bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bridging the divide: Making research matter to local government
Authors: Redwood Mark
Published: February 2015

The ‘Freeport Declaration on Improving Local Government: The Commonwealth Vision’, affirmed at the May 2009 Commonwealth Local Government Conference by 550 councillors, mayors, and senior officials from 48 countries, outlined the clear importance of research in public policy development. In the words of the Declaration: “practice oriented research should become more prominent in the work of CLGF,” and this is to be achieved through the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) Research Advisory Group, comprised of participants drawn from universities, training organizations and other research-related bodies in about a dozen member countries. These statements should be the basis of a radical change in how researchers engage local governments.
Village Forums or Development Councils: People’s participation in decision-making in rural West Bengal, India
Authors: Chattopadhyay Raghabendra , Chakrabarti Bhaskar , Nath Suman
Published: February 2015

The policy shift towards decentralisation promises important social change in rural India, providing as it does a three-tier system of local self-governments, the Panchayats: at the village level, the district level, and an intermediate level between the two, called the Block Panchayat. There is evidence of far-reaching social change in rural West Bengal, a state in eastern India, after the Left Front government came into power, particularly because of revitalisation of the three-tier Panchayat system. The initial years of Left Front rule saw the village poor enthusiastically attending Panchayat meetings and taking part in decision-making at the village council, the Gram Sabha, the general body of villagers of voting age covering 10-12 villages, and the Gram Sansad, the forum of local democracy at the ward level. However, today, relatively few people in the villages are taking part in government-sponsored initiatives. Panchayat meetings are scarcely attended and almost always exclude certain classes and members of the community. In order to combat the problem, the Government of West Bengal has recently tried to further devolve the power and responsibilities of local government and has established Gram Unnayan Samiti (GUSs) or Village Development Councils, consisting of political members from both elected and the opposition parties and certain nominated members. The GUSs are supposed to bring in more participation at the grassroots level. In this paper, we study the formal policies regarding decentralisation and people’s participation in West Bengal, and analyse the dynamics of political processes regarding decision-making at operational level after the introduction of GUS. We have analysed audio recordings of meetings of the Gram Sabhas and the dynamics of the newly formed GUSs to uncover the actual rate of people’s participation, actual meeting procedures and reasons behind people’s reluctance to participate. We argue that solutions lie in having a strong third-tier in order to address issues of lack of transparency and accountability in decision-making, and make recommendations as to how that might be achieved.
Book Review: Local Government and Metropolitan Regions in Federal Systems
Authors: Symonds Jill , Walisser Brian
Published: February 2015

This is the sixth volume in an impressive series published as A Global Dialogue on Federalism. The series is published on behalf of the Forum of Federations (www.forumfed.org) and the International Association of Centers for Federal Studies (http://iacfs.org). This is the first volume in the series to explore the role and position of local and regional governments in federal systems. The volume consists of a dozen case studies plus introductory and concluding chapters by the editor.
Stronger communities? Changing prospects for community-led strategic planning in New Zealand
Authors: Brosnan Bruno , Cheyne Christine
Published: February 2015

New Zealand’s Local Government Act 2002 ushered in a new phase in local government, a phase that is best characterised by the term ‘empowerment’. Not only were councils empowered to promote social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being, in contrast with previous more prescriptive legislation, but citizens were empowered to engage in community-led strategic planning. In many respects the new statute reflected contemporary international public management trends in which governance is increasingly being conducted via networks of public and private actors. However, with the change of government from a centre-left Labour-led coalition to a centre-right National-led government following the November 2008 general election, it is less certain that local government and communities will continue to experience a strengthening of the pluralisation of governance that has been a feature of the past decade. This article argues that the potential disempowerment of local government, and possible attenuation of community-led strategic planning in New Zealand, comes at a time when the momentum for devolution to local government and other communities is increasing elsewhere.
The emergence of community strategic planning in New South Wales, Australia: Influences, challenges and opportunities
Authors: Prior Jason , Herriman Jade
Published: February 2015

This paper investigates the emergence of community strategic planning in the New South Wales (NSW) local government sector, against the backdrop of a series of broad influences ranging from increased interest in participatory democracy through to sustainable infrastructure provision. It provides an understanding of how community strategic planning has evolved over the past few decades to embody these influences. The paper concludes with reflections on some common challenges and opportunities experienced by local councils in NSW that have undertaken voluntary community strategic planning or are in the process of developing community strategic plans. Given underlying similarities in the emergence of participatory long-term strategic planning in local government around the world, many of the experiences associated with the preparation of community strategic plans in the NSW context are likely to be of relevance to those undertaking similar processes in other jurisdictions.
‘We are not the only ones to blame’: District Assemblies’ Perspectives on the state of planning in Ghana
Authors: Yeboah Eric , Obeng-Odoom Franklin
Published: February 2015

Planning has failed to exert effective influence on the growth of human settlements in Ghana. As a result, the growth of cities has been chaotic. The district assemblies, which are the designated planning authorities, are commonly blamed for this failure, yet little attention has been given to district assemblies’ perspectives of what factors lead to failures in planning. This paper attempts to fill this gap. Drawing on fieldwork in Ghana, it argues that, from the perspective of district assemblies, five major challenges inhibit planning, namely: an inflexible land ownership system, an unresponsive legislative framework, undue political interference, an acute human resource shortage, and the lack of a sustainable funding strategy. The paper concludes with proposals for reforming the planning system in Ghana.
Editorial
Authors: Sansom Graham
Published: February 2015

This second issue for 2010 contains a rich variety of material, reflecting in part a considerable increase in the number of papers submitted to the journal. Processing the large volume of submissions has stretched available editorial resources resulting in both a few weeks delay in publication and deferral of consideration of several papers until next year. We regret those delays.There are five research papers in this issue. Desmond Amosa reflects on the important question of whether non-elected traditional local governance – in this case village governance in Samoa – meets acceptable standards of accountability and transparency normally associated with ‘democratic’ local government. He concludes that Samoa’s village councils, consisting of matai (chiefs) do indeed meet those standards and that any attempt to build the capacity of local government in Samoa should therefore involve embracing and enhancing, rather than supplanting, its long established cultural practices.
Australia-Papua New Guinea Good Practice Scheme: Alotau-Sunshine Coast
Authors: Barnes Doug , Britton Adam
Published: February 2015

In 2007 the CEO of the then Noosa Council became aware of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum’s (CLGF) Good Practice Scheme in the Pacific program through his involvement as the President of Local Government Managers Australia. He contacted the CLGF with a view to contributing to the program. Alotau Urban Local Level Government (ULLG) was chosen as Noosa’s partner for the program due to its enthusiasm to improve waste management practices in order to clean up the town and create an aesthetically improved environment. Noosa Council considered that it was well credentialed to assist in this regard. Later in November 2008, after Noosa had become part of the new Sunshine Coast Regional Council (SCRC) the Milne Bay Provincial Government and Alotau Urban Local Level Government (AULLG) sought further technical assistance for the preparation of an Urban Development Plan for Alotau and surrounds.
Book Review: Local Government and Decentralization in Ghana
Authors: Sharma Keshav C.
Published: February 2015

The author of this volume, Kwamena Ahwoi, has no doubt benefited in the writing of this book from the insights acquired as a Minister of Local Government in Ghana for over 12 years (he is presently a staff member of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration). Kwamena Ahwoi was the Minister who piloted the Local Government Act 1993 and other important legislation related to local government such as the District Assemblies Common Fund Act 1993, and the National Development Planning (System) Act 1994. This book therefore is both an insider’s view and an academic account.
Cabinet Governance and Political Stability in English Urban Councils
Authors: Greasley Stephen
Published: February 2015

Policy-makers have long been concerned with the quality of local political leadership and have often resorted to institutional reform to try to improve political leadership. This paper looks at a specific and neglected facet of the political management reforms that have been implemented in English local government over the last decade: the tenure and turnover of cabinet members. The tenure of top politicians may be an important influence on the performance of local government particularly when political management is designed to favour individualised leadership. On the one hand, excessively short tenures for top politicians may damage the ability of governments to develop strategic plans and ensure they are implemented while on the other hand the risk of loss of office is central to political accountability and excessively long tenures may be indicative of an insulated and unresponsive elite. While some research attention has been paid to the tenures of leaders of councils in England there is little systematic information about the tenure of cabinet members. This paper discusses the relevance of cabinet stability and provides an overview of recent experience in England.
Place-based Leadership in a Global Era
Authors: Hambleton Robin
Published: February 2015

This article examines the major challenges now facing local governments across the world and advocates the development of a new focus on place-based leadership for local government scholarship and practice. The challenges facing local authorities are many, but they can be summarised in two words: globalisation and urbanisation. In response to these we have witnessed, in many countries, a shift from ‘local government’ to ‘local governance’. This shift is discussed, and it is suggested that new models of partnership working could, if handled in the wrong way, undermine local democracy. To combat this danger it is essential to give civic leadership far more attention – in the worlds of both academe and practice. A new way of conceptualising place-based leadership – one that identifies three ‘realms of civic leadership’ – is put forward. This model emphasises the role of civic leadership in shaping emotions and supporting public service innovation. To illustrate the argument an example of highly respected place-based leadership is presented. Freiburg, Germany is recognised as a very successful eco-city and the leadership model is used to help explain why. The article concludes with some reflections and pointers for research and policy. It is suggested that new forms of ‘engaged scholarship’ – approaches that bring together academics and practitioners to co-produce new knowledge about place-based leadership in an international, comparative perspective – should be encouraged.
Municipal Local Economic Development and the Multiplier effect: Piloting a Community Enterprise Identification Method in South Africa and Namibia
Authors: Heideman Lucienne
Published: February 2015

Local Economic Development (LED) is a contested concept in southern Africa, and has become synonymous with delivery of generic job-creation projects, often grant-dependent and unsustainable. Municipal LED has followed this pattern in South Africa since 1994, with little lasting success. Each local economy is unique, and has its own problems and opportunities. The ’Plugging the Leaks’ method recognizes that communities themselves know best how money enters and exits their area. By asking people to analyse their local economy as a 'leaky bucket', the method puts control back in the hands of local people, rather than external experts, and allows them to analyse their own local economy to identify gaps and opportunities for enterprise. By better networking and working collectively to improve their local economy, local communities are able to re-circulate cash internally. This circulation of cash is explained as the local multiplier effect in the workshops. A pilot process of running ‘Plugging the Leaks’ workshops in low income communities in South Africa and Namibia revealed that spending choices in these communities are severely limited in a context where there is no effective welfare state. Therefore, empowerment with this method came from the discovery of collective action and networking, rather than from individual spending choices. Local start-up business tends to be limited to survivalist and copy-cat one-person ventures, and are a last resort when formal employment is absent. In this context collective enterprise offers the necessary empowerment for people to attempt financially sustainable ventures that respond to a gap in the local economy. The pilot project is attempting to show that municipal LED staff can play the role of facilitator for initiating the enterprise-identification process and further mobilise state enterprise support agencies around the locus of LED, without crossing the line between facilitation and implementation of ’projects’.
Professionalising Local Government Leadership: A Foundational Imperative
Authors: Ajayi Olubunmi
Published: February 2015

‘If you have built a castle in the air your work need not be lost – that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.’ (Henry Thoreau)First, the good news. Africa’s economic pulse has quickened, infusing the continent with a new commercial vibrancy. Real GDP rose by 4.9 percent a year from 2000 through 2008, more than twice its pace in the 1980s and 1990s. Telecommunications, banking, and retailing are flourishing. Construction is booming. Private-investment inflows are surging. Africa’s collective GDP, at $1.6 trillion in 2008, is now roughly equal to Brazil’s or Russia’s, and according to the McKinsey Quarterly, ‘What’s driving Africa’s growth’ (2010), the continent is among the world’s most rapidly growing economic regions. This acceleration is a sign of hard-earned progress and future promise.
Reconceptualising Shared Services
Authors: McKinlay Peter
Published: February 2015

Endeavours to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of local government have been a persistent theme both of politicians in higher tiers of government and of interest groups, especially business. The two contenders for improvement which receive most coverage both in the research literature and in popular discussion are amalgamation and shared services. Arguments from the literature have generally favoured shared services over amalgamation. Bish (2001) in a comprehensive review of North American research dismisses the argument for amalgamation as a product of flawed nineteenth-century thinking and a bureaucratic urge for centralized control. He does so making the very reasonable point that the presumed economies of scale which will result from amalgamation are a function not of the size and scale of individual local authorities, but of the services for which those local authorities are responsible, and the point at which economies of scale will be optimised will be very different for different services. The case against amalgamation is also reinforced by the absence of any significant post-facto evidence that amalgamation achieves either the promised savings or the anticipated efficiency gains (McKinlay 2006).
The 2011 Commonwealth Local Government Conference: Energising Local Economies: An Overview
Authors: Rhodes Sue
Published: February 2015

In the current economic climate, creating the right environment for local enterprise, inward investment, and business and skills development, is an important factor in ensuring the prosperity and wellbeing of local communities. The impact of the global financial crisis has not been uniform across the Commonwealth and countries are using different strategies to overcome their financial difficulties. Local government increasingly plays an important part in this. More and more local governments in countries across the Commonwealth have responsibilities and powers for local economic development: in some countries local authorities can already show how their policies and actions are helping energise their local economies, while in other countries local councils are just beginning to get to grips with these responsibilities.
Communities in control? The challenges of neighbourhood governance with reference to local government reform in England
Authors: Churchill Harriet
Published: February 2015

Recent local government and public service reforms in England have been orientated towards devolving public service delivery and decision-making to the neighbourhood level. These reforms have been driven by political, social and managerial agendas that aim to make local government more accountable and responsive to local communities, to build social capital and to enhance the cost-effectiveness of local services. This paper, with reference to the current policy framework in England, aims to identify and review the possibilities and challenges for local government officials and partner agencies in moving towards decentralised public service provision and governance. The paper initially identifies the key aspects of reform brought in by the central government Department of Communities and Local Government that seek to extend neighbourhood influence and governance structures. The discussion then turns towards considering the challenges in ensuring effective citizen participation – namely responding to multiple policy objectives; devising appropriate neighbourhood governance structures; re-thinking the role of local government; identifying and managing trade-offs; building community and local government capabilities for wide-ranging participation; and ensuring effective partnership working at all levels of local government. In conclusion the important steps towards tackling these challenges in England are recognised although a number of concerns remain.
Commonwealth Local Government Forum Pacific Project
Authors: Parker Terry , Praeger Megan
Published: February 2015

The Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) Pacific Project works with local government and other stakeholders in nine Pacific Island countries – Cook Islands, Fiji Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. It seeks to strengthen local democracy and good governance, and to help local governments deal with the increasing challenges of service delivery and urban management in the unique Pacific environment.Human settlement patterns in the region are changing rapidly. The Pacific has traditionally been a rural agricultural/subsistence society, but this is no longer the case. The accelerated pace of urbanisation has impacted significantly on Pacific nations and in the very near future the majority of Pacific Islanders will be found in urban areas. Already over 50% of Fiji’s population are urban dwellers. Rapid urbanisation brings with it unique challenges and opportunities. Local governments are at the forefront of this phenomenon, with the responsibility to manage urban development and the transition from rural areas to cities and towns. Their success or failure to manage urbanisation and provide the required levels of physical and social infrastructure will affect many lives in a new urban Pacific.The project now has three components – the main Pacific Regional Project and two country-specific programmes: the Honiara City Council Institutional Capacity Building Project and the Commonwealth Local Government Good Practice Scheme in Papua New Guinea.
Current developments in New Zealand local government
Authors: McKinlay Peter
Published: February 2015

August 2007 saw the release of 'Funding Local Government', the report of the Local Government Rates Inquiry (available at www.ratesinquiry.govt.nz). New Zealand local government has one of the world's most flexible rating (property tax) systems. Councils may choose between capital value, land value or annual (rental) value. Rates may be levied primarily as an ad valorem charge but councils may also use a variety of fixed charges. In addition they may levy a targeted rate or rates, which may be either a fixed amount or ad valorem, charged on a single property or category of properties to recover the cost of a specific service or services. Councils also have the power, in consultation with their communities, to adopt highly flexible postponement policies allowing people to defer, indefinitely, payment of rates. (Normally when this is done, councils take a first charge on the property and recover interest at their marginal cost of borrowing.)
Planning for Sustainability in NSW Local Government
Authors: Herriman Jade , Partridge Emma , Paddon Mick
Published: February 2015

Local councils in the state of New South Wales (NSW) in Australia are starting to give serious consideration to how they can include ‘sustainability’ in their planning for the future. There is no statutory requirement to create a sustainability plan – and therefore no standard definition of what constitutes such a plan for local government in NSW. The same is true of the term ‘sustainability’, for which there is no standard or legislative definition. However, the NSW state division of Local Government Managers Australia (LGMA - a professional organization for council managers) has recently released a ‘Sustainability Health Check’ as a resource to assist councils in assessing their current performance and devising appropriate strategies and action plans for sustainability. In addition, several individual councils have used the opportunity provided by the state government’s Urban Sustainability Program to make a first attempt at developing a sustainability plan.
Overview of receptor-based source apportionment studies for speciated atmospheric mercury
Authors: Cheng I. , Xu X. , Zhang L.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. Receptor-based source apportionment studies of speciated atmospheric mercury are not only concerned with source contributions, but also the influence of transport, transformation, and deposition processes on speciated atmospheric mercury concentrations at receptor locations. Previous studies applied multivariate receptor models including Principal Components Analysis and Positive Matrix Factorization, and back trajectory receptor models including Potential Source Contribution Function, Gridded Frequency Distributions, and Concentration-back trajectory models. Anthropogenic combustion sources, crustal/soil dust, and chemical and physical processes, such as gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) oxidation reactions, boundary layer mixing, and GEM flux from surfaces, were inferred from the multivariate studies, which were predominantly conducted at receptor sites in Canada and the US. Back trajectory receptor models revealed potential impacts of large industrial areas such as the Ohio River Valley in the US and throughout China, metal smelters, mercury evasion from the ocean and Great Lakes, and free troposphere transport on receptor measurements. Input data and model parameters specific to atmospheric mercury receptor models are summarized and model strengths and weaknesses are also discussed. One area of improvement that applies to all receptor models is the greater focus on evaluating the accuracy of receptor models at identifying potential speciated atmospheric mercury sources, source locations, and chemical and physical processes in the atmosphere.
Uncertainty analysis of eddy covariance CO2 flux measurements for different EC tower distances using an extended two-tower approach
Authors: Post H. , Hendricks Franssen H. J. , Graf A. , Schmidt M. , Vereecken H.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. The use of eddy covariance (EC) CO2 flux measurements in data assimilation and other applications requires an estimate of the random uncertainty. In previous studies, the (classical) two-tower approach has yielded robust uncertainty estimates, but care must be taken to meet the often competing requirements of statistical independence (non-overlapping footprints) and ecosystem homogeneity when choosing an appropriate tower distance. The role of the tower distance was investigated with help of a roving station separated between 8 m and 34 km from a permanent EC grassland station. Random uncertainty was estimated for five separation distances with the classical two-tower approach and an extended approach which removed systematic differences of CO2 fluxes measured at two EC towers. This analysis was made for a data set where (i) only similar weather conditions at the two sites were included, and (ii) an unfiltered one. The extended approach, applied to weather-filtered data for separation distances of 95 and 173 m gave uncertainty estimates in best correspondence with an independent reference method. The introduced correction for systematic flux differences considerably reduced the overestimation of the two-tower based uncertainty of net CO2 flux measurements and decreased the sensitivity of results to tower distance. We therefore conclude that corrections for systematic flux differences (e.g., caused by different environmental conditions at both EC towers) can help to apply the two-tower approach to more site pairs with less ideal conditions.
Woodland survey of Great Britain 1971–2001
Authors: Wood C. M. , Smart S. M. , Bunce R. G. H.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. The Woodland Survey of Great Britain is a unique dataset, consisting of a detailed range of ecological measurements at a national scale, covering a time span of 30 years. A set of 103 woods spread across Britain were first surveyed in 1971, which were again surveyed in 2000–2003 (for convenience referred to subsequently as the "2001 survey"). Standardised methods of describing the trees, shrubs, ground flora, soils and general habitats present were used for both sets of surveys. The sample of 1648 plots spread through 103 woodland sites located across Britain makes it probably the most extensive quantitative ecological woodland survey undertaken in Britain; it is also notable for the range of sites that have been re-visited after such a long interval. The dataset provides a unique opportunity to explore the effects of a range of potential drivers of woodland change that operated between 1971 and 2001. The dataset is available in four discrete parts, which have been assigned the following DOIs: doi:10.5285/4d93f9ac-68e3-49cf-8a41-4d02a7ead81a (Woodlands survey tree diameter data 1971–2001), doi:10.5285/d6409d40-58fe-4fa7-b7c8-71a105b965b4 (Woodlands survey site information 1971–2001), doi:10.5285/fb1e474d-456b-42a9-9a10-a02c35af10d2 (Woodlands survey soil data 1971–2001), doi:10.5285/2d023ce9-6dbe-4b4f-a0cd-34768e1455ae (Woodlands survey flora data 1971–2001).
Perspektiven für eine konzeptionelle Orientierung der Bildungsgeographie
Authors: Freytag T. , Jahnke H.
Published: February 2015

Abstract. Education has become central to the social and political debates in many countries. Under the influence of comparative international studies as well as national rankings of education institutions there is a growing awareness for social and regional inequalities of formal education infrastructure and processes. This article focuses on the geographical education research in Germany by reviewing existing research work on the one hand and opening perspectives for future studies in geography of education on the other. The main aim is to restructure the field of German Bildungsgeographie (geography of education) along key concepts and perspectives from human geography. After a brief introduction, the first part discusses the concept of Bildung (education) and its transformation. The following chapter sketches the major lines of research in geography of education in the German-speaking context. In the last and most extensive part six key concepts from human geography are pointed out as suitable reference points to situate existing and future research activities in the field of geography of education.
Clear Cell Thymic Carcinoma: A Case Report
Authors: Bertocchi Paola , Meriggi Fausto , Zambelli Claudia , Zorzi Fausto , Zaniboni Alberto
Published: February 2015

Clear cell thymic carcinoma is a rare and invasive tumor of the mediastinum for which there are no uniform treatment guidelines. The combination of carboplatin plus paclitaxel seems to be the most effective regimen for this disease. We report a case of locally advanced clear cell thymic carcinoma treated with this schedule, in which we observed a relevant and rapid tumor shrinkage.
The Contrapuntal Humanisms of Edward Said
Authors: BARTINE DAVID
Published: February 2015

In Culture and Imperialism Said proposes (and discusses elsewhere) counterpoint in music as a model for a different kind of critical reading. The article examines ambiguities in his concepts of counterpoint and provides a study of ways in which Said's ideas about counterpoint in music bear on his somewhat problematic discussions of a humanism critical of humanism in his final book project, Humanism and Democratic Criticism.
Comparación de dos productos botánicos vrs. un sintético para control de mosca blanca en cultivo de melón
Authors: Zúniga Blanca Esmeralda , Núñez Dunia Lizeth , Marroquín Liliam Carina
Published: February 2015

Con el objetivo de identificar y señalar productos botánicos para controlar la mosca blanca en el cultivo de melón, se evaluó la efectividad de dos productos orgánicos en relación a un testigo químico. Los productos se aplicaron una vez por semana y se tomaron datos de campo dos días después de cada aplicación. Los dos tratamientos botánicos presentaron numéricamente los mayores valores de efectividad sobre Bemisia tabaci vrs el químico; existiendo estadísticamente diferencia significativa entre los tratamientos. El tratamiento Neem X es más efectivo y tampoco afecta la fenología de las plantas en comparación al testigo Rescate; en cambio el Neem (Azadirachta indica) no ha sido el primero de los insecticidas botánicos utilizados comercialmente, pero ha tenido un alto impacto en un número importante de cultivos entre ellos el melón (Cucumis melo). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5377/pc.v4i0.1861 Revista Portal de la Ciencia, No. 4, julio 2013: 45-51
Evaluación de las políticas energéticas de ahorro, eficiencia y manejo de la demanda en el sector residencial de Honduras
Authors: Raudales Wood Dafne Arely , Seren Melissa Alejandra , Alvarado Héctor
Published: February 2015

La presente investigación está orientada a evaluar y analizar los efectos de las distintas políticas de ahorro, eficiencia y manejo de la demanda eléctrica en el sector residencial de Honduras, medido a través de la elasticidad-precio e ingreso de la demanda de electricidad; utilizando un proceso cuantitativo explicado mediante la teoría de la elasticidad relacionadas con dicho problema, para su correcto y efectivo entendimiento. Tiene el propósito de servir como documento base para un proceso de evaluación de las distintas políticas públicas en Honduras. Contando con la información necesaria para consensuar y consolidar una visión de la política energética nacional. En este sentido, la siguiente investigación procura ser una referencia inicial para la elaboración de una nueva política energética nacional que inicie el ordenamiento y planificación a largo plazo en este sector, utilizando de manera específica las estimaciones de las elasticidades precio e ingreso de la demanda por electricidad, en el sector residencial de Honduras. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5377/pc.v4i0.1866 Revista Portal de la Ciencia, No. 4, julio 2013: 86-92
Bijstand als schadepost
Authors: Oude Hergelink A.S. , Vermaat M.F.
Published: February 2015

Bijstand als schadepost

Schadevergoedingen en de bijstandswet vormen geen gelukkig paar. Immers, voordat iemand een beroep op de bijstand zoals geregeld in de Participatiewet kan doen, moet er geen sprake meer zijn van vermogen boven de vrijlatingsgrens. Waarom schade vergoeden als de gemeente vervolgens de bijstand beëindigt? In deze bijdrage wordt aan de hand van wetgeving, gemeentelijke regelgeving en jurisprudentie besproken wat de gevolgen voor het recht op bijstand (kunnen) zijn wanneer een bijstandsgerechtigde een letselschadevergoeding ontvangt. Op 16 april 2014 heeft de Rechtbank Zeeland-West-Brabant geoordeeld dat indien het onderhavige letselschadeslachtoffer haar aanspraak op een bijstandsuitkering (deels) zou verliezen, dat aangemerkt diende te worden als schade en die schade voor vergoeding door de aansprakelijke partij in aanmerking komt. Deze uitspraak werpt een nieuw licht op de problematiek.
Effect of Operating Conditions of the Extraction Process on the Physical Properties of Lubricating Oil
Authors: Mehrkesh Amirhossein , Tavakoli Touraj , Hatamipour Mohammad S.
Published: February 2015

Lubricating base oil is commonly extracted from lube-oil cut, a petroleum cut, with the use of an aromatic solvent. Aromatic content of the final product is an important criterion specifying the product quality. The aromatic removal process to produce the lubricating oil should be carried out in a Liquid-Liquid extraction column. In a typical solvent extraction process, solvent to feed ratio, solvent and feed temperatures, agitation rate, and settling time could directly affect the yield of extraction. In the current study, the effect of agitation rate and settling time on the yield of extraction was studied. It was found that a settling time of 2hrs and an agitation rate of 430 RPM to be the optimum parameters of the extraction process.
The Interrelationship between Thermodynamics and Energetics: The True Sense of Equilibrium Thermodynamics
Authors: Starikov Evgeni B.
Published: February 2015

The interrelationship between the conventional thermodynamics and energetics has been discussed in detail. A number of flavors has been considered in the field of energetics, with the conclusion that the actual difference among all of them is rather superficial. A need to reconsider the foundations of thermodynamics and statistical physics has been pointed out. Such a re-consideration ought to facilitate formulating thermodynamics at any level of matter organization: from the microscopic through nano- and mesoscopic to the macroscopic one.
Volumetric Properties of Cyclic Alanylalanine in Aqueous Solutions of MnCl2, NiCl2 and ZnCl2 at Temperatures T = (293.15 to 313.15) K
Authors: Karanth V.R. , Bhat D. Krishna
Published: February 2015

The partial molar volumes, isentropic compressibilities, partial molar isentropic compressions and transfer molar quantities of cyclic alanylalanine in water and in aqueous solutions of MnCl2, NiCl2 and ZnCl2 were determined using the experimental density and speed of sound values. Refractive indices of all the solutions were recorded to calculate the molar refractions. The molecular interactions existing in the systems have been discussed based on the derived parameters. It has been found that M2+-O2H bond distances of hydrated cations influence on the volumetric properties of cyclic alanylalanine. Further, the greater effect of hydrophobic hydration has been substantiated by the Sv values of least square fits of apparent molar volume against solute molality.
Pyrrolidinyl Group as Charge Donor for the Excited State Intramolecular Chargetransferin 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1-(4-(pyrrolidin-1-yl) phenyl) Prop-2-en-1-one
Authors: Mishra Nidhi , Chaudhary Kamal Kumar , Awasthi Satish Kumar
Published: February 2015

The absorption and steady state emission properties of a chemically synthesized chalcone, 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1-(4-(pyrrolidin-1-yl) phenyl) prop-2-en-1-one (MPPP) containing asymmetrical donor and acceptor groups has been investigated both experimentally and theoretically. The ground state, MPPP has a significant intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) character and a great sensitivity to the hydrogen bond donating ability of the medium as reflected from the absorption spectra in pure non polar, polar and neutral solvents. On the other hand, its excited singlet state exhibits high ICT characters as manifested by the drastic solvatochromic effects. These results are consistent with the data. The absorption spectra of the compound MPPP undergoes minor changes with increasing polarity of the solvents and the fluorescence spectra experiences a distinct bathochromic shifts in the both position and fluorescence quantum yields, increases reaching a maximum before decrease with increasing the solvent effects. The quantum yields decrease with increase in the solvent polarity. The magnitude of change in the dipole moment was also calculated using Austin Model 1 (AM1). These results suggest that the evidence about the intramolecular charge transfer in the emitting singlet state of this compound. The solvent dependence of quantum yields of MPPP was interpreted on the basis of positive and negative solvatokinetic as well as hydrogen bonding effects. Intramolecular charge (ICT) transfer took place from pyrrolidine nitrogen to α, β unsaturated carbonyl in the ground state.
The genetic architecture of gene expression levels in wild baboons
Authors: Tung Jenny , Zhou Xiang , Alberts Susan C , Stephens Matthew , Gilad Yoav
Published: February 2015

Primate evolution has been argued to result, in part, from changes in how genes are regulated. However, we still know little about gene regulation in natural primate populations. We conducted an RNA sequencing (RNA-seq)-based study of baboons from an intensively studied wild population. We performed complementary expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) mapping and allele-specific expression analyses, discovering substantial evidence for, and surprising power to detect, genetic effects on gene expression levels in the baboons. eQTL were most likely to be identified for lineage-specific, rapidly evolving genes; interestingly, genes with eQTL significantly overlapped between baboons and a comparable human eQTL data set. Our results suggest that genes vary in their tolerance of genetic perturbation, and that this property may be conserved across species. Further, they establish the feasibility of eQTL mapping using RNA-seq data alone, and represent an important step towards understanding the genetic architecture of gene expression in primates.
Abstraction
Authors: Dye Dick
Published: February 2015

The wordabstractionis used as a noun, “to build an abstraction.” Its root form,abstract, is used as a verb, “to abstract the requirements to perform a domain analysis” or as an adjective, “a linked list is an abstract concept.” From the software engineering perspective, all of these uses refer to the concept of identifying essential properties while simultaneously eliminating nonessential properties. An abstraction intentionally ignores some qualities, attributes, or functions to focus attention on others. It is a summary; it covers the high points and leaves out the details. An abstraction omits all the pieces of the system that are not necessary for understanding the system at a given level of detail. The abstraction includes only the relevant aspects of the object. The selection of what to include and what to exclude in a good abstraction is based on knowledge of the problem, the needs of the moment, and experience. A proper combination of these considerations leads to a good abstraction.

The purpose of creating abstractions is to concentrate on one aspect of the problem and to preclude distraction by other parts of the problem. Level of abstraction is a quality that deals with the amount of detail in this view of a system. The process of abstraction has also been referred to as chunking. In this context, one abstraction represents one chunk of information. Encapsulation is the process of separating and hiding the external (user's) view of an abstraction from the internal (implementer's) view of the abstraction. There are three fundamental abstractions in terms of which all software can be described. A complete design must include all three. They are data, function, and process. These are discussed.
Acceptance Testing
Authors: Marciniak John J. , Shumskas Anthony
Published: February 2015

Acceptance testing (AT) is a testing process that is applied to ascertain whether the software products under development have met the requirements specified by agreement, e.g., contract. It helps validate, typically through functional testing, that the software items fulfill the requirements and specifications appropriate for the life cycle of the software product, AT can be performed in phases, and either on the interim or final software products for both new and modified software systems. It is conducted under controlled conditions using documented procedures to generate, acquire, and record data that accurately measure the software product against predefined criteria for functionality, performance, interface quality, and identified quality attributes (e.g., safety, security, reliability, interoperability). This activity may involve all or some of the following: instrumentation, test software, simulation software, and/or special test equipment; and includes the evaluation of the acquired data to verify compliance with specified performance requirements.
Ada Programming Language
Authors: Feldman Michael B. , Brosgol Benjamin M.
Published: February 2015

Ada is a Pascal‐like programming language whose original development and later enhancement was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). Today Ada is alive and well, and software developed in it can be found not only in defense applications worldwide, but also in trains, planes, and automobiles, not to mention commercial satellites, steel mills, cable television, and “smart cards”.

The current Ada standard is Ada 95; the language of the original Ada standard is now referred to as Ada 83. Where necessary to full understanding the determation between Ada 83 and Ada 95 is made. but we keep this distinction to a minimum.

DOD sponsored Ada as a means to address two fundamental cost problems typical of embedded systems. Ada 95 adds a coherent set of smooth extensions that were designed in direct response to experience with Ada 83 and other languages and environments, and also to the spectacular improvements in hardware and operating systems during the 1980s and 1990s.

Ada has sometimes been described as a manager's language rather than a programmer's language. There is some validity to this description, since the language encourages the software developer to plan ahead, and since its philosophy is oriented around ease of program readability rather than conciseness of notation. In the defense industry, and especially outside it, most programs are written only once, then debugged, maintained, added to, and subtracted from, repeatedly, over many years. Basing the language facilities on the needs of system maintenance and enhancement was a key insight in the initial design, and the relevance of this principle has not diminished over time.
Analogical Models/Expert Judgment
Authors: Hughes Robert T.
Published: February 2015

Although expert judgment and the use of analogy have many applications in software engineering—for example, in the selection of reusable components and the identification of design patterns—the terms are most closely associated with the process of estimating software development effort. An estimate of development effort is a prediction, based on available information, of the effort needed to develop a software application. A true prediction should not itself influence actual effort as that would transform it into a performance goal. Thus managers of the software development process are interested in prediction as an intermediate step on the way to identifying reasonable performance goals for those participating in a development project.

Analogy and case‐based reasoning would appear to be key methods used by expert estimators. A systematic approach to using analogy suggested by Cowderoy defined the six steps: Assessing the problem; finding the Case History; identifying the differences; quantifying the differences; analyzing the uncertainty; and communicating results. The attempts to automate these processes are discussed.
Software Architecture
Authors: Garlan David
Published: February 2015

As the size and complexity of software systems increase, the design, specification, and analysis of overall system structure becomes a critical issue. Structural issues include the organization of a system as a composition of components; global control structures, the protocols for communication, synchronization, and data access; the assignment of functionality to design elements; the composition of design elements; physical distribution; scaling and performance; and dimensions of evolution. This is thesoftware architecturelevel of design.

Over the past decade architectural design has emerged as an important subfield of software engineering. Practitioners have come to realize that having a good architectural design is a critical success factor for complex system development. A good architecture can help ensure that a system will satisfy key requirements in such areas as performance, reliability, portability, scalability, and interoperability. A bad architecture can be disastrous.

Practitioners have also begun to recognize the value of making explicit architectural choices, and leveraging past architectural designs in the development of new products. Today there are numerous books on architectural design, regular conferences and workshops devoted specifically to software architecture, a growing number of commercial tools to aid in aspects of architectural design, courses in software architecture, major government and industrial research projects centered on software architecture, and an increasing number of formal architectural standards. Codification of architectural principles, methods, and practices has begun to lead to repeatable processes of architectural design, criteria for making principled tradeoffs among architectures, and standards for documenting, reviewing, and implementing architectures. The role of the architecture, description language and tools are discussed.