A View from Melrose

An essay by President Vivian A. Bull: Thirteen Years in Review

Synchronisation of financial crises

This paper develops concordance indices for studying the simultaneous occurrence of financial crises. The indices are designed to cope with these typically low incidence events. This leads us to confine attention to non-tranquil periods to develop a bivariate index and its multivariate analog for potentially serially correlated categorical data. An application to the Bordo et al. (2001) data set reveals the extent of concordance in banking and currency crises across countries. The internationalisation of financial crises in the 20th century is shown to have increased for currency crises and decreased for banking crises

Konektivitas Struktur Vegetasi Mangrove dengan Keasaman dan Bahan Organik Total pada Sedimen di Kecamatan Wonomulyo Kabupaten Polewali Mandar

Mangrove forest ecosystem is one of coastal ecosystem having significant roles as habitat for diverse organisms, as barrier ofseawater intrusion, sediment trap, protection to the shore from abrasion and as nutrient supplier in form of detritus to othercoastal ecosystems i.e. seagrass beds and coral reefs. However, mangrove has experienced degradation caused by natural andanthropogenic factors. One effort to recover the mangrove\u27s function is by rehabilitating this ecosystem through controllingits total organic matter and the soil acidity (pH). Therefore, it is urgent to conduct a study in order to know the relationshipbetween mangrove growth and the total organic matter and pH. The study was conducted May 2014. The study area was locatedin Mampie, Wonomulyo Sub-District, Polewali Mandar Regency. The benefit gained from this study was giving information ondissolved organic matter related to the mangrove rehabilitation. Method used was field survey by determining three observationstations with different environmental condition. Data were presented as tables and pictures. Results of this study indicated thatincreasing of mangrove density and coverage was followed by the increasing of total organic matter percentage within sedimentat station II. Whereas, the higher the acidity, the lower the content of the total organic matter within sediment was found inStation I. In contrast, the organic matter within sediment was high when the acidity value decrease was observed at Station III

Reinforcement of Judicial Supervision Function by Judicial Commission and Supreme Court as a Form of Shared Responsibility System

The function of judicial power is to enforce law and justice in the framework of protecting society through justice system based on law in a democratic state of law. One of the important principles of state of law is the existing guarantee of judicial power implementation which is independent, free from the influence of other power to implement justice for law and justice enforcement. Accountability of judge’s performance and Supreme Court institution which is a control form for justice institution becomes an idea concerning the dilema of judicial power independence concept. The supervision of judge’s behaviour by Judicial Commission can hopefully cover the weakness intern supervision by Supreme Court. The judge supervision which can be realised by Judicial Commission includes judicial technic supervision, performance assessment, and judge’s behaviour supervision. This research concerned to the reinforcement of judicial supervision function by judicial commission and Supreme Court as a form of shared responsibility system. The research method used in this research is normative law research method with statute approach, conceptual approach and case approach. Sources of legal materials used are legislation and cases. The results of this study are: the supervision on the judge’s behavior by the Judicial Commission can hopefully cover the weakness of internal supervision by the Supreme Court. It becomes so appropriate that the suprevision on judge is also performed by the Judicial Commission, not only by the Supreme Court. The supervision on judge that can be performed by the Judicial Commission includes the suprevision of judicial technique, performance assessment, and supervision on the judge’s behavior

The preparatory Set: A Novel Approach to Understanding Stress, Trauma, and the Bodymind Therapies

Basic to all motile life is a differential approach/avoid response to perceived features of environment. The stages of response are initial reflexive noticing and orienting to the stimulus, preparation, and execution of response. Preparation involves a coordination of many aspects of the organism: muscle tone, posture, breathing, autonomic functions, motivational/emotional state, attentional orientation, and expectations. The organism organizes itself in relation to the challenge. We propose to call this the preparatory set (PS). We suggest that the concept of the PS can offer a more nuanced and flexible perspective on the stress response than do current theories. We also hypothesize that the mechanisms of body-mind therapeutic and educational systems (BTES) can be understood through the PS framework. We suggest that the BTES, including meditative movement, meditation, somatic education, and the body-oriented psychotherapies, are approaches that use interventions on the PS to remedy stress and trauma. We discuss how the PS can be adaptive or maladaptive, how BTES interventions may restore adaptive PS, and how these concepts offer a broader and more flexible view of the phenomena of stress and trauma. We offer supportive evidence for our hypotheses, and suggest directions for future research. We believe that the PS framework will point to ways of improving the management of stress and trauma, and that it will suggest directions of research into the mechanisms of action of BTES

Developing printable thermoelectric materials based on graphene nanoplatelet/ethyl cellulose nanocomposites

Thermoelectric (TE) materials have drawn a lot of attention as a promising technology to harvest waste heat and convert it into electrical energy. However, the toxicity and expense of inorganic TE materials along with high-temperature fabrication processes have limited their application. Additionally, the reduction of raw material resources, such as metals and petroleum is another limiting factor. Hence, developing low-cost, stable, and easily-created TE materials from renewable resources is attracting more and more interest for a wide range of applications including the internet of things and self-powered sensors. Herein, an efficacious processing strategy to fabricate printable TE materials has been developed with Ethyl cellulose (EC), a non-conducting polymer, as the polymer matrix and with Graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) as fillers. EC, one of the cellulose's derivatives, has been widely used as a binder in the printing pastes. The conductive pastes with different filler contents have been fabricated. The weight ratio of GNPs and EC were ranged from 0.2 to 0.7. These conductive pastes have been deposited by blade coating on glass substrates. The electrical conductivity of the composites has increased polynomially as the filler content increased, whereas the Seebeck coefficient did not change significantly with the increased electrical conductivity. The highest electrical conductivity at room temperature (355.4 S m−1) was obtained for the ratio of 0.7. This ratio also had the maximum power factor value. Moreover, a 3D structure form (cylindrical pellet) from the highest conductive paste was also fabricated. The proposed technique demonstrates an industrially feasible approach to fabricate different geometries and structures for organic TE modules. So, this approach could provide a good reference for the production of high efficiency, low-temperature, lightweight, low-cost, TE materials

Somatic Experiencing: Using Interoception and Proprioception as Core Elements of Trauma Therapy

Here we present a theory of human trauma and chronic stress, based on the practice of Somatic Experiencing(®) (SE), a form of trauma therapy that emphasizes guiding the client\u27s attention to interoceptive, kinesthetic, and proprioceptive experience. SE™ claims that this style of inner attention, in addition to the use of kinesthetic and interoceptive imagery, can lead to the resolution of symptoms resulting from chronic and traumatic stress. This is accomplished through the completion of thwarted, biologically based, self-protective and defensive responses, and the discharge and regulation of excess autonomic arousal. We present this theory through a composite case study of SE treatment; based on this example, we offer a possible neurophysiological rationale for the mechanisms involved, including a theory of trauma and chronic stress as a functional dysregulation of the complex dynamical system formed by the subcortical autonomic, limbic, motor and arousal systems, which we term the core response network (CRN). We demonstrate how the methods of SE help restore functionality to the CRN, and we emphasize the importance of taking into account the instinctive, bodily based protective reactions when dealing with stress and trauma, as well as the effectiveness of using attention to interoceptive, proprioceptive and kinesthetic sensation as a therapeutic tool. Finally, we point out that SE and similar somatic approaches offer a supplement to cognitive and exposure therapies, and that mechanisms similar to those discussed in the paper may also be involved in the benefits of meditation and other somatic practices

Movement-Based Embodied Contemplative Practices: Definitions and Paradigms

Over the past decades, cognitive neuroscience has witnessed a shift from predominantly disembodied and computational views of the mind, to more embodied and situated views of the mind. These postulate that mental functions cannot be fully understood without reference to the physical body and the environment in which they are experienced. Within the field of contemplative science, the directing of attention to bodily sensations has so far mainly been studied in the context of seated meditation and mindfulness practices. However, the cultivation of interoceptive, proprioceptive and kinesthetic awareness is also said to lie at the core of many movement-based contemplative practices such as Yoga, Qigong, and Tai Chi. In addition, it likely plays a key role in the efficacy of modern somatic therapeutic techniques such as the Feldenkrais Method and the Alexander Technique. In the current paper we examine how these practices are grounded in the concepts of embodiment, movement and contemplation, as we look at them primarily through the lens of an enactive approach to cognition. Throughout, we point to a series of challenges that arise when Western scientists study practices that are based on a non-dualistic view of mind and body

Interactive effects of Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and rhizobial strains on chickpea growth and nutrient content in plant

Legumes form a tripartite symbiosis with Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and rhizobia. Chickpea plants were inoculated with six strains of Mesorhizobium ciceri and three AMF species, Glomus intraradices (GI), G. mosseae (GM) and G. etunicatum (GE). The plants inoculated with a number of AMF species and bacterial strains increased overall plant dry mass compared to non-inoculated plants. GE was the most efficient in increasing plant dry matter. Individual AMF species were more effective than when mixed (GI+GM+GE). Bacterial treatments had increasing effect on root colonization by GI, GM and GI+GM+GE. The results revealed that dual inoculation with AMF and rhizobium enhanced nitrogen, phosphorus, zinc, iron and copper content in plants but these increasing effects was different between fungal and bacterial treatments.Key words: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, Mesorhizobium ciceri, nutrient content, root colonization, nodule, chickpea

Penemuan Jati Diri Josee dalam Novel Les Merveilleux Nuages dan UN Profil Perdu Karya Francoise Sagan

Judul skripsi ini adalah penemuan jati diri Josee dalam novel Les Merveilleux Nuages dan UnProfil Perdu karya Francoise Sagan. Tujuan pembahasan skripsi ini ialah untuk menganalisispenemuan jati diri tokoh utama dalam dua novel karya Francoise Sagan. Pendekatan yangdigunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah pendekatan struktural. Teori- teori yang digunakan untukmenunjang pendekatan struktural dalam penelitian ini adalah teori penokohan dari Minderopagar dapat melihat karakter tokoh Josee, dan teori konflik dari Meyer mengenai konflik agardapat melihat konflik eksternal dan internal yang sering dihadapi tokoh Josee sehingga iamenemukan jati dirinya.Setelah melakukan penelitian, seluruh aspek yang dibahas dalam skripsiini menunjukan Josee dapat menemukan jati dirinya dalam novel Les Merveilleux Nuages danUn Profil Perdu, karya Francoise Sagan