Use of Criminal Pleas in Aid of Private Antitrust Actions

Few fields of law have experienced a more dramatic pace of development in recent years than has that of the private antitrust action. After several decades of relative quiescence, the action for treble damages has grown in significance as an antitrust enforcement device at a rapidly accelerating rate since World War 11. Especially since the advent of the multitude of Electrical Industry Antitrust Cases in 1960, such private antitrust litigation has occupied a large segment of the time and effort of many judges and of many more lawyers throughout the country. Although few have come to trial, 3 this set of cases has already produced procedural innovations 4 and preliminary rulings which will be major factors in structuring the future course of antitrust litigation. Perhaps of even greater importance, however, is the fact that the mere filing and costly preparation of more than eighteen hundred such actions has created an acute awareness among the business community and the Bar of the possibilities and the threat which the treble damage claim may represent

Leveraging Students’ Game Culture in Education: Validating the benefits of utilising videogames to inform pedagogy

Checkpoint | Brunel University London . September 2023 Research Paper. All images used in this publication are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the students involved in the study ©monkeybusinessimages, iStock: ©SeventyFour, iStock.A blog post about the pilot, Videogames + Education: A Powerful Synergy for the Future of Learning by Tamer Asfahani, April 20, 2023, is available online at: https://checkpointmagazine.com/videogames-education-a-powerful-synergy-for-the-future-of-learning/ .Research Objectives: The overall challenge this research responds to is the need to increase all children’s engagement with education. One solution (among many) is to work through a game-based lesson content approach, as exemplified by Checkpoint Learning Materials (CLM). The aim of this research was to evaluate the ‘engagement value-add’ of CLM which, in turn, will enable greater outreach to schools of the Checkpoint materials. The sub-challenge is to work with Checkpoint to evidence the effectiveness of their Video Game culture-based learning materials, as outlined by their in-house pedagogy, in ways to support the National Curriculum in key stage 2 (years 3-6). The project will allow Checkpoint to further develop and market their learning materials to publishers and education providers. The aim is to validate Checkpoint’s pedagogy and lesson plans. It will enable Checkpoint to help design school CPD for training primary school teachers

Negotiating networks of self-employed work: strategies of minority ethnic contractors

Within the increased flexible, contracted work in cities, employment is negotiated through network arrangements characterised by multiplicity, mobility and fluidity. For black and minority ethnic group members, this network labour becomes fraught as they negotiate both their own communities, which can be complex systems of conflicting networks, as well as non-BME networks which can be exclusionary. This discussion explores the networking experiences of BME individuals who are self-employed in portfolio work arrangements in Canada. The analysis draws from a theoretical frame of ‘racialisation’ (Mirchandani and Chan, 2007) to examine the social processes of continually constructing and positioning the Other as well as the self through representations in these networks. These positions and concomitant identities enroll BME workers in particular modes of social production, which order their roles and movement in the changing dynamics of material production in networked employment

METEOR : hazard footprints for Nepal and Tanzania. Report M6.1/P

This report describes a specific piece of work conducted by British Geological Survey (BGS), Global Earthquake Model Foundation (GEM) and Fathom (SSBN) as part of the METEOR (Modelling Exposure Through Earth Observation Routines) project, led by British Geological Survey (BGS) with collaborative partners Oxford Policy Management Limited (OPM), SSBN Limited, The Disaster Management Department, Office of the Prime Minister – Tanzania (DMD), The Global Earthquake Model Foundation (GEM), The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT), ImageCat and the National Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET) – Nepal. The 3-year project was funded by UK Space Agency through their International Partnership Programme, details of which can be located in the Foreword, and was completed in 2021. The project aimed to provide an innovative solution to disaster risk reduction, through development of an innovative methodology of creating exposure data from Earth Observation (EO) imagery to identify development patterns throughout a country and provide detailed information when combined with population information. Level 1 exposure was developed for all 47 least developed countries on the OECD DAC list, referred to as ODA least-developed countries in the METEOR documentation, with open access to data and protocols for their development. New national detailed exposure and hazard datasets were also generated for the focus countries of Nepal and Tanzania and the impact of multiple hazards assessed for the countries. Training on product development and potential use for Disaster Risk Reduction was performed within these countries with all data made openly available on data platforms for wider use both within country and worldwide. This report (M6.1/P) is the first generated by BGS for the work package on Multiple hazard impact (WP6) led by BGS. The other 7 METEOR work packages included, Project Management (WP1 – led by BGS), Monitoring and Evaluation (WP2 – led by OPM), EO data for exposure development (WP3 – led by ImageCat), Inputs and Validation (WP4 – led by HOT), Vulnerability and Uncertainty (WP5 - led by GEM), Knowledge sharing (WP7 – led by GEM) and Sustainability and capacity building (WP8 – led by ImageCat)

Robust Inference of Monocot Deep Phylogeny Using an Expanded Multigene Plastid Data Set

We use multiple photosynthetic, chlororespiratory, and plastid translation apparatus loci and their associated noncoding regions (ca. 16 kb per taxon, prior to alignment) to make strongly supported inferences of the deep internal branches of monocot phylogeny. Most monocot relationships are robust (an average of ca. 91 % bootstrap support per branch examined), including those poorly supported or unresolved in other studies. Our data strongly support a sister-group relationship between Asparagales and the commelinid monocots, the inclusion of the orchids in Asparagales, and the status of Petrosaviaceae as the sister group of all monocots except Acorus and Alismatales. The latter finding supports recognition of the order Petrosaviales. Also strongly supported is a placement of Petermannia disjunct from Colchicaceae (Liliales) and a sister-group relationship between Commelinales and Zingiberales. We highlight the remaining weak areas of monocot phylogeny, including the positions of Dioscoreales, Liliales, and Pandanales. Despite substantial variation in the overall rate of molecular evolution among lineages, inferred amounts of change among codon-position data partitions are correlated with each other across the monocot tree, consistent with low incongruence between these partitions. Ceratophyllum and Chloranthaceae appear to have a destabilizing effect on the position of the monocots among other angiosperms; the issue of monocot placement in broader angiosperm phylogeny remains problematic

The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of assistive technology and telecare for independent living in dementia: a randomised controlled trial

OBJECTIVES: The use of assistive technology and telecare (ATT) has been promoted to manage risks associated with independent living in people with dementia but with little evidence for effectiveness. METHODS: Participants were randomly assigned to receive an ATT assessment followed by installation of all appropriate ATT devices or limited control of appropriate ATT. The primary outcomes were time to institutionalisation and cost-effectiveness. Key secondary outcomes were number of incidents involving risks to safety, burden and stress in family caregivers and quality of life. RESULTS: Participants were assigned to receive full ATT (248 participants) or the limited control (247 participants). After adjusting for baseline imbalance of activities of daily living score, HR for median pre-institutionalisation survival was 0.84; 95% CI, 0.63 to 1.12; P = 0.20. There were no significant differences between arms in health and social care (mean -£909; 95% CI, -£5,336 to £3,345, P = 0.678) and societal costs (mean -£3,545; 95% CI, -£13,914 to £6,581, P = 0.499). ATT group members had reduced participant-rated quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) at 104 weeks (mean - 0.105; 95% CI, -0.204 to -0.007, P = 0.037) but did not differ in QALYs derived from proxy-reported EQ-5D. DISCUSSION: Fidelity of the intervention was low in terms of matching ATT assessment, recommendations and installation. This, however, reflects current practice within adult social care in England. CONCLUSIONS: Time living independently outside a care home was not significantly longer in participants who received full ATT and ATT was not cost-effective. Participants with full ATT attained fewer QALYs based on participant-reported EQ-5D than controls at 104 weeks

The impact of assistive technology on burden and psychological well-being in informal caregivers of people with dementia (ATTILA Study)

INTRODUCTION: Assistive technology and telecare (ATT) may alleviate psychological burden in informal caregivers of people with dementia. This study assessed the impact of ATT on informal caregivers’ burden and psychological well‐being. METHODS: Individuals with dementia and their informal caregivers were recruited to a randomized‐controlled trial assessing effectiveness of ATT. Caregivers were allocated to two groups according to their cared‐for person's randomization to a full or basic package of ATT and were assessed on caregiver burden, state anxiety, and depression. Caregivers’ data from three assessments over 6 months of the trial were analyzed. RESULTS: No significant between‐ or within‐group differences at any time point on caregivers’ burden, anxiety, and depression levels were found. DISCUSSION: Full ATT for people with dementia did not impact caregivers’ psychological outcomes compared to basic ATT. The length of follow up was restricted to 6 months

The availability of snack food displays that may trigger impulse purchases in Melbourne supermarkets

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Supermarkets play a major role in influencing the food purchasing behaviours of most households. Snack food exposures within these stores may contribute to higher levels of consumption and ultimately to increasing levels of obesity, particularly within socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods. We aimed to examine the availability of snack food displays at checkouts, end-of-aisle displays and island displays in major supermarket chains in the least and most socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods of Melbourne.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Within-store audits of 35 Melbourne supermarkets. Supermarkets were sampled from the least and most socioeconomically disadvantaged suburbs within 30 km of the Melbourne CBD. We measured the availability of crisps, chocolate, confectionery, and soft drinks (diet and regular) at the checkouts, in end-of-aisle displays, and in island bin displays.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Snack food displays were most prominent at checkouts with only five stores not having snack foods at 100% of their checkouts. Snack foods were also present at a number of end-of-aisle displays (at both the front (median 38%) and back (median 33%) of store), and in island bin displays (median number of island displays: 7; median total circumference of island displays: 19.4 metres). Chocolate items were the most common snack food item on display. There was no difference in the availability of these snack food displays by neighbourhood disadvantage.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>As a result of the high availability of snack food displays, exposure to snack foods is almost unavoidable in Melbourne supermarkets, regardless of levels of neighbourhood socioeconomic disadvantage. Results of this study could promote awareness of the prominence of unhealthy food items in chain-brand supermarkets outlets.</p