Regime Type and Funding Armed Proxies: A Case Study of Afghanistan Through the Centuries

Weak states are and have always been inviting targets for the attention of competing great powers, especially when the weak state occupies a geopolitically significant position. Whether this significance is derived from access to trade routes, control over material resources, or other factors of strategic importance to the competing powers, the opportunity to bolster its position by exerting influence over a weak state is tempting for any power that has the means to do so. While competition over weak states has been a constant feature of the international system for centuries, nations have diversified their strategies for exerting influence beyond their own borders. Outright military force is still used, but states often rely on other means. One of the most popular and potentially most destabilizing strategies that states utilize is funding armed groups within the target state. These militant groups are often used as proxies, allowing a strong state to project influence in a weak state without actually going to war. This thesis will attempt to investigate the factors that impact the states’ choice of strategy in competition for influence within weak states. Specifically, it will test whether regime type influences the likelihood that a strong state will sponsor armed groups in a weak state where it is trying to exert influence.Bachelor of Art

Electron Paramagnetic Resonance of Beef‐Heart Ferricytochrome c

We have observed an anisotropic EPR spectrum in a frozen solution of the low‐spin (S  =  ½;)(S=12;) hemoprotein ferricytochrome c. These results are interpreted in terms of the theory for the low‐spin ferric ion in an octahedral crystal field which is subject to an (axial) distortion along the axis perpendicular to the heme plane and a (rhombic) distortion in the plane of the heme, and a spin‐orbit constant which is less than that found in the free ion. This model also leads to calculated values for the effective magnetic moment which agree well with experiment.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/71237/2/JCPSA6-48-5-2049-1.pd

Erratum: Electron Paramagnetic Resonance of Beef Heart Ferricytochrome c

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/71341/2/JCPSA6-48-9-4331-1.pd

Improved techniques for measurement of nanolitre volumes of phloem exudate from aphid stylectomy

Background: When conducting aphid stylectomy, measuring accurate rates of phloem exudation is difficult because the volumes collected are in the nanolitre (nl) range. In a new method, exudate volume was calculated from optical measurement of droplet diameter as it forms on the tip of a severed aphid stylet. Evaporation was shown to decrease the accuracy of the measurement but was countered with the addition of water-saturated mineral oil. Volume measurements by optical estimation of the volume of a sphere suspended in oil was affected by the curvature of the oil surface. In contrast, measuring the exudate volume from optical measurement of droplet-diameter as formed on the tip of a severed aphid stylet, removes any inaccuracies due to oil surface curvature. A modified technique is proposed for measuring exudate volumes without oil by estimating the flow rate from photo-sequences of the collection period; a correction for evaporation is applied later. Results: A change in oil volume of ±1.75% from an optimum volume of 285 μl had a statistically significant effect on droplet measurement, under or over-estimating droplet volume due to optical effects caused by the oil surface. Using microscope image capture and measurement software, a modified method for measuring phloem volume in air was developed, by reducing air exposure during measurement to approximately 5 s for each measurement. Phloem volumes were measured using both techniques with measurements in air being on average 19.9 nl less (SD 18.87, p<0.001) than those made in oil, and there was a strong linear relationship (R2=0.942) between the techniques. This linear relationship enabled the development of a correction equation with no significant difference at the 5% level between corrected volumes and actual volumes measured under oil. Conclusions: This study showed that oil has a significant role in countering evaporation but oil volume must be carefully optimised for optical measurement of droplets to ensure measurement accuracy. A linear correction factor was generated to correct the volumes measured in air for loss due to evaporation and the method provides for a much simpler alternative to previous approaches for measuring exudation rates and volumes from a cut aphid stylet.Lachlan J Palmer, Lyndon T Palmer, Jeremy Pritchard, Robin D Graham and James CR Stangouli

Academic Preparation in Cleft Palate for Speech-Language Pathologists: Is the ICF-CY (Who, 2007) Alive and Well?

The purpose of this project is to determine inclusion of the ICF-CY in CLP training curricula for SLPs. Survey research was conducted with course instructors across the nation. Results describe the application of the ICF-CY in CLP courses at the graduate level. Recommendations for including the ICF-CY framework are made

The effect of the 57Fe hyperfine interaction on the EPR spectrum of spinach ferredoxin

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/33330/1/0000727.pd

The kinetics and mechanism of oxidation of reduced spinach ferredoxin by molecular oxygen and its reduced products

Reduced spinach ferredoxin reacts with molecular oxygen in an autocatalytic reaction characterized by a hyperbolic dependence on oxygen concentration. The kinetics of the reaction indicate formation of a reduced ferredoxin-oxygen intermediate complex and production of superoxide anion which may also react with reduced ferredoxin. Hydrogen peroxide, which is formed from superoxide, in turn reoxidizes reduced ferredoxin at a rate nearly 10-times faster than that of the comparable reaction with oxygen. The kinetics of reaction of hydrogen peroxide with reduced ferredoxin are biphasic. The substrate dependence of the first phase of the reaction is consistent with a simple one-step equilibrium reaction. The second phase of the reaction could be eliminated by addition of the radical trapper, sodium formate.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/25179/1/0000618.pd

A scheduling theory framework for GPU tasks efficient execution

Concurrent execution of tasks in GPUs can reduce the computation time of a workload by overlapping data transfer and execution commands. However it is difficult to implement an efficient run- time scheduler that minimizes the workload makespan as many execution orderings should be evaluated. In this paper, we employ scheduling theory to build a model that takes into account the device capabili- ties, workload characteristics, constraints and objec- tive functions. In our model, GPU tasks schedul- ing is reformulated as a flow shop scheduling prob- lem, which allow us to apply and compare well known methods already developed in the operations research field. In addition we develop a new heuristic, specif- ically focused on executing GPU commands, that achieves better scheduling results than previous tech- niques. Finally, a comprehensive evaluation, showing the suitability and robustness of this new approach, is conducted in three different NVIDIA architectures (Kepler, Maxwell and Pascal).Proyecto TIN2016- 0920R, Universidad de Málaga (Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech) y programa de donación de NVIDIA Corporation

GRB 070714B - Discovery of the Highest Spectroscopically Confirmed Short Burst Redshift

Gemini Nod & Shuffle spectroscopy on the host of the short GRB 070714B shows a single emission line at 7167 angstroms which, based on a grizJHK photometric redshift, we conclude is the 3727 angstrom [O II] line. This places the host at a redshift of z=.923 exceeding the previous record for the highest spectroscopically confirmed short burst redshift of z=.546 held by GRB 051221. This dramatically moves back the time at which we know short bursts were being formed, and suggests that the present evidence for an old progenitor population may be observationally biased.Comment: Conference procedings for Gamma Ray Bursts 2007 November 5-9, 2007 Santa Fe, New Mexico (4 pages, 2 figures