Different Ways of Reading, or Just Making the Right Noises?

What does reading look like? Can learning to read be reduced to the acquisition of a set of isolable skills, or proficiency in reading be equated with the independence of the solitary, silent reader of prose fiction? These conceptions of reading and reading development, which figure strongly in educational policy, may appear to be simple common sense. But both ethnographic data and evidence from literary texts suggest that such paradigms offer, at most, a partial and ahistorical picture of reading. An important dimension, neglected in the dominant paradigms, is the irreducibly social quality of reading practices

‘What’s it like to have ME?’ The discursive construction of ME in computer-mediated communication and face-to-face interaction

ME/CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) is a debilitating illness for which no cause or medical tests have been identified. Debates over its nature have generated interest from qualitative researchers. However, participants are difficult to recruit because of the nature of their condition. Therefore, this study explores the utility of the internet as a means of eliciting accounts. We analyse data from focus groups and the internet in order to ascertain the extent to which previous research findings apply to the internet domain. Interviews were conducted among 49 members of internet (38 chatline, 11 personal) and 7 members of two face-to-face support groups. Discourse analysis of descriptions and accounts of ME/CFS revealed similar devices and interactional concerns in both internet and face-to-face communication. Participants constructed their condition as serious, enigmatic and not psychological. These functioned to deflect problematic assumptions about ME/CFS and to manage their accountability for the illness and its effects

Electromagnetic Interactions GEneRalized (EIGER) - Algorithm abstraction and HPC implementation

Modern software development methods combined with key generalizations of standard computational algorithms enable the development of a new class of electromagnetic modeling tools. This paper describes current and anticipated capabilities of a frequency domain modeling code, EIGER, which has an extremely wide range of applicability. In addition, software implementation methods and high performance computing issues are discussed

Grafting and Poisson structure in (2+1)-gravity with vanishing cosmological constant

We relate the geometrical construction of (2+1)-spacetimes via grafting to phase space and Poisson structure in the Chern-Simons formulation of (2+1)-dimensional gravity with vanishing cosmological constant on manifolds of topology $R\times S_g$, where $S_g$ is an orientable two-surface of genus $g>1$. We show how grafting along simple closed geodesics \lambda is implemented in the Chern-Simons formalism and derive explicit expressions for its action on the holonomies of general closed curves on S_g. We prove that this action is generated via the Poisson bracket by a gauge invariant observable associated to the holonomy of $\lambda$. We deduce a symmetry relation between the Poisson brackets of observables associated to the Lorentz and translational components of the holonomies of general closed curves on S_g and discuss its physical interpretation. Finally, we relate the action of grafting on the phase space to the action of Dehn twists and show that grafting can be viewed as a Dehn twist with a formal parameter $\theta$ satisfying $\theta^2=0$.Comment: 43 pages, 10 .eps figures; minor modifications: 2 figures added, explanations added, typos correcte

Evaluating auroral forecasts against satellite observations

The aurora is a readily visible phenomenon of interest to many members of the public. However, the aurora and associated phenomena can also significantly impact communications, ground-based infrastructure, and high-altitude radiation exposure. Forecasting the location of the auroral oval is therefore a key component of space weather forecast operations. A version of the OVATION-Prime 2013 auroral precipitation model (Newell et al., 2014, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014sw001056) was used by the UK Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre (MOSWOC). The operational implementation of the OVATION-Prime 2013 model at the UK Met Office delivered a 30-min forecast of the location of the auroral oval and the probability of observing the aurora. Using weather forecast evaluation techniques, we evaluate the ability of the OVATION-Prime 2013 model forecasts to predict the location and probability of the aurora occurring by comparing the forecasts with auroral boundaries determined from data from the IMAGE satellite between 2000 and 2002. Our analysis shows that the operational model performs well at predicting the location of the auroral oval, with a relative operating characteristic (ROC) score of 0.82. The model performance is reduced in the dayside local time sectors (ROC score = 0.59) and during periods of higher geomagnetic activity (ROC score of 0.55 for Kp = 8). As a probabilistic forecast, OVATION-Prime 2013 tends to underpredict the occurrence of aurora by a factor of 1.1–6, while probabilities of over 90% are overpredicted

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits—almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Seismic facies and regional architecture of the Oak Ridges Moraine area, southern Ontario

Analysis of over 50 line-kilometres of land-based, shallow, seismic reflection profiles has provided a means of investigating the subsurface architecture and stratigraphic relationships of the glacial deposits in and beneath the Oak Ridges Moraine (ORM). The focus of this paper is the role of seismic reflection surveys, and the derived seismic facies and facies geometry, in the development of a well-constrained, regional, conceptual model of the subsurface stratigraphy in the area and the improved inferences these data allow regarding glacial event sequence and process interpretations. The data define four major seismic facies that characterize the complex glacial sequence of the ORM area. High-reflectivity facies (I) can be traced regionally and related to an eroded Newmarket Till surface. Medium (II) and low (III) reflectivity facies are generally associated with coarse-grained glaciofluvial deposits and laterally extensive, glaciolacustrine sequences of sand, silt, and clay, respectively. A chaotic facies (IV) is common within buried channels, and attributed to instability and (or) rapid channel-fill deposition. Seismic geometry (with borehole verification) shows that a broad surface network of channels extends below thick ORM sediments. The channel system is part of a regional unconformity formed on the Newmarket Till (facies I). The buried channels can have steep sides, and their fills frequently include tabular sheets, eskers, and (or) large cross-beds. The observations are consistent with the scenario of sheet flow and channel cutting by high-energy subglacial meltwater and filling with gravel, sand, and silt in succession (facies II and III) as the flows waned.L'analyse de 50 km de profils de sismique réflexion terrestre à haute résolution ont permis une observation de l'architecture sédimentaire de subsurface et la relation entre les unités stratigraphiques glaciaires en-dessous de la moraine de l'Oak Ridges (ORM). L'intension de cet article est de démontrer le rôle que joue la sismique réflexion, avec l'analyse des faciès sismiques et de leur géométrie, dans le développement d'un modèle conceptuel régional de la stratigraphie dont les limites sont bien reconnues. Ceci a pour conséquence que ces données améliorent l'interprétation de séquences et de processus glaciaires. Quatre faciès sismiques caratérisent la séquence de dépôt glaciaire complexe de la région de l'ORM. Un faciès très réflectif (I) peut être suivi régionalement et mis en relation avec une surface d'érosion du Till de Newmarket. Des faciès de moyenne (II) et de faible (III) réflectivité sont associés respectivement, avec des dépôts fluvioglaciaires de granulométrie grossière et des séquences glaciolacustres formées de sable, de limon et d'argile déposés régionalement sur de grandes surfaces. Un faciès chaotique (IV) se trouve fréquemment dans des chenaux enterrés et sont attribués à des instabilités et (ou) des dépôts rapides dans le chenal. Sur la base de calibrations avec des forages, la géométrie sismique montre l'existence d'un réseau de chenaux au-dessous de l'épaisse couche sédimentaire de l'ORM. Ce sytème de chenaux fait partie d'une disconformité régionale sur le Till de Newmarket (faciès I). Les bords des chenaux enterrés peuvent comporter de très fortes pentes et le remplissage montre des drappages horizontaux, des eskers ou des larges stratifications entrecroisées. Ces observations sont en accord avec des inondations laminaires en nappes et des incisions de chenaux par de l'eau de fonte sous-glaciaire avec des dépôt successifs de graviers, sables et limons lorsque le flux diminue (facies II et III)

Observations of tunnel channels in glacial sediments with shallow land-based seismic reflection

A regional hydrogeological study conducted by the Geological Survey of Canada acquired 35 line-km of 12-fold seismic reflection profiles on or adjacent to the Oak Ridges moraine, north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The three-dimensional geometry provided by these data aids in understanding the erosional and depositional processes that occurred beneath the Laurentide ice sheet during the late stages of glaciation. The seismic sections indicate large infilled channels in the subsurface which are interpreted as tunnel channels eroded by large, subglacial meltwater discharges. Two seismic profiles from different areas of the moraine show channel-cutting events of different ages and different types of infilling.</p