Easy on that trigger dad: a study of long term family photo retrieval

We examine the effects of new technologies for digital photography on people's longer term storage and access to collections of personal photos. We report an empirical study of parents' ability to retrieve photos related to salient family events from more than a year ago. Performance was relatively poor with people failing to find almost 40% of pictures. We analyze participants' organizational and access strategies to identify reasons for this poor performance. Possible reasons for retrieval failure include: storing too many pictures, rudimentary organization, use of multiple storage systems, failure to maintain collections and participants' false beliefs about their ability to access photos. We conclude by exploring the technical and theoretical implications of these findings

Orientifolds, RR Torsion, and K-theory

We analyze the role of RR fluxes in orientifold backgrounds from the point of view of K-theory, and demonstrate some physical implications of describing these fluxes in K-theory rather than cohomology. In particular, we show that certain fractional shifts in RR charge quantization due to discrete RR fluxes are naturally explained in K-theory. We also show that some orientifold backgrounds, which are considered distinct in the cohomology classification, become equivalent in the K-theory description, while others become unphysical.Comment: 30 pages, 5 figures; typos corrected and references adde

International Redistribution of Resource Rents: An alternative perspective on the Kyoto process

The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the resource rent distribution aspect of the Kyoto process. The paper focuses on the “battle for resource rents” with oil consuming countries on one side and oil producing countries on the other. Our analysis is carried out within the framework of a theoretical model of resource extraction over time. In particular, it is shown how CO2 emission caps may be used by the oil consuming countries, acting under the realm of the Kyoto process, to maximize the rent acquisition from oil producing countries and how the oil producing countries may constrain this possibility by exercising market power. The paper also compiles data and numerical results regarding the order of magnitudes of resource rents redistribution.Resource rents, environmental taxes, market form

Winding effects on brane/anti-brane pairs

We study a brane/anti-brane configuration which is separated along a compact direction by constructing a tachyon effective action which takes into account transverse scalars. Such an action is relevant in the study of HQCD model of Sakai and Sugimoto of chiral symmetry breaking, where the size of the compact circle sets the confinement scale. Our approach is motivated by string theory orbifold constructions and gives a route to model inhomogeneous tachyon decay. We illustrate the techniques involved with a relatively simple example of a harmonic oscillator on a circle. We will then repeat the analysis for the Sakai-Sugimoto model and show that by integrating out the winding modes will provide us with a renormalized action with a lower energy than that of truncating to zero winding sector.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures. v3: discussion and references added, published versio

Magnetoresistance of Three-Constituent Composites: Percolation Near a Critical Line

Scaling theory, duality symmetry, and numerical simulations of a random network model are used to study the magnetoresistance of a metal/insulator/perfect conductor composite with a disordered columnar microstructure. The phase diagram is found to have a critical line which separates regions of saturating and non-saturating magnetoresistance. The percolation problem which describes this line is a generalization of anisotropic percolation. We locate the percolation threshold and determine the t = s = 1.30 +- 0.02, nu = 4/3 +- 0.02, which are the same as in two-constituent 2D isotropic percolation. We also determine the exponents which characterize the critical dependence on magnetic field, and confirm numerically that nu is independent of anisotropy. We propose and test a complete scaling description of the magnetoresistance in the vicinity of the critical line.Comment: Substantially revised version; description of behavior in finite magnetic fields added. 7 pages, 7 figures, submitted to PR

The development and application of the Explanatory Model of School Dysfunctions

This article develops the Explanatory Model of School Dysfunctions based on 80 essays of school principals and their representatives in Gauteng. It reveals the degree and kinds of school dysfunctions, as well as their interconnectedness with actors, networks, and domains. The model provides a basis for theory-based analyses of specific dysfunctions, and for context and culture-sensitive interventions. The main dysfunctions relate to rules (dysfunctional rules, rule bending, and rule breaking), competences (management, finances, and conflict resolution), and roles (role confusion and conflict, abuse of power). The model was developed to invite researchers to explore these and other dysfunctions in relation to their antecedents, motivations, and consequences, as well as to formulate evidence-based interventions and policies.Keywords: dysfunctions; organizational behaviour; school principals; underperforming schools“As the managers of our schools and key delivery agents in our education system, school principals are the most important partners in education. The biggest driver of better education outcomes is the school manager, the principal. School academic performance is highly correlated with the abilities and commitment of the principal.”(Department of Basic Education, 2011a

The development and application of the Explanatory Model of School Dysfunctions

This article develops the Explanatory Model of School Dysfunctions based on 80 essays of school principals and their representatives in Gauteng. It reveals the degree and kinds of school dysfunctions, as well as their interconnectedness with actors, networks, and domains. The model provides a basis for theory-based analyses of specific dysfunctions, and for context and culture-sensitive interventions. The main dysfunctions relate to rules (dysfunctional rules, rule bending, and rule breaking), competences (management, finances, and conflict resolution), and roles (role confusion and conflict, abuse of power). The model was developed to invite researchers to explore these and other dysfunctions in relation to their antecedents, motivations, and consequences, as well as to formulate evidence-based interventions and policies