Fiscal autonomy for Scotland? A rejoinder

In their paper „A restatement of the case for fiscal autonomy‟ Hallwood and MacDonald (2006b) claim that Barnett is a formula for a rake‟s progress and that fiscal autonomy, as outlined in their previous paper „The economic case for Scottish fiscal autonomy: with or without independence‟ (Hallwood and MacDonald, 2006a), offers a superior financial settlement for Scotland. We here restate our continued disagreements with their argument. We start with corrections of their interpretation of our paper „Flaws and myths in the case for Scottish fiscal autonomy‟ (Ashcroft, Christie and Swales, 2006) before highlighting where we believe their latest paper fails to provide answers to important questions we posed

Developing a Living Archive of Aboriginal Languages

National Foreign Language Resource CenterThe fluctuating fortunes of Northern Territory bilingual education programs in Australian languages and English have put at risk thousands of books developed for these programs in remote schools. In an effort to preserve such a rich cultural and linguistic heritage, the Living Archive of Aboriginal Languages project is establishing an open access, online repository comprising digital versions of these materials. Using web technologies to store and access the resources makes them accessible to the communities of origin, the wider academic community, and the general public. The process of creating, populating, and implementing such an archive has posed many interesting technical, cultural and linguistic challenges, some of which are explored in this pape

Shoehorning complex metadata in the Living Archive of Aboriginal Languages

The Living Archive of Aboriginal Languages is making endangered literature in Australian Indigenous languages publicly available online (Bow et al. 2014). Like any other project attempting to package a vastly complex body of work into an accessible repository, this project has grappled with a number of complex issues. Wrangling a variety of text types, languages, locations, digitisation processes, metadata and other issues into an accessible online repository requires a great deal of shoehorning

“What If You Don’t Have a Library School?” Ethical Considerations for a Summer Internship at an Academic Library

Enabling professional working experiences for library and information science (LIS) graduate students is always rewarding. With this chapter, the authors will reflect on the operation, collaborative processes, and results of an academic library’s summer internship program. Ethical aspects related to ensuring intern pay, along with individual goal-based learning in a real workplace and the integrity of professional status, will provide insights for others looking to plan or implement similar programs

Manipulating Common Method Variance via Experimental Conditions

Research data collected from single respondents may raise concerns regarding common method variance (CMV), which is believed to threaten the validity of findings. The primary concern is that CMV can inflate substantive relationships, such that they appear statistically significant when they are not. Thus, understanding the nature of CMV is critical, especially when one considers the popularity—and sometimes necessity—of using self-report data. Research examining CMV has found conflicting evidence about the impact of CMV. Researchers who believe CMV influences findings have proposed solutions to combat any real or perceived potential bias, including changing survey instructions and using marker variables, but few studies have examined the efficacy of these approaches. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of these techniques and the nature of CMV using an experimental design. To conduct the experiment, multiple versions of a survey, which vary in their use of the remedial approaches, are utilized to collect data, which resulted in 1,069 usable responses. The experimental design was based on the faking literature and included instructions intended to induce or reduce the levels of CMV. Further, two different marker variables are used to determine the degree to which they create a psychological separation in substantive variables. Correlation analysis and measurement invariance are used to analyze the data. This study posits that, if CMV is a substantial concern for self-report data and these approaches are effective, then findings will differ in surveys that incorporate such approaches from surveys that do not. Results indicate few differences in experimental conditions, meaning that regardless of instructions or marker variable, substantive item correlations remained statistically similar. The results indicate this is likely due to the minimal impact of CMV, given that the proposed methods of correction did not significantly influence research findings. These findings have implications for researchers in that they do not support that CMV, or at least its proposed remedies, significantly alter findings. However, support for the null conclusions, in spite of appropriate statistical power, warrant future research examining the nature and impact of CMV

Economics of Cormorant Predation on Catfish Farms

The Double-crested Cormorant is the primary avian predator on catfish farms causing significant economic losses primarily due to 1) on-farm expenditures related to bird-management activities and 2) value of the catfish lost to cormorants. This comprehensive economic study quantified these two economic effects by surveying catfish farms in the delta regions of Mississippi and Arkansas. On-farm expenditures for bird scaring were used to quantify bird-management costs. Economic losses from fish consumed by cormorants were quantified by evaluating data from field studies of the abundance, distribution, and diet of cormorants in the Mississippi delta. This study found that catfish farmers spent an average of $285 per acre on farms to scare birds, making bird-scaring costs one of the top five expenditures of raising catfish. Expenses for manpower (labor/manager) were the greatest cost, followed by vehicle expenses (fuel/depreciation/repairs/maintenance) used to run birds, and cost of levee upkeep to chase birds (Figure 1). Many of these costs were fixed in that effort was needed regardless of the volume of catfish produced. Increased fixed costs disproportionally harm small catfish farms because of their limited scale of production

Multiple-viewer autostereoscopic display system

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 1997.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-89).Three-dimensional displays are numerous. Some can be used as "computer monitor-type" displays where predominantly one user is involved, while others work well in "movie-like" settings with a captive. However, very few, if any, of these 3-D displays have what can be called a "television- like" feel. For purposes of this thesis, a "television-like" feel is defined in this thesis as: 1) being autostereoscopic (no special glasses required), 2) having the capability to deliver a 3D image to a viewer at a variety of locations within the viewing area, 3) being able to accommodate multiple viewers, 4) being able to convey image realism, 5) utilizing only the minimum amount of data necessary to create a 3D image, 6) having a design that is scalable. Seven new designs will be outlined and discussed in this thesis which will satisfy these criteria, or bring valuable insight as to how these criteria may be satisfied.by Paul Christie.S.M

Testing the Extensional Detachment Paradigm: A Borehole Observatory in the Sevier Desert Basin

Low-angle normal faults or detachments are widely regarded as playing an important role in crustal extension and the development of rifted continental margins (Manatschal et al., 2007). However, no consensus exists on how to resolve the mechanical paradox implied by the gentle dips of these faults and by the general absence of evidence for associated seismicity (Sibson, 1985; Wernicke, 1995; Axen, 2004). As part of a new initiative to rationalize geological and geophysical evidence and our theoretical understanding of how rocks deform, a group of forty-seven scientists and drilling experts from five countries met for four days on 15–18 July 2008 to discuss the present status of the paradox and a borehole-based strategy for resolving it. The workshop was held at two venues in Utah (the Utah Department of Natural Resources in Salt Lake City, and Solitude Mountain Resort in the adjacent Wasatch Range), with a one-day field trip to the Sevier Desert basin of west-central Utah to examine the general setting of potential drill sites and the footwall geology of the Sevier Desert detachment (Canyon Range)

Autoantibodies against cytochrome P450 side-chain cleavage enzyme in dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) affected with hypoadrenocorticism (Addison’s Disease)

Canine hypoadrenocorticism likely arises from immune-mediated destruction of adrenocortical tissue, leading to glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid deficiency. In humans with autoimmune Addison's disease (AAD) or autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome (APS), circulating autoantibodies have been demonstrated against enzymes associated with adrenal steroid synthesis. The current study investigates autoantibodies against steroid synthesis enzymes in dogs with spontaneous hypoadrenocorticism. Coding regions of canine CYP21A2 (21-hydroxylase; 21-OH), CYP17A1 (17-hydroxylase; 17-OH), CYP11A1 (P450 side-chain cleavage enzyme; P450scc) and HSD3B2 (3β hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase; 3βHSD) were amplified, cloned and expressed as 35S-methionine radiolabelled recombinant protein. In a pilot study, serum samples from 20 dogs with hypoadrenocorticism and four unaffected control dogs were screened by radio-immunoprecipitation assay. There was no evidence of reactivity against 21-OH, 17-OH or 3βHSD, but five dogs with hypoadrenocorticism showed immunoreactivity to P450scc compared with controls. Serum samples were subsequently obtained from 213 dogs diagnosed with hypoadrenocorticism and 110 dogs from a hospital control population. Thirty control dogs were randomly selected to establish a threshold for antibody positivity (mean + 3 × standard deviation). Dogs with hypoadrenocorticism were more likely to be P450scc autoantibody positive than hospital controls (24% vs. 1.2%, respectively; p = 0.0016). Sex was significantly associated with the presence of P450scc autoantibodies in the case population, with 30% of females testing positive compared with 17% of males (p = 0.037). Significant associations with breed (p = 0.015) and DLA-type (DQA1*006:01 allele; p = 0.017) were also found. This cross-sectional study indicates that P450scc autoantibodies are present in a proportion of dogs affected with hypoadrenocorticism