A Computer-Aided Control Technique for a Remote Manipulator

Computer aided control technique for remote manipulato

FALCON: a software package for analysis of nestedness in bipartite networks

This is a freely-available open access publication. Please cite the published version which is available via the DOI link in this record.Nestedness is a statistical measure used to interpret bipartite interaction data in several ecological and evolutionary contexts, e.g. biogeography (species-site relationships) and species interactions (plant-pollinator and host-parasite networks). Multiple methods have been used to evaluate nestedness, which differ in how the metrics for nestedness are determined. Furthermore, several different null models have been used to calculate statistical significance of nestedness scores. The profusion of measures and null models, many of which give conflicting results, is problematic for comparison of nestedness across different studies. We developed the FALCON software package to allow easy and efficient comparison of nestedness scores and statistical significances for a given input network, using a selection of the more popular measures and null models from the current literature. FALCON currently includes six measures and five null models for nestedness in binary networks, and two measures and four null models for nestedness in weighted networks. The FALCON software is designed to be efficient and easy to use. FALCON code is offered in three languages (R, MATLAB, Octave) and is designed to be modular and extensible, enabling users to easily expand its functionality by adding further measures and null models. FALCON provides a robust methodology for comparing the strength and significance of nestedness in a given bipartite network using multiple measures and null models. It includes an “adaptive ensemble” method to reduce undersampling of the null distribution when calculating statistical significance. It can work with binary or weighted input networks. FALCON is a response to the proliferation of different nestedness measures and associated null models in the literature. It allows easy and efficient calculation of nestedness scores and statistical significances using different methods, enabling comparison of results from different studies and thereby supporting theoretical study of the causes and implications of nestedness in different biological contexts

Event-Driven Network Programming

Software-defined networking (SDN) programs must simultaneously describe static forwarding behavior and dynamic updates in response to events. Event-driven updates are critical to get right, but difficult to implement correctly due to the high degree of concurrency in networks. Existing SDN platforms offer weak guarantees that can break application invariants, leading to problems such as dropped packets, degraded performance, security violations, etc. This paper introduces EVENT-DRIVEN CONSISTENT UPDATES that are guaranteed to preserve well-defined behaviors when transitioning between configurations in response to events. We propose NETWORK EVENT STRUCTURES (NESs) to model constraints on updates, such as which events can be enabled simultaneously and causal dependencies between events. We define an extension of the NetKAT language with mutable state, give semantics to stateful programs using NESs, and discuss provably-correct strategies for implementing NESs in SDNs. Finally, we evaluate our approach empirically, demonstrating that it gives well-defined consistency guarantees while avoiding expensive synchronization and packet buffering

Confidentiality and public protection: ethical dilemmas in qualitative research with adult male sex offenders

This paper considers the ethical tensions present when engaging in in-depth interviews with convicted sex offenders. Many of the issues described below are similar to those found in other sensitive areas of research. However, confidentiality and public protection are matters that require detailed consideration when the desire to know more about men who have committed serious and harmful offences is set against the possibility of a researcher not disclosing previously unknown sensitive information that relates to the risk of someone being harmed.</p

An Experimental Study of Metallic Diffusion and Phase Equilibria in Fremdlinge

Fremdlinge are opaque assemblages within CAis that are mainly composed of NiFe metal, V-magnetite and µm-sized RuOs nuggets. The prevailing scenario for their origin includes condensation, aggregation and equilibration at low T (≾ 600°C); they are then thought to be introduced into CAis at high T, followed by rapid cooling, thereby preserving the textures and assemblages from the pre-CAl, low T histories (Armstrong et al., 1985; Armstrong et al., 1987). A constraint on cooling rates of Fremdlinge comes from sharp contacts observed between RuOs nuggets and NiFe metals that enclose them. To determine the length of time that these contacts could have been held at high T, thin-film diffusion experiments were conducted with an electroplated Ru film on Ni. Samples were annealed at 1400, 1200, 1000 and 800°C for 0.3-137 hours. Measured Ru profiles in Ni were consistent with the following Arrhenius expression: D(cm^2/sec) = 0.0050exp(-2.3 x 10^(12)/RT) (T in K, R in Cgs units). Based on these data, we calculate that cooling rates of ≳ 10^5C/hr are necessary to preserve sharp contacts between RuOs and NiFe metals if they experienced the T of CAl melting (~ 1400°C) (Stolper and Paque, 1986). We consider this rate unreasonable in light of cooling rates inferred from experimental studies of the silicate portions of CAis (10^(-1) to 10^2°C/hr) (Stolper and Paque, 1986)

For a Migrant Art: Samuel Beckett and Cultural Nationalism

This essay charts Samuel Beckett’s linguistic migration from English to French at the end of the Second World War, locating this within the context of other twentieth-century literary migrations. It then proceeds to identify some of the principal ways in which Beckett seeks to resist forms of cultural nationalism (Irish, French and German). The distance that Beckett takes from these European forms of cultural nationalism is reflected not only in the migrant status of his characters, but also in the way in which he deploys national-cultural references. The essay argues that Beckett’s aim in this respect bears comparison with that of the ‘good European’ as defined by Nietzsche. An important difference, however, is that in Beckett’s case the emphasis falls not upon cosmopolitanism but rather upon a perpetual migrancy that is captured above all in his movement between languages

Population history from the Neolithic to present on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia: an ancient DNA perspective

Recent ancient DNA studies of western Eurasia have revealed a dynamic history of admixture, with evidence for major migrations during the Neolithic and Bronze Age. The population of the Mediterranean island of Sardinia has been notable in these studies –} Neolithic individuals from mainland Europe cluster more closely with Sardinian individuals than with all other present-day Europeans. The current model to explain this result is that Sardinia received an initial influx of Neolithic ancestry and then remained relatively isolated from expansions in the later Neolithic and Bronze Age that took place in continental Europe. To test this model, we generated genome-wide capture data (approximately 1.2 million variants) for 43 ancient Sardinian individuals spanning the Neolithic through the Bronze Age, including individuals from Sardinia{’}s Nuragic culture, which is known for the construction of numerous large stone towers throughout the island. We analyze these new samples in the context of previously generated genome-wide ancient DNA data from 972 ancient individuals across western Eurasia and whole-genome sequence data from approximately 1,500 modern individuals from Sardinia. The ancient Sardinian individuals show a strong affinity to western Mediterranean Neolithic populations and we infer a high degree of genetic continuity on the island from the Neolithic (around fifth millennium BCE) through the Nuragic period (second millennium BCE). In particular, during the Bronze Age in Sardinia, we do not find significant levels of the {“}Steppe{” ancestry that was spreading in many other parts of Europe at that time. We also characterize subsequent genetic influx between the Nuragic period and the present. We detect novel, modest signals of admixture between 1,000 BCE and present-day, from ancestry sources in the eastern and northern Mediterranean. Within Sardinia, we confirm that populations from the more geographically isolated mountainous provinces have experienced elevated levels of genetic drift and that northern and southwestern regions of the island received more gene flow from outside Sardinia. Overall, our genetic analysis sheds new light on the origin of Neolithic settlement on Sardinia, reinforces models of genetic continuity on the island, and provides enhanced power to detect post-Bronze-Age gene flow. Together, these findings offer a refined demographic model for future medical genetic studies in Sardinia

Developing an integrated BIM/LCA framework to assess the sustainability of using earthen architecture

The construction industry is responsible for one-quarter of the solid waste generated globally, much of which is excavated soil. Repurposing this soil for the use of earthen architecture (EA) will reduce a considerable amount of this waste. However, little research has been conducted on how to assess the use of EA within the architectural, engineering, environmental and economic context, and in comparison with other construction system solutions. This paper presents the development of an integrated building information modelling (BIM) and life cycle assessment (LCA) framework to explore what advantages EA may have, based on the client's needs and the building's requirements. The decision-making conditions and criteria for the use of EA are firstly identified in an extensive literature review supported by interviews with decision-makers. A workflow is secondly proposed to apply a LCA evaluating the decision criteria in a BIM tool at the early-design stages. This method allows for the evaluation and comparison of choice criteria as functional requirements of the building and objectives set by the decision-makers. The flexibility of setting input parameters in this tool increases the visibility of the potential benefits of EA over other construction systems. Along with this approach, upcoming applications on case studies will aim to be replicable by designers, based on their practices and design tools, to support clients in their choice of using EA