The Relation Between Magnetospheric State Parameters and the Occurrence of Plasma Depletion Events in the Night-Time Mid-Latitude F-Region

Studies using all-sky imagers have revealed the presence of various ionospheric irregularities in the night-time mid-latitude F-region. The most prevalent and well known of these are the Medium Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances (MSTIDs) that usually occur when the geomagnetic activity is low, and mid-latitude spread-F plumes that are often observed when the geomagnetic activity is high. The inverse and direct relations between geomagnetic activity (particularly Kp) and the occurrence rate of MSTIDs and midlatitude plumes, respectively, have been observed by several studies using different instruments. In order to understand the underlying causes of these two relations, it is illuminating to better characterize the occurrence of MSTIDs and plumes using multiple magnetospheric state parameters. Here we statistically compare multiple geomagnetic driver and response parameters (such as Kp, AE, Dst, and solar wind parameters) with the occurrence rates of night-time MSTIDs and plumes observed using an all-sky imager at Arecibo Observatory (AO) between 2003 and 2008. The results not only allow us to better distinguish MSTIDs and plumes, but also shed further light on the generation mechanism and electrodynamics of these two different phenomena occurring at night-time in the mid-latitude F-region

Coping with disassembly yield uncertainty in remanufacturing using sensor embedded products

© 2011, Ilgin et al; licensee Springer.This paper proposes and investigates the use of embedding sensors in products when designing and manufacturing them to improve the efficiency during their end-of-life (EOL) processing. First, separate design of experiments studies based on orthogonal arrays are carried out for conventional products (CPs) and sensor embedded products (SEPs). In order to calculate the response values for each experiment, detailed discrete event simulation models of both cases are developed considering the precedence relationships among the components together with the routing of different appliance types through the disassembly line. Then, pair-wise t-tests are conducted to compare the two cases based on different performance measures. The results showed that sensor embedded products improve revenue and profit while achieving significant reductions in backorder, disassembly, disposal, holding, testing and transportation costs. While the paper addresses the EOL processing of dish washers and dryers, the approach provided could be extended to any other industrial product

The Efficacy of an Experimental Single Solution versus Alternate Use of Multiple Irrigants on Root Dentin Microhardness

Objectives: This study was carried-out to evaluate and compare the efficacy of various irrigants when used singly or in combination on the microhardness of root canal dentin. Study Design: A total of 50 root-halves were randomly divided into 5 groups immediately after the initial baseline microhardness measurements and treated with: Group-1; 7.5%Ethylenediaminetetraaceticacid (EDTA) + 2.5%sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), Group-2; 7.5%ethyleneglycol-bis[b-aminoethylether]-N,N,N0,N0-tetraaceticacid (EGTA) + 2.5%NaOCl, Group-3; 7.5%trans1,2diaminocyclohexane NNN',N'tetraaceticacid (CDTA) + 2.5% NaOCl, Group-4; 7.5%EDTA + 2.5% Ethylenediamine (EDA), and Group-5; 1/1 (v/v) EDTA-EDA mixture + 1/1 (v/v) EDTA-EDA mixture. Fifty mL of each solution was used for 1 minute. The reference and post-treatment microhardness values were measured with a Vickers indenter under 80- gram load, 15-second dwell time. Data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA and Bonferroni tests (p=0.05). Results: All solutions decreased microhardness of dentin (p< 0.05). There was statistically significant difference between each group, except Group-1 and 4, after 1st solution application. While Group-2 resulted in a greater re - duction of dentin hardness, Group-5 caused the least change in microhardness values, after 1st solution application (p< 0.05). No statistical difference was observed between Groups 1-4, after 2nd solution application. However, Group-5 showed a significant difference compared with all other groups, after 2nd solution application (p< 0.05). Conclusions: Under the experimental conditions, all tested solutions reduced the microhardness of the root canal dentin. EGTA was the most efficient chelating agent. EDTA-EDA single mixture has led to least change on the microhardness of root denti

Acts of Belonging: Perceptions of Citizenship Among Queer Turkish Women in Germany

This thesis examines how people who have multiple identifications develop a sense of belonging. It focuses on those with politicized, romanticized, and stigmatized identifications which are assumed to be in conflict with one another. My particular case is that of queer women of Turkish descent in Germany with Berlin as my main study site. These people embody what is considered to be an oxymoron: being queer yet also Turkish, being a lesbian yet having a Muslim background, being of immigrant origin yet also German. In short, they are between all worlds and thus, seemingly, do not belong anywhere. Their ambiguous position allows my thesis to offer a critique of mainstream ideas about cohesion and social capital, noting that in this case, cohesion is not needed for my informants to develop a sense of belonging. From here, it develops the concept of what I call acts of belonging. This concept directs our attention away from the question of where belonging happens to the question of how: how do migrants belong to contexts, communities, societies to which the mainstream does not consider them to belong?What relieves them from the burdens their conflicting identifications might otherwise cause? Acts of belonging are the tools, the means, through which they relieve this anxiety, even momentarily, and satisfy their individual need for belonging. Acts of belonging also points at the ways in which legal acceptance, in the form of citizenship or naturalization, differs from lived experiences of belonging. Finally, these acts reveal the ways in which people engage with diversity in various ways which are not always obvious to the reveal the ways in which people By looking simultaneously at psycho-social and emotional factors on the one hand and sexuality on the other, my research bridges various gaps in the literatures of queer studies, migration and citizenship, and social psychology. My work presents an alternative way to look through the lens of belonging at the relationship between cohesion and conflict

Compositional and Functional Characteristics of Materials Recovered from Headed Gutted Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) By Isoelectric Solubilization and Precipitation Using Organic Acids

Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) is one of the main freshwater fish species with a high nutritional value; however, it is hard to process the fish due to its boney carcass. Therefore, isoelectric solubilization and precipitation (ISP) processing was applied to headed gutted silver carp to separate the protein from the bones, scales, skin, fins, etc. Different solubilization strategies (pH 2.5, 3.0. 11.5 and 12.0) using organic acids, either acetic acid (AA) or a 30% formic and lactic acid combination (F&L), were applied during ISP and the different effects of treatments on the materials recovered from the initial silver carp were compared. The recovered carp proteins were then used to make protein gels similar to surimi with the use of standard food additives. To further assess the effect of using different solubilization pH values and organic acids on the protein quality of the recovered fractions, the functional, texture and color properties were analyzed.;Proximate composition of the recovered proteins showed that processing at basic pH using AA was most effective at removing impurities (i.e. bones, scales, skin, fins) (p\u3c0.05) and the impurities were effectively removed from recovered lipids regardless of processing pH or acid type. Functional properties of gels made from protein recovered by ISP processing using organic acids as the processing acid had typical gelation characteristics. Moreover, it was seen that isoelectrically recovered carp proteins were not denatured and retained functionality. Thermal denaturation and dynamic rheology of the protein gels revealed that using AA under acidic conditions and F&L with alkali treatments yielded improved gel structure. In addition to that, color analysis presented data showing that gels made using F&L were whiter for all solubilization conditions (p\u3c0.05) and were similar to the whiteness of Alaska Pollock surimi gels under acidic treatments. Texture analyses highlighted that gels made from protein solubilized at basic pH values had firmer texture (p\u3c0.05) and were harder and more cohesive, gummy and chewy (p\u3c0.05) than proteins solubilized under acidic conditions. Moreover, gels made from proteins recovered using AA as the processing acid under basic conditions had similar shear stress responses as Alaska Pollock surimi.;This research shows that organic acids have the potential to recover protein and lipid from otherwise hard to process fish by ISP processing. The gels made from recovered carp protein show similar or improved functional, texture and color properties compared to Alaska Pollock surimi depending on the treatment and might be used for the development of restructured fish products for human consumption

Comparison of awarded university business incubators: Italy and Turkey.

Based on the diffusion and the effects of university business incubators this thesis work examining university business incubators based on their networking activities in respect to different geographical scopes and intentions of the networking. A large and growing body of literature has investigated on networking activities of university business incubators and outputs of networked incubators. Networking is one of the main competitive advantages of all models of business incubators and also it has a huge impact on the development of the entrepreneurial environment. However, to the author ́s best knowledge, very few publications can be found available in the literature that addresses the issue of the geographical scope of networking how it differentiates its’ development structure. Due to this reason, the objective of this thesis is aiming to analysis the networking activities in different geographical scopes; local, national and international and how do they structure in two different countries. Sample university business incubators are from two different countries, one from ‘developed country’ and one from ‘developing country’ to illustrate the main partners of both incubators according to their geographical scopes, how do they create those partnerships, what are the main activities that they realize together, is there any intermediate third parties and government policies behind of it. What kind of activities are conducting in both university business incubators in order to become more international and finally in respect to their networking activities what kind of industrial partners both UBIs have and how do they create those relationships. This study has determined the relationship between all the partners of a university business incubator and incubator itself. In consideration of previous academic studies about the topic and contributions of this thesis work, now we can gain a better understanding of cause-effect relation of partnership choices and activities in diversified geographical scopes of a university business incubator.ope

Synthetic Aperture Radar Calibration by Using Permanent Scatterers

LAUREA MAGISTRALEIn questa tesi, un metodo di calibrazione per radar ad apertura sintetica (in inglese: Synthetic Aperture Radar, da cui l’acronimo SAR) che è presente nella letteratura è stato rivisto ed implementato con acquisizioni simulate. Il metodo, chiamato PSCal, utilizza un serie di punti di controllo a terra stabili chiamati Permanant Scatterer (da cui l’acronimo PS) per trovare le costanti di normalizzazione radiometrica in uno stack di immagini SAR. L’intera procedura inizia da una collezione di immagini SAR coregistrate ma non calibrate. Da questo stack vengono estratti una serie di PS, da cui verrà effettuata l’analisi e la stima dei parametri di interesse. Il modello del segnale viene quindi derivato e tutti i parametri sono decritti all’interno della tesi. Per stimare i parametri di interesse viene utilizzata una stima a massima verosimiglianza implementata in modo iterativo. In questa tesi ho analizzato le performance dello stimatore al variare di numero di PS e del loro SNR. Inoltre, il modello è stato ulteriormente esteso a accolgiere l’errore residuo di rollio del satellite. Come previsto dal limite di Cramér-Rao che è stato derivato, la stima dell’errore di rollio è tanto più accurata tanto più i PS campionano il pattern di antenna nelle zone la cui derivata di quest’ultimo è massima.In this thesis, a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) calibration method present in the lit- erature is reviewed and implemented with simulated acquisitions. The method, called PSCal, uses a set of stable ground control points called Permanent Scatterers (PS) to find a set of radiometric normalization constants. The entire procedure starts from a set of non-calibrated, but coregistered set of SAR images in which a group of PS are detected. The signal model is written and all the parameters are carefully described within the thesis. The iterative maximum likelihood method to extract the parameters of interest from data is reviewed. The performances of the estimator with different number of PS and different SNR for each PS is presented with simulated results. Moreover, the model is furtherly extended to accommodate residual rolling error of the satellite. The PSs, in this case, form a set of “samplers” of the antenna pattern opening the possibility for the estimation of the residual roll of the satellite. As expected from the Cramer-Rao Bound that has been derived, the estimation of the residual roll is as accurate as the PSs sample the antenna pattern in the areas where the gradient of the latter in maximum. Also in this case, a set of simulations has been carried out to prove the effectiveness of the method