Improved description and monitoring of near surface hazardous infiltrate complexes by shear waves for effective containment reponse

Among numerous causes of fluid releases and infiltration in near surface, resurgence in such anthropic activities associated with unconventional resource developments have brought about a resounding concern. Apart from the risk of an immediate chemical hazard, a long term possible recurrent geo-environmental risk since can also be envisaged as for various prevalent stake holders and broader initiatives. Urgency and exactness for spatiotemporal containment and remediation promotes the devising of efficient methods for monitoring near subsurface flow complexes caused by such spills. Swave (Shear waves) spectral imaging results, in relevant context, of a controlled immiscible fluid displacement monitoring experimental study are analysed and inferred. Against the prospective method as well evaluated, Swave diffraction associated spectral peculiarities are examined, importantly, given background medium characteristics definitions invoking fresh insights of microscale significance alongside macroscale potential

Bimolecular reactions of CH2CN2+ with Ar, N2 and CO: reactivity and dynamics

The reactivity, energetics and dynamics of bimolecular reactions between CH2CN2+ and three neutral species (Ar, N2 and CO) have been studied using a position sensitive coincidence methodology at centre-of-mass collision energies of 4.3 – 5.0 eV. This is the first study of bimolecular reactions involving CH2CN2+, a species relevant to the ionospheres of planets and satellites, including Titan. All of the collision systems investigated display two collision-induced dissociation (CID) channels, resulting in the formation of C+ + CH2N+ and H+ + HC2N+. Evidence for channels involving further dissociation of the CID product HC2N+, forming H + CCN+, were detected in the N2 and CO systems. Proton-transfer from the dication to the neutral occurs in all three of the systems via a direct mechanism. Additionally, there are product channels resulting from single electron transfer following collisions of CH2CN2+ with both N2 and CO, but interestingly no electron transfer following collisions with Ar. Electronic structure calculations of the lowest energy electronic states of CH2CN2+ reveal six local geometric minima: both doublet and quartet spin states for cyclic, linear (CH2CN), and linear isocyanide (CH2NC) molecular geometries. The lowest energy electronic state was determined to be the doublet state of the cyclic dication. The ready generation of C+ ions by collision-induced dissociation suggests that the cyclic or linear isocyanide dication geometries are present in the [CH2CN]2+ beam

Investigating cultural influences on HR practices of Pakistani-owned SMEs in the UK

This article is based on an explorative study of cultural factors and their impact on people management strategies of Pakistani-owned SMEs in the UK. The topic of the research was investigated through in-depth literature review, case studies and questionnaire-based field survey. The literature review provided theoretical insights to the study and empirical investigation generated a wide range of information about practical scenario of these companies. The triangulation approach of the study helped in offsetting weaknesses of a specific method by strengths of other methods. The empirical investigation discovered a range of cultural factors such as religion, values, beliefs, traditions, ethnicity, languages and communication patterns playing a pivotal role in evolving and shaping HR strategies and practices of Pakistani-owned SMEs in the UK. The study contributed to the existing body of knowledge by furthering our substantive understanding about cultural influences on human resource management of SMEs. It provided some practical lessons to SMEs in the UK in general and ethnic minority SMEs in particular. Also the study paved the way for students and researchers to conduct further research in the area to overcome any limitations found in the finding

Bimolecular reactions of S2+ with Ar, H2 and N2: reactivity and dynamics

The reactivity, energetics and dynamics of bimolecular reactions between S2+ and three neutral species (Ar, H2 and N2) have been studied using a position-sensitive coincidence methodology at centre-of-mass collision energies below 6 eV. This is the first study of bimolecular reactions involving S2+, a species detected in planetary ionospheres, the interstellar medium, and in anthropogenic manufacturing processes. The reactant dication beam employed consists predominantly of S2+ in the ground 3P state, but some excited states are also present. Most of the observed reactions involve the ground state of S2+, but the dissociative electron transfer reactions appear to exclusively involve excited states of this atomic dication. We observe exclusively single electron-transfer between S2+ and Ar, a process which exhibits strong forward scatting typical of the Landau-Zener style dynamics observed for other dicationic electron transfer reactions. Following collisions between S2+ + H2, non-dissociative and dissociative single electron-transfer reactions were detected. The dynamics here show evidence for the formation of a long-lived collision complex, [SH2]2+, in the dissociative single electron-transfer channel. The formation of SH+ was not observed. In contrast, the collisions of S2+ + N2 result in the formation of SN+ + N+ in addition to the products of single electron-transfer reactions

Offshore anchor piles under mooring forces: numerical modeling

A parametric study was carried out to study the behavior of offshore anchor piles under mooring forces in dense sand using a three dimensional (3-D) finite element model (FEM). The Mohr–Coulomb plastic model has been used to model the soil, and has been calibrated based on the centrifuge tests discussed in a Ph.D. thesis (published by Ramadan in 2011). The selection of model parameters and comparison of calibrated results with the centrifuge test results are discussed. In the parametric study, different pile lengths and diameters were considered to have different pile–soil rigidities. The pile was loaded at different load inclination angles to examine a wide range of loading conditions. From the current parametric study, design methods and design recommendations are given to help in improving the design of offshore anchor piles under monotonic mooring forces

Offshore anchor piles under mooring forces: Centrifuge modeling

Offshore anchor piles are seafloor moorings that keep the position of floating structures during a harsh environment. These piles are usually subjected to a wide range of monotonic and cyclic lateral-to-oblique pullout forces. Centrifuge tests were carried out to study the behavior of offshore anchor piles under mooring forces in saturated dense sand. The tests were carried out at different loading angles. All piles were jacked into the sand bed in-flight. The pile models were instrumented with strain gauges. Bending moment, soil pressure, and pile lateral deflection profiles are presented and discussed. It was found that there is a significant interaction between both tension and lateral loading. This interaction should be considered in the design of offshore anchor piles

Non-native fold of the putative VPS39 zinc finger domain

Background: The multi-subunit homotypic fusion and vacuole protein sorting (HOPS) membrane-tethering complex is involved in regulating the fusion of late endosomes and autophagosomes with lysosomes in eukaryotes. The C-terminal regions of several HOPS components have been shown to be required for correct complex assembly, including the C-terminal really interesting new gene (RING) zinc finger domains of HOPS components VPS18 and VPS41. We sought to structurally characterise the putative C-terminal zinc finger domain of VPS39, which we hypothesised may be important for binding of VPS39 to cellular partners or to other HOPS components. Methods: We recombinantly expressed, purified and solved the crystal structure of the proposed zinc-binding region of VPS39. Results: In the structure, this region forms an anti-parallel β-hairpin that is incorporated into a homotetrameric eight-stranded β-barrel. However, the fold is stabilised by coordination of zinc ions by residues from the purification tag and an intramolecular disulphide bond between two predicted zinc ligands. Conclusions: We solved the structure of the VPS39 C-terminal domain adopting a non-native fold. Our work highlights the risk of non-native folds when purifying small zinc-containing domains with hexahistidine tags. However, the non-native structure we observe may have implications for rational protein design.This work was supported by a Sir Henry Dale Fellowship (098406), jointly funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Royal Society (to SCG). BGB is a Wellcome Trust PhD student. Remote synchrotron access was supported in part by the EU FP7 infrastructure grant BIOSTRUCT-X (Contract No. 283570

Rollover service contracts:The influences of perceived value, convenience, confusion and switching costs on consumer satisfaction and service loyalty

Rollover contracts are agreements that automatically renew, or ‘roll over’, when the contracted term is completed, unless the customer has previously given notice to terminate the agreement. Although ubiquitous, academic examination of this contract model is scarce, and it is not known the extent to which rollover contracts influence consumer satisfaction and individuals’ subsequent behaviors. A conceptual model was developed and tested using structural equation modeling. The data were obtained from a survey of 994 service consumers in the United States. Perceived value emerged as the strongest enabler of consumer satisfaction with rollover contracts, followed by convenience, while consumer confusion–e.g. caused by lengthy and complex contracts–has the strongest negative effect on consumer satisfaction. The strongest relationships in our model are between satisfaction and staying intentions, word of mouth, and future rollover acceptance with other firms and products. The paper presents important theoretical contributions and managerial implications.</p

The acceptance of halal food in non-Muslim countries: Effects of religious identity, national identification, consumer ethnocentrism and consumer cosmopolitanism

ABSTRACT: Purpose International restaurant and fast food chains such as KFC, McDonald's and Subway currently serve halal food in some non-Muslim countries, with mixed results. The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors that most influence the product judgements of halal food amongst non-Muslim consumers in non-Muslim countries and to assess the extent to which these judgements are related to willingness to consume halal food. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative survey method was adopted, using a total sample of 1,100 consumers in Canada, Spain and the UK. The proposed model was tested using structural equation modelling. Findings The results suggest that it may be possible for firms to satisfy specific niche market segments with standardised mass market products. Consumer cosmopolitanism and non-Muslim religious identity were found to be positively related to halal product judgement, and consumer ethnocentrism and national identification were negatively related to halal product judgement. There was a strong relationship between product judgement and willingness to consume halal food. Practical implications The findings indicate that halal marketing may provide promising business opportunities for international restaurant and fast food chains, as well as food manufacturers and retailers. However, in countries or regions where there are many consumers with high levels of national identification or consumer ethnocentrism, firms should not expect non-target consumers to accept halal products. Originality/value This is the first study to suggest that, in non-Muslim countries, food companies may switch entirely to halal produce for certain products as an effective market segmentation strategy targeting Muslim consumers