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High temperature thermal shock causes the breakdown of Thermal Barrier Coating (TBC) systems. This paper focusing attention on the Zirconate TBC coating to study the thermo mechanical behavior such as wear and thermal shock test has been conducted inter metallic bond coat and Zirconate TBC to know the wear and thermal characteristics, and wear behavior has been studied on intermetallic bond coat using dry abrasion test and thermal characteristics studied on Zirconate TBC systems using thermal shock resistance test and finally the coatings characteristics before and after thermal cycling were evaluated.

The purpose of this paper is to solve the problem of committing electric power generators (unit commitment, UC), considering network constraints.

The UC is first solved with a local search based meta‐heuristic, following the assumption that all generators and loads are connected to a single network node. For evaluation purposes, the economical production levels of the units committed are computed by running a pre‐dispatch algorithm where network constraints are not included. If a good quality solution is reached, an economic dispatch (ED) with network constraints is performed, where the geographic location of generators and loads are considered. Therefore, the production level of each committed generator is performed that leads to the global lowest solution cost, regarding both the generators' costs and constraints and the power system network constraints.

The algorithm proposed is computationally efficient, given the time available for decision making. In addition, the solution for this algorithm, in terms of minimization of total costs, is generally better than the solution of the two phases approach. Some contractual and legal aspects related with the injection in network connections can also be included in the model.

UC with network constraints has a large potential of use, especially for small and medium size power systems. It reflects reality in a closer way and provides a more complete and realistic knowledge about the system in operation.

The paper presents an approach where the ED with network constraints is integrated with the UC procedure. The model described is currently implemented in an EMS package offered in the market – making it a case of successful transfer from science to industry.

This study aims to discover a practical and effective way to apply the quality cost concept in Strategic Cost Management (SCM) framework. The interaction of preventive, appraisal and failure (PAF) activities in a company's internal value chain will be the starting point of SCM implementation.

This study begins by establishing value chain and quality costs as the scope of conceptual analysis. Discussions on the interrelationships between activities, quality and costs were gathered to clarify conceptual and practical gaps in the scope of the study. The PAF quality cost model is applied to find viable, practical solutions. The costs of activities will serve as performance indicators.

The PAF quality cost model depicts opportunities to lower costs and increase profit in a business simultaneously; current poor quality costs are the benchmark. Identifying PAF activities and costs in the business value chain and linking it with others is crucial in evaluating SCM applications. These linkages will generate a Quality Cost Chain (QCC). The leading indicator of improvement is a higher ratio between new possible failure costs (FC) and the combination of prevention and appraisal costs (PAC) than the current value, followed by a lower total quality cost (TQC). The subsequent attention is a lower ratio between the appraisal cost (AC) and prevention cost (PC). Mathematically, for assessing the operability of new quality-related activities, ΔPAC_new < ΔFC_new, TQC_new < TQC_current, (FC/PC)_new>(FC/PC)_current and (AC/PC)_new<(AC/PC)_current are proposed as feasible conditional-quantitative improvement criteria.

This study only discusses the relationship between quality costs and activities related to quality management in the PAF quality cost model, not cost behavior. This limitation opens up opportunities for future research that intends to link QCC with cost behavior in the context of managerial accounting and Strategic Cost Management. The use of QCC in certain industrial areas is the next research opportunity. The variety of PAF activities this study addresses originates from a wide range of industrial sectors; QCC research by sector may produce unique industrial quality cost phenomena.

QCC will make it easier for managers to evaluate how strategically their departments or activities contribute to quality costs at the departmental or organizational level, as well as to effectively and efficiently improve quality cost performance.

The quality-related activity and quality cost issues are still rarely treated as subjects of research studies in the field of Strategic Cost Management. Even so, the discussion tends to be very broad, complex and difficult to apply. This study combines a simple diagrammatic and mathematical approach to simplify the discussion and, at the same time, manage the value of strategic quality management.

The present investigation is concerned with a two‐dimensional problem in electromagnetic micropolar elasticity for a half‐space whose surface is subjected to mechanical or thermal source in the presence of a transverse magnetic field. Laplace and Fourier transform technique is used to solve the problem. As an application of the approach concentrated/continuous mechanical or thermal source has been taken. The integral transforms have been inverted by using a numerical technique to obtain the components of normal strain, temperature distribution, normal force stress and tangential couple stress in the physical domain. The expressions of these quantities have been given and illustrated graphically to depict the magnetic effect for two different theories of generalized thermoelasticity, Lord and Shulman (L‐S theory) and Green and Lindsay (G‐L theory). Some special cases of interest are also deduced from the present investigation.

Chronic feeding with thermoxidized palm oil causes tissue damage. The purpose of this paper is to ascertain whether chronic feeding of oxidized and fresh palm oil affects biliary secretion.

Albino Wistar rats were divided into three groups of ten rats each. The first group was the control and were fed on normal rat chow, while the second (FPO) and third group (TPO) were fed diet containing either fresh or thermoxidized palm oil (15per cent (w/w)) for 14 weeks. Biliary secretion, bilirubin, electrolytes, cholesterol and serum levels of alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase enzymes were measured.

Biliary secretion in TPO was significantly (p < 0.05) lower compared with the control or FPO. Electrolytes (Na⁺, Cl⁻ and HCO₃⁻) content of bile were significantly (p < 0.05) lower in TPO compared with control or FPO group. Conjugated and un‐conjugated bilirubin levels were significantly (p < 0.05) elevated in TPO compared with control or FPO. The levels of serum liver enzymes were significantly (p < 0.001) higher in TPO than control or FPO. The cholesterol level in the TPO was significantly higher (p < 0.001) than in control or FPO.

The non‐clinical approach and use of experimental animals present limitations to the study.

These results suggest that long‐term feeding of thermally oxidized palm oil alters bile composition and decreases biliary flow due to its hazardous free radicals.

Due to the ever-increasing competitive and complex business environments, food manufacturing companies have to maintain high-quality products while simultaneously minimizing customers' costs. Cost of quality (COQ) plays a crucial role in enhancing companies' efficiency and reducing expenditures that can contribute to companies' competitive performance. This paper investigates the underlying relationship between the level of COQ practices adoption (prevention, appraisal, internal and external failure costs) and organizational performance in Palestinian food manufacturing companies (PFMCs).

A quantitative research methodology using a structured questionnaire collected data from 119 PFMCs. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze collected data.

Results indicated that COQ adoption has a significant positive effect on the organizational performance of PFMCs. Besides, prevention, external and internal failure costs were all associated with a positive impact on organizational performance of PFMCs, whereas appraisal cost did not affect organizational performance.

This study is considered one of the first studies to investigate COQ practices' effect on organizational performance in food manufacturing companies in a developing country context. Thus, it adds significant value to the literature responding to calls to tackle competitiveness issues in current complex business environments.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the funding criteria adopted by funding organisations (FOs) in New Zealand.

The naturalistic inquiry paradigm is applied and qualitative interview data were collected using semi‐structured interviews.

The most important finding is that there is a strong pattern emerging as to how the selected FOs determine the allocation of their funds. Outcomes and key people are important criteria for these FOs, while financial information is regarded as less relevant. On balance, the New Zealand funders involved in this study seem to adopt a creative approach to allocating their funds. To explain the lack of performance and financial measurements, it may be that, unlike their for‐profit counterparts, not‐for‐profit (NFP) organisations' managers are not constrained by returns to shareholders, earnings per share and the bottom line. Thus, many of the New Zealand funders' allocations rely on an instinctive feel for the projects proposed and the character of the applicants proposing them.

A limitation of the research is that it was restricted to Auckland and Wellington and only to those FOs which were willing to participate. It is not possible to generalise the results and apply the findings derived based on seven FOs to all the funders in New Zealand. This research is an exploratory study; further research would be appropriate across Australasia to include larger centres such as Sydney and Melbourne where there are many more FOs.

Funders are in favour of a more creative and soft approach to their philanthropic giving. It is hoped that this research will raise an awareness of a strong tendency of FOs to adopt a creative approach to grant‐making rather than the more scientific approach involving financial analysis.

The outcomes and key people are important to this grant‐making process, while much financial information is less relevant.

The paper recommends that FOs should pay more attention to financial analysis while preserving the flexibility of a creative approach. Moreover, grant seekers will have a much clearer idea about what sort of information most grant makers actually utilise in their grant decision‐making processes. The additional contribution of this research project is to enrich the existing literature on philanthropic funding in New Zealand.

During the past two decades, there has been a growing awareness of the impact of mental illness on the population (Regier et al., 1988; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999; World Health Organization, 2001). However, only recently have issues surrounding its effect on the labor force been raised (Berndt et al., 2000; Dewa & Lin, 2000; Kessler et al., 1999; Marcotte et al., 1999; Stewart et al., 2003).