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Historical Evolution (historical + evolution)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Humanities and Social Sciences	33%
Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting	33%

Selected Abstracts

Contribution to understanding the historical evolution of meandering rivers using dendrochronological methods: example of the Ma,a Panew River in southern Poland

EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 10 2006
Ireneusz Malik
Abstract The Ma,a Panew is a meandering river that flows 20 km through a closed forest. During times of high discharge the riverbed and floodplain are transformed under the influence of riparian trees. The changes provide the opportunity to measure the intensity of erosion and sediment accumulation based on tree ages, the dating of coarse woody debris (CWD) in the riverbed, and the dating of eccentric growth of tilting trees and exposed roots. The bed and floodplain in reaches of the Ma,a Panew River with low banks were greatly altered as a result of long periods of flooding between 1960 and 1975. Banks were undercut during these floods and black alders tilted. Those parts of alder crowns or stems which tilt and sink generate small sand shadows. When erosion is intensive alder clumps are undercut from concave banks and become mid-channel islands, while on the other side of the channel meandering bar levels are created. The reaches with higher banks were altered by large floods, especially in 1985 and 1997. The concave banks are undercut and sediment with CWD is deposited within the riverbed, forming sand shadows behind the CWD. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Cooption and Repression in the Soviet Union

ECONOMICS & POLITICS, Issue 1 2001
Dmitriy Gershenson
The Soviet ruling elite, the nomenklatura, used both cooption and political repression to encourage loyalty to the communist regime. Loyalty was critical both in defusing internal opposition to the rule of the nomenklatura and in either deterring or defeating foreign enemies of the Soviet Union. The cost of coopting people into the Communist Party was a decrease in the standard of living of members of the nomenklatura, whereas the cost of political repression was the danger that members of the nomenklatura would themselves be victimized. We assume that the nomenklatura determined the extent of cooption and the intensity of political repression by equating perceived marginal benefits and marginal costs. We use this assumption to construct an account of the historical evolution of policies of cooption and political repression in the Soviet Union. [source]

Bacterial dormancy in Campylobacter: abstract theory or cause for concern?

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 6 2001
John E. Moore
For the past 100 years, since the birth of modern microbiology, this discipline has predominantly relied on the ability to culture micro-organisms in vitro on artificial synthetic culture media under controlled conditions in the laboratory. However, sometimes it is not possible to detect foodborne pathogens using such conventional techniques. Employment of these techniques can also lead to a delay in detection of pathogens. The ,viable but non-culturable' (VNC) cellular form has been demonstrated in Campylobacter jejuni, representing a resting or dormant stage, which is induced through cell stress including starvation. This form is extremely difficult to detect and generally requires complex and sophisticated technology which is usually not available in most routine food microbiology laboratories. This review aims at examining the role of this cell form in Campylobacter, including their historical evolution, formation, physiology, detection and to discuss the challenges that this form presents to food safety. [source]

Introduction: social policy, economic growth and developmental welfare

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WELFARE, Issue 4 2001
James Midgley
Although the notion of developmental welfare is not new, it is only in recent times that its central premises have again attracted attention in social policy circles. Since developmental welfare offers an opportunity to challenge the neo-liberal claim that social expenditures harm the economy, and that economic development requires retrenchments in state welfare, more information about this approach is needed. This article discusses the developmental welfare approach with reference to neo-liberalism's current hegemonic influence on social policy. It traces the historical evolution of developmental welfare, discusses its theoretical implications and outlines its practical proposals. [source]

Public affairs: an American perspective

JOURNAL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, Issue 1 2001
Barbara J. DeSanto
Abstract This paper explores the development and broadening scope of public affairs practice within the United States of America and charts the factors that have influenced its current development. To understand the scope of how public affairs has developed in the United States, it is necessary to examine the historical evolution of the function in the USA and the early 20th century influence of the US government on defining and regulating its definition of public relations and public affairs, which resulted in the still-in-effect Gillett Amendment. Since then, public affairs has expanded into the private as well as the public sectors as corporations and organisations recognise the need to gain public trust for their ventures. In the US today, public affairs practitioners perform duties that range from issues management to environmental scanning to legislative affairs. Copyright © 2001 Henry Stewart Publications [source]

Theory development and convergence of human resource fields: Implications for human performance technology

PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2010
Yonjoo Cho PhD
This study examines major theory developments in human resource (HR) fields and discusses implications for human performance technology (HPT). Differentiated HR fields are converging to improve organizational performance through knowledge-based innovations. Ruona and Gibson (2004) made a similar observation and analyzed the historical evolution and convergence of three HR-related fields: human resource management (HRM), human resource development (HRD), and organization development (OD). A field left out in their analysis is HPT. Many learning professionals recognize HPT as a more comprehensive approach to improving organizational performance issues (Molenda & Pershing, 2008; Pershing, 2006). However, little research has been done to advance the theory development of HPT and discuss its relationships within HR fields. This study adds a new perspective to that of Ruona and Gibson's historical analysis of HR fields by examining convergence issues from a theory development perspective. [source]

LOCALIZING HISTORICAL CLUES USING IRT AND PETROGRAPHIC ANALYSES AT VILLA MIRABELLO, MONZA (ITALY)*

ARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 5 2009
E. ROSINA
The rebuilding of Villa Mirabello started in 1666. Built on designs of Gerolamo Quadrio, the project refurbished and enlarged a smaller 16th century country house (,casa da nobile e da massaro'). Archival documents report on the remodelling, which consisted of selective demolition of portions of the structure, re-using most of the masonry as the core of the new building, and the reinforcement of retained masonry by insertion of ,ceppo' stone quoins to update new exteriors. The aim of Quadrio was to create an elegant and sumptuous mansion, suitable for noble owners such as Giuseppe Durini and his family. The plan and a small part of original finishing (,marmorino' plaster decoration) are recognizable nowadays. Nevertheless, there are many questions in interpretation when one compares the documents and the building. That is, Cardinal Angelo Durini made a major modification in the 18th century, and further minor changes were made in the 19th century. Although these latter modifications did not alter the plan, they changed the distribution of rooms and masked both decoration and finishing. After over 20 years of neglect, Villa Mirabello is now close to being restored. Architects in charge ordered a preliminary set of diagnostics to assess damage and study the historical evolution of the building. Integration of IR thermography (IRT) and endoscopy allowed restorers to detect the structure's texture underneath the plaster, and to detect openings filled with masonry. Moreover, archive documents confirmed these results and, above all, defined a date for the use of specific building techniques. This research constitutes a reference for buildings set in the same time and location that do not have significant archival documentation. Active IRT provided useful information for structural assessment (such as location of arches, chimney stacks, different thickness of wall, wooden elements, voids, beams etc.) and for crack pattern evaluation. This information directs design professionals working on this conservation project, and helps define the costs of intervention. [source]

New Stars and telescopes: Nova research in the last four centuries

ASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 6 2009
H.W. Duerbeck
Abstract This article gives a brief overview of 400 years of research in the field of novae and related stars. Important objects, first applications of various observing techniques, and early ideas of the interpretation of phenomena are listed. Also, the historical evolution of the classification of novae and related stars (supernovae, dwarf novae), as well as their use as distance indicators is discussed (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]

The "Middle Power" Concept in Australian Foreign Policy

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF POLITICS AND HISTORY, Issue 4 2007
Carl Ungerer
During the early 1990s, the Hawke and Keating Labor governments promoted Australia's diplomatic credentials as an activist and independent middle power. Labor claimed that by acting as a middle power Australia was constructing a novel diplomatic response to the challenges of the post-Cold War world. But a closer reading of the official foreign policy record since 1945 reveals that previous conservative governments have also taken a similar view of Australia's place and position on the international stage. This essay traces the historical evolution of the middle power concept in Australian foreign policy and concludes with an assessment of the Howard government's more recent reluctance to use this label and its implications for Australia's future middle power credentials. Although its use has waxed and waned in official policy discourse and it is more commonly associated with Labor governments, the middle power concept itself and the general diplomatic style it conveys have been one of the most durable and consistent elements of Australia's diplomatic practice. [source]