Neoproterozoic ultramafic and mafic magmatism in the Eastern Cordillera of the central peruvian Andes: the Tapo Massif

A highly dismembered assemblage of ultramafic and mafic rocks is exposed in the Eastern Cordillera of the Central Peruvian Andes, extending along a discontinuous NW-SE belt over some 250 km between 12° and 9° S of latitude. One of the most important occurrences is the Tapo Mafic-Ultramafic Complex, which occurs at 3750 to 4200 m above sea level, 2 km to the west of Tapo locality, in the Tarma province, about 200 Km west of Lima. The Tapo complex is a lens-shaped body, 5 km long and 1-2 km wide, that consists mainly of strongly serpentinized peridotites and some gabbros. Several small open pits won chromite from podiform chromitite lenses ( ≥60 chromite) and from disseminated chromite in serpentinite. The main structural trend of the Tapo Complex is NW – SE and the massif is tectonically emplaced upon Lower Carboniferous sedimentary rocks. The rocks of the Tapo massif are overprinted by metamorphism reaching amphibolite facies (see Willner et al, 2010, for more information on the metamorphic conditions). The main purpose of this work is to constrain the age determination of the Tapo Complex, using Sm-Nd technique direct dating of chromites and, also, amphibole, plagioclase and whole-rock samples from the host gabbro. In addition K-Ar age determination on amphibole is presented to date the metamorphic overprint

The strength of human resource practices and transformational leadership: impact on organisational performance

The Human resource (HR) strength concept (Bowen, D., and Ostroff, C. 2004, ‘Understanding HRM-Firm Performance Linkages: The Role of the “Strength” of the HRM System,’ Academy of Management Review, 29, 2, 203–221) reflects the capacity of an HR system to transmit messages characterised by high distinctiveness, consistency and consensus. HR systems are therefore affecting perceptions and interpretations of organisational realities, such as climate and culture. Furthermore, Bowen and Ostroff (2004) suggest that organisational climate mediates the relationship between HR strength and performance. The leadership literature advocates that leaders are people who are able to create a social context in which employees are guided towards a shared interpretation, understanding and perception of the organisational climate (Yukl, G.A. 1989, Leadership in Organizations, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall). In summary, bothHR strength and leadership are two environment dimensions shaping and moulding employees’ perceptions and interpretations. The current study explores the relationships between HR strength, leadership, organisational climate and performance. 323 questionnaires were used to gather information from a company in the industrial sector. The results show a positive relationship between the variables; however, mediating effects of climate were only observed between leadership and performance.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

An efficient muscle fatigue model for forward and inverse dynamic analysis of human movements

AbstractThe aim of this work is to present the integration of a simple and yet efficient dynamic muscle fatigue model in a multibody formulation with natural coordinates. The fatigue model considers the force production history of each muscle to estimate its fitness level by means of a three-compartment theory approach. The model is easily adapted to co-operate with standard Hill-type muscle models, allowing the simulation and analysis of the redundant muscle forces generated in the presence of muscular fatigue. This has particular relevance in the design of orthotic devices to support human locomotion and manipulation

A different approach to real web accessibility

Accessibility is sometimes taken for granted, however for people with certain disabilities there are still a number of obstacles between them and the Information Society. At a time where the Information Society is becoming more and more important it is imperative to make sure that no one is left out. The web is becoming the centerpiece of this new information age; therefore if the sentence Information Society for All is to have any meaning then the web must be accessible to everyone. Nevertheless the web is turning into a showcase for designers and technology experts. Although this is pushing many people to the web it does drive some sectors away. People with specific disabilities, namely the blind community, find it harder and harder to read common web pages. This paper reports on a work on a talking browser showing some features that either are not yet widely implemented or, in some cases, have never been reported. Furthermore a new approach is presented, based on information extraction scripts for template urls, to provide real accessibility for blind users. This latter approach, although restricted to a small subset of the web by its nature, aims at giving blind users further views of a web page which will provide them with a clean extraction of the main information on a web page.Secretariado Nacional para a Reabilitação e Integração das Pessoas com Deficiência - Programa CITE IV

Evaluations of witnesses' responses to bias: Universalism - Concern and the costs of confrontation

Highlights - We investigated how majority-group witnesses' responses to bias are evaluated. - Confronting is perceived to be a more appropriate response than not confronting. - The exception is when the personal costs of confronting are high. - In this case, evaluations of responses to bias are moderated by observers' values.Abstract The present research examined how situational and individual difference factors influence majority-group observers' evaluations of witnesses' responses to an incident of bias. In Study 1, participants learned of a situation in which a White person applying for a job he did or did not need (high vs. low cost of confrontation) heard his interviewer make a racist comment, which the White person did or did not confront. Non-confrontation was evaluated as less appropriate than confrontation when the costs of confronting were low, but not when costs were high, revealing that in a high cost situation the appropriate response to bias is more ambiguous. Study 2 focused on this high cost situation to show that evaluations of another person's responses to bias depend on individual differences in the observer's values. Observers who scored low on Universalism–Concern evaluated another person's non-confrontation as appropriate as confrontation, but participants who scored high on Universalism–Concern perceived non-confrontation as less appropriate. Considering how responses to bias are assessed helps illuminate normative processes that affect confrontations of bias against outgroups, contributing to the knowledge of the processes that may allow biases to persist

Echinoderms of Cabeço da Ladeira : a case of geological heritage

O presente trabalho pretende descrever o processo de intervenção no geossítio Equinodermes do Cabeço da Ladeira, concelho de Porto de Mós. Este local foi assim classificado por conter fósseis de equinodermes detentores de importância científica significativa, merecendo especial atenção e medidas de preservação. Expõem-se os passos tomados desde a sua identificação ate às ações mais recentes, que envolveram a inventariação dos exemplares fósseis. O futuro do local é também abordado, pretendendo-se que passe pela requalificação do local como espaço de visitação musealizado.This paper aims to describe the process of intervention in the geosite “Equinodermes do Cabeço da Ladeira”, municipality of Porto de Mós. Exceptionally preserved fossil echinoderms were found in this locality, bearing scientific importance and deserving special attention and conservation measures. Here are described the steps taken from identification of the site, until the most recent actions that ensure the preservation of that fossil locality. The future ideas for that area are also explained, aiming to transform what was once a quarry to an open-air museum.LNEG, ICN

Distribution System Reconfiguration with Variable Demands Using the Opt-aiNet Algorithm

This paper describes the application of the Opt-aiNet algorithm to the reconfiguration problem of distribution systems considering variable demand levels. The Opt-aiNet algorithm is an optimization technique inspired in the immunologic bio system and it aims at reproducing the main properties and functions of this system. The reconfiguration problem of distribution networks with variable demands is a complex problem that aims at identifying the most adequate radial topology of the network that complies with all technical constraints in every demand level while minimizing the cost of power losses along an extended operation period. This work includes results of the application of the Opt-aiNet algorithm to distribution systems with 33, 84, 136 and 417 buses. These results demonstrate the robustness and efficiency of the proposed approach