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International audience In this paper I examine the foundations of Laplace's famous statement of determinism in 1814, and argue that rather than derived from his mechanics, this statement is based on general philosophical principles, namely the principle of sufficient reason and the law of continuity. It is usually supposed that Laplace's statement is based on the fact that each system in classical mechanics has an equation of motion which has a unique solution. But Laplace never proved this result, and in fact he could not have proven it, since it depends on a theorem about uniqueness of solutions to differential equations that was only developed later on. I show that the idea that is at the basis of Laplace's determinism was in fact widespread in enlightenment France, and is ultimately based on a re-interpretation of Leibnizian metaphysics, specifically the principle of sufficient reason and the law of continuity. Since the law of continuity also lies at the basis of the application of differential calculus in physics, one can say that Laplace's determinism and the idea that systems in physics can be described by differential equations with unique solutions have a common foundation.

In deze bijdrage beschouw ik, zoals mij is gevraagd, Baarts Theorie van de presentie vanuit een methodologisch en wetenschapstheoretisch perspectief. Eenvoudig is dit niet, want hoewel Baart de 'praktijktheorie' waar het hem in deze studie om is begonnen fundeert in sociaal-wetenschappelijk onderzoek, doorbreekt de door hem bepleite praktijk op een soevereine manier de kaders van sociaal-wetenschappelijk handelen. Het is zelfs de vraag of Baarts 'praktijktheorie' wel een theorie mag worden genoemd. Als 'presentietheorie' heeft ze eerder het karakter van een regulatief principe. Laat ik me nader verklaren.

The Netherlandish rhetoricians of the sixteenth century have, in the course of the last decades, shed their image of third-rate poets who, lacking all sense of true beauty, were capable only of pompous verbosity and a shallow manipulation of form. The new scholarly assessment has also shed light on the role they played in the cultural and literary life of their time, and it now appears that many of their dramas are well worth staging. Once the sixteenth century was freed from the stigma of being the "preparatory phase" for the Golden Age, the way was clear for thorough studies of the literature produced during the most turbulent period in the history of the Low Countries. This volume contains essays which deal with works written not only in Dutch, but also in French and in New Latin, with topics ranging from the effects of poetic principles on literary practice to the use of poetry as a means for improving society and developing the individual. The unifying thread in these studies is the pivotal importance of rhetoric in all forms of literary expression.

The autism spectrum hypothesis states that not only diagnosed individuals but also individuals from the general population exhibit a certain amount of autistic traits. While this idea is supported by neuroimaging studies, there have been few electrophysiological studies. In particular, there have been no spontaneous resting‐state studies yet. In order to examine the autism spectrum hypothesis, the present study tried to predict the level of autistic traits typically developing young adults (n = 93) exhibit from spontaneous resting‐state gamma power, a measure that has been linked to social functioning impairments seen in autism. The influence of age and gender was controlled for by employing regression. It was expected that enhanced gamma activity would be predictive of self‐reported autistic traits. The model with only age and gender included reached significance, with higher age within this student population being related to more autistic traits. However, no relationship between either low (30–50 Hz) or high (50–70 Hz) gamma power and autistic traits was found. Models with eyes closed low gamma asymmetry and eyes closed high gamma asymmetry included did reach significance, but these findings were not robust, and the gamma asymmetry explained very little additional variance above age and gender. In addition, exploratory correlation analyses showed no relationship between the other power spectra (delta, theta, alpha and beta) on the one hand and autistic traits on the other hand, suggesting that any relationship between spontaneous resting‐state brain electrophysiology and autistic traits might not be strong enough to be detected in the general population.

Purpose
Performance-based contracting (PBC) plays an increasingly important role in the defense industry. This paper aims to investigate factors that influence service provider's willingness to accept PBC-induced risks. It also shows how these risks could be managed in a military service supply chain.


Design/methodology/approach
The case study focused on the relationship between a service provider and a customer that acted on behalf of other users in the defense sector. The contract involved the sustainment of a military engine in a complex supply chain.


Findings
The service provider's performance attributability appeared to have a strong impact on its willingness to take PBC-induced risks. For the parts where the service provider did not have full control over the service performance, exclusions and Service Level Agreements (SLAs) were used to manage and mitigate the risks associated with uncontrolled performance. The service provider's willingness to accept PBC-induced risks was also affected by its ability to make accurate forecasts, the applied growth path and the length of the contract.


Research limitations/implications
This case has specific characteristics, unique by time (maturity of the technical system and supply chain) and place (market). It is recommended that results are tested in other research settings.


Practical implications
Organizations should be aware of the factors that influence a service provider's willingness to bear PBC-induced risks. Customers should limit PBC to those parts of a contract where risks are of an acceptable level. Also, it is recommended to follow a phased growth path when it is not possible to make accurate forecasts in a PBC context.


Originality/value
This study is the first to address critical issues concerning the identification and management of risks under PBC in the defense industry.

In August 2013, a committee of peers visited the Waddenacademie to evaluate its performance according to a standard protocol. The Waddenacademie was established in 2008 to coordinate and reinforce research towards understanding geobio- physical and socio-economic processes in the Wadden sea area, and to attune research that is done to the needs for knowledge in the area. The review committee was impressed by the quality of the work of the Waddenacademy. That work is unique because it integrates knowledge from many disciplines. The quality of the work was rated as 'very good'. Productivity was 'very good to excellent': many publications were produced that had a very high impact. Societal relevance was rated as 'very good', because publications, symposia etc were highly appreciated by many parties, such as the trilateral Common Wadden Sea Secretariat, and because many stakeholders rely on the Waddenacademie for help to get access to research. On this moment, the position of the Waddenacademie is critical. Current financing ends on July 1st 2014, and on the same date the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), of which the Waddenacademie is part, will give up its responsibility as part of her strategy towards her affiliated but non research organisations. A decision for new financing will be made at the end of 2013. The committee is concerned about these circumstances. The committee states that the Waddenacademie deserves her right to exist beyond doubt, and formulated some considerations and recommendations about additional tasks and organization.