Rotation of the earth and polar motion, services

The services providing polar motion and universal time data are described. The precision and accuracy of these data are estimated

The astronomical units

The IAU-1976 System of astronomical constants includes three astronomical units (i.e. for time, mass and length). This paper reports on the status of the astronomical unit of length (ua) and mass (MSun) within the context of the recent IAU Resolutions on reference systems and the use of modern observations in the solar system. We especially look at a possible re-definition of the ua as an astronomical unit of length defined trough a fixed relation to the SI metre by a defining number.Comment: 2 pages, to be published in the Proceedings of the "Journees 2008 Systemes de reference spatio-temporels

Learning the optimal scale for GWAS through hierarchical SNP aggregation

Motivation: Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) seek to identify causal genomic variants associated with rare human diseases. The classical statistical approach for detecting these variants is based on univariate hypothesis testing, with healthy individuals being tested against affected individuals at each locus. Given that an individual's genotype is characterized by up to one million SNPs, this approach lacks precision, since it may yield a large number of false positives that can lead to erroneous conclusions about genetic associations with the disease. One way to improve the detection of true genetic associations is to reduce the number of hypotheses to be tested by grouping SNPs. Results: We propose a dimension-reduction approach which can be applied in the context of GWAS by making use of the haplotype structure of the human genome. We compare our method with standard univariate and multivariate approaches on both synthetic and real GWAS data, and we show that reducing the dimension of the predictor matrix by aggregating SNPs gives a greater precision in the detection of associations between the phenotype and genomic regions

Do compassionate firms outperform? The role of organizational learning

Purpose – Based on a new management paradigm rooted on care and compassion, this study explores the consequences of compassion at work on organizational learning and firm performance. Design/methodology/approach – Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the research model by using data from two different samples. Findings – Results confirm that compassion increases firm performance through organizational learning capability; however, compassion do not enhances directly firm performance. Research limitations/implications – The study findings indicate that when compassion is propagated among organizational members, organizations are better able to learn so they obtain a competitive advantage that is difficult to imitate and leads to higher firm performance. Originality/value – This study takes a step forward on literature by providing empirical evidence for a promising area of management research such is compassion in organizations

Changing the economic paradigm: Towards a sustainable business model

The Earth is currently facing an era of environmental crisis and climate change. This requires a prompt and effective response in order to at least mitigate or alleviate the negative consequences associated with the environmental imbalances. In this work, first I present a description about the environmental challenges we are facing and the relationship with the current economic model; second, the need for a transition to a sustainable economic model based on common welfare; third, the change towards a sustainable organizational paradigm; and finally, a case of sustainable business such is Patagonia Inc. The theoretical analysis and proposals and the description of the Patagonia case could serve as a framework to understand the current relationship between economics and environmental crisis, as such as a guiding route to develop a sustainable economy and create sustainable business models. This paper highlights that adopting the principles of circular and regenerative economy and taking environmental responsibility are a hallmark of the companies which are contributing to a more sustainable development

El estado de la democracia cuando los partidos políticos sólo piensan en las elecciones

Se hace un análisis de las funciones sustantivas de los partidos políticos, su desenvolvimiento reciente y del sello que estos le imprimen a la democracia en México, caracterizada por un divorcio entre gobernantes y gobernados.ITESO, A.C