Claimed Co-ethnics and Kin-State Citizenship in Southeastern Europe

The paper introduces the often neglected concept of 'claimed co-ethnics' in the analysis of citizenship policies. It argues that this is an interstitial category that further complicates the triadic nexus between national minorities, nationalising states and kin-states. The 'claimed co-ethnics' are defined as people who are recognised by the citizenship (or ethnizenship) conferring state as belonging to its main ethnic group, although they themselves do not embrace that definition. In addition to bringing the issue of claimed co-ethnics into focus, the paper elucidates how citizenship policies can affect groups that challenge the exact fit between ethnicity and nation, showing how national governments through particular citizenship policies and categorisation practices engage in the construction of these groups. The paper shows that the triadic nexus framework, which has had a strong influence on citizenship and minorities scholarship, needs to be revised to include unidirectional relations between the elements of the triadic nexus. The paper is based on the comparison between the cases of ethnic Vlachs (in the context of Albania and Greece) and Bunjevci (in the context of Serbia and Croatia).European Commission - Seventh Framework Programme (FP7

Developing a life story: Constructing relations between self and experience in autobiographical narratives

Abstract In this paper, we consider how the life story develops through the creation of selfevent connections in narrating experiences. We first outline the ways in which such connections have been implied by existing work on the life story, and then consider the varieties of such connections that we see in our own work. That work suggests that selfevent connections can construct both a stable sense of self as well as a sense of how the self has changed across time. Moreover, different types of connections have different implications for the development of the life story. We also consider developmental and other factors which make one or another type of connection more likely. Finally, we consider two issues for future work, as well as some methodological considerations involved in testing those proposals. Copyright © 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel How do we know that we are the same person over time? This problem, termed in philosophy the problem of personal identity, remains current in both philosoph

Application of advanced technologies to small, short-haul aircraft

The results of a preliminary design study which investigates the use of selected advanced technologies to achieve low cost design for small (50-passenger), short haul (50 to 1000 mile) transports are reported. The largest single item in the cost of manufacturing an airplane of this type is labor. A careful examination of advanced technology to airframe structure was performed since one of the most labor-intensive parts of the airplane is structures. Also, preliminary investigation of advanced aerodynamics flight controls, ride control and gust load alleviation systems, aircraft systems and turbo-prop propulsion systems was performed. The most beneficial advanced technology examined was bonded aluminum primary structure. The use of this structure in large wing panels and body sections resulted in a greatly reduced number of parts and fasteners and therefore, labor hours. The resultant cost of assembled airplane structure was reduced by 40% and the total airplane manufacturing cost by 16% - a major cost reduction. With further development, test verification and optimization appreciable weight saving is also achievable. Other advanced technology items which showed significant gains are as follows: (1) advanced turboprop-reduced block fuel by 15.30% depending on range; (2) configuration revisions (vee-tail)-empennage cost reduction of 25%; (3) leading-edge flap addition-weight reduction of 2500 pounds

Ethnopolitics Across Central and Eastern Europe in a State of Flux: Time for Updating and Upgrading?

This chapter illustrates why and how the existing theoretical models in the study of ethnopolitics need to be updated in light of the latest developments and the increasing impact of new catalysts. These are, namely, anti-immigration and the rise of the populist and radical right across Central and Eastern Europe. This chapter hints that the more systematic cooperation between academic experts in nationalism and academic experts in the populist and radical right will enable: (a) the former to assess more accurately the degree to which new variables such as Euroscepticism and anti-immigrant trends can reshape ethnopolitics, both as a living reality and a field of study, across Central and Eastern Europe; (b) the latter to formulate new interpretative models about how (right-wing) populist and Eurosceptic actors embed their agendas inside the pre-existing political cultures of nationalism and particularistic identity and memory politics. This chapter introduces and outlines the ethnosymbolic approach as well as the triadic and quadratic configurations of ethnopolitics. Then, it proceeds into a more empirical assessment of the applicability of these theoretical approaches in a series of case studies during the 1990s, as well as the more recent emergence of new catalysts and the ensuing necessity to update and upgrade the existing theoretical models

Segmentations of MRI images of the female pelvic floor: A study of inter- and intra-reader reliability

Purpose: To describe the inter- and intra-operator reliability of segmentations of female pelvic floor structures. Materials and Methods: Three segmentation specialists were asked to segment out the female pelvic structures in 20 MR datasets on three separate occasions. The STAPLE algorithm was used to compute inter- and intra-segmenter agreement of each organ in each dataset. STAPLE computed the sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive values (PPV) for inter- and intra-segmenter repeatability. These parameters were analyzed using intra-class correlation analysis. Correlation of organ volume to PPV and sensitivity was also computed. Results: Mean PPV of the segmented organs ranged from 0.82 to 0.99, and sensitivity ranged from 33 to 96%. Intra-class correlation ranged from 0.07 to 0.98 across segmenters. Pearson correlation of volume to sensitivity were significant across organs, ranging from 0.54 to 0.91. Organs with significant correlation of PPV to volume were bladder (−0.69), levator ani (−0.68), and coccyx (−0.63). Conclusion: Undirected manual segmentation of the pelvic floor organs are adequate for locating the organs, but poor at defining structural boundaries. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2011;33:684–691. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/83166/1/22478_ftp.pd

A multiscale analysis of gene flow for the New England cottontail, an imperiled habitat specialist in a fragmented landscape

Landscape features of anthropogenic or natural origin can influence organisms\u27 dispersal patterns and the connectivity of populations. Understanding these relationships is of broad interest in ecology and evolutionary biology and provides key insights for habitat conservation planning at the landscape scale. This knowledge is germane to restoration efforts for the New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis), an early successional habitat specialist of conservation concern. We evaluated local population structure and measures of genetic diversity of a geographically isolated population of cottontails in the northeastern United States. We also conducted a multiscale landscape genetic analysis, in which we assessed genetic discontinuities relative to the landscape and developed several resistance models to test hypotheses about landscape features that promote or inhibit cottontail dispersal within and across the local populations. Bayesian clustering identified four genetically distinct populations, with very little migration among them, and additional substructure within one of those populations. These populations had private alleles, low genetic diversity, critically low effective population sizes (3.2-36.7), and evidence of recent genetic bottlenecks. Major highways and a river were found to limit cottontail dispersal and to separate populations. The habitat along roadsides, railroad beds, and utility corridors, on the other hand, was found to facilitate cottontail movement among patches. The relative importance of dispersal barriers and facilitators on gene flow varied among populations in relation to landscape composition, demonstrating the complexity and context dependency of factors influencing gene flow and highlighting the importance of replication and scale in landscape genetic studies. Our findings provide information for the design of restoration landscapes for the New England cottontail and also highlight the dual influence of roads, as both barriers and facilitators of dispersal for an early successional habitat specialist in a fragmented landscape

Interfacial-Redox-Induced Tuning of Superconductivity in YBa2Cu3O7-δ.

Solid-state ionic approaches for modifying ion distributions in getter/oxide heterostructures offer exciting potentials to control material properties. Here, we report a simple, scalable approach allowing for manipulation of the superconducting transition in optimally doped YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO) films via a chemically driven ionic migration mechanism. Using a thin Gd capping layer of up to 20 nm deposited onto 100 nm thick epitaxial YBCO films, oxygen is found to leach from deep within the YBCO. Progressive reduction of the superconducting transition is observed, with complete suppression possible for a sufficiently thick Gd layer. These effects arise from the combined impact of redox-driven electron doping and modification of the YBCO microstructure due to oxygen migration and depletion. This work demonstrates an effective step toward total ionic tuning of superconductivity in oxides, an interface-induced effect that goes well into the quasi-bulk regime, opening-up possibilities for electric field manipulation