From China to Nottingham: The making of Dinosaurs of China

‘Dinosaurs of China: Ground Shakers to Feathered Flyers’ was an exhibition of Chinese dinosaur fossils and casts that provided visitors with a unique opportunity to explore the scientific evidence that connects large, scaly ground-shaking dinosaurs to their feathered relatives – modern birds. The main exhibition at the Nottingham Natural History Museum, Wollaton Hall, included original holotype specimens of feathered dinosaurs and the tallest dinosaur skeleton ever displayed in the UK. A smaller satellite exhibition at Nottingham Lakeside Arts, University of Nottingham, focussed on palaeo-art. During its four-month duration from July to October 2017, the exhibition at Wollaton Hall received 115,000 visitors, while Lakeside Arts received 30,000 visitors. The exhibition was the outcome of a multi-partnership between the University of Nottingham, Nottingham City Council, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, and the Longhao Institute of Geology and Paleontology Inner Mongolia. The project provides a case study for collaboration between subject specialisms as varied as architecture, palaeontology, history, and theatre

Англійська мова : практикум

При підготовці фахівців з консолідованої інформації особлива увага приділяється вивченню іноземних мов. Важливим є оволодіння фаховою лексикою та вмінням її застосовувати. Методична розробка містить фахові тексти та завдання щодо вивчення лексики та вміння застосовувати її у мовленні. Тексти фахового спрямування мають тематику: “Консолідована інформація”, “Бар'єри щодо використання інформації”, “Цілі консолідованої інформації”, “Переваги користувачів”, “Методологія вивчення користувачів” тощо. Методична розробка містить спеціалізовані тексти та тренувальні вправи для студентів факультету міжнародних відносин спеціальності “Консолідована інформація”. Призначено для студентів факультету міжнародних відносин, а також усіх, хто вивчає англійську мову

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) Corporate Governance and Investment Decision-Making in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Nigeria

Adopting Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) has been relatively slow due to corporate governance issues and a limited understanding of investment decision-making processes. This study aims to enhance the performance of REITs by developing a Corporate Governance Scoring Framework and improving the investment decision-making process. A mixed-method research strategy was employed to gather data on investment decisionmaking processes and corporate governance in the UK, SA, and Nigeria from 2014-2019. Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured telephone interviews with key decision-makers in the three regimes and analysed using content and discourse analysis techniques. Quantitative data was obtained from the annual financial reports of listed REITs during the study period and analysed using OLS, fixed effects, and random effect models. The Integrated Corporate Governance Index (ICGI), a self-scoring framework, was used to measure the quality of corporate governance strength. The qualitative analysis identified four stages in the investment decision-making process: strategy, search, analysis and adjustment, and consultation or decision and review. The interviews revealed that the board, remuneration, and fee proxies were relevant factors across all three regimes, with audit and ownership also significant in the developing regimes of SA and Nigeria. The board's reputation, experience, and management role were highlighted as crucial during the decision-making process. Performance factors such as 'Operational Stability,' 'Tenant Quality,' 'Experience,' and metrics including 'Rental Income,' 'Dividend Payment,' and 'Yield' were identified. The quantitative analysis demonstrated that adherence to corporate governance codes was highest in the UK, followed by SA and Nigeria. Regression analysis results showed that a higher ICGI score improved return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE) in the UK but not in SA and Nigeria. The index did not significantly impact firm value in the UK and pooled country analysis, but it led to better firm valuation in SA. In the Nigeria REIT regime, the ICGI harmed firm valuation. The study concluded that adherence to country-level corporate governance was more predictive of operational performance than firm valuation. In summary, this study contributes to the existing knowledge by providing insights into the investment decision-making processes of REITs and the importance of corporate governance in improving their performance. The developed Corporate Governance Scoring Framework offers a valuable tool for evaluating the quality of corporate governance in REITs, but further refinement is necessary to keep up with evolving policies

Early history of ethnography and ethnology in the German enlightenment : anthropological discourse in Europe and Asia, 1710-1808

Socio-cultural anthropology emerged a century earlier than has previously been assumed. It originated in the field in Siberia and was developed in academic centers in G_ttingen and Vienna during the eighteenth century. German-speaking historians such as Gerhard Friedrich M_ller, August Ludwig Schl_zer, Johann Christoph Gatterer and Adam Franz Koll_r invented and practiced a science of peoples designated as V_lker-Beschreibung (1740), ethnographia (1767-71), V_lkerkunde (1771-75) and ethnologia (1781-83). With these concepts, they took part in an ethnological discourse, a way of thinking and communicating about peoples and nations. Ethnology was developed alongside (physical or philosophical) Anthropologie, partly in oppostion and partly in dialogue. Ethnology originated from history under the influence of historical linguistics and was developed as a complement to (physical and social) geography, social philosophy and (physical or philosophical) anthropology. These Germ an-speaking scholars systematized the ethnological way of thinking in the multicultural Russian, German, and Austrian Empires. The German tradition influenced scholars in Russia, the Netherlands, Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, and Bohemia, as well as in France, the United States, and Great Britain. Historiography has largely ignored these developments. To correct this omission, the early actors are introduced and their work is placed in a historical, academic, and political context.LEI Universiteit LeidenNoordman Timber & Plywood, LeidenFSW - Global Connections --- Ou

Configuration and Change Maturity Optimization - The Case of Complex Engineering Environments

Im derzeitigen globalen Wettbewerbsmarkt, in dem Unternehmen durch die Bereitstellung anspruchsvoller, aber kundenorientierter Lösungen einen höheren Marktanteil erreichen, ist das Management und der Schutz von Produktinformationen über verschiedene Phasen seines Lebenszyklus (von der Erfassung der Kundenanforderungen bis hin zum Prototyping und Start) von bedeutende Bedeutung. Die Disziplin, die Sicherheit für das Produktinformationsmanagement bietet, ist das Konfigurationsmanagement und erfordert je nach Umfang und Komplexität der Anwendungsumgebung mehrere Aktivitäten und Maßnahmen, die ordnungsgemäß implementiert werden müssen. Diese Arbeit zielt darauf ab, einen Optimierungsrahmen für die Industrie zur Verfügung zu stellen, um ihre Kompetenz in dieser Disziplin zu bewerten und ihre Prozesse zu stärken und somit einen Wettbewerbsvorteil unter ihren Konkurrenten zu erlangen. Dieses Ziel wurde erreicht, indem zuerst die kritischen Erfolgsfaktoren des Configuration Managements identifiziert und ein Reifegrad-Modell entwickelt wurde, das die Basisreife von Organisationen im Hinblick auf ihre Konfigurationsmanagementbemühungen bewertet und einen Fahrplan für weitere Verbesserungen liefert. Das entwickelte Reifegradmodell wurde dann durch eine branchenübergreifende Bewertung validiert und die Ergebnisse legten die Grundlage für die Identifizierung des aktuellen Reifegrads in verschiedenen Branchen, Möglichkeiten zur Verbesserung der Verwendbarkeit des Reifegradmodells für Evaluierungszwecke sowie die möglichen Forschungsmöglichkeiten für Lösungen die Verbesserungen in den Prozessfähigkeiten der Disziplin bieten. Das Hauptpotenzial für die weitere Entwicklung des Modells wurde Durch das Fehlen quantitativer Schlüsselleistungsindikatoren (KPIs) identifiziert, und es wurde durch Identifizierung relevanter KPIs, die eine quantitative Messung der Reife von Organisationen ermöglichen, adressiert. Gleichzeitig wurde eine Möglichkeit zur Konzeption eines Entscheidungshilfesystems für den Prozess des Änderungsprozesses identifiziert, das historische Kenntnisse früherer Konfigurationsänderungen nutzen kann, um die Entscheidungsträger bei der Analyse ihrer Auswirkungen durch die Einbeziehung mehrerer Variablen zu unterstützen

What's in a name? - A short history of coordination chemistry from then to now

This article traces the development of coordination chemistry and shows how progress in the science has been paralleled by the development of a vocabulary and nomenclature to describe new concepts, structural features and compound types

ICT tools for data management and analysis to support decisional process oriented to sustainable agri-food chains

Il settore agroalimentare sta affrontando delle sfide globali. La prima riguarda sfamare la popolazione mondiale che nel 2050, secondo le proiezioni delle Nazioni Unite, raggiungerà quota 9,3 miliardi di persone. La seconda sfida riguarda la richiesta da parte dei consumatori di prodotti ottenuti da filiere agroalimentari sempre più sostenibili, sicure e trasparenti. In particolare, l’Agricoltura sostenibile è una tecnica di gestione in grado di preservare la diversità biologica, la produttività, la capacità di rigenerazione, la vitalità e l’abilità alla funzione di un ecosistema agricolo, assicurandone, oggi e in futuro, le funzioni ecologiche, economiche e sociali a livello locale, nazionale ed globale, senza danneggiare altri ecosistemi. Quindi, per fronteggiare la sfida dell’agricoltura sostenibile, gli agricoltori devono aumentare la qualità e la quantità della produzione, riducendo l’impatto ambientale attraverso nuovi strumenti e nuove strategie di gestione. Questo lavoro analizza l’integrazione nel settore agroalimentare di alcune tecnologie e metodologie ICT per l’acquisizione, gestione e analisi dei dati, come la tecnologia RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification), i FMIS (Farm Management Information Systems), i DW (Data Warehouse) e l’approccio OLAP (On-Line Analytical Processing). Infine, l’adozione delle tecnologie ICT da parte di vere aziende è stata valutata attraverso un questionario. Al riguardo dell’adozione delle tecnologie RFID, questo lavoro analizza l’opportunità di trasferimento tecnologico relativo al monitoraggio e controllo dei prodotti agroalimentari tramite l’utilizzo di sensori innovativi, intelligenti e miniaturizzati. Le informazioni riguardanti lo stato del prodotto sono trasferite in tempo reale in wireless, come previsto dalla tecnologia RFID. In particolare, due soluzioni RFID sono state analizzate, evidenziando vantaggi e punti critici in confronto ai classici sistemi per assicurare la tracciabilità e la qualità dei prodotti agroalimentari. Quindi, questo lavoro analizza la possibilità di sviluppare una struttura che combina le tecnologie della Business Intelligence con i principi della Protezione Integrata (IPM) per aiutare gli agricoltori nel processo decisionale, andando a diminuire l’impatto ambientale ed aumentare la performance produttiva. L’IPM richiede di utilizzare simultaneamente diverse tecniche di protezione delle colture per il controllo dei parassiti e patogeni tramite un approccio ecologico ed economico. Il sistema di BI proposto è chiamato BI4IPM e combina l’approccio OLTP (On-Line Transaction Processing) con quello OLAP per verificare il rispetto dei disciplinari di produzione integrata. BI4IPM è stato testato con dati provenienti da vere aziende olivicole pugliesi. L’olivo è una delle principali colture a livello globale e la Puglia è la prima regione produttrice in Italia, con un gran numero di aziende che generano dati sull’IPM. Le strategie di protezione delle colture sono correlate alle condizioni climatiche, considerando la forte relazione tra clima, colture e parassiti. Quindi, in questo lavoro è presentato un nuovo e avanzato modello OLAP che integra il GSI (Growing Season Index), un modello fenologico, per comparare indirettamente le aziende agricole dal punto di vista climatico. Il sistema proposto permette di analizzare dati IPM di diverse aziende agricole che presentano le stesse condizioni fenologiche in un anno al fine di individuare best practices e di evidenziare e spiegare pratiche differenti adottate da aziende che lavorano in differenti condizioni climatiche. Infine, è stata effettuata un’indagine al fine di capire come le aziende agricole della Basilicata si raggruppano in funzione del livello di innovazione adottato. È stato utilizzato un questionario per domandare alle aziende se adottano strumenti ICT, ed eventualmente in quale processo produttivo o di management vengano usati. È stata quindi effettuata un’analisi cluster sui dati raccolti. I risultati mostrano che, usando il metodo di clustering k-means, appaiono due gruppi: gli innovatori e gli altri. Mentre, applicando la rappresentazione boxlot, si ottengono 3 gruppi: innovatori, utilizzatori precoci e ritardatari.The Agri-Food sector is facing global challenges. The first issue concerns feeding a world population that in 2050, according to United Nations projections, will reach 9.3 billion people. The second challenge is the request by consumers for high quality products obtained by more sustainable, safely and clear agri-food chains. In particular, the Sustainable agriculture is a management strategy able to preserve the biological diversity, productivity, regeneration capacity, vitality and ability to function of an agricultural ecosystem, ensuring, today and in the future, significant ecological, economic and social functions at the local, national and global scales, without harming other ecosystems. Therefore, to face the challenge of the sustainable agriculture, farmers need to increase quality and quantity of the production, reducing the environmental impact through new management strategies and tools. This work explores the integration of several ICT technologies and methodologies in the agri-food sector for the data acquisition, management and analysis, such as RFID technology, Farm Management Information Systems (FMIS), Data Warehouse (DW) and On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP). Finally, the adoption of the ICT technologies by real farms is evaluated through a survey. Regarding the adoption of the RFID technology, this work explores an opportunity for technology transfer related to the monitoring and control of agri-food products, based on the use of miniaturized, smart and innovative sensors. The information concerning to the state of the product is transferred in real time in a wireless way, according to the RFID technology. In particular, two technical solutions involving RFID are provided, highlighting the advantages and critical points referred to the normal system used to ensure the traceability and the quality of the agri-food products. Therefore, this work explores the possibility of developing a framework that combines business intelligence (BI) technologies with Integrated Pest Management (IPM) principles to support farmers in the decisional process, thereby decreasing environmental cost and improving production performance. The IPM requires the simultaneous use of different crop protection techniques to control pests through an ecological and economic approach. The proposed BI system is called BI4IPM, and it combines on-line transaction processing (OLTP) with OLAP to verify adherence to the IPM technical specifications. BI4IPM is tested with data from real Apulian olive crop farms. Olive tree is one of the most important crop at global scale and Apulia is the first olive-producing region in Italy, with a huge amount of farms that generate IPM data. The crop protection strategies are correlated to the climate conditions considering the very important relation among climate, crops and pests. Therefore, in this work is presented a new advanced OLAP model integrating the Growing Season Index (GSI), a phenology model, to compare indirectly the farms by a climatic point of view. The proposed system allows analysing IPM data of different farms having the same phenological conditions over a year to understand some best practices and to highlight and explain different practices adopted by farms working in different climatic conditions. Finally, a survey aimed at investigating how Lucania' farms cluster according to the level of innovation adopted was performed. It was used a questionnaire for asking if farms adopt ICTs tools and, in case, what type they involved in managing and/or production processes. It has been done a cluster analysis on collected data. Results show that, using k-means clustering method, appear two clusters: innovators, remaining groups. While, using boxplot representation, clustered three groups: innovators, early adopters and laggards

Natural Medicinal Plants

This book, Natural Medicinal Plants is a comprehensive overview of drugs derived from medicinal plants and their use in treating human illnesses such as cancer. Chapters include scientific evidence on flora rich in active ingredients