Behind the cube rule: implications of, and evidence against a fractal electoral geography

In 1909 Parker Smith showed that the ratio of seats won by the two major parties in Britain was close to the cube of the ratio of their votes. Taagepera and Shugart argue, wrongly, that a fractal electoral map implies this. In fact their premises imply that the seats’ ratio will be the votes’ ratio to the power of 3 , not 3. However, in the six countries we examine, the figure is between 2 and 3. This implies that the electoral map is nonfractal, political allegiances becoming less ‘clustered’ as you move from a macro to a micro scale. Taking the U.K., we ask if this is due to the geographical pattern of income distribution, and find that this is even further away from fractality than is voting. This fits the well-known ‘chameleon effect’ whereby poor (rich) people in rich (poor) constituencies vote as if richer (poorer) than they really are.fractal, election, voting, cubic.

Predictability of VO\u3csub\u3e2max\u3c/sub\u3e using a commercially available GPS sports watch

Using accurate submaximal methodologies to estimate VO2max is a convenient alternative to maximal exercise testing. Submaximal testing is practical because it provides a cheaper, more time-efficient method to determine VO2max and allows a wider range of individuals to be tested. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the predictability of VO2max using a GPS sports watch. Methods: Thirty participants, 16 males and 14 females between the ages of 18 and 55, volunteered for this study. A total of three separate VO2max values were recorded during the study: (a) directly measured VO2max, (b) a predicted VO2max value based on a 15-minute outdoor run, and (c) an adjusted predicted VO2max value based on three subsequent outdoor runs of at least 30 minutes in duration. Participants came to the Running Science Laboratory at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) on two separate occasions. On day one, participants completed a treadmill-based graded exercise test (GXT) to determine VO2max. Participants completed the test using a self-selected pace (mph) that was determined during a 3-minute warm-up period. The self-selected pace remained constant throughout the test while the grade increased at a rate of 2% every 2 minutes. On day two, participants arrived at EMU and completed a 15-minute submaximal outdoor run. Participants were fitted with a GPS sports watch, which was used to predict VO2max based on subject characteristics (gender, age, height [in], weight [lbs.]), as well as total distance of the run, pace, time (15 minutes), and heart rate (HR) during exercise. Participants were then required to take the watch home and record three additional runs of at least 30 minutes to produce an adjusted predicted VO2max value. A two-way (2 fitness groups x 3 VO2max time points) repeated measures ANOVA was conducted to determine if there was a significant difference between directly measured VO2max, predicted VO2max, and adjusted predicted VO2max. Participants were placed into two fitness groups determined by directly measured VO2max (VO2max of greater than [high] or less than [low] 50 ml/kg/min). A one-way repeated measures ANOVA was conducted to determine if a significant difference in recorded VO2max values was observed within groups. Statistical significance was determined using a p-value of .05. Results: Two participants (two males) were excluded from the analysis due to failing to return for visit two. The remaining 28 participants were 24.71 ± 5.69 years old, had a height of 168.94 ± 6.94 cm, and weighed 67.22 ± 14.85 kg. A statistically significant difference was observed between directly measured (55.09 ± 9.73 ml/kg/min) and predicted VO2max (51.75 ± 5.16 ml/kg/min);(p-value \u3c .05), directly measured and adjusted predicted VO2max (50.68 ± 5.98 ml/kg/min);(p-value \u3c .001), and predicted and adjusted predicted VO2max (p-value \u3c .05). A significant difference was observed in the high VO2max group between directly measured and predicted VO2max and directly measured and adjusted predicted VO2max (p-value \u3c .001). No significant difference was observed between predicted and adjusted predicted VO2max in the high VO2max group (p-value \u3e .05). No significant difference was observed between values in the low VO2max group (p-value \u3e .05). Conclusion: Major limitations of this study included participants performing all activities at a self-selected pace and measuring HR using the radial pulse with an optical sensor. A self-selected pace could have led to inaccuracies in VO2max prediction as participants may not have performed to their full potential. Future research could enforce stricter pace and distance requirements for additional activity recording to test both anaerobic and aerobic energy systems. Additionally, measuring HR using an optical sensor within the watch at the radial pulse has been shown to underestimate average HR values when compared to HR measurement using a chest strap. While the purpose of this study was to test the predictability of only the GPS sports watch, a lower overall average HR for a given activity could have produced overestimates of VO2max

Literary Influences on Dante\u27s Use of Fear in the Commedia

This presentation explores the literary influences that may have guided Dante\u27s use and development of fear reflected and directed by his use of the word paura. These influences include Aristotle, Cicero, St. Augustine, St. Benedict, and St. Thomas Aquinas. The presenter also suggests a distant echo of fear finding its way into John Milton\u27s Paradise Lost

The Response of Molecular Gases and Modulated Plasmas to Short Intense Laser Pulses

In this thesis we study the response of two systems to short, intense laser pulses. The first system is a gas of diatomic molecules whose ensemble-averaged alignment features rotational revivals. We analyze the effect of a background plasma on the revival peaks. Both the revivals and the plasma are the result of a laser pulse passing through the gas. The second system is a density-modulated plasma channel. We study the generation of electromagnetic radiation by a laser pulse passing through this structure. The molecules in the gas are modeled as rigid rotors that interact first with the cycle-averaged electric field of the laser pulse, and second with the fluctuating electric field of the background plasma. The laser pulse generates a broad superposition of angular momentum eigenstates, resulting in the transient alignment of the molecules. Because of the time evolution properties of the angular momentum states, the alignment re-occurs periodically in field-free conditions. The alignment is calculated using a density matrix, and the background plasma is modeled using dressed particles. The result is decoherence between the phases of the basis states of the wavefunction, which causes decay of subsequent alignment peaks. We find that field-induced decoherence is competitive with collisional decoherence for small ionization fractions. The corrugated plasma channel is modeled using linear plasma theory, and the laser pulse is non-evolving. Corrugated channels support EM modes that have a Floquet dispersion relation, and thus consist of many spatial harmonics with subluminal phase velocities. This allows phase matching between the pulse and the EM modes. Since the pulse bandwidth includes THz frequencies, significant THz generation is possible. Here we consider realistic density profiles to obtain predictions of the THz power output and mode structure. We then estimate pulse depletion effects. The fraction of laser energy converted to THz is independent of laser pulse energy in the linear regime, and we find it to be around one percent. Extrapolating to a pulse energy of 0.5 J gives a THz power output of 6 mJ, with a pulse depletion length of less than 20 cm

Design of a processor to support the teaching of computer systems

Teaching computer systems, including computer architecture, assembly language programming and operating system implementation, is a challenging occupation. At the University of Waikato this is made doubly true because we require all computer science and information systems students study this material at second year. The challenges of teaching difficult material to a wide range of students have driven us to find ways of making the material more accessible. The corner stone of our strategy for delivering this material is the design and implementation of a custom CPU that meets the needs of teaching. This paper describes our motivation and these needs. We present the CPU and board design and describe the implementation of the CPU in an FPGA. The paper also includes some reflections on the use of a real CPU rather than a simulation environment. We conclude with a discussion of how the CPU can be used for advanced classes in computer architecture and a description of the current status of the project

INTELLIGENT FAULT TOLERANT CONTROL SCHEMES FOR AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER VEHICLES

The area of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) is an increasingly important area of research, with AUVs being capable of handling a far wider range of missions than either an inhabited underwater vehicle or a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). One of the major drawbacks of such vehicles is the inability of their control systems to handle faults occurring within the vehicle during a mission. This study aims to develop enhancements to an existing control system in order to increase its fault tolerance to both sensor and actuator faults. Faults occurring within the sensors for both the yaw and roll channels of the AUV are considered. Novel fuzzy inference systems (FISs) are developed and tuned using both the adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and simulated annealing tuning methods. These FISs allow the AUV to continue operating after a fault has occurred within the sensors. Faults occurring within the actuators which control the canards of the AUV and hence the yaw channel are also examined. Actuator recovery FISs capable of handling faults occurring within the actuators are developed using both the simulated annealing and tabu search methods of tuning FISs. The fault tolerance of the AUV is then further enhanced by the development of an error estimation FIS that is used to replace an error sensor. It concludes that the novel FISs designed and developed within the thesis provide an improved performance to both sensor and actuator faults in comparison to benchmark control systems. Therefore having these FISs embedded within the overall control scheme ensure the AUV is fault tolerant to a range of selected failures

Report of the Library Study Committee on the Mack Library: Lighting the Way for the Next Generation

The 2014 Library Study Committee report outlines the committee\u27s vision for a future library at Bridgewater College that can serve its core mission serving as a centerpiece for the academic community for the next generation. The committee developed its report based on its research and analysis of the existing building, its operation, current library space use and floor plan, campus program analysis and needs, the college\u27s relation to peer institutions, review of library construction projects including the University of Denver\u27s Anderson Academic Commons, the James Madison University\u27s Rose Library, Goucher College\u27s Athenaeum and Library, University of Mary Washington\u27s Information Technology Convergence Center, and Library University\u27s Jerry Falwell Library

Social Influence and Willingness to Pay for Massively Multiplayer Online Games: An Empirical Examination of Social Identity Theory

The development and sale of massively multiplayer online games has emerged as a significant part of the 21st century entertainment industry. Yet, firms competing in this sector of the videogame industry vary in their ability to generate revenue from their products. We contend that social influence constitutes one primary factor that determines which massively multiplayer online game individuals consume. Using social identity theory for our theoretical underpinning, we argue that the identity that membership in important social groups provides influences individuals. We investigate the effects that two identity-related constructs, consumer-brand identification and social identity complexity, have on satisfaction and willingness to pay a subscription fee for a massively multiplayer online game. Our results suggest that social influence has a complex relationship with an individual’s willingness to pay. Consumer-brand identification and social identity complexity had significant direct relationships with willingness to pay, while consumer-brand identification had a significant indirect relationship with willingness to pay through satisfaction. Additionally, social identity complexity significantly moderated the relationship between consumer-brand identification and willingness to pay. Overall, our results support social identity theory’s ability to explain how social influence occurs for individuals that play massively multiplayer online games

Social Influence and Willingness to Pay for Online Video Games

Social influence is an important factor in guiding individual behavior, including purchase decisions. The online gaming industry has demonstrated itself to be one of the most successful business sectors to integrate the Internet into its business models. The purpose of the study is to investigate the influence an individual’s social environment has on willingness-to-pay a subscription fee for an online video game. Specifically, social influence is conceptualized as occurring on three levels within an individual’s social environment: the micro-, meso-, and macro-levels. Using a survey research methodology, this study examines the effects that these influences have on expected benefit, willingness-to-pay, and each other