Individual Outlets Research Articles

Combined electromagnetic geophysical mapping at Arctic perennial saline springs: Possible applications for the detection of water in the shallow subsurface of Mars

Perennial springs at the Gypsum Hill site on Axel Heiberg Island in the Canadian Arctic (79°24′N, 90°44′W) represent a high-fidelity analogue to hydrothermal systems that might exist on Mars. The springs were surveyed using an electromagnetic induction sounder (EMIS) and ground penetrating radar (GPR). Both instruments probed the subsurface to a depth of approximately 3m. Lateral EMIS soundings were performed every metre along a 400m long reconnaissance line roughly oriented SW-NE and extending through 23 active springs and 1 dry outlet to measure electrical conductivity. Two distinct zones were identified within the survey area on the basis of these data: in the southwest portion, sharp conductivity peaks correspond to isolated springs with well-defined outlets, flowing over dry rocky soil; in the northeast portion, the springs are fed by a pervasive network of saline fluids, resulting in high background readings and muddy surface conditions. These observations are consistent with vertical EMIS sounding data which showed that the brine body feeding the saline springs can be found closer to the ground surface towards the northeast portion of the survey site. In areas of high electrical conductivity, the GPR data exhibits strong scattering. The noisy areas are sharply defined and interpreted to correspond to narrow vertical conduits feeding individual spring outlets. The EMIS is a rugged instrument that could be included as payload in future rover-based Mars exploration missions aiming at probing the shallow subsurface for the presence of brine pockets.

Pricing Variation Within Dual-Distribution Chains: The Different Implications of Externalities and Signaling for High- and Low-Quality Brands

Within many of the multioutlet branded chains that dominate the retail and services landscape, the organizational form (e.g., company management, franchising) used to manage an outlet varies from site to site, as do the prices charged at those sites. I propose that organizational form and prices may be systematically related as a result of brand externalities. In particular, I develop logic that the relevant form of externality should differ for upper quality tier brands and lower tier brands. Using panel data on price and organizational form from more than 6,700 branded U.S. hotels affiliated with 40 “dual-distribution” brands—those brands that simultaneously company manage and franchise individual outlets—I find that, consistent with the brand externality arguments, company-managed locations have higher prices within high-quality chains, whereas franchisees price higher in the lower tiers. This paper was accepted by Bruno Cassiman, business strategy.

High-frequency monitoring of water fluxes and nutrient loads to assess the effects of controlled drainage on water storage and nutrient transport

Abstract. High nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fluxes from upstream agriculture threaten aquatic ecosystems in surface waters and estuaries, especially in areas characterized by high agricultural N and P inputs and densely drained catchments like the Netherlands. Controlled drainage has been recognized as an effective option to optimize soil moisture conditions for agriculture and to reduce unnecessary losses of fresh water and nutrients. This is achieved by introducing control structures with adjustable overflow levels into subsurface tube drain systems. A small-scale (1 ha) field experiment was designed to investigate the hydrological and chemical changes after introducing controlled drainage. Precipitation rates and the response of water tables and drain fluxes were measured in the periods before the introduction of controlled drainage (2007–2008) and after (2009–2011). For the N and P concentration measurements, auto-analyzers for continuous records were combined with passive samplers for time-averaged concentrations at individual drain outlets. The experimental setup enabled the quantification of changes in the water and solute balance after introducing controlled drainage. The results showed that introducing controlled drainage reduced the drain discharge and increased the groundwater storage in the field. To achieve this, the overflow levels have to be elevated in early spring, before the drain discharge stops due to dryer conditions and falling groundwater levels. The groundwater storage in the field would have been larger if the water levels in the adjacent ditch were controlled as well by an adjustable weir. The N concentrations and loads increased, which was largely related to elevated concentrations in one of the three monitored tube drains. The P loads via the tube drains reduced due to the reduction in discharge after introducing controlled drainage. However, this may be counteracted by the higher groundwater levels and the larger contribution of N- and P-rich shallow groundwater and overland flow to the surface water.

High-Throughput Contact Flow Lithography.

High-throughput fabrication of graphically encoded hydrogel microparticles is achieved by combining flow contact lithography in a multichannel microfluidic device and a high capacity 25 mm LED UV source. Production rates of chemically homogeneous particles are improved by two orders of magnitude. Additionally, the custom-built contact lithography instrument provides an affordable solution for patterning complex microstructures on surfaces.

Public Health and Alcohol Licensing in the UK

This article discusses the role of public health in alcohol licensing in the UK, with a particular focus on the implementation of national legislation and guidance in local regulatory environments. It identifies a number of practical and theoretical challenges through an analysis of historical trends in licensing practice, recent policy developments, and key licensing decisions and appeals. There are strong historical precedents for a focus on strategic harm reduction in UK licensing; however, because licensing primarily addresses the proximate effects of retail, the incorporation of health considerations presents novel difficulties. These center on the identification and deployment of data, the attribution of population-level harms to individual outlets, alcohol industry resistance, local authority risk aversion, and epistemological tensions between public health and licensing. The conclusion proposes that for public health perspectives to gain traction in the licensing environment, clear and realistic goals need to be established, research needs to emphasize local data, and there needs to be a better understanding of the approaches to evidence, knowledge, and decision making that characterize licensing and other local regulatory services.

Pricing and availability of some essential child specific medicines in Odisha

Objectives:Continuous availability of affordable medicines in appropriate formulations is essential to reduce morbidity and mortality in children. Odisha an eastern Indian state records very high mortality of children. The study aims at documenting the availability and prices paid for purchasing essential child-specific medicines.Materials and Methods:The survey of 34 essential medicines was conducted in six randomly selected districts of Odisha. Data were collected from medicine outlets of the public, private, and other sector (Nongovernmental Organization [NGO]/mission sectors) of six randomly selected districts, using WHO/Health Action International medicine price collection methodology. For each medicine surveyed, data were collected on the highest and lowest-priced formulations available in each facility.Results:Both public sector and other sector health facilities procure only one brand of medicines, mean percentage availability of medicines being 17% and 21.8%, respectively. In the private sector, the mean percentage availability of the high and lowest-priced medicines for a particular drug product was 10.8% and 38.5%, respectively. The public sector procurement price is 48% lower than international reference prices. In the private sector, high-priced, and low-priced products are sold at 1.83 and 1.46 times the international reference price, respectively. Substantial price variation was observed for some medicines across individual outlets. Medicines were found to cost 2.08 times their international reference price in NGO/mission sector facilities.Conclusions:The availability of children's medicines in public sector facilities of Odisha state is poor. Medicines for children cost relatively high in both private and NGO sectors compared to the international reference price. The availability medicines should be improved on an urgent basis to improve access of medicines for children of Odisha.

Estimating flow rates through individual outlets of siphonic roof drainage systems

An experimental investigation is used to quantify the flow rates through individual outlets of multi-outlet siphonic roof drainage systems under both full-pipe and partially filled pipe flow conditions. A pressure transducer and a propeller-type current meter were installed within each tailpipe to measure water depth and flow velocity. The study tests the hypothesis that it may be possible to predict accurately the flow rates through individual outlets of multi-outlet siphonic roof drainage systems. A new technique of estimating flow rates is trialled by comparing instantaneous pressure transducer and current meter readings with previously calibrated flow data to find the best data match. The study results were very positive and clearly demonstrate that the underlying methodology was appropriate and that it may be possible to model numerically the individual outlet flow rates in multi-outlet siphonic roof drainage systems.

Interaction effects in multi-outlet viscoelastic contraction flow

This paper describes an experimental study of interaction effects in viscoelastic contraction flows with an array of multiple, parallel outlets. The study focuses on edge effects, that is, effects of the finite size of an array, on flow rate distribution and flow stability. The experiments were carried out with a PEG-PEO Boger fluid in glass microfluidic chips with three parallel, abrupt contractions, variable outlet spacing, and free outflow. We used micro-Particle Image Velocimetry (μ-PIV) to measure the velocity field, and particle streak imaging to visualise the flow. The two most important conclusions of our study are: 1. the flow in the three outlet case is more unsteady than in the single outlet case, which possibly leads to flow rate fluctuations in the individual outlets, and 2. if the distance between the outlets is smaller than the distance between the outer outlets and the side walls of the upstream channel, the flow rate in the central outflow channel is lower than that in the outer two channels. The difference in flow rate reduces with increasing vortex size; at the highest tested flow rates the flow rate in the middle channel is even higher than that in the outer channels. These results are relevant for industrial production processes involving multi-outlet viscoelastic extrusion flow, such as fibre spinning.

Media outlets and their moguls: Why concentrated individual or family ownership is bad for editorial independence

This article investigates the levels of owner influence in 211 different print and broadcast outlets in 32 different European media markets. Drawing on the literature from industrial organization, it sets out reasons why we should expect greater levels of influence where ownership of individual outlets is concentrated, where it is concentrated in the hands of individuals or families and where ownership groups own multiple outlets in the same media market. Conversely, we should expect lower levels of influence where ownership is dispersed between transnational companies. The article uses original data on the ownership structures of these outlets and combines it with reliable expert judgements as to the level of owner influence in each of the outlets. These hypotheses are tested and confirmed in a multilevel regression model of owner influence. The findings are relevant for policy on ownership limits in the media and for the debate over transnational versus local control of media.

Perceived Effects of Organizational Downsizing and Staff Cuts on the Stress Experience: The Role of Resources

In response to global financial pressures, retail companies have introduced measures to reduce costs by cutting staff allocations to individual outlets. On the basis of interview data from four employees of a large retail organization, this paper employs an ideographic case-study approach to illustrate how the processes linking job characteristics to job-related strain and well-being (e.g. appraisal, action regulation, coping, resource utilization) unfold within four individual workers, as they attempt to manage perceived increases in demands resulting from staff cuts. We highlight the importance that these employees place on their own psychological resources (e.g. self-efficacy) and coping mechanisms (e.g. disengagement) in dealing with these changes, as well as how the perceived availability or absence of job resources (e.g. social support, decision authority, organizational justice) influences their ability to cope with increased demands. We use the insights gained from the case studies to illustrate the value of integrating multiple theoretical perspectives towards achieving a nuanced understanding of the intricacies involved in these experiences and to suggest ways in which the coping capacities of individual employees might be increased.

Neighbourhood food environments and body mass index among New York City adults

BackgroundStudies evaluating the impact of the neighbourhood food environment on obesity have summarised the density or proximity of individual food outlets. Though informative, there is a need to consider the...

Greenland ice sheet contribution to sea-level rise from a new-generation ice-sheet model

Abstract. Over the last two decades, the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) has been losing mass at an increasing rate, enhancing its contribution to sea-level rise (SLR). The recent increases in ice loss appear to be due to changes in both the surface mass balance of the ice sheet and ice discharge (ice flux to the ocean). Rapid ice flow directly affects the discharge, but also alters ice-sheet geometry and so affects climate and surface mass balance. Present-day ice-sheet models only represent rapid ice flow in an approximate fashion and, as a consequence, have never explicitly addressed the role of ice discharge on the total GrIS mass balance, especially at the scale of individual outlet glaciers. Here, we present a new-generation prognostic ice-sheet model which reproduces the current patterns of rapid ice flow. This requires three essential developments: the complete solution of the full system of equations governing ice deformation; a variable resolution unstructured mesh to resolve outlet glaciers and the use of inverse methods to better constrain poorly known parameters using observations. The modelled ice discharge is in good agreement with observations on the continental scale and for individual outlets. From this initial state, we investigate possible bounds for the next century ice-sheet mass loss. We run sensitivity experiments of the GrIS dynamical response to perturbations in climate and basal lubrication, assuming a fixed position of the marine termini. We find that increasing ablation tends to reduce outflow and thus decreases the ice-sheet imbalance. In our experiments, the GrIS initial mass (im)balance is preserved throughout the whole century in the absence of reinforced forcing, allowing us to estimate a lower bound of 75 mm for the GrIS contribution to SLR by 2100. In one experiment, we show that the current increase in the rate of ice loss can be reproduced and maintained throughout the whole century. However, this requires a very unlikely perturbation of basal lubrication. From this result we are able to estimate an upper bound of 140 mm from dynamics only for the GrIS contribution to SLR by 2100.

Simulation of nitrate leaching in Yala season in Batticaloa - A modeling approach

The leaching behaviour of NO3--N was evaluated through field experiments with those predicted by LEACHM-N, a uni-dimensional, water flow, solute transport and plant uptake model. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the application of LEACHM-N for predicting nitrate leaching in Batticaloa during Yala 2005. Field experiments were carried out from April 12th 2005 to June 30th 2005. The experimental treatments were 3 nitrogen rates (0, 70 and 140 kg N/ha) together with 3 irrigation rates (7, 14 and 30 mm) which resulted in 9 treatment combinations. The treatments were arranged in a split plot design in 3 replicates. Twenty seven cylindrical lysimeters with 1 m height and 50 cm diameter were built in at the experimental site. Outlets from each lysimeters were fixed with outflow pipes, directed to an underground sampling point, from where the water samples were collected. Red onion (Allium cepa; var. Vethalan) was planted in the lysimeters. Nitrogen fertilizer was applied 3 times during the cropping season. Irrigation water was delivered using a micro sprinkler system. Leachates from individual outlets were collected separately and NO3--N was determined spectrophotometrically by the Cadmium reduction method. A moderately good agreement has been found out in between the measured and the predicted NO3--N losses, but the model overestimated the losses. The treatment combination 140 kg N/ha with 30 mm of irrigation showed better simulation accuracy. It was also found out that the model was unable to predict preferential flow.Keywords: LEACHM-N, leaching, sandy regosols,Yala, lysimeter, preferential flowDOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/josuk.v5i0.4089 J Sci.Univ.Kelaniya 5 (2010): 33-45

Automated remote sensing of sediment plumes for identification of runoff from the Greenland ice sheet

AbstractThe viability of employing sediment plumes emanating from outlets along the western margin of the Greenland ice sheet as indicators of runoff is assessed. An automated sediment plume quantification system based on daily 250 m Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) band 1 reflectance imagery is developed. Coherent plumes are identified using spectral thresholds and polygon tracing. Validation employs imagery quality-control procedures and manual verification of plume areas. Outlets at land-terminating margins with wide and straight fjord geometries deliver the most accurate and consistent results. Plume area observations are also possible at marine-terminating margins with relatively static fronts and low proximal sea-ice concentrations. Variability in plume area is examined with reference to Special Satellite Microwave Imager (SSM/I)-derived daily melt extent at the hydrologic catchment scale. At annual timescales, plume areas tend to co-vary with surface melt extent, indicating that more mass is lost by runoff during years of extensive melting. Some synchronicity in plume areas from different catchments is apparent. At seasonal and daily timescales, plumes from individual outlets primarily relate to catchment-specific melting.

Performance Measurement Systems and Management Accounting in Supermarket Chain Sector: Analysis in an Italian Complex Business Entity

The paper aims to analyse the way in which management accounting is organised within companies which have a strategic need to centralise some functions and decisions, while simultaneously decentralising others. These characteristics are found above all in the supermarket chain sector, where a pressing need to centralise logistical and purchasing functions goes hand-in-hand with the need to respond to demands arising from the individual outlets’ local requirements. In 2005, with a market share of almost 18%, Coop was Italy’s largest food retailing group. Coop’s distinctive organisational feature is that it consists of a total of 140 cooperatives, nine of them large-sized, grouped together in three district associations. The Adriatic District is the largest of these, accounting for about 40% of Coop’s total sales. The unique characteristic of this type of organisational model is the high degree of autonomy enjoyed by each individual cooperative, deriving from its independent corporate structure, with no particular ownership constraints. In spite of this, it may still be beneficial to centralise a number of corporate functions, in order to obtain full benefits from economies of scale with regard to specific management policies. However, if this centralisation is not carefully calculated, it runs the risk of not yielding its full potential in terms of results.The cooperatives in the Adriatic District have responded to these needs by establishing Centrale Adriatica, assigned the task of performing coordination, marketing and logistics functions. This has made it necessary to acquire management accounting tools capable of planning and controlling the decisions affecting the parameters which are governed at the centralised level, but the effects of which are inevitably felt by each individual cooperative. The definition of selling and purchase price policies, promotion and advertising, and logistics management, form the starting-point for systems for the centralised planning and control of the trading margins of the individual cooperatives. By this mechanism, the cooperatives themselves implement a system of delegation of powers which places management of the main factors for the achievement of their strategic and financial objectives in Centrale Adriatica’s hands. The cooperatives continue to handle the acquisition of data and their communication to Centrale Adriatica, together with the planning and control of all the activities performed within the individual outlets, which are still managed entirely by the specific cooperative concerned.

Newsvendor games: convex optimization of centralized inventory operations

A finite set of outlets with randomly fluctuating demands bands together to reduce costs by buying, storing and distributing their inventory jointly. This is termed inventory centralization and is a type of risk pooling. The expected centralization cost can be lowered even further, without disrupting the demand behavior at individual outlets, by inducing the outlets to correlate their individual demands. Given that the outlets’ demands are normally distributed, the lowering of the centralized cost corresponds to a semidefinite optimization problem. This paper establishes a closed-form optimal solution of the semidefinite program and a fair allocation of the centralized cost at optimality.

The application of activity‐based costing to a support kitchen in a Las Vegas casino

PurposeThe paper aims to examine the activity‐based costing (ABC) method as a feasible and appropriate tool for the casino and hotel industry to apply to support kitchens in order to eliminate the monthly allocation of overhead based on variable costs.Design/methodology/approachData were collected at a support kitchen in a Las Vegas casino. These data were analyzed by using ABC methods and establishing ABC costs. ABC methods were compared to traditional allocation methods to determine, first, if allocations could be eliminated entirely; and, secondly, to establish if some outlets would be significantly impacted by the accounting change.FindingsAn ABC approach can be applied to support kitchens and total cost (ABC) can be estimated. This approach allowed the casino to eliminate traditional allocation methods based solely on food cost.Research limitations/implicationsABC was shown to be a powerful technique that can be applied effectively in a support kitchen of a casino. Since this paper involved only a single support kitchen in a single casino, further research should be conducted to confirm that ABC can also be applied in support kitchens in other hospitality industry settings.Practical implicationsThe use of ABC techniques confirmed that the ABC process is a useful tool in an effort to abolish allocations and can be applied to the remaining support kitchens. Without the benefit of this paper, restaurant management for individual food and beverage outlets received an unfair share of the overhead and did not have appropriate cost information for bread products.Originality/valueABC may be a powerful technique when applied effectively to the food and beverage operations in the field of hospitality.

Wine sales in British public houses

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the changes in wine consumption in UK public houses, and to consider if the sector is maximising its sales opportunities.Design/methodology/approachThis study has used both secondary and primary sources. Existing surveys have been used to gain details of the growth in wine sales and possible explanations for this. The trade press has suggested how licensees could improve their wine sales. Suppliers have been approached to discover to the level of assistance they offer individual outlets. Finally, surveys of the public houses and their customers were undertaken to discover the proficiency of their wine service.FindingsThe level of wine sales in the UK is growing rapidly. Much of this is consumed at home, but public houses could benefit from the trend. Some have done so, but the surveys suggest that many do not market the product effectively.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is a very limited one, and only considers one town, one area of another town and their customers.Practical implicationsThe results of the survey suggest that all licensees could consider the possibility of improving sales by offering a higher quality service to their customers.Originality/valueAny research which may assist the quality of service offered in the licensed trade should be of interest to all stakeholders.

Governance structure and organisational learning in franchising

When parent firms employ different governance structures for their individual outlets, they may create different learning environments. Specifically, different levels of organisational routines and local adaptability emerge across independent, company-owned and franchisee-owned outlets (including single versus multi-unit franchisee-owned outlets). Company-owned outlets tend to exhibit a high level of organisational routines, whereas independent outlets feature a high level of local adaptability. Franchisee-owned outlets reveal a moderate level of organisational routines and local adaptability. Multi-unit franchisee-owned outlets have a higher level of organisational routines and a lower level of local adaptability relative to single-unit franchisee-owned outlets.

Forecasting newspaper demand with censored regression

Newspaper circulation has to be determined at the level of the individual retail outlets for each of the editions to be sold through such outlets. Traditional forecasting methods provide no insight into the impact of the service level: defined as the probability that no out-of-stock will occur. The service level results in out-of-stock situations, causing missed sales and oversupply or returns. In our application management sets a policy aiming at a 97% service level. The forecasting system developed provides estimates for excess deliveries and for the expected shortages. The results compare favourably to the traditional moving average approach previously employed by the publisher. Censored regression is a natural approach to the newspaper problem. It provides information on key policy variables and it is relatively simple to integrate into the distribution policy, with only small adaptations to the existing forecasting and distribution policy.