Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Balance
Kinds of Balance Terms modified by Balance Selected AbstractsTHE ECONOMICS OF ACHIEVING COMPETITIVE BALANCE IN THE AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, 1897,2004ECONOMIC PAPERS: A JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECONOMICS AND POLICY, Issue 4 2004Ross Booth This paper summarises some key aspects of a theoretical and empirical analysis of whether various labour market devices and revenue-sharing rules used in the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League (VFL/AFL) since its inception in 1897 have increased competitive balance by reducing the inequality in the distribution of player talent between clubs. The history of labour market intervention and revenue sharing in the VFL/AFL is discussed, with six different periods between 1897 and 2004 identified for analysis. Fort and Quirk's (1995) model of US professional team sports leagues is used to analyse the effectiveness of the various devices that have been used in the VFL/AFL, but only after adapting the model to allow for VFL/AFL clubs being win maximisers (subject to a budget constraint) rather than profit maximisers. The various devices used by the VFL/AFL are assessed in terms of their likely impact on competitive balance, with some significantly different theoretical predictions than under profit maximisation. It is found that free agency results in a less equal distribution of player talent under win maximisation, whilst both gate sharing and increases in shared league-revenue tend to equalise playing strengths (which is not the case under profit maximisation). Moreover, the invariance principle, that the effect of a player draft will be undermined by the sale (and/or trade) of player talent, is found not necessarily to hold under win maximisation and can be reduced or eliminated with a team salary cap. Whether the trade of players and draft choices can undermine a player draft is also considered. The conclusion reached is that a player draft, a team salary cap, and revenue sharing is the combination most likely to succeed in achieving higher levels of competitive balance. The evidence of competitive balance in the VFL/AFL is consistent with these predictions. [source] THE PHENOTYPIC VARIANCE WITHIN PLASTIC TRAITS UNDER MIGRATION-MUTATION-SELECTION BALANCEEVOLUTION, Issue 6 2006Xu-Sheng Zhang Abstract How phenotypic variances of quantitative traits are influenced by the heterogeneity in environment is an important problem in evolutionary biology. In this study, both genetic and environmental variances in a plastic trait under migration-mutation-stabilizing selection are investigated. For this, a linear reaction norm is used to approximate the mapping from genotype to phenotype, and a population of clonal inheritance is assumed to live in a habitat consisting of many patches in which environmental conditions vary among patches and generations. The life cycle is assumed to be selection-reproduction-mutation-migration. Analysis shows that phenotypic plasticity is adaptive if correlations between the optimal phenotype and environment have become established in both space and/or time, and it is thus possible to maintain environmental variance (VE) in the plastic trait. Under the special situation of no mutation but maximum migration such that separate patches form an effective single-site habitat, the genotype that maximizes the geometric mean fitness will come to fixation and thus genetic variance (VG) cannot be maintained. With mutation and/or restricted migration, VG can be maintained and it increases with mutation rate but decreases with migration rate; whereas VE is little affected by them. Temporal variation in environmental quality increases VG while its spatial variance decreases VG. Variation in environmental conditions may decrease the environmental variance in the plastic trait. [source] FINDING THE BALANCE: ETHICAL CHALLENGES AND BEST PRACTICES FOR LAWYERS REPRESENTING PARENTS WHEN THE INTERESTS OF CHILDREN ARE AT STAKEFAMILY COURT REVIEW, Issue 1 2008William J. Howe This article explores ethical and practical issues facing attorneys in representing parents in a contested custody matter. The article traces the history of the way this matter has been handled historically and presents the latest thinking reflected by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers in their most recent publication of ethical guidelines for attorneys. The article also presents perspectives from several jurisdictions including Australia and Oregon. [source] IMPROVING BALANCE IN COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER PEOPLE THROUGH A TARGETED MEDIOLATERAL POSTURAL STABILITY PROGRAMJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 12 2009Claire L. Waddell BSc No abstract is available for this article. [source] EVAPOTRANSPIRATION DYNAMICS AT AN ECOHYDROLOGICAL RESTORATION SITE: AN ENERGY BALANCE AND REMOTE SENSING APPROACH,JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION, Issue 3 2006Jason W. Oberg ABSTRACT: Little work is reported where spatial methods are employed to monitor evapotranspiration (ET) changes as a result of vegetation and wetland restoration. A remote sensing approach with the Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) for estimating ET at The Nature Conservancy's Glacial Ridge prairie-wetland restoration site in northwestern Minnesota is presented. The calibrated 24-hour ET from SEBAL was estimated with an average error of prediction of ,4.3 percent. Monthly, interseasonal, and seasonal ET for the period of June to September (2000 to 2003) from three adjacent land-uses: a hydrologic control preserved wetland; a treated or restored site; and a nontreated or impacted wetland, were used in the study. Results from comparing ET behavior to the preserve suggest restoration efforts have affected monthly and seasonal ET within the treated site. Spatial average standard deviations of the seasonal ET within the preserve, treated, and nontreated sites give 47.3, 75.7, and 109.9 mm, respectively, suggesting hydrologic stabilization within the treated site. Monthly and interseasonal comparisons show similar behavior to that of the seasonal data, where monthly correlations suggest increasing agreement within the treated site, approaching those within the preserve. [source] THE DETERMINANTS OF THE QUANTITY-QUALITY BALANCE IN MONOPOLY,AUSTRALIAN ECONOMIC PAPERS, Issue 1 2009HUGH SIBLY This paper describes how a monopolist manipulates the balance of quantity and quality in order to increase revenue when its customers treat quantity and quality as substitutes. This ,skewing' of quality depends on the characteristics of customer's demand for quality. Customers differ in demand for quality, because they differ in either (i) their preferences and/or (ii) their time cost per unit. The monopolist is constrained to supply the same quality of good to all customers. The price and quality per unit are described under the assumption the monopolist (i) profit maximises; (ii) maximises social welfare subject to a profit constraint. The determinants of the skewing of quantity and quality are found under third-degree price discrimination and uniform pricing. [source] ADJUSTED ESTIMATES OF UNITED STATES,CHINA BILATERAL TRADE BALANCES: AN UPDATEPACIFIC ECONOMIC REVIEW, Issue 3 2006K. C. Fung In this paper, four adjustments are made to the export and import data of the two governments: (i) freight along side (f.a.s.)-free on board (f.o.b.) and cost, insurance and freight (c.i.f.)-f.o.b. conversions; (ii) re-exports through Hong Kong (and elsewhere); (iii) re-export markups; and (iv) trade in services. After adjustments, our best estimate for the 2005 bilateral trade balance is $US170.7 billion, in China's favour, which is much larger than the official Chinese balance of $US114.2 billion but also much smaller than the official US balance of $US201.6 billion. [source] Loop Diuretic Therapy, Thiamine Balance, and Heart FailureCONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE, Issue 4 2007Domenic A. Sica MD Thiamine, or vitamin B1, is a water-soluble B complex vitamin that was first discovered in 1910 in the process of exploring how rice bran cured patients of beriberi. Thiamine is not synthesized in humans, therefore its availability for necessary cellular processes hinges on its continual ingestion. The amount of thiamine one needs to ingest to maintain balance is disease state-dependent or medication-dependent. Severe chronic thiamine deficiency can have significant neurologic and cardiac effects, the latter is reflected in a particular type of heart failure called wet beriberi. This form of heart failure clearly benefits from thiamine supplementation. It is unclear, however, whether thiamine supplementation offers any benefit in other forms of heart failure. Despite this, it is not unreasonable for heart failure patients to routinely ingest a thiamine-containing multivitamin; patients using diuretics have an increased urinary excretion of thiamine and thus are at a higher risk for developing thiamine deficiency. The role of thiamine in heart failure, however, remains arguable. [source] Dispersion of Dust Acoustic Modes and Perturbations of Plasma Flux BalanceCONTRIBUTIONS TO PLASMA PHYSICS, Issue 3 2007V. Tsytovich Abstract Previous considerations of dust acoustic waves is demonstrated to be inconsistent - the required equilibrium state for perturbations was not defined since balance of plasma fluxes was neglecting. The self-consistent treatment shows that plasma flux perturbations are accompanying any collective waves propagating in dusty plasmas and can play an important role in wave dispersion, wave damping and can create instabilities. This is illustrated by the derivation of dispersion relation for dust acoustic modes taking into account the plasma flux balances and plasma flux perturbations by waves. The result of this approach shows that the dust acoustic waves with linear dependence of wave frequency on the wave number exist only in restricted range of the wave numbers. Only for wave numbers larger than some critical wave number for low frequency modes the frequency can be have approximately a linear dependence on wave number and can be called as dust acoustic wave but the phase velocity of these waves is different from that which can be obtained neglecting the flux balance and depends on grain charge variations which are determined by the balance of fluxes. The presence of plasma fluxes previously neglected is the main typical feature of dusty plasmas. The dispersion relation in the range of small wave numbers is found to be mainly determined by the change of the plasma fluxes and is quite different from that of dust acoustic type, namely it is found to have the same form as the well known dispersion relation for the gravitational instability. This result proves in general way the existence of the collective grain attractions of negatively charged grains for for large distances between them and for any source of ionization. The attraction of grains found from dispersion relation of the dust acoustic branch coincides with that found previously for pair grain interactions using some models for the ionization source. For the existing experiments the effective Jeans length for such attraction is estimated to be about 8 , 10 times larger than the ion Debye length and the effective gravitational constant for the grain attraction is estimated to be several orders of magnitude larger than the usual gravitational constant. The grain attraction at large inter-grain distances described by the gravitationlike grain instability is considered as the simplest explanation for observed dust cloud clustering, formation of dust structures including the plasma crystals. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Different Approaches to a Regional Search for Balance: The Johnson Administration, the State Department, and the Middle East, 1964,1967*DIPLOMATIC HISTORY, Issue 1 2008Arlene Lazarowitz First page of article [source] Trade Balance and Exchange Rate: Unit Roots, Co-integration and Long Memory in the US and the UKECONOMIC NOTES, Issue 1 2008Luis A. Gil-Alana This paper deals with the relationship between the balance of trade and the exchange rate in the US/UK case. Many authors have studied this issue for many countries, but despite the intensive research, there is still no agreement about the effectiveness of currency devaluation to increase a country's balance of trade. We first analyse the relationship between the two variables using unit roots and co-integration methods, and the results are ambiguous. We try a new approach based on fractional integration. The unit root hypothesis is rejected in case of the trade balance in favour of smaller orders of integration, while this hypothesis is not rejected for the exchange rate. Thus, the two series do not possess the same order of integration. We sort this problem out by taking the exchange rate as an exogenous variable, and including it in a regression model where the residuals might follow a fractionally integrated model. [source] Peroxynitrite/Nitric Oxide Balance in Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury-Nanomedical ApproachELECTROANALYSIS, Issue 4 2006Ruslan Kubant Abstract Electrochemical nanosensors were used to simultaneously monitor in vitro (a single endothelial cell) and in vivo (vasculature of rat) the concentrations of NO (vasorelaxant), cytotoxic O (oxidative stress) and ONOO, (nitroxidative stress). A balance of [NO]/[ONOO,]=(K) was applied as the diagnostic marker of dysfunctional endothelium and cardiovascular disease. In the isolated endothelium of normotensive rats, K=,2.8±0.1 while in hypertensive rats, K=0.4±0.1. During ischemia, K dropped from 7±1 to 1.4±0.2 and further decreased to 0.05±0.01 during reperfusion. The edema and vasoconstriction, indicators of vascular injury, correlated directly with the decrease in K. [source] MRI verified STN stimulation site , gait improvement and clinical outcomeEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 5 2010E. L. Johnsen Background:, Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is effective in alleviating Parkinson's disease (PD) symptoms (tremor, rigidity and bradykinesia) and may improve gait and postural impairment associated with the disease. However, improvement of gait is not always as predictable as the clinical outcome. This may relate to the type of gait impairment or localization of the active DBS contact. Methods:, The active contact was visualized on peri-operative magnetic resonance imaging in 22 patients with idiopathic PD, consecutively treated with bilateral STN DBS. Stimulation site was grouped as either in the dorsal/ventral STN or medial/lateral hereof and anterior/posterior STN or medial/lateral hereof. The localization was compared with relative improvement of clinical outcome (UPDRS-III). In 10 patients, quantitative gait analyses were performed, and the improvement in gait performance was compared with stimulation site in the STN. Results:, Of 44 active contacts, 77% were inside the nucleus, 23% were medial hereof. Stimulation of the dorsal half improved UPDRS-III significantly more than ventral STN DBS (P = 0.02). However, there were no differences between anterior and posterior stimulation in the dorsal STN. Step velocity and length improved significantly more with dorsal stimulation compared with ventral stimulation (P = 0.03 and P = 0.02). Balance during gait was also more improved with dorsal stimulation compared with ventral stimulation. Conclusions:, Deep brain stimulation of the dorsal STN is superior to stimulation of the ventral STN. Possible different effects of stimulation inside the nucleus underline the need for exact knowledge of the active stimulation site position to target the most effective area. [source] The Treaty of Nice: The Sharing of Power and the Institutional Balance in the European Union,A Continental PerspectiveEUROPEAN LAW JOURNAL, Issue 3 2001Xenophon A. Yataganas This paper presents an initial response to the conclusions of the Nice Summit and the new EU Treaty which emerged from it. It consists of two parts: in the first I discuss the climate in which the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) took place and the opening positions of the Institutions, the Member States, and the applicant countries. The results achieved at Nice are set out in the second part, with special emphasis on the themes that mark a shift of power within the Community's institutional architecture; i.e. the extension of qualified-majority voting in the Council and the co-decision procedure with the European Parliament, the reweighting of votes and the composition of the Institutions with a view to an enlargement which is both imminent and unprecedented in the history of the EU. I conclude that while the results of the IGC and the new Treaty of Nice fall short of what is needed in an EU with ambitions on a continental scale, they do mark another stage in the process of European integration and the permanent evolution of its constitution. In this sense, the balance of power is likely to be different from what it has been in the past. The Franco-German axis has been severely weakened, the UK and Spain seem to be determined to play a central role, and the smaller countries are seeking to retain some influence over how the process works. New alliances are likely to emerge, particularly after enlargement, with Germany in search of a dominant position, France desperately trying to preserve the status quo, and the UK wanting to influence the direction of moves towards integration from the inside. Nice seems to mark an interim stage in this process. A new IGC has already been scheduled for 2004. There is no doubt that the post-Nice period will be one of transition towards a new distribution of power within the EU, sanctioned by a new, highly constitutional treaty. [source] The Work-Family Interface: Differentiating Balance and FitFAMILY & CONSUMER SCIENCES RESEARCH JOURNAL, Issue 2 2004Maribeth C. Clarke Work-family fit has recently emerged in work and family literature, comparable to work-family balance in that it represents interactions between work and family and yet distinct because it precedes balance and other outcomes. This study explores the relationship between, predictive factors of, and interactive moderating effects of work-family fit and work-family balance. Data are from a survey of business graduate school alumni (n = 387). Findings indicate that fit and balance are two separate constructs. Fit is uniquely predicted by work hours, age, family income, and household labor satisfaction. Balance is uniquely predicted by frequency of family activities. Job satisfaction and marital satisfaction predicted both fit and balance. Analyses suggest that fit is based more on the structural aspects of work-family interactions, whereas balance appears to be based more on the psychological factors. Job satisfaction, marital satisfaction, and frequency of family activities moderated the relationship between fit and balance. [source] Developing Teacher Capacity and Best Practices: Achieving Balance with Inservice Teacher DevelopmentFOREIGN LANGUAGE ANNALS, Issue 2 2010Leslie L. Schrier Editor No abstract is available for this article. [source] ,Allowed into a Man's World' Meanings of Work,Life Balance: Perspectives of Women Civil Engineers as ,Minority' Workers in ConstructionGENDER, WORK & ORGANISATION, Issue 1 2009Jacqueline H. Watts This article discusses how women working as civil engineers within the UK construction industry perceive work,life balance and considers strategies they use to achieve this. The findings are presented of a qualitative research project that explored the experiences of women in this role, focusing on the subcultural context of a profession that is dominated by the values of presenteeism and infinite availability. A feminist post-structuralist framework is used to analyse how women negotiate their personal and professional time and the extent to which their other roles as carers and nurturers unsettle male work practices in this highly gendered profession. There are gradually increasing numbers of women in professional construction roles and their success appears to depend on being able to fit in to the dominant masculine culture of long working hours and the male pub gathering. Despite an increased presence, women's minority status in construction continues to challenge their professional identity and this is central to the conflict many face between the dual roles of corporate worker and private non-work person. [source] Time and Work,Life Balance: The Roles of ,Temporal Customization' and ,Life Temporality'GENDER, WORK & ORGANISATION, Issue 5 2008Emma Roberts This article poses a challenge to the orthodox binary, conceptualization of work,life balance only made possible by relying on the widespread ,clock time' worldview, which understands employment practices in terms of the basic time = money equation. In particular, it is the balance metaphor which relies on a quantification of both work and life in order to make sense and can therefore be seen to be based on an understanding of time as a measurable and value-able unit. This article seeks to begin the exercise of examining the concept of work,life balance through a broader concept of the temporal dimension than simply limited quantitative notions. Two temporal themes are reported from a study which identified employees who had customized their working pattern to suit the various and multi-dimensional facets of their lifestyles and thereby successfully improved their work,life balance. Participants in this study demonstrated that an improved work,life balance is more about a mind-set that refuses to be dominated by a work temporality and is determined to create ,me time' rather than e.g. simply choosing a four day week or a part-time job. It is argued that the notion of work,life balance is more usefully conceptualized within a broader notion of ,livingscapes' which contain both elements of work and life and that as researchers, our challenge must be to reflect the complexity of this weave within our analyses of individuals' work,life balance. [source] ,I'm Home for the Kids': Contradictory Implications for Work,Life Balance of Teleworking MothersGENDER, WORK & ORGANISATION, Issue 5 2008Margo Hilbrecht This study explores the experience of time flexibility and its relationship to work,life balance among married female teleworkers with school-aged children. Drawing from a larger study of teleworkers from a Canadian financial corporation, 18 mothers employed in professional positions discussed work, leisure and their perceptions of work,life balance in in-depth interviews. Telework was viewed positively because flexible scheduling facilitated optimal time management. A key factor was the pervasiveness of caregiving, which could result in ongoing tensions and contradictions between the ethic of care and their employment responsibilities. The ideology of ,intensive mothering' meant that work schedules were closely tied to the rhythms of children's school and leisure activities. The different temporal demands of motherhood and employment resulted in little opportunity for personal leisure. Time ,saved' from not having to commute to an office was reallocated to caregiving, housework or paid employment rather than to time for their self. The women also experienced a traditional gendered division of household labour and viewed telework as a helpful tool for combining their dual roles. Time flexibility enhanced their sense of balancing work and life and their perceived quality of life. At the same time, they did not question whether having the primary responsibility for caregiving while engaged in paid employment at home was fair or whether it was a form of exploitation. [source] Discourses of Work,Life Balance: Negotiating ,Genderblind' Terms in OrganizationsGENDER, WORK & ORGANISATION, Issue 2 2005Janet Smithson This article examines current debates about gender equality, work-life balance and flexible working. We contrast policymakers' and organizational discourses of flexible working and work,life balance with managers' and employees' talk about these issues within their organizations. We show how, despite the increasingly gender-neutral language of the official discourses, in the data studied participants consistently reformulate the debates around gendered explanations and assumptions. For example, a ,generic female parent' is constructed in relation to work,life balance and flexible working yet participants routinely maintain that gender makes no difference within their organization. We consider the effects of these accounts; specifically the effect on those who take up flexible working, and the perceived backlash against policies viewed as favouring women or parents. We argue that the location of work,life balance and flexibility debates within a gender-neutral context can in practice result in maintaining or encouraging gendered practices within organizations. Implications of this for organizations, for policymakers and for feminist researchers are discussed. [source] The New Economy and the Work,Life Balance: Conceptual Explorations and a Case Study of New MediaGENDER, WORK & ORGANISATION, Issue 1 2003Diane Perrons Given the varied claims made about the new economy and its implications for the organization of work and life, this article critically evaluates some conceptualizations of the new economy and then explores how the new media sector has materialized and been experienced by people working in Brighton and Hove, a new media hub. New technologies and patterns of working allow the temporal and spatial boundaries of paid work to be extended, potentially allowing more people, especially those with caring responsibilities, to become involved, possibly leading to a reduction in gender inequality. This article, based on 55 in-depth interviews with new media owners, managers and some employees in small and micro enterprises, evaluates this claim. Reference is made to the gender-differentiated patterns of ownership and earnings; flexible working patterns, long hours and homeworking and considers whether these working patterns are compatible with a work,life balance. The results indicate that while new media creates new opportunities for people to combine interesting paid work with caring responsibilities, a marked gender imbalance remains. [source] Surface Heat Balance and Spatially Distributed Ablation Modelling at Koryto Glacier, Kamchatka Peninsula, RussiaGEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES A: PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Issue 4 2004Keiko Konya Abstract To investigate the characteristics of ablation at Koryto Glacier, a mountain glacier under maritime climate in Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, we made field observations from August to early September 2000. At a site near the equilibrium line, the 31-day average net radiation, sensible heat flux, and latent heat flux were 43, 59 and 31 W,2, respectively. We developed a new distributed ablation model, which only needs measurements of air temperature and global radiation at one site. Hourly ablation rates at this site obtained by the energy balance method are related to measured air temperature and global radiation by linear multiple regression. A different set of multiple regression coefficients is fitted for snow and ice surfaces. Better estimates of ablation rate can be obtained by this approach than by other temperature index models. These equations are then applied to each grid cell of a digital elevation model to estimate spatially distributed hourly melt. Air temperature is extrapolated using a constant temperature lapse rate and global radiation is distributed considering topographic effects. The model enables us to calculate the hourly spatial distribution of ablation rates within the glacier area and could well provide a realistic simulation of ablation over the whole glacier. [source] Pan Evaporation Trends and the Terrestrial Water Balance.GEOGRAPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 2 2009Pan evaporation is just that , it is the evaporation rate of water from a small dish located at the ground-surface. Pan evaporation is a measure of the evaporative demand over terrestrial surfaces. Declines in pan evaporation have now been reported in many regions of the world. The trends vary from one pan to the next, but when averaged over many pans, they are typically in the range of ,1 to ,4 mm a,2 (mm per annum per annum). In energetic terms, a trend of ,2 mm a,2 is equivalent to ,0.16 W m,2 a,1 and over 30 years this is a change of ,4.8 W m,2. For comparison, the top-of-atmosphere forcing due to doubled CO2 is estimated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to be ~3.7 W m,2. Hence, the magnitude of the pan evaporation trend is large. What is of even greater interest is the direction , a decline , given the well-established warming of the last 30,50 years. In this article, the first in a two part series, we describe the underlying principles in using and interpreting pan evaporation data and then summarise the reported observations from different countries. In the second article, we describe the interpretation of the trends in terms of changes in the terrestrial water balance. [source] Pan Evaporation Trends and the Terrestrial Water Balance.GEOGRAPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 2 2009Declines in pan evaporation have been reported across the USA, former Soviet Union, India, China, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, among other places. The trend is large , approximately an order of magnitude larger than model-based estimates of top of the atmosphere radiative forcing. The pan evaporation trend also has a different sign (i.e. decline) from commonly held conceptions. These are a remarkably interesting set of observations. In the first article of this two-part series, we discussed the measurements themselves and then presented summaries of the worldwide observations. In this, the second article, we outline the use of energy balance methods to attribute the observed changes in pan evaporation to changes in the underlying physical variables, namely, radiation, temperature, vapour pressure deficit and wind speed. We find that much of the decline in pan evaporation can be attributed to declines in radiation (i.e. dimming) and/or wind speed (i.e. stilling). We then discuss the interpretation of changes in the terrestrial water balance. This has been an area of much misunderstanding and confusion, most of which can be rectified through use of the familiar and longstanding supply/demand framework. The key in using the pan evaporation data to make inferences about changes in the terrestrial water balance is to distinguish between water- and energy-limited conditions where different interpretations apply. [source] A Fragile Balance: Re-Examining the History of Foreign Aid, Security, and Diplomacy , By Louis A. Picard and Terry F. BussGOVERNANCE, Issue 3 2010KIM MOLONEY First page of article [source] Estimation of Degradation Rates by Satisfying Mass Balance at the InletGROUND WATER, Issue 4 2010Vedat Batu Using a steady-state mass conservative solute transport analytical solution that is based on the third-type (or flux-type or Cauchy) source condition, a method is developed to estimate the degradation parameters of solutes in groundwater. Then, the inadequacy of the methods based on the first-type source-based analytical solute transport solution is presented both theoretically and through an example. It is shown that the third-type source analytical solution exactly satisfies the mass balance constraint at the inlet location. It is also shown that the first-type source (or constant source concentration or Dirichlet) solution fails to satisfy the mass balance constraint at the inlet location and the degree of the failure depends on the value of the degradation as well as the flow and solute transport parameters. The error in the first-type source solution is determined with dimensionless parameters by comparing its results with the third-type source solution. Methods for estimating the degradation parameter values that are based on the first-type steady-state solute transport solution may significantly overestimate the degradation parameter values depending on the values of flow and solute transport parameters. It is recommended that the third-type source solution be used in estimating degradation parameters using measured concentrations instead of the first-type source solution. [source] The impact of groundwater,surface water interactions on the water balance of a mesoscale lowland river catchment in northeastern GermanyHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 2 2007Stefan Krause Abstract The glacially formed northeastern German lowlands are characterized by extensive floodplains, often interrupted by relatively steep moraine hills. The hydrological cycle of this area is governed by the tight interaction of surface water dynamics and the corresponding directly connected shallow groundwater aquifer. Runoff generation processes, as well as the extent and spatial distribution of the interaction between surface water and groundwater, are controlled by floodplain topography and by surface water dynamics. A modelling approach based on extensive experimental analyses is presented that describes the specific water balance of lowland areas, including the interactions of groundwater and surface water, as well as reflecting the important role of time-variable shallow groundwater stages for runoff generation in floodplains. In the first part, experimental investigations of floodplain hydrological characteristics lead to a qualitative understanding of the water balance processes and to the development of a conceptual model of the water balance and groundwater dynamics of the study area. Thereby model requirements which allow for an adequate simulation of the floodplain hydrology, considering also interactions between groundwater and surface water have been characterized. Based on these analyses, the Integrated Modelling of Water Balance and Nutrient Dynamics (IWAN) approach has been developed. This consists of coupling the surface runoff generation and soil water routines of the deterministic, spatially distributed hydrological model WASIM-ETH-I with the three-dimensional finite-difference-based numerical groundwater model MODFLOW and Processing MODFLOW. The model was applied successfully to a mesoscale subcatchment of the Havel River in northeast Germany. It was calibrated for two small catchments (1·4 and 25 km2), where the importance of the interaction processes between groundwater and surface waters and the sensitivity of several controlling parameters could be quantified. Validation results are satisfying for different years for the entire 198 km2 catchment. The model approach was further successfully tested for specific events. The experimental area is a typical example of a floodplain-dominated landscape. It was demonstrated that the lateral flow processes and the interactions between groundwater and surface water have a major importance for the water balance and periodically superimposed on the vertical runoff generation. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Harmonic Balance, Melnikov method and nonlinear oscillators under resonant perturbationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CIRCUIT THEORY AND APPLICATIONS, Issue 3 2008Michele Bonnin Abstract The subharmonic Melnikov's method is a classical tool for the analysis of subharmonic orbits in weakly perturbed nonlinear oscillators, but its application requires the availability of an analytical expression for the periodic trajectories of the unperturbed system. On the other hand, spectral techniques, like the Harmonic Balance, have been widely applied to the analysis and design of nonlinear oscillators. In this manuscript, we show that bifurcations of subharmonic orbits in perturbed systems can be easily detected computing the Melnikov's integral over the Harmonic Balance approximation of the unperturbed orbits. The proposed method significantly extends the applicability of the Melnikov's method since the orbits of any nonlinear oscillator can be easily detected by the Harmonic Balance technique, and the integrability of the unperturbed equations is not required anymore. As examples, several case studies are presented, the results obtained are confirmed by extensive numerical experiments. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Validation of Priority NIC Interventions and Suggested NOC Outcomes for Fluid Volume ExcessINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING TERMINOLOGIES AND CLASSIFICATION, Issue 2003Juliana de Lima Lopes PURPOSE To identify and evalutate NIC priority interventions performed by Brazilian nurses and the associated NOC outcomes for patients whose clinical conditions suggest fluid volume excess. METHODS An exploratory study was developed in two phases: (a) validation of the content of the priority NIC interventions and suggested NOC outcomes by seven expert nurses from a cardiology ward and the researcher, and (b) activities and indicators chosen were performed and evaluated daily for all patients admitted to the cardiology ward whose clinical conditions suggested fluid volume excess. FINDINGS Nurses chose 26 activities from the NIC categories of "fluid management," 23 from "fluid monitoring," and 28 from "hypervolemia management." Eighteen NOC outcomes were chosen from Fluid Balance, 11 from Hydration, and 13 from Electrolyte and Acid/Base Balance. CONCLUSIONS Nurses identified many NIC activities that are important to their practice, and they also agreed with many NOC indicators. The use of standardized languages for interventions and outcomes will allow them to develop the process of nursing care and to establish practice standards. [source] Sovereignty in the Balance: Claims and Bargains at the UN Conferences on the Environment, Human Rights, and WomenINTERNATIONAL STUDIES QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2000Kathryn Hochstetler States vary the content and subject matter of their claims to sovereignty. In an analysis of when states invoked sovereignty at recent UN World Conferences on the environment (1992), human rights (1993), and women (1995), the authors revise and extend Litfin's (1997) notion of bargains among components of sovereignty. At the conferences, states invoked sovereignty in debates over cultural and religious values, economics, and increased international accountability. The authors interpret the debates based on how four elements of sovereignty,autonomy, control, and legitimacy in the eyes of other states and nonstate actors,are traded by states through implicit or explicit bargaining. They identify patterns that vary by issue area. The authors argue that nongovernmental organizations as well as other states may legitimate or delegitimate states' sovereign claims. They find that countries of the global South made more sovereignty claims of all kinds than Northern states. And, sovereignty bargains may be struck more easily over power and economics than social values. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||