The Wijsman hyperspace of a metric hereditarily Baire space is Baire

In this paper, we show that the Wijsman hyperspace of a metric hereditarily Baire space is Baire. This solves a recent question posed by Zsilinszky. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A FREE BOUNDARY ISOPERIMETRIC PROBLEM IN HYPERBOLIC 3-SPACE BETWEEN PARALLEL HOROSPHERES

We investigate the isoperimetric problem of finding the regions of prescribed volume with minimal boundary area between two parallel horospheres in hyperbolic 3-space (the part of the boundary contained in the horospheres is not included). We reduce the problem to the study of rotationally invariant regions and obtain the possible isoperimetric solutions by studying the behavior of the profile curves of the rotational surfaces with constant mean curvature in hyperbolic 3-space. We also classify all the connected compact rotational surfaces M of constant mean curvature that are contained in the region between two horospheres, have boundary partial derivative M either empty or lying on the horospheres, and meet the horospheres perpendicularly along their boundary.

Spherical space forms - Homotopy self-equivalences and homotopy types, the case of the groups Z/a x (Z/b x TL(2)(F(p)))

Let G = Z/a x(mu) (Z/b x TL(2)(F(p))) and X(n) be an n-dimensional CW-complex with the homotopy type of the n-sphere. We determine the automorphism group Aut(G) and then compute the number of distinct homotopy types of spherical space forms with respect to free and cellular G-actions on all CW-complexes X(2dn - 1), where 2d is a period of G. Next, the group E(X(2dn - 1)/alpha) of homotopy self-equivalences of spherical space forms X(2dn - 1)/alpha, associated with such G-actions alpha on X(2dn - 1) are studied. Similar results for the rest of finite periodic groups have been obtained recently and they are described in the introduction. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The SUMA Project: Integrating Observational Data Assessment into Space and Service Design

This presentation was offered as part of the CUNY Library Assessment Conference, Reinventing Libraries: Reinventing Assessment, held at the City University of New York in June 2014.

Examining Visitor Attitudes and Motivations at a Space Science Centre

The H.R. MacMillan Space Centre is a multi-faceted organization whose mission is to educate, inspire and evoke a sense of wonder about the universe, our planet and space exploration. As a popular, Vancouver science centre, it faces the same range of challenges and issues as other major attractions: how does the Space Centre maintain a healthy public attendance in an increasingly competitive market where visitors continue to be presented with an increasingly rich range of choices for their leisure spending and entertainment dollars?This front-end study investigated visitor attitudes, thoughts and preconceptions on the topic of space and astronomy. It also examined visitors’ motivations for coming to a space science centre. Useful insights were obtained which will be applied to improve future programme content and exhibit development.

Color Segmentation using LVQ-Learning Vector Quantization

This thesis aims to present a color segmentation approach for traffic sign recognition based on LVQ neural networks. The RGB images were converted into HSV color space, and segmented using LVQ depending on the hue and saturation values of each pixel in the HSV color space. LVQ neural network was used to segment red, blue and yellow colors on the road and traffic signs to detect and recognize them. LVQ was effectively applied to 536 sampled images taken from different countries in different conditions with 89% accuracy and the execution time of each image among 31 images was calculated in between 0.726sec to 0.844sec. The method was tested in different environmental conditions and LVQ showed its capacity to reasonably segment color despite remarkable illumination differences. The results showed high robustness.

Economic Evaluation of a Solar Charged Thermal Energy Store for Space Heating

A thermal energy store corrects the misalignment of heating demand in the winter relative to solar thermal energy gathered in the summer. This thesis reviews the viability of a solar charged hot water tank thermal energy store for a school at latitude 56.25N, longitude -120.85W

Solar Collectors for Historic Homes : Linking consumption to perceptions of space

Reduction of household energy consumption is one of the top issues in contemporary discussions on sustainable consumption. This chapter concerns one way through which consumption of purchased energy for house heating can be reduced; by having a solar thermal system added to one's house. However, the fact that one of the components - the solar collector - usually is situated on the roof or the facade of a building, is a recurrent impediment to such installations. In certain contexts, these attributes may melt into the building, while in others, they may be perceived as problematic. The latter may particularly be the case when the appearance of the building is of major imiportance, as with houses deemed worthy of preservation for coming generations. This chapter draws upon a study carried out in Visby Town, a walled Hanseatic town and a World Heritage site on the island of Gotland, Sweden.

‘Being in a womb’ or ‘playing musical chairs’ : the impact of place and space on infant feeding in NICUs

Background: Becoming a parent of a preterm baby requiring neonatal care constitutes an extraordinary life situation in which parenting begins and evolves in a medical and unfamiliar setting. Although there is increasing emphasis within maternity and neonatal care on the influence of place and space upon the experiences of staff and service users, there is a lack of research on how space and place influence relationships and care in the neonatal environment. The aim of this study was to explore, in-depth, the impact of place and space on parents’ experiences and practices related to feeding their preterm babies in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) in Sweden and England. Methods: An ethnographic approach was utilised in two NICUs in Sweden and two comparable units in England, UK. Over an eleven month period, a total of 52 mothers, 19 fathers and 102 staff were observed and interviewed. A grounded theory approach was utilised throughout data collection and analysis. Results: The core category of ‘the room as a conveyance for an attuned feeding’ was underpinned by four categories: the level of ‘ownership’ of space and place; the feeling of ‘at-homeness’; the experience of ‘the door or a shield’ against people entering, for privacy, for enabling a focus within, and for regulating socialising and the; ‘window of opportunity’. Findings showed that the construction and design of space and place was strongly influential on the developing parent-infant relationship and for experiencing a sense of connectedness and a shared awareness with the baby during feeding, an attuned feeding. Conclusions: If our proposed model is valid, it is vital that these findings are considered when developing or reconfiguring NICUs so that account is taken of the influences of spatiality upon parent’s experiences. Even without redesign there are measures that may be taken to make a positive difference for parents and their preterm babies.

Dialectics of Diaspora Space: a Study of Contemporary, Diasporic, South Asian Fiction

In light of these continuing debates concerning immigration, national identity and belonging, re-examinations of immigrant and ethnic communities, often referred to as ‘diaspora,’ have become increasingly popular and prudent. Khachig Tololian, editor of Diaspora magazine, calls diaspora “exemplary communities of the transnational moment.”5 In an increasingly globalized world, where labor, capital, and resources are passed fluidly from continent to continent, diaspora are created by relocation or displacement of immigrant workers and their descendents.6 For these unskilled, immigrant laborers, middle class immigrants, and the children of both groups, adaptation to the culture, society, and life in a new ‘host’ country can be difficult, to say the least. So, in response to a new cultural landscape and a tenuous sense belonging, as well as to maintain a connection with a shared past, citizens of the world’s numerous diaspora replicate linguistic, cultural, and social norms, creating their own “cultural space[s]” that mirror and often replace a past relationship to their land of origin, or ‘home’.