Abstract: The Expert Witness Testimony in the Battered
Woman Syndrome Expert witness testimony (EWT) is a kind of
information given by an expert specialized in the field (here in BWS)
to the jury in order to help the court better understand the case. EWT
does not always work in favor of the battered women. Two main
decision-making models are discussed in the paper: the Mathematical
model and the Explanation model. In the first model, the jurors
calculate ″the importance and strength of each piece of evidence″
whereas in the second model they try to integrate the EWT with the
evidence and create a coherent story that would describe the crime.
The jury often misunderstands and misjudges battered women for
their action (or in this case inaction). They assume that these women
are masochists and accept being mistreated for if a man abuses a
woman constantly, she should and could divorce him or simply leave
at any time. The research in the domain found that indeed, expert
witness testimony has a powerful influence on juror’s decisions thus
its quality needs to be further explored. One of the important factors
that need further studies is a bias called the dispositionist worldview
(a belief that what happens to people is of their own doing). This
kind of attributional bias represents a tendency to think that a
person’s behavior is due to his or her disposition, even when the
behavior is clearly attributed to the situation. Hypothesis The
hypothesis of this paper is that if a juror has a dispositionist
worldview then he or she will blame the rape victim for triggering the
assault. The juror would therefore commit the fundamental
attribution error and believe that the victim’s disposition caused the
rape and not the situation she was in. Methods The subjects in the
study were 500 randomly sampled undergraduate students from
McGill, Concordia, Université de Montréal and UQAM.
Dispositional Worldview was scored on the Dispositionist
Worldview Questionnaire. After reading the Rape Scenarios, each
student was asked to play the role of a juror and answer a
questionnaire consisting of 7 questions about the responsibility,
causality and fault of the victim. Results The results confirm the
hypothesis which states that if a juror has a dispositionist worldview
then he or she will blame the rape victim for triggering the assault.
By doing so, the juror commits the fundamental attribution error
because he will believe that the victim’s disposition, and not the
constraints or opportunities of the situation, caused the rape scenario.
Abstract: This research is intended to develop a raw material allocation model in timber processing industry in Perum Perhutani Unit I, Central Java, Indonesia. The model can be used to determine the quantity of allocation of timber between chain in the supply chain to select supplier considering factors that are log price and the distance. In determining the quantity of allocation of timber between chains in the supply chain, the model considers the optimal inventory in each chain. Whilst the optimal inventory is determined based on demand forecast, the capacity and safety stock. Problem solving allocation is conducted by developing linear programming model that aims to minimize the total cost of the purchase, transportation cost and storage costs at each chain. The results of numerical examples show that the proposed model can generate savings of the purchase cost of 20.84% and select suppliers with mileage closer.
Abstract: Two seperate experiments by barley and alfalfa were
conducted to a 2×8 factorial completely randomised design, with four
replicates. Factors were inoculation (M) with Gomus mosseae or uninoculation
(M0) and seven levels of contaminants (Co, Cd, Pb and
combinations) plus an uncontaminated control treatment (C). Heavy
metals in plant tissues and soil were quantified by Inductively
Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES) (Variant-
Liberty 150AX Turbo). Phytoextraction coefficient of contaminants
calculated by concentration of heavy metals in the shoot (mgkg-1) /
concentration of heavy metals in soil (mgkg-1). In the barley, the
highest rate of phytoextraction coefficient of Pb, Cd and Co was in
M0Pb, M0PbCoCd and MCo, respectively (P
Abstract: Calcium is very important for communication among
the neurons. It is vital in a number of cell processes such as secretion,
cell movement, cell differentiation. To reduce the system of reactiondiffusion
equations of [Ca2+] into a single equation, two theories
have been proposed one is excess buffer approximation (EBA) other
is rapid buffer approximation (RBA). The RBA is more realistic than
the EBA as it considers both the mobile and stationary endogenous
buffers. It is valid near the mouth of the channel. In this work we have
studied the effects of different types of buffers on calcium diffusion
under RBA. The novel thing studied is the effect of sodium ions on
calcium diffusion. The model has been made realistic by considering
factors such as variable [Ca2+], [Na+] sources, sodium-calcium
exchange protein(NCX), Sarcolemmal Calcium ATPase pump. The
proposed mathematical leads to a system of partial differential equations
which has been solved numerically to study the relationships
between different parameters such as buffer concentration, buffer
disassociation rate, calcium permeability. We have used Forward
Time Centred Space (FTCS) approach to solve the system of partial
differential equations.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore the
relationship between knowledge sharing and innovation capability,
by examining the influence of individual, organizational and
technological factors on knowledge sharing. The research is based
on a survey of 103 employees from different organizations in the
United Arab Emirates. The study is based on a model and a
questionnaire that was previously tested by Lin [1]. Thus, the study
aims at examining the validity of that model in UAE context. The
results of the research show varying degrees of correlation between
the different variables, with ICT use having the strongest relationship
with the innovation capabilities of organizations. The study also
revealed little evidence of knowledge collecting and knowledge
sharing among UAE employees.
Abstract: Radio frequency identification (RFID) applications have grown rapidly in many industries, especially in indoor location identification. The advantage of using received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values as an indoor location measurement method is a cost-effective approach without installing extra hardware. Because the accuracy of many positioning schemes using RSSI values is limited by interference factors and the environment, thus it is challenging to use RFID location techniques based on integrating positioning algorithm design. This study proposes the location estimation approach and analyzes a scheme relying on RSSI values to minimize location errors. In addition, this paper examines different factors that affect location accuracy by integrating the backpropagation neural network (BPN) with the LANDMARC algorithm in a training phase and an online phase. First, the training phase computes coordinates obtained from the LANDMARC algorithm, which uses RSSI values and the real coordinates of reference tags as training data for constructing an appropriate BPN architecture and training length. Second, in the online phase, the LANDMARC algorithm calculates the coordinates of tracking tags, which are then used as BPN inputs to obtain location estimates. The results show that the proposed scheme can estimate locations more accurately compared to LANDMARC without extra devices.
Abstract: Attempts to add fibre and polyphenols (PPs) into
popular beverages present challenges related to the properties of
finished products such as smoothies. Consumer acceptability,
viscosity and phenolic composition of smoothies containing high
levels of fruit fibre (2.5-7.5 g per 300 mL serve) and PPs (250-750
mg per 300 mL serve) were examined. The changes in total
extractable PP, vitamin C content, and colour of selected smoothies
over a storage stability trial (4°C, 14 days) were compared. A set of
acidic aqueous model beverages were prepared to further examine
the effect of two different heat treatments on the stability and
extractability of PPs. Results show that overall consumer
acceptability of high fibre and PP smoothies was low, with average
hedonic scores ranging from 3.9 to 6.4 (on a 1-9 scale). Flavour,
texture and overall acceptability decreased as fibre and polyphenol
contents increased, with fibre content exerting a stronger effect.
Higher fibre content resulted in greater viscosity, with an elevated PP
content increasing viscosity only slightly. The presence of fibre also
aided the stability and extractability of PPs after heating. A reduction
of extractable PPs, vitamin C content and colour intensity of
smoothies was observed after a 14-day storage period at 4°C. Two
heat treatments (75°C for 45 min or 85°C for 1 min) that are
normally used for beverage production, did not cause significant
reduction of total extracted PPs. It is clear that high levels of added
fibre and PPs greatly influence the consumer appeal of smoothies,
suggesting the need to develop novel formulation and processing
methods if a satisfactory functional beverage is to be developed
incorporating these ingredients.
Abstract: It is suggested to evaluate environmental performance
of energy sector using Data Envelopment Analysis with nondiscretionary
factors (DEA-ND) with relative indicators as inputs and
outputs. The latter allows for comparison of the objects essentially
different in size. Inclusion of non-discretionary factors serves
separation of the indicators that are beyond the control of the objects.
A virtual perfect object comprised of maximal outputs and minimal
inputs was added to the group of actual ones. In this setting, explicit
solution of the DEA-ND problem was obtained. Energy sector of the
United States was analyzed using suggested approach for the period
of 1980 – 2006 with expected values of economic indicators for 2030
used for forming the perfect object. It was obtained that
environmental performance has been increasing steadily for the
period from 7.7% through 50.0% but still remains well below the
prospected level
Abstract: Identifying and classifying intersections according to
severity is very important for implementation of safety related
counter measures and effective models are needed to compare and
assess the severity. Highway safety organizations have considered
intersection safety among their priorities. In spite of significant
advances in highways safety, the large numbers of crashes with high
severities still occur in the highways. Investigation of influential
factors on crashes enables engineers to carry out calculations in order
to reduce crash severity. Previous studies lacked a model capable of
simultaneous illustration of the influence of human factors, road,
vehicle, weather conditions and traffic features including traffic
volume and flow speed on the crash severity. Thus, this paper is
aimed at developing the models to illustrate the simultaneous
influence of these variables on the crash severity in urban highways.
The models represented in this study have been developed using
binary Logit Models. SPSS software has been used to calibrate the
models. It must be mentioned that backward regression method in
SPSS was used to identify the significant variables in the model.
Consider to obtained results it can be concluded that the main
factor in increasing of crash severity in urban highways are driver
age, movement with reverse gear, technical defect of the vehicle,
vehicle collision with motorcycle and bicycle, bridge, frontal impact
collisions, frontal-lateral collisions and multi-vehicle crashes in
urban highways which always increase the crash severity in urban
highways.
Abstract: Educational games (EG) seem to have lots of potential due to digital games popularity and preferences of our younger generations of learners. However, most studies focus on game design and its effectiveness while little has been known about the factors that can affect users to accept or to reject EG for their learning. User acceptance research try to understand the determinants of information systems (IS) adoption among users by investigating both systems factors and users factors. Upon the lack of knowledge on acceptance factors for educational games, we seek to understand the issue. This study proposed a model of acceptance factors based on Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). We use original model (performance expectancy, effort expectancy and social influence) together with two new determinants (learning opportunities and enjoyment). We will also investigate the effect of gender and gaming experience that moderate the proposed factors.
Abstract: Soil erosion is the most serious problem faced at
global and local level. So planning of soil conservation measures has
become prominent agenda in the view of water basin managers. To
plan for the soil conservation measures, the information on soil
erosion is essential. Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), Revised
Universal Soil Loss Equation 1 (RUSLE1or RUSLE) and Modified
Universal Soil Loss Equation (MUSLE), RUSLE 1.06, RUSLE1.06c,
RUSLE2 are most widely used conventional erosion estimation
methods. The essential drawbacks of USLE, RUSLE1 equations are
that they are based on average annual values of its parameters and so
their applicability to small temporal scale is questionable. Also these
equations do not estimate runoff generated soil erosion. So
applicability of these equations to estimate runoff generated soil
erosion is questionable. Data used in formation of USLE, RUSLE1
equations was plot data so its applicability at greater spatial scale
needs some scale correction factors to be induced. On the other hand
MUSLE is unsuitable for predicting sediment yield of small and large
events. Although the new revised forms of USLE like RUSLE 1.06,
RUSLE1.06c and RUSLE2 were land use independent and they have
almost cleared all the drawbacks in earlier versions like USLE and
RUSLE1, they are based on the regional data of specific area and
their applicability to other areas having different climate, soil, land
use is questionable. These conventional equations are applicable for
sheet and rill erosion and unable to predict gully erosion and spatial
pattern of rills. So the research was focused on development of nonconventional
(other than conventional) methods of soil erosion
estimation. When these non-conventional methods are combined with
GIS and RS, gives spatial distribution of soil erosion. In the present
paper the review of literature on non- conventional methods of soil
erosion estimation supported by GIS and RS is presented.
Abstract: Mobile banking services present a unique growth
opportunity for mobile operators in emerging markets, and have
already made good progress in bringing financial services to the
previously unbanked populations of many developing countries. The
potential is amazing, but what about the risks? In the complex
process of establishing a mobile banking business model, many kinds
of risks and factors need to be monitored and well-managed. Risk
identification is the first stage of risk management. Correct risk
identification ensures risk management effectiveness. Keeping the
risks low makes it possible to use the full potential of mobile banking
and carry out the planned business strategy. The focus should be on
adoption of consumers which is the main risk factor of mobile
banking services.
Abstract: To estimate the risks of dam failure phenomenon, it is necessary to understand this phenomenon and the involved governing factors. Overtopping and piping are the two main reasons of earthdam failures. In the piping context, the piping is determined as a phenomenon which is occurred between two phases, the water liquid and the solid soil. In this investigation, the onset of piping and its development, as well as the movement of water in soil, are numerically approached. In this regard, a one-dimensional numerical model based on the mass-conserving finite-volume method is developed and applied in order to simulate the piping phenomenon in a continuous circular tunnel of given initial length and radius, located between upstream and downstream. The simulation result includes the time-variations of radius along the tunnel until the radius value reaches its critical and the piping phenomenon converts to overtopping.
Abstract:
Innovation is becoming more and more important in
modern society. There are a lot of researches on different kinds of
innovation but marketing innovation is one kind of innovation that
has not been studied frequently before. Marketing innovation is
defined as a new way in which companies can market themselves to
potential or existing customers.
The study shows some key elements for marketing innovation that
are worth paying attention to when implementing marketing
innovation projects. Examples of such key elements are: paying
attention to the neglected market, suitable market segmentatio
reliable market information, public relationship, increased customer
value, combination of market factors, explore different marketing
channels and the use of technology in combination with what? Beside
the key elements for marketing innovation, we also present some
risks that may occur, such as cost, market uncertainty, information
leakage, imitation and overdependence on experience.
By proposing a set of indicators to measure marketing innovation,
the article offers solutions for marketing innovation implementation
so that any organization can achieve optimal results.
Abstract: In this paper, a method based on Non-Dominated
Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA) has been presented for the Volt /
Var control in power distribution systems with dispersed generation
(DG). Genetic algorithm approach is used due to its broad
applicability, ease of use and high accuracy. The proposed method is
better suited for volt/var control problems. A multi-objective
optimization problem has been formulated for the volt/var control of
the distribution system. The non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm
based method proposed in this paper, alleviates the problem of tuning
the weighting factors required in solving the multi-objective volt/var
control optimization problems. Based on the simulation studies
carried out on the distribution system, the proposed scheme has been
found to be simple, accurate and easy to apply to solve the multiobjective
volt/var control optimization problem of the distribution
system with dispersed generation.
Abstract: In recent years, copulas have become very popular in
financial research and actuarial science as they are more flexible in
modelling the co-movements and relationships of risk factors as compared
to the conventional linear correlation coefficient by Pearson.
However, a precise estimation of the copula parameters is vital in
order to correctly capture the (possibly nonlinear) dependence structure
and joint tail events. In this study, we employ two optimization
heuristics, namely Differential Evolution and Threshold Accepting to
tackle the parameter estimation of multivariate t distribution models
in the EML approach. Since the evolutionary optimizer does not rely
on gradient search, the EML approach can be applied to estimation of
more complicated copula models such as high-dimensional copulas.
Our experimental study shows that the proposed method provides
more robust and more accurate estimates as compared to the IFM
approach.
Abstract: Because of the global warming and the rising sea level, residents living in southwestern coastland, Taiwan are faced with the submerged land and may move to higher elevation area. It is desirable to discuss the key consideration factor for selecting the migration location under five dimensions of ಯ security”, “health”, “convenience”, “comfort” and “socio-economic” based on the document reviews. This paper uses the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and the questionnaire survey. The analysis results show that the convenience is the most key factor for residents in Taiwan.
Abstract: In this paper, we present a technical and an economic
assessment of several sources of renewable energy in Saudi Arabia;
mainly solar, wind, hydro and biomass. We analyze the
environmental and climatic conditions in relation to these sources
and give an overview of some of the existing clean energy
technologies. Using standardized cost and efficiency data, we carry
out a cost benefit analysis to understand the economic factors
influencing the sustainability of energy production from renewable
sources in light of the energy cost and demand in the Saudi market.
Finally, we take a look at the Saudi petroleum industry and the
existing sources of conventional energy and assess the potential of
building a successful market for renewable energy under the
constraints imposed by the flow of subsidized cheap oil. We show
that while some renewable energy resources are well suited for
distributed or grid connected generation in the kingdom, their
viability is greatly undercut by the well developed and well
capitalized oil industry.
Abstract: Using 1km grid datasets representing monthly mean
precipitation, monthly mean temperature, and dry matter production
(DMP), we considered the regional plant production ability in
Southeast and South Asia, and also employed pixel-by-pixel
correlation analysis to assess the intensity of relation between climate
factors and plant production. While annual DMP in South Asia was
approximately less than 2,000kg, the one in most part of Southeast
Asia exceeded 2,500 - 3,000kg. It suggested that plant production in
Southeast Asia was superior to South Asia, however, Rain-Use
Efficiency (RUE) representing dry matter production per 1mm
precipitation showed that inland of Indochina Peninsula and India
were higher than islands in Southeast Asia. By the results of
correlation analysis between climate factors and DMP, while the area
in most parts of Indochina Peninsula indicated negative correlation
coefficients between DMP and precipitation or temperature, the area
in Malay Peninsula and islands showed negative correlation to
precipitation and positive one to temperature, and most part of India
dominating South Asia showed positive to precipitation and negative
to temperature. In addition, the areas where the correlation coefficients
exceeded |0.8| were regarded as “susceptible" to climate factors, and
the areas smaller than |0.2| were “insusceptible". By following the
discrimination, the map implying expected impacts by climate change
was provided.
Abstract: In this study the mixed mode fracture mechanics
parameters were investigated for high tensile steel butt welded joint
based on modified Arcan test and finite element analysis was used to
evaluate the effect of crack length on fracture criterion. The nondimensional
stress intensity factors, strain energy release rates and Jintegral
energy on crack tip were obtained for various in-plane
loading combinations on Arcan specimen starting from pure mode-I
to pure mode-II loading conditions. The specimen and apparatus were
modeled by finite element method and analyzed under various
loading angles (between 0 to 90 degrees with 15 degree interval) to
simulate the pure mode-I, II and mixed mode fracture. Since the
analytical results are independent from elasticity modules for
isotropic materials, therefore the results in elastic fields can be used
for Arcan specimens. The main objective of this study was to
evaluate the geometric calibration factors for modified Arcan test
specimen in order to obtain fracture toughness under mixed mode
loading conditions.