Travelling Randomly on the Poincar\'e Half-Plane with a Pythagorean Compass

A random motion on the Poincar\'e half-plane is studied. A particle runs on the geodesic lines changing direction at Poisson-paced times. The hyperbolic distance is analyzed, also in the case where returns to the starting point are admitted. The main results concern the mean hyperbolic distance (and also the conditional mean distance) in all versions of the motion envisaged. Also an analogous motion on orthogonal circles of the sphere is examined and the evolution of the mean distance from the starting point is investigated

A Robust Mechanical Sensing System for Unmanned Sea Surface Vehicles

The need for autonomous navigation and intelligent control of unmanned sea surface vehicles requires a mechanically robust sensing architecture that is watertight, durable, and insensitive to vibration and shock loading. The sensing system developed here comprises four black and white cameras and a single color camera. The cameras are rigidly mounted to a camera bar that can be reconfigured to mount multiple vehicles, and act as both navigational cameras and application cameras. The cameras are housed in watertight casings to protect them and their electronics from moisture and wave splashes. Two of the black and white cameras are positioned to provide lateral vision. They are angled away from the front of the vehicle at horizontal angles to provide ideal fields of view for mapping and autonomous navigation. The other two black and white cameras are positioned at an angle into the color camera's field of view to support vehicle applications. These two cameras provide an overlap, as well as a backup to the front camera. The color camera is positioned directly in the middle of the bar, aimed straight ahead. This system is applicable to any sea-going vehicle, both on Earth and in space

Factors affecting return participation in sport tourism running events: The role of running involvement, place attachment, event attachment and travel patterns.

This presentation examines active sport tourists (runners) engaged in a small-scale, annual sport tourism event (Melissa’s Road Race held in Banff National Park, Canada). More specifically, the affect of a number of factors on race participants’ intensions to compete in the event in the future was examined. These factors included: physiological involvement in running, attachment to the park and the event, and selected travel patterns. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine 421 participant’s responses, to determine what factors might positively predict return visitation and participation. Attachment to Melissa’s Road Race, perceptions that the park was an “appropriate” venue for the Race, attachment to Banff National Park, plans to return to the Park as a place to visit, and the number of days event participants had visited the Park in the last 12 months all contributed to the prediction of intensions to participate in Melissa’s Road Race in the future. These variables explained 34% of respondent’s intensions to re-participate. Interestingly psychological involvement in running failed to significantly predict future participation

360 deg Camera Head for Unmanned Sea Surface Vehicles

The 360 camera head consists of a set of six color cameras arranged in a circular pattern such that their overlapping fields of view give a full 360 view of the immediate surroundings. The cameras are enclosed in a watertight container along with support electronics and a power distribution system. Each camera views the world through a watertight porthole. To prevent overheating or condensation in extreme weather conditions, the watertight container is also equipped with an electrical cooling unit and a pair of internal fans for circulation

Data point location map, selected water wells, test borings, and electrical earth resistivity transects, northern Beecher West and southern Steger 7.5-minute quadrangles, Will County, Illinois

"Shows the locations for the borings and electrical earth resistivity transects that provided the data used to map the surficial geology ... and the bedrock topography and drift thickness ... of the northern Beecher West and southern Steger 7.5-minute Quadrangles."Computer generated mapRelief shown by contours and spot heightsIncludes text, index to adjoining 7.5-minute quadrangles, and location ma

The Relationship between Rock Climbers and Climbing Places

Human interactions transform recreation and sport spaces into meaningful places. Textures, sights, and sounds are some of the elements that contribute to place meanings (Tuan, 1975). Beyond these sensory characteristics, a complex range of interconnected factors exist. While place meaning and place attachment have been studied in built and natural environments, there has been little comparative research between these settings in the context of recreation and sport. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate how a group of 21 rock climbers from Western Canada experienced natural outdoor and indoor climbing sites by addressing the question: “What transforms a climbing space into a climbing place?” Insight into rock climbers’ relationships with natural and indoor climbing sites was gained through an interpretive inquiry which helped the researcher understand the meanings, experiences, and behaviours of the climbers from their perspectives (Schwandt, 2001; Tribe, 2004; Williams, 2000). Semi-structured in-depth interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed to identify emergent themes (Patton, 2002). Analysis of the outdoor climbing narratives identified eight place themes which were grouped into three dimensions. This was followed by an analysis of the indoor climbing narratives which distinguished nine themes which were also grouped into three dimensions. Finally, the dissertation concludes with a discussion of the scholarly insights through consideration of the dimensions of place attachment and theories inclusive of suggestions for future place and rock climbing research. Exploring the way rock climbers interact in two very different types of settings (indoor and outdoor) contributes to a better understanding of place meaning and place attachment in the recreation and sport context both in theory and practice. The fundamental implication of the study findings for place theory is despite the similarity in terms of the physical mechanics of climbing in various settings, place meanings will vary depending on whether that activity takes place outdoors or indoors. Practical recommendations are provided for site managers and rock climbers to further enhance the climbing experience and establishment of place meanings

Local use of metrics for the research assessment of academics: The case of Poland

This article discusses the use of bibliometric indicators for the assessment of individual academics. We focused on national indicators for the assessment of productivity in Polish higher education institutions. We analysed whether institutions (N = 768) adopted national templates for their own sets of criteria for intra-institutional evaluations. This study combined an analysis of internal policy documents with semi-structured interviews with deans from institutions in different fields of science. Our findings showed that, despite their high levels of institutional autonomy, the majority of institutions adopted the national criteria for the evaluation of individual academics. This article concludes with recommendations for reducing the negative consequences of local use of national indicators for the assessment of researchers.This work was financially supported by the National Science Centre in Poland (Grant Number UMO-2017/26/E/HS2/00019)

Kinetics of biodegradation of diethylketone by Arthrobacter viscosus

The performance of an Arthrobacter viscosus culture to remove diethylketone from aqueous solutions was evaluated. The effect of initial concentration of diethylketone on the growth of the bacteria was evaluated for the range of concentration between 0 and 4.8 g/l, aiming to evaluate a possible toxicological effect. The maximum specific growth rate achieved is 0.221 h-1 at 1.6 g/l of initial diethylketone concentration, suggesting that for higher concentrations an inhibitory effect on the growth occurs. The removal percentages obtained were approximately 88%, for all the initial concentrations tested. The kinetic parameters were estimated using four growth kinetic models for biodegradation of organic compounds available in the literature. The experimental data found is well fitted by the Haldane model (R2 = 1) as compared to Monod model (R2 = 0.99), Powell (R2 = 0.82) and Loung model (R2 = 0.95). The biodegradation of diethylketone using concentrated biomass was studied for an initial diethylketone concentration ranging from 0.8–3.9 g/l in a batch with recirculation mode of operation. The biodegradation rate found followed the pseudo-second order kinetics and the resulting kinetic parameters are reported. The removal percentages obtained were approximately 100%, for all the initial concentrations tested, suggesting that the increment on the biomass concentration allows better results in terms of removal of diethylketone. This study showed that these bacteria are very effective for the removal of diethylketone from aqueous solutions.The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the financial support of this project by the Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT), Ministerio da Ciencia e Tecnologia, Portugal and Fundo Social Europeu (FSE). Cristina Quintelas thanks FCT for a Post-Doc grant

Polskie czasopisma z nauk humanistycznych i nauk społecznych w liczbach

Raport zawiera dane naukometryczne na temat 818 polskich czasopism naukowych z obszaru nauk humanistycznych i społecznych poddanych ewaluacji i umieszczonych na trzech Wykazach czasopism punktowanych opublikowanych w latach: 2012, 2013 i 2015. Analizowaliśmy zmiany punktacji poszczególnych czasopism jak również rozkład punktów dla czasopism przyporządkowanych do danej dyscypliny naukowej z obszaru nauk humanistycznych i społecznych. Uwzględniliśmy wyłącznie czasopisma znajdujące się we wszystkich trzech wykazach w części B. Nie uwzględniliśmy natomiast czasopism, które w trakcie tych lat były indeksowane na różnych częściach Wykazu czasopism punktowanych, np. w wykazie z 2013 r. znajdowały się w części C, a w 2015 r. zostały przeniesione do części B. Redakcje w ankiecie ewaluacyjnej wskazywały jedną lub dwie dyscypliny podstawowe, w ramach których funkcjonuje czasopismo. Dyscypliny były wskazywane zgodnie z Rozporządzeniem Ministra Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego z dnia 8 sierpnia 2011 r. w sprawie obszarów wiedzy, dziedzin nauki i sztuki oraz dyscyplin naukowych i artystycznych (Dz.U. 2011 nr 179 poz. 1065). Dane: stan na 31 grudnia 2015 r.Prace realizowane w projekcie "Współczesna polska humanistyka wobec wyzwań naukometrii ze środków Narodowego Programu Rozwoju Humanistyki", numer decyzji 0057/NPHR3/H11/82/201

A new trans-Ionian spider species for the Italian fauna: Habrocestum graecum Dalmas, 1920 (Araneae, Salticidae)

The salticid spider Habrocestum graecum Dalmas, 1920, until now only known from Greece, is for the first time recorded in Italy. Observations on ecology and behavior are also reported and pictures of its habitus and genitalia are provided. Furthermore, the first DNA barcode sequence for H. graecum is produced and made publicly available. The species has been observed in Puglia, in South-Eastern Italy, and a trans-Ionian dispersal pattern is most likely the cause of its presence both in Greece and Southern Italy, as reported for other taxa with similar distribution in different animal groups