Experimental investigation of performance, emission and combustion characteristics of an indirect injection multi-cylinder CI engine fuelled by blends of de-inking sludge pyrolysis oil with biodiesel

De-inking sludge can be converted into useful forms of energy to provide economic and environmental benefits. In this study, pyrolysis oil produced from de-inking sludge through an intermediate pyrolysis technique was blended with biodiesel derived from waste cooking oil, and tested in a multi-cylinder indirect injection type CI engine. The physical and chemical properties of pyrolysis oil and its blends (20 and 30 vol.%) were measured and compared with those of fossil diesel and pure biodiesel (B100). Full engine power was achieved with both blends, and very little difference in engine performance and emission results were observed between 20% and 30% blends. At full engine load, the brake specific fuel consumption on a volume basis was around 6% higher for the blends when compared to fossil diesel. The brake thermal efficiencies were about 3-6% lower than biodiesel and were similar to fossil diesel. Exhaust gas emissions of the blends contained 4% higher CO2 and 6-12% lower NOx, as compared to fossil diesel. At full load, CO emissions of the blends were decreased by 5-10 times. The cylinder gas pressure diagram showed stable engine operation with the 20% blend, but indicated minor knocking with 30% blend. Peak cylinder pressure of the 30% blend was about 5-6% higher compared to fossil diesel. At full load, the peak burn rate of combustion from the 30% blend was about 26% and 12% higher than fossil diesel and biodiesel respectively. In comparison to fossil diesel the combustion duration was decreased for both blends; for 30% blend at full load, the duration was almost 12% lower. The study concludes that up to 20% blend of de-inking sludge pyrolysis oil with biodiesel can be used in an indirect injection CI engine without adding any ignition additives or surfactants.

Developing and leveraging human capital resource to promote service quality:testing a theory of performance

Grounded in Vroom’s motivational framework of performance, we examine the interactive influence of collective human capital (ability) and aggregated service orientation (motivation) on the cross-level relationship between high-performance work systems (HPWS) and individual-level service quality. Results of hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) revealed that HPWS related to collective human capital and aggregated service orientation, which in turn related to individual-level service quality. Furthermore, both HLM and ordinary least squares regression analyses revealed a cross-level interaction effect of collective human capital and aggregated service orientation such that high levels of collective human capital and aggregated service orientation influence individual-level service quality.

Fuzzy assessment of performance of a decision making units using DEA:a non-radical approach

Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is recognized as a modern approach to the assessment of performance of a set of homogeneous Decision Making Units (DMUs) that use similar sources to produce similar outputs. While DEA commonly is used with precise data, recently several approaches are introduced for evaluating DMUs with uncertain data. In the existing approaches many information on uncertainties are lost. For example in the defuzzification, the a-level and fuzzy ranking approaches are not considered. In the tolerance approach the inequality or equality signs are fuzzified but the fuzzy coefficients (inputs and outputs) are not treated directly. The purpose of this paper is to develop a new model to evaluate DMUs under uncertainty using Fuzzy DEA and to include a-level to the model under fuzzy environment. An example is given to illustrate this method in details.

Determinants of B2B e-commerce adoption in Saudi Arabian firms

Business-to-business (B2B) electronic commerce (e-commerce) has become an increasingly important initiative among organisations. The factors affecting the adoption decisions have been well-documented but there is a paucity of empirical studies that examine the adoption of e-commerce in developing economies in the Arab world. The aim of our study is to provide insights into the salient e-commerce adoption issues by focusing on Saudi Arabian businesses. We developed a conceptual model for B2B e-commerce adoption incorporating six factors. Survey data from 450 businesses were used to test the model and hypotheses. The analysis demonstrates that, (1) when e-commerce preliminary adoption is investigated, organizational IT readiness, management support and regulatory environment emerge as the strongest factor, (2) pressure from customers may not have much effect on the preliminary adoption of e-commerce by companies, but does significantly influence on the utilisation of e-commerce by firms, and (3) Saudi Arabia has a strong ICT infrastructure for supporting e-commerce practices. Taken together, these findings on the multi-dimensionality of e-commerce adoption show that preliminary adoption and utilisation of ecommerce are not only different measures of ecommerce adoption, but also have different determinants. The implications of the findings are discussed and suggestions for future inquiry are presented.

Derivation of marginal effects of determinants of technical inefficiency

In efficiency studies using the stochastic frontier approach, the main focus is to explain inefficiency in terms of some exogenous variables and computation of marginal effects of each of these determinants. Although inefficiency is estimated by its mean conditional on the composed error term (the Jondrow et al., 1982 estimator), the marginal effects are computed from the unconditional mean of inefficiency (Wang, 2002). In this paper we derive the marginal effects based on the Jondrow et al. estimator and use the bootstrap method to compute confidence intervals of the marginal effects.

The significance of performance appraisal in improving managerial affectiveness

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Determinants of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 escape from the primary CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocyte response

CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) play an important role in containment of virus replication in primary human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. HIV's ability to mutate to escape from CTL pressure is increasingly recognized; but comprehensive studies of escape from the CD8 T cell response in primary HIV infection are currently lacking. Here, we have fully characterized the primary CTL response to autologous virus Env, Gag, and Tat proteins in three patients, and investigated the extent, kinetics, and mechanisms of viral escape from epitope-specific components of the response. In all three individuals, we observed variation beginning within weeks of infection at epitope-containing sites in the viral quasispecies, which conferred escape by mechanisms including altered peptide presentation/recognition and altered antigen processing. The number of epitope-containing regions exhibiting evidence of early CTL escape ranged from 1 out of 21 in a subject who controlled viral replication effectively to 5 out of 7 in a subject who did not. Evaluation of the extent and kinetics of HIV-1 escape from >40 different epitope-specific CD8 T cell responses enabled analysis of factors determining escape and suggested that escape is restricted by costs to intrinsic viral fitness and by broad, codominant distribution of CTL-mediated pressure on viral replication.

An examination of the determinants of entrepreneurship at the regional level:the case of East Midlands region

Despite the importance of new firms to the economy, determinants of start-ups have mainly been examined at a country level and discussion of regional entrepreneurial activity has received less attention. Since there are significant variations in entrepreneurship rates across and within countries, such an investigation at a regional level would help in gaining an in depth understanding of the impact of the individual level resource endowments and neighbourhood characteristics on an individual’s decision to engage in entrepreneurial activity. The main aim of the thesis is to explore various theories of entrepreneurship and develop integrated frameworks for examining the determinants of entrepreneurial activity at a neighbourhood level in the East Midlands region in England. The specific objectives of the thesis are to examine how the individual level resources and the neighbourhood characteristics: (i) combine to influence an individual to engage in the different stages of the entrepreneurial process, (ii) influence natives and migrants to engage in start up activity and (iii) influence women and men to become self-employed and ambitious entrepreneurs. In terms of the methodology, the empirical analysis is based on two databases combined: 2006 to 2009 GEM East Midlands region and the English Index of Multiple Deprivation dataset. Based on the critical review of the literature on entrepreneurship the thesis develop theoretical frameworks which led to formulate hypotheses related to the differentiated impact of both individual and neighbourhood level factors on the propensity of an individual to be involved in entrepreneurial activity. The findings indicate that the determinants of entrepreneurial activity vary with human, financial and the local environment factors affecting the entrepreneurial process. Finally, the thesis calls for caution when developing and applying generic and specific policy measures aimed at promoting entry into entrepreneurship.

Political leadership and the politics of performance:France, Syria and the chemical weapons crisis of 2013

This article draws upon developments in UK research on political rhetoric and political performance in order to examine the incident in 2013 when French President François Hollande committed French forces to a US-led punitive strike against Syria, after the use of chemical weapons in a Damascus suburb on 21 August. The US-led retaliation did not take place. This article analyses Hollande's declaration on 27 July and his TV appearance on 15 September. His rhetoric and style are best understood as generic to the nature of the presidential office of the Fifth Republic. The article concludes by appraising how analysis of the French case contributes to the developing literature on rhetoric, celebrity and performance.

Determinants of civil society influence:the case of international development and humanitarian NGOs in the Czech Republic and Hungary

Accession to the EU has had ambiguous effects on civil society organizations (CSOs) in the East Central European countries. A general observation is that accession has not led to the systematic empowerment of CSOs in terms of growing influence on national policy making. This article investigates the determinants of successful CSO advocacy by looking at international development and humanitarian NGOs (NGDOs) in the Czech Republic and Hungary. Reforms in the past decade in the Czech Republic have created an international development policy largely in line with NGDO interests, while Hungary’s ministry of foreign affairs seems to have been unresponsive to reform demands from civil society. The article argues that there is clear evidence of NGDO influence in the Czech Republic on international development policy, which is because of the fact that Czech NGDOs have been able solve problems of collective actions, while the Hungarian NGDO sector remains fragmented. They also have relatively stronger capacities, can rely on greater public support and can thus present more legitimate demands towards their government.

Analysis and improvement of performance in LCL filter-based PWM rectifier/inverter application using hybrid damping approach

A hybrid passive-active damping solution with improved system stability margin and enhanced dynamic performance is proposed for high power grid interactive converters. In grid connected active rectifier/inverter application, line side LCL filter improves the high frequency attenuation and makes the converter compatible with the stringent grid power quality regulations. Passive damping though offers a simple and reliable solution but it reduces overall converter efficiency. Active damping solutions do not increase the system losses but can guarantee the stable operation up to a certain speed of dynamic response which is limited by the maximum bandwidth of the current controller. This paper examines this limit and introduces a concept of hybrid passive-active damping solution with improved stability margin and high dynamic performance for line side LCL filter based active rectifier/inverter applications. A detailed design, analysis of the hybrid approach and trade-off between system losses and dynamic performance in grid connected applications are reported. Simulation and experimental results from a 10 kVA prototype demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed solution. An analytical study on system stability and dynamic response with the variations of various controller and passive filter parameters is presented.

Semantic representation for comparison of performance measurement indicators

Indicators are widely used by organizations as a way of evaluating, measuring and classifying organizational performance. As part of performance evaluation systems, indicators are often shared or compared across internal sectors or with other organizations. However, indicators can be vague and imprecise, and also can lack semantics, making comparisons with other indicators difficult. Thus, this paper presents a knowledge model based on an ontology that may be used to represent indicators semantically and generically, dealing with the imprecision and vagueness, and thus facilitating better comparison. Semantic technologies are shown to be suitable for this solution, so that it could be able to represent complex data involved in indicators comparison.

The determinants of tax haven FDI

This paper examines the determinants of a multinational enterprise’s (MNEs) decision to set up tax haven subsidiaries. We adapt the Firm-specific advantage–Country-specific advantage (FSA–CSA) framework and construct a number of empirically testable hypotheses. The analysis is based on a database covering 14,209 MNEs in twelve OECD countries. We find that the variety of capitalism of a MNEs home location and the level of technological intensity has a strong impact on this decision. We also find that the home country corporate tax rate has a minimal impact. This suggests that corporate tax liberalisation is unlikely to deter MNEs from undertaking this activity.