Skills Labs - Deliverable 2.4.a: Casusidee Building with Nature: Blue Greens in Volkerak-Zoommeer

Blauw, T., Dekker, P., Stel, J., Klomp, R., Kortsmit, B., & Löhr, A. (2008). Skills Labs - Deliverable 2.4.a: Casusidee Building with Nature: Blue Greens in Volkerak-ZoommeerVolgens de Emergo-methode uitgewerkt casusidee van casus Building with Nature: Blue Greens in Volkerak-Zoommeer binnen het project Skills Labs.SURFFoundatio

Prediction and Generation of Binary Markov Processes: Can a Finite-State Fox Catch a Markov Mouse?

Understanding the generative mechanism of a natural system is a vital component of the scientific method. Here, we investigate one of the fundamental steps toward this goal by presenting the minimal generator of an arbitrary binary Markov process. This is a class of processes whose predictive model is well known. Surprisingly, the generative model requires three distinct topologies for different regions of parameter space. We show that a previously proposed generator for a particular set of binary Markov processes is, in fact, not minimal. Our results shed the first quantitative light on the relative (minimal) costs of prediction and generation. We find, for instance, that the difference between prediction and generation is maximized when the process is approximately independently, identically distributed.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figures; http://csc.ucdavis.edu/~cmg/compmech/pubs/gmc.ht

Aliasing Compromises Staggered-Rotamer Analysis of Polypeptide Sidechain Torsions

Circular undersampling and the ensuing aliasing effect are demonstrated to compromise nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based molecular torsion-angle analysis referring to experimental 3 J-coupling constants when employing the staggered-rotamer model, also known as Pachler model. This popular model is flawed insofar as it systematically produces counterintuitive probabilities for the two minor constituents out of the total three rotamers, to the effect that the apparent circular mean direction of the molecular bond conformation is inflected about its main rotamer angle, a situation that apparently went unnoticed for more than 50 years. The principal reason for systematic errors lay in the model’s ill-conceived attempt to resolve the bimodal 3 J-coupling-angle dependency by a mere three discrete points on the circle, thereby conflicting with the Nyquist-Shannon sampling theorem. An anti-aliasing approach is being offered that helps improve the results

Extraterritorial Application and Customary Norm Assessment of Non-Refoulement: The Legality of Australia\u27s \u27Turn-Back\u27 Policy

This article considers whether the Commonwealth Government’s border protection policy of turning back asylum seeker boats breaches its international obligation not to refoule refugees, as imposed under the Refugee Convention art 33(1). In addressing this issue the article examines whether art 33(1) applies extraterritorially, and whether a similar obligation has become embedded in customary international law. The conclusions reached are applied to specific situations where Australia has returned refugees

Numerical Integration and Dynamic Discretization in Heuristic Search Planning over Hybrid Domains

In this paper we look into the problem of planning over hybrid domains, where change can be both discrete and instantaneous, or continuous over time. In addition, it is required that each state on the trajectory induced by the execution of plans complies with a given set of global constraints. We approach the computation of plans for such domains as the problem of searching over a deterministic state model. In this model, some of the successor states are obtained by solving numerically the so-called initial value problem over a set of ordinary differential equations (ODE) given by the current plan prefix. These equations hold over time intervals whose duration is determined dynamically, according to whether zero crossing events take place for a set of invariant conditions. The resulting planner, FS+, incorporates these features together with effective heuristic guidance. FS+ does not impose any of the syntactic restrictions on process effects often found on the existing literature on Hybrid Planning. A key concept of our approach is that a clear separation is struck between planning and simulation time steps. The former is the time allowed to observe the evolution of a given dynamical system before committing to a future course of action, whilst the later is part of the model of the environment. FS+ is shown to be a robust planner over a diverse set of hybrid domains, taken from the existing literature on hybrid planning and systems.Comment: 17 page

Scripted collaboration in serious gaming for complex learning: Effects of multiple perspectives when acquiring water management skills

Hummel, H. G. K., Van Houcke, J., Nadolski, R. J., Van der Hiele, T., Kurvers, H., & Löhr, A. (2011). Scripted collaboration in gaming for complex learning: Effects of multiple perspectives when acquiring water management skills. British Journal of Educational Technology, 42(6), 1029-1041. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2010.01122.xThis article examines how learning outcomes from playing serious games can be enhanced by including scripted collaboration in the game play. We compared the quality of advisory reports, that students in the domain of water management had to draw up for an authentic case problem, both before and after collaborating on the problem with (virtual) peer students. Peers studied the case from either an ecological or governance perspective, and during collaboration both perspectives had to be confronted and reflected upon. This article argues why such type of workplace-based learning scenarios are important for professional development, describes how serious gaming scenarios can be designed to support such complex learning, and reports data on student satisfaction and learning effects of including scripted collaboration. Preliminary results from a pilot study with 12 students show that including scripted collaboration significantly enhances the quality of learning outcomes

Two-dimensional electron gas formation in undoped In[0.75]Ga[0.25]As/In[0.75]Al[0.25]As quantum wells

We report on the achievement of a two-dimensional electron gas in completely undoped In[0.75]Al[0.25]As/In[0.75]Ga[0.25]As metamorphic quantum wells. Using these structures we were able to reduce the carrier density, with respect to reported values in similar modulation-doped structures. We found experimentally that the electronic charge in the quantum well is likely due to a deep-level donor state in the In[0.75]Al[0.25]As barrier band gap, whose energy lies within the In[0.75]Ga[0.25]As/In[0.75]Al[0.25]As conduction band discontinuity. This result is further confirmed through a Poisson-Schroedinger simulation of the two-dimensional electron gas structure.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures, to be published in J. Vac. Sci. Technol.

On how to achieve reference to covert social constructions

What does it mean to say that some features, such as gender, race and sexual orientation, are socially constructed? Many scholars claim that social constructionism about a kind is a version of realism about that kind, according to which the corresponding kind is a social construction, that it, it is constituted by social factors and practices. Social constructionism, then, is a version of realism about a kind that asserts that the kind is real, and puts forward a particular view about the nature of the kind, namely, that it is constituted by social factors and practices. Social constructivists about human kinds such as gender, race and sexual orientation often make an additional claim, namely, that these kinds are social constructions but they are typically believed to be biological kinds (that is, people are typically wrong about the nature of these kinds). Ron Mallon (2017) calls social constructions that are (falsely) taken to be biological kinds covert social constructions. This paper is about how we could have terms in our natural language that come to refer to covert social constructions

Multicentric B-cell lymphoma in a pygmy goat

A six-year-old, male pygmy goat was referred with a sudden onset of peripheral lymphadenopathy, which initially started as enlarged inguinal lymph nodes. Clinical examination showed swollen retropharyngeal, prescapular and inguinal lymph nodes. Serologic testing for bovine leukemia, caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus and caseous lymphadenitis was negative. Fine needle aspirates of the prescapular lymph nodes were taken and revealed multiple, large lymphoblastic cells on cytology. Because of the poor prognosis and clinical deterioration, the animal was euthanized. Full necropsy was performed and showed generalized lymphadenopathy. Further histological and immunohistochemical investigation of the lymph nodes characterized this neoplasia as a multicentric large B-cell lymphoma

Johannes de Mera

Johannes de Mera Mal. Beiname: Johannes Grammatica (Mainz, St., cod. I 53d, v. J. 1372, 2vb). 1. Geboren wohl in dem Dorf Meer (zw. Antwerpen und Breda; vgl. A. WELKENHUYSEN, Archives et Bibliotheques de Belgique 50 [1979] 544), lebte J. 1350 in Antwerpen, 1354 in Mecheln. Um die Mitte des 14. Jh.s verfaßte er zwei lat. Wörterbücher, den 'Puericius' und den 'Brachylogus'. J. schrieb für die Schule (utilitatem parvulorum et scolarium prospiciens). Der cod. Vat. lat. 10062 überliefert unter seinem Namen auch eine kleine Sammlung von Briefmustern (Dictamina) und legt ihm den Magistertitel bei. 2. Über die Entstehung der Wörterbücher äußert sich J. in zwei metrischen Epilogen. Danach beendete er den 'Puericius' am 12.März 1350 in Antwerpen (älteste Hs., Erfurt, Wiss. Bibl., cod. Amplon. Q27, datiert jedoch 7.5.1349). In den folgenden Jahren revidierte er den Text "stricta lectura"; die zweite durchgesehene Auflage ("quasi rectus") wurde am 1. Sept. 1354 in Mecheln abgeschlossen und erhielt den Titel 'Brachylogus'. Überlieferung. POWITZ, S. 206-208 U. 216. Zu ergänzen: Salzburg, UB, cod. M II 100, 15. Jh., scripta ... a Petro cuiusdam Stanislai; f. 1-58 Register, f. 60-437 'Brachylogus' qui et Sertum intitulatur. 3. 'Puericius' und 'Brachylogus' sind derivatorische Wörterbücher in der Nachfolge der 'Magnae Derivationes' des Huguccio Pisano. Als ergänzende Quellen benutzt J. vor allem das Bibelwörterbuch des Guilelmus Brito und die grammatisch-lexikalischen Lehrgedichte des Alexander de Villa Dei ('Doctrinale'), Eberhardus Bethuniensis ('Graecismus') und Johannes de Garlandia. Sein Hauptziel ist die didaktische Umsetzung: der Stoffreichtum der großen Wörterbücher, deren "tediosa prolixitas" den Lernenden verwirrt, soll auf das Maß eines für Schul- und Studienzwecke brauchbaren Handwörterbuchs ("opusculum breve compendiosumque") zurückgeführt werden. Gleichwohl übertreffen beide Werke die Lexika des Huguccio und des Guilelmus Brito an Umfang. Um das Nachschlagen zu erleichtern, gab J. selbst alphabetische Wortindices bei, wie sie auch die Huguccio-Überlieferung kennt. 4. Verwendung der Wörterbücher für Schule und Studium ist nur selten unmittelbar bezeugt. Hauptträger der Überlieferung sind Welt- und Ordensgeistlichkeit (hier vor allem Benediktiner, Zisterzienser, Kartäuser). Die stärkste Wirkung wird in den Jahrzehnten um 1400 erreicht. Von Brabant aus wandern die Wörterbücher nach Osten (Maas, Mosel, Niederrhein), gelangen von hier aus nach Westfalen, Thüringen, Preußen und Böhmen, gleichzeitig rheinaufwärts (Frankfurt, Basel). Insgesamt bleibt die Bezeugung mit 15 bisher nachgewiesenen erhaltenen Hss. vergleichsweise schwach (Huguccio 210, 'Vocabularius Ex guo' etwa 250 Hss.). In Norddeutschland ist die Wirkung durch die um 1400 konzipierten alphabetischen lat.-dt. Wörterbücher gleichen Formats ('Brevilogus'; 'Vocabularius Ex quo'; Vokabulare des Dietrich Engellius) eingeschränkt worden. Ein später Nachklang ist es, wenn gegen Ende des 15. Jh.s - namentlich von niederländischen Schulphilologen - 'Puericius' und 'Brachylogus' gemeinsam mit anderen Wörterbüchern zu Autoritäten erhoben werden und wenig später als Ziele humanistischer Polemik, insbesondere des Erasmus-Kreises, ein letztes Mal Aufmerksamkeit auf sich ziehen. Literatur. J.P. GUMBERT, Die Utrechter Kartäuser u. ihre Bücher im frühen 15, Jh., 1974, S. 127; G. POWITZ, J. de M., ein Brabanter Lexikograph d. 14. Jh.s, Mlat. Jb. 13 (1978) 204-216