Positive tension 3-branes in an AdS5AdS_{5} bulk

In this work, we review and extend the so-called consistency conditions for the existence of a braneworld scenario in arbitrary dimensions in the Brans-Dicke (BD) gravitational theory. After that, we consider the particular case of a five-dimensional scenario which seems to have phenomenological interesting implications. We show that, in the BD framework, it is possible to achieve necessary conditions pointing to the possibility of accommodating branes with positive tensions in an AdS bulk by the presence of the additional BD scalar field, avoiding in this way the necessity of including unstable objects in the compactification scheme. Furthermore, in the context of time variable brane tension, it is shown that the brane tension may change its sign, following the bulk cosmological constant sign.Comment: 15 pages, new version to appear in JHE

Reviewing resistances to reconceptualizing disability

I attempt to adjudicate the disagreement between those who seek to reconceptualize disability as mere difference and their opponents. I do so by reviewing a central conviction motivating the resistance, concerning the relationship between disability and well-being. I argue that the conviction depends on further considerations about the costs and extent of change involved in accommodating individuals with a particular disability trait. I conclude by considering three pay-offs of this clarification

Introduction: Negotiating Empowerment

This introductory article draws out some of the dimensions and dilemmas around women’s empowerment that are highlighted in the articles in this IDS Bulletin: the choices, the negotiations, the narratives and above all, the context of women’s lived experience. In doing so, we show that empowerment is a complex process that requires more than the quick and easy solutions often offered by development agencies. Much of the significant change happening in women’s lives takes place outside of the range of these conventional interventions. In conclusion, we suggest that for development agencies to really support women’s empowerment requires greater engagement with changing structures rather than accommodating women within the inequitable existing order, and a much deeper understanding of what makes change happen in their lives

Accommodating Employees With and Without Disabilities

Efforts to recruit and retain employees with disabilities are often tempered by employers’ concerns over potential workplace accommodation costs. This study reports on accommodations requested and granted in intensive case studies of eight companies, based on more than 5,000 employee and manager surveys, and interviews and focus groups with 128 managers and employees with disabilities. Two unique contributions are that we analyze accommodations for employees without disabilities as well as for those with disabilities, and compare perspectives on accommodation costs and benefits among employees, their coworkers, and their managers. We find people with disabilities are more likely than those without disabilities to request accommodations, but the types of accommodations requested and the reported costs and benefits are similar for disability and non-disability accommodations. In particular, fears of high accommodation costs and negative reactions of coworkers are not realized; all groups tend to report generally positive coworker reactions. Multilevel models indicate granting accommodations has positive spillover effects on attitudes of coworkers, as well as a positive effect on attitudes of requesting employees, but only when coworkers are supportive. Consistent with recent theorizing and other studies, our results suggest the benefits from a corporate culture of flexibility and attention to the individualized needs of employees

Developing an Intervention Toolbox for the Common Health Problems in the Workplace

Development of the Health ↔ Work Toolbox is described. The toolbox aims to reduce the workplace impact of common health problems (musculoskeletal, mental health, and stress complaints) by focusing on tackling work-relevant symptoms. Based on biopsychosocial principles this toolbox supplements current approaches by occupying the zone between primary prevention and healthcare. It provides a set of evidence-informed principles and processes (knowledge + tools) for tackling work-relevant common health problems. The toolbox comprises a proactive element aimed at empowering line managers to create good jobs, and a ‘just in time’ responsive element for supporting individuals struggling with a work-relevant health problem. The key intention is helping people with common health problems to maintain work participation. The extensive conceptual and practical development process, including a comprehensive evidence review, produced a functional prototype toolbox that is evidence based and flexible in its use. End-user feedback was mostly positive. Moving the prototype to a fully-fledged internet resource requires specialist design expertise. The Health ↔ Work Toolbox appears to have potential to contribute to the goal of augmenting existing primary prevention strategies and healthcare delivery by providing a more comprehensive workplace approach to constraining sickness absence

Accommodating the Public Sphere: Beyond the Market Model

This Essay has two major components. First, in Parts I and II, I describe and critique the Court\u27s opinion in Dale, beginning with an examination of the social origins of scouting, then proceeding to an analysis of Dale. Second, in Parts III and IV, I place the questions raised in Dale in another context in which they belong but are seldom analyzed, that of the jurisprudence of public accommodations laws . . . In conclusion, I join the two major themes by framing Dale\u27s claim as the latest in a series of cases that have invoked an evolving understanding of citizenship. What is specifically at stake in Dale is the relationship between civic status and gender and sexuality. What it illustrates more broadly is the need for a contemporary social theory of citizenship that encompasses the discursive dynamics and power of the institutions of civil society

Understanding and overcoming the sticking point in resistance exercise

In the context of resistance training the so-called ‘‘sticking point’’ is commonly understood as the 9 position in a lift in which a disproportionately large increase in the difficulty to continue the lift is experienced. If the lift is taken to the point of momentary muscular failure, the sticking point is usually where the failure occurs. Hence the sticking point is associated with an increased chance of exercise form deterioration or break-down. Understanding the mechanisms that lead to the occurrence of sticking points as well as different training strategies that can be used to overcome them is important to strength practitioners (trainees and coaches alike) and instrumental for the avoidance of injury and continued progress. In this article we survey and consolidate the body of existing research on the topic: we discuss different definitions of the sticking point adopted in the literature and propose a more precise definition, describe different muscular and biomechanical aspects that give rise to sticking points, and review the effectiveness of different training modalities used to address them.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Rivals’ Reactions to Mergers and Acquisitions

Mergers and acquisitions research has principally focused on attributes of the acquiring firm and post-acquisition outcomes. To extend our knowledge, we focus on external factors, in particular rival responses, and explore when and how rivals respond to their competitor’s acquisitions. Leveraging the awareness–motivation–capability framework, we predict and find evidence that a rival’s dependence on markets in common with the acquirer, resource similarity between rival and acquirer, and a rival’s organizational slack increase the volume and, in some cases, also the complexity of a rival’s competitive actions following an acquisition. Furthermore, the type of acquisition positively moderates some of these relationships. The results extend our understanding of the influence of mergers and acquisitions on competitive dynamics in the marketplace

Applying ArchOptions to value the payoff of refactoring

ArchOptions is a real-options based model that we have pro-posed to value the flexibility of software architectures in response to future changes in requirements. In this paper, we build on ArchOptions to devise an options-based model, which values the architectural flexibility that results from a refactoring exercise. This value assists in understanding the payoff of investing in refactoring: if the refactored system results in an architecture that is more flexible, such that the expected added value (in the form of options) due to the en-hanced flexibility outweighs the cost of investing in this exer-cise, then refactoring is said to payoff. We apply our model to a refactoring case study from the literature