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Sustainable finance and the banks
Get PDFThis paper reviews the growing literature on sustainable finance. The empirical evidence on the key issues is very mixed with the results from ESG literature are especially problematic. The results from the literature on banks and climate change more specifically are clearer with good indications that banks will provide firms with the finance for innovation and its diffusion. Voluntary commitments by banks to operate to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 do not appear to be effective and in the transition to a low carbon economy it is not clear that banks are reallocate funds to low carbon sectors or that they are charging higher interest rates to high polluting firms. The evidence on how banks are dealing with the physical risks from climate change are more encouraging in these respects. The literature on central banking and monetary policy generally advocates a return to policies of the 1950s-70s with an emphasis on directed credit, preferential interest rates, reserve requirements, capital and liquidity ratios to promote green finance, but the financial stability-related literature recognizes clearly the need for central banks to be prudent and incorporate climate risks into their operations and policy frameworks
3D printing of Nd: YAG transparent composite ceramics
No full textThe application of 3D printed transparent composite ceramics with designable gain profile in solid-state lasers has garnered increasing interest. Problems including the poor performance of slurries, defects generated in the green bodies during printing and the uncontrolled densification process between ceramics with different components have deteriorated the optical quality of transparent composite ceramics prepared by direct ink writing (DIW), leading to the limitations on the realization of high-power laser outputs. To solve this problem, a systematic investigation of Nd: YAG transparent composite ceramics was conducted throughout the fabrication process, including DIW with the capability of dual-material switching, vacuum sintering and hot isostatic pressing (HIP). First, the ceramic slurries with good printability and high solids loading were formulated by adjusting the dispersant and thickener contents. The sintering behaviors of undoped YAG and Nd: YAG ceramics were investigated to enhance the optical quality of transparent composite ceramics. The Nd ions diffusion distances of the interface between undoped YAG and Nd: YAG regions in the vertical and horizontal composite ceramics were tested and calculated to be 50.1 μm and 43.5 μm, respectively. Finally, the laser measurement of the YAG/0.3 at. % Nd: YAG/YAG transparent composite ceramic with the dimension of 3×3×4 mm3 indicated that the maximum output power of 2.15 W with the slope efficiency of 40.2% was achieved at the absorbed pump power of 5.70 W
Empress Gosakuramachi and the Imperial Court
No full textThe Japanese Imperial Family is characterised by a male line of succession to the throne that has continued for 126 generations since first Emperor Jinmu. On the other hand, unlike after the modern era, when the imperial successors are princes only, there were eight empresses (female emperors) in the pre-modern times. The most recent empress was the 117th Empress Go-Sakuramachi. She succeeded to the throne because Crown Prince Hidehito (later 118th Emperor Go-Momozono) was only five years old. The conventional interpretation of the role of the empresses was a temporary middle successor. In fact, she remained unmarried throughout her life and left no direct descendants after she abdicated to Emperor Go-Momozono. She was also absent from several rituals, although Japanese emperors are not only state heads but also priest-kings. It must be because she was a woman. On the other hand, she is also known to have frequently assisted 119th Emperor Kōkaku, and was known as the 'national mother'. The Court in the early modern period had no military or economic power at all and was effectively under the control of the Shogun. Against this backdrop, she served food to the starving populace during a major famine without permission from the shogunate. Also, when Emperor Kōkaku demanded that the Shogunate bestow the title of Emperor Emeritus on his father Prince Sukehito, she admonished him to withdraw it. The fact that she led the sensitive relations between the Shogunate and the Court, even though both were a male-dominated society, does not mean the view that she was merely an ornament because she was a woman. At the least, genealogy, religion and politics should be considered separately. This paper discusses the position of the Imperial Family in early modern Japan from a gender perspective, using Empress Go-sakuramachi as a case study
An Unobtrusive Approach to Emotion Detection
No full textStress, a negative emotion state, is being pervasively experienced in mod- ern life, significantly impacting both physical and mental well-being, often going unnoticed until its effects become severe. Technological solutions for stress detec- tion offer a proactive approach to managing this pervasive problem. This paper in- vestigated a case study using web-based learning, an unobtrusive approach, to de- tecting stress. The solution involved the development of two Neural Network mod- els (ANN and CNN) to be deployed and processed on the client device through a Web application. For this, two features were developed (journal and selfie) and the models classified the user’s inputs as either ’stressed’ or ’not stressed’ in real time. Underpinning the work is Web learning, tensorflow.js, a framework devel- oped by Google. The application was evaluated by 7 users. Results: the application and models worked as intended, and an average score of 3.57 out of 4 for user’s subjective view on the accuracy was obtained. This result suggests the models were perceived as working well during user evaluation. The results also reviewed the users preferred the journal over the selfie feature. All users (100%) considered the features effective at monitoring and tracking stress
Decolonising Literacy: Transformative intergenerational literacy and learning from Nepal and India
No full textBook review of Eunice Rojas (2024) Gringos get Rich: Anti-Americanism in Chilean Music. University of Alabama Press (Tuscaloosa), 229pp
No full textAttention on the Wires (AttWire): A Foundation Model for Detecting Devices and Catheters in X-ray Fluoroscopic Images
No full textObjective: Interventional devices, catheters and insertable imaging devices such as transesophageal echo (TOE) probes are routinely used in minimally invasive cardiovascular procedures. Detecting their positions and orientations in X-ray fluoroscopic images is important for many clinical applications. Method: In this paper, a novel attention mechanism was designed to guide a convolution neural network (CNN) model to the areas of wires in X-ray images, as nearly all interventional devices and catheters used in cardiovascular procedures contain wires. The attention mechanism includes multi-scale Gaussian derivative filters and a dot-product-based attention layer. By utilizing the proposed attention mechanism, a lightweight foundation model can be created to detect multiple objects simultaneously with higher precision and real-time speed. Results: The proposed model was trained and tested on a total of 12,438 X-ray images. An accuracy of 0.88 was achieved for detecting an echo probe and 0.87 for detecting an artificial valve at 58 FPS. The accuracy was measured by intersection-over-union (IoU). We also achieved a 99.8% success rate in detecting a 10-electrode catheter and a 97.8% success rate in detecting an ablation catheter. Conclusion: Our detection foundation model can simultaneously detect and identify both interventional devices and flexible catheters in real-time X-ray fluoroscopic images. Significance: The proposed model employs a novel attention mechanism to achieve high-performance object detection, making it suitable for various clinical applications and robotic-assisted surgeries
Mental health and sentencing: How are judicial decisions made in light of the judgement of R v Vowles?
Get PDFIn England and Wales, s.45A of the Mental Health Act 1983 allows a judge to pass a sentence including both an immediate direction to hospital as well as a punitive custodial element. R v Vowles provides four specific considerations for judges to attend to when considering such sentences (referred to as the ‘Vowles statements’). The section, however, remains infrequently used. The present study adopted an online experimental methodology to explore decision-making in relation to the Vowles statements. We used a proxy judicial sample who made decisions about the same criminal case vignette. The experimental manipulation meant that participants were exposed to the same information except for the clinical diagnosis: ‘complex mental health condition’, ‘Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder’ (EUPD) or ‘Schizophrenia’. Participants were asked to decide which sentence they were most likely to give and rate their agreement with the each of the Vowles statements. Analysis considered relationships between Vowles statements, differences between experimental conditions, and the extent to which different factors (including the Vowles statements) predicted the overall sentencing decision. Results identified that s.45A was, by far, the most common sentencing decision, and that agreement on the different Vowles statements was variable. There was limited evidence of an impact of diagnosis on decision-making, except for some weak evidence that an EUPD diagnosis was associated with marginally higher rates of prison sentences. Most importantly, not all of the Vowles statements were predictive of the final sentence, with attitudes towards the need for punishment having the clearest relationship with the final sentencing decisio
Retention in adult and children's social care: messages for local authorities:CRCF seminar recording - findings launch event
No full textThis is a recording of a CRCF seminar which launched findings from a major research project. The presentation outlines a theory of change which aims to improve the retention of social care professionals working in local authorities. We outline a blueprint for intervention which focuses on career-stage specific support for social care professionals. This theory of change draws on two major research studies. Study one involved 58 children’s social workers from 11 local authorities in England. From this, we developed the concept of Critical Career Episodes (‘stay or go’ moments where workers are vulnerable to exit) and identified a three-factor career pathway model (mobility, specialism and generativity) supporting retention. Study two consisted of 11 workshops with 51 health and social care professionals, across 2 local authorities in England including: adult and children’s social workers, Approved Mental Health Professionals and Occupational Therapists. In consultation with professionals, we refined the original model and developed a theory of change to inform workforce development
Nash versus Kant: A game-theoretic analysis of childhood vaccination behavior
Get PDFThe vaccination game exhibits positive externalities. The standard game-theoretic approach assumes that parents make decisions according to the Nash protocol, which is individualistic and non-cooperative. However, in more solidaristic societies, parents may behave cooperatively, optimizing according to the Kantian protocol, in which the equilibrium is efficient. We develop a random utility model of vaccination behavior and prove that the equilibrium coverage rate is larger with the Kant protocol than with the Nash one. Using survey data collected from six countries, we calibrate the parameters of the vaccination game, compute both Nash equilibrium and Kantian equilibrium profiles, and compare them with observed vaccination behavior. We find evidence that parents demonstrate cooperative behavior in all six countries. The study highlights the importance of cooperation in shaping vaccination behavior and underscores the need to consider these factors in public health interventions