in this article differential transformation method (dtms) has been used to solve neutral functional-differential equations with proportional delays. the method can simply be applied to many linear and nonlinear problems and is capable of reducing the size of computational work while still providing the series solution with fast convergence rate. exact solutions can also be obtained from the kno...

We examine the effect of the Amnesty Plus policy on firms’ incentives to engage in cartel activities. Amnesty Plus is a proactive antitrust enforcement strategy aimed at attracting amnesty applications by encouraging firms already convicted in one market to report collusive agreements in other markets. It has been heavily advertised that Amnesty Plus weakens cartel stability. We show to the con...

Bro is a powerful, but largely unknown open source network intrusion detection system. Based on a sound design, Bro achieves its main goals – separating policy from mechanisms, efficient operation in high-volume networks, and withstanding attacks against itself – by using an event-driven approach. Bro contains several analyzers (e.g. protocol decoders for a variety of network protocols and a si...

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a very important disease of cattle in Great Britain, where it has been increasing in incidence and geographical distribution. In addition to cattle, it infects other species of domestic and wild animals, in particular the European badger (Meles meles). Policy to control bTB is vigorously debated and contentious because of its implications for the livestock industry ...

In Dutch healthcare, new market mechanisms have been introduced on an experimental basis in an attempt to contain costs and improve quality. Informed by a constructivist approach, we demonstrate that such experiments are not neutral testing grounds. Drawing from semi-structured interviews and policy texts, we reconstruct an experiment on free pricing in dental care that turned into a critical e...

ARLIER in the decade, a number of industrial countries adopted a framework for carrying out monetary policy that became known as inflation targeting. They adopted this framework as a response to the difficulties they had encountered in conducting their monetary policy using an exchange rate peg or some monetary aggregate as the main intermediate target. At the same time, they saw the move as a ...

Research suggests that the representation of scientific and medical issues in the traditional media such as newspapers, TV and radio is an important determinant of public opinion and related public policy outcomes, particularly with regard to attitudes toward stem cell research. With the emergence of social media, the discursive space around public policy issues has expanded to include a new de...

We study the interaction between monetary and fiscal policies in a Ramsey-Sidrauski model augmented with environmental capital. Equilibrium solutions are studied through “Green Golden Rule”. Despite non-separability of money utility intertemporally non-separable preferences, is environmentally neutral. Policy impacts environment via marginal rate transformation rather than substitution consumpt...

PURPOSE Shenzhen is the first pilot city in China implementing the gatekeeper policy, with community health service (CHS) centers as the gatekeepers. We aim to investigate patient satisfaction with this policy and its influencing factors in Shenzhen. METHODS 3,848 patients visiting eight CHS centers in Shenzhen of China between May 1 and July 28, 2013 were recruited. We interviewed them using...