Abstract: In the last few years, several steps were taken in order
to improve the quality of corporate governance for Romanian listed
companies. Higher standards of corporate governance is documented
in the literature to lead to a better information environment, and,
consequently, to increase analysts forecast accuracy. Accordingly, the
purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which corporate
governance policies affect analysts forecasts for companies listed on
Bucharest Stock Exchange. The results showed that there is indeed a
negative correlation between a corporate governance index – used as
a proxy for the quality of corporate governance practices - and
analysts forecast errors.
Abstract: It is the living conditions in the cities that determine the future of our livelihood. “To change life, we must first change space"- Henri Lefebvre. Sustainable development is a utopian aspiration for South African cities (especially the case study of the Gauteng City Region), which are currently characterized by unplanned growth and increasing urban sprawl. While the reasons for poor environmental quality and living conditions are undoubtedly diverse and complex, having political, economical and social dimensions, it is argued that the prevailing approach to layout planning in South Africa is part of the problem. This article seeks a solution to the problem of sustainability, from a spatial planning perspective. The spatial planning tool, the urban development boundary, is introduced as the concept that will ensure empty talk being translated into a sustainable vision. The urban development boundary is a spatial planning tool that can be used and implemented to direct urban growth towards a more sustainable form. The urban development boundary aims to ensure planned urban areas, in contrast to the current unplanned areas characterized by urban sprawl and insufficient infrastructure. However, the success of the urban development boundary concept is subject to effective implementation measures, as well as adequate and efficient management. The concept of sustainable development can function as a driving force underlying societal change and transformation, but the interface between spatial planning and environmental management needs to be established (as this is the core aspects underlying sustainable development), and authorities needs to understand and implement this interface consecutively. This interface can, however, realize in terms of the objectives of the planning tool – the urban development boundary. The case study, the Gauteng City Region, is depicted as a site of economic growth and innovation, but there is a lack of good urban and regional governance, impacting on the design (layout) and function of urban areas and land use, as current authorities make uninformed decisions in terms of development applications, leading to unsustainable urban forms and unsustainable nodes. Place and space concepts are thus critical matters applicable to planning of the Gauteng City Region. The urban development boundary are thus explored as a planning tool to guide decision-making, and create a sustainable urban form, leading to better environmental and living conditions, and continuous sustainability.
Abstract: This paper attempts to explore a new method to
improve the teaching of algorithmic for beginners. It is well known
that algorithmic is a difficult field to teach for teacher and complex to
assimilate for learner. These difficulties are due to intrinsic
characteristics of this field and to the manner that teachers (the
majority) apprehend its bases. However, in a Technology Enhanced
Learning environment (TEL), assessment, which is important and
indispensable, is the most delicate phase to implement, for all
problems that generate (noise...). Our objective registers in the
confluence of these two axes. For this purpose, EASEL focused
essentially to elaborate an assessment approach of algorithmic
competences in a TEL environment. This approach consists in
modeling an algorithmic solution according to basic and elementary
operations which let learner draw his/her own step with all autonomy
and independently to any programming language. This approach
assures a trilateral assessment: summative, formative and diagnostic
assessment.
Abstract: Today, canines are still used effectively in acceleration detection situation. However, this method is becoming impractical in modern age and a new automated replacement to the canine is required. This paper reports the design of an innovative accelerant detector. Designing an accelerant detector is a long process as is any design process; therefore, a solution to the need for a mobile, effective accelerant detector is hereby presented. The device is simple and efficient to ensure that any accelerant detection can be conducted quickly and easily. The design utilizes Ultra Violet (UV) light to detect the accelerant. When the UV light shines on an accelerant, the hydrocarbons in the accelerant emit florescence. The advantages of using the UV light to detect accelerant are also outlined in this paper. The mobility of the device is achieved by using a Direct Current (DC) motor to run tank tracks. Tank tracks were chosen as to ensure that the device will be mobile in the rough terrain of a fire site. The materials selected for the various parts are also presented. A Solid Works Simulation was also conducted on the stresses in the shafts and the results are presented. This design is an innovative solution which offers a user friendly interface. The design is also environmentally friendly, ecologically sound and safe to use.
Abstract: This paper deals with the status of solid waste pollution in touristic spots of North coastal Andhra Pradesh. Case studies of Eco tourism, cultural tourism and pilgrim tourism are elaborately discussed and the study is based on both primary and secondary data. Data collection includes field collection of solid waste, semi structured interviews and observation of tourists. Results indicate generation of 72% Non biodegradable material in Eco touristic places like RK beach Visakhapatnam, Araku Valley. Pydithalli Jathra is a famous cultural touristic attraction and more than one lakh people converge here. The solid waste at this spot includes 20% coconut shells, 50% plastic bottles and covers, 20% Banana peelings and remaining are food materials. Radhasapthami is the most important festival celebrated at famous sun temple Arasavalli of Srikakulam. Here solid waste includes 50% water bottles, plastic covers, 10% papers, 10% hair, 30% left out food material and Banana peelings.
Abstract: A study of the H-beam's nanosize structure phase
states after thermomechanical strengthening was carried out by TEM.
The following processes were analyzed. 1. The dispersing of the
cementite plates by cutting them by moving dislocations. 2. The
dissolution of cementite plates and repeated precipitation of the
cementite particles on the dislocations, the boundaries, subgrains and
grains. 3. The decay of solid solution of carbon in the α-iron after
"self-tempering" of martensite. 4. The final transformation of the
retained austenite in beinite with α-iron particles and cementite
formation. 5. The implementation of the diffusion mechanism of γ ⇒
α transformation.
Abstract: The development and use of mobile devices as well as its integration within education systems to deliver electronic contents and to support real-time communications was the focus of this research. In order to investigate the software engineering issues in using mobile devices a research on electronic content was initiated. The Developed MP3 mobile software solution was developed as a prototype for testing and developing a strategy for designing a usable m-learning environment. The mobile software solution was evaluated using mobile device using the link: http://projects.seeu.edu.mk/mlearn. The investigation also tested the correlation between the two mobile learning indicators: electronic content and attention, based on the Task Based learning instructional method. The mobile software solution ''M-Learn“ was developed as a prototype for testing the approach and developing a strategy for designing usable m-learning environment. The proposed methodology is about what learning modeling approach is more appropriate to use when developing mobile learning software.
Abstract: In the article the experience of principle new
technology development of ethnopsychological experiment on the
basis of using other virtual independent experimental variables is
presented. It is shown that ethnic prejudices are the result of forming
and development of specific semantic barriers, arising up in the
conditions of interethnic co-operation and people-s communication.
Their overcoming is more successful in the conditions of the special
organized process of teaching in a polyethnic environment,
characteristic for the modern institute
Abstract: According to the European laws, there is the
possibility of reusing the washing wastes for the environmental
requalification of quarry lakes. The paper deals with the
hydrogeological aspects involved in this possibility, as the
introduction of finest wastes in the quarry lakes can generate
alterations of the hydrogeological setting of the area, and problems
for the future accessibility of the zone. To evaluate the
hydrogeological compatibility of the washing wastes reuse in quarry
lakes a groundwater numerical model was carried out, pointing out
both the hydrogeological feasibility of this intervention and some
guide lines for its optimization, in terms of inflow point with regard
the groundwater flow direction and loss of volume in the quarry lake.
Abstract: Since atmosphere pressure field is an actual envoy of
climatic signal the atmospheric Highs and Lows should be attributed
to the key active focal points within the ocean-atmosphere interplay
system. Here we were set a task to determine how the dynamics of
those centres of action relates to the climate change both on regional
and global scales. For this target the near-surface temperature and
atmospheric pressure differences between the Icelandic Low and the
Azores High were considered. The secular term of phase states of the
system under consideration was found divided into three
nonintersecting subsets. Each of that was put in consequence with
one of three climatic scenarios related to the periods of 1905-1935
(relatively warm phase), 1940-1970 (cold phase) and 1980-2000
(warm phase).
Abstract: Two Amphiphilic catalysts, iron (III) dodecylbenzene
sulfonate and nickel (II) dodecylbenzene sulfonate, were synthesized
and used in the catalytic aquathermolysis of heavy crude oil to reduce
its viscosity. The prepared catalysts exhibited good performance in
the aquathermolysis and the viscosity is reduced by ~ 78.9 % for
Egyptian heavy crude oil. The chemical and physical properties of
heavy oil both before and after reaction were investigated by FT-IR,
dynamic viscosity, molecular weight and SARA analysis. The results
indicated that the content of resin, asphaltene, average molecular
weight and sulfur content of heavy oil is reduced after the catalytic
aquathermolysis.
Abstract: Conceptualization strengthens intelligent systems in generalization skill, effective knowledge representation, real-time inference, and managing uncertain and indefinite situations in addition to facilitating knowledge communication for learning agents situated in real world. Concept learning introduces a way of abstraction by which the continuous state is formed as entities called concepts which are connected to the action space and thus, they illustrate somehow the complex action space. Of computational concept learning approaches, action-based conceptualization is favored because of its simplicity and mirror neuron foundations in neuroscience. In this paper, a new biologically inspired concept learning approach based on the probabilistic framework is proposed. This approach exploits and extends the mirror neuron-s role in conceptualization for a reinforcement learning agent in nondeterministic environments. In the proposed method, instead of building a huge numerical knowledge, the concepts are learnt gradually from rewards through interaction with the environment. Moreover the probabilistic formation of the concepts is employed to deal with uncertain and dynamic nature of real problems in addition to the ability of generalization. These characteristics as a whole distinguish the proposed learning algorithm from both a pure classification algorithm and typical reinforcement learning. Simulation results show advantages of the proposed framework in terms of convergence speed as well as generalization and asymptotic behavior because of utilizing both success and failures attempts through received rewards. Experimental results, on the other hand, show the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed method in continuous and noisy environments for a real robotic task such as maze as well as the benefits of implementing an incremental learning scenario in artificial agents.
Abstract: The significance of emissions from the road transport
sector (such as air pollution, noise, etc) has grown considerably in
recent years. In Australia, 14.3% of national greenhouse gas
emissions in 2000 were the transport sector-s share which 12.9% of
net national emissions were related to a road transport alone.
Considering the growing attention to the green house gas(GHG)
emissions, this paper attempts to provide air pollution modeling
aspects of environmental consequences of the road transport by using
one of the best computer based tools including the Geographic
Information System (GIS). In other word, in this study, GIS and its
applications is explained, models which are used to model air
pollution and GHG emissions from vehicles are described and GIS is
applied in real case study that attempts to forecast GHG emission
from people who travel to work by car in 2031 in Melbourne for
analysing results as thematic maps.
Abstract: In this paper, the innovative intelligent fuzzy weighted
input estimation method (FWIEM) can be applied to the inverse heat
transfer conduction problem (IHCP) to estimate the unknown
time-varying heat flux efficiently as presented. The feasibility of this
method can be verified by adopting the temperature measurement
experiment. We would like to focus attention on the heat flux
estimation to three kinds of samples (Copper, Iron and Steel/AISI 304)
with the same 3mm thickness. The temperature measurements are then
regarded as the inputs into the FWIEM to estimate the heat flux. The
experiment results show that the proposed algorithm can estimate the
unknown time-varying heat flux on-line.
Abstract: Organizational communication is an administrative
function crucial especially for executives in the implementation of
organizational and administrative functions. Executives spend a
significant part of their time on communicative activities. Doing his or her daily routine, arranging meeting schedules, speaking on the telephone, reading or replying to business correspondence, or
fulfilling the control functions within the organization, an executive typically engages in communication processes.
Efficient communication is the principal device for the adequate implementation of administrative and organizational activities. For
this purpose, management needs to specify the kind of
communication system to be set up and the kind of communication
devices to be used. Communication is vital for any organization.
In conventional offices, communication takes place within the hierarchical pyramid called the organizational structure, and is known as formal or informal communication. Formal communication
is the type that works in specified structures within the organizational rules and towards the organizational goals. Informal communication, on the other hand, is the unofficial type taking place among staff as
face-to-face or telephone interaction.
Communication in virtual as well as conventional offices is
essential for obtaining the right information in administrative
activities and decision-making. Virtual communication technologies
increase the efficiency of communication especially in virtual teams.
Group communication is strengthened through an inter-group central
channel. Further, ease of information transmission makes it possible
to reach the information at the source, allowing efficient and correct decisions. Virtual offices can present as a whole the elements of information which conventional offices produce in different
environments.
At present, virtual work has become a reality with its pros and
cons, and will probably spread very rapidly in coming years, in line
with the growth in information technologies.
Abstract: This paper represents the results of long term strength of mortar incorporating Rice Husk Ash (RHA). For these work mortar samples were made according to ASTM standard C 109/C. OPC cement was partially replaced by RHA at 0, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 percent replacement level. After casting all samples were kept in controlled environment and curing was done up to 90 days. Test of mortar was performed on 3, 7, 28, 90, 365 and 700 days. It is noticed that OPC mortar shows better strength at early age than mortar having RHA but at 90 days and onward the picture is different. At 700 days it is observed that mortar containing 20% RHA shows better result than any other samples.
Abstract: In this paper we propose a method for modeling the
correlation between the received signals by two or more antennas
operating in a multipath environment. Considering the maximum
excess delay in the channel being modeled, an elliptical region
surrounding both transmitter and receiver antennas is produced. A
number of scatterers are randomly distributed in this region and
scatter the incoming waves. The amplitude and phase of incoming
waves are computed and used to obtain statistical properties of the
received signals. This model has the distinguishable advantage of
being applicable for any configuration of antennas. Furthermore the
common PDF (Probability Distribution Function) of received wave
amplitudes for any pair of antennas can be calculated and used to
produce statistical parameters of received signals.
Abstract: Genetically modified (GM) technology in food
production continued to generate controversies. Consumers were
concerned with the GM foods about the healthy and environmental
risks. While consumers- acceptance was a critical factor affecting how
widely this technology be used. According to the research review,
consumers- lack of information was one of the reasons to explain
consumers- low acceptance toward GM foods. The objective for this
study wanted to find out would informative product package affect
consumers- behavior toward GM foods. An experiment was designed
to investigate consumer behavior toward different product package
information. The results indicated that the product package
information influenced consumer product trust toward GM foods.
Compared with the traceability production system information, the
information about the GM rice was approved by authorized
organizations could increase consumers product trust in GM foods.
Consumers in Taiwan saw the information provided by authorized
organizations more credible than other information.
Abstract: In this work a software simulation model has been
proposed for two driven wheels mobile robot path planning; that can
navigate in dynamic environment with static distributed obstacles.
The work involves utilizing Bezier curve method in a proposed N
order matrix form; for engineering the mobile robot path. The Bezier
curve drawbacks in this field have been diagnosed. Two directions:
Up and Right function has been proposed; Probability Recursive
Function (PRF) to overcome those drawbacks.
PRF functionality has been developed through a proposed;
obstacle detection function, optimization function which has the
capability of prediction the optimum path without comparison
between all feasible paths, and N order Bezier curve function that
ensures the drawing of the obtained path.
The simulation results that have been taken showed; the mobile
robot travels successfully from starting point and reaching its goal
point. All obstacles that are located in its way have been avoided.
This navigation is being done successfully using the proposed PRF
techniques.
Abstract: This paper describes a blind algorithm for estimating a time varying and frequency selective fading channel. In order to identify blindly the impulse response of these channels, we have used Higher Order Statistics (HOS) to build our algorithm. In this paper, we have selected two theoretical frequency selective channels as the Proakis-s 'B' channel and the Macchi-s channel, and one practical frequency selective fading channel called Broadband Radio Access Network (BRAN A). The simulation results in noisy environment and for different data input channel, demonstrate that the proposed method could estimate the phase and magnitude of these channels blindly and without any information about the input, except that the input excitation is i.i.d (Identically and Independent Distributed) and non-Gaussian.