Corruption and control: a corruption reduction approach

Published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/13590791211266377Purpose – Corruption is a significant financial crime which is estimated by the World Economic Forum to cost about 5 per cent of global GDP or $2.6 trillion dollars. Explanations of corruption, like explanations of crime, tend to focus on the individuals who commit corruption and the wider conditions which give rise to corrupt behaviour. Approaches designed to reduce corruption usually propose stiffer sanctions, institutional reforms and the passing of new laws. The purpose of this paper is to outline a complementary perspective with which to consider corruption. Design/methodology/approach – Grounded in situational crime prevention and related criminological theory, the paper argues that opportunities in the immediate environment play a causal role in generating corruption. It proposes that corruption can be minimised by removing or reducing opportunities which are conducive to corrupt behaviour. In total, five cases are chosen as illustrative examples of how situational crime prevention might usefully be applied to corruption, focussing on the Type, Activities, Sectors and Places (TASP) that comprise corruption events. Findings – A framework is developed for the empirical study of corruption in local settings. Originality/value – The paper explores how situational crime prevention can usefully inform the analysis and prevention of corruption

Corruption and control: A corruption reduction approach

Purpose - Corruption is a significant financial crime which is estimated by the World Economic Forum to cost about 5 per cent of global GDP or $2.6 trillion dollars. Explanations of corruption, like explanations of crime, tend to focus on the individual

AC and DC conductivity correlation: The coefficient of Barton--Nakajima--Namikawa relation

It has been some time since an empirical relation, which correlates DC with AC conductivity and contains a loosely defined coefficient thought to be of order one, was introduced by Barton, Nakajima and Namikawa. In this work, we derived this relation assuming that the conductive response consists of a superposition of DC conductivity and an AC conductivity term which materialized through a Havriliak--Negami dielectric function. The coefficient was found to depend on the Havriliak--Negami shape parameters as well as on the ratio of two characteristic time scales of ions motion which are related to ionic polarization mechanism and the onset of AC conductivity. The results are discussed in relation to other relevant publications and they also applied to a polymeric material. Both, theoretical predictions and experimental evaluations of the BNN coefficient are in an excellent agreement, while this coefficient shows a gradual reduction as the temperature increases.Comment: 15 pages plain latex2e, 5 eps figures (new figures added). In this revised version the manuscript has been rewritten extensively due to motivational comments and suggestions made by the referee. Accepted for publication by the Journal of Non--Crystalline Solid

Intermediate Phases, structural variance and network demixing in chalcogenides: the unusual case of group V sulfides

We review Intermediate Phases (IPs) in chalcogenide glasses and provide a structural interpretation of these phases. In binary group IV selenides, IPs reside in the 2.40 < r < 2.54 range, and in binary group V selenides they shift to a lower r, in the 2.29< r < 2.40 range. Here r represents the mean coordination number of glasses. In ternary alloys containing equal proportions of group IV and V selenides, IPs are wider and encompass ranges of respective binary glasses. These data suggest that the local structural variance contributing to IP widths largely derives from four isostatic local structures of varying connectivity r; two include group V based quasi-tetrahedral (r = 2.29) and pyramidal (r = 2.40) units, and the other two are group IV based corner-sharing (r = 2.40) and edge-sharing (r = 2.67) tetrahedral units. Remarkably, binary group V (P, As) sulfides exhibit IPs that are shifted to even a lower r than their selenide counterparts; a result that we trace to excess Sn chains either partially (As-S) or completely (P-S) demixing from network backbone, in contrast to excess Sen chains forming part of the backbone in corresponding selenide glasses. In ternary chalcogenides of Ge with the group V elements (As, P), IPs of the sulfides are similar to their selenide counterparts, suggesting that presence of Ge serves to reign in the excess Sn chain fragments back in the backbone as in their selenide counterparts

Metastability, Mode Coupling and the Glass Transition

Mode coupling theory (MCT) has been successful in explaining the observed sequence of time relaxations in dense fluids. Previous expositions of this theory showing this sequence have required the existence of an ideal glass transition temperature $T_0$. Recent experiments show no evidence of $T_0$. We show here how the theory can be reformulated, in a fundamental way, such that one retains this sequence of relaxation behaviors but with a smooth temperature dependence and without any indication of $T_0$. The key ingredient in the reformulation is the inclusion of the metastable nature of the glass transition problem through a coupling of the mass density to the defect density. A main result of our theory is that the exponents governing the sequence of time relaxations are weak functions of the temperature in contrast to the results from conventional MCT.Comment: 14 pages (2 figures upon request), REVTEX

A systematic review of tagging as a method to reduce theft in retail environments

Background: Retailers routinely use security tags to reduce theft. Presently, however, there has been no attempt to systematically review the literature on security tags. Guided by the acronym EMMIE, this paper set out to (1) examine the evidence that tags are effective at reducing theft, (2) identify the key mechanisms through which tags are expected to reduce theft and the conditions that moderate tag effectiveness, and (3) summarise information relevant to the implementation and economic costs of tagging. Methods: In this mixed-methods review, we performed systematic keyword searches of the published and unpublished literature, hand searched relevant journals, conducted forward and backward citation searches and consulted with four retailers. Studies were included if they reported an explicit goal of reducing the theft or shrinkage of items through the use of security tags in retail environments. Results: We identified 50 eligible studies, eight of which reported quantitative data on the effectiveness of tags in retail environments. Across these eight studies, five showed positive results associated with the introduction of tags, but heterogeneity in the type of tag and reported outcome measures precluded a meta-analysis. We identified three mechanisms through which tags might plausibly reduce theft-increase the risks, reduce the rewards, increase the effort-which were found to vary by tag type, and their activation dependent on five broad categories of moderator: retail store and staff, customers (including shoplifters), tag type, product type, and the involvement of the police and criminal justice system. Implementation challenges documented in the literature related mainly to staffing issues and tagging strategy. Finally, although estimates are available on the costs of tagging, our searches identified no highquality published economic evaluations of tagging. Conclusions: Through applying the EMMIE framework this review highlighted the complexity involved in security tagging in retail environments, whereby different kinds of tags are expected to reduce theft through different casual mechanisms which are dependent on a distinctive configuration of conditions. Based on the available evidence it is difficult to determine the effectiveness of tags as a theft reduction measure, albeit there is suggestive evidence that more visible tags are associated with greater reductions in theft than less visible tags

UK temporomandibular joint replacement database: a report on one-year outcomes

Alloplastic temporomandibular joint (TMJ) replacements are increasingly subspecialised, and supraregional centres that treat sufficient numbers to ensure high standards are emerging. Having recently reported the introduction of a national TMJ joint replacement database that is endorsed by the British Association of TMJ Surgeons (BATS), we now present the first-year outcomes. This was a review of all data in the BATS National Case Registration of TMJ Replacement as of June 2014. A total of 252 one-year outcome records were available. Key outcomes were median (IQR) improvements in interincisal distance of 9 (4-15) mm (p&lt;0.001) and worst-sided pain score of 6 (4-8) (p&lt;0.001). Pain scores improved or remained static at one year in all but 3 (2%) patients. There was a significant improvement in the proportion of patients who reported a good, very good, or outstanding quality of life at one year (38% at baseline to 87% at one year; p&lt;0.001). While outcome reports from single centres for alloplastic TMJ replacements have already been published in the United Kingdom, this is the first dedicated national database in this country that will yield valuable longitudinal follow-up data. Outcomes were comparable with smaller published series and showed improvements in pain, dietary intake, quality of life, and function, with few outliers. The database has recently moved to a new software system and we hope to publish three-year and five-year outcomes in due course

Introducing a level-set based shape and topology optimization method for the wear of composite materials with geometric constraints

International audienceThe wear of materials continues to be a limiting factor in the lifetime and performance of mechanical systems with sliding surfaces. As the demand for low wear materials grows so does the need for models and methods to systematically optimize tribological systems. Elastic foundation models offer a simplified framework to study the wear of multimaterial composites subject to abrasive sliding. Previously, the evolving wear profile has been shown to converge to a steady-state that is characterized by a time-independent elliptic equation. In this article, the steady-state formulation is generalized and integrated with shape optimization to improve the wear performance of bi-material composites. Both macroscopic structures and periodic material microstructures are considered. Several common tribological objectives for systems undergoing wear are identified and mathematically formalized with shape derivatives. These include (i) achieving a planar wear surface from multimaterial composites and (ii) minimizing the run-in volume of material lost before steady-state wear is achieved. A level-set based topology optimization algorithm that incorporates a novel constraint on the level-set function is presented. In particular, a new scheme is developed to update material interfaces ; the scheme (i) conveniently enforces volume constraints at each iteration, (ii) controls the complexity of design features using perimeter penalization, and (iii) nucleates holes or inclusions with the topological gradient. The broad applicability of the proposed formulation for problems beyond wear is discussed, especially for problems where convenient control of the complexity of geometric features is desired

From ‘Prevent’ to ‘Enable’: Reclaiming Radical Thinking Spaces Through Democratic Education

Given the increasing pressures on teachers in Further and Adult Education across a range of economic, political and managerial factors, this article argues that inquiry-based approaches to education can open up much-needed transformative learning spaces to the benefit of tutors, students and wider communities. Through the presentation of a case study, this article suggests that the inclusion of such ‘pro-social pedagogies’ in teacher training programmes will both equip teachers with tools to facilitate dialogue, and provide reflective spaces in which they can consider their own positions regarding challenging education policy. The case study, a ‘community philosophy enquiry’ into Prevent and Fundamental British Values involving trainee teachers in the North of England, is outlined and the ethical challenges considered.&nbsp; The approach taken is based on a posthuman ‘ethics of affirmation’ (Braidotti, 2012) and a nomadic ontology which facilitates change through the joining together of agents for transformation, across a series of on- and off-line rhizomatic assemblages.&nbsp; The article concludes with recommendations for the further implementation of democratic educational practices such as community philosophy, which allow space and time for discussion and dissent