Reasons to Ban? The Anti-Burqa Movement in Western Europe

Originally published at http://www.mmg.mpg.de/en/publications/working-papers/2012/ 'Our Working Papers are refereed and may be downloaded from this site by individuals, for their own use, subject to the ordinary rules governing the fair use of professional scholarship. Working Papers may be cited without seeking prior permission from the author.

BEPS Policy Failure—The Case of EU Country-By-Country Reporting1

The tax gap between taxes that are “actually” paid and taxes that “ought” to have been paid by multinational corporate entities has become an area of huge public policy concern in the recent decades. This study reviews the impact of new legislation to reveal the tax gap created by the EU banks and financial institutions passed in 2013 and in particular of the quality of the resulting country-by-country reporting (CBCR) requirement for banks. Although resulting tax gap estimates are noted, they suffer due to significant problems in the published data; much of it is due to the quality of the regulation requiring its publication and implementation. The findings reveal a lack of understanding of the technical and structural weaknesses of accounting in a transnational context in the design of this regulation. CBCR is destined to fail in achieving its regulatory objectives in this context unless necessary reform of the regulation is undertaken

Energy Conversion Alternatives Study (ECAS), General Electric Phase 1. Volume 3: Energy conversion subsystems and components. Part 1: Bottoming cycles and materials of construction

Energy conversion subsystems and components were evaluated in terms of advanced energy conversion systems. Results of the bottoming cycles and materials of construction studies are presented and discussed

QQˉQ\bar Q (Q∈{b,c}Q\in \{b, c\}) spectroscopy using Cornell potential

The mass spectra and decay properties of heavy quarkonia are computed in nonrelativistic quark-antiquark Cornell potential model. We have employed the numerical solution of Schr\"odinger equation to obtain their mass spectra using only four parameters namely quark mass ($m_c$, $m_b$) and confinement strength ($A_{c\bar c}$, $A_{b\bar b}$). The spin hyperfine, spin-orbit and tensor components of the one gluon exchange interaction are computed perturbatively to determine the mass spectra of excited $S$, $P$, $D$ and $F$ states. Digamma, digluon and dilepton decays of these mesons are computed using the model parameters and numerical wave functions. The predicted spectroscopy and decay properties for quarkonia are found to be consistent with available experimental observations and results from other theoretical models. We also compute mass spectra and life time of the $B_c$ meson without additional parameters. The computed electromagnetic transition widths of heavy quarkonia and $B_c$ mesons are in tune with available experimental data and other theoretical approaches

Strategic Analyses of the National River Linking Project (NRLP) of India, Series 1. India’s water future: scenarios and issues

River basinsEnvironmental flowsDevelopment projectsWater requirementsIrrigated farmingWater demandFood demandGroundwater irrigationIrrigation efficiencyWater harvestingSupplemental irrigationWater productivityWater conservationDrip irrigationSprinkler irrigationRainfed farmingAgricultural policy

Expanding the use of real-time electromagnetic tracking in radiation oncology.

In the past 10 years, techniques to improve radiotherapy delivery, such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) for both inter- and intrafraction tumor localization, and hypofractionated delivery techniques such as stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), have evolved tremendously. This review article focuses on only one part of that evolution, electromagnetic tracking in radiation therapy. Electromagnetic tracking is still a growing technology in radiation oncology and, as such, the clinical applications are limited, the expense is high, and the reimbursement is insufficient to cover these costs. At the same time, current experience with electromagnetic tracking applied to various clinical tumor sites indicates that the potential benefits of electromagnetic tracking could be significant for patients receiving radiation therapy. Daily use of these tracking systems is minimally invasive and delivers no additional ionizing radiation to the patient, and these systems can provide explicit tumor motion data. Although there are a number of technical and fiscal issues that need to be addressed, electromagnetic tracking systems are expected to play a continued role in improving the precision of radiation delivery

Healthy shopper? Blood pressure testing in a shopping centre Pop-Up in England

Background: Improving detection of elevated blood pressure (BP) remains a public health need. We present results from a Pop-Up health check stationed in shopping centres in England. We hypothesise the rate of case detection is related to measurable ‘unhealthiness’ of the shopping centres. Methods: A Pop-Up health check was sited in four and three shopping centres sampled from the top ten unhealthiest and top 15 healthiest shopping regions respectively, following a report ranking towns/cities based on their unhealthy and healthy retail outlets. On one day in each shopping centre, people were approached and consented to BP testing. Outcome measure was people flagged with BP ≥ 140/90 mmHg (cases). Results: We detected 45 (22.6%) and 20 (13.1%) cases from testing 199 and 152 adults in the unhealthy and healthy locations respectively (relative risk 1.72; 95% confidence interval: 1.06 to 2.78). A measure of unhealthy retail outlets (e.g. fast-food outlets) within each shopping centre was associated with detection rate (R2 = 0.61; p = 0.04). Conclusion: An association exists between cases of suspect hypertension found in a health check Pop-Up and measured ‘unhealthiness’ of the shopping centre site. Results hint at strategies for public testing of BP, potentially in the context of reducing health inequalities

Feeling the pressure: a cross-sectional study exploring feasibility of a healthcare Pop-Up for intraocular pressure measurements in shopping centres in England

OBJECTIVES: To test the hypothesis that a shopping centre Pop-Up health check combining an intraocular pressure (IOP) check with a general health check (blood pressure (BP)) is more readily accepted by the general public than an IOP check only. We investigate public awareness of IOP compared with BP and the feasibility of measuring IOP in large numbers in a Pop-Up. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study using a tailor-made healthcare Pop-Up. SETTING: The 'Feeling the Pressure' Pop-Up was sited in eight regionally-different shopping centres in England. PARTICIPANTS: Adult members of the public in shopping centres. METHODS: On one day we measured IOP only and on another measured BP and IOP. IOP was measured by Icare IC100 tonometer (Helsinki, Finland). Potential participants were asked about their awareness of IOP and BP and when they last visited their optometrist. RESULTS: More people attended the combined BP + IOP days (461; 60%; 95% CI 56% to 64%) than IOP-only days (307; 40%, 95% CI 37% to 43%) over 16 days of testing. We recorded IOP in 652 participants (median (IQR) age and IOP of 54 (42 to 68) years and 13 (11 to 15) mm Hg, respectively). Fewer people reported awareness about IOP (19%, 95% CI 16% to 23%) compared with BP (71%, 95% CI 66% to 75%). Of 768 participants, 60 (8%) reported no previous optometric eye examination and 185 (24%) reported >2 years since their most recent examination. CONCLUSIONS: Measuring IOP in large numbers of the public via a shopping centre Pop-Up is feasible. Public engagement was greater when a BP check was offered alongside an IOP check, suggesting unfamiliar health checks can be promoted by aligning them with a more familiar check. Our findings hint at strategies for public health schemes that engage the public with their eye health