Saint Mary's University

About: Saint Mary's University is a education organization based out in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Stars. The organization has 1931 authors who have published 4993 publications receiving 143226 citations.

Supporting the e‐business readiness of small and medium‐sized enterprises: approaches and metrics

Abstract: Government initiatives are continuously being designed to create stable and supportive environments for developing new industries. Presents a conceptual model for use by governments in creating and sustaining an appropriate climate that facilitates the national adoption of e‐business. It focuses specifically on the needs of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). Also suggests six categories of e‐business readiness metrics and measures to be used for assessing how a country is performing in terms of providing a positive e‐business readiness climate. Examples of innovative initiatives are provided from Canada, The Netherlands, Norway, and Singapore. Concludes that a balance among attention to infrastructure components has not yet been achieved in these countries.

The burst mode of accretion and disk fragmentation in the early embedded stages of star formation

Abstract: We revisit our original papers on the burst mode of accretion by incorporating a detailed energy balance equation into a thin-disk model for the formation and evolution of circumstellar disks around low-mass protostars. Our model includes the effect of radiative cooling, viscous and shock heating, and heating due to stellar and background irradiation. Following the collapse from the prestellar phase allows us to model the early embedded phase of disk formation and evolution. During this time, the disk is susceptible to fragmentation, depending upon the properties of the initial prestellar core. Globally, we find that higher initial core angular momentum and mass content favors more fragmentation, but higher levels of background radiation can moderate the tendency to fragment. A higher rate of mass infall onto the disk than that onto the star is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for disk fragmentation. More locally, both the Toomre Q-parameter needs to be below a critical value and the local cooling time needs to be shorter than a few times the local dynamical time. Fragments that form during the early embedded phase tend to be driven into the inner disk regions and likely trigger mass accretion and luminosity bursts that are similar in magnitude to FU-Orionis-type or EX-Lupi-like events. Disk accretion is shown to be an intrinsically variable process, thanks to disk fragmentation, nonaxisymmetric structure, and the effect of gravitational torques. The additional effect of a generic α-type viscosity acts to reduce burst frequency and accretion variability, and is likely to not be viable for values of α significantly greater than 0.01.

Asteroseismology of red giants from the first four months of Kepler data: Fundamental stellar parameters

Abstract: Context. Clear power excess in a frequency range typical for solar-type oscillations in red giants has been detected in more than 1000 stars, which have been observed during the first 138 days of the science operation of the NASA Kepler satellite. This sample includes stars in a wide mass and radius range with spectral types G and K, extending in luminosity from the bottom of the giant branch up to high-luminous red giants, including the red bump and clump. The high-precision asteroseismic observations with Kepler provide a perfect source for testing stellar structure and evolutionary models, as well as investigating the stellar population in our Galaxy. Aims. We aim to extract accurate seismic parameters from the Kepler time series and use them to infer asteroseismic fundamental parameters from scaling relations and a comparison with red-giant models. Methods. We fit a global model to the observed power density spectra, which allows us to accurately estimate the granulation background signal and the global oscillation parameters, such as the frequency of maximum oscillation power. We find regular patterns of radial and non-radial oscillation modes and use a new technique to automatically identify the mode degree and the characteristic frequency separations between consecutive modes of the same spherical degree. In most cases, we can also measure the small separation between l = 0, 1, and 2 modes. Subsequently, the seismic parameters are used to estimate stellar masses and radii and to place the stars in an H-R diagram by using an extensive grid of stellar models that covers a wide parameter range. Using Bayesian techniques throughout our entire analysis allows us to determine reliable uncertainties for all parameters. Results. We provide accurate seismic parameters and their uncertainties for a large sample of red giants and determine their astero

Human dimensions of Marine Protected Areas

Abstract: Charles, A., and Wilson, L. 2009. Human dimensions of Marine Protected Areas. - ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 6-15.Planning, implementing, and managing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) requires that attention be paid not only to the biological and oceanographic issues that influence the performance of the MPA, but equally to the human dimensions: social, economic, and institutional considerations that can dramatically affect the outcome of MPA implementation. This paper explores ten human dimensions that are basic to the acceptance and ultimate success of MPAs: objectives and attitudes, “entry points” for introducing MPAs, attachment to place, meaningful participation, effective governance, the “people side” of knowledge, the role of rights, concerns about displacement, MPA costs and benefits, and the bigger picture around MPAs. These people-orientated factors and their impact on the success and effectiveness of MPAs are examined in relation to experiences with MPAs globally, and in relation to two Canadian examples specifically, one coastal (Eastport, Newfoundland) and the other offshore (the Gully, Nova Scotia).

Exploring adolescents' sense of community and its relationship to loneliness

Abstract: Two studies explored adolescents' neighborhood and school psychological sense of community. Multiple regression analyses of subscale scores from two social support measures showed that psychological sense of community was related to different aspects of social support depending on the community setting; the number of supportive persons identified was most significantly related to neighborhood sense of community, and the amount of tangible assistance received was most significantly related to school sense of community. Multiple regression results indicated that school sense of community accounted for the highest proportion of variance on the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale, followed by satisfaction with social support, and nondirective support received. The data suggest that sense of community is a significant aspect of adolescents' environments, as demonstrated by its relationship to loneliness. Further investigation of the components of adolescent sense of community and their relevance to adolescent development is warranted.