91 research outputs found
Computational convergence of the path integral for real dendritic morphologies
No full textNeurons are characterised by a morphological structure unique amongst biological cells, the core of which is the dendritic tree. The vast number of dendritic geometries, combined with heterogeneous properties of the cell membrane, continue to challenge scientists in predicting neuronal input-output relationships, even in the case of sub-threshold dendritic currents. The Green’s function obtained for a given dendritic geometry provides this functional relationship for passive or quasi-active dendrites and can be constructed by a sum-over-trips approach based on a path integral formalism. In this paper, we introduce a number of efficient algorithms for realisation of the sum-over-trips framework and investigate the convergence of these algorithms on different dendritic geometries. We demonstrate that the convergence of the trip sampling methods strongly depends on dendritic morphology as well as the biophysical properties of the cell membrane. For real morphologies, the number of trips to guarantee a small convergence error might become very large and strongly affect computational efficiency. As an alternative, we introduce a highly-efficient matrix method which can be applied to arbitrary branching structures
The virtual image : Brazilian literature in English translation
No full textThe
aim of this thesis is to
examine
how the virtual
image
of Brazil
and
its literature is
constructed
in the Anglo-American world. To this
end, a survey of
Brazilian literary
works
in English translation was
carried out.
Having
gathered this data, it became
possible to establish
correlations
between the historical
moments when such translations
were made, when their number
increased,
and the events occurring at
those times in the international
panorama, as well as to look into the
role of sponsors, publishers and translators in the
selection and
production of such translations.
The data
also allowed a profile of
Brazilian literary
works
in
English translation to be drawn. It became
possible to suggest that
such works
fall into four
main categories:
`authorial
works',
'topical
works',
`ambassadorial
works'
and `consumer-oriented
works'.
In
order
to look
more closely
into how the translation process
has helped to
shape
the
virtual
image
of Brazilian literary
works
in
the Anglo-American world, an analysis of a sample of
translations
of
such works was made. Included in this
sample were
the translations
of works
by Machado de Asis, by Indianist
and
Regionalist
wirters,
culminating
in
an examination of translations of
GuimarAes Rosa's
works.
Having looked
at these aspects of
the translation
process, what
remained
to be done
was to investigate
to what extent
Brazilian
literary
works
in English translation
are read
by the English-
speaking public.
To this
end, a survey of availability and
library
readership was undertaken. Finally,
a reading experiment was carried
out
in
which native speakers of
English
were asked to read the short
story
'A terceira
margem
do
rio',
by GuimarAes Rosa.
The
conclusion attempts to pull all these threads together and
to indicate directions for further
research
Where’s Morningside? Locating bro’Town in the ethnic genealogy of New Zealand/Aotearoa
No full textThis article uses discourse analysis to locate animated primetime cartoon comedy bro'Town in terms of ethnicity and identification in both a local New Zealand/Aotearoa (NZ) and a global, postmodern, postcolonial media environment. It analyses and problematises the polarisation of local ethnic discourse between conservative assimilationist and bicultural "politically correct" viewpoints by situating the text in global postmodern media environment and demonstrating the discursive interdependence of such binary oppositions. Finally it looks at the degree to which bro'Town's self-proclaimed status as "hilariously anti-PC" comedy works to both exploit and undermine polarities of ethnic representation through employing "reverse discourse". The overall aim of the paper is not to present a close reading or textual analysis, but to situate the text in larger discursive frameworks and thus offer a number of possible theoretical approaches
After victory: projections of the Second World War and its aftermath in British feature films, 1946-1950.
No full textPhDWith reference to British feature films about the Second World War, the received wisdom among
film historians has been that in the immediate aftermath of the conflict film-makers and audiences
no longer had an appetite for the subject of war. The perceived dearth of war-related films in the
first five or so years of the peace is seen as representing a gap in the production of war films
between those made during the war itself and the boom in war film production that got under way
from the early fifties. This thesis establishes that such an assumption is mistaken, and that a
considerable body of war and aftermath films were made, screened and enjoyed by audiences.
The argument,then, is that far from ignoring the war in the late forties, as has been assumed, the
film industry was actively involved in the cultural process of re-interpreting the experience and its
consequences. The second theme of the thesis is an analysis of these films, and an exploration of
how they projected the war and its aftermath to contemporary audiences, and why particular
perspectives,subject interests,underlying values and preoccupations emerged. A multi-faceted
body of films, they are shown to engage with the shifting concerns and preoccupations of a
population emerging from war, and to be a distinctive phase in the cinematic history of the conflict
Вибір раціональної кількості транспортних засобів з урахуванням параметрів матеріального потоку
No full textThe author stresses that in today's market conditions when determining the number and brand of transport vehicles it is necessary to consider the parameters of material flows.Changing the material flow parameters throughout the year raises questions of the choice of the brand and the number of transport vehicles and the appropriateness of using their own and hired transport vehicles.Changing of any parameter of material flow can lead to a change of transportation technology, and hence a change of the type and technical parameters of the vehicle for transportation. Out of the presented parameters of the material flow the conditions of transportation are considered. One of the transportation conditions is temperature control of cargo transportation. This parameter has a significant impact on the transportation of perishable goods.Seasonal ambient temperature is very unstable and impossible to forecast in full; therefore, the transport company, even at a constant volume of material flow should be able to make variations in order to provide the flexibility and adaptability of its activities until the changes in temperature conditions of transportation.The approaches to the formation of a rational number and brand of transport vehicles were considered. On the example of intercity transportation of perishable foods it was found that with constant material flow parameters the change in temperature, which is one of the conditions of transportation, affects: the transportation technological process, choice of the type of the transport vehicle (its technical parameters) and their number.Проанализированы вопросы выбора рационального количества и марки транспортных средств для перевозки грузов в междугородном сообщении с учетом изменения параметров, а именно температурного режима. Рассмотрено влияние температуры окружающей среды на выбор типа транспортного средства. Предложены проектные варианты выбора рационального количества и марок транспортных средств.Проаналізовано питання вибору раціональної кількості і марки транспортних засобів для перевезення вантажів у міжміському сполученні з урахуванням зміни параметрів, а саме температурного режиму. Розглянуто вплив температури навколишнього середовища на вибір типу транспортного засобу. Запропоновані проектні варіанти вибору раціональної кількості і марок транспортних засобів
The Market Maven, a new ally in the diffusion of innovations process
No full textThe initial motive for undertaking this research, was a desire to better understand those
factors which were said to affect the diffusion of ethnic foods. In attempting to develop
the general methodology for this study, the author revisited seminal studies on
diffusion of innovations, word-of-mouth, opinion leadership, and innovator / early
adopter influence. During this process, the author discovered Feick and Price's (1987),
emergent "Market Maven", theory. Said to be distinctly different from opinion leaders
and early adopters, market mavens were not only believed to have a higher awareness
of general marketplace information, but also more source credibility than other word-
of-mouth influencers. Employing a replication study approach, a telephone survey of
400 households in urban, suburban and rural north Bedfordshire was undertaken. The
author found that the market maven construct was not a purely US phenomenon, but
was also present in the UK. Developing further Feick and Price's (1987) preliminary
investigations, this study confirmed that (in common with related opinion leadership
studies), it had not been possible to identify market mavens using demographic / socio-
economic variables. VAiilst classifying market mavens remained problematic, the
author was nonetheless able to confirm Feick and Price's (1987) earlier findings, that
market mavens had an inherently increased propensity for general marketplace
information gathering. As this behaviour was considered by the author to be unique to
market mavens, the construct was employed to test those factors, said to affect ethnic
food diffusion, with interesting, if largely inconclusive results.
The author concluded, that the potential of the market maven construct in the diffusion
of innovations process was significant, particularly as a conduit for internal word-of-
mouth information in the business-to-business / industrial marketing context. In that
situation, market mavens' heightened awareness of, and active search for, general
marketplace information, would make them ideal targets for the type of marketing
communication message that innovators and opinion leaders alike, reputedly ignore
Reducing respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) hospitalization in a lower-income country by vaccinating mothers-to-be and their households
No full textRespiratory syncytial virus is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract infection among infants. RSV is a priority for vaccine development. In this study, we investigate the potential effectiveness of a two-vaccine strategy aimed at mothers-to-be, thereby boosting maternally acquired antibodies of infants, and their household cohabitants, further cocooning infants against infection. We use a dynamic RSV transmission model which captures transmission both within households and communities, adapted to the changing demographics and RSV seasonality of a low-income country. Model parameters were inferred from past RSV hospitalisations, and forecasts made over a 10-year horizon. We find that a 50% reduction in RSV hospitalisations is possible if the maternal vaccine effectiveness can achieve 75 days of additional protection for newborns combined with a 75% coverage of their birth household co-inhabitants (∼7.5% population coverage)
Accounting and analytical support of the marketing of the commission operation of the trade enterprises
No full textThe object of research is commission operations of trade enterprises. In the course of research of scientific works of economists, devoted to the problems of accounting and analytical support of marketing, commission operations of trade enterprises used the methods of analysis and synthesis. And to determine the industry problems of accounting and cost analysis, induction and deduction methods were used. In the course of the study, methods of comparison and analogy were used when analyzing the experience of accounting and cost analysis and marketing risks. And in the process of analyzing the order of formation of the accounting and analytical system of enterprises, abstraction and concretization methods were used. The theoretical research was applied in the process of deepening the interpretation of the essence of the terms «trade» and «commission trade». It should be noted that the approach proposed in the work has a number of features for accounting and analytical support for managing marketing commission operations of trade enterprises. This approach should be considered as accounting and analysis subsystems. This is due to the fact that the distribution proposed in the work makes it possible to avoid risks in trading activities. It is the accounting and analysis subsystems that provide complete accounting and analytical information. It is shown that an important point in trading activity is taking into account the views of consumers. The author agrees with the opinion of scientists who offer to take into account corporate information and are increasingly aware of the extent to which the functional areas of marketing and supply chains are becoming increasingly integrated. It is shown that functional integration provides for the coordination of activities oriented to supply and demand, and theoretically provides for the creation of two interrelated advantages for consumers: reduction of the marketing risk of buying and, ultimately, a higher level of consumer brand. This ensures the possibility of obtaining the necessary information for accounting and analytical support for marketing commission operations of trading activities
An analysis of construction related contractual issues (risk, time and claim related) in the context of the construction related contractual obligations of the contractor and the employer in fidic yellow (plant and design-build) general conditions of
No full textIncludes abstract.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 157-169)
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