14,668 research outputs found
Job Satisfaction of the Employees in the Mobile Phone Corporates in Bangladesh: A Case Study
Optimizing employee satisfaction is a key to the success of any business that relies on a variety of organizational and psycho-economic factors. This study was conducted to identify that sort of key factors, which are responsible to influence on the overall job satisfaction in the growing mobile phone corporate in Bangladesh. The phone corporates, which are included here in the study, are Grameen Phone (GP), Bangla Link and Aktel. The factors included in the investigation as independent variables are Compensation Package, Supervision, Career Growth, Training and Development, Working atmosphere, Company Loyalty and Performance Appraisal. The result indicates that training and performance appraisal, work atmosphere, compensation package, supervision, and company loyalty are the key factors that impact on employees’ job satisfaction in these corporations. The study also finds that the employees of these three corporations possessed above of the moderate level and positive attitude towards job satisfaction, which could be nudged up to excellent status of employee satisfaction if the management takes those identified factors with a little more rigorous weight into their considerations and acts further accordingly.
Constraints on Dirac-Born-Infeld type dark energy models from varying alpha
We study the variation of the effective fine structure constant alpha for
Dirac-Born-Infeld (DBI) type dark energy models. The DBI action based on string
theory naturally gives rise to a coupling between gauge fields and a scalar
field responsible for accelerated expansion of the universe. This leads to the
change of alpha due to a dynamical evolution of the scalar field, which can be
compatible with the recently observed cosmological data around the redshift
. We place constraints on several different DBI models
including exponential, inverse power-law and rolling massive scalar potentials.
We find that these models can satisfy the varying alpha constraint provided
that mass scales of the potentials are fine-tuned. When we adopt the mass
scales which are motivated by string theory, both exponential and inverse
power-law potentials give unacceptably large change of alpha, thus ruled out
from observations. On the other hand the rolling massive scalar potential is
compatible with the observationally allowed variation of alpha. Therefore the
information of varying alpha provides a powerful way to distinguish between a
number of string-inspired DBI dark energy models.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure
Generation of electromagnetic fields in string cosmology with a massive scalar field on the anti D-brane
We study the generation of electromagnetic fields in a string-inspired
scenario associated with a rolling massive scalar field on the anti-D3
branes of KKLT de Sitter vacua. The 4-dimensional DBI type effective action
naturally gives rise to the coupling between the gauge fields and the inflaton
, which leads to the production of cosmological magnetic fields during
inflation due to the breaking of conformal invariance. We find that the
amplitude of magnetic fields at decoupling epoch can be larger than the
limiting seed value required for the galactic dynamo. We also discuss the
mechanism of reheating in our scenario and show that gauge fields are
sufficiently enhanced for the modes deep inside the Hubble radius with an
energy density greater than that of the inflaton.Comment: 4 pages and 2 eps figures, minor clarifications added and typos
correcte
Phylodynamics of H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Europe, 2005-2010: Potential for Molecular Surveillance of New Outbreaks.
Previous Bayesian phylogeographic studies of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) explored the origin and spread of the epidemic from China into Russia, indicating that HPAIV circulated in Russia prior to its detection there in 2005. In this study, we extend this research to explore the evolution and spread of HPAIV within Europe during the 2005-2010 epidemic, using all available sequences of the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) gene regions that were collected in Europe and Russia during the outbreak. We use discrete-trait phylodynamic models within a Bayesian statistical framework to explore the evolution of HPAIV. Our results indicate that the genetic diversity and effective population size of HPAIV peaked between mid-2005 and early 2006, followed by drastic decline in 2007, which coincides with the end of the epidemic in Europe. Our results also suggest that domestic birds were the most likely source of the spread of the virus from Russia into Europe. Additionally, estimates of viral dispersal routes indicate that Russia, Romania, and Germany were key epicenters of these outbreaks. Our study quantifies the dynamics of a major European HPAIV pandemic and substantiates the ability of phylodynamic models to improve molecular surveillance of novel AIVs
Crystallisation in a granular material
The athermal and dissipative nature of packings of grains is still challenging our understanding of their compaction
as well as their crystallisation. For instance, some beads poured in a container get jammed in random disordered con gurations,
which cannot be denser than 64%, the random closed packing (RCP) limit. Remarkably it has been suggested that the
RCP bound is saturated with dense patterns of beads aggregated into polytetrahedral structures. Yet when a suitable vibration
is applied, a packing of beads might start to order and some regular patterns appear.
We present new experiments on the crystallisation of the packing of beads. By extending tapping techniques, we have
obtained packings with volume fractions φ ranging from the RCP to the crystal (φ = 0.74). Computing tomography has been
used to scan the internal structure of large packings (≈200,000 beads). Voronoi and Delaunay space partitions on the grain
centres were performed to characterise the structural rearrangements during the crystallisation. This allows us to describe
statistical properties of the local volume uctuations and the evolution of the densest patterns of beads.
In terms of statistical description, a parameter based on the volume uctuations discloses different regimes during the
transition. In terms of geometry, we con rm that polytetrahedral dense clusters are ubiquitous at the RCP. We describe some
intrinsic features of these clusters such as rings of tetrahedra and show how they disappear as the crystal grows.
This experiment enlightens how an athermal system jammed in a complex frustrated con guration is gradually converted
into a periodic crystal
Challenges and Opportunities to Improve Tuberculosis Screening Among Immigrant Plantation Workers in Sabah, Malaysia
Tuberculosis (TB) among immigrants has substantial contribution to the TB epidemiology in Sabah. This study aimed to determine the yield of screening for TB disease among immigrant plantation workers in Sabah, Malaysia. This was a prospective cohort study involving 482 legal immigrant workers aged 18 years and above, consented and available at study sites during the study period. Workers with previous history of TB or currently on TB treatment were excluded from participation. Symptom based questionnaire was administered along with both chest radiograph and sputum samples collection for symptomatics participants. Out of 482 plantation workers creened, there was no case of active TB detected among the 44 (9.1%) symptomatics participants. Finding of low TB yield in this study was rather unexpected but this indicates the real challenges for the local health authority to come out with more cost effective screening programs, including reducing stigma, in active TB screening among migrant population
Modification of as-cast Al-Mg/B4C composite by addition of Zr
Zirconium was used in Al-Mg/B4C composite to improve compocasting efficiency by increasing particle incorporation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) results revealed that by addition of zirconium a reaction layer containing Zr, Al, B and C is formed on the interface of B4C-matrix. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of extracted particles unveiled that the ZrB2 phase is the main constituent of this layer. Formation of ZrB2 is an exothermic reaction which can rise temperature locally around particles and agglomerates. Rising temperature around agglomerates in conjunction with turbulent flow of melt facilitates agglomerates wetting and dissolving into molten aluminum. As the result, final product contains more uniformly distributed B4C particles. Besides enhancing compocasting efficiency, addition of Zr and formation of reaction layer by improving particle matrix bonding quality, led to increase in ultimate tensile strength and elongation of the composite around 8% and 30%, respectively. SEM observations of the fracture surfaces confirmed that a proper bonding presents at the interface of particles and matrix in presence of Zr.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft
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