The Accord and Strikes: An International Perspective

This paper examines the relationship between Australian and world strike activity between 1960 and 1998. Appropriate indices are constructed for which evidence of a long-run equilibrium relation is found between Australian and world strike activity. The evidence suggests Australian and world strike rate indices are cointegrated with a breakpoint in that relation occurring sometime in the very late 1960s or early 1970s. No breakpoints are in evidence before, during or after the period (1983-96) of the Accord. This result is consistent with the view that the decline in strike activity in Australia during the period of the Accord was not a singularly Australian experience.The Accord, strikes, strike activity, Australia

A numerical model for predicting bubble formation in a 3D fluidized bed

AbstractFluidized bed systems have the potential to be widely used in the power generation, mineral processing and chemical industries. One factor limiting their increased use is the lack of adequate design techniques for scaling such systems. A model has been developed for simulating gas–solid fluidized bed plant. The model uses a multiphase Eulerian–Eulerian technique to predict the transient behaviour of fluidized bed systems. The commercial CFD code CFX is used as the computational framework for solving the discretized equations. To overcome the problem of accurate geometrical representation experienced in previous models a body fitted grid system is employed. The model is used to predict isothermal flow in a three-dimensional bubbling fluidized bed. Predictions of the three-dimensional model show bubble formation with gas bubbles or voids preferentially moving along the centre of the bed. Predicted behaviour is qualitatively consistent with experimental observations

Ab Initio Evidence for the Formation of Impurity d(3z^2-r^2) Holes in Doped La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4

Using the spin unrestricted Becke-3-Lee-Yang-Parr density functional, we computed the electronic structure of explicitly doped La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4 (x = 0.125, 0.25, and 0.5). At each doping level, an impurity hole band is formed within the undoped insulating gap. This band is well-localized to CuO_6 octahedra adjacent to the Sr impurities. The nature of the impurity hole is A_{1g} in symmetry, formed primarily from the z^2 orbital on the Cu and p_z orbitals on the apical O's. There is a strong triplet coupling of this hole with the intrinsic B_{1g} Cu x^2-y^2/O1 p_{sigma} hole on the same site. Optimization of the c coordinate of the apical O's in the doped CuO_6 octahedron lead to an asymmetric anti-Jahn-Teller distortion of the O2 atoms toward the central Cu. In particular, the O2 atom between the Cu and Sr is displaced 0.26 A while the O2 atom between the Cu and La is displaced 0.10 A. Contrary to expectations, investigation of a 0.1 A enhanced Jahn-Teller distortion of this octahedron does not force formation of an x^2-y^2 hole, but instead leads to migration of the z^2 hole to the four other CuO_6 octahedra surrounding the Sr impurity. This latter observation offers a simple explanation for the bifurcation of the Sr-O2 distance revealed in x-ray absorption fine structure data.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. B. See http://www.firstprinciples.com for more informatio

Animal welfare and the use of procedural documents: Limitations and refinement

Increased scrutiny of animal welfare in wildlife management has seen a recent proliferation in the use of procedural documents (standard operating procedures, codes of practice etc.). Some procedural documents are presumed to represent 'best practice' methods, whereby adherence to prescribed inputs is explicitly purported to generate humane outcomes. However, the relationship between what is done to animals (inputs) and what they experience (outputs), as assessed by animal-based measures, has received little attention. Procedural documents are commonly developed in the absence of empirical animal-based measures, creating uncertainty in animal welfare outcomes. Prescribed procedures are valuable as guidelines for standardising methodology, but the development of 'welfare standards' that focus on desired thresholds for animal-based measures offers many advantages for improving animal welfare. Refinement of the use of procedural documents in wildlife management is required to ensure they generate desirable outcomes for animals, and do not preclude the development of improved methods

Leaving the nest: the rise of regional financial arrangements and the future of global governance

This article examines the impact of regional financial arrangements (RFAs) on the global liquidity regime. It argues that the design of RFAs could potentially alter the global regime, whether by strengthening it and making it more coherent or by decentring the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and destabilizing it. To determine possible outcomes, this analysis deploys a ‘middle‐up’ approach that focuses on the institutional design of these RFAs. It first draws on the rational design of institutions framework to identify the internal characteristics of RFAs that are most relevant to their capabilities and capacities. It then applies these insights to the interactions of RFAs with the IMF, building on Aggarwal's (1998) concept of ‘nested’ versus ‘parallel’ institutions, to create an analytical lens through which to assess the nature and sustainability of nested linkages. Through an analysis of the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization (CMIM) and the Latin American Reserve Fund (FLAR), the article demonstrates the usefulness of this lens. It concludes by considering three circumstances in which fault lines created by these RFAs’ institutional design could be activated, permitting an institution to ‘leave the nest’, including changing intentions of principals, creation of parallel capabilities and facilities, and failure of the global regime to address regional needs in a crisis.The authors would like to thank Veronica Artola, Masatsugu Asakawa, Ana Maria Carrasquilla, Junhong Chang, Paolo Hernando, Hoe Ee Khor, Kazunori Koike, Jae Young Lee, Ser-Jin Lee, Guillermo Perry, Yoichi Nemoto, Freddy Trujillo, Masaaki Watanabe, Yasuto Watanabe, Akihiko Yoshida, and others who wished to remain anonymous, for their generosity in providing in-person interviews. Further, the authors would like to thank various central bank and ministry of finance officials of both FLAR and CMIM member countries. We also thank Jose Antonio Ocampo, Diana Barrowclough, and participants in the 'Beyond Bretton Woods' Workshop at Boston University (where an earlier version of this article was presented in September 2017) for their feedback on our broader research projects on RFAs. Last but not least, the authors wish to thank the anonymous referees for their constructive comments. This work builds upon previous work funded by UNCTAD and the Global Economic Governance Initiative at the Global Development Policy Center at Boston University. (UNCTAD; Global Economic Governance Initiative at the Global Development Policy Center at Boston University)Accepted manuscrip

Teachers as brokers: adding a university-society perspective to higher education teacher competence profiles

Higher education institutions are increasingly engaged with society but contemporary higher education teacher competence profiles do not include university-society oriented responsibilities of teachers. Consequently, comprehensive insights in university-society collaborative performance of higher education teachers are not availab

Severe leptospirosis in a Dutch traveller returning from the Dominican Republic, October 2011

In October 2011, a case of leptospirosis was identified in a Dutch traveller returning from the Dominican Republic to the Netherlands. The 51-year-old man had aspired muddy water in the Chavón river on 29 September. Twenty days later he presented with fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, arthralgia, headache, conjunctival suffusion and icterus. Leptospira serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae or Australis infection was confirmed ten days later by laboratory testing

Recurrent amebic liver abscesses over a 16-year period: A case report

Background: Amebic liver abscess is a rare disease in high-income countries. Recurrence of amebic liver abscess is even rarer with only a few previous reports. Here we present a patient who developed three subsequent amebic liver abscesses over a sixteen-year period. Case presentation: A Caucasian male developed recurrent amebic liver abscesses, when aged 23, 27 and 39 years. Only on the first occasion did this coincide with a recent visit to the tropics. The patient received adequate treatment during each episode. Possible explanations are persistent asymptomatic carrier state, cysts passage in his family, re-infection or chance. Conclusion: We describe the unusual case of a healthy male who developed recurrent amebic liver abscesses over a long period despite adequate treatment. Possible pathophysiological explanations are explored