An analysis of ground stone artifacts from Ghwair I, a Pre-Pottery Neolithic B site in southern Jordan

Ground stone artifacts indicating food preparation and other activities are well-represented among the assemblage resulting from three seasons of excavation at Ghwair I, a Pre-Pottery Neolithic B site in southern Jordan Placement of Ghwair I in context of roughly contemporaneous Levantine sites indicates that its ground stone assemblage is typical of the period and that Ghwair I was a self-reliant community. The ground stone assemblage indicates that mobility of the site\u27s occupants was relatively low. Spatial analysis of distribution of ground stone across the site suggests specialized activity loci and, possibly, early social stratification

Consuming the aesthetic of the everyday: A visual analysis of Errol Morris’ “High Life”

Co-constructed meaning between marketer and consumer is a key dimension of convergent (Jenkins 2006) media. Using “Miller’s High Life” ads (1999-2005) we discuss how content convergence prompts different co-constructed meanings among consumer segments, how “mundane art” is produced and how the marketer/consumer relationship is transformed into a filmmaker/viewer-consumer one. From an interdisciplinary perspective, we discuss the implications of this transformed relationship for marketing

Beyond sensation seeking: affect regulation as a framework for predicting risk-taking behaviors in high-risk sport.

Sensation seeking has been widely studied when investigating individual differences in the propensity for taking risks. However, risk taking can serve many different goals beyond the simple management of physiological arousal. The present study is an investigation of affect self-regulation as a predictor of risk-taking behaviors in high-risk sport. Risk-taking behaviors, negative affectivity, escape self-awareness strategy, and sensation seeking data were obtained from 265 high-risk sportsmen. Moderated hierarchical regression analysis revealed significant main and interaction effects of negative affectivity and escape self-awareness strategy in predicting risk-taking behaviors: high-risk sportsmen�s negative affectivity leads them to adopt risk-taking behaviors only if they also use escape self-awareness strategy. Furthermore, the affective model remained significant when controlling for sensation seeking. The present study contributes to an in-depth understanding of risk taking in high-risk sport

Who takes risks at high-risks sports? A typological personality approach.

International audienceWe investigated the risk-taking behaviors of 302 men involved in high-risk sports (downhill skiing mountaineering rock climbing, paragliding, or skydiving). The sportsmen were classified using a typological approach to personality based on eight personality types, which were constructed from combinations of neuroticism, extraversion, and conscientiousness. Results showed that personality types with a configuration of low conscientiousness combined with high extraversion and/or high neuroticism (impulsive, hedonistic, insecure) were greater risk-takers. Conversely, personality types with a configuration of high conscientiousness combined with low extraversion and/or high extraversion (skeptic, brooder, entrepreneur) were lower risk-takers. Results are discussed in the context of typology and other approaches to understanding who takes risks in high-risk domains

Public Value Energy Governance: establishing an institutional framework which better fits a sustainable, secure and affordable energy system

This short Discussion Paper is intended to stimulate discussion about how governance of the energy system in Britain can better keep up with technological, economic and social change. We have set out a possible model for future governance and regulation – which moves from the ‘independent, CEO led’ model currently in Britain to one which is more ‘directed’ and which we argue is more legitimate, transparent and nimble; but which also better suits the characteristics of current technologies (whether supply, demand, storage and ICT integration). We would welcome comments on it by the end of June 2015. Whatever the optimum model for future energy system governance and regulation, though, the fundamental point remains: the current model of regulation in the UK’s gas and electricity systems is no longer fit for purpose

Economic and Non-Economic Barriers and Drivers for the Uptake of Renewables

This is the final versionLarge scale renewables raise new challenges and provide new opportunities across electricity systems. This paper considers the barriers faced by large scale renewables in electricity systems in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. We review the current state of knowledge in relation to grid-connected renewables. This paper then explores key issues in electricity system structure, the main challenges to the uptake of renewables, and the various existing fiscal and policy approaches to encouraging renewables. The authors also highlight possible ways moving forward to ensure more widespread renewables deployment. This research was supported by the UK Department for International Development’s Energy and Economic Growth Applied Research Programme.The Applied Research Programme on Energy and Economic Growth (EEG) is led by Oxford Policy Management in partnership with the Center for Effective Global Action and the Energy Institute @ Haas at the University of California, Berkeley. The programme is funded by the UK Government, through UK Aid

Embargoed Exchange: A Critical Case Study of Study Abroad Programming Between the United States and Cuba

Internationalization continues to remain a central focus within the U.S. university environment. Internationalization motives are under question as neoliberal policies continue to limit sustained, long-term state funding for public universities and undermine the academic mission of these universities. Universities are leveraging internationalization practices, like study abroad programming, in response to the pressures of neoliberalism. Using both an academic capitalist and post-colonial lens, this dissertation seeks to understand how study abroad programming, specifically in non-traditional locations (viz., Cuba), operates within and is shaped by political and economic contexts. In this study, qualitative case study methods were used to critically examine study abroad programming between the United States and Cuba before, during and after the Obama Administration’s announcement changing diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba on December 17, 2014. The perspectives of 12 of the main actors in the field, including educational administrators and faculty from U.S universities, Cuban universities, and study abroad program providers, were captured to provide a more comprehensive view of U.S. study abroad implementation in Cuba. The findings illustrate four key aspects of the political and economic context that significantly impact study abroad programming. First, the U.S. blockade (embargo) on Cuba is shown to hinder academic operation and impede international relationship building. Additionally, the neoliberal and neo-colonial university environment in which study abroad programming is situated leads to the reproduction of colonial dynamics and amplifies inequities and power dynamics within North-South study abroad programs. Yet, in the face of neoliberal and neo-colonial pressures, solidarity building emerged as a key area for resistance within these programs. Thus, two opposing approaches, market-based and solidarity building, are dictating how study abroad programming is developed and implemented. The tensions between these approaches provide insight into the liminal space within which educational administrators and faculty develop and facilitate study abroad programming. Therefore, this dissertation critically analyzes the political and economic environment in which study abroad operates to determine implications for internationalization practice and policy in an effort to guide the future international dimensions of the university

Flood modelling for cities using Cloud computing

Urban flood risk modelling is a highly topical example of intensive computational processing. Such processing is increasingly required by a range of organisations including local government, engineering consultancies and the insurance industry to fulfil statutory requirements and provide professional services. As the demands for this type of work become more common, then ownership of high-end computational resources is warranted but if use is more sporadic and with tight deadlines then the use of Cloud computing could provide a cost-effective alternative. However, uptake of the Cloud by such organisations is often thwarted by the perceived technical barriers to entry. In this paper we present an architecture that helps to simplify the process of performing parameter sweep work on an Infrastructure as a Service Cloud. A parameter sweep version of the urban flood modelling, analysis and visualisation software “CityCat” was developed and deployed to estimate spatial and temporal flood risk at a whole city scale – far larger than had previously been possible. Performing this work on the Cloud allowed us access to more computing power than we would have been able to purchase locally for such a short time-frame (∼21 months of processing in a single calendar month). We go further to illustrate the considerations, both functional and non-functional, which need to be addressed if such an endeavour is to be successfully achieved