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New Norms (new + norm)
Selected AbstractsThe price of natural gasOPEC ENERGY REVIEW, Issue 4 2001A.M. Samsam Bakhtiari Natural gas used to be a relatively Cheap primary energy source, always at a discount to crude oil (on a comparative British thermal unit basis). It gradually evolved into a major resource during the 20th century , reaching a 24 per cent share of global primary energy in 1999. In the year 2000, natural gas prices in the USA rose to unheard-of highs of $10/million Btu, ushering in a new era, with natural gas at a 120 per cent premium to crude oil. This clearly was a watershed for gas, somehow similar to the 1973-74 watershed for oil prices. And similarly, any return to the status quo-ante looks rather improbable, although a number of experts (alongside the International Energy Agency) still believe the 2000 price ,spike' to have been "only transitory" The consequences of higher gas prices (at a level equal to crude oil prices on a Btu basis) will be multifaceted and momentous, altering habits and uses in downstream industries and economic sectors, as well as providing added income for major gas-exporters, such as Russia, Canada and Algeria. Another potential consequence of the 2000 watershed might be to propel US standard prices (such as the ,Henry Hub' spot) to international status and gas price-setter, as the ,WTI spot' became an "international benchmark" for crude oils in the post-1993 era. For the time being, the equality of gas and oil prices has become the new norm; but, in the longer term, a discount of crude oil relative to natural gas might be envisaged, as the latter is a cleaner fuel and emits less carbon dioxide when used. [source] Interpretations of the total energy and rotational energy norms applied to determination of singular vectorsTHE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, Issue 566 2000Ronald M. Errico Abstract The interpretation of the commonly-used energy norm is examined in the context of a simple vertically-discrete model. The norm is shown to include expressions for kinetic and available potential energy in addition to an expression for a portion of unavailable potential energy. Another norm is then introduced that only includes the rotational-mode contribution to these. The characterization of the two norms in terms of corresponding covariance functions is shown to be quite different, with that for the latter norm looking more like prior error statistics used in synoptic-scale data assimilation. The leading singular vectors are determined for both norms. Those computed for the new norm have slower associated growth. Their corresponding structures are similar at the initial time, however, with some notable differences, but after 24 hours their shapes are almost identical. The new norm has advantages over the old norm for some applications; e.g. for effectively filtering ageostrophic, convectively-driven singular vectors and for being more consistent with a spatially and dynamically correlated error norm. [source] Some remarks concerning the measurement of the ferromagnetic losses under non-sinusoidal conditionsEUROPEAN TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTRICAL POWER, Issue 2 2002Andrei, ugulea The present standards concerning the measurement of the losses in ferromagnetic media, namely the IEC publications 404-2 (1978), 404-;3 (1982) and 404,10 (1988), refer only to the magnetic flux densities between 1 T and 1.85 T, if the magnetic sheets are grain oriented, and 1 T and 1.5 T if the magnetic sheets are nonoriented. The time variation of the magnetic fluxes must be almost sinusoidal at industrial frequencies of 50 Hz or 60 Hz and medium frequencies between 400 Hz and 10,000 Hz. In the above-mentioned standards there are no references concerning the measurement of losses under non-sinusoidal conditions. The paper deals with some theoretical aspects concerning the power-flows under non-sinusoidal time variation of the electromagnetic fields. The theoretical conclusions are applied to the study of the losses in ferromagnetic media. It is shown that new norms or standards are necessary. Some practical suggestions are given at the end. [source] The Revised Kingston Standardized Cognitive AssessmentINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 4 2004Robert W. Hopkins Abstract The original Kingston Standardized Cognitive Assessment (KSCA) was designed to assess cognitive functioning in the elderly with suspected organic brain damage (i.e. dementia). It was specifically designed to be a relatively quickly administered assessment tool available to mental health professionals who were not trained in specialized cognitive assessment techniques. It was introduced over a decade ago to bridge a gap between brief, narrowly focused rating scales, and intensive, expensive, full neuropsychological assessments. Recently, a revision of the KSCA was completed. This revision includes the addition of a word-list memory task with immediate recall, delayed recall and recognition formats, as well as new norms for patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The updated norms reflect the abilities of higher-functioning (community-dwelling) patients. In order to facilitate the Revised KSCAs use we have developed a new scoring and analysis form as well as a more comprehensive scoring and administration manual. These changes have resulted in better detection of earlier Alzheimer's disease and use of comparison groups that reflect the changing referral base. The structure of the revised scale and updated normative data are described. An illustrative clinical case example is also provided. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Imposing International Norms: Great Powers and Norm Enforcement1INTERNATIONAL STUDIES REVIEW, Issue 1 2007RENEE DE NEVERS What role does force play in changing international norms and who is it used against? This essay argues that when great powers seek to promote new norms, they will coerce the weak; persuasion is saved for the strong. The interaction of two factors,the standing of the target state in the international society of states and its power relative to the norm-promoting great power,helps explain the use, or nonuse, of force by great powers seeking to promote norms. The cases of the slave trade, piracy, and state sponsorship of terrorism are examined to evaluate how the attributes of norm-violating states affect the likelihood that great powers will intervene to encourage states to adopt new norms. Power appears to be the best defense against being targeted by a great power seeking to promote norm change, but good standing in the international society of states is an important deterrent against intervention. [source] Signals of Reconciliation: Institution-Building and the Resolution of Civil WarsINTERNATIONAL STUDIES REVIEW, Issue 1 2005Matthew Hoddie Recent studies of civil war have tended to apply concepts associated with neorealist analyses of international conflict to understand the dynamics of disputes among collectivities within a state. The intention of the present essay is to demonstrate that this reliance on neorealist theory has resulted in the neglect of viable solutions to these conflicts that are inconsistent with the dominant paradigm. We suggest that an alternative international relations perspective, neoliberal institutionalism, can also serve as a prescription for post-civil war stability. Consistent with this perspective, we identify a process in which negotiating and establishing power-sharing institutions serves two important functions in the resolution of civil wars. First, the institutions created through this process serve as the basis for establishing a new political order. Second, the act of developing postwar institutions provides a means by which former adversaries can generate the often costly signals of conciliatory intent necessary for fostering new norms of peaceful cooperation. We demonstrate the value of this framework through a case study of conflict resolution in the Philippines. [source] Historical Analysis of Siderail Use in American HospitalsJOURNAL OF NURSING SCHOLARSHIP, Issue 4 2001Barbara L. Brush Purpose: To explore the social, economic, and legal influences on siderail use in 20th century American hospitals and how use of siderails became embedded in nursing practice. Design: Social historical research. Methods: Numerous primary and secondary sources were collected and interpreted to illustrate the pattern of siderail use, the value attached to siderails, and attitudes about using siderails. Findings: The persistent use of siderails in American hospitals indicates a gradual consensus between law and medicine rather than an empirically driven nursing intervention. Use of siderails became embedded in nursing practice as nurses assumed increasing responsibility for their actions as institutional employees. Conclusions: New federal guidelines, based on reports of adverse consequences associated with siderails, are limiting siderail use in hospitals and nursing homes across the United States. Lowering siderails and using alternatives will depend on new norms among health care providers, hospital administrators, bed manufacturers, insurers, attorneys, regulators, and patients and their families. [source] The Hypothesis of Incommensurability and Multicultural EducationJOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION, Issue 2 2009TIM MCDONOUGH This article describes the logical and rhetorical grounds for a multicultural pedagogy that teaches students the knowledge and skills needed to interact creatively in the public realm betwixt and between cultures. I begin by discussing the notion of incommensurability. I contend that this hypothesis was intended to perform a particular rhetorical task and that the assumption that it is descriptive of a condition to which intercultural interactions are necessarily subjected is an unwarranted extension of the hypothesis as originally conceived. After discussing the hypothetical nature of the notion of incommensurability and its critical role within the discourse of the human sciences, the article examines the usefulness of utopian narratives as examples of incommensurable systems that can be put to pedagogical work. I argue that the comparative study of utopian narratives can provide insight into possible means of creating passageways that lead not from one bounded system to another, but rather to mutually generated and generative pluralistic public cultures in which new norms can be articulated, shared and potentially legitimised. What is crucial to the point I am trying to make is that ,incommensurability' was initially posed as a hypothesis that, while impossible to prove, still served a critical discursive or rhetorical function. This function is one that it can still serve and in an important educational manner, outside the discourse of the human sciences, within a larger, increasingly multicultural and global society. [source] Free Speech and Multiculturalism In and Out of the AcademyPOLITICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2006Dennis Chong The debate over hate speech in the United States and the accompanying changes in the political culture of the university provides an opportune case to explore the impact of changing norms of free speech on political tolerance toward unpopular groups. I offer a theory of opinion change that identifies the population groups that should be most susceptible to the new norms against hate speech that originated on college campuses around the country in the 1980s. The predictions from this theory are tested using a battery of tolerance items asked repeatedly in General Social Surveys gathered between 1976 and 2000. The analysis shows that the intellectual campaign against hate speech has significantly reduced support for the free speech rights of racists. This retreat in levels of tolerance is most evident among college students who were educated since the mid-1980s, when debates over multiculturalism and political correctness reached their peak. At the same time, levels of tolerance for nonconformist ideas and lifestyles have remained generally high among today's college students and are almost always significantly higher than the national average. The general stability in aggregate levels of tolerance both in the general population and in various demographic groups only serves to highlight the few dramatic changes that have taken place. [source] | |||||||||||||