Temperature Correction of Deflections and Backcalculated Elasticity Moduli Determined from Falling Weight Deflectometer Measurements on Asphalt Pavements

The evaluation of the bearing capacity of asphalt pavements is usually performed by analysing the deflections measured by a Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD). The deflection changes with the pavement temperature. In evaluation is necessary to consider the thermal gradient of pavement and perform the temperature correction. The article contains an analysis of effects of the pavement temperature on FWD results on the long-term monitored sections. The temperature correction was performed on measured deflections or back-calculated elasticity moduli. The moduli recalculated to the temperature of 20 °C according to both procedures were similar. Comparison of moduli determined by recalculation to moduli backcalculated from the deflection bowls measured at the temperature of 20 °C, has proven smaller differences for the moduli determined from the deflection bowl corrected to the temperature of 20 °C.

Short and long forms of the adjectives in translations of the New Testament into the Old Slavonic and the language of Slovene booklore of the XVI century

This article analyzes the instances of using short and long forms of the adjectives the Old Slavonic language, as well as the analytical method of expressing the category of certainty / uncertainty in the Slovene language of the XVI century based on the example of translations of the fragments from the New Testament. The comparison of short and long forms of the adjectives is one of the ways of conveying the category of certainty / uncertainty in the Slavonic language without articles. A similar comparison of short and long forms of the adjectives can be observed in both Old Slavonic and Old Slovene languages. However, in the Slovene language, such juxtaposition ceased to exists as a result of the early contraction in pronominal forms of the adjectives; the XVI century marks the formation of the analytical method of conveying the category certainty / uncertainty using the article “ta” and “en”. The following conclusions were made: the original language could affect the translation strategy and the choice of forms, while in the Slovene language it also pertained to articles; the examples of Slovene translations that preserved the correlation of short and long forms without the presence of the part or article in the originals, testify to the development of special ways of expressing the category of certainty / uncertainty, which replaced the juxtaposition of short and long forms of the adjectives; the analytical forms in the Slovene corresponded with short and long forms of the adjectives in the Old Slavonic language, which emphasizes the similar functional yield of analytical forms with the previous juxtaposition of short and long forms of the adjectives in the Slovene language.

Motives of Story “Queen of Spades” by Alexan der Pushkin in Novel “Bad Weather” by Alexander Ivanov

The novel by A. Pushkin “The Queen of Spades” and the novel by A. V. Ivanov “Bad weather” from the point of view of literary relationships is examined in the article, the method of intertextual analysis is used. The aim of the study is to identify parallels in the problematic, motivational structure and systems of images of these works. The article analyzes the relationship between the work of A. Ivanov and directly with the text of “The Queen of Spades”, and with the epigraph to it. The results of the research allow us to conclude that the image of bad weather as a background for the development of action connects the Pushkin story and the novel by A. V. Ivanov. It is noted that in both works the theme of the change of epochs is artistically realized, and the past is interpreted as a time much brighter and more meaningful than the present. The studied works are also united by the plot-forming motive of playing with fate, which, in turn, is associated with the theme of passion for money. In addi tion, commonality can be noted in the nature of the characters and the principles of their representation; to a certain extent, the fates and nature of women characters of the works are similar. Comparison with Pushkin's story helps to see deep philosophical problems in A. Ivanov’s novel “Bad Weather”.

Strömgren metallicities for intermediate-age and old star clusters

We report results that show that the straightforward star cluster metallicities obtained from Strömgren vby photometry are age-dependent and need to be corrected for further use. This outcome arises from the comparison of [Fe/H] values derived from Strömgren photometry with those metallicities published in the literature for 26 Large and Small Magellanic Cloud star clusters, whose ages range from ∼1 Gyr up to the oldest-known globular cluster ages in these galaxies. While deriving mean star cluster metallicities, we carried out a thorough selection of red giant branch candidates to comply with the Strömgren metallicity calibration validity regime. We paid attention to the effect of contamination by field stars, particularly those that lie inside the star clusters’ radii, that are distributed along the star cluster red giant branches and that have [Fe/H] values covering a similar range as that for the selected stars. We find that the measured Strömgren metallicities are systematically more metal-poor than the published ones and that a quadratically age-varying function reproduces the relative metallicity values with an overall uncertainty of ∼0.05 dex. We finally performed a similar comparison relying on a fully independent approach, which consisted in using theoretical red giant branches of old globular clusters spanning [Fe/H] values from −2.0 up to 0.0 dex as standards. We then superimposed onto them the red giant branches of star clusters with ages in the range 1.0−12.5 Gyr and estimated their associated metallicities by interpolation. The derived theoretical relative metallicities follow a similar trend as a function of the star clusters’ ages as what has been found from observations of star clusters.

The Story of Change London

Symbol of dollar supremacy - Despite the fact that in 1963 Hilton operated already 21 hotels in 16 different countries, the London hotel was to become its flagship property in Europe. Curt Strand strongly believed that a hotel in London would have similar status in the International Division as the Waldorf Astoria in the Domestic Division 1 . A similar comparison was made by William Irvin, the Vice President of Hilton International and a long-time friend of Conrad’s, who in 1958 recognised the Waldorf Astoria, the Plaza and the Palmer House as the most prominent properties of the Hilton Hotels Corporation.

Impact of Mergers and Acquisitions on Accounting-based Performance of Acquiring Firms in India

Purpose: Merger is a corporate restructuring strategy that affects the performance of the company on many parameters. This study aims to examine the growth of M&A transactions in India in last two decades and the impact of merger on the accounting-based performance of the acquiring company. Methodology: The data of 68 mergers during the year 2007-08 - 2011-12 is analysed to capture the said impact. The accounting-based performance is measured on seven variables divided into three categories- profitability, liquidity and solvency. The accounting-based performance five years’ pre-merger is compared with five years’ post-merger. The similar comparison is done for 3 years pre and post-merger. Average of all the 7 parameters pre and post-merger are compared arithmetically and then using paired sample ‘t’test. The firms were also divided into manufacturing and service sector firms to see the impact of merger on different categories of firms. Findings: We found that merger has significantly impacted profitability and liquidity of the acquiring firm positively in five years but had no significant impact on solvency position of the company. Service sector firms have outperformed manufacturing firms and started showing significant improvement in accounting variables in medium term. Originality: We assure the originality of the work done in this article.

GOVERNMENT COMMERCIALIZATION GRANTS AND BUSINESS PERFORMANCE

Australian government offered a number of commercialization grants to businesses from 2009 to 2014. The grants were to support companies and innovators during the commercialization phase of their products and ideas. Focussing on the small firms that are supported by the program, we find that the grant recipient firms tend to invest in capital and research and development (R&D) in larger amounts than a similar comparison group. These firms also experience a faster growth in turnover and a higher probability of exporting, patenting and registering for trademarks. Overall, the program seems to have had a positive impact on firm productivity and innovation activity.

The Long Arm of the Arab State

Under what conditions do authoritarian states exercise control over populations abroad? The securitisation of cross-border mobility has been a common theme in examining immigration policies in the Global North. The securitisation of emigration and diasporas in non-democratic contexts remains neglected; this is particularly true with regard to Arab states’ extraterritorial authoritarian practices. This article argues that authoritarian states develop a range of migration policies that are driven by the contradictory pressures of economic and political imperatives or, put differently, an "illiberal paradox": if a state does not expect economic gains from cross-border mobility, it is more likely to securitise its emigration policy; otherwise, it is more likely to securitise its diaspora policy. The article illustrates this trade-off via a most-similar comparison of Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, and Morocco. Drawing on Arabic and non-Arabic primary and secondary sources, it sketches a novel area of research on migration and security.

THE MICROCIRCULATION PARAMETERS IN PATIENTS WITH ODONTOGENIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES OF MAXILLOFACIAL AREA

The aim of the study was to determine changes of certain microcirculation parameters in patients with odontogenic inflammatory diseases of maxillofacial area. Material and methods. The study included the results of a comprehensive survey of 31 patients with infectious and inflammatory diseases of maxillofacial area of odontogenic etiology and 30 healthy donors. We studied the deformability of erythrocytes and aggregation of the suspension of leukocytes and platelets. Results. The parameters of the level and speed of the aggregation of the suspension of leukocytes and platelets in the development of infectious inflammatory diseases of maxillofacial area of odontogenic pathology increase in regard to those in healthy persons. At the same time, the similar comparison of the erythrocyte deformability in patients reliably decrease. Conclusion. There is a decrease in the erythrocyte deformability and increase in the rate and degree of aggregation of the suspension of leukocytes and platelets with the development of odontogenic infectious and inflammatory diseases in maxillofacial area. During the treatment of the patients the microcirculation abnormalities are preserved. The index of erythrocytes deformability in the blood plasma rises towards the end of the treatment relative to the values determined for just hospitalized patients.