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Systematic Attempt (systematic + attempt)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Humanities and Social Sciences	50%

Selected Abstracts

Regional development, nature production and the techno-bureaucratic shortcut: the Douro River catchment in Portugal

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 6 2008
Antonio A. R. Ioris
Abstract The introduction of the Water Framework Directive in Europe represents a unique opportunity to promote more inclusive strategies for the long-term preservation of (socionatural) water systems. However, the analysis of the Portuguese experience, using the River Douro as a case study, reveals still considerable shortcomings in the assessment of problems and the formulation of solutions. Instead of promoting a meaningful dialogue between social groups and spatial areas, there is a systematic attempt to conform to legal requisites by taking a ,techno-bureaucratic' shortcut that largely reproduces the distortions of previous regulatory approaches. Decisions on water management are part of political disputes about regional development and state reform, such as in relation to the provision of water and electricity by public utilities. Nonetheless, these broader issues have been kept tacitly away from the WFD agenda, which has been concentrated on adjusting established procedures to the (formal) requirements of the new regulation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source]

Characterizing anthropic sediments in north European Neolithic settlements: An assessment from Skara Brae, Orkney

GEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 3 2006
Ian A. Simpson
The creation of anthropic sediments, traditionally referred to under the blanket term midden, through the utilization of settlement waste materials in domestic settlement construction was first recognized during early excavations at the Orcadian Neolithic site of Skara Brae (V.G. Childe, 1931a; 1931b). Prior to the present study there has been no systematic attempt to identify the nature of these sediments at Skara Brae, whose likely occupation dates between ,3100 and 2500 B.C., or to assess whether different materials were incorporated into construction or varied with different phases of site formation. The opportunity to begin addressing these issues arose with the location of undisturbed sediment samples held in storage since the last site excavations of 1972,1973 (D.V. Clarke, 1976). Ten thin sections were manufactured from these samples, representing earlier and later phases of Neolithic settlement at Skara Brae. Observations using thin-section micromorphology, supported by total phosphorus and particle-size distribution analyses, suggest that both earlier and later settlement phases show accumulation of household waste dominated by fuel residues. These wastes may have been used to help stabilize wind-blown sand deposits during the later settlement phases. In addition, the use of clay material tempered with household waste is associated with wall construction. Animal manures are only evident in anthropic deposits on the edge of the main settlement site where composting may have been taking place, and there is no evidence for their use in site construction. The authors conclude by drawing attention to possible diverse uses of anthropic sediments in settlement construction at other Neolithic settlements in Orkney. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]

,LE STYLE, C'EST LE DIABLE': TWENTIETH-CENTURY GERMAN POETRY IN DIALOGUE WITH PAUL VALÉRY

GERMAN LIFE AND LETTERS, Issue 3 2007
Robert Vilain
ABSTRACT This article explores the dialectic of rejection and affinity shared by the responses to Paul Valéry of three non-German German-language poets. Despite significant affinities in cultural ambition and poetics (notably between ,L'Âme et la danse' and ,Das Gespräch über Gedichte'), there is little evidence of an influence exerted by Valéry on Hofmannsthal, who was strangely suspicious of him. In contrast, Rilke was hugely enthusiastic, and although his translations of Valéry did not give the often asserted impetus for the creative flowering of 1922, other somewhat uncharacteristic poems (such as ,Zueignung an M.' and ,Der Magier') positively reflect his encounter with Valéry's Mallarméan conception of the poet. However, his versions of Charmes display less poetological proximité than the revisionary effects of a much less overtly self-conscious view of poetry, shown here with ,Les Grenades'. Celan's translation of La Jeune Parque was a systematic attempt to subvert the solipsism of the original study in self-consciousness and ostensibly incarnates his rejection of the aesthetics of an overly intellectual poetry. However, possible reasons why his initial reluctance to translate Valéry was eventually overcome are discernible in the near-contemporaneous speech, ,Der Meridian', which explores the utopian notion of ,freiwerdende Sprache', partly in response to Valéry. [source]

Turkish Student Attitudes about the United States

INTERNATIONAL STUDIES PERSPECTIVES, Issue 3 2003
Results from a Survey of 112 International Relations Majors at Two Universities in Ankara
Abstract The survey evolved as part of a deliberate and systematic attempt by a Fulbright Senior Lecturer to ascertain her Turkish students' assumptions about the United States in the world. Such information would not only have implications for teaching the content of international relations and U.S. foreign policy courses, it also would prove useful in making cultural connections. The survey's results generally portray an aggressive, dominating, interventionist United States, a view that belies the benign self-image held by most U.S. citizens and their leaders. [source]

Availability and Characteristics of Nonbeverage Alcohols Sold in 17 Russian Cities in 2007

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 1 2009
Artyom Gil
Background:, It is known that a range of nonbeverage alcohols including eau-de-colognes and medicinal tinctures are consumed by sections of the Russian population. Research conducted in a city in the Urals (2003 to 2005) showed that consumption of such products is associated with very high mortality from a wide range of causes. However, there have been no systematic attempts to investigate the extent to which such products are available in other cities of the Russian Federation. There is particular interest in establishing this following the introduction of new federal regulations in January 2006 aimed at restricting the availability of these products. Methods:, In the first half of 2007, we conducted a survey in 17 cities that spanned the full range of city types in the Russian Federation excluding those in the Far East. In each city, fieldworkers visited pharmacies and other types of retail outlets and purchased samples of nonbeverage alcohols. These were defined as being typically 10 to 15 roubles per bottle, with an ethanol concentration of at least 60% by volume. Results:, We were able to purchase samples of nonbeverage alcohols in each of the 17 cities we investigated. The majority of the 271 products included were a cheaper and more affordable source of ethanol than standard Russian vodka. Medicinal tinctures, sold almost exclusively in pharmacies, were particularly common with an average concentration of 78% ethanol by volume. Most importantly, the majority of the products were of a sort that our previous research in 2004 to 2005 had established were drunk by working-age men. Conclusions:, While the 2006 federal regulations introduced in part to reduce the availability and consumption of nonbeverage alcohols may have had some effect on certain classes of nonmedicinal products, up until June 2007 at least, medicinal tinctures as well as some other nonbeverage alcohols that are consumed appear to have been readily available. [source]

Learning and Organization in the Knowledge-Based Information Economy: Initial Findings from a Participatory Action Research Case Study

BRITISH JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2000
Richard T. Harrison
This paper reports on an ongoing, multiphase, project-based action learning and research project. In particular, it summarizes some aspects of the learning climate and outcomes for a case-study company in the software industry. Using a participatory action research approach, the learning company framework developed by Pedler et al. (1997) is used to initiate critical reflection in the company at three levels: managing director, senior management team and technical and professional staff. As such, this is one of the first systematic attempts to apply this framework to the entire organization and to a company in the knowledge-based learning economy. Two sets of issues are of general concern to the company: internal issues surrounding the company's reward and recognition policies and practices and the provision of accounting and control information in a business-relevant way to all levels of staff; and external issues concerning the extent to which the company and its members actively learn from other companies and effectively capture, disseminate and use information accessed by staff in boundary-spanning roles. The paper concludes with some illustrations of changes being introduced by the company as a result of the feedback on and discussion of these issues. [source]