Reflective engagement in cultural history: a Lacanian perspective on Pasifika teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand

How do we understand our own cultural histories and how do these understandings impact on our senses of self? This paper addresses the case of Pacific islander migration into New Zealand. It is based on a study fuelled by a group of Pacific island teachers exploring their own experiences of becoming teachers in New Zealand schools. The paper raises some theoretical issues relating to cultural identity as understood in relation to educational practices at the interfaces of cultures. By examining how notions of Pacific cultural identity for individuals are held in place by particular self-images the paper asks how such identities might be seen as reaching out to possible futures. The paper concludes with some tentative thoughts on how an individual might work towards strengthening a historical sense of self and a more productive reflective/reflexive conception of engagement in a situation of cultural minority.     

Aggressive behaviors in adult SF-1 knockout mice that are not exposed to gonadal steroids during development.

Sex hormones are a major factor responsible for the development of sex differences. Steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1) is a key regulator of gonadal and adrenal development, and SF-1 knockout mice (SF-1 KO) are born without gonads and adrenal glands. Consequently, these mice are not exposed to gonadal sex steroids. SF-1 KO pups die shortly after birth due to adrenal deficiency. In the present study, SF-1 KO mice were rescued by neonatal corticosteroid injections followed by adrenal transplantations on day 7-8 postnatally. Control mice received corticosteroid injections and were gonadectomized prior to puberty. Mice were observed interacting with ovariectomized hormone primed females and gonad-intact males. In the absence of sex steroid replacement, adult SF-1 KO mice were significantly more aggressive than control mice in tests with stimulus females. After testosterone treatment, control males displayed significantly more aggression towards male intruders than control female mice, or male and female SF-1 KO mice, suggesting a developmental role of gonadal hormones in the expression of aggressive behavior and affirming SF-1 KO mice as a behavioral model to investigate affects of fetal gonad deficiency. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Asymptotically optimal algorithms for budgeted multiple play bandits

Machine Learning - We study a generalization of the multi-armed bandit problem with multiple plays where there is a cost associated with pulling each arm and the agent has a budget at each time...     

Natural rubber latex/potato starch nanocrystal nanocomposites: Correlation morphology/electrical properties

This paper discusses the preparation and characterization of nanocomposites obtained with potato starch nanocrystals, and their use as fillers in order to realize nanocomposites with a natural rubber latex matrix. The preparation of potato starch nanocrystals was done by hydrolysis of potato starch powder using sulfuric acid. The synthesized potato starch nanocrystal suspensions were mixed with natural rubber latex by latex stage mixing process using a magnetic stirrer. In this way, composites containing up to 20% w/w of fillers have been obtained. Morphological studies indicated a relatively uniform dispersion of starch nanocrystals in the nanocomposites until 15% w/w filler loading. Dielectric measurements confirm the existence of a threshold at a composition close to 15% w/w of filler at which the fillers become agglomerated.     

Coordination modes in zirconium β-diketiminate complexes

Reaction of β-diketiminate lithium salts, nacnac^RLi(THF) (R = 2,6-xylyl (1a), R-CH(Me)Ph (1b)), with ZrCl₄ or ZrCl₄·THF yielded the mono-diketiminate complexes nacnac^RZrCl₃(THF), 2a and 2b. Complex 2a did not react further with a second equivalent of 1a, but with CpLi or IndLi to form pseudo-tetrahedral complexes 3 and 4. No product could be isolated from reaction of 2b with CpLi. Coordination of the diketiminate ligand in 2a is best described as a distorted κ²-, in-plane coordination. Complexes 3 and 4, however, display a haptotropic shift of the diketiminate ligand and its coordination is best described as κ²,η²-coordination. Although not previously described, analyses of available structures in the literature reveal that non-symmetric κ²,η²-coordination is an independent coordination mode, which exists next to the previously described “η⁵-like” coordination.     

Real time TEM observation of alumina ceramic nano-particles during compression

The behavior of alumina nano-particles taken from a commercial powder is investigated during in situ compression experiments in a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Small particles of 40 nm in diameter can undergo severe plastic deformation without failure, whereas brittle fracture is observed for 120 nm sized nano-particles. This is evidence of a critical size under which alumina, at least in the form of nano-particles, cannot be considered as brittle materials even at room temperature and a direct observation of the grinding limit generally observed during ball milling.     

Structured brief therapy with a focus on dreams or loss for clients with troubling dreams and recent loss.

The authors tested whether a focus on dreams added something specific to the therapy process beyond the structure of a 3-stage approach. Fourteen distressed clients with troubling dreams and recent loss of a loved one participated in brief structured therapy focused on dreams or loss. After therapy, clients in both conditions reported being satisfied with therapy, having lowered impact of the loss, gaining new insights about themselves, and having made changes. In addition, clients in the dream condition rated the process of therapy higher, became involved in the therapeutic process more quickly, gained more understanding of their dreams, liked the structure of therapy more, and kept fewer secrets from their therapists than clients in the loss condition. In contrast, clients in the loss condition gained more insight about the effects of the past and their loss and liked therapist guidance more than clients in the dream condition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Optimal parametrizations for surface remeshing

We present different linear parametrization techniques for the purpose of surface remeshing: the energy minimizing harmonic map, the convex map, and the least square conformal map. The implementation of those mappings as well as the associated boundary conditions is presented in a unified manner and the issues of triangle flipping and folding that may arise with discrete linear mappings are discussed. We explore the optimality of these parametrizations for surface remeshing by applying several classical 2D meshing algorithms in the parametric space and by comparing the quality of the generated elements. We present various examples that permit to draw guidelines that a user can follow in choosing the best parametrization scheme for a specific topology, geometry, and characteristics of the target output mesh.