Do we have Independent Visual Streams for Perception and Action? a Response.

Schenk and McIntosh (2009) present the thesis that most visual behaviours, especially those of any significant complexity, are likely to involve collaboration between both visual streams. While very likely true, this statement does not contradict the perception-action model as proposed by Milner and Goodale (1995, 2006). The two visual system hypothesis implies two functionally specialized systems, and not, as Schenk and McIntosh propose, two behaviourally independent systems

Gold, Blood, and Power: Finance and War Through the Ages

This monograph presents a survey of the crucial link between state (national) power and finance from the ancient era through to the present day. Cicero once said that the true sinew of war was “endless streams of money.” His observation remains as accurate today as it was when Rome first began constructing its Empire. Unfortunately, too many historical works leave this crucial underpinning link out of their narratives. Even those that do discuss economic and financial concerns typically miss the fact that the size of a state’s economy often has little to do with its capacity to wield influence on the global stage. Much more crucial, in this regard, is the possession of an administrative system capable of efficiently mobilizing a state’s resources. It was such an administrative apparatus that allowed Britain to punch far above its weight in the international arena for centuries. As a survey, this work is far from comprehensive, but the author hopes it will provide a stepping stone for a much-needed in-depth examination of the topic.https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/1454/thumbnail.jp

Mechanisms of Nitrogenous Waste Excretion During the Complex Life Cycle of the Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)

Sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) are a phylogenetically ancient jawless fish, with a multi-staged life cycle characterized by a prolonged suspension-feeding larval stage, which is followed by metamorphosis into parasitic lampreys that feed on the protein-rich blood of fishes. The switch from a nutrient poor to protein-rich diet in the sea lamprey is associated with an increased capacity to deaminate excess amino acids and to excrete ammonia and urea following metamorphosis. The focus of this thesis was to determine if changes in nitrogenous waste transporter protein abundance facilitate ammonia and urea excretion during different stages of the sea lamprey life cycle. To investigate the mechanisms by which nitrogenous waste excretion (JN-waste) occurs in sea lampreys, individuals of various lifestages (larval/adults) were exposed to environmental stressors (highly alkaline water and high external ammonia) that have been previously shown to affect JN-waste in other fishes. Both ammocoete and adult sea lamprey were unable to tolerate highly alkaline (HA: pH= 9.5) water for more than 24 h. However, exposure of ammocoetes and adult lamprey to high external ammonia (HEA; 0.5 mmol*L-1 ammonia) resulted in the reversal of ammonia excretion (JAmm) and a net uptake of ammonia over 2 days. In adults, urea excretion (JUrea) increased significantly but remained unchanged in ammocoetes. To determine whether there was a correlation between JN-waste patterns and the transport proteins associated with ammonia and urea excretion in sea lamprey, western blot analysis of Rh glycoproteins (Rhcg2) and urea transporters (UT) was performed on the main lifestages of sea lampreys (ammocoete, unfed parasitic, fed parasitic, adults) within gill and skin tissues. The abundances of Rhcg2 in the gill were significantly higher in fed parasites when compared to unfed juveniles and adult lamprey. Corresponding JAmm and plasma ammonia concentrations in these individuals were also greater. Larval sea lamprey UT protein abundances were significantly greater in gill tissues than in fed parasites and adult animals. This was postulated to be a function of the burrowing nature of the larval sea lampreys, and their relatively high rates of urea excretion compared to other life stages. The period of metamorphosis was also accompanied by marked changes in body condition factor (CF), along with JAmm and JUrea, which were initially depressed during the mid-stages of metamorphosis before increasing several-fold near the completion of metamorphosis. Both Rhcg2 and UT expression in the gills peaked at stage 4 of metamorphosis and declined to young adulthood, whereas Rhcg2 and UT expression in the skin of metamorphosing animals was below detectable levels. It is concluded that the changes in diet, along with habitat and activity level lead to the observed changes in the nitrogenous waste excretion patterns of the sea lamprey, which is reflected by corresponding changes in the abundance of the Rh and UT proteins. Further research into the regulation and localization of these proteins will prove useful in completing the picture of N-waste excretion in these phylogenetically ancient vertebrates

The Eyes Have it: Film, Editing, and Postmodern Theological Hermeneutics

This article attempts to show the fruitful dialogue which exists when one cross-pollinates hermeneutics and the task of film editing. Though seemingly unrelated, their engagement is a rich collaboration that brings a deeper appreciation for the cinematic process as well as an alternative way of looking at the interpretive process as it relates to Scripture. This article traces the history of and approaches to cinematic editing in hopes that it might provide a significant interlocutor to the burgeoning field of hermeneutical studies

Inspirational teaching in higher education: What does it look, sound and feel like?

This article discusses the qualities of inspirational teaching in higher education (HE). It starts by arguing how topical this subject is, given emphasis world-wide on quality assurance measures, such as the UK Government’s 2016 Teaching Excellence Framework TEF. The paper then moves to review the academic and practice literature in order to outline what comprises inspirational teaching in HE institutions. These components – in the form of key words - are extracted from the literature and then tested through primary research. Lecturers, at an English University, agreed to circulate a short survey to final year social sciences undergraduates. Fifty-two student returns from 2010 were analysed. A comparative survey of 25 undergraduates – from the same disciplines - was repeated in 2016. Three clear elements of inspirational undergraduate teaching emerge: First and foremost, undergraduates believe it to be motivating; second, and related – inspirational teaching is deemed encouraging and third such teaching flows from teachers’ passion for their subject. The paper presents exploratory and illustrative data and sets down a forward agenda for further research to explore aspects of inspirational university teaching linked to differing cultural expectations, potential impacts of gender, age and ethnicity

The Analysis of the Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide Using a Schiff Base Copper Complex By Cyclic Voltammetry

Copper(II) complexes of Schiff bases can be used in the catalysis of hydrogen peroxide to create water and oxygen. The mechanism and the kinetics of this disproportionation reaction by a dimeric copper(II) complex [CuSALAD]2 are studied in this experiment, where SALAD refers to a Schiff Base ligand formed from salicyaldehyde and 1S,2S-D(+)-1-phenyl-2-amino-1,3-propanediol. By using cyclic voltammetry, the oxidation-reduction processes of a reaction may be monitored. The [CuSALAD]­2 is initially reacted with a base such as imidazole to form the catalytic species, and the ratio of the copper(II) complex to the imidazole was found to be 1:4, consistent with previous electron absorption (UV-Vis) spectroscopy experiments. The reduction and oxidation half waves of the copper(II) catalyst are followed via cyclic voltammetry to determine if the copper(II) center undergoes reduction to copper(I) during the hydrogen peroxide catalysis. It appears that while the major oxidation and reduction half wave potentials, E1/2=6.51x10-2V, are unchanged during the decomposition, an additional oxidation wave (E1/2=1.43x10-1V) is observed in the absence of oxygen, suggesting some portion of the copper is reduced. With this information, a mechanism was proposed having copper as a catalyst and creating an intermediate that would form the water and the elemental oxygen

Compact Electric Personal Transport

The goal of this project was to design a compact and powerful personal transport vehicle around the high performance electric power systems associated with large radio controlled aircraft. The relatively powerful and lightweight components associated with these models are the perfect candidate for this application. The selected electric motor for instance is rated at 3kW of continuous power with a mass of just 384 grams. There were engineering challenges that arose from using these types of components for a vehicle application. At its designed operating voltage the motor will be spinning at around 25,000 rpm. This will require a novel reduction drive to get useful torque to the rear wheel and a reasonable top speed. Different mechanisms for transferring rotational motion including roller chains, gears, and timing belts were considered before deciding on the 2 stage belt system. The selected arrangement is capable of transmitting 3 kW of power while remaining fairly compact. The general embodiment of the vehicle is a two wheeled scooter/skateboard hybrid with 20 cm diameter wheels. The goal was to have the simplicity of 2 wheels from a scooter but the compact lean controlled steering of a skateboard. The design of the steering required a unique kinematic 4 bar mechanism that responds reasonably well at low speeds yet still remains stable at higher speeds. The design phase was assisted with a spreadsheet that models the performance of the finished board based on the chosen battery, gearing, motor, wheel, and rider specifications. This sheet provided everything from top speed and max climbable gradient to estimates of range

Input and Output Optimization in Linux for Appropriate Resource Allocation and Management

There is one evident area of operating systems that has enormous potential for growth and optimization. Only recently has focus been put on upgrading resources in the input/output (I/O) mechanisms of Linux operating systems. This focus has proven that there is no real optimal methodology for I/O scheduling devices in Linux. In order to allocate resources efficiently for time-intensive experiments on metadata and mobile devices, which both rely heavily on energy resources, Linux operating system developers must create new techniques for appropriately allocating these integral parts of computation. Advances must also be made to reduce the traffic in the file system alongside the optimization of energy resources in order to ensure that the system runs as efficiently as possible while aggregating different requests. Coupling the improvement of energy resources with that of request aggregation, as seen in the research presented in the collaboration of several national laboratories and universities, helps to maintain a higher throughput during run-time. With the advent of an ideal scheduler choice based on the I/O request, maximum energy efficiency methodologies, and the unification of I/O requests into a singular block, there are increases in the potential for throughput, execution time, state transition power consumption, and other expensive resources used by the Linux operating for their full capabilities. Even though these advancements are revolutionary and unique in many ways, they will only ultimately prove one thing: the process of diversification concerning research of I/O mechanisms in Linux plagues the majority of professionals in the field

Sino-Cyber Espionage: An Introduction to the Exploits of Units 61398 and 61486 in the People’s Liberation Army of China

This paper begins with an overview of the two most notorious hacking divisions of the People’s Liberation Army. It draws from several different articles concerning the state of the internet from Congress, CrowdStrike, Verizon, and Akamai as well as reports from the United States Department of Justice. The scope of this paper is limited because of the level of security clearance needed to access the real information on the exploits of the Chinese in the corporate sector, but the ramifications of said exploits are clear. The discussion provides examples from the Department of Justice on what the Chinese have done to American companies and some of the strategies that they have used. It also expounds on some of the repercussions of the strategies on the markets that were affected. Statistics are given from The Economist and Wired magazines that sourced the state of the internet reports from Verizon and Akamai. The recommendations are mainly ideas of International Relations to try to keep peace between the People’s Republic of China and the United States of America. Extreme measures must, however, be considered if there are any more exploited vulnerabilities in the federal sector. This paper mainly serves to inform the reader of the attacks that the Chinese use, who they target and why, and possible solutions to the problem of cyber corporate espionage

Media Literacy in Library and Information Centres: practical perspectives

The primary objective of every academic library is to meet the information need(s) of members of the community and to help the institution to achieve its objective of promoting teaching, learning and research. To achieve this, the library usually delivers different services in order to meet the information needs of the user community. In the information-rich environment of the 21st century, library managers need to be both discriminating users and skillful creators of information using media literacy skills. This study focused on how media literacy skills such as accessibility, analytical, evaluation, communication and participative skills can be adopted in libraries and information centres in service delivery