Balinese Elementary Schools

Kerambitan’s elementary school houses approximately 100 students. These students, from first to sixth grade, attend class six days a week from 8 AM until noon (the afternoon heat is too strong). Like in many American elementary schools, the teachers on this level teach all core subjects; in Indonesia these subjects are math, reading, culture, and social studies. Subjects are highly standardized on a national level; students in Bali are learning the same things as students in Java or any of the other islands. The exception to this rule is the culture class; here students learn about Balinese culture, arts, and traditions. Other subjects, such as music, are extracurricular activities that take place after school. [excerpt

Tidal Title and the Boundaries of the Bay: The Case of the Submerged High Water Mark

There is no particular policy reason why the same line should be used for both the upland boundary of the jus publicum and the seaward boundary of parcels bounded by the sea. In interpreting the language used in grants of private interests, the ostensible object of the inquiry is to ascertain the parties (particularly the grantor\u27s) intent. Subject only to limitations on the grantor\u27s estate or power to convey, it is that intention which controls the extent of his transfer. On the other hand, in setting the upland boundaries of lands subject to the jus publicum, the courts are essentially making a policy determination, i.e., which lands are subject to what mode of use-allocation, a question of law in which private intentions play no role. Nonetheless, for reasons which seem largely historical, the rule of construction for grants extending to the sea has been held to result in the same boundary line as the line which, by law, defines the upland limits of the jus publicum. In the case of both, the line is the high water line. This article explores judicial resolutions in New York to the question: Where is the high water line

Interpreting International Trade Statutes: Is the Charming Betsy Sinking?

This essay is about the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”), the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (“GATT”), and the World Trade Organization (“WTO”). The United States has chosen to participate in NAFTA, GATT, and WTO by the President\u27s signing international agreements. These agreements, however, have not been presented to the Senate for ratification as treaties, although, as some commentators have noted, they bear the characteristics of treaties. Rather, they are implemented by Congress enacting domestic implementing legislation as statutory law

A study of the ecology and taxonomy of micromonospora in the natural environment

Selective isolation procedures were developed for the isolation of Micromonospora from natural environments. Methods developed involved the use of heat treatment and the use of antibiotic incorporated media using lincomycin and novobiocin. It was found that heat treating air dried soil samples in a dry oven at 120°C for 60 minutes drastically reduced the number of both bacteria and streptomycetes occurring on the isolation plates thereby allowing for the selective isolation of Micromonospora. Additionally the most effective concentration of antibiotics for the selective isolation of Micromonospora was found to be lOpil/ml novobiocin and 10/xl/ml lincomycin. A spore specific extraction procedure was also developed, again exploiting the ability of Micromonospora spores to withstand heat treatment, to follow the fate of Micromonospora spores and mycelia in artificial soil microcosms. Comparison of the survival of both the spore and mycelial component of M. chalcea and M. Julvopurpurea populations indicated that heat treating lOg microcosms for 20 minutes at 70°C allowed the maximum recovery of spores present whilst deselecting completely the mycelial population. The ability of Micromonospora chalcea and M. Julvopurpurea to survive in sterile soil microcosms was studied over 30 days. Both species showed marked germination and sporulation cycles mirroring streptomycetes. Both species consistantly showed significant germination at Day 1 with spore numbers starting to increase by Day 2 (ca. 10^ spores/g soil). Following rapid sporulation at Day 5. a plateau at ca. 10^ to 10^ c.f.u./g soil was attained. Using phenotypic data, including antibiotic resistance profiles, Micromonospora strains, comprising both type strains and wild isolates, were clustered using numerical taxonomic methods. Clustering of the largest set of data (121 strains/179 characteristics) using the NTSYS clustering package, gave 14 distinct species-groups. The character state data obtained for clusters defined at the 77.5% Ssm similarity level were then used to develop a probabilistic identification matrix for the rapid identification of Micromonospora

Gamma-Ray Burst Dust Echoes Revisited: Expectations at Early Times

Gamma-ray burst (GRB) dust echoes were first proposed as an alternative explanation for the supernova-like (SN-like) components to the afterglows of GRB 980326 and GRB 970228. However, the spectroscopic identification of Type Ic SN 2003dh associated with GRB 030329, as well as the identification of SN-like components to the afterglows of other GRBs, appears to have confirmed the GRB/SN paradigm. However, the likely progenitors of Type Ic SNe are Wolf-Rayet WC stars, and late-type WC stars have been observed to be surrounded by dust, at a distance of 10^14 -- 10^15 cm from the star. Consequently, we revisit the possibility of GRB dust echoes, not on a timescale of weeks after the burst but on a timescale of minutes to hours. We find that if the optical flash is sufficiently bright and the jet sufficiently wide, GRB afterglows may be accompanied by chromatic variations on this timescale. From these signatures, such model parameters as the inner radius of the dust distribution, the initial opening angle of the jet, etc., may be deduced. With rapid and regular localizations of GRBs by HETE-2, Integral, and now Swift, and new and improved robotic telescope systems, these early-time GRB dust echoes may soon be detected. We describe one such robotic telescope system, called PROMPT, that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is building at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in greater detail.Comment: Accepted to The Astrophysical Journal, 15 pages, 5 figures, LaTe

The Master's Degree: Basic Preparation for Professional Practice

published or submitted for publicatio

What impact do questionnaire length and monetary incentives have on mailed health psychology survey response?

Objectives: Response rates to health-related surveys are declining. This study tested two strategies to improve the response rate to a health psychology survey mailed through English general practices: (1) sending a shortened questionnaire and (2) offering a monetary incentive to return a completed questionnaire. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: Adults (n = 4,241) aged 45–59 years, from four General Practices in South-East England, were mailed a survey on attitudes towards bowel cancer screening. Using a 2 × 4 factorial design, participants were randomized to receive a ‘short’ (four A4 pages) or a ‘long’ (seven A4 pages) questionnaire, and one of four monetary incentives to return a completed questionnaire – (1) no monetary incentive, (2) £2.50 shop voucher, (3) £5.00 shop voucher, and (4) inclusion in a £250 shop voucher prize draw. Age, gender, and area-level deprivation were obtained from the General Practices. Results: The overall response rate was 41% (n = 1,589). Response to the ‘short’ questionnaire (42%) was not significantly different from the ‘long’ questionnaire (40%). The £2.50 incentive (43%) significantly improved response rates in univariate analyses, and remained significant after controlling for age, gender, area-level deprivation, and questionnaire length. The £5.00 (42%) and £250 prize draw (41%) incentives had no significant impact on response rates compared to no incentive (38%). Conclusions: A small monetary incentive (£2.50) may slightly increase response to a mailed health psychology survey. The length of the questionnaire (four pages vs. seven pages) did not influence response. Although frequently used, entry into a prize draw did not increase response. Achieving representative samples remains a challenge for health psychology

Time-Varying Estimation of Crop Insurance Program in Altering North Dakota Farm Economic Structure

This study examines how federal farm policies, specifically crop insurance, have affected the farm economic structure of North Dakota’s agriculture sector. The system of derived input demand equations is estimated to quantify the changes in North Dakota farmers’ input use when they purchase crop insurance. Further, the cumulative rolling regression technique is applied to capture the varying effects of the farm policies over time. Empirical results from the system of input demand functions indicate that there is no moral hazard since North Dakota farmers will increase fertilizer and pesticide use in the presence of crop insurance. Results also indicate that farmers in this state will not increase the use of land.Farm Management,

Lessons Learned and Next Steps in Energy Efficiency Measurement and Attribution: Energy Savings, Net to Gross, Non-Energy Benefits, and Persistence of Energy Efficiency Behavior

This white paper examines four topics addressing evaluation, measurement, and attribution of direct and indirect effects to energy efficiency and behavioral programs: Estimates of program savings (gross); Net savings derivation through free ridership / net to gross analyses; Indirect non-energy benefits / impacts (e.g., comfort, convenience, emissions, jobs); and, Persistence of savings