Rates of convergence for Renyi entropy in extreme value theory

Max stable laws are limit laws of linearly normalized partial maxima of independent identically distributed random variables. Saeb (2014) proves that the Renyi entropy of order b (b > 1) of linear normalized maximum of iid random variables with continuous differentiable density is convergent to the Renyi entropy of order b of the max stable laws. In this paper, we study the rate of convergence result for Renyi entropy for linearly normalized partial maxima.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1402.094

The impact on organizational performance of contextual factors, strategy and management control systems

This dissertation examined antecedents of the use of contemporary management control systems (MCS) by testing the alignment of strategic and contextual variables with variables of contemporary systems of control in the organization. The study further explored the performance consequences of the implementation of these control systems, and the manner in which strategy can influence the organization’s control culture and management accounting practices. The impact of contextual factors, notably size and structural arrangements, such as decentralization and diversification, on management\u27s choice of control systems were also examined. Hence, the study addressed the need for a better understanding of the association between variables across the four organizational areas of context, strategy, control and performance and attempted to bridge existing gaps in the body of knowledge in relation to the nature of the relationship between variables in these areas. Contributions of this study to existing knowledge include the integration of different relationships, across the study variables, that were separately tested in previous research, the validation of a multi-dimensional model, suggested by Langfield-Smith (1997), to measure organizational strategic orientation, the use of several theories from different disciplines to predict the different relationships included in the study model and the investigation of relationships that have been little documented or not specifically explored. Twenty seven research hypotheses were developed and tested: the first six hypotheses concerned predicted causal relationships between the organizational strategic orientation (i.e., entrepreneurial vs. conservative) and management control systems, notably, participative budgeting, activity based costing (ABC), total quality management (TQM), just in time (JIT), innovation, and the balanced scorecard (BSC). A further fifteen hypotheses explored the effect of the organizational contextual variables of size, decentralization, and diversification on the use of these control systems. Finally, the remaining six hypotheses tested the relationship between organizational performance and the adoption of the specified MCS in the organization. The hypotheses were tested on a randomly selected sample of Australian manufacturing organizations through a questionnaire survey addressed to the senior management of each organization. A correlation matrix for the study constructs followed by a structural equation modeling approach was conducted to test the relationships between the variables of the study. The results of the study generated a number of highly significant correlations in support of the hypotheses. Participative budgeting and innovation proved to be more likely associated with entrepreneurial strategies, rather than conservative strategies; ABC was found to be positively associated with the size of the organization, TQM was found to be associated with decentralized structural arrangements, while BSC was positively associated with firm diversification. Both innovation and BSC were found to have significant positive effects on organizational performance. The study is expected to benefit recent and future MCS implementers by directing their attention to appropriate use of these initiatives when certain contexts and strategic priorities are in place. The findings are also expected to advance the developed theory and add significantly to our knowledge of the inter-relationships between context, strategy, control systems and performance in manufacturing organizations

Processing and structure-property relationships of natural rubber/wheat bran biocomposites

In this work, wheat bran was used as cellulosic filler in biocomposites based on natural rubber. The impact of wheat bran content [ranging from 10 to 50 parts per hundred rubber (phr)] on processing, structure, dynamic mechanical properties, thermal properties, physico-mechanical properties and morphology of resulting biocomposites was investigated. For better characterization of interfacial interactions between natural rubber and wheat bran, achieved results were compared with properties of biocomposites filled with commercially available cellulosic fillers—wood flour and microcellulose. It was observed that wheat bran, unlike commercial cellulosic fillers, contains high amount of proteins, which act like plasticizers having profitable impact on processing, physical, thermo-mechanical and morphological properties of biocomposites. This is due to better dispersion and distribution of wheat bran particles in natural rubber, which results in reduction of stiffness and porosity of the biocomposites. Regardless of cellulosic filler type, Wolff activity coefficient was positive for all studied biocomposites implying reinforcing effect of the applied fillers, while tensile strength and elongation at break decreased with increasing filler content. This phenomenon is related to restricted strain-induced crystallization of NR matrix due to limited mobility of polymer chains in the biocomposites. Furthermore, this explains negligible impact of particle size distribution, chemical composition and crystallinity degree of applied cellulosic filler on static mechanical properties of highly-filled NR biocomposites. The conducted investigations show that wheat bran presents interesting alternative for commercially available cellulosic fillers and could be successfully applied as a low-cost filler in polymer compositesPostprint (author's final draft

THE CADENZAS OF THE FIRST MODERN GUITAR CONCERTOS

This research project explores the resources employed in the cadenzas of the first four distinguished guitar concertos of the twentieth-century. The purpose of this research is to establish the influence and impact of these works in the development of a new idiomatic guitar language. Although the first known twentieth-century guitar concerto is Rafael Adame’s Concierto Clásico (1930), it has been largely ignored and has had no significant influence on subsequent generations. Therefore, the focus of this study is on the following concertos: Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Concerto in Re for Guitar and Orchestra Op. 99 (1939), Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez (1939), Manuel M. Ponce’s Concierto del Sur (1941), and Heitor Villa-Lobos’s Concerto pour guitare et petit orchestre (1951). Since none of these composers were guitarists per se, the cadenzas they wrote for the concertos were not subjected to technical limitations or to preconceptions of the capabilities of the instrument imposed by previous guitarist-composers. The present study offers analyses of the entirety of each concerto, with comments on how they have impacted the repertory. The analyses cover harmonic, technical, and historical aspects, revealing how these composers resolved the challenges the guitar concerto—such an unexplored genre—presented. This study focuses in particular on the cadenzas of these concertos in order to understand how the composers demanded virtuosity beyond the preconceived technical limitations of the guitar. The analyses are from the perspective of a performer, providing insight on issues of fingering and execution in complex passages. Through these analyses, the study reveals the importance of these works and their legacy in the expanding of the guitar\u27s possibilities—both technical and musical—which inspired some of the most important composers of the twentieth century to write for the guitar. Finally, the study provides comments on some of the succeeding works influenced by these cadenzas