Parsing the Euro Zone Crisis

Analysis on the three different scenarios that could result in Europe within a year, as the European Union tries to bring itself out of the economic crisis

The governance of domestic fiscal stability in the Eurozone prior to the financial crises (2000-2007): What lessons for implementation of the TSCG?

After its first thorough revision in 2005, the Stability & Growth Pact (SGP) has recently been transformed into a Fiscal Stability Treaty, which in all likelihood will become operational as from January 1, 2013. Part of this treaty is the incorporation of balanced budget rules into domestic constitutions and into national budgeting processes. These rules concern general government public finances and not only central government budgets. This paper discusses the effectiveness of such domestic rules for general government, by looking at the political capacity of EMU member states to domestically implement EMU fiscal rules in the period 2000-2007 (i.e. before the emergence of the financial crises). Compliance with the EMU rules varied considerably between the –then- euro-12. The paper shows that institutional arrangements to enhance fiscal discipline within central government had almost fully converged between eurozone members and cannot explain these compliance differences. Regarding non-central government sectors it is shown that countries with low compliance either used imposed (rather than agreed) internal stability pacts or did not have such pacts at all. Compliance problems are subsequently explained by looking at the political capacity of countries to deliberate the EMU stability paradigm with all actors involved. Four countries are looked at in particular: Ireland, Finland, Germany and the Netherlands. Based on this case analysis it is argued that central governments that had a high level of ideological dispersion and competition (dispersed governments) were better in such deliberation than single-party or stable coalition central governments (non-dispersed or concentrated governments). Political backlash on the EMU stability paradigm can be expected to be more prominent in the latter case; the emergence of a modified EMU paradigm (and the resulting modification of the SGP) is mainly the result of political backlash on the original paradigm in these states. Finally, some lessons are drawn for the implementation of the new Fiscal Stability Treaty

DMP online: the Digital Curation Centre’s web-based tool for creating, maintaining and exporting data management plans

Funding bodies increasingly require researchers to produce Data Management Plans (DMPs). The Digital Curation Centre (DCC) has created DMP Online, a web-based tool which draws upon an analysis of funders’ requirements to enable researchers to create and export customisable DMPs, both at the grant application stage and during the project’s lifetime

Surface heat transfer due to sliding bubble motion

International audienc

Dynamic Power Spectral Analysis of Solar Measurements from Photospheric, Chromospheric, and Coronal Sources

An important aspect in the power spectral analysis of solar variability is the quasistationary and quasiperiodic nature of solar periodicities. In other words, the frequency, phase, and amplitude of solar periodicities vary on time scales ranging from active region lifetimes to solar cycle time scales. Here, researchers employ a dynamic, or running, power spectral density analysis to determine many periodicities and their time-varying nature in the projected area of active sunspot groups (S sub act). The Solar Maximum Mission/Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor (SMM/ACRIM) total solar irradiance (S), the Nimbus-7 MgII center-to-wing ratio (R (MgII sub c/w)), the Ottawa 10.7 cm flux (F sub 10.7), and the GOES background x ray flux (X sub b) for the maximum, descending, and minimum portions of solar cycle 21 (i.e., 1980 to 1986) are used. The technique dramatically illustrates several previously unrecognized periodicities. For example, a relatively stable period at about 51 days has been found in those indices which are related to emerging magnetic fields. The majority of solar periodicities, particularly around 27, 150 and 300 days, are quasiperiodic because they vary in amplitude and frequency throughout the solar cycle. Finally, it is shown that there are clear differences between the power spectral densities of solar measurements from photospheric, chromospheric, and coronal sources

USSR Space Life Sciences Digest

Research in exobiology, life sciences technology, space biology, and space medicine and physiology, primarily using data gathered on the Salyut 6 orbital space station, is reported. Methods for predicting, diagnosing, and preventing the effects of weightlessness are discussed. Psychological factors are discussed. The effects of space flight on plants and animals are reported. Bioinstrumentation advances are noted

Efficient Computation of the Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation with Time-Dependent Coefficients

open access articleMotivated by the limited work performed on the development of computational techniques for solving the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with time-dependent coefficients, we develop a modified Runge-Kutta pair with improved periodicity and stability characteristics. Additionally, we develop a modified step size control algorithm, which increases the efficiency of our pair and all other pairs included in the numerical experiments. The numerical results on the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with periodic solution verified the superiority of the new algorithm in terms of efficiency. The new method also presents a good behaviour of the maximum absolute error and the global norm in time, even after a high number of oscillations

Design guide for refuge accommodation for women and children

The purpose of this report is to assist those working towards improving refuge accommodation for vulnerable women and children escaping violence in the home. It provides a foundation for developing fit-for-purpose accommodation and aims to: • establish an understanding of the needs of refuge residents, workers and managers to assist those who seek to improve existing or provide new accommodation • outline how this type of accommodation will positively contribute to urban/regional streetscape and communities. • provide practical design and construction ideas for future pilot studies and tailored design projects that address the issues faced by women and children leaving domestic and family violence • assist funding bodies, supervisory boards and interdisciplinary services requiring more specific briefs for fit-for-purpose facilities • inform councils and other consent authorities assessing new refuge facility proposals and building upgrades • provide recommendations to improve design outcomes for refuge services in the longer term • potentially support women leaving crisis accommodation to move into permanent housing. This report includes research findings on the potential of tailored design projects to address issues faced by women and children leaving domestic and family violence. The outcomes from the UTS Urban Refuge Forum, which included representatives of refuge providers and construction experts, have also been included. Currently, no specific guide like this exists for Australian conditions

From Post-Nineties Neglect To Contemporary Community Social Hub: Embedding The Curriculum In The Community

Embedding community projects in a ​curriculum for Interior Architecture Design coursework