CENTRALIZATION VERSUS DECENTRALIZATION OF DECISION MAKING AUTHORITY: EFFECTS ON INFORMATION ACQUISITION AND ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY

Agribusiness,

The interrelationship between a therapist's communication process and a patient's use of denial

Thesis (D.N.S.)--Boston Universit

Student urges comments on women\u27s hockey team

Now that men\u27s varsity hockey at the University of Maine is number one in the country…I am wondering why there is no women\u27s ice hockey team at UMaine

Physiotherapy management of contractures after acquired brain injury

The first part of the thesis investigates treatments for contracture management. The hypothesis is that passive stretch is effective when a high intensity is used and when it is combined with treatments that target the underlying causes of contractures. To support this hypothesis, a case report was presented which described a resolution of severe knee contractures following an intensive program of passive stretch administered in conjunction with motor control training. Two randomised controlled trials were conducted to assess if electrical stimulation was an effective adjunct treatment to address spasticity and muscle weakness, factors believed to contribute to contractures. The findings of both studies demonstrate that electrical stimulation administered in conjunction with passive stretch is not more useful than passive stretch alone for people with severe motor and cognitive impairments. This result highlights a need to consider other treatment options in future research. The second part of the thesis investigates the impact of ankle contractures on the knee joint. An observational study establishes the link between ankle contractures and increased knee extension, and identifies the two gait patterns that are associated with simulated ankle contractures. This information contributes to the understanding of gait deviations that are secondary to ankle contractures

Examining the Legal Consciousness of Residence Life Staff

Understanding the law has become an integral part of the work of higher education professionals, especially residence life staff. For decades, courts have contributed an increasingly important role in shaping the litigious nature of society at large and within higher education (Greenleaf, 1982). Barr and Associates (1988) noted the increasingly major influence of the law on campus life. Even in the mid-1990s, Gehring and Penney (1995) highlighted the critical need to understand legal issues for those professionals entering the field of higher education and student affairs. Since Olivas (2013) found that higher education law is a rapidly changing area in the field, knowledge of the law is critical to anyone in a professional position in higher education. [Discussion questions developed by Amelia King-Kostelac.

The value-driving potential of budgeting in South African manufacturing companies

Historically budgets have been seen as an indispensible control mechanism for businesses. Both the business and academic press continue to report on problems related to budgeting. This research report investigated whether or not local managers and finance practitioners believe that budgets add value to South African manufacturing companies A gap in previous research was that investigations were limited to finance practitioners. This study investigated the experiences and views of non-financial managers in addition to those of finance professionals. In order to understand the views of both sets of managers, Qualitative research, in the form of semi-structured expert interviews was undertaken. The findings reflect managers believe budget and planning processes add value, their reasons for what drives value in the process differs from the international literature on the subject. The processes and procedures followed locally align with global practices to a large extent. It was surprising to find that local managers do not report the same levels of problems experienced with budgets as their international counterparts. Participative budgetary practices were found to be a problem, leading to problems with budgetary alignment, efficiency and buy-in. The most surprising finding was that non-financial managers are positive about budgeting and planning processes. The key finding being that the process is used to gain information that drives their understanding of their business and this enables them to more meaningfully review and update their strategies.Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010.Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)unrestricte

SpORtI: The species originality and rarity index combines phylogenetic and functional originality with rarity metrics to provide a new perspective on species rarity

Methods used to assign rarity among species are fundamental to our ecological understanding and conservation of species that are most vulnerable to extinction or extirpation. Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila) are at the forefront of declines in pollinator diversity and a comprehensive understanding of their conservation requirements in any landscape is essential. Rarity is generally defined in terms of numerical abundance and geographical distribution, though aspects of species life history, such as degree of specialization and taxonomic relatedness, are also widely recognized as important. Incomplete information on the life histories of many taxa obliges ecologists to rely on species-level classifications of specialization provided by expert opinion or in published site- or region-specific studies. Descriptions of specialization are therefore rooted in characterization of the habitat and introduce subjectivity into rarity calculations through assumptions of how species perceive and use resources. An alternative approach that may reduce this level of subjectivity is to incorporate important life-history elements into species rarity assessments, which are traits of the organism itself and not its environment. Phylogenetic and functional originality are metrics which have been presented as useful for characterizing the uniqueness of species, and thus for developing a more informed index of species rarity. This study describes our Species Originality and Rarity Index (SpORtI) for bees that includes variables reflecting five rarity and originality metrics for each species: numeric rarity, geographic rarity, phenological rarity, phylogenetic originality, and functional originality. We compared species-specific rarity weights generated with this approach against other indices using a bee dataset collected over three years across the 520,000-km2 land area of the Great Lakes Basin and within the United States and found that rankings using our approach differed significantly from other indices. Our index represents an improvement on previous approaches since it incorporates key information identified by other researchers and avoids potential subjectivity associated with assigning habitat specialization. Importantly, SpORtI has the added advantage to incorporate updated species life-history traits reported in the literature to allow for the most comprehensive and timely rarity index. This new index will aid researchers and practitioners in determining what species to focus conservation efforts on, as well as which management treatments and environmental factors affect our most vulnerable species of bees, or other taxa, so that limited resources can be applied to focal areas of conservation concern more effectively and efficiently

Community Voices: Healthcare for the Undeserved

Thirteen diverse communities - or learning laboratories - across the country serve as working centers that sort out what works from what does not in meeting the needs of those who receive inadequate or no health care. These learning laboratories were selected to serve some of the hardest-to-reach populations including those living in poor urban and rural areas, immigrants, Native Americans and the homeless

Contribució a l'estudi de les colònies de virot (Calonectris diomedea) i noneta (Hydrobates pelagicus) de l'arxipèlag de Cabrera

Se presenta el recompte nidificant de virot (Calonectris cliomedea) i noneta (Hydrobates pelagicus) a l'Arxipèlag de Cabrera (Balears) el 1992. Per als virots se calcula una estimació de 410-455 parelles nidificants. S'inclou un estudi sobre el tipus de nius que són emprats. S'han controlat dos adults anellats fa 17 anys, un quan era poll i l'altre, anellat ja com a adult, així que deu tenir alnanco 20 anys. S'analitzen i comparen les dades obtingudes sobre diferents paràmetres amb la informació disponible sobre altres recomptes a Cabrera. Per a la noneta s'estimen 10-20 parelles nidificants en un recompte parcial limitat a quatre illots. S'han realitzat dos controls per primera vegada, correspondents a la campanya de l'any anterior.Contribution to the research of the Cory's Sheawater (Calonectris diomedea) and Storm Petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus) coloides the Cabrera Archipelago. The breeding census made at Cabrera National Park during 1992 on the Cory's Sheawater (Calonectris diomedea) and the Storm Petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus) is presented. There is an estimation of 410- 455 breeding pairs for the Cory's Sheawater's population. It is included a research about the kinds of nests that are used. There were controlled two adults that had been ringed 17 years ago, one of them was ringed when it was a chick and the other one as an adult so it is about 20 years.The data that was got about differents parameters have been analysed and compared with the available information about other census made in Cabrera. There is an estimation of 10-20 breedeng pairs for the Storm Petrel's population considering the partial census that just was made in 4 islets. Two controls were made for the first time corresponding to the campaign of the last year