Endogenous Credit-card Acceptance in a Model of Precautionary Demand for Money

A credit-card acceptance decision by retailers is embedded into a simple model of precautionary demand for money. The model gives a new explanation for how the use of credit-cards can differ so widely across countries. Retailers' propensity to accept cards reduces the need for buyers to hold cash as the chance of a stock-out (of cash) is reduced. When retailers make their decision with respect to credit-card acceptance they do not take into account the effect that decision has on other sellers. This externality generates multiple equilibria over some portions of the parameter space.

Hybrid visual servoing with hierarchical task composition for aerial manipulation

© 2016 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.In this paper a hybrid visual servoing with a hierarchical task-composition control framework is described for aerial manipulation, i.e. for the control of an aerial vehicle endowed with a robot arm. The proposed approach suitably combines into a unique hybrid-control framework the main benefits of both image-based and position-based control schemes. Moreover, the underactuation of the aerial vehicle has been explicitly taken into account in a general formulation, together with a dynamic smooth activation mechanism. Both simulation case studies and experiments are presented to demonstrate the performance of the proposed technique.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Ontology Domain Modeling Support for Multilingual Servicies in e-commerce: MKBEEM

One of the main objectives of a truly user-friendly Information Society is to focus on advanced human language technologies enabling cost-effective interchange across language and culture and more natural interfaces to digital services. The recently launched IST-1999-10589 project MKBEEM (Multilingual Knowledge Based European Electronic Marketplace, 1st Feb. 2000 - 1st Aug. 2002) is rightly in that direction and the work will address basically, written language technologies and its use in the key sector of global business and electronic commerce. In particular MKBEEM will focus on adding multilinguality to all stages of the information cycle, including multilingual content generation and maintenance, automated translation and interpretation and enhancing the natural interactivity and usability of the service with unconstrained language input. On the Knowledge engineering side, the MKBEEM Ontologies will provide a consensual representation of the electronic commerce field in three typical Domains (Tourism, Mail order, Retailers) allowing the exchanges independently of the language of the end user, the service, or the content provider. Ontologies will be used for classifying and indexing catalogues, for filtering user’s query, for facilitating multilingual man-machine dialogues between user and software agent, and for inferring information that is relevant to the user’s request. This paper concentrates on ontology issues, while the used human language processing approaches will be presented closely in our later papers

Analyzing stage and duration of Anglo-Chinese business-to-business relationships

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in Industrial Marketing Management. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2010 Elsevier B.V.The manuscript reports on a study aimed at analyzing a series of relational variables derived from the Western industrial buyer–seller relationship and Chinese guanxi literature. The findings based on data collected from over 200 Taiwanese trading firms reveal that buyer's perceptions of organizational trust, communication, cooperation, social bonding and the saving of face are higher in Anglo-Chinese relationships that venture beyond the short-term. It is also found that cooperation, social bonding and performance are greater in those b2b relationships surveyed that are relatively more mature than in emerging states. The findings also reveal that relationship duration and stage have a significant moderating effect on various Inter-organizational and Interpersonal–Outcome relationships. Several managerial implications are extracted to help Western firms better manage their international relations, as well as help new exporting firms penetrate such well-established guanxi networks

Investigation of the new cataclysmic variable 1RXS J180834.7+101041

We present the results of our photometric and spectroscopic studies of the new eclipsing cataclysmic variable star 1RXS J180834.7+101041. Its spectrum exhibits double-peaked hydrogen and helium emission lines. The Doppler maps constructed from hydrogen lines show a nonuniform distribution of emission in the disk similar to that observed in IP Peg. This suggests that the object can be a cataclysmic variable with tidal density waves in the disk. We have determined the component masses (M_WD =0.8 \pm 0.22 M_sun and M_RD =0.14 \pm 0.02 M_sun) and the binary inclination (i =78 \pm 1.5 deg) based on well-known relations between parameters for cataclysmic variable stars. We have modeled the binary light curves and showed that the model of a disk with two spots is capable of explaining the main observed features of the light curves.Comment: 22 pages, 9 figures, 2 tables, published in Astronomy Letters, 2011, 37, 845-85

Investigation of the Micromechanics of the Microbond Test

The microbond test is a method which is sometimes used for measuring interfacial shear strength. In the analysis of the data it is often assumed that the interfacial shear stress is constant and thus, by implication, that the strain in the fibre along the embedded fibre decreases linearly from the point of entry to the point of exit. In this paper the results of conventional microbond tests and simulated microbond tests performed under a Raman microscope on a Kevlar-49/epoxy system are reported. The conventionally performed tests show that the calculated interfacial shear strength for this system is approximately 16 MPa regardless of the position of the supporting knife edges. The strain distribution along the fibre during simulated microbond tests was studied as a function of knife edge position, interfacial area and level of load by means of Raman spectroscopy. It was found that the interfacial shear stress was not constant, as is frequently assumed, but was strongly dependent upon distance through the droplet, knife-edge position and applied load. At low loads the strain was a maximum at the point where the fibre entered the droplet and then dropped off sharply through the embedded length. This effect was enhanced when the knife-edge separation was reduced. The variation of the shape of the stress distribution was similar to that predicted by a linear finite element analysis. At higher load levels the onset of failure in the region closest to the point where the fibre entered the droplet could be observed

Análisis para la implementación de un manual de control interno en el Área contable de la Unidad Educativa Redemptio Del Cantón Jipijapa

Improve the quality of teaching and learning, requires institutions to play to their strategies and policies in the service colectividad.enmarcadas on these parameters, the particular technique Bilingual Education Unit Redemptio Canton Jipijapa as an institution that seeks academic excellence requires address the various departments that are involved in its organization, so they are not only important administrative, educational or management, but also accountants, or reason, with this research study, an analysis was proposed for implementation of a manual of internal control procedures in accounting, withthe purpose the accounting department leads to greater effectiveness and efficiency in accounting processes and service to the educational community lends riseMejorar la calidad de la enseñanza-aprendizaje, requiere que las instituciones desplieguen sus mejores estrategias y políticas en el servicio a la colectividad.enmarcadas en estos parámetros, la Unidad Educativa Técnica Particular Bilingüe Redemptio Del Cantón Jipijapa como Institución que busca la exelencia académica, requiere atender los diversos departamentos que se involucran en su organigrama, por eso no solamente son importantes los procedimientos administrativos, pedagógicos, o de gestion, sino tambien los contables, razon por o que, con el presente estudio investigativo, se propuso realizar un análisis para la implementación de un manual de procedimientos de control interno en el Área Contable, conla finalidad que el departamento de contabilidad acreciente la eficacia y eficiencia en los procesos contables y se eleve el servicio que se presta a la comunidad educativ

Aplicación de instrumentos en el proceso de evaluación para la detección de autismo en niños que asisten a cemdri

pdfLa presente sistematización tiene como objeto el proceso de evaluación para la detección de autismo en niños que asisten a la CEMDRI, considerando su pregunta eje ¿Cómo se llevó a cabo la aplicación de instrumentos en el proceso de evaluación para la detección de autismo en niños que asisten a CEMDRI? Con el fin de identificar los desafíos en su implementación durante las prácticas pre profesionales, así proponer mejoras para futuras generaciones interesadas en atravesar la experiencia. Se partió bajo un enfoque hermenéutico, por lo que sus fuentes clave de información abarcaron entrevistas semiestructuradas, fichas de observación de conducta no verbal y diversos instrumentos psicológicos como M-CHAT, CUMANES, Guía Portage, ASSQ. La reflexión crítica permitió concluir que el desarrollo de la aplicación de instrumentos fue deficiente, así como en todas las actividades propuestas en el proceso de evaluación de niños con TEA, debido a los factores que intervienen. The present systematization focuses on the evaluation process for the detection of autism in children attending CEMDRI, considering its central question: ¿How was the application of instruments carried out in the evaluation process for the detection of autism in children at CEMDRI? The aim is to identify challenges in its implementation during pre-professional practices and propose improvements for future generations interested in undergoing such experiences. It started with a hermeneutic approach, and its key sources of information included semi-structured interviews, non-verbal behavior observation sheets, and various psychological instruments such as M-CHAT, CUMANES, Portage Guide, ASSQ. The critical reflection led to the conclusion that the development of instrument application was deficient, as well as in all proposed activities in the evaluation process of children with ASD, due to intervening factors