Archives-April 2012

The moisture diffusion coefficient and energy activation of two Iranian apricot varieties was determined at five drying air temperatures and at a constant air velocity of 1.5 m/s. The initial moisture content (d.b.), modulus of elasticity, surface area, half of pomace thickness of halved apricot, and total soluble solids of both varieties were determined. The results showed that there were significant differences (p<0.01) in the modulus of elasticity and total soluble solids between two varieties, but no significant differences (p>0.01) were observed for other parameters. The water effective diffusion coefficient ranged from 1.34×10^-10 to 4.15×10^-10 m²/s, and from 2.03×10^-10 to 5.95 ×10^-10 m²/s, for Ghavami and Nasiry, respectively. Energy activation was 27.1 and 25.34 kJ/mol for Ghavami and Nasiry varieties, respectively. The results showed that modulus of elasticity and total soluble solids play a major role in moisture diffusion by limiting water movement within the material subjected to drying.

Rice husk, agricultural waste material of environmental  impact,  was carbonized at temperatures of 300 - 600⁰C in an oven for 2h, after which its adsorption capacities was investigated for the adsorption of acenaphthene in synthetic aqueous solution, at increasing concentrations (50–150mg/L). The yields of carbon obtained from the raw rice husk ranged from 20 - 40 % (w/w), while the adsorption capacities of rice husk increased with increasing carbonization temperature and increasing initial concentration of acenaphthene. The removal efficiencies of the rice husk increased from 71.37 - 80.56% as the carbonization temperature increased from 300-600⁰C, but decreased with increasing initial concentration of acenaphthene. The adsorption equilibrium data obtained, fitted well to the Freundlich, Langmuir, Temkin and Dubnin-Radushkevich isotherms with minimum correlation coefficient (R²) of 0.9981, 0.9262, 0.9667 and 0.9215, respectively. The error analysis showed the order of suitability of the isotherm models selected to be Temkin > Freundlich > Dubnin-Radushkevich > Langmuir. This study shows that carbons rice husk possesses favourable potency of being used as activated carbon for the removal of acenaphthene from wastewater.

Ernest Hemingway, writer of 20th century America, winner of the Nobel Prize in literature, has a reputation of misogyny. A negative outlook towards women showcases his most famous works in which a sense of masculine dominance is almost ever-present. He often employs a sarcastic tone in his treatment of female characters. In his fiction, women who in literature are generally deemed subjects of heartbreak are ironically portrayed as heartbreakers or portents of destruction, in the least. This attitude towards women, we believe, is manifested in his "A Very Short Story" from his first short story collection In Our Time. Taking a biographical approach, we draw on his early experiences with his mother and his first love to better understand the story under study. But what has until now escaped notice is that "A Very Short Story" can also be read as a reaction to Feminism. To substantiate this claim, we put forth a brief survey of the Feminist discourse during the years he published "A Very Short Story", and offer signs of anti-Feminism from the text.

The occurrence of pesticide residues in food matrices has become a necessity due to the toxicity and permanence of these xenobiotics. Translocation of pesticides in local and imported cabbage samples was investigated using Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrophotometer (GC/MS) procedures. Cabbage samples were fractionated with respect to distance from the skin to the core and prepared for analysis. Results showed that organochlorine, organophosphate and synthetic pyrethroid residues were translocated in cabbage samples analyzed. With respect to cabbage fractions, the outer pulp retained more of the residues than the pulp and the central core. On chemicals species, organochlorines were retained more in the outer pulp than the other fractions of the vegetable. Synthetic pyrethroid residues were restricted to the outer and inner pulp samples. All the chemical species identified were translocatable across the fractional parts of the vegetable with the exception of synthetic pyrethroid residues. There were significant differences in translocation and residue accumulation of pesticide among the fractional parts of the vegetable.

A hydrocarbon well log (Onyia well), obtained from the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Was analyzed. The equipment used –Shale shakers log chart, detectors etc and parameters-rate of penetration (ROP), weight on bits (WOB) and strokes per minute (SPM). All provided evidences of the benefits of mudlogging as an exploration tool. The shows, stains and fluorescence obtained from the lithological analyses of zones of interest, from the Mudlog, ie 7100-8,300ft of well, after through examination indicated that the lithologies reached. and in some cases the availability of hydrocarbon in the reached zones.

Institutions of higher education are increasingly realizing that they are part of the service industry and are putting greater emphasis on student satisfaction as they face many competitive pressures. Due to intense competition in this field and specially in the B-Schools it become mandatory for the institutions to understand the students perceptions towards various factors that lead to a feeling of satisfaction among them and try to concentrate on the most important factors. The authors in this research article did a descriptive study to understand the students’ perception towards the most important factors that develop a feeling of satisfaction among them. The research was done in Jalandhar district of Punjab on the students studying in various Management Colleges in the city. The convenience and snowball sampling technique was used to identify colleges and students respectively. The questionnaire method was used for collecting the data from the students. The total sample size was 100 out of which 80 questionnaires are used for analysis. The authors applied factor analysis to reach to a conclusion that Infrastructure, Faculty Knowledge and Understanding of Student Needs, Students Skills Development and Quality of Placement Activities are the major factors that lead to student satisfaction the most.

This present investigation aimed at assessing the water quality of the Densu delta. Data on some ions namely Na⁺, HCO₃^-, Cl^-, K⁺, SO₄^2-, NO₃^--N and PO₄^3--P were measured. The pH, temperature, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand were also determined to assess the chemical status and pollution levels of the river. The ranges for BOD (3.40-4. 21), Na⁺ (104-29800), Cl^-(67.98-19194 ), K⁺ (16.90-4630),PO₄-P(0.0063-0.032 ), NO₃-N(0.19 - 0.60 ) and SO₄^2-(224.67-23700) were found to be higher than the natural background levels for surface water. This indicates pollution of the river water samples from the areas studied. Our findings highlighted the deterioration of water quality of the river due to anthropogenic activities.

Nowadays, the entrepreneurship area comprehends a broad range of theories and approaches and has been studied in many ways and with different purposes.Authors from all fields of social sciences – economics, sociology, anthropology, psychology, history, politics and several other areas of business sciences – have given contributions to this area. Thus, the entrepreneurship field of research that is still in notorious development, is considered interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary (Davidsson, 1989).Despite the popularity and relevance that the subject has demonstrated, there is no acceptable universal theory that defines with precision the field of intervention on entrepreneurship, establishing its origin on the crosswise of a set of approaches proceeding from other areas of knowledge (Virtanen, 1997).This study uses the data from tourism to explain how the process generates entrepreneurship in Iran. The process contains data taken from external and internal factors related to globalization, government, market structure, and market resources. This study will describe in detail the influence and relationship of each factor. Furthermore, tourism has become a very common topic of discussion in Iran promoting it is a core policy practiced in recent years by the government. The process of entrepreneurship has encouragingly promoted the development of tourism, as well created an entrepreneurial society in Iran.

Professional competency has a momentous effect on teaching of English language. The study has been conducted on developing a model of teaching English language in societal perspective. The model has been developed keeping in view effect of professional competency of teacher, use of language laboratory, quality of teaching practice, academic assessment of students, counseling and guidance of students, and teaching in social context of English language . The objectives of the study were: 1) to explore the effect of professional competency of teacher, use of language laboratory, quality of teaching practice, academic assessment of students, counseling and guidance of students on teaching of English language in social perspective 2) to develop a model of teaching English language in social perspective .The research was beneficial for the English language teachers. The study was important for developing English language curricula. The study was useful for research scholars of English language. The study was of great importance in managing English language centers. The study was descriptive in nature. The relevant data was being analyzed keeping in view the objectives of the study.

The Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete (SFRC) is composed of cement, fine and coarse aggregates and discontinuous discrete steel fibers. In tension SFRC fails only after the steel fiber breaks or pulled out of the cement matrix. The composite nature of SFRC is responsible for its properties in freshly mixed and hardened state. The mechanical properties of SFRC are depending on type of fiber, aspect ratio, volume fraction of fibers and the size of the aggregates. SFRC transfer stresses across a cracked section which increases toughness of concrete in hardened state. This paper invistigate the behavior of steel fiber reinforced concrete for compressive strength, tensile strength and flexural strength, using different types of steel fibers and different aspect ratio.