Mobbing and suppression: footprints of their relationships

Aims: Two important processes involving the exercise of power are mobbing and suppression of dissent. These are examined, compared and contrasted with the aim of expanding the understanding of organisational and professional negative dynamics. Methods: The characteristic features and patterns of mobbing and suppression of dissent are examined. Areas of overlap and difference are noted and discussed. Results: Dissent is a challenge to a dominant group or set of ideas, and often met with various reprisals, such as ostracism, harassment and censorship: dissenters are frequently subject to mobbing. However, there are some different processes involved. Some targets of mobbing are chosen because they are different, not because they are challenging an orthodoxy. Some forms of suppression do not involve mobbing: a dissident researcher might be denied jobs and have publications and grant applications rejected, but not be subject to any personal abuse. The result is that individuals or ideas may be marginalised without the usual features of mobbing. Mobbing and suppression of dissent overlap with reprisals against whistleblowers. Some whistleblowers are mobbed or suppressed. However, suppression can occur without whistleblowing, for example when researchers obtain results unwelcome to powerful groups. Conclusion: A greater understanding of processes of suppression can assist mobbing researchers understand the wider dimensions of power used by groups against opponents. Mobbing sometimes is used to suppress. They both share many strategies, but nonetheless they are different

Incidence du chlorure de sodium sur la dénitrification d'éluats de résines par une bactérie chimiautotrophe soufre-oxydante

L'épuration ou la destination finale des éluats de régénération des résines utilisées en dénitratation reste un problème mal résolu. De nouvelles voies sont recherchées; la dénitrification biologique semble très attrayante car elle peut être mise en oeuvre sous forme d'un réacteur de faible coût et d'exploitation facile. L'objectif de ce travail a été d'affiner la connaissance du procédé de dénitrification chimioautotrophe sur soufre en milieu salé, dirigé vers l'épuration et/ou la valorisation de ces éluats.Claus et Kutzner (1985) ont montré l'action inhibitrice de la dénitrification du chlorure de sodium à partir de 20 g/l. Une colonne contenant du soufre est alimentée en continu par une solution comportant des nitrates et des sels nutritifs. La première partie de l'étude permet de relier la charge volumique (Cv) au rendement de dénitrification. Le rendement de dénitrification est supérieur à 85 % pour Cv < 2 kg NO3-/m3.j ; il tombe à 50 % pour Cv ~ 3,5 kg NO3-/m3.j Des rapports stoechiométriques entre les nitrates réduits et les produits formés/consommés ont été établis. Ainsi : NO3- donne 0,98 SO42- et 1 NO3- consomme 0,90 HCO3-. L'incidence de la teneur en NaCl de la solution alimentaire permet de montrer l'inhibition non compétitive du chlorure vis-à-vis de la dénitrification. L'incidence de la concentration en NaCl sur le vitesse de dénitrification apparaît pour une charge de 1 kg NO3-/m3.j. On note que le rendement de 90 % ou plus est obtenu pour une concentration 2 30 g/l. La constante d'inhibition est de l'ordre de 40 g/l. L'examen de la répartition de la biomasse sur le matériau et une approximation simple d'écoulement en flux piston nous conduisent à prévoir le rendement d'élimination de NO3- par :r=1 - e[ - 143,5 ] (sur) CV (41+I)Cette équation traduit les rôles de la charge volumique (Cv) et de la concentration en NaCl (I).The treatment and ultimate disposal of saline eluates from ionic exchange resins remain a badly worked out problem. New approaches are needed and biological denitrification seems to be very attractive since it may be implemented in the form of an inexpensively and easily used reactor.The aim of the present work was to better understand the bacterial denitrification process on sulphur by a chemoautotrophic bacterium, Thiobacillus denitrificans, in a saline medium, and to apply this knowledge to the treatment and/or the recycling of these eluates. Claus and Kutzner (1985) reported an inhibitory effect of NaCl starting at a concentration of 20 g/L.A column containing elemental sulphur was continually fed by a solution containing nitrate and nutrient salts. In the first step of the study, a relationship between the volumetric load (Cv) and the denitrification efficiency was established. For Cv < 2 kg NO3-/m3/j, the denitrification efficiency was greater than 85%, whereas it decreased rapidly to 50% for Cv 3,5 kg NO3- /m3/j. Stoichiometric ratios between reduced nitrates and formed/consumed products were determined. For example, the reduction of 1 mole of NO3- induces the formation of 0,98 mole SO42- and requires 0,90 moles HCO3-. The effect of the NaCl concentration was investigated for a volumetric charge of 1 NO3-/m3/j. An uncompetitive inhibition of denitrification by the sodium chloride present in the feed solution was observed. The denitrification efficiency reaches at least 90% for NaCl concentrations up to 30 g/L. The inhibition constant is about 40 g/l. A model linking the denitrification efficiency (r) to the volumetric loading and to the sodium chloride concentration in the regeneration water was developed, based on an examination of the biomass distribution on the fill material and the assumption of plug-flow within the column:r=1 - e[ - 143,5 ] (over) CV (41+I

A domain of spacetime intervals in general relativity

Beginning from only a countable dense set of events and the causality relation, it is possible to reconstruct a globally hyperbolic spacetime in a purely order theoretic manner. The ultimate reason for this is that globally hyperbolic spacetimes belong to a category that is equivalent to a special category of domains called interval domains.Comment: 25 page

Analysis of Built Environment Features and their Effects on Freight Activities

AbstractThis study analyses truck parking citation data in Chicago to identify factors that affect concentration of high density of violations. Analysis of hot spots using a Geographic Information System (GIS) identified problem areas that are often along the major expressways as well as pockets of cold spots near the downtown. Regression analysis revealed two contrasting factors at play. One set of variables indicate that truck parking problems can be exacerbated by concentrations of food businesses in transit-oriented neighbourhoods. On the other hand, wealthy, stable neighbourhoods can present problems for truck parking

Super Five Brane Hamiltonian and the Chiral Degrees of Freedom

We construct the Hamiltonian of the super five brane in terms of its physical degrees of freedom. It does not depend on the inverse of the induced metric. Consequently, some singular configurations are physically admissible, implying an interpretation of the theory as a multiparticle one. The symmetries of the theory are analyzed from the canonical point of view in terms of the first and second class constraints. In particular it is shown how the chiral sector may be canonically reduced to its physical degrees of freedom.Comment: 16 pages, typos correcte

Oscillatory Modes of a Prominence-PCTR-Corona Slab Model

Oscillations of magnetic structures in the solar corona have often been interpreted in terms of magnetohydrodynamic waves. We study the adiabatic magnetoacoustic modes of a prominence plasma slab with a uniform longitudinal magnetic field, surrounded by a prominence-corona transition region (PCTR) and a coronal medium. Considering linear small-amplitude oscillations, the dispersion relation for the magnetoacoustic slow and fast modes is deduced assuming evanescent-like perturbations in the coronal medium. In the system without PCTR, a classification of the oscillatory modes according to the polarisation of their eigenfunctions is made in order to distinguish modes with fast-like or slow-like properties. Internal and external slow modes are governed by the prominence and coronal properties respectively, and fast modes are mostly dominated by prominence conditions for the observed wavelengths. In addition, the inclusion of an isothermal PCTR does not substantially influence the mode frequencies, but new solutions (PCTR slow modes) are present.Comment: Accepted for publication in Solar Physic

Fermilab Main Injector commissioning status

The Fermilab Main Injector construction project is nearing completion. The commissioning of the Main Injector began in late 1998. The status of the beam studies and fulfillment of the project commissioning milestones is presented

VLT FORS2 optical imaging and spectroscopy of nine luminous type 2 AGN at 0.3 < z < 0.6-I. Ionized gas nebulae

We present optical imaging and long slit spectroscopic observations of nine luminous type 2 active galactic nuclei (AGN) within the redshift range 0.3 <z< 0.6 based on Very Large Telescope Focal Reducer and Low Dispersion Spectrograph (VLT FORS2) data. Most objects (6/9) are high luminosity Seyfert 2, and three are type 2 quasars (QSO2), with our sample extending to lower luminosity than previous works. Seven out of nine objects (78 per cent) show morphological evidence for interactions or mergers in the form of disturbed morphologies and/or peculiar features such as tidal tails, amorphous haloes, or compact emission line knots. The detection rate of morphological evidence for interaction is consistent with those found during previous studies of QSO2 at similar z, suggesting that the merger rate is independent of AGN power at the high end of the AGN luminosity function. We find the emission line flux spatial profiles are often dominated by the often spatially unresolved central source. In addition, all but one of our samples is associated with much fainter, extended line emission. We find these extended emission line structures have a variety of origins and ionization mechanisms: star-forming companions, tidal features, or extended ionized nebulae. AGN related processes dominate the excitation of the nuclear gas. Stellar photoionization sometimes plays a role in extended structures often related to mergers/interactions

Modelling of a stochastic continuous system

The key objective is to develop a method which can be utilized to model a stochastic continuous system. A system from the "real world" is used as the basis for the simulation modelling technique that is presented. The conceptualization phase indicates that the model has to incorporate stochastic and deterministic elements. A method is developed that utilizes the discrete simulation ability of a stochastic package (ARENA), in conjunction with a deterministic package (FORTRAN), to model the continuous system. (Software packages tend to specialize in either stochastic, or deterministic modelling.) The length of the iteration time interval and adequate sample size are investigated. The method is authenticated by the verification and validation ofthe defined model. Two scenarios are modelled and the results are discussed . Conclusions are presented and strengths and weaknesses of this method are considered and discussed .Presented at the 11th European Simulation Multiconference (ESM'97) in Istanbul. Turkey (1-4 June 1997) and included in the conference proceedings.http://sajie.journals.ac.z