Modelling the Four-Party Billing Payment Scheme: The Case of BPAY

My thesis involves developing a detailed understanding of the dynamics of a two-sided four-party Bill Payment market utilising proprietary data obtained from BPAY. The first chapter of my thesis analyses the market from a macroeconomic perspective, whilst the second and third chapter takes a microeconomic approach. The first chapter models the demand for merchant acceptance and consumer usage of a four - party payment scheme in the Bill Payment market. Within a cointegrating framework, demand equations are estimated using vector error correction models using proprietary data between March 2003 and December 2010. Results illustrate the importance of network effects in determining consumer usage and merchant demand. Additionally, price elasticities suggest the market for payments in Australia is competitive. The second chapter exploits a unique data set that details the demographics and transactions of individuals over a 30 month observational window. Survival analysis techniques are employed to quantify the risks of individuals leaving the platform. Results suggest support for the Hayashi and Klee (2003) finding in the Bill Payment market with individuals having a credit card less likely to leave the BPAY platform at any point in time. The motivation of the third chapter was to establish whether a link existed between the usage of the BPAY platform by consumers with the adoption of prior payment method technologies, given by credit card holding. Unlike Hayashi and Klee (2003), there is an added layer of complexity as credit cards are another payment instrument individuals can use for bill payments. An ordered generalised ordered logit model is estimated to determine the influence of credit card holding on frequency of usage. The results lend support to the Hayashi and Klee (2003) hypothesis that the adoption of a technology based payment instrument is influenced by the usage of prior technologies

Predictors of homonegativity in a sample of Lebanese students

Thesis. M.A. American University of Beirut. Department of Psychology, 2017. T:6571Advisor : Dr. Nidal Daou, Assistant Professor, Psychology ; Members of Committee : Dr. Fatima Al-Jamil, Assistant Professor, Psychology ; Dr. Reem Saab, Assistant Professor, Psychology.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 53-63)Homonegativity has been investigated frequently in the literature concerned with lesbians and gay men. Homonegativity is defined as the negative attitudes towards lesbians and gay men. Predictors of such attitudes that have been examined most often include contact with lesbians and gay men, religiosity, gender and gender role beliefs, and, to a lesser extent, openness. In an attempt to address some of the limitations in the literature, such as not controlling for social desirability in most studies, and to offer what seems to be the first examination of attitudes towards lesbians and gay men in Lebanon, this study investigated the predictors of homonegativity in a holistic manner. The holistic framework included social variables (contact with lesbians and gay men), gender variables (gender, gender role beliefs), faith variables (private religious practice, public religious practice, and religious-spiritual experiences), individual-difference variables (openness), and variables that might bias the model (age, year at university, household income). The final sample included 281 participants recruited from the Psychology Research Pool. An exploratory factor analysis indicated that the dimensions of religiosity formed one coherent construct in this sample, and that contact also formed one construct. Findings indicated that contact with lesbians and gay men to be a negative predictor of homonegativity, and traditional gender role beliefs, and overall religiosity to be positive predictors of homonegativity. Being male, private religious practice, public religious practice, religious-spiritual experiences were positive correlates of homonegativity, and openness and household income were negative correlates of homonegativity. Contrary to our expectations age, and year at university were neither correlates nor predictors of homonegativity. The interpretations of the findings and the limitations of the study are further discussed

A un damo

Poema A un damo

La mujer perfecta

Contenidos que integran al número 24: Steampunk y otros universos alterno

The production of AZ31 alloys by gas atomization method and Its characteristics

The aim of this study is to investigate the AZ31 alloy powder production and characterization processes experimentally using the gas atomization method. For this purpose, firstly, the design and production of gas atomization units were done at Karabuk University Faculty of Technology Department of Manufacturing Engineering. In this gas atomization unit, the manufacturability of AZ31 powder from magnesium alloys was investigated by the gas atomization method which is one of the production methods by powder metallurgy. The parameters and the literature used in the production of materials similar to the AZ31 alloy are taken into account as producibility parameters. In the gas atomization method, parameters such as nozzle diameter, gas pressure, and temperature must be controlled in order to produce the desired properties in metal powder production. The diameter of the nozzle is crucial because it affects the gas pressure and temperature, the size of the powder, and the shape of the powders. Experimental studies were carried out using 3 different temperatures (790, 820, and 850 degrees C), 4 different nozzle diameters (2, 3, 4, and 5 mm) and 4 different gas pressures (5, 15, 25, and 35 bar). In the molten metal atomization process and in the process of forming a protective gas atmosphere, argon gas was preferred. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to determine the shape of the AZ31 powders produced, XRD, XRF, and SEM-EDX analyses were used to determine the phases in the internals of the produced powders and percentages of these phases. Laser measurement devices were used for powder size analysis and hardness tests were performed to determine the mechanical properties of the produced powders. The powders produced were pressed into masses at 4 different pressing pressures (300, 400, 500, and 600 MPa). The best sinterability values of the bulked powders and sintering process were performed at 3 different temperatures (500, 550, and 600 degrees C). Density measurements were made after pressing and sintering th

Effect of Temperature on AZ31 Alloys Production by Gas Atomization Method

This study experimentally investigates the effect of temperature on the size and shape of the AZ31 alloy powder made by the gas atomization method. A constant nozzle diameter of 2mm was used during the tests at a gas pressure of 35 bar and three different temperatures of 790, 820, and 850°C. Argon gas was used for the atomization of the melt while the shape of the powder produced was determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition, XRD and XRF analyses were adopted to determine the phases of the powders' internal structure as well as the percentages of each phase. Furthermore, a laser-assisted measurement device was utilized for powder size analysis. The results revealed that most of the AZ31 alloy powders got into flake and spherical forms and few in the form of ligaments, rods or droplets depending on the temperature. Moreover, the finest powder was obtained at a temperature of 790 °C with powder shape of both droplet and spherical

On the analysis of the Hopfield network : a geometric approach

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1988.Bibliography: leaves 56-58.by Mohamad A. Akra.M.S

Croissance de boîtes quantiques In(Ga)As sur substrats de silicium et de SOI pour la réalisation d'émetteurs de lumière

Cette thèse porte sur l étude de la croissance auto-organisée de boîtes quantiques d In(Ga)As sur substrat de silicium visant à l intégration monolithique d un émetteur de lumière sur silicium à base d un matériau semiconducteur III-V. Le développement d un tel système se heurte à deux verrous majeurs : le premier provient d un très fort désaccord de maille qui rend difficile l élaboration de boîtes quantiques d In(Ga)As sur Si présentant de bonnes qualités structurales et optiques, et le second provient de la nature électronique de l interface entre In(Ga)As et le Si dont il est prédit qu elle est de type II et donc peu efficace pour l émission de lumière. L approche que nous avons proposée consiste à insérer des BQs d In(Ga)As dans un puits quantique de silicium dans SiO2, fabriqué sur un substrat SOI. Les effets attendus de confinement quantique dans le puits de Si favoriseraient une interface In(Ga)As/Si de type I. D un point de vue expérimental, nous avons donc étudié l influence de différents paramètres de croissance (température de croissance, rapport V/III, quantité d In(Ga)As déposé, teneur en indium des boîtes quantiques ) sur le mode de croissance et sur les propriétés structurales et optiques des BQs d In(Ga)As épitaxiées sur substrat de Si(001). Nous avons proposé une interprétation des phénomènes microscopiques qui régissent la formation des boîtes quantiques d In(Ga)As sur Si en fonction de la teneur en indium. Nous avons aussi montré qu il est possible de fabriquer des boîtes quantiques d In0,4Ga0,6As sur Si ne présentant pas de défauts structuraux liés à la relaxation plastique. La luminescence attendue des boîtes quantiques n a pas pu être obtenue, probablement en raison de deux conditions requises mais antagonistes: la fabrication de boîtes quantiques de très haute qualité structurale (possible uniquement pour de l In(Ga)As avec une teneur en In inférieure à 50%) et un alignement de bandes à l interface BQs In(Ga)As/Si de type I (possible théoriquement pour une teneur en In supérieure ou égale à 70%). Ce travail a permis d enrichir la connaissance et le savoir-faire concernant l élaboration de boîtes quantiques d In(Ga)As sur substrat de Si(001) et l encapsulation de ces boîtes quantiques par du silicium dans un réacteur d épitaxie par jets moléculaires III-V.This thesis focuses on the study of the self-organized growth of In(Ga)As quantum dots (QDs) on a silicon substrate. The purpose of this work is to pave the way for a monolithic integration of III-V semiconductor-based light emitter on silicon. One of the big challenges of this project is to overcome the high lattice mismatch between InGaAs and Si which can induce structural defects in the QDs. Another key challenge comes from the expected type II In(Ga)As/Si interface that is detrimental for efficient light emission. In order to solve the interface type issue, we suggested to insert the In(Ga)As QD plane inside a thin silicon layer grown on a SOI substrate. Confinement effects of the Si/SiO2 quantum well are expected to raise the X-valley of the Si conduction band above the -valley, leading to a type I interface in both direct and reciprocal space. The influence of different parameters (such as the amount of deposited In(Ga)As, the growth temperature, the V/III ratio and the gallium content...) on the growth mode and on the structural and optical properties of the In(Ga)As QDs grown on Si(001) are experimentally studied. We propose an interpretation of the microscopic phenomena governing the formation of the QDs as a function of gallium content. We finally show the possibility of making In0,4Ga0,6As QDs on Si(001) substrates, these QDs being free of plastic relaxation -related structural defects. The expected luminescence from the QDs was not obtained probably due to two incompatible conditions: the first, required for growing high structural quality QDs (possible only for In(Ga)As containing less than 50% of In) and the second, essential for maintaining a type I interface band alignment (theoretically possible for an In content greater than 50%). This work is contributing to the understanding of In(Ga)As QDs growth on Si(001) substrates and to the know-how of capping such QDs with silicon inside a III-V molecular beam epitaxy reactor.LYON-Ecole Centrale (690812301) / SudocSudocFranceF