Extent Of Such Influence Research Articles

Insights from a population grid of South Africa: An applied spatial satellite data analysis

The present study explores the reliability and accuracy of various spatial mapping methodologies in estimating and presenting the spatial characteristic and dynamics (location, distribution, density, and size) of the population in South Africa. As a basic underlying concept, the study first explores spatial heterogeneity, that is, that every location is related to every other location, and those nearby are related stronger. This study, therefore, illustrates the spatial relationships between locations and the spatial pattern of the population in South Africa. Analyzing the spatial images determines the extent of such influence and the nature of the spatial patterns. To this end, a granular gridded population dataset was derived using satellite image data, and the NASA’s Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center gridded population of the world version 4 population images and datasets were used. Several spatial data models and geostatistical applications were applied to study the spatial characteristics and dynamics of the population of South Africa from 2000 to 2020. Spatial analysis was performed using R-Studio, QGIS, and GeoDa. Among others, the results point to the fact that the South African population is very densely located that population density decreases marginally outward and suggests that the underlying process for the population distribution is stationary. This study proposes that it is indeed possible to reliably and accurately estimate and present gridded population images and datasets using spatial and geostatistical methodologies.

Connecting Cross‐Border Market Participants: The Intermediary Role of International Analysts in Global Capital Markets

AbstractAlthough the analyst profession has rapidly expanded internationally, very few studies have examined the distinct role of international analysts in the global economy. Motivated to address this need, we examine the role of international analysts as key intermediaries connecting local firms with foreign investors. Specifically, we investigate whether and under what circumstances the international analyst community in a host country influences foreign equity investment in the country. Our analyses of foreign portfolio investment inflows in 57 countries from 1987 to 2007 demonstrate that the international analyst community plays an essential role in facilitating cross‐border equity investment by mitigating foreign investors' information challenges. We also find that the extent of such influence is further affected by the heterogeneity of the host country's information environment and by that of the international analyst community. These findings extend the extant knowledge of analysts, information intermediaries, cross‐border capital investment, and global professions.

Different Microsatellite Mutation Models May Lead to Contrasting Demographic Inferences through Genealogy-Based Approaches: A Case Study of the Finless Porpoise off the East Asian Coast

Understanding the population history of wide-ranging species, especially those ranging over varying landscapes, helps in deciphering the evolutionary force (s) that shaped the present genetic diversity/structure of regional fauna. In the shelf region, evolution of coastal morphology through glacial oscillations played an important role in shaping the contemporary genetic structure of coastal marine organisms, although the type and extent of such influence may differ between ecologically dissimilar species, such as marine mammals vs. other marine vertebrates. We reconstructed the demographic trajectories of four populations of the finless porpoise (Neophocaena spp.), covering a wide latitudinal range in the western Pacific and using coalescent-based techniques. Subsequently, we compare the findings with the evolution of suitable ecological niche by reconstructing historic sea level fluctuations with a maximum entropy method. Our results indicate that the finless porpoise was distributed along the continental slope during the low stand of sea level, while the post-glacial marine transgression enabled the porpoise to re-colonize a vast region of the shelf, leading to the most recent expansion of the genus in east Asia. We underscore that inferences of past demographic events are sensitive to the evolutionary model of microsatellite loci and the proportion of multi-step mutation. For coastal cetaceans inhabiting complex coastal habitats, caution has to be exercised when examining demographic parameters to prevent biased inferences due to historic gene flow during marine transgression. Systematic sampling scheme should be encouraged for rigorous quantification of demographic parameters, which may be further applied to more adaptable methods such as approximate Bayesian computation.

SIZE, AGE AND LEVERAGE OF NIGERIA QUOTED OIL AND GAS CORPORATIONS

Firm size and age influence firm-level leverage. The extent of such influence on the oil and gas industry is not known in Nigeria. There are very few empirical studies that interrogate the effects of firm size and listing age on leverage in Nigeria. This study examines the impacts of firm size and listing age on firm-level financial leverage of listed oil and gas companies in Nigeria. It was non-experimental research and correlational in nature. Data were extracted from annuals and accounts of 8 firms over a period of 13 years (2007-2019) and subjected to descriptive statistics (number of observations, mean, standard deviations, mean, minimum and maximum means) and inferential statistics (multiple regression analysis). The findings show that firm size has a negative and significant impact on firm-level financial leverage. Firm age has a positive and significant effect on firm-level leverage. In this paper, we contribute to the literature by examining the presence and direction of firm size and listing age to financial leverage user data from listed oil and gas firms in Nigeria. Our study is the first to address the adverse implications of Modeling with firm size and listing age on firm-level financial leverage.

Ground influence on high-pressure methane jets: Practical tools for risk assessment

High-pressure gaseous methane release is a relevant safety-related problem mainly in the Oil and Gas industry. As well documented, the reason for these safety concerns is connected with the severe consequences of the domino effect subsequent to the possible ignition. In risk assessment activities, estimation of the damage area is of primary importance in order to draw up proper safety guidelines. To do this, loss prevention specialists use quick and well-established numerical tools (i.e., integral models) in their daily activities. However, the presence of an obstacle in the flow field of the jet (e.g., the ground) is a more probable situation to deal with. It is known that integral models fail in this kind of scenario, leading to unreliable predictions. Hence, the present work investigates how an industrial ground surface influences the LFL cloud size of a horizontal high-pressure methane jet. An innovative quick procedure is proposed allowing to determine the height below which the ground begins to influence the LFL cloud size and the extent of such influence. Therefore, this procedure allows practitioners to establish when integral models can be used and when not to use them, and also provides a simple and reliable alternative to their use. These analytical instruments are derived from an extensive computational fluid dynamics analysis performed with Ansys Fluent 19.0.

Biocompatible contactless electrically responsive hydrogel‐based force maker

AbstractWe present a biocompatible contactless gel actuator based on poly(methacrylic acid) with magnesium counterions (MgPMA) that, being placed in sodium chloride solution, is able to generate a high value of active mechanical force in a DC electric field. Force generation of the gel goes simultaneously with its swelling due to the osmotic pressure provided by the ionic exchange in the MgPMA polyelectrolyte matrix induced by the electric current. An increase in the charge density of the polymeric network enhances the mechanical stiffness of the gel, which provides negative feedback to force generation. The extent of such influence depends on the networking density of the gel matrix. As a result, soft MgPMA gels with low networking density show higher level of force generation than dense gels with high networking density. It is shown that cylindrical gel samples of ca 8 mm in length and ca 11 mm in diameter immersed in NaCl solution some distance apart from platinum electrodes are able to exert a force of up to 0.4 N in a DC electric field for a constant length of sample with a rate of ca 1.0 mN per second on average.

POPULATION AGING SHOCK AND FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY IN CHINA: MECHANISM ANALYSIS AND EFFECT SIMULATION

With the acceleration of population aging in China, the number of pure beneficiaries in the economy is higher than that of pure contributors, which seriously affects fiscal sustainability. This paper probes into the influence path and mechanism of population aging to fiscal sustainability in China, and numerically simulates the extent of such influence using a generational accounting method. Aging reduces the tax base and enlarges fiscal expenditure by reducing the quantity of labor and labor productivity, changing the resident’s consumption level and structure, cutting down the saving rate, and widening the gap between social security revenue and expenditure, all of which challenge the balance of the fiscal system. The empirical results show that the problem of inequality in terms of the fiscal burden across generations is extremely prominent and the per capita tax burden under different birth rate assumptions is obviously different. Under the pressure of aging, in order to maintain the fiscal balance, the future per capita tax burden will be increased by a maximum of 55.9%. Although increasing productivity and reducing interest rates can help reduce that gap, their roles are far less important than the role of fertility. In order to cope with aging, the fiscal system should see an increase in income, a reduction in expenditure, and a redeployment of structure. That is, while at the same time perfecting the tax system and widening the tax base, the expenditure structure should also be optimized.

Factors Affecting Students Poor Preference of Music as a Course of Study of Secondary School Students in Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria

The main purpose of this study is to explore into the factors influencing students’ poor preference of music as a course of study of secondary students in Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State. To achieve this main purpose, this study seek to: explain the benefits of studying music; determine whether students’ perception influence their preference for music as a course of study and the extent of such influence; determine whether gender and culture influence students’ preference for music as a course of study and the extent of such influence; determine whether the family influence students’ preference for music as a course of study and the extent of such influence; determine whether peer groups influence students’ preference for music as a course of study and the extent of such influence. The study employed two research designs – descriptive survey and correlational research designs. The study sample comprised of 180 participants (students) randomly selected from nine public secondary schools in the area. A simple random sampling technique was used to choose nine schools out of the public secondary schools in the area. A simple percentage, mean and Pearson Product moment correlation was use for descriptive analysis. The results of the findings revealed that Student had negative perception about music which influences their poor preference of it as a course of study., Gender influenced the preference of music as a course of study by secondary school students, Culture was not an influence of student’s poor preference of music as a course of study, Peer group had the highest influence of all the factors analyzed in limiting student’s preference of music as a course of study.

Genetic Polymorphisms Affecting the Pharmacokinetics of Antiretroviral Drugs.

Antiretroviral treatment is highly effective in enhancing HIV-positive patients' survival and quality of life. Despite an increased tolerability in recent years, a substantial amount of patients experience side effects. Antiretrovirals' efficacy and tolerability have been associated with plasma concentrations and single nucleotide polymorphisms in selected genes involved in drug disposition. Our aim was to review the current knowledge in genetic polymorphisms affecting plasma, intracellular or compartmental concentrations of antiretrovirals. A search of the PubMed database was conducted to identify relevant articles, using the following terms: 'pharmacogenetics' or 'pharmacogenomics' or 'single nucleotide polymorphisms' or 'genetic/allelic variants' and 'pharmacokinetics' or 'concentrations' and 'HIV' or 'antiretroviral'. Abstracts from the main HIV conferences during 2015 and 2016 were also searched using the same keywords. Abstracts were manually checked and, if relevant, full papers were obtained. Only articles published in English were selected. Several genetic polymorphisms in genes coding enzymes involved in drug metabolism (cytochrome P450 isoenzymes and uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferases) and transport (P-glycoprotein, anionic and cationic transporters, other transporters), as well as nuclear receptors (pregnaneX receptor and the constitutive androstane receptor), have been associated with concentrations of antiretrovirals. The extent of such influence, the conflicting data, and the potential clinical relevance are discussed in the main section of this article. Genetic polymorphisms may affect antiretroviral disposition, as well as both efficacy and toxicity. Despite a large amount of data, such precious knowledge has seldom been applied in patients. Studies on the clinical relevance and cost effectiveness of tailoring antiretroviral regimens to patients' genetic assets are lacking, but their importance may grow with the increasing age and complexity of persons living with HIV/AIDS.

Variation in native crayfish agonistic response to the invasion of the rusty crayfish Orconectes rusticus (Girard, 1852)

The consequences of biological invasions warrant continued research on the mechanisms underlying the spread of exotic species, yet interspecific behavioral interactions are largely overlooked as a contributing factor or consequence of introductions of exotic species. Our study evaluates how native crayfish species, Cambarus bartonii (Fabricius, 1798) and Orconectes propinquus (Girard, 1852), respond behaviorally to the invasion of the rusty crayfish, Orconectes rusticus (Girard, 1852) in the Upper Susquehanna River Basin, NY, USA using experiments in a semi-natural setting. We found significant effects of species, sex, year, novelty to invasion, and abiotic environment on the proportion of time native crayfish species exhibited agonistic behavior toward invading rusty crayfish. Cambarus bartonii females were generally more aggressive than males, particularly in year two, but the opposite was true for O. propinquus as males were more aggressive than females. Behavioral variation in recipient crayfish communities is a potential mechanism influencing the spread of introduced crayfishes although future study is necessary to assess the relative extent of such influence. The mechanisms driving the spread of invasive species are clearly complex and interactive, but the development of effective management plans is limited by the completeness of our understanding, which thus far has been lacking a substantial ethological component.

Open or Traditional Education : Requesting in Interlanguage Pragmatics

This paper is a comparative pragmalinguistic, sociopragmatic study of L2 request performance between learners in open and classical learning settings in Palestine. With the assumption that learners in both settings are driven by their L1 speech norms (L1 interference), the researcher tried to explain learners’ English language performance both pragmalinguistically, in regards to the level of indirectness and types of modification, and sociopragmatically, in regards to the impact of social parameters (status, distance and degree of imposition) on the level of indirectness and amount of modification. Since English and Arabic are distinct linguistically and culturally, the researcher tried to explain the extent of such influence with reference to language learning in both settings. The study was carried out at Al-Quds Open University (QOU) and the Arab American University (AAUJ) in Palestine. Discourse completion task (DCT) was used to collect relevant data, which were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The findings suggested that while QOU learners approximate L1 requesting norms pragmalinguistically and socipragmaically, AAUJ learners tend to play it safe through preference for norms that are less face threatening and more conforming to the English language traditions. The differences between the request performance of both groups of L2 learners could be attributed to the different methods of instruction and language learning policies at both universities. The study recommends a greater emphasis on face-toface meetings and the application of more interactive media for teaching and learning English as a foreign language in the open education settings.

Kinetic characteristics of oxidation of microcystin-LR at low concentration by chlorine and permanganate

In response to increasing concerns in the literature about human toxicity of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) in drinking water at very low concentrations, this study investigated the destruction of MC-LR down to ng L � 1 concentrations by chlorine and permanganate. Results showed that decomposition in the low concentration range (1– 2n g L � 1 ) exhibits a pseudo-first-order reaction with respect to both oxidants in pure water solutions. However, when the reaction proceeded down to a very low concentration (<10 ng L � 1 ) a much smaller rate constant dictates the kinetics. In the presence of humic acids, the reaction rates and the final concentration removal were affected. The extent of such influence varied between the two oxidants, likely due to the different reaction mechanisms involved. This creates some profound effects of the governance of an oxidant exposure CT (residual oxidant concentration (C) × contact time (T)) over MC-LR degradation between the two oxidants. This study indicates that chlorine and permanganate may be still effective for MC-LR decomposition down to a concentration of 10 ng L � 1 or below. However, the influence of solution chemistry must be carefully examined before a feasible CT is determined for the control of this toxin in a water treatment system.

The effect of occupancy and building characteristics on energy use for space and water heating in Dutch residential stock

As a consequence of the improved quality of thermal properties of buildings due to energy regulations, overall energy use associated with building characteristics is decreasing, making the role of the occupant more important. Studies have shown that occupant behaviour might play a prominent role in the variation in energy consumption in different households but the extent of such influence is unknown. The impact of the building's thermal characteristics on space heating demand has been well studied. There is however, little work done that incorporates the impact of consumer behaviour. This study aims to gain greater insight into the effect of occupant behaviour on energy consumption for space heating by determining its effect on the variation of energy consumption in dwellings while controlling for building characteristics. The KWR database from the Ministry of Housing in the Netherlands was used. This study showed that occupant characteristics and behaviour significantly affect energy use (4.2%), but building characteristics still determine a large part of the energy use in a dwelling (42%). Further analysis showed that some occupant behaviour is determined by the type of dwelling or HVAC systems and, therefore, the effect of occupant characteristics might be larger than expected, since these determine the type of dwelling.

Interactions of copper, organic acids, and sulfate in goethite suspensions

Sorption of copper and sulfate onto goethite (α-FeOOH) in aqueous solution is examined in CuSO4 binary-sorbate systems and in Cu-SO4-organic acid (either phthalic acid or chelidamic acid) ternary-sorbate systems. Compared to single-sorbate systems, sorption of Cu onto goethite was enhanced at low pH values in the presence of sulfate. Sorption data for Cu and SO4 in CuSO4 binary-sorbate systems were described with the Generalized Two Layer Model by proposing formation of a CuSO4 ternary surface complex. Addition of sulfate to a Cu-phthalic acid binary sorbate system had little effect on Cu sorption. However, addition of sulfate to Cu-chelidamic acid binary-sorbate systems resulted in significant reduction of Cu sorption at low pH values, primarily due to competition for surface sites between sulfate and Cu-chelidamic acid ternary surface complexes. While organic acids such as humic substances can potentially influence sorption of metal ions, results from this study suggest that the extent of such influence may be strongly dependent on the presence of other sorbing anions, such as sulfate. Sorption of Cu and SO4 in CuSO4-organic acid ternary-sorbate systems was predicted reasonably well, based on surface reactions and equilibrium constants derived from fitting of sorption data from single- and binary-sorbate systems. These modeling results provide a validation of the extrapolation of sorption from simple systems to multicomponent systems through surface complexation modeling.

MODELLING BUREAUCRACY: THE CASE OF THE AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL BUDGET SECTOR 1982‐1992

A substantial literature exists on the economic analysis of bureaucracy, which includes formal models of bureaucratic behaviour by Niskanen (1971) and Dunleavy (1991). This article develops hypotheses from those models about changes in size of bureaux over time and tests them against data on the Australian federal budget sector in 1982–83 and 1991–92. The models predict that bureaucrats usually will be able to influence the size or structure of their bureaux in line with their personal preferences. However, the Australian data suggest that the extent of such influence may be less than is assumed in either model and that the preferences of politicians are more influential than the models allow. One conclusion is that, if bureaucracy is to be modelled, a principal‐agent approach will have more to offer than the neo‐classical maximizing framework adopted by Niskanen in particular. A further conclusion, at odds with those of Niskanen and weakening his case for wholesale privatization, is that bureaucratic dysfunctions may be amenable to reform of the political and bureaucratic rules and systems.

Factors Affecting Construction‐Planning Outcomes

Research on uncertainty in construction has emphasized the importance of incorporating uncertainty factors in project‐cost and time forecasts. However, little attention has been paid to identification and quantification of the specific risks. The present paper focuses on an assessment of the effect of uncertainty on the outcomes of planning. The effect of eight situational variables is evaluated by measuring the schedule and man‐hour variances of the project, as well as the extent of usage of plans. The variables examined are number of subcontractors, number of trades, objectives rigidity, percentage completion of design, past construction experience, predictability of weather, availability of labor, and attitudes toward planning. The findings show which of the various situations affect any one planning measure, as well the extent of such influence. The paper concludes with an analysis of the financial implications of the prevailing practice of overlapping design and construction.

Factors Affecting Construction Planning Efforts

Comprehensive research is being performed addressing construction planning on a broader front covering environmental, technological, organizational, human, and information-handling aspects. A study is reported which is part of this broader effort and which examined the effect of uncertainty on the efforts invested in planning, and on its outcome. Details are given of the research method which consisted of collecting data by means of a questionnaire which proposed a model project having four fixed and eight variable characteristics. The findings are presented and the results are analyzed. The study found that when going from average to complex/uncertain situations, planning efforts should be adjusted to meet the changed conditions. However, no such adjustments are necessary when moving from average to simple/certain situations. The study findings show which of the various situations affect any one planning measure, as well as the extent of such influence. These and other findings are discussed.

Overseas influence on the staffing of schools and departments of education in Australian universities and colleges

Research conducted during the past twenty-five years has consistently indicated that Australian universities are subject to considerable overseas influence in their staffing. It is not known to what extent this influence also extends to the staffing of the country's more recently established colleges of advanced education. This study looks at overseas staffing influence in schools and departments of Education in a sample of ten universities and ten colleges of advanced education in Australia. It compares the extent of such influence in these two different types of institutions and analyses its nature and scope in terms of particular types of qualifications and particular countries.