Miscibility study of solution cast blends of poly(lactic acid) and poly(vinyl butyral)

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) was blended with poly(viny1 butyral) (PVB) through solution casting method using chloroform as the common solvent. The films obtained were characterized for miscibility using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), tensile testing and FTIR spectroscopy. The DSC results showed that the glass-transition temperature (Tg) of the PLA and PVB remained more or less constant with the composition of the blend. The existence of two Tg’s in the blends indicated that PLA and PVB were immiscible over the composition range investigated. percentage crystallinity ( c c), of PLA phase remained constant with increasing PVB content in the blend. FTIR measurements showed that there was no appreciable change in the spectra with respect to blend composition, implying the immiscibility of the two polymers. Mechanical analysis showed that the tensile strength and elongation decreased on blending

Assessing the potential of kava (Piper methysticum Forst) and wild kava (Piper aduncum L.) as organic amendments for managing root-knot nematodes

Kava (Piper methysticum Forst) and wild kava (Piper aduncum L.) were evaluated for their efficacy against root-knot nematodes. Plant materials were tested as soil additive in pot trials at 2% and 4% concentrations for 0, 1 and 2 week degradation periods. Effects on the root-knot nematode, M. incognita, and its host, tomato, were recorded. All the tested materials reduced the number of galls compared to the control. Generally, maximum gall suppression was achieved at higher concentration (4%) and with no degradation time. Gall suppression was directly related to concentrations of plant materials, but not with the degradation time after soil incorporation. Kava powder, kava peelings and kava kosa caused maximum gall suppression but were phytotoxic. Kava stem, kava leaf and wild kava leaf, on the other hand, resulted in lower gall suppression but enhanced plant growth. These plant species are good candidates for further trials as soil amendments

Natural history of Fiji’s endemic swallowtail butterfly, Papilio schmeltzi (Herrich - Schaeffer)

The wild population of Papilio schmeltzi (Herrich-Schaeffer) in the Fiji Islands is very small. Successful rearing methods should be established prior to any attempts to increase numbers of the natural population. Therefore, we studied the biology of this species. Papilio schmeltzi was reared on Micromelum minutum. Three generations were reared during the period from mid April 2008 to end of November 2008, and hence we estimate that in nature P. schmeltzi may have up to eight generations in a single year

Field studies on Fiji’s endemic swallowtail butterfly, Papilio schmeltzi: habitat, activity patterns, phenology and distribution

Fiji’s swallowtail butterfly, Papilio schmeltzi, is a Rutaceae feeding, tropical Papilionid butterfly that is endemic to the Fiji islands and generally occurs in low density. Field observations on habitat and the seasonal activity patterns of P. schmeltzi were carried out in the Vatukarasa area in Korolevu, Sigatoka over the course of one year. P. schmeltzi adults were found throughout the year but with dry and wet seasonal variation in abundance. High abundance was recorded for all the P. schmeltzi stages during the dry season (May to September). Adults and larvae were the most abundant when compared to eggs and pupae, and showed the greatest variation with respect to distribution of life stages throughout the year. P. schmeltzi currently occurs at four localities on the mainland and ten localities in the outer islands, with high abundance in Sigatoka and Koro Island. Adults of the species mainly occupy isolated forest edge habitat and gardens near forested areas and display a strong affinity for running water. At least two larval host plants, Micromelum minutum and Citrus reticulata, were found to sustain populations of P. schmeltzi, in its natural environment

Analysis, Modeling and Improvement of Patient Discharge Process in a Regional Hospital

This thesis presents results of a study conducted jointly with a regional hospital and concerned with the inpatient discharge process. A thorough mapping of the existing process flow and analysis of 1700 historical cases were conducted. Results revealed that in its current form the process is inadequately defined, lacks consistency, and its performance is hard to predict. These issues cause inpatient overstays past their prescribed acute care (so called Alternative Level of Care, or ALC days) and thus at least 8% of available hospital bed capacity is wasted. Key factors extending unnecessary patient stays were identified and used as predictors for individual patients. Another simulation model was created to explore the effects of standardizing parts of the discharge process. Obtained results indicate that organizational changes (e.g., early involvement of social workers, improved information flow, close collaboration with external facilities accepting patients, etc.) will lead to process improvement and substantial economic benefits

ASSESSING OF UAE STUDENTS’ INVOLVEMENT IN SCIENCE TEXTBOOK FOR THE 8TH GRADE

The purpose of this research is to identify the level of UAE student involvement in the 8th grade science textbook by reviewing the educational content, graphics, and activities. It was calculated using Romey's Involvement Index, which measures the book involvement factor for the student using a random selection of textbook pages. The findings showed that students’ involvement in the content of science textbook around the minimum value of the acceptable range identified by Romy. The value was at the (0.4) highlighting poor involvement in content that might not allow students to analyse, brainstorm, and draw their own conclusions. A decrease was noticed in students’ involvement in graphics and image and illustrations, (0.14), indicating its poor effect on encouraging students to perform science investigations. It also showed student involvement in activities was (0.31), which is less than the range identified by Romey. Thus, the researchers recommended reviewing the original version of the textbook by the publisher and rewriting the scientific context in an educational format. They also recommended enriching the book with effective content materials, with more attention to image and illustrations and figures, to enhance student opportunities to participate and interact in lessons.  Article visualizations

Simulation-based Verification of Lean Improvement for Emergency Room Process

One of the key challenges to health care access in Canadian hospitals is growing overcrowding of the Emergency Departments (EDs), leading to the medical personnel overload, and the excessive waiting times to receive proper care. These adverse effects directly impact the patient satisfaction levels, the ability of the medical professionals to attend promptly to patients\u27 health issues, and generate unnecessary costs. Addressing the sources of waste and improving the process provides better care and higher patient satisfaction, as well as increases operational efficiency and the ability of the medical professionals to intervene on time. This paper describes an effort aimed at improvement of patients\u27 experience over their ED stay. A combination of Lean tools were used to analyze, assess and improve the current situation. Simulation models based on current and future (desired) states were developed. Comparative analysis of both enabled verification of feasibility of proposed solutions, and provided quantifiable results

A Real-Time Electrical Load Forecasting in Jordan Using an Enhanced Evolutionary Feedforward Neural Network

Power system planning and expansion start with forecasting the anticipated future load requirement. Load forecasting is essential for the engineering perspective and a financial perspective. It effectively plays a vital role in the conventional monopolistic operation and electrical utility planning to enhance power system operation, security, stability, minimization of operation cost, and zero emissions. TwoWell-developed cases are discussed here to quantify the benefits of additional models, observation, resolution, data type, and how data are necessary for the perception and evolution of the electrical load forecasting in Jordan. Actual load data for more than a year is obtained from the leading electricity company in Jordan. These cases are based on total daily demand and hourly daily demand. This work’s main aim is for easy and accurate computation of week ahead electrical system load forecasting based on Jordan’s current load measurements. The uncertainties in forecasting have the potential to waste money and resources. This research proposes an optimized multi-layered feed-forward neural network using the recent Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO). The problem of power forecasting is formulated as a minimization problem. The experimental results are compared with popular optimization methods and show that the proposed method provides very competitive forecasting results