Two populations mean-field monomer-dimer model

A two populations mean-field monomer-dimer model including both hard-core and attractive interactions between dimers is considered. The pressure density in the thermodynamic limit is proved to satisfy a three-dimensional variational principle. A detailed analysis is made in the limit in which one population is much smaller than the other and a ferromagnetic mean-field phase transition is found.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figure

Prototyping a new car semi-active suspension by variational feedback controller

New suspension systems electronically controlled are presented and mounted on board of a real car. The system consists of variable semi-active magneto-rheological dampers that are controlled through an electronic unit that is designed on the basis of a new optimal theoretical control, named VFC-Variational Feedback Controller. The system has been mounted on board of a BMW Series 1 car, and a set of experimental tests have been conducted in real driving conditions. The VFC reveals, because of its design strategy, to be able to enhance simultaneously both the comfort performance as well as the handling capability of the car. Preliminary comparisons with several industrially control methods adopted in the automotive field, among them skyhook and groundhook, show excellent results

Combining causal model and focus group discussions experiences learned from a socio-anthropological research on the differing perceptions of caretakers and health professionals on children's health (Bolivia/Peru)

The paper discusses the utility of constructing causal models in focus groups. This was experienced as a complement to an in-depth ethnographic research on the differing perceptions of caretakers and health professionals on child's growth and development in Peru and Bolivia. The rational, advantages, difficulties and necessary adaptations of combining the two techniques are discussed on the basis of concrete examples. Authors conclude that the building of a causal model in a focus group session can be useful in comparing lay etiologies of diseases as perceived by different categories of caretakers and health professionals and in identifying specific health risks faced by children. Causal model building in a focus group can help renew discussions and participants'interest but its use is only justified when the study concerns the perception of the causality of a given phenomenon

Relativism and Tolerance Revisited

This paper reviews arguments concerning the relation between relativism and tolerance, both whether tolerance entails relativism, and whether relativism entails tolerance. Two new arguments are offered to support the contention that there is no necessary relation between relativism and tolerance. In particular, building on the classic argument by Geoffrey Harrison, this paper argues that even if there is no strict dichotomy between facts and values, as Harrison had assumed, relativism still does not entail tolerance for every relativized perspective

The impact of audit quality in companies performance: a comparison between northern and southern Europe

Since the financial crisis, a variety of questions have been raise about Europe’s south and north division. The origin of this big gap between countries is very complex and involves financial, political and social outlooks. In order to answer this debate, the purpose of the present study is to investigate and understand if there is indeed a different audit quality in northern compared to southern European countries, basing the research in ninety listed companies from Finland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, France, Belgium, Italy, Portugal and Spain. The objectives of this investigation consist on examining the effect of auditor size, auditor change, audit fees, auditor opinion and board size, as measures of audit quality and analyze to what extent the five measures can reveal different results between the two European regions. The conclusions show that board size is rejected and do not represent an explanatory variable for audit quality. Audit size, audit opinion and auditor change have a statistical significant relation with just one of the measures of financial performance and profitability, which present a limitation, because it only dependents on the choice of the precise indicator. Audit fees is the most significant variable to explain the audit measure of the research model. Reinforcing the importance of audit fees in order to explain audit quality. Furthermore, by comparing the north and south region, it is possible to conclude that audit fees and board size present different results depending on the region.Após a crise financeira, surgiram diversas questões a cerca da divisão entre o norte e o sul da Europa. A origem desta teoria entre países é um processo complexo que envolve fatores financeiros, políticos e sociais. Com o intuito de dar resposta a esta problemática, o presente estudo tem como propósito investigar e entender se na realidade a qualidade de auditoria difere entre os países do norte e do sul da Europa, baseando a amostra em noventa empresas cotadas na Finlândia, Noruega, Dinamarca, Suécia, França, Bélgica, Itália, Portugal e Espanha. Os objetivos desta investigação consistem em analisar se o tamanho do auditor, a mudança de auditor, honorários de auditoria, a opinião do auditor e o tamanho do conselho de administração representam medidas de qualidade de auditoria e até que ponto os cinco indicadores apresentam diferentes resultados entre as duas regiões Europeias. Os resultados revelam que o tamanho do conselho de administração é rejeitado e não representa uma variável explicativa da qualidade de auditoria. O tamanho, a opinião e a mudança do auditor apresentam uma relação estatística significativa com apenas uma das medidas de desempenho financeiro, revelando uma limitação, pois o resultado está dependente da escolha de um indicador em concreto. Os honorários de auditoria são a variável mais importante para explicar o modelo, reforçando a relevância do pagamento ao auditor como indicador explicativo da qualidade de auditoria. Adicionalmente, ao comparar as regiões do norte e do sul, é possível concluir que os honorários de auditoria e o tamanho do conselho de administração apresentam resultados diferentes dependente da região