5,045 research outputs found
The Role of Corporate Reputation Versus Relationships in Building Employer Brand Equity: The case of a Major Private Hospital
In Australia and many other developed countries, there are now acute skills shortages in a number of different industries - healthcare being a notable example. The need to attract and retain the best available employees has become a critical managerial task. Building a strong employer brand offers a promising approach to this problem. The academic literature is still at a relatively early stage of development but internal relationship marketing and corporate reputation have been identified as two key concepts associated with employer branding. This case study of a private hospital in Australia explores the role of these concepts in building employer brand equity. Initial findings suggest corporate reputation has an asymmetric impact - the costs of a negative reputation far outweigh the benefits of a positive one
Generation of defects and disorder from deeply quenching a liquid to form a solid
We show how deeply quenching a liquid to temperatures where it is linearly
unstable and the crystal is the equilibrium phase often produces crystalline
structures with defects and disorder. As the solid phase advances into the
liquid phase, the modulations in the density distribution created behind the
advancing solidification front do not necessarily have a wavelength that is the
same as the equilibrium crystal lattice spacing. This is because in a deep
enough quench the front propagation is governed by linear processes, but the
crystal lattice spacing is determined by nonlinear terms. The wavelength
mismatch can result in significant disorder behind the front that may or may
not persist in the latter stage dynamics. We support these observations by
presenting results from dynamical density functional theory calculations for
simple one- and two-component two-dimensional systems of soft core particles.Comment: 25 pages, 11 figure
Association between somatic cell count after first parturition and cumulative milk yield in dairy cows
The aim was to assess the association between the somatic cell count of parity 1 cows between 5 and 30 days in milk (SCC1), and subsequent cumulative milk yield over approximately two years for cows in English and Welsh dairy herds. The dataset included records from 43,461 cows in 2111 herds, from 2004 to 2006. Cumulative milk yield was the model outcome, and a random effect was included to account for variation between herds. The model fitted the data well and was used to make predictions of cumulative milk yield, based on SCC1. A unit increase in the natural logarithm of SCC1/1000 was associated with a median decrease in cumulative milk yield of 482 kg, over a median study period of 868 days
Association between somatic cell count during the first lactation and the cumulative milk yield of cows in Irish dairy herds
Reduced potential milk yield is an important component of mastitis costs in dairy cows. The first aim of this study was to assess associations between somatic cell count (SCC) during the first lactation, and cumulative milk yield over the first lactation and subsequent lifetime of cows in Irish dairy herds. The second aim was to assess the association between SCC at 5 to 30 d in milk during parity 1 (SCC1), and SCC over the entire first lactation for cows in Irish dairy herds. The data set studied included records from 51,483 cows in 5,900 herds. Somatic cell count throughout the first lactation was summarized using the geometric mean and variance of SCC. Data were analyzed using linear models that included random effects to account for the lack of independence between observations, and herdlevel variation in coefficients. Models were developed in a Bayesian framework and parameters were estimated from 10,000 Markov chain Monte Carlo simulations. The final models were a good fit to the data. A 1-unit increase in mean natural logarithm SCC over the first lactation was associated with a median decrease in first lactation and lifetime milk yield of 135 and 1,663 kg, respectively. A 1-unit increase in the variance of natural logarithm SCC over the first lactation was associated with a median decrease in lifetime milk yield of 719 kg. To demonstrate the context of lifetime milk yield results, microsimulation was used to model the trajectory of individual cows and evaluate the expected outcomes for particular changes in herd-level geometric mean SCC over the first lactation. A 75% certainty of savings of at least €199/heifer in the herd was detected if herd-level geometric mean SCC over the first lactation was reduced from ≥120,000 to ≤72,000 cells/mL. The association between SCC1 and SCC over the remainder of the first lactation was highly herd dependent, indicating that control measures for heifer mastitis should be preferentially targeted on an individual-herd basis toward either the pre- and peripartum period, or the lactating period, to optimize the lifetime milk yield of dairy cows
Psychosocial Development Research in Adolescence: a Scoping Review
Erikson’s psychosocial development is a well-known and sound framework for adolescent
development. However, despite its importance in scientific literature, the
scarcity of literature reviews on Erikson’s theory on adolescence calls for an up-todate
systematization. Therefore, this study’s objectives are to understand the extent
and nature of published research on Erikson’s psychosocial development in adolescence
(10–19 years) in the last decade (2011–2020) and identify directions for
meaningful research and intervention. A scoping review was conducted following
Arksey and O’Malley’s framework, PRISMA-ScR guidelines, and a previous protocol,
including a comprehensive search in eight databases. From 932 initial studies,
58 studies were selected. These studies highlighted the burgeoning research on
Erikson’s approach, with a more significant representation of North American and
European studies. The focus of most studies was on identity formation, presenting
cross-cultural evidence of its importance in psychosocial development. Most of the
studies used quantitative designs presenting a high number of different measures.
Regarding topics and variables, studies emphasized the critical role of identity in
adolescents’ development and well-being and the relevance of supporting settings in
psychosocial development. However, shortcomings were found regarding the study
of online and school as privileged developmental settings for adolescents. Suggestions
included the need to consider the process of identity formation in the context
of lifespan development and invest in supporting adolescents’ identity formation.
Overall, conclusions point out Erikson’s relevance in understanding adolescents’
current challenges while offering valuable research and intervention directions to
enhance adolescent growth potential.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Effect of Growth Arrestment Disease on the Anatomy and Ultrastructure of Vitis vinifera L. var. sultana
The anatomical and ultrastructural changes caused by the so called Growth Arrestment Disease (G.A.D.) in Vitis vinifera L. var. sultana were investigated by means of scanning and transmitted electron microscopy as well as light microscopy. Important morphological symptoms are described. Anatomical abnormalities were found, especially in the leaves and Hower clusters of the affected vines. Heat and moisture stress may induce abnormal physiological changes, and this may give rise to G.A.D.-symptoms
In vitro toxin production by fusarium solani f. sp. piperis.
Fusarium solani f. sp. piperis (teleomĂłrfico: Nectria haematococca f. sp. piperis) agente causal da podridĂŁo-das-raĂzes e do secamento-dos-ramos da pimenteira-do-reino (Piper nigrum) produz metabĂłlitos secundários com propriedades tĂłxicas capazes de induzir descoloração das nervuras em folhas destacadas e murcha em micro-estacas. A produção de metabĂłlitos tĂłxicos alcançou o pico apĂłs 25 dias de incubação, sob iluminação. Variações no pH do filtrado da cultura nĂŁo aumentaram o efeito tĂłxico, entretanto, quando o pH foi ajustado antes da esterilização do meio de cultura, uma resposta biolĂłgica mais intensa foi observada, atingindo o máximo em pH 6,0. Isolados que produziram pigmentos vermelhos no meio de cultura foram mais eficientes em produzir filtrados biologicamente ativos do que aqueles que produziram filtrados de coloração rĂłsea ou branca sugerindo que estes pigmentos podem estar relacionados com atividade toxigĂŞnica. Folhas destacadas de sete cultivares de pimenta-do-reino e Piper betle exibiram sintomas de descoloração das nervuras apĂłs imersĂŁo em filtrados autoclavado e nĂŁo autoclavado indicando a natureza termoestável destes metabĂłlitos tĂłxicos
The basis of the physical Hilbert space of lattice gauge theories
Non-linear Fourier analysis on compact groups is used to construct an
orthonormal basis of the physical (gauge invariant) Hilbert space of
Hamiltonian lattice gauge theories. In particular, the matrix elements of the
Hamiltonian operator involved are explicitly computed. Finally, some
applications and possible developments of the formalism are discussed.Comment: 14 pages, LaTeX (Using amsmath
Note on the hydrodynamic description of thin nematic films: strong anchoring model
We discuss the long-wave hydrodynamic model for a thin film of nematic liquid
crystal in the limit of strong anchoring at the free surface and at the
substrate. We rigorously clarify how the elastic energy enters the evolution
equation for the film thickness in order to provide a solid basis for further
investigation: several conflicting models exist in the literature that predict
qualitatively different behaviour. We consolidate the various approaches and
show that the long-wave model derived through an asymptotic expansion of the
full nemato-hydrodynamic equations with consistent boundary conditions agrees
with the model one obtains by employing a thermodynamically motivated gradient
dynamics formulation based on an underlying free energy functional. As a
result, we find that in the case of strong anchoring the elastic distortion
energy is always stabilising. To support the discussion in the main part of the
paper, an appendix gives the full derivation of the evolution equation for the
film thickness via asymptotic expansion
Bayesian evaluation of budgets for endemic disease control: an example using management changes to reduce milksomatic cell count early in the first lactation of Irish dairy cows
The aim of this research was to determine budgets for specific management interventions to control heifer mastitis in Irish dairy herds as an example of evidence synthesis and 1-step Bayesian micro-simulation in a veterinary context. Budgets were determined for different decision makers based on their willingness to pay. Reducing the prevalence of heifers with a high milk somatic cell count (SCC) early in the first lactation could be achieved through herd level management interventions for pre- and peri-partum heifers, however the cost effectiveness of these interventions is unknown. A synthesis of multiple sources of evidence, accounting for variability and uncertainty in the available data is invaluable to inform decision makers around likely economic outcomes of investing in disease control measures. One analytical approach to this is Bayesian micro-simulation, where the trajectory of different individuals undergoing specific interventions is simulated. The classic micro-simulation framework was extended to encompass synthesis of evidence from 2 separate statistical models and previous research, with the outcome for an individual cow or herd assessed in terms of changes in lifetime milk yield, disposal risk, and likely financial returns conditional on the interventions being simultaneously applied. The 3 interventions tested were storage of bedding inside, decreasing transition yard stocking density, and spreading of bedding evenly in the calving area. Budgets for the interventions were determined based on the minimum expected return on investment, and the probability of the desired outcome. Budgets for interventions to control heifer mastitis were highly dependent on the decision maker's willingness to pay, and hence minimum expected return on investment. Understanding the requirements of decision makers and their rational spending limits would be useful for the development of specific interventions for particular farms to control heifer mastitis, and other endemic diseases.
Keywords
Bayesian; Micro-simulation; Dairy heifer; Mastitis control; Cost-effectiveness; Decision makin
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