Bank productivity and performance groups: A decomposition approach based upon the Luenberger productivity indicator

The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, in the framework of the strategic groups’ literature, it analyZes changes in productivity and efficiency of Spanish private and savings banks over an eight-year period (1998-2006). Second, by adapting the decomposition of the Malmquist productivity indices suggested by Färe et al. (1994), it proposes similar components decomposing the Luenberger productivity indicator. Initially, productivity is decomposed into technological and efficiency changes. Thereafter, this efficiency change is decomposed into pure efficiency, scale and congestion changes. Empirical results demonstrate that productivity improvements are partially due to technological innovation. Furthermore, it is shown how the competition between private and savings banks develops in terms of the analyzed productivity and efficiency components. While private banks enjoy better efficiency change, savings banks contribute more to technological progress. Consequently, the Luenberger components are used as cluster analysis inputs. Thus, economic interpretations of the resulting performance groups are made via key differences in productivity components. Finally, following the strategic groups’ literature, supplementary insights are gained by linking these performance groups with banking ratios.     

原位聚合制备木材/羟甲基脲复合材料及其表征

以杨木生材为原料,采用原位聚合方法制备木材/羟甲基脲复合材料.羟甲基脲在脉冲式压力的作用下浸渍到木材内,在热压干燥过程中,经过原位聚合制备木基复合材料.根据国标对改性前后的木材化学成分进行了分析,并利用X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、核磁共振分析(3C-NMR)、EDXA对改性前后木材中碳和氮元素含量、分布以及官能团变化进...     

Stochastic modelling and analysis of mobility models for intelligent software defined internet of vehicles

Data traffic forwarding and network optimization is essential to effective congestion management in software-defined vehicular networks, and it is necessary for software-defined vehicle networks (SDVN). SDVN is needed to optimize connection performance and network controls in dense and sparse networks to govern data flow between nodes as effectively as possible. Intelligent software-defined internet of vehicles (iSDIoVs) has recently emerged as a potential technology for future vehicular networks. It manages the vehicular ad hoc networks systematically. The link connection of moving vehicles from the central SDN controller may fail. It impacts the efficiency and communication performance because of the lack of connection between vehicles and infrastructure (V2I). The researchers have analyzed the network performance and mobility models in a dense and sparse network to maximize network performance by iSDIoVs. By integrating heterogeneous systems such as IEEE 802.11p and cellular networks into vehicular ad-hoc networks, it is possible to reduce buffer occupancy in iSDIoV and control the mobility and delay bound analysis in V2V communication. The SDN will provide flexibility and reliability to the vehicular networks. An SDN controller manages the data flow in the vehicular network and controls the flow matching rules in the control plane. The iSDIoV and queuing models improve the response time and resource utilization and enhance the network complexity analysis for traffic management services.     

Spatio-temporal segmentation of moving objects using edge features in infrared videos

In this paper, a novel method is proposed for spatio-temporal segmentation of moving objects using edge features in infrared videos. We define motion saliency of edge (MSoE) to generate the MSoE-map. The seeds of moving objects are extracted from the MSoE-map by using Otsu's method and subsequently compensated by historical data. An improved layer-based region growing method is applied to the seeds to achieve spatial segmentation of moving objects. The region growing method has an adjustable growing threshold. So, one of the focuses of our work is how to determine the best growing threshold. A Markov Random Field (MRF) based criterion with maximum a posterior (MAP) estimation principle is proposed for performance evaluation of moving object segmentation without ground truth (GT) in infrared videos. This criterion can be considered as an object function of threshold determination during global searching. The global optimum is accomplished by using simulated annealing (SA) algorithm to obtain the best growing threshold. The final segmentation mask of moving objects is grown from the seeds with the best growing threshold. Experimental results are provided to illustrate that the proposed method has better performance for moving object segmentation with fewer effects of object-background misclassification in infrared videos.     

Heuristics with guaranteed performance bounds for a manufacturing system with product recovery

We consider a manufacturing system with product recovery. The system manufactures a new product as well as remanufactures the product from old, returned items. The items remanufactured with the returned products are as good as new and satisfy the same demand as the new item. The demand rate for the new item and the return rate for the old item are deterministic and constant. The relevant costs are the holding costs for the new item and the returned item, and the fixed setup costs for both manufacturing and remanufacturing. The objective is to determine the lot sizes and production schedule for manufacturing and remanufacturing so as to minimize the long-run average cost per unit time. We first develop a lower bound among all classes of policies for the problem. We then show that the optimal integer ratio policy for the problem obtains a solution whose cost is at most 1.5% more than the lower bound.     

Financial sustainability and poverty outreach within a network of village banks in Cameroon: A multi-DEA approach

Microfinance institutions face a double bottom-line. They perform financial tasks by giving microcredits to their customers and support projects aiming at reducing poverty. In doing so, they have to be financially self-sufficient and to target poor people excluded from the traditional financial systems. However, a trade-off may exist between financial sustainability and poverty outreach for these institutions. By using a multi-DEA approach, this paper shows that even if a trade-off exists for 15% of the MC² (Mutuelles Communautaires de Croissance) in Cameroon, there is no trade-off for 46% of them. In order to increase, without trade-off, financial and social performance of inefficient MC², a benchmarking approach combing DEA and performance indicators has been developed. DEA is used for identifying best-practices and setting benchmarking goals. Performance indicators are used for characterizing areas needing improvements and following the evolution of MC² toward their goals, i.e., for implementing benchmarking. Complementarity of both approaches provides a tool box for improving financial and social efficiency and reducing the trade-off between financial sustainability and poverty outreach of microfinance institutions.     

ZnO纳米球的制备及性能研究进展

纳米ZnO以其独特的结构和性能,在建材、陶瓷、化妆品及电子领域具有广泛的应用。球形纳米ZnO与其他结构的纳米ZnO相比,具有结构的高度对称性、比表面积大、独特的光性能等优点,使其具有更广阔的应用前景。本文介绍了纯纳米ZnO球、掺杂及复合的纳米ZnO球等ZnO纳米球种类并综述了纳米ZnO球的主要制备方法及相关性能。     

Validation of multivariate screening methodology. Case study: Detection of food fraud

Multivariate screening methods are increasingly being implemented but there is no worldwide harmonized criterion for their validation. This study contributes to establish protocols for validating these methodologies. We propose the following strategy: (1) Establish the multivariate classification model and use receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to optimize the significance level (α) for setting the model’s boundaries. (2) Evaluate the performance parameter from the contingency table results and performance characteristic curves (PCC curves). The adulteration of hazelnut paste with almond paste and chickpea flour has been used as a case study. Samples were analyzed by infrared (IR) spectroscopy and the multivariate classification technique used was soft independent modeling of class analogies (SIMCA). The ROC study showed that the optimal α value for setting the SIMCA boundaries was 0.03 in both cases. The sensitivity value was 93%, specificity 100% for almond and 98% for chickpea, and efficiency 97% for almond and 93% for chickpea.     

煤基醇类混合燃料柴油机的性能研究

在F-T柴油中添加10%体积比的甲醇、乙醇与丁醇燃料,研究不同的醇燃料对于发动机性能的影响。研究结果表明:相对于0#柴油,混合燃料燃烧始点提前,燃烧放热中心向后推迟,燃烧放热率第一峰值点降低,所在相位提前,预混合燃烧放热量降低,有利于降低燃烧过程的最高温度,实现低温燃烧;第二峰值点升高,扩散燃烧所占比重增加。相比于原机水平,混合燃料动力性能有10%左右的降低,燃油经济性能变化不大。在外特性2 000 r/min下,混合燃料M10、E10与N10的NOX排放分别降低23.19%、19.77%、18.67%。外特性下,碳烟排放分别平均降低80.40%、67.20%、71.47%。因此,煤基醇燃料能够实现NOX与碳烟排放的同时降低,并且相同体积的甲醇燃料对于柴油机排放的优化效果更加明显。     

基于人工神经网络的大型科学仪器管理绩效评价模型

传统的仪器项目管理缋效评价主要运用单项线性分析的方法,这种方法简便易行,但容易受到人为因素的干扰,也不能反映评价指标间复杂的非线性互相关系.为此,本文采用人工神经网络ANN中的BP网络对大型科学仪器绩效评价问题进行研究,建立了一个综合考虑经济效益、设备利用率、社会效益及使用总结等四大控制指标的仪器管理绩效评价模型.实例分析表明,其评价结果更为全面,更为符合实际情况,从而有助于促进大型科学仪器科学化管理水平的提高.