Production-frame Model of Representation of Data Domain

One of the most important problems of e-learning system is studied in given paper. This problem is building of data domain model. Data domain model is based on usage of correct organizing knowledge base. In this paper production-frame model is offered, which allows structuring data domain and building flexible and understandable inference system, residing in production system.

Collaborative Learning and Authoring in the Frame of e-Projects

It is presented a research on the application of a collaborative learning and authoring during all delivery phases of e-learning programmes or e-courses offered by educational institutions. The possibilities for modelling of an e-project as a specific management process based on planned, dynamically changing or accidentally arising sequences of learning activities, is discussed. New approaches for project-based and collaborative learning and authoring are presented. Special types of test questions are introduced which allow test generation and authoring based on learners’ answers accumulated in the frame of given e-course. Experiments are carried out in an e-learning environment, named BEST.

Effect of dynamical instability on timing jitter in passively mode-locked quantum-dot lasers

We study the effect of noise on the dynamics of passively mode-locked semiconductor lasers both experimentally and theoretically. A method combining analytical and numerical approaches for estimation of pulse timing jitter is proposed. We investigate how the presence of dynamical features such as wavelength bistability in a quantum-dot laser affects timing jitter.

Autumn Training School. Development and Promotion of Open Access to Scientific Information and Research (September 19–20, 2014, Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria), organized in the frame of DiPP2014

The autumn training school Development and Promotion of Open Access to Scientific Information and Research is organized in the frame of the Fourth International Conference on Digital Presentation and Preservation of Cultural and Scientific Heritage—DiPP2014 (September 18–21, 2014, Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria, http://dipp2014.math.bas.bg/), organized under the UNESCO patronage. The main organiser is the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences with the support of EU project FOSTER (http://www.fosteropenscience.eu/) and the P. R. Slaveykov Regional Public Library in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria.

Does timing of decisions in a mixed duopoly matter?

We determine the endogenous order of moves in a mixed pricesetting duopoly. In contrast to the existing literature on mixed oligopolies we establish the payo equivalence of the games with an exogenously given order of moves if the most plausible equilibrium is realized in the market. Hence, in this case it does not matter whether one becomes a leader or a follower. We also establish that replacing a private firm by a public firm in the standard Bertrand-Edgeworth game with capacity constraints increases social welfare and that a pure-strategy equilibrium always exists.

Endogenous timing of moves in an asymmetric price-setting duopoly

This paper adds to the growing literature on endogenous timing of decisions in duopolies. We show for a price-setting duopoly game with sufficiently asymmetric and strictly convex cost functions that the less efficient firm moves first while the more efficient moves second with a higher price than the less efficient firm.

Endogenous Timing of Moves in Bertrand-Edgeworth Triopolies

We determine the endogenous order of moves in which the firms set their prices in the framework of a capacity-constrained Bertrand-Edgeworth triopoly. A three-period timing game that determines the period in which the firms announce their prices precedes the price-setting stage. We show for the non-trivial case (in which the Bertrand-Edgeworth triopoly has only an equilibrium in non-degenerated mixed-strategies) that the firm with the largest capacity sets its price first, while the two other firms set their prices later. Our result extends a finding by Deneckere and Kovenock (1992) from duopolies to triopolies. This extension was made possible by Hirata's (2009) recent advancements on the mixed-strategy equilibria of Bertrand-Edgeworth games.

Earnings management using estimates and the timing of adoption of accounting standards: An empirical examination of pensions

This study investigates the relationship between adoption timing of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards 87 and earnings management after adoption. Earnings management, defined consistent with Schipper (1989), is tested through hypotheses using (1) a portfolio approach and (2) pension rates. One Hypothesis uses a Modified Jones (1991) Model as a proxy for discretionary accruals and the other uses pension rate estimates.^ Statistically significant relationships are found between adoption timing and (1) discretionary accruals and (2) estimated rate-of-return (ROR) on pension plan assets. Early adopting firms tend to have lower discretionary accruals after adoption than on-time adopters. They also tend to use higher ROR estimates which are not supported by higher actual returns. Thus, while early adopters may be using ROR to manage income, this tends to not result in higher discretionary accruals. ^

A frame analysis of the leadership styles of dental and medical school deans

The purpose of this study was to determine how dental and medical school deans perceived their own leadership styles and how many management/leadership perspectives they used when approaching a problem. A descriptive and correlational study was conducted which examined the leadership orientations or "frames" utilized by these deans. Four frames--the structural, the human resource, the political, and the symbolic--emerged from leadership studies which described the behavior of leaders in organizational actions and problem solving.^ Employing the repeated measures ANCOVA, it was found that there were no significant interactions between type of dean and perceptions or perspectives. However, the main effects of both leadership style perceptions and the use of perspectives were significant. This indicated that over the total sample of deans, both perceptions and perspectives were used differently; the deans perceived themselves and used perspectives the highest for the human resource frame and the lowest for the political frame. Also, dental deans' mean use overall of the four perspective frames was higher than the medical deans. In addition to the ANCOVA, t-tests performed on perceptions revealed that the deans perceived the frames differently in three human resource items. Pearson's correlations indicated that for the combined sample of deans, significant negative correlations existed when the human resource or symbolic frame was compared to the structural frame. All of the deans used multiple frames, allowing them to re-frame or combine frames according to the situation. ^

Prenatal augmented auditory stimulation and visual system development: Effects of timing on intersensory organization

This study investigated the effects of augmented prenatal auditory stimulation on postnatal visual responsivity and neural organization in bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus). I delivered conspecific embryonic vocalizations before, during, or after the development of a multisensory, midbrain audiovisual area, the optic tectum. Postnatal simultaneous choice tests revealed that hatchlings receiving augmented auditory stimulation during optic tectum development as embryos failed to show species-typical visual preferences for a conspecific maternal hen 72 hours after hatching. Auditory simultaneous choice tests showed no hatchlings had deficits in auditory function in any of the groups, indicating deficits were specific to visual function. ZENK protein expression confirmed differences in the amount of neural plasticity in multiple neuroanatomical regions of birds receiving stimulation during optic tecturn development, compared to unmanipulated birds. The results of these experiments support the notion that the timing of augmented prenatal auditory stimulation relative to optic tectum development can impact postnatal perceptual organization in an enduring way.^

Seismic performance of hybrid fiber reinforced polymer-concrete pier frame systems

As an alternative to transverse spiral or hoop steel reinforcement, fiber reinforced polymers (FRPs) were introduced to the construction industry in the 1980’s. The concept of concrete-filled FRP tube (CFFT) has raised great interest amongst researchers in the last decade. FRP tube can act as a pour form, protective jacket, and shear and flexural reinforcement for concrete. However, seismic performance of CFFT bridge substructure has not yet been fully investigated. Experimental work in this study included four two-column bent tests, several component tests and coupon tests. Four 1/6-scale bridge pier frames, consisting of a control reinforced concrete frame (RCF), glass FRP-concrete frame (GFF), carbon FRP-concrete frame (CFF), and hybrid glass/carbon FRP-concrete frame (HFF) were tested under reverse cyclic lateral loading with constant axial loads. Specimen GFF did not show any sign of cracking at a drift ratio as high as 15% with considerable loading capacity, whereas Specimen CFF showed that lowest ductility with similar load capacity as in Specimen GFF. FRP-concrete columns and pier cap beams were then cut from the pier frame specimens, and were tested again in three point flexure under monotonic loading with no axial load. The tests indicated that bonding between FRP and concrete and yielding of steel both affect the flexural strength and ductility of the components. The coupon tests were carried out to establish the tensile strength and elastic modulus of each FRP tube and the FRP mold for the pier cap beam in the two principle directions of loading. A nonlinear analytical model was developed to predict the load-deflection responses of the pier frames. The model was validated against test results. Subsequently, a parametric study was conducted with variables such as frame height to span ratio, steel reinforcement ratio, FRP tube thickness, axial force, and compressive strength of concrete. A typical bridge was also simulated under three different ground acceleration records and damping ratios. Based on the analytical damage index, the RCF bridge was most severely damaged, whereas the GFF bridge only suffered minor repairable damages. Damping ratio was shown to have a pronounced effect on FRP-concrete bridges, just the same as in conventional bridges. This research was part of a multi-university project, which is founded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) - Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation Research (NEESR) program.

Population viability analyses of Chamaecrista keyensis (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae), a narrowly endemic herb of the lower Florida Keys: Effects of seasonal timing of fires and the urban -wildland interface

This research first evaluated the effects of urban wildland interface on reproductive biology of the Big Pine Partridge Pea, Chamaecrista keyensis, an understory herb that is endemic to Big Pine Key, Florida. I found that C. keyensis was self-compatible, but depended on bees for seed set. Furthermore, individuals of C. keyensis in urban habitats suffered higher seed predation and therefore set fewer seeds than forest interior plants. ^ I then focused on the effects of fire at different times of the year, summer (wet) and winter (dry), on the population dynamics and population viability of C. keyensis. I found that C. keyensis population recovered faster after winter burns and early summer burns (May–June) than after late summer burns (July–September) due to better survival and seedling recruitment following former fires. Fire intensity had positive effects on reproduction of C. keyensis. In contrast, no significant fire intensity effects were found on survival, growth, and seedling recruitment. This indicated that better survival and seedling recruitment following winter and early summer burns (compared with late summer burns) were due to the reproductive phenology of the plant in relation to fires rather than differences in fire intensity. Deterministic population modeling showed that time since fire significantly affected the finite population growth rates (λ). Particularly, recently burned plots had the largest λ. In addition, effects of timing of fires on λ were most pronounced the year of burn, but not the subsequent years. The elasticity analyses suggested that maximizing survival is an effective way to minimize the reduction in finite population growth rate the year of burn. Early summer fires or dry-season fires may achieve this objective. Finally, stochastic simulations indicated that the C. keyensis population had lower extinction risk and population decline probability if burned in the winter than in the late summer. A fire frequency of approximately 7 years would create the lowest extinction probability for C. keyensis. A fire management regime including a wide range of burning seasons may be essential for the continued existence of C. keyensis and other endemic species of pine rockland on Big Pine Key. ^

Evaluating the effectiveness of signal timing optimization based on microscopic simulation evaluation

The optimization of the timing parameters of traffic signals provides for efficient operation of traffic along a signalized transportation system. Optimization tools with macroscopic simulation models have been used to determine optimal timing plans. These plans have been, in some cases, evaluated and fine tuned using microscopic simulation tools. A number of studies show inconsistencies between optimization tool results based on macroscopic simulation and the results obtained from microscopic simulation. No attempts have been made to determine the reason behind these inconsistencies. This research investigates whether adjusting the parameters of macroscopic simulation models to correspond to the calibrated microscopic simulation model parameters can reduce said inconsistencies. The adjusted parameters include platoon dispersion model parameters, saturation flow rates, and cruise speeds. The results from this work show that adjusting cruise speeds and saturation flow rates can have significant impacts on improving the optimization/macroscopic simulation results as assessed by microscopic simulation models.

Comparison of earthquake-related consequences through loss analysis of different braced frame structural systems

Il presente elaborato di tesi tratta la valutazione di differenti sistemi di controventatura, sia dal punto di vista di risposta ad un evento sismico che in termini di perdite economiche legate al danneggiamento delle varie componenti. Tra di esse è presentata anche una nuova tipologia strutturale, ideata per ridurre il comportamento “soft-story” e “weak-story”, tipico delle strutture controventate convenzionali. In questo caso, è integrata alla struttura una trave reticolare metallica, che funge da supporto verticale ed è progettata per rimanere in campo elastico. Tale sostegno garantisce una distribuzione più uniforme degli sforzi lungo l’intera altezza della struttura, anziché concentrarli in un unico piano. La ricerca tratta lo studio della fattibilità economica di questa nuova tecnologia, rispetto alle precedenti soluzioni di controventatura adottate, confrontando le perdite economiche delle diverse soluzioni, applicate ad un unico prototipo di edificio collocato a Berkeley, CA. L’analisi sismica tiene in considerazione di tre diversi livelli di intensità, riferiti a un periodo di ritorno di 50 anni, corrispondente alla vita dell’edificio: questi sono caratterizzati dalla probabilità di ricorrenza, rispettivamente del 2%, 10% e 50% ogni 50 anni. L’ambito di ricerca presentato è estremamente innovativo e di primario interesse per lo sviluppo di uno studio sulla resilienza, che può essere adattato anche in un modello di urbanizzazione futura.

Converging evidence that common timing processes underlie temporal-order and simultaneity judgments: a model-based analysis

Perception of simultaneity and temporal order is studied with simultaneity judgment (SJ) and temporal-order judgment (TOJ) tasks. In the former, observers report whether presentation of two stimuli was subjectively simultaneous; in the latter, they report which stimulus was subjectively presented first. SJ and TOJ tasks typically give discrepant results, which has prompted the view that performance is mediated by different processes in each task. We looked at these discrepancies from a model that yields psychometric functions whose parameters characterize the timing, decisional, and response processes involved in SJ and TOJ tasks. We analyzed 12 data sets from published studies in which both tasks had been used in within-subjects designs, all of which had reported differences in performance across tasks. Fitting the model jointly to data from both tasks, we tested the hypothesis that common timing processes sustain simultaneity and temporal order judgments, with differences in performance arising from task-dependent decisional and response processes. The results supported this hypothesis, also showing that model psychometric functions account for aspects of SJ and TOJ data that classical analyses overlook. Implications for research on perception of simultaneity and temporal order are discussed.