Howzat? The Financial Health of English Cricket: Not Out, Yet

In 1997 a review of the financial health of English county cricket highlighted strategic weaknesses within the professional game, principally an over-reliance by clubs on the annual grants provided to them by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Without such grants the teams, in general terms, would be insolvent. Using the financial statements of the First Class Cricket Counties, this paper explores how the financial position and performance of the county game has changed, 20 years on from the seminal study. A series of structural changes to the game had been made, yet financial problems are still evident. Counties are as reliant on central grant income as they were in 1997, although there are cases where clubs have made strategic enhancements and are becoming self-sustainable as going concerns. Rather than the ECB directly funding county revenue it should be working in collaboration with individual clubs to achieve developments in the game from the grassroots upwards, in order to help clubs grow their own revenue streams.</jats:p

Effect of ontogenetic increases in body size on burst swimming performance in tadpoles of the striped marsh frog, Limnodynastes peronii

The effect of ontogenetic increases in total length on burst swimming performance was investigated in tadpoles of the striped marsh frog (Limnodynastes peronii) over the total-length range of 1.5-4 cm and Gosner developmental stages 25-38. The burst swimming performance of tadpoles at 10 degrees and 24 degrees C was determined by videotaping startle responses with a highspeed video camera at 200 Hz and analysing the sequences frame by frame. Maximum swimming velocity (U-max) and acceleration (A(max)) increased with total length (L) at a rate that was proportionally greater than the increase in total length (i.e., positive allometry; exponents >1) and was described by the allometric equations U-max = 0.061L(1.34) and A(max) =1.15L(1.11) at 10 degrees C and U-max = 0.114L(1.34) and A(max) = 1.54L(1.11) at 24 degrees C. Stride length increased with a total-length exponent of approximately 1 bur was unaffected by temperature. Tail-beat frequency was not affected by total length and increased from 7.8 +/- 0.2 Hz at 10 degrees C to 21.7 +/- 0.7 Hz at 24 degrees C. Developmental stage did not significantly influence the relationship between total length and U-max or A(max). Furthermore, temperature and the associated changes in water viscosity did not affect the relationship between total length and burst swimming performance. At their U-max, Reynolds numbers ranged from approximately 1,500 in the smaller tadpoles up to 50,000 for the larger animals at 24 degrees C We suggest the positive allometry of U-max in larval L. peronii was due in part to the increases in tail width (TW) with total length (TW= -1.36(1.66)), possibly reflecting the increasing importance of burst swimming performance to survival during larval development

Office workers, business elites and the disappearance of the 'ladder of success' in Edwardian Glasgow

Examines the transformation of office work at the turn of the 20th century by showing how a change in the demographics of the British business class in Glasgow, Scotland. Aspirations of men entering clerical work at the end of the 19th century; Relationship between successful careers and starts in clerical work at the turn of the century; Rewards of independent business

Implementation science: a reappraisal of our journal mission and scope.

The implementation of research findings into healthcare practice has become increasingly recognised as a major priority for researchers, service providers, research funders and policymakers over the past decade. Nine years after its establishment, Implementation Science, an international online open access journal, currently publishes over 150 articles each year. This is fewer than 30% of those submitted for publication. The majority of manuscript rejections occur at the point of initial editorial screening, frequently because we judge them to fall outside of journal scope. There are a number of common reasons as to why manuscripts are rejected on grounds of scope. Furthermore, as the field of implementation research has evolved and our journal submissions have risen, we have, out of necessity, had to become more selective in what we publish. We have also expanded our scope, particularly around patient-mediated and population health interventions, and will monitor the impact of such changes. We hope this editorial on our evolving priorities and common reasons for rejection without peer review will help authors to better judge the relevance of their papers to Implementation Science

Drivers of declining CO2 emissions in 18 developed economies

Global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) from fossil fuels and industry increased by 2.2% per year on average between 2005 and 2015 1 . Global emissions need to peak and decline rapidly to limit climate change to well below 2 °C of warming 2,3 , which is one of the goals of the Paris Agreement 4 . Untangling the reasons underlying recent changes in emissions trajectories is critical to guide efforts to attain those goals. Here we analyse the drivers of decreasing CO 2 emissions in a group of 18 developed economies that have decarbonized over the period 2005–2015. We show that within this group, the displacement of fossil fuels by renewable energy and decreases in energy use explain decreasing CO 2 emissions. However, the decrease in energy use can be explained at least in part by a lower growth in gross domestic product. Correlation analysis suggests that policies on renewable energy are supporting emissions reductions and displacing fossil fuels in these 18 countries, but not elsewhere, and that policies on energy efficiency are supporting lower energy use in these 18 countries, as well as more widely. Overall, the evidence shows that efforts to reduce emissions are underway in many countries, but these efforts need to be maintained and enhanced by more stringent policy actions to support a global peak in emissions followed by global emissions reductions in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement 3

The Longer-Term Effects of Management-Led Buy-Outs

There is now extensive evidence on short-term performance improvements in buy-outs, but little relating to the longer-term. This paper examines the relatively neglected area of the longevity and longer-term effects of smaller buy-outs. In terms of longevity, the evidence presented shows that the majority remain as independent buy-outs for at least eight years after the transaction, and that entrepreneurial actions concerning both restructuring and product innovation are important parts of entrepreneurs\u27 strategies over a ten year period or more. For the first time, the paper also provides an analysis of the financial performance and productivity of a large sample of buy-outs and non-buyouts. It shows that on a variety of financial ratios buy-outs significantly outperform a matched sample of non-buy-outs, especially from year 3 onwards. Analysis of post buyout efficiency of survivor buy-outs, using regression analysis to estimate augmented Cobb-Douglas production functions, shows that buy-outs are superior to matched nonbuy-outs with a productivity differential of the order of 9% on average from year t+2 onwards. The evidence of superior longer term performance suggests that venture capitalists may need to consider their investment perspectives carefully, particularly in respect of exit versus second round investment. For financiers it is clear that the buy-out concept can be successfully applied to growth as well as restructuring cases

Radiation pressure-driven plasma surface dynamics in ultra-intense laser pulse interactions with ultra-thin foils

The dynamics of the plasma critical density surface in an ultra-thin foil target irradiated by an ultra-intense ( ∼ 6 × 1020 Wcm−2 ) laser pulse is investigated experimentally and via 2D particle-in- cell simulations. Changes to the surface motion are diagnosed as a function of foil thickness. The experimental and numerical results are compared with hole-boring and light-sail models of radi- ation pressure acceleration, to identify the foil thickness range for which each model accounts for the measured surface motion. Both the experimental and numerical results show that the onset of relativistic self-induced transparency, in the thinnest targets investigated, limits the velocity of the critical surface, and thus the e ff ectiveness of radiation pressure acceleration

Towards a Ludic Ecology: Popular Participatory Peripatetic Performance

This practice-as-research project investigates the interrelations between performance, playfulness, and ecology, highlighting these as constituting an important nexus of study in the current ecological context. I explore ways of performatively facilitating ludic interactions between people and their environments, investigate what benefits might accrue from doing so, examine the structure and significance of these interactions, and consider the role of performance training in their facilitation. Conducting practice-as-research ‘in the wild’ (cf. Hutchins, 1995) provides a unique and valuable perspective from which to interrogate current and historical thinking regarding play. The rigorous supporting rationale provided suggests potential areas of impact and value for the practice beyond the performances themselves. The qualitative evidence presented supports my argument that ludic (playful) performance can positively recalibrate participants’ environmental attitudes and relations. In order to conduct this practical inquiry, I reflexively develop an original methodology: Popular Participatory Peripatetic Performance, or 4P for short. I fully integrate playfulness into three replicable models of practice, derived from 4P, each employing a different modality of peripatetic performance. They are: Perplexpedition – an intervention in public space; Wandercast – an audio-walk podcast; and Spinstallation – a performance workshop. Each of these forms a dynamic and responsive live artwork, enacted and documented in numerous iterations, which allows for reflexive development of the models themselves as well as the overarching 4P methodology; each constitutes research process and outcome. My aim in devising this tripartite approach has been to achieve significant comprehensiveness and also to render the project accessible and attractive to as wide a variety of participants as possible, thereby maximising its validity and the generalisability of its findings. Ecology is formulated here in line with Gregory Bateson’s “ecology of mind” ([1972] 2000: xxiii), which seeks a holistic understanding of living systems through the recognition of far-reaching patterns and formal regularities. This project builds upon Bateson’s notion that play constitutes one such pattern to develop the conceptual framework and practical approach that I term ludic ecology. I also employ James J. Gibson’s (1979) concept of affordance and draw on Baz Kershaw’s (2007) ecological approach to performance studies, using them interdependently to structure and support this project from both practical and theoretical perspectives. This project contributes primarily to three fields: ecological performance, through an original methodology and modes of practice; practice-as-research, through a novel theoretical stance and documentation techniques; and play-studies, by refining a distinction between play and playfulness and elucidating their philosophical status. This writing aims to clarify these contributions and thus position the project as “praxis” not only as “theory imbricated within practice” (Nelson, 2013: 5), but also practice imbricated within theory