Direct current electric potential in an anisotropic half-space with vertical contact containing a conductive 3D body

Detailed studies of anomalous conductors in otherwise homogeneous media have been modelled. Vertical contacts form common geometries in galvanic studies when describing geological formations with different electrical conductivities on either side. However, previous studies of vertical discontinuities have been mainly concerned with isotropic environments. In this paper, we deal with the effect on the electric potentials, such as mise-`a-la-masse anomalies, due to a conductor near a vertical contact between two anisotropic regions. We also demonstrate the interactive effects when the conductive body is placed across the vertical contact. This problem is normally very difficult to solve by the traditional numerical methods. The integral equations for the electric potential in anisotropic half-spaces are established. Green’s function is obtained using the reflection and transmission image method in which five images are needed to fit the boundary conditions on the vertical interface and the air-earth surface. The effects of the anisotropy of the environments and the conductive body on the electric potential are illustrated with the aid of several numerical examples.

An efficient solution for privacy-preserving, secure remote access to sensitive data

Sharing data that contains personally identifiable or sensitive information, such as medical records, always has privacy and security implications. The issues can become rather complex when the methods of access can vary, and accurate individual data needs to be provided whilst mass data release for specific purposes (for example for medical research) also has to be catered for. Although various solutions have been proposed to address the different aspects individually, a comprehensive approach is highly desirable. This paper presents a solution for maintaining the privacy of data released en masse in a controlled manner, and for providing secure access to the original data for authorized users. The results show that the solution is provably secure and maintains privacy in a more efficient manner than previous solutions.

Attrition and maintenance of the Berber language in Tunisia

In this article, I examine the situation of Tunisian Berber from a linguistic and sociolinguistic perspective. The prolonged institutional marginalization of this language, the lack to date of a comprehensive documentation, and the passive attitude of the speakers themselves are contributing factors to its current decline. Present predictions as to its immediate extinction are alarming. However, conclusions drawn in other studies are not adequately supported and evidence from data recently collected in southern Tunisia partially refutes the claim that the decline of Tunisian Berber is irreversible. Even though attrition is evident in borrowing en masse from Arabic, grammatical evidence shows little structural change. After many years of neglect, efforts to document fully the remaining vernaculars are a positive step towards the revival of this variety of Berber. In this article I have three goals. First, to give an assessment of the problems and the challenges facing Tunisian Berber. Second, to describe the extent of attrition of this language based on field-collected data and, third, to suggest some directions for future studies of Tunisian Berber and strategies to stimulate its revival. Complete oral narratives, the first to be published, will be appended to the text in order to allow the linguistic community access to materials in its language.

Physical activity parenting measurement and research : challenges, explanations and solutions

Physical activity (PA) parenting research has proliferated over the past decade, with findings verifying the influential role that parents play in children's emerging PA behaviors. This knowledge, however, has not translated into effective family-based PA interventions. During a preconference workshop to the 2012 International Society for Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity annual meeting, a PA parenting workgroup met to: (1) Discuss challenges in PA parenting research that may limit its translation, (2) identify explanations or reasons for such challenges, and (3) recommend strategies for future research. Challenges discussed by the workgroup included a proliferation of disconnected and inconsistently measured constructs, a limited understanding of the dimensions of PA parenting, and a narrow conceptualization of hypothesized moderators of the relationship between PA parenting and child PA. Potential reasons for such challenges emphasized by the group included a disinclination to employ theory when developing measures and examining predictors and outcomes of PA parenting as well as a lack of agreed-upon measurement standards. Suggested solutions focused on the need to link PA parenting research with general parenting research, define and adopt rigorous standards of measurement, and identify new methods to assess PA parenting. As an initial step toward implementing these recommendations, the workgroup developed a conceptual model that: (1) Integrates parenting dimensions from the general parenting literature into the conceptualization of PA parenting, (2) draws on behavioral and developmental theory, and (3) emphasizes areas which have been neglected to date including precursors to PA parenting and effect modifiers.

The streets of Iraq: protests and democracy after Saddam

This chapter seeks to document and examine the Iraqi people’s exercise of their right to protest and the influence these protests have had on the political landscape of the post-Saddam era. Since 2003, the Iraqi people have frequently taken to the streets en masse, to air their concerns about everything – from the ongoing US-led occupation to the government’s failure to provide basic security and infrastructure and to the airing of ‘indecent’ programmss on Iraqi television. This paper concludes by arguing that Iraqi citizens who play an active role in their own governance and participate in democratic mechanisms such as elections and mass demonstrations are helping to create a more robust democracy.

Restricting access to invasion hubs enables sustained control of an invasive vertebrate

Biological invasions often occur through expansion of satellite populations that become established at 'invasion hubs'. Invasion hubs can result from random dispersal events, but frequently arise when invading individuals actively choose habitats using cues that signify high-quality environments where the fitness consequences are positive. Theoretical studies suggest that targeted control at invasion hubs can effectively suppress the populations and impacts of invaders. In arid Australia, small dams that provide water for livestock function as invasion hubs by providing an invasive vertebrate, the cane toad Rhinella marina, with refuge from extreme aridity during the annual dry season. Toads are attracted to dams and use them as stepping stone habitats from which they disperse during rainy periods. Here, we ask whether sustained control of this invasive vertebrate can be achieved by converting invasion hubs into ecological traps. We did this by manipulating invasion hub habitats to induce a mismatch between toads' habitat preference and the fitness consequences of their habitat choice to cause high mortality. We constructed fences to exclude toads from dams and maintained these fences for 1 year. This period encompassed periods of dry and wet seasonal climatic conditions. Our manipulation did not alter the attractive cues for invading toads which died en masse while attempting to settle at fenced dams that prevented toads from reaching water. Toad populations at the fenced dams were suppressed by 1-2 orders of magnitude compared to unfenced controls and procedural controls. Toad populations remained suppressed for a year after exclusion. By excluding toads from dams, we converted invasion hubs into ecological traps and effectively thwarted the reinvasion of cane toads. Our research suggests that water exclusion devices could be used to prevent toad invasion or to control cane toad populations in arid landscapes colonized by toads. Synthesis and applications. Our study demonstrates that sustained control of invader populations can be achieved by restricting their access to invasion hubs. Control of invasive species via elimination of invasion hubs could be conducted reactively, to control established populations of invaders, or conducted strategically, by rendering invasion hubs unsuitable for colonization ahead of the invasion front to prevent further population spread.

Playing with other(ed) species: games, representation, and nonhuman animals

During the writing of this essay, the controversial nonhuman animal rights organisation PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) sent out a tweet linking to an online article about the recent PC and Playstation 4 console game No Man’s Sky, in which players are positioned as explorers of countless virtual planets. Encountering the wide array of creatures indigenous to these worlds, players of this game are offered the choice of whether ‘to document them and name them or slaughter them en masse’ (Francisco, ‘PETA’). While an environmental agenda appears to be far from the game designers’ minds, PETA’s Marketing Vice President Joel Bartlett interprets No Man’s Sky as ‘counting on our natural empathy … we have a natural sense of exploration that has been important to human history’ (Francisco, ‘PETA’). Indeed, PETA has immersed itself in the gaming industry by creating its own simple online games in-house, such as the provocative Mario Kills Tanooki, which opposes what it sees as the unethical messages conveyed by Nintendo’s popular Super Mario Bros. franchise. These instances of the intersection of exploration, ethics, empathy, and play raise important questions regarding the potential role(s) of gaming in furthering (or hindering) the welfare of nonhuman animals. This issue becomes more and more urgent not only in a time of ongoing climate change, environmental degradation, and the continued endangerment of countless species around the planet, but also in a time when the gaming industry and the adoption of game design principles in many others grows apace.

Melbourne Festival review: The Dark Chorus creates chilling interplay between light and darkness

DANCE THE DARK CHORUS ★★★½ Lucy Guerin Inc, Arts House ​Meat Market, North Melbourne ​Until October 12 The rustling sound should not be unexpected – and yet it is. It is the sound of heavy, brocade, floor-length skirts flapping against bare running legs as dancers dart en masse around a circle of light.