Water potential, leaf conductance, growth, nitrogen content, and seedling survival of Wyoming Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis) following defoliation of the herbaceous understory were assessed during two growing seasons. Precipitation was 107% and 63% of the long-term mean (283 mm) in 1989 and 1990, respectively, which presented an opportunity to study impacts during a drought and a non-drought year. Response of Artemisia was measured on a site seeded to Agropyron desertorum in the late 1960s, and a native site with Stipa thurberiana, Festuca idahoensis and Poa sandbergii in the understory. The two sites were analyzed as separate experiments. The dry year had a significant effect on plant water relations and growth of Artemisia on both sites. Pre-dawn water potentials averaged 1.23 MPa more negative on the seeded site and 1.22 MPa more negative on the native site in 1990 compared to the previous year. Mid-day water potential averaged 1.22 MPa more negative on the seeded site and 1.13 MPa more negative on the native site in 1990 compared to 1989. Morning leaf conductance in 1990 was 61% lower on the seeded site and 51% lower on the native site than in 1989. Mean afternoon leaf conductance in the drought year was 62% less on the seeded site and 63% less on the native site. Nitrogen content in current year's growth was reduced 29% on the seeded site and 18% on the native site from 1989 to 1990. Vegetative and reproductive shoot (stem plus leaves) weights were reduced by over 80% in 1990 compared to 1989. Other production variables showed similar reductions in the drought year. Nitrogen content was 11% greater in current year's growth from shrubs on control as opposed to defoliated plots on the native site in 1989. Shrubs on control plots had 8% heavier reproductive stems per unit of canopy, and 7% longer vegetative stems than shrubs on defoliated plots in 1989 on the seeded site. Shrubs on control plots had 18% fewer annual leaves per unit of vegetative shoot, but 12% more primary ephemeral leaves per vegetative shoot than shrubs on defoliated plots in 1990 on the seeded site. In 1990, shrubs on control plots on the seeded site had 11% more ephemeral leaves per vegetative shoot while shrubs on the control plots on the native site had 8% fewer ephemeral leaves per vegetative shoot. Large shrubs generally had more and heavier leaves, and longer and heavier stems than medium shrubs. Exceptions included large shrub lateral stems were 30% shorter than those of medium shrubs, and large shrubs had 37% fewer annual leaves per vegetative shoot than medium shrubs in 1989 on the seeded site. Drought had substantial negative impact on water relations and growth of Wyoming big sagebrush, while defoliation of understory vegetation had little effect. / Graduation date: 1993

Mi tesis doctoral investiga la Teoría del Big Bang sobre el origen del universo y su relación con la doctrina del sabio filósofo budista, Nagarjuna (India s.II-III), fundador de la Vía Media o Camino Medio del budismo, según su obra genuina titulada Mûla-mâdhyamaka-kârik_, un texto decididamente auténtico, opus magna de este autor conforme la tradición india, china y tibetana, prueba indiscutible de la historicidad de su figura. Nagarjuna, uno de los cuatro soles que iluminan al mundo desde sus cuatro direcciones, maestro espiritual de Oriente y Occidente, fue el creador de la escuela budista Mâdhyamaka viva en la India desde el siglo II al VI. La teoría científica de la Gran Explosión Universal o Big Bang concluye que el "vacío" es la fuente energética de donde surge el Cosmos: nuestro origen. La Doctrina de Nagarjuna prueba que el "vacío" es la esencia más profunda de la Realidad; un sistema filosófico consistente con las descripciones físicas contemporáneas acerca del campo de fuerza que da principio al Cosmos.De ahí que esta Tesis Doctoral se intitule: La Teoría del Big Bang y la Doctrina de Nagarjuna: el vacío o s_nyat_ como síntesis de todo cuanto existe. Una construcción teórica fundamentada en el principio según el cual filosofía y ciencia tienen un carácter universal y no están basadas únicamente en la cultura, es decir, responde a la autoridad de la experiencia, de los hechos empíricos. El texto se inscribe en el marco paradigmático de la Filosofía de la Ciencia y contempla un enfoque sincrético, ecléctico, multidisciplinar y holístico. El principal objetivo ha sido centrar la investigación en la temática cosmológica de la filosofía de Nagarjuna, es decir, en la verdad última sobre la naturaleza de todas las cosas, el origen del universo; si bien también posee implicancias soteriológicas, epistemológicas, gnoseológicas y éticas, de primera magnitud, en especial, para quienes estamos interesamos en el futuro de nuestra Cultura Occidental.El tema de la Introducción son los conceptos científicos centrales de la Teoría del Big Bang. En el Capítulo I abordo el Estado de la Cuestión. La aparición historiográfica del budismo en Occidente y de la figura de Nagarjuna. Además realizo un registro completo de autores, editores y traductores que han escrito sobre Nagarjuna en Occidente.En el Capítulo II elaboro un examen crítico de la obra literaria nagarjuniana centrándome en la temática cosmológica del corpus, sin descuidar la ética y ascética. Me refiero a una descripción racional y crítica a las ediciones. Preciso el privilegio de unos textos sobre otros, para centrarme en la Mûla-mâdhyamaka-kârik_, de la cual realizo una primera traducción al castellano de la traducción al francés del original tibetano de Georges Driessens, Traité du Milieu, Seuil, 1995; la única traducción completa al castellano existente del citado texto fundamental.En el Capítulo III pruebo que la visión del origen del universo de la actual ciencia occidental encuentra paralelos objetivos en el budismo oriental de nuestro autor, Nagarjuna, particularmente al considerar el concepto de vacío; una especie de leit motiv que une y sintetiza dichas corrientes de pensamiento, filosofía y ciencia. Profundizamos el estudio del significado de s_nyat_ o vacío y de la vacuidad, y realizamos un resumen de la Doctrina de Nagarjuna en su Camino Medio a la iluminación del hombre y la sociedad. Así observamos que las teorías y modelos principales de la física moderna conducen a una visión del mundo que es internamente consistente con el sistema filosófico de Nagarjuna. / My doctoral thesis studies the Big Bang Theory about the origin of the universe and his relationship with the doctrine of the buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna (India s.II-III), founder of Buddhism of the Middle Way, in accord with his genuine work, titled: Mûla-mâdhyamaka-kârik_; an authentic text, opus magna of this author in accord with the india, chinese and tibetan tradition, clear probe of the history of his figure. Nagarjuna, one of the four suns witch illuminated the world in the four directions, spiritual master of Orient and Occident, was the creator of the Buddhist Mâdhyamaka school lived in India from centuries II to VI. The Big Bang theory concludes that the vacuum is the main energy from which one emerge the Cosmos. Nagarjuna´s doctrine probe that the sunyata (or vacuum) is the most deep essence of the Reality; a philosophical vision that is consistent with the physics description about the force who permitted the beginning of the universe, that means, about the latest natural essence of all things. A theoretical construction founded in the principle that philosophy and science has a universal character, not only based on a unique culture, that means, respond to the experience authority and the empirical facts. I inscribed the thesis in a syncretism, eclectic, multisciplinary and holistic point of view. In the Introduction I describe the mains concepts of the Big Bang's theory.In Chapter I begin the description of the appearance of buddhism in Occident and Nagarjuna's figure. I made a complete register of the bibliography of authors, editors and translater about Nagarjuna. In Chapter II I made a critic exam of nagarjuna's works focused in the cosmological thematic. I privilege the Mûla-mâdhyamaka-kârik_, and I made a first translation to spanish from the french translation of the tibetan original of Georges Driessens, Traité du Milieu, Seuil, 1995; the first, unique and complete spanish translation of this fundamental text.In Chapter III I probe that the contemporary universe vision of the west scientific have objectives parallels with Nagarjuna's buddhism, in particular, with the vacuum concept or sunyata. My main intention is show that the scientific vision of the vacuum is similar to the Nagarjuna's sunyata, a kind of leit motiv between the modern science and budhhist philosophy. We are in front of a definition of the same thing and in the same sense, but from different disciplines; wherever, not only in front of a mere parallelism, but in front of a synthetic of the first magnitude and resonance, with a main significant for the World Culture.The Big Bang is a cosmological physic theory with naturals questions to philosophy and religion. We're in the ultimate limit of the universe, the exact place where we suppose is home's God. This scene is singular for faith and reason's history. What kind of philosophical adventure propose the contemporary physics to the World Culture? What kind of enigma take place now to the human spirit? The actual moment of cosmology is similar to the state of the Ptolemaic theory before Copernicus. The matrix of such a research impose to postulate new cosmic ingredient of a unknown essence -hot dark matter, cool dark matter, dark energy and additional new dimension of space-time-; and the biggest work is the unification between General Relativity and Quantum Mechanic, the way to describe -maybe- the initial instant of the Cosmos, full of fundamental questions. But this it is not the complete picture. On the other side, we need a new fundamental gnoseological paradigm between faith and reason, if our will is continuing. The philosophical vision complements the physic. My personal conviction is that only the synthesis between faith-reason, Orient-Occident, will be at last the most useful and powerful line of thinking for the Third Millennia. I see the present thesis in this paradigm of Philosophy of Science, in order to reject any conflict perspective between science, philosophy and religion.

Syftet med denna studie är att utreda begreppen big data och analytics. Utifrån vetenskapliga teorier om begreppen undersöks hur konsultföretag uppfattar och använder sig av big data och analytics. För att skapa en nyanserad bild har även en organisation inom vården undersökts för att få kunskap om hur de kan dra nytta av big data och analytics. Ett antal viktiga svårigheter och framgångsfaktorer kopplade till båda begreppen presenteras. De svårigheterna kopplas sedan ihop med en framgångsfaktor som anses kunna bidra till att lösa det problemet. De mest relevanta framgångsfaktorer som identifierats är att högkvalitativ data finns tillgänglig men även kunskap och kompetens kring hur man hanterar data. Slutligen tydliggörs begreppens innebörd där man kan se att big data oftast beskrivs ur dimensionerna volym, variation och hastighet och att analytics i de flesta fall syftar till att deskriptiv och preventiv analys genomförs. / The purpose of this study is to investigate the concepts of big data and analytics. The concepts are explored based on scientific theories and interviews with consulting firms. A healthcare organization has also been interviewed to get a richer understanding of how big data and analytics can be used to gain insights and how an organisation can benefit from them. A number of important difficulties and sucess facors connected to the concepts are presented. These difficulties are then linked to a sucess factor that is considered to solve the problem. The most relevant success factors identified are the avaliability of high quality data and knowledge and expertise on how to handle the data. Finally the concepts are clarified and one can see that big data is usually described from the dimensions volume, variety and velocity and analytics is usually described as descriptive and preventive analysis.

In 1986, Hurricane Bonnie passed over Wier Woods, a well-developed mesic forest in the Big Thicket Area of Texas, causing substantial tree mortality and opening several canopy gaps. Mortality was high during the hurricane interval, but did not vary significantly among species. Ingrowth into the 4.5 cm DBH size class was accelerated by the hurricane. Tree growth was largely unaffected by the hurricane; however, small individuals of all species experienced slightly increased growth rates after the hurricane. Mortality in the years after the storm did not decrease or increase. Even though Bonnie caused approximately three times "normal" mortality, there was only a slight decrease in basal area from 1985 to 1987. The low frequency of hurricanes and the modest effects of this hurricane suggest that hurricanes may have limited effects on the structure and dynamics of forests of the Big Thicket.

No description available.

Gasellföretag har en snabb tillväxt under en kort tidsperiod men trots en snabb tillväxt försätts en del av företagen i konkurs efter att de erhållit utmärkelsen till gasellföretag. Tidigare forskning tyder på att revisorer som arbetar på en Big 4 revisionsbyrå är mer träffsäkra vid utgivandet av revisonsberättelser än de revisorer som arbetar på andra revisionsbyråer. Tidigare forskning visar också på att auktoriserade revisorer är mer träffsäkra vid utgivandet av revisionsberättelser än godkända revisorer. Syftet med arbetet är att kartlägga och förklara revisorns träffsäkerhet av den sista revisionsberättelsen i gasellföretag som försatts i konkurs. Vidare vill vi analysera vilken typ av revisor som är mest träffsäker vid utgivandet av en oren sista revisionsberättelsen till gasellföretag som försätts i konkurs. Genom en deduktiv ansats kommer vi testa befintliga teorier för att sedan antingen förkasta eller acceptera hypoteser och genom en kvantitativ metod kommer vi samla in sekundärdata till undersökningen. Vårt resultat visar att revisorns träffsäkerhet vid utgivandet av revisionsberättelser inte beror på vilken revisionsbyrå denne arbetar på eller vilken examensnivå revisorn uppnått. Det som istället kan ha betydelse för om ett konkursdrabbat gasellföretags sista revisionsberättelse blir ren eller oren är företagets soliditet.

Studiens syfte var att se vilka personlighetsegenskaper som anses vara nödvändiga inom polisyrket samt om dessa sammanfaller med Big Five dimensionerna.      Tidigare studier har utförts och påvisat samband mellan polislämplighet och personlighet. Det har påvisats en negativ samband mellan neuroticism och prestation inom polisyrket samt ett positivt samband mellan extraversion och prestation inom polisyrket.      För att belysa arbets- och personkrav för poliser intervjuades sex personer av både manligt och kvinnligt kön. Urvalet bestod av poliser från Södra Sverige. Intervjupersonerna fick besvara frågor utifrån en utformad intervjuguide som bestod av tre olika delar: vilka krav poliser ställs inför i sitt arbete, vilka egenskaper poliser har samt om dessa två delar sammanfaller med Big Five dimensionerna.      Resultatet visade på att intervjupersonerna tog upp åtta olika nödvändiga egenskaper inom polisyrket: tolerans, ärlighet, analysförmåga, kommunikation, samvetsgrannhet, neuroticism, trevlighet, öppenhet och extraversion.      I diskussionen framgick det att tidigare studier och den utförda studiens resultat hade mycket gemensamt. De egenskaper som ansågs vara nödvändiga inom polisyrket enligt de sex intervjupersonerna hade relativt god överensstämmelse med tidigare forskning inom området samt polisens aktuella kravprofiler som används vid rekrytering. / The purpose of this study was to find possible connections between the police job and necessary personality traits and if the traits that are found co-occur with the Big Five traits.      Other studies have shown a negative correlation between neuroticism and police job performance and a positive correlation between extroversion and police job performance.      In purpose to illustrate police job- and personality needs the study had both male and female subjects who was interviewed. There were six police officers from the south of Sweden. The subjects got to answer questions from an already formed interview guide which contained three parts: general demands on a police officers in their job, necessary police personality traits and if these two parts co-occor with the Big Five traits.      The present results showed that there are eight different characteristics needed as a police man: tolerance, honesty, ability to analyze, communication, conscientiousness, neuroticism, agreeableness, openness and extroversion.      The discussion showed that the earlier studies and the present study had a lot in common. The qualities considered necessary within the police force according to the six subjects agreed with earlier research in this field as well as the police current demand profile used when recruiting.

The on-line auction has become an important issue in Taiwan, due to the intense competition between e-Bay and Yahoo! auction. However the relative researches in Taiwan hasn¡¦t analyzed the bidding strategies of on-line auction bidders in detail. Therefore after reviewing relative literature, the motivation of using on-line auction, the characteristics of personality, the experience of internet and the involvement of product were saw as independent variables to discuss their relationships with bidding strategies, including the time of entering, the increment of bid, the numbers of bid and the degree of insistence in this research. Discovering the main factors affecting the time of entering are the experience of using on-line auction and the rating of bidder; the degree of exocentric in personality can affect the increment of bid; the motivation of using on-line auction and the involvement of product can affect the numbers of bid and the degree of insistence. Hence we can understand these four strategies were affected by different factors, and the forming of entire bidding strategies is very complicated. Going a step further, these four strategies were used to proceed cluster analysis, dividing the bidders into three groups¡G1. amateur bidders; 2. snipers; 3. impulsive bidders.

Due to rising standard of life in Taiwan, power consumption rose dramatically, power systems network are becoming complicated, thus serious impact increasingly. But for many Taipower on-site staffs, lack of blackout related experience and emergency plan. Therefore it is necessary to understand the weaknesses of Taipower systems and the cause and affect of accidental accidents over the years, to develop blackout emergency plan and minimum the loss. In July 29, 1999, Taiwan had occurred unprecedented collapse of the power transmission system in the midnight, caused the country blackouts, outages four-fifths of users in Taiwan, this was the biggest power rationing during the past 50 years. Then 921 Chichi earthquakes, Chung-Liao substation led to the dumping destroyed, caused more than two weeks of power rationing in northern Taiwan. Such comprehensive blackout in the high-tech industries economic pattern¡¦s country like ours, the losses caused of the economic impact is goes without saying. This Study is base on the ¡§Crisis Management¡¨ theory to explore the emergency response while the power outage occurs, and how to deal with the crisis issue. This thesis through data collected, literature review and in-depth interview results, analysis Taipower internal contingency handling mechanism through unpredicted natural disasters or artificial improper operation, intend for Taipower reference to construct a contingency mechanism for unexpected incident which triggered off a blackout accident.

Two-week sampling periods during the spring, summer, and fall of 2003, and the winter of 2004 were conducted utilizing a tandem differential mobility analyzer (TDMA) and, during the spring and summer, an aerodynamic particle sizer (APS), to characterize the seasonal variability of the Big Bend regions aerosol optical properties. Mass extinction efficiencies and relative humidity scattering enhancement factors were calculated for both externally and internally mixed aerosol populations for all size distributions collected, in an effort to possibly improve upon the default EPA mass extinction efficiencies used for all Class 1 areas across the United States. The mass extinction efficiencies calculated differed to some extent form the default values employed by the EPA. Sulfate, nitrate, and light absorbing carbon (LAC) exhibited a strong dependence on assumed mixing state, while, additionally, sulfate was also dependent on the assumed dominant aerosol. Seasonal variability was seen with all particle types, excluding LAC, with sulfate mass extinction efficiencies displaying the greatest variability with season. Calculated back trajectories indicated that air masses originating from the southeast had elevated mass extinction efficiencies, while, conversely, air masses originating from the southwest and northwest had the smallest mass extinction efficiencies.