Significant differences in cross cultural negotiations

This paper analyses the importance of different factors that influences cross cultural negotiations. Learning about the components of a cross cultural negotiation process to increase negotiators’ success in avoiding barriers and failures in the international business arena is one of the most challenging achievements of the negotiators in the global environment. In the second part, the paper focuses on the one of the most important componenet of cross cultural business negotiations: differences in the use of non-verbal cues and body language of the parties involved with different cultural background. Undersstanding and recognising these differences is the first step to avoid costly misinterpretation during business negotiation.cross cultural negotiation, negotiation success, cultural differences, inter-cultural communication, body language

The significant differences found in certain areas of science learning between ninth grade, rural, and urban pupils

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Significant familial differences in the frequency of abortion and Toxoplasma gondii infection within a flock of Charollais sheep

A study was carried out to investigate the frequencies of abortion and congenital Toxoplasma gondii infection within 27 families (765 individuals) of a pedigree Charollais sheep flock maintained on a working farm in Worcestershire, UK, since 1992. Pedigree lambing records were analysed to establish the frequency of abortion for each family. The frequency of congenital infection was determined for each family by PCR analysis of tissue samples taken from newborn lambs. Atotal of 155 lambs were tested for congenital T. gondii infection, which were all born during the study period 2000–2003. Significant differences in the frequency of abortion between sheep families within this flock were observed with frequencies ranging between 0% and 48% (P<0.01). Significantly different infection frequencies with T. gondii were also observed for different families and ranged between 0% and 100% (P<0.01). Although the actual cause of each abortion was not verified, a highly significant positive correlation was found to exist between the frequency of abortion and the frequency of T. gondii infection in the same families (P<0.01). The data presented here raise further questions regarding the significance of congenital transmission of T. gondii within sheep populations, the possible successive vertical transmission of T. gondii within families of sheep, and the potential role of inherited genetic susceptibility to abortion with respect to T. gondii infection. This work invites further study into the epidemiology of ovine toxoplasmosis and may have implications for sheep husbandry methods in the future. Key words: Toxoplasma gondii, ovine, toxoplasmosis, congenital, transmission, pedigree, sheep

Germanium and lead: Significant differences between meteoritic and photospheric abundances?

The order of the Galactic cosmic ray source (GCRS) composition in terms of first ionization potential (FIP) was examined. For most elements, the degree of volatility is (positively) correlated with the value of the FIP, so that it is not easy to distinguish a correlation of GCRS abundances anomalies with FIP from a correlation with volatility. Only a few permit to distinguish between the two kinds of ordering: if they are depleted relative to refractory metals, volatility must be relevant, if not, FIP is relevant. Among them Cu and Zn would seem to favor FIP. Among the best indicators are Ge and Pb. The abundance anomalies in GCRS are defined relative to a standard which, for the heavy elements concerned, is commonly taken as C1 Carbonaceous Chondrites. Photospheric abundances are more directly representative of the protosolar nebula, and hence of ordinary local galactic (LG) matter. The Ge and Pb reference abundance determinations in the Photosphere and in C1 meteorites are examined and their relevance to the problem with FIP vs. volatility in GCRs is discussed

Sukuk securities and conventional bonds: evidence of significant differences

Sukuk securities have similar features with conventional bonds. The financial press has, however, inappropriately referred to Sukuk as Islamic bonds. This paper investigates sukuk securities empirically by first examining the yields to maturities of sukuk securities and conventional bonds of various issuers and maturities. Tests of differences in performance of the two classes of securities and Granger causality tests substantiate that these securities are different. This paper identifies some significant differences between the yield curves of sukuk securities and those of conventional bonds of the same issuers for the same term and rating. Results show significant differences between the average yields of sukuk and those of conventional bonds with the same quality and term issued by the same issuers from 2005 to 2012. Granger causality tests confirm that the yields of bonds do not Granger-cause the yields of sukuk, verifying no causality between the two. There is strong empirical evidence that the two types of debt instruments are not the same. This prompts re-examination of investment advisory and valuation methodology currently applied in the sukuk industry of 11 capital markets

GPS-Based Evaluation of Activity Profiles in Elite Downhill Mountain Biking and the Influence of Course Type

This study aimed to profile the activity patterns of elite downhill (DH) mountain bikers during off-road descending, and to determine the influence of course types on activity patterns. Six male elite DH mountain bikers (age 20 ± 2 yrs; stature 178.8 ± 3.1 cm; body mass 75.0 ± 3.0 kg) performed single runs on one man-made (MM) and one natural terrain (NT) DH courses under race conditions. A 5 Hz global positioning systems (GPS) unit, including a 100 Hz triaxial accelerometer, was positioned in a neoprene harness between the C7 and T2 vertebrae on each rider. GPS was used to determine the temporal characteristics of each run for velocity, run time, distance, effort, heart rate (HR), rider load (RLd) which reflects instantaneous rate of change in acceleration, and accumulated rider load (RLdAcc), which reflects change in acceleration over the event duration. Significant differences were found between NT and MM courses for mean velocity (p<.001), peak velocity (p=.014), mean RLd (p=.001) and peak RLd (p=.002). Significant differences were also found both within and between courses for all velocity parameters, when analysed by intensity zone (p<.05). No significant differences were found between courses for HR parameters by zone, though significant differences were revealed between HR zones within courses (p<.05). This study indicates that course terrain has a significant impact on the activity profiles of DH and that GPS can provide a practical means of monitoring these differences in activity

Effect of quality assessment on cultivar performance in timothy variety testing in Finland

Significant differences in quality parameters among varieties were recorded for yields of both the first and second cuts. Differences in D-values reflected the differences in earliness of varieties and differences in protein content reflected differences in the yield of a particular cut. Quality assessment in cultivar trials would motivate breeders to enhance their efforts in quality improvement

Significant differences in incubation times in sheep infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy result from variation at codon 141 in the PRNP gene

The susceptibility of sheep to prion infection is linked to variation in the PRNP gene, which encodes the prion protein. Common polymorphisms occur at codons 136, 154 and 171. Sheep which are homozygous for the A&lt;sub&gt;136&lt;/sub&gt;R&lt;sub&gt;154&lt;/sub&gt;Q&lt;sub&gt;171&lt;/sub&gt; allele are the most susceptible to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). The effect of other polymorphisms on BSE susceptibility is unknown. We orally infected ARQ/ARQ Cheviot sheep with equal amounts of BSE brain homogenate and a range of incubation periods was observed. When we segregated sheep according to the amino acid (L or F) encoded at codon 141 of the PRNP gene, the shortest incubation period was observed in LL141 sheep, whilst incubation periods in FF&lt;sub&gt;141&lt;/sub&gt; and LF&lt;sub&gt;141&lt;/sub&gt; sheep were significantly longer. No statistically significant differences existed in the expression of total prion protein or the disease-associated isoform in BSE-infected sheep within each genotype subgroup. This suggested that the amino acid encoded at codon 141 probably affects incubation times through direct effects on protein misfolding rates

Benchmarking urine storage and collection conditions for evaluating the female urinary microbiome.

Standardized conditions for collection, preservation and storage of urine for microbiome research have not been established. We aimed to identify the effects of the use of preservative AssayAssure® (AA), and the effects of storage time and temperatures on reproducibility of urine microbiome results. We sequenced the V3-4 segment of the 16S rRNA gene to characterize the bacterial community in the urine of a cohort of women. Each woman provided a single voided urine sample, which was divided into aliquots and stored with and without AA, at three different temperatures (room temperature [RT], 4 °C, or -20 °C), and for various time periods up to 4 days. There were significant microbiome differences in urine specimens stored with and without AA at all temperatures, but the most significant differences were observed in alpha diversity (estimated number of taxa) at RT. Specimens preserved at 4 °C and -20 °C for up to 4 days with or without AA had no significant alpha diversity differences. However, significant alpha diversity differences were observed in samples stored without AA at RT. Generally, there was greater microbiome preservation with AA than without AA at all time points and temperatures, although not all results were statistically significant. Addition of AA preservative, shorter storage times, and colder temperatures are most favorable for urinary microbiome reproducibility

Inter-Regional Wage Differentials in Portugal: An Analysis Across the Wage Distribution

Typically, studies on regional wage differentials are based on ordinary least squares (OLS) estimates. Quantile regression is an alternative approach which allows these differences to be studied across the whole wage distribution. In this study, the quantile regression framework is considered for the analysis of regional wage differences in Portugal. The findings reveal significant differences in wage equations coefficients between regions for the various quantiles. Furthermore, it is concluded that the regional wage differentials and the components explained by differences in endowments and differences in returns increase across the whole wage distribution