Oh, Say That You Will Be True

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The Spatial Linkages of Manufacturing in Montreal and its Surroundings

Il est généralement admis que la force d'agglomération dans une concentration industrielle s'exprime par des liaisons fonctionnelles (transactions) entre les établissements de la région. Cet article examine quelques aspects de ce postulat. Il étudie d'abord l'interdépendance « matérielle » dans le domaine de la fabrication en vue de déterminer la force d'agglomération propre à Montréal. Les établissements sont considérés selon leur taille et leur localisation dans le complexe industriel de façon à déceler s'il existe ou non des rapports entre ces facteurs, la force de liaison et l'économie locale.Le système des liaisons reste faible dans l'ensemble à Montréal, mais il appert que la force de liaison est inversement proportionnelle à la taille des établissements. On avait cru que cette force aurait diminué du centre vers la périphérie du complexe industriel. Or, ce n'est généralement pas le cas ; dans le domaine des achats, c'est même le contraire. L'auteur propose une explication, mais il faudrait plus de recherches pour mieux cerner le problème.It has generally been believed that the postulated agglomerative force of industrial concentrations expresses itself in economies in the transactions (linkages) between firms in the same concentration. This paper examines aspects of this long-held idea by considering material linkages of manufacturing in Montréal with a view to ascertaining the agglomerative strength of Montréal in regard to these linkages. More importantly, establishments are considered according to size and to location within the industrial complex in order to establish whether or not there is a relationship between these factors and the strength of linkage with the local economy.The overall linkage with Montréal is weak, but there is no doubt that the strength of linkage with Montréal varies inversely with the size of establishments. It was anticipated that the strength of linkage with Montréal would diminish from the centre to the edge of the industrial complex. In general, this does not prove to be true. In the case of purchase linkages the opposite occurs. Tentative explanation is given but further investigation is needed

Tariffication of European Community Corn Imports

In July 1989, U.S. negotiators presented a tariffication proposal at the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) meeting in Geneva. According to that proposal, all agricultural nontariff barriers (NTBs) such as quotas and variable import levies would be converted to equivalent ad valorem tariffs. The following formula, known as the price gap method, was proposed for converting the NTBs to tariffs: TE= [(PD – PW)/PW] · 100, where TE is the tariff equivalent, PD is domestic price and PW is world price. If an agreement on tariffication is reached, the next step will be to develop a schedule for a phased reduction of tariffs. The purpose of tariffication and phased reduction is to eliminate market access barriers and thus provide treatment of imports no less favorable than that accorded to domestic commodities and products

Membranes in rod solutions: a system with spontaneously broken symmetry

We consider a dilute solution of infinitely rigid rods near a curved, perfectly repulsive surface and study the contribution of the rod depletion layer to the bending elastic constants of membranes. We find that a spontaneous curvature state can be induced by exposure of BOTH sides of the membrane to a rod solution. A similar result applies for rigid disks with a diameter equal to the rod's length. We also study the confinement of rods in spherical and cylindrical repulsive shells. This helps elucidate a recent discussion on curvature effects in confined quantum mechanical and polymer systems.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, 1 table; submitted to PR

Declining Volatility, a General Property of Disparate Systems: From Fossils, to Stocks, to the Stars

There may be structural principles pertaining to the general behavior of systems that lead to similarities in a variety of different contexts. Classic examples include the descriptive power of fractals, the importance of surface area to volume constraints, the universality of entropy in systems, and mathematical rules of growth and form. Documenting such overarching principles may represent a rejoinder to the Neodarwinian synthesis that emphasizes adaptation and competition. Instead, these principles could indicate the importance of constraint and structure on form and evolution. Here we document a potential example of a phenomenon suggesting congruent behavior of very different systems. We focus on the notion that universally there has been a tendency for more volatile entities to disappear from systems such that the net volatility in these systems tends to decline. We specifically focus on origination and extinction rates in the marine animal fossil record, the performance of stocks in the stock market, and the characters of stars and stellar systems. We consider the evidence that each is experiencing declining volatility, and also consider the broader significance of this.Comment: Accepted for publication in Palaeontology. 13 pages, 3 figure

Cigarettes Butts and the Case for an Environmental Policy on Hazardous Cigarette Waste

Discarded cigarette butts are a form of non-biodegradable litter. Carried as runoff from streets to drains, to rivers, and ultimately to the ocean and its beaches, cigarette filters are the single most collected item in international beach cleanups each year. They are an environmental blight on streets, sidewalks, and other open areas. Rather than being a protective health device, cigarette filters are primarily a marketing tool to help sell ‘safe’ cigarettes. They are perceived by much of the public (especially current smokers) to reduce the health risks of smoking through technology. Filters have reduced the machine-measured yield of tar and nicotine from burning cigarettes, but there is controversy as to whether this has correspondingly reduced the disease burden of smoking to the population. Filters actually may serve to sustain smoking by making it seem less urgent for smokers to quit and easier for children to initiate smoking because of reduced irritation from early experimentation. Several options are available to reduce the environmental impact of cigarette butt waste, including developing biodegradable filters, increasing fines and penalties for littering butts, monetary deposits on filters, increasing availability of butt receptacles, and expanded public education. It may even be possible to ban the sale of filtered cigarettes altogether on the basis of their adverse environmental impact. This option may be attractive in coastal regions where beaches accumulate butt waste and where smoking indoors is increasingly prohibited. Additional research is needed on the various policy options, including behavioral research on the impact of banning the sale of filtered cigarettes altogether

The Romantic Fantasy of Even and Isak - an Exploration of Scandinavian Women Looking for Gratification in the Teen Serial SKAM

Under embargo until: 2022-04-05Based on ethnographic reception analysis, cultural sociology, and psychoanalytic film analysis, this article explores a group of Scandinavian adult female fans of the gay couple Even and Isak from the teen serial SKAM. The aim is to acquire knowledge about what pleasures this group gains from watching and chatting online about this serial. We argue that through their pondering of the gay couple as a romantic fantasy, these women address and negotiate social contradictions regarding gender and sexuality that they encounter in Scandinavian post-feminist societies.acceptedVersio