Exact Solutions of Nonlocal Pluriparabolic Problems

MSC 2010: 44A35, 44A40

Remarks on blow up time for solutions of a nonlinear diffusion system with time dependent coefficients

2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 35K55, 35K60.

Leak identification in saturated unsteady flow via a Cauchy problem

This work is an initial study of a numerical method for identifying multiple leak zones in saturated unsteady flow. Using the conventional saturated groundwater flow equation, the leak identification problem is modelled as a Cauchy problem for the heat equation and the aim is to find the regions on the boundary of the solution domain where the solution vanishes, since leak zones correspond to null pressure values. This problem is ill-posed and to reconstruct the solution in a stable way, we therefore modify and employ an iterative regularizing method proposed in [1] and [2]. In this method, mixed well-posed problems obtained by changing the boundary conditions are solved for the heat operator as well as for its adjoint, to get a sequence of approximations to the original Cauchy problem. The mixed problems are solved using a Finite element method (FEM), and the numerical results indicate that the leak zones can be identified with the proposed method.

Collaborating to achieve corporate social responsibility and sustainability? Possibilities and problems

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the possibilities and problems for collaboration in the area of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability. The paper explores the nature and concept of collaboration and its forms, and critically evaluates the potential contribution a collaborative approach between agencies might offer to these agendas. Design/methodology/approach: The paper explores different forms of research on collaboration, together with a UK Government report on collaboration, to evaluate how the issue is addressed in theory and practice. Findings: Sustainable development creates extensive challenges for a wide range of agencies, including governments, non-governmental organizations, businesses and civil society. It is unlikely, however, that solutions will be found in any one quarter. Collaboration between agencies in some form would seem a logical step in supporting measures towards a more responsible and environmentally sustainable global economy. Originality/value: The paper offers new insights into developing a research and praxis agenda for collaborative possibilities towards the advancement of CSR and sustainability. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

The Shapley value for shortest path games

In this paper shortest path games are considered. The transportation of a good in a network has costs and benet too. The problem is to divide the prot of the transportation among the players. Fragnelli et al (2000) introduce the class of shortest path games, which coincides with the class of monotone games. They also give a characterization of the Shapley value on this class of games. In this paper we consider further four characterizations of the Shapley value (Shapley (1953)'s, Young (1985)'s, Chun (1989)'s, and van den Brink (2001)'s axiomatizations), and conclude that all the mentioned axiomatizations are valid for shortest path games. Fragnelli et al (2000)'s axioms are based on the graph behind the problem, in this paper we do not consider graph specic axioms, we take TU axioms only, that is, we consider all shortest path problems and we take the view of abstract decision maker who focuses rather on the abstract problem than on the concrete situations.

The Shapley value for airport and irrigation games

In this paper cost sharing problems are considered. We focus on problems given by rooted trees, we call these problems cost-tree problems, and on the induced transferable utility cooperative games, called irrigation games. A formal notion of irrigation games is introduced, and the characterization of the class of these games is provided. The well-known class of airport games Littlechild and Thompson (1977) is a subclass of irrigation games. The Shapley value Shapley (1953) is probably the most popular solution concept for transferable utility cooperative games. Dubey (1982) and Moulin and Shenker (1992) show respectively, that Shapley's Shapley (1953) and Young (1985)'s axiomatizations of the Shapley value are valid on the class of airport games. In this paper we show that Dubey (1982)'s and Moulin and Shenker (1992)'s results can be proved by applying Shapley (1953)'s and Young (1985)'s proofs, that is those results are direct consequences of Shapley (1953)'s and Young (1985)'s results. Furthermore, we extend Dubey (1982)'s and Moulin and Shenker (1992)'s results to the class of irrigation games, that is we provide two characterizations of the Shapley value for cost sharing problems given by rooted trees. We also note that for irrigation games the Shapley value is always stable, that is it is always in the core Gillies (1959).

The Shapley value for shortest path games

In this paper shortest path games are considered. The transportation of a good in a network has costs and benet too. The problem is to divide the prot of the transportation among the players. Fragnelli et al (2000) introduce the class of shortest path games, which coincides with the class of monotone games. They also give a characterization of the Shapley value on this class of games. In this paper we consider further four characterizations of the Shapley value (Shapley (1953)'s, Young (1985)'s, Chun (1989)'s, and van den Brink (2001)'s axiomatizations), and conclude that all the mentioned axiomatizations are valid for shortest path games. Fragnelli et al (2000)'s axioms are based on the graph behind the problem, in this paper we do not consider graph specic axioms, we take TU axioms only, that is, we consider all shortest path problems and we take the view of abstract decision maker who focuses rather on the abstract problem than on the concrete situations.

Agency theory problems behind the fall of shopping centers

The present article assesses agency theory related problems contributing to the fall of shopping centers. The negative effects of the financial and economic downturn started in 2008 were accentuated in emerging markets like Romania. Several shopping centers were closed or sold through bankruptcy proceedings or forced execution. These failed shopping centers, 10 in number, were selected in order to assess agency theory problems contributing to the failure of shopping centers; as research method qualitative multiple cases-studies is used. Results suggest, that in all of the cases the risk adverse behavior of the External Investor- Principal, lead to risk sharing problems and subsequently to the fall of the shopping centers. In some of the cases Moral Hazard (lack of Developer-Agent’s know-how and experience) as well as Adverse Selection problems could be identified. The novelty of the topic for the shopping center industry and the empirical evidences confer a significant academic and practical value to the present article.

Martingálmértékek és a várható diszkontált jelenérték szabály (Martingale measures and the law of the discounted present value)

A dolgozatban a legegyszerűbb kérdést feszegetjük: Hogyan kell az árakat meghatározni véletlen jövőbeli kifizetések esetén. A tárgyalás némiképpen absztrakt, de a funkcionálanalízis néhány közismert tételén kívül semmilyen más mélyebb matematikai területre nem kell hivatkozni. A dolgozat kérdése, hogy miként indokolható a várható jelenérték szabálya, vagyis hogy minden jövőbeli kifizetés jelen időpontban érvényes ára a jövőbeli kifizetés diszkontált várható értéke. A dologban az egyetlen csavar az, hogy a várható értékhez tartozó valószínűségi mértékről nem tudunk semmit. Csak annyit tudunk, hogy létezik a matematikai pénzügyek legtöbbet hivatkozott fogalma, a misztikus Q mérték. A dolgozat megírásának legfontosabb indoka az volt, hogy megpróbáltam kiiktatni a megengedett portfólió fogalmát a származtatott termékek árazásának elméletéből. Miként közismert, a származtatott termékek árazásának elmélete a fedezés fogalmára épül. (...) ____ In the article the author discusses some problems of the existence of the martingale measure. In continuous time models one should restrict the set of self financing portfolios and introduce the concept of the admissible portfolios. But to define the admissible portfolios one should either define them under the martingale measure or to turn the set of admissible portfolios to a cone which makes the interpretation of the pricing formula difficult.

A framework for automatic feature extraction from airborne light detection and ranging data

Recent advances in airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) technology allow rapid and inexpensive measurements of topography over large areas. Airborne LIDAR systems usually return a 3-dimensional cloud of point measurements from reflective objects scanned by the laser beneath the flight path. This technology is becoming a primary method for extracting information of different kinds of geometrical objects, such as high-resolution digital terrain models (DTMs), buildings and trees, etc. In the past decade, LIDAR gets more and more interest from researchers in the field of remote sensing and GIS. Compared to the traditional data sources, such as aerial photography and satellite images, LIDAR measurements are not influenced by sun shadow and relief displacement. However, voluminous data pose a new challenge for automated extraction the geometrical information from LIDAR measurements because many raster image processing techniques cannot be directly applied to irregularly spaced LIDAR points. ^ In this dissertation, a framework is proposed to filter out information about different kinds of geometrical objects, such as terrain and buildings from LIDAR automatically. They are essential to numerous applications such as flood modeling, landslide prediction and hurricane animation. The framework consists of several intuitive algorithms. Firstly, a progressive morphological filter was developed to detect non-ground LIDAR measurements. By gradually increasing the window size and elevation difference threshold of the filter, the measurements of vehicles, vegetation, and buildings are removed, while ground data are preserved. Then, building measurements are identified from no-ground measurements using a region growing algorithm based on the plane-fitting technique. Raw footprints for segmented building measurements are derived by connecting boundary points and are further simplified and adjusted by several proposed operations to remove noise, which is caused by irregularly spaced LIDAR measurements. To reconstruct 3D building models, the raw 2D topology of each building is first extracted and then further adjusted. Since the adjusting operations for simple building models do not work well on 2D topology, 2D snake algorithm is proposed to adjust 2D topology. The 2D snake algorithm consists of newly defined energy functions for topology adjusting and a linear algorithm to find the minimal energy value of 2D snake problems. Data sets from urbanized areas including large institutional, commercial, and small residential buildings were employed to test the proposed framework. The results demonstrated that the proposed framework achieves a very good performance. ^

Ethics, Value Systems And The Professionalization Of Hoteliers

In the discussion - Ethics, Value Systems And The Professionalization Of Hoteliers by K. Michael Haywood, Associate Professor, School of Hotel and Food Administration, University of Guelph, Haywood initially presents: “Hoteliers and executives in other service industries should realize that the foundation of success in their businesses is based upon personal and corporate value systems and steady commitment to excellence. The author illustrates how ethical issues and manager morality are linked to, and shaped by the values of executives and the organization, and how improved professionalism can only be achieved through the adoption of a value system that rewards contributions rather than the mere attainment of results.” The bottom line of this discussion is, how does the hotel industry reconcile its behavior with that of public perception? “The time has come for hoteliers to examine their own standards of ethics, value systems, and professionalism,” Haywood says. And it is ethics that are at the center of this issue; Haywood holds that component in an estimable position. “Hoteliers must become value-driven,” advises Haywood. “They must be committed to excellence both in actualizing their best potentialities and in excelling in all they do. In other words, the professionalization of the hotelier can be achieved through a high degree of self-control, internalized values, codes of ethics, and related socialization processes,” he expands. “Serious ethical issues exist for hoteliers as well as for many business people and professionals in positions of responsibility,” Haywood alludes in defining some inter-industry problems. “The acceptance of kickbacks and gifts from suppliers, the hiding of income from taxation authorities, the lack of interest in installing and maintaining proper safety and security systems, and the raiding of competitors' staffs are common practices,” he offers, with the reasoning that if these problems can occur within ranks, then there is going to be a negative backlash in the public/client arena as well. Haywood divides the key principles of his thesis statement - ethics, value systems, and professionalism – into specific elements, and then continues to broaden the scope of each element. Promotion, product/service, and pricing are additional key components in Haywood’s discussion, and he addresses each with verve and vitality. Haywood references the four character types - craftsmen, jungle fighters, company men, and gamesmen – via a citation to Michael Maccoby, in the portion of the discussion dedicated to morality and success. Haywood closes with a series of questions derived from Lawrence Miller's American Spirit, Visions of a New Corporate Culture, each question designed to focus, shape, and organize management's attention to the values that Miller sets forth in his piece.

Workplace Discrimination Climate and Team Effectiveness: The Mediating Role of Collective Value Congruence, Team Cohesion, and Collective Affective Commitment

This study explored the relationship between workplace discrimination climate on team effectiveness through three serial mediators: collective value congruence, team cohesion, and collective affective commitment. As more individuals of marginalized groups diversify the workforce and as more organizations move toward team-based work (Cannon-Bowers & Bowers, 2010), it is imperative to understand how employees perceive their organization’s discriminatory climate as well as its effect on teams. An archival dataset consisting of 6,824 respondents was used, resulting in 332 work teams with five or more members in each. The data were collected as part of an employee climate survey administered in 2011 throughout the United States’ Department of Defense. The results revealed that the indirect effect through M1 (collective value congruence) and M2 (team cohesion) best accounted for the relationship between workplace discrimination climate (X) and team effectiveness (Y). Meaning, on average, teams that reported a greater climate for workplace discrimination also reported less collective value congruence with their organization (a1 = -1.07, p < .001). With less shared perceptions of value congruence, there is less team cohesion (d21 = .45, p < .001), and with less team cohesion there is less team effectiveness (b2 = .57, p < .001). In addition, because of theoretical overlap, this study makes the case for studying workplace discrimination under the broader construct of workplace aggression within the I/O psychology literature. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis found that workplace discrimination based on five types of marginalized groups: race/ethnicity, gender, religion, age, and disability was best explained by a three-factor model, including: career obstruction based on age and disability bias (CO), verbal aggression based on multiple types of bias (VA), and differential treatment based on racial/ethnic bias (DT). There was initial support to claim that workplace discrimination items covary not only based on type, but also based on form (i.e., nonviolent aggressive behaviors). Therefore, the form of workplace discrimination is just as important as the type when studying climate perceptions and team-level effects. Theoretical and organizational implications are also discussed.

A docência na educação superior: narrativas das diferenças políticas de sujeitos surdos

Deaf teachers presence at superior education triggers a series of reactions due to cultural differences. They feel the discomfort. The cultural difference defies the established power relations. From that emerge the trading spaces with their constant shocks about problems that affect the deaf teacher participation. The thesis goes through practice, resistance, resilience and political thinking of the deaf teacher at the Superior Education. Authors like: Foucault (2004), Hall (2009), Bhabha (1998), Touraine (2009) and Veiga-Netto (2010) underlie the concept of power relations that permeate this study. Perlin (2003); Ladd (2002) subsidize with the cultural focus. The investigation came from the question: How deaf teachers make their political stands in power relations established to the construction of their narratives at Superior Education? It had the goal of identify and chart the deaf teachers narratives at Superior Education. Leaving from the interview-narrative qualitative approach it was constituted a corpus with the collected narratives. These narratives were identified in order to achieve a thematic map express in the last chapter where the constant facts of the trading spaces of Superior Education shocks unfolds. The results point to an infinity of debates. The deaf teachers do not only present initial conditions of distress, doubt and difficulty at Superior Education, but also the disposition to discuss more the everyday power chains, waged by trading spaces. The identification of the narratives was vitally important to confirm the value of cultural and linguistic recognition as strategy for new politics to the structural power relations at the university context.

A value-oriented model for managing service supply chains

Service supply chain (SSC) has attracted more and more attention from academia and industry. Although there exists extensive product-based supply chain management models and methods, they are not applicable to the SSC as the differences between service and product. Besides, the existing supply chain management models and methods possess some common deficiencies. Because of the above reasons, this paper develops a novel value-oriented model for the management of SSC using the modeling methods of E3-value and Use Case Maps (UCMs). This model can not only resolve the problems of applicability and effectiveness of the existing supply chain management models and methods, but also answer the questions of ‘why the management model is this?’ and ‘how to quantify the potential profitability of the supply chains?’. Meanwhile, the service business processes of SSC system can be established using its logic procedure. In addition, the model can also determine the value and benefits distribution of the entire service value chain and optimize the operations management performance of the service supply.