Interaction of Wind-Waves and Currents in Estuaries With Focus on Climate Change

Source: ICHE Conference Archive - https://mdi-de.baw.de/icheArchiv

Some issues on toughening, fire retardancy, and wear/scratch damage in polyamide-based nanocomposites

Addition of small percentage of nanoclay layers to polymers significantly improves many of their mechanical, physical and transport properties. Despite these improvements, some issues remain with the resultant nanocomposites and include concerns on fracture toughness, flame retardancy (and thermal stability), and scratch-wear resistance. It is the inadequacy of these specified properties that has curtailed potential applications of this class of new materials. Here, we present the efforts and approaches that were made to understand some facets of these issues in achieving a balance between different mechanical and physical properties, with particular emphasis on our recent and current research findings

Circulating vaspin is unrelated to insulin sensitivity in a cohort of nondiabetic humans

Objective: To study the association of vaspin with glucose metabolism. Design: Cross-sectional and intervention study. Subjects and methods: The association of serum vaspin with metabolic and anthropometric characteristics was investigated in 108 volunteers. Euglycemic–hyperinsulinemic clamps (EHC) were performed in 83 of the participants. Changes of circulating vaspin levels were additionally studied in a crossover study using 300 min EHC with lipid versus saline infusion (n=10). Results: Neither glucose tolerance status nor insulin sensitivity, both as measured using EHCs and using homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), was significantly associated with serum vaspin in the cross-sectional study. Furthermore, there was no effect of short-term lipid-induced insulin resistance due to a 300 min intravenous lipid challenge on circulating vaspin. However, circulating vaspin levels were significantly elevated in women using oral contraceptives (OC), both compared to women without OC intake (1.17±0.26 vs 0.52±0.09 ng/ml, P=0.02) and males (1.17±0.26 vs 0.29±0.04 ng/ml, P=0.01). After exclusion of OC using females and stratification according to body mass index (BMI), a significant sexual dimorphism in subjects with a BMI <25 kg/m2 was observed (males 0.21±0.04 ng/ml versus females 0.70±0.16 ng/ml, P=0.009). Conclusion: Our results support the existence of a sexual dimorphism regarding circulating vaspin. The lack of an association of serum vaspin with HOMA-IR and M value indicates, however, no major role for vaspin concerning insulin sensitivity in nondiabetic humans

On subgroups in division rings of type 22

Let $D$ be a division ring with center $F$. We say that $D$ is a {\em division ring of type $2$} if for every two elements $x, y\in D,$ the division subring $F(x, y)$ is a finite dimensional vector space over $F$. In this paper we investigate multiplicative subgroups in such a ring.Comment: 10 pages, 0 figure

Nonlinear AC resistivity in s-wave and d-wave disordered granular superconductors

We model s-wave and d-wave disordered granular superconductors with a three-dimensional lattice of randomly distributed Josephson junctions with finite self-inductance. The nonlinear ac resistivity of these systems was calculated using Langevin dynamical equations. The current amplitude dependence of the nonlinear resistivity at the peak position is found to be a power law characterized by exponent $\alpha$. The later is not universal but depends on the self-inductance and current regimes. In the weak current regime $\alpha$ is independent of the self-inductance and equal to 0.5 or both of s- and d-wave materials. In the strong current regime this exponent depends on the screening. We find $\alpha \approx 1$ for some interval of inductance which agrees with the experimental finding for d-wave ceramic superconductors.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Mothers as managers: Work-family balance and identity at the Kuwaiti Ministry of Education.

As a consequence of the discovery of oil in Kuwait in 1940, Kuwaiti culture has undergone major changes. From the 1950s onwards women actively entered the workplace alongside men and this has had a noticeable impact on women's lives. Despite some progress, however, women's struggle for greater equality continues to be influenced by Kuwaiti social and cultural beliefs. This thesis is the first in-depth qualitative analysis of the barriers facing mothers working in management in Kuwait. Specifically, the complex interrelationship between culture, gender and management is explored. It argues that work-family imbalance in Kuwait is a consequence of social and cultural beliefs concerning the status of women in that society. The study classifies the main cultural and gender-related issues affecting the roles of mothers working in management in Kuwait, with a view to helping such women succeed in their working and family lives. The circumstances facing working women in modern, affluent Kuwait while they attempt to raise large families is analysed by reviewing women's status and issues of cultural inequality in modern Kuwaiti society and how this affects their employment. The study adopted a qualitative research methodology to explore factors affecting women's working lives, female identity in the workplace, and work-family balance and conflict. In the first of its two phases, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 mothers in management positions at the Kuwaiti Ministry of Education. A life history approach was then taken with another four women to fully investigate how cultural beliefs impact women's rights over their lives and bodies in Kuwaiti society. The main findings indicate that the participants perceived themselves to be affected by work-life imbalance, based on patriarchal ideals being imposed on gender roles, thus creating conflict and destabilising women's self-perceptions in ways which are quite specific to Kuwait. Most importantly, it was found that women in managerial roles tended to reject certain inherent female qualities in themselves and other women, while simultaneously preserving an outward display of traditional femininity. In other words, there was evidence of an unresolved identity crisis. This thesis concludes that women at higher levels of management find it difficult to juggle work and family life because of cultural identity issues in the Kuwaiti context. This problem is significant, as Kuwaiti women would appear to experience more difficulty in this regard than women in many other parts of the world, where the key issues of work-family imbalance are found to be time management, family-friendly policies and the age and number of children. The Kuwaiti Ministry of Education is particularly problematic for women in management roles and it is important to address the issues of work-family balance in Kuwait structurally and institutionally in relation to the family, in order to support women at work