Stages of development in the evolution of the Hamlet legend, 1200-1623

Probably more time has been misspent in trying to fit together the pieces of the Hamlet puzzle than in all of the investigations into alchemy. From the very beginning of Hamlet criticism there seem to have been two diverse reactions to the play. Carried over the twentieth century, these schools are represented by T. S. Eliot, who holds that Hamlet is an artistic failure, and J. D. Wilson, who justifies, to his own satisfaction, at any rate, every line of the play. If Eliot sits at a table with the Hamlet puzzle before him, his chin in his hand and his elbow resting on the table, declaring that some of the pieces are missing, Wilson upbraids his negligence in not lifting his elbow, and there beneath it, finding the truant sections. The mere fact that two such estimable contemporary critics hold such incompatible views would tend to shake the confidence of the most intrepid newcomer to the field of Hamlet criticism. Probably no other single work of art has been disposed of so many times as has Hamlet. Certainly, the most ambitious attempt at this sort of disposition is to be found in investigations of the aforementioned J. Dover Wilson, in the third part of his trilogy of criticism of Hamlet. Yet, strangely enough, the Hamlet studies continue to pour forth; studies which assert, or “disassert”, that Hamlet was a pacifist, a coward, a psychotic, a reationalist, a positivist, a paranoiac, a weakling, a tyrant, a philosopher, an incompetent, a stout man, and a pregnant woman

Opplevelse av fusjonsprosess Hva påvirker ansattes opplevelse av en fusjonsprosess?

Endringstakten i samfunnet er økende, og det er ikke realistisk å gå gjennom et yrkesliv uten å møte på endringer. En fusjon medfører noen av de mest omfattende endringene ansatte kommer ut for. Det er flere ulike faktorer som påvirker hvordan ansatte opplever en fusjonsprosess. De ansattes opplevelse av en slik prosess er av stor betydning for organisasjonens yteevne og dermed også de økonomiske resultatene. Vi har valgt å konsentrere vår forskning om dimensjonene kommunikasjon, involvering og tillit. Vår problemstilling er: «Hvordan har medarbeidere i kraftselskapet og banken opplevd fusjonsprosessen». For å begrense oss til de utvalgte dimensjonene har vi tatt utgangspunkt i følgende forskningsspørsmål: Hvordan påvirker dimensjonene «kommunikasjon», «involvering» og «tillit til ledelsen» opplevelsen av fusjonsprosessen? Vi har gjennomført en kvantitativ studie der vi har sett på de tre uavhengige variablene opp mot de ansattes opplevelse av fusjonsprosessen som den avhengige variabelen. Vi gjennomførte en survey i Nordkraft AS og Sparebank 68° Nord der henholdsvis 106 og 32 ansatte besvarte undersøkelsen. Spørreskjemaet/påstandene utarbeidet vi selv ved hjelp av Nettskjema. For å sikre reliabiliteten i spørreskjemaet målte vi den interne konsistensen mellom påstandene ved hjelp av Cronbachs alfa. Målingene viste tilfredsstillende konsistens. Data fra undersøkelsen har blitt analysert med korrelasjonsanalyse, ved hjelp av Pearsons R, for å besvare forskningsspørsmålet. Vi har også sett på om ansatte i det overdragende selskap er mindre fornøyd med fusjonsprosessen enn ansatte i det overtakende. I denne analysen har vi benyttet t-test. Resultatet av forskningen viser at det er signifikante positive sammenhenger mellom alle tre dimensjonene og de ansattes opplevelse av fusjonsprosessen i begge selskapene. Dette viser betydningen av at ledelsen legger vekt på tillit, involvering og kommunikasjon i det videre arbeidet med integrering, og i kommende fusjonsprosesser. De ansatte i det overdragende selskap i kraftselskapet er signifikant mindre fornøyd med fusjonsprosessen enn ansatte i det overtakende selskapet. Overdragende selskap scorer også lavere på alle tre variablene. Selv om funnene ikke er de samme i banken tyder dette på at det er viktig å ha søkelys på samt ta godt vare på ansatte i overdragende selskap når man fusjonerer. Nøkkelord: fusjon, endring, kommunikasjon, involvering, tillit, ansattes opplevelse

Klimagase und deren Minderung bei der Milchproduktion

Sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission of milk production were analysed on organic and conventional dairy farms from cradle to farm gate and resulted in a mean of ca. 1 kg CO2 eq kg ECM-1 independent of the farm system. When calculated according to dry matter intake of the cows, mean percentages of GHG emissions from enteric fermentation on organic or conventional farms were 31 or 42 % from the complete product related emissions from milk production from cradle to farm gate, respectively. When feed quality parameters were considered in calculation, enteric methane production increased considerably with higher fibre contents in feedstuffs. This was especially important at lower milk yields. On the 44 farms that were analysed, minimal potential GHG emissions from enteric fermentation on the herd level were 0.39 (organic farm) and 0.32 kg CO2 eq kg ECM-1 (conventional farm). This is proposed as unavoidable range for milk from intensive conventional and organic dairy production. GHG emissions from replacement animals and from feedstuff production are also part of the dairy systems. These emissions can only partly be reduced by feedstuff man-agement, manure management and technical measures, e.g. slurry cover, biogas production. Efficiency gains in all steps of the process chain by appropriate manage-ment appear to be most important for (reliably) reducing GHG emissions, e.g., by optimal feed quality and its related good milk yields and healthy and long living cows

Erfassung, Bewertung und Minderung von Treibhausgasemissionen des deutschen Agrar- und Ernährungssektors: Studie im Auftrag des Bundesministeriums für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz

In dieser Studie werden Treibhausgasemissionen (THG) aus der deutschen Agrar- und Ernährungswirtschaft analysiert und Möglichkeiten zu ihrer Reduzierung erörtert. Darüber hinaus wird die Eignung von Ökobilanzen für die Bewertung von Produktionsverfahren und Produkten untersucht. In Kapitel 2 werden theoretische Grundlagen für die Umsetzung von Klimaschutzpolitiken erörtert. Als Bilanzierungs- und Analysemethoden werden die Emissionsberichterstattung, die umweltökonomischen Gesamtrechnungen, Ökobilanzen (Life Cycle Assessment) und Carbon Footprints vorgestellt. Es folgt in Kapitel 3 eine Analyse der THG-Emissionen des deutschen Agrar- und Ernährungssektors nach Quellgruppen der Klimaberichterstattung sowie in Bezug auf Produktionsprozesse und erzeugte Agrargüter. Anschließend wird in Kapitel 4 der Stand des Wissens zu kumulierten THG-Emissionen der Ernährungswirtschaft bis hin zum Konsum dargestellt. In Kapitel 5 wird eine Übersicht über mögliche technische und organisatorische Maßnahmen zur Verringerung von THG-Emissionen im Agrarsektor sowie Optionen für das individuelle Verbraucherverhalten gegeben. Erste Hinweise, wie die Politik die Realisierung wirksamer Klimaschutzmaßnahmen unterstützen kann, werden in Kapitel 6 vorgestellt. Als Klimaschutzmaßnahmen im Bereich Landwirtschaft und Landnutzung werden die Verbesserung der Stickstoffausnutzung, die Verwendung von Gülle in Biogasanlagen, die Beschränkung der Umwandlung von Grünland in Ackerland und die Renaturierung von Niedermooren hervorgehoben. Im Bereich Ernährung und Verbraucherverhalten sollte der Wissenstransfer im Mittelpunkt stehen. Produktspezifische Klima-Labels für Lebensmittel werden als ungeeignet angesehen. Bezüglich der Politiken zur Förderung der Bioenergie wird eine Ausrichtung auf Technologien mit den kostengünstigsten Klimaschutzbeiträgen empfohlen. Die Studie schließt mit einem kurzen Ausblick auf die zukünftige Forschungsarbeit des vTI im Bereich Klimaschutz und Ökobilanzierung.This study addresses the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) from the German agri-food sector, and options for mitigation. Further, the suitability of eco-balances for valuation of processes and products is explored. Chapter 2 refers to the theoretical basis of climate protection, and, as tools for analysis, GHG accounting, the System of Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting (SEEA), eco-balances (Life Cycle Analysis) and carbon footprints are presented. In chapter 3, agricultural GHG emissions are analysed by GHG sources, processes and food products, and in chapter 4 the state of knowledge of emissions stemming from food processing, retail and households is portrayed. Chapter 5 introduces to technical and organisational mitigation options in agriculture and regarding consumer decisions. First hints how policy might support GHG mitigation are presented in chapter 6. The study closes with an outlook on future research activities of vTI in the area of climate protection and eco-balancing

Should we individualize training based on force-velocity profiling to improve physical performance in athletes?

The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of an individualized training program based on force-velocity (FV) profiling on jumping, sprinting, strength, and power in athletes. Forty national level team sport athletes (20 ± 4years, 83 ± 13 kg) from ice-hockey, handball, and soccer completed a 10-week training intervention. A theoretical optimal squat jump (SJ)-FV-profile was calculated from SJ with five different loads (0, 20, 40, 60, and 80 kg). Based on their initial FV-profile, athletes were randomized to train toward, away, or irrespective (balanced training) of their initial theoretical optimal FV-profile. The training content was matched between groups in terms of set x repetitions but varied in relative loading to target the different aspects of the FV-profile. The athletes performed 10 and 30 m sprints, SJ and countermovement jump (CMJ), 1 repetition maximum (1RM) squat, and a leg-press power test before and after the intervention. There were no significant group differences for any of the performance measures. Trivial to small changes in 1RM squat (2.9%, 4.6%, and 6.5%), 10 m sprint time (1.0%, −0.9%, and −1.7%), 30 m sprint time (0.9%, −0.6%, and −0.4%), CMJ height (4.3%, 3.1%, and 5.7%), SJ height (4.8%, 3.7%, and 5.7%), and leg-press power (6.7%, 4.2%, and 2.9%) were observed in the groups training toward, away, or irrespective of their initial theoretical optimal FV-profile, respectively. Changes toward the optimal SJ-FV-profile were negatively correlated with changes in SJ height (r = −0.49, p < 0.001). Changes in SJ-power were positively related to changes in SJ-height (r = 0.88, p < 0.001) and CMJ-height (r = 0.32, p = 0.044), but unrelated to changes in 10 m (r = −0.02, p = 0.921) and 30 m sprint time (r = −0.01, p = 0.974). The results from this study do not support the efficacy of individualized training based on SJ-FV profiling.publishedVersio

Reliability and Validity of the HD-PRO-TriadTM, a Health-Related Quality of Life Measure Designed to Assess the Symptom Triad of Huntington\u27s Disease.

BACKGROUND: Huntington\u27s disease (HD), is a neurodegenerative disorder that is associated with cognitive, behavioral, and motor impairments that diminish health related quality of life (HRQOL). The HD-PRO-TRIADTM is a quality of life measure that assesses health concerns specific to individuals with HD. Preliminary psychometric characterization was limited to a convenience sample of HD participants who completed measures at home so clinician-ratings were unavailable. OBJECTIVES: The current study evaluates the reliability and validity of the HD-PRO-TRIADTM in a well-characterized sample of individuals with HD. METHODS: Four-hundred and eighty-two individuals with HD (n = 192 prodromal, n = 193 early, and n = 97 late) completed the HD-PRO-TRIADTM questionnaire. Clinician-rated assessments from the Unified Huntington Disease Rating Scales, the short Problem Behaviors Assessment, and three generic measures of HRQOL (WHODAS 2.0, RAND-12, and EQ-5D) were also examined. RESULTS: Internal reliability for all domains and the total HD-PRO-TRIADTM was excellent (all Cronbach\u27s α \u3e0.93). Convergent and discriminant validity were supported by significant associations between the HD-PRO-TRIADTM domains, and other patient reported outcome measures as well as clinician-rated measures. Known groups validity was supported as the HD-PRO-TRIADTM differentiated between stages of the disease. Floor and ceiling effects were generally within acceptable limits. There were small effect sizes for 12-month change over time and moderate effect sizes for 24-month change over time. CONCLUSIONS: Findings support excellent internal reliability, convergent and discriminant validity, known groups validity, and responsiveness to change over time. The current study supports the clinical efficacy of the HD-PRO-TRIADTM. Future research is needed to assess the test-retest reliability of this measure