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External Pressure (external + pressure)
Selected AbstractsThe ratification of ILO conventions: A hazard rate analysisECONOMICS & POLITICS, Issue 3 2001Bernhard Boockmann There are over 180 ILO conventions in many areas of labour law, industrial relations and social security, but they are not ratified universally: for the conventions adopted between 1975 and 1995, the cumulative probability of ratification is about 13 percent 10 years after their adoption. In this paper, the ratification decision is understood as a transition between two states. Using duration analysis, we identify circumstances which are favourable to this transition. For industrialized countries, the ratification of ILO conventions is shown to depend on internal political factors such as government preferences or the power of left-wing parties in parliament. For developing countries, economic costs of ratification have a significant impact. There is no evidence for external pressure in favour of ratification. Among industrialized member states, there is a clear downward trend in estimated ratification probabilities over the last two decades. [source] Soft-Contact Optical Lithography Using Transparent Elastomeric Stamps and Application to Nanopatterned Organic Light-Emitting DevicesADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 9 2005T.-W. Lee Abstract Conventional photolithography uses rigid photomasks of fused quartz and high-purity silica glass plates covered with patterned microstructures of an opaque material. We introduce new, transparent, elastomeric molds (or stamps) of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) that can be employed as photomasks to produce the same resist pattern as the pattern of the recessed (or non-contact) regions of the stamps, in contrast to other reports in the literature[1] of using PDMS masks to generate edge patterns. The exposure dose of the non-contact regions with the photoresist through the PDMS is lower than that of the contact regions. Therefore, we employ a difference in the effective exposure dose between the contact and the non-contact regions through the PDMS stamp to generate the same pattern as the PDMS photomask. The photomasking capability of the PDMS stamps, which is similar to rigid photomasks in conventional photolithography, widens the application boundaries of soft-contact optical lithography and makes the photolithography process and equipment very simple. This soft-contact optical lithography process can be widely used to perform photolithography on flexible substrates, avoiding metal or resist cracks, as it uses soft, conformable, intimate contact with the photoresist without any external pressure. To this end, we demonstrate soft-contact optical lithography on a gold-coated PDMS substrate and utilized the patterned Au/PDMS substrate with feature sizes into the nanometer regime as a top electrode in organic light-emitting diodes that are formed by soft-contact lamination. [source] Zero Shrinkage of LTCC by Self-Constrained SinteringINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED CERAMIC TECHNOLOGY, Issue 5 2005Torsten Rabe Low shrinkage in x and y direction and low tolerances of shrinkage are an indispensable precondition for high-density component configuration. Therefore, zero shrinkage sintering technologies as pressure-assisted sintering and sacrificial tapes have been introduced in the low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) production by different manufacturers. Disadvantages of these methods are high costs of sintering equipment and an additional process step to remove the sacrificial tapes. In this article, newly developed self-constrained sintering methods are presented. The new technology, HeraLock®, delivers LTCC modules with a sintering shrinkage in x and y direction of less than 0.2% and with a shrinkage tolerance of ±0.02% without sacrificial layers and external pressure. Each tape is self-constrained by integration of a layer showing no shrinkage in the sintering temperature range of the LTCC. Large area metallization, integration of channels, cavities and passive electronic components are possible without waviness and camber. Self-constrained laminates are an alternative way to produce zero shrinkage LTCC. They consist of tapes sintering at different temperature intervals. Precondition for a successful production of a self-constrained LTCC laminate is the development of well-adapted material and tapes, respectively. This task is very challenging, because sintering range, high-temperature reactivity and thermal expansion coefficient have to be matched and each tape has to fulfill specific functions in the final component, which requires the tailoring of many properties as permittivity, dielectric loss, mechanical strength, and roughness. A self-constrained laminate is introduced in this article. It consists of inner tapes sintering at especially low-temperature range between 650°C and 720°C and outer tapes with an as-fired surface suitable for thin-film processes. [source] Venous stasis and routine hematologic testingINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LABORATORY HEMATOLOGY, Issue 5 2006G. LIPPI Summary Prolonged venous stasis, as generated by a long tourniquet placement, produces spurious variations in several measurable analytes. To verify to what extent venous stasis influences routine hematologic testing, we assessed routine hematologic parameters, including hemoglobin, hematocrit, red blood cell count (RBC), main cell hemoglobin (MHC), main cell volume (MCV), platelet count (PLT), main platelet volume (MPV), white blood cell count (WBC) and WBC differential on the Advia 120 automated hematology analyzer in 30 healthy volunteers, either without venous stasis (no stasis) or after application of a 60 mmHg standardized external pressure by a sphygmomanometer, for 1 (1-min stasis) and 3 min (3-min stasis). Although the overall correlation between measures was globally acceptable, the mean values for paired samples were significantly different in all parameters tested, except MCV, MHC, PLT, MPV, eosinophils, basophils and large unstained cells after 1-min stasis and all parameters except MCV, MHC, MPV and basophils after 3-min venous stasis. As expected RBC, hemoglobin and hematocrit displayed a significant trend towards increase, whereas WBC and the WBC subpopulations were decreased. Difference between measurements by Bland and Altman plots exceeded the current analytical quality specifications for desirable bias for WBC, RBC, hemoglobin, hematocrit, lymphocytes and monocytes in samples collected after either 1- and 3-min stasis. These results provide clear evidence that venous stasis during venipuncture might produce spurious and clinically meaningful biases in the measurement of several hematologic parameters, prompting further considerations on the usefulness of adopting appropriate preventive measures for minimizing such influences. [source] In Search of a Competition Policy in a Competitive Economy: The Case of Hong KongJOURNAL OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, Issue 1 2003SUK-CHING HO The authors propose an exploratory framework to study competition policy development in general and apply it in the context of Hong Kong. Competition policy (in the U.S., commonly referred to as antitrust policy) is defined here as concerned with the public policy prohibiting anticompetitive behavior and the abuse of dominant market power on the part of businesses. The framework identifies four core variables that are important in influencing the development and implementation of a competition policy. These variables are the consumer protection agenda, external pressure, the political landscape, and the size of the economy. It is proposed that the way government responded to these forces has been instrumental in shaping how and why the competition policy debate in Hong Kong evolved the way it did. It also underscores the importance of recognizing the indigenous nature in the development of competition policy in any economy. Future research directions to generalize the framework are also suggested. These include further development and expansion of the core variables, contextualization of the framework for cross-national comparisons, and undertaking longitudinal studies to examine the sensitivities of the competition policy to changes in the core forces over time. [source] Budd,Chiari-like syndrome in a dog with a chondrosarcoma of the thoracic wallJOURNAL OF VETERINARY EMERGENCY AND CRITICAL CARE, Issue 2 2007Megan F. Whelan DVM Abstract Objective: To describe a dog with Budd,Chiari-like syndrome secondary to caudal vena cava compression from a thoracic wall chondrosarcoma. Case summary: A 9-year-old spayed female Shetland Sheepdog cross with a recent history of non-productive cough developed severe abdominal distension and dyspnea. Marked ascites and enlarged hepatic veins were identified with ultrasonography. At surgery, a right thoracic wall mass was found to be compressing the caudal vena cava. Fluid analysis of the ascites revealed a modified transudate with elevated protein concentration, consistent with Budd,Chiari-like syndrome. Clinical signs resolved following thoracotomy and complete resection of the mass. New or unique information provided: Obstruction of venous blood flow can result from compression exerted by a space-occupying thoracic wall mass on the caudal vena cava. Clinical resolution can be achieved with return of adequate venous circulation by removal of the mass and alleviation of the external pressure. [source] The role of suture complexity in diminishing strain and stress in ammonoid phragmoconesLETHAIA, Issue 1 2008FABIO VITTORIO DE BLASIO Several hypotheses have been put forward to explain the sinuosity and complexity of suture lines in Ammonoidea. At present, the two principal opponent views maintain either that high complexity was a requisite to reinforce the shell in response to hydrostatic pressure, or that complexity augmented the attachment area for muscles. By using finite element calculations and analytical estimates of simplified ammonoid shell geometries, it is shown that complex suture lines reduced dramatically the strain and the stress in the phragmocone. The calculations lend support to the hypothesis that high sinuosity is an evolutionary response to external pressure. Additionally, it is found that without complex septa, the inward deformation of an ammonoid with thin shell would cause it to shrink in response to pressure and to lose buoyancy by a non-negligible amount. [source] Magnetic properties of NdMn2,xFexGe2 (x = 0.3, 0.4 and 1.0) compoundsPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (A) APPLICATIONS AND MATERIALS SCIENCE, Issue 1 2003. Gondek Abstract Magnetic properties of the NdMn2,xFexGe2 (x = 0.3, 0.4 and 1.0) are investigated by AC magnetic measurements and neutron diffraction. In ambient pressure in compound with x = 0.3 below 200 K the noncollinear magnetic structure is observed. Above this temperature the magnetic moments transform to the collinear one. For x = 0.4 at 1.5 K the Nd magnetic moments form collinear ferromagnetic structure, while Mn moments noncollinear. With increase of the temperature at T = 50 K Nd moment disappears while Mn moments form two different magnetic structures antiferro- (AF) and ferromagnetic (F). The change between AF and F phases is connected with the change of the lattice constants. For x = 1.0 the Mn moments form collinear antiferromagnetic structure stable in the temperature range between 1.5 K and TN = 203 K. For x = 0.3 the external pressure up to 1.5 GPa causes the change of the critical temperature only, while for x = 0.4 induces the change of the magnetic properties from ferro- to antiferromagnetic. For x = 1.0 the Néel temperature increases with increasing external pressure. The above results indicate that in the NdMn2,xFexGe2 system, the increase in the iron content is followed by a change in chemical bond that influences the magnetic properties. [source] Imperfection Sensitivity and Limit Loads of Spherical Shells under Radial PressurePROCEEDINGS IN APPLIED MATHEMATICS & MECHANICS, Issue 1 2005Jens Pontow The evaluation of the imperfection sensitivity of shell structures and the estimation of their limit loads are widely discussed phenomena. The perturbation energy concept according to Dinkler et al. [1], [2] enables to assess the imperfection sensitivity of shell structures by means of an energy value, the perturbation energy. A buckling criterion may be developed from the comparison between the perturbation energy and experimental data. This paper focuses on the imperfection sensitivity and limit loads of spherical shells of revolution under radial pressure. The investigations include the influence of the meridional angle and different types of boundary conditions. By comparing the numerical results with the German design rule DIN 18800, critical values for the perturbation energy are derived to predict the limit loads. These critical values for the perturbation energy allow to judge whether the German design rule DIN18800 predicts the limit loads of spherical shells under external pressure with varying meridional angles and different boundary conditions with the same reliability in respect of the perturbation energy. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Information disclosure and environmental regulation: Green lights and gray areasREGULATION & GOVERNANCE, Issue 3 2010Eungkyoon Lee Abstract This research examines the potential of information disclosure for environmental regulation. The research attempts to answer questions of what impact information disclosure has on corporate environmental practices and what interferes with its effective use. A case study of Indonesia's pioneering informational environmental regulation reveals (i) both indirect (e.g. anticipation of external pressure) and direct (e.g. internal learning support) informational effects that enhance environmental awareness at the top management level and stimulate changes in production processes and (ii) detrimental effects of disclosed information that maintain or strengthen the extant power of regulated firms over environmental groups and local communities affected. Regulatory efforts can be leveraged by public disclosure of information regarding firms' environmental performance, especially where the state monitoring and enforcement capacities are weak. However, the introduction of policies of this kind without consideration of different market conditions and political and administrative culture may impede the effectiveness of this potentially useful regulatory method. [source] Remote monitoring of leaf turgor pressure of grapevines subjected to different irrigation treatments using the leaf patch clamp pressure probeAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF GRAPE AND WINE RESEARCH, Issue 3 2010S. RÜGER Abstract Background and Aims:, Effects of four irrigation treatments on leaf turgor pressure of grapevines were studied using the novel leaf patch clamp pressure (LPCP) probe. Data were correlated with yield and yield components. Methods and Results:, The LPCP probe measures leaf water status by monitoring the attenuation of an external pressure applied magnetically to a leaf patch. The output pressure signals, Pp, are inversely correlated with cell turgor pressure. Measurements showed that changes in transpiration and stomatal conductance induced by environmental parameters were reflected nearly immediately in Pp. Ongoing non-irrigation resulted in a continuous increase of Pp, in the occurrence of stomatal oscillations and in an increased turgor pressure recovery phase during afternoon. Interestingly, analysis of the numerous diurnal Pp data sets showed that east-directed leaves responded more sensitively to water stress than west-directed leaves. Conclusions:, For the cultivar and conditions used in this study, the probe data as well as the yield data support irrigation on a 3-day basis with relatively small amounts of water. Significance of the Study:, The results show that the LPCP probe is a user-friendly, high precision instrument for online-monitoring of leaf turgor pressure in dependency on changes in microclimate and irrigation, thus helping growers to increase yield while simultaneously saving water. [source] Mortuary Rituals in Japan: The Hegemony of Tradition and the Motivations of IndividualsETHOS, Issue 3 2006Yohko Tsuji Despite rapid social change, traditional mortuary rituals persist in contemporary Japan, and most Japanese ascribe their continuous compliance with tradition to cultural hegemony. In this article, I explore various other motivational forces behind their actions and illustrates how external pressures and individuals' internal motivations are intricately intertwined to generate human behavior. To do so, I consider the social and personal significance of Japanese funerals, examining rituals not only as an embodiment of sociocultural order but also as a culturally prescribed means to legitimize individuals' actions and define their identity. I also demonstrate the multiplicity and fluidity of cultural discourse and the malleability of tradition as well as individuals' active roles in perpetuating and altering mortuary tradition. Primary data were gathered from participant-observation research in Japan since 1988. [funerals, gift exchange, culture and the individual, motivations, identity, Japan] [source] Designing Police: Interpol and the Study of Change in International OrganizationsINTERNATIONAL STUDIES QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2005Michael Barnett On those rare occasions when scholars of international organizations (IOs) consider the issue of change, they typically highlight the centrality of states. Although states are important for understanding when and why there is a change in the tasks, mandate, and design of IO, IOs themselves can initiate change. Drawing from sociological institutional and resource dependence approaches, in this article we treat IOs as strategic actors that can choose among a set of strategies in order to pursue their goals in response to changing environmental pressures and constraints that potentially threaten their relevance and resource base. We delineate six strategies,acquiescence, compromise, avoidance, defiance, manipulation, and strategic social construction, and suggest that the strategic choice by IOs is contingent on the level of both organizational insecurity and the congruence between the content of environmental pressures and organizational culture. We emphasize how IOs must make a trade-off between acquiring the resources necessary to survive and be secure, on the one hand, and maintaining autonomy, on the other. We apply this framework to the case of Interpol, investigating how different calculations of these trade-offs led Interpol staff to adopt different strategies depending on its willingness to accept, resist, or initiate changes that demand conformity to external pressures. [source] Identifying and Attracting the "right" Investors: Evidence on the Behavior of Institutional InvestorsJOURNAL OF APPLIED CORPORATE FINANCE, Issue 4 2004Brian Bushee This article summarizes the findings of research the author has conducted over the past seven years that aims to answer a number of questions about institutional investors: Are there significant differences among institutional investors in time horizon and other trading practices that would enable such investors to be classified into types on the basis of their observable behavior? Assuming the answer to the first is yes, do corporate managers respond differently to the pressures created by different types of investors, and, by implication, are certain kinds of investors more desirable from corporate management's point of view? What kinds of companies tend to attract each type of investor, and how does a company's disclosure policy affect that process? The author's approach identifies three categories of institutional investors: (1) "transient" institutions, which exhibit high portfolio turnover and own small stakes in portfolio companies; (2) "dedicated" holders, which provide stable ownership and take large positions in individual firms; and (3) "quasi-indexers," which also trade infrequently but own small stakes (similar to an index strategy). As might be expected, the disproportionate presence of transient institutions in a company's investor base appears to intensify pressure for short-term performance while also resulting in excess volatility in the stock price. Also not surprising, transient investors are attracted to companies with investor relations activities geared toward forward-looking information and "news events," like management earnings forecasts, that constitute trading opportunities for such investors. By contrast, quasi-indexers and dedicated institutions are largely insensitive to shortterm performance and their presence is associated with lower stock price volatility. The research also suggests that companies that focus their disclosure activities on historical information as opposed to earnings forecasts tend to attract quasi-indexers instead of transient investors. In sum, the author's research suggests that changes in disclosure practices have the potential to shift the composition of a firm's investor base away from transient investors and toward more patient capital. By removing some of the external pressures for short-term performance, such a shift could encourage managers to establish a culture based on long-run value maximization. [source] Explaining Corporate Environmental Performance: How Does Regulation Matter?LAW & SOCIETY REVIEW, Issue 1 2003Robert A. Kagan How and to what extent does regulation matter in shaping corporate behavior? How important is it compared to other incentives and mechanisms of social control, and how does it interact with those mechanisms? How might we explain variation in corporate responses to law and other external pressures? This article addresses these questions through an study of environmental performance in 14 pulp and paper manufacturing mills in Australia, New Zealand, British Columbia, and the states of Washington and Georgia in the United States. Over the last three decades, we find tightening regulatory requirements and intensifying political pressures have brought about large improvements and considerable convergence in environmental performance by pulp manufacturers, most of which have gone "beyond compliance" in several ways. But regulation does not account for remaining differences in environmental performance across facilities. Rather, "social license" pressures (particularly from local communities and environmental activists) and corporate environmental management style prod some firms toward better performance compliance than others. At the same time, economic pressures impose limits on "beyond performance" investments. In producing large gains in environmental performance, however, regulation still matters greatly, but less as a system of hierarchically imposed, uniformly enforced rules than as a coordinative mechanism, routinely interacting with market pressures, local and national environmental activists, and the culture of corporate management in generating environmental improvement while narrowing the spread between corporate leaders and laggards. [source] Band-rejection and bandpass filters based on mechanically induced long-period fiber gratingsMICROWAVE AND OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 1 2004Kai Chen Abstract We present a novel method to fabricate fiber filters based on mechanically induced long-period fiber gratings. Transmission spectra can be tailored by external pressures or by introducing a phase-shift. As an example, the filter was used to flatten the spectral output from an Er-doped superfluorescent fiber source. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 42: 15,17, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.20193 [source] Training for innovation in India: Cultural considerations and strategic ImplicationsPERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT QUARTERLY, Issue 2 2008L. Roxanne Russell Global organizations with personnel in India rank innovation as a primary workforce development objective to stay competitive in the global market (NASSCOM, 2007). This analysis reviews relevant literature for evidence of cultural factors that stand in the way of innovative performance in Indian personnel and discusses implications for the design of interventions. Findings in the literature indicate possible knowledge gaps resulting from higher education quality assurance problems and high turnover in the job market, underrecognition of creative and practical intellectual abilities owing to testing practices, and restrictions on creative tendencies stemming from hierarchical structures and external pressures. Instructional design implications include the use of diagnostics, transformational learning strategies, and systemic reinforcement initiatives. [source] Performance Management, Evaluation and Learning in ,Modern' Local GovernmentPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, Issue 2 2001Ian Sanderson Public sector reforms throughout OECD member states are producing a new model of ,public governance' embodying a more modest role for the state and a strong emphasis on performance management. In the UK, the development of performance management in the context of the ,new public management' has been primarily ,top-down' with a dominant concern for enhancing control and ,upwards account-ability' rather than promoting learning and improvement. The development of performance management and evaluation in local government in the UK has been conditioned by external pressures, especially reforms imposed by central government, which have encouraged an ,instrumental,managerial' focus on performance measurement. The new Labour government's programme of ,modernizing local government' places considerable emphasis on performance review and evaluation as a driver of continuous improvement in promoting Best Value. However, recent research has indicated that the capacity for evaluation in local government is uneven and many obstacles to evaluation exist in organizational cultures. Local authorities need to go beyond the development of review systems and processes to ensure that the capacity for evaluation and learning is embedded as an attribute of ,culture' in order to achieve the purpose of Best Value. [source] From government to governance: External influences on business risk managementREGULATION & GOVERNANCE, Issue 1 2007Bridget M. Hutter Abstract The influence of external organizations and pressures on business risk management practices has hitherto been examined through the influence of state regulatory regimes on businesses. This article concentrates on key socio-legal concerns about the influence of the law in social and economic life. We know that the sources of regulation and risk management are diversifying beyond the state. What we do not have is much empirically informed research about the range of sources influencing the business world and in particular the weighting of influence exercised by them. In this paper we explore the understandings regulatory actors have of the different external pressures on business risk management through an empirical study of the understandings of those in the food retail sector about the management of food safety and food hygiene risks. A broader objective is to throw some further light onto the debate about regulation within and beyond the state. [source] Accession's Democracy Dividend: The Impact of the EU Enlargement upon Democracy in the New Member States of Central and Eastern EuropeEUROPEAN LAW JOURNAL, Issue 4 2004Wojciech Sadurski The purpose of this article is to examine this claim, that accession will provide a ,democracy dividend' in this fashion. To this end, the article begins by examining the political conditionality of the accession process, and the extent to which the process of democratisation can be understood as a result of ,external' pressures. It also discusses the extent to which the effectiveness of political conditionality is likely to survive after the accession takes place. The article then moves on to consider the effects of accession upon democracy in the states of the region by looking in detail at three areas that have been particularly important: the role of national parliaments, the new constitutional courts, and the tendency towards decentralisation and regionalism. The article concludes by noting that, although not all of the developments discussed are necessarily good for democracy in the region, the real dividend coming from the accession process lies in the fact that, on a macro-level, membership in the EU will make the democratic transition in Central and Eastern Europe practically irreversible. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||