Standard of Living and Community Perception in the Community Based Ecotourism (CBET) Sites of Kerala: An Inter Zone Analysis

This study is an attempt to situate the quality of life and standard of living of local communities in ecotourism destinations inter alia their perception on forest conservation and the satisfaction level of the local community. 650 EDC/VSS members from Kerala demarcated into three zones constitute the data source. Four variables have been considered for evaluating the quality of life of the stakeholders of ecotourism sites, which is then funneled to the income-education spectrum for hypothesizing into the SLI framework. Zone-wise analysis of the community members working in tourism sector shows that the community members have benefited totally from tourism development in the region as they have got both employments as well as secured livelihood options. Most of the quality of life-indicators of the community in the eco-tourist centres show a promising position. The community perception does not show any negative impact on environment as well as on their local culture.

Spatial Variability and Contamination of Heavy Metals in the Inter-tidal Systems of a Tropical Environment

Heavy metals in the surface sediments of the two coastal ecosystems of Cochin, southwest India were assessed. The study intends to evaluate the degree of anthropogenic influence on heavy metal concentration in the sediments of the mangrove and adjacent estuarine stations using enrichment factor and geoaccumulation index. The inverse relationship of Cd and Zn with texture in the mangrove sediments suggested the anthropogenic enrichment of these metals in the mangrove systems. In the estuarine sediments, the absence of any significant correlation of the heavy metals with other sedimentary parameters and their strong interdependence revealed the possibility that the input is not through the natural weathering processes. The analysis of enrichment factor indicated a minor enrichment for Pb and Zn in mangrove sediments. While, extremely severe enrichment for Cd, moderate enrichment for Zn and minor enrichment of Pb were observed in estuarine system. The geo accumulation index exhibited very low values for all metals except Zn, indicating the sediments of the mangrove ecosystem are unpolluted to moderately polluted by anthropogenic activities. However, very strongly polluted condition for Cd and a moderately polluted condition for Zn were evident in estuarine sediments

Queues with inter- ruption in Random/ Markovian Environment

In many situations probability models are more realistic than deterministic models. Several phenomena occurring in physics are studied as random phenomena changing with time and space. Stochastic processes originated from the needs of physicists.Let X(t) be a random variable where t is a parameter assuming values from the set T. Then the collection of random variables {X(t), t ∈ T} is called a stochastic process. We denote the state of the process at time t by X(t) and the collection of all possible values X(t) can assume, is called state space

The prediction of seasonal and inter-annual climate variations and their impacts on the water resources in the eastern seaboard of Thailand

The research of this thesis dissertation covers developments and applications of short-and long-term climate predictions. The short-term prediction emphasizes monthly and seasonal climate, i.e. forecasting from up to the next month over a season to up to a year or so. The long-term predictions pertain to the analysis of inter-annual- and decadal climate variations over the whole 21st century. These two climate prediction methods are validated and applied in the study area, namely, Khlong Yai (KY) water basin located in the eastern seaboard of Thailand which is a major industrial zone of the country and which has been suffering from severe drought and water shortage in recent years. Since water resources are essential for the further industrial development in this region, a thorough analysis of the potential climate change with its subsequent impact on the water supply in the area is at the heart of this thesis research. The short-term forecast of the next-season climate, such as temperatures and rainfall, offers a potential general guideline for water management and reservoir operation. To that avail, statistical models based on autoregressive techniques, i.e., AR-, ARIMA- and ARIMAex-, which includes additional external regressors, and multiple linear regression- (MLR) models, are developed and applied in the study region. Teleconnections between ocean states and the local climate are investigated and used as extra external predictors in the ARIMAex- and the MLR-model and shown to enhance the accuracy of the short-term predictions significantly. However, as the ocean state – local climate teleconnective relationships provide only a one- to four-month ahead lead time, the ocean state indices can support only a one-season-ahead forecast. Hence, GCM- climate predictors are also suggested as an additional predictor-set for a more reliable and somewhat longer short-term forecast. For the preparation of “pre-warning” information for up-coming possible future climate change with potential adverse hydrological impacts in the study region, the long-term climate prediction methodology is applied. The latter is based on the downscaling of climate predictions from several single- and multi-domain GCMs, using the two well-known downscaling methods SDSM and LARS-WG and a newly developed MLR-downscaling technique that allows the incorporation of a multitude of monthly or daily climate predictors from one- or several (multi-domain) parent GCMs. The numerous downscaling experiments indicate that the MLR- method is more accurate than SDSM and LARS-WG in predicting the recent past 20th-century (1971-2000) long-term monthly climate in the region. The MLR-model is, consequently, then employed to downscale 21st-century GCM- climate predictions under SRES-scenarios A1B, A2 and B1. However, since the hydrological watershed model requires daily-scale climate input data, a new stochastic daily climate generator is developed to rescale monthly observed or predicted climate series to daily series, while adhering to the statistical and geospatial distributional attributes of observed (past) daily climate series in the calibration phase. Employing this daily climate generator, 30 realizations of future daily climate series from downscaled monthly GCM-climate predictor sets are produced and used as input in the SWAT- distributed watershed model, to simulate future streamflow and other hydrological water budget components in the study region in a multi-realization manner. In addition to a general examination of the future changes of the hydrological regime in the KY-basin, potential future changes of the water budgets of three main reservoirs in the basin are analysed, as these are a major source of water supply in the study region. The results of the long-term 21st-century downscaled climate predictions provide evidence that, compared with the past 20th-reference period, the future climate in the study area will be more extreme, particularly, for SRES A1B. Thus, the temperatures will be higher and exhibit larger fluctuations. Although the future intensity of the rainfall is nearly constant, its spatial distribution across the region is partially changing. There is further evidence that the sequential rainfall occurrence will be decreased, so that short periods of high intensities will be followed by longer dry spells. This change in the sequential rainfall pattern will also lead to seasonal reductions of the streamflow and seasonal changes (decreases) of the water storage in the reservoirs. In any case, these predicted future climate changes with their hydrological impacts should encourage water planner and policy makers to develop adaptation strategies to properly handle the future water supply in this area, following the guidelines suggested in this study.

Estudio sobre las inteligencias inter-e intrapersonales como instrumentos de desarrollo de la disposición a comunicarse en el aula de inglés.

Saber si a través de un programa que potencie el uso de actividades relacionadas con las inteligencias intra e interpersonales, aumenta la disposición a comunicarse en inglés de alumnos españoles estudiantes de inglés del primer curso de la Educación Secundaria Obligatoria, y si de alguna forma mejora la inteligencia emocional de éstos. La falta de investigación sobre la relación que existe entre la competencia emocional del alumnado y su disposición a comunicarse en un idioma extranjero en clase, unido a la evidencia de la falta de prácticas orales reales dentro del aula, ayudaron a formular las siguientes preguntas de investigación que han guiado el presente estudio: 1.¿Facilita la instrucción de la inteligencia emocional la disposición a comunicarse del alumnado? 2.¿Tiene el tratamiento en competencia emocional incidencia sobre el interés de los alumnos en la lengua meta? 3.¿Aumenta la competencia emocional del alumnado tras el tratamiento?. Plantea un diseño experimental se realiza con alumnos de dos cursos de primero de E.S.O, y en el centro privado concertado con mayor población infantil y juvenil de la provincia de Huelva (excluida la capital) con dos grupos, control y experimenta. De esta forma se cuenta al principio de la investigación con una variada muestra de población (60 alumnos) de distintas zonas geográficas y diferentes entornos educativos. El grupo experimental estaba formado por 16 niñas y 14 niños, no siendo ninguno de ellos alumnos con necesidades educativas especiales, aunque sí había tres alumnos que necesitaban refuerzos educativos en algunas áreas (matemáticas, lengua e inglés). El grupo control estaba formado por 15 niñas y 15 niños, y cuatro alumnos necesitaban igualmente refuerzo educativo. El grupo experimental contaba con 11 alumnos procedentes del mismo centro escolar, 4 alumnos de distintas poblaciones y 6 procedentes de la misma población pero de otros centros escolares de primaria. El grupo control contaba con 11 alumnos procedentes del mismo centro escolar, 4 alumnos de distintas poblaciones y 6 procedentes de otros centros de primaria, con lo que la variedad de la muestra está garantizada. Se utilizan procedimientos de recogida de datos con un nivel alto de detalle: cuestionarios para obtener información específica y la escala que mide la disposición a comunicarse del alumnado. Por otro lado, se emplean otros procedimientos con un bajo nivel de detalle en cuanto a la información que recogen: observación directa de la profesora y entrevistas informales recogidas en las fichas de seguimiento de las actividades. Son muchas más las actividades que podrían haberse planteado en este estudio y que se podrían llevar a cabo en cualquier clase de secundaria. Sólo haría falta un profesor capaz de confiar plenamente en el rendimiento académico y afectivo de sus alumnos y sobre todo capaz de originar en el aula un clima de aceptación y tolerancia. Creer que todo alumno es capaz de aprender es empezar a proporcionarle los medios para hacerlo. Los esquemas y programas diseñados en la escuela de la segunda década del siglo XXI para los adolescentes no deberían ser configurados sólo y exclusivamente por las exigencias de los estudios posteriores, tal y como sucede, sino que principalmente deberían ayudar a los alumnos a transformar su educación en un proceso evolutivo que haga frente a sus necesidades sociales, personales, físicas e intelectuales. Se podría continuar con tratamientos similares, en cursos superiores de la Educación Secundaria, y ver qué consecuencias tiene en un alumnado de más edad. El mayor reto educativo de los docentes es tratar de desarrollar en el alumnado aquellas capacidades que no lo estén y el presente estudio abre nuevas vías de investigación para desarrollar en el alumnado las habilidades necesarias para empezar a comunicarse en un segundo idioma, para favorecer el trabajo colaborativo en el aula y para mejorar y ampliar su competencia emocional.

Test de favoritismo endogrupal inter??tnico adaptado al modelo ampliado de aculturaci??n relativa : fiabilidad y evidencias de validez

Resumen tomado de la publicaci??n

Educació intercultural : un repte educatiu per al segle XXI. 'Educación inter-cultural : un reto educativo para el siglo XXI'.

La educación inter-cultural es la respuesta al fenómeno socioeducativo de la multiculturalidad. Es la respuesta pedagógica a la necesidad de preparar los futuros ciudadanos para vivir en una sociedad realmente multicultural e idealmente intercultural.

How to make an inter library loan request

The guide takes you through the various steps required to request a book, journal article, conference paper, thesis or other documents that the library does not hold in stock.

University of Southampton Inter-Library Loan (ILL) Form

A form for obtaining material from other libraries or institutions. Any type of material included.

The Right to Water in the Case-Law of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights

The human right to water is nowadays more broadly recognised, mainly due to the essential societal function that this resource plays; likewise, because of the present water scarcity is generating conflicts between its different uses. Thus, this right aims at protecting human beings by guaranteeing access to clean water that is essential to satisfy vital human needs. Similarly, access to clean water is an important element to guarantee other rights including the right to life and health. The recognition of the right to water is mainly achieved in two ways: as a new and independent right and as a subordinate or derivative right. Concerning the latter, the right to water can emanate from civil and political rights, such as the right to life; or can be derived from economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to health, the right to an adequate standard of living, and the right to housing. This contribution explores the position of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights regarding the right to water, and analyses whether the Court has recognised the right to water and, if so, in which manner.

JURADO INTERNACIONAL DE LA I EDICIÓN DEL CERTAMEN DE ENSAYOS BLATTMANN, ODIO BENITO Y STEINER SOBRE JUSTICIA PENAL INTER

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Friendly Settlements in the Framework of the Inter- American Human Rights System

The Inter-American system for the protection of human rights provides that disputesbetween States and victims of human rights violations or their representatives can beresolved through a friendly settlement. In this arrangement, conducted before the regionalorgans of protection of human rights, the State accepts its international responsibility,commits itself to investigate and judge the responsible and makes commitmentson compensation to the offended, the victims, on his part, renounce to take the caseto the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and the Inter-American Commissionmonitors the legal consistency of the agreement and holds the role of independentobserver. What are these agreements, what possibilities and limitations provide to theopposing parties and, above all, what kind of reparation offer to victims of humanrights violations are issues to resolve in this article.

Speech Therapist and Teachers: Problems as They Work Together

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La gestión de redes inter-organizativas desde el sector público: el caso de los servicios sociales de Barcelona

In the scope of network management there is, on the one hand, a broad dispersion between the different research trends, and, on the other, lack of knowledge on the dynamics of the networks. More empirical and inter-disciplinary research on inter-organizational collaboration is still needed. This article, starting from Kickert, Klijn and Koppenjan’s fields of the policy network (1997), and Huxham’s Collaborative Advantage Theory (2000), analyzes the case of Barcelona’s City Council’s social services network’s home delivery”.

Reptes de l'educació intercultural al Pais Basc. 'Retos de la educación inter-cultural en el País Vasco'.

Resumen del autor en catalán