The internet and public–private governance in the European Union

The EU plays a significant role in public policy aspects of Internet governance, having created in the late 1990s the dot eu Internet Top Level Domain (TLD). This enables users to register names under a European online address label. This paper explores key public policy issues in the emergent governance system for dot eu, because it provides an interesting case of new European transnational private governance. Specifically, dot eu governance is a reconciliation resulting from a governance cultural clash between the European regulatory state and what can be described broadly as the Internet community. The EU has customised the governance of dot eu towards a public–private dispersed agencification model. The paper extends the evidence base on agencification within trans-European regulatory networks and the emergence of private transnational network governance characterised by self-regulation

Multiple litters in the California ground squirrel, Spermophilus beecheyi fisheri, in Tulare County

From the fall of 1977 through late spring of 1979, periodic examination of female ground squirrels in the low oak woodlands of southern Tulare County revealed that as much as 20 percent of the reproductively active females bred a second time within a given breeding season. This began to occur 50 to 80 days after the beginning of the breeding season. Evidence of litter loss from abortion was inapparent in 1979, but grossly obvious uterine inflammation was seen in 2 percent of the females in 1978. Neonatal losses were undetermined. Rebreeding appeared to occur in the older females, 2 years and older, and considering that older females probably constitute 35 percent of the breeding females, 20 percent breed-back would seem to be quite significant

Vocational training and knowledge development:a deeper understanding

Construction management research literature has identified the importance of understanding the practical realities of skills and training provision and the role of reflective practice in the development of knowledge. This paper examines vocational training of experienced site staff in the development of their knowledge through SVQ training to investigate the primary factors for successful learning in site-based construction staff with a supervisory/management role. Using semi-structured interviews the impact of vocational training on individual candidates and other sitebased staff are investigated. The paper explores, through the reflections of 26 SVQ candidates (20 SVQ3 and 6 SVQ4), a deeper understanding of how site supervisors and site managers learn through the SVQ process and develop tacit knowledge through formal reflection. Reflective practice develops practical wisdom (Phronesis). The investigation explains aspects of practical wisdom and how knowledge, practice and skills are developed through vocational training. There is a clear perception by those completing the qualification that it has enabled them to perform their job better identifying numerous examples relating to problem solving, critical thinking, making decisions and leadership. It has been found that Phronesis is evident on a day-to-day basis on site activities developed through reflective practice in personal development. The reflective practice in developing knowledge also builds, within individuals, a better understanding of themselves and their capabilities through the learning achieved in the SVQ. Future work is identified around analysing the role of the assessor in facilitating Phronesis in the SVQ context

Inactivation of a CRF-dependent amygdalofugal pathway reverses addiction-like behaviors in alcohol-dependent rats.

The activation of a neuronal ensemble in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) during alcohol withdrawal has been hypothesized to induce high levels of alcohol drinking in dependent rats. In the present study we describe that the CeA neuronal ensemble that is activated by withdrawal from chronic alcohol exposure contains ~80% corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) neurons and that the optogenetic inactivation of these CeA CRF+ neurons prevents recruitment of the neuronal ensemble, decreases the escalation of alcohol drinking, and decreases the intensity of somatic signs of withdrawal. Optogenetic dissection of the downstream neuronal pathways demonstrates that the reversal of addiction-like behaviors is observed after the inhibition of CeA CRF projections to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and that inhibition of the CRFCeA-BNST pathway is mediated by inhibition of the CRF-CRF1 system and inhibition of BNST cell firing. These results suggest that the CRFCeA-BNST pathway could be targeted for the treatment of excessive drinking in alcohol use disorder

Poor choices: the limits of competitive markets in the provision of essential services to low-income consumers

A major study of the problems faced by the poor in the market for seven essential services in the UK - energy, food, housing, water, telecoms, transport, and financial services. Together these represent 60% of spending by the poorest 30% of households

Eddy Current System for Detection of Cracking Beneath Braiding in Corrugated Metal Hose

In this paper an eddy current system for the detection of partially-through-the-thickness cracks in corrugated metal hose is presented. Design criteria based upon the geometry and conductivity of the part are developed and applied to the fabrication of a prototype inspection system. Experimental data are used to highlight the capabilities of the system and an image processing technique is presented to improve flaw detection capabilities. A case study for detection of cracking damage in a space shuttle radiator retract flex hoses is also presented

Characterization of the brain functional architecture of psychostimulant withdrawal using single-cell whole brain imaging

Numerous brain regions have been identified as contributing to addiction-like behaviors, but unclear is the way in which these brain regions as a whole lead to addiction. The search for a final common brain pathway that is involved in addiction remains elusive. To address this question, we used male C57BL/6J mice and performed single-cell whole-brain imaging of neural activity during withdrawal from cocaine, methamphetamine, and nicotine. We used hierarchical clustering and graph theory to identify similarities and differences in brain functional architecture. Although methamphetamine and cocaine shared some network similarities, the main common neuroadaptation between these psychostimulant drugs was a dramatic decrease in modularity, with a shift from a cortical- to subcortical-driven network, including a decrease in total hub brain regions. These results demonstrate that psychostimulant withdrawal produces the drug-dependent remodeling of functional architecture of the brain and suggest that the decreased modularity of brain functional networks and not a specific set of brain regions may represent the final common pathway that leads to addiction

Examination of silver-graphite lithographically printed resistive strain sensors

This paper reports the design and manufacture of three differing types of resistive strain sensitive structures fabricated using the Conductive Lithographic Film (CLF) printing process. The structures, utilising two inks prepared with silver and graphite particulates as the conductive phase, have been analysed to determine electrical and mechanical properties with respect to strain, temperature and humidity when deposited on four alternative substrate materials (GlossArt, PolyArt, Teslin and Melinex)

High-Resolution Near-Infrared Imaging of the Powerful Radio Galaxy 3C 324 at z = 1.21 with the Subaru Telescope

We have obtained high-resolution K'-band images of the powerful z=1.206 radio galaxy 3C 324 with the Subaru telescope under seeing conditions of 0.3--0.4 arcsec. We clearly resolved the galaxy and directly compared it to the optical images obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope. The host galaxy of 3C 324 is revealed to be a moderately luminous elliptical galaxy with a smooth light profile. The effective radius of the galaxy, as determined by profile fitting, is 1.3+-0.1 arcsec (1.2 kpc), which is significantly smaller than the value of 2.2 arcsec, published in Best et al. (1998, MNRAS, 292, 758). The peak of the K'-band light coincides with the position of the radio core, which implies that the powerful AGN lies at the nucleus of the host galaxy. The peak also coincides with the gap in the optical knotty structures which may be a dust lane hiding the UV-optical emission of the AGN from our line of sight; it is very likely that we are seeing the obscuring structure almost edge-on. We clearly detected the `aligned component' in the K'-band image by subtracting a model elliptical galaxy from the observed image. The red R_F702W-K color of the outer region of the galaxy avoiding the aligned component indicates that the near infrared light of the host galaxy is dominated by an old stellar population.Comment: 21 pages (10 figures), accepted for publication in PAS

Subaru Observations for the K-band Luminosity Distribution of Galaxies in Clusters near to 3C 324 at z∼\sim1.2

We investigate the $K$-band luminosity distribution of galaxies in the region of clusters at $z\sim1.2$ near to the radio galaxy 3C 324. The imaging data were obtained during the commissioning period of the Subaru telescope. There is a significant excess of the surface number density of the galaxies with $K =$ 17--20 mag in the region within $\sim$ 40'' from 3C 324. At this bright end, the measured luminosity distribution shows a drop, which can be represented by the exponential cut off of the Schechter-function formula; the best-fitted value of the characteristic magnitude, $K^{*}$, is $\sim 18.4\pm0.8$. This measurement follows the evolutionary trend of the $K^*$ of the rich clusters observed at an intermediate redshift, which is consistent with passive evolution models with a formation redshift z_f \gtsim 2. At K \gtsim 20 mag, however, the excess of the galaxy surface density in the region of the clusters decreases abruptly, which may imply that the luminosity function of the cluster galaxies has a negative slope at the faint end. This may imply strong luminosity segregation between the inner and outer parts of the clusters, or some deficit of faint galaxies in the cluster central region of the cluster.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in PAS