'We nicked stuff from all over the place': policy transfer or muddling through?

This article explores current thinking about policy learning and transfer, using recent work on the 'Americanisation' of UK active labour market policies as a focus of discussion. While it is clear that the UK has learned from the US in certain respects, academic debates about the US-UK policy relationship are marked by accounts of learning and transfer that depend on a highly rational interpretation of these processes. The article reviews current debates in the policy transfer literature and applies a critical view of policy learning and transfer to key accounts of labour market activation policies before moving on to consider how useful the concept of policy transfer really is in an increasingly complex, plural and 'de-institutionalising' world

Risk factors associated with lambing traits

peer-reviewedThis article was first published in Animal (2016), 10:1, pp 89–95, © The Animal Consortium 2015The objective of this study was to establish the risk factors associated with both lambing difficulty and lamb mortality in the Irish sheep multibreed population. A total of 135 470 lambing events from 42 675 ewes in 839 Irish crossbred and purebred flocks were available. Risk factors associated with producer-scored ewe lambing difficulty score (scale of one (no difficulty) to four (severe difficulty)) were determined using linear mixed models. Risk factors associated with the logit of the probability of lamb mortality at birth (i.e. binary trait) were determined using generalised estimating equations. For each dependent variable, a series of simple regression models were developed as well as a multiple regression model. In the simple regression models, greater lambing difficulty was associated with quadruplet bearing, younger ewes, of terminal breed origin, lambing in February; for example, first parity ewes experienced greater (P7.0 kg) birth weights, quadruplet born lambs and lambs that experienced a more difficult lambing (predicted probability of death for lambs that required severe and veterinary assistance of 0.15 and 0.32, respectively); lambs from dual-purpose breeds and born to younger ewes were also at greater risk of mortality. In the multiple regression model, the association between ewe parity, age at first lambing, year of lambing and lamb mortality no longer persisted. The trend in solutions of the levels of each fixed effect that remained associated with lamb mortality in the multiple regression model, did not differ from the trends observed in the simple regression models although the differential in relative risk between the different lambing difficulty scores was greater in the multiple regression model. Results from this study show that many common flock- and animal-level factors are associated with both lambing difficulty and lamb mortality and management of different risk category groups (e.g. scanned litter sizes, ewe age groups) can be used to appropriately manage the flock at lambing to reduce their incidence

Wear and Fatigue of Railway Track Caused by Contamination, Sanding and Surface Damage

The wheel rail contact operates in an arduous environment. Damage to the surface of either component is possible during manufacture, installation, or operation. The question arises as to how tolerant is the railway wheel or section of track to surface indentation or damage. In this work a twin disc simulation has been used to relate the level of surface damage (as well as the way it is generated) to the fatigue life of the surfaces. A related problem is the presence of solid contamination on the track. Sand (applied for improved adhesion) or track ballast material can cause damage to the rail and wheel surfaces. These mechanisms have been explored to assess the effect on contact fatigue life and wear. The disc specimens have been either artificially damaged (with dents and scratches) or run with particles of sand or ballast material. The discs were then loaded and rotated at realistic conditions of contact pressure and controlled slip. For normal operation of the contact, either dry or with water lubrication, surface dents and scratches have little effect on fatigue life. The normal plastic flow in the rail surface layer acts to close up dents. The failure of the disc is then by fatigue cracking across the whole surface with no particular preference to the dent location. Alternatively, if the contact is lubricated with oil then this plastic flow is greatly reduced and the dents act as stress raisers and fatigue cracks initiate from their trailing edge. Sand or ballast particles are crushed as they enter the wheel/rail contact. The fragments indent the surfaces and rapidly roughen the contact faces. The surface indentation is relatively minor, but the presence of particles increases the level of traction (over the wet case) and promotes further surface plastic flow. This can reduce the residual fatigue life of the contact. Further, high concentrations of sand were shown to promote a low cycle fatigue process that caused very high wear by the spallation of material. The twin disc simulations have shown that, under conditions similar to that of wheel/rail operation, surface damage is not a primary cause of fatigue failure. However, wear is greatly accelerated by the presence of solid contaminants and some evidence of a low cycle fatigue process was observed for sanded contacts

A numerical model of twin disc test arrangement for the evaluation of railway wheel wear prediction methods

Twin disc tests are commonly used to study wear in railway materials. In this work the implementation of a numerical model of the twin disc arrangement is given, which reproduces the distribution of tangential forces over the contact patch between the two discs. Wear is subsequently calculated by relating the forces and creepage between the two discs using three different wear functions found in the literature. The resulting wear rates are compared with experimental data for discs made of common railway wheel and rail steels. This allows a comparison and assessment of the validity of the different wear algorithms considered

Incremental Grid-like Layout Using Soft and Hard Constraints

We explore various techniques to incorporate grid-like layout conventions into a force-directed, constraint-based graph layout framework. In doing so we are able to provide high-quality layout---with predominantly axis-aligned edges---that is more flexible than previous grid-like layout methods and which can capture layout conventions in notations such as SBGN (Systems Biology Graphical Notation). Furthermore, the layout is easily able to respect user-defined constraints and adapt to interaction in online systems and diagram editors such as Dunnart.Comment: Accepted to Graph Drawing 201

On open quantum systems, effective Hamiltonians and device characterization

High fidelity models, which support accurate device characterization and correctly account for environmental effects, are crucial to the engineering of scalable quantum technologies. As it ensures positivity of the density matrix, one preferred model for open systems describes the dynamics with a master equation in Lindblad form. The Linblad operators are rarely derived from first principles, resulting in dynamical models which miss those additional terms that must generally be added to bring the master equation into Lindblad form, together with concomitant other terms that must be assimilated into an effective Hamiltonian. In first principles derivations such additional terms are often cancelled (countered), frequently in an ad hoc manner. In the case of a Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) coupled to an Ohmic bath, the resulting master equation implies the environment has a significant impact on the system's energy. We discuss the prospect of keeping or cancelling this impact; and note that, for the SQUID, measuring the magnetic susceptibility under control of the capacitive coupling strength and the externally applied flux, results in experimentally measurable differences between models. If this is not done correctly, device characterization will be prone to systemic errors.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Increasing Beach Recreation Benefits by Using Wetlands to Reduce Contamination

The public swimming beach at Maumee Bay State Park (MBSP) on Lake Erie is often posted for occurrences of unsafe levels of bacteria. The main source of bacteria derives from a drainage ditch that discharges near the beach. We have conducted a comprehensive study to determine the feasibility of using a constructed wetland to filter the ditch water, prior to its entry into Maumee Bay. As part of this study, we administered an on-site non-market valuation survey of beach visitors, in which observed and contingent trips to the beach were used to estimate the potential welfare benefits of the restored wetlands. The data were analyzed using three versions of the multivariate Poisson-lognormal (MPLN) model, a random effects count data model. We conclude version one, with flexible covariance structure and vehicle costs of $0.25 per mile, is the preferred version and use it to estimate an average annual willingness to pay (WTP) of$166 to construct wetlands and improve water quality. The aggregate annual benefit to an estimated 37,300 annual beach visitors is estimated as $6.19 million. The robustness of this estimate to a variety of alternative assumptions is examined.Count data model, Poisson lognormal, on-site sampling, recreation demand, wetland, simulated maximum likelihood, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Environmental Economics and Policy, Public Economics, Q51,

‘Living, changing light’: stained glass art and gendered creativity in the suburban church

The creativity of religious art and practice is largely ignored in discussions of urban creativity. In this paper the importance of religious creativity in the making of suburban space is explored through a focus on the role of artists in two Christian churches in West London. Drawing on an analysis of two female stained glass artists, working in different time periods and religious contexts, this paper suggests the significance of churches as sites of creative innovation in suburban landscapes. The paper traces the negotiations and collaborations of the artists in relation to gendered expectations and institutional hierarchies and also considers the role of stained glass as a distinctive artistic medium in the creation of spiritually significant worship space for suburban congregations

An ultrasonic technique for the measurement of elastic properties of soft surface coatings

The properties of thin layers of materials can be different from those in the bulk form. The response of a coating to any given load and its ability to remain bonded to the substrate will depend on its elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio. In this study a measurement method based on ultrasonic bulk wave reflection was evaluated. As a model system, a thin layer of polyethylene was pressed between two solid steel bodies. The reflection spectra of longitudinal and shear ultrasonic waves were recorded from the coating. The frequencies at which the layer resonates were measured and from this the wave speeds deduced. The Poisson's ratio can be determined from these two wave speeds and if the layer thickness is known the modulus is also available. The tests yielded reasonable values for both. This approach is only suitable if the layer can be made to resonate by the available ultrasonic frequencies; typically this will be the case for thicker coatings (tens of microns). Further, good coupling between the layer material and the steel bodies is necessary so that the interfaces do not themselves act to reflect ultrasound. This is better achieved with a smooth soft coating

A dictionary of Eastern Bonan

Eastern Bonan is a Mongolic language spoken on the upper reaches of the Yellow River, Gansu province in Amdo (northern) Tibet. Of the Eastern and Western varieties of Bonan [Bao'an 保安, Bonang; ISO 639-3: peh; Glottocode: bona1250], Eastern Bonan is the officially-recognized variety. Unpublished Eastern Bonan data collected by Charles Li from 1982 to 1984 forms the basis of this dictionary; Arienne Dwyer digitized and analyzed these data, adding lemmatized headwords, etymological sources, parts of speech, Chinese glosses, and forms from other published sources. Charles N. Li is an Emeritus Professor of Linguistics at the University of California - Santa Barbara Arienne M. Dwyer is a Professor of Linguistic Anthropology at the University of KansasU.S. National Science Foundation (BCS-8308220 Baonan: Languages in Contact & Language Change