bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The ownership and use of small kitchen domestic appliances: case study, Liverpool
Authors: Efstathiou Aglaia , Grant Diane , Maxwell Sheila M. 
Published: May 2004

AbstractThe nutritional habits of UK consumers have become a cause for concern with an increasing number of people suffering from diseases related to nutrition. The way in which food is prepared may contribute to the nutritional content of the diet. Traditional methods of cooking and eating are being influenced by increased ownership of domestic appliances. This study aimed to carry out a cross sectional study of people living on Merseyside to determine the ownership and use of small kitchen domestic appliances in relation to the possible consequences the appliances may have on the nutrient intake of the individual. An opportunistic sample of 276 female adults aged 25–70 years was recruited from amongst university staff and community groups within Merseyside. Data were collected using a self‐completion questionnaire consisting of questions concerning personal details, the ownership and use of domestic appliances that may influence nutrient intake. The Liverpool John Moores University Ethics Committee granted ethical approval. Microwave ovens, electric toasters and grills were owned by 80% of the population. Coffee makers, handheld electric food mixers, sandwich makers, blenders and food processors although owned by over 45% were used by the majority only once a week or less. Newer items such as a bread maker were owned by 9% who were significantly more likely to have a professional occupation. Those with unskilled occupations were significantly more likely to own a deep fat fryer and least likely to own a food processor. Those aged 25–34 years were significantly least likely to own a handheld food mixer. Households comprised of couples with or without children were significantly more likely to own sandwich makers, bread makers, food processors and handheld food mixers. No difference in the use of the appliances was found with occupational group or age. A large percentage of people own a variety of domestic appliances, the use of which may have a beneficial effect on their nutrient intake, however, it is of concern that those in the lower socio‐economic group were more likely to own appliances that will have a negative effect on their diet.
Creating a satisfying internet shopping experience via atmospheric variables
Authors: McKinney Letecia N. 
Published: May 2004

AbstractThe purpose of this research was to identify the atmospheric variables that contributed to satisfaction for internet consumers with different orientations toward shopping. Atmospheric categories that were proposed for studying internet environments included external and internal variables, layout and design, point‐of‐purchase, and customer services. Some consumers had a convenience orientation toward shopping on the internet, while others were apprehensive, apathetic, and highly involved in internet shopping. A segment of internet consumers also exhibited positive orientations toward store shopping. Results showed that some atmospheric variables influenced satisfaction for all consumers, regardless of their shopping orientation; however, some variables were contributors of satisfaction for specific shopping segments.
Indian food in the UK: personal values and changing patterns of consumption
Authors: White Helen , Kokotsaki Katerini 
Published: May 2004

AbstractThis qualitative study examined the consumption of Indian foods among groups of English and Indian people living in the UK. Both convenience and freshly made Indian foods were included in the research. The aim was to explore attitudes (based on ethnicity) towards, and the consumption of, Indian foods. The means–end model and laddering methodology were used in interviews with 24 respondents, 12 from each group (English and Indians). The personal values ‘social life’, ‘health’, ‘adventure’, ‘enjoyment’ and ‘savings’ were found to be the most important for English respondents whereas ‘enjoyment’, ‘good life’, ‘health’, ‘religion’ and ‘culture’ were the most desirable value ends for Indians. The results provide an insight into English and Indian peoples’ perceptions of Indian food that can be used in promotion and marketing positioning of branded Indian foods, sauces and accompaniments.
The reluctant Hong Kong consumer: purchasing travel online
Authors: Kolsaker Ailsa , Lee‐Kelley Liz , Choy Pui Ching 
Published: May 2004

AbstractHong Kong consumers have embraced the web but appear reluctant to buy airline tickets online, suggesting that perceptions of risk outweigh perceived convenience. In this study we identify that both risk and convenience factors are associated strongly with willingness to purchase, particularly privacy, security and poor customer service, time savings, site usability and information provision. We identify further that the experienced shopper is only moderately satisfied and that satisfaction appears to be associated strongly with willingness to make further purchases. Overall, findings suggest that although consumers recognize a number of benefits, there is deep‐rooted resistance to buying this particular product online. The explanation may lie in a combination of the physical density of the Hong Kong market, love of the whole shopping experience and a desire to minimize risk. We conclude that to tempt consumers online airlines and agents must target the Hong Kong market with a clear value proposition which includes user‐friendly sites, streamlined payment procedures, on‐ and offline customer support, price‐related promotions and tailored offline services which reinforce online offerings.
A two‐stage stochastic integer programming model for a thermal power system expansion
Authors: Albornoz Víctor M. , Benario Pablo , Rojas Manuel E. 
Published: May 2004

AbstractIn this paper the obtaining of an optimum policy in the capacity expansion planning of a particular thermal‐electric power system is proposed. Therefore, a two‐stage stochastic integer programming is formulated. The model includes, through a finite group of scenarios, the existent uncertainty related to the future availability of the thermal plants currently under operation. The resultant model is solved numerically by the application of the L‐shaped method, whose implementation and development were executed using the software AMPL, with CPLEX as a solver. The results reached are shown, which validate the use of the methodology adopted in this work.
A Java™ universal vehicle router for routing unmanned aerial vehicles
Authors: Harder R.W. , Hill R.R. , Moore J.T. 
Published: May 2004

AbstractWe consider vehicle routing problems in the context of the Air Force operational problem of routing unmanned aerial vehicles from base locations to various reconnaissance sites. The unmanned aerial vehicle routing problem requires consideration of heterogeneous vehicles, vehicle endurance limits, time windows, and time walls for some of the sites requiring coverage, site priorities, and asymmetric travel distances. We propose a general architecture for operational research problems, specified for vehicle routing problems, that encourages object‐oriented programming and code reuse. We create an instance of this architecture for the unmanned aerial vehicle routing problem and describe the components of this architecture to include the general user interface created for the operational users of the system. We employ route building heuristics and tabu search in a symbiotic fashion to provide a user‐defined level‐of‐effort solver interface. Empirical tests of solution algorithms parameterized for solution speed reveal reasonable solution quality is attained.
Refinements on an enumeration scheme for solving a pattern sequencing problem
Authors: Yanasse H. H , Limeira M. S 
Published: May 2004

AbstractWe introduce some refinements on a branch‐ and bound‐scheme for solving the minimization of open stack problem (MOSP). After representing the MOSP as a graph traversing problem, we attempt to divide the graph into parts aiming to solve the resulting subgraphs independently in order to reduce the search in the branching scheme. Subgraphs with special topologies (such as trees) are solved exactly using polynomial time algorithms. The branching scheme is applied only to the parts that are ‘complex’. The refinements introduced produce substantial savings in computational time when the MOSP graph presents some special structures. Limited computational results are presented.
Fuzzy quality function deployment: determining the distributions of effort dedicated to technical change
Authors: Shipley M. F. , De Korvin A. , Yoon J‐M. 
Published: May 2004

AbstractA model is presented that develops the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) House of Quality tool into a fuzzy‐set based multi‐criteria decision‐making process to determine the distributions of effort directed toward technical changes. When customers are polled for desired product‐specific attributes, the responses are typically defined by linguistic variables that represent a fuzzy set distribution. Fuzzy sets also define customer perceptions of the product attributes and technical expert opinions about product design criteria relative to marketplace competitors. Therefore, for each technical criterion, the following factors have an effect on the decision to implement change(s): (1) fuzzy sets providing evidence of customer need for attributes; (2) motivation to change to satisfy desired customer attributes; (3) motivation for technical criterion change; and (4) the strength of the relationships between the attributes and the technical criterion. Priority rankings are linked to the distributions of effort to apply in fulfilling continuous product improvement.
Interior point methods meet simplex in L, fitting problems
Authors: Oliveira A. R. L. , Lyra C. 
Published: May 2004

AbstractInterior point methods specialized to the L∞ fitting problem are surveyed, improved, and compared with the traditional simplex approach. A primal affine‐scaling interior point method is presented, completing the affine‐scaling interior point family approach to the L∞ fitting problem. Computational complexity and data storage are reduced for interior point approaches when dealing with polynomial fitting problems. Numerical experiments indicate that interior point approaches rarely perform better than the simplex method for the tested problems. The primal affine‐scaling method presented in this paper achieved the best results among the interior point family.
A branch‐and‐bound algorithm for the three‐machine flowshop scheduling problem with bicriteria of makespan andtotal flowtime
Authors: Yeh Wei‐Chang , Allahverdi Ali 
Published: May 2004

AbstractThis paper addresses the three‐machine flowshop scheduling problem with a bicriteria of minimizing a weighted sum of makespan and total flowtime. Three lower bounds, an upper bound, and several dominance relations are developed. The upper bound is developed using a two‐phase hybrid heuristic method. A branch‐and‐bound algorithm, incorporating the developed bounds and dominance relations, is presented. An extensive computational analysis on randomly generated problems is conducted. The analysis indicates that the proposed bounds, dominance relations, and branch‐and‐bound algorithm are efficient.
A note on defective units in an inventory model with sub‐lot sampling inspection for variable lead‐time demand with the mixture of free distributions
Authors: Wu J‐W. , Lee W.‐C. , Tsai H.‐Y. 
Published: May 2004

AbstractIn a recent paper Wu and Ouyang (2000) assumed that an arriving order lot may contain some defective items and considered that the number of defective items in the sub‐lot sampled to be a random variable. They derived a modified mixture inventory model with backorders and lost sales, in which the order quantity, re‐order point, and the lead‐time were decision variables. In their studies they assumed that the lead‐time demand followed a normal distribution for the first model and relaxed the assumption about the form of the distribution function of the lead‐time demand for the second model. When the demand of the different customers is not identical with regard to the lead‐time, then one cannot use only a single distribution (such as Wu and Ouyang (2000)) to describe the demand of the lead‐time. Hence, we extend and correct the model of Wu and Ouyang (2000) by considering the lead‐time demand with the mixed normal distributions (see Everitt and Hand (1981), and Wu and Tsai (2001)) for the first model and the lead‐time demand with the mixed distributions for the second model. And we also apply the minimax mixed distributions free approach to the second model. Moreover, we also develop an algorithm procedure to obtain the optimal ordering strategy for each case.
Performance Evaluation Of U.K. Unit Trusts Within The Stochastic Discount Factor Framework
Authors: Fletcher Jonathan , Forbes David N. 
Published: May 2004

AbstractWe examine the performance of U.K. unit trusts between January 1982 and December 1996 within the stochastic discount factor approach across a wide class of models. No one model dominates the others in correctly pricing passive portfolios or detecting superior performance for hypothetical trading strategies. We find no evidence of significant superior performance by the unit trusts for any model of the stochastic discount factor. Also, the charges of the trust have a mixed effect on trust performance.
Do Demand Curves for Small Stocks Slope Down?
Authors: Biktimirov Ernest N. , Cowan Arnold R. , Jordan Bradford D. 
Published: May 2004

AbstractStocks added to the S&P 500 generally experience positive abnormal returns following the announcement. Several competing explanations exist for this reaction, but small sample sizes and other issues make it difficult to distinguish among them. We examine this subject using the small‐cap Russell 2000 index, which has several advantages over the S&P 500 in this context. Our primary finding is that stocks added to or deleted from the Russell 2000 experience significant changes in stock price and trading volume, but the effect is transitory. The results support the price pressure hypothesis.
Free Float And Market Liquidity: A Study Of Hong Kong Government Intervention
Authors: Chan Kalok , Chan Yue‐Cheong , Fong Wai‐Ming 
Published: May 2004

AbstractThe August 1998 Hong Kong government intervention in the stock market offers a natural experiment for studying the relation between a free float and market liquidity, where a free float is the portion of listed share capital that is freely traded on the market. Our findings show that, relative to a group of control stocks, there was an increase in the price effects of trades for the 33 Hang Seng Index component stocks that were bought by the government. On the other hand, there was no clear cross‐sectional relation between the change in the price effect and the magnitude of government holdings or the decrease in the free float.
Board Composition And Corporate Use Of Interest Rate Derivatives
Authors: Borokhovich Kenneth A. , Brunarski Kelly R. , Crutchley Claire E. , Simkins Betty J. 
Published: May 2004

AbstractWe provide new evidence on the motives for corporate hedging by examining the relation between the quality of the firms' monitoring mechanisms and the quantity of interest rate derivatives employed. Because the capital structure decision and hedging decision are considered to be endogenous, the firm's capital structure and level of interest rate derivative use are modeled simultaneously. We show a positive relation between the relative influence of outside directors and the quantity of derivatives used. This evidence indicates that outside directors take an active role in derivatives usage and that firms employ hedging in the shareholders' best interests.
Unit Ipos: The Who, When, And Why Of Warrant Amendment
Authors: Garner Jacqueline L. , Marshall Beverly B. 
Published: May 2004

AbstractAlthough unit initial public offering (IPO) firms reserve the right to amend the original terms of their warrants, only some choose to extend the exercise period, lower the exercise price, or both. We examine the extent of warrant amendment among unit IPOs and find that the decision to amend is related to the need for cash and is generally employed when share prices are closer to the original warrant exercise prices. Furthermore, extension is less likely when the firm is riskier, whereas higher levels of insider ownership significantly reduce the likelihood that a firm will lower the exercise price.
Does Information Asymmetry Explain The Diversification Discount?
Authors: Best Ronald W. , Hodges Charles W. , Lin Bing‐Xuan 
Published: May 2004

AbstractWe examine the diversification discount while controlling for differences in information asymmetry between diversified and nondiversified firms. We show that both diversified and nondiversified firms with higher levels of information asymmetry have discounted firm values relative to firms with lower levels of information asymmetry, although a diversification discount remains at all levels of information asymmetry. Fixed‐effect Fama‐MacBeth regressions confirm the existence of a statistically significant relation between information asymmetry proxies and excess value, but they also show that a significant diversification discount remains after controlling for differences in information asymmetry and other firm characteristics discussed in earlier studies (e.g., size, profitability, leverage, and capital constraint).
Convexity: A Comparison And Reconciliation Of Its Different Forms
Authors: D'Antonio Louis , Cook Thomas J. 
Published: May 2004

AbstractIn this article we compare and reconcile the measures of convexity presented by several authors. We also examine the effect annual and semi‐annual periods have on the relations among the various functional forms. We show that although Garbade's measure of convexity does not represent a measure of the curvature of the price‐to‐yield function, it is a critical part of other measures that do. We demonstrate the effect that different definitions can have on evaluating basic bond characteristics.
Anomalies: Is it the Economy?
Authors: Hahn TeWhan , O'Neill Michele , Reyes Mario G. 
Published: May 2004

AbstractThere is still no consensus on whether small firm or value stock anomalies exist. We examine the last half of the 20th century and apply a six‐factor macroeconomic model to test for the presence of these abnormal returns. Using four proxies for value, we find that detecting this anomaly is sensitive to choice of proxy, the magnitude of the abnormal returns varies over time, and the anomaly does not persist through time. Additional tests provide evidence that abnormal returns for small, value‐oriented, and growth‐oriented firms differ significantly under restrictive versus expansive monetary policy regimes.
Recovering Enhanced Resolution Images And Digital Elevation Models From Compressed Image Sequences
Authors: Scarmana Gabriel , Fryer John G. 
Published: May 2004

AbstractA device‐independent algorithm for the estimation of an enhanced resolution image from a low‐resolution compressed sequence is proposed. The algorithm utilises least squares matching to extract the interdependence of the low‐resolution images. This algorithm also has the effect of attenuating compression artefacts. Improving the spatial resolution of the image sequence is not the only goal of the enhancement algorithm, as the enhanced images in turn lead to digital elevation models (DEMs) of improved accuracy.Experimental results illustrate the algorithm's performance as a tool for digital photogrammetric applications. Stereoscopic sets of left and right images were taken of objects of known geometry and DEMs were created using both the original coarse images and compressed images enhanced by the algorithm.
Misleading information from direct interpretation of Geometrically Incorrect aerial photographs
Authors: Rocchini Duccio 
Published: May 2004

AbstractRemote sensing represents a powerful method to study the change of several phenomena over time. However, useful input data (for example, aerial photos) can produce misleading information if an inadequate geometric correction is applied. Among mathematical models used for this type of correction, orthorectification (differential correction) seems to be the only one that guarantees accurate results. However, many authors are still basing their results on incorrectly transformed images. This phenomenon is especially due to the incidence of several user‐friendly tools and interfaces for the rectification of images. This paper tests both polynomial rectification and orthorectification. Aerial photography of 1954 of the same area was acquired and polynomial rectification and orthorectification were applied, using a 1998 orthophoto as a base. An unsupervised classification was performed by utilising the nearest neighbour method for the resampling of images. The area occupied by each class was calculated. A multitemporal analysis was then performed, considering the overlap between the 1954 orthophoto and the 1998 orthophoto as the base of reference. An overestimate up to 21% of class area was found. When multitemporal analysis was carried out, an overestimate up to 100% of class area change was found.
Photogrammetric recording of the Roman earthworks ‘‘Cawthorn camps’’, north yorkshire
Authors: Stone Jane L. , Clowes Michael 
Published: May 2004

AbstractCawthorn Camps is a Roman site of probable late 1st and early 2nd century date comprising two forts, one with a later annexe, and a camp. The site survives as earthworks and, within the main defences, there are many slight embanked structures. The current multidisciplinary programme of research has included geophysical prospection, excavation, ground and aerial survey; it is a joint initiative by the North York Moors National Park Authority and English Heritage. The project aims to increase academic understanding, improve information available to the public and assist the production of a revised management plan for this nationally important site.Large‐scale air photographs and digital photogrammetry have been used to produce a plan, at scale 1:500, of the earthworks to a precision of ±10 cm. This plan has been used as a base map with which to rectify other key photographs and plans allowing further detailed interpretation and mapping to be undertaken. The air photographic work has also investigated some of the products available through digital photogrammetric technology, such as digital elevation models (DEMs), orthophotographs and perspective views.
The Application Of Short‐Range 3d Laser Scanning For Archaeological Replica Production: The Egyptian Tomb Of Seti I
Authors: Ahmon Jess 
Published: May 2004

AbstractHigh‐resolution 3D laser scanning in combination with industrial fabrication techniques can be used to make accurate replicas for the heritage sector. Copies may have a reputation for being inferior to the original, but by using digital technology very convincing results can be achieved to a resolution of a fraction of a millimetre. Replicas of caves at Lascaux and Altamira have already been used to help protect the original sites from the risks posed by heavy visitor numbers. Now the same principle is to be applied to the tomb of Seti I in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt. A pilot project was undertaken to produce a full‐sized replica of a 16 m2 section of the burial chamber of the tomb. The aim was to use laser scanning and digital photography to record the tomb at the highest possible resolution, then to output the data as a 3D relief using industrial routing techniques. Finally, the relief was printed in full colour. This paper describes the production of the replica including a description of the Seti Scanner, the laser scanning system specifically designed for this project.