Commentary: The Alleged Coupling-Constitution Fallacy and the Mature Sciences

A commentary on: The Alleged Coupling-Constitution Fallacy and the Mature Sciences by Ross, D., and Ladyman, J. (2010). The Extended Mind, ed R. Menary (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press), 155–166

'Penny banks' in Glasgow, 1850-1914

This paper explores the extent and nature of ‘Penny bank’ saving in Glasgow during the second half of the nineteenth century. Penny banks existed as part of the network of philanthropic organisations in the quintessential industrial city, and they were frequented by the poorer sections of the working class – those for whom saving represented a difficult and occasionally sacrificial effort. They were a voluntary and individualist decision to engage in saving, in contrast to the mutual organisations, such as friendly and industrial welfare societies which also proliferated in this period. The enormous success of penny banks in Glasgow, and throughout the United Kingdom, is powerful evidence that a great deal of saving was happening, even amongst the poorest sections of society. Careful examination of the activities of two penny banks suggests that they operated both as short-term liquidity stores and as vehicles for longer-term and larger-amount savings

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio as a bladder cancer biomarker: assessing prognostic and predictive value in SWOG 8710

No abstract available

Unravelling strange quarks in nucleon structure

We present a discourse on the stages of discovery that have led to a deeper understanding of the role played by strange quarks in the structure of the nucleon.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures; prepared for the proceedings of Achievements and New Directions in Subatomic Physics: Workshop in Honour of Tony Thomas' 60th Birthda

Recent Solar Measurements Results at the Parabolic Dish Test Site

After the Mexican volcanic eruptions of March 28, April 3 and 4, 1982, the question of its effect on insolation levels at the Parabolic Dish Test Site (PDTS) naturally arose. Clearly, the answer to the original question is that the Mexican volcanic explosion had a significant impact on energy and insolation levels at the PDTS and, furthermore, it has been quite long lasting. The first really significant decrease in energy and insolation levels occurred in June 1982 when the energy level decreased by 19.7% while the peak insolation levels went down by 4.0%. June of 1982 was also the first month (of 13 consecutive months) when peak insolation levels did not equal or exceed 1,000 W/sq m. Signs of a recovery from the effects of the volcanic explosion began to appear in May of 1983, when the energy level exceeded that of May 1981 as well as May 1982. It would appear that energy and insolation levels are improving at the PDTS, but have not quite reached normal or pre-volcanic levels. At this time the data would seem to suggest a return to normal energy and insolation levels will occur in the very near future

Plasma deposition of constrained layer damping coatings

Plasma techniques are used to generate constrained layer damping (CLD) coatings on metallic substrates. The process involves the deposition of relatively thick, hard ceramic layers on to soft polymeric damping materials while maintaining the integrity of both layers. Reactive plasma sputter-deposition from an aluminium alloy target is used to deposit alumina layers, with Young's modulus in the range 77-220GPa and thickness up to 335 μ, on top of a silicone film. This methodology is also used to deposit a 40 μ alumina layer on a conventional viscoelastic damping film to produce an integral damping coating. Plasma CLD systems are shown to give at least 50 per cent more damping than equivalent metal-foil-based treatments. Numerical methods for rapid prediction of the performance of such coatings are discussed and validated by comparison with experimental results

Banking from Leeds, not London: regional strategy and structure at the Yorkshire Bank, 1859–1952

Industrial philanthropist Edward Akroyd created the Yorkshire Penny Savings Bank in 1859. Despite competition from the Post Office Savings Bank after 1861 and a serious reserve problem in 1911, it sustained his overall strategy to become a successful regional bank. Using archival and contemporary sources to build on recent scholarship illustrating how savings banks were integrated into local economies and the complementary roles of philanthropy and paternalism, we analyse an English regional bank's strategy, including an assessment of strategic innovation, ownership changes and management structure. This will demonstrate that the founder's vision continued, even though the 1911 crisis radically altered both strategy and structure