bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An optimization algorithm for determining a point heat source position in a 2D domain using a hybrid metaheuristic
Authors: Kurt Mehmet , Günel Korhan 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
In this paper, we study an inverse problem of determining the unknown heat source position of a point-wise heat source in a two-dimensional steady-state heat conduction problem governed by a linear elliptic equation with the Dirichlet boundary conditions. The problem is solved by the hybridization of particle swarm optimization and the gravitational search algorithm with a newly defined mutation operator. Some empirical studies are also performed to gauge the accuracy of the proposed approach.
Global Leadership: How to Lead Multicultural Teams Effectively?
Authors: Dziatzko Nina , Struve Franziska , Stehr Christopher 
Published: January 2018

AbstractGlobal leadership is a buzz word in today’s business world. It is not clearly defined however who global leaders are: Do they work abroad or with people from different nationalities? Are they themselves living abroad or having a cross-cultural background? Are they leading virtual or non-virtual teams? Do global leaders exist or is not every leader a global leader in today’s world? The following article gives a definition of global leadership and compares it with other leadership profiles: local, expat and glocal leadership. Another challenge about global leadership are the expectations towards this group of people: their expertise, skills and personality. Global leaders seem to be the answer to many questions of our globalised world. This paper describes the challenges global leaders encounter and the competencies they are supposed to dispose of. Interviews with global leaders and their teams show the way they deal with those challenges in practice. Finally, the results of the interviews help the leader discovering new opportunities to develop himself towards an inspiring global leader.
Responsible Leadership and Organizational Commitment among Physicians: Can Inclusive Diversity Climate Enhance the Relationship?
Authors: Mousa Mohamed 
Published: January 2018

AbstractAs a result of the attention paid to the concept of ethics over the past decade, responsible leadership has come to be a focus of research interest for management scholars. The concept entails the degree of stakeholder engagement besides the sense of societal obligation organizations have to fulfill. The growing concept also assumes that focusing only on maximizing shareholder profit is no longer acceptable in the global business and economic sphere. That is why the concept has found a place in management literature as mentioned. Over the past four decades, organizational commitment has come to be considered a buzzword in both management and organization studies. The concept was developed in 1960 to assess employee emotional attachment to their workplace, and currently its scope has been extended to include all employee-employer relationships. The importance of the concept stems from its strong correlation with many wanted and unwanted workplace behaviors like absenteeism, turnover, performance levels, citizenship behaviors and justice as proved by many quantitative studies. This study focused on Kasr El Eini hospital (Egypt) and identified the effect of responsible leadership on physicians’ affective, continuance and normative commitment through mediating the role of an inclusive diversity climate by conducting a quantitative study. Upon collecting 140 questionnaire forms and using chi-square analysis followed by multiple regressions, it appears that responsible leadership has a positive association with an inclusive diversity climate, an inclusive diversity climate has a positive association with physicians’ organizational commitment and finally, responsible leadership affects physicians’ organizational commitment through mediating the role of an inclusive diversity climate.
Early childhood teachers’ perceptions of intercultural education in state schools of Thessaloniki and surrounding areas
Authors: Zotou Eleni 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
This paper is going to argue that while early childhood teachers seem to have positive perceptions about intercultural education, the in-question students seem to be compelled to adopt different cultural habits. Data were gathered through a questionnaire distributed in 9 areas of Thessaloniki, completed by 161 teachers. The results showed that most teachers feel that they have enough knowledge about the curriculum regarding intercultural education, perform activities regarding interculturalism and diversity; they believe that students from different cultures feel welcomed and equally treated and participate in all class activities. Teachers suggest that students from different cultures build good relationships with all their peers and there is positive communication between students from different cultures as well as between their parents and teachers. However, the suggestion of most of the sample that students are compelled to adopt Greek cultural habits constrains this positive picture. It is possible that teachers feel that they are achieving positive results regarding intercultural education. It may be possible to recommend that the approaches that teachers report as part of their current practice should continue or that teachers’ own recommendations should be explored further to determine what sort of approach to intercultural education is being adopted.
Environmental Vegetarianism: Conflicting Principles, Constructive Virtues
Authors: Mishori Daniel 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
This Article contemplates the environmental argument in favor of vegetarianism or
veganism, while reviewing its historical development and relevance to the
current environmental debate. Today there is an apparent synergy between
ecological ethics and animal rights discourse; nevertheless, this presents an
inherent paradox. Whereas the moral, environmental and health arguments
advocating for vegetarianism and veganism seem to reinforce one another,
conflicts may also arise between them. Under certain conditions, the
environmental stance may lead to different and perhaps even contradictory
attitudes about the raising of livestock and the permissibility of animal-based
food. Therefore, this Article first addresses the affinities and conflicts
between both versions of non-anthropocentric ethics: biocentrism (individual
animals’ rights and welfare) and ecocentrism (intrinsic value of nature
and ecosystems). It then examines the historical development and creeds of
environmental vegetarianism, and reviews the debates on the precise impact of
animal-based food products on the environment. It suggests that recent
estimations of the negative impacts underlying the argument for environmental
vegetarianism depend on currently unsustainable (and utterly unethical)
practices of factory farming and industrialized agriculture. These facts could
change if such destructive methods were halted and replaced by sustainable
practices which, perhaps, may sometimes tolerate or even require livestock and
the ecological services it provides in order to grow sustainable plant-based
food. However, many activists still hold both biocentric and ecocentric values,
and see them as different facets of their non-anthropocentric intuitions. In
order to account for such intuitions, the paper shortly explores two concepts:
the mixed society (of both humans and domesticated animals) and virtue ethics. A
mixed non-anthropocentric ecological society might not be strictly vegetarian
(e. g., semi-vegetarian or even carnistic) and still be environmentally
sustainable. In such a sustainable society, caring for nature and non-human
animals are considered righteous, even virtuous, and “biophilic”
intuitions could be respected and even reinforced, without being committed to
strict ethical biocentric principles. Virtue ethics could provide ways to
communicate different non-anthropocetric intuitions in such an ecological mixed
society, where moral values and intuitions regarding both individual animals and
holistic nature is respected, even if certain dilemmas and conflicts between
non-anthropocentric ethical positions still prevail.
The effect of urban and rural habitats on activity budgets of the endangered Northern Plains sacred langur, Semnopithecus entellus (Dufresne, 1797) in Jessore, Bangladesh
Authors: Khatun Mst. Tahmina , Jaman Mohammad Firoj , Rahman Md. Mokhlesur , Alam Md. Mahabub 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
The Northern Plains sacred langurs are characterized by their ability to adapt to a variety of habitats. We compared activity budgets of two langur groups, one living in the rural area and the other in the center of Keshabpur town. Data was collected from September, 2012 to August, 2013 through continuous focal animal sampling. Types of different food items and its availability in two habitats were mainly responsible for the variations in activity budgets. We found time spent feeding and resting were significantly higher in the urban group whereas, langurs of the rural group spent more time in moving. There were no significant differences in time spent on grooming and other social interactions. Seasonal variations in all major behaviors were significantly affected by groups. Langurs of both groups spent greater time on feeding and resting in the winter than other seasons while moving was at its peak in the summer. Females spent more time in grooming than males while males spent more time in vigilance and interaction than females. The langurs showed a considerable behavioral plasticity in response to variation of habitat and resources, and the knowledge of these differences is important for the conservation and management of this species.
Knowledge Creation and Regional Spillovers: Empirical Evidence from Germany
Authors: Akhvlediani Tinatin , Cieślik Andrzej 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
The paper examines the effects of intra- and inter-regional knowledge spillovers on innovative activities in German states using the augmented Griliches-Jaffe knowledge production function. The “Harris market potential” type index is calculated to proxy for inter-regional knowledge transfers of two types: industrial knowledge transfers generated from the business enterprise sector and academic spillovers generated from universities across all German states. The model also includes the concentration of high-tech enterprises, in order to capture the agglomeration effect in the local economy. The estimation results reveal that not only do local private and university research efforts have a positive and significant effect on local innovative activities, but there are also important interregional knowledge spillovers across the German regions.
Polymeric Forms of Al13and Silicon Compounds as Unconventional Binding Agents for some Toxic Metals in Soils
Authors: Badora Aleksandra 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
Own studies and literature data allowed for the evaluation of sorbents in view of the general verification criteria, which are necessary for any sorbent to be applied with no harm to the environment. Polymeric forms of Al13and Si compounds are examples of mineral sorbents that influence metals' toxicity in the environment.
A Comprehensive Assessment Model for Critical Infrastructure Protection
Authors: Häyhtiö Markus , Zaerens Klaus 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
International business demands seamless service and IT-infrastructure throughout the entire supply chain. However, dependencies between different parts of this vulnerable ecosystem form a fragile web. Assessment of the financial effects of any abnormalities in any part of the network is demanded in order to protect this network in a financially viable way. Contractual environment between the actors in a supply chain, different business domains and functions requires a management model, which enables a network wide protection for critical infrastructure. In this paper authors introduce such a model. It can be used to assess financial differences between centralized and decentralized protection of critical infrastructure. As an end result of this assessment business resilience to unknown threats can be improved across the entire supply chain.
Influential Factors Affecting Materials Management in Construction Projects
Authors: Jusoh Zairra Mat , Kasim Narimah 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
Construction projects are more often than not plagued by poor performances such as delays, cost overrun, low productivity, construction wastes and compromised quality. Amongst the critical contributory factors of poor project performances, is the ineffectiveness of materials management occurring in the construction sites. Indeed, materials management is a very important component for construction projects. However, there are only limited numbers of research available regarding this topic. Thus, this research focuses its study on materials management, specifically in identifying the influential factors that affect materials management in the construction project activities. Literatures from books, journal articles and conference papers related to poor project performances and materials management have been reviewed. Consequently, this study sorted the salient influential factors and categorized them based on their specific group. Out of 47 factors identified, they are classified into 8 groups. They are (1) site condition; (2) planning and handling on site; (3) management; (4) materials; (5) supplier and manufacturer default; (6) transportation; (7) contractual; and (8) governmental interferences. In conclusion, this study contends that by identifying the influential factors affecting materials management, it will help construction players to avoid the occurrence of those factors and will minimize the negative impacts on the overall performance of construction projects. Hence, the handling-over of project will be according to schedule and not delayed by materials mismanagement.
Thermally controlled femtosecond pulse shaping using metasurface based optical filters
Authors: Rahimi Eesa , Şendur Kürşat 
Published: January 2018

AbstractShaping of the temporal distribution of the ultrashort pulses, compensation of pulse deformations due to phase shift in transmission and amplification are of interest in various optical applications. To address these problems, in this study, we have demonstrated an ultra-thin reconfigurable localized surface plasmon (LSP) band-stop optical filter driven by insulator-metal phase transition of vanadium dioxide. A Joule heating mechanism is proposed to control the thermal phase transition of the material. The resulting permittivity variation of vanadium dioxide tailors spectral response of the transmitted pulse from the stack. Depending on how the pulse’s spectrum is located with respect to the resonance of the band-stop filter, the thin film stack can dynamically compress/expand the output pulse span up to 20% or shift its phase up to 360°. Multi-stacked filters have shown the ability to dynamically compensate input carrier frequency shifts and pulse span variations besides their higher span expansion rates.
Development of a biaxial stretching test machine and its applications
Authors: Egoshi Kentaro , Kanai Toshitaka , Tamura Kazuhiro 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
The evaluation method for a biaxially oriented film was developed using in-situ measurement during the stretching process. It can obtain basic data such as stress-strain curves, birefringence, light scattering, three dimensional refractive indexes and birefringence distribution. Stress and strain as functions of stretching speed and stretching temperature, as well as the deformation of spherulite of semi-crystalline polymer can be obtained by measuring the birefringence and light scattering during the biaxial stretching process with a small piece of polymer sample. The experimental results show the stress, retardation and three dimensional molecular orientations behavior during the simultaneous biaxial stretching and the sequential biaxial stretching process. Stretchability, thickness uniformity and spherulite size can be obtained simultaneously. In this paper, advantages and details of the newly developed system will be discussed with some experimental data.
Predictors of the Effectiveness of Management Accounting Function in Nigerian Firms
Authors: Oyewo Babajide 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
This study evaluated the influence of six contingent variables – firm size, age, sector, existence of management accounting department, affiliation to foreign entity and public-quotation status – on the effectiveness of management accounting function in Nigerian firms. Stratified random sampling technique was deployed to obtain the views of 131 Finance Officers with oversight role across major sectors of the Nigerian economy. Statistical tools used in analysis were descriptive statistics, factor-analysis, Kruskal Wallis Test and binary logistic regression. Whilst detecting that contextual variables such as size, age, sector, existence of management accounting department and public-quotation status significantly affect the effectiveness of the management accounting function, affiliation to foreign entity was found not to exert significant influence. The strongest predictor of the likelihood of operating a very effective management accounting function was the existence of management accounting department. Organisations are encouraged to have separate management accounting department because of additional benefits imbued by specialist management accounting skills.
Regional Economic Growth Disparities in Ukraine: Input-Output Analysis Approach
Authors: Hryhorkiv Vasyl , Verstiak Andrii , Verstiak Oksana , Hryhorkiv Mariia 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
Regional inequalities in economic growth had been observed within many countries and regions. This research emphasizes convergence/divergence technique for Ukrainian regions. As concepts of β- and σ-convergence obtained from cross-country growth models has been subjected to a number of criticisms and they do not embrace applied significance in studying regional inequalities in Ukraine, we have built improved technique of investigating disparities across Ukrainian regions. The method is based on the analysis of regional input-output tables and its aggregation. Adopted technique provides weighted aggregation (by prices) of regional input-output tables that allows analyzing the structure of total for each region across sectors (or kinds of economic activity). We showed that implementation of aggregated regional input-output tables in analysis of regional convergence and the usage of equilibrium (weighted) prices have many advantages. The main finding is that among regions of Ukraine there are reduction of disparities in structures of different kinds of economic activities.
Managing Operational Risk Related to Microfinance Lending Process using Fuzzy Inference System based on the FMEA Method: Moroccan Case Study
Authors: Alaoui Youssef Lamrani , Tkiouat Mohamed 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
Managing operational risk efficiently is a critical factor of microfinance institutions (MFIs) to get a financial and social return. The purpose of this paper is to identify, assess and prioritize the root causes of failure within the microfinance lending process (MLP) especially in Moroccan microfinance institutions. Considering the limitation of traditional failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) method in assessing and classifying risks, the methodology adopted in this study focuses on developing a fuzzy logic inference system (FLIS) based on (FMEA). This approach can take into account the subjectivity of risk indicators and the insufficiency of statistical data. The results show that the Moroccan MFIs need to focus more on customer relationship management and give more importance to their staff training, to clients screening as well as to their business analysis.
Evolving Importance of Securities Market to Ensure Economic Growth: Evidence from Armenia
Authors: Salnazaryan Ashot , Aramyan Haykaz 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
This research aims to reveal the importance of securities market in ensuring economic growth in Armenia. In order to make the research more substantial, we also examined the impact of other financial market segments, such as insurance market and credit market, on the economic growth. To estimate the relationship between financial market segments and economic growth, an empirical research was conducted using correlation and regression techniques. The research reveals that the most significant impact on the economic growth among Armenian financial market segments has the credit market of Armenia. There is no significant relationship between economic growth and insurance, as well as corporate securities market. It is pointed out in the research, that the evolving importance of the role of securities market in the economic growth is not yet demonstrated in Armenia, which, perhaps, results from the absence of interaction between securities market and economy in Armenia.
Modelling Environment Changes for Pricing Weather Derivatives
Authors: Kabaivanov Stanimir , Markovska Veneta 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
This paper focuses on modelling environment changes in a way that allows to price weather derivatives in a flexible and efficient way. Applications and importance of climate and weather contracts extends beyond financial markets and hedging as they can be used as complementary tools for risk assessment. In addition, option-based approach toward resource management can offer very special insights on rare-events and allow to reuse derivative pricing methods to improve natural resources management. To demonstrate this general concept, we use Monte Carlo and stochastic modelling of temperatures to evaluate weather options. Research results are accompanied by R and Python code.
The Effect of Matching on Firm Earnings Components
Authors: Cho Joong-Seok , Park Hyung Ju 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
Using a sample of all U.S. firms listed on the U.S. major stock exchanges for the period covering 1988 through 2014, we investigate the relation between firm earnings components and matching. Following the methodology of Hui et al. (2016), we decompose earnings into industry-wide and firm-specific earnings. Then, we partition them into cash flows and accruals, four earnings components. As our matching measure, we use the correlation between revenues and expenses over the five-year rolling period. We investigate how matching affects the persistence of each earnings component and our results indicate that matching enhances the persistence of earnings components. Furthermore, our study shows that the effect is more outstanding on firm-specific accruals, which are more prone to the management discretion, than cash flows.
Assessment of sorption properties and kinetic reaction of phosphorus reactive material to limit diffuse pollution
Authors: Bus Agnieszka 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
Assessment of sorption properties and kinetic reaction of phosphorus reactive material to limit diffuse pollution. Polonite® is an effective reactive material (manufactured from opoka rock) for removing phosphorus from aqueous solutions. In conducted experiments, Polonite® of grain size of 2–5 mm was used as a potential reactive material which can be used as a filter fulfillment to reduce phosphorus diffuse pollution from agriculture areas. Kinetic and equilibrium studies (performed as a batch experiment) were carried out as a function of time to evaluate the sorption properties of the material. The obtained results show that Polonite® effectively removes such contamination. All tested concentrations (0.998, 5.213, 10.965 mg P-PO4·L−1) are characterized by a better fit to pseudo-second kinetic order. The Langmuir isotherm the best reflects the mechanism of adsorption process in case of Polonite® and based on the isotherm, calculated maximum adsorption capacity equals 96.58 mg P-PO4·g−1.