Homeless shelters and the blues

In this article, I analyze the emergence of New York City’s infrastructure of homeless shelters dialectically, relationally, and historically. The members of Boogie Down Productions met in an incipient New York City homeless shelter in the mid-1980s. Their relationship and music is a window into a critical political consciousness of men living in homeless shelters because the artists gave expression to an emergent structure of feeling of resistance taking hold during intense changes to New York’s political economy and its institutions. The paper first analyzes homeless policy and infrastructural change through a reading of archival sources and government reports and documents. The second section understands oral histories conducted with men living in a New York City homeless shelter as blues geographies—insurgent, critical explanations of these institutional spaces. Shelter residents actively challenge the material conditions, relations, and values that produce homeless shelters as essential instruments of the carceral state. I argue that they activate this resistance to the naturalization of shelters, and themselves as homeless, by narrating carceral spaces as abolitionist spaces.

Hyperspectral Remote Sensing of TiO2 Concentration in Cementitious Material Based on Machine Learning Approaches

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a photocatalyst that can be used to remove nitrogen oxide (NOx). When applied to cementitious materials, it reacts with photons in sunlight or artificially generated light to reduce the concentration of particulate matter in the atmosphere. The concentration of TiO2 applied to the cementitious surface is difficult to quantify in a non-destructive manner after its application; however, knowledge of this residual amount is important for inspection and the evaluation of life expectancy. This study proposes a remote sensing technique that can estimate the concentration of TiO2 in the cementitious surface using a hyperspectral sensor. In the experiment, cement cores of varying TiO2 concentration and carbon contents were prepared and the surfaces were observed by TriOS RAMSES, a directional hyperspectral sensor. Machine-learning-based algorithms were then trained to estimate the TiO2 concentration under varying base material conditions. The results revealed that the best-performing algorithms produced TiO2 concentration estimates with a ~6% RMSE and a correlation close to 0.8. This study presents a robust machine learning model to estimate TiO2 and activated carbon concentration with high accuracy, which can be applied to abrasion monitoring of TiO2 and activated carbon in concrete structures.

Tailings Dam Conceptual Design with Geomechanical Material Properties Approach to Determine Safety Criteria

Geotechnical conditions as one of the conditions considered in the design and planning of tailings dams are strongly influenced by material conditions. The material condition is a parameter that will always be taken into account with stability. The material condition can be defined as a behavior that is based on the physical and mechanical properties of the material. By understanding the behavior of materials in a tailings dam construction, the risk of geotechnical failure can be controlled and minimized. This research was intended to study and investigate the behavior of material based on the geomechanical properties of the material used in a model. Generally, to determine the geomechanical properties of a material, several tests, both in-situ and laboratory tests, are required. Laboratory testing uses international standards such as ISRM (International Society of Rock Mechanics) and ASTM (American Standard Testing Materials). The research methodology used is descriptive quantitative research method. The studied parameter in this research is the geomechanical properties that influence the material on its conceptual design in terms of safety criteria (safety factor and probability of landslides) on the tailings dam embankment.

SPECIFIC FEATURES OF DETERMINING THE DESIGN OF OXYGEN TUBE TIPS UNDER NON—STATIONARY CONDITIONS OF CONVERTER MELT WITH PRELIMINARY HEATING OF SCRAP

The results of calculating the parameters of the tips of oxygen lances, taking into account the preheating of scrap metal in the converter due to the combustion of solid fuels in the modern raw material conditions of a metallurgical enterprise of Ukraine, are presented. The substantiation of the design of blowing devices is provided. The results of calculating the geometric parameters and the coefficient of off-design for standard and experimental tips of oxygen lances are presented. Using numerical methods, the value of the diameters and length of the supercritical part of the nozzle was obtained. It is shown that with a decrease in the blast flow rate, it is advisable to decrease the length of the supercritical part of the nozzle, which is fully correlated with the literature data. The change in the coefficient of off-design was determined for the studied range of oxygen consumption (600—1100 m3 / min) for standard and experimental handpieces. It is shown that the value of the coefficient of off-design is in the range of 0.52—0.98 and 1.30—2.30, respectively, for 5– and 6–nozzle standard tips. For experimental tips, this figure is 1.00—1.70. Tuyeres with experimental tips, at the pressure available in the shop, reliably operate in the range of oxygen consumption 650—950 m3 / min and allow increasing the oxygen consumption at the beginning of the blowdown to 1000—1100 m3 / min and more, if necessary. The resulting saving effect from the introduction of the modernized tips is: a decrease in the oxidation of the final slag 1.22—1.70 %; reduction in the specific consumption of lime 0.29—1.81 kg / t; reduction of specific consumption of metal charge 0.26—0.38 kg/t.

“You’re so powerless”: Takatāpui/LGBTIQ+ people’s experiences before becoming homeless in Aotearoa New Zealand

Little is known in Aotearoa New Zealand about experiences of homelessness amongst Takatāpui/LGBTIQ+ identifying people, despite growing international literature regarding LGBTIQ+ homelessness. Using data from semi-structured interviews with eight people who identified as Takatāpui/LGBTIQ+ and had experienced homelessness, this paper explores their experiences prior to becoming homeless. These experiences are placed into the categories of: the pervasiveness of instability (especially in regards to family relationships, finances, and housing), having to grow up fast due to social and material conditions, experiences of looking for housing in stressed markets, and systems failures that resulted in a lack of autonomy. These results show that instability and systems failures are key contributors to Takatāpui/LGBTIQ+ people becoming homeless in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Breaking the Silence about the Animals We Eat

Some 77 billion terrestrial animals are reared for human consumption globally every year. The moral implications of killing animals for food and the material conditions of these animals in intensive animal agriculture have seldom been discussed in children’s literature. The purpose of this article is to examine how these socially and culturally maintained silences are broken in two Nordic children’s picturebooks, Swedish Älskade lilla gris (Dear Little Pig, 1982) by Ulf Nilsson and Eva Eriksson and Finnish Kinkkulin jouluyllätys (Little Ham’s Christmas Surprise, 2010) by Teija Rekola and Timo Kästämä. The books’ pig protagonists are determined not to die, embodying the dualistic status inherent in the animality of farmed animals; they are subjects and objects, living beings and food-to-become. Further, this article explores the representation of the inherent value of so-called farmed animals and how it can be narrated-to-exist by concepts gleaned from Western animal rights philosophy, especially the capabilities approach by Martha Nussbaum. In the two books, inherent value is expressed in significantly different modes. Älskade lilla gris discusses multispecies families, autonomous animality, and emancipation, whereas Kinkkulin jouluyllätys uses a more traditional mode involving an anthropomorphic animal story, idyllic setting, and humanized subjectivity. Analysis focuses on the representation of nonhuman individuality, agency, sentience, animality, and interaction with humans. Both books present active and sentient individuals with varying degrees of animality. One celebrates its protagonist’s pighood but also contrasts it with the confined conditions of an animal industrial complex. The other employs a human-like pig protagonist on the run from his slaughterer and whose pighood is limited to his appearance and intended use.

The training of teachers in New Zealand, 1900-1935

Educational organisation is a reflection of the intelligence and breadth of vision of a community.Properly thought out it should provide both for adjustment of the individual to his society, and also for the progress of that society. A society concerned with the immediacies and efficiency could not be expected to provide a lengthy period of training for its teachers, nor express concern for a real depth of knowledge. From 1900 New Zealand educationalists could not stir to a realisation of the value of a thorough grounding for techers, a population over concerned with the development of its material conditions.

The training of teachers in New Zealand, 1900-1935

Educational organisation is a reflection of the intelligence and breadth of vision of a community.Properly thought out it should provide both for adjustment of the individual to his society, and also for the progress of that society. A society concerned with the immediacies and efficiency could not be expected to provide a lengthy period of training for its teachers, nor express concern for a real depth of knowledge. From 1900 New Zealand educationalists could not stir to a realisation of the value of a thorough grounding for techers, a population over concerned with the development of its material conditions.

POLITICAL AND LEGAL INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATIONS IDEAL DETERMINATION ROLE FOR MODERN WORLD DEVELOPMENT

Произошедший в социальных науках идеационный поворот способствовал усилению внимания к идеям и повышению их роли в самых различных процессах. Несмотря на отмеченную тенденцию большинство отечественных исследователей до сих склоняются к материальным интерпретациям, отводя идеям в лучшем случае вспомогательную роль. Обращение внимания к идейной детерминации институциональных преобразований в политико-правовой сфере представляет чрезвычайную значимость по ряду причин: (1) данные институты до сих пор занимают ведущее место среди прочих установлений, предлагая надежные объяснения развития конкретных обществ; (2) интеллектуальные ресурсы в контексте современного мира обладают несомненными преимуществами перед материальными условиями, поскольку сегодня далеко не всегда ресурсное изобилие коррелирует с эволюционной траекторией развития государств; (3) идеи трансграничны и трансисторичны, а содержащиеся в них смыслы легко операционализируются и адаптируются под необходимые реалии. Настоящая статья посвящена прикладному значению идей, которые воплощаются в политико-правовых институциональных формах как решающих структурах мирового развития. Обоснована значимость идей в контексте современного мира. Показано, что критическое отношение к односторонним концепциям позволяет создавать альтернативные сценарии мирового развития. Выявлена значимость учета адаптации содержания интеллектуальных конструктов для политико-правовых институтов в их взаимосвязи с последствиями для других сфер общественной жизни. В логике авторского подхода рассмотрены примеры идейной детерминации политико-правовых институциональных преобразований с учетом ведущих мегатрендов современности. Актуализирован междисциплинарный поиск в прикладных контекстах как ведущее направление сегодняшней социальной философии. Приведены соображения по поводу поливариантности мирового развития и необходимости адаптации конфигураций передовых идей под множественные цивилизационные геномы, что позволяет исключить устаревшую дихотомию «Запад - Незапад». В заключение обобщаются основные выводы и подводятся итоги исследования. The ideational turn that has taken place in the social sciences has contributed to an increased attention to ideas and an increase in their role in a variety of processes. Despite the noted tendency, the majority of Russian researchers are still inclined towards material interpretations, assigning ideas, at best, to an auxiliary role. Paying attention to the ideological determination of institutional transformations in the political and legal sphere is of extreme importance for a number of reasons: (1) these institutions still occupy a leading place among other institutions, offering reliable explanations for the development of specific societies; (2) intellectual resources in the context of the modern world have undoubted advantages over material conditions, since today resource abundance does not always correlate with the evolutionary trajectory of development of states; (3) ideas are transboundary and transhistorical, and the meanings contained in them are easily operationalized and adapted to the necessary realities. This article is devoted to the applied meaning of ideas that are embodied in political and legal institutional forms as decisive structures of world development. The significance of ideas in the context of the modern world has been substantiated. It is shown that a critical attitude to one-sided concepts allows one to create alternative scenarios of world development. Revealed the importance of taking into account the adaptation of the content of intellectual constructs for political and legal institutions in their relationship with the consequences for other spheres of public life. In the logic of the author's approach, examples of ideological determination of political and legal institutional transformations are considered, taking into account the leading megatrends of our time. The interdisciplinary search in applied contexts as the leading direction of today's social philosophy has been updated. Considerations are given about the polyvariety of world development and the need to adapt the configurations of advanced ideas for multiple civilizational genomes, which makes it possible to exclude the outdated dichotomy «West-Non-West». In conclusion, the main findings are summarized and the results of the study are summed up.