Janus and the Future of Collective Bargaining: Rhetorically Predicting a First Amendment Right to Negotiation

The importance of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees has been widely recognized for its effect on reducing the power and influence of public unions. A close reading of the majority opinion provides a clue that compulsory collective bargaining itself may be settling into the court’s crosshairs. Collective bargaining is an important tool, by which labor can reduce the often-inherent power imbalance it has with ownership and management. Yet as this Article outlines, the interests of individual workers can often be at odds with those other workers workers, particularly those who do not feel the union represents their interests. This Article will explore the history of unions and collective bargaining, the variety of worker rights that are affected by compulsory collective bargaining, why the Supreme Court might choose to eliminate compulsory collective bargaining via the First Amendment, and what may ultimately replace it. or even the union itself. When the law designates a union as the exclusive bargaining agent for a group of workers, it prohibits individual workers from advocating for their own interests. As the U.S. Supreme Court recognized in Janus, this results in a substantial reduction of the rights o

The Irreducible Spine(s) of Undirected Networks

Using closure concepts, we show that within every undirected network, or graph, there is a unique irreducible subgraph which we call its "spine". The chordless cycles which comprise this irreducible core effectively characterize the connectivity structure of the network as a whole. In particular, it is shown that the center of the network, whether defined by distance or betweenness centrality, is effectively contained in this spine. By counting the number of cycles of length 3 <= k <= max_length, we can also create a kind of signature that can be used to identify the network. Performance is analyzed, and the concepts we develop are illurstrated by means of a relatively small running sample network of about 400 nodes.Comment: Submitted to WISE 201

Refining a Bayesian network using a chain event graph

The search for a useful explanatory model based on a Bayesian Network (BN) now has a long and successful history. However, when the dependence structure between the variables of the problem is asymmetric then this cannot be captured by the BN. The Chain Event Graph (CEG) provides a richer class of models which incorporates these types of dependence structures as well as retaining the property that conclusions can be easily read back to the client. We demonstrate on a real health study how the CEG leads us to promising higher scoring models and further enables us to make more refined conclusions than can be made from the BN. Further we show how these graphs can express causal hypotheses about possible interventions that could be enforced

A solution for galactic disks with Yukawian gravitational potential

We present a new solution for the rotation curves of galactic disks with gravitational potential of the Yukawa type. We follow the technique employed by Toomre in 1963 in the study of galactic disks in the Newtonian theory. This new solution allows an easy comparison between the Newtonian solution and the Yukawian one. Therefore, constraints on the parameters of theories of gravitation can be imposed, which in the weak field limit reduce to Yukawian potentials. We then apply our formulae to the study of rotation curves for a zero-thickness exponential disk and compare it with the Newtonian case studied by Freeman in 1970. As an application of the mathematical tool developed here, we show that in any theory of gravity with a massive graviton (this means a gravitational potential of the Yukawa type), a strong limit can be imposed on the mass (m_g) of this particle. For example, in order to obtain a galactic disk with a scale length of b ~ 10 kpc, we should have a massive graviton of m_g << 10^{-59} g. This result is much more restrictive than those inferred from solar system observations.Comment: 7 pages; 1 eps figure; to appear in General Relativity and Gravitatio

Optical Spectra of SNR Candidates in NGC 300

We present moderate-resolution (<5A) long-slit optical spectra of 51 nebular objects in the nearby Sculptor Group galaxy NGC 300 obtained with the 2.3 meter Advanced Technology Telescope at Siding Spring Observatory, Australia. Adopting the criterion of [SII]/Ha>=0.4 to confirm supernova remnants (SNRs) from optical spectra, we find that of 28 objects previously proposed as SNRs from optical observations, 22 meet this criterion with six showing [SII]/Ha of less than 0.4. Of 27 objects suggested as SNRs from radio data, four are associated with the 28 previously proposed SNRs. Of these four, three (included in the 22 above) meet the criterion. In all, 22 of the 51 nebular objects meet the [SII]/Ha criterion as SNRs while the nature of the remaining 29 objects remains undetermined by these observations.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Scienc

Diagnostic criteria for initial orthostatic hypotension:a narrative review

Abnormalities in orthostatic blood pressure changes upon active standing are associated with morbidity, mortality, and reduced quality of life. However, over the last decade, several population-based cohort studies have reported a remarkably high prevalence (between 25 and 70%) of initial orthostatic hypotension (IOH) among elderly individuals. This has raised the question as to whether the orthostatic blood pressure patterns in these community-dwelling elderly should truly be considered as pathological. If not, redefining of the systolic cutoff values for IOH (i.e., a value ≥ 40 mmHg in systolic blood pressure in the first 15 s after standing up) might be necessary to differ between normal aging and true pathology. Therefore, in this narrative review, we provide a critical analysis of the current reference values for the changes in systolic BP in the first 60 s after standing up and discuss how these values should be applied to large population studies. We will address factors that influence the magnitude of the systolic blood pressure changes following active standing and the importance of standardization of the stand-up test, which is a prerequisite for quantitative, between-subject comparisons of the postural hemodynamic response

TREND ANALYSIS OF PRODUCTION, CONSUMPTION AND EXPORT OF CASHEW CROP IN WEST AFRICA

West Africa is a core producer of Cashew ( Anacardium occidentale L.), supplying 45% of the commodity on the global market. Despite this huge share of the international market, only 10% of the commodity is processed and consumed domestically. The low rate of consumption is reflected by low investment in the cashew industry, making the crop underutilised as a food and nutrition security crop in the region. The objective of this study was to analyse the trends in production, levels of consumption and export of the crop in West Africa, as a basis for informing strategic development interventions. This work utilised metadata from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation database, Nitidae and other relevant sources to explore the production, consumption and export patterns of cashew from the year 2000 up to 2017. The metadata used were analysed using descriptive statistics. The study revealed that eleven (Cote D\u2019Ivoire, Nigeria, Benin, Guinea Bissau, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Guinea, The Gambia, Senegal, and Togo) of the sixteen countries in West Africa were actively engaged in cashew production. It was also projected that production will decline in the next five years in countries such as Nigeria, Togo, Senegal, and Burkina Faso due to a reduction in the land under cashew cultivation, an increase in pest and disease infestations, coupled with a decline in genetic improvement and poor extension services. Production will remain stable in The Gambia and Guinea Bissau because most trees there are yet to hit the peak of production; and of reduced investment in research and development. Cashew consumption locally is dismal (&lt;10% across the region) due to limited attention given to the processing industry in the region. To boost local production and consumption, as well maintain the 45% share of the international market in the next five years and beyond, it is essential to invest in genetic improvement, modification of agronomic practices, and investment in the processing industry, as well as research and development of the crop.L\u2019Afrique de l\u2019Ouest est l\u2019un des principaux producteurs de Cajou ( Anacardium occidentale L.), et elle fournit 45% de la marchandise sur le march\ue9 mondial. Malgr\ue9 cette \ue9norme contribution sur le march\ue9 international, les 10% des produits sont seulement transform\ue9s et consomm\ue9s sur le march\ue9 int\ue9rieur. Le faible taux de consommation se traduit par un faible investissement dans l\u2019industrie du cajou, ce qui rend la plante sous-utilis\ue9e comme la plante de la s\ue9curit\ue9 alimentaire et nutritionnelle dans la r\ue9gion. L\u2019objectif de cette \ue9tude \ue9tait d\u2019analyser les taux de la production, les niveaux de consommation et d\u2019exportation de la r\ue9colte en Afrique de l\u2019Ouest, comme base pour \ue9clairer les interventions de d\ue9veloppement strat\ue9gique. Ce travail a utilis\ue9 des m\ue9tadonn\ue9es de la base de donn\ue9es de l\u2019Organisation des Nations Unies pour l\u2019alimentation et l\u2019agriculture, Nitidae et d\u2019autres sources pertinentes pour explorer les mod\ue8les de production, de consommation et d\u2019exportation de cajou de 2000 \ue0 2017. Les m\ue9tadonn\ue9es utilis\ue9es ont \ue9t\ue9 analys\ue9es \ue0 l\u2019aide de statistiques descriptives. L\u2019\ue9tude a r\ue9v\ue9l\ue9 que onze pays (C\uf4te d\u2019Ivoire, Nig\ue9ria, B\ue9nin, Guin\ue9e Bissau, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Guin\ue9e, Gambie, S\ue9n\ue9gal et Togo) des seize pays d\u2019Afrique de l\u2019Ouest \ue9taient activement engag\ue9s dans la production de cajou. On a \ue9galement \ue9t\ue9 projet\ue9 que la production diminuera au cours des cinq prochaines ann\ue9es dans les pays des Nig\ue9ria, Togo, S\ue9n\ue9gal et Burkina Faso \ue0 cause d\u2019une r\ue9duction des terres de cajou, d\u2019une augmentation des infestations de ravageurs et de maladies, et une baisse de l\u2019am\ue9lioration g\ue9n\ue9tique et des services de vulgarisation m\ue9diocres. La production restera stable en Gambie et en Guin\ue9e Bissau parce que la plupart des arbres n\u2019ont pas encore atteint le pic de production; et de la r\ue9duction des investissements dans la recherche et le d\ue9veloppement. La consommation locale de cajou est lamentable (&lt;10% dans la r\ue9gion) \ue0 cause d\u2019une attention limit\ue9e accord\ue9e \ue0 l\u2019industrie de transformation dans la r\ue9gion. Pour stimuler la production et la consommation locales, ainsi que maintenir la contribution de 45% du march\ue9 international au cours des cinq prochaines ann\ue9es et audel\ue0, il est essentiel d\u2019investir dans l\u2019am\ue9lioration g\ue9n\ue9tique, la modification des pratiques agronomiques et l\u2019investissement dans l\u2019industrie de transformation, ainsi que la recherche et d\ue9veloppement de la culture de cajou

Theory of Coexistence of Superconductivity and Ferroelectricity : A Dynamical Symmetry Model

We propose and investigate a model for the coexistence of Superconductivity (SC) and Ferroelectricity (FE) based on the dynamical symmetries $su(2)$ for the pseudo-spin SC sector, $h(4)$ for the displaced oscillator FE sector, and $su(2) \otimes h(4)$ for the composite system. We assume a minimal symmetry-allowed coupling, and simplify the hamiltonian using a double mean field approximation (DMFA). A variational coherent state (VCS) trial wave-function is used for the ground state: the energy, and the relevant order parameters for SC and FE are obtained. For positive sign of the SC-FE coupling coefficient, a non-zero value of either order parameter can suppress the other (FE polarization suppresses SC and vice versa). This gives some support to "Matthias' Conjecture" [1964], that SC and FE tend to be mutually exclusive. For such a Ferroelectric Superconductor we predict: a) the SC gap $\Delta$ (and $T_c$) will increase with increasing applied pressure when pressure quenches FE as in many ferroelectrics, and b) the FE polarization will increase with increaesing magnetic field up to $H_c$. The last result is equivalent to the prediction of a new type of Magneto-Electric Effect in a coexistent SC-FE material. Some discussion will be given of the relation of these results to the cuprate superconductors.Comment: 46 page