The state and revolution in Britain 1916-1926.

The thesis is an examination and discussion of the responses of British governments to developments in labour and socialist organisations between 1916 and 1926. The first chapter is concerned with the growing recognition of the increased power of labour under the conditions of modern war. Yet governments, it is argued, failed to develop a coherent labour policy and often acted in a confused and contradictory manner. The second chapter begins with an analysis of the post war crisis when many politicians began to regard revolution as a real possibility. They developed two agencies, the Special Branch and the Supply and Transport Organisation in order to deal with the situation. It is argued that in its original form the latter was not only costly but politically dangerous and ineffective. Later developments were not only cheaper but based on a more sophisticated understanding of the political strengths of a modern state. The third chapter is concerned with the responses of British socialists to the state. It includes some discussion of theoretical influences, an examination of the attempts of the Communist Party to implement Lenin's teachings on state and revolution, and a discussion of the first Labour Government in respect of the implications for socialist strategies with regard to the state. The final chapter is concerned to argue that while superior organisation and resources played their part in the Government's victory in the General Strike, it was Baldwin's political manoeuvres which were the most important element of the campaign. In conclusion there is some discussion of attempts which have been made to characterise the development of the British state in this period. The reality, it is argued, was far more prosaic than many accounts would suggest. Politicians achieved the stability they sought but they did so not by dramatic innovation but by constant political endeavor based on marginal readjustment and this reapplication of traditional themes and structures

Price-minimizing behaviors in response to increasing tobacco price: a cross-sectional study of students

Background: The public health benefits of tobacco taxation are undermined when smokers engage in price-minimising behaviours other than quitting in response to rising prices. These include switching from smoking manufactured cigarettes to cheaper alternatives such as roll your-own (RYO). Young adults are particularly sensitive to tobacco prices. Methods: 314 students at the University of Nottingham, UK completed an online survey about their current smoking behaviour and their likely responses to hypothetical increases in the price of tobacco. Results: Cessation intent was linked to price, as was the likelihood of switching to cheaper products. Although only 7% said they would quit in response to a £0.50 increase in the price of their product, 68% said they would quit if it doubled. Among manufactured cigarette smokers who would switch products if the price of cigarettes doubled, 33% said they would switch to RYO. 44% stated they would switch to e-cigarettes if combustible tobacco became unaffordable. Conclusions: Large price increases could reduce prevalence among this age group, though this effect would be potentially be undermined by young adult smokers accessing cheaper alternatives to manufactured cigarettes. The apparent viability of e-cigarettes as a price minimising substitute for smoking may be encouraging from a public health perspective

Clinical and Metabolic Correlates of Pure Stone Subtypes

Background: There are multiple stone types, each forming under different urinary conditions. We compared clinical and metabolic findings in pure stone formers to understand if there are consistent factors that differentiate these groups in terms of underlying etiology and potential for empiric treatment. Materials and Methods: Pure SFs based on infrared spectroscopic analysis of stones obtained at our institution between 01/2002 and 07/2018 with a corresponding 24-hour urinalysis were retrospectively evaluated. Results: 121 apatite, 54 brushite, 50 calcium oxalate dihydrate, 104 calcium oxalate monohydrate, and 82 uric acid patients were analyzed. Apatite, brushite, and calcium oxalate dihydrate patients were younger than calcium oxalate monohydrate and uric acid patients. Uric acid patients had the highest male predominance (76.8%), while apatite patients were predominantly female (80.2%). Uric acid was most associated with diabetes mellitus (45.3%), and calcium oxalate monohydrate with cardiovascular disease (27.2%) and malabsorptive gastrointestinal conditions (19.2%). Brushite patients had the highest prevalence of primary hyperparathyroidism (17%). Apatite, brushite, and calcium oxalate dihydrate patients demonstrated high rates of hypercalciuria (66.1%, 79.6%, 82%). Apatite and brushite patients had the highest urinary pH. Apatite patients exhibited the highest rate of hypocitraturia while calcium oxalate dihydrate patients exhibited the lowest (55.4%, 30%). Calcium oxalate monohydrate patients had the highest rate of hyperoxaluria (51.9%). Uric acid patients had the lowest urinary pH. There were no observable differences in the rates of hyperuricosuria or hypernatriuria. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that pure stone composition correlates with certain urinary and clinical characteristics. This data can help guide empiric clinical decision-making

Widespread movement of invasive cattle fever ticks (Rhipicephalus microplus) in southern Texas leads to shared local infestations on cattle and deer

Background: Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus is a highly-invasive tick that transmits the cattle parasites (Babesia bovis and B. bigemina) that cause cattle fever. R. microplus and Babesia are endemic in Mexico and ticks persist in the United States inside a narrow tick eradication quarantine area (TEQA) along the Rio Grande. This containment area is threatened by unregulated movements of illegal cattle and wildlife like white-tailed deer (WTD; Odocoileus virginianus). Methods: Using 11 microsatellite loci we genotyped 1,247 R. microplus from 63 Texas collections, including outbreak infestations from outside the TEQA. We used population genetic analyses to test hypotheses about ecological persistence, tick movement, and impacts of the eradication program in southern Texas. We tested acaricide resistance with larval packet tests (LPTs) on 47 collections. Results: LPTs revealed acaricide resistance in 15/47 collections (32%); 11 were outside the TEQA and three were resistant to multiple acaricides. Some collections highly resistant to permethrin were found on cattle and WTD. Analysis of genetic differentiation over time at seven properties revealed local gene pools with very low levels of differentiation (F-ST 0.00-0.05), indicating persistence over timespans of up to 29 months. However, in one neighborhood differentiation varied greatly over a 12-month period (F-ST 0.03-0.13), suggesting recurring immigration from distinct sources as another persistence mechanism. Ticks collected from cattle and WTD at the same location are not differentiated (F-ST = 0), implicating ticks from WTD as a source of ticks on cattle (and vice versa) and emphasizing the importance of WTD to tick control strategies. We identified four major genetic groups (K = 4) using Bayesian population assignment, suggesting multiple introductions to Texas. Conclusions: Two dispersal mechanisms give rise to new tick infestations: 1) frequent short-distance dispersal from the TEQA; and 2) rare long-distance, human-mediated dispersal from populations outside our study area, probably Mexico. The threat of cattle fever tick transport into Texas is increased by acaricide resistance and the ability of R. microplus to utilize WTD as an alternate host. Population genetic analyses may provide a powerful tool for tracking invasions in other parts of the world where these ticks are established

The potential of high-rate GPS for strong ground motion assessment

We show that high-rate GPS can have a vital role to play in near real-time monitoring of potentially destructive earthquakes. We do this by investigating the potential of GPS in recording strong ground motions from earthquakes in Switzerland and Japan. The study uses finite-fault stochastic ground motion simulation based on Fourier amplitude spectra and duration models previously developed for both countries, allowing comparisons in terms of both Fourier and time domain characteristics (here the Peak Ground Velocity, PGV). We find that earthquakes of magnitude Mw>5.8 can be expected to be recorded by GPS in real-time at 10 km distance, i.e. their Fourier spectrum exceeds the noise of the instruments enough to be used in strong motion seismology. Post-processing of GPS time series lowers the noise and can improve the minimum observable magnitude by 0.1-0.2. As GPS receivers can record at higher rates (> 10 sps), we investigate which sampling rate is sufficient to optimally record earthquake signals and conclude that a minimum sampling rate of 5 sps is recommended. This is driven by recording events at short distances (below 10 km for magnitude 6 events and below 30 km for magnitude 7 events). Furthermore, the Maximum Ground Velocity derived from GPS is compared to the actual PGV for synthetic signals from the stochastic simulations and the 2008 Mw=6.9 Iwate earthquake. The proposed model, confirmed by synthetic and empirical data, shows that a reliable estimate of PGV for events of about magnitude 7 and greater can be basically retrieved by GPS in real-time and could be included for instance in ShakeMaps for aiding post-event disaster management

Proceedings of the Sixth International Workshop on Web Caching and Content Distribution

OVERVIEW The International Web Content Caching and Distribution Workshop (WCW) is a premiere technical meeting for researchers and practitioners interested in all aspects of content caching, distribution and delivery on the Internet. The 2001 WCW meeting was held on the Boston University Campus. Building on the successes of the five previous WCW meetings, WCW01 featured a strong technical program and record participation from leading researchers and practitioners in the field. This report includes all the technical papers presented at WCW'01. Note: Proceedings of WCW'01 are published by Elsevier. Hardcopies of these proceedings can be purchased through the workshop organizers. As a service to the community, electronic copies of all WCW'01 papers are accessible through Technical Report BUCS‐TR‐2001‐017, available from the Boston University Computer Science Technical Report Archives at http://www.cs.bu.edu/techreps. [Ed.note: URL outdated. Use http://www.bu.edu/cs/research/technical-reports/ or http://hdl.handle.net/2144/1455 in this repository to access the reports.]Cisco Systems; InfoLibria; Measurement Factory Inc; Voler

Plant volatile-mediated signalling and its application in agriculture: successes and challenges

The mediation of volatile secondary metabolites in signalling between plants and other organisms has long been seen as presenting opportunities for sustainable crop protection. Initially, exploitation of interactions between plants and other organisms, particularly insect pests, foundered because of difficulties in delivering, sustainably, the signal systems for crop protection. We now have mounting and, in some cases, clear practical evidence for successful delivery by companion cropping or next-generation genetic modification (GM). At the same time, the type of plant signalling being exploited has expanded to signalling from plants to organisms antagonistic to pests, and to plant stress-induced, or primed, plant-to-plant signalling for defence and growth stimulation