bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Volatility Models and their Performance in Indian Capital Markets
Authors: Pandey Ajay
Published: January 2017

Estimation and forecasting of volatility of asset returns is important in various applications related to financial markets such as valuation of derivatives, risk management, etc. Till early eighties, it was commonly assumed that the volatility of an asset is constant and estimation procedures were based on this assumption even though some of the pioneering studies on property of stock market returns did not support this assumption. Following the pioneering work of Engle and Bollerslev in eighties on developing models (ARCH/GARCH type models) to capture time-varying characteristics of volatility and other stock return properties, extensive research has been done world over in modeling volatility for estimation and forecasting.

There are broadly four possible approaches for estimating and forecasting volatility. These are: Traditional Volatility Estimators— These estimators assume that ‘true’ volatility is unconditional and constant. The estimation is based on either squared returns or standard deviation of returns over a period. Extreme Value Volatility Estimators— These estimators are similar to traditional estimators except that these also incorporate high and low prices observed unlike traditional estimators which are based on closing prices of the asset. Conditional Volatility Models— These models (ARCH/GARCH type models) take into account the time-varying nature of volatility. There have been quite a few extensions of the basic conditional volatility models to incorporate ‘observed’ characteristics of asset/stock returns. Implied Volatility— In case of options, most of the parameters relevant for their valuation can be directly observed or estimated, except volatility. Volatility is, therefore, backed out from the observed option values and is used as volatility forecast.

The empirical research across countries and markets has not been equivocal about the effectiveness of using these approaches. This study compares the result of the first three approaches in estimating and forecasting Nifty returns.

Based on four different criteria related to bias and efficiency of the various estimators and models, this study analysed the estimation and forecasting ability of three different traditional estimators, four extreme value estimators, and two conditional volatility models. As a benchmark, it used ‘realized’ volatility estimates. The findings of this study are as follows: For estimating the volatility, the extreme value estimators perform better on efficiency criteria that the conditional volatility models. In terms of bias, conditional volatility models perform better than the extreme value estimators. As far as predictive power is concerned, extreme value estimators estimated from sample of length equal to forecast period perform better than the conditional volatility estimators in providing five-day and month ahead volatility forecasts.
Manager as a Trainer, a Coach, and a Mentor
Authors: Manikutty S
Published: January 2017

This paper argues that for effective development of managers, training programmes are far from sufficient. The major development of managerial capabilities, in fact, takes place not so much as a result of training programmes as on the job. But this development can be directed or undirected and one of the important tasks of a senior manager is to make sure this development is directed and effective.

The development of junior managers by senior managers is a vital activity in a learning organization. In today�s fast changing environment, the only organizations that will survive will be learning organizations. Competitive advantage is not static. Organizations cannot place themselves in particular strategic postures in an industry and stay there for all time to come but have to evolve and adapt to new situations. This ability to adapt depends on the amount and kind of learning that takes place continuously in the organizations and how effectively managers can apply these learnings in their jobs.

Formal training programmes can be useful and effective not by themselves but through effective coupling to organizational situations. This linkage is often lacking which is the prime reason for the apparent lack of effectiveness of such formal programmes. But building such linkages can hardly be done by academic institutions or consultants; they need to be ultimately done by the managers of the organizations themselves.

As a general rule, most managers are aware of this role but have neither the time, energy nor incentive to do the development and training of their junior managers. They also lack a framework to do this systematically. This article suggests a possible framework.

The role of senior managers as trainers varies with the stages the junior manager is in his career: as the first boss of a new manager, the senior managers have to shape the values and develop the ability in the new manager to prioritize and set goals for himself for the middle level managers, the senior managers have to act as trainers capitalizing on the experience the junior managers would have had thus far and integrating them with the training programmes they might have been deputed to for senior managers, they must act as disseminators and enablers of dissemination of new ideas for all levels, mentoring is very important.

Not all managers can make effective mentors; and for those who have the aptitude, training programmes for mentorship can be useful. Ultimately, the role of the senior managers as trainers, coaches, and mentors is to enable the junior managers to learn effectively and help them in their self development.
HRD Practices and Philosophy of Management in Indian Organizations
Authors: Singh Anil Kumar
Published: January 2017

The managerial philosophy of a company is generally based upon the top management's assumptions about people working in the organization. It reflects the attitude of the top management towards the human resources of an organization. Managerial philosophies of companies are embedded in the society. McGregor (1960) has labelled these managerial philosophies as ‘Theory X and Theory Y.’

This paper is an attempt to identify the relationship between human resource (HR) practices and the philosophy of management of the Indian business organizations. For this, the different variables of HR practices were studied and the management's philosophy was identified by measuring beliefs of top management about employees in the organizations. The sample for the study consisted of 95 respondents from two private sector organizations and 119 respondents from two public sector organizations.

The findings of the study indicate that the variables of HR practices (planning, recruitment, and selection) were highly but negatively related to the philosophy of management in the private sector organizations. This meant that the Indian organizations were practising traditional philosophy of management in such organizations. The prevalence of traditional managerial philosophy focusing on managerial control has always dominated the managerial community in the sense that it is more prevalent and is more ‘tightly’ linked to managerial practice. As new managerial ideologies evolved, the older ones “never disappeared; instead, images and practices central to each were gradually institutionalized” (Barley and Kunda, 1992).

The philosophy of management showed a blurred picture in the public sector organizations. Though the top management's views and balance sheet emphasized the belief of the organization towards Theory Y, the analysed responses proved that management philosophy was not clear to managers working in these organizations.

In fact, the Indian public sector organizations started as welfare organizations. However, the impact of market economy has led to a competitive environment. Though the public sector organizations have started realizing the impact of competition, it is difficult for them to understand when they lost their focus on the managerial philosophy.

The following key issues emerged from the study: Organizations will have to design managerial philosophy which is sensitive to human existence. The managerial philosophy in the organization has an impact on the organizations of the future. HR concepts that get packaged along with modern managerial philosophy are likely to revolutionize the workplace. The bottom line is that people want to be cared for and respected.

On their part, organizations want commitment and integrity. A successful combination of committed people and a benevolent organization could well be the way for organizations in this competitive environment in India.
Rural Finance in Contemporary Times: Interface with Microfinance
Authors: Sisodia N S , Rao M B N , Mahajan Vijay , Leeladhar V , Vasimalai M P , Reddy Rama , Mohan Brij , Srinivasan R , Sriram M S
Published: January 2017

In India, when we talk about rural finance, the stereotype offered is that of a banking system that fails to reach out to the poorer clients and, when it does, fails to recover the money so disbursed. The counter-point offered is usually the magic wand of microfinance. This Colloquium was an interface between leading bankers and microfinance practitioners in India to examine where these two worlds meet and how they could learn from each other. The discussions were organized around three themes: a) the legacy of the banking system, b) the limitations of microfinance, and c) an assessment of the potential.

On the issue of legacy, the message was clear that the intervention of the state in certain aspects has been undesirable. These areas were clearly identified as granting general pardon for loans, tinkering around with interest subsidies, and interfering with the commercial aspects of banking.

The limitations of the microfinance institutions were in terms of their sustainability and their inability to draw commercial capital and grow rapidly. However, these limitations were partly seen as a consequence of regulatory apathy and support from the state both in terms of formulating and articulating a regulatory framework and also in terms of the central bank being reluctant to supervise the efforts. These did not help in enhancing the legitimacy of microfinance institutions.

The participants saw a great potential in the rural markets which were beyond agriculture. The emerging sectors were identified as construction, non-farm enterprise, handloom, clusters that involve garment making and quarrying, etc. According to them, there was scope for both the banks and the microfinance institutions to intervene. The following points emerged from the discussion: Rural finance has suffered from interventions from the state in the past. While some interventions have been positive, they have harmed the sector when compromises such as write-offs have been made. Microfinance has emerged as an important mechanism to reach out financial services to the poor. There are interesting lessons from this for the banks to adopt. There are problems for the microfinance institutions in the form of regulatory and supervisory apathy. This leads to financial exclusion of large segments of the poor. There is a huge market for financial services — both loans and savings. Innovations across the world indicate important breakthroughs in delivery of financial services. These can be implemented provided the regulatory impediments are removed. The issue of risk management has to be systematically addressed. The role of the state, wherever positive, has been effective and, therefore, this should be sharply defined to see how the state could contribute to this sector. The issue of interest rates continues to be vexatious and needs to be addressed urgently.
Predicting Acquisitions in India
Authors: Barai Parama , Mohanty Pitabas
Published: January 2017

Statistical models for predicting takeover targets by using publicly available information, specifically historical accounting information, has attracted considerable academic endeavour. These empirical studies draw from the stylized fact that has unequivocally emerged from literature on performance of mergers and acquisitions: that target firms gain abnormal returns when a takeover announcement is made. Hence, it has been hypothesized that early prediction of takeover targets can stimulate strategic trading that can consistently ‘beat the market’, and make abnormal returns. While it has now been generally proven that such a strategy cannot succeed within semi-strong efficient markets, attempts continue to construct such prediction models to identify potentially valuable firms that can at least provide higher returns under a new management with synergistic propositions. Besides, the characteristics identified by a robust model are also used for preliminary exploration for a potentially good target by acquirers.

Following this strand of literature, this paper builds a prediction model for acquisition targets in India using logistic regression. For the estimation of the logistic regression, 122 target firms of acquisitions during the three year-period from 2002 to 2005 were considered, and matched with non-acquiring, non-target firms that had similar promoters' holdings and belonged to the same industry as the target. Results from logistic regression indicate that, a typical target is inherently strong with high growth and large free cash flow, in spite of high debt levels, but encumbered by an inefficient management, who are probably disciplined by takeover market. Traditional determinants of US and UK studies, viz., size and growth-resource imbalance are not significant in the Indian context.

Methodological care was taken at various steps to avoid known biases. Estimation period was taken for a modest three year period rather than a longer period to ensure minimal changes in the macro-economic landscape that might have a bearing on the target characteristics. Further, both raw accounting ratios, and industry adjusted ratios were used to account for non-normality of such data. To build the prediction model, cut-off values were calculated using two methods, one that minimized statistical errors and another that maximized returns; again, the latter was found to be superior. Finally, the prediction model was tested on an out-of-sample database of acquisitions that took place during 2005-2006 and was found to yield prediction accuracies up to 91 per cent.
Exploring the Role of HRM in Service Delivery in Healthcare Organizations: A Study of an Indian Hospital
Authors: Tomar Avantika , Dhiman Amit
Published: January 2017

The new service management school of thought acknowledges a set of new human resource management (HRM) practices, underpinned by the concept of satisfaction mirror between customers and front-line workers. HRM practices in the cycle of success include careful selection, high-quality training, well-designed support systems, empowerment, teamwork, appropriate measurement, rewards and recognition, and the development of a service culture. The model for achieving cycle of success in interactive service works is known as the high involvement work systems (HIWS). There is some research evidence about the positive influence of high involvement HR practices on effective service delivery.

This exploratory study examines the role played by HR practices in maintaining the quality of service delivery, in the context of healthcare services. It specifically studies the administrative factors and HR policies that aid effective service quality and the practices that bring down the quality of care provided in a private sector Indian hospital.

This being a relatively new area, an inductive approach was used. The study relied on semi-structured interviews for the purpose of data collection. Along with data collection, core theoretical concepts were identified and tentative linkages were developed between the theoretical core concepts and the data.

The findings show that the emphasis is more on supreme hospitality and patient amenities than medical treatment. The healthcare industry is witnessing a significant change. A consultant is no longer the ‘king’; this position has now been taken by the patients. Of late the emphasis is on patient satisfaction in terms of the facilities provided rather than the nature of medical treatment given. This is primarily so for organizations such as this hospital which aim at providing world-class care and for which ‘patient centricity’ is the hallmark. HR specific issues such as standardization of nursing activities, appraisal systems, effective communication channels, and compensation structure, all affect the quality of service provided in a hospital.

Similar research can be conducted across other healthcare organizations to replicate and validate the findings regarding the changing scenario in the industry.
Perceptions of Software Professionals regarding Performance Management Processes: An Exploratory Study
Authors: Singh Anupriya
Published: January 2017

Performance management has been considered as a critical tool aimed at strategically managing the contribution of human resources. As opposed to mere appraisal of performance, performance management as a process has a more holistic orientation which aims to define, facilitate, measure, and constantly improve performance at the individual, team, and organizational levels.

The primary purpose of this study was to understand the perceptions of software professionals regarding certain performance management process dimensions (viz., performance planning, feedback, and employee participation in the process); system knowledge and justice dimensions (viz., procedural, distributive and interactional justice with respect to the performance management system) and their potential inter-relationship. The study was carried out on a sample of 341 software professionals in four software firms in the NCR region. Three survey instruments, i.e., perception of performance management process dimensions questionnaire, perceived system knowledge questionnaire, and perception of organizational justice dimensions questionnaire, were designed and used for the study.

Results revealed that: Software professionals of all the four organizations were fairly satisfied with performance planning and their participation in performance management process; but only moderately satisfied with feedback. Perceived system knowledge of the software professionals was moderate. They perceived the performance management systems to be interactionally just to a large extent, but pointed towards a need for improvement on procedural and distributive dimensions. Significant positive correlation was seen between justice dimensions, performance management process dimensions, and perceived system knowledge. Inter-correlations within performance management process dimensions and justice dimensions were also positive and significant. Stepwise multiple regression analysis suggested feedback as the most significant predictor that explained maximum variance in each of the justice dimensions, viz., procedural, distributive, and interactional justice. The other two predictors were perceived system knowledge and employee participation in performance management process.

Findings of this research have significant implications for HR practitioners. Feedback, perceived system knowledge and their participation in performance management process were found to be significant variables influencing their perceptions regarding fairness of the system and hence, may need specific attention especially in the software industry context. Strong inter-relationship was found amongst all dimensions relating to performance management process; perceived system knowledge, and justice dimensions pointing towards the significance of an integrated and systemic approach towards the process and have significant implications for improving the overall design, implementation, and outcomes of the performance management system.
A Kaleidoscopic Study of Pricing Performance of Stochastic Volatility Option Pricing Models: Evidence from Recent Indian Economic Turbulence
Authors: Singh Vipul Kumar , Pachori Pushkar
Published: January 2017

A whole host of researchers have modeled volatility as a non-constant stochastic process, based on the principle that volatility follows a stochastic process whose parameters are not directly observable in the market. The objective of this research paper is to empirically investigate the forecasting performance of three most dominant models of this species namely, Hull-White (1988), Heston�s (1993), and Heston-Nandi GARCH (2000) option pricing model. These three models have been collaterally compared and contrasted against Black-Scholes and market for pricing S&P CNX Nifty 50 index option of India.

The Hull-White model not only warrants a range of stochastic volatility specifications but also incorporates correlation of volatility of asset return and its price changes. The closed form Heston�s (1993) model explicitly and elaborately communicates non-lognormal distribution of the assets return, leverage effect, and mean-reverting property of volatility. The model of Heston-Nandi, also in closed form, successfully incorporates variance of asset returns as a range of GARCH process. It strongly permits correlation between returns of the spot asset and variance and also technically accepts multiple lags in the dynamics of the GARCH process.

To decide, determine, and delineate the effectiveness of stochastic models against the Black-Scholes and market, the current paper adopts a structured approach of relative error price, viz., percentage mean error (PME) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). The most turbulent period of the Indian economy � January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008 — was considered appropriate for testiing the suggested model. It was a testing time for the Indian economy as well as a critical period questioning the sustainability of all financial products/models and challenging their fundamental platform depicted as equity market. How to safeguard investors� faith and at least protect their investments if not multiply returns in the face of such financial hardships remained a burning question for all thinkers and experts on the subject. Data pertaining to the specific period of such drastic disturbance was analysed with the help of the proposed models. After rigorous churning of specific data taken across various models, the Heston model was found to outperform and surpass other models.
Are Managers Measuring the Financial Risk in the Right Manner? An Exploratory Study
Authors: Shirur Srinivas
Published: January 2017

The basic problem with corporate finance is that it deals with the fundamental analysis issues while the tools used are those applicable for technical analysis. That is the reason why finance managers often arrive at wrong decisions which snowball into issues like the subprime crisis.

Initially, Markowitz model was used to calculate risk for portfolio management. It gave importance only to systematic risk as unsystematic risk could be avoided through diversification. Later on, CAPM model was developed for corporate finance and project finance for calculation of risk. Finance models dealing with risk management are applicable only for a short period and that too for an average of a large number of companies. The approach to apply risk measurement technique suitable for portfolio management to corporate finance is not correct. Even the econometric techniques applied to validate calculation of risk for portfolio management should be different from those applied for corporate finance.

The present article analyses the problems of applying such risk measurement techniques for corporate finance purpose.

A company faces mainly two types of risks: liquidity risk and bankruptcy risk. In case a company suffers from bankruptcy threat (which may or may not lead to actual bankruptcy), i.e., possibilities of closure due to losses, there will be two possibilities: The company may move with market index in normal times while it may come down suddenly with index and may not bounce back (Kink in the beta curve), as in the case of MTNL and Jet Airlines. There may be a sudden bankruptcy threat as in the case of Satyam.

The latter case does not allow investors to react. However, corporate managers will have to take account of the first possibility of bankruptcy risk which cannot be ignored by assuming beta to be constant. This paper examines three companies, Mastek, Jet Airlines, and MTNL, in this category. The author suggests that instead of segregating risk into systematic and unsystematic risk, it should be segregated into bankruptcy and liquidity risk. In this way, unsystematic risk is also priced while determining the value of a company.
Sponsor, Ambusher, and Other: Consumer Response to Three Strategies
Authors: Gupta Seema , Maity Moutusy , Pandey Satish C
Published: January 2017

Sponsorship, in advertising and marketing, has enjoyed considerable currency with managers, especially in the context of sporting events. However, this strategy option is constantly challenged by ambush marketing (which seeks an unofficial association with the event) as well as by a neither strategy (i.e. firms not undertaking either sponsorship or ambush marketing). At the core of all the three strategies is the expectation that a firm's association (official or unofficial) or non-association with a sporting event will result in certain benefits for the brand.

This study measures and compares consumer responses to the three strategy options available to a firm for a sporting event. This research uses the Resource Advantage (RA) Theory to examine the interrelationships among the three types of firms and the environment in which these firms compete. RA theory posits that when a firm has a resource that is rare among competitors, then that resource has the potential for producing competitive advantage for that firm (Barney, 1991). The Hierarchy of Effects (HOE) model is used to formulate hypotheses regarding the possible consumer responses to the three strategy options. The HOE model predicts that consumers usually go through the stages of cognition, affect, and purchase intention after being exposed to a piece of promotion (i.e. communication). Sponsorship can be a source of competitive advantage as it may lead to greater consumer awareness, positive attitude, and a higher intention to purchase. Some firms may try to engage in ambush marketing. On the other hand, some other firms may choose to follow a neither strategy.

This study is set in the context of an international sporting competition, the ICC Cricket World Cup held in South Africa, in 2003. It finds that while sponsorship is effective in creating awareness, it does not lead to liking and⁄or preference for the brand. Others are able to break the clutter in the world of intense competition where event-related promotions are seen as a means of fulfilling marketing objectives. Moreover, the relationship between attitude and intention to purchase is not significant for any of the three strategy options. These findings indicate that any association with an event provides scope for elementary messages which may be suitable for increasing awareness but does not lead to higher order effects of building positive attitude and intention to purchase.
Subjective Response to Whole-Body Vibration
Authors: Shoenberger Richard W.
Published: January 2017

Pioneer studies of subjective response to whole-body vibration were mainly directed toward construction of equal intensity contours, described by such subjective labels as “intolerable,” “alarming,” or “annoying.” In a series of more recent investigations, carried out at AFAMRL, psychophysical measurement and scaling techniques have been adapted for use in whole-body vibration experiments, primarily to evaluate the intensive dimension of various types of vibration environments. A program of research is described in which the methods of magnitude estimation and intensity matching have been used to construct a family of Z-axis equal intensity curves in the whole-body resonance frequency range; investigate subjective response for frequencies below 1 Hz; evaluate alternative methods for assessing the severity of multifrequency and random vibrations; and compare the subjective intensity of vibrations in various translational and angular modes. Results from these experiments have contributed to the expansion and improvement of whole-body vibration exposure criteria.
Vibrotactile Sensitivity of the Human Hand's Glabrous Skin
Authors: Lundström Ronnie
Published: January 2017

Vibrotactile thresholds have been measured on 15 different test points on the glabrous part of the human hand within the frequency range of 25–1000 Hz. The experiments were carried out on three male and three female subjects, aged between 30 to 39 years.

For all points tested typical U-shaped threshold graphs were obtained. The lowest thresholds, approximately 115 dB (re. 1 nm/s) were measured in the region of 250–300 Hz. Only small differences in sensitivity were seen between points tested.
Infrasonic Time-History Dosimetry
Authors: Johnson Daniel L.
Published: January 2017

A Model 700 Sound Level Meter/Dosimeter was modified to reflect the proposed frequency weighting curve for infrasound. With this system, the exact time and duration of any infrasound levels that exceed the threshold of hearing are recorded. The average level (Leq) of each event as well as the overall Leq are also provided. In addition a dose, based tentatively on 110 dB at 20 Hz for 8 hours, is also available. Preliminary results from the use of this instrument are presented and discussed.
Oculomotor Alignment and Visual Contrast Thresholds during Separate and Simultaneous Lateral and Vertical Whole-Body Vibrations (5 Hz, 1.2 ms−2)
Authors: Griefahn Barbara , Bröde Peter , Jaschinski Wolfgang
Published: January 2017

This paper concerns the hypothesis that whole-body vibrations transmitted through the seat impair oculomotor alignment and degrade spatial retinal resolution. The decrement was assumed to increase gradually from single-axis lateral via single-axis vertical and dual-axis linear to dual-axis circular motions.

14 men and 6 women (19–26 yrs,) with good binocular vision took part in two experimental sessions where either fixation disparity or contrast threshold for vertically and horizontally oriented test patterns were determined during 5 conditions. The latter comprised a control (az = ay = 0) and 4 conditions where 5 Hz sinusoidal vibrations of 1.2 ms−2 r.m.s. were applied separately, either vertically or laterally or simultaneously in both directions, once without and once with a phase shift of 90° thus causing dual-axis linear or circular motions.

The variability of vertical fixation disparity and the contrast thresholds for horizontal gratings increased whenever the subjects were exposed to vertical motions (alone or combined with lateral motions). The results indicate an increased difficulty to recognize properly characters and graphic patterns that contain horizontal lines. The greater difficulty for binocular alignment may eventually cause asthenopic complaints.
Timing of Back Muscles during Whole-Body Vibration with Transients – Its Significance for the Internal Spinal Load
Authors: Blüthner Ralph , Seidel Helmut , Hinz Barbara , Schust Marianne
Published: January 2017

To examine the response of back muscles to whole-body vibration (WBV) consisting of a sinusoidal “background” (4 Hz, r.m.s. acceleration 0.52 ms−2) and 10 interspersed periods with peak-to-peak amplitudes (“transients”) that varied in three steps (3.5, 7.2, and 11.1 ms−2), six surface electromyograms (EMGs) were obtained from different back muscles of 8 subjects at 3 different sitting postures (relaxed = R, bent forward = B and straight erect = E). The rectified undistorted EMGs and the force at the interface vibrator/subject of all subjects were averaged. The myoelectric activity at R was minimal, B and E were accompanied by a high basic EMG-activity and pronounced responses to the transients. The timing of the maximum EMG-responses varied. A nonlinear increase of the internal load was predicted with rising amplitudes of transients. The threshold for this prominent unfavourable biological effect might be located between 3.5 and 5 ms−2.
Why ask questions? Contextual effects on grammatical structure in the language production of children with specific language impairment
Authors: Nettelbladt Ulrika , Hansson Kristina , Nilholm Claes
Published: January 2017

In this small-scale study we investigated the influence of different aspects of context on the language production of children with specific language impairment (SLI). Each of the variables, type of partner, the partner’s interactional style and the type of material used for eliciting conversation, was related to the probability of the use of a set of grammatical constructions by the child. The results show that the interactional style of the conversational partner as well as the type of elicitation material used can have an influence on the grammatical complexity in the language production of children with SLI. Further investigation of such contextual effects from a dialogical perspective would have important implications for intervention with these children.
A model for a mainstream school-based speech and language therapy service
Authors: Wren Yvonne , Roulstone Sue , Parkhouse Jill , Hall Brian
Published: January 2017

This report of the Withywood Speech and Language Therapy (WiSaLT) project describes the process of setting up and evaluating a mainstream school-based and -funded speech and language therapy service. Outcomes for the child, the classroom setting, the teacher/therapist relationship and the school as a whole were monitored. Progress towards each of the outcomes was demonstrated but it was found that those children with phonological difficulties made more progress than those with language problems. The reasons for this and implications for the future of the service are discussed.
The efficacy of Visualising and Verbalising: are we asking too much?
Authors: Dixon Gaenor , Joffe Beverly , Bench R. John
Published: January 2017

‘Visualising and Verbalising’ is a technique that has been purported to enhance language comprehension. Although there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that an intervention method such as ‘Visualising and Verbalising’ may be effective in improving language comprehension in students with a language impairment, few, if any studies have incorporated experimentation to investigate treatment that uses this approach. The present study investigated the effects of comprehension teaching with children aged between 9;0 and 15;1 who had a language impairment. The study found that students appeared to benefit equally from ‘Visualising and Verbalising’ training and ‘traditional’ comprehension training. It is postulated that Visualising and Verbalising places too many demands on the working memory of children with a language impairment to be more effective than traditional approaches.
Teachers’ talk styles: communicating with learners with severe and complex learning difficulties
Authors: Nind Melanie , Kellett Mary , Hopkins Vicky
Published: January 2017

A small-scale, in-depth study of teachers’ talk in interaction with learners with severe and complex learning disabilities and very limited communication abilities is reported. The teachers had all participated in training on Intensive Interaction, a method based on the model of caregiver-infant interaction and focused on the quality of interpersonal interactions. Sequential systematic observation was used to analyse video samples of interaction, focusing on teachers’ talk styles compared with the ‘motherese’ linguistic style used with infants, and addressing whether engagement in the communication process was achieved.
Motor impairments in children with autistic disorder
Authors: Page Jenny , Boucher Jill
Published: January 2017

Oromotor, manual and gross motor skills were assessed in an unselected group of 33 children attending a special school for children with autism. Children were assessed by staff with whom they were familiar, in conditions with which they were familiar, and with repeated testing where appropriate, thus maximizing the chances of children demonstrating their skills. Negative ratings were given only for responses or behaviour deemed to be markedly and clinically abnormal. Seventy-nine per cent of the children received negative ratings on over half of the 25 (or in some cases 21) measures, all affected children having oromotor impairments; 55% having additional manual impairments; and 18% having additional gross motor impairments. The findings are discussed in terms of possible causal factors, and in particular the likelihood that oral and manual dyspraxia contribute to impaired speech and signing in many children with autism.
Talking about talking - a study of children in a language class
Authors: Henton Jennifer
Published: January 2017

Observational measures of conversational interactions were collected for a group of 5- to 7-year-old children attending a class for children with speech and language difficulties attached to a mainstream school. Data collected showed that while all children were making progress in the language skills that were being specifically taught, listening skills, discrimination skills, etc., they nevertheless used language for a limited range of purposes and their spontaneous conversations were extremely restricted. Implications for classroom practice are considered.
A Comparison of the Structural Efficiency of Some Braced Domes
Authors: Soare M. V. , Răduică N.
Published: January 2017

Starting from the usual conception of braced domes for the roofing of tanks, the optimization of the steel consumption was investigated as a function of the following two parameters: type of braced dome and shape of the bar sections. Four geometries were investigated namely, ribbed domes, Schwedler-type domes with simple diagonals, having the same or alternate orientation, and Schwedler-type domes with crossed diagonals. As for the sections, open (hot-rolled) sections and rectangular sections have been investigated.

The main conclusions of the research are: 1. the snow loading on half the dome is the most unfavourable loading; 2. the hollow section is more advantageous than the open one; 3. Schwedler-type domes are more advantageous than the ribbed ones (among the three variants there are no important differences); 4. a cyclic configuration of the braced dome ensures the best statical behaviour of the dome.
Imposed Lack of Fit as a Means of Enhancing Space Truss Design
Authors: Hanaor A. , Levy R.
Published: January 2017

Space trusses with a high degree of static redundancy, such as double-layer grids, are highly sensitive to imperfections. Substantial reductions in load-bearing capacity are caused primarily by random lack of fit (LOF) of members, associated with brittle-type compressive member buckling. A substantial increase in load-bearing capacity and/or reduction in weight can be achieved by imposing lack of fit on selected members in a controlled manner. Such prestressing by imposed lack of fit utilizes the compressive capacity of nominally tensile members and can be used to compensate for the deleterious effect of random lack of fit.

A simple algorithm is presented for obtaining LOF patterns that minimize weight or maximize load-bearing capacity for a class of trusses in which members' cross-section properties are proportionally fixed. The algorithm is based on the flexibility method of structural analysis and on the simplex method of linear programming. Some illustrative examples suggest the possibility of doubling load-bearing capacity or halving weight in some design cases.
Instability Problems in Space Structures
Authors: Gioncu Victor
Published: January 2017

The paper presents the principal aspects of stability analysis of space structures. In describing the evolution of the principles of analysis, the author's method of stable and unstable components is also discussed. It is shown that spatiality has contradictory effects: on the one hand, it leads to an increase in the critical bifurcation load and on the other hand it increases the sensitivity to geometrical imperfections by increasing the unstable components. The principal aspects of the stability analysis of structures whose spatiality is due to their shape (shells, double-layer grids or single-layer latticed shells) are described and a number of previous unsatisfactory solutions are discussed. In structures whose spatiality is due to interaction, the stability check is at present not quite correct, but because of bending moments it does not differ very much from a more accurate analysis.
An Efficient Packed-Store Solver for Structural Frameworks
Authors: Falzon C.
Published: January 2017

This paper deals with a proposed new method for solving the systems of linear simultaneous equations generated by matrix methods of structural analysis.

The solver, which uses a slightly modified form of the ‘packed store’ concept, can directly determine and store any pattern of coefficients and the corresponding out-of-core requirements beforehand. Hence with this solver one is not limited by the necessity to minimise the band-width or profile. With some ‘unconventional’ but easy to produce ‘patterns' it is possible to greatly reduce the number of numerical operations required and in addition use considerably less memory. For example to analyse a 100-joint rectangular plane frame, the method needs about half the arithmetical operations and three quarters of the memory requirements of conventional solvers. Since only minimal ‘house-keeping’ is required, the execution time is approximately halved.

The solver has been incorporated into a structural analysis package which over the past two years was used to analyse a large number of examples.
Buckling Tests on Braced Barrel Vaults
Authors: Subramanian N. , Mahadevappa P.
Published: January 2017

The buckling behaviour of braced barrel vaults is examined through experiments. These tests, to a limited extent, were also intended to be used to study the influence of parameters, such as edge trusses, on the behaviour of these vaults. A comparison of theoretical results with the experimental values shows that the behaviour of these structures could be determined to within 10% accuracy using the computer programs developed. It has also been found that the provision of edge truss improves the behaviour of these structures.
Shaping of Spherical Joints in Space Structures
Authors: Arciszewski Tomasz , Uduma Kalu
Published: January 2017

This paper discusses the conceptual design of spherical joints in space structures. Known spherical joints were analyzed and six innovative shaping concepts identified. The analysis revealed general tendencies in the shaping of spherical joints over a period of more than 15 years. Also, a surprising “human innovation limit”, supposedly related to the limits of “human working memory”, was observed. A formal typology of spherical joints is proposed and discussed in the context of innovative design. Three different approaches are considered: traditional, trial-and-error, and application of a computer-oriented innovative design method called Stochastic Form Optimization, and utilization of learning expert system shells for conceptual design.
Space Filling Ortho-Surfaces and Their Duals
Authors: Stuart Duncan R.
Published: January 2017

One may construct space occupying POLYHEDRA from various planar POLYGONS so long as some rather simple combinatorial rules are observed. The suspension or modification of these rules yields configurations with radically different properties some of which should prove to be of considerable interest to designers of spatially dependent systems. This paper undertakes to examine a limited but significant group of such configurations growing out of the planar polygon, SQUARE and its spatial equivalent, the CUBE
Space Frames: An Alternative to the Architectural Cube
Authors: Gabriel J. Francois
Published: January 2017

In architecture, the cube is ubiquitous. It is easier to produce architectural drawings of parallelepipedic buildings, but such buildings are not any better structurally, functionally or aesthetically than buildings based on the cross section of a honeycomb, for example. What is essential in the physical fabric of a building is that floors be horizontal and that floor plans be regular and orderly, lest the user become confused.

A space frame is a better structural matrix than a post-and-beam matrix. The problem for the architect is then, first, to make habitable spaces within a space frame, where all the columns are oblique. Secondly, since architecture is not merely the making of habitable spaces, the job of the architect is to make sure that his spaces fulfill the aesthetic as well as the practical needs of the users.
From Gravitation Toward Levitation
Authors: Emmerich David Georges
Published: January 2017

Architecture is the art of defining and realising forms. Its morphological language was developed progressively, laying the foundation for a specific space-vocabularly. After being an inhabitant of caverns, the homo faber started to recreate the same kind of cavities, using the same ponderous stone material. During this process, a small set of forms was discovered: cone, pyramid, cylinder, prism and sphere. The comprise, alone or in juxtaposition, dissected or interpenetrated, our architecture to date.

Today, the production of high strength materials, efficient especially in tension allows a further step toward more differentiated structural compositions, both in the matter of their components and their overall shapes. The basic morphology of these extremely light structural configurations contains a whole range of forms: antiprisms, polyhedra, torus, space-packings, all kind of hyper-spatial arrangements, creating a completely new architectural vocabulary.
Structures Without Rules And Their Implementation In Architecture
Authors: Friedman Yona
Published: January 2017

Architecture implies regularity for the designer and rule-lessness for the user. This state of things suggests the necessity of a new look into “erraticity”, “irregularity” and “randomness” as elements of the design process.

A short examination of these terms makes a revision of the concepts of “order” and “disorder” unavoidable. Such a revision might help in the emergence of new kinds of structures, new concepts of architectural space, and, ultimately, a new approach to architecture.
Principles Of Morphology And The Future Of Architecture
Authors: Pearce Peter Jon
Published: January 2017

The architecture of the future must adopt a new design strategy based upon the notion of high-performance. All other major enterprises developed in the 20th century are driven by the quest for ever higher performance at lower cost. The profession of architecture must adopt such a commitment in order to be responsive to the realities of the next century. A high-performance architecture will require a new vocabulary of form generation based upon an understanding of the principles of natural structure. These principles are revealed through the study of morphology, which provides the basis of the integration of form and structure. Architectural objectives are fulfilled with a new vocabulary of high-performance design informed by the study of morphology. First principles are made transparent and the arbitrariness of architectural form is minimized.
Design Of Space Structures Derived From Curved Hypersurfaces In Four-Space
Authors: Miyazaki Koji , Nakata Hiroaki , Shiozaki Manabu
Published: January 2017

Various spatial forms which can be applied to design of space structures are derived from projections into 3-space of curved hypersurfaces in 4 space.