The case for U.S. high speed rail

High-speed rail is a form of self-guided ground transportation, which utilizes steel-wheels or magnetic levitation (i.e., Maglev) and can travel in excess of 200 miles per hour. High-speed ground transportation (i.e., HSGT) has been widely used in Europe and Asia, but the debate continues over the usefulness of high-speed rail in the United States. Several metropolitan areas in the United States have been identified as corridors that would benefit from HSGT. High speed rail can offer an alternative or a compliment to over-the-road and air transportation. Initial investment cost for this mode of transportation are high, but other factors such as fewer emissions from trains help to balance these costs. This manuscript examines the feasibility of bringing high-speed rail to clusters of cities throughout the United States (i.e., corridors) for passenger and commercial freight transportation

The Effects of Estrogenic Endocrine Disruptors on the Osmoregulatory Functions in Euryhaline Fish

ABSTRACT Osmoregulation is an essential process to maintain water and ionic balance and when euryhaline fish move between freshwater and seawater environments as part of their life cycle this presents additional osmoregulatory challenges. Migrating fish can be exposed in both environments to pollutants such as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that include natural hormones (e.g. 17β-estradiol; E2), synthetic hormones (e.g. 17α-ethinylestradiol; EE2), and industrial chemicals (e.g. nonylphenol). The focus of this thesis was to study the effects of different categories of EDCs on the osmoregulatory functions of euryhaline fish such as three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Osmoregulatory variables (such as osmolality, water and ionic content) were compared in plasma and tissues (white muscle and carcass) of rainbow trout. This validated the use of specific tissue parameters as a surrogate of plasma responses to various osmoregulatory challenges. Waterborne exposure to 17α-ethinylestradiol revealed differential sensitivity of vitellogenesis in the three-spined sticklebacks (no induction) and rainbow trout, but had a significant effect on calcium homeostasis in both species. Intraperitoneal implants of 17β-estradiol reduced CaCO3 production and apparent water absorption in the intestine and increased in tissue calcium stores of seawater-acclimated trout, but fish were able to compensate and showed no overall osmoregulatory disturbance. Waterborne exposure to nonylphenol in freshwater trout was also investigated, but no effects on osmoregulation were found up to 2 ng/l. Overall, estrogens can affect osmoregulation differentially in euryhaline fish species, and sometimes at EDC levels lower than the threshold for reproductive effects (i.e. vitellogenin induction).Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR

The Attitudes of Jordanian Female First Through Third- Grade Teachers Towards Using Standard Arabic in Teaching,

هدفت الدراسة إلى الكشف عن اتجاهات معلمات الصفوف الثلاثة الأولى في الأردن نحو استخدام اللغة العربية الفصيحة في التدريس، وما إذا كانت هناك فروق دالة إحصائيا في اتجاهاتهن تبعا لمتغيري المؤهل العلمي، وعدد سنوات الخبرة. ولتحقيق أهداف الدراسة، أعد الباحثان مقياسا للاتجاهات نحو استخدام اللغة العربية الفصيحة في التدريس تكون من (21) فقرة، وزعت بالتساوي إلى ثلاثة مجالات: المعرفي، والسلوكي، والانفعالي، طبق على (335) معلمة من معلمات الصفوف الثلاثة الأولى في المدارس التابعة لمديرية التربية والتعليم للواء قصبة إربد.  أظهرت نتائج الدراسة أن اتجاهات معلمات الصفوف الثلاثة الأولى نحو استخدام اللغة العربية الفصيحة في التدريس محايدة، وجاء المجال الانفعالي في المرتبة الأولى باتجاه إيجابي، والمجال المعرفي في المرتبة الثانية باتجاه محايد، والمجال السلوكي في المرتبة الثالثة باتجاه محايد. وأظهرت نتائج الدراسة أيضا عدم وجود فروق دالة إحصائيا في اتجاهات أفراد عينة الدراسة تعزى إلى متغيري المؤهل العلمي، وعدد سنوات الخبرة. وفي ضوء نتائج الدراسة، يوصي الباحثان بعدد من التوصيات، أبرزها: وضع برامج توعوية لمعلمات الصفوف الثلاثة الأولى؛ بهدف تنمية اتجاهاتهن نحو استخدام اللغة العربية الفصيحة في التدريس، وزيادة وعيهن بدورها في فهم الطلبة للمادة العلمية التي يدرسنها.The study aimed at investigating the attitudes of Jordanian female first through third- grade teachers towards using standard Arabic in teaching, and whether there were statistical significant differences in their attitudes due to the variables of qualification and number of years of experience. To achieve the aims of the study, the researcher constructed an attitudes scale consisted of (21) items equally distributed into cognitive, behavioral, and affective domains. The results of the study showed that the attitudes of Jordanian female first through third- grade teachers towards standard Arabic in teaching were neutral, as the affective domain came firstly with positive attitude, cognitive domain came secondly with a neutral attitude, and the behavioral domain came lastly with neutral attitude. The results of the study also showed that there were no statistical significant differences in the attitudes of the study sample due to the variables of qualification and number of years of teaching experience. In the light of the results of the study, the researcher recommends a number of recommendations, most notably; developing counseling programs for first through third- grade teachers; to develop their attitudes towards using standard Arabic language in teaching, and increasing their awareness of its role in students’ understanding of the scientific material they teach

An Analysis of the Reality of the Palestinian Press During Its Field Coverage. Sherine Abu Aqleh's Assassination: A Case Study

The aim of this research paper is to clarify the challenges Palestinian media professionals face as a result of their work. It uses the assassination of Sherine Abu Aqleh, an Al-Jazeera correspondent, as a model, and discusses the legal repercussions of the scene where she was assassinated by an Israeli sniper while covering the Jenin camp invasion on Monday, May 11, 2022, and her martyrdom. Qualitative research and semi structured interviews will be used to collect information for this scientific paper. The interview will include open and closed questions that can be analyzed by the journalists accompanied by Sherine Abu Aqleh when she was assassinated. They are Ali Smoudi, Shatha Hanaysha, and Mujahid Al-Saadi. Interviewers' consent will be obtained before recording and analyzing their answers. In addition, the researchers conducted a number of interviews with lawyers and activists from human rights institutions as well as journalists who testified at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva last month

Development and testing of alternative methods for speeding up the hydraulic data transmission in deep boreholes

For developing the available hydrocarbon reserves and for exploring new reservoirs, deeper and more complex wells are drilled. Drilling such deeper and complex wells requires a constant monitoring and controlling of the well paths. Therefore, the bottom hole assembly, the lower section of the drill string above the drill bit, is equipped with numerous measuring sensors for collecting geological and directional data while drilling. The collected data have to be transmitted to the surface in real time. Prior to transmit the data measured downhole to the surface, they are processed and translated into a binary code. Accordingly, the data will be represented as a series of zeroes and ones. The most common method for data transmission in boreholes is the so called mud pulse telemetry which sends the information through the drilling mud inside the drill string by means of coded pressure pulses. There are two types of devices available for downhole pressure pulses generation. The first type is the (positive or negative) pressure pulser which transmits the data by quasi-static variations of the pressure level inside the drill string. The second type is the (rotating or oscillating) mud siren which transmits the data by generating continuous pressure waves at specific frequencies. The main disadvantage of the mud pulse telemetry is its low data transmission rate which is about 10 bps. This data rate is very low compared to the measured amount of raw data. Therefore, the efficiency of the mud pulse telemetry must be improved, so that the data could be transmitted at higher rates. The present research work presents different developed and tested concepts for increasing the efficiency and the data transmission rate of the mud pulse telemetry. Both, the transmitter and the receiver end, were taken into consideration by developing the new concepts. Different hardware and software tools were used for performing the present research work. The available flow loop test facility and the experimental prototypes of the mud siren and positive pulser were used. The test facility was extended in order to enable the investigation of the new concepts. The available 3D numerical model (ANSYS CFX) was modified and extended in order to study the new concepts. At the transmitter end, a novel concept for a hybrid mud pulse telemetry system was developed and successfully tested. Here, two different types of mud pulse telemetry could be used in a combination, such as a mud siren and a pressure pulser. The developed concept was registered at the German Patent and Trade Mark Office for a patent in 2018. Two concepts for a multi-frequency mud siren were developed for simultaneous generation of two frequencies. In the first approach, two sets of stator/rotor were installed in a row connection, while they were installed in a parallel connection in the second approach. The two concepts were registered at the German Patent and Trade Mark Office for patents in 2015. An experimental multi-frequency generator was built and used for testing of several new ideas, such as transmitting the data using several carrier frequencies at the same time, transmitting the data with different wave forms (sine, sawtooth, triangle and rectangle), or transmitting the data using the chirp modulation. The innovative design of the experimental multi-frequency generator was registered at the German Patent and Trade Mark Office for patents in 2016. At the receiver end, two different methods for processing and analyzing the received multi-frequency signals using the Wavelet and Fourier analysis were drafted and tested. A novel concept for the use of a multi-sensor receiver was developed and successfully tested. The use of a multi-sensor receiver could strongly improve the detection of the received signals.:Table of Contents Declaration ii Abstract iii Acknowledgements v Table of Contents vi List of Abbreviations x List of Symbols xii CHAPTER 1 Introduction 1 CHAPTER 2 Modern Drilling Technology and Low Data Transmission Rate as a Limitation 5 2.1 Introduction to the modern drilling technology 5 2.1.1 Directional drilling technology 5 2.1.2 Steering technology 6 2.1.3 Measuring technology 8 2.1.4 Technology of data transmission in boreholes 9 2.2 Low data transmission rate as a problem with respect to the whole drilling process 13 CHAPTER 3 Fundamentals of Communication Technology 16 3.1 Modulation techniques for data transmission in baseband 16 3.2 Modulation techniques for data transmission in passband 17 3.3 Multiple frequency and chirp spread spectrum modulation techniques 19 3.4 Digital signal processing 21 3.4.1 Fourier transformation 21 3.4.2 Continuous wavelet transformation 23 3.4.3 Filtering 24 CHAPTER 4 State of the Art for Mud Pulse Telemetry Systems 26 4.1 Historical development of mud pulse telemetry including latest improvements applied for increasing its data transmission rate 26 4.2 Available types of mud pulse telemetry devices 30 4.2.1 Negative pulser 31 4.2.2 Positive pulser 32 4.2.3 Mud siren 32 4.2.4 Oscillating shear valve 33 4.3 Limitations of data transmission via mud pulse telemetry 34 4.3.1 Effect of noise sources in the mud channel on the transmission signal 34 4.3.2 Effect of attenuation in the mud channel on the transmission signal 36 4.3.3 Effect of reflections and their interference with the main transmission signal 37 4.3.4 Pass and stop bands 38 4.4.5 Minimum transmission time slot 38 CHAPTER 5 Novel Concepts and Tools for Increased Data Transmission Rates of Mud Pulse Telemetry 40 5.1 Transmitter end 41 5.1.1 Hybrid mud pulse telemetry (HMPT) 41 5.1.2 Multi-frequency generator 43 5.2 Receiver end 45 5.2.1 Investigation of the Wavelet analysis suitability for multi-frequency signal detection 45 5.2.2 Flexible placement of multi-sensor receiver 46 CHAPTER 6 Laboratory Test Facility and Used Hard and Soft Tools 49 6.1 Laboratory test facility for hydraulic data transmission in boreholes 49 6.2 Experimental prototypes of the pressure pulsers and mud siren 53 6.3 3D numerical simulation model for the test facility and mud siren 55 6.4 MATLAB software 58 CHAPTER 7 Hybrid Mud Pulse Telemetry (HMPT) System 59 7.1 Combination of mud siren and negative pressure pulser 60 7.2 Combination of mud siren and positive pressure pulser 63 7.3 Evaluating the laboratory investigations of the hybrid mud pulse telemetry (HMPT) system 66 CHAPTER 8 Mathematical and Numerical Investigation of the Concept of the Multi-Frequency Mud Siren 68 8.1 Preliminary considerations for the concept of the multi-frequency mud siren 69 8.2 Mathematical model investigation of different approaches for the multi-frequency mud siren concept 71 8.2.1 Multi-frequency mud siren with stators and rotors in a row 72 8.2.2 Multi-frequency mud siren with parallel connection of stators and rotors 74 8.3 Numerical model investigation of multi-frequency mud siren with two sets of stator/rotor in a row 77 8.3.1 Numerical simulations for data transmission with a multi-frequency mud siren using two carrier frequencies 79 8.3.2 Evaluation of the simulation results 81 8.3.3 Increasing the transmission reach of the mud siren for deep drilling operations 83 CHAPTER 9 Laboratory Investigations of Multi-Carrier Hydraulic Data Transmission Using an Experimental Multi-Frequency Generator 85 9.1 Laboratory multi-carrier frequency transmission tests 87 9.2 Investigation of the Wavelet analysis suitability for the detection of multi-frequency signal transmitted in boreholes 95 9.3 Initial investigations of hydraulic data transmission using chirp modulation and different pressure wave forms 100 9.3.1 Data transmission using chirp modulation (Chirp Spread Spectrum, CSS) 100 9.3.2 Data transmission using different wave forms 101 CHAPTER 10 Investigation of the Use of a Multi-Sensor Receiver for Improving the Hydraulic Data Transmission in Boreholes 104 10.1 Numerical model investigation of the use of a multi-sensor receiver 104 10.1.1 Data transmission using single-input and multiple-output (SIMO) 104 10.1.2 Data transmission using multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) 107 10.2 Laboratory investigations of the use of a multi-sensor receiver 108 10.3 Evaluating the use of a multi-sensor receiver for improving the hydraulic data transmission in boreholes 112 CHAPTER 11 Conclusion and Outlook 116 11.1 Conclusion 116 11.2 Outlook 120 References 122 List of Figures 129 List of Tables 136 List of Publications 137 List of Patents 138 Appendix- Chapter 7 139 Appendix- Chapter 8 141 Appendix- Chapter 9 142 Appendix- Chapter 10 14

A study of the thermal performance characteristics applied to solar tube collector (STC) with phase change storage

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