Broadcasting Automata and Patterns on Z^2

The Broadcasting Automata model draws inspiration from a variety of sources such as Ad-Hoc radio networks, cellular automata, neighbourhood se- quences and nature, employing many of the same pattern forming methods that can be seen in the superposition of waves and resonance. Algorithms for broad- casting automata model are in the same vain as those encountered in distributed algorithms using a simple notion of waves, messages passed from automata to au- tomata throughout the topology, to construct computations. The waves generated by activating processes in a digital environment can be used for designing a vari- ety of wave algorithms. In this chapter we aim to study the geometrical shapes of informational waves on integer grid generated in broadcasting automata model as well as their potential use for metric approximation in a discrete space. An explo- ration of the ability to vary the broadcasting radius of each node leads to results of categorisations of digital discs, their form, composition, encodings and gener- ation. Results pertaining to the nodal patterns generated by arbitrary transmission radii on the plane are explored with a connection to broadcasting sequences and ap- proximation of discrete metrics of which results are given for the approximation of astroids, a previously unachievable concave metric, through a novel application of the aggregation of waves via a number of explored functions

Personalisation and its implications for work and employment in the voluntary sector

This report assesses the impact of personalisation on social care, particularly focussing on implications for the workforce. Personalisation is often presented as being transformative in the manner in which it empowers both people who use services and employees. The report considers the latter aspect in particular by assessing some of the workforce implications of personalisation. It reports research drawn from policymakers and three voluntary organisations, with interviews with managers, employees and people who use services. The main findings from the research are: Policymakers were enthusiastic about the potential benefits of personalisation with regard to the opportunities for the independence of people who receive services and enhancement of workforce skills. Policymakers feared the impact of public spending cuts and recognised the cultural and operational barriers within local authorities to the implementation of personalisation. Policymakers were enthusiastic about the role of the voluntary sector and its workforce in terms of its contribution to delivering personalised services, whilst recognising concerns about skills gaps among employees and the impact of deteriorating terms and conditions of employment on worker morale. Management in the three organisations largely embraced the principles of personalisation, whilst also recognising the pressure from local authorities to use the personalisation agenda to cut costs. Employees in the main understood the principles of personalisation but revealed limited awareness of the implications for the changes in service budgets. Organisations were changing their approach to staff recruitment in order to develop a better fit between the interests of people receiving services and employees delivering them. Management anticipated significant changes to the working hours of employees providing personalised services, which was met with a degree of anxiety among some employees. Management recognised the need to address skills gaps among employees in areas such as risk enablement, decision-making and community connecting. Employees generally welcomed the potential enhancement of their skills through personalisation. Job security concerns were apparent among the majority of front-line employees as a consequence of personalisation. Organisations were balancing the move towards risk enablement and cutting costs with the need to protect service user and worker health and safety, particularly in relation to managing challenging behavior. Personalisation brings with it the potential to fragment pay and conditions away from collective terms towards linking them more closely to the value of individual service budgets. People who receive services revealed limited awareness of changes to service budgets, their choices over the service provider, choices over who provides their services and there was limited evidence of empowerment and greater choice

Valuable assets : a general formal investigation into the role and status of classroom assistants in Scotland's primary school

Based on the earlier pilot research conducted by SCER, the EOC instigated a General Formal Investigation (GFI) of the role and status of classroom assistants in Scotland's primary schools. As part of the GFI, SCER was commissioned to conduct a national survey of classroom assistants, teachers and head teachers. Primary data was generated from a Scotland-wide, large scale survey sent to over 1000 primary schools. Interviews were also conducted with Directors of Education and the Scottish Executive Education Department

Design integration and noise studies for jet STOL aircraft. Task 7A: Augmentor wing cruise blowing valveless system. Volume 1: System design and test integration

Exploratory design studies conducted to establish the configuration of an augmentor wing vruise blowing (valveless) system in a 150-passenger STOL airplane were reported in NASA CR-114570. Those studies have been updated to incorporate the results of static rig, flow duct, and wind tunnel tests. Minor adjustments in duct flow velocity, flap length, and blowing nozzle geometry were incorporated to provide airplane characteristics that minimize takeoff gross weight and achieve sideline noise objectives for an advanced commercial STOL airplane

Paraguay: ¿Un giro a la izquierda bajo el mandato de Lugo?

La toma de posesión de Fernando Lugo como presidente de Paraguay marca un giro decisivo en la historia del país. En presencia de los presidentes de todos los miembros del Mercosur y de Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador y Venezuela, Fernando Lugo juró el 15 de agosto el cargo de presidente de Paraguay para el período 2008-2013. El protagonismo del presidente de Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, durante la ceremonia y con posterioridad a ésta aumentó la especulación sobre si Paraguay se uniría ahora a la alianza regional de naciones identificada con el “socialismo del siglo XXI”. Semejante juicio resulta prematuro, dada la composición del Gabinete de Lugo y la escasa representación de la izquierda en el nuevo Congreso. Más bien, la apertura a Venezuela y a Bolivia debería entenderse en el contexto más general del distanciamiento de Paraguay de su ya duradera “diplomacia pendular” de cara a sus dos gigantes vecinos, Brasil y Argentina, más motivado por la exigencia de renegociar los principales contratos hidroeléctricos con esos dos países que por cuestiones de afinidad ideológica

The Role of International Cooperation in the Decentralisation Process in Low- and Middle-income Countries

Decentralisation has become a major priority for international development cooperation in recent years. Yet its impact has often fallen well below expectations. A more critical examination of such cooperation is necessary in order to avoid the pitfalls of the past and identify best practice for the future. Decentralisation is an increasingly common feature of international cooperation today. This reflects a prevalent view among donor agencies that the strengthening of sub-national levels of government is a prerequisite for improved governance and sustainable development. However decentralisation is no panacea and the impact of national decentralisation programmes have often been disappointing. Two forms of international cooperation in support of decentralisation are identified: one that supports the central government unit spearheading the decentralisation process and another that directly supports individual municipalities, usually in the form of decentralised cooperation. Three structural problems are identified that reduce the effectiveness of international cooperation for decentralisation: the persistence of clientelism and local corruption, the tendency for larger urban municipalities to ‘capture’ the benefits of international cooperation, and the lack of institutional memory caused by the high rotation of municipal officials, which reduces the impact of donor-funded capacity-building projects. Finally, some initiatives are mentioned that seek to overcome these problems: support for national municipal associations, the dissemination of ‘good practice’ in municipal development and ‘demand-led’ programmes in support of municipal projects

Las perspectivas de desarrollo de Paraguay bajo el gobierno del Presidente Duarte Frutos

Sumido en la corrupción, los recientes resultados económicos de Paraguay no pueden ser peores. Por primera vez desde que en 1989 comenzara la transición a la democracia, el gobierno del Presidente Duarte Frutos está sentando las bases para un mejor gobierno y un desarrollo sostenible. El gobierno entrante del Presidente Duarte Frutos está realizando grandes progresos en la mejora de la gobernanza de Paraguay al haber centrado su actuación en el importante reto de combatir la corrupción endémica del país. Las mejoras están ya comenzando a materializarse en una mayor recaudación fiscal, transparencia en las contrataciones y licitaciones públicas y reformas en la cúpula del poder judicial. El gobierno también ha emprendido una reforma fiscal progresista mediante la introducción, por primera vez, de un impuesto sobre la renta de las personas físicas y un impuesto catastral rural. Todavía quedan por abordar tres ámbitos prioritarios de la administración: la reforma del funcionariado, la reducción de la pobreza y, lo más difícil, la reforma agraria. Para asentar los cimientos de un desarrollo sostenible a largo plazo, el gobierno también tendrá que promover un proceso de industrialización que deberá pasar por la utilización interna de su enorme potencial hidroenergético

A survey of software development practices in the New Zealand software industry

We report on the software development techniques used in the New Zealand software industry, paying particular attention to requirements gathering. We surveyed a selection of software companies with a general questionnaire and then conducted in-depth interviews with four companies. Our results show a wide variety in the kinds of companies undertaking software development, employing a wide range of software development techniques. Although our data are not sufficiently detailed to draw statistically significant conclusions, it appears that larger software development groups typically have more well-defined software development processes, spend proportionally more time on requirements gathering, and follow more rigorous testing regimes