bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Feedback Gain Design Method for the Full-Order Flux Observer in Sensorless Control of Induction Motor
Authors: Bouhenna Abderrahmane , Mansouri Abdellah , Chenafa Mohammed , Belaidi Abdelkader
Published: January 2016

This paper deals with a feedback gain design method for the full-order flux observer with adaptive speed loop, which enables the minimizing the unstable operation region of this observer to a line in the torque-speed plane. The stability in regenerating mode is studied using necessary condition of stability based on determinant of matrix and a linearized model. Simulations results where the proposed observer is compared with an exiting solution (where the unstable region is not totally removed) are presented to validate the proposed observer design.
A Neural Approach of Multimodel Representation of Complex Processes
Authors: Elfelly Nesrine , Dieulot Jeans-Yves , Borne Pierre
Published: January 2016

The multimodel approach was recently developed to deal with the issues of complex processes modeling and control. Despite its success in different fields, it still faced with some design problems, and in particular the determination of the models and of the adequate method of validities computation.
In this paper, we propose a neural approach to derive different models describing the process in different operating conditions. The implementation of this approach requires two main steps. The first step consists in exciting the system with a rich (e.g. pseudo random) signal and collecting measurements. These measurements are classified by using an adequate Kohonen self-organizing neural network. The second step is a parametric identification of the base-models by using the classification results for order and parameters estimation. The suggested approach is implemented and tested with two processes and compared to the classical modeling approach. The obtained results turn out to be satisfactory and show a good precision. These also allow to draw some interpretations about the adequate validities’ calculation method based on classification results.
Comparative analysis among molecular targets for detection of Helicobacter pylori
Authors: Silva Pedro Eduardo Almeida , Gautério Thaísa Bozzetti , Ramis Ivy Bastos , Vianna Júlia , Von Groll Andrea , Halicki Priscila Cristina Bartolomeu
Published: January 2016

KEYWORDS: Helicobacter pylori. Polymerase Chain Reaction. Molecular Diagnostic Techniques
Criollos, mestizos e indios: etnias y clases sociales en México colonial a fines del siglo XVIII
Authors: Garavaglia Juan Carlos , Grosso Juan Carlos
Published: January 2016

Análisis  de la composición  social  novohispana del siglo XVIII en el valle  central   de  México.  Desglosa  las características  primordiales de la clase  dominante  y del  pueblo   en  general  según   SU   procedencia  étnica,   Detecta   la conceptualización  social  de  la época   que  se desprende  del oficio  u ocupación de los individuos  y determina  los efectos  en la sociedad de las interrelaciones  raciales.
Colima a finales del siglo XVIII
Authors: Olveda Jaime
Published: January 2016

Esbozo   de  la  situación   social,   económica  y política de Colima  a fines  del siglo XVIII y de la  labor   del  alcalde   mayor   Perez  Ponce   de León.  Subraya  el estado  de rezago  y la oposición  a los embates   contra  su precaria   autonomía  económica  (basada   en  la producción   de sal y coco  principalmente)   de  las jurisdicciones  michoacanas   y  neo gallega.  Destaca   los problemas políticos internos que impidieron su incorporación plena a la economía novohispana, debidos a los intereses particulares de los poderosos de la región.
Vulnerabilidad económica y política de la elite criolla del Puerto Rico del siglo XIX
Authors: Flores Collazo María Margarita
Published: January 2016

Analiza  las reformas  institucionales  orienta­ das hacia la solidificación de los resortes  "poIítico­administrativos"  durante   el siglo XIX en Puerto  Rico. Estudia  las medidas   represivas  y responsivas para  mantener  la centralización de la metrópoli  y garantizar  el orden  socioe­conómico   y político-militar  que  legitimara  al pacto colonial.
La migración por asilo y la construcción de la Política Exterior y de Seguridad Común de la Unión Europea: evidencia desde el caso griego
Authors: Forero Castañeda Silvia Lucía
Published: January 2016

Este artículo examina cómo la evolución reciente de la migración por asilo ha afectado la construcción de la Política Exterior y de Seguridad Común de la Unión Europea (PESCUE), teniendo como punto de partida el caso de Grecia entre 2001 y 2012. Para este fin, se pone en contexto el transcurrir normativo de la PESC-UE frente a la recepción de solicitantes de asilo en Grecia, entendido a la luz de lo que Barry Buzan y Ole Waever llamarían como proceso de securitización. De este modo, se contextualiza el marco legal y político existente sobre el asilo en Grecia y en la Unión Europea, frente al proceso de construcción de la PESC-UE sobre tres puntos específicos: política de vecindad, de desarrollo y cooperación, y de protección de los derechos humanos. El resultado, luego de estudiar el caso griego frente a algunos de los principales países emisores de solicitantes de asilo hacia la UE, apunta a que la migración por asilo ha influido parcialmente en la configuración de la PESC-UE durante el periodo observado.
Relación entre movilidad internacional y prejuicio moderno de españoles hacia el colectivo inmigrante en España
Authors: Carmona Vescance Mariana
Published: January 2016

Pese a la aceleración de los flujos migratorios a nivel internacional en las últimas décadas, el prejuicio sigue estando presente en las sociedades contemporáneas. En el presente artículo se revisa la relación entre la movilidad internacional y el prejuicio moderno en España. La muestra corresponde a 255 españoles de nacimiento que se encontraban viviendo en España en el momento de la evaluación, con una edad entre los 18 y 63 años (M = 33,24; DT = 9,38) y una participación femenina del 58,4 %. La muestra fue recogida de manera no probabilística mediante el uso de tecnologías de la información. Para estudiar la relación entre movilidad y prejuicio moderno, se construyó un cuestionario de preguntas cerradas. Asimismo, se utilizó la escala de medición de prejuicio de Pettigrew y Meertens (1995) en la adaptación realizada por Frias-Navarro (2009) para la población española. Los análisis estadísticos se llevaron a cabo mediante pruebas de correlación y pruebas anova entre-sujetos unifactorial. Los resultados muestran que a mayores efectos de la movilidad, mayor (y mejor) contacto con inmigrantes, así como menores niveles de prejuicio. Las implicaciones del estudio señalan que dados los resultados de consistencia interna y fiabilidad de la escala construida de los efectos de la movilidad, se le considera un instrumento adecuado para estudiar la relación entre movilidad internacional y prejuicio moderno, de cara a futuras investigaciones.
The Nursing Experience of 215 Cases of Debridement and Suturing Operation of Emergency Trauma in Children
Authors: Shu Dehui
Published: January 2016

Objective: To summarize and discuss the nursing of debridement and suturing operation of emergency trauma in children. Methods: Retrospect on the preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative nursing of 125 cases on debridement and suturing operation of emergency trauma in children between January and December 2012. Results: Through a telephone follow-up lasting 3−4 weeks after the operation, there was no complications such as wound infection, wound dehiscence and delayed union among 125 cases of this group, and the wounds were primary healed. Conclusion: Psychological nursing throughout the preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative process, sufficient preoperative preparation, strict aseptic intraoperative operation and close observation, adept nursing cooperation and effective anesthesia can shorten the operation time, reduce the complications and improve the quality of nursing, which are the keys to a successful operation.
Nursing Experience during Perioperative Period of Cervical Spinal Cord Injury
Authors: Li Caili , Xu Hao
Published: January 2016

Objective: To discuss the nursing experience during the perioperative period of cervical spinal cord injury. Method: Retrospectively analyze the clinical data of cervical spinal cord injury cases treated by our department from January to December of 2012 and apply the preoperative nursing and postoperative nursing for them. Results: The overall incidence of severe complications is 73.3% during the perioperative period, including hyponatremia of 46.7%, respiratory failure of 6.7%, urinary system infection of 40%, pulmonary infection of 26.7%, and stress ulcer of 26.7%. There is 1 case died of the disease before operation but no postoperative death, and the death rate during perioperative period is 6.7%. Conclusion: The rehabilitation nursing for patients with cervical spinal cord injury during perioperative period can reduce the complication and improve life quality, so it is worth being popularized.
Nursing Experience of 850 Cases on Centralized Cataract Surgery in CDPF Eyesight Recovery Project
Authors: Miao Yueqing
Published: January 2016

Objective: To explore and summarize the nursing experience of concentrated cataract surgery in CDPF eyesight recovery project. Method: Retrospective analysis of the nursing experience in 850 cases of CDPF cataract patients admitted to the hospital for surgery from June 2008 to July 2014. Results: Through planned, organized education of related knowledge, all patients showed stable emotion and good attitude. They could greatly cooperate in the surgery and master postoperative self-care methods. With fewer complications, their visual acuity was improved to a certain degree. They all reached the standards of blindness exclusion. Conclusion: Organized arrangements, centralized health education, perfect preoperative examination, rational sequencing, careful check and meticulous care were the successful basis of centralized cataract surgery in CDPF eyesight recovery project, which guaranteed a smooth surgery without errors or accidents.
The Effect of Early Rehabilitation Nursing Intervention on the Recent Clinical Of Patients with Cerebral Infarction
Authors: Xu Wei
Published: January 2016

Objective: Evaluated the effect of early rehabilitation nursing intervention on the recent clinical of patients with cerebral infarction and its meaning. Methods: 56 hospitalized patients diagnosed with cerebral infarction were selected. All the patients were divided into two groups at random: the conventional group and interventional group. The conventional groups were given various specific nursing; the interventional groups were given the early rehabilitation nursing intervention on the base of conventional nursing. Comparison between the Barthel index and the Fugl-Meyer score of patients in the two groups when they went to hospital, 15 d after treatment in hospital and 30 d after discharge. Results: when they went to hospital, the differences of the Barthel index and the Fugl-Meyer score between the two groups were not statistically significant (p > 0.05); but the differences of the Barthel index and the Fugl-Meyer score between the two groups 15d after treatment and 30d after discharge were( highly ) statistically significant(p < 0.05, p < 0.01). Conclusion: the patients with cerebral infarction should receive the early rehabilitation nursing intervention as early as possible after the illness state became stable, in order to promote the functional recovery and enhance the quality of life.
Impact of Consumers’ Impulse Buying Behaviour on FMCG Retailing: A Study based on Indian Retail Sector
Authors: Roy Aparajita
Published: January 2016

Retailing in India has been one of the oldest occupations, which was initialized as family business, run by different members of the family for generations, engaged in mainly grocery, FMCG or apparel retailing. It was only after liberalization that organized retailing started spreading its wings and currently it is one of the most lucrative businesses contributing significantly to the country’s GDP. It was during the 2008 – 2011 recessionary phase that this industry underwent mild difficulties but since India was not majorly affected as the western world, the retail industry continued its growth trajectory. This study was conducted with the objective of understanding consumers’ responses to specific visual stimuli as presented by retailers from time to time within the store and also to find out the various factors that influence consumers’ monthly requirements of FMCG buying behavior from different organized and unorganized formats of retailing. Primary data was collected from 200 respondents across the city of Kolkata. Regression analysis, to establish relationship between variables and Factor Analysis, to identify various shopping factors were done by means of SPSS 20.
Effect of Advertising on Youth
Authors: Sarin Shruti , Sharma Aastha , Pant Dhruv
Published: January 2016

Television has the potential to generate both positive and negative effect on youth. Due to the powerful impact as mostly the advertisements is done with celebrities this is the main reason youth easily believe. Today’s youth are more sensitive and far more sophisticated than were 20 years ago. Youth is treated as the special audience. The effect of advertising on youth can be seen through their changes in their personality, food habits, and attitudes. In 21st century the youth is getting much more conscious regarding their style, fashion and looks. Advertisements play a vital role in persuading them and encouraging them to buy more fashion oriented products. Throughout history, the media has used stereotypes to convey a false perception to society of a certain group, race or religion. By displaying such negative and confining images in advertisements, adverts are limiting the self-concept of young impressionable adults. By growing up around such images, young adults are taught that the ideas are presented are the “set” way of life, and are swayed to believe that these false perceptions are reality. Teens are given impractible, unattainable goal to love up to which is presented to them. For e.g. Actors wearing Lacoste clothing in advertisements, teenagers act in different ways and try to copy the actor or actresses. This research tries to understand the perception of youth, their changing habits and their frame of mind in regard to the advertisements.
Znaczenie transferu wiedzy i edukacji dla rozwoju obszarów wiejskich
Authors: Klemens Brygida
Published: January 2016

W artykule podjęte zostały rozważania dotyczące możliwości transferu wiedzy i wykorzystania nowych form edukacji dla mieszkańców obszarów wiejskich. Głównym celem artykułu było wskazanie na znaczenie wiedzy i edukacji jako istotnych elementów rozwoju obszarów wiejskich. Tematyka wiedzy i edukacji niezmiennie się tu łączy, gdyż poprzez sprawne systemy edukacyjne gromadzimy wiedzę, którą następnie możemy przetwarzać, uzupełniać i kreować jej nowe zasoby. Konstrukcję artykułu wraz z wprowadzeniem tworzy pięć części. Początkowo podjęto się analizy pojęcia i znaczenia wiedzy i jej dyfuzji dla rozwoju mieszkańców obszarów wiejskich. Następnie zbadano, jak zjawisko wiedzy i edukacji zostało opisane w wybranych dokumentach unijnych, z uwzględnieniem obszarów wiejskich. W kolejnej części zbadano to samo zagadnienie, ale w perspektywie wybranych dokumentów poziomu krajowego (również ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem obszarów wiejskich). W czwartej części omówiono wybrane, możliwe do zastosowania na obszarach wiejskich nowe formy kształcenia i transferu wiedzy. W ostatniej części zaprezentowano możliwe do zastosowania w procesie kształcenia i transferu wiedzy nowoczesne technologie informacyjne i podano przykłady ich zastosowania. Artykuł przygotowany został w oparciu o analizę desk research danych wtórnych, głównie artykułów i publikacji krajowych oraz dokumentów urzędowych szczebla unijnego i krajowego nowego okresu programowania na lata 2014–2020. Analiza przeprowadzona została również wśród zasobów internetowych.
Wydatki na dobra i usługi związane z rozwojem intelektualnym członków gospodarstw domowych z perspektywy wiejskich budżetów domowych
Authors: Piekut Marlena
Published: January 2016

Inwestowanie w dobra i usługi związane z kształceniem mogą przynieść wymierne efekty społeczne. W artykule skupiono się na analizie cech determinujących wydatki na rozwój intelektualny członków rodziny w wiejskich gospodarstwach domowych oraz dokonano porównania poziomu wydatków na kształcenie w zależności od miejsca lokalizacji, tj. uwzględniono gospodarstwa domowe zlokalizowane w największych miastach oraz gospodarstwa domowe zlokalizowane na wsiach. Wydaje się, że mimo licznych przeobrażeń polskiej wsi nadal utrzymują się znaczne różnice w modelach konsumpcji, także w odniesieniu do wydatków na kształcenie, między gospodarstwami domowymi z miast i ze wsi.
Nierówności w poziomie rozwoju społeczno-gospodarczego gmin wiejskich województwa łódzkiego
Authors: Wójcik Marcin , Tomczyk Justyna
Published: January 2016

Zasadniczym celem artykułu jest wyjaśnienie nierówności w poziomie rozwoju społeczno-gospodarczego gmin wiejskich województwa łódzkiego oraz porównanie ich do wyników badań sprzed wejścia Polski do Unii Europejskiej. Rezultatem przeprowadzonego postępowania badawczego jest klasyfikacja gmin wiejskich regionu łódzkiego według poziomu rozwoju społeczno-gospodarczego. Źródłem danych statystycznych był Bank Danych Lokalnych, Głównego Urzędu Statystycznego. Ranking gmin opracowano dla 2008 i 2013 roku, czyli dla początku i końca okresu programowania rozwoju w Unii Europejskiej. Badania mają charakter dynamiczny, dzięki czemu możliwe było zaprezentowanie zmian w nierównościach rozwoju społeczno-gospodarczego. Wyniki badań pokazały, że nastąpiło zmniejszenie się ogólnych nierówności rozwojowych na terenach wiejskich województwa. Pomiędzy przyjętymi w badaniu latami (2008–2013) doszło do wzrostu poziomu rozwoju społeczno-gospodarczego. W największym zakresie wzrost poziomu rozwojowego zaobserwowano w gminach wiejskich położonych poza aglomeracją łódzką, bardzo często w terenach peryferyjnych, w obszarach o przewadze funkcji rolniczych. Ważnym elementem wzrostu społeczno-ekonomicznego były większe wydatki inwestycyjne, wzrost ogólnych wydatków gminy, i wynikające częściowo z tego uzupełnianie podstawowych niedoborów infrastrukturalnych (wzrost warunków życia). Za największy problem rozwojowy gmin wiejskich należy uznać pogarszającą się sytuację demograficzną. Z pewnością ważnym czynnikiem dalszych przemian społeczno-ekonomicznych będzie zmniejszający się udział dzieci i młodzieży oraz osób w wieku produkcyjnym mobilnym.
Decongesting Prisons in Nigeria: the EBSU Law Clinic model
Authors: Chukwu Amari Omaka
Published: January 2016

Due to the growing problems of overcrowding and prison congestion in Nigeria, the need to conduct this pro bono study became imperative. This study is a needs assessment, evaluation and fact finding of the challenges and access to judges problems of detainees of Abakaliki and Afikpo Federal Prisons in Ebonyi State Nigeria. Bearing in mind the UN Standard Minimum Rules and other instruments in international law, the project report generally captures the following information:-

State of the Structure of the prisons 

Infrastructure at the prisons 

Facilities at the prisons 

Welfare of the inmates at the prison 

Welfare of the prisons staff 

Access to Justice by the inmates and

Other ancillary issues such as children in prison, over age in prison, nature of offences etc. 

In carrying out this study, empirical method of data collection and analysis was used. The two prisons in the state were visited and 250 prisoners responded to both the questionnaire and direct interview. Some staff of the Nigerian Prison Service and warders were also interviewed. The findings of this study were significant and highly revealing. The study specifically highlights certain issues of concern and proffers recommendations to address identified challenges. The report would serve as a national and international reference material as well as a programmatic tool for working out specific programmes and interventions to address the myriad problems facing the Nigerian prison system specifically, and the criminal justice administration system in Nigeria generally. The findings in this project are significant, the recommendations rich, we enjoin the government and development partners to implement them.

 
Clinical Legal Education and Cultural Relativism – The Realities in the 21st Century
Authors: Bamgbose Oluyemisi , Olomola Omolade
Published: January 2016

‘Ubi jus ibi remedium’ is a Latin maxim that means ‘where there is a wrong, there is a remedy’. Human rights are expected to be universal and applicable to every human being. In reality not all rights guaranteed in the International Instruments are applicable in some African societies with different culture, religion and norms. Culture shapes the identity of people generally in Africa and elsewhere thus the issue of Cultural Relativism is germane to the very existence of people of African descent. 

International Convention and Instruments provide for Women’ Rights generally and particularly the Right to life.

The experience in the Women’s Law Clinic (the clinic) of the University of Ibaden has shown the imbalance between Clinical Legal Education (CLE) and the realities in practice. 

This paper considers the cultural practices in some societies in Nigeria, the techniques of CLE adopted in the clinic and the challenges of the 21st Century.
Legal Education And Challenges Of Contemporary Developments In Nigeria
Authors: Bukar Bagoni
Published: January 2016

The development of any society is anchored on the existence of enabling environment for imparting legal education. Technological breakthrough and globalization among other things has made the provision of sound legal education to would-be lawyers and continuing legal education for lawyers, judges and academics a sine qua non at national and international levels. Hitherto, legal education was and unfortunately is still to a large extent restricted to the domain of domestic law sufficient enough to give a student broad general knowledge and exposure to other disciplines in the process of acquiring legal education. Such system of legal education which exists to date hardly if at all expose the student or the lawyer to challenges and the developments in other jurisdictions or in the emerging fields of law. A lawyer or a judge is a mirror of the system of legal education that produced him. Sadly, the laws regulating legal education, apart from being obsolete are in some cases conflicting due to the roles assigned to different and disparate organs.
Optimisation of amylase and xylanase addition in dependance of white flour amylase activity
Authors: Loncar Davor , Filipovic Vladimir , Filipovic Jelena
Published: January 2016

In this study the effect of different quantities of added amylase to white
wheat flours characterized with different activities of naturally existing
amylases is tested. Response surface methodology is chosen to test the
effects of main applied technological parameters on bread quality responses.
Independent variables are chosen to be: quantity of added amylase and bulk
fermentation time, while analysed responses are: specific volume, grain
structure, bulk fermentation. Bread quality responses are statistically
significant, while predicted and observed responses correspond very well,
which allows good prediction of bread quality parameters based on applied
technological parameters and flour characteristics. Score analysis shows that
optimum quantity of amylase addition regarding bread quality depends on the
activity of naturally existing amylases. Optimal quantity of added xylanase
in bread samples made from both flour types is 0.004%. Xylanase improved
properties of white wheat bread and higher effect is experienced with flour
that has more active naturally existing amylases. Addition of amylase has
statistically significantly increased a* values of crust. Addition of xylanase has statistically significantly decreased values of b* in comparison to the respective bread sample with only added amylase.
Resilient overlay design in DWDM systems
Authors: Parodi Cecilia , Robledo Franco , Romero Pablo , Testuri Carlos
Published: January 2016

The goal of this work is to design a minimum cost resilient overlay network,
where a data network is on top of a transport network. Two major challenges
are addressed. On one hand, a single failure in the transport network causes
multiple simultaneous failures; on the other, the multicommodity flow must
respect integrality. An integer programming formulation is presented to
design an overlay, meeting the previous constraints. We prove the problem
belongs to the class NP-Hard. Then, a decomposition approach is introduced,
where the problem is solved in two steps by means of relaxations of the
original formulation. Experiments carried out with real-life instances,
coming from the Uruguayan telecommunication operator, show that the approach
is competitive with respect to previous metaheuristics, to know, Tabu-Search
(TS) and Variable Neighborhood Search (VNS). A modest percentage of
cost-reduction is achieved in some instances, which means millionaire savings
in practice.
A Re-Examination of the Cost of Capital Benefits from Higher-Quality Disclosures
Authors: Heflin Frank , Moon James R. , Wallace Dana
Published: January 2016

Prior research suggests a negative relation between disclosure and costs of capital, but Francis, Nanda, and Olsson (2008; hereafter FNO) find the relation weakens considerably or disappears after controlling for earnings quality. Their results suggest that prior research may incorrectly attribute the capital market benefits of earnings quality to disclosure quality. FNO utilize a self-constructed disclosure measure similar to Botosan (1997), while considerable cost of capital research relies on Association for Investment Management and Research (AIMR) disclosure ratings. We posit that AIMR ratings can capture elements of disclosure quality that affect capital costs even in the presence of earnings quality. We introduce earnings quality into the designs of three prominent studies documenting capital market benefits from higher AIMR-rated disclosures. We find that inferences from prior research suggesting that better disclosure quality is associated with lower costs of equity, bid-ask spreads, and costs of debt are robust to conditioning on earnings quality. Further, the economic significance of disclosure quality and earnings quality for costs of capital are roughly equivalent. Additional analyses using non-AIMR disclosure measures suggest that differences between the AIMR ratings and the FNO disclosure measure, rather than differences in sample period, likely explain the disparity in our and FNO's results. We conclude earnings quality does not generally subsume disclosure quality in explaining costs of capital.

Data Availability: Data are available from sources identified in the paper.
Do Analyst Forecasts Vary Too Much?
Authors: Lundholm Russell J. , Rogo Rafael
Published: January 2016

In this paper we examine the time-series and cross-sectional volatility in analyst forecasts. We derive a bound on the degree of variation in forecasts, analogous to the variance bound literature in finance, and document the frequency and circumstances surrounding violations of this bound. We find that the time-series of individual forecasts are excessively volatile approximately 17 percent of the time, affecting up to 50 percent of the aggregate market value of stocks. We also find that the market-wide frequency of excessively volatile forecasts in a year is positively correlated with aggregate stock market volatility and market sentiment, and is negatively correlated with future aggregate stock returns. We find that the cross-section of analyst forecasts are excessively volatile approximately 8 percent of the time, and observe that excessively volatile forecasts are more common for larger firms. As a precursor to identifying the underlying causes and consequences of excessively volatile forecasts, we describe the time period characteristics, analyst characteristics, and firm characteristics that are associated with these events.
Financial Reporting: An Enterprise Operations Perspective
Authors: Easton Peter
Published: January 2016

Studies related to the measurement of accounting numbers have tended to focus on accounting as it relates to: changes in equity values; equity valuation; estimation of the cost of equity capital; and prediction of equity earnings. I propose and justify a perspective for financial accounting research on measurement of accounting numbers that differs from the current generally applied perspective. I argue that important new insights will be gained if research efforts turn toward accounting measurement and valuation at the enterprise/operating/firm level.
Experienced Financial Managers' Views of the Relationships among Self-Serving Attribution Bias, Overconfidence, and the Issuance of Management Forecasts: A Replication
Authors: Libby Robert , Rennekamp Kristina M.
Published: January 2016

Using the same questions as Libby and Rennekamp (2015), we survey 110 experienced managers to examine their beliefs about the relationship between self-serving attribution bias, overconfidence, and management's issuance of earnings forecasts. As in Libby and Rennekamp (2015), we find that participants agree that, in general, managers are overconfident. They also agree that other managers likely overestimate the extent to which they contribute to positive firm performance, and that both optimism about the firm's future performance, as well as managers' confidence in their ability to predict future performance, increase the likelihood that earnings forecasts are provided. Finally, participants agree that providing earnings forecasts amplifies the costs of negative outcomes and the benefits of positive outcomes, consistent with the experimental assumption in Libby and Rennekamp (2012). These findings suggest that the experimental findings in Libby and Rennekamp (2012) match experienced managers' beliefs about how real-world earnings forecast decisions are made.
Effects of Interaction of Gemini Ester Quat Surfactants with Biological Membranes
Authors: Cyboran-Mikołajczyk Sylwia , Bonarska-Kujawa Dorota , Kleszczyńska Halina , Łuczyński Jacek
Published: January 2016

The aim of the study was to determine the relation between the biological activity of two homologous series of cationic gemini surfactants, which are quaternary ammonium salts, and their structure. The measure of the biological activity of the compounds was assumed to be the effects they exert on the membrane of erythrocytes, treated as a simple model of the biological membrane. In particular, it was determined the effects of the compounds on hemolysis and the osmotic resistance of erythrocytes and the fluidity of erythrocyte membrane, and the packing arrangement of the polar heads of membrane lipids. The results have shown that surfactants affect the osmotic resistance of erythrocytes to various degrees, and at sufficiently high concentrations operate destructively on their membrane, eventually causing hemolysis, modify the fluidity of erythrocyte membrane and affect the arrangement of polar heads of membrane lipids. Additionally, the results showed that that activity depends on a surfactant's chemical structure, in particular, on the length of its alkyl chain and structure of the polar head group that determines the spacing between the chains. In both used new series the compounds containing 10, 12 and 14 carbon atoms in a chain possess a high biological activity. In addition, the surfactants with larger spaces between the chains are more active than those with smaller spacing. The investigations have revealed a high activity of compounds with longer chains and bigger polar heads. The results of the study may find application when designing a molecular structure and synthesizing new compounds of specific, desired activity.
Complex Behavior of Series of Cationic Carbamate Surfactants with SDBS, SDS, SAS Anionic Surfactants
Authors: Sun Yazhou , Liu Chenyu , Qiao Weihong , Zhou Min
Published: January 2016

The spontaneous formation of vesicles in aqueous catanionic mixtures, composed of six double-chain cationic surfactants 2,3-bis (alkyl carbamoyloxy)-N, N-dimethyl-N-(2-hydroxy alkyl) propyl chloride (CnPAC, n = 12, 14) and the three conventional anionic surfactants sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SAS), was investigated. The aggregation behavior of a catanionic system is proved by visual observation, electrical conductivity, dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta (ζ) potential, and transmission electronic microscopy (TEM). By variation of the mixing ratios of cationic and anionic surfactants, we find that the formed vesicles are stable, and the complex system with hydrophobic C14 tail shows larger turbidity than that of hydrophobic C12 tail. The positive and negative electrostatic interactions are regarded as the main driving forces for vesicles formation.
The Role of Intermolecular Interactions in the Micellization Process of Alkyltrimethyl Ammonium Bromides in Water
Authors: Petek Anja , Krajnc Majda , Petek Aljana
Published: January 2016

The micellization process of model cationic surfactants, alkyltrimethylammonium bromides with different alkyl chain length: dodecyl-(C12TAB), tetradecyl-(C14TAB) and hexadecyl- (C16TAB) has been investigated by the conductivity measurements over the temperature range 298.2 K–313.2 K. Understanding micelle formation requires its complete thermodynamic parameters, which were estimated by applying the proposed alternative derivation of pseudo-phase model. The critical micelle concentration (CMC), standard free Gibbs energy (Δmic
G
0), enthalpy (Δmic
H
0) and entropy (Δmic
S
0) of micellization were analysed as a function of the increase in alkyl chain and temperature. At lower temperatures, the micellization in each case was found to be entropy-driven due to the increase in bulk water entropy. London or dispersion interactions are responsible for the cohesion between the apolar chains in the micelles and increase as the length of chains increases. Δmic
H
0 reflects the contribution of London interactions, electrostatic repulsion between head groups and removing the alkyl chains from water (dehydration of CH2 and CH3 groups). As the temperature is increased, less energy is required for dehydration and hence the enthalpy of micellization became more exothermic and its effect more significant. The enthalpy-entropy compensation phenomenon was observed for all studied surfactants.
Properties of Binary Surfactant Mixtures of Anionic Gemini Surfactant and Amphoteric Surfactant
Authors: Li Fangfang , Xu Hujun , Kang Peng
Published: January 2016

The surface tension of the mixed system of linear alkylated diphenylmethane sulfonate and amphoteric surfactant didodecylmethylcarboxyl betaine along with their different combinations has been investigated in 0.1 M salt solutions at 313 K. The surface chemical parameters of the mixture were also calculated. The results show that the critical micelle concentration (CMC) and γCMC of the mixture are always lower than those of the individual surfactants, which indicates synergistic effects between the surfactant molecules. The interfacial tension of the Chinese Shengli crude oil and the connate water can be reduced to 5 × 10−3 mN · m−1 at 70°C with the mixture of alkylated diphenylmethane sulfonate and didodecylmethylcarboxyl betaine.
A Mechanistic Approach to the Influence of Surfactants on the Oxidation of Ethyl Mercaptan and its Dimer Ethyl Mercaptan Disulfide by Hexacyanoferrate(III) Ions in Aqueous Medium
Authors: Khan Aftab Aslam Parwaz , Khan Anish , Asiri Abdullah M.
Published: January 2016

In this paper we report on the rate of oxidation of ethyl mercaptan and its dimer ethyl mercaptan disulfide by alkaline hexacyanoferrate(III) along with its mechanistic pathway, spectrophotometrically. The influence of different experimental parameters, such as change in concentration of EtSH, HCF, OH− and reaction temperature was studdie. It was observed that the order of reaction decreases in [EtSH] or [OH−] from first order to higher concentration, but it certainly did not tend towards zero order. The effect of surfactants on the rate of reaction was observed at the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the surfactant and reported to be below the CMC. The investigators, thus, concluded that the added products have an insignificant effect on the reaction rate. Further, the activation parameters were evaluated which lend support to the proposed mechanism. The thermodynamic quantities were also determined and the binding parameters have also been evaluated using the Menger and Portnoy model.
Optimal Process Condition for Room Temperature Hetero-Aromatic Nitrogen Base Promoted Chromic Acid Oxidation of p-Chlorobenzaldehyde to p-Chlorobenzoic Acid in Aqueous Micellar Medium at Atmospheric Pressure
Authors: Malik Susanta , Ghosh Aniruddha , Saha Bidyut
Published: January 2016

The present paper describes the kinetics of oxidation of p-chlorobenzaldehyde by chromic acid in aqueous and surfactant media in the presence of a promoter at 303 K. The rate constants were found to increase with introduction of hetero-aromatic nitrogen base promoters such as picolinic acid (PA), 2,2′-bipyridine (bipy) and 1,10-phenanthroline (phen). The product p-chlorobenzoic acid has been characterized by NMR. The mechanism of both unpromoted and promoted reaction paths has been proposed. In presence of the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), cationic surfactant N-cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) and non-ionic surfactant Triton X-100 (TX-100) the reaction can undergo simultaneously in both aqueous and micellar phase with an enhanced rate of oxidation. Both SDS and TX-100 produce a normal micellar effect whereas CPC produces a reverse micellar effect in the presence of p-chlorobenzaldehyde.
Scenarios Developed for Improved Sustainability of Illinois Tollway
Authors: Al-Qadi Imad L. , Yang Rebekah , Kang Seunggu , Ozer Hasan , Ferrebee Eric , Roesler Jeffery R. , Salinas Alejandro , Meijer Joep , Vavrik William R. , Gillen Steven L.
Published: January 2016

This paper quantifies the environmental improvements in current versus past pavement materials and construction practices employed by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (tollway authority). Improvements in sustainability performance were measured with a life-cycle assessment (LCA) approach. Three scenarios were generated to evaluate tollway authority practices on the basis of eight 2013 Interstate reconstruction and rehabilitation projects. The first scenario, 2013 projects, analyzed the actual pavement material and designs of the 2013 projects. The second scenario, materials baseline, was based on the 2013 projects but modified to include mix designs with less-sustainable materials used by the tollway authority circa 2000. The third scenario, design and materials baseline, considered both mix designs and pavement design practices used circa 2000. To improve the spatial and temporal relevance of the analyses, two regional databases of life-cycle inventories representing processes from 2013 and 2000 were developed and applied to the 2013 projects and 2000 baselines. A tool developed by the Illinois Center for Transportation (ICT) of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, the pavement ICT-LCA 0.95, was used to evaluate the sustainability performance indicator (SPI), global warming potential (GWP), and cumulative energy demand (CED) for each scenario. The resultant savings in SPI, GWP, and CED from the first scenario ranged between 17% and 28%, 12% and 16%, and 13% and 26%, respectively, compared with the second scenario, and 12% and 33%, 8% and 26%, and 11% and 32%, respectively, compared with the third scenario.
Probabilistic Life-Cycle Cost Analysis of Pavements
Authors: Swei Omar , Gregory Jeremy , Kirchain Randolph
Published: January 2016

Significant research has been conducted over the past decade to enhance probabilistic pavement life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) models, yet the drawing of broad conclusions from different studies is difficult because of the significant variation in scope and sources of uncertainty. Specifically, these two issues make it difficult to infer from existing research (a) which parameters are significant contributors to uncertainty for a specific context and (b) how context affects the analysis. The goal of this research was to address this problem by implementing an LCCA model in a range of scenarios that vary in location, traffic conditions, design life (e.g., year to first rehabilitation), analysis period, maintenance schedule, and discount rate. Results from the analysis indicated that, in relation to the drivers of variation, uncertainty about initial cost was the principal driver of variation across the case studies. Other parameters, such as the predicted performance of pavement over time, could also be important drivers of variation and in particular a matter for lower-volume roads, for which thinner pavement designs are used. In terms of contextual decisions, some decisions, such as whether to use mechanistic–empirical pavement designs instead of the paving design manual of a state department of transportation to determine future maintenance events, seem to have a larger impact than do others. For example, analysis period and design life, though important, affect the final results significantly less, although in some instances they can play a role in differentiating between alternative designs.
Performance Trends on Interstate Highway Sections of the Long-Term Pavement Performance Program
Authors: Kargah-Ostadi Nima , Daleiden Jerome
Published: January 2016

The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act required FHWA to identify pertinent performance measures and to establish minimum acceptable levels for infrastructure condition. Because of differences in data collection and analysis between state highway agencies (SHAs), a comparison of the performance data from states is not viable. The Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) sections are spread across various states but have been monitored following the same standards. With the use of LTPP data, analyses were conducted to gain insight into actual deterioration rates and the impact of maintenance and rehabilitation activities on the performance of Interstate highway pavements. An evaluation of the decline in longitudinal and transverse profiles showed that about 90% of pavement sections had experienced nominal changes from year to year. The reason for these changes could be that SHAs had been actively applying preservation strategies. The average annual rate of roughness progression increases when the surface ages. The highest annual rate of increase in the international roughness index (IRI) occurs when the surface is between 8 and 12 years old for flexible pavements and between 16 and 20 years old for rigid pavements. The percentages of significant annual changes (more than 20%) were approximately the same between increasing and decreasing IRI rates. These figures could mean that SHAs had been addressing roughness with proper treatments at the same rate as roughness had been progressing. In agreement with previous research findings, the current work found that milling before overlay increased the average IRI reduction but did not improve the effectiveness of overlays in reducing rutting.
National Survey Identifying Gaps in Consumer Knowledge of Advanced Vehicle Safety Systems
Authors: McDonald Ashley B. , McGehee Daniel V. , Chrysler Susan T. , Askelson Natoshia M. , Angell Linda S. , Seppelt Bobbie D.
Published: January 2016

Advanced in-vehicle safety technologies are becoming more and more prevalent in the North American vehicle fleet. Market penetration of various safety technologies, including back-up camera, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, and blind spot warning systems, is quickly entering standard trim levels. As part of this technological expansion, more driver information and education about these safety systems is necessary to realize safety improvements. The average driver may have limited or no experience using the safety technologies. This paper reports the results of the National Consumer Survey of Driving Safety Technologies, which served as the formative research for development of a national educational campaign to encourage drivers to use their vehicle safety technologies more effectively. The research effort asked a targeted representative sample of U.S. drivers to complete the online survey. The survey collected more than 2,000 responses from this national sample and obtained information on drivers' knowledge, experience, and perceptions of vehicle safety technologies, as well as their methods of seeking information about their vehicle. This paper is the first to discuss the general levels of knowledge about older and newer vehicle safety technologies in the general driving population.
Updating State and Local Highway Cost Allocation and Revenue Attribution: A Case Study for Indiana
Authors: Agbelie Bismark R. D. K. , Volovski Matthew , Zhang Zhibo , Bardaka Eleni , Labi Samuel , Sinha Kumares C.
Published: January 2016

This study investigated the responsibility for the cost of upkeep of the highway infrastructure and the contribution of revenue from highway users on that upkeep. The costs consisted of actual expenditures on the construction, preservation, maintenance, and operation of the infrastructure at both the state and the local levels. The revenues from the federal, state, and local levels were assessed and considered. The types of assets included were pavement, bridge, safety, and mobility assets. The highway users were represented by the 13 FHWA vehicle classes, and the study was based on data on the expenditures made and the revenues collected from 2009 to 2012. The study framework duly recognized the dichotomy between attributable and common costs: for allocation of the attributable costs to the vehicle classes, equivalent single-axle loads, AASHTO load equivalency factors, and passenger car equivalents were used, and for allocation of common costs, the number of vehicle miles traveled adjusted for vehicle width was used. Of the 13 vehicle classes, Vehicle Classes 1 to 4 (passenger vehicles) were found to be overpaying their cost responsibilities, whereas Vehicle Classes 5 to 13 (trucks) were found to be underpaying. In particular, Vehicle Class 2 (automobiles) was found to overpay its cost responsibility by 10%, whereas Vehicle Class 9 (five-axle trucks) was found to underpay by 19%. The product of this study facilitates assessment of the appropriateness of the types and rates of current taxes and fees and provides a data-based and objective platform for devising future funding mechanisms and establishing appropriate user rates to meet Indiana’s future financing needs.
Business process re-engineering of surgical instruments sterilization process: A case study
Authors: Ciarapica Filippo Emanuele , Bevilacqua Maurizio , Mazzuto Giovanni , Paciarotti Claudia
Published: January 2016

This work aims at developing a new procedure, based on RFID technology, in order to reduce clinical risk and to streamline surgical instruments sterilization processes. An automatic identification and data storage will allow the hospital to minimize problems connected with bacterial infection, loss of surgical instruments and waste of time due to instruments counting and tracking. This procedure was developed at an Italian hospital of medium size, with particular attention to the processes that are carried out in Sterile Surgical Unit (SSU), in operating theatre and in the business units. The sterilization process of surgical instruments has been analysed as it was always implemented up until the year 2013, identifying any related problems. The process has been then reengineered in order to assess the changes involved and pinpointing further opportunities for improvement. Processes were modelled using the AIØ WIN software, which supports the IDEF0 method. The activities, related to different management options, have been analysed and compared in terms of costs and savings.