Empirical Modelling

Current debates about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture reveal substantial differences in perception of the associated risks and benefits. Genetically modified crop varieties promise benefits to both farmers and consumers, and can lower damage to the natural environment, for example by reducing pesticide use. But some other environmental issues, together with food safety and ethical concerns with the production and use of GMOs, are being raised as potential negative aspects of GMOs. Hence the recent Biosafety Protocol with its endorsement of the use of the precautionary principle. However, if that Protocol were to encourage discriminatory trade barriers or import bans, or even just long delays in approving the use of imported GM seeds, it may be at odds with countries' obligations under the World Trade Organization. The first part of this paper provides a brief overview of the trade policy issues at stake here. The distributional consequences of adopting GMO technology in agriculture within and between countries, and of proposed trade-related policy responses, cannot be determined a priori. Hence the need for empirical modelling of the economic effects of GMO adoption. The second part of the paper illustrates how such policy or consumer responses can alter significantly the potential size of the global GMO dividend and its distribution. This is done using a wellreceived empirical model of the global economy (GTAP) to quantify the effects on production, prices, trade patterns and national economic welfare of certain countries' farmers adopting GM maize and soybean crops without and with trade policy or consumer responses in Western Europe (where opposition to GMOs is most vocal).

A semi-empirical model has been elaborated for analyzing and predicting the flow characteristics of small electro-pneumatic (EP) valves within a wide range of pressure ratio. As a basis for characterization of flow coefficient, an analytical model has been established for a simplified geometry. This model has been corrected corresponding to more complex valve geometries, utilizing the results of axisymmetric quasi-3D (Q3D) computations using the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code FLUENT. By this means, a semi-empirical modelling methodology has been elaborated for characterization of through-flow behavior of pneumatic valves of various geometries.

The study focuses on the empirical modelling of the major determinants of imports demand of Bangladesh using annual data. We, not only, critically examine the determinants of imports demand following conventional wisdom but have taken into account some plausible new determinants like foreign exchange reserves and final expenditure components also. The paper investigates the impact of trade liberalizations as well. We finally employ the equilibrium correction mechanism (ECM) to investigate the short-run dynamics of imports demand. The estimated results demonstrate that the real GDP and relative prices of imports are statistically significant and show expected signs for Bangladesh. Relative imports prices is an important determinant of imports demand both in the short- and long-run. We find that the hypothesis of unit coefficient of income in the aggregate imports demand is apposite in Bangladeshi data. Trade liberalization could not make any special difference for the imports demand ...

The present investigation has been aimed at to carry out the modelling of the indicators of chloride-induced corrosion of the rebar in concrete under normal exposure at early age. The main factors considered are w/c ratio, cement content and the chloride content of concrete. In order to evaluate the simultaneous effects of these factors on rebar corrosion in terms of corrosion indicators such as a half-cell potential, concrete resistivity, corrosion rate, free Cl content and pH of concrete, a standard statistical experiment design has been adopted. Through analysis of variance (ANOVA), the factors and their possible interactions affecting each corrosion indicator have been identified. After identifying the effect of factors and their possible interactions on each of the corrosion indicators separately, the empirical models for corrosion indicators have been fitted in terms of the effective factors and interactions, using the method of least squares, and utility of these models is discussed.

Ž . The representation of the 3D structure of a molecule by a radial distribution function RDF code is described. The use of Ž . the RDF code for the simulation of an infrared spectrum by a counterpropagation CPG neural network is shown. Furthermore, a CPG network can also be operated in reverse mode: on input of an infrared spectrum an RDF code is obtained for which a 3D structure can be searched in a database. An empirical modelling process is used to refine this 3D structure to obtain a three-dimensional model of the molecular structure that corresponds to the infrared spectrum. q 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

The archives of species range polygons developed under comprehensive assessments of the conservation status of species, such as the IUCN's Global Assessments, are a significant resource in the analysis of biodiversity for conservation planning. Species range polygons obtained from these studies are known to exhibit omissions (because of knowledge gaps) and imprecision in their boundaries. In this work, we present a method to refine those species range polygons in order to create more realistic representations of species geographic ranges. Using range polygons of four species of mammals in South America and environmental variables at a 1 km resolution, combined with a set of GIS algorithms, a procedure was developed to map the confidence that sub-polygon elements belong to a logical species range. The confidence map is then used as a weight for a Mahalanobis typicality empirical modelling procedure to generate a map of species-weighted typicalities that is then thresholded to generate the refined species range map. Methods for variable selection and quality assessment of the refined range are also included in the procedure. Analysis using independent validation data shows the power of this methodology to redefine species ranges in a more biophysically reasonable way. The quality of the final-range map depends on the habitat suitability threshold used to define the species range. The report of quality assessment produced is useful for identifying not only the threshold that produces the highest match to the original expert range but also for flagging those ranges with higher discrepancies, facilitating the identification of ranges that need further revision.

The computer package FLUIDS contains five sets of computer programs written in C++ for the calculation of fluid properties. Both model fluids and data from fluid inclusions can be analysed in the programs. Bulk density, molar volume and composition of fluid inclusions are calculated with the program BULK, which uses microthermometric data, micro-Raman spectroscopic data, cation ratios and volume-fraction estimations as input. The program offers a broad variety of equations of state, which are selected according to the fluid system or the temperature and pressure conditions of interest. The isochores that correspond to the output or test V À x properties of fluid inclusions are calculated by the program ISOC. In calculating the isochores, this program takes account of the compressibility and expansion of selected host minerals. The program TEST allows different equations of state to be compared directly with experimental data, thereby facilitating selection of the most adequate model in the programs BULK and ISOC. Loner is a group of programs that handle individual equations of state (EoS) for all fluid systems presented in the programs BULK and ISOC. Aqso is a group of programs that allows purely empirical modelling of electrolyte-bearing aqueous solutions, Henry's law for dilute gas-bearing aqueous solutions, and osmotic coefficients for dilute electrolyte-bearing aqueous solutions. The programs are available on the University of Leoben web site at http:/www.unileoben.ac.at/~buero62/minpet/ronald. D

In this paper an approach for the dynamic modelling of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells is presented. A mathematical formulation based on empirical equations is discussed and several features, exhibiting dynamic phenomena, are investigated. A generalized steady state fuel cell model is extended for the development of a method for dynamic electrochemical analysis. Energy balance and reactant flow dynamics are also explained through physical and empirical relationships. A well-researched system (Ballard MK5-E stack based PGS-105B system) is considered in order to understand the operation of a practical fuel cell unit. Matlab-SIMULINKTM has been used in simulating the models. The proposed method appears to be relatively simple and consequently requires less computation time. Simulation results are compared with available experimental findings and a good match has been observed.

The knowledge of the scale height in the topside ionosphere region remains rather poor due to the insufficient observations carried so far. To advance this knowledge, presented here is a new method of retrieving the topside ionospheric scale height based on radio occultation observations onboard low-earth-orbiting satellites. The scale height, well known for its dependence on the temperatures and masses of the ionospheric constituents, understandably experiences large spatial and temporal variability. With the help of the CHAMP satellite's occultation experiment, analysed is the scale height behaviour with respect to solar and geomagnetic activity, local time, season, longitude and latitude. The expected strong dependence on temperature has been confirmed; however, it has been found that this dependence is not straightforward but more complex and clearly affected by other factors. For example, while the daytime scale height values increase at higher solar activity, the night-time values do not show such a trend. The seasonal dependence proved to be strong with summer-time values significantly higher than winter-time numbers. Also, there is no common pattern for the diurnal variations: sometimes daytime values are higher, sometimes the night-time values dominate; large differences are detected from season to season and from latitude to latitude. Generally, the scale increases at higher latitudes, although a few differences do exist. No major longitudinal and hemispheric differences have been detected so far. Based on the accumulated data, a first attempt has been made to empirically simulate the scale height value at 425 km altitude; as input parameters, the model respects the local time, latitude, and season. The scale height model can be implemented into the electron density profile retrieval procedure by delivering an improved initial guess. r

Hereafter, a modification of the traditional Palmes diffusion tube by fitting a membrane at the open end of the tube is presented. The membrane is placed to avoid the effect of turbulence due to wind speed. Further optimisations of the volume of absorbent and number of meshes retaining the absorbent are also described. Finally, the sampler is placed in an air proof container and is ready to use in order to improve the quality of measurement.

Robotics is a functional approach for learning basic concepts of computing. In this role, it has been successfully used in introductory classes of Computer Science and Information Technology from primary to higher education. In a typical scenario, learners design and program robots in small groups that comprise between 2 and 4 students. Although such activity is stimulating for learners, the teacher of the class may find it hard to follow each individual student's learning processes. Empirical Modelling gives the teacher a platform to monitor individual group processes by collecting data from the construction and programming of the robots and allowing the teacher to model the empirically observed process. Unlike most adaptive learning systems, the model and the modelling process are transparent and open to the teacher, and even the students are able to assess their own learning based on the derived models.

What is the nature of the industrial organization of the market for physician services? Is the market "competitive?" Are there pareto-relevant market failures, such that there is room for welfare improving policies? Economists have devoted a great deal of attention to this market, but it remains relatively poorly understood.

This paper links two perspectives on the problems of introducing information and communications technology (ICT) and ICT education to developing countries. Ongoing projects aimed at establishing ICT provision for Tumaini University in Tanzania have led to the identification of a strategy ('the CATI model') that aspires at contextualising ICT in a progressive fashion, through activities that can be interpreted as importing, transferring and applying ICT. Independent research at Warwick has highlighted the way in which orthodox ICT-based education promotes a particular variety of learning, where knowledge that can be de-contextualised is privileged. The aspirations for CATI are reviewed with reference to an alternative conception of ICT rooted on a methodology for modelling with dependency ('Empirical Modelling'). An Empirical Modelling perspective on ICT is potentially seen as overcoming some of the obstacles to contextualising information and communications technology in developing countries. This potential is illustrated with reference to a model of the Linux vim editor that has been developed to bridge the gap between the cultures of the graphical user interface and the command line.

Least squares (LS), Theil's (TS) and weighted total least squares (WTLS) regression analysis methods are used to develop empirical relationships between radium in the ground, radon in soil and radon in dwellings to assist in the post-closure assessment of indoor radon related to near surface radioactive waste disposal at the Low Level Waste Repository in England. The data sets used are (i) estimated 226 Ra in the <2mm fraction of topsoils (eRa226) derived from estimated uranium (eU) from airborne gamma spectrometry data, (ii) eRa226 derived from measurements of uranium in soil geochemical samples, (iii) soil gas radon and (iv) indoor radon data. For models comparing indoor radon and (i) eRa226 derived from airborne eU data and (ii) soil gas radon data, some of the geological groupings have significant slopes. For these groupings there is reasonable agreement in slope and intercept between the three regression analysis methods (LS, TS and WTLS). Relationships between radon in dwellings and radium in the ground or radon in soil differ depending on the characteristics of the underlying geological units, with more permeable units having steeper slopes and higher indoor radon concentrations for a given radium or soil gas radon concentration in the ground. The regression models comparing indoor radon with soil gas radon have intercepts close to 5 Bq m -3 whilst the intercepts for those comparing indoor radon with eRa226 from airborne eU vary from

The deformation during sintering under an applied uniaxial load was investigated experimentally for two WC-Co cemented carbides with different grain size. The lower applied loads changed only the relative magnitude of axial and radial shrinkages, whereas the higher loads also affected the volumetric strain. Local maxima in shrinkage rate were found at relative densities close to 0.8 for all sintering conditions. The constitutive parameters uniaxial viscosity, PoissonÕs ratio and sintering stress were empirically modelled as functions of temperature and relative density.

Time-series data on plutonium, americium and Cs concentrations in surficial sediments and seawater, gathered at selected locations in the western Irish Sea mud basin in the period 1988-97, are examined and modelled in an attempt to reconstruct the deposition history of Sellafield-sourced radionuclides in the basin and estimate representative mean availability times for these nuclides in this zone. Predictions using a semi-empirical modelling approach have been confirmed by the analysis of Pb-dated sediment cores retrieved from the basin, and interpreted in terms of the processes likely to control the transport of particle-reactive radionuclides from the northeastern Irish Sea to the western Irish Sea. The proposed interpretation has been supported by the analysis of transuranium concentrations and radionuclide ratios along two east-west transects from Sellafield, which has highlighted the importance of sediment remobilisation processes in the dispersion of particle-reactive radionuclides post-input. These processes have been incorporated in a low-resolution compartmental model of the Irish Sea and used to predict future Pu concentration trends in the western Irish Sea mud basin. Model predictions for Pu in the surface sediment and seawater compartments in this zone, validated by comparison with independent data sets, indicate that concentrations have already peaked and are beginning to decline slowly with mean availability times of ca. 100 years in both compartments. In the case of Cs, the decline is much more rapid, the corresponding availability times being at least an order of magnitude shorter.

Literature shows a significant development of organic farming in Europe but with considerable differences between countries. These depend on general agricultural policy (the set of regulations and laws), specific policy incentives, and also on differences in consumer behaviour. This paper reviews scientific literature on the evaluation of the technical, economic and environmental aspects of conversion from conventional towards organic production.

The estimation of mechanical properties of concrete is one of the most important applications of the ultrasonic method. This technique often involves the measuring of the ultrasonic pulse propagation velocity. However, there exist some factors influencing the effective ultrasonic pulse propagation velocity in concrete. This paper is devoted to a discussion of the behavior of the effective ultrasonic pulse propagation velocity as a function of the free water contained in concrete. The travelling of an ultrasonic ray through a heterogeneous medium composed by cement and aggregates(solid phase), water(liquid phase) and air(gaseous phase) was empirically modelled. A relationship between the transition time of the ultrasonic ray in the testing piece and the free water quantity was considered. We assumed an empirical intermediate relationship between the ultrasonic path length in porous space in concrete filled with water and the free water quantity in the testing piece. From experimental...

Some overharvested fish populations fail to recover even after considerable reductions in fishing pressure. The reasons are unclear but may involve genetic changes in life history traits that are detrimental to population growth when natural environmental factors prevail. We empirically modelled this process by subjecting populations of a harvested marine fish, the Atlantic silverside, to experimental size-biased fishing regimes over five generations and then measured correlated responses across multiple traits. Populations where large fish were selectively harvested (as in most fisheries) displayed substantial declines in fecundity, egg volume, larval size at hatch, larval viability, larval growth rates, food consumption rate and conversion efficiency, vertebral number, and willingness to forage. These genetically based changes in numerous traits generally reduce the capacity for population recovery.

The two components of soil respiration, autotrophic respiration (from roots, mycorrhizal hyphae and associated microbes) and heterotrophic respiration (from decomposers), was separated in a root trenching experiment in a Norway spruce forest. In June 2003, cylinders (29.7 cm diameter) were inserted to 50 cm soil depth and respiration was measured both outside (control) and inside the trenched areas. The potential problems associated with the trenching treatment, increased decomposition of roots and ectomycorrhizal mycelia and changed soil moisture conditions, were handled by empirical modelling. The model was calibrated with respiration, moisture and temperature data of 2004 from the trenched plots as a training set. We estimate that over the first 5 months after the trenching, 45% of respiration from the trenched plots was an artefact of the treatment. Of this, 29% was a water difference effect and 16% resulted from root and mycelia decomposition. Autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration contributed to about 50% each of total soil respiration in the control plots averaged over the two growing seasons. We show that the potential problems with the trenching, decomposing roots and mycelia and soil moisture effects, can be handled by a modelling approach, which is an alternative to the sequential root harvesting technique.

In the first part of this paper, we motivated and defined three systems of constructive and inconsistency-tolerant description logic. The variety of arising systems is conditioned by the variety of approaches to defining modalities in the constructive setting. We also presented sound and complete tableau calculi for the logics under consideration. Whereas these calculi were not meant to give rise to tableau algorithms, in the present second part of the paper, after providing some motivation and recalling the main definitions, we adapt methods developed by R. Dyckhoff and by I. Horrocks and U. Sattler in order to define a tableau algorithm for our basic four-valued constructive description logic CALC C . Notice that among the three logics defined in the first part of the paper, CALC C is the only logic which lends itself to applications, because for the other logics it is unknown whether they are elementarily decidable. The presented algorithm for CALC C is the first example of an elementary decision procedure for a constructive description logic.

This article offers a new test of the mobilisation thesis of Internet effects on individual political participation using data from an NOP survey of 1,972 UK adults during May 2002. The analy- sis differs from that of previous studies in that it significantly widens the understanding of the dependent variable—online participation—as well as introducing new Internet-specific variables as explanatory factors

Rate of sediment transport is critical to understand, which gives the idea how rivers work. Change in the river bed elevation due to sediment transport and hydraulic structure depend on distance of river reach from hydraulic structure. All rivers are full of sediments: a river, in effect, can be considered a body of flowing sediments. An understanding of the behavior of sediment discharge relationship in a reservoir is necessary for effective reservoir and basin management.

Farmed fish can be exposed to persistent organic contaminants-such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dibenzodioxins (PCDDs), and dibenzofurans (PCDFs)-via feed, this eventually resulting in accumulation levels of health concern. To study the correlation between feed contamination, chemical accumulation in fish muscle (fillet), and chemical depletion, an all-vegetal base (or blank) feed was prepared and fortified with a commercial PCB mixture (Aroclor 1254

The estimation of mechanical properties of concrete is one of the most important applications of the ultrasonic method. This technique often involves the measuring of the ultrasonic pulse propagation velocity. However, there exist some factors influencing the effective ultrasonic pulse propagation velocity in concrete. This paper is devoted to a discussion of the behavior of the effective ultrasonic pulse propagation velocity as a function of the free water contained in concrete. The travelling of an ultrasonic ray through a heterogeneous medium composed by cement and aggregates(solid phase), water(liquid phase) and air(gaseous phase) was empirically modelled. A relationship between the transition time of the ultrasonic ray in the testing piece and the free water quantity was considered. We assumed an empirical intermediate relationship between the ultrasonic path length in porous space in concrete filled with water and the free water quantity in the testing piece. From experimental...

Neural networks, due to their excellent capabilities for modelling process behaviour, are gaining precedence over traditional empirical modelling techniques, such as statistical methods. While neural networks have good ability to map any reasonable continuous function, they do not explain easily how the inputs are related to an output, and also whether the selected inputs have any significant relationship with an output. There is quite often a need to identify some order of influence of the input variables on the output variable. In this paper, a technique for determining the order of influence of the n elements of the input vector on the m elements of the output vector is presented and discussed. While a sample mathematical function is used to introduce the technique, a more practical application of this method in the aluminium smelting industry is considered. It is shown that using a sensitivity analysis on the backpropagation algorithm the degree of influence of input parameters on the output error can be successfully estimated.

Empirical modelling of the international linkages between the Euro Area and the US requires an open economy specification. This paper proposes and implements a structural VECM framework which imposes long run and short run cross-economy restrictions based on theoretically motivated restrictions and empirically supported dominance assumptions. The SVECM distinguishes between permanent and temporary shocks in a system where one cross-economy cointegrating relationship links output levels. In addition, the short run dynamics incorporate both contemporaneous interactions and feedbacks between the two economies. Importantly, greater empirical coherence is obtained by allowing for more direct inflationary effects between the two economies than considered in other recent analyses. Estimated using data from 1983Q1 to 2007Q4, the results demonstrate the cross-country impact of shocks. Although US shocks generally produce stronger effects, nevertheless some shocks originating in the Euro Area have significant effects on the US, particularly for inflation and interest rates.

Models are simplified representations of a system, in this study the dynamic behaviour of soil properties in shifting cultivation systems in southern Cameroon. Soils were sampled synchronically from plots representing a chronosequence (from 0 to more than 30 years) of these land-use systems and also diachronically from the same plots over 7 years. The five soil properties (pH water, exchangeable calcium, available P, organic C and bulk density) that had been identified in a previous study as the most sensitive to these land-use systems were modelled. Linear/quadratic fractional rational functions were fitted to the synchronic series using nonlinear least squares. These functions were used to compute three metrics describing soil behaviour over time: maximum proportional deviation from the base state, time to reach this maximum, and relaxation time towards the original value. The curves of four variables showed an initial S-shaped rise from the value under virgin forest to a maximum during cropping, followed by an inverse-S-shaped decrease towards the original value during fallow or perennial plantations; the curves of organic C showed an inverse shape. The fitted function explained 50% to 80% of soil dynamics for the first four variables in the 0-20 cm layer on both Ferralsols and Acrisols but only 25% for organic C. These functions showed a very quick reaction to forest conversion for exchangeable calcium, available P and organic C which maxima are reached at the end of the first year. Soil reaction and bulk density showed significant changes somewhat later, 2.5 to 3.5 years. The relaxation times of soil chemical properties were much shorter than those for bulk density. The two sampling approaches showed some differences in absolute values but quite similar trends. The simpler synchronic approach can thus be used in studies of soil dynamics. D

An understanding of spatial patterns of health facility use allows a more informed approach to the modelling of catchment populations. In the absence of patient use data, an intuitive and commonly used approach to the delineation of facility catchment areas is Thiessen polygons. This study presents a series of methods by which the validity of these assumptions can be tested directly and hence the suitability of a Thiessen polygon catchment model explicitly assessed. These methods are applied to paediatric out-patient origin data from a sample of 81 government health facilities in four districts of Kenya. A geographical information system was used to predict the location of the catchment boundary along a transect between each pair of neighbouring facilities based on patient choice patterns. The mean location of boundaries between facilities of different type was found to be significantly displaced from the Thiessen boundary towards the lower-order facility. The affect of distance on within-catchment utilization rate was assessed by using exclusion buffers to remove the effect of neighbouring facilities. Utilization rate was found to exhibit a slight but steady decrease with distance up to 6 km from a facility. The accuracy of the future modelling of unsampled facility catchments can be increased by the incorporation of these trends.

IEEE 802.11p is the new standard for intervehicular communications (IVC) using the 5.9 GHz frequency band; it is planned to be widely deployed to enable cooperative systems. 802.11p uses and performance have been studied theoretically and in simulations over the past years. Unfortunately, many of these results have not been confirmed by on-tracks experimentation. In this paper, we describe field trials of 802.11p technology with our test vehicles; metrics such as maximum range, latency and frame loss are examined. Then, we propose a detailed modelisation of 802.11p that can be used to accurately simulate its performance within Cooperative Systems (CS) applications.

This paper explores the effects of intra-regional agglomeration and interregional networking on the productivity of R&D across EU regions. The paper is based on the spatial econometric modelling framework presented in Varga (2000), and further develops a methodology for estimating the dynamic effects of agglomeration and interregional networks on R&D productivity in regional knowledge creation (measured by patent applications and

Abstract This paper explores the effects of intra-regional agglomeration and interregional networking on the productivity of R&amp;amp;amp;D across EU regions. The paper is based on the spatial econometric modelling framework presented in Varga (2000), and further develops a ...

This paper examines the behaviour of the demand for money in Greece during 1976Greece during :1-2000 a period that included many of the influences that cause money-demand instability. Two empirical methodologies, vector error correction (VEC) modelling and second-generation random coefficient (RC) modelling, are used to estimate the demand for money. The coefficients of both the VEC and RC procedures support the hypothesis that the demand for money becomes more responsive to both the own rate of return on money balances and the opportunity cost of holding money because of financial deregulation. In general, both procedures also support the hypothesis that the income elasticity of money demand declines over time as a result of technological improvements in the payments system and the development of money substitutes, which lead to economies of scale in holding money.

INFLUENCE OF DATA ACQUISITION GEOMETRY ON VEGETATION INDICES AND LAI ESTIMATES WITH MODIS, HYPERION AND PROSAIL SIMULATIONS FOR SOYBEAN ABSTRACT In order to reduce cloud cover effects on the acquisition of optical images, the temporal resolution of the satellites can be improved by using large swath width sensors such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). MODIS acquires data over

The Metis project brings together a global virtual team for the collective creation of an advocacy advertainment film for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This team includes computer and human scientists, artists, NGO officers, students, global Olympics volunteers and industrial partners from Europe, Africa, China and North America. The ambitious scope of Metis demands a technology for cooperation that can address the intercultural mediation of creative and innovative processes and that is highly adaptive to unstable contexts and unpredictable situations. As is suggested by its motto: &#39;Shooting the film while building the camera&#39;, Metis envisages the development of such a technology and infrastructure for cooperation as part of the concurrent responsibility of the global virtual team. This paper reviews the progress of the Metis project to date, with specific reference to the broad challenges being faced in deploying current technologies for computer-supported collaborative workin...

of Banking Statistics, British Bankers&apos; Association, London and the Building Societies Yearbook, Building Societies Association, London and from direct correspondence with the institutions themselves. . Data on the time of adoption of ATMs for both retail banks and building societies were obtained from direct correspondence with the relevant institutions. REFERENCES ...

Aesthetic properties of fabrics have been considered as the most important fabric attribute for years. However, recently there has been a paradigm shift in the domain of textile material applications and consequently more emphasis is now being given on the mechanical and functional properties of fabrics rather than its aesthetic appeal. Moreover, in certain woven fabrics used for technical applications, strength is a decisive quality parameter. In this work, tensile strength of plain woven fabrics has been predicted by using two empirical modelling methods namely artificial neural network (ANN) and linear regression. Warp yarn strength, warp yarn elongation, ends per inch (EPI), picks per inch (PPI) and weft count (Ne) were used as input parameters. Both the models were able to predict the fabric strength with reasonably good precision although ANN model demonstrated higher prediction accuracy and generalization ability than the regression model. The warp yarn strength and EPI were found to be the two most significant factors influencing fabric strength in warp direction.

Effective management of coral reef ecosystems requires accurate, quantitative and spatially-explicit information on patterns of species richness at scales relevant to the management process. This paper represents a unique approach for predicting fish species richness across a compositionally and topographically complex mosaic of marine habitat types in the U.S. Caribbean. We combined advanced empirical modelling techniques, GIS and field observations to develop predictive maps of fish species richness. Three modelling methods (multiple linear regression, neural networks and regression trees) were compared and their performance evaluated using multiple measures. Overall, regression trees outperformed multiple linear regression and neural networks. For southwestern Puerto Rico, a classified predictive map of fish species richness (high, medium, low classes) with an overall map accuracy of 75 % was produced based on the relationship between fish species richness and topographic complexity. Mean users accuracy for high and low species richness areas combined was 83.4 %. Areas of high fish species richness were predicted for the most bathymetrically complex areas with high mean rugosity and high bathymetric variance quantified at two different spatial extents (≤ 0.01 km 2). Water depth and the amount of seagrasses and hard-bottom habitat in the seascape were of secondary importance. This model also provided good predictions in two geographically distinct regions indicating a high level of generality in the habitat variables selected. Results indicate that accurate predictions of fish species richness could be achieved in future studies using remotely sensed measures of topographic complexity alone. This integration of advanced modelling techniques with spatial technologies provides a new and powerful tool in support of ecosystem-based management for coral reef ecosystems.

Effective management of coral reef ecosystems requires accurate, quantitative and spatially explicit information on patterns of species richness at spatial scales relevant to the management process.We combined empirical modelling techniques, remotely sensed data, field observations and GIS to develop a novel multi-scale approach for predicting fish species richness across a compositionally and topographically complex mosaic of marine habitat types in the U.S. Caribbean. First, the performance of three different modelling techniques (multiple linear regression, neural networks and regression trees) was compared using data from southwestern Puerto Rico and evaluated using multiple measures of predictive accuracy. Second, the best performing model was selected. Third, the generality of the best performing modelwas assessed through application to two geographically distinct coral reef ecosystems in the neighbouring U.S. Virgin Islands. Overall, regression trees outperformed multiple lin...