The aim of the paper is to define the spatial econometric method for the land evaluation in rural areas by using the opportunity price in land transactions. The factors that determine land market in the Republic of Moldova are significantly related to the productivity of agricultural land, their location within the local landscape, characterized by the slope and soil quality, adjacency to local or republican access roads for storage and other. Also, an important role in the formation of the plots market price has the pressure of the urban space to convert the agricultural lands afferent to the cities and villages in industrial or residential spaces. This financial pressure with an exponential decrease concentric with respect to urban centers is not negligible in the formation of the price of land transactions.


This paper analyses female images in Dong Qiao's prosefrom the perspective of the natural externalization of classical elegance and inherent true feeling of beauty.


The paper covers the development and implementation of a modern modular brake system suitable for heavy haul locomotives. The background to the system is outlined together with the thinking behind the design. The paper describes the development and some of the testing that the system underwent for operational and compatibility requirements plus the development of the packages for fitting within the locomotive and installation on to a brake equipment frame. The introduction of the equipment into service with different railway authorities is discussed together with its interaction with radio-controlled working. The paper concludes by discussing the success of the concept plus the results of testing on the size of brake pipe exhaust and the effect on air flow of brake pipe diameter. Recommendations are made to reconsider the method of control and to consider the improvements of the introduction of a second feed pipe.


In this paper, we identify research issues in the development of system infrastructure support for asynchronous linkservices in a service-oriented architecture. We explore the suitability and applicability of using MQSeries Everyplace to provide a messaging backbone for linkservices that increases reliability, fault tolerance, and scalability. We identify and discuss some important problems and research issues related to this approach.


We study the outer Oort cloud (OC) by numerical integration of 126 600 orbits of hypothetical comets representing this cometary reservoir. We determine the distribution of the semi-major axis  a for $4.6 \loa \log\,(a) \loa 5$, and estimate its population and total mass, as well as some other characteristics. The distribution of the semi-major axis is found initially by assuming a constant $\log\,(a)$ distribution and then identifying the theoretically predicted $\log\,(a)$ distribution of new comets with their observed $\log\,(a)$ distribution. The semi-major axis of outer-OC comets ranges from $\log\,(a) \approx 4.35$ to typically $\log\,(a) \approx 5$ on the decadic-logarithm scale. The relative distribution of this element can, however, be roughly determined only for $\log\,(a) \goa 4.55$: d$N \propto a^{-s}\, {\rm d}a$, where $0.6 \loa s \loa 0.8$. The perihelion distribution of new comets with $\log\,(a) \loa 4.55$ is not constant in the zone of visibility (ZV) and a bias due to the observational selection cannot be eliminated. The lower limit of the outer OC population is $1\times 10^{11}$ to $2\times 10^{11}$. The currently available cometary data do not allow us to give a more exact lower estimate or an average estimate of the population. The OC has also been depleted by the combined Galactic-tide-planetary (GTP) perturbation with a local maximum rate at $\log\,(a) \approx 4.5$. The ratio of these comets that are lost from the outer OC and of new comets that enter into the ZV in the same time frame is ≈ $ 2.5$. The distributions of the angular elements of new comets at their previous perihelion passage are used to evaluate the correctness of our model of the outer OC. Specifically, we calculated the root of mean squares between the corresponding theoretical and observed distributions of  ω , Ω , and $\cos\,(i)$ resulting in $2{-}5\%$ unexplained residua.


One of the major benefits of the Accelerated Pavement Testing (APT) as a research tool is that the performance of pavement materials and structures can be evaluated at a reduced cost and in a short period of time. Six experimental sections were constructed in the Civil Infrastructure Systems Laboratory (CISL) at Kansas State University with six different Superpave mixes. The experimental sections were instrumented with strain gages, pressure cells, and displacement sensors to measure pavement responses under APT loading. They were loaded with a 22,000-lb single axle load at 95°F. The main objective of this paper is to investigate the effects of binder type, binder grade, and mixture nominal maximum aggregate size (NMAS) on the evolution of mechanistic responses from the experimental sections. Stress, strains, deflections, and profile data were collected periodically. The results show that the larger the NMAS, the lower the strains at the bottom of the hot mix asphalt (HMA) layers (longitudinal and transverse), Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) center deflection, rut depth, and roughness. Layers with larger NMAS also have higher back- calculated moduli. The stiffer the binder, the lower the FWD center deflection, permanent deformation, and rut depth but higher back-calculated moduli. Higher asphalt content results in higher FWD center deflection, permanent deformation, and rut depth. However, these sections show lower roughness and back-calculated moduli.


The improper use of an intravenous cannula can lead to the introduction of an air embolism into a patient potentially causing injury or death. The purpose of this research was to assess nurses and midwives knowledge regarding the use of the injection port of the intravenous cannula system that is currently utilized in Ghana. A cross-sectional descriptive study approach was used by administering a questionnaire to 42 nurses and midwives attending a course at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana. The results showed that 64% of the respondents thought the intravenous cannula injection port allowed air to escape when it was left open. This is an erroneous perception about the injection port. Further research needs to be undertaken in Ghana about the use of the intravenous cannula, with particular attention paid to the usage of the injection port.


Background Postexposure chemoprophylaxis can prevent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in risk health care workers; however routine adoption of these practices by the workers has been limited. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 311 health care workers of Hiwot Fana Specialized University Hospital between February and March 2016. Data was collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire and analysed using STATA 12. Results In all, 83% of the participants had adequate knowledge of postexposure prophylaxis for HIV. All the respondents had heard about postexposure prophylaxis for HIV; however, only 37 (22.4%) workers know the definition of the postexposure prophylaxis. Among study participants, the majority of them, 272 (87.5%), knew the preferable time to initiate postexposure chemoprophylaxis. A significant number of the workers (43.4%) had an unfavorable attitude towards postexposure prophylaxis. Among 53 workers with a potential exposure to HIV, 38 (71.7%) took postexposure chemoprophylaxis and only 26 (44.8%) completed taking postexposure prophylaxis correctly. Conclusion In all, most of the health care workers had adequate knowledge about postexposure prophylaxis against HIV/AIDS. The result shows that a significant number of individuals had a negative attitude and poor practice with regard to postexposure prophylaxis. Therefore, formal training that aims to improve attitudes and support to improve postexposure prophylaxis implementation and completion are needed. We would recommend the establishment of appropriate guidelines and the supply chain to ensure the availability of postexposure prophylaxis drugs for the protection of healthcare workers with potential high risk exposure to HIV.


Abstract Needs and Feasibility: A Guide for Engineers in Community Projects -- The Case of Waste for Life is the story of Waste for Life (WFL). WFL is a not-for-profit organization that works to promote poverty-reducing solutions to environmental problems, and its educational branch is an international consortium of universities in six countries, involving students in support of community development projects. WFL currently works in Lesotho and Argentina. We present the story of the development of WFL in each country as a case-based guide to engineers, professors and students interested in community development work, particularly in contexts very different from their own. We focus mainly on the set-up stages, framing the projects to ensure that community needs are adequately articulated and acted upon. We begin with needs assessment, what is it that needs to be done -- for whom and why? How feasible is this, technically, economically, and can we guarantee sustainability? Before we can decide any of this, ...


Abstract Tiltmeters with nanorad resolution in a large measurement range of ±9 mrad (±0.5○) and a very good linearity have been developed at the Technische Universität Ilmenau in the recent years. The working principle bases on the measurement of tilt-dependent lateral forces, which act on a hanging force-compensated weigh cell (precision balance). The disadvantage is the relatively complex design of the weigh cell mechanics, the large dead weight and the high manufacturing costs. For that reason a simplified tiltmeter was developed. It only consists of two components: a monolithic pendulum mechanics and an optical position sensor. State of the art pendulum tiltmeters contain several components that are linked by screwed, clamped or glued connections. This can limit the long-term-, temperature- or humidity stability of the tiltmeter. The position sensor achieves a standard deviation of ∼ 50 pm at a measuring frequency of 10 Hz. The length of the pendulum amounts to 0.1 m, its mass is ∼ 62 g. With this combination, the theoretical standard deviation of the tilt measurement should result to ∼ 0.6 nrad at 10 Hz measuring frequency and was approved by measurements. The measurement range of the new monolithic tiltmeter amounts ∼ ±2 mrad.


To elucidate the process of fuel-air mixture formation before ignition in diesel engines, it is important ot investigate the disintegration of fuel flow and droplet formation in intermittent sprays at the very early stage of injection. In this study, the microscopic structures of nonevaporating sprays up to 0.5 ms from the start of injection are studied using photographs with high time resolution, using a nanosecond spark light source. The results show that the fuel flows have very distinctive shapes just after the start of injection. Fragments of disintegrated fuel are observed even at 50 microseconds from the commencement of injection. Ambient pressure has a great effect on the mode of disintegration.


Cooperative knowledge spaces create new potentials for the experimental fields in natural sciences and engineering because they enhance the accessibility of experimental setups through virtual laboratories and remote technology, opening them for collaborative and distributed usage. A concept for extending existing virtual knowledge spaces for the means of the technological disciplines (VICToR-Spaces-virtual cooperation in teaching and research for mathematics, natural sciences and engineering) is presented. The integration of networked virtual laboratories and remote experiments (NanoLab Approach), as well as an approach to community-driven content sharing and content development within virtual knowledge spaces (NanoWiki) are described


A study of the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of formyl-glycine, acetyl-glycine and propionyl-glycine is reported. Values of the first-order rate constants have been determined at three temperatures for each N-acyl glycine and values of ΔH≠ and ΔS≠ calculated. The results for the N-acyl glycines are discussed in relation to glycyl-glycine and polyglycine. Revised values of the rate constants for the acid catalyzed hydrolysis of glycyl-glycine are also reported and their effect on a semi-quantitaitve rule noted.


An activist initiative is attempting to form a national group that would press issues before pharmaceutical companies. The initiative seeks to develop a proactive stance toward drug development, train or mentor new activists, and include groups normally left out of the decision-making process. Certain groups are listed and members of those groups are specifically asked to join. Contact information is provided.


In numerous symmetric θ-2θ scans of phase-pure epitaxial complex oxide thin films grown on single-crystal substrates, we observe x-ray diffraction peaks that correspond to neither the film nor the substrate crystal structure. These peaks are the result of multiple, sequential diffraction events that occur from both the film and the substrate. The occurrence of so-called "hybrid" reflections, while described in the literature, is not widely reported within the complex oxide thin-film community. We describe a simple method to predict and identify peaks resulting from hybrid reflections and show examples from epitaxial complex oxide films belonging to three distinct structural types.


Abstract : During the four year research project, several specific areas of knowledge were enhanced in the process of simulating meso-beta and meso-gamma scale frontogenesis and frontolysis. First, a new theory was developed, based on numerical simulations and mesoscale observations, of ageostrophic along-stream frontogenesis. The six-stage process explains how a stratified flow can trigger a sequence of unbalanced nonlinear adjustments which result in an along-stream frontal zone. Second, the effects of nonhydrostatic and turbulent motions on the fronts formed via the mechanism in ageostrophic along-stream frontogenesis was investigated. It was found that the turbulent covariances generated over length scales of about 5-10 km could drastically modify hydrostatic frontogenesis and produce substantial vertical heat and momentum fluxes particularly in dry adiabatic regions which exhibited significant magnitudes of velocity convergence. Third, it was found that both meso-beta scale hydrostatic and meso- gamma scale nonhydrostatic processes accompanying ageostrophic along-stream frontogenesis could produce significant local increases in relative vorticity equivalent to 1-3 times the Coriolis parameter or larger over time periods of 1- 3 hours and tens of minutes, respectively. The former via the combined tilting and convergence of vorticity during isentropic folding and the latter via tilting and the vertical transport of vorticity during the turbulence caused by ageostrophic frontogenesis. Locally, the potential vorticity was not conserved during the largest nonhydrostatic vertical transport processes resulting in lower tropospheric increases of nearly 300% in 30 minutes during ageostrophic along-stream frontogenesis.


The Higgs boson mass problem is considered in the next-to-minimal su-persymmetric standard model for the case of the spontaneous CP violation. The renormalization group equations for the gauge, Yukawa and scalar coupling constants, the effective Higgs potential and lower experimental bounds on Higgs boson and chargino masses are analyzed. The restrictions on the Higgs boson masses are found. 1.The aim of our paper is to consider the problem of Higgs boson masses in the next to minimal supersymmetric standard model (NMSSM) for the case of the presence of spontaneous CP violation. Such a model contains an additional Higgs singlet, as compared with the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) [1]. It is known, that while in MSSM one can't realize the realistic scenario of spontaneous CP-violation [2], in NMSSM such a scenario, generally speaking, is realizable [3, 4]. However, experimental bounds on the Higgs masses strongly restrict the space of parameters of theory, where such a scenario could be realized. In this paper we will continue the consideration of the Higgs boson masses problem for the case with spontaneous CP violation in NMSSM, taking into account the existing experimental restriction on 1


Bone marrow transplant (BMT) is a medical procedure used in case of serious illness treatment, that is, when the conventional therapeutic modalities do not offer a good prognostic. Recent researches suggest that, the patients' personality is a decisive psychosocial factor for adaptation and recovery after BMT procedure. The present paper intends to evaluate the scientific productions regarding the patients' personality and its relation to post-BMT survival. Data collection was carried out by using on-line searches in the different bibliographical identification systems available. The results obtained suggest the need for new researches, because understanding the relation between the patientspersonality and the post-BMT survival can aid the individual/patient in both, in the prevention, as well as in the maintenance of the bio-psychosocial well being.


A solution to the problem of setting breakpoints in distributed systems is described. It is shown what kind of breakpoints are possible, how to detect those breakpoints, and how to halt the system in a consistent state. The communication among the processes may be asynchronous with an arbitrary ordering of messages. The algorithms select between simultaneous events and those ordered according to L. Lamport's happened-before relation (1978). The mechanisms for definition and detection of global breakpoints are implemented in the distributed debugging system DTM (distributed test methodology).<<ETX>>


The research into the inter-regional comparisons of higher education development makes important significance to accelerate the regional development of higher education. Based on the educational development indicators from OECD and the evaluation index system of Chinese university,the paper builds an index system of higher education development evaluation,and makes a measure on the regional higher education development in China. In addition,the paper makes a comprehensive evaluation on the development of higher education in the 31 provincial-level administrative region of China with TOPSIS method,and proposes the policy recommendations to accelerate the development of regional higher education based on the comparative analysis about the differences and characteristics of higher education development in different regions.


The Institute of Hearing Research is currently undertaking a 4‐yr 3‐phase national study of hearing in the UK. The multicenter team is applying a comprehensive clinical and audiological evaluation to a stratified sample of approximately 2400 individuals drawn from a questionnaire sample of 36 000. This permits linkage of data on impairment, pathology, and disability to population prevalence. The data furnish many results; two are reported here. Data from equivalent noise exposure levels of ⩽80 dB(A), 81–90 dB(A) and > 90 dB(A) show significant effects of noise exposure at 2000 Hz and above for the highest exposure band, but not for the midexposure band. This implies that the concept of socioacousis, where prolonged exposure to relatively low levels of noise causes a hearing deficit, may not be valid. There is an interaction with age and a consistent dip in the thresholds at 6000 Hz. The hearing levels of young otologically screened subjects deviate systematically from the ISO standard for audiometer calib...


This paper introduces system structure, function module and database designing on developing automatic monitoring system for generator rooms with PowerBuilder. Some developing skills are given in detail in order to satisfy users' special desires.


Using a variational procedure, we have calculated the energy levels in a GaAs spherical quantum dot under the action of an external electric field, assuming an infinite confinement potentia. Our results show that the electronic states depend strongly not only the applied electric field, but also on the quantum confinement. Because the field-induced spatial separation of conduction and valence electron is in GaAs quantum dot decreases the overlap between their associated wave functions, in the presence of the electric field it is expected a reduction of the luminescence. We obtained the dependence of the recombination rate between conduction and valence electrons as a function of the applied field for different dot radii. We have found that large polarizations are expected for GaAs quantum dot with a radius R >= 100 angstrom. These aspects must be taken into account in the interpretation of optical phenomena related to shallow impurities in which the effect of an applied electric field competes with the quantum confinement.


Context: Code smell is a term commonly used to describe potential problems in the design of object-oriented systems. The theory about code smells, initially presented in the nineties, is focused on characterization of different types of smells and heuristics for their detection and removal. Since then, empirical studies have evaluated the impact of the practical adoption of the code smell concept on software development. We call this issue the code smell effect. The findings of empirical studies on the code smell effect have presented inconsistencies with respect to what is expected by the theory. This phenomenon is not well understood. Objective: To enhance the understanding of the code smell effect, by characterization of problems hindering the practical adoption of the smell concept and by investigation of their origin. More specifically, we focus on the major confounding factor affecting observations on the code smell effect, which is the human role on smell detection. The human role is mostly disregarded by the theory and it strongly affects the experiments on the subject. Method: We explore the problem empirically, from two perspectives. First, we synthesize the current knowledge on the code smell effect from a set of primary studies published in the literature. To do this, we performed a systematic review based on thematic synthesis. Second, we propose the investigation of factors affecting the human evaluation of smells. To do this, we performed a family of controlled experiments. In it, we investigate an extensive number of factors affecting the human perception of smells. The factors are the use of design comprehension tool support; developer's experience, knowledge and training; and software size. From the thematic synthesis and the family of controlled experiments, we identify challenges for the area and present them as a research agenda. Results: We find out that human evaluation of smell should not be trusted. The studies indicate that the agreement on smell detection is low. They also show that demographic attributes, such as developers' experience, impact the agreement on smell detection. We have also concluded that, nowadays, there are no evidence supporting the use of code smells for practical evaluation of design quality. Our evidences are divergent findings correlating code smells and software attributes, such as changes on source code. In some cases, the studies converge showing that code smells do not impact some attributes. This happens, for example, with studies correlating smells and maintenance effort. Conclusion: This thesis points out to the gap between the theory and the experimental findings about the code smell effect. Our evidences indicate that the main source for this gap is the low number of studies focusing on the human role on the smell effect. The researches on the subject should focus on better understanding this issue. This does not seem the path followed by the area, which has directed its effort on researches focused on tool assessments, such as automatic detection or smell removal. In order to face the problem, we propose a research agenda, indicating that the area needs to: i) investigate the nature


Epothilones A and B are naturally occurring microtubule stabilizers with nanomolar or even sub-nanomolar activity against human cancer cells in vitro and potent in vivo antitumor activity against multidrug-resistant tumors. Over the last decade, ten epothilonetype agents have entered clinical trials in humans; of these, the epothilone B lactam ixabepilone (BMS-247550; Ixempra®) was approved by the FDA for breast cancer treatment in 2007. Numerous synthetic and semisynthetic analogs of epothilones have been prepared and their in vitro and (in selected cases) in vivo biological activity has been determined, producing a wealth of SAR information on this compound family. This chapter will provide a brief summary of the in vitro and in vivo biological properties of epothilone B (Epo B). The major part of the discussion will then be organized around those epothilone analogs that have entered clinical development. For each analog the underlying synthetic chemistry and the most important preclinical features will be reviewed, together with the properties of some important related structures.


Radio observations of ionospheric perturbations have revealed an association between severe thunderstorms and infrasonic pressure waves that propagate through the F region at heights of 200 to 400 km. These waves are characterized by periods of 3.5 and 4.5 min. An acoustic ray‐tracing method is described, which is used to locate the sources of the infrasonic waves.


This research focused on the recycling of aged styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) modified asphalt cement. The physical properties and rheological properties of aged SBS modified asphalt cement were evaluated based on force-ductility test and Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) binder tests. Based on the aging characterization of SBS modified asphalt cement, the recycling properties of aged SBS modified asphalt cement, by utilizing a recycling agent in common use for unmodified asphalt binder rejuvenation and a new modifying additive for asphalt mixture performance modification, were evaluated based on SHRP tests. The results showed that aging caused efficacity lose of SBS modifier in the SBS modified asphalt cement and finally led to harden and brittle asphalt cement. However, the recycling agent in common use currently doesn't completely apply to the aged SBS modified asphalt cement recycling. The rejuvenation of aged SBS modified asphalt cement requires new modifying additive. The recycling agent together with new modifying additive were proved to be able to restore and improve the desired road performance and durability of aged SBS-modified asphalt cement.


In this paper, We discuss the technology of dynamicly fetching data from database in PHP Input HTML language Page, and how to produce the corresponding data field with a certain data field and display these data in current HTML page. We provide a sample to explain how to deal with PHP language and Javascript language nicely in a same HTML page.


Friction stir spot welding has been shown to be a viable method of joining ultra high strength steel (UHSS), both in terms of joint strength and process cycle time. However, the cost of tooling must be reasonable in order for this method to be adopted as an industrial process. Several tooling materials have been evaluated in prior studies, including silicon nitride and polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN). Recently a new tool alloy has been developed, where a blend of PCBN and tungsten rhenium (W-Re) was used in order to improve the toughness of the tool. Wear testing results are presented for two of these alloys: one with a composition of 60% PCBN and 40% W-Re (designated as Q60), and one with 70% PCBN and 30% W-Re (designated at Q70). The sheet material used for all wear testing was DP 980. Tool profiles were measured periodically during the testing process in order to show the progression of wear as a function of the number of spots produced. Lap shear testing was done each time a tool profile was taken in order to show the relationship between tool wear and joint strength. For the welding parameters chosen for this study the Q70more » tool provided the best combination of wear resistance and joint strength.« less


The vanadium carbide (V8C7) coating was fabricated by in situ reaction which used gray cast iron and vanadium plate as raw materials providing carbon and vanadium sources, respectively. The microstructure, phases, and adhesion strength of V8C7 coating were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and a single scratch test. The XRD results showed that the coating consisted of V8C7 and α-Fe, with the peaks of (222), (400), (440), (622) and (444) of V8C7 phase were confirmed. Moreover, the average diameter (D) of the V8C7 particles in the range of 432~582nm was calculated on the basis of the Scherrer and Halder-Wagner equations. The critical load of interface between V8C7 and substrate was 98.3 N, which implied that the interface of V8C7 coating /substrate had excellent adhesion strength.


Members of the MIT Sloan School of Management's System Dynamics Group have conducted field research to document the history of quality improvement programs at four companies: Ford Motor Company, Harley-Davidson, Lucent Technologies, and National Semiconductor. This research is supported through the Transformations to Quality Organizations program of the National Science Foundation and by the four corporate partners. The thesis documents the incorporation of the dynamics discovered during the aforementioned case studies into a generic system dynamics model. The model is designed to serve as the core dynamic engine of a TQM Management Flight Simulator with which managers and students can gain insight into the design and testing of robust and sustainable TQM initiatives. Thesis Supervisor: John D. Sterman Title: Standish Professor of Management Director, System Dynamics Group Sloan School of Management Acknowledgments First, I thank Allah for blessing me with the courage, patience, and support I needed to successfully complete five years at MIT. I thank Professor John D. Sterman and Professor Nelson Repenning for taking a chance on a rookie. I appreciate their support, understanding, and wisdom during the past nine months. It was John and his inspiring rendition of system dynamics in 15.874 that attracted me to the field. I thank Scott Rockart for his friendship, mentoring, and collaboration during the thesis process. Without his invaluable input, encouragement, and support, this thesis would not have been completed. I also thank Scott for his wisdom and great advice about management consulting during the recruiting process. It was working with Scott and his technical and practical understanding of system dynamics that has convinced me to stick with the field as a career. I thank Drew, Liz, Nan, and Rogelio for all their help during the process. In particular, I thank Drew for putting up with my constant interruptions due to my inability to concentrate. He helped keep me sane during my long hours at the OLC. I could not have hoped for a better group of people to be at my side during the thesis process. I thank Dr. Paul Gray for advising me over the past three years. I wish him the best of luck as he retires from the Chairman's office and returns to teaching undergraduates fulltime. I thank all my friends for their support and friendship during my time at MIT. In particular, I thank Alok and Greg for their constant, unwavering friendship; they were like brothers to me. Finally, I would like to thank my parents and sister for their support and encouragement during my five years at MIT. I missed being at home every minute I was in Boston. Now that I have decided to accept a job in Miami, I look forward to being at home with them once again. System Dynamics Modeling of Generic Quality Improvement Programs Table of


The pulp and paper making industry is looking for new main raw material based on its physical, chemical and morphological characteristics. Currently in this industry, bagasse is the most useful raw material in pulp and paper industry. The objective of this study is to determine its suitability for pulping. Acacia auriculiformis is a fast-growing tree normally found in Indonesia and Australia. Acacia auriculiformis leaf contains of cellulose, hemi-cellulose and lignin. The range of lignin content in Acacia auriculiformis is 19%-20%. The hemi-cellulose and lignin contents was removed by soda-pulping process using different concentrations as followed; 3%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%. In order to determine the optimum pulping conditions for Acacia auriculiformis craft paper, several tests were conducted such as apparent density, tear test, tensile strength test and moisture absorption. It was found that the Acacia auriculiformis fibre treated with 3% sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solutions gave good tear test of the paper. For apparent density test, the best concentration of NaOH used for treating Acacia auriculiformis pulping is at 15%. From the study, the optimum concentration of NaOH in treating Acacia auriculiformis fibre is at 5% for best result in tensile strength. Hence, from the overall tests, 5% concentration of NaOH is the optimum value. From the findings, Acacia auriculiformis fibre has a potential to be used in paper making and food packaging industry.


Machine for finishing gear wheel teeth by shaving or rolling by means of a toothed rotary tool adapted to operate in tight meshing engagement with the gear wheel for finishing the teeth thereof, which comprises means for supporting the tool along its axis of rotation, a motor for rotatably driving said tool, means for sup porting said gear wheel along its axis of rotation, the two axes of rotation of the tool and gear wheel, respec tively, having at least one common perpendicular, and motor means for generating between said tool support means and said gear wheel support means, three pow ered relative movements comprising a movement in a direction parallel to said common perpendicular and two movements transverse to each other in planes re spectively perpendicular to said common perpendicu lar, the motor for rotatably driving said tool and the motors for producing said two transverse movements being responsive to synchronous programmable servo control means.


This paper describes analysis and investigation on the spot of electrical installation in elementaryㆍmiddleㆍhigh school. The investigation was carried out side by side for power receiving system, classroom, chemistry room and so on. The investigation on the spot was performed by researcher, the related expert, engineer of Korea Electrical Safety Corporation all over the country. Through investigating the field conditions and analyzing the related regulation, it is intended to present the real data to establish more effective preventive measures against electric shock accidents in elementaryㆍmiddleㆍhigh school. As a consequence, common grounding methods at power receiving system were dominant. The risk factors include a control box of electric fan, an experiment stand, an outlet.


Using the four-leg metric tensor λ (α) μ , a gravitational field 4-vector potential for index μ is defined as ω (α) μ ≡-cλ (α) μ , and a covariant gravitational field equation that includes the gravitational field contribution is proposed as R μν -g μν R/2+Λg μν =8πG(T (Ⅰ) μν +T (Ⅱ) μν )/c 4 , where Λ is Einstein's cosmic constant, T (Ⅰ) μν and T (Ⅱ) μν are energy-momentum tensor of pure matter part and pure gravitational field part, respectively. The covariant energy-momentum tensor of gravitational field that belongs to the part of the gravitational source can be constructed as T (Ⅱ) μν =c 2 (D (α) μρ D ρ ν(α) -g μν D (α) τγ D τγ (α) /4)/4πG, where D (α) μν ≡ω (α) μ;ν -ω (α) ν;μ . The static spherically symmetric gravitational field, the missing mass and the gravitational field quantization are discussed.


Due to the critical role of media in Pakistan and its unrestricted and cheap access to every house has made it very dangerous. Various international and national channels are available to be watched by the audience. However, the Drama industry of India is losing its firm grip on the market due to steady progression of Pakistani Dramas with strong themes. However, it must be kept in mind that Indian dramas still have a firm grip on the industry that will take a long time to completely lose its value. Indian culture has crept up into Pakistani culture which can be seen by the heavy use of jewelry in most Pakistani households. We are moving away from our cultural values and embracing western culture.


In the past, some microbiological studies have considered most non-Saccharomyces species to be undesirable spoilage microorganisms. For several decades, that belief made the Saccharomyces genus the only option considered by winemakers for achieving the best possible wine quality. Nevertheless, in recent decades, some strains of non-Saccharomyces species have been proven to improve the quality of wine. Non-Saccharomyces species can positively influence quality parameters such as aroma, acidity, color, and food safety. These quality improvements allow winemakers to produce innovative and differentiated wines. For that reason, the yeast strains Torulaspora delbrueckii, Lachancea thermotolerans, Metschnikowia pulcherrima, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, and Pichia kluyveri are now available on the market. Other interesting species, such as Starmerella bacillaris, Meyerozyma guilliermondii, Hanseniospora spp., and others, will probably be available in the near future.


THE work of Crowther and Raistrick [1916] indicates that the globulin of milk is identical with the globulin of blood. Lactalbumin and caseinogen appear, however, to be specific products of mammary secretion. Cary [1920], using the technique of Kaufmann and Magne [1906], demonstrated that the amino-acid content of blood obtained from the mammary vein of lactating cows was significantly lower than that obtained from the jugular vein. From this fact he concluded that the amino-acids of the blood are the precursors of the milkproteins. In view of the work of Delaunay [1913], Folin and Denis [1912], and Van Slyke and Meyer [1912] on the role of amino-acids in protein metabolism, such an assumption is a priori a reasonable one. Cary's conclusions are, however, open to criticism since he arbitrarily assumed that the amino-acid content of jugular blood could be taken as representative of the arterial blood flowing to the mammary gland. In the first paper of this series [Blackwood and Stirling, 1932, 2] it has been shown that the intervention of salivary secretion in the path of blood traversing the tissues of the head and neck necessitates a correction in the analytical values for jugular blood. In addition, no comparative values for the amino-acid contents of jugular and arterial bloods are to be found in the literature, so that Cary's assumption that these are identical appears unwarranted. Apart from these criticisms, the method of blood analysis used by Cary was long and tedious, and involved so many separate processes (including incubation with urease, deproteinisation with boiling dilute acetic acid, treatment with kaolin, and subsequent concentration in vacuo) that considerable errors might be anticipated. In view of these facts it appeared desirable to re-investigate the whole problem, using methods which were not open to the above criticisms. The methods adopted in the present investigation differ in three essentials from


Employee retention is an important goal of every corporate organization, which drives company to hit the target. This research article explores the factors that can significantly impact employee retention in an organization, and specializes in field of commercial banks in Ludhiana (Punjab). It attempts to relate some of the factors discovered to major theories in employee retention. The literature surveyed by this study mentions employee motivation and job satisfaction as the main factors that influence employee-retention rates. In the labor market, competitors are always attracting key personnel who are valued core and are not satisfied with their current job. This study explores the current situation of job satisfaction of key personnel and figures out the antecedent factors, which impact job satisfaction. Finally, managerial implications are withdrawn for improving the level of satisfaction, retaining key personnel. Most of the banking organizations understand the importance of employee retention and its impact on the overall health and vitality of an organization. The importance of retaining top organizational talent will only increase over the coming years as the massive cohort of baby boomers begin to reach retirement age making it easy for younger employees to find work.


The hotlines and news in present is about Iraq in general and Kurdistan region specially, which undergo specific and difficult situations, which resulted in economic crises. There were direct and indirect effects on projects due ongoing war since 2013. It was important to investigate about projects and factors in both successful and failed projects in mentioned situations. It is better to focus on multi-dimension factors of results of failed projects and trying to find solution(s) and/or avoiding the successful projects to fail. Darwaza Company worked on two lines (Constructions and Boutique), it have successful and fail cases. Darwaza Company was recorded very successful in its constructions and building by producing villas and flats (Darwaza city 1, 2 and 3). Main factors behind success in construction line were accurate in work, high quality, low prices and customer confortable. Darwaza boutique was unsuccessful project of Darwaza Company. Main factors of unsuccessful in Darwaza boutique were inaccurate in selecting merchandise, which was not in the level of customer's requests, high prices, out of season and lack in advertisement. There are many common factors makes project to fail such as economic crises, factory outlet …etc.
Developing, selecting weak points and improving efforts make us to overview about Darwaza Companies projects.


Development aid totalling more than 25 billion rand a year is currently flowing from the North to the Southern African region. Several countries in the region are extremely de pendent on these financial transfers and foreign donors have become important players in domestic decision making. In recent years, Northern donors have increasingly demanded major political and administrative reforms in recipient countries as a condition for con tinued aid. This article examines these new political conditionalities, drawing on data from sub-Saharan and Southern Africa to illustrate certain key issues.


Background: Necroptosis has emerged as a therapeutic target for stimulating antitumor immune responses in dying tumor cells. However, its suppressed expression of receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 (RIPK3), a key enzyme in necrosis in most cancer cells, limits the clinical translation to exploiting necroptosis.Design: We fabricated a multifunctional phase-transition nanoparticles platform by constructing Lip-ICG-PFP-cRGD, utilizing liposome and indocyanine green (ICG) as the shell and perfluoropentane (PFP) as the core. The platform system represented the combination of sonodynamic therapy (SDT) and immunotherapy for cancer treatment by inducing necroptosis and disrupting the cell membrane through the acoustic cavitation effect mediated by ultrasound. In addition to their inherent contrasting ability under photoacoustic imaging, our liposomes may also be used as an ultrasound imaging probe after being irradiated with low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU).Results: We demonstrate that nanoparticles can trigger necroptosis in ovarian cancer cells, which ruptures cell membrane by acoustic cavitation effect. When exposed to LIFU, the nanoparticles effectively facilitate the release of damage-associated molecular patterns by inducing burst-mediated cell-membrane decomposition. Moreover, the PFP phase change caused RIPK3/MLKL-independent necroptosis by acoustic cavitation effect, resulting in the release of biologically active DAMPs (CRT and HMGB1) to facilitate antitumor immunity. Therefore, necroptosis-inducible nanoparticles remarkably enhance antitumor immunity by activating CD8+ cytotoxic T cells and maturing dendritic cells in vitro. Conclusion: We have successfully synthesized Lip-ICG-PFP-cRGD nanoparticles, which can achieve SDT and provoke necroptosis by bubble-mediated cell membrane rupture. The innovative nanoparticle causes immunogenic cell death in cancer cells via RIPK3-independent necroptosis, which is a promising enhancer for cancer immunotherapy.


Intercultural encounter  is something inevitable and crucial today. Its significance for religions depends on how religions conceive of intercultural translatability  and the meaning of 'the other'. Concerning the former, there are three possibilities : different cultures can be seen as radically untranslatable, mutually translatable in terms of universal economic medium, or  mutually translatable in terms of  universal doctrinal message. Each brings its own consequences.  Concerning the latter, the other may be viewed  as the outer-other or the inner-other of which both require some kind of self-relativization on the part of religion. If  Christianity is consistent with its 'logic of love', it would be governed by heteronomous reason in which the self lives from out of itself , whereas its dwelling place is not the privileged centre.


A key lesson from the U.S. literature on the impact of ICT on productivity is that ICT can only be effective if appropriate organizational structures are in place. This article by Surendra Gera of Industry Canada and Wulong Gu of Statistics Canada provides Canadian evidence to support this view. Using the Workplace and Employee Survey, the authors find evidence that firms that implement organizational changes and introduce ICT have a higher incidence of productivity improvement, increased sales and profits, and product and process innovation than firms that do not follow this path. Their findings suggest that to be successful firms typically need to adopt ICT as part of a system or cluster of mutualy reinforcing organizational approaches.


Background Underlying coronary artery disease (CAD) is the primary cause of sudden cardiac death in masters athletes (>35 years). Preparticipation screening may detect cardiovascular disease; however, the optimal screening method is undefined in this population. The Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire for Everyone (PAR-Q+) and the American Heart Association (AHA) Preparticipation Screening Questionnaire are often currently used; however, a more comprehensive risk assessment may be required. We sought to ascertain the cardiovascular risk and to assess the effectiveness of screening tools in masters athletes. Methods This cross-sectional study performed preparticipation screening on masters athletes, which included an ECG, the AHA 14-element recommendations and Framingham Risk Score (FRS). If the preparticipation screening was abnormal, further evaluations were performed. The effectiveness of the screening tools was determined by their positive predictive value (PPV). Results 798 athletes were included in the preparticipation screening analysis (62.7% male, 54.6±9.5 years, range 35–81). The metabolic equivalent task hours per week was 80.8±44.0, and the average physical activity experience was 35.1±14.8 years. Sixty-four per cent underwent additional evaluations. Cardiovascular disease was detected in 11.4%, with CAD (7.9%) being the most common diagnosis. High FRS (>20%) was seen in 8.5% of the study population. Ten athletes were diagnosed with significant CAD; 90% were asymptomatic. A high FRS was most indicative of underlying CAD (PPV 38.2%). Conclusion Masters athletes are not immune to elevated cardiovascular risk and cardiovascular disease. Comprehensive preparticipation screening including an ECG and FRS can detect cardiovascular disease. An exercise stress test should be considered in those with risk factors, regardless of fitness level.


Framing the theme for the ESREA 9th Triennial European Research Conference, the changes in the past two decades to the landscape in which European adult education is set, is presented as fundamenta ...


The objective of the Mekong Delta Integrated Climate Resilience and Sustainable Livelihoods Project for Vietnam is to enhance the capacity to manage and adapt to climate change by improving planning, promoting resilient rural livelihoods, and constructing climate smart infrastructure in select provinces in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: start-up capital needs to be provided to fund the livelihood investments. Farmers will not be able to fund the livelihood investments by themselves because most farmers have some level of debt. Capital for investment was the highest priority support requested by farmers; hire aquaculture and agriculture specialists to support cooperatives/collective groups, extension agencies, and farmers with technical training and development support; mass organizations, in particular the Farmers Union and Women's Union, should play a central role in supporting farmers and cooperatives to mobilize, organize extension training, facilitating farmer to farmer exchanges, monitor model performance, etc; encourage agribusinesses to establish hatcheries capable of producing high quality aquaculture seed as close as possible to the sub-project sites; and develop predictive decision support tools that can provide early warning of droughts and floods to farmers. The intense El Nino this year has highlighted the need to develop predictive tools that could help inform farmers on what crops they should be investing in.


This document is a review of technology for controlling the releases of /sup 129/I, /sup 85/Kr, /sup 14/C, tritium, and particulate matter containing Pu and U. The methods are HgNO/sub 3/ + AgZeO + NaOH (Iodox) for /sup 129/I, cryogenic distillation or selective fluorocarbon absorption for /sup 85/Kr, caustic scrubbing for /sup 14/C, and voloxidation for tritium. Removal efficiencies are 98 to 99.999%. This review determined the adequacy of the GESMO Statement in addressing the technical, economic, and time issues regarding the containment of such releases. Tritium containment is the most difficult, with the voloxidation process being expected to be fully commercialized by 1990 for new plants. Projected capital and operating costs are evaluated for the four radioisotopes and two plants (new 2,000-MT/y and existing 1,500-MT/y) at low and high efficiencies. Removal of NO/sub 2/ and other nonradioactive pollutants is also considered. 23 tables. (DLC)


For estimating finite population variance using information on single auxiliary variable in the form of mean and variance both, the Ratio-Product-Difference (RPD) type estimators are proposed. The generalized cases of these estimators leading to the classes of estimators are also proposed. The bias and mean square error (MSE) of the proposed estimators are found. Theoretical comparisons with the traditional estimator are supported by a numerical example. By this comparison it is shown that the proposed estimators are more efficient than the traditional one.


The Late Paleozoic marine strata in northeastern China are distributed in zonal pattern and surrounding the Jiamusi—Mongolia block.The unsteady sedimentation such as well-developed lithic feldspar sandstone,transverse lithological variation,unstable lithofacies and development of volcanic rocks,indicated these strata belonging to active sediment.From the core to the marginal suture belt of the Jiamusi—Mongolia block,obvious lithofacies change of old land—para—epicontinental sea—continental shelf sea—abyssal sea can be seen.The authors suggested that the Late Paleozoic marine strata might belong to continental marginal deposits of Jiamusi—Mongolia block in northeastern China,based on the zonal distributions,active deposition,and regular distribution of the tectonic lithological zones.


Based on the wave data measured at 4 stations in Houjiang Bay,East Guangdong,China,wave Characteristics and changes in the nearshore zone were analyzed and compared primarily by wave frequency statistic.The results show that the wave spectra of the surf zone are composed of multi-freqency peaks.Significant energy peaks existing on the sides of the specta peaks show that the specta peaks energy transfer to both high and low frqency.The coupled long wave energy releases after wave breaking.During the wave approaching to the shoreline,the spectral width(e),significant wave steeps(Ss) and spectral peak periods(Tp) increase while the wave spectral peak(Qp) and mean periods(Tm02) decrease.


stimuli to be seen. Average Glu levels were found to be lower after real stimuli presentation compared to abstract stimuli (p=0.02). A significant correlation between Glu levels and the eGBA was also found (figure 1b). Conclusions These results provide the first simultaneously recorded in-vivo evidence of changes in neuronal electrical activity with related changes in Glu concentrations, and provide a window into the underlying neurochemical substrates of neuronal network activity. References 1. Gruber, T., & Müller, M. M. (2005). Oscillatory brain activity dissociates between associative stimulus content in a repetition priming task in the human EEG.Cerebral Cortex, 15, 109-116. 2. Muthukumaraswamy, S. D., Edden, R. A. E., Jones, D. K., Swettenham, J. B., & Singh, K. D. (2009). Resting GABA concentration predicts peak gamma frequency and fMRI amplitude in response to visual stimulation in humans. PNAS, 106(20), pp. 8356-8361. 3. Naressi, A., Couturier, C., Castang, I., de Beer, R. Graveron-Demilly, D. Java-based graphical user interface for MRUI, a software package for quantitation of in vivo/medical magnetic resonance spectroscopy signals. Computers in Biology and Medicine 31: 269-86, 2001. Figure 1 a) representative MRS data used in the analysis, b) relationship between Glu levels and evoked Gama band responses for both conditions. a


We investigate the validity of the Girsanov Transformation (GT) method for parametric sensitivity analysis of stochastic models of chemical reaction networks. The validity depends on the likelihood ratio process being a martingale and the commutation of a certain derivative with expectation. We derive some exponential integrability conditions which imply both these requirements. We provide further conditions in terms of a reaction network that imply these exponential integrability conditions.


This study was done to investigate the microstructures of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) after hydrolysis with mineral acid concentrated. The optimum NCC was achieved through acid hydrolysis and the NCC was used as a reinforcement in nitrile butadiene rubber composites. The Field Emission Scanning Microscopy (FESEM) was used to study the structures and surfaces of the NCC and composites produced. The NCC that was synthesis from microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) found to be more individual and agglomerated due to hydrogen bonding between the NCCs, the more individual NCC produced would create more surface area to be bonded with NBR as a reinforcement. More surface area of NCC was good to create physical bonding with NBR and increase mechanical performance of composites. The NCCs in NBR composite found to form agglomeration caused by different properties that exhibited by both materials. This can restrict and reduce the performance of composite produced. A combination of these materials can be used as a reinforcement but need more attention on the modification to make these materials more compatible. Further research can be done to find the best way to prevent agglomeration between these both materials.


For at least three decades, philosophers have argued that general causation and causal explanation are contrastive in nature. When we seek a causal explanation of some particular event, we are usually interested in knowing why that event happened rather than some other specified event. And general causal claims, which state that certain event types cause certain other event types, seem to make sense only if appropriate contrasts to the types of events acting as cause and effect are specified. In recent years, philosophers have extended the contrastive theory of causation to encompass singular causation as well. In this article, I argue that this extension of the theory was a mistake. Although general causation and causal explanation may well be contrastive in nature, singular causation is not. 1 Introduction 2 The Contrastive Account of Singular Causation 3 Against the Contrastive Account 4 The Semantics of Contrastive Causal Statements 5 Are Binary Causal Statements Ambiguous? 6 Extensionality 7 General Causation and Causal Explanation 8 Conclusion 1 Introduction 2 The Contrastive Account of Singular Causation 3 Against the Contrastive Account 4 The Semantics of Contrastive Causal Statements 5 Are Binary Causal Statements Ambiguous? 6 Extensionality 7 General Causation and Causal Explanation 8 Conclusion


Targeting at the advertisements of costume,and through the functions of colors in advertisements,the thesis states the methods in the advertisement of costume:the primary color marketing,mixed color marketing and the achromatic color marketing.Those methods were made to cause consumers' sympathy of the feeling,to publicize the brand of costume and to sale the products.With these methods,the clothing enterprises will win in the differentiation competition,The thesis shows the importance of colors in the advertising design as well.


Abstract The lumbar and inferior intercostal arterial systems provide a major arterial supply of the retroperitoneal area, and abnormalities in their configuration, position, distribution, and size may indicate whether a mass is retroor intraperitoneal. In some instances, the histological nature of the mass may be predicted by the characteristics of its blood supply. Aortography with subsequent selective angiography to evaluate the feeding vessels and their branches is of value in the diagnosis of retroperitoneal masses.


Inverse quantization (IQ) and inverse discrete cosine transform (IDCT) are important operations in MPEG 2 decoding. The VLSI architecture of IQ and IDCT for MPEG 2 MP@ML video decoding were presented, architectures were described in VHDL and simulated. Hardware implement was adopted and some novel architectures were introduced for real time MPEG 2 MP@ML decoding.


The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a Regulatory Bulletin and accompanying Regulatory Guide (1.82, Rev. 2) which requires licensees of boiling water reactors to develop a specific plan of action (including hardware backfits, if necessary) to preclude the possibility of early emergency core cooling system strainer blockage following a postulated loss-of-coolant-accident. The postulated mechanism for strainer blockage is destruction of piping insulation in the vicinity of the break and subsequent transport of fragmented insulation to the wetwell. In the absence of more definitive information, the Regulatory Guide recommends that licensees assume a drywell debris transport fraction of 1.0. Accordingly, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission initiated research focused toward developing a technical basis to provide insights useful to regulatory oversight of licensee submittals associated with resolution of the postulated strainer blockage issue. Part of this program was directed towards experimental and analytical research leading to a more realistic specification of the debris transport through the drywell to the wetwell. To help focus this development into a cost effective effort, a panel, with broad based knowledge and experience, was formed to address the relative importance of the various phenomena that can be expected in plant response to postulated accidents that may produce strainer blockage. The resulting phenomena identification and ranking tables reported herein were used to help guide research. The phenomena occurring in boiling water reactors drywells was the specific focus of the panel, although supporting experimental data and calculations of debris transport fractions were considered.


To maintain stable performance of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) x-ray free-electron laser, one must control the electron trajectory stability through the undulator to a small fraction of the beam size. BPM-based feedback loops running at 120 Hz will be effective in controlling jitter at low frequencies less than a few Hz. On the other hand, linac and injector stability tolerances must be chosen to limit jitter at higher frequencies. In this paper we study possible sources of high frequency jitter, including: (1) steering coil current regulation; (2) quadrupole magnet transverse vibrations; (3) quadrupole current regulation with transverse misalignments; (4) charge variations coupled to jitter through transverse wakefields of misaligned RF structures; and (5) bunch length variations coupled through coherent synchrotron radiation in the bunch compressor chicanes. Based on this study, we set component tolerances and estimate expected trajectory stability in the LCLS.


In the light of the natural features ,and actual situation and with the probing into worsened ecosphere and function as to returning farming to forest,this article sums up the four stages taken as abandoning farming growing grass and afforestation since the founding of our People's Republic .It also analyses main probiems existed and makes a countermeasure protecting natural resource,resuming ecological environment and dredging the great rivers.


Abstract : A bonded polariscope procedure is being developed for use in viscoelastic models. To date, a method has been developed for use at strain levels as high as 6.1 percent with minimum polariscope model interaction. The structural problems associated with the procedure are discussed in detail, a partial solution is described, and the future program is o utlined. (Author)


After nearly 20 years of ferment in criminology, the reactive conception of criminality is the most intractable issue. It can be circumvented only if criminologists use official data to compute crime rates and to identify criminals or delinquents. That proposed strategy does not necessarily entail acceptance of the reactive conception, especially in light of an argument about etiological theories that purport to answer two of the four major criminological questions, those having to do with variation in the crime rate and with individual differences as regards criminality. Any such theory will be empirically indefensible unless it encompasses (1) some etiological condition as the independent variable; (2) the frequency of some type of behavior as an intervening variable; (3) an official criminality variable (for example, an official crime rate); and (4) a reactive variable, one which pertains to the behavior of legal officials and supposedly determines the connection between the intervening variable and the dependent variable. The argument bears on Marxist and conflict criminology only insofar as advocates of those perspectives genuinely pursue etiological theories about crime. Finally, apart from any substantive consideration, criminological theories will remain defective until criminologists adopt formal theory construction. The more general and important point is that some 20 years of ferment will not culminate in a new theory without some special strategy—if not the one proposed here, then another.


This paper deals with mathematical modeling and study of nonlinear switching in optical fiber Bragg gratings (FBG) by a transfer matrix method. Critical parameters contributing to high performance nonlinear fiber Bragg grating were studied. The transmission spectrum centered at 1550 nm was analyzed with varying number of layers and refractiveindices. The study showed that by proper modification in grating length of the FBG, we were able to optimize transmission spectrum for required application. The nonlinear behavior of FBGs can be further applied in optical switching applications (all-optical logic gates).


Theword 'oligometastases' was coined in 1995 by Hellman and Weichselbaum who proposed 'the existence of a clinical significant state of oligometastases'. It seemed to them to be a useable term by which to identify a subset of patients who have disseminated cancer, but in whom metastases were few in number. The diagnostic term oligometastatic disease is now being used with increasing frequency in the argot of multidisciplinary team meetings. It provided the title of a session at the 14th World Conference on Lung Cancer (IASLC July 2011). How has this come about? In this analysis I consider the usage of the term from four view points.


Brittle failure in rocks is generally preceded by a localization of deformation in the region of the final macrofracture. This process is associated with a non-uniform distribution of subcritical microcracks which should be reflected in the distribution of acoustic velocities and surface deformation. The temporal and spatial development of such deformation zones has been studied by monitoring these quantities during the deformation of Westerly granite samples.


After Shangyang's Reform ,Qin Dynasty became rich and strong. The rules of Qin Dynasty is the backbone of the reform, which is considered as a simple word - harsh. With the understanding of legal rules in unearthed documents of Qin Dynasty , scholars found that we can't use "harsh"to describe the Laws of Qin Dynasty .As depending on law method ,the governor of Qin Dynasty have realized the uses of the moral in guaranteeing the social stability and began to try to improve this use reasonably with the legal method.


Wavelet transform is not the optimal or the most sparse function representation for two-dimension images. Contourlet transform, as a kind of Multi-scale Geometric Analysis (MGA) methods, extends the advantages of wavelet transform to high dimensional space. It can describe the properties of high dimensional information better and is more suitable for processing information with hyper-plane singularity. In this paper, a visual weighted image coding algorithm was proposed, in which Wavelet-Based Contourlet Transform (WBCT) was combined with SPECK algorithm. According to the sensitivity of human vision to different wavelet sub-bands, each sub-band was endued with different weights. The wavelet coefficients were organized in way of set partitioning and SPECK algorithm was applied to carry out image coding procedure. Experiment results show that the proposed method not only improve the Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) of the reconstructed images, but also reduce the local texture distortion obviously.


Rule 136 and its equivalents, rules 192, 238 and 252, are not number conserving rules. Out of these four, 136 and 192 are number nonincreasing rules, whereas 238 and 252 are number nondecreasing rules. However, when a non-uniform cellular automation (CA) is formed with rules 136 and 252, or 192 and 238 in alternate positions, the CA becomes conservative. This paper studies these non-uniform CAs. It is further shown that, except rules 136, 192, 238 and 252, no other number nonincreasing and nondecreasing rules can participate in a non-uniform CA to form a conservative system.


In their response to my "Deconstructing Public Administration Empiricism" article in the July 2007 issue of Administration & Society, Meier and O'Toole described it as an aggressive attack. Even though I recognize my approach was unusually specific for a discussion of research approaches, I consider it a pointed but respectful analysis of the practice of public administration empiricism. Disputes regarding my interpretations of their work should be expected, but I think that a fair reading of my article would conclude that I took their work seriously and analyzed it carefully. I wish that they had shown me the same courtesy. Instead of taking my work seriously, Meier and O'Toole's response is an attempt to distract and mislead readers in a way that never engages the main point of my essay— even the best public administration empiricist research finds it difficult if not impossible to measure objective reality. That observation is important because measuring objective reality in an objective fashion is the foundation of their claims to having a superior research approach. Without that foundation, their research approach is just one among many ways to interpret the worlds of public administration. It is also important because it may say something about how little objective reality exists in administrative reality. Meier and O'Toole (2007) however refused even to admit that empiricists claim their approach is superior, describing them as "alleged claims" (p. 786). Clearly not every researcher who utilizes empiricist approaches has made these claims. O'Toole (1995) appears to be open to nonempiricist approaches: "Explanatory, interpretive, and critical forms of scholarship have all contributed to what we have collectively learned; let many, many Administration & Society Volume 40 Number 2 April 2008 211-219 © 2008 Sage Publications 10.1177/1523422308315809 http://aas.sagepub.com hosted at http://online.sagepub.com


The 13C cryogenic isotope separation columns cascade is a multivariable, distributed, nonlinear system, with strong interactions between the subsystems. Being a complex, critical process, a robust, fault tolerant control is needed. The present paper proposes a novel fault tolerant control scheme based on fractional order observer and fractional order PI controllers. In the controller design stage linearized decoupled models are used, while the observer design process is based on the nonlinear model. The real process operation scenarios are simulated to test the proposed control structures.


Scheme 5. Kinetic model for substrate hydrolysis by TGase 2 and the corresponding differential rate laws derived from it. The kinetic model was prepared according to ref. [32]. For all calculations, rate constants kacyl and kdeacyl were combined to rate constant kcat accordkcat = kacyl V kdeacyl/(kacyl + kdeacyl). Abbreviations used in the scheme. E: enzyme. SL: substrate (fluorogenic acyl donor). ESL: initial enzyme·substrate complex. L: coumarin derivative. E–S: acylated enzyme intermediate. P: product.


Meeting"is the quintessence of the years of upheaval and the poet′s innocent mind.So it can be considered that,the age gives birth to the work"Meeting",which in turn produces a great poet."Meeting"is saturated with the essence of Aiqing′s aesthetics principles.Its theme is pure and definite.Aiqing eulogizes the fine qualities of ardent youth in the poem by employing realistic and modern artistic techniques."Meeting"shows that, in creation of poem the starting point of Aiqing is much higher than that of symbolic poet,Li Jinfa and romantic poet,Dai Wangshu who also had been influenced by the French art.Aiqing is a vast ocean.


We discuss the completeness of the quasi‐uniformity of quasi‐uniform convergence on function spaces. In particular we observe that the notions of quasi‐uniform completeness based on the convergence of several types of stable filters provide satisfactory results in this context.


This study examines whether employment externalization, or the use of temporary and contract workers in organizations, is associated with weak psychological bonds between the internal workforce and...


SHE BREAK-AWAY of Tito's Yugoslavia in 1948, the Twentieth Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1956, the Polish revolt which led to the successful (until the present, at least) seizure of power by Gomulka in October, 1956, all have served to shake the traditional Leninist-Stalinist conceptions of the relations between the Soviet state and other Communist states, between the Soviet Communist party and other Communist parties. These traditional relationships could be summed up, perhaps, in the phrases "guiding state" and "guiding party." The Soviet Union was the "guiding state" for all other socialist (communist) states; the Soviet Communist party was the "guiding party" for all Communist parties. Marshall Tito was the first to raise the standard of "national communism." Subsequently, in various states of eastern Europe a series of purges removed from power Communists who, whatever their real sins, were accused of advocating national communism, condemned by Stalinists as being basically anti-Soviet and therefore, by definition, harmful to the interests of the working class. The emergence of a powerful Communist China, the death of Stalin, the rise of Khruschev, the subsequent attacks on Stalin's memory and misdeeds, and the efforts to woo Tito back into the Soviet fold, culminated in 1956 with the elaboration by Khruschev, and its acceptance by the Twentieth Congress of the C.P.S.U., of the concept that the road to socialism might take different forms in different countries, and that violent revolution was not a necessary prerequisite to success. In other words there were legitimate national ways to communism, to be distinguished from illegitimate national communism. Throughout all this the Italian Communist Party (P.C.I.), the largest in the Western world, has had a hard time. The initial reaction of its leadership was to criticize the Khruschev line openly and then to fall back into a more or less formal acceptance of it, but not with much grace. Within the party Palmiro Togliatti, the Secretary General, has had to fight off both the hard-core Stalinists who accused him of being too "revisionist," and a group of younger, more flexible leaders who accused him of being intellectually fossilized, of being holier than the Pope, of being incapable of understanding and realizing the significance of developments in the Soviet Union, of combining extreme tactical flexibility and "possibilism" at the level of


first" approach to political philosophy (Philosophy and Real Politics, 2009). White worries about the foundationalist hubris of classical liberalism but largely accepts its displacement of politics into the realm of the ethical. He criticizes Rawls's conception of reasonableness for disavowing its own entanglements with ontological reflection (p. 14), and faults Larmore's account of respect for not adequately addressing its own inherent contestability and for neglecting the "thick" aesthetic-affective dimensions of political life (p. 46), but he largely accepts the underlying theoretical project that animates these thinkers' work. Doing so, White embraces the importance of Foucault's later ethical writings for democratic theory, but largely neglects genealogy. If the former is oriented toward spaces of conflict resolution, the latter seeks to open up new spaces of conflict articulation. White is attentive to how "structures of power and privilege" may be rendered invisible by familiar appeals to reasonableness (p. 31). But bringing power back into the heart of democratic theory requires not only the articulation of a more critically selfreflective and decentering ethos but also the revitalization of a politicizing genealogical approach and perhaps other experimental approaches to democratic theory focused on the historical dynamics of democratic contention, alternative mechanisms of elite accountability, or the importance of inspiring new assemblages of collective, demotic power. Without the critical counterbalance of these other approaches, White's ethos leans perhaps too far in the direction of familiar liberal turns to the reasonable, arguably much further than other influential advocates of the ethos approach. This is apparent, for example, when he objects to Connolly's questioning of the ontological hierarchy between human and nonhuman because of the moral risks involved, or when he calls for making the decentering ethos of presumptive generosity "equi-primordial" with classical liberal notions of dignity and respect (p. 50). The conciliatory approach that animates this study suggests that these invocations of generosity and respect do not, or need not, conflict, but they do. The "tempered agonism" that White advocates is settled within the assumed space of an updated humanism, for example, rather than being pulled in the direction of political contests over the meaning of that very designation. If the ethical turn aimed to sustain affirmation in the face of the perceived excesses of antifoundationalism, the reconciliation of poststructuralism and political liberalism envisioned by this study suggests that, to the extent that it succeeds, another correction will be needed. The ethical turn's displacement of politics will surely generate a further political response. In the meantime, however, this provocative contribution to the literature of the ethical turn has given us plenty to think about. Individuality and Mass Democracy: Mill, Emerson, and the Burdens of Citizenship. By Alex Zakaras. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. 264p. $49.95. doi:10.1017/S1537592710000812


The authors calculate a series of nuptiality tables for hypothetical cohorts of males and females in the USSR based on the results of several sample surveys. It is shown that variations in nuptiality levels over the past 100 years for the country as a whole and for most regions are related to sex ratios with war losses and excess male migration having a large impact on nuptiality patterns. (SUMMARY IN ENG) (ANNOTATION)


Abstract The author illustrates how 35+ years of interaction with Philip Bromberg affected her clinical and theorical work. Some of the phenomena described include a woman's experience of herself across the menstrual cycle, the vicissitudes of how sexual encounters are experienced and remembered, and "spectatoring", i.e., watching oneself have sex as if it's happening to another person. These phenomena are observed through the lens of dissociated self-states. This exploration ends with a verbatim account of an informal supervision with Bromberg and its impact on patient and analyst.


Algerian poetry has always been interested in the question of Palestine in general and the sanctity of Jerusalem in particular ever since the occupation. The French colonialism of Algeria bring the Algerian people closer to the struggles of the Palestinian people. As a result, Algerian poets have written extensively in their poems abouth Jerusalem. Such Algerian poems abouth Jerusalem are the focus of this study. Algerian poets express their emetions for the bloodshed that befalls Palestinians, and they call for unity to achieve freedom and liberation from the colonizer, a dream that combines both of the Algerians and Palestinians.


BACKGROUND
Poor pelvic posture demonstrated through anterior pelvic tilt (APT) have been known to produce musculoskeletal imbalances involving weakness of the abdominal and pelvic musculature. While stretching and massage techniques have been reported to be effective in alleviating APT, it remains unclear if similar improvements can be elicited by posterior chain and core strength training. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the effect of an 8-week posterior and core strengthening program on APT, hamstrings-to-quadriceps (H:Q) strength ratio, and vertical jump performance in healthy individuals.

METHODS
Ten healthy males (age = 26±12 years; mass = 87±14 kg; height = 1.8±0.1 m) and nine healthy females (age = 22±4 years; mass = 70±14 kg; heigh t = 1.7±0.1 m) performed resistance training (2×/week; 40-45 mins) involving a combination of hip extensors and abdominal strengthening exercises for 8 weeks. APT (°), vertical jump power (W), vertical jump height (m), and H:Q ratio at 60, 180, and 300°/s were assessed prior to and following the resistance training program.

RESULTS
APT, vertical jump power, vertical jump height, and H:Q ratio at 60 and 180°/s, were significantly improved following 8 weeks of resistance training (all Ps<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
Our main finding was that 8 weeks of resistance training emphasizing posterior chain and core strengthening was effective in reducing APT, improving vertical jump performance and H:Q ratio in healthy individuals. Our findings have potential implications for clinicians prescribing resistance training exercises to improve pelvic posture in healthy asymptomatic individuals at risk of developing chronic low back pain and lumbar-spinal pathologies due to excessive anterior pelvic tilt.


One method to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in road traffic is moderate acceleration, based on the discussions that the amount of emissions depends mainly on the change in velocity. If a driver switch to moderate acceleration, the travel times of the vehicle and the following vehicles are increased, and thus, the total amount of CO2 emissions may become larger than if he drives at normal acceleration because the increased travel times can decrease traffic capacity. However there are not so many studies analyzing this effect of moderate acceleration on traffic flow, and this research aims at the theoretical analysis of this effect. The several assumptions considering time of starting to accelerate, reaction delay and the penetration of multiple moderately-accelerating-vehicles (MAVs) can lead to three cases in the piecewise linear model, which calculate the approximate values of traffic capacity and saturation flow rate. The results show that those values depend on the position and the penetration rate of MAVs, and that those are decreased if MAVs are located further ahead or if the penetration rate of MAVs is high.


Accepted : January, 2009 Banana, an important tropical fruit crop is affected by several diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, viruses, nematodes and abiotic factors. Among these, Panama disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense and Sigatoka leaf spot caused by Mycosphaerella musicola are regarded to be the most distructive one. Freckle disease of banana caused by Phyllosticta musarum (Cooke) Petrak is wide spread wherever banana is grown. Only if fruit infection occurs, the fungus is considered as serious. In this case, leaves with freckle may be the source of inoculum. Symptoms on leaves first appear as small, dark brown or black spots usually circular or superficial. They may spread to stalk along the leaf vein, formation of circular area with dark brown or grayish centre surrounded by yellowish green halo. In some cases, spots coalesce to form dense aggregation, rough to touch and cause larger area to death lesions. Elangovan et al. (1990) reported the occurrence of this disease in Tamil Nadu. The prevalence of freckle leaf spot has been recorded at Coimbatore, Trichy, Periyar and North Arcot districts of Tamil Nadu during 1995-96 (Anonymous, 1997). Chuang (1981) reported the freckle leaf spot in Taiwan and observed 21 to 62 per cent of diseased tissues. Survey conducted during 1997-98 revealed that the freckle leaf spot disease was noticed at Raibagh, Jamakhandi and Gokak taluk of


Exergy rate profiles, exergetic efficiency and irreversibility were used to examine the driving forces in multicomponent distillation system with the view to identifying feasible and efficient operating parameters. The mixture comprised of 5% propane, 15% iso butane, 25% n-butane, 20% iso pentane and 35% n-pentane. Operating variables were feed temperature (-30oC and -80oC), pressure (800KPa and 1200KPa), and reflux-ratio (2 and 6). Sensitivity analysis was carried out to examine the effect of varying operating parameters on the systems. Stage-by-stage system exergy analysis was estimated. Column profiles of a base case -30oC, -80oC, -30oC-reflus ratio 6,80oC -80oC reflux ratio 6 and base case reflux ratio 6 did not cross thus are thermodynamically feasible. Base case -30oC-reflux ratio 2, -80oC-reflux ratio 2, and base case-reflux ratio 2 were crossed and constricted and are infeasible. Base case results gave efficiency of 81.7% at depropanizer and 65.2% at debutanizer. Base cases sensitivity results with -30oC, -80oC and reflux ratio 6, efficiency range 57.40 – 70% and 65.20% - 54.90% for depropanizer and debutanizer respectively. Spitted cases gave 81.7% and 62.20% with more scatter profiles. Splitted feed base case -30oC design gave the lowest overall system exergy loss rate of 1.12E+6 and efficiency of 95.70%.


A 32-year-old man presented with palpitations and central chest pain, examination was unremarkable and chest radiograph was normal. ECG demonstrated right axis deviation and inferolateral T-wave inversion; cardiac enzymes were normal. Cardiac MRI demonstrated multifocal, patchy subepicardial and mesocardial left ventricular late gadolinium enhancement, suggestive of cardiac sarcoidosis. Whole body and dedicated cardiac fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) was performed 60 min after radiotracer injection following a special patient preparation to suppress physiological myocardial uptake of glucose. This consists of a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet the day before scanning followed by a 15 hours fast. The PET revealed multifocal metabolically active cardiac inflammation, corresponding to the areas of late gadolinium enhancement on MRI and extensive sites …


Radio-transmitters are used widely in wildlife research because they allow researchers to track individual animals and monitor their activity. However, to provide unbiased information about a population, transmitters must be deployed on a representative sample of animals and must not alter the behavior of the individuals. The greater sage-grouse Centrocercus urophasianus has been studied intensively using radio-transmitters for the last several decades. A previous study demonstrated that males fitted with necklace-style radio-transmitters could be less likely to attend breeding grounds than those without transmitters. However, how transmitters affect the behavior of males that do attend leks has not been investigated. Therefore, we investigated whether radio-transmitters alter the characteristics of strut vocalizations or display frequency of male sage-grouse. We measured time and frequency characteristics of vocalizations from six collared and seven non-collared adult male sage-grouse on three leks in south-central Idaho, and for two collared and four non-collared males from two leks in northern Nevada. Only one vocalization characteristic (maximum frequency of the primary whistle) differed between collared and non-collared males across both populations. Collared males showed a lower maximum frequency of the primary whistle that typically fell outside the range of variation for non-collared males. This was the only difference found in the sample from Nevada, while in Idaho, collared males also exhibited a narrower bandwidth for the primary whistle (lower maximum frequency and higher minimum frequency), a shorter primary whistle, and a shorter secondary coo than non-collared males. Some acoustic characteristics of sage-grouse strut vocalizations are linked to mate choice by females, and therefore our results suggest that collars could reduce male mating success by altering the production of breeding vocalizations. Therefore, we recommend using alternative attachment techniques for behavioral studies of male sage-grouse.


Background. Telecommunication systems with a broadband signal have improved noise immunity, the ability to receive a signal in multipath, as well as electromagnetic compatibility with neighboring radio electronic devices. The use of known pseudo-random sequences to create systems doesn't ensure their high confidentiality due to the possibility of their selection when receiving a signal. A significant increase in the confidentiality of the system can be achieved by using pseudorandom sequences based on chaos. Objective. The aim of the paper is the development of a technique for creating pseudo-random sequences based on chaos, as well as the analysis of the correlation characteristics of pseudo-random sequences formed on the basis of a chaotic signal. Methods. Chaotic signals are inherently pseudo-random, but they are generated by deterministic systems. All computer models of chaos are approximations of mathematical chaos. Any analysis of these sequences doesn't allow them to be reproduced and they can't be intercepted, so they have significant advantages when used for spreading the signal spectrum and creating a pseudo noise broadband signal. Sequence selection with an acceptable level of side lobes of the autocorrelation function is carried out by using the developed graphical interface method. Results. It is shown that, based on the chaos of pseudo-random sequences, it is possible to select sequences with side lobe level up to 0.3, suitable for practical use after analysis of their autocorrelation functions. Conclusions. Using created chaos based pseudo-random sequences is effective for building broadband single-channel telecommunication systems that have a high degree of confidentiality in the information transmission.


In this text, I explore the possibility that semiosis emerged in human evolution through an integration of basic properties of perception and conceptualization on the one hand (iconicity and causal reconstruction), and basic properties of intersubjective gesturing (deictic attention-monitoring) on the other. The integration happened because these components all share a proto-semiotic spatial divide separating the proximal (an interior space) and the distal (an exterior space). This divide would stem from early human shelter building (architecture). Hence the title: it is about walls and openings. Corollary: Art consists in re-exploring the origins of semiosis. Science and religion have competing deictic enunciative structure based on semiosis.


In this report we discuss sensitivity analysis applied to the pooling problem. We apply both classical sensitivity analysis and new results by Castillo et al [1] to get sensitivities for all the input parameters. In addition we discuss some of the results in Greenberg [2] which relates sensitivity analysis specifically to the pooling problem. We finally provide some illustrative and relevant case studies.


Globalization and Industrialization is responsible for liberalization of management education in India. Different classifications have been done for the Business Schools in India. But it is very difficult to understand the bases for these classifications as these classifications and ratings do not reflect the true performance of many institutions. There is a wide gap between the performance of top 10 B-Schools and rest B- Schools. One important reason for the difference is poor integration of industry and management education institutions. This study is an attempt to understand the need for industry academia partnerships, identifying the factors to be included in management education from industry point of view, analyzing current level of management education's competency as per requirements of industry.


Mg 2+ is well-known to facilitate the structural folding of RNA. However, the thermodynamic and dynamic roles of Mg 2+ in RNA folding remain elusive. Here, we exploit smFRET (single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer) and ITC (isothermal titration calorimetry) to study the mechanism of Mg 2+ in facilitating the folding of TPP (thiamine pyrophosphate) riboswitch RNA. The results of smFRET identify that the presence of Mg 2+ compacts the RNA, but also enlarge the dynamical dispersity among individual RNA molecules, resulting in a large gain of entropy. The compact yet flexible conformations triggered by Mg 2+ may help the riboswitch to recognize its specific ligand and further fold. This is supported by the ITC experiments, in which the Mg 2+ induced RNA folding is driven by entropy ( ΔS ) instead of enthalpy ( ΔH ). Our results complement the understanding of Mg 2+ -induced RNA folding. The strategy developed in this work can be used to model other RNAs' folding at different conditions.


The content of this article is devoted to the application of modular learning technologies in the study of the subject
Methodology of teaching music and school repertoire


Herein, discloses a nucleic acid sequence encoding the polypeptide. What is also disclosed is a polypeptide and derivatives, variants, mutants, or said polypeptide, an antibody that immunospecifically binds to a fragment of a polynucleotide or an antibody. The present invention, diagnosis of disorders involving any one of these novel human nucleic acids and proteins, therapeutic for the treatment and prevention further discloses a diagnostic and research methods.


This paper introduces a Relay-based Local Index (RLI) of voltage emergency for voltage instability detection and considers ways to avoid undesirable line disconnections by distance protection during long-term voltage instability. The RLI stems from the previously presented New LIVES Index (NLI), which is calculated by processing voltage/current phasor measurements from Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) at transmission substations on the boundaries of a weak system area. Distance relays of transmission lines can similarly calculate the RLI in a similar time scale. The RLI should not provide false alarm during the occurrence of a remote short-circuit fault, whereas it should provide an early alarm before any of the critical transmission lines forming a corridor is tripped by any distance element. Comparison between the alarms provided by NLI and RLI is performed using simulation studies of the Nordic Test System where a case of unwanted remote Zone-3 tripping is identified.


Advanced Power Reactor (APR1400) is a conventional Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) that was designed and built by KEPCO-KHNP, its rated thermal power is 3983 MW [1]. The soluble Boron is utilized as a mean of reactivity control, conventionally the Boron10 is used as a burnable absorber to compensate for the excess reactivity from the Beginning of Cycle (BOC), by controlling the concentration of the boron in the core, the criticality can be maintained all through the operation cycle. Traditionally the soluble boron is considered as an effective way for reactivity control since no action by Control Rods (CR) is needed. This way the CRs can be fully withdrawn so the axial power peaking will be reasonable. Besides, the local power peaking is adequately maintained as a result of coolant density distribution with axial temperature [2]. Nevertheless, there are many disadvantages related to the usage of the soluble boron, such as the possible positive Moderator Temperature Coefficient (MTC) at Beginning of Cycle (BOC) Hot Full Power (HFP) condition, which is a great safety concern for both, reactor designers, and regulatory bodies. Another operational concern related to the usage of soluble boron is material corrosion and degradation, there have been many recent studies on the effect of soluble boron on the cladding and other structure materials, which in turn is considered as a major safety-related problem [3]. There are other operational issues related to the soluble boron such as the huge amount of liquid radiowaste generation, as a result of boron (B-10) interaction with neutrons Tritium (H-3) is generated, another major source of tritium is Lithium-neutron interaction, LiOH is added to the coolant to compensate the pH number decrease due to boric acid injection. tritium is considered a serious radiation hazard, and a substantial source of worker's radiation exposure, especially during the refueling process, as a result of a 1,000 Mwth PWR operation 80% of the tritium generation comes from boron and lithium irradiation [4]. In this study, the applicability and feasibility of a two-batch Soluble Boron Free (SBF) APR1400 reactor will be investigated using an innovative new type of 3D Burnable Absorbers (BA) so-called Centrally-Shielded Burnable Absorber (CSBA), and Burnable Absorber Integrated Guide Thimble (BigT) [5][6]. In the CSBA, a solid neutron absorber is placed at the center of the fuel pellet, this way the burnable absorber will be integrated with the nuclear fuel, and it will be introduced into the reactor core with the fresh fuel assemblies in each cycle. The location of the burnable absorber in the center of the fuel pellet provides a local neutron shield due to the large effect of nuclear fuel self-shielding, this way the rate of burnable absorber depletion can be effectively controlled. On the other hand, APR1400 has 5 large guide thimbles in each fuel assemblies that are used for Control Rod (CR) insertion and instrumentation, these holes will be utilized for the BigT, another type of BA material will be coated at the inner surface of these guide thimbles. A combination of these two methods supposed to provide a favorable reactivity control throughout the cycle with a minimum reactivity penalty as will be described later on. It worth mentioning that all of the neutronic analyses and simulations were done using Monte Carlo code, SERPENT 2, assessed with the nuclear data library ENDF/B-VII.1. [7]


While substantial research has taken place on the antecedents of franchising, very little research has looked at the finer details of how franchising actually takes place. The aim of this thesis is to bridge this gap by identifying the types of franchising agreements that are used and the factors that lead to the choice of a specific franchising agreement by a franchisor. I found that the companies studied did not restrict themselves to the usual franchising agreements, instead choosing to tailor these agreements to their situation. Franchising agreements that are traditionally used mostly look at the size of the franchise and at the rights of the franchisee. This study found that companies customize franchising agreements by also considering the role they will play in the financing of the franchise. The interviewees helped identify a certain number of factors that had an impact on whether an outlet would be company-owned or franchised, as well as on the type of franchising agreement used. I found that the factors that affected the two companies' decisions were closely linked to the three main theories on the antecedents of franchising (resource scarcity, agency theory and plural form). However, there were slight difference in terms of the factors considered by the two companies. Although this thesis did not try to compare the two companies, my hypothesis is that the differences in terms of factors affecting the type of franchising agreement chosen came from the different stages of the business cycle at which the two companies were.