Meet Irreducible Ideals and Representations of Limit Algebras

In this paper we give a criterion for an ideal of a TAF algebra to be meet irreducible. We show that an ideal $J$ of $A$ is meet irreducile if and only if the C$^*$-envelope of the quotient $A/J$ is primitive. In that case, A/J admits a nest representation which extends to a *-representation of the C$^*$-envelope for $A/J.$ We also characterize the meet irreducible ideals as the kernels of nest representations; this settles the question of whether the n-primitive and meet irreducible ideals coincide.Comment: 8 pages; accepted in JF

The Michigan Community Corrections Act: Prison Diversion or Net-widening, a County Level Analysis

The Michigan Community Corrections Act, adopted on December 29, 1988, was clearly a legislative response to prison crowding. While many of its ardent supporters valued the Act for the implicit values associated with the reform-based reallocation of correctional resources, they extolled the Act for its capacity to reduce prison and jail crowding, and still provide for offender punishment in community-based settings. Supporters were so anxious for the bill to pass, after almost ten years in development, that in the later stages of the process the language of the supporters and practitioners began to change. Almost overnight, per the advice of the legislative spin doctors, the buzzwords changed from rehabilitation and humanness to new and more marketable descriptors such as community punishment and intermediate sanctions. As is the case in many public policy initiatives, the passage of the Act represented a consensus of different constituent groups with conflicting goals. The need for a response to prison crowding conditions other than prison expansion was so critical that it brought together a varied group of legislators, corrections officials and community corrections advocates.Master of Public AdministrationPublic AdministrationUniversity of Michigan-Flinthttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/143487/1/Peters.pd

Resistance and Education: An Exploration of Anti-Colonial Struggles and Implications for Critical, Reflexive Pedagogy

On the basis of knowledge and learning as social and subjective in nature, this paper explores contemporary notions of identity and discourse to inform an argument on how sites of formal education can confine students in oppressive subject positions but also potentially allow students to exert agency in the constructions and performances of their own identity. This paper argues that if education is to incite self-empowerment and social change, discursive understandings of identity formation and socialization must be reconciled with pedagogical conceptions of agency and social justice. To this end, postcolonial arguments on resistance and criticality are drawn upon to posit that identity is important in struggles against oppression, and as such is a central concern for critical pedagogy

The need for psychological therapies for sleep disorders other than insomnia: potential for mindfulness

[Extract] The nature of the symptoms of sleep disorders and the impact they have on sleep and waking function mean that distress and negative emotionality are common accompanying features to many sleep disorders. Even though there are specific biological treatments, such as medication for restless legs syndrome, wake-promoting medication for narcolepsy and positive airway pressure for obstructive sleep apnoea, these are not always perfectly effective and there may be a role for adjunctive treatments that address the distress and emotion that become part of these chronic conditions and add to their impact. For people with milder symptoms, psychological treatment alone may provide sufficient symptomatic relief. Many sleep disorders occur in association with other physical or psychiatric conditions, which may contribute to the distress experienced

The need for psychological therapies for sleep disorders other than insomnia: potential for mindfulness

[Extract] The nature of the symptoms of sleep disorders and the impact they have on sleep and waking function mean that distress and negative emotionality are common accompanying features to many sleep disorders. Even though there are specific biological treatments, such as medication for restless legs syndrome, wake-promoting medication for narcolepsy and positive airway pressure for obstructive sleep apnoea, these are not always perfectly effective and there may be a role for adjunctive treatments that address the distress and emotion that become part of these chronic conditions and add to their impact. For people with milder symptoms, psychological treatment alone may provide sufficient symptomatic relief. Many sleep disorders occur in association with other physical or psychiatric conditions, which may contribute to the distress experienced

Superficial shoulder muscle synergy analysis in Facioscapulohumeral Dystrophy during humeral elevation tasks

Facioscapulohumeral Dystrophy (FSHD) is a progressive muscle-wasting disease which leads to a decline in upper extremity functionality. Although the scapulohumeral joint's stability and functionality are affected, evidence on the synergetic control of the shoulder muscles in FSHD individuals is still lacking. The aim of this study is to understand the neuromuscular changes in shoulder muscle control in people with FSHD. Upper arm kinematics and electromyograms (EMG) of eight upper extremity muscles were recorded during shoulder abduction-adduction and flexion-extension tasks in eleven participants with FSHD and eleven healthy participants. Normalized muscle activities were extracted from EMG signals. Non-negative matrix factorization was used to compute muscle synergies. Maximum muscle activities were compared using non-parametric analysis of variance. Similarities between synergies were also calculated using correlation. The Biceps Brachii was significantly more active in the FSHD group (25±2%) while Trapezius Ascendens and Serratus Anterior were less active (32±7% and 39±4% respectively). Muscle synergy weights were altered in FSHD individuals and showed greater diversity while controls mostly used one synergy for both tasks. The decreased activity by selected scapula rotator muscles and muscle synergy weight alterations show that neuromuscular control of the scapulohumeral joint is less consistent in people with FSHD compared to healthy participants. Assessments of muscle coordination strategies can be used to evaluate motor output variability and assist in management of the disease

Strategies for Improving Contractors\u27 Defense Acquisition Cost Estimates

In 2015, private sector Department of Defense (DoD) contractors experienced decreasing profit margins by approximately 8% and an increase in estimated costs of approximately 250%. The purpose of this multicase study was to explore strategies used by business leaders of private sector contractors for DoD capacity-building projects to accurately estimate program costs to improve profitability. The target population for this study was business leaders of DoD capacity-building program contractors with successful experience improving cost-estimation processes and strategies in Southeast Asia and the former Soviet Union. The conceptual framework for this study was business process quality management with a supporting framework of game theory. The data collection process comprised semistructured virtual interviews and a review of government and corporate documents. The data analysis process consisted of compiling data, disassembling data, reassembling data into groups and themes, and interpreting data, including methodological triangulation. Through data analysis, 5 themes were identified: enhanced customer relationships, increasing ability to innovate, improved project awareness, acquisition policy and political environments, and identification of labor rates and pricing. The implications for social change include the potential for DoD private industry business leaders to develop business strategies that result in improved profitability, creating opportunities to increase local economic impact and wage scales for local employees, higher levels of employment, and increased local technical knowledge

LUNAR HEAT FLOW EXPERIMENT LONG TERM TEMPERATURE OBSERVATIONS ON THE LUNAR SURFACE AT APOLLO SITES 15 AND 17 by

Reproduction in whole or in part is permitted for any purpose of the United States Government. Others must secure the author's permis sian for use of this material. Distribution of this document is unlimited. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract...................................................... ii

Design of a guideway for model MAGLEV vehicle

Thesis (B.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 1993.Includes bibliographical references (leaf 77).by Kenneth M. Peters.B.S