Some Comments on the Stochastic Eulerian Tour Problem

The Stochastic Eulerian Tour Problem was introduced in 2008 as a stochastic variant of the well-known Eulerian Tour Problem. In a follow-up paper the same authors investigated some heuristics for solving the Stochastic Eulerian Tour Problem. After a thorough study of these two publications a few issues emerged. In this short research commentary we would like to discuss these issues.Comment: research commentary, 4 page

Limits of US Influence: the Promotion of Regime Change in Latin America

Scholars often assume that as a global superpower, the United States has had great influence and impact on political regime developments in the world. This article critically examines these claims, focusing on Latin America; by investigating the region most directly dominated by the US, it employs a most-likely-case design. The experiences of countries such as Brazil, Chile, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela show that US influence has been fairly limited for many years and has diminished over time. The Northern superpower has been less involved and has had less impact on regime developments than often postulated, as the analysis of the coups in Brazil in 1964 and Chile in 1973 demonstrates. Moreover, nations to which the US has maintained close, comprehensive linkages, such as Venezuela, have slid into “competitive authoritarianism” while a country such as Haiti, over which the US holds great leverage, has failed to establish a functioning democracy. Thus, even in its direct sphere of interest, the most powerful nation in the contemporary world seems to be limited in its capacity to promote or prevent political regime change.Muchos investigadores asumen que, como superpotencia global, los Estados Unidos han tenido una gran influencia y un fuerte impacto sobre los cambios de régimen político en el mundo. El presente artículo hace una evaluación crítica de estos argumentos, concentrándose en el caso latinoamericano. Investigando la región dominada más directamente por los EUA, el artículo utiliza un diseño de "caso más probable". Las experiencias de países como Brasil, Chile, Haití, Nicaragua y Venezuela muestran que, desde hace muchos años, la influencia de EUA ha sido relativamente limitada y que ha disminuido a lo largo del tiempo. La superpotencia del Norte se ha involucrado menos y ha tenido un menor impacto sobre los cambios de régimen que el que muchos observadores postulan, como demuestra el análisis de los golpes militares en Brasil en 1964 y en Chile en 1973. Además, naciones que han mantenido conexiones densas y extensas con los EUA, como por ejemplo Venezuela, han descendido hacia un "autoritarismo competitivo", mientras que un país como Haití, sobre el cual los EUA tienen un enorme poder de presión, ha fallado en el esfuerzo de establecer una democracia que funcione apropiadamente. En conclusión, aun en su esfera de influencia directa, el país más poderoso en el mundo contemporáneo parece enfrentar limitaciones en su capacidad de promover o prevenir cambios del régimen político

Realism under hegemony: theorizing the rise of Brazil

Como o campo de Teoria das Relações Internacionais pode contribuir para o entendimento acerca de processos através dos quais países em desenvolvimento, como o Brasil, atingem uma posição de liderança regional e significativa influência internacional? A análise que se segue propõe que a perspectiva Realista explica a estratégia internacional da Politica Externa Brasileira durante as últimas décadas de maneira mais clara e convincente quando comparada às abordagens Liberal-institucionalista e Construtivista. A despeito das mudanças de governo e regimes políticos, a PEB vem se caracterizando pela busca persistente de vantagens políticas relativas, especialmente no que tange à ascendência internacional do país. Entretanto, a presença de um poder hegemônico no continente, os Estados Unidos, desafia a capacidade brasileira de utilizar os instrumentos e as táticas convencionais do Realismo (confronto politico-militar), motivando a preferência pela cooperação econômica nas suas relações tanto com tal poder hegemônico, quanto com os vizinhos mais frágeis. Portanto, é através da cooperação como estratégia de inserção internacional que o Brasil busca obter vantagens comparativas, contribuindo para o aumento de seu poder relativo. Por meio da elucidação destes cálculos complexos, o artigo apresenta como a abordagem Realista explica as possibilidades, limites e preferências de nações ambiciosas como o Brasil para perseguir os seus interesses em Politica Externa. Ao mesmo tempo, o artigo contribui para a elaboração de uma versão da teoria Realista que apreende as recentes dinâmicas de poder no sistema internacional.What light can international relations theory shed on how developing countries such as Brazil have achieved regional leadership and international influence? This comprehensive examination of Brazilian foreign policy over the last few decades argues that Realism provides a better account of Brazil's strategy than Liberalism and Constructivism. Despite changes of government and regime, Brasília has persistently pursued relative political gain, especially international influence. However, because this rising country has faced an established hegemon in the form of the United States, it has not been able to employ conventionally Realist instruments and tactics. Its subordinate position in the current power constellation has forced Brazil to forego political or military confrontation and instead use economic cooperation, both with the hegemon and its weaker neighbors. Through this collaboration, Brazil hopes to derive disproportionate benefits that will enhance its relative power. By elucidating these complex calculations, the present essay explains the Realist strategy that ambitious nations such as Brazil have pursued and helps design a version of Realism that captures recent power dynamics in the international system

Student Data Privacy and Automatic Textbook Billing

The textbook market in U.S. higher education is changing. In recent years, publishers have developed an automatic billing model, in which colleges and universities negotiate deals with publishers to provide ebooks and courseware to students, folding the cost into student fees. This model is commonly known as "inclusive access." Because it offers students first-day access to course materials - important to student success - as well as some savings over full-priced standard textbooks, it is becoming popular with faculty and administrators. But textbook publishers are promoting these plans for another reason: The data they can collect with digital materials opens a lucrative new market, allowing them to diversify into analytics services

Wellness Reflection

I have actually become much more aware of my personal wellness in the past year, in the past year I have joined two sports, I have begun making it a priority to eat more healthily, and for the first time since I came to IMSA, I have made sure that I do something fun at least once a week

Comparing Biodiversity of Silurian Reefs in Illinois and Wisconsin Using Museum Collections and Unbiased Bulk Samples

Silurian (Wenlock) fossil reefs from the Racine Formation in Illinois measure over 100 meters tall and draping flanks beds extend over a mile. Biodiversity studies of reefs in Southeastern Wisconsin reveal complex, diverse communities with over 191 species. We hypothesized that the larger reefs reflect a more optimal environment and may have had higher diversity than reefs in Wisconsin. We compared diversity between the reefs using, identified fossils from the Field Museum, which were collected in Herscer, Romeo, Thornton, Bridgeport, and Hawthorn. Then we compared the results with those from Watkin’s (1997) counts, collected from Horlick, Ives, Franklin, and Francy quarries. We also collected an unbiased bulk sample from Thornton quarry and compared it to unbiased samples from Wisconsin. We found that the unbiased samples had greater differences than the museum collections when compared. The most variable group are echinoderms, In Watkin’s bulk sample data, Echinoderms ranged from 0-22% of the Fauna, in the ours they accounted for 55% of the fauna. Selected samples also showed large amounts of variation in reef composition. This could be due to museum bias for larger specimens, each locality could represent different reef communities, or because Watkin’s had a larger sample size

Opheim High School Commencement

Opheim High School Commencemen

Alien Registration- Foster, L M Weyland (Portland, Cumberland County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/23905/thumbnail.jp