An Improved K-means Algorithm and Its Application for Assessment of Culture Industry Listed Companies

Owing to K-means algorithm has the shortcoming that it always neglects the influence of cluster size when the Euclidean distances between samples and cluster center is calculated. In order to overcome the lack, the influence of cluster size is introduced into K-means algorithm in this paper. Therefore an improved K-means algorithm based on gravity is proposed, namely GK-means algorithm. The experimental simulation results show that GK-means algorithm has better performance compared with K-means algorithm. So the GK-means algorithm is adopted for assessing the performance of culture industry listed companies in this paper. Furthermore some satisfactory results are also obtained

BIO regulates the ex vivo expansion and function of hematopoietic stem cells by inhibiting GSK-3β

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have been applied in clinic settings for treating hematologic diseases, including leukemic disorders, immune deficiencies, and hemoglobinopathies. Umbilical cord blood(UCB) is an important source of HSCs. However, the low frequency of HSCs per unit of UCB remains a big hurdle to their wider applications. Wnt/β-catenin pathway plays important roles in the self-renewal of HSCs in vivo, but the roles of Wnt/β-catenin signaling on ex vivo expansion of HSCs remains controversial. GSK3β is the major regulator of Wnt pathway. Here, we evaluate the effects of 6-bromoindirubin-3’-oxime (BIO), a GSK3β inhibitor, on ex vivo expansion characteristics and regenerative potential of (UCB)-derived CD34+ cells. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

A Rank-and-Choose Decision Model for Vendor Selection with Bundling

The selection of vendors is an important aspect of strategic management and operational decision making. The methods and process of vendor selection have undergone great changes during the past years, and the criteria and methods of vendor selection have changed and improved to a large extent. The single-item, multiple-vendor selection problem is well studied in the vendor selection literature. However, only a few papers in the literature discuss the multiple-item, multiple-vendor selection problem. This paper presents a new rank-and-choose decision model for vendor selection problem. The proposed approach is illustrated by a numerical example

Review of Calibration Methods for Scheimpflug Camera

The Scheimpflug camera offers a wide range of applications in the field of typical close-range photogrammetry, particle image velocity, and digital image correlation due to the fact that the depth-of-view of Scheimpflug camera can be greatly extended according to the Scheimpflug condition. Yet, the conventional calibration methods are not applicable in this case because the assumptions used by classical calibration methodologies are not valid anymore for cameras undergoing Scheimpflug condition. Therefore, various methods have been investigated to solve the problem over the last few years. However, no comprehensive review exists that provides an insight into recent calibration methods of Scheimpflug cameras. This paper presents a survey of recent calibration methods of Scheimpflug cameras with perspective lens, including the general nonparametric imaging model, and analyzes in detail the advantages and drawbacks of the mainstream calibration models with respect to each other. Real data experiments including calibrations, reconstructions, and measurements are performed to assess the performance of the models. The results reveal that the accuracies of the RMM, PLVM, PCIM, and GNIM are basically equal, while the accuracy of GNIM is slightly lower compared with the other three parametric models. Moreover, the experimental results reveal that the parameters of the tangential distortion are likely coupled with the tilt angle of the sensor in Scheimpflug calibration models. The work of this paper lays the foundation of further research of Scheimpflug cameras

Large shareholder Expropriation in China's Family-Controlled Listed Companies

Many studies have been proceeded to measure the degree of large shareholder expropriation. However, most of these literatures have attempted to measure the large shareholder expropriation indirectly by using different proxies. As a result, I attempt to use a direct way to measure large shareholder expropriation. Using a sample of 100 family-controlled listed companies, this dissertation explores large shareholder expropriation behavior in China's family-controlled firms. According to the empirical results, we have found that aggregate measure of large shareholder expropriation is significantly negatively corrected the overall corporate governance level, which means that companies with good corporate governance level tend to have less expropriation of minority shareholders. We also found that that aggregate measure of large shareholder expropriation is significantly negatively correlated with POA, suggesting that as large shareholders' expropriation activities, their holding companies' performance obviously decline. The corporate operating profitability tends to be lower for those companies with more large shareholder expropriation

Large shareholder Expropriation in China's Family-Controlled Listed Companies

Many studies have been proceeded to measure the degree of large shareholder expropriation. However, most of these literatures have attempted to measure the large shareholder expropriation indirectly by using different proxies. As a result, I attempt to use a direct way to measure large shareholder expropriation. Using a sample of 100 family-controlled listed companies, this dissertation explores large shareholder expropriation behavior in China's family-controlled firms. According to the empirical results, we have found that aggregate measure of large shareholder expropriation is significantly negatively corrected the overall corporate governance level, which means that companies with good corporate governance level tend to have less expropriation of minority shareholders. We also found that that aggregate measure of large shareholder expropriation is significantly negatively correlated with POA, suggesting that as large shareholders's expropriation activities, their holding companies's performance obviously decline. The corporate operating profitability tends to be lower for those companies with more large shareholder expropriation

Assessing cross laminated timber (CLT) as an alternative material for mid-rise residential buildings in cold regions in China-A life-cycle assessment approach

Timber building has gained more and more attention worldwide due to it being a generic renewable material and having low environmental impact. It is widely accepted that the use of timber may be able to reduce the embodied energy of a building. However, the development of timber buildings in China is not as rapid as in some other countries. This may be because of the limitations of building regulations and technological development. Several new policies have been or are being implemented in China in order to encourage the use of timber in building construction and this could lead to a revolutionary change in the building industry in China. This paper is the first one to examine the feasibility of using Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) as an alternative solution to concrete by means of a cradle-to-grave life-cycle assessment in China. A seven-storey reference concrete building in Xi'an was selected as a case study in comparison with a redesigned CLT building. Two cities in China, in cold and severe cold regions (Xi'an and Harbin), were selected for this research. The assessment includes three different stages of the life span of a building: materialisation, operation, and end-of-life. The inventory data used in the materialisation stage was mostly local, in order to ensure that the assessment appropriately reflects the situation in China. Energy consumption in the operation stage was obtained from simulation by commercialised software IESTM, and different scenarios for recycling of timber material in the end-of-life are discussed in this paper. The results from this paper show that using CLT to replace conventional carbon intensive material would reduce energy consumption by more than 30% and reduce CO2 emission by more than 40% in both cities. This paper supports, and has shown the potential of, CLT being used in cold regions with proper detailing to minimise environmental impact.</p