Regional Water Planning in New Mexico: An Opportunity for Citizen Involvement in State Government

12 pages. Contains references

Regional Water Planning in New Mexico: An Opportunity for Citizen Involvement in State Government

12 pages. Contains references

Some Implications of Precocious Flowering in Collospermum

In heteroblastic development the juvenile and adult phases of a plant have the same genotype but the phenotypes are different, and Cook (1968, p. 97), noting that such phenotypic plasticity has undoubtedly led to a large number of "paper species," finds it rather shocking that so little information on phenotypic modification is. presented in formal taxonomic work. In the case here described, in the Pacific genus Collospermum (Liliaceae), a single plant can, during its lifetime, display contrasts comparable to some that characterize species or sections in the closely related genus Astelia

Negative triangles : simple geometric shapes convey emotional valence

It has been suggested that downward pointing triangles convey negative valence, perhaps because they mimic an underlying primitive feature present in negative facial expressions (Larson, Aronoff, and Stearns, 2007). Here, we test this proposition using a flanker interference paradigm in which participants indicated the valence of a central face target, presented between two adjacent distracters. Experiment 1 showed that, compared with face flankers, downward pointing triangles had little influence on responses to face targets. However, in Experiment 2, when attentional competition was increased between target and flankers, downward pointing triangles slowed responses to positively valenced face targets, and speeded them to negatively valenced targets, consistent with valence-based flanker compatibility effects. These findings provide converging evidence that simple geometric shapes may convey emotional valence

Adapting the NICT-JLE Corpus for Disfluency Detection Models

The detection of disfluencies such as hesitations, repetitions and false starts commonly found in speech is a widely studied area of research. With a standardised process for evaluation using the Switchboard Corpus, model performance can be easily compared across approaches. This is not the case for disfluency detection research on learner speech, however, where such datasets have restricted access policies, making comparison and subsequent development of improved models more challenging. To address this issue, this paper describes the adaptation of the NICT-JLE corpus, containing approximately 300 hours of English learners' oral proficiency tests, to a format that is suitable for disfluency detection model training and evaluation. Points of difference between the NICT-JLE and Switchboard corpora are explored, followed by a detailed overview of adaptations to the tag set and meta-features of the NICT-JLE corpus. The result of this work provides a standardised train, heldout and test set for use in future research on disfluency detection for learner speech

El papel de la religión en la formación de relaciones entre comunidades

La vida espiritual es una prioridad para muchas comunidades afectadas por conflictos, tal vez de forma especial en situaciones de desplazamiento. Los organismos de ayuda rara vez la priorizan a pesar de que pueda resultar primordial para crear y mantener sólidas y productivas relaciones entre las comunidades

How can managers reduce employee intention to quit?

This paper reports on an investigation of the variables that may be predictive of intentions to leave a job, and tests a model that includes mediating variables. A total of 173 retail salespeople completed questionnaires measuring commitment to the organization for which they worked, job satisfaction, stress, supervisor support, locus of control, self-esteem, the perceived stressors in the job and their intention to quit. Path analysis was used to test the relationships hypothesized in the model. The majority of hypotheses were supported, with the variables included accounting for 52 per cent of the variance in intention to quit. Emotional support from supervisors and self-esteem mediated the impact of stressors on stress reactions, job satisfaction, commitment to the organization and intention to quit. It is suggested that to ameliorate intention to quit and in turn reduce turnover, managers need to actively monitor workloads, and the relationships between supervisors and subordinates in order to reduce and manage stress. Managers also need to monitor both the extrinsic and intrinsic sources of job satisfaction available to employees. These activities could assist in maintaining and increasing job satisfaction and commitment to the organization. <br /

Ruins and Wrinkles: Revaluing Age through Architecture

In this thesis I argue that an architecture that selectively intervenes in the aging landscape to provide opportunities for regeneration and mentorship can weaken our societal divisions. I tested this hypothesis in the context of an adaptive reuse, multi-generational, mixed use design for the Bailey Power Plant, Factory 60, and their surroundings: the former R.J. Reynolds tobacco district in my hometown of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. After a close study of the site's history and its urban morphology, I propose a design based on the concept of urban regeneration in the form of reclamation, adaptation, and mentorship established through a system of green infrastructure that weaves existing neighborhoods into new diverse, multi-generational communities, housed within existing but altered architecture

Prediction intention to quit in the call centre industry: does the retail model fit?

Purpose &ndash; Models of workplace turnover are rarely assessed in contexts other than that in which they were developed. This reduces their generalizability and their usefulness in providing managers with guidance as to what they might do to reduce workers intentions to quit. The purpose of this study is to test a model derived from a study of shop floor retail salespeople in the call centre environment.Design/methodology/approach &ndash; A questionnaire measuring the variables in the model was completed by 126 call centre representatives recruited from 11 call centres in Melbourne, Australia.Findings &ndash; Although the model was supported, the interactions among the variables differed. In particular, stressors played a bigger, albeit indirect, role in the intention to quit.Practical implications &ndash; Call centre managers need to consider carefully the aspects of the work environment that may be stressful. If appropriately addressed, turnover may be reduced, and productivity increased.Originality/value &ndash; This paper demonstrates that the model of turnover derived from shop floor salespeople is generally robust in the call centre setting. It provides management of call centres with some guidance as to the factors associated with turnover and areas that can be addressed to reduce it.<br /