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Main Motivation (main + motivation)
Selected AbstractsClosed-form Blending of Local SymmetriesCOMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 5 2010Deboshmita Ghosh Abstract We present a closed-form solution for the symmetrization problem, solving for the optimal deformation that reconciles a set of local bilateral symmetries. Given as input a set of point-pairs which should be symmetric, we first compute for each local neighborhood a transformation which would produce an approximate bilateral symmetry. We then solve for a single global symmetry which includes all of these local symmetries, while minimizing the deformation within each local neighborhood. Our main motivation is the symmetrization of digitized fossils, which are often deformed by a combination of compression and bending. In addition, we use the technique to symmetrize articulated models. [source] Tourism flows between India and SingaporeINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TOURISM RESEARCH, Issue 5 2003Faizal Yahya The tourism industry has become increasingly important as a source of revenue and employment for countries in Southeast Asia. Within the Southeast Asian region, intraregional travel has also seen an upsurge since the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997. More attention is also being paid to attract other Asian tourists from China, India, Japan and South Korea to the region. Competition to be tourism hubs in the region has seen countries such as Singapore developing an array of incentives to entice inbound foreign tourists to its shores. The aim of this paper is to examine the growing importance of India as a source of inbound tourists for countries in Southeast Asia and in particular Singapore. India is an apt case study because of its long historical and cultural links with the region. Another main motivation for examining inbound tourists from India is India's engagement with the Southeast Asian region through its ,Look East' policy. Following from its economic reforms and liberalisation of 1991, India has sought to strengthen economic links with ASEAN member states through a range of economic sectors including tourism. The 1991 Indian economic liberalisation has also created an upsurge of Indian business travellers who are exploring investment and business opportunities in the Southeast Asian region. With India's economic liberalisation of 1991, an expanding middle class has come to view foreign travel as a necessity. In turn, ASEAN member states, such as Singapore in particular, which is heavily dependent on its services sector, including tourism, for revenue, have chosen to regionalise its tourism operations by collaborating and investing in projects in India to woo more Indian tourists. Competition in the tourism sector among ASEAN countries has increased the urgency for Singapore to reinvent itself to attract foreign tourists and implement a number of initiatives to maintain its share of the tourism market. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Using data augmentation to correct for non-ignorable non-response when surrogate data are available: an application to the distribution of hourly payJOURNAL OF THE ROYAL STATISTICAL SOCIETY: SERIES A (STATISTICS IN SOCIETY), Issue 3 2006Gabriele B. Durrant Summary., The paper develops a data augmentation method to estimate the distribution function of a variable, which is partially observed, under a non-ignorable missing data mechanism, and where surrogate data are available. An application to the estimation of hourly pay distributions using UK Labour Force Survey data provides the main motivation. In addition to considering a standard parametric data augmentation method, we consider the use of hot deck imputation methods as part of the data augmentation procedure to improve the robustness of the method. The method proposed is compared with standard methods that are based on an ignorable missing data mechanism, both in a simulation study and in the Labour Force Survey application. The focus is on reducing bias in point estimation, but variance estimation using multiple imputation is also considered briefly. [source] Comparison of the degradability of poly(lactide) packages in composting and ambient exposure conditionsPACKAGING TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE, Issue 1 2007Gaurav Kale Abstract The adoption of biodegradable polymeric materials is increasing in food and consumer goods packaging applications, due to concerns about the disposal of petroleum-based polymers and the increasing cost of petroleum-based polymer resins. Currently, poly(lactide) (PLA) polymers are the biggest commercially available bio-based polymeric packaging materials. As the main motivation for adopting biopolymers is environmental, there is a need to address the degradability and environmental performance of biodegradable packages. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the degradation of two commercially available biodegradable packages made of PLA under real compost conditions and under ambient exposure, using visual inspection, gel permeation chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetric analysis. A novel technique to study and track the degradability of these packages under real compost conditions was used. Both packages were subjected to composting and ambient exposure conditions for 30 days, and the degradation of the physical properties was measured at 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 15 and 30 days. PLA bottles made of 96% l -lactide exhibited lower degradation than PLA delicatessen (,deli') containers made of 94% l -lactide, mainly due to their highly ordered structure and, therefore, their higher crystallinity. The degradation rate changed as the initial crystallinity and the l -lactide content of the packages varied. Temperature, relative humidity and pH of the compost pile played an important role in the rate of degradation of the packages. First-order degradation kinetics and linear degradation trends were observed for both packages subjected to composting conditions. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Hitting time of large subsets of the hypercubeRANDOM STRUCTURES AND ALGORITHMS, Issue 2 2008erný Abstract We study the simple random walk on the n -dimensional hypercube, in particular its hitting times of large (possibly random) sets. We give simple conditions on these sets ensuring that the properly rescaled hitting time is asymptotically exponentially distributed, uniformly in the starting position of the walk. These conditions are then verified for percolation clouds with densities that are much smaller than (n log n) -1. A main motivation behind this article is the study of the so-called aging phenomenon in the Random Energy Model, the simplest model of a mean-field spin glass. Our results allow us to prove aging in the REM for all temperatures, thereby extending earlier results to their optimal temperature domain. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 2008 [source] Will Basel II Lead to a Specialization of Unsophisticated Banks on High-Risk Borrowers?,INTERNATIONAL FINANCE, Issue 1 2005Bertrand Rime The stability of the banking sector is an essential precondition for a well-functioning economy. Enhancing this stability was one of the main motivations for the elaboration of the new capital adequacy framework, Basel II. The present paper examines the impact of Basel II on risk allocation in the banking sector and its implications for bank capital adequacy. Basel II introduces a two-layer framework for the calculation of the capital requirement for credit risk: (i) a very risk-sensitive internal ratings-based (IRB) approach that will be used by large sophisticated banks and (ii) a standardized approach, much less risk sensitive, which will be used by smaller, less sophisticated banks. We show that because the two bank types compete in the loan market, Basel II may induce sophisticated banks to specialize on low-risk borrowers and unsophisticated banks to specialize on high-risk borrowers. As a consequence, we may face a trade-off between the capital adequacy of the two types of banks, with an ambiguous net effect on financial stability: the risk sensitivity of the IRB approach improves the capital adequacy of sophisticated banks, but it deteriorates the capital adequacy of unsophisticated banks, as their increased risk taking is not appropriately reflected by the standardized capital requirement. [source] The Benefits of Banking Mega-Mergers: Event Study Evidence from the 1998 Failed Mega-Merger Attempts in CanadaCANADIAN JOURNAL OF ADMINISTRATIVE SCIENCES, Issue 3 2003Ramon Baltazar We investigate the main benefit(s) of specific banking mega-mergers, and whether or not we can infer the benefit(s) from event study evidence of stock market reactions to the mega-mergers. In addressing these questions, we examine the market's reactions to three announcements surrounding the 1998 failed mega-merger attempts in the Canadian banking industry. From our analysis, we conclude that market power,not scale, scope, or X-eficiency economies, or access to government safety net subsidies,was the primary benefit ascribed by Canadian shareholders to the merger proposals. To the extent that the market's perception of merger benefits is an accurate indicator of the merging partners' motives, we also conclude that an analysis of shareholder reactions to a merger announcement,as undertaken here,is a productive avenue for regulators attempting to discern a particular merger's main motivations. Résumé Dans cette étude, nous examinons les avantages principaux de certaines méga-fusions bancaires. Nous nous demandons s'il est possible d'inférer ces avantages à partir de l'étude des réactions du marché boursier aux méga-fusions. Notre étude s'appuie sur les réactions du marché enregistrées à la suite de trois annonces, en 1998, de tentatives de méga-fusions avortées dans l'industrie bancaire canadienne. Notre analyse débouche sur la conclusion que le pouvoir du marché,et non son échelle, son étendue, l'efficacité de son économie (économies en efficacité X) ou l'accès au filet de sécurité des subventions gouvernementales,est le principal avantage que les actionnaires canadiens évoquent pour justifier les propositions de fusion. La perception des avantages de la fusion étant un indicateur clair des motivations des partenaires de la fusion, nous pensons qu'une analyse des réactions des actionnaires à l'annonce d'une fusion est une piste pertinente dans la détermination des principales raisons qui la sous-tendent. [source] Microreactor Technology: A Revolution for the Fine Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industries?CHEMICAL ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY (CET), Issue 3 2005D. M. Roberge Abstract 50,% of reactions in the fine chemical/pharmaceutical industry could benefit from a continuous process based mainly on microreactor technology. However, the frequent presence of a solid phase still hinders the widespread application of such a technology as a multi-purpose solution. For small scale and pilot productions, speed in process R&D, as well as the avoidance of scale-up issues, are the main drivers. On the other hand, for large scale productions, a gain in yield and safety are the main motivations for the use of micoreactor technology. The gain in yield must be significant in order to cope with the increase in capital expenditure associated with the development of a new technology. [source] | |||||||||||||