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The Syrian Orthodox (Suryoye) form a Christian community that has maintained its identity, traditions and use of Aramaic language since the earliest days of Christianity. Their current linguistic culture is characterized by both diglossia consisting of a liturgical written Aramaic (Kthobonoyo or Classical Syriac) and a non-standardized colloquial language (Turoyo or Surayt). Within the past several decades, the Suryoye have recognized that their colloquial language is dwindling, particularly the transmission to the younger generations. The language endangerment corresponds to the dispersion of the people from the homelands to the countries of a world-wide diaspora. Disparate individuals and groups of Suryoye, taking this into account, have begun to take action to reverse the trend of gradual language loss. The Suryoye who are making the efforts to maintain/reinvigorate the colloquial language or even revive the liturgical language as a spoken variety face multiple challenges. On one hand they deal with religious and political oppression in their homelands, including limited educational and professional opportunities for youth. On the other, they confront demands to assimilate to other cultures and especially languages in the diaspora. Additionally, the Suryoye struggle with ideological divisions within the community. The community members do not share a united narrative about their origin in space and time, their history, or who is a member of their ethnic group. On the level of language policy, they do not share values about the place of the liturgical and colloquial languages within their linguistic culture nor on how to transmit language to the youth. Debates on appropriate orthography, use of ‘foreign’ words, validity of neologisms, dialectal differences and pedagogical strategies create energy towards progress in language rejuvenation, but also sometimes hamper collaboration on language projects. This dissertation consists of a compilation of voices of Suryoye

This paper describes the Detection of Threat Behavior (DTB) project, a joint effort being conducted by George Mason University (GMU) and Information Extraction and Transport, Inc. (IET). DTB uses novel approaches for detecting insiders in tightly controlled computing environments. Innovations include a distributed system of dynamically generated document-centric intelligent agents for document control, object-oriented hybrid logic-based and probabilistic modeling to characterize and detect illicit insider behaviors, and automated data collection and data mining of the operational environment to continually learn and update the underlying statistical and probabilistic nature of characteristic behaviors. To evaluate the DTB concept, the authors are conducting a human subjects experiment, which they also will include in their discussion., Prepared in cooperation with Information Extraction and Transport, Inc., Arlington, VA. Sponsored in part by the U.S. Navy.

This report addresses the functional performance task of classifying terrain according to its degree of (un)suitability for the performance of a given activity (e.g.,locomoting, shooting) by a given military unit/vehicle, under given tactical conditions (e.g., proximity/location/type of enemy forces, susceptibility to enemy intelligence collection assets, weather). Such a terrain modeling/reasoning capability serves as foundational infrastructure for battlespace reasoning applications including information fusion, planning, and simulation applications. The goal of this work was to exploit the Knowledge Representation and Reasoning (KR&R) tools in a synergistic architecture with logical reasoning capabilities, and develop a proof of concept prototype terrain suitability knowledge base., Sponsored in part by DARPA. The original document contains color images.

On 1 February 1990, the Epidemiology Division began the first phase of a reference laboratory automation project aimed at improving clinical laboratory support while improving efficiency and lowering costs. Thirty sites, representing a cross section of Continental United States (CONUS) medical treatment facilities (MTFs), were selected as 1-year test sites for the initial evaluation of the project. These sites were equipped with printers and modems which were electronically connected to the Epidemiology Division laboratory for rapid result reporting. In addition, these MTFs were provided with courier service for overnight specimen delivery. By the end of the test period, the project has proven to be highly effective and has significantly improved laboratory support to facilities served.

Capoeira could be defined as a Brazilian martial art and game to be played. This research explored how capoeira play might be considered to facilitate connectedness amongst newly-recruited persons, plus any other ramifications of capoeira involvement. A beginners' course of capoeira was provided to participants, free of charge, in an English city in the West Midlands — new capoeiristas in a new venue for capoeira. Researchers attended classes to collect/construct overt non-participant observation data. In addition, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with the new capoeiristas post-course. This article explores researchers' observation fieldnotes and interviewees' narratives. These qualitative data-driven debates include the concepts: self, identity, escapism, multiparty endeavour, community, temporality, enjoyment, and transcending boundaries. Capoeira is theorised in a fresh manner that highlights social benefits of capoeira – for example as an enjoyable and supportive group endeavour which includes elements of social play and community-building – plus benefits for self that can transcend the boundaries of the class. Findings highlight how capoeira can be considered an inherently multiparty endeavour whereby social actors form, and experience, a community in order to embrace capoeira play. Data suggest capoeira can facilitate group playfulness, joviality, and laughter. Further, capoeiristas can enact and experience – some mode of – escapism via capoeira, whereby new place and pursuit can facilitate hedonistic diversion from the mundane. Capoeira appears to provide adventure and liberation into a relatively unburdened part of, or place in, social life. Corporeal and discursive boundary-empowerment can also be experienced by capoeiristas, fostering positive identity work in the wider world. Capoeira can be argued to facilitate mutuality (e.g., community experience and group work) and egoism (e.g., an individual’s identity work) concurrently. This research sugg

Capoeira could be defined as a Brazilian martial art and game to be played. This research explored how capoeira play might be considered to facilitate connectedness amongst newly-recruited persons, plus any other ramifications of capoeira involvement. A beginners' course of capoeira was provided to participants, free of charge, in an English city in the West Midlands — new capoeiristas in a new venue for capoeira. Researchers attended classes to collect/construct overt non-participant observation data. In addition, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with the new capoeiristas post-course. This article explores researchers' observation fieldnotes and interviewees' narratives. These qualitative data-driven debates include the concepts: self, identity, escapism, multiparty endeavour, community, temporality, enjoyment, and transcending boundaries. Capoeira is theorised in a fresh manner that highlights social benefits of capoeira – for example as an enjoyable and supportive group endeavour which includes elements of social play and community-building – plus benefits for self that can transcend the boundaries of the class. Findings highlight how capoeira can be considered an inherently multiparty endeavour whereby social actors form, and experience, a community in order to embrace capoeira play. Data suggest capoeira can facilitate group playfulness, joviality, and laughter. Further, capoeiristas can enact and experience – some mode of – escapism via capoeira, whereby new place and pursuit can facilitate hedonistic diversion from the mundane. Capoeira appears to provide adventure and liberation into a relatively unburdened part of, or place in, social life. Corporeal and discursive boundary-empowerment can also be experienced by capoeiristas, fostering positive identity work in the wider world. Capoeira can be argued to facilitate mutuality (e.g., community experience and group work) and egoism (e.g., an individual’s identity work) concurrently. This research sugg

Capoeira could be defined as a Brazilian martial art and game to be played. This research explored how capoeira play might be considered to facilitate connectedness amongst newly-recruited persons, plus any other ramifications of capoeira involvement. A beginners' course of capoeira was provided to participants, free of charge, in an English city in the West Midlands — new capoeiristas in a new venue for capoeira. Researchers attended classes to collect/construct overt non-participant observation data. In addition, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with the new capoeiristas post-course. This article explores researchers' observation fieldnotes and interviewees' narratives. These qualitative data-driven debates include the concepts: self, identity, escapism, multiparty endeavour, community, temporality, enjoyment, and transcending boundaries. Capoeira is theorised in a fresh manner that highlights social benefits of capoeira – for example as an enjoyable and supportive group endeavour which includes elements of social play and community-building – plus benefits for self that can transcend the boundaries of the class. Findings highlight how capoeira can be considered an inherently multiparty endeavour whereby social actors form, and experience, a community in order to embrace capoeira play. Data suggest capoeira can facilitate group playfulness, joviality, and laughter. Further, capoeiristas can enact and experience – some mode of – escapism via capoeira, whereby new place and pursuit can facilitate hedonistic diversion from the mundane. Capoeira appears to provide adventure and liberation into a relatively unburdened part of, or place in, social life. Corporeal and discursive boundary-empowerment can also be experienced by capoeiristas, fostering positive identity work in the wider world. Capoeira can be argued to facilitate mutuality (e.g., community experience and group work) and egoism (e.g., an individual’s identity work) concurrently. This research sugg

Capoeira could be defined as a Brazilian martial art and game to be played. This research explored how capoeira play might be considered to facilitate connectedness amongst newly-recruited persons, plus any other ramifications of capoeira involvement. A beginners' course of capoeira was provided to participants, free of charge, in an English city in the West Midlands — new capoeiristas in a new venue for capoeira. Researchers attended classes to collect/construct overt non-participant observation data. In addition, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with the new capoeiristas post-course. This article explores researchers' observation fieldnotes and interviewees' narratives. These qualitative data-driven debates include the concepts: self, identity, escapism, multiparty endeavour, community, temporality, enjoyment, and transcending boundaries. Capoeira is theorised in a fresh manner that highlights social benefits of capoeira – for example as an enjoyable and supportive group endeavour which includes elements of social play and community-building – plus benefits for self that can transcend the boundaries of the class. Findings highlight how capoeira can be considered an inherently multiparty endeavour whereby social actors form, and experience, a community in order to embrace capoeira play. Data suggest capoeira can facilitate group playfulness, joviality, and laughter. Further, capoeiristas can enact and experience – some mode of – escapism via capoeira, whereby new place and pursuit can facilitate hedonistic diversion from the mundane. Capoeira appears to provide adventure and liberation into a relatively unburdened part of, or place in, social life. Corporeal and discursive boundary-empowerment can also be experienced by capoeiristas, fostering positive identity work in the wider world. Capoeira can be argued to facilitate mutuality (e.g., community experience and group work) and egoism (e.g., an individual’s identity work) concurrently. This research sugg

Capoeira could be defined as a Brazilian martial art and game to be played. This research explored how capoeira play might be considered to facilitate connectedness amongst newly-recruited persons, plus any other ramifications of capoeira involvement. A beginners' course of capoeira was provided to participants, free of charge, in an English city in the West Midlands — new capoeiristas in a new venue for capoeira. Researchers attended classes to collect/construct overt non-participant observation data. In addition, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with the new capoeiristas post-course. This article explores researchers' observation fieldnotes and interviewees' narratives. These qualitative data-driven debates include the concepts: self, identity, escapism, multiparty endeavour, community, temporality, enjoyment, and transcending boundaries. Capoeira is theorised in a fresh manner that highlights social benefits of capoeira – for example as an enjoyable and supportive group endeavour which includes elements of social play and community-building – plus benefits for self that can transcend the boundaries of the class. Findings highlight how capoeira can be considered an inherently multiparty endeavour whereby social actors form, and experience, a community in order to embrace capoeira play. Data suggest capoeira can facilitate group playfulness, joviality, and laughter. Further, capoeiristas can enact and experience – some mode of – escapism via capoeira, whereby new place and pursuit can facilitate hedonistic diversion from the mundane. Capoeira appears to provide adventure and liberation into a relatively unburdened part of, or place in, social life. Corporeal and discursive boundary-empowerment can also be experienced by capoeiristas, fostering positive identity work in the wider world. Capoeira can be argued to facilitate mutuality (e.g., community experience and group work) and egoism (e.g., an individual’s identity work) concurrently. This research sugg