TRYING TO STOP A BLOODY BUSINESS: THE EU´S POLICIES TO CURTAIL THE TRADE IN NATURAL RESOURCES THAT FUND ARMED CONFLICTS

In several of the world’s armed conflicts, natural resources are an important source of income for the warring parties. Cutting this stream of revenues has therefore also become an objective of conflict prevention and –management policies of the European Union (EU). However, in contrast to its usual more multilateral leanings the EU is using in this issue field predominantly unilateral measures. The article therefore seeks to explain this policy choice. By borrowing the Global Production Network (GPN)-conceptualisation from the field of the Economic Geography, the article illustrates how the global context in which the EU acts is becoming increasingly adverse for global measures. Many state actors are hesitant to commit themselves to binding, automatic measures regarding the trade in natural resources. Likewise, European companies, NGOs and consumers are losing leverage on the GPNs of many products that potentially use conflict-financing commodities. This situation decreases the EU’s indirect “market power”. As a result of these developments, the only left policy option for the EU to curb the trade in these conflict resources is imposing unilateral measures. This situation, however, creates certain tensions with its self-image as promoter of “effective multilateralism” in the world

The Spanish government must find a positive message for Catalonia if it is to reduce support for Catalan independence

In April, the Spanish parliament rejected a request by Catalan authorities to hold a referendum on Catalonia’s independence from Spain, which had been proposed for November this year. Diego Muro and Martijn Vlaskamp argue that the Spanish government requires a more positive message for the people of Catalonia if it is to reduce public support for independence

In-Pocket Tap on Paired Device as Input to Augmented Reality Glasses

While augmented reality glasses can detect input provided via a handheld controller, via hand gestures, via voice, etc., such input can be infeasible in certain contexts due to physical limitations or social convention. Some AR glasses are paired to a second device that provides computing and/or other resources. This disclosure describes the use of connected electronic devices that are typically available to a user, e.g., a smartphone, an earbud case, or earbuds with tap sensitivity, to provide input to AR glasses. By utilizing input mechanisms on such devices, the user can perform operations such as rotation of body-locked AR content around the user

An experimental and numerical investigation into the vertical dependence of Taylor-columns generated by a rotating disc

The presence of strong background rotation changes the dynamics of the fluid dramatically. The Taylor-Proudman theorem states that no variation in the velocity field may exist parallel to the axis of rotation when geostrophy applies. One of the most important implications of the Taylor- Proudman theorem is the presence of Taylor-Columns around solid objects moving in the fluid. The study presented here considers the Taylor- Columns generated by a differentially rotating disc located on the axis of rotation of a rotating fluid. The Taylor-Column rotates at an angular velocity intermediate to the disc and the tank, and is bounded by a vertical free shear layer. The large turntable at the University of Warwick allows a series of unique experiments to be performed in very deep water at high h/r, with h the water depth and r the disc radius. A direct numerical simulation has been performed in spherical geometry, at h/r of 5,10 and 20 and Ekman numbers of 10-5 < E < 10-2. The results show the classic solution with no vertical dependence as predicted by the Taylor-Proudman theorem. For the experimental investigation, a fully automated, traverse mounted stereo-PIV system has been developed which provides data-acquisition at different heights in the Taylor-Column. This allows investigation of the vertical dependence of the flow. Experiments have been performed with E~10-3 and h/r = 80. For positive differential disc rotation, a vertical dependence in the angular velocity was found, contradicting the Taylor- Proudman theorem and the numerical predictions. For negative differential rotation, this vertical dependence was not found. Stratification due to temperature gradients in the flow are suggested as a possible cause for the observed discrepancy

The efforts of direct support professionals to facilitate inclusion:The role of psychological determinants and work setting

BackgroundVarious studies have found that direct support professionals (DSPs) play an important role in determining the degree to which people with intellectual disabilities (ID) are included in society. However, less research has been conducted on the psychological processes that may influence the behavioural intentions of DSPs to actually engage with and invest effort in supporting their clients' inclusion. Five possible psychological variables are identified in the literature: attitudes, social norms, experienced competencies, identity and meta‐evaluation. In our research, we tested whether these processes influence the (intended) efforts DSPs make to facilitate their clients' inclusion.MethodA structured questionnaire was sent to 927 DSPs working in one of three different locations (an ordinary non‐segregated setting, a reversed non‐segregated setting and a residential facility). Of these, 336 DSPs completed the questionnaire.ResultsSeveral variables revealed differences between the three locations, specifically in efforts to facilitate inclusion, attitudes, social norms, experienced competencies and professional identity. Looking at the overall means, we found (relatively) high scores for the experienced competencies, role identity and meta‐evaluation. In contrast, the means were relatively negative regarding the DSPs' attitudes to inclusion and their assumed social norms.ConclusionsDirect support professionals' efforts to facilitate inclusion depend on their attitude towards inclusion, the experienced competencies, their role identity, the DSPs' meta‐evaluation and, indirectly through attitudes, also on the assumed social norms of the relevant stakeholders. Organizations responsible for supporting people with ID and which may want their DSPs to make greater efforts to facilitate inclusion should pay attention to these psychological variables

Exploring parental behavior and child interactive engagement : a study on children with a significant cognitive and motor developmental delay

Background and aims: Parenting factors are one of the most striking gaps in the current scientific literature on the development of young children with significant cognitive and motor disabilities. We aim to explore the characteristics of, and the association between, parental behavior and children's interactive engagement within this target group. Methods and procedures: Twenty-five parent-child dyads (with children aged 6-59 months) were video-taped during a 15-min unstructured play situation. Parents were also asked to complete the Parental Behavior Scale for toddlers. The video-taped observations were scored using the Child and Maternal Behavior Rating Scales. Outcomes and results: Low levels of parental discipline and child initiation were found. Parental responsivity was positively related to child attention and initiation. Conclusions and implications: Compared to children with no or other levels of disabilities, this target group exhibits large differences in frequency levels and, to a lesser extent, the concrete operationalization of parenting domains Further, this study confirms the importance of sensitive responsivity as the primary variable in parenting research

Learning autonomy in two or three steps:linking open-ended development, authority, and agency to motivation

In this paper we connect open-ended development, authority, agency, and motivation through (1) an analysis of the demands of existing in a complex world and (2) environmental appraisal in terms of affordance content and the complexity to select appropriate behavior. We do this by identifying a coherent core from a wide range of contributing fields. Open-ended development is a structured three-step process in which the agent first learns to master the body and then aims to make the mind into a reliable tool. Preconditioned on success in step two, step three aims to effectively co-create an optimal living environment. We argue that these steps correspond to right-left-right hemispheric dominance, where the left hemisphere specializes in control and the right hemisphere in exploration. Control (e.g., problem solving) requires a closed and stable world that must be maintained by external authorities or, in step three, by the right hemisphere acting as internal authority. The three-step progression therefore corresponds to increasing autonomy and agency. Depending on how we appraise the environment, we formulate four qualitatively different motivational states: submission, control, exploration, and consolidation. Each of these four motivational states has associated reward signals of which the last three—successful control, discovery of novelty, and establishing new relations—form an open-ended development loop that, the more it is executed, helps the agent to become progressively more agentic and more able to co-create a pleasant-to-live-in world. We conclude that for autonomy to arise, the agent must exist in a (broad) transition region between order and disorder in which both danger and opportunity (and with that open-ended development and motivation) are defined. We conclude that a research agenda for artificial cognitive system research should include open-ended development through intrinsic motivations and ascribing more prominence to right hemispheric strengths

Genotyping and phenotyping epilepsies of childhood

Epilepsy occurs in 1 to 2 of 100 children. The underlying etiology and clinical symptoms can be very variable. This has an impact on the treatment and prognosis of epilepsy. In the last few years, many new genes have been discovered that play a role in the development of epilepsy. Therefore, in patients with epilepsy, the underlying cause can be more often identified. However, the precise yield of genetic testing and the clinical symptoms that can occur in patients with a variant in one of the epilepsy genes is yet unknown. With this research, we showed that genetic research is important, both diagnostically and psychologically. We were able to describe the clinical symptoms for a number of genetics forms of epilepsy (related to the genes SYNGAP1, GRIN2A, PCDH19, STX1B and PRRT2). These studies help us to recognize these genetic forms of epilepsy. Early recognition and treatment of these disorders and their symptoms is important to improve outcome. We also found that different variants in the GRIN2A-gene results in a different clinical effect. This finding is a first step towards developing new, targeted therapies for GRIN2A-related epilepsy, dependent on the results of genetic testing. In conclusion, this thesis has led to more knowledge about genetic epilepsies on a diagnostic, therapeutic and psychological level. We have bundled these results with our experiences in clinical practice into a proposal for a new diagnostic algorithm for genetic testing in patients with epilepsy