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Information Gaps (information + gap)
Selected AbstractsThe near-surface information gap for time and depth imagingGEOPHYSICAL PROSPECTING, Issue 6 2004A. Vesnaver ABSTRACT The shallowest few hundred metres of the earth cannot be adequately imaged by conventional seismic when tuned for deeper targets. Adding independent measurements (such as uphole or shallow refraction surveys) reduces this information gap, but in some arid areas (such as Saudi Arabia) the near-surface complexities are not well resolved, even in this way. The joint tomographic inversion of different wave types can contribute to reducing these ambiguities further, by complementing the different penetration ranges and propagation directions of reflected, refracted and diving waves. Here, we demonstrate the weakness of diving waves when used alone, and the value of complementing them by available reflected and refracted arrivals. [source] Modelling Transparency in Disclosure: The Case of Foreign Exchange Risk ManagementJOURNAL OF BUSINESS FINANCE & ACCOUNTING, Issue 5-6 2007Andrew Marshall Abstract:, When managers choose not to disclose all the relevant information in their possession in their financial statements, there is an information gap between the managers and users and consequently a lack of transparency. We model the degree of transparency observed when disclosures of foreign exchange (FX) risk management in financial statements are compared to managerial information on FX risk management policy, as evidenced in questionnaire responses. In this comparative study of US and UK firms we find incomplete disclosure in both samples but with differing aspects. In the US case, the information gap is lower where the information has higher relevance or firms with higher financial risk (greater leverage) are signalling the extent of risk, but the gap is greater where firms are in competitive product markets. For the UK sample, the information gap is significantly lower where firms have higher financial risk or higher liquidity but the gap is greater where the shares are more closely held. We conclude that modelling and explaining this aspect of incomplete accounting disclosure in an international setting must be sufficiently flexible to accommodate national differences in managerial behaviour. [source] Stereotypical Relations and Utterance Understanding: An Introduction to Xu Sheng-Huan's Stereotypical Relation-Based Approach to PragmaticsLINGUISTICS & LANGUAGE COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2010Wu Bing-zhang An utterance hardly provides adequate information for its understanding, but the stereotypical relations (SRs) suggested by its linguistic components and mode of expression help to complement the explicitly expressed content, thus making the utterance serve its communicative function. Stereotypical relations are a speaker/hearer's perception and memory of the relations between things in the experiential world. Such relations, once entrenched, are the cognitive device by which humans understand, represent, and express the world. Things in SRs are interdependent; the presence of one entails that of another. Therefore, an utterance implicates the necessary information by SRs to ,fill up' the information gap in the context of communication. Stereotypical relations can be characterized in terms of similarity and proximity, both of which are categories of degree. [source] Reducing the information gap: Digital library development in BrazilPROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2002Cavan McCarthy Principal Brazilian digital library initiatives were identified and characterized. Significant projects in the area of science and research include gateway sites for research (Prossiga), set up and maintained cooperatively, also a multinational access system for regional electronic journals (SciELO). Systems which offer access to texts of the Brazilian classics predominate in the field of literature and hmanities. Digital libraries have had a significant impact on Brazil. Government financing was critical for implanting these new services. Institutions which already have a strong background in advanced technology have significantly better chances of success in the digital library field. Cooperative projects have also had significant impact. [source] Accelerating Malnutrition Reduction in OrissaIDS BULLETIN, Issue 4 2009Mona Sharma Orissa has performed better than the Indian average in terms of the rate of malnutrition reduction. This positive trend is supported by NFHS data, independent survey data and the State's own monitoring data. Despite this good news, absolute rates remain high with 40 per cent of children under five malnourished, rising to 54 per cent amongst the tribal population. Encouraging progress but recognition of a long way to go has triggered the Department of Women and Child Development to develop a new operational plan to accelerate the pace of malnutrition reduction. The Nutrition Plan is based on five principles, the key being targeting the most vulnerable in high burden districts. Review of national and international experience, analysis of the Department's data, plus primary data collection to fill information gaps, have created an evidence-based Plan which provides a challenging but realistic map for reaching an average annual malnutrition reduction of 3.5 percent. [source] Highly Skilled and Business Migrants: Information Processes and Settlement OutcomesINTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, Issue 2 2003Maureen Benson-Rea Summary This paper reports on a research programme that has investigated the migration experiences of highly skilled professional and business migrants to New Zealand. Over a four-year period, five separate studies have been conducted on the stages in the process of migration. The paper sets out a model of the stages of the migration process and the data and analysis which it has guided. Of particular interest are the information sources available to potential migrants and employers, the cultural sensitivity of settlement processes and the migrants' subsequent ease of access to the labour market. The paper analyses information flows available to migrants at crucial phases in the migration process based on a stages model of the migration process. The model indicates some of the critical steps, interactions, and decisions in the migration process from the individual's point of view. Crucial information gaps are identified and implications are drawn for actors involved at the different stages. [source] Information myths and intimate partner violence: Sources, contexts, and consequencesJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 4 2009Lynn Westbrook Survivors of intimate partner violence face more than information gaps; many face powerful barriers in the form of information myths. Triangulating data from in-depth interviews and community bulletin board postings, this study incorporates insights from survivors, police, and shelter staff to begin mapping the information landscape through which survivors move. An unanticipated feature of that landscape is a set of 28 compelling information myths that prevent some survivors from making effective use of the social, legal, economic, and support resources available to them. This analysis of the sources, contexts, and consequences of these information myths is the first step in devising strategies to counter their ill effects. [source] Acrylamide: An Update on Current Knowledge in Analysis, Levels in Food, Mechanisms of Formation, and Potential Strategies of ControlNUTRITION REVIEWS, Issue 12 2004Richard H. Stadler PhD This review summarizes the research to date on acrylamide levels in food, analytical methods, main sources of dietary exposure, mechanisms of formation, and mitigation research in the major food categories. Significant progress in the research has been made over the past 18 months, as reflected by the numerous publications and national and international workshops on the subject. This rapid pace of developments is mainly attributable to the coordinated and collaborative efforts of all of those concerned: the food industry, academia, private/enforcement laboratories, and national authorities. Most of the information gaps identified since the findings in early 2002 on the occurrence of acrylamide in foods and exposure assessments have been addressed, and public databases have been established by several authorities. Today, the performance of analytical methods, particularly for "difficult" food matrices, is adequate, and any modifications made over the past 12 to 18 months in analytical procedures did not significantly impact the initial exposure calculations. Several avenues into mitigation have been explored in the different food categories, with much emphasis being placed on potato-based products, and empirical trials (mostly pilot studies) have provided better knowledge of the key parameters that influence acrylamide formation. However, despite these intensive efforts, only marginal reductions have been achieved by the food industry, and any further progress will entail long-term studies at the primary production level. Any measures devised to reduce exposure to acrylamide in commercial foods must be carefully assessed in terms of food safety and quality. A hitherto poorly addressed concern is the formation of acrylamide in foods prepared by consumers in the home, and more guidance on this by national authorities is warranted. [source] Restoration Ecology and Invasive Riparian Plants: An Introduction to the Special Section on Tamarix spp. in Western North AmericaRESTORATION ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2008Patrick B. Shafroth Abstract River systems around the world are subject to various perturbations, including the colonization and spread of non-native species in riparian zones. Riparian resource managers are commonly engaged in efforts to control problematic non-native species and restore native habitats. In western North America, small Eurasian trees or shrubs in the genus Tamarix occupy hundreds of thousands of hectares of riparian lands, and are the targets of substantial and costly control efforts and associated restoration activities. Still, significant information gaps exist regarding approaches used in control and restoration efforts and their effects on riparian ecosystems. In this special section of papers, eight articles address various aspects of control and restoration associated with Tamarix spp. These include articles focused on planning restoration and revegetation; a synthetic analysis of past restoration efforts; and several specific research endeavors examining plant responses, water use, and various wildlife responses (including birds, butterflies, and lizards). These articles represent important additions to the Tamarix spp. literature and contain many lessons and insights that should be transferable to other analogous situations in river systems globally. [source] Testing and Implementing the Use of Multiple Bidding Rounds in Conservation Auctions: A Case Study ApplicationCANADIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 3 2009John Rolfe Conservation auctions are typically framed as closed, discriminatory, single round, first-price auctions, and are based on the assumption that landholders will offer bids determined by their "independent private values." Where landholders are unfamiliar with conservation tender processes and the supply of environmental services, they may find it very difficult to construct bids in this way. Bid values may be influenced by other factors, such as concerns about "winner's curse," a desire to capture economic rent, and premiums for risk and uncertainty factors. Sealed, single round auctions may exacerbate information gaps and uncertainty factors because of the limited information flows compared to traditional market exchanges and open, ascending auctions. In this paper, the cost efficiencies of a multiple bidding round auction for landholder management actions are explored with the use of field experiments and a conservation auction. The case study application is improved grazing management in a rangeland area of Australia, where landholders are unfamiliar with supplying environmental services or conservation auctions. Results suggest that multiple round auctions may be associated with efficiency gains, particularly in initial rounds. Les enchères pour la conservation sont généralement des enchères au premier prix, à un tour, discriminatoires et par offre écrite. Elles reposent sur l'hypothèque que les offres des propriétaires fonciers refléteront leur ,valeur privée,. Lorsque les propriétaires fonciers ne sont pas familiers avec les processus d'enchères pour la conservation et la prestation de services environnementaux, ils peuvent éprouver de la difficultéà attribuer une valeur à leur offre. Cette valeur peut-être influencée par d'autres facteurs, tels que la crainte de la ,malédiction du vainqueur ,, le désir de réaliser une rente économique, les primes de risque et les facteurs d'incertitude. Les enchères scellées à un tour peuvent aggraver le manque d'information et les facteurs d'incertitude étant donné que les enchérisseurs disposent de peu d'information comparativement aux enchères ascendantes ouvertes traditionnelles. Dans le présent article, nous avons examiné, à l'aide d'expériences sur le terrain et d'enchères pour la conservation, l'efficacité-coût d'une enchère à tours multiples pour des mesures de gestion de la part de propriétaires fonciers. L'exercice visait à améliorer la gestion des pâturages d'un parcours naturel en Australie, où les propriétaires fonciers ne sont pas familiers avec la prestation de services environnementaux ni avec les enchères pour la conservation. Les résultats autorisent à penser que les enchères à tours multiples pourraient offrir des gains d'efficience, particulièrement durant les premiers tours. [source] | |||||||||||||