Probing ISM Models with H-alpha observations

I review the capabilities of H$\alpha$ observations to constrain some aspects of the current models of the interstellar medium. In particular, it is shown that turbulence is a necessary ingredient of any viable model, since most of the energy produced by supernova explosions and ionizing radiation is stored in kinetic form in the ISM. Various forms of turbulent energy dissipation, including cloud collisions, are analyzed. Two additional aspects, concerning the existence of galactic fountains and their relation with High Velocity Clouds, and the extended ionized layer of spiral galaxies are discussed; some crucial experiments are suggested.Comment: 9 pages, plain LaTeX, 5 figures; Invited Talk at the "AAO/UKST Galactic Plane H-alpha Survey" International Workshop, Sydney, Australi

A kiss is just...

This paper proposes that a survey of representations of men not-kissing men in recent television drama series makes clear a particularly hysterical fascination. While the Australian program GP has managed to produce a banal representation of two men kissing, American equivalents have resorted to a series of strategies which make insistently clear that not only can men not kiss-but that the act of not-kissing must be repeatedly displayed. By refusing to have lovers kiss; by having lovers kiss but refusing to show the act; by having gay lovers, but having one played by a woman; by having men kiss but rendering the act ridiculous; in these ways, American television programs make clear the importance of this act by consistently pointing towards it and declaring its impossibility. This paper calls for the justice of equal access to public images of kissing

The 'responsible' tenant and the problem of apathy

In the last decade, the UK New Labour government has emphasised tenant participation in housing policy. Consequently, those individuals who decide to opt out of participation processes have been problematised as ‘apathetic’, and identified as needing to be ‘empowered’ through professional interventions. Drawing on research about community ownership in Glasgow, this paper argues that tenants' reasons for not getting involved are more than simply lack of interest. Tenants articulated an instrumental approach to participation, and rejected the conflation of tenant participation with tenant management. Practical barriers also obstructed their latent motivation

Empowering Glasgow’s tenants through community ownership?

Post 1997, stock transfer has been pivotal to the housing and regeneration agenda of the New Labour government, both at the UK and devolved level. Although a heavily researched policy area, stock transfer research has tended to focus quite narrowly on the perspectives of policymakers, practitioners or members of the transfer association's governing body. To address this research gap and focus more explicitly on the voices of local residents, this paper draws on the case study of the unique two-stage Glasgow housing stock transfer in order to explore 'community ownership' and 'tenant empowerment' from the perspective of 'lay' tenants. Political ambitions for direct democracy and communitarian endeavour have been central to stock transfer agendas in Scotland, where the policy has developed quite distinctly compared with the rest of the UK. Focus group research with tenants in Glasgow, however, highlights that empowerment was not an important priority for tenants at the point of transfer; that the transfer has delivered mixed outcomes in terms of local tenant control; and on the key issue of support for 'full' community ownership tenants were unconvinced, and expressed a need for more information.PostprintPeer reviewe

Testing for efficiency in the New Zealand horse racetrack betting market a thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Applied Economics at Massey University

Using a large sample of New Zealand pari-mutuel horse race betting data, this study tests for market efficiency. This involves testing for weak form efficiency and an anomaly known as the favourite longshot bias. Additionally, a test developed by Henery (1985) is used to examine the extent to which bettors discount their losses. Also, two utility' estimations are calculated using the first three moments surrounding the distribution. Each test is performed twice, firstly with the odds at the close of the tote and secondly with the odds quoted 30 minutes before the tote closes. A number of previous studies are reviewed. The data set is discussed along with its limitations. An extensive description of the research methodology' is presented, followed by the results, interpretations and discussion. Many former studies have found that racetrack betting is not weak form efficient, but instead there exists a negative risk-return trade-off in the market. This study, exhibiting the negative risk-return trade-off and the favourite longshot bias, is consistent with previous studies. Using opening odds, there is much evidence to suggest that the favourite longshot bias exists 30 minutes before the tote closes but is essentially eliminated in the final 30 minutes of betting. The estimation of Henery's test is consistent with his results that bettors discount approximately 2% of their losses as 'not typical'. The implications of this are also discussed. The estimation of bettor's utility' functions shows that bettors are risk lovers and, contrary' to one study, the inclusion of the third moment is insufficient to prove bettors are in fact risk averse

Dialogue and Discourse

This paper sets out to apply a survey of the literature on discourse and dialogue in relation to teaching and learning to the context of a pre-sessional academic English programme for international students destined for under- or postgraduate courses across a range of disciplines in a post-1992 university. ‘International’ students, here, are those whose first language is not English and who have undertaken most, if not all, of their previous education outside the UK in their first language. Most participants are required to complete the 12-week full-time course as a precondition for university entry, based on current English language competency at a level 0.5/1 IELTS point below institutional entry requirements. Our multi-disciplinary programme aims to progress students’ English language proficiency, to acculturate them to U.K. Higher Education and to determine their readiness to proceed, in terms of language level, to their subsequent course. This paper sets the programme in the wider HE context with reference to the literature on discourse theory and, briefly, to issues of blended learning

ATLAS Great Lakes Tier-2 Computing and Muon Calibration Center Commissioning

Large-scale computing in ATLAS is based on a grid-linked system of tiered computing centers. The ATLAS Great Lakes Tier-2 came online in September 2006 and now is commissioning with full capacity to provide significant computing power and services to the USATLAS community. Our Tier-2 Center also host the Michigan Muon Calibration Center which is responsible for daily calibrations of the ATLAS Monitored Drift Tubes for ATLAS endcap muon system. During the first LHC beam period in 2008 and following ATLAS global cosmic ray data taking period, the Calibration Center received a large data stream from the muon detector to derive the drift tube timing offsets and time-to-space functions with a turn-around time of 24 hours. We will present the Calibration Center commissioning status and our plan for the first LHC beam collisions in 2009.Comment: To be published in the proceedings of DPF-2009, Detroit, MI, July 2009, eConf C09072