Monitoring in beeld: een studie naar de doorwerking van monitors in interbestuurlijke relaties

Monitoring in the Dutch public sector An increasing stream of monitoring activities has entered the public sector. A lot of different monitors have been implemented in the Netherlands, like the police monitor, drugs monitor, integration monitor and the emancipation monitor. Although monitoring of policy processes is quite prevalent in the public sector, monitoring still remains an unexplored scientific theme, while most of the scientific attention is restricted to performance systems. In the current mode of monitoring is often approached in a rational way. Within the rational approach monitoring is seen as an objective search for facts in order to improve policy. The aim of this study however, is to widen this narrow focus and include two other perspectives as well, namely a political and cultural approach of monitoring. These three perspectives are not mutually exclusive. One of the assumptions of this study is that monitoring activities have impacts on intergovernmental relationships, this because monitors are used on different governmental levels. The impacts of monitors on intergovernmental relationships have not been studied as of yet. This is surprising, because in policy documents monitoring is connected with intergovernmental relationships. Research questions The main research question is formulated as followed: what are the impacts of monitors on intergovernmental relationships? This main question is divided into seven research questions

Kansen en dilemma’s van digitale democratie - Wat kan digitale burgerbetrokkenheid betekenen voor het Nederlandse parlement?

Nederlandse burgers willen meer betrokken worden bij politieke besluitvorming. Volgend voorjaar gaan we voor het eerst naar de stembus voor een nationaal referendum dat burgers zelf hebben aangevraagd. Ook het SCP-rapport Meer democratie, minder politiek en de monitor over de democratische legitimiteit in Nederland uit 2013 laten zien, dat de Nederlandse burger al jaren behoefte heeft aan meer directe betrokkenheid bij beleid en politiek. Onderzoek van het Rathenau Instituut toont aan dat ICT in belangrijke mate burgerbetrokkenheid bij het politieke proces kan faciliteren. En dat gaat verder dan het verzamelen van digitale handtekeningen voor een referendum. Open data, monitoring van sociale media, internetpeilingen, e-petities, twitteranalyses, sms-stemmingen: er zijn volop mogelijkheden om burgers directer te informeren, zelf input te laten leveren, ze te consulteren of te laten meebeslissen en te laten controleren. Mogelijkheden die voor de landelijke politiek interessant zijn, omdat op dat niveau face-to-face ontmoetingen tussen burgers en politici lastig te organiseren zijn

VLT + UVES Spectroscopy of the Low-Ionization Intrinsic Absorber in SDSS J001130.56+005550.7

We analyse high-resolution VLT+UVES spectra of the low-ionization intrinsic absorber observed in the BAL QSO SDSS J001130.56+005550.7. Two narrow absorption systems at velocities -600 km/s and -22000 km/s are detected. The low-velocity system is part of the broad absorption line (BAL), while the high-velocity one is well detached. While most narrow absorption components are only detected in the high-ionization species, the lowest velocity component is detected in both high- and low-ionization species, including in the excited SiII* and CII* lines. From the analysis of doublet lines, we find that the narrow absorption lines at the low-velocity end of the BAL trough are completely saturated but do not reach zero flux, their profiles being dominated by a velocity-dependent covering factor. The covering factor is significantly smaller for MgII than for SiIV and NV, which demonstrates the intrinsic nature of absorber. From the analysis of the excited SiII* and CII* lines in the lowest velocity component, we find an electron density ~ 1000 cm^{-3}. Assuming photoionization equilibrium, we derive a distance ~ 20 kpc between the low-ionization region and the quasar core. The correspondence in velocity of the high- and low-ionization features suggests that all these species must be closely associated, hence formed at the same distance of ~ 20 kpc, much higher than the distance usually assumed for BAL absorbers.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&

Monitoring: Functional or Fashionable?

An increasing stream of monitoring activities has entered the public sector. In the Netherlands there are hundreds of monitors on a wide range, so it can be stated that monitoring is fashionable in the Netherlands. But monitoring seems to be functional, too. Without monitoring, organisations would not even survive. Research about the use of research information and evaluations makes clear that information is not always used in a direct and transparent way. This statement raises three, interrelated research questions, which we try to answer in our paper: (1) What is the amount and the character of (intragovernmental) monitors in the public sector in the Netherlands? (2) What forms of utilisation can be distilled and how are intragovernmental monitors used in practice? (3) How do these functions of monitors relate to recent insights in the complexity of governmental performance and the role information can play in complex systems? The paper concludes with the observation that the current mode of monitoring is dominated by rationalistic assumptions. Important functions from a complexity perspective, as learning and communicating, seem to be underestimated. Monitoring is fashionable, but it seems to be less functional

A virtual PGLr\mathrm{PGL}_r-SLr\mathrm{SL}_r correspondence for projective surfaces

For a smooth projective surface $X$ satisfying $H_1(X,\mathbb{Z}) = 0$ and $w \in H^2(X,\mu_r)$, we study deformation invariants of the pair $(X,w)$. Choosing a Brauer-Severi variety $Y$ (or, equivalently, Azumaya algebra $\mathcal{A}$) over $X$ with Stiefel-Whitney class $w$, the invariants are defined as virtual intersection numbers on suitable moduli spaces of stable twisted sheaves on $Y$ constructed by Yoshioka (or, equivalently, moduli spaces of $\mathcal{A}$-modules of Hoffmann-Stuhler). We show that the invariants do not depend on the choice of $Y$. Using a result of de Jong, we observe that they are deformation invariants of the pair $(X,w)$. For surfaces with $h^{2,0}(X) > 0$, we show that the invariants can often be expressed as virtual intersection numbers on Gieseker-Maruyama-Simpson moduli spaces of stable sheaves on $X$. This can be seen as a $\mathrm{PGL}_r$-$\mathrm{SL}_r$ correspondence. As an application, we express $\mathrm{SU}(r) / \mu_r$ Vafa-Witten invariants of $X$ in terms of $\mathrm{SU}(r)$ Vafa-Witten invariants of $X$. We also show how formulae from Donaldson theory can be used to obtain upper bounds for the minimal second Chern class of Azumaya algebras on $X$ with given division algebra at the generic point.Comment: 47 page

Improvement in low back movement control, decreased pain and disability, resulting from specific exercise intervention

Open Access JournalBackground: The study was conducted to assess whether patient-specific functional impairment and experienced daily disability improved after treatment to address active movement control of the low back. Method: A prospective study was carried out in two outpatient physiotherapy practices in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. 38 patients (17 males and 21 females) suffering from non-specific low back pain (NSLBP) and movement control impairment were treated. The study participants had an average age of 45 ± 13 years, an average height of 170 ± 8 cm and an average weight of 73 ± 15 kg. Patients were assessed prior and post treatment. Treatment was aimed at improving movement control of the lumbar spine, pain and disability. Six physiotherapists treated each patient on average nine times (SD 4.6). Treatment effects were evaluated using a set of six movement control tests (MCT), patient-specific functional pain scores (PSFS) and a Roland and Morris disability questionnaire (RMQ). Means, standard deviations, confidence intervals and paired t-tests were calculated. The effect size (d) was based on the change between t1 (time prior intervention) and t2 (time post intervention) using a significance level of p 0.8 being considered a large effect. Power calculations were performed for type I & II error estimation. Results: Movement control (MCT) showed a 59% improvement from 3.2 (max 6) to 1.3 positive tests (d = 1.3, p < 0.001), complaints (PSFS) decreased 41% from 5.9 points (max 10) to 3.5 (d = 1.3, p < 0.001), and disability (RMQ) decreased 43% from 8.9 to 5.1 points (d = 1.0, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The results of this controlled case series study, based on prior and post intervention, showed that movement control, patient specific functional complaints and disability improved significantly following specific individual exercise programs, performed with physiotherapeutic intervention. The results obtained warrant performance of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to substantiate our findings

Jet Acceleration by Tangled Magnetic Fields

We explore the possibility that extragalactic radio jets might be accelerated by highly disorganized magnetic fields that are strong enough to dominate the dynamics until the terminal Lorentz factor is reached. Following the twin-exhaust model by Blandford & Rees (1974), the collimation under this scenario is provided by the stratified thermal pressure from an external medium. The acceleration efficiency then depends on the pressure gradient of that medium. In order for this mechanism to work there must be continuous tangling of the magnetic field, changing the magnetic equation of state away from pure flux freezing (otherwise conversion of Poynting flux to kinetic energy flux is suppressed). This is a complementary approach to models in which the plasma is accelerated by large scale ordered fields. We include a simple prescription for magnetic dissipation, which leads to tradeoffs among conversion of magnetic energy into bulk kinetic energy, random particle energy, and radiation. We present analytic dynamical solutions of such jets, assess the effects of radiation drag, and comment on observational issues, such as the predicted polarization and synchrotron brightness. Finally, we try to make the connection to observed radio galaxies and gamma-ray bursts.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Social media monitoring: Responsive governance in the shadow of surveillance?

__Abstract__ Social media monitoring is gradually becoming a common practice in public organizations in the Netherlands. The main purposes of social media monitoring are strategic control and responsiveness. Social media monitoring poses normative questions in terms of transparency, accountability and privacy. We investigate practices of social media monitoring in four Dutch public organizations. Policy departments seem to be more strongly orientated towards monitoring, whereas organizations involved in policy implementation seem to be more inclined to progress to webcare. The paper argues for more transparency on social media monitoring

Using New Submillimetre Surveys to Identify the Evolutionary Status of High-z Galaxies

This paper describes a key submillimetre survey which we are currently conducting to address some of the outstanding questions in cosmology - how, at what epoch and over what period of time did massive galaxies form at high redshift? A summary of the technical feasibility of future submillimetre observations with new ground-based, airborne and satellite telescopes is also presented.Comment: 6 pages, 3 postscript figures, LaTex uses Kluwer book style file crckapb10.sty, to appear in "Observational Cosmology with the New Radio Surveys", 13-15 January 1997, Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, M.Bremer, N.Jackson, I.Perez-Fournon (eds.), Kluwe

What Determines the Depth of BALs? Keck HIRES Observations of BALQSO 1603+300

We find that the depth and shape of the broad absorption lines (BALs) in BALQSO 1603+3002 are determined largely by the fraction of the emitting source which is covered by the BAL flow. In addition, the observed depth of the BALs is poorly correlated with their real optical depth. The implication of this result is that abundance studies based on direct extraction of column densities from the depth of the absorption troughs are unreliable. Our conclusion is based on analysis of unblended absorption features of two lines from the same ion (in this case the Si IV doublet), which allows unambiguous separation of covering factor and optical depth effects. The complex morphology of the covering factor as a function of velocity suggests that the BALs are produced by several physically separated outflows. The covering factor is ion dependent in both depth and velocity width. We also find evidence that in BALQSO 1603+3002 the flow does not cover the broad emission line region.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in Ap