Planckian Scattering Beyond the Eikonal Approximation in the Functional Approach

In the framework of functional integration the non-leading terms to leading eikonal behavior of the Planckian-energy scattering amplitude are calculated by the straight-line path approximation. We show that the allowance for the first-order correction terms leads to the appearance of retardation effect. The singular character of the correction terms at short distances is also noted, and they may be lead ultimately to the appearance of non-eikonal contributions to the scattering amplitudes.Comment: 15 pages, no figure

EFFECTS OF BENTONITE ON SKIN FRICTION OF BORED PILES

Bored piles are commonly used to support heavily loaded structures in Malaysia. Bored piles transfer the applied loads to the ground via skin friction of pile shaft and end bearing of pile toe. During excavation of borehole, bcntonite is sometimes used to support the wall of the borehole or to avoid soil collapse in the borehole. This report studies the effects of bentonite on the skin friction of bored piles. Static load tests were conducted on five bored piles located on Kuala Lumpur Kenny Hill Formation, where three of' them were constructed with bentonite and the rest of' them without. The ultimate pile capacity of each pile is obtained from the load-settlement curves using Davisson's method. The actual field parameters such as skin friction and end bearing resistance are then back-calculated using probabilistic inverse method. Comparison is done between the parameters of' bored piles constructed with and without bentonite. The result shows a smaller value of skin friction for bored piles constructed with bentonite compared to the bored piles constructed without bentonite

House Buyers' Lifestyle Segmentation Of The Housing Market In Malaysia

The dynamically changing environment has created a drastic change in the lifestyle and purchase habits of the consumers. The housing development industry in Malaysia is not immune to these changes. In order to keep abreast with the shift of house buyers‘ attitude and behaviour, it is apparent that housing development companies need to do more in understanding how the house buyers think, and then satisfying their needs of the house buyers. Although the assessment lifestyle choice and preferences is a popular tool used widely in other consumer-based industries, this concept had rarely been applied in the housing development industry. To date no research had examined the lifestyle of potential house buyers for newly developed housing projects. This study aims to fill this perceived gap by identifying the segment that exists in Malaysian house buyers within the housing market as determined by their lifestyles. The model of influences on housing choice was used as the underlying theoretical framework for the study. The data were collected by way of intercept self-administered questionnaire surveys. The gathered data was then analysed by statistical tool via the SPSS version 17 Software. The respondents were grouped into five lifestyle factors namely, Appearance Oriented, Relaxed Segment, Extroverted Lifestyle, Economiser Segment and Practical Oriented house buyers

A micromachined zipping variable capacitor

Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) have become ubiquitous in recent years and are found in a wide range of consumer products. At present, MEMS technology for radio-frequency (RF) applications is maturing steadily, and significant improvements have been demonstrated over solid-state components. A wide range of RF MEMS varactors have been fabricated in the last fifteen years. Despite demonstrating tuning ranges and quality factors that far surpass solid-state varactors, certain challenges remain. Firstly, it is difficult to scale up capacitance values while preserving a small device footprint. Secondly, many highly-tunable MEMS varactors include complex designs or process flows. In this dissertation, a new micromachined zipping variable capacitor suitable for application at 0.1 to 5 GHz is reported. The varactor features a tapered cantilever that zips incrementally onto a dielectric surface when actuated electrostatically by a pulldown electrode. Shaping the cantilever using a width function allows stable actuation and continuous capacitance tuning. Compared to existing MEMS varactors, this device has a simple design that can be implemented using a straightforward process flow. In addition, the zipping varactor is particularly suited for incorporating a highpermittivity dielectric, allowing the capacitance values and tuning range to be scaled up. This is important for portable consumer electronics where a small device footprint is attractive. Three different modelling approaches have been developed for zipping varactor design. A repeatable fabrication process has also been developed for varactors with a silicon dioxide dielectric. In proof-of-concept devices, the highest continuous tuning range is 400% (24 to 121 fF) and the measured quality factors are 123 and 69 (0.1 and 0.7 pF capacitance, respectively) at 2 GHz. The varactors have a compact design and fit within an area of 500 by 100 μm

Dependence of folding rates on protein length

Using three-dimensional Go lattice models with side chains for proteins, we investigate the dependence of folding times on protein length. In agreement with previous theoretical predictions, we find that the folding time grows as a power law with the chain length N with exponent $\lambda \approx 3.6$ for the Go model, in which all native interactions (i.e., between all side chains and backbone atoms) are uniform. If the interactions between side chains are given by pairwise statistical potentials, which introduce heterogeneity in the contact energies, then the power law fits yield large $\lambda$ values that typically signifies a crossover to an underlying activated process. Accordingly, the dependence of folding time is best described by the stretched exponential \exp(\sqrt{N}). The study also shows that the incorporation of side chains considerably slows down folding by introducing energetic and topological frustration.Comment: 6 pages, 5 eps figure