Participant's Viewpoint Research Articles

Learning the LMP-Load Coupling From Data: A Support Vector Machine Based Approach

This paper investigates the fundamental coupling between loads and locational marginal prices (LMPs) in security-constrained economic dispatch (SCED). Theoretical analysis based on multi-parametric programming theory points out the unique one-to-one mapping between load and LMP vectors. Such one-to-one mapping is depicted by the concept of system pattern region (SPR) and identifying SPRs is the key to understanding the LMP-load coupling. Built upon the characteristics of SPRs, the SPR identification problem is modeled as a classification problem from a market participant's viewpoint, and a Support Vector Machine based data-driven approach is proposed. It is shown that even without the knowledge of system topology and parameters, the SPRs can be estimated by learning from historical load and price data. Visualization and illustration of the proposed data-driven approach are performed on a 3-bus system as well as the IEEE 118-bus system.

Internet Librarian International 2013: a potpourri of information

Purpose – The paper aims to give a synopsis of proceedings at the Internet Librarian International Conference held at the Olympia Conference Centre, London from 15 to 16 October 2013 from a participant's viewpoint. Design/methodology/approach – The narrative method of describing events as they occurred was used. Findings – The conference provided participants with a wide array of information that spanned the three tracks the sub-themes of the conference were divided into. Participants had opportunities to network and find out more about the products the sponsors showcased as well. Originality/value – The report tells what transpired at the conference and exposes new technologies, new resources and innovative ways of using the technologies available to librarians and other information professionals.

A simulation approach for estimating value at risk in transportation infrastructure investment decisions

Traditional economic analysis techniques used in the assessment of Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects are based upon the assumption that future cash flows are fully deterministic in nature and are not designed to account for risks involved in the assessment of future returns. In reality, many of these infrastructure projects are associated with significant risks stemming from the lack of knowledge about future cost and benefit streams. The fundamental premise of the PPP concept is to efficiently allocate risks between the public and the private partner. The return based on deterministic analysis may not depict a true picture of future economic outcomes of a PPP project for the multiple agencies involved. This deficiency underscores the importance of risk-based economic analysis for such projects. In this paper, the authors present the concept of Value-at-Risk (VaR) as a measure of effectiveness (MOE) to assess the risk share for the public and private entity in a PPP project. Bootstrap simulation is used to generate the risk profile savings in vehicle operating cost, and in travel time resulting from demand-responsive traffic. The VaR for Internal Rate of Return (IRR) is determined for public and private entity. The methodology is applied to a case study involving such a joint venture in India, the Mumbai Pune Expressway/National Highway 4 (MPEW/NH4), and fiscal implications from the perspective of the public and the private entities are examined. A comparison between deterministic and risk based economic analysis for MPEW/NH4 is presented. Risk analysis provides insightful results on the economic and financial implications from each participant's viewpoint.

Experiences of a critical reflection program for mid‐career nurses

The aim of the present study was to describe the experiences of Japanese nurses who participated in a critical reflection program for mid-career nurses. Critical reflection is one method that is appropriate for the professional development of mid-career nurses. However, its implementation is difficult because of the need for educational resources. Of the numerous reports on critical reflection outcomes, few delineate the underlying process and none relates to Japanese nurses. A program was developed, based on Mezirow's transformation theory, to facilitate nurses' critical reflection. The program was implemented at three hospitals in Japan with 14 mid-career nurses. The data-collection period was from 2006 to 2007. The grounded theory approach was used to describe the results. Two participants experienced a transformation in their frame of reference after undergoing critical reflection during the program. One participant's viewpoint began to change and the other's "habit of mind" (social norms and personality characteristics that provide one with a general orientation) changed. Both participants met the conditions that were necessary for transformation, such as having an open attitude toward change, and compared to the other participants, their critical reflection progressed markedly on the worksheets that were designed to promote critical reflection. The process of change in the frame of reference that was experienced by the two participants followed eight of the ten phases of Mezirow's transformation theory. The characteristics of the experiences of the two participants who underwent changes in their frame of reference were described and discussed. The conditions for such transformation and the effects of critical reflection on the participants were consistent with those reported by previous studies.

Hybrid lot-size coordination in a single-manufacturer-multiple-retailer system

The growth of Business-to-Business (B2B) e-commerce may bring about supply chain volatility and increase the dynamics of the supply chain system. In a sell-side B2B market, a number of retailers are rigidly linked to the sole supplier. A win-win supply chain partnership needs to be implemented, taking into account the system as a whole instead of a specific partner only. This study deals with group purchasing and the profit-sharing problem in the sell-side market environment. A sole manufacturer has a dominant bargaining power, such that all the retailers' order quantity is unilaterally determined by the manufacturer's production policy. A group of retailers propose compensatory payment to the manufacturer according to the degree of the manufacturer's lot-size relaxation. From each participant's viewpoint, an individual optimisation problem can be formulated from this relaxation model. We also note that two types of integration behaviours, i.e., vertical integration and horizontal integration, should be implemented to operate the supply chain system. A mathematical model is suggested for determining the operating policy. An example is given to illustrate the method.

The strengths and weaknesses of the ophthalmology training programme in Nigeria – a participant's viewpoint

The strengths and weaknesses of the ophthalmology training programme in Nigeria – a participant's viewpoint

A Student Perspective of Intramural Sport Risk Management Procedures

One of the best ways for an intramural sports program to ensure that an ordinary and reasonable standard of care is adhered to, as well as guarding against litigation, is communication of a risk management program. While having a risk management plan has been widely stressed, no previous research has been conducted from a participant's viewpoint. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of university intramural risk management plans from the participant's perception. The primary results of this study indicate that the majority of the intramural sport participants responded that they had never: a) noticed an intramural supervisor being present while the activity was taking place; b) been informed about the potential for participant injury; c) noticed signage relating to emergency procedures at the area of the activity; d) knew of a risk management plan for intramural sports; d) noticed emergency equipment at the site of the activity; and e) been informed about the possession of First Aid/CPR certification or equivalent by the supervisor.

Sobre moral, direito e democracia

Da consideração de que moral e direito implicam uma referência ao ponto de vista do participante, o autor explica que o segundo compensa a fraqueza da primeira nas condições modernas. Apoiando-se na teoria do discurso de Habermas, ele argumenta por uma relação interna entre Estado de direito e democracia. Primeiro, porque direitos humanos e soberania popular se implicam mutuamente. Depois, porque a idéia de Estado de direito envolve agora o conceito de poder comunicativo: a sobreposição e interligação de formas de comunicação baseadas em argumentos. Desta segunda relação, o autor extrai uma concepção de democracia em que a fonte de legitimidade não é mais a vontade pré-determinada dos indivíduos, mas o próprio processo de deliberação.

Reasons for Injecting and Not Injecting: a qualitative study to inform therapeutic intervention

This study aimed to explore what distinguished injecting from other methods of drug ingestion. A qualitative method using semi-structured interviews and interpretive phenomenological analysis identified the primary themes and hence the cognitions behind the behaviour of long-term injecting drug users. Seven in-depth interviews were conducted and analysed with the intention of approaching this subject from the participant's viewpoint rather than that of either the academic researcher or the drugs worker. The master themes identified were pleasure, economy, a perceived absence of alternatives, pain, self-harm, ritual and self-image. Little evidence was found to support the notion of 'needle fixation'. No evidence was discovered to support the idea that injecting has a sexual component; other than sexual language may be used to describe the effect of injecting drugs to outsiders who have no other common experience. Suggestions are made as to how emergent themes may be incorporated into current interventions used by therapists assisting injecting drug users to stop injecting. Policy implications are discussed.

Abraham's Diary ‐ A European Ethnic Show from an Inuk Participant's Viewpoint

Between 1874 and 1932, the Hamburg‐based German menagerie owner and founder of the still existing zoo, Carl Hagenbeck, organized ethnic shows – a common form of European and American show business of that time period. Troupes of people from locations considered to be ‘exotic' were recruited in order to perform in front of paying spectators what were considered to be “typical activities” of their homelands and cultures. The article describes the Hagenbeck Inuit show of 1880/81, which was comprised of Inuit who were recruited in Labrador, and focuses the diary written by Abraham who was one of the Inuk participants. Abraham's diary is compared with that written by Johan Adrian Jacobsen, who was the show impresario, as both cover the same events and stretch of time. Correspondence by Hagenbeck and other staff members involved in organizing the show and by the Moravian Brethren in Labrador, Germany and England as well as additional Moravian documents are used to contextualize further the material included in Abraham's diary. Thus, it is possible to some extent to reconstruct the events before, during, and after the show occurred. As well, the particular features of Abraham's diary are analyzed. As this diary seems to be the only source on a European‐organized ethnic show written by one of the non‐European participants, the diary is of special documentary value.

Pasting Your Umbrella before the Rain: A Case Study

This case study tells from a participant's viewpoint how the results of large-scale social surveys and demographic projections are translated into educational program objectives and, more importantly, an educational product that gears into the thinking patterns of a younger generation. Cultural, bureaucratic and political obstacles to change and how they were overcome or not are reviewed in this chronological unfolding of the development of Taiwan's first population education approach in the classroom.