The Freshwater Biological Association and the International Biological Programme (1961-1976)

The involvement of the FBA in the primary productivity program is reviewed

Record of a colloquium organised by IUBS on the methodology of radiation measurement under water. [Translation from: Mem. Inst. Ital. Idrobiol. 17, 57-79, 1964]

These minutes report on colloquium on the methodology of radiation measurement under water. The meeting was held on 3-5 January 1957, at the Biological Station, Lunz, Austria. The participants of the colloquium discussed various methodologies of radiation measurements, basic methods such as Secchi Disc and underwater photometer as well as specialist equipment like the absolute radiation apparatus

Functional connectivity in relation to motor performance and recovery after stroke.

Plasticity after stroke has traditionally been studied by observing changes only in the spatial distribution and laterality of focal brain activation during affected limb movement. However, neural reorganization is multifaceted and our understanding may be enhanced by examining dynamics of activity within large-scale networks involved in sensorimotor control of the limbs. Here, we review functional connectivity as a promising means of assessing the consequences of a stroke lesion on the transfer of activity within large-scale neural networks. We first provide a brief overview of techniques used to assess functional connectivity in subjects with stroke. Next, we review task-related and resting-state functional connectivity studies that demonstrate a lesion-induced disruption of neural networks, the relationship of the extent of this disruption with motor performance, and the potential for network reorganization in the presence of a stroke lesion. We conclude with suggestions for future research and theories that may enhance the interpretation of changing functional connectivity. Overall findings suggest that a network level assessment provides a useful framework to examine brain reorganization and to potentially better predict behavioral outcomes following stroke

An investigation into the approaches used by western medical herbalists for the therapeutic management of osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis affects people from middle age onwards, an occurrence likely to increase as average age of the population rises. Physical aspects of the condition are accompanied by increased all-cause mortality and morbidity. Use of pharmaceutical medication may be unhelpful or undesired. Much research focuses on the use of single herbs contrary to current Western herbal practice of combining several herbs with diet and lifestyle advice. This research aimed to explore this knowledge gap by eliciting details of strategies used to manage osteoarthritis. A qualitative approach using audio recorded, semi-structured interviews, with additional questions to define practitioner demographics was used for the study. The study sample comprised eight herbalists, all members of either the National Institute of Medical Herbalists or the College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy, each with a minimum two years in practice and experience of treating osteoarthritis. The resulting data was analysed using thematic analysis. Practitioner demographics revealed a range of time in practice, choice of practice location and training establishment. Analysis of the interviews elicited five themes; patient picture, practitioners’ therapeutic strategy, herbal treatment, non-herbal treatment and practitioners’ perceived treatment outcomes. A core group of 11 frequently used herbs was identified with a further 33 herbs being used less often. All practitioners prescribed remedies internally with most also using topical treatments. In conclusion, the patient picture was a diverse one with no clear picture of a ‘typical’ patient with osteoarthritis; however, consensus between practitioners’ treatment approaches, both herbal and non-herbal was high. Selected herbal remedies were consistent with literature found on some single herb studies. All herbalists were of the opinion that the herbal approach to osteoarthritis had a positive effect on the condition. These outcomes were usually perceived by reduced intake of painkillers and observing improved mobility or reduced inflammation

How the Spitzenkandidaten process and Juncker’s reforms might shape the future of the European Commission

One of the most important innovations in the EU in recent years has been the so called ‘Spitzenkandidaten’ process, under which the major European political groups nominated candidates for President of the Commission prior to the 2014 European elections. Martin Westlake assesses the legacy of the process for future elections. He writes that the Spitzenkandidaten system did not emerge in isolation in 2014, but instead reflected long-term trends in the EU’s institutional development which are likely to continue to shape the future of the Commission

Maser Flare Simulations from Oblate and Prolate Clouds

We investigated, through numerical models, the flaring variability that may arise from the rotation of maser clouds of approximately spheroidal geometry, ranging from strongly oblate to strongly prolate examples. Inversion solutions were obtained for each of these examples over a range of saturation levels from unsaturated to highly saturated. Formal solutions were computed for rotating clouds with many randomly chosen rotation axes, and corresponding averaged maser light curves plotted with statistical information. The dependence of results on the level of saturation and on the degree of deformation from the spherical case were investigated in terms of a variability index and duty cycle. It may be possible to distinguish observationally between flares from oblate and prolate objects. Maser flares from rotation are limited to long timescales (at least a few years) and modest values of the variability index ($\lesssim 100$), and can be aperiodic or quasi-periodic. Rotation is therefore not a good model for H$_2$O variability on timescales of weeks to months, or of truly periodic flares.Comment: 11 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

The Antecedents, Origins and Creation of the European Economic and Social Committee. Bruges Political Research Papers 52/2016

Europe’s emerging nation states became complex societies and economies long before they became parliamentary democracies enjoying universal suffrage. This paper traces the historic trends which led to the institutionalisation of advisory functions of various forms and functions, from economic and labour planning through interest representation to social dialogue. Notably, Italy, Germany and France all experimented with such institutional approaches in the immediate post-First World War period. The conceptual high water mark came with the Weimar Republic’s envisaged twin-chamber approach (never implemented). The model lived on and was consolidated in post-Second World War France, Belgium and the Netherlands, leading to the provisions for such an advisory body in the Treaty of Rome – today’s European Economic and Social Committee

The UK might be outside the European Union but not outside its gravitational field

The UK might have left the European Union on 31 January 2020, but it has not left its gravitational field, nor will it in 2021. The challenge for all sides is somehow to stabilise British exceptionalism outside the EU’s legal order, writes Martin Westlake (LSE/College of Europe)

Asymmetrical institutional responses to civil society clauses in EU international agreements: pragmatic flexibility or inadvertent inconsistency? Bruges Political Research Papers 66 / 2017

The European Union’s new, post-Doha Round, Free Trade Agreements include innovative Trade and Sustainable Development chapters that, with one recent exception, provide for monitoring of the implementation of the innovatory clauses through institutional architecture that is confusingly and inefficiently asymmetrical in terms both of composition and support mechanisms. Less than optimal implementation has, not surprisingly, led to less than optimal results