Changes and continuity in Japanese official development assistance : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Sociology at Massey University

This paper is about Japanese official development assistance (ODA), based on document research and monitoring of media reports in the period between January and October, 2005. It analyses changes in this aspect of Japanese foreign policy since its inception in the 1950's with this analysis then used to predict what further change may be likely to result in the programme in the immediate future. Building on a conflict model of the Japanese state that treats the bureaucracy as a divided but powerful power centre, the paper argues that recent developments in Japanese society have led to a situation where the political wing of government and civil society have come to play a larger part in both the implementation of ODA and, to a lesser extent, the creation of aid policy. It concludes that the individual ministries of the bureaucracy are unlikely to transfer power to these groups without any resistance and that this resistance will hinder efforts to provide more political leadership of, and wider societal input into, the Japanese ODA programme

Accurate estimation of homologue-specific DNA concentration-ratios in cancer samples allows long-range haplotyping

Interpretation of allelic copy measurements at polymorphic markers in cancer samples presents distinctive challenges and opportunities. Due to frequent gross chromosomal alterations occurring in cancer (aneuploidy), many genomic regions are present at homologous-allele imbalance. Within such regions, the unequal contribution of alleles at heterozygous markers allows for direct phasing of the haplotype derived from each individual parent. In addition, genome-wide estimates of homologue specific copy- ratios (HSCRs) are important for interpretation of the cancer genome in terms of fixed integral copy-numbers. We describe HAPSEG, a probabilistic method to interpret bi- allelic marker data in cancer samples. HAPSEG operates by partitioning the genome into segments of distinct copy number and modeling the four distinct genotypes in each segment. We describe general methods for fitting these models to data which are suit- able for both SNP microarrays and massively parallel sequencing data. In addition, we demonstrate a specially tailored error-model for interpretation of systematic variations arising in microarray platforms. The ability to directly determine haplotypes from cancer samples represents an opportunity to expand reference panels of phased chromosomes, which may have general interest in various population genetic applications. In addition, this property may be exploited to interrogate the relationship between germline risk and cancer phenotype with greater sensitivity than is possible using unphased genotype. Finally, we exploit the statistical dependency of phased genotypes to enable the fitting of more elaborate sample-level error-model parameters, allowing more accurate estimation of HSCRs in cancer samples

Syllable Contact and Emergent Lenition in Bashkir

This study examines the syllable contact phonology of Bashkir (Kipchak, southern Urals, Russia), a language which exhibits a unique variation on general Turkic syllable contact phenomena, and proposes an Optimality Theoretic analysis, drawing on previous approaches to syllable contact in Turkic (Baertsch & Davis 2001, 2004, Gouskova 2001, 2004, Washington 2010). Bashkir desonorizes affix-initial coronal sonorants (/qullar/ --> [qul.dar]) to mandate compliance with the Syllable Contact Law (Davis, 1998). This occurs even at boundaries which would otherwise exhibit falling sonority, thereby maximizing sonority fall. Bashkir also exhibits a unique continuancy alternation pattern in desonorized affixes (taw-ðar, uram-dar, gaz-dar). This study adopts the Syllable Contact Hierarchy analysis proposed in Gouskova (2004), with ranking of relevant faithfulness constraints below all *DIST constraints mandating maximal sonority fall. It is proposed that continuancy alternations derived from a synchronically active lenition process, otherwise dominated by relevant faithfulness constraints, which emerges when unfaithfulness is forced to satisfy constraints on syllable contact

Design, Construction, and Stabilization of an Adjustable Repetition Rate Frequency Comb for Precision Spectroscopy

Optical frequency combs have numerous applications across the sciences. One of the most powerful applications is in molecular spectroscopy, which takes advantage of both the coherence of lasers and combs’ inherent broad bandwidth. One well-established design is the erbium fiber comb, which is popular due to its low cost and relative ease of construction. I have modified the traditional all-fiber design by introducing an adjustable free-space section which allows for adjustments to the path length, and thus the comb’s repetition rate. This low-cost addition allows for repetition rate matching, a necessity for dual-comb spectroscopy, and active repetition rate stabilization, which is essential for long-term stability and precision measurement. Stabilization is achieved through passive and active means; active stabilization involves both temperature control and a piezoelectric transducer in the free-space section. Preliminary results, frequency comb spectra, and other diagnostic measurements are presented. This comb will be implemented in a dual-comb spectrometer to conduct rotationally-resolved measurements of small molecules such as hydrogen cyanide, and in a supersonic beam apparatus to measure larger molecules such as benzene

Cephalus and Euthydemus

Cephalus makes only a brief appearance in Plato’s Republic, but his conversation with Socrates has generated remarkable disagreement: while some think Plato’s portrayal of the rich old metic is largely positive, many, including Julia Annas, Peter Steinberger, and Mark Gifford, argue that beneath Plato’s superficially sympathetic portrait lies a subtext of condemnation and malice. In this paper, I reject the later interpretation, defending Cephalus against two common charges: first, that Plato finds Cephalus’ views on the relationship between money and virtue morally outrageous, and next, that Plato exploits readers’ background knowledge of the historical Cephalus’ tragic fate to employ the literary device of tragic irony. To do this, I compare Cephalus’ position with one Socrates himself defends in Euthydemus, a dialogue with unmistakable connections to the Republic. Pairing Euthydemus with Republic I, I conclude, provides insight into Socrates’ moral commitments, while Cephalus’ life provides a vivid illustration of their implications

Neoliberal Environmentalism in the War on Poverty: A Case Study of Carbondale, Illinois

The following thesis examines the city of Carbondale, Illinois, during the tumultuous years between 1965 and 1975. Carbondale was the recipient of large amounts of funding from the Model Cities program, part of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty. During that time, Carbondale experienced violent anti-war protests and community-wide unrest. At the same time as Model Cities projects began, the modern environmentalism movement surrounding the first observance of Earth Day, April 22, 1970, also occurred. Within four years, environmental groups comprised mostly of white citizens were pitted against African-American community activists working to improve Carbondale’s segregated Northeast neighborhood and the city officials who supported them. Environmental activism in Carbondale was perceived as a source financial gain, as was the Model Cities program. Thus, a neoliberal, marketplace approach was used to sell both activities to the general public rather than appeals to justice, public health, or moral outrage. Most historical accounts of the rise of environmentalism begin with accounts of spectacular national events, yet the story of environmental change in Carbondale contradicts that narrative. Both sides of the struggle were eventually denied success by a combination of generational endemic poverty in Southern Illinois, and lingering racism the War on Poverty programs stoked rather than diffused

Characterization of Groundwater Discharge in a Back Barrier Tidal Creek

Groundwater discharge in the coastal environment is known to be a complex process. The driving mechanisms of groundwater discharge vary on spatial and temporal scales that can significantly impact coastal water chemistry and play a role in ecological zonation. Evolving combinations of observational and modeling approaches provide a basis to quantify groundwater discharge in a spatial and temporal sense. Here we employ a combination of geochemical (naturally occurring radon isotope) and geophysical (electrical resistivity) techniques to measure groundwater-surface water interactions along a back-barrier tidal creek. In addition to field measurements, a unique non-steady state radon mass balance equation was developed to better constrain groundwater estimates. The radon mass balance shows spatial and temporal variance in groundwater composition along the tidal creek. Our estimates suggest that groundwater discharge is grater in the Upper Duplin compared to the Lower Duplin section. Spring tide conditions yielded greater groundwater discharge at all sites, but the Lower Duplin section had significantly greater discharge when compared to neap tide discharge. Electrical resistivity serves as a qualitative assessment to support the radon mass balance findings of marsh zone water circulation on both daily and spring/neap cycles. Our observations proved baseline groundwater contributions to the Duplin River system. This can be used to constrain aquifer characteristic used in numerical simulations of chemical and nutrient transport the systems