Governing in the Anthropocene: are there cyber-systemic antidotes to the malaise of modern governance?

The Anthropocene imposes new challenges for governments, demanding capabilities for dealing with complexity and uncertainty. In this paper we examine how effective governing of social-biophysical dynamics is constrained by current processes and systems of government. Framing choices and structural determinants combine to create governance deficits in multiple domains, particularly in relation to the governing of complex larger-scale social – biophysical systems. Attempts to build capability for governing ‘wicked problems’ are relevant to sustainability science and Anthropocene governance, but these have mostly failed to become institutionalised. Two cases studies are reported to elucidate how the systemic dynamics of governing operate and fail in relation to espoused purpose. In the UK attempts to enact ‘joined-up’ government’ during the years of New Labour government reveal systemic flaws and consistent praxis failures. From Australia we report on water governance reforms with implications for a wide range of complex policy issues. We conclude that innovations are needed to build capacity for governing the unfolding surprises and inherent uncertainties of the Anthropocene. These include institutionalising, or structural incorporation, of cyber-systemic thinking/practices that can also enhance empowerment and creativity that underpins sustainability science

The efficacy of lymph node fine needle aspiration cytology

Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of lymph nodes is a safe, easy, cheap and quick diagnostic tool, which involves the examination of a random sample of cells from a lymph node. To assess the distribution of diagnostic categories and the efficacy of lymph node fine needle aspiration cytology at our institution. These were compared to the literature. Methodology: All of lymph node FNAC cases taken between the 1st January 2012 and the 31st December 2013 were retrieved from our Laboratory Information System. A total of 300 cases were retrieved and then placed into one of six categories; Category 1: Non-diagnostic, 2: Reactive, 3: Probably reactive but lymphoma cannot be excluded, 4: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, 5: Hodgkin lymphoma, and 6: Metastasis. These were then correlated with the histology of the lymph node excision specimens. The proportion of diagnoses placed under categories 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 represent 14%, 53%, 4.3%, 5.7%, 1.7% and 21.3% of the total respectively. The overall efficacy of FNAC showed a sensitivity of 84.5%, specificity of 99.3%, a false negative rate of 10%, a false positive rate of 0.7%, accuracy of 93.1%, positive predictive value of 98.8% and negative predictive value of 89.9%. FNAC of lymph nodes is a very useful and effective tool in triaging patients with lymphadenopathy.peer-reviewe

A multiplicity bound for graded rings and a criterion for the Cohen-Macaulay property

Let $R$ be a polynomial ring over a field. We prove an upper bound for the multiplicity of $R/I$ when $I$ is a homogeneous ideal of the form $I=J+(F)$, where $J$ is a Cohen-Macaulay ideal and $F\notin J$. The bound is given in terms of two invariants of $R/J$ and the degree of $F$. We show that ideals achieving this upper bound have high depth, and provide a purely numerical criterion for the Cohen-Macaulay property. Applications to quasi-Gorenstein rings and almost complete intersections are given.Comment: 14 pages, comments are welcom

Ideals with Larger Projective Dimension and Regularity

We define a family of homogeneous ideals with large projective dimension and regularity relative to the number of generators and their common degree. This family subsumes and improves upon constructions given in [Cav04] and [McC]. In particular, we describe a family of three-generated homogeneous ideals in arbitrary characteristic whose projective dimension grows asymptotically as sqrt{d}^(sqrt(d) - 1).Comment: 10 pages. This work was completed at the MRC for Commutative Algebra in Snowbird, UT, which was generously supported by the AM

The Power Control Rack: A Modular Solution for Building Power Systems

LDRD proposal presentation to ETA ALD at LBNL. Proposing use of SST to create a modular efficient single point of common coupling for buildings

Adaptation without natural selection

Document is itself an extended abstract

PI Degree and Irreducible Representations of Quantum Determinantal Rings and their Associated Quantum Schubert Varieties

We study quantum determinantal rings at roots of unity and calculate the PI degree using results of Lenagan-Rigal and Haynal to reduce the problem to finding properties of their associated matrices. These matrices, in turn, correspond to Cauchon-Le diagrams from which we can calculate the required matrix properties. In particular, we show that any matrix corresponding to an $m\times n$ diagram has invariant factors which are powers of 2. Our calculations allow us to state an explicit expression for the PI degree of quantum determinantal rings when the deformation parameter $q$ is a primitive $\ell^{\text{th}}$ root of unity with $\ell$ odd. Using this newly calculated PI degree we present a method to construct an irreducible representation of maximal dimension. Building on these results, we use the strong connection between quantum determinantal rings and certain quantum Schubert varieties through noncommutative dehomogenisation to obtain expressions for the PI degree of such quantum Schubert varieties under the same conditions on $q$.Comment: 36 page