Antitrust, the Gig Economy, and Labor Market Power

The purpose of the current study was to develop and validate an automatic algorithm for classification of cross-country (XC) ski-skating gears (G) using Smartphone accelerometer data. Eleven XC skiers (seven men, four women) with regional-to-international levels of performance carried out roller skiing trials on a treadmill using fixed gears (G2left, G2right, G3, G4left, G4right) and a 950-m trial using different speeds and inclines, applying gears and sides as they normally would. Gear classification by the Smartphone (on the chest) and based on video recordings were compared. Formachine-learning, a collective database was compared to individual data. The Smartphone application identified the trials with fixed gears correctly in all cases. In the 950-m trial, participants executed 140 ± 22 cycles as assessed by video analysis, with the automatic Smartphone application giving a similar value. Based on collective data, gears were identified correctly 86.0% ± 8.9% of the time, a value that rose to 90.3% ± 4.1% (P < 0.01) with machine learning from individual data. Classification was most often incorrect during transition between gears, especially to or from G3. Identification was most often correct for skiers who made relatively few transitions between gears. The accuracy of the automatic procedure for identifying G2left, G2right, G3, G4left and G4right was 96%, 90%, 81%, 88% and 94%, respectively. The algorithm identified gears correctly 100% of the time when a single gear was used and 90% of the time when different gears were employed during a variable protocol. This algorithm could be improved with respect to identification of transitions between gears or the side employed within a given gear

Questions, Answers, Polarity and Head Movement in Germanic and Finnish

The paper investigates the consequences of combining the following two assumptions: (a) The English negation n’t is an inflection, and (b) suffixed forms are derived in the syntax by head movement with left-adjunction. An immediate consequence is that Neg must c-command T. This entails that inversion in negative yes/no-questions (YNQs) is not T-to-C but Neg-to-C, or, if Neg is Pol(arity) with negative value, Pol-to-C. This in turn makes possible viewing inversion in YNQs as a special case of wh-movement. It also makes possible analyzing inversion in Germanic as essentially the same as in Finnish, where the negation overtly undergoes movement in negative YNQs. It also provides the basis for a theory of the syntax of replies toYNQs, including negative questions

The “When” and the “What”: Effects of Self-Control of Feedback about Multiple Critical Movement Features on Motor Performance and Learning

The effect of allowing learners to control selected aspect(s) of their learning environment (e.g., augmented feedback) has been shown to be beneficial during skill acquisition. Although Chiviacowsky and Wulf (2002, 2005) indicated that learners in a self-control protocol preferred feedback after so-called good performances rather than bad ones, Aiken, Fairbrother, & Post (2012) found no such preference in learners using video knowledge of performance (KP) for a basketball set shot. Laughlin (2012) reported that participants given self-control over four different types of instructional assistance displayed individualized request patterns tied to task proficiency and personal preferences. For example, learners’ requests for knowledge of results (KR) increased throughout acquisition while those for KP decreased. Together, Aiken et al. (2012) and Laughlin (2012) indicated that learner’s decisions about the timing and content of requested feedback are more complex than previously demonstrated. The purpose of this study was to examine feedback request behaviors and self-control effects in a protocol allowing learners to manage the provision of KP about four different critical features of a fairly complex task (ergometer rowing). The use of KP allowed an exploration of how learners’ feedback requests were tied to their success on each movement element and their perceptions of proficiency. The inclusion of a yoked control group extended Laughlin’s design to test whether or not a self-control benefit would be seen in a protocol that placed a relatively high information-management burden on the participants. Results revealed that the Self-Control (SC) group achieved significantly higher mean form scores during acquisition and retention, and also significantly lower heart rate during retention compared to the yoked (YK) group. Additionally, responses to a post-practice interview showed that SC participants’ requests for KP followed both good and bad trials, and were used for both error correction and confirmation of success. These findings indicated that self-control of KP for multiple critical features benefits learning of a complex task. The pattern of KP requests indicated that participants generally focused on the easier critical features early in practice. Moreover, participants used KP more for correction early, but increased its use for success confirmation as they gained proficiency

MYRIAD: A new N-body code for simulations of Star Clusters

We present a new C++ code for collisional N-body simulations of star clusters. The code uses the Hermite fourth-order scheme with block time steps, for advancing the particles in time, while the forces and neighboring particles are computed using the GRAPE-6 board. Special treatment is used for close encounters, binary and multiple sub-systems that either form dynamically or exist in the initial configuration. The structure of the code is modular and allows the appropriate treatment of more physical phenomena, such as stellar and binary evolution, stellar collisions and evolution of close black-hole binaries. Moreover, it can be easily modified so that the part of the code that uses GRAPE-6, could be replaced by another module that uses other accelerating-hardware like the Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). Appropriate choice of the free parameters give a good accuracy and speed for simulations of star clusters up to and beyond core collapse. Simulations of Plummer models consisting of equal-mass stars reached core collapse at t~17 half-mass relaxation times, which compares very well with existing results, while the cumulative relative error in the energy remained below 0.001. Also, comparisons with published results of other codes for the time of core collapse for different initial conditions, show excellent agreement. Simulations of King models with an initial mass-function, similar to those found in the literature, reached core collapse at t~0.17, which is slightly smaller than the expected result from previous works. Finally, the code accuracy becomes comparable and even better than the accuracy of existing codes, when a number of close binary systems is dynamically created in a simulation. This is due to the high accuracy of the method that is used for close binary and multiple sub-systems.Comment: 24 pages, 29 figures, accepted for publication to Astronomy & Astrophysic

Primary care consultation, hospital admission, sick leave and disability pension owing to neck and low back pain: a 12-year prospective cohort study in a rural population

BACKGROUND: Neck and low back pain are common musculoskeletal complaints generating large societal costs in Western populations. In this study we evaluate the magnitude of long-term health outcomes for neck and low back pain, taking possible confounders into account. METHOD: A cohort of 2,351 Swedish male farmers and rural non-farmers (40–60 years old) was established in 1989. In the first survey, conducted in 1990–91, 1,782 men participated. A 12-year follow-up survey was made in 2002–03 and 1,405 men participated at both times. After exclusion of 58 individuals reporting a specific back diagnosis in 1990–91, the study cohort encompassed 1,347 men. The health outcomes primary care consultation, hospital admission, sick leave and disability pension were assessed in structured interviews in 2002–03 (survey 2). Symptoms and potential confounders were assessed at survey 1, with the exception of rating of depression and anxiety, which was assessed at survey 2. Multiple logistic regression generating odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) was performed to adjust the associations between reported symptoms and health outcomes for potential confounders (age, farming, workload, education, demand and control at work, body mass index, smoking, snuff use, alcohol consumption, psychiatric symptoms and specific back diagnoses during follow up). RESULTS: Of the 836 men reporting current neck and/or low back pain at survey 1, 21% had had at least one primary care consultation for neck or low back problems, 7% had been on sick leave and 4% had disability pension owing to the condition during the 12 year follow up. Current neck and/or low back pain at survey 1 predicted primary care consultations (OR = 4.10, 95% CI 2.24–7.49) and sick leave (OR = 3.22, 95% CI 1.13–9.22) after potential confounders were considered. Lower education and more psychiatric symptoms were independently related to sick leave. Lower education and snuff use independently predicted disability pension. CONCLUSION: Few individuals with neck or low back pain were on sick leave or were granted a disability pension owing to neck or low back problems during 12 years of follow up. Symptoms at baseline independently predicted health outcomes. Educational level and symptoms of depression/anxiety were important modifiers

Grundtvig som kontextuell teolog

Grundtvig as a Contextual TheologianBy Anders HolmbergA comparison between Swedish and Danish theology and church life makes it clear that Grundtvig has affected Denmark in a way that has no immediate parallel in Sweden. The point of departure for Holmberg’s study is the assumption that this is due to the unique concord between Grundtvig’s theology and the Danish society in the 19th century. This concord is illustrated by the inclusion of the concept of »contextual theology« which has played an importantrole in the Swedish theological scholarship of recent years, owing to the Anglo-Saxon influence on Swedish theology. The concept of contextual theology is explained on the basis of the American theologian Stephen B. Bevans’s discussion of the concept. With this approach Holmberg wants to throw light on Grundtvig’s theological method rather than his final result. Thus, the goal is to be able to answer the question whether Grundtvig’s theology can be described as a contextual theology. For this purpose, one of Grundtvig’s principal works, Den christelige B.rnel.rdom (Elemental Christian Teaching) is used.In his account of contextual theology Bevans distinguishes between five different methods, all of them serving to illuminate the relationship between Christian faith and the surrounding contemporary culture. The terms he uses for these methods are 1) the translation model, 2) the anthropological model, 3) the practise model, 4) the synthesis model, and 5) the transcendental model.Holmberg believes that elements of Grundtvig’s theology can be elucidated on the basis of all five methods, but concludes that especially the anthropological and the transcendental models harmonize with Grundtvig’s theology.The anthropological model assumes that the revelation of God takes place spontaneously in culture. It is not possible to distinguish between the Christian identity and culture since faith finds its true expression in man’s own language and culture. This is reminiscent of Grundtvig’s ideas about Christianity and folk culture, even though, with his emphasis on the Apostolic Creed as the foundation of Christianity, Grundtvig defines the identity of the Christian faith with greater precision than is the case with the anthropological model. Compared with that model, Grundtvig is also more firmly attached to the Christian tradition than to contemporary culture. The fact that Danish culture was completely saturated with Christian faith at the time of Grundtvig finds expression in his ideas about the interaction of Christianity and folk culture. This is in keeping with the anthropological model.The transcendental model operates with an individual believer as its starting- point, since it explains how this individual’s religious experience is expressed authentically through actual cultural conditions. In continuation of Svend Bjerg’s research, Holmberg maintains that Grundtvig’s theology is based precisely on the experiences of his own life, and that consequently his theology has since been able to lead to similar life experiences.On the background of his analyses Holmberg concludes that it is possible to regard Grundtvig as a contextual theologian. Continuing this line of thought, he points out that it is difficult in our time to make direct use of Grundtvig’s theological thinking in an attempt to formulate the Christian faith in a present-day Nordic context. It is, however, quite possible to learn from Grundtvig’s working method

Paramedics’ attitudes toward elderly patients’ self-determination in emergency assignments : a US context

Purpose: With aging, the risk of requiring emergency care increases. Elderly patients who need Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are often vulnerable and dependent, especially when their decision-making ability is reduced, which may intensify the risk of important ethical values being violated. Studies about paramedics’ views on elderly people’s self-determination within EMS settings are scarce. The aim of this study was to explore the attitudes and perceptions of paramedics in a US context regarding self-determination in elderly patients who need emergency care provided by EMS. Design/methodology/approach: The study had an exploratory design, and data were collected using a Delphi technique. A panel of experts consisting of US paramedics was recruited to answer a questionnaire sent out in three rounds. The questionnaire comprised 108 items, derived from a Swedish study on the same topic, rated with a five-point Likert scale ranging from agree to disagree with a predetermined consensus level of 70%. Findings: In total 21 experts agreed to participate, 15 completed all three rounds, leaving a total response rate of 71%. Finally, 87 out of 108 items reached consensus, of which 60 were “agree” and 27 were “disagree.” Originality/value: The paramedic–patient relationship is a core in assessing and handling ethical challenges within an advanced practice influenced by the paramedics’ educational level and/or the patient’s physical/mental status. Within a “find it fix it” modus operandi, there is a need to increase paramedics’ competence in understanding and handling advanced ethical challenges in relation to ethical values such as autonomy and self-determination in elderly patients