Lap lambert academic publishing jul 2009 (100 risultati)

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Runoff quantity/quality varies between rain events due to rainfall spatial variability, but it also presents significant variability between neighborhoods, even if they receive the same amount of rainfall.This variability might be associated with the differences observed in the land uses and surface covers.Therefore, for a stormwater monitoring study to be successful, a careful examination of the study watershed is required.An inventory of watershed development conditions is needed as part of a comprehensive stormwater quality plan to support many decision making activities. This book focuses on describing the methods of field data collection, data processing and measurements of land surfaces required when studying the impact of urbanization on receiving water quality. Also, a stormwater management model is employed to predict the runoff quantity/quality and to study the performance of different combinations of stormwater control devices. The analyses presented in this book should be especially useful to professionals in Environmental Eng. and Watershed Management fields or city planners who might consider improving receiving water biological conditions. 128 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -A Cerebral Haemorrhage (CH) refers to bleeding in the brain tissues. It caused immediate severe headache thus remain unconscious. At this point, if the patients were not referred immediately to the hospital, death may become the final result. The diagnosis of CH patterns so far in Malaysia, have been performed by visual interpretation of Computed Tomography (CT) images, based on radiologist's medical experiences. As the CH stages be divided into Hyperdense, Isodense and Hypodense area, they could detect the Hyperdense region only, as it appears in brighter tone within the CT images. The main objective of this study is to characterize the CH spectral patterns in the digital image analysis domain, i.e. Mean and Standard Deviation by mapping the CH stages from various CT sets. The technique that have been implemented in this study was the Supervised Classification with the help of medical input to determine the area of those three CH stages. Results of this study indicates that, using the procedure of hypothesis testing of those three CH region, only the Mean of Hyperdense area could be accepted with 95% significance level 100 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Spatial economics gained importance in the 1990s when the new economic geography brought traditional questions from the urban/regional literature into mainstream economics. This book develops and empirically tests models to better understand the determinants of economic activity at three different geographical levels: urban, regional and national. The first essay examines the ability of public policies to alter the market outcome of economic agglomeration, and assesses the effects on employment of the Structural Funds, the main instrument of the European regional policy, during 1994-99. The second essay studies the relation between wages and the distribution of skills in American cities, and finds that not only the average level of skills matters but also their distribution. The third essay looks at the different choice of FDI mode of entry across foreign investors into U.S. manufacturing. The book should be useful to academics interested in the geographical implications of the phenomena of trade liberalization, the multinationality of the firm and the new ways of organizing production, as well as to policy makers working on the design of regional and industrial policies. 132 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Currently, knowledge engineering is strongly related to the construction of shared knowledge bases or conceptual frameworks, often designated as ontologies. Ontologies play an active role in the realization of Semantic Web by providing the basis for inter-operability of heterogeneous systems. However, use of ontology in processing information embedded in text documents is still restricted as it is very difficult to predefine an unambiguous and exhaustive ontology for any domain. The context- dependent nature of natural language makes reasoning with text information even more complicated. This book, therefore, provides the theoretical foundations of ontological engineering and covers the practical aspects of ontology learning and enhancement into a fuzzy ontology structure to accommodate uncertainties of natural language. This book can serves as a valuable resource for practicing professionals and applied researchers who are working on building search engines, ontology engineering, text mining, and knowledge-based applications. This book also accommodates the needs of graduate-level students in knowledge engineering and management course. 224 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Value of any firm could be viewed as the sum of the value of its investment projects. Thus, making correct strategic investment decisions is of critical importance to maximizing the value of the firm. In finance literature, decision-making has usually been studied using the scientific rather than the organizational model. In contrast, the current work combines both corporate finance theory and the organizational decision-making theory. Related to that is the choice of methodoloy for empirical research--quite uncommonly, both positivist and interpretive methods are used to study the investment decisionmaking in practice. In addition to a written survey, six in-depth case studies were carried out. Furthermore, as most research on this topic has focused on big companies in Anglo-Saxon countries, studying smaller companies in a smaller country (Estonia) adds some interesting perspectives to the issue. The study could be of interest to all professionals in Corporate Finance and General Management field. 192 pp. Englisch. …

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -In New Zealand, following a radical restructure of its machinery of state, new strategies of crime control have been developed. Under the banner of 'partnership' the state has enlisted local communities to take responsibility for the resolution of local crime problems. Understanding the genesis and development of this new approach represents the first of two key objectives. What were the main factors, particularly political and bureaucratic, driving the adoption of community crime prevention In reply the book presents a political 'genealogy' of crime prevention tracing its political and bureaucratic history and its often politically contingent journey to the present. The second objective is to capture the local community experience with the key features of the new model and explores conceptualisations of community, crime prevention, partnership and local solutions to local problems. It is argued that adopting such local strategies does not reflect recent theoretical breakthroughs, evidence-based practice or a neutral scientific, apolitical fix for crime but a political strategy aimed at devolving responsibility to a broader cast of local 'partners'. 448 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Sustainable tourism calls for alternative forms of tourism as well as greening the existing tourism facilities, notably improving the environmental management of existing accommodations. This monograph examines the environmental practises of tourist hotels and apartments on the Kenya Coast Nyali, Bamburi and Shanzu areas. More than half of the accommodations have implemented measures to improve waste management, wastewater management and local community support. Measures to reduce energy and water consumption are still in their infancy. Indirect measures in respect of environmental organisation, guest environmental instructions and nature conservation are largely absent. Even though the environmental measures that were introduced can be regarded as steps towards sustainable tourism, they mostly do not ask for great efforts or large investments. This monograph gives recommendations for tour operators, hotels and government agencies and will also be of interest to students of tourism in general; it offers a foundation for studies of sustainable tourism. 116 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -There is an increasing number of international students studying at Victoria University of Wellington (VUW). The university library has to deal with diverse demands from different groups of users. In order to improve library services and better serve library users, data collected about library users play an important role in the planning and decision-making processes of the library. This research investigates the current situation of library use by Vietnamese students at VUW, with the aim to help improve library and information services for student users from developing countries. The results show that Vietnamese students are quite happy with the library s services and information sources. Print documents are still the most preferred by Vietnamese students despite the rapid development of electronic resources. 52 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This study investigates whether polluting firms manage earnings in the year a material environmental remediation expense (ERE) is recognized (the event year) and whether the market reacts to the ERE recognition (measured through the effect on the earnings response coefficients of polluters). Using a sample of 118 firms designated as potentially responsible parties by the EPA, I estimate the discretionary accruals around the event year using the performance-matched modified Jones model. Overall, results suggest that polluters take income- decreasing accruals in year -1, income-increasing accruals in year 0 (the event year), and income- increasing accruals in year +1; the practice of earnings management is uniform across firms regardless of the level of materiality of the ERE; the informativeness of earnings for polluters declines after they release earnings containing a material ERE and that it is lower than that of non- polluters; and polluters spend in general more on environmental non-remediation expenses in the event year. 148 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The transformation from a start-up company to a mature company asks often for dramatic change of capabilities to sustain innovations and business success. Increasing maturity results in the need to adjust the innovation style of a company. The study combines the theoretical frameworks of entrepreneurship and innovation management and it explores the changes in innovation styles while companies grow in various dimensions to outline a pattern for innovation and success. The key theories on innovation and entrepreneurship are discussed, but much more emphasis is put on broadening the context of how innovation is influenced by different relevant factors. The study outlines how innovation and success is measured and also the degree of influence that market orientation, knowledge management, diversification, learning, diverse management capabilities, resource allocation, organisational and inter- organisational networks have on the success probabilities of a company. Twelve hypotheses have been tested against the impact of radical and incremental innovations. In addtion, a new model to predict companies success is introduced. 352 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This work examines the relationships between various groups of human rights and the effect of globalization and of the state on human rights protection. Two hypotheses are examined in path analysis of fifty-two African countries. The first hypothesis considers the proposition that economic, social, and cultural rights implemented prior to civil and political rights in Africa meet the needs of the population better than the primary implementation of civil and political rights. The second hypothesis states that globalization has a negative effect on protection of all human rights and that its impact on rights is generally larger than the impact of the state. Within the context of a multivariate model, my analysis does not support either hypothesis. These findings are discussed with regard to the existing literature and possible future research. 92 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Currently there is a lot of interest in developing new methods for making chiral 1,2-diamines since they are building blocks not only for stereoselective catalysts, but also for a variety of therapeutic agents. Optically pure 1,2-diamines (or vicinal diamines) are used as organocatalysts in aldol condensation, Michael addition1-5 and Diels-Alder reactions or as metal ligands for stereoselective epoxidation, hydrogenation and dihydroxylation. In the realm of biology and biochemistry, diamine functionality is found in 1,2-diamino acids, -lactam antibiotics and various pharmaceuticals. In chemotherapy, platinum 1,2-diamino complexes have long been used as antitumor agents. All these utilizations stimulated further research in the field of diamine synthesis. Numerous strategies have been developed to meet this need including coupling of bis-imines using low valent transition metals, preparation and subsequent reduction of diketones or addition of nitrogen sources to aziridine and epoxide moieties. This book describes novel methods which are more efficient and less cumbersome in preparation of chiral vicinal diamines. 112 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -During the progression of human cancers, normal cells acquire genetic and epigenetic changes in the signaling pathways that govern their proliferation, resulting in uncontrolled growth and tumor formation. Oncogenic Ras and Transforming Growth Factor-Beta are known to cooperate in promoting malignant transformation, yet the mechanism by which they interact has not been established. Here, we present novel mechanisms through which Transforming Growth Factor-Beta interacts with two Ras-related proteins, R-Ras and TC21, to transform mammary epithelial cells. 112 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Sr(SCN)2:Eu2+ (Strontium Thiocyanates doped with Europium 2+) shows strong luminescence quenching at relatively low temperatures. It has been suggested that this quenching is due to the thermal promotion of the excited electrons into the conduction band, followed by nonradiative relaxation back to the ground state. In this book we report on experiments to confirm the quenching mechanism in Sr(SCN)2:Eu2+. Because the sample is highly hygroscopic and has to be kept sealed in a quartz vial under an argon atmosphere, the experimental determination of the ionization onset is challenging. We are using thermally stimulated lumines-cence (TSL) as a non-contact technique to probe the onset between the impurity ground state relative to the host conduction band. We confirm that the quenching in Sr(SCN)2:Eu2+is due to photo-ionization. 72 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The study for the behaviour of materials and elements involved in the environment of a deep geological repository for nuclear waste sheds light on their long-term performance that is needed to add confidence to safety assessments. Materials and elements occurring in nature are similar or analogous to the materials and elements manufactured or processed by man. Also, natural processes are similar to those envisaged a occurring in a nuclear waste repository. As many materials and elements have been in the natural environment for long time periods (thousands to million of years), the data obtained can be extrapolated to estimate the future evolution of similar components. Thinking by analogy is the process of comparison, and the materials, elements and environments used to perform the studies that allow the comparison are regarded as natural analogues. 96 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The main objective of the present work is the removal of inclusions from silicon scrap and metallurgical grade silicon. To reach this goal, two various routes are investigated. First, settling of SiC particles from molten silicon followed by directional solidification is reported in this book. Then, removal of SiC and Si3N4 inclusions in silicon scrap by filtration with foam filters and wettabilities of silicon on graphite materials are studied. To supply the increasing needs of the PV industry it is necessary to produce a low cost silicon feedstock. The high carbon content of the metallurgical grade silicon in the form of SiC particles, needs to be removed before the silicon could be used as a feedstock to PV industry. The difference in density between the particles and the melt gives the SiC particles a relatively high settling velocity leading to a high removal efficiency. However, higher removal efficiencies are required. Filtration with foam filters appears to be very efficient and the removal efficiency for a 30 ppi SiC filter is more than 99%. A new filtration model named branch model is developed in this work. 176 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Cerebral vasospasm has been recognized as a cause of delayed cerebral ischaemia and as one of the adverse prognostic factors in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage. As the risk of cerebral ischaemia is difficult to estimate by the severity of vasospasm alone, application of the concept of cerebral haemodynamic impairment might contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of ischaemic brain damage after cerebral aneurysm rupture. This book describes clear associations between the haemodynamic factors and development of delayed cerebral ischaemia or an unfavourable clinical outcome. In patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage, close evaluation of haemodynamic impairment should be considered as an opportunity to identify the patients endangered by the development cerebral ischaemia due to vasospasm. 72 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -E-learning programs are increasing in number and becoming one of the most important new trends in education. These programs, delivered using current technologies, provide new ways for students to learn and a variety of methods for facilitating interaction and help in solving many educational problems.Today s students face many educational and employment challenges, and many of them grow disheartened with school because they find little relevance in education and their life outside school. So, online course may present alternative solutions for these challenges. 96 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The Birth is a multi-media video installation inspired by my personal experiences of a miscarriage and the births of my two children. The work is influenced by the mythologies found in Korean culture that focus on the mother figure as a 'Great Mother'. She is an 'ideal woman', a 'good mother' and a 'sincere wife'. Working abstractly across the media of painting, video, digital animation, and the paintings of my son, The Birth exploits metaphors and symbols, to tell the story of women, especially the stories of mothers. The work speaks to motherly love and my own identity as an artist and a mother. 52 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Our world hovers between anxiety and incapacity when it comes to imagining and redirecting the consequences of human cohabitation. In this pretext meaning- and artful participation is not only an agent for the utopian but also a desire to understand and to order human potential to NOT be destructive. Interdisciplinary forms of collaborations gain increasingly in prominence because artists and the public who work closer together create a relevant potential for transformation. This analysis deals with issues of invitation and open participation outside the traditional art spectrum. It uses six case studies from Japan, Vietnam and Korea that exemplify a relational and social engagement in contemporary art practice. This article is useful for anyone interested in cultural theory and artistic approaches that derive validation and relevance through the direct interaction with the context and participants involved. 80 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This work is an implementation of the call of the African Synod of Bishops held in Rome in 1994, on the vision of the Church in Africa as family of God , in order to articulate the essence, life and mission of the Church in the African continent still profoundly marked by poverty, diseases, political instability, and ethnical conflicts at the dawn of the third millennium. It is argued in this book that the Church s evangelising mission in Africa may be very successful if the needs and mentality of the Africans are taken as a starting point and as a constant point of focus. Thus, the African mentality and its ways of expression are explored in this book in the context of the Chagga people in Tanzania. Various ways of being church in the African perspective of family are proposed within the Catholic diocese of Moshi as an instance for the entire African family ecclesiology. 348 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -In many urban areas in countries of economic transition wastewater flows are discharged mostly untreated into the urban drainage system. Downstream urban farmers use this water source for irrigation practices. Urban irrigated agriculture is therefore a part of the urban wastewater system. Issues on wastewater irrigation are embedded in the natural, technical and social system. This theses presents the case of Ðong Du, Hanoi. First it focuses on nutrient balances on field and farmers perspectives on the use of polluted water sources. It continues with focusing on the integration of this issue in the policy network of urban wastewater management in Hanoi. The thesis shows the complexity of the issue of (peri-)urban irrigated agriculture and urban wastewater management. 136 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -A study on the amelioration of soil acidity for ananas comosus L. cultivated on bris soil was conducted in pot and also in the field using Rhudua series soil. The experiment was arranged in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with six treatments and four replications. This involved application of Ground Magnesium Limestone (GML) to neutralize the acidity of sandy soil. GML was applied in four equal split doses at six different rates of 0, 0.5, 2, 4, 8 and 10 Mgha-1. The results showed positive effect on soil pH (H2O); P, Ca and Mg concentrations in the soil; Ca, Mg and Cu concentration in the plants, all parameter growth and fruit parameters, yield and fruit quality. 144 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This dissertation focuses on the acquisition of information systems technology. The central purpose of this dissertation is to address the organizational processes that contribute to the successful implementation of IS, and explain why some organizations achieve financial returns and strategic advantages from their IS efforts while others do not. The population consists of top level IS executives in the US or Canada employed in firms who have implemented enterprise resource planning software. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) has the capability to join disparate data sources and make them available across enterprises in a personalized, secure, and drillable fashion. The relationships between absorptive capacity, organizational learning and performance represent the research framework for the dissertation. A path begins from absorptive capacity to organizational learning, but because organizational learning is divided into three stages there are three separate paths leading to each level in organizational learning: assimilation, integration and optimization. 124 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -The topic of this book is a psychological perspective on political violence conducted by state-agents. In particular it focuses on one former Security Branch policeman from South Africa, Paul Erasmus. The issue with which this thesis is concerned is how one can understand the motivations and intentions of perpetrators of political violence based on narrative accounts by the perpetrators themselves. The book considers previous academic studies on perpetrators of political violence, as well as media representations and transcripts from Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) relating to the perpetrator in question. A three-hour interview conducted with Paul Erasmus by the author is analysed using applied discourse analysis. The narrative is also examined in relation to the model set out by Foster et al (2005). It is found that Paul Erasmus locates his motivations and intentions in the context of the Cold War and the ideology prevailing amongst the Security Forces in South Africa at the time. It is also found that there is strong support for Foster et als' (2005) model, particularly with reference to the notions of entitlement and masculinity. 124 pp. Englisch. …

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -'Who's Afraid of a Little Nitrate ' summarizes interviews with growers residing within the Groundwater Management Area (GWMA) in the Southern Willamette Valley of Oregon. Informal and semi-structured interviews are used to identify impediments and incentives perceived by local farmers in following best management practices related to water quality. Results from the interviews were coded into four major themes: economics, sources of information, technology and perception of risk. The four themes illustrate how growers determine which best management practices to incorporate based on risks that have been either amplified or attenuated using the Social Amplification of Risk Framework (SARF) model. The text stresses the importance of considering risk perceptions, which are often based on economic viability, when formulating voluntary recommendations by governmental task forces or various stakeholder committees. 136 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by production of a wide range of autoantibodies, multiple organ involvement and by tissue deposition of immune complexes (ICs) in the inflamed organs. In contrast to most systemic inflammatory conditions, and despite raised levels of proinflammatory cytokines, SLE flares are rarely reflected by elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), an essential acute-phase reactant in man with homologs in vertebrates and several invertebrates. As a part of the innate immune system, CRP binds certain molecules exposed on the surface of dying cells/apoptotic debris. CRP also interacts with IgG- containing ICs, binds Fc receptors and activates the complement system via C1q. In this book, the important role of CRP and anti-CRP autoantibodies in the lupus pathogenesis is highlighted. This book should be of use for rheumatologists, immunologists, nephrologists, pathologists and PhD students with an interest in this particular field of research. 124 pp. Englisch. …

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -Energy can be converted into a useful form by letting miscible fluids of different compositions mix with each other. A major natural source for such a process is the earth s river and ocean water resources. For example, mixing 1 m3/s of river water and 1 m3/s of ocean water could theoretically supply 1.6 MW of power. This process of mixing river and ocean water would provide renewable, permanent, and practically waste-free power production. An alternative source is provided by concentrated industrial brines. Despite the great potential, energy conversion from mixing species is not yet an economically viable energy conversion method. This book consists of theoretical and experimental studies on osmotic flows and their future application for energy conversion. 140 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -This book tries to find out the methods the Stalinist regime used to implement its authoritarian views on art. The focus of the book has been, how the artists, having rather different traditions of visual depicting, are made to create the production desired by political elite. To fulfil the aim of the implementation of the art model as a canon, Soviet art policy used several methods. One of these methods was to create an enormous flow of visual images, including posters, shop displays, newspaper layouts and so forth. The other method it used can be defined as complex technique of control mechanisms. The control mechanisms had to be build up in a way to make the surveyed and the objects of control to feel always observed. This was established through various disciplinary devices, which also possessed an element of uncertainty. The surveillance lines of the art institutions were often double or vaguely defined. When implementing this model of manipulative machinery to societies, a gradual growth of control was practiced, taking also into account the actual political situation and if possible, benefiting from it. 124 pp. Englisch.…

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -In recent years, psychologists and economists have increasingly realized that emotion plays an important role in the decision-making process. This book is interesting to read in that it provides an opportunity to explore how and why different emotional experiences influence the way individuals reach their decisions and their decision outcomes. The author also explained how and why older people reach their decisions differently from their younger counterparts. The interesting findings revealed in this book has implications across many domains of everyday life. For example, the author discussed how to take into account the audiences' feelings in advertisement industry. 144 pp. Englisch.…