Realistic computable error bounds for three dimensional finite element analyses in linear elasticity

We obtain a computable estimator for the energy norm of the error in piecewise affine and piecewise quadratic finite element approximations of linear elasticity in three dimensions. We show that the estimator provides guaranteed upper bounds on the energy norm of the error as well as (up to a constant and data oscillation terms) local lower bounds

The Predictive Impact of Contextual Factors on Activity-based Costing Adoption

This study investigates the relationship among six contextual factors and activity-based costing (ABC) adoption in the United States to determine what extent they predict ABC adoption. The contextual factors are: (1) intensity of competition, (2) organizational size, (3) cost structure, (4) importance of cost information, (5) strategy, and (6) and industry sector. A survey was sent to 480 large companies or strategic business units (SBU’s) (sales greater than $50 million). ABC adoption for is 41.75%, which is significantly higher than previous studies for similar countries. Only cost structure is determined to be a significant negative predictor of ABC adoption

Emotional Intelligence: Attrition and Attainment in Nursing and Midwifery Education

Abstract: Attrition in Higher Education continues to present academics, researchers and professionals with an ongoing dilemma. Achieving a fair balance between the academic rigour of meritocracy and the wider access agenda of social inclusion, demands that entrance criteria incorporates measures beyond the traditional prior academic attainment. Emotional Intelligence has been presented in the literature as a valid and reliable predictor of retention and performance in industry and researchers have suggested that similar benefits may be found in education. In this dissertation, the construct of Emotional Intelligence was explored, reviewing contemporary models and their respective measurement tools. A self report tool for measuring ‘trait’ Emotional Intelligence was selected from the review and used to examine the predictive relationship between emotional intelligence and the outcomes at the end of the first year of undergraduate nurse education namely: clinical practice performance; academic performance and course attrition by nursing and midwifery students. The sample group consisted of a cohort of student nurses and midwives (N = 178) who commenced their training in 2007. A significant predictive relationship was found between emotional intelligence and clinical practice performance (r = 0.75, N = 116, p < 0.05); emotional intelligence and academic performance (r = 0.16, N = 168, p < 0.05) and emotional intelligence and attrition (r = 0.31, N = 178, p < 0.05). Age was also found to predict attrition (r = 0.25, N = 178, p < 0.05) while prior academic attainment was found to predict academic performance (r = 0.20, N = 168, p < 0.05). The dissertation proposes the inclusion of measures of emotional intelligence as an aid to recruitment and selection processes in nurse and midwifery education. It also recommends that other practice based vocational programmes, within the higher education sector, consider exploring emotional intelligence in their recruitment and selection processes

An Analysis of the Coverage of Cooperatives in U.S. Introductory Business Textbooks

In the United States, cooperatives are an important form of business with an estimated 30,000 cooperatives operating and annual sales in excess of $654 billion. In spite of cooperatives importance to the U.S. economy, little is known about the coverage of cooperatives in textbooks used in introductory-level business classes. The purpose of this study is to provide the first comprehensive analysis of the coverage of cooperatives in introductory-level business textbooks used in principles-level business courses by discipline (e.g., accounting &amp; management) at U.S. colleges and universities, and; critically analyze authors’ examples used to illustrate the cooperative form of business. Findings suggest a very small percentage of introductory-level business textbooks include a discussion about cooperatives along with other forms of business. Furthermore, where cooperatives are discussed, the coverage is limited and cooperative examples are not representative of the majority of cooperatives

Electron trapping in shear Alfvén waves that power the aurora

Results from 1D Vlasov drift-kinetic plasma simulations reveal how and where auroral electrons are accelerated along Earth’s geomagnetic field. In the warm plasma sheet, electrons become trapped in shear Alfven waves, preventing immediate wave damping. As waves move to regions with larger vTe=vA, their parallel electric field decreases, and the trapped electrons escape their influence. The resulting electron distribution functions compare favorably with in situ observations, demonstrating for the first time a self-consistent link between Alfven waves and electrons that form aurora

Bedrock Geology of the Shin Pond-Traveler Mountain Region

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Electron acceleration and parallel electric fields due to kinetic Alfvén waves in plasma with similar thermal and Alfvén speeds

We investigate electron acceleration due to shear Alfven waves in a collissionless plasma for plasma parameters typical of 4–5RE radial distance from the Earth along auroral field lines. Recent observational work has motivated this study, which explores the plasma regime where the thermal velocity of the electrons is similar to the Alfven speed of the plasma, encouraging Landau resonance for electrons in the wave fields. We use a self-consistent kinetic simulation model to follow the evolution of the electrons as they interact with a short-duration wave pulse, which allows us to determine the parallel electric field of the shear Alfven wave due to both electron inertia and electron pressure effects. The simulation demonstrates that electrons can be accelerated to keV energies in a modest amplitude sub-second period wave. We compare the parallel electric field obtained from the simulation with those provided by fluid approximations