Set Of New Indices Research Articles

A new composite index of reliability of supply in the industrial systems with distributed generation

Distributed generators (DGs) integrated into distribution networks could affect the host network in number of ways. In this paper an assessment of the impact of the DG continuously operated, which output behavior is non-stochastic, on the reliability of supply in the industrial networks, is performed. A set of new indices representing impact of DG on the interruption frequency, interruption duration and expected energy not supplied to every single customer, is introduced. In addition, a new composite index compiling the impacts of DG on the overall reliability of supply, including interruption frequency, interruption duration and expected energy not supplied, is proposed. Results obtained from several case studies using real-life industrial network are presented and discussed.

New Measures of the Trilemma Hypothesis: Implications for Asia

We develop a new set of indexes of exchange rate stability, monetary policy independence, and financial market openness as the metrics for the trilemma hypothesis. In our exploration, we take a different and more nuanced approach than the previous indexes developed by Aizenman, Chinn, and Ito (2008). We show that the new indexes add up to the value two, supporting the trilemma hypothesis. We locate our sample economies’ policy mixes in the famous trilemma triangle—a useful and intuitive way to illustrate the state and evolution of policy mixes. We also examine if the persistent deviation of the sum of the three indexes from the value two indicates an unsustainable policy mix and therefore needs to be corrected by economic disruptions such as economic and financial crises. We obtain several findings. First, such a persistent deviation can occur particularly in emerging economies that later experience an inflation (or potentially a general or a currency) crisis, and dissipates in the postcrisis period. Second, there is no evidence for this type of association between deviations from the trilemma constraint and general, banking, or debt crises. Third, Thailand experienced such a deviation from the trilemma constraint in the period leading to the baht crisis of 1997, but not other East and Southeast Asian economies. This last result suggests that the main cause for the Thai baht crisis was an unsustainable policy mix in the precrisis period, while other affected economies experienced crises mainly due to contagion from Thailand.

Avaliação da qualidade demandada e diretrizes de melhoria no processo de interação Universidade-Empresa

O artigo apresenta o processo de interação Universidade-Empresa no âmbito da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), sob a responsabilidade da Secretaria de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico (SEDETEC). O objetivo é identificar as demandas de qualidade no processo de interação UFRGS-Empresas parceiras e propor melhorias para este processo. As demandas são identificadas com base em uma pesquisa de mercado, sendo desdobradas em características de qualidade e procedimentos para atendimento, por meio do Quality Function Deployment (QFD). Posteriormente, são propostas sugestões de melhorias para a SEDETEC. Os principais resultados são: a identificação e a priorização da qualidade demandada pelo setor empresarial; a avaliação dos requisitos e dos procedimentos que atendem a estas demandas e a proposição de diretrizes para melhorias no serviço da SEDETEC, destacando-se: ampliação e dinamização das formas de comunicação; criação de um sistema de indicadores de desempenho; e análise de mercado para as tecnologias desenvolvidas.

Indices of novelty for emerging topic detection

Emerging topic detection is a vital research area for researchers and scholars interested in searching for and tracking new research trends and topics. The current methods of text mining and data mining used for this purpose focus only on the frequency of which subjects are mentioned, and ignore the novelty of the subject which is also critical, but beyond the scope of a frequency study. This work tackles this inadequacy to propose a new set of indices for emerging topic detection. They are the novelty index (NI) and the published volume index (PVI). This new set of indices is created based on time, volume, frequency and represents a resolution to provide a more precise set of prediction indices. They are then utilized to determine the detection point (DP) of new emerging topics. Following the detection point, the intersection decides the worth of a new topic. The algorithms presented in this paper can be used to decide the novelty and life span of an emerging topic in a specific field. The entire comprehensive collection of the ACM Digital Library is examined in the experiments. The application of the NI and PVI gives a promising indication of emerging topics in conferences and journals.

Genetically Modified Crops: A Pre-Introductory Assessment of Farmer Readiness, Its Determinants and Extent of Support in India

India has become the focal point of biggest debates on GM Crops and their Risk benefit analysis. The present study reveals extent of farmer readiness and support for Genetically Modified crops and biotechnology applications in Indian agriculture. A set of new indices developed could reveal farmers' readiness towards GM Crops, willingness to pay for GM seeds, to trial in time, to invest additionally and to substitute available area. 5 factors namely Biotechnology awareness, innovativeness, extension participation and cosmopoliteness were found to determine farmer readiness towards GM crops. A model was developed for predicting GM readiness which explained up to 78.4 per cent variation. A set of 14 biotechnology applications were rated for their farmer acceptability . Farmer support for ongoing GM research was found highest for crops requiring lesser chemical fertilizers followed by crops requiring less water for growth, crops having longer shelf life periods, drought tolerant crops and saline tolerant crops. The findings will serve researchers, industry and Government in developing biotech communication strategies, pricing, production and timing of market entry as well as development of GM crops based on farmer needs in future.

Picea rubensgrowth at high versus low elevations in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park: evaluation by systems modeling

For half a century, red spruce ( Picea rubens Sarg.), a commercially and ecologically important boreal tree species, has experienced growth decline and high mortality in eastern North America. A tree growth systems model, ARIM (annual radial increment model), was developed to evaluate responsible factors for red spruce growth in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The dominant cause at higher elevations (1800–2000 m) was found to be air pollution involving high-frequency acidic rain and cloud immersion. The identified causes at lower elevations (1450–1700 m) were insufficient solar absorption due to photoinhibition, drought stress resulting from reduced precipitation and high evapotranspiration due to warmer temperatures, and minor effects of air pollution. The ARIM exemplifies a complex systems concept and methodology for evaluating multivariable factors in tree growth systems. ARIM provides a general model structure that incorporates complex direct and indirect interactions for tree system studies and quantitatively integrates knowledge and data from different disciplines by developing a new set of indices, the relative basis index values. The ARIM results implicate comprehensive habitat-dependent directions for long-term conservation policies and management of red spruce with environmental changes, climate change, and air pollution in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Long-Term Probabilistic Evaluation of Operating Reserve Requirements With Renewable Sources

This paper proposes a new methodology based on Monte Carlo chronological simulation to evaluate the operating reserve requirements of generating systems with large amounts of renewable energy sources. The main idea is to build a new probabilistic approach to assess several performance indices bearing in mind the long-term planning. Besides the conventional indices used in generating capacity reliability assessment and also those obtained from the well-being framework, a new set of indices are proposed to measure the availability of different types of operating reserve. The relationship between the proposed approach and the traditional PJM method is also discussed. Renewable in this study mainly comprises wind power sources and for that the IEEE RTS-96 is adapted to illustrate the proposed methodology. Finally, different planning criteria are discussed to deal with the design of generation system capacity, static and operational, in the long-term planning.

A new platelet storage lesion index based on paired samples, without and with EDTA and cell counting: Comparison of three types of leukoreduced preparations

Platelets derived from whole blood and diverse apheresis procedures come in contact with various artificial surfaces and undergo contact activation, sheer stress-induced shape changes, aggregation and microvesiculation during collection, processing and storage. These dynamic changes are qualitatively reflected in the log–normal platelet size distribution patterns seen, when using modern automated cell counters and can be measured quantitatively by counting the paired samples, without and with added EDTA, and calculating the differences (d) in platelet cellular indices (dPLT/dMPV/dPDW). Reporting the differences instead of the absolute values of cellular indices makes the measurements independent of basic principles used for cell counting (i.e. aperture-impedance or flow-optic). The measurements can be performed either in blood centres, hospital blood banks or nearby patient clinics equipped with a validated cell counter. At least three useful quality indices could be derived simultaneously from this procedure (accurate estimation of platelet yields using the value of the EDTA-containing sample); quantitative assessment of the % of reversible platelet aggregates, an age/pH/temperature-dependent degree of microvesiculation/apoptosis/PS exposure, based on the response to EDTA. This new set of indices correlate significantly with other conventional tests for platelet quality; hence, provide additional supportive evidence for confirming the low pH values and the subjective poor swirling data occasionally seen with stored PC. In the following study, the Sysmex SE 9000 was successfully employed for estimation of platelet cellular indices comparing the platelet storage lesion index of three types of leukoreduced platelet concentrates in current practice. The relationship between this in vitro response to clinical outcome remains to be established.

Indexes of the Foreign Exchange Value of the Dollar

At the end of 1998, the staff of the Federal Reserve Board introduced a new set of indexes of the foreign exchange value of the U.S. dollar. The staff made the changeover, from indexes that had been used since the late 1970s, for two reasons. First, five of the ten currencies in the staff's previous main index of the dollar's exchange value were about to be replaced by a single new currency, the euro. Second, developments in international trade since the late 1970s called for a broadening of the scope of the staff's dollar indexes and a closer alignment of the currency weights with U.S. trade patterns. The author discusses several practical aspects of the design and implementation of the exchange rate indexes--the choice of index formula, the design of currency weights, and the selection of currencies. The author also reviews the performance of the indexes over the past twenty-five years and discusses three minor methodological changes that the staff has applied to the indexes since their introduction.

4. Socioeconomic Indexes for Occupations: A Review, Update, and Critique

Following a review of the history and sources of socioeconomic indexes for occupations, we estimate a new set of indexes for 1990 Census occupation lines, based on relationships between the prestige ratings obtained by Nakao and Treas in the 1989 General Social Survey and characteristics of occupational incumbents in the 1990 Census. We also investigate theoretical and empirical relationships among socioeconomic and prestige indexes, using data from the 1994 General Social Survey. Many common occupations, especially those held by women, do not fit the typical relationships among prestige, education, and earnings. The fit between prestige and socioeconomic characteristics of occupations can be improved by statistical transformation of the variables. However, in rudimentary models of occupational stratification, prestige-validated socioeconomic indexes are of limited value. They give too much weight to occupational earnings, and they ignore intergenerational relationships between occupational education and occupational earnings. Levels of occupational education appear to define the main dimension of occupational persistence across and within generations. We conclude that composite indexes of occupational socioeconomic status are scientifically obsolete.

Validating fuzzy partitions obtained through c-shells clustering

Validation of fuzzy partitions induced through c-shells clustering is considered. The classical validity measures based on fuzzy partition alone are shown to be inadequate in capturing the shell sub-structure imposed by the shell clustering algorithm. Therefore, performance measures specifically designed for c-shells clustering are considered. Through examples, the new set of indices are shown to be capable of validating the structure characterized by the shell clustering algorithms. The issues related to classical cluster validity versus individual cluster validity are also discussed.

Homogeneous Indices, Feedback Invariants and Control Structure Theorem for Generalized Linear Systems

We define a new set of indices for a generalized linear system. These indices, referred to as the homogeneous indices, are a natural generalization of the minimal column indices (Kronecker indices) of an ordinary state-space system. We prove that the homogeneous indices are a complete set of invariants for the action of a natural group of feedback transformations on generalized linear systems. We also show that the homogeneous indices determine exactly which closed loop invariant polynomials can be assigned by feedback, thereby generalizing the Control Structure Theorem of Rosenbrock.

Measuring and explaining the change in life expectancies

A set of new indices for interpreting change in life expectancies, as well as a technique for explaining change in life expectancies by change in mortality at each age group are presented in the paper. The indices, as well as the new technique for explaining the differences in life expectancies, have been tested and examples using United States life tables are presented. The technique for explaining life expectancy differentials can be used for analyzing change in mortality or mortality differentials by sex, ethnicity, region, or any other subpopulations. The technique can be applied to life expectancies at birth or temporary life expectancies between any desirable ages.