The home buying experience: the impacts of time pressure and emotion on high stakes deciders information behavior

The purpose of this study was to determine how time pressure and emotion influenced people's information behavior when engaging in high stakes decision-making within the home buying domain. Employing an exploratory approach, 33 semi-structured interviews involving a timeline strategy, as well as 8 observations, were conducted with participants from the Seattle, Washington metropolitan area. Findings revealed that information use induced emotion, created a sense of time pressure and generated an interaction of the two factors, whereas non-information use behaviors such as information needs and information seeking were propelled by emotion and time pressure. The study also identified the emergent information use by proxy phenomenon wherein emotion prompted people to enlist trusted surrogates to use information for making decisions on their behalf. Further, findings show that emotion and time pressure have the ability to alter one's routine information behavior to that of a more impulsive or arbitrary approach

Interaction Model of Functions in the National Airspace System

The National Airspace System (NAS) is comprehensively described by five functions derived from big-picture goals: (1) conflict detection and resolution, (2) controlling aircraft states, (3) traffic flow management, (4) controlling passenger states, and (5) controlling company resources. It can be reasonably assumed that these functions interact in some way; this interaction is currently unknown. A model of the entire NAS would be helpful in discovering these interactions, yet no such comprehensive model exists. To address this problem an agent-based state-based model was created in MATLAB. To date, only functions (1) and (2) were implemented. Running the model shows that there are interactions between the two functions. However, the model suffers from high computational complexities. To address this second problem, simplifications were made to the model and in turn “runtime” was reduced. The next phase is to finish creating and implementing all five functions, after which, the effects of “uncertainties” on NAS interactions (performance) will be demonstrated. Uncertainties relate to an agent’s ability—human or automation—to detect various states and implement appropriate control actions. Knowledge on the effects of uncertainties will better help to drive decisions of all scales—tactical, minute-to minute decisions as well as long term investment decisions

L’interprétation idéologique du concept de “rattrapage ethnique” dans la presse écrite des partis politiques en Côte d’Ivoire (2011 à 2015)

This paper examines how the press organs of the mainstream political parties in Cote d’Ivoire, namely the Rassemblement des Républicains (the Rally of the Republicans - RDR) and the Front Populaire Ivoirien (the Ivorian Popular Front - FPI) apprehended the concept of rattrapage ethnique (ethnic favoritism)between 2002 and 2015. Specifically, this contribution addresses the ideological underpinnings and the political issues contained in the newspaper articles of the press organs belonging to the aforementioned political parties. Three main trends have emerged from the co-occurrence analysis. Ethnic favoritism is mentioned in the newspapers supporting the FPI in the sense of denouncing social inequalities and bad governance. Whereas le Patriote, a newspaper supporting the ruling party (RDR) relates the issue to positive discrimination aiming at correcting some past inequalities. As for the newspapers closed to PDCI, they hold an ambivalent stance between the FPI’s position and that of the RDR

Influence of humidity on granular packings with moving walls

A significant dependence on the relative humidity H for the apparent mass (Mapp) measured at the bottom of a granular packing inside a vertical tube in relative motion is demonstrated experimentally. While the predictions of Janssen's model are verified for all values of H investigated (25%< H <80%), Mapp increases with time towards a limiting value at high relative humidities (H>60%) but remains constant at lower ones (H=25%). The corresponding Janssen length is nearly independent of the tube velocity for H>60% but decreases markedly for H=25%. Other differences are observed on the motion of individual beads in the packing. For H=25%, they are almost motionless while the mean particle fraction of the packing remains constant; for H>60% the bead motion is much more significant and the mean particle fraction decreases. The dependence of these results on the bead diameter and their interpretation in terms of the influence of capillary forces are discussed.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure

Understanding Area of Mutual Interest, Preferential Rights and Maintenance of Uniform Interest Provisions in Joint Operating Agreements

When establishing joint ventures or operations for the exploration and/or production of oil and gas, parties typically enter into written agreements, known as joint operating agreements, designed to direct and manage the myriad of issues raised in these ventures. The joint operating agreement designates an operator, who is authorized to act on the behalf of the nonoperators, and specifies each working interest owner\u27s rights and obligations in the joint operation. Issues addressed by the operating agreement include the potential for future acquisitions of mineral interests in the area and the ability to have some continued control over the parties involved in the development and operation of the property. In an attempt to accomplish these goals, parties have included provisions in joint operating agreements which govern the ability to alienate and purchase property under the purview of the instant agreement. When drafting these provisions, the parties sometimes use all-purpose language found in sample agreements, which may not address their specific needs and goals in this joint operation. Careful understanding and drafting of these restrictive provisions is necessary to avoid future problems regarding their interpretation and application. This paper will examine three primary categories of restrictions on acquisition and alienation found in oil and gas joint operating agreements: areas of mutual interest, preferential rights to purchase, and maintenance of uniform interests. A general explanation of the principles and theories behind these provisions and their inclusion in joint operating agreements will first be discussed. Then the pros and cons of including these restrictions in joint operating agreements will be explored. Next, this paper will analyze the potential dangers parties face if they blindly incorporate standard joint operating agreement provisions. The paper will conclude with a discussion of the practical and legal problems concerning these restrictive provisions addressed by the courts in both Texas and Louisiana, as well as selected case law from other states

Identité ethnolinguistique, autodétermination et satisfaction de vie en contexte francophone minoritaire

L’étude a pour objet de vérifier empiriquement la validité d’un modèle théorique qui propose un système de relations liant la construction de l’identité ethnolinguistique à la satisfaction de vie, un aspect du mieux-être psychologique, et à l’autoévaluation de sa santé. Un échantillon de 8 124 élèves du secondaire, provenant de 30 conseils scolaires francophones situés à l’extérieur du Québec, a participé à l’étude. Les résultats sont conformes au modèle fondé sur la théorie de l’autodétermination, qui stipule que lorsque la construction identitaire se fait dans un contexte d’appui à des besoins psychologiques de base, elle est reliée au mieux-être psychologique de la personne.The purpose of this study was to provide an empirical verification of the validity of a theoretical model proposing a system of relationships linking the construction of an ethnolinguistic identity to satisfaction with life, an aspect of psychological well-being, and to health self-evaluation. A sample of 8124 high-school students from 30 Francophone school boards outside of Quebec participated in the study. The results support a model based on the theory of self-determination stipulating that when identity construction takes place in a context of support for basic psychological needs, it is linked to the person’s psychological well-being

Picophytoplankton biomass distribution in the global ocean

The smallest marine phytoplankton, collectively termed picophytoplankton, have been routinely enumerated by flow cytometry since the late 1980s during cruises throughout most of the world ocean. We compiled a database of 40 946 data points, with separate abundance entries for Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus and picoeukaryotes. We use average conversion factors for each of the three groups to convert the abundance data to carbon biomass. After gridding with 1? spacing, the database covers 2.4% of the ocean surface area, with the best data coverage in the North Atlantic, the South Pacific and North Indian basins, and at least some data in all other basins. The average picophytoplankton biomass is 12 ± 22 µg Cl-1 or 1.9 g Cm-2. We estimate a total global picophytoplankton biomass of 0.53–1.32 Pg C (17–39% Prochlorococcus, 12–15% Synechococcus and 49–69% picoeukaryotes), with an intermediate/best estimate of 0.74 Pg C. Future efforts in this area of research should focus on reporting calibrated cell size and collecting data in undersampled regions