The economic impact of consumer copyright exceptions: a literature review

Advances in the technology available to consumers have fundamentally altered the relationship between authors, rights-holders and consumers with regard to copyrighted creative works. The copyright system in the UK is undergoing a gradual process of reform to reflect this new reality. In 2006, Andrew Gowers, a former editor of the Financial Times, presented a report into the state of intellectual property in the U.K. Among his policy recommendations were three proposed changes to the copyright exceptions system which alter the way in which consumers can interact with copyrighted works. Gowers proposed introducing copyright exceptions for: - Format shifting, for instance the transfer of a piece of music from a CD to an mp3 player. - Parody, caricature and pastiche. - Creative, transformative or derivative works. In our context, this definition includes user-generated content. Our review examines the existing literature on the possible economic effects of these proposed changes to the copyright exceptions system, specifically whether the introduction of these proposed changes would cause economic damage to rights-holders. Whilst the economic issues surrounding copyright infringement via file-sharing and commercial "mash-ups" are interesting and important, our review is focused solely on copyright

On the Lie symmetries of a class of generalized Ermakov systems

The symmetry analysis of Ermakov systems is extended to the generalized case where the frequency depends on the dynamical variables besides time. In this extended framework, a whole class of nonlinearly coupled oscillators are viewed as Hamiltonian Ermakov system and exactly solved in closed form

A preliminary design for a satellite power system

Outlined here is a preliminary design for a Solar Power Satellite (SPS) system. The SPS will provide a clean, reliable source of energy for mass consumption. The system will use satellites in geostationary orbits around the Earth to capture the sun's energy. The intercepted sunlight will be converted to laser beam energy which can be transmitted to the Earth's surface. Ground systems on the Earth will convert the transmissions from space into electric power. The preliminary design for the SPS consists of one satellite in orbit around the Earth transmitting to one ground station. The SPs technology uses multi-layer solar cell technology arranged on a 20 sq km planar array to intercept sunlight and convert it to an electric voltage. Power conditioning devices then send the electricity to a laser, which transmits the power to the surface of the Earth. A ground station will convert the beam into electricity. Construction will take place in low Earth orbit and array sections, 20 in total, will be sailed on the solar wind out to the GEO location in 150 days. These individual transportation sections are referred to as solar sailing panels (SSAPs). The primary truss elements used to support the arrays are composed on composite tubular members in a pentahedral arrangement. Smart segments consisting of passive and active damping devices will increase the control of dynamic SPS modes

Colorectal Cancer Screening and Young African-American Men: Male Role Norms, Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceptions

Of cancers affecting both men and women, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cancer to kill African Americans in the U.S. Compared to White men, African-American men have CRC incidence and mortality rates 20% and 45% higher, respectively. Owing to CRC’s high incidence and younger age at presentation among African-American men, CRC screening (CRCS) is warranted at age 45 rather than 50. Yet, most studies have focused on men older than 45. The findings of these studies suggest that CRC survival is inversely related to early detection, and advocate the continued need for development, testing, and translating prevention interventions into increase screening behavior. Hence, the two-fold purpose of this study was to (1) conduct a systematic review of the professional literature to assess African-American men’s knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors regarding CRCS; and (2) assess the knowledge, attitudes, male role norms, perceptions of subjective norms, and perceptions of barriers associated with CRCS among young adult African-American men (ages 19-45) employing survey research methodology. Utilizing Garrard’s Matrix Method, the systematic literature review synthesized 28 studies examining African-American men's knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors regarding CRCS. Six factors emerged as associated with CRCS intentions and behaviors: previous CRCS, CRC test preference, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, CRC/CRCS knowledge, and physician support/recommendation. In addition, the mean methodological quality score of 10.9 indicated these studies were, overall, of medium quality and suffered from specific flaws. The second component of this study -- an on-line survey questionnaire -- described the male role norms, knowledge, attitudes, perceived subjective norms, and perceived barriers associated with screening for CRC among a non-random sample of 157 young adult African-American men. Ultimately, family history of cancer, work status, and perceived barriers were the critical factors associated with attitudes in all of our models/analyses. Of these, perceived barriers are the only factors amenable to change through health education efforts. Because this study was narrowly-focused on a specific group of African Americans, it provides a solid basis for developing structured health education interventions to increase young adult African-American men’s intention to screen for CRC

The role of ADA inclusive policies in the recruiting of applicants with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a set of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by deficits in social interactions and interpersonal communication, repetitive behaviors, and narrow focus or interests. The severity of ASD is variable, but the symptoms span the entire lifespan of the individuals with ASD and few effective treatments for these symptoms have been identified. Each year in the United States, there are approximately 50,000 people with ASD who turn 18 years old in the United States (Shattuck et al., 2012). Where most 18 year olds are likely to go out and get a job, the employment prospect of individuals with ASD is not very bright. High school graduates with autism are underemployed when compared to their peers and less employed than high school graduates with other developmental or intellectual disorders (Roux, Shattuck, Rast, & Anderson, 2017). Despite this, some reports suggest that gainful employment can benefit individuals with ASD by providing them with desirable social interactions (Hendricks, 2010), and it is the focus of many service providers for individuals with ASD (Migliore et al., 2014). Like most adults, individuals with ASD benefit from the social status that comes with having a job and the degree of financial independence that employment affords them (Gerhardt & Lainer, 2011). Research has also found that employment is associated with an increase in personal dignity, improved self-esteem, increased adaptive abilities, better mental health, and improved cognitive performance for individuals with ASD (Hurlbutt & Chalmers 2004; Mawhood & Howlin 1999; Stephens et al. 2005). The principle means for addressing the underemployment and unemployment for individuals with ASD is to assist them with gaining the skills and training needed to apply for and get a job. Yet even with these efforts, the employment prospects of individuals with ASD has not significantly improved (Bennett & Dukes 2013; Taylor & Seltzer 2011). The present study will investigate the role that organizational communications about hiring and employment policies regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act may have on the potential recruitment of those with ASD as well as the degree to which potential applicants who do not have ASD view these inclusive statements as favorable