Quantum Calculations On The Vibrational Predissociation Of NeBr2: Evidence For Continuum Resonances

Quantum mechanical calculations on the vibrational predissociation dynamics of NeBr2 in the B electronic state have been performed and the results compared with both experimental data and other computational studies. For vibrational levels with v less than or equal to 20 we find that the vibrational state dependence of the predissociation lifetimes is in qualitative agreement with experimental measurements, as are the calculated Br-2 fragment rotational distributions. For higher vibrational levels, the B \u3c-- X excitation profiles are well represented by a sum of two Lorentzian line shapes. We attribute this result to the presence of long-lived resonances in the dissociative continuum that are reminiscent of long-lived dissociative trajectories in previous classical studies of NeBr2. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-9606(00)00205-1]

If Parties Are Battles, What Are We? Practising Collectivity in Memory Work

Memory-work ConferenceMemory-work was original devised by Haug and others (1987) who explained the method to an English speaking audience in Female Sexualization: A collective work of memory. In this paper, I consider the rationale for and the explanation of the “collective subject” in memory-work. Undertaking memory-work can involve a tension between exploring and eliding difference in the group. However, the implications of Haug’s particular understanding of collective subjectivity are an overemphasis on identifying commonalties between group members’ positions and ideas, at the expense of interrogating difference. Adopting Haug’s approach to collective subjectivity entails the risk that persistent divisions between people will be understood in terms of individual ignorance or personal instabilities. I propose an anti-foundational understanding of collective subjectivity (Butler, 1992). This doesn’t mean negating the importance of collectivity. Neither does it mean assuming that it will emerge, nor explaining its absence in terms of the group’s or an individual’s failure. Rather, an anti-foundationalist approach involves questioning the emergence of collective subjectivity. I conclude by reflecting on the implications of my discussion of collective subjectivity for analysing the discussions produced in memory-work

Learning Policies from Self-Play with Policy Gradients and MCTS Value Estimates

In recent years, state-of-the-art game-playing agents often involve policies that are trained in self-playing processes where Monte Carlo tree search (MCTS) algorithms and trained policies iteratively improve each other. The strongest results have been obtained when policies are trained to mimic the search behaviour of MCTS by minimising a cross-entropy loss. Because MCTS, by design, includes an element of exploration, policies trained in this manner are also likely to exhibit a similar extent of exploration. In this paper, we are interested in learning policies for a project with future goals including the extraction of interpretable strategies, rather than state-of-the-art game-playing performance. For these goals, we argue that such an extent of exploration is undesirable, and we propose a novel objective function for training policies that are not exploratory. We derive a policy gradient expression for maximising this objective function, which can be estimated using MCTS value estimates, rather than MCTS visit counts. We empirically evaluate various properties of resulting policies, in a variety of board games.Comment: Accepted at the IEEE Conference on Games (CoG) 201

An evaluation of subjective experiences, effects and overall satisfaction with clozapine treatment in a UK forensic service

Objectives: Patients prescribed clozapine were surveyed to assess (a) the effects, both positive and adverse, and overall satisfaction with clozapine in comparison to previously prescribed antipsychotics and (b) the relative significance of effects experienced, both positive and adverse, in terms of impact on subjective well-being. Methods: A total of 56 male patients prescribed clozapine at a forensic psychiatric hospital were surveyed using a 27-item questionnaire. All patients had been prescribed clozapine for a minimum of 3 months. Respondents were asked to rate effects and satisfaction with clozapine treatment in comparison with previously prescribed antipsychotic medication on a five-point scale. Respondents were also asked to rate effects experienced with clozapine treatment in terms of impact on subjective well-being on a five-point scale. Results: A total of 89% of respondents reported greater satisfaction with clozapine than with previously prescribed antipsychotic medication. A majority of patients reported positive effects in terms of an improvement in their quality of life (68%) and social abilities (52%) with clozapine in comparison with previously prescribed antipsychotics. Nocturnal hypersalivation (84%) and weight gain (57%) were the most common adverse effects. Hedonic responses were assessed for each effect in order to determine the associated subjective experiences. The most positive hedonic responses were for quality of life, mood and alertness. In terms of adverse impact on subjective well-being, nocturnal hypersalivation ranked highest. Conclusions: Patients in a UK forensic sample are largely satisfied with clozapine treatment. The subjective effects of clozapine treatment should be taken into account by clinicians when assessing response. This may provide an opportunity to highlight the positive changes and prioritize management of the most undesirable adverse effects, which is likely to promote compliance and improve longer term treatment outcomes

Less is More: Reflections on the Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage Reports

This Topical Issue is based upon a submission to the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) review of the Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage Reports

Demons of Discord: Violence and the Socio-political Growth of Colonial South Carolina and Georgia, 1690-1776

Life in the colonial American south was filled with brutality and inequality. Whether it was the violence of slavery and colonial expansion or the inherent inequalities of gender relations, violence and oppression permeated nearly every facet of life. This dissertation will look critically at the development of what I am calling a culture of violence in the colonies of Georgia and South Carolina. By studying the ways in which violence effected family, social, and political interactions, my work argues that the crucible of social, racial, and political issues of these two colonies created a culture in which violence or the threat of violence permeated most human interactions. Not only was violence commonplace, violence perpetrated by the individual as well as the state came to be seen as the only legitimate way to punish someone or defend oneself. Social and political historians have dealt with one or two of spheres in which violence occurred. For instance, many studies focus on the violence of slavery and gender relations. However, no one has yet attempted to view all the forms of violence in the South and use that as a lens for understanding southern culture both in the Colonial era and beyond. I argue that by investigating all forms of brutality and the rhetoric associated with such acts, a more complete picture of southern culture emerges – a culture which did not just accept brutality in one area of society but rather in every aspect of life. This acceptance of the necessity of violence went on to inform southerners’ responses to the Imperial Crisis, American Revolution, and even the racial upheaval of the post-Civil War Years