.svg)
The early Norwegian black metal scene during the 1990s has been marked with infamy because of the arson of old Norwegian stave churches and cathedrals. The Norwegian press linked the church arsons with Theistic Satanism considering the occult imagery and anti-Christian ideologies of many black metal bands; however, the press failed to regard the elements of Norwegian national romanticism and Norse paganism represented in these church burnings. Scholars of popular cultural history explained that frustrated black metal musicians burned down churches to remove Christianity from Norway as violently as it has been imposed a thousand years prior. This paper will show that the black metal church arsons reflected the connection between Norse paganism in the arts and Norwegian national romanticism.
Keywords: black metal, heavy metal, national romanticism, religious history, pop culture history
Water bodies such as ponds, rivers, and drinking water reservoirs are prone to contamination by coliforms, which can be detrimental to human and ecosystem health. Comparing different water treatment methods allows us to have a better understanding of how to manage water quality and treat contamination from pathogens. In this study, the effects of three treatment methods (aeration, chemical, and biological treatments) were compared to determine which treatment and/or combination of treatments are the most efficient at removing coliforms from water. The water samples collected from a cattle pond near Miquelon Lake Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada were tested for the presence of coliforms and treated with the three treatments. The total colony counts per treatment did not follow the expected counts (X² = 236.48, df = 8, p<0.001). There was also a significant difference in the type of bacteria relative to the treatment (X² = 347.991, df = 12, p<0.001).
Keywords: Coliforms, water treatment, contamination, aeration, cattle
Many students and teachers alike appreciate the quiz game Kahoot! when used as an additive to normal classroom proceedings, such as in a review session, or as a formative assessment. However, Kahoot! may be useful in a more formal light in order to increase grades and engagement with classroom assessments. This research seeks to determine how utilizing Kahoot! in place of a formal assessment affects learning outcomes when used on a single math skill in a fourth grade classroom. This paper argues that Kahoot! is useful as a pre-assessment quiz prior to assessment to increase scoring and can increase student engagement and positive classroom dynamics, however the nature of Kahoot!’s question and answer format may not allow it to be used in a more meaningful context in mathematical assessment.
Keywords: Education, elementary, assessment, online, Kahoot!
This research analyzes the differences between the American and European (primarily using Germany as an example) education systems, including the admission process, cost of education, college housing, size of academic programs, level of mathematics requirements, credit and exam systems, number of students in higher education, class sizes and student-professor relationships. It also discusses the phenomena of alumni and athletics in American schools in comparison with European practices. The main conclusion is that students in the U.S. have more opportunities to change and choose their majors, have closer relationships with professors and more rich campus life. In Europe, universities offer more simple and straightforward admission process, lowers tuition cost and more comprehensive academic programs.
Keywords: education system, university, United States, Europe
This paper shows the history and economics behind the gun law in the United states and it compares the gun laws in the United States, Switzerland, Germany and Japan regarding the process to buy a gun, storage requirements and carrying rules. It also compares the numbers of firearm is civilian possession in selected developed countries as well as the firearm related death rate, the homicide rate and suicide rate, all related to firearms. No causation can be proven but there seems to be a positive correlation between the number of guns owned by citizens in a country and the number of gun related deaths as well as a positive correlation between the rules on gun storage and use and the number of gun related deaths.
Keywords: gun law, firearms in civilian possession, firearm death rate, second amendment
Research was conducted in a warm/dry mixed conifer forest within the burn area of the 416 Fire in the San Juan National Forest near Durango, Colorado. 30 plots were established across differing burn severities: low, moderate, and high. Soil was collected from each plot and tested for various chemical properties. Additionally, bioassays of corn and ponderosa pine were grown and harvested to analyze mycorrhizal root colonization indicating soil fungal communities. No significant difference was found in inoculum potential of endomycorrhizae (AM) or ectomycorrhizae (EM) across burn severities. Soil chemical properties also showed no significant difference among differing severities. Results indicate chemical and fungal soil properties, three years post fire, have returned to unburned conditions which may suggest full soil recovery as seen in other post-fire studies in similar forest types. Further research is needed to fully understand regeneration patterns and ideal conditions for successful forest regeneration in the San Juan National Forest.
Keywords: 416 fire, warm/dry mixed conifer, mycorrhizae, forest regeneration, fire ecology
Terror Management Theory (TMT) stipulates that by clinging to cultural worldviews, building self-esteem, and fostering relationships, people can distract themselves from our ubiquitous unconscious fear of death. Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) research looks into how individuals often grow and thrive after a traumatic event. The following study aimed to see if TMT had any effect on levels of PTG. One hundred and seventy people participated in this study that investigated the levels of PTG after being exposed to either death reminders or dental pain. Death responses of people with trauma compared to those who did not have trauma were also measured. We hypothesized that those reminded of their death would express higher PTG. Whereas no direct effect was found, we did uncover significant findings for people with trauma regarding fear, legacy, and disempowerment.
Keywords: Terror management theory, posttraumatic growth, trauma, death
In February 2019, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) established its online catalog for Historic African American Sites in Virginia and called for further submissions to protect crumbling properties. James A. Bland High School
remains standing, but its core records destroyed. I pieced together the history of the high school by conducting informal oral histories in the community and transcribing the local newspaper, The Coalfield Progress. COVID-19 halted further research until was able to safely access the Library of Virginia’s archival records. Using this, I determined Wise County opposed racial integration in public education through the operation of a Pupil Placement Board from 1957-1965. Local and state resistance resulted in discrimination against students at James A. Bland High School until the Civil Rights Act forced the county to integrate in 1965. This historical significance of James A. Bland High School cannot be understated nor forgotten by dominant historical narratives.
Keywords: Discrimination in education – Virginia, Segregation in education – Virginia, African Americans – Civil Rights
This study proposes an LSTM-based model to analyze company sentiments toward cryptocurrencies. The model was trained on a dataset that was collected by downloading 10-K files of 277 companies from the SEC Edgar Database and extracting
sentences containing keywords related to cryptocurrencies. It achieved 99% accuracy on the training set and 83.59% accuracy on the testing set. By analyzing the relationship between company sentiment and price, the proposed model can be used to predict the price of cryptocurrencies. This study can also be extended to determine companies' intentions in disclosing the use of cryptocurrencies in their financial statements.
Keywords: Cryptocurrencies; Bitcoin; Sentiment Analysis; Financial Reporting; Natural Language Processing
China as a civilization has enjoyed a very long history when compared to other nations and is becoming a leader in innovation while maintaining a strong cultural identity. This cultural identity is often reflected in politics as well as in the way business is conducted. While there are many prominent theories, researchers in the past have commonly cited Confucianism as the driving factor for China’s cultural economics. This research explores the concept of cultural economics and identifies the qualities and attributes China has preserved and still exhibits today. Historical texts, modern fiscal policy, and insights from Hofstede are used to analyze modern China’s business environment, geopolitical standing, and role in the overarching world economy. Preliminary data were collected using Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and plotted against existing US and China scores to discern how cultural attitudes are shifting to cause negative perceptions of Chinese business practices and governance.
Keywords: Hofstede, Cultural economics, China, USA, cultural perceptions
Narcissistic trait presentation in young adults may be linked to both the influence of gender norms as well as attachments formed in the parent-child relationship during child development. This study seeks to understand how perceived parental attachment impacts narcissistic tendencies in young adults and how socialized gender norms impact the presentation of the individual’s narcissistic tendencies. Two hundred and twenty college students participated in an assessment of their narcissistic traits and their parents' use of authority in childhood. Findings link paternal authoritarianism and permissiveness with vulnerable narcissistic traits, indicating that parenting style and gender may influence specific facets of narcissistic presentation.
Keywords: Parenting, Gender, Narcissism, Vulnerable, Grandiose