We introduce in this thesis a new family of semigroup congruences, and we set out to prove that it is worth studying them for the following very important reasons: (a) that it provides an alternative way of studying algebraic structures of semigroups, thus shedding new light over semigroup structures already known, and it also provides new information about other structures not formerly understood; (b) that it is useful for constructing new semigroups, hence producing new and interesting classes of semigroups from known classes; and (c) that it is useful for classifying semigroups, particularly in describing lattices formed by semigroup species such as varieties, pseudovarieties, existence varieties etc. This interesting family of congruences is described as follows: for any semigroup S, and any ordered pair (n,m) of non-negative integers, define ⦵(n,m) = {(a,b): uav = ubv, for all ⋿Sn and v ⋿Sm}, and we make the convention that S1 = S and that S0 denotes the set containing only the empty word. The particular cases ⦵(0,1), ⦵(1,0) and ⦵(0,0) were considered by the author in his M.Sc. thesis (1991). In fact, one can recognise ⦵(1,0) to be the well known kernel of the right regular representation of S. It turns out that if S is reductive (for example, if S is a monoid), then ⦵(i,j) is equal to ⦵(0,0) - the identity relation on S, for every (i,j). After developing the tools required for the latter part of the thesis in Chapters 0-2, in Chapter 3 we introduce a new class of semigroups - the class of all structurally regular semigroups. Making use of a new Mal'tsev-type product, in Chapters 4,5,6 and 7, we describe the lattices formed by certain varieties of structurally regular semigroups. Many interesting open problems are posed throughout the thesis, and brief literature reviews are inserted in the text where appropriate.

In normal subjects, the ventilatory and mouth occlusion pressure (both total mouth occlusion at 0.1 sec. from beginning of inspiration (P0.1) and the maximum rate of change of mouth occlusion pressure, (dp/dt)max.,) responses to CO2 was studied. All three responses gave similar results. However, the P0.1 response has the dis-advantage that subjects anticipated and were conscious of the occlusion; thus it was not used further. In hypoxia tests too, (dp/dt)max. and ventilatory responses gave similar results. With added airways obstruction, the ventilatory response to CO2 was significantly reduced whereas the (dp/dt) max. response was unaffected, suggesting that (dp/dt) max. reflects the respiratory centre output. In patients with chronic airways obstruction, the normocapnic group showed a significantly lower ventilatory response to CO2 but the (dp/dt) max. response was in the range of the normal subjects in 87% of the patients. The hypercapnic patients showed significantly lower ventilatory and (dp/dt) max. responses to CO2 when compared to that of the normal subjects. The resting PaCO2 showed a better correlation with (dp/dt) max. response than with ventilatory response. The ventilatory response in the patients showed a significant correlation with the degree of airways obstruction whilst (dp/dt) max. response did not show any such relationship. This suggests that (dp/dt) max. may be a reliable index of respiratory centre output independent of airways obstruction. In anaesthetized rabbits, ventilation, (dp/dt) max. and the average rate and total diaphragmatic electrical activity (integrated EMG) in response to CO2 was compared. In unobstructed breathing, all four responses gave similar results. With added airways obstruction, the ventilatory response was significantly reduced whilst the other three responses were unaffected. Changes in (dp/dt) max. paralled changes in EMG activity with increases in PCO2. Thus it is shown again that (dp/dt) max. is independent of airways obstruction, and can be said to reflect the respiratory centre neural output. In 47 normal subjects, the ventilatory response to exercise (when exercise is expressed as CO2 produced and O2 uptake) was studied in trained and untrained subjects. The exercise ventilatory response was compared to the CO2 response as measured by ventilation and in some subjects by (dp/dt) max. response. It is found that trained subjects had a significantly lower CO2 response and a lower ventilatory response to exercise than the untrained. The ventilatory and (dp/dt) max. responses correlated significantly with exercise ventilatory response. A similar correlation was found between (dp/dt) max. and ventilatory response to hypoxia and exercise ventilatory response. The breathing pattern of man was also studied to find its relationship with the above findings.

This dissertation deals with an analysis of impulsively loaded plastic plates that includes effects of large deformations and midplane forces. Specifically, it deals with a circular plate of uniform thickness simply supported at its edges. The impulsive loading is characterized by an initial velocity distribution. The analysis assumes that the plate is an isotropic, rigid, ideally plastic material. Shear deformations and longitudinal inertia are neglected. Both bending and midplane forces are considered. The midplane forces can be either applied prior to the impulse or generated by deformations of the midplane. Deformations of the cross section are based on the assumption that a line initially normal to the midplane remains straight and normal after deformation. Strains are nonlinear with respect to transverse displacements but contain only linear radial displacement terms. Finally, the Tresca yield criteria are used. An interaction equation is derived between the plastic moment and normal force. The relationship indicates that the greater the midplane force the smaller the required bending moment for plastic flow. When the midplane force reaches a maximum value, the plate no longer carries a moment. Equilibrium equations are derived for the motion of the plate which are consistent with the von Karman plate theory. Governing equations are then developed for the three possible phases of motion. The initial Phase 1 includes a bending hinge that travels from the support to the center of the plate. Phase 2, which is initiated when the hinge reaches the center, continues until either the motion ceases or a portion of the plate becomes a membrane. Phase 3 described the motion of the membrane hinge from its initial point of origin to its final stopping point. These governing equations are solved for two types of bending moment-midplane-force interaction relationships. One relationship is based on displacement of the neutral surface from the midplane surface. The second is based on the magnitude of the midplane forces. Both types of plastic plate behavior are examined. Plots of final central deformation for various applied midplane forces and impulses are presented that clearly illustrate that even small amounts of midplane forces have a significant effect on the final deformation of plastic plates. Numerical results of the large deformational analyses are also presented. Plots are given showing the influence of the magnitude of the impulse on bending hinge velocity, initiation of membrane behavior, location of the membrane hinge, and the final deformation of the plate. A comparison is made between results of the large deformational analysis and experimental data. It shows excellent agreement. For the small and intermediate range of impulses the agreement is within experimental scatter. For the large impulses the calculated deformations are slightly conservative. Reasons for this deviation are discussed. Finally a critical examination is made of the various other suggested approaches that have possible application to the behavior of plastic plates. / Ph. D.

Much interest in mechanically harvesting apples has been generated, but no completely successful system has yet been developed. Bruising of the fruit has been a prime drawback to current mechanical harvesting methods. One practical approach to mechanized apple harvesting is to shake the trunk or limb of the tree to remove the fruit. With this method, apple detachment appears to be more dependent on length of stroke rather than shaking frequency. Therefore, a variable stroke shaker appeared to be a reasonable approach to a controlled rate of detachment from the tree. The objective of this project was to develop a variable stroke tree shaking mechanism. The variable stroke feature was attained with the use of a hydraulic cylinder and metering valve in the boom of the shaker with the cylinder acting as a variable rate dashpot. The design was tested in the laboratory under varying conditions of effective limb mass and shaking frequency. For comparison, a constant stroke shaker was subjected to similar tests. Both shaking mechanisms were subjected to a theoretical analysis. For the constant stroke shaker, the theoretical and test displacements of the limb were in good agreement, but the theoretical and test limb varied widely. In the variable stroke shaker, the coefficient of damping of the cylinder was determined from test work and checked, using the differential equations for the system. The testing performed in this investigation was limited to the laboratory, but for these conditions an effective variable stroke mechanism was developed. / Master of Science

The research presented in this thesis is a project funded by the EU-network of the Marie Curie project NANO-HOST in collaboration with partner institutes. The aims of this network are to develop innovative methods for the preparation, recovery and reuse of single-site, nanostructured catalytic materials, and further on apply them in combination with specifically engineered reactors for a sustainable production process for making high value fine chemicals. One part of this project was to prepare chiral diphosphine ligands and their complexes for currently challenging reactions, such as asymmetric carbonylations (homogeneous catalysis). Catalytic studies of these chiral diphosphine ligands were carried out in asymmetric hydroxy-and alkoxy-carbonylations and hydrogenation reactions. The second part of this project was the heterogenisation of these chiral homogeneous complexes through collaborations with the network partners and furthermore their catalytic behavior was studied.

In this thesis we will explore the question of Jesus' revelation as a central motif of the Johannine Christology from the perspectives of literary criticism, Jewish apocalypticism and Graeco-Roman dramatic literature. In particular, we will attempt to solve the riddle of the visions developed in John 12.20-36, by answering the fragmentary theory of the text, the claim for the divergent christologies, the question of realised eschatology with or without future eschatology, and the claim that the Johannine community its symbolic world creates is 'sectarian'. A special attention will be paid to the Son of man as presented in the pericope under discussion as well as in the Fourth Gospel as a whole. The thesis will be summarised as follows: 1. Over against the fragment theory, the concentric arrangement of Jesus' saying formed predominantly in parallelism shows a deliberate literary design of the author. Set at the end of the earthly ministry of Jesus, John 12.20-36 is a culminating point of the revelatory process of Jesus. 2. The overall conceptual framework to understand John 12.20-36, and thus the Fourth Gospel as a whole, is the apocalyptic idea of the divine mysteries concerning the .end time. The revelation is centred on Jesus the Son of man, identified as the human-like figure of Dan 7, which culminates in his cross as his glorification/lifting-up. The vision of the revealed mysteries in Jesus on the cross embraces the eschatological Messiah, the restoration of Israel and of the Temple, salvation, the vindication of the righteous and the condemnation of the evil, and the Gentiles' pilgrimage, which is comparable to contemporary Jewish apocalyptic writings. 3. The cross of Jesus as the focus of the apocalyptic vision of the end time lies behind the apparently divergent christologies (the Son of man, the Davidic Messiah, divine Wisdom), which are integrated in the text in such a manner that it is impossible for each to be understood in isolation. The combination of these is already found in the Jewish apocalyptic-eschatological hope. The fact that the lifting-up and glorification of the Son of man is given precedence to the Davidic Kingly Messiah deprives a political and military aspect of the popular Jewish expectation. 4. At the same time, the revelatory pattern of the Johannine Jesus is not only explicable in Jewish apocalyptic terms, but it has to be understand in view of the anagnorisis, a popular Graeco-Roman dramatic convention. Within the main plot of the Fourth Gospel Jesus is depicted as the divine homecoming hero-king, as in Homer's Odyssey, whose messianic identity is closed to many and disclosed to those who receive him with faith (and hospitality). This pattern is relevant for most of the Johannine Son of man sayings as well. In this plot development John 12.20-36 is situated in a climactic place where the Jewish crowd fails to recognise Jesus who points to the decisive moment of his revelation on the cross. 5. The Johannine Eschatology is Jesus centred, and its realised aspect is strongly emphasised, because the eschatological terminology is overwhelmingly applied to him. Thus Jesus on the cross is the embodiment of the eschaton. At the same time, the post-Easter period, the time of the church, is open toward its future culmination because of the mission perspective. 6. The revelation of Jesus as the core of the divine mysteries concerning the end-time centres on the cross, which is presented as both the judgement and the salvation of the world. The Johannine understanding of the cross is expressed within the framework of the vindication/exaltation of the suffering righteous. It is implied that Jesus' death and resurrection inaugurates the new, eschatological covenant for the new people of God embracing both Jews and Gentiles. 7. John 12.20-36 envisages an apocalyptic vision of the end-time judgement and salvation, in which the new covenant people is created as a new people of God. The basis of the new 'children of the Light' is no longer the Law as in the old covenant but the faith in Jesus the Light (and to love each other as a new law). This faith is not individualistic but geared towards community building, which includes the believers from the Gentiles. The community itself is the result of the cross of Jesus. The purpose of Jesus' death for 'bearing much fruit' and gathering of 'all' (nations) to his own house is to be accomplished in the community through its mission to the world, despite the probable persecutions.

The purpose of this research was to test a conceptual model which examines consumer satisfaction/dissatisfaction (CS/D) with apparel retail stores and to investigate the moderating effects of shopping orientations and store type on confirmation/disconfirmation (C/DC) about quick response technologies (QRT) based attributes and CS/D with a retail store. Shopping orientation included fashion, economic, and time orientations. Store type included specialty chain, department, discount, and small independent stores. The conceptual framework for this study was based on retail strategic planning (Berman & Evans, 1992; Cory, 1988) and consumer satisfaction theory (Oliver, 1980). A convenience sample of 200 female apparel consumers was selected from a southeast city in the United States. The survey design employed a structured questionnaire with some open-ended questions. A questionnaire was pilot tested for content validity and instrument reliability. Descriptive statistics (Le., frequencies, percentages), multiple regressions, ANOVAs, and ANCOVA were used for data analysis to test the hypotheses. The response rate was 86.2 % for 200 usable responses. C/DC (i.e., QRT based, non-QRT based attributes) had significant effects on CS/D with apparel retail stores. The results supported the disconfirmation of expectation model (Oliver, 1980). C/DC of QRT based attributes (e.g. reduced stockout, fast turnaround of goods) have more influence on CS/D than C/DC of non-QRT based attributes (e.g., location of store, store hours). Results from a preliminary test indicated that QRT based attributes are improved by implementing QRT. The orientation of consumers is related to the level of C/DC of QRT based attributes, which determines CS/D. Fashion orientation, economic orientation, and store type were significant moderators between C/DC of QRT based attributes and CS/D with apparel retail stores. The retail QRT information assembled in the review of literature and the results of the study could help industry trade associations adjust their strategy for potential QRT adopters and promote QR implementation efficiently, and help retailers do strategic planning when they implement QRT. / Ph. D.

No description available.

This thesis discusses the appropriation of antique art in Italy during the fourteenth century. In order to do that, it considers the surviving antiquities in late medieval Italian cities and examines their reception and perception by contemporary authors and artists. Following the introductory chapter, which sets out the aims of the thesis and provides a brief historical background of the period, this study is divided in two parts. Part I examines the awareness of ancient art in the Trecento by looking at late-medieval Italian texts. After an introduction of the relevant texts and a presentation of the biographical background of their authors, the chapters explore the reliability of the writers, their references to antique art and their particular interests towards antique art. They also examine the textual evidence on attitudes towards antiquity, contrasting the different approaches of intellectual and popular audiences, and discuss a number of surviving antique works that were placed in public places and were charged with ideological intent, meaning and power. Part II approaches the subject of the appropriation of antique art in the Trecento from a different angle and deals with the reaction of artists toward ancient art. It discusses the emergence of a new iconography that reflects themes arising from encounters with classical literary texts, explores instances of antique sculpture portrayed in fourteenth-century paintings, and examines the antique sources of various Trecento motifs and compositions. The Appendix is a detailed list of antique works of art that were visible in Trecento Italy, along with a discussion of their history and the relevant primary and secondary bibliography.

This thesis is an examination of the eucharistic doctrine of ten Scottish theological writers in the tradition of Scottish Episcopacy; five from the seventeenth century, two from the eighteenth century, and three from the nineteenth century. The doctrine espoused by each one throughout the stated period, 1620–1875, is found to agree with the other writers considered herein, because each writer turned to many of the same Church Fathers as the source of his doctrine and his interpretation of Holy Scripture. The argument of this thesis is that all of the writers, rejecting the Tridentine, Lutheran, Bezan-Calvinist, and Zwinglian definitions of the Eucharist, maintained a material sacrifice in the Eucharist, which is an offering to God the Father of bread and wine as the propitiatory memorial of Christ’s death on the Cross, commanded by Christ himself at the Last Supper. The sacrifice is propitiatory because it is the means of representing the one sacrifice of Christ on the Cross to God the Father, thereby pleading the benefits of the Cross for the communicants. The bread and wine do not change substance, but become effectively the body and blood of Christ. Three of the ten writers produced eucharistic rites, one in the seventeenth century, and two in the eighteenth century. It is argued that each of these rites is expressive of the Eucharist as being a commemorative and representative sacrifice. Each rite explicitly offers bread and wine to the Father, invokes the Holy Spirit’s action over the elements, and prays that by receiving the consecrated bread and wine as the body and blood of Christ, the communicants will receive the forgiveness of sins, the continuing grace of the Holy Spirit, and eternal life.