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This paper is a preliminary exploration of the role that conflict-generated diaspora communities can play in transitional justice and processes of reconciliation. The aim is to consider what potential there is for tapping into diaspora communities and the possible benefits this could have on diaspor...
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This paper is a preliminary exploration of the role that conflict-generated diaspora communities can play in transitional justice and processes of reconciliation. The aim is to consider what potential there is for tapping into diaspora communities and the possible benefits this could have on diasporas themselves and on peacebuilding processes in the homeland. The goal is also to explore and reflect on ways in which reconciliatory attitudes can be encouraged among diaspora communities, as well as their participation in transnational activities. The paper begins by providing a brief overview of diasporas, followed by a discussion on relationships and attitudes within conflict-generated diaspora communities in the aftermath of violence. The paper then explores the various roles that diasporas can play in transitional justice, such as providing input to strategies and participating in established mechanisms; or mobilizing on their own to push for transitional justice measures. This is followed by a brief look at diaspora involvement in other processes of reconciliation, including dialogue and media initiatives. The paper then discusses how integration policies and outcomes in the hostland can influence the views of diasporas and their involvement with the homeland. The paper concludes with challenges related to diaspora participation and some overall reflections.

Electrodialysis (ED), an electrochemical membrane technique, prolonged and enhanced the production of biohydrogen and purified organic acids (OAs) via anaerobic fermentation of glucose and food wastes. In this extractive fermentation, pH was precisely controlled by the regulated extraction of acidic...
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Electrodialysis (ED), an electrochemical membrane technique, prolonged and enhanced the production of biohydrogen and purified organic acids (OAs) via anaerobic fermentation of glucose and food wastes. In this extractive fermentation, pH was precisely controlled by the regulated extraction of acidic products. The solid particles and inorganic salts present in real wastes were not problematic when hydrothermal pre treatment was incorporated. The selective separation of OA from waste-fed fermentations provides a nitrogen free carbon source for further biohydrogen production in a parallel photofermentation. H2 yield could be up to 10 fold enhanced by combining extractive fermentation and photofermentation. Therefore, ED provides the key link in an integrated process (IP) for efficient bioH2 production from organic wastes.

The scope of the JISC/HEA funded DELILA Project http://delilaopen.wordpress.com/ includes improving the hosting of Learning Objects in the University of Birmingham’s UBIRA Institutional Repositories. This has led to a number of improvements in the display of repository items - inspired in part ...
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The scope of the JISC/HEA funded DELILA Project http://delilaopen.wordpress.com/ includes improving the hosting of Learning Objects in the University of Birmingham’s UBIRA Institutional Repositories. This has led to a number of improvements in the display of repository items - inspired in part by the design of the HumBox Project http://humbox.ac.uk/ .

Research suggests that schooling can dictate both opportunity and performance levels (Bailey et al, 2010), and that whilst there is an assumption that the type of school attended has an effect on sporting opportunity Rowley, 1993), much of this evidence is anecdotal. This work explores the effect of...
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Research suggests that schooling can dictate both opportunity and performance levels (Bailey et al, 2010), and that whilst there is an assumption that the type of school attended has an effect on sporting opportunity Rowley, 1993), much of this evidence is anecdotal. This work explores the effect of schooling on playing level and performance post compulsory physical education. After ethical approval an online questionnaire collected retrospective recall data on the sport practice patterns of people raised and schooled in the UK. 1,006 individuals provided information about their schooling along with their sport participation between 16 and 18 years old. There was a significant association between type of schooling and the highest playing level achieved aged 16 to 18, 2(8) = 29.1, p<0.001. Individuals who received state schooling were less likely to play at national level than those who received grammar (0.94 times) and private (0.34 times) schooling. This pattern continued at the representative level (grammar, 0.73 times; private, 0.34 times) and school level (grammar, 0.43 times; private, 0.19 times). Compared to not playing at all individuals at private schools were more likely to play at national level (2.78 times), representative level (2.13 times), club level (1.67 times) and school level (2.25 times) than individuals at grammar school. In terms of overall sports participation individuals aged 16-18 at private schools were 2.7 times more likely to play sport than those at state schools a similar pattern was seen between grammar and private schools (2.5 times more likely to play sport). The data suggest that there is a clear need to explore and address the imbalances in playing performance and participation created within the current UK schooling system. Such imbalances surely serve to undermine an individual’s opportunity for both sporting achievement and participation.

This essay investigate the returns to education in China using pooled CHNS (China Health and Nutrition Survey) dataset before 2000 (including 1989, 1991, 1993 and 1997) and after 2000 (including 2000, 2004 and 2006). Based on the standard Mincerian human capital earning function, we adopt the OLS an...
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This essay investigate the returns to education in China using pooled CHNS (China Health and Nutrition Survey) dataset before 2000 (including 1989, 1991, 1993 and 1997) and after 2000 (including 2000, 2004 and 2006). Based on the standard Mincerian human capital earning function, we adopt the OLS and IV models to see the difference of controlling endogeneity of schooling or not. Education is measured in two ways: years of schooling (input) and highest educational qualification (output, 5 categories of educational levels). We find that OLS estimate of the returns to schooling and education levels in the 2000s is higher than before, and higher education, higher return. In addition, if we do not control for endogeneity bias of schooling, the OLS estimates of the returns to schooling will be underestimated, especially before 2000.

Firm’s proper acquisition size is still an unresolved question. The extant literatures mention little about the determinants of firm’s acquisition size at micro economic level. With recent available data of acquisitions in Chinese stock market (Shanghai and Shenzhen) during 2003-2008, we estimate th...
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Firm’s proper acquisition size is still an unresolved question. The extant literatures mention little about the determinants of firm’s acquisition size at micro economic level. With recent available data of acquisitions in Chinese stock market (Shanghai and Shenzhen) during 2003-2008, we estimate the effect of institutional ownership on firms’ acquisition size controlling financial and governance characteristics. In an industry fixed effect model, firms’ acquisition size is significantly and positively associated with firm size, Tobin’s Q, leverage ratio, cash holing level and internal capital expenditure. Acquisition size is positively related to some governance characteristics of firms such as board size, independency of board and activity of board, but negatively related to the duality of chairman and CEO. However, annual dividend, management holding, intangible asset, ownership concentration and the identity of ownership seems unrelated to acquisition size. The monitoring effect of different institutional ownership including qualified foreign institutional investors (QFII), social security fund (SSF), security firms (SF) and security investment funds (SIF) on the acquisition of listed firms are investigated. We find that QFII and SIF increase acquisition size of those over-acquisition firms while only SSF have significant monitoring effects on those under-acquisition firms.

This essay investigate the returns to schooling in urban China using pooled CHNS (China Health and Nutrition Survey) dataset of the 1990s (including 1991, 1993 and 1997) and the 2000s (including 2000, 2004 and 2006). Based on the standard Mincerian human capital earning function, we adopt the OLS an...
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This essay investigate the returns to schooling in urban China using pooled CHNS (China Health and Nutrition Survey) dataset of the 1990s (including 1991, 1993 and 1997) and the 2000s (including 2000, 2004 and 2006). Based on the standard Mincerian human capital earning function, we adopt the OLS and IV models to see the difference of controlling endogeneity of schooling or not. Education is measured in two ways: years of schooling (input) and highest educational qualification (output, 5 categories of educational levels). We find that OLS estimate of the returns to schooling in the 2000s is higher than the 1990s. The returns to “college and above” and “professional school” increase across time, while the returns to “upper and lower middle school” decrease from 1990s to 2000s. In addition, if we do not control for endogeneity bias of schooling, the OLS estimates of the returns to schooling will be underestimated, especially in the 2000s.

Biography introducing this seminar presentation. Professor David A. Booth has research doctorates in biochemistry and in psychology. A main area of his research since 1964 has been the neural, digestive, metabolic, sensory and social influences on, and effects of, choices and intakes of foods ...
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Biography introducing this seminar presentation. Professor David A. Booth has research doctorates in biochemistry and in psychology. A main area of his research since 1964 has been the neural, digestive, metabolic, sensory and social influences on, and effects of, choices and intakes of foods and drinks, and how all these causal processes interact in the individual’s life. One major effort in this area has been to characterise and to measure the least fattening customs of eating within local environments. This talk highlights a pilot study conducted in the School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition in McGill University that is now being extended by a nutrition graduate and obesity dietitian from Mexico who is studying for a research degree in Psychology with David Booth and colleagues at the University of Birmingham.

Precirculated abstract. In 1888-9, E.H. Weber discovered one of the first basic principles of Experimental Psychology: equal ratios of the quantity of stimulation to the senses were rated as equally different in intensity, when the levels of input were moderate. This semilog linear range of an input...
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Precirculated abstract. In 1888-9, E.H. Weber discovered one of the first basic principles of Experimental Psychology: equal ratios of the quantity of stimulation to the senses were rated as equally different in intensity, when the levels of input were moderate. This semilog linear range of an input/output function for physical or chemical stimuli is plain linear when the stimuli are symbolic such as quantitative descriptions. This discriminative sensitivity of an output can therefore be used as a scaling unit for quantities of any input. Furthermore, inputs that are treated as the same by an output will summate in discrimination units from the level to which the person or animal has learnt: that is, an information-transmitting channel through an adapted intelligent system constitutes a mental dimension. If two transforms operate over different channels, then their interaction is orthogonal. Hence the simplest account of a mind is as a Euclidean hyperspace of distinct causal processes. When two outputs are observed from one input, two distinct ways of processing the input may be distinguished. With sufficiently independent multiple inputs tested on specific outputs as well as on an overall output of interest, the set of possible processes and their interactions can be tested against each other on the individual’s multiple discrimination performance in acting on variants of a specific situation (Booth & Freeman, 1993; data-analytic program in Java: ‘Co-Pro’, 2006). Several examples of such cognitive diagnosis will be given: empathy, sympathy and compassion; emoticons; craving fior chocolate; appetite for foods in pictures. An argument offered for discussion -- made in a response to EC FP5 Models of Consciousness 2003 in an MS now on epapers.bham.ac.uk -- is that the development of intelligent robots needs to include a science of artificial performance, analogous to this psychological science of natural performance – i.e., ‘POEMS’, Psychology Of Emerging Machine Souls / Sentients / Symbolisers / Subjectivities!

This paper considers evidence on the impact of ICT on demand for different types of workers, focusing in particular on the age dimension. It first examines data from EUKLEMS using regressions standard in the literature and suggests ICT may have adversely affected older workers, in particular high sk...
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This paper considers evidence on the impact of ICT on demand for different types of workers, focusing in particular on the age dimension. It first examines data from EUKLEMS using regressions standard in the literature and suggests ICT may have adversely affected older workers, in particular high skilled males aged 50 and over. The paper then uses data from the UK Labour Force Survey, linked to EUKLEMS, to examine whether the observed differences by worker type could be due to variations in on the job training. It shows that training linked to ICT use can explain some of the wage variation and that reluctance by older men to undertake training has a role as well as lower offers of training by firms.

Skill premium in the United Kingdom has increased substantially since the 1970s. This paper analyzes the link between institutions and the skill premium in the UK controlling for other explanatory variables such as market conditions, international trade and skill-biased technology. For the privat...
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Skill premium in the United Kingdom has increased substantially since the 1970s. This paper analyzes the link between institutions and the skill premium in the UK controlling for other explanatory variables such as market conditions, international trade and skill-biased technology. For the private sector, institutions are more important for the unskilled baseline group than the skilled groups. The trade union decline after 1979 brings different effect on wages of skilled and unskilled workers and pushes the skill premium up. We find that the trade union decline in unskilled workers can explain about one third degree premium increase over the period 1979-1998. The overall effect of trade union in all workers can explain about 13.34 percent of degree premium increase during the same period. Our results are insensitive to skill group categorization. Moreover, we find that minimum wages can only decrease skill premiums of high skilled workers rather than low skilled workers. The increase of unemployment benefit over the period 1979-1998 reduces the increasing the skill premium by about 13.6 percent. But, the mark-up effect of taxation increase skill premium by about 8.26 percent. We find no significant associations between above institutions and skill premiums in the public sector.

Psychology is the systematic empirical study of the mechanisms of objective achievements by a human being or member of another species. These mental processes include intentions / actions, percepts / sensations, thoughts / solutions, emotions / cooperations, communications etc. - whatever the task ...
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Psychology is the systematic empirical study of the mechanisms of objective achievements by a human being or member of another species. These mental processes include intentions / actions, percepts / sensations, thoughts / solutions, emotions / cooperations, communications etc. - whatever the task that the individual successfully performed, and by what mental/behavioural causation. Psychological knowledge is not based on subjective contents of a private world, neural causation or brain activity, societal causation or cultural functions, bodily movements or physical dynamics and cannot be reduced to environmental or/and genetic origins. As I understand it, God is the sustainer of all things, the biosphere, human society, and the cultural, physiological and mental life of each of us. God upholds the mechanisms of physics, politics and mind. God does not put the atoms in their places; rather, God keeps creating the same causal powers - ‘laws’ of nature, including red in tooth and claw, and‘laws’ of society, including powers of this dark world. To deal with all of this, human beings have been given the biosocial capacity to take complementing roles in a shared task - that is, to be loving.

Abdominal fatness, like IQ, is predominantly a moderately heritable polygenic trait. Furthermore, human genetic structure is masked by many regulatory genes. Hence environment is likely to specify any obesigenic pattern of metabolism, movement or ingestion. The least fattening patterns of behaviour ...
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Abdominal fatness, like IQ, is predominantly a moderately heritable polygenic trait. Furthermore, human genetic structure is masked by many regulatory genes. Hence environment is likely to specify any obesigenic pattern of metabolism, movement or ingestion. The least fattening patterns of behaviour therefore need to be identified in a culture’s own categories. The times at which an individual carries out such an eating or exercise custom detect a sustained change in its frequency, after which any change in weight is tracked to asymptote. The closest published approximation to this psychosocial approach to weight control was around Birmingham (England) in the late 1980s, cf. Appetite 43, 277-283 (2004). While the obesity research community continues to refuse support, a pilot study of the simplest effective design has been run in French Canada. In that culture, individual differences in eating vegetables and in avoiding calories, low-calorie meals or fruit and salad fairly consistently correlate at present with decline in weight over 2-4 weeks. Cross-lagged correlation shows when change in frequency of a custom one week causes subsequent change in weight, rather than weight change precipitating behaviour change. Effects of eating customs on weight emerge from 1970s calculations of energy exchange regulation (since replicated and extended by four other groups) but may be undetectable as sensory, digestive or social influences on states of appetite and its sating.

This article engages with scholarship on the sexualisation and queering of public spaces, drawing on ethnographic research carried out in LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer) commuities in Turin in 2006, the year in which the city hosted ‘Pride Nazionale’. In the Italian context, problema...
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This article engages with scholarship on the sexualisation and queering of public spaces, drawing on ethnographic research carried out in LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer) commuities in Turin in 2006, the year in which the city hosted ‘Pride Nazionale’. In the Italian context, problematically heteronormative forms of sexuality are ever-present in the media, while sexual minorities face a hostile climate in which their rights are not yet fully recognised. I argue that this climate has been mitigated by activist initiatives, and forms of inhabiting and occupaying space, from everyday socialising, to participation in specific cultural activities, to large-scale demonstrations, which all contribute to ‘queerings’ of space. The article further suggests that the queering of space enables community building, increases the visibility and status of minority populations, and is a vital means to achieving greater livability. However, this queering is often temporary, amounting only to a ‘tactic’ rather than a ‘strategy’, to use de Certeau’s terminology.