Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Multi-Objective Reactive Power Support From Wind Farms For Network Performance Enhancement, Lasantha Meegahapola, Brendan Fox, Tim Littler, Damian Flynn

Dr Lasantha G Meegahapola

This paper examines the ability of the doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) to deliver multiple reactive power objectives during variable wind conditions. The reactive power requirement is decomposed based on various control objectives (e.g. power factor control, voltage control, loss minimisation, and flicker mitigation) defined around different time frames (i.e. seconds, minutes, and hourly), and the control reference is generated by aggregating the individual reactive power requirement for each control strategy. A novel coordinated controller is implemented for the rotor-side converter and the grid-side converter considering their capability curves and illustrating that it can effectively utilise the aggregated DFIG reactive …

Optimization Of Frt Active Power Performance Of A Dfig During Transient Grid Faults, L Meegahapola, Damian Flynn, Tim Littler

Dr Lasantha G Meegahapola

Optimal fault ride-through (FRT) conditions for a doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) during a transient grid fault are analyzed with special emphasis on improving the active power generation profile. The transition states due to crowbar activation during transient faults are investigated to exploit the maximum power during the fault and post-fault period. It has been identified that operating slip, severity of fault and crowbar resistance have a direct impact on the power capability of a DFIG, and crowbar resistance can be chosen to optimize the power capability. It has been further shown that an extended crowbar period can deliver enhanced inertial …

Testing Ogc Web Feature And Coverage Service Performance: Towards Efficient Delivery Of Geospatial Data, Gregory Giuliani, Alain Dubois, Pierre Lacroix

Journal of Spatial Information Science

OGC Web Feature Service (WFS) and Web Coverage Service (WCS) specifications allow interoperable access to distributed geospatial data made available through spatial data infrastructures (SDIs). To ensure that a service is sufficiently responsive to fulfill users’ expectations and requirements performance of services must be measured and monitored to track latencies bottlenecks and errors that may negatively influence its over- all quality. Despite the importance of data retrieval and access little research has been published on this topic and mostly concentrates on the usability of services when integrating distributed data sources. Considering these issues this paper extends and validates the FOSS4G …

Performance Comparison Of Two Compact Multiplexed Readouts With Sensl's Spmarray4 For High-Resolution Detector Module, Yujin Qi, Xiaohui Zhang, Cuilan Zhao, Lihong Chen, Marco Petasecca, Mitra Safavi-Naeini, Michael Lerch, Anatoly Rosenfeld

Michael L.F. Lerch

The purpose of this study was to investigate a compact readout for silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) array in the development of high-resolution imaging detector to reduce the readout channels while maximizing the detectors performance. The detector module was composed of a LYSO scintillation crystal array and a SensL's SPMArray4. The crystal array was coupled to the SiPM array with a 2mm-thick silicone pad to improve the light sharing among the SiPM array elements. Three LYSO crystal arrays of 4x4, 8x8 and 12x12 crystal elements with pixel sizes of 3.2, 1.6 and 1.0 mm were investigated in this study. Two compact multiplexed …

The Competitive Effect Of Vouchers On The Performance Of Traditional Public Schools In Hamilton County, Ohio, Nathan Roy Lowe

Open Access Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study is to determine the effect that educational choice, in the form of vouchers, is having on the performance of traditional public schools in Hamilton County, Ohio. The threat of losing students to vouchers creates a sense of competition for students, and ultimately the dollars that are attached to them. This competition is relatively new to public education and is being promoted by state legislators as a catalyst for public school improvement. All data sets were obtained from publically available data on the Ohio Department of Education website between 2001 and 2012. Between 2001 and …

All The World's A Stage And All The Men And Women Merely Players : The Use Of Performance In Therapy, T. Lee Shostack

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative exploratory study examined the use of performance and drama in clinical work with adults in the United States. Seven clinicians were interviewed about their training, work, techniques, clinical conditions they addressed, populations they worked with, and outcomes. All interviewees for this study were white and female. Clinicians shared their clinical experience and expertise. They discussed how they came to use performance in their clinical work. Many of the interviewees used performance with all clients with all clinical presenting issues. Clinicians also discussed the lack of training in these techniques in social work training programs. Clinicians all had training …

Speaking And Sensing The Self In Authentic Movement: The Search For Authenticity In A 21st Century White Urban Middle-Class Community, Seran Schug

Seran E Schug Ph.D.

Speaking and Sensing the Self in Authentic Movement The Search for Authenticity in a 21st Century White Urban Middle-Class Community Seran Endrigian Schug Asif Agha and Rebecca Huss-Ashmore This ethnography is about Authentic Movement, a ritual form of dance and self-narrative in which a participant performs free association through trancelike movement in the presence of a “compassionate” witness as a means toward the discovery of an authentic self. Rooted in anti-modernist social movements in late 19th century urban middle- and upper-class communities in the United States, Authentic Movement brings to light a central paradox of modern life—though it is through …

Do Mlb Hitters Boost Performance In Their Contract Year?, Heather M. O'Neill

Business and Economics Faculty Publications

This study focuses on 256 MLB free agent hitters playing under the 2006-2011 CBA to determine whether they boost their offensive performance in their contract year. Prior studies’ results are mixed, depending on the econometric technique used and the choice of the offensive performance measure.

Having multiple year observations per player, one can incorporate the unobserved traits of the players (ability, risk aversion, work ethic, etc.) by using Fixed Effects (FE) estimation. Since these unmeasured player traits are likely to be correlated with observed predictors of performance (games played, playoff contention, age, etc.), traditionally used Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and …

Physiological And Evaluative Differences Between Internet-Based And In-Person Interview Techniques, Joseph R. Castro

Psychology - Theses

A growing trend in job selection is the use of automated online interviews as a cheap and easy tool for gaining many applicants. The use of the Internet for selection interviews may have ramifications on the interviewer's perception of the candidate's personality and performance. It can also affect the candidate's physiological responses and ability to process information. Two types of interviews were conducted, a face-to-face interview and a computer-mediated interview. Comparisons between the two conditions were made for ratings of performance, the accuracy of an observer's estimation of the participant's personality, cognitive interference, and physiological reactivity. There was no difference …

Factors Affecting The Export Participation And Performance Of Thai Manufacturing Small And Medium Sized Enterprises (Smes), Yot Amornkitvikai, Charles Harvie, Teerawat Charoenrat

Charles Harvie

This paper employed the 2007 Thai Industrial Census to empirically examine the effects of firm-specific and industry factors on a firm’s decision to export and the export performance of 65,111 Thai manufacturing SMEs which are classified into eight submanufacturing groups. Six econometric models are indentified to capture linear and nonlinear effects of firm-specific factors as well as to analyze each industry effect for Thai manufacturing SMEs. Four limited dependent variable models (i.e., the probit model, the logit model, the linear probability model, and the Tobit model) are used to study the factors affecting a firm’s export decision and its export …

Executive Compensation, Board Characteristics And Firm Performance In China: The Impact Of Compensation Committee, Yuqing Zhu, Gary G. Tian, Shiguang Ma

Louise Zhu

The independent directors of a board can impact CEO payperformancemore effectively if a compensation committeeprovides information and assist them in designing relevantexecutive pay schemes. On the basis of this idea, we developed andtested the hypotheses that Chinese firms with a compensationcommittee have a closer CEO pay link with performance when alarger proportion of independent directors serves on the board. Wefocused primarily on the effect of a compensation committee onCEO pay-performance relation as a consequence of its help for theboard and found that board independence produces a strongerrelationship between executive compensation and firmperformance in Chinese listed firms. This association is more …

The Development Of An Industry Specific Performance Measurement Model For Service Organisations Within The Small Business Sector, Vicki Baard, Edmund W. Watts

Ted Watts

The role of small business, as part of the value adding chain in any economy, should never be understated. In Australia small business represents 96% of all private sector business, accounts for 47% of all private sector employment and the majority fail within three to five years of establishment. Despite this contribution the small business sector, and in particular the service sector component, appear to be underrepresented in the development of specific performance measurement models, which, within the academic and professional literature appear to focus on their larger firm counterparts. Given the unique position of small business service organisations the …

The Performance Wheel And The Small Business Pyramid: The Next Generation Of Performance Scorecards, Carol J. Mcnair, Edmund W. Watts

Ted Watts

A common shortcoming with respect to performance scorecards within today's businessenvironment is the misconception that one size fits all. This paper considers the historicaldevelopment, as well as the increasing variety and poorly integrated status of one of business management's most important tools - the performance scorecard.This paper traces the development of performance management systems from itshistorical inception to the present examining ways that some approaches do not addressthe specific decision making needs of many enterprises. Performance scorecards aregenerally developed with a specific type of enterprise in mind, but few have integratedthe different emphases of the different approaches.With the focus on …

Amanda Knox And Bella Figura, Denise Scannell Guida

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Measuring The Performance Of Livability Programs, Mti Report 12-06, Peter J. Haas, Lisa Fabish

Mineta Transportation Institute

This report analyzes the performance measurement processes adopted by five large “livability” programs throughout the United States. It compares and contrasts these programs by examining existing research in performance measurement methods. The “best practices” of the examined performance measurement methods for each program are explored and analyzed with respect to their key characteristics. The report entails an appropriately comprehensive literature review of the current research on performance measurement methods from the perspective of various stakeholders including the public and government agencies. Additionally, the results of this literature review are used to examine the actual performance measures of the target programs …

Merit Pay For School Superintendents?, Ronald G. Ehrenberg, Richard P. Chaykowski, Randy A. Ehrenberg

Ronald G. Ehrenberg

Given the important role that school district administrators play in the educational process, one might expect their 'performance" to be of fundamental importance in determining both how much students learn and the cost of public education to taxpayers. Yet, while public debate has considered the issue of merit pay plans for teachers, virtually no attention has been directed to the methods by which school administrators are compensated. This paper provides evidence on whether school superintendents are explicitly or implicitly rewarded for their "performance" by higher compensation and/or greater opportunities for mobility. We analyze panel data from over 700 school districts …

Macroeconomic Determinants Of Corporate Performance And Failure: Evidence From An Emerging Market The Case Of Jordan, Rami Zeitun, Gary Tian, Steve Keen

Gary Tian

This study investigates the impact of aggregate economic risk on a company’s performance and failure in a panel estimation using 167 Jordanian companies during 1989-2003. Our finding shows that unanticipated changes in interest rate negatively and significantly affect firms’ performance measured by ROA, which suggests that an interest rate rise increases the cost of borrowing and then further negatively affects a firm’s profit. We also found that both the production manufacturing index and Islamic credit facilities positively and significantly affect a firm’s performance. The positive and significant impact of Islamic credit facilities reflects the importance and the significance of the …

Performance Analysis Of Stfc Mb-Ofdm Uwb In Wban Channels, Miftadi Sudjai, Le Chung Tran, Farzad Safaei

Professor Farzad Safaei

This paper investigates the performance of the space-time-frequency coded (STFC) multiband orthogonal frequency division multiplexing ultra-wideband (MBOFDM UWB) system over wireless body area network (WBAN) channels, using the Alamouti code. Different MIMO configurations and different modulations are used for comparison. The effect of body directions is also assessed by simulation in this paper. Simulation results show that the proposed STFC MB-OFDM UWB system provides a significantly better BER performance, compared to the conventional MB-OFDM system, even from a reasonably low Eb/No range. The simulations also confirm that the body direction affects the system performance significantly due to the availability of …

Effect Of Gallium Doping And Ball Milling Process On The Thermoelectric Performance Of N-Type Zno, Priyanka Jood, Germanas Peleckis, Xiaolin Wang, S X. Dou

Shi Xue Dou

We report a systematic investigation of the thermoelectric properties of n-type Ga-doped ZnO synthesized using different ball milling conditions. Samples fabricated by the high-energy ball milling resulted in a highly dense layered structure with randomly distributed voids. These samples measured the lowest room temperature thermal conductivity, i.e., 27 W/mK due to increased phonon scattering. Furthermore, the Ga:ZnO system showed a metal–semiconductor transition above 300 K with transition temperature decreasing with increasing doping level. Measurement of the activation energy revealed the presence of one donor level around 3.9–7.8 meV and a deeper donor level around 15.4–18.1 meV below the conduction band …

Work, Performance, And The Social Ethic Of Global Capitalism: Understanding Religious Practice In Contemporary India, Vikash Singh

Department of Sociology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This ethnographic essay focuses on the relationship between religious performances and the “strong discourse” of contemporary global capitalism. It explores the subjective meaning and social significance of religious practice in the context of a rapidly expanding mass religious phenomenon in India. The narrative draws on Weber's insights on the intersections between religion and economy, phenomenological theory, performance studies, and Indian philosophy and popular culture. It shows that religion here is primarily a means of performing to and preparing for an informal economy. It gives the chance to live meaningful social lives while challenging the inequities and symbolic violence of an …

Disrupting Privilege: A High School Curriculum, Cassidy M. Higgins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Current privilege pedagogy scholarship demonstrates the importance of understanding privilege as an entryway into critical studies and everyday community engagement. Thus, this dissertation argues that privilege must be introduced into education earlier, such as high school. In order to demonstrate ethical possibilities of meeting the need for care, this project integrates social work and critical pedagogy scholarship that explores teaching privilege in the classroom, with culture and communication scholarship. This dissertation connects culture and communication, critical pedagogy, and performance to demonstrate an applied use of communication scholarship in two classroom settings to explore dialogues of privilege through a curriculum titled …

Disproportional Ownership Structure And Pay-Performance Relationship: Evidence From China's Listed Firms, Jerry Cao, Xiaofei Pan, Gary G. Tian

Xiaofei Pan

This paper examines the impact of disproportional ownership structure on the pay-performance relationship in China’s listed firms. We find that the cash flow rights of the ultimate controlling shareholder have a positive effect on this relationship while a divergence between the control rights and cash flow rights has a significantly negative effect. By dividing our sample into state owned enterprises (SOE), state assets management bureaus (SAMB), and privately controlled firms, we find that cash flow rights in SOE controlled firms have a significant impact on accounting based pay performance and cash flow rights in privately controlled firms also affect the …

Because I Am Not Here, Selected Second Life-Based Art Case Studies. Subjectivity, Autoempathy And Virtual World Aesthetics, Francisco Gerardo Toledo Ramírez

Francisco Gerardo Toledo Ramírez

Second Life is a virtual world accessible through the Internet in which users create objects and spaces, and interact socially through 3D avatars. Certain artists use the platform as a medium for art creation, using the aesthetic, spatial, temporal and technological features of SL as raw material. Code and scripts applied to animate and manipulate objects, avatars and spaces are important in this sense. These artists, their avatars and artwork in SL are at the centre of my research questions: what does virtual existence mean and what is its purpose when stemming from aesthetic exchange in SL?

Through a qualitative …

Music Performance Anxiety And Dispositional Flow In Predicting Audition Success In Amateur Percussionists, Benjamin Hyun Stocking

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine personal characteristics of adolescent/young adult percussionists who were successful in their audition for a highly competitive, performing arts unit (i.e. a World-Class junior drum & bugle corps). We were particularly interested in investigating the predictive influence of daily practice time and two psychological variables related to optimal performance (i.e., dispositional flow and musical performance anxiety-MPA).

Fearless: V Rosenberger And Tori Reynolds, Veronica B. Rosenberger, Victoria J. Reynolds

SURGE

“Getting Out,” the compelling prison drama by Marsha Norman, is opening tonight at 7:30pm on Kline Theater at Gettysburg, and bringing this play to life are two very fearless women. [excerpt]

An Assessment Of The Research Performance Of Commerce Faculties In Australia, Abbas Valadkhani, Simon Ville

Simon Ville

There is a growing policy focus in Australian higher education on quantitative research performance assessment. However, most of the analysis has addressed aggregate performance at the institutional level, an approach inconsistent with recent policy emphasis on diversity among universities, and one that ignores performance variations across disciplines. We use cluster analysis to classify one of the ten broad fields of education, that is, management and commerce. Using averaged and available data for 2000-2004 on various research measures, partial rankings are provided. Factor analysis is utilised to generate full-multidimensional rankings within the resulting clusters. Our results show that low total research …

Enhanced Performance Of Dye Sensitized Solar Cells Utilizing Platinum Electrodeposit Counter Electrodes, Attila J. Mozer, George Tsekouras, Gordon G. Wallace

Gordon Wallace

Enhanced performance was observed for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) utilizing counter electrodes based on Pt electrodeposits compared to counter electrodes based on sputtered Pt. Scanning electron microscopy of Pt electrodeposits revealed that the use of an initial cathodic overpotential pulse followed by steady electrodeposition at a mild cathodic potential yielded ∼40nm particles, compared to ∼600nm particles when no such pulse was used. Cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) of electrode materials suggested that Pt electrodeposits would give enhanced performance as DSSC counter electrodes compared to sputtered Pt, and this was confirmed by device testing. EIS characterization of DSSCs under …

Broad Vision: The Art & Science Of Looking, Heather Barnett, John R. A. Smith

The STEAM Journal

Undergraduate students and academic staff from diverse disciplines in the arts and sciences investigated questions of mediated vision through a year-long interdisciplinary research project at the University of Westminster, London, United Kingdom. The Broad Vision project explored the perception and interpretation of microscopic worlds, and investigated the benefits and challenges of working across disciplinary divides in a university setting. This article describes the three-phase model for interdisciplinary learning and research developed through the project, providing a valuable case study for inquiry based art/science education.

Core Resources Of Corporate Strategy And Performance-Oriented Bank Management Practice: A Lesson For Nigeria, Andrew O. Agbada

Bullion

In the past three decades, the Nigerian banking industry has suffered from a host of vices namely miss-management, financial misappropriation, administrative recklessness, etcetera, reflecting incompetence on all levels of management and those have had dire consequences in the economy. In an attempt to re-position the industry on the path of performance, different governments in the past took various corrective steps to no avail. Thus this study seeks to explore the Core Resources of Corporate Strategy and Performance-oriented Bank Management best practice with a view to creating sustainable best practices in bank management in Nigeria. The findings from the study are …

Effects Of The Entrepreneurial And Managerial Orientations Of Owner-Managers On Company Performance: An Empirical Test In Sri Lanka, Anura De Zoysa, Palli Mulla K A Chandrakumara, Athula Manawaduge

Anil Chandrakumara

In this paper we have made strong distinction between managerial and entrepreneurial orientations of leadership and argued that these orientations should have different effects on the performance of companies. Data were collected from a sample of 204 owner-managers of Sri Lankan companies by administering a mailed paper questionnaire. Company performance was measured by the ratings of sales performance on the part of managers concerned. Correlation and regression analysis were then performed in the impact analysis. Our findings indicate that the leadership orientation of owner-managers of small firms is more entrepreneurial than managerial. Also, entrepreneurial orientation (EO) correlated more significantly with …