LIBRA: An inexpensive geodetic network densification system

A description is given of the Libra (Locations Interposed by Ranging Aircraft) system, by which geodesy and earth strain measurements can be performed rapidly and inexpensively to several hundred auxiliary points with respect to a few fundamental control points established by any other technique, such as radio interferometry or satellite ranging. This low-cost means of extending the accuracy of space age geodesy to local surveys provides speed and spatial resolution useful, for example, for earthquake hazards estimation. Libra may be combined with an existing system, Aries (Astronomical Radio Interferometric Earth Surveying) to provide a balanced system adequate to meet the geophysical needs, and applicable to conventional surveying. The basic hardware design was outlined and specifications were defined. Then need for network densification was described. The following activities required to implement the proposed Libra system are also described: hardware development, data reduction, tropospheric calibrations, schedule of development and estimated costs

Community detection and role identification in directed networks: understanding the Twitter network of the care.data debate

With the rise of social media as an important channel for the debate and discussion of public affairs, online social networks such as Twitter have become important platforms for public information and engagement by policy makers. To communicate effectively through Twitter, policy makers need to understand how influence and interest propagate within its network of users. In this chapter we use graph-theoretic methods to analyse the Twitter debate surrounding NHS Englands controversial care.data scheme. Directionality is a crucial feature of the Twitter social graph - information flows from the followed to the followers - but is often ignored in social network analyses; our methods are based on the behaviour of dynamic processes on the network and can be applied naturally to directed networks. We uncover robust communities of users and show that these communities reflect how information flows through the Twitter network. We are also able to classify users by their differing roles in directing the flow of information through the network. Our methods and results will be useful to policy makers who would like to use Twitter effectively as a communication medium

A Comparison of Two Engineering Outreach Programs for Adolescents

There is continued growth and development of outreach programs designed to increase pre-college students’ awareness and understanding of engineering as a profession and as a career. These outreach programs vary in format and in the groups targeted for participation but maintain the same fundamental goal of increasing participant knowledge of engineering. Many of these outreach programs also maintain the implicit goal of increasing the participants\u27 knowledge and attitudes toward college. The additional resources and funding that are commonly allocated to support outreach programs frequently involve documenting accountability which motivates evaluation of program impact. Therefore, many outreach events include program evaluation to assess impact on the pre-college participants’ knowledge and perceptions of engineering, but they have not included the assessment of program impact on college attitudes. In this outreach program evaluation study, we examined the impact of two residential engineering outreach events on the participants\u27 engineering perceptions and attitudes and their college attitudes. Our results indicate a number of personal variables were predictors of college attitude, but we failed to expose any variables as indicators of engineering perceptions and attitudes. Analysis of the pre-post survey scores revealed a significant change in engineering perceptions and attitudes (p \u3c .01), but no significant change in college attitude (p =.07). We also exposed a differential impact by outreach event. Results, implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed

Issues of alcohol misuse among older people : attitudes and experiences of social work practitioners

This small-scale qualitative research focused on the experiences of social workers vis--vis older people who misuse alcohol. Based in an Older People's Team in the west of Scotland, the study explored service provision for alcohol misuse and examined whether practitioners felt the existing services provided by the Substance Misuse Team were effective in meeting the needs of older people with an alcohol problem. Using semi-structured interviews, data were collected from 18 participants, the majority (14) of whom were female and whose ages ranged from 31 to 54 years. Several key themes emerged including the extent of alcohol problems among older people and the complex reasons that cause older people to misuse alcohol. These reasons commonly related to the increasing challenges of old age. The data also demonstrated that current services are not meeting the needs of older people. Practitioners identified a need for an 'age-specific' approach to target more effectively the complex needs of older people. Recommendations from practitioners included ways to develop new and more effective services, including a more age-specific service, such as providing longer term support in older people's own homes, using a specialised support worker, and increasing staff training on alcohol use among older people

Design Considerations for Visually-Aided Discussion Prompts: Emphasizing Mathematical Reasoning in Teacher Education

The availability and familiarity of online discussion tools create new instructional options that teacher educators can use to foster prospective teachers’ understanding of mathematics. In particular, online discussion blogs provide an avenue through which teacher educators can press prospective teachers to explore mathematical concepts and share their mathematical reasoning with peers. Furthermore, by incorporating visual stimulations as a design component of these discussion blogs, prospective teachers can make sense of and respond to others’ ideas about mathematical concepts with greater clarity. This paper shares preliminary findings of a research study that examined the extent to which the design of a series of visually-aided online discussion prompts facilitated prospective elementary teachers’ (PSTs) use of mathematical reasoning in a geometry and measurement course. Results suggest that (a) the wording of discussion prompts influences the nature of mathematical justifications that PSTs focus on in their responses and (b) social norms for communicating in online forums may influence the ways in which PSTs interact with peers in an online discussion blog about their mathematical reasoning

Paper 2: Design Considerations for Visually-Aided Discussion Prompts: Emphasizing Mathematical Reasoning in Teacher Education

The availability and familiarity of online discussion tools create new instructional options that teacher educators can use to foster prospective teachers’ understanding of mathematics. In particular, online discussion blogs provide an avenue through which teacher educators can press prospective teachers to explore mathematical concepts and share their mathematical reasoning with peers. Furthermore, by incorporating visual stimulations as a design component of these discussion blogs, prospective teachers can make sense of and respond to others’ ideas about mathematical concepts with greater clarity. This paper shares preliminary findings of a research study that examined the extent to which the design of a series of visually-aided online discussion prompts facilitated prospective elementary teachers’ (PSTs) use of mathematical reasoning in a geometry and measurement course. Results suggest that (a) the wording of discussion prompts influences the nature of mathematical justifications that PSTs focus on in their responses and (b) social norms for communicating in online forums may influence the ways in which PSTs interact with peers in an online discussion blog about their mathematical reasoning

Maintenance of heterocyst patterning in a filamentous cyanobacterium

In the absence of sufficient combined nitrogen, some filamentous cyanobacteria differentiate nitrogenfixing heterocysts at approximately every 10th cell position. As cells between heterocysts grow and divide, this initial pattern is maintained by the differentiation of a single cell approximately midway between existing heterocysts. This paper introduces a mathematical model for the maintenance of the periodic pattern of heterocysts differentiated by Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 based on the current experimental knowledge of the system. The model equations describe a non-diffusing activator (HetR) and two inhibitors (PatS and HetN) that undergo diffusion in a growing one-dimensional domain. The inhibitors in this model have distinct diffusion rates and temporal expression patterns. These unique aspects of the model reflect recent experimental findings regarding the molecular interactions that regulate patterning in Anabaena. Output from the model is in good agreement with both the temporal and spatial characteristics of the pattern maintenance process observed experimentally

The Political Economy of Myanmar's Transition

This is an Author's Original Manuscript of an article whose final and definitive form, the Version of Record, has been published in the JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY ASIA, 07 Feb 2013, copyright Taylor & Francis, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/00472336.2013.764143.Since holding elections in 2010, Myanmar has transitioned from a direct military dictatorship to a formally democratic system and has embarked on a period of rapid economic reform. After two decades of military rule, the pace of change has startled almost everyone and led to a great deal of cautious optimism. To make sense of the transition and assess the case for optimism, this article explores the political economy of Myanmar's dual transition from state socialism to capitalism and from dictatorship to democracy. It analyses changes within Myanmar society from a critical political economy perspective in order to both situate these developments within broader regional trends and to evaluate the country's current trajectory. In particular, the emergence of state-mediated capitalism and politico-business complexes in Myanmar's borderlands are emphasised. These dynamics, which have empowered a narrow oligarchy, are less likely to be undone by the reform process than to fundamentally shape the contours of reform. Consequently, Myanmar's future may not be unlike those of other Southeast Asian states that have experienced similar developmental trajectories

Comparative analyses of discourse in specialized STEM school classes

The authors detail the discourse patterns observed within mathematics and science classes at specialized STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) high schools. Analyses reveal that teachers in mathematics classes tended to engage their students in authoritative discourse while teachers in science classes tended to engage students in dialogic discourse. The authors examined variations in the type of discourse in relationship to the discipline being taught, the educational level of the teacher, and course requirements were also explored