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Bolivia is a developing country in South America. Many rural communities still lack access to electricity. The extension of the National Grid System to all rural communities is not feasible due to economic and topographic challenges as well as the environmental problems that may arise. To tackle these problems, Off-grid solutions are implemented. Photovoltaic (PV) panels combined with batteries are a viable option for areas located close to the equator and high altitudes such as Bolivia. Almost always a controlled source of energy such as Diesel generators must complement the PV system due to the stochastic nature of solar energy. The use of fossil fuel can be detrimental to the environment and more environmentally friendly solutions are being investigated. The use of wood pellets in Stirling engines is a viable replacement for Diesel generators.  The purpose of this study is to investigate and compare the environmental impacts caused by two Off-grid hybrid systems. The first one is composed of a Diesel generator, PV panels, and batteries. The second one is composed of a Stirling engine, PV panels, and batteries. The study area chosen for this work is the community El Carmen, Pando, in Bolivia. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) model is carried out for the systems according to the 4 phases of the LCA methodology. First, individual LCA models for all midpoint impact categories are generated. Secondly, a comparative LCA between the two systems, both at midpoint and endpoint, is created. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is conducted to determine the robustness of the models.  The individual midpoint analysis of both systems showed that the controlled part of the electricity production (i.e., the Diesel generator and the Stirling engine) generated the greatest impact in the categories Global warming, Stratospheric ozone depletion, Ionizing radiation, Ozone formation, Fine particulate matter formation, Terrestrial acidification, Human carcinogenic toxicity, Land use, Fossil fuel scarcity, and Water consumption. All the processes related to the PV panels generated a greater impact in all Ecotoxicity categories (terrestrial, marine, and freshwater), Eutrophication (freshwater and marine), and Human non-carcinogenic toxicity.  The midpoint results of the comparative LCA are inconclusive. Each system received higher scores in certain categories and lower scores in others. No firm conclusion could be drawn regarding the identification of the more environmentally friendly alternative. The Diesel/PV/Batteries system dominated the Global warming, Tropospheric ozone formation, Fine particulate matter formation, Terrestrial acidification, and Fossil resource scarcity categories. The Stirling/PV/Batteries system showed a greater impact on Stratospheric ozone depletion, Ecotoxicity, Eutrophication, Human carcinogenic toxicity, Human non- carcinogenic toxicity, and Mineral resource scarcity.  The endpoint damage assessment showed that the emissions and midpoint categories described had a greater impact on Human health and Resource scarcity in the case of the Diesel/PV/Batteries system. On the other hand, the Stirling/PV/Batteries system caused greater damage to the Ecosystem category.  The sensitivity analysis was conducted in two scenarios for each system. In the first scenario, alteration of fuel transport distance, no significant changes were detected in all endpoint categories. In the second scenario, alteration of Diesel/Stirling Contribution, the model showed an increasing trend (~30% for the first system and ~25% for the second one) in all categories when the contribution of the controlled part of the electricity production was increased. / Bolivia är ett utvecklingsland i Sydamerika där många landsbygdssamhällen fortfarande saknar tillgång till elektricitet. En anslutning till det nationella kraftsystemet är inte genomförbar på grund av de ekonomiska och topografiska svårigheterna samt miljöproblemen som kan uppstå. För att ta itu med problemet måste decentraliserade lösningar hittas. Solcellspaneler i kombination med batterier utgör ett möjligt alternativ för avlägsna områden som befinner sig nära ekvatorn och vid höga höjder. Ett sådant system behöver dock ytterligare en kontrollerad energikälla för att tillgodose efterfrågan på grund av den ojämna tillgången på solenergi. Det vanligaste alternativet är dieselgeneratorer. Men förbränning av fossila bränslen påverkar klimatet och mer miljövänliga lösningar undersöks. Stirlingmotorer som använder träpellets skulle kunna ersätta dieselgeneratorn i kampen för en bättre miljö.  Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka och jämföra miljöpåverkan av två hybridsystem. Det ena systemet består av en dieselgenerator, PV-paneler och batterier medan det andra systemet består av en Stirlingmotor, PV-paneler och batterier. Det utvalda studieområdet är samhället El Carmen, Pando, i Bolivia. En livscykelanalys (LCA) utförs för de två systemen enligt LCA-metodiken. Först, utförs individuella LCA för vardera system för alla påverkanskategorier vid midpoint. Sedan utförs en jämförande LCA mellan de två systemen för alla påverkanskategorier både vid midpoint och endpoint. Slutligen, utförs en känslighetsanalys för att testa systemens robusthet.  Den individuella analysen vid midpoint för båda systemen påvisade att den kontrollerade delen av elproduktion, det vill säga dieselgeneratorn och Stirlingmotorn, genererade den största miljöpåverkan i kategorierna Global uppvärmning, Uttunning av ozonskiktet, Joniserande strålning, Bildning av marknära ozon, Bildning av partiklar, Försurning, Cancerframkallande humantoxicitet, Landanvändning, Brist på fossila resurser och Vattenförbrukning. Alla processerna kopplade till PV-elproduktionen genererade en större miljöpåverkan i kategorierna Ecotoxicitet (mark, söt- och havsvatten), Övergödning (såväl söt- som havsvatten) och Icke cancerframkallande humantoxicitet.  Resultaten vid midpoint för den jämförande LCA är inte övertygande. Vardera system fick högre poäng i vissa kategorier men lägre poäng i andra. Ingen tydlig slutsats kunde dras angående identifieringen av det mer miljövänliga alternativet. Diesel/PV/Batteri-systemet dominerar kategorierna Global uppvärmning, Bildning av marknära ozon, Bildning av partiklar, Försurning och Brist på fossila bränslen medan Stirling/PV/Batteri-systemet påvisade större miljöpåverkan i kategorierna Uttunning av ozonskiktet, Ekotoxicitet, Övergödning, Cancerframkallande humantoxicitet och Brist på mineraltillgångar.  Skadebedömningen vid endpoint påvisade att de redovisade utsläppen och midpoint- katergorierna har en större påverkan på människors hälsa och resursbrist i Diesel/PV/Batteris fall. Däremot påvisade det Stirling/PV/Batteri-systemet en större påverkan på ekosystemet.  Känslighetsanalysen utfördes i två scenarier. I det första scenariot ändrades avståndet för bränsletransport. Ingen signifikant skillnad påvisades i någon av de tre endpoint- kategorierna. I det andra scenariot, Diesel/Stirling insats, påvisades en ökande trend (~30% för första systemet och ~25% för det andra) i alla endpoint-kategorier med ökandet av insatsen från den kontrollade delen av elproduktion.

Having a linear representation of magnitude across scales is essential in understanding many scientific concepts (Tretter, et al., 2006a) and is predictive of a range of mathematical achievement tests (Siegler & Booth, 2004). Despite the importance of understanding magnitude and scale, people have substantial difficulty comparing magnitudes outside of human perception (e.g., Jones, et al., 2008). The present work aims to examine the way people learn to represent and reason about large magnitudes through the development of two science of learning activities based on hierarchical alignment activity and corrective feedback. The hierarchical alignment activity utilizes several analogical reasoning principles: hierarchical alignment, progressive alignment, structural alignment, and multiple opportunities to make analogies. Study 1 examines the effectiveness of hierarchical alignment by contrasting it with a conventional activity that uses all the analogical reasoning principles described above except for hierarchical alignment. Study 2 examines a corrective feedback activity, based on the same analogical reasoning principles used in study 1, except, using corrective feedback instead of progressive alignment and hierarchical alignment. Thus, study 2 examines the necessity of hierarchical and progressive alignment. That both activities were successful in developing linear representations of geologic time (and for study 1, astronomical distances), suggests that multiple opportunities to make analogies through structural alignment are key components in developing analogies for learning magnitude. There appears to be an additive benefit of including hierarchical alignment (i.e., practice aligning magnitude relations across scales) in analogies for learning about magnitudes. Corrective feedback may also be a useful strategy in learning about scale information. Pedagogical implications are discussed. Both activities were based on the hypothesis that magnitudes at scales outside human perception are represented and reasoned about in the same way as magnitudes at human scales. The Category Adjustment Model (Huttenlocher, et al., 1988) suggests magnitude at human scales is stored as a hierarchical combination of metric and categorical information. People may use category boundaries to help make estimations in lieu of precise metric information. Variation in estimation, therefore, occurs because of imprecision of category boundaries (Shipley & Zacks, 2008; Zacks & Tversky, 2001). The current studies provided salient category boundaries to develop a more linear representation of magnitude. Thus, the effectiveness of the hierarchical alignment activity and the corrective feedback activity supports the hypothesis that people use hierarchically organized categorical information when making estimations across scales and across dimensions; and that providing people with more salient category boundary information improves estimation. Similarities and differences among temporal, spatial, and abstract line estimations are identified. Theoretical implications, including the potential application of the Category Adjustment Model to mental number lines, are discussed. / Psychology

<p dir="ltr">We first introduce several families of monoidal categories with plethysm products as their monoidal products and use this to describe operadic structures as plethysm monoids. In order to link this approach with the classical theory, we give a generalization of the Baez-Dolan plus construction. We then show that an operadic structure can be defined as a plethysm monoid if its associated Feynman category is a plus construction of a unique factorization category.</p>

No / As growing numbers of scholars become disaffected by the research traditions laid down by leadership psychology, there is a steady turn towards treating leadership as a discursive phenomenon. In response, leadership researchers are increasingly adopting interpretive and observational methods in the search for the practices of leadership in everyday life. This article suggests that while there are many advantages to an interest in discourse and action, there are also many subtle difficulties in making leadership observable and knowable in the field. Taking Louis Pondy's notion of leadership as a language-game as its starting point, this article argues that leadership studies as a discipline suffers from a persistent category mistake; a category mistake that some recent interpretive studies of leadership reveal, but inadvertently reproduce in the search for leadership's essential character. Instead, this article takes Pondy's thesis to its logical conclusion and outlines a programme of research that confronts this category mistake, whilst demonstrating the potential for, and limitations of, treating leadership as a language-game.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the factors associated with the interruption of tuberculosis treatment in the Swakopmund district of Namibia. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire administered by interviewers. The population consisted of both treatment interrupters and non-interrupters. The total sample was 143 respondents. The findings revealed that three factors were significantly associated with TB treatment interruption, namely a lack of formal education (p = 0.032), lack of access to media (p = 0.017), and clinic opening times (p = 0.000). Recommendations made include improving the support given to TB patients, increasing their understanding of TB and adopting new research and technology. / Health Studies / M.A. (Public Health)

The broad objective of this study is to examine how assortment factors and category performance are related within the context of specialty retailing. This study formulates two clusters of research questions. The first cluster of research questions focuses on product assortment in general, for example assortment variety and composition. The second cluster of research questions concentrates on a specific area of product assortment, that is, private label products. An organic retailer in Australia collaborates by providing its assortment records and sales reports. The Australian organic retailing industry is an ideal candidate for this study for 1) it is specialty retailing, and 2) the supply situation allows organic retailers considerable flexibility to experiment with different assortment compositions. This study analyses store level cross sub category data and, to supplement this, it conducts a qualitative study and collects field data. Included in the cross sub category analyses are approximately 140 to 180 organic sub categories. The results show that assortment variety has a positive influence on sub category sales. The strength of this positive relationship varies across different sub category types, for example food or non-food. For the private label analyses, the results show that, within the focal store, private label SKUs are more likely to be present in sub categories with larger sales and with supermarket competition present. This study also finds that a deeper manufacturer brand assortment hurts private label performance. This study contributes to a body of cross category empirical generalisations about the complex decisions retailers face by examining the effects of assortment decisions within the context of specialty retailing. It provides some clear empirical evidence for how assortment factors and sub category performance are related through an empirical investigation in a bricks and mortar retail environment. In addition, it tests the generalisability of extant private label research beyond the much discussed conventional supermarket industry and convenience consumer goods contexts. Keywords: assortment, private label, store brand, specialty retailing, cross category, sub category, empirical investigation, organic retailing, Australia