Mining Social Network Analysis Data

This project was motivated by the need to meaningfully display large amounts of Social Network Analysis (SNA) data from an exploratory case study into the existence of technological convergence in Australia. We found that many tools used for the display of SNA data did not handle large datasets well due to the denseness of information, a typical problem in the display of large graphs. The approach we offer in this paper does not address our motivating problem. Instead of handling large graphs we sought an alternative approach that would allow us to use the tools we had by mining the dataset for interesting concepts and displaying that subset. This is work in progress and we intend to do more work on our graphics tool and exploring alternative algorithms. Our initial results show that a machine learning approach can provide useful information from SNA data that may not have been apparent from typical SNA techniques

More of What You Love: Using Data to Connect Customers to their Next Great Library Experience

When the need for a new website aligned with the opportunity to develop an open source event management application, Richland Library (SC) dove right in. Freed from the limitations of proprietary software, the development team designed an entirely new web experience to help Richland County residents discover and attend events. Called Intercept, this application pushes event recommendations to customers based on their activity, gets direct feedback from customers, and enable staff to better plan for future programs

The DDD-III: A Tool for Empirical Research in Adaptive Organizations

Proceedings of the 1996 Command and Control Research and Technology Symposium: Command and Control in the Information AgeCurrent research involving adaptive archi tectures for Joint Command and Control (C2) seeks to examine the interactions between task (or mission) structure, and the way in which the organization charged with the mission is itself structured. In order to examine these interactions empirically, a flexible research paradigm is required with which to conduct controlled experiments in a laboratory environment. The 3rd-generation Distributed Dynamic Decision.making (DDD-111) paradigm was designed to meet this need by treating an air, sea and ground environment, a variety of task classes, and controllable platforms with subplatforms, sensors and weapons (resources). DDD-111 is implemented as a multi-player, real-time simulation running in a UNIX environment. The design of the DDD-111 focuses on the dynamic/execution phase of the mission and allows for manipulation of key structural variables in task and organizational dimen- sions. The DDD-111 has the ability to con- strain and/or to manipulate organizational structures such as authority, information, communication, resource ownership, task assignment, etc. This paper describes the new DDD-111 paradigm, its extensions beyond the DDD-11, the dimensions of task and organization structure considered, and how they are operationalized

The Value of Bt Corn in Southwest Kansas: A Monte Carlo Simulation Approach

While most Corn Belt farmers consider planting Bt corn to control European corn borer, southwestern Kansas farmers must also take into account an array of other insect pests, including corn rootworm, spider mites, and southwestern corn borer. This research uses a decision analysis framework to estimate the expected economic value of Bt corn in southwest Kansas. Mean per acre Bt values ranged from $12.49 to$34.60, well above the technology fee assumed to be $14 per unit, or$5.25 per acre at a seeding rate of 30,000 seeds per acre. The minimum value over all scenarios was $8.69 per acre. Using Monte Carlo simulation, it was shown that European and southwestern corn borer infestation probabilities, expected corn price, and expected pest-free yields are important determinants of the value of Bt corn.Bt corn, decision analysis, European corn borer, integrated pest management, Monte Carlo simulation, southwestern corn borer, Crop Production/Industries,

Rickettsia felis in Fleas, Western Australia

This study is the first confirmation of Rickettsia felis in Australia. The organism was identified from 4 species of fleas obtained from dogs and cats in Western Australia, by using polymerase chain reaction amplification and DNA sequencing of the citrate synthase and outer membrane protein A genes

The Herschel-Heterodyne Instrument for the Far-Infrared (HIFI): instrument and pre-launch testing

This paper describes the Heterodyne Instrument for the Far-Infrared (HIFI), to be launched onboard of ESA's Herschel Space Observatory, by 2008. It includes the first results from the instrument level tests. The instrument is designed to be electronically tuneable over a wide and continuous frequency range in the Far Infrared, with velocity resolutions better than 0.1 km/s with a high sensitivity. This will enable detailed investigations of a wide variety of astronomical sources, ranging from solar system objects, star formation regions to nuclei of galaxies. The instrument comprises 5 frequency bands covering 480-1150 GHz with SIS mixers and a sixth dual frequency band, for the 1410-1910 GHz range, with Hot Electron Bolometer Mixers (HEB). The Local Oscillator (LO) subsystem consists of a dedicated Ka-band synthesizer followed by 7 times 2 chains of frequency multipliers, 2 chains for each frequency band. A pair of Auto-Correlators and a pair of Acousto-Optic spectrometers process the two IF signals from the dual-polarization front-ends to provide instantaneous frequency coverage of 4 GHz, with a set of resolutions (140 kHz to 1 MHz), better than < 0.1 km/s. After a successful qualification program, the flight instrument was delivered and entered the testing phase at satellite level. We will also report on the pre-flight test and calibration results together with the expected in-flight performance

Leaky doors: private captivity as a prominent source of bird introductions in Australia

The international pet trade is a major source of emerging invasive vertebrate species. We used online resources as a novel source of information for accidental bird escapes, and we investigated the factors that influence the frequency and distribution of bird escapes at a continental scale. We collected information on over 5,000 pet birds reported to be missing on animal websites during the last 15 years in Australia. We investigated whether variables linked to pet ownership successfully predicted bird escapes, and we assessed the potential distribution of these escapes. Most of the reported birds were parrots (> 90%), thus, we analysed factors associated with the frequency of parrot escapes. We found that bird escapes in Australia are much more frequent than previously acknowledged. Bird escapes were reported more frequently within, or around, large Australian capital cities. Socio-economic factors, such as the average personal income level of the community, and the level of human modification to the environment were the best predictors of bird escapes. Cheaper parrot species, Australian natives, and parrot species regarded as peaceful or playful were the most frequently reported escapees. Accidental introductions have been overlooked as an important source of animal incursions. Information on bird escapes is available online in many higher income countries and, in Australia, this is particularly apparent for parrot species. We believe that online resources may provide useful tools for passive surveillance for non-native pet species. Online surveillance will be particularly relevant for species that are highly reported, such as parrots, and species that are either valuable or highly commensal.Miquel Vall-llosera, Phillip Casse

Editorial introduction

This article frames the journal special issue by offering a broad reflection on the historical development of ideas that have informed debates concerning intermediality and its pedagogical contexts. It opens with a brief articulation of media and intermedial theory to inform the debate. The challenges of contemporary media hybridity are then set within an historical context by tracing the origins of current (perceived) knowledge dichotomies and hierarchies into the philosophical canons of western antiquity. In examining distinctions between the different types of knowledge and expression that form the constituent parts of contemporary intermedial theatres, the article considers philosophical debates, traces historical trajectories and probes social dynamics from Aristotle to the present. Moving on to the current historical and social context of intermedial practice and pedagogy, the article examines specific challenges and opportunities that emerge from our own intermedial age. This multifaceted and trans-historical approach leads the authors to suggest that old hierarchical and divisional structures impact upon contemporary practices, affecting how those are perceived, received and valued