4,004 research outputs found
Empirical investigation on satisfaction and service quality level of radical process change implementation
The paper reviews the literature related to the implementation of radical process changes in higher education (HE) environment. Several issues and implementation results related to radical process change in HEIs, particularly business process reengineering (BPR), are being investigated. Furthermore, as the implementation of process change would have an impact in HEIs,specifically on service quality and customer satisfaction, this paper discusses both concepts. A survey has been developed to assess the students’ satisfaction of the radical process change implemented in one of the HEIs, namely HEI-A
which was selected as a case study. The results indicate some significant differences among groups for both satisfaction and service quality measured.The paper provides a framework for future research to develop a metric for measuring satisfaction and service quality level in HEIs. This research contributes to studies of BPR in HE context, by focusing on the key processes performance
Geodesics in the Generalized Schwarzschild Solution
Since Schwarzshild discovered the point-mass solution to Einstein's equations
that bears his name, many equivalent forms of the metric have been catalogued.
Using an elementary coordinate transformation, we derive the most general form
for the stationary, spherically-symmetric vacuum metric, which contains one
free function. Different choices for the function correspond to common
expressions for the line element. From the general metric, we obtain particle
and photon trajectories, and use them to specify several time coordinates
adapted to physical situations. The most general form of the metric is only
slightly more complicated than the Schwarzschild form, which argues effectively
for teaching the general line element in place of the diagonal metric.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure; revised to reflect referee comments; submitted to
Am. J. of Phy
The prior training and experience of the supervising elementary school principal in Massachusetts and Rhode Island
Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit
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Development of a curriculum for a 24-hour supervisory update course
Pillar design for St. Peter sandstone formation
Silica sands produced primarily from St. Peter Sandstone are used for hydraulic fracturing in the petroleum industry, glassmaking, chemicals, ceramics, filtration and the foundry industry in the US. The recent high demand for silica sands for hydraulic fracturing has triggered increased production and commissioning of new silica sand mines to support natural gas production from shale and tight gas deposits in the US. Most mines use surface mining methods to extract St. Peter Sandstone. The room and pillar mining method has been successfully used for St. Peter Sandstone mining in a few US locations, however, no one has proposed a rigorous pillar design method. The goal of this research is to: (1) elucidate factors contributing to ground control problems in St. Peter Sandstone mines; (2) derive a pillar design method for St. Peter Sandstone using numerical modeling; and (3) investigate the mechanics of “pinch out” failure in St. Peter Sandstone. The study found that the factors contributing to ground control problems in St. Peter Sandstone mines are: water in roofs, friability of the St. Peter Sandstone, strength variability, and reinforcement techniques. The study proposed the following pillar strength criteria for St Peter Sandstone:
SP = 14.360 + 11.720C - 0.903h[0.28 + 0.53(w/h)]
Where, C is the cohesion of the pillar rock in MPa, h is the pillar height in meters and w/h is the dimensionless pillar width to height ratio.
The study also found that pinch out failure is influenced by the contrast in rock properties at the pillar-roof interface and shape of the mine opening --Abstract, page iii
The effects of endurance exercise on lipoproteins in Yucatan miniature swine
The effects of chronic, endurance exercise on the concentration of plasma lipids and on the composition and metabolism of plasma lipoproteins were examined in Yucatan miniature swine following more than two years of intensive exercise training. The exercise protocol employed produced significant training effects, as indicated by enhanced cardiovascular and aerobic capacities. Lipoprotein lipase and hepatic triglyceride lipase activities were also significantly increased in the exercised group. Neither total plasma cholesterol nor triglycerides differed between the two groups. Total high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) was not significantly greater in the exercised swine; however, exercise was associated with a shift in the distribution of cholesterol from the HDL-three to the HDL-two subfraction. The significant rise in HDL-two cholesterol was strongly correlated with the rise in lipoprotein lipase. Compositional analyses of the major lipoprotein classes indicated several exercise-induced shifts, especially in cholesteryl ester, free cholesterol and triglyceride content.
These studies also clearly demonstrated the presence of heterogenous low-density lipoproteins (LDL) which differed in lipid composition. Significant increases in the total lipid mass of LDL-one and LDL-two were observed in the exercised swine, perhaps reflecting the demonstrated alterations in lipoprotein lipase. Exercise had little effect on the fractional catabolic rates or production rates of either LDL subclass; hence, control and exercise data were pooled in order to better assess the kinetic characteristics of LDL subclasses in the swine model. It appears that LDL-one is the more metabolically active subclass since its fractional catabolic rate and production rate were significantly higher than those of LDL-two. Exercise also appeared to have little effect on the mass of Apoproteins E or C, or any of their isoforms. Furthermore, the Apoprotein E/C, C-II/C-III and E/C-III ratios were not influenced by exercise.
In toto, the results of these studies suggest that physical exercise is associated with subtle but significant changes in plasma lipids and lipoproteins, which are consistent with a reduced risk or coronary heart disease
Tungaru Traditions: Writings on the Atoll Culture of the Gilbert Islands
Humanities Open Book Program, a joint initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Andrew W. Mellon FoundationGrimble's ethnographic studies of the Gilbertese, prepared between 1916 and 1926, provide an excellent baseline account of a fundamentally pre-contact culture. This collection, edited and introduced by H.E. Maude, comprises essays on mythology, history, and dancing; four chapters on the Maneaba; and organized field notes
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