Fractured certainties: Epistemology and ontology in David Malouf\u27s Child\u27s Play, The Great World and Remembering Babylon

This thesis is an exploration of the way in which David Malouf develops ideas of epistemology and ontology in three of his novels. The novels discussed are Child\u27s Play (1982), The Great World (1990) and Remembering Babylon (1993). Of particular concern here are the different ways in which figures in the text are constructed as having imperfect and sometimes contradictory systems of making sense of their world

Scorpion: Close Air Support (CAS) aircraft

The objective is to outline the results of the preliminary design of the Scorpion, a proposed close air support aircraft. The results obtained include complete preliminary analysis of the aircraft in the areas of aerodynamics, structures, avionics and electronics, stability and control, weight and balance, propulsion systems, and costs. A conventional wing, twin jet, twin-tail aircraft was chosen to maximize the desirable characteristics. The Scorpion will feature low speed maneuverability, high survivability, low cost, and low maintenance. The life cycle cost per aircraft will be 17.5 million dollars. The maximum takeoff weight will be 52,760 pounds. Wing loading will be 90 psf. The thrust to weight will be 0.6 lbs/lb. This aircraft meets the specified mission requirements. Some modifications have been suggested to further optimize the design

Transcript of Interview With George Ella Lyon

An interview with George Ella Lyon by Chris Green discussing the early days of the Southern Appalachian Writers Cooperative

Shifting to Data Savvy: The Future of Data Science In Libraries

The Data Science in Libraries Project is funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and led by Matt Burton and Liz Lyon, School of Computing & Information, University of Pittsburgh; Chris Erdmann, North Carolina State University; and Bonnie Tijerina, Data & Society. The project explores the challenges associated with implementing data science within diverse library environments by examining two specific perspectives framed as ‘the skills gap,’ i.e. where librarians are perceived to lack the technical skills to be effective in a data-rich research environment; and ‘the management gap,’ i.e. the ability of library managers to understand and value the benefits of in-house data science skills and to provide organizational and managerial support. This report primarily presents a synthesis of the discussions, findings, and reflections from an international, two-day workshop held in May 2017 in Pittsburgh, where community members participated in a program with speakers, group discussions, and activities to drill down into the challenges of successfully implementing data science in libraries. Participants came from funding organizations, academic and public libraries, nonprofits, and commercial organizations with most of the discussions focusing on academic libraries and library schools

Editorial

oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/1Liz Lyon and Chris Rusbridge introduce the International Journal of Digital Curation

Evaluating Downscaling Methods for Seasonal Climate Forecasts over East Africa

The U.S. National Multi-Model Ensemble seasonal forecasting system is providing hindcast and real-time data streams to be used in assessing and improving seasonal predictive capacity. The NASA / USAID SERVIR project, which leverages satellite and modeling-based resources for environmental decision making in developing nations, is focusing on the evaluation of NMME forecasts specifically for use in impact modeling within hub regions including East Africa, the Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) region and Mesoamerica. One of the participating models in NMME is the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS5). This work will present an intercomparison of downscaling methods using the GEOS5 seasonal forecasts of temperature and precipitation over East Africa. The current seasonal forecasting system provides monthly averaged forecast anomalies. These anomalies must be spatially downscaled and temporally disaggregated for use in application modeling (e.g. hydrology, agriculture). There are several available downscaling methodologies that can be implemented to accomplish this goal. Selected methods include both a non-homogenous hidden Markov model and an analogue based approach. A particular emphasis will be placed on quantifying the ability of different methods to capture the intermittency of precipitation within both the short and long rain seasons. Further, the ability to capture spatial covariances will be assessed. Both probabilistic and deterministic skill measures will be evaluated over the hindcast perio

A trait–environment relationship approach to participatory plant breeding for organic agriculture

The extent of intraspecific variation in trait–environment relationships is an open question with limited empirical support in crops. In organic agriculture, with high environmental heterogeneity, this knowledge could guide breeding programs to optimize crop attributes. We propose a three-dimensional framework involving crop performance, crop traits, and environmental axes to uncover the multidimensionality of trait–environment relationships within a crop. We modeled instantaneous photosynthesis (Asat) and water-use efficiency (WUE) as functions of four phenotypic traits, three soil variables, five carrot (Daucus carota) varieties, and their interactions in a national participatory plant breeding program involving a suite of farms across Canada. We used these interactions to describe the resulting 12 trait–environment relationships across varieties. We found one significant trait–environment relationship for Asat (taproot tissue density–soil phosphorus), which was consistent across varieties. For WUE, we found that three relationships (petiole diameter–soil nitrogen, petiole diameter–soil phosphorus, and leaf area–soil phosphorus) varied significantly across varieties. As a result, WUE was maximized by different combinations of trait values and soil conditions depending on the variety. Our three-dimensional framework supports the identification of functional traits behind the differential responses of crop varieties to environmental variation and thus guides breeding programs to optimize crop attributes from an eco-evolutionary perspective.Fil: Rolhauser, Andrés Guillermo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Métodos Cuantitativos y Sistemas de Información; Argentina. University of Toronto; CanadáFil: Windfeld, Emma. University of Toronto; Canadá. University of Calgary; CanadáFil: Hanson, Solveig. University of British Columbia; CanadáFil: Wittman, Hannah. University of British Columbia; CanadáFil: Thoreau, Chris. University of British Columbia; CanadáFil: Lyon, Alexandra. Kwantlen Polytechnic University; Canadá. University of British Columbia; CanadáFil: Isaac, Marney E.. University of Toronto; Canad

Targeted Deposition of Antibodies on a Multiplex CMOS Microarray and Optimization of a Sensitive Immunoassay Using Electrochemical Detection

The CombiMatrix ElectraSense microarray is a highly multiplex, complementary metal oxide semiconductor with 12,544 electrodes that are individually addressable. This platform is commercially available as a custom DNA microarray; and, in this configuration, it has also been used to tether antibodies (Abs) specifically on electrodes using complementary DNA sequences conjugated to the Abs.An empirical method is described for developing and optimizing immunoassays on the CombiMatrix ElectraSense microarray based upon targeted deposition of polypyrrole (Ppy) and capture Ab. This process was automated using instrumentation that can selectively apply a potential or current to individual electrodes and also measure current generated at the electrodes by an enzyme-enhanced electrochemical (ECD) reaction. By designating groups of electrodes on the array for different Ppy deposition conditions, we determined that the sensitivity and specificity of a sandwich immunoassay for staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) is influenced by the application of different voltages or currents and the application time. The sandwich immunoassay used a capture Ab adsorbed to the Ppy and a reporter Ab labeled for fluorescence detection or ECD, and results from these methods of detection were different.Using Ppy deposition conditions for optimum results, the lower limit of detection for SEB using the ECD assay was between 0.003 and 0.01 pg/ml, which represents an order of magnitude improvement over a conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay. In the absence of understanding the variables and complexities that affect assay performance, this highly multiplexed electrode array provided a rapid, high throughput, and empirical approach for developing a sensitive immunoassay