Letter from William Tudor to his brother, Henry James Tudor,

In this letter written to his youngest brother from London, Tudor promises when he returns to America, he will protect him from their siblings if they have been picking on him.

The end of chocolate box-style integration? EU-Swiss relations after the referendum. CEPS Commentaries, 28 February 2014

Surveying the landscape following the Swiss referendum on February 9th, Adam Łazowski observes that once Swiss voters are deprived of the benefits of the EU internal market, they may come to appreciate that their days of cherry-picking from among EU policies are over. This might present the EU with a golden opportunity to press for a comprehensive framework agreement with Switzerland that would simplify the existing regime and provide for a uniform institutional set-up. He concludes, however, that what both sides cannot avoid is a frank discussion about free movement of persons, noting that that dossier will be crucial for any future steps that will be taken by the EU and the Swiss authorities.

Economic Approaches of the Internal Market. Bruges European Economic Research (BEER) Papers 13/April 2008

What is ‘the’ EU internal market, as economists see it? The present BEER paper attempts to survey and help readers understand various ‘economic’ approaches to the internal market idea. The paper starts with a conceptual discussion of what ‘the’ internal market is (in an economic perspective). Six different economic meanings of the internal market are presented, with the sixth one being the economic benchmark in an ideal setting. Subsequently, the question is asked what the internal market (i.e. its proper functioning) is good for. Put differently, the internal market in the EU Treaty is a means, but a means to what? Beyond the typical economic growth objectives of the Rome Treaty (still valid today, with some qualifications), other Treaty objectives have emerged. Economists typically think in means-end relationships and the instrumental role of the internal market for Treaty objectives is far from clear. The ‘new’ Commission internal market strategy of 2007 proposes a more goal-oriented internal market policy. Such a vision is more selective in picking intermediate objectives to which ‘the’ internal market should be instrumental, but it risks to ignore the major deficits in today’s internal market: services and labour! The means-end relationships get even more problematic once one begins to scrutinise all the socio-economic objectives of the current (Amsterdam/Nice) Treaty or still other intermediate objectives. The internal market (explicitly including the relevant common regulation) then becomes a ‘jack of all trades’ for the environment, a high level of social protection, innovation or ‘Social Europe’. These means/ends relationships often are ill-specified. The final section considers the future of the internal market, by distinguishing three strategies: incremental strategies (including the new internal market strategy of November 2007); the internal market as the core of the Economic Union serving the ‘proper functioning of the monetary union’; and deepening and widening of the internal market as justified by the functional subsidiarity test. Even though the latter two would seem to be preferable from an economic point of view, they currently lack political legitimacy and are therefore unlikely to be pursued in the near future.

China’s foreign direct investments within the ‘16+1’ cooperation formula: strategy, institutions, results. OSW Commentary Number 191|27.11.2015

The ‘16+1’ formula of cooperation between the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and China was launched in 2012. One of its priorities involved increasing the inflow of China’s foreign direct investments (FDI) to the region. China has been interested in carrying out investments which are likely to help Chinese companies gain competitive advantage in areas such as advanced technologies, recognizable brands and distribution channels. The following sectors were identified as areas of priority importance in CEE: construction and modernisation of transport infrastructure, including motorways; development of the network of railways, airports and sea ports; energy, in particular renewable sources of energy and nuclear energy; companies trading in commodities; the food production sector. China’s strategy mainly involves purchasing existing companies, preceded by cherry picking the most favourable candidates for investment, rather than making large greenfield investments.

Modelli e metodi per il dimensionamento di buffer floor-storage in magazzini scaffalati.

In questa tesi sono stati studiati i fattori che influenzano l'utilizzo del buffer in un magazzino manuale. Per poter realizzare le analisi è stato realizzato un programma C# che simula la gestione del magazzino. Per ottimizzare l'assegnamento dei pallet alle location si è inoltre costruito un modello AMPL. L'obiettivo del modello è minimizzare la differenza tra le classi ottime dei codici in ingresso e i posti pallet ai quali questi vengono assegnati. Il programma C# oltre all'interfaccia con il risolutore AMPL Gurobi, deve interfacciarsi anche con il data base Access nel quale sono stati organizzati i dati necessari per l'analisi. Questi dati sono reali e relativi agli ingressi e alle uscite di un magazzino contenente materiale farmaceutico di due settimane di lavoro. Per facilitare e velocizzare lo studio le informazioni considerate sono quelle di due soli corridoi e non dell'intero magazzino. I risultati hanno evidenziato quattro fattori principali che influenzano la differenza tra un l'allocazione dei pallet in ingresso ad un magazzino. Questi elementi sono: costo di utilizzo del buffer, numero di location libere ad inizio simulazione, momento d'esecuzione del picking a magazzino e tipologia di location vute ad inizio della simulazione. Per ognuno di questi si è cercato, per quanto possibile, di individuare le implicazioni che quanto studiato può avere nella progettazione di un sistema di stoccaggio reale sia dal punto di vista logistico sia dal punto di vista economico. Non sempre le osservazioni reali alle quali si è arrivati hanno un risvolto pratico immediato, ma senza dubbio possono essere utili nello studio preliminare per la realizzazione di un sistema di stoccaggio. All'interno delle conclusioni sono state inserite anche possibili studi e approfondimenti futuri che possono essere eseguiti partendo dal progetto di tesi qui presentato.

Composition of micronodules and host sediments from the Guatemala Basin

A complex of mineralogical techniques used in studies of near-surface layer hemipelagic sediments indicates that disordered todorokite and hexagonal birnessite dominate in manganese micronodules, whereas hexagonal birnessite is the main phase of micronodules from miopelagic sediments. Content of todorokite increases downward through the miopelagic sedimentary sequence; this can be reasonably explained by transformations of some other manganese minerals to todorokite. Occurrence of several manganese minerals in studied samples may reflect temporal and lateral variations in C_org content in sediments and respective local fluctuations in environmental conditions (pH, Eh, geochemical activity of Mn, etc.). Todorokite may have formed under the most anoxic conditions near the water-sediment interface.

Cotton manufacturing /

pt. I. Dealing with the fibre, ginning, mixing, picking, scutching and cording.

A First Order Predicate Logic Formulation of the 3D Reconstruction Problem and its Solution Space

This paper defines the 3D reconstruction problem as the process of reconstructing a 3D scene from numerous 2D visual images of that scene. It is well known that this problem is ill-posed, and numerous constraints and assumptions are used in 3D reconstruction algorithms in order to reduce the solution space. Unfortunately, most constraints only work in a certain range of situations and often constraints are built into the most fundamental methods (e.g. Area Based Matching assumes that all the pixels in the window belong to the same object). This paper presents a novel formulation of the 3D reconstruction problem, using a voxel framework and first order logic equations, which does not contain any additional constraints or assumptions. Solving this formulation for a set of input images gives all the possible solutions for that set, rather than picking a solution that is deemed most likely. Using this formulation, this paper studies the problem of uniqueness in 3D reconstruction and how the solution space changes for different configurations of input images. It is found that it is not possible to guarantee a unique solution, no matter how many images are taken of the scene, their orientation or even how much color variation is in the scene itself. Results of using the formulation to reconstruct a few small voxel spaces are also presented. They show that the number of solutions is extremely large for even very small voxel spaces (5 x 5 voxel space gives 10 to 10(7) solutions). This shows the need for constraints to reduce the solution space to a reasonable size. Finally, it is noted that because of the discrete nature of the formulation, the solution space size can be easily calculated, making the formulation a useful tool to numerically evaluate the usefulness of any constraints that are added.

Do socially responsible fund managers really invest differently?

To date, research into socially responsible investment (SRI), and in particular the socially responsible investment funds industry, has focused on whether investing in SRI assets has any differential impact on investor returns. Prior findings generally suggest that, on a risk-adjusted basis, there is no difference in performance between SRI and conventional funds. This result has led to questions about whether SRI funds are really any different from conventional funds. This paper examines whether the portfolio allocation across industry sectors and the stock-picking ability of SRI managers are different when compared to conventional fund managers. The study finds that SRI funds exhibit different industry betas consistent with different portfolio positions, but that these differences vary from year to year. It is also found that there is little difference in stock-picking ability between the two groups of fund managers.

Sustainable Native Floriculture?

The Centre for Native Floriculture (CNF) commenced in May 2003 at The University of Queensland, Gatton. The CNF is a joint initiative with the Queensland State Government, with funding for an initial 3-year period. The phase-out of bush-picking under the South East Queensland Forests Agreement was a catalyst for the Centres establishment. The CNF vision is: ‘to help create an internationally competitive and environmentally sustainable native floriculture industry that provides significant employment opportunities in Queensland’. The Centre is comprised of three research, development and extension programs. The Value Chain Program assists native floriculture industry groups in developing efficient consumer-orientated production, handling and marketing systems for select high potential species. These value chain systems will serve as models for realizing the market potential of and regional fiscal returns on other native ornamental species identified as crop ideotypes that are sought after by end-users (e.g. florists). The Floriculture Program supports the value chain by working to enhance germplasm for the native floriculture industry through selection and breeding, optimize cultivation protocols and overcome any technical barriers that arise. Such barriers include propagation constraints, disease problems and post-harvest limitations. The Capacity Building Program operates to transfer technology and other skills (e.g. value chain management principles) to industry members, train operatives for the industry and promote native floriculture. Conservation of native flora is encouraged through cultivation and community engagement. Protection of biodiversity is advocated via regional production systems that spare natural areas and educate the public as to the biological, floricultural and aesthetic values of native flora. Eco-agricultural tourism focused on wildflowers both in nature and in cultivation is also advocated by the CNF.

Hymer and uneven development revisited:Foreign Direct Investment and regional inequalities

Picking up on one of Hymer's key contributions, this paper examines the impact that inward foreign direct investment (FDI) into the UK has on the patterns of development, both within and across regions. Using a panel of data for the manufacturing sector, the paper illustrates that even where one isolates the effect on the domestic sector alone, inward investment acts to increase the demand for skilled, relative to unskilled labour, and also generates the expected agglomeration effects in terms of the demand for capital investment. The paper then goes on to draw certain policy comparisons between these findings and the desired aim of attracting FDI, notably to increase demand for labour in those regions suffering structural unemployment, and secondly to reduce the disparities between regions.

Contestation and negotiation: regionalism and the politics of school textbooks in Ukraine's eastern borderlands

This paper aims to explore the (re)construction of identities in three regions adjacent to the Russian–Ukrainian border. The article analyses the areas' historical and political development and argues that placing such areas within a mega-region term such as ‘eastern Ukraine’ fails to recognise important differences between them. Content analysis of regional history textbooks reveals that the ‘official’ state historical narrative found in school history textbooks is heavily negotiated, with regional elites in each area ‘picking and choosing’ which parts of the ‘official’ state narrative to accept and which parts to reject. In this way, the article demonstrates how the notions of ‘inclusion’ and ‘exclusion’ are highly debated topics in the Ukrainian classroom as the central and local state elites are both part of the dynamic process of (re)definition of national identities.

Handling varying amounts of missing data when classifying mental-health risk levels

One of the main challenges of classifying clinical data is determining how to handle missing features. Most research favours imputing of missing values or neglecting records that include missing data, both of which can degrade accuracy when missing values exceed a certain level. In this research we propose a methodology to handle data sets with a large percentage of missing values and with high variability in which particular data are missing. Feature selection is effected by picking variables sequentially in order of maximum correlation with the dependent variable and minimum correlation with variables already selected. Classification models are generated individually for each test case based on its particular feature set and the matching data values available in the training population. The method was applied to real patients' anonymous mental-health data where the task was to predict the suicide risk judgement clinicians would give for each patient's data, with eleven possible outcome classes: zero to ten, representing no risk to maximum risk. The results compare favourably with alternative methods and have the advantage of ensuring explanations of risk are based only on the data given, not imputed data. This is important for clinical decision support systems using human expertise for modelling and explaining predictions.

Study of carbon nanotube film and shape memory alloys treatment for sensing and structural vibration control

Structural vibration control is of great importance. Current active and passive vibration control strategies usually employ individual elements to fulfill this task, such as viscoelastic patches for providing damping, transducers for picking up signals and actuators for inputting actuating forces. The goal of this dissertation work is to design, manufacture, investigate and apply a new type of multifunctional composite material for structural vibration control. This new composite, which is based on multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) film, is potentially to function as free layer damping treatment and strain sensor simultaneously. That is, the new material integrates the transducer and the damping patch into one element. The multifunctional composite was prepared by sandwiching the MWCNT film between two adhesive layers. Static sensing test indicated that the MWCNT film sensor resistance changes almost linearly with the applied load. Sensor sensitivity factors were comparable to those of the foil strain gauges. Dynamic test indicated that the MWCNT film sensor can outperform the foil strain gage in high frequency ranges. Temperature test indicated the MWCNT sensor had good temperature stability over the range of 237 K-363 K. The Young’s modulus and shear modulus of the MWCNT film composite were acquired by nanoindentation test and direct shear test, respectively. A free vibration damping test indicated that the MWCNT composite sensor can also provide good damping without adding excessive weight to the base structure. A new model for sandwich structural vibration control was then proposed. In this new configuration, a cantilever beam covered with MWCNT composite on top and one layer of shape memory alloy (SMA) on the bottom was used to illustrate this concept. The MWCNT composite simultaneously serves as free layer damping and strain sensor, and the SMA acts as actuator. Simple on-off controller was designed for controlling the temperature of the SMA so as to control the SMA recovery stress as input and the system stiffness. Both free and forced vibrations were analyzed. Simulation work showed that this new configuration for sandwich structural vibration control was successful especially for low frequency system.

ALBA: A Political Tool for Venezuela’s Foreign Policy

Despite its founding by Hugo Chávez on the heels of the failed Free Trade Area for the Americas (FTAA) negotiations which took place November 2003, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA, as it is known for its Spanish acronym) has evolved into a political tool that uses “social power” to facilitate Venezuela‟s positioning as the leader of the anti-U.S. agenda in the region. Fostering political favors and goodwill through the financing of social development projects, ALBA has created a political environment whereby countries on the take and their respective leaders seem deterred from taking public opposing viewpoints to Chávez. To that end, it has provided billions in economic aid to several nations in Latin American and the Caribbean, winning their favor and support for its policies. To date, ALBA counts on eight member nations. Besides Venezuela, it includes Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Cuba, Dominica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It also has several observer nations, among them, Grenada, Haiti, Paraguay, Uruguay, and a non-Latin American country, Syria. Throughout its recent history Venezuela has used its oil wealth to pursue political capital. Under the Chávez government it is doing so as part of a strategic effort countering the U.S. Following Cuba‟s demise in the region as the anti-American socialist camp leader, Chávez is attempting to step into Cuba‟s shoes, picking up where Cuba left off over a decade ago and has used the ALBA as a mechanism to help promote his foreign policy. Relying on its own resources, not those of the Soviet Union as Cuba once did, Venezuela has already shown its influence in the international arena, challenging U.S. positions at the Organization of American States (OAS), the United Nations, and even in matters having little if nothing to do with the region, such as Iran‟s nuclear proliferation. Taking advantage of Venezuela‟s oil prices bonanza, Chávez has been spreading economic aid throughout the region, funding several development projects. From stepping in to buy Bolivia‟s soy beans when the U.S. ceased doing so, to helping finance and construct an airport in Dominica, Venezuela‟s ALBA has provided assistance to many states in the region. As in the past, Venezuela has invested significantly both in time and money in the Caribbean, providing development assistance and oil at a discount to Haiti, St. Kitts and Nevis, and the Dominican Republic, although the latter two are neither member nor observer states of ALBA. The aid Chávez has been spreading around may be coming at a cost. It seems it has begun to cause cracks within the CARICOM community, where ALBA already counts on six of its 15 members, leading experts and leaders in the region to question traditional alliances to each other and the U.S. Yet, ALBA‟s ability to influence through aid is dependent on the Venezuelan economy. Its success hinges on continued Venezuelan oil sales at stable prices and the ability of Chávez to remain in power.