PROBLEMS WITH THE TREATMENT OF TIME IN THE TRAVEL COST METHOD

Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

Análisis del contenido argumentativo en un corpus de ensayos en inglés

El objetivo general del proyecto “Análisis del contenido argumentativo en un corpus de ensayos en inglés” como el título lo sugiere, analizar el contenido de los argumentos en el discurso mediante la comparación y contraste de ensayos escritos por los alumnos, para obtener un modelo de referencia en el contexto la argumentación. Para empezar a discutir un modelo argumentativo, es importante saber primero qué es un argumento. Van Dijk (1978) lo define como un diálogo persuasivo, cuyo objetivo es convencer al receptor de la credibilidad de la aseveración propuesta. Para ser consistente, todo argumento debe incluir enunciados aceptables, razonamientos válidos y un esquema argumentativo apropiado y correcto. Díaz (2009) identifica seis elementos, de los cuales tres son obligatorios y tres opcionales. Los obligatorios son: punto de vista o conclusión (P), fundamentación (F), y garante (G). Los opcionales, aunque no menos importantes, son: condicionamiento de la conclusión (Cd), concesión (K) y refutación (R).Como veremos, estos elementos provienen del análisis de las corrientes de la argumentación

Building BASTA

Before the scandal broke there were plenty of Bell residents that felt something was really wrong with city government. The residents of Bell had no real proof. Getting information was nearly impossible, but there were signs that something was wrong. For example, how does a councilmember from a working class community, where the median income was $30,000 a year, afford to drive around in a$100,000 Mercedes Benz -- when his main source of income was a small corner market? Or, why did property taxes continue to increase, but services continued to decline? And, why did so many Latino teenagers get pulled over and have their cars impounded for the slightest infractions, such as expired tags or a broken tail light, and then had to pay nearly $1,000 in fines and impound fees to get their cars back? Several community members had tried to find out councilmembers’ and top administrators’ salaries, and had also asked questions about how bond money was being spent, but had failed to get any answers. Every request for public records was rejected by the city attorney. To get that information they would have to sue the city using the Public Records Act. Some residents knew that if they sued, they would likely win, but no attorneys would help file the lawsuit without a retainer of at least$10,000. No one in Bell had that type of money lying around. Some residents had reached out to major news media outlets, including the Los Angeles Times, but no one ever wanted to follow up on the lead

The initial public offering of high-technology firms: female executive managers and innovation

This study addresses how gender diversity in management teams influences the success of the IPO of research-intensive firms, and how critical indicators of innovation capabilities for those types of firms can mediate the gender effect

Predicting Graduation in High School Seniors from Protective and Other Factors

The purpose of the current study was to examine factors that discriminated between high school students who graduated from those who did not. High school graduation was chosen as a discriminating outcome for the comparisons groups due to the positive implications graduation has on students\u27 future professional and emotional development. Data were collected from students enrolled in their fourth year of high school. Specifically, the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC-2) and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) were used to assess students\u27 internalizing and externalizing behaviors as they related to academic achievement. Seventy-eight fourth year high school students agreed to participate in the study. The current study failed to identify predictor variables due to the large discrepancy in the sizes of the two outcome groups. No significant differences were found between the groups with respect to the independent variables. Significant differences were found between gender and graduation outcome. Additionally, differences in grade point average and school attendance were significant between groups. In addition to these statically significant findings, moderate and large effect sizes were identified among the independent variables and high school graduation

Holding Containers, Conscientious Education, and a Divine Ajiaco: My Theory of Supervision

This set of theory papers was nominated and selected as the Theory Papers of the Year Award

Hepatotoxic Cyanobacterial Blooms in Louisiana\u27s Estuaries: Analysis of Risk to Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) Following Exposure to Microcystins

The most common toxins detected following freshwater harmful algal blooms are microcystins, a group of hepatotoxins produced by cyanobacteria (e.g., Microcystis and Anabaena spp.). Preference for filter-feeding prey, including bivalves, makes the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, vulnerable to microcystin contamination and makes the commercially important crab a potential vector of microcystins. I used a combination of field and laboratory studies to determine blue crab vulnerability to microcystin contamination and consequent impacts on crab physiology. Samples collected from a hyper-eutrophic freshwater lake, Lac des Allemands, Louisiana, were analyzed for cyanobacterial abundances and microcystins in surface water and blue crabs using light-microscopy and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Alternating blooms of Microcystis and Anabaena spp. occurred throughout the sampling period. Highest microcystins concentration in surface water (1.42 &181;g/l) was above tolerable daily intake (TDI) guidelines set by the World Health Organization (WHO). Highest microcystin concentrations in crab tissue were 820, 65, and 105 &181;g microcystins/ kg in hepatopancreas, viscera, and muscle, respectively, which were close to or exceeding the WHO-TDI guidelines. The study demonstrated the ability of Microcystis and Anabaena blooms to produce toxins that accumulate in blue crab tissues and are possibly transferred to higher level consumers, including humans. Laboratory studies were aimed at understanding distributions and physiological effects of two microcystin congeners, microcystin-LR and -RR, in orally exposed blue crabs. Crabs administered 0, 10, 100, 500, or 1000 &181;g microcystin/kg of crab body weight of either congener were sacrificed 48-hours following exposure. Using ELISA, microcystins were detected in hepatopancreas and viscera, but not in muscle or hypodermis for both microcystin-LR and -RR exposed crabs. There was significant correlation between microcystin-LR uptake in hepatopancreas and crab weight loss after 48-hours (P\u3c0.050). In crabs administered daily doses of 50 &181;g microcystin-RR/kg of crab body weight for 7-days, significant (P\u3c0.050) accumulation was seen in hepatopancreas and viscera, but not in muscle, hypodermis, or gills. Lipid hydroperoxides in hepatopancreas were significantly (P\u3c0.050) altered following exposure, indicating oxidative stress. These studies indicate that natural populations of blue crabs may be subjected to physiological stress following microcystin accumulation

Germline cognitive and moral enhancements : an exploration of their potential impact on distributive justice and a case for their incorporation into the Rawlsian political conception

PhD ThesisThe possibility of genetically intervening in the genome of future people has sparked fears about the potentially negative impact of such interventions on social justice. The risks of unequal access to these novel technologies, coupled with the dangers of the re-emergence of eugenic policies, have been thought to be too great to ignore. Should these fears become reality, we will be in danger of creating new social inequalities or of exacerbating those already prevalent in modern society. The aim of this thesis is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the impact on distributive justice of germline cognitive and moral enhancements, and to explore how these technologies can become part of the Rawlsian account of justice. From a biological perspective, we do not choose who we are. It is widely accepted that our genetic make-up is at least partly responsible for the kinds of people that we are and that it can have a marked influence on who we become and on our share of social primary goods. Because of this “genetic lottery”, inequalities in access to opportunities invariably exist. Recent scientific advances, however, may provide us with valuable enhancements, particularly to our cognitive and moral capacities, that could be used as tools to re-dress these inequalities. Indeed they might even help to promote the goals sought by the Rawlsian theory of justice. This thesis shows how the justice arguments usually presented against enhancement technologies can be addressed from within a society governed by the Rawlsian principles of justice. Furthermore, the enhancement of cognitive genetic traits, in particular those involved in the development of fluid intelligence, could broaden the range of opportunities open to citizens and increase the social product available for distribution under the dictums of the difference principle. The moral permissibility of germline enhancements designed to augment the capacities for empathy and a sense of fairness is supported by the contribution they make towards securing the stability of the Rawlsian society. If these technologies present no moral issues apart from distributional concerns, a society that is governed by the Rawlsian principles of justice would therefore benefit from allowing cognitive and moral enhancements of the human germline