716 research outputs found
Conference on Life Detection in Extraterrestrial Samples : February 13–15, 2012, San Diego, California
No full textOne of the major scientific questions that will be asked in the analysis of returned martian samples is whether they contain indications of past or present martian life. In addition, international guidelines and agency policies dictate that Mars samples must be subjected to a program of life detection and biohazard analysis before they can be released from strict containment, to protect the environment of the Earth. A better understanding of current and possible investigation strategies and capabilities, including controls and measurements related to life detection in returned martian samples, is important to address both these concerns.Sponsors, NASA Mars Program Office, NASA Planetary Protection Office, Universities Space Research Association, Lunar and Planetary Institute.conveners, Dave Beaty [and others] ; scientific organizing committee, Carl Allen [and others] ; compiled by Meeting and Publication Services, Lunar and Planetary Institute.PARTIAL CONTENTS: Sample Integrity for the Proposed Mars Sample Return Campaign / C.J. Budney--SERS Investigation of Nucleobases Deposited on Evaporite Minerals: A Test Case for Analogue Mars Regolith / S.C. Caporali, V.M-C. Moggi-Cecchi, M.P. Pagliai, G.P. Pratesi, and V.S. Schettino--Nucleic-Acid Sequencing for Life Detection and Characterization / C.E. Carr, C.S. Lui, H. Rowedder, M.T. Zuber, and G. Ruvkun--Biosignatures in Vesicular Basalts / B. Cavalazzi, F. Westall, S.L. Cady, R. Barbieri, F. Foucher, and N.J. Beukes--Investigation of the Spatial Relationships of Bacteria Associated with Rock Varnish / A.M. Corcoran, D.R. Noguera, and K.R. Kuhlman--Sterilization of Spacecraft Components by Laser Ablation and Plasma Generation / C.B. Dreyer, J.R. Spear, K.L. Lynch, and A.J. Bauer
INDIGENOUS LAND TENURE AND LAND USE IN ALASKA: COMMUNITY IMPACTS OF THE ALASKA NATIVE CLAIMS SETTLEMENT ACT
No full textThrough the utilization of qualitative methods such as archival analysis, semi-structured interviewing, comparative and extended case studies, and observation, this paper closely examines two related Alaska Native communities. Our purpose is to document the impact of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA) on land tenure, land use, and community structure. In all, 41 interviews were conducted, focusing on the following issues: (1) the role of the tribal government in relation to the regional and village corporate structure; (2) the recent changes in traditional land uses; and (3) how group decisions are made regarding land management and distribution of resources. By locating ANCSA within a broader context of economic, political, and cultural globalization that seeks to substitute traditional collective rights in land with individual tenure in a "free market" economy, the findings of this research may carefully and cautiously be applied beyond North America to other indigenous-state struggles regarding control of land and resources.United States. -- [Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act], Indians of North America -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- Alaska, Land tenure -- Law and legislation -- Alaska, Indians of North America -- Alaska -- Claims, Indians of North America -- Land tenure -- Alaska, Indians of North America -- Alaska -- Government relations -- History, Land Economics/Use,
Carapa nicaraguensis C. DC.
No full textCarapa nicaraguensis C. DC. MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Colombia. J. Espina, F.Garcia & S. Pino 2882 (MO). — Costa Rica. A. Estrada et al. 989 (MO); A.R. Molina et al. 17674 (MO); B. Hammel et al. 18148 (MO); C. Kerman &P. Phillips 893 (MO); Fco. Queseda & M.M.Chavarria 392 (MO); J.M. Orozco 492 (MO); P.C. Stanley & J.Valerio 52493 (MO); P.H. Allen 6718 (MO); W. Burger & G. Matta U. 4716 (MO). — Ecuador. C. Jativa & C. Epling 1113 (MO). — Nicaragua. F.C. Englesing H-F572562 (MO); J. C. Sandino 4511 (MO); J. C. Sandino 4935 (MO); J.C. Sandino 4740 (MO); M. Nee 27837 (MO); P.P. Moreno 25494 (MO). — Panama. D. Kenfack 2005 (MO); E.A. Lao, L.R. Holdridge 239 (MO); F.C. García & E.D. Agualimpia 420 (MO); G.P. Cooper & G.M. Slater 59 (MO); I.M. Johnston 1824 (MO); W.L. Stern et al. 969 (MO).Published as part of Kenfack, David, Tindo, Maurice & Gueye, Mathieu, 2014, Extranuptial nectaries in Carapa Aubl. (Meliaceae-Cedreloideae), pp. 335-349 in Adansonia (3) (3) 36 (2) on page 346, DOI: 10.5252/a2014n2a13, http://zenodo.org/record/520863
Literature review papers: the search and selection process
No full textIn an earlier publication (Van Wee & Banister, 2016), we explained that literature review papers (LRP) should explicitly report on the search and selection process of documents included. In this paper, we present two approaches for reporting the methodology for doing this: a basic approach and a reasoned approach. The basic approach includes reporting databases(s), keywords, search strings, snowballing, the selection of documents, presenting an overview of documents included and reporting additional selection criteria (if applicable). The reasoned approach adds to the basic approach (what was done) by explicitly explaining the motivation for choices and showing the selection process graphically (why it was done). The two approaches should be seen as options, and not the only alternatives. We recommend that authors of LRPs depart from these approaches and modify them where appropriate. The important lesson is that authors should be explicit about the approach adopted, as this enables the reader to understand the thinking behind the LRP and the conclusions drawn
The yagé aesthetic of William Burroughs: the publication and development of his work 1953-1965
No full textPhDMy concern in this thesis is to show that a reconstruction of the publishing history of
the work of William Burroughs offers a new, critical perspective on his experiments
with psychoactive substances and their connection to his developing practice.
I begin with an exploration of the publication of The Yage Letters (1963) and Naked
Lunch (1959), and reveal how the complexities of their publishing histories shaped
their critical reception. I examine the legal defence of Naked Lunch as it developed
from the Big Table Post Office hearing through to the 1965 Boston trial and
demonstrate the degree to which censorship came to define the published text. The
legal defence of Naked Lunch, as it was incorporated into the Grove publication,
emphasised the issue of opiate addiction. The way in which Burroughs’ 1953 letters to
Allen Ginsberg were reworked as The Yage Letters did much to conceal the
significance of yagé for Burroughs’ later work. Together, these publishing histories
have obscured the relationship between his use of psychoactive substances and his
evolving aesthetic.
At the same time many of Burroughs’ most experimental - and important - works
appeared only in small, ephemeral magazines. His adoption of avant-garde strategies
such as collaboration and collage and his dedication to multimedia experimentation
with the non-chemical alteration of consciousness made conventional book
publication problematic or unsuitable. These experiments in aesthetic production, I
argue, are central to our understanding of Burroughs. His main published writings
must be re-evaluated as one element in this collage of multimedia activities.
4
I argue that Burroughs’ experiences with yagé, mescaline and dimethyltryptamine
exerted an influence on his shift to experimentalism in the early 1960s, which sought
to replicate the experience of these altered states of consciousness. That this is so is
evident from a study of two collections of correspondence - Burroughs’ letters to
Ginsberg held at Columbia University Library and his letters to Brion Gysin in the
William S. Burroughs Papers held at the New York Public Library. My reading of
these letters forms an important component of my argument, working to reveal what
the conventional ‘published’ Burroughs serves to conceal.Arts and Humanities research Board.
Queen Mary University of London English Department
funding naked Lunch @ 50 conference in Pari
Plant Functional Group Composition Modifies the Effects of Precipitation Change on Grassland Ecosystem Function
No full textTemperate grassland ecosystems face a future of precipitation change, which can alter community composition and ecosystem functions through reduced soil moisture and waterlogging. There is evidence that functionally diverse plant communities contain a wider range of water use and resource capture strategies, resulting in greater resistance of ecosystem function to precipitation change. To investigate this interaction between composition and precipitation change we performed a field experiment for three years in successional grassland in southern England. This consisted of two treatments. The first, precipitation change, simulated end of century predictions, and consisted of a summer drought phase alongside winter rainfall addition. The second, functional group identity, divided the plant community into three groups based on their functional traits- broadly described as perennials, caespitose grasses and annuals- and removed these groups in a factorial design. Ecosystem functions related to C, N and water cycling were measured regularly. Effects of functional groupidentity were apparent, with the dominant trend being that process rates were higher under control conditions where a range of perennial species were present. E.g. litter decomposition rates were significantly higher in plots containing several perennial species, the group with the highest average leaf N content. Process rates were also very strongly affected by the precipitation change treatmentwhen perennial plant species were dominant, but not where the community contained a high abundance of annual species and caespitose grasses. This contrasting response could be attributable to differing rooting patterns (shallower structures under annual plants, and deeper roots under perennials) and faster nutrient uptake in annuals compared to perennials. Our results indicate that precipitation change will have a smaller effect on key process rates in grasslandscontaining a range of perennial and annual species, and that maintaining the presence of key functional groups should be a crucial consideration in future grassland management. © 2013 Fry et al
Residential self-selection in quasi-experimental and natural experimental studies: An extended conceptualization of the relationship between the built environment and travel behavior
No full textDespite a large body of research suggesting that the built environment influences individual travel behavior, uncertainty remains about the true nature, size, and strength of any causal relationships between the built environment and travel behavior. Residential self-selection, the phenomenon whereby individuals or households select a residential area based on their transport attitudes, is a frequently proposed alternative explanation for the reported associations. To resolve the issue of residential self-selection, longitudinal studies are often recommended. In this paper, we argue that intervention study designs are insufficient to fully resolve the problem and that intervention studies on the built environment and travel behavior may still be biased by residential self-selection. The aim of this paper is to extend existing conceptualizations of the relationships between the built environment, travel behavior, and attitudes and to provide suggestions for how a causal relationship between the built environment and travel behavior may be ascertained with more accurate estimates of effect sizes. We discuss the complexities of determining causal effects in intervention studies with participants who relocate, and the biases that may occur. We illustrate the complexities by presenting extended conceptualizations. Based on these conceptualizations, we provide considerations for future research. We suggest repeating analyses with and without individuals who relocated during the study, and with and without statistical controls for residential relocation. Additional quantitative and qualitative analyses will be necessary to obtain more accurate effect size estimates and a better understanding of the causal relationships.Transport and Logistic
The Durham mint: the control, organization, profits and out put of an ecclesiastical mint
No full textThe university libraries of Durham and Cambridge have been the indispensable foundation of my work. I have spent countless enjoyable and extremely fruitful hours in the Archives and Special Collections department of Durham University Library, and in the Dean and Chapter Library of Durham Cathedral. The archivists and librarians of those two great sources of material and inspiration for Durham historians have always been helpful, often beyond the call of duty. Mr Patrick Musset and Mr Alan Piper helped me with many tricky matters of palaeography, and Ms Linda Drury has been a source of wisdom concerning Weardale mining. Mr Roger Norris has always offered a friendly and tolerant welcome in the Dean and Chapter Library. My greatest debt of gratitude in the Durham fellowship of archivists and librarians is to Mr Martin Snape, who laboriously checked my calendar of documentary evidence, and brought to my attention the mint indenture of 1367. The Public Record Office and the Borthwick Institute, University of York, have also been safe havens of documentary research, and their staffs have been unfailing in their friendly help. Dr Constance Fraser generously provided many transcripts of PRO documents from the reigns of Edward I and Edward, produced for her own research, which have been invaluable. Miss Ethel Stokes deserves an extremely posthumous mention for her excellent transcripts of thirteenth- century PRO documents, made for H.B.E. Fox shortly before the First World War. Mrs Yvonne Harvey and Dr Barrie Cook have provided unpublished information about the dies in the PRO and the British Museum respectively. Miss M.M. Archibald, Mr Christopher Bailey, Mr Edward Besly, Ms Kristin Bornholdt, Dr Cook, Mr Robert Heslip, Mr N.M.McQ. Holmes, Mr D. Lockwood, Mr Nicholas Mayhew, and Mr D. Robinson have very generously provided unpublished hoard data. The corpus of hoards would be much poorer without the contributions of Mr Besly, Dr Cook, and Mr Holmes in particular. Mr Holmes and Mr Keith Sugden have patiently answered onerous enquiries about obscure hoard publications. Dr Sean Miller has provided important data from the Early Medieval Corpus of single finds. The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, the British Museum, Sunderland Museums, and last but not least my employers the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, have provided coins for illustration. Four collectors have also allowed their coins to be illustrated: Mr Joe Bispham, Mr Denis Martin, Dr Ian Taylor, and Mr Robert Thomas. Professor T.V. Buttrey has read the thesis with great care, saving me from a multitude of errors, although he could not save me from the sin of attempting to estimate mint outputs. Dr Mark Blackburn, Dr Robin Eaglen, Mr Mayhew, Mr Jeffrey North, Dr Peter Spufford, and Lord Stewartby have read parts of the thesis and offered many valuable comments and suggestions. They and others have greatly encouraged me in a seemingly interminable project by their interest in its progress, and Mr David Palmer and Mr Christopher Wren also deserve a particularly honourable mention in that regard. The laurel must go to my supervisor, Mr John Casey, who has shown superhuman endurance in the six years since he first succumbed to the obviously mad idea that a Roman archaeologist could supervise a thesis on a medieval mint. John has been a good supervisor, and a good friend. My greatest regret in completing this thesis is that my mother, Vera, and father, George, did not live to see the end of a project that depended so much upon their love and encouragement
Does Monitoring Decrease Work Effort ? The Complementarity Between Agency and Crowding-Out Theorie
No full textAgency theory assumes that tighter monitoring by the principal should motivate the agent to raise his effort level whereas the “crowding-out” literature suggests that it may reduce the overall work effort. These two assertions are not necessarily contradictory provided that the nature of the employment relationship is taken into account (Frey, 1993). Based upon a real-task laboratory experiment, our results show that principals are not trustful enough to refrain from monitoring the agents, and most of the agents react to the disciplining effect of monitoring. However we find also some evidence that intrinsic motivation is crowded out when monitoring is above a certain threshold. We identify that both interpersonal principal/agent links and concerns for the distribution of output payoff are important for the emergence of this crowding out effect.crowding-out; monitoring; motivation; principal-agent theory; real effort experiments
Does Monitoring Decrease Work Effort? The Complementarity Between Agency and Crowding-Out Theories
No full textAgency theory assumes that tighter monitoring by the principal should motivate the agent to raise his effort level. In contrast, the “crowding-out” literature suggests that tighter monitoring may reduce the overall work effort. These two assertions are not necessarily contradictory provided that the nature of the employment relationship is taken into account (Frey 1993). This paper reports on the results of a real-effort laboratory experiment designed to test the relative importance of the disciplining effect and the crowding-out effect of monitoring. We find no strong support for the crowding-out hypothesis and we show that the disciplining effect of monitoring dominates in abstract one-shot relationships as well as in somewhat more interpersonal multi-shot relationships. Principals are not trustful enough to refrain from using the monitoring opportunity and most agents react to a decrease in the monitoring intensity by decreasing their effort.
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