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Interviews with 120 residents of Southport are examined, suggesting that the general public does not subscribe to the image of librarians often given by the media, as evidenced by the more positive epithets frequently used to describe library staff. However, staff of reference libraries are not always held in such high esteem and it is recommended that this aspect of service should be addressed with a view to breaking down the reluctance of members of the public to avail themselves of staff assistance.

This paper investigates new technological devices to be utilised in future optical communications, by means of variational method (FEM) and multipole scattering approach (Rayleigh method). This last one provides interesting asymptotic results in the long‐wavelength limit. The so‐called photonic crystal fibres (PCF) possess radically different guiding properties due to photonic band gap guidance: removing a hole within a macro‐cell leads to a defect state within the gap. In the case of multi‐core PCF, the localised modes start talking to each other which possibly leads to a new generation of multiplexer/demultiplexers.

MARCIS is a cooperative cataloguing system using the MARC tapes. Its primary goals are to create a machine‐readable file of each library's holding, to output catalogues in various forms as needed by the libraries and to maintain a union catalogue of all participating libraries. MARC tapes are converted to random files on discs. Records are retrieved for each library who then may change and modify any record within its file. From this updated file catalogues are printed for the library. Library records that are not on the MARC tapes can be added to the system.

Stock selection models often use momentum and analysts’ expectation data. We find that earnings forecast revisions and direction of forecast revisions are more important than analysts’ forecasts in identifying mispriced securities. Investing with expectations data and momentum variables is consistent with maximizing the geometric mean and Sharpe ratio over the long run. Additional evidence is revealed that supports the use of multifactor models for portfolio construction and risk control. The anomalies literature can be applied in real-world portfolio construction in the U.S., international, and global equity markets during the 1998–2009 time period. Support exists for the use of tracking error at risk estimation procedures.

While perfection cannot be achieved in portfolio creation and modeling, the estimated model returns pass the Markowitz and Xu data mining corrections test and are statistically different from an average financial model that could have been used to select stocks and form portfolios. We found additional evidence to support the use of Arbitrage Pricing Theory (APT) and statistically-based and fundamentally-based multifactor models for portfolio construction and risk control. Markets are neither efficient nor grossly inefficient; statistically significant excess returns can be earned.

We examine the market valuation of targets with multiple large shareholders (MLS) and single large shareholder (SLS) structures, in an international sample of M&A announcement in 19 countries outside North America. We find that the presence and power of MLS in these firms are negatively associated with abnormal returns and first-bid-to-merger-completion returns, suggesting that MLS mitigate agency problems in the target, and hence their acquisition is perceived as “a loss of good governance.” The negative association between MLS targets and returns is stronger in widely held firms suggesting that MLS indeed curb expropriation of minority shareholders. By contrast, when the second largest shareholder in the MLS structure of the target is a family, we find positive cumulative abnormal returns at the merger announcement, suggesting exacerbated agency problems in these firms that should benefit from the “acquisition of good governance.” Our evidence is robust to a battery of tests and to addressing potential endogeneity.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel and secure image transmission based on the unpredictable behavior of the chaotic systems.

The proposed approach includes two main contributions: synchronization scheme and transmission scheme. The synchronization scheme benefits the advantage of the fractional-order active synchronization method. A new control law is derived to asymptotically synchronize the underlined fractional-order Bloch chaotic system. The validity of the proposed synchronization scheme is proved by the Lyapunov stability theorem. Then, a novel image transmission scheme is designed to transfer image data via chaotic signals, which modulates the encrypted data in the sender signals and demodulates it at the receiver side.

Numerical simulations are provided to show the validity and effectiveness of the proposed image transmission system. Furthermore, the performance of the image transmission system is evaluated using some illustrative examples and their corresponding statistical tests. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in comparison with other proposed methods in this subject.

A new chaos-based image transmission system is developed based on the synchronization of Bloch chaotic system. The introduced transmission system is interesting and could be applicable to any kind of secure image/video transmission.

Global counterfeiting is escalating despite resistance by many parties. We identify three groups of stakeholders who have vested interests in either resisting or promoting counterfeiting. Among resistors to counterfeiting are national governments, international policymakers, and corporate intellectual property owners; among promoters are the counterfeiters themselves and many consumers. We argue that current supply‐side resistance approaches alone are inadequate; attention is also needed to resisting consumer promoters on the demand‐side of the market. Drawing from a review of the literature, we develop a new analytical framework which depicts complex interfaces between IP owners and consumers. A second framework presents actionable marketing strategies targeted to different consumer segments.

Sport has evolved into one of the largest industries in Australia and there is a corresponding increased interest in the factors influencing fan loyalty. This paper presents a theoretically developed conceptual model which empirically tests the relationships between fan identification, sports involvement, following sport and fan loyalty. Survey results indicate that fan identification, following sport and involvement positively influence fan loyalty, while following sport was found to mediate the involvement-fan identification relationship.