Negotiating the Australia–Japan Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation : Reflections and Afterthoughts

This projects concern for diplomatic history is admirable, and my remarks will be directed towards encouraging the cause. Despite the best efforts of the Historical Documents Section of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), diplomatic history is languishing in Australian universities, as elsewhere, As evidence, I cite the under-whelming reception of Peter Edwards fine biography of Arthur Tange1 and academias muted notice of the 30th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam war and the 40th anniversary of Australias involvement, despite, I argue, their contemporary relevance.

Balancing reliability and cost to choose the best power subsystem

A mathematical model is presented for computing total (spacecraft) subsystem cost including both the basic subsystem cost and the expected cost due to the failure of the subsystem. This model is then used to determine power subsystem cost as a function of reliability and redundancy. Minimum cost and maximum reliability and/or redundancy are not generally equivalent. Two example cases are presented. One is a small satellite, and the other is an interplanetary spacecraft

Reliability and cost: A sensitivity analysis

In the design phase of a system, how a design engineer or manager choose between a subsystem with .990 reliability and a more costly subsystem with .995 reliability is examined, along with the justification of the increased cost. High reliability is not necessarily an end in itself but may be desirable in order to reduce the expected cost due to subsystem failure. However, this may not be the wisest use of funds since the expected cost due to subsystem failure is not the only cost involved. The subsystem itself may be very costly. The cost of the subsystem nor the expected cost due to subsystem failure should not be considered separately but the total of the two costs should be maximized, i.e., the total of the cost of the subsystem plus the expected cost due to subsystem failure

American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) may use tail-pumping to maintain balance

When perched, several species of small falcons, including American Kestrels (Falco sparverius), often pump their tails, but the possible function of this behavior is unknown. My objective was to use observations and experiments to examine the possible function(s) of tail-pumping by American Kestrels. Fieldwork was conducted from March 2015 to December 2015 at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Madison County, Kentucky. During observations of focal kestrels, I noted their behavior (e.g., landing on a perch, hunting, or consuming prey), including when and how often they pumped their tails (i.e., rapid movement of the tail down, then back up to its original position). Kestrels typically tail-pumped when landing on a perch (mean = 4.1 ± 0.2 pumps per 10 sec) and consuming prey (mean = 2.4 ± 0.2 pumps per 10 sec). When hunting, kestrels tail-pumped at higher rates during the 30 sec prior to attacking (mean = 1.1 ± 0.3 pumps), then they did in the 30-60 sec interval before an attack (mean = 0.3 ± 0.1 pumps). During experiments where kestrels were presented with models of a conspecific and a predator (Cooper’s Hawk, Accipiter cooperi), I found no difference in likelihood of tail-pumping prior to and during the presentation. These results suggest that tail-pumping by American Kestrels is not used to communicate with conspecifics or as a predator-deterrent signal. Rather, kestrels appear to tail-pump to help maintain balance on perches when landing and consuming prey. In addition, prior to attacking prey, kestrels typically bob their heads (possible to aid in judging distances), and tail-pumping may help them maintain stability as they head-bob and prepare to attack

How much redundancy: Some cost considerations, including examples for spacecraft systems

How much redundancy should be built into a subsystem such as a space power subsystem. How does a reliability or design engineer choose between a power subsystem with 0.990 reliability and a more costly subsystem with 0.995 reliability. How does the engineer designing a power subsystem for a satellite decide between one power subsystem and a more reliable but heavier power subsystem. High reliability is not necessarily an end in itself. High reliability may be desirable in order to reduce the statistically expected loss due to a subsystem failure. However, this may not be the wisest use of funds since the expected loss due to subsystem failure is not the only cost involved. The subsystem itself may be very costly. The cost of the subsystem or the expected loss due to subsystem failure may not be considered separately. Therefore, the total of the two costs is minimized, i.e., the total of the cost of the subsystem plus the expected loss due to subsystem failure. A specific type of redundant system is considered, called a k-out-of-n: G subsystem. Such a subsystem has n modules, of which k are required to be good for the subsystem to be good. Five models are discussed which can be applied in the design of a power subsystem to select the unique redundancy method which will minimize the total of the cost of the power subsystem plus the expected loss due to the power subsystem failure. A BASIC computer program is available

Establishing the Dance Floor: Frame Manipulation Experiments

Past studies of honey bee populations, in both natural and laboratory settings have allowed researchers to elucidate the dance language of honey bees within the hive. While the intent and meaning of the waggle dance is thoroughly understood, the area within the hive on which the bees dance is poorly understood. Several factors that may contribute to waggle dancing were studied: substrate, scent and hive entrance proximity. Two separate honey bee colonies were placed in three-frame observation hives. After establishing the dance floor, new experimental conditions were introduced by changing the position of the frames and watching for three days per experimental manipulation. Every experimental manipulation but one was followed by an adjustment period, which lasted at least a couple of days. Dancers eventually resumed dancing close to the hive entrance, though a possible predisposition towards brood and/or capped brood substrates was noted on two occasions. Some bees appeared to follow the old dance floor, but this apparent tendency quickly dissipated. Proximity to hive entrance appears to be the determining factor, and any influence of substrate and scent is secondary

Measuring Disability Inclusion: Feasibility of Using Existing Multidimensional Poverty Data in South Africa

This paper presents a framework for measuring disability inclusion in order to examine the associations between disability severity and levels of inclusion, provides an example of its operationalization, and assesses the feasibility of using an existing dataset to measure disability inclusion using this framework. Inclusion here refers to the extent to which people with disabilities are accepted and recognized as individuals with authority, enjoy personal relationships, participate in recreation and social activities, have appropriate living conditions, are able to make productive contributions, and have required formal and informal support. Indicators for the operationalization were drawn from the Individual Deprivation Measure South Africa country study and were mapped on to the domains of inclusion (where relevant), and the Washington Group Short Set of questions were used to determine disability status (no, mild, or moderate/severe disability). The analysis indicates that individuals with disabilities experience generally worse outcomes and a comparative lack of inclusion compared to individuals without disabilities, and broadly that those with moderate or severe disabilities experience worse outcomes than those with mild disabilities. This analysis also provides insight into the limitations of using existing datasets for different purposes from their original design

Reliability and cost analysis methods

In the design phase of a system, how does a design engineer or manager choose between a subsystem with .990 reliability and a more costly subsystem with .995 reliability? When is the increased cost justified? High reliability is not necessarily an end in itself but may be desirable in order to reduce the expected cost due to subsystem failure. However, this may not be the wisest use of funds since the expected cost due to subsystem failure is not the only cost involved. The subsystem itself may be very costly. We should not consider either the cost of the subsystem or the expected cost due to subsystem failure separately but should minimize the total of the two costs, i.e., the total of the cost of the subsystem plus the expected cost due to subsystem failure. This final report discusses the Combined Analysis of Reliability, Redundancy, and Cost (CARRAC) methods which were developed under Grant Number NAG 3-1100 from the NASA Lewis Research Center. CARRAC methods and a CARRAC computer program employ five models which can be used to cover a wide range of problems. The models contain an option which can include repair of failed modules

Spacecraft expected cost analysis with k-out-of-n:G subsystems

In designing a subsystem for a spacecraft, the design engineer is often faced with a number of options ranging from planning an inexpensive subsystem with low reliability to selecting a highly reliable system that would cost much more. We minimize the total of the cost of the subsytem and the costs that would occur if the subsystem fails. We choose the subsystem with the lowest total. A k-out-of-n:G subsystem has n modules, of which k are required to be good for the subsystem to be good. We examine two models to illustrate the principles of the k-out-of-n:G subsystem designs. For the first model, the following assumptions are necessary: the probability of failure of any module in the system is not affected by the failure of any other module; and each of the modules has the same probabillity of success. For the second model we are also free to choose k in our subsystem

Linking women's participation and benefits within the Namibian community based natural resource management program

Women are important resource users and managers and their participation in community based natural resource management activities can create a platform for their empowerment and enhance their role in decision-making, including benefit sharing. The purpose of this paper is to examine the levels of participation of women in activities Namibia’s communal area conservancies and the benefits they receive. The study was carried out in four conservancies in Namibia. It reveals that women participate in diverse activities. With respect to conservancies, women’s participation appears to be highest in conservancy activities where their satisfaction levels with conservancy benefits are highest. Further, women from older and less populated conservancies prioritize conservancy activities above general community engagements. Benefits to women were conservancy-specific, although game meat emerged as a prominent benefit to all conservancies. Allowing women to actively participate in initiatives that are related to their traditional roles is essential in enhancing women’s participation and improved benefits, and is desired by women in all of the conservancies studied