Global Competition, Institutions, And The Diffusion Of Organizational Practices: The International Spread Of Iso 9000 Quality Certificates

We use panel data on ISO 9000 quality certification in 85 countries between 1993 and 1998 to better understand, the cross-national diffusion of an organizational practice. Following neoinstitutional theory, we focus on the coercive, normative, and mimetic effects that result from the exposure of firms in a given country to a powerful source of critical resources, a common pool of relevant technical knowledge, and the experiences of firms located in other countries. We use social network theory to develop a systematic conceptual understanding of how firms located in different countries influence each other's rates of adoption as a result of cohesive and equivalent network relationships. Regression results provide support for our predictions that states and foreign multinationals are the key actors responsible for coercive isomorphism, cohesive trade relationships between countries generate coercive and normative effects, and role-equivalent trade relationships result in learning-based and competitive imitation.Business Administratio

Revisión bioestratigráfica de los depósitos marinos del Mioceno medio en la cuenca del Penedès

Plancktonic foraminifera in middle Miocene marine sediments in the Penedes basin (NE Spain) have been examined. Using the findings of chronostratigrapbic markers in representative basin sections, identification of Langhian materials and hypothetical biostratigraphical correlations among sections have been established. Besides, the existence of Burdigalian deposits in the lower samples of the sections studied, reflecting the lower-middle Miocene transition, has been been established. The foraminifera species used are: Praeorbulina glomerosa sicana (DE STEFANI), Praeorbulina transitoria (BLOW), Globigerinoides bisphericus TODD and Globigerinoides altiaperturus (BOLLI)

Revisión bioestratigráfica de los depósitos marinos del Mioceno medio en la cuenca del Penedès

Plancktonic foraminifera in middle Miocene marine sediments in the Penedes basin (NE Spain) have been examined. Using the findings of chronostratigrapbic markers in representative basin sections, identification of Langhian materials and hypothetical biostratigraphical correlations among sections have been established. Besides, the existence of Burdigalian deposits in the lower samples of the sections studied, reflecting the lower-middle Miocene transition, has been been established. The foraminifera species used are: Praeorbulina glomerosa sicana (DE STEFANI), Praeorbulina transitoria (BLOW), Globigerinoides bisphericus TODD and Globigerinoides altiaperturus (BOLLI)

Linking families with pre-school children from healthcare services to community resources: a systematic review protocol

Background: Poor health and health inequalities persist despite increasing investment in health improvement programmes across high-income countries. Evidence suggests that to reduce health inequalities, a range of activities targeted at different levels within society and throughout the life course should be employed. There is a particular focus on addressing inequalities in early years as this may influence the experience of health in adulthood. To address the wider determinants of health at a community level, a key intervention which can be considered is supporting patients to access wider community resources. This can include processes such as signposting, referral and facilitation. There is a lack of evidence synthesis in relation to the most effective methods for linking individuals from health services to other services within communities, especially when considering interventions aimed at families with young children. Method/design: The aim of this study is to understand the way health services can best help parents, carers and families with pre-school children to engage with local services, groups and agencies to address their wider health and social needs. The review may inform future guidance to support families to address wider determinants of health. The study is a systematic review, and papers will be identified from the following electronic databases: Web of Science, Embase, MEDLINE and CINAHL. A grey literature search will be conducted using an internet search engine and specific grey literature databases (TRiP, EThOS and Open Grey). Reference lists/bibliographies of selected papers will be searched. Quality will be assessed using the Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool for quantitative studies and the CASP tool for qualitative studies. Data will be synthesised in a narrative form and weighted by study quality. Discussion: It is important to understand how health services can facilitate access to wider services for their patients to address the wider determinants of health. This may impact on the experience of health inequalities. This review focuses on how this can be achieved for families with pre-school children, and the evidence obtained will be useful for informing future guidance on this topic

Objective and efficient terahertz signal denoising by transfer function reconstruction

As an essential processing step in many disciplines, signal denoising efficiently improves data quality without extra cost. However, it is relatively under-utilized for terahertz spectroscopy. The major technique reported uses wavelet denoising in the time-domain, which has a fuzzy physical meaning and limited performance in low-frequency and water-vapor regions. Here, we work from a new perspective by reconstructing the transfer function to remove noise-induced oscillations. The method is fully objective without a need for defining a threshold. Both reflection imaging and transmission imaging were conducted. The experimental results show that both low- and high-frequency noise and the water-vapor influence were efficiently removed. The spectrum accuracy was also improved, and the image contrast was significantly enhanced. The signal-to-noise ratio of the leaf image was increased up to 10 dB, with the 6 dB bandwidth being extended by over 0.5 THz

Theory, Practice, and the Millennium

Walter E. Russell Endowed Chair in Philosophy and Education Lecture 1996-1998: Theory, Practice, and the Millenium The Russell Scholar Symposium: Theory and Practice in Academiahttps://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/facbooks/1234/thumbnail.jp

NAE Twin Otter operations in FIFE 1989

During the summer of 1989, the National Aeronautical Establishment (Canada) Twin Otter Atmospheric Research Aircraft was flow in support of the NASA sponsored First ISLSCP (International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project) Field Experiment called FIFE-89. Airborne measurements of the fluxes of heat, momentum, water vapor and carbon dioxide were made during 16 flow-altitude flights over the FIFE project area in central Kansas. The Twin Otter operations in FIFE are documented and details are included on the instrumentation, software, flight procedures, atmospheric conditions and analysis methods. Comparisons of Twin Otter measured fluxes are made with those determined at several surface sites and with those made by other instrumented aircraft in the FIFE-87 measurements. Airborne flux measurements are related to run length, altitude, and environmental parameters such as vegetation type, temperature, and wind speed. One night flight was run in an attempt to measure the respiration component of the CO2 flux. The use of aircraft was studied for regional observations of fluxes and to relate these to satellite radiance measurements. Run average data are presented for all 285 flux runs flown by the Twin Otter in FIFE-89. This should serve as as a working reference for scientists utilizing Twin Otter data either directly of through the FIFE data archive

In vitro Growth of the Landschütz Ascites Tumour with Retention of High Mouse Virulence

ALTHOTJGH ascites tumours have been propagated for many years by regular passage in their natural host, only recently has it been possible to maintain some of these cells in continuous passage in tissue culture. The ease of adaptation to in vitro growth, the stability of cells adapted in this way with respect to morphology and chromosome constitution, and their virulence for mice have been variousl

La relación foraminíferos-sedimento en los niveles finos del Mioceno medio de la Depresión Prelitoral Catalana (noreste de España)

El análisis sedimentológico de las muestras procedentes de niveles de grano fino (arcillas limosas y limos arcillosos), del Mioceno medio en el Alt Penedés y el área de Tarragona, pone de manifiesto que estos niveles tienen un carácter granocreciente positivo. Estos datos están de acuerdo con la variación de la relación entre foraminíferos planctónicos y bentónicos En el diagrama C-M la mayoría de las muestras aparecen reunidas en dos grupos: 1) sedimentación por suspensión uniforme y 2) sedimentación por suspensión pelágica. El primer grupo comprende dos tipos de sedimentos. Uno con predominio de foraminíferos bentónicos, típico de condiciones marinas normales. El otro presenta claros indicios de episodios hiposalinos: abundancia de foraminíferos aglutinados y cistes de Lingulodinium marchaerophorum. En el segundo grupo se pueden distinguir dos tipos de sedimentos. Uno refleja condiciones marinas normales con abundancia y diversidad de foraminíferos planctónicos. El otro presenta una menor diversidad, con predominio de los foraminíferos bentónicos que evidencian la existencia de condiciones deficitarias de oxígeno