Cyber-Nationalism in China: Challenging Western Media Portrayals of Internet censorship in China

Reseña/Review (Jiang, Y., "Cyber-nationalism in China: challenging Western media portrayals of internet censorship in China". University of Adelaide, ISBN: 9780987171894, 156 págs., 2012)Book review: Jiang, Y. (2012). Cyber-nationalism in China: Challenging Western media portrayals of internet censorship in China. University of Adelaide Press.Book review: Jiang, Y. (2012). Cyber-nationalism in China: Challenging Western media portrayals of internet censorship in China. University of Adelaide Press

COFFEE QUALITY, LAND USE, AND PROCESSING IN THE CAJAMARCA REGION OF PERU

Procedures used for defining coffee quality include a variety of activities ranging from physical measurements, hedonic sensory evaluations, and valuation of recognized extrinsic attributes. The physical measurements of coffee quality evaluate intrinsic attributes through a set of formal coffee grading and analysis standards, in addition to human sensory activities which conduct formal cupping protocol standards and formal tasting competitions. Extrinsic qualities include attributes such as branding and aesthetics, in addition to sets of ethical qualities established to further differentiate value beyond intrinsic and hedonic qualities. The promotion and standardization of coffee quality expectations directly impact activities taken by coffee producers. Achieving established quality expectations require coffee producers to adapt certain land-use practices and post-harvest processes activities which significantly impact their livelihoods. This thesis will examine how coffee quality is interpreted, standardized, and implemented within the coffee supply chain and will further investigate environmental and economic trade-offs quality standards impose on land-use and post-harvest processing activities. The thesis will approach defining coffee quality through a collection of three distinct categories; intrinsic, hedonic, and extrinsic quality. This examination aims to demonstrate how these categories of coffee quality impact decisions made in the daily activities of coffee farming communities. A descriptive account will be presented to demonstrate activities relating to land-use and post-harvest processing methods within three separate smallholder coffee farming communities in the Cajamarca Region of Peru. Observations were made to show a variety of economic and environmental tradeoffs for achieving quality standards driven by current market demands. Advisor: Raymond Hame

Counts and Sizes of Galaxies in the Hubble Deep Field - South: Implications for the Next Generation Space Telescope

Science objectives for the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) include a large component of galaxy surveys, both imaging and spectroscopy. The Hubble Deep Field datasets include the deepest observations ever made in the ultraviolet, optical and near infrared, reaching depths comparable to that expected for NGST spectroscopy. We present the source counts, galaxy sizes and isophotal filling factors of the HDF-South images. The observed integrated galaxy counts reach >500 galaxies per square arcminute at AB<30. We extend these counts to faint levels in the infrared using models. The trend previously seen that fainter galaxies are smaller, continues to AB=29 in the high resolution HDF-S STIS image, where galaxies have a typical half-light radius of 0.1 arcseconds. Extensive Monte Carlo simulations show that the small measured sizes are not due to selection effects until >29mag. Using the HDF-S NICMOS image, we show that galaxies are smaller in the near infrared than they are in the optical. We analyze the isophotal filling factor of the HDF-S STIS image, and show that this image is mostly empty sky even at the limits of galaxy detection, a conclusion we expect to hold true for NGST spectroscopy. At the surface brightness limits expected for NGST imaging, however, about a quarter of the sky is occupied by the outer isophotes of AB<30 galaxies. We discuss the implications of these data on several design concepts of the NGST near-infrared spectrograph. We compare the effects of resolution and the confusion limit of various designs, as well as the multiplexing advantages of either multi-object or full-field spectroscopy. We argue that the optimal choice for NGST spectroscopy of high redshift galaxies is a multi-object spectrograph (MOS) with target selection by a micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) device.Comment: 27 pages including 10 figures, accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal, June 2000, abridged abstrac

On the optimization of a hybrid tuned mass damper for impulse loading

The present paper deals with the optimization of a hybrid tuned mass damper (TMD) in reducing the transient structural response due to impulse loading. In particular, a unit impulse excitation has been assumed, acting as base displacement, which is a situation that may occur in different real applications. The proposed hybrid TMD is composed of a previously optimized passive TMD and an added optimized active controller. Such configuration has been conceived in view of reducing both the global and the peak response. Especially on the latter task, the introduction of the active controller brings in a significant contribution. Prior, a bounded-input-bounded-output stability analysis on the control gains is developed. Different control laws have been investigated, assuming as primary structures, first a single-degree-of-freedom benchmark system and then a multi-degree-of-freedom building, in order to point out the most appropriate control law for the given structural context. In particular, a new control law, based on a linear combination of acceleration and velocity, allowed for remarkable peak response reduction. The achieved dynamic response exhibits a time settling weakly oscillating response, an indication of a stable behavior, and therefore represents a suitable option for the active controller, in view of various engineering applications

Mixed metal oxide catalysts prepared using supercritical carbon dioxide

The use of nitrate precursors for the production of mixed oxide catalysts such as iron molybdates and copper manganese oxides has been well documented in the literature. Nitrates have been used because of their high solubility and the ease of removal of the nitrate anion during calcination. In the case of copper manganese oxides, the use of chlorides and sulphates leads to the retention of the anion on the surface of the catalyst, using nitrates leaves no residue on the catalyst. The use of nitrates, however, is unfavourable due to the environmental issues associated with them. The main aim of this project was to provide a nitrate free route for the production of iron molybdate and copper manganese oxide catalysts. Using supercritical antisolvent precipitation (SAS) provided an alternative preparative route for the production of these catalysts. The catalysts produced exhibited activity when tested in their respective reactions. Some catalysts produced were comparable to those currently prepared using the conventional preparation methods i.e. the use of nitrate precursors. The research performed focussed on the production of theses mixed metal oxides using supercritical carbon dioxide. Optimisation of the supercritical process by varying operational parameters was also investigated to determine their effect on the activity of the catalyst obtained. By utilising operating parameters and understanding the supercritical antisolvent process, the results obtained showed that it was possible to produce mixed metal oxides, and to tune their catalytic activity.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Undergraduate Research Journal, Volume 14

Table of Contents: The Myth of Chechen Radical Islam / by Jonathan Parker (p.1-8) -- Genre and the Perception of Massacre... / by Lauren Ferguson (p.9-18) -- Sentinel of Liberty: Captain America on the Home Front in WWII / by Carolyn McNamara (p.19-34) -- Embracing Myth in Mrs. Dalloway / by Aza Pace (p.35-48) -- Cannibalism and Witchcraft in The Tempest / by Kenneth F. Harlock (p.49-62) -- Evolutionary Game Models of Optimal Nuclear Weapons Strategies / by Christina Kent (p.63-82) -- Optimization for a Bio-Impedance Measurement System / by Matthew Normayle (p.83-94)Senate of College Council

When Lone Wolf Defectors Undermine the Power of the Opt-Out Default

High levels of cooperation are a central feature of human society, and conditional cooperation has been proposed as one proximal mechanism to support this. The counterforce of free-riding can, however, undermine cooperation and as such a number of external mechanisms have been proposed to ameliorate the effects of free-riding. One such mechanism is setting cooperation as the default (i.e., an opt-out default). We posit, however, that in dynamic settings where people can observe and condition their actions on others’ behaviour, ‘lone wolf’ defectors undermine initial cooperation encouraged by an opt-out default, while ‘good shepherds’ defeat the free-riding encouraged by an opt-in default. Thus, we examine the dynamic emergence of conditional cooperation under different default settings. Specifically, we develop a game theoretical model to analyse cooperation under defaults for cooperation (opt-out) and defection (opt-in). The model predicts that the ‘lone wolf’ effect is stronger than the ‘good shepherd’ effect, which – if anticipated by players – should strategically deter free-riding under opt-out and cooperation under opt-in. Our experimental games confirm the existence of both ‘lone wolf’ defectors and ‘good shepherd’ cooperators, and that the ‘lone wolf’effect is stronger in the context of organ donation registration behaviour. We thus show a potential ‘dark side’ to conditional cooperation (‘lone wolf effect’) and draw implications for the adoption of an opt-out organ donation policy

Using clustering to extract personality information from socio economic data

It has become apparent that models that have been applied widely in economics, including Machine Learning techniques and Data Mining methods, should take into consideration principles that derive from the theories of Personality Psychology in order to discover more comprehensive knowledge regarding complicated economic behaviours. In this work, we present a method to extract Behavioural Groups by using simple clustering techniques that can potentially reveal aspects of the Personalities for their members. We believe that this is very important because the psychological information regarding the Personalities of individuals is limited in real world applications and because it can become a useful tool in improving the traditional models of Knowledge Economy

A data mining framework to model consumer indebtedness with psychological factors

Modelling Consumer Indebtedness has proven to be a problem of complex nature. In this work we utilise Data Mining techniques and methods to explore the multifaceted aspect of Consumer Indebtedness by examining the contribution of Psychological Factors, like Impulsivity to the analysis of Consumer Debt. Our results confirm the beneficial impact of Psychological Factors in modelling Consumer Indebtedness and suggest a new approach in analysing Consumer Debt, that would take into consideration more Psychological characteristics of consumers and adopt techniques and practices from Data Mining