Digital Commons Network^™

A State-Stewardship View On Executive Compensation, Hao Liang, Luc Renneboog, Sunny Li Sun

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We take a state-stewardship view on corporate governance and executive compensation in economies with strong political involvement, where state-appointed managers act as responsible ‘stewards’ rather than ‘agents’ of the state. We test this view on China and find that Chinese managers are remunerated not for maximizing equity value but for increasing the value of state-owned assets. Managerial compensation depends on political connections and prestige, and on the firms’ contribution to political goals. These effects were attenuated since the market-oriented governance reform. In a social welfare perspective, such compensation stimulates not the maximization of shareholder value but the preservation of the …

Construction Of An Initiated Chemical Vapor Deposition (Icvd) Reactor And Deposition Of Polytetrafluoroethylene (Ptfe) Thin Films Using Perfluoro-1-Octanesulfonyl Fluoride As The Initiator, Edgar Kiprop Kosgey

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Initiated Chemical Vapor Deposition (iCVD) is a surface polymerization technique that is different from other traditional chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques. iCVD is carried under a vacuum without the use of solvents, therefore eliminating contaminations. An initiator and a monomer are metered into a vacuum reactor chamber. Inside the reaction chamber is an array of resistively heated filaments and a cooled substrate stage. Monomer species adsorb on to the cooled substrate surface underneath the filament array. The thermal energy from the resistively heated filaments breaks the bonds in the initiator molecule, generating free radicals. These generated free radicals chemisorb to …

A Quantified Approach To The Functional Longevity Of Geosynthetic Rolled Erosion Control Products (Grecps), Drew A. Loizeaux

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Geosynthetic Rolled Erosion Control Products (GRECPs) have been utilized for decades in a multitude of applications to mitigate erosion resulting from land disturbance in civil construction projects. GRECPs vary from one type to another, ranging in performance and design life due to their composition and intended purpose. The coverage and durability of the GRECP are fundamental properties that can predict performance and fitness for use. Both coverage and durability will degrade over the design life of the GRECP to the point that fitness for use is unacceptable for the intended application. A standard approach is needed to quantify this material …

A Parabolized Navier-Stokes Method For Wind Farm Applications, Anshul Mittal

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Fluid flow simulations play an important role in the wind industry. With the development of large wind farms, flow simulations through an entire wind farm are becoming a necessity. These are required for designing the layout of new wind farms in the development stage and for forecasting power production from the existing ones for operational purposes. Conventional Navier-Stokes simulations (commonly referred to as CFD simulations) are computationally very expensive since they require a supercomputer with runtimes of several weeks. A Parabolized Navier-Stokes (PNS) method is developed and implemented in this study. The developed PNS method requires less stringent approximations as …

Effects Of Gic Neutral Blocking Devices (Nbds) On Transmission Lines Protection Performance And Potential For Resonance, Haytham A. Saeed

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Geomagnetic Induced Current (GIC) is a quasi-DC current that may have adverse effects on power system reliability. Several GIC blocking device (NBDs) designs are available, but the majority is capacitive. Concerns have arisen about the effects of NBDs on distance-protection relays. To investigate their impact, real-time simulation (of IEEE-39 bus system) with actual hardware-in-the-loop testing is utilized. The study showed that these relays are not affected by the insertion of NBDs regardless of the polarizing quantity used. However, during close-by fault, the energy through NBDs’ MOV is excessive. Also, the potential for resonance between NBDs and the system was investigated. …

Blade Resolved Simulation Of Wind Farms, Walied E. Hassan

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This research examines the feasibility of reducing the time to solution for a high-fidelity, blade-resolved CFD simulation of a wind farm using Tenasi. The intent is to reduce the overall cost by initializing the flow fields of the individual turbines in the wind farm using a steady state or an unsteady simulation of a single turbine. This is achieved by replicating the mesh and the solution corresponding to a single turbine repeatedly, thus initializing the solution for the entire wind farm. The wind farm consists of the DTU 10 MW Reference Wind Turbines. Results compared to the “from scratch” solutions …

Bldc Motor Speed Measurement Using Zcp Detection For Fuzzy Speed Controlling., Mohamed Elksasy, Ahmed Ahmed, Amr Ali-Eldin, Faiz Areed

Mansoura Engineering Journal

Sensorless Brushless DC (BLDC) motors have many advantages because of their greet characteristics which make them an interested field of research home and abroad. One of the biggest issues which face BLDC motors is the rotor position detection, as they are electrically commutated the rotor position must be detected with or without sensors. The position detection is used for commutation, speed measurement and speed control. The traditional method for BLDC motor rotor position detection which depends on Hall sensors has lots of problems that decrease the system reliability, so sensorless BLDC motor drives are extensively used. The sensorless position detection …

Evaluating Membrane Technology For Drinking Water Production In Comparison With Conventional Processes., M. Mousa, Hisham El-Etriby, Kamal Elnahas, Nyaz Ahmed

Mansoura Engineering Journal

This paper discusses the performance and characteristics of desalination membranes used in treatment of water for potable use. In this study, The Desalination Economic Evaluation Program (DEEP) is a spreadsheet tool originally developed for the IAEA by General Atomics and later expanded in scope by the IAEA, The DEEP-5.1 version program allows designers and decision makers to compare performance and cost estimates of various desalination and power configurations. Desalination options modeled include MSF, MED, VC,RO and hybrid systems. This paper presents the results of the operational performance of RO units in experimental scale. The rate of decline of productivity for …

Comparative Study Of Concrete-Encased Composite Column Strength., Nabil Mahmoud, Saad El-Deen Abd-Rabou, Khaled Megahed

Mansoura Engineering Journal

The objective of this study is to investigate the difference between three approaches used for the design of concrete encased composite columns. The first approach "ECP-SCLRFD [1]" considers the composite column as an equivalent to steel section, the second "Eurocode 4 [2] and AISC [3]" considers the composite column as composite section using rigid plastic stress distribution, and the third "ACI [4] and CSA [5]" is similar to second approach with elastic plastic stress distribution. The comparative study indicates that the second and third approach give good results for composite columns strength compared with the first approach according to physical …

Static Analysis Of Cable Stayed Structural System Used For Covering Stadia., Youssef Agag, M. Naguib, M. El-Tantawy, Alshimaa Ahmed

Mansoura Engineering Journal

The aim of this work is to study the static response for steel cantilever roof stayed with cables used as a stadium roof due to wind steady state using ASCE 7-10 code. The best configuration for the model is generated using a FORTRAN program constructed by the author [1] to reach for the best arrangement of cables and cantilever space trusses that gives the lowest deflection and stresses in the structure. Then, the static analysis for the structure is carried out taking into account some study parameters depending upon where to attach the lower cable, the inclination of the roof, …

Evaluation Of Using Modal Testing For Damage Detection In Masonry Arched Barrages., Ahmed Anwar, Ahmed Hashad

Mansoura Engineering Journal

Modal testing is widely used as a fast and effective tool for structural health monitoring and damage assessment. Old masonry barrages are characterized with their massive and rigid nature. Nevertheless, the complex material configurations make it difficult to be investigated and/or evaluated. This paper examined the ability and the constrains of using modal testing technique with masonry arches considering sensitivity and practicality. Masonry arches of a semi-circular shape with different stiffness and damage conditions were prepared and examined experimentally under static and dynamic tests. The dynamic characteristics for each condition were evaluated. A sound arch was degraded in two manners, …

Electrocoagulation For Oil And Grease Wastewater Treatment Using Aluminum Electrodes., Hisham El-Etriby, Kamal Radwan, Karim Taha

Mansoura Engineering Journal

Batch electrocoagulation (EC) experiments were carried out to evaluate the removal of COD and O&G from wastewater using aluminum electrodes. The effects of operating parameters such as current intensity, initial COD concentration, contact time and NaCl concentration on COD and O&G removal efficiency had been investigated. It was found that increasing current intensity increased COD and O&G removal efficiency. Initial COD concentration had a little effect on removal efficiencies. Results showed that the best performance was obtained using aluminum electrode at a current intensity of 1.3 Ampere and 11.6 volt in 15 min contact time for 1500 mg/L initial COD …

Creating A Highway Information System For Safety Roadway Features, Brian K. Howell, Kenneth R. Agent, Eric Green

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Roadway departures are the leading cause of roadside fatalities. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has undertaken a number of roadside safety measures to reduce roadway departures. Specifically, KYTC has installed several low-cost, systemic roadway safety treatments to Kentucky’s roadways in recent years. These treatments include cable barriers, high friction surface treatments, rumble stripes, and Safety Edges. KYTC has installed approximately 44 cable barrier systems over 265 miles of roadway,112 HFST applications over 20 miles of roadway, 750 rumble stripe installations over 2,500 miles of roadway, and 147 Safety Edge treatments on 580 miles of roadway. The project team developed a …

Understanding The Automotive Pedal Usage And Foot Movement Characteristics Of Older Drivers, Yubin Xi

All Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the pedal usage characteristics of older drivers in various driving tasks using an instrumented vehicle. This study stemmed from the prevalence of the pedal application errors (PAEs) and the older drivers’overrepresentation in crashes caused by PAEs.

With the population increasing and becoming older, it is estimated that in 2020 there will be 40 million drivers over the age of 65 in the United States. Compared with their younger counterparts, older drivers are facing declining cognitive and physical abilities, such as impaired vision, slower reaction time and diminishing range of limb motion. Because …

Financial Soundness Indicators: The Case Of Nigeria, Baba N. Yaaba, Idris Adamu

Bullion

This paper adopted the concept as designed by the Fund to examine the soundness of the Nigeria Banking Sector from 3007Q1 to 20014Q4. From the result of the financial Soundness Indicators (FSIs) complied for Nigeria, it is obvious that the indicators can serve as reliable and consistent tools, capable of detecting vulnerabilities in the system. The study, therefore, recommends that adequate attention be paid to the indicators by the Central Bank. The Bank is urged to strive to gain full understanding of the concept as well as design additional framework for using the indicators so as to enable her take …

From Incentive To Commodity To Asset: How International Law Is Reconceptualizing Intellectual Property, Rochelle Dreyfuss, Susy Frankel

Michigan Journal of International Law

The intellectual property landscape is changing. As Jerry Reichman once observed, intellectual property rights were islands in a sea of the public domain until domestic laws expanded to include such “innovations” as business methods, software, scents, and sounds and turned the public domain into a pond surrounded by a continent of rights. Reichman spoke towards the end of the 20th century, and whatever problems accompanied this change, in truth (to paraphrase Voltaire’s view of the Holy Roman Empire), the concept of “intellectual property rights” was predominantly about neither “property” nor “rights” (nor was it always “intellectual”). Rather, copyright, patent, and …

Tree Inventory Report: Soma District, Cody Graham, Jeremy Bigelow, Gary Shaw, Andrew Bailey, Katelynn Bisso, David Dunnington, Joshua Emmons, Morgan Farber, Cody Graham, Ryan Guidry, Max Joyner, Roger Klingelhoffer, Jonathan Newman, Nicholas Scarpelli, Geoffrey Duh

Asset Mapping: Community Geography Project

The SOMA tree inventory project was taken on by a group of fourteen students as a senior capstone at Portland State University, in September of 2015. Many of us came to this class with GiS background, however, there are others representing the diverse collection of studies offered at PSU, such as film, communication, and general sciences. Capstone courses are PSU’s requirement for all seniors that allow each student to take part in helping those in the surrounding community, by providing a benefit to organizations in need of a large group of volunteers. Our capstone course was designed to impart the …

The Effects Of Gender Differences In Networking On Pay Equity And Leadership Opportunities, Mackenzie L. Kiser

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

This report was undertaken in an effort to establish the causes of gender differences in pay and leadership achievement in the United States. The report attempted to add a fresh perspective to the issues of the Wage Gap and Glass Ceiling by analyzing differences between the networking habits of male and female professionals and whether they are responsible for gender inequalities. Through an online survey of 55 professionals, it was established that high income individuals were invited to more organized networking opportunities than low income individuals (p=0.103) and attended significantly more organized networking events than low income individuals(p=0.094) and men …

Human Capital Development And Parental Investment In India, Orazio P. Attanasio, Costas Meghir, Emily Nix

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We estimate production functions for cognition and health for children aged 1-12 in India, based on the Young Lives Survey. India has over 70 million children aged 0-5 who are at risk of developmental deficits. The inputs into the production functions include parental background, prior child cognition and health, and child investments, which are taken as endogenous. Estimation is based on a nonlinear factor model, based on multiple measurements for both inputs and child outcomes. Our results show an important effect of early health on child cognitive development, which then becomes persistent. Parental investments affect cognitive development at all ages, …

Human Capital Development And Parental Investment In India, Orazio P. Attanasio, Costas Meghir, Emily Nix

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We estimate production functions for cognition and health for children aged 1-12 in India, where over 70 million children aged 0-5 are at risk of developmental deficits. The inputs into the production functions include parental background, prior child cognition and health, and child investments. We use income and local prices to control for the endogeneity of investments. We find that cognition is sensitive to investments throughout the age range we consider, while health is mainly affected by early investments. We also find that inputs are complementary, and crucially that health is very important in determining cognition. Our paper contributes in …

Determinants Of Vendor Profitability In Two Contractual Regimes: An Empirical Analysis Of Enterprise Resource Planning Projects, Stefan Hoermann, Tobias Hlavka, Michael Schermann, Helmut Krcmar

Information Systems and Analytics

In this paper, we investigate the effects of four determinants of vendor profitability in enterprise resource planning (ERP) outsourcing projects under two contractual regimes: fixed price (FP) contracts and time and material (TM) contracts. We hypothesize that effect sizes are larger under FP contracts than under TM contracts. From a transaction cost economics perspective, we hypothesize that project uncertainty and project size are negatively associated with vendor profitability. From a knowledge-based view of the firm perspective, we hypothesize that industry knowledge and client knowledge are positively associated with vendor profitability. We tested these hypotheses on a comprehensive archival data set …

An Investigation Of Cooling Configurations In Gas Turbine Engines Using Jet Impingement, Bhushan Upalkar

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

A numerical investigation for predicting the heat transfer effects of turbulence was conducted by making a scaled-up model of a section in a jet impingement channel. Different turbulence models were run and the results were compared to experimental data. Experimental comparisons were made for impingement channels between a baseline case, which is a rectangular array of jets of 20 rows and 3 jets per row, and different hole spacing configurations. The heat transfer was measured using Temperature Sensitive Paint. The turbulence model v²-f gave the most accurate prediction with an error of about 17% with the EB k-E, with an …

Prevalence Of Hypertension In Low- And Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis., Ahmed Sarki, Chidozie U. Nduka, Saverio Stranges, Ngianga-Bakwin Kandala, Olalekan A. Uthman

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

We aimed to obtain overall and regional estimates of hypertension prevalence, and to examine the pattern of this disease condition across different socio-demographic characteristics in low-and middle-income countries. We searched electronic databases from inception to August 2015. We included population-based studies that reported hypertension prevalence using the current definition of blood pressure ≥140/90 mm Hg or self-reported use of antihypertensive medication. We used random-effects meta-analyses to pool prevalence estimates of hypertension, overall, by World Bank region and country income group. Meta-regression analyses were performed to explore sources of heterogeneity across the included studies. A total of 242 studies, comprising data …

Marketing Alaskan Seafood: Strategies With Brand Identification, Differentiation, And Promotions, Anna Jacobson

Journalism

Everyday the globe experiences changes with food. New methods in growing and harvesting are becoming approved, while others are frowned upon. People care more about where their food comes from than ever before. This research is to explore how Alaska seafood can successfully market their products in an ever-changing world. As challenges present themselves in the industry, opportunities are there as well.

This study sets out to explore marketing strategies for promoting a seafood brand. Through exploring current literature and interviewing experts to obtain data, conclusions will be drawn and analyzed. These findings will help to understand the best practices …

Simulation Of Lateral Migration And Sedimentation Of A Flexible Fiber In A Vertical Weak Shear Flow, Ali Ibrahim Neamah Neamah

Masters Theses

This research is a thorough numerical investigation and critical analysis of lateral migration of a deformable particle settling in a vertical weak shear flow. Under the vertical weak shear fluid, the deformable particle may move either to the coagulation area, or the dispersion area, depending on Reynolds numbers, shear Reynolds number, fiber flexibility, and aspect ratio. In this study, a lattice Boltzmann equation is used to solve Navier-Stokes equation and a flexible particle method is employed to attack the problem of motion of a flexible fiber. A bounce-back rule is used to deal with moving boundaries interacting with fluids. Several …

Water, Water, Everywhere: Surface Water Liability, Jill M. Fraley

Michigan Journal of Environmental & Administrative Law

By 2030 the U.S. will lose around $520 billion annually from its gross domestic product due to flooding. New risks resulting from climate change arise not only from swelling rivers and lakes, but also from stormwater runoff. According to the World Bank, coastal cities risk flooding more from their poor management of surface water than they do from rising sea levels. Surface water liability governs when a landowner is responsible for diverting the flow of water to a neighboring parcel of land. Steep increases in urban flooding will make surface water an enormous source of litigation in the coming decades. …

What Role Do Hurricanes Play In Sediment Delivery To Subsiding River Deltas?, James E. Smith, Samuel J. Bentley, Gregg A. Snedden, Crawford White

Faculty Publications

The Mississippi River Delta (MRD) has undergone tremendous land loss over the past century due to natural and anthropogenic influences, a fate shared by many river deltas globally. A globally unprecedented effort to restore and sustain the remaining subaerial portions of the delta is now underway, an endeavor that is expected to cost $50-100B over the next 50 yr. Success of this effort requires a thorough understanding of natural and anthropogenic controls on sediment supply and delta geomorphology. In the MRD, hurricanes have been paradoxically identified as both substantial agents of widespread land loss, and vertical marsh sediment accretion. We …

Mathematics Library News 14, Aaron Lercher

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

On The Asymptotic Derivation Of Winkler-Type Energies From 3d Elasticity, Andrés A. León Baldelli, Blaise Bourdin

Faculty Publications

We show how bilateral, linear, elastic foundations (i.e., Winkler foundations) often regarded as heuristic, phenomenological models, emerge asymptotically from standard, linear, three-dimensional elasticity. We study the parametric asymptotics of a non-homogeneous linearly elastic bi-layer attached to a rigid substrate as its thickness vanishes, for varying thickness and stiffness ratios. By using rigorous arguments based on energy estimates, we provide a first rational and constructive justification of reduced foundation models. We establish the variational weak convergence of the three-dimensional elasticity problem to a two-dimensional one, of either a “membrane over in-plane elastic foundation”, or a “plate over transverse elastic foundation”. These …

Colorimetric And Fluorometric Determination Of Homocysteine And Cysteine, Robert M. Strongin, Weihua Wang, Oleksandr Rusin, Nadia N. St. Luce, Jorge O. Escobedo

College of Science Patents

Colorimetric and fluorometric methods are disclosed for the rapid, accurate, selective, and inexpensive detection of homocysteine, or of homocysteine and cysteine, or of cysteine. The methods may be employed with materials that are readily available commercially. The novel methods are selective for homocysteine, for cysteine, or for total homocysteine and cysteine, and do not cross-react substantially with chemically-related species such as glutathione. The homocysteine-selective method does not have substantial cross-reactivity to the very closely related species cysteine. The cysteine-selective method does not have substantial cross-reactivity to the very closely related species homocysteine. The methods may be used, for example, in …