6,760 research outputs found

    Identifying Social Entrepreneurs Serving the Poor at the BoP

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    The concept of social entrepreneurship as a characterization of social responsibility for business organizations has gained considerable popularity. There is growing belief in international development and donor communities that this form of for-profit activity might be the long-sought panacea for solving poverty at the so-called Base of the Pyramid (BoP) -- the poorest segment of the society. Yet, there is no consensus within these communities as to what constitutes social entrepreneurship, and how the BoP is defined. Confusion arises from the absence of generally accepted definitions for both terms, leaving much scope for some conventional for-profit activities to assert a higher social service status. This paper attempts to clarify what constitutes social entrepreneurship serving the BOP segment of the population, and how the BoP may be defined to better represent the poor.social entrepreneurship, bottom of the pyramid, poverty alleviation

    Identifying Social Entrepreneurs Serving the Poor at the BoP

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    This paper attempts to clarify what constitutes social entrepreneurship serving the BOP segment of the population, and how the BoP may be defined to better represent the poor.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/133002/1/wp972.pd

    Polarization of the \lya Halos Around Sources Before Cosmological Reionization

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    In Loeb & Rybicki (1999; paper I) it was shown that before reionization, the scattering of \lya photons from a cosmological source might lead to a fairly compact (15\sim 15'') \lya halo around the source. Observations of such halos could constrain the properties of the neutral intergalactic medium (IGM), and in particular yield the cosmological density parameters of baryons and matter on scales where the Hubble flow is unperturbed. Paper I did not treat the polarization of this scattered radiation, but did suggest that the degree of such polarization might be large. In this Letter we report on improved calculations for these \lya halos, now accounting for the polarization of the radiation field. The polarization is linear and is oriented tangentially to the projected displacement from the center of the source. The degree of polarization is found to be 14% at the core radius, where the intensity has fallen to half of the central value. It rises to 32% and 45% at the radii where the intensity has fallen to one-tenth and one-hundreth of the central intensity, respectively. At larger radii the degree of polarization rises further, asymptotically to 60%. Such high values of polarization should be easily observable and provide a clear signature of the phenomenon of \lya halos surrounding sources prior to reionization.Comment: 8 pages, 2 Postscript figures, accepted by Astrophysical Journal Letters; some typos corrected; added two paragraphs at the end of section 3 concerning detectability of Lyman alpha halo

    A Bayesian analysis of the 27 highest energy cosmic rays detected by the Pierre Auger Observatory

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    It is possible that ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) are generated by active galactic nuclei (AGNs), but there is currently no conclusive evidence for this hypothesis. Several reports of correlations between the arrival directions of UHECRs and the positions of nearby AGNs have been made, the strongest detection coming from a sample of 27 UHECRs detected by the Pierre Auger Observatory (PAO). However, the PAO results were based on a statistical methodology that not only ignored some relevant information (most obviously the UHECR arrival energies but also some of the information in the arrival directions) but also involved some problematic fine-tuning of the correlation parameters. Here we present a fully Bayesian analysis of the PAO data (collected before 2007 September), which makes use of more of the available information, and find that a fraction F_AGN = 0.15^(+0.10)_(-0.07) of the UHECRs originate from known AGNs in the Veron-Cetty & Veron (VCV) catalogue. The hypothesis that all the UHECRs come from VCV AGNs is ruled out, although there remains a small possibility that the PAO-AGN correlation is coincidental (F_AGN = 0.15 is 200 times as probable as F_AGN = 0.00).Comment: MNRAS, accepted; 8 pages, 7 figure

    Prospect of Flood-Friendly Housing in Sunderbans: Future Directions

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    Sunderbans is located in the delta region of Bay of Bengal, which is a vulnerable area to the impacts of climate change; particularly flooding. Increasing frequency and intensity of floods have resulted in massive loss of lives and properties and severely affected the socio-economic well-being of the local population. In this research, flood-friendly housing is presented as a promising solution to mitigate the impact of floods. The literature review aims to explore the prospects of flood-friendly housing, and identify future directions for research and action. It highlights that flood- resilient housing technologies have evolved significantly in recent years and several prototypes have been developed and tested. However, implementation of flood-friendly housing remains scanty due to lack of financial, institutional support, technical expertise, and community participation. The research also identifies the gaps in literature related to the socio-cultural, economic, and environmental dimensions of flood-friendly housing in Sunderbans. Future directions suggested in this review include developing innovative financing schemes, promoting community participation, integrating local knowledge and practices, and assessing long-term sustainability of flood-friendly housing in the target area. Further, it establishes that flood-friendly housing has huge potential to provide viable solution to the challenges of flooding, if implemented through ‘multi-stakeholder and participatory’ approach, for which Indian context is appropriate

    The need for eye protection during general anaesthesia and the efficacy of various eye protection methods

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    Background: Patients undergoing prolonged non-ocular surgery with general anaesthesia may develop ocular complications. Previous studies suggested that prophylactic ocular care should include prevention of mechanical exposure of cornea and replacement of deficient tears.Methods: To assess the basal tear volume with various eye protection methods during general anaesthesia so as to find the need of eye protection and also to compare and assess the efficacy of lid taping with hypo allergenic adhesive surgical paper tape, paraffin based lubricant eye ointment, 2% hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose tear substitute ointment and combinations of these ointments with lid taping as eye protection methods during general anaesthesia, the study was conducted in a tertiary care centre during the period of 1 year among 200 patients (400 eyes) undergoing general anaesthesia. After obtaining written informed consent they were subdivided into four groups of fifty patients each by randomization. A multiple cross over design with four groups each divided into two sub groups for eye protection methods was done. Corneal staining by fluorescein and basal tear volume assessment by Schirmer’s test were done pre-and postoperatively. Significance is assessed at 5 % level of significance. Student t test (two tailed, dependent) has been used to find the significance of study parameters (schirmer’s test score) on continuous scale within each group.Results: The percentage of difference of schirmer’s test score pre-and post-operatively were almost the same in all methods.Conclusions: Eye protection is mandatory in all cases under general anaesthesia. There was almost equal effectiveness for all eye protection methods analysed

    Dynamics of Performing Aesthetics in Architecture: A Critical Study

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    [EN] In architecture, Venustas (aesthetics) is always considered an important attribute along with Firmitas (firmness) and Utilitas (usefulness). Pursuing aesthetics/ beauty is one of the architect’s primary roles. However, it is critical to comprehend ‘What is aesthetics?’ and its implications for the built-unbuilt environment and human beings. In a world where everything is changing, are the definitions, concepts, and parameters of aesthetics consistent? Is it subject to change over time? If so, should architectural students and professionals be aware of it and trained in it? This study aims to critically assess and analyse the dynamic aspects of aesthetics from 3300 BCE to present and establish the ‘best fit’ definition of aesthetics in architecture. The methodology used for the study is a mixed-method approach, a comprehensive analysis of relevant literature to investigate the origin of aesthetics and aesthetics in philosophy, environmental psychology and architecture. The aspects, criteria and sub-criteria identified from the analysis. The consensus is taken from expert interviews and a questionnaire survey (n=72). Findings reveal that aesthetics in architecture is dynamic/ ever-changing. It has nine contributing aspects that make aesthetics a performing aesthetics that emphasises the enhanced worth and value for money invested. These nine aspects are spatial organisation, functional efficiency, social, psychological, environmental, maintenance, sustainability, technology, and economics. Department of Architecture and Regional Planning, Indian Institute of Technology KharagpurGhom, PV.; George, A. (2021). Dynamics of Performing Aesthetics in Architecture: A Critical Study. VITRUVIO - International Journal of Architectural Technology and Sustainability. 6(2):82-101. https://doi.org/10.4995/vitruvio-ijats.2021.16424OJS8210162Archeyes. 2020. The Villa Savoye / Le Corbusier. 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