2,306 research outputs found
Respondent dynamics within the NZIER survey of business opinion: An introductory perspective
No full textThis paper considers respondent dynamics within the NZIER quarterly survey of business opinion. The paper concentrates mainly on the potential usefulness of matched and individual survey responses with particular reference to business confidence. The main framework is a three-by-three matrix of responses by firms who have participated in adjacent surveys. This framework provides information on the dynamics (flows) of business opinion as opposed to the usual published information on end-of-period net balances (stocks). The paper highlights the volatility of business opinion with respect to both economy-wide and own-outlook. Almost half the firms replying to adjacent surveys, for example, changed their outlook between quarters regarding business confidence, output and profitability
Universities in the Ecozoic Era: Director\u27s Inaugural Lecture for the Center for Climate, Society, and the Environment
Get PDFIn this inaugural lecture of Gonzaga\u27s new Center for Climate, Society, and the Environment, the Center\u27s Director Brian G. Henning, Ph.D. shares his vision for the Center and its work ahead.
Dr. Brian G. Henning is the inaugural Director and founder of the Gonzaga Center for Climate, Society, and the Environment. Originally from Boise, Idaho, Dr. Henning joined faculty in 2008 and is Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Environmental Studies. An award-winning author, Dr. Henning has written or edited more than 10 books and 35 articles and chapters, including Riders in the Storm: Ethics in an Age of Climate Change (Anselm 2015) and Climate Change Ethics and the Non-human World (Routledge 2020)
A statistical forecast model of weather-related damage to a major electric utility
No full textA model has been developed to relate meteorological conditions to damages incurred by the outdoor electrical equipment (plant) of Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G), the largest public utility in New Jersey. Utilizing a perfect prognosis approach, the model consists of equations derived from a backwards eliminated multiple linear regression analysis of observed damage (the predictand) and corresponding surface observations from a variety of sources including local storm reports (the predictors). The analysis gives a different equation for each combination of plant damage element (e.g., poles down, transformers blown), the four PSE&G service territories, and objectively defined storm modes (e.g., Thunderstorm, Heat Wave, None). The predictors used most often were found to be products of maximum wind gust with maximum temperature, daily liquid water equivalent precipitation, and ten day accumulated liquid equivalent precipitation, and were often found to be significant (p-value less than 0.05). The number of severe weather reports provided significant predictors for the Thunderstorm storm mode. The resulting regression equations produced coefficients of determination ranging from 0.032 to 0.697 with the lowest values for the None and Cold storm modes, and the highest values for the Thunderstorm and Mix storm modes. The appropriate model equations were applied to an independent verification dataset and the verification standard deviations were compared to the model derived standard errors which revealed heteroscedasticity (predictand error variance is proportional to the predictand itself) in the model. Both error measurements are calculated assuming independence, and they represent a lower-bound on the error estimation because the training dataset was not transformed into a normal distribution and the use of count data for damaged elements yields a non-independent dataset. Two case studies analyzed to critique model performance yielded insight into model shortcomings where lightning information and wind duration were found to be important missing predictors. The case studies were also used to develop guidelines for applying the model in an operational setting. The development of a damage model for other utility companies in other contexts is discussed.M.S.Includes abstractIncludes bibliographical referencesby Brian John Cerrut
FRIENDSHIP WITH VICTIM DOGGING NICHOLAS JUDGE
No full textGeorgia Law Professor Ronald L. Carlson was quoted in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution regarding whether or not Cobb County Superior Court Judge James G. Bodiford should step down from presiding over the Brian Nichols case. The article was written by Steve Visser and appeared on 4/24/08
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