Local luminous infrared galaxies. I. Spatially resolved observations with the Spitzer infrared spectrograph

We present results from the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph spectral mapping observations of 15 local luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs). In this paper, we investigate the spatial variations of the mid-IR emission which includes fine structure lines, molecular hydrogen lines, polycyclic aromatic features (PAHs), continuum emission, and the 9.7 μm silicate feature. We also compare the nuclear and integrated spectra. We find that the star formation takes place in extended regions (several kpc) as probed by the PAH emission, as well as the [Ne II]12.81 μm and [Ne III]15.56 μm emissions. The behavior of the integrated PAH emission and 9.7 μm silicate feature is similar to that of local starburst galaxies. We also find that the minima of the [Ne III]15.56 μm/[Ne II]12.81 μm ratio tends to be located at the nuclei and its value is lower than that of H II regions in our LIRGs and nearby galaxies. It is likely that increased densities in the nuclei of LIRGs are responsible for the smaller nuclear [Ne III]15.56 μm/[Ne II]12.81 μm ratios. This includes the possibility that some of the most massive stars in the nuclei are still embedded in ultracompact H II regions. In a large fraction of our sample, the 11.3 μm PAH emission appears more extended than the dust 5.5 μm continuum emission. We find a dependency of the 11.3 μm PAH/7.7 μm PAH and [Ne II]12.81 μm/11.3 μm PAH ratios with the age of the stellar populations. Smaller and larger ratios, respectively, indicate recent star formation. The estimated warm (300 K order of 10^8 M_☉, which are similar to those found in ULIRGs, local starbursts, and Seyfert galaxies. Finally we find that the [Ne II]12.81 μm velocity fields for most of the LIRGs in our sample are compatible with a rotating disk at ~kpc scales, and they are in a good agreement with Hα velocity fields.

The effects of agglomeration economies on the productivity of manufacturing local units in Ireland

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of agglomeration economies on the productivity of manufacturing local units in Ireland. Four types of agglomeration economies are considered in this study. These are internal economies of scale, localization economies, related variety and urbanization economies. This study makes a number of contributions to the literature. Firstly, this is the first study to conduct an investigation of the effects of agglomeration economies on the productivity of manufacturing local units operating in Ireland. Secondly, this study distinguishes between indigenous and foreign-owned local units which is important given the dual nature of the Irish economy (Krugman, 1997). Thirdly, in addition to considering the effects of agglomeration economies, this study examines the impact of spurious agglomeration on the productivity of foreign-owned local units. Using data from the Census of Industrial Local Units and a series of IV GMM estimators to control for endogeneity, the results of the analysis conducted in Chapter 6 reveal that there are differences in the effects of agglomeration economies on the productivity of indigenous and foreign-owned local units. In Chapter 7 the Census of Industrial Local Units is supplemented by additional data sources and more in-depth measures are generated to capture the features of each of the external agglomeration economies considered in this analysis. There is some evidence to suggest that the availability of local inputs has a negative and significant impact on productivity. The NACE based measures of related variety reveal that the availability of local inputs and knowledge spillovers for related sectors have a negative and significant impact on productivity. There is clear evidence to suggest that urbanization economies are important for increasing the productivity of indigenous local units. The findings reveal that a 1% increase in population density in the NUTS 3 region leads to an increase in the productivity of indigenous local units of approximately 0.07% to 0.08%. The results also reveal that there is a significant difference in the effects of agglomeration economies on the productivity of low-tech and medium/high-tech indigenous local units. The more in-depth measures of agglomeration economies used in Chapter 7 are also used in Chapter 8. A series of IV GMM regressions are estimated in order to identify the impact of agglomeration economies and spurious agglomeration on the productivity of foreign-owned local units operating in Ireland. There is some evidence found to suggest that the availability of a pool of skilled labour has a positive and significant on productivity of foreign-owned local units. There is also evidence to suggest that localization knowledge spillovers have a negative impact on the productivity of foreign-owned local units. There is strong evidence to suggest that the availability of local inputs has a negative impact on the productivity. The negative impact is not confined to the NACE 4-digit sector but also extends into related sectors as determined by Porter’s (2003) cluster classification. The cluster based skills measure of related variety has a positive and significant impact on the productivity of foreign-owned local units. Similar to Chapter 7, there is clear evidence to suggest that urbanization economies are important for increasing the productivity of foreign-owned local units. Both the summary measure and each of the more in-depth measures of agglomeration economies have a positive and significant impact on productivity. Spurious agglomeration has a positive and significant impact on the productivity of foreign-owned local units. The results indicate that the more foreign-owned local units of the same nationality in the country the greater the levels of productivity for the local unit. From a policy perspective, urbanization economies are clearly important for increasing the productivity of both indigenous and foreign-owned local units. Furthermore, the availability of a pool of skilled labour appears to be important for increasing the productivity of foreign-owned local units. Another policy implication that arises from these results relates to the differences observed between indigenous local units and foreign-owned local units and also between low-tech and medium/high-tech indigenous local units. These findings indicate that ‘one-size-fits-all’ type policies are not appropriate for increasing the productivity of local units operating in Ireland. Policies should be tailored to the needs of either indigenous or foreign-owned local units and also to specific sectors. This positive finding for own country spurious agglomeration is important from a policy perspective and is one that IDA Ireland should take on board.

Assessing local food systems in China for building healthy mega-cities

Despite the long-lasting concern for food security in China at the national level, policy attempts to cope with this issue have often resulted to be ineffective. More importantly, they have rarely addressed the question from a local perspective. International experiences of urban food strategies proved to be quite efficacious in enhancing the local provision of food and improving the overall city sustainability by shortening the supply chain, preserving peri-urban areas and improving the nutrition of citizens. By reviewing existing practices of city farming in China, mainly ascribable to urban agriculture experiences, the intention of this paper is to reflect upon the challenges of implementing more comprehensive local food systems. In the conclusion the paper argues that, given the current institutional, socio-economic, and environmental constrains of Chinese cities there is a need of introducing holistic planning tool to assess local food systems in order to ensure the building of real healthy cities.

What's in the Numbers? Child Welfare Statistics and the Children (NI) Order

This article draws attention to the importance of routinely collected administrative data as an important source for understanding the characteristics of the Northern Ireland child welfare system as it has developed since the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 became its legislative base. The article argues that the availability of such data is a strength of the Northern Ireland child welfare system and urges local politicians, lobbyists, researchers, policy-makers, operational managers, practitioners and service user groups to make more use of them. The main sources of administrative data are identified. Illustration of how these can be used to understand and to ask questions about the system is provided by considering some of the trends since the Children Order was enacted. The “protection” principle of the Children Order provides the focus for the illustration. The statistical trends considered relate to child protection referrals, investigations and registrations and to children and young people looked after under a range of court orders available to ensure their protection and well-being.

Integrated Optimal Power Flow for Distribution Networks in Local and Urban Scales

This paper develops an integrated optimal power flow (OPF) tool for distribution networks in two spatial scales. In the local scale, the distribution network, the natural gas network, and the heat system are coordinated as a microgrid. In the urban scale, the impact of natural gas network is considered as constraints for the distribution network operation. The proposed approach incorporates unbalance three-phase electrical systems, natural gas systems, and combined cooling, heating, and power systems. The interactions among the above three energy systems are described by energy hub model combined with components capacity constraints. In order to efficiently accommodate the nonlinear constraint optimization problem, particle swarm optimization algorithm is employed to set the control variables in the OPF problem. Numerical studies indicate that by using the OPF method, the distribution network can be economically operated. Also, the tie-line power can be effectively managed.

(Des)igualdades de Género nas Organizações de Trabalho: o caso de uma autarquia local

Em Portugal, cerca de duas centenas de organizações estão empenhadas a criar e implementar Planos para a igualdade de homens e mulheres. Entre elas estão empresas públicas e privadas, autarquias, associações empresariais, organizações do setor terciário, associações de desenvolvimento, universidades, ministérios e outros departamentos governativos. A pesquisa que aqui se expõe inscreveu-se num projeto mais amplo de diagnóstico em realização na Câmara Municipal da Lousã, que se encontra a promover um Plano Municipal para a Igualdade. Nesse âmbito mostrou-se necessário fazer um diagnóstico interno à organização com uma perspetiva de género, quer em termos de desigualdades de género na composição e situação dos seus efetivos quer de forma a conhecer as representações das pessoas que trabalham na autarquia, em torno do fenómeno da (des)igualdade de mulheres e homens. Para a sua realização foi feita análise estatística a dados fornecidos pela organização, e aplicou-se um inquérito por questionário ao pessoal ao serviço da autarquia. Concluiu-se que estamos na presença do fenómeno da desigualdade em função do sexo na estrutura da organização traduzida pela segregação ocupacional e segregação vertical, sendo os homens que apresentam os maiores níveis de antiguidade, que justificarão, de certa forma, as disparidades salariais existentes. Confirmamos uma dualidade entre o ideal de mulher como mãe e dona-de-casa e o de mulher como pessoa independente, especialmente quando são evocadas as consequências da sua atividade profissional sobre os/as filhos/as e a vida familiar. O papel de cuidar surge assim como o obstáculo a conceções menos tradicionalistas e individualizadoras da identidade feminina que nos remete para uma mudança na atribuição do lugar social de homens e mulheres dentro e fora da família. Sobressai a valorização e enfatização da maternidade e do cuidado das crianças na identidade feminina; ao passo que aos homens se atribui uma maior valorização da atividade profissional. Esta constatação comprova a ambivalência e dicotomia de valores e atitudes entre uma fuga à convencional polarização entre papéis “masculinos” e “femininos” rígida e estereotipadamente definidos. / In Portugal, about two hundred organizations are committed to create and implement plans for men and women’s equality. These include public and private companies, local authorities, business associations, third sector organizations, development associations, universities, ministries and other governmental departments. The research exposed here is part of a broader diagnostic project taking placa in the City Hall, of Lousã which is promoting a Municipal Plan for Equality. In this context it was necessary to make an internal diagnosis to the organization from a perspective of gender, either in terms of gender inequalities in the composition and status of their workers or in order to know the workers representations around the phenomenon of women and men’s equality. To make it passible the organization provided statistical data which was analysed and subsequentaly a questionnaire was applied to the municipality staff. We concluded that there is the phenomenon of gender inequality in the structure of the organization namely occupational/professional segregation and vertical segregation, - men having the highest levels of seniority, which may justify in some way the existing wage gap. The study confirms a duality between the ideal of woman as a mother and housewife and the woman as an independent person, especially when the consequences suggested are related to their professional activity on their children and life family. The role of caring emerges as the obstacle to less traditionalist conceptions of female identity and individualization, which leads us to talk about a change of the social position of men and women within and outside the family. It points out the valuation and emphasizing of motherhood and care in female identity, whereas men are given a greater appreciation of the professional activity. This conclusion confirms the ambivalence and dichotomy of values and attitudes between escape from the conventional polarization between rigid and stereotypically defined roles of "male" and "female".

Relações interorganizacionais e eficiência coletiva: um estudo de caso no arranjo produtivo local de confecções do Agreste de Pernambuco

This work is a study in the Local Productive Arrangement of confections from Agreste of Pernambuco, as a relevant sector in economic and social aspect. This research has as central aim to understand how the inter-organizational relations influence the collective efficiency of arrangement. The theoretical framework employed highlights the approaches that deal with the benefits of business agglomeration for the develop­ment of firms and regions. It has discussed the approach of small and medium enter­ prises and industrial districts (SCHMITZ, 1997), which introduce the concept of col­ lective efficiency, explaining that only those externalities explained by Marshall (1996) are not sufficient to explain the competitive advantage of enterprises, expand­ing the idea that organizations achieve competitive advantage not acting alone. To examine the influences of relations in the collective efficiency, it has been taken as analytical perspective theory of social networks (GRANOVETTER, 1973, 1985; BURT, 1992; UZZI, 1997) because it has believe that this approach provides subsi­ dies for a structural analysis of social relationships in face the behavior of human ac­tion. By examining the organizations in a social network, you should understand the reason of this establishment of the relationship, their benefits, and as the information flow takes place and density of links between the actors (Powell; SMITH-DOERR, 1994). As for the methods, this study is characterized as a case study, in according to the purposed objectives, in addition to qualitative method. Also, due to recovering of the historical milestones of the arrangement, it is used a sectional approach with longitudinal perspective (VIEIRA, 2004). The primary and secondary data were used in order to understand the evolutionary process of the sector and their inter-actors re­ lationships in the arrangement for the promotion of development, for both, was used the contend and documentary analysis technique, respectively (DELLAGNELO ; SIL­VA, 2005). The approach of social networks has permitted understand that social re­lationships may extend the collective efficiency of the arrangement, and therefore need to develop policies that encourage the legalization of informal companies in ar­rangement, by showing up themselves representative. Thus, the relations estab­ lished in LPA of confections from Agreste of Pernambuco need for more effective mechanisms to broaden the collective efficiency. Therefore, this way as take place has directly benefited only a group of companies that are linked in some way the sup­portive institutions. So we can conclude that the inter-actor relations have limited the collective efficiency of LPA, being stimulated by the institutions in support only to groups of entrepreneurs, even those that produce external relations for all clustered companies

Capital social e ações conjuntas: um estudo de caso no arranjo produtivo local de vinhos de altitude catarinense

The general goal of this study was to analyze the relations between the agents’ social capital and joint actions developed by the Cluster of wine produced at the high altitudes of Santa Catarina. This group is made up of 43 agents: one governing agent, 26 support agents and 16 winemakers. This descriptive and exploratory study uses data from qualitative and quantitative approaches. During the exploratory phase, a documental analysis was carried out, as well as semi-structured interviews. The data collection tool used to gather information concerning the social capital and joint actions was the semi-structured questionnaire, and this data gathering was conducted through field research using a structured interview with the selected agents from November 16 to November 26, 2015. The results of this study show a good social capital, which reflects on the joint actions done by the agents. Among the variables of social capital, trust shows a great level among the Cluster agents, followed by good levels concerning commitment and involvement, information share, rules and sanctions, horizontality and authority and improvement. As a result, it has created a nice level of involvement and effectiveness of joint actions, highlighting events organization, joint participation at fairs and events, marketing campaigns, development of products and processes, and human resources improvement. There is a small group of agents who show a strong social capital and a proper environment to expand this capital throughout the network. However, the evaluation concerning reciprocity and density represents only one third of the possibilities of this group, and it happens especially because of the geographical distance between the agents who are part of the Cluster. The main limitation of this study was the trouble trying to map the whole agent group before applying the questionnaires and identifying the responsible people in each of the support agents to inform everything correctly. It is suggested that these questionnaires be carried out with other Clusters as well as in the future in order to have a temporal assessment of this study.

A Posteriori Error Analysis of hp-Version Discontinuous Galerkin Finite Element Methods for Second-Order Quasilinear Elliptic Problems

We develop the a-posteriori error analysis of hp-version interior-penalty discontinuous Galerkin finite element methods for a class of second-order quasilinear elliptic partial differential equations. Computable upper and lower bounds on the error are derived in terms of a natural (mesh-dependent) energy norm. The bounds are explicit in the local mesh size and the local degree of the approximating polynomial. The performance of the proposed estimators within an automatic hp-adaptive refinement procedure is studied through numerical experiments.

Articulação Ciência-Sociedade através do património artístico local : atividades e recursos didáticos centrados no Museu Cargaleiro

A educação em ciências com orientação Ciência-Tecnologia-Sociedade (CTS) centra-se no reconhecimento da capacidade da ciência para o desenvolvimento de uma sociedade assente nos valores da democracia. Esta orientação implica mais do que ensino de conteúdos estritamente disciplinares. O património artístico construído pode ser fonte inspiradora para o enriquecimento curricular proporcionando aprendizagens ativas e integradas. Foi nesta linha que definimos como objetivo desenvolver, implementar e validar atividades e recursos que articulam as aprendizagens na escola e no Museu Cargaleiro (Castelo Branco), na educação em ciências no 1º Ciclo do Ensino Básico (1º CEB). A investigação, com uma metodologia qualitativa, desenvolveu-se no âmbito do Estágio, numa turma de 4.ºano, inserindo-se na problemática da interação entre contextos de educação formal e não formal para a promoção da aprendizagem através da exploração de conexões das ciências com a arte. Para tal, planificámos uma visita de estudo ao Museu que contemplou a construção de recursos mediante o planeamento das três fases articuladas – antes, durante e após a visita. Da sequência didática, evidenciamos uma atividade de trabalho experimental que decorreu na fase após a visita, a fim de articular os conhecimentos adquiridos nas duas fases anteriores reforçando a compreensão dos fenómenos da luz e da cor, através da arte, envolvendo conhecimento da realidade próxima. Os resultados evidenciam que a aprendizagem dos alunos a nível de atitudes e capacidades e a nível cognitivo, avaliadas através de múltiplos registos, foi muito positiva.

Design investigation of the Lake Calumet Complex: improving water quality to regenerate local industrial, community, and ecosystem resources

This design thesis is an inquiry of the highly industrialized urban landscape of the Lake Calumet Complex on the South Side of the City of Chicago. It examines geologic and anthropogenic strata within this region as waste used for staging various social, industrial, and ecological systems. Today, these social, industrial, and ecological systems are not responsive to each other and certainly do not possess resilient attributes that would allow them to interact within the landscape in perpetuity. The resulting design strategy seeks to re-think the treatment of waste in the landscape into a new framework for future park design. This park will serve as grounds to interweave these complex systems in order to rehabilitate ecosystem functions and improve water quality. Additionally the park hybridizes many social and ecological functions to improve community recreational opportunities and gain public acceptance and appeal.

Executive order no. 2016-10

This executive order by Governor Nikki R. Haley establishes the Local Government Competitiveness Council and describes its mission, membership and duties and responsibilities.

Clima psicológico e desempenho organizacional nas secções de uma autarquia local

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentada ao Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada para a obtenção do grau de Mestre na especificidade de Psicologia Social e das Organizações

Relações interorganizacionais e eficiência coletiva: um estudo de caso no arranjo produtivo local de confecções do Agreste de Pernambuco

This work is a study in the Local Productive Arrangement of confections from Agreste of Pernambuco, as a relevant sector in economic and social aspect. This research has as central aim to understand how the inter-organizational relations influence the collective efficiency of arrangement. The theoretical framework employed highlights the approaches that deal with the benefits of business agglomeration for the develop­ment of firms and regions. It has discussed the approach of small and medium enter­ prises and industrial districts (SCHMITZ, 1997), which introduce the concept of col­ lective efficiency, explaining that only those externalities explained by Marshall (1996) are not sufficient to explain the competitive advantage of enterprises, expand­ing the idea that organizations achieve competitive advantage not acting alone. To examine the influences of relations in the collective efficiency, it has been taken as analytical perspective theory of social networks (GRANOVETTER, 1973, 1985; BURT, 1992; UZZI, 1997) because it has believe that this approach provides subsi­ dies for a structural analysis of social relationships in face the behavior of human ac­tion. By examining the organizations in a social network, you should understand the reason of this establishment of the relationship, their benefits, and as the information flow takes place and density of links between the actors (Powell; SMITH-DOERR, 1994). As for the methods, this study is characterized as a case study, in according to the purposed objectives, in addition to qualitative method. Also, due to recovering of the historical milestones of the arrangement, it is used a sectional approach with longitudinal perspective (VIEIRA, 2004). The primary and secondary data were used in order to understand the evolutionary process of the sector and their inter-actors re­ lationships in the arrangement for the promotion of development, for both, was used the contend and documentary analysis technique, respectively (DELLAGNELO ; SIL­VA, 2005). The approach of social networks has permitted understand that social re­lationships may extend the collective efficiency of the arrangement, and therefore need to develop policies that encourage the legalization of informal companies in ar­rangement, by showing up themselves representative. Thus, the relations estab­ lished in LPA of confections from Agreste of Pernambuco need for more effective mechanisms to broaden the collective efficiency. Therefore, this way as take place has directly benefited only a group of companies that are linked in some way the sup­portive institutions. So we can conclude that the inter-actor relations have limited the collective efficiency of LPA, being stimulated by the institutions in support only to groups of entrepreneurs, even those that produce external relations for all clustered companies

The two opposing impacts of heritage making on local communities : residents’ perceptions: a Portuguese case

This article examines the impact associated with the making of heritage and tourism at a destination. Special attention is paid to the residents’ perceptions of the impact. The examination is focused on the rural village of Sortelha, in Portugal, where, in recent decades, a state-led programme was implemented in order to renovate the historic buildings and built fabric and to generate benefits for the local community. Based on ethnographic materials collected in 2003, 2009 and 2013, the study demonstrates that the making of heritage may give rise to two opposing impacts simultaneously – increased social cohesion and place pride, on the one hand, and envy and competition (and, hence, social atomisation), on the other hand – and that residents are entirely cognisant of the tension between the two. The study has the potential to contribute to both the theoretical and the applied literature on heritage making.