Management of public water supply to reduce energy cost and improve wind power uptake

This paper presents a study on the implementation of Real-Time Pricing (RTP) based Demand Side Management (DSM) of water pumping at a clean water pumping station in Northern Ireland, with the intention of minimising electricity costs and maximising the usage of electricity from wind generation. A Genetic Algorithm (GA) was used to create pumping schedules based on system constraints and electricity tariff scenarios. Implementation of this method would allow the water network operator to make significant savings on electricity costs while also helping to mitigate the variability of wind generation.

Project Pró-Natal: population-based study of perinatal and infant mortality in Natal, Northeast Brazil

RAMOS, Ana Maria de Oliveira et al. Project Pró-Natal: population-based study of perinatal and infant mortality in Natal, Northeast Brazil. Pediatric and Developmental Pathology, v.3, n.1, p.29-35, 2000

The economic impact of sports mega-events : The case study of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championship Falun 2015

Since the second half of 1990s, the economic impact of sports mega-events concerned the researchers, the public and the professionals. The investment of public funds and the effects on several sectors of the economy motivate the economic impact studies. The economic impact of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championship Falun 2015 to the region of Dalarna is the topic of this thesis. This requires the calculation of direct, indirect and induced economic impact. Within the analysis, data from a questionnaire survey conducted on seven different days during the event are used. The final sample of the analysis contains 893 observations. The segmentation approach was applied for the calculations and the visitors were classified regarding their choice of accommodation. The regional economic impact is calculated at 321 M SEK and the employment effect on the tourism sector is estimated. However, the lack of information limits the study. The analysis could be extended with an accurate investigation of certain issues. Further, the impact of the event should be estimated from all the perspectives. The organization of sports mega-events creates tangible and intangible effects to the host-city. The thesis reviews literature on the economic impact studies of sports mega-events. The results of the study can be used for a comprehensive analysis of the case study. Further, the professionals of the tourism and the event could be benefited.

Innovation in the Local Context – A Case Study of BYD in China

In this paper we have used the case of BYD to examine firm innovation in the China context. From a historical perspective, with its strategic diversification from battery to mobile phone manufacturing to automobile manufacturing, we find that BYD has been innovative in its production method, vertical integration strategy, and design of product for local customers. The effective understanding and leveraging of local contextual factors including supply of labor (especially low cost-highly skilled labor), growing middle class, and local industry environments have played important roles for BYD’s innovation in China.

A Study of Implicit Leadership Theories Among Business & Management Undergraduate Students

This qualitative study explores the subjective experience of being led by investigating the impact of their Implicit Leadership Theories (ILTs) on followers’ cognitive processes, affective responses and behavioural intentions towards leadership-claimants. The study explores how such responses influence the quality of hierarchical work-place relationships using a framework based on Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory. The research uses focus groups to elicit descriptions of ILTs held by forty final year undergraduate Business and Management students. The data was then analysed using an abductive process permitting an interpretative understanding of the meanings participants attach to their past experiences and future expectations. This research addresses a perceived gap by making a theoretical contribution to knowledge and understanding in this field, focusing on how emotional responses affect their behaviour, how this impacts on organisational outcomes, and what the implications are for HRD practitioners. The findings support previous research into the content and structure of ILTs but extend these by examining the impact of affect on workplace behaviour. Findings demonstrate that where follower ILT needs are met then positive outcomes ensued for participants, their superiors, and their organisations. Conversely, where follower ILT needs are not matched, various negative effects emerged ranging from poor performance and impaired well-being, to withdrawal behaviour and outright rebellion. The research findings suggest dynamic reciprocal links amongst outcomes, behaviours, and LMX, and demonstrate an alignment of cognitive, emotional and behavioural responses that correspond to either high-LMX or low-LMX relationships, with major impacts on job satisfaction, commitment and well-being. Copyright

Modelling and estimating models of physician labour supply and productivity

Ma thèse s’intéresse aux politiques de santé conçues pour encourager l’offre de services de santé. L’accessibilité aux services de santé est un problème majeur qui mine le système de santé de la plupart des pays industrialisés. Au Québec, le temps médian d’attente entre une recommandation du médecin généraliste et un rendez-vous avec un médecin spécialiste était de 7,3 semaines en 2012, contre 2,9 semaines en 1993, et ceci malgré l’augmentation du nombre de médecins sur cette même période. Pour les décideurs politiques observant l’augmentation du temps d’attente pour des soins de santé, il est important de comprendre la structure de l’offre de travail des médecins et comment celle-ci affecte l’offre des services de santé. Dans ce contexte, je considère deux principales politiques. En premier lieu, j’estime comment les médecins réagissent aux incitatifs monétaires et j’utilise les paramètres estimés pour examiner comment les politiques de compensation peuvent être utilisées pour déterminer l’offre de services de santé de court terme. En second lieu, j’examine comment la productivité des médecins est affectée par leur expérience, à travers le mécanisme du "learning-by-doing", et j’utilise les paramètres estimés pour trouver le nombre de médecins inexpérimentés que l’on doit recruter pour remplacer un médecin expérimenté qui va à la retraite afin de garder l’offre des services de santé constant. Ma thèse développe et applique des méthodes économique et statistique afin de mesurer la réaction des médecins face aux incitatifs monétaires et estimer leur profil de productivité (en mesurant la variation de la productivité des médecins tout le long de leur carrière) en utilisant à la fois des données de panel sur les médecins québécois, provenant d’enquêtes et de l’administration. Les données contiennent des informations sur l’offre de travail de chaque médecin, les différents types de services offerts ainsi que leurs prix. Ces données couvrent une période pendant laquelle le gouvernement du Québec a changé les prix relatifs des services de santé. J’ai utilisé une approche basée sur la modélisation pour développer et estimer un modèle structurel d’offre de travail en permettant au médecin d’être multitâche. Dans mon modèle les médecins choisissent le nombre d’heures travaillées ainsi que l’allocation de ces heures à travers les différents services offerts, de plus les prix des services leurs sont imposés par le gouvernement. Le modèle génère une équation de revenu qui dépend des heures travaillées et d’un indice de prix représentant le rendement marginal des heures travaillées lorsque celles-ci sont allouées de façon optimale à travers les différents services. L’indice de prix dépend des prix des services offerts et des paramètres de la technologie de production des services qui déterminent comment les médecins réagissent aux changements des prix relatifs. J’ai appliqué le modèle aux données de panel sur la rémunération des médecins au Québec fusionnées à celles sur l’utilisation du temps de ces mêmes médecins. J’utilise le modèle pour examiner deux dimensions de l’offre des services de santé. En premierlieu, j’analyse l’utilisation des incitatifs monétaires pour amener les médecins à modifier leur production des différents services. Bien que les études antérieures ont souvent cherché à comparer le comportement des médecins à travers les différents systèmes de compensation,il y a relativement peu d’informations sur comment les médecins réagissent aux changementsdes prix des services de santé. Des débats actuels dans les milieux de politiques de santé au Canada se sont intéressés à l’importance des effets de revenu dans la détermination de la réponse des médecins face à l’augmentation des prix des services de santé. Mon travail contribue à alimenter ce débat en identifiant et en estimant les effets de substitution et de revenu résultant des changements des prix relatifs des services de santé. En second lieu, j’analyse comment l’expérience affecte la productivité des médecins. Cela a une importante implication sur le recrutement des médecins afin de satisfaire la demande croissante due à une population vieillissante, en particulier lorsque les médecins les plus expérimentés (les plus productifs) vont à la retraite. Dans le premier essai, j’ai estimé la fonction de revenu conditionnellement aux heures travaillées, en utilisant la méthode des variables instrumentales afin de contrôler pour une éventuelle endogeneité des heures travaillées. Comme instruments j’ai utilisé les variables indicatrices des âges des médecins, le taux marginal de taxation, le rendement sur le marché boursier, le carré et le cube de ce rendement. Je montre que cela donne la borne inférieure de l’élasticité-prix direct, permettant ainsi de tester si les médecins réagissent aux incitatifs monétaires. Les résultats montrent que les bornes inférieures des élasticités-prix de l’offre de services sont significativement positives, suggérant que les médecins répondent aux incitatifs. Un changement des prix relatifs conduit les médecins à allouer plus d’heures de travail au service dont le prix a augmenté. Dans le deuxième essai, j’estime le modèle en entier, de façon inconditionnelle aux heures travaillées, en analysant les variations des heures travaillées par les médecins, le volume des services offerts et le revenu des médecins. Pour ce faire, j’ai utilisé l’estimateur de la méthode des moments simulés. Les résultats montrent que les élasticités-prix direct de substitution sont élevées et significativement positives, représentant une tendance des médecins à accroitre le volume du service dont le prix a connu la plus forte augmentation. Les élasticitésprix croisées de substitution sont également élevées mais négatives. Par ailleurs, il existe un effet de revenu associé à l’augmentation des tarifs. J’ai utilisé les paramètres estimés du modèle structurel pour simuler une hausse générale de prix des services de 32%. Les résultats montrent que les médecins devraient réduire le nombre total d’heures travaillées (élasticité moyenne de -0,02) ainsi que les heures cliniques travaillées (élasticité moyenne de -0.07). Ils devraient aussi réduire le volume de services offerts (élasticité moyenne de -0.05). Troisièmement, j’ai exploité le lien naturel existant entre le revenu d’un médecin payé à l’acte et sa productivité afin d’établir le profil de productivité des médecins. Pour ce faire, j’ai modifié la spécification du modèle pour prendre en compte la relation entre la productivité d’un médecin et son expérience. J’estime l’équation de revenu en utilisant des données de panel asymétrique et en corrigeant le caractère non-aléatoire des observations manquantes à l’aide d’un modèle de sélection. Les résultats suggèrent que le profil de productivité est une fonction croissante et concave de l’expérience. Par ailleurs, ce profil est robuste à l’utilisation de l’expérience effective (la quantité de service produit) comme variable de contrôle et aussi à la suppression d’hypothèse paramétrique. De plus, si l’expérience du médecin augmente d’une année, il augmente la production de services de 1003 dollar CAN. J’ai utilisé les paramètres estimés du modèle pour calculer le ratio de remplacement : le nombre de médecins inexpérimentés qu’il faut pour remplacer un médecin expérimenté. Ce ratio de remplacement est de 1,2.

Good year, bad year: changing strategies, changing networks? A two-year study on seed acquisition in northern Cameroon

Analysis of seed exchange networks at a single point in time may reify sporadic relations into apparently fixed and long-lasting ones. In northern Cameroon, where environment is not only strongly seasonal but also shows unpredictable interannual variation, farmers’ social networks are flexible from year to year. When adjusting their strategies, Tupuri farmers do not systematically solicit the same partners to acquire the desired propagules. Seed acquisitions documented during a single cropping season may thus not accurately reflect the underlying larger social network that can be mobilized at the local level. To test this hypothesis, we documented, at the outset of two cropping seasons (2010 and 2011), the relationships through which seeds were acquired by the members of 16 households in a Tupuri community. In 2011, farmers faced sudden failure of the rains and had to solicit distant relatives, highlighting their ability to quickly trigger specific social relations to acquire necessary seeding material. Observing the same set of individuals during two successive years and the seed sources they solicited in each year enabled us to discriminate repeated relations from sporadic ones. Although farmers did not acquire seeds from the same individuals from one year to the next, they relied on quite similar relational categories of people. However, the worse weather conditions during the second year led to (1) a shift from red sorghum seeds to pearl millet seeds, (2) a geographical extension of the network, and (3) an increased participation of women in seed acquisitions. In critical situations, women mobilized their own kin almost exclusively. We suggest that studying the seed acquisition network over a single year provides a misrepresentation of the underlying social network. Depending on the difficulties farmers face, they may occasionally call on relationships that transcend the local relationships used each year.

New statin use and left ventricular structure: estimating long-term associations in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-08

The Development of Educational Materials for the Study of Architecture using Computer Game Technology

Computer game technology provides us with the tools to create web-based educational materials for autonomous and collaborative learning. At Worcester, we have researched the use of this technology in various educational contexts. This paper reports one such study; the use of the commercial game engine “Unreal Tournament 2004” (UT2004) to produce materials suitable for education of Architects. We map the concepts and principles of Architectural Design onto the affordances (development tools) provided by UT2004, leading to a systematic procedure for the realization of buildings and urban environments using this game engine. A theory for the production of web-based learning materials which supports both autonomous and collaborative learning is developed. A heuristic evaluation of our materials, used with second-year students is presented. Associated web-pages provide on-line materials for delegates.

Longitudinal Incidence Study of Clinically-Relevant HPV and Vaccine-Type HPV in Young Online Female Daters

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-08

Towards Empowerment: Narrative Study of Counselling Psychology Trainees and How They Make Sense of Their Personal and Professional Development in the Context of Their Past Experiences

The discipline of counselling psychology continues to grow and change in response to social, economic and political pressures. It has been argued that its quest for a coherent and distinct identity, which emphasises the possibility of the coexistence of multiple approaches, creates an inherently uncertain and dilemmatic training environment that may hinder the development of trainees’ professional identities. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the issue at hand, the aim was to explore how final year trainees and newly qualified counselling psychologists constructed and made sense of their emerging professional identities and what experiences, past and present, they drew upon in the context of their training to shape those identities. Applying narrative inquiry to analyse eight open-ended interviews, eight preliminary themes were originally identified in participants’ narratives, which with further refinements lead to stories of struggle and marginalisation, growth and discovery, and power and resilience. Participants’ stories of struggle and marginalisation emerged in reference to early family dynamics and stressful life experiences, which seemed to also foster a strong identification with the counselling psychology profession, while stories of growth and discovery focused on the importance of having supportive figures, who helped to instill a sense of security and create an atmosphere of openness. It was in this learning environment that participants felt it was possible to develop a more resilient, empowered professional self, which allowed them to shed an earlier sense of struggle and vulnerability. However, where more of an emphasis was placed on power and resilience, there seemed to be less room for participants to express other feelings that came into conflict with their preferred sense of professional self. While there seems to be a need for a ‘safer’ climate, in which trainees could voice and acknowledge anxieties, vulnerabilities and limitations, addressing concerns around power and vulnerability that may be contributing to the silencing of particular voices and identities may be equally important if trainees are to develop coherent and distinct counselling psychologist identities.

A Study of Environmental Disclosures in the European Oil and Gas Industry : With Reference to the Global Reporting Initiative

Background and Problem: Sustainability reporting is a growing trend in the society. One of the most exposed industries to environmental matters is the oil and gas industry, which commit to sustainability reporting in order to deal with the industry’s destructive operations. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) provides voluntary guidelines in sustainability reporting, which increase transparency for the company’s stakeholders. However, it is controversial that the oil and gas industry put a great effort into sustainability reporting even though the industry is environmentally destructive. This gap is interesting to investigate and will contribute to the academic discussion. Therefore, this thesis will focus on the sustainability reporting in the oil and gas industry and to what extent the industry actually discloses material environmental information about their operations. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to examine how the sustainability reporting has changed in the oil and gas industry in Europe. This is performed from a stakeholder perspective. Further, it aims to investigate how oil and gas companies have followed the GRI guidelines and how the reporting has changed over time. Method: A quantitative method is used in order to answer the research questions. The data sample is based on oil and gas companies reporting according to the GRI framework during year 2012 to year 2014. The empirical data is gathered from the studied companies’ environmental category in their sustainability reports. Further, a content analysis technique, with a coding scheme, was set up to interpret and analyse the information. To enable an easy overview of the findings, the relevant data is presented in tables and diagrams. Empirical Findings and Conclusion: The majority of the studied companies have increased their level of compliance in the environmental category. Although, the majority of the companies have increased their reporting, the compliance level differs between the companies. The most reported sectors are the; “Water”, “Biodiversity”, “Emissions”, “Effluents and Waste”, “Compliance”, and “Overall”. Further, the empirical findings show that there is an overall increase in the amount of disclosed information per indicator. The conclusion of this thesis is that the environmental disclosures have increased in the oil and gas industry from year 2012 to 2014.

Big Bath and Impairment of Goodwill : A study of the European telecommunications industry

Income decreasing strategies conducted by management could be harmful for various stakeholders. One example is big bath accounting, which could be accomplished in numer- ous ways. This study focus on big baths achieved by recognising impairments of goodwill. Purpose - The purpose of this study is to examine patterns of association between big bath accounting and impairment of goodwill within the telecommunication service industry in Europe. Further, this study aim at contributing to the discussion regarding utilisation of big baths through impairments of goodwill, and takes the perspective of an external stakehold- er. Delimitations - The study is restricted to European telecommunication entities comprised in STOXX Europe 600 Index. Method - This study was conducted using a hybrid of qualitative and quantitative research strategy with a deductive approach. The five indicators used to identify various big bath behaviours were inspired and derived from theory and previous research. Data from 2009 to 2015 was collected from the companies’ annual reports and websites, and analysed by the help of codification of each fulfilled indicator where 2009 merely served as a compara- tive year for 2010. By the use of a scoreboard the collected data was summarised on an ag- gregated yearly basis as the industry, not the specific companies, were analysed. Empirical findings - The results of this study suggests that big baths are executed among tele- communication companies within Europe. These are conducted simultaneously as impair- ments of goodwill are present, facilitated by earning management. A possible explanation is considered to be the room for interpretation inherent in IAS 36, enabling goodwill impair- ments to be recognised on managers’ command. Thereby an impairment could be “saved” for better or worse circumstances, or recognised when there exist an opportunity to max- imise (the manager's) wealth in the future. This study reveal the co-occurrence of goodwill impairments and big bath-indications, however a review of causal relationships are not en- abled by the limitations of the chosen method. 

Project Pró-Natal: population-based study of perinatal and infant mortality in Natal, Northeast Brazil

RAMOS, Ana Maria de Oliveira et al. Project Pró-Natal: population-based study of perinatal and infant mortality in Natal, Northeast Brazil. Pediatric and Developmental Pathology, v.3, n.1, p.29-35, 2000

An exploratory study of orthoptic student satisfaction in a blended learning environment

Purpose: To describe orthoptic student satisfaction in a blended learning environment. Methods: Blended learning and teaching approaches that include a mix of sessions with elearning are being used since 2011/2012 involving final year (4th year) students from an orthoptic program. This approach is used in the module of research in orthoptics during the 1 semester. Students experienced different teaching approaches, which include seminars, tutorial group discussions and e-learning activities using the moodle platform. The Constructivist OnLine Learning Environment Survey (COLLES ) was applied at the end of the semester with 24 questions grouped in 6 dimensions with 4 items each: Relevance to professional practice, Reflection, Interactivity, Tutor support, Peer support and Interpretation. A 5-point Likert scale was used to score each individual item of the questionnaire (1 - almost never to 5 – almost always). The sum of items in each dimension ranged between 4 (negative perception) and 20 (positive perception). Results: Twenty-four students replied to the questionnaire. Positive points were related with Relevance (16.13±2.63), Reflection (16.46±2.45), Tutor support (16.29±2.10) and Interpretation (15.38±2.16). The majority of the students (n=18; 75%) think that the on-line learning is relevant to students’ professional practice. Critical reflections about learning contents were frequent (n=19; 79.17%). The tutor was able to stimulate critical thinking (n=21; 87.50%), encouraged students to participate (n=18; 75%) and understood well the student’s contributions (n=15; 62.50%). Less positive points were related with Interactivity (14.13±2.77) and Peer support (13.29±2.60). Response from the colleagues to ideas (n=11; 45.83%) and valorization of individual contributions (n=10; 41.67%) scored lower than other items. Conclusions: The flow back and forth between face-to-face and online learning situations helps the students to make critical reflections. The majority of the students are satisfied with a blended e-learning system environment. However, more work needs to be done to improve interactivity and peer support.