A Shropshire Lad by English composer George Butterworth (1885-1916) is a song cycle composed by adopting six poems of the same title ¡§A Shropshire Lad¡¨ by Alfred Edward Housman (1859-1936). These poems depict the life of a pure young man, which passes through love, separation, and death by symbolical and sarcastic writing skill, and the composer composed the songs exquisitely, creating these six songs with different styles, and presenting his ingenious conception within the music and lyrics. The study has five major components: an introduction to the composer, George Butterworth; the art songs of George Butterworth; an introduction to the poet Alfred Edward Housman; the composing background of A Shropshire Lad, and the analysis as well as interpretation of six-songs of A Shropshire Lad. It is hoped that through this study, singers can have a better understanding of the hidden meaning of the poems and of how composers use music to express the wonders of poetry. They can then in turn interpret this song cycle in the most apposite mood and with the most appropriate way of singing.

Based on the traditional six-bar toggle mechanisms, this study is focused on the design of two types of cam-link mechanisms. Six-bar toggle mechanisms are simple, and they have an extreme mechanical advantage in toggle position so that they are widely used in plastic forming machines. Cam-crank-slider and cam-double-slider linkage are the two types mechanisms that we concerned. And we find the difference between these mechanisms for kinematic and dynamic performance. The benefit of cam-link mechanisms compares to linkage mechanisms is more precision points. We can synthesize the curve profile with the demand for forming acceleration or stroke. Because we need interpret the kinematic characteristic of toggle mechanisms by using several boundaries condition of different curves. This study selects two kinds from foregoing curve for the model.

Although the government has actively advocating the concept of the ocean-state country promoting sustainable development of fishery resource, there still remains a lack of adequate fishery policy and human resource training program in coherence with the fishery industry. Taiwan¡¦s far sea fishery industry is the earliest pioneer expanding business scope globally. As a result, it shall have the keenest tendency toward digitization. On the contrary, no total-solution for digitization has been ever offered to the fishery industry. This is due to that MIS experts have no knowledge about fishery while fishery experts have no knowledge about Management Information System (MIS). This gap eventually leads to the failure in technology adaptation of fishery industry. This research is based on a strategic analysis study aiming at competitiveness of far sea fishery after digitalization. Six organization competencies are designed and constructed as the framework of the research, relevant information system are later incorporated into the strategic structure. In this industrial scale and case research, six organization competencies, which are competencies in strategy, information, logistic, quality control, and global logistic. It is hoped that the utilization of information system on fishing vessel can help improve the corporate competitiveness by grasping the market changes in time, enhancing corporate effectiveness, and maintaining stable productivity. Furthermore, four recommendations are generated for Company F¡¦s digitalization strategy: 1. Gradually adopt the e-information system according to the corporate digitalization plan to minimize the operation cost. 2. Using the employee needs within the company as the guideline, develop rapid response system and integrate the operation system in order to improve its competitiveness. 3. Fully utilize the science and technology to offset problems caused by lack of manpower. 4. A CEO¡¦s commitment, high-level executives¡¦ insistence, and general employees¡¦ common views are all definitely needed and shared in order to implementing the digitalization strategy. Last, this research proposed the concept of e-fisherman whose intangible assets are to apply the technology when fishing instead of fishing without technological support. An e-revolution definitely needs to be carried out in order to sustain the business and keep competitiveness.

Electronic Passive Component ¡]E.P.C.¡^industry has been developed for over 40 years in local industries. Which created the raise of the early Taiwan¡¦s Electronic Component Industry. In the recent few years, Taiwan¡¦s E.P.C. industry has rapidly grown as well as 3C Industries generation by turns from worldwide. Although the market share of Taiwan¡¦s E.P.C. industry seems growing as well, but the serious weakness of the low entry barrier of the low end products, the competition of cost price reduction, lacking of the capability of core materials and Research ¡®Development and the consolidated role in Mainland China will deeply threaten the exists of Taiwan E.P.C.. Based on case studies from E.P.C. industries and domestic firms. The thesis explored the success experience of competitive advantage from the case research of utilizing The Six Force Factor Analysis model and The SWOT Analysis model and also adopted several competitive strategies to recommend. The consequence were concluded as follows¡G 1.To the Government¡Gto promote and cooperate the local E.P.C. industry to obtain the advantage of global resource of high technical staff and abroad market. 2.To Taiwan E.P.C. industry¡Gto make a advantaged alliance to enhance the marketing strategies of one time shop and solve the weakness of R¡®D. 3.To the research firm¡Gto fulfill the value chain advantage in forging an alliance with the core materials resource and target market oriented, and flexible adjusting the strategy of production lines cooperation between Mainland China and Taiwan.

U.S. led Western Democracies have imposed comprehensive sanctions on the PRC government by ceasing high-level exchanges politically and canceling bilateral cooperative agreements economically in response to the PRC¡¦s 1989 crackdown on Tiananmen Square demonstrators. At that time, former paramount leader Deng Xiaoping brought up a ¡§24 character¡¨ strategy for China¡¦s foreign and security policy: ¡§observe calmly; secure our position; cope with affairs calmly; hide our capacities and bide our time; be good at maintaining a low profile; and never claim leadership.¡¨ PRC did not gradually disengage from the U.S. led isolation until the U.S. government resumed high-level exchanges in 1993. The end of the Cold War meant that China was the major beneficiary of greatly reduced superpower penetration, and this strengthened the interregional dynamics of the Northeast and Southeast Asia. After PRC disengaged from diplomatic isolation made by U.S. - led Western Democracies and began to have the power to influence regional security affairs, a China-centered East Asian regional security complex was born. From lack of confidence in constructing in East Asian regional security complex in the mid 1990s, China became active and could rule the RSC after late 1990s. The goal of PRC¡¦s security strategy is to form an anti-U.S.-led East Asia military alliance to protect its national security interest. In the existing regional security complexes, the framework of ASEAN Regional Forum was separated into ¡§ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership¡¨ and ¡§non ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership¡¨ camps in 2003. China established the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in 2001 and allowed one of the axis of evil states- Iran to participate in the Organization in 2005. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization will develop into an anti-U.S.-led military alliance under China¡¦s manipulation. In 2003, the U.S. government urged China to play a responsible stakeholder role in the Six-Party Talks instead of being a draft- making secretary. The PRC¡¦s participation in constructing East Asia regional security complexes is analogous to a state that clothed neo-realism but harangued regional security interdependence. On the one hand it reprehends the U.S. East Asia military alliance as an out-of-date cold war thinking. On the other hand, PRC¡¦s military expenditure from 1996 to 2006 shows an annual growth of more than 10 percent. The mutual security in East Asian regional security complexes are still being constructed. China participates in The Six-Party Talks and ASEAN Regional Forum while sometimes it will depend on particular circumstances to make certain contributions, but rules the Shanghai Cooperation Organization with its full strength to keep it operate as China¡¦s political will. The aim of this thesis is to examine the changing characteristics of the regional security complexes in East Asia. The thesis focuses on the foreign policies and strategies of PRC¡¦s participation in those security complexes from mid 1990s. Finally, this thesis will to explore what will impact on the East Asian regional security complex when China participates in and try to construct it, and who will construct whom.

After three decades¡¦ steady and tremendously economic growth, China has reemerged on the center stage of the world as an aspiring great power. Its historically unprecedented leapfrogging in the global economic share levels up its comprehensive national power exponentially, and becomes the main driving force in Asia in the context of global interdependence. In the restive North East Asia, the North Korea Nuclear Crisis facilitated the United States strategic overhaul in western Pacific. For great powers, the Korea Peninsula has been a major power struggle theater since the late eighteen century, because of its geographic location. Therefore, the balance of power in the peninsular is a matter of caution in the world leaders¡¦ calculation. The United States, Russia, Japan, China, and South Korea are the major players in the subregion, all of whom are six-party talks participants. The six-party talks was originally convened to settle the hermit kingdom¡¦s nuclear ambition. Ostensibly, it was. But, when examined from the theory of the balance of power, it has multi-pronged goals---the most realistic one is to manage the structural power transition now happening in the region. Even in the late 2007 North Korea launched a series of missile and nuclear weapon test, the function of being an adjusting and preventive agent still works in the framework. Still more explicitly, the United States treats the dialogue mechanism as a litmus test to see if or not China operates in the international system as a ¡§responsible stakeholder¡¨ as it expects. Because of compound issues involved in the issue(proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, nuclear armament domino effect in North East Asia, and the miserable living conditions and humanitarian crisis in North Korea), the real mindset of China¡¦s position on dealing with it which is top on its national interest calculations could be clearly read. Moreover, North Korea stands as a buffer state in the North East Asia, its collapsing and integration with South Korea means a lot to the great powers---China is the immediate benefactor in this matter. That¡¦s why China has been voicing its concern on the basing relocation and military interoperability exercises among the United States, Japan, and South Korea. Then, the discourse, or authenticity, of ¡§peaceful development¡¨ will be given credence to or not. Given the scenario, the thesis is focused on studying the policy of China on dealing with North Korea nuclear dispute and its impacts on the Northeast Asia, trying to understand and figure out the real face of China¡¦s strategic ambitions.

<p>In today’s society we are surrounded by large amounts of information, quick decisions and high expectations to perform successfully in everything we do. As a statistical agency, Statistics Sweden is responsible for producing some of the information that is used for decision-making in society and is therefore under constant internal and external pressure to perform well. The responsibility to produce high-quality statistics to all customers and users is not simple. What is the quality of the statistics produced? How do we assure and control the quality of the statistics? Do we use our resources efficiently? These are important questions, which need to be addressed.</p><p>One way of addressing these and other issues is to work with quality in a systematic fashion. Thus there is a need for a Quality Management System, i.e., a systematic way to handle quality issues of all kinds in all parts of the organization, and to continue the journey towards the vision of being a “world class statistical agency”.</p><p>This Masters thesis is a description and discussion of the efforts to find a suitable Quality Management System. The thesis starts with a discussion about the vague quality concept, continues with a description of numerous frameworks, methods and systems related to quality management as well as their pros and cons and ends with a recommendation for Statistics Sweden. The recommendation is to use the EFQM Excellence Model as a quality framework, Six Sigma as a tool-box for improvement projects and modern internal auditing methods for evaluation and follow-up. Finally, issues related to the implementation of the system are discussed.</p>

Die Produktqualität und Kosten sind ein eindeutiger Indikator für die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit innovativer Produkte. Toleranzen steuern hier nicht nur die Prozesskosten in der Fertigung und Montage, sondern auch die endgültige Produktqualität. Mit der statistischen Toleranzanalyse werden diese Indikatoren vorhersagbar. Eine fertigungsprozessorientierte Toleranzvergabe ist heute unabdingbar, um Produkte schon frühzeitig in der Produktentwicklung mit den Mitteln der CAD-Umgebung robust nach den Grundsätzen von Design for Six Sigma auszulegen (DfSS=kein Ausschuss bei hoher Funktionalität). Viele innovative Produkte und Funktionsprinzipien würden ohne diese Vorgehensweise am Markt nicht bestehen können. Einige Beispiele aus der Praxis werden das im Rahmen dieses Vortrages aufzeigen.

INTRODUCTION: Preoperative pulmonary rehabilitation (PPR) is an emerging therapy for transplant candidates who are awaiting surgery. Research indicates that PPR training has benefits for improving exercise tolerance, but little researcher exists on the association between PPR on post-transplant hospital outcomes. METHODS: The study was a non-probability cross-sectional analysis performed on data for post-transplant recipients who received either a single or bilateral lung transplant from February 8, 2007 to July 8, 2014. The study sample consisted of 207 transplant recipients. Analyses of the associations between independent variables: preoperative pulmonary rehabilitation and six-minute walk distance (6MWD) and covariates were performed by logistic regression analysis to examine the following outcomes: length of stay, hospital readmissions in the first 90 days post- transplant, and the number of hospital readmissions in the first 90 days. RESULTS: Transplant recipients who participated in preoperative pulmonary rehabilitation had 1.77 times greater odds of being readmitted in the first 90 days post-transplant compared to recipients who did not participated in preoperative pulmonary rehabilitation. Transplant recipients whose 6MWD was greater than 207 meters and who participated in preoperative pulmonary rehabilitation had 4.99 times greater odds of length of staying 12 days or less post- transplant surgery compared to transplant recipients whose walk distance was less than 207 meters and who did not participate in preoperative pulmonary rehabilitation. CONCLUSION: Pulmonary rehabilitation is an important part of the lung transplant. The results of this study indicate the importance of preoperative lung transplant on post-transplant outcomes for transplant recipients.

Existing models describing the dynamic behavior of a six-pulse rectifier during a short-circuit fault condition are derived from switch models using time-domain average value parametric functions. Unlike these models, novel non-parametric dynamic models have been developed using analytical average-value modeling approach in this work. In this modeling approach, depending upon the number of switches conducting during a switching cycle, the operating point of the rectifier is brought into one of three modes of operation of a six-pulse rectifier. The model for each mode is represented by a differential equation. During output current calculation for the rectifier the operating model is selected based on firing angle and overlap angle functions derived in this paper. They completely characterize the dynamic behavior of current flowing through the dc inductor for a wide range of operating conditions with the exception of harmonics and asymmetrical currents which are dominant for faults occurring at the terminals of the rectifier upstream of the smoothing inductor. The results from the average value model and few other simple models have been applied for Thevenin ac source and synchronous generator supplied rectifier models to determine the characteristics of short circuit current from the rectifier. / text