Supporting Knitwear Design Using Case-Based Reasoning

Organised by: Cranfield UniversityKnitwear design is a creative activity that is hard to automate using the computer. The production of the associated knitting pattern, however, is repetitive, time-consuming and error-prone, calling for automation. Our objectives are two-fold: to facilitate the design and to ease the burden of calculations and checks in pattern production. We conduct a feasibility study for applying case-based reasoning in knitwear design: we describe appropriate methods and show how they can be implemented.Mori Seiki – The Machine Tool Compan

What can we do for LGBQ youth in north Yorkshire

This report is the summary of a five-month project commissioned by Yorkshire MESMAC which investigated the provision of support for lesbian,gay, bisexual and questioning (LGBQ) youth livingin the North Yorkshire sub-region. The projectconsisted of two elements: Study - Part 1 The first part of the study was a mapping exerciseof the current support available to LGBQ youth(16-25) in the North Yorkshire sub-region. Fivevoluntary and 15 statutory sector service providers provided input. Assessment was based on the extent to which each service provider catered for the specific needs of LGBQ youth. Results indicated a deficit in LGBQ specific service provision. Support specifically aimed at the LGBQ population was limited to three voluntary sector service providers and one youth group. Generic service providers varied in their ability to cater for the needs of LGBQ youth and only one was found to adequately address the needs of LGBQ youth. Study - Part 2 The second part of the study involved a qualitative investigation into the experiences and perceived needs of twenty-two LGBQ youth living in the North Yorkshire sub-region. Participants reported a diverse range of needs linked to their perceptions of isolation and a lack of social support. Recommendations Based upon the findings from Parts 1 and 2 of this study, the following recommendations are offered: ● The development of a sub-regional internet site for rural LGBQ youth to access information and online support ● The establishment of LGBQ youth groups across the county, preferably run on weekends, and at times that coincide with the provision of public transport ● The provision of drop-in venues with appropriately trained support staff ● The provision of training opportunities for staff within generic support services. ● Regular evaluation of LGBQ youth provision among generic services and regular monitoring of access by LGBQ youth ● The development and maintenance of links between service providers for LGBQ communities and more generic service providers

Radar signature determination: Trends and limitations

Modelling studies, as means for assessing what could be called radar signatures, are a part of two radar remote sensing research programs with which the author is affiliated. First, at the University of New South Wales, assessment of SIR-B data is being undertaken for a number of purposes including its value in arid land geomorphological and geological studies, forest and crop assessment, and mapping. A number of early results have been reported, however modelling aspects are still at an early stage. Secondly, the author recently spent 6 months working on SIR-B invertible forest canopy modelling in the Department of Geography at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Results from this work are outlined

The Effect of X-Rays on the Rate of Cell Division in the Early Cleavage of Planorbis

Waller Creek Working Grou

Multi-wavelength Observations of Blazar AO 0235+164 in the 2008-2009 Flaring State

The blazar AO 0235+164 (z = 0.94) has been one of the most active objects observed by Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) since its launch in Summer 2008. In addition to the continuous coverage by Fermi, contemporaneous observations were carried out from the radio to γ-ray bands between 2008 September and 2009 February. In this paper, we summarize the rich multi-wavelength data collected during the campaign (including F-GAMMA, GASP-WEBT, Kanata, OVRO, RXTE, SMARTS, Swift, and other instruments), examine the cross-correlation between the light curves measured in the different energy bands, and interpret the resulting spectral energy distributions in the context of well-known blazar emission models. We find that the γ-ray activity is well correlated with a series of near-IR/optical flares, accompanied by an increase in the optical polarization degree. On the other hand, the X-ray light curve shows a distinct 20 day high state of unusually soft spectrum, which does not match the extrapolation of the optical/UV synchrotron spectrum. We tentatively interpret this feature as the bulk Compton emission by cold electrons contained in the jet, which requires an accretion disk corona with an effective covering factor of 19% at a distance of 100 R_g. We model the broadband spectra with a leptonic model with external radiation dominated by the infrared emission from the dusty torus

A Radio Perspective on Star-Formation in Distant Galaxies

Determination of the epoch dependent star-formation rate of field galaxies is one of the principal goals of modern observational cosmology. Deep radio surveys, sensitive to starbursts out to $z \sim$ 1-2, may hold the key to understanding the evolution of the starburst phenonemon unhindered by the effects of dust. Using deep, high resolution radio observations of the Hubble Deep Field, we show that the $\mu$Jy radio emission from field galaxies at $z\sim 0.4-1$ is primarily starburst in origin. In addition, we have discovered a population of optically faint, possibly obscured systems that are candidate high-$z$ protogalaxies. At least one of these radio sources is identified with a sub-mm detection.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figs., paper presented at Maryland October Astrophysics Conference, 'Before the Dark Ages: When the Galaxies were Young