Skolem-type difference sets for cycle systems

Cyclic m-cycle systems of order v are constructed for all m greater than or equal to 3, and all v = 1(mod 2m). This result has been settled previously by several authors. In this paper, we provide a different solution, as a consequence of a more general result, which handles all cases using similar methods and which also allows us to prove necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a cyclic m-cycle system of K-v - F for all m greater than or equal to 3, and all v = 2(mod 2m).

Living with 'difference': growing up Chinese in white Australia

This Article does not have an abstract.

Uniqueness for boundary value problems for second order finite difference equations

We establish maximum principles for second order difference equations and apply them to obtain uniqueness for solutions of some boundary value problems.

Identity, difference, and the dilemmas of inter-Korean relations: Insights from northern defectors and the German precedent

Questions of identity have become increasingly central to the study of foreign policy and security, particularly in constructivist debates. But very few of the resulting insights have been applied to the Korean situation, where discussions about security and inter-Korean relations remain dominated by strategic and geopolitical issues. The main task of this article is to address this shortcoming by examining the experience of North Korean defectors in South Korea and the precedent of German unification. Both of these domains of inquiry reveal that identity differences between North and South persist far beyond the ideological and political structures that created them in the first place. Born out of death, fear, and longing for revenge, these identity patterns lie at the heart of Korea's security dilemmas. Unless taken seriously by scholars and decision makers, the respective tensions between identity and difference will continue to cause major political problems. (Key words: Inter-Korean relations, North Korean defectors, German unification)

The origin of the difference in the superconducting critical temperatures of the beta(H) and beta(L) phases of (BEDT-TTF)(2)I-3

Incommensurate lattice fluctuations are present in the beta(L) phase (T-c similar to 1.5 K) of ET2I3 (where ET is BEDT-TTF - bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene) but are absent in the beta(H) phase (T-c similar to 7 K). We propose that the disorder in the conformational degrees of freedom of the terminal ethylene groups of the ET molecules, which is required to stabilise the lattice fluctuations, increases the quasiparticle scattering rate and that this leads to the observed difference in the Superconducting critical temperatures, T-c, of the two phases. We calculate the dependence of T-c on the interlayer residual resistivity. Our theory has no free parameters. Our predictions are shown to be consistent with experiment. We describe experiments to conclusively test our hypothesis.

Protein utilisation and turnover in lines of chickens selected for different aspects of body composition

1. Protein utilisation and turnover were measured in male chickens sampled from a line selected for high breast yield and a randombred control line (lines QL and CL, experiment 1) and in male chickens sampled from lines selected for either high or low abdominal fatness (lines FL and LL, experiment 2). In each experiment, 18 birds per line were given iso-energetic (12.9 MJ ME/kg) diets containing either 120 or 220 g CP/kg from 21 to 29 d (experiment 1) and 33 to 43 d (experiment 2). 2. Measurements were made of growth rate, food intake, body composition, excreta production and N-tau-methylhistidine excretion as a measure of myofibrillar protein breakdown, and fractional rates (%/d) of protein deposition, breakdown and synthesis were calculated. 3. In experiment 1, there were no significant differences between the line means for the fractional measures of protein turnover, but there was marked differential response in the two lines in the fractional rates of protein deposition, breakdown and synthesis, to increase in protein intake. The positive slope of the regressions of fractional (%/d) protein deposition and synthesis rates on protein intake (g/d/kg BW) were approximately 1.4- and 2.0-fold higher respectively in the QL than the CL line birds, and the negative slope of the regression of fractional breakdown rate on protein intake was approximately threefold greater in the CL than the QL line birds. 4. In experiment 2, fractional deposition rate was 6.2% lower, but fractional breakdown rate 9.4% higher in the LL than the FL birds, whilst there was essentially no difference in response of the FL and LL birds in the components of protein turnover to increase in protein intake. Line differences in deposition and breakdown rates were thus a reflection of the considerably higher (20%) food and hence protein intake in the FL than the LL birds. 5. The differential line responses in protein turnover in the two experiments suggest that selection for increased breast muscle yield and for reduced body fatness manipulate different physiological pathways in relation to protein turnover, but neither selection strategy results in an improvement in net protein utilisation at typical levels of protein intake by birds on commercial broiler diets, through a reduction in protein breakdown rate.

Negotiating cross-cultural difference in electronic discussion

Although a good deal of research exists both on computer-mediated communication(CMC) and on cross-cultural communication, rarely are the two areas brought together. In practice, however, extrapolation from one context to the other is common, with the internet and email being increasingly used to teach cross-cultural communication. What assumptions about the transfer of culture into cyberspace inform these practices? And are these assumptions well-founded? This paper explores practices of discussion on French and British internet media sites to determine the extent to which they reflect communicative practices elsewhere in those cultures. The case studies underline the importance of attending to the interaction between culture and genre, and have pedagogical implications for the use of such sites in the teaching of cross-cultural communication.

Crystalloid strong ion difference determines metabolic acid-base change during acute normovolaemic haemodilution

Objective. To study the acid-base effects of crystalloid strong ion difference (SID) during haemodilution. Design. Prospective in vivo study. Setting. University laboratory. Subjects. Anaesthetised, mechanically ventilated Sprague-Dawley rats. Interventions. Rats were studied in seven groups of three. Each group underwent normovolaemic haemodilution with one of seven crystalloids, with SID values from 0 to 40 mEq/l. Six exchanges of 9 ml crystalloid for 3 ml blood were performed. Measurements and main results. [Hb] fell from 142+/-17 to 44+/-10 g/l (p