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Construction
Kinds of Construction Terms modified by Construction Selected AbstractsGOVERNMENT'S CONSTRUCTION OF THE RELATION BETWEEN PARENTS AND SCHOOLS IN THE UPBRINGING OF CHILDREN IN ENGLAND: 1963,2009EDUCATIONAL THEORY, Issue 3 2010David Bridges In this essay David Bridges argues that since most families choose to realize their responsibility for the major part of their children's education through state schools, then the way in which the state constructs parents' relation with these schools is one of its primary levers on parenting itself. Bridges then examines the way in which parent-school relations have been defined in England through government and quasi-government interventions over the last forty-five years, tracing these through an awakening interest in the relation between social class and unequal school success in the 1960s, passing through the discourse of accountability in the 1970s, marketization in the 1980s and 1990s, performativity extending from this period into the first decade of the twenty-first century, and, most recently, more direct interventions into parenting itself and the regulation of school relations with parents in the interests of safeguarding children. These have not, however, been entirely discrete policy themes, and the positive and pragmatic employment of the discourse of partnership has run throughout this period, albeit with different points of emphasis on the precise terms of such partnership. [source] THE BORDER CROSSED US: EDUCATION, HOSPITALITY POLITICS, AND THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF THE "ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT"EDUCATIONAL THEORY, Issue 3 2009Dennis CarlsonArticle first published online: 6 OCT 200 In this essay, Dennis Carlson explores some of the implications of Derrida's "hospitality politics" in helping articulate a progressive response to a rightist cultural politics in the United States of policing national, linguistic, and other borders. He applies the concept of hospitality politics to a critical analysis of the social construction of the "problem" of "illegal immigrants" in U.S. public schools. This entails a discussion of three interrelated discourses and practices of hospitality: a universalistic discourse of philosophical and religious principles, a legalistic-juridical discourse, and a discourse and practice grounded in the ethos of everyday life. Derrida suggested that a democratic cultural politics must interweave these three discourses and also recognize the limitations of each of them. Moreover, a democratic cultural politics must be most firmly rooted in the praxis of ethos, and in the ethical claims of openness to the other. [source] PERSPECTIVE: SEVEN REASONS (NOT) TO NEGLECT NICHE CONSTRUCTIONEVOLUTION, Issue 9 2006Kevin N. Laland Abstract ,The niche-construction perspective within evolutionary biology places emphasis on the changes that organisms bring about in their selective environments. Advocates of this viewpoint argue that there is both accuracy and utility in treating niche construction as an evolutionary process in its own right, rather than merely as a product of evolution. Here we discuss and assess seven putative weaknesses of the niche-construction perspective. Niche construction has been neglected or rejected on the grounds that (1) it is not prevalent, (2) its study is not tractable, (3) it is not a process, (4) it is caused by natural selection, (5) it does not change our understanding of evolution in any fundamental way, (6) it does not bring about adaptation, and (7) it is not a single phenomenon. In each case, we critically evaluate the theoretical standing of these arguments and consider the empirical evidence that can be brought to bear on the debate. We conclude that none of these are strong criticisms of the niche-construction perspective and maintain that there are compelling reasons for treating niche construction as a major evolutionary process. [source] EVOLUTION O ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE BY HUMAN AND BACTERIAL NECHE CONSTRUCTIONEVOLUTION, Issue 3 2005Maciej F. Boni Abstract Antibiotic treatment by humans generates strong viability selection for antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. The frequency of host antibiotic use often determines the strength of this selection, and changing patterns of antibiotic use can generate many types of behaviors in the population dynamics of resistant and sensitive bacterial populations. In this paper, we present a simple model of hosts dimorphic for their tendency to use/avoid antibiotics and bacterial pathogens dimorphic in their resistance/sensitivity to antibiotic treatment. When a constant fraction of hosts uses antibiotics, the two bacterial strain populations can coexist unless host use-frequency is above a critical value; this critical value is derived as the ratio of the fitness cost of resistance to the fitness cost of undergoing treatment. When strain frequencies can affect host behavior, the dynamics may be analyzed in the light of niche construction. We consider three models underlying changing host behavior: conformism, the avoidance of long infections, and adherence to the advice of public health officials. In the latter two, we find that the pathogen can have quite a strong effect on host behavior. In particular, if antibiotic use is discouraged when resistance levels are high, we observe a classic niche-construction phenomenon of maintaining strain polymorphism even in parameter regions where it would not be expected. [source] SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF HYDROPOLITICS: THE GEOGRAPHICAL SCALES OF WATER AND SECURITY IN THE INDUS BASIN,GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW, Issue 4 2007Daanish Mustafa ABSTRACT. The article identifies important themes and future research directions for analyzing water and conflict dynamics at the subnational scale in the Indus Basin. A historical overview of water development in the Indus Basin suggests that the water-security nexus was always a salient theme in the minds of water developers, even in the nineteenth century. Conflicts over contemporary large-scale water-development projects in the Indian and Pakistani parts of the Indus Basin are reviewed. Engineers' single-minded focus on megaprojects, to the neglect of the wider set of values that societies attach to water resources in the eastern and western Indus Basin are largely to blame for continuing low-grade conflict in the basin. A review of local-level conflicts over water supply and sanitation in Karachi and the distribution of irrigation water in Pakistani Punjab illustrates the critical role of governance and differential social power relations in accentuating conflict. The article argues against neo-Malthusian assumptions about the inevitability of conflict over water because of its future absolute scarcity. Instead, the article seeks to demonstrate that, despite evidence suggesting that international armed conflict over water does not exist, the potential for political instability over domestic water distribution and development issues is real. The question of whether conflict at the subnational scale will culminate in violence will depend on how water-resources institutions in the basin behave. [source] CONSTRUCTION: Angola/DR CongoAFRICA RESEARCH BULLETIN: ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL SERIES, Issue 5 2009Article first published online: 3 JUL 200 No abstract is available for this article. [source] DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND VALIDATION OF A SANITARY GLOVE BOX PACKAGING SYSTEM FOR PRODUCT SHELF-LIFE STUDIESJOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESSING AND PRESERVATION, Issue 3 2001ZEHRA AYHAN A glove box has been constructed as pan of an integrated pilot plant scale pulsed electric field processing and packaging system to facilitate studies of product shelf-life with selected packaging materials. The glove box was sanitized using combination of hydrogen peroxide and germicidal UV light. A HEPA air filter provided positive pressure of bacteria-free air. Nonselective nutrient broth was sterilized and filled into presanitized bottles inside the glove box. Negative and positive controls were included in the experiment. All bottles were incubated at 22C and 37C for two weeks and checked for rnicrobial growth by measuring optical density at 600 nm using a spectrophotometer and by plating on plate count agar and potato dextrose agar for total aerobic and, yeast and mold counts, respectively. No turbidity or microbial growth was observed in the media filled in the sanitized bottles using the sanitized glove box at 22 and 37C. PEF processed orange juice using this system had a shelf-life of more than 16 weeks at 4C. [source] BRONZE AGE BARROWS ON THE HEATHLANDS OF SOUTHERN ENGLAND: CONSTRUCTION, FORMS AND INTERPRETATIONSOXFORD JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 1 2010RICHARD BRADLEY Summary The Bronze Age barrows on the downs of southern England have been investigated and discussed for nearly 200 years, but much less attention has been paid to similar structures in the areas of heathland beyond the chalk and river gravels. They were built in a phase of expansion towards the end of the Early Bronze Age, and more were constructed during the Middle Bronze Age. They have a number of distinctive characteristics. This paper considers the interpretation of these monuments and their wider significance in relation to the pattern of settlement. It also discusses the origins of field systems in lowland England. [source] PROVENANCE OF THE SANDSTONE USED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE KHMER MONUMENTS IN THAILANDARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 4 2010E. UCHIDA We investigated the sandstone used in the construction of the Khmer monuments situated upon and around the Khorat Plateau in north-east Thailand in order to clarify the provenance. The sandstones of the 22 investigated Khmer monuments can be classified into three groups. The sandstone of Group 1 is lithic and is derived mainly from the Khok Kruat Formation. This group includes the sandstone used at Phimai, Phnom Wan, Muang Khaek etc. The sandstone of Group 2 is siliceous and can be subdivided into three further groups. The sandstone of Group 2 is considered to have been derived from the Phu Phan, Phra Wihan or Sao Khua Formations. The sandstone used at Muang Tam, Phnom Rung, Sdok Kok Thom, Preah Vihear (Khao Phra Wihan), Narai Jaeng Waeng etc. belongs to Group 2. The sandstone of Group 3 is feldspathic and is correlated with the grey to yellowish-brown sandstone that is commonly used in the Angkor monuments in Cambodia. This sandstone is used at Wat Phu and Hong Nang Sida in Laos. The above results reveal that the choice of sandstone used for the Khmer monuments, including the Angkor monuments, was dictated by the surrounding geology. [source] THERAPY AS MEMORY-WORK: DILEMMAS OF DISCOVERY, RECOVERY AND CONSTRUCTIONBRITISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY, Issue 4 2002Erica Burman ABSTRACT In this paper I have sought to shift the focus on the construction of memory within psychotherapeutic practice in a number of different directions to draw some more general lessons for the process and status of therapeutic accounts. The precipitating context for the current scrutiny of memory-making within therapy may have limited its scope and fruitfulness. The fact that this issue was largely prompted by debates about the status of (usually) adult women's recovery of memories of early abuse within therapy is a relevant factor that has been compounded by issues of professional credibility and hierarchy. Clearly, at a cultural level, women's memories of childhood abuse function politically as well as personally, as reflected by the social and legal responses to this challenge. However, guidelines for professional practice cannot legislate for the indeterminacies surrounding the subjectivity of memory, while assumptions underlying the empirical psychological resources drawn upon to inform debates in psychotherapy require critical scrutiny. Clinical and interpretive dilemmas extend beyond the status accorded client memorial reports to therapists' memory-making practices as textualized via both supervision and clinical notetaking. Drawing on more recent (including feminist) discussions of memory that identify different political possibilities within third and first person accounts it was suggested that, rather than eschewing the subjectivity of memory, therapists can instead analyse this as a key interpretive and reflexive resource to inform their own practice. [source] CEMETERIES AND THE CONSTRUCTION, DECONSTRUCTION, AND NON-CONSTRUCTION OF HIERARCHIES IN EARLY BRONZE AGE CRETEBULLETIN OF THE INSTITUTE OF CLASSICAL STUDIES, Issue 1 2009BORJA LEGARRA HERREROArticle first published online: 10 JUN 2010 No abstract is available for this article. [source] A Complexity Model and a Polynomial Algorithm for Decision-Tree-Based Feature ConstructionCOMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE, Issue 1 2000Raymond L. Major Using decision trees as a concept description language, we examine the time complexity for learning Boolean functions with polynomial-sized disjunctive normal form expressions when feature construction is performed on an initial decision tree containing only primitive attributes. A shortcoming of several feature-construction algorithms found in the literature is that it is difficult to develop time complexity results for them. We illustrate a way to determine a limit on the number of features to use for building more concise trees within a standard amount of time. We introduce a practical algorithm that forms a finite number of features using a decision tree in a polynomial amount of time. We show empirically that our procedure forms many features that subsequently appear in a tree and the new features aid in producing simpler trees when concepts are being learned from certain problem domains. Expert systems developers can use a method such as this to create a knowledge base of information that contains specific knowledge in the form of If-Then rules. [source] New methodologies in teaching e-structural mechanics using WWW,COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION, Issue 3 2008Carmelo Maiorana Abstract A recently initiated phase of experimentation and research in the online Distance Learning (DL) is here described. The project has been developed by the Department of Construction and Transportation Engineering of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Padua along with the well-established e-learning experience of the SSIS Veneto (Institute for the Formation of Secondary School's Teachers) of Cà Foscari,University of Venice, in collaboration with the webmaster management of TCN-EnginSoft of Padua. The work deals with teaching methodologies supported by the net, computer communication and information technologies, finalized to give both widespread access to useful resources and to create a more flexible exchange due to net communication. The experimentation of using web-based technologies to support traditional teaching for working students is described; in fact, Internet-based innovations offer opportunities for a curriculum improvement to those categories of students who could be considered at a disadvantage, like worker students or students with ear or motion deafness. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 16: 189,210, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae20167 [source] Fast BVH Construction on GPUsCOMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 2 2009C. Lauterbach We present two novel parallel algorithms for rapidly constructing bounding volume hierarchies on manycore GPUs. The first uses a linear ordering derived from spatial Morton codes to build hierarchies extremely quickly and with high parallel scalability. The second is a top-down approach that uses the surface area heuristic (SAH) to build hierarchies optimized for fast ray tracing. Both algorithms are combined into a hybrid algorithm that removes existing bottlenecks in the algorithm for GPU construction performance and scalability leading to significantly decreased build time. The resulting hierarchies are close in to optimized SAH hierarchies, but the construction process is substantially faster, leading to a significant net benefit when both construction and traversal cost are accounted for. Our preliminary results show that current GPU architectures can compete with CPU implementations of hierarchy construction running on multicore systems. In practice, we can construct hierarchies of models with up to several million triangles and use them for fast ray tracing or other applications. [source] Diorama Construction From a Single ImageCOMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 3 2007J. Assa Abstract Diorama artists produce a spectacular 3D effect in a confined space by generating depth illusions that are faithful to the ordering of the objects in a large real or imaginary scene. Indeed, cognitive scientists have discovered that depth perception is mostly affected by depth order and precedence among objects. Motivated by these findings, we employ ordinal cues to construct a model from a single image that similarly to Dioramas, intensifies the depth perception. We demonstrate that such models are sufficient for the creation of realistic 3D visual experiences. The initial step of our technique extracts several relative depth cues that are well known to exist in the human visual system. Next, we integrate the resulting cues to create a coherent surface. We introduce wide slits in the surface, thus generalizing the concept of cardboard cutout layers. Lastly, the surface geometry and texture are extended alongside the slits, to allow small changes in the viewpoint which enriches the depth illusion. [source] Fuzzy Monte Carlo Simulation and Risk Assessment in ConstructionCOMPUTER-AIDED CIVIL AND INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING, Issue 4 2010N. Sadeghi However, subjective and linguistically expressed information results in added non-probabilistic uncertainty in construction management. Fuzzy logic has been used successfully for representing such uncertainties in construction projects. In practice, an approach that can handle both random and fuzzy uncertainties in a risk assessment model is necessary. This article discusses the deficiencies of the available methods and proposes a Fuzzy Monte Carlo Simulation (FMCS) framework for risk analysis of construction projects. In this framework, we construct a fuzzy cumulative distribution function as a novel way to represent uncertainty. To verify the feasibility of the FMCS framework and demonstrate its main features, the authors have developed a special purpose simulation template for cost range estimating. This template is employed to estimate the cost of a highway overpass project. [source] Rapid Human-Assisted Creation of Bounding Models for Obstacle Avoidance in ConstructionCOMPUTER-AIDED CIVIL AND INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING, Issue 1 2004J. McLaughlin A practical, interactive method for doing so is described here. The method: (1) exploits a human operator's ability to quickly recognize significant objects or clusters of objects in a scene, (2) exploits the operator's ability to acquire sparse range point clouds of the objects quickly, and then (3) renders models, such as planes, boxes, and generalized convex hulls, to be displayed graphically as visual feedback during equipment operation and/or for making proximity calculations in an obstacle detection system. Experiments were performed in which test subjects were asked to model objects of varying complexity and clutter. These models were then compared to control models using a ray-tracing algorithm to determine the operator's ability to create conservative models that are critical to construction operations. To demonstrate the applicability of the modeling method to obstacle avoidance, a scripted motion robot simulation was conducted using an artificial potential formulation that monitors position (closest point on manipulator link to nearest obstacle) as well as velocity (link inertia). Experimental results indicate that bounding models can be created rapidly and with sufficient accuracy for obstacle avoidance with the aid of human intelligence and that human-assisted modeling can be very beneficial for real-time construction equipment control. [source] Welding Automation in Space-Frame Bridge ConstructionCOMPUTER-AIDED CIVIL AND INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING, Issue 3 2001Alistair Greig The SPACES system has been proposed as an alternative for long-span bridge construction. Tubular space frames offer a structurally more efficient solution for bridges, but they have been considered too expensive because the joints at the nodal intersections of the tubular members are difficult and expensive to weld. The benefits of the SPACES system can only be realized by using a computer-integrated construction system to drive down the fabrication costs. A key component of the computer-integrated construction is the robotic welding system. This article describes the development of a lightweight automated welding system for the joining of tubular members. It addresses the geometry of intersecting cylinders and the kinematics and design of a 5-degree-of-freedom manipulator. Summary solutions are given for both. The control software is described briefly, and mention of the welding tests and overall business process is also made. A consortium of U.K. industry and universities is conducting the work. [source] Response Time of Wetland Biodiversity to Road Construction on Adjacent LandsCONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2000C. Scot T Findlay Species loss is unlikely to occur immediately, however. Rather, populations of susceptible species are expected to decline gradually after road construction, with local extinction occurring sometime later. We document lags in wetland biodiversity loss in response to road construction by fitting regression models that express species richness of different taxa ( birds, mammals, plants, and herptiles) as a function of both current and historical road densities on adjacent lands. The proportion of variation in herptile and bird richness explained by road densities increased significantly when past densities were substituted for more current densities in multiple regression models. Moreover, for vascular plants, birds, and herptiles, there were significant negative effects of historical road densities when the most current densities were controlled statistically. Our results provide evidence that the full effects of road construction on wetland biodiversity may be undetectable in some taxa for decades. Such lags in response to changes in anthropogenic stress have important implications for land-use planning and environmental impact assessment. Resumen: La construcción de caminos puede resultar en significativas pérdidas de biodiversidad tanto a escala local como regional debido a la restricción de movimiento entre poblaciones, incremento de la mortalidad, fragmentación de hábitat y efectos de borde, invasión de especies exóticas o mayor acceso de humanos a hábitats silvestres, con lo cual se espera que se incrementen las tasas locales de extinción o disminuyan las tasas locales de recolonización. Sin embargo, es improbable que la pérdida de especies ocurra inmediatamente. Más bien, se espera que las poblaciones de especies susceptibles declinen gradualmente después de la construcción del camino, extinguiéndose localmente poco tiempo después. Documentamos la pérdida de biodiversidad en humedales como respuesta a la construcción de caminos ajustando modelos de regresión que expresan la riqueza de especies de diferentes taxa (aves, mamíferos, plantas, reptiles y anfibios) como una función de las densidades actual e histórica de los caminos en tierras adyacentes. La proporción de variación en anfibios, reptiles y aves incrementó significativamente cuando las densidades históricas fueron sustituidas por densidades actuales en los modelos de regresión múltiple. Más aun, hubo efectos negativos significativos de las densidades de caminos históricas para plantas vasculares, aves, anfibios y reptiles cuando las densidades actuales fueron estadísticamente controladas. Nuestros resultados proporcionan evidencia de que los efectos de la construcción de caminos sobre la biodiversidad de humedales pueden se indetectables para algunos taxa por décadas. Tales rezagos en la respuesta a cambios en el estrés antropogénico tienen implicaciones importantes en la planificación de uso del suelo y la evaluación de impacto ambiental. [source] Follicular Unit Transplantation: The Option of Beard Construction in Eunuchoid MenDERMATOLOGIC SURGERY, Issue 9 2002Kayihan, ahinoglu MD background. Psychosocial problems are very common in eunuchoids and may be related to the impact of underlying disorders on the physical appearance which makes them unable to overcome the sense of inferiority of childhood. A beardless patient treated with follicular unit transplantation (FUT) is reported here. objective. Such patients desire to get rid of a boyish appearance and want to achieve a masculine appearance. One of the easiest methods to achieve this goal is FUT. methods. By using an 18-gauge needle, the recipient bed was prepared under local anesthesia after premedication, and 1200 one- or two-hair micrografts were transplanted to the perioral (goatee) and its extensions to the sideburns. results. After completion of the procedure to the planned area, we achieved restoration of a masculine appearance which made the patient seem quite satisfied. conclusion. The process of beard reconstruction is time consuming and tedious, but highly effective. [source] Review article: What's new in early medieval burial archaeology?EARLY MEDIEVAL EUROPE, Issue 1 2002Tania M. Dickinson Books reviewed in this article: John Hines, Karen Høilund Nielsen and Frank Siegmund (eds), The Pace of Change. Studies in Early,Medieval Chronology. Catherine E. Karkov, Kelley M. Wickham,Crowley and Bailey K. Young (eds), Spaces of the Living and the Dead: An Archaeological Dialogue. Sam Lucy, The Early Anglo,Saxon Cemeteries of East Yorkshire. An Analysis and Reinterpretation. Elizabeth O'Brien, Post,Roman Britain to Anglo,Saxon England: Burial Practices Reviewed. Nick Stoodley, The Spindle and the Spear. A Critical Enquiry into the Construction and Meaning of Gender in the Early Anglo,Saxon Burial Rite. [source] Migration of landlocked brown trout in two Scandinavian streams as revealed from trap dataECOLOGY OF FRESHWATER FISH, Issue 3 2004J. Carlsson Abstract,,, Anthropogenic barriers that may interfere or prevent fish migration are commonly found in streams throughout the distribution of salmonids. Construction of fish passages in streams is a common solution to this problem. However, the goal with fish passages is often, at least in Scandinavia, to allow Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) and migratory brown trout (S. trutta L.) to get access to spawning areas above these barriers. Hence, the fish passages may often only be open during the spawning migration of salmonids (late summer to autumn). We present data, on wild brown trout migration, from two trapping systems in two Scandinavian streams showing that intra- and interstream migrations are common throughout the summer and autumn. Moreover, differences in size were found between trap-caught trout and electrofished trout where trapped trout were generally larger than electrofished trout. We suggest that the current regime with fish passages only open parts of the year can have negative effects on populations by depriving trout from the possibility to perform migrations throughout the year. Resumen 1. Barreras de origin antrópico que pueden interferer o prevenir las migraciones de los peces son frecuentes a lo largo de las áreas de distribución de los salmónidos. Una solución común a este problema es la construcción de pasos. Si embargo, el fin general de estos pasos es, por lo menos en Escandinavia, permitir el acceso a las áreas de reproducción por encima de las barreras tanto a salmones (Salmo salar L.) como a truchas migratorias (S. trutta L.). Frecuentemente, estos pasos están solamente abiertos durante el período de migración reproductiva (final del verano y otoño) porque se piensa que este régimen no tiene consecuencias negativas ya que estas especies muestran movimientos muy limitados en otros periodos del año. 2. Presentamos datos sobre migraciones de truchas colectados en dos sistemas de trampas de dos ríos escandinavos. Un río localizado por encima de una catarata inaccesible. El segundo, con una población migratoria de truchas. Los datos indicaron claramente migraciones intensivas a lo largo de todo el período en el que las trampas estuvieron operativas. Ambos ríos mostraron un pico de migración aguas arriba a mediados de Julio. Migraciones aguas abajo fueron raramente observadas en la población por encima de la catarata aunque migraciones aguas abajo en la población del río fueron intensivas al final del otoño. 3. Sugerimos que el régimen actual de pasos de peces que abren solamente partes del año puede tener efectos negativos sobre las poblaciones, al privar a las truchas de la posibilidad de migrar a lo largo del año. Esto puede extenderse a otros sistemas con barreras ya que observamos también migraciones intensivas en la población localizada por encima de la catarata. [source] Application of the Levenshtein Distance Metric for the Construction of Longitudinal Data FilesEDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENT: ISSUES AND PRACTICE, Issue 2 2010Harold C. Doran The analysis of longitudinal data in education is becoming more prevalent given the nature of testing systems constructed for No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). However, constructing the longitudinal data files remains a significant challenge. Students move into new schools, but in many cases the unique identifiers (ID) that should remain constant for each student change. As a result, different students frequently share the same ID, and merging records for an ID that is erroneously assigned to different students clearly becomes problematic. In small data sets, quality assurance of the merge can proceed through human reviews of the data to ensure all merged records are properly joined. However, in data sets with hundreds of thousands of cases, quality assurance via human review is impossible. While the record linkage literature has many applications in other disciplines, the educational measurement literature lacks details of formal protocols that can be used for quality assurance procedures for longitudinal data files. This article presents an empirical quality assurance procedure that may be used to verify the integrity of the merges performed for longitudinal analysis. We also discuss possible extensions that would permit merges to occur even when unique identifiers are not available. [source] Construction of Lyapunov function for power system based on solving linear matrix inequalityELECTRICAL ENGINEERING IN JAPAN, Issue 4 2007Atsushi Ishigame Abstract This paper presents construction of Lyapunov functions for power systems based on solving the Linear Matrix Inequality (LMI) derived from the Lyapunov stability theorem considering the dynamics of load characteristic and AVR control system. The proposed Lyapunov function is constructed as a quadratic form of state variables and an integral term which satisfies the curl equation and the sector condition. An induction machine and a synchronous machine are considered as load characteristics. One-machine one-load infinite bus system is considered taking into account the flux decay effects and AVR with one time constant of the generator. To verify the proposed Lyapunov function, the transient stability assessment is shown. The critical clearing times given by the proposed Lyapunov function are compared with those obtained by the numerical integration method, and they are shown to be practical. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 158(4): 42, 50, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience. wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20328 [source] Construction of L -Lysine Sensor by Layer-by-Layer Adsorption of L -Lysine 6-Dehydrogenase and Ferrocene-Labeled High Molecular Weight Coenzyme Derivative on Gold ElectrodeELECTROANALYSIS, Issue 24 2008Haitao Zheng Abstract A ferrocene-labeled high molecular weight coenzyme derivative (PEI-Fc-NAD) and a thermostable NAD-dependent L -lysine 6-dehydrogenase (LysDH) from thermophile Geobacillus stearothermophilus were used to fabricate a reagentless L -lysine sensor. Both LysDH and PEI-Fc-NAD were immobilized on the surface of a gold electrode by consecutive layer-by-layer adsorption (LBL) technique. By the simple LBL method, the reagentless L -lysine sensor, with co-immobilization of the mediator, coenzyme, and enzyme was obtained, which exhibited current response to L -lysine without the addition of native coenzyme to the analysis system. The amperometric response of the sensor was dependent on the applied potential, bilayer number of PEI-Fc-NAD/LysDH, and substrate concentration. A linear current response, proportional to L -lysine concentration in the range of 1,120,mM was observed. The response of the sensor to L -lysine was decreased by 30% from the original activity after one month storage. [source] Comparative Studies of Tridentate Sulfur and Nitrogen-Containing Ligands as Ionophores for Construction of Cadmium Ion-Selective Membrane SensorsELECTROANALYSIS, Issue 11 2007Ashok, Kumar Singh Abstract New polymeric membrane cadmium-ion selective sensors have been prepared by incorporating nitrogen and sulfur containing tridentate ligands as the ionophores into the plasticized PVC membranes. Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) based membranes of potassium hydrotris[N -(2,6-xylyl)thioimdazolyl) borate] (KTt2,6-xylyl) and potassium hydrotris(3-phenyl-5-methylpyrazolyl) borate (KTpPh,Me) with sodium tetraphenyl borate (NaTPB) as an anionic excluder and dibutylphthalate (DBP), tributylphthalate (TBP), dioctylsebacate (DOS), and o -nitrophenyloctyl ether (o -NPOE) as plasticizing solvent mediators were investigated in different compositions. KTt2,6-xylyl was found to be a selective and sensitive ion carrier for Cd(II) membrane sensor. A membrane composed of KTt2,6-xylyl:NaTPB:PVC:DBP with the % mole ratio 2.3,:,1.1,:,34.8,:,61.8 (w/w) works well over a very wide concentration range (7.8×10,8,1.0×10,2,M) with a Nernstian slope of 29.4±0.2,mV/decades of activity between pH values of 3.5 to 9.0 with a detection limit of 4.37×10,8,M. The sensor displays very good discrimination toward Cd(II) ions with regard to most common cations. The proposed sensor shows a short response time for whole concentration range (ca. 8,s). The effects of the cationic (tetrabutylammonium chloride, TBC), anionic (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS) and nonionic (Triton X-100) surfactants were investigated on the potentiometric properties of proposed cadmium-selective sensor. The proposed sensor based on KTt2,6-xylyl ionophore has also been used for the direct determination of cadmium ions in different water samples and human urine samples. [source] Construction and Evaluation of a Gold Tubular Electrode for Flow Analysis: Application to Speciation of Antimony in Water SamplesELECTROANALYSIS, Issue 6 2007Rodrigo Santos Abstract A tubular gold electrode (TGE) is described for the first time by summarizing the important aspects of its construction and evaluation. Applicability of the TGE is evaluated in the speciation of Sb(III) and Sb(V) using anodic stripping voltammetry in a single flow manifold. Studies with surface active interferences and metallic cations were performed. The proposed conditions for antimony determination showed good tolerance towards cationic, anionic and nonionic surface active substances. A linear response for antimony was obtained for solutions containing significant amounts of several metallic cations. Linear calibration curves for Sb(III) were obtained in the range 1,10,ppb with a detection limit of 0.19,ppb (CV=2.91%, n=5, [Sb(III)]=5,ppb). For Sb(V), linear calibration curves were in the range 1,15,ppb with a detection limit of 0.32,ppb (CV=1.41%, n=5, [Sb(V)]=5,ppb). The figures of merit achieved sustain for the good applicability of the proposed method as it allows the determination of antimony at levels below maximum values permitted in consuming waters. Results of antimony concentration determined in water samples were validated against the ICP-MS reference procedure or compared with reference water samples. [source] Construction of an antibody microarray based on agarose-coated slidesELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 3 2007Lin-Li Lv Abstract The antibody microarray, a high-throughput multiplex immunoassay method, has become a significant tool for quantitative proteomics studies. We describe here the strategies for optimizing the condition of antibody microarray building based on agarose-coated slides. In this study, modified glass slides were robotically printed with capture antibodies against monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), then dilutions of the cytokine were applied to the arrays, and the protein was detected with biotin-labeled antibody coupled with Cy3-conjugated streptavidin. Thus a protein profiling microarray based on sandwich immunoassay has been established. Various factors in the production of antibody microarrays were analyzed: the capture antibody concentrations, shelf life of the postprinting slides, blocking buffers, and reproducibility of the system. A calibration curve with a correlation coefficient of 0.9995 was established which suggested that the matrix can retain arrayed proteins in near-quantitative fashion. The results revealed high signal uniformity and reproducibility with regard to intra-array (1.3%) and the interarray (8.7%) variation at the capture antibody concentration of 125,µg/mL. Besides, the printed arrays could be stored for at least two months without any apparent change of the performance parameters. [source] Construction of a cDNA library of Bemisia tabaci for use in the ,yeast two-hybrid screen' methodEPPO BULLETIN, Issue 1 2002S. Ohnesorge The molecular mechanisms involved in the circulative, non-propagative transmission pathway of TYLCV through its vector the whitefly Bemisia tabaci have hardly been studied. Points requiring investigation include the specific adhesion of virus coat protein to insect structures, the proteins involved in membrane passage in the insect and the possibility of replication of the virus in the vector. To isolate the insect proteins which are involved in transmission by interaction with viral proteins, we propose to use the ,yeast two-hybrid screen' genetic method. For this method, it is indispensable to have a ,cDNA library' of the organism concerned, cloned in plasmids, and our first step has been to develop this. A new method was developed for isolating whitefly mRNA. From this mRNA, cDNA was synthesized, ligated in the plasmid pGADT7 (Clontech) and transformed in bacteria to amplify the plasmid DNA. The number of independent clones and average insert size of the plasmids were determined. [source] Surviving a Distant Past: A Case Study of the Cultural Construction of Trauma Descendant IdentityETHOS, Issue 4 2003Carol A. Kidron Despite the abundance of psychological studies on trauma related ills of descendants of historical trauma, and the extensive scholarly work describing the memory politics of silenced traumatic pasts, there has yet to emerge a critical analysis of the constitutive practices of descendants of historical trauma. This article presents an ethnographic account of a support group for descendants of Holocaust survivors, proposing that the discursive frame of intergenerational transmission of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and support group based narrative practices allow descendants to fashion their sense of self as survivors of the distant traumatic past. The discursive frame of transmitted PTSD acts as both a mnemonic bridge to the past and a mechanism of identity making, as participants narratively reemplot their life stories as having been personally constituted by the distant past A close ethnographic reading of on-site discursive practices points to how culture ferments to produce narratives, practices and ultimately carriers of memory to both sustain and revitalize historical grand narratives and the cultural scenarios they embed. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||