Some Properties of Distal Actions on Locally Compact Groups

We consider the actions of (semi)groups on a locally compact group by automorphisms. We show the equivalence of distality and pointwise distality for the actions of a certain class of groups. We also show that a compactly generated locally compact group of polynomial growth has a compact normal subgroup $K$ such that $G/K$ is distal and the conjugacy action of $G$ on $K$ is ergodic; moreover, if $G$ itself is (pointwise) distal then $G$ is Lie projective. We prove a decomposition theorem for contraction groups of an automorphism under certain conditions. We give a necessary and sufficient condition for distality of an automorphism in terms of its contraction group. We compare classes of (pointwise) distal groups and groups whose closed subgroups are unimodular. In particular, we study relations between distality, unimodularity and contraction subgroups.Comment: 27 pages, main results are revised and improved, some preliminary results are removed and some new results are added, some proofs are revised and some are made shorte

Psychosocial Climates Differentially Predict 12- to 14-Year-Old Competitive Soccer Players’ Goal Orientations

Youth’s likelihood of participating in sport increases when they maintain a focus on enjoyment, learning, and effort (i.e., task goal orientation) rather than how they compare to others and norms (i.e., ego goal orientation). Achievement goal theory research consistently illustrates the significant influence of leader-created motivational climates on their participants’ goal orientation adoption. However, the influence of caring climate perceptions by highly competitive adolescent athletes on their goal orientation adoption has yet to be examined. Thus, this study assessed how competitive, adolescent soccer players’ perceptions of the climate as caring, task-, and ego-involving predicted their adoption of task and ego goal orientations. Players (N = 152, 62% female, 12–14 years of age) in the Olympic Development Program completed a survey that included measures of the caring climate, task-involving and ego-involving motivational climates, and task and ego goal orientations in soccer. Path analyses revealed males’ task goal orientation was significantly predicted by caring and task-involving climate perceptions. Females’ task goal orientation was significantly predicted by their task-involving climate perceptions. Ego goal orientation was significantly predicted by all athletes’ ego-involving climate perceptions. This is the first study to support the importance of fostering a high caring, as well as high task-involving, and low ego-involving climate when working with highly competitive adolescent athletes to keep their task goal orientation high. Research replicating this study is warranted to provide further support for these relationships longitudinally and across ages and sexes

Existence of Weak Solutions for a Diffuse Interface Model for Two-Phase Flows of Incompressible Fluids with Different Densities

We prove existence of weak solutions for a diffuse interface model for the flow of two viscous incompressible Newtonian fluids in a bounded domain in two and three space dimensions. In contrast to previous works, we study a new model recently developed by Abels, Garcke, and Gr\"un for fluids with different densities, which leads to a solenoidal velocity field. The model is given by a non-homogeneous Navier-Stokes system with a modified convective term coupled to a Cahn-Hilliard system. The density of the mixture depends on an order parameter.Comment: 33 page

Orientation of the Beginning Teacher

There are four main purposes for this research paper: (1) to survey what administrators and teachers think about the problem of orientation for beginning teachers, (2) to view the needs of the beginning teacher from the standpoint of the administrator and the experienced teacher, (3) to describe aids and practices that could be used in planning the program, and (4) to outline a proposed program of orientation for the beginning teacher

Perceptions of service delivery by the Philippi Trust to the HIV/AIDS support groups in the Helderberg Region

Magister Artium (Human Ecology) - MA(HE)This descriptive study investigated the utilisation of and perceptions about service delivery by Philippi Trust in the HIV/AIDS support groups in the Helderberg region. A questionnaire and individual interviews were applied to gather the data from the HIV/AIDS support group members and their facilitators. The quantitative data analysis was done, using the Statistical Packaging for Social science (SPSS) aiming to determine the descriptive statistics of the database and variables. The qualitative analysis was conducted using thematic analysis. Anonymity was assured but complete confidentiality was not possible as the investigator had knowledge of the HIV status of the study population, however no names appeared in the research report.South Afric

POD for optimal control of the Cahn-Hilliard system using spatially adapted snapshots

The present work considers the optimal control of a convective Cahn-Hilliard system, where the control enters through the velocity in the transport term. We prove the existence of a solution to the considered optimal control problem. For an efficient numerical solution, the expensive high-dimensional PDE systems are replaced by reduced-order models utilizing proper orthogonal decomposition (POD-ROM). The POD modes are computed from snapshots which are solutions of the governing equations which are discretized utilizing adaptive finite elements. The numerical tests show that the use of POD-ROM combined with spatially adapted snapshots leads to large speedup factors compared with a high-fidelity finite element optimization

The Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) of the Serravallian Stage (Middle Miocene)

The Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the Base of the Serravallian Stage (Middle Miocene) is defined in the Ras il Pellegrin section located in the coastal cliffs along the Fomm Ir-Rih Bay on the west coast of Malta (35°54'50"N, 14°20'10"E). The GSSP is at the base of the Blue Clay Formation (i.e., top of the transitional bed of the uppermost Globigerina Limestone). This boundary between the Langhian and Serravallian stages coincides with the end of the major Mi-3b global cooling step in the oxygen isotopes and reflects a major increase in Antarctic ice volume, marking the end of the Middle Miocene climate transition and the Earth's transformation into an "Icehouse" climate state. The associated major glacio-eustatic sea-level drop corresponds with sequence boundary Ser1 of Hardenbol et al. (1998) and supposedly with the TB2.5 sequence boundary of Haq et al (1987). This event is slightly older than the last common and/or continuous occurrence of the calcareous nannofossil Sphenolithus heteromorphus, previously considered as guiding criterion for the boundary, and is projected to fall within the younger half of Chron C5ACn. The GSSP level is in full agreement with the definitions of the Langhian and Serravallian in their respective historical stratotype sections in northern Italy and has an astronomical age of 13.82 Ma