of the organization ¿ its knowledge about what it does, how it does it and why. In the course of working with more than 30 companies over the past eight years, the author found that a knowledge-based organization is made up of four elements. Each one forms a basis for evaluating the degree to which knowledge is an integral part of the organization and the way it competes. Executives who understand how the four elements interact will be able to start changing their companies to take advantage of the intellectual assets hidden below the surface
Inversion of the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio in presence of strong lateral heterogeneity
No full textThe horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) method has recently gained a resurgence of interest because of its new interpretation through the diffuse field approach. According to this theory, the HVSR measurement is linked to the Green's function retrieval. While the HVSR method is traditionally used to evaluate simple and shallow velocity model, we demonstrate that complex Earth' structure (that includes composite geological layering) can be assessed by choosing appropriate data processing and inversion scheme. In particular, we explore the effects of a strong lateral heterogeneity on the HVSR by using measurements along a vertical crater wall. However, wave propagation computation with lateral heterogeneity is inefficient to conduct an inversion. Then, to accelerate the forward calculation, we identified a simplified model consisting of an unbounded 2-D multilayer medium that allows describing the observed measurements with the use of a correction factor. The 2-D character comes from a nonstandard noise illumination related to the wind blowing perpendicularly to the crater walls. It is supported by several theoretical and experimental arguments. We also show that the H and V components can be retrieved independently, which may improve the sensitivity of the inversion at high frequency. To reduce the non-uniqueness of the problem, we consider the joint inversion of the H and HVSR's at several positions where the thicknesses of the layers were evaluated thanks to a large geological outcrop. The good agreement between the recovered velocity structure and the geology shows that the method is not limited to unbounded simple shallow structures, which opens the domains of application of the method to exploration geophysics or to hazard assessment
An investigation on knowledge management and business strategies alignment in the Gulf Cooperation Council Banks
No full textToday's business and technical managers have to actively incorporate knowledge strategy (KS) into an organisation's Business Strategy (BS) in order to improve the organisation's performance. A study has been conducted to explore the alignment between KS and BS. The different types of BS were considered in terms of Miles and Snow's (1978) typology of Defenders, Analyzers and Prospectors. In terms of KS, two types of KS strategy - Aggressive Knowledge Strategy (AKS) and Conservative Knowledge Strategy (CKS) were selected. This model was empirically validated through a survey of 106 banks selected from six Gulf countries - Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, and Oman. This was followed by interviews with key officers from representative organizations. In this paper, mainly the outcomes from the interviews were reported. Detailed results from the survey are published elsewhere and only the summary is described here. Finding from the research demonstrated that in the case of GCC banks, there is a strong association between KS and BS and that the alignment between KS and BS clearly influenced the organizational performance. However, the concept of dedicated knowledge officer is not practiced
THE PURE ROTATIONAL SPECTRUM OF ZnS (X
No full textAuthor Institution: Department of Chemistry, Department of Astronomy, and Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721Millimeter-wave direct-absorption techniques have been used to measure the pure rotational spectrum of ZnS (X. This work is the first spectroscopic study of ZnS in the gas phase. This molecule was produced by the reaction of zinc vapor and HS under DC discharge conditions. Eight rotational transitions were recorded for four stable zinc isotopologues of ZnS in the v = 0 state, and data were also obtained for ^{64}ZnS in the v = 1 state. The data have been analyzed and spectroscopic constants and equilibrium parameters have been determined. The equilibrium bond length of ZnS was established to be 2.0464 \AA, as compared to 1.7047 {\AA} for ZnO
Awareness and use of assistive technology among older adults with vision impairments in the Midwestern United States
No full textPlan BOlder adults with vision impairments make up more than 18% of the population of the United States (Boswell, 2000; Braille Institute, 2000). If these trends continue an estimated 13 million older adults are likely to be affected by a visual impairment or blindness in the next 20 to 30 years. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2002) and the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics (2000), there are significantly higher proportions of older adults in certain states around the country. States with the highest numbers of older adults who experience a visual impairment are centered within the Midwestern region of the United States (National Eye Institute, 2002). Older adults who are visually impaired find it increasingly difficult to perform daily living activities and remaining independent. The use of assistive technology may play a significant role in the lives of older adults who are visually impaired or blind. Current research however, indicates that most older adults with disabilities, including those with vision loss are unaware of the availability of devices to improve their independent functioning (Russell, 1997; Campell, 1999; Gitlin, 2002). At the same time, studies suggest that maintaining independence is one of greatest concerns among older adults (Mack, 1997). Additionally, research has shown that older adults with vision impairments have a 15% higher probability of being admitted to a nursing home than other older adults (Moore, 1994). There is a need to examine the level of awareness and use of adaptive devices among older adults who are visually impaired or blind, and of the possible effects assistive technology may have on their quality of life. The current study examined the level of awareness and frequency of use of assistive technology devices among older persons with visual impairments in the Midwestern United States. Awareness and use of assistive technology was measured among 113 adults more than 55 years of age who were identified as experiencing a visual impairment, and who resided in the three states of Montana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. Information was gathered through the use of a survey designed by the primary researcher for this study. Additional areas of information gathered by the researcher included demographic information, medical and health issues, safety, timeliness of services, and available funding sources. Results suggest that older adults with visual impairments were not aware of assistive technology that is available to enhance general activities of daily living. Magnifiers and Close Circuit Televisions (CCTV) were the most commonly used forms of assistive technology among participants in the survey, which corresponds to the reported limitations of reading and writing. While no statistically significant findings were found, there were some important trends to consider. Overall, participants in the study were not concerned with safety or general medical and health needs. At the same time, a large number of survey respondents indicated that they had at least one disabling condition in addition to their visual loss. Many had two or more additional disabling conditions. Deafness and cardiovascular disease were found to be the top two secondary health conditions. Perhaps the most distressing results related to the lack of available funding to support assistive technology purchases. The vast majority (87.6%) of respondents choose “self-pay” as their primary funding source for assistive technology. Results suggest the need for increased education about available technology to enhance daily living skills as well as identification of funding sources to support technology for older adults with visual impairments
Redox induced sulfur-selenium isotope decoupling recorded in pyrite
No full textThis study presents the first combined S and Se isotope investigation of sulfide suited to explore differences in fractionation between these two redox sensitive isotope systematics as recorded in the same mineral. A case study of Cretaceous Navajún pyrite from the Mesozoic Cameros Basin, Spain, with known petrogenesis and geological context shows systematic decoupling at the microscale: Variable S isotope values within the analyzed pyrite coincide with rather constant Se isotope values and vice versa. These signatures were not generated during pyrite growth but record previous redox induced fractionations in fluids that each contributed both elements from two sources. It is likely that both S and Se isotope fractionation occurred during strong reduction from one fully oxidized source whereas only S but no Se isotope fractionation occurred during minor reduction following sulfide dissolution via H2O from another source. Subsequent mixing of these two H2S-H2Se fluids at different elemental S-Se ratios during incorporation into the pyrite can then explain the S-Se isotope variations in the investigated specimen. These inferences are in accordance with a larger range in the redox potential Eh of Se relative to S, resulting in coupled or decoupled Se and S isotope fractionation depending on the oxygen fugacity during the reduction process. If extended to other sulfides of diverse origin, for a given pH, combined Se and S isotope studies may allow to investigate the magnitude of redox variations and place more robust constraints on minimum and maximum oxygen concentrations in the source. We therefore suggest combined S-Se isotope analyses in sulfide as a new powerful proxy for studying Earth’s redox evolution beyond the bulk rock scale
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