Climatic and hydrologic changes in Morroccan middle atlas during the holocene

Ponencia presentada en: IX Congreso de la Asociación Española de Climatología celebrado en Almería entre el 28 y el 30 de octubre de 2014.The Middle Atlas represents an ideal location for testing hypotheses about the Holocene environmental responses to climate change. The Holocene also represents the period in which humans have become a dominant influence on the Earth System. Two cores (marginal and central) have been sampled in Tigalmamine lake and dated by 14C. Diatoms from this cores show new data for some species of Cyclotella genera and give valuable information concerning the hydroclimatic changes in middle Atlas

El existencialismo en la obra narrativa de Virgilio Piñera

Tesis doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Departamento de Filología Española. Fecha de lectura: 12-04-201

Les parcs scientifiques du Québec : la perspective des entreprises : rapport de recherche

RÉSUMÉ: Cette recherche, financée par la Ville de Lévis, vise à avancer les connaissances sur les facteurs de succès des entreprises établies dans un parc scientifique. Afin de bien comprendre ces facteurs de succès, 12 entrevues semi-dirigées ont été menées entre septembre 2016 et avril 2017 auprès d’entreprises, d’organismes gouvernementaux et d’acteurs du milieu académique établis dans les parcs scientifiques du Québec, au Canada. Une approche exploratoire a été adoptée afin de réaliser cette recherche. En effet, une démarche inductive permet de mieux comprendre un phénomène, tel que la dynamique d’un parc scientifique. Les résultats présentés dans ce document traitent premièrement des diverses définitions du concept de parc scientifique ainsi que du portrait des parcs scientifiques au Québec. Les motivations des entreprises à s’établir dans un parc scientifique, leurs attentes face à leur parc scientifique ainsi que les incitatifs mis en place par les parcs seront ensuite présentés. Les résultats des entrevues ont permis d’identifier les effets des parcs scientifiques sur chacune des phases du processus d’innovation (Tiwari, 2007) : conception, développement et marketing. L’analyse de ces résultats permettra finalement d’identifier les facteurs de succès des entreprises établies dans les parcs scientifiques. Bref, les résultats de cette recherche permettent de fournir des pistes de réflexion pour la gestion des parcs scientifiques ainsi que pour les entreprises qui souhaitent s’établir dans un parc scientifique. -- ABSTRACT: This research, funded by the City of Lévis, aims to advance knowledge on the success factors of businesses established in a science park. In order to fully understand these success factors, 12 semi-structured interviews were conducted between September 2016 and April 2017 with businesses, government agencies and academic stakeholders in science parks in the province of Québec, Canada. An exploratory approach was adopted to carry out this research. Indeed, an inductive approach allows a better understanding of a phenomenon, such as the dynamics of a science park. The results presented in this document firstly deal with the various definitions of the concept of a science park as well as the portrait of the science parks in the province of Québec. The motivations of businesses to establish themselves in a science park, their expectations of their science park and the incentives proposed by the parks will be presented. The results of the interviews identified the effects that the science parks have on each phase of the innovation process (Tiwari, 2007): conception, implementation and marketing. The analysis of these results will ultimately identify the success factors of businesses established in science parks. In short, the results of this research help to provide insights for the management of science parks as well as for businesses wishing to establish themselves in a science park

Å beholde på frivillige: En kvalitativ studie om motivasjon i frivillige organisasjoner

Denne bacheloroppgaven handler om motivasjon i den frivillige sektoren. Vi har definert motivasjon som en prosess som setter i gang, gir retning til, opprettholder og bestemmer intensitet i atferd. Motivasjon er drivkraften som får oss til å handle. Forskning forteller oss at motivasjon er sentralt når det kommer til frivillighet, og undersøkelser viser at det er en stor andel frivillige som slutter allerede innen det første året. Formålet med denne studien har derfor vært å undersøke hva som motiverer frivillige og søke å forstå hvordan dette henger sammen med deres vilje til å bli værende i organisasjonen. Vårt ønske er å kunne bidra med kunnskap til organisasjonene slik at de bedre kan bevare og beholde sine frivillige over lengre tid. Problemstillingen vår er derfor: ”Hva må ligge til grunn for at frivillige er motiverte, og blir i jobb over lengre tid?” Problemstillingen har blitt besvart med et komparativt casedesign. Studien ser på fire ulike frivillige organisasjoner som skiller seg i størrelse og hensikt. Det ble gjennomført tre dybdeintervjuer med en leder og to frivillige i hver organisasjon. Hensikten med intervjuene var å forstå hva som motiverer den enkelte, og høre hvilken rolle det spiller for deres vilje til å bli værende i organisasjonen. Vi utviklet forskningsspørsmål for å besvare problemstillingen, der vi så på psykologisk kontrakt, behov i ulike livsfaser og ledelsesatferd. Vi hadde også en åpenhet i forhold til å la informantene selv fortelle om andre forhold ved deres motivasjon. Etter at vi hadde foretatt datainnsamling og analyse av datamateriale fant vi at det er forskjeller mellom organisasjonene ut fra hvilket type arbeid de driver med. Videre fant vi at viljen til å fortsette med frivillig arbeidet ikke nødvendigvis avhenger av motivasjon, men at motivasjon må sees i sammenheng med hvilken livsfase de befinner seg i. Faktorer som er viktig for motivasjon, fant vi at var blant annet at det er samsvar mellom kompetanse og arbeidsoppgaver og at forventninger mellom medarbeider og leder samsvarer. Disse faktorene varierer ut fra livsfase og hvilken type arbeid en driver med

The Expectations of Businesses Settled in a Science Park

Science parks are created to support the development and growth of knowledge-based businesses and to foster the economic development of a region. Based on an exploratory qualitative study, this research project aims, firstly, to understand the expectations of businesses established in science parks, which is not very well documented in the literature and, secondly, to highlight the motivations of a business to settle in a science park. In order to do so, the research is based on a constructivist approach. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted between September 2016 and April 2017 with managers of organizations established in seven science parks in the province of Quebec, Canada. The analysis these interviews identified six major motivations of businesses to settle in a science park. It also revealed eleven major expectations of the science park's contributions for a business established. As a contribution, this research provides some recommendations not only for the managers of science parks, but also for the managers of businesses who want to be established in a science park. This research provides insights for science park managers about the incentives to set up to attract new business and about the support to provide for the business established in a science park in their development

Analysis of Dehydration and Strength in Elite Badminton Players

Background: The negative effects of dehydration on aerobic activities are well established. However, it is unknown how dehydration affects intermittent sports performance. The purpose of this study was to identify the level of dehydration in elite badminton players and its relation to muscle strength and power production. Methodology: Seventy matches from the National Spanish badminton championship were analyzed (46 men?s singles and 24 women?s singles). Before and after each match, jump height and power production were determined during a countermovement jump on a force platform. Participants? body weight and a urine sample were also obtained before and after each match. The amount of liquid that the players drank during the match was also calculated by weighing their individual drinking bottles. Results and Discussion: Sweat rate during the game was 1.1460.46 l/h in men and 1.0260.64 l/h in women. The players rehydrated at a rate of 1.1060.55 l/h and 1.0160.44 l/h in the male and female groups respectively. Thus, the dehydration attained during the game was only 0.3760.50% in men and 0.3260.83% in women. No differences were found in any of the parameters analyzed during the vertical jump (men: from 31.8265.29 to 32.9064.49 W/kg; p.0.05, women: from 26.3664.73 to 27.2564.44 W/kg; p.0.05). Post-exercise urine samples revealed proteinuria (60.9% of cases in men and 66.7% in women), leukocyturia (men = 43.5% and women = 50.0%) and erythrocyturia (men = 50.0% and women = 21.7%). Conclusions: Despite a moderate sweat rate, badminton players adequately hydrated during a game and thus the dehydration attained was low. The badminton match did not cause muscle fatigue but it significantly increased the prevalence of proteinuria, leukocyturia and erythrocyturia

Effects of a Caffeine-Containing Energy Drink on Simulated Soccer Performance

[Background] To investigate the effects of a caffeine-containing energy drink on soccer performance during a simulated game. A second purpose was to assess the post-exercise urine caffeine concentration derived from the energy drink intake. [Methodology/Principal Findings] Nineteen semiprofessional soccer players ingested 630±52 mL of a commercially available energy drink (sugar-free Red Bull®) to provide 3 mg of caffeine per kg of body mass, or a decaffeinated control drink (0 mg/kg). After sixty minutes they performed a 15-s maximal jump test, a repeated sprint test (7×30 m; 30 s of active recovery) and played a simulated soccer game. Individual running distance and speed during the game were measured using global positioning satellite (GPS) devices. In comparison to the control drink, the ingestion of the energy drink increased mean jump height in the jump test (34.7±4.7 v 35.8±5.5 cm; P<0.05), mean running speed during the sprint test (25.6±2.1 v 26.3±1.8 km · h−1; P<0.05) and total distance covered at a speed higher than 13 km · h−1 during the game (1205±289 v 1436±326 m; P<0.05). In addition, the energy drink increased the number of sprints during the whole game (30±10 v 24±8; P<0.05). Post-exercise urine caffeine concentration was higher after the energy drink than after the control drink (4.1±1.0 v 0.1±0.1 µg · mL−1; P<0.05). [Conclusions/significance] A caffeine-containing energy drink in a dose equivalent to 3 mg/kg increased the ability to repeatedly sprint and the distance covered at high intensity during a simulated soccer game. In addition, the caffeinated energy drink increased jump height which may represent a meaningful improvement for headers or when players are competing for a ball

Asymmetric response of forest and grassy biomes to climate variability across the African Humid Period : influenced by anthropogenic disturbance?

A comprehensive understanding of the relationship between land cover, climate change and disturbance dynamics is needed to inform scenarios of vegetation change on the African continent. Although significant advances have been made, large uncertainties exist in projections of future biodiversity and ecosystem change for the world's largest tropical landmass. To better illustrate the effects of climate–disturbance–ecosystem interactions on continental‐scale vegetation change, we apply a novel statistical multivariate envelope approach to subfossil pollen data and climate model outputs (TraCE‐21ka). We target paleoenvironmental records across continental Africa, from the African Humid Period (AHP: ca 14 700–5500 yr BP) – an interval of spatially and temporally variable hydroclimatic conditions – until recent times, to improve our understanding of overarching vegetation trends and to compare changes between forest and grassy biomes (savanna and grassland). Our results suggest that although climate variability was the dominant driver of change, forest and grassy biomes responded asymmetrically: 1) the climatic envelope of grassy biomes expanded, or persisted in increasingly diverse climatic conditions, during the second half of the AHP whilst that of forest did not; 2) forest retreat occurred much more slowly during the mid to late Holocene compared to the early AHP forest expansion; and 3) as forest and grassy biomes diverged during the second half of the AHP, their ecological relationship (envelope overlap) fundamentally changed. Based on these asymmetries and associated changes in human land use, we propose and discuss three hypotheses about the influence of anthropogenic disturbance on continental‐scale vegetation change