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Poo, See Wei
21st century's Sherlock Holmes : comparative study of BBC's Sherlock and CBS's elementary
|Dept. of English
Holmes, Sherlock (Fictitious character) -- Television adaptations.
Television adaptations -- History and criticism.
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
|63 pages : illustrations
|Adaptation is a powerful tool. Sherlock Holmes (SH), the fictional Victorian detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887, is still very popular today through its numerous adaptation, including the two latest TV adaptations with contemporary background, Sherlock (BBC, 2010 -present) and Elementary (CBS, 2012 present). Theoretically guided by Hutcheon's (2012) insight that to understand adaptation "in term of successful replication and change" (p. xxvi) and Sugarman's (1996) view that hero is reincarnated to reflect the changing ideas of different times within the shifting historical contexts, this paper aims to extend the current study on the modernized SH TV adaptations by which tends to focus mostly on Sherlock and provide a basic comprehensive insight on how these two different SH are constructed to meet the local and global market. Utilizing Richards' (2010) three masculinity archetypes of Doyle's SH, Pearson's (2007a) framework of televisual character and the adaptation theory of Hutcheon (2012), the findings indicate that Sherlock has successfully replicated the popular symbolic image of SH that contributes to its popularity while Elementary gains its popularity by shaping its SH into a person-like genius. However, both of them have engaged rather remarkable changes in their heroic features which closely ties with the historical event - September 11 Attacks.
Qiao, Si Joyce
3D morphology based automatic crater detection on digital elevation models
|Faculty of Construction and Environment
Lunar craters.
Moon -- Surface
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
|x, 86 pages : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 30 cm
|Study of the lunar surface morphologies has been one of the key tasks of the lunar exploration program in the past few decades. Impact craters are ubiquitous and typical structures with high geological relevance on the surfaces of the Moon. Proper identification and extraction of the craters can provide direct evidence for the study of the lunar status and evolution. Therefore, it is not surprising that crater detection algorithms (CDAs) are one of the most studied subjects of image processing and analysis in lunar and planetary science. This thesis proposes a morphology based CDA on digital elevation models (DEM). The new CDA consists of (1) analysis of the morphological characteristics of lunar impact craters, including the horizontal and vertical structures and the relationships among them; (2) utilization of the shape factors to control morphological characteristics; (3) considerations for separating connect and contained craters through iteration; (4) refitting for rims of craters that depth-diameter ratio is greater than 1/10. In addition, there are tests in two different areas with different DEM sources for evaluating this CDA, in comparison with manual results and newest catalog, the proposed CDA shows the followings: (1) comparative analysis of different results for evidencing feasibility and reliability of this CDA; (2) the number of small craters inside these regions has been significantly increased that even do not detect by manual digitization; (3) the false detection rate and none detection rate are both low to alternate other methods. As a result, this study confirmed the practical applicability of the new morphology based CDA, which can be used in order to considerably extend current crater work.
Chang, Congcong
Academic vocabulary in writing by Chinese EFL learners
|Dept. of English
English language -- Vocabulary.
Academic writing.
English language -- Study and teaching -- Chinese speakers.
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
|53 pages : illustrations
|Academic vocabulary is an essential dimension of EAP. Albeit the large amount of attention in academia, gaps in this field still exist. The present study seeks to narrow the gap in the empirical studies on academic vocabulary by exploring the proficiency of Chinese EFL undergraduate students on academic vocabulary in essay writing. This is a corpus-based study employing the assistance from software Range and Wordsmith 6.0. The study conducts both quantitative and qualitative analysis, following an integrated framework for assessing vocabulary. The findings indicate that Chinese EFL learners do not reach a satisfactory level of academic words, in terms of both quantity and quality in essay writing. Academic vocabulary is suggested to be cast more attention on by Chinese EFL learners and English language teachers in essay writing.
Ye, Daojun
Accident analyses in Hong Kong : accident blackspot identification, casualty injury severity and before-after analysis
|Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Traffic accidents -- China -- Hong Kong.
Traffic accident investigation -- China -- Hong Kong.
Traffic safety -- China -- Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
|xvi, 113 leaves : col. ill. ; 30 cm.
Road safety is a major concern because of the social and economic costs resulting from traffic crashes. Numerous studies investigating traffic collisions and the resulting costs have been conducted. One important research topic in these studies is accident blackspot identification. The measures of accident frequency and accident rate are commonly adopted as identification criteria. However, identifying accident blackspots based solely on accident frequency or accident rate has been found, in practice, to be inefficient as neither can correctly reveal the extent of accident consequences. For example, high accident frequency does not necessarily result in a large number of fatalities or serious injuries. To supplement the knowledge gained by previous researchers, a new method to rank accident blackspots is proposed in this study. In the proposed blackspot identification method, instead of accident frequency, accident consequences (in terms of injury or accident costs) are considered when identifying accident blackspots. The merit of the proposed method is that it takes not only number of injuries (or accident frequency) but also injury severity (or accident severity) into the consideration. To illustrate the proposed method, a case study was carried out using Hong Kong traffic accident data. The results indicate that adopting accident consequences, such as injury costs, can identify accident blackspots with higher injury costs but the methods of using accident frequency only or the Hong Kong Transport Department's blackspot definition may not be guaranteed.
In view of the importance of casualty injury costs as regards identification of accident blackspots, this feature is further investigated in this study. Focus is on an analysis of the effects of various contributory factors (categorized by environmental, site, and vehicle factors) on the injury severity of driver, passenger and pedestrian casualties and on accident costs in Hong Kong. Binary logistic regression model is adopted to quantify the associations between injury severity of casualties and the contributory factors, while linear regression model is used for modeling the effects of contributory factors on accident costs. A Hong Kong traffic accident dataset for the whole territory from 2007 to 2009 is used in this study to estimate the coefficients of the regression models. The results of the regression models reveal that accident time, rain conditions, speed limits, traffic congestion levels, road types, and vehicle types significantly affect casualty injury severity and accident costs. Each contributory factor has a different effect or a different degree of effect on driver/passenger and pedestrian casualties. A Before-After analysis is also used for investigation of accident effects on traffic speed in this study. Factors affecting the accident effects on traffic speed are firstly identified. Regression models are calibrated with empirical data to quantify the influences of factors on the degree of accident effects. A case study is carried out in which there is a total of 313 accidents occurred on a local urban area of Hong Kong during the study period: from September 2009 to December 2010 together with the corresponding speed data before and after the occurrence of these accidents. From the results of the case study, three factors, namely accident severity, accident time and accident location, were found to significantly affect the degree of accident effects on traffic speed.
Tan, Chun Wei
Accurate iris recognition at-a-distance and under less constrained environments
|Dept. of Computing
Optical pattern recognition
Biometric identification
Pattern recognition systems
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
|xv, 138 leaves : illustrations (some color) ; 30 cm
Accurate iris recognition using eye or face images acquired at-a-distance and under less constrained environments requires development of specialized iris segmentation and recognition strategies. Image quality of such distantly acquired eye or face images under less constrained imaging conditions are usually degraded due to the multiple commonly observed noise sources such as occlusions (eyeglasses, hair, eyelashes, eyelid and shadow), reflections, motion or defocus blur, off-angle and partial eye images. The influence from the noise is even more noticeable from the eye images acquired using visible illumination imaging. Performing iris segmentation and recognition on such noisy eye images can be highly challenging. Therefore, it is the main objective of this thesis to provide feasible solutions to improve the effectiveness of the iris recognition strategy at-a-distance and under less constrained environments. We develop an iris segmentation approach by exploiting the random walker algorithm in order to efficiently estimate coarsely segmented iris region. Such coarsely segmented iris region reduces the search space for further refinement through a set of developed post processing operations which can effectively improve the segmentation accuracy. Most of the commonly observed noise sources can be identified and masked by the developed post processing operations. The segmentation accuracy is evaluated on subsets of distantly acquired images from three publicly available databases: UBIRIS.v2, FRGC and CASIA.v4-distance, by comparing the binary segmented iris mask with the corresponding ground truth mask.
The second contribution of this thesis is the development of a global iris bits stabilization encoding and a localized Zernike moments phase-based encoding strategies. The global iris encoding strategy has its strength in less noisy region pixels while the localized iris encoding strategy can be more tolerant to imaging quality variations (e.g. scale change, illumination change, rotation, and translation) and noise. The complementary matching information from the joint strategy of both global and localized iris encoding can provide more accurate recognition accuracy for the iris recognition at-a-distance and under less constrained environments. The reported recognition performance from using such joint matching strategy on UBIRIS.v2, FRGC and CASIA.v4-distance databases is encouraging, but further research efforts are still required to improve the recognition accuracy. Therefore, we present a study on the recent emerging research in the periocular recognition. The joint matching information from simultaneously acquired iris and periocular features has shown to achieve even better recognition accuracy than any of the iris or periocular features alone. A final contribution of this thesis is the development of a computationally attractive binary encoding strategy by exploiting the geometric information for localized iris encoding, which we refer it as geometric key iris encoding. Such geometric key iris encoding strategy is aimed to provide an alternative to the global iris bits stabilization encoding which incurs relatively higher computational complexity. Our experimental results suggest that the joint matching information from the geometric key encoding and Zernike moments phase-based encoding strategies achieve better or comparable recognition performance but with reduced computational complexity.
Wai, Ka Ki
Achieving service excellence : interpersonal metafunction analysis of the staff handbook of Cathay Pacific Airways and Hong Kong Dragon Airlines
|Dept. of English
Functionalism (Linguistics)
Discourse analysis
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
|67 pages
|This study conducts interpersonal metafunction analysis of the dialogues presented in a Cathay Pacific Airways staff handbook. Twenty-five different dialogues were analyzed to investigate how customer service officers (CSOs) use language to express concern the use of language to enact our personal and social relationships Interpersonal metafunction is an element of systemic functional linguistics (SFL), and comprises the theoretical framework used to conduct this research. The analysis includes three aspects found in the CSO staff handbooks: mood, modality and personal pronouns. This study aims (1) to determine the different language patterns (declarative, integrative and imperative) used by CSOs and their implications, (2) to consider how different modal verbs communicate the commitment and willingness of CSOs to finish tasks and (3) to observe how personal pronouns are used to create intimate relationships between passengers and CSOs. The finding reveals that a frequency used of declarative clauses, "will" and "second-person pronouns- you" have dominated the data.
Yim, Jack Tsz Hong
Acoustical insertion loss of a modified plenum window in different configurations and settings
|Dept. of Building Services Engineering
Windows -- Acoustic properties.
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
|xi, 66 pages : color illustrations ; 30 cm
|In a highly urbanized city like Hong Kong where noise from busy traffic is of particular concern, it is sometimes unavoidable to develop a land for residential purpose despite its proximity to major road or train line. Inhabitants have to close the windows of their flats to prevent the intrusion of noise from outside. However when windows are closed, no wind or natural ventilation will be available in the dwelling. It is difficult for a window to accomplish these two conflicting roles at the same time satisfactorily. There have been many studies on the sound insulation of different kinds of windows with some targeted on partially opened windows which can provide natural ventilation to a certain extent. Tong and Tang [1] have designed a plenum window with staggered window panes which can provide sound insulation while the gap between the window panes allows air to pass through. The present study, which is basically a continuation of the study by Tong and Tang, is to modify the design of the plenum window by tilting the angle of the inner window pane and keeping the separation of window panes unchanged to see how this modification can affect the acoustic property of a plenum window. Computer simulation was first conducted to illustrate how the dynamics of sound waves would be affected by tilting the angle of window pane. Actual noise measurement was conducted using a 1:4 scaled down physical model to find out the acoustic performance of the modified plenum window with tilted window pane at 0°, +5° and -5°. Continuous broad band white noise normalised to traffic noise spectrum in the later calculation of insertion loss was input to an array of twenty 2-inch speakers in a line to resemble a line source and 13 microphones were placed inside the model to record the SPL. Noise measurements were conducted inside a semi-anechoic chamber resembling an outdoor sound field condition. The noise measurement results show that highest IL achieved by a modified plenum is 13.1 dBA at +5° tilting angle, which is 1.6 dBA better than that of a normal plenum window (0° tilting). However positive tilting do not always improve the IL but can sometimes on the contrary cause a deterioration in IL by almost 1 dBA as compared to that of 0° tilting in large window opening scenario. Therefore whether there is improvement or deterioration in the IL depends not only on the tilting angle but also on a combination of other influencing factors: size of window opening (or % of staggering) and distance of noise source. It is understood that reducing the noise source distance from the receiver will change the angle of incident of sound wave on the window pane and this causes the IL to be reduced in general. The effect of orientation of noise source relative to the receiver is also tested and it is demonstrated that a change of 30° in orientation can increase the IL by almost 5 dBA as compared to that of parallel noise source to the receiver.
Su, Pingping
Acquisition problems with "also" in Chinese-English interlanguage
|Dept. of English
Interlanguage (Language learning)
English language -- Study and teaching -- Chinese speakers.
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
|38 pages
|Following the study of Interlanguage Hyphothesis and methodology of Error Analysis, the research has observed Chinese learners' acquisition condition of focusing additive adverb "also" in writing and the common errors they made through corpora of CLEC and PLEC. With reference to native corpus BNC Sampler (written), errors in terms of position, substitution, absence, redundancy, repetition, negative usage and related phrase "not only, but (also)" are found and are explained by mechanisms of L1 transfer or L2 transfer from a linguistic perspective. The findings help to understand the nature and development of Chinese-English interlanguage and provide pedagogical suggestions accordingly.
Zhang, Pei
Active control of a turbulent round jet based on unsteady microjets
|Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
Jets -- Fluid dynamics.
Fluid mechanics
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
|vi, 121 pages : illustrations ; 30 cm
The manipulation of turbulent jet mixing performance possesses many potential benefits in various industrial applications. This work reports an experimental investigation on the active control of a turbulent round air jet with two unsteady radial microjets used. The duel microjets were deployed at diametrically opposite positions upstream of the jet exit. The Reynolds number was 8,000. The mass flow rate ratio Cm of two microjets to that of the main jet and the ratio fe/f0′ of the excitation frequency fe to preferred-mode frequency f0′ in the uncontrolled jet with Cm = 0 and fe ≠ 0 were varied over the ranges of 0 16% and 0 1.4, respectively. The dependence of jet mixing on Cm and fe/f0′. was first determined. The decay rate K of jet centerline time-averaged velocity shows a strong dependence on Cm and fe/f0′. The K value is increased, as compared with the control of steady microjets at the same Cm, by more than 80% given fe/f0′ = 1 and Cm = 1.5%, suggesting a significantly improved control efficiency with unsteady microjets deployed. Given fe/f0′, say near unity, the dependence of K on Cm is classified as three distinct types in terms of required Cm, achievable enhancement in K and flow physics involved. In Type I (Cm = 0 2.6%), the significantly increased value of K results from the enhanced strength of large-scale coherent structures. The same magnitude of K as in Type I is also achieved in Type III (Cm = 4.5% 16%), which is ascribed to fully developed turbulence under the excitation of microjets. Type II (Cm = 2.6% 4.5%) is a transition between Types I and Type III and is characterized by a less enhanced K.
Great effort is made to understand thoroughly the flow physics connected with the microjet-controlled jet of Type I, under which jet mixing can be greatly improved with a small Cm. Detailed measurements were conducted in two orthogonal diametrical planes through the geometric axis of the flow and a number of cross-sectional planes normal to the geometric axis using flow visualization and particle image velocimetry (PIV) techniques. Mean velocity contours indicate that strong entrainment is predominant in the injection plane of microjets. On the other hand, rapid spreading occurs in the orthogonal non-injection plane. The vorticity concentrations appear to be tadpole-like in the injection plane, engulfing ambient fluid into the jet core. A close examination of flow visualization photographs displays that a number of structures are sequentially 'tossed' out along the radial direction in the non-injection plane, which is accompanied by a strong ejection of jet core fluid, often in the form of one pair of mushroom-like counter-rotating structures and one pair after another. The finding is distinct from previously reported changes in the flow structure under the manipulation of steady microjets, tabs and other techniques. A conceptual model of the flow structure under the excitation of two unsteady microjets is proposed for the first time. In order to achieve autonomously the optimal control performance, an extremum-seeking feedback control has been developed on the basis of the open-loop control results. It has been found that, given Cm, this closed-loop control technique may obtain automatically and rapidly the optimal value of fe and the desired or maximum K, as achieved in the open-loop control. This control technique is found to be robust and adaptable, that is, the optimal control performance is automatically achieved when the Reynolds number is changed. Based on the dependence of jet shear layer rollup frequency on fe, a separate flow-physics-based feedback control strategy has also been investigated. This technique may again achieve automatically the optimal control performance, and is further characterized by a shorter convergence time, shortened by one order of magnitude compared with the extremum seeking control.
Shing, Lai Yin
Acute DNA protective effect of concord grape juice
|Dept. of Health Technology and Informatics
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
Grape juice -- Physiological effect
DNA repair
|ix, 66 leaves : illustrations (some color) ; 30 cm
|DNA damage is a crucial factor in ageing, which in turn contributes the development of age-related disease. Evidence shows that diets high in fruits and vegetables can diminish oxidative damage to DNA and protect against cancers and chronic diseases. Concord grape juice from the grapes of Vitis labrusca have been investigated for its antioxidative power and its potential health benefits. Protective effect of single dose of concord grape juice on human lymphocytic DNA was examined. In an unblinded, controlled, crossover single dose study, ten healthy volunteers took 300 mL commercial 100% concord grape juice or vitamin C and glucose in drinking water (the control drink). Subjects took all the treatments in random order with two weeks' washout between each treatment. Two mL venous blood was taken before and 2 hour after drinking in each occasion. Lymphocytes were isolated from the venous blood and DNA damage was measured by the standard comet assay. Levels of DNA damage in concord grape juice supplementation were compared with control drink. The first part of this study was to investigate the in vivo effect of concord grape juice consumption on basal DNA protection. DNA protective effect was further tested after 2 hours of concord grape juice intake followed by oxidative stress mediated by hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Our data showed that significant decrease of 24% baseline DNA damage after grape juice consumption under unstressed condition (p < 0.05). Significant DNA protective effect was seen in H₂O₂ induced oxidative stressed cells after two hours acute ingestion with grape juice (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the comet assay results showed 49% decrease in DNA damage with concord grape juice acute ingestion. Such effect was not seen in consumption of control drink. Intake of concord grape juice offered a speedy DNA protective effect on human DNA. We have demonstrated antioxidant effect of concord grape juice in vivo, not attributed entirely to the vitamin C content of the juice. This protective effect may offer lower oxidative damage to DNA and potentially protect against certain age-related diseases.
Wu, Qing Qing Beryl
Adaptation based-analysis of verbal humor in how I met your mother
|Dept. of English
English wit and humor
Oral communication
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
|53 pages
|Scholars in different disciplines have conducted their research on humor from different perspectives and have proposed their own theories. However, these previous approaches only touch on partial aspects of the verbal humor as a complex topic. This thesis, based on the previous studies of humor, attempts to analyze verbal humor in the popular TV sitcom How I Met Your Mother in the light of Verschueren's Adaptation Theory. By studying verbal humor from the four investigation angles, namely contextual correlates of adaptability, structural objects of adaptability, the dynamics of adaptability and the salience of adaptation process, the thesis aims to explore the feasibility of employing Adaptation theory into studying generation mechanism of verbal humor and demonstrate the strong interpretative power of Adaptation Theory in interpreting linguistic phenomena. Empirical research will be conducted in a qualitative manner with the assistance of quantitative methods where needed. Data collection provides corpus for discussion and case study based on a taxonomy is adopted to facilitate understanding. By studying verbal humor from the four investigation angles, the thesis concludes that adaptability can be the trigger mechanism of verbal humor as it creates incongruity in the process of the utterer and interpreter adapting to their own contexts.
Jin, Ying Blair
The addition and omission of the English definite article : the by ESL / EFL learners --- a qualitative SFL investigation
|Dept. of English
English language -- Article.
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
|iv, 72 pages : illustrations
|Most of the existing research on the use of the definite article either focuses on its correct usage or the reasons for its misbehavior by English learners. This paper will investigate the use of the definite article from a Systemic Functional perspective. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate whether or not the misuse of the definite article by second and foreign language learners will affect the overall construal of the text. This research is based on 40 MA academic papers by students from the English Department of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. These 40 pieces of writing are intensively examined according to traditional grammar. Two other students are invited to be co-checkers of the performance of the definite article. After identifying the misbehaviors of the, analysis was carried out based on the three metafunctions namely the ideational, the interpersonal and the textual metafunctions. Finally, a qualitative interpretation of the definite article is carried out according to the system of INFORMATION, DETERMINATION and REFERENCE. The main findings of this research can be summarized as follows: (i) Students of high English proficiency tend to use the when indefinite a or zero article is expected; (ii) The use of the definite article is affected by the system of REFERENCE, DETERMINATION and INFORMATION; and (iii) Although the use of the will influence the textual status, it is found that the unexpected performance will not hinder general understanding of the text as whole.
Wong Fung-yee Margaret
Administrative skills for social workers : an exploratory study on what is taught? What is practised?
|Dept. of Applied Social Sciences
Social workers -- China -- Hong Kong
Social service -- China -- Hong Kong
Employee empowerment.
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
|iii, iii, ii, i, i, 225 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 30 cm
This study explores the administrative roles and skills of frontline social workers, the difficulties they encounter while assuming both direct practices and administrative responsibilities, and possible alternatives to address the challenges they face in the organizational context in Hong Kong. A qualitative research methodology using in-depth individual interviews and focus groups is adopted to capture the experiences of frontline social workers, social service administrators and educators. It was found that frontline social workers' interpretation of social work administration is limited to primarily statistical input, submission of reports and documentation. The roles and functions of administration as part of the social work profession are largely overlooked. The interrelationship between social work administration and direct service is not duly recognized by frontline social workers. Most frontline social workers do not consider themselves well prepared to undertake administrative responsibilities, as much as they would like to. At the same time, there are constraints in developing and committing resources to a social work curriculum with emphasis on social work administration. The preference of direct practice over administrative practice and the discourse on the "legitimacy" of social work administration in higher education institutes, social service organizations and the social work profession are also reflected and discussed in this study. Apart from information gathered on what is taught and what is practised, the findings also revealed the frustration and aspirations of the younger generation of social workers. They are frustrated because of the difficulties they face trying to balance the roles in direct service with the demand to produce statistics and incessant output, reports and documentations. Yet, there is hope because they are still aspired and driven by mission and vision of the social work profession.
In arriving at suggestions on how social workers can better understand social work administration and transfer administrative theories and knowledge to practice and skills, the study suggested a framework which involves: harmonization of micro and macro practice; humanize social work administration so that a meaning could be attached to administration; connecting and creating the social work education curriculum to reflect the actual administrative practices and skills required by social service organizations; and enhancing communication and collaboration between educators, social workers, agency management and policy makers. Specific recommendations proposed for social workers, administrators, and educators, include: active pursuit of learning and practice opportunities in field practicum, incremental changes and review of the social work education curriculum, augment teaching capacities, research and knowledge building in social work administration, conduct systematic staff development and training programs on administration; initiate mentoring and peer support in service organizations and address concerns of the existing government subvention system. This study has provided valuable information on administrative practice by frontline social workers. The findings have pointed out gaps, issues and concerns which should be critically examined by the social work profession, educators as well as administrators. How the profession views administration as an integral part of social work, how educators design a curriculum which truly reflects the realities of social work practice in the 21st century and how administrators play the role to groom and cultivate the next generation of social workers are the challenges ahead of us.
Tang, Hui
Adsorption of SDS from greywater on CTAB and its analogues modified Na-zeolite
|Faculty of Construction and Environment
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
Sewage -- Purification
Water reuse
Environmental engineering
|i, 29 leaves : color illustrations ; 30 cm
|This article investigated the adsorption capacities and mechanisms on sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) of several different surfactant modified zeolites (SMZ). The SMZs are prepared by loading the analogues of CTAB such as HO(CH₂)₁₀N(CH₃)₃, Br(CH₂)₁₀N(CH₃)₃, (CH₃)₃N(CH₂)₁₀N(CH₃)₃. The performance of adsorbents, thermodynamics and the influence of temperature were researched in this work. Molecular level thermodynamic parameters such as Gibbs free energy, enthalpy change and entropy change were obtained from ITC test. The batch experiments show that with the same length of carbon chain, bromide group component has the best adsorption performance and hydroxyl group compound is the worst. With the same functional group (OH), compound which has longer carbon chain has better adsorption performance. These results can be proved by ITC test. At the molecular level, the Gibbs free energy of CTAB, CH₃(CH₂)₁₃N(CH₃)₃, Br(CH₂)₁₄N(CH₃)₃, HO(CH₂)₁₄N(CH₃)₃ with SDS are -7.81,-7.48, -7.15, 1.98 Kcal/mol separately. Apparently, CTAB is the most likely to combine with SDS and Br(CH₂)₁₄N(CH₃)₃ is also easy to react with a very close ΔG. As for the inorganic components such as sulfate and phosphate, their influence on modification process is negligible according to the ITC test.
Zhang, Yan
Adversative and concessive conjunctions in Chinese EFL writing : a functional perspective
|Dept. of English
English language -- Grammar.
Second language acquisition.
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
|xv, 337 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 30 cm.
This dissertation is a comparative study of adversative and concessive conjunctions in English texts written by Chinese EFL learners and the native-speaker writers, who are comparable in age and educational stage. Adversative and concessive conjunctions are expressions that indicate semantic relations of contrast and concession between text spans of varying extent. Informed by Halliday and Matthiessen's (2004) systemic account of clause complexing and CONJUNCTION, adversative and concessive conjunctions fall into two broad syntactic categories, i.e. structural conjunctions that link or bind clauses within the domain of a single clause complex (e.g. but, although, etc.) and cohesive conjunctions that typically mark relations beyond the clause complex (e.g. however, nevertheless, etc.). In view of the meaning relations, these conjunctions represent two different semantic categories, i.e. adversative type of extension and concessive type of enhancement. Very often, an adversative or concessive conjunction can be used with a great deal of semantic overlap between these two types of expansion. That is, the same instance of a conjunction in a text may be interpretable both adversatively and concessively. The indeterminacy between contrast and concession has been discussed in the literature on grammaticalization. For instance, Ramat and Mauri (2008) argues that "the diachronic paths attested for adversative and concessive connectives partially overlap as far as originally temporal values are concerned, but tend to diverge in the remaining cases" (p. 5). Given the complex nature of adversative and concessive conjunctions at the syntactic and semantic levels, these conjunctions have been a source of difficulty for EFL learners in writing. The aims of this dissertation are to investigate the syntactic and semantic categories of adversative and concessive conjunctions, and to explore the discourse functions of these conjunctions in writing of Chinese EFL learners and native speakers. Drawing on Halliday and Matthiessen's (2004) notion of grammar as a meaning-making resource, this dissertation is oriented towards uncovering the meaning distinctions between a group of adversative and concessive conjunctions instantiated in English texts written by Chinese EFL learners in comparison with those written by their native-speaker counterparts. Motivated by the concern with probability profiles and systemic potentials of adversative and concessive conjunctions, the study combines the strengths of two research methods, i.e. the corpus-based approach and text-based analysis along the lines suggested by Matthiessen (2006). The corpus-based approach makes it possible to analyze a group of conjunctions in large data sets in quantitative terms of certain low-level lexicogrammatical features such as syntactic positions and co-occurrence patterns. However, analysis involving text-level features is difficult to handle with this approach; these features have to be explored in full-length texts manually. As discussed in Matthiessen (2006), in light of the expected difficulty of analyzing a large volume of data manually, the usual practice is to have a trade-off between low-level analysis of large-volume data and high-level analysis of small-volume data.
The present study draws on a learner corpus and a native-speaker corpus. The learner data is taken from the Chinese Learner English Corpus (CLEC) (Gui & Yang, 2003) and the native-speaker data is based on essays from British Academic Written English Corpus (BAWE-E), a corpus of proficient student writing for degree programmes at UK tertiary institutions (Nesi &Thompson, 2007). The corpus-based analysis starts with an overview of a total number of seventeen adversative and concessive conjunctions across the two corpora. Comparisons are made in three major areas: i) overall frequency and distribution of the types of inter-dependency between clauses, namely structural and cohesive; ii) distribution of semantic categories, i.e. adversative, replacive and concessive and iii) positional distributions, such as clause-initial and clause-medial positions concerning cohesive conjunctions and initial and final dependent clauses concerning the subordinating (hypotactic) type of structural conjunctions. Following the overview of a group of 17 conjunctions, the next step of the corpus-based analysis is devoted to the detailed study of four specific conjunctions, namely but, while, however and on the contrary. The in-depth study focuses on the syntactic and co-occurrence patterns of these conjunctions in order to shed light on the specific type of semantic relations they encode. The text-level analysis is based on a full-length text taken from the Chinese Learner English Corpus. Text-level analysis is of particular importance in accounting for the discourse properties of adversative and concessive conjunctions used in Chinese EFL learners' writing. Specifically, it is concerned with searching for discursive evidence as to why and how adversative and concessive conjunctions are used in relation to other linguistic choices instantiated in English texts written by Chinese EFL learners. Finally, based on the findings from the corpus-based analysis and the text-based analysis, pedagogical implications are drawn. The pedagogical implications take into account both features of text and variables of context, with an aim to systemize EFL writers' linguistic choices of adversative and concessive conjunctions in relation to context. The perspective to EFL writing adopted in this dissertation is in line with the multi-perspective second language writing theory suggested by Silva and Matsuda (2001). Silva and Matsuda (2001), in the introduction of Landmark Essays on Second Language Writing, emphasize the need for a theory of second language writing that considers various elements of second language writing - including the writer, the text, and the context, as well as the interaction of these elements. It is hoped that the present study of adversative and concessive conjunctions will not only contribute to our understanding of these conjunctions in terms of the meanings created, but also to our understanding of the systemic potential of clause complexing and CONJUNCTION as complementary grammatical resources for realizing semantic relations, and ultimately to our knowledge of grammar as a meaning-making resource. To our knowledge, this study is among the first to adopt a corpus-based Systemic Functional Linguistics perspective in investigating the semantic relations encoded by adversative and concessive conjunctions in EFL writing.
Au, Kai-ming Brian
Aging effect on egocentric and allocentric frames of reference in visual attention : an event-related potential (ERP) study
|Dept. of Rehabilitation Sciences
Visual perception.
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
|xxiii, 234 leaves : illustrations (some color) ; 30 cm
Visual attention is the cognitive process that some visual stimuli are selected for processing over others. This process involves directing attention to a spatial location which can improve the accuracy and speed of responses to target stimuli that occur in that location. Visual attention could be modulated by the frame of reference which individual takes when perceiving external visual stimuli. Egocentric (viewer-based) as well as allocentric (object-based) processing can affect visuospatial attention. Nevertheless, not much is known about the mental and cognitive processes which mediate the two encoding reference frames. Besides, not much studies in aging effect on the modulation of visual attention by these two frames of reference. This study aimed to 1) investigate the cognitive processes involved in the allocentric and egocentric reference frames for visual attention; and 2) investigate the possible changes in these cognitive processes in normal aging.
Seventeen young individuals (7 female and 10 male) aged 18-23 years (mean ± SD = 20.82 ± 1.19 years) and sixteen older healthy individuals (9 females) aged 60-66 years (mean ± SD = 62.75 ± 1.57 years) were successfully recruited in the final data analyses. The behavioral data showed that both groups responded more accurately in valid (Young: 95.11 ± 1.25%; Older: 91.22 ± 0.87%) than invalid trial (Young: 90.67 ± 2.02%; Older: 76.52 ± 2.50%) (p<0.001) but the young group responded faster when the stimuli were presented to their right (651.75 ± 25.86 ms) compared to their left (689.24 ± 27.12 ms) visual hemi-fields, F(1, 16)=18.39, p=0.001. On the other hand, the older group responded more accurately in egocentric (85.64 ± 1.31%) than allocentric (82.09 ± 1.64%) but no such difference was found in the young group (p>0.05). The ERP findings shows that greater P1 amplitude was found in the older group, F(1, 31)=6.28, p=0.018. Interaction effect between group and hemi-field was found in the P1, F(1.00, 31.00)=13.04, p=0.001. It was found larger in the young group when the visual stimuli were presented at right hemi-field than left hemi-field. Similarly, interaction effect between group and hemi-field was also found in the P3, F(1.00, 31.00)=9.91, p=0.004. Larger P3 was found when stimuli appeared at RHF (1.22 ± 0.48 μV) than LHF (0.86 ± 0.55 μV) in the young group. However, it is the other way round for the older adults. Their P3 was larger for the stimuli presented at the LHF (3.25 ± 0.52 μV) than the RHF (2.90 ± 0.49 μV).For the N2, interaction effects were found between group and frames of reference, F(1.00, 31.00)=5.59, p=0.025, suggesting that the young group had shorter latency in egocentric than allocentric conditions. For the contralateral delay activity (CDA), interaction effects were found between group and condition, F(1.00, 31.00)=5.74, p=0.023, suggesting that its amplitude was found larger in egocentric (-0.64 ± 0.09 μV) than allocentric condition for the older adults (-0.47 ± 0.07 μV). Overactivation and posterior-anterior shift in aging were also found which indicate the compensation for the age-related decline in the posterior regions. Although both young and older adults have similar findings in responding faster in egocentric than allocentric condition under behavioral observation, the reasons for having this phenomenon are different in terms of the cognitive processes involved.
Ng, Chi-wai
Analysis and development of short-distance wired communications
|Faculty of Engineering
Telecommunication systems.
Digital communications.
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
|xii, 102 p. : ill. ; 30 cm.
Wired communications is one of the major forms of electronic communications. There are two types of communication interfaces in computer systems: internal interfaces and external interfaces. Examples of internal interfaces are Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA), Personal Computer Interface (PCI), PCI Express (PCIe), etc., whereas examples of external interfaces are Universal Serial Bus (USB), Thunderbolt, External SATA (eSATA), etc. SATA is an important standard of PC communication with a transfer rate of 6.0 Gbit/s. It is a computer bus interface which connects host bus adapters to mass storage devices such as optical drives, hard disk drives, etc. Thunderbolt is a new transmission technology jointly developed by Intel and Apple. It allows for the connection of external peripherals to a computer with the transfer speed of 10 Gbit/s. USB 3.1 is the latest USB standard with a data rate of 10 Gbit/s, whereas USB 3.0, which is the mainstream USB standard for computers and various peripheral and storage devices, offers a rapid transmit rate of 5 Gbit/s. A closer look at the speci.cation of USB 3.0 shows that the clock and data recovery (CDR) is an essential module of the physical layer of USB 3.0. CDR is used to extract the clock signal from the bit-stream. On the receiver side, a clock signal is generated from a frequency generator. This reference clock is adjusted to align with the changes of the bit-stream. Since transmitting digital information over a long distance is necessary, the encoded bit-stream and clock signal are embedded and serialised to minimise the number of signal wires. The data signal and clock signal are transmitted together and, hence, are subject to the same delay. A coding is used to achieve bounded disparity and DC-balance. Furthermore, the coding must provide an adequate number of toggled states to allow the clock signal to be recovered from the data. A common line code is 8b/10b, which can fulfill the mentioned conditions and translate the symbols from 10-b to 8-b for decoding and the symbols from 8-b to 10-b for encoding. Since the CDR circuit plays a crucial role in every high-speed serial communication system, a novel architecture has been proposed for the CDR circuit. In the proposed CDR architecture, it is modified from the architecture stated in [36]. However, 8 D-Flip Flop based slices with eight-phase clocks are used for the phase detector instead of the bang-bang phase detector. A voter circuit is used as the decimator circuit for fast calculation. In addition, a digital-to-phase converter (DPC) is used to select the corrected eight-phase clocks instead of using a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) to generate the phase clocks. The proposed implementation of the CDR circuit does not depend on the specific analog process and it can provide higher immunity to noise. Compared with the traditional CDR circuit, the resulting signal of the proposed CDR circuit is less affected by noise and the transfer function of the transmission medium. In addition, the size of the CDR circuit is small when compared with other implementations using 0.11 μm or more advanced technology. Thus, the manufacturing cost of the proposed design is significantly lower than the others.
Applications of the high-speed serial bus can be found in contemporary computer systems, in which the internal hard disk is a crucial device. The main function of a hard disk is to store software and data. Hence, a disk that fails or is unstable substantially affects the operation and performance of the computer system. However, the communication channel of the hard disk is a noisy channel. Because data errors can occur during reading or writing, codecs must be implemented to increase the accuracy of accessing data from the storage device during high-speed communication. The most common method for conducting this process is to use the redundant array of independent disk (RAID) system with coding for error detection and correction. The RAID system combines several hard disks to function as a single hardware for redundancy checking and double storage. A novel, quasi-cyclic low-density parity check (QC-LDPC) coding [41] is used for the RAID system with the function of error correction and detection. The proposed coding is a layered QC-LDPC with excellent error performance, low complexity, high throughput and high code rate. A chip is designed to illustrate the function of the QC-LDPC codec. In the chip design, a QC-LDPC decoder and a QC-LDPC encoder are included in the RAID system. The QC-LDPC decoding circuit consists of a few thousands of check nodes and variable nodes. Each node contains a 64x4 b random access memory (RAM) including 1440 RAMs inside the circuit. The chip is designed to match the data rate of USB 3.0, which is used as an external interface for the RAID system.
Xie, Qian-li
Analysis of long-term monitoring data obtained by an optical fiber sensory system deployed on Dongjiang water mains
|Faculty of Construction and Environment
Optical fiber detectors.
Structural stability.
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
|viii, 62 leaves : illustrations ; 30 cm
|A fibre Bragg grating (FBG) sensing network for monitoring the structural integrity of the Dongjiang water mains (DJWM) was developed by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in conjunction with the Water Supplies Department of Hong Kong SAR Government. The structural integrity of a segment of 200-meter-long glass-reinforced-plastic (GRP) pipes of the water mains has been monitored in terms of strain, temperature, and flow pressure for about one year. A database has been established for statistically analysing the structural performance of the GRP pipes under different conditions. This paper is devoted to the statistical analysis of the monitoring data with the expectation to recognize the performance patterns of the GRP pipes. Firstly, the correlations of the data acquired by sensors deployed at different locations along the pipes are investigated for two purposes: 1) to examine the spatial relationship between different measurement points, and 2) to recognize key positions/cross-sections along the GRP pipeline. Secondly, the time histories of the measured strain, temperature and pressure at key cross-sections are analysed, and some irregularities are identified during the analysis and listed in this paper. Finally, the correlations between measured parameters acquired at the key positions/cross-sections are analysed over a long time period to obtain the temporal performance pattern. If the performance curves about the GRP pipes in later days are not coincident with the formulated patterns after excluding environmental influential factors, anomaly in either sensor or structural integrity is alarmed, and further inspection action is made to identify potential structural defect.
Ng, Po Wah Lawrence
Analysis of MYB expression and MYB translocations in salivary gland and lacrimal gland adenoid cystic carcinomas
|Dept. of Health Technology and Informatics
DNA-binding proteins.
Adenoid cystic carcinoma
Genetic transcription.
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
|x, 63 leaves : color illustrations ; 30 cm
|A subset of Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (ACC) is characterized by MYB fusions including the novel t(6;9)(q22-23; p23-24) translocation. There has been over expression in MYB RNA in ACCs regardless to MYB fusions. Retrospective study of formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) samples of 21 salivary gland ACCs and 3 lacrimal gland ACCs together with 6 non-ACC salivary gland tumors were studied. As a result, MYB-NFIB fusion transcripts in salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma and lacrimal gland carcinoma were 9% and 50% respectively with an overall frequency of 15%. No MYB-NFIB fusion transcripts were identified in all non-ACC of salivary gland, suggestive of a high specificity of MYB-NFIB fusion in ACC of salivary gland. Sixty-seven percent of salivary gland ACC were MYB fusion positive. In case of lacrimal gland ACC, all cases were fusion positive. The overall frequency of MYB fusions was therefore 71%. MYB expression was found in 80% and 67% of fusion-positive salivary gland and fusion-positive lacrimal gland ACCs and was about 67% of fusion-negative salivary gland ACCs despite of low expression in fusion-negative ACCs. MYB over expression didn't appear in other salivary gland tumors. Overall percentage of MYB expression in ACC samples was 75% whereas the percentages of MYB expression in fusion positive and negative ACC samples were 78% and 67% respectively. Hence, MYB can be counted as a major oncogene in ACC pathogenesis.
Liu, Yi
Analysis of seasonal variation and impact factors of PM2.5 in urban area of Beijing
|Faculty of Construction and Environment
Air -- Pollution -- China -- Beijing
Air quality monitoring stations -- United States -- Management.
Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations
|iii, 127 leaves : color illustrations ; 30 cm
|To analyze characteristic of PM2.5 seasonal variation and its impact factors in Beijing, this thesis centers on PM2.5 variation of the main urban area in Beijing. Research period is from October 2013 to March 2014. Whole period contains three seasons, spring, autumn and winter. Using statistical analysis is one innovation of research. Analysis result could explain the characteristics of variation in different seasons. Comparison result between research period and 2009 to 2010 shows the variation trend of seasonal characteristic through the years. Impact factor analysis is another innovation of this research. Statistical analysis can show relevance between PM2.5 and different meteorological factors. A regression equation based on factors created by program displays how well those factors could explain variation of PM2.5. Humidity and wind are two factors who have strong correlation with PM2.5 according to analysis result. Based on atmospheric physic knowledge, a further step analysis has been conducted to discuss why the wind has a strong negative correlation with PM2.5 and its mode to impact PM2.5 variation. Secondary inorganic aerosol is the major component of PM2.5 in Beijing. The chemical analysis result shows humidity could influence PM2.5 concentration through influencing secondary inorganic aerosol production. This result can further explain how automobile exhaust could indirectly contribute to PM2.5 pollution. Many scientists focus on those factors who are compositions of PM2.5. They study PM2.5's variation characteristic through studying variation of those factors. The result of this research proves that some factors which are not compositions of PM2.5 still could have a strong impact to PM2.5 variation. This is major breakthrough offered by this research. It can provide a new study idea for PM2.5 research in future.
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The New Draft Surrogacy (Regulations) Bill, 2016August 26, 2016 Health Care Comments Off
1. Commercial surrogacy is banned in most developed countries, including Australia, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Sweden, New Zealand, Japan and Thailand
2. Now the new bill bas it in India too
3. But the bill allows altruistic surrogacy, where women (near relative) can legally carry someone else's child if no money (other than medical cost and insurance), favour or coercion is involved.
4. Under the proposed law, only infertile Indian couples who have been married for at least five years can opt for surrogacy, while those who already have a child cannot do so.
5. The law that insists that a surrogate woman has to be a close relative of the infertile couple would be "impractical" and may also raise the risk of the surrogacy industry, driven by demand, moving underground, spawning illegal transactions. People will start making fake documents that they are near relatives.
6. The Bill has penalty provisions for those violating the law, when it comes into effect. The penalties include a huge monetary fine (ten lac), and imprisonment (ten years) and even striking down the name from medical register. This will increase paper work. The records will have to be kept for five years and not 2 years.
7. Imprisonment clause is now coming in every new bill PNDT, CEA, Health Data Bill and now surrogacy bills. To err is human. Doctors are not criminals.
8. There will be no role of brokers, agents or inter-mediators and the onus of proof in the case of negligence will be with the clinic and not surrogate or an egg donor.
9. It will effect medical tourism
10. There are more that 50 million infertile couples in the world and their desperation for a biological child has turned commercial surrogacy into a booming business. Thousands of infertile couples rent wombs from poor women for nine months so they can take a baby back home. 11. India has estimated 12 million to 15 million infertile couples
12. Big market for sperm and ova banking, embryo implantation and surrogate womb services.
13. Celebrities also rent wombs
14. An end to commercial surrogacy will be a big blow to many infertile couples. Infertile couples generally do not discuss in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) or third-party reproduction (surrogacy) with close relatives. This is kept as secret as possible, particularly from their close family members – so how are they going to find altruistic close relatives.
15. Finding women from within the close family willing to be surrogates will not be easy. Many infertile couples are likely to find themselves in distress.
16. There are medical grounds where surrogacy is justified – imagine a woman who has lost her uterus during childbirth or a woman born without a uterus
17. The proposed surrogacy law might even lead to break-up of marriages. This may lead to an increase in second marriages – if surrogacy is not allowed, some couples are likely to break up.

subset: commoncrawl


text: FoodMaking food go further Food is a popular way many of us socialise and we spend a good amount of time and money on it. Yet 15 million tonnes of food and drink is thrown away every year. That's the same weight as 2 million double decker buses. Half of this is from our homes alone, costing £470 per household per year. You can help stop edible food from ending up in the bin. Tuck into the feast of events, blogs and recipes here and see how easy it is to make the most of your food, and save some money. 3 things you can do today Plan ahead. Take a moment to think about the week ahead - when will you be eating at home? Try and plan a couple of meals ahead, make a list of what you need to buy and only buy what you need. Freeze it. If you cook too much or forget to eat something near its use by date, chances are you can freeze it and eat it later. Eat your leftovers. If you cook too much or can't finish a meal, pack it for lunch. Even if you're eating out, ask for a doggy bag. Go a bit further - run your own campaign. Home Do something Top tips Recipes Blog Ideas bank Collaborate Food Lachuch, Yemen pancake Eran Hovav, Head Chef at Rare Food, shares a Yemenite pancake recipe that his grandmother gave to him at 8 years old. He has had many moons to perfect this recipe. Go sparingly on the butter. Ingredients 500g Plain flour 7g/Sachet dry active yeast 1 tbsp Fenugreek 1 tbsp Fine sea salt 1 tbsp Caster sugar 100g Stale organic white bread without the crust 4 Cups water at room temperature 100g Unsalted butter Method Mix the flour, yeast, fenugreek, sugar and salt in a deep metal bowl Soak the bread in water (not specified in the ingredients list) for 5 minutes, then squeeze it dry and crumble into the bowl Add the water to the bowl and mix well, it should look like a very thin pancake mix if not add a bit more water. Cover the bowl with cling film and let in rise in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, this can be done over night. Use a touch of butter in a non-stick pan and rub the pan with a paper towel so there's a thin layer of butter. Use a ladle and scoop 2 ladles worth of dough in the pan on a medium to low heat. The pancake will start to bubble and turn off-white, that's the time to cover it with a lid for a minute and a half. Once done place the Lachuch on a plate and continue frying the rest of the dough remembering using only a thin layer of butter. The most important thing is the lay the pancakes bubble side up (for the first one) and lay the second on top of the first whilst the bubble side touching each other, you should get a tower of pancakes. Enjoy! Thanks to Rare Food for contributing the recipe, we are always thrilled to receive recipes with a procession of exclaimation marks in tow!Photo by Martin Sojka.


text:
The disparity between published test figures and real-world fuel economy has long been a topic of discussion, and in Europe, the average gap between the two has reportedly risen to 40%. The current figure in the USA isn't as high, but is rising, and the push for compliance testing to better reflect real-world operation was recently given further impetus by Volkswagen's admission of a 'cheat device' to ensure some diesel models met NOx limits during laboratory testing.
The future of fuel economy performance and vehicle emissions testing dominated the agenda at the recent Fuel Economy Detroit conference, where OEMs, supplier companies, regulators and other interested parties met to debate the regulations, technologies and other factors that will shape the next decade of vehicle development. In particular, the challenge of meeting tougher regulations such as the US CAFE 2025 targets – which represent a 54% improvement on 2014 levels – was addressed.
It's not just powertrain engineers that are working on the problem, however. The conference also heard from lightweight materials specialists such as Ford's Matt Zaluzec, as well as our very own Ales Alajbegovic, VP for ground transportation at Exa.
"We need to stop designing cars to pass laboratory tests and make sure they perform as well as possible on the road," Alajbegovic commented during his presentation at the conference. "The diesel emissions scandal was an extreme example, but there are plenty of other changes automakers make for the benefit of the lab rather than the road, and in the end it's the customer that loses out.
"You can't really blame the carmakers for the situation they're in," he expanded. "Selling cars is a competition and there are financial incentives to get the best numbers possible within the system, so they fully take advantage of the rules as they exist. Aerodynamics is a good example – if you're lab testing, you're assuming no crosswinds and no turbulence from other vehicles. As a consequence, aero devices developed in a wind tunnel – like the blade air-dams you see on the front chin of US trucks and SUVs – are really most effective in idealized conditions. In the real world they could potentially make the car less fuel-efficient."
At the Exa booth outside the conference room, delegates and media representatives were able to meet with Alajbegovic and technical director, Kevin Golsch, a former GM aerodynamicist who was able to provide real-world examples of how Exa's PowerFLOW software had been used to improve the C7 Corvette. The 'Vette was also the subject of one of the 3D software demonstrations being shown on Exa's big screen, which sparked some interesting discussions throughout the day.
Exa believes that CFD will be essential to achieving the further reductions in aerodynamic drag required to meet future fuel economy targets. Aside from its ability to model turbulent air and varying environmental conditions such as wind strength and direction, it's able to balance the often-conflicting demands of aerodynamic performance, thermal management and styling in a way that wind tunnels are not. But until regulators agree to incorporate simulation data into compliance testing – as happens in the heavy truck market with the EPA's Greenhouse Gas Emissions Model (GEM) – the OEMs' focus is likely to remain on wind-tunnel numbers.
Back in the conference, the attention turned to some of the powertrain technologies that will bring emissions figures down. According to Honeywell, the current trend for downsized turbocharged engines is set to continue, with the market share of turbos in North America expected to rise from 23% in 2015 to 39% by 2020. They will be joined by new emissions-reducing innovations, too, such as the Rankine heat-to-power converter from Faurecia, which is due to be launched in 2018.
"It's always interesting to see what other companies are doing and hear expert opinions," concluded Alajbegovic. "The questions after my presentation were thought-provoking and the feedback from our conversations at the booth has been very helpful. For sure, we're not the only ones in favor of using CFD technology to improve real-world fuel economy."


text:
The Readathon has now finished. Please could all monies and sponsor cards be returned to the Learning Zone. Thank you all for your support.
Mrs A Turner – Learning Zone Manager
English Novels
Students in the following years need to hand in their English novels:
• Year 7 – 'Holes'
• Year 8 – 'Hidden' or 'Noughts & Crosses'
• Year 9 – 'Martyn Pig'
If your child has not yet handed in their novel, to their English Teacher, please ensure they do so as soon as possible. Failure to do so will result in a letter being sent to students requesting payment to replace any missing books.
Duke of Edinburgh's Bronze Award
If your child is doing their Duke of Edinburgh's Bronze Award, please inform them that they must attend a meeting after school on Tuesday instead of Wednesday this week. At this meeting, they will be issued with trangias, tents and rucksacks if they require them. On Saturday 17th May, students must be at school for 8.00am ready to leave for the practice weekend in Thetford Forest.
Mr J Pearson
Year 11 English Literature Exam
Students in Year 11 who are taking the GCSE English Literature exam on the 20th May 2014 will need their texts (novels), 'Of Mice and Men' and 'Lord of the Flies', during the exam. Failure to bring these books to the exam will result in students taking the exam without them.
Thank you for your co-operation.
Miss V Cheyne – Head of English
School Uniform Brochure
To view the latest uniform brochure, please follow the link below to take you to the website: https://www.helena-romanes.essex.sch.uk/school-information/uniform/
Successmaker withdrawal sessions – Year 7
It is GREEN week, so the hour withdrawal sessions for Successmaker students are from SCIENCE.
Miss P Jackson and the Extended Learning Team


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8 month marker! Wow...sort of frightening to think about how much time has passed AND how little time we have left to go. I have SOO much left to do to properly prepare to bring our little girl home. I am sure that the "nesting instinct" will help to take care of that in the coming weeks.
Finally a photo that I didn't take myself for the weekly update. My friend(s) might still complain that I don't have a head...but what do you expect? I just rolled out of bed. It isn't even 7am here. No head shot for you! Just enjoy the jolly belly, will ya? 32 weeks and growing...
A simple blog offering insight into the lives of M & M: the mundane, the silly, the sad, the extraordinary, the ridiculous...whatever it might be. Welcome to our world. Thanks for visiting!
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Belly Shot Chronicles - 32 Weeks
Posted by M and M: at 7/01/2009 06:51:00 AM
4 comments:
- Megan P said...
Did you drop? Your belly looks lower!!
- July 01, 2009 11:34 AM
- M and M: said...
I haven't personally noticed her "dropping"...but now that you mention it, my belly does at least look lower, doesn't it. Hmmm. Interesting! I just know for sure that it has gotten bigger!
- July 01, 2009 3:17 PM
Good belly Aunt Megan! Keep it Growing! Glad our niece is growing big and strong! Keep growing Miss Finn, we love you!
- July 01, 2009 11:26 PM
- M and M: said...
Oh no worries there...she and my belly keep getting bigger! Finnley can't wait to meet her cousins, but I am making her stay in that belly for a bit longer!
- July 02, 2009 2:56 PM


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Thomas the tank party supplies for kids parties of this pack of eight Thomas loot bags all in blue with Thomas The Tank Engine printed on the front of each bag and surrounded by a colourful yellow circle with train wheels on the perimeter. Your child's friends will love these Thomas themed bags filled with party loot to go home from your Thomas party.- can be order online and delivered Australia wide or purchased at our Sydney based party shop.
Be the first to review this product
1463 Pittwater Road Narrabeen North NSW 2101 - Tel: (02) 9970 7999 - Fax: (02) 9913 3803


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Samsung Galaxy Win GT-i8558 Android Rom download Original Firmware. Get Official Stock Firmware (Flash File) Link On Your PC That Stock Rom File Compress in zip package with drivers,Flash Tool & Stock Rom.
Samsung Galaxy Win GT-i8558 Android Rom
File Name: Samsung_GT-i8558_4.2.2_20170104.zip
Country: ALL
Android Version: 4.2.2
File Size: 587MB
How To Flash: See Tutorial
How To Flash Samsung Stock Rom
Step 1: Download Samsung Android Rom (Flash File) and extract it on your Computer.
Step 2: Download and install Samsung USB Driver on your PC. Skip this method If you have already installed the Samsung USB Drivers.
Step 3: Now, Download and extract Odin Flash Tool on your PC. After extracting, you will get the Stock Rom File, Flash Tool, Driver and How-to Flash Guide.
Step 4: See Full Detail How Flash Stock Rom in your Samsung Smartphone
Follow Instructions
Readme Once:
Take a Backup of your Samsung Smartphone because after flashing all data remove.
This is the Official Stock Rom Release by company all data is original for recover your device if you got software error, hanging error, update error dead issue and boot loop.


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Wow, that was a particularly uninspired heading for a blog post about one of the 'Nix's only superstars,DJ Radar
. Astute longtime readers may already have realized that I've long been a homey of Radar's as well as a fan; I once took him back to my home state of Alaska where we drove nine hours on cliff-side roads in a January blizzard to get to a gig in Fairbanks on time. As Radar'sConcerto for Turntable
and turntable/strings projects have enveloped his professional life over the past few years (you can read about ithere
, orhere
), it's been increasingly rare to catch him taking it back to basics. But tonight you can catch him kicking it old school atWishbone
at Next in Scottsdale, along with Robbie Rob, Senbad, Maji, Benjamin Cutswell & more. If you've been reading about the classical/strings shit for the past few years and aren't quite sure how he originally made his bones in the turntablist world (Spin once named him and former partner Z-Trip amongst the five best DJ's in the world), here's an educational track for you off of theBomb! Return of the DJ
If you like this story, consider signing up for our email newsletters.
You have successfully signed up for your selected newsletter(s) - please keep an eye on your mailbox, we're movin' in!
compilation (with help from Z-Trip)...
btw: here's how radar works (courtesy wikipedia) -
"Private Parts": http://media.newtimes.com/id/170803/


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Flawless App Releases: 39 Tips to Improve Product Management for Apps
Product management is a discipline that continues to be hard to describe and define. There are particular approaches for doing product management "the right way," which was part of my motivation for writing App Savvy. At the same time, a portion of this role simply comes from experience. That may even be truer for app product management, which as of this writing is still less than a decade old.


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Today we have some good feedback from listeners, how I don't kiss butt, the Indiana Guitar Show and how you can share your song for outtro music.
Tag Archives: listener feedback
Episode 80 – gear stuff, listener feedback and theory
This week i talk about the iStomp, cigar box guitars (again), some listener feedback, Re-Axe – Axe Handler guitar stand and music theory starter kit – the chromatic scale and building major scales. Listen to it and enjoy!


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Daylight Factory Rider
Niels Appermont
Age 11
Tessenderlo, Belgium
Home Track
BMX Zolder
My Achievements
2014: Boys 8 years:
- 1st Place Belgium Championships.
- Semi finals World Championships Rotterdam, the Netherlands
2015: Boys 9 years:
- 2nd Place Belgium Championships
- 2nd Place European Championships Erp, The Netherlands
- 8th Place World Championships Zolder, Belgium
2016: Boys 10 years:
- 1st Place overall ranking Top Competition Belgium
- 1st Place 3x times 3 Nations Cup (Holland, Belgium and Germany)
European Rounds:
- Top 3 Overall ranking European Cup 2016, with 2 winning rounds
- 2nd Place European Championships Italy, Verona Boys 10 years.
- 8th place European round against the boys 12 years (I'm 11 years)
- 3th place 3 Nations Cup also against the boys 12years
- 1st place Flemish Championship
What I like about being on the Daylight Cycles Factory Team.
"It's nice and an honor to be part of this team. We are not only members of this team but also friends. In fact, this bike is so different, he also races very differently. Feels so good ..smooth. He rocks!"
My hobbies and interests.
- trampolining
- scooter
- movies
- hanging out with friends on BMXraces
- reading book facts, nature, historical, technical...
- writing about historical things (Olympic games, etc.)


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District of Kent Circle Farm Tour
Discover all the amenities, facilities, opportunities, research options you might need or wish to explorer in our friendly, open community.
Chef Dez
Even if you are not the culinary type that craves to unleash your cooking talents in the kitchen, you are still capable of appreciating a recipe just by tasting it.
Tourism Harrison
Find visitor information on Agassiz and the Harrison Hot Springs region.
Circle Farm Tour regional website.
Harrison & Agassiz Accommodations
South Garden B & B
We create a memorable experience, offering genuine service and respecting the privacy, desires and comfort of each of our guests. South Garden Bed and Breakfast is truly a quiet, rejuvenating solace.
Harrison Heritage House & Kottages
Harrison Heritage House offers you more than just a place to stay, we offer you the chance to get away from your day-to-day stress while you rest and revive in our luxurious rooms on our tranquil property.
Blackberry Lane B & B
A quiet retreat in the country! Soak in the splendor of farm life in this newly renovated B&B with a private entrance and comfortable rooms. Enjoy petting the animals, going for quiet walks, or relaxing in the hot tub. Marlene's home made pie is a wonderful afternoon treat offered to all guests.


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In this section, you'll find everything you need to know about how to write successful research papers, from the nitty-gritty of doing the research to the finishing work that is required of a well-written paper.
Here is the basic Writing Tips Style Sheet I hand out in most of my classes. Feel free to share it!
In order of when you'll do the work, here is what you'll find under the Research Paper tab.
Doing the Research
- Click here to figure out what qualifies as a Scholarly Source or to understand the process of peer-review
- Here I explain, with the help of some videos, what the typical research process looks like
Presenting the Research
- Some classes at Dawson (especially IS) ask you to write an annotated bibliography, so here are some definitions and examples
- IS also asks you to produce a paper with an abstract. Click here to find out what an abstract is and for some successful (and not so successful) examples
- Here is some advice about MLA citations and how to produce good works cited pages
Writing the Paper
Producing a successful paper has many different elements to it. The first step is to produce a rough draft. To do that, you'll need to:
- select strong quotations
- frame those quotations
- come up with a thesis sentence
- write a draft paper all the way through to the conclusion
- write (or re-write) your introduction with a revised thesis that reflects the paper you've written
* Keep in mind that for longer research papers, you may need to go back to get more research as your thesis changes shape


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30 WORKOUTS in 30-DAYS!
Starts JULY 1st, 2018
Stay up to date with us and share the TBFC love on Instagram. Make sure to message us so we can follow you back.
Join us on Facebook and WIN a free membership! Like us and comment and be the FAN of the week. It's that easy!
LIVE workouts targeted to help you reach your fitness goals. This page is for members only.


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December 13, 2005
The first meeting of our IT for Health Care Advisory Committee
Events to come.
North Seattle Community College and a number of hospitals in the Puget Sound region are working together to integrate Information Technology into our Health Care Curriculum.
Our goal is to prepare our Health Care students for work in the digital hospital of the future.
It for Health Care Advisors Can Use the Forum by clicking the IT HC Advisor's Forum link at the top of this page. You can click the "NSCC IT FOR HEALTH CARE LOGO" on any page to return to this (HOME) page.


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MINNEAPOLIS J JHC MLB — MINNEAPOLIS -- Strong safety Alvin Walton, upset because he has been deactivated by the Washington Redskins for the Super Bowl today, is likely to ask to be traded after the game.
"It doesn't look like he has a future with the team, so we want his status clarified," his agent, Tony Agnone, said yesterday. "The options include [being put on] Plan B or a trade."
The Redskins replaced Walton on the roster with Terry Hoage, who was placed on injured reserve with a broken arm Oct. 26, but has recovered.


text: Find tools to help run and manage your school. Information in this section complements the School Policy and Advisory Guide. School Policy and Advisory Guide Operational policies and governance for government schools Human resources Via HRWeb. Working conditions, leave, health and safety, equity, values. Finance Guidelines, CASES21, student resource package, purchasing, managing funds and help programs School performance and improvement FISO, school census, performance data, improvement programs Facilities, IT and sustainability School maintenance, sharing and leasing facilities, information technology, computers, energy efficiency Security and emergency management Emergency closures, bushfires, setting up an emergency plan, responding to incidents. School councils, networks and the community Running school councils and elections, parent clubs, using interpreters Records and information management Storing records, freedom of information, privacy and copyright Outside school hours care services Setting up and running a service, regulations and legal requirements International students International student enrolment, fees, school accreditation and standards A to Z of running a school Indexed list of resources for principals


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Welcome to On the Fence, a group blog about impartiality in the media by four MA Broadcast/International Journalism students at University College Falmouth.
To explore the issues surrounding impartiality in our blog we've divided the topic into 4 different sections that each of us will cover in detail.
Tom will be looking at definitions of impartiality and how reporters achieve the balance of showing both sides of the story, but also finding out the 'truth'. Ali will be exploring how impartiality is regulated in the media and Owen will be looking at impartiality stateside, and comparing how bias is tackled in the US and the UK. Finally Daphne will be looking at impartiality in China and the issues of censorship and regulation there.
We hope that you enjoy reading the blog and any comments are most welcome,
Tom, Ali, Owen and Daphne


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The entrance to your home can be inviting to guests and family members; a place to organize personal belongings, show hospitality, and share family welcomes and goodbyes. Transforming a cluttered entranceway into something more organized and inviting can certainly be done with a little time and care.
Step One: Separate Necessity from Clutter
Are there things crowding out the entrance that have no place or are unnecessary? For example, storage, trash, toys, or even one too many rugs? Removing these items will immediately open the space up a little bit and help the area to appear manicured and comfortable.
Step Two: Add Organizational Resources
A shoe storage rack is an excellent way to clean up clutter and encourage your guests to do the same. A nice rack placed conveniently near the door will send the message that you would prefer if guests remove their shoes. You may even choose to create a simple sign indicating your request. Additionally, a shoe rack shows guests where to deposit their footwear to keep the entranceway free of clutter.
Other ideas you may consider are adding include a coat rack or a small shelf to store keys, wallets, or other smaller items. Small boxes either built into the wall, or stored in a taller wicker basket can be a great place for mittens, hats, and scarfs during the cold winter months.
Step Three: Show Family Style
Does your family have a mission statement or quote that represents your feelings for each other? Is there some humorous joke that makes everyone laugh in your home? Including your own family style in the entranceway can provide guests with an idea of the environment they are entering.
There are many ways to add family style including vinyl lettering showing a family belief, a large family portrait, a humorous saying plastered over the doorway, or even a simple "Welcome" sign.
By decluttering your entranceway, organizing, and adding family style, you can create a place that is both welcoming and cheerful to your guests and family members.
Related Posts
Girl on Fire
Latest posts by Girl on Fire (see all)
- Finding The Best Car Insurance in Texas Is Full of Surprises… - August 13, 2018
- Clean Sweep: How to Get Rid of All the Pests That Invade Your Home - August 9, 2018
- Earn Free Gift Cards during the Back to School Team Challenge – US - August 6, 2018


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15 Times Kourtney Kardashian Gave Us Major Body Envy
There's no doubt about it, Kourtney Kardashian has an amazing body. The mom-of-three has worked hard for her bod, and she loves to show it off. Take a look at the 15 times Kourtney made us drool over her fantastic figure.
Kourtney Kardashian, 38, is the epitome of #FitnessGoals. The KUWTK star loves to show off her fabulous body transformation in everything from Instagram photos to on the beach in bikinis to date nights out. Kourtney, who is a mom to Mason Disick, 7, Penelope Disick, 7, and Reign Disick, 2, is the oldest of the Kardashian kids, but she doesn't look it at all. Kourt works hard at the gym to keep her body in amazing shape, and we don't blame her for wanting to flaunt what she's got!
Summer is almost here, and Kourtney loves a good bikini. On a recent vacation to Mexico to celebrate her 38th birthday, Kourt stepped out in so many sexy bikinis, including thong bikinis! Thong bikinis are all the rage right now, thanks to stars like Kourt. Those barely-there bikinis put her bootylicious butt on full display. Kourtney proves that age is just a number, and you can have your best body ever at 38 years old. Step aside, 20-year-olds!
She's so confident with herself, she's even stripped naked! Kourtney went completely nude in Costa Rica while he sisters watched this seriously sexy photo shoot go down on Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Slay, mama!
Kourtney looks hot all day, every day. She loves to get dressed up, too! The MILF made quite the statement at NYFW in 2016 when she went commando while wearing a slinky black gown. The sexy dress showed off her incredible curves and toned legs. We love how Kourtney is so dedicated to staying healthy and fit. Stay confident and stay sass, Kourt!
HollywoodLifers, do you think Kourtney is the hottest Kardashian? Let us know!


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Bombay red printShirting cotton
Our Bombay pyjamas is a classic with the ultimate balance between comfort and style. It's almost too committable to take off.
Made from 100% cotton soft fabric.
Design - navy with red print.
- collar with piping, pants with belt, elastic waistband with button and one button in fly.


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Our Mission
NxTSTOP empowers the world explorer. Whether it is where we have been, where we live, or where we aspire to go, NxTSTOP is the focal point to connect people to share authentic experiences all over the world. We are enablers of the 21st century travel lifestyle.
This lifestyle is multi-faceted - encompassing fashion, food, music, art, sports, entertainment - and we seek to unite and grow communities in each area. We began with unique and stylish apparel to help people express their passion for travel and cities they love.
Our next evolution is digital: we will help people connect and share knowledge to feel like locals wherever they go so they can enjoy the world to the fullest.
Travel has changed our lives and we hope to inspire that opportunity for others. In pursuit of this goal NxTSTOP is also dedicated to supporting initiatives that help those less fortunate to travel, explore and ultimately, experience the world in a meaningful way.
Venture On.
The NxTSTOP Team
Our Team
Brendan Kennedy
Founder and CEO
What is NxTSTOP to you? I've spent my entire life moving to new cities - NYC, Madrid, SF, LA, Sao Paulo, Boston, Paris, Dallas - and traveling the world for interest. No matter where I am, I simultaneously want to be a local and still rep where I'm from. Connecting with people from where I've been and merging that with the constant adventure of where I'm going defines my life. That's NxTSTOP.
Travel Story: The first time I went to Indo to surf I ended up going to the island of Sumbawa with my buddy Alex. We flew into the wrong airport, had to pay $100 each (a fortune in Indo!) for a ten hour death-defying drive through the mountains, slept in a $4 per night, 100 degree bungalow without AC, with Malaria mosquitoes, and with giant hornets. Next day got food poisoning. Best surf of my life for three days, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Jacob Arias
Head of Strategy
What is NxTSTOP to you? For me NxTSTOP is an attitude. It is an expression of passion for travel and discovering beauty in people and culture. It is that emotional connection you have with someone during your travels, whether it is a local in a new country, or someone from your hometown you meet on your adventure. My goal with NxTSTOP is to be the most authentic and trusted way for people to connect around the world and share their experiences.
If you could go anywhere, where would you go? Why? Australia. I have friends who live there, who have been urging me to visit, and I really want to see what it's like from their perspective.
Erik Logan
Business Development Manager
What is NxTSTOP to you? NxTSTOP for me is not only traveling but meeting new people in places I've never been. I love learning about new cultures, their way of life, their music scene, and food scene. The people involved with NxTSTOP also make it great. Individuals are from all walks of life and coming together, each doing what he or she does best. Part of the fun is exploring ideas and watching them come to life. It defines what we are all about.
What city do you rep? Philadelphia, PA. Love the way this city has evolved from before the gentrification until now! I also represent Orlando, FL and San Antonio, TX.
Margaret Nguyen
Digital Content Manager
What is NxTSTOP to you? NxTSTOP represents not only the adventurous travel style, but a lifestyle that connects people to others and to places that we've traveled or want to travel to.
What city do you rep? Born and raised as a proud New Yorker. And yet this city still has me on my toes. NYC has limitless exciting things to do, see, and eat. I'm always a tourist in my own city!
Michael Phillips
Social Media Support
What is NxTSTOP to you? NxTSTOP to me is a lifestyle, not just a brand. It is a way to connect with others from different backgrounds and walks of life to find a common ground. I love to travel to meet as many people as I can from different places.
What city do you rep? I was born and raised in the City of Brotherly Love - Philadelphia - and still exploring it everyday.
Rahul Ramesh
Technology Intern
What is NxTSTOP to you? NxTSTOP is the representation of the global experience, a culmination of the sights, pleasures, and memories of travel and adventure. Repping the way I live my life and creating an outlet for others to share their paths and experience is what NxTSTOP is all about to me!
If you could go anywhere, where would you go? Why? Dubai, UAE. One of my aspirations is to someday experience being atop (maybe on the roof) of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.


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The FRAISA cutting data software for reliable tool use.
ToolExpert, the cutting data software is continuously expanded with new products and areas of application. The material database is so comprehensive that hardly any materials possessing suitable application parameters are missing. The software is easy to comprehend, easy to operate and can be used without the need for training.
Your fraisa PC based advisor
Simple, straightforward and free of charge
Find the appropriate cutting data for your application. Using either the tool search or the tool selection, finding a solution is fast and simple. The recommendation can then be printed in the form of a datasheet or saved as a pdf.
You can also follow the link to order the selected product directly from the E-Shop.
Installation and updates are very easy. The software can be installed and used on a local computer or on a mobile resource such as a memory stick.
Note: Administrator rights are required to install this program on your computer.
Take advantage of ToolExpert as your expert advisor when starting out with a new application. Of course, everyone knows that no software can solve every specific problem.
or more background resources, we recommend attending our machining seminars which provide the relevant know-how for extended process optimisation work.
We hope you enjoy using ToolExpert!
Do you have questions about our products?
We will be happy to help!
FRAISA USA, Inc.
711 5th Street S.W., Suite 1
New Brighton, MN 55112
Telephone: (651) 636-8488,
1-800-427-7114 (Toll Free)
Fax: (651) 636-8588
E-Mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


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This is not your typical "get your kids up on Sunday morning and tell them they are going to "Sunday School" and try to make that interesting. Our WNSS program is open to children 4K through 6th grade. We meet most Wednesday nights from 6:30-7:30pm throughout the school year @ the Boscobel Campus.
How our WNSS program works: At WNSS we teach the same Bible story and Memory Bible Verse for four/six weeks. Each week the kids rotate to different kid friendly stations where the Bible lesson is taught either by participating in Crafts, Drama, Games, Kitchen, Storytelling, and/or Mini Missions.
By rotating each week, the kids will have a different Station Leader, so to help make WNSS more relational, each grade has their own Shepherd. A Shepherd is an adult/youth that rotates each week with their grade, getting to know each child and forming friendships with them.
Besides the different stations, we also gather for Large Group time where the lesson is reinforced though fun, upbeat music, use of short movie clips, a skit and/or object lessons that relates to that month's Bible Story and Memory Bible Verse.
We discuss ways to take what we've learned from the Bible and apply it to our everyday lives. The WNSS kids and staff are challenged to be the Hands and Feet of JESUS at WNSS, at home, at school, and at play.


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Synergetic releases SynMobile v2
Synergetic is pleased to announce SynMobile v2 is now available for iOS and Android devices.
This application allows expanded access to all forms of the Synergetic database. The new development includes customised layouts for both phone and tablet devices, and can be downloaded using the following links:
An overview of SynMobile v2 can be found here
For further information please visit our support site.


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Developers poured money and concrete into South Florida's three county "capitals" this decade, furiously building up the downtown skylines with thousands of new residential high-rise condos and apartments.
Now that the real estate boom is over, officials in those major urban centers are asking: Did we overbuild?
Prices in the three downtowns - West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami - plummeted to bargain-basement levels. But recent surveys suggest only Miami severely overbuilt its urban center during the real estate boom. Nearly 40 percent of the condos there are empty and up for sale.
Some developers were left holding unsold condos in West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, but officials in both downtowns said they're well-positioned to recover from the bust.
Cities across America did what Fort Lauderdale, Miami and West Palm Beach did in the early part of this decade: invited dense, tall residential towers into their downtowns to try to deliver an infusion of people.
Proponents wanted to fill downtowns with residents, so the lights wouldn't shut off at 5 p.m. when the office crowd flowed to the suburbs.
A spirited construction frenzy in downtown Miami brought about 25,000 new condo units and apartments to life since 2003, according to a mid-June report commissioned by the city's Downtown Development Authority.
The survey, which covered 23,000 of the units, found 38 percent of the condos were still for sale.
That was considered good news in Miami, "defying the perception that the majority of high-rises built in recent years are empty," a DDA news release touted.
DDA Vice Chairman Neisen Kasdin said Miami's downtown is at the top, "in the pecking order of success," because thousands moved there in recent years.