Diverse Instruments Research Articles

HUMAN CAPITAL FUNCTIONING IN STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ECONOMY

The choice of the research subject is determined by the important and ambiguous role of human that is at the same time an object of getting goods and a factor of providing them in global and national economies. Human with its multilevel needs and priorities is an initial object of national economy efforts. World development tendencies of the new economy need using new development mechanisms of the human capital at decreasing transactional costs. The aim of the article is to analyze functioning components of the human capital in the strategic management of the national economy and to substantiate development instruments of the human capital at developing a management strategy in economy. A methodological base of the research work is fundamental positions of a theory of social economy, human development, economic growth, social-labor relations. The study offers the author definition of the notion “human capital” as an accumulated potential of citizens, expressed in their education, life experience, attitude, skills that may be used for improving current and future economic and social prosperity. A research result is the theoretical substantiation of the development of human capital, considered as a function of the strategic management of human resources, integrated with developing a management strategy of the national economy and each economic unit. Such development provides the growth of a market value of the human capital and results in quantity and quality changes in the activity of organizations. At the same time the increase of transactional costs takes place. The scientific understanding of using diverse instruments of the human capital development as an element of the general management strategy is developed in the research. There is used the three-level development system of the human capital, each level of which is characterized by specific problems and unequal readiness of human capital owners to participate in realization of tasks of an organization and correspondingly needs using different methods and instruments. The further research direction provides ordering and systematization of human capital functions in the management strategy of the national economy for determining human capital development mechanisms.

A performance management model addressing human factors in the North West provincial administration

Orientation: The article investigated factors from several perspectives using human resources-related issues of governance, legislation, regulation, organisation, administration and communication, workplace sociology variables pertaining to social and psychological relationships and several other factors that have an impact on the complex matrix of determinants for performance improvement in the public service.Research purpose: This article explored the human factors linked to the performance management (PM) processes and its impact on the effectiveness of service delivery in the North West provincial administration (NWPA). The article isolated the strengths and weaknesses of the system of performance assessment from the human relations perspective, technical usage, the structural–organisational and the strategic perspectives, uniformity, legislative compliance and other possibilities envisaged and emerging.Motivation for the study: The study would deliver a successful and carefully crafted PM model that could be used to remedy the current performance situation through improved and effective communication channels, as well as ongoing feedback, leading to a more productive and motivated workforce. This would ultimately yield improved service delivery for the citizens of the North West Province.Research approach/design and method: To answer the main research questions, sub-questions and objectives of this study, several participants (permanent employees and managers) found in the departments within the NWPA had to respond to diverse instruments of inquiry (questionnaires, interview schedules, expert, operational, strategic and grass-roots opinion, etc.). The study took a sequential mixed-methods approach where interpretivist (qualitative) and positivist (quantitative) approaches were applied as the philosophy and descriptive statistics were used.Main findings: The main findings highlighted all the human factors that mitigated against performance improvement in the NWPA. From the evidence gathered, some departments exhibited problematic manager–subordinate relationships, lack of training, no proper feedback, low staff morale leading to low job satisfaction, lack of leadership as well as broken channels of communication.Practical/managerial implications: The findings revealed that it is important for the NWPA management to undertake the necessary efforts in order to adapt a new strategy and comprehensive model for improved performance, which would ultimately lead towards efficient and effective service delivery in the North West Province.Contribution/value-add: This paper explores the salient human factors to be taken into consideration during performance management in the North West Provincial Administration.

Selection of Materials for Building Desalination Plants

The primordial method to prevent, avoid and/or mitigate the deterioration of desalination plants (DP) materials is the selection of chemical and mechanical resistant materials to the DP operation conditions. Three different types of saline waters (SW) are treated in DPs: sea water, brackish water (BW) and brines, a byproduct that showed be disposed to avoid ecological problems. A DP is a complex, organized structure managing physicochemical processes: compression, filtration, evaporation, condensation, and circulation, involve diverse equipment, e.g. pumps, pipelines, turbines, heat exchangers, deaerators, storage tanks, valves, control and flow instruments. Metallic, plastic and composite materials are applied for the manufacture of these equipments. The surface of DP equipment should be kept clean and smooth applying sanitation regulation to prevent sealing and fouling difficulties. It is convenient to attach a corrosion technician at a DP to manage a corrosion laboratory, to expose corrosion test specimens of new materials and to control the corrosive factors of the DP fluids, to avoid expensive damaging corrosion occurrences. Modern DPs are built from correctly selected CRA and CRM. Application of recognized and approved technology of corrosion protection and control should provide prolonged equipment service life and freedom form corrosion. Correct operation and maintenance of a DP will assure the efficiency and economic profitability of the desalination industry (DI) rand provide prolonged equipment service life and freedom from corrosion.

Development and use of a mouth gag for oral experiments in rats

ObjectiveRodent models such as mice and rats are often used in investigations of the oral cavity in the fields of periodontology and dental anesthesiology. When various treatments are performed in the oral cavity, it is very important to secure the visual field while keeping the animal's mouth fully opened, in order to ensure the consistency of experimental procedures. Therefore, we developed a standardized gag conforming to various degrees of oral cavity size of different aged rats. DesignThe gag was composed of a rectangular incisor-opening frame constructed from a stainless steel wire with retractors and a dial to alter the opening amounts. Wistar rats (n = 5) aged 4, 8, and 12 weeks were used to evaluate the suitability of the gag in oral cavity. As tests for application of gag in intraoral experiments, the ligature placement around the molars, drug injection into the gingiva, measurement of gingival blood flow rate, and installation of stimulation an electrode for somatosensory-evoked potentials into the molar were performed. ResultsAdjusting the opening dial enabled both the maintenance of open state and more favorable intraoral observation compared with tweezers as a control device in all different types of rats. Furthermore, our gag made it possible to facilitate the insertion of diverse instruments into the oral cavity and to achieve various experimental purposes. The stainless-steel gag can also be autoclaved and dry-heat sterilized. ConclusionIt was revealed that our mouth gag can be widely applied to various oral experiments in different old aged rats.

Innovative Education in MOOC for Sustainability: Learnings and Motivations

This research project analyzes the motivation and learning perceived by the participants in four Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) that use innovative education strategies in order to train the community in Education for Sustainability. These MOOCs were delivered during 2017 and the study forms part of the subproject “Open, Interdisciplinary and Collaborative Innovation to Train in Energy Sustainability through MOOCs”, which was offered in the portal of the Binational Laboratory for Intelligent Energy Sustainability Management and Technology Training. The method utilized was mixed, with a triangulation design approach according to the convergence model. This method consisted of two phases: the first being quantitative, with an online survey designed by experts in a Likert type scale, and the second being qualitative, in which valuations of the users were collected through diverse instruments such as focus groups and observations. The results obtained demonstrate the advantages of designing MOOCs that make use of innovative tools, in order to engage the students as much as possible, and the collateral impact on the development of digital abilities and skills in addition to the learning acquired with respect to sustainability.

Researching pronunciation learning strategies: An overview and a critical look

Disparate goals that learners might have in learning second or foreign language pronunciation and the scant classroom time that can be dedicated to teaching this target language subsystem dictate that learner autonomy is of vital importance in this case and adept use of pronunciation learning strategies (PLS) can be viewed as key to the development of this attribute. Surprisingly, research on these strategies is scarce, mainly focusing on the identification and classification of PLS, diverse instruments are used for data collection and the findings are inconclusive. The paper provides an overview of the available research on PLS with respect to their identification, learners’ preferences concerning their use, factors mediating the application of PLS, and the effects of strategies-based instruction in this area. An attempt is also made to assess research of this kind and to suggest how it could be taken forward to provide insights that would be of value to practitioners.

NGOs and Global Trade: Non-State Voices in EU Trade Policymaking

Erin Hannah offers a timely and thought-provoking analysis of civil society’s participation in the European Union’s trade policy. Relying on two case studies, the book shows that while the EU has created diverse instruments for engaging with civil society, in practice procedural improvements do not necessarily lead to greater influence for non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Going beyond a purely technical view on NGOs’ access to policy-makers, we should also consider the ideational factors at play.

The effect of the spectral response of measurement instruments in the assessment of night sky brightness

This paper deals with the errors and uncertainties in skyglow measurements caused by the variation of sky's spectrum. It considers the theoretical spectral response of common instruments that are used for light pollution assessment. Various types of light sources were used in this investigation. This study calculates the spectral mismatch errors and the corresponding correction factors for each combination of instrument and light source. The calculation method is described and the results are presented in multiple figures. Calculated data show a big variation in potential errors that can be introduced when comparing readings of diverse instruments without considering the variation of sky's spectrum. This makes the spectral data of the sky a mandatory input to the dark sky assessment. Useful conclusions, related to instruments with better or worse behaviour, are derived from the calculations. The paper also includes suggestions on how to conduct multi-instrument measurements with or without spectral data.

Regulation of Uber in São Paulo: from conflict to regulatory experimentation

This paper presents a case study of the legal tensions and conflicts behind the regulation of Uber, one of the most famous tech firms in the peer-to-peer platform market, in the city of Sao Paulo, the largest Brazilian city. Covering the period of two years (2014-2016), the paper argues that the legal complexity of the debate became bigger in a short period and involved diverse actors and legal instruments. Based on a socio-legal approach, the paper investigates the mobilisation of resources and legal knowledge in the regulation of this tech firm and how it progressively involved the legislative, judiciary and executive powers. The study organises the regulatory conflict in three periods: 'trouble arises', 'battle of legal opinions' and 'experimental regulation'. Finally, it discusses the viability of comparative research in places with similar cultural and legal characteristics.

Development of ICT for Leaching Monitoring in Taiwan Agricultural LTER Stations

In order to study the groundwater subsidy from different cropping systems, leaching monitoring in Taiwan started in 2008 and implemented agricultural long-term ecological research (LTER) stations. Initially, leaching data was received by lysimeters, and then collected manually by laborers in the field twice per month. The cost of data collection and transmission is high, real-time monitoring is not possible, and maintenance of instruments is inefficient. In this study, the goal is to develop a data transmission path. ICT (Information and Communication Technology) with different data transmission schemes was applied to improve the efficiency and immediacy of data transfer from the field to the databases in labs. Between 2010 and 2017, four versions of ICT have been developed and applied in LTER stations. WiFi, 2.5G (General Packet Radio Service, GPRS), 3G/4G network transmission, and Arduino cores are applied in different ICT versions. The first version of data transmission used data loggers, developed by the original factory, with a lower cost of renovation of instruments. However, complicated transmission paths, diverse instruments, poor weather resistance, and lack of wireless functionality are the limitations of the first version. Those limitations had been overcome by the second and third versions by using 2.5G (GPRS) and 3G/4G network transmission, respectively. Nevertheless, these versions are limited to the processes of data compression and encryption transmission which were developed by the system vendors. In addition, data can only be collected through the webpage provided by the vendors, instead of being received directly from the database using SQL (Structured Query Language). This is inappropriate for advanced data treatment, organization, and analysis. Finally, the fourth version of data transmission has been developed using Arduino. This system allows redesigning of the data loggers and transmission instrument with more feasibility and flexibility. Radio Frequency (Radio frequency, RF) has been imported into the transmission path to receive data from diverse instruments with fewer data loggers. In conclusion, ICT technological advancement with its advantages of reasonable cost and high flexibility and feasibility, Arduino and other open source operation systems can be used to develop the data loggers and related instruments to meet the needs of users. Therefore, ICT is the most appropriate strategy to develop the long-term monitoring system in the field and to apply to other environment monitoring systems.

Contaminated sites in China: Countermeasures of provincial governments

Contaminated sites have caused worldwide attention and been dealt with through a variety of policies and practices both nationally and regionally. Unlike the US, Canada, Japan, and Europe, which have accumulated rich experiences in contaminated site management, China, facing serious contaminated site issues, still lacks effective strategies on issues such as remediation standards, funding resources, accountability, and stakeholders coordination. This paper collected policies for contaminated site management from 31 regions in China. A comprehensive analysis was conducted of current policies, including policy framework, number of policies and instruments, policy types, and spatial and temporal variation. We find that most regions in China, such as Beijing and Chongqing, have taken positive measures to manage contaminated sites, and that there are similarities as well as differences in policy responses and mechanisms in different regions. A multi-level objective system, combined with diverse instruments, cooperation between different stakeholders, and a multi-sectoral joint supervision mechanism emphasized by all 31 regions, are extremely important to promote sustainable site management. Specialized policies, site-specific standards, information disclosure, public participation, remediation priority and groundwater protection are urgently needed to strengthen the local framework of contaminated site management and to promote remediation projects.

Phase-coherent transfer and retrieval of terahertz frequency standard over 20 km optical fiber with 4 × 10−18 accuracy

We demonstrate a terahertz (THz) frequency reference transfer with high accuracy and stability. Phase information of the THz frequency standard is coherently duplicated onto an optical carrier as an intermediary for exploiting low-loss optical-fiber technology. The transferred information on the optical carrier is retrieved into the THz domain without phase decoherence. The THz reference transfer system, which comprises frequency-comb-based THz-to-optical and optical-to-THz synthesizers connected by a 20 km phase-noise-compensated fiber, is operated with 4 × 10−18 fractional frequency accuracy at 0.3 THz. This THz reference transfer is available for the remote frequency calibration of diverse instruments working in the THz region.

Inhibición y actualización en comprensión de textos: una revisión

El presente trabajo describe un conjunto de investigaciones en las que se
 indagan las relaciones entre funciones ejecutivas y comprensión de textos. Se revisan específicamente de qué forma se asocian los procesos de actualización e inhibición con la construcción de un significado global del texto por parte del lector en un contexto determinado. Se seleccionaron investigaciones a través de las base de datos Redalyc, Scielo, Pepsic y Dialnet, bajos los descriptores “funciones ejecutivas” y “comprensión lectora”. El corpus de investigaciones revisado no afirma en todos los casos que la inhibición sea discriminante de la comprensión exitosa. La actualización, en cambio, parece ser un buen predictor de la comprensión lectora en todos los trabajos revisados. Se puntualiza que los instrumentos diversos con que se han indagado ambas funciones ejecutivas limitan la comparación de resultados. Se propone para futuros estudios, realizar evaluaciones con similares instrumentos que permitan arribar a resultados comparables que sean la base para la evaluación y la intervención en comprensión de textos.

Interpreting the ECHR in Light of Emerging Human Rights Issues: An Older Person's Perspective

Older men and women have been identified as facing many human rights violations, yet provisions protecting this category are scattered over a large number of highly diverse instruments. Notwithstanding increased calls for a global binding instrument, European States in particular are reluctant to draft such a new human rights treaty. Although important soft law developments have taken place at the level of the Council of Europe – such as the new Recommendation on the promotion of the human rights of older persons – a treaty tailored to the needs of older persons does not exist at the regional level either. This has not, however, held back older persons from bringing their claims in terms of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) before its monitoring body. This paper aims to assess to what extent the specific needs of older persons have been integrated into this regional human rights mechanism, based on an analysis of relevant cases brought before the European Court of Human Rights. In other words, this paper aims to establish whether interpreting the ECHR from an older persons’ perspective has or can have both an integrating and strengthening effect on the protection of the rights of older persons in Europe

Validation of the German version of the insomnia severity index in adolescents, young adults and adult workers: results from three cross-sectional studies.

BackgroundA variety of objective and subjective methods exist to assess insomnia. The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) was developed to provide a brief self-report instrument useful to assess people’s perception of sleep complaints. The ISI was developed in English, and has been translated into several languages including German. Surprisingly, the psychometric properties of the German version have not been evaluated, although the ISI is often used with German-speaking populations.MethodsThe psychometric properties of the ISI are tested in three independent samples: 1475 adolescents, 862 university students, and 533 police and emergency response service officers. In all three studies, participants provide information about insomnia (ISI), sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and psychological functioning (diverse instruments). Descriptive statistics, gender differences, homogeneity and internal consistency, convergent validity, and factorial validity (including measurement invariance across genders) are examined in each sample.ResultsThe findings show that the German version of the ISI has generally acceptable psychometric properties and sufficient concurrent validity. Confirmatory factor analyses show that a 1-factor solution achieves good model fit. Furthermore, measurement invariance across gender is supported in all three samples.ConclusionsWhile the ISI has been widely used in German-speaking countries, this study is the first to provide empirical evidence that the German version of this instrument has good psychometric properties and satisfactory convergent and factorial validity across various age groups and both men and women. Thus, the German version of the ISI can be recommended as a brief screening measure in German-speaking populations.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12888-016-0876-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Response to the comment on “Halogenated indigo dyes: A likely source of 1,3,6,8-tetrabromocarbazole and some other halogenated carbazoles in the environment”

Since polyhalogenated carbazoles (PHCZs) were first detected in 1984, analytical methods have advanced greatly. With increasing knowledge of their adverse effects, more advanced detection methods are required to fill relevant knowledge gaps of PHCZs, such as their environmental distribution, migration, transformations and sources. We summarize the pretreatment methods of PHCZs. The performances of diverse instruments for detecting PHCZs are compared. Although an increasing number of standards of PHCZs are now available, they are still insufficient for congener specific quantification and identification by the isotope dilution method owing to the complex congeners of PHCZs. So we generalize the qualitative and quantitative strategies used when available standards for specific congeners are lacking. Finally, we propose the necessity of simultaneous detection of PHCZs along with multiple dioxin-like analogues in the environment. It is expected this review could provide a basis for understanding current progress in the analysis of PHCZs and addressing research gaps.

Personalised assistance for fuel-efficient driving

Recent advances in technology are changing the way how everyday activities are performed. Technologies in the traffic domain provide diverse instruments of gathering and analysing data for more fuel-efficient, safe, and convenient travelling for both drivers and passengers. In this article, we propose a reference architecture for a context-aware driving assistant system. Moreover, we exemplify this architecture with a real prototype of a driving assistance system called Driving coach. This prototype collects, fuses and analyses diverse information, like digital map, weather, traffic situation, as well as vehicle information to provide drivers in-depth information regarding their previous trip along with personalised hints to improve their fuel-efficient driving in the future. The Driving coach system monitors its own performance, as well as driver feedback to correct itself to serve the driver more appropriately.

The Link Between Health and Biodiversity in Southeast Asia Through the Example of Infectious Diseases

Abstract The link between health and environment has been acknowledged progressively in international declarations and agreements, from the Stockholm Conference of 1972 to the recent conference of the parties of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) calling for the integration of issues of livestock-wildlife-human-ecosystem health interface into the activities and resolutions of the major conservation multilateral environmental agreements (MEA). In line with the growing commitment to sustainable development, numerous international conferences and declarations and diverse legal instruments give an international legal framework to the issues related to health and biodiversity. In the meantime, as globalization is participating in the emergence or re-emergence of diseases, it appears the notion of global health governance along with the awareness that public health issues are linked with environmental factors. In this respect, international environmental ...

Reliability of texture analysis using co-occurrence matrices (glcm) on photographic image in the assessment of cellulite in a Spanish population.

Despite the existence of diverse instruments to assess cellulite, its high prevalence and the continuous advances in its treatment makes the development of new, more objective methods for evaluation necessary. To study intraobserver validity and reliability (test-retest) of textural analysis using co-occurrence matrices on photographic images in the evaluation of cellulite in a Spanish population and its possible relationship to the degree of cellulite. Twenty-seven women were selected for this reliability study (mean age 26.41 SD=6.16). Digital photographs were taken under standardized conditions in contraction and relaxation of the femoral gluteus region. The areas of interest of the photographs were selected at two different times a month apart. Textural parameters studied were energy (ASM), entropy, contrast, Homogeneity (IDM) and textural correlation. Reliability was analysed by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Differences between laterality and between contraction and relaxation were performed by analysis of variance for repeated measurements. Correlation between Cellulite Severity Scale (CSS) and the textural parameters by means of the Pearson correlation coefficient was studied. CSS was re-coded to a binary variable, performing a differentiate analysis for each laterality with this variable and the textural parameters. In the intraobserver reliability analysis ICC was high (≥0.80) in seven parameters and excellent (≥0.90) in 35 parameters. In general, CSS and textural parameters showed more cellulite severity in right areas than in left ones. Correlation coefficients showed a moderate correlation between textural parameters and CSS score. The multivariate discriminant model obtained with textural parameters classified a high percentage of images (96% right side and 82% left side). Textural analysis used to assess cellulite on the backs of thighs and buttocks proved to be an instrument that has excellent reliability, moderate correlation with CSS and a satisfactory power classification model.

Evaluating the effects of policy innovations: Lessons from a systematic review of policies promoting low-carbon technology

We report on an original systematic review of 165 empirical, ex post studies examining policies that promote the development and use of low-carbon technologies. Policy is defined broadly to include diverse instruments (e.g., eco-labels, voluntary agreements, emission credits, and taxes), developed, administered, and promoted by state and non-state actors (e.g., cities, states, corporations, business associations, and non-governmental organizations) that are relevant to climate change. By disaggregating policy designs, we are better able to understand the features of policies (e.g., instrument type, regulatory target, built-in flexibility) associated with effectiveness and the trade offs different features create among evaluation criteria. Our analysis, thus, sheds new light on the final and arguably most important criterion of policy innovations – the extent to which they have lasting consequences.