3,796 research outputs found
Study of a signal processor employing a synthetic phase isolator
Evaluation of signal data processor employing synthetic phase isolator techniqu
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Hydroxyl concentration estimates in the sunlit snowpack at Summit, Greenland
Experiments were performed at Summit, Greenland (72°34′ N, 38°29′ W) to investigate hydroxyl mixing ratios in the sunlit surface snowpack (or firn). We added a carefully selected mixture of hydrocarbon gases (with a wide range of hydroxyl reactivities) to a UV and visible light transparent flow chamber containing undisturbed natural firn. The relative decrease in mixing ratios of these gases allowed estimation of the lower limit mixing ratio of hydroxyl radicals in the near-surface firn pore spaces. Hydroxyl mixing ratios in the firn air followed a diurnal cycle in summer 2003 (10-12 July), with peak values of more than 3.2×106 molecules cm-3 between 13:00 and 16:00 local time. The minimum value estimated was 1.1×106 molecules cm-3 at 20:00 local time. Results during spring of 2004 showed lower, but rapidly increasing, peak hydroxyl mixing ratios of 1.1×106 molecules cm-3 in the early afternoon on 15 April and 1.5×106 molecules cm-3 on 1 May. Our firn hydroxyl estimates were similar to directly measured above-snow ambient levels during the spring field season, but were only about 30% of ambient levels during summer. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Biological Records Centre Annual Report 2005-2006
The period covered by this report is the first year of a new six-year partnership between CEH and JNCC. For this period, there is increased emphasis on targeted survey, on analysis and interpretation and on communications and outreach. These activities were always part of BRC’s work, but they have been given greater prominence as a result of rapid developments in information technology. Data are increasingly reaching BRC in electronic form, so that the effort of data entry and collation is reduced.
The data, collected by many volunteers and then collated and analysed at BRC, document the changing status and distribution of plants and animals in Britain. Distribution maps are published in atlases and are available via the internet through the NBN Gateway. The effects of change or loss of habitats, the influence of climate change and the consequences of changing water quality are all examples of the environmental factors that affect our biodiversity and which BRC aims to document and understand. The results are vital for developing environmental policies, to support conservation, and for fundamental ecological research.
BRC is funded jointly by JNCC and NERC through a partnership based on a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA). The partnership started in 1973 when the Nature Conservancy was divided to form the successor bodies Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) and Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (ITE). NCC was in turn divided further to form JNCC and three Country Agencies, while ITE was merged with other NERC units to form CEH. Through all these changes, the partnership has been maintained. A six-year memorandum of agreement ended on 31 January 2005 (Hill et al. 2005). The present report covers the first full year, 2005-6, of the new agreement for 2005-2010.
Rapid progress in information technology continues to be highly beneficial for BRC, whose data are increasingly used by the UK country conservation agencies, environmental consultants, NGOs, research workers, policy makers and volunteers. It is gratifying to know that, through our ability to display data on the National Biodiversity Network (NBN) Gateway, some of our data suppliers now have immediate access to their own data in a convenient form.
The year 2005-6 has been one of steady progress, with new datasets added to BRC, substantial additions to existing data, and improved communication with the NBN Gateway. The most high profile activity of the year has been the Harlequin Ladybird Survey, which has enabled us to observe the early stages of colonization by a mobile insect in greater detail than has been possible in any previous case
An Analysis of Institutional Environments on Corporate Social Responsibility Practices in Nigerian Renewable Energy Firms
Several studies have proposed a one-size fit all
approach to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices, such
that CSR as it applies to developed countries is adapted to
developing countries, ignoring the differing institutional
environments (such as the regulative, economic, social and political
environments), which affects the profitability and practices of
businesses operating in them. CSR as it applies to filling institutional
gaps in developing countries, was categorized into four themes:
environmental protection, product and service innovation, social
innovation and local cluster development. Based on the four themes,
the study employed a qualitative research approach through the use
of interviews and review of available publications to study the
influence of institutional environments on CSR practices engaged in
by three renewable energy firms operating in Nigeria. Over the
course of three 60-minutes sessions with the top management and
selected workers of the firms, four propositions were made:
regulatory environment influences environmental protection practice
of Nigerian renewable firms, economic environment influences
product and service innovation practice of Nigerian renewable
energy firms, the social environment impacts on social innovation in
Nigerian renewable energy firms, and political environment affects
local cluster development practice of Nigerian renewable energy
firms. It was also observed that beyond institutional environments,
the international exposure of an organization’s managers reflected in
their approach to CSR. This finding on the influence of international
exposure on CSR practices creates an area for further study. Insights
from this paper are set to help policy makers in developing countries,
CSR managers, and future researcher
Corporate Social Responsibility as a Determinant of Sustainability of Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
In the pursuit of profit maximization as a major objective of business
organizations, several firms forfeit their social and economic responsibility
whilst focusing on activities that are deemed to solely profit the firm, without
taking into cognizance the effect of their operations on the society in which
they operate. Business analysts have however, realized the determinant role of
social responsibility in corporate performance, such that firms that are able to
imbibe corporate social responsibility in their core business
operations may be able to take advantage of the social reputation gained across
their several stakeholders. Small and medium enterprises operating in highly
competitive markets are also advised to leverage on this reputation gained from
being socially responsible, if they seek ways to remain relevant in the same
markets dominated by multinational corporations. Adapting a case study
approach, this study highlights the advantages (such as employee and customer
loyalty) gained by House of Tara, a small business operating in the beauty and
make-up industry in Nigeria, resulting from the firm‘s commitment to
advancing the society in which it operates through several social responsibility
activities. It is observed that although competing with major makeup brands
such as MAC, Maybelline, Dior, Mary Kay and others, House of Tara has been
able to not only thrive, but gain a sizeable market in the Nigerian makeup
industry, because several consumers purchase their products not solely because of the quality or price of their product, but because they perceive themselves as
buying into the firm‘s CSR vision. This study therefore recommends that small
and medium enterprises that may lack adequate resources (manpower,
technology, capital) needed to successfully compete with multinationals, can
harness the potentials in the reputation and loyalty gained from adequate
investment in corporate social responsibility
Corporate Social Responsibility as a Determinant of Sustainability of Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
In the pursuit of profit maximization as a major objective of business
organizations, several firms forfeit their social and economic responsibility
whilst focusing on activities that are deemed to solely profit the firm, without
taking into cognizance the effect of their operations on the society in which
they operate. Business analysts have however, realized the determinant role of
social responsibility in corporate performance, such that firms that are able to
imbibe corporate social responsibility in their core business
operations may be able to take advantage of the social reputation gained across
their several stakeholders. Small and medium enterprises operating in highly
competitive markets are also advised to leverage on this reputation gained from
being socially responsible, if they seek ways to remain relevant in the same
markets dominated by multinational corporations. Adapting a case study
approach, this study highlights the advantages (such as employee and customer
loyalty) gained by House of Tara, a small business operating in the beauty and
make-up industry in Nigeria, resulting from the firm‘s commitment to
advancing the society in which it operates through several social responsibility
activities. It is observed that although competing with major makeup brands
such as MAC, Maybelline, Dior, Mary Kay and others, House of Tara has been
able to not only thrive, but gain a sizeable market in the Nigerian makeup
industry, because several consumers purchase their products not solely because of the quality or price of their product, but because they perceive themselves as
buying into the firm‘s CSR vision. This study therefore recommends that small
and medium enterprises that may lack adequate resources (manpower,
technology, capital) needed to successfully compete with multinationals, can
harness the potentials in the reputation and loyalty gained from adequate
investment in corporate social responsibility
Creating Shared Value: A Paradigm Shift from Corporate Social Responsibility to Creating Shared Value
Businesses operating in the modern business world are
faced with varying challenges; amongst which is the need to ensure
that they are performing their societal function of being responsible
in the society in which they operate. This responsibility to society is
generally termed as corporate social responsibility. For many years,
the practice of corporate social responsibility (CSR) was solely
philanthropic, where organizations gave ‘charity’ or ‘alms’ to society,
without any link to the organization’s mission and objectives.
However, there has arisen a shift in the application of CSR from an
act of philanthropy to a strategy with a business model engaged in by
organizations to create a win-win situation of performing their
societal obligation, whilst simultaneously performing their economic
obligation. In more recent times, the term has moved from CSR to
creating shared value, which is simply corporate policies and
practices that enhance the competitiveness of a business organization
while simultaneously advancing social and economic conditions in
the communities in which the company operates. Creating shared
value has in more recent light found more meaning in
underdeveloped countries, faced with deep societal challenges that
businesses can solve whilst creating economic value. This study thus
reviews literature on CSR, conceptualizing the shift to creating
shared value and finally viewing its potential significance in Africa’s
development
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Characterization of the chemical signatures of air masses observed during the PEM experiments over the western Pacific
Extensive observations of tropospheric trace species during the second NASA Global Tropospheric Experiment Western Pacific Exploratory Mission (PEM-West B) in February-March 1994 showed significant seasonal variability in comparison with the first mission (PEM-West A), conducted in September-October 1991. In this study we adopt a previously established analytical method, i.e., the ratio C2H2/CO as a measure of the relative degree of atmospheric processing, to elucidate the key similarities and variations between the two missions. In addition, the C2H2/CO ratio scheme is combined with the back-trajectory-based and the LIDAR-based air mass classification schemes, respectively, to make in-depth analysis of the seasonal variation between PEM-West A and PEM-West B (hereinafter referred to as PEM-WA and PEM-WB). A large number of compounds, including long-lived NMHCs, CH4, and CO2, are, as expected, well correlated with the ratio C2H2/CO. In comparison with PEM-WA, a significantly larger range of observed C2H2/CO values at the high end for the PEM-WB period indicates that the western Pacific was more impacted by "fresher" source emissions, i.e., faster or more efficient continental outflow. As in the case of PEM-WA, the C2H2/CO scheme complements the back-trajectory air mass classification scheme very well. By combining the two schemes, we found that the atmospheric processing in the region is dominated by atmospheric mixing for the trace species analyzed. This PEM-WB wintertime result is similar to that found in PEM-WA for the autumn. In both cases, photochemical reactions are found to play a significant role in determining the background mixing ratios of trace gases, and in this way the two processes are directly related and dependent upon each other. This analysis also indicates that many of the upper tropospheric air masses encountered over the western Pacific during PEM-WB may have had little impact from eastern Asia's continental surface sources. NOx mixing ratios were significantly enhanced during PEM-WB when compared with PEM-WA, in the upper troposphere's more atmospherically processed air masses. These high levels of NOx resulted in a substantial amount of photochemical production of O3. A lack of corresponding enhancements in surface emission tracers strongly implies that in situ atmospheric sources such as lightning are responsible for the enhanced upper tropospheric NOx. The similarity in NOx values between the northern (higher air traffic) and southern continental air masses together with the indications of a large seasonal shift suggests that aircraft emissions are not the dominant source. However, photochemical recycling cannot be ruled out as this in situ source of NOx. Copyright 1999 by the American Geophysical Union
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Assessment of ozone photochemistry in the western North Pacific as inferred from PEM-West A observations during the fall 1991
This study examines the influence of photochemical processes on ozone distributions in the western North Pacific. The analysis is based on data generated during NASA's western Pacific Exploratory Mission (PEM-West A) during the fall of 1991. Ozone trends were best described in terms of two geographical domains: the western North Pacific rim (WNPR) and the western tropical North Pacific (WTNP). For both geographical regions, ozone photochemical destruction, D(O3), decreased more rapidly with altitude than did photochemical formation, F(O3). Thus the ozone tendency, P(O3), was typically found to be negative for z <6 km and positive for z > 6-8 km. For nearly all altitudes and latitudes, observed nonmethane hydrocarbon (NMHC) levels were shown to be of minor importance as ozone precursor species. Air parcel types producing the largest positive values of P(O3) included fresh continental boundary layer (BL) air and high-altitude (z > 7 km) parcels influenced by deep convection/lightning. Significant negative P(O3) values were found when encountering clean marine BL air or relatively clean lower free-tropospheric air. Photochemical destruction and formation fluxes for the Pacific rim region were found to exceed average values cited for marine dry deposition and stratospheric injection in the northern hemisphere by nearly a factor of 6. This region was also found to be in near balance with respect to column-integrated O3 photochemical production and destruction. By contrast, for the tropical regime column-integrated O3 showed photochemical destruction exceeding production by nearly 80%. Both transport of O3 rich midlatitude air into the tropics as well as very high-altitude (10-17 km) photochemical O3 production were proposed as possible additional sources that might explain this estimated deficit. Results from this study further suggest that during the fall time period, deep convection over Asia and Malaysia/Indonesia provided a significant source of high-altitude NOx to the western Pacific. Given that the high-altitude NOx lifetime is estimated at between 3 and 9 days, one would predict that this source added significantly to high altitude photochemical O3 formation over large areas of the western Pacific. When viewed in terms of strong seasonal westerly flow, its influence would potentially span a large part of the Pacific. Copyright 1996 by the American Geophysical Union
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Carbonyl sulfide (OCS): Large-scale distributions over North America during INTEX-NA and relationship to CO2
An extensive set of carbonyl sulfide (OCS) observations were made as part of the NASA Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment-North America (INTEX-NA) study, flown from 1 July to 14 August 2004 mostly over the eastern United States and Canada. These data show that summertime OCS mixing ratios at low altitude were dominated by surface drawdown and were highly correlated with CO2. Although local plumes were observed on some low-altitude flight legs, anthropogenic OCS sources were small compared to this sink. These INTEX-NA observations were in marked contrast to the early springtime 2001 Transport and Chemical Evolution over the Pacific experiment, which sampled Asian outflow dominated by anthropogenic OCS emissions. To test the gridded OCS fluxes used in past models, the INTEX-NA observations were combined with the sulfur transport Eulerian model (STEM) regional atmospheric chemistry model for a top-down assessment of bottom-up OCS surface fluxes for North America. Initial STEM results suggest that the modeled fluxes underestimate the OCS plant sink by more than 200%. Copyright 2008 by the American Geophysical Union
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