Aberration

This portfolio contains an author\u27s note and three creative pieces: the first is a work of poetry, the second is a work of fiction, and the third, a work of nonfiction. Together, these pieces examine the intersections of culture, religion, and gender. They survey the function of the narrative frame, and raise questions in regards to story-telling and re-telling. The poem, entitled Asclepias syriaca, explores identity, spirituality and self-infliction. The historical fiction piece, In the Telling, provides a re-investigation of the execution of Misha\u27al bint al Fahd al Saud, a Saudi princess condemned, allegedly, on the basis of adultery. The nonfiction piece, On Performance, delves into permutations of performance in various aspects of life

A Call to Restructure Existing International Environmental Law in Light of Africa\u27s Renaissance: The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the New Partnership For Africa\u27s Development (NEPAD)

This Comment warns that recent, continent-wide economic development strategies have threatened the ability of Africa to combat desertification. Therefore, the existing desertification treaty, UNCCD, must be amended to ensure its ability to effectuate environmental protection

Transposing Culture through Conversation: An Ethnographic Approach to Anime Fandom

Unique linguistic habits are upheld by the anime fandom community JADE, the Japanese Animated and Dramatic Entertainment club at the University of Mary Washington. Discourse and interaction within this community are studied over the course of a semester through observation and audio recordings. Conversations are then transcribed and carefully examined for trends in syntax and lexicon. Analysis reveals that participants employ language to situate themselves in a space between East and West. Though they are geographically removed from the source cultures of anime production, the use of certain pronouns and anaphoric adverbs suggest a close alignment with Eastern culture and humor. Hyperbolized lexical items and analogies are also implemented to perform humor and establish camaraderie within the community

A Call to Restructure Existing International Environmental Law in Light of Africa\u27s Renaissance: The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the New Partnership For Africa\u27s Development (NEPAD)

This Comment warns that recent, continent-wide economic development strategies have threatened the ability of Africa to combat desertification. Therefore, the existing desertification treaty, UNCCD, must be amended to ensure its ability to effectuate environmental protection

Oh, You Million Dollar Doll

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/5595/thumbnail.jp

Design and implementation of sensor systems for control of a closed-loop life support system

The sensing and controlling needs for a Closed-Loop Life Support System (CLLSS) were investigated. The sensing needs were identified in five particular areas and the requirements were defined for workable sensors. The specific areas of interest were atmosphere and temperature, nutrient delivery, plant health, plant propagation and support, and solids processing. The investigation of atmosphere and temperature control focused on the temperature distribution within the growth chamber as well as the possibility for sensing other parameters such as gas concentration, pressure, and humidity. The sensing needs were studied for monitoring the solution level in a porous membrane material along with the requirements for measuring the mass flow rate in the delivery system. The causes and symptoms of plant disease were examined and the various techniques for sensing these health indicators were explored. The study of sensing needs for plant propagation and support focused on monitoring seed viability and measuring seed moisture content as well as defining the requirements for drying and storing the seeds. The areas of harvesting, food processing, and resource recycling, were covered with a main focus on the sensing possibilities for regulating the recycling process

Diplomski studiji javne uprave i javnih politika: analiza sveučilišnih programa i stručnih kompetencija u Kanadi

We review Canadian Master’s of Public Administration and Master’s of Public Policy (MPA/MPP) academic programs by examining both general curricula but also – using a new web tool called the Public Policy and Governance (PPG) Portal – the detailed content (concepts) taught in those courses and their match with »competencies« as defined by several international public administration standards setting organizations. In total, we examined 22 academic units across the country, which in total offered 33 distinct programs (some units offered more than one program). We also provide data on certificate and diploma programs and their various concentrations. Despite the variety in programming (jurisdiction over education in Canada is at the sub-national or provincial level, with a relatively high degree of autonomy for individual universities, unlike the more national-state dominated systems in the European tradition), we note several trends: most programs offer concentrations; a recent trend has been »hybrid« degrees (often combining administration or management with some aspect of international relations); a general reliance on internships; a set of core courses for most programs consisting of governance, macroeconomics, theory of public administration; research methods; public policy; quantitative methods. Using the PPG Portal, we were able to match detailed content of courses and curricula with the competencies template. We find that most Canadian programs fall short in offering (or requiring) courses in »policy analysis theory and techniques« and »implementation strategy and design«. We close with a call for better dialogue between academics and practitioners specifically in the Canadian case, but more generally, since MPA and MPP programs are professional degrees that prepare candidates for work in the public sector. The academic »supply« should at least be cognizant of the practitioner »demand«. We think that the PPG portal and the design and data-gathering that produced it provide a possible model for inquiries in other countries on the fit between academic programs and practical needs.Analiziraju se kanadski sveučilišni programi diplomskih studija javne uprave i diplomskih studija javnih politika pregledom općih programa studija, ali i korištenjem novog web alata nazvanog Portal za javne politike i upravu, koji detaljno analizira sadržaj (koncepte) koji se predaju na takvim studijima te ih automatski povezuje s kompetencijama koje se stječu. Njih je pak definiralo nekoliko međunarodnih organizacija koje se bave postavljanjem standarda na području javne uprave. Ukupno su pregledane 22 sveučilišne institucije iz cijele države, s ukupno 33 različita programa (neke institucije nude više programa). Daju se i podaci o potvrdama i diplomama o završenoj naobrazbi i različitim modulima koji postoje. Iako su programi raznoliki (obrazovanje u Kanadi spada u nadležnost federalnih jedinica – provincija, a sveučilišta imaju relativno visok stupanj autonomije, za razliku od europske tradicije u kojoj visokim školstvom dominiraju središnje vlasti), primjetno je nekoliko trendova: većina programa nudi module; najnoviji su trend »hibridne« diplome (u kojima se često kombiniraju uprava i menadžment s nekim vidom međunarodnih odnosa); opće oslanjanje na stažiranje u odgovarajućim institucijama; većina programa ima skup temeljnih predmeta koji se sastoji od upravljanja, makroekonomije, teorije javne uprave, metoda istraživanja, javnih politika te kvantitativnih metoda. Korištenjem Portala za javne politike uspjelo se usporediti detaljan sadržaj predmeta i programa s kompetencijama koje bi se trebale steći završetkom studija. Pronađeno je da je većina kanadskih programa podbacila u ponudi (ili traženju) predmeta vezanih za »teoriju i tehnike analize javnih politika« i »strategiju i oblikovanje provedbe«. Poziva se na bolju suradnju između akademske zajednice i praktičara, posebno u kanadskim prilikama, ali i općenito, budući da su diplomski studiji javne uprave i javnih politika profesionalni studiji koji pripremaju kandidate za zanimanje u javnom sektoru. Sveučilišna »ponuda« trebala bi biti barem minimalno uzeti u obzir »potražnju« prakse. Smatra se da Portal za javne politike i upravu, kao i oblikovanje i sakupljanje podataka koji su omogućili njegovo postojanje, mogu biti jedan od modela za istraživanja o istim temama i u drugim zemljama

Discretization error dominance over subgrid terms in large eddy simulation of compressible shear layers in 2D

Second- and fourth-order-accurate spatial discretization methods give rise to discretization errors which are large than the corresponding subgrid terms in large eddy simulation of compressible shear layers in 2D, if the ratio between the filter width and the grid spacing is close to one. Even if an exact representation for the subgrid-scale contributions is assumed, large eddy simulation is accurate only if this ratio is sufficiently larger than one. In that regime fourth-order methods are more accurate than second-order methods. An analysis of the data obtained from two-dimensional direct numerical simulations of compressible shear layers substantiates these assertions