Cyprus Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 1.3 (1997)

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List of Abstracts

Vsevolod Levtchitch

Shear fatigue and seismic response of reinforced concrete flexural members

An analysis of stress-strain conditions of reinforced concrete flexural members under cyclic loadings and proposals for the simplified quantitative assessment of fatigue shear response are presented. Cyclic loads parameters, number of loadings, shear span, shear and longitudinal reinforcement ratios, concrete strength, bond conditions were considered as the variables. In addition to safety against fatigue failure, the serviceability conditions are considered. Low-cycle fatigue is used as a criterion for the seismic response capacity. Experimental data provide the basis of analysis.

Emmanuel C. Kondylis

Portfolio Planning: A critical review of the traditional models

Portfolio planning is concerned with the development of a balanced assortment of business entities, controlld by a corporation, in terms of risk and return. There have been created various models to aid Portfolio Planning. The most widely known are the Boston Consulting Group Product Portfolio (BGG), the Shell Chemical Directional Policy Matrix (DPM), the G.E./McKinsey industry Attractiveness/Business Strength Array (GE), the Arthur D. Little Life Cycle Matrix (ADL) and the Profit Impact of Market Strategies Data model (PIMS). Each one of these has specific underlying assumptions, strengths, weaknesses and possible common applications. They can be potentially valuable as aids in strategic planning if one is aware, in addiction to their specific features, of their inherent limitations, too.

Eleftherios Thalassinos & M. Sallas

Innovative Financial Strategies for Opening new Banking European Markets

The main role of the financial services sector within the economical reform process is widely known and recognised in its central importance by all international financial institutions.

Eastern European Markets transformation towards a market economy cannot be implemented without a sound financial services sector as an essential support mechanism.

In this paper we present some innovative financial strategies based on past experience accumulated during the transition of a public commercial bank into the private sector which can be of crucial importance in the new European Banking Markets.

Vlachos G.P. and Giziakis K.

The effect of ship casualties on economic efficiency and the rules for safety

Ship casualties create costs. These costs can be broadly divided into two categories. The first includes the cost that is paid by the shipping industry directly or through the hull insurance companies and P & I clubs and the second refers to the unpaid cost. The uncompensated economic resources, due to the ship casualties, create a problem of misallocation of resources and consequently they do not allow the free market to be driven to economic efficiency. The economic effect of ship casualties must be taken into account by the international bodies, which produce remedies in order to increase the safety of ship operations. These bodies elaborate safety measures mainly by improving the technical and operational parts of the shipping industry. From the economic point of view we may be helped twofold. First, by studying the effect of ship casualties on economic efficiency and proposing such measures that lead to the right directions. Second, by calculating the cost of proposed safety measures and comparing it with the cost of casualties. The marginal cost of safety rules must be compared with the marginal cost of ship casualties. The cost of casualties means all costs to the shipping industry and to the economy as a whole. Whenever the cost of safety measures exceeds the cost of ship casualties, it means that more investments on safety may lead to economic inefficiency.

In this paper we present the effects of ship casualties on economic efficiency from the economic point of view.

G. Papaioannou

Benefit Measurement for the Transport Projects

Transport project evaluation, like all public investment evaluation, is directed at an assessment and choice among project proposals. In economic analyses of these problems, the usual goal is to maximize net social gains subject to prevailing economic and political constraints. The systematic evaluation of benefits and costs and the development of investment criteria for individual public projects have been labeled benefit-cost or cost effectiveness analysis, which is essentially the development of criteria for planning, designing, and evaluating specific public projects. The foundations of benefit - cost analysis lie in welfare economics and microeconomic theory. The objective is to develop means for making decisions on the allocation of resources that will reflect the most desirable use of those resources in terms of allocative efficiency or some other goal defined by society.

Evgeny Krustev

Remote Robot Arm Motion Rate Control

In this paper the Kinematic Path Control approach is implemented in order to carry out a uniform study on teleoperation control of non redundant and redundant manipulation tasks. Special attention has been devoted to investigate the applicability of this approach in remote control subject to quality criteria imposed on the resulting motion of the end effector of the robot arm. This study extends the applicability of the Kinematic Path Control approach, that was originally proposed to solve kinematic path problems for off line control. A mathematical model of the laws governing the displacements in the robot arm joints in teleoperation is here presented and on its basis an algorithm is developed for a uniform treatment of non redundant and redundant manipulation tasks in teleoperation. A numerical simulation of a redundant manipulation task is here presented in order to demonstrate basic features of the algorithm for remote robot arm motion control.

A. Poullikkas

A Keast Squares Method for Electric Load Forecasting

We apply a least squares method for the forecasting of electric load demand. Particularly, we use the Electricity Authority of Cyprus peak load demand records and we determine the peak load behaviour for the following years.

Dr John Mylonakis

Consumer Choice Criteria for saving accounts in the Hellenic Bank Market

The paper describes the Hellenic savings accounts market, the recent banking developments and essential changes under the recently started liberalization process (deregulation), and the relevant increasing competition among the Hellenic and Foreign Banking Institutions. The survey is mainly focused on the needs and wants of the savers, explores their attitudes, incentives and motives in selecting a bank for savings accounts, identifies the bank customersΒ $(B!G (B behavior, gives the picture of the ideal bank and estimates the possible sub-factors forming potential target groups. Finally, it compares the main findings of the research with the findings of earlier studies carried out in Europe, USA and Canada. From the statistical point of view, a sample of 811 selection factors, provides sufficient results based on a 99 percent probability level, and an allowable error of 5 percent in the parameter estimation. The analysis resulted in 462 cross-tabulations, while factor analysis revealed 6 main independent groups of bank customers exhibiting their general attitudes, beliefs and behavior.

Stefania M. Loizidou

Hidds - An Attractive Alternative?

The paper concentrates particularly on the use of dynamic analysis as a tool for creating animated (walking) sequences of human-like models. The aim is to relieve the animator of the tedious specification of unknown parameters of motion control, by shifting this specification and much of the work to the animation software. This is examined through the use of a Hybrid Inverse and Direct Dynamics System, HIDDS, based on Featherstone's formulation. Applications of the hybrid technique can create animation sequences through the use of the graphics editor AnthroPI - Anthropomorphic Programming Interface.

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