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1
Wu, Xiaojun. "Correlation of physio-chemical characteristics in the seed coat and canning quality in different dark red kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris l.) cultivars." Online version, 2002. http://www.uwstout.edu/lib/thesis/2002/2002wux.pdf.
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Young, John Stephen. "Infra-red imaging with COAST." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.624493.
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Alhazmi, Muhammad Zafer S. "Maritime terminology of the Saudi Arabian Red Sea coast." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/17923.
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This thesis will analyse a sample of maritime terminology used along the Saudi Red Sea coast and attempt to understand why lexica are lacking in such terms; an issue which can be linked to the language change was a consequence of the interaction between Arabs and other ethnic communities since the advent of Islam. This change raised alarm among lexicographers and linguists at the time of documenting the terminology, who set off on long journeys to collect the pure language. In their word collecting they selectively documented the language, ignoring a huge amount of spoken registers because their aim was to collect the classical form of Arabic in order to help Muslims gain a deeper understanding of the Qur>[n and |ad\th. This created gaps in Arabic lexicography, which lacks terminology for material culture. The information about maritime material cultural terminology in the mainstream lexica is disappointing. Although a few terms are listed, lexicographers have failed to provide unambiguous definitions. This study demonstrates why a great number of such terms since the classical time period has not been listed in the available lexica, and what the factors are which led to this situation. Hence, this study is based on maritime terms extracted from informal meetings I had with mariners and fishermen on the Red Sea Saudi coast about their life at sea before the introduction of the engine to vessels. The collected terms are to be investigated against their presence in lexica both synchronically and diachronically. Understanding the meanings of such ignored terms is one of the most important puzzles and this study attempts to solve it by investigating the semantic links between words and the conceptual meanings of their roots following a hypothesis based on Ibn F[ris (d. 395/1004); which assumes that all terms derived from Arabic roots should share a general conceptual meaning. While in the absence of maritime terms in lexica a hypothesis devised from Agius's theoretical framework was applied to search such terms in literary and non-literary works, which assumed to be an alternative source to lexica and examine their occurrence in text and context by reconstructing their origin, function and use.
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De, Monte James B. "Dago Red." Kent State University / OhioLINK, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1240241112.
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Trumble, Misty. "The total delivered cost of sieved red raspberries: a procurement optimization model." Thesis, Kansas State University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/19715.
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Master of AgribusinessAgricultural Economics
Vincent R. Amanor-Boadu
The United States was the world’s third largest producer of raspberries (by pounds) in 2013, behind Russia and Poland. Raspberries are the third most popular berry in the United States behind strawberries and blueberries. Most U.S. production of red raspberries occurs in the states of Washington and Oregon during July and August depending on variety. Harvest and production for industrial pack typically runs for five weeks. Sieved red raspberries or single strength red raspberry puree is one of many industrial packs produced in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Sieved red raspberries are produced by forcing fresh, cleaned and sorted red raspberries and red raspberry crumbles and pieces through a mesh screen, collected in drums or pails and stored for use in further processed products such as pies, confectioneries and other consumer food products. For this thesis, sieved berries are packed in 55-gallon steel drums lined with food grade plastic bags. They are shipped from the processing plant to a third party warehouse to be frozen and stored. The final processing plant draws on these stored frozen products for use in the production of the Company’s consumer food products. The purpose of this thesis is to review the Company’s current procurement practices of sieved red raspberries and determine how these practices may be improved to reduce its total delivered cost. We use an optimization modelling approach to assess the procurement process used by the Company. The results indicate that it is possible to reduce procurement costs and improve efficiencies by making changes to the current procurement strategy. By implementing the procurement strategy developed in this study, we show that the Company can save as much as $1.69 million per year, which is equivalent to about 20.3% of the current spend. This would suggest that adopting the optimization strategy could allow the Company to increase its total sieved raspberry utilization by as much as 0.9 million pounds per annum, all other things remaining unchanged.
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Ferreira, Labiche. "Crash quality- an approach for evaluating spending on quality improvement initiatives." Doctoral diss., University of Central Florida, 2000. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/RTD/id/26041.
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University of Central Florida College of Engineering ThesisThe quality movement has become popular among corporations big and small for one reason: empirical evidence suggests that quality and productivity (and hence profitability) are linked. Unfortunately, while many firms accept that quality and productivity go together, few actually track the gains associated with their quality improvement programs. Companies also tend to spend on quality improvement with no indication of estimation of the impact of funding on the targeted process. It would be of great value to know: (1) the impact of spending to enhance the product/process quality level, and (2) the point at which expenditures for quality improvement are not economical. This research involves modeling the quality level of a product composed of integrated components/processes and the costs associated with quality improvement. Presented in this research is a methodology for determining the point at which the target quality level is reached. This point signifies when future spending should be re-directed. The research defines this point as the "Crash Quality Point (CQP)." Cases of a single process level and double level three-stage process are modeled to conceptualize CQP. The finding from the output analysis reveal that the quality level appoaches the target level at varying points in time. Any spending beyond this point does not have an impact on the quality level compared to the period prior to the Crash Quality Point. Spending past this point is futile and these funds could be spent on othe quality improvement projects. The special case modeled also illustrates the use of this tool in the selection of processes for improvements based on the quality level of the process. This is an added advantage in scenarios where funds are limited and management is constrained to improve process quality with limited funds. Using a real world example validates the proposed CQP methodology. The results of the validation indicate that the model developed can assist managers in forecasting the budget requirements for quality spending based on the quality improvement goals. The tool also enables managers to estimate the point in time at which allocations of funds may be directed for process reengineering. The CQP method will enable quality improvement professionals to determine the economical viability and the limits in expenditures on quality improvement. It enables managers to evaluate spending alternatives and approximate when the point of diminishing return is reached.
Ph.D.;
Engineering;
Industrial Engineering Management Systems;
154 p.
xiii, 154 leaves, bound : ill., (some col.) ; 28 cm.
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Mmonwa, Lucas Kolobe. "Phylogeography and epifauna of two intertidal seaweeds on the coast of South Africa." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2009. http://eprints.ru.ac.za/1583/.
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Andersson, Eva. "Development of a dynamic model for start-up optimization of coal-red power plants." Thesis, KTH, Reglerteknik, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-125808.
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The expansion of renewable energies and the deregulations of the energy market are increasing the demand of regulating power. In absence of hydropower, thermal power is often used for this purpose instead. This thesis focuses on the Vattenfall owned power plant Jänschwalde located in Germany. The goal is to optimize the start-up procedure, so that the start-up time is reduced without causing too much thermal stress on the important thickwalled components in the boiler. By reducing the start-up time, the plant can become more protable, exible and better suited to regulate the electricity market. A start-up model was built in Dymola and validated against measurement data and a simulation model of Jänschwalde, which is too complex to use for optimization purposes. The JModelica.org platform was used for the optimization part of the project. It was possible to nd optimal solutions for the start-up process of the Jänschwalde power plant, but the convergence of the optimization algorithm was very dependent on the optimization options used and the scaling of the plant model. Further work includes development of the components used in the start-up model, rening the discretization and scaling for the optimization problem.
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Ghoneim, Eman Mohmamed. "Characterising the flash flood potential in the arid Red Sea coast region of Egypt." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.249937.
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This study presents an integrated approach to estimating the risk of flash floods in arid wadis. Flash floods impact seriously on the infrastructure and development of Egyptian desert towns, such as Marsa Alam, and their surrounding areas. The study developed a method using the example of the wadi El-Alam, which has an area of approximately 407 km2. The method has three stages. First, the construction of a Digital Elevation Model from which morphometric properties of the brain were calculated. In particular, representing the flat areas and the sharp junctions between badland slopes and the adjacent wadi system (which generally characterised arid landscapes), were among the major issues facing this study. Second, the derivation of land cover from satellite remote sensing data which were rigorously pre-processed with the aid of aerial photographs and fieldwork measurements. Third, the application of a hydrological model, incorporating the basin morphometry and land cover data, to transform rainfall into runoff and route the floodwater through the sub-catchments of the wadi. The hydrological model system (HMS) was run to simulate discharge at the main wadi outlet (where the town of Marsa Alam is located) and at each sub-basin intersecting the Idfu-Alam highway that runs through the wadi. From these results, sites vulnerable to flash flood and their risk classes were identified. The sites judged to have the highest flood hazard along the highway were exactly the sites damaged in the 1991 flash flood. Thus, as an outcome of this study, the first digital database that includes information on land cover, geomorphology and hydrology of wadi El-Alam was developed. This database can be used to highlight regions vulnerable to flood damage.
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Van, der Merwe Elizabeth. "Systematics of the non-geniculate coralline red algae from the South African south coast." University of the Western Cape, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/4818.
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Philosophiae Doctor - PhDThe aim of this study was to document the intertidal and shallow subtidal species of non-geniculate coralline red algae from the South Africa south coast. The main emphasis of the study are encompassed in four research chapters and one concluding chapter focusing on: 1) the documentation of the non-geniculate coralline red algae occurring along the South Africa south coast; 2) revisiting the Leptophytum-Phymatolithon complex in order to resolve the taxonomic status of species previously ascribed to the genus Leptophytum from South African; 3) starting to prepare modern monographic accounts of the higher taxa; and 4) the production of updated keys to all the currently recognised taxa of non-geniculate coralline algae for South Africa. Although nowhere near complete, here we present our findings and report on the current biodiversity status of the non-geniculate coralline red algae after a further four years of extensive sampling.
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Kim, Hwa Nyeon. "Transferable rights in a recreational fishery: an application to the red snapper fishery in the Gulf of Mexico." Texas A&M University, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/5865.
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Overfishing of red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico has significantly increased
lately. A major regulation to reduce the overfishing is Total Allowable Catches (TAC) in
combination with a season closure. The restrictions on entry lead to an inefficient
outcome, however, because the resource is not used by the fishermen who value it the
most. As an alternative to restricting entry, transferable rights (TR) programs are being
increasingly considered. Under a TR program, a market is created to trade a right to use
a resource and the total benefits of the participants are maximized through such a trade.
The principal objective of this dissertation is to comprehensively assess
economic and biological consequences of the red snapper fishery for the TR program.
To date the literature lacks sufficient discussion of how recreational TR programs would
function. I, therefore, propose an economically desirable institutional framework for the
TR program in the recreational fishery. I draw some lessons from hunting programs and
applications of other TR programs to find better schemes for the TR program in the
recreational fishery.This dissertation uses theoretical and empirical models as well as institutional
settings to develop the TR program. A theoretical model is provided to investigate which
unit of measurement for the TRs is preferable. For empirical models I first estimate an
empirically based recreation demand that incorporates TR permit demand and then
develop a simulation submodel using the estimated demand. I find price instruments,
such as fees or TR programs, are very efficient to reduce fishing trips but they also lead
to distributional impacts on trips by low income (or low cost) anglers. Partial simulation
results indicate that an efficiency benefit of the TR program would be significant
because recreational trip demand in the current closed season is not trivial.
I conclude that the TR program in the recreational fishery will economically and
biologically provide a great deal of merit to reduce the overfishing situation and a
substantial efficiency gain to Gulf anglers. Some institutional barriers, especially from
the large transaction cost can also be overcome if electronic systems or the Internet are
used.
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Labiosa, Rochelle Grover. "Phytoplankton bloom formation in oligotrophic regions : the interplay between ecology and physics in the gulf of Aqaba red sea /." May be available electronically:, 2007. http://proquest.umi.com/login?COPT=REJTPTU1MTUmSU5UPTAmVkVSPTI=&clientId=12498.
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Zhu, Mangzheng. "Offshore Red River fault and slope sediments in northern South China Sea : implications for paleoceanography and uplift of the tibet plateau /." May be available electronically:, 2007. http://proquest.umi.com/login?COPT=REJTPTU1MTUmSU5UPTAmVkVSPTI=&clientId=12498.
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Lee, Stella Yim Jung. "Measuring the oxidative cost of breathing : a comparison of methods using red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans)." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/30611.
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There is a metabolic cost associated with the work required to overcome the elastic and resistive forces associated with breathing. These forces vary widely as a function of the anatomy of the lungs and body wall in different species. In turtles, the lungs are relatively compliant but the body wall with the carapace is very stiff. Studies designed to measure the cost of ventilation in turtles have proven to be difficult. Two different methods have been used to estimate costs and each method has produced a different result. In an attempt to resolve this controversy, the present study obtained data using three different methods in a single group of turtles; a data regression method, a unidirectional ventilation method (UDV), and a hybrid method combining data regression and unidirectional ventilation. All three methods produced highly variable results (individual variability, differences between use of hypoxia and hypercapnia, evidence of hypoxia and hypercapnia-induced metabolic suppression). Based on data plotted for individual animals versus groups of animals and using all data points versus mean values for different levels of inspired gases, oxidative costs were obtained ranging from -0.0005 to 0.022 ml O₂/ml air ventilated using the regression method, 0.014 ml O₂/ml air for the UDV method and 0.025 ml O₂/ml air for the hybrid method. Most values were high compared to a theoretical estimate of 0.0003 ml O₂/ml air obtained based on measurements of mechanical work of breathing and an assumed respiratory muscle efficiency of 10%. The experimental results from the two methods appeared to be different as a result of CO₂-induced metabolic rate suppression or the non-linearity of the oxygen uptake-ventilation relationship. However, assuming the theoretical estimate best represents the oxygen uptake-ventilation relationship and the true oxidative costs of ventilation, neither theory would fit. Instead, attributing the discrepancy in results to the differences in the breathing patterns and their irregularity provided the most logical explanation and resulted in the conclusion that the oxidative cost of ventilation in turtles to be similar to that of mammals.
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Alharbi, Mohammad Mosaed Eid Alahmadi. "Analysis of extreme precipitation events over the eastern Red Sea coast for recent and future climate conditions." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2018. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/8603/.
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The investigation of extreme precipitation events over the western coast of Saudi Arabia is necessary to estimate their potential impact on both socioeconomic activities and the regional environment. The current study aims at understanding the atmospheric dynamics leading to extreme precipitation, to improve weather forecasting in the target region and the development of long-term adaptation policies. Preliminary results reveal that extreme precipitation events in this region occur during the wet season (Nov–Jan). The synoptic mechanisms of these events are a function of the complex interaction between tropical, subtropical and middle-latitude dynamics. The synoptic dynamic processes were identified by a subjective study of the highest 30 extreme events. In addition, the weather circulation patterns (WCPs) of all extreme events were classified objectively by means of an empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis based on the mean sea level pressure. WCPs were linked with synoptic dynamic processes and teleconnected with large-scale climate variability modes. Furthermore, WCPs, precipitation and data regarding other atmospheric variables from different regional climate models were used to investigate future changes in extreme precipitation events under climate change. The most important weather circulation patterns, which are associated with extreme precipitation events, were identified. The possibility of extreme precipitation events increases with great uncertainty.
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Fang, Shunlan. "Real Cost Management." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2013. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/216540.
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Business Administration/InterdisciplinaryPh.D.
This dissertation examines how managers make cost decisions under significant economic events. The economic events of interests are the economic crisis from 2008 to 2010 and corporate loan financing. The economic crisis caused many firms to experience sales declines and created tremendous pessimism about prospects of sales rebounding in the future. I find that not all firms were affected equally. Sales-down firms exhibit anti-sticky cost behavior during this period; that is, costs are cut back more steeply as sales fall than they increase as sales rise. Such a behavior during the economic crisis is exactly the opposite of the average sticky cost behavior during normal economic periods documented in prior accounting research. This, in turn, implies that net income and cash flows from operations (as percentage of sales) may increase, rather than decrease for sales-down firms during an economic downturn. In the second study, I use a difference-in-difference research design to examine whether and how managers engage in cost management before and after loan financing. I find that managers significantly cut back operating expenses prior to loan financing. However, cost reduction is asymmetric with respect to the direction of sales changes. Compared with firms experiencing sales increases, firms experiencing sales declines reduce costs to a greater extent prior to financing and also exhibit a reversion in the cost level after financing. The reversion in cost level is negatively related to the percentage of financial covenants that are based on earnings. I do not find consistent evidence supporting that managers engage in accrual management, overproduction or asset sales.
Temple University--Theses
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Bukhari, Feisal Abdulaziz. "Studies to optimise the culture conditions for Penaeis indicus from the Saudi Arabian coast of the Red Sea." Thesis, Bangor University, 1994. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/studies-to-optimise-the-culture-conditions-for-penaeis-indicus-from-the-saudi-arabian-coast-of-the-red-sea(e21fb7fb-a33c-4a79-92d6-b252c5cf7bd4).html.
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On the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia ponds utilising seawater drawn from wells have an average salinity of 43%o and temperatures ranging from 23-33°C. The present study has demonstrated that yields of up to 4.3 tonnes ha"' of the Indian white shrimp Penaeus indicus at 20 g size may be obtained in these ponds. P. indicus was isolated from local stocks (Gizan) and has now been cultured through several generations at the Fish Farming Centre. Present work has determined that the optimal salinity for larval culture is 30960 and for nursery culture 25-30960. The best stage for transfer from nursery to growout pond (43960) is about PL25. Comparison with biological data for P. indicus cultured elsewhere indicates that Red Sea populations may be preadapted to tolerate high salinities. The potential for artificial feeds to replace live feeds in P. indicus larval culture from Z1 to PL1 and PL5 using microencapsulated feeds, Nippai and Frippak has been investigated. Results reveal that 50% replacement with Nippai and Frippak is possible giving comparable growth to the control, but poorer survival. Also comparative growth trials were conducted with post larval P. indicus (PL5-PL30) spawned from Red Sea stock and cultured through larval stages on five feeds (Chaetoceros, Tetraselmis and Artemia). Post larvae were reared on commercial feeds: Taiwanese, Nippai, Frippak and 4 formulated feeds based on locally available ingredients at 28-30°C and at 3016 and 42i salinities. Feeding trials at 42% produced poor survival, but at 30% all treatments gave over 50% survival to PL25, at which stage shrimp are ready for stocking in growout ponds. Although the Taiwanese feed produced the overall fastest growth, it was not significantly better (P > 0.05) than two locally formulated diets (FFC1,4) or Frippak. Survival rates of over 60% where achieved on all diets with the exception of Nippai and Taiwanese feeds. Yields were significantly higher (P < 0.05) on one of the locally prepared diets (FFC1) than Taiwanese and Nippai, and Taiwanese than Nippai. All diets yielded significantly more shrimp biomass at 30960 than 4216 (P > 0.05). The relative costs of imported and locally produced diets are discussed and it is concluded that it is possible to produce cost-effective nursery diets in Saudi Arabia. A growout feeding study for P. indicus juvenile utilising 4 locally formulated diets compared with a Taiwanese diet revealed no significant difference (P. > 0.05) in survival nor in growth or yield amongst all diets. However growth was slow due to low pH and high ammonia levels. Finally shrimp density production trials at 20, 40,60 and 80m"2 during winter and summer were conducted in cages placed in a rubber lined pond. For all densities; yields were significantly higher in summer than winter with an overall average of 3.41±1.5 tonnes and 4.04±2.36 tonnes 180 days-- for winter and summer respectively. Yield at 80m'1 was highest but was not different from yield at 60m'2. Based on average harvested size and market price the density of 60. =was regarded suitable for growout culture.
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Cunha, Adriano Borges da. "Uma abordagem para redução para a modelagem da consciência de disponibilidade em nós sensores de rede de sensores sem fio." Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1843/COLT-8C7GX5.
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his work aims at modelling the Awareness of Available Energy (CODE in portuguese) in Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) nodes. This technique consists in providing the information of the amount of available energy in each sensor node at any time, making it possible to maintain, implement self-management techniques, plan quality of service (QoS) metrics and operational viability of WSN. In order to accomplish this it is necessary to model the energy supply unit of WSN nodes. In case of a WSN with no energy harvesting capability, this supply is based only on batteries. Thus, the implementation of CODE consists of the modelling of batteries. In case of a Energy-Harvesting WSN, the problem of estimating the amount of available energy consists of modelling and efficiently managing multiple sources of energy. This work is divided in two phases. The first phase is the elaboration, from a qualitative and quantitative approach, the first-generation of battery models for WSN, based on a book-keeping system method, that include at least the effects of discharge rate and relaxation. The second phase is the project and modelling of a simple and low cost energy supply unit with a solar energy harvest device, enabled with CODE and maximum-power-point tracking (MPPT). Experiments show that the global efficiency diverges from the optimal operating set point by less than 9%, and under certain conditions reaching 0%, confirming that it is also possible to adjust the maximum-power-point according to load demands. Characterization of an unit composed of a mini solar panel and supercapacitors, resulted in a new energy-efficient approach, that enables WSN nodes to obtain energy from three different sources: supercapacitors, back-up battery and a solar panel.Este trabalho tem como objetivo a modelagem da consciência de disponibilidade energética (CODE) em nós sensores de Rede de Sensores Sem Fio (RSSF). Esta técnica consiste em prover a informação da quantidade de energia disponível em cada nó sensor, em qualquer instante de tempo, de modo a viabilizar a manutenção, implementação de técnicas de auto-gerenciamento, planejamento de métricas de qualidade de serviço (QoS) e viabilidade operacional de RSSF. Para tal é necessária a modelagem da unidade de suprimento de energia dos nós sensores da RSSF. No caso de RSSF sem capacidade de captura de energia do ambiente, ela é composta apenas por pilhas ou baterias. Portanto, a implementação da CODE consiste em modelar pilhas e baterias. Em RSSF com capacidade de captura de energia do ambiente, o problema de estimação da quantidade de energia disponível em cada nó sensor consiste em modelar e gerenciar eficientemente as múltiplas fontes de energia da unidade de suprimento de energia dos nós sensores. O trabalho está dividido em duas fases: a primeira fase consiste em elaborar, a partir de uma abordagem qualitativa e quantitativa, a primeira geração de modelos de bateria para RSSF, baseados no método de sistema de escrituração, que contemplem, pelo menos, os efeitos da taxa de descarga e de relaxação. A segunda fase consiste no projeto e modelagem de uma unidade de suprimento de energia simples e de baixo custo para nós sensores de uma RSSF com captura de energia solar, habilitada com a CODE e o rastreamento do ponto de máxima potência (RPMP). Resultados mostram que a eficiência global diverge do ponto ótimo de operação de menos de 9% e, sob certas condições pode alcançar 0%, confirmando que é possível também ajustar o ponto de máxima potência de acordo com a demanda de carga. A caracterização do sistema composto por um mini-painel solar e supercapacitores, resultou em uma nova abordagem energeticamente eficiente, que habilita o nó sensor a receber energia de três fontes possíveis: supercapacitores, bateria de back-up e o mini-painel solar.
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Abohassan, Refaat Atalla Ahmed. "Productivity and nutrient dynamics of Avicennia Marina (Forsk.) Vierh. mangroves grown on the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia." Thesis, Bangor University, 2010. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/productivity-and-nutrient-dynamics-of-avicennia-marina-forsk-vierh-mangroves-grown-on-the-red-sea-coast-of-saudi-arabia(0967829c-427b-4961-8b98-6d9a1ecc22d8).html.
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This study aimed to investigate productivity, nutrient cycling and heavy metal pollution in two A. marina stands on the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia. The mangrove stands were located at Yanbu region (northern Red Sea) and at Shuaiba region (southern Red Sea). Aboveground biomass production was estimated by developing site specific allometric equations with height and diameter at breast height as biomass predictors. Annual litterfall production was estimated over two years using litter traps and the fate of the fallen litter (i.e. accumulation under mangrove stands. removal and export to adjacent waters) was assessed by estimating standing crop leaf litter and monitoring tidal levels and crab activities. Aerial root biomass was estimated by harvesting roots within ground quadrats; fine root biomass was estimated using random coring. Nutrient cycling in the mangrove systems was assessed by litter decomposition and the release of carbon and nitrogen from the decomposing litter. In addition. the importance of mangrove derived carbon as an energy source to the aquatic animals was estimated by DC stable isotope analysis. The levels and dynamics of eight heavy metal contaminants in mangrove systems were assessed by estimating metal levels in sediment. mangrove components and in the decomposing litter. It was found that aboveground biomass was greater in Shuaiba (18.58 ha-I) than in Yanbu (10.77 t ha") (p <0.05); the overall aboveground biomass (14.77 t ha-I) was comparable to estimates reported in other locations at similar extreme environmental conditions. Both aerial and fine root biomass was greater in Shuaiba ( 23.7 t ha" and 96.4 t ha') than in Yanbu ( 10.1 t ha" and 39.1 t ha" for aerial and fine roots respectively. and overall fine roots estimate (67.8 t ha') was comparable to estimates from subtropical and hypersaline regions. Litterfall production was similar in both sites with an overall production of 3.57 t ha" / and litterfall accumulated on the forest floor rather than being exported to adjacent waters owing to low tidal ranges. No significant differences were found in litter decomposition with an overall k value of 0.0076 and half life of 91 days. The levels of carbon and nitrogen at the end of the decomposition period were higher than at the beginning (p <0.05) indicating changes in the leaf chemical composition and microbial activities. However, nitrogen levels in fresh leaves were significantly higher than in senescent leaves indicating nitrogen resorption. The mangrove derived carbon was of moderate importance to a number of crab and fish species; however, this importance was offset by the contribution of other carbon sources to the diet of these animals. Heavy metal pollution in the studied sites was low compared to other contaminated regions, however, heavy metal levels were always higher in the polluted site (Yanbu) than in the minimally exposed site (Shuaiba) indicating the need for monitoring and assessment in other similar sites on the Red Sea coast.
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Chandio, Ali Dad. "Processing, characterisation and oxidation study of the nickel aluminides (βNiAl) for thermal barrier coating applications." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2015. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/processing-characterisation-and-oxidation-study-of-the-nickel-aluminides-nial-for-thermal-barrier-coating-applications(36f4ed36-5df2-47ab-bf0f-6ecaab19d9f4).html.
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Superalloys used in aeroengines are designed to offer superior strength at increasingly higher operating temperatures. In order to optimise the working efficiency and provide additional protection to the components such as turbine blades; a thermal barrier coating (TBC) system is applied. The TBC is a multilayer system consisting of mainly two layers i.e. bond coat (BC) and topcoat (TC). In addition, a third layer grows between the TC and BC during oxidation known as a reaction layer or thermally grown oxide (TGO). The function of the TC (usually, yttria stabilised zirconia (YSZ)) is to provide thermal insulation to aeroengine parts or reduce their surface temperatures; whereas, the BC provides binding between the TC and the substrate, and oxidation resistance to the underlying alloy by forming an adherent and continuous oxide i.e. α-Al2O3. During service, in the absence of mechanical damage to the TBC, most failures are attributed to the BC performance. The most frequently adopted BCs are; β-(Pt, Ni)Al, Pt-γ-Ni/γ’-Ni3Al and MCrAlY. In addition, reactive elements (REs) are incorporated in the BCs due to their ability to enhance oxidation resistance significantly. In the present study βNiAl based coatings/BCs and alloys with and without REs (Zr and Hf) and Pt were prepared. For the coatings CMSX-4 single crystal superalloy was used as a substrate material and pack aluminising/cementation or in-situ chemical vapour deposition (CVD) as a coating process. The isothermal oxidation testing was carried out at 1150oC for 50 and 100 hours in air. The preparation and oxidation performance of a δNi2Al3 coating was carried out, as, this is a starting material for βNiAl matrix based coatings/or BCs. The oxidation of δNi2Al3 coating showed large volumetric changes (thickness variations), multiphase TGO, TGO/coating interface melting and spallation during oxidation. In contrast, the ‘simple βNiAl’ coating (or βNiAl matrix) was found to exhibit comparably enhanced thermal stability than that of the δNi2Al3 coating. Moreover, a detailed study of the simple βNiAl coating was also carried out in order to understand the oxidation performance. The coating before oxidation in the as-deposited condition was found to contain residual compressive stresses of 140 – 200 MPa. In contrast, after oxidation analysis exhibited substantial interdiffusion between the coating and the substrate resulting in a large reduction of the Al content and influx of substrate elements into the coating. This in turn caused coating transformation from βNiAl to the γ’-Ni3Al phase and formation of a multiphase TGO (TiO2, NiAl2O4, and ϴ-Al2O3 intrusion in α-Al2O3). Moreover, the degree of the TGO spallation and residual stresses increased with the oxidation time. In order to enhance the oxidation performance of the βNiAl coatings, the substrate pre-treatment was carried out i.e. CMSX-4 superalloy was electrolytically etched to remove the γ-Ni phase and fabricate βNiAl coatings on the remaining γ’-Ni3Al. This coating is termed as E-βNiAl. In comparison to simple βNiAl, the E-βNiAl coating showed improved spallation resistance. However, E-βNiAl revealed increased surface area due to etching of the substrate and triggered fast TGO growth rates when tested in an un-polished condition. Furthermore, simple βNiAl coatings were doped with Zr and Hf separately using a two-step aluminising method. The appropriate addition of either Zr or Hf was found to reduce the substrate elements (W, Ta, Cr and Ti etc.) in the coating before and after oxidation. After oxidation, examination of the presence of Zr or Hf in the coating was found to confirm the commonly reported beneficial effects. The TGOs grown on these coatings were almost pure α-Al2O3 which subsequently reduced growth and stresses. In addition to Zr/& Hf doped coatings, a study on Hf and Zr doped βNiAl bulk alloys was also carried out in order to understand the dopant effects on the oxidation resistance of βNiAl alloys in the absence of interdiffusion (as in case of coatings). In general, the commonly reported oxidation benefits were confirmed by the addition of these elements such as reduced TGO growth, oxide pegging, a columnar morphology of the TGO and segregation of REs at alumina grain boundaries etc. In addition, two more beneficial effects are suggested to be the ‘TGO crack filling up (or crack-healing)’ and formation of the ‘dense-TGO’. Within this study, the investigation of commercially available Pt-βNiAl BC was also carried out in air and vacuum atmospheres. The results demonstrated that the initial chemistry and elemental distribution (particularly Al/& Pt) was found to affect the TGO growth and phases significantly. In addition to its well established beneficial effects, the main effect of a Pt addition is suggested to be the stabilisation of the βNiAl structure even at a lower Al content.
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Yousef, Nabeel. "FRAMEWORK FOR COST MODELING A SUPPLY CHAIN." Doctoral diss., University of Central Florida, 2006. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/3138.
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Researchers are interested in value chain analysis to identify the different opportunities for cost savings. The literature have been narrow in scope and addressed specific problems; however none has addressed the need for a general framework that can be used as a standard template in the supply chain cost management and optimization, though Dekker and Goor (2000) said that the goal was to develop a model that would allow direct comparison of specific activities between firms, such as warehousing activities costs. There was no indication in the literature of a cost model that can identify all costs and cost drivers through the supply chain. Some firms built models to analyze the effect of changes in activities but only with limited activities such as logistics. The purpose of this research is to create a general framework that can express the cost data for the partners of the supply chain in similar terms. The framework will layout the common activities identified within the firm and the relationship of these activities between the partners of the supply chain, and the framework will identify the effect of changes in activities on other partners within the supply chain. Cost information will help in making decisions about pricing, outsourcing, capital expenditures, and operational efficiency. The framework will be able to track cost through the chain, which will improve the flexibility of the supply chain to respond to rapidly changing technology. The framework will help in developing product strategy paradigms that encompass the dynamics of the market, in particular with respect to the technology adoption lifecycle.Ph.D.
Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems
Engineering and Computer Science
Industrial Engineering and Management Systems
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Dutra, Nadja Glheuca da Silva. "Planejando uma rede escolar municipal para reduzir custos de deslocamentos." Universidade de São Paulo, 1998. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/18/18137/tde-18062002-121021/.
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Este trabalho visa definir possíveis arranjos de localização de escolas de primeiro grau, situadas na cidade de São Carlos, analisando-se os custos de deslocamento casa-escola. Neste estudo, serão abordados os custos de deslocamentos decorrentes de uma reforma escolar, presenciada no Estado de São Paulo. Segundo esta reforma, os alunos de primeiro grau menor (1ª a 4ª séries) ficaram separados fisicamente dos demais níveis. Tal separação visou a melhorias na qualidade de ensino, com conseqüente diminuição de desperdício de recursos financeiros. Este estudo se utiliza dos Sistemas de Informações Geográficas como ferramenta capaz de gerar e analisar estes custos, comparando-se o que se tinha antes da reforma, o que se tem hoje, e o que se poderia ter quando da aplicação de um planejamento orientado por este ferramental. Para se procederem a estas análises, foram criados cenários (alguns deles hipotéticos) que permitiram simulações, as quais tinham o objetivo principal de apontar a melhor solução (ou melhores soluções) para o sistema, com conseqüente diminuição do custo médio de deslocamento. Os resultados encontrados indicam que o método proposto pode auxiliar as autoridades competentes na definição de localização para novas escolas ou na realocação de matrículas, de forma a melhor atender à comunidade, objetivando a redução de custos de deslocamentos.The main aim of this work is to analyze alternative locations for a specific set of schools in the city of São Carlos, always trying to reduce travel costs from home to school. This study evaluates the impact of the changes resulting from the reorganization of the education system in the State of São Paulo on the students trip patterns. In this reorganization process, the students of 1st to 4th grades have been physically separated from the older ones. This division was done to improve the learning process, with a consequent reduction of the costs caused by students failures. This study uses a Geographical Information System as a tool to calculate and to analyze travel costs before and after the reorganization, as well as in some scenarios planned with its built-in procedures. Several simulations, with both real and hypothetical scenarios, were used in the search for the best solution (or solutions) for the system - the one (ones) that minimizes the average travel costs. The results found clearly indicate that the proposed method can serve as a guideline to the authorities in the definition of the location of new schools or relocation of students, reducing travel costs in both cases.
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Liu, Jing. "Effects of Bond Coat Surface Preparation on Thermal Cycling Lifetime and Failure Characteristics of Thermal Barrier Coatings." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2004. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/4410.
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Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) have been widely used in gas turbine engines to protect the underlying metal from high operating temperature so as to improve the durability of the components and enhance the engine efficiency. However, since the TBCs always operate in a demanding high-temperature environment of aircraft and industrial gas-turbine engines, a better understanding of this complex system is required to improve the durability and reliability. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of surface modification for the NiCoCrAlY bond coats on the thermal cycling lifetime and failure characteristics of TBCs. Parameters of modification for the bond coats included as-sprayed, barrel-finished, hand-polished and pre-oxidation heat treatment at 1100[degrees]C in P=10O2-8 atm up to 4 hours, carried out prior to the electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) of ZrO2-7wt% Y2O3 (7YSZ) ceramic topcoat. The resulting characteristics of the bond coat and the thermally grown oxide (TGO) scale were initially documented by surface roughness, phase constituents of the TGO scale, and residual stress of the TGO scale. The thermal cycling test consisted of 10-minute heat-up to 1121°C, 40-minute hold at 1121°C, and 10-minute forced air-quench. As-coated and thermally-cycled TBCs were characterized by optical profilometry (OPM), photo-stimulated luminescence spectroscopy (PSLS), optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and scanning/transmission electron microscopy (TEM/STEM) equipped with high angle annular dark field (HAADF) and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (XEDS). TBC specimens for TEM/STEM analysis were prepared by focused ion beam (FIB) in-situ lift-out (INLO) technique. Superior thermal cycling lifetime was observed for TBCs with as-sprayed bond coats regardless of pre-oxidation heat treatment, and TBCs with hand-polished bond coats only after pre-oxidation heat treatment. With pre-oxidation heat treatment, relative photostimulated luminescence intensity of the equilibrium α-Al2O3 increased. Thus, the improvement in TBC lifetime can be correlated with an increase in the amount of α-Al2O3 in the TGO scale, given a specific surface modification/roughness. The lifetime improvement due to pre-oxidation was particularly significant to TBCs with smooth hand-polished bond coats and negligible for TBCs with rough as-sprayed bond coats. Spallation-fracture paths depended on the lifetime of TBCs. Premature spallation of TBCs occurred at the interface between the YSZ and TGO. Longer durability can be achieved by restricting the fracture paths to the TGO/bond coat interface. Small particulate phase observed through the TGO scale was identified as Y2O3 (cubic) by diffraction analysis on TEM. While small addition of Y in the NiCoCrAlY bond coat helps the adhesion of the TGO scale, excessive alloying can lead to deleterious effects.M.S.
Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering
Engineering and Computer Science
Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering
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Heigh, Jeremy. "Estimating the cost of the 1998 ice storm for woodlot owners in eastern Ontario, case studies of red pine and white cedar." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2001. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk3/ftp04/MQ61905.pdf.
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Gonzales, Chávez Christiam M. "Efecto de los impuestos en la competencia de redes móviles: una ampliación del modelo de Laffont, Rey y Tirole." Economía, 2012. http://repositorio.pucp.edu.pe/index/handle/123456789/117511.
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El presente documento tiene por objetivo analizar el impacto de la introducción de impuestos en la industria de telefonía móvil. Un impuesto común en este sector es el canon cobrado para financiar las actividades de fiscalización y supervisión del uso del espectro radioeléctrico. Con tal fin, se modificó el modelo de competencia entre redes móviles propuesto por Laffont, Rey yTirole (1998), para lo que se introdujo tres diferentes estructuras impositivas: un impuesto específico por cada minuto de telefonía móvil (impuesto de tipo I), un impuesto en función de la participación de mercado de cada una de las redes (impuesto de tipo II) y un impuesto lump-sum (impuesto de tipo III). Como resultado del modelo se obtiene que las firmas consiguen trasladar a los consumidores el total del impuesto (disminuyendo el excedente del consumidor) cuando la estructura impositiva es tipo I y II. Por el contrario, cuando el impuesto es de tipo III, los precios y las cantidades de equilibrio, así como el excedente del consumidor, se mantienen constantes.---The present document has for aim analyze the impact of the introduction of taxes in the industry of mobile telephony. A common tax in this sector is the canon received to finance the activities of taxation and supervision of the use of the radio spectrum. With such an end, the competition model between mobile networks proposed by Laffont, Rey and Tirole (1998), was modified introducing three different tax structures: a tax I specify in every minute of mobile telephony (TaxType I), a tax depending on the participation of market of each one of the networks (tax type II) and a tax lump-sum (Tax Type III). Since results of the model, obtains that the signatures manage to move the consumers the whole of the tax (diminishing the consumer surplus) when the tax structure is a type I and type II. On the contrary, when the tax is of type III, the prices and the quantities of balance, as well as the surplus of the consumer, they have been keeping constant.
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Taylor, John Wesley. "Hillbillies and sharecroppers : an introduction to East coast and Mississippi blues styles /." Huntington, WV : [Marshall University Libraries], 2002. http://www.marshall.edu/etd/descript.asp?ref=99.
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Thesis (M.A.)--Marshall University, 2002.Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 23 p. Includes a live performance (duration 1.01.03). Includes bibliographical references (p. 21-23).
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McCloud, Matthew. "Cost-effective levels of energy efficiency in manufactured homes." Honors in the Major Thesis, University of Central Florida, 2001. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETH/id/233.
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This item is only available in print in the UCF Libraries. If this is your Honors Thesis, you can help us make it available online for use by researchers around the world by following the instructions on the distribution consent form at http://library.ucf.edu/Systems/DigitalInitiatives/DigitalCollections/InternetDistributionConsentAgreementForm.pdf You may also contact the project coordinator, Kerri Bottorff, at kerri.bottorff@ucf.edu for more information.Bachelors
Engineering
Industrial Engineering and Management Systems
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Marshall, Ralph L. Arnold Robert. "A case study of a school improvement program through participatory decision making utilizing cost-versus-benefit information." Normal, Ill. Illinois State University, 1996. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/ilstu/fullcit?p9720811.
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Thesis (Ed. D.)--Illinois State University, 1996.Title from title page screen, viewed May 31, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Robert Arnold (chair), Paul Baker, Kenneth Strand, Norman Durflinger. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 72-74) and abstract. Also available in print.
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Salgado, Jorge David. "Modeling the Effects of Fusarium Head Blight on Wheat Grain Yield and Quality and Developing Cost-effective Strategies for Minimizing Losses." The Ohio State University, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1396968172.
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Jeffery, Mariah. "ACHIEVING COST-EFFECTIVE SUPPLY CHAIN AGILITY FOR THE SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY." Doctoral diss., University of Central Florida, 2005. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/2451.
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Supply chain agility has been receiving a lot of attention in recent literature as a way for organizations to become more responsive to change and improve customer service levels. However, agility is typically dealt with qualitatively, and organizations are usually unsure of the steps to take to improve their agility and the customer service level to target. This research studies supply chain agility based on a case study of Intel Corporation, a large semiconductor manufacturer. Here, agility is defined as the ability to satisfy customer demands by reacting effectively to changes in market stimuli. Reacting effectively does not mean reacting to every change in supply or demand. Doing so means increasing supply chain variability unnecessarily, which is amplified by the bullwhip effect. The essence of supply chain agility is determining the degree to which variability should be managed through artificial means such as safety stock, and appropriate triggers for changing production levels and inventory targets. The purpose of this research is to examine factors that influence supply chain agility and identify a cost-effective plan for achieving it. The first phase addresses the problem of identifying target inventory and customer service levels based on regression analysis of historical data and financial analysis of inventory holding costs and stock-out costs. The impact of three factors (forecast error, order lead-time, and demand variability) on the relationship between inventory and customer service level is also examined. The second phase of the research evaluates strategies for production and inventory control with the goal of finding the appropriate trade-off between minimizing cost (of holding inventory and stock-outs) and minimizing variability. Control policies based on the Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) control chart with control limits on demand forecasts are proposed to detect when tighter control of processes is necessary. A Monte Carlo supply chain simulation is used to evaluate the performance of these policies under various levels of forecast error and demand variability. Results indicate that several control chart-based policies outperform Intel's current planning policy in terms of cost without significantly increasing variability. The selection of the appropriate policy must be based on the decision-makers' desire to minimize cost compared to the desire to minimize variability, as each policy results in a trade-off between these two objectives.Ph.D.
Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems
Engineering and Computer Science
Industrial Engineering and Management Systems
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Smith, Nicholas. "The cost of discrimination job age-type and legal outcomes." Honors in the Major Thesis, University of Central Florida, 2012. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETH/id/623.
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The older population is growing rapidly and businesses must prepare for changes in their workforce. Cases of age discrimination have also become more common. Older workers are being forced out of their jobs at a faster rate than any other age group. As a result, older workers commonly take jobs in different careers, where they compete with younger workers who have similar relevant experience and are valued for their youth. Both prototype matching theory and career timetables theory state that people hold stereotypes of the job in addition to stereotypes of people. In laboratory research, a mismatch between the age of the worker and the age-type of the job has led to lower evaluations, lower job suitability ratings, and other indicators of discrimination. The purpose of this thesis is to assess whether the construct of age-type is related to discrimination in real-world legal cases. Real life instances of discrimination were attained from a 15-year sample of 388 age discrimination jury verdicts and settlements. Each job in the sample of cases was rated to determine age-type, perceived proportion of older and younger workers in the job, and importance of stereotypically older worker features to the job. Results showed that all forms of age stereotypes, both general and specific, were related to the frequency of cases in jobs associated with older or younger stereotypes. Specifically, older workers were more likely to have age discrimination cases go to trial in younger age-typed jobs. However, these variables did not help to predict formal outcomes of the cases (win vs. loss). Among the cases that did win, cases in older age-typed jobs won significantly more money than in younger age-typed jobs.B.S.
Bachelors
Sciences
Psychology
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Wang, Yong. "Diversification, information asymmetry, cost of capital, and production efficiency." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2008. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/13948.
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Business AdministrationPh.D.
This study examines how diversification changes firms' key characteristics, which consequently alter firms' value. The reason why I focus on this topic is because of the mixed findings in literature about the valuation effect of diversification. This study offers deeper insights to the influence of diversification on important valuation factors that are already identified in finance literature. Specifically, it examines if diversification affects firms' information asymmetry problem, firms' cost of capital and cash flow, and firms' production efficiency. The study looks at both the financial industry and non-financial industry and the chapters are arranged in the following order. Firstly, empirical studies show that investors do not value BHCs' pursuit of non-interest income generating activities and yet these activities have demonstrated a dramatic pace of growth in the recent decades. An interesting question is what factors drive the discontent of the investors with the diversification endeavors of the BHCs in non-interest income activities. The first chapter examines the subject from the view point of information opaqueness, which is unique in the banking industry in terms of its intensity. We propose that increased diversification into non-interest income activities deepens information asymmetry, making BHCs more opaque and curtailing their value, as a result. Two important results are obtained in support of this proposition. First, analysts' forecasts are less accurate and more dispersed for the BHCs with greater diversity of non-interest income activities, indicating that information asymmetry problem is more severe for these BHCs. Second, stock market reactions to earning announcements by these BHCs signaling new information to the market are larger, indicating that more information is revealed to the market by each announcement. These findings indicate that increased diversity of non-interest income activities is associated with more severe information asymmetry between insiders and outsiders and, hence, a lower valuation by shareholder. Secondly, since Lang and Stulz (1994) and Berger and Ofek (1995), corporate literature has taken the position that industrial diversification is associated with a firm value discount. However, the validity and the sources of the diversification discount are still highly debated. In particular, extant studies limit themselves to cash flow effects, totally overlooking the cost of capital as a factor determining firm value. Inspired by Lamont and Polk (2001), the second chapter examines how industrial and international diversification change the conglomerates' cost of capital (equity and debt), and thereby the firm value. Our empirical results, based on a sample of Russell 3000 firms over the 1998-2004 period, show that industrial (international) diversification is associated with a lower (higher) firm cost of capital. These findings also hold for firms fully financed with equity. In addition, international diversification is found to be associated with a lower operating cash flow while industrial diversification doesn't alter it. These results indicate that industrial (international) diversification is associated with firm value enhancement (destruction). Given the fact that the majority of the firms involved in industrial diversification also diversify internationally, failing to separate these two dimensions of diversification may result in mistakenly attributing the diversification discount to industrial diversification. Thirdly, financial conglomerates have been increasingly diversifying their business into banking, securities, and insurance activities, especially after the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA, 1999). The third chapter examines whether bank holding company (BHC) diversification is associated with improvement in production efficiency. By applying the data envelopment analysis (DEA), the Malmquist Index of productivity, and total factor productivity change as a decomposed factor of the index, are calculated for a sample of BHCs over the period 1997-2007. The following results are obtained. First, technical efficiency is negatively associated with activity diversification and the effect is primarily driven by BHCs that did not diversify through Section 20 subsidiaries before GLBA. Second, the degree of change in diversification over time does not affect the total factor productivity change but is negatively associated with technical efficiency change over time. This latter effect is also primarily shown on BHCs that did not have Section 20 subsidiaries before GLBA. Therefore, it can be concluded that diversification is on average associated with lower production efficiency of BHCs, especially those BHCs without first-mover advantage obtained through Section 20 subsidiaries. These chapters explores the possible channels through which diversification could alter firms' valuation. They contribute to the literature by offering further knowledge about the effect of diversification.
Temple University--Theses
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Sheridan, Saya. "Restoration of blanket bog vegetation as a habitat for red grouse following clearance of immature Sitka spruce forest on the west coast of Scotland." Thesis, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10443/1586.
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Blanket bog habitat is a globally scarce resource and as a result is amongst the most important of British vegetation types in an international context. The habitat supports four Annex 1 bird species including golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) as well as red grouse (Lagopus lagopus) which is only found on heather moorland habitats and provides an important food source for golden eagle. The habitat is a Biodiversity Action Plan habitat with a target to restore 845,000 hectares of degraded blanket bog by 2015. At least 190,000 hectares of blanket bog habitat have been planted with conifer plantation, mainly Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis), which is unlikely to mature until 2020-2030. This thesis explores the potential for restoring blanket bog, to provide habitat for red grouse, through the removal of immature Sitka spruce plantation. Three different tree clearance techniques are considered in terms of impact on the developing vegetation plant community. . The most cost effective method of clearance, in situ chipping using an excavator mounted flail, is investigated in detail; in particular the effect of wood-chip depth on changes in wood chip decomposition, plant colonisation, plant community development and vegetation structure. Monitoring and experimental data were analysed using multivariate methods including Principal Response Curves, Detrended Correspondence Analysis and Redundancy Analysis, and univariate methods including linear mixed effects and spatio-temporal models. Restoration of blanket bog vegetation is clearly achievable within a relatively short timescale that is dependent on the size of the trees and hence depth of wood chip. Plant community recovery following in situ chipping of trees (yield class 10) that are 20, 25 and 30 years old is predicted to take 7,9 and 10.5 years respectively. Vegetation structure is linked to plant community, with the cover and age of Calluna vulgaris being particularly important. As a result it seems likely that suitable red grouse habitat will be achieved as the target blanket bog plant community is reached.
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Braeger, Steven W. "A framework for blind signal correction using optimized polyspectra-based cost functions." Honors in the Major Thesis, University of Central Florida, 2009. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETH/id/1244.
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This item is only available in print in the UCF Libraries. If this is your Honors Thesis, you can help us make it available online for use by researchers around the world by following the instructions on the distribution consent form at http://library.ucf.edu/Systems/DigitalInitiatives/DigitalCollections/InternetDistributionConsentAgreementForm.pdf You may also contact the project coordinator, Kerri Bottorff, at kerri.bottorff@ucf.edu for more information.Bachelors
Engineering and Computer Science
Computer Science
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Chen, Janice Yun-Sheng. "Implications of Sticky Cost Behavior for Earnings Surprise and Market Reaction." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2013. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/216566.
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Business Administration/AccountingPh.D.
This dissertation examines the cost behavior model implicit in analysts' and investors' decisions. Even though a cost behavior model that recognizes fixed and variable costs and cost stickiness can provide more accurate earnings forecasts, analysts and investors cannot fully capture sticky cost information. Since analysts are not fully aware of the correct cost behavior model, earnings surprises can be largely explained by a cost model that recognizes sticky stickiness. Similarly, investors' under-reaction to sticky cost information relates to post-earnings announcement drifts. As a result, positive abnormal returns can be earned by a trading strategy that takes advantage of investors' lower awareness of sticky cost information.
Temple University--Theses
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Aduba, Chukwuemeka Nnabuife. "N-Player Statistical Nash Game Control: M-th Cost Cumulant Optimization." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2014. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/298838.
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Electrical and Computer EngineeringPh.D.
Game theory is the study of tactical interactions involving conflicts and cooperations among multiple decision makers called players with applications in diverse disciplines such as economics, biology, management, communication networks, electric power systems and control. This dissertation studies a statistical differential game problem where finite N players optimize their system performance by shaping the distribution of their cost function through cost cumulants. This research integrates game theory with statistical optimal control theory and considers a statistical Nash non-cooperative nonzero-sum game for a nonlinear dynamic system with nonquadratic cost functions. The objective of the statistical Nash game is to find the equilibrium solution where no player has the incentive to deviate once other players maintain their equilibrium strategy. The necessary condition for the existence of the Nash equilibrium solution is given for the m-th cumulant cost optimization using the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equations. In addition, the sufficient condition which is the verification theorem for the existence of Nash equilibrium solution is given for the m-th cumulant cost optimization using the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equations. However, solving the HJB equations even for relatively low dimensional game problem is not trivial, we propose to use neural network approximate method to find the solution of the HJB partial differential equations for the statistical game problem. Convergence proof of the neural network approximate method solution to exact solution is given. In addition, numerical examples are provided for the statistical game to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed theoretical developments.
Temple University--Theses
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Beaty-Edwards, Dawn Tanesha. "ETHICS AT THE BEDSIDE: ADVOCACY FOR THE PATIENT AND THE COST." Master's thesis, Temple University Libraries, 2019. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/563468.
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Urban BioethicsM.A.
As a healthcare professional at the bedside, it has been very difficult to advocate for the patient while all parties involved cannot respect what the patient wants. Four out of five Americans do not have an advance directive. The history and court cases that have led the country to make patient’s right to make their own healthcare decisions has been decades in the making, yet still bring daily challenges within the healthcare system. When a patient’s wishes are not being honored, medical futility may lead to moral distress and compassion fatigue. Institutions provide multidisciplinary teams to address these issues, but if a patient’s capacity or competence is in question, their voice may not be heard. The toll on the healthcare provider and the patient can be permanently damaging, causing many nurses to leave the profession all together. I will attempt to determine the barriers to implementing the patient’s wishes, address the syndrome of moral distress among healthcare professionals, and attempt to offer solutions to promote well rounded, patient-centered care.
Temple University--Theses
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Magdalena, Carina Pitwak. "Adsorção de corante reativo Remazol Vermelho RB de solução aquosa usando zeólita de cinzas de carvão e avaliação da toxicidade aguda com Daphnia similis." Universidade de São Paulo, 2010. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/85/85134/tde-02082011-101858/.
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No presente estudo, a capacidade da zeólita sintetizada a partir de cinzas de carvão na remoção do corante remazol vermelho RB de solução aquosa foi investigada por meio de processo descontínuo. O equilíbrio foi alcançado após 360 min de tempo de contato. A velocidade de adsorção seguiu o modelo cinético de pseudo-segunda-ordem. Os dados de equilíbrio obtidos se ajustaram à isoterma de adsorção de Langmuir apresentando capacidade de adsorção máxima de 1,20 mg g-1. A eficiência de adsorção estava entre 75 a 91 % no tempo de equilíbrio. Visando obter as melhores condições de remoção do corante, verificou-se a influência dos seguintes parâmetros: concentração inicial do corante, pH da solução aquosa, dose do adsorvente e temperatura. Os parâmetros termodinâmicos foram avaliados indicando que o processo de adsorção do remazol vermelho sobre a zeólita é de natureza espontânea. Experimentos adicionando-se NaCl e Na2SO4 foram realizados com o objetivo de simular as reais condições dos efluentes de banhos de tingimento e avaliar a influência destes compostos quimicos no fenômeno de adsorção. Os dados de equilíbrio de adsorção do remazol vermelho sobre a zeólita foram alcançados em um tempo menor na presença de concentrações crescentes dos sais em solução e houve um aumento na capacidade de adsorção. A eficiência do estudo como tratamento foi avaliada quanto à toxicidade aguda utilizando o microcrustáceo Daphnia similis.In this study, the capacity of zeolite synthesized from coal ash in the removal of Remazol Red dye aqueous solution was investigated by batch mode operation. The equilibrium was attained after 360 min of contact time. The adsorption rate followed the kinetic model of pseudo-second-order. The equilibrium data obtained fitted to Langmuir adsorption isotherm showing the adsorption capacity of up to 1.20mg g-1. The efficiency of adsorption was between 75 to 91% in the equilibrium time. In order to obtain the best conditions for removal of this dye, the influence of the following parameters was: initial concentration of the dye, pH of the aqueous solution, dose of adsorbent and temperature. The thermodynamic parameters were evaluated showing that the adsorption of Remazol red on the zeolite is of a spontaneous nature. Experiments by adding NaCl and Na2SO4 were carried out to simulate the real conditions of the effluents from the dyeing bath and to evaluate the influence of these chemical compounds in the phenomenon of adsorption. The equilibrium data of adsorption of Remazol red on the zeolite was achieved in a shorter time in the presence of increasing concentrations of salts in solution and an increase in adsorption capacity. The efficiency of the study was evaluated as a treatment for acute toxicity using Daphnia similis microcrustacean.
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Mirchandani, Chandru, David Fisher, and Parminder Ghuman. "Cost Beneficial Solution for High Rate Data Processing." International Foundation for Telemetering, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/606836.
Full textAbstract:
International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 25-28, 1999 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, NevadaGSFC in keeping with the tenets of NASA has been aggressively investigating new technologies for spacecraft and ground communications and processing. The application of these technologies, together with standardized telemetry formats, make it possible to build systems that provide high-performance at low cost in a short development cycle. The High Rate Telemetry Acquisition System (HRTAS) Prototype is one such effort that has validated Goddard's push towards faster, better and cheaper. The HRTAS system architecture is based on the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus and VLSI Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). These ASICs perform frame synchronization, bit-transition density decoding, cyclic redundancy code (CRC) error checking, Reed-Solomon error detection/correction, data unit sorting, packet extraction, annotation and other service processing. This processing in performed at rates of up to and greater than 150 Mbps sustained using a high-end performance workstation running standard UNIX O/S, (DEC 4100 with DEC UNIX or better). ASICs are also used for the digital reception of Intermediate Frequency (IF) telemetry as well as the spacecraft command interface for commands and data simulations. To improve the efficiency of the back-end processing, the level zero processing sorting element is being developed. This will provide a complete hardware solution to extracting and sorting source data units and making these available in separate files on a remote disk system. Research is on going to extend this development to higher levels of the science data processing pipeline. The fact that level 1 and higher processing is instrument dependent; an acceleration approach utilizing ASICs is not feasible. The advent of field programmable gate array (FPGA) based computing, referred to as adaptive or reconfigurable computing, provides a processing performance close to ASIC levels while maintaining much of the programmability of traditional microprocessor based systems. This adaptive computing paradigm has been successfully demonstrated and its cost performance validated, to make it a viable technology for the level one and higher processing element for the HRTAS. Higher levels of processing are defined as the extraction of useful information from source telemetry data. This information has to be made available to the science data user in a very short period of time. This paper will describe this low cost solution for high rate data processing at level one and higher processing levels. The paper will further discuss the cost-benefit of this technology in terms of cost, schedule, reliability and performance.
40
Kumah, Alex. "EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVE WATER RESOURCES FOR CAPE COAST AND ITS ENVIRONS IN GHANA." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2006. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/3035.
Full textAbstract:
Cape Coast once a national capital of Ghana and its environs in recent years have constantly suffered perennial acute water shortage. The Brimsu dam which takes its supplies from the Kakum River with current production capacity of 1.4 × 104 m3/day cannot meet the water needs of the study area. The operating levels of the dam during crisis have reduced from 7.3 meters to 4.7 meters over the years with subsequent reduction in water production by 35%. Recently, the operating level has reduced further to about 3.5 meters with 60% reduction in water supply. This study evaluated alternative water resources to augment water supply and mitigate the impact of perennial water shortage. Among the alternatives considered are surface water from Twifo Prasso on the Pra River, groundwater supplies, and the desalination technology. Mean annual streamflow of Pra River at Twifo Prasso was used to evaluate the continuous availability and reliance on surface water. Hydrogeological assessment of geology underlying the study area vis-à-vis the existing borehole and their yields was used to evaluate groundwater potential. Desalination technology which is not currently in existence in the study area was considered based on available literature. Since the implementation of projects of this magnitude are the responsibilities of the central government through grants and loans, the study focuses on the cost implications of water from these alternatives to the final consumer in terms of affordability. In considering the cost of water from the various alternatives to per capita per day consumption in rural and urban settlements within the study area for a household of five, the cost of surface water remains the most affordable means of water supply, followed by groundwater. Borehole yields indicate that intensive exploitation of groundwater even though more expensive than surface water sources could minimize the effect of perennial water shortage and over dependence on surface water. The cost comparison analyses have shown that the cost of desalination using reverse osmosis is still expensive and could not compare favorably with the existing water supply alternatives. The analyses have thus confirmed the long held perception that "desalination is expensive and cannot be used in study area".M.S.
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Engineering and Computer Science
Civil Engineering
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Woods, Bradley R. "The rise and subsequent decline of labor union organization and activity in American society with historical emphasis on the southern coalfields of Appalachia /." Huntington, WV : [Marshall University Libraries], 2003. http://www.marshall.edu/etd/descript.asp?ref=372.
Full text
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Sun, Fang. "ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF SFAS 158." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2011. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/114458.
Full textAbstract:
Business Administration/AccountingPh.D.
In this dissertation, I investigate the economic consequences of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 158 (SFAS 158). SFAS 158 requires firms to move pension funding status from the footnotes to the balance sheet. Moving pension funding status from a footnote to the balance sheet improves the transparency and understandability of pension accounting, however it at the same time increases the pension liability recognized and decreases the shareholder's equity reported for firms with underfunded pension plans. I investigate whether firms take actions to mitigate the impact of SFAS 158. I also examine whether the market perceptions of the risk and cost of capital differ because of SFAS 158. I first find that while firms reduce the non-pension debt to equity ratio to minimize the cost of SFAS 158, they did not use discretionary accruals to offset the impact of SFAS 158. One interpretation of these findings is that firms' potential responses to the rule depend on the costs and benefits associated with that discretionary behavior. While accrual manipulations do not affect either real operations or cash flows, aggressive accrual manipulations can increase the probability of a qualified opinion from auditors, and financial penalties from regulators (SEC litigation). In contrast, real activity manipulation is more opaque than accounting earnings management, making it more difficult to detect by shareholders, SEC regulators, or auditors. I then find that the market perceived risk proxied by total equity risk increased after SFAS 158. However, I fail to find that the increased total equity risk is generally priced by the equity capital markets. Further analysis indicates that bond spread yield decreases after SFAS 158 for firms with underfunded pension plans, suggesting different behavior of debt investors and equity investors. This finding might be explained by the rich information environment specific to the debt market. Compared with the equity market, the debt market includes mainly sophisticated investors. Sophisticated investors have access to more firm-specific information than other investors. Given their access to potentially more informative data, the debt market response to SFAS 158 is different from the equity market. This dissertation contributes to the debate regarding the effectiveness of the pension accounting reforms incorporated in SFAS 158, and is useful to legislators, regulators, and researchers in assessing the anticipated costs and benefits of SFAS 158. In addition, this study lends support to the stream of research which documents that managers take actions to achieve certain financial reporting goals in response to new accounting rules. This study also provides insight into how firms take real actions to minimize the cost of having an under-funded defined benefit pension plan. Understanding these relationships have implications for interpreting pension numbers reported in the financial statements and designing pension accounting rules that prevent or minimize the possibility that managers take advantage of the complexity and subjectivity associated with pension accounting to influence reported earnings. Finally, this study contributes to the existing literature by highlighting the importance and necessity of considering investor sophistication in studies on recognition vs. disclosure.
Temple University--Theses
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Hayden, Heather Lyn. "The Erosion of Coastal Sediment and Regeneration of Rhizophora mangle Following Anthropogenic Disturbance on Turneffe Atoll, Belize." PDXScholar, 2015. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/2365.
Full textAbstract:
As communities and managers become aware of the long-term impacts of mangrove loss, estimated at 1-2% per year, interest in sediment erosion and mangrove rehabilitation has increased substantially. In this thesis project I 1) examine erosion rates within coastal fringing Rhizophora mangle ecosystems following mangrove clearing and compare these rates to accretion rates in intact mangroves; and 2) investigate the abiotic factors influencing mangrove seedling survival and regeneration of naturally colonizing R. mangle, in historic mangrove habitat after anthropogenic clearing.
Differences in erosion were compared between patches of open-coast intact and anthropogenically cleared R. mangle to quantify the sediment trapping function provided by mangroves and its loss following clearing over a 24 month period. Growth rates of mangrove seedlings in intact forest were compared to seedlings in cleared areas. Seedling growth indicators were measured on 100 seedlings at five sites (50 in the intact and 50 in the cleared areas). To examine the limiting factors on seedling growth rates, nutrient addition and wave protection treatments were applied to seedlings in three disturbed areas.
Sites within intact mangroves had sediment accretion (M= +3.83 mm) while areas cleared of mangroves had sediment erosion (M= -7.30 mm). Seedling growth (height) over the 2 year study period significantly differed between intact mangrove (M = 15.6 cm) and cleared (M = 10.24 cm) areas. Seedling mortality from the cleared areas (31%) differed from the intact areas (13%). Average seedling growth (height) was: greater with both nutrient/wave (M = 18.4 cm) and nutrient (M = 17.65 cm) treatments compared to controls (M = 10.8 cm), which suggests that providing nutrients and/or wave protection result in growth outputs comparable to seedlings found in intact mangroves.
This study may prove to be useful in identifying areas that are most vulnerable to erosion following mangrove removal and ideal location of restoration following mangrove removal. Areas cleared of mangroves can lead to intensified erosion in areas where fringing reefs are not continuous. When managers are determining areas to focus resources for restoration, focusing on areas with nutrient rich habitat may result in higher survival rates and growth outputs.
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Costa, Jesaias Ismael [UNESP]. "Caracterização, avaliação econômica e eficiência de escala (DEA) na produção de tilápia em tanques-rede e de tambaqui em viveiros escavados." Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/11449/144191.
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Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)
A tilápia e o tambaqui são as espécies mais produzidas na piscicultura brasileira. A produção de tilápia é desenvolvida principalmente no sistema em tanques-rede utilizando os grandes reservatórios artificiais e rios das regiões Sudeste, Nordeste e Sul. A produção de tambaqui está concentrada nas regiões Nordeste, Centro-Oeste e Norte, utilizando viveiros escavados com elevado grau de eutrofização. A importância dessas duas espécies para a piscicultura brasileira é inquestionável. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi caracterizar, avaliar economicamente e determinar a eficiência da criação de tilápia em tanques-rede e do tambaqui em viveiros escavados, partindo da hipótese que “esses sistemas são eficientes técnica e economicamente”. Fez-se a caracterização das unidades de excelência que possam servir como modelo para as demais propriedades e identificados os desperdícios gerados nas unidades ineficientes. Para avaliar a criação de tilápia foi escolhida a região do médio Paranapanema-SP, por ser considerada a com maior índice de produtividade e historicamente produtora de peixe. No caso do tambaqui escolheu-se a região metropolitana de Manaus-AM, considerada a região com maior consumo dessa espécie no Brasil e historicamente produtora da espécie. Os dados foram obtidos por meio da aplicação de questionário semiestruturado em que foram identificadas as fases de criação, ciclos de produção, manejos adotados, infraestrutura utilizada, os índices produtivos obtidos e o desembolso monetário. Esses dados possibilitaram a determinação do custo de produção e os indicadores de rentabilidade. Os dados de custo de produção e lucro foram utilizados para determinar a eficiência das pisciculturas utilizando o modelo BCC- Data Envelopment Analyse (DEA).
The tilapia and tambaqui are the fish species most produced in Brazilian. The production of tilapia is mainly developed in the system in cages using large artificial reservoirs and rivers of the Southeast, Northeast and South. The production of tambaqui is concentrated in the Northeast, Midwest and North, using earth ponds with high eutrophication. The importance of these species on the Brazilian fish is unquestionable. The objective of this study was to characterize, economically evaluate and determine the efficiency of tilapia in cages and tambaqui in earth ponds, on the assumption that "these systems are efficient technically and economically." There was the characterization of excellence units that can serve as model for other properties and identified waste generated in inefficient units. To evaluate the tilapia was chosen the region of the Middle Paranapanema-SP, for being considered the most productivity index and historically producing fish. In the case of tambaqui we were chosen the metropolitan region of Manaus-AM, considered the region with the highest consumption of this species in Brazil and historically producing species. The data were obtained by applying a semi-structured questionnaire that were identified phases of creation, production cycles adopted handlings infrastructure used, the obtained production rates and monetary disbursements. These data enabled the determination of the cost of production and profitability indicators. production and profit cost data were used to determine the efficiency of fish farms using the model BCC- Analyse data envelopment (DEA).
CNPq: 140551/2013-1
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Mitsuo, Sadayuki. "A JAPANESE COLT: ANALYZING TEACHING PERFORMANCE IN A JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL PRACTICUM." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2010. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/82910.
Full textAbstract:
CITE/Language ArtEd.D.
The two main purposes of this study were to create a systematic observation instrument in order to obtain clearer and more specific feedback from junior high school teachers about student teachers' teaching performances during their practicum, and to provide a way for junior college, university teachers, student teachers, and practicum supervisors to observe student teachers' teaching and then to communicate their observations more effectively with one another. The participants were 57 student teachers, 19 college teachers, and 28 junior high school teachers. Four instruments were used: a written consent form, a questionnaire about 15 teaching skills (The Teaching Skill Questionnaire), a 60-minute videotape with a checklist (The Japanese COLT), and a 42-item questionnaire (The Student Teachers' Videotaped Instruction). The study produced four major findings. First, by using the Japanese COLT (Communicative Orientation of Language Teaching Observation scheme), the three groups of raters (student teachers, college teachers, practicum supervisor) identified four specific problems with individual student teacher's teaching. They (a) explained new sentence patterns without interacting with the students, (b) asked fewer questions than expected, (c) had the students practice reading for a shorter time than expected, and (d) provided few opportunities for the students to speak in Japanese or English, and spoke Japanese more than necessary. The second finding was that the student teachers differed from the older teacher groups in their views of specific teaching skills because of their limited teaching experience and lower English proficiency. The third finding was that the three groups of raters perceived the student teachers' teaching on the videotape similarly. The fourth finding indicated that there was no statistically significant difference in the three groups' views of the teaching techniques used by the student teachers; however, a statistically significant difference was found for the three groups' evaluations of the student teachers' teaching. The Japanese COLT was a useful instrument for assessing the student teachers' classroom performances, as it provided more specific feedback to the student teachers, and allowed the three groups to share their viewpoints more effectively.
Temple University--Theses
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Camacho, Christopher. "CLASS SIZE REDUCTION: IS IT WORTH THE COST?A META-ANALYSIS OF THE RESEARCH." Doctoral diss., University of Central Florida, 2006. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/2705.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to investigate whether ethnicity, gender, grade level and content area mediate the relationship between class size and student achievement. Twenty six educational research studies were collected for this meta-analysis. A meta-analytical approach using like data sets were used to report the most accurate information. Fixed and random effect models were used to ensure the distribution across different studies. A total of three studies were meta-analyzed for this research. The studies included in this research examined class size and student achievement for students in grades K-7. This research examined whether there was a mediating effect on ethnicity, gender, grade level, and content area in the class size and student achievement studies collected and correlated. The results indicate that smaller class size does have a positive impact on student achievement when mediated by ethnicity, grade level, and content area. When examining ethnicity as a mediating factor, a stronger correlation exists for minority students than for whites. When examining grade level as a mediating factor results indicate that a stronger correlation exist for lower grades K-3 than upper grades 4-7. A stronger correlation is present in the content area of reading as compared to other content areas when it was used as a mediating factor. When examining gender as a mediating factor, the largest effect sizes were reported for females in reading as opposed to males in math, both for first grade. These results correlate with those presented in other mediator sections of the study. The results found in this research will contribute to the literature concerning class size and student achievement and will help inform educational policy makers regarding class size as an educational issue.Ed.D.
Department of Educational Studies
Education
Curriculum and Instruction
47
Shao, Haimei. "Price discovery in the U.S. bond market trading strategies and the cost of liquidity." Doctoral diss., University of Central Florida, 2011. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/5032.
Full textAbstract:
The world bond market is nearly twice as large as the equity market. The goal of this dissertation is to study the dynamics of bond price. Among the liquidity risk, interest rate risk and default risk, this dissertation will focus on the liquidity risk and trading strategy. Under the mathematical frame of stochastic control, we model price setting in U.S. bond markets where dealers have multiple instruments to smooth inventory imbalances. The difficulty in obtaining the optimal trading strategy is that the optimal strategy and value function depend on each other, and the corresponding HJB equation is nonlinear. To solve this problem, we derived an approximate optimal explicit trading strategy. The result shows that this trading strategy is better than the benchmark central symmetric trading strategy.ID: 029809224; System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader.; Mode of access: World Wide Web.; Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Central Florida, 2011.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 101-103).
Ph.D.
Doctorate
Mathematics
Sciences
48
Poole, David A. "A Production and Cost Modeling Methodology of 2nd Generation Biofuel in the United States." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2012. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/5373.
Full textAbstract:
The use of biofuels in the United States has increased dramatically in the last few years. The largest source of feedstock for ethanol to date has been corn. However, corn is also a vitally important food crop and is used commonly as feed for cattle and other livestock. To prevent further diversion of an important food crop to production of ethanol, there is great interest in developing commercial-scale technologies to make ethanol from non-food crops, or other suitable plant material. This is commonly referred to as biomass. A review is made of lignocellulosic sources being considered as feedstocks to produce ethanol. Current technologies for pretreatment and hydrolysis of the biomass material are examined and discussed. Production data and cost estimates are culled from the literature, and used to assist in development of mathematical models for evaluation of production ramp-up profiles, and cost estimation. These mathematical models are useful as a planning tool, and provide a methodology to estimate monthly production output and costs for labor, capital, operations and maintenance, feedstock, raw materials, and total cost. Existing credits for ethanol production are also considered and modeled. The production output in liters is modeled as a negative exponential growth curve, with a rate coefficient providing the ability to evaluate slower, or faster, growth in production output and its corresponding effect on monthly cost. The capital and labor costs per unit of product are determined by dividing the monthly debt service and labor costs by that month's production value. The remaining cost components change at a constant rate in the simulation case studies. This methodology is used to calculate production levels and costs as a function of time for a 25 million gallon per year capacity cellulosic ethanol plant. The parameters of interest are calculated in MATLAB with a deterministic, continuous system simulation model. Simulation results for high, medium, and low cost case studies are included. Assumptions for the model and for each case study are included and some comparisons are made to cost estimates in the literature. While the cost per unit of product decreases and production output increases over time, some reasonable cost values are obtained by the end of the second year for both the low and medium cost case studies. By the end of Year 2, total costs for those case studies are $0.48 per liter and $0.88 per liter, respectively. These cost estimates are well within the reported range of values from the reviewed literature sources. Differing assumptions for calculations made by different sources make a direct cost comparison with the outputs of this modeling methodology extremely difficult. Proposals for reducing costs are introduced. Limitations and shortcomings of the research activity are discussed, along with recommendations for potential future work in improving the simulation model and model verification activities. In summary, the author was not able to find evidence--within the public domain--of any similar modeling and simulation methodology that uses a deterministic, continuous simulation model to evaluate production and costs as a function of time. This methodology is also unique in highlighting the important effect of production ramp-up on monthly costs for capital (debt service) and labor. The resultant simulation model can be used for planning purposes and provides an independent, unbiased estimate of cost as a function of time.ID: 031001414; System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader.; Mode of access: World Wide Web.; Adviser: Peter Kincaid.; Title from PDF title page (viewed June 14, 2013).; Thesis (M.S.)--University of Central Florida, 2012.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 45-48).
M.S.
Masters
Industrial Engineering and Management Systems
Engineering and Computer Science
Modeling and Simulation
49
Esmaeilian, Behzad. "Total Ownership Cost Modeling of Technology Adoption Using System Dynamics: Implications for ERP Systems." Doctoral diss., University of Central Florida, 2013. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/5732.
Full textAbstract:
Investment in new technologies is considered by firms as a solution to improve their productivity, product and service quality and their competitive advantages in the global market. Unfortunately, not all technology adoption projects have met their intended objectives. The complexity of technology adoption along with little consideration of the long term cost of the technology, are among the factors that challenge companies while adopting a new technology. Companies often make new technology adoption decision without enough attention to the total cost of the technology over its lifecycle. Sometimes poor decision making while adopting a new technology can result in substantial recurring loss impacts. Therefore, estimating the total cost of the technology is an important step in justifying the technology adoption. Total Ownership Cost (TOC) is a wildly-accepted financial metric which can be applied to study the costs associated with the new technology throughout its lifecycle. TOC helps companies analyze not only the acquisition and procurement cost of the technology, but also other cost components occurring over the technology usage and service stage. The point is that, technology adoption cost estimation is a complex process involving consideration of various aspects such as the maintenance cost, technology upgrade cost and the cost related to the human-resource. Assessing the association between the technology characteristics (technology upgrades over its life cycle, compatibility with other systems, technology life span, etc) and the TOC encompasses a high degree of complexity. The complexity exists because there are many factors affecting the cost over time. Sometimes decisions made today can have long lasting impact on the system costs and there is a lag between the time the decision is taken and when outcomes occur. An original contribution of this dissertation is development of a System Dynamics (SD) model to estimate the TOC associated with the new technology adoption. The SD model creates casual linkage and relationships among various aspects of the technology adoption process and allows decision makers to explore the impact of their decisions on the total cost that the technology brings into the company. The SD model presented in this dissertation composes of seven sub-models including (1) technology implementation efforts, (2) workforce training, (3) technology-related workforce hiring process, (4) preventive and corrective maintenance process, (5) technology upgrade, (6) impact of technology on system performance and (7) total ownership cost sub model. A case study of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system adoption has been used to show the application of the SD model. The results of the model show that maintenance, upgrade and workforce hiring costs are among the major cost components in the ERP adoption case study presented in Chapter 4. The simulation SD model developed in this dissertation supports trade-off analysis and provides a tool for technology scenarios evaluation. The SD model presented here can be extended to provide a basis for developing a decision support system for technology evaluation. ?Ph.D.
Doctorate
Industrial Engineering and Management Systems
Engineering and Computer Science
Industrial Engineering
50
Jiang, Hong. "A System Dynamics Model for Manpower and Technology Implementation Trade-off and Cost Estimation." Doctoral diss., University of Central Florida, 2013. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/5795.
Full textAbstract:
The U.S. Navy has been confronted with budget cuts and constraints during recent years. This reduction in budget compels the U.S. Navy to limit the number of manpower and personnel to control costs. Reducing the total ownership cost (TOC) has become a major topic of interest for the Navy as plans are made for current and future fleets. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO, 2003), manpower is the most influential component of determining the life cycle cost of a ship. The vast majority of the TOC is comprised of operating and support (O&S) costs which account for approximately 65 percent of the TOC. Manpower and personnel costs account for approximately 50 percent of O&S costs. This research focused on tradeoff analysis and cost estimation between manpower and new technology implementation. Utilizing concepts from System Dynamics Modeling (SDM), System Dynamics Causal Loop diagrams (CLD) were built to identify major factors when implementing new technology, and then stocks and flows diagrams were developed to estimate manpower cost associated with new technology implementation. The SDM base model reflected an 18 months period for technology implementation, and then compared different technology implementation for different scenarios. This model had been tested by the public data from Department of the Navy (DoN) Budget estimates. The objective of this research was to develop a SDM to estimate manpower cost and technology tradeoff analysis associated with different technology implementations. This research will assist Navy decision makers and program managers when objectively considering the impacts of technology selection on manpower and associated TOC, and will provide managers with a better understanding of hidden costs associated with new technology adoption. Recommendations were made for future study in manpower cost estimation of ship systems. In future studies, one particular type of data should be located to test the model for a specific manpower configuration.Ph.D.
Doctorate
Industrial Engineering and Management Systems
Engineering and Computer Science
Modeling and Simulation; Engineering