A 'reality of return': the case of the Sarawakian-Chinese visiting China

Using an interpretive ethnographic framework, this paper focuses on how travel to the homeland informs the identity of the Sarawakian-Chinese, a diaspora that contains a composite of subcultures. The data collection is based upon 35 semi-structured interviews and participant observation of a Sarawakian-Chinese tour group to China. Whilst emotional connections with China are universally significant in constructing the diaspora's ethnic identity, the strength of association is influenced by characteristics of education, religion and language, as identity becomes re-defined and plural. The findings suggest that the influence of tourism to the homeland may not necessarily be significant in enhancing emotional and cultural connections with China. Instead, ambivalent connections to homeland become established during tourism experiences. Visits to the homeland could play a significant role in forging new and hybrid identities of ethnic communities outside the homeland, thereby bringing a new vital dimension to identity formation and communication of the Sarawakian-Chinese in the future

A rarefaction-tracking method for hyperbolic conservation laws

We present a numerical method for scalar conservation laws in one space dimension. The solution is approximated by local similarity solutions. While many commonly used approaches are based on shocks, the presented method uses rarefaction and compression waves. The solution is represented by particles that carry function values and move according to the method of characteristics. Between two neighboring particles, an interpolation is defined by an analytical similarity solution of the conservation law. An interaction of particles represents a collision of characteristics. The resulting shock is resolved by merging particles so that the total area under the function is conserved. The method is variation diminishing, nevertheless, it has no numerical dissipation away from shocks. Although shocks are not explicitly tracked, they can be located accurately. We present numerical examples, and outline specific applications and extensions of the approach.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figures. Similarity 2008 conference proceeding

Hitting a Moving Target: Curriculum Mapping, Information Literacy and Academe

This session will define curriculum mapping: its history, techniques, and traditional applications. The presenters will share how the University of Tennessee (UT) Libraries uses curriculum mapping as a tool for departmental information literacy integration. UT Libraries is successful in integrating information literacy concepts and activities into many courses, with less success in science courses. Curriculum mapping gives the science librarians a place to start when approaching teaching faculty about library instruction. The Changing Needs of Our Users theme is reflected in the ever-changing curriculum that departments offer. Librarians constantly try to keep up with these pedagogical changes. By systematically analyzing the content or focus of the courses being offered, librarians can propose the best timing and placement for information literacy concepts across a course of study. Science courses in particular, with their emphasis on practical, lab-based work, often do not have an intuitive placement for information literacy. Curriculum mapping provides the framework for introducing these opportunities to science faculty in a meaningful way, with the least amount of compromise to the vision of their course. Benefits of curriculum mapping include: keeping services relevant, speaking departmental language, marketing to departments, and creating point-of-need information literacy learning opportunities. Presentation participants will learn about the basics of curriculum mapping, UT\u27s application of curriculum mapping in a science setting, strategies for dealing with resistant faculty members, and ways to apply these methods at their own institution

On the equivalence of Eulerian and Lagrangian variables for the two-component Camassa-Holm system

The Camassa-Holm equation and its two-component Camassa-Holm system generalization both experience wave breaking in finite time. To analyze this, and to obtain solutions past wave breaking, it is common to reformulate the original equation given in Eulerian coordinates, into a system of ordinary differential equations in Lagrangian coordinates. It is of considerable interest to study the stability of solutions and how this is manifested in Eulerian and Lagrangian variables. We identify criteria of convergence, such that convergence in Eulerian coordinates is equivalent to convergence in Lagrangian coordinates. In addition, we show how one can approximate global conservative solutions of the scalar Camassa-Holm equation by smooth solutions of the two-component Camassa-Holm system that do not experience wave breaking

Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA): Analysis of the orbiter main propulsion system

The results of the Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA) of the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Critical Items List (CIL) are presented. The IOA approach features a top-down analysis of the hardware to determine failure modes, criticality, and potential critical items (PCIs). To preserve independence, this analysis was accomplished without reliance upon the results contained within the NASA FMEA/CIL documentation. The independent analysis results for the Orbiter Main Propulsion System (MPS) hardware are documented. The Orbiter MPS consists of two subsystems: the Propellant Management Subsystem (PMS) and the Helium Subsystem. The PMS is a system of manifolds, distribution lines and valves by which the liquid propellants pass from the External Tank (ET) to the Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSMEs) and gaseous propellants pass from the SSMEs to the ET. The Helium Subsystem consists of a series of helium supply tanks and their associated regulators, check valves, distribution lines, and control valves. The Helium Subsystem supplies helium that is used within the SSMEs for inflight purges and provides pressure for actuation of SSME valves during emergency pneumatic shutdowns. The balance of the helium is used to provide pressure to operate the pneumatically actuated valves within the PMS. Each component was evaluated and analyzed for possible failure modes and effects. Criticalities were assigned based on the worst possible effect of each failure mode. Of the 690 failure modes analyzed, 349 were determined to be PCIs

A characteristic particle method for traffic flow simulations on highway networks

A characteristic particle method for the simulation of first order macroscopic traffic models on road networks is presented. The approach is based on the method "particleclaw", which solves scalar one dimensional hyperbolic conservations laws exactly, except for a small error right around shocks. The method is generalized to nonlinear network flows, where particle approximations on the edges are suitably coupled together at the network nodes. It is demonstrated in numerical examples that the resulting particle method can approximate traffic jams accurately, while only devoting a few degrees of freedom to each edge of the network.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures. Accepted to the proceedings of the Sixth International Workshop Meshfree Methods for PDE 201

The discontinuous Galerkin method for fractional degenerate convection-diffusion equations

We propose and study discontinuous Galerkin methods for strongly degenerate convection-diffusion equations perturbed by a fractional diffusion (L\'evy) operator. We prove various stability estimates along with convergence results toward properly defined (entropy) solutions of linear and nonlinear equations. Finally, the qualitative behavior of solutions of such equations are illustrated through numerical experiments

The rate of convergence of Euler approximations for solutions of stochastic differential equations driven by fractional Brownian motion

The paper focuses on discrete-type approximations of solutions to non-homogeneous stochastic differential equations (SDEs) involving fractional Brownian motion (fBm). We prove that the rate of convergence for Euler approximations of solutions of pathwise SDEs driven by fBm with Hurst index $H>1/2$ can be estimated by $O(\delta^{2H-1})$ ($\delta$ is the diameter of partition). For discrete-time approximations of Skorohod-type quasilinear equation driven by fBm we prove that the rate of convergence is $O(\delta^H)$.Comment: 21 pages, (incorrect) weak convergence result removed, to appear in Stochastic

Oxidation of guanines in the iron-responsive element RNA: similar structures from chemical modification and recent NMR studies

AbstractBackground: The translation or stability of the mRNAs from ferritin, m-aconitase, erythroid aminoevulinate synthase and the transferrin receptor is controlled by the binding of two iron regulatory proteins to a family of hairpin-forming RNA sequences called iron-responsive elements (IREs). The determination of higher-solution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) structures of IRE variants suggests an unusual hexaloop structure, leading to an intra-loop G-C base pair and a highly exposed loop guanine, and a special internal loop/bulge in the ferritin IRE involving a shift in base pairing not predicted with standard algorithms.Results: Cleavage of synthetic 55- and 30-mer RNA oligonucleotides corresponding to the ferritin IRE with complexes based on oxoruthenium(IV) shows enhanced reactivity at a hexaloop guanine and at a guanine adjacent to the internal loop/bulge with strong protection at a guanine in the internal loop/bulge. These results are consistent with the recent NMR structures. The synthetic 55-mer RNA binds the iron-regulatory protein from rabbit reticulocyte lysates. The DNA analogs of the 55- and 30-mers do not show the same reactivity pattern.Conclusions: The chemical reactivity of the guanines in the ferritin IRE towards oxoruthenium(IV) supports the published NMR structures and the known oxidation chemistry of the metal complexes, The results constitute progress towards developing stand-alone chemical nucleases that reveal significant structural properties and provide results that can ultimately be used to constrain molecular modeling