Polarizers are key components of TFT-LCD panels. Because their production demands high technical know-how and the supply of their raw materials was under the control of Japanese companies, these companies used to have few competitors and enjoyed good profits. Recently, however, panels have been mass-produced. Since their investments that often amount to hundreds of billions of NT dollars, panel producers have undertaken vertical integration in order to reduce costs for production. In order also to avoid being limited by the shortage of TAC¡Xan important component of polarizers-- panel producers have been reaching into the polarizer industry one after another. It takes a relatively long time to be able to control the quality of polarizers and to produce a large amount of them. At the present time, the leading companies are Nitto Denko and Suwitomo in Japan, and Optimax in Taiwan. Though the new comers to the polarizer industry so far pose no big threat to these well-established companies, their joining in means a warring age has set in for the polarizer industry. And this study of mine tries to analyze what cutting edge Taiwan¡¦s polarize companies have over their competitors. To understand how cluster influences investments in and development of TFT-LCD industry, I study this industry in Taiwan. I use the Five ¡VForce Model and the Diamond Model proposed by Michael E. Porter to analyze the data. And then I study six polarizer companies in Taiwan, analyzing their developments and the turning points of their strategies. I hope I can make some contributions to the TFT-LCD industry in Taiwan. In my research, I find that this industry has become an oligopoly. The important factors that determine a company¡¦s competitiveness are its R&D abilities, manufacturing technology, and policies in forming strategic alliances. I also find that local Taiwanese companies do not have an advantage over those leading Japanese companies in either their R&D abilities or their access to raw materials. Their hopes of survival lie in the differentiation of their products and in forming good strategic alliances with their clients. The purposes of this thesis are four: (1) analyzing the polarizer industry in Taiwan and their competitiveness, (2) studying the key factors of their success or failure, (3) understanding why their CEOs decide to enter this industry, and (4) getting to know why they decide to leave this industry by being merged. My study has successfully fulfilled these purposes and in it are also several suggestions for the reference of those CEOs who are planning to enter this industry.

Thèse d'exercice : Médecine. Médecine générale : Paris 12 : 2006. / Titre provenant de l'écran-titre. Bibliogr. f. 54-55.

USF completed a research study in 2005, which prioritized the replacement of 85 deteriorating composite precast deck panel bridges. This thesis re-evaluates the original recommendations in the wake of failures of two of these bridges in 2007. Since funding will not allow all identified bridges to be replaced, it was necessary to determine the most effective repair methods. To assess USF’s recommendations, a forensic study was undertaken in which the most current inspection and work program documents on the two failed bridges were reviewed and FDOT personnel interviewed. The best repair procedures were determined by reviewing repair plans, specifications, reports and site visits. The study found the two bridges that failed had been correctly prioritized by USF (No. 1 of 18 and No. 8 of 15). A new, accelerated repair method encompassing complete bay replacement was developed in a pilot project funded by the Florida Department of Transportation.

Distributed energy resources like solar power (PV Panels) are usually connected to the AC grid through a single phase voltage source inverter (VSI). The major drawback associated with single phase grid tie inverters is the double frequency component of the grid that appears on the DC bus link. Large electrolytic capacitors are generally employed in the inverters to eliminate the ripple component. However, their bulkiness and relatively short lifetime are motivational factors to replace them with small film capacitors. This paper presents a synchronous boost/buck based active power decoupling circuit in parallel with the dc-bus link capacitor and discusses the different types of control strategies implemented. Simulation results are presented for each control technique and it is shown that the ripple on the DC bus link is largely reduced due to inclusion of this circuit along with an expected extension of the lifetime due to the reduction in the amount of dc-bus capacitance used. / text

Tiriamojo darbo tema yra ypač aktuali, todėl, kad ateityje bus susiduriama su elektros energijos stygiumi ir dideliu kainų šuoliu. Šiuo metu pasaulyje beveik visų tipų energijos kainos kyla dėl žaliavos stygiaus. Energijos taupymu reikia susirūpinti jau šendien, todėl manau, kad saulės energija yra puiki alternatyva kitoms energijos rūšims. Saulė yra atsinaujinantis energijos šaltinis kuris neteršia aplinkos, be to saulės energija gali sutaupyti nemažai lėšų gyvenamųjų namų savininkams. Šio darbo metu buvo ištirtos Lietuvos galimybės plėtoti saulės energijos technologijas, bei panaudojimo galimybes. Darbo metu buvo aprašyta atsinaujinančioji saulės energija, ištirti Lietuvos saulės energijos ištekliai ir nustatytos tinkamiausios vietos saulės energijos panaudojimui. Darbo metu buvo tiriami saulės kolektoriai ir saulės fotoelementai, jų veikimo principai, savybės ir panaudojimo galimybės. Be to buvo lyginami tarpusavyje kelių tipų saulės fotoelemenatai, vertinamos fotoelementų atsipirkimo galimybės. / Investigative work is important, therefore, that the future will be faced with power shortages and significant price increases. Currently, almost all types of world energy prices caused raw material shortages. Energy savings should be cause for concern today already, so I think that solar energy is a great alternative to other types of energy. The sun is a renewable energy source which does not pollute the environment, as well as solar energy can save you considerable amount of money to owners of residential houses. This work has explored the possibility of Lithuania to develop solar energy technologies, and usability. This work was described in the renewable solar energy have been examined in Lithuania solar energy resources, and determine the most appropriate local use of solar energy development. Work was to investigate photocells and solar panels, its operating principles, features, usability. Also, a comparison between several types of photocells and assessed the possibility of payback.

This research investigates prefabricated light-gauge steel and concrete panels using reliable and commercially viable shear connectors. An analytical and experimental investigation was undertaken to study the flexural behaviour of light-gauge steel and concrete composite panels under uniform pressure. Normalweight and lightweight concrete panels were fabricated by embedding 16-gauge 41 mm x 203 mm steel channel sections (running parallel to each other) to a depth of 38 mm into a 64 mm thick concrete slab. Push-out tests were also conducted to evaluate the efficiency of three types of shear connection mechanism; natural surface bonding, predrilled holes, and punched holes. Only two types of shear connectors (predrilled holes and punched holes) were used in the full-scale panel specimens. Results show that the predrilled holes and punched holes provide full shear transfer between the steel and concrete. The ultimate load carrying capacity of the lightweight concrete panels exhibited similar behaviour to the normalweight concrete panels. All the panels exhibited good load carrying capacity and ductility, and satisfied the serviceability limit state of deflection. Thus, the proposed panels present a potential for a commercially viable composite floor system for building construction utilizing a maximum span of 2330 mm.

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mso-style-parent:"" / mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt / mso-para-margin-top:0cm / mso-para-margin-right:0cm / mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt / mso-para-margin-left:0cm / line-height:115% / mso-pagination:widow-orphan / font-size:11.0pt / font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif" / mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri / mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin / mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri / mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin / mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman" / mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi / mso-fareast-language:EN-US / } </style> <![endif]--> <p style="margin-bottom:0cm / margin-bottom:.0001pt / line-height: normal / mso-layout-grid-align:none / text-autospace:none" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt / font-family:&quot / TimesNewRomanPSMT&quot / ,&quot / serif&quot / mso-bidi-font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT">Behaviour problems have been on the rise in Kenyan schools for some time now. Various maladaptive behaviours found among school children include bullying, vandalism, stealing, alcohol and drug abuse, truancy, not completing homework assignments and other forms of problem behaviours. These problem behaviours impact negatively on the teaching and learning enterprises of schools as well as on the safety and security of the school environment. As consequence, schools have to develop student behaviour management practices aimed at addressing student problem behaviours. Corporal punishment was a major means by which schools dealt with students&rsquo / problem behaviours. However, because of the human rights abuses associated with corporal punishment, the Kenyan Ministry of Education had to abolish corporal punishment in 2001 and instructed schools to evolve more effective student behaviour management practices with strong emphasis on positive student behaviour development. Schools&rsquo / student behaviour management practices including policies on student behaviour expectations, school rules and regulations as well as counselling services are all to be coordinated by each School Disciplinary Panel. A School Disciplinary Panel is to be composed of small group of teachers as a way of emphasizing the latter&rsquo / s roles in student behaviour development and not just student academic or educational development. The central concern of this study was to investigate the Kenyan schools&rsquo / behaviour management practices as being implemented by School Disciplinary Panels especially in the latter&rsquo / s responses to students&rsquo / problem behaviours. The study investigated processes of decision making by Kenyan secondary school disciplinary panels for the management of student behaviours and the contribution of this to student behaviour development. Mixed methods research design was adopted for the study. The adoption of both quantitative and qualitative approaches was to ensure the collection of comprehensive information for better understanding of the behaviour management practices of Kenyan schools. The population for the study comprised all Kenyan schools with behaviour management practices and School Disciplinary Panels. Rongo District, one of the largest education districts in Kenya was chosen for the study. Ten of the schools in this district were actually involved in the study. The selection of the schools took into consideration the three different types of schools in Kenya (Girls&rsquo / Only, Boys&rsquo / Only and Co-educational schools) as well as other variables of particular interest to the study. Seventy-eight (78) disciplinary panel members from the ten selected schools were the participants of the study. Data collection was by use of questionnaire method (the Modified Choice Dilemma Questionnaire, MCDQ) and interview protocol.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:0cm / margin-bottom:.0001pt / line-height: normal / mso-layout-grid-align:none / text-autospace:none" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt / font-family:&quot / TimesNewRomanPSMT&quot / ,&quot / serif&quot / mso-bidi-font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT">&nbsp / </span></p> <p style="margin-bottom:0cm / margin-bottom:.0001pt / line-height: normal / mso-layout-grid-align:none / text-autospace:none" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt / font-family:&quot / TimesNewRomanPSMT&quot / ,&quot / serif&quot / mso-bidi-font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT">The findings of the study revealed the existence of the phenomenon of group polarization in decision making processes of disciplinary hearings conducted by the School Disciplinary Panels. Study findings also revealed that the nature of information shared during disciplinary hearings, group members&rsquo / motivation for approval of others and their concern for their status in the group as well as the personality characteristics of the members of the disciplinary panels (including gender, age, teaching experiences and school affiliation) were the major influences responsible for the existence of group polarization in the disciplinary processes of the Kenyan secondary school disciplinary panels. Since group polarization is about consensus decisions with characteristics of being collective decisions as well as greater support and acceptance for the decisions the conclusion of the study is that good quality decisions of Kenyan secondary school </span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt / font-family:&quot / TimesNewRomanPSMT&quot / ,&quot / serif&quot / mso-bidi-font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT">disciplinary panels have great potentials for effective management of student behaviours and for positive behavioural development of students as an important objective of education and or the schools.</span></p> </p>

The structural vibration damping behaviour of plates and beams can be improved by the application of viscoelastic passive damping materials. Unconstrained layer damping treatments applied to metal plate systems were studied experimentally. Design and modelling of novel fibre reinforced constrained layer damping materials was performed, and implementation of these composite damping materials into laminated composite sandwich constructions commonly used as structural elements within large composite marine vessels was explored. These studies established effective methods for examining, designing and applying damping materials to metal and composite marine structures. Two test fixtures were designed and constructed to facilitate testing of viscoelastic material damping properties to ISO 6721-3 and ASTM E756. Values of material damping made in accordance with ASTM E756 over a range of temperatures were compared to values produced by a Dynamic Mechanical Analyser (DMA). Glass transition temperatures and peak damping values were found to agree well, although results deviated significantly at temperatures above the glass transition temperature. The relative influence of damping layer thickness, ambient temperature, edge conditions, plate dimensions and substrate material on the system damping performance of metal plates treated with an unconstrained viscoelastic layer was investigated experimentally. This investigation found that substrate material had the greatest influence on system damping performance, followed by damping layer thickness and plate size. Plate edge conditions were found to have little influence on the measured system damping performance. These results were dependent on the values of each variable used in the study. Modal damping behaviour of a novel fibre reinforced composite constrained layer damping material was investigated using finite element analysis and experimental methods. The material consisted of two carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) layers surrounding a viscoelastic core. Opposing complex sinusoidal fibre patterns in the CFRP face sheets were used to achieve stress-coupling by way of orthotropic anisotopy about the core. A finite element model was developed in MATLAB to determine the modal damping, displacement, stress, and strain behaviour of these complex patterned fibre constrained layer damping (CPF-CLD) materials. This model was validated using experimental results produced by modal damping measurements on CPF-CLD beam test specimens. Studies of multiple fibre pattern arrangements found that fibre pattern properties and the resulting localised material property distributions influenced modal damping performance. Inclusion of CPF-CLD materials in laminated composite sandwich geometries commonly used in marine hull and bulkhead constructions was studied experimentally. Composite sandwich beam test specimens were fabricated using materials and techniques frequently used in industry. It was found that the greatest increases in modal damping performance were achieved when the CPF-CLD materials were applied to bulkhead geometries, and were inserted within the sandwich structure, rather than being attached to the surface.

Honeycomb core sandwich panels are widely used in the aeronautic industry due to their excellent flexural stiffness to weight ratio. Generally, classical homogenized model is used to model honeycomb core sandwiches in order to have an efficient but not expensive numerical modeling. However, previous works have shown that, while the homogenized models could correctly represent the membrane waves' behavior of sandwiches in a large frequency range, they could not give satisfying simulation results for the flexural waves' behavior in the high frequency range (HF). In fact, the honeycomb core layer plays an important role in the propagation of the flexural waves, so that when the involved wavelengths become close to the characteristic lengths of honeycomb cells, the cellular microstructure starts interacting strongly with the waves and its effect should no longer be neglected, which is unfortunately not the case of the homogenized models. In the present work, we are interested in improving the theoretical and numerical analysis of HF elastic waves' propagation in honeycomb core sandwich panels by a numerical approach based on the Bloch wave theorem, which allows taking into account the periodic characteristics of the honeycomb core. In fact, by decomposing non-periodic wave solutions into their periodic Bloch wave basis modes, numerical models are defined on a basic cell and solved in a efficient way, and provide a better description and so a better understanding of the interaction between HF wave propagation phenomena and the periodic structures. Our numerical approach is developed and validated in the cases of one-dimensional periodic beam structures, of two-dimensional periodic hexagonal and rectangular beam structures and of honeycomb core sandwich plates. By solving the eigenvalue problem of the Bloch wave modes in one primitive cell of the periodic structure for all the wave vectors located in the corresponding first Brillouin zone in the phase space, the dispersion relation between the wave vector and the eigenvalue is calculated. The analysis of the dispersion relation provides important results such as: the frequency bandgaps and the anisotropic and dispersive characteristics of periodic structures, the comparison between the first Bloch wave modes to those of the classical equivalent homogenized models and the existence of the retro-propagating Bloch wave modes with a negative group velocity.

Uppsala kommun has acquired the land at Ulleråkerand the plan is that it should be the starting point forthe new southeast district. The area is supposed toinclude 8000 new homes. The idea is also that the areashould be a new modern energy-efficient district. Thisreport examines how much energy that could be savedby using a passive house integrated design instead oftodays standard. Simulations in Matlab regarding localenergy utilization has also been done. Calculationsshow that the passive house integrated designgenerates in a total energy saving of 49 per centcompared to the standard house. The local electricalproduction comes from solar cell panels placed on theroofs and facades and the installed power is 19.8 MW.The production covers 80.3 per cent of the totalenergy demand or 91.4 per cent of the electricaldemand per year. But the systems production ismismatched to the local demand for electricity.