Perilous Shores: The Unfathomable Supernaturalism of Water in 19th-Century Scottish Folklore

Discusses the origin and significance of water superstitions and the varied array of water creatures in 19th-century Scottish folklore; compares these folkloric elements to similar stories from Norway to Benin to ancient Greece

A study on non-metallic inclusions in foundry steel process

The effects of sample area and automated SEM/EDS feature analysis parameters (step size, magnification and threshold) on nonmetallic inclusion characterization results has been investigated and optimized. A post-processing program was developed to automatically determine average inclusion chemistry, total element concentrations within inclusions, and for generating joint ternary diagrams with size visualization for representing nonmetallic inclusion populations. Using these tools the evolution of nonmetallic inclusions was examined for 4320 steel at a participating industrial steel foundry. The steel was sampled throughout electric arc furnace melting through ladle refining to the final casting where an in-mold sampling procedure was developed to procure numerous test samples representative of final heavy section castings in effort to further understand the effect of different metallurgical factors on impact toughness for slow solidification rate high strength cast steel. Nonmetallic inclusion nucleation, growth, and flotation were monitored through liquid steel processing by size-classified area fraction. The use of zirconium as an addition for nitrogen/oxygen removal was found to lead to a large number of ZrO2 inclusions, which resulted in insufficient flotation due to the higher density of zirconia and, less effective calcium treatment. No ZrN formation was observed owing to the high FeO acid slag practice used. Argon stirring was found to mitigate the flotation problems associated with the zirconium addition and significantly contribute to the removal of large size (\u3e5µm) inclusions. In-mold heavy section samples were tested at -40⁰C and 25⁰C to examine how different microstructural features such as nonmetallic inclusions, porosity, and hardness influence the impact energy of the steel for brittle and ductile fracture modes. SEM fractography was used to characterize failures modes: brittle, ductile, and quasi-ductile at energies ranging from 14-40 ft-lbs. For brittle fracture, hardness had an adverse influence on impact energy absorbed, while increasing the average area fraction and diameter of nonmetallic inclusions led to improved toughness. The opposite trends were observed for ductile fracture in specimens tested at room temperature, where area fraction of nonmetallic inclusions and porosity were detrimental to the impact energy absorbed --Abstract, page iv

A dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model for Switzerland

This paper presents a DSGE (dynamic stochastic general equilibrium) model of the Swiss economy used since 2007 in the monetary policy decision process at the Swiss National Bank. In addition to forecasting the likely course of main macro variables under various scenarios for the Swiss economy, the model DSGE-CH serves as a laboratory for studying business cycles and examining the effects of actual and hypothetical monetary policies. The microfounded model DSGE-CH represents Switzerland as a small open economy with optimizing economic agents facing several real and nominal rigidities and exogenous foreign and domestic shocks. The comparison of the model's implications with the real world indicates that DSGE-CH performs well along standard dimensions. It captures the overall stochastic structure of the Swiss economy as represented by the moments of its key macroeconomic variables, furthermore, it has appropriate dynamic properties, as judged by its impulse response functions. Finally, it quite accurately replicates the historical path of major Swiss variables.DSGE, forecasting, small open economy, Switzerland

Electrophysiological evidence for altered visual, but not auditory, selective attention in adolescent cochlear implant users

Objective: Selective attention fundamentally alters sensory perception, but little is known about the functioning of attention in individuals who use a cochlear implant. This study aimed to investigate visual and auditory attention in adolescent cochlear implant users

Bright spots, physical activity investments that work: Beat the Street

Programme card Country/locality United Kingdom, Europe (Austria, Greece, Ireland, Italy & Poland), United States, Canada, and Shanghai. Target population Primary focus: the physically inactive and those from socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. However, the programme is open to all members of the public. What modes/types/domains of physical activity does the programme promote? Walking, cycling and running through active travel, recreation and exploration of the local, outdoor environment. Which of the seven best investments the programme addresses? Four of the seven best investments: communication and public education; education; community-wide programs and sport and recreation. What sectors does it involve? NHS, public health, transport, education, physical activity and sport, workforce and nature. The aim is to get the whole community engaged. Estimated programme reach Since 2011, the programme has engaged 877,409 participants, with over 300,000 people taking part in consecutive years in 2016 and 2017. What is special about this programme? The programme uses online, print and face to face engagement to affect behaviour change and help people sustain that change

A qualitative exploration of the motivations underlying anabolic-androgenic steroid use from adolescence into adulthood

Background: This study explored the direct experience of anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS) use by young men, with an emphasis on how motivations progressed from adolescent initiation to more entrenched usage. Participants and procedure: Nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals ranging in experience of AAS use, from novice to experienced users. Results: The results indicated that the young adult men progressed through a clear transition whereby their motives for using these substances changed from a mere desire to compete with other men to more internalised body image problems. Conclusions: The findings presented suggest a more complex relationship between AAS use and body image pathology than previously suggested

Survival of the drunkest: The relationship between intrasexual competition and excessive alcohol consumption by university students.

Recent evidence has highlighted intrasexual competition as a potential influence on anabolic−androgenic steroid use; however, the potential impact on other substance use behaviors has yet to be explored. This study examined the potential role of intrasexual competition on alcohol consumption at a university, an environment where excessive consumption is the socially desirable norm. In total, N = 223 university students were recruited from a single university in Wales, United Kingdom, and a 2-way between-subjects Analysis of variance was run to determine the relationship between alcohol consumption (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) and intrasexual competition (Intrasexual Competition Scale). There was a significant positive association between self-reported alcohol use and levels of intrasexual competition. Further analysis identified this relationship was exclusive to those who did not participate in university sport. The findings of the current study provide further evidence for intrasexual competition as a potential influence on substance use behaviors and highlights that sports participation may be protective against this relationship

Intrasexual competition as a potential influence on anabolic-androgenic steroid use initiation

An estimated 293,000 people living in the United Kingdom have used anabolic-androgenic steroids. However, there is currently no intervention to reduce usage available in practice or academic circulation throughout the United Kingdom. This study aimed to test a novel hypothesis that increased levels of intrasexual competition may play an important influential role in the use of anabolic-androgenic steroids. Significantly higher levels of intrasexual competition were evident in users compared to non-users but only in the novice group (0–2 years of experience). The research provides evidence for intrasexual competition potentially influencing anabolic-androgenic steroid use but only during the initial stages of usage

Price Stability and the Case for Flexible Exchange Rates

We revisit Friedman's case for flexible exchange rates in a small open economy with several distortions and rigidities and a variety of domestic and external shocks. We find that, for external shocks, the flexible exchange rate regime outperforms the fixed regime independent of the source of domestic nominal rigidities provided that the monetary authorities pursue a policy of strict inflation targeting. For domestic supply shocks, a joint policy of a flexible exchange rate and strict inflation targeting fares well when the main source of nominal rigidities is in the domestic goods markets, but not if rigidities arise in the labor market