The Influence of Michal Kalecki on Joan Robinson’s Approach to Economics

Joan Robinson and Michal Kalecki were two of the intellectual giants of twentieth century economics, whose contributions over a significant range of issues have had major impacts on economics. This paper examines the significant communications between them, concentrating on the major cross influences which were apparent from the first time that they met. It focuses on Kalecki’s influence on Joan Robinson in a number of areas. In particular, there was much communication between them about developments in Keynesian theory, where Joan Robinson was influenced by Kalecki’s Marxian approach. Further areas of influence included the role and determination of investment and innovation, the nature of price setting in capitalist economies, and methodological issues associated with the nature of economic theory, particularly with respect to economic cycles and trends.History of Economic Thought since 1925; Current Heterodox Approaches; Economic Methodology

Two \u3ci\u3eEntomophthora\u3c/i\u3e Species Associated with Disease Epizootics of the Alfalfa Weevil, \u3ci\u3eHypera Postica\u3c/i\u3e (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), in Ontario

Recent studies have shown that disease epizootics in Ontario populations of the alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica (Gyllenhal), are caused by a complex of two fungi

Foraging ecology of a generalist predator the female New Zealand fur seal

Copyright © 2002 Inter-Research.Abstract: This study examined how diet, foraging location and diving behaviour of female New Zealand fur seals Arctocephalus forsteri at Otago Peninsula, New Zealand (45°52¹S, 170°44¹E), varied in relation to prey abundance among seasons in 1994 and 1995. Time-depth recorders measured the diving behaviour of 24 lactating female fur seals, during summer, autumn or winter of 1994 and summer and autumn of 1995. Foraging locations were obtained by deploying satellite transmitters in summer, autumn and winter of 1994 only. Estimated biomass of prey items was determined from 690 scats and 166 regurgitates collected over summer, autumn and winter of both years, and compared with abundance data from research trawls in the same area. Foraging trip duration increased during the cooler seasons. Female fur seals showed a clear bout structure in dive behaviour, with the relative proportion of 3 main bout types (Long, Shallow, Deep) varying with season. Time between bouts (IBI) and bout duration varied with season, suggesting that prey distribution and prey encounter rate also varied. Linear discriminant analysis of the dive and foraging trip characteristics of individual females demonstrated clear seasonal differences. Females foraged on or near the continental slope in summer and farther offshore in autumn. Satellite telemetry locations and diet suggest principally inshore foraging during winter. Fur seals ate predominantly arrow squid Nototodarus sloanii during summer and autumn of both years, although fish, particularly myctophids, were persistent in the diet. Arrow squid were less common in winter when diet was more varied, and an inshore, benthic fish, ahuru Auchenoceros punctatus was dominant. There was no relationship between the annual changes in abundance of major prey species as measured by research trawls and their occurrence in seal diet. Overall, changes in dive behaviour may reflect changes in prey selection as prey abundance and availability change among seasons.Robert G. Harcourt, Corey J. A. Bradshaw, Kate Dickson, Lloyd S. Davi

Mixing rates across the Gulf Stream, Part 1: On the formation of Eighteen Degree Water

Microstructure profiles taken in February 2007 across the Gulf Stream (GS) measured the temporal and spatial variability of the intense mixing that forms Eighteen Degree Water (EDW). Strong winds, gusting to 30 m s–1, and heat fluxes up to 1000 W m–2 produced moderate-to-strong mixing in the surface mixed layer and the entrainment zone, as well as in the thermocline. In the limit of a vertically balanced heat budget, EDW formation is driven primarily by surface heat loss to the atmosphere across a region extending O(100) km south from the GS core, where entrainment heat fluxes based on dissipation rates were relatively low, O(10) to O(100) W m–2. Near the GS core, much larger entrainment fluxes, O(100) to O(1000) W m–2, contribute significantly to cooling the mixed layer, but less so to overall EDW formation due to its smaller volume. Relationships between observed dissipation rates and the atmospheric and local shear forcing scales are examined for this limited data set and compared with empirical scalings both within the mixed layer and in the entrainment zone. Below the mixed layer near the GS, diapycnal diffusivities in the thermocline averaged about O(10–4) m2 s–1, and are approximately 10 times levels previously observed in the GS during other seasons. Horizontally coherent shear structures, with shoaling phase and clockwise rotation, indicate that downward-propagating near-inertial waves are responsible for much of this enhanced subsurface mixing

Mixing rates across the Gulf Stream, Part 2: Implications for nonlocal parameterization of vertical fluxes in the surface boundary layers

The turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget of the surface mixed layer is evaluated at wintertime stations occupied in the vicinity of the strong Gulf Stream (GS) jet. The nonlocal K-profile parameterization (KPP) of vertical fluxes is combined with observed hydrography and meteorology to diagnose TKE production. This KPP-based production is averaged over the surface mixed layer and compared with corresponding averages of observed TKE dissipation rate from microstructure measurements, under assumptions of a homogeneous steady-state balance for the layer-averaged TKE budget. The KPP-based TKE production estimates exceed the mean observed boundary layer dissipation rates at occupied stations by up to an order of magnitude. In cases with strong upper ocean shear, the boundary layer depths predicted by the bulk Richardson number criteria of KPP tend to be deeper than indicated by observed dissipation rates, and thereby including strong entrainment zone shear contributes excessively to the KPP-based diagnosis of TKE production. However, even after correcting this diagnosis of mixed layer depth, the layer-averaged production still exceeds observed dissipation rates. These results have several possible implications, including: (1) KPP tends to overestimate vertical momentum flux in cases with strong shear due to geostrophically balanced thermal wind, unbalanced submesoscale dynamics, or entrainment driven by mixed layer inertial oscillations; (2) a mean local TKE balance does not hold in baroclinic mixed layers due to radiation of inertial waves, divergence in horizontal TKE flux or an inverse cascade to larger scales; and (3) both the boundary layer depth and the remaining TKE budget discrepancies indicate the limited validity of mixed layer models in the simulation of submesoscale ocean phenomena

Submergence times and abundance estimation of blue whales off Sri Lanka

Very little is known about the blue whale populations in the waters of Sri Lanka. A first attempt at estimating their relative abundances using DISTANCE sampling methods is currently underway in the waters off the southern coast of the island. Surfacing behavior was quantified from focal follows of individual blue whales between January and March 2011. Estimates of submergence times will be used for generating more precise abundance estimates. Individuals were followed from a 32-foot vessel to observe surfacing patterns and breathing behaviour in the presence and absence of whalewatching boats. Time at first surface, length of surface interval, number of blows and final dive time were collected. The data gathered was analysed using a hidden Markov model (HMM) to identify whether dive duration was uniform or whether dives could be classified using surface interval and submergence time. The preliminary results show that the whales performed two types of dives; ‘regular’ and ‘deep’ dives with Inter Breath Intervals (IBI) of 22.0s (SD=4.7) and 635.6s (SD=405.4) respectively. Blue Whales off southern Sri Lanka spend 75% of their time performing ‘regular’ dives. Accordingly; we estimated that their mean IBI was approximately 173s. These preliminary results obtained using HMM may provide a more accurate correction factor than that obtained from the raw data. This may refine estimates of whale density and abundance for the area

Information dynamics shape the networks of Internet-mediated prostitution

Like many other social phenomena, prostitution is increasingly coordinated over the Internet. The online behavior affects the offline activity; the reverse is also true. We investigated the reported sexual contacts between 6,624 anonymous escorts and 10,106 sex-buyers extracted from an online community from its beginning and six years on. These sexual encounters were also graded and categorized (in terms of the type of sexual activities performed) by the buyers. From the temporal, bipartite network of posts, we found a full feedback loop in which high grades on previous posts affect the future commercial success of the sex-worker, and vice versa. We also found a peculiar growth pattern in which the turnover of community members and sex workers causes a sublinear preferential attachment. There is, moreover, a strong geographic influence on network structure-the network is geographically clustered but still close to connected, the contacts consistent with the inverse-square law observed in trading patterns. We also found that the number of sellers scales sublinearly with city size, so this type of prostitution does not, comparatively speaking, benefit much from an increasing concentration of people

Looking age-appropriate while growing old gracefully: A qualitative study of ageing and body image among older adults

© SAGE Publications. Body dissatisfaction can be significantly detrimental to wellbeing. Little is known about older adults' body image, despite the fact that ageing causes unique bodily changes and that sociocultural pressures to resist these changes abound. We conducted six focus groups with a UK community sample of White British and South Asian older adults aged 65-92 years. Thematic analysis highlighted four themes: appearance indicates capability and identity; physical ability trumps appearance; felt pressures to age 'gracefully' while resisting appearance changes; and gender and cultural differences. These findings suggest that older adults' body image can have important implications for their wellbeing and merits researchers' attention

Using online blogs to explore positive outcomes after burn injuries

This study uses blog analysis, a new and novel technique, to explore the positive outcomes experienced by burn survivors. This study examined 10 burn survivor blogs to offer a unique, longitudinal insight into burn survivor recovery. Using thematic analysis, three themes emerged: shift in self-perception, enhanced relationships and a change in life outlook. Many of these themes contained stories and experiences unique to a traumatic burn injury, suggesting that standardised trauma scales are not effectively measuring the impact of a burn in this population. Reflections on blog analysis are discussed, along with a recommendation that health researchers utilise the vast amount of data available from online blogs