The Myth of Egalitarianism in Wartime and Austerity Britain

This thesis examines the construction of a myth of egalitarianism in Britain during the Second World War and subsequent challenges to it under austerity in the immediate postwar years. It engineers the 1951 Festival of Britain as a lens through which to track a history of hope for and disillusionment with socialist reconstruction legislation, addressing the following key questions: How did expectations for postwar social harmony clash with the \u27New Britain\u27 delivered by the Labour government after 1945? In what ways did this tension motivate the organization of a festival for the nation, about the nation? Featuring the prophecies of H.G. Wells and George Orwell, baby starvation techniques, modern toilet seat aesthetics, and a particularly striking piece of steak, this thesis endeavors to question the agenda of the Festival of Britain beyond its recognized role as a tonic to the nation

Trade Credit and the Bank Lending Channel

The bank lending channel theory posits that during monetary contractions banks restrict some firms’ loans, thus reducing their desired investment independently of interest rates. Previous research finds small firms reduce, while large firms accelerate, loan growth. We find that small firms increase trade credit, a substitute credit, indicating a strong loan demand. It supports the bank lending channel: they do not voluntarily cut bank loans since they increase a less-desirable alternative. Using trade credit is propitious since unlike commercial paper (investigated by previous researchers), it is widely used by the small firms suffering the loan decline. Surprisingly, we also find large firms increase trade credit, a puzzle since they are typically assumed to have wide access to other credit. Using individual firm data, we find the reasons large firms use trade credit are financial in nature: those without a bond rating increase trade credit (i.e. without access to open market credit). As relatively few firms have this mark of quality, it implies that more firms are affected by credit constraints than previously believed.Bank Lending Channel, Credit Channel, Manufacturing Firms, Monetary Policy, Trade Credit

Exploring the Influence of Consumer Behavior, Psychology, and Personality on Purchase Intention: A Study on the Impact of Color, Font Type, and Material in Coffee Packaging

Norway boasts a substantial coffee market and ranks as the second-highest consumer of coffee globally. Within a highly competitive market, it becomes crucial for businesses to differentiate themselves from competitors. While previous studies have primarily focused on examining the impact of various coffee packaging components on overall purchase intention, this research seeks to delve deeper and identify the specific factors that contribute to heightened purchase intentions for particular packaging components. By shedding light on these factors, this study aims to provide valuable insights for businesses aiming to gain a competitive advantage in the industry. Our research comprised two distinct studies. Study 1 encompassed an exploratory investigation with the objective of examining the alignment between personalities and color preferences, as well as determining the magnitude of willingness to pay (WTP) and its key influencers. Study 2, our main study, focused on analyzing the factors that influence purchase intentions for various packaging components, specifically material, font type, and color. Within this study, we explored the interplay of consumer behavior, psychology, and personality as critical determinants of purchase intentions. To examine the present study, we employed a comprehensive approach involving an online survey to gather relevant data. This data was subjected to rigorous analysis, including factor analysis and regression models, to facilitate a thorough exploration of the research variables. The outcomes of our analysis revealed compelling evidence supporting the significant influence of underlying factors such as consumer behavior, psychology, and personality on the purchase intentions pertaining to diverse coffee packaging components. These findings underscore the importance of considering these factors when making decisions regarding the packaging of coffee products, as they can significantly impact consumer preferences and behaviors

Velocity of vortices in inhomogeneous Bose-Einstein condensates

We derive, from the Gross-Pitaevskii equation, an exact expression for the velocity of any vortex in a Bose-Einstein condensate, in equilibrium or not, in terms of the condensate wave function at the center of the vortex. In general, the vortex velocity is a sum of the local superfluid velocity, plus a correction related to the density gradient near the vortex. A consequence is that in rapidly rotating harmonically trapped Bose-Einstein condensates, unlike in the usual situation in slowly rotating condensates and in hydrodynamics, vortices do not move with the local fluid velocity. We indicate how Kelvin's conservation of circulation theorem is compatible with the velocity of the vortex center being different from the local fluid velocity. Finally we derive an exact wave function for a single vortex near the rotation axis in a weakly interacting system, from which we derive the vortex precession rate.Comment: 5 pages, one .eps figure. Published versio

Construction of a giant vortex state in a trapped Fermi system

A superfluid atomic Fermi system may support a giant vortex if the trapping potential is anharmonic. In such a potential, the single-particle spectrum has a positive curvature as a function of angular momentum. A tractable model is put up in which the lowest and next lowest Landau levels are occupied. Different parameter regimes are identified and characterized. Due to the dependence of the interaction on angular momentum quantum number, the Cooper pairing is at its strongest not only close to the Fermi level, but also close to the energy minimum. It is shown that the gas is superfluid in the interior of the toroidal density distribution and normal in the outer regions. Furthermore, the pairing may give rise to a localized density depression in configuration space.Comment: 12 pages, 14 figure file

The European Climate Research Alliance (ECRA): collaboration from bottom-up

The European Climate Research Alliance (ECRA) is an association of leading European research institutions in the field of climate research (http://www.ecra-climate.eu/, last access: 6 December 2018). ECRA is a bottom-up initiative and helps to facilitate the development of climate change research, combining the capacities of national research institutions, and inducing closer ties between existing national research initiatives, projects and infrastructures. ECRA works as an open platform to bring together climate researchers, providing excellent scientific expertise for policy makers and of societal relevance. The ECRA Board consists of representatives of ECRA partners and decides on governance, scientific priorities, and organisational matters. Currently organized into four Collaborative Programmes, climate scientists share their knowledge, experience and expertise to identify the most important research requirements for the future, thus developing a foresight approach. The CPs cover the topics: (1) Arctic variability and change, (2) Sea level changes and coastal impacts, (3) Changes in the hydrological cycle and (4) High impact events. The CP activities are planned in workshops and participation is open to all interested scientists from the relevant research fields. In particular, young researchers are actively encouraged to join the network. Each CP develops its joint research priorities for shaping European research into the future. Because scientific themes are interconnected, the four Collaborative Programmes interact with each other, e.g. through the organization of common workshops or joint applications. In addition, the Collaborative Programme leads attend the Board meetings. The different formats of ECRA meetings range from scientific workshops to briefing events and side events at conferences to involve different groups of interests. This facilitates the interaction of scientists, various stakeholder groups and politicians. A biennial open ECRA General Assembly that is organised in Brussels represents an umbrella event and acts as a platform for discussion and contact with stakeholders. This event is an excellent opportunity to jointly discuss research priorities of high societal relevance

BCS-BEC Crossover in Atomic Fermi Gases with a Narrow Resonance

We determine the effects on the BCS-BEC crossover of the energy dependence of the effective two-body interaction, which at low energies is determined by the effective range. To describe interactions with an effective range of either sign, we consider a single-channel model with a two-body interaction having an attractive square well and a repulsive square barrier. We investigate the two-body scattering properties of the model, and then solve the Eagles-Leggett equations for the zero temperature crossover, determining the momentum dependent gap and the chemical potential self-consistently. From this we investigate the dependence of the crossover on the effective range of the interaction.Comment: 12 pages, 14 figure

Base excision repair AP endonucleases and mismatch repair act together to induce checkpoint-mediated autophagy

Cellular responses to DNA damage involve distinct DNA repair pathways, such as mismatch repair (MMR) and base excision repair (BER). Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system, we present genetic and molecular evidence of a mechanistic link between processing of DNA damage and activation of autophagy. Here we show that the BER AP endonucleases APN-1 and EXO-3 function in the same pathway as MMR, to elicit DNA-directed toxicity in response to 5-fluorouracil, a mainstay of systemic adjuvant treatment of solid cancers. Immunohistochemical analyses suggest that EXO-3 generates the DNA nicks required for MMR activation. Processing of DNA damage via this pathway, in which both BER and MMR enzymes are required, leads to induction of autophagy in C. elegans and human cells. Hence, our data show that MMR- and AP endonuclease-dependent processing of 5-fluorouracil-induced DNA damage leads to checkpoint activation and induction of autophagy, whose hyperactivation contributes to cell death. © 2013 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved