This study theoretically proposes and experimentally demonstrates the simultaneous reductions of NOx and soot using a novel combustion mode, (dual-fuel sequential combustion) DFSC, on a single-cylinder engine. DFSC introduces a well-mixed, lean fuel/air mixture into the cylinder by injecting...

A calculation method of radiant time factors is presented and the method is used to calculate radiant cooling load. Based on experimental data of total heat gain and total cooling loads collected within 24-h, radiant heat gain and radiant cooling load can be calculated through convection and...

My dissertation aims at understanding the economic determinants of the cross-section of equity returns. It contains three chapters. Chapter One constructs a dynamic general equilibrium production economy to explicitly link expected stock returns to firm characteristics such as firm size and the...

Self-service technology (SST) has been widely adopted by service oriented companies in different settings, such as hotel, restaurant, and airport. Although customers are less hesitant about using SST nowadays than before, how to increase customer satisfaction and repeat patronage remains an...

Interpreting accruals as working capital investment, we hypothesize that firms optimally adjusttheir capital investment in response to discount rate changes. Consistent with the discount-ratehypothesis, we document that (i) the predictive power of accruals for future returns increaseswith the...

We incorporate costly external finance in a production based asset pricing model and investigate whether financing frictions are quantitatively important for pricing a cross-section of expected returns. We show that the common assumptions about the nature of the financing frictions are captured...