Drift compensation circuit for analog to digital converter Patent

Voltage drift compensation circuit for analog-to-digital converte

Adoption as a Social Marker: Innovation Diffusion with Outgroup Aversion

Social identities are among the key factors driving behavior in complex societies. Signals of social identity are known to influence individual behaviors in the adoption of innovations. Yet the population-level consequences of identity signaling on the diffusion of innovations are largely unknown. Here we use both analytical and agent-based modeling to consider the spread of a beneficial innovation in a structured population in which there exist two groups who are averse to being mistaken for each other. We investigate the dynamics of adoption and consider the role of structural factors such as demographic skew and communication scale on population-level outcomes. We find that outgroup aversion can lead to adoption being delayed or suppressed in one group, and that population-wide underadoption is common. Comparing the two models, we find that differential adoption can arise due to structural constraints on information flow even in the absence of intrinsic between-group differences in adoption rates. Further, we find that patterns of polarization in adoption at both local and global scales depend on the details of demographic organization and the scale of communication. This research has particular relevance to widely beneficial but identity-relevant products and behaviors, such as green technologies, where overall levels of adoption determine the positive benefits that accrue to society at large.Comment: 26 pages, 10 figure

Shaft encoder presents digital output

Circuits that include compensation circuitry time a capacitance relative to a reference voltage so that a digital presentation occurs that is representative of the positional condition of the mechanical shaft being monitored. This circuitry may be employed in multiples to furnish binary encoding of a number of rotating devices simultaneously

A model for predicting dissolved organic carbon distribution in a reservoir water using fluorescence spectroscopy

A number of water treatment works (WTW) in the north of England (UK) have experienced problems in reducing the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) present in the water to a sufficiently low level. The problems are experienced in autumn/ winter when the colour increases and the coagulant dose at the WTW needs to be increased in order to achieve sufficient colour removal. However, the DOC content of the water varies little throughout the year. To investigate this further, the water was fractionated using resin adsorption techniques into its hydrophobic (fulvic and humic acid fractions) and hydrophilic (acid and non-acid fractions) components. The fractionation process yields useful information on the changing concentration of each fraction but is time consuming and labour intensive. Here, a method of rapidly determining fraction concentration was developed using fluorescence spectroscopy. The model created used synchronous spectra of fractionated material compared against bulk water spectra and predicted the fraction concentrations to within 10% for a specific water. The model was unable to predict fraction concentrations for waters from a different watershed

Bricks in the wall: A review of the issues that affect children of in‐country seasonal migrant workers in the brick kilns of Nepal

This paper explores experiences of Nepalese children of seasonal migrant workers in brick kilns and the particular vulnerabilities they face, as child labourers, as unpaid workers engaging informally in brick production or household work to the support family economy, or as children left behind in poor communities with varying support. The review provides a thematic analysis from child labour and migration literature from Nepal and South Asia from 2010–2020 to explore issues that affect children of families who internally migrate within Nepal to work in brick kilns. Two key themes and eight subthemes consistently emerged across the papers: Seasonal in‐country migration to brick kilns and impacts on children (reasons for children to enter into migrant work; left‐behind children; remittances; the role of gender on work and education) and the situation of children working in Nepalese brick kilns (living conditions; working conditions and occupational ill‐health; psychosocial distress; child protection). The review found that literature on Nepalese children from brick kiln working families is subsumed into wider studies on migration with impacts on children's lives often reported as outcomes of findings rather than a main focus of studies. Furthermore, there is minimal recent empirical research with such families and children. This may be due to ethical dilemmas of doing research with children and difficulties in maintaining contact with families that move frequently

An analysis of commercial railroad congestion and its resultant impact on fort-to-port transportation efforts

The United States Army is heavily-dependent upon commercial railroad transportation assets for the movement of cargo and equipment from Continental United States (CONUS) installations to Seaports of Embarkation during unit mobilizations. With the withdrawal of forces from overseas installations, this dependence upon commercial rail assets nas grown dramatically in the past few years. Due to a series of consolidations and mergers, the CONUS rail infrastructure has reached full capacity and is straining to meet civilian demands for rail services. If an environment of congestion, resulting in unanticipated delays, were to develop anywhere within the CONUS rail infrastructure, the movement of military unit cargo and equipment in response to a crisis mobilization or deployment would be severely impacted. This thesis examines the impact of rail congestion on U.S. Army crisis mobilization transportation efforts. Analysis and recommendations are provided to assist DoD planners in alleviating the impact of rail congestion on crisis transportation efforts.http://archive.org/details/annalysisofcomme1094513613U.S. Navy (U.S.N.) author.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Phylogenetic relationships of Indian caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona) inferred from mitochondrial rRNA gene sequences

India has a diverse caecilian fauna, including representatives of three of the six currently recognized families, the Caeciliidae, Ichthyophiidae, the endemic Uraeotyphlidae, but previous molecular phylogenetic studies of caecilians have not included sequences for any Indian caecilians. Partial 12S and 16S mitochondrial gene sequences were obtained for a single representative of each of the caecilian families found in India and aligned against previously reported sequences for 13 caecilian species. The resulting alignment (16 taxa, 1200 sites, of which 288 cannot be aligned unambiguously) was analyzed using parsimony, maximum-likelihood, and distance methods. As judged by bootstrap proportions, decay indices, and leaf stabilities, well-supported relationships of the Indian caecilians are recovered from the alignment. The data (1) corroborate the hypothesis, based on morphology, that the Uraeotyphlidae and Ichthyophiidae are sister taxa, (2) recover a monophyletic Ichthyophiidae, including Indian and South East Asian representatives, and (3) place the Indian caeciliid Gegeneophis ramaswamii as the sister group of the caeciliid caecilians of the Seychelles. Rough estimates of divergence times suggest an origin of the Uraeotyphlidae and Ichthyophiidae while India was isolated from Laurasia and Africa and are most consistent with an Indian origin of these families and subsequent dispersal of ichthyophiids into South East Asia

Sex tourism in an era of globalisation, technology, harm reduction and disease migration

Background There is a well-developed body of literature on sex tourism, a phenomenon that is experienced in almost every corner of the world. While extant literature depicts the complexity of sex tourism, it does not acknowledge the extent to which globalisation has irrevocably changed the industry. To date, there is a distinct lack of examination and understanding of the theoretical aspects of sex tourism that effectively conceptualise the intricate phenomenon within a contemporary worldview. For clarity, this thesis defines sex tourism as a phenomenon involving tourists, planned or spontaneously purchasing sexual services or experiences. Aim Sex tourism is a multifaceted and complex phenomenon. Using existing visual and theoretical frameworks and extensive analyses of literature, a model was created to depict the contemporary realities of those involved in the sex tourism industry. Using the country specific context of Thailand, this research took a public health and social science approach to map out sex tourism by drawing on the situation of sex workers, tourists, healthcare professionals, and community workers, as well as wider global forces such as technology, human rights, law enforcement, sexual health, and healthcare provision. Methodology The research consisted of four stages. Stage 1 was a critical analysis of extant literature, resulting in the development of an initial, conceptual sex tourism model. Stage 2 was an empirical, pragmatic, qualitative study, using unstructured and then semi-structured interviews with community workers, healthcare professionals, tourists, and sex workers. The interviews explored the unmet needs of stakeholders involved in sex tourism. Following this, the interviews sought to understand increased risky sexual behaviour in the context of globalisation; analyse the impact of technology on relationships between tourists and sex workers in Thailand; and discuss required changes to UK public health and social policy, clinical practice, and sexual health programmes. Stage 3 analysed and compared findings generated from Stages 1 and 2. Stage 4 scrutinised and refined the contemporary sex tourism model based on the combined findings from the previous stages, as well as presenting a sexual health patient pathway for tourists before travel and upon return to the UK. Results and future research To date, the holistic conceptual model is unique as it was built upon existing bodies of work whilst incorporating distinctive aspects of the industry that have not yet been considered in the field. The model consists of interacting, multi-level associations. Whilst the separate micro, contextual, meso, and macro levels are versatile, decision- makers and practitioners will be equipped to understand sex tourism in its entirety. The model should be used to inform international public health policy, practice and investments in country specific contexts. Following acceptance of the conceptual model, further empirical research should be undertaken to prove the validity and reliability of the model, adapt it where necessary, and expand the scope of the current research