Loops and the Lagrange property

Let \cF be a family of finite loops closed under subloops and factor loops. Then every loop in \cF has the strong Lagrange property if and only if every simple loop in \cF has the weak Lagrange property. We exhibit several such families, and indicate how the Lagrange property enters into the problem of existence of finite simple loops.Comment: 4 pages, LaTeX2e, uses natbib.sty, submitted to Results in Mathematic

Self-employment in Brazil and its determinants: a spatial analysis

In this paper, we intend to identify some factors underlying the different rates of participation of self-employed workers in Brazilian municipalities. In contrast with previous analysis, our study is sensitive to the spatial dimension of self-employment in Brazil. Relying on geo-referenced data from areal units, our approach avoids the restrictive assumptions of independence between area effects. Two different approaches to spatial analysis are exploited, Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) and Spatial Econometrics. We show that substantial geographical heterogeneity in rates of self-employment exists within Brazil. The results point to the presence of clusters of municipalities with similar rates of participation of self-employment in the economy. The fitting of a spatial lag model to the data demonstrates that significant part of variation in self-employment is explained by spatial dependence. In addition, the municipality's degree of urbanization, rate of employment in the secondary sector as well as GDP per capita among others, indeed influences its rate of self-employment. We conclude that spatial analysis can provide useful insights in analyzing self-employment in Brazil.Brazil; self-employment

PV systems with second life Li-Ion battery technology

Increasingly, PV self-consumption (PVSC) is becoming an important aspect of storing or deferring energy generated from distributed solar energy systems. Combined with the high specific energy capacities of lithium ion batteries, there is the potential of increasing the amount of solar energy that is consumed at the location where it is generated. The use of second-life lithium ion batteries in PVSC systems is a relatively new concept that is still undergoing active research within the scientific community. Using second-life lithiated iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, this project models a PVSC environment with the HOMER program. The simulation results suggest that the amount of PVSC in an environment is contingent upon the available solar radiation and the demand for power. Also, the results indicate that there are no distinguishable differences in using new or second-life lithium ion batteries in a PVSC environment so long as they can withstand the frequent cycling induced by the variable availability of solar radiation and the random demand for power by residential loads. Attempts to quantify the effective utilization of solar power were also performed by calculating the PVSC factor from the simulation results

Modifications of Steepest Descent Method and Conjugate Gradient Method Against Noise for Ill-posed Linear Systems

It is well known that the numerical algorithms of the steepest descent method (SDM), and the conjugate gradient method (CGM) are effective for solving well-posed linear systems. However, they are vulnerable to noisy disturbance for solving ill-posed linear systems. We propose the modifications of SDM and CGM, namely the modified steepest descent method (MSDM), and the modified conjugate gradient method (MCGM). The starting point is an invariant manifold defined in terms of a minimum functional and a fictitious time-like variable; however, in the final stage we can derive a purely iterative algorithm including an acceleration parameter. Through the Hopf bifurcation, this parameter indeed plays a major role to switch the situation of slow convergence to a new situation that the functional is stepwisely decreased very fast. Several numerical examples are examined and compared with exact solutions, revealing that the new algorithms of MSDM and MCGM have good computational efficiency and accuracy, even for the highly ill-conditioned linear equations system with a large noise being imposed on the given data

Love motels : oriental phenomenon or emergent sector?

This study explores the 'Love Motel' concept by examining the changing attitude of consumers in Taiwan. This will increase knowledge of the sector and define love motels. The literature review charts the development of Taiwanese love motels from a duel origin; American Motels and Japanese 'Love Hotels.' This is followed by an empirical qualitative study consisting of a two-stage collection strategy: focus groups of hospitality and tourism professionals to gather a wide range of opinions on the subject area followed by semi-structured interviews with consumers. The findings split into three interrelated areas: growth of Taiwanese love motels due to more liberal attitudes towards sexual practice; a change in the public perception of motels due to increased standards and an increased satisfaction with the personal consumption experience; these hotels are designed for couples. The empirical element of this study is an exploration of consumer experience in Taiwanese love hotels. Due to the sensitive nature of some of the data that was gathered a qualitative approach has been adopted. The sexual associations with this product appear almost coincidental. If the love motel product is considered in its purest form it is simply a hotel product that provides complete anonymity for its guests. Therefore, despite its application in South East Asia, this hospitality concept has potential to be applied in a variety of guises. The phenomenon of 'Love Hotels' is absent from hospitality management literature; this paper begins to fill that gap by beginning a discussion on this possibly controversial sector

Enzymatic evaluation of changes in processed grain

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1968 S85Master of Scienc

Microsatellite genotyping clarified conspicuous accumulation of Candida parapsilosis at a cardiothoracic surgery intensive care unit.

Contains fulltext : 124291.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Candida parapsilosis has become a significant cause of invasive fungal infections in seriously ill patients. Nosocomial outbreaks through direct and indirect contact have been described. The aim of this study was the molecular characterization of what appeared to be an ongoing C. parapsilosis outbreak at the cardiothoracic intensive care unit of the University Hospital of Vienna between January 2007 and December 2008. Using two different molecular typing methods-automated repetitive sequence-based PCR (DiversiLab; bioMerieux) and microsatellite genotyping-we investigated the genetic relationship of 99 C. parapsilosis isolates. Eighty-three isolates originated from the cardiothoracic intensive care unit, while 16 isolates were random control isolates from other intensive care units and a different Austrian hospital. The 99 C. parapsilosis isolates analyzed by repetitive-element PCR all showed identical genotypes, suggesting an ongoing outbreak. In contrast, microsatellite genotyping showed a total of 56 different genotypes. Two major genotypes were observed in 10 and 15 isolates, respectively, whereas another 13 genotypes were observed in 2 to 4 isolates each. Forty-one genotypes were observed only once. Closely related genotypes that differed in only a single microsatellite marker were grouped into clonal complexes. When it comes to C. parapsilosis, microsatellite genotyping is a more discriminative method than repetitive-element PCR genotyping to investigate outbreaks.1 november 201