THE EFFECT OF LEVERAGE AND ECONOMIC VALUE ADDED ON MARKET VALUE ADDED

OpenAIRE

Kristína Jančovičová BOGNÁROVÁ

2018-01-01

Economic value added (EVA) is a performance measure developed by Stern Stewart & Co.) that attempts to measure the true economic profit produced by a company. Such a metric is useful for investors who wish to determine how well a company has produced value for its investors, and it can be compared against the company's peers for a quick analysis of how well the company is operating in its industry. Market value added (MVA), on the other hand, is simply the difference between the c...

Myths & Facts about Value-Added Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

TNTP, 2011

2011-01-01

This paper presents myths as well as facts about value-added analysis. These myths include: (1) "Value-added isn't fair to teachers who work in high-need schools, where students tend to lag far behind academically"; (2) "Value-added scores are too volatile from year-to-year to be trusted"; (3) "There's no research behind value-added"; (4) "Using…

Sustainable multipurpose biorefineries for third-generation biofuels and value-added co-products

Science.gov (United States)

Modern biorefinery facilities conduct many types of processes, including those producing advanced biofuels, commodity chemicals, biodiesel, and value-added co-products such as sweeteners and bioinsecticides, with many more co-products, chemicals and biofuels on the horizon. Most of these processes ...

Perbedaan Perusahan Pencipta Economic Value Added Positif Dengan Economic Value Added Negatif

OpenAIRE

Suripto, Suripto

2008-01-01

This research was to explain and analyze the different variable of Inflation Rate,Exchange Rate, Interest Rate, Ratio Plant Asset, Size Measure Company, Profitability, Growth ,LD / E, TD / TA, Stock of Return, Book To Market between company having Economic ValueAdded ( Positive ) and company having Economic Value Added ( Negative ). Analysis which wasused in this research was multivariate analysis of variant (MANOVA). There was different variableof Inflation Rate, Exchange Rate, Interest Rate...

Frozen yogurt and ice cream were less healthy than yogurt, and adding toppings reduced their nutrition value: evidence from 1999-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

An, Ruopeng; Jiang, Ning

2017-06-01

It was hypothesized that frozen yogurt and ice cream would be less healthy than yogurt. We examined daily energy and nutrient intake from yogurt, frozen yogurt, and ice cream among US adults. In-person 24-hour dietary recall data (n=6453) came from the 1999-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Regression analyses were performed to examine the differences in energy/nutrient intake from frozen yogurt and ice cream (with/without toppings) in comparison to yogurt. Approximately 5.3%, 0.9%, and 14.3% of US adults consumed yogurt, frozen yogurt, and ice cream on any given day, respectively. Among frozen yogurt and ice cream consumers, 29.7% and 14.8% added toppings to their consumption, respectively. Compared with yogurt, frozen yogurt consumption with and without toppings was associated with increased daily energy intake by 214.6 and 97.9kj, respectively; whereas ice cream consumption with and without toppings was associated with increased daily energy intake by 427.2 and 343.5kj, respectively. Compared with yogurt, frozen yogurt consumption was associated with a decreased intake of most vitamins/minerals under examination, but increased intake of sugar, total/saturated fat, cholesterol, fiber, and iron. Adding toppings to frozen yogurt further increased total and saturated fat intake. Compared with yogurt, ice cream consumption was associated with a decreased intake of multiple micronutrients, but increased intake of sugar, total/saturated fat, cholesterol, fiber, vitamins A and E, and iron. Adding toppings to ice cream further increased sugar intake. In conclusion, frozen yogurt and ice cream were less healthy than yogurt, and adding toppings made them even less desirable. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Upgrading of lignocellulosic biorefinery to value-added chemicals: Sustainability and economics of bioethanol-derivatives

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cheali, Peam; Posada, John A.; Gernaey, Krist

2015-01-01

with a sustainability assessment method is used as evaluation tool. First, an existing superstructure representing the lignocellulosic biorefinery design network is extended to include the options for catalytic conversion of bioethanol to value-added derivatives. Second, the optimization problem for process upgrade...... of operating profit for biorefineries producing bioethanol-derived chemicals (247 MM$/a and 241 MM$/a for diethyl ether and 1,3-butadiene, respectively). Second, the optimal designs for upgrading bioethanol (i.e. production of 1,3-butadiene and diethyl ether) performed also better with respect...... to sustainability compared with the petroleum-based processes. In both cases, the effects of the market price uncertainties were also analyzed by performing quantitative economic risk analysis and presented a significant risk of investment for a lignocellulosic biorefinery (12 MM$/a and 92 MM$/a for diethyl ether...

ECONOMIC VALUE ADDED AND MARKET VALUE ADDED - MODERN INDICATORS FOR ASSESSMENT THE FIRM’S VALUE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

NICOLAE SICHIGEA

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The financial theory developed different categories of indicators - traditional and modern - in order to evaluate the firm’s value creation. The shareholders are directly interested by the value added in the company. The value creation is a complex process that implies correct decisions, common responsibility (managers and shareholders and actions towards an efficient and profitable activity. The traditional indicators of performance are not teoritically correlated with the the value creation and in these circumstances, should be used appropriate financial indicators in order to reflect the value of the company. Therefore, the modern indicators used in the value based management framework offer a greater flexibility and efficiency and represent a good alternative for companies. Such performance indicators used to measure the financial results correlated with shareholder wealth are the Economic Value Added (EVA, as a measure of internal performance and the Market Value Added (MVA as a measure of external performance of the company. Starting from the main deficiencies of the accounting indicators, the objective of this this study is to present the relationship between EVA and MVA and their implications on firms’valuation. Thus, the presentation and analysis of these indicators – EVA and MVA - will underline the main features, their correlations, and influence factors but also the main advantage and disadvantage of each indicator, which will enable the managers to make the correct choice and subsequently the best decision regarding the performance measures.

The Value of Product-enabled Services in Top R&D Spenders in Canada and Europe

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tanev, Stoyan; Liotta, Giacomo; Kleismantas, Andrius

This paper is based on an empirical study addressing the value of product-enabled services in top R&D spenders from Canada and Europe. The focus is on product-driven firms for which new service development is particularly challenging. Existing literature on the value attributes of hybrid value...... offers is mostly conceptual and needs to be further developed through empirical studies. The research sample used in this work consists of 83 product-driven firms that were selected from the list of the top 100 R&D spenders in 2011. Several combinations of keywords linked to different aspects of service....... The results show that the main service value attributes for Canadian firms are: better service effectiveness, higher market share, higher service quality, and customer satisfaction. The service value attributes for the European firms of the sample include, among others, product added-value, product...

Facilities Management and Added Value

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Per Anker

2010-01-01

Aim: This paper aims to present different models of the concept of the added value of Facilities Management (FM), including the FM Value Map, which forms the basis of research group in EuroFM, and to present some of the results of this research collaboration. Approach and methodology: The paper...... is based on literature reviews of the most influential journals within the academic fields of FM, Corporate Real Estate Management and Business to Business Marketing and discussions between participants of the research group working on a further exploration and testing of the FM Value Map. Conclusions......: The research shows a number of different definitions and focus points of Added Value of FM, dependent on the academic field and the area of application. The different research perspectives explored a holistic view on the added value of FM by the integration of an external market based view (with a focus...

Realizing "value-added" metrology

Science.gov (United States)

Bunday, Benjamin; Lipscomb, Pete; Allgair, John; Patel, Dilip; Caldwell, Mark; Solecky, Eric; Archie, Chas; Morningstar, Jennifer; Rice, Bryan J.; Singh, Bhanwar; Cain, Jason; Emami, Iraj; Banke, Bill, Jr.; Herrera, Alfredo; Ukraintsev, Vladamir; Schlessinger, Jerry; Ritchison, Jeff

2007-03-01

The conventional premise that metrology is a "non-value-added necessary evil" is a misleading and dangerous assertion, which must be viewed as obsolete thinking. Many metrology applications are key enablers to traditionally labeled "value-added" processing steps in lithography and etch, such that they can be considered integral parts of the processes. Various key trends in modern, state-of-the-art processing such as optical proximity correction (OPC), design for manufacturability (DFM), and advanced process control (APC) are based, at their hearts, on the assumption of fine-tuned metrology, in terms of uncertainty and accuracy. These trends are vehicles where metrology thus has large opportunities to create value through the engineering of tight and targetable process distributions. Such distributions make possible predictability in speed-sorts and in other parameters, which results in high-end product. Additionally, significant reliance has also been placed on defect metrology to predict, improve, and reduce yield variability. The necessary quality metrology is strongly influenced by not only the choice of equipment, but also the quality application of these tools in a production environment. The ultimate value added by metrology is a result of quality tools run by a quality metrology team using quality practices. This paper will explore the relationships among present and future trends and challenges in metrology, including equipment, key applications, and metrology deployment in the manufacturing flow. Of key importance are metrology personnel, with their expertise, practices, and metrics in achieving and maintaining the required level of metrology performance, including where precision, matching, and accuracy fit into these considerations. The value of metrology will be demonstrated to have shifted to "key enabler of large revenues," debunking the out-of-date premise that metrology is "non-value-added." Examples used will be from critical dimension (CD

Value adding management: A concept and a case

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Per Anker; Katchamart, Akarapong

2012-01-01

be used more directly and proactively by facilities managers to implement adding value strategies and practices. Methodology: The development of the concept of Value Adding Management is based on the management model for FM included in the European FM standards, recent theories on added value of FM...... practice value adding management. It underlines the importance of stakeholder and relationship management as part of adding value. The case study confirms the relevance of the basic concept of Value Adding Management. Practical implications: The concept of Value Adding Management is expected to increase......Purpose: To develop a management concept that can assist facilities managers in implementing value adding strategies and practices. The FM Value Map has been developed to analyse and demonstrate the different ways FM can add value. However, there is a need to develop management tools that can...

Organoleptic and physico-chemical evaluation of capretto baladi goats: a value-added meat alternative in an extensive rearing system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Abi Saab

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Abi Saab, S. Esseily, F. Saliba, M. and Aad P. 2017. Organoleptic and physico-chemical evaluation of capretto baladi goats: a value-added meat alternative in an extensive rearing system. Lebanese Science Journal. 18(1: 73-80. The local Baladi breed is considered a common source of fresh meat in Lebanon. Due to the extensive rearing system and the scarcity of pasture, kids resulting from multiple births are not reared, though cultural preference for young meat may valorize these twin kids as an expensive delicacy. Few studies observed growth parameters, physical-chemical and sensory properties of meat in Baladi kids. Therefore, 24 male Baladi kids were fed milk ad libitum post-natally for 24 days, after which 9 were randomly selected and fed pasture grass ad libitum and goat milk (Control, and 15 were fed only milk (Capretto twice per day. Animals were slaughtered at 4, 6 and 8 weeks of age and body organs compared. Feed intake was measured by weighing kids pre- and post- feeding, and body weight measured twice per week. Meat chemical properties were total ether-extracted fat, kjeldhal protein, and minerals. Meat organoleptic properties were evaluated by consumers for color, taste, odor, richness, juiciness, tenderness and overall appreciation, as cooked by housewives or professionals. Data were analyzed as a CRD using SPSS 10.0 and presented as LSMeans ± SEM. Results showed that Capretto consumed increasing levels of milk from 4 to 8 weeks, with ADG decreasing (P 0.05 between Capretto and control, although capretto showed lower (p<0.05 meat fat content than control kids. Meat organoleptic characteristics were desirable at weeks 4 and 6 for both Capretto and control kids, whereas only Capretto meat stayed desirable at week 8. To conclude, Capretto kids have similar properties to their traditional counterparts, with added desirable properties for a longer growing period, in addition to the increased health benefit of lower fat content.

Recent advances in the production of value added chemicals and lipids utilizing biodiesel industry generated crude glycerol as a substrate - Metabolic aspects, challenges and possibilities: An overview.

Science.gov (United States)

Vivek, Narisetty; Sindhu, Raveendran; Madhavan, Aravind; Anju, Alphonsa Jose; Castro, Eulogio; Faraco, Vincenza; Pandey, Ashok; Binod, Parameswaran

2017-09-01

One of the major ecological concerns associated with biodiesel production is the generation of waste/crude glycerol during the trans-esterification process. Purification of this crude glycerol is not economically viable. In this context, the development of an efficient and economically viable strategy would be biotransformation reactions converting the biodiesel derived crude glycerol into value added chemicals. Hence the process ensures the sustainability and waste management in biodiesel industry, paving a path to integrated biorefineries. This review addresses a waste to wealth approach for utilization of crude glycerol in the production of value added chemicals, current trends, challenges, future perspectives, metabolic approaches and the genetic tools developed for the improved synthesis over wild type microorganisms were described. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On the added value of forensic science and grand innovation challenges for the forensic community.

Science.gov (United States)

van Asten, Arian C

2014-03-01

In this paper the insights and results are presented of a long term and ongoing improvement effort within the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) to establish a valuable innovation programme. From the overall perspective of the role and use of forensic science in the criminal justice system, the concepts of Forensic Information Value Added (FIVA) and Forensic Information Value Efficiency (FIVE) are introduced. From these concepts the key factors determining the added value of forensic investigations are discussed; Evidential Value, Relevance, Quality, Speed and Cost. By unravelling the added value of forensic science and combining this with the future needs and scientific and technological developments, six forensic grand challenges are introduced: i) Molecular Photo-fitting; ii) chemical imaging, profiling and age estimation of finger marks; iii) Advancing Forensic Medicine; iv) Objective Forensic Evaluation; v) the Digital Forensic Service Centre and vi) Real time In-Situ Chemical Identification. Finally, models for forensic innovation are presented that could lead to major international breakthroughs on all these six themes within a five year time span. This could cause a step change in the added value of forensic science and would make forensic investigative methods even more valuable than they already are today. © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd on behalf of Forensic Science Society. All rights reserved.

ARM Climate Research Facility Quarterly Value-Added Product Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sivaraman, C. [DOE ARM Climate Research Facility, Washington, DC (United States)

2016-10-01

The purpose of this report is to provide a concise status update for Value-Added Products (VAPs) implemented by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility. The report is divided into the following sections: (1) new VAPs for which development has begun; (2) progress on existing VAPs; (3) future VAPs that have been recently approved; (4) other work that leads to a VAP; (5) top requested VAPs from the ARM Data Archive; and (6) a summary of VAP and data releases to production and evaluation. New information is highlighted in blue text. New information about processed data by the developer is highlighted in red text. The upcoming milestones and dates are highlighted in green.

The contribution of technology to added value

CERN Document Server

Fernandes, António S C

2013-01-01

There is a wide consensus that introduction of technology to the production process contributes to an overall economic value, however, confusion between technology, knowledge and capital often makes value calculations ambiguous and non-objective. The Contribution of Technology to Added Value addresses not only this issue of definition but also provides a production model to assess the value contribution of technology within the production process. A clarification  of fundamental semantics  provides a significant taxonomy for technology dependence, and allows understanding and modeling of how knowledge, technology and capital individually contribute to production and to value adding. A new technology dependence taxonomy is proposed and assessed following chapters explaining growth models, the KTC model and technology index values. Balancing theoretical knowledge with real-world data and applications The Contribution of Technology to Added Value clarifies the issue of value adding for a range of different vie...

Pengukuran Kinerja Perusahaan Melalui Economic Value Added (Eva) Dan (Mva) Market Value

OpenAIRE

Andhaniwati, Erry

2011-01-01

Performance corporating to constitute one of prescriptive factor gets on descent of stock price because firm performance constitute to refuse fathom for investor deeping to determine stock bid price. Economic Value Added, and Market Value Added are umpteen corporate performance grader that can be utilized by investor in assesses how well firm performance. Therefore to the effect this research is subject to be analyse influence among Economic Value Added , and Market Value Added to stock pr...

Value Adding Management: A New Facilities Management Concept

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Per Anker; Katchamart, Akarapong

2011-01-01

Purpose: To investigate how Facilities Management (FM) can add value and develop a management concept that can assist facilities managers in implementing value adding strategies and practices. Theory: The study is based on the management model for FM included in the European FM standards, recent...... is investigated, tested and discussed based on a case study of an international corporation. Findings: The study shows that the management model for FM creates a relevant starting point but also that stakeholder and relationship management is an essential aspect of Value Adding Management. The case study confirms...... the relevance of the basic concept and provides an important example of how Value Adding Management can be implemented and added value measured. Originality/value: The study develops a concept of Value Adding Management, which is new in FM literature. It is expected to increase the awareness of the impacts...

Economic value added or earnings: What explains market value in Indian firms?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nufazil Altaf

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to empirically test the claim made by Stern Stewart & Company that economic value added is a better metric that traditional earning based measures in explaining market value. For better exposition, a sample of 325 Indian firms has been divided into two parts- 170 firms belonging to Indian manufacturing companies and 155 companies belonging to the Indian service sector. After performing univariate and multivariate regression analyses, the results of the study reveal that the operating income has a strong linkage with market value added in both manufacturing and service sectors. For both the sectors, the economic value added shows weaker but positive relationship with the market value added.

Evaluating Teachers: The Important Role of Value-Added

Science.gov (United States)

Glazerman, Steven; Loeb, Susanna; Goldhaber, Dan; Staiger, Douglas; Raudenbush, Stephen; Whitehurst, Grover

2010-01-01

The evaluation of teachers based on the contribution they make to the learning of their students, "value-added", is an increasingly popular but controversial education reform policy. In this report, the authors highlight and try to clarify four areas of confusion about value-added. The first is between value-added information and the…

Value Added Products from Hemicellulose Utilization in Dry Mill Ethanol Plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rodney Williamson, ICPB; John Magnuson, PNNL; David Reed, INL; Marco Baez, Dyadic; Marion Bradford, ICPB

2007-03-30

The Iowa Corn Promotion Board is the principal contracting entity for this grant funded by the US Department of Agriculture and managed by the US Department of Energy. The Iowa Corn Promotion Board subcontracted with New Jersey Institute of Technology, KiwiChem, Pacific Northwest National Lab and Idaho National Lab to conduct research for this project. KiwiChem conducted the economic engineering assessment of a dry-mill ethanol plant. New Jersey Institute of Technology conducted work on incorporating the organic acids into polymers. Pacific Northwest National Lab conducted work in hydrolysis of hemicellulose, fermentation and chemical catalysis of sugars to value-added chemicals. Idaho National Lab engineered an organism to ferment a specific organic acid. Dyadic, an enzme company, was a collaborator which provided in-kind support for the project. The Iowa Corn Promotion Board collaborated with the Ohio Corn Marketing Board and the Minnesota Corn Merchandising Council in providing cost share for the project. The purpose of this diverse collaboration was to integrate the hydrolysis, the conversion and the polymer applications into one project and increase the likelihood of success. This project had two primary goals: (1) to hydrolyze the hemicellulose fraction of the distillers grain (DG) coproduct coming from the dry-mill ethanol plants and (2) convert the sugars derived from the hemicellulose into value-added co-products via fermentation and chemical catalysis.

Implementation of Economic Value Added and Market Value Added Analysis as Valuation Tools of Invest Feasibility

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Achmad Daengs GS

2017-09-01

Full Text Available For the investors, financial statement is a benchmark of investors in assessing the company's performance. In fact, investors are not always receiving the accurate company's financial statements information and its levels of fairness are in doubt. The financial statement analysis with using financial ratios is not enough. The investors may need to use alternatives financial statement analyses techniques that reflect the actual company's performance. Therefore, both of the investors and the prospective can use Economic Value Added (EVA and Market Value Added (MVA analysis. With these technical analyses, the investors may know the company's performance where they are invested or to be used as a place to invest whether it has value added or not. With the results of these analyses, it is the expected for the investors to be more confident in making decision whether to buy, sell or hold the ownership in the company.

An Efficiency Comparison of MBA Programs: Top 10 versus Non-Top 10

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, Maxwell K.; James, Marcia L.; Chao, Gary H.

2009-01-01

The authors compared the cohort group of the top-10 MBA programs in the United States with their lower-ranking counterparts on their value-added efficiency. The findings reveal that the top-10 MBA programs in the United States are associated with statistically higher average "technical and scale efficiency" and "scale efficiency", but not with a…

Facilities Management and Value Adding - The LEGO case

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Per Anker; Katchamart, Akarapong

on the management model for FM included in the European FM standards, recent theories on added value of FM and real estate and the related concept of Value Management from building projects. The paper outlines a preliminary theoretical based management concept, which is investigated, tested and discussed based...... on a case study of LEGO. Results: The study shows that the management model for FM creates a relevant starting point but also that stakeholder and relationship management is an essential aspect of Value Adding Management. The case study confirms the relevance of the basic concept and provides an important...... example of how Value Adding Management can be implemented and added value measured. Practical Implications: The concept of Value Adding Management is expected to increase the awareness of the impacts and strategic importance of FM for organisations and can be a practical tool for facilities managers...

The Value Relevance Of Value Added And Stakeholder Compensation Across Business Cultures

OpenAIRE

John Darcy

2011-01-01

This research performed a partial test of the instrumental validity of the stakeholder model by examining the value relevance of value added relative to income and the incremental value relevance of two stakeholder compensation components of value added, wages and interest for Japan, Germany, United States, and United Kingdom.

Aluminum recovery as a product with high added value using aluminum hazardous waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

David, E.; Kopac, J.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Granular and compact aluminum dross were physically and chemically characterized. • A relationship between density, porosity and metal content from dross was established. • Chemical reactions involving aluminum in landfill and negative consequences are shown. • A processing method for aluminum recovering from aluminum dross was developed. • Aluminum was recovered as an value product with high grade purity such as alumina. -- Abstract: The samples of hazardous aluminum solid waste such as dross were physically and chemically characterized. A relationship between density, porosity and metal content of dross was established. The paper also examines the chemical reactions involving aluminum dross in landfill and the negative consequences. To avoid environmental problems and to recovery the aluminum, a processing method was developed and aluminum was recovered as an added value product such as alumina. This method refers to a process at low temperature, in more stages: acid leaching, purification, precipitation and calcination. At the end of this process aluminum was extracted, first as Al 3+ soluble ions and final as alumina product. The composition of the aluminum dross and alumina powder obtained were measured by applying the leaching tests, using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and chemical analysis. The mineralogical composition of aluminum dross samples and alumina product were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the morphological characterization was performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The method presented in this work allows the use of hazardous aluminum solid waste as raw material to recover an important fraction from soluble aluminum content as an added value product, alumina, with high grade purity (99.28%)

THE EFFECT OF LEVERAGE AND ECONOMIC VALUE ADDED ON MARKET VALUE ADDED

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kristína Jančovičová BOGNÁROVÁ

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Economic value added (EVA is a performance measure developed by Stern Stewart & Co. that attempts to measure the true economic profit produced by a company. Such a metric is useful for investors who wish to determine how well a company has produced value for its investors, and it can be compared against the company's peers for a quick analysis of how well the company is operating in its industry. Market value added (MVA, on the other hand, is simply the difference between the current total market value of a company and the capital contributed by investors (including both shareholders and bondholders. It is typically used for companies that are larger and publicly-traded. MVA is not a performance metric like EVA, but instead is a wealth metric, measuring the level of value a company has accumulated over time. In order to maximise the value for shareholders, companies should strive towards maximising MVA and not necessarily their total market value. It is believed, that the best way to do so is to maximize EVA, which reflects a company’s ability to earn returns above the cost of capital. The leverage available to companies that incur fixed costs and use borrowed capital with a fixed interest charge has been known and quantified by financial managers for some time. In this research the effect of leverage and EVA on MVA as the measure of shareholder wealth creation was analysed. Leverage and EVA have been used as the independent variables whereas MVA has been used as the measure of shareholder wealth creation. Correlation and regression methods have been employed to find out in what way financial managers can practice the effects of leverage and EVA to maximize MVA. The results showed that EVA and leverage have no profound impact on MVA of the selected Slovak companies

School system evaluation by value added analysis under endogeneity.

Science.gov (United States)

Manzi, Jorge; San Martín, Ernesto; Van Bellegem, Sébastien

2014-01-01

Value added is a common tool in educational research on effectiveness. It is often modeled as a (prediction of a) random effect in a specific hierarchical linear model. This paper shows that this modeling strategy is not valid when endogeneity is present. Endogeneity stems, for instance, from a correlation between the random effect in the hierarchical model and some of its covariates. This paper shows that this phenomenon is far from exceptional and can even be a generic problem when the covariates contain the prior score attainments, a typical situation in value added modeling. Starting from a general, model-free definition of value added, the paper derives an explicit expression of the value added in an endogeneous hierarchical linear Gaussian model. Inference on value added is proposed using an instrumental variable approach. The impact of endogeneity on the value added and the estimated value added is calculated accurately. This is also illustrated on a large data set of individual scores of about 200,000 students in Chile.

Cloud Type Classification (cldtype) Value-Added Product

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Flynn, Donna [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Shi, Yan [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Lim, K-S [Korean Atomic Energy Research Inst., Daejeon (South Korea); Riihimaki, Laura [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2017-08-15

The Cloud Type (cldtype) value-added product (VAP) provides an automated cloud type classification based on macrophysical quantities derived from vertically pointing lidar and radar. Up to 10 layers of clouds are classified into seven cloud types based on predetermined and site-specific thresholds of cloud top, base and thickness. Examples of thresholds for selected U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility sites are provided in Tables 1 and 2. Inputs for the cldtype VAP include lidar and radar cloud boundaries obtained from the Active Remotely Sensed Cloud Location (ARSCL) and Surface Meteorological Systems (MET) data. Rain rates from MET are used to determine when radar signal attenuation precludes accurate cloud detection. Temporal resolution and vertical resolution for cldtype are 1 minute and 30 m respectively and match the resolution of ARSCL. The cldtype classification is an initial step for further categorization of clouds. It was developed for use by the Shallow Cumulus VAP to identify potential periods of interest to the LASSO model and is intended to find clouds of interest for a variety of users.

Value management program: performance, quantification, and presentation of imaging value-added actions.

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Samir

2015-03-01

Health care is in a state of transition, shifting from volume-based success to value-based success. Hospital executives and referring physicians often do not understand the total value a radiology group provides. A template for easy, cost-effective implementation in clinical practice for most radiology groups to demonstrate the value they provide to their clients (patients, physicians, health care executives) has not been well described. A value management program was developed to document all of the value-added activities performed by on-site radiologists, quantify them in terms of time spent on each activity (investment), and present the benefits to internal and external stakeholders (outcomes). The radiology value-added matrix is the platform from which value-added activities are categorized and synthesized into a template for defining investments and outcomes. The value management program was first implemented systemwide in 2013. Across all serviced locations, 9,931.75 hours were invested. An annual executive summary report template demonstrating outcomes is given to clients. The mean and median individual value-added hours per radiologist were 134.52 and 113.33, respectively. If this program were extrapolated to the entire field of radiology, approximately 30,000 radiologists, this would have resulted in 10,641,161 uncompensated value-added hours documented in 2013, with an estimated economic value of $2.21 billion. Copyright © 2015 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Flexibility of ADS for minor actinides transmutation in different two-stage PWR-ADS fuel cycle scenarios

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Shengcheng; Wu, Hongchun; Zheng, Youqi

2018-01-01

Highlights: •ADS reloading scheme is optimized to raise discharge burnup and lower reactivity loss. •ADS is flexible to be combined with various pyro-chemical reprocessing technologies. •ADS is flexible to transmute MAs from different spent PWR fuels. -- Abstract: A two-stage Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR)-Accelerator Driven System (ADS) fuel cycle is proposed as an option to transmute minor actinides (MAs) recovered from the spent PWR fuels in the ADS system. At the second stage, the spent fuels discharged from ADS are reprocessed by the pyro-chemical process and the recovered actinides are mixed with the top-up MAs recovered from the spent PWR fuels to fabricate the new fuels used in ADS. In order to lower the amount of nuclear wastes sent to the geological repository, an optimized scattered reloading scheme for ADS is proposed to maximize the discharge burnup and lower the burnup reactivity loss. Then the flexibility of ADS for MA transmutation is evaluated in this research. Three aspects are discussed, including: different cooling time of spent ADS fuels before reprocessing, different reprocessing loss of spent ADS fuels, and different top-up MAs recovered from different kinds of spent PWR fuels. The ADS system is flexible to be combined with various pyro-chemical reprocessing technologies with specific spent fuels cooling time and unique reprocessing loss. The reduction magnitudes of the long-term decay heat and radiotoxicity of MAs by transmutation depend on the reprocessing loss. The ADS system is flexible to transmute MAs recovered from different kinds of spent PWR fuels, regardless of UOX or MOX fuels. The reduction magnitudes of the long-term decay heat and radiotoxicity of different MAs by transmutation stay on the same order.

Value added tax-theoretical and practical aspects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raičević Božidar B.

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Value added tax has been applied for four decades now and as a novelty it has already worn off both in theory and practice. It has indisputable advantages and relatively minor shortcomings compared to other forms of consumption taxation. Today it is one of the most widely used form of consumption tax in the world, being levied in about 120 countries accounting for around 70 per cent of the world population, including all European countries except Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Federation and the Republic of Srpska. The burden of value added tax is visible at each stage in the production and distribution chain, thus eliminating taxation accumulation and is borne ultimately by the final consumer of final goods and services in the consuming country. The consumption type is a dominant type of value added tax. It ensures that the fixed and current assets purchases are exempt from VAT, and as such, it encourages technological progress and investment. By applying the country of destination principle (VAT is chargeable in the country where the goods or services are consumed - exports are exempt from tax while imports are taxed, value added tax eliminates double taxation and retains tax sovereignty of the importing country. In the last ten years there have been attempts to introduce value added tax in Serbia. The introduction of value added tax is the condition for the accession to the EU and we should expect that the latest attempt to introduce this tax in the Serbia taxation system will be successful. Namely, VAT Act is expected to be passed during 2004 and enforced as of January 1, 2005.

Value added medicines: what value repurposed medicines might bring to society?

Science.gov (United States)

Toumi, Mondher; Rémuzat, Cécile

2017-01-01

Background & objectives : Despite the wide interest surrounding drug repurposing, no common terminology has been yet agreed for these products and their full potential value is not always recognised and rewarded, creating a disincentive for further development. The objectives of the present study were to assess from a wide perspective which value drug repurposing might bring to society, but also to identify key obstacles for adoption of these medicines and to discuss policy recommendations. Methods : A preliminary comprehensive search was conducted to assess how the concept of drug repurposing was described in the literature. Following completion of the literature review, a primary research was conducted to get perspective of various stakeholders across EU member states on drug repurposing ( healthcare professionals, regulatory authorities and Health Technology Assessment (HTA) bodies/payers, patients, and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry developing medicines in this field). Ad hoc literature review was performed to illustrate, when appropriate, statements of the various stakeholders. Results : Various nomenclatures have been used to describe the concept of drug repurposing in the literature, with more or less broad definitions either based on outcomes, processes, or being a mix of both. In this context, Medicines for Europe (http://www.medicinesforeurope.com/value-added-medicines/) established one single terminology for these medicines, known as value added medicines, defined as 'medicines based on known molecules that address healthcare needs and deliver relevant improvements for patients, healthcare professionals and/or payers'. Stakeholder interviews highlighted three main potential benefits for value added medicines: (1) to address a number of medicine-related healthcare inefficiencies related to irrational use of medicines, non-availability of appropriate treatment options, shortage of mature products, geographical inequity in medicine access

Leading Change, Adding Value.

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Nick

2016-09-12

Essential facts Leading Change, Adding Value is NHS England's new nursing and midwifery framework. It is designed to build on Compassion in Practice (CiP), which was published 3 years ago and set out the 6Cs: compassion, care, commitment, courage, competence and communication. CiP established the values at the heart of nursing and midwifery, while the new framework sets out how staff can help transform the health and care sectors to meet the aims of the NHS England's Five Year Forward View.

REGIONAL CHAINS OF ADDED VALUE AS A TOOL OF INDUSTRIAL COOPERATION- COMPETITIVENESS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. E. Guliyev

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives. The infrastructural aspects of integrated interaction and factors impacting on the efficiency increase of regional participation  in the creation of added value chains on the example of cooperation  between developed and developing countries during the  implementation of joint production projects are considered.Methods. A factor analysis of the degree of various countries’ involvement into global added value chains is carried out,  taking into account their geographical location, natural resources and openness of markets, as well as the infrastructure, professional knowledge of the workforce, practice of cooperation of  domestic firms with foreign partners and the attractiveness of their investment climate.Results. An evaluation of the integrated potential of individual countries, which could undertake the functions of  integrators and mediators within the implementation of regional  programmes of social and economic development, is presented. The  growth potential is estimated and the role of global creation chains  of added value (AVC revealed as a tool for increasing the  competitiveness of national trade policies. It is determined that,  when adopting the latest technologies, companies strive to geographically approximate the placement of the middle links of added value chains to specialised suppliers, “smart” consumers and scientific centres as a means of maintaining innovation continuity.Conclusion. The countries of the EEU and the CIS have significant potential for developing cooperation in the field of  transition to a model of new economic growth, as well as in the  development and application of regional added value chains. As well  as the extractive sector of the economy of the EEU and CIS  countries, included in the regional added value chains, agriculture, chemical and textile industries, metallurgy, transport  engineering, and services sector have the potential to be key

Does Distance to Subsidiaries affect Headquarters Value Added?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nell, Phillip C.; Beugelsdijk, Sjoerd; Ambos, Björn

2014-01-01

How does distance between MNC headquarters and their subsidiaries affect the value added generated by headquarters? Integrating theories on spatial transaction costs with the headquarter view of the MNC, we link two types of distances, geographic distance and contextual distance, with headquarters...... value added. We test our hypotheses on an original dataset of 124 manufacturing subsidiaries in Europe. We find that the relation between distance and headquarters value added is conditional on the degree of subsidiaries’ external embeddedness. We find no direct effect of distance. The value added...... of headquarters is highest for subsidiaries that are not externally embedded in the host country and that operate at a large distance. It is lowest for locally responsive subsidiaries with high external embeddedness operating at a large distance. We discuss implications for the literature on headquarters-subsidiaries...

Profiling value added position in FM

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Katchamart, Akarapong

. It is argued that being strategic is not the pre-requisite condition to add value to the core business and stakeholders but rather matching what does FM organization offer - so called FM product - with how does it being offered - so called FM process? By matching FM products with the right FM process, FM...... organizations can best add value. Based on comprehensive literature studies and 7 case studies of private and public organisations from Denmark, Holland, Hong Kong and Thailand, the dissertation analyses, how FM organizations can best create added value. From the analyses the following four value added...... positions have emerged: 1. Support - FM organizations create benefit to its host organization from economies of scope and scale 2. Enable - FM organizations increase the one-off organizational capacity and capability 3. Ensure - FM organizations contribute the business continuity and reliability 4. Enhance...

THE ADDED VALUE OF SHREDDED LELE AND PATIN CATFISH

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Ristina Siti Sundari

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Fish is not only perishable product but also has segmented market. Consumption market such wants the fresh fish and certainty size. The problem is when the size of fish is too big for consumption, so that product is not wanted by consumer anymore. This research aimed at knowing the added value of shredded Lele and Patin catfish agribusiness and increasing prosperity of humanitarian society throughout processing the shredded catfishes. The data of this research was analyzed by Added Value Analysis of Hayami. The result showed that the shredded product of Lele catfish gave the added value IDR 14.295,00 per kilograms with the added value ratio was 25,53 percent and Conversion value was 0,35. Whereas, the shredded product of Patin catfish gave the added value IDR 18.295,00 per kilogram with the added value ratio was 29,04 percent and Conversion value was 0,35. The agribusiness toward processing and marketing of shredded Lele and Patin catfish was innovative agribusiness that could develop business opportunity so that it could move on the economical wheel and increasing humanitarian society prosperity actively. The market demand was still very wide either in town or out of town. The partnership among various not only government but also non government associations would be a good matter toward this agribusiness is running well.

Value added planning: yes, in my backyard! : understanding value added planning in the city of Amersfoort, the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Diemont, E.; Cilliers, J.; Stobbelaar, D.J.; Timmermans, W.

2011-01-01

Amersfoort local municipality would like to renew the quality of the green spaces within the urban areas, to enhance the value of these spaces and to determine the economic value of green spaces. The concept of Value Added Planning was introduced to address these objectives. The value of green is

Corporate performance and the measures of value added

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Petravičius

2008-09-01

Full Text Available In recent years, managers have turned their attention to the ways increasing the value of their companies. A number of competing measures have been developed and marketed by investment and consulting firms. This paper considers the ways in which value can be created or destroyed in a firm and looks at how to calculate the cost of capital used to measure the opportunity cost of investing funds in one particular business instead of others with equivalent risk. Next, we have a look at the four most widely used value enhancement measures including Economic Value Added, Cash Flow Return on Investment, Market Value Added, Cash Value Added and use an example to think of where these approaches yield similar results and where differences might occur. In conclusion, we summarize the new or unique points in these competing measures, establish the information they can give and explain how to use it when managing and creating shareholder value.

Adding Value by FM and CREM in Dutch hospitals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Voordt, D.J.M.; Prevosth, J.; van der Zwart, J.

2012-01-01

Purpose: To explore if and how Dutch hospital managers steer on adding value by well-considered Facility Management (FM) and Corporate Real Estate Management (CREM), which values are leading, and how adding value is being translated into concrete interventions. Methodology: In addition to a review

Progress toward isolation of strains and genetically engineered strains of microalgae for production of biofuel and other value added chemicals: A review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghosh, Ashmita; Khanra, Saumyakanti; Mondal, Madhumanti; Halder, Gopinath; Tiwari, O.N.; Saini, Supreet; Bhowmick, Tridib Kumar; Gayen, Kalyan

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Sample collection, isolation and identification to obtain a pure microalgal species. • Isolation of microalgal strains worldwide based on continent and habitat. • Genetic engineering tools for enhanced production of biodiesel and value added chemicals. • Cultivation systems for genetically modified strain. - Abstract: Microalgae and cyanobacteria are promising sources of biodiesel because of their high oil content (∼10 fold higher) and shorter cultivation time (∼4 fold lesser) than conventional oil producing territorial plants (e.g., soybean, corn and jatropha). These organisms also provide source of several valuable natural chemicals including pigments, food supplements like eicosapentanoic acid [EPA], decosahexaenoic acid [DHA] and vitamins. In addition, many cellular components of these organisms are associated with therapeutic properties like antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunostimulating, and antiviral. Isolation and identification of high-yielding strains with the faster growth rate is the key for successful implementation of algal biodiesel (or other products) at a commercial level. A number of research groups in Europe, America, and Australia are thus extensively involved in exploration of novel microalgal strain. Further, genetic engineering provides a tool to engineer the native strain resulting in transgenic strain with higher yields. Despite these efforts, no consensus has yet been reached so far in zeroing on the best microalgal strain for sustainable production of biofuel at reasonable cost. The search for novel microalgal strain and transgenesis of microalgae, are continuing side by side with the hope of commercial scale production of microalgae biofuel in near future. However, no consolidated review report exists which guides to isolate and identify a uncontaminated microalgal strain along with their transgenesis. The present review is focused on: (i) key factors for sample collection, isolation, and identification to

Western hardwoods : value-added research and demonstration program

Science.gov (United States)

D. W. Green; W. W. Von Segen; S. A. Willits

1995-01-01

Research results from the value-added research and demonstration program for western hardwoods are summarized in this report. The intent of the program was to enhance the economy of the Pacific Northwest by helping local communities and forest industries produce wood products more efficiently. Emphasis was given to value-added products and barriers to increased...

Recent advances on conversion and co-production of acetone-butanol-ethanol into high value-added bioproducts.

Science.gov (United States)

Xin, Fengxue; Dong, Weiliang; Jiang, Yujia; Ma, Jiangfeng; Zhang, Wenming; Wu, Hao; Zhang, Min; Jiang, Min

2018-06-01

Butanol is an important bulk chemical and has been regarded as an advanced biofuel. Large-scale production of butanol has been applied for more than 100 years, but its production through acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation process by solventogenic Clostridium species is still not economically viable due to the low butanol titer and yield caused by the toxicity of butanol and a by-product, such as acetone. Renewed interest in biobutanol as a biofuel has spurred technological advances to strain modification and fermentation process design. Especially, with the development of interdisciplinary processes, the sole product or even the mixture of ABE produced through ABE fermentation process can be further used as platform chemicals for high value added product production through enzymatic or chemical catalysis. This review aims to comprehensively summarize the most recent advances on the conversion of acetone, butanol and ABE mixture into various products, such as isopropanol, butyl-butyrate and higher-molecular mass alkanes. Additionally, co-production of other value added products with ABE was also discussed.

Photocatalytic conversion of CO2 into value-added and renewable fuels

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Lan; Xu, Yi-Jun

2015-07-01

The increasing energy crisis and the worsening global climate caused by the excessive utilization of fossil fuel have boosted tremendous research activities about CO2 capture, storage and utilization. Artificial photosynthesis that uses solar light energy to convert CO2 to form value-added and renewable fuels such as methane or methanol has been consistently drawing increasing attention. It is like killing two birds with one stone since it can not only reduce the greenhouse effects caused by CO2 emission but also produce value added chemicals for alternative energy supplying. This review provides a brief introduction about the basic principles of artificial photosynthesis of CO2 and the progress made in exploring more efficient photocatalysts from the viewpoint of light harvesting and photogenerated charge carriers boosting. Moreover, the undergoing mechanisms of CO2 photoreduction are discussed with selected examples, in terms of adsorption of reactants, CO2 activation as well as the possible reaction pathways. Finally, perspectives on future research directions and open issues in CO2 photoreduction are outlined.

Adding value to laboratory medicine: a professional responsibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Beastall, Graham H

2013-01-01

Laboratory medicine is a medical specialty at the centre of healthcare. When used optimally laboratory medicine generates knowledge that can facilitate patient safety, improve patient outcomes, shorten patient journeys and lead to more cost-effective healthcare. Optimal use of laboratory medicine relies on dynamic and authoritative leadership outside as well as inside the laboratory. The first responsibility of the head of a clinical laboratory is to ensure the provision of a high quality service across a wide range of parameters culminating in laboratory accreditation against an international standard, such as ISO 15189. From that essential baseline the leadership of laboratory medicine at local, national and international level needs to 'add value' to ensure the optimal delivery, use, development and evaluation of the services provided for individuals and for groups of patients. A convenient tool to illustrate added value is use of the mnemonic 'SCIENCE'. This tool allows added value to be considered in seven domains: standardisation and harmonisation; clinical effectiveness; innovation; evidence-based practice; novel applications; cost-effectiveness; and education of others. The assessment of added value in laboratory medicine may be considered against a framework that comprises three dimensions: operational efficiency; patient management; and patient behaviours. The profession and the patient will benefit from sharing examples of adding value to laboratory medicine.

ECONOMIC VALUE ADDED SEBAGAI UKURAN KEBERHASILAN KINERJA MANAJEMEN PERUSAHAAN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lisa Linawati Utomo

1999-01-01

Full Text Available The company's performance is mostly measured by analysis based on the financial ratio for a specific period. This type of measurement is highly dependent upon the accounting methods used in preparing the financial statement. Therefore a company's performance often looks good and improving overtime, but in reality its performance is deteriorating. The unreliable accounting measure needs an improved performance measure that will recognize and encourage management actions and strategies to increase the overall value of the company and ultimately to punish any activity that reduce value. The introduction of Economic Value Added (EVA has been very relevant recently because based on its definition, EVA measures the amount of value added created by specific action or strategy taken in a company. EVA is also used in the process of goal setting, capital budgeting, performance assessment, and most importantly, incentive compensation within a company. Its implication to the overall being of a company is so important these days that it should not be overlooked when companies plan their strategies. Abstract in Bahasa Indonesia : Kinerja sebuah perusahaan lebih banyak diukur berdasarkan rasio-rasio keuangan selama satu periode tertentu. Pengukuran berdasarkan rasio keuangan ini sangatlah bergantung pada metode atau perlakuan akuntansi yang digunakan dalam menyusun laporan keuangan perusahaan. Sehingga seringkali kinerja perusahaan terlihat baik dan meningkat, yang mana sebenarnya kinerja tidak mengalami peningkatan dan bahkan menurun. Diperlukannya suatu alat ukur kinerja yang menunjukkan prestasi manajemen sebenarnya dengan tujuan untuk mendorong aktivitas atau strategi yang menambah nilai ekonomis (value added activities dan menghapuskan aktivitas yang merusak nilai (non-value added activities. Economic Value Added (EVA sangat relevan dalam hal ini karena EVA dapat mengukur kinerja (prestasi manajemen berdasarkan besar kecilnya nilai tambah yang diciptakan

Ionic liquid solutions as extractive solvents for value-added compounds from biomass.

Science.gov (United States)

Passos, Helena; Freire, Mara G; Coutinho, João A P

2014-12-01

In the past few years, the number of studies regarding the application of ionic liquids (ILs) as alternative solvents to extract value-added compounds from biomass has been growing. Based on an extended compilation and analysis of the data hitherto reported, the main objective of this review is to provide an overview on the use of ILs and their mixtures with molecular solvents for the extraction of value-added compounds present in natural sources. The ILs (or IL solutions) investigated as solvents for the extraction of natural compounds, such as alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, lipids, among others, are outlined. The extraction techniques employed, namely solid-liquid extraction, and microwave-assisted and ultrasound-assisted extractions, are emphasized and discussed in terms of extraction yields and purification factors. Furthermore, the evaluation of the IL chemical structure and the optimization of the process conditions (IL concentration, temperature, biomass-solvent ratio, etc.) are critically addressed. Major conclusions on the role of the ILs towards the extraction mechanisms and improved extraction yields are additionally provided. The isolation and recovery procedures of the value-added compounds are ascertained as well as some scattered strategies already reported for the IL solvent recovery and reusability. Finally, a critical analysis on the economic impact versus the extraction performance of IL-based methodologies was also carried out and is here presented and discussed.

ADDED VALUE AS EFFICIENCY CRITERION FOR INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION PROCESS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. M. Korotkevich

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Literary analysis has shown that the majority of researchers are using classical efficiency criteria for construction of an optimization model for production process: profit maximization; cost minimization; maximization of commercial product output; minimization of back-log for product demand; minimization of total time consumption due to production change. The paper proposes to use an index of added value as an efficiency criterion because it combines economic and social interests of all main interested subjects of the business activity: national government, property owners, employees, investors. The following types of added value have been considered in the paper: joint-stock, market, monetary, economic, notional (gross, net, real. The paper makes suggestion to use an index of real value added as an efficiency criterion. Such approach permits to bring notional added value in comparable variant because added value can be increased not only due to efficiency improvement of enterprise activity but also due to environmental factors – excess in rate of export price increases over rate of import growth. An analysis of methods for calculation of real value added has been made on a country-by-country basis (extrapolation, simple and double deflation. A method of double deflation has been selected on the basis of the executed analysis and it is counted according to the Laspeyires, Paasche, Fischer indices. A conclusion has been made that the used expressions do not take into account fully economic peculiarities of the Republic of Belarus: they are considered as inappropriate in the case when product cost is differentiated according to marketing outlets; they do not take account of difference in rate of several currencies and such approach is reflected in export price of a released product and import price for raw material, supplies and component parts. Taking this into consideration expressions for calculation of real value added have been specified

Towards an Integrated Value Adding Management Model for FM and CREM

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Per Anker; van der Voordt, Theo

2016-01-01

Purpose : To present an integrated process model of adding value by Facilities Management (FM) and Corporate Real Estate Management (CREM) that is a generalisation of existing conceptual frameworks and aims to be a basis for management of added value in practice. Background : The growing research...... frameworks are too complex and lack of common terminology and clear operationalisations of intervention-impact relationships. Approach (Theory/Methodology) :A generalised Value Adding Management process model is developed based on a common cause-effect model identified in existing conceptual frameworks...... aims at supporting the practical management and measurement of added value. A typology with six types of FM/CREM interventions is developed from earlier research. The concept of Value Adding Management is investigated and the 12 most important added value parameters are identified. Research limitations...

Reflecting on future research concerning the added value of FM

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Per Anker; van der Voordt, Theo; Coenen, Christian

2014-01-01

on contributions to the recently published book “The Added Value of Facilities Management” and related future studies, as well as further exploration of five main themes. Findings – Added value is expected to be central in the future development of FM, which is confirmed by recent foresight studies....... There is a need for a better understanding of alignment between FM and core business, performance measurement methods and how models such as the FM Value Map can be of value to the involved stakeholders. Corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainability and branding have great potential to add value......Purpose – This paper aims to summarize recent research findings and reflections on The Added Value of Facilities Management (FM) and to outline perspectives for future research and development of the added value of FM. Design/methodology/approach – The article is based on reflections...

The economic impact of reduced value added tax rates for groceries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Slavomíra Martinková

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The value added tax represents one of the most important sources of state budget revenues of EU Member States. The basic value added tax rate is in the EU currently between 15% in Luxembourg to 27% applied in Hungary. The revenues from this tax represent an average of 17.5% of all tax revenues of EU countries and create an average GDP of 7.0% (year 2016, EU 28. As revenues from value added tax represent a stable income of state budget, the legislative changes in the system of value added tax, mainly its reductions as well as its imposition on groceries, can significantly influence further macroeconomic development. In the last year, the government of the Slovak Republic implemented changes in universal indirect taxing in such way that in addition to the standard value added tax rate of 20%, the Act No. 268/2015 on Value added tax adopted in 2016 a decreased value added tax rate of 10% on selected groceries, in order to support domestic producers and reduce the tax burden of low-income and middle-income groups. According to the European Commission (2007, the reduced rate of value added tax in selected cases has its justification and importance in the country's economy. The aim of this paper is to analyse the economic impact of the applied reduced value added tax on food in the Slovak Republic in the context of household expenditures and revenues of the state budget.

Value added intellectual coefficient (VAIC: an empirical study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehrnaz Paknezhad

2012-04-01

Full Text Available There is no doubt that conventional accounting does not provide actual value of a firm since they only take into account the tangible assets. Intellectual capital provides a new concept for considering actual value of the assets, which helps calculate intangible values of the firm. In this paper, we use value added intellectual coefficient (VAIC to measure the performance of a firm. The study investigates the relationship between intellectual capital and return on assets and value added for three consecutive years between 2008 and 2010. The results indicate that there is no meaningful relationship between intellectual capital and return on assets for fiscal years of 2008 and 2009 but there is a meaningful relationship between these two items for the fiscal year of 2010 when . Our findings also indicate that there is no meaningful relationship between intellectual capital and value added for the years of 2008 and 2010 but there is a meaningful relationship between the items for the fiscal year of 2009. The results somewhat confirm the recently published results in the literature, which argues the use of VAIC for assessing the direct impact of IC on other financial factors.

The principal axis approach to value-added calculation.

OpenAIRE

He, Q.; Tymms, P.

2014-01-01

The assessment of the achievement of students and the quality of schools has drawn increasing attention from educational researchers, policy makers, and practitioners. Various test-based accountability and feedback systems involving the use of value-added techniques have been developed for evaluating the effectiveness of individual teaching professionals and schools. A variety of models have been employed for calculating value-added measures, including the use of linear regression models whic...

Perceptions Towards Non-Value-Adding Activities During The Construction Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ismail Haryati

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Non-value-adding activities are pure waste during the construction process. However, most of the construction practitioner does not realise that most of the activities performed during the construction process add no value to their project. A total of 375 numbers of questionnaires distributed to the Developer, Jabatan Kerja Raya, Consultants and Contractors. The study found that awareness by construction participants in Malaysia to take actions against non-value-adding activities during the construction process is relatively low. Through analysed by using the Pareto Chart, it has been found that defects and waiting time are two categories of non-value-adding activities that need to be prioritised by the industry. It is also found that non-value-adding activities most frequently occurred during structural and architectural work. This paper also reviewed on the causes of non-value-adding activities and discussed its effect towards time, cost, quality and productivity of the construction project. This paper is also important to give clearness and broader understandings on this form of waste other than material waste.

How Can Value-Added Measures Be Used for Teacher Improvement? What We Know Series: Value-Added Methods and Applications. Knowledge Brief 13

Science.gov (United States)

Loeb, Susanna

2013-01-01

The question for this brief is whether education leaders can use value-added measures as tools for improving schooling and, if so, how to do this. Districts, states, and schools can, at least in theory, generate gains in educational outcomes for students using value-added measures in three ways: creating information on effective programs, making…

Measuring the added value of IT in construction firms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Laan, Albertus; Voordijk, Johannes T.; Kolkman, S.; Greenwood, D.J.

2003-01-01

The added value of information technology (IT) varies widely along firms. The objective of this paper is to analyse the underlying factors that enlarge or reduce the added value of information systems and IT-applications in construction firms. By applying the process-oriented approach of Tallon et

Impact of the Sugar Import Reduction on Iran Economic Value Added (Input- Output Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fateme Hayatgheibi

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The present study aimed at understanding interactions and linkages between the sugar sector with other economic sectors, and the influence of sugar import reduction on the economic value added. To achieve the purpose, the Input-Output table of Iran for the year 2006, Leontief inverse matrix and hypothetical extraction method were used. Based on the results, sugar industry has the most forward linkages with “Manufacture of food products and beverages,…”, “husbandry, aviculture,…”, “cultivation, horticulture”, “bakery products” and “restaurants”. This sector has also strong backward linkages with “cultivation, horticulture”, “chemicals and chemical products”, “other services”, “transport and telecommunication” and “financial services, insurance and bank”. Furthermore, either one unit increase in the final demand of sugar or one unit decrease in the sugar import increases the output of whole economic, agricultural and fishing, industry and mining, and services sectors by 2.3060, 0.6019, 1.4331, and 0.2710 unit, respectively. The increasing coefficients of the value added for the above sectors are 0.4308, 0.3700, and 0.1992 unit, respectively.

48 CFR 252.229-7006 - Value added tax exclusion (United Kingdom).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Value added tax exclusion... CLAUSES Text of Provisions And Clauses 252.229-7006 Value added tax exclusion (United Kingdom). As prescribed in 229.402-70(f), use the following clause: Value Added Tax Exclusion (United Kingdom) (JUN 1997...

Value Added Methods: Moving from Univariate to Multivariate Criteria

Science.gov (United States)

Newman, David; Newman, Isadore; Ridenour, Carolyn; Morales, Jennifer

2014-01-01

The authors describe five value-added methods (VAM) used in school assessment as the backdrop to their main thesis. Then they review the assumptions underlying measurement and evaluation, the foundation of all assessment systems, including value-added. They discuss the traditional criterion variable used in VAM: a standardized test score. Next,…

An integrated biorefinery concept for conversion of sugar beet pulp into value-added chemicals and pharmaceutical intermediates.

Science.gov (United States)

Cárdenas-Fernández, Max; Bawn, Maria; Hamley-Bennett, Charlotte; Bharat, Penumathsa K V; Subrizi, Fabiana; Suhaili, Nurashikin; Ward, David P; Bourdin, Sarah; Dalby, Paul A; Hailes, Helen C; Hewitson, Peter; Ignatova, Svetlana; Kontoravdi, Cleo; Leak, David J; Shah, Nilay; Sheppard, Tom D; Ward, John M; Lye, Gary J

2017-09-21

Over 8 million tonnes of sugar beet are grown annually in the UK. Sugar beet pulp (SBP) is the main by-product of sugar beet processing which is currently dried and sold as a low value animal feed. SBP is a rich source of carbohydrates, mainly in the form of cellulose and pectin, including d-glucose (Glu), l-arabinose (Ara) and d-galacturonic acid (GalAc). This work describes the technical feasibility of an integrated biorefinery concept for the fractionation of SBP and conversion of these monosaccharides into value-added products. SBP fractionation is initially carried out by steam explosion under mild conditions to yield soluble pectin and insoluble cellulose fractions. The cellulose is readily hydrolysed by cellulases to release Glu that can then be fermented by a commercial yeast strain to produce bioethanol at a high yield. The pectin fraction can be either fully hydrolysed, using physico-chemical methods, or selectively hydrolysed, using cloned arabinases and galacturonases, to yield Ara-rich and GalAc-rich streams. These monomers can be separated using either Centrifugal Partition Chromatography (CPC) or ultrafiltration into streams suitable for subsequent enzymatic upgrading. Building on our previous experience with transketolase (TK) and transaminase (TAm) enzymes, the conversion of Ara and GalAc into higher value products was explored. In particular the conversion of Ara into l-gluco-heptulose (GluHep), that has potential therapeutic applications in hypoglycaemia and cancer, using a mutant TK is described. Preliminary studies with TAm also suggest GluHep can be selectively aminated to the corresponding chiral aminopolyol. The current work is addressing the upgrading of the remaining SBP monomer, GalAc, and the modelling of the biorefinery concept to enable economic and Life Cycle Analysis (LCA).

Biorefineries for the production of top building block chemicals and their derivatives.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Sol; Song, Chan Woo; Shin, Jae Ho; Lee, Sang Yup

2015-03-01

Due to the growing concerns on the climate change and sustainability on petrochemical resources, DOE selected and announced the bio-based top 12 building blocks and discussed the needs for developing biorefinery technologies to replace the current petroleum based industry in 2004. Over the last 10 years after its announcement, many studies have been performed for the development of efficient technologies for the bio-based production of these chemicals and derivatives. Now, ten chemicals among these top 12 chemicals, excluding the l-aspartic acid and 3-hydroxybutyrolactone, have already been commercialized or are close to commercialization. In this paper, we review the current status of biorefinery development for the production of these platform chemicals and their derivatives. In addition, current technological advances on industrial strain development for the production of platform chemicals using micro-organisms will be covered in detail with case studies on succinic acid and 3-hydroxypropionic acid as examples. Copyright © 2015 International Metabolic Engineering Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Measuring Corporate Sustainability and Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance Value Added

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alena Kocmanová

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The aim of the paper is to propose a model for measuring sustainable value which would complexly assess environmental, social, and corporate governance contribution to value creation. In the paper the concept of the Sustainable Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance Value Added is presented. The Sustainable Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance Value Added is based on the Sustainable Value Added model and combines weighted environmental, social, and corporate governance indicators with their benchmarks determined by Data Envelopment Analysis. Benchmark values of indicators were set for each company separately and determine the optimal combination of environmental, social, and corporate governance inputs to economic outcomes. The Sustainable Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance Value Added methodology is applied on real-life corporate data and presented through a case study. The value added of most of the selected companies was negative, even though economic indicators of all of them are positive. The Sustainable Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance Value Added is intended to help owners, investors, and other stakeholders in their decision-making and sustainability assessment. The use of environmental, social, and corporate governance factors helps identify the company’s strengths and weaknesses, and provides a more sophisticated insight into it than the one-dimensional methods based on economic performance alone.

Creating value added to customers: Marketing and sales role

OpenAIRE

Damnjanović Vesna; Filipović Vinka

2006-01-01

This paper presents the new trends in sales and marketing areas which reshaping markets and changing the way business is done. Marketing and sales management need a well-defined strategy for added value exploration, creation and delivery. The holistic marketing process involves all stakeholders and required them to participate in the value added creation process.

Added Value of Employee Financial Participation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Poutsma, F.; Kaarsemaker, E.C.A.; Andresen, M.; Nowak, C.

2015-01-01

This chapter broadens our understanding of the added value of employee financial participation. Financial participation is a generic term for the participation of employees in profit and enterprise results including equity of their employing firm. In general, there are two forms of employee

Exogenous Variables and Value-Added Assessments: A Fatal Flaw

Science.gov (United States)

Berliner, David C.

2014-01-01

Background: There has been rapid growth in value-added assessment of teachers to meet the widely supported policy goal of identifying the most effective and the most ineffective teachers in a school system. The former group is to be rewarded while the latter group is to be helped or fired for their poor performance. But, value-added approaches to…

Creating value added to customers: Marketing and sales role

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Damnjanović Vesna

2006-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the new trends in sales and marketing areas which reshaping markets and changing the way business is done. Marketing and sales management need a well-defined strategy for added value exploration, creation and delivery. The holistic marketing process involves all stakeholders and required them to participate in the value added creation process.

Exploring Value-Added Options - Opportunities in Mouldings and Millwork

Science.gov (United States)

Bob Smith; Philip A. Araman

1997-01-01

The millwork industry, which includes manufacture of doors, windows, stair parts, blinds, mouldings, picture frame material, and assorted trim, can be a lucrative value-added opportunity for sawmills. Those entering the value-added millwork market often find that it is a great opportunity to generate greater profits from upper grades and utility species, such as yellow...

The ecotoxicogenomic assessment of soil toxicity associated with the production chain of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), a candidate bio-based green chemical building block

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chen, G.; van Straalen, N.M.; Roelofs, D.

2016-01-01

2,5-Furan dicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is one of the top-12 value-added chemicals derived from biomass that may serve as a 'green' substitute for terephthalic acid (TPA) in polyesters. FDCA can be synthesized chemically from 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF), which is produced from fructose or glucose. To

Approaching value added planning in the green environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cilliers, E.J.; Timmermans, W.

2013-01-01

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to link economic value to urban green spaces to enhance the value of green urban spaces, along with the added benefit it can offer to the urban environment. Design/methodology/approach – As part of the VALUE project (Valuing Attractive Landscapes in the Urban

Date fruit: chemical composition, nutritional and medicinal values, products.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Zhen-Xing; Shi, Lu-E; Aleid, Salah M

2013-08-15

Date fruit has served as a staple food in the Arab world for centuries. Worldwide production of date fruit has increased almost threefold over the last 40 years, reaching 7.68 million tons in 2010. Date fruit can provide many essential nutrients and potential health benefits to the consumer. Date fruit goes through four ripening stages named kimri, khalal, rutab and tamer. The main chemical components of date fruit include carbohydrates, dietary fibre, enzymes, protein, fat, minerals, vitamins, phenolic acids and carotenoids. The chemical composition of date fruit varies according to ripening stage, cultivar, growing environment, postharvest conditions, etc. The nutritional and medicinal activities of date fruit are related to its chemical composition. Many studies have shown that date fruit has antioxidant, antimutagenic, anti-inflammatory, gastroprotective, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, anticancer and immunostimulant activities. Various date fruit-based products such as date syrup, date paste, date juice and their derived products are available. Date by-products can be used as raw materials for the production of value-added products such as organic acids, exopolysaccharides, antibiotics, date-flavoured probiotic-fermented dairy produce, bakery yeasts, etc. In this paper the chemical composition and nutritional and medicinal values of date fruit as well as date fruit-based products are reviewed. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.

The added value of business models

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vliet, Harry van

An overview of innovations in a particular area, for example retail developments in the fashion sector (Van Vliet, 2014), and a subsequent discussion about the probability as to whether these innovations will realise a ‘breakthrough’, has to be supplemented with the question of what the added value

Consumer preferences and willingness to pay for value-added chicken product attributes.

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez Michel, Lorelei; Anders, Sven; Wismer, Wendy V

2011-10-01

A growing demand for convenient and ready-to-eat products has increased poultry processors' interest in developing consumer-oriented value-added chicken products. In this study, a conjoint analysis survey of 276 chicken consumers in Edmonton was conducted during the summer of 2009 to assess the importance of the chicken part, production method, processing method, storage method, the presence of added flavor, and cooking method on consumer preferences for different value-added chicken product attributes. Estimates of consumer willingness to pay (WTP) premium prices for different combinations of value-added chicken attributes were also determined. Participants'"ideal" chicken product was a refrigerated product made with free-range chicken breast, produced with no additives or preservatives and no added flavor, which could be oven heated or pan heated. Half of all participants on average were willing to pay 30% more for a value-added chicken product over the price of a conventional product. Overall, young consumers, individuals who shop at Farmers' Markets and those who prefer free-range or organic products were more likely to pay a premium for value-added chicken products. As expected, consumers' WTP was affected negatively by product price. Combined knowledge of consumer product attribute preferences and consumer WTP for value-added chicken products can help the poultry industry design innovative value-added chicken products. Practical Application:  An optimum combination of product attributes desired by consumers for the development of a new value-added chicken product, as well as the WTP for this product, have been identified in this study. This information is relevant to the poultry industry to enhance consumer satisfaction of future value-added chicken products and provide the tools for future profit growth. © 2011 Institute of Food Technologists®

Reflecting on future research concerning the added value of FM

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jensen, PA; van der Voordt, Theo; Coenen, C; Sarasoja, AL

2014-01-01

Purpose: To summarize recent research findings and reflections on The Added Value of Facilities Management and to outline perspectives for future research and development of the added value of FM.
Methodology - The article is based on reflections on contributions to the recently published book

Getting Value out of Value-Added: Report of a Workshop

Science.gov (United States)

Braun, Henry, Ed.; Chudowsky, Naomi, Ed.; Koenig, Judith, Ed.

2010-01-01

Value-added methods refer to efforts to estimate the relative contributions of specific teachers, schools, or programs to student test performance. In recent years, these methods have attracted considerable attention because of their potential applicability for educational accountability, teacher pay-for-performance systems, school and teacher…

Waste valorization by biotechnological conversion into added value products.

Science.gov (United States)

Liguori, Rossana; Amore, Antonella; Faraco, Vincenza

2013-07-01

Fossil fuel reserves depletion, global warming, unrelenting population growth, and costly and problematic waste recycling call for renewable resources of energy and consumer products. As an alternative to the 100 % oil economy, production processes based on biomass can be developed. Huge amounts of lignocellulosic wastes are yearly produced all around the world. They include agricultural residues, food farming wastes, "green-grocer's wastes," tree pruning residues, and organic and paper fraction of urban solid wastes. The common ways currently adopted for disposal of these wastes present environmental and economic disadvantages. As an alternative, processes for adding value to wastes producing high added products should be developed, that is the upgrading concept: adding value to wastes by production of a product with desired reproducible properties, having economic and ecological advantages. A wide range of high added value products, such as enzymes, biofuels, organic acids, biopolymers, bioelectricity, and molecules for food and pharmaceutical industries, can be obtained by upgrading solid wastes. The most recent advancements of their production by biotechnological processes are overviewed in this manuscript.

Adding value by FM: exploration of management practice in the Netherlands and Denmark

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Voordt, Theo; Jensen, PA

2014-01-01

The last decade shows a growing attention into the concept of added value of Facilities Management and Corporate Real Estate Management and how to attain and measure added value. A variety of different types of added value came to the fore such as user value, customer value, financial value,

A Study on Value Added Tax for Business Enterprise Taxation - An Introduction

OpenAIRE

安部,知格

2002-01-01

In recent years，the argument whetter we should switch over the base of taxation for business enterprise from the income standard to other standards or not is rising. In these circumstances，as one of the other standards，the value-added tax has been taken up. The value-added tax appeared in Japan as the one which can be replaced income standard taxation for business enterprise by Shoup Mission in 1949. This paper considers the meaning of the value-added tax. Consequently，I think，the value-added...

Biorefineries for the production of top building block chemicals and their derivatives

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Choi, Sol; Song, Chan Woo; Shin, Jae Ho

2015-01-01

commercialized or are close to commercialization. In this paper, we review the current status of biorefinery development for the production of these platform chemicals and their derivatives. In addition, current technological advances on industrial strain development for the production of platform chemicals...... years after its announcement, many studies have been performed for the development of efficient technologies for the bio-based production of these chemicals and derivatives. Now, ten chemicals among these top 12 chemicals, excluding the l-aspartic acid and 3-hydroxybutyrolactone, have already been...

The added value of Facility management in the educational environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kok, H.B.; Mobach, M.; Omta, S.W.F.

2011-01-01

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to define the added value of facility management (FM) in general and to develop a typology of facility services based on their added value in the educational environment. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on a literature review and first

Metrix Matrix: A Cloud-Based System for Tracking Non-Relative Value Unit Value-Added Work Metrics.

Science.gov (United States)

Kovacs, Mark D; Sheafor, Douglas H; Thacker, Paul G; Hardie, Andrew D; Costello, Philip

2018-03-01

In the era of value-based medicine, it will become increasingly important for radiologists to provide metrics that demonstrate their value beyond clinical productivity. In this article the authors describe their institution's development of an easy-to-use system for tracking value-added but non-relative value unit (RVU)-based activities. Metrix Matrix is an efficient cloud-based system for tracking value-added work. A password-protected home page contains links to web-based forms created using Google Forms, with collected data populating Google Sheets spreadsheets. Value-added work metrics selected for tracking included interdisciplinary conferences, hospital committee meetings, consulting on nonbilled outside studies, and practice-based quality improvement. Over a period of 4 months, value-added work data were collected for all clinical attending faculty members in a university-based radiology department (n = 39). Time required for data entry was analyzed for 2 faculty members over the same time period. Thirty-nine faculty members (equivalent to 36.4 full-time equivalents) reported a total of 1,223.5 hours of value-added work time (VAWT). A formula was used to calculate "value-added RVUs" (vRVUs) from VAWT. VAWT amounted to 5,793.6 vRVUs or 6.0% of total work performed (vRVUs plus work RVUs [wRVUs]). Were vRVUs considered equivalent to wRVUs for staffing purposes, this would require an additional 2.3 full-time equivalents, on the basis of average wRVU calculations. Mean data entry time was 56.1 seconds per day per faculty member. As health care reimbursement evolves with an emphasis on value-based medicine, it is imperative that radiologists demonstrate the value they add to patient care beyond wRVUs. This free and easy-to-use cloud-based system allows the efficient quantification of value-added work activities. Copyright © 2017 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A first: U.S. natural gas wellhead value tops oil's

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1994-01-01

The value of natural gas production in the US in 1993 exceeded that of crude oil output for the first time in history. The reversal owes as much to trends in price as in production and, most recently, record frigid weather in much of the US. Another key factor is a newly revitalized, restructured gas industry operating in the most unfettered regulatory environment in recent memory. The industry's sterling performance in accommodating the surge in demand caused by the arctic cold that steamrolled across North America early in the 1993--94 winter strengthens the natural gas case for reliability. And that can only enhance the industry's prospects for adding more long term supply contracts. Looming on the immediate horizon is the prospect of an extended slump in oil prices, which could mean that natural gas dominance in US petroleum industry revenues will be short lived if low cost oil recaptures market share from gas. While that may temporarily dethrone natural gas from its new top slot, the reversal in 1993 represents what is likely to be a long term trend for the US petroleum industry

Added value: The differences that count

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dominique Bouchet

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Clinging to a simplistic conceptualization of the concept of added value might impair our capability to develop insights to what really matters today when companies seek to make differences within the global market. Today it is more necessary than ever to take into account the importance of language and culture as competitive factors.

Added value of FM – a critical review

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Per Anker; van der Voordt, Theo

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to provide a state of the art of how the topic “Added value of FM” has been treated recently in research and practice. The paper is based on research papers from EFMC 2013 and 2014. The paper provides an overview and a critical review of this research. A main focus...... is to examine to which degree there is a cumulative knowledge building in this field. The paper also summarises findings about value adding management in practice and reflects on implications for research and practice. The critical review shows that some of the papers have a strong foundation in former research...

The start of a Nordic focus on the added value of FM

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Per Anker; Malmstrøm, Ole Emil

2012-01-01

. Findings: Different methods to demonstrate the added value of FM are presented and the analysis of the cases shows that a change in responsibility – both between core business and in-house FM and between in-house FM and providers - can be an important element in the possibility for FM to create added value....... On-going collaboration can also be an important leverage for adding value in FM. Practical implications: The findings can provide inspiration and methods for facilities managers to implement adding value initiatives and demonstrate their impact on the core business. Research limitations: The chapter...

What determines how top managers value their stock options?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sautner, Z.; Weber, M.

2008-01-01

What determines how top managers value their executive stock options? We explore this question empirically by using a unique survey data set which combines subjective option valuation data with a wide set of individual-level variables. Inconsistent with the predictions of theory, individuals in our

The Added Value of FM : Different Research Perspectives

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jensen, P; van der Voordt, Theo; Coenen, C; von Felten, D; Lindholm, A

2010-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to present and compare research perspectives and theoretical reflections from a variety of academic fields on the concept of Added Value of Facilities Management (FM).
Theory: The starting point is the so-called FM Value Map, which was presented in a paper by Jensen

The Role and Implications of the Added Value as an Indicator of Financial Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cornelia Tureac

2014-02-01

Full Text Available The added value represents the excess of income over the value of consumptions coming from third parties, respectively the wealth created by capitalizing the technical, human and financial resources of the company. The economy is an established running after the optimal decision; so there cannot exist and economy without leadership, so there cannot be leadership without analysis, respectively the analysis of added value. This paper deals with a comparative analysis of three years, ie 2010 – 2012, of the added value from within Thomson Logistic Ltd which has 3 working points in Galati, Ploiesti and Targul Neamt. The analysis of added value is important both from the company‘s manager as an indicator for financial performance, and in terms of tax which is an indicator in the system of taxation. The methodology of this paper can be found in the use and application of the economical and financial analysis in order to perform an analysis of the added value that expresses the increase of wealth that is achieved through technical and productive activity. More specifically there were analyzed the added value, expenses of added value nature, structure of added value, growth indices of the corresponding elements of VA and the analysis from factorial point of view of the added value. In conclusion the growth rate of added value exceeded in dynamic the production value of the exercise (77.7>66.81; 31.21>31.17 because the intermediate consumption from third parties increased in 2011, and the added value decreases to an percentage of 22.30 % compared to the basis year in 2010. The result of exploitation had a decisive contribution to the decline in the added value, registering a drop of 88.05 % compared to 2011, respectively from 11705.2 Ron to 1399 Ron in 2012.

PENGUKURAN KINERJA PERUSAHAAN PT. HADJI KALLA DENGAN MENGGUNAKAN ANALISIS ECONOMIC VALUE ADDED

OpenAIRE

2013-01-01

Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah mengetahui kinerja Economic Value Added (EVA) yang dicapai oleh perusahaan PT. Hadji Kalla, sedangkan metode analisis yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah analisis perkembangan Economic Value Added (EVA), Net Operating Profit After Tax (NOPAT) dan The purpose of this study was to determine the performance of the Economic Value Added (EVA), which is achieved by the company PT. Hadji Kalla...

Microbial Conversion of Waste Glycerol from Biodiesel Production into Value-Added Products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hong Liu

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Biodiesel has gained a significant amount of attention over the past decade as an environmentally friendly fuel that is capable of being utilized by a conventional diesel engine. However, the biodiesel production process generates glycerol-containing waste streams which have become a disposal issue for biodiesel plants and generated a surplus of glycerol. A value-added opportunity is needed in order to compensate for disposal-associated costs. Microbial conversions from glycerol to valuable chemicals performed by various bacteria, yeast, fungi, and microalgae are discussed in this review paper, as well as the possibility of extending these conversions to microbial electrochemical technologies.

The Concept of added value of FM

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jensen, PA; van der Voordt, Theo; Coenen, C; von Felten, D; Balslev-Nielsen, S; Sarasoja, AL; Riratanaphong, C.; Pfenninger, M; Jensen, PA; van der Voordt, DJM; Coenen, C

2012-01-01

Purpose: This chapter presents research perspectives and theoretical reflections on the concept of added value of FM from a variety of academic fields.
Methodology: A literature review of the most influential journals within the academic fields of Facilities Management (FM), Corporate Real

Photocatalytic conversion of CO2 into value-added and renewable fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan, Lan; Xu, Yi-Jun

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: Artificial photosynthesis that uses solar light energy to convert CO 2 to form value-added and renewable fuels is considered to be a promising avenue to solve the problems relating to CO 2 . However, the state-of-the-art photocatalytic efficiency of CO 2 reduction is far from being optimal as a viable economical process. The present review is mainly focused on the progress made in exploring more efficient photocatalysts for CO 2 photoreduction and the undergoing mechanisms, which is anticipated to contribute to further advancement in CO 2 photoreduction with on-going efforts. - Highlights: • Brief introduction about the basic principle of artificial photosynthesis of CO 2 . • Progress made in exploring more efficient photocatalysts for CO 2 reduction. • Efforts devoted to excavate the in-depth mechanism of CO 2 photoreduction. • Perspectives on future research directions and open issues in CO 2 photoreduction. - Abstract: The increasing energy crisis and the worsening global climate caused by the excessive utilization of fossil fuel have boosted tremendous research activities about CO 2 capture, storage and utilization. Artificial photosynthesis that uses solar light energy to convert CO 2 to form value-added and renewable fuels such as methane or methanol has been consistently drawing increasing attention. It is like killing two birds with one stone since it can not only reduce the greenhouse effects caused by CO 2 emission but also produce value added chemicals for alternative energy supplying. This review provides a brief introduction about the basic principles of artificial photosynthesis of CO 2 and the progress made in exploring more efficient photocatalysts from the viewpoint of light harvesting and photogenerated charge carriers boosting. Moreover, the undergoing mechanisms of CO 2 photoreduction are discussed with selected examples, in terms of adsorption of reactants, CO 2 activation as well as the possible reaction pathways

Studies on the preparation of value-added products for industrial minerals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-12-01

This report consists of 2 subjects. 1) Studies on the preparation of value-added products for limestone: This study has investigated to raise to high grade by economical processes with low grade of domestic limestone. We investigated the status of application utilize and related industries with the domestic limestone, and then being consideration with condition selected the adequate sample from Andong, Jungsun and Kumsan area. Magnetic materials were involved in impurities of sample, so magnetic separation method was applied in elimination of the ferro- and para-magnetic materials, such as chlorite, muscovite, quartz, dolomite, magnetite, feldspar and so on. Investigation of flotation was undertaken to eliminate impurities from limestone crude ore and the tests were performed to get a optimum condition adding oleic acid as a promoter, sodium silicate and sodium carbonate as a conditioning agents and MIBC as a frother, while to float the sulfide minerals added amyl xanthate as a promoter, and sulfuric acid as a pH regulator. Selective crushing and classification methods were performed to eliminate impurities depends on the mineral properties and should be the selective crushing methods are very useful at the manufacturing factory of heavy calcium carbonate with the dry milling system. 2) A study on development of value added technology of pyrophyllite and dickite: Pyrophyllite and dickite have being utilized as refractories, ceramics, cement, fiber glass, paper, rubber, paints etc. However, there are not any domestic companies to produce fillers of pyrophyllite and dickite for plastic and rubber. Moreover, several kinds of fillers are imported every year with expensive price for plastic and rubber filler. This study has purpose to develop manufacturing technologies to produce fillers for plastic and rubber of pyrophyllite and dickite. The chemical and mineralogical properties of samples, the optimum grinding condition and device for producing plastic fillers and

Bioconversion of sago residue into value added products | Awg ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... value added products. DS Awg-Adeni, S Abd-Aziz, K Bujang, MA Hassan ... sago processing mills. This review focuses on the developments in processes and products for the value addition of sago residues through biotechnological means.

Productivity and value added distribution in family-owned businesses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jose Luis Gallizo Larraz

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: Identify similarities and/or differences in the distribution of Value Added characterizing family businesses as opposed to non-family held firms, and analyse productivity by linking the distribution of the wealth generated by the company to a variety of related agents or stakeholders (employees, providers of loan capital, and shareholders. Design/methodology: A data series consisting of VA distribution in a sample of 8,609 Spanish companies, of which 5,109 are family firms and another 3,500 companies which are not, for the period comprising 2008 to 2013 was employed for this study. The data from the financial statements pertaining to these companies was taken from the SABI system (a privately-funded database analysing the financials of Spanish and Portuguese firms, operated by INFORMA, SA, selecting only those companies that employ standardized financial reporting practices. Findings and results: The work shows the existence of significant differences between family and non-family businesses in the distribution of value added among the different stakeholders. Given that, although both types of company spend most of the value added to remunerate staff, the family company spends a higher proportion thereof on self-financing as compared to non-family businesses, which spend a higher percentage on the remuneration of firm ownership. On the other hand, the lower labour productivity of family businesses is apparent, a result that can be explained both by the lower staff monetary remuneration, as well as the use of production technologies that are also less capital-intensive. Limitations: The study included only medium and large companies. These are companies that report financial statements offering more disaggregated data (through use of the standard forms. This owes to the legal requirement of these companies to file a cash flow statement, a necessary source for deriving information on dividends paid by the company. Added value: This is

Coaching Small Biotech Companies into Success: The Value-adding Function of VC

OpenAIRE

Terttu Luukkonen,; Mari Maunula,

2006-01-01

The paper reports an empirical study on the non-financial value-added provided by Venture Capital investors to their investee firms. This study will use a four-class grouping of the various non-financial value-adding capabilities provided by VC firms, namely, scouting, monitoring, signalling and value-adding services. The study examines biotechnology industry in Finland. Finland has a dual system with independent (partially ever-green) VC companies and public or semi-public VC organisations. ...

Towards an Integrated Value Adding Management Model for FM and CREM

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jensen, Per Anker; van der Voordt, Theo; Kähkönen, Kalle; Keinänen, Marko

2016-01-01

Purpose: To present an integrated process model of adding value by Facilities Management (FM) and Corporate Real Estate Management (CREM) that is a generalisation of existing conceptual frameworks and aims to be a basis for management of added value in practice.
Background: The growing research

The value relevance of top executive departures : Evidence from the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cools, Kees; van Praag, C. Mirjam

2007-01-01

On theoretical grounds, monitoring of top executives by the (supervisory) board is expected to be value relevant. The empirical evidence is ambiguous and we analyze three non-competing explanations for this ambiguity: (i) The positive effect on firm value of board monitoring is hidden in stock price

Value-Added Tax -- Can Schools Use It?

Science.gov (United States)

Salmon, Richard G.

1973-01-01

Defines the value-added tax and examines it in light of equity, economic effects, cost of administration, and stability and yield. Compares the tax with the property tax and suggests alternative ways in which States and the Federal Government may participate in the financing of education. (DN)

English Value-Added Measures: Examining the Limitations of School Performance Measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Perry, Thomas

2016-01-01

Value-added "Progress" measures are to be introduced for all English schools in 2016 as "headline" measures of school performance. This move comes despite research highlighting high levels of instability in value-added measures and concerns about the omission of contextual variables in the planned measure. This article studies…

The added value of advisory services in SME mergers and acquisitions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lex van Teeffelen

2013-01-01

The objective of this study is to shed light on the added value of the services of five disciplines in M&A advisory in the SME domain: accountants, bankers, business brokers, fiscalists and lawyers. Theory is inconclusive in the added value of advisory services and research on the subject is hardly

Castanea sativa by-products: a review on added value and sustainable application.

Science.gov (United States)

Braga, Nair; Rodrigues, Francisca; Oliveira, M Beatriz P P

2015-01-01

Castanea sativa Mill. is a species of the family Fagaceae abundant in south Europe and Asia. The fruits (chestnut) are an added value resource in producing countries. Chestnut economic value is increasing not only for nutritional qualities but also for the beneficial health effects related with its consumption. During chestnut processing, a large amount of waste material is generated namely inner shell, outer shell and leaves. Studies on chestnut by-products revealed a good profile of bioactive compounds with antioxidant, anticarcinogenic and cardioprotective properties. These agro-industrial wastes, after valorisation, can be used by other industries, such as pharmaceutical, food or cosmetics, generating more profits, reducing pollution costs and improving social, economic and environmental sustainability. The purpose of this review is to provide knowledge about the type of chestnut by-products produced, the studies concerning its chemical composition and biological activity, and also to discuss other possible applications of these materials.

Management of Tax Payments Under the Definitive Value Added Tax Regime

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jurušs Māris

2018-04-01

Full Text Available There is a large value added tax fraud in the European Union. The current value added tax system is universal as tax is applied to all parties involved in the chain transactions, thus creating a risk of tax losses if one of the parties involved in the chain transaction does not pay tax in good faith. There is the action plan to introduce the definitive value added tax to prevent tax fraud in intra-community transactions. However, in order to ensure normal value added tax administration in all member states, a number of measures are needed to be done. It is necessary to develop a mutual settlement mechanism in cases of intra-community transactions. The aim of this research is to develop a possible solution for the management of tax payments under the definitive value added tax regime. The results of the research show that to manage tax payments, several payment management systems can be used. However, as a solution, a special clearing system could be introduced. Quantitative research methods such as statistical methods were used in order to analyze the situation of tax fraud in EU and its main causes, as well as mathematical modeling methods to analyze the definitive VAT system and to calculate the balance between countries in an example for clearing mechanism.

How to Use Value-Added Measures Right

Science.gov (United States)

Di Carlo, Matthew

2012-01-01

Value-added models are a specific type of "growth model," a diverse group of statistical techniques to isolate a teacher's impact on his or her students' testing progress while controlling for other measurable factors, such as student and school characteristics, that are outside that teacher's control. Opponents, including many teachers, argue…

Trade in value added in the West Pacific: An input-output analysis

OpenAIRE

Nakamura, Yoichi

2015-01-01

The evolution of trade between the four regions in the West Pacific in both gross and value added terms is analyzed using international input-output tables. It is found that value added exports of computers and electronic equipment of the Asian economies are very limited in comparison with their gross exports, and that the largest shares of value added exports were accounted for by the services sectors in every region, particularly so in Japan and the US. Surpluses and deficits in bilateral t...

Novel catalysts for valorization of biomass to value-added chemicals ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

charides have attracted greater attention as a promis- ing carbon-based ... extensively studied due to importance of HMF as a plat- form chemical.4 Potential applications of HMF includes its selective oxidation to FDCA,5,6 hydrogenolysis to.

Added values of photovoltaic power systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-03-01

The structure, ownership and operation of electricity systems around the world are changing in response to industry restructuring, the availability of new technologies and increasing environmental awareness. At the same time, many countries have yet to provide basic energy services for their populations, particularly in areas not served by the electricity grid. Large-scale, central power generation and distribution which characterized the electricity industry for much of the 20 th century is being challenged by new technologies, which are cleaner, faster to deploy and better matched to local requirements. Higher values are being placed on ancillary services, such as power system reliability and voltage stability, so that a simple comparison of energy cost is no longer appropriate as a measure of competitiveness. Solar photovoltaic electricity is unique amongst the new energy sources for the wide range of energy and non-energy benefits which can be provided, while the use of photovoltaic power systems as an integral part of a building provides the greatest opportunity for exploiting non-energy benefits and for adding value to the photovoltaic power system. This report documents the potential added values or non-energy benefits photovoltaic power systems can provide, the current state of market development and the key barriers faced by renewable energy technologies generally and photovoltaic power systems in particular. Means by which non-energy benefits may be used to overcome barriers to the use of photovoltaic power systems are then discussed, with specific attention to the use of building integrated photovoltaics. (author)

Added values of photovoltaic power systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-03-15

The structure, ownership and operation of electricity systems around the world are changing in response to industry restructuring, the availability of new technologies and increasing environmental awareness. At the same time, many countries have yet to provide basic energy services for their populations, particularly in areas not served by the electricity grid. Large-scale, central power generation and distribution which characterized the electricity industry for much of the 20{sup th} century is being challenged by new technologies, which are cleaner, faster to deploy and better matched to local requirements. Higher values are being placed on ancillary services, such as power system reliability and voltage stability, so that a simple comparison of energy cost is no longer appropriate as a measure of competitiveness. Solar photovoltaic electricity is unique amongst the new energy sources for the wide range of energy and non-energy benefits which can be provided, while the use of photovoltaic power systems as an integral part of a building provides the greatest opportunity for exploiting non-energy benefits and for adding value to the photovoltaic power system. This report documents the potential added values or non-energy benefits photovoltaic power systems can provide, the current state of market development and the key barriers faced by renewable energy technologies generally and photovoltaic power systems in particular. Means by which non-energy benefits may be used to overcome barriers to the use of photovoltaic power systems are then discussed, with specific attention to the use of building integrated photovoltaics. (author)

Novel catalysts for valorization of biomass to value-added chemicals ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The catalysts used for each transformation were subjected to detailed characterization using XRD, BET surface area, temperature-programmed desorption and transmission electron microscopy. The effect of various reaction parameters was also investigated for obtaining high yields of desired chemical intermediates.

Added economic value of limited area multi-EPS weather forecasting applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alex Deckmyn

2012-07-01

Full Text Available We compare the GLAMEPS system, a pan-European limited area ensemble prediction system, with ECMWF's EPS over Belgium for an extended period from March 2010 until the end of December 2010. In agreement with a previous study, we find GLAMEPS scores considerably better than ECMWF's EPS. To compute the economic value, we introduce a new relative economic value score for continuous forecasts. The added value of combining the GLAMEPS system with the LAEF system over Belgium is studied. We conclude that adding LAEF to GLAMEPS increases the value, although the increase is small compared to the improvement of GLAMEPS to ECMWF's EPS. As an added benefit we find that the combined GLAMEPS-LAEF multi-EPS system is more robust, that is, it is less vulnerable to the (accidental removal of one of its components.

Evaluation of Value Added Tax Application Problems in Terms of Taxation of Electronic Commerce

OpenAIRE

Güneş ÇETİN GERGER; Adnan GERÇEK

2016-01-01

Nowadays electronic taxation is being one of the important issues for revenue administrations. Tax administrations try to organize their tax system fairly and give attention on equity. Value added tax is most preferable taxes among the consumption taxes. Because it’s application is easy and taxpayers don’t show resistance to the value added tax. On electronic commerce value added taxes are using commonly. To provide equity in taxation, some taxation principles are adapted for value added tax...

Municipal Added Value through Solar Power Systems in the City of Freiburg

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon Funcke

2012-05-01

Full Text Available The transformation of the conventional energy system towards renewable energies has entailed an increasing decentralization of energy generation in Germany, as the production units are smaller and draw on regional potentials. This can result in positive socio-economic effects in regions where the potential is exploited. The focus of this paper lies on evaluating existing methods and developing new ones, which can be used to determine local added value through renewable energy systems. The methods were required to cover direct as well as induced municipal added value effects and to include all steps of the examined value chain. A combination of methods was tested in a case study for the solar power system value chain in the city of Freiburg (ca. 220,000 inhabitants. The added value through this sector in the year 2009 was calculated at 30.8 million euros through direct effects and 6.2 million euros through induced effects. This total municipal added value of 37 million euros can be converted into roughly 1,500 jobs within the city boundaries. Based on some conservative assumptions, these numbers should be considered as minimum values.

Ιnvestment in green economy as a potential source of value added

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan Klasinc

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose - The hypothesis of the paper is that domestic value added created by exports in Croatia could be increased by investments in green economy. Methodology - In the developed economies only specific products, processes and functions that outperform emerging economies in Global Value Chains are able to profit from the larger share of value added. Large portion of "green economy" is knowledge intensive, and if knowledge based economy (KBC plays a significant role in determining the domestic value added created by exports, economies with a larger stock of KBC should have a larger difference in VAX between knowledge-intensive industries and less knowledge-intensive industries. Domestic value added embodied in exports can be proxied by attracted FDI. Findings - The results seem to show some support to the hypothesis. In Croatia it has already been shown that sectors of economy with larger stock of intellectual capital measured by Intellectual Capital Efficiency (ICE index attracted more FDI, which can also serve as a predictor for larger value added in exports due to higher productivity. Knowledge intensity of 18 industries in the US as the benchmark economy shows that "Electrical and optical equipment" has above average knowledge intensity of 0,53, and it can be matched with "green economy" in Croatian industries that attracted more FDI and have higher levels of KBC. Research limitations and implications - Although this study is limited just to KBC, as an extension, the potential role of financial development could be included. Also, the length of time series for VAX measured by OECD does not allow for more thorough analysis. Originality/value – Although not conclusive, this paper is an important first step giving direction to subsequent studies of effects of KBC on value added.

Assessing the Added Value of information systems supporting facilities management business processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ebbesen, Poul; Jensen, Per Anker

2017-01-01

Purpose: To present a method for assessing the added value of Information Systems (IS), which are implemented to support the business processes in Facilities Management (FM). Theory: The method is based on a supply chain management model of FM, general value dimensions such as efficiency...... illustrates that implementing IS includes both organisational and technological changes and demonstrates that the proposed assessment method is applicable to practice. Originality/value: This is the first paper using a supply chain management model of FM, general value dimensions, VAM and Functional...... and effectiveness and the concepts of Value Adding Management (VAM) and Functional Affordances of IS. Design/methodology/approach: From case studies of IS implementation processes in FM in different countries, a general picture of the expressed added value of IS in FM was established. Based on this insight a method...

KINERJA KEUANGAN KONVENSIONAL, ECONOMIC VALUE ADDED, DAN RETURN SAHAM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bambang Sudiyatno

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji pengaruh kinerja keuangan konvensional; Return on Asset (ROA, Return on Equity (ROE, Residual Income (RI, dan kinerja keuangan yang lebih modern; Economic Value Added (EVA terhadap return saham pada perusahaan-perusahaan dalam industry makanan dan minuman yang terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia. Pengambilan sampel dalam penelitian ini menggunakan metode sensus, karena semua perusahaan dalam industry makanan dan minuman digunakan sebagai sampel. Namun dalam proses samplingnya mengunakan metode purposive sampling, yaitu menggunakan sampel dengan criteria-kriteria tertentu. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa Return on Asset (ROA dan Residual Income (RI berpengaruh positif dan secara statistik signifikan terhadap return saham pada level signifikansi 1%. Sedangkan Return on Equity (ROE berpengaruh negative dan secara statistik signifikan terhadap return saham pada level signifikansi 10%, dan Economic Value Added (ERA berpengaruh positif tetapi tidak signifikan terhadap return saham.This study aims to test the effect of conventional financial performance i.e. Return on Asset (ROA, Return on Equity (ROE, Residual Income (RI, and the more modern financial performance which is Economic Value Added (EVA toward stock returns on companies in the food and beverage industry listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange. Sampling technique in this study uses the census method, all companies in the food and beverage industry are used as a sample. The process of sampling using purposive sampling method. The result shows that Return On Asset (ROA and Residual Income (RI are positive and statistic significant impact on the stock returns at significance level 1%. While the Return on Equity (ROE is negative and statistic significant impact on the stock returns at significance level 10%, Economic Value Added (EVA is positive and statistic not significant impact on the stock returns.

Cost-savings accruable to removing value added tax from ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Despite the important and essential role that medicines play in any society, all medicines, including those identified as essential, are uniformly subjected to 14% value added tax (VAT), regardless of their therapeutic value in the private healthcare sector of South Africa. The aim of this article is to demonstrate ...

Photocatalytic conversion of CO{sub 2} into value-added and renewable fuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yuan, Lan [State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350002 (China); College of Chemistry, New Campus, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108 (China); Xu, Yi-Jun, E-mail: yjxu@fzu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350002 (China); College of Chemistry, New Campus, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108 (China)

2015-07-01

Graphical abstract: Artificial photosynthesis that uses solar light energy to convert CO{sub 2} to form value-added and renewable fuels is considered to be a promising avenue to solve the problems relating to CO{sub 2}. However, the state-of-the-art photocatalytic efficiency of CO{sub 2} reduction is far from being optimal as a viable economical process. The present review is mainly focused on the progress made in exploring more efficient photocatalysts for CO{sub 2} photoreduction and the undergoing mechanisms, which is anticipated to contribute to further advancement in CO{sub 2} photoreduction with on-going efforts. - Highlights: • Brief introduction about the basic principle of artificial photosynthesis of CO{sub 2}. • Progress made in exploring more efficient photocatalysts for CO{sub 2} reduction. • Efforts devoted to excavate the in-depth mechanism of CO{sub 2} photoreduction. • Perspectives on future research directions and open issues in CO{sub 2} photoreduction. - Abstract: The increasing energy crisis and the worsening global climate caused by the excessive utilization of fossil fuel have boosted tremendous research activities about CO{sub 2} capture, storage and utilization. Artificial photosynthesis that uses solar light energy to convert CO{sub 2} to form value-added and renewable fuels such as methane or methanol has been consistently drawing increasing attention. It is like killing two birds with one stone since it can not only reduce the greenhouse effects caused by CO{sub 2} emission but also produce value added chemicals for alternative energy supplying. This review provides a brief introduction about the basic principles of artificial photosynthesis of CO{sub 2} and the progress made in exploring more efficient photocatalysts from the viewpoint of light harvesting and photogenerated charge carriers boosting. Moreover, the undergoing mechanisms of CO{sub 2} photoreduction are discussed with selected examples, in terms of adsorption of

Adding Value by FM: an exploration of management practice in the Netherlands and Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

van der Voordt, Theo; Jensen, Per Anker

2014-01-01

The last decade shows a growing attention into the concept of added value of Facilities Management and Corporate Real Estate Management and how to attain and measure added value. A variety of different types of added value came to the fore such as user value, customer value, financial value......, environmental value and relationship value. Furthermore a huge variety of different definitions can be found in publications from different authors, partly depending on their disciplinary background and partly because some authors do not build on former research. In discussions with researchers...... and practitioners, the concept of added value is definitely recognized. However, people have many different topics in mind. In a workshop at EFMC 2013 all attendants used different terms and mentioned only a few concrete measures how to add value, mostly in rather abstract terms. Further research is needed...

A Closer Look at Revealed Comparative Advantage: Gross-versus Value Added Trade Flows

OpenAIRE

Brakman, Steven; van Marrewijk, Charles

2015-01-01

With the availability of international value added trade data it has become evident that gross export data and value added data do not provide the same information. Although gross exports crosses national borders and is the target of trade policy, value added data tell us what fragment in the production chain is internationally competitive in a particular country. With respect to comparative advantage the differences between the two types of data are often illustrated by means of examples usi...

Stability of Teacher Value-Added Rankings across Measurement Model and Scaling Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Hawley, Leslie R.; Bovaird, James A.; Wu, ChaoRong

2017-01-01

Value-added assessment methods have been criticized by researchers and policy makers for a number of reasons. One issue includes the sensitivity of model results across different outcome measures. This study examined the utility of incorporating multivariate latent variable approaches within a traditional value-added framework. We evaluated the…

The Reliability, Impact, and Cost-Effectiveness of Value-Added Teacher Assessment Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Yeh, Stuart S.

2012-01-01

This article reviews evidence regarding the intertemporal reliability of teacher rankings based on value-added methods. Value-added methods exhibit low reliability, yet are broadly supported by prominent educational researchers and are increasingly being used to evaluate and fire teachers. The article then presents a cost-effectiveness analysis…

The Isopach Mapping of Volcanic Deposits of Mount Samalas 1257 AD Based on the Values of Resistivity and Physical Properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hiden Hiden

2017-08-01

Full Text Available A detailed study had been conducted on the sediment of Mount Samalas’ volcanic eruption in 1257 AD. Using the framework of the reconstruction of the ancient eruption of Mount Samalas, the first step was to map and analyze the deposits of volcanic sediment. Secondly, we analyzed the effect of geomorphology and the distance function to the isopach thickness. The results show that a combination of methods allowed to provide a high resolution map of the distribution of the thickness of the volcanic deposits, both on the slope and in alluvial areas. Geo-electric survey results (both Vertical Electric Sound (VES and 2D mapping show consistent changes in the pattern of contrast resistivity layer interface, for all areas. The pattern changes in a row of the top layer, the high resistivity turned into the low. Furthermore, the second and third layer interface changes from low to the high resistivity. High resistivity on the top layer is interpreted as a layer of unconsolidated volcanic sediment. High resistivity values are range from 736 to 2000 Ohm.m on the top layer in the area of the slopes while in the area of alluvial, the resistivity values range from 20 to 958 Ohm.m. Generally, the volcanic deposits in the area of the slopes have a higher value of isopach (>17 m than in areas of alluvial (<25 m. The geomorphology seemed to have no significant effect on the isopach value, particularly pyroclastic fallout. Such is the case with distance from the source to the site, which is not linear. The value of isopach increases westward from 21 to 31 km, in contrast to the East, which began to occur at a distance of 14 km to 21 km.

Value-added tax fraud in the European Union

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aronowitz, A.A.; Laagland, D.C.G.; Paulides, G.

1996-01-01

Questions addressed in this project included:What are the existing control mechanisms and how do they operate? What public bodies are responsible for the fight against Value Added Tax (VAT) fraud and what are their competencies? What are the possibilities to exchange information between member

Adding Value by Hospital Real Estate: An Exploration of Dutch Practice.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Zwart, Johan; van der Voordt, Theo J M

2016-01-01

To explore how hospital real estate can add value to the healthcare organization, which values are prioritized in practice, and why. Dutch healthcare organizations are self-responsible for the costs and benefits of their accommodation. Meanwhile, a lively debate is going on about possible added values of corporate and public real estate in the fields of corporate real estate management and facility management. This article connects both worlds and compares insights from literature with experiences from practice. Added values extracted from literature have been discussed with 15 chief executive officers and project leaders of recently newly built hospitals in the Netherlands. Interviewees were asked (1) which values are included in the design and management of their hospital and why, (2) to prioritize most important values from a list of nine predefined values, and (3) to explain how the chosen real estate decisions are supposed to support organizational objectives. Stimulating innovation, user satisfaction, and improving organizational culture are most highly valued, followed by improving productivity, reducing building costs, and creating building flexibility. Image, risk control, and financing possibilities got lower rankings. The findings have been used to develop a value-impact matrix that connects nine values to various stakeholders and possible interventions. The findings and the value-impact matrix can make different stakeholders aware of many possible added values of hospital real estate, potential synergy and conflicts between different values, and how to steer on value add in different phases of the life cycle. © The Author(s) 2015.

Fuel cell added value for early market applications

Science.gov (United States)

Hardman, Scott; Chandan, Amrit; Steinberger-Wilckens, Robert

2015-08-01

Fuel Cells are often considered in the market place as just power providers. Whilst fuel cells do provide power, there are additional beneficial characteristics that should be highlighted to consumers. Due to the high price premiums associated with fuel cells, added value features need to be exploited in order to make them more appealing and increase unit sales and market penetration. This paper looks at the approach taken by two companies to sell high value fuel cells to niche markets. The first, SFC Energy, has a proven track record selling fuel cell power providers. The second, Bloom Energy, is making significant progress in the US by having sold its Energy Server to more than 40 corporations including Wal-Mart, Staples, Google, eBay and Apple. Further to these current markets, two prospective added value applications for fuel cells are discussed. These are fuel cells for aircraft APUs and fuel cells for fire prevention. These two existing markets and two future markets highlight that fuel cells are not just power providers. Rather, they can be used as solutions to many needs, thus being more cost effective by replacing a number of incumbent systems at the same time.

Value-added materials from the hydrometallurgical processing of jarosite waste

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wilson Benjamin P.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Jarosite is a leach residue that can be produced by industrial bulk metal treatment processes and typically has the chemical formula MxFe3(SO42(OH6, where M normally represents a metal cation. The largest source of jarosite is electrolytic zinc processing [1], which worldwide has an annual production of 11-12 Mt and an associated jarosite waste of 5-6 Mt that can cause important challenges due to its classification as a problem waste. Moreover, as zinc ore typically contains many other commercial/critical metals, the content of valuable materials in this material is significant. An analysis of jarosite from Kokkola, Finland shows that it contained as much metal as many present day commercial ores: ~15% iron, 2% zinc, 3 % lead, 150 g/t silver, 0.5 g/t gold, 100 g/t indium and 40 g/t gallium. Until now, jarosite related research has concentrated on its use in landfill and construction purposes [2], though there is increasing interest in finding methods to efficiently reprocess/recycle jarosite into valuable products [3, 4]. The hydrometallurgical process currently under development by VTT and Aalto University exploits jarosite powdery nature to undertake wet chemical processing. This low cost and energy efficient operation is targeted at the recovery of concentrates which contain the major value-added metals.

Critical phenomena and chemical potential of a charged AdS black hole

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Shao-Wen; Liang, Bin; Liu, Yu-Xiao

2017-12-01

Inspired by the interpretation of the cosmological constant from the boundary gauge theory, we here treat it as the number of colors N and its conjugate quantity as the associated chemical potential μ in the black hole side. Then the thermodynamics and the chemical potential for a five-dimensional charged AdS black hole are studied. It is found that there exists a small-large black hole phase transition of van der Waals type. The critical phenomena are investigated in the N2-μ chart. The result implies that the phase transition can occur for large number of colors N , while is forbidden for small number. This to some extent implies that the interaction of the system increases with the number. In particular, in the reduced parameter space, all the thermodynamic quantities can be rescaled with the black hole charge such that these reduced quantities are charge-independent. Then we obtain the coexistence curve and the phase diagram. The latent heat is also numerically calculated. Moreover, the heat capacity and the thermodynamic scalar are studied. The result indicates that the information of the first-order black hole phase transition is encoded in the heat capacity and scalar. However, the phase transition point cannot be directly calculated with them. Nevertheless, the critical point linked to a second-order phase transition can be determined by either the heat capacity or the scalar. In addition, we calculate the critical exponents of the heat capacity and the scalar for the saturated small and large black holes near the critical point.

Analysis of Added Value of Subscores with Respect to Classification

Science.gov (United States)

Sinharay, Sandip

2014-01-01

Brennan noted that users of test scores often want (indeed, demand) that subscores be reported, along with total test scores, for diagnostic purposes. Haberman suggested a method based on classical test theory (CTT) to determine if subscores have added value over the total score. One way to interpret the method is that a subscore has added value…

Cost-savings accruable to removing value added tax from ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Varsha Bangalee

added tax (VAT), regardless of their therapeutic value in the private healthcare sector of. South Africa. ..... addition, removing VAT on selective medicines, such as essential ... through increased taxes on unhealthy consumption patterns.

Diagnostic and Value-Added Assessment of Business Writing

Science.gov (United States)

Fraser, Linda; Harich, Katrin; Norby, Joni; Brzovic, Kathy; Rizkallah, Teeanna; Loewy, Dana

2005-01-01

To assess students' business writing abilities upon entry into the business program and exit from the capstone course, a multitiered assessment package was developed that measures students' achievement of specific learning outcomes and provides "value-added" scores. The online segment of the test measures five competencies across three process…

Reflections on the added value of using mixed methods in the SCAPE study.

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, Kathy; Casey, Dympna; Devane, Declan; Meskell, Pauline; Higgins, Agnes; Elliot, Naomi; Lalor, Joan; Begley, Cecily

2014-03-01

To reflect on the added value that a mixed method design gave in a large national evaluation study of specialist and advanced practice (SCAPE), and to propose a reporting guide that could help make explicit the added value of mixed methods in other studies. Recently, researchers have focused on how to carry out mixed methods research (MMR) rigorously. The value-added claims for MMR include the capacity to exploit the strengths and compensate for weakness inherent in single designs, generate comprehensive description of phenomena, produce more convincing results for funders or policy-makers and build methodological expertise. Data illustrating value added claims were drawn from the SCAPE study. Studies about the purpose of mixed methods were identified from a search of literature. The authors explain why and how they undertook components of the study, and propose a guideline to facilitate such studies. If MMR is to become the third methodological paradigm, then articulation of what extra benefit MMR adds to a study is essential. The authors conclude that MMR has added value and found the guideline useful as a way of making value claims explicit. The clear articulation of the procedural aspects of mixed-methods research, and identification of a guideline to facilitate such research, will enable researchers to learn more effectively from each other.

Remedial processing of oil shale fly ash (OSFA) and its value-added conversion into glass-ceramics.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhikun; Zhang, Lei; Li, Aimin

2015-12-01

Recently, various solid wastes such as sewage sludge, coal fly ash and slag have been recycled into various products such as sintered bricks, ceramics and cement concrete. Application of these recycling approaches is much better and greener than conventional landfills since it can solve the problems of storage of industrial wastes and reduce exploration of natural resources for construction materials to protect the environment. Therefore, in this study, an attempt was made to recycle oil shale fly ash (OSFA), a by-product obtained from the extracting of shale oil in the oil shale industry, into a value-added glass-ceramic material via melting and sintering method. The influence of basicity (CaO/SiO2 ratio) by adding calcium oxide on the performance of glass-ceramics was studied in terms of phase transformation, mechanical properties, chemical resistances and heavy metals leaching tests. Crystallization kinetics results showed that the increase of basicity reduced the activation energies of crystallization but did not change the crystallization mechanism. When increasing the basicity from 0.2 to 0.5, the densification of sintering body was enhanced due to the promotion of viscous flow of glass powders, and therefore the compression strength and bending strength of glass-ceramics were increased. Heavy metals leaching results indicated that the produced OSFA-based glass-ceramics could be taken as non-hazardous materials. The maximum mechanical properties of compression strength of 186 ± 3 MPa, bending strength of 78 ± 6 MPa, good chemical resistances and low heavy metals leaching concentrations showed that it could be used as a substitute material for construction applications. The proposed approach will be one of the potential sustainable solutions in reducing the storage of oil shale fly ash as well as converting it into a value-added product. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Intellectual Capital Approach to Modern Management through the Perspective of a Company’s Value Added

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simona Survilaitė

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The importance of value creation in small and medium-sized business companies has always been in focus. The changing environment makes a strong impact on all companies all over the world. Nowadays, the value added, which is created by the company, not only depends on tangible but also on intangible assets. It is not enough just to manage internal resources to be efficient or generate high value added. Knowledge and information as an important tool for the management of the external environment have become a new factor of a company. Since elements of the intellectual capital system are intangible and hardly measurable in company’s value added, this paper aims to create a model for the analysis of the creation of a company’s value added through intellectual capital. Subsequent to the review of literature on value creation and management, the authors proposed a model for value creation through intermediate, which presented three main elements of value added creation.

Value-Chain Engineering of a Tower-Top Cellular Base Station System

OpenAIRE

Cooper, Tim; Farrell, Ronan

2007-01-01

In this paper we present a value chain analysis of mobile `phone basestations, with a focus on possible antenna based tower-top electronics. Through this analysis we are able to present a number of possible architectural solutions and provide guidance on performance and reliability criterion

Motivation and Organizational Behavior. Staff between Value Added and ConflictGenerating Losses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mircea A. Udrescu

2017-06-01

Full Text Available In an organization work together two categories of motivations, the organization's management and the employees' one, the workers' one. It is often stated that the competitive added value has the particular way in which the employees are motivated and also their skills within the organization. The authors believe that the added value in a competitive market is the result of the synergy of the two types of motivations, the entrepreneurial and managerial ones and employee's own motivation. In situations where a synergy between the interests of workers and the organization's ones, the global interests of the company's is characterized by continuous growth of value added, while lack of motivation generates unequivocally conflicting states that diminishes the aspects of the outcome activities quality.

Added Value of Far-Infrared Radiometry for Ice Cloud Remote Sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Libois, Q.; Blanchet, J. P.; Ivanescu, L.; S Pelletier, L.; Laurence, C.

2017-12-01

Several cloud retrieval algorithms based on satellite observations in the infrared have been developed in the last decades. However, most of these observations only cover the midinfrared (MIR, λ technology, though, now make it possible to consider spaceborne remote sensing in the FIR. Here we show that adding a few FIR channels with realistic radiometric performances to existing spaceborne narrowband radiometers would significantly improve their ability to retrieve ice cloud radiative properties. For clouds encountered in the polar regions and the upper troposphere, where the atmosphere above clouds is sufficiently transparent in the FIR, using FIR channels would reduce by more than 50% the uncertainties on retrieved values of optical thickness, effective particle diameter, and cloud top altitude. This would somehow extend the range of applicability of current infrared retrieval methods to the polar regions and to clouds with large optical thickness, where MIR algorithms perform poorly. The high performance of solar reflection-based algorithms would thus be reached in nighttime conditions. Using FIR observations is a promising venue for studying ice cloud microphysics and precipitation processes, which is highly relevant for cirrus clouds and convective towers, and for investigating the water cycle in the driest regions of the atmosphere.

A step-by-step plan to manage and measure adding value by FM/CREM

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Voordt, Theo; Jensen, Per Anker; Hoendervanger, Jan Gerard; Bergsma, Feike; Nielsen, Susanne Balslev; Jensen, Per Anker

Purpose: To present a new Value Adding Management model in order to support decision makers in identifying appropriate interventions to add value to the organisation, to manage its implementation, and to measure the output and outcomes. Theory: The paper builds on value adding management theories

Predictive impact on medium-term mortality of hematological parameters in Acute Coronary Syndromes: added value on top of GRACE risk score.

Science.gov (United States)

Timóteo, Ana T; Papoila, Ana L; Lousinha, Ana; Alves, Marta; Miranda, Fernando; Ferreira, Maria L; Ferreira, Rui C

2015-04-01

Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW) prognostic value in patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) has been well validated whereas that of Platelet Distribution Width (PDW) is less well known. Investigate the incremental prognostic value, on top of GRACE risk score, of a new variable resulting from the combination of RDW and PDW. Consecutive patients with ACS. Complete blood count, with RDW and PDW, was obtained. Primary endpoint was one-year all-cause mortality and Cox regression models were used to measure the influence of RDW and PDW on patients' survival time. A new combination categorical variable (RDW/PDW) was created with both discretized RDW and PDW and logistic regression models were used. Predictive value and discriminative ability of the model with GRACE risk score alone and of the model with inclusion of RDW/PDW was assessed. We included 787 patients. Hospital and one-year mortality rates were 5.1% and 7.8%, respectively. Both continuous RDW and PDW were independent predictors of death. The best cut-off for RDW was 13.9%, and 14.5% for PDW. Inclusion of RDW/PDW in a model with GRACE risk score improved the AUC from 0.81 (95% CI 0.75-0.86) to 0.84 (95% CI 0.79-0.90) (p=0.024) with an improvement in total NRI (56%) and IDI (0.048). Simple markers such as RDW and PDW can be useful in risk stratification of death after ACS. Combining both markers with GRACE risk score improved the predictive value for all-cause mortality and reduced the estimated risk of those who did not die. © The European Society of Cardiology 2014.

MODELS OF APPLICATION ECONOMIC VALUE ADDED IN AUTOMOTIVE COMPANY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eva MALICHOVA

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Enterprises are currently trying to bring new technologies into production and use new procedures and recommendations in various management activities. However, they should not forget to change their approach to the evaluation of the results achieved and focus on the use of modern methods of performance evaluation and prove to apply them in their enterprises. The aim of this paper is to point out several variants of the calculation of Economic value added (EVA indicator, define the possibilities to apply EVA methods to the conditions of enterprises in the Slovak Republic and the need to adjust data providing financial statements and data for current accounts. Application of economic value added should be able to contribute to changes in the views of the owners and managers of enterprises in the Slovak republic for use not only as financial indicators.

Value-Added Taxes, Chain Effects, and Informality

OpenAIRE

Áureo de Paula; Jose A. Scheinkman

2010-01-01

This paper investigates determinants of informal economic activity. We present an equilibrium model of informality and test its implications using a survey of 48,000+ small firms in Brazil. We define informality as tax avoidance; firms in the informal sector avoid tax payments but suffer other limitations. A novel theoretical contribution in this model is the role of value added taxes in transmitting informality. It predicts that the informality of a firm is correlated to the informality of f...

Opportunities for increasing domestic added value ofcocoa through trade regulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bambang Drajat

2011-08-01

Full Text Available The operation of multinational companies on cocoa bean trade in Indonesia related to the liberalization policy on trade and investment in Indonesia permits for multinational companies to operate in Indonesia and liable to buy cocoa bean directly from farmers. The problem encountered is the domestic market liberalization gives rise to changes in market power and results ini the dominant position of multinational companies. This research aimed to (i analyze the impact of the exercise of market power by cocoa multinational company, (ii to analyze the possibility of deregulation of cocoa bean domestic trade, and (iii to estimate the potential increase in added value of cocoa down-stream industry as a result of deregulation. Some steps of research conducted includes (i desk research, (ii field survey by interviewing samples of farmers, traders, exporters, processors, as well as other business participants, (iii special interviews with key persons related to regulation as well as deregulation of domestic trade and down-stream industry development, and (iv focussed group discussion involving related stakeholders of cocoa. The results showed that the impact of the exercise of market power by multinational companies refers to the decreasing market shares of national companies from 2007 to 2009. Based on the market power domination of multinational companies in one side and the lack of down-stream industry development in the other side, there is a possibility to deregulate the above policy by continuing the new regulation (export tax of cocoa beans, directing multinational exporters toward downstream industry by partnership with domestic-idle capacity processing industry and import tariff escalation for processed cocoa. By the new regulation, the opportunity to increase domestic added value becomes greater. This cocoa down-stream industry development will increase the potential domestic added value at least 10%. Key words : Liberalization, deregulation

Mapping value added positions in facilities management by using a product-process matrix

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Katchamart, Akarapong

2013-01-01

Purpose – The purpose of this exploratory research paper is to present a product-process matrix that assists FM organizations and their stakeholders to map their value added position in their organizations. Using this matrix, FM practitioners are able to assess the existing value added delivering...... of the matrix are an FM product structure and an FM process structure. The supporting empirical data were collected through semi-structured interviews from selected FM organizations supplemented by relevant documents. Findings – Based on a product-process matrix, a typology of FM value added positions...... greater values to the client’s core business. Meanwhile, misaligning dilutes the value delivery. Research limitations/implications – This normative matrix can be used as a decision-making tool for a client to assess its FM performances and activities, and to determine the needs of FM provision...

Commercial Demonstration of Wood Recovery, Recycling, and Value Adding Technologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Auburn Machinery, Inc.

2004-07-15

This commercial demonstration project demonstrated the technical feasibility of converting low-value, underutilized and waste stream solid wood fiber material into higher valued products. With a growing need to increase product/production yield and reduce waste in most sawmills, few recovery operations and practically no data existed to support the viability of recovery operations. Prior to our efforts, most all in the forest products industry believed that recovery was difficult, extremely labor intensive, not cost effective, and that recovered products had low value and were difficult to sell. This project provided an opportunity for many within the industry to see through demonstration that converting waste stream material into higher valued products does in fact offer a solution. Our work, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, throughout the project aimed to demonstrate a reasonable approach to reducing the millions of recoverable solid wood fiber tons that are annually treated as and converted into low value chips, mulch and fuel. Consequently sawmills continue to suffer from reduced availability of forest resources, higher raw material costs, growing waste disposal problems, increased global competition, and more pressure to operate in an Environmentally Friendly manner. It is our belief (based upon the experience of this project) that the successful mainstreaming of the recovery concept would assist in alleviating this burden as well as provide for a realistically achievable economic benefit to those who would seriously pursue the concept and tap into the rapidly growing ''GREEN'' building marketplace. Ultimately, with participation and aggressive pursuit of the recovery concept, the public would benefit in that: (1) Landfill/disposal waste volume could be reduced adding greater life to existing municipal landfill sites thereby minimizing the need to prematurely license and open added facilities. Also, there would be a cost

Raman Lidar Profiles–Temperature (RLPROFTEMP) Value-Added Product

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Newsom, RK; Sivaraman, C; McFarlane, SA

2012-10-31

The purpose of this document is to describe the Raman Lidar Profiles–Temperature (RLPROFTEMP) value-added product (VAP) and the procedures used to derive atmospheric temperature profiles from the raw RL measurements. Sections 2 and 4 describe the input and output variables, respectively. Section 3 discusses the theory behind the measurement and the details of the algorithm, including calibration and overlap correction.

Study of activity based costing implementation for palm oil production using value-added and non-value-added activity consideration in PT XYZ palm oil mill

Science.gov (United States)

Sembiring, M. T.; Wahyuni, D.; Sinaga, T. S.; Silaban, A.

2018-02-01

Cost allocation at manufacturing industry particularly in Palm Oil Mill still widely practiced based on estimation. It leads to cost distortion. Besides, processing time determined by company is not in accordance with actual processing time in work station. Hence, the purpose of this study is to eliminates non-value-added activities therefore processing time could be shortened and production cost could be reduced. Activity Based Costing Method is used in this research to calculate production cost with Value Added and Non-Value-Added Activities consideration. The result of this study is processing time decreasing for 35.75% at Weighting Bridge Station, 29.77% at Sorting Station, 5.05% at Loading Ramp Station, and 0.79% at Sterilizer Station. Cost of Manufactured for Crude Palm Oil are IDR 5.236,81/kg calculated by Traditional Method, IDR 4.583,37/kg calculated by Activity Based Costing Method before implementation of Activity Improvement and IDR 4.581,71/kg after implementation of Activity Improvement Meanwhile Cost of Manufactured for Palm Kernel are IDR 2.159,50/kg calculated by Traditional Method, IDR 4.584,63/kg calculated by Activity Based Costing Method before implementation of Activity Improvement and IDR 4.582,97/kg after implementation of Activity Improvement.

Value Adding Space Management in Higher Education

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tinsfeldt, Mette; Jensen, Per Anker

2014-01-01

Purpose : Develop a methodology for space optimisation in educational facilities, that can add value to organisations with particular focus on gymnasiums in Denmark. Background : Gymnasiums are pre-university higher educational institutions, which in 2007 went from being state-owned to being self...... evaluation of the combined use of POE and USEtool and represents an original contribution to the development of knowledge and methodology of value adding space management.......Purpose : Develop a methodology for space optimisation in educational facilities, that can add value to organisations with particular focus on gymnasiums in Denmark. Background : Gymnasiums are pre-university higher educational institutions, which in 2007 went from being state-owned to being self......-governing. Many older gymnasiums face the challenge that the institutions’ buildings and spaces are unsuitable to support modern teaching methods. A space optimisation process can help overcome some of these challenges as long as it makes use of a holistic analysis, is related to the strategic objectives...

New growing media and value added organic waste processing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blok, C.; Rijpsma, E.; Ketelaars, J.J.M.H.

2016-01-01

Public pressure to use peat alternatives in horticultural rooting media offers room for the re-use of local organic waste materials. The re-use of organic wastes requires value added processing such as composting, co-composting, digestion, fractioning/sieving, pressing, binding, stabilising by

Modern microbial solid state fermentation technology for future biorefineries for the production of added-value products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Musaalbakri Abdul Manan

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The promise of industrial biotechnology has been around since Chaim Weizmann developed acetone–butanol–ethanol fermentation at the University of Manchester in 1917 and the prospects nowadays look brighter than ever. Today’s biorefinery technologies would be almost unthinkable without biotechnology. This is a growing trend and biorefineries have also increased in importance in agriculture and the food industry. Novel biorefinery processes using solid state fermentation (SSF technology have been developed as alternative to conventional processing routes, leading to the production of added-value products from agriculture and food industry raw materials. SSF involves the growth of microorganisms on moist solid substrate in the absence of free-flowing water. Future biorefineries based on SSF aim to exploit the vast complexity of the technology to modify biomass produced by agriculture and the food industry for valuable by-products through microbial bioconversion. In this review, a summary has been made of the attempts at using modern microbial SSF technology for future biorefineries for the production of many added-value products ranging from feedstock for the fermentation process and biodegradable plastics to fuels and chemicals.

Processing biogas planet digestates into value-added products -BIOVIRTA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paavola, T.; Rintala, J. (MTT Agrifood Research Finland, Jokioinen (Finland)), Email: teija.paavola@mtt.fi; Sahltroem, L.; Maunuksela, L.; Torniainen, M. (Finnish Food Safety Authority, EVIRA, Helsinki (Finland)), Email: leena.sahlstrom@evira.fi; Kaparaju, P.; Rintala, J. (Univ. of Jyvaeskylae (Finland)), Email: jukka.rintala@jyu.fi; Vikman, M.; Kapanen, A. (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Espoo (Finland)), Email: minna.vikman@vtt.fi

2010-10-15

The objective of BIOVIRTA project is to develop technologies and practices with which digestates, originating from anaerobic digestion of different organic wastes and by-products, can be refined to value-added and safe products for various end-uses. It is expected that the operational preconditions for biogas plants will be significantly enhanced when the end-products are proven safe and applicable. Selection of the raw materials for anaerobic codigestion is the main operational strategy that could influence the nutrient content in the digestate. This has been clearly established in the laboratory and full-scale studies with various digestates originating from different raw materials, e.g. rendering and slaughterhouse byproducts. The nutrient content in the digestate also affects the opportunities to produce refined digestate products. In this project, the possibilities for several processing technologies, e.g. mechanical separation and stripping, have been intensively evaluated for the production of different digestate products. Their mass balances have also been estimated. The feasibility for the use of the digestate products has been assessed based on their chemical and hygienic quality and for various end-uses, including as organic fertiliser and/or soil improver in crop production. The preliminary results of these field-experiments showed that the yield of barley fertilised with digestate products was comparable to inorganic fertilisers. (orig.)

Requirements for Logical Models for Value-Added Tax Legislation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Morten Ib; Simonsen, Jakob Grue; Larsen, Ken Friis

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are ubiquitous in commercial enterprises of all sizes and invariably need to account for the notion of value-added tax (VAT). The legal and technical difficulties in handling VAT are exacerbated by spanning a broad and chaotic spectrum of intricate country...

Forecasting value added of agricultural sub-sectors during fourth five-year development plan in iran

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nassabian, S.

2009-01-01

This article focuses on forecasting the values added of agricultural sub-sectors, including agronomy, fishing, forestry, animal husbandry and agricultural services, using the Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) model. It compares the resulting figures with the target estimates throughout the plan within the years 1384-1388 (2005-2009). It turns out that the forecasted values added in the sub-sectors of agronomy and agricultural services are higher and slower than the estimated values added required due to the plan, respectively. Also the high conformity of the estimated and forecasted value added on the horizon of the fourth five-year plan, while the other sub-sectors both the values are close to each other. The results indicate that the capability of ANN method for forecasting variables is more suitable than the other methods. (author)

Tax expenditures and the efficiency of Croatian value added tax

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petar Sopek

2012-09-01

Full Text Available The main aim of this paper is to provide a systematic overview of value added taxation in Croatia along with main changes in relevant legislation and to estimate total amount of tax expenditures. Results show that the proportion of tax expenditures in GDP in Croatia in 2010 amounted to less than 4%, a proportion lower than in any of the EU new member states, as well as almost twice as low as the EU-27 average. It can be concluded that the Croatian value added taxation system is efficient in this way, as was additionally shown by an analysis according to which Croatia in 2010 had better efficiency indicators than all the observed EU member states. The Croatian VAT system is mainly harmonized with EU directives, but abolition of the zero rate is still expected; this will increase government revenue by approximately 0.4-0.8% of GDP, depending on a chosen scenario. It has been suggested that a detailed analysis of the overall value added taxation system should be initiated, with the aim of optimizing cost-benefits. The main focus should be placed on the determination of the optimal VAT registration threshold, the costs and benefits of the introduced reliefs and exemptions in the tax system and the potential effects of the repeal of the zero rate.

A step-by-step plan to manage and measure adding value by FM/CREM

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

van der Voordt, Theo; Jensen, Per Anker; Hoendervanger, Jan Gerard

2016-01-01

Purpose To present a new Value Adding Management model in order to support decision makers in identifying appropriate interventions to add value to the organisation, to manage its implementation, and to measure the output and outcomes. Theory The paper builds on value adding management theories...... different European countries present a state of the art of theory and research on 12 value parameters, how to manage and measure each value, and to discuss the costs and benefits of typical FM and CREM interventions to enhance satisfaction, image, culture, health and safety, productivity, adaptability...... and models including the triplet input-throughput-output, a distinction between output, outcome and added value, the Plan-Do-Act-Check cycle, change management and performance measurement. Design/methodology/approach Literature review and a cross-chapter analysis of a forthcoming book, where authors from...

Value Adding Management of buildings and facility services in four steps

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

van der Voordt, Theo; Jensen, Per Anker; Hoendervanger, Jan Gerard

2016-01-01

This paper presents a new Value Adding Management (VAM) model that aims to support decision makers in identifying appropriate interventions in buildings, other facilities and services that add value to the organisation, to manage its implementation, and to measure the output and outcomes. The pap...

Value Added Services and Adoption of Mobile Payments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Augsburg, Christel; Hedman, Jonas

2014-01-01

In this paper, we investigate the role of Value Added Services (VAS) in consumers’ adoption of mobile payments. VAS are supplementary digital services offered in connection with mobile payments; in this study exemplified by receipts, loyalty cards, and coupons. A research model is derived from...... that intention to adopt mobile payments increases as VAS are introduced and that this increase comes from a positive change in Perceived Usefulness, compatibility, and Convenience....

Using a 'value-added' approach for contextual design of geographic information.

Science.gov (United States)

May, Andrew J

2013-11-01

The aim of this article is to demonstrate how a 'value-added' approach can be used for user-centred design of geographic information. An information science perspective was used, with value being the difference in outcomes arising from alternative information sets. Sixteen drivers navigated a complex, unfamiliar urban route, using visual and verbal instructions representing the distance-to-turn and junction layout information presented by typical satellite navigation systems. Data measuring driving errors, navigation errors and driver confidence were collected throughout the trial. The results show how driver performance varied considerably according to the geographic context at specific locations, and that there are specific opportunities to add value with enhanced geographical information. The conclusions are that a value-added approach facilitates a more explicit focus on 'desired' (and feasible) levels of end user performance with different information sets, and is a potentially effective approach to user-centred design of geographic information. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

The Politics and Statistics of Value-Added Modeling for Accountability of Teacher Preparation Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Lincove, Jane Arnold; Osborne, Cynthia; Dillon, Amanda; Mills, Nicholas

2014-01-01

Despite questions about validity and reliability, the use of value-added estimation methods has moved beyond academic research into state accountability systems for teachers, schools, and teacher preparation programs (TPPs). Prior studies of value-added measurement for TPPs test the validity of researcher-designed models and find that measuring…

IS THE VALUE ADDED TAX A SUPERIOR SALES TAX IN ALL SALES TAXES?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MUSTAFA ALİ SARILI

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Value Added Tax (VAT is a tax imposed on the value added to a product at each stage of the production and distribution process. Value added is never taxed twice under VAT and thus cascading (tax on tax effects do not occur. It is a single tax on goods and services but the tax is collected multiple stages. At each of these stages, the amount of tax payable is computed by subtracting the tax previously paid on purchases from the tax charged on sales by the traders for each taxation period. In last three decades, VAT, a relatively new and better commodity taxation, has been introduced in many countries. It has replaced different types of sales taxes in such countries. This article attempts to evaluate VAT by comparing with other sales taxes.

Understanding the value added to clinical care by educational activities. Value of Education Research Group.

Science.gov (United States)

Ogrinc, G S; Headrick, L A; Boex, J R

1999-10-01

In an era of competition in health care delivery, those who pay for care are interested in supporting primarily those activities that add value to the clinical enterprise. The authors report on their 1998 project to develop a conceptual model for assessing the value added to clinical care by educational activities. Through interviews, nine key stakeholders in patient care identified five ways in which education might add value to clinical care: education can foster higher-quality care, improve work satisfaction of clinicians, have trainees provide direct clinical services, improve recruitment and retention of clinicians, and contribute to the future of health care. With this as a base, an expert panel of 13 clinical educators and investigators defined six perspectives from which the value of education in clinical care might be studied: the perspectives of health-care-oriented organizations, clinician-teachers, patients, education organizations, learners, and the community. The panel adapted an existing model to create the "Education Compass" to portray education's effects on clinical care, and developed a new set of definitions and research questions for each of the four major aspects of the model (clinical, functional, satisfaction, and cost). Working groups next drafted proposals to address empirically those questions, which were critiqued at a national conference on the topic of education's value in clinical care. The next step is to use the methods developed in this project to empirically assess the value added by educational activities to clinical care.

Organic Aerosol Component (OACOMP) Value-Added Product Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fast, J; Zhang, Q; Tilp, A; Shippert, T; Parworth, C; Mei, F

2013-08-23

Significantly improved returns in their aerosol chemistry data can be achieved via the development of a value-added product (VAP) of deriving OA components, called Organic Aerosol Components (OACOMP). OACOMP is primarily based on multivariate analysis of the measured organic mass spectral matrix. The key outputs of OACOMP are the concentration time series and the mass spectra of OA factors that are associated with distinct sources, formation and evolution processes, and physicochemical properties.

The wood industry in Atlantic Canada: A focus on value-added

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-11-01

This report prepared by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency in consultation with the four Atlantic provinces focuses on the value-added aspects of the wood products industry in Atlantic Canada. It also examines the state of the resource, the state of the industry, productivity and economic benefits, products and markets, trade and regulations, and needs, challenges and targets. The analysis was undertaken to determine the possibility of further utilization of forest resources in the region for value-added products, and to assess the possibilities for the wood products industry of Atlantic Canada exploring world markets for its products. The inventory of resources found 1.4 billion cubic meter of wood-growing productive forest land in the region, with softwoods accounting for 76 per cent of the forests. Concern was expressed about forest stands at regeneration levels. Total Annual Allowable Cut (AAC) for the Atlantic Provinces in 1995 was almost 20 million cubic meter, approximately 10 per cent of the national total. Although total harvests are below the AAC for the region, softwood harvesting in 1994 and in 1995 was well above the AAC. The analysis concluded that given the current level of harvesting, sustained growth in Atlantic Canada's wood industries will have to rely on access to external fibre sources and better use of the existing fibre source. At the same time, since many value-added manufacturers in the region rely on imported wood resources, the health of the value-added wood industry does not appear to be completely dependent on the sustainability of forest resources in the Atlantic region. Part Two of the report provides an economic profile of the industry, including brief reviews on employment, wages and salaries, exports and imports, transportation, education and training, research and technology and marketing. refs., tabs

Análise Financeira pelo Método: Economic Value Added - EVA e Market Value Added

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valdenir Menegat

2003-11-01

Full Text Available O presente artigo se propõe se propõe a apresentar a ferramenta de análise denominada Economic Value Added - EVA, fazer um breve relato de seu surgimento, evolução e evidenciar através de exemplos didáticos o porque de seu sucesso como instrumento de análise empresarial, tornando-se para algumas empresas uma filosofia de gestão norteadora das decisões. Toda sua base teórica está embasada no valor econômico agregado ou adicionado para o acionista, deixando de lado a idéia de gestão com base apenas no resultado, mas no resultado com valor agregado para aquele que investiu seu capital na empresa e dela espera o retorno capaz de suprir sua expectativa que o motivou a empregar seu dinheiro na empresa e não em outra opção do mercado.

The concept of added value of FM

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Per Anker; van der Voordt, Theo; Coenen, Christian

2012-01-01

Management (CREM) and Business to Business Marketing (B2B Marketing). Findings: The research shows different definitions and focus points, dependent on the academic field and the area of application. The different research perspectives explored a holistic view on the added value of FM by the integration...... of an external market based view (with a focus on the aimed output) and the internal resource based view (with a focus on the input from FM and real estate). Good relationship management and building on trust shows to be equally important as delivering the agreed services. Practical implications: A clear...

Exploring the potential uses of value-added metrics in the context of postgraduate medical education.

Science.gov (United States)

Gregory, Simon; Patterson, Fiona; Baron, Helen; Knight, Alec; Walsh, Kieran; Irish, Bill; Thomas, Sally

2016-10-01

Increasing pressure is being placed on external accountability and cost efficiency in medical education and training internationally. We present an illustrative data analysis of the value-added of postgraduate medical education. We analysed historical selection (entry) and licensure (exit) examination results for trainees sitting the UK Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP) licensing examination (N = 2291). Selection data comprised: a clinical problem solving test (CPST); a situational judgement test (SJT); and a selection centre (SC). Exit data was an applied knowledge test (AKT) from MRCGP. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analyses were used to model differences in attainment in the AKT based on performance at selection (the value-added score). Results were aggregated to the regional level for comparisons. We discovered significant differences in the value-added score between regional training providers. Whilst three training providers confer significant value-added, one training provider was significantly lower than would be predicted based on the attainment of trainees at selection. Value-added analysis in postgraduate medical education potentially offers useful information, although the methodology is complex, controversial, and has significant limitations. Developing models further could offer important insights to support continuous improvement in medical education in future.

Practical aspects of value added tax in the agricultural enterprises in the EU

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danuše Nerudová

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Tax policy represents one of the EU integration policies. The aim of the tax policy is to remove the national differences in taxation systems by withdrawing the obstacles to the competition and free movement of goods, services, people and capital on the internal market. Tax harmonization has the greatest development in the area of value added taxation, but differences still can be found. Those differences influence not only the farming business. The paper is aimed on five EU member states – Czech Republic, Poland, Rumania, Slovak Republic and Hungary. Based on the EU regulations in the area of value added tax and the practical experience during its application, it is possible to identify the critical areas and to contribute to its correction and to provide the value added tax neutrality and efficiency on the EU territory.

Evaluation of Value Added Tax Application Problems in Terms of Taxation of Electronic Commerce

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Güneş ÇETİN GERGER

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Nowadays electronic taxation is being one of the important issues for revenue administrations. Tax administrations try to organize their tax system fairly and give attention on equity. Value added tax is most preferable taxes among the consumption taxes. Because it’s application is easy and taxpayers don’t show resistance to the value added tax. On electronic commerce value added taxes are using commonly. To provide equity in taxation, some taxation principles are adapted for value added taxes too. In this paper, we are trying to analyze the development of e-commerce in the world and e-taxation regulations and problems in the European Union (EU and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD countries. The EU and OECD countries are making regulations in this issue. The last regulation is Base Erosion and Profit Shifting 15 point action plan in 2014. Taxation of the digital economy is the first action plan. In addition this, some regulations about taxation of digital economy are being done in Turkey in the case of Base Erosion and Profit Shifting action plan.

Adding more value to added-value

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Marian, Livia

Recent studies reveal that consumers respond favourably to “organic plus” products with additional ethical attributes. The aim of the current study is to explore whether consumers would notice and value further improvements in the animal welfare standards than those imposed by the organic...... regulation. The results of a qualitative concept test reveal positive attitudes towards the proposed production process. The discussions about fewer standards being sufficient or about options “in-between” conventional and organic standards indicate that the difference in production processes is noticed, yet...

Determinants of value added tax revenue in Kenya

OpenAIRE

WAWIRE, Nelson

2017-01-01

Abstract. Past studies that have been undertaken on the responsiveness of Value Added Tax revenues to changes in GDP in Kenya have found a positive relationship. However, the studies omit key determinants of tax revenues, such as the nature of the tax system, institutional, demographic and structural features of the economy. Due to this omission, the estimated income elasticities are unreliable for planning purposes, a situation that might be responsible for the recurring budget deficits. The...

Value added based on educational positions in Dutch secondary education

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Timmermans, Anneke C.; Bosker, Roel J.; de Wolf, Inge F.; Doolaard, Simone; van der Werf, Margaretha P.C.

2014-01-01

Estimating added value as an indicator of school effectiveness in the context of educational accountability often occurs using test or examination scores of students. This study investigates the possibilities of using scores for educational positions as an alternative indicator. A number of

Economics evaluation for on-site pyrolysis of kraft lignin to value-added chemicals.

Science.gov (United States)

Farag, Sherif; Chaouki, Jamal

2015-01-01

This work is part of a series of investigations on pyrolysis of lignin. After obtaining the necessary information regarding the quantity and quality of the obtained products, a first step economics evaluation for converting lignin into chemicals was essential. To accomplish this aim, a pyrolysis plant with a 50t/d capacity was designed, and the total capital investment and operating costs were estimated. Next, the minimal selling price of the obtained dry oil was calculated and the effect of crucial variables on the estimated price was examined. The key result indicates the estimated selling price would not compete with the price of the chemicals that are fossil fuel based, which is primarily due to the high cost of the feedstock. To overcome this challenge, different scenarios for reducing the selling price of the obtained oil, which consequently is helping by taking a place among the fossil fuel based chemicals, were discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PDF added value of a high resolution climate simulation for precipitation

Science.gov (United States)

Soares, Pedro M. M.; Cardoso, Rita M.

2015-04-01

General Circulation Models (GCMs) are models suitable to study the global atmospheric system, its evolution and response to changes in external forcing, namely to increasing emissions of CO2. However, the resolution of GCMs, of the order of 1o, is not sufficient to reproduce finer scale features of the atmospheric flow related to complex topography, coastal processes and boundary layer processes, and higher resolution models are needed to describe observed weather and climate. The latter are known as Regional Climate Models (RCMs) and are widely used to downscale GCMs results for many regions of the globe and are able to capture physically consistent regional and local circulations. Most of the RCMs evaluations rely on the comparison of its results with observations, either from weather stations networks or regular gridded datasets, revealing the ability of RCMs to describe local climatic properties, and assuming most of the times its higher performance in comparison with the forcing GCMs. The additional climatic details given by RCMs when compared with the results of the driving models is usually named as added value, and it's evaluation is still scarce and controversial in the literuature. Recently, some studies have proposed different methodologies to different applications and processes to characterize the added value of specific RCMs. A number of examples reveal that some RCMs do add value to GCMs in some properties or regions, and also the opposite, elighnening that RCMs may add value to GCM resuls, but improvements depend basically on the type of application, model setup, atmospheric property and location. The precipitation can be characterized by histograms of daily precipitation, or also known as probability density functions (PDFs). There are different strategies to evaluate the quality of both GCMs and RCMs in describing the precipitation PDFs when compared to observations. Here, we present a new method to measure the PDF added value obtained from

Value Added Elements According to Buyer Companies in a B2B Context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Battaglia

2015-07-01

Full Text Available This paper analyses how buyer companies perceive the value added to products and services offered by their suppliers and identifies the predominant elements that affect purchasing decisions and establishment of relationships between companies in a B2B context. A multiple case study was developed in 12 buyer companies from three industrial segments in southern Brazil: metal-mechanics, furniture and foods. The findings show that for supplier companies in the metal-mechanics industry to add value, they must identify buyers’ needs, develop technology/innovation, be focused on competitive aspects, keep control of the supply chain, provide different purchasing channels, develop partnerships, and adapt to cultural aspects. Companies in the food industry consider the model for creating value to adapt to meet customer needs, the effective use of purchasing channels, functionality of products, and technical knowledge. The companies in the furniture industry value the methods that suppliers use to capture and implement required changes, effective control of the supply chain, and the representativeness of the suppliers’ brand in the market. This study captures the perception of buyer companies in relation to predominant value-adding elements and could guide decisions for the adoption of managerial actions by supplier companies focused on adding value.

Value-added beef products (Productos Carnicos con Valor Agregado)

Science.gov (United States)

Mac Donaldson; Will Holder; Jan Holder

2006-01-01

I'm speaking for Will and Jan Holder, who couldn't be here. I happen to be familiar with Will and Jan's company, Ervin's Natural Beef, and its program because I've sold them cattle. Will and Jan's value-added beef program is based on their family ranch in the area known as The Blue, in the mountains of eastern Arizona.

'Ecological value added' in an integrated ecosystem-economy model. An indicator for sustainability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kratena, Kurt

2004-01-01

This paper sets up an input-output system of the relevant ecosystem flows that determine the carbon cycle in the global ecosystem. Introducing energy as the value added component in the ecosystem allows to calculate ecosystem prices expressed in 'energy values'. Linking the ecosystem with the economy in an integrated input-output model then allows to calculate prices of economic activities and of ecosystem activities. In analogy to the 'Ecological Footprint', where productive land is needed to absorb anthropogenic emissions, in this integrated input-output model additional carbon sinks are introduced for emission absorption. These carbon sinks need solar energy input, i.e. 'ecological value added'. Emission absorption as well as GDP therefore become activities valued in the numeraire of the integrated system, i.e.'energy values'. From that sustainability indicators can be derived

Building for a better hospital. Value-adding management & design of healthcare real estate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johan van der Zwart

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Recent deregulation of laws on hospital real estate in the Netherlands implies that healthcare institutions have more opportunities to make independent accommodation choices, but at the same time have themselves become responsible for the risks associated with the investment. In addition, accommodation costs have become an integral part of the costs of healthcare. This sheds new light on the alignment between the organisation of healthcare and accommodation: care institutions themselves bear the risk of recouping their investment in real estate and high accommodation costs lead to higher rates for healthcare compared to competing institutions. In this thesis, the ideas and concepts of Corporate Real Estate Management 
(CREM are examined in terms of the contribution they could make to the process
of accommodation decision by using recent cases in Dutch hospitals. CREM can be defined as the management of the real estate portfolio of a corporation by aligning the portfolio and services with the needs of the core business in order to obtain maximum added value for the business and an optimal contribution to the overall performance of the organisation. This definition assumes that accommodation can add value to the organisation and contribute to its overall achievement. Elaborating on the added value of real estate in addition to quantifying these added values and making them applicable to hospital real estate management is therefore central to this study. The added values determine the transition between the different phases in the cycle of the initiation, design, construction and occupancy of the accommodation. In addition, the added value of real estate functions as a common language between the disciplines involved in the design and construction of hospital accommodation, such as the healthcare institution, healthcare manager, real estate manager and architect. In four sub-studies (1 Context, (2 Management, (3 Value and, (4 Design several

Added clinical value of the inferior temporal EEG electrode chain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bach Justesen, Anders; Eskelund Johansen, Ann Berit; Martinussen, Noomi Ida

2018-01-01

Objective To investigate the diagnostic added value of supplementing the 10–20 EEG array with six electrodes in the inferior temporal chain. Methods EEGs were recorded with 25 electrodes: 19 positions of the 10–20 system, and six additional electrodes in the inferior temporal chain (F9/10, T9/10, P...... in the inferior chain) and 6% (only seen at the inferior chain). Conclusions Adding six electrodes in the inferior temporal electrode chain to the 10–20 array improves the localization and identification of EEG abnormalities, especially those located in the temporal region. Significance Our results suggest...

Real estate added value and decision-making in hospital infrastructure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van der Zwart, J.

2011-01-01

This paper explores the concept of adding value to corporate performance by real estate, and how this concept could be applied in decision-making processes for new hospital infrastructure. A literature review forms the starting point for interviews carried out with hospitals‘ CEOs on how real estate

Phase transition and thermodynamical geometry for Schwarzschild AdS black hole in AdS_5×S"5 spacetime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Jia-Lin; Cai, Rong-Gen; Yu, Hongwei

2015-01-01

We study the thermodynamics and thermodynamic geometry of a five-dimensional Schwarzschild AdS black hole in AdS_5×S"5 spacetime by treating the cosmological constant as the number of colors in the boundary gauge theory and its conjugate quantity as the associated chemical potential. It is found that the chemical potential is always negative in the stable branch of black hole thermodynamics and it has a chance to be positive, but appears in the unstable branch. We calculate the scalar curvatures of the thermodynamical Weinhold metric, Ruppeiner metric and Quevedo metric, respectively and we find that the scalar curvature in the Weinhold metric is always vanishing, while in the Ruppeiner metric the divergence of the scalar curvature is related to the divergence of the heat capacity with fixed chemical potential, and in the Quevedo metric the divergence of the scalar curvature is related to the divergence of the heat capacity with fixed number of colors and to the vanishing of the heat capacity with fixed chemical potential.

Test Operations Procedure (TOP) 08-2-188 Chemical Point Detector Vapor Testing

Science.gov (United States)

2018-04-27

Final 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Test Operations Procedure (TOP) 08-2-188 Chemical Point Detector Vapor Testing 5a. CONTRACT...NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING...ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) US Army Dugway Proving Ground West Desert Test Center (TEDT-DPW) Dugway, UT 84022-5000 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION

Value-Added Products from FGD Sulfite-Rich Scrubber Materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vivak Malhotra

2010-01-31

According to the American Coal Ash Association, about 29.25 million tons of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) byproducts were produced in the USA in 2003. Out of 29.25 million tons, 17.35 million tons were sulfite-rich scrubber materials. At present, unlike its cousin FGD gypsum, the prospect for effective utilization of sulfite-rich scrubber materials is not bright. In fact, almost 16.9 million tons are leftover every year. In our pursuit to mitigate the liability of sulfite-rich FGD scrubber materials' disposal, we are attempting to develop value-added products that can commercially compete. More specifically, for this Innovative Concept Phase I project, we have the following objectives: to characterize the sulfite-rich scrubber material for toxic metals; to optimize the co-blending and processing of scrubber material and natural byproducts; to formulate and develop structural composites from sulfite-rich scrubber material; and to evaluate the composites' mechanical properties and compare them with current products on the market. After successfully demonstrating the viability of our research, a more comprehensive approach will be proposed to take these value-added materials to fruition.

VALUE-ADDED TAX AND ITS EFFICIENCY: EU–28 AND TURKEY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sabina Hodzic

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This paper analyses value-added tax (VAT, with special emphasis on efficiency in the EU-28 Member States and Turkey, over the period from 2009 to 2013. From the results of the analysis, we concluded that, the highest efficiency ratio (50.8 was recorded in Croatia in 2013. This indicates that Croatia’s value-added tax revenues as percentage of gross domestic product in the state budget were very high (12.7 in comparison to Turkey’s (9.0 in 2013. As such, VAT is one of the most important taxes in the EU-28 Member States and many countries worldwide, like Turkey. The current VAT system in EU-28 Member States and Turkey is quite complex for the growing number of businesses operating cross-border. To increase investment, competitiveness and growth, an action plan on VAT is proposed for the creation of a single VAT area. The VAT system needs to be more efficient and simpler for businesses to use.

Value Adding Management (VAM) of buildings and facility services in four steps

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Voordt, Theo; Hoendervanger, Jan Gerard; Jensen, Per Anker; Bergsma, Feike

2016-01-01

This paper presents a new Value Adding Management (VAM) model that aims to support decision makers in identifying appropriate interventions in buildings, other facilities and services that add value to the organisation, to manage its implementation, and to measure the output and outcomes. The paper

The value added of accountancy programs: a study in the Southeast of Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvana Cristina dos Santos

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In recent years, the accounting profession has gone through different changes. The role of accountants in society has evolved, making their function more sophisticated and turning their academic background fundamental to execute tasks in companies. In that context, this paper aims to identify the factors that explain the Value Added of higher education institutions to Accountancy students. Therefore, the results of the specific knowledge test, part of the National Student Performance Examination (Enade 2009, were used, based on a sample of 251 Accountancy programs from the Southeast. In the empirical analysis of the data, descriptive statistics and the linear regression model were used. Based on the valued added method, the Production Function theory was applied, controlling for the students’ individual and socioeconomic characteristics. The results suggest that the main determinants of the Value Added are as follows: the existence of a teaching plan, the number of students receiving grants and the size of the student group.

Revenue-sharing analysis in the mobile value-added services

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

LIU Bing; TANG Shou-lian

2006-01-01

This article provides a framework e within which the revenue-sharing in mobile value-added services can be analyzed.It shows that the revenue-sharing ratio between a network operator and a content provider (CP) has no significant effect on prices, market shares or social welfare in the case of nonstandardization. This implies that the revenue-sharing ratio cannot be used as a policy variable.

Misreporting in the Value-Added Tax and the Optimal Enforcement

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoseini, M.

2014-01-01

A common fraud by registered traders in the value-added tax system is under-reporting sales and over-reporting purchases. This paper models this problem by linking the level of misreporting to the risk-aversion of taxpayers and the level of transactions with final consumers. In addition, it analyses

PENILAIAN KINERJA KEUANGAN PT. BANK MUAMALAT INDONESIA, TBK DENGAN METODE ECONOMIC VALUE ADDED

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fathia Ahya Nur Iman

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study to determine the financial performance with the use of the EVA method to the assessment of the performance of PT Bank Mualamat Indonesia Tbk in the period 2010 - 2014. The research method used is quantitative descriptive method using Economic Value Added (EVA, which is an analytical method for evaluating the performance a company to take measurements of the profits (value economically produced by the company during the period (period of time specific. The results show the value of Bank Muamalat EVA is negative, meaning that Bank Muamalat in the year 2010- 2014 can not create value-added enterprise or net operating profit after taxes (NOPAT produced by the company is not able to finance or cover all capital costs or expenses incurred. In 2014 the value of EVA Bank Muamalat increasing, although still negative.

Chapter 17: Adding Value to the Biorefinery with Lignin: An Engineer's Perspective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Biddy, Mary J [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2018-04-03

There is a long-standing belief that 'you can make anything out of lignin...except money.' This chapter serves to highlight that opportunities for making money from biomass-derived lignin exist both with current technology in the production of steam and power to new emerging areas of R&D focused on value-added chemical and material coproducts from lignin. To understand and quantify the economic potential for lignin valorization, the techno-economic analysis methodology is first described in detail. As demonstrated in the provided case study, these types of economic evaluations serve not only to estimate the economic impacts that lignin conversion could have for an integrated biorefinery and outline drivers for further cost reduction but also identify data gaps and R&D needs for improving the design basis and reducing the risk for process scale-up.

Implementation of whole slide imaging in surgical pathology: A value added approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mike Isaacs

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Whole slide imaging (WSI makes it possible to capture images of an entire histological slide. WSI has established roles in surgical pathology, including support of off-site frozen section interpretation, primary diagnosis, educational activities, and laboratory quality assurance (QA activities. Analyses of the cost of WSI have traditionally been based solely on direct costs and diagnostic accuracy; however, these types of analyses largely ignore workflow and cost issues that arise as a result of redundancy, the need for additional staffing, and customized software development when WSI is integrated into routine diagnostic surgical pathology. The pre-scan, scan, and post-scan costs; quality control and QA costs; and IT process costs can be significant, and consequently, pathology groups can find it difficult to perform a realistic cost-benefit analysis of adding WSI to their practice. Materials and Methods: In this paper, we report a "value added" approach developed to guide our decisions regarding integration of WSI into surgical pathology practice. The approach focuses on specific operational measures (cost, time, and enhanced patient care and practice settings (clinical, education, and research to identify routine activities in which the addition of WSI can provide improvements. Results: When applied to our academic pathology group practice, the value added approach resulted in expanded and improved operations, as demonstrated by outcome based measures. Conclusion: A value added can be used to perform a realistic cost-benefit analysis of integrating WSI into routine surgical pathology practice.

Using a Value-Added Approach to Assess the Sociology Major

Science.gov (United States)

Pedersen, Daphne E.; White, Frank

2011-01-01

Universities across the nation have been called upon to provide evidence of student learning through direct means of assessment. Value-added assessment, which aims to document the development of student learning from the beginning of the university experience to the end, has been called "accountability's new frontier" by the American…

Test marketing for value-added root and tuber based products in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Test marketing for value-added root and tuber based products in Ikwuano local government area ... JE Ewuziem, C Aniedu, E Oti, VO Onyenobi ... root and tuber based products, developed at National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike.

How Do Value-Added Indicators Compare to Other Measures of Teacher Effectiveness? What We Know Series: Value-Added Methods and Applications. Knowledge Brief 5

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Douglas N.

2012-01-01

In the recent drive to revamp teacher evaluation and accountability, measures of a teacher's value added have played the starring role. But the star of the show is not always the best actor, nor can the star succeed without a strong supporting cast. In assessing teacher performance, observations of classroom practice, portfolios of teachers' work,…

Top quark and Higgs boson masses from wormhole physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harris, B.A.; Joshi, G.C.

1994-01-01

We bring together quantum field theory on S 4 with the Coleman wormhole hypothesis, which imposes constraints on terms in the gravitational Lagrangian. In particular, we investigate the effect of matter fields on the trace anomaly, which is related to the (curvature) 2 terms, by the use of the renormalization group equations. We consider a toy model of a nonconformally coupled Higgs boson to a single ''top'' quark. By numerically solving the renormalization group equations for the couplings of the model, we can find preferred values of the particle masses for various values of the bare nonconformal coupling. By making the ad hoc assumption that the tree-level, Higgs boson treace anomaly vanishes on shell, a unique prediction can be made within this model for the masses of both the Higgs boson and the top quark

Adding Value to Scholarly Journals through a Citation Indexing System

Science.gov (United States)

Zainab, A. N.; Abrizah, A.; Raj, R. G.

2013-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to relate the problems identified about scholarly journal publishing in Malaysia to establish motivation for the system development; to describe the design of MyCite, a Malaysian citation indexing system and to highlight the added value to journals and articles indexed through the generation of bibliometrics…

PREDICTIVE MODEL FOR THE ADDED VALUE OF SULTANA SEEDLESS GRAPE PRODUCTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Umut Burak Geyikci

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Turkey after USA is the second important raisin grape producer by cv “Sultana”in the world (Kara,2014. The Manisa district alone accounts for 31% of totalgrape production and 80% of the whole sultana seedless raisin grape production inTurkey. 95% of total grape output generated in Manisa is made up of Sultanaseedless grape(TUIK, 2012. In thisstudy, the added value of grape production inManisa has been calculated and according to the findings, the per capita addedvalue of grape production has been computed. In order to calculate the addedvalue of grape production in Manisa, costs of labor, fuel, fertilizer, disinfection,hormone, repair and maintenance of the businesses around have been investigated.After calculated costs had been deducted from total business income, the totaladded value of grape production in Manisa and the per capita added valueofgrape production in Manisa were attained The efficiency per hectare in the sampleproduction units, which was investigated during the field research, measures up to26.470 kg. The percentile distributions of cost items at this efficiency level are;27,8% fuel costs, 23,2% fertilizing costs, 19,9% irrigation costs, 11,4%disinfection costs, 7,5% hormone usage costs, 4,6% harvesting and transportingcosts and the rest consists of maintenance costs. When the costs are deducted from income per hectare (11.646 USD, the added value per hectare turns out to be8843 USD

Applying value stream mapping techniques to eliminate non-value-added waste for the procurement of endovascular stents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teichgräber, Ulf K.; Bucourt, Maximilian de

2012-01-01

Objectives: To eliminate non-value-adding (NVA) waste for the procurement of endovascular stents in interventional radiology services by applying value stream mapping (VSM). Materials and methods: The Lean manufacturing technique was used to analyze the process of material and information flow currently required to direct endovascular stents from external suppliers to patients. Based on a decision point analysis for the procurement of stents in the hospital, a present state VSM was drawn. After assessment of the current status VSM and progressive elimination of unnecessary NVA waste, a future state VSM was drawn. Results: The current state VSM demonstrated that out of 13 processes for the procurement of stents only 2 processes were value-adding. Out of the NVA processes 5 processes were unnecessary NVA activities, which could be eliminated. The decision point analysis demonstrated that the procurement of stents was mainly a forecast driven push system. The future state VSM applies a pull inventory control system to trigger the movement of a unit after withdrawal by using a consignment stock. Conclusion: VSM is a visualization tool for the supply chain and value stream, based on the Toyota Production System and greatly assists in successfully implementing a Lean system.

Management of west African dwarf goats fed value-added cassava ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The need to assist the rural small ruminant farmers in the proper feeding of their animals brought about the formulation and recommendation of value-added cassava-based diet(s) which the low income rural farmers can adopt for the feeding of their West African Dwarf (WAD) goats. This was premised on the observation of ...

Adding Value to Total Joint Arthroplasty Care in an Academic Environment: The Utah Experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Pelt, Christopher E; Anderson, Mike B; Erickson, Jill A; Gililland, Jeremy M; Peters, Christopher L

2018-06-01

Adding value in a university-based academic health care system provides unique challenges when compared to other health care delivery models. Herein, we describe our experience in adding value to joint arthroplasty care at the University of Utah, where the concept of value-based health care reform has become an embraced and driving force. To improve the value, new resources were needed for care redesign, physician leadership, and engagement in alternative payment models. The changes that occurred at our institution are described. Real-time data and knowledgeable personnel working behind the scenes, while physicians provide clinical care, help move clinical pathway redesigns. Engaged physicians are essential to the successful implementation of value creation and care pathway redesign that can lead to improvements in value. An investment of money and resources toward added infrastructure and personnel is often needed to realize large-scale improvements. Alignment of providers, payers, and hospital administration, including by means of gainsharing programs, can lead to improvements. Although significant care pathway redesign efforts may realize substantial initial cost savings, savings may be asymptotic in nature, which calls into question the likely sustainability of programs that incentivize or penalize payments based on historical targets. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Changes of the value added tax in the tax-harmonization process with EC directives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Votavová

2005-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this article is to bring near the topical process of the assimilation the Czech law of value added tax to the EC-directives. The attention will be paid to the development of the harmonization this law in 1993 – 2003 and I will describe and analyse the choice sections of the value added tax law (with the effective date from 1. 5. 2004. I will explain the changes by tax rates.

MR enterography: how to deliver added value

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dillman, Jonathan R.; Trout, Andrew T.; Smith, Ethan A.

2016-01-01

MR enterography (MRE) is increasingly vital to the diagnosis and follow-up of children with Crohn disease. This diagnostic test, which can provide valuable information regarding the presence of intestinal inflammation, intestinal and intra-abdominal complications, and extra-intestinal disease-related manifestations, has the potential to directly impact both medical and surgical decision-making. Consequently, it is imperative that the interpretation and reporting of these examinations provide as much clinical information as possible. This article reviews specific ways radiologists can provide added value when interpreting MRE examinations in the setting of pediatric Crohn disease by (1) establishing the true extent of disease involvement, (2) subjectively and objectively assessing response to medical treatment and (3) accurately characterizing disease-related complications. (orig.)

The Added Value of the Project Selection Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adel Oueslati

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The project selection process comes in the first stage of the overall project management life cycle. It does have a very important impact on organization success. The present paper provides defi nitions of the basic concepts and tools related to the project selection process. It aims to stress the added value of this process for the entire organization success. The mastery of the project selection process is the right way for any organization to ensure that it will do the right project with the right resources at the right time and within the right priorities

Value-Added Electricity Services: New Roles for Utilities and Third-Party Providers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blansfield, J. [Inst. for Electric Innovations, Washington, DC (United States); Wood, L. [Inst. for Electric Innovations, Washington, DC (United States); Katofsky, R. [Advanced Energy Economy, Washington, DC (United States); Stafford, B. [Advanced Energy Economy, Washington, DC (United States); Waggoner, D. [Advanced Energy Economy, Washington, DC (United States); Schwartz, L. C. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2017-10-30

New energy generation, storage, delivery, and end-use technologies support a broad range of value-added electricity services for retail electricity customers. Sophisticated energy management services, distributed generation coupled with storage, and electric vehicle charging are just a few examples of emerging offerings. Who should provide value-added services — utilities or third parties, or both, and under what conditions? What policy and regulatory changes may be needed to promote competition and innovation, to account for utility costs to enable these services, and to protect consumers? The report approaches the issues from three perspectives: utilities, third-party service providers, and consumers: -Jonathan Blansfield and Lisa Wood, Institute for Electric Innovation -Ryan Katofsky, Benjamin Stafford and Danny Waggoner, Advanced Energy Economy -National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates

Added value measures in education show genetic as well as environmental influence.

Science.gov (United States)

Haworth, Claire M A; Asbury, Kathryn; Dale, Philip S; Plomin, Robert

2011-02-02

Does achievement independent of ability or previous attainment provide a purer measure of the added value of school? In a study of 4000 pairs of 12-year-old twins in the UK, we measured achievement with year-long teacher assessments as well as tests. Raw achievement shows moderate heritability (about 50%) and modest shared environmental influences (25%). Unexpectedly, we show that for indices of the added value of school, genetic influences remain moderate (around 50%), and the shared (school) environment is less important (about 12%). The pervasiveness of genetic influence in how and how much children learn is compatible with an active view of learning in which children create their own educational experiences in part on the basis of their genetic propensities.

DESIRABLE ATTRIBUTES FOR VALUE ADDED MEAT PRODUCTS SURVEY 1993

OpenAIRE

Kinsey, Jean D.; Senauer, Benjamin; Jonk, Yvonne

1993-01-01

The purpose of this consumer survey was to learn more about consumer preferences for meat characteristics. Value added meat processors faced with the problem of trying to identify market niches wanted to know what types of consumers had similar preferences and what their specific preferences and concerns are. In addition, we wanted to learn more about attitudes that are believed to be changing due to new information about the relationship between diet and long term health, lifestyles that dem...

76 FR 37774 - Announcement of Value-Added Producer Grant Application Deadlines

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-28

... communities in urban or rural areas, with limited access to healthy foods and with a high poverty and hunger... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Rural Business-Cooperative Service Announcement of Value-Added Producer Grant Application Deadlines AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of Funding...

Applying value stream mapping techniques to eliminate non-value-added waste for the procurement of endovascular stents.

Science.gov (United States)

Teichgräber, Ulf K; de Bucourt, Maximilian

2012-01-01

OJECTIVES: To eliminate non-value-adding (NVA) waste for the procurement of endovascular stents in interventional radiology services by applying value stream mapping (VSM). The Lean manufacturing technique was used to analyze the process of material and information flow currently required to direct endovascular stents from external suppliers to patients. Based on a decision point analysis for the procurement of stents in the hospital, a present state VSM was drawn. After assessment of the current status VSM and progressive elimination of unnecessary NVA waste, a future state VSM was drawn. The current state VSM demonstrated that out of 13 processes for the procurement of stents only 2 processes were value-adding. Out of the NVA processes 5 processes were unnecessary NVA activities, which could be eliminated. The decision point analysis demonstrated that the procurement of stents was mainly a forecast driven push system. The future state VSM applies a pull inventory control system to trigger the movement of a unit after withdrawal by using a consignment stock. VSM is a visualization tool for the supply chain and value stream, based on the Toyota Production System and greatly assists in successfully implementing a Lean system. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Top-gated chemical vapor deposition grown graphene transistors with current saturation.

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, Jingwei; Liao, Lei; Zhou, Hailong; Cheng, Rui; Liu, Lixin; Huang, Yu; Duan, Xiangfeng

2011-06-08

Graphene transistors are of considerable interest for radio frequency (rf) applications. In general, transistors with large transconductance and drain current saturation are desirable for rf performance, which is however nontrivial to achieve in graphene transistors. Here we report high-performance top-gated graphene transistors based on chemical vapor deposition (CVD) grown graphene with large transconductance and drain current saturation. The graphene transistors were fabricated with evaporated high dielectric constant material (HfO(2)) as the top-gate dielectrics. Length scaling studies of the transistors with channel length from 5.6 μm to 100 nm show that complete current saturation can be achieved in 5.6 μm devices and the saturation characteristics degrade as the channel length shrinks down to the 100-300 nm regime. The drain current saturation was primarily attributed to drain bias induced shift of the Dirac points. With the selective deposition of HfO(2) gate dielectrics, we have further demonstrated a simple scheme to realize a 300 nm channel length graphene transistors with self-aligned source-drain electrodes to achieve the highest transconductance of 250 μS/μm reported in CVD graphene to date.

Economic Value Added as a Dependence on the Corporate- and Market-life Cycle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Konečný Zdeněk

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Economic value added (EVA is an indicator which is widely used as the main tool for financial analysis. There are two methods of calculating it. The original method which was made by Stern & Stewart is defined as the net operating profit after taxes minus the cost of capital. The second method which was developed and used by the “Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade” indicates that, the economic value added is the difference between return on equity and the alternate cost of equity that is composed of separate risk rewards, and this “spread” is consequently multiplied by the equity. Economic value added depends on many factors. Whereas some of them are controllable by the company, others are not. This article is focused on the relationship between economic value added and the corporate- vs. market life cycle. This is because, there is an assumption that conditions for developing EVA changes depending on the actual phase of corporate- and market life cycle. In this research, the model by Reiners (2004 is used to identify the phases of corporate- and market life cycle and the method provided by the “Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade” is used to calculate EVA. However, there is a consideration of the relativity of EVA in the form of “spread” because of the intercompany comparison. The study found that, the highest spread is achieved by companies that are in the phase of expansion and phase of market expansion. On the contrary, companies in the phase of declension during market declension achieved the lowest and negative spread.

Adding intelligence to mobile asset management in hospitals: the true value of RFID.

Science.gov (United States)

Castro, Linda; Lefebvre, Elisabeth; Lefebvre, Louis A

2013-10-01

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology is expected to play a vital role in the healthcare arena, especially in times when cost containments are at the top of the priorities of healthcare management authorities. Medical equipment represents a significant share of yearly healthcare operational costs; hence, ensuring an effective and efficient management of such key assets is critical to promptly and reliably deliver a diversity of clinical services at the patient bedside. Empirical evidence from a phased-out RFID implementation in one European hospital demonstrates that RFID has the potential to transform asset management by improving inventory management, enhancing asset utilization, increasing staff productivity, improving care services, enhancing maintenance compliance, and increasing information visibility. Most importantly, RFID allows the emergence of intelligent asset management processes, which is, undoubtedly, the most important benefit that could be derived from the RFID system. Results show that the added intelligence can be rather basic (auto-status change) or a bit more advanced (personalized automatic triggers). More importantly, adding intelligence improves planning and decision-making processes.

Reduced prefrontal and temporal processing and recall of high "sensation value" ads.

Science.gov (United States)

Langleben, Daniel D; Loughead, James W; Ruparel, Kosha; Hakun, Jonathan G; Busch-Winokur, Samantha; Holloway, Matthew B; Strasser, Andrew A; Cappella, Joseph N; Lerman, Caryn

2009-05-15

Public service announcements (PSAs) are non-commercial broadcast ads that are an important part of televised public health campaigns. "Message sensation value" (MSV), a measure of sensory intensity of audio, visual, and content features of an ad, is an important factor in PSA impact. Some communication theories propose that higher message sensation value brings increased attention and cognitive processing, leading to higher ad impact. Others argue that the attention-intensive format could compete with ad's message for cognitive resources and result in reduced processing of PSA content and reduced overall effectiveness. Brain imaging during PSA viewing provides a quantitative surrogate measure of PSA impact and addresses questions of PSA evaluation and design not accessible with traditional subjective and epidemiological methods. We used Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent (BOLD) functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and recognition memory measures to compare high and low MSV anti-tobacco PSAs and neutral videos. In a short-delay, forced-choice memory test, frames extracted from PSAs were recognized more accurately than frames extracted from the NV. Frames from the low MSV PSAs were better recognized than frames from the high MSV PSAs. The accuracy of recognition of PSA frames was positively correlated with the prefrontal and temporal, and negatively correlated with the occipital cortex activation. The low MSV PSAs were associated with greater prefrontal and temporal activation, than the high MSV PSAs. The high MSV PSAs produced greater activation primarily in the occipital cortex. These findings support the "dual processing" and "limited capacity" theories of communication that postulate a competition between ad's content and format for the viewers' cognitive resources and suggest that the "attention-grabbing" high MSV format could impede the learning and retention of an ad. These findings demonstrate the potential of using neuroimaging in the design and

48 CFR 252.229-7009 - Relief from customs duty and value added tax on fuel (passenger vehicles) (United Kingdom).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... and value added tax on fuel (passenger vehicles) (United Kingdom). 252.229-7009 Section 252.229-7009... Relief from customs duty and value added tax on fuel (passenger vehicles) (United Kingdom). As prescribed in 229.402-70(i), use the following clause: Relief from Customs Duty and Value Added Tax on Fuel...

Top chemical opportunities from carbohydrate biomass: a chemist's view of the Biorefinery.

Science.gov (United States)

Dusselier, Michiel; Mascal, Mark; Sels, Bert F

2014-01-01

Cheap fossil oil resources are becoming depleted and crude oil prices are rising. In this context, alternatives to fossil fuel-derived carbon are examined in an effort to improve the security of carbon resources through the development of novel technologies for the production of chemicals, fuels, and materials from renewable feedstocks such as biomass. The general concept unifying the conversion processes for raw biomass is that of the biorefinery, which integrates biofuels with a selection of pivot points towards value-added chemical end products via so-called "platform chemicals". While the concept of biorefining is not new, now more than ever there is the motivation to investigate its true potential for the production of carbon-based products. A variety of renewable chemicals have been proposed by many research groups, many of them being categorized as drop-ins, while others are novel chemicals with the potential to displace petrochemicals across several markets. To be competitive with petrochemicals, carbohydrate-derived products should have advantageous chemical properties that can be profitably exploited, and/or their production should offer cost-effective benefits. The production of drop-ins will likely proceed in short term since the markets are familiar, while the commercial introduction of novel chemicals takes longer and demands more technological and marketing effort.Rather than describing elaborate catalytic routes and giving exhaustive lists of reactions, a large part of this review is devoted to creating a guideline for the selection of the most promising (platform) chemicals derived via chemical-catalytic reaction routes from lignocellulosic biomass. The major rationale behind our recommendations is a maximum conservation of functionality, alongside a high atom economy. Nature provides us with complex molecules like cellulose and hemicellulose, and it should be possible to transform them into chemical products while maintaining aspects of their

Wave Engine Topping Cycle Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Welch, Gerard E.

1996-01-01

The performance benefits derived by topping a gas turbine engine with a wave engine are assessed. The wave engine is a wave rotor that produces shaft power by exploiting gas dynamic energy exchange and flow turning. The wave engine is added to the baseline turboshaft engine while keeping high-pressure-turbine inlet conditions, compressor pressure ratio, engine mass flow rate, and cooling flow fractions fixed. Related work has focused on topping with pressure-exchangers (i.e., wave rotors that provide pressure gain with zero net shaft power output); however, more energy can be added to a wave-engine-topped cycle leading to greater engine specific-power-enhancement The energy addition occurs at a lower pressure in the wave-engine-topped cycle; thus the specific-fuel-consumption-enhancement effected by ideal wave engine topping is slightly lower than that effected by ideal pressure-exchanger topping. At a component level, however, flow turning affords the wave engine a degree-of-freedom relative to the pressure-exchanger that enables a more efficient match with the baseline engine. In some cases, therefore, the SFC-enhancement by wave engine topping is greater than that by pressure-exchanger topping. An ideal wave-rotor-characteristic is used to identify key wave engine design parameters and to contrast the wave engine and pressure-exchanger topping approaches. An aerodynamic design procedure is described in which wave engine design-point performance levels are computed using a one-dimensional wave rotor model. Wave engines using various wave cycles are considered including two-port cycles with on-rotor combustion (valved-combustors) and reverse-flow and through-flow four-port cycles with heat addition in conventional burners. A through-flow wave cycle design with symmetric blading is used to assess engine performance benefits. The wave-engine-topped turboshaft engine produces 16% more power than does a pressure-exchanger-topped engine under the specified topping

Liberating the potential: the role of non-nurses in adding value to nurse education.

Science.gov (United States)

Dickinson, Julie

2006-01-01

In this paper, I have attempted to explore the role of non-nurse lecturers in adding value to nurse education programmes. In measuring "added-value" in higher education, I have embraced a more comprehensive approach including investigating the views of "Experts"; including the nurse and non-nurse lecturers themselves, and various United Kingdom stakeholders such as the Government, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Quality Assurance Agency. The students' views are also taken into account, when considering both the content of the programmes and how they are delivered. The complexity of "objective measurement" is considered, and the requirements of a "good" teaching experience. The potential areas for adding value include: health and social care policy priorities which encourage partnership working, the blurring of professional boundaries, and inter-professional working. Professional-specific changes embracing extended and enhanced roles and the concepts of specialist and assistant practitioners. Other areas include the Higher Education agendas including transferable skills and adult and student-centred learning. I conclude by discussing the latest policy changes and suggest that the role of the non-nurse lecturer needs more exploration to provide the best value for all.

Lignocellulosic biorefinery as a model for sustainable development of biofuels and value added products.

Science.gov (United States)

De Bhowmick, Goldy; Sarmah, Ajit K; Sen, Ramkrishna

2018-01-01

A constant shift of society's dependence from petroleum-based energy resources towards renewable biomass-based has been the key to tackle the greenhouse gas emissions. Effective use of biomass feedstock, particularly lignocellulosic, has gained worldwide attention lately. Lignocellulosic biomass as a potent bioresource, however, cannot be a sustainable alternative if the production cost is too high and/ or the availability is limited. Recycling the lignocellulosic biomass from various sources into value added products such as bio-oil, biochar or other biobased chemicals in a bio-refinery model is a sensible idea. Combination of integrated conversion techniques along with process integration is suggested as a sustainable approach. Introducing 'series concept' accompanying intermittent dark/photo fermentation with co-cultivation of microalgae is conceptualised. While the cost of downstream processing for a single type of feedstock would be high, combining different feedstocks and integrating them in a bio-refinery model would lessen the production cost and reduce CO 2 emission. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Role of Value Added Tax on Economic Growth of Ethiopia ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The achievement of economic growth is crucial for countries sustainable development. Recently, Value Added Tax (VAT) becomes a major worldwide tax instrument which enhances economic growth. Being a tax levied on the final consumption of goods and services, VAT is collected at each stage of production and ...

VALUE ADDED TAX IN THE ECONOMIC CRISIS CONTEXT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mara Cristian

2011-07-01

Full Text Available This article tries to present the major aspects concerning the value added tax in the context of economic crisis in European Union countries and Romania. The paper realizes an analysis of the impact of economic crises on VAT in the European space underlining the current situation when the revenues from VAT represent a valuable source of financing the public expenditures. In Romania the economic crises has led to increasing o f VAT rate from 19% to 24%. This measure is an important fiscal measure for the state budget and this study tries to reflect the impact of this VAT rate increase on the public revenues and consumption.

Does school ethos explain the relationship between value-added education and teenage substance use? A cohort study

Science.gov (United States)

Markham, Wolfgang A.; Young, Robert; Sweeting, Helen; West, Patrick; Aveyard, Paul

2012-01-01

Previous studies found lower substance use in schools achieving better examination and truancy results than expected, given their pupil populations (high value-added schools). This study examines whether these findings are replicated in West Scotland and whether school ethos indicators focussing on pupils' perceptions of schooling (environment, involvement, engagement and teacher–pupil relations) mediate the associations. Teenagers from forty-one schools (S2, aged 13, n = 2268; S4, aged 15, n = 2096) previously surveyed in primary school (aged 11, n = 2482) were surveyed in the late 1990s. School value-added scores were derived from standardised residuals of two regression equations separately predicting from pupils' socio-demographic characteristics (1) proportions of pupils passing five Scottish Standard Grade Examinations, and (2) half-day truancy loss. Outcomes were current smoking, monthly drinking, ever illicit drug use. Random effects logistic regression models adjusted for potential pupil-level confounders were used to assess (1) associations between substance use and school-level value-added scores and (2) whether these associations were mediated by pupils' perceptions of schooling or other school-level factors (school roll, religious denomination and mean aggregated school-level ethos scores). Against expectations, value-added education was positively associated with smoking (Odds Ratios [95% confidence intervals] for one standard deviation increase in value-added scores were 1.28 [1.02–1.61] in S2 and 1.13 [1.00–1.27] in S4) and positively but weakly and non-significantly associated with drinking and drug use. Engagement and positive teacher–pupil relations were strongly and negatively associated with all substance use outcomes at both ages. Other school-level factors appeared weakly and largely non-significantly related to substance use. Value-added scores were unrelated to school ethos measures and no ethos measure mediated associations

Does school ethos explain the relationship between value-added education and teenage substance use? A cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Markham, Wolfgang A; Young, Robert; Sweeting, Helen; West, Patrick; Aveyard, Paul

2012-07-01

Previous studies found lower substance use in schools achieving better examination and truancy results than expected, given their pupil populations (high value-added schools). This study examines whether these findings are replicated in West Scotland and whether school ethos indicators focussing on pupils' perceptions of schooling (environment, involvement, engagement and teacher-pupil relations) mediate the associations. Teenagers from forty-one schools (S2, aged 13, n = 2268; S4, aged 15, n = 2096) previously surveyed in primary school (aged 11, n = 2482) were surveyed in the late 1990s. School value-added scores were derived from standardised residuals of two regression equations separately predicting from pupils' socio-demographic characteristics (1) proportions of pupils passing five Scottish Standard Grade Examinations, and (2) half-day truancy loss. Outcomes were current smoking, monthly drinking, ever illicit drug use. Random effects logistic regression models adjusted for potential pupil-level confounders were used to assess (1) associations between substance use and school-level value-added scores and (2) whether these associations were mediated by pupils' perceptions of schooling or other school-level factors (school roll, religious denomination and mean aggregated school-level ethos scores). Against expectations, value-added education was positively associated with smoking (Odds Ratios [95% confidence intervals] for one standard deviation increase in value-added scores were 1.28 [1.02-1.61] in S2 and 1.13 [1.00-1.27] in S4) and positively but weakly and non-significantly associated with drinking and drug use. Engagement and positive teacher-pupil relations were strongly and negatively associated with all substance use outcomes at both ages. Other school-level factors appeared weakly and largely non-significantly related to substance use. Value-added scores were unrelated to school ethos measures and no ethos measure mediated associations between value-added

The effects of audit value added on audit survival: Evidence from CPAs of Thailand

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seerungrat Sudsomboon

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The purposes of this study are to investigate the relationship between antecedents and consequences of audit value added (AVA. AVA is performance of the auditors who work with dedication and commitment to quality work and usefulness for user. AVA composes three dimensions as well as audit best practice, audit continuous learning, and professional ethic awareness. The results from the questionnaire survey of 135 CPAs in Thailand. The findings identified that only two dimensions of AVA has positive relationship with all consequences as well as audit continuous learning and professional ethic awareness. Which the consequences of this study are financial information transparency, stakeholder acceptance, and audit survival. In addition, the finding shows the relationship between antecedence and audit value added are positive significant. Which the antecedence of this study are Stakeholder pressure, audit regulation change, and business environment climate. Surprisingly, have not significant the relationship between audit best practice that dimensions of audit value added and consequences. The summary of this paper not only provides theoretical and managerial contributions but also suggestions and directions of the future research are elaborate.

Impact of value-adding services on quality, loyalty and brand equity in the brewing industry

OpenAIRE

Juga, J. (Jari); Juntunen, J. (Jouni); Paananen, M. (Mikko)

2018-01-01

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of logistics value-adding services and perceived service quality on brand equity among B2B customers of a brewery company. Design/methodology/approach: A theoretical model is developed and tested using survey data from 173 hotel, restaurant and catering (HoReCa) industry customers of a brewery company in Finland. Findings: Value-adding services play an important role in building the brewery company’s brand eq...

Analisis Economic Value Added (EVA) dalam Menilai Kinerja Keuangan Perusahaan pada PT. Unilever Indonesia, Tbk.

OpenAIRE

Zulfauzi

2011-01-01

The purpose of this research is to know the financial performance of PT. Unilever Indonesia, Tbk which is measured by Economic Value Added (EVA). Variable which is needed to compute The EVA are Net Profit After Tax (NOPAT), Cost of Capital (CoC), and Economic Value Added (EVA). EVA concept is different with another financial performance instruments. Because in computing EVA, Cost of Capital is included. That’s why accounting profitable company doesn’t mean it has positive EV...

Udržitelná přidaná hodnota Top evropských farmaceutických výrobců

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juliana Straková

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Purpose of the article: This article presents results of an analysis of sustainable value added created by top 5 European pharmaceutical companies in six different environmental resources. We compare value created in the respective companies to the target EU values. Our results show that in the year 2010 companies’ performance overcame set target. Methodology/methods: Sustainable Value Added is a relatively new method. It was first introduced as a whole concept in 2004 and assesses how companies perform in sustainability. We analyse sustainability performance in six selected environmental areas. As a benchmark we rely on target values for 2010 set by various European institutions. Data for our analysis were retrieved from publicly available resources, e.g. annual, environmental and other reports as well as the companies‘ websites. Scientific aim: Originally, the sustainability concept was initiated in macroeconomics. However, increasing number of companies has incorporated it into their strategies. In this paper we aim to determine whether they succeeded. We present the contribution to sustainability by top five great players on the field of pharmaceutical market in Europe. Findings This paper found several key issues: there is a little research of environmental impact generated by pharmaceutical companies in terms of sustainable value added. Sustainable value added was positive for all analysed companies. It means that successful pharmaceutical companies using six analysed environmental resources create more value than required by the target set. Conclusions: Although sustainable value added determines how well (or bad for that matter a particular company uses its resources compared to a benchmark, it does not judge whether using the total capital in a company can be considered as sustainable or not. Nevertheless, for comparing environmental results of various companies this method is suitable and highly adaptable when using it for analysis

Production facility site selection factors for Texas value-added wood producers

Science.gov (United States)

Judd H. Michael; Joanna Teitel; James E. Granskog

1998-01-01

Value-added wood products manufacturers serve an important role in the economies of many U.S. regions and are therefore sought after by entities such as economic development agencies. The reasons why certain locations for a prospective prodution facility would be more attractive to secondary wood industry producers are not clearly understood. Therefore, this research...

Value-Added Measures in Education: What Every Educator Needs to Know

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Douglas N.

2011-01-01

In "Value-Added Measures in Education", Douglas N. Harris takes on one of the most hotly debated topics in education. Drawing on his extensive work with schools and districts, he sets out to help educators and policymakers understand this innovative approach to assessment and the issues associated with its use. Written in straightforward language…

The Use of a School Value-Added Model for Educational Improvement: A Case Study from the Portuguese Primary Education System

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrão, Maria Eugénia; Couto, Alcino Pinto

2014-01-01

This article focuses on the use of a value-added approach for promoting school improvement. It presents yearly value-added estimates, analyses their stability over time, and discusses the contribution of this methodological approach for promoting school improvement programmes in the Portuguese system of evaluation. The value-added model is applied…

The specifics of applying value added tax for local authorities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miloš Grásgruber

2010-01-01

Full Text Available If local authorities units carry out an economic activity, are considered to be taxable under Act No. 235/2004 Coll., On Value Added Tax as amended. Adjustment of VAT in all countries of the European Union is based on Council Directive 2006/112/EC of 28 November 2006 on the common system of value added tax as amended. The application of this directive is binding for all EU member states and national treatment of VAT may diverge from the Directive only in cases where the Directive permits. Decisions of the European Court of Justice are of considerable importance during the interpretation of the Czech VAT Act.For the municipalities and regions article defines the activities that are considered to be an economic activity and activities that are deemed to exercise of public administration and are not therefore subject to VAT. Further the paper defines the concept of turnover of local authorities. At paper there are evaluating the impact of the application of VAT on municipalities and regions in the provision of the individual fulfillment. Great attention must municipalities and region devote to the problem of correct application of claim to tax deduction if they carry out the exercise of public administration, taxable activities and fulfillments exempt from VAT.

Stakeholder opinions on the use of the added value approach in siting radioactive waste management facilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kojo, Matti [University of Tampere, School of ManagementTampere (Finland); Richardson, Phil [Galson Sciences Ltd, Oakham (United Kingdom)

2013-07-01

In some countries nuclear waste facility siting programs include social and economic benefits, compensation, local empowerment and motivation measures and other incentives for the potential host community. This can generally be referred to as an 'added value approach'. Demonstration of the safety of a repository is seen as a precondition of an added value approach. Recently much focus has been placed on studying and developing public participation approaches but less on the use of such incentive and community benefit packages, although they are becoming a more common element in many site selection strategies for nuclear waste management facilities. The primary objective of this paper is to report on an ongoing study of stakeholders' opinions of the use of an added value approach in siting a radioactive waste facility in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia. The paper argues that an added value approach should adapt to the interests and needs of stakeholders during different stages of a siting process. The main question posed in the study is as follows: What are the measures which should be included in 'added value approach' according to the stakeholders? The research data consists of stakeholders' responses to a survey focusing on the use of added value (community benefits) and incentives in siting nuclear waste management facilities. The survey involved use of a questionnaire developed as part of the EU-funded IPPA* project in three countries: the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia. (* Implementing Public Participation Approaches in Radioactive Waste Disposal, FP7 Contract Number: 269849). The target audiences for the questionnaires were the stakeholders represented in the national stakeholder groups established to discuss site selection for a nuclear waste repository in their country. A total of 105 questionnaires were sent to the stakeholders between November 2011 and January 2012. 44 questionnaires were returned, resulting in a

Stakeholder opinions on the use of the added value approach in siting radioactive waste management facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kojo, Matti; Richardson, Phil

2013-01-01

In some countries nuclear waste facility siting programs include social and economic benefits, compensation, local empowerment and motivation measures and other incentives for the potential host community. This can generally be referred to as an 'added value approach'. Demonstration of the safety of a repository is seen as a precondition of an added value approach. Recently much focus has been placed on studying and developing public participation approaches but less on the use of such incentive and community benefit packages, although they are becoming a more common element in many site selection strategies for nuclear waste management facilities. The primary objective of this paper is to report on an ongoing study of stakeholders' opinions of the use of an added value approach in siting a radioactive waste facility in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia. The paper argues that an added value approach should adapt to the interests and needs of stakeholders during different stages of a siting process. The main question posed in the study is as follows: What are the measures which should be included in 'added value approach' according to the stakeholders? The research data consists of stakeholders' responses to a survey focusing on the use of added value (community benefits) and incentives in siting nuclear waste management facilities. The survey involved use of a questionnaire developed as part of the EU-funded IPPA* project in three countries: the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia. (* Implementing Public Participation Approaches in Radioactive Waste Disposal, FP7 Contract Number: 269849). The target audiences for the questionnaires were the stakeholders represented in the national stakeholder groups established to discuss site selection for a nuclear waste repository in their country. A total of 105 questionnaires were sent to the stakeholders between November 2011 and January 2012. 44 questionnaires were returned, resulting in a

The Value Simulation-Based Learning Added to Machining Technology in Singapore

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Linda; Tan, Hock Soon; Thwin, Mya Mya; Tan, Kim Cheng; Koh, Caroline

2011-01-01

This study seeks to understand the value simulation-based learning (SBL) added to the learning of Machining Technology in a 15-week core subject course offered to university students. The research questions were: (1) How did SBL enhance classroom learning? (2) How did SBL help participants in their test? (3) How did SBL prepare participants for…

Value-added Synthesis of Graphene: Recycling Industrial Carbon Waste into Electrodes for High-Performance Electronic Devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Seo, Hong-Kyu; Kim, Tae-Sik; Park, Chibeom; Xu, Wentao; Baek, Kangkyun; Bae, Sang-Hoon; Ahn, Jong-Hyun; Kim, Kimoon; Choi, Hee Cheul; Lee, Tae-Woo

2015-11-16

We have developed a simple, scalable, transfer-free, ecologically sustainable, value-added method to convert inexpensive coal tar pitch to patterned graphene films directly on device substrates. The method, which does not require an additional transfer process, enables direct growth of graphene films on device substrates in large area. To demonstrate the practical applications of the graphene films, we used the patterned graphene grown on a dielectric substrate directly as electrodes of bottom-contact pentacene field-effect transistors (max. field effect mobility ~0.36 cm(2)·V(-1)·s(-1)), without using any physical transfer process. This use of a chemical waste product as a solid carbon source instead of commonly used explosive hydrocarbon gas sources for graphene synthesis has the dual benefits of converting the waste to a valuable product, and reducing pollution.

Value-added Synthesis of Graphene: Recycling Industrial Carbon Waste into Electrodes for High-Performance Electronic Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Seo, Hong-Kyu; Kim, Tae-Sik; Park, Chibeom; Xu, Wentao; Baek, Kangkyun; Bae, Sang-Hoon; Ahn, Jong-Hyun; Kim, Kimoon; Choi, Hee Cheul; Lee, Tae-Woo

2015-11-01

We have developed a simple, scalable, transfer-free, ecologically sustainable, value-added method to convert inexpensive coal tar pitch to patterned graphene films directly on device substrates. The method, which does not require an additional transfer process, enables direct growth of graphene films on device substrates in large area. To demonstrate the practical applications of the graphene films, we used the patterned graphene grown on a dielectric substrate directly as electrodes of bottom-contact pentacene field-effect transistors (max. field effect mobility ~0.36 cm2·V-1·s-1), without using any physical transfer process. This use of a chemical waste product as a solid carbon source instead of commonly used explosive hydrocarbon gas sources for graphene synthesis has the dual benefits of converting the waste to a valuable product, and reducing pollution.

Value-added Synthesis of Graphene: Recycling Industrial Carbon Waste into Electrodes for High-Performance Electronic Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Seo, Hong-Kyu; Kim, Tae-Sik; Park, Chibeom; Xu, Wentao; Baek, Kangkyun; Bae, Sang-Hoon; Ahn, Jong-Hyun; Kim, Kimoon; Choi, Hee Cheul; Lee, Tae-Woo

2015-01-01

We have developed a simple, scalable, transfer-free, ecologically sustainable, value-added method to convert inexpensive coal tar pitch to patterned graphene films directly on device substrates. The method, which does not require an additional transfer process, enables direct growth of graphene films on device substrates in large area. To demonstrate the practical applications of the graphene films, we used the patterned graphene grown on a dielectric substrate directly as electrodes of bottom-contact pentacene field-effect transistors (max. field effect mobility ~0.36 cm2·V−1·s−1), without using any physical transfer process. This use of a chemical waste product as a solid carbon source instead of commonly used explosive hydrocarbon gas sources for graphene synthesis has the dual benefits of converting the waste to a valuable product, and reducing pollution. PMID:26567845

The forecaster's added value

Science.gov (United States)

Turco, M.; Milelli, M.

2009-09-01

skill scores of two competitive forecast. It is important to underline that the conclusions refer to the analysis of the Piemonte operational alert system, so they cannot be directly taken as universally true. But we think that some of the main lessons that can be derived from this study could be useful for the meteorological community. In details, the main conclusions are the following: - despite the overall improvement in global scale and the fact that the resolution of the limited area models has increased considerably over recent years, the QPF produced by the meteorological models involved in this study has not improved enough to allow its direct use, that is, the subjective HQPF continues to offer the best performance; - in the forecast process, the step where humans have the largest added value with respect to mathematical models, is the communication. In fact the human characterisation and communication of the forecast uncertainty to end users cannot be replaced by any computer code; - eventually, although there is no novelty in this study, we would like to show that the correct application of appropriated statistical techniques permits a better definition and quantification of the errors and, mostly important, allows a correct (unbiased) communication between forecasters and decision makers.

Value adding management of hospital real estate : Balancing between different stakeholders’ perspectives

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Zwart, J.; van der Voordt, D.J.M.

2013-01-01

In addition to cost effectiveness, possible contributions of real estate to organisational performance are incorporated in strategic corporate real estate management nowadays more and more. This paper explores the concept of adding value by real estate and how this concept is being applied in design

Measuring the added value of workplace change. Comparison between Theory and Practice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Voordt, Theo; Riratanaphong, C.

2014-01-01

Purpose: Worldwide organisations have introduced more flexibility in place, time and ways of working. In order to be able to define the added value of workplace change, a clear performance measurement system is needed to measure organisational performance in connection to real estate before and

Uma análise da correlação entre o EVA® e o MVA® no contexto das empresas brasileiras de capital aberto Correlation between Economic Value Added and Market Value Added for publicly owned Brazilian companies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Odálio dos Santos

2005-03-01

Full Text Available Este artigo trata do tema da criação de valor, da forma como é medida pelo EVA® (Valor Econômico Adicionado e pelo MVA® (Valor de Mercado Agregado, duas metodologias desenvolvidas no final dos anos 80 pela empresa americana de consultoria Stern Stewart & Co. O EVA® é definido como a diferença entre o lucro operacional líquido depois de impostos e o custo do capital investido na empresa, enquanto o MVA® é determinado pela diferença entre o valor de mercado da empresa e o capital total nela investido. Um estudo realizado por G. Bennett Stewart III, que idealizou essas metodologias juntamente com o seu sócio Joel M. Stern, encontrou uma forte correlação entre o EVA® e o MVA®. Visando averiguar se tal resultado se aplica também ao caso das empresas brasileiras, os autores deste artigo realizaram uma pesquisa semelhante, baseada numa amostra formada por empresas de capital aberto cujas ações foram negociadas na Bovespa (Bolsa de Valores de São Paulo durante o período de 1996 a 2001.This article deals with value creation as measured by Economic Value Added (EVA® and Market Value (MVA® which are methods developed by an American consultant, Stern Stewart & Co, in the late l980's. Economic Value Added is defined as the difference between net operating profit after taxes and the cost of capital invested in a company, while Market Value Added is the difference between market value and the total capital invested in a company. G. Bennett Stewart III, who conceived this approach together with his partner Joel M. Stern, found a strong correlation between Economic Value Added and Market Value Added. Our research investigated whether this also applies to a sample of publicly owned Brazilian companies traded on the São Paulo Stock Exchange between 1996 and 2001.

Evolution of Value Added Chains in Asia Pacific Region and Opportunities for Russia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Igor Alekseevich Makarov

2018-03-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the changing patterns of transnational value chains in the Asia-Pacific region. The methodology is based on the analysis of data extracted from the OECD – WTO Trade in Value Added Database (2016. The study demonstrates that 1 Asia-Pacific countries show extremely high involvement in the global value chains; 2 intra-Asian value chains develop at a fast pace, reflecting the trend towards regiona-lization of economic ties in Asia-Pacific (caused by the processes of transformation within China, the growing income divergence in the region and the development of regional integration mechanisms; 3 the level of participation in global value chains differs across countries and is subject to constant changes. In particular, Chinese manufacturers are moving to the processes with higher value added, and the role of an ‘assembly shop’ in the region is shifting to the ASEAN countries. Russia’s participation in the value chains in the Asia-Pacific region is currently limited to its role as a supplier of raw materials. High tariffs make manufacturing oriented towards Asia less viable, especially considering that most of Asia-Pacific countries have free trade agreements with each other. However, favorable rules of origin in Asian RTAs as well as good political relations with leading Asian countries in conditions of tensions between them still create some opportunities for involving Russia in regional value chains at the more advanced stages

Value-Added Products From FGD Sulfite-Rich Scrubber Materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vivak M. Malhotra

2006-09-30

Massive quantities of sulfite-rich flue gas desulfurization (FGD) scrubber materials are produced every year in the USA. In fact, at present, the production of wet sulfite-rich scrubber cake outstrips the production of wet sulfate-rich scrubber cake by about 6 million tons per year. However, most of the utilization focus has centered on FGD gypsum. Therefore, we have recently initiated research on developing new strategies for the economical, but environmentally-sound, utilization of sulfite-rich scrubber material. In this exploratory project (Phase I), we attempted to ascertain whether it is feasible to develop reconstituted wood replacement products from sulfite-rich scrubber material. In pursuit of this goal, we characterized two different wet sulfite-rich scrubber materials, obtained from two power plants burning Midwestern coal, for their suitability for the development of value-added products. The overall strategy adopted was to fabricate composites where the largest ingredient was scrubber material with additional crop materials as additives. Our results suggested that it may be feasible to develop composites with flexural strength as high as 40 MPa (5800 psi) without the addition of external polymers. We also attempted to develop load-bearing composites from scrubber material, natural fibers, and phenolic polymer. The polymer-to-solid ratio was limited to {le} 0.4. The formulated composites showed flexural strengths as high as 73 MPa (10,585 psi). We plan to harness the research outcomes from Phase I to develop parameters required to upscale our value-added products in Phase II.

Identifying hubs and spokes in global supply chains using redirected trade in value added

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lejour, Arjan; Rojas-Romagosa, Hugo; Veenendaal, Paul

2017-01-01

The increasing importance of global supply chains has prompted the use of analytical tools based on trade in value added - instead of traditional measures in gross value. We use this analytical framework to develop indicators that identify production hubs and supply spokes in global supply chains.

“Value Added Taxes, Chain Effects and Informality”, Second Version

OpenAIRE

Aureo de Paula; Jose A. Scheinkman

2009-01-01

This paper investigates determinants of informal economic activity. We present an equilibrium model of informality and test its implications using a survey of 48,000+ small firms in Brazil. We define informality as tax avoidance; firms in the informal sector avoid tax payments but suffer other limitations. A novel theoretical contribution in this model is the role of value added taxes in transmitting informality. It predicts that the informality of a firm is correlated to the informality of f...

The Impact of Corporate Governance on Financial Performance: (Measured using Accounting and Value-Added based Measures): Evidence from Malaysia

OpenAIRE

Abdul Aziz, Khairul Annuar

2005-01-01

This paper aims to test empirically which measure, an accounting based financial performance measure such as Return on Equity, Price to Earnings Ratio, Earnings Per Share and Return on Capital Employed; or value-added based financial performance measures such as Economic Value Added and Market Value Added; is more closely related with Corporate Governance Compliance. This paper also aims to study the level of Corporate Governance Compliance of the Smaller Companies listed on the KLSE, the mea...

THE FACTORIAL ANALYSIS OF THE ECONOMIC VALUE ADDED (EVA WITHIN A COMPANY FROM THE ROMANIAN SEASIDE HOTEL INDUSTRY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

RALUCA-ANDREEA TRANDAFIR

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In this paper we aimed to show that the only indicator that can provide solutions at the operational level of a company is the economic value added. That is why we focused on the factorial analysis of this indicator, trying to highlight the influences that the economic value added determinants had on value destruction in the analysed company.

Electronic Structure and Chemical Bond of Ti3SiC2 and Adding Al Element

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

MIN Xinmin; LU Ning; MEI Bingchu

2006-01-01

The relation among electronic structure, chemical bond and property of Ti3SiC2 and Al-doped was studied by density function and discrete variation (DFT-DVM) method. When Al element is added into Ti3SiC2, there is a less difference of ionic bond, which does not play a leading role to influent the properties. After adding Al, the covalent bond of Al and the near Ti becomes somewhat weaker, but the covalent bond of Al and the Si in the same layer is obviously stronger than that of Si and Si before adding. Therefore, in preparation of Ti3SiC2, adding a proper quantity of Al can promote the formation of Ti3SiC2. The density of state shows that there is a mixed conductor character in both of Ti3SiC2 and adding Al element. Ti3SiC2 is with more tendencies to form a semiconductor. The total density of state near Fermi lever after adding Al is larger than that before adding, so the electric conductivity may increase after adding Al.

Groundwater chemical baseline values to assess the Recovery Plan in the Matanza-Riachuelo River basin, Argentina.

Science.gov (United States)

Zabala, M E; Martínez, S; Manzano, M; Vives, L

2016-01-15

The two most exploited aquifers in the Matanza-Riachuelo River basin are being monitored in the framework of the Integrated Environmental Sanitation Plan that implements the Basin Authority, Autoridad de Cuenca Matanza Riachuelo. In this context, this work identifies the groundwater chemical types and the natural processes behind them; determines spatial and temporal changes; establishes ranges of variation for chemical components, and proposes concentration values for the upper limit of the natural chemical background. A total of 1007 samples from three aquifer-layers (Upper Aquifer, top and bottom of Puelche Aquifer) have been studied. As concrete guidelines for practical determination of baseline values are not available in the region, the methodology used follows the proposals of European projects which assessed European water directives. The groundwater composition is very stable in terms of both chemical facies and mineralization degree, and the changes observed in the dry and wet periods analysed are subtle in general. Most of the groundwater is Na-HCO3 type, except a few samples that are Ca-HCO3, Na-ClSO4 and Na-Cl types. The Ca-HCO3 waters are the result of calcium carbonate dissolution, Na-HCO3 waters result from cation exchange and carbonate dissolution, while in the Na-ClSO4 and Na-Cl waters, mixing with connate and with encroached old marine water from the underlying and overlying sediments are the most relevant processes. The proposed values for the upper limit of the natural background consider the influence of geology and Holocene marine ingressions in the baseline of coastal groundwater. This study allowed to know the initial chemical conditions of the groundwater system of the Matanza-Riachuelo River basin and to establish the reference from which Basin Authority can start to evaluate trends and monitor the recovery plan. At the same time, it sets a precedent for future studies in the region. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An Integrative Approach to Value-Added Planning: From Community Needs to Local Authority Revenue

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cilliers, E.J.; Timmermans, W.

2015-01-01

The concept of value-added planning (as part of the Valuing Attractive Landscapes in the Urban Economy, INTERREG IVB North West Europe Project) is introduced in this paper to facilitate integrative planning, focusing on the benefits that use and non-use green spaces can provide to an urban area. The

Getting added value from using qualitative research with randomized controlled trials: a qualitative interview study

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background Qualitative research is undertaken with randomized controlled trials of health interventions. Our aim was to explore the perceptions of researchers with experience of this endeavour to understand the added value of qualitative research to the trial in practice. Methods A telephone semi-structured interview study with 18 researchers with experience of undertaking the trial and/or the qualitative research. Results Interviewees described the added value of qualitative research for the trial, explaining how it solved problems at the pretrial stage, explained findings, and helped to increase the utility of the evidence generated by the trial. From the interviews, we identified three models of relationship of the qualitative research to the trial. In ‘the peripheral’ model, the trial was an opportunity to undertake qualitative research, with no intention that it would add value to the trial. In ‘the add-on’ model, the qualitative researcher understood the potential value of the qualitative research but it was viewed as a separate and complementary endeavour by the trial lead investigator and wider team. Interviewees described how this could limit the value of the qualitative research to the trial. Finally ‘the integral’ model played out in two ways. In ‘integral-in-theory’ studies, the lead investigator viewed the qualitative research as essential to the trial. However, in practice the qualitative research was under-resourced relative to the trial, potentially limiting its ability to add value to the trial. In ‘integral-in-practice’ studies, interviewees described how the qualitative research was planned from the beginning of the study, senior qualitative expertise was on the team from beginning to end, and staff and time were dedicated to the qualitative research. In these studies interviewees described the qualitative research adding value to the trial although this value was not necessarily visible beyond the original research team due

Getting added value from using qualitative research with randomized controlled trials: a qualitative interview study.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Cathain, Alicia; Goode, Jackie; Drabble, Sarah J; Thomas, Kate J; Rudolph, Anne; Hewison, Jenny

2014-06-09

Qualitative research is undertaken with randomized controlled trials of health interventions. Our aim was to explore the perceptions of researchers with experience of this endeavour to understand the added value of qualitative research to the trial in practice. A telephone semi-structured interview study with 18 researchers with experience of undertaking the trial and/or the qualitative research. Interviewees described the added value of qualitative research for the trial, explaining how it solved problems at the pretrial stage, explained findings, and helped to increase the utility of the evidence generated by the trial. From the interviews, we identified three models of relationship of the qualitative research to the trial. In 'the peripheral' model, the trial was an opportunity to undertake qualitative research, with no intention that it would add value to the trial. In 'the add-on' model, the qualitative researcher understood the potential value of the qualitative research but it was viewed as a separate and complementary endeavour by the trial lead investigator and wider team. Interviewees described how this could limit the value of the qualitative research to the trial. Finally 'the integral' model played out in two ways. In 'integral-in-theory' studies, the lead investigator viewed the qualitative research as essential to the trial. However, in practice the qualitative research was under-resourced relative to the trial, potentially limiting its ability to add value to the trial. In 'integral-in-practice' studies, interviewees described how the qualitative research was planned from the beginning of the study, senior qualitative expertise was on the team from beginning to end, and staff and time were dedicated to the qualitative research. In these studies interviewees described the qualitative research adding value to the trial although this value was not necessarily visible beyond the original research team due to the challenges of publishing this research

Exploring the impact of a spatial data infrastructure on value-added resellers and vice versa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Cooper, Antony K

2013-08-01

Full Text Available , Information and Computational Viewpoints of the Reference Model for Open Distributed Processing. Within the Enterprise Viewpoint, we identified six stakeholders, including a Value-added Reseller (VAR), a stakeholder who adds value to an existing product...

Implementation of methodology for analyzing the added value in a metallurgical industry of custom products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paulo Cesar Mayer

2015-03-01

Full Text Available This paper addresses the implementation of a methodology for the analysis of added value in a job where steel sheets operations are processed by oxyfuel in a CNC (computer numerical control machine. The method used was based on a case study, followed by descriptive research by observing and recording the movements of the work. For this purpose, all the movements and tasks of the operators and the machine were defined, and classified according to the concepts adopted by Ohno (2002. Their chrono-analyses occurred in the period from March to June 2010 and later improvements were made throughout the workplace, allowing the elimination and reduction of losses, significant increase in the added value and increased occupation of the machine. Through this case study, it was found that the understandings of Ohno (2002 about the added value developed for an automotive industry manufacturing a standard product are perfectly applicable to a company that works with a production system under design and does not manufacture standard products

Microalgal cultivation for value-added products: a critical enviro-economical assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Kothari, Richa; Pandey, Arya; Ahmad, Shamshad; Kumar, Ashwani; Pathak, Vinayak V; Tyagi, V V

2017-08-01

The present review focuses on the cultivation of algal biomass for generating value-added products (VAP) and to assess their economic benefits and harmful environmental impact. Additionally, the impact of bioreactor designs on the yield of microalgal biomass for VAP is also considered. All these factors are discussed in relation to the impact of microalgae production on the bio-economy sector of commercial biotechnology.

How to Enforce Value-Added Tax? The Role of Inter-Sectoral Linkages

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoseini, M.

2013-01-01

Abstract: This paper models and empirically tests a self-enforcing feature of the value added tax (VAT) which is absent in the theory: An incentive that makes formal traders buy from suppliers who pay VAT too. In addition, it explores how the government can deploy this feature to enforce VAT more

The Black Hole Firewall and Top-Down Constructions of AdS/CFT

Science.gov (United States)

Almheiri, Ahmed Eid Khamis Thani

In the first part of this dissertation we argue that the following statements cannot be all true: (i) Black hole formation and evaporation is a unitary process as viewed by external observers, (ii) Physics outside some microscopic distance away from the event horizon is described by local effective quantum field theory, (iii) A black hole is a quantum system with a finite number of states given by the exponential of the Bekenstein Hawking entropy, and (iv) An infalling observer's experience in the vicinity of the horizon is well described by local effective quantum field theory in the infalling reference frame. We argue that the most conservative resolution is that an infalling observer will see drastic violations of effective field theory far away from the singularity, and encounter high energy quanta, a firewall, just behind the black hole event horizon. We address counter proposals to the firewall which involve, in one way or another, radical modifications of quantum mechanics or locality, and argue that they are unsatisfactory in their current formulation. We conclude this part with an investigation into the existence of firewalls in the two dimensional Einstein-dilaton gravity model of CGHS. We find that black holes in such models do not develop firewalls, but rather evaporate down to form small mass remnants. We elaborate on why this is inevitable in two dimensions and argue against a similar conclusion in higher dimensions. In the second part of this dissertation we construct AdS2 and AdS3 magnetic brane solutions within the abelian truncations of AdS4 x orbifolded S7 and AdS5 x S5 supergravity. We find a class of supersymmetric solutions of the bulk theory to assure stability. We perform a preliminary analysis demonstrating the stability of some nonsupersymmetric embeddings. We identify the dual field theory and compare the thermal entropies across the duality. We end with an investigatation into the effects of backreaction on holography in AdS2. We study a

Doppler Lidar Vertical Velocity Statistics Value-Added Product

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Newsom, R. K. [DOE ARM Climate Research Facility, Washington, DC (United States); Sivaraman, C. [DOE ARM Climate Research Facility, Washington, DC (United States); Shippert, T. R. [DOE ARM Climate Research Facility, Washington, DC (United States); Riihimaki, L. D. [DOE ARM Climate Research Facility, Washington, DC (United States)

2015-07-01

Accurate height-resolved measurements of higher-order statistical moments of vertical velocity fluctuations are crucial for improved understanding of turbulent mixing and diffusion, convective initiation, and cloud life cycles. The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility operates coherent Doppler lidar systems at several sites around the globe. These instruments provide measurements of clear-air vertical velocity profiles in the lower troposphere with a nominal temporal resolution of 1 sec and height resolution of 30 m. The purpose of the Doppler lidar vertical velocity statistics (DLWSTATS) value-added product (VAP) is to produce height- and time-resolved estimates of vertical velocity variance, skewness, and kurtosis from these raw measurements. The VAP also produces estimates of cloud properties, including cloud-base height (CBH), cloud frequency, cloud-base vertical velocity, and cloud-base updraft fraction.

Warped AdS3 black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anninos, Dionysios; Li Wei; Padi, Megha; Song Wei; Strominger, Andrew

2009-01-01

Three dimensional topologically massive gravity (TMG) with a negative cosmological constant -l -2 and positive Newton constant G admits an AdS 3 vacuum solution for any value of the graviton mass μ. These are all known to be perturbatively unstable except at the recently explored chiral point μl = 1. However we show herein that for every value of μl ≠ 3 there are two other (potentially stable) vacuum solutions given by SL(2,R) x U(1)-invariant warped AdS 3 geometries, with a timelike or spacelike U(1) isometry. Critical behavior occurs at μl = 3, where the warping transitions from a stretching to a squashing, and there are a pair of warped solutions with a null U(1) isometry. For μl > 3, there are known warped black hole solutions which are asymptotic to warped AdS 3 . We show that these black holes are discrete quotients of warped AdS 3 just as BTZ black holes are discrete quotients of ordinary AdS 3 . Moreover new solutions of this type, relevant to any theory with warped AdS 3 solutions, are exhibited. Finally we note that the black hole thermodynamics is consistent with the hypothesis that, for μl > 3, the warped AdS 3 ground state of TMG is holographically dual to a 2D boundary CFT with central charges c R -formula and c L -formula.

Economic value added model upon conditions of banking company

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vlasta Kašparovská

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The content of this article is the application of the economic value added model (EVA upon the conditions of a banking company. Due to the character of banking business, which is in a different structure of financial sheet, it is not possible to use the standard model EVA for this banking company. The base of this article is the outlined of basic principles of the EVA mode in a non-banking company. Basic specified banking activity dissimilarities are analysed and a directed methodology adjustment of a model such as this, so that it is possible to use it for a banking company.

Going beyond "highly-qualified personnel" to "value-added personnel"

Science.gov (United States)

Nantel, Marc; Fox, Bradley; Gelsthorpe, Leanne; Hamilton, Roxy; Marshall, Robert; Williamson, Guida

2005-10-01

Employers clamour for more "Highly-Qualified Personnel" (HQP) to hire, and photonics is no exception. The challenge facing all new graduates lies in what actually constitutes a Highly-Qualified Person. Yesterday, an HQP was often understood to be a graduate with a Bachelor's, Master's or Ph.D. degree. Today, industry is demanding that an HQP be either a university or college graduate with strong academic standing AND a sound business and communications skill set. In this paper, we introduce the concept of "Value-Added Personnel" (VAP), which marries both scientific and "soft-skills" aspects, and we present a new program in Ontario to produce VAPs.

Value added tax and the financial performance of quoted Agribusinesses in Nigeria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Uwaoma Ironkwe

2015-03-01

Full Text Available This study aimed at investigating the impact of value-added tax on corporate financial performance of quoted companies. To achieve this purpose, we developed some hypotheses and critically reviewed existing theoretical and empirical literatures. Agribusinesses quoted in the Nigerian Stock Exchange Factbook of 2009 were considered as the population for this study. The population elements include the General Managers, Chief Accountants, Finance Managers, Chief Internal Auditors, External Auditors, and Tax Administrators of the selected companies. A total of forty (42 respondents were considered for this study. A well structured questionnaire designed in five-point Likert Scale was administered on the respondents to elicit their responses. The data generated for this study were presented in tabular form and analyzed using frequencies and simple percentages while the stated hypotheses were statistically tested with the simple regression analysis and the t-test. Our findings indicated that Value-Added Tax (VAT impacted negatively on the financial performance of agribusinesses though the impact is of insignificant value. Based on our findings, we recommended that agribusinesses should endeavour to keep appropriate source documents of all transactions for efficient VAT operations and that the governments should ensure that proper tax incentive scheme is designed and fully implemented to promote the growth of agribusinesses, in Nigeria.

Changes in extra-virgin olive oil added with Lycium barbarum L. carotenoids during frying: Chemical analyses and metabolomic approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Blasi, F; Rocchetti, G; Montesano, D; Lucini, L; Chiodelli, G; Ghisoni, S; Baccolo, G; Simonetti, M S; Cossignani, L

2018-03-01

In this work, an Italian extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) sample and the same sample added with a carotenoid-rich nutraceutical extract from Lycium barbarum L. (EVOOCar) were subjected to a frying process to comparatively assess chemical and physical changes and heat stability. Oxidation progress was monitored by measuring oil quality changes such as peroxide value, free acidity, K232, K268, and fatty acid composition as well as minor compound content, phenols, α-tocopherol, and carotenoids. An UHPLC/QTOF-MS metabolomics approach discriminated the two oil samples based on their chemical changes during frying, identifying also the phenolic classes most exposed to statistically significant variations. Partial least square discriminant analysis and volcano analysis were applied together to identify the most significant markers allowing group separation. The decrease in total phenolic content was lower in EVOOCar than in EVOO during frying. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids showed a significant percentage loss, 3.7% and 17.2%, respectively, in EVOO after 180min frying at 180°C, while they remained constant or slightly changed in EVOOCar. Zeaxanthin added to the oil rapidly decreased during the frying process. These findings showed that the addition of a carotenoid extract from L. barbarum can help to improve the oxidative stability of extra-virgin olive oil. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Energy- and value added services in the electric power market in Sweden

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsson, Peter

2000-03-01

This report tries to give a comprehensive picture of the offerings of energy- and value added services on the deregulated Swedish electric power market. A compilation of the service offerings from some 50 electric utilities is given. Market movements within deregulated sectors are treated with special emphasis on the electric power business

Lorentzian AdS, Wormholes and Holography

CERN Document Server

Arias, Raul E; Silva, Guillermo A

2011-01-01

We investigate the structure of two point functions for the QFT dual to an asymptotically Lorentzian AdS-wormhole. The bulk geometry is a solution of 5-dimensional second order Einstein Gauss Bonnet gravity and causally connects two asymptotically AdS space times. We revisit the GKPW prescription for computing two-point correlation functions for dual QFT operators O in Lorentzian signature and we propose to express the bulk fields in terms of the independent boundary values phi_0^\\pm at each of the two asymptotic AdS regions, along the way we exhibit how the ambiguity of normalizable modes in the bulk, related to initial and final states, show up in the computations. The independent boundary values are interpreted as sources for dual operators O^\\pm and we argue that, apart from the possibility of entanglement, there exists a coupling between the degrees of freedom leaving at each boundary. The AdS_(1+1) geometry is also discussed in view of its similar boundary structure. Based on the analysis, we propose a ...

Aquacultural and socio-economic aspects of processing carps into some value-added products.

Science.gov (United States)

Sehgal, H S; Sehgal, G K

2002-05-01

Carps are the mainstay of Indian aquaculture, contributing over 90% to the total fish production, which was estimated to be 1.77 million metric tonnes in 1996. Carp culture has a great potential for waste utilization and thus for pollution abatement. Many wastes such as cow, poultry, pig, duck, goat, and sheep excreta, biogas slurry, effluents from different kinds of factories/industries have been efficiently used for enhancing the productivity of natural food of carps and related species. Besides, several organic wastes/byproducts such as plant products, wastes from animal husbandry, and industrial by-products have been used as carp feed ingredients to lower the cost of supplementary feeding. However, to ensure the continued expansion of fish ponds and the pollution control, there must be a market for the fish (carps) produced in these ponds. The carps have, however, a low market value due to the presence of intra-muscular bones, which reduces their consumer acceptability. Thus, a need was felt to develop some boneless convenience products for enhancing the consumer acceptability of the carps. Efforts were made to prepare three value-added fish products, namely fish patty, fish finger and fish salad from carp flesh and were compared with a reference product ('fish pakoura'). Sensory evaluation of these products gave highly encouraging results. The methods of preparation of these products were transferred to some progressive farmers of the region who prepared and sold these products at very attractive prices. Carp processing has a great potential for the establishment of a fish ancillary industry and thus for boosting the production of these species. In Punjab alone, there is a potential of consuming 32,448 metric tonnes per annum of such value-added products (which would require 54,080 metric tonnes of raw fish). The development of value-added products has a significant role in raising the socio-economic status of the people associated with carp culture. The

Added clinical value of the inferior temporal EEG electrode chain.

Science.gov (United States)

Bach Justesen, Anders; Eskelund Johansen, Ann Berit; Martinussen, Noomi Ida; Wasserman, Danielle; Terney, Daniella; Meritam, Pirgit; Gardella, Elena; Beniczky, Sándor

2018-01-01

To investigate the diagnostic added value of supplementing the 10-20 EEG array with six electrodes in the inferior temporal chain. EEGs were recorded with 25 electrodes: 19 positions of the 10-20 system, and six additional electrodes in the inferior temporal chain (F9/10, T9/10, P9/10). Five-hundred consecutive standard and sleep EEG recordings were reviewed using the 10-20 array and the extended array. We identified the recordings with EEG abnormalities that had peak negativities at the inferior temporal electrodes, and those that only were visible at the inferior temporal electrodes. From the 286 abnormal recordings, the peak negativity was at the inferior temporal electrodes in 81 cases (28.3%) and only visible at the inferior temporal electrodes in eight cases (2.8%). In the sub-group of patients with temporal abnormalities (n = 134), these represented 59% (peak in the inferior chain) and 6% (only seen at the inferior chain). Adding six electrodes in the inferior temporal electrode chain to the 10-20 array improves the localization and identification of EEG abnormalities, especially those located in the temporal region. Our results suggest that inferior temporal electrodes should be added to the EEG array, to increase the diagnostic yield of the recordings. Copyright © 2017 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A new method to assess the added value of high-resolution regional climate simulations: application to the EURO-CORDEX dataset

Science.gov (United States)

Soares, P. M. M.; Cardoso, R. M.

2017-12-01

Regional climate models (RCM) are used with increasing resolutions pursuing to represent in an improved way regional to local scale atmospheric phenomena. The EURO-CORDEX simulations at 0.11° and simulations exploiting finer grid spacing approaching the convective-permitting regimes are representative examples. The climate runs are computationally very demanding and do not always show improvements. These depend on the region, variable and object of study. The gains or losses associated with the use of higher resolution in relation to the forcing model (global climate model or reanalysis), or to different resolution RCM simulations, is known as added value. Its characterization is a long-standing issue, and many different added-value measures have been proposed. In the current paper, a new method is proposed to assess the added value of finer resolution simulations, in comparison to its forcing data or coarser resolution counterparts. This approach builds on a probability density function (PDF) matching score, giving a normalised measure of the difference between diverse resolution PDFs, mediated by the observational ones. The distribution added value (DAV) is an objective added value measure that can be applied to any variable, region or temporal scale, from hindcast or historical (non-synchronous) simulations. The DAVs metric and an application to the EURO-CORDEX simulations, for daily temperatures and precipitation, are here presented. The EURO-CORDEX simulations at both resolutions (0.44o,0.11o) display a clear added value in relation to ERA-Interim, with values around 30% in summer and 20% in the intermediate seasons, for precipitation. When both RCM resolutions are directly compared the added value is limited. The regions with the larger precipitation DAVs are areas where convection is relevant, e.g. Alps and Iberia. When looking at the extreme precipitation PDF tail, the higher resolution improvement is generally greater than the low resolution for seasons

Investigating the Added Value of Interactivity and Serious Gaming for Educational TV

Science.gov (United States)

Bellotti, F.; Berta, R.; De Gloria, A.; Ozolina, A.

2011-01-01

TV is a medium with high penetration rates and has been suited to deliver informal education in several aspects since years. Thus, interactive TV may play a significant role in the current Life-Long Learning challenges, provided that meaningful applications are implemented. In this research work, we have explored the added value of interactivity…

Handbook for Local Coordinators: Value-Added, Compact Disk, Union Catalog Test Phase.

Science.gov (United States)

Townley, Charles

In 1988, the Associated College Libraries of Central Pennsylvania received a grant to create a value-added, compact disk, union catalog from the U.S. Department of Education's College Library Technology and Cooperative Grants Program, Title II of the Higher Education Act. Designed to contain, in time, 2,000,830 records from 17 member library…

Mushroom cultivation, processing and value added products: a patent based review.

Science.gov (United States)

Singhal, Somya; Rasane, Prasad; Kaur, Sawinder; Garba, Umar; Singh, Jyoti; Raj, Nishant; Gupta, Neeru

2018-06-03

Edible mushrooms are an abundant source of carbohydrates, proteins, and multiple antioxidants and phytonutrients. This paper presents a general overview on the edible fungus describing the inventions made in the field of its cultivation, equipment and value added products. To understand and review the innovations and nutraceutical benefits of mushrooms as well as to develop interest regarding the edible mushrooms. Information provided in this review is based on the available research investigations and patents. Mushrooms are an edible source of a wide variety of antioxidants and phytonutrients with a number of nutraceutical properties including anti-tumor and anti-carcinogenic. Thus, several investigations are made for cultivation and improvement of the yield of mushrooms through improvisation of growth substrates and equipment used for mushroom processing. The mushroom has been processed into various products to increase its consumption, providing the health and nutritional benefit to mankind. This paper summarizes the cultivation practices of mushroom, its processing equipments, methods of preservation, value added based products, and its nutraceutical properties. The review also highlights the various scientific feats achieved in terms of patents and research publications promoting mushroom as a wholesome food. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Top Down Tandem Mass Spectrometric Analysis of a Chemically Modified Rough-Type Lipopolysaccharide Vaccine Candidate

Science.gov (United States)

Oyler, Benjamin L.; Khan, Mohd M.; Smith, Donald F.; Harberts, Erin M.; Kilgour, David P. A.; Ernst, Robert K.; Cross, Alan S.; Goodlett, David R.

2018-02-01

Recent advances in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biology have led to its use in drug discovery pipelines, including vaccine and vaccine adjuvant discovery. Desirable characteristics for LPS vaccine candidates include both the ability to produce a specific antibody titer in patients and a minimal host inflammatory response directed by the innate immune system. However, in-depth chemical characterization of most LPS extracts has not been performed; hence, biological activities of these extracts are unpredictable. Additionally, the most widely adopted workflow for LPS structure elucidation includes nonspecific chemical decomposition steps before analyses, making structures inferred and not necessarily biologically relevant. In this work, several different mass spectrometry workflows that have not been previously explored were employed to show proof-of-principle for top down LPS primary structure elucidation, specifically for a rough-type mutant (J5) E. coli-derived LPS component of a vaccine candidate. First, ion mobility filtered precursor ions were subjected to collision induced dissociation (CID) to define differences in native J5 LPS v. chemically detoxified J5 LPS (dLPS). Next, ultra-high mass resolving power, accurate mass spectrometry was employed for unequivocal precursor and product ion empirical formulae generation. Finally, MS3 analyses in an ion trap instrument showed that previous knowledge about dissociation of LPS components can be used to reconstruct and sequence LPS in a top down fashion. A structural rationale is also explained for differential inflammatory dose-response curves, in vitro, when HEK-Blue hTLR4 cells were administered increasing concentrations of native J5 LPS v. dLPS, which will be useful in future drug discovery efforts. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Methods for Accounting for Co-Teaching in Value-Added Models. Working Paper

Science.gov (United States)

Hock, Heinrich; Isenberg, Eric

2012-01-01

Isolating the effect of a given teacher on student achievement (value-added modeling) is complicated when the student is taught the same subject by more than one teacher. We consider three methods, which we call the Partial Credit Method, Teacher Team Method, and Full Roster Method, for estimating teacher effects in the presence of co-teaching.…

The 'added value' GPs bring to commissioning: a qualitative study in primary care.

Science.gov (United States)

Perkins, Neil; Coleman, Anna; Wright, Michael; Gadsby, Erica; McDermott, Imelda; Petsoulas, Christina; Checkland, Kath

2014-11-01

The 2012 Health and Social Care Act in England replaced primary care trusts with clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) as the main purchasing organisations. These new organisations are GP-led, and it was claimed that this increased clinical input would significantly improve commissioning practice. To explore some of the key assumptions underpinning CCGs, and to examine the claim that GPs bring 'added value' to commissioning. In-depth interviews with clinicians and managers across seven CCGs in England between April and September 2013. A total of 40 clinicians and managers were interviewed. Interviews focused on the perceived 'added value' that GPs bring to commissioning. Claims to GP 'added value' centred on their intimate knowledge of their patients. It was argued that this detailed and concrete knowledge improves service design and that a close working relationship between GPs and managers strengthens the ability of managers to negotiate. However, responders also expressed concerns about the large workload that they face and about the difficulty in engaging with the wider body of GPs. GPs have been involved in commissioning in many ways since fundholding in the 1990s, and claims such as these are not new. The key question is whether these new organisations better support and enable the effective use of this knowledge. Furthermore, emphasis on experiential knowledge brings with it concerns about representativeness and the extent to which other voices are heard. Finally, the implicit privileging of GPs' personal knowledge ahead of systematic public health intelligence also requires exploration. © British Journal of General Practice 2014.

Processing and stabilization of Aloe Vera leaf gel by adding chemical and natural preservatives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Nazemi

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Background and objectives: Aloe vera has been used as a medicinal herb for thousands of years. Aloe vera leaves can be separated into latex and gel which have biological effects. Aloe gel is a potent source of polysaccharides. When the gel is exposed to air, it quickly decomposes and decays and loses most of its biological activity. There are various processing techniques for sterilizing and stabilizing the gel. The aim of this study was to improve stabilization of the gel by adding some chemical and natural preservatives. Methods: The gel was obtained from Aloe vera leaves and after some processing chemical and natural preservatives were added. Chemicals included citric acid, ascorbic acid, vitamin E and potassium sorbate while natural preservatives were two essential oils derived from Cinnamomum zeylanicum and Eugenia caryophyllata. All these operations were performed under sterile conditions and they were evaluated at different temperatures and times. Appearance and taste changes of gel were studied organoleptic. Microbiological tests and some physical assays such as pH, refractometry and viscosity properties as well as determination of total sugars were measured. NMR and FT-IR analyses were performed for determining the quality of samples. Results: After data analyzing, the results showed that the samples formulated with chemical additives together with essential oils were more suitable and stable compared to the control samples after 90 days and the effective ingredient acemannan, remained stable. Conclusion: The stable gel can be considered for therapeutic properties and be used for edible and medicinal purposes.

The Effect of Macroeconomic Variables on Value-Added Agriculture: Approach of Vector Autoregresive Bayesian Model (BVAR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Pishbahar

2015-05-01

Full Text Available There are different ideas and opinions about the effects of macroeconomic variables on real and nominal variables. To answer the question of whether changes in macroeconomic variables as a political tool is useful over a business cycle, understanding the effect of macroeconomic variables on economic growth is important. In the present study, the Bayesian Vector autoregresive model and seasonality data for the years between 1991 and 2013 was used to determine the impact of monetary policy on value-added agriculture. Predicts of Vector autoregresive model are usually divertaed due to a lot of parameters in the model. Bayesian vector autoregresive model estimates more reliable predictions due to reducing the number of included parametrs and considering the former models. Compared to the Vector Autoregressive model, the coefficients are estimated more accurately. Based on the results of RMSE in this study, previous function Nrmal-Vyshart was identified as a suitable previous disteribution. According to the results of the impulse response function, the sudden effects of shocks in macroeconomic variables on the value added in agriculture and domestic venture capital are stable. The effects on the exchange rates, tax revenues and monetary will bemoderated after 7, 5 and 4periods. Monetary policy shocks ,in the first half of the year, increased the value added of agriculture, while in the second half of the year had a depressing effect on the value added.

The added value of sustainability motivations in understanding sustainable food choices

OpenAIRE

Verain, M.C.D.; Onwezen, M.C.; Sijtsema, S.J.; Dagevos, H.

2016-01-01

Understanding consumer food choices is crucial to stimulate sustainable food consumption. Food choice motives are shown to be relevant in understanding consumer food choices. However, there is a focus on product motives, such as price and taste, whereas process motives (i.e. environmental welfare) are understudied. The current study aims to add to the existing literature by investigating the added value of sustainable process motives (environmental welfare, animal welfare and social justice) ...

The International Comparison of Value Added, Productivity and Purchasing Power Parities in Agriculture

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Maddison, Angus; Ooststroom, Harry van

1993-01-01

This study is part of the ICOP (International Comparison of Output and Productivity) project of the University of Groningen. It presents international comparisons of levels of value added, productivity and purchasing power parities (PPPs) in agriculture for 13 countries for 1975. An early version of

Value Added Products from Renewable Biofuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blum, Paul [Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE (United States)

2014-07-31

Cellulosic ethanol is an emerging biofuel that will make strong contributions to American domestic energy needs. In the US midwest the standard method for pretreatment of biomass uses hot acid to deconstruct lignocellulose. While other methods work, they are not in common use. Therefore it is necessary to work within this context to achieve process improvements and reductions in biofuel cost. Technology underlying this process could supplement and even replace commodity enzymes with engineered microbes to convert biomass-derived lignocellulose feedstocks into biofuels and valueadded chemicals. The approach that was used here was based on consolidated bioprocessing. Thermoacidophilic microbes belonging to the Domain Archaea were evaluated and modfied to promote deconvolution and saccharification of lignocellulose. Biomass pretreatment (hot acid) was combined with fermentation using an extremely thermoacidophilic microbial platform. The identity and fate of released sugars was controlled using metabolic blocks combined with added biochemical traits where needed. LC/MS analysis supported through the newly established Nebraska Bioenergy Facility provided general support for bioenergy researchers at the University of Nebraska. The primary project strategy was to use microbes that naturally flourish in hot acid (thermoacidophiles) with conventional biomass pretreatment that uses hot acid. The specific objectives were: to screen thermoacidophilic taxa for the ability to deconvolute lignocellulose and depolymerize associated carbohydrates; evaluate and respond to formation of “inhibitors” that arose during incubation of lignocellulose under heated acidic conditions; identify and engineer “sugar flux channeling and catabolic blocks” that redirect metabolic pathways to maximize sugar concentrations; expand the hydrolytic capacity of extremely thermoacidophilic microbes through the addition of deconvolution traits; and establish the Nebraska Bioenergy Facility (NBF

Comparative economic value added on Southeast Asian banking industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lintang Dewanti

2017-03-01

Full Text Available This study analyses the bank's performance comparison across countries in some ASEAN members which are listed in the stock exchange, as well as to analyse the influence of Economic Value Added (EVA and some financial ratios on the company stock return. Analysis suggests some results. In Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines, the movement of EVA follows the movement of Gross Domestic Product (GDP. This study also finds that Earning per Share (EPS, only in Singapore, and Return on Equity (ROE and Return on Assets (ROA, only in the Philippines, have an influence on stock return. Only in the Philippines where EVA together with ROA has an effect on stock return.

A REVIEW OF THE ECONOMIC VALUE ADDED LITERATURE AND APPLICATION

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Andrija Sabol

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the paper is to present a cornucopia of approaches and ways of defining, measuring and using the concept of Economic Value Added (EVA. EVA is a financial performance measure that emphasizes the maximization of shareholder value, as opposed to mere maximization of net profit. The authors familiarize the readers with important ideas and research that have contributed to the development of the concept of EVA. The nature of this paper is exclusive to the review of secondary sources, such as theoretical insights as well as the results of numerous empirical research of EVA. Furthermore, the paper will show various adjustments to financial statements before accounting profits can be used to calculate EVA. The results of the aforementioned research will unequivocally present EVA as one of the most widely used and accepted measures of overall firm performance, gaining more popularity when coupled with the notions of strategic (financial management. The paper concludes by determining the role and place of the concept of EVA in the process of value and performance management, as well as strategic management.

ARM Climate Research Facility Spectral Surface Albedo Value-Added Product (VAP) Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McFarlane, S; Gaustad, K; Long, C; Mlawer, E

2011-07-15

This document describes the input requirements, output data products, and methodology for the Spectral Surface Albedo (SURFSPECALB) value-added product (VAP). The SURFSPECALB VAP produces a best-estimate near-continuous high spectral resolution albedo data product using measurements from multifilter radiometers (MFRs). The VAP first identifies best estimates for the MFR downwelling and upwelling shortwave irradiance values, and then calculates narrowband spectral albedo from these best-estimate irradiance values. The methodology for finding the best-estimate values is based on a simple process of screening suspect data and backfilling screened and missing data with estimated values when possible. The resulting best-estimate MFR narrowband spectral albedos are used to determine a daily surface type (snow, 100% vegetation, partial vegetation, or 0% vegetation). For non-snow surfaces, a piecewise continuous function is used to estimate a high spectral resolution albedo at 1 min temporal and 10 cm-1 spectral resolution.

Shell cracking strength in almond (Prunus dulcis [Mill.] D.A. Webb.) and its implication in uses as a value-added product.

Science.gov (United States)

Ledbetter, C A

2008-09-01

Researchers are currently developing new value-added uses for almond shells, an abundant agricultural by-product. Almond varieties are distinguished by processors as being either hard or soft shelled, but these two broad classes of almond also exhibit varietal diversity in shell morphology and physical characters. By defining more precisely the physical and chemical characteristics of almond shells from different varieties, researchers will better understand which specific shell types are best suited for specific industrial processes. Eight diverse almond accessions were evaluated in two consecutive harvest seasons for nut and kernel weight, kernel percentage and shell cracking strength. Shell bulk density was evaluated in a separate year. Harvest year by almond accession interactions were highly significant (p0.01) for each of the analyzed variables. Significant (p0.01) correlations were noted for average nut weight with kernel weight, kernel percentage and shell cracking strength. A significant (p0.01) negative correlation for shell cracking strength with kernel percentage was noted. In some cases shell cracking strength was independent of the kernel percentage which suggests that either variety compositional differences or shell morphology affect the shell cracking strength. The varietal characterization of almond shell materials will assist in determining the best value-added uses for this abundant agricultural by-product.

Added Value of Early Literacy Screening in Preschool Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Iyer, Sai Nandini; Dawson, M Zachary; Sawyer, Mark I; Abdullah, Neelab; Saju, Leya; Needlman, Robert D

2017-09-01

The Early Literacy Screener (ELS) is a brief screen for emergent literacy delays in 4- and 5-year-olds. Standard developmental screens may also flag these children. What is the value of adding the ELS? Parents of children aged 4 (n = 45) and 5 (n = 26) years completed the Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3 (ASQ-3), the Survey of Well-Being in Young Children (SWYC), and the ELS. Rates of positive agreement (PA), negative agreement (NA), and overall agreement (Cohen's κ) across the various screening tools were calculated. Early literacy delays were detected in 51% of those who passed the ASQ and 38% of those who passed the SWYC. For ELS versus ASQ, κ = 0.18, PA = 0.36 (95% CI = 0.23-0.51), and NA = 0.83 (95% CI = 0.66-0.92). For ELS versus SWYC, κ = 0.42, PA = 0.61 (95% CI = 0.45-0.75), and NA = 0.82 (95% CI = 0.65-0.92). The ELS adds value by flagging early literacy delays in many children who pass either the ASQ-3 or SWYC.

Organoleptic and physico-chemical evaluation of capretto baladi goats: a value-added meat alternative in an extensive rearing system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abi Saab, S.; Saliba, M.; Esseily, F.; Aad, P.Y.

2017-01-01

The local Baladi breed is considered a common source of fresh meat in Lebanon.Due to the extensive rearing system and the scarcity of pasture, kids resulting from multiple births are not reared, though cultural preference for young meat may valorize these twin kids as an expensive delicacy. Few studies observed growth parameters, physical-chemical and sensory properties of meat in Baladi kids. Therefore, 24 male Baladi kids were fed milk adlibitum post-natally for 24 days, after which 9 were randomly selected and fed pasture grassad libitum and goat milk (Control), and 15 were fed only milk (Capretto) twice per day. Animals were slaughtered at 4, 6 and 8 weeks of age and body organs compared. Feed intake wasmeasured by weighing kids pre- and post- feeding, and body weight measured twice per week.Meat chemical properties were total ether-extracted fat, kjeldhal protein, and minerals. Meat organoleptic properties were evaluated by consumers for color, taste, odor, richness, juiciness,tenderness and overall appreciation, as cooked by housewives or professionals. Data were analyzed as a CRD using SPSS 10.0 and presented as LSMeans ± SEM. Results showed that Capretto consumed increasing levels of milk from 4 to 8 weeks, with ADG decreasing (P<0.05) from 4 to 8 weeks. Capretto showed 5% less (P<0.05) weight than control kids. Carcass yield was higher (P< 0.05) for Capretto (44.5 ± 3.4 %) than control (36.3 ± 3.3%), with Capretto showing smaller viscera and lower hemoglobin. Both blood and meat (protein, cholesterol) composition did not differ (P>0.05) between Capretto and control, although capretto showed lower (p<0.05) meat fat content than control kids. Meat organoleptic characteristics were desirable at weeks 4 and 6 for both Capretto and control kids, whereas only Capretto meat stayed desirable at week 8. To conclude, Capretto kids have similar properties to their traditional counterparts, with added desirable properties for a longer growing period, in addition to

A Method for Proposing Valued-Adding Attributes in Customized Housing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cynthia S. Hentschke

2014-12-01

Full Text Available In most emerging economies, there has been many incentives and high availability of funding for low-cost housing projects. This has encouraged product standardization and the application of mass production ideas, based on the assumption that this is the most effective strategy for reducing costs. However, the delivery of highly standardized housing units to customers with different needs, without considering their lifestyle and perception of value, often results in inadequate products. Mass customization has been pointed out as an effective strategy to improve value generation in low-cost housing projects, and to avoid waste caused by renovations done in dwellings soon after occupancy. However, one of the main challenges for the implementation of mass customization is the definition of a set of relevant options based on users’ perceived value. The aim of this paper is to propose a method for defining value adding attributes in customized housing projects, which can support decision-making in product development. The means-end chain theory was used as theoretical framework to connect product attributes and costumers’ values, through the application of the laddering technique. The method was tested in two house-building projects delivered by a company from Brazil. The main contribution of this method is to indicate the customization units that are most important for users along with the explanation of why those units are the most relevant ones.

Mo- and V-catalyzed transformation of biomass into high-value chemicals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Lasse Bo; Dethlefsen, Johannes Rytter; Lupp, Daniel

2014-01-01

The possibility of converting biomass into higher-value chemicals has received increased attention over the last few years. If biomass could be converted into biofules or platform chemicals, then it could constitute a large source of renewable energy and economy for society.......The possibility of converting biomass into higher-value chemicals has received increased attention over the last few years. If biomass could be converted into biofules or platform chemicals, then it could constitute a large source of renewable energy and economy for society....

A top-five list for emergency medicine: a pilot project to improve the value of emergency care.

Science.gov (United States)

Schuur, Jeremiah D; Carney, Dylan P; Lyn, Everett T; Raja, Ali S; Michael, John A; Ross, Nicholas G; Venkatesh, Arjun K

2014-04-01

IMPORTANCE The mean cost of medical care in the United States is growing at an unsustainable rate; from 2003 through 2011, the cost for an emergency department (ED) visit rose 240%, from $560 to $1354. The diagnostic tests, treatments, and hospitalizations that emergency clinicians order result in significant costs. OBJECTIVE To create a "top-five" list of tests, treatments, and disposition decisions that are of little value, are amenable to standardization, and are actionable by emergency medicine clinicians. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Modified Delphi consensus process and survey of 283 emergency medicine clinicians (physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners) from 6 EDs. INTERVENTION We assembled a technical expert panel (TEP) and conducted a modified Delphi process to identify a top-five list using a 4-step process. In phase 1, we generated a list of low-value clinical decisions from TEP brainstorming and e-mail solicitation of clinicians. In phase 2, the TEP ranked items on contribution to cost, benefit to patients, and actionability by clinicians. In phase 3, we surveyed all ordering clinicians from the 6 EDs regarding distinct aspects of each item. In phase 4, the TEP voted for a final top-five list based on survey results and discussion. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES A top-five list for emergency medicine. The TEP ranked items on contribution to cost, benefit to patients, and actionability by clinicians. The survey asked clinicians to score items on the potential benefit or harm to patients and the provider actionability of each item. Voting and surveys used 5-point Likert scales. A Pearson interdomain correlation was used. RESULTS Phase 1 identified 64 low-value items. Phase 2 narrowed this list to 7 laboratory tests, 3 medications, 4 imaging studies, and 3 disposition decisions included in the phase 3 survey (71.0% response rate). All 17 items showed a significant positive correlation between benefit and actionability (r, 0.19-0.37 [P�

The Implications of Summer Learning Loss for Value-Added Estimates of Teacher Effectiveness

Science.gov (United States)

Gershenson, Seth; Hayes, Michael S.

2018-01-01

School districts across the United States increasingly use value-added models (VAMs) to evaluate teachers. In practice, VAMs typically rely on lagged test scores from the previous academic year, which necessarily conflate summer with school-year learning and potentially bias estimates of teacher effectiveness. We investigate the practical…

Lignocellulosic Biomass Transformations via Greener Oxidative Pretreatment Processes: Access to Energy and Value-Added Chemicals.

Science.gov (United States)

Den, Walter; Sharma, Virender K; Lee, Mengshan; Nadadur, Govind; Varma, Rajender S

2018-01-01

Anthropogenic climate change, principally induced by the large volume of carbon dioxide emission from the global economy driven by fossil fuels, has been observed and scientifically proven as a major threat to civilization. Meanwhile, fossil fuel depletion has been identified as a future challenge. Lignocellulosic biomass in the form of organic residues appears to be the most promising option as renewable feedstock for the generation of energy and platform chemicals. As of today, relatively little bioenergy comes from lignocellulosic biomass as compared to feedstock such as starch and sugarcane, primarily due to high cost of production involving pretreatment steps required to fragment biomass components via disruption of the natural recalcitrant structure of these rigid polymers; low efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis of refractory feedstock presents a major challenge. The valorization of lignin and cellulose into energy products or chemical products is contingent on the effectiveness of selective depolymerization of the pretreatment regime which typically involve harsh pyrolytic and solvothermal processes assisted by corrosive acids or alkaline reagents. These unselective methods decompose lignin into many products that may not be energetically or chemically valuable, or even biologically inhibitory. Exploring milder, selective and greener processes, therefore, has become a critical subject of study for the valorization of these materials in the last decade. Efficient alternative activation processes such as microwave- and ultrasound irradiation are being explored as replacements for pyrolysis and hydrothermolysis, while milder options such as advanced oxidative and catalytic processes should be considered as choices to harsher acid and alkaline processes. Herein, we critically abridge the research on chemical oxidative techniques for the pretreatment of lignocellulosics with the explicit aim to rationalize the objectives of the biomass pretreatment step and the

a European Global Navigation Satellite System — the German Market and Value Adding Chain Effects

Science.gov (United States)

Vollerthun, A.; Wieser, M.

2002-03-01

Since Europe is considering to establish a "market-driven" European Global Navigation Satellite System, the German Center of Aerospace initiated a market research to justify a German investment in such a European project. The market research performed included the following market segments: aviation, railway, road traffic, shipping, surveying, farming, military, space applications, leisure, and sport. In these market segments, the forementioned inputs were determined for satellite navigation hardware (receivers) as well as satellite navigation services. The forecast period was from year 2007 to 2017. For the considered period, the market amounts to a total of DM 83.0 billion (approx. US $50 billion), whereas the satellite navigation equipment market makes up DM 39.8 billion, and charges for value-added-services amount to DM 43.2 billion. On closer examination road traffic can be identified as the dominant market share, both in the receiver-market and service-market. With a share of 96% for receivers and 73% for services the significance of the road traffic segment becomes obvious. The second part of this paper investigates the effects the market potential has on the Value-Adding-Chain. Therefore, all participants in the Value-Adding-Chain are identified, using industrial cost structure models the employment effect is analyzed, and possible tax revenues for the state are examined.

Mobile ad hoc networking

CERN Document Server

John Wiley & Sons

2004-01-01

"Assimilating the most up-to-date information on research and development activities in this rapidly growing area, Mobile Ad Hoc Networking covers physical, data link, network, and transport layers, as well as application, security, simulation, and power management issues in sensor, local area, personal, and mobile ad hoc networks. Each of the book's sixteen chapters has been written by a top expert and discusses in-depth the most important topics in the field. Mobile Ad Hoc Networking is an excellent reference and guide for professionals seeking an in-depth examination of topics that also provides a comprehensive overview of the current state-of-the-art."--Jacket.

Preparation of value-added metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) using waste PET bottles as source of acid linker

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Dyosiba, Xoliswa

2016-12-01

Full Text Available of Value-added Metal-organic Frameworks (MOFs) Using Waste PET Bottles as Source of Acid Linker Xoliswa Dyosiba, Jianwei Ren, Nicholas M. Musyoka, Henrietta W. Langmi, Mkhulu Mathe, Maurice S. Onyango PII: S2214-9937(16)30053-7 DOI: doi:10.1016/j..., Hen- rietta W. Langmi, Mkhulu Mathe, Maurice S. Onyango, Preparation of Value-added Metal-organic Frameworks (MOFs) Using Waste PET Bottles as Source of Acid Linker, Sustainable Materials and Technologies (2016), doi:10.1016/j.susmat.2016...

Added Diagnostic Value of Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers for Differential Dementia Diagnosis in an Autopsy-Confirmed Cohort.

Science.gov (United States)

Niemantsverdriet, Ellis; Feyen, Bart F E; Le Bastard, Nathalie; Martin, Jean-Jacques; Goeman, Johan; De Deyn, Peter Paul; Bjerke, Maria; Engelborghs, Sebastiaan

2018-01-01

Differential dementia diagnosis remains a challenge due to overlap of clinical profiles, which often results in diagnostic doubt. Determine the added diagnostic value of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers for differential dementia diagnosis as compared to autopsy-confirmed diagnosis. Seventy-one dementia patients with autopsy-confirmed diagnoses were included in this study. All neuropathological diagnoses were established according to standard neuropathological criteria and consisted of Alzheimer's disease (AD) or other dementias (NONAD). CSF levels of Aβ1 - 42, T-tau, and P-tau181 were determined and interpreted based on the IWG-2 and NIA-AA criteria, separately. A panel of three neurologists experienced with dementia made clinical consensus dementia diagnoses. Clinical and CSF biomarker diagnoses were compared to the autopsy-confirmed diagnoses. Forty-two patients (59%) had autopsy-confirmed AD, whereas 29 patients (41%) had autopsy-confirmed NONAD. Of the 24 patients with an ambiguous clinical dementia diagnosis, a correct diagnosis would have been established in 67% of the cases applying CSF biomarkers in the context of the IWG-2 or the NIA-AA criteria respectively. AD CSF biomarkers have an added diagnostic value in differential dementia diagnosis and can help establishing a correct dementia diagnosis in case of ambiguous clinical dementia diagnoses.

The impact of net value added on predicting the earnings and operating cash flow: An empirical study based on Tehran Stock Exchange

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Omid Imani Khoshkhoo

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Information content of earnings and its components and other issues except the earnings such as the operating cash flow (OCF have been tested widely in the accounting and finance literature. Since they have had an essential role in most cases including financial reporting, contracts and evaluation models, specifying the items and financial variables that have had a significant relationship with these two variables are expected to be of utmost importance. One example of these variables and indicators is the value added. Although this variable has an economic concept, reporting of value added to the beneficiaries of business entity as the value-added statement has been observed in the field of accounting theories for many years. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of net value added (NVA as the basic result of value-added statement in predicting the accounting earnings and operating cash flow. For this purpose, the relationship of changes in net value added with the changes in accounting earnings and operating cash flow of listed companies in Tehran Stock Exchange from 2007 to 2011 was tested. Firstly the Single variable cross-sectional regression was analyzed and then the panel data analysis with the PLS technique was used to do a pooled analysis. The results of testing research hypothesis imply the significant relationship between changes in net value added and accounting earnings in the listed companies as cross-sectional and pooled forms. The results showed no significant relationship between changes in net value added and operating cash flow in the listed companies neither in cross-sectional nor pooled form.

Ten years of medical education registrars: Value added?

Science.gov (United States)

Brazil, Victoria; Davin, Lorna

2018-05-22

There is a paucity of any long-term follow up of trainees' career pathways or organisational outcomes from medical education registrar posts in emergency medicine training. We report on the experience of a selected group of medical education trainees during and subsequent to their post and reflect on the value added to emergency medical education at three institutions. We conducted an online survey study, examining quantitative outcomes and qualitative reflections, of emergency physicians who had previously undertaken a medical education registrar post. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise responses to Likert items. The authors independently analysed and interpreted the reflective responses to identify key themes and sub-themes. Nineteen of 21 surveys were completed. Most respondents were in formal educational roles, in addition to clinical practice. The thematic analysis revealed that the medical education registrar experience, and the subsequent contribution of these trainees to medical education, is significantly shaped by external factors. These include the extent of faculty support, and the value placed on medical education by hospitals/departments/leaders. Acquisition of knowledge and skills in medical education was only part of a broader developmental journey and transitioning of identity for the trainees. Our findings suggest that medical education trainees in emergency medicine progress to educational roles, and most respondents attribute their career progression to the medical education training experience. We recommend that medical education registrar programmes need to be valued within the clinical service, supported by faculty and a 'community of practice', to support trainees' transition to clinician educator leadership roles. © 2018 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

Added value of pharmacogenetic testing in predicting statin response: Results from the REGRESS trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Der Baan, F.H.; Knol, M.J.; Maitland-Van Der Zee, A.H.; Regieli, J.J.; Van Iperen, E.P.A.; Egberts, A.C.G.; Klungel, O.H.; Grobbee, D.E.; Jukema, J.W.

2013-01-01

It was investigated whether pharmacogenetic factors, both as single polymorphism and as gene-gene interactions, have an added value over non-genetic factors in predicting statin response. Five common polymorphisms were selected in apolipoprotein E, angiotensin-converting enzyme, hepatic lipase and

Reformers, Batting Averages, and Malpractice: The Case for Caution in Value-Added Use

Science.gov (United States)

Gleason, Daniel

2014-01-01

The essay considers two analogies that help to reveal the limitations of value-added modeling: the first, a comparison with batting averages, shows that the model's reliability is quite limited even though year-to-year correlation figures may seem impressive; the second, a comparison between medical malpractice and so-called educational…

Value Added Service and Service Quality from the Customer’s Perspective: An Empirical Investigation in Thai Telecommunication Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saowanee Srikanjanarak

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Increasing global competition has led to an intensively competitive market among service providers. Several organizations have created and developed a variety of products or services; in particular the telecommunications industry has developed mobile phone services. Various value-added services linked to mobile phone services, such as communication, entertainment, information services and money transfer services have been intensively incorporated to sustain and serve the customer’s need, which in turn demands performance maximization. In service marketing literature, SERVQUAL and SERVPERF have been reported as failing to measure service quality in new industries such as the retail industry’s B2B service. Therefore, service quality models for the mobile phone service industry need to be further developed.Service quality models have placed little focus on value-added services and no research has yet operationalized the concept of value-added services in a service quality model from the customer’s perspective of the service industry. Hence, this paper aims to conceptualize a service quality model based on Gronroos’ Model, other exploratory research and the current market situation in the service context. A total of 998 structured questionnaires were distributed to pre-paid mobile phones users in nine provinces around Thailand. The results indicate four dimensions of service quality. The value-added services have shown a particularly high level of measurements of satisfaction. These findings reveal a meaningful insight into how customers perceive the value-added services offered by service providers. This will help managers to design an appropriate variety of service options that suit their customers and in turn may lead to the development of a long-term relationship with their organizations.

Lignocellulosic Biomass Transformations via Greener Oxidative Pretreatment Processes: Access to Energy and Value-Added Chemicals

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Walter Den

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Anthropogenic climate change, principally induced by the large volume of carbon dioxide emission from the global economy driven by fossil fuels, has been observed and scientifically proven as a major threat to civilization. Meanwhile, fossil fuel depletion has been identified as a future challenge. Lignocellulosic biomass in the form of organic residues appears to be the most promising option as renewable feedstock for the generation of energy and platform chemicals. As of today, relatively little bioenergy comes from lignocellulosic biomass as compared to feedstock such as starch and sugarcane, primarily due to high cost of production involving pretreatment steps required to fragment biomass components via disruption of the natural recalcitrant structure of these rigid polymers; low efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis of refractory feedstock presents a major challenge. The valorization of lignin and cellulose into energy products or chemical products is contingent on the effectiveness of selective depolymerization of the pretreatment regime which typically involve harsh pyrolytic and solvothermal processes assisted by corrosive acids or alkaline reagents. These unselective methods decompose lignin into many products that may not be energetically or chemically valuable, or even biologically inhibitory. Exploring milder, selective and greener processes, therefore, has become a critical subject of study for the valorization of these materials in the last decade. Efficient alternative activation processes such as microwave- and ultrasound irradiation are being explored as replacements for pyrolysis and hydrothermolysis, while milder options such as advanced oxidative and catalytic processes should be considered as choices to harsher acid and alkaline processes. Herein, we critically abridge the research on chemical oxidative techniques for the pretreatment of lignocellulosics with the explicit aim to rationalize the objectives of the biomass

Lignocellulosic Biomass Transformations via Greener Oxidative Pretreatment Processes: Access to Energy and Value-Added Chemicals

Science.gov (United States)

Den, Walter; Sharma, Virender K.; Lee, Mengshan; Nadadur, Govind; Varma, Rajender S.

2018-01-01

Anthropogenic climate change, principally induced by the large volume of carbon dioxide emission from the global economy driven by fossil fuels, has been observed and scientifically proven as a major threat to civilization. Meanwhile, fossil fuel depletion has been identified as a future challenge. Lignocellulosic biomass in the form of organic residues appears to be the most promising option as renewable feedstock for the generation of energy and platform chemicals. As of today, relatively little bioenergy comes from lignocellulosic biomass as compared to feedstock such as starch and sugarcane, primarily due to high cost of production involving pretreatment steps required to fragment biomass components via disruption of the natural recalcitrant structure of these rigid polymers; low efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis of refractory feedstock presents a major challenge. The valorization of lignin and cellulose into energy products or chemical products is contingent on the effectiveness of selective depolymerization of the pretreatment regime which typically involve harsh pyrolytic and solvothermal processes assisted by corrosive acids or alkaline reagents. These unselective methods decompose lignin into many products that may not be energetically or chemically valuable, or even biologically inhibitory. Exploring milder, selective and greener processes, therefore, has become a critical subject of study for the valorization of these materials in the last decade. Efficient alternative activation processes such as microwave- and ultrasound irradiation are being explored as replacements for pyrolysis and hydrothermolysis, while milder options such as advanced oxidative and catalytic processes should be considered as choices to harsher acid and alkaline processes. Herein, we critically abridge the research on chemical oxidative techniques for the pretreatment of lignocellulosics with the explicit aim to rationalize the objectives of the biomass pretreatment step and the

Value added services to CANDU plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kakaria, B.K.

2003-01-01

if applicable, new entities which will enhance its ability to deliver that value. Secondly, AECL is beginning to look at its customers in a different light. That is, as partners, rather than just clients. The key to success of any partnership is the goal that partners share in working together to add value to each other's business, sharing risks and rewards. This is a departure from AECL's traditional customer/supplier model. Forging partnerships requires establishing long-term relationships and setting long term performance goals. This means adjusting over time AECL's business processes, information technology, quality programs, and staffing resources to meet the changing needs of its clients. In light of this changing environment, AECL recently implemented a new operational structure, effective April 1, 2003. In this restructuring, five business units have been created, each focussing on key business offerings to its client base. The Services Business (SBU) is one of the units and will focus on providing value added services to AECL's partners. This paper will describe key elements of the new SBU and the themes that have influenced the design and organization and also provide an update on AECL's achievements in the Service Area. (author)

The forecaster's added value in QPF

Science.gov (United States)

Turco, M.; Milelli, M.

2010-03-01

: - despite the overall improvement in global scale and the fact that the resolution of the limited area models has increased considerably over recent years, the QPF produced by the meteorological models involved in this study has not improved enough to allow its direct use: the subjective HQPF continues to offer the best performance for the period +24 h/+48 h (i.e. the warning period in the Piemonte system); - in the forecast process, the step where humans have the largest added value with respect to mathematical models, is the communication. In fact the human characterization and communication of the forecast uncertainty to end users cannot be replaced by any computer code; - eventually, although there is no novelty in this study, we would like to show that the correct application of appropriated statistical techniques permits a better definition and quantification of the errors and, mostly important, allows a correct (unbiased) communication between forecasters and decision makers.

Corporate communications from the CEO’s perspective: how top executives conceptualize and value strategic communication

OpenAIRE

Zerfass, Ansgar; Sherzada, Muschda

2015-01-01

This is the accepted, refereed and final manuscript to the article Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions and expectations of chief executive officers (CEOs) and executive board members concerning: the relevance of public opinion and contribution of communication performance to organizational success, the communicative role of top executives and their interaction with professional communicators, the objectives and values of corporate communications, a...

Designing products with added emotional value : development and application of an approach for research through design

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Desmet, P.M.A.; Overbeeke, C.J.; Tax, S.J.E.T.

2001-01-01

In this paper, a design approach is introduced for designing products with added emotional value. First, the approach was established, based on a theoretical framework and a non-verbal instrument to measure emotional responses. Second, the value of the design approach was assessed by applying it to

Different top-down approaches to estimate measurement uncertainty of whole blood tacrolimus mass concentration values.

Science.gov (United States)

Rigo-Bonnin, Raül; Blanco-Font, Aurora; Canalias, Francesca

2018-05-08

Values of mass concentration of tacrolimus in whole blood are commonly used by the clinicians for monitoring the status of a transplant patient and for checking whether the administered dose of tacrolimus is effective. So, clinical laboratories must provide results as accurately as possible. Measurement uncertainty can allow ensuring reliability of these results. The aim of this study was to estimate measurement uncertainty of whole blood mass concentration tacrolimus values obtained by UHPLC-MS/MS using two top-down approaches: the single laboratory validation approach and the proficiency testing approach. For the single laboratory validation approach, we estimated the uncertainties associated to the intermediate imprecision (using long-term internal quality control data) and the bias (utilizing a certified reference material). Next, we combined them together with the uncertainties related to the calibrators-assigned values to obtain a combined uncertainty for, finally, to calculate the expanded uncertainty. For the proficiency testing approach, the uncertainty was estimated in a similar way that the single laboratory validation approach but considering data from internal and external quality control schemes to estimate the uncertainty related to the bias. The estimated expanded uncertainty for single laboratory validation, proficiency testing using internal and external quality control schemes were 11.8%, 13.2%, and 13.0%, respectively. After performing the two top-down approaches, we observed that their uncertainty results were quite similar. This fact would confirm that either two approaches could be used to estimate the measurement uncertainty of whole blood mass concentration tacrolimus values in clinical laboratories. Copyright © 2018 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An Exploratory Study of Value-Added and Academic Optimism of Urban Reading Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Huff-Franklin, Clairie L.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to explore the correlation between state-recorded value- added (VA) scores and academic optimism (AO) scores, which measure teacher self-efficacy, trust, and academic emphasis. The sample for this study is 87 third through eighth grade Reading teachers, from fifty-five schools, in an urban school district in Ohio who…

THE VALUE ADDED TAX AND THE EVASION CHAIN OF INTRA-COMMUNITARIAN VAT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deliman Eugen

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The relationship IRS taxpayer runs the risk of turning into a psychological war in which, however, given the positions held, the IRS is by far on a favorable footing. Between the apparently excessively formal position held by the IRS, which seems to conceal behind the laws, and the sometimes forced interpretation of the laws, by the taxpayer, there are the courts of law, also disturbed by the legislative changes which appear to have entered a perpetual motion. The objective of the fiscal administration regarding the value added tax is to combat tax evasion and fraud. It is very important to combat evasion in the VAT field because it represents the indirect tax of the largest share in the consolidated general budget. VAT evasion represents the intention of not paying the tax, withholding or not declaring it, or requesting its refund which would not be fit, due to the exaggeration of the deductible amount of the VAT. The essential aim of the IRS inspector is to verify the correctness of the declared amount of the value added tax. It should also be observed whether the incorrectness is deliberate or whether it was due to misunderstanding, carelessness or the ignorance of the payer. In all cases judgment is necessary, as for the cases of negligence the amount to be paid must be corrected and accompanied by applying fines and / or penalties, and in the cases of intended fraud legal actions are to be applied in order to obtain a conviction. Deceitful deductions represent other methods for tax evasion and are undertaken based on fake invoices, invoices often used several times for deduction, or invoices related to purchases that have never been made. Thus there are examples of economic agents who have practiced the right to deduct the VAT due to the acquisition of goods which consisted in the property of other economic agents. In other cases noticed was the deduction of VAT on goods or services that were not included in the activities of the economic

The validity and reliability of value-added and target-setting procedures with special reference to Key Stage 3

OpenAIRE

Moody, Ian Robin

2003-01-01

The validity of value-added systems of measurement is crucially dependent upon there being a demonstrably unambiguous relationship between the so-called baseline, or intake measures, and any subsequent measure of performance at a later stage. The reliability of such procedures is dependent on the relationships between these two measures being relatively stable over time. A number of questions arise with regard to both the validity and reliability of value-added procedures at any level in educ...

Perturbative entanglement thermodynamics for AdS spacetime: renormalization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mishra, Rohit; Singh, Harvendra

2015-01-01

We study the effect of charged excitations in the AdS spacetime on the first law of entanglement thermodynamics. It is found that ‘boosted’ AdS black holes give rise to a more general form of first law which includes chemical potential and charge density. To obtain this result we have to resort to a second order perturbative calculation of entanglement entropy for small size subsystems. At first order the form of entanglement law remains unchanged even in the presence of charged excitations. But the thermodynamic quantities have to be appropriately ‘renormalized’ at the second order due to the corrections. We work in the perturbative regime where T thermal ≪T E .

Exploring Valued-Added Options - Edge-Glued Panels and Blanks Offer Value-Added Opportunities

Science.gov (United States)

Bob Smith; Philip A. Araman

1997-01-01

As sawmills search for new opportunities to add value to rough sawn lumber, many consider producing dimension parts as one solution. Assembling dimension parts into edge-glued panels or standard blanks can add even further value. Blanks are defined as pieces of solid wood (which may be edge-glued) that are manufactured to a predetermined size. This article discusses...

Journal of Chemical Sciences | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Journal of Chemical Sciences. Ganesh Kokate. Articles written in Journal of Chemical Sciences. Volume 126 Issue 2 March 2014 pp 403-413. Novel catalysts for valorization of biomass to value-added chemicals and fuels · Nishita Lucas Narasimha Rao Kanna Atul S Nagpure Ganesh Kokate ...

Handling value added tax (VAT) in economic evaluations: should prices include VAT?

Science.gov (United States)

Bech, Mickael; Christiansen, Terkel; Gyrd-Hansen, Dorte

2006-01-01

In health economic evaluations, value added tax is commonly treated as a transfer payment. Following this argument, resources are valued equal to their net-of-tax prices in economic evaluations applying a societal perspective. In this article we argue that if there is the possibility that a new healthcare intervention may expand the healthcare budget, the social cost of input factors should be the gross-of-tax prices and not the net-of-tax prices. The rising interest in cost-benefit analysis and the use of absolute thresholds, net benefit estimates and acceptability curves in cost-effectiveness analysis makes this argument highly relevant for an appropriate use of these tools in prioritisation.

In search for the added value of FM: what we know and what we need to learn

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Per Anker; van der Voordt, Theo; Coenen, Christian

2012-01-01

Purpose – This article aims to present and compare research perspectives and theoretical reflections from a variety of academic fields on the concept of added value of facilities management. Design/methodology/approach – The starting point is the so-called FM Value Map, which was presented...... in a recent article in Facilities by Per Anker Jensen in 2010. The article is a first result of the work in the EuroFM research collaboration group and is based on literature reviews of the most influential journals within the academic fields of facilities management (FM), corporate real estate management...... and business-to-business marketing. Findings – Good relationship management and building on trust is shown to be equally important as delivering the agreed services. Originality/value – Usually the concept of added value is discussed from a monodisciplinary point-of-view. The different backgrounds...

Added value of IP-10 as a read-out of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jenum, Synne; Dhanasekaran, Sivmakumaran; Ritz, Christian

2016-01-01

We have explored the added value of IFNγ-inducible protein 10 as a read-out of Mycobacterium tuberculosis specific immunity in young Indian children where the sensitivity of the IGRA for tuberculosis (TB) is poor. Reduced frequency of indeterminate results and an increased sensitivity for TB, sug...

Trade in Value Added (TiVA in EU New Member States (EU NMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ines Kersan-Škabić

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Contemporary trade analysis indicates the necessity of calculating trade in value added (TiVA which is created through global value chains (GVCs. This paper aims to determine the characteristics and importance of GVC trade in the EU new member states (EU NMS with special emphasis placed on the industry level. The results demonstrate different levels of GVC participation of the EU NMS, where Hungary is the most integrated country and Croatia the least integrated. Regional GVCs exist because a huge part of value added (VA comes from EU member states, as in gross export as well as in final demand (Europe as a hub. The most important source countries are Germany and Italy and there is also evidence of geographical and historical relations between the countries. The domination of backward participation has been found in the analysis made on the industrial level, i.e. the EU NMS are highly dependent on the import of intermediates for the production and export of final products. Strong interconnections between imports of intermediate products and exports of final products have been found in the manufacture of computers, electronics and optical products; manufacture of wood, paper, printing and reproduction. This research has contributed to the scarce literature concerning GVC (TiVA in EU NMS and has opened up new possibilities for further research and analysis.

Japanese Consumption Tax with Regard to Cross-Border Service Trading : A Comparison with EU-Type Value Added Taxes

OpenAIRE

細木, 宏和; ホソキ, ヒロカズ; Hirokazu, HOSOKI

2011-01-01

This paper examines a tax jurisdiction issue of the consumption tax system with regard to Japanese service trading. The Destination principle for service trading has not been established in Japanese consumption tax, but taxation at the place of consumption is gradually being adopted for value-added taxes in the EU. Under these circumstances, it is necessary for us to revise the Japanese consumption tax system in favor of taxation at the place of consumption, using EU-type value-added tax syst...

Amendments to the Law on Value Added Tax in Kosovo

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Simeana Beshi

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Main purpose of this paper is to explore and analyze the objectives and effects of amendments in the Law on Value Added Tax (VAT as part of the new fiscal package in Kosovo. This paper is based on a quantitative analysis. Some of the methods used in this paperwork are: historical- , descriptive-, and comparative method. It relies on facts and researches conducted by international organizations, based on productive forces and on the development of economic capacities in general, also a comparative overview of the fiscal policies applied in different states. This paper presents also the challenges of Kosovo, towards EU, by harmonizing tax legislation, fiscal policy and combating tax evasion.

Process Design for the Biocatalysis of Value-Added Chemicals from Carbon Dioxide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mark Eiteman

2007-07-31

This report describes results toward developing a process to sequester CO{sub 2} centered on the enzymes PEP carboxylase and pyruvate carboxylase. The process involves the use of bacteria to convert CO{sub 2} and glucose as a co-substrate and generates succinic acid as a commodity chemical product. The study reports on strain development and process development. In the area of strain development, knockouts in genes which divert carbon from the enzymatic steps involved in CO{sub 2} consumption were completed, and were shown not to affect significantly the rate of CO{sub 2} sequestration and succinic acid generation. Furthermore, the pyc gene encoding for pyruvate carboxylase proved to be unstable when integrated onto the chromosome. In the area of process development, an optimal medium, pH and base counterion were obtained, leading to a sequestration rate as great as 800 mg/Lh. Detailed studies of gas phase composition demonstrated that CO{sub 2} composition has a significant affect on CO{sub 2} sequestration, while the presence of 'toxic' compounds in the gas, including NO{sub 2}, CO and SO{sub 2} did not have a detrimental effect on sequestration. Some results on prolonging the rate of sequestration indicate that enzyme activities decrease with time, suggesting methods to prolong enzyme activity may benefit the overall process.

Value Added Tax Gap in the Czech Republic

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Jana Stavjaňová

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with an estimation of tax evasion of value added tax in the Czech Republic during 2006–2012. For the estimation I have used the concept of tax gap which is based on a comparison of the theoretical tax liability in the economy with the actual tax receipts. According to my results the VAT gap in the Czech Republic gradually increased during the observed period and it is more than CZK 100 billion in the last three years. The most significant growth of VAT gap occurred between the years 2007 and 2008 and between 2011 and 2012 when the reduced VAT rate was increased by 4 percentage points. The second part of the paper focuses on impact of my estimates on tax policy of the Czech Republic. I discuss two different possibilities how the additional revenue gained from VAT gap reduction could be used – either to decrease the government deficit and therefore to meet the Maastricht criteria or to decrease tax burden on labour which influences particularly low income workers.

Open strings on AdS2 branes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Peter; Ooguri, Hirosi.; Park, Jongwon; Tannenhauser, Jonathan

2001-01-01

We study the spectrum of open strings on AdS 2 branes in AdS 3 in an NS-NS background, using the SL(2,R) WZW model. When the brane carries no fundamental string charge, the open string spectrum is the holomorphic square root of the spectrum of closed strings in AdS 3 . It contains short and long strings, and is invariant under spectral flow. When the brane carries fundamental string charge, the open string spectrum again contains short and long strings in all winding sectors. However, branes with fundamental string charge break half the spectral flow symmetry. This has different implications for short and long strings. As the fundamental string charge increases, the brane approaches the boundary of AdS 3 . In this limit, the induced electric field on the worldvolume reaches its critical value, producing noncommutative open string theory on AdS 2

Value of Value-Added Models Based on Student Outcomes to Evaluate Teaching

Science.gov (United States)

Berk, Ronald A.

2016-01-01

Recently, student outcomes have bubbled to the top of debates about how to evaluate teaching in community and liberal arts colleges, universities, and professional schools, but even more international attention has been riveted on how outcomes are being used to evaluate teachers and administrators K-12 (Harris, 2012; Rowen & Raudenbush, 2016;…

Subtraction by Distraction: Publishing Value-Added Estimates of Teachers by Name Hinders Education Reform

Science.gov (United States)

Epstein, Diana; Miller, Raegen T.

2011-01-01

In August 2010 the "Los Angeles Times" published a special report on their website featuring performance ratings for nearly 6,000 Los Angeles Unified School District teachers. The move was controversial because the ratings were based on so-called value-added estimates of teachers' contributions to student learning. As with most…

The added value of FM – updates from the RNG group

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Per Anker; van der Voordt, Theo

2014-01-01

The research group on “The Added Value of FM” was established in 2009 on the initiative of Per Anker Jensen, Technical University of Denmark, who was chairman of EuroFM’s Research Network Group in 2007-2008. He also became chairman of the new group and now leads the group together with Theo van der...... Voordt, Delft University of Technology. The group from the beginning included researchers from Denmark, Finland, The Netherlands, Switzerland and UK. The general background for establishing this collaborative research group was that the perception and application of FM during the last decades gradually...

Top emitting white OLEDs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Freitag, Patricia; Luessem, Bjoern; Leo, Karl [Technische Universitaet Dresden, Institut fuer Angewandte Photophysik, George-Baehr-Strasse 1, 01069 Dresden (Germany)

2009-07-01

Top emitting organic light emitting diodes (TOLEDs) provide a number of interesting opportunities for new applications, such as the opportunity to fabricate ITO-free devices by using opaque substrates. This makes it possible to manufacture low cost OLEDs for signage and lighting applications. A general top emitting device consists of highly reflecting metal contacts as anode and semitransparent cathode, the latter one for better outcouling reasons. In between several organic materials are deposited as charge transporting, blocking, and emission layers. Here, we show a top emitting white organic light emitting diode with silver electrodes arranged in a p-i-n structure with p- and n-doped charge transport layers. The centrical emission layer consists of two phosphorescent (red and green) and one fluorescent (blue) emitter systems separated by an ambipolar interlayer to avoid mutual exciton quenching. By adding an additional dielectric capping layer on top of the device stack, we achieve a reduction of the strong microcavity effects which appear due to the high reflection of both metal electrodes. Therefore, the outcoupled light shows broad and nearly angle-independent emission spectra, which is essential for white light emitting diodes.

The Disaggregation of Value-Added Test Scores to Assess Learning Outcomes in Economics Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Walstad, William B.; Wagner, Jamie

2016-01-01

This study disaggregates posttest, pretest, and value-added or difference scores in economics into four types of economic learning: positive, retained, negative, and zero. The types are derived from patterns of student responses to individual items on a multiple-choice test. The micro and macro data from the "Test of Understanding in College…

On thermodynamics of AdS black holes in M-theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belhaj, A.; Chabab, M.; Masmar, K.; El Moumni, H.; Sedra, M.B.

2016-01-01

Motivated by recent work on asymptotically AdS 4 black holes in M-theory, we investigate the thermodynamics and thermodynamical geometry of AdS black holes from M2- and M5-branes. Concretely, we consider AdS black holes in AdS p+2 x S 11-p-2 , where p = 2,5 by interpreting the number of M2- (and M5-branes) as a thermodynamical variable. More precisely, we study the corresponding phase transition to examine their stabilities by calculating and discussing various thermodynamical quantities including the chemical potential. Then we compute the thermodynamical curvatures from the Quevedo metric for M2- and M5-branes geometries to reconsider the stability of such black holes. The Quevedo metric singularities recover similar stability results provided by the phase-transition program. It has been shown that similar behaviors are also present in the limit of large N. (orig.)

Recovery of value-added fossil resin from El-Maghara coal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ibrahim, S.S.; Mostafa, S.I. [Central Metallurgical R and D Inst., Cairo (Egypt)

2003-06-01

El-Maghara coal was confirmed to contain a substantial amount of fossil resin intimately associated with its macerals. Macroscopic identification as well as physical diagnosis of solvent refined resinite material proved its particular significance and sufficient value to justify a fossil resin industry in Egypt. This resin has thermosetting properties superior to most synthetics resins available from petrochemicals. It could compete in the market as a chemical commodity in high-speed printing and high-performance adhesive applications. It could have also special values as a feedstock for high-density jet fuel after proper hydrogenation. The froth flotation technique was applied to recover this valuable material from El-Maghara ground coal. The solvent extraction method using commercial solvents was used to refine the resinite fraction collected as flotation concentrate. The variables affecting the flotation technique were studied. Characterization of refined resin was applied. (orig.)

Top Quark Mass

CERN Document Server

Mulders, Martijn

2016-01-01

Ever since the discovery of the top quark at the Tevatron collider in 1995 the measurement of its mass has been a high priority. As one of the fundamental parameters of the Standard Theory of particle physics, the precise value of the top quark mass together with other inputs provides a test for the self-consistency of the theory, and has consequences for the stability of the Higgs field that permeates the Universe. In this review I will briefly summarize the experimental techniques used at the Tevatron and the LHC experiments throughout the years to measure the top quark mass with ever improving accuracy, and highlight the recent progress in combining all measurements in a single world average combination. As experimental measurements became more precise, the question of their theoretical interpretation has become important. The difficulty of relating the measured quantity to the fundamental top mass parameter has inspired alternative measurement methods that extract the top mass in complementary ways. I wil...

In search for the added value of FM : What we know and what we need to learn

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jensen, PA; van der Voordt, Theo; Coenen, C; von Felten, D; Lindholm, AL; Balslev-Nielsen, S; Riratanaphong, C.; Pfenniger, M

2012-01-01

Purpose
– This article aims to present and compare research perspectives and theoretical reflections from a variety of academic fields on the concept of added value of facilities management.

Design/methodology/approach
– The starting point is the so‐called FM Value Map, which was

Multi Blending Technology (MBT): mineral processing method for increasing added value of marginal reserve

Science.gov (United States)

Agustinus, E. T. S.

2018-02-01

Indonesia's position on the path of ring of fire makes it rich in mineral resources. Nevertheless, in the past, the exploitation of Indonesian mineral resources was uncontrolled resulting in environmental degradation and marginal reserves. Exploitation of excessive mineral resources is very detrimental to the state. Reflecting on the occasion, the management and utilization of Indonesia's mineral resources need to be good in mining practice. The problem is how to utilize the mineral reserve resources effectively and efficiently. Utilization of marginal reserves requires new technologies and processing methods because the old processing methods are inadequate. This paper gives a result of Multi Blending Technology (MBT) Method. The underlying concept is not to do the extraction or refinement but processing through the formulation of raw materials by adding an additive and produce a new material called functional materials. Application of this method becomes important to be summarized into a scientific paper in a book form, so that the information can spread across multiple print media and become focused on and optimized. This book is expected to be used as a reference for stakeholder providing added value to environmentally marginal reserves in Indonesia. The conclusions are that Multi Blending Technology (MBT) Method can be used as a strategy to increase added values effectively and efficiently to marginal reserve minerals and that Multi Blending Technology (MBT) method has been applied to forsterite, Atapulgite Synthesis, Zeoceramic, GEM, MPMO, SMAC and Geomaterial.

Value-Added Business Based On Small Scale Of Fisheries A Case Study On Nortern And Shouthern Coasts Of Java Lamongan And Pelabuhanratu Regency Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Budi Wardono

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The development of fisheries sector is intended to improve the role of creating a strong linkage with other sectors by increasing the value added absorbing labor forces and increasing peoples income so that this can make the economy grow well. The value added is a value that increases due to a commodity that has been processed transported or stored in a production. Lamongan and Pelabuhanratu regencies are one of fisheries centers on the north and the south coast of Java Island. The aim of this research was to know the value added and the business margin of fisheries from the processing and marketing aspects. The research was carried out in two locations Northern coast Lamongan regencies and Shouther coasts Pelabuhanratu regencies Indoneisa. The data used were primary data the people involved in the business including fishing marketing and processing product. The results showed that the process of fisheries product yielded the value added and margin that were created from the incorporation of business benefit added input contribution other input and direct reward for the labor forces. The value added and the business margin of product processing can reach 2 to 3 fold from the main input value. The value added and the business margin of fisheries product processing were very big. This was the source of economy growth there. The effort to develop the business of fisheries product processing in the small scale need to be supported with various programs especially in the market access and funding.

E-Books in the Early Literacy Environment: Is There Added Value for Vocabulary Development?

Science.gov (United States)

Roskos, Kathleen A.; Sullivan, Shannon; Simpson, Danielle; Zuzolo, Nicole

2016-01-01

Using a theory of affordances, this study examines the introduction of e-books into the early literacy environment as resources that can increase children's opportunity for learning vocabulary. Added value was observed under conditions of (1) book browsing, (2) instruction, and (3) a print-only condition. A total of 33 4-year-olds (18 boys, 15…

Accounting for Co-Teaching: A Guide for Policymakers and Developers of Value-Added Models

Science.gov (United States)

Isenberg, Eric; Walsh, Elias

2015-01-01

We outline the options available to policymakers for addressing co-teaching in a value-added model. Building on earlier work, we propose an improvement to a method of accounting for co-teaching that treats co-teachers as teams, with each teacher receiving equal credit for co-taught students. Hock and Isenberg (2012) described a method known as the…

Measurement Error and Bias in Value-Added Models. Research Report. ETS RR-17-25

Science.gov (United States)

Kane, Michael T.

2017-01-01

By aggregating residual gain scores (the differences between each student's current score and a predicted score based on prior performance) for a school or a teacher, value-added models (VAMs) can be used to generate estimates of school or teacher effects. It is known that random errors in the prior scores will introduce bias into predictions of…

THE CONTRIBUTION OF SMES TO JOB CREATION AND ADDED VALUE IN THE ROMANIAN ECONOMY. THE ROLE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ştefăniţă Şuşu

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Micro, small and medium enterprises (SMEs play a crucial role in the European economy, representing a major source of entrepreneurial skills, innovationand job creation. The values of the main indicators of SMEs in the year 2013, the aggregate in the European Union, give a suggestive image of the contribution of SMEs in the Europeaneconomy, namely 99% of all enterprises in the EU are SMEs, 66% of employees are employed in SMEs, 58% of the value added generated in the economy is achieved by SMEs. However, SMEs are often confronted with market imperfections, often having difficulties in obtaining financing or crediting, especially in the phaseof newly established SMEs (start-up. Limited financial resources may also hamper access to new technologies, investment and innovation. Therefore, support for SMEs is one of the priorities ofthe European Commission for growth, creating jobs and economic and social cohesion.Regarding Romania, it is the eighth country in the EU, with a great number of employees inSMEs and with a contribution of 3% to the total workforce in the EU-28 SME sector. We are not better at the chapter of the added value achieved in the SME sector, ranking 17thin the European Union, with a 0.7% contribution to total value added in the EU-28, in front of Greece (0.93% and before Hungary (0.68%, countries with a higher number of SMEs. The disparity report between the share of added value and the potential ofRomania's demographic development reflects the large gap between the productivity and the competitiveness of Romanian SMEs. The example of other countries, such as Austria and Belgium, shows a greater contribution to value added (3.1% and 2.8% compared with 2% share of the total number of employees in the aggregate European SMEs, which demonstrates a higher level of productivity. Also, this is true for the strongest European economies, such as Germany, France and Britain.

Supergravity one-loop corrections on AdS7 and AdS3, higher spins and AdS/CFT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matteo Beccaria

2015-03-01

Full Text Available As was shown earlier, the one-loop correction in 10d supergravity on AdS5×S5 corresponds to the contributions to the vacuum energy and 4d boundary conformal anomaly which are minus the values for one N=4 Maxwell supermultiplet, thus reproducing the subleading term in the N2−1 coefficient in the dual SU(N SYM theory. We perform similar one-loop computations in 11d supergravity on AdS7×S4 and 10d supergravity on AdS3×S3×T4. In the AdS7 case we find that the corrections to the 6d conformal anomaly a-coefficient and the vacuum energy are again minus the ones for one (2,0 tensor multiplet, suggesting that the total a-anomaly coefficient for the dual (2,0 theory is 4N3−9/4N−7/4 and thus vanishes for N=1. In the AdS3 case the one-loop correction to the vacuum energy or 2d central charge turns out to be equal to that of one free (4,4 scalar multiplet, i.e. is c=+6. This reproduces the subleading term in the central charge c=6(Q1Q5+1 of the dual 2d CFT describing decoupling limit of D5–D1 system. We also present the expressions for the 6d a-anomaly coefficient and vacuum energy contributions of general-symmetry higher spin field in AdS7 and consider their application to tests of vectorial AdS/CFT with the boundary conformal 6d theory represented by free scalars, spinors or rank-2 antisymmetric tensors.

Adding Production Value Through Application of Value Based Scheduling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lindhard, Søren; Wandahl, Søren

2012-01-01

Customer value is a key goal in the Lean philosophy, essentially only actions that adds value should be conducted. In a transformation view, the basic lean approach is to remove waste, which indirectly increases value (or withstand value lose). Lean Construction acknowledges two different types o...... be minimized and management should seek towards democratic leadership....

Ka-Band ARM Zenith Radar Corrections Value-Added Product

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, Karen [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Toto, Tami [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Giangrande, Scott [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)

2017-10-15

The KAZRCOR Value -added Product (VAP) performs several corrections to the ingested KAZR moments and also creates a significant detection mask for each radar mode. The VAP computes gaseous attenuation as a function of time and radial distance from the radar antenna, based on ambient meteorological observations, and corrects observed reflectivities for that effect. KAZRCOR also dealiases mean Doppler velocities to correct velocities whose magnitudes exceed the radar’s Nyquist velocity. Input KAZR data fields are passed through into the KAZRCOR output files, in their native time and range coordinates. Complementary corrected reflectivity and velocity fields are provided, along with a mask of significant detections and a number of data quality flags. This report covers the KAZRCOR VAP as applied to the original KAZR radars and the upgraded KAZR2 radars. Currently there are two separate code bases for the different radar versions, but once KAZR and KAZR2 data formats are harmonized, only a single code base will be required.

Adding Value to Customers and Developing Brands through Electronic Newsletters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandra ZBUCHEA

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Online communication is highly efficient for contemporary business, in most market sectors. In this context, companies use several online instruments in order to achieve a wide array of objectives. Among these, online newsletters (e-newsletters are widely used, since they offer a lot of benefits for companies. Since they are flexible in terms of format and content, they are suitable to address a wide variety of publics. Therefore, e-newsletters could be not just informative (as they are widely seen, but also could add-value to customers and support branding processes and relationship development. The present paper investigated various benefits of e-newsletters in this context and highlights some rules to ensure an effective added-value e-newsletter. The research made on the e-newsletters of 5 of the leading publishing-houses in Romania shows that, at least in this market sector, this instrument is not used at its full potential. It is considered in most cases a way to stimulate sales, either directly by announcing sales, or indirectly by announcing new books releases. In some cases news on events and on the activity of the publishing-houses are presenting, leading to image development.

WRF added value to capture the spatio-temporal drought variability

Science.gov (United States)

García-Valdecasas Ojeda, Matilde; Quishpe-Vásquez, César; Raquel Gámiz-Fortis, Sonia; Castro-Díez, Yolanda; Jesús Esteban-Parra, María

2017-04-01

Regional Climate Models (RCM) has been widely used as a tool to perform high resolution climate fields in areas with high climate variability such as Spain. However, the outputs provided by downscaling techniques have many sources of uncertainty associated at different aspects. In this study, the ability of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to capture drought conditions has been analyzed. The WRF simulation was carried out for a period that spanned from 1980 to 2010 over a domain centered in the Iberian Peninsula with a spatial resolution of 0.088°, and nested in the coarser EURO-CORDEX domain (0.44° spatial resolution). To investigate the spatiotemporal drought variability, the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) has been computed at two different timescales: 3- and 12-months due to its suitability to study agricultural and hydrological droughts. The drought indices computed from WRF outputs were compared with those obtained from the observational (MOTEDAS and MOPREDAS) datasets. In order to assess the added value provided by downscaled fields, these indices were also computed from the ERA-Interim Re-Analysis database, which provides the lateral and boundary conditions of the WRF simulations. Results from this study indicate that WRF provides a noticeable benefit with respect to ERA-Interim for many regions in Spain in terms of drought indices, greater for SPI than for SPEI. The improvement offered by WRF depends on the region, index and timescale analyzed, being greater at longer timescales. These findings prove the reliability of the downscaled fields to detect drought events and, therefore, it is a remarkable source of knowledge for a suitable decision making related to water-resource management. Keywords: Drought, added value, Regional Climate Models, WRF, SPEI, SPI. Acknowledgements: This work has been financed by the projects P11-RNM-7941 (Junta de Andalucía-Spain) and

Stability of warped AdS3 vacua of topologically massive gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anninos, Dionysios; Esole, Mboyo; Guica, Monica

2009-01-01

AdS 3 vacua of topologically massive gravity (TMG) have been shown to be perturbatively unstable for all values of the coupling constant except the chiral point μl = 1. We study the possibility that the warped vacua of TMG, which exist for all values of μ, are stable under linearized perturbations. In this paper, we show that spacelike warped AdS 3 vacua with Compere-Detournay boundary conditions are indeed stable in the range μl>3. This is precisely the range in which black hole solutions arise as discrete identifications of the warped AdS 3 vacuum. The situation somewhat resembles chiral gravity: although negative energy modes do exist, they are all excluded by the boundary conditions, and the perturbative spectrum solely consists of boundary (pure large gauge) gravitons.

Could stops lighten the top?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bilal, A.; Ellis, J.; Fogli, G.L.

1990-01-01

The analysis of the presently available electroweak data including radiative corrections in the standard model suggests that the top quark weighs more than the Z 0 . We examine whether squark loops in the minimal supersymmetric model, particularly those involving stops (partners of the top quark), could reduce substantially the preferred range of top quark masses. Given the present lower bounds on squark masses, we find that stop effects can reduce the central value of m t by at most a few GeV, although they do make a very heavy top quark increasingly unlikely. (orig.)

Value added tax evasion and excise duty fraud on fuel market in the Czech Republic

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Pavel Semerád

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with analysis of current problems in the motor fuel market. It analyzes bottlenecks in setting the legislative changes in value added tax, excise tax and the legislation concerning fuels. The biggest problem is tax evasions that favor one group of business entities at the expense of another, and also cause that the state loses revenues mainly from indirect taxes. Therefore, attention is directed to quality control of fuels as a means of consumer protection and prevention of tax evasion and ways to combat tax evasion in import, distribution and storage of mineral oils. The examples are the most common errors found in fraudulent companies. Based on the data collected the possible ultimate evasion was estimated. Therefore, I propose that value added tax law should be amended and some other measures to improve supervision by public authorities like tax authorities and customs administration offices should be taken.

Preventing the link between SES and high-risk behaviors: "value-added" education, drug use and delinquency in high-risk, urban schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Tobler, Amy L; Komro, Kelli A; Dabroski, Alexis; Aveyard, Paul; Markham, Wolfgang A

2011-06-01

We examined whether schools achieving better than expected educational outcomes for their students influence the risk of drug use and delinquency among urban, racial/ethnic minority youth. Adolescents (n = 2,621), who were primarily African American and Hispanic and enrolled in Chicago public schools (n = 61), completed surveys in 6th (aged 12) and 8th (aged 14) grades. Value-added education was derived from standardized residuals of regression equations predicting school-level academic achievement and attendance from students' sociodemographic profiles and defined as having higher academic achievement and attendance than that expected given the sociodemographic profile of the schools' student composition. Multilevel logistic regression estimated the effects of value-added education on students' drug use and delinquency. After considering initial risk behavior, value-added education was associated with lower incidence of alcohol, cigarette and marijuana use; stealing; and participating in a group-against-group fight. Significant beneficial effects of value-added education remained for cigarette and marijuana use, stealing and participating in a group-against-group fight after adjustment for individual- and school-level covariates. Alcohol use (past month and heavy episodic) showed marginally significant trends in the hypothesized direction after these adjustments. Inner-city schools may break the links between social disadvantage, drug use and delinquency. Identifying the processes related to value-added education in order to improve school environments is warranted given the high costs associated with individual-level interventions.

Exploring AdS waves via nonminimal coupling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ayon-Beato, Eloy; Hassaiene, Mokhtar

2006-01-01

We consider nonminimally coupled scalar fields to explore the Siklos spacetimes in three dimensions. Their interpretation as exact gravitational waves propagating on AdS space restrict the source to behave as a pure radiation field. We show that the related pure radiation constraints single out a unique self-interaction potential depending on one coupling constant. For a vanishing coupling constant, this potential reduces to a mass term with a mass fixed in terms of the nonminimal-coupling parameter. This mass dependence allows the existence of several free cases including massless and tachyonic sources. There even exists a particular value of the nonminimal-coupling parameter for which the corresponding mass exactly compensates the contribution generated by the negative scalar curvature, producing a genuinely massless field in this curved background. The self-interacting case is studied in detail for the conformal coupling. The resulting gravitational wave is formed by the superposition of the free and the self-interaction contributions, except for a critical value of the coupling constant where a nonperturbative effect relating the strong and weak regimes of the source appears. We establish a correspondence between the scalar source supporting an AdS wave and a pp wave by showing that their respective pure radiation constraints are conformally related, while their involved backgrounds are not. Finally, we consider the AdS waves for topologically massive gravity and its limit to conformal gravity

Chemical engineer in business; Kemikaru enjinia to bijinesu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tsuchiya, Yasuaki

1999-05-05

It is Coca-Cola and General Electric Co. (GE) that the aggregate market value is drastically expanding in U.S.A. throughout over past of 15. Direct common point is not very much found to these 2 companies. During over of 15 years, the leadership was demonstrated as management top of both companies, 2 managers who drastically contributed to the enterprise value improvement are the chemical engineer graduate both. It does be not done either mere in which that both persons with the grounded ability of chemical engineering contributed to the enterprise value improvement of the dramatic was not accidental. It is the essence of the chemical engineering,'By discerning essence of the process, the appropriate countermeasure is passed' there was it for the basis of the management of both persons. (NEDO)

Analisis Determinasi Financial Performance Perusahaan Industri Manufaktur Makanan Dan Minuman Yang Go Public Suatu Pendekatan Metode Economic Value Added (EVA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Azhar Affandi

2011-04-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to obtain empirical evidence concerning the effect of Financial Performance Determinant (Capital Structure and Profit Margin on effectively Economic Value Added (EVA method at the food and beverage manufacture business sectors. The results of this study is expected to contribute for the development of financial management and strategic management. The study was carried out at the food and beverage manufacture business sectors registered in Bursa Efek Indonesia (BEI. The characteristic of this study is confirmatory research. The research method used is associative and explanatory, and to hypothesis testing of the research has used multiple regression. Sampling method is used purposive sampling with total sample are 15 corporate registered in Bursa Efek Indonesia during 2006-2007 period. While for data processing is used SPSS 14.0 for windows programs. The result of this study is: The first hypothesis testing founded theres the significant effect of capital structure on effectively Economic Value Added (EVA. The second hypothesis testing founded theres the significant effect of profit margin on effectively Economic Value Added (EVA. So, in the EVA predicting can used capital structure and profit margin indicators, because capital structure and profit margin both have a significant effect on effectively Economic Value Added (EVA.

Top-forms of leading singularities in nonplanar multi-loop amplitudes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Baoyi; Cheung, Yeuk-Kwan E.; Xie, Ruofei; Xin, Yuan [Nanjing University, Department of Physics, Nanjing (China); Chen, Gang [Zhejiang Normal University, Department of Physics, Jinhua (China); Nanjing University, Department of Physics, Nanjing (China)

2018-02-15

The on-shell diagram is a very important tool in studying scattering amplitudes. In this paper we discuss the on-shell diagrams without external BCFW bridges. We introduce an extra step of adding an auxiliary external momentum line. Then we can decompose the on-shell diagrams by removing external BCFW bridges to a planar diagram whose top-form is well known now. The top-form of the on-shell diagram with the auxiliary line can be obtained by adding the BCFW bridges in an inverse order as discussed in our former paper (Chen et al. in Eur Phys J C 77(2):80 2017). To get the top-form of the original diagram, the soft limit of the auxiliary line is needed. We obtain the evolution rule for the Grassmannian integral and the geometry constraint in the soft limit. This completes the top-form description of leading singularities in nonplanar scattering amplitudes of N = 4 Super Yang-Mills (SYM), which is valid for arbitrary higher-loops and beyond the Maximally-Helicity-Violation (MHV) amplitudes. (orig.)

Studies on the preparation of value-added products for limestone

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chae, Young Bae; Jeong, Soo Bok; Ko, Won Sik; Park, Je Shin; Oh, Jung Whan [Korea Institute of Geology Mining and Materials, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1997-12-01

Most of limestone in our country was consumed by the cement and iron/steel making industries and the amount of that was up to 72 million ton in 1996. Recently, importation of high grade limestone that have properties of high whiteness and grade are increased with diversification of chemical products and powder as various qualified filler, because high grade limestone are limited and of few deposit in our country. Therefore, the purpose of this study has investigated to raise to high grade by economical processes with low grade of domestic limestone. In this year, first of all, we investigated the status of application utilize and related industries with the domestic limestone, and then being consideration with condition selected the adequate sample from Andong, Jungsun and Kumsan area. Magnetic materials were involved in impurities of sample, so magnetic separation method was applied in elimination of the ferro-magnetic materials and para-magnetic materials, such as chlorite, muscovite, quartz, dolomite, magnetite, feldspar and so on. The limestone sample has many kinds of impurity. Investigation of flotation was undertaken to eliminate impurities from limestone crude ore and the tests were performed to get a optimum condition adding oleic acid as a promoter, sodium silicate and sodium carbonate as a conditioning agents and MIBC as a frother, while to float the sulfide minerals added amyl xanthate as a promoter, and sulfuric acid as a pH regulator. And most of the impurities involving in flotation sink contained such as quartz, chlorite, muscovite, feldspar, dolomite and so on. Selective crushing and classification methods were performed to eliminate impurities depends on the mineral properties and should be the selective crushing methods are very useful at the manufacturing factory of heavy calcium carbonate with the dry milling system. (author). 36 refs., 46 tabs., 33 figs.

Chemical composition and nutritional value of boiled Christmas ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A study was conducted to determine the chemical composition and the nutritive value of boiled Christmas bush (Alchornea cordifolia) for starter broiler chickens. Dried Christmas bush fruits (Capsules + seed) were boiled for 30 minutes, sundried and ground into meal. The meal was analyzed for proximate composition and ...

Capturing the added value of three-dimensional television : viewing experience and naturalness of stereoscopic images

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Seuntiëns, P.J.H.; Heynderickx, I.E.J.; IJsselsteijn, W.A.

2008-01-01

The term "image quality" is often used to describe the performance of an imaging system. Recent research showed however that image quality may not be the most appropriate term to capture the evaluative processes associated with experiencing three-dimensional (3D) images. The added value of depth in

Value-Added Models for Teacher Preparation Programs: Validity and Reliability Threats, and a Manageable Alternative

Science.gov (United States)

Brady, Michael P.; Heiser, Lawrence A.; McCormick, Jazarae K.; Forgan, James

2016-01-01

High-stakes standardized student assessments are increasingly used in value-added evaluation models to connect teacher performance to P-12 student learning. These assessments are also being used to evaluate teacher preparation programs, despite validity and reliability threats. A more rational model linking student performance to candidates who…

Make Room Value Added: Principals' Human Capital Decisions and the Emergence of Teacher Observation Data

Science.gov (United States)

Goldring, Ellen; Grissom, Jason A.; Rubin, Mollie; Neumerski, Christine M.; Cannata, Marisa; Drake, Timothy; Schuermann, Patrick

2015-01-01

Increasingly, states and districts are combining student growth measures with rigorous, rubric-aligned teacher observations in constructing teacher evaluation measures. Although the student growth or value-added components of these measures have received much research and policy attention, the results of this study suggest that the data generated…

Exploring Value-Added Options

Science.gov (United States)

Bob Smith; Philip A. Araman

1997-01-01

This paper looks at various opportunities for sawmills to add value to rough sawn lumber. The paper discusses edge-glued panels and blanks, mouldings and millwork, niche market opportunities, and timber bridge members.

The added value of contrast enhanced spectral mammography in identification of multiplicity of suspicious lesions in dense breast

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amr Farouk Ibrahim Moustafa

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: To evaluate the additive value of Contrast Enhanced Spectral Mammography (CESM in the preoperative assessment of malignant lesions in dense breast parenchyma regarding multiplicity. Material and methods: The study included 160 women having heterogeneous dense breast parenchyma (ACR c and d with suspicious lesions identified on sono mammography examination. All patients performed contrast enhanced spectral mammography to confirm or exclude lesion multiplicity. The number of lesions was calculated in the contrast high energy subtraction images with the reference standard being histopathological analysis. Results: Adding CESM to sono-mammography the accuracy in identifying multiple malignant lesion increased from 81.8% accuracy of sono-mammography up to 100% accuracy after adding CESM. Conclusion: Contrast enhanced spectral mammogram showed an added value in the preoperative assessment of breast masses increasing the accuracy of detection of lesions and multiplicity (multifocality and multi-centricity. Keywords: Breast cancer, Contrast enhanced spectral mammogram

Virtual radiology rounds: adding value in the digital era

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fefferman, Nancy R.; Strubel, Naomi A.; Prithiani, Chandan; Chakravarti, Sujata; Caprio, Martha; Recht, Michael P.

2016-01-01

To preserve radiology rounds in the changing health care environment, we have introduced virtual radiology rounds, an initiative enabling clinicians to remotely review imaging studies with the radiologist. We describe our initial experience with virtual radiology rounds and referring provider impressions. Virtual radiology rounds, a web-based conference, use remote sharing of radiology workstations. Participants discuss imaging studies by speakerphone. Virtual radiology rounds were piloted with the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and the Congenital Cardiovascular Care Unit (CCVCU). Providers completed a survey assessing the perceived impact and overall value of virtual radiology rounds on patient care using a 10-point scale. Pediatric radiologists participating in virtual radiology rounds completed a survey assessing technical, educational and clinical aspects of this methodology. Sixteen providers responded to the survey; 9 NICU and 7 CCVCU staff (physicians, nurse practitioners and fellows). Virtual radiology rounds occurred 4-5 sessions/week with an average of 6.4 studies. Clinicians rated confidence in their own image interpretation with a 7.4 average rating for NICU and 7.5 average rating for CCVCU. Clinicians unanimously rated virtual radiology rounds as adding value. NICU staff preferred virtual radiology rounds to traditional rounds and CCVCU staff supported their new participation in virtual radiology rounds. Four of the five pediatric radiologists participating in virtual radiology rounds responded to the survey reporting virtual radiology rounds to be easy to facilitate (average rating: 9.3), to moderately impact interpretation of imaging studies (average rating: 6), and to provide substantial educational value for radiologists (average rating: 8.3). All pediatric radiologists felt strongly that virtual radiology rounds enable increased integration of the radiologist into the clinical care team (average rating: 8.8). Virtual radiology rounds are a

Virtual radiology rounds: adding value in the digital era

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fefferman, Nancy R.; Strubel, Naomi A.; Prithiani, Chandan; Chakravarti, Sujata; Caprio, Martha; Recht, Michael P. [New York University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, New York, NY (United States)

2016-11-15

To preserve radiology rounds in the changing health care environment, we have introduced virtual radiology rounds, an initiative enabling clinicians to remotely review imaging studies with the radiologist. We describe our initial experience with virtual radiology rounds and referring provider impressions. Virtual radiology rounds, a web-based conference, use remote sharing of radiology workstations. Participants discuss imaging studies by speakerphone. Virtual radiology rounds were piloted with the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and the Congenital Cardiovascular Care Unit (CCVCU). Providers completed a survey assessing the perceived impact and overall value of virtual radiology rounds on patient care using a 10-point scale. Pediatric radiologists participating in virtual radiology rounds completed a survey assessing technical, educational and clinical aspects of this methodology. Sixteen providers responded to the survey; 9 NICU and 7 CCVCU staff (physicians, nurse practitioners and fellows). Virtual radiology rounds occurred 4-5 sessions/week with an average of 6.4 studies. Clinicians rated confidence in their own image interpretation with a 7.4 average rating for NICU and 7.5 average rating for CCVCU. Clinicians unanimously rated virtual radiology rounds as adding value. NICU staff preferred virtual radiology rounds to traditional rounds and CCVCU staff supported their new participation in virtual radiology rounds. Four of the five pediatric radiologists participating in virtual radiology rounds responded to the survey reporting virtual radiology rounds to be easy to facilitate (average rating: 9.3), to moderately impact interpretation of imaging studies (average rating: 6), and to provide substantial educational value for radiologists (average rating: 8.3). All pediatric radiologists felt strongly that virtual radiology rounds enable increased integration of the radiologist into the clinical care team (average rating: 8.8). Virtual radiology rounds are a

The becoming organisation : a conversation about the added value of Chaordic Systems Thinking for organisational renewal

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Eijnatten, van F.M.; Wäfler, T.; Eijnatten, van F.M.

2002-01-01

This conceptual contribution explores the added value of Chaordic System Thinking (CST) for organisational renewal, and its consequences for future research. The paper starts with some essentials of CST (concepts of attractor, holon, discontinuous development, nonlinearity, chaordic properties). In

Entangling Higgs production associated with a single top and a top-quark pair in the presence of anomalous top-Yukawa coupling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, Jung [Physics Division, National Center for Theoretical Sciences,Hsinchu, Taiwan (China); Cheung, Kingman [Physics Division, National Center for Theoretical Sciences,Hsinchu, Taiwan (China); Division of Quantum Phases and Devices, School of Physics, Konkuk University,Seoul 143-701 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Physics, National Tsing Hua University,Hsinchu 300, Taiwan (China); Lee, Jae Sik [Physics Division, National Center for Theoretical Sciences,Hsinchu, Taiwan (China); Department of Physics, Chonnam National University, 300 Yongbong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, 500-757 (Korea, Republic of); Lu, Chih-Ting [Department of Physics, National Tsing Hua University,Hsinchu 300, Taiwan (China)

2017-04-26

The ATLAS and CMS collaborations observed a mild excess in the associated Higgs production with a top-quark pair (tt̄h) and reported the signal strengths of μ{sub tth}{sup ATLAS}=1.81±0.80 and μ{sub tth}{sup CMS}=2.75±0.99 based on the data collected at √s= 7 and 8 TeV. Although, at the current stage, there is no obvious indication whether the excess is real or due to statistical fluctuations, here we perform a case study of this mild excess by exploiting the strong entanglement between the associated Higgs production with a single top quark (thX) and tt̄h production in the presence of anomalous top-Yukawa coupling. As well known, tt̄h production only depends on the absolute value of the top-Yukawa coupling. Meanwhile, in thX production, this degeneracy is lifted through the strong interference between the two main contributions which are proportional to the top-Yukawa and the gauge-Higgs couplings, respectively. Especially, when the relative sign of the top-Yukawa coupling with respect to the gauge-Higgs coupling is reversed, the thX cross section can be enhanced by more than one order of magnitude. We perform a detailed study of the influence of thX production on tt̄h production in the presence of the anomalous top-Yukawa coupling and point out that it is crucial to include thX production in the analysis of the tt̄h data to pin down the sign and the size of the top-Yukawa coupling in future. While assuming the Standard Model (SM) value for the gauge-Higgs coupling, we vary the top-Yukawa coupling within the range allowed by the current LHC Higgs data. We consider the Higgs decay modes into multileptons, bb̄ and γγ putting a particular emphasis on the same sign dilepton events. We also discuss the prospects for the LHC Run-2 on how to disentangle thX production from tt̄h one and how to probe the anomalous top-Yukawa coupling.

The Validity of Value-Added Estimates from Low-Stakes Testing Contexts: The Impact of Change in Test-Taking Motivation and Test Consequences

Science.gov (United States)

Finney, Sara J.; Sundre, Donna L.; Swain, Matthew S.; Williams, Laura M.

2016-01-01

Accountability mandates often prompt assessment of student learning gains (e.g., value-added estimates) via achievement tests. The validity of these estimates have been questioned when performance on tests is low stakes for students. To assess the effects of motivation on value-added estimates, we assigned students to one of three test consequence…

PNNI routing support for ad hoc mobile networking: The multilevel case

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martinez, L.; Sholander, P.; Tolendino, L.

1998-01-01

This contribution extends the Outside Nodal Hierarchy List (ONHL) procedures described in ATM Forum Contributions 97-0766 and 97-0933. These extensions allow multiple mobile networks to form either an ad hoc network or an extension of a fixed PNNI infrastructure. A previous contribution (97-1073) covered the simplest case where the top-most Logical Group Nodes (LGNs), in those mobile networks, all resided at the same level in a PNNI hierarchy. This contribution covers the more general case wherein those top-most LGNs may reside at different PNNI hierarchy levels. Both of the SNL contributions consider flat ad hoc network architectures in the sense that each mobile network always participates in the PNNI hierarchy at the pre-configured level of its top-most LGN.

New Massive Gravity and AdS4 Counterterms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jatkar, Dileep P.; Sinha, Aninda

2011-01-01

We show that the recently proposed Dirac-Born-Infeld extension of new massive gravity emerges naturally as a counterterm in four-dimensional anti-de Sitter space (AdS 4 ). The resulting on-shell Euclidean action is independent of the cutoff at zero temperature. We also find that the same choice of counterterm gives the usual area law for the AdS 4 Schwarzschild black hole entropy in a cutoff-independent manner. The parameter values of the resulting counterterm action correspond to a c=0 theory in the context of the duality between AdS 3 gravity and two-dimensional conformal field theory. We rewrite this theory in terms of the gauge field that is used to recast 3D gravity as a Chern-Simons theory.

Sulphur highways : value-added solutions to create sulphur demand

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Macedo, R.

2010-09-15

Producers generally view sulphur as a nuisance with essentially no benefit. In Alberta, a greater portion of sulphur production will shift from natural gas to the oilsands producing areas where there is limited infrastructure to move it out. Increased amounts of sour oil and gas production together with greater fuel desulphurization have also led to more sulphur being produced. In order to address the inevitable storage issue, Shell is considering value-added uses for the product, such as sulphur asphalt. The company developed Thiopave, a sulphur-based product for use in asphalt paving mixtures that can improve the mechanical performance of asphalt. The sulphur can be added to the asphalt mix as a solid pellet, which helps reduce the emission of sulphur vapour, odour and eye irritation. Twenty Thiopave projects are planned for the 2010 paving season in 9 U.S. states and 2 Canadian provinces. Sulphur Enhanced Asphalt Modifier (SEAM) was the first generation of Thiopave developed in 2003. SEAM replaces 20 to 25 percent by volume of the bitumen in asphalt mix. The properties allow Thiopave-enhanced roads to perform better than conventional roads in both consistently high temperature regions and climates with wide temperature variations. In 2007, an asphalt mix containing 40 percent by mass of Thiopave was used in a trial in Qatar. The Thiopave asphalt mix was compared with a conventional mix at temperatures ranging from 10 to 40 degrees C to determine the stiffness ratio. It was determined that Thiopave mixes containing high-penetration bitumen can be used to build temperature resistant roads that are stiffer in hot summer temperatures while improving the pavement's cold weather cracking performance. 1 ref., 4 figs.

On the Practices and Challenges of Measuring Higher Education Value Added: The Case of Colombia

Science.gov (United States)

Shavelson, Richard J.; Domingue, Benjamin W.; Mariño, Julián P.; Molina Mantilla, Adriana; Morales Forero, Andrés; Wiley, Edward E.

2016-01-01

Changes in the nature of higher education are leading towards increased interest in the assessment of student learning. This study considers an attempt to apply value-added models for the purposes of comparing student learning across institutions, taking care to discuss special considerations inherent to the application of these models to higher…

Methodology for adding and amending glycaemic index values to a nutrition analysis package.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Levis, Sharon P

2011-04-01

Since its introduction in 1981, the glycaemic index (GI) has been a useful tool for classifying the glycaemic effects of carbohydrate foods. Consumption of a low-GI diet has been associated with a reduced risk of developing CVD, diabetes mellitus and certain cancers. WISP (Tinuviel Software, Llanfechell, Anglesey, UK) is a nutrition software package used for the analysis of food intake records and 24 h recalls. Within its database, WISP contains the GI values of foods based on the International Tables 2002. The aim of the present study is to describe in detail a methodology for adding and amending GI values to the WISP database in a clinical or research setting, using data from the updated International Tables 2008.

Practice of adding value to materials by a neutron irradiation in research reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oh, Soo Youl; Jun, Byung Jin

2008-01-01

Adding more value to materials by a neutron irradiation is one of the utilization areas of research reactors. A neutron transmutation doping (NTD) of Si, a gemstone coloration, and a track etched membrane production are the three important subjects and these are being serviced on a commercial basis. Nevertheless, a further enhancement of the technologies is necessary, and the IAEA/RCA has supported the development and dissemination of the relevant technologies. This article reports on what was achieved during the IAEA/RCA Regional Training Course on the Design and Operation of Neutron Irradiation Facilities which was held in Korea in April 2008 for two weeks. The Course, which was open to the Asian RCA member states, consisted of lectures, presentations from each country, and design and experiment exercises concerning the above three subjects. The lectures covered not only the principles but also the practice in every detail. The experience of Korea on the NTD and those of Indonesia and Thailand on the gemstone coloration drew concentrated attention of the participants. Meanwhile, as one of the exercises the participants designed a device for the NTD or the gemstone irradiation and analyzed its performance from the neutronics point of view. The Course was successful in deepening the understanding on the practice of value adding technologies and also in sharing some ideas for their enhancement

Practice of adding value to materials by a neutron irradiation in research reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oh, Soo-Youl; Jun, Byung Jin

2008-01-01

Adding more value to materials by a neutron irradiation is one of the utilization areas of research reactors. A neutron transmutation doping (NTD) of Si, a gemstone coloration, and a track-etched membrane production are the three important subjects and these are being serviced on a commercial basis. Nevertheless, a further enhancement of the technologies is necessary, and the IAEA/RCA has supported the development and dissemination of the relevant technologies. This article reports on what was achieved during the IAEA/RCA Regional Training Course on the Design and Operation of Neutron Irradiation Facilities which was held in Korea in April 2008 for two weeks. The Course, which was open to the Asian RCA member states, consisted of lectures, presentations from each country, and design and experiment exercises concerning the above three subjects. The lectures covered not only the principles but also the practice in every detail. The experience of Korea on the NTD and those of Indonesia and Thailand on the gemstone coloration drew concentrated attention of the participants. Meanwhile, as one of the exercises the participants designed a device for the NTD or the gemstone irradiation and analyzed its performance from the neutronics point of view. The Course was successful in deepening the understanding on the practice of value-adding technologies and also in sharing some ideas for their enhancement. (author)

Practice of adding value to materials by a neutron irradiation in research reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oh, Soo Youl; Jun, Byung Jin

2008-01-01

Adding value to materials by a neutron irradiation is one of the utilization areas of research reactors. A neutron transmutation doping (NTD) of Si, a gemstone coloration, and a track-etched membrane production are the three important subjects and these are being serviced on a commercial basis. Nevertheless, a further enhancement of the technologies is necessary, and the IAEA/RCA has supported the development and dissemination of the relevant technologies. This article report on what was achieved during the IAEA/RCA regional Training Course on the Design and Operation of Neutron Irradiation Facilities which was held in Korea in April 2008 for two weeks. The Course, which was open to the Asian RCA member states, consisted of lectures, presentations from each country, and design and experiment exercises concerning the above three subjects. The lectures covered not only the principles but also the practice in every detail. The experience of Korea on the NTD and those of indonesia and Thailand on the gemstone coloration drew concentrated attention of the participants. Meanwhile, as one of the exercises the participants designed a device for the NTD or the gemstone irradiation and analyzed its performance from the neutronics point of view. The Course was successful in deepening the understanding on the practice of value-adding technologies and also in sharing some ideas for their enhancement

No added diagnostic value of non-phosphorylated tau fraction (p-taurel) in CSF as a biomarker for differential dementia diagnosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Goossens, Joery; Bjerke, Maria; Struyfs, Hanne; Niemantsverdriet, Ellis; Somers, Charisse; Van den Bossche, Tobi; Van Mossevelde, Sara; De Vil, Bart; Sieben, Anne; Martin, Jean-Jacques; Cras, Patrick; Goeman, Johan; De Deyn, Peter Paul; Van Broeckhoven, Christine; van der Zee, Julie; Engelborghs, Sebastiaan

2017-07-14

The Alzheimer's disease (AD) cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers Aβ 1-42 , t-tau, and p-tau 181 overlap with other diseases. New tau modifications or epitopes, such as the non-phosphorylated tau fraction (p-tau rel ), may improve differential dementia diagnosis. The goal of this study is to investigate if p-tau rel can improve the diagnostic performance of the AD CSF biomarker panel for differential dementia diagnosis. The study population consisted of 45 AD, 45 frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), 45 dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and 21 Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) patients, and 20 cognitively healthy controls. A substantial subset of the patients was pathology-confirmed. CSF levels of Aβ 1-42 , t-tau, p-tau 181 , and p-tau rel were determined with commercially available single-analyte enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Diagnostic performance was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses, and area under the curve (AUC) values were compared using DeLong tests. The diagnostic performance of single markers as well as biomarker ratios was determined for each pairwise comparison of different dementia groups and controls. The addition of p-tau rel to the AD biomarker panel decreased its diagnostic performance when discriminating non-AD, FTLD, and DLB from AD. As a single marker, p-tau rel increased the diagnostic performance for CJD. No significant difference was found in AUC values with the addition of p-tau rel when differentiating between AD or non-AD dementias and controls. The addition of p-tau rel to the AD CSF biomarker panel failed to improve differentiation between AD and non-AD dementias.

Added value of ovarian reserve testing on patient characteristics in the prediction of ovarian response and ongoing pregnancy: an individual patient data approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Broer, S.L.; Disseldorp, J. van; Broeze, K.A.; Dolleman, M.; Opmeer, B.C.; Bossuyt, P.; Eijkemans, M.J.; Mol, B.W.; Broekmans, F.J.; Anderson, R.A.; Ashrafi, M.; Bancsi, L.F.; Caroppo, E.; Copperman, A.; Ebner, T.; Eldar Geva, M.; Erdem, M.; Greenblatt, E.M.; Jayaprakasan, K.; Fenning, R.; Klinkert, E.R.; Kwee, J.; Lambalk, C.B.; La Marca, A.; McIlveen, M.; Merce, L.T.; Muttukrishna, S.; Nelson, S.M.; Ng, H.Y.; Popovic-Todorovic, B.; Smeenk, J.M.J.; Tomas, C.; Linden, P.J. van der; Rooij, I.A. van; et al.,

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND Although ovarian reserve tests (ORTs) are frequently used prior to IVF treatment for outcome prediction, their added predictive value is unclear. We assessed the added value of ORTs to patient characteristics in the prediction of IVF outcome. METHODS An individual patient data (IPD)

The impact of student composition on schools’ value-added performance : a comparison of seven empirical studies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Timmermans, Anneke C.; Thomas, Sally M.

In many countries, policy makers struggle with the development of value added indicators of school performance for educational accountability purposes and in particular with the choice whether school context measured in the form of student composition variables should be included. This study

Top five industries resulting in injuries from acute chemical incidents—Hazardous Substance Emergency Events Surveillance, nine states, 1999-2008.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Ayana R; Wu, Jennifer

2015-04-10

Because industries using and/or producing chemicals are located in close proximity to populated areas, U.S. residents are at risk for unintentional chemical exposures. 1999-2008. The Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) system was operated by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry during January 1991-September 2009 to collect data that would enable researchers to describe the public health consequences of chemical releases and to develop activities aimed at reducing the harm from such releases. This report summarizes data for the top five industries resulting in injuries from an acute chemical incident (lasting truck transportation, educational services, chemical manufacturing, utilities, and food manufacturing) accounted for approximately one third of all incidents in which persons were injured as a result of unintentional release of chemicals; the same five industries were responsible for approximately one third of all persons injured as a result of such releases. Acute chemical incidents in these five industries resulted in serious public health implications including the need for evacuations, morbidity, and mortality. PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS: Targeting chemical incident prevention and preparedness activities towards these five industries provides an efficient use of resources for reducing chemical exposures. A variety of methods can be used to minimize chemical releases in industries. One example is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's hierarchy of controls model, which focuses on controlling exposures to occupational hazards. The hierarchy includes elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and use of personal protective equipment.

A practical guide for implementing and maintaining value-added clinical systems learning roles for medical students using a diffusion of innovations framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzalo, Jed D; Graaf, Deanna; Ahluwalia, Amarpreet; Wolpaw, Dan R; Thompson, Britta M

2018-03-21

After emphasizing biomedical and clinical sciences for over a century, US medical schools are expanding experiential roles that allow students to learn about health care delivery while also adding value to patient care. After developing a program where all 1st-year medical students are integrated into interprofessional care teams to contribute to patient care, authors use a diffusion of innovations framework to explore and identify barriers, facilitators, and best practices for implementing value-added clinical systems learning roles. In 2016, authors conducted 32 clinical-site observations, 29 1:1 interviews with mentors, and four student focus-group interviews. Data were transcribed verbatim, and a thematic analysis was used to identify themes. Authors discussed drafts of the categorization scheme, and agreed upon results and quotations. Of 36 sites implementing the program, 17 (47%) remained, 8 (22%) significantly modified, and 11 (31%) withdrew from the program. Identified strategies for implementing value-added roles included: student education, patient characteristics, patient selection methods, activities performed, and resources. Six themes influencing program implementation and maintenance included: (1) educational benefit, (2) value added to patient care from student work, (3) mentor time and site capacity, (4) student engagement, (5) working relationship between school, site, and students, and, (6) students' continuity at the site. Health systems science is an emerging focus for medical schools, and educators are challenged to design practice-based roles that enhance education and add value to patient care. Health professions' schools implementing value-added roles will need to invest resources and strategize about best-practice strategies to guide efforts.

Community Policy Initiatives. In search of European Union added value

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beceiro, Rodriguez A.

2004-01-01

The European Commission's proposal, approved in early 2003, contains general requirements more of a political and juridical nature rather than a technical one, and is generally based on the IAEA's Safety Fundamentals and on the Joint Convention on the safety of spent fuel and on the safety of radioactive waste, already ratified by nearly all Member States of the European Union. In general terms, it can be said that the proposal aims at creating a common legal framework enabling the harmonization of policies and practices at Community level and, in particular, to motivate the decision-making processes in Member States with the objective to make real progress to implement permanent solutions for spent fuel and radioactive waste. Generally speaking, it can be said that implementing permanent solutions for radioactive waste depends, not only on the availability of technical solutions and economical resources, but also to a great extent on socio-political factors, which requires the development of complex decision-making processes involving concerned stakeholders. These processes are country specific and very difficult to be extrapolated from one country to another, because they largely depend on historical and cultural aspects as well as on the countries' legal and administrative systems. Nevertheless, there exist common elements, which are critical for the development of these processes. On the one hand, there is the need for political willingness to initiate its development and, on the other hand, there are the rules of the game necessary to guide the process. These two elements should conform the objective and driving force of the Directive for the development of national programmes. This is the context in which the Directive can contribute with a positive effect in national programmes and provide real added value on existing international framework. The proposed Directive should provide beneficial effects in national programmes if it keeps to the intentions and

Mixed-symmetry fields in AdS(5), conformal fields, and AdS/CFT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Metsaev, R.R. [Department of Theoretical Physics, P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute,Leninsky prospect 53, Moscow 119991 (Russian Federation)

2015-01-15

Mixed-symmetry arbitrary spin massive, massless, and self-dual massive fields in AdS(5) are studied. Light-cone gauge actions for such fields leading to decoupled equations of motion are constructed. Light-cone gauge formulation of mixed-symmetry anomalous conformal currents and shadows in 4d flat space is also developed. AdS/CFT correspondence for normalizable and non-normalizable modes of mixed-symmetry AdS fields and the respective boundary mixed-symmetry anomalous conformal currents and shadows is studied. We demonstrate that the light-cone gauge action for massive mixed-symmetry AdS field evaluated on solution of the Dirichlet problem amounts to the light-cone gauge 2-point vertex of mixed-symmetry anomalous shadow. Also we show that UV divergence of the action for mixed-symmetry massive AdS field with some particular value of mass parameter evaluated on the Dirichlet problem amounts to the action of long mixed-symmetry conformal field, while UV divergence of the action for mixed-symmetry massless AdS field evaluated on the Dirichlet problem amounts to the action of short mixed-symmetry conformal field. We speculate on string theory interpretation of a model which involves short low-spin conformal fields and long higher-spin conformal fields.

On thermodynamics of AdS black holes in M-theory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Belhaj, A. [Universite Sultan Moulay Slimane, Departement de Physique, LIRST, Faculte Polydisciplinaire, Beni Mellal (Morocco); Cadi Ayyad University, High Energy Physics and Astrophysics Laboratory, FSSM, Marrakesh (Morocco); Chabab, M.; Masmar, K. [Cadi Ayyad University, High Energy Physics and Astrophysics Laboratory, FSSM, Marrakesh (Morocco); El Moumni, H. [Cadi Ayyad University, High Energy Physics and Astrophysics Laboratory, FSSM, Marrakesh (Morocco); Universite Ibn Zohr, Departement de Physique, Faculte des Sciences, Agadir (Morocco); Sedra, M.B. [Universite Ibn Tofail, Departement de Physique, LASIMO, Faculte des Sciences, Kenitra (Morocco)

2016-02-15

Motivated by recent work on asymptotically AdS{sub 4} black holes in M-theory, we investigate the thermodynamics and thermodynamical geometry of AdS black holes from M2- and M5-branes. Concretely, we consider AdS black holes in AdS{sub p+2} x S{sup 11-p-2}, where p = 2,5 by interpreting the number of M2- (and M5-branes) as a thermodynamical variable. More precisely, we study the corresponding phase transition to examine their stabilities by calculating and discussing various thermodynamical quantities including the chemical potential. Then we compute the thermodynamical curvatures from the Quevedo metric for M2- and M5-branes geometries to reconsider the stability of such black holes. The Quevedo metric singularities recover similar stability results provided by the phase-transition program. It has been shown that similar behaviors are also present in the limit of large N. (orig.)

The taxable events for the Value-Added Tax (VAT based on a Comparative Law approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Walker Villanueva Gutiérrez

2014-07-01

Full Text Available This article analyzes the definitions of the main taxable events for the Value-Added Tax (VAT based on a comparative approach to thelegislation of different countries (Spain, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Argentina and Peru. In this regard, it analyzes which legislations offer definitions according to the principles of generality, fiscal neutrality and legal certainty for VAT. Moreover, it points out that the VAT systems of those countries do not require as a condition for the configuration of the taxable events that the transactions involve a «value added» or a final consumption. In the specificcase of «supplies of goods», the VAT systems have a similar definition of the taxable event, although there are a few differences. However, in the case of«supplies of services», which is the most important taxable event for VAT, there are important differences at the time each country defines it. This is not a desirable effect for the international trade of services, since the lack of harmonization produces double taxation or double non taxation.

Mass scale of vectorlike matter and superpartners from IR fixed point predictions of gauge and top Yukawa couplings

Science.gov (United States)

Dermíšek, Radovan; McGinnis, Navin

2018-03-01

We use the IR fixed point predictions for gauge couplings and the top Yukawa coupling in the minimal supersymmetric model (MSSM) extended with vectorlike families to infer the scale of vectorlike matter and superpartners. We quote results for several extensions of the MSSM and present results in detail for the MSSM extended with one complete vectorlike family. We find that for a unified gauge coupling αG>0.3 vectorlike matter or superpartners are expected within 1.7 TeV (2.5 TeV) based on all three gauge couplings being simultaneously within 1.5% (5%) from observed values. This range extends to about 4 TeV for αG>0.2 . We also find that in the scenario with two additional large Yukawa couplings of vectorlike quarks the IR fixed point value of the top Yukawa coupling independently points to a multi-TeV range for vectorlike matter and superpartners. Assuming a universal value for all large Yukawa couplings at the grand unified theory scale, the measured top quark mass can be obtained from the IR fixed point for tan β ≃4 . The range expands to any tan β >3 for significant departures from the universality assumption. Considering that the Higgs boson mass also points to a multi-TeV range for superpartners in the MSSM, adding a complete vectorlike family at the same scale provides a compelling scenario where the values of gauge couplings and the top quark mass are understood as a consequence of the particle content of the model.

Peer-to-Peer Content Distribution and Over-The-Top TV: An Analysis of Value Networks

Science.gov (United States)

de Boever, Jorn; de Grooff, Dirk

The convergence of Internet and TV, i.e., the Over-The-Top TV (OTT TV) paradigm, created opportunities for P2P content distribution as these systems reduce bandwidth expenses for media companies. This resulted in the arrival of legal, commercial P2P systems which increases the importance of studying economic aspects of these business operations. This chapter examines the value networks of three cases (Kontiki, Zattoo and bittorrent) in order to compare how different actors position and distinguish themselves from competitors by creating value in different ways. The value networks of legal systems have different compositions depending on their market orientation - Business-to-Business (B2B) and/or Businessto- Consumer (B2C). In addition, legal systems differ from illegal systems as legal companies are not inclined to grant control to users, whereas users havemost control in value networks of illegal, self-organizing file sharing communities. In conclusion, the OTT TV paradigm made P2P technology a partner for the media industry rather than an enemy. However, we argue that the lack of control granted to users will remain a seed-bed for the success of illegal P2P file sharing communities.

The Added Value of Water Footprint Assessment for National Water Policy: A Case Study for Morocco

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schyns, Joseph Franciscus; Hoekstra, Arjen Ysbert

2014-01-01

A Water Footprint Assessment is carried out for Morocco, mapping the water footprint of different activities at river basin and monthly scale, distinguishing between surface- and groundwater. The paper aims to demonstrate the added value of detailed analysis of the human water footprint within a

Monotop signature from a fermionic top partner

Science.gov (United States)

Gonçalves, Dorival; Kong, Kyoungchul; Sakurai, Kazuki; Takeuchi, Michihisa

2018-01-01

We investigate monotop signatures arising from phenomenological models of fermionic top partners, which are degenerate in mass and decay into a bosonic dark matter candidate, either spin 0 or spin 1. Such a model provides a monotop signature as a smoking gun, while conventional searches with t t ¯ + missing transverse momentum are limited. Two such scenarios, (i) a phenomenological third generation extradimensional model with excited top and electroweak sectors, and (ii) a model where only a top partner and a dark matter particle are added to the standard model, are studied in the degenerate mass regime. We find that in the case of extra dimension a number of different processes give rise to effectively the same monotop final state, and a great gain can be obtained in the sensitivity for this channel. We show that the monotop search can explore top-partner masses up to 630 and 300 GeV for the third generation extradimensional model and the minimal fermionic top-partner model, respectively, at the high luminosity LHC.

The Mixed Phase of Charged AdS Black Holes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Piyabut Burikham

2016-01-01

Full Text Available We study the mixed phase of charged AdS black hole and radiation when the total energy is fixed below the threshold to produce a stable charged black hole branch. The coexistence conditions for the charged AdS black hole and radiation are derived for the generic case when radiation particles carry charge. The phase diagram of the mixed phase is demonstrated for both fixed potential and charge ensemble. In the dual gauge picture, they correspond to the mixed phase of quark-gluon plasma (QGP and hadron gas in the fixed chemical potential and density ensemble, respectively. In the nuclei and heavy-ion collisions at intermediate energies, the mixed phase of exotic QGP and hadron gas could be produced. The mixed phase will condense and evaporate into the hadron gas as the fireball expands.

Bioreactors for lignocellulose conversion into fermentable sugars for production of high added value products

OpenAIRE

Liguori, Rossana; Ventorino, Valeria; Pepe, Olimpia; Faraco, Vincenza

2015-01-01

Lignocellulosic biomasses derived from dedicated crops and agro-industrial residual materials are promising renewable resources for the production of fuels and other added value bioproducts. Due to the tolerance to a wide range of environments, the dedicated crops can be cultivated on marginal lands, avoiding conflict with food production and having beneficial effects on the environment. Besides, the agro-industrial residual materials represent an abundant, available, and cheap source of biop...

Relationship Between Adding Value, Trust and Job Satisfaction Based on Teachers€™ Perceptions

OpenAIRE

Masoumeh Pourrajab, Roya Roustaee, Ramli Bin Basri, Baharak Talebloo, Sara Kasmaienezhadfard

2015-01-01

The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between adding value; trust and teacher satisfaction among primaryand secondary school teachers in Malaysia.In this research,375 teachers were selected based on convenience random sampling from teachers who study in educational field. This study is quantitative research and data were collected based on questionnaire and were analyzed using descriptive, correlation and regression analysis. Based on Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coeffi...

Uncovering the single top: observation of electroweak top quark production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Benitez, Jorge Armando [Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States)

2009-01-01

The top quark is generally produced in quark and anti-quark pairs. However, the Standard Model also predicts the production of only one top quark which is mediated by the electroweak interaction, known as 'Single Top'. Single Top quark production is important because it provides a unique and direct way to measure the CKM matrix element V_tb, and can be used to explore physics possibilities beyond the Standard Model predictions. This dissertation presents the results of the observation of Single Top using 2.3 fb^-1 of Data collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. The analysis includes the Single Top muon+jets and electron+jets final states and employs Boosted Decision Tress as a method to separate the signal from the background. The resulting Single Top cross section measurement is: (1) σ(p$\\bar{p}$→ tb + X, tqb + X) = 3.74_-0.74^+0.95 pb, where the errors include both statistical and systematic uncertainties. The probability to measure a cross section at this value or higher in the absence of signal is p = 1.9 x 10^-6. This corresponds to a standard deviation Gaussian equivalence of 4.6. When combining this result with two other analysis methods, the resulting cross section measurement is: (2) σ(p$\\bar{p}$ → tb + X, tqb + X) = 3.94 ± 0.88 pb, and the corresponding measurement significance is 5.0 standard deviations.

Supply of goods free of charge in value added tax system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milošević Miloš

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Consideration represents one of the cumulatively prescribed conditions for the taxation of supplies of goods in value added tax system. In the absence of consideration there is in general no basis for taxation, which makes room for untaxed final consumption - the case in which a taxpayer deducts input VAT on purchased good that is subsequently used for his own or another person's final consumption free of charge. In this paper, the author analyzes the situations in which, for taxation purposes, the supplies of goods free of charge will be treated equally as supplies for consideration and, relying on the jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice, notes the deviations of the domestic practice from the communautaire one, while providing concrete recommendations for their elimination.

Is added sustainability equal to added value?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodrigues, Lucelia; Garratt, Tim; Ebbs, Nick

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► The question is whether sustainable buildings are gaining advantage in the market. ► Case studies imply there is a difference between commercial and residential markets. ► People may not (yet) be willing to pay more rent for energy efficient offices. ► People may be willing to pay more to buy an energy efficient home. ► Could energy efficient buildings become a property sector in the near future? - Abstract: Buildings are the most important economical sector in the world but also the major contributors of environmental damage, from the sourcing of raw materials through to the energy used for their functioning and to the disposal of their elements once their life cycle comes to an end. Almost half of the UK’s carbon emissions come from the use of buildings and houses alone account for more than 30% of all primary energy demand. In an attempt to reduce this impact, the British Government is pushing towards the development of energy efficient and zero carbon buildings, both in new construction and in the existing stock. But how is the market receiving such buildings? Are energy efficient buildings gaining a competitive advantage in the current marketplace? In some countries such as The Netherlands, energy efficient houses reach values 2.8% higher on average than normal houses. In the UK the Sustainability Property Index (ISPI) reveals that, for the properties examined in 2010, regular properties delivered a cumulative total return of −10.8%, compared with −14.9% for more energy efficient ones. This is bad news considering the higher capital investment usually needed to achieve zero carbon buildings. The current reality in the UK market seems to be that people may not (yet) be willing to pay more rent for energy efficient buildings. As rent and capital value are inexorably linked, whether or not a building is zero carbon does not yet seem to be affecting property value. This paper does not present definitive answers but discusses possible

Adding value to the decision-making process of mega projects : Fostering strategic ambiguity, redundancy, and resilience

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Giezen, Mendel; Salet, Willem; Bertolini, Luca

2015-01-01

Current practice in decision-making about mega projects seems to be aimed at reducing complexity by simplification. However, this is often detrimental to the resilience and added value of these projects. This article uses the concept of strategic capacity for analyzing the decision-making process on

A Monte Carlo Simulation Comparing the Statistical Precision of Two High-Stakes Teacher Evaluation Methods: A Value-Added Model and a Composite Measure

Science.gov (United States)

Spencer, Bryden

2016-01-01

Value-added models are a class of growth models used in education to assign responsibility for student growth to teachers or schools. For value-added models to be used fairly, sufficient statistical precision is necessary for accurate teacher classification. Previous research indicated precision below practical limits. An alternative approach has…

Bioreactors for lignocellulose conversion into fermentable sugars for production of high added value products.

Science.gov (United States)

Liguori, Rossana; Ventorino, Valeria; Pepe, Olimpia; Faraco, Vincenza

2016-01-01

Lignocellulosic biomasses derived from dedicated crops and agro-industrial residual materials are promising renewable resources for the production of fuels and other added value bioproducts. Due to the tolerance to a wide range of environments, the dedicated crops can be cultivated on marginal lands, avoiding conflict with food production and having beneficial effects on the environment. Besides, the agro-industrial residual materials represent an abundant, available, and cheap source of bioproducts that completely cut out the economical and environmental issues related to the cultivation of energy crops. Different processing steps like pretreatment, hydrolysis and microbial fermentation are needed to convert biomass into added value bioproducts. The reactor configuration, the operative conditions, and the operation mode of the conversion processes are crucial parameters for a high yield and productivity of the biomass bioconversion process. This review summarizes the last progresses in the bioreactor field, with main attention on the new configurations and the agitation systems, for conversion of dedicated energy crops (Arundo donax) and residual materials (corn stover, wheat straw, mesquite wood, agave bagasse, fruit and citrus peel wastes, sunflower seed hull, switchgrass, poplar sawdust, cogon grass, sugarcane bagasse, sunflower seed hull, and poplar wood) into sugars and ethanol. The main novelty of this review is its focus on reactor components and properties.

Investigation of reactivity variations of the Isfahan MNSR reactor due to variations in the thickness of the core top beryllium layer using WIMSD and MCNP codes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A Shirani

2010-12-01

Full Text Available In this work, the Isfahan Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR is first simulated using the WIMSD code, and its fuel burn-up after 7 years of operation ( when the reactor was revived by adding a 1.5 mm thick beryllium shim plate to the top of its core and also after 14 years of operation (total operation time of the reactor is calculated. The reactor is then simulated using the MCNP code, and its reactivity variation due to adding a 1.5 mm thick beryllium shim plate to the top of the reactor core, after 7 years of operation, is calculated. The results show good agreement with the available data collected at the revival time. Exess reactivity of the reactor at present time (after 14 years of operation and after 7 years of the the reactor revival time is also determined both experimentally and by calculation, which show good agreement, and indicate that at the present time there is no need to add any further beryllium shim plate to the top of the reactor core. Furthermore, by adding more beryllium layers with various thicknesses to the top of the reactor core, in the input program of the MCNP program, reactivity value of these layers is calculated. From these results, one can predict the necessary beryllium thickness needed to reach a desired reactivity in the MNSR reactor.

The added value of C-reactive protein measurement in diagnosing pneumonia in primary care

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Minnaard, Margaretha C; de Groot, Joris A H; Hopstaken, Rogier M

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND: C-reactive protein (CRP) is increasingly being included in the diagnostic work-up for community-acquired pneumonia in primary care. Its added diagnostic value beyond signs and symptoms, however, remains unclear. We conducted a meta-analysis of individual patient data to quantify...... to a basic signs-and-symptoms prediction model was assessed. Outcome measures were improvement in discrimination between patients with and without pneumonia in primary care and improvement in risk classification, both within the individual studies and across studies. RESULTS: Authors of 8 eligible studies (n...... = 5308) provided their data sets. In all of the data sets, discrimination between patients with and without pneumonia improved after CRP measurement was added to the prediction model (extended model), with a mean improvement in the area under the curve of 0.075 (range 0.02-0.18). In a hypothetical cohort...

The calculation of the chemical exergies of coal-based fuels by using the higher heating values

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bilgen, Selcuk; Kaygusuz, Kamil

2008-01-01

This paper demonstrates the application of exergy to gain a better understanding of coal properties, especially chemical exergy and specific chemical exergy. In this study, a BASIC computer program was used to calculation of the chemical exergies of the coal-based fuels. Calculations showed that the chemical composition of the coal influences strongly the values of the chemical exergy. The exergy value of a coal is closely related to the H:C and O:C ratios. High proportions of hydrogen and/or oxygen, compared to carbon, generally reduce the exergy value of the coal. High contents of the moisture and/or the ash cause to low values of the chemical exergy. The aim of this paper is to calculate the chemical exergy of coals by using equations given in the literature and to detect and to evaluate quantitatively the effect of irreversible phenomena increased the thermodynamic imperfection of the processes. In this paper, the calculated exergy values of the fuels will be useful for energy experts studied in the coal mining area and coal-fired powerplants

An Analysis of the Relationship between the Perceptions of Value-Added Measurement and Teacher Job Satisfaction

Science.gov (United States)

Viar, Meagan Alexis

2016-01-01

Educational leaders are struggling with the issue of academic reform as it pertains to accountability for student achievement. With increasing pressures to improve student achievement, many states have adopted value-added measures to monitor student growth and teacher effectiveness. This study undertook a quantitative approach to examine the…

Green Net Value Added as a Sustainability Metric Based on ...

Science.gov (United States)

Sustainability measurement in economics involves evaluation of environmental and economic impact in an integrated manner. In this study, system level economic data are combined with environmental impact from a life cycle assessment (LCA) of a common product. We are exploring a costing approach that captures traditional costs but also incorporates externality costs to provide a convenient, easily interpretable metric. Green Net Value Added (GNVA) is a type of full cost accounting that incorporates total revenue, the cost of materials and services, depreciation, and environmental externalities. Two, but not all, of the potential environmental impacts calculated by the standard LCIA method (TRACI) could be converted to externality cost values. We compute externality costs disaggregated by upstream sectors, full cost, and GNVA to evaluate the relative sustainability of Bounty® paper towels manufactured at two production facilities. We found that the longer running, more established line had a higher GNVA than the newer line. The dominant factors contributing to externality costs are calculated to come from the stationary sources in the supply chain: electricity generation (27-35%), refineries (20-21%), pulp and paper making (15-23%). Health related externalities from Particulate Matter (PM2.5) and Carbon Dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions appear largely driven by electricity usage and emissions by the facilities, followed by pulp processing and transport. Supply

Multi-Angle Snowflake Camera Value-Added Product

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shkurko, Konstantin [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Garrett, T. [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Gaustad, K [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2016-12-01

The Multi-Angle Snowflake Camera (MASC) addresses a need for high-resolution multi-angle imaging of hydrometeors in freefall with simultaneous measurement of fallspeed. As illustrated in Figure 1, the MASC consists of three cameras, separated by 36°, each pointing at an identical focal point approximately 10 cm away. Located immediately above each camera, a light aims directly at the center of depth of field for its corresponding camera. The focal point at which the cameras are aimed lies within a ring through which hydrometeors fall. The ring houses a system of near-infrared emitter-detector pairs, arranged in two arrays separated vertically by 32 mm. When hydrometeors pass through the lower array, they simultaneously trigger all cameras and lights. Fallspeed is calculated from the time it takes to traverse the distance between the upper and lower triggering arrays. The trigger electronics filter out ambient light fluctuations associated with varying sunlight and shadows. The microprocessor onboard the MASC controls the camera system and communicates with the personal computer (PC). The image data is sent via FireWire 800 line, and fallspeed (and camera control) is sent via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) line that relies on RS232-over-USB serial conversion. See Table 1 for specific details on the MASC located at the Oliktok Point Mobile Facility on the North Slope of Alaska. The value-added product (VAP) detailed in this documentation analyzes the raw data (Section 2.0) using Python: images rely on OpenCV image processing library and derived aggregated statistics rely on some clever averaging. See Sections 4.1 and 4.2 for more details on what variables are computed.

Nutritional and chemical value of Amaranthus hybridus L. leaves ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The nutritional and chemical value of Amaranthus hybridus were investigated using standard analytical methods in order to assess the numerous potential of the plant leaves. The Proximate analysis showed the percentage moisture content, ash content, crude protein, crude lipid, crude fibre and carbohydrate of the leaves ...

PENGARUH MANAJEMEN ASET, MANAJEMEN LIABILITI, MANAJEMEN ASET LIABILITI TERHADAP ECONOMIC VALUE ADDED (EVA PADA PERBANKAN KONVENSIONAL YANG TERDAFTAR DI BURSA EFEK INDONESIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H Hamidah

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Generally, company wants to optimize its profit. Properly manage the asset management, liability management and asset liability management can provide value added profits for the company. A sample of research consists of 18 banking companies listed at Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX during the 2005-2009. This research investigate the relationship net loans/total earning assets (NLA, non performing loan (NPL, liabilities/total assets (LA, equity/total assets (EA, net interest margin (NIM, loan to deposite ratio (LDR on economic value added (EVA. The research use regression of panel data. The result show that net loans/total earning assets (NLA, liabilities/total assets (LA, equity/total assets (EA, net interest margin (NIM, loan to deposite ratio (LDR are have significant effect on economic value added (EVA but non performing loan (NPL.

The Cost-Effectiveness of Replacing the Bottom Quartile of Novice Teachers through Value-Added Teacher Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Yeh, Stuart S.; Ritter, Joseph

2009-01-01

A cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted of Gordon, Kane, and Staiger's (2006) proposal to raise student achievement by identifying and replacing the bottom quartile of novice teachers, using value-added assessment of teacher performance. The cost effectiveness of this proposal was compared to the cost effectiveness of voucher programs, charter…

Toponium Tests Of Top-Quark Higgs Bags

OpenAIRE

Macpherson, Alick L.; Campbell, Bruce A.

1993-01-01

Recently it has been suggested that top quarks, or very massive fourth generation quarks, might surround themselves with a Higgs "bag" of deformation of the Higgs expectation value from its vacuum magnitude. In this paper we address the question of whether such nonlinear Higgs-top interaction effects are subject to experimental test. We first note that if top quarks were necessarily accompanied by Higgs "bags", then top quark weak decay would involve the sudden disruption of the Higgs "bag", ...

Added Value of uncertainty Estimates of SOurce term and Meteorology (AVESOME)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Jens Havskov; Schönfeldt, Fredrik; Sigg, Robert

In the early phase of a nuclear accident, two large sources of uncertainty exist: one related to the source term and one associated with the meteorological data. Operational methods are being developed in AVESOME for quantitative estimation of uncertainties in atmospheric dispersion prediction.......g. at national meteorological services, the proposed methodology is feasible for real-time use, thereby adding value to decision support. In the recent NKS-B projects MUD, FAUNA and MESO, the implications of meteorological uncertainties for nuclear emergency preparedness and management have been studied...... uncertainty in atmospheric dispersion model forecasting stemming from both the source term and the meteorological data is examined. Ways to implement the uncertainties of forecasting in DSSs, and the impacts on real-time emergency management are described. The proposed methodology allows for efficient real...

Value chain management for commodities: a case study from the chemical industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kannegiesser, M.; Günther, H.O.; Beek, van P.; Grunow, M.; Habla, C.

2009-01-01

We present a planning model for chemical commodities related to an industry case. Commodities are standard chemicals characterized by sales and supply volatility in volume and value. Increasing and volatile prices of crude oil-dependent raw materials require coordination of sales and supply

Detecting Anti Ad-blockers in the Wild

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mughees Muhammad Haris

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The rise of ad-blockers is viewed as an economic threat by online publishers who primarily rely on online advertising to monetize their services. To address this threat, publishers have started to retaliate by employing anti ad-blockers, which scout for ad-block users and react to them by pushing users to whitelist the website or disable ad-blockers altogether. The clash between ad-blockers and anti ad-blockers has resulted in a new arms race on the Web. In this paper, we present an automated machine learning based approach to identify anti ad-blockers that detect and react to ad-block users. The approach is promising with precision of 94.8% and recall of 93.1%. Our automated approach allows us to conduct a large-scale measurement study of anti ad-blockers on Alexa top-100K websites. We identify 686 websites that make visible changes to their page content in response to ad-block detection. We characterize the spectrum of different strategies used by anti ad-blockers. We find that a majority of publishers use fairly simple first-party anti ad-block scripts. However, we also note the use of third-party anti ad-block services that use more sophisticated tactics to detect and respond to ad-blockers.

Ecotoxicological assessments and the setting of limit values for chemicals in the environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-11-01

The Committee on the Setting of Limit Values for Chemicals held its first open conference in Denmark in March 1992 at Mogenstrup Kro, Zealand. The conference proceedings were entitled `Risk Management and Risk Assessment in Different Sectors in Denmark`. The conference focused on risk assessment and the setting of limit values for chemicals in connection with human exposure to chemicals. The conference held in January 1996, which is covered by the present proceedings, dealt with the exposure of the environment to chemicals and the state-of-the-art as well as perspectives of ecotoxicological research. Special emphasis was placed on the illustration and discussion of the problems that have to be solved in order to secure satisfactory levels of protection of soil and aquatic environments in connection with exposure to chemicals. Also, problems connected with exposure through the atmosphere were discussed and exemplified by the work on the setting of limit values for tropospheric ozone. Furthermore, the global problems pertaining to what is believed to be the greenhouse effect and the degradation of the stratospheric ozone layer as well as the damage to crops caused by ozone were mentioned. (au)

Value chain management for commodities: a case study from the chemical industry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kannegiesser, M.; Gunther, H.O.; van Beek, P.

2009-01-01

decisions by volume and value throughout the value chain to ensure profitability. Contract and spot demand differentiation with volatile and uncertain spot prices, spot sales quantity flexibility, spot sales price-quantity functions and variable raw material consumption rates in production are problem...... quantity, price and supply decisions throughout the value chain. A two-phase optimization approach supports robust planning ensuring minimum profitability even in case of worst-case spot sales price scenarios. Model evaluations with industry case data demonstrate the impact of elasticities, variable raw......We present a planning model for chemical commodities related to an industry case. Commodities are standard chemicals characterized by sales and supply volatility in volume and value. Increasing and volatile prices of crude oil-dependent raw materials require coordination of sales and supply...

Cyanobacteria as a Platform for the High-Value Chemicals Production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wlodarczyk, Artur Jacek

and cheap fertilizer as a medium for the cultivation of engineered cyanobacterial strains is shown. Alternative strategy to engineer Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 as a universal platform for the sustainable production of diverse range high-value phenylpropanoids which find use as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics......Emerging problems like increasing global warming and depletion of fossil fuels bring serious concerns regarding production of food and various chemicals in the future. Clearly, there is a need for finding alternative and more sustainable ways of producing chemicals in order to satisfy increasing...... consumer demands of an ever growing population. Considering the ability to convert solar energy and carbon dioxide into biomass, cyanobacteria and microalgae have potential for becoming such alternative in the future. Biosynthesis of a great number of plant high-value secondary metabolites requires...

A Comparison between Value-Added School Estimates and Currently Used Metrics of School Accountability in California

Science.gov (United States)

Fagioli, Loris P.

2014-01-01

This study compared a value-added approach to school accountability to the currently used metrics of accountability in California of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and Academic Performance Index (API). Five-year student panel data (N?=?53,733) from 29 elementary schools in a large California school district were used to address the research…

Analytical study on holographic superfluid in AdS soliton background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lai, Chuyu; Pan, Qiyuan; Jing, Jiliang; Wang, Yongjiu

2016-01-01

We analytically study the holographic superfluid phase transition in the AdS soliton background by using the variational method for the Sturm–Liouville eigenvalue problem. By investigating the holographic s-wave and p-wave superfluid models in the probe limit, we observe that the spatial component of the gauge field will hinder the phase transition. Moreover, we note that, different from the AdS black hole spacetime, in the AdS soliton background the holographic superfluid phase transition always belongs to the second order and the critical exponent of the system takes the mean-field value in both s-wave and p-wave models. Our analytical results are found to be in good agreement with the numerical findings.

Integration and relative value of biomarkers for prediction of MCI to AD progression: Spatial patterns of brain atrophy, cognitive scores, APOE genotype and CSF biomarkers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiao Da

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This study evaluates the individual, as well as relative and joint value of indices obtained from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI patterns of brain atrophy (quantified by the SPARE-AD index, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF biomarkers, APOE genotype, and cognitive performance (ADAS-Cog in progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI to Alzheimer's disease (AD within a variable follow-up period up to 6 years, using data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative-1 (ADNI-1. SPARE-AD was first established as a highly sensitive and specific MRI-marker of AD vs. cognitively normal (CN subjects (AUC = 0.98. Baseline predictive values of all aforementioned indices were then compared using survival analysis on 381 MCI subjects. SPARE-AD and ADAS-Cog were found to have similar predictive value, and their combination was significantly better than their individual performance. APOE genotype did not significantly improve prediction, although the combination of SPARE-AD, ADAS-Cog and APOE ε4 provided the highest hazard ratio estimates of 17.8 (last vs. first quartile. In a subset of 192 MCI patients who also had CSF biomarkers, the addition of Aβ1–42, t-tau, and p-tau181p to the previous model did not improve predictive value significantly over SPARE-AD and ADAS-Cog combined. Importantly, in amyloid-negative patients with MCI, SPARE-AD had high predictive power of clinical progression. Our findings suggest that SPARE-AD and ADAS-Cog in combination offer the highest predictive power of conversion from MCI to AD, which is improved, albeit not significantly, by APOE genotype. The finding that SPARE-AD in amyloid-negative MCI patients was predictive of clinical progression is not expected under the amyloid hypothesis and merits further investigation.

Chemical composition and nutritive value of irrigated tall fescue ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Chemical composition and nutritive value of irrigated tall fescue pasture for dairy cows. TJ Dugmore, KP Walsh, Sally J. Morning, CI MacDonald. Abstract. No Abstract. Full Text: EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT · AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO ...

Tomosynthesis of the thoracic spine: added value in diagnosing vertebral fractures in the elderly

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Geijer, Mats [Oerebro University, Department of Radiology, Oerebro (Sweden); Lund University, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund (Sweden); Gunnlaugsson, Eirikur; Goetestrand, Simon [Lund University and Skaane University Hospital, Department of Medical Imaging and Physiology, Lund (Sweden); Weber, Lars [Lund University, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund (Sweden); Skaane University Hospital, Department of Radiation Physics, Lund (Sweden); Geijer, Haakan [Oerebro University, Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Oerebro (Sweden)

2017-02-15

Thoracic spine radiography becomes more difficult with age. Tomosynthesis is a low-dose tomographic extension of radiography which may facilitate thoracic spine evaluation. This study assessed the added value of tomosynthesis in imaging of the thoracic spine in the elderly. Four observers compared the image quality of 50 consecutive thoracic spine radiography and tomosynthesis data sets from 48 patients (median age 67 years, range 55-92 years) on a number of image quality criteria. Observer variation was determined by free-marginal multirater kappa. The conversion factor and effective dose were determined from the dose-area product values. For all observers significantly more vertebrae were seen with tomosynthesis than with radiography (mean 12.4/9.3, P < 0.001) as well as significantly more fractures (mean 0.9/0.7, P = 0.017). The image quality score for tomosynthesis was significantly higher than for radiography, for all evaluated structures. Tomosynthesis took longer to evaluate than radiography. Despite this, all observers scored a clear preference for tomosynthesis. Observer agreement was substantial (mean κ = 0.73, range 0.51-0.94). The calibration or conversion factor was 0.11 mSv/(Gy cm{sup 2}) for the combined examination. The resulting effective dose was 0.87 mSv. Tomosynthesis can increase the detection rate of thoracic vertebral fractures in the elderly, at low added radiation dose. (orig.)

Tomosynthesis of the thoracic spine: added value in diagnosing vertebral fractures in the elderly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geijer, Mats; Gunnlaugsson, Eirikur; Goetestrand, Simon; Weber, Lars; Geijer, Haakan

2017-01-01

Thoracic spine radiography becomes more difficult with age. Tomosynthesis is a low-dose tomographic extension of radiography which may facilitate thoracic spine evaluation. This study assessed the added value of tomosynthesis in imaging of the thoracic spine in the elderly. Four observers compared the image quality of 50 consecutive thoracic spine radiography and tomosynthesis data sets from 48 patients (median age 67 years, range 55-92 years) on a number of image quality criteria. Observer variation was determined by free-marginal multirater kappa. The conversion factor and effective dose were determined from the dose-area product values. For all observers significantly more vertebrae were seen with tomosynthesis than with radiography (mean 12.4/9.3, P < 0.001) as well as significantly more fractures (mean 0.9/0.7, P = 0.017). The image quality score for tomosynthesis was significantly higher than for radiography, for all evaluated structures. Tomosynthesis took longer to evaluate than radiography. Despite this, all observers scored a clear preference for tomosynthesis. Observer agreement was substantial (mean κ = 0.73, range 0.51-0.94). The calibration or conversion factor was 0.11 mSv/(Gy cm 2 ) for the combined examination. The resulting effective dose was 0.87 mSv. Tomosynthesis can increase the detection rate of thoracic vertebral fractures in the elderly, at low added radiation dose. (orig.)

Cross-national validation of prognostic models predicting sickness absence and the added value of work environment variables.

Science.gov (United States)

Roelen, Corné A M; Stapelfeldt, Christina M; Heymans, Martijn W; van Rhenen, Willem; Labriola, Merete; Nielsen, Claus V; Bültmann, Ute; Jensen, Chris

2015-06-01

To validate Dutch prognostic models including age, self-rated health and prior sickness absence (SA) for ability to predict high SA in Danish eldercare. The added value of work environment variables to the models' risk discrimination was also investigated. 2,562 municipal eldercare workers (95% women) participated in the Working in Eldercare Survey. Predictor variables were measured by questionnaire at baseline in 2005. Prognostic models were validated for predictions of high (≥30) SA days and high (≥3) SA episodes retrieved from employer records during 1-year follow-up. The accuracy of predictions was assessed by calibration graphs and the ability of the models to discriminate between high- and low-risk workers was investigated by ROC-analysis. The added value of work environment variables was measured with Integrated Discrimination Improvement (IDI). 1,930 workers had complete data for analysis. The models underestimated the risk of high SA in eldercare workers and the SA episodes model had to be re-calibrated to the Danish data. Discrimination was practically useful for the re-calibrated SA episodes model, but not the SA days model. Physical workload improved the SA days model (IDI = 0.40; 95% CI 0.19-0.60) and psychosocial work factors, particularly the quality of leadership (IDI = 0.70; 95% CI 053-0.86) improved the SA episodes model. The prognostic model predicting high SA days showed poor performance even after physical workload was added. The prognostic model predicting high SA episodes could be used to identify high-risk workers, especially when psychosocial work factors are added as predictor variables.

Cross-National Validation of Prognostic Models Predicting Sickness Absence and the Added Value of Work Environment Variables

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roelen, Corne A. M.; Stapelfeldt, Christina M.; Heymans, Martijn W.; van Rhenen, Willem; Labriola, Merete; Nielsen, Claus V.; Bultmann, Ute; Jensen, Chris

Purpose To validate Dutch prognostic models including age, self-rated health and prior sickness absence (SA) for ability to predict high SA in Danish eldercare. The added value of work environment variables to the models' risk discrimination was also investigated. Methods 2,562 municipal eldercare

Cross-National Validation of Prognostic Models Predicting Sickness Absence and the Added Value of Work Environment Variables

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roelen, C.A.M.; Stapelfeldt, C.M.; Heijmans, M.W.; van Rhenen, W.; Labriola, M.; Nielsen, C.V.; Bultmann, U.; Jensen, C.

2015-01-01

Purpose To validate Dutch prognostic models including age, self-rated health and prior sickness absence (SA) for ability to predict high SA in Danish eldercare. The added value of work environment variables to the models’ risk discrimination was also investigated. Methods 2,562 municipal eldercare

Institutional Entrepreneurship and CSR within international SME’s : the added value for SMEs of employee-oriented CSR in foreign subsidiaries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Jong, Dirk Johan; de Graaf, Frank Jan

2011-01-01

This paper develops propositions on the added value of normatively-based, employee-oriented corporate social responsibility, specifically on the issue whether an individual owner-manager can add value within a foreign subsidiary by means of normatively-based, employee-oriented CSR. We suggest that

arXiv Top Quark Mass Measurements at the LHC

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(INSPIRE)INSPIRE-00220136

2016-01-01

The top quark mass ($m_{top}$) is a fundamental parameter of the Standard Model of Particle Physics (SM). As the heaviest of all SM particles with a mass close to the electroweak symmetry-breaking scale, the top quark plays a pivotal role in the theory of elementary particles. The exact value of the top quark mass has implications on a number of theoretical predictions, which motivates the need for precision measurements of $m_{top}$. This document highlights a number of such measurements carried out by the ATLAS and CMS collaborations based on the combined LHC Run 1 datasets at centre-of-mass energies of $\\sqrt{s}=7$ and $8$ TeV. A wide range of analysis strategies are employed for a number of final-state signatures. Measurements of both the top quark pole mass as well as the value of $m_{top}$ as defined by the Monte Carlo generator in simulated signal samples are discussed.

Value-Added Products Derived from Waste Activated Sludge: A Biorefinery Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Zhang

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Substantial research has been carried out on sustainable waste activated sludge (WAS management in the last decade. In addition to the traditional approach to reduce its production volume, considering WAS as a feedstock to produce bio-products such as amino acids, proteins, short chain fatty acids, enzymes, bio-pesticides, bio-plastics, bio-flocculants and bio-surfactants represents a key component in the transformation of wastewater treatment plants into biorefineries. The quality of these bio-products is a key factor with respect to the feasibility of non-conventional WAS-based production processes. This review provides a critical assessment of the production process routes of a wide range of value-added products from WAS, their current limitations, and recommendations for future research to help promote more sustainable management of this under-utilised and ever-growing waste stream.

Predicting Teacher Value-Added Results in Non-Tested Subjects Based on Confounding Variables: A Multinomial Logistic Regression

Science.gov (United States)

Street, Nathan Lee

2017-01-01

Teacher value-added measures (VAM) are designed to provide information regarding teachers' causal impact on the academic growth of students while controlling for exogenous variables. While some researchers contend VAMs successfully and authentically measure teacher causality on learning, others suggest VAMs cannot adequately control for exogenous…

The added value of a gaming context and intelligent adaptation for a mobile application for vocabulary learning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sandberg, J.; Maris, M.; Hoogendoorn, P.

2014-01-01

Two groups participated in a study on the added value of a gaming context and intelligent adaptation for a mobile learning application. The control group worked at home for a fortnight with the original Mobile English Learning application (MEL-original) developed in a previous project. The

The added value of assessing the 'most troublesome' symptom among patients with cancer in the palliative phase.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoekstra, J.; Vernooij-Dassen, M.J.F.J.; Vos, R.; Bindels, P.J.

2007-01-01

OBJECTIVE: In this study among patients with cancer in the palliative phase, we analysed whether assessing the symptom, which is causing the most trouble in the patient's every day life ('most troublesome' symptom) had added value apart from the presence and severity of symptoms, which are most

The added value of assessing the 'most troublesome' symptom among patients with cancer in the palliative phase

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoekstra, Johanna; Vernooij-Dassen, Myrra J. F. J.; de Vos, Rien; Bindels, Patrick J. E.

2007-01-01

OBJECTIVE: In this study among patients with cancer in the palliative phase, we analysed whether assessing the symptom, which is causing the most trouble in the patient's every day life ('most troublesome' symptom) had added value apart from the presence and severity of symptoms, which are most

Relational Resources in Value Adding Webs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gretzinger, Susanne; Royer, Susanne

2014-01-01

The fact that the main source of value creation is rooted within networks raises the question of the impact of social capital on relational rents. The main objectives of this paper therefore are to investigate how value creation on the relational level of a cluster can be systematised to come to ...... the high value of informal cluster structures. The paper develops implications for the cluster firms as well as the cluster management in its role as a broker and a moderator....

Bioconversion of garden waste, kitchen waste and cow dung into value-added products using earthworm Eisenia fetida.

Science.gov (United States)

Wani, K A; Mamta; Rao, R J

2013-04-01

Solid waste management is a worldwide problem and it is becoming more and more complicated day by day due to rise in population, industrialization and changes in our life style. Transformation of industrial sludges into vermicompost is of double interest: on the one hand, a waste is converted into value added product, and, on the other, it controls a pollutant that is a consequence of increasing industrialization. Garden waste, kitchen waste and cow dung were subjected to recycle through vermicomposting by using the epigeic earthworm Eisenia fetida under field conditions. The pH, moisture content, total organic carbon, humus, nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium in vermicompost was analysed. It was found that moisture content, total organic carbon, humus, nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium was high in cow dung, followed by kitchen waste and garden waste. This study clearly indicates that vermicomposting of garden waste, kitchen waste and cow dung can not only produce a value added produce (vermicomposting) but at the same time reduce the quantity of waste.

Valorization of a repository in an added value project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Hove, E.

2004-01-01

Professor of Sociology (retired), spoke of the valorization of a repository in an added value project. He pointed out that though local stakeholders may lack technical expertise, they consider their personal interests very carefully and projects affecting such interests are taken quite personally. This provides caution but also opportunity for such projects to be conducted in ways that can help, though not guarantee, better acceptance by local stakeholders. Professor Van Hove mentioned three attributes. First, while engineering projects tend to be thought of as mono-functional (e.g. dispose of waste), building flexibility into the project to reflect the interests of the local stakeholders can measurably improve Stakeholder satisfaction. What the implementer may see as a single-purpose project may indeed provide additional, desirable capabilities to a creative local population. Second, while engineering projects, particularly waste management projects are often designed and built in uninteresting, utilitarian ways, a more creative design and implementation can add a sense of enjoyment and pride on the part of the local stakeholders. And third, while engineering projects are often conducted a manner closed to their environment, a more transparent, inclusive process may draw local stakeholders more intimately into the project. All of these features can help by providing inviting borders, by valuing the beauty and aesthetic dimension of the project and by building the project so that it has an appropriate place in the memory of society. Professor Van Hove emphasised that people show great ingenuity in adapting uses and functions beyond those originally intended. The extent to which local stakeholders can help provide the vision and then the reality of such waste management projects can significantly improve their sense of ownership of the project and their ultimate acceptance. (author)

Top Yukawa deviation in extra dimension

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haba, Naoyuki; Oda, Kin-ya; Takahashi, Ryo

2009-01-01

We suggest a simple one-Higgs-doublet model living in the bulk of five-dimensional spacetime compactified on S 1 /Z 2 , in which the top Yukawa coupling can be smaller than the naive standard-model expectation, i.e. the top quark mass divided by the Higgs vacuum expectation value. If we find only single Higgs particle at the LHC and also observe the top Yukawa deviation, our scenario becomes a realistic candidate beyond the standard model. The Yukawa deviation comes from the fact that the wave function profile of the free physical Higgs field can become different from that of the vacuum expectation value, due to the presence of the brane-localized Higgs potentials. In the Brane-Localized Fermion scenario, we find sizable top Yukawa deviation, which could be checked at the LHC experiment, with a dominant Higgs production channel being the WW fusion. We also study the Bulk Fermion scenario with brane-localized Higgs potential, which resembles the Universal Extra Dimension model with a stable dark matter candidate. We show that both scenarios are consistent with the current electroweak precision measurements.

PREFACE: 5th International Workshop on Top Quark Physics (TOP2012)

Science.gov (United States)

Salamanna, G.; Boisvert, V.; Cerrito, L.; Khan, A.; Moretti, S.; Owen, M.; Schwanenberger, C.

2013-07-01

resonances in the boosted top regime were also provided. Finally, a set of dedicated talks on the interplay between the top sector and other hot subjects, like the Higgs and SUSY, were given both at the theory and experimental level. Furthermore, ad hoc student sessions were organized to allow younger colleagues to pose questions to the senior experts in the field and contribute with their more recent studies. The conference has been a definitive success, not just scientifically: about 130 participants from all over the world created a collegiate spirit which culminated in the social events at Winchester Hall below King Arthur's table; and in a cosy 16th century barn for the social dinner. The Local Organizing Committee would like to thank all participants, and in particular the speakers, for their high level contributions to TOP 2012 and for making this a very fruitful and pleasant time together. We conclude by wishing the Organizing Committee of TOP 2013 all the best for a successful conference. We look forward to seeing everyone in Germany in 2013. Giuseppe Salamanna Local Organizing Committee London, June 2013 Local Organising Committee Veronique Boisvert (Chair, Royal Holloway, University of London) Lucio Cerrito (Queen Mary, University of London) Akram Khan (Brunel University, London) Stefano Moretti (University of Southampton) Mark Owen (University of Manchester) Giuseppe Salamanna (Queen Mary, University of London) Christian Schwanenberger (University of Manchester) International Advisory Committee Roberto Tenchini (INFN, Pisa) Martine Bosman (IFAE, Barcelona) Michelangelo Mangano (CERN) Scott Willenbrock (University of Illinois, Urbana) Werner Bernreuther (RWTH, Aachen) Jorgen D'Hondt (VUB, Brussels) Antonio Onofre (LIP, University Minho) Fabio Maltoni (UCL, Louvain) Eric Laenen (NIKHEF) Fabrizio Margaroli (INFN, Roma 1) Juan Antonio Aguilar Saavedra (University of Granada) Yvonne Peters (University of Manchester) Roberto Chierici (CERN) Markus Cristinziani

Added value of one-view breast tomosynthesis combined with digital mammography according to reader experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomassin-Naggara, Isabelle; Perrot, Nicolas; Dechoux, Sophie; Ribeiro, Carine; Chopier, Jocelyne; Bazelaire, Cedric de

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Breast tomosynthesis improves diagnostic performance especially for radiologists with lower experience in mammography. • Adding only one-view digital breast tomosynthesis to mammography improves the cancer detection rate. • Breast tomosynthesis is mainly useful for helping radiologists to detect architectural distortion. - Abstract: Purpose: To retrospectively evaluate the added value of one-view breast tomosynthesis in adjunct with mammography to characterize breast lesions. Materials and methods: Our institutional ethics committees approved the study and granted a waiver of informed consent. One hundred fifty-five women (mean age, 51.3 years, range: 24–92 years) who systematically underwent mammography and breast tomosynthesis with subsequent percutaneous biopsy were analyzed. Four radiologists (two seniors, R1 and R2, and two juniors, R3 and R4 with 30, 10, 3 and 1 years of experience in breast imaging, respectively) independently reviewed exams in two steps: mammography alone and tomosynthesis in adjunct with mammography. The lesions in the cohort included 39.3% (61/155) cancers, 2.5% (4/155) high-risk lesions and 58.1% (90/155) benign lesions. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to compare the results of the two readings. Results: There was almost perfect agreement irrespective of reader experience for the reading of the mammography in adjunct with tomosynthesis, whereas agreement was poor between junior and senior readers for the reading of mammography alone. Area under the ROC (Az) values for the tomosynthesis in adjunct with mammography were significantly better than Az values for mammography alone for all readers except the most experienced, for whom only a tendency was noted. The proportion of cancers undiagnosed by mammography alone that were well diagnosed by tomosynthesis in adjunct with mammography was 6.5% (4/61), 13.1% (8/61), 27.8% (17/61) and 26.2% (16/61) for Readers 1, 2, 3 and 4

Added value of one-view breast tomosynthesis combined with digital mammography according to reader experience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thomassin-Naggara, Isabelle, E-mail: isabelle.thomassin@tnn.aphp.fr [Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, IUC, 75005 Paris (France); INSERM, UMR970, Equipe 2, Imagerie de l’angiogenèse, 75005 Paris (France); AP-HP, Hôpital Tenon, Department of Radiology, 4 rue de la Chine, 75020 Paris (France); Perrot, Nicolas [AP-HP, Hôpital Tenon, Department of Radiology, 4 rue de la Chine, 75020 Paris (France); Centre Pyramides, Paris (France); Dechoux, Sophie [Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, IUC, 75005 Paris (France); AP-HP, Hôpital Tenon, Department of Radiology, 4 rue de la Chine, 75020 Paris (France); Ribeiro, Carine [Centre Pyramides, Paris (France); Chopier, Jocelyne [AP-HP, Hôpital Tenon, Department of Radiology, 4 rue de la Chine, 75020 Paris (France); Bazelaire, Cedric de [APHP, Department of Radiology, Hôpital Saint Louis, 75010 Paris (France)

2015-02-15

Highlights: • Breast tomosynthesis improves diagnostic performance especially for radiologists with lower experience in mammography. • Adding only one-view digital breast tomosynthesis to mammography improves the cancer detection rate. • Breast tomosynthesis is mainly useful for helping radiologists to detect architectural distortion. - Abstract: Purpose: To retrospectively evaluate the added value of one-view breast tomosynthesis in adjunct with mammography to characterize breast lesions. Materials and methods: Our institutional ethics committees approved the study and granted a waiver of informed consent. One hundred fifty-five women (mean age, 51.3 years, range: 24–92 years) who systematically underwent mammography and breast tomosynthesis with subsequent percutaneous biopsy were analyzed. Four radiologists (two seniors, R1 and R2, and two juniors, R3 and R4 with 30, 10, 3 and 1 years of experience in breast imaging, respectively) independently reviewed exams in two steps: mammography alone and tomosynthesis in adjunct with mammography. The lesions in the cohort included 39.3% (61/155) cancers, 2.5% (4/155) high-risk lesions and 58.1% (90/155) benign lesions. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to compare the results of the two readings. Results: There was almost perfect agreement irrespective of reader experience for the reading of the mammography in adjunct with tomosynthesis, whereas agreement was poor between junior and senior readers for the reading of mammography alone. Area under the ROC (Az) values for the tomosynthesis in adjunct with mammography were significantly better than Az values for mammography alone for all readers except the most experienced, for whom only a tendency was noted. The proportion of cancers undiagnosed by mammography alone that were well diagnosed by tomosynthesis in adjunct with mammography was 6.5% (4/61), 13.1% (8/61), 27.8% (17/61) and 26.2% (16/61) for Readers 1, 2, 3 and 4

Lignocellulose: A sustainable material to produce value-added products with a zero waste approach-A review.

Science.gov (United States)

Arevalo-Gallegos, Alejandra; Ahmad, Zanib; Asgher, Muhammad; Parra-Saldivar, Roberto; Iqbal, Hafiz M N

2017-06-01

A novel facility from the green technologies to integrate biomass-based carbohydrates, lignin, oils and other materials extraction and transformation into a wider spectrum of marketable and value-added products with a zero waste approach is reviewed. With ever-increasing scientific knowledge, worldwide economic and environmental consciousness, demands of legislative authorities and the manufacture, use, and removal of petrochemical-based by-products, from the last decade, there has been increasing research interests in the value or revalue of lignocellulose-based materials. The potential characteristics like natural abundance, renewability, recyclability, and ease of accessibility all around the year, around the globe, all makes residual biomass as an eco-attractive and petro-alternative candidate. In this context, many significant research efforts have been taken into account to change/replace petroleum-based economy into a bio-based economy, with an aim to develop a comprehensively sustainable, socially acceptable, and eco-friendly society. The present review work mainly focuses on various aspects of bio-refinery as a sustainable technology to process lignocellulose 'materials' into value-added products. Innovations in the bio-refinery world are providing, a portfolio of sustainable and eco-efficient products to compete in the market presently dominated by the petroleum-based products, and therefore, it is currently a subject of intensive research. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

16 CFR 460.18 - Insulation ads.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION TRADE REGULATION RULES LABELING AND ADVERTISING OF HOME INSULATION § 460.18 Insulation ads. (a) If your ad gives an R-value, you must give the type of insulation and... your ad gives a price, you must give the type of insulation, the R-value at a specific thickness, the...

Nutritional composition of Chickpea (Cicerarietinum-L and value added products - a review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Harsha Hirdyani

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L. is an important pulse crop grown and consumed all over the world, especially in the Afro-Asian countries. It is a good source of carbohydrates and protein, and the protein quality is considered to be better than other pulses. Chickpea has significant amounts of all the essential amino acids. Starch is the major storage carbohydrate followed by dietary fibre, lipids are present in low amounts but chickpea is rich in nutritionally important unsaturated fatty acids like linoleic and oleic acid.It can be utilized to develop nutritious value added products and hence products can also be used as nutritious food for low income group in developing countries and for patients suffering with life style diseases.

The AdS3 central charge in string theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Troost, Jan

2011-01-01

We evaluate the vacuum expectation value of the central charge operator in string theory in an AdS 3 vacuum. Our calculation provides a rare non-zero one-point function on a spherical worldsheet. The evaluation involves the regularization both of a worldsheet ultraviolet divergence (associated to the infinite volume of the conformal Killing group), and a space-time infrared divergence (corresponding to the infinite volume of space-time). The two divergences conspire to give a finite result, which is the classical general relativity value for the central charge, corrected in bosonic string theory by an infinite series of tree level higher derivative terms.

THE VARIATION OF SOME BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS FROM FRESH COW CHEESE CREAM TYPE WITH ADDED AROMATIC PLANTS

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CRISTIANA DIACONESCU

2007-10-01

Full Text Available Recent advanced studies in the field of cheese fabrication technology include, amongother, the usage of aromatic plants and spices as a mean of improving theorganoleptic properties and as a mean of decreasing the lipidic peroxidationphenomenon. For this purpose, three types of fresh cow cheese produced by S.C.Marion Invest Trade 94 SRL, experimentally added with dill, savory and rosemary,were comparatively studied from a chemical point of view (pH, acidity, humidity, ashand a biochemical point of view(raw fat, total proteins, total cholesterol, acidphosphatase’s enzymatic activity, superoxide dismutase’s enzymatic activity, calciumcontent.From a chemical point of view, no significant differences appeared between the creamcheese types analyzed, excepting the pH( lower in the cheeses with dill and rosemaryFrom a biochemical point of view, two phenomenon can be observed: a significantdecrease of the acidic phosphatase activity in the cheeses with added dill androsemary ( positively correlating with the pH value and decreased values of the SODactivity in all cheese types.

Adding value through social media : case Autokiila

OpenAIRE

Terinkoski, Topias

2012-01-01

Social media has reached wide popularity among people during its short history. It has even displaced forms of traditional media like TV in people’s daily time consumption. Social media has given voice to consumers who are very eager to share their experiences with others. This has created a whole new problem for companies. Companies don’t master customers with ad-vertisements any more but experiences of other consumers have become important aspect on purchase decision-making. Free-flowin...

Vacuum currents in braneworlds on AdS bulk with compact dimensions

Science.gov (United States)

Bellucci, S.; Saharian, A. A.; Vardanyan, V.

2015-11-01

The two-point function and the vacuum expectation value (VEV) of the current density are investigated for a massive charged scalar field with arbitrary curvature coupling in the geometry of a brane on the background of AdS spacetime with partial toroidal compactification. The presence of a gauge field flux, enclosed by compact dimensions, is assumed. On the brane the field obeys Robin boundary condition and along compact dimensions periodicity conditions with general phases are imposed. There is a range in the space of the values for the coefficient in the boundary condition where the Poincaré vacuum is unstable. This range depends on the location of the brane and is different for the regions between the brane and AdS boundary and between the brane and the horizon. In models with compact dimensions the stability condition is less restrictive than that for the AdS bulk with trivial topology. The vacuum charge density and the components of the current along non-compact dimensions vanish. The VEV of the current density along compact dimensions is a periodic function of the gauge field flux with the period equal to the flux quantum. It is decomposed into the boundary-free and brane-induced contributions. The asymptotic behavior of the latter is investigated near the brane, near the AdS boundary and near the horizon. It is shown that, in contrast to the VEVs of the field squared an denergy-momentum tensor, the current density is finite on the brane and vanishes for the special case of Dirichlet boundary condition. Both the boundary-free and brane-induced contributions vanish on the AdS boundary. The brane-induced contribution vanishes on the horizon and for points near the horizon the current is dominated by the boundary-free part. In the near-horizon limit, the latter is connected to the corresponding quantity for a massless field in the Minkowski bulk by a simple conformal relation. Depending on the value of the Robin coefficient, the presence of the brane can either

Chemicals to enhance microalgal growth and accumulation of high-value bioproducts

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