lap lambert academic publishing jan 2010 (Mehr als 1.000 Ergebnisse)

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Interest in subjective well-being has led to a plethora of literature in recent years but there remains some debate about what precisely is meant by the term, and how it differs from a broader notion of well-being. This book examines these debates, alongside the methodological question of how one might attempt to empirically measure such concepts. In doing so, it takes us to Ukraine and roots these questions within the specific experience of transition which, research suggests, has not made people happier. Using new empirical evidence, it explores how our well-being is shaped by our relationships and shows how it differs from the specific notion of happiness, ultimately suggesting why it has been somewhat lacking in contemporary Ukraine. 240 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Educational systems of developing countries ought to be evaluated using appropriate analytical and methodological criteria, determined within a local context. This study attempts to challenge the dominant paradigm that links education to 'Western' ideas of development. In doing so it analyzes the relationship between endogenous development and indigenous models of schooling. It attempts a comparative case-study analysis of two indigenous models of schooling in former colonies: Fe y Alegría of Venezuela and Servol of Trinidad and Tobago. These models are studied because they reflect local, cultural, social, and economic conditions. Attention is paid to community involvement, indigenous ideas about curriculum and programming, the link between education and work, and the link between local epistemologies and education outcomes. The study involves qualitative methods of analysis with particular emphasis on ethnographic methods. Documentary analysis is used to complement field research and participatory observation.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Biophysical analysis of agricultural production in Ghana: History and potential for food self- sufficiency examines the capabilities of the extensive farming system in contributing to the improvement in meeting the food and nutritional needs in Ghana.The potential of this extensive system for future food self-sufficiency in Ghana is also examined. The author used historical empirical data to analyze the time trends of the major food crops produced and the nutritional requirements of the country from 1962 to 2004. He then made projections into the future (2031). The extent of agricultural intensification in Ghana is also determined to access its viability as an alternative system of food production.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 92 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Efficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is using less energy to provide the same level of energy service. For example, insulating a home allows a building to use less heating and cooling energy to achieve and maintain a comfortable temperature. Another example would be installing fluorescent lights and/or skylights instead of incandescent lights to attain the same level of illumination. A 13 watt fluorescent light bulb outputs the same amount of visible light as a 60 watt incandescent bulb, so you are getting more light for less energy. Efficient energy use is achieved primarily by means of a more efficient technology or process rather than by changes in individual behavior. Energy efficient buildings, industrial processes and transportation could reduce the world''s energy needs in 2050 by one third, and help controlling global emissions of greenhouse gases, according to the International Energy Agency. Energy efficiency and renewable energy are said to be the twin pillars of sustainable energy policy.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 84 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Mismatch negativity (MMN) is an event ¿related evoked potential (EP) that reportedly reflects the brain''s detection of differences in acoustic stimuli. It''s clinical use is not routine and the EP itself has questionable reliability. This study measured MMN in response to long-duration tonal stimuli in typically developing children ages 7-13. MMN was present in 7 of the 10 children evaluated. Although MMN may have promise as a tool to assist in the diagnosis and monitoring of individuals with auditory processing abnormalities, as well as those with hearing loss and/or language impairments, the use of MMN as a clinical measurement tool at this time is questionable. These results should assist students and professionals understand more clearly the data collection challenges as well as the reasons MMN is not routinely used clinically today. More studies are needed to establish the reliability of MMN in normal individuals.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 64 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -In 2008 the older portion of an 86 million 'baby boomer' population in the U.S. entered retirement age and became eligible for social security. Because of the recent economic downturn, this population is poised for retirement on what are now diminished savings. For this and other reasons, an ever- increasing proportion is looking abroad for lower costs of real estate. Many countries could have been examined as possible destinations; however the country of Panama was selected for its unique real estate investment opportunities. The research methodology analyzing real estate in Panama for this thesis is primarily qualitative. The research material is derived from industry-related books, journal articles, and data gathered from interviews with industry participants. The findings indicate that, even with the overall global economic downturn, Panama is still an attractive location and provides many benefits to those seeking to maximize their investments in real estate.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 60 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The European Union describes itself as a ''world player'' in international relations and is considered the ''good guy'' in the international arena. This book inspects if these labels rightly applies to its economic policies. This project investigates gaps and discrepancies thoroughly and as a result creates awareness of the issue at hand. The EU''s trading policy is closely linked to its development policy. Altough the EU can be commended for trading with developing countries and providing them with opportunities for development, it remains unclear if the EU has truly provided them with opportunities to benefit from or if they are merely taking advantage of their weak economic status.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 76 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Defining Women in American and Indian Prime Time is an in depth analysis of viewer''s perceptions of the roles played by women on prime time, in two different cultural settings. The research is directed towards respondents with two different media and cultural experiences. The first are interviewees who are simply familiar with American prime time and the second are those who are acquainted with both the American and the Indian content. The research questions address specifics of representations associated with the American and the Indian media: the roles women play on prime time, whether the viewers can associate with the characters, possible difference between prime time representations and reality as well as possible overlaps between ways of reading media''s constructions of femininity in these culturally different stage sets. Analysis of the findings in the study acknowledge more of analogous ways of deriving meaning out of gender reproductions on prime time in comparison to distinct perceptions of reading gender images in the American and Indian media.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 96 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -A high growth rate compounded with a high degree of protection of environment is the only option for India. Delineating on such a profile calls for a tailored solution. This should adjust the energy - environment matrix in the back drop of developmental priorities of India. Search for appropriate green technologies to contain environmental degradation, a high penetration of renewables in the energy mix of the country and moderating agriculture sector to curtail green house gas emission are seen as key remedies.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 60 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This book presents the results of a study on perceived occupational stress amongst female nurses working in a general hospital in the Eastern Cape Province. The central aim of the study was to understand if and how nurses perceived and experienced work related stress in the hospital. A sample of convenience was used consisting of six voluntary registered female nurses with ages ranging from 29 and 50 years. Semi-structured, in-depth individual interviews were conducted with the six participants, with data analyzed for thematic content. Main themes and sub-themes within the main themes were identified and discussed. Based on the findings of this study, recommendations for future research are offered.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 108 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The remaining good native vegetation (more than 50% native plant cover) is estimated to be less than 2% of the land mass of Mauritius. With human colonization, large number of alien species has been introduced in Mauritius, contributing greatly to the degradation of our native flora and fauna, with the strawberry guava (Psidium cattleianum Sabine) one of the most aggressive invasive alien plant. The aim of this study was to determine species richness, stem density and basal area of alien species within 1-ha of non-managed native forest of Brise Fer in view of improving our understanding of their impact on the native woody plant species to suggest possible improvement of conservation management. Invasive alien plants have growing populations and they are, to a great extent, responsible for the reduction in growth and regeneration of native species, conservational measures such as, the weeding; is a must to maintain native species diversity and restoring forest ecosystems impacted by alien species.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 76 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -As with most other industrialized countries of the world, the population growth rate for older adults in the United States has rapidly exceeded the growth rate of the population as a whole. Despite these demographic changes, there is a lack of research that explores factors which contribute to the adaptation and well-being of the older population. This book, therefore, investigates the impact of biological, cultural, sociological, and psychological factors which influence the aging process, sexual health, and overall quality of life. Data were collected from residents of one of the largest active retirement communities in the United States. Study findings demonstrate physical fitness impacts perceived sexual desire and perceived sexual performance. The study identified a set of variables that predicted participation in sexual activity, sexual acceptance, sexual satisfaction, and quality of life among older adults. This book is useful for scholars, health professionals, and anyone else interested in the study of aging and sexuality.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 72 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Over the past decade and a half we have seen how far countries can go in changing their economic and political system. Transition from central planning to market economy has been both difficult and challenging. Some countries have proceeded quite well but others are very far away. To ensure success of transition, countries will need to develop institutions that are necessary for private markets to operate successfully and establish a government which, will help the market economy to develop.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 84 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The current research is devoted to investigation of the impact of institutional environment on the volumes of private investments in infrastructural sectors in low and middle income countries. Econometric models for limited dependent variables (Tobit, Heckit) and count variables (Poisson) were implemented for analysis. The obtained results support the theoretical predictions on positive impact of better institutions' quality on probability of observing private infrastructural projects, total number of such projects and total volume of private infrastructural investments. The practical value of the work is in emphasis of cruciality of proper institutional policy for attracting private investments in infrastructural sectors.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 60 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Although trade shows constitute a major portion of the marketing mix in the industrial market place, very little has been researched on their function in industrial marketing. This study assessed the role of trade shows in the communication mix of textile companies, the extent to which firms engaged in pre-show, show and post- show activities, and exhibitor''s opinions on the organisation of trade shows. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire using face-to- face interviews. Exhibitors listed several advantages for trade show participation including the identification of new customers and the enhancement of company image and goodwill. Disadvantages included the high costs and the difficulty of quantifying results from trade shows that made executives uneasy about the large expenditures. Findings also revealed that the size of the firm did not influence objective-setting and the extent to which firms engaged in trade show activities. Overall, exhibitors need to take a market-orientated approach to their exhibition activities.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 72 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The study evaluated secondary school teachers'' perception on the effectiveness of physical punishment as a disciplinary measure in selected secondary schools in Osun State.This was with a view of exploring the effects of physical punishment in encouraging/discouraging secondary school students from delinquent and violent acts. Quantitative and Qualitative data were collected through simple random sampling, In-depth Interviews and Focus Group Discussions (FGD). Data were analysed using inferential statistics and TextBase Beta respectively.The study revealed that there was no significant relationship between teachers'' demographic attributes such as (age, level of education, length of service and sex) and their perception on physical punishment. The qualitative analysis showed the influence of religion on teachers'' perception, (King Solomon, in the Book of Proverbs [13:24]), (Proverbs 22:15, KJV) and (Proverbs 23:13,15, KJV). In conclusion, physical punishment was perceived as an effective disciplinary measure for correcting and maintaining discipline among secondary school students as well as,in molding and shaping their cognitive and psychosocial growth and developmental ability.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 108 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Export diversification is very essential for transition countries. External economy of Ukraine is an issue of high interest of economists because Ukraine takes one of the first places in the world regarding the rate of ration of foreign-trade to GNP. The reasons for diversification of Ukrainian trade are quite clear. Ukraine will be less sensitive to the shocks on the world markets of products in case of more diversified trade. So export diversification decreases the risks from the unstable demand of the trade partners. This paper uses the recent developments in the international trade theory that considers the fact that some firms export, some do not to investigate the pattern of export diversification. Using a gravity model the highly disaggregated trade data in the period from 2001 to 2007 was analyzed. It was found that intensive margin is the most important share of the trade growth. As for extensive margin we can conclude that geographical extensive margin is more important than product extensive for the growth of export. Signing free trade agreement increases the probability to diversify.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 48 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -A thematic analysis of 56 qualitative interviews of 7 African immigrant families from Ethiopia, Nigeria and Congo living in Minnesota revealed that these families resemble other poor families in the considerations that guide their childcare choices. In addition to the financial and other constraints (unstable jobs, lack of openings,transportation concerns,lack of access to relatives,lack of sick care,odd-hours care, problems with childcare subsidies) that poor non-immigrant parents usually face, African immigrant families face language difficulties, cultural barriers, lack of information and difficulties in navigating the system to get the childcare they want for their children.Overall,their childcare experiences were found to be affected by ecological correlates of child''s age, mother''s employment, family income, availability of relatives and childcare subsidy policies. Findings show how childcare environment is a means for exchange of cultural practices and learning new behaviors for them and their children thus helping them adapt to the life in USA. Implications for policy, practice and research are discussed in the context of immigrant family life.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 120 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -These days, firesetting and arson seem to be on the increase. The detection of arson cases can result only from the thorough investigation of all fires. Currently, firefighters play a vital role in fire investigation. Indeed they are the first arrivals to the fire scene. They will need to be observant for the different indicators at the fire scene. There will be those who will judge if the fire was natural, accidentally or malicious. They will warn in this last case the competence of more suitable people: policemen, forensics, dog handlers¿ Therefore until the ¿fire investigators¿ arrive, the firefighters will be their eyes and ears; what they see and hear will be the key to future success. The ¿Fire Investigators¿ will have to be aware of information picked up by firefighters. It is why communication between firefighters and ¿Fire Investigators¿ is a basic requirement. The purpose of this book is to enable firefighers, through the substantial nature of the information given in this report, to recognise the first signs of arson and to behave properly at the fire scene to enable a further examination.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 60 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -This thesis examines the development of a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual (LGBT) movement in Latin America. It will show how this movement has developed and what it has achieved from its starting point in the 1960s until the present date. The first LGBT movements in Latin America sprung up in the major cities in the 1960s and 1970s and were inspired by other local and global social movements at the time including the gay liberation movement in the United States, the Hippies and the New Left. Due to several factors including political repression other Latin American did not develop a LGBT movement before the 1980s. Factors like a globalisation of sexual identity and the influx of HIV/AIDS pushed this movement forward as it has challenged traditional notions of sexuality. The book will draw on case studies from a number of countries including Argentina and Brazil to show that despite difficulties the LGBT movement have been able to achieve a number of things including a greater acceptance in society, a number of positive law changes.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 116 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -In this book, the possibility of cognitive creativity being linked to self-awareness was explored both in gathering previous work on how change and ideas are shaped, and in examining a sub-culture that exemplifies characteristics of a self-aware lifestyle. Substantial evidence was collected and is provided in the book. The following examples are included: a definition of cognitive creativity, supporting communication theories, a definition of self-awareness, and details collected from another study of a self-aware sub-culture. The results found¿ supported the hypotheses¿which states that there is a causal link between self-awareness and cognitive creativity.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 60 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The substantial increase in the scope of activities of Not for Profit Organizations (NPOs) is very challenging to their staff and management. Scarce resources and the increasing demand for accountability put pressure on NPOs to become more professional and more efficient. NPOs are expected to adopt modern management tools that are common in the business sector. On the other hand, NPOs have several unique characteristics that sometimes preclude a simple adoption of business models. Moreover, in many cases nonprofit activity, which by its nature is multidimensional, is more complex than business activity. There is clearly a need to develop and implement quantitative managerial methods that are adapted to the unique needs of NPOs. This book is my attempt to present several quantitative methods that were successfully implemented in a few organizations. The book addresses a variety of topics such as: resource allocation, performance, evaluation, and financial management. Nonprofits directors, board members and funders can find in this book some useful tools to improve the performance of their programs and organization.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 108 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The aim of this book is to serve as a quick guide for writing a research thesis or dissertation. This guide will provide concerned students with handy tips on finding a reasonable topic, preparing a research plan, reviewing literature and presenting, analyzing and interpreting their findings. Students may find this booklet useful in dealing with some statistical (taboo) issues which are meant to be easy and comprehended by everyone. It is also intended that this booklet will help research writers with documentation of data extracted from the modern electronic devices and the Internet. The guide is far from being comprehensive nor perfect in the field of research methodology; however, it is intended to help graduate students take their first steps in this field.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 60 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The knowledge-intensive economy implies a need for faster adaptation to an accelerated change in the environment of public policies and service delivery. The Department of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Tourism (DEAAT), in the Provincial Government: Western Cape, is responsible for the implementation of the Cape Online programme, through the creation of structures, systems and processes that support e-government. This book assesses the knowledge management processes ¿ creation, sharing, application and retention ¿ in the DEAAT to determine its readiness for knowledge management initiatives. The research findings indicate an overall moderate level of readiness for knowledge management with the key inhibitors being the bureaucratic structure and organisational culture. A framework for the implementation of knowledge management initiatives is proposed.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 76 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) plays a very important role in economic development. The importance of FDI is even higher for transition countries where domestic capital is incapable of meeting the huge investment needs of the economy in the transformation process from planned to market economy.In the twentieth century international capital flows have taken over the lead from foreign trade, becoming the main power beyond of the world economy. In this context Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) played a crucial role. This role is important too in the modernisation of the emerging countries, as well as transformation of the transition countries from a planned to a market-based economy. Therefore, it should not be surprising why many countries are offering preferential incentives for foreign companies wishing to invest in their countries. This was present especially in the transition countries where preferential incentives were offered by almost each country. The rationale behind this conventional attitude is that FDI (in absence of domestic capital)will speed up the transformation process.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 92 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The processes of erosion and sediment transport determine the bathymetric evolution of natural beaches. The alongshore transport of sediments and pollutants in the surf zone is primarily driven by mean currents with the circulation often characterized by mean longshore flows. These flows are affected by local bathymetry, spatial, and temporal changes in incident wave energy and direction. Capturing the spatial and temporal variations in mean flows in the surf zone is key to predicting the morphological change of the nearshore topography and shoreline. Much of the field research in the nearshore zone has been accomplished with in-situ measurement techniques requiring a substantial number of instruments to adequately sample the scales associated with nearshore circulation. Remote sensors are less invasive, are generally easier to deploy and maintain, and offer wider areal coverage than typical arrays of in-situ instruments. The text presents a comparison of two remote sensing techniques, microwave radar and optical video, used to infer nearshore surface currents. It also introduces engineers and scientists to the wide variety of applications of remote sensing in the nearshore zone.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 104 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, over the years, has been utilized as a tool to resolve issues arising from the management of municipal assets. There is always the need to manage asset failures; consequences of failure, based on location; and defendable capital improvement budgets. The use of GIS provides a visual aid to administrators to make quick decisions on critical assets. Although GIS technology has undergone some metamorphosis in the last decade, and shall continue to change drastically in the coming years, its usefulness in managing assets and other problems remain the same. This book is written as a guide to the GIS project manager, with emphasis on the various ingredients needed for successful implementation. It uses case- studies to shed some light on GIS implementation in municipal asset management, and provides in-depth statistical analyses of the various factors responsible for success or failure.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 104 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -Invented in 1979 by Bradley Efron, the relatively new topic of bootstrap approximation technique is becoming one of the most efficient and fast expanding methods of statistical analysis, used not only by statisticians, but also by other researchers in economics, finance, medical sciences, life sciences, social sciences, and business. However, the current application of bootstrap is largely focused on independent and identically distributed (iid) data and to a lesser extent on weakly dependent data structures. Very little attempt is done to analyze the performance of bootstrap to strongly dependent (long-memory) processes. This work aims at laying the mathematical foundation for the application of parametric bootstrap to regression processes whose disturbance terms are strongly dependent. It is shown that, under some sets of conditions on the regression coefficients, the spectral density function, and the parameter values, the parametric bootstrap based on the plug-in log-likelihood (PLL) function of linear regression processes with Gaussian, stationary, and long-memory errors, provides higher-order improvements over the traditional delta method.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 64 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -The field activated sintering technique (FAST) is a powder consolidation process via the application of pulsed current and pressure. Compared with conventional hot pressing and hot isostatic pressing, FAST has demonstrated a rapid densification process that has the potential to minimize grain growth, which is crucial to achieving excellent physical properties. This work covers the physical phenomena, multi-scale analytical and numerical models, experimental studies, and application of FAST processing. Specifically, a coupled thermal-electric-densification framework for the design and optimization of FAST type processing has been proposed and implemented into a finite element package. A discrete finite element method is also developed to determine the effective thermal conductivity in a particulate system with realistic microstructure. Moreover, FAST simulation of a hip joint replacement is demonstrated.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 108 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware -In the introduction, Importance of the research, its scientific novelty and practical value are discussed. The aims and scope of the work are described. In the first chapter, four methods of optimization: Local deterministic (LD), Local Random (LR), Simulated Annealing (SA) and Bayesian Approach (BA) are regarded. Their operation and parameters are described. The advantages and disadvantages of commercial school scheduling programs, used in Lithuanian secondary schools and gymnasiums are discussed. In the second chapter, are proposals, how to define, update and apply parameters of heuristic methods of optimization described in the first chapter. They include recommendations for choice and optimization of heuristic parameters. The efficiency of methods is tested. In the third chapter, the software for school scheduling optimization in Lithuanian secondary schools and gymnasiums is discussed. Proposals for a further development of the algorithms and software are considered including the implementation in multiprocessor systems. In the conclusions, the summary of research results and recommendations on research are provided.Books on Demand GmbH, Überseering 33, 22297 Hamburg 60 pp. Englisch.