191 research outputs found
The challenges of model based policy advice
No full textIn policy consultation, communicating model results to administration and policy makers has always proven to be a challenge for scientists. Many of the relevant preconditions for effective and successful policy advice are aggravated when results are based on the simultaneous use of a multitude of different models. This paper identifies key issues – e.g., relations to administration; correct identification of prevailing objectives of all agents involved; ability to run scenarios ‘in time’ - and discusses strategies for successful communication based on the experiences of the vTI model network. Specific attention is paid to the issue of communicating ‘conflicting’ results of different models: while often seen as a source for scientific insight, such ‘inconsistencies’ have proven to be a major obstacle for acceptance in a non-academic institutional setting. The experiences, as well as the literature, point specifically to the importance of tight linkages between modellers and policy makers, and the need to abandon decisionist or technocratic approaches of policy advice in favour of pragmatic approaches stressing the bilateral nature of communication.model network, policy advice, Agricultural and Food Policy, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,
Rules of origin and trade facilitation
No full textThe contents of this article complement those of the recently published FAL Bulletin No. 201, which referred to the rules of origin included in economic integration agreements signed by members of the Latin American Integration Association (LAIA). On this occasion the relationship between rules of origin and facilitation of international trade in goods is examined. The contents of both this issue and of FAL Bulletin No. 201 have been taken from a more extensive document written by the same author, which is publication No. 28 of the ECLAC Comercio Internacional Series, Normas de origen y procedimientos para su administración en América Latina, of May 2003
Dreams of the West: First-time author learns the ropes almost by accident
No full textDale Brandon, author of novel Dead Fal
Asset productivity at container terminals in Latin America and the Caribbean: 2005-2013
No full textThis issue of the FAL Bulletin shows productivity trends at container terminals in Latin America and the Caribbean during the period from 2005 to 2013, comparing them to the trend of earlier years (2000 to 2004). One of the conclusions of the study is that most terminals in the region have improved their quay productivity in recent years, although there are large differences between the three container terminal size categories analysed. However, the author identifies a number of challenges still to be met at the region’s ports
The impact of structural changes in liner shipping on Caribbean ports
No full textThis edition of the FAL Bulletin deals with maritime transport in the Caribbean and focuses on structural changes in liner shipping and its impact on ports and transhipment in the Caribbean. The article has been written by Dr. Gustaaf de Monie of Policy Research Corporation N.V., Antwerp, Belgium, and is based on the study "Caribbean Ports Scan", which is about to be published by Policy Research Corporation (Fax 32-3-2869496). The opinions expressed in this article are of the author and may not necessarily coincide with the views of ECLAC. The main purpose of this edition is to encourage a constructive and fruitful discussion
Uncertainty quantification of the failure assessment diagram for flawed steel components in BS 7910:2019
No full textThe failure assessment line (FAL) describes the interaction between plastic failure and fracture of flawed steel components subjected to tension or bending. This paper quantifies the model uncertainty of the FAL as provided in the internationally used British Standard BS 7910:2019 by comparing the assessment with the actual failure load of 82 wide plate and 4 tubular joint tests. In line with findings of others, it is demonstrated that the accuracy of the assessment is significantly improved if the crack tip constraint is considered in the assessment. Irrespective of this crack tip constraint consideration, a non-negligible number of wide plate tests has a lower failure load than the one predicted by the FAL in BS 7910:2019, if based on three fracture toughness tests. A penalty or safety margin on the FAL is advocated to compensate for this. It appears advantageous to base the assessment on the average instead of the minimum of three equivalent fracture mechanics tests together with an associated (quantified) safety margin.Ship Hydromechanics and Structure
Initiation of Facing Death in the Story of "Fal -E Khoon" by Dawood Ghaffarzadegan
No full textMyths and rituals are fundamental elements of human life and culture, reflecting people's desires and fears. The confrontation with death and the consciousness of death is one of the most fundamental themes of mythology and its rituals. Contemporary narratives are one of the most prominent formats that can be used as vehicles for mythological and ritual themes, including death consciousness. This article is based on the mythological approach, using a descriptive-interpretive method and aiming to reveal the inner effect of confronting death and reaching the consciousness of death formed by the ritual of initiation, in order to examine the structure and depth of the story "Fal -e Khoon" by Dawood Ghaffarzadegan. the story "Fal -e Khoon", which highlights the theme of death consciousness, is obviously based on the structure of initiation; Expulsion, mystery learning and mystery education. The main character of the story, a budding soldier, is confronted with various phenomena and events on his mission to achieve his goal. These events form the basis for the rookie to pass his most difficult and final test. The most difficult test of the main character in the story is to become aware of death and to accept death as part of one's existence. This theme, which was one of the first and constant concerns of mankind, is juxtaposed in the story with mythological elements such as mountains, trees, numbers, cows, names and huts, so that it gives a mythical tinge to a modern story and conveys an ancient ritual. In this way, modern art, literature, and ideas cannot only be separated from ancient mythological and ritual strains; ; Rather, these strains, by blending with human's constant reflections, such as death, provide the context for the richness and brilliance of today's narratives.
Extended Abstract
1. Introduction
A person, in their living world, does not take their actions and thoughts from the same source. A person's existence is multifaceted and these multiple strains provide different formats for his mentality, thought and behavior. One of the most important components that shape human thought and action are myths and then mythological rituals. The rituals, in the first stage, are the manifestation of the influence of the myth in the life and social world of the human personality; when the rituals have mythological themes, they, like myths, influence the formation of human mentality and actions. Hence, the myth and rituals arising from it have the same functions. Myths and mythological rituals express people's wishes, fears and desires (Guerin et al., 2005, p. 183). In a world where the sense of existential loneliness does not leave a person, myths and rituals are a tool for understanding one’s situation in the world, reducing their fears and sufferings as well as fulfilling their wishes, though in a symbolic form. Narratives are one of the most prominent human creations, and the myths and rituals arising from them, play a distinct role in shaping its structure and texture (Bressler, 2012, p. 132).
2. Methodology
The present article deals with the role and function of the myth and the ritual of initiation in revealing the theme of death in the short story "Fal -e Khoon" by Davud Ghafarzadegan. In an artistic and distinctive way, " Fal -e Khoon " has used the themes and the structure of the mythological ritual of initiation in its narrative to depict the phenomenon of death. For this reason, it is necessary to examine this story from the mentioned point of view. This article aims to reveal the role and function of the structure of the ritual of initiation and its mythological elements in shaping the narrative of " Fal -e Khoon" and its main theme; That is, facing death and death-awareness, to answer the following questions with a descriptive-interpretive method: Which of the mythological elements create the texture and structure of the narrative of "Fal -e Khoon"? How does the ritual of initiation advance the events of the story? How do the mythological elements and the ritual of initiation create the basic theme of this story, i.e., facing death and death awareness?
The source of life, birth, survival (Guerin et al., 2005, pp. 200-201) and the death and destiny of a person (Campbell, 2010, p. 168) are among the topics that a person always faces in the world of his thoughts and reflections; and to reach their understanding, he has benefited from the myths and rituals. "Rituals, emotions and myths mutually affect each other" (Whitehead, 2017, p. 29); Therefore, mythological rituals and customs are the objective and external continuity of those mythical beliefs and mentalities that are useful for the consistency and continuity of social order. The ritual of initiation is one of the rituals that has its roots in the world of mythology. In this ritual, the immature teenager is prepared to leave the world of immaturity and step on the path of maturity. Maturity of the teenager provides him with independence that starts from geographical mobility; It means that the teenager starts moving away from home (Richards, 2011, p. 136).
The ritual of initiation is based on three stages of separation (repulsion), transformation (mystery learning) and return (mystery education) (Guerin et al., 2005, p. 190). In this ritual, the immature teenager becomes aware of the mysteries of existence. Death, the understanding of man's mortality and encountering with death are among the fundamental elements of the mythological themes that the teenager, as a novice, should be informed about within the initiation ritual (Eliadeh, 2011, p. 195).
3. Discussion
The narration of "Fal -e Khoon" is the longest story in the book "21 Stories" by Dawood Ghafarzadegan. This story is divided into six chapters. Each chapter contains events whose basic actions and functions are created and discussed by the three main characters, soldier, lieutenant, and lieutenant assistant. The function of the characters ultimately goes in such a direction that they prepare and preface the final and fundamental action of the soldier.
The story of "Fal -e Khoon" is obviously about the different aspects of a person's encounter with death; It relies on ignorance, fear of death and death awareness. The theme of death and its related components are the most basic intermediate and organizing link in the episodes of the "Fal -e Khoon" narration; As an example, on pages 284 and 307 of the story, apart from the propositions related to death, the narrator mentions the word "death" four and three times, respectively. Each of the characters of the story reveal different actions related to these strains. The character who the story is formed around his external and internal actions is a soldier who must come to the understanding of death and face it consciously through the stages of discovery and secret learning, and finally face it freely and without any fears. In facing death and accepting it in his existence, he must go through the stages before and after his secret learning - just like the worlds he lived in - so that he can become aware of death and learn the secret.
4. Result
The author of "Fal -e Khoon" has been able to use the theme of facing death and death-awareness through the use of the structure of the ritual of initiation. The main character of the story, who takes action in the form of a novice soldier reaches maturity through the stages of being driven, secret learning and secret-educated. The maturity of the soldier is his being secret-educated in the conscious face of death. In tests and difficult events, he accepts death as a part of his existence, and thus he is freed from the fear of death and extinction. The story of "Fal -e Khoon" uses the theme of death-awareness in the structure of the initiation ritual and in association with mythological elements; Like a tree, a mountain, a name, a cow, and a hut, and with its artistic structure and its fusion with mythological elements, conveys the theme of death awareness to the audience of his narrative in today's horizon and context. Based on this, it seems that a person, in the horizon of modern literature and art, will never be empty and useless of ancient and mythological themes and rituals.
5. References
Bressler, Charles E. (2012). Literary criticism: An introduction to theory and practice. (5th Edition). Pearson: New York.
Campbell, Joseph (2010). Ghodrat-e Osture. Translated by Abbas Mokhber. 6th edition. Tehran: Markaz Publication. [in Persian]
Eliade Mircha (2002). Osture, Ro’yā, Rāz. Translated by Roya Monajem. Tehran: Alam Publication. [in Persian]
Ghafarzadegan, Dawood. (2005). "Fāl-e Khun". Dar Bist-o Yek Dāstān. Tehran: Rozaneh, pp. 267-352. [in Persian]
Guerin Wilfred L. et al. (2005). A Hand Book of Critical Approaches to Literature. (5th Edition). New York: Oxford University Press.
Richards, Barry. (2011). Ravānkāvi-ye Farhang-e Āme; Nazm va Tartib-e Neshāt. Translated by Hossein Payandeh. 2nd Ed. Tehran: Sāles Publication. [in Persian]
Whitehead, Alfred North. (2015). Tahavol-e Din. Translated by Amir Rezaei. Tehran: Āshiān Publication. [in Persian
Polymorphisms in ADRB2 gene can modulate the response to bronchodilators and the severity of cystic fibrosis
No full textFundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Background: The most common cystic fibrosis (CF) manifestation is the progressive chronic obstructive pulmonary disease caused by deficiency, dysfunction, or absence of the CFTR (Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Regulator) protein on the apical surface of the cells in the respiratory tract. The use of bronchodilators (BD), and inhaled corticosteroids (IC) have been suggested for the management of airway inflammation in CF. The effectiveness of BD and IC have been verified, proven in laboratory and in the clinical treatment for asthma patients. However, in CF, the effectiveness of these drugs is controversial. The extent of asthma's response to BD depends on the presence of polymorphisms in the ADRB2 gene. In contrast, in CF, little is known about the response to the BD and the association of CF's severity with the different polymorphisms in ADRB2 gene. In this context, our objective was to verify whether the Arg16Gly and Glu27Gln polymorphisms in ADRB2 gene are associated with severity and with the bronchodilator response in CF patients. Method: Cross-sectional study of 122 CF patients subjected to analysis of mutations in the CFTR gene, polymorphisms in ADRB2 gene, along with clinical and laboratorial characteristics of severity. Result: The Arg16Gly polymorphism in ADRB2 gene was associated with pancreatic insufficiency(p:0.009), Bhalla score(p:0.039), forced expiratory volume in the first second[FEV1(%)](p:0.003), forced expiratory flow between 25 and 75% of the forced vital capacity-FVC[FEF25-75(%)](p:0.008) and lower age at the first isolation of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa(p:0.012). The response to the BD spirometry was associated with clinical severity markers, FEV1(%) (p:0.011) and FEF25-75(%)(p:0.019), for the Arg16Gly polymorphism in the ADRB2 gene. The haplotype analysis showed association with the FEV1/FVC marker from the spirometry test, before and after using the BD, with higher values in the group with Gly/Gly and Glu/Glu, respectively, for the Arg16Gly and Gln27Glu polymorphisms. The analysis by MDR2.0 software, showed association with FEF25-75%; the response to Arg16Gly was respondent by 17.35% and Gln27Glu by 6.8% in variation found. Conclusion: There was an association between the Arg16Gly and Gln27Glu polymorphisms in ADRB2 gene with CF's severity and bronchodilator response.12Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP
Exchange rate modelling in binary representation with use of wave dependences
No full textKurs pary walutowej może zostać przedstawiony w postaci reprezentacji
binarnej. W pracy zaproponowano stanowy model kursu walutowego w reprezentacji
binarnej z wykorzystaniem zależności falowych. W modelu zdefiniowano stany odpowiadające
danym wzorcom zmian ceny oraz wzorcom przynależności do fal danego
rodzaju. Proces wykrywania fal oraz wyznaczania ich parametrów wykorzystuje zaproponowane
przez autora algorytmy detekcji fal w reprezentacji binarnej. Przedstawiono
również przykładowe efekty modelowania kursu walutowego AUD/NZD z wykorzystaniem
zaproponowanego w pracy modelu dla danych historycznych z okresu 2011-2016
wraz ze statystyczną analizą otrzymanych rezultatów.The exchange rate trajectory can be visualized in a binary representation.
The binarization algorithm transforms a course trajectory given by tick data into respective
binary string. In this article author introduces a new state model for an exchange rate
in a binary representation with use of wave dependences. The model describes states
corresponding to given price change patterns and wave membership patterns of particular
parameters. The process of wave detection and appointing wave parameters uses
wave detection algorithms in binary representation, created by the author. In addition,
author presents exemplary results of modelling AUD/NZD exchange rate with use of
abovementioned model, calculated for historical data from 2011-2016 as well as a statistical
analysis of obtained results
Criteria for an efficient enforcement of standards in relation to cross compliance
No full textCross compliance has been introduced in the EU partly to improve compliance with pre-existing EU legislation in the Member States. Considerable effort has been put into implementing this instrument and the corresponding control systems. This presents an opportunity to assess factors for an efficient enforcement of standards and discuss these with regard to cross compliance. The paper characterizes the enforcement system connected with cross compliance in the EU and implications of interactions with the national control systems for specialized legislation. Economic theories on mechanisms and the behavior, which form the basis of controls, are applied to cross compliance in order to draw conclusions on the implementation of controls and sanctions. The potential contribution of cross compliance to an efficient enforcement of mandatory standards is critically discussed. In view of the insecure future of direct payments any further development of cross compliance within the EU should aim at increasing the effectiveness of the enforcement of legal standards and strengthen national specialized control systems in the long term.Cross compliance, control theory, efficiency, Farm Management,
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