A different appetite for sovereignty? Independence movements in subnational island jurisdictions

Local autonomy in a subnational jurisdiction is more likely to be gained, secured or enhanced where there are palpable movements or political parties agitating for independence in these smaller territories. A closer look at the fortunes, operations and dynamics of independence parties from subnational island jurisdictions can offer some interesting insights on the appetite for sovereignty and independence, but also the lack thereof, in the twenty-first century.peer-reviewe

Induced Discounting and Its Implications to Catastrophic Risk Management

The implication of risks for justifying long-term investment remains a controversial issue. For example, how can we justify mitigation efforts for a 200-year flood that may, in fact, occur in one year or in 300 years? Discount rates obtained from capital markets are linked to assets with lifespans of a few decades and, as such, may significantly underestimate the results of long-term mitigations. In this paper, we show that the explicit treatment of extreme catastrophic events and related uncertain time horizons and risks induce dynamically adjusted discount rates, conditional on the degree of social commitment to mitigate risk. In particular, the standard time geometric (exponential) discount factors are induced by an event with time horizons characterized by a "memoryless" geometric (exponential) probability distribution. A set of such events induces declining time inconsistent discount rates that are dominated by least probable extreme events. In general, risk affects discount rates, which alter the optimal mitigation efforts that in turn, change the risk. We show that the induced discount factors can be analyzed by solving stochastic optimization problems. Our simulation results indicate that the misperception of time inconsistency associated with induced discounting may dramatically effect - delay or provoke - the possibility of catastrophic collapse

Multivariate morphometric analysis of Apis cerana of southern mainland Asia

Multivariate morphometric analyses were performed on a series of worker honeybees, Apis cerana, representing 557 colonies from all of southern mainland Asia extending from Afghanistan to Vietnam south of the Himalayas. Scores from the principal components analysis revealed five statistically separable but not entirely distinct morphoclusters of bees: (1) the Hindu Kush, Kashmir, N. Myanmar, N. Vietnam and S. China; (2) Himachal Pradesh region of N. India; (3) N. India, Nepal; (4) central and S. Myanmar and Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, S. China and peninsular Malaysia; (5) central and S. India. The major morphoclusters are distributed coherently with the different climatic zones of the region. While populations are definable, nomenclatural adjustments remain for the future

A Qualitative Study of an Integrated Maternity, Drugs and Social Care Service for Drug-using Women

Background: The care of drug-using pregnant women is a growing health and social care concern in many countries. A specialist clinic was established offering multidisciplinary care and advice to pregnant drug users in and around Aberdeen (UK) in 1997. The majority of women stabilise and reduce their drug use. By determining the needs and views of the women more appropriate services and prevention strategies may be developed. There has been little research conducted in this area and none in Scotland. Methods: This is a qualitative study that aimed to gain an understanding of the experiences of women drug users, seeking and receiving prenatal care and drug services from a specialist clinic. Twelve women participated in semi-structured one-to-one interviews. Results: The women preferred the multidisciplinary clinic (one-stop shop) to traditional prenatal care centred within General Practice. The relationships of the clients to the range of Clinic professionals and in hospital were explored as well as attitudes to Clinic care. The study participants attributed success in reducing their drug use to the combination of different aspects of care of the multi-agency clinic, especially the high level prenatal support. It is this arrangement of all aspects of care together that seem to produce better outcomes for mother and child than single care elements delivered separately. Some women reported that their pregnancy encouraged them to rapidly detoxify due to the guilt experienced. The most important aspects of the Clinic care were found to be non-judgemental attitude of staff, consistent staff, high level of support, reliable information and multi-agency integrated care. Conclusion: There is an impetus for women drug users to change lifestyle during pregnancy. The study highlighted a need for women to have access to reliable information on the effects of drugs on the baby. Further research is required to determine whether positive outcomes related to clinic attendance in the prenatal period are sustained in the postnatal period. Early referral to a specialist clinic is of benefit to the women, as they reported to receive more appropriate care, especially in relation to their drug use. A greater awareness of needs of the pregnant drug user could help the design of more effective prevention strategies

Millimeter Wave Detection of Localized Anomalies in the Space Shuttle External Fuel Tank Insulating Foam

The Space Shuttle Columbia's catastrophic accident emphasizes the growing need for developing and applying effective, robust and life-cycle oriented nondestructive testing (NDT) methods for inspecting the shuttle external fuel tank spray on foam insulation (SOFI). Millimeter wave NDT techniques were one of the methods chosen for evaluating their potential for inspecting these structures. Several panels with embedded anomalies (mainly voids) were produced and tested for this purpose. Near-field and far-field millimeter wave NDT methods were used for producing images of the anomalies in these panels. This paper presents the results of an investigation for the purpose of detecting localized anomalies in several SOFI panels. To this end, reflectometers at a relatively wide range of frequencies (Ka-band (26.5 - 40 GHz) to W-band (75 - 110 GHz)) and utilizing different types of radiators were employed. The resulting raw images revealed a significant amount of information about the interior of these panels. However, using simple image processing techniques the results were improved in particular as it relate s to detecting the smaller anomalies. This paper presents the results of this investigation and a discussion of these results

Straight motion of half-integer topological defects in thin Fe-N magnetic films with stripe domains

International audienc