2,484 research outputs found
I'm a celebrity, get me into politics: the political celebrity and the celebrity politician
This chapter discusses the political celebrity and the celebrity politician
Minet Magnetic Indoor Localization
Indoor localization is a modern problem of computer science that has no unified solution, as there are significant trade-offs involved with every technique. Magnetic localization, though less popular than WiFi signal based localization, is a sub-field that is rooted in infrastructure-free design, which can allow universal setup. Magnetic localization is also often paired with probabilistic programming, which provides a powerful method of estimation, given a limited understanding of the environment. This thesis presents Minet, which is a particle filter based localization system using the Earth\u27s geomagnetic field. It explores the novel idea of state space limitation as a method of optimizing a particle filter, by limiting the scope of possibilities the filter has to predict. Minet is also built as a distributed model, which can be easily modified to integrate new technologies. Minet showed promising results, but ultimately fell short of its accuracy goal. Minet had some inconsistencies that led to these accuracy issues, but these issues have been diagnosed and can be fixed in future updates. Finally, potential improvements of Minet\u27s base components are discussed, along with how different technologies such as a Deep Learning model can be implemented to improve performance
In a range of meaningful contexts: 25 years of struggle for meaning in mathematics teaching
The use of meaningful contexts has been a given in New Zealand’s mathematics curricula for the last 25 years. They hold a privileged position, but there has been little examination of why they are given this position either nationally or internationally, even though there is solid evidence that the use of contexts and word problems in mathematics is not without implications for equitable access to mathematics, student learning, and assessment of learning. So what are the affordances and constraints of taking the meaningful context approach to mathematics? What has been the impact of taking this approach on student achievement and learning? These are important questions given The New Zealand Curriculum is ten years old and a curriculum review is looming. These questions are being raised to start an essential debate for mathematics education in New Zealand, one that needs to take place prior to any curriculum review so an informed decision on the place and nature of meaningful contexts in future mathematics curricula can be made
X-Ray Wakes in Abell 160
`Wakes' of X-ray emission have now been detected trailing behind a few (at
least seven) elliptical galaxies in clusters. To quantify how widespread this
phenomenon is, and what its nature might be, we have obtained a deep (70 ksec)
X-ray image of the poor cluster Abell 160 using the ROSAT HRI. Combining the
X-ray data with optical positions of confirmed cluster members, and applying a
statistic designed to search for wake-like excesses, we confirm that this
phenomenon is observed in galaxies in this cluster. The probability that the
detections arise from chance is less than 0.0038. Further, the wakes are not
randomly distributed in direction, but are preferentially oriented pointing
away from the cluster centre. This arrangement can be explained by a simple
model in which wakes arise from the stripping of their host galaxies'
interstellar media due to ram pressure against the intracluster medium through
which they travel.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Bacterial Contamination in Public ATAC-Seq Data and Alignment-Free Detection Methods
ATAC-seq is a new high-throughput sequencing technology for measuring chromatin accessibility within genomic samples. It can be used to discover new information about open regions, nucleosome positions, transcription factor binding sites, and DNA methylation. It is especially useful when combined with other next-generation sequencing techniques, such as RNA-seq. Unlike previous technologies, however, ATAC-seq is more sensitive to bacterial contamination, which is a well-known problem in cell cultures that can lead to incorrect experimental results. Previous studies have measured the contamination in public RNA-seq data and found that 5%- 10% of samples were contaminated. In this report, we investigate the prevalence of contamination in ATAC-seq samples, rather than RNA-seq data, uploaded to the Sequence Read Archive using two popular alignment-based tools: Bowtie 2 and Kraken 2. We then develop an alignment-free method of detection using machine learning and a novel method of estimating DNA fragment lengths from paired-end ATAC-seq data. Our results show that around 5% of ATAC-seq samples are contaminated and our machine learning method is able to correctly classify 97% of samples as contaminated or not while using less computational resources than the alignment-based tools. Thus, our method shows promise as a preliminary rapid screening tool for contamination in labs with limited access huge to computational resources
Alcohol Use Disorders And Antiretroviral Therapy Among Prisoners With Hiv/aids In Argentina
While Argentina has significantly improved access to HIV care and antiretroviral therapy (ART) for both the general population and prisoners, the prevalence of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) among HIV-infected prisoners and their relationship to accessing ART in Argentina is currently unknown. This study aims to characterize the substance abuse patterns of HIV-infected prisoners in Argentina and to assess the independent correlates of receipt of pre-incarceration ART.
An anonymous, cross-sectional survey of 100 HIV-infected federal prisoners was conducted in the Buenos Aires municipality from July-December 2010. AUDs were assessed using the AUDIT scale.
A majority (63 per cent) of participants met criteria for AUDs, 45 per cent of subjects were diagnosed with HIV in prison and one-quarter had initiated ART during the current incarceration. In addition, over one-third (35 per cent) of participants did not receive ART during the pre-incarceration period despite receiving it upon incarceration. This correlated significantly with the presence of having an AUD (AOR 0.20, 95 per cent CI 0.06-0.74, p = 0.016).
AUDs are prevalent among HIV-infected prisoners in Argentina and are significantly related to not receiving ART in the community among those who meet treatment criteria and receive ART in prison. While Argentina has provided an exemplary model of HIV-related health care reform within its prisons, future efforts to provide screening and treatment for AUDs are needed to improve the health of the nation\u27s incarcerated population
The Rise of a Chinese Bourgeoisie and the Potential for Democratic Transition
This project examines the logic of China’s political history and the potential for its democratic political transformation in the 21st century. Using the ideas of Moore and Skocpol the project employs a comparative historical sociology to explain the emergence of the liberal democratic political order in the 18th century western transformations as organized by an emerging bourgeoisie. The end goal of the project is to determine if the creation of a Chinese entrepreneurial class, which does exist in economic terms as a result of market activity and the devolution of state power, can be taken as evidence of an imminent shift into social structure associated with a bourgeoisie that embodies economic, cultural and political power.
The analysis of the western transformations identifies the evolution of a bourgeois culture from the 16th up until the 18th century. The 16th century saw the rise of the rationalization and secularization of the entrepreneur - reason became the standard that would guide society, not the dogmas of traditional authority. The 17th century built on this by emphasizing the importance of property and law – as ways of realizing the newfound philosophical development that emerged in the previous century. Finally, the 18th century witnessed a profound emphasis on the constitutional rule of law and democratic process. These three sets of liberal values – the rise of reason over the dogmas of the state or church; emphasis on property and law; and emphasis on democratic principles and constitutional governance – are the defining features of emergent bourgeois government.
The analysis of the failed eastern transformations reveals how economy and state gravely checked the rise of a bourgeoisie and its transformation of the traditional state. The comprehensive state machinery – such as existed in China and Russia – imposed autocratic constraints on the force of the market and its social attachments and political products. Until social forces could create a space for market organization and property-law within the economic system, the state maintained its autocratic monopoly. In the last 20 years the logic of Moore has been resumed in China, as markets and property have emerged with force and the state system has resiled from its traditionally autocratic role, albeit with property-capturing and law-distorting corruptions. As Moore’s logic once more exerts itself we should see change in China from market organization to property-law to a specific culture as the foundations of bourgeois political transformation
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