by Connie S.K. Leung. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1990. / Bibliography: leaves [93]-[98] / Chapter CHAPTER 1 --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter 1. --- Some Observations on Direct Marketing in Hong Kong / Chapter 2. --- The New Generation - Hong Kong Yuppies / Chapter 3. --- Overview of the Huppies Club Concept / Chapter CHAPTER 2 --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.14 / Chapter 1. --- What is Direct Marketing? / Chapter 2. --- Direct Marketing Versus Geneial Marketing / Chapter 3. --- Merits of Direct Marketing / Chapter 4. --- Why does Direct Marketing Grow? / Chapter 5. --- Prime Prospects of Direct Marketing / Chapter 6. --- Key to Direct Marketing Success / Chapter 7. --- Direct Mail in Hong Kong / Chapter 8. --- Definition of Yuppies / Chapter 9. --- Yuppies' Demographic Characteristics / Chapter 10. --- Yuppies' Psychographics / Chapter 11. --- Yuppies' Lifestyle / Chapter 12. --- Yuppies and Direct Marketing / Chapter 13. --- Huppies: Hong Kong Yuppies / Chapter CHAPTER 3 --- RESEARCH OBJECTIVES --- p.49 / Chapter CHAPTER 4 --- METHODOLOGY --- p.50 / Chapter CHAPTER 5 --- KEY FINDINGS --- p.51 / Chapter 1. --- Huppies' Lifestyle / Chapter 2. --- Experience With Direct Mail / Chapter 3. --- Club Membership / Chapter 4. --- The Huppies Club Concept / Chapter CHAPTER 6 --- CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS --- p.71

by Chow Siu Fung, Clement. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1992. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 54). / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iii / Chapter I. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter II. --- SCOPE OF THE PROJECT --- p.6 / Chapter III. --- OMNI HOTELS ASIA-PACIFIC --- p.8 / Chapter IV. --- EFFECTIVENESS OF DIRECT MARKETING IN HOTEL INDUSTRY --- p.11 / Chapter V. --- A PROPOSED DIRECT MARKETING SYSTEM IN A HOTEL --- p.15 / Chapter VI. --- HOW TO GET GOOD LISTS AND BUILD OURS --- p.18 / Chapter VII. --- DUPLICATION PROBLEM --- p.23 / Chapter VIII. --- WHAT OFFER WE COULD MAKE --- p.27 / Chapter IX. --- TIMING OF MAILING --- p.32 / Chapter X. --- GUEST HISTORY DATABASE SYSTEM --- p.35 / Chapter XI. --- RANKING METHOD --- p.38 / Chapter XII. --- HOW TO USE THE GUEST HISTORY --- p.41 / Chapter XIII. --- CONCLUSION --- p.45 / EXHIBITS --- p.46 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.54

This disssertation investigates spillover effects in the South African SA banking sector using a number of different perspectives and methods. First, I used an adapted model developed by Claessens et al., (2001) and extended by Uiboupin (2005) to identify the effect of the foreign banks’ re-entry on the domestic banks’ performance after the apartheid regime change. The results show that the foreign banks’ entry has an effect on the before-tax profit of domestic banks and increases the competition in SA banking market. Then I further the investigation from an efficiency perspective using a cost efficiency model for the same bank panel. The results show that on average foreign banks are 28% more efficient that domestic banks. But the results show that over the period 2000-10 both categories of banks increased their efficiency level by around 10% and that the origin of the banks as well as their size were the main factors responsible for the efficiency gap. Then results from the implemention of a survey I designed, using an adapted version of Kraft (2002) for the foreign banks and branches, confirm that the entry of foreign banks contributed to the modernisation of the SA banking sector and to the introduction of new products and best practices, leading to the conclusion that spillover effects were localised in the limited segment of the SA wholesale banking. I analyse the impact of recent FDIs in SA banking sector, in terms of knowledge transfer and spillovers. The results show that the acquisition of ABSA (an SA big four) by Barclays (a British bank) generated increased efficiency. That was not the case for the Standard Bank (another of the SA big four), of which a 20% share was acquired by ICBC. The results show that these recent FDIs have no significant impact on competitiors’ behaviour and strategy.

Les expériences ont été menées pour déterminer les propriétés électriques des verres et liquides silicatés du Vésuve et du Kilauea par spectroscopie d’impédance. Une étude méthodologique des mesures à deux et quatre électrodes a amélioré la qualité des mesures électriques. Les mesures ont été faites entre 400 et 1400°C, 0.1 et 400MPa et pour des fugacités en oxygène de 10-8 à 0.2 bar. La conductivité électrique croît avec la température, les teneurs en eau et sodium et lorsque pression et fO2 diminuent. Des lois d’Arrhénius ont été déterminées dans les verres et liquides pour étudier les propriétés de transport. Des énergies d’activation de 60 à 150kJ/mol et un volume d’activation de 20cm3/mol ont été calculés. Une méthode semiempirique a été déduite pour estimer la conductivité d’une large gamme de melts. Une application géophysique de nos résultats a consisté en un modèle direct de la conductivité du Vésuve. Les fonctions de transfert s’expliquent par la seule présence d’une saumure. Sa forte conductivité rend la détection d’un corps magmatique profond difficile. Cependant, nos simulations ont démontré que les données géophysiques actuelles sont en accord avec un réservoir de magma cristallisé ou du magma plus chaud interconnecté dans l’encaissant carbonaté. Une application géochimique a consisté au suivi en temps réel des cinétiques redox dans des basaltes, en utilisant la dépendance au temps de la conductivité suite à un changement de fO2. L’évolution de la conductivité au cours du temps, liée à la mobilité du sodium, est identique à celle du ratio fer ferrique/fer ferreux du melt. La réduction sous CO-CO2 et l’oxydation à l’air sont limitées par la diffusion, mais pas l’oxydation sous CO2, probablement à cause de réactions à l’interface gaz/melt. Les valeurs calculées élevées de diffusivité et d’énergie d’activation ont été expliquées par des mécanismes redox impliquant une coopération entre flux d’alcalins, de cations divalents et d’oxygène. / Experiments were conducted to determine the electrical properties of silicate glasses and liquids from Mt Vesuvius and Kilauea volcanoes using impedance spectroscopy. A methodological study of the two and four electrode measurements improved the quality of the electrical measurements. Measurements were performed between 400 and 1400°C, from 0.1 to 400MPa and for oxygen fugacities ranging from 10-8 to 0.2 bar. The electrical conductivity increases with increasing temperature, water content, sodium content and with decreasing pressure and fO2. Arrhenius laws were determined for glasses and liquids to investigate the transport properties. Activation energies from 60 to 150kJ/mol and an activation volume of 20cm3/mol were calculated. A semi-empirical method was deduced to estimate the conductivity of a wide range of melts. A geophysical application of our results consisted in the forward modelling of the conductivity of Mt Vesuvius. Transfer functions are explained by the only presence of a brine. Its high conductivity makes difficult the detection of a deeper magmatic body. Still, our simulations demonstrated that present geophysical data are compatible with a crystallized magma reservoir or a hotter magma interconnected in the surrounding carbonates. A geochemical application consisted in the monitoring in real-time of redox kinetics in basaltic liquids, using the time-dependence of electrical conductivity following fO2 step changes. The evolution of the conductivity with time, related to sodium mobility, is identical to that of the ferric/ferrous ratio of the melt. Reduction under CO-CO2 and oxidation in air are diffusion-limited, while oxidations under CO2 are not, probably due to gas/melt interface reactions. High calculated diffusivities and activation energies have been explained by redox mechanisms involving cooperative alkali, divalent cation and oxygen fluxes.

Ti-6Al-4V alloy has been used as biomedical implants for decades because of its superior mechanical properties, good biocompatibility, lack of allergic problems and good corrosion resistance. It is widely used as the tibial components in total knee arthroplastry and hip cup in total hip replacement. However, the mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V implant can be deteriorated due to corrosion pits. In the past decades, the rapid developments in additive manufacturing have broadened their applications in biomedical area due to the high geometrical freedom in fabricating patient-friendly implants. However, the high-localized thermal input and fast cooling rate during laser processing usually result in non-equilibrium phase with high residual stress. Therefore, it is necessary to apply proper post-treatments on the as-printed parts to ensure better properties. In this work, various post-treatments (e.g. post-heat treatments, hot isostatic pressing) were applied aim to improve the corrosion behavior of direct metal laser sintered Ti-6Al-4V parts. The effect of post-treatment temperature on the mechanical properties and corrosion behavior were examined experimentally. A discussion on factors influencing corrosion rate was presented, and the corrosion mechanism on the Ti-6Al-4V part in simulated body fluid was proposed. Based on the electrochemical measurement results, enhanced corrosion resistance was observed in the samples after high temperature HIPing at the annealing temperature (α+β region) of 799°C.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention deemed the increase in overdose fatalities, due to the use of opioids, an “opioid epidemic” in the United States. Heroin, fentanyl, and other synthetic opioids are commonly abused and are contributing to the opioid epidemic. In 2016, the Drug Enforcement Administration temporarily placed three fentanyl analogs (beta-hydroxythiofentanyl, butyryl fentanyl, and furanyl fentanyl) under Schedule I due to their imminent threat to public health. These drugs elicit analgesic effects similar to heroin making them desirable drugs to abuse. Novel fentanyl analogs and designer opioids are expected to become more prominent in forensic casework in the near future as the opioid epidemic continues. These drugs can be seen in forensic seized drug and urine casework samples either alone or mixed with other drugs of abuse. It is therefore necessary to have an efficient methodology to identify these new compounds. Currently, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) is used to identify drugs of abuse and is considered the “gold standard” in forensic casework. However, analysis times can often range from 15 to 60 minutes in length. Another drawback is the need for spectral library matching, which requires analytical reference materials for identification. Therefore, the identification of novel fentanyl analogs and designer drugs is limited until a reference material becomes available. In this study, direct sample analysis time-of-flight mass spectrometry (DSA-TOFMS) was evaluated to provide rapid identification of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids in seized drug and urine casework samples. DSA is a direct ambient ionization source, which requires no chromatography and minimal sample preparation. TOFMS is a high resolution mass spectrometer that uses collision-induced dissociation (CID) to produce precursor ion and characteristic fragmentation ions, which provide additional structural and molecular formula information, allowing for the identification of compounds without a reference material. The analytes explored in this study include: heroin, 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM), morphine, fentanyl, norfentanyl, 4-anilino-N-phenethylpiperidine (4-ANPP), acetyl fentanyl, beta-hydroxythiofentanyl, butyryl fentanyl, furanyl fentanyl, valeryl fentanyl, AH-7921, U-47700, buprenorphine, norbuprenorphine, desomorphine, MT-45, W-15, and W-18. Direct sample analysis time-of flight mass spectrometry (DSA-TOFMS) is a novel instrumentation that could be utilized in the forensic sciences field to qualitatively identify illicit substances in casework samples. In this study, 19 compounds of interest containing heroin, fentanyl, fentanyl analogs, and other synthetic opioids were evaluated using DSA-TOFMS. DSA-TOFMS abbreviated the workload of the analysis and was utilized to provide precursor ion and characteristic fragmentation ions within an analysis time of 20 seconds. Certified reference standards were used to optimize instrumentation settings, to determine precursor ions and characteristic fragmentation ions, and to determine the limit of detection of the instrument. A carryover study determined there were no persisting ions present when entering the capillary inlet between runs. A repeatability study revealed the DSA-TOFMS repeated results within the acceptable criteria range of above 500 counts and within 10ppm error 93% (10ppm) and 83% (1ppm). Forensic seized drug casework samples were evaluated with DSA-TOFMS and qualitatively identified. Out of the 64 samples, 89% were qualitatively identified as heroin, 4% were qualitatively identified as fentanyl, 1% was qualitatively identified as heroin and fentanyl, 3% were qualitatively identified as acetyl fentanyl, and 3% were qualitatively identified as furanyl fentanyl. The casework samples containing furanyl fentanyl were considered “true unknown unknown samples,” as the Maine Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory gas chromatography-mass spectrometry library did not have a spectrum to use for the identification of these samples. Forensic urine casework samples were evaluated with DSA-TOFMS. Samples previously confirmed to contain compounds of interest were prepared using minimal sample preparation technique (filtered using 0.45 microns syringe filters and diluted (1:10) with LC/MS grade water). Analysis displayed the limitations of DSA-TOFMS as only twelve of the forty compounds of interest were present and only three of the twelve were within the acceptable criteria range. DSA-TOFMS is a fast and reliable technique with minimal sample preparation for forensic seized drug samples. However, the concentration in complex matrixes, such as urine and blood, were unable to be qualitatively identified using this sample preparation method by DSA-TOFMS.

INTRODUCTION: The anesthetic management for pediatric patients undergoing direct laryngoscopy and/or bronchoscopy (DLB) is administered based on the anesthesiologist’s preference. Objectives: The preliminary analysis of this study aims to identify variables that decrease surgical end-to-transport (SET) time and directly impacts patient outcomes. SET time is defined as the time of surgery end to the time of patient exit from the operating room. METHODS: After IRB approval, all DLBs performed at Boston Children’s Hospital (Boston, MA) by the Otolaryngology Department from June 2012 to December 2014 (n= 2419) were obtained from the Anesthesia Information Management System. With a 0.05 level of significance, a multivariate logistic regression was performed in SAS v9.3 with SET time as the dependent variable and surgery duration, age, gender, ASA status, airway device and extubation status as the independent variables. Airway device and extubation status were found to be moderately predictable of each other, so separate models were conducted. Spearman correlation testing was performed to evaluate the relationship between SET time and post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) duration. RESULTS: We excluded cases having ASA classification >2, age >21 years, regional nerve blocks, tracheostomy, nasal cannula, or unknown airway or extubation status. Remaining cases (n = 967) were arranged by SET times and dichotomized by the median value (14 minutes) into two groups (≤14 minutes and >14 minutes). After adjusting for other variables, we found that patients with an endotracheal tube (ETT) were 4.85 times more likely to have a SET time higher than the median, as compared with to those having with a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) (p = 0.0023, 95% CI: 1.76, 13.33). We also found that patients with an ETT were 2.89 times more likely to have a SET time higher than the median compared with those having a mask airway device. (p < 0.0001, 95% CI: 2.09, 3.98). In addition, there was a weak positive correlation between SET time and PACU duration (r = 0.09406, p = 0.0069). DISCUSSION: Preliminary analysis indicates that airway management has a significant impact on SET time after adjusting for surgery duration, age, gender, and ASA status. The use of either a mask or an LMA resulted in a lower SET time than the use of an ETT. The correlation of SET time and PACU duration suggests that reducing SET time does not negatively impact post-operative outcomes and may even be positively, though weakly, correlated. This study is limited by its retrospective nature. Future analysis will include the evaluation of commonly used perioperative anesthetics with dosage and timing variables and their correlation with SET time and patient outcomes.

DNA repair is not a single mechanism found within cells. There exists numerous different DNA repair mechanisms that function within every type of cell. The majority of these mechanisms risk accumulating mutations. However, there are a few repair mechanisms that are known to be error-free and one of these is direct reversal repair. This study focused on two proteins highly involved in direct reversal DNA repair--ALKBH2 and ALKBH3. Previous studies have shown that in mice, these two proteins play a significant role in preventing and repairing DNA damage due to methylation as well as decreasing the frequency of mutagenic alkyl adducts. The goal of this study was to characterize the roles of the direct reversal repair proteins in human cells. We expected to see a similar phenotype to that of the Alkbh2 and Alkbh3-deficient mice. Telomerase immortalized human skin fibroblasts were targeted for the ALKBH2 and ALKBH3 alleles using a RNA-guided CRISPR-Cas9 construct that was designed to induce double stranded DNA breaks within the exons and disrupt the open reading frame, eliminating protein activity. Isolated clones were analyzed using fragment analysis and DNA sequencing to characterize any alterations in the open reading frame of the genes. Through sequencing analysis, results showed that one clone was successfully targeted for one of the ALKBH3 alleles with a single nucleotide insertion in its sequence, causing a disruption of the open reading frame. Though the ultimate goal of the experiment was not attained, we concluded that HTERTG fibroblasts can be expanded to serve as a model in which to construct targeted human cell lines that have near normal karyotypes.

Les travaux de simulation menés au cours de cette thèse ont eu pour but de caractériser et de comprendre les phénomènes liés au transfert de chaleur dans des configurations de réseau aléatoire de particules ou de lit fluidisé. Sur la base de simulations numériques résolues à l'échelle des particules, ces configurations d'écoulements diphasiques anisothermes permettent d'extraire des grandeurs physiques locales liées à la microstructure de la suspension ou des informations globales tel que le coefficient de transfert moyen du lit. La première étape des travaux a consisté en la vali- dation de l'outil numérique autant sur l'hydrodynamique que sur le transfert thermique en passant par différents cas d'études académiques ( convection et conduction autour d'une sphère isolée). Ensuite une analyse détaillée du transfert de chaleur est conduite sur des lits fixes pour différentes fractions volumiques de particules, plusieurs nombres de Reynolds et de Prandtl afin d'aboutir à une modélisation macroscopique du flux de chaleur. Sur les configurations de lit fluidisé, les paramètres de simulation ont été variés afin d'étudier la sensibilité des différentes grandeurs hydrodynamiques à la résolution du maillage. Ceci a permis de déterminer les configurations de simulations de lit fluidisé liquide-solide anisotherme pour un coût de calcul modéré. Enfin, une analyse comparative du transfert thermique entre lits fixes et lits fluidisés a mis en évidence les spécificités liées à l'agitation des particules sur le transfert. Ces études ont été conduites dans le but d'obtenir une meilleure modélisation mésoscopique des échanges thermiques dans les écoulements diphasiques et ainsi améliorer leur modélisation à l'échelle macroscopique. / To better characterize and understand heat transfer in fixed and fluidized beds of particles, numerical studies have been carried out in this work. Based on fully Particle Resolved Numerical Simulation (PR-DNS) local and instantaneous informations have been obtained at microscopic scale and further analyzed at macroscopic scale by means of volume and time averages. The first step consisted in a thorough validation of the numerical code on academic configurations (conduction and convection around a single particle). Then, an analysis in arrays of random fixed particles was carried out for several particle volume fractions, Reynolds and Prandtl numbers. From this analysis, the solid-fluid heat transfer was investigated at macroscopic scale and a closure model for the pseudo-turbulent heat flux was proposed. Finally, fluidized bed simulations were performed. These simulations needed a preliminary numerical study in order to select appropriate numerical parameters for accurately reproducing the fluidization with a moderate computational cost. Furthermore, a comparative study of the heat transfer in fixed and fluidized beds was carried out. The entire study aimed at improving the understanding of the heat transfer in particulate flows and dense regimes, in order to provide information for the modeling at macroscopic scale.

Access to sustainable energy in the developing world has become a fundamental challenge in development and environmental policy in the 21st Century, and rural electrification in developing countries constitutes a central element of access to energy goals. However, traditional ways of providing electricity to dispersed rural populations (i.e. through centralised electricity infrastructure or fuel-based on-site generation) is proving to be ineffective, inefficient and less sustainable than the use of renewable energy technologies (RETs) in off-grid settings. Such ‘system innovations' for sustainable electricity services in rural areas are the focus of this study, which seeks to understand the reasons underlying success or failure in the diffusion of radical innovations. Embracing evolutionary and constructivist theories of socio-technical change and sustainability transitions, the thesis attempts to explain the use and diffusion of PV (photovoltaic) and wind technology in off-grid rural electrification over the last 20 years in Chile, a country where access to rural electricity has increased from 53% to 95%. RETs have contributed to nearly 10% of that increment. By using a framework that combines Strategic Niche Management (SNM), systemic intermediation and power, agency and conflicts in decision making, the thesis analyses the dynamics between the development and adaptation of new technologies and their influence in regime shift through replication, scaling up and translation of new socio-technical practices. The thesis attempts to shed light on processes affecting niche construction and it concludes that internal niche processes are relevant to understanding how radical innovations are structured and stabilised from the aggregation of projects. However, those processes are not only a managerial activity that can be steered but a politically underpinned (and iterative) process between specific (socio-political) settings. The study also highlights the role of systemic intermediaries, government and incumbent actors in the dynamic interaction between emergent niche dynamics and traditional ways of improving electricity access.