Alien Registration- Bulmer, Wallace E. (Wade, Aroostook County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/32771/thumbnail.jp

A Life More Ordinary? Ten theses on a normalization of Germany's role in the EU

This paper presents a set of theses to argue that, two decades after German re-unification and the end of the Cold War, Germany is playing a changed role in the European Union. It argues that changes in the European Union, German domestic politics and in its bilateral diplomacy have resulted in the emergence of a normalized European policy. The paper explores the sources of these changes from enlargement, strains in the euro-zone and bilateral relations with France, through changed processes of policy-making to public opinion. Since Germany has played a leading role in the integration process, the paper‘s findings have wide implications for the future of the EU itself

The importance of sustainable leadership among company directors in the audio-visual sector in Spain: a cultural, ethical, and legal perspective

Business sectors are generally evolving towards the adoption of models of sustainable practice, but is this also true in the specific audio-visual sector? This question leads us to examine whether sustainable practices are carried out in the image and sound sector, using sector business leadership as a starting point. Adopting a long-term perspective has helped companies survive difficult times, such as seemingly ever more frequent economic crises and recessions, as well as to overcome the current COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath. Together with review of appropriate literature, the study aims to analyse the perception of managers in the audio-visual sector regarding styles of leadership in their organizations, through the Bee and Locust Sustainable Leadership framework that Avery and Bergsteiner developed in 2011. A quantitative study was carried out based on the analysis of the responses given by fifty middle and senior managers from the audio-visual sector in Spain who answered a 54-poit questionnaire. The findings yielded interesting results. Organizations within the audio-visual sector were found to display elements of both bee and locust leadership styles. The results showed that idea contribution and teamwork were valued by the managers interviewed. Furthermore, considerable importance was attached to the need to implement continuous training and the development of corresponding professional careers in companies. Overall, the results showed that there was a clear need for companies in the audio-visual sector to put greater effort into promoting and successfully achieving sustainable practices at the operational level.Los sectores empresariales están evolucionando hacia modelos de sostenibilidad, pero ¿lo es también para el sector audiovisual? Esta pregunta nos lleva a preguntarnos si en el sector de la imagen y el sonido se llevan a cabo prácticas sostenibles, tomando como punto de partida el liderazgo. Adoptar una perspectiva a largo plazo ha ayudado a las empresas a sobrevivir en tiempos difíciles, como crisis económicas y recesiones, así como en el contexto actual de pandemia de COVID-19. Junto con la revisión bibliográfica, el estudio pretende analizar la percepción de los directivos del sector audiovisual respecto al liderazgo en su organización, a través del marco de Liderazgo Sostenible de Abeja y Langosta que Avery y Bergsteiner desarrollaron en 2011. Se realizó un estudio cualitativo basado en la análisis de las respuestas de cincuenta mandos medios y altos del sector audiovisual en España que respondieron a un cuestionario de 54 preguntas. Los hallazgos arrojaron resultados interesantes. Se encontró que las organizaciones dentro del sector audiovisual muestran elementos de los estilos de liderazgo de ambos abejas y langostas. Los resultados mostraron que la aportación de ideas y el trabajo en equipo son valorados por los directivos entrevistados. Además, se dio mucha importancia a la necesidad de implementar la formación continua y el desarrollo de los profesionales en las empresas. En general, los resultados mostraron que existía una clara necesidad de que las empresas del sector audiovisual dedicaran un mayor esfuerzo para lograr prácticas sostenibles a nivel empresarial

What Have We Learned from Policy Transfer Research? Dolowitz and Marsh Revisited

Over the last decade, policy transfer has emerged as an important concept within public policy analysis, guiding both theoretical and empirical research spanning many venues and issue areas. Using Dolowitz and Marsh's 1996 stocktake as its starting point, this article reviews what has been learned by whom and for what purpose. It finds that the literature has evolved from its rather narrow, state-centred roots to cover many more actors and venues. While policy transfer still represents a niche topic for some researchers, an increasing number have successfully assimilated it into wider debates on topics such as globalisation, Europeanisation and policy innovation. This article assesses the concept's position in the overall ‘tool-kit’ of policy analysis, examines some possible future directions and reflects on their associated risks and opportunities

Validation and preliminary data from a health-related quality of life questionnaire for owners of dogs with cardiac disease

BACKGROUND: Cardiac disease in dogs impacts the quality of life (QoL) of their owners, but owners\u27 QoL has not been comprehensively assessed in this population. OBJECTIVES: To develop, validate, and provide preliminary data from a health-related QoL (hrQoL) questionnaire for owners of dogs with cardiac disease. SUBJECTS: A total of 141 owners of dogs with cardiac disease were studied. METHODS: An owner hrQoL (O-hrQoL) questionnaire containing 20 items related to areas of a person\u27s life that could be impacted by caring for a dog with cardiac disease was developed and administered to owners of dogs with cardiac disease. The highest possible total score was 100, with higher scores indicating a worse hrQoL. Readability, internal consistency, face and construct validity, and item-total correlations were assessed. RESULTS: Median O-hrQoL score was 35 (range, 0-87). The questionnaire had good internal consistency (Cronbach\u27s alpha = 0.933), construct validity (Spearman\u27s r = 0.38-0.53; Kendall\u27s tau = 0.30-0.43; P \u3c .001), and item-total correlation (Spearman\u27s r = 0.44-0.79; Kendall\u27s tau = 0.34-0.66; all P \u3c .001). Fifty percent of owners indicated a negative effect of dogs\u27 cardiac disease on their own QoL, but all owners responded that caring for their dogs either had strengthened (n = 76; 53.9%) or had no effect on their relationship with their dog (n = 65; 46.1%). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The O-hrQoL questionnaire had good validity, and results suggest that owners\u27 QoL is significantly impacted by caring for dogs with cardiac disease. Additional research on effective approaches to minimizing the negative effects of a dog\u27s cardiac disease on the owner is warranted

Clustered bottlenecks in mRNA translation and protein synthesis

We construct an algorithm that generates large, band-diagonal transition matrices for a totally asymmetric exclusion process (TASEP) with local hopping rate inhomogeneities. The matrices are diagonalized numerically to find steady-state currents of TASEPs with local variations in hopping rate. The results are then used to investigate clustering of slow codons along mRNA. Ribosome density profiles near neighboring clusters of slow codons interact, enhancing suppression of ribosome throughput when such bottlenecks are closely spaced. Increasing the slow codon cluster size, beyond $\approx 3-4$, does not significantly reduce ribosome current. Our results are verified by extensive Monte-Carlo simulations and provide a biologically-motivated explanation for the experimentally-observed clustering of low-usage codons

Scalloped margin domes: What are the processes responsible and how do they operate?

Studies of scalloped margin domes (SMD) indicate the scallops are the result of slope failure. SMD's have similar but smaller average diameters (26.5 km) to unmodified domes (29.8 km), and the majority plot at altitudes ranging from 0.5-4.7 km, relative to the mean planetary diameter. A range of morphological types exist from those least modified to those that show heavy modification. Of the 200 SMD's examined, 33 have clearly discernible debris aprons. Examination and comparison of debris aprons with mass movement features on the Moon, Mars, and in sub-aerial and submarine environments on Earth using H/L against area (km(sup 2)), suggests there are three main types of failure; debris avalanche, slumps, and debris flow. The five examples representing the morphological range within the SMD's, show the different modified forms and the different types of slope failures that have occurred

Scheme for Universal High-Dimensional Quantum Computation with Linear Optics

Photons are natural carriers of high-dimensional quantum information, and, in principle, can benefit from higher quantum information capacity and noise-resilience. However, schemes to generate the resources required for high-dimensional quantum computing have so far been lacking in linear optics. Here, we show how to generate GHZ states in arbitrary dimensions and numbers of photons using linear optical circuits described by Fourier transform matrices. Combining our results with recent schemes for qudit Bell measurements, we show that universal linear optical quantum computing can be performed in arbitrary dimensions

Standardisation of uterine natural killer (uNK) cell measurements in the endometrium of women with recurrent reproductive failure

Considerable work is being carried out on endometrial NK cells to determine whether they play a role in successful pregnancy outcome. In addition there is debate about whether measurements of uNK should be included in the clinical assessment for women with recurrent implantation failure or recurrent miscarriage. A hindrance to taking this forward is the fact that the density of uNK cells reported by different centres is very different. The aim of this study was to determine the reason for these differences and to develop a standardised method. Three centres participated in the study. Each centre exchanged five formalin fixed, wax embedded sections of endometrium from five women. Sections were immunostained for CD56. Images were taken of 10 random fields at ×400 magnification; total stromal and uNK cells were counted using Image J. Results were expressed as % positive uNK cells and the variation in counts obtained in each centre was compared. After initial analysis a standardised protocol was agreed and the process repeated.Significant variation was seen in the counts obtained after initial analysis (Centre A vs.B, mean difference = -0.72 P < 0.001; A vs.C mean difference = -0.47 P < 0.001; B vs.C, mean difference = 0.25 P = 0.085). Analysis suggested that differences may be due to duration of tissue fixation, the embedding and sectioning processes, selection of areas for assessment, definition of immunopositive cells and inclusion or exclusion of blood vessels. Adoption of a standardised protocol reduced the variation (Centre A vs.B mean difference = -0.105 P = 0.744; A vs.C mean difference = 0.219 P = 0.150; B vs.C mean difference = 0.32 P = 0.031). Use of a standardised method is needed to establish a normal range for uNK cells and to develop a meaningful clinical test for uNK cell measurements