Lighthouses in Antiquity: Case Studies of the Lighthouses at Dover, England; Patara, Turkey; and Leptis Magna, North Africa

There may have been upwards of 100 lighthouses in the Mediterranean, along the northern Atlantic coast, and in England during the Roman Imperial period. Lighthouses were simultaneously a common structure and triumphs of Roman engineering. They were statements of power, prestige, and identity. After the construction of the Pharos of Alexandria in 280 BCE, lighthouses came to be a typical monument in Roman harbors, and a beneficial invention that continue to be built today. Architecture has adapted and evolved over time, but lighthouses have maintained the same basic shape, structure, and function. Lighthouses are represented in the three artistic media of ancient evidence: archaeological remains, iconography, and primary (contemporary) sources. The data is uneven, however, because no ancient lighthouse known today has all three. A study of ancient lighthouses requires a holistic approach that utilizes archaeological remains, iconography, contemporary sources, historical sources, and modern scholarship. The following thesis reviews the artistic media, the history of and possible precursors to ancient lighthouses such as Bronze Age temples and Classical signal towers; the function of ancient lighthouses, and their illumination. Three case studies of the ancient lighthouses at Dover, England; Patara, Turkey; and Leptis Magna, North Africa are examined in detail. These three lighthouses differ in their historical context, dates, shape, placement, and construction materials. This thesis examines these criteria through the use of case studies and the analysis of archaeological remains, iconography, contemporary sources, and historical sources to construct a more complete view of ancient lighthouses. An in-depth study of the three lighthouses and the available evidence revealed that, although there are inconsistencies, archaeology, iconography, and contemporary sources can often each fill in the gaps where the other evidences are lacking and provide information about ancient lighthouses that we otherwise would not have. For example, archaeological remains provide information about lighthouse construction and materials, iconography offers clues regarding illumination and external construction, and contemporary sources indicate lighthouse placement and historical context. While a holistic study of ancient lighthouses cannot account for all missing information, the evidences often support one another and work together to provide a more comprehensive view on the subject

The A-List vs. the Long Tail: Technology Bloggers and Reputation

This paper investigates reputation as it pertains to independent bloggers. We propose that the existing corporate reputation literature does not apply to independent bloggers because independent bloggers may or may not be blogging for money, are “I” centric as opposed to customer centric, and have no ideal standards to be judged against. We apply Chris Anderson’s (2006) long tail theory to independent blogging and propose the nature of independent blogging is different depending on whether the blogger is in the head or in the tail of the hit distribution curve. Consequently, the reputational characteristics of a blogger may vary depending on the context and depending on where along this curve the blogger falls. Although Anderson uses the long tail theory to explain an economic phenomenon, it is a useful lens to explain behavioral differences among independent bloggers. Furthermore, this conceptual paper theorizes that the salience of specific types of identity, the level of social capital, the importance of subjective norms, and attitudes toward the status quo will all vary throughout the hit distribution curve of the long tail and all of these factors will have an impact on a blogger’s reputation in a given context. We illustrate this theory with examples from the independent technology blogging community

Promoting Domain-specific Forum Participation via Off-topic Forum Participation in Electronic Networks of Practice

In this paper, we investigate how members’ participation in off-topic social forums in electronic networks of practice (eNoPs) influences their propensity to participate in their domain-specific forums. Currently, the literature offers two theoretical arguments that would predict opposing outcomes concerning the impact that off-topic forum participation has on domain-specific forum participation. We argue that investigating the network structure of the off-topic forum has the theoretical flexibility to reconcile these opposing theoretical arguments. Specifically, we hypothesize that an off-topic forum’s overall network structure (network cohesion as determined by the global clustering coefficient) moderates the impact of off-topic forum participation on domain-specific forum participation. We theorize that, given equal conditions, off-topic forum participation creates social bonds that positively affect domain-specific forum participation when the off-topic forums have a highly cohesive network structure. Contrarily, however, we posit that off-topic forum participation becomes a noisy distraction when the off-topic forum has a less-cohesive network structure. We provide empirical support for these hypotheses via a 10-year longitudinal study of software developers’ participation in an electronic network of practice (eNoP). Our paper highlights new theoretical insights on the network effects in an eNoP whereby network structures in one section (off-topic forums) have ramifications for behaviors in a different section (domain-specific forums)

Teacher identities in policy and practice.

Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1999.This thesis brings together my two study and work interests, postcolonial theory and classroom-based research, in order to explore how teacher identities are constructed within the tensions between policy and practice. I begin by arguing for the usefulness and value of postcolonial theory in interpreting empirical findings because it foregrounds the politics of representation and provides good theoretical tools for examining how modernist policy discourse constructs traditional, rural teachers as subjects of difference. I use a postcolonial view of identity and agency as being always strategic and provisional, arising out of the subject's attempts to negotiate the contradictions in western modernity's false claims to universality. This view of the subject is linked with the interactionist concept of teacher strategy as arising within sites of contradiction and constraint that are generated within the wider social structure. In my attempt to identify the primary contradictions and constraints with which teachers work, I draw on empirical work carried out in local schools and argue that for rural teachers the tensions between policy and practice hinge around the disjuncture between tradition and modernity. I use Giddens (1990) to argue that, due to its origins in the West and its history of colonialism under the guise of rationality and enlightenment, modernity . cannot be integrated with tradition but can only displace or shallowly assimilate tradition. In light of this theory, I question the assumption that an imported modernist policy discourse can be contextualised and made appropriate to South African conditions. To explore this question further, I use Durkheim (1964) and Bernstein's (1971) concepts of mechanical and organic solidarity to map the features of these two different forms of solidarity onto case studies of South African schools. These case studies reveal that policy requires traditional rural schools to undergo fundamental changes that threaten the foundations on which their cohesion and effectiveness is built, leaving many schools with a profound sense of displacement. Turning to the question of the strategies teachers use to negotiate the contradictions that arise within these "displaced" schools, I find further evidence of modernity's attempts to appropriate and shallowly assimilate traditional subjects in what I perceive as a strategy of mimicry. Arguing, with Bhabha (1984), that the strategy of mimicry is a response to, and disruption of, the western modernist discourses of rationality, democracy, meritocracy and equal opportunity on which all of modernity's promises of progress rest, I examine the particular mimetic strategy of "false clarity" (after Fullan, 1991) and suggest that the often unfounded confidence of "new outcomes-based teachers"is partly a mimicry of the false clarity of policy, and the false clarity teacher development programmes which attempt to "transfer" the abstract principles and "best methods" put forward by policy by means of "generic" skills and values which are not generic at all to rural teachers in traditional contexts, and which they then tend to shallowly and mechanically mimic. In light of this discussion, I recommend that teacher development needs to pay more attention to "the singer, not the song" (Goodson in Jessop, 1997: 242) by shifting the focus from methods and principles to teachers' subjective understandings of their own work and contexts, and by strengthening teachers' grasp and enjoyment of the formal, conceptual knowledge they teach. I also suggest that, to avoid the risk of trying to prescribe and reform teacher identities, how teachers establish their own "sense of plausibility" (Prabhu, 1990) in their own contexts should best be left to them

The WIC Advisor: A Case Study in Medical Expert System Development

This project provides a good case study of expert system development with untrained experts over a short period of time. We describe the development of a working medical screening and diagnosis expert system for use at the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) clinics in Madison County, Illinois. The system was designed and implemented over the period of four months. A large number of knowledge acquisition techniques were employed, some of them customized in ways that greatly increased their effectiveness. This paper explores the development of THE WIC Advisor, from problem definition through expert system delivery. The knowledge acquisition methods used in creating The WIC Advisor comprise a beneficial case study of several traditional techniques. Protocol analysis, question/answer listing, knowledge acquisition room selection, prototyping, focused interviewing, multiple expert selection, direct questioning, audio-tape transcription, diving the domain, role-playing and teach back were employed [4,5]. Important factors in the success of this expert system were the selection of a limited diagnostic domain, the choice of multiple experts who worked well together, and our continuing efforts to make the experts feel comfortable with the technology and the process. The major benefits of the system include assisting clients between clinic visits, cataloging basic medical data, and providing consistent and verifiable informatio

Effective aphid management in greenhouse crops by optimizing biological control and nutrient inputs: Progress report

NYS IPM Type: Project ReportNYS greenhouse growers have reported that aphids are among their greatest pest problems. They are seeking biological control alternatives in part to increasing public pressure to stop using neonicotinoids, the most commonly used insecticide for aphids. Climbing fertilizer prices and potential state legislation regulating nitrogen has increased greenhouse grower interest in reducing fertilizer inputs. Slow release fertilizers (SRF) can reduce nutrient leaching but more work is needed to determine effective application rates for bedding plants and vegetable transplants. The objective of this project is to develop, field-test, and share an integrated pest management approach for managing greenhouse aphids using beneficial insects and reduced fertilizer inputs

Effective Aphid Management in Greenhouse Crops by Optimizing Biological Control and Nutrient Inputs

NYS greenhouse growers have reported that aphids are among their greatest pest problems. They are seeking biological control alternatives in part to increasing public pressure to stop using neonicotinoids, the most commonly used insecticide for aphids. Climbing fertilizer prices and potential state legislation regulating nitrogen has increased greenhouse grower interest in reducing fertilizer inputs. Slow release fertilizers (SRF) can reduce nutrient leaching but more work is needed to determine effective application rates for bedding plants and vegetable transplants. The objective of this project is to develop, field-test, and share an integrated pest management approach for managing greenhouse aphids using beneficial insects and reduced fertilizer inputs

Systematic review of interventions for children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) may have significant neurobehavioural problems persisting into adulthood. Early diagnosis may decrease the risk of adverse life outcomes. However, little is known about effective interventions for children with FASD. Our aim is to conduct a systematic review of the literature to identify and evaluate the evidence for pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for children with FASD.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We did an electronic search of the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, CINAHL and ERIC for clinical studies (Randomized controlled trials (RCT), quasi RCT, controlled trials and pre- and post-intervention studies) which evaluated pharmacological, behavioural, speech therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, psychosocial and educational interventions and early intervention programs. Participants were aged under 18 years with a diagnosis of a FASD. Selection of studies for inclusion and assessment of study quality was undertaken independently by two reviewers. Meta-analysis was not possible due to diversity in the interventions and outcome measures.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. Methodological weaknesses were common, including small sample sizes; inadequate study design and short term follow up. Pharmacological interventions, evaluated in two studies (both RCT) showed some benefit from stimulant medications. Educational and learning strategies (three RCT) were evaluated in seven studies. There was some evidence to suggest that virtual reality training, cognitive control therapy, language and literacy therapy, mathematics intervention and rehearsal training for memory may be beneficial strategies. Three studies evaluating social communication and behavioural strategies (two RCT) suggested that social skills training may improve social skills and behaviour at home and Attention Process Training may improve attention.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>There is limited good quality evidence for specific interventions for managing FASD, however seven randomized controlled trials that address specific functional deficits of children with FASD are underway or recently completed.</p

Open questions in the social lives of viruses

Social interactions among viruses occur whenever multiple viral genomes infect the same cells, hosts, or populations of hosts. Viral social interactions range from cooperation to conflict, occur throughout the viral world, and affect every stage of the viral lifecycle. The ubiquity of these social interactions means that they can determine the population dynamics, evolutionary trajectory, and clinical progression of viral infections. At the same time, social interactions in viruses raise new questions for evolutionary theory, providing opportunities to test and extend existing frameworks within social evolution. Many opportunities exist at this interface: Insights into the evolution of viral social interactions have immediate implications for our understanding of the fundamental biology and clinical manifestation of viral diseases. However, these opportunities are currently limited because evolutionary biologists only rarely study social evolution in viruses. Here, we bridge this gap by (1) summarizing the ways in which viruses can interact socially, including consequences for social evolution and evolvability; (2) outlining some open questions raised by viruses that could challenge concepts within social evolution theory; and (3) providing some illustrative examples, data sources, and conceptual questions, for studying the natural history of social viruses