Literature review of reuse in business process modeling

Business process models play an important role in the analysis and improvement of the performance of an enterprise. Evidently, the quality of a business process model has a direct effect on the business performance. This evidence has motivated both the academic and industrial communities to look for suitable methods for creating good quality business process models. In particular, there is a wide agreement that reuse can accelerate the design process and produce high quality solutions by adopting best practices and agreed-up-on solutions. However, faced with various types of reusable artifacts, business process designers need a set of criteria to determine which type would suit best their needs and design context. To assist designers in their choice, we first present a set of criteria influencing the design phase in terms of effort required and the quality of the resulting model. Secondly, we use this set of criteria to present a state of the art on the most significant reusable design artifacts.     

Growth and development of water buffalo and Friesian crossbred cattle, with special reference to the 'entire' and 'boneless' cuts

Twelve buffaloes, nine Friesian × Baladi and nine Friesian × (Friesian × Baladi) bulls were slaughtered over the live weight ranges 161–560 kg for buffaloes and 176–448 kg for cattle. Right sides of all carcasses were jointed and dissected and the increase in the weight of ‘entire’ and ‘boneless’ cuts and cut groups (i.e. pistol; BLRC) relative to the ‘entire’ and ‘boneless’ side weights, respectively, were examined using covariance analyses.

Increasing distoproximal and dorsoventral growth gradients were found in both species. Most noticeably, the sticking was early developing in buffaloes and late developing in cattle, whereas the shortloin developed approximately at an average rate in buffaloes and at a lower rate in cattle. Statistically significant but relatively slight differences were recorded between buffaloes and cattle in the adjusted means of the ‘entire’ and ‘boneless’ hind shank, sirloin (favouring buffaloes) and brisket (favouring cattle). Buffaloes were superior to cattle in weight of pistol. At an equal side weight of 73 kg buffaloes had significantly higher weight of pistol (maximum difference = 1·4 kg). At a 115 kg side weight, the maximum difference in ‘entire’ and ‘boneless’ pistol reached 3·58 and 5·04 kg, respectively.     

Multiple source imagery and linear features for detection of urban expansion in Aqaba City,Jordan

Aqaba is one of the most strategic cities in Jordan and the entire region, as it is the only seaport for Jordan and has a special economic zone as the only window to global markets. The main purpose of this study is to detect urban development in Aqaba region by detecting and registering linear features in images with various geometric and radiometric properties taken at different times. This article used linear features for image registration that were chosen since they can be reliably extracted from imagery with significantly different geometric and radiometric properties. The modified iterated Hough transform (MIHT) is used as the matching strategy for automatically deriving an estimate of the parameters involved in the transformation function relating the images to be registered as well as the correspondence between conjugate lines. Derived edges from the registered images are used as the basis for change detection. The utilization of edges is motivated by the fact that they are invariant with respect to possible radiometric differences between the images in question. Linear features extraction, feature matching, image registration and pixel–pixel subtraction have been implemented using SPOT, Landsat, Ikonos and aerial photographs that have different radiometric, spatial and temporal resolutions. It has been shown that linear features (straight-line segments) have high semantics and can be reliably extracted from the images. These linear features can be used for accurate co-registration as an essential prerequisite for a reliable change detection procedure. For the purpose of change detection, image–image registration is more crucial than image–ground registration, where corresponding features in images are registered with respect to each other regardless of the associated absolute errors. The results illustrate that using edges as the base for change detection in urban areas is efficient and reliable.     

Customers’ Intention and Adoption of Telebanking in Jordan

This study investigates the factors influencing customers’ intention and adoption of telebanking in Jordan. The proposed model integrated perceived risk with the extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology. The results show that behavioral intention is significantly influenced by performance expectancy, hedonic motivation, price value, and perceived risk. Implications for practitioners, research limitations, and future directions are also discussed further in this article.     

Synthesis and Biocidal Activity of Some Naphthalene-Based Cationic Surfactants

In this study, different cationic surfactants were prepared by reacting dodecyl bromide with tertiary amines to produce a series of quaternary ammonium salts that were converted subsequently to stannous and cobalt cationic complexes via complexing them with stannous (II) or cobalt (II) ions. Surface properties such as surface- and interfacial-tension, and the emulsifying power of these surfactants were investigated. The surface parameters including critical micelle concentration, maximum surface excess, minimum surface area, tension lowering efficiency and effectiveness were studied. The free energy of micellization and adsorption were calculated. Antimicrobial activity was determined via the inhibition zone diameter of the prepared compounds, which was measured against six strains of a representative group of microorganisms. The antimicrobial activity of some of the prepared surfactants against sulfate reducing bacteria was determined by the dilution method. FTIR spectra, elemental analysis and a H¹ NMR spectrum were examined to confirm compound structure and purity. The results obtained indicate that these compounds have good surface properties and good biocidal effect on broad spectrum of micro organisms.     

Towards a Universal Dissolution Medium for Carbamazepine

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to develop a dissolution medium for assessment of various carbamazepine (CBZ) formulations with different strengths. The design of a system inhibiting transformation of the anhydrous CBZ (CBZ A) to the dihydrate form (CBZ D), with minimum surface-active properties and suitable sink was investigated. The effect of pH, different concentrations of sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and methyl cellulose (MC) on dissolution rate, solubility, dissolution solubility, and polymorphic transformation of CBZ was assessed. Solution-mediated transformation of CBZ A into CBZ D was monitored using optical microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. Results showed that different strengths (100, 200, 400 mg) of the same CBZ tablet formulation exhibited different dissolution patterns, in 1% SLS (USP system). Such differences were reduced in 0.5% SLS solution which provided sufficient sink for up to 200 mg CBZ. It was also shown that solubility of CBZ A could not be detected in the media under study (water, SGF, SIF, and SLS solutions) due to its rapid transformation into CBZ D. The use of 3% PVP solution protected CBZ A from conversion for 75 min, while 0.01% MC completely inhibited the transformation up to 24 h. Therefore, a medium consisting of 0.5% SLS and 0.01% MC was selected. The medium provided: a) protection against transformation of CBZ A to CBZ D, b) increased solubility of CBZ A (204 mg % compared to 128 mg % of CBZ D in 0.5% SLS), c) suitable sink for up to 400 mg CBZ and d) overlapping dissolution profiles of various strengths of the same CBZ formulation. The suggested system may be a step in the way of solving CBZ dissolution problems that forced the USP to specify two similar dissolution tests with two different limits for conventional 200 mg CBZ tablets.     

The adhesion of SiNx thin layers on silica–acrylate coated polymer substrates

Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) was used to grow 200, 300 and 400 nm thick silicon nitride layers (SiN_x) on a high temperature aromatic polyester substrate spin coated with a silica–acrylate hybrid coating (hard coat). Layers deposited without oxygen plasma treatment remained attached to the substrate, while spontaneous buckle delamination of the layer deposited with oxygen plasma treatment was observed directly after layer deposition. This effect was investigated using Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). SIMS analyses showed a considerable increase of silicon oxide by exposing the substrate to oxygen plasma treatment, while AFM showed an increased roughness. Bright-field transmission electron micrographs show the presence of a particulate SiO₂ layer. The oxygen plasma treatment thus removes the acrylate from the hard coat layer leaving behind the SiO₂ particles leading to lower adhesion and thus to spontaneous buckle delamination.     

Frequency tunable monopole coupled loop antenna with broadside radiation pattern

A frequency tunable antenna made with an open-circuit monopole coupled loop antenna associated to a varactor diode is presented. The proposed antenna shows a 35.8% relative bandwidth, covering the 470?675 MHz frequency range. Theoretical and experimental results of S₁₁, radiation patterns and gain have been performed and show good agreement.