Gels under stress: the origins of delayed collapse

Attractive colloidal particles can form a disordered elastic solid or gel when quenched into a two-phase region, if the volume fraction is sufficiently large. When the interactions are comparable to thermal energies the stress-bearing network within the gel restructures over time as individual particle bonds break and reform. Typically, under gravity such weak gels show a prolonged period of either no or very slow settling, followed by a sudden and rapid collapse - a phenomenon known as delayed collapse. The link between local bond breaking events and the macroscopic process of delayed collapse is not well understood. Here we summarize the main features of delayed collapse and discuss the microscopic processes which cause it. We present a plausible model which connects the kinetics of bond breaking to gel collapse and test the model by exploring the effect of an applied external force on the stability of a gel.Comment: Accepted version: 10 pages, 7 figure

A Co-Design Partnership to Develop Universally Designed ICT Applications for People with Intellectual Disability

Abstract. Co-design has its roots in the Participatory Design techniques developed in Scandinavia in the 1970s. Co-design reflects a fundamental change in the traditional designer-client relationship. A key tenet of co-design is that users, as \u27experts\u27 of their own experience, become central to the design process. This reflects the role of the user at the heart of Universal Design. This paper describes an on-going co-design partnership between undergraduate ICT students and Community Partners who support individuals with Intellectual Disabilities. The aim of this work is to develop assistive technology applications and/or products which meet the requirements of the Community Partners. The core development philosophy is Universal Design. The project work forms part of the academic requirements for undergraduate assessment in computing courses and must fully meet the prescribed learning outcomes. The Community Partners initiate the process by outlining preliminary requirements for the Projects using online accessible videos. In partnership with the students they engage and participate in design, development and testing workshops throughout the lifecycle of the project. Some of the necessary preparations and agreements are described, which are required before these co-design partnerships can work for the mutual benefit of all concerned. The experiences and outcomes of completed projects are reflected upon and the potential benefits of promoting Universal Design through co-design partnerships between the ICT developers of the future and the Community Partners are considered. Examples of projects undertaken include Accessible Login and Shopping Assistant.

An analysis of penalties under ASIC administered legislation: scoping the issues

This working paper is the first published output of an eighteen month (December 2014 – June 2016) research project conducted by staff at the Melbourne Law School that examines enforcement and penalties regimes under legislation administered by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). During 2015 and early 2016 the project will conduct a review of selected penalties over a ten year period from 2005 to 2014. This paper is an introductory publication that scopes the issues that will be examined in the course of the project. The paper begins with a brief overview of the project and identifies topics that will be considered as the project progresses. Part II discusses key findings in ASIC’s Report 387: Penalties for Corporate Wrongdoing which compares the penalties available to ASIC in relation to comparable regulators in other jurisdictions. Part III examines current debates about corporate wrongdoing and the adequacy of penalties, including the impact of recent parliamentary inquiries. Part IV explains ASIC’s regulatory and enforcement functions and briefly discusses the policy rationales that underlie such functions. Part V presents a preliminary set of data on ASIC’s enforcement activity sourced from its six monthly Enforcement Reports. Part VI makes initial observations in relation to comparable financial market regulatory agencies in other jurisdictions by reference to various criteria, including funding models. Part VII concludes the working paper

The behavioural wedge

When nations fail to agree, can individual citizens make a difference? The third of our post-Copenhagen features is by Jonathan Gilligan, Thomas Dietz, Gerald T. Gardner, Paul C. Stern , and Michael P. Vandenbergh . They look at the effects that voluntary actions by individuals can have, and at the policies that can best encourage such actions.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79202/1/j.1740-9713.2010.00405.x.pd

Energy and Climate Change: Key Lessons for Implementing the Behavioral Wedge

The individual and household sector accounts for roughly 40 percent of United States energy use and carbon dioxide emissions, yet the laws and policies directed at reductions from this sector often reflect a remarkably simplistic model of behavior. This Essay addresses one of the obstacles to achieving a “behavioral wedge” of individual and household emissions reductions: the lack of an accessible, brief summary for policymakers of the key findings of behavioral and social science studies on household energy behavior. The Essay does not provide a comprehensive overview of the field, but it discusses many of the leading studies that demonstrate the extent and limits of rational action. These studies can inform lawyers and policymakers who are developing measures to reduce energy use and carbon emissions and can serve as an entry point for more detailed studies of the literature. An effective response to the climate change problem will require substantial reductions in energy demand in addition to new developments in low-carbon energy supplies. The individual and household sector presents a major opportunity: the sector accounts for roughly 40% of U.S. carbon emissions and a comparable percentage of total U.S. energy production, and it is one of the most promising areas for reducing emissions. A recent analysis estimates that behavioral measures directed at this sector could reasonably be expected to reduce total US emissions by over 7% by 2020, an amount larger than the combined emissions from several of the largest-emitting industrial sectors and larger than the total emissions of France. In many cases, these emissions reductions can be achieved at less cost than the leading alternatives. Despite this opportunity, recent regulatory and policy efforts are only beginning to direct substantial attention to the individual and household sector. Findings from the social sciences provide valuable insights into how to capitalize on this opportunity, yet policymakers often have little time to develop new polices and are confronted with a barrage of often-conflicting approaches and theories. This Essay addresses the policy-making challenge by distilling the findings from a broad range of fields into several key principles for those developing energy and climate laws and policies. The principles we outline here are a starting point for policymakers working in this area. We attempt to provide insight into which principles are most relevant to law and policy, but instructions as to how to incorporate these principles are beyond the scope of this essay. The principles include only a subset of the insights from the behavioral and social science literature. In many cases, adherence to multiple principles will be necessary to develop the most effective policy design. Policymakers should consult the body of work referenced here, as well as experts in the social sciences to further their understanding of these and other principles. More extensive reviews of this literature and its relevance to energy and climate policy are also available

Fishes of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands: new records, community composition and biogeographic significance

The Cocos (Keeling) Islands comprise the most isolated oceanic atoll in the tropical Indian Ocean and are situated 1000 km south-west of Indonesia. The remoteness of the islands has shaped the composition of marine communities but also limited scientific research. This study summarises field research on the marine fishes of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands over the last 14 years (2001–2014). Sixty-seven new records (from 28 families) are described and raise the total number of known fishes to 602 species from 84 families. New records span a variety of body sizes (3 cm TL Gobiodon unicolor to 500 cm TL Rhincodon typus), were observed in all major habitats,and found at both the Southern Atoll and at North Keeling Island. Notable new records include first records for the families Alopiidae, Coryphaenidae, Eleotridae, Gempylidae, Istiophoridae, Molidae, Polymixiidae, Rhincodontidae, Sillaginidae and Xiphiidae. Sampling from pelagic and deepwater (60–300 m) reef environments significantly increased the number of species described from these habitats. New records include species that have dispersed more than 2500 km (Centropyge acanthops) and dispersal ability appears to explain the lack of syngnathids and the high representation of acanthurids and holocentrids in the community. Some of the Indian Ocean species that have colonised the Cocos (Keeling) Islands now co-occur with their Pacific Ocean sister species, increasing the potential for hybridisation. Although the fish community of the Cocos (Keeling) Island resembles that of the Indo-West Pacific, the isolation and co-occurrence of Indian and Pacific Ocean species distinguishes it from all other locations

Checklist and new records of Christmas Island fishes: the influence of isolation, biogeography and habitat availability on species abundance and community composition

Christmas Island (Indian Ocean) is an oceanic high island that is situated 300 km southwest of Java, Indonesia. From 2010 to 2014, the fish community of Christmas Island was surveyed using underwater visual surveys for shallow water (0–60 m) fishes, and line fishing (bottom fishing and trolling) for deepwater (60–300 m) and pelagic fishes. Forty-seven new records (from 22 families) were identified, thereby increasing the total number of fishes described from Christmas Island to 681 (from 91 families). Notable new records include the first records for the families Alopiidae, Anomalopidae, Muraenesocidae, Tetrarogidae and Trichonotidae, and the first reports of Pacific Ocean species Plectranthias yamakawai, and Polylepion russelli in the Indian Ocean. The ten most species-rich families accounted for 58% of the community and included: Labridae (13%), Pomacentridae (8%), Epinephelidae (6%), Acanthuridae (5%), Chaetodontidae (5%), Muraenidae (5%), Gobiidae (5%), Blenniidae (4%), Apogonidae (4%) and Scorpaenidae (3%). The majority (89%) of species inhabit shallow coral reefs, with deep reefs (60–300 m) and pelagic waters only accounting for 7% and 2% of fish community. Approximately 76% of thefishes are widespread Indo-Pacific species, 12% are Pacific Ocean species, 5% are circumtropical, 4% are Indian Ocean species and approximately 1% are endemic. Abundance surveys revealed that endemic species, and species at the edge of their geographic range, do not conform to terrestrial-based predictions of low abundance. The structure and composition of the Christmas Island fish community is influenced by three main factors. Firstly, the isolation of the island means that fishes with poor dispersal abilities (e.g., syngnathids) are underrepresented. Secondly, thebiogeographic position of the island results in a unique mixing of Indian and Pacific Ocean species. Thirdly, the lack of lagoonal habitats means that fishes that use these habitats (e.g., ophichthids, lethrinids, epinephelids) are underrepresented or have low abundance

Impact evaluation report: Egypt’s forsa graduation program

Forsa, which means “Opportunity” in Arabic, is a new economic inclusion program of the government of the Arab Republic of Egypt. Implemented by the Ministry of Social Solidarity, the program aims to graduate beneficiaries of the national cash transfer program, the Takaful & Karama Program (TKP), to economic self-reliance by enabling them to engage in wage employment or sustainable economic enterprises. The 2021 World Bank Economic Inclusion report (Andrews et al. 2021) highlights a recent increase globally in such graduation or economic inclusion programs, which now reaches around 92 million beneficiaries from 20 million households across more than 75 countries. This rapid growth has necessitated an increasing demand for evidence on best practices in graduation program implementation. The newly designed Forsa program is based on the graduation approach, but with innovations drawing from theories of behavioral economics as well as creating a network of active youth volunteers for economic empowerment to reduce costs compared to the standard BRAC-inspired model. Forsa also expands the graduation model to include the option of wage-employment, rather than only focusing on self-employment. Evidence on the impact of job training programs linked to wage employment on both job retention and future earnings is mixed (McKenzie 2017), although most such programs do not include cash assistance. This impact evaluation of the Forsa program in Egypt is intended to contribute to the global evidence on effective graduation program design as well as provide immediate policy-relevant guidance for the Ministry of Social Solidarity. The impact evaluation will measure the degree to which Forsa is successful at increasing household consumption and will investigate which participant groups and program features demonstrate the greatest improvements in household welfare and economic activity