A support architecture for reliable distributed computing systems

The Clouds kernel design was through several design phases and is nearly complete. The object manager, the process manager, the storage manager, the communications manager, and the actions manager are examined

Editorial - Writing Together: Practitioners, Academics and Policy Makers

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Researching Under-Represented Groups: How to Empower Students through Targeted Learning Development Support

The Scottish Government has tasked Higher Education Institutions with improving the recruitment, retention and progression of students who are classified as living within the lowest deprivation quintile according to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivati on (Scottish Government, 2012). The Scottish Funding Council allocates ringfenced funding for this purpose and negotiates specific outcome agreements with each institution to measure and evaluate success. As an initiative funded in this way, the School of Health and Life Science’s Learning Development Centre (LDC) at Glasgow Caledonian University is required to support students from low participation postcodes. The LDC provides enhancement - led, learning support to all students in the School through a blend of timetabled, in - programme teaching, workshops and one to one appointments. Support for, and monitoring of, those identified as belonging to the ‘multiple deprivations’ category (MD20s), however, is becoming an increasing priority. Whilst clearly a desira ble aim in terms of social justice and widening participation, it is less obvious how best to target and measure support. The risks of stigmatising, alienating or even creating dependency amongst what is surely a heterogeneous group are manifold. This pape r will report on research conducted by the LDC members that attempted to better understand the diverse group of ‘MD20 students’ who attend, or potentially attend programmes within the School. The aim of the project was to provide an evidence - base on which further support activities could be built. Cognisant of the diversity of the group in question and the risk of labelling or categorising students, the project employed a narrative or biographical approach which aimed to capture and explore the individual l ife histories of students (Field, Merrill & West, 2012). In particular, it investigated the paths their lives had taken to lead them to study at university, how they felt about the MD20 focus and what kind of support, if any, would empower them to succeed in their studies. Alongside in - depth, qualitative exploration of the issues, academic performance and baseline demographic data were collected to gather as full a picture as possible of the group in question

Two studies of Mixtec languages

This thesis consists of two independent papers and a text. One paper is centered on Mixtec languages as a whole, the other paper and the text present the variety of Mixtec spoken in the southeastern portion of the district of Nochixtlán, Oaxaca, Mexico. The first paper builds on work published by Stephen A. Marlett in which it is posited that nasalization is a feature of the morpheme rather than the syllable. Data not included in Marlett\u27s study, which corroborates his findings, are presented. Also in the light of these data, modifications to his analysis are suggested. This paper also presents the claim that there were palatalized and non-palatalized consonants in Proto-Mixtec. The second paper presents a typological overview of the grammar of Southeastern Nochixtlán Mixtec, with particular emphasis on those features not documented for other Mixtec languages. The final chapter presents an interlinear glossed text from this variety of Mixtec

Tonal association, prominence and prosodic structure in south-eastern Nochixtlán Mixtec

The researcher of most varieties of Mixtec (Oto- Manguean) is faced with a high level of surface alternations whereby the tones of some words vary according to their context. Early researchers, such as Kenneth L Pike, accounted for these differences by assigning morphemes to different classes according to the effect morphemes have on the following morpheme. However a much more satisfactory explanation can be achieved by positing the presence of floating tones which are the result of one of three processes: right-ward shift of underlying tones, loss of CV segments, or the delinking of Low tones. The main focus of this thesis is to account for the tonal association patterns of Southeastern Nochixtlán Mixtec (MXY). As background we present a brief summary of the work of earlier researchers, including claims about the relationship between stress and High tone, (Chapters 2 and 3), and then in Chapter 4 we show how autosegmental phonology provides a more satisfactory account for these published data. In Chapter 5 we show that in spite of surface differences, when the surface tones of morphemes are compared across varieties, morphemes can be shown to belong to tonal categories which reflect a previous stage of Mixtec. Chapters 6 to 10 present unpublished data from MXY. In Chapter 6 we show that underlying tones of disyllabic morphemes usually align at the right edge of their sponsoring morpheme. We also demonstrate how tones are provided for the unspecified initial syllables. In this chapter we also present acoustic data to show that underlying Mid tones participate in phonological processes which default Mid tones do not. Chapter 7 presents more data to show MXY tonal association patterns, including the behaviour of floating High tones such as their tendency to align at the right edge of prosodic words. Chapter 8 describes the complex tonal association of floating High tones sponsored by four verbal prefixes. We show that the resulting surface forms depend not only on the underlying tones sponsored by the verb root, but the form of the verb stem with which it associates. In Chapter 9 we turn to examine whether there is any relationship between stressed syllables and High tone. We analyse acoustic data to show that initial syllables of roots show statistically significant increased duration. By examining the tonal association patterns, we conclude that in MXY, the association of High tones is governed by alignment rather than the locus of stress. Based on the findings of Chapter 9, in Chapter 10 we look at the locus of stress in two different contexts: one, stress found in compound words; and two, stress in verb roots which co -occur with prefixes. In all these contexts we see no predilection for High tones to associate with the stressed syllable. In this chapter we also look at contexts in which Low tone spreads. Chapter 11 pulls together the data presented in Chapters 6 to 10 and presents them against a theoretical background of the interaction between prosody and syntax

Disavowing Disability

Examines the role that disability, both as a concept and an experience, played in seventeenth-century debates about salvation and religious practice. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core

The scholar advocate: Rudolf Schlesinger's writings on Marxism and Soviet historiography

As a notable academic, Marxist writer and one-time political activist, an extensive critique of Rudolf Schlesinger’s writings is long overdue. Raised in the revolutionary atmosphere of early twentieth century Austria, Schlesinger soon became embroiled in central European communism, taking on full-time work for the German Communist Party in Berlin, Prague and Moscow. He left the Soviet Union during the purges, having been described as ‘alien to the party’, and made his way to the UK where he fostered a reputation as an informed and prolific scholar. This investigation is not intended to be a biography of Schlesinger, but rather an ‘intellectual biography’, an examination of his monographs, papers, drafts and memoir reflections. This allows for an appreciation of his academic contribution and an understanding of his unique personal motivation and perspective. Given his experiences, as well as the cultural, political and ideological paradigm from which he emerged, this analysis provides insights into Marxist theory, the labour movement, the Soviet Union and German communism. It also throws light upon the intellectual climate in the West during the cold war, providing a historiographical snapshot of academic Soviet studies, particularly in the UK. The thesis is divided into two sections, with each exploring a different aspect of Schlesinger’s writing. The first traces Schlesinger’s theoretical development and education, detailing and analysing the impact of Luxemburg, Lenin, Marx and Engels on his thought and writing. Schlesinger emerges as a Leninist, whose understanding of the dialectical nature of Marxism leads him to seek the next stage in its development, since Lenin’s revolutionary successes forever altered the socio-economic landscape and thus fated his theories to obsolescence. An examination of Schlesinger’s attitude towards Stalin as a Marxist theorist illuminates his pragmatic stance regarding the Soviet leader. Whilst Stalin’s rule had a considerable human cost and a deleterious impact upon Marxist theory, to Schlesinger, his leadership was necessary to further the existence of the Soviet state, the sole manifestation of the great social democratic experiment. The second section focuses on Schlesinger’s writings concerning Soviet historiography. It is possible to discern changes in tone, emphasis and argument in his work on this subject. A dichotomy emerges between Schlesinger’s positive portrayal of historiographical developments in the Soviet Union in papers written before Stalin’s death and his retrospective condemnation of these events after 1953. This latter attitude chimes with his personal memoir reflections of life as an intellectual in Stalin’s Russia, in which he described a highly controlled, academically stagnant society; yet it contrasts starkly with his earlier position. It is also possible to detect parallels between Schlesinger’s changing emphasis and the dynamics of official Soviet attitudes. An explanation is required if Schlesinger is not to be dismissed as inconsistent or polemical. It is argued that Schlesinger can be accurately described as a ‘scholar advocate’, both in terms of a defender of the Soviet experiment and a proponent of Marxism and social democracy. This characterisation allows for an understanding of Schlesinger’s changing stance and motivations and explains his apparent inconsistency. Schlesinger was loyal to Marxism in general, but not to the fluctuating dictates of the Russian party. He was not a polemicist or propagandist but instead sought to stay loyal to wider Marxist ideals and methodology. For Schlesinger, his pragmatism ensured that he did not judge events in Russia from the rose-tinted spectacles of utopianism; his attitude was not swayed by single events, however tragic, and he was aware both of the utility and the transient nature of Stalin’s rule. This helps to explain his positive attitude. In addition, Schlesinger was keen to defend Marxism and the Soviet Union against what he perceived as unfair criticism; he sought to counter myths and misunderstandings propagated by disillusioned supporters and opponents. Schlesinger consciously attempted to combat what he saw, and many academics have recognised, as the cold war bias of a section of Western comment and scholarship. This may, perhaps, have led Schlesinger to paint too optimistic a picture of the Soviet Union, but his work is a useful and necessary counterbalance to other literature. Schlesinger was no propagandist, and recognition of his unique and conscious motivation allows for a full appreciation of his rich and varied writings

The Implementation and Emulation of Cult Movie Marketing

Cult media is often an area of media studies that is difficult to define. Cult media branches through numerous time periods, genres, and fandom patterns. Cult trends are also constantly evolving over time, changing from word-of-mouth and point-of-sale advertising to social networks and Internet culture. But have the rudimentary basics of how media cults develop and spread their message changed along with the progressing marketing presentation? This dissertation explores the definition of media cults, their history, and marketing styles over time, ultimately exploring the tools utilized to market cult media and examine how these tools are now synthetically applied to many media products in hopes of garnering a passionate cult audience

A New Phase of Just Urban Climate Action in the Rocky Mountain West

The imperative of climate change has inspired hundreds of cities across the United States to act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Yet in some contexts, urban greening and climate action have exacerbated social injustices, spawning green gentrification or increasing the cost of living. In response, cities are beginning to shift their governing institutions to foster collaboration between departments and build local capacities while leaning into the interconnected nature of climate change mitigation, housing affordability, and social justice. Through a cross-case comparison of Denver, Colorado and Salt Lake City, Utah, two cities committed to climate action while facing severe housing crises, this study argues that cities are entering a new phase of urban climate action, one that can build a more sustainable and equitable urban environment for all

TransEDU Scotland : Researching the Experience of Trans and Gender Diverse Applicants, Students and Staff in Scotland's Colleges and Universities

This document provides an overview of the TransEdu Scotland empirical research project, including the main research findings and recommendations. Open - access practical tools, case studies and resources for developing policies, provision and leadership will be hosted on www.trans.ac.uk from November 2017, as part of the broader TransEDU project