Use and value of ICTS for separated families

This paper considers the ways in which ICT usage impacts upon the communication patterns of young people from separated and intact families. Based on two research projects – one quantitative and one qualitative – it explores the ways in which young people both use and value mobile phones and internet access as means of intervening in family communication patterns

The high strain-rate behaviour of three molecular weights of polyethylene examined with a magnesium alloy split-Hopkinson pressure bar

A traditional split-Hopkinson pressure bar system has been modified by the addition of ZK60A magnesium alloy pressure bars in order to increase the resolution of data when examining specimens of low-density, high-density and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. It was found that the low density of the ZK60A allowed a decent increase in transmitted pulse amplitude, whilst its relatively high yield strength afforded long-term reliability of the system. The accuracy of data obtained from the fitted strain gauges was verified with the use of a high-speed video camera, and was found to be an excellent match.Comment: Will be shortly submitted to 'Polymer Testing

Scotland: A New Fiscal Settlement

Tax and Expenditure Devolution, Inter-Government Relations, Fiscal Federalism, State Budget, Fiscal Coordination.

A Time-Frequency Analysis of the Coherences of the US Business

The dating of a possible European business cycle has been inconclusive. At this stage, there is no consensus on the existence of such a cycle, or of its periodicity and amplitude, or of the relationship of individual member countries to that cycle. Yet cyclical convergence is the key consideration for countries that wish to be members of the currency union. The confusion over whether and to what degree the UK is converging on the cycles of her European partners, or whether her cycle is more in line with the US, is an example of this lack of consensus. We show that countries will vary in the components and characteristics that make up their output cycles, as well as in the state of their cycle at any point of time. Next, we show how to decompose a business cycle in a time-frequency framework. This allows us to decompose movements in output, both at the European level and in member countries, into their component cycles and allows those component cycles to vary in importance and cyclical characteristics over time. It also allows us to determine if the inconclusive convergence results so far have appeared because member countries have some cycles in common, but diverge at other frequenciesTime-Frequency Analysis, Coherence, Growth Rates, Business Cycle

Labour and Product Market Reforms in the Economy with Distortionary Taxation

It is widely accepted that in order to improve the economic position of the EU relative to the USA certain structural reforms need to be undertaken, mainly in the labour market. However few EU countries have undertaken such reforms. The reason lies in the fact that those reforms are going to be costly in terms of economic performance, unemployment and hence the cost of financing them - at least in the short term. Blanchard and Giavazzi (2003) develop a model based on imperfect competition in both product and labour markets in order to show the impact of deregulation on the economy. However they do not consider the question of how to finance such reforms or overcome the short run costs, a key consideration if the short run costs are large relative to the long run gains. We extend their model by including the effects of another inevitable source of imperfections: distortionary taxation - not only the most likely candidate for reform, but also the most likely instrument for financing the restructuring process. By extending the model in this way we can establish formally that reforms imply significant short run costs as well as long run gains; that (political opposition apart) the financing of such reforms will be the main stumbling block. We come to a number of conclusions which reverse the Blanchard and Giavazzi results; and find that, in addition, the composition of the reform package matters, as does the distribution of the tax burden. This model therefore supplies new results on the design and sequencing of reforms.Structural Reform, Wage Bargains, Short vs Long Run Sustainability.

Central Bank Transparency in Theory and Practice

We study the effects of Central Bank transparency on inflation and the output gap. We thus first identify a small analytical model which concludes that transparency affects the variability of inflation and output and not their average levels. Then we examine whether this conjecture holds empirically, employing the recently derived index of transparency by Eijffinger and Geraats. The empirical findings confirm that the averages are not affected by transparency. It does seem to explain however, about 50% of the variability in inflation. The relation between transparency and output volatility is less clear but appears to be positive rather than negative.central bank, economic and political transparency, inflation and output gap performance

Histone modifications influence the action of Snf2 family remodelling enzymes by different mechanisms

AbstractAlteration of chromatin structure by chromatin modifying and remodelling activities is a key stage in the regulation of many nuclear processes. These activities are frequently interlinked, and many chromatin remodelling enzymes contain motifs that recognise modified histones. Here we adopt a peptide ligation strategy to generate specifically modified chromatin templates and used these to study the interaction of the Chd1, Isw2 and RSC remodelling complexes with differentially acetylated nucleosomes. Specific patterns of histone acetylation are found to alter the rate of chromatin remodelling in different ways. For example, histone H3 lysine 14 acetylation acts to increase recruitment of the RSC complex to nucleosomes. However, histone H4 tetra-acetylation alters the spectrum of remodelled products generated by increasing octamer transfer in trans. In contrast, histone H4 tetra-acetylation was also found to reduce the activity of the Chd1 and Isw2 remodelling enzymes by reducing catalytic turnover without affecting recruitment. These observations illustrate a range of different means by which modifications to histones can influence the action of remodelling enzymes