The F-signature and strong F-regularity

We show that the F-signature of a local ring of characteristic p, defined by Huneke and Leuschke, is positive if and only if the ring is strongly F-regular.Comment: revised version, incorporating referee's comments. 6 page

River Habitat Mapping: are Surface Flow Type Habitats Biologically Distinct?

Current river habitat mapping uses several methods, many relying on descriptions of habitat units based on depth, velocity, substrate and water surface patterns. Water surface patterns are controlled by local geomorphology and hydraulics and can be remotely sensed, if surface flow type habitats are physically and biologically distinctive this may provide a faster surveying method. Six UK lowland rivers were investigated, surface flow types were mapped and the physical characteristics of each habitat unit recorded. Samples of benthic macroinvertebrates were taken from representative units and quantified. The results show that habitat mapping, using surface flow types in small lowland streams, is viable and that those habitats have some degree of physical distinctiveness. Analysis of benthic macroinvertebrate communities shows that there is some association with mapped habitats, and therefore are potentially biologically relevant

THE DIFFERENTIAL IMPACT OF CORRUPTION ON MICROENTERPRISES IN RUSSIA

Over the past decade, the repressive legal and regulatory environment in transition economies has received considerable attention in the literature. In Russia, this framework has resulted in an environment in which rules and regulations govern almost all aspects of economic activity. The elaborate system of regulations with which firms must comply, in combination with a lack of accountability for regulatory enforcers, has created a corrupt cadre of government officials who frequently engage in rent-seeking behavior while monitoring and enforcing firm compliance. The objective of this paper is to investigate the manner in which corruption affects micro and small enterprises in Russia. Empirical evidence suggests that micro and small enterprises vary substantially in reporting how problematic corruption is for their enterprise. A theoretical model explores why extortion from regulators may occur in a non-uniform manner across firms. The theoretical model postulates that government regulators customize the nature of their rent-seeking activities towards, similar to a price-discriminating monopolist facing hidden information. The model shows that production technologies, input choices, and other firm characteristics such as location play a role in determining the bribe price that a regulator will charge a firm, as well as the number of times he will return to collect it. Supportive evidence comes from survey data collected on Russian microenterprises. The model described above is tested using econometrics, and numerical simulations.Political Economy,

The implementation of chlamydia screening: a cross-sectional study in the south east of England

Background England's National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP) provides opportunistic testing for under 25 year-olds in healthcare and non-healthcare settings. The authors aimed to explore relationships between coverage and positivity in relation to demographic characteristics or setting, in order to inform efficient and sustainable implementation of the NCSP. Methods The authors analysed mapped NCSP testing data from the South East region of England between April 2006 and March 2007 inclusive to population characteristics. Coverage was estimated by sex, demographic characteristics and service characteristics, and variation in positivity by setting and population group. Results Coverage in females was lower in the least deprived areas compared with the most deprived areas (OR 0.48; 95% CI 0.45 to 0.50). Testing rates were lower in 20 1324-year-olds compared with 15 1319-year-olds (OR 0.69; 95% CI 0.67 to 0.72 for females and OR 0.67; 95% CI 0.64 to 0.71 for males), but positivity was higher in older males. Females were tested most often in healthcare services, which also identified the most positives. The greatest proportions of male tests were in university (27%) and military (19%) settings which only identified a total of 11% and 13% of total male positives respectively. More chlamydia-positive males were identified through healthcare services despite fewer numbers of tests. Conclusions Testing of males focused on institutional settings where there is a low yield of positives, and limited capacity for expansion. By contrast, the testing of females, especially in urban environments, was mainly through established healthcare services. Future strategies should prioritise increasing male testing in healthcare settings

Printing stable liquid tracks on a surface with finite receding contact angle.

We have used high-speed imaging to study the formation of liquid tracks on a surface with nonzero receding contact angle, by the sequential deposition of liquid drops. For small drop spacing we found good agreement with the track morphology predicted by an existing line stability model. In addition, we confirmed definitively the preferential drop-to-bead fluid flow and the predicted drop spreading variation in the scalloped line and paired bead formation regimes. However, we found that without accounting for drop impact inertia, the model underestimated the maximum drop spreading radii and, hence, the instantaneous track width. In addition, the printed track became stable at larger drop spacing, in contrast to the expected behavior. We believe that the destabilizing effect of a receding contact line may be minimized when track radii, as predicted by volume conservation and drop-bead coalescence dynamics, converge as the drop spacing increases. An increase in viscous dissipation and a reduction of the capillary-driven flow may be the additional stabilization mechanisms. The latter may also be responsible for achieving a stable and symmetrical track when printing with a shorter interval (higher print frequency) at a given drop spacing.This project was supported by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and industrial partners in the Programme Grant number EP/H018913/1 ‘Innovation in Industrial Inkjet Technology’.This is the final published version. It first appeared at http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/la502490p

Inkjet printing for pharmaceutics - A review of research and manufacturing.

Global regulatory, manufacturing and consumer trends are driving a need for change in current pharmaceutical sector business models, with a specific focus on the inherently expensive research costs, high-risk capital-intensive scale-up and the traditional centralised batch manufacturing paradigm. New technologies, such as inkjet printing, are being explored to radically transform pharmaceutical production processing and the end-to-end supply chain. This review provides a brief summary of inkjet printing technologies and their current applications in manufacturing before examining the business context driving the exploration of inkjet printing in the pharmaceutical sector. We then examine the trends reported in the literature for pharmaceutical printing, followed by the scientific considerations and challenges facing the adoption of this technology. We demonstrate that research activities are highly diverse, targeting a broad range of pharmaceutical types and printing systems. To mitigate this complexity we show that by categorising findings in terms of targeted business models and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) chemistry we have a more coherent approach to comparing research findings and can drive efficient translation of a chosen drug to inkjet manufacturing.This project was supported by (i) the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and industrial partners in the Programme Grant number EP/H018913/1 ‘Innovation in Industrial Inkjet Technology’, (ii) EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Continuous Manufacturing and Crystallisation (EP/1033459/1) and (iii) Department of Business, Innovation and Skill’s (BIS) Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative (AMSCI) funded Project ‘Remedies’ (TS/L006529/1).This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2015.03.01

Extending semantic long-term knowledge on the basis of episodic short-term knowledge

Voss I, Wachsmuth I. Extending semantic long-term knowledge on the basis of episodic short-term knowledge. In: Schmalhofer F, Young RM, Katz G, eds. Proceedings of the EuroCogSci03. Mahwah, NJ, USA: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; 2003: 445-445

Testing models of inflation with CMB non-gaussianity

Two different predictions for the primordial curvature fluctuation bispectrum are compared through their effects on the Cosmic Microwave Background temperature fluctuations. The first has a local form described by a single parameter f_{NL}. The second is based on a prediction from the warm inflationary scenario, with a different dependence on wavenumber and a parameter f_{WI}. New expressions are obtained for the angular bispectra of the temperature fluctuations and for the estimators used to determine $f_{NL}$ and f_{WI}. The standard deviation of the estimators in an ideal experiment is roughly 5 times larger for f_{WI} than for f_{NL}. Using 3 year WMAP data gives limits -375<f_{WI}<36.8, but there is a possibility of detecting a signal for f_{WI} from the Planck satellite.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures in ReVTe

“It’s About Walking Alongside a Family”: Practitioner Perspectives on Caregiver Coaching With Families of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Practitioners utilize caregiver coaching in early intervention services, but coaching principles and practices are not well understood in the context of listening and spoken language (LSL) services with families of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. The purpose of this study was to examine practitioners’ experiences with coaching, including definitions, training, and practices they utilize in their work with families. Using semi-structured, qualitative interviews and video observation discussions, this study examined the perspectives of 14 practitioners providing LSL services to families at three intervention sites in the US and Canada. Results indicate that practitioners’ underlying beliefs about their coaching proficiency and caregivers’ capacity impact their coaching practices and how they engage with caregivers. Results highlight practices such as mentoring and accountability that supported practitioners’ coaching skills. This study contributes to the understanding of caregiver coaching in LSL practice and has implications for practitioners working to improve their coaching skills, which may improve LSL services and optimize child outcomes