Consequences of Exits from Political Unions on Leverage: The Case of Sudan Split

This paper examines the consequences of exits from political unions and the split of countries on capital structure decision especially the leverage,taking Sudan split(2011)as a practical case.Where the split between the two countries presents a challenge to companies in Sudan,especially they have not faced such a situation before in their businesses.This paper studies the impacts of the split on the capital structure during the period before and after the split,between 2008 and 2015,using a database of five different companies from different sectors,from Sudan.A regression model was adopted to study the impact of the split on the variables in order to analyze the variation in the ratios before and after the split.The results show that the political decisions such as split have a lot of consequences on the capital structure.

Consequences of Exits from Political Unions on Dividend Policy: The Case of Ethiopian Split

This paper examines the consequences of exits from political unions or the split of countries on dividend policy decision,taking the Ethiopian split as a practical case,considered as a major factor in the increase of political tension with Eritrea especially after the secession,that led to the increase in successive political conflicts and dispute over the past years till now.This paper studies the impacts of political conflicts that have been companied with split to this day especially during the period between 2010 and 2019,using a database of six companies from different sectors,from Ethiopia.The results show that the political conflicts such as split have a direct impact on the dividend policy.

Logit-based exit choice model of evacuation in rooms with internal obstacles and multiple exits

A logit-based discrete choice model is proposed to study the exit choice behaviour of evacuees in rooms with internal obstacles and multiple exits. Several factors influencing the exit choice behaviour, including the information obtained by evacuees, the tendency of following others, the visibility and familiarity of exits and the physical conditions of nearby exits, are considered. Evacuees are allowed to re-select their target exits for minimizing the perceived disutility during evacuation process. Numerical results from applying the model to cellular automata simulation of evacuation are presented and the effects of some model parameters on evacuation time are investigated.

Exit selection strategy in pedestrian evacuation simulation with multi-exits

A mixed strategy of the exit selection in a pedestrian evacuation simulation with multi-exits is constructed by fusing the distance-based and time-based strategies through a cognitive coefficient, in order to reduce the evacuation imbalance caused by the asymmetry of exits or pedestrian layout, to find a critical density to distinguish whether the strategy of exit selection takes effect or not, and to analyze the exit selection results with different cognitive coefficients. The strategy of exit selection is embedded in the computation of the shortest estimated distance in a dynamic parameter model, in which the concept of a jam area layer and the procedure of step-by-step expending are introduced. Simulation results indicate the characteristics of evacuation time gradually varying against cognitive coefficient and the effectiveness of reducing evacuation imbalance caused by the asymmetry of pedestrian or exit layout. It is found that there is a critical density to distinguish whether a pedestrian jam occurs in the evacuation and whether an exit selection strategy is in effect. It is also shown that the strategy of exit selection has no effect on the evacuation process in the no-effect phase with a low density, and that evacuation time and exit selection are dependent on the cognitive coefficient and pedestrian initial density in the in-effect phase with a high density.

Pedestrian flow through exit:Study focused on evacuation pattern

Experiments are conducted on the evacuation rate of pedestrians through exits with queued evacuation pattern and random evacuation pattern. The experimental results show that the flow rate of pedestrians is larger with the random evacuation pattern than with the queued evacuation pattern. Therefore, the exit width calculated based on the minimum evacuation clear width for every 100 persons, which is on the assumption that the pedestrians pass through the exit in one queue or several queues, is conservative. The number of people crossing the exit simultaneously is greater in the random evacuation experiments than in the queued evacuation experiments, and the time interval between the front row and rear row of people is shortened in large-exit conditions when pedestrians evacuate randomly. The difference between the flow rate with a queued evacuation pattern and the flow rate with a random evacuation pattern is related to the surplus width of the exit, which is greater than the total width of all accommodated people streams. Two dimensionless quantities are defined to explore this relationship. It is found that the difference in flow rate between the two evacuation patterns is stable at a low level when the surplus width of the exit is no more than 45% of the width of a single pedestrian stream. There is a great difference between the flow rate with the queued evacuation pattern and the flow rate with the random evacuation pattern in a scenario with a larger surplus width of the exit. Meanwhile, the pedestrians crowd extraordinarily at the exit in these conditions as well, since the number of pedestrians who want to evacuate through exit simultaneously greatly exceeds the accommodated level. Therefore, the surplus width of exit should be limited especially in the narrow exit condition, and the relationship between the two dimensionless quantities mentioned above could provide the basis to some extent.

Heat and mass transfer of a circular porous moist object located in a triangular shaped vented cavity

Heat and mass transfer of a circular-shaped porous moist object inside a two-dimensional triangle cavity is investigated by using finite element method.The porous object is considered to be a moist food sample,located in the middle of the cavity with inlet and outlet ports with different configurations of inlet/outlet ports.Convective drying performance is numerically assessed for different values of Reynolds numbers(between 50 and 250),dry air inlet temperature(between 40 and 80℃)and different locations of the port.It is observed that changing the port locations has significant impacts on the flow recirculaitons inside the triangular chamber while convective drying performance is highly affected.The moisture content reduces with longer time and for higher Reynolds number(Re)values.Case P4 where inlet and outlet ports are in the middle of the walls provides the most effective configuration in terms of convective drying performance while the worst case is seen for P1 case where inlet and outlet are closer to the corners of the chamber.There is a 192% difference between the moisture reduction of these two cases at Re=250,T=80℃ and t=120 min.

Application of Connected Truck Data to Evaluate Spatiotemporal Impact of Rest Area Closures on Ramp Parking

Ensuring adequate access to truck parking is critical to the safe and efficient movement of freight traffic. There are strict federal guidelines for commercial truck driver rest periods. Rest areas and private truck stops are the only places for the trucks to stop legally and safely. In locations without sufficient parking areas, trucks often park on interstate ramps, which create safety risks for other interstate motorists. Historically, agencies have employed costly and time intensive manual counting methods, camera surveillance, and driver surveys to assess truck parking. Connected truck data, available in near real-time, offers an efficient alternative to practitioners to assess truck parking patterns and identify areas where there may be insufficient safe parking spaces. This paper presents a case study of interstate I-70 in east central Indiana and documents the observed spatiotemporal impacts of a rest area closure on truck parking on nearby interstate ramps. Results showed that there was a 28% increase in parking on ramps during the rest area closure. Analysis also found that ramps closest to the rest area were most impacted by the closure, seeing a rise in truck parking sessions as high as 2.7 times. Parking duration on the ramps during rest area closure also increased drastically. Although it was expected that this would result in increased parking by trucks on adjacent ramps, this before, during, after scenario provided an ideal scenario to evaluate the robustness of these techniques to assess changing parking characteristics of long-haul commercial trucks. The data analytics and visualization tools presented in this study are scalable nationwide and will aid stakeholders in informed data-driven decision making when allocating resources towards improving the nations commercial vehicle parking infrastructure.

CFD simulation of smooth and T-abrupt exits in circulating fluidized bed risers

Gas-solid flow in circulating fluidized bed （CFB） risers depends not only on operating conditions but also on exit configurations. Few studies investigated the effects of exit configurations on flow structure using computational fluid dynamics （CFD）. This paper provides a 2D two-fluid model to simulate a cold bench-scale square cross-section riser with smooth and T-abrupt exits. The drag force between the gas and solid phases plays an important role in CFD. Since the drag force model based on homogeneous two- phase flow, such as the Wen-Yu correlation, could not capture the heterogeneous structures in gas-solid flow, the structure-dependent energy-minimization multi-scale （EMMS） drag force model （Wang, Ge, ＆ Li, 2008）, applicable for Geldart B particles （sand）, was integrated into the two-fluid model. The calculated axial solids hold-up profiles were respectively exponential curve for smooth exit and C-shaped curve for T-abrupt exit, both consistent with experimental data. This study once again proves the key role of drag force in CFD simulation and also shows the validity of CFD simulation （two-fluid model） to describe exit effects on ~as-solid flow in CFB risers.

Effect of a static pedestrian as an exit obstacle on evacuation

Building exit as a bottleneck structure is the last and the most congested stage in building evacuation.It is well known that obstacles at the exit affect the evacuation process,but few researchers pay attention to the effect of stationary pedestrians(the elderly with slow speed,the injured,and the static evacuation guide)as obstacles at the exit on the evacuation process.This paper explores the influence of the presence of a stationary pedestrian as an obstacle at the exit on the evacuation from experiments and simulations.We use a software,Pathfinder,based on the agent-based model to study the effect of ratios of exit width(D)to distance(d)between the static pedestrian and the exit,the asymmetric structure by shifting the static pedestrian upward,and types of obstacles on evacuation.Results show that the evacuation time of scenes with a static pedestrian is longer than that of scenes with an obstacle due to the unexpected hindering effect of the static pedestrian.Different ratios of D/d have different effects on evacuation efficiency.Among the five D/d ratios in this paper,the evacuation efficiency is the largest when d is equal to 0.75D,and the existence of the static pedestrian has a positive impact on evacuation in this condition.The influence of the asymmetric structure of the static pedestrian on evacuation efficiency is affected by D/d.This study can provide a theoretical basis for crowd management and evacuation plan near the exit of complex buildings and facilities.

Exit strategies in inflammatory bowel disease:Looking beyond antitumor necrosis factors

The long-term management of patients with inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)is still a matter of debate,and no clear guidelines have been issued.In clinical practice,gastroenterologists often have to deal with patients in prolonged remission after immunomodulatory or immunosuppressive therapies.When planning an exit strategy for drug withdrawal,the risk of disease relapse must be balanced against the risk of drug-related adverse events and healthcare costs.Furthermore,there is still a dearth of data on the withdrawal of novel biologics,such as the anti-α4β7 integrin antibody(vedolizumab)and anti-IL12/23 antibody(ustekinumab),as well as the small molecule tofacitinib.Models for estimating the risk of disease relapse and the efficacy of retreatment should be evaluated according to the patient's age and IBD phenotype.These models should guide clinicians in programming a temporary drug withdrawal after discussing realistic outcomes with the patient.This would shift the paradigm from an exit strategy to a holiday strategy.

Effect of CICARE communication nursing model combined with motivational psychological intervention in patients with postintensive care unit syndrome

BACKGROUND Post-intensive care syndrome(PICS)is a term used to describe a constellation of new or worsened dysfunctions in the physical,cognitive,or mental health status of critically ill patients after their discharge from the intensive care unit(ICU).These dysfunctions persist beyond the acute phase of illness and have a significant impact on both the patient and their family.Connect,Introduce,Communicate,Ask,Respond,Exit(CICARE)communication advocates that patients should be respected and accepted when receiving medical services.Clinicians should attach importance to the communication mode of feelings,including connection,introduction,communication,ask,response,and exit 6 steps.AIM To assess the impact of CICARE communication on the reduction of anxiety,depression,and post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD)symptoms in patients transitioning from the ICU to other care settings.METHODS This prospective,randomized,controlled study was performed between October 2021 and March 2023.Intensive Care Unit Memory Tool was used to evaluate patients’ICU memory.The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was employed to determine the presence of anxiety or depression symptoms.Impact of Event Scale-Revised was utilized to assess the presence of PTSD.All data were processed and analyzed using R language software version 4.1.0.The measurement data were expressed as mean±SD,and the t test was used.The count data were analyzed by theχ2 test and expressed as[n(%)].RESULTS In total,248 subjects were included in this study.Among them,206 were successfully followed up for three months after transfer from the ICU,and 42 cases were lost to follow-up.There was no significant difference in the composition of ICU memory between the two groups.The application of the CICARE communication nursing model combined with the motivational psychological intervention nursing model,as well as the adoption of only the motivational psychological intervention nursing model,demonstrated favorable effects on PICS.Both groups of patients showed a reduction in anxiety scores,depression scores,and PTSD scores following the implementation of these two nursing models.However,it is noteworthy that the experimental group exhibited greater improvements compared to the control group.CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that CICARE communication nursing mode may have good influence on relieving PICS.

Exit problem of stochastic SIR model with limited medical resource

Nonlinearity and randomness are both the essential attributes for the real world,and the case is the same for the models of infectious diseases,for which the deterministic models can not give a complete picture of the evolution.However,although there has been a lot of work on stochastic epidemic models,most of them focus mainly on qualitative properties,which makes us somewhat ignore the original meaning of the parameter value.In this paper we extend the classic susceptible-infectious-removed(SIR)epidemic model by adding a white noise excitation and then we utilize the large deviation theory to quantitatively study the long-term coexistence exit problem with epidemic.Finally,in order to extend the meaning of parameters in the corresponding deterministic system,we tentatively introduce two new thresholds which then prove rational.

The asymptotic relation between the first crossing point and the last exit time of Gaussian order statistics sequences

In this paper,we study the asymptotic relation between the first crossing point and the last exit time for Gaussian order statistics which are generated by stationary weakly and strongly dependent Gaussian sequences.It is shown that the first crossing point and the last exit time are asymptotically independent and dependent for weakly and strongly dependent cases,respectively.The asymptotic relations between the first crossing point and the last exit time for stationary weakly and strongly dependent Gaussian sequences are also obtained.

Globalization Under the Spells of Breakdowns in Supply Chains, Regime Change, Regime Formation, and Alliance Restructuring: How Much Is Left for Public Goods?

In a paper conceived about five years ago(“Globalization and Public Goods:Too Big to Tackle?”)roughly a dozen factors were linked to explain important causal paths from globalization to the potential output of public goods.The Russian invasion of Ukraine,the corona epidemic,and the increased hegemonic rivalry between China and the U.S.interrupted or even destroyed many of the linkages between globalization and potential public good production.About five important detrimental paths involved in the meantime.In the present article we aim at linking what is left from the previous level of globalization or emerging to form a new and simplified causal model for likely linkages between truncated or(re-)emerging globalization,and the deadly needed output of public goods.These linkages refer to rules of climate control,go to trade linkages and arbitrary tariffs and trade interventions.Regime change,regime formation,and alliance restructuring address aspects of domestic rule and international stability.Selectorate theory,regime type,and exit options for political elites provide key explanatory factors in explaining globalization and public goods productions,or their decay.Where possible we use some data and transformation experiences corroborating our arguments.In other instances need for further empirical macro research will become clear.

Clicking through the Clickstream: A Novel Statistical Modeling Approach to Improve Information Usage of Clickstream Data by E-Commerce Entities

Success or failure of an E-commerce platform is often reduced to its ability to maximize the conversion rate of its visitors. This is commonly regarded as the capacity to induce a purchase from a visitor. Visitors possess individual characteristics, histories, and objectives which complicate the choice of what platform features that maximize the conversion rate. Modern web technology has made clickstream data accessible allowing a complete record of a visitor’s actions on a website to be analyzed. What remains poorly constrained is what parts of the clickstream data are meaningful information and what parts are accidental for the problem of platform design. In this research, clickstream data from an online retailer was examined to demonstrate how statistical modeling can improve clickstream information usage. A conceptual model was developed that conjectured relationships between visitor and platform variables, visitors’ platform exit rate, boune rate, and decision to purchase. Several hypotheses on the nature of the clickstream relationships were posited and tested with the models. A discrete choice logit model showed that the content of a website, the history of website use, and the exit rate of pages visited had marginal effects on derived utility for the visitor. Exit rate and bounce rate were modeled as beta distributed random variables. It was found that exit rate and its variability for pages visited were associated with site content, site quality, prior visitor history on the site, and technological preferences of the visitor. Bounce rate was also found to be influenced by the same factors but was in a direction opposite to the registered hypotheses. Most findings supported that clickstream data is amenable to statistical modeling with interpretable and comprehensible models.

Research on Traffic Safety at Tunnel Entrance and Exit

Highway tunnel entrances have a high rate of expressway traffic accidents.In this paper,the reasons for the high incidence of traffic accidents at highway tunnel entrances are analyzed in detail,and corresponding solutions are proposed,hoping to provide some reference to relevant parties.

Analysis of Interchange Exit Safety Technology

In order to improve the safety of the exit of expressway interchanges,the main problems and influencing factors of interchange exits are analyzed according to the number of traffic accidents at expressway interchange exits in China.Some suggestions and countermeasures are then put forward from the aspect of safety technology for future reference.

一种AWGN信道下非规则LDPC码的优化方法

提出了一种加性高斯噪声(AWGN)信道下非规则低密度奇偶校验(LDPC)码的优化方法。利用LDPC码迭代译码算法下变量节点与校验节点的EX IT曲线之间的面积反映码的收敛阈值与香农限的差距这一特点,设计表示两条EX IT曲线之间面积的函数F,该函数可以衡量非规则LDPC码的性能,F值越小,LDPC码的收敛阈值就越接近香农限。仿真显示,合理设计变量节点和校验节点,减小函数F的值,能够提高非规则LDPC码的性能。

具有不等错误保护特性的LDPC编码调制方案

针对LDPC(low-densityparity-check)编码调制系统,提出了一种新的具有不等错误保护特性的调制方案,在一个码字内,利用不同的调制方式对于重要的比特给予较强的保护,对于次要的比特给予较弱的保护,该方案既适用于非规则LDPC码,也适用于规则LDPC码。计算机仿真结果表明,新方案的性能是传统16QAM及4QAM的折衷,当采用1/2码率时,其频带利用率与8PSK相同,但是误码率性能优于8PSK。新方案的性能优于现有文献中基于比特可靠性的调制映射方案,并采用EXIT(extrinsicinformationtransfer)图对新方案的优异性能给出了解释。

GF(q)域上非规则LDPC码EXIT图分析方法研究

GF(q)域上非规则LDPC码是二进制非规则LDPC码在有限域GF(q=2p)上的扩展,在码长和码率相等的情况下,具有比二进制非规则LDPC码更优异的性能。如何分析GF(q)域上非规则LD-PC码的迭代译码性能是其能否有效应用的关键。基于迭代译码结构,本文研究了AWGN信道下GF(q)域上非规则LDPC码的EXIT图分析方法,推导了其计算表达式;提出了利用EXIT图变量节点与校验节点联合优化准则。仿真结果表明,相对密度进化方法,该方法计算出的收敛门限值的精度稍有下降,却极大地降低了计算复杂度;在相同通信条件下,通过联合优化准则设计的GF(q)域上的非规则LDPC性能优于二进制非规则LDPC码;得到的收敛门限对应的信噪比非常接近香农限,进一步验证了EXIT图分析工具的优越性。