Macroeconomic Model for Ukraine

This paper presents the most recent version of the quarterly Macroeconomic Model of the Ukrainian economy, its assumptions and possible applications. This model represents an unorthodox approach in analysing economies in transition. It covers transactions in both official and shadow economies. The volume and value of shadow transactions were estimated using an unconventional methodology, beginning with the analyses of overall consumer demand. This, in turn, was derived from official households surveys. The next steps included estimating cross-border trade and investment-in-kind. Possible applications of the model are: short- and medium-run forecasts based on the whole model, projections of particular variables, and building various scenarios of policy-mix in Ukraine.Ukraine, macroeconomic model, economies in transition

Polish migrants in Scotland: voting behaviours and engagement in the Scottish independence referendum

Polish migrants are the largest non-UK born population in Scotland (56,000 in 2012). As EU citizens who are resident in Scotland, they are eligible to vote in the 18 September 2014 referendum on Scottish independence. Using a survey of 245 Polish migrants in Scotland we investigate their level of engagement with the Scottish referendum asking; do Polish migrants vote and where (Poland and/or UK)? Will they take part in the referendum? Will the outcome of the referendum have an impact on their migration or settlement plans in Scotland

At home abroad: the life experiences of children of migrant workers in Scotland

The primary aim of this research is to inform the public debate and policy making organisations on the issue of children of migrant workers coming to Britain. Focussing on children aged 6-14 of Eastern European migrants; the study provides a unique perspective on the lives of children and young people settling in Scotland as a result of their parents’ migration for work purposes. The research explores children’s views on what it is like to start life in another country, what impact family migration has on their relationships and identity, and what are the main challenges they face. The study will take place over 21 months. The first stage involves several focus groups with migrant children to identify shared experiences of migration. The second stage consists of detailed case studies of over 20 migrant children between 6-14 years old and their families. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with parents, while children will be invited to take control of the research process through the use of modern technologies such as digital and video cameras. The findings will be disseminated through reports and events suitable for young people, the general public as well as academic audiences, service providers and policy makers

A mathematical model for fluid-glucose-albumin transport in peritoneal dialysis

A mathematical model for fluid and solute transport in peritoneal dialysis is constructed. The model is based on a three-component nonlinear system of two-dimensional partial differential equations for fluid, glucose and albumin transport with the relevant boundary and initial conditions. Its aim is to model ultrafiltration of water combined with inflow of glucose to the tissue and removal of albumin from the body during dialysis, and it does this by finding the spatial distributions of glucose and albumin concentrations and hydrostatic pressure. The model is developed in one spatial dimension approximation and a governing equation for each of the variables is derived from physical principles. Under certain assumptions the model are simplified with the aim of obtaining exact formulae for spatially non-uniform steady-state solutions. As the result, the exact formulae for the fluid fluxes from blood to tissue and across the tissue are constructed together with two linear autonomous ODEs for glucose and albumin concentrations in the tissue. The obtained analytical results are checked for their applicability for the description of fluid-glucose-albumin transport during peritoneal dialysis.Comment: 28 pages, 8 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1110.128

Social Relations Among Diverse Rural Residents in the Scottish Highlands

This article focuses on the development and the limitations of convivial, instrumental, and intimate family relations among diverse rural residents in the Inner Moray Firth area of the Scottish Highlands. Drawing on 22 semi‐structured interviews with international migrants (EU nationals), internal migrants (UK nationals), and participants who were born there and never left, this article identifies and critically discusses how different types of social relations develop, or not, within and between these groups of rural residents. This article indicates that while all participants experienced convivial relations, these encounters did not always transfer into close, meaningful relations. The instrumental and meaningful relations, however, were more ambivalent in practice and related to internal divisions within rural communities defined along the lines of who is perceived to be "local" or "not local." The instrumental ties were developed among participants with common interests, similar life stages, and experiences and varied in terms of ethnic and national composition. Similarly, while family ties were crucial for a sense of belonging, their ethnic and national composition differed. By illustrating the complex composition of convivial, instrumental, and family ties in rural Highlands, this article highlights that meaningful social relations supporting social integration should not be understood via social encounters with "local" residents only, but also intimate and instrumental social relations within and between migrant populations

On the use of variability time-scales as an early classifier of radio transients and variables

We have shown previously that a broad correlation between the peak radio luminosity and the variability time-scales, approximately L ~ t^5, exists for variable synchrotron emitting sources and that different classes of astrophysical source occupy different regions of luminosity and time-scale space. Based on those results, we investigate whether the most basic information available for a newly discovered radio variable or transient - their rise and/or decline rate - can be used to set initial constraints on the class of events from which they originate. We have analysed a sample of ~ 800 synchrotron flares, selected from light-curves of ~ 90 sources observed at 5-8 GHz, representing a wide range of astrophysical phenomena, from flare stars to supermassive black holes. Selection of outbursts from the noisy radio light-curves has been done automatically in order to ensure reproducibility of results. The distribution of rise/decline rates for the selected flares is modelled as a Gaussian probability distribution for each class of object, and further convolved with estimated areal density of that class in order to correct for the strong bias in our sample. We show in this way that comparing the measured variability time-scale of a radio transient/variable of unknown origin can provide an early, albeit approximate, classification of the object, and could form part of a suite of measurements used to provide early categorisation of such events. Finally, we also discuss the effect scintillating sources will have on our ability to classify events based on their variability time-scales.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA