The distribution of the ammonite Gravesia (Salfeld, 1913) in the Kimmeridge Clay Formation (Late Jurassic) in Britain

Species of the ammonite Gravesia (Salfeld, 1913) have a widespread distribution in Europe over a relatively narrow stratigraphical range in the late Kimmeridgian and early Tithonian stages. The genus is a warm-water form that reaches its maximum stratigraphical range in the Submediterranean faunal province in central France and south Germany where six species have been recognised. Four of these, G. gigas (Zieten, 1830), G. gravesiana (d’Orbigny, 1850), G. irius (d’Orbigny, 1850) and G. lafauriana Hantzpergue, 1987 have been recorded in the Kimmeridge Clay Formation. A few examples have been found in cored boreholes, but most have come from the cliff and foreshore outcrops at Brandy Bay and Kimmeridge Bay in Dorset. The distribution of Gravesia in Britain is mostly restricted to the more calcareous parts of the succession where they represent migrations of a warmer water fauna into a region in which the ammonite assemblages were dominated by Subboreal forms of Aulacostephanus and Pectinatites. The palaeogeography of the late Jurassic in central and North West Europe comprised relatively small land areas separated by seaways that became progressively more restricted with time. In late Kimmeridgian and early Tithonian/Volgian times, migrations of warmer- and cooler-water ammonites through these seaways gave rise to mixed assemblages that enable correlations to be made between the local zonal schemes in the Submediterranean and Subboreal faunal provinces. Gravesia is one of the few ammonites that has a stratigraphical range that crosses the Kimmeridgian-Tithonian and Kimmeridgian-Volgian boundaries, and which has a large geographical distribution which includes much of North West and Central Europe and as far east as the Subarctic Urals. The known distribution of the genus in Britain is summarised herein, along with the first detailed account of its occurrence in the Kimmeridge Clay Formation in the Dorset type section

Laser-induced bound-state phases in high-order harmonic generation

We present single-molecule and macroscopic calculations showing that laser-induced Stark shifts contribute significantly to the phase of high-order harmonics from polar molecules. This is important for orbital tomography, where phases of field-free dipole matrix elements are needed in order to reconstruct molecular orbitals. We derive an analytical expression that allows the first-order Stark phase to be subtracted from experimental measurements

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to this special edition of the Journal of Gambling Business and Economics.In Great Britain, it has become a regulatory and commercial imperative, to better understand consumer behaviour in relation to gaming machines and gambling-related harm. Businesses seek to improve their offering of gambling-related products and services in relation to market demand which may include changes to game parameters (e.g., increases in stakes and prizes). The regulator seeks to foster an environment where the gambling industry can flourish, but not at the expense of the well-being of consumers generally, and vulnerable players in particular

The measure and significance of Bateman's principles

Bateman's principles explain sex roles and sexual dimorphism through sex-specific variance in mating success, reproductive success and their relationships within sexes (Bateman gradients). Empirical tests of these principles, however, have come under intense scrutiny. Here, we experimentally show that in replicate groups of red junglefowl, Gallus gallus, mating and reproductive successes were more variable in males than in females, resulting in a steeper male Bateman gradient, consistent with Bateman's principles. However, we use novel quantitative techniques to reveal that current methods typically overestimate Bateman's principles because they (i) infer mating success indirectly from offspring parentage, and thus miss matings that fail to result in fertilization, and (ii) measure Bateman gradients through the univariate regression of reproductive over mating success, without considering the substantial influence of other components of male reproductive success, namely female fecundity and paternity share. We also find a significant female Bateman gradient but show that this likely emerges as spurious consequences of male preference for fecund females, emphasizing the need for experimental approaches to establish the causal relationship between reproductive and mating success. While providing qualitative support for Bateman's principles, our study demonstrates how current approaches can generate a misleading view of sex differences and roles

Implementation of a disability management policy in a large healthcare employer: a quasi-experimental, mixed-method evaluation

Objective: This study describes the process and outcomes of the implementation of a strengthened disability management policy in a large Canadian healthcare employer. Key elements of the strengthened policy included an emphasis on early contact, the training of supervisors and the integration of union representatives in return-to-work (RTW) planning. Design: The study applied mixed methods, combining a process evaluation within the employer and a quasi-experimental outcome evaluation between employers for a 3-year period prior to and following policy implementation in January 2012. Participants: Staff in the implementation organisation (n=4000) and staff in a peer group of 29 large hospitals (n=1 19 000). Outcomes: Work disability episode incidence and duration. Results: Both qualitative and quantitative measures of the implementation process were predominantly positive. Over the 6-year observation period, there were 624 work disability episodes in the organisation and 8604 in the comparison group of 29 large hospitals. The annual per cent change in episode incidence in the organisation was −5.6 (95% CI −9.9 to −1.1) comparable to the annual per cent change in the comparison group: −6.2 (-7.2 to –5.3). Disability episode durations also declined in the organisation, from a mean of 19.4 days (16.5, 22.3) in the preintervention period to 10.9 days (8.7, 13.2) in the postintervention period. Reductions in disability durations were also observed in the comparison group: from a mean of 13.5 days (12.9, 14.1) in the 2009–2011 period to 10.5 days (9.9, 11.1) in the 2012–2014 period. Conclusion: The incidence of work disability episodes and the durations of work disability declined strongly in this hospital sector over the 6-year observation period. The implementation of the organisation’s RTW policy was associated with larger reductions in disability durations than observed in the comparison group

Implementation of a disability management policy in a large healthcare employer: a quasi-experimental, mixed-method evaluation

Objective: This study describes the process and outcomes of the implementation of a strengthened disability management policy in a large Canadian healthcare employer. Key elements of the strengthened policy included an emphasis on early contact, the training of supervisors and the integration of union representatives in return-to-work (RTW) planning. Design: The study applied mixed methods, combining a process evaluation within the employer and a quasi-experimental outcome evaluation between employers for a 3-year period prior to and following policy implementation in January 2012. Participants: Staff in the implementation organisation (n=4000) and staff in a peer group of 29 large hospitals (n=1 19 000). Outcomes: Work disability episode incidence and duration. Results: Both qualitative and quantitative measures of the implementation process were predominantly positive. Over the 6-year observation period, there were 624 work disability episodes in the organisation and 8604 in the comparison group of 29 large hospitals. The annual per cent change in episode incidence in the organisation was −5.6 (95% CI −9.9 to −1.1) comparable to the annual per cent change in the comparison group: −6.2 (-7.2 to –5.3). Disability episode durations also declined in the organisation, from a mean of 19.4 days (16.5, 22.3) in the preintervention period to 10.9 days (8.7, 13.2) in the postintervention period. Reductions in disability durations were also observed in the comparison group: from a mean of 13.5 days (12.9, 14.1) in the 2009–2011 period to 10.5 days (9.9, 11.1) in the 2012–2014 period. Conclusion: The incidence of work disability episodes and the durations of work disability declined strongly in this hospital sector over the 6-year observation period. The implementation of the organisation’s RTW policy was associated with larger reductions in disability durations than observed in the comparison group

INTRODUCTION

In this special issue, critical consideration is given to existing knowledge and understanding regarding harm minimisation in gambling. While the reviews have been written with the British context in mind, we consider that most matters will have some relevance at an international level also. Papers in this issue also consider operational and regulatory matters through identifying priority areas for research and offering initial guidance on how existing research findings could be applied in operator-based approaches to harm minimisation. It should be noted that concurrent work is being done in Great Britain by both the regulator and industry in response to concerns about the impacts of gambling individually and in local communities. The regulator has recently reviewed social responsibility provisions found within its License Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP), and this has established where greater degrees of player protection or player monitoring need to be mandated. In classifying approaches according to their source of implementation and management, the papers in this special issue examine the evidence by considering a specific category of harm minimisation that has been referred to here as ‘operator-based’ harm minimisation. The four papers consider the issues in relation to facilitating awareness and control among consumers engaging in gambling; to restricting access to gambling products; and to ensuring that marketing functions operate in a transparent and responsible way