Degree Of Opportunities Research Articles

Choice of measurement basis and discretionary valuation of real estate: Evidence from Dutch Social Housing Associations

In this study, I examine choice of measurement basis and managerial discretion in accounting for real estate, where I compare measurement on the basis of discounted cash flow (DCF) with measurement based on historical cost (HC). I exploit unique data in the setting of social housing associations (SHAs) in the Netherlands, using data from a supervisory agency which makes an independent assessment of the value of real estate based on comparable assumptions across all SHAs, allowing for a comparison with reported carrying amounts. In line with prior literature, I find that leverage is positively associated with using DCF as measurement basis. In addition, I find evidence that both in case of DCF and HC measurement, carrying amounts increase with leverage, suggesting opportunistic use of managerial discretion in measuring assets. While the degree of opportunism does not differ on average, I find that opportunistic measurement increases as entities switch from HC to DCF measurement. Finally, detailed data on the supervisor’s adjustments allow to investigate the assumptions SHAs use to adjust reported DCF carrying amounts. SHAs mostly use the timing of cash flows, the expected sales revenue, parameters such as inflation and the expected rent increases, and the assumed lifespan of real estate.

Feeding Ecology of Invasive Three-Spined Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in Relation to Native Juvenile Eurasian Perch (Perca fluviatilis) in the Pelagic Zone of Upper Lake Constance

The fish community of Lake Constance, a large, deep, oligotrophic lake has undergone drastic changes in recent years, with the sudden rise to dominance of invasive three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in the pelagic zone, a rather atypical habitat for this species in Central Europe. The core objective of this study was to compare the feeding ecology of stickleback and young Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis) in this unique situation to identify reasons for this unexpected dominance, a possible food niche and feeding time overlap, and to discuss consequences for the reshaped pelagic fish community. The diel feeding patterns and prey compositions of pelagic sticklebacks and juvenile (0+) perch sampled in October 2018 and March 2019 were studied analyzing stomach contents. The diets of both species mostly comprised zooplankton, with copepods appearing in the greatest numbers. Benthic and airborne insects were consumed occasionally, mostly by sticklebacks. Both species exhibited peaks of feeding activity early in the morning, afternoon and dusk, and in both species, stomachs were fullest at dusk. Stickleback stomachs contained about 20% more prey at night than perch, and mean estimated nocturnal stomach fullness values were almost 50% greater. Night feeding in sticklebacks was confirmed by digestive states, pointing to a possible competitive advantage over perch. Dietary composition varied over a 24-h cycle and the pattern of consumption of different prey varied between the species. Perch consumed more comparatively small cladocerans (Bosmina spp.), while larger Daphnia appeared more often in stickleback stomachs. In both species, seasonal variation in diet mirrored food availability, indicating some degree of opportunism. A Morisita-Horn index value of 0.95 confirmed dietary niche overlap between species, suggesting the large population of sticklebacks may exert a competitive effect on juvenile perch when resources are limited. Both the longer feeding periods and greater intake of nutritive high quality prey like daphnids can contribute to the rapid success of stickleback in dominating the pelagic zone of Lake Constance.

Confronting Memory Loss

The Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment grants “the accused” in “all criminal prosecutions” a right “to be confronted with the witnesses against him.” A particular problem occurs when there is a gap in time between the testimony that is offered and the cross-examination of it, as where—pursuant to a hearsay exception or exemption—evidence of a current witness’s prior statement is offered and, for some intervening reason, her current memory is impaired. Does this fatally affect the opportunity to “confront” the witness? The U.S. Supreme Court has, to date, left unclear the extent to which a memory-impaired witness can afford a criminal defendant her right to confront. Would, for instance, it be of any value to permit a defendant the opportunity to cross-examine a witness claiming no recollection of having seen the crime or having identified the defendant as the perpetrator? Should the right to confront simply imply the ability to look one’s accuser in the eye at trial, or should it necessitate some degree of opportunity for substantive cross-examination? Two petitions for certiorari that the U.S. Supreme Court denied in December 2019—White v. Louisiana and Tapia v. New York—could have permitted the Court to clarify confrontation rights in memory loss cases. This Article identifies and discusses eight key issues arising under the Confrontation Clause in connection with memory impairment in witnesses. Although the Court chose not to put these issues to rest in the context of White or Tapia, we anticipate federal and state courts will be called upon to answer these issues in the coming years, and we suspect the Court will eventually need to answer them.

Modelling, Simulation and Control of 5 Axis Industrial Robot using MATLAB

Objectives: This paper introduces a model of five pivot robot arm and its re-enacted trajectory. This sort of robot is quick, precise, solid and easy to program. Robot arm has sensors and is intended for taking care of articles without human intercession. Methods/Statistical Analysis: Exhibited robot has five degrees of opportunity, every one of his developments are turning. For modelling the robot arm we utilized SolidWorks programming and for direction re-enactment, we utilized Matlab and Simulink software. Findings: A common problem faced by educational institutions concerns the limited availability of expensive robotics equipment, with which students in the improving program can work, in order to acquire valuable “hands-on” experience. Therefore, the Robot along with suitable Simulation Software is very important paramount. This paper presents the development of a visual software package where VI5SNS robot has been taken as a case study. It utilizes Mat lab/Simulink as the tools for testing motional characteristics of the VI5SNS robot. A robot model will be developed; the Forward, Inverse Kinematics, Velocity Kinematics “Jacobian” and Path Planning problems will be implemented and tested. The developed package will be used as an educational tool. Application/Improvements: This work will increase the education, training, research and development possibilities for robotics classes in graduate and under graduate studies. Keywords: 5-Axis, Educational robot, End Effector, Kinematics, Robot, Mat Lab, Path Planning

State of the debate contingent arguments

This paper studies the informative content of controversial scientific arguments depending on the state of the debate. Researchers are assumed to differ in their degree of opportunism. The arguments considered are manipulable, may stem from sequential private experimentation and can be revealed selectively. Arguments of opportunistic researchers tend to be informative if there is a lack of consensus in the debate and uninformative if it is more settled. Arguments of more sincere researchers may be uninformative if there is a lack of consensus in the debate and informative if it is more settled. The effect of institutional incentives on the informativeness of arguments should depend on the state of the debate.

ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ СОЦІАЛЬНО-ДЕМОГРАФІЧНИХ ТА АНАЛІЗ КЛІНІЧНОЇ СТРУКТУРИ ПСИХІЧНИХ ПОРУШЕНЬ У ОСІБ, ЯКІ МОГЛИ БУТИ ВИЗНАНІ «ОБМЕЖЕНО ОСУДНИМИ» ПРИ СУДОВО- ПСИХІАТРИЧНІЙ ЕКСПЕРТИЗІ ОСІБ, ЯКІ СКОЇЛИ СЕКСУАЛЬНІ ПОРУШЕННЯ


 
 
 
 The results of scientific research conducted within the framework of the doctoral thesis "Forensic psychiatric evaluation of persons who have committed sexual criminal offenses." For the purposes of the study the author analyzed 287 cases of forensic psychiatric examinations regarding the subject, who committed the sexual offense and were at the forensic psychiatric examination in Kiev city center forensic psychiatric examination in 2000 to 2015 (16 years). To determine the relationship between the degree of opportunities to realize their actions and manage the solution and expert author on the group - "responsibility" - was empirically selected group - "limited responsibility", which was formed artificially, based on the national concept of " limited responsibility ". Revealed that the identified socio-demographic and clinicals in this scientific research can be to determine critera " limited responsibility" in forensic psychiatric examinations persons who have committed sexual offenses.
 
 
 

Criteria for limited sanity for individuals that committed a sexual assault

The results of scientific research conducted within the framework of the doctoral thesis "Forensic psychiatric evaluation of persons who have committed sexual criminal offenses". For the purposes of the study the author analyzed 286 cases of forensic psychiatric examinations regarding the subject, who committed the sexual offense and were at the forensic psychiatric examination in Kiev city center forensic psychiatric examination in 2000 to 2016 (16 years). To determine the relationship between the degree of opportunities to realize their actions and manage the solution and expert author on the group - "responsibility" - was empirically selected group - "limited responsibility", which was formed artificially, based on the national concept of "limited responsibility". Revealed that the identified socio-demographic and clinicals in this scientific research can be to determine critera "limited responsibility" in forensic psychiatric examinations persons who have committed sexual offenses .

Criteria for limited sanity in persons who have committed criminal sexual offenses

The results of scientific research conducted within the framework of the doctoral thesis "Forensic psychiatric evaluation of persons who have committed sexual criminal offences." For the purpose of the study, the author analyzed 279 cases of forensic psychiatric examinations of persons who committed the sexual offence and were at the forensic psychiatric examination in Kiev Center for Forensic Psychiatric Examination during 2001-2015 (15 years). To determine the relationship between the degree of opportunities to realize their actions/manage them and expert's conclusion, from the group of compos mentis was derived a group of partially compos mentis patients; it was formed artificially, based on the national concept of "limited sanity". As a result, we have identified socio-demographical and clinical criteria for "limited compos mentis" in forensic psychiatric examinations of persons who have committed sexual offences.

Contractual Strategies and Managerial Opportunism in Leveraged Transactions: Rethinking Unsecured Lending

In the ordinary business life of a firm, managers represent the key individuals in charge and responsible for the most relevant company’s corporate governance dynamics. Their drivers and consequent actions directly reflect on the results and the performances the firm managed. As thoroughly evidenced in the literature, the behaviour of certain decision makers may be featured by personal interests and a significant degree of opportunism, aimed at maximizing their personal welfare over shareholders’ or company’s interest. A peculiar form of managerial opportunism have been deeply analysed in terms of agency theory and corporate governance issues arising between managers and shareholders. However, a comprehensive - legal and economic - analysis on the impact of managerial opportunism on the transactions undertaken by the firm with third parties, especially in certain recently developed industries, seems to be still lacking. More in detail, managerial opportunism may have dramatic influences in terms of financing structure and related costs afforded by the firm. On a different standpoint, managerial opportunism shall be taken in proper consideration by the third parties undertaking transactions with the firm, especially when crafting the contractual terms governing such transaction. The bulk of the protections offered to the lender often rely on the use of real security interests, which constitute a guarantee suitable to elevate the ranking of the financier from the usual pari passu principle. However, the availability of security interests it is not always a viable solution, especially where the borrower is not able to provide the lender with a suitable range of assets to rely on, i.e. in early stage company. The present paper will discuss certain selected strategies, other than provisions setting security interests, oriented to minimise the potential harms caused by managerial opportunism in financing transactions between a lender and a corporate borrower. More in detail, an in-depth comment will cover contractual remedies, such as covenants and representations & warranties, and solutions related to the financing structure of the transaction and the related arrangements. Considering the nature of the present work, the scope of the analysis carried out in the following Sections will be mainly referred to one of those industries where the need to address managerial opportunism seems to be even more exacerbated, i.e. the venture capital industry and will focus mainly on privately held companies.

Real time Electronic Control of Multi Fingered Hand Based on Sensors

In India the general population's majority lost their hand because of street mishap, sickness and troopers lost their arm in war. This paper portrays the outline which controls the hand movement and wrist movement of My electric controlled prosthetic arm utilizing cortex M3 microcontroller. In this outline electromyogram signs are created by getting the muscles of biceps and detected by terminal sensors. Anode sensors deliver the electrical signs and these signs are handled by small scale controller and accomplish the supination movement from 0 to 75 and pronation movement from 0 to 85 in the wrist of hand.. In this study, a human five-fingered mechanical hand, activated by six engines, was utilized as a prosthetic hand emulator to evaluate the possibility of a control methodology in light of Principal Components Analysis (PCA), particularly considered to address this issue. Since it was exhibited somewhere else that the initial two foremost parts (PCs) can portray the entire hand setup space adequately well, the controller here utilized returned the PCA calculation and permitted to drive a multi-DoF hand by consolidating a two differential channels EMG information with these two PCs. Consequently, the oddity of this methodology remained in the PCA application for taking care of the testing issue of best mapping the EMG inputs into the degrees of opportunity (DoFs) of the prosthesis

Mobile Device Adaptation Efforts: The Impact of Hedonic and Utilitarian Value

This research delves into the acceptance and use of mobile device (MD) technology and goes beyond what is provided in the technology acceptance literature. The hedonic and utilitarian value that an individual assigns to a mobile device can have a significant impact on the overall value of the device to that person. For those individuals that see the high value of the mobile devices, a high degree of opportunity for utilizing the mobile device is seen. Further, those who see the opportunities that exist with the mobile devices place an added amount of effort into using the device. In addition, it was determined that for those individuals perceiving greater control by the organization, more user adaptation effort was put forth. The impact of this organizational-level study could have an impact on the use of MDs within an organization as well as the efforts used by employees related to MD use.

Stomaching the Salon: The Sense of Taste in Le Tintamarr e’s “Boulangerie du Louvre” and Baudelaire’s Salon de 1846

Baudelaire’s Salon de 1846 appears to be devoted to the textual transposition of visual experience. Yet the text features a coherent body of tropes pertaining to the sense of taste—the physiological sense of flavor perception—and the gastronomic field more generally. These, I argue, are central to Baudelaire’s attempt to engage with a non-elite and non-specialist audience. The gustatory tropes bespeak the influence of journalism on the Salon de 1846 , and in particular a contemporaneous strand of “gastronomic” art criticism: the 1840s “Boulangerie du Louvre” series from the “petit journal” Le Tintamarre , known and contributed to by Baudelaire. Through a comparative textual analysis of the two critical works, I show how Baudelaire adopts and adapts these culinary tropes. While Le Tintamarre uses the sense of taste to satirize the Salon, Baudelaire employs it to conceptualize and heighten the sensorial and corporeal pleasures of art for a bourgeois readership.

Tolerance of human approaches by Common Mynas along an urban-rural gradient

Successful urban colonisation by birds requires tolerance of many disturbances and avoidance of chronic stress and major disruption to critical activities. Habituation may be involved in acquiring tolerance of human proximity, in which case tolerance should vary with the degree of opportunity to learn that most humans do not present a threat and should therefore vary with human population density. We studied Common Mynas (Acridotheres tristis) in the urban, suburban, peri-urban and surrounding rural zones of Melbourne, Australia, to determine whether flight-initiation distance (FID) and time allocated to anti-predator vigilance increased along this gradient from the urban to the rural zone. This gradient encompassed a 143-fold variation in average human population density during daylight hours. Urban and suburban Mynas had a 2.3-5.7 times shorter FID, were 1.6-2.5 times less likely to retreat by flying and were 1.9-3.1 times more likely to flee >5 m than their peri-urban and rural conspecifics. Fleeing behaviour was not strongly correlated with estimated human population density, but exhibited an apparent ‘step’ in response at the suburban-peri-urban divide. Vigilance effort did not vary significantly between zones. This suggested that habituation did not occur with respect to surveillance for people, although surveillance presumably encompassed other predators too. Similar foraging effort and rates of food acquisition among zones could suggest that food abundance per individual was similar in urban and rural environments for Common Mynas, although this requires direct measurement.

Exploring characteristics of GIS Adoption Decisions and Type of Induced Changes in Developing Countries: The Case of Ethiopia

AbstractThe adoption of geographic information system (GIS) in developing countries is limited due to contextual impediments. Despite this, there are examples in developing countries where GIS is being adopted through various projects, initiatives and incentives. One such example concerns the municipal utility sector in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The sector is largely under the control of public authorities with limited funds, yet it has been investing in GIS. Our article explores what have been the characteristics of the adoption decisions and type of induced changes, with the purpose to explore what could explain the GIS adoption process. The aim of this exploration is to find general characteristics of what would make GIS adoption successful in a developing countries context. We hypothesized that actual GIS adoption decision and induced changes depend on the overall organizational interests and strategic opportunities, which in turn depend on contextual factors. The results indicated that there were some circumstances which fused GIS adoption decisions with a certain degree of opportunism. GIS was adopted especially when it served other strategic purposes, such as structural adjustments to maintain organizational control. Furthermore, we found that higher level organizational changes, such as changes in power structure and communication lines, would not directly occur only because GIS adoption required so. These characteristics may be more profound in developing countries than in developed countries.

Alternative food sources of Aethina tumida (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae)

SummaryThe small hive beetle (SHB) is a parasite and scavenger of honey bee colonies, but may also be able to exploit alternative food sources. We conducted experiments to shed further light on the role of alternative foods for SHB. 1) Laboratory choice experiments showed that adult SHB oviposit on fruit and even on decaying meat and that SHB larvae feed on it despite the presence of bee products. 2) In the laboratory, SHB reproduced on mango, banana and grapes at lower rates than on a pollen and honey mixture. 3) Adult SHB were rarely observed on fruit buckets in the field. They reproduced only when caged and in much smaller numbers than Drosophilidae and other Nitidulidae. 4) While Aethina concolor was repeatedly observed during a field survey, no adult SHB were found on any flowers. 5) Less than 2% of adult SHB survived on blooming pot plants and no reproduction was recorded, suggesting that flowers are unlikely to serve as an alternative food and breeding substrate. Nevertheless, the high degree of opportunism displayed, supports the view that honey bee nests are not essential for SHB survival and reproduction. Despite the observed high degree of SHB opportunism, it appears as if alternative food sources play a minor role only for reproduction in the field when host colonies are available. Even though SHB may use alternative food sources in the absence of bee hives (e.g. after migratory beekeeping), it is unclear whether this is likely to contribute to SHB population build up.

Social preferences and private provision of public goods: A ‘double critical mass’ model

We set up an evolutionary game-theoretic model aimed at addressing the issue of local public good provision via direct commitment of voluntary forces (private donors and nonprofit providers) only. Two classes of agents are assumed to strategically interact within a ‘double critical mass’ model and we investigate the critical factors affecting the dynamic outcomes of such interaction. Further, we explore the conditions under which (what we term) ‘evolutionary crowding-out/in’ occurs, depending on agents’ degree of opportunism, social comparison and positive selective incentives (such as subsidies given by the government to ‘virtuous’ citizens or nonprofits only).

Regulatory flexibility and management opportunism in the choice of alternative accounting standards: an illustration based on large French groups

Due to the flexibility of domestic accounting regulations, French groups are entitled to refer to international or American standards for their consolidation. The objective of this research paper is to focus on the choices made by the 100 largest French companies during the last 16 years (1985–2000). In practice, apart from the French rules, three “alternative” sets of standards are used: the International Accounting Standards (IAS), “international principles,” and the U.S. GAAP. The percentage of companies referring to alternative (i.e., non-French) standards rose in the first part of the period, then fell. Additionally, while the number of companies choosing U.S. GAAP increased over the period as a whole, the number preferring IAS or “international principles” has been in sharp decline since 1994–1995. Our results show that in this voluntary move towards international accounting harmonization, the choices made by French companies have clearly varied according to developments in French accounting regulations and the changing power balance between the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) and the SEC-FASB. This indicates a certain degree of opportunism by the management, who clearly keeps one eye constantly on the cost-benefit trade-off.

Opportunism and Long-Term Contracting: Transactions in Broken Hill Zinc Concentrates in the 1930s

The essay examines the design and operation of a long-term contract at the centre of the Anglo-Australian zinc industry during the 1930s. All the parties to this contract invested in durable assets that were highly specific to transactions in Broken Hill zinc concentrates. Under such conditions, according to transaction cost economics, an efficient contractual response would entail the vertical integration of exchange or, at the very least, some long-term arrangement under which the parties make sizeable credible commitments in support of exchange. The basis of the transaction cost argument is that such an arrangement is necessary to protect the parties against the risk of opportunistic behaviour by exchange partners. The contract examined here, however, did not possess such protective devices, yet, by all accounts, performed extremely well in the most testing of circumstances. Close analysis of the design and operation of this contract gives reason to question the generality of the transaction cost assumption that parties structure their institutional arrangements with a view to protect themselves against the hazards of opportunism. The parties to this contract did not anticipate a high degree of opportunism and this was reflected in the design of their contract. From the analysis of the way the contract actually operated it is clear that this expectation was more than justified and exchange in Broken Hill zinc concentrates was characterised by close co-operation and forbearance rather than opportunism.

Service Contract Negotiations in Marketing Channels:

This study investigates the factors that influence motor carriers perceptions of the success of negotiations with customers over contractual transportation service in marketing channels. The findings indicate that the motor carrier's perceived success of the negotiation is influenced directly by his/her trust of the customer, and indirectly by the customer's dependence on his/her organization. The results also suggest that though the nature of contract negotiation for motor carriage service has become more cooperative in the deregulated environment, a certain degree of opportunism still influences the negotiator's behaviors. From these findings, issues are presented which can aid the channel members in developing successful strategy for future negotiation with motor carriers.

Ontogenetic change in survival value of leg autotomy in a wolf spider, Gladicosa pulchra (Keyserling) (Araneae: Lycosidae), during scorpion attacks

The survival value of leg autotomy during attacks by scorpions (Vaejovis waueri Gertsch and Soleglad, 1972 (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae)) was assessed in three successive instars of the wolf spider Gladicosa pulchra (Keyserling, 1877) (Araneae: Lycosidae). During the first three instars after hatching, spiders were subjected to predatory encounters with adult scorpions. Spider survival due to leg autotomy decreased and the tendency of scorpions to use the sting to subdue the spiders increased with increasing size of wolf spider instars. As spider instar size increased, more scorpion attacks were directed at the cephalothorax and abdomen, resulting in decreased opportunity for larger spiders to utilize leg autotomy as an escape tactic. The decrease in survival and change in scorpion predatory tactics with increasing instar size reflect an increase in the relative body size of the spiders. Therefore, the survival value of an antipredator mechanism may vary with the degree of opportunity to use the mechanism.