Bose-Mesner Algebras attached to Invertible Jones Pairs

In 1989, Vaughan Jones introduced spin models and showed that they could be used to form link invariants in two different ways--by constructing representations of the braid group, or by constructing partition functions. These spin models were subsequently generalized to so-called 4-weight spin models by Bannai and Bannai; these could be used to construct partition functions, but did not lead to braid group representations in any obvious way. Jaeger showed that spin models were intimately related to certain association schemes. Yamada gave a construction of a symmetric spin model on $4n$ vertices from each 4-weight spin model on $n$ vertices. In this paper we build on recent work with Munemasa to give a different proof to Yamada's result, and we analyse the structure of the association scheme attached to this spin model.Comment: 23 page

Four-Weight Spin Models and Jones Pairs

We introduce and discuss Jones pairs. These provide a generalization and a new approach to the four-weight spin models of Bannai and Bannai. We show that each four-weight spin model determines a ``dual'' pair of association schemes

The Role of Auctions in Allocating Public Resources

This paper provides an economic framework within which to consider the effectiveness and limitations of auction markets. The paper looks at the use of auctions as a policy instrument and the effects of auction design on consumer interests, the efficient allocation of resources, and industry competitiveness.Australia; Research; Ascending-bid auction; Auctions; Bidders; Conservation funds; Descending-bid auction; Dutch auction; English auction; Environmental Management; First-price sealed-bid auction; Infrastructure; Markets; Oral auction; Outcry auction; Pollutant emission permits; Power supply contracts; Public resources; Radio- spectrum; Second-price sealed-bid auction Spectrum licences; Vickrey auction; Water rights;

THE FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS’ CHOICE IN STUDYING ENGLISH AT PRIVATE TUTORING SCHOOLS: A CASE OF THAI UPPER-SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

This study explores the factors leading Thai upper-secondary school students to study English at tutoring school. The students’ perceptions of their EFL private tutors and mainstream school teachers are also a focus of this research. Drawing on statistical data from 80 upper-secondary school students, it shows that these students perceive EFL private tutors to be more effective in the provision of examination support, particularly regarding the university admission examination, compared with mainstream school teachers. Overall, these students have more positive attitudes towards their English tutors than their mainstream school teachers. They agree that tutors have higher English language proficiency and can make them understand the lesson better than their school teachers. The characteristic of the tutors and teaching techniques is considered a significant factor leading students to study English at tutoring schools, particularly the teaching techniques that allow them to do better on university examinations. These findings not only highlight the impact of private tutoring schools on language education systems, but also caution Thai educational policy makers and practitioners to further explore the pressure of the university admission examination on upper-secondary school students in the country.Keywords: Examination support, English language proficiency, private tutoring schools, teaching technique, Thailand.Cite as: Chan, C. & Mongkolhutthi, P. (2017). The factors affecting students’ choice in studying English at private tutoring schools: A case of Thai upper-secondary school students. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 2(2), 44-52.  http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol2iss2pp44-5

The infrastructures of global connectivity: 5G networks

This primer outlines what 5G telecommunication networks are, how they function, and what the relevant policy considerations are, given ongoing policy debates

Computerized Simulation of Case Management with Deaf Clients: Tools for Instruction and Evaluation of Information Gathering Strategies

Many counselors and case managers working with individuals who are deaf have incomplete knowledge about the complex factors that affect case management, learning primarily through trail-and-error what information is really necessary to develop effective rehabilitation plans. Computer-based training using simulations of cases involving management of deaf individuals allows trainees to try out various strategies and receive expert feedback about “best practices” for the simulated cases without harming actual clients. A brief description of simulations currently utilized in rehabilitation training is presented, the development of a deafness-specific case is described and current training applications using that simulation are discussed. The development, validation, and dissemination of a library of cases by the Northern Illinois University Research ad Training Center on Traditionally Underserved Persons Who are Deaf is in progress. Possible future directions for case management simulation with clients who are deaf are discussed

Analysis of the Tuning Sensitivity of Silicon-on-Insulator Optical Ring Resonators

High-quality-factor optical ring resonators have recently been fabricated in thin silicon-on-insulator (SOI). Practical applications of such devices will require careful tuning of the precise location of the resonance peaks. In particular, one often wants to maximize the resonance shift due to the presence of an active component and minimize the resonance shift due to temperature changes. This paper presents a semianalytic formalism that allows the prediction of such resonance shifts from the waveguide geometry. This paper also presents the results of experiments that show the tuning behavior of several ring resonators and find that the proposed semianalytic formalism agrees with the observed behavior

The challenge of labour in China: strikes and the changing labour regime in global factories

China has become a global manufacturing centre with its `unlimited' supply of low cost and unorganised peasant workers. The potential of Chinese workers to change this condition has significant meaning for global labour politics. This study offers an ethnographic portrait and a sociological account of the transformation of labour relations and labour politics in China from 2004 to 2008 focusing on workers' strikes, community and organisation. It reveals how wages and working conditions are bargained, fought over, and determined in the global factories. Geographically this study concerns the city of Shenzhen, China's first Special Economic Zone (SEZ), where labour conflict is most prevalent. Historically, it is traced back to the late 1970s to explore how the pattern of labour conflict has changed over time. The author spent one year conducting participant observation based in a grass-roots labour non-governmental organisation (NGO) in an industrial zone from 2005 to 2006. A multi-case method is used to document workers' stories to strive for a higher wage and better working conditions and their relationships with management, NGOs, the trade union and the local state. The author suggests that benefiting from an expanding labour market, an escalating dynamic community, and the skilled and supervisory workers' network, workplace struggle has exerted significant challenges to the state authorities and the global capital. The capital responded to these challenges by work intensification, production rationalization, expansion and relocation. The local state reacted by better enforcement of the labour regulations and steady enhancement of the minimum wage rate, while the central state initiated a new round of labour legislation to better protect workers. The author refers to the changing labour regime in this stage as `contested despotism'. Its potential to give way to a new form of factory regime is dependent on the possibility of effective workplace trade unionism