An Empirical Investigation of Afghanistan���s Organizational Culture

The purpose of this study was to examine Afghanistan culture using Geert Hofstede's Value Survey Module (VSM-2013). This research aimed to uncover and interpret the VSM profiles for Afghanistan, particularly focusing on differences across gender, ethnicities, languages, and religions in relation to Hofstede���s six cultural dimensions: power distance (PD), individualism���collectivism (IC), masculinity���femininity (MF), uncertainty avoidance (UA), long-term���short-term orientation (LSO), and indulgence���restraint (IR). Survey data were collected from 2,071 students across 15 universities in five provinces ���Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, Balkh, and Nangarhar. After ensuring the reliability and validity of the data, the study employed two main analytical techniques: Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) to explore cultural variances across groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, language, and religion) and Hofstede���s Classic VSM-2013 technique to compute VSM indices for Afghanistan as well as those groups. The results revealed insightful distinctions and similarities in cultural dimensions among Afghan men and women, as well as across various ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups. The study's findings are particularly valuable for addressing the need for empirical evidence on Afghanistan���s national culture. Understanding these cultural contexts is critical for the effective management of human resources in Afghanistan

Evidence for Metabolism of Creatine by the Conceptus, Placenta, and Uterus for Production of ATP During Conceptus Development in Pigs

During gestation in pigs, most embryonic mortality occurs during two gestational time points with high energy demands due to extensive cell proliferation and migration. Between Days 14 and 25, free-floating conceptuses (embryo/fetus and associated placental membranes) elongate and attach to the uterus. Between Days 50 and 70, the uterine-placental interface undergoes extensive folding and develops mature areolae to maximize support for development of the fetuses. We hypothesize that insufficient energy in the form of ATP in conceptuses and uterine tissue may contribute to conceptus loss in pigs. Creatine, an organic compound commonly stored in the muscle as phosphocreatine, can regenerate ATP through the creatine (Cr)-creatine kinase (CK)- phosphocreatine (PCr) pathway. However, the expression of factors involved in creatine metabolism has not been examined in conceptus and uterine tissues throughout gestation in pigs. In the present study, we performed real-time qPCR to quantify expression of mRNAs for enzymes and the creatine transporter involved in the creatine metabolic pathway in conceptus and uterine tissues from Days 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 24, 30, 40, 60, and 90 of gestation. Results of qPCR analyses revealed increases in expression of AGAT, GAMT, CKM, CKB, and SLC6A8 mRNAs in conceptuses on Day 15, and a further increase in AGAT mRNA in the chorioallantois on Day 90 of gestation. Immunofluorescence staining of the uterine-placental interface from Days 15, 16, 20, and 25 corroborated qPCR results, with the expression of GAMT, CKM, and CKB proteins appearing to increase in conceptus Tr cells on Day 15. The presence of GAMT, CKB, and CKM proteins were confirmed with Western blot analyses. Levels of endometrial AGAT and CKM mRNAs increased on Day 15, CKB mRNA increased again on Day 30, and AGAT, GAMT, and SLC6A8 mRNAs increased significantly on Days 40, 60, and 90. Furthermore, HPLC analyses confirmed the presence of Cr and PCr metabolites in uterine luminal fluid, allantoic fluid, and amniotic fluid with significant increases in the uterine fluid and allantoic fluid on Days 11 and 40, respectively. Collectively, results of this study indicate that the Cr-CK-PCr pathway could establish sufficient energy stores to support cell proliferation and migration required for conceptus elongation, implantation, and remodeling of the uterine-placental interface during gestation in pigs

Optimizing Infectious Disease Control: Strategies for Social Separation and Vaccine Allocation with Equity Consideration

As global threats from infectious diseases intensify, as highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the urgency to enhance control measures becomes evident. Strategies such as social separation and vaccine allocation are pivotal in disease management. However, despite extensive research, many models still fall short. They rely on oversimplified assumptions such as population homogeneity and a single-wave pattern of infection spread. Current research still lacks comprehensive approaches in addressing the effective and equitable implementation of these strategies in more complex, realistic scenarios. To address these gaps, we explore various models for social separation and vaccine distribution, considering individual-specific factors and the multi-wave nature of pandemics observed in reality. Focusing on efficiency and equity in disease mitigation, we uncover key components of an optimal infectious disease control strategy. These insights help us to formulate effective algorithms, understanding the trade-offs between efficacy, costs, and fairness. Our work also leads to the development of an efficient, fair clustering algorithm that not only performs well in our disease mitigation context but also excels across various datasets. Case studies underscore the advantages of strategies tailored to specific individual information and dynamic behavior. Such approaches are more effective, cost-efficient, and equitable than traditional disease control measures. The fair clustering algorithm we developed further demonstrates its advantages over benchmark algorithms

"Trust to Us, the Union Men of the South": The 1866 Southern Loyalist Convention and the Fight for Reconstruction

In 1866, unconditional Unionists of the South, who had remained loyal to the United States during its civil war, convened in Philadelphia to express their displeasure with President Andrew Johnson. In their view, Johnson���s willful inaction enabled traitors rather than Unionists to continue dominating Southern politics in the aftermath of the war. If the Union defeated the Confederacy but its supporters remained in power, Unionists��� staunch devotion to the Union was rendered pointless. The 1866 Southern Loyalist Convention was the culmination of years of political struggles. Scholarly literature on Southern Unionists is extensive, yet historians have overlooked the significance of this convention. This thesis argues that the convention utilized a narrative of suffering that Southern Unionists employed consistently throughout the Civil War and Reconstruction. In various pamphlets published early in the crisis, Southern Unionists voiced their disapproval of secession and had articulated their perspectives on national affairs. By concentrating those disparate voices in a single location, the Southern Loyalist Convention amplified long standing whispers of Unionist dissatisfaction. Collectively, these broadsheets pointed to deep divisions among Unionists, generally involving disagreements about African American enfranchisement. Despite the internal divisions that ultimately prevented them from forming a powerful Unionist coalition, Southern Unionists were consistent in a few key ways. They insisted upon their undying support for the Union, demanded the implementation of their agenda, and constructed a powerful narrative of their own suffering. Their mutual misery, in fact, became the foundation upon which Unionists built relationships with each other at this convention. This thesis considers how the 1866 Convention contributed to a post-war narrative that historians have labeled the ���Won Cause��� memory of the war

Wind Tunnel Data Quality Assessment and Improvement Through Integration of Uncertainty Analysis in Test Design

The practical application of uncertainty quantification in wind tunnel testing is not consistently or proactively applied. Although there is a solid methodology to quantify uncertainty, the resources required to implement this methodology at the pace of testing while adapting to the unique designs for each test are rarely available. This research combines the use of Monte Carlo simulations for uncertainty quantification with a decision-based integration of uncertainty estimates into the test design process and test execution. This implementation reduces the resources required to routinely quantify uncertainty to a practicable level and aims to proactively affect data quality by incorporating uncertainty estimates into early test design decisions. This methodology is used in the design, execution, and data analysis of a wind tunnel test at the Oran W. Nicks Low-Speed Wind Tunnel (LSWT) at Texas A&M University. The test analyzes the uncertainty in the aerodynamic coefficients and performance parameters of an aircraft test model. After quantifying the uncertainty of the aerodynamic coefficients, this research investigates a potential elemental error source in the measurement of static aerodynamic coefficients due to oscillating nonlinear aerodynamic loads. Notable results from this research include the demonstration of integrating uncertainty analysis with test design in a practical way, reduction of uncertainty intervals in aircraft performance parameters measured in the LSWT by an average of more than 90% through this integration, and experimental evidence of an elemental error source from oscillating nonlinear aerodynamic loads in the measurement of static aerodynamic coefficients

The Economic and Financial Potential of Vineyards in the Texas Hill Country

There has been a substantial increase in the population of the Texas Hill Country over the last decade (Hill Country Alliance 2008). Currently, the population in the Texas Hill Country is 3.1 million and is projected to increase to 4.3 million by the year 2030 (Hill Country Alliance 2008). With respect to agricultural production activities in the area, a major downside of the population influx occurring is that property values have increased at a rapid rate in association with the resulting high demand (American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers 2019, p. 54). With the rapid influx of people into this region of the state expected to continue, many rural property owners are looking for sources of income that could help offset the increase in property taxes associated with the steadily increasing land prices. In this regard, the potential that vineyards have in the Texas Hill Country, due to their proximity to wineries, presents an interesting question, ���Are vineyards economically and financially feasible for current and potential vineyard operators as well as investors?��� While the concept of growing wine grapes to offset the cost of land and associated property taxes is intriguing, there are several questions that present themselves. Potential producers, and investors, do not have all the necessary information needed to make an informed decision as to if growing grapes is a sound financial endeavor. This thesis is an investigation of a series of scenarios that consider the relative effects of several factors on the potential profitability of a hypothetical Texas Hill Country vineyard operation. Evaluation of these projections allows economic and financial evaluation of the potential of self-sustaining vineyards in the Texas Hill Country, providing information to producers and investors interested in growing grapes in the Texas Hill Country. This thesis includes a detailed documentation of the assumptions and parameters for three vineyards of varied sizes as well as the economic and financial results for each size for the specified scenarios. High land prices contribute to substantial initial capital investment requirements which places an immediate financial strain on the vineyard from day one. Based on the established parameters for this thesis, the potential for vineyards in the Texas Hill Country to be economically and financially attractive to potential investors and producers is unlikely. The limitations of this thesis and suggestions for future research are identified, with intentions of identifying pathways for further evaluating the potential of vineyard investments and the value of vineyards in complementing winery operations

Investigating the Impact of Timing of Basal Leaf Removal and Fruit Thinning on Potassium Accumulation in Red Wine Grapes

In hot climates such as Texas, high juice/wine pH represents a serious challenge for wineries. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of timing of basal leaf removal and cluster thinning on potassium (K+) concentration in ���Tempranillo��� and ���Camminare Noir��� grapes as a possible vineyard management practice to mitigate high pH. This research took place during the 2021 and 2022 growing seasons in two vineyards, one in the Texas Gulf Coast and the other in the North Texas region. Treatments consisted of basal leaf removal (removal of lowest three basal leaves), cluster thinning (thinning to one cluster per shoot), and leaf removal plus cluster thinning conducted at either berry set or veraison. Differences in fruiting zone canopy density were consistently observed between treatments, across years, cultivars, and sites. Leaf removal treatments averaged a 35.83% reduction in canopy density in the fruiting zone, determined by occlusion layer, leading to an increase of 124.17% in cluster exposure flux availability. However, differences in yield (yield per vine, clusters per vine), berry chemical composition (alpha amino nitrogen, ammonium, fructose, malic acid, soluble solids, tartaric acid, titratable acidity, and pH) and tissue nutrient content were only observed in singular instances, with no consistent differences between years, cultivar, or site. Berry K + concentrations and juice pH varied by rootstock, year, and cultivar, but there was no clear impact of leaf removal or cluster thinning on berry K+ or pH. In both years of the study, very low yields were observed as a result of a severe winter event and possibly negated any effects from leaf removal or cluster thinning

Developing a Multiscale Modeling Approach Using Lumped Kinetics for Pyrolysis of Plastic Waste

Plastic waste poses a global environmental problem and one day the State of Qatar needs to address it in line with its 2030 vision. The pyrolysis of plastic waste is a thermochemical conversion process that has recently gained considerable attention for its potential to convert plastic waste while generating valuable chemicals. Despite extensive research on plastic waste pyrolysis, there is a notable gap in the literature regarding the exploration of connections between different scales���experimental, kinetic, reactor, and process scales. This thesis aims to address this gap by establishing a multiscale approach, bridging the transition from laboratory-scale experiments to process models for plastic waste pyrolysis by utilizing lumped kinetic models, demonstrated for the cases of polyolefins. A methodology is developed to link the scales, followed by the creation of a sequence chart representing all the necessary steps to complete each stage. This approach is explored through three case studies that vary either in lumped kinetics, plastic feedstock, or component selection. For each case, a lump kinetic model is integrated into 1D pseudo-homogeneous tubular reactor model, that is developed using MATLAB. Parametric studies were conducted for residence time (0-2 hours), wall temperature (650-950 K), and overall heat transfer coefficients (300, 500, and 1000 W/m����K) within the reactor. With the insights gained from these parametric studies, selected scenarios based on the minimum reactor energy and maximum plastic consumption were integrated into Aspen Plus to construct process models for determining mass and energy requirements. Additionally, the fourth case was subjected to techno-economic analysis, where the total annualized cost, profit, and circularity indicators were calculated and compared with other thermochemical plastic waste routes. Through this research, the gaps associated with multi-scale modeling aspects in literature are aimed to be addressed, and a framework is sought to be established that seamlessly connects information from each scale. By achieving this goal, a holistic understanding of the entire plastic waste pyrolysis chain is aimed to be provided to decision-makers, empowering them to be informed about implementing plastic waste pyrolysis as an effective and sustainable solution for waste management. The results are within the range of other plastic waste management processes, showcasing the practical implementation and gap-bridging capabilities of the approach

Market and Emissions Impact of All-Electric Aircraft

Aviation sector greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are projected to grow nearly 50% by 2050, motivating exploration and future adoption of reduced-emissions aircraft. While all-electric aircraft (AEA) generate effectively zero in-flight GHG emissions, their prospect for commercial implementation faces critical challenges: most notably the comparatively poor specific energy of batteries relative to aviation fuel. Unanswered questions exist regarding the prospective market and emissions impact of future AEA. This dissertation addresses these knowledge gaps, building on detailed AEA designs available in the literature to quantify AEA market impact and emissions reduction potential across thousands of varying model inputs, market bases, emissions scenarios, and timeframes. This work compares the energy consumption and emissions of conventional aircraft and AEA for every domestic commercial flight in the United States ��� nearly 9.2 million flights in total ��� determining feasibility of electrification, energy requirements, and greenhouse gas emissions for each route and providing novel quantitative estimates of potential AEA impact in the United States. This dissertation demonstrates clear, albeit conditional, pathways for AEA to reduce aviation sector emissions. Modern-day lithium-ion batteries have insufficient energy for use in the aviation sector: AEA potential hinges on development of batteries with a specific energy three to four times greater than modern batteries. Unlike hydrocarbon-powered aircraft, the emissions footprint for AEA varies by point-of-departure based on power sector emissions generated during battery charging. Assuming historic trends in power sector emissions persist, AEA offer regional potential in the Pacific Northwest, California, and the East Coast, but would have limited national impact reducing aviation sector emissions: at maximum market penetration 1.74% to 7.95% depending on emissions timeframe for a 1000 Wh/kg onboard battery. Achieving greater emissions reduction requires transition to reduced-emissions power generation. Assuming net-zero power sector emissions, AEA could reduce total domestic aviation sector emissions by more than 27% at maximum market penetration while capturing the majority of the aviation market in terms of total flights and passenger count but would require roughly 2% of total US electricity generation (96.6 TWh). These results are highly sensitive to inherent uncertainty in the radiative forcing of non-CO��� emissions and vary by emissions model and timeframe

Optimizing Produced Water Treatment in the Permian Basin: The Role of Indirect Evaporative Cooling in Hydraulic Fracturing

This study investigates the novel application of Indirect Evaporative Cooling (IEC) for treating produced water in hydraulic fracturing operations within the Permian Basin. Utilizing a lab-scale IEC system, we conducted fifteen experiments to assess Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and volume reduction in produced water, considering variations in initial water volume, composition, and TDS concentration. The experiments included a range of synthetic samples with salinities from 0 to 70,000 ppm and real-produced water from different Permian Basin regions (Delaware, North Midland, and South Midland). Our findings reveal that IEC's efficiency in TDS removal, achieving near 100% effectiveness for both synthetic and real produced water samples, is primarily influenced by the presence of the most abundant salts rather than the overall TDS concentration. This highlights the system's capability to handle high salinity and diverse impurities typical in oil and gas production waters. Additionally, the IEC system proved to be significantly less energy-intensive compared to traditional thermal evaporation methods. The economic assessment of IEC versus standard evaporation methods for treating one barrel of water further demonstrates its viability. The study concludes that IEC offers a highly effective, environmentally sustainable, and economically feasible solution for high TDS oil field water treatment. It stands out as a promising alternative to conventional technologies, with potential applications extending across various industrial facilities. This research paves the way for future exploration to maximize the potential of IEC in addressing the wastewater challenges in hydraulic fracturing