A Global Alliance Against Forced Labour: Report I (B)

Explains how the concept of forced labor is defined in international law and discusses some parameters for identifying contemporary forced labor situations in practice. Provides the first minimum global estimate of the numbers of people in forced labor by an international organization, broken down by geographical region and by form of forced labor. Gives a global picture of contemporary patterns of forced labor, and of action to eradicate it. Reviews the ILO’s assistance to member States for the eradication of forced labor, in view of the creation of a Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labour. Lastly, it makes recommendations for future action

Life as a Journey in the Letters of Gregory the Great

Papers presented at the Sixteenth International Conference on Patristic Studies held in Oxford 2011, edited by Markus VinzentThis paper presents the theme of life as a journey in a carefully-chosen selection of letters from the Registrum epistularum of Gregory the Great. An in depth study of the five letters in question reveals a detailed picture of the man of God who was a just and tactful administrator, but who was also a man of the people. Aware of the fact that this Church Father wrote with remarkable dexterity and artistry on countless topics to a whole spectrum of people from all walks of life in a variety of circumstances, this study seeks to focus on a pivotal existential theme: the image of life as a journey with its ups, downs and meanderings. Gregory’s profound knowledge of human nature can be extrapolated from an exegesis of the five letters which are the scope of this research.peer-reviewe

Vocational Rehabiliation and Employment of Disabled Persons: Report III (Part 1B)

Third item on the agenda: Information and reports on the application of Conventions and Recommendations. General Survey on the reports on the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons)Convention (No. 159) and Recommendation (No. 168), 1983. Report of the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations (articles 19, 22 and 35 of the Constitution)

Design and use of a hackable digital instrument

This paper introduces the D-Box, a new digital musical instrument specifically designed to elicit unexpected creative uses and to support modification by the performer. Rather than taking a modular approach, the D-Box is a hackable instrument which allows for the discovery of novel working configurations through circuit bending techniques. Starting from the concept of appropriation, this paper describes the design, development and evaluation process lasting more than one year and made in collaboration with musicians and hackers.This work was funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council under grant EP/K032046/1 (2013-14)

Islamic financial outlook and the influence of religion on the law

This presentation was given as part of the Islamic Law and International Law Conference 2011 by Professor Javaid Rehman from Brunel Law School. The conference was hosted by the Brunel Law School on the 9th September 2011

Standard error estimation for EM applications related to Latent class models

The EM algorithm is a popular method for computing maximum likelihood estimates. It tends to be numerically stable, reduces execution time compared to other estimation procedures and is easy to implement in latent class models. However, the EM algorithm fails to provide a consistent estimator of the standard errors of maximum likelihood estimates in incomplete data applications. Correct standard errors can be obtained by numerical differentiation. The technique requires computation of a complete-data gradient vector and Hessian matrix, but not those associated with the incomplete data likelihood. Obtaining first and second derivatives numerically is computationally very intensive and execution time may become very expensive when fitting Latent class models using a Newton-type algorithm. When the execution time is too high one is motivated to use the EM algorithm solution to initialize the Newton Raphson algorithm. We also investigate the effect on the execution time when a final Newton-Raphson step follows the EM algorithm after convergence. In this paper we compare the standard errors provided by the EM and Newton-Raphson algorithms for two models and analyze how this bias is affected by the number of parameters in the model fit.peer-reviewe

Prioritising energy efficiency measures in Maltese restaurants

The 2018 Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EU) 2018/844, focuses on building energy renovation. With the increase in tourists and working opportunities in Malta, the restaurants’ sector is experiencing a business boom. Despite this sector being a major energy consumer, the energy performance of restaurants in Malta has been given little attention. This paper investigates the energy performance of four representative restaurants in Malta. Refrigeration accounted for the highest share of 40% electricity consumption, followed by kitchen exhaust ventilation, domestic hot water and space cooling, which accounted for about 50%, while lighting consumed only 6%. Energy saving potential was primarily identified for refrigeration, water heating and air-conditioning. Although, the fuel sources used for cooking equipment accounted for more than 50% of the overall energy used in these restaurants, electricity is the fuel of primary concern as on average it contributes to 70% of total carbon emissions and results in the highest operational cost. The total potential of carbon emission savings was found to be 17%, when the recommended energy efficiency measures are applied. A benchmark of 14.51 kWh primary energy per person served was established for energy-efficient restaurants. This paper provides evidence-based results that are useful for policy makers to introduce fiscal incentives to support the transition of Maltese restaurants to nearly-zero energy status.peer-reviewe

The death agony of capitalism and the tasks of the Fourth International: The transitional program adopted by the Founding Conference of the Fourth International

https://stars.library.ucf.edu/prism/1072/thumbnail.jp

Feasibility study of a heat recovery system in an office building in Malta

The new Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EU) 2018/844 has brought about a new drive to renovate existing buildings, especially for heating and cooling systems, whereby heat recovery techniques have become the order of the day. However, the real energy and financial benefits of applying such techniques have not been studied in Malta, which has a temperate Mediterranean climate. Thus, this study has performed a technical and financial analysis of using different heat recovery options for the most common office type, that is a medium-sized flatted office, using EnergyPlus dynamic simulation tool and multiple linear regressions. Results showed that the coefficient of performance of the air-conditioners, the window to wall ratio and the cooling set-point temperatures, have the greatest impact, while heat recovery has an insignificant contribution to energy efficiency, thus making it rank low in the list of energy efficiency priority measures for medium-sized offices in Malta.peer-reviewe