When a voter chooses between large and small parties in a coalition, strategic reasons may be the tie-breaker. “Strategic voting” is often defined as a vote for another party than one’s most preferred one with the intention to affect the outcome of the election. The presence of coalitions can sometimes be argued to lead to less strategic voting, whereas others claim that coalitions create more str

This work is a synthesis of our current understanding of the mechanics, aerodynamics and visuallymediated control of dragonfly and damselfly flight, with the addition of new experimental and computational data in several key areas. These are: the diversity of dragonfly wing morphologies, the aerodynamics of gliding flight, force generation in flapping flight, aerodynamic efficiency, comparative fl

InP nanowire arrays with axial p-i-n junctions are promising devices for next-generation photovoltaics, with a demonstrated efficiency of 13.8%. However, the short-circuit current in such arrays does not match their absorption performance. Here, through combined optical and electrical modeling, we study how the absorption of photons and separation of the resulting photogenerated electron-hole pair

In On What Matters (2011) Derek Parfit advocates the Kantian Contractualist Formula as one of three supreme moral principles. In important cases, this formula entails that it is wrong for an agent to act in a way that would be partially best. In contrast, Parfit’s wide value-based objective view of reasons entails that the agent often have sufficient reasons to perform such acts. It seems then tha

Flexible multibody dynamics (FMD) has found many applications in control, analysis and design of mechanical systems. FMD together with the theory of structural optimization can be used for designing multibody systems with bodies which are lighter, but stronger. Topology optimization of static structures is an active research topic in structural mechanics. However, the extension to the dynamic case

This thesis is focused on the detail process of formation of mesoporous silica materials.Mesoporous silica materials are one type of porous materials with a pore size between 2 and 5 nm (1 nm=0.000 000 001 m). The pore walls consist of silicon dioxide – silica (sand also consists of silica). The mesoporous silica materials are formed by amphiphilic molecules, a kind of molecule with one part that We investigate the formation mechanism responsible for two specific systems of mesoporous silicas formed with the so-called co-structure directing agent (CSDA) route. The synthesis relies on the interactions between silica source (tetraethylorthosilicate, TEOS), surfactants and CSDA. The structures of the mesoporous silica materials were investigated mainly by small angle X-ray diffraction (SAXD),

This paper uses a method devised by Geary and Stark to estimate regional GDPs for 24 Swedish provinces 1855-2007. In empirical tests, we find that the Swedish estimations yield results of good precision, comparable to those reported in the international literature. From the literature, we generate six expectations concerning the development of regional GDPs in Sweden. Using the GDP estimations, we

Training and exercises programmes are not independent activities, forming part of a larger, risk-based, process of disaster management preparedness. In order to have an impact on an individual's skills knowledge or behaviours, or to influence organizational learning or procedures, the programmes needs a cyclic and holistic approach. It should focus on clearly identified outcomes that are designed

This paper introduces the concept of 'dynamic capability' (DC) in relation to disaster management - in particular to disaster management exercises (DME). Firstly this paper discusses changes and challenges in DME and the concept of dynamic capabilities as one potential approach dealing with the existing challenges in DME. Thereafter it outlines basic contents of developing DC in DME. The paper con

This paper discusses a case study example of testing international disaster response assistance within the European Union during a worst credible flood scenario in the North Sea area. It describes and evaluates the processes of requesting and receiving international assistance and the field operations with responding international teams during an exercise for large scale flooding ('EU FloodEx 2009

Decisions about disaster preparedness are rarely informed by cost-benefit analyses. This paper presents an economic model to address the thorny question, 'how prepared is prepared enough?' Difficulties related to the use of cost-benefit analysis in the field of disaster management concern the tension between the large number of high-probability events that can be handled by a single emergency resp

This research note presents the major findings of the evaluation of a major power outage in the Netherlands in December 2007 concerning citizen preparation and response. Particular attention is paid to people's perception of the event and its handling.

Preparedness is the key to provide an effective response to drowning, whether it is a single person at risk of drowning through unplanned entry into water or a larger number through a disaster such as flooding. Preparedness is achieved by training and exercise. There is increased awareness that water search and rescue response needs to become more effective as worldwide flood risks grow [1]. Teams