Mapping Out Your Research: From Topic Selection to a Thesis Statement

Co-taught by an instruction librarian and a Writing Center coordinator, this lesson supports history students in exploring a topic and preparing for subsequent research and writing. The first and primary piece of this lesson centers on a topic speed dating activity that encourages students to look beyond the most obvious elements and narratives of their topic and seek nuance and unique perspectives through guided discussion with a peer. This is followed by a class discussion on the role that divergent thinking plays in developing a research question and some time for students to draft their own potential research question. Finally, the session concludes with a brief overview of what comes next in the research and writing process, explaining how the research question leads to a working thesis and outlining the next steps in finding sources

Analysis and Calibration of Loran-C Signals in the Lower St. Lawrence Area Using GPS

Loran-C signals along and in the Lower St. Lawrence River, namely between Québec City and the Gaspesia Peninsula on the south shore, between Québec City and Havre-Saint-Pierre on the North Shore, and between Québec City and Anticosti Island in the river, were analyzed using a mobile Loran-C coverage validation and calibration system consisting of analog and digital Loran-C receivers, differential GPS and data logging systems. The road measurements were made successively during February-March and July-August 1991 to analyse seasonal effects. The signals received from the East Coast Canada Chain (5930M, X, Y, Z) and the Northeast U.S. Chain (9960M, W, X) are discussed herein. The Field Strength and Signal to Noise Ratio measurements are compared with predicted values using various models for conductivity and atmospheric noise. The Time Difference (TD) measurements are first compared between forward and reverse runs along the road profiles to ascertain the quality and reliability of the system utilized. The differences between Winter and Summer TD measurements are then analyzed. A relatively small but significant seasonal effect is found. The GPS-derived TD distortions are compared with those derived using various models for the combined effect of the primary, secondary and additional secondary phase lags. The differences between measured and modeled distortions reaches several jis. The effect of these differences on Loran-C positions is found to reach several hundred metres in many cases. Conclusions related to the results presented herein are made, together with recommendations pertaining to the use of these results and future investigations

GPS for Marine Navigation and Hydrography

Current marine navigation and shipbome surveying accuracy requirements are reviewed. The technical characteristics of GPS are summarized and its single point positioning performance is given and compared with the above requirements. A detailed description and analysis of the three types of observables possible with GPS, namely code, carrier and Doppler frequency measurements, are presented. The following error sources are discussed: cycle slips, Selective Availability, ionospheric and tropospheric effects and multipath. A description of the various receiver measuring techniques currently available, namely C/A code LI, L2 squaring, L2 codeless, P codeless and P code, is given, together with advantages and disadvantages for marine positioning. The single and double differenced observables used in differential GPS (DGPS) mode are analysed in terms of real time versus postmission suitability. The latest techniques for quasi-instantaneous ambiguity resolution such as wide and extra wide-laning are discussed in terms of receiver requirements and operational procedures. An attempt is made at providing DGPS kinematic accuracy estimates for various cases with and without Selective Availability. Trends and prospects are forecast in the following five areas: system enhancements, user equipment, observable types and modelling, marine applications and GPS-related services

La représentation de la réalité chez Bertolt Brecht

La question de la représentation de la réalité est centrale aux élaborations de Brecht sur le théâtre. Nombre de ses expérimentations artistiques ont pour but de montrer le monde social tel qu’il est réellement — en tant qu’il s’agit de quelque chose d’historique et de transformable — aux masses qui souffrent des illusions du capitalisme moderne. Ce mémoire a pour objectif d’analyser sous divers angles le concept de réalisme tel que l’entend Brecht. Une attention particulière est portée au contexte historique, notamment aux débats dans lesquels s’inscrivent les textes théoriques de Brecht. Le premier chapitre couvre son débat avec Lukács et les textes théoriques sur le réalisme qu’il a écrits afin de se défendre des accusations de formalisme. Comme cette défense met surtout l’accent sur le caractère pragmatique du réalisme artistique, le deuxième chapitre vise plutôt à explorer les conditions préalables au réalisme et comment Brecht a tenté de le déployer de façon effective au travers son théâtre épique. Pour y arriver, nous faisons appel aux notions de vérité, de popularité ainsi qu’à sa critique de la tradition théâtrale basée sur l’identification qu’il développe dans divers courts textes théoriques. Dans le dernier chapitre, la possibilité d’un réalisme selon les termes brechtiens est remise en question, notamment en s’intéressant aux critiques que lui adresse Adorno.The question of the representation of reality is central to Brecht's work on theatre. Many of his artistic experiments aim to show the social world as it really is - as something historical and transformable - to the masses who suffer from the illusions of modern capitalism. The purpose of this master's thesis is to analyze the concept of realism as understood by Brecht from various angles. Close attention has been paid to the historical context, specifically to the debates in which Brecht's theoretical texts are written. The first chapter covers his debate with Lukacs and the theoretical texts on realism that he wrote to defend himself from accusations of formalism. Since this defence emphasizes above all the pragmatic nature of artistic realism, the second chapter aims rather to explore the prerequisite for realism and how Brecht tried to effectively deploy it through his epic theatre. To achieve this, we use the notions of truth, popularity and his critique of the theatrical tradition based on the identification he develops in various short theoretical texts. In the last chapter, the possibility of realism in the Brechtian terms is questioned, in particular by taking an interest in Adorno's criticism of him

Uncovering the topology of configuration space networks

The configuration space network (CSN) of a dynamical system is an effective approach to represent the ensemble of configurations sampled during a simulation and their dynamic connectivity. To elucidate the connection between the CSN topology and the underlying free-energy landscape governing the system dynamics and thermodynamics, an analytical soluti on is provided to explain the heavy tail of the degree distribution, neighbor co nnectivity and clustering coefficient. This derivation allows to understand the universal CSN network topology observed in systems ranging from a simple quadratic well to the native state of the beta3s peptide and a 2D lattice heteropolymer. Moreover CSN are shown to fall in the general class of complex networks describe d by the fitness model.Comment: 6 figure

On the criticality of inferred models

Advanced inference techniques allow one to reconstruct the pattern of interaction from high dimensional data sets. We focus here on the statistical properties of inferred models and argue that inference procedures are likely to yield models which are close to a phase transition. On one side, we show that the reparameterization invariant metrics in the space of probability distributions of these models (the Fisher Information) is directly related to the model's susceptibility. As a result, distinguishable models tend to accumulate close to critical points, where the susceptibility diverges in infinite systems. On the other, this region is the one where the estimate of inferred parameters is most stable. In order to illustrate these points, we discuss inference of interacting point processes with application to financial data and show that sensible choices of observation time-scales naturally yield models which are close to criticality.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, version to appear in JSTA

Pom1 gradient buffering through intermolecular auto-phosphorylation.

Concentration gradients provide spatial information for tissue patterning and cell organization, and their robustness under natural fluctuations is an evolutionary advantage. In rod-shaped Schizosaccharomyces pombe cells, the DYRK-family kinase Pom1 gradients control cell division timing and placement. Upon dephosphorylation by a Tea4-phosphatase complex, Pom1 associates with the plasma membrane at cell poles, where it diffuses and detaches upon auto-phosphorylation. Here, we demonstrate that Pom1 auto-phosphorylates intermolecularly, both in vitro and in vivo, which confers robustness to the gradient. Quantitative imaging reveals this robustness through two system's properties: The Pom1 gradient amplitude is inversely correlated with its decay length and is buffered against fluctuations in Tea4 levels. A theoretical model of Pom1 gradient formation through intermolecular auto-phosphorylation predicts both properties qualitatively and quantitatively. This provides a telling example where gradient robustness through super-linear decay, a principle hypothesized a decade ago, is achieved through autocatalysis. Concentration-dependent autocatalysis may be a widely used simple feedback to buffer biological activities

The Discovery of the Most Metal-Rich White Dwarf: Composition of a Tidally Disrupted Extrasolar Dwarf Planet

Cool white dwarf stars are usually found to have an outer atmosphere that is practically pure in hydrogen or helium. However, a small fraction have traces of heavy elements that must originate from the accretion of extrinsic material, most probably circumstellar matter. Upon examining thousands of Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectra, we discovered that the helium-atmosphere white dwarf SDSS J073842.56+183509.6 shows the most severe metal pollution ever seen in the outermost layers of such stars. We present here a quantitative analysis of this exciting star by combining high S/N follow-up spectroscopic and photometric observations with model atmospheres and evolutionary models. We determine the global structural properties of our target star, as well as the abundances of the most significant pollutants in its atmosphere, i.e., H, O, Na, Mg, Si, Ca, and Fe. The relative abundances of these elements imply that the source of the accreted material has a composition similar to that of Bulk Earth. We also report the signature of a circumstellar disk revealed through a large infrared excess in JHK photometry. Combined with our inferred estimate of the mass of the accreted material, this strongly suggests that we are witnessing the remains of a tidally disrupted extrasolar body that was as large as Ceres.Comment: 7 pages in emulateapj, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Turnover, account value and diversification of real traders: evidence of collective portfolio optimizing behavior

Despite the availability of very detailed data on financial market, agent-based modeling is hindered by the lack of information about real trader behavior. This makes it impossible to validate agent-based models, which are thus reverse-engineering attempts. This work is a contribution to the building of a set of stylized facts about the traders themselves. Using the client database of Swissquote Bank SA, the largest on-line Swiss broker, we find empirical relationships between turnover, account values and the number of assets in which a trader is invested. A theory based on simple mean-variance portfolio optimization that crucially includes variable transaction costs is able to reproduce faithfully the observed behaviors. We finally argue that our results bring into light the collective ability of a population to construct a mean-variance portfolio that takes into account the structure of transaction costsComment: 26 pages, 9 figures, Fig. 8 fixe