Local Commons : communicating local issues through place-based interventions

Due to the numerous possibilities of voicing concerns and the flood of data we are exposed to, local issues are at a risk of being overlooked. Following a research agenda proposed by Foth et al. (2013), this thesis explored the possible contributions of situated digital and tangible media for communicating local issues. Making use of the location of an issue could thereby not only allow to reach the targeted audience but also for a deeper involvement of citizens. Through the development of a design intervention in public space, called Local Commons, the benefits of this approach were investigated. Therefore, the intervention combined digital and tangible media in order to engage the public to contribute and debate different perspectives on a given local issue. The interaction with the intervention was thereby twofold. First, the intervention invited the audience to submit images of their perspectives on the issue, which were displayed on a public screen. Via tangible buttons in front of the screen, the audience then had the possibility to agree or disagree to the displayed perspectives, creating a space for deliberation. In a field study, the concept was subsequently tested and evaluated. The results of this study, although not generalisable, supported the chosen approach of this thesis.

The development of shared understandings of assessment policy : travelling between global and local contexts

In this paper, teachers’ enactment of assessment policy within demands for accountability and consistency of teacher judgements is considered. Evidence is drawn from a qualitative study involving 50 middle school teachers from Queensland, Australia, who participated in online social moderation meetings with teachers located in dispersed areas around the state. The study presents how travelling policy is embedded in local histories and cultures, in particular within systems of accountability; and the different layers of what may be considered ‘local’. The paper examines the intersections of travelling and embedded policy, and global and local contexts as these are enacted through online moderation meetings.

Intranasal immunization with C. muridarum major outer membrane protein (MOMP) and cholera toxin elicits local production of neutralising IgA in the prostate

Successful control of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) through vaccination will require the development of vaccine strategies that target protective immunity to both the female and male reproductive tracts (MRT). In the male, the immune privileged nature of the male reproductive tract provides a barrier to entry of serum immunoglobulins into the male reproductive ducts, thereby preventing the induction of protective immunity using conventional injectable vaccination techniques. In this study we investigated the potential of intranasal (IN) immunization to elicit anti-chlamydial immunity in BALB/c male mice. Intranasal immunization with Chlamydia muridarum major outer membrane protein (MOMP) admixed with cholera toxin (CT) resulted in high levels of MOMP-specific IgA in prostatic fluids (PF) and MOMP-specific IgA-secreting cells in the prostate. Prostatic fluid IgA inhibited in vitro infection of McCoy cells with C. muridarum. Using RT-PCR we also show that mRNA for the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (PIgR), which transports IgA across mucosal epithelia, is expressed only in the prostate but not in other regions of the male reproductive ducts upstream of the prostate. These data suggest that using intranasal immunization to target IgA to the prostate may protect males against STDs while at the same time maintaining the state of immune privilege within the MRT.

On the advanced analysis of steel frames allowing for flexural, local and lateral-torsional buckling

Detailed procedure for second-order analysis has been coded in the newest Eurocode 3 and the Hong Kong steel code (2005). The effective length method has been noted to be inapplicable to analysis of shallow domes of imperfect members exhibiting snap-through buckling, to portals with leaning columns and others. On the other hand, the advanced analysis is not limited to buckling design of these structures. This paper demonstrates its application to the design of a simple plane sway portal and a three diminsional non-sway steel building. The results by the advanced analysis and the first-order linear analysis are compared and the technique for practical second-order analysis steel structures is described. It is observed that the use of a straight element by itself cannot model the buckling resistance of columns governed by different buckling curves for hot-rolled and cold-formed sections of various shapes like I, H, hollow etc. Also the curvature of the conventional cubic Hermite element is not varied by the external axial force and thus it cannot simulate the response of a buckling column. Thus its use for second-order analysis is basically unacceptable. A technique for additional checking of beams undergoing lateral-torsional buckling is also suggested making the advanced analysis a complete design tool for conventional steel frames.

Model-predictive control and closed-loop stability considerations for nonlinear plants described by local ARX-type models

In this paper, a model-predictive control (MPC) method is detailed for the control of nonlinear systems with stability considerations. It will be assumed that the plant is described by a local input/output ARX-type model, with the control potentially included in the premise variables, which enables the control of systems that are nonlinear in both the state and control input. Additionally, for the case of set point regulation, a suboptimal controller is derived which has the dual purpose of ensuring stability and enabling finite-iteration termination of the iterative procedure used to solve the nonlinear optimization problem that is used to determine the control signal.

Local inter-session variability modelling for object classification

Object classification is plagued by the issue of session variation. Session variation describes any variation that makes one instance of an object look different to another, for instance due to pose or illumination variation. Recent work in the challenging task of face verification has shown that session variability modelling provides a mechanism to overcome some of these limitations. However, for computer vision purposes, it has only been applied in the limited setting of face verification. In this paper we propose a local region based intersession variability (ISV) modelling approach, and apply it to challenging real-world data. We propose a region based session variability modelling approach so that local session variations can be modelled, termed Local ISV. We then demonstrate the efficacy of this technique on a challenging real-world fish image database which includes images taken underwater, providing significant real-world session variations. This Local ISV approach provides a relative performance improvement of, on average, 23% on the challenging MOBIO, Multi-PIE and SCface face databases. It also provides a relative performance improvement of 35% on our challenging fish image dataset.

Entrenchment of GIS technology for enterprise solutions in Maryland's state and local government

Beginning in 1974, the State of Maryland created spatial databases under the MAGI (Maryland's Automated Geographic Information) system. Since that early GIS, other state and local agencies have begun GISs covering a range of applications from critical lands inventories to cadastral mapping. In 1992, state agencies, local agencies, universities, and businesses began a series of GIS coordination activities, resulting in the formation of the Maryland Local Geographic Information Committee and the Maryland State Government Geographic Information Coordinating Committee. GIS activities and system installations can be found in 22 counties plus Baltimore City, and most state agencies. Maryland's decision makers rely on a variety of GIS reports and products to conduct business and to communicate complex issues more effectively. This paper presents the status of Maryland's GIS applications for local and state decision making.

Metacognitive instruction : global and local shifts in considering listening input

A key shift of thinking for effective learning and teaching of listening input has been seen and organized in education locally and globally. This study has probed whether metacognitive instruction through a pedagogical cycle shifts high-intermediate students' English language learning and English as a second language (ESL) teacher's teaching focus on listening input. Twenty male Iranian students with an age range of 18 to 24 received a guided methodology including metacognitive strategies (planning, monitoring, and evaluation) for a period of three months. This study has used the strategies and probed the importance of metacognitive instruction through interviewing both the teacher and the students. The results have shown that metacognitive instruction helped both the ESL teacher's and the students' shift of thinking about teaching and learning listening input. This key shift of thinking has implications globally and locally for classroom practices of listening input.

Eigenstrain boundary integral equations with local Eshelby matrix for stress analysis of ellipsoidal particles

Aiming at the large scale numerical simulation of particle reinforced materials, the concept of local Eshelby matrix has been introduced into the computational model of the eigenstrain boundary integral equation (BIE) to solve the problem of interactions among particles. The local Eshelby matrix can be considered as an extension of the concepts of Eshelby tensor and the equivalent inclusion in numerical form. Taking the subdomain boundary element method as the control, three-dimensional stress analyses are carried out for some ellipsoidal particles in full space with the proposed computational model. Through the numerical examples, it is verified not only the correctness and feasibility but also the high efficiency of the present model with the corresponding solution procedure, showing the potential of solving the problem of large scale numerical simulation of particle reinforced materials.

Understanding the abnormal brain activity in epilepsy as a potential predictor of the onset of an epileptic seizure

The Brain Research Institute (BRI) uses various types of indirect measurements, including EEG and fMRI, to understand and assess brain activity and function. As well as the recovery of generic information about brain function, research also focuses on the utilisation of such data and understanding to study the initiation, dynamics, spread and suppression of epileptic seizures. To assist with the future focussing of this aspect of their research, the BRI asked the MISG 2010 participants to examine how the available EEG and fMRI data and current knowledge about epilepsy should be analysed and interpreted to yield an enhanced understanding about brain activity occurring before, at commencement of, during, and after a seizure. Though the deliberations of the study group were wide ranging in terms of the related matters considered and discussed, considerable progress was made with the following three aspects. (1) The science behind brain activity investigations depends crucially on the quality of the analysis and interpretation of, as well as the recovery of information from, EEG and fMRI measurements. A number of specific methodologies were discussed and formalised, including independent component analysis, principal component analysis, profile monitoring and change point analysis (hidden Markov modelling, time series analysis, discontinuity identification). (2) Even though EEG measurements accurately and very sensitively record the onset of an epileptic event or seizure, they are, from the perspective of understanding the internal initiation and localisation, of limited utility. They only record neuronal activity in the cortical (surface layer) neurons of the brain, which is a direct reflection of the type of electrical activity they have been designed to record. Because fMRI records, through the monitoring of blood flow activity, the location of localised brain activity within the brain, the possibility of combining fMRI measurements with EEG, as a joint inversion activity, was discussed and examined in detail. (3) A major goal for the BRI is to improve understanding about ``when'' (at what time) an epileptic seizure actually commenced before it is identified on an eeg recording, ``where'' the source of this initiation is located in the brain, and ``what'' is the initiator. Because of the general agreement in the literature that, in one way or another, epileptic events and seizures represent abnormal synchronisations of localised and/or global brain activity the modelling of synchronisations was examined in some detail. References C. M. Michel, G. Thut, S. Morand, A. Khateb, A. J. Pegna, R. Grave de Peralta, S. Gonzalez, M. Seeck and T. Landis, Electric source imaging of human brain functions, Brain Res. 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Australian Indigenous Art : Local Dreamings, Global Consumption (Autohtona Australijska Umetnost : Lokalno Sanjarenje, Globalna Potražnja)

Indigenous Australian visual art is an outstanding case of the dynamics of globalization and its intersection with the hyper-local wellsprings of cultural expression, and of the strengths and weaknesses of state, philanthropic and commercial backing for cultural production and dissemination. The chapter traces the development of the international profile of Indigenous ‘dot’ art – a traditional symbolic art form from the Western Desert – as ‘high-end’ visual art, and its positioning within elite markets and finance supported by key international brokers, collectors and philanthropists.

Doing cultural work : local postcard production and place identity in a rural shire

Studies of place construction in the rural studies literature have largely privileged the role of professionals over that of local lay actors. This paper contributes to redressing this imbalance through a critical case-study of lay postcard production in a rural shire. Drawing on original, qualitative research conducted in the Shire of Ravensthorpe, Western Australia, including in-depth interviews with key participants, the analysis focuses on this lay production—undertaken in the main by women—as cultural work. By emphasising the work of making the postcards along with the cultural work these postcards achieve, this examination foregrounds intersections of material and imagined ruralities. In the process, this study highlights the complexity and importance of this lay contribution to place identity, particularly as positioned within what may be considered rural cultural work.

Vote with your feet : local community polling on urban screens

Falling prices have led to an ongoing spread of public displays in urban areas. Still, they mostly show passive content such as commercials and digital signage. At the same time, technological advances have enabled the creation of interactive displays potentially increasing their attractiveness for the audience, e.g. through providing a platform for civic discourse. This poses considerable challenges, since displays need to communicate the opportunity to engage, motivate the audience to do so, and be easy to use. In this paper we present Vote With Your Feet, a hyperlocal public polling tool for urban screens allowing users to express their opinions. Similar to vox populi interviews on TV or polls on news websites, the tool is meant to reflect the mindset of the community on topics such as current affairs, cultural identity and local matters. It is novel in that it focuses on a situated civic discourse and provides a tangible user interface, tackling the mentioned challenges. It shows one Yes/No question at a time and enables users to vote by stepping on one of two tangible buttons on the ground. This user interface was introduced to attract people’s attention and to lower participation barriers. Our field study showed that Vote With Your Feet is perceived as inviting and that it can spark discussions among co-located people.

A meshfree-based local Galerkin method with condensation of degree of freedom for elastic dynamic analysis

Condensation technique of degree of freedom is first proposed to improve the computational efficiency of meshfree method with Galerkin weak form for elastic dynamic analysis. In the present method, scattered nodes without connectivity are divided into several subsets by cells with arbitrary shape. Local discrete equation is established over each cell by using moving Kriging interpolation, in which the nodes that located in the cell are used for approximation. Then local discrete equations can be simplified by condensation of degree of freedom, which transfers equations of inner nodes to equations of boundary nodes based on cells. The global dynamic system equations are obtained by assembling all local discrete equations and are solved by using the standard implicit Newmark’s time integration scheme. In the scheme of present method, the calculation of each cell is carried out by meshfree method, and local search is implemented in interpolation. Numerical examples show that the present method has high computational efficiency and good accuracy in solving elastic dynamic problems.