A preliminary study of the statistical analyses and sampling strategies associated with the integration of remote sensing capabilities into the current agricultural crop forecasting system

Extending the crop survey application of remote sensing from small experimental regions to state and national levels requires that a sample of agricultural fields be chosen for remote sensing of crop acreage, and that a statistical estimate be formulated with measurable characteristics. The critical requirements for the success of the application are reviewed in this report. The problem of sampling in the presence of cloud cover is discussed. Integration of remotely sensed information about crops into current agricultural crop forecasting systems is treated on the basis of the USDA multiple frame survey concepts, with an assumed addition of a new frame derived from remote sensing. Evolution of a crop forecasting system which utilizes LANDSAT and future remote sensing systems is projected for the 1975-1990 time frame

The role of Melancholia in prostate cancer patients' depression

BACKGROUND: Although it is well established that prostate cancer (PCa) patients are more likely to experience clinical depression than their age-matched non-prostate cancer peers, and that such depression can have negative effects upon survival, little is known about the underlying nature of the depressive symptomatology that these men experience. In particular, the incidence of melancholic symptoms of depression, which are signs of increased risk of suicide and resistance to treatment, has not previously been reported in PCa patients. The present study aimed to measure the incidence and nature of Melancholia in PCa depression. METHOD: A sample of 507 PCa patients in Queensland, Australia, completed anonymous and confidential questionnaires about their background, treatment status, and depression. Data were analysed to select depressive symptoms that were part of the definition of Melancholia vs those which were not. Regression was used to determine the links between Melancholia and overall depressive status, and factor analysis revealed the underlying components of Melancholia, which were mapped over time since diagnosis for 3 years. RESULTS: Psychometric data were satisfactory. Melancholia significantly predicted depressive status for the most depressed subset of patients, but not for the total sample. Melancholia was factored into its components of Anhedonia and Agitation, and the first of these was more powerful in predicting Melancholia. Variability over the 3 years following diagnosis was noted for each of these two components of Melancholia. CONCLUSIONS: The strong presence of Melancholia in the depressive symptomatology of this sample of PCa patients suggests that some forms of treatment for depression may be more likely to succeed than others. The dominance of Anhedonia and Agitation over other symptoms of Melancholia also holds implications for treatment options when assisting these men to cope with their depression

The reporting of the university employability rankings : a critical review

Which are the best and worst universities in the UK for getting a job when you graduate? This question attracts readers of the employability rankings in national league tables. This study critically reviews the employability measure used in the rankings and its subsequent reporting in public news and commentary sources, such as national and local media, student and advisory websites as well as universities and the publishers themselves. A debate that is constrained by a reproduction of the content and apparent neutrality of the employability measure in the tables is revealed. Universities themselves are the most frequent commentators, and echo the content of the tables fairly uncritically. Analysis leads to a consideration that participants in higher education may not be served well by a proliferation of information that can lead to simultaneous over-simplification and obfuscation that does not result in clarity or trust. I will argue that prospective students and their advisers need to review information that is available critically, and that universities individually and collectively should facilitate the production of a more nuanced narrative about graduate career pathways that is not controlled by marketing and metrics

Uncertain transition : exploring the experience of recent graduates

What is the transition from university student to being part of the workforce really like for graduates? How do they reflect upon this transition themselves and how do they tell their stories? Commentary on the graduate labour market comes from many sources; the media publish doom and gloom stories, government produces a raft of statistics about the variable return on a degree, employers bemoan the job-readiness of some graduates, and universities remain resolutely upbeat about their graduates’ prospects. But what do recent graduates say about their lived experience of uncertain and competitive job markets? Graduates for whom the transition from university was not smooth were the priority group for this study, rather than those who tend to be eagerly picked up by university marketers as success stories. Drawing upon a range of data sources including focus groups with students before the end of their degree courses, and a survey and interviews (16-20 months after graduation), this study targets for analysis graduates from Arts, Creative Arts and Humanities subjects ; typically subjects that in mainstream reporting on the benefits of university study are considered to have a lower return in relation to a graduate premium. Data used is part of a larger data-set collected as part of a PhD research project which is still underway focusing on 2014 graduates from one northern, urban, Alliance group university and seeks to build a more nuanced narrative to that which emerges from debates about graduate destinations that are associated with the Destinations of Leavers of Higher Education (DLHE) survey. The research discovers that some of the fears students have about the job market may not be borne out in reality. Tracing early trajectories shows that graduates experience considerable change in both career circumstances and ideas, with evidence of steady improvement overall. As such, this research supports critical voices which point out the limitations of the current timing of the DLHE survey. It also reveals the subjectivity of graduate responses to questions about the value of their degree for their career, but also shows that most are very proud of their academic achievements. There is a diminished confidence/understanding of the transferability of graduate skills and knowledge to areas of work not directly related to a degree subject. Graduates are not passive players in uncertain and precarious work environments and many are pro-actively responding to the challenges they face in seeking fulfilling work. A number of factors contribute to graduate resilience including the morale-boosting support from family and friends, living in a location where there are graduate opportunities and having people to turn to have career conversations. The ability to draw upon valuable resources in the guise of social, economic and cultural capital is significant in managing early challenges and differences in social background impact on this. Implications are drawn from findings for universities, the current generation of students and graduates and those who advise and employ them

Revolution, Rebellion and Subversion in US History: Government and Public Response

The main objective of this thesis is to identify and examine the trends throughout American history regarding how the government has responded to internal conflicts. From the Revolution to the post-9/11 years, the United States government has dealt with numerous instances of tension and conflict with its citizens, often resulting in restrictive legislation or other measures suppressing liberty. The primary methods used in exploring this subject include comparison and evaluation of the public and government responses to such conflicts. Previous historical analysis of events and laws, public commentary, and firsthand accounts of individual experiences are drawn upon to illustrate the varying instances of opposition between the United States government and the people who supported policies or ideologies at odds with the status quo. In conclusion, the United States has repeatedly resorted to an ‘us vs. them’ outlook, thereby placing even peaceful opposition in the role of a threatening enemy. Anti-Federalists, pacifists, Southerners, suffragists, communists, and many others suffered the effects of this treatment over the course of American history. America’s cherished tenets of individual liberty and protection of unpopular speech have been consistently subordinated to national security. Improvements in education, increased cooperation between citizens and their representatives, a better understanding of the economics of a global community, and increased transparency in government are the primary recommendations to combat the overly nationalistic outlook which has fueled the ‘us vs. them’ policies which have stifled societal development

Factor structure of the Gotland Scale of male depression in two samples of men with prostate cancer:Implications for treating male depression

Up to a quarter of all prostate cancer (PCa) patients suffer from clinically significant depression but treatments are inconsistent and short-lived in their efficacy. One possible reason could be that 'male depression' is not adequately diagnosed by the criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD) used in many clinical settings.In response to this limitation, the Gotland Scale of Male Depression (GSMD) was developed to identify the extra symptoms of MDD in men. Although the factor structure of the GSMD has been reported in non-PCa samples, it has not been determined for this group of men. Two samples of PCa patients were recruited, 191 from Australia and 138 from the United Kingdom and all patients received the GSMD individually, plus a background questionnaire. Two-factor solutions were identified for each of the two samples. The Australian sample was characterized by changes in emotional and somatic function, followed by depressed mood. The U.K. sample exhibited the same two-factor solution but in reverse order of weighting. Targeted treatments for depression in PCa patients may benefit from identification of the loadings that individual patients have on these two GSMD factors so that specific clinical profiles and treatment needs may be based on this information about their depression

KOMPLEKSITAS PENERAPAN PERATURAN TATA KELOLA RUMAH SUSUN MENURUT SISTEM STRATA TITLE

Rumah merupakan kebutuhan dasar (basic needs) manusia selain sandang dan pangan, sehingga pemenuhan kebutuhan akan rumah menjadi sangat penting untuk dipenuhi. Berimbang dengan pertumbuhan penduduk yang semakin meningkat dari tahun ke tahun, peningkatan permintaan akan tersedianya rumah mendorong pertumbuhan ekonomi dan dalam perspektif hukum bisnis muncul konsep pembangunan vertikal dengan sistem strata title yang bertujuan untuk meminimalisir pemanfaatan lahan. Undang-Undang Nomor 20 tahun 2011 tentang Rumah Susun Pasal 1 ayat (1)  menyebutkan  rumah susun adalah gedung bertingkat yang dibangun dalam suatu lingkungan yang terbagi dalam bagian-bagian yang distrukturkan secara fungsional, baik dalam arah horizontal maupun vertikal dan merupakan satuan-satuan yang masing-masing dapat dimiliki dan digunakan secara terpisah, terutama untuk tempat hunian yang dilengkapi dengan bagian bersama, benda bersama, dan tanah bersama. Permasalahan yang diangkat dalam penelitan ini adalah kebutuhan raktyat akan tersedianya rumah yang layak merupakan hak setiap orang yang dijamin oleh konstitusi dan HAM, belum dapat dipenuhi oleh  pemerintah. Di lain pihak, terdapat kecenderungan segelintir warga masyarakat yang secara ekonomi mampu untuk mendapatkan rumah susun dengan konsep strata title merupakan fenomena baru dan menarik ditemukan diperkotaan. sehingga permasalahan utama yang dibahas dalam penelitian ini adalah bagaimana peraturan hak milik atas satuan rumah susun berdasarkan sistem strata title dan bagaimana implementasi prinsip tata kelola rusun berdasarkan sistem strata title. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui, memahami dan menjelaskan peraturan hak milik atas satuan rumah susun berdasarkan sistem strata title dan mengetahui, memahami dan menjelaskan implementasi prinsip tata kelola rusun berdasarkan sistem strata title. Penelitan ini merupakan tipe penelitian hukum normatif atau juga disebut penelitian hukum kepustakaan dengan menggunakan pendekatan peratutan perundang-undangan, pendekatan konseptual, dan pendekaatan kompatasi atau perbandingan. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa banyak peraturan perundang-undangan yang berkaitan erat dengan pengaturan rumah susun berdasarkan sistem strata title. Kata kunci : Kompleksitas, Tata Kelola, Strata Titl

Impact of droop and scarf on the aerodynamic performance of compact aero-engine nacelles

Future turbofan engines will operate with larger engine bypass-ratios and lower specific thrust than current in-service architectures to reduce the specific fuel consumption. This will be achieved by increasing the fan diameter which will incur in an increment in nacelle size and a concomitant larger nacelle drag, weight and interaction effects with the airframe. Therefore, it is required to design compact nacelles which will not counteract the benefits obtained from the new engine cycles. Nacelle design is based on a set of aero-lines that in combination with droop and scarf result in a 3D design. Traditionally, this process was performed by the design of axisymmetric aero-lines. Nevertheless, there is an emerging need to carry out the design process for full 3D configurations to have a better understanding of the effect of droop and scarf angles on the nacelle drag characteristics. This paper presents a numerical method for the multi-objective optimisation of drooped and scarfed non-axisymmetric nacelle aero-engines. It uses intuitive Class Shape Tranformations (iCSTs) for the aero-engine geometry definition, multi-point aerodynamic simulation, a near-field nacelle drag extraction method and the NSGA-II genetic algorithm. The process has been employed to perform independent multi-objective optimisations of compact architectures at selected droop and scarf angle combinations. The multi-objective optimisation framework was successfully demonstrated for the new nacelle design challenge and the overall system was shown to enable the identification of the effects of droop and scarf on compact aero-engines. The proposed tool complements a set of technologies for the design, analysis and optimisation of future civil turbofans aiming at reduction of specific fuel consumption

Resolving Apparent Conflicts between Oceanographic and Antarctic Climate Records and Evidence for a Decrease in pCO2 during the Oligocene through Early Miocene (34–16 Ma)

An apparent mismatch between published oxygen isotopic data and other paleoclimate proxies for the span from 26–16 Ma is resolved by calibration against global sea-level estimates obtained from backstripping continental margin stratigraphy. Ice-volume estimates from calibrated oxygen isotope data compare favorably with stratigraphic and palynological data from Antarctica, and with estimates of atmospheric pCO2 throughout the Oligocene to early Miocene (34–16 Ma). Isotopic evidence for an East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) as much as 30% larger than its present-day volume at glacial maxima during that span is consistent with seismic reflection and stratigraphic evidence for an ice sheet covering much of the Antarctic continental shelf at the same glacial maxima. Palynological data suggest long-term cooling during the Oligocene, with cold near-tundra environments developing along the coast at glacial minima no later than the late Oligocene. A possible mechanism for this long-term cooling is a decrease in atmospheric pCO2 from the middle Eocene to Oligocene, reaching near pre-industrial levels by the latest Oligocene, and remaining at those depressed levels throughout the Miocene