Trumping communitarianism: crime control and forensic DNA typing and databasing in Singapore

Liberalism and communitarianism have figured prominently in discussions of how to govern forensic DNA practices (forensic DNA typing and databasing). Despite the prominence of these two political philosophies and their underlying values, no studies have looked at the governance of forensic DNA practices in a nondemocratic country governed by a communitarian logic. To fill this lacuna in the literature, this article considers Singapore as an authoritarian state governed by a communitarian philosophy. The article highlights basic innovations and technologies of forensic DNA practices and articulates a liberal democratic version of “biolegality” as described by Michael Lynch and Ruth McNally. It goes on to consider briefly various (political) philosophies (liberalism and communitarianism) and law enforcement models (due process and crime control models). The main part of the article records the trajectory, and hence biolegal progress, of forensic DNA practices in Singapore and compares it with trajectories in England and the United States. The article concludes that Singapore's forensic DNA practices are organized according to the crime control model and therefore safety and the war against crime and terrorism trump individual rights and legal principles such as privacy, bodily integrity, proportionality, presumption of innocence. and onus of proof

Bodies of Science and Law: Forensic DNA Profiling, Biological Bodies, and Biopower

How is jurisdiction transferred from an individual's biological body to agents of power such as the police, public prosecutor and judiciary, and what happens to these biological bodies when transformed from private into public objects? These questions are examined by analyzing bodies situated at the intersection of science and law. More specifically, the transformation of 'private bodies' into 'public bodies' shall be analyzed by going into the details of forensic DNA profiling in the Dutch jurisdiction. It will be argued that various 'forensic genetic practices' enact different 'forensic genetic bodies'. These enacted forensic genetic bodies are connected with various infringements of civil rights, which become articulated in exploring these forensic genetic bodies' 'normative registers'

Hidden in full sight: kinship, science and the law in the aftermath of the Srebrenica genocide

Terms such as “relationship testing,” “familial searching” and “kinship analysis” figure prominently in professional practices of disaster victim identification (DVI). However, despite the dependence of those identification technologies on DNA samples from people who might be related to the dead and despite also the prominence of the notion of “relatedness” as a device for identifying the dead, the concepts of “relatedness” and “kinship” remain elusive both in practice and in analyses of the social and ethical aspects of DVI by DNA; they are hidden in full sight. In this article, we wish to bring kinship more to the fore. We achieve this through a case study of a setting where bio-legal framings dominate, that is, in the trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) of Radovan Karadžić for the Srebrenica genocide in 1995. DNA samples from the families of those massacred in Srebrenica were vital for the identification of individual victims but are now also utilized as “evidence” by both the prosecution and the defense. By viewing practices of science (“evidence” and “identification”) and legal practices (“justice,” “prosecution” and “defence”) through the lens of kinship studies, we will present some alternative and complementary framings for the social accomplishment of ‘relatedness’

Exponential Decay of Correlations for Strongly Coupled Toom Probabilistic Cellular Automata

We investigate the low-noise regime of a large class of probabilistic cellular automata, including the North-East-Center model of Toom. They are defined as stochastic perturbations of cellular automata belonging to the category of monotonic binary tessellations and possessing a property of erosion. We prove, for a set of initial conditions, exponential convergence of the induced processes toward an extremal invariant measure with a highly predominant spin value. We also show that this invariant measure presents exponential decay of correlations in space and in time and is therefore strongly mixing.Comment: 21 pages, 0 figure, revised version including a generalization to a larger class of models, structure of the arguments unchanged, minor changes suggested by reviewers, added reference

Problemas de palabra en Rusia y América

Puesto que este texto es sobre problemas de palabra, necesitamos primero definir el tema. Para mantenernos tan cerca como sea posible del significado exacto de las palabras, sugiero que un problema de no palabra es un problema formulado usando únicamente símbolos matemáticos y palabras técnicas como “resuelva la ecuación...” De igual forma, el problema de palabra usa palabras no matemáticas. Ubicándonos en un contexto matemático, estas palabras deben ser interpretadas matemáticamente lo que es una gran contribución al valor, entusiasmo y riesgo de los problemas de palabra

Issues of Online Distance Education: Learning Motivation of Current and Prospective School Teachers

In this work, LM in three categories of students – motivated, unmotivated and overmotivated – was explored. Fifty graduate students, which were current and prospective school teachers and took the author’s online psychology courses in 2012-2013, participated in the study. The research methodology included developing the rules of coding students’ course work, designing the 100-scale of LM for representing their individual as well as collective data, and collecting info about students’ academic achievement in this course. According to the results, students’ LM has two co-existing components – pragmatic (grade-oriented) and cognitive (knowledge-oriented). Three mentioned categories of students differ in quantity as well as quality of their LM. Further analysis showed that a) motivated students constituted a majority 74% of the population; they were rather pragmatically than cognitively oriented learners, b) unmotivated (problem) students, whose even pragmatic motivation was very low, represented 18.5% of the population, and c) overmotivated (enthusiastic) individuals that is, curious, and eager to get knowledge without being encouraged or rewarded, constituted the smallest part 7.5% of the total population. Considering these results in a wider socio-cultural context, the author suggests that prevalence of pragmatically motivated students among current and prospective school teachers, the shortage of enthusiastic learners and growth of problem learners can be possible significant causes affecting quality of the modern US primary school education

Tuulikute väljundvõimsuste balansseerimise võimalusi

The importance of renewable energy is growing. More and more wind parks, CHP-s and biogas stations are being erected and connected to the electrical grid. Of the range of different renewable resources, the proportion and growth of wind generated electricity is the highest. Due to the stochastic nature of wind, the output of wind generators changes quickly, but the production and consumption in the energy system must be in balance. The actual production from wind generators and the forecasted energy are usually different and this energy must be obtained somewhere else, which means extra expense. Wind generator output power is harder to forecast than for example heat power plant output. Errors in forecasting should be minimized. The aim of the research was to fi nd ways to balance wind generators’ output power. Wind generators with greater power must forecast their production and send information to TSO. To reduce errors on forecasting, wind generators production chart peaks could be cut. To balance small wind generators, PV panels and batteries could be added to systems. List of the tasks to be solved to achieve the aim were: 1. Overview of wind data analysis methods (I, II). 2. Analysis of different wind parks’ data, to fi nd ways to correct forecast errors (I, II). 3. Analysis of ways to balance power curves, using wind-solar hybrid systems (III, IV). Data from Pakri and Aulepa wind park was collected and analysed from different angles. At the beginning of the research the data series were shorter. Then methodology and hypotheses were developed, which were also confi rmed on long data series. Forecast errors were calculated and the results compared with wind parks in Estonia, Germany and Denmark. Single wind park results are comparable with Estonian wind parks total. Wind data was also collected form Tiirikoja (EMHI), solar irradiation data was collected from Tõravere (EMHI) and annual electricity consumption data from an Estonian typical countryside dwelling (E. Jõgi). Data have been used in a system, where a wind generator, PV panel and battery are 54 added. Different parts of the system and their sizes, also their production, are explored and analysed, so that the system would be optimal to the unit consumer. Results and conclusions: 1. The forecast error is estimated by three methods: Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) and Mean Percentage Error (MPE). 2. The biggest forecast errors could be observed when the wind park output power was in the range of 0.5–0.8. The higher the wind park output power, the lower is MAPE, and vice versa. The forecast error increases as the wind park output power increases. the forecast error decreases as the production chart peaks are cut off. MAPE and MPE do not change signifi cantly. 3. Nowadays PV-wind hybrid systems are used in two ways: autonomous and grid connected. It is important for a gridconnected system to minimize energy from the grid and to have the highest share of renewable fraction possible, while having an optimal confi guration and not using other fuels. It is important, since by doing so energy dependence is decreased and therefore energy security is increased. When batteries are added to the grid-connected wind-PV system, the renewable fraction is the highest at the standard deviation is δ = 0.25 ± 0.05 kW of the consumption curve. If the value is higher or lower, the renewable fraction decreases. Therefore the consumption curve should not be too fl at.Taastuvenergia tähtsus on kasvamas. Järjest enam tuuleparke, koostootmisjaamasid ja biogaasijaamasid ehitatakse ning ühendatakse elektrivõrku. Erinevatest taastuvenergia liikidest on kõige kiiremini kasvanud tuule osatähtsus ja toodetud energia hulk. Tuulegeneraatorite väljundvõimsus muutub tuule stohhastilise iseloomu tõttu kiirelt, aga energiasüsteemis peab tootmine ja tarbimine tasakaalus olema. Tuulegeneraatorite poolt tegelikult toodetud ja ennustatud võimsuse puudujääk tuleb võrgu tasakaalus püsimiseks hankida kusagilt mujalt, mis toob kaasa lisakulutusi. Tuulegeneraatoritelt saadavat võimsust on palju raskem ennustada, kui näiteks soojuselektrijaama puhul. Ennustamisel tekkivaid vigu tuleks minimaliseerida. Selle töö eesmärgiks oli leida viise tuulegeneraatorite väljundvõimsuste balansseerimiseks. Suurema võimsusega tuulegeneraatorid peavad oma toodangut prognoosima ning seda võrgu operaatorile edastama. Ennustamisel tekkivate vigade vähendamiseks võiks tuulegeneraatori toodangu tippe lõigata. Väiksemate tuulegeneraatorite puhul võiks balansseerimiseks lisada neile päikesepaneeli ning aku. Töö eesmärgi saavutamiseks olid ette nähtud järgmised tegevused: 1. Uurida tuuleandmete analüüsi meetodeid (I, II). 2. Analüüsida erinevate tuuleparkide andmeid, et leida viise vähendada ennustamise vigu (I, II). 3. Analüüsida viise, et balansseerida toodangu kõveraid, kasutades tuule-päikese hübriid süsteemi (III, IV). Töö käigus on kogutud Pakri ja Aulepa tuulepargi andmeid ning neid analüüsitud erinevate nurkade alt. Uurimustöö alguses olid andmeread lühemad ning siis sai välja töötatud metodoloogiad ning püstitatud hüpoteesid, mis leidsid pikkade andmeridade puhul ka tõestust. Andmete põhjal on arvutatud ennustamise vead ning võrreldud neid kogu Eesti ning Saksamaa ja Taani tulemustega. Üksiku tuulepargi tulemused on suurusjärkudes võrreldavad kogu Eesti tuuleparkide tendentsidega. Töö käigus on kogutud ka tuule andmeid Tiirikojast (EMHI), päikese kiirguse andmeid Tõraverest (EMHI) ning elektri tarbimise andmeid 56 tüüpilisest Eestimaa maakoha elamust (E. Jõgi). Andmeid on käsitletud süsteemis, kus on tuulegeneraator ja päikesepaneel ning lisatud on ka aku. Vaadeldud ja analüüsitud on süsteemi osade erinevaid suuruseid ning nende toodangumahtusid, et optimeerides neid kasutades ühiktarbijat. Tulemused ja järeldused: 1. Prognoosi viga hinnatakse peamiselt kolme meetodi abil: Ruutkeskmine viga (RMSE), keskmine absoluutne protsentuaalne viga (MAPE) ja keskmine protsentuaalne viga (MPE). 2. Kõige rohkem ja kõige suuremad ennustamise vead on tuulepargi väljundvõimsuse vahemikus 0.5 – 0.8 pu (suhtelist ühikut). Mida suurem on tuulepargi väljundvõimsus, seda väiksem tuleb MAPE (keskmine absoluutne protsentuaalne viga) ja vastupidi. Ruutkeskmine viga (RMSE) suureneb tuulepargi väljundvõimsuse suurenemisega. Tuulepargi tootmisgraafi ku tippude lõikamisel ruutkeskmine viga väheneb, keskmine absoluutne protsentuaalne viga (MAPE) ja keskmine protsentuaalne viga (MPE) ei muutu väga palju. 3. Tänapäeval kasutatakse tuule-päikese hübriidsüsteemi kahel viisil: autonoomselt ja võrku ühendatuna. On väga oluline võrku ühendatud süsteemis, et minimaalselt kasutatakse energiat võrgust ja saavutada niimoodi võimalikult suur taastuvenergia osakaal, samas saavutatakse optimaalne konfi guratsioon ja välditakse teiste kütuste kasutamist. Samuti energia sõltuvus väheneb ning seega energia julgeolek suureneb. Kui akud on lisatud võrku ühendatud tuule-päikese süsteemi, siis taastuvenergia osa on suurim standardhälbega δ = 0.25 ± 0.05 kW tootmiskõverast. Kui väärtus on suurem või väiksem, siis taastuvenergia osa väheneb. Seega tarbimiskõver ei tohiks olla liiga lame

Vahekultuuride biomassi moodustamise ja lämmastiku sidumise võime ja mõju järelkultuuri saagile

A Thesis for applying for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Agriculture.The aims of the thesis were to evaluate the biomass and N accumulation of winter cover crop species (winter rye, winter turnip rape, forage radish, berseem clover and hairy vetch), winter hardiness of hairy vetch, the effect of sowing date on biomass and N accumulation and the effect of CCs on the yield of subsequent spring barley. The results showed that CC biomass and N accumulation depended on species and growing conditions, especially the sum of effective temperatures. Frost sensitive forage radish accumulated the highest amount of biomass and N in autumn, whereas berseem clover accumulated low amount of biomass and N, especially in the year with drought conditions before the establishment. Hairy vetch over-wintered similarly to winter turnip rape and winter rye in all trial years. Hairy vetch and winter turnip rape accumulated higher amount of biomass and N in the spring than winter rye, which may be partly related to characteristics of the used winter rye variety. Cover crop biomass and N accumulation decreased with delayed sowing dates, while the influence of sowing date on cover crop species was different. Forage radish produced the highest amount of biomass and N at all sowing dates. Although the biomass of rye was relatively low, the reduction at delayed sowing dates was lowest compared to other species. Among over-wintering CCs, hairy vetch as a legume species accumulated the highest amount of N in the spring. It can be concluded that in Estonia, CCs require sowing in early August to enable maximum biomass and N accumulation. It is possible to delay the sowing of over-wintering species if the following cash crop is sown later. As an average over the three years, only forage radish and hairy vetch significantly increased the yield of subsequent barley, probably because of the N contribution. None of the CCs had negative effect on barley, as the yield level following winter turnip rape, winter rye, and berseem clover were similar to the control.Doktoritöö eesmärkideks oli hinnata erinevate sügistalvisel perioodil kasvatatavate vahekultuuride (talirukis, talirüps, kesaredis, aleksandria ristik ja talivikk) biomassi moodustamise ja N sidumise võimet, taliviki sobivust talvekindlaks vahekultuuriks, külviaja mõju vahekultuuride biomassile ja N sidumisele ja vahekultuuride mõju järgneva suviodra saagile. Uurimistöö tulemusel selgus, et vahekultuuride biomass ja N sidumine nii sügisel kui ka kevadel sõltusid liigist, kasvuperioodi pikkusest ja ilmastikutingimustest, eelkõige efektiivsete temperatuuride summast. Kesaredis ei talvitunud, kuid moodustas sügisel nii suurima maapealse kui ka juurte biomassi ja sidus kõige rohkem lämmastikku. Aleksandria ristik, mis samuti ei talvitunud, moodustas aga väikseima biomassi ja sidus väikseima koguse N. Aleksandria ristik oli ka põuatundlik, moodustades väikseima biomassi 2018. aastal, kui vahekultuuride külvile eelnes kuiv periood. Lisaks talirukkile ja talirüpsile talvitus mõlemal aastal ka talivikk, mis oli suurima biomassi ja N sidumise võimega kevadel. Vahekultuuride biomass ja N kogus vähenesid külviaja hilinemisel ning vähenemine sõltus vahekultuuri liigist. Kõikidel külviaegadel oli suurima biomassi ja N sidumise võimega kesaredis. Kuigi talirukki biomass oli katses küllaltki madal, oli külviaja hilinedes biomassi vähenemine kõige väiksem. Aastate keskmisena suurendasid vaid kesaredis ja talivikk usutavalt järgneva suviodra saaki. Teiste vahekultuuride puhul oli suviodra saak sarnane kontrollvariandile