6,686 research outputs found
High resolution spatial variability in spring snowmelt for an Arctic shrub-tundra watershed
Arctic tundra environments are characterized by spatially heterogeneous end-of-winter snow cover because of high winds that erode, transport and deposit snow over the winter. This spatially variable end-of-winter snow cover subsequently influences the spatial and temporal variability of snowmelt and results in a patchy snowcover over the melt period. Documenting changes in both snow cover area (SCA) and snow water equivalent (SWE) during the spring melt is essential for understanding hydrological systems, but the lack of high-resolution SCA and SWE datasets that accurately capture micro-scale changes are not commonly available, and do not exist for the Canadian Arctic. This study applies high-resolution remote sensing measurements of SCA and SWE using a fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) to document snowcover changes over the snowmelt period for an Arctic tundra headwater catchment. Repeat measurements of SWE and SCA were obtained for four dominant land cover types (tundra, short shrub, tall shrub, and topographic drift) to provide observations of spatially distributed snowmelt patterns and basin-wide declines in SWE. High-resolution analysis of snowcover conditions over the melt reveal a strong relationship between land cover type, snow distribution, and snow ablation rates whereby shallow snowpacks found in tundra and short shrub regions feature rapid declines in SWE and SCA and became snow-free approximately 10 days earlier than deeper snowpacks. In contrast, tall shrub patches and topographic drift regions were characterized by large initial SWE values and featured a slow decline in SCA. Analysis of basin-wide declines in SCA and SWE reveal three distinct melt phases characterized by 1) low melt rates across a large area resulting in a minor change in SCA, but a very large decline in SWE with, 2) high melt rates resulting in drastic declines in both SCA and SWE, and 3) low melt rates over a small portion of the basin, resulting in little change to either SCA or SWE. The ability to capture high-resolution spatio-temporal changes to tundra snow cover furthers our understanding of the relative importance of various land cover types on the snowmelt timing and amount of runoff available to the hydrological system during the spring freshet
Size of hippocampal pyramidal neurons in schizophrenia
Background Meta-analyses of
hippocampal size have indicated thatthis
structure is smaller in schizophrenia.This
could reflect a reductioninthe size of
constituent neurons or a reduced number
of neurons.
Aims To measure the size of
hippocampalpyramidalneuronsinthe hippocampalpyramidalneurons inthe
brains of peoplewith andwithout
schizophrenia.
Method Pyramidalneuron size in
hippocampal subfieldswas estimated
stereologically fromsections taken at
5mmintervals throughoutthewhole
length of right and left hippocampi from
andleft the brains of13 peoplewith schizophrenia
and16 controls.Resultswere assessed
using repeated-measures analysis of
covariance looking for amain effectof
diagnosis and gender, andinteractions of
and interactions thesewith side.
Results Wewere unable to detect
significantdifferences related to diagnosis,
gender or side for any hippocampal
subfield for this series of cases.
Conclusions For this series of brains,
hippocampal cell size is unchangedin
schizophrenia
Shortcomings of investior-based ratings of corporate reputation: An exploratory empirical study that shows a variety of stakeholder groups place greater emphasis on corporate ethics than profits.
We examine three assumptions commonly held in the corporate reputation literature: i) reputation ratings of owners and investors are generally representative of all stakeholders; ii) stakeholders will generally provide a higher reputation rating to firms that emphasize corporate social responsibility versus firms that do not; and iii) profitability is the primary criterion of importance to all stakeholders when rating a firm’s reputation. Using an exploratory in-class exercise our findings suggest that: i) there are significant differences among stakeholder groups in their reputation ratings; ii) firms that emphasize corporate social responsibility are not rated more highly across all stakeholder groups, and iii) for all stakeholder groups, the ethicality criterion explained more of the variance in firms’ reputation ratings than the profitability criterion
Organizational ingenuity and the paradox of embedded agency: The case of the embryonic Ontario solar energy industry
We examine organizational ingenuity within the paradox of embedded agency where organizational stakeholders are constrained in their behaviors by institutions, yet also influence and change these institutions. In this study organizational ingenuity represents the agency component and institutional constraints the embedded component. We build theory about ingenuity from a four-year case study of the embryonic Ontario solar industry. There were two major institutional constraints, limited grid access and political uncertainty. These led to four ingenuity strategies that emerged at different times and levels of analysis that challenged, complied with, or escaped the constraints. We combine these findings to develop a process model of the emergence of ingenuity in this embryonic industry. Lastly, we find that extending legitimacy to an ingenuity strategy is necessary for its success
PUK4 IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, AN INCREASED UTILISATION OF PERITONEAL DIALYSIS THERAPY COULD LEAD TO AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS BEING TREATED FOR RENAL REPLACEMENT THERAPY (RRT)
PUK2 IN GREECE, INCREASING THE UTILIZATION OF PERITONEAL DIALYSIS THERAPY MAY REDUCE OVERALL DIALYSIS EXPENDITURES
The Guilty (Silicon) Mind: Blameworthiness and Liability in Human-Machine Teaming
As human science pushes the boundaries towards the development of artificial
intelligence (AI), the sweep of progress has caused scholars and policymakers
alike to question the legality of applying or utilising AI in various human
endeavours. For example, debate has raged in international scholarship about
the legitimacy of applying AI to weapon systems to form lethal autonomous
weapon systems (LAWS). Yet the argument holds true even when AI is applied to a
military autonomous system that is not weaponised: how does one hold a machine
accountable for a crime? What about a tort? Can an artificial agent understand
the moral and ethical content of its instructions? These are thorny questions,
and in many cases these questions have been answered in the negative, as
artificial entities lack any contingent moral agency. So what if the AI is not
alone, but linked with or overseen by a human being, with their own moral and
ethical understandings and obligations? Who is responsible for any malfeasance
that may be committed? Does the human bear the legal risks of unethical or
immoral decisions by an AI? These are some of the questions this manuscript
seeks to engage with
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