A model for digital preservation repository risk relationships

The paper introduces the Preserved Object and Repository Risk Ontology (PORRO), a model that relates preservation functionality with associated risks and opportunities for their mitigation. Building on work undertaken in a range of EU and UK funded research projects (including the Digital Curation Centre , DigitalPreservationEurope and DELOS ), this ontology illustrates relationships between fundamental digital library goals and their parameters; associated rights and responsibilities; practical activities and resources involved in their accomplishment; and risks facing digital libraries and their collections. Its purpose is to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of risk causality and to illustrate opportunities for mitigation and avoidance. The ontology reflects evidence accumulated from a series of institutional audits and evaluations, including a specific subset of digital libraries in the DELOS project which led to the definition of a digital library preservation risk profile. Its applicability is intended to be widespread, and its coverage expected to evolve to reflect developments within the community. Attendees will gain an understanding of the model and learn how they can utilize this online resource to inform their own risk management activities

DREAM vs. Reality: An Analysis of Potential DREAM Act Beneficiaries

Repeal of birthright citizenship for the US-born children of unauthorized immigrants would expand the unauthorized population at least 5 million over the next four decades. Employing standard demographic techniques, this analysis suggests that there would be 4.7 million unauthorized immigrants as of 2050 who had been born in the United States -- 1 million of them with US-born mother and father -- if birthright citizenship were denied to children born to parents who are both unauthorized immigrants. While some policymakers are discussing changes to birthright citizenship as a means to reduce illegal immigration, the report makes clear such a move could in fact significantly increase the size of the unauthorized population

Reflections on preserving the state of new media art

As part of its work to explore emerging issues associated with characterisation of digital materials, Planets has explored vocabularies and information structures for expressing the properties integral to the value of digital art. Value encompasses those qualities that must be understood and captured in order to ensure that art works’ sensory, emotional, mental and spiritual resonance remain. Facets of interactivity, modularity and temporality associated with digital art present some critical questions that the preservation community must increasingly be equipped to answer. Because digital art materials exhibit fundamental multidimensionality, validating the successful preservation of creative experience demands the explication of more than just file characteristics. Understanding relationships between objects also implies an understanding of their respective functional qualities. This paper presents a Planets’ vocabulary for encapsulating contextual and implicit characteristics of digital art, optimised for preservation planning and validation

Why do we use so many checks?

The authors identify underlying disincentives for payment system participants to migrate to electronic payments. Their analysis sheds light on why check usage remains higher in the United States relative to other industrialized countries when the real resource cost of processing payments may decrease by using electronic payment networks.Checks ; Payment systems

INEL Spray-forming Research

Spray forming is a near-net-shape fabrication technology in which a spray of finely atomized liquid droplets is deposited onto a suitably shaped substrate or mold to produce a coherent solid. The technology offers unique opportunities for simplifying materials processing without sacrificing, and oftentimes substantially improving, product quality. Spray forming can be performed with a wide range of metals and nonmetals, and offers property improvements resulting from rapid solidification (e.g., refined microstructures, extended solid solubilities and reduced segregation). Economic benefits result from process simplification and the elimination of unit operations. Researchers at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) are developing spray-forming technology for producing near-net-shape solids and coatings of a variety of metals, polymers, and composite materials. Results from several spray forming programs are presented to illustrate the range of capabilities of the technique as well as the accompanying technical and economic benefits. Low-carbon steel strip greater than 0.75 mm thick and polymer membranes for gas/gas and liquid/liquid separations that were spray formed are discussed; recent advances in spray forming molds, dies, and other tooling using low-melting-point metals are described

Comparing the Effects of Various Exercise Regimens on Anxiety Levels in College Aged Students

Generalized anxiety disorder is described as excessive and inappropriate worrying that is persistent and not restricted to particular circumstances. Anxiety has recently surpassed depression as the number one mental health disorder on college campuses. Multiple studies have shown that exercise reduces anxiety symptoms and feelings of stress. Many students enroll in physical activity courses due to college requirements, or as a way to engage in regular physical activity. On our campus, yoga and pilates are two of the most popular physical activity courses and require two 50-minute sessions each week. The purpose of this study was to determine whether participation in these courses has a significant impact in reducing anxiety in a traditional college population. We surveyed students enrolled in either a yoga or pilates class and compared their responses to a control group not enrolled in a physical activity course

Exploring structure based charge transport relationships in phenyl diketopyrrolopyrrole single crystals using a 2D π–π dimer model system

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of the following article: Jesus Calvo-Castro, and Callum J. McHugh, ‘Exploring structure based charge transport relationships in phenyl diketopyrrolopyrrole single crystals using a 2D π–π dimer model system’, Journal of Materials Chemistry C, Issue 16, 2017, first published 28 March 2017. The version of record is available online at DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C7TC00434F © Royal Society of Chemistry 2017Crystalline phenyl diketopyrrolopyrroles are often overlooked as charge transfer mediating materials in optoelectronic applications. We report an experimentally ratified two dimensional π–π model dimer system dispelling previous misconceptions regarding the potential of these materials as organic semiconductors and that will enable researchers to screen and predict charge transport potential solely on the basis of their single crystal derived π-stacking architectures. In testing our model system versus the available database of phenyl diketopyrrolopyrrole single crystal structures we reveal that these materials are characterised by intrinsically large thermal integrities and in many cases large charge transfer integrals, not solely restricted to dimeric interactions exhibiting close intermonomer arrangements and bearing low torsion of the core phenyl rings. This study will be of significant interest to the increasingly large community engaged in the quest to engineer π-conjugated organic based semiconducting devices and particularly those employing crystalline diketopyrrolopyrroles.Peer reviewe