A comparative study on reproduction of kilka species (Clupeidae) in southeastern parts of the Caspian Sea

The aim of the present study was to investigate the reproduction of three species of kilka, including common, anchovy and bigeye kilka in the southeastern waters of Caspian Sea. This study was conducted during 2010 and 6476 specimens were fortnightly collected from fishing landing site. Body weight and fork length were measured. The samples were dissected and female gonads were weighed. Sexual maturity classification was carried out based on six stages in ovarian development. Age was determined using sagitta otoliths. Results were compared with the previous years. Male: Female ratio in common, anchovy and bigeye kilka were 1: 0.779, 0.569: 1 and 0.656: 1, respectively. Study of sexual maturity stages and GSI showed that common kilka spawning began in March and ended in July with the peak in May. Spawning period of anchovy kilka was more extensive than common kilka and take place from April to November with a peak in November. Bigeye kilka spawned during the year entirely. Its spawning occurred intensively during the autumn with a peak in October. Our results showed that M: F ratio differs during the year which is related to their reproduction. The reproduction scheduling of kilka species comparing with the previous years had some changes but has not significantly been affected by the Caspian Sea pelagic changes

Customer-based brand equity and customer behavioral intention: Evidence from insurance service

Objectives: Brands as effective tools and the most valuable intangible assets of companies are widely applied to change customer behavioral intentions. Creating brands with high positions in customers\u27 minds which can offer great value to them and affect their decision-making processes and purchase intentions is companies\u27 priority. This study examines the effects of customer-based brand equity and its dimensions comprising brand awareness, brand association, perceived quality, and brand loyalty (Aaker\u27s model) on customer repurchase intention through customer perceived value in the light of signalling theory. Method: These relationships are investigated on a sample of Iranian life insureds (267 customers) in the insurance context. Research data are gathered by questionnaire with reliability coefficient equal to 0.95. The validity is investigated through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). To test the hypotheses, correlation analysis and structural equations model (path analysis) are used. Results: The results show that brand awareness and brand association do not impact customer perceived value and customer repurchase intention. Brand loyalty is the only dimension that affects customer repurchase intention directly. Customer perceived value mediates the effects of perceived quality and brand loyalty on customer repurchase intention. Moreover, customer-based brand equity directly and indirectly via customer perceived value influences customer repurchase intention. Theoretical contributions: This research examines the relationships between customer-based brand equity and its dimensions including brand awareness, brand association, perceived quality, and brand loyalty based on Aaker\u27s model and customer repurchase intention through customer perceived value in the light of signalling theory. These relationships have not been investigated in insurance context in Iran to date. Relevance/Originality: The investigation of mentioned relationship based on signalling theory in insurance context in Iran. Implications for management: The current study provides a pattern and a wide range of suggestions for insurance companies to enhance their customer-based brand equity and its aspects in order to persuade customers to purchase their brands again in a competitive insurance industry

Exploring Human Teachers' Interpretations of Trainee Robots' Nonverbal Behaviour and Errors

In the near future, socially intelligent robots that can learn new tasks from humans may become widely available and gain an opportunity to help people more and more. In order to successfully play a role, not only should intelligent robots be able to interact effectively with humans while they are being taught, but also humans should have the assurance to trust these robots after teaching them how to perform tasks. When human students learn, they usually provide nonverbal cues to display their understanding of and interest in the material. For example, they sometimes nod, make eye contact or show meaningful facial expressions. Likewise, a humanoid robot's nonverbal social cues may enhance the learning process, in case the provided cues are legible for human teachers. To inform designing such nonverbal interaction techniques for intelligent robots, our first work investigates humans' interpretations of nonverbal cues provided by a trainee robot. Through an online experiment (with 167 participants), we examine how different gaze patterns and arm movements with various speeds and different kinds of pauses, displayed by a student robot when practising a physical task, impact teachers' understandings of the robot’s attributes. We show that a robot can appear differently in terms of its confidence, proficiency, eagerness to learn, etc., by systematically adjusting those nonverbal factors. Human students sometimes make mistakes while practising a task, but teachers may be forgiving about them. Intelligent robots are machines, and therefore, they may behave erroneously in certain situations. Our second study examines if human teachers for a robot overlook its small mistakes made when practising a recently taught task, in case the robot has already shown significant improvements. By means of an online rating experiment (with 173 participants), we first determine how severe a robot’s errors in a household task (i.e., preparing food) are perceived. We then use that information to design and conduct another experiment (with 139 participants) in which participants are given the experience of teaching trainee robots. According to our results, perceptions of teachers improve as the robots get better in performing the task. We also show that while bigger errors have a greater negative impact on human teachers' trust compared with the smaller ones, even a small error can significantly destroy trust in a trainee robot. This effect is also correlated with the personality traits of participants. The present work contributes by extending HRI knowledge concerning human teachers’ understandings of robots, in a specific teaching scenario when teachers are observing behaviours that have the primary goal of accomplishing a physical task

Effects of Light in Interior Landscape Design

Light, especially sunlight, plays an important role spiritually and materially in our lives today. In the interior design, artificial light is used since the sunlight is not enough for all dimensions of the space and the activities are limited to the morning hours. All plants need for light as an energy source of Photosynthesis. In the lack of light, nutrient material decreases gradually and plant dies. Plants have an inclination to face to the source of light and only in such a case they become lively and tall. Especially, they leave their old leaves. Mottled plants may turn into green. On the other hand, if the plants are subject to extreme light, they incline to get burnt, discolored and contorted.  As a resulting order to grow up the interior space plants successfully, the light requirements and light levels of specific plants must be very well determined. While assessing the light, three reasons, duration, quality and intensity of light must be focused. Main purpose of the interior space landscape design primarily is to create appropriate spaces for the human comfort. For the plants, creating human-centered space is more dominant than space design. Plants produce nutrients and make photosynthesis for further living and for light assistance and chlorophyll. Light is important for the chlorophyll that is necessary for photosynthesis. Stomas on the leaf affect photosynthesis. Stomas let gas exchange on the leaf and they need light to achieve this. While stomas are open on the light they are closed in the darkness. It consists of wavelengths between 430-700 nm. The light comes from the sun is preferred since the light that the plant requires is given from a wide spectrum. In this research primarily interior space landscape design, the importance of light, its aesthetic and functional characteristics will be emphasized. Interior space landscape design criterions will be explained and the characteristics of the sources of lights that are appropriate for the plants’ natural light requirements will be expressed. Also, while exhibiting plants in the interior space the duration and levels of sources of lights will be determined technically

The Tulip Era Gardens at Ottoman Empire

The era when the Ottoman have emphasized on the palaces and their gardens, is the “Tulip Era” that Western effect has been felt on Turkish gardens. This era that is a beginning point of declining from both administrative and political point of view, despite its relatively short longevity is considered as important from fine arts and landscaping aspects. By primarily Ahmed the third (Ahmed III) firstly, numerous sea-fronted palaces, palaces, manor houses, sea-side residences  and their gardens and woods that have been constructed by the statesmen and rich people, where starting at Kagithane valley all the way to Golden Horn and Bosporus water-fronts as sparse manner have caused Istanbul to transform  a "city of garden and water”. In Europe, while the Renaissance and Baroque style gardening fashion leaves their place to British naturalistic gardens, the Turkish Garden have been enchanted by the beauty and magnificence of Baroque style. At the Tulip Era Architecture the “formats” that are directly transformed from the West have not been dominant however; some novelties that occurred together with the Tulip Era only and that could be comprehended by means of a general design tendency have been realized

Superconducting properties of PEO coatings containing MgB2 on niobium

A study has been carried out of superconductivity in coatings formed on niobium by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) in an electrolyte containing different concentrations of MgB2. From preliminary experiments, a suitable PEO condition was selected. The coatings were examined by analytical scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Superconductivity was assessed using magnetic moment-field measurements. At 6 K, superconductivity of the niobium dominated, which revealed strong flux pinning and sudden release. The latter was more gradual following PEO, indicating pinning was a surface effect. Between the critical temperature of niobium (9.25 K) and MgB2 (about 39 K), the diamagnetic behaviour of superconducting MgB2 was present, with earlier flux penetration the closer the temperature to 39 K. The hysteresis loop indicated stronger flux pinning for lower temperatures, as expected for a superconductor

Hourly Price-Based Demand Response for Optimal Scheduling of Integrated Gas and Power Networks Considering Compressed Air Energy Storage

Gas-fired plants are becoming an optimal and practical choice for power generation in electricity grids due to high efficiency and less emissions. Such plants with fast start-up capability and high ramp rate are flexible in response to stochastic load variations. Meanwhile, gas system constraints affect the flexibility and participation of such units in the energy market. Compressed air energy storage (CAES) as a flexible source with high ramp rate can be an alternative solution to reduce the impact of gas system constraints on the operation cost of a power system. In addition, demand response (DR) programs are expressed as practical approaches to overcome peak-demand challenges. This study introduces a stochastic unit commitment scheme for coordinated operation of gas and power systems with CAES technology as well as application of an hourly price-based DR. The introduced model is performed on a six-bus system with a six-node gas system to verify the satisfactory performance of the model

Efecto de la pesca y los parámetros naturales en la población de Clupeonella grimmi (Clupeiformes: Clupeidae) en las aguas meridionales del Mar Caspio.

The present study aimed to investigate the changes of bigeye kilka Clupeonella grimmi population caused by human and natural factors in southern waters of the Caspian Sea. This study was conducted in 2009 and 2010 during which Length, weight and age were studied. The annual survival rate, natural and fishing mortality in 2009 were estimated 0.305 yr-1, 0.448 yr-1 and 0.736 yr-1, and in 2010 were 0.309 yr-1, 0.419 yr-1 and 0.775 yr-1, respectively. Accordingly, total mortality in 2009 and 2010 was 1.184 yr-1 and 1.174 yr-1 and the exploitation rate was calculated 0.621 and 0.660, respectively. Bigeye kilka appropriated 4.5% and 4.2% of total kilka catch in Mazandaran Province in 2009 and 2010, respectively. Results showed that bigeye kilka catch amount has decreased and its population is under over-fishing and natural pressure. En este estudio investigamos los cambios  en la población Clupeonella grimmi a causa de factores humanos y naturales en las aguas meridionales del Mar Caspio. El estudió se realizó entre el 2009 y 2010 donde se registró largo, peso y edad. La tasa de sobreviviencia annual y de mortalidad por pesca en 2009 se estimó en 0.305, 0.448 y 0.736 annual, y en el 2010 fue de 0.309, 0.419 y 0.775 respectivamente. De igual forma, la mortalidad total en el 2009 y 2010 fue de 1.184 y 1.174 annual y la tasa de explotación se calculó en 0.621 y 0.660 respectivamente. El total de captura en Mazandaran en 2009 y 2010 fue de 4.5% y 4.2%, respectivamente. Los resultados muestras que la captura ha disminuido y que su población se encuentra bajo la presión natural y pesquera