A comparison of motivations of American and Japanese volunteers in ladies professional golf association tournaments

This exploratory study examined and compared primary motives influencing American and Japanese volunteers of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). Data were collected from 281 volunteers who participated in LPGA tournament events in America and Japan. Japanese volunteers were found to be more involved in volunteer service due to “Social/Leisure” and “Material” reasons, while American volunteers were found to be associated with “Egoistic” and “Purposive” motivations. There was no significant difference in the “External Influences” factor. The study contributes to personnel and administration research and provides insight on the ways in which the LPGA event volunteers are managed in America and Japan...

Keeping all students on the learning path

A powerful notion to guide thinking about whole-class mathematics teaching is Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development (ZPD). Our research with primary and secondary teachers over the last six years has identified roles of teachers in relation to the ZPD, and ways of overcoming some typical barriers to students’ movement through their zones. Methods have included focus groups of experts, video analysis of classroom interactions, classroom observation, and analysis of lesson plans and teachers’ reflections teaching processes their outcomes. The research has involved the gradual development, trailing, evaluation, and adjustment of a six-component model for planning and teaching mathematics. The focus of this paper is on the use of one of its components, “differentiated learning trajectories”.

Major quantitative techniques for risk analysis in the construction industry : a comparative analysis

Risk analysis is one of the critical functions of the risk management process. It relies on a detailed understanding of risks and their possible implications. Construction projects, because of their large and complex nature, are plagued by a variety of risks which must be considered and responded to in order to ensure project success. This study conducts an extensive comparative analysis of major quantitative risk analysis techniques in the construction industry. The techniques discussed and comparatively analyzed in this report include: Programme Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), Judgmental Risk Analysis Process (JRAP), Estimating Using Risk Analysis (ERA), Monte Carlo Simulation technique, Computer Aided Simulation for Project Appraisal and Review (CASPAR), Failure Modes and Effects Analysis technique (FMEA) and Advanced Programmatic Risk Analysis and Management model (APRAM). The findings highlight the fact that each risk analysis technique addresses risks in any or all of the following areas – schedule risks, budget risks or technical risks. Through comparative analysis, it has been revealed that a majority of risk analysis techniques focus on schedule or budget risks. Very little has been documented in terms of technical risk analysis techniques. In an era where clients are demanding and expecting higher quality projects and finishes, project managers must endeavor to invest time and resources to ensure that the few existing technical risk analysis techniques are developed and further refined, and that new technical risk analysis techniques are developed to suit the current construction industries requirements.

Cost and time overruns in commercial construction projects : an Australian study

Cost and schedule are two of most important performance indicators of construction projects. Cost escalation and time overruns are typically associated with poor management practices. Cost overruns and delays have huge impacts on construction projects in relation to the costs of a project, the reputation of the parties involved, and the satisfaction of the final product. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the causes of cost and time overruns so that mitigation measures can be set in place. A group of industry professionals in South Australia were surveyed on their perceptions of the factors contributing towards the cost and time overruns in commercial construction projects. The results showed that timeliness of decision making is ranked as the top factor contributing towards delays whereas problems with design is perceived as most influential to the cost overruns. In addition, the questionnaire survey found that different parties, i.e. clients, contractors and consultants have different perceptions on the impacts of these factors. Similarly, the structural frame stage was considered the most critical stage for controlling the time and cost performance during the construction process. Implications are discussed.

PREPARATION and CHARACTERIZATION of CELLULOSE/HYDROUS NIOBIUM PHOSPHATE HYBRID

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

SUGARCANE BAGASSE PULPING and BLEACHING: THERMAL and CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

CHEMICAL MODIFICATION EFFECT on THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES of HIPS/COCONUT FIBER COMPOSITES

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

NOVEL CELLULOSE/NbOPO4 center dot nH(2)O HYBRID MATERIAL FROM SUGARCANE BAGASSE

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

SURFACE MODIFICATION of SUGARCANE BAGASSE CELLULOSE and ITS EFFECT on MECHANICAL and WATER ABSORPTION PROPERTIES of SUGARCANE BAGASSE CELLULOSE HDPE COMPOSITES

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Phylogeography of the Solanaceae-infecting Basidiomycota fungus Rhizoctonia solani AG-3 based on sequence analysis of two nuclear DNA loci

Background: the soil fungus Rhizoctonia solani anastomosis group 3 (AG-3) is an important pathogen of cultivated plants in the family Solanaceae. Isolates of R. solani AG-3 are taxonomically related based on the composition of cellular fatty acids, phylogenetic analysis of nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and beta-tubulin gene sequences, and somatic hyphal interactions. Despite the close genetic relationship among isolates of R. solani AG-3, field populations from potato and tobacco exhibit comparative differences in their disease biology, dispersal ecology, host specialization, genetic diversity and population structure. However, little information is available on how field populations of R. solani AG-3 on potato and tobacco are shaped by population genetic processes. In this study, two field populations of R. solani AG-3 from potato in North Carolina (NC) and the Northern USA; and two field populations from tobacco in NC and Southern Brazil were examined using sequence analysis of two cloned regions of nuclear DNA (pP42F and pP89).Results: Populations of R. solani AG-3 from potato were genetically diverse with a high frequency of heterozygosity, while limited or no genetic diversity was observed within the highly homozygous tobacco populations from NC and Brazil. Except for one isolate (TBR24), all NC and Brazilian isolates from tobacco shared the same alleles. No alleles were shared between potato and tobacco populations of R. solani AG-3, indicating no gene flow between them. To infer historical events that influenced current geographical patterns observed for populations of R. solani AG-3 from potato, we performed an analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) and a nested clade analysis (NCA). Population differentiation was detected for locus pP89 (Phi(ST) = 0.257, significant at P < 0.05) but not for locus pP42F (Phi(ST) = 0.034, not significant). Results based on NCA of the pP89 locus suggest that historical restricted gene flow is a plausible explanation for the geographical association of clades. Coalescent-based simulations of genealogical relationships between populations of R. solani AG-3 from potato and tobacco were used to estimate the amount and directionality of historical migration patterns in time, and the ages of mutations of populations. Low rates of historical movement of genes were observed between the potato and tobacco populations of R. solani AG-3.Conclusion: the two sisters populations of the basidiomycete fungus R. solani AG-3 from potato and tobacco represent two genetically distinct and historically divergent lineages that have probably evolved within the range of their particular related Solanaceae hosts as sympatric species.

Os oficiais do povo: a Guarda Nacional em Minas Gerais oitocentista, 1831-1850

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Bandas militares no Brasil: difusão e organização entre 1808-1889

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)