This research study examined the effect of corrosion of web reinforcement (stirrups) on the shear behaviour of slender reinforced concrete (RC) beams. The experimental program consisted of seventeen slender shear-critical RC beams: five uncorroded and twelve corroded beams. The test variables included: 1) corrosion level (0%, 7.5% and 15%); 2) type of stirrups (smooth and deformed); 3) stirrup diameter (D6, D12 and 10M); 4) stirrups spacing (100mm and 200mm); and 5) the presence of CFRP repair. The corroded beams had their stirrups subjected to corrosion using an accelerated corrosion technique and the mass loss in the stirrups was estimated based on Faraday’s law. All of the beams were monotonically tested to failure in three point bending. The corrosion cracks formed were parallel to the locations of stirrups as evidence of the corrosion damage in the corroded beams. The maximum decrease in the ultimate shear strength ranged from 11% to 14.4% for beams with high corrosion level of 15.6% mass loss. At a low corrosion level (4.39% mass loss), the shear strength of beams with smooth stirrups increased up to 35% due to the enhancement of shear friction at the concrete-corroded stirrups interface. The stiffness of the corroded beams was enhanced in comparison to the control beams. The ultimate deflection of the corroded beams was decreased up to 25% in comparison to the control beams. The CFRP repair increased the shear strength by 36% and improved the overall stiffness by 39% in comparison to the corroded unrepaired beams. All of the unrepaired beams failed in diagonal tension splitting, while the CFRP repaired corroded beams failed in diagonal tension splitting in addition to debonding of the FRP or concrete cover delamination. The actual corrosion mass loss results were in good correlation with Faraday’s law for the D12 and 10M stirrups. Poor correlation between actual and estimated mass loss was obtained for D6 smooth stirrups, possibly due to errors in the impressed corrosion. iv The analytical model used the modified compression field theory (MCFT) to predict the shear strength of uncorroded and corroded slender RC beams. In the corroded beams, two reduction factors were added to the MCFT model including the mass loss factor and the effective web width. Predictions based on the model revealed that the control beams gave a very good correlation with the ratio of experimental to predicted values that ranged from 0.94 to 1.02. On other hand, the ratio of experimental to predicted strength in the corroded beams ranged between1.06 to 1.4. The poor correlations were obtained for the beams with the D6 smooth stirrups. This study demonstrates that corrosion of web reinforcement can have a detrimental effect on the shear strength and ductility of slender shear-critical RC beams. The experimental results and analytical approach will be very useful for practicing engineers and researchers dealing with corrosion damage in slender RC members.

In this study we explored some of the factors associated with biased processing of attitude-relevant information. We were particularly interested in the possibility that a self-affirmation, by reducing self-evaluative concerns, might increase participants' willingness to impartially evaluate information that conflicts with their current views. We examined students' reactions to arguments about increasing tuition as a function of four factors: attitude importance, argument strength, the congruence of arguments with existing attitudes, and our experimental manipulation of affirmation. We found that affirmation reduced biased evaluation only for participants who rated the issue as important. We also found that affirmation dramatically impacted the perception of argument strength. Stronger counterattitudinal arguments were rejected by non-affirmed participants, who did not distinguish them from weak arguments, presumably because of the esteem threat posed by a strong ideological challenge. Affirmed participants, though, evaluated strong counterattitudinal arguments more positively.

The effect of fluorine on the solubilities of Mn-columbite (MnNb2O6), Mn-tantalite (MnTa2O6), zircon (ZrSiO4) and hafnon (HfSiO4) were determined in highly fluxed, water-saturated haplogranitic melts at 800 to 1000 °C and 2000 bars. The melt corresponds to the intersection of the granite minimum with the albite-orthoclase tieline (Ab72Or28) in the quartz-albite-orthoclase system (Q-Ab-Or) due to the addition of P2O5 to the melt. The melt content of P2O5 is 1.7 wt. %, and also contains 1.1 and 2.02 wt. % of Li2O and B2O3, respectively. The composition of the starting glass represents the composition of melts from which rare-elements pegmatites crystallized. Up to 6 wt. % fluorine was added as AgF in order to keep the aluminum saturation index (ASI) of the melt constant. In an additional experiment F was added as AlF3 to make the glass peraluminous. The nominal ASI (molar Al/[Na+K]) of the melts is close to 1 and approximately 1.32 in peraluminous glasses, but if Li considered as an alkali, the ASI of the melts are alkaline (0.85) and subaluminous (1.04), respectively. The solubility products [MnO]*[Nb2O5] and [MnO]*[Ta2O5] are nearly independent of the F content of the melt, approximately 18.19 ± 1.2 and 43.65 ± 2.5 x10-4 KSP (mol2/kg2), respectively. By contrast, there is a positive dependence of zircon and hafnon solubilities on the fluorine content, which increases from 2.03 ± 0.03 x10-4 (mol/kg) ZrO2 and 4.04 ± 0.2 x10-4 (mol/kg) HfO2 for melts with 0 wt. % F to 3.81 ± 0.3 x10-4 (mol/kg) ZrO2 and 6.18 ± 0.04 x10-4 (mol/kg) HfO2 for melts with 8 wt. % F. Comparison of the data from this work and previous studies indicates that ASI of the melt seems to have a stronger effect than the contents of fluxing elements in the melt and the overall conclusion is that fluorine is less important (relative to melt compositions) than previously thought for the control on the behavior of high field strength elements in highly evolved granitic melts. Moreover, this study confirms that although Nb, Ta, Zr and Hf are all high field strength elements, Nb-Ta and Zr-Hf are complexed differently.

Approximately 80% of pharmaceutical products and the ingredients required for their manufacture are in powder form. The solid dosage form (tablets and capsules) is manufactured by either dry-blending of fine powder ingredients or combining the ingredients in a wet granulation step, followed by drying. Arching, ratholing, caking, segregation and flooding are some of the commonly encountered flow problems in the handling of fine powders. These problems lead to losses worth thousands of dollars at production scale. Poor powder flowability is a consequence of the combined effects of many variables, including improper equipment design, particle size, size distribution, shape, moisture content and surface texture. In the present work, a systematic study has been performed to determine the relationship between the flowability of fine powders and their physical properties of mean size and size distribution, density and shape.<p> Flowability studies were done on six different powders: the NutraSweet® Brand sweetener (aspartame), Respitose ML001, Alpha-D-Lactose monohydrate, the pharmaceutical binder Methocel (R) F50 Premium Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose- HPMC, a placebo pharmaceutical granulate, and common pastry flour. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and stereomicroscopy were used for particle shape and size analysis. Particle size distribution was determined using the laser light scattering technique. Powder flowability was measured using shear strength, angle of repose, and tapped-to-bulk density measurements. A novel method of measuring the dynamic angle of repose using electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) was developed. <p> Analysis of the images from microscopy revealed that the particles of aspartame and HPMC powders were elongated, the particles of ML001, pastry flour and lactose monohydrate powders were irregular, and the particles of placebo granulate were nearly spherical. Particle size was found to be the most reliable indicator of powder flowability, with decreasing particle size corresponding to lower flowability; however other parameters such as particle elongation and irregularity, were also found to have an influence on powder flowability. Although HPMC and pastry flour had similar particle sizes, they exhibited differences in flowability. This can be explained by the greater irregularity of the flour particles. Particle irregularity may cause mechanical interlocking between the particles, thus reducing powder flowability. ECT was found to be a promising non-intrusive tool for the measurement of the dynamic angle of repose. Unlike other methods for the measurement of dynamic angle of repose, the results obtained from ECT were not influenced by the effect of end caps. The present technique could be used by pharmaceutical industries in process analytical technology (PAT) for the detection and elimination of potential flow problems early in the manufacturing process.

Early strength increase with training is normally attributed to neural adaptations but recent evidence suggests that muscle hypertrophy occurs earlier than previously thought. The purpose of this study was to examine the time course of adaptation through 20 days of training and 5 days of detraining. Twenty-two untrained subjects trained one arm every 2nd day for 20 days. Subjects performed isokinetic eccentric biceps training at 90°/s (6 sets of 8 reps). Muscle thickness (reported in cm) via ultrasound, strength (reported in Nm) and muscle activation (electromyography) were measured before, during and after training (9 time points). Muscle thickness increased after 8 days of training (3.66±0.11 to 3.90±0.12; p<0.05) and remained above baseline until the end of training (3.97±0.12). After 5 days of detraining muscle thickness decreased (3.97±0.12 vs. 3.85±0.11; p<0.05), but remained higher than baseline (p<0.05). Muscle thickness did not change significantly in the untrained arm at any time point. Strength in the trained arm decreased after 8 days of training (65.6±4.1 to 57.5±3.5; p<0.05) and remained suppressed throughout the study. Muscle activation amplitude increased after 14 days of training (p<0.05) and remained elevated throughout the study. In conclusion, biceps muscle thickness increases very rapidly with frequent intense eccentric training although this type of training appears to impair strength. These findings provide additional evidence that muscle hypertrophy may occur much faster than has been generally accepted.

Skillnaden i muskelstyrka mellan dominant och ickedominant ben hos fotbollspelare hartidigare studerats. Det finns inget enhälligt resultat om vilket ben som är starkast eller om detalls föreligger någon skillnad. Tidigare forskning har utfört mätningarna i sittandeutgångsposition vilket inte stämmer överens med fotbollspelares huvudsakliga aktivitet. Syftetmed uppsatsen var att, hos en grupp fotbollspelare i division ett och två, beskriva och jämföraden maximala muskelstyrkan mellan dominant och ickedominant ben. Datainsamlingenutfördes i en liggande utgångsposition då detta ger liknande muskellängdsförhållandet somvid stående. Mätinstrumentet var dragapparaten Genesis Single från Inmotion Intelligence.Studien är en beskrivande, jämförande tvärsnittsstudie. Urvalet bestod av en grupp manligafotbollspelare i svenska division ett och två.Resultatet i studien visade ingen signifikant skillnad i maximal muskelstyrka mellan dominantoch ickedominant ben. Vinkeln av knäflexion vid vilken knäflexorer respektive knäextensorerutvecklar maximal muskelstyrka, skiljer sig inte mellan dominant och ickedominant ben. Vadgäller den, ur maximal muskelstyrkesperspektiv, optimala vinkeln visar resultatet attknäflexorer inte utvecklar maximal styrka vid samma grad av flexion som knäextensorerna.Detta gäller både dominant och ickedominant ben. Fotboll är en sidodominant idrott menstudiens resultat tyder på att fotbollsutövande inte leder till muskulär obalans mellandominant och icke dominant ben. / The difference in muscle power between dominant and non-dominant leg in soccer has beenpreviously studied. There is no consensus on which leg is stronger or whether a differenceexists or not. Previous research conducted measurements in a seated starting position whichdoes not conform to the soccer player's main activity.The purpose of this study was, in a group of soccer players in Swedish first and seconddivision, to describe and compare the maximum muscle power between dominant and nondominantleg. Measurements were performed in a horizontal starting position as this givessimilar muscle length ratio as when standing. The machine used during the measurements wasGenesis Single from Inmotion Intelligence. The study was conducted with a descriptive andcomparative cross-sectional design. The sample consisted of a group of male soccer players inthe Swedish first and second division.The results of the study showed no significant difference in peak muscle power betweendominant and non-dominant leg. The angle of knee flexion in which knee flexors and kneeextensors develop maximum muscle power, did not differ between dominant and nondominantleg. The results showed that knee extensors did not produce maximum musclepower at the same degree of knee flexion as the knee flexors did. This applied to bothdominant and non-dominant leg. Football is a side dominant sport, but the study's resultssuggest that football practice will not lead to muscular imbalance between dominant and nondominantleg.

<p><p>This work analyzes the impact of regulation policies in two distinct settings.</p><p><p>Chapter 1 provides an overview of the existing theoretical literature on innovation and entrepreneurship. It summarizes some of the main findings of the effect of various means of protecting intellectual property on the innovation incentives and the level of entrepreneurship activity. A general observation is that much of the existing work compares the extremes of no protection and perfect protection and the resulting prediction is that perfect protection leads to higher innovation incentives. This is puzzling in light of the empirical evidence that shows the opposite trend. Chapter 2 explicitly takes into account the fact that patent protection is imperfect and likely to lie in between the two extremes. In addition, in more than 70% of infringement cases in the U.S., infringement damages are calculated according to the so-called reasonable royalties rule that essentially awards a portion of the imitator's realized revenues to the innovator. I show that incorporating these two facts result in a non-monotonic relationship between the patent strength and R&D investment if one moves from zero protection to perfect protection in a continuous way. The intuition is that when protection is less than perfect, though not zero, equilibrium may involve both imitation and damages. Viewing damages as an alternative source of profits, the innovator may be less aggressive in pursuing R&D as patents become stronger. This result has important welfare implications. Besides the well-known effect of reducing welfare due to less competitive markets, stronger protection can further curtail welfare by decreasing R&D investment.</p><p><p>Chapter 3, coauthored with Professor Huseyin Yildirim, studies situations, in which one buyer sequentially negotiates with multiple suppliers to acquire goods or services that are either complements or substitutes to each other. We find that the buyer weakly prefers private negotiations because it creates strategic uncertainty about the outcomes from earlier negotiations, leading to less aggressive pricing. For substitutes, this strategic uncertainty is more beneficial for short expiries because long ones allow purchasing decisions to be made after all negotiations are over, creating enough competition on their own and leading to Bertrand prices. In contrast to substitutes, for which suppliers are in direct competition, complements create incentives for suppliers to coordinate their prices to extract the additional surplus resulting from the complementarities of their goods. In this case, introducing uncertainty through privacy is more beneficial for the buyer as suppliers' bargaining powers increase vis-á-vis the buyer because it creates greater coordination concerns. This leads to a somewhat surprising result that the buyer could benefit from negotiating with more powerful suppliers. The model enables an evaluation of certain laws and regulations that govern bilateral negotiations. For instance, open record/open meetings laws, setting rules on public access of information, generate efficient outcomes, but in general are harmful to the buyer. Similarly, the FTC's cooling-off rule sets long expiries by giving the buyer three days to cancel a contract, which generates efficient outcomes when goods are substitutes because of suppliers' Bertrand pricing, but reduces efficiency when goods are complements since long expiries make coordination harder to sustain.</p> / Dissertation

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Tissue, among the highest value added paper products, finds extensive application in modern society. Continued efforts are being made to further improve tissue properties, such as strength, softness and water absorbency. Besides the efforts on characterizing facial tissue softness, this study focuses on tissue quality improvement through chemical means. The application of a wet strength resin, Kymene1500 and a debonding agent, Softrite7516 onto cellulose fibers is considered. First, the adsorption kinetics of the two chemical additives onto cellulose fibers was studied. The adsorption mechanisms were proposed and validated by kinetic data. A novel apparatus was designed in this study, and represented the first in the field to collect real-time data, which has the potential to be applied to the adsorption kinetic study of other types of paper additives. Second, the effects of Kymene1500 and Softrite7516 on various sheet properties were studied. The results provide quantitative information on tissue additives effects on sheet properties. It is shown that the combined application of the additives can overcome the disadvantages of individual species and produce sheets with both wet strength and softness. Finally, environmental-benign debonding agents with polyoxyethylene chains were applied to the sheets, and the effects of two design parameters, i.e., fatty acid and degree of ethoxylation, on tissue properties were investigated.

After 2008-2009 financial crisis, now global economy and market activity begin to recover in 2010. We can find out that emerging markets create high demand and America drive new technologies and innovation for world. So we can see many consumer electric products with high innovation and technology from second half of 2009. Apple company, an amazing enterprise, he launch smart phone-iPhone and combine touch technology and software for the first time. From now on, the market of smart phone will vigorous and penetration rate will reach about 50% in 2014. Recently, Apple create another new product of tablet PC-iPad and creating new topic and leading trend again. FPCB is one of the most important parts on smart phones and tablet PCs. The more light and thin and multi-functional integration ,the more FPCB must be used. That¡¦s why we want to study the FPCB industry. If we want to analyze it further,we need research global and Taiwan recent market status. At the same time,we need study a company of FPCB to analyze five forces and SWOT. First of all, collect relative FPCB industry information of second-hand and research the case ¡VTaiflex company at same time to Visit GM of Taiflex. After cross-matching the data,we can conclude it and propose strategic advice. In this case,can be realized the upstream is almost like oligopoly market and downstream just like completely competition .If Taiflex want to keep competition advantages¡Ait must be have bargain power with suppliers. Vertical integration maybe is a good idea.To customers, establish brand name and customer relative management are necessary. Internal industry competiion issue,Taiflex need upgrade R&D technology,in addition to reduce production cost otherwise can develop different products to avoid potential entrants.