Measured and predicted static and dynamic characteristics are provided for a four-pad, rocker-pivot, tilting-pad journal bearing in the load-on-pad and load-between-pad orientations. The bearing has the following characteristics: 4 pads, .57 pad pivot offset, 0.6 L/D ratio, 60.33 mm (2.375in) pad axial length, 0.08255 mm (0.00325 in) radial clearance in the load-on-pad orientation, and 0.1189 mm (0.00468 in) radial clearance in the load-between-pad orientation. Tests were conducted on a floating test bearing design with unit loads ranging from 0 to 2903 kPa (421.1 psi) and speeds from 6.8 to 13.2 krpm. For all rotor speeds, hot-clearance measurements were taken to show the reduction in bearing clearance due to thermal expansion of the shaft and pads during testing. As the testing conditions get hotter, the rotor, pads, and bearing expand, decreasing radial bearing clearance. Hot-clearance measurements showed a 16-25% decrease in clearance compared to a clearance measurement at room temperature. For all test conditions, dynamic tests were performed over a range of excitation frequencies to obtain complex dynamic stiffness coefficients as a function of frequency. The direct real dynamic stiffness coefficients were then fitted with a quadratic function with respect to frequency. From the curve fit, the frequency dependence was captured by including a virtual-mass matrix [M] to produce a frequency independent [K][C][M] model. The direct dynamic stiffness coefficients for the load-on-pad orientation showed significant orthotropy, while the load-between-pad did not. The load-between-pad showed slight orthotropy as load increased. Experimental cross-coupled stiffness coefficients were measured in both load orientations, but were of the same sign and significantly less than direct stiffness coefficients. In both orientations the imaginary part of the measured dynamic stiffness increased linearly with increasing frequency, allowing for frequency independent direct damping coefficients. Rotordynamic coefficients presented were compared to predictions from two different Reynolds-based models. Both models showed the importance of taking into account pivot flexibility and different pad geometries (due to the reduction in bearing clearance during testing) in predicting rotordynamic coefficients. If either of these two inputs were incorrect, then predictions for the bearings impedance coefficients were very inaccurate. The main difference between prediction codes is that one of the codes incorporates pad flexibility in predicting the impedance coefficients for a tilting-pad journal bearing. To look at the effects that pad flexibility has on predicting the impedance coefficients, a series of predictions were created by changing the magnitude of the pad's bending stiffness. Increasing the bending stiffness used in predictions by a factor of 10 typically caused a 3-11% increase in predicted Kxx and Kyy, and a 10-24% increase in predicted Cxx and Cyy. In all cases, increasing the calculated bending stiffness from ten to a hundred times the calculated value caused slight if any change in Kxx, Kyy, Cxx, and Cyy. For a flexible pad an increase in bending stiffness can have a large effect on predictions; however, for a more rigid pad an increase in pad bending stiffness will have a much lesser effect. Results showed that the pad's structural bending stiffness can be an important factor in predicting impedance coefficients. Even though the pads tested in this thesis are extremely stiff, changes are still seen in predictions when the magnitude of the pad?s bending stiffness is increased, especially in Cxx, and Cyy. The code without pad flexibility predicted Kxx and Kyy much more accurately than the code with pad flexibility. The code with pad flexibility predicts Cxx more accurately, while the code without pad flexibility predicted Cyy more accurately. Regardless of prediction Code used, the Kxx and Kyy were over-predicted at low loads, but predicted more accurately as load increased. Cxx, and Cyy were modeled very well in the load-on-pad orientation, while slightly overpredicted in the load-between-pad orientation. For solid pads, like the ones tested here, both codes do a decent job at predicting impedance coefficients

Privacy emerges as a critical issue in an e-commerce environment because of a fundamental tension among corporate, consumer, and government interests. By reviewing prior Internet-privacy research in the fields of information systems, business, and marketing published between 1995 and 2006, we consider the following research questions: 1) how an individual’s privacy behaviour is affected by privacy policy disclosures and by the level of the individual’s involvement regarding the sensitivity of personal information; 2) how companies’ privacy policies vary with respect to regulatory approaches and cultural values; and 3) whether there is a gap between the privacy practices valued by individuals and those emphasized by companies. A three-stage study is conducted to answer these questions. The first two stages, consisting of a Web-based survey and an online ordering experiment with 210 participants, found that individuals are more likely to read the privacy policy statements posted on Web sites and less likely to provide personal information, when they are under a high privacy involved situation as compared to being in a low privacy involved situation. However, the existence of a privacy seal did not affect individuals’ behaviour, regardless of involvement conditions. This study also found a gap between self-reported privacy behaviour and actual privacy behaviour. When individuals were requested to provide personal information, their privacy policy statement reading behaviour was close to their self-report behaviour. However, their personal information providing behaviour was different from their self-reported behaviour. The third stage, which entailed the study of 420 privacy policies spanning six countries and two industries, showed that privacy policies vary across countries, as well as with varying governmental involvement and cultural values in those countries. Finally, the analysis of all the three stages revealed a gap between individuals’ importance ratings of companies’ privacy practices and policies that companies emphasize in their privacy disclosures.

This thesis aims to investigate the cola market situation in Thailand and the possibility of a local brand to compete with global brands. Due to the high value of this market, every cola company wants to get the biggest piece of the market share pie. Moreover, there is a situation regarding a global cola brand Pepsi falling into the trouble in terms of logistics and distribution channels after having been separated from its local partner company. In addition, Pepsi’s ex-partner company has launched a new cola brand into the market, a completely separate operation without any ties to Pepsi. As a result, the cola market in Thailand now has witnessed fierce competition and it attracts many players in the beverage industry to take part. Therefore, this research is designed to understand the brand preference, brand substitution, brand loyalty, taste preference, and relation between several factors from customers’ perspective to answer the possibility of a local brand competing with global brands, as well as to investigate the general cola market situation.   Information was collected by questionnaire which was answered by 420 participants, 51 percent of which were female and 49 percent were male. The results of the questionnaire found that their brand preference is actually in an opposite direction with the current cola market share, due to the effect of cola brand substitution in the market. Moreover, the research found that taste preference and gender have an influence on brand preference, while frequency of drinking and other demographics do not have any effect on brand preference

Privacy emerges as a critical issue in an e-commerce environment because of a fundamental tension among corporate, consumer, and government interests. By reviewing prior Internet-privacy research in the fields of information systems, business, and marketing published between 1995 and 2006, we consider the following research questions: 1) how an individual’s privacy behaviour is affected by privacy policy disclosures and by the level of the individual’s involvement regarding the sensitivity of personal information; 2) how companies’ privacy policies vary with respect to regulatory approaches and cultural values; and 3) whether there is a gap between the privacy practices valued by individuals and those emphasized by companies. A three-stage study is conducted to answer these questions. The first two stages, consisting of a Web-based survey and an online ordering experiment with 210 participants, found that individuals are more likely to read the privacy policy statements posted on Web sites and less likely to provide personal information, when they are under a high privacy involved situation as compared to being in a low privacy involved situation. However, the existence of a privacy seal did not affect individuals’ behaviour, regardless of involvement conditions. This study also found a gap between self-reported privacy behaviour and actual privacy behaviour. When individuals were requested to provide personal information, their privacy policy statement reading behaviour was close to their self-report behaviour. However, their personal information providing behaviour was different from their self-reported behaviour. The third stage, which entailed the study of 420 privacy policies spanning six countries and two industries, showed that privacy policies vary across countries, as well as with varying governmental involvement and cultural values in those countries. Finally, the analysis of all the three stages revealed a gap between individuals’ importance ratings of companies’ privacy practices and policies that companies emphasize in their privacy disclosures.

Essential oils are composed of a wide range of bioactive chemical compounds. They traditionally found application as flavour, fragrances and medicinal aroma. Today, the essential oils are sought-after for innumerable applications starting from markers for plant identifications to base for semi-synthesis of highly complex molecules. The extraction of highly delicate essential oils from plants remains a crucial step in all these applications. By using microwaves to mediate the extraction, it is possible to maintain mild conditions and effect superior extraction. However, apart from laboratory trials, essential oil extraction using microwave energy is largely an unexplored area. In the current work, an integrated procedure for microwave extraction followed by volatiles sampling and analysis from selected botanical raw materials (viz. black pepper, Piper nigrum and coriander Coriandrum sativum) was developed. There are two problems to overcome in the extraction from solid plant materials: that of releasing the essential oil from solid matrix and letting it diffuse out successfully in a manner that can be scaled-up to industrial volumes. Towards this end, an innovative volatiles extraction unit was conceived, designed and developed that used thin layer, for microwave exposure and rotational mixing, to mitigate the effects of thermal gradient and non-uniform exposure of bulk matter. The effect of varying the microwave field on the essential oils extracted was studied. The microwave field that coupled in the region of extraction was estimated from temperature rise measurement using the microwave power equation (with water as reference dielectric). The essential oil extracted under different microwave fields were compared using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and data analysis with SAS statistical software. The microwave field at the site of extraction was sensed by symmetrical placement of biomaterial sample and a reference, in a rotational extractor, such that they both couple the same field during tumbling motion. By measuring the temperature rise in the reference accurately, it is possible to estimate the microwave field present at that position. The rotational extractor has a second degree of freedom, in that it can slide along the axel taking discrete positions. Each position leads to a different microwave exposure of the sample. It is possible to measure the relative variation of microwave field using temperature rise data at each position. It was found that, at position labeled R4, located at 65.6 mm from the right extreme of the microwave cavity had the highest effective microwave field strength of value 92.7 V/m. The volatiles released from the biomaterials, black pepper and coriander, were sampled using solid phase micro extraction and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The highest peaks representing beta-caryophyllene in black pepper and linalool in coriander were identified using mass spectrometric peak matching using NIST library.The extract (in terms of ion count) for each microwave parameter (such as field, water content level and solvent type) was plotted as a trend graph. The current experiment successfully tested the procedure for following the microwave process in the extraction of sensitive spice volatiles (from black pepper and coriander). With the microwave field measured at the region of extraction, it was possible to plot pepper extraction versus the microwave field to which the pepper sample was exposed. The extraction was represented in terms of cumulative value of ion counts obtained in GC-MS analysis. This unique procedure developed in the current research allows for the graphical comparison of the microwave extractions. It was found that black pepper has a better response to microwave extraction than coriander. The pepper extraction was found to increase proportionately with increase in microwave field strength. The extraction was also enhanced proportionately by the incremental addition of water content at constant microwave field.

State identification has been a more and more important issue in Taiwan since 1990.¡@This study applies focus group interview for the analysis of state identification.¡@Interviewers will progressive interpret the state identification of themselves through interaction in a small group by focus group interview. Accordingly, the facts on affecting Taiwanese in state identification can be exposed, and outwards of state identification of Taiwanese can be further explored. ¡@¡@According to the findings of the study, party identification can drive state identification for Taiwanese, especially for those who have strong emotion in party identification. And their position of state identification is usually consistent with that of their identified party. Meanwhile, as for a Taiwanese who has weak emotion in party identification, age, provincial, background, and growing experience are the main factors that affect state identification. Moreover, concerning the symbol of the state, Taiwanese have different preferences and selections in parties and the name of the state. However, once the symbol of the state appears in an international occasion, national identification can drive a Taiwanese to generate a certain degree of emotion that connects with the symbol of the state. ¡@¡@Finally, this study further discovers that Taiwanese confuse the concept of national identification with that of state identification. The concept of national identification has always been used to discuss issues about Taiwan, and therefore Taiwanese are unaware of using national identification to discuss state identification.

Recent World Animal Health Organization (OIE) reports on Avian Influenza (AI) outbreaks in Asia, Europe and Canada suggest that there is a nonzero probability that an outbreak may occur anywhere in the world, including the US. To help evaluate possible policy in the face of such an event, this dissertation does an economic evaluation of the implications of using two mitigation strategies: one corresponding to the currently response strategy; and the other an OIE recommended one utilizing vaccination. To do this, the dissertation develops and uses an integrated economic-epidemic model. In this effort, I first estimate the cost of an AI outbreak under a deterministic disease spread assumption where a new vaccination strategy and the current strategy are compared. Subsequently, I introduce risk in the model and construct 95 percent confidence intervals for the outbreak costs, and I rank the outcomes of the alternative strategies using stochastic dominance criteria. In addition, during both phases, I develop and estimate the breakeven probability for an event where ex-ante fixed costs of vaccine stockpiling are justified by the reduction in disease event damages. Results under deterministic disease spread assumption suggest that the vaccination strategy lowers the cost of outbreaks as opposed to the current strategy. This happens because vaccination reduces the number of culled and quarantined flocks. The study is conducted in three locations, yielding the finding that the costs of an outbreak vary depending on the densities of poultry flocks. I also find that when consumer demand shifts due to the outbreak, the costs are much larger. Finally, I find that ex-ante vaccine stockpiling is justified for all the sub-regions if the probability of outbreak exceeds 0.07. The stochastic disease spread assumption results also show that the vaccination strategy dominates in first degree stochastic dominance sense. Consistent with stochastic dominance results, the 95 percent confidence intervals have narrower ranges under the vaccination strategy than without it. Finally, the distribution of the breakeven probability for vaccine stocking has a mode of 0.07 and that the probability is accurate with 82 percent likelihood. However, the threshold varies with the disease transmission parameters and could reach up to 0.32.

More than half of all the girls in India today are married before the age of 18. This derives from gender inequality and discrimination, which has lead to several health issues. At the same time, the Indian state has passed legislation prohibiting the practice of child marriage and made it possible for girls to void their marriages. The law gives the girls more empowerment even if they are minor, which poses some further issues related to age, consent and substantial freedom. The contradiction in the law’s implementation depends on a disparity between the state and customary laws as well as modern versus traditional norms. With the help of Martha Nussbaum’s Capabilities approach, this study tries to understand the law prohibiting child marriage in India and its restrictions, focusing on girl child empowerment and individual choice. The findings show the limitations in the law in regards to parental consent and children’s rights against their parents. The reason why theories like ours, promoting universal norms should be justified, is contingent on the belief that child marriages are harmful to girls’ health. This is furthermore knowledge that should be taught through education for children and adults, which then might alter the gender inequalities developed within the realms of social customs.

I conducted an amplitude vs. offset (AVO) analysis on newly acquired 3D seismic reflection data to detect elevated pore fluid content and pore fluid pressure along the Costa Rica convergent margin to address dewatering processes of subduction zone sediments. These data provide the highest quality 3D seismic data acquired to date along a convergent margin for detailed analysis of geophysical properties along the plate boundary fault interface. In 2011, a 55 km by 11 km 3D seismic reflection survey was completed using the R/V Marcus G. Langseth offshore western Costa Rica at the convergent margin of the Cocos and Caribbean plates. We applied pre-stack Kirchhoff time migration to a subset of these data across the frontal prism where amplitude versus offset (AVO) attributes were extracted along the decollement. When pore fluid pressure, l , exceeds 0.7, the pressure at which Poisson’s ratio begins to approach that of water, the AVO response of a fluid-filled, clay-rich decollement requires a high Poisson’s ratio and an excessively low seismic P-wave and S-wave velocity. Acute wedge taper, undercompacted subducted hemipelagic and pelagic sediments, and a smooth decollement in the northwest half of the survey correspond with decollement AVO response of relatively high values of Poisson’s ratio. These findings suggest increased pore fluid content and vertical containment of near-lithostatic pore fluid pressures within the decollement. In contrast, increased wedge taper angles, thin hemipelagic and pelagic sediments, and a rugose decollement beneath the southeastern frontal prism produce an AVO response interpreted as due to lower pore fluid contents and pressures. We propose that large-offset subducting basement normal faults in this area, as close as 20 m from the decollement, induce vertical fractures within the decollement that allow for fluid expulsion into the frontal prism and lower fluid pressure. Lateral variability of overpressure within the decollement shear zone of subduction margins is important in understanding the evolution of frontal prism strain accumulation and seismogenic rupture. / text

This is an in-depth study of word knowledge where the researcher attempts to investigate the need to systematically teach vocabulary in the language classroom. It is motivated by findings within second language (L2) vocabulary testing research that state that the current communicative language learning environment is insufficient for L2 learners to acquire adequate vocabulary knowledge and L2 learners need help with vocabulary learning (Laufer, 2005). This semester-long study explores the need to provide explicit vocabulary instruction from within a meaningful environment. It also investigates the relevance of focus on forms and focus on form practices in helping second language (L2) learners increase the size and depth of word knowledge. The study involved 129 undergraduates from a writing program, and used a pretest and posttest design to measure gains in L2 learners vocabulary knowledge. .The results indicate that the vocabulary gains for both implicit (control) and explicit (treatment) instructional context were not very different though the subjects in the implicit instructional group learned slightly more words compared to the explicit instructional group. However, this has more to do with individual instructor effectiveness and learner proficiency. In terms of word use, L2 learners subjected to explicit focus on forms and focus on form tasks increased their word use while the first language (L1) learners and L2 learners from the control groups did not increase their academic words. Therefore, it is possible to suggest that L2 learners can be taught to increase the depth of their vocabulary knowledge through explicit instructional practices. In terms of L1 and L2 learners, the initial findings revealed that the L2 learners did not benefit from explicit instruction. However, additional analysis revealed that subjects with sufficient vocabulary knowledge at the 2000 word level can increase their word size much more rapidly than the proficient L2 learners in the control group. An additional test on L1 and L2 learners' word collocation skills indicated that while explicit instruction did not help increase L2 learners vocabulary size, it was able to help L2 learners increase their word collocation skills and also make word associations that are closer to L1 learners' associations.