Design and testing of a high pressure chamber for diesel spray studies.

Imperial Users onl

The reality of spatial variations of morbidity and mortality

Attention is drawn to the inadequacy of using only variations of incidence rates by area as an analytical method in geographical pathology. Problems are illustrated from recent South African literature. Since widely different sizes of population-at-risk produce incidence rates that are not of comparable reliability, advances in probability mapping can appropriately be applied to define significant distributions of medical conditions in South Africa. Both a hypothetical and a real-life illustration of an improved method of analysis are described, and the pressing need for a South African national registry of cancer is emphasised.S. Afr. Med. J., 48, 1621 (1974

Exploring the value of Scotland's environment

Protection of the environment can be regarded as representing a substantial cost to business. However, it is typically considered from the point of view of effect on company profitability, rather than its relative importance to human kind. This paper estimates the value of Scotland's natural environment by applying the methodology developed by Costanza et al (1997a and b) for estimation of the value of the earth's ecosystem services. Ecosystem services provide the vital functions to support life on Earth, such as flows of materials and energy. Since the study's publication, further research has sought to apply this global methodology to a regional and national level (for example Loomis et al, 2000, Farber and Griner, 2000 and Stevens et al, 2000). The value derived for Scotland provides a useful context for understanding the scale and importance of Scotland's natural habitats and it helps to reinforce the message that the environment is central to human welfare (Williams et al, 2003). The valuation of ecosystem services in monetary terms provokes theoretical, practical and philosophical arguments. This paper does not seek to revisit in depth these debates; rather the valuation should be taken as a starting point for setting the importance of Scotland's ecosystems in an interesting perspective. A recent edition of the journal Ecological Economics (Costanza and Farber, 2002) was devoted to considering some of these issues and providing many avenues for further exploration

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Obtaining Public Procurement Contract Awards

The dominance of federal and state contracts by large enterprises reduces the share of contracts small and medium-sized enterprises\u27 (SMEs) business leaders obtain. As of the last census reading in 2016, SMEs received only 23% of contracts. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies of 3 small business leaders, operating in south Florida, for obtaining state contracts through public procurement. The thematic findings were in the context of the principal-agent theory as the conceptual framework. The participants answered 10 questions in semistructured interviews and provided organizational procurement documents for review. The methodological triangulation of multiple data sources and data analysis led to the identification of 3 primary themes: business performance, overcoming barriers, and strategic initiatives. Enabling proper business performance protocols for revenue, company reputation, pricing, and compliance benefitted the 3 participants as a strategy for successfully winning state contracts. The participants first identified the barriers they experienced, which included access, bargaining power, funding, and labels. The barriers encountered by the participants became less overwhelming with the implementation of strategic initiatives based on knowledge, relationship building, skilled personnel, and taking action. Findings included the importance of SME business leaders and personnel educating themselves on the public procurement process and building relationships with individuals in the various agencies. Application of the findings may lead to a social change of higher small business employment rates, increased revenue, and improved innovation for business leaders

The Human Predicament

In this paper a comparison is presented between the analyses of the human condition offered by Christianity in terms of sin, and by Saiva Siddhanta in terms of anavam (darkness, ignorance). Following a summary of the Saiva teaching on anavam, more detailed comparisons are made between the two religions in relation to particular issues in which the outworking of those doctrines is seen, such as the nature of salvation, of the saviour and of the redeemed state, etc. Areas of difference and of common ground between the two religions are highlighted and discussed

Towards a cognitive linguistic approach to language comprehension

This thesis develops a cognitive linguistic approach to language comprehension. The cognitive approach differs from traditional linguistic approaches in that linguistic description is seen as an integral part of the description of cognition, and that the object of description is the nature of conceptual structures, the processes which relate these conceptual structures, and the effect of context upon these processes. As a cognitive description within cognitive science, a computational approach is adopted: language comprehension is described in terms of two modules, a linguistic processing module and a discourse processing module. Within these modules, conceptual structures and processes are given a uniform characterization: structures are characterized as partial objects which are extended by processes into (potentially) less partial objects. In the linguistic processing module, linguistic expressions are characterized as signs which combine as head and modifier. The conceptual structu..