Monotone Versions of Countable Paracompactness

One possible natural monotone version of countable paracompactness, MCP, turns out to have some interesting properties. We investigate various other possible monotonizations of countable paracompactness and how they are related.Comment: 11 page

Pathways to the co-management of protected areas and native title in Australia

In recent decades, various forms of co-management of national parks and other protected areas by governments and Indigenous people have come to the fore. This has occurred as Indigenous peoples have progressively demanded greater access to and decision- making power over their traditional lands. The response of governments has also seen the aligning of a number of policy approaches that have contributed to an increase in attention to co-management. In this paper, we are concerned with the regulatory and non-regulatory ‘formal institutions’ defined by Maclean et al. (2012: 21) as ‘the rules, regulations and social norms that are formalised in conventions, strategies, policy and plans’ that frame the entrance to co- management arrangements. The paper first provides an overview of these institutions in Commonwealth, state and territory jurisdictions, and discusses a number of evolving pathways to co-management in Australia, in particular native title. It then makes some jurisdictional comparisons of these institutional arrangements, questioning their relative value and whether their diversity is creating significant inequities among Aboriginal people

Monotone versions of δ-normality

AbstractAccording to Mack a space is countably paracompact if and only if its product with [0,1] is δ-normal, i.e. any two disjoint closed sets, one of which is a regular Gδ-set, can be separated. In studying monotone versions of countable paracompactness, one is naturally led to consider various monotone versions of δ-normality. Such properties are the subject of this paper. We look at how these properties relate to each other and prove a number of results about them, in particular, we provide a factorization of monotone normality in terms of monotone δ-normality and a weak property that holds in monotonically normal spaces and in first countable Tychonoff spaces. We also discuss the productivity of these properties with a compact metrizable space

Accurate ionic forces and geometry optimization in linear-scaling density-functional theory with local orbitals

Linear scaling methods for density-functional theory (DFT) simulations are formulated in terms of localized orbitals in real space, rather than the delocalized eigenstates of conventional approaches. In local-orbital methods, relative to conventional DFT, desirable properties can be lost to some extent, such as the translational invariance of the total energy of a system with respect to small displacements and the smoothness of the potential-energy surface. This has repercussions for calculating accurate ionic forces and geometries. In this work we present results from onetep, our linear scaling method based on localized orbitals in real space. The use of psinc functions for the underlying basis set and on-the-fly optimization of the localized orbitals results in smooth potential-energy surfaces that are consistent with ionic forces calculated using the Hellmann-Feynman theorem. This enables accurate geometry optimization to be performed. Results for surface reconstructions in silicon are presented, along with three example systems demonstrating the performance of a quasi-Newton geometry optimization algorithm: an organic zwitterion, a point defect in an ionic crystal, and a semiconductor nanostructure.<br/

A Year After It Started: The Benefits of the Iraqi 4-H Program – A View from the Youth, Parents, and Volunteer Leaders of the Dar Al Salaam 4-H Club

In 2010, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Inma Agribusiness Program sought new avenues to enhance the agricultural sector and support democracy while working with marginalized and displaced people (USAID, 2011). The 4-H program was the vehicle to usher in change in the country. With the help of the national Iraqi 4-H leader, 25 young people (ages 8 – 16) were identified in the Babil area, based on the child’s desire to care for an animal and financial need of the families. The purpose of this qualitative ethnographic case study was to investigate the views of the youth, their parents, and the leaders of the first (USAID-Inma supported) 4-H club. The goal of the youth program was to strengthen the agriculture sector in the Babil area and increase family incomes, while instilling democratic values and providing young people hope and an opportunity to succeed. Data from this case study indicated youth from the Dar Al Salaam 4-H club embraced the idea of democracy, shared new ideas, inclusiveness in their actions, and yearned for change and a brighter future; positive indicators for any nation, developing or developed

PARAS program: Phased array radio astronomy from space

An orbiting radio telescope is proposed which, when operated in a Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBLI) scheme, would allow higher (than currently available) angular resolution and dynamic range in the maps, and the ability of observing rapidly changing astronomical sources. Using a passive phases array technology, the proposed design consists of 656 hexagonal modules forming a 150 meter diameter dish. Each observatory module is largely autonomous, having its own photovoltaic power supply and low-noise receiver and processor for phase shifting. The signals received by the modules are channeled via fiber optics to the central control computer in the central bus module. After processing and multiplexing, the data is transmitted to telemetry stations on the ground. The truss frame supporting each observatory pane is a hybrid structure consisting of a bottom graphite/epoxy tubular triangle and rigidized inflatable Kevlar tubes connecting the top observatory panel and bottom triangle. Attitude control and stationkeeping functions are performed by a system of momentum wheels in the bus and four propulsion modules located at the compass points on the periphery of the observatory dish. Each propulsion module has four monopropellant thrusters and six hydrazine arcjets, the latter supported by a nuclear reactor. The total mass of the spacecraft is 22,060 kg

Healthy Aging

It has been scientifically proven that preventative measures such as regular physical activity and healthy eating are crucial in maintaining good health, reducing the impact of disease, delaying disability, and reducing the need for expensive long term care for older adults. Among individuals in Maine aged 65 or older, 43 percent are overweight, 18 percent are obese, and 36 percent do not do any leisure time physical activities. Most of these individuals suffer from one or more chronic health problems. This can be avoided by incorporating moderate physical activity, good nutrition, and no smoking, thus delaying disability by as much as ten years. Options for health strategies among older adults involve wellness programs, physical activities, preventing falls, nutrition, and cross-cutting. However, weather is a huge barrier to these options in the state of Maine. By establishing networks and community opportunities, the health of older individuals can be bettered for an extended period of time