Balancing Compensation Research Articles

Spatiotemporal Distribution and Influencing Factors of Ecosystem Vulnerability on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

As the “Third Pole”, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is threatened by environmental changes. Ecosystem vulnerability refers to the sensitivity and resilience of ecosystems to external disturbances. However, there is a lack of relevant studies on the driving factors of ecosystem vulnerability. Therefore, based on spatial principal components analysis and geographic detectors methods, this paper evaluates the ecosystem vulnerability and its driving factors on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau from the years 2005 to 2015. The results were as follows: (1) The ecosystem vulnerability index (EVI) of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is mainly heavy and extreme, showing a gradually increasing trend from southeast to northwest. (2) The spatial heterogeneity of the EVI is significant in the southeast and northwest, but not in the southwest and central parts. (3) Analysis of influencing factors shows that environmental factors have more significant effects on EVI than socioeconomic variables, facilitating the proposal of adequate policy implications. More efforts should be devoted to ecological protection and restoration to prevent grassland degradation and desertification in the high-EVI areas in northwest. The government is also urged to improve the ecological compensation mechanisms and balance ecological protection and residents’ development needs in the southeast.

Control of DSTATCOM using nonparametric variable step-size NLMS: An experimental study

The development of distribution static compensator (DSTATCOM) using nonparametric variable step-size normalized least mean square (NPVSS-NLMS) based control technique is presented in this paper. Numerous features of DSTATCOM such as harmonic alleviation, reactive power compensation and load balancing are demonstrated using NPVSS-NLMS controller. The laboratory prototype of shunt compensator is developed using a dSPACE DS1104 R&D controller having TMS320F240 as a slave DSP. Both MATLAB/SIMULINK based simulations and experimental test results are presented for demonstrating the steady state as well as dynamic performance of DSTATCOM. The developed control technique is compared with variable step size LMS (VSS-LMS) and modern control techniques viz. sliding mode controller (SMC) and model predictive control (MPC) in terms of filter type, weight convergence, complexity, harmonic compensation and sampling time taken. The NPVSS-NLMS based control algorithm for shunt compensator is performing satisfactory in all the above mentioned terms over conventional VSS-LMS controller. The scheme is found to be effective in reducing the total harmonic distortion (THD) of supply current as per IEEE-519 standard.

Impacts of a sugar sweetened beverage tax on body mass index and obesity in Thailand: A modelling study.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes to address obesity. Thailand has just launched the new tax rates for SSB in 2017; however, the existing tax rate is not as high as the 20% recommended by the WHO. The objective for this study was to estimate the impacts of an SSB tax on body mass index (BMI) and obesity prevalence in Thailand under three different scenarios based on existing SSB and recommended tax rates. A base model was built to estimate the impacts of an SSB tax on SSB consumption, energy intake, BMI, and obesity prevalence. Literature review was conducted to estimate pass on rate, price elasticity, energy compensation, and energy balance to weight change. Different tax rates (11%, 20% and 25%) were used in the model. The model assumed no substitution effects, model values were based on international data since there was no empirical Thai data available. Differential effects by income groups were not estimated. When applying 11%, 20%, and 25% tax rates together with 100% pass on rate and an -1.30 own-price elasticity, the SSB consumption decreased by 14%, 26%, and 32%, respectively. The 20% and 25% price increase in SSB price tended to reduce higher energy intake, weight status and BMI, when compared with an 11% increase in existing price increase of SSB. The percentage changes of obesity prevalence of 11%, 20% and 25% SSB tax rates were estimated to be 1.73%, 3.83%, and 4.91%, respectively. A higher SSB tax (20% and 25%) was estimated to reduce consumption and consequently decrease obesity prevalence. Since Thailand has already endorsed the excise tax structure, the new excise tax structure for SSB should be scaled up to a 20% or 25% tax rate if the SSB consumption change does not meet a favourable goal.

A Simplified Control Approach of AC-DC-TLBC for Bi-Polar DC Microgrid Applications

In this paper the main focus is to convert 3-Phase AC to DC and DC to 3-level Boost conversion for bipolar DC micro grid applications. The input side of AC-DC converter acts as active PWM rectifier and this can be controlled by using a new Min Max (MM) control algorithm to maintain the regulated DC link voltage. The DC link voltage is boosted according to the duty cycle along with voltage balance compensation algorithm in 3-L Boost (TLBC) converter. Hence the combination of two control approaches can provide better dynamic and steady state responses and the output results are carried out by MATLAB /Simulink environment.

Design and Position Control of Overhang-Type Rail Mover Using Dual BLAC Motor

This paper presents the design and position control scheme of an overhang-type rail mover system driven by a dual Brushless AC (BLAC) motor with a simple Hall position sensor inside each motor. The overhang-type roller is chosen to reduce the slip between the roller and rail surface due to gravity. The BLAC motors are used to provide smooth translation along the rail and effective turning. Imbalances on any part of the motor and the simplicity of the Hall position sensor can create additional disturbance load, unsteady movement, and position errors. To reduce the sudden moving position error between the two motors, a balancing compensator with a Proportional-Differential (PD) position controller, which is based on the instantaneous speed and position trajectories, is presented. Furthermore, speed and position reference models are designed to compensate for the low Hall sensor resolution in the low-speed range. Therefore, steady-state position errors can then be regulated simply by using the instantaneous speed and position information. Experiments were performed to verify the viability of the proposed system and control. The results show a significant improvement in roller translation along the rail and stopping position accuracy.

Angry but not Deviant: Employees’ Prior-Day Deviant Behavior Toward the Family Buffers Their Reactions to Abusive Supervisory Behavior

Integrating affective events theory, work-family compensation, and moral balance theory, the present study proposes a model that examines how and when abusive supervisory behavior is related to employees’ deviant behavior toward their supervisor. Using a diary method that involved two surveys per day over two weeks, we found support for our model based on 707 daily observations from 130 employees. Specifically, anger toward one’s supervisor mediated the relationship between abusive supervisory behavior and deviant behavior toward one’s supervisor. In addition, the degree to which employees engaged in deviant behavior toward their supervisor depended on their prior-day deviant behavior toward their family. When employees engaged in lower prior-day deviant behavior toward their family, anger toward their supervisor was positively related to subsequent deviant behavior toward their supervisor. In contrast, when employees had higher prior-day deviant behavior toward their family, the relationship between anger toward their supervisor and deviant behavior toward their supervisor was weaker. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for research on abusive supervision, work-family interface, and moral balance theory.

Selective electrosorption of Ca2+ by MXene cathodes coupled with NiAl-LMO anodes through ion intercalation

Capacitive deionization (CDI), or electrosorption, is a desalination technology that exhibits significant potential; however, its major technical requirement of selective ion separation poses a challenge for its further practical application. Herein, a titanium carbide (MXene)–layered electrosorption electrode with high selectivity for Ca2+ was fabricated. The prepared MXene electrode had many surface hydroxyl functional groups that serve as adsorption sites for Ca2+. Ca2+ was successfully inserted into the interlayers of the MXene cathode and formed a strong interaction with [Ti-O] bonds during the capacitive deionization process. When a Ni-Al layered metal oxide anion intercalation electrode was employed as the counter electrode, Ca2+ adsorption by the MXene electrode was significantly enhanced due to the valence compensation balance effect. The maximum Ca2+ electrosorption capacity of the MXene electrode reached 1011.82 mg per gram effective MXene material, which is 6.3 times higher than that of Na+ based on the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. The MXene electrode exhibited prominent selectivity for Ca2+ ions in the presence of Na+ and Mg2+. The Ca2+/Mg2+ selectivity factor for electrosorption reached 2.63, and Ca2+/Na+ selectivity factor could achieve 9.84, respectively. After five electrosorption/desorption cycles, the Ca2+ removal rate only decreased from 46.96% to 45.34%, suggesting that the MXene electrode has excellent stability. Our study demonstrated a novel CDI electrode and technical approach for softening water.

Simulating Land-Use Changes and Predicting Maize Potential Yields in Northeast China for 2050.

Crop potential yields in cropland are the essential reflection of the utilization of cropland resources. The changes of the quantity, quality, and spatial distribution of cropland will directly affect the crop potential yields, so it is very crucial to simulate future cropland distribution and predict crop potential yields to ensure the future food security. In the present study, the Cellular Automata (CA)-Markov model was employed to simulate land-use changes in Northeast China during 2015–2050. Then, the Global Agro-ecological Zones (GAEZ) model was used to predict maize potential yields in Northeast China in 2050, and the spatio-temporal changes of maize potential yields during 2015–2050 were explored. The results were the following. (1) The woodland and grassland decreased by 5.13 million ha and 1.74 million ha respectively in Northeast China from 2015 to 2050, which were mainly converted into unused land. Most of the dryland was converted to paddy field and built-up land. (2) In 2050, the total maize potential production and average potential yield in Northeast China were 218.09 million tonnes and 6880.59 kg/ha. Thirteen prefecture-level cities had maize potential production of more than 7 million tonnes, and 11 cities had maize potential yields of more than 8000 kg/ha. (3) During 2015–2050, the total maize potential production and average yield decreased by around 23 million tonnes and 700 kg/ha in Northeast China, respectively. (4) The maize potential production increased in 15 cities located in the plain areas over the 35 years. The potential yields increased in only nine cities, which were mainly located in the Sanjiang Plain and the southeastern regions. The results highlight the importance of coping with the future land-use changes actively, maintaining the balance of farmland occupation and compensation, improving the cropland quality, and ensuring food security in Northeast China.

Synchronous Reference Frame with Finite Impulse Response Filter for Operation of Single-phase Shunt Active Power Filter

Power Quality (PQ) has been recognized as one of the main issues in electricity supply worldwide after the invention of nonlinear load. In 2017, PQ problem leads to significant economic losses in the Pan European region. Therefore, Active Power Filter has been developed during the past two decades to improve the harmonic compensation, reactive power, and voltage balance. In this research, the evaluation of the Synchronous Reference Frame (SRF) method is done under nonlinear load condition. The objective of this research is to modify the harmonic extraction algorithm based on SRF concepts for the application of single-phase shunt active power filter (SAPF) in harmonics mitigation and evaluate the performance of it. The performance of the SAPF that used SRF is evaluated and verified using MATLAB/Simulink. Besides that, the proposed SRF will be benchmarked with several existing techniques. The results are verified using MATLAB/Simulink with the aid of Powergui in the SimPower System block. Powergui has a built in Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analysis tool that could perform harmonic analysis. With the aid of this tool, the Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) value can be viewed in the block. This research does achieve the THD value of the power system keeps under the limit set by IEEE standard 519.

The Investment Style Drift Puzzle and Risk-Taking in Venture Capital

Limited partners allocate capital into venture capital funds with the expectation of a risk-return profile matching the fund's investment style in terms of startup investment stage, location and industry. This paper draws a connection between style drifts in these three dimensions and the connected risk-taking attitude of the general partner. By analyzing a sample of 31,521 investments with respect to the motivation for style drifts, this paper seeks to answer whether style drifts are deliberate risk-shifts or happen out of competitive pressure. The results suggest that venture capitalists increase risk, when they have strong past performance and public markets are bullish in order to make the most of the balance of compensation and employment incentives. This balancing most likely constitutes an agency conflict between limited partners and general partners. Further, results show that most risky style drifts have a negative impact on the probability of a successful exit even after controlling for performance persistence and endogeneity. Finally, the findings show that aggregate style drift has a negative effect on a fund's performance measured as its exit rate.

Generation of static and dynamic small calibration forces and their measurements by electromagnetic force compensation balance

The paper presents some of the results of the static and dynamic force measurements at 100 nN to sub-10 µN ranges which are generated due the photon-momentum. The force sensor with resolution about 20 nN and operating in differential measurement mode is developed by two electromagnetic force compensation balances. In order to generate these calibration forces, CW lasers with different operational modes, power levels, and wavelengths are used. Multi-reflection configuration of the laser beam inside the macroscopic cavity with highly reflective mirrors are used to test and variate the total amount of the forces.

Factors Affecting Job Pursuit Intention in Hotel Industry in Ho Chi Minh, Viet Nam

Given the rise in international tourism and the rapid growth of the Vietnamese economy, the hospitality industry in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's commercial hub, has been facing severe labor shortages due to competition with other fast-growing parts of the economy. These struggles to acquire high-quality employees is strangling future growth and placing new importance on the role of recruitment. To better understand the effectiveness of an organization's recruitment strategy, recruiters need to ascertain the Job Pursuit Intention (JPI) of job seekers to efficiently align an applicant's work notions with the organization's goals. This study aims to investigate the factors impacting on JPI among employees working in the hotel sector in Ho Chi Minh City. Secondary data are from previous studies and primary data are from consultation with 10 experts, group discussions and five in-depths structured interviews with 15 random employees and 302 survey questionnaires with employees working in three five-star hotels. Cronbach's Alpha, EFA, T-Test, ANOVA are used for statistical analysis. The findings show that compensation, career advancement, and work-life balance affect JPI of job seekers, in which compensation is the most influential factor. Furthermore, recommendations for recruiters, further research and limitations of this study have been laid out.

Factors Affecting Job Satisfaction and Its Effect on Employee Resignation in the Mulia Health and Dental Care (MHDC) Clinic Group

This study wants to find out whether compensation, job safety, career paths, communication, relationships with superiors, and work-life balance affect job satisfaction, and how they affect employee resignation. From a population of 100 employees, a total of 73 people were sampled. The results show that compensation and work-life balance have a significant effect on job satisfaction and resignation, while relations with superiors have a significant effect on job satisfaction, and communication has a significant effect on resignation through job satisfaction.

The Impact of Urbanization on Farmland Productivity: Implications for China’s Requisition–Compensation Balance of Farmland Policy

The rapid growth of China’s economy since the reform in 1978 should be largely attributed to urbanization. Nonetheless, in terms of farmland productivity, urbanization may lead to perverse incentives and thus threaten food security. On the one hand, the requisition–compensation balance of farmland (RCBF) policy could reduce farmland productivity because of a “superior occupation and inferior compensation”; on the other hand, urbanization promotes the transfer of the younger labor force and thus reduces the productivity of the agricultural labor force. To investigate the undesirable effects, based on some stylized facts, this study selects 29,415 county-level samples in a Chinese county from 2000–2014 to construct an empirical model. With a new stochastic frontier analysis method that eliminates the classical econometric issues of endogeneity and heterogeneity, the empirical results show that there is a U-shaped relationship between the farmland use efficiency (productivity) and urbanization rate, indicating that only when the urbanization rate is relatively low would urbanization decrease the farmland use efficiency; in contrast, when the urbanization rate is relatively high, technical progress would obviously be accompanied by urbanization, and thus, the undesirable effects are fully offset. Furthermore, the U-shaped relationship is robust after considering the endogeneity of the urbanization rate and total-factor farmland use efficiency. With these findings, recommendations to implement sustainable management and conservation policies regarding farmland resources are made.

Influences on amplitude estimation using three-parameter sine fitting algorithm in the velocity mode of the Planck-Balance

The Planck-Balance is a table-top version of a Kibble balance. In contrast to many other Kibble balances, the coil is moved sinusoidally and an ac rather than a dc signal is generated in the velocity mode. The three-parameter sine fitting algorithm is applied to estimate the amplitudes of the induced voltage and the coil motion, which are used to determine the force factor Bl of the voice coil of the electromagnetic force compensation balance. However, the three-parameter sine fitting algorithm is not robust against some perturbations, e.g. additive Gaussian white noise, quantization error, harmonic distortion, frequency error and time jitter. These effects have influences on the accuracy of the amplitude estimation. Based on numerical simulations and correlation analyses, the effects of these perturbations are determined. By optimizing measurement and data processing approach, the bias and standard deviation of the estimated amplitude can be effectively reduced, and thus the accuracy of the force factor Bl in the velocity mode can be improved.

Enhancing thermoelectric performance of Sn1-xSb2x/3Te via synergistic charge balanced compensation doping

A synergy of fine-tuning the carrier concentration and implementing scatter of heat-carrying phonons is vital to the thermoelectric study of narrow bandgap semiconductors. In this work, we adopted a synergistic charge-balanced compensation-doping approach derived from the interplay between heterovalent Sb dopants and Sn vacancies in narrow band gap semiconductor SnTe, a lead-free alternative to the classic thermoelectric material PbTe. Specifically, we designed a composition series of Sn1-xSb2x/3Te (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.20 in steps of 0.02), in which every three Sn2+ are substituted by two Sb3+ and one Sn vacancy. To the first order, such chemical composition does not contribute net charge carriers in the context of electron counting and also ensures that the composition of the primary phase is not altered by the formation of secondary phase Sb2Te3, which greatly simplifies the data analysis. Interestingly, we found that the measured carrier concentration gradually reduced with increasing Sb content and in turn increased the Seebeck coefficient. Meanwhile, the coexistence of Sb dopants and Sn vacancies effectively scattered heat-carrying phonons at elevated temperatures. Consequently, a peak ZT value of ~1.1 at 873K was achieved in the x = 0.12 sample. These results offer a new avenue for thermoelectric study of narrow bandgap semiconductors.

The Impact of Urbanization on Farmland Productivity: Implications for China’s Requisition–Compensation Balance of Farmland Policy

The rapid growth of China’s economy since the reform in 1978 should be largely attributed to urbanization. Nonetheless, in terms of farmland productivity, urbanization may lead to perverse incentives and thus threaten food security. On the one hand, the requisition–compensation balance of farmland (RCBF) policy could reduce farmland productivity because of a “superior occupation and inferior compensation”; on the other hand, urbanization promotes the transfer of the younger labor force and thus reduces the productivity of the agricultural labor force. To investigate the undesirable effects, based on some stylized facts, this study selects 29,415 county-level samples in a Chinese county from 2000–2014 to construct an empirical model. With a new stochastic frontier analysis method that eliminates the classical econometric issues of endogeneity and heterogeneity, the empirical results show that there is a U-shaped relationship between the farmland use efficiency (productivity) and urbanization rate, indicating that only when the urbanization rate is relatively low would urbanization decrease the farmland use efficiency; in contrast, when the urbanization rate is relatively high, technical progress would obviously be accompanied by urbanization, and thus, the undesirable effects are fully offset. Furthermore, the U-shaped relationship is robust after considering the endogeneity of the urbanization rate and total-factor farmland use efficiency. With these findings, recommendations to implement sustainable management and conservation policies regarding farmland resources are made.

FAKTOR-FAKTOR YANG MEMENGARUHI KEPUASAN KERJA KARYAWAN KLINIK KESEHATAN DI KOTA BEKASI

This study aims to find out whether factors such as compensation, job certainty, career path, communication, relationships with superiors, and work-life balance affect job satisfaction in three health clinics. In this research is descriptive quantitative. The results show that compensation, job certainty, communication, and work-life balance affect job satisfaction. Data processing is performed using multiple regression methods

Preliminary Clinical Trial of Balance Compensation System for Improvement of Balance in Patients With Spinocerebellar Ataxia.

ObjectiveTo determine the immediate and short-term impact of the application of wearable balance compensation system (BCS) on balance impairment in patients with spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA).MethodsThe study enrolled 6 participants with SCA with varying degrees of balance impairment. After adjustment for individual fitting, wearable BCS with up to 3% body weight was placed in a garment on the trunk. Sway direction and magnitude were measured with sensors placed posteriorly at the lumbosacral junction, immediately before and after, and at day 1, day 2, and day 7 after wearing the BCS. Timed Up & Go test (TUG) and 25-foot timed walk test were performed, and static foot pressure was measured.ResultsA significant improvement in static and dynamic balance was found during the 25-foot timed walk and in static foot pressure measurement results after wearing the BCS, when compared with that at baseline (p=0.044 vs. p=0.011). Anterior and posterior sway showed improvements from baseline after wearing the BCS. Improvement in the lateral swaying movement control was also seen.ConclusionApplication of the BCS might be beneficial in the improvement ofthe static and dynamic balance in patients with SCA. Further research on long-term effects and with a larger sample size is indicated.

Public-Private Partnership Transformation and Worker Satisfaction: A Case Study of Sanitation Workers in H-City, China

Recent years have witnessed a rapid development of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) as a new model of public service provision. Transitioning from bureaucrat- to market-oriented management of public services entails organizational changes that may affect employee satisfaction, and thus, PPP performance. We take sanitation services in H-City as a case study to explore the managerial factors that influenced worker satisfaction during the PPP transformation. Our research shows that motivation and transition factors influence worker satisfaction in the PPP transformation and may allow a smoother transformation of sanitation services. In particular, focusing on balancing workload and compensation, training, improving public attitudes, and adopting worker-friendly rules contribute to the satisfaction of sanitation workers. These findings will contribute to the transformation of the provision of public services in China.