Experimental comparison of combine performance with two harvesting methods: stripper header and conventional header

Residual straw status on the field after harvesting was one of the important obstacles in using stripper header in Iran. In this work, combine performance studied with two type headers, conventional and stripper in wheat farm. Residual stems after harvesting collected, baled, and two methods were compared. The results showed that fuel consumption in the stripper header was 5.68 L/ha less than the conventional header. Combines with stripper header harvested 1500 m2 more than the conventional header in each hour. Stripper header in comparison with the conventional had 21% harvesting efficiency and 840 kg/h field performance which harvested more wheat. Harvesting time and fuel consumption for straw harvesting operation in the harvested field with stripper header were 1.5 minutes and 23.53 L respectively, which were higher than conventional header. However, with stripper method, 2040 kg/ha more straw were collected compared to conventional method. Stripper field status after harvesting operations was far cleaner and more ready for next operation than the other

Accidental intravenous bolus infusion of potassium chloride in a young man with hypokalemic periodic paralysis

Hypokalemic periodic paralysis is anautosomal dominantdisease characterized by muscle weakness or paralysis with a matching fall in blood potassium levels. Paralysis attacks often occur in adolescence and are induced by strenuous exercise followed by rest, high carbohydrateor high sodiummeal content, sudden changes in temperature, and even excitement, noise, flashing lights and cold temperatures. Despite global daily use of intravenous and oral potassium in the treatment of patients, data about intravenous bolus potassium is rare. Here we report a 29-year-old man complaining of weakness in the upper and lower limbs. By initial diagnosis of periodic hypokalemic paralysis, potassium chloride was ordered by oral route. After a few minutes, we heard patient screaming in pain. He complained of severe acute pain in peripheral intravenous line, palpitation and dyspnea. We noticed that potassium chloride vial was infused directly via cubital vein in few minutes erroneously. Physical exam revealed sinus tachycardia and hypertension. We began hyperkalemia treatment immediately. With appropriate treatment,the patient was discharged with good condition after 12 hours of admission. Keywords: Hypokalemic paralysis, Hyperkalemia, Potassium chlorid

A study on the effect of teleworking on quality of work life

Nowadays teleworking has become a useful technique for business development and improving employees’ quality of life. Many people are now able to stay at home and do their daily job activities without bothering to wear formal closes. This paper presents an empirical investigation to study the effect of teleworking on quality of life using Walton (1976) method [Walton, R. E. (1973). Quality of working life-what is it. Sloan Management Review, 15(1), 11-21.]. The variables of quality of working-life according to Walton Model are: “Adequate and fair compensation”, “Safe and Healthy Working conditions”, “Opportunity for Continued Growth and Security”, “The Social Relevance of Work Life”, “Total Life Space”, “Social Integration in the Work”, “Constitutionalism in the work Organization”, “Human Progress Capabilities”. Using different statistical tests, the study indicate that teleworking had significant positive relationship with Quality of Working-Life components. The study also reports that different personal characteristics such as age, gender had no meaningful impact on teleworking

Joint Determination of Price and Upgrade Level for a Warranted Second-hand Product

An upgrade action is a pre-sale procedure that brings the second-hand item to an improved functional state and effectively reduces its age. This action is usually costly and adds directly to the sale price of the second-hand product, but it improves the product reliability and can reduce the warranty servicing cost. In the present paper, we propose a decision model to determine the optimal price and upgrade strategy of a warranted second-hand product to maximize the dealer's expected profit. The objective function includes both demand and cost functions, where purchase price from an end user, upgrade cost, and warranty cost are involved. We illustrate our finding using real data on second-hand electric device. Also, a sensitivity analysis is conducted to evaluate the effect of model parameters on the optimal solution

Application of Comedy and Satire in the Epic Theater: The Analysis of the Caucasian Chalk Circle by Bertolt Brecht

Comedy, satire, ridicule, and humor, in general, stem from a tragedy. Wherever weeping does not suffice for the tragic fate of mankind, humor or comedy takes on this task by making people laugh. It is not in vain that typical theatrical emoticons are displayed as two smiling and weeping faces. Tragedy and comedy are two opposing but interconnected aspects that have defined theater since the beginning of history. In this article, we will see how the epic theater, like the modern theater that crashed down the Aristotelian criterion in ancient theater, has used comical elements of comics (satire and comedy) in its structure to transcend features such as catharsis and the strong Aristotelian plot and turn the play into a means for making the audience aware of their position in the modern world. The main tool of epic theater for the realization of anti-Aristotelian theater is an interruption to keep the audience from being trapped and submissive to the plot and to make him/her contemplate. Comedy is an element can distance the audience from identifying himself/herself with tragedy

A Two-Stage DEA to Analyze the Effect of Entrance Deregulation on Iranian Insurers: A Robust Approach

We use two-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to analyze the effects of entrance deregulation on the efficiency in the Iranian insurance market. In the first stage, we propose a robust optimization approach in order to overcome the sensitivity of DEA results to any uncertainty in the output parameters. Hence, the efficiency of each ongoing insurer is estimated using our proposed robust DEA model. The insurers are then ranked based on their relative efficiency scores for an eight-year period from 2003 to 2010. In the second stage, a comprehensive statistical analysis using generalized estimating equations (GEE) is conducted to analyze some other factors which could possibly affect the efficiency scores. The first results from DEA model indicate a decline in efficiency over the entrance deregulation period while further statistical analysis confirms that the solvency ignorance which is a widespread paradigm among state owned companies is one of the main drivers of efficiency in the Iranian insurance market

The relationship between organizational culture and sovereignty of merit principle in Iran National Company of petrochemical industry

It is needed in new world today that organization for their survival should search for new ways. One of these factors which help the organization in this aim is meritocracy. This happening is not accomplished in vacuumed. Other factors also have roles in this process; especially the culture of every organization may make the basic of sovereignty of merit principle because the unique culture of every organization shows the way of understanding and give meaning to event for individual

Using Tree Kernels for Classifying Temporal Relations between Events

PACLIC 23 / City University of Hong Kong / 3-5 December 200

Comparing the Effects of L1 and L2 Definition on Incidental Vocabulary Learning through Listening to Stories

Vocabulary is an essential component of language proficiency which provides the basis for learners’ performance in other skills. This study investigated the effect of three kinds of definition conditions, that is L1, L2, and L1+L2 on incidental vocabulary knowledge of EFL learners. To this aim, three experimental and one control groups took part in the current study so as to examine the effectiveness of definitions with 96 target words through listening. The participants were 74 fourth-grade high school students. Eight stories with each with 12 target words (total 96 words) were given to the learners. Participants in each group listened to eight short stories under one of the three mentioned conditions for experimental groups, with no definition offered for control group. They all answered vocabulary list, eight immediate post-tests and eight delayed posttests of vocabulary. The data were analyzed using t-tests and one-way ANOVA for both immediate and delayed post-tests. The results indicated that definition groups significantly outperformed the other group in terms of vocabulary acquisition on both immediate and delayed retention of target words. However, the findings showed a significant loss from the immediate to the delayed post-tests. These findings are discussed and implications are offered for foreign language syllabus designers and instructors