804 research outputs found
Some economic and social aspects of residential internet use in Australia
No full textThis study constructs a profile of the representative Australian residential Internet user from data obtained from a web-based survey. Survey data indicate the representative user is male, 20 to 40 years of age, highly educated, uses the Internet 8 hrs per week for e-mail and FTP, and has a monthly bill of AUD32. Anordered-logit model relates Internet use to price, sociodemographic and connection capacity variables. Model estimates show the probability of higher Internet use is greater for middle-income households, but declines with age of the user. Policy may be required to enhance access to lower-income groups, and to inform the elderly of the potential capabilities of the new technology. Further, model estimates suggest that Australian Internet subscribers prefer flat-rate pricing (or a combination of flat-rate and usagesensitive pricing) over usage-sensitive pricing schemes. This result is consistent with Australian consumer attitudes toward local telephone and mobile cellular pricing.Residential internet use in Australia, economic and social aspects
Warriors all [music] : a song of Greater Britain /
No full textFor voice and piano.; Caption title.; "Dedicated by special permission to his Excellency Sir John Madden K.C.M.G. LL. D. Lieut Governor of Victoria"--At top of cover.; "Author of 'The last hours of a lion heart' a book which has had the rare distinction of acceptance by Her Majesty the Queen. who, in a rescript from Buckingham palace, dated 14th December, 1899. has thanked him for this literary monument to the memory of General Gordon. Lord Kitchener also, just before leaving Khartoum for the war in South Africa, despatched a letter to Mr. Lingham thanking him 'most heartily for his delightful threnody.' And the Press everywhere is unanimous in its praise of the work."--Cover.; Lyrics printed as cover verso.; Publication date approximated from the order of John Madden made a K.C.M.G. in 1899, and elevated to G.C.M.G. in 1906.; Also available online http://nla.gov.au/nla.mus-vn5832355; NLA's copy from the collection of Keith Watson. ANL
Influence of the Madden-Julian Oscillation and Caribbean Low-Level Jet on east Pacific easterly waves
No full text2018 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.The east Pacific warm pool exhibits basic state variability associated with the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) and Caribbean Low-Level Jet (CLLJ), which affects the development of easterly waves (EWs). This study compares and contrasts composite changes in the background environment, eddy kinetic energy (EKE) budgets, moisture budgets, and EW tracks during MJO and CLLJ events. While previous studies have shown that the MJO influences jet activity in the east Pacific, the influence of the MJO and CLLJ on EWs is not synonymous. The CLLJ is a stronger modulator of the ITCZ than the MJO, while the MJO has a more expansive influence on the northeastern portion of the basin. Anomalous low-level westerly MJO and CLLJ periods are associated with favorable conditions for EW development paralleling the Central American coast, contrary to previous findings about the relationship of the CLLJ to EWs. Easterly MJO and CLLJ periods support enhanced ITCZ EW development, although the CLLJ is a greater modulator of EW tracks in this region, which is likely associated with stronger moisture and convection variations and their subsequent influence on the EKE budget. ITCZ EW growth during easterly MJO periods is more reliant on barotropic conversion than in strong CLLJ periods, when EAPE to EKE conversion associated with ITCZ convection is more important. Enhanced background state moisture anomalies during strong CLLJ periods lead to stronger diluted CAPE anomalies in the mean state and EWs that support convection. Thus, the influence of these phenomena on east Pacific EWs should be considered distinct.1 1 This abstract is adapted from the abstract of: Whitaker, J.W., and E. D. Maloney, 2018: Influence of the Madden-Julian Oscillation and Caribbean Low-Level Jet on East Pacific Easterly Wave Dynamics. J. Atmos. Sci., in press. ©American Meteorological Society. Used with permission
Proximity sensing in multimodal capacitive elastomeric skin : design, operation, and characterization
No full textThe proliferation of augmented reality in professional settings has led to innovation in Electronic skin (E-skin) sensing technologies applied to human controlled robots. E-skin can enable machines to perceive the world in a similar light to human touch, with applications in medical robotics and smart prosthetics. This thesis discusses one such multimodal capacitive elastomeric skin, capable of shear, pressure, and proximity sensing. Object detection through proximity sensing may benefit a robot by reducing the need for complex visual processing to operate tools in real world settings and allow for crash/impact detection if vision is obstructed. The author presents developments in three areas, namely: Advancements of fabrication techniques of e-skin, Soft capacitive proximity sensor (SCPS) electrode designs, and low cost open-source proximity characterization setups. The innovations in fabrication led to better interfacing between the soft and rigid electrical components of the sensing system, improving reliability and durability against delamination forces of up to 50 N. Investigations into proximity electrode designs through simulation and experimental testing, resulted in object detection ranges of 30 mm when the sensor was placed flat, and over 25 mm when the sensor was curved onto a digit of radius 8.8 mm. Testing of multiple side by side proximity sensors showed negligible ( < 1%) performance impact. The difference in capacitance readings for a grounded vs ungrounded conductor was documented and a rudimentary theory to explain the discrepancy is proposed. A 3-Axis characterization setup on which the quantitative experimentation was conducted is devised to be inexpensive, with inductive sensing to allow for contactless “homing” to the top of the soft multimodal sensors. It is shown that the device is capable of up to 50 m of displacement accuracy and high repeatability, while being “invisible” to the sensors being characterized. The setup enabled detailed characterization of the SCPSs in the Z axis and preliminary characterization in the X and Y axes. Future work is intended to explore mapping of SCPSs 3D spatial performance, machine learning to devise feedback controls, mounting on humanoid robotic hands, classification of materials and object shape detection.Applied Science, Faculty ofBiomedical Engineering, School ofGraduat
Selective anticancer activity of a hexapeptide with sequence homology to a non-kinase domain of Cyclin Dependent Kinase 4
No full textBackground: cyclin-dependent kinases 2, 4 and 6 (Cdk2, Cdk4, Cdk6) are closely structurally homologous proteins which are classically understood to control the transition from the G1 to the S-phases of the cell cycle by combining with their appropriate cyclin D or cyclin E partners to form kinase-active holoenzymes. Deregulation of Cdk4 is widespread in human cancer, CDK4 gene knockout is highly protective against chemical and oncogene-mediated epithelial carcinogenesis, despite the continued presence of CDK2 and CDK6; and overexpresssion of Cdk4 promotes skin carcinogenesis. Surprisingly, however, Cdk4 kinase inhibitors have not yet fulfilled their expectation as 'blockbuster' anticancer agents. Resistance to inhibition of Cdk4 kinase in some cases could potentially be due to a non-kinase activity, as recently reported with epidermal growth factor receptor. Results: a search for a potential functional site of non-kinase activity present in Cdk4 but not Cdk2 or Cdk6 revealed a previously-unidentified loop on the outside of the C'-terminal non-kinase domain of Cdk4, containing a central amino-acid sequence, Pro-Arg-Gly-Pro-Arg-Pro (PRGPRP). An isolated hexapeptide with this sequence and its cyclic amphiphilic congeners are selectively lethal at high doses to a wide range of human cancer cell lines whilst sparing normal diploid keratinocytes and fibroblasts. Treated cancer cells do not exhibit the wide variability of dose response typically seen with other anticancer agents. Cancer cell killing by PRGPRP, in a cyclic amphiphilic cassette, requires cells to be in cycle but does not perturb cell cycle distribution and is accompanied by altered relative Cdk4/Cdk1 expression and selective decrease in ATP levels. Morphological features of apoptosis are absent and cancer cell death does not appear to involve autophagy. Conclusion: these findings suggest a potential new paradigm for the development of broad-spectrum cancer specific therapeutics with a companion diagnostic biomarker and a putative functional site for kinase-unrelated activities of Cdk4
Measurements of production cross sections in collisions at TeV with the ATLAS detector and limits on anomalous gauge boson self-couplings
No full textSee paper for full list of authors – 38 pages plus author list + cover pages (56 pages total), 16 figures, 9 tables. Submitted to Phys. Rev. D. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at http://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/STDM-2014-02/International audienceThis paper presents measurements of production in collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The gauge bosons are reconstructed using their leptonic decay modes into electrons and muons. The data were collected in 2012 by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb. The measured inclusive cross section in the detector fiducial region is 0.9 (stat.) (sys.) (lumi.) fb, for one leptonic decay channel. In comparison, the next-to-leading-order Standard Model expectation is 30.0 2.1 fb. Cross sections for and production and their ratio are presented as well as differential cross sections for several kinematic observables. Limits on anomalous triple gauge boson couplings are derived from the transverse mass spectrum of the system. From the analysis of events with a and a boson associated with two or more forward jets an upper limit at 95% confidence level on the scattering cross section of 0.63 fb, for each leptonic decay channel, is established, while the Standard Model prediction at next-to-leading order is 0.13 fb. Limits on anomalous quartic gauge boson couplings are also extracted
Artists' earnings and copyright: a review of British and German music industry data in the context of digital technologies
No full textDigital technologies are often said (1) to enable a qualitatively new engagement with already
existing cultural materials (for example through sampling and adaptation), and (2) to offer a
new disintermediated distribution channel to the creator. From a review of secondary data on
music artists’ earnings and seven in-depth interviews, it appears that both ambitions have
remained, until now, largely unfulfilled. The paper discusses to what extent the structure of
copyright law is to blame, and sets out a research agenda
Measurement of the production of a boson in association with a charmed hadron in collisions at with the ATLAS detector
No full textThe production of a boson in association with a single charm quark is studied using 140 of proton-proton collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The charm quark is tagged by a charmed hadron, reconstructed with a secondary-vertex fit. The boson is reconstructed from an electron/muon decay and the missing transverse momentum. The mesons reconstructed are and , where , , and , , and . The integrated and normalized differential cross-sections as a function of the pseudorapidity of the lepton from the boson decay, and of the transverse momentum of the meson, are extracted from the data using a profile likelihood fit. The measured fiducial cross-sections are , , , and . Results are compared with the predictions of next-to-leading-order quantum chromodynamics calculations performed using state-of-the-art parton distribution functions. The ratio of charm to anti-charm production cross-sections is studied to probe the - quark asymmetry and is found to be
Measurement of the production cross section in collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of = 13 TeV with the ATLAS experiment
No full textSee paper for full list of authors - 37 pages in total, author list starting page 21, 8 figures, 8 tables, submitted to Phys. Lett. B. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at http://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/STDM-2015-20/International audienceThe production of opposite-charge -boson pairs in proton-proton collisions at = 13 TeV is measured using data corresponding to 3.16 fb of integrated luminosity collected by the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider in 2015. Candidate -boson pairs are selected by identifying their leptonic decays into an electron, a muon and neutrinos. Events with reconstructed jets are not included in the candidate event sample. The cross-section measurement is performed in a fiducial phase space close to the experimental acceptance and is compared to theoretical predictions. Agreement is found between the measurement and the most accurate calculations available
Development and modeling of conducting polymer actuators and the fabrication of a conducting polymer based feedback loop
No full textThesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2003.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Includes bibliographical references.Conducting polymers as a class of materials can be used to build a diverse range of devices. Conducting polymer based actuators (muscles), transistors (neurons), strain gages (muscle spindles), force sensors (Golgi tendon organs), light emitting diodes, photodetectors (eyes), batteries and supercapacitors (energy storage), and chemical sensors (noses) can all be manufactured. The range of behaviors makes conducting polymers the only class of materials that might be able to mimic the full range of functions needed to build a truly lifelike artificial system. In this thesis, a conducting polymer actuator and conducting polymer strain gage are used for the first time to build a reflex or position feedback loop that rejects position disturbances. The successful operation of the conducting polymer based reflex loop is an important step towards building an all polymer reflex loop that is directly integrated into a bulk material. Such a reflex loop could be used to control position, to control force or to dynamically change the material stiffness and viscosity. In the course of the project, an improved understanding of conducting polymer actuators has led to mathematical descriptions of the charging and discharging of long linear actuators and to equations describing the deflection and force of three layer bending beam actuators. These equations can be used as design tools to build actuators that satisfy given performance requirements. Finally, the performance of the actuators has been related to specific material properties to help direct research into new conducting polymeric materials.by Peter Geoffrey Alexander Madden.Ph.D
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