From the perspective of ethnography of communication, this study attempts to identify and look into the significance of language and its use in politics. The focus is on politics in Ghana and how language was used in campaigns and rhetoric of two major political parties (the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC)) in the country's 2008 presidential elections, and whether or not language used reflected political ideology. Through analysis of data from one presidential debate in particular, the study also presents and explores strategies used and individual word choice by the parties' candidates. Their word choice is then scrutinized against the ideological background of the candidates and parties. These results illustrate the need for understanding language use in political campaigns and rhetoric.
800x600 Using action research as methodological interpretation of instructional experiences, the aim of this paper is to examine the use of biography and personal experience as expressions of self within cultural contexts in language teaching and learning situations. In particular, this paper will inquire into the connection of biographical recognition and reflection on experience to language learning while providing an analysis of how language learning can be better facilitated through a personal teaching and learning style that recognizes cultural aspects of linguistic development. Focusing primarily on the instruction of English in adult learning situations, this discussion will include a brief summary of theoretical positions in language learning and assess how those support a biographical and experiential teaching style that addresses culture and cultural influences in educational settings. Examining past and current literature on language teaching and learning, this paper inquires into how reflective learning and cultural exploration through the examination of experience encourages a respectful, dynamic and engaging learning environment, recognizing the value of personal experience in constructing linguistic meaning. Normal 0 false false false EN-CA X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
The purpose of this paper is to show that images have an ontological support by which they obtain an independent existence from the mind. In accordance with the new theories of aesthetics, we will see that the object of art is taken as an object of thought. Image has an important role in the existence of the work of art in that the image becomes an object of thought. To show how the image is independent from the mind or to show how it is not a mind-dependent object, the analysis has to start from the pre-ontological level of the work of art in order to understand the existence of images in correlation with the work of art. At the beginning there is only the object. The object is the work of art before its concretization. It is not nature, it is the natural support of art. From this point of view, the role of the image can be explored in all ontological stages of the work of art. Firstly, it can be argued that the intuition of the artist is the image of the idea underlying the work of art. The intentional image is a subjective image. Secondly, it seems that people can see or have in mind different images (representations) referring to a work of art. This is possible in time and space and implies cultural differences, historical events and so on. A question arises: what supports the intentional image? One answer put forward is that the mind is the support of the image, but it seems that the original intentional image has something that can make other intentional images possible, an infinite number of representations, in other words an infinite number of images. The aim of this paper is to show that we can talk about an original intentional image (the first idea), intentional images (the representations of the work of art in time and space), and the transcendental image which can be defined as the ontological condition for the existence of the intentional image. At the end I will argue that the transcendental image is the support or the entity which offers the ontological conditions necessary for all intentional images.
1024x768 This paper seeks to account for the synchronic sound changes observed in joining of noun class prefixes to nouns in Swahili, Lingala, Ciluba, and Zulu. The noun class prefixes of these Bantu languages were compared with the Proto-Bantu noun class-forms to identify sound changes the languages have undergone over time. It was observed that some sound changes did not obey synchronic rules. The aim of this study was to elaborate on diachronic rules, specifically telescopic rules, to explain why some sound changes in Bantu language evolution stand out as exceptions, giving the impression of violating the neo-grammarians’ claim about the regularity of sound change. A special focus is placed on the nasal place of articulation assimilation, which in some conditioning environments, is favourable for assimilation, but fails to occur in Swahili. The findings of this paper provide robust evidence for why the nasal phoneme of some noun classes does not assimilate in place of articulation with the adjacent neighboring segment, as is usually observed in Bantu languages. This study also attempts to explain why the noun class 9/10 nasal prefixes in Swahili assimilate in place of articulation with the following adjacent stop but not the nasal bilabial prefix of noun class 1 and 3. The findings address the concern of whether the synchronic rule of nasal assimilation in Bantu languages could account for this apparent irregularity. Normal 0 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";}
The distribution function of the sum of random variables plays an important role in the management of portfolios and consequently in actuarial science. However it is generally problematic and so some approximations have been introduced. Though all approximation s show error, one of the best distribution functions for approximation is the Compound Poisson distribution function. In order to improve the distribution approximation of the sum of the random variables, finding the upper bound is of crucial importance. My focus is mostly on upper bounds of approximation that have no restriction on distribution of random variables, and the results are in a better order than bounds previously reported. We review these bounds and compare them. In the end, we applied them to a real portfolio.
A combined form of the Laplace transformation with the homotopy perturbation method has been presented as a method for solving nonlinear functional equations of various kinds. Using this method, it is possible to find the exact solution or a closed approximation to the solution of the problem. The reliability of the method is shown by solving some examples of various kinds.
Ferroelectric liquid crystals exhibit a variety of remarkable properties and show can find use in technical applications such as optical displays. Dielectric spectroscopy studies of these compounds provide data on their static and dynamic properties. In this study, the dielectric and optical behaviour of the ferroelectric liquid crystal mixture 711-3654 has been investigated in a temperature range of 30 degrees C to 62 degrees C. The dielectric constant and the dielectric loss of the mixture has been measured in different phases, in a frequency range of 100 Hz to 10 MHz on an impedance/gain phase analyzer. The dielectric study has exhibited relaxation behaviour giving rise to different relaxation frequencies for given temperatures. These have been used to calculate the relaxation time and activation energies in SinC* phases of the sample. The observed dielectric constant and loss follow Cole-Cole behaviour in the ferroelectric phase. Various phases observed from these studies have also been identified under a cross polarizer for planar alignment of the sample. The optical transmittance data have also been taken and used to calculate the optical rotatory power for the sample.
Aluminum metal matrix composites (Al-MMCs) find extensive applications in engineering structures requiring good strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance. A major limitation to the widespread use of these materials is the unavailability of a suitable joining process that maximizes their potential Currently, fusion welding techniques are used to join Al-MMCs, however, the high temperature required for fusion welding processes can cause extensive damage to the strengthening particles thereby changing the microstructure and performance of the joints produced. Transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding has been identified as a suitable alternative, however, the bonding parameters have yet to be optimized. In this study a Taguchi's fractional-factorial design L9 (34-2) of experiments was used to optimize the process parameters of TLP bonding. The results indicated that an optimal joint strength of 142 MPa can be achieved with the bonding temperature of 620 degrees C, bonding pressure of 0.01 MPa, holding time of 30 minutes, and interlayer thickness of 11 mu m. Analysis of variance (ANON A) indicated that bonding temperature had the most significant effect on the joint shear strength.
Porosity and mineral fraction information are crucial in reservoir characterization, however the exact value of these parameters is difficult to measure. We propose a new method for estimating the porosity and mineral fraction of carbonate rock from thin section images using an integrated neural network/image processing technique. Neural networks were built and trained to classify porosity and minerals of carbonate (calcite and dolomite) based on their color after chemical treatment. Pixel values of these colors were attributed with a target code value and represented in a 2D image (matrix) from which a simple image processing pixel filtering and counting algorithm was employed to calculate each fraction. Computation time was less than 40 seconds and classification error was less than 2%. This method may be useful as a cost-effective alternative for estimating 2D-porosity and mineral fraction for thin section images of rock. Unlike porosimetry or X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements, this method does not require liquid injection at the coreplug scale.
The cult of Jane Austen has extended well beyond literary manifestations and criticism, into the realm of the cinema. Besides all the filmic adaptations of Austen's novels and the whole series of Austen-themed adaptations, the famous English writer has become the protagonist of two recent biographical films: Becoming Jane (2007) and Miss Austen Regrets (2010). These two cinematic attempts at portraying Austen's life for the screen investigate two different periods of her life and appear to be very different in their approach. Beside making use of published material about the author such as biographical accounts, letters and memoirs, both try to reinvent the writer's life, as well as re-imagine and give voice to some of the most crucial and formative periods of her life. Austenian critics and enthusiasts recognize the fact that Austen is a notoriously problematic figure, whose biography brims with gaps and hazy details. In order to contribute to the ongoing debate on the biographical information on Jane Austen's life, this essay aims to outline the ways in which the cinematic medium has helped re-imagine the life of the author, and to assess whether such representations have opened up new perspectives or have merely recovered and recycled older, and already familiar, materials. Normal 0 false false false EN-CA X-NONE X-NONE
Many internal (linguistic) and external factors are discussed in the Theory of Andalucism. In the first part of this work I briefly review linguistic features employed to connect Andalusian and Caribbean Spanish, building arguments in favor of the Theory of Andalucism. In the second part, the differences between Andalusian and Caribbean Spanish are exposed and the counter-argument is proposed, suggesting a divergent path for these two varieties of Spanish (Trudgill 1999). linguistic analysis is complemented by a historical examination of external factors, such as emigration patterns to America from Spain, and other sociolinguist observations (Paredes and Sanchez-Prieto Borja 2008). The study extends its contribution by drawing implicit correlations between views on this theory and political positionings, showing that even by presenting a pure linguistic phenomenon such as language change, authors can index very different political ideologies (Van Dijk 1993b, Chouliaraki & Fairclough 1997, Seliger 1976)(1). Proposals relating American Spanish to Andalusian Spanish as a continuum reveal the emphasis on cultural identity between Spain and Latin America based on language, similar to the later pan-hispanist movement (Del Valle 2012), which relies on the idea of community to develop economic and political infrastructure.
The following study concentrates on nonlinear stiffness of milling machine tool spindle angle contact ball bearings in static mode. As a primarily theoretical study, it allowed us to build an analytical model to define nonlinear stiffness of angle contact ball bearings based on geometrical and physical parameters. Ball bearing deformation is also considered. Modifications were made to literature models resulting in better conformity of models to experimental results. An FEM model using ANSYS was constructed to analyze the different parameters’ effects on nonlinear stiffness of ball bearings. Among those parameters are physical ones, including the geometry, friction coefficient and boundary conditions, and numerical parameters such as mesh density and penetration. Experimental tests were done on the spindle ball bearing 7014 to measure the rigidity. A universal tensile testing machine was used to achieve the load-displacement curve. Experimental results were compared to the theoretical model. The developed theoretical model, constructed finite-element model, and experimental results showed good conformity. Normal 0 false false false EN-CA X-NONE X-NONE
The production of antibodies by, terminally differentiated plasma cells is the central humoral response that mediates host immunity to infections. Many plasma cells are short lived and die by apoptosis after several clays. Long-term production of antigen-specific antibodies is usually attributed to memory B cells. However, the central paradigm of plasma cell biology is changing with the discovery of long-lived plasma cells which contribute to life-long humoral immunity. Long-lived plasma cells have only been recognized as a part of immunological memory in the last decade there is much to learn about the complexities of their development and survival. In this article, I review the extrinsic signals involved in long-lived plasma cell longevity, with an emphasis on how the bone marrow microenvironment contributes to the survival of long-lived Plasma cells. Insights into these mechanisms will have a profound impact on plasma cell biology and provide novel therapeutic targets in autoimmune diseases and plasma cell malignancies.
This article analyses the frontispiece of Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan with a focus on the relation between theology and politics as it is illustrated on the cover of this grand oeuvre, and in particular on the figure of Leviathan himself. The scope of the article is to discuss the form of power and authority symbolised on the frontispiece, and it is thus not an image analyses in the traditional sense. Rather, it is to discuss the kind of political theory the frontispiece represents. Not only is Hobbes' decision to put forward a theory of a commonwealth that is both civil as well as ecclesiastical only a few years after the great religious Thirty Years' War a bold one: .Leviathan represents a new way of conceiving the relation between sovereign and citizen as it combines Christian political theory and aesthetics. Having its methodological point of departure especially in Giorgio Agamben, the article will develop the argument that Leviathan, in this regard, represents a political version of the Christian angelology. Leviathan becomes the "divine messenger" par excellence, who functions as temporal minister and administrator of God's will and government. The central questions of the article therefore are: how and why does Hobbes' Leviathan achieve his authority and power through theological ideas on power, and how decisive is the Bible in this regard? In other words, how is Hobbes' Bible use political?
Zinc oxide (ZnO) forms nanostructures with optical and transport properties that render them useful for a variety of industrial applications. In this study, ZnO nanostructures were elaborated in the presence of PEG-400 by thermal decomposition of zinc hydroxide formed after precipitation of zinc acetate from aqueous solution. FTIR transmission spectra, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-Visible spectrophotometry, and X-ray diffractometry (XRD) were used to characterize ZnO nanostructures. Inorganic diodes consisting of ZnO layers between indium-thin oxide (ITO) and Al contacts were elaborated. Current-voltage characteristics and the AC electrical response of the consolidated nanoparticles of ZnO were studied using impedance spectroscopy. The equivalent circuit parameters were determined by computer simulation. The grain, grain boundary and electrode interface contributions to the conductivity are discussed.
The stability of ordinary journal bearings is found to increase by the use of multi-lobes. Studies have shown that performance can be further improved by incorporation of pressure dams into these bearings. This paper analyses the performance of a four-lobe pressure-dam bearing which is produced by incorporating two pressure dams on the upper two lobes and two relief-tracks on the lower two lobes of an ordinary four-lobe bearing. The results show that the performance of a four-lobe bearing with pressure dams is superior to that of an ordinary four-lobe bearing.
This paper examines Calgary's Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness through two different theoretical frameworks: governmentality and social problems construction. The Ten Year Plan implicitly constructs homelessness as a social problem, yet throughout the document readers can find strategic, rther than implicit reasons for this construction. Using Calgary's Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness, this paper compares and contrasts the two frameworks of governmentality and social problems construction while also examining the ways in which each can be applied to homelessness and homelessness research. While governmentality provides a vehicle to understand why homelessness is framed as a problem, social problems construction becomes of primary interest when examining and studying ten year plans.
Meng'an and mouke were the main social institutions in Jurchen society. They existed until the end of the Jurchen state, but were reestablished in the Manchurian period. Usually research by East Asian studies specialists into meng'an and mouke is based only on Chinese materials, but Russian scholars have actively, used written sources and archaeological materials in their study of these Jurchen social institutions. The rich materials and tradition of Russian research into East Asia give a basis for interesting results. In spite of this, these studies remain practically unknown in the Western academic world, largely because most Russian scholars do not publish in English. Moreover, Soviet and Russian historians consider meng'an and mouke from different perspectives than Chinese or Western specialists. This article uses Soviet and Russian studies to trace the development and ultimate decay of meng'an and mouke in order to provide a uniquely Russian perspective on these Jurchen social institutions.
Edgar Allan Poe's C. Auguste Dupin has long been accepted as the original detective hero, serving as the blueprint for detectives such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie's Poirot. However, with the tendency of modern readers to apply moral sainthood to heroes of popular culture, Dupin has suffered interpretations of self-sacrificing sainthood. With the ethically cognizant Doctor from the popular series Doctor Who as a point of reference, this article asserts that Dupin is a hero in the classical sense of the term. He exemplifies all the characteristics of a classical Greek hero, even rivaling Achilles in his egocentrism, and aligning himself with one of the most disturbing figures in Greek mythology, Atreus. His tendency toward personal gain, his inability to understand and sympathize with others, and his lack of a relationship with the narrator prove that Dupin upholds the principles of aristos kratos rather than the principles of moral sainthood. Likewise, he fails to adhere to the modern definition of a hero and instead resembles the modern villain. The Doctor, through his inability to disengage from moral concerns, provides a perfect example of the modern heroic figure, highlighting Dupin's amoral nature. Through Dupin, readers can glimpse the history of the heroic figure and his alterations within popular culture.
Jean Nouvel is a French architect and theorist for whom architecture is not a formal question of aesthetically appealing buildings but a perceptual game of ephemeral optical effects. His work explores the possibility of turning the fixed, solid nature of architecture into an ever changing maelstrom of phenomenological illusions. He is a designer who seeks an architecture that is not based on presence, but one that is based on perception. However, he is also a designer inspired by modern visual culture and in particular, film. Film revolutionised the way Nouvel saw the world. It gave him. a new visual language, allowing him to better understand the way the eye works in everyday settings. For Nouvel, the new visual phenomenon was, and is, a source of visual tropes employable by contemporary architects. In this double definition of architecture as optical game and phenomenological experience Nouvel sets out to create a form of architecture that is complex and at times contradictory. This analyses one of Nouvel's most celebrated works, The Cartier Foundalion building, from a joint phenomenological cinematic perspective. It does so through the prism of two key figures in these respective fields: Maurice Merleau-Ponty from the world of philosophy and Andre Bazin from the arena of film. The aim of this essay is to highlight how this building encapsulates Notivers attempts to incorporate his understanding of film and phenomenology into an architecture of intangible, ephemeral optical effects; an architecture that is both cinematic and phenomenological.
