Polarized galactic synchrotron and dust emission and their correlation

We present an analysis of the level of polarized dust and synchrotron emission using the WMAP9 and Planck data. The primary goal of this study is to inform the assessment of foreground contamination in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) measurements below $\ell\sim200$ from 23 to 353 GHz. We compute angular power spectra as a function of sky cut based on the Planck 353 GHz polarization maps. Our primary findings are the following. (1) There is a spatial correlation between the dust emission as measured by Planck at 353 GHz and the synchrotron emission as measured by WMAP at 23 GHz with $\rho\approx0.4$ or greater for $\ell<20$ and $f_{\mathrm{sky}}\geq0.5$, dropping to $\rho\approx0.2$ for $30<\ell<200$. (2) A simple foreground model with dust, synchrotron, and their correlation fits well to all possible cross spectra formed with the WMAP and Planck 353 GHz data given the current uncertainties. (3) In the 50$\%$ cleanest region of the polarized dust map, the ratio of synchrotron to dust amplitudes at 90 GHz for 50 $\leq \ell \leq$110 is $0.3_{-0.2}^{+0.3}$. Smaller regions of sky can be cleaner although the uncertainties in our knowledge of synchrotron emission are larger. A high-sensitivity measurement of synchrotron below 90 GHz will be important for understanding all the components of foreground emission near 90 GHz.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures; Published in JCAP. Source masks updated, minor change

The “new managerialism”: Experiences of introducing formal management education into the public sector through the mechanism of the MBA dissertation

Paper presented at the 3rd international Integrating for Excellence conference at Sheffield Hallam University in Sheffield, UK, 27-28 June 2007.This paper reflects upon the authors' experience of supervising dissertations on a public sector executive MBA programme run for a large metropolitan council. The research method is based on participant observation and reflection whilst directing the work undertaken by the MBA students in carrying out their dissertation. We assess the benefits that accrue to staff teaching on the programme and reflect on the new opportunities, in terms of career development and better management practice afforded to executives who have participated in the programme. Academic staff benefits include: interesting and stimulating work which sometimes leads to refereed publications at conferences and in journals; consultancy & significant applied teaching materials and improvements to the applied knowledge base of teaching staff. Lessons have also been learned about good practice in supervising dissertations. Executive benefits include progression to promoted posts & gaining new insights into better or best working practices. Organisational benefits include cross fertilisation of ideas produced through interaction between programme members. This paper discusses how the MBA programme meets the demands of various interested parties

BPR: Forging the Cultural Metamorphosis

Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) has received much debate in the literature, following from Hammer\u27s (1990) seminal, \u27Re-engineering work: don\u27t automate -obliterate\u27. Nevertheless, research has shown that management in organisations generally has little awareness of the social and cultural needs of the workforce when computerised information systems (IS) are built and implemented as part of a BPR exercise. However, the consequence of BPR, indeed its primary aim, is to change work patterns and how the organisation operates. This is not a technical process, nor should it be perceived as a managementexercise. Rather, it should embody a change of mind-set within an organisation that will engender a cultural shift concomitant with the needs of the organisation\u27s metamorphosis into a new polymorph. In this way, the organisation\u27s workforce are more likely to embrace the new structure -thereby adding to the likelihood of a successful BPR exercise. But, which elements are important? I have recently undertaken research in the UK which has highlighted a number of important issues that should be considered when developing and implementing an IS. This paper discusses some of these issues, and their importance to BPR

A study into the factors influencing the choice-making process of Indian students when selecting an international university for graduate studies using grounded theory

Paper presented at the conference in Amsterdam in the Netherlands, July 2007.Universities operate in an increasingly competitive market place facing new and complex socio-technical and economical challenges. For many universities international student recruitment is desirable and necessary for survival. Universities knowledge in this area is often an imperfect tool as the changing environment and diversity of cultures with which it must interact challenge previous assumptions and common wisdom. The overall goal of this study is to identify those factors responsible for influencing Indian students’ choice of international university for graduate studies. The results are based on a longitudinal study that was carried out using the Grounded Theory research method. This qualitative methodology provides a good framework for rigorous and relevant research of emerging phenomena in student mobility. Primary data consisted of unstructured interviews, focus groups and questionnaire surveys among participants of the sample population. The literature was used as a source of secondary data. A narrative style and thick description were used to report the research findings. Four major influencers emerged from the analysis, which are referred to as programme content, international reputation, funding and job prospects and quality. Drawing together these findings the study examines the implications for recruiting graduate students from India and reveals that there are a number of ways in which the university can influence the choice-making process. The results clearly provide a sound basis for future study

Measurement of customer satisfaction and performance measurement within a local government framework

Paper presented at conference at the Academy of Marketing, Royal Holloway College in London, UK, July 2007.The aim of the paper is to establish a performance measurement framework for addressing and improving customer satisfaction levels within a public sector service. The paper describes the methods utilised in order to achieve these objectives by reviewing relevant literature associated with organisational performance and customer satisfaction. This informs and provide the framework for the research. A useful framework model was produced that facilitates the application of customer satisfaction measurement and enables performance in this respect to be monitored

Le Nigeria et la Suisse, des affaires d’indépendance

During Nigeria’s decolonization, Swiss traders and diplomats, aware of the exceptional potential for growth, attentively observed this new market for possible business opportunities. This book focuses on multinational companies, diplomats, development cooperation actors and public opinion: it analyses underlying motivations and means, as well as the implications of their activities.Analyser les rapports économiques et diplomatiques entre le Nigeria et la Suisse revient à se pencher sur des mécanismes peu connus de la globalisation: ceux d’une relation Nord-Sud entre deux puissances moyennes et non coloniales. Pays le plus peuplé d’Afrique, le Nigeria semblait en passe de devenir, à l’aube de son indépendance, une puissance économique continentale. La Suisse, comme d’autres pays, espérait profiter de ce vaste marché promis à une expansion rapide. Entreprises multinationales, diplomates et coopérants au développement sont au centre de cet ouvrage, qui s’interroge sur les motivations, les moyens mis en œuvre et les impacts des activités de chacun. S’y ajoutent des citoyens suisses de tous âges et de tous milieux qui, bouleversés par les images télévisées d’enfants squelettiques durant la « Guerre du Biafra » en 1968, entreprirent des collectes de fonds et firent pression sur leur gouvernement pour qu’il intervienne. Ce livre donne une profondeur éclairante aux relations Suisse – Nigeria, récemment médiatisées sur leurs aspects migratoires, ou sur les pratiques opaques de négociants en pétrole établis en Suisse

Does poor health affect employment transitions?

This report explores the relationships between poor health and transitions between different types of employment. Poor health is associated with low levels of participation in paid employment and therefore increased risk of poverty. The work experiences of people with poor health have been the subject of limited quantitative research, despite the fact that negative labour market experiences may well be a strong predictor of poverty. This report: • Identifies that self-reported poor health is associated with a reduced propensity to be employed; • Finds those reporting problems with alcohol or drugs are the least likely to be in employment; • Pinpoints that employed people reporting poor physical or mental health are more likely to move from permanent to temporary work; • Ascertains that people reporting poor mental health have a significantly increased likelihood of moving from full-time to part-time work; • Recognises that qualifications can play a role in mitigating the negative impact of poor health on labour market transitions, but cannot overcome them altogether

WhatILike - Position Paper

FoaF has been a phenomenally successful activity. Individuals around the world have generated more ontologically-powered metadata, possibly by several orders of magnitude, than any other activity or tool. FoaF is primarily fuelled by the excitement of people who are pleased to publish facts about themselves in a form that allows other people and tools to process them. FoaF publishes against a fixed ontology, to which many extensions exist that allow virtually any information about oneself to be coded. FoaF primarily enfranchises people who understand what is happening; this is because the tools to build FoaF descriptions are generally rather limited. The utilities that use the FoaF descriptions are restricted because they can only use FoaF data. It is interesting to explore what might be considered a next step. How might we allow a more fluid ontological framework? How would we enfranchise people who understand less about what is happening, against a more fluid ontological framework? How do we simply encourage people to produce even more metadata

Composing and realising a game-like performance for disklavier and electronics

“Climb!” is a musical composition that combines the ideas of a classical virtuoso piece and a computer game. We present a case study of the composition process and realization of “Climb!”, written for Disklavier and a digital interactive engine, which was co-developed together with the musical score. Specifically, the engine combines a system for recognising and responding to musical trigger phrases along with a dynamic digital score renderer. This tool chain allows for the composer’s original scoring to include notational elements such as trigger phrases to be automatically extracted to auto-configure the engine for live performance. We reflect holistically on the development process to date and highlight the emerging challenges and opportunities. For example, this includes the potential for further developing the workflow around the scoring process and the ways in which support for musical triggers has shaped the compositional approach