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Flexible Designs for the Future There is clearly an immediate need for inspiring and appropriate space for these types of environments, but life sciences is also a longer-term opportunity for the real estate sector. DEVELOPMENT SPRING | 2021 30 IDEAS FOR ATTRACTING AND RETAINING TENANTS In Touch with Tenants Life Sciences Boom Sparks Design Innovations for Commercial Buildings Turning existing spaces into laboratories and research areas requires special considerations. [Extracted from the article]

We vocalize query results for time series data. We describe a holistic approach that integrates query evaluation and vocalization. In particular, we generate only those parts of the query result that are relevant for voice output.We exploit the fact that voice output has to be concise and simple to be understandable for listeners. Hence, the problem of generating voice output reduces to choosing between several coarse-grained alternatives. To make that choice, it is sufficient to evaluate the time series at a few carefully chosen locations. We use techniques from the area of optimal experimental design to choose optimal sampling points. Our algorithm is iterative and generates in each iteration a set of promising voice description candidates. We consider multiple metrics when generating voice descriptions, including the accuracy of description as well as its complexity and length. Then, we choose a near-optimal batch of sampling points to refine our choice between promising candidates.We compare this algorithm experimentally against several baselines, demonstrating superior performance in terms of execution time and output quality. We also conducted a user study, showing that it enables users to execute simple exploratory data analysis via voice descriptions alone. We also compare against visual interfaces and sonification (i.e., non-speech sound) interfaces in terms of user performance.

Research on data visualization aims at finding the best way to present data via visual interfaces. We introduce the complementary problem of "data vocalization". Our goal is to present relational data in the most efficient way via voice output. This problem setting is motivated by emerging tools and devices (e.g., Google Home, Amazon Echo, Apple's Siri, or voice-based SQL interfaces) that communicate data primarily via audio output to their users.We treat voice output generation as an optimization problem. The goal is to minimize speaking time while transmitting an approximation of a relational table to the user. We consider constraints on the precision of the transmitted data as well as on the cognitive load placed on the listener. We formalize voice output optimization and show that it is NP-hard. We present three approaches to solve that problem. First, we show how the problem can be translated into an integer linear program which enables us to apply corresponding solvers. Second, we present a two-phase approach that forms groups of similar rows in a pre-processing step, using a variant of the apriori algorithm. Then, we select an optimal combination of groups to generate a speech. Finally, we present a greedy algorithm that runs in polynomial time. Under simplifying assumptions, we prove that it generates near-optimal output by leveraging the sub-modularity property of our cost function. We compare our algorithms experimentally and analyze their complexity.

Using harmonized data for the years 1995–2001 from the European Community Household Panel, the authors analyze gender pay gaps by sector across the wage distribution in eleven countries. In estimations that control for the effects of individual characteristics at different points of the distribution, they calculate the part of the gap attributable to differing returns between men and women. The magnitude of the gender pay gap, thus measured, varied substantially across countries and across the public and private sector wage distributions. The gap typically widened toward the top of the wage distribution (the “glass ceiling” effect), and in a few cases it also widened at the bottom (the “sticky floor” effect). The authors suggest that differences in childcare provision and wage setting institutions across EU countries may partly account for the variation in patterns by country and sector.

The article focuses on the theory behind the implementation of the national minimum wage (NMW) and its effect on the labour market in Great Britain. The government's objectives in introducing NMW are to prevent exploitation of workers, to increase the income of lowest paid workers and to use it as an incentive for workers to accept paid work. NMW decreases the number of workers due to the higher price of labour. In contrast to the findings of the Low Pay Commission study, NMW could thwart the growth of employment.

Economists have long suggested that labor unions suffer a free rider problem. The argument is that, since union-set wages are available to all workers covered by unions irrespective of their union status, and union membership entails costs, workers will only join if they are coerced or are offered non-wage goods that they value above membership costs. Yet U.S. and British empirical research has found a substantial union membership wage premium among private-sector union-covered workers, implying that there is no free rider problem. The authors of this study hypothesize that these findings arise due to selectivity problems associated with identifying the union membership effect. Their analysis, which uses rich data from a new linked employer-employee survey for Britain and exploits the within-establishment variation in wages as a function of individual union membership status, demonstrates that the apparent wage premium for members is illusory. Hence, a potential free rider problem remains.

To investigate the impact of fluid composition on rehydration effectiveness, 30 subjects (15 men and 15 women) were studied during 2 h of rehydration after a 2.5% body weight loss. In a randomized crossover design, subjects rehydrated with water (H2O), chicken broth (CB: 109.5 mmol/l Na, 25.3 mmol/l K), a carbohydrate-electrolyte drink (CE: 16.0 mmol/l Na, 3.3 mmol/l K), and chicken noodle soup (Soup: 333.8 mmol/l Na, 13.7 mmol/l K). Subjects ingested 175 ml at the start of rehydration and 20 min later; H2O was given every 20 min thereafter for a total volume equal to body weight loss during dehydration. At the end of the rehydration period, plasma volume was not significantly different from predehydration values in the CB (−1.6 ± 1.1%) and Soup (−1.4 ± 0.9%) trials. In contrast, plasma volume remained significantly (P< 0.01) below predehydration values in the H2O (−5.6 ± 1.1%) and CE (−4.2 ± 1.0%) trials after the rehydration period. Urine volume was greater in the CE (310 ± 30 ml) than in the CB (188 ± 20 ml) trial. Urine osmolality was higher in the CB and Soup trials than in the CE trial. Urinary sodium concentration was higher in the Soup and CB trials than in the CE and H2O trials. These results provide evidence that the inclusion of sodium in rehydration beverages, as well as consumption of a sodium-containing liquid meal, increases fluid retention and improves plasma volume restoration.

We provide new evidence about the work-related exposure of disabled people to COVID-19 using household survey data combined with a novel occupational risk indicator. Despite their higher clinical vulnerability, disabled people in employment in the UK were significantly more likely to be going out to work during the pandemic rather than working from home, and were working in occupations that were more exposed to COVID-19 than the occupations of non-disabled workers. Our results raise questions about whether there are sufficient safeguards for disabled people in the workplace, and have longer-term implications for a labour market where COVID-19 is a persistent health issue.

The article provides the sheet music and lyrics of the song "Only Wanna Be With You" by Darius Rucker, Dean Felber, Mark Bryan and James Sonefeld.

The author offers insights on economic issues concerning the dairy industry in New Zealand. Topics explored include the measurement of production by the dairy sector in terms of milk volume and efficiency of feed conversion, the need for the industry to focus more on animal health monitoring initiatives, the necessity of further research into cattle diseases, and the public perception on antibiotic use in animals.

The article offers advice to farmers for managing the cows in summer. Topics discussed include effects of El nino on cows, struggle for feeds in summers, scoring of cows basis of body condition, high cost of winter feeds, need of having accurate aged pregnancy scan is key to drilling down to an individual cow level, getting cow-level pregnancy and BCS data for understanding herd's situation.

The article discusses the value of cows and horses and compares them to rugby and soccer players, respectively. According to the author, horses are lean and fit but they are overvalued and overpriced compared to cows. He describes cows as uncanny and fairly straightforward and highlights their rough and unusual charm compared to horses.

The article discusses antimicrobial resistance threat in animals and an announcement form the New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) in which it reveals that antibiotics will not be used for the maintenance of animal health and welfare by 2030. It mentions the role of antibiotics regarding saving millions of lives but scientists and the medical profession are talking of a post-antibiotic era due to its side effects.

The author compares the dairy production in New Zealand to the performance of the country's national rugby union team All Blacks. Topics he covered include his basis for believing that measuring and analyzing information is not embedded among Kiwis, the state of the country's dairy industry and the issues in the sector, such as the fodder beet, swedes and the deaths of adult cows.

The author shares his reflections as a veterinarian on the need for the dairy industry in New Zealand to improve its biosecurity. Topics discussed include the travel of New Zealand veterinarians and dairy farmers to other countries, the occurrence of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in Asia, and the risk of bringing diseases back to New Zealand.

The article discusses the need for dairy farmers to understand risks and economic consequences in the management of animal health expenditure. Topics covered include using the late-season condition score for wintering cows and considering the use of teat sealant on heifers to avoid the risk of mastitis. Also mentioned are considering options on what can be delayed or removed in the farm, vaccination of cows against diseases such as the foot and mouth disease (FMD) and farm risks and returns.

The article discusses the association of swedes with the death of cows at dairy farms in Southland, New Zealand as of December 2014. Topics covered include the discovery of liver disease in cows, the link of HT swedes to liver damage and deaths in cows, the involvement of veterinarians in Southland and Otago to address the cases, and the association of HT swedes with the accumulation of glucosinolate toxins in the leaf.

The article discusses an in-calf data indicating a general lift of about 1% in the 6-week in-calf rate which shows that cows must be calving earlier. Topics discussed include an improvement in the heifer calving rate as farmers made better choices regarding animal health and reproduction, a strong focus on condition scoring, animal health around calving and early attention to get cows back on track for mating and farmers' awareness that animal health is wealth.

The article offers the author's insights on the body condition scoring (BCS) of cows. Topics discussed include the development of measurable standards of repetition and scoring, the key targets of BCS for heifers, and the critical importance of weight loss in cows' reproductive and health outcomes after calving.

The article explores the use of teat sealants to prevent mastitis in heifers. Topics discussed include the tendency of heifers to develop mastitis within the first few weeks of calving, the use of teat sealants to protect the udders of cows, and the results of an analysis which revealed a reduction in mastitis incidence in heifers given with teat sealants.