Elizabeth I, the Succession and Foreign Policy

Part of a special section on the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England. The writer examines the close links between Elizabeth's ascendancy, reign, and subsequent relationships with the states of Europe. Elizabeth had a coherent foreign policy, shaped by the unusual circumstances of her reign. These were less to do with her gender--a much-exaggerated subject--than her questionable legitimacy and the coincidence that the leading members of the wider Tudor royal family were Scots. For example, until her death in 1587, Mary Stuart was the focus around which Elizabeth's foreign policy revolved. Mary was Dauphine and, after July 1559, Queen of France, and the threat of her rival claim to the English throne was the decisive motive for Elizabeth's interventions in Scotland in 1560 and France in 1562

Early diversion and empowerment policing : evaluating an adult female offender triage project

This paper provides an evaluation of a police pilot early-diversion scheme for adult females who were arrested for low-severity offences using a natural experiment design. The intervention is novel in that it diverts arrestees to a women’s centre for assistance to address their criminogenic needs rather than process them through the criminal justice system. The intervention is timely and attractive given its rehabilitative features and its potential for reducing demand on the criminal justice system through community resolution. The study found a promising effect of the intervention on rates of rearrest and daily risk of rearrest over a twelve month follow-up period, but a higher frequency of rearrest among those of the intervention group who were rearrested. The findings are discussed in relation to the political context, theoretical background and police performance and the gendered dynamics of offending

An almost-integral universal Vassiliev invariant of knots

A `total Chern class' invariant of knots is defined. This is a universal Vassiliev invariant which is integral `on the level of Lie algebras' but it is not expressible as an integer sum of diagrams. The construction is motivated by similarities between the Kontsevich integral and the topological Chern character.Comment: Published by Algebraic and Geometric Topology at http://www.maths.warwick.ac.uk/agt/AGTVol2/agt-2-29.abs.htm

Identification of factors predictive of outcome following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass for obesity

INTRODUCTION: Worldwide obesity levels have doubled since 1980. Bariatric surgery is the only effective long-term treatment however its results remain highly patient, procedure and surgeon dependent. This study aimed to assess the impact of a range of factors on the outcome of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP) surgery. METHOD: All patients eligible for RYGBP at 2 regional centres were approached for inclusion. Data pertaining to 13 factors identified as potentially associated with reduction in excess BMI (eBMI) following RYGBP were collected: genetic predisposition to obesity, ethnicity, reasons for seeking surgery, eating behaviour, physical activity level, quality of life, personality score, motivation to change, alcohol intake, smoking history, social class, working pattern and past medical history. The data were analysed using multivariate linear and logistic regression analysis. The primary outcome was the percentage eBMI loss at 12 months postoperatively. The secondary outcomes were the resolution of diabetes and/ or hypertension. RESULTS: 129 patients were recruited after written informed consent of whom just 60 were eligible for analysis. At 12 months postoperatively their percent eBMI losses ranged between 33.4% and 136.2% (mean 67.3%, SD 18.8%). Of the 13 factors investigated using linear regression none showed a significant correlation with percent eBMI loss. Logistic regression analysis showed that personality score, motivation to change score and smoking status were all significantly associated with eBMI loss of 70% or greater when combined with the other investigated factors (p = 0.013, p = 0.016 and p = 0.027 respectively) but not when analysed individually. 9 out of 12 (75%) and 5 out of 14 (35.7%) patients on medication preoperatively for type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension respectively were able to discontinue their medication by 12 months post-RYGBP. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study shows that a multi-factorial approach to clinical prediction and patient selection is viable and feasible

A gradient analysis of Coleogyne communities in Southern Nevada

Species richness, density, and abundance in Coleogyne ramosissima (blackbrush) shrublands were compared on 15 elevational transects in the Spring and Sheep Mountain Ranges adjacent to the Las Vegas Valley. Coleogyne shrublands shared relatively broad upper and lower ecotones with Pinus-Juniperus and Larrea-Ambrosia vegetation, respectively. Lower Coleogyne ecotones generally had the highest species richness, and Pinus-Juniperus woodlands had the lowest species richness; Detrended correspondence analysis (DECORANA) suggested that elevation and soil depth were significantly associated with the distribution of stand and species groups identified from two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN) in the Spring and Sheep Mountain Ranges. Precipitation and soil moisture were positively correlated with elevation; air and soil temperatures were negatively correlated with elevation; Coleogyne density was positively correlated with soil moisture, soil organic matter, Coleogyne water potential, Coleogyne leaf biomass, and Coleogyne stem and leaf phosphorus. Soil moisture and soil organic matter appeared to influence the distribution of Coleogyne at its lower elevational boundary in southern Nevada

THE INFORMATION REVOLUTION, INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND THE 6TH KONDRATIEFF CYCLE

This theoretical paper critically assesses existing long wave discourse which classifies the current set of innovation surges as part of a 5th Kondratieff cycle, with the 6th likely to be based on nanotechnologies or bio-medical technologies. Kondratieff long wave theory provides a strong cognitive tool to examine such innovation surges. This paper argues that the existing discourse is incorrect: the 5th Kondratieff cycle should be classed as the age of computing while the 6th should be classed as the age of the information superhighway. The 5th Kondratieff wave was about computing and basic communication technologies, while the 6th is about ubiquitous access to the Internet as an information superhighway and conduit for social and technological innovation