4,713 research outputs found
Supplemental Material - Evaluating the impact of water protection policy on urban growth: A case study of Jiaxing
No full textSupplementary Material for Evaluating the impact of water protection policy on urban growth: A case study of Jiaxing by ChengHe Guan, Jairo A Gómez, Pratyush Tripathy, Juan C Duque, Santiago Passos, Tong Cheng, Ying Li, and Michael Keith in Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science.</p
[[alternative]]The study for Master Cheng-Yen’s gratitude leadership and its educational practice.
No full text[[abstract]]The study for Master Cheng-Yen’s gratitude leadership and its educational practice.
Abstract
This thesis is based on personal experiences in education and admiration for Master Cheng-Yen’s Great Love for the world. Thus, this thesis aims at working out the theoretic system of Master Cheng-Yen’s Gratitude Leadership, including its nature and practice. Further, its contributions for educational leadership are approached.
In order to reach the above aim, critical analysis is used for clarifying the works by Master Cheng-Yen. In addition, a questionnaire and semi-structure interview questionnaire are designed for identifying the nature and practical approaches of Gratitude Leadership. It is by this way, Master Cheng-Yen’s theory and practice of Gratitude Leadership can be grasped which affords help for educational leadership, in terms of theory and practice in schools.
Finally, the results of this thesis are as follows:
a) Master Cheng-Yen’s Gratitude Leadership makes significant contribution for democratic education via purifying human heart and harmonizing the society;
b) it is helpful for promoting inner motivation of educational organization; and
c) it develops characteristics of creativity with non-power leadership style with effectiveness.
Strategies to reduce mortality from bacterial sepsis in adults in developing countries
No full textCitation: Cheng, A. C. et al. (2008). 'Strategies to reduce mortality from bacterial sepsis in adults in developing countries', PLoS Medicine, 5(8), e175. [Available at http://medicine.plosjournals.org]. © 2008 Cheng et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Explorations of structure and choice in taxing capital gains: New Zealand tax experts' perspectives
No full textThis study explores the key issues, aspects, and attributes concerning capital gains tax (CGT) to enable the formulation of policy guidelines that might be used if a CGT were considered in New Zealand. It contends that the development of the New Zealand’s policy on taxing capital gains has continued in a somewhat ad hoc and inconsistent fashion. The lack of a uniform approach to capital gains taxation has resulted in detailed, but complex, legislation which leads to “policy inconsistencies and unintended incentives built into the tax structure” (Oliver, 2001, pp. 80 – 81). The study bridges the divide between theoretical analysis of CGT and implementation issues on operating a CGT. It attempts to address one primary research question and an associated secondary question. The primary research question is: should capital gains be taxed more comprehensively than at present? As a start, it examines the two important issues surrounding income definition and the capital/income distinction. In this regard, the research first attempts to identify the definition(s) of capital gains from the New Zealand perspective(s). This is followed by investigating the key areas of the tax system in order to seek the best way of taxing capital gains. This study also attempts to address the secondary research question, i.e., why (or why not) do the tax experts favour (or oppose) a comprehensive CGT? In this respect, this study identifies 23 factors/issues that are related to the tax experts’ attitudes towards a particular form of a CGT model (i.e., current hybrid approach, a realisation-based CGT or an accrual-based CGT). A mixed-methods design has been adopted in this study involving both a quantitative (survey) and a qualitative (interview) method in analysing the data to determine the tax experts’ overall perceptions of a CGT in New Zealand and the CGT adoption factors which influenced them. One important finding of the comparative analyses was that all tax experts generally agreed that the lack of a comprehensive CGT could provide more significant tax planning opportunities. However, many tax experts did not support the comprehensive income concept as they disagreed with the benefits derived from the gains in horizontal equity through adopting a CGT. This study has identified several important policy issues and reviewed their implication for the adoption of a CGT in New Zealand. The finding of the study revealed that the tax experts strongly supported the exemption of the gains on disposal of a taxpayer’s main residence and the tax preference for inflation adjustment. Another important policy issue is the implementation of an accrual-based CGT. Most tax experts considered a realisation-based CGT would be better than an accrual one. In particular, they were concerned about the liquidity problems and the compliance costs involved in an accrual-based CGT regime i.e., the annual valuation of all assets. These findings represent a first step towards a theoretical CGT framework. It is hoped that the knowledge gained in this study would give a greater understanding into the practical decision-making process that could result in a better public acceptance for a tax reform
Rifampin inhibits Toll-like receptor 4 signaling by targeting myeloid differentiation protein 2 and attenuates neuropathic pain
No full textRifampin has been used for the treatment of bacterial infections for many years. Clinically, rifampin has been found to possess immunomodulatory effects. However, the molecular target responsible for the immunosuppressive effects of rifampin is not known. Herein, we show that rifampin binds to myeloid differentiation protein 2 (MD-2), the key coreceptor for innate immune TLR4. Rifampin blocked TLR4 signaling induced by LPS, including NF-κB activation and the overproduction of proinflammatory mediators nitric oxide, interleukin 1β, and tumor necrosis factor α in mouse microglia BV-2 cells and macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. Rifampin's inhibition of TLR4 signaling was also observed in immunocompetent rat primary macrophage, microglia, and astrocytes. Further, we show that rifampin (75 or 100 mg/kg b.i.d. for 3 d, intraperitoneal) suppressed allodynia induced by chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve and suppressed nerve injury-induced activation of microglia. Our findings indicate that MD-2 is a important target of rifampin in its inhibition of innate immune function and contributes to its clinically observed immune-suppressive effect. The results also suggest that rifampin may be repositioned as an agent for the treatment of neuropathic pain.—Wang, X., Grace, P. M., Pham, M. N., Cheng, K., Strand, K. A., Smith, C., Li, J., Watkins, L. R., Yin, H. Rifampin inhibits Toll-like receptor 4 signaling by targeting myeloid differentiation protein 2 and attenuates neuropathic pain.Xiaohui Wang, Peter M. Grace, Michael N. Pham, Kui Cheng, Keith A. Strand, Christina Smith, Jing Li, Linda R. Watkins, and Hang Yi
Simple, Reliable, Scalable and Energy Efficient Wireless Sensor Networks
No full textWireless communication and networking technology has facilitated people to be connected with each other closely. Cellular network is evolving now from the third generation to the fourth generation. In the meanwhile we are experiencing the demand for wireless networks which can facilitate the communication between humans and environment, human and machines or even machine and machine. Such networks will help us know more about our surroundings which could lead us towards a better and greener life. Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) is one candidate among such networks. It turns sensing tasks from small scale, centralized and expensive to large scale, distributed and low-cost by connecting small battery powered sensors with wireless links. We start the thesis by introducing WSN, its background and current status in Chapter 1. Although a lot of work has been reported in the literature on WSN, there are still many challenges. In this thesis, we focus on five of them, namely, (1)energy, (2)reliability, (3)scalability, (4)ease of use and (5)ease of set up. Energy is a challenge since WSNs are powered by batteries or even energy harvested from the ambience. The second, fourth and the fifth challenges are the hindrance in the way of high adaptation of WSNs while the third one will challenge when WSNs are largely deployed. Motivations and contributions of the thesis are also presented in the first chapter. Chapter 2 gives an overview of the literature in the several categories, such as physical layer, MAC layer, networking layer, synchronization and real deployment. Our work in the rest of the thesis is related to the work introduced in this chapter. We present the first result of our research in Chapter 3, which focuses on energy and reliability challenge on link layer. To improve the reliability of a link, we have to know the quality of the link. Thus we firstly analyze and try to improve link quality estimation methods in the chapter. We propose a new method for the estimation of packet delivery ratio which balances estimation accuracy and the overhead it causes. Then Minimum Energy Packet Forwarding (MEPF) protocol is proposed with the purpose of delivering a packet reliable with least amount of energy. MEPF tries to achieve the objective by tuning transmission power online for each packet with respect to the link quality. If a packet is lost, MEPF retransmits it smartly only when the link is considered to be good enough. Experimental results prove that MEPF uses almost the lowest possible transmission power without increasing the packet loss and retransmits a lost packet only once to eventually deliver it. We move a layer up from MAC to the network layer in Chapter 4. We organize a network into a better topology to improve energy efficiency and scalability. Two types of topologies are considered in this chapter, flat and clustered. In the former one each node has the same role while in the latter one nodes are organized into clusters where a node is either a Cluster Head (CH) or a Cluster Member (CM). We firstly analyze why a clustered topology may save energy then we quantify the saving. Since traffic is reduced in a clustered network, less contention or collision is expected and more nodes can communicate simultaneously. Thus a clustered network is highly scalable. To form a cluster topology from a flat one, we propose a cluster forming protocol which selects least amount of CHs which have the highest remaining energy. Thus they can live longer under higher traffic load compared to CMs. Simulation results show the feasibility and performance of the proposed protocol. Chapter 5 improves accuracy of localization, one of the most important WSN applications. One reason for the low accuracy is that the radio coverage of small and inexpensive antennas on sensor nodes, especially those in a Body Area Sensor Networks (BASN), is not omnidirectional. This problem leads to the failure of many localization protocols to achieve good accuracy since they are based on the assumption of omnidirectional antennas. In the chapter we proposed to use multiple receivers to locate a person in the context of a BASN. This method improves localization accuracy from a single receiver by mitigating the errors caused by varied and non-uniform beamwidth of antennas and combating fading with spatial diversity. We test this method in two classes of localization methods. The outcome of experimental results show that the method achieves a higher accuracy than a single receiver. Thus the reliability of localization is improved. Setting up a WSN especially for experiments is cumbersome and time-consuming process. It impacts the ease of use and set up. Thus we propose a framework for flexible and low-cost testbed in Chapter 6. Such a testbed only has sensor motes. Other than experiments, testbed management such as downloading the experimental code, reprogramming, testbed control, logging and collecting experimental results and synchronization are all carried out by the sensor motes wirelessly without extra devices. Thus a low-cost testbed can be set up quickly. A case study which realizes components in the framework is also presented. Finally the results of the thesis are summarized in Chapter 7. Future work is also presented there.TelecommunicationElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
Singaporean mothers' perception of their three-year-old child's weight status: A cross-sectional study
No full textSingapore National Research Foundation; National Medical Research Council (NMRC), SingaporeFull Author List: Cheng T.S.; Cheng T.; Loy S.; Cheung Y.; Chan J.; Tint M.; Godfrey K.; Gluckman P.; Kwek K.; Saw S.; Chong Y.; Lee Y.; Yap F.; Lek N.; Sheppard A.; Chinnadurai A.; Goh A.; Rifkin-Graboi A.; Qiu A.; Biswas A.; Lee B.; Broekman B.; Quah B.; Shuter B.; Chng C.; Ngo C.; Hsu S.; Bong C.; Henry C.; Chee C.; Fok D.; Yeo G.; Inskip H.; Chen H.; Van Bever H.; Magiati I.; Wong I.; Lau I.; Kapur J.; Richmond J.; Holbrook J.; Gooley J.; Tan K.; Niduvaje K.; Singh L.; Su L.; Daniel L.; Shek L.; Fortier M.; Hanson M.; Chong M.; Rauff M.; Chua M.; Meaney M.; Teoh O.; Wong P.; Agarwal P.; Van Dam R.; Rebello S.; Chong S.; Cai S.; Soh S.; Lim S.; Rajadurai V.; Stunkel W.; Han W.; Pang W.; Goh Y.; Chan Y.</p
Increasing stability in the inverse source problem with many frequencies
No full textClick on the DOI link to access the article.We study increasing stability in the interior inverse source problem for the Helmholtz equation from boundary Cauchy data for multiple wave numbers. By using the Fourier transform with respect to the wave number, explicit bounds for the analytic continuation, uniqueness of the continuation results, and exact observability bounds for the wave equation, a sharp uniqueness result and an increasing (with larger wave numbers intervals) stability estimate are obtained. Numerical examples in 3 spatial dimension support the theoretical prediction. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Emylou Keith and Betty Dutcher Distinguished Professorship and the National Science Foundation grant DMS 10-08902. J. Cheng is supported by NSFC (key projects no. 11331004, no. 11421110002). S. Lu is supported by NSFC (key project no. 91130004, no. 11522108), Shanghai Science and Technology Commission Grant (14QA1400400) and the Programme of Introducing Talents of Discipline to Universities (number B08018)
[[alternative]]A Study on the Joining Properties of Al-Cu Alloys by Friction Stir Welding
No full text[[abstract]]Abstract
Among all heat treatment type aluminum alloys, Al-Cu series alloys have been recognized by its high strength, low density and high specific modulus properties. This significant advantage makes it the perfect structural material for aerospace applications. Friction stir welding (FSW) is a unique solid-state joining process that can prevent material from mechanical properties degradation which is caused by segregate, hot cracking, porosity and spatter in fusion welding during the process.
The 2091-T3 and 2024-T651 were selected from Al-Cu series alloys for this study. Individual alloy FSW joint processes were performed for 2091-T3 and 2024-T651 and bi-alloy FSWs for 2091-T3/2024-T651 were made before other steps. After the welding, The aging treatment of the specimens were performed under the condition of naturally (open-air) aged for 30 days and artificially aged under 170°C for 8 hours. After these three types of aging treatment, the microstructures changes and reactions among mechanical properties were examined through the microstructures observations, hardness testing, and tensile test as well as SEM analysis.
The welding path obviously exhibited three microstructural sections through FSW joint. The stir zone (SZ) characteristically exhibited a refined equiaxed grain structure, the thermomechanically affected zone (TMAZ) demonstrated macroscopic deformation and grain growth, beyond the TMAZ a heat affected zone (HAZ) where changes were similar to parent metal (PM) with grain organization. 2091-T3 alloy has the highest joint strength of the artificial aging after FSW joint. 2024-T651 alloy showed highest joint strength of the natural aging after FSW joint, but it still lower than the strength of parent metal. The bi-alloys 2091-T3/2024-T651 presented a great joint strength with counterclockwise rotation after FSW joint, investigated by aging treatments with the cylindrical tool in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions.
Retirement 20/20: Innovation in Pension Design
No full textToday, both the United States and Canada are experiencing a decline in Single-Employer Sponsored Defined Benefit (DB) Pension plans. In some instances, they are being replaced by Defined Contribution (DC) or Individual Account [e.g., 401(k)] plans; in other cases, by nothing. It appears that traditional sponsors of DB plans have concluded that their cost (or its variability) is larger than the rewards (e.g., a loyal work force). At the same time, two stock market meltdowns in less than a decade have indicated to all the frailties of Individual Account DC systems. What we need is a new pension system that brings most of the advantages of the DB and DC plans to the participants, while minimizing their disadvantages. We must also recognize the skill set of the participants (e.g., do not expect a blue collar worker to be an investment professional) and not anticipate or require anomalous markets (e.g., ever-stronger equity returns). Size matters. Larger plans can run at lower per unit expense ratios, and can also achieve entry into a wide variety of investment products (e.g., private placements) not available to a small plan. Larger funds also benefit from risk sharing through “Law of Large Numbers”. The model proposed is a “Jointly Governed Target Benefit Pension plan”. Such plans would have many features in common with today’s Ontario Multi-Employer Pension Plans (MEPPs), the Canada/Quebec Pension Plans (C/QPP), TIAA-CREF in the United States and the Dutch national plan. For the plan sponsor, this is a DC plan. Inherent in the concept are that smaller plans (and even individual plans) could commingle their assets to achieve “size” (e.g. a minimum investment portfolio of $10B). Investment management would be at arm’s length from the plan itself.Target Benefit, Joint Governance, Commingled Assets
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