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This paper aims to model the coupled on-chip Copper (Cu) interconnects by using the multiresolution time-domain (MRTD) method.

The proposed model is a wavelet-based numerical method for analyzing signal integrity and propagation delay of coupled on-chip interconnects. Moreover, the dependency of crosstalk noise and delay on coupling parasitics (L12, C12) are analyzed.

The proposed MRTD method captures the behaviour of propagation delay and peak crosstalk noise on victim line against coupling parasitics, which is in close agreement with that of H simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis (HSPICE). The average error for the proposed model is less than 1 per cent with respect to HSPICE for the estimation of peak crosstalk noise voltage.

Simulations are performed using HSPICE and compared with those performed using the proposed MRTD method for global interconnect length with 130-nm technology, where the computations of the proposed model are carried out using Matlab.

The MRTD method with its unique features is tailored for modelling interconnects. To build further credence to this and its profound existence in the latest state-of-art works, simulations of crosstalk noise and propagation delay, for coupled Cu interconnect lines, using MRTD and finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) are executed. The results illustrated the dominance of MRTD method over FDTD in terms of accuracy.

The article describes a new approach to the cost/benefit aspect of management control systems which will help managers decide which control system is worthwhile improving and how. The new concept is based on two ideas: defining the purpose of a control system as: “Triggering corrective action that will prevent losses which came out of deviation from planned path”; and breaking up the control cycle into five steps and relating separately to each step for improving the present system and its cost/benefit performance.

Gives a critical examination of “Markets” within the marketing environment, and suggests that the system of marketing can be described by two fundamental dimensions: activity and product. Presents a normative view of the relationships that exist between a marketing system and its environment. Proposes that the system is more effective in same conditions than in others. Indicates that the dynamics of marketing strategy and competitive advantage should be considered.

The present paper consists of an outline of the analysis of corrosion reactions made possible by the use of the concepts of chemical and electrochemical affinities and of the principles of equilibrium thermodynamics and of the thermodynamics of irreversible processes. For the essentials of the thermodynamic theory of affinity the reader is referred to the books of De Bonder and Van Rysselberghe and of Prigogine and Defay and, for the essentials of the thermodynamic theory of electrochemical affinity, he is referred to an article and a monograph by Van Rysselberghe We shall base our whole presentation on a typical example, that of metallic zinc undergoing corrosion in aqueous media. Generalisation to other cases can readily be worked out.

This paper investigates the impact of refusal to deal by a monopoly supplier of an essential input on firms’ investments in product quality, consumer surplus, and net social welfare.

The paper uses a standard economic model of endogenous quality choice for horizontally differentiated products to compare market performance with and without refusal do deal.

Refusal to deal increases the payoff of the integrated firm and reduces equilibrium investment in quality, consumer surplus, and net social welfare if varieties are moderate or good substitutes. If varieties are poor substitutes, the integrated firm maximizes its payoff setting a wholesale price that allows the downstream rival a small economic profit.

The analysis presented here implies that it is actual rivalry in the development of high-quality substitute varieties that promotes consumer welfare, and that such rivalry is ill served by the exercise of market power in input markets and by the refusal of vertically integrated upstream firms to deal with their nonintegrated downstream rivals. Reliance on the lure of monopoly profit to get good market performance is misplaced.

Grid computing is an effective environment for the execution of parallel applications that requires great computing power. This paper aims to present, based on the hierarchical architecture, an improved weighted resource discovery (WRD) algorithm to manage allocation of resources and minimize cost of communications between grid nodes.

A behavioral modeling method is addressed to prove the proposed method correctness. The behavioral model of the proposed algorithm is implemented by StarUML tool with two different model-checking mechanisms. Then, the resource discovery correctness is analyzed in terms of reachability condition, fairness condition and deadlock-free using NuSMV model checker.

The results show that WRD algorithm has better performance in requiring re-discovery process, the number of examined nodes in each request and discovering the free resources with high-bandwidth links.

To store information of resources, a new data structure called resource information table is proposed which facilitates resource finding of the algorithm. A behavioral modeling method is addressed to prove the proposed method correctness.

The issue of capacity constraint resources (CCR) or bottlenecks wandering in product mix decision by applying Theory of Constraints (TOC) management philosophy has been mentioned and demonstrated in several papers. In this study, the effect for prolonging the planning period (PPP) so as to stabilize the CCR is investigated. The results show that the effect for PPP alternative will be positive or negative which is depending on the environment condition. However, a majority cases which have positive effect for PPP alternative can be recognized prior knowing the marketing demand, which is significant in the real application.

The purpose of these studies was to investigate the cleaning and hygiene of plastic cheese moulds and plastic transportation crates and to assess the suitability of ultrasonication for cleaning these dairy devices on a pilot scale and to optimise these cleaning procedures.

The contamination load in the various process lines was monitored by use of chemical methods, i.e. EDTA titration and COD measurement for organic residues and various microbiological techniques for microbial contaminants. Ultrasonication cleaning procedures for cheese moulds were planned among parameters applicable to the process environment. The Taguchi method design of experiments was also used for the cleaning of milk transportation crates.

Ultrasonication was found to be a suitable cleaning method for both cheese moulds and transportation crates. Acceptable cleaning results were achieved using short cleaning procedures with a temperature under 60°C. Various types of cleaning agents can be used together with ultrasonication and the plastic materials in the utensils tolerated ultrasonication. The quality and the efficacy of the cleaning liquid used in the ultrasonic bath in the dairy plant were rapidly diluted due to the accumulation of organic soil. To ensure the effectiveness of cleaning, the quality of cleaning liquid should be measured frequently and threshold limits for changing the cleaning liquid should be set. The COD measurement proved to be practical for monitoring the organic load of the cleaning liquid and traditional culturing, as well as commercial culturing applications, e.g. Petrifilm™ AC and DryCult^® TPC can easily be used for monitoring the level of microbial contamination.

No major limitations, apart from the required investments, were found for applying the ultrasonication in the cleaning of dairy devices, e.g. plastic cheese moulds and plastic milk transportation crates.

The work is of value in highlighting the potential use for ultrasonication in improving the cleaning procedure of returnable milk transportation crates made of plastic.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on teacher coachees’ perceptions of why some coaching goals (selected by coaches or coachees) were more achievable than others and how this knowledge might advance a coaching culture that has the potential for sustainable improvements to teaching and learning.

As educators, the authors took a constructivist approach to grounded theory because the authors believe learning is socially constructed. The relationship between coach and coachees is underpinned by their constructed meanings and co-constructed learning. constructivist grounded theory (Charmaz, 1996) requires researchers not to start with a theory or hypothesis but to engage with data in a manner (coding, categorising, theorising) that allows for a theoretical understanding to emerge. In total, 22 teacher coachees from one school participated in this research. They were asked to complete an online questionnaire about their coaching experiences, speculating about why some goals (related to improving student reading, writing, speaking and listening, and math) were more achievable than others. One of the researchers had been a coach in the school, but not at the time of the research. Nonetheless online questionnaires were used as they offered teacher coachees anonymity to share their lived experiences (Charmaz, 2006). This data collection method also assisted in limiting accidental leading by an interviewer (Charmaz, 2006).

The investigation into longitudinal coaching (one to six years) indicated how coachees positioned themselves or peers, when reflecting on and seeking to establish why some coaching goals were more achievable than others. Coachees clustered around one of the following themes: Pragmatic I, Pragmatic We, Student Driven, Team Driven, Data Driven, Research Driven. Theorising within and across themes highlighted that while coachees shared the same concerns, they differed in terms of how much they each focused on them. This allowed the authors to gauge the intensity of the concern (dominate, moderate or slight) for each participant. Notwithstanding the overlap, the seventh theme (temporality) serendipitously aligned with their exposure to coaching. Differentiated models of coaching appears to be a way to establish a coaching culture as multiple models could be responsive to divergent coachees’ learning needs. In doing so it is more likely to support sustainable improvements in teaching and learning.

The sample size (n=22) was appropriate for an in-depth analysis which allowed an understanding of coaching from the coachees’ first-hand experiences although it does limit generalisability. Another limitation is that coachees were not asked about teaching experience, hence the relationship between years of teaching and coaching exposure was not analysed. This is something that the authors feel now needs to be included in further research. Implications of the findings are that instructional coaches within schools may need to be more cognisant of the developmental stages and therefore differentiated needs of teacher coachees. This is particularly so if the aim is to promote sustainable pedagogical improvement.

This is a case study of the effects of longitudinal coaching (one to six years) in a school where all teachers are involved in being coached.

In this article the author discovers a most economic method of velocity calculation of ocean currents with the help of salinity measurements at different depths instead of density measurements‐method that has been followed by the midshipmen and marine research fellows. He also presents all possible applications of ocean currents in the development of navigation, navy, power and energy‐production, oceanography, meteorology, food and medicine‐supplies. The application of ocean current dynamics on ecological life is elaborated in the case of different kinds of fish and amphibian life. The ethico‐scientific implications of these case studies are based on the knowledge of harmonious interactions that exist between the inanimate natural world (ocean currents), the animate natural world (amphibian life) and the human world.