The 'Parekh Report' - national identities with nations and nationalism

‘Multiculturalists’ often advocate national identities. Yet few study the ways in which ‘multiculturalists’ do so and in this article I will help to fill this gap. I will show that the Commission for Multi-Ethnic Britain’s report reflects a previously unnoticed way of thinking about the nature and worth of national identities that the Commission’s chair, and prominent political theorist, Bhikhu Parekh, had been developing since the 1970s. This way of thinking will be shown to avoid the questionable ways in which conservative and liberal nationalists discuss the nature and worth of national identities while offering an alternative way to do so. I will thus show that a report that was once criticised for the way it discussed national identities reflects how ‘multiculturalists’ think about national identities in a distinct and valuable way that has gone unrecognised

Exact approximation of Rao-Blackwellised particle filters

Particle methods are a category of Monte Carlo algorithms that have become popular for performing inference in non-linear non-Gaussian state-space models. The class of 'Rao-Blackwellised' particle filters exploits the analytic marginalisation that is possible for some state- space models to reduce the variance of the Monte Carlo estimates. Despite being applicable to only a restricted class of state-space models, such as conditionally linear Gaussian models, these algorithms have found numerous applications. In scenarios where no such analytical integration is possible, it has recently been proposed in Chen et al. [2011] to use 'local' particle filters to carry out this integration numerically. We propose here an alternative approach also relying on \local" particle filters which is more broadly applicable and has attractive theoretical properties. Proof-of-concept simulation results are presented

Cross-Cultural Examination of Vacation Policy on Employee Satisfaction and Happiness

With the advent of technological advancement, entrepreneurship, and a higher emphasis on meritocracy, societies across the globe have experienced intense competition to outdo one another. This has pushed companies to place increased importance on worker productivity; large and small companies want to see their employees work harder, longer, and faster. With this increased demand for work, companies today are making sure they have suitable reward systems to ensure worker satisfaction and quality work production. However, what these reward systems look like and how they function contrast significantly across cultures, especially as it pertains to corporate leave policies. This thesis examines the cross-cultural differences in corporate leave policy, worker productivity, and satisfaction. Specifically, this thesis aims to explore the effect of culture in the workplace and how this might impact worker productivity, satisfaction, expectations, and happiness. This paper aims to fill gaps in the field by building on previous research and introducing a cross-cultural component to how varying vacation policies impact worker productivity and satisfaction. Additionally, this thesis will examine the impact of individualistic and collectivist cultures on work-life balance and worker expectations. Lastly, this paper will cover the psychological effect of vacation and how vacations can lead to increased productivity and satisfaction, along with reducing burnout. While a country\u27s culture is difficult to change, the policy can be tailored to the culture. This thesis aims to answer the question of what policy is recommended based on the culture

Robert D Kaplan, Asia's Cauldron: the South China Sea and the End of a Stable Pacific, (New York: Ramdom House, 2014)

The book under review by the famous geopolitical analyst Robert D Kaplan focuses on the aspects and territorial disputes in the South China Sea with a cultural and strategic narration. Kaplan starts with the “geopolitical study of the South China Sea with the delectable, mythic legacy of India.” He acknowledges the fact that one must not “lose sight of the vividness of India's presence in this part of the world at a time when China's gaze seems so overpowering.” DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.336710

Analysis of Heat Exchanger Area of Two Stage Cascade Refrigeration System Using Taguchi Methodology

The present work describes relative contributions of operating parameters on required heat transfer area of three heat exchangers viz. evaporator, condenser and cascade condenser of two stage R404A-R508B cascade refrigeration system using Taguchi method. The operating parameters considered in present study includes (1) condensing temperature of high temperature cycle and low temperature cycle (2) evaporating temperature of low temperature cycle (3) degree of superheating in low temperature cycle (4) refrigerating effect. Heat transfer areas of three heat exchangers are studied with variation of above operating parameters and also optimum working levels of each operating parameter has been obtained for minimum heat transfer area of each heat exchanger using Taguchi method. The analysis using Taguchi method reveals that evaporating temperature of low temperature cycle and refrigerating effect contribute relatively largely on the area of evaporator. Condenser area is mainly influenced by both condensing temperature of high temperature cycle and refrigerating effect. Area of cascade condenser is mainly affected by refrigerating effect and the effects of other operating parameters are minimal

Topics concerning state variable feedback in automatic control systems. Part 1 - Specification. Part 2 - Sensitivity. Part 3 - Intentional nonlinearities. Part 4 - Unavailable states

Specifications, sensitivity, intentional nonlinearities, and unavailable states concerned with state variable feedback in automatic control system

Adam Smith and Colonialism

In the context of debates about liberalism and colonialism, the arguments of Adam Smith have been taken as illustrative of an important line of anti-colonial liberal thought. The reading of Smith presented here challenges this interpretation. It argues that Smith’s opposition to colonial rule derived largely from its impact on the metropole, rather than on its impact on the conquered and colonised; that Smith recognised colonialism had brought ‘improvement’ in conquered territories and that Smith struggled to balance recognition of moral diversity with a universal moral framework and a commitment to a particular interpretation of progress through history. These arguments have a wider significance as they point towards some of the issues at stake in liberal anti-colonial arguments more generally

Differentiating Instruction for Disabled Students in Inclusive Classrooms

Differentiating instruction, a comprehensive approach to teaching, enables the successful inclusion of all students, including the disabled, in general-education classrooms. As inclusive educators, we argue that disability is an enacted, interactional process and not an empirical, stable fact or condition. We recommend planning responsive lessons that differentiate instruction for all students from the outset, instead of modifying one for disabled students. General-education teachers, who with appropriate supports learn to attend to every student\u27s individual needs, can replace the specially designed, and often uninteresting one-to-one skills and drills, typically suggested for disabled students, with responsive class activities contingent on individual performance. This shift in instructional focus supports the provision of access to the general education curriculum required by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. We also address practical, disability-related issues for effectively differentiating instructional, in inclusive classrooms