Who Gives? The Determinants of Humanitarian Aid

What traits must a state have to donate more humanitarian aid, and why do they do so? Research into this question often uses case studies to find answers. However, we seek to study the aggregate factors affecting a country\u27s propensity to provide humanitarian aid. Using data from 183 countries over a 13-year period between 2001-2013, we estimate a linear regression model in which humanitarian aid is a function of GDP per capita, trade openness, economic freedoms, political freedoms, and civil liberties. The results conclude that a percent increase in GDP per capita will induce a nearly 3% increase in humanitarian aid per capita, while increases in civil liberties will reduce the amount of humanitarian aid per capita donated

Projects in an expert system class

Many universities now teach courses in expert systems. In these courses students study the architecture of an expert system, knowledge acquisition techniques, methods of implementing systems and verification and validation techniques. A major component of any such course is a class project consisting of the design and implementation of an expert system. Discussed here are a number of techniques that we have used at the University of Texas at Tyler to develop meaningful projects that could be completed in a semester course

A CLIPS based personal computer hardware diagnostic system

Often the person designated to repair personal computers has little or no knowledge of how to repair a computer. Described here is a simple expert system to aid these inexperienced repair people. The first component of the system leads the repair person through a number of simple system checks such as making sure that all cables are tight and that the dip switches are set correctly. The second component of the system assists the repair person in evaluating error codes generated by the computer. The final component of the system applies a large knowledge base to attempt to identify the component of the personal computer that is malfunctioning. We have implemented and tested our design with a full system to diagnose problems for an IBM compatible system based on the 8088 chip. In our tests, the inexperienced repair people found the system very useful in diagnosing hardware problems

Double-injection, deep-impurity switch development

The overall objective of this program is the development of device design and process techniques for the fabrication of a double-injection, deep-impurity (DI)(2) silicon switch that operates in the 1-10 kV range with conduction current of 10 and 1A, respectively. Other major specifications include a holding voltage of 0 to 5 volts at 1 A anode current, 10 microsecond switching time, and power dissipation of 50 W at 75 C. This report describes work that shows how the results obtained at the University of Cincinnati under NASA Grant NSG-3022 have been applied to larger area and higher voltage devices. The investigations include theoretical, analytical, and experimental studies of device design and processing. Methods to introduce deep levels, such as Au diffusion and electron irradiation, have been carried out to "pin down' the Fermi level and control device-switching characteristics. Different anode, cathode, and gate configurations are presented. Techniques to control the surface electric field of planar structures used for (DI)(2) switches are examined. Various sections of this report describe the device design, wafer-processing techniques, and various measurements which include ac and dc characteristics, 4-point probe, and spreading resistance

The 'Console Ship is Sinking' and What this Means for Indies

Console development is rarely kind to developers. It is an unsustainable paradigm wherein the quests for profits predominate, production is streamlined and rationalized, and the creative process of developers is greatly curtailed in order to maintain shrinking profit margins. Development studios are the creative force behind games. They conceptualize, design, and code our spaces of play. But in the larger chain of the console industry, they are a small cog in a rationalized production cycle, occupying a subservient position in contrast to publishers and manufacturers, and bargaining from an undesirable negotiating position. Because of their passion for games, developers are often willing to overlook working conditions that are less than ideal, profit models that benefit those that sell and market games rather than those that create them, and contracts that stifle creativity in favour of less risky clones and more profitable sequels. However, there is a breaking point for every dedicated developer, and with the growth of social and mobile distribution platforms, there seem to be more indie "escape routes" than ever before. This article outlines the constraints of console development as well as the promises of social and mobile games, ultimately detailing what this means for indie developers as well as academics

ENGL 372: Nineteenth-Century Literature of the Americas and the British Empire

372 [HUM] 19th Century Literature of the British Empire and the Americas. 3 credit hours. Literary and cultural texts in English from 1800 to 1900 focusing on global British literature and literatures of the Americas. My investment in the course. I am concerned about our country’s inability to work against climate change, the mass incarceration of African Americans, and widespread sexual assault. Each of these problems have a long history in British and American literature. By exploring that history, my hope is that we gain perspective on issues that concern all of us today

Schutz\u27s Phenomenological Sociology: A Synthesis of American Philosophy and Sociology

A report submitted to the Faculty Research Committee in 1977 by Mont Whitson on Alfred Schutz\u27s bridging of sociology and philosophy