Contract law concentrate

Contract Law Concentrate is a high quality revision guide which covers the main topics found on undergraduate courses. The clear, succinct coverage of key legal points within a specific topic area, including key cases, enables students to quickly grasp the fundamental principles of contract law. Written by Jill Poole, an experienced teacher and examiner and author of Textbook on Contract Law and Casebook on Contract Law, the book focuses on the needs of students to pass their exams. A number of pedagogical features help with the preparation for exams and suggest ways to improve marks. This guide has been rigorously reviewed and is endorsed by students and lecturers for level of coverage, accuracy, and exam advice. Packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more, Contract Law Concentrate is also supported by extensive online resources to take your learning further (www.oxford.com/lawrevision/): · Test your knowledge with the multiple choice questions and receive feedback on your answers. · Revise the facts and discussions of key cases using the interactive flashcards. · Learn the important terms and definitions using the interactive glossary. · Check that you have covered the main points of a topic using the key facts lists. · Achieve better marks following the advice on revision and exam technique by experienced examiner Nigel Foster.

Artificial reefs concentrate nutrients and alter benthic community structure in an oligotrophic, subtropical estuary

The construction of artificial reefs in the oligotrophic seagrass meadows of central Florida Bay attracted large aggregations of fish and invertebrates, and assays of nutrient availability indicated increases in availability of nutrients to sediment microalgae, periphyton, and seagrasses around reefs. An average of 37.8 large (> 10 cm) mobile animals were observed on each small artificial reef. The dominant fish species present was the gray snapper (Lutjanus griseus Linnaeus, 1758). Four yrs after the establishment of the artificial reefs, microphytobenthos abundance was twice as high in reef plots (1.7 ± 0.1 μg chl-a cm-2) compared to control plots (0.9 ± 0.1 μg chl-a cm-2). The accumulation of periphyton on glass periphytometers was four times higher in artificial reef plots (200.1 ± 45.8 mg chl-a m-2) compared to control plots (54.8 ± 6.8 mg chl-a m-2). The seagrass beds surrounding the artificial reefs changed rapidly, from a sparse Thalassia testudinum (Banks & Soland. ex König) dominated community, which persisted at control plots, to a community dominated by Halodule wrightii (Ascherson). Such changes mirror the changes induced in experimentally fertilized seagrass beds in Florida, strongly suggesting that the aggregations of animals attracted by artificial reefs concentrated nutrients in this oligotrophic seascape, favoring the growth of fast-growing primary producers like microphytobenthos and periphyton, and changing the competitively dominant seagrass from slow-growing T. testudinum to faster-growing H. wrightii in the vicinity of the reefs.

A comparison of individual cow versus group concentrate allocation strategies on dry matter intake, milk production, tissue changes, and fertility of Holstein-Friesian cows offered a grass silage diet

A diverse range of concentrate allocation strategies are adopted on dairy farms. The objectives of this study were to examine the effects on cow performance [dry matter (DM) intake (DMI), milk yield and composition, body tissue changes, and fertility] of adopting 2 contrasting concentrate allocation strategies over the first 140 d of lactation. Seventy-seven Holstein-Friesian dairy cows were allocated to 1 of 2 concentrate allocation strategies at calving, namely group or individual cow. Cows on the group strategy were offered a mixed ration comprising grass silage and concentrates in a 50:50 ratio on a DM basis. Cows on the individual cow strategy were offered a basal mixed ration comprising grass silage and concentrates (the latter included in the mix to achieve a mean intake of 6 kg/cow per day), which was formulated to meet the cow’s energy requirements for maintenance plus 24 kg of milk/cow per day. Additional concentrates were offered via an out-of-parlor feeding system, with the amount offered adjusted weekly based on each individual cow’s milk yield during the previous week. In addition, all cows received a small quantity of straw in the mixed ration part of the diet (approximately 0.3 kg/cow per day), plus 0.5 kg of concentrate twice daily in the milking parlor. Mean concentrate intakes over the study period were similar with each of the 2 allocation strategies (11.5 and 11.7 kg of DM/cow per day for group and individual cow, respectively), although the pattern of intake with each treatment differed over time. Concentrate allocation strategy had no effect on either milk yield (39.3 and 38.0 kg/d for group and individual cow, respectively), milk composition, or milk constituent yield. The milk yield response curves with each treatment were largely aligned with the concentrate DMI curves. Cows on the individual cow treatment had a greater range of concentrate DMI and milk yields than those on the group treatment. With the exception of a tendency for cows on the individual cow treatment to lose more body weight to nadir than cows on the group treatment, concentrate allocation strategy had little effect on either body weight or body condition score over the experimental period. Cows on the individual cow treatment had a higher pregnancy rate to first and second service and tended to have a higher 100-d in calf rate than cows on the group treatment. This study demonstrates that concentrate allocation strategy had little effect on overall production performance.

Anaerobic bio-digestion of concentrate obtained in the process of ultra filtration of effluents from tilapia processing unit

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the efficiency of the process of biodigestion of the protein concentrate resulting from the ultrafiltration of the effluent from a slaughterhouse freezer of Nile tilapia. Bench digesters were used with excrements and water (control) in comparison with a mixture of cattle manure and effluent from the stages of filleting and bleeding of tilapias. The effluent obtained in the continuous process (bleeding + filleting) was the one with highest accumulated population from the 37th day, as well as greatest daily production. Gases composition did not differ between the protein concentrates, but the gas obtained with the use of the effluent from the filleting stage presented highest methane gas average (78.05%) in comparison with those obtained in the bleeding stage (69.95%) and in the continuous process (70.02%) or by the control method (68.59%).

Ratio of Native Grass and Concentrate in the Ration to the Quality of Milk Production of Holstein Cow

The research attempted to find out ratio of native grass and concentrate in the ration to the quality of milk production of Holstein cow. Latin Square Design was used with five treatments of ratio of native grass and concentrate ( 70 : 30%, 60 : 40%, 50 : 50%, 40 : 60%, 30 : 70%), applied using five Holstein cows at the third lactation periode and the third mounth of lactation. The variable measured were in the quality milk production consist of actual milk yield, the milk fat content, crude protein, solid non fat, efficiency of  energy bruto and energy netto, and income over feed cost. The best ratio of native grass and concentrate in the ration for the efficiency of energy bruto, energy netto and income was 50 : 50%. The milk fat content and actual milk yield have relationship form with the milk energy value. The best ratio of native grass and concentrate in the ration to increasing the milk fat content, crude protein and crude of solid non fat was 70 : 30%. (Animal Production 7(1): 14-20 (2005) Key Words : Native grass, concentrate, energy bruto, energy netto

Optimization on Fermentation Process of Protein Concentrate of Jatropha Seed Cake with N Sources and Minerals Supplementation

The objective of this research is to produce alternative food sources of protein by optimizing the potential of jatropha curcas which is agroindustry waste. This study is planned in two years and is a series of jatropha seed exploration through fermentation using Lactobacillus acidophilus. Specific targets in the first year of study were to assess the optimization of the fermentation process by supplementing the source of N soybean meal and fish meal. Experiments using Completely Randomized Design (RAL) factorial pattern with first factor was supplementation (F) and second factor was incubation time (W), fermentation optimization consisted of: F1 (F0 + 2.5% soybean meal flour), F2 (F0 + 2.5% fish meal), F3 (F1 + 0.45% Dicalsium Phosphat) and F4 (F2 + 0.45% Dicalsium Phosphat). The incubation time is differentiated W1: 3 days, W2: 5 days and W3: 7 days. It can be concluded that: dry matter, gross energy, calcium and phospor are influenced by interaction between type of supplementation of source of N + DCP with fermentation time, whereas fat content is only influenced by fermentation time with optimal time decrease of fat content is 5,92 days. Total protein and amino acid levels are only influenced by different types of supplementation. Phorbolester antinutrition levels are influenced by the duration of the fermentation.  Based on antinutritive as a limiting factor. F4W5 is the best treatment and can used as a feed ingredient.

Learning support : what do students want?

Assumptions are often made about students' needs, especially in the area of learning support. In this study 89 students were asked 8 questions relating to receiving learning support. The results are presented both qualitatively and quantitatively, and indicate that all students have individual needs that cannot be assumed. The findings reveal that the most common area of perceived need was in literacy. There were some differences between primary and middle school students' responses to withdrawal from the classroom, but the majority of students in both groups indicated a preference for withdrawal because they could concentrate better in an environment that was less noisy and because they felt they might look 'stupid' if they remained in class.

Modelling the process of learning in economics

Student learning research literature has shown that students' learning approaches are influenced by the learning context (Evans, Kirby, & Fabrigar, 2003). Of the many contextual factors, assessment has been found to have the most important influence on the way students go about learning. For example, assessment that is perceived to required a low level of cognitive abilities will more likely elicit a learning approach that concentrate on reproductive learning activities. Moreover, assessment demand will also interact with learning approach to determine academic performance. In this paper an assessment specific model of learning comprising presage, process and product variables (Biggs, 2001) was proposed and tested against data obtained from a sample of introductory economics students (n=434). The model developed was used to empirically investigate the influence of learning inputs and learning approaches on academic performances across assessment types (essay assignment, multiple choice question exam and exam essay). By including learning approaches in the learning model, the mechanism through which learning inputs determine academic performance was examined. Methodological limitations of the study will also be discussed.

The mobile Internet and small business : an exploratory study of needs, uses and adoption with full-adopters of technology

The technological environment in which contemporary small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operate can only be described as dynamic. The exponential rate of technological change, characterised by perceived increases in the benefits associated with various technologies, shortening product life cycles and changing standards, provides for the SME a complex and challenging operational context. The primary aim of this research was to concentrate on those SMEs that had already adopted technology in order to identify their needs for the new mobile data technologies (MDT), the mobile Internet. The research design utilised a mixed approach whereby both qualitative and quantitative data was collected to address the question. Overall, the needs of these SMEs for MDT can be conceptualised into three areas where the technology will assist business practices; communication, eCommerce and security.

Design and analysis of group key exchange protocols

A group key exchange (GKE) protocol allows a set of parties to agree upon a common secret session key over a public network. In this thesis, we focus on designing efficient GKE protocols using public key techniques and appropriately revising security models for GKE protocols. For the purpose of modelling and analysing the security of GKE protocols we apply the widely accepted computational complexity approach. The contributions of the thesis to the area of GKE protocols are manifold. We propose the first GKE protocol that requires only one round of communication and is proven secure in the standard model. Our protocol is generically constructed from a key encapsulation mechanism (KEM). We also suggest an efficient KEM from the literature, which satisfies the underlying security notion, to instantiate the generic protocol. We then concentrate on enhancing the security of one-round GKE protocols. A new model of security for forward secure GKE protocols is introduced and a generic one-round GKE protocol with forward security is then presented. The security of this protocol is also proven in the standard model. We also propose an efficient forward secure encryption scheme that can be used to instantiate the generic GKE protocol. Our next contributions are to the security models of GKE protocols. We observe that the analysis of GKE protocols has not been as extensive as that of two-party key exchange protocols. Particularly, the security attribute of key compromise impersonation (KCI) resilience has so far been ignored for GKE protocols. We model the security of GKE protocols addressing KCI attacks by both outsider and insider adversaries. We then show that a few existing protocols are not secure against KCI attacks. A new proof of security for an existing GKE protocol is given under the revised model assuming random oracles. Subsequently, we treat the security of GKE protocols in the universal composability (UC) framework. We present a new UC ideal functionality for GKE protocols capturing the security attribute of contributiveness. An existing protocol with minor revisions is then shown to realize our functionality in the random oracle model. Finally, we explore the possibility of constructing GKE protocols in the attribute-based setting. We introduce the concept of attribute-based group key exchange (AB-GKE). A security model for AB-GKE and a one-round AB-GKE protocol satisfying our security notion are presented. The protocol is generically constructed from a new cryptographic primitive called encapsulation policy attribute-based KEM (EP-AB-KEM), which we introduce in this thesis. We also present a new EP-AB-KEM with a proof of security assuming generic groups and random oracles. The EP-AB-KEM can be used to instantiate our generic AB-GKE protocol.

Sustainable infrastructure project planning : progress in contemporary decision support tools

Most infrastructure project developments are complex in nature, particularly in the planning phase. During this stage, many vague alternatives are tabled - from the strategic to operational level. Human judgement and decision making are characterised by biases, errors and the use of heuristics. These factors are intangible and hard to measure because they are subjective and qualitative in nature. The problem with human judgement becomes more complex when a group of people are involved. The variety of different stakeholders may cause conflict due to differences in personal judgements. Hence, the available alternatives increase the complexities of the decision making process. Therefore, it is desirable to find ways of enhancing the efficiency of decision making to avoid misunderstandings and conflict within organisations. As a result, numerous attempts have been made to solve problems in this area by leveraging technologies such as decision support systems. However, most construction project management decision support systems only concentrate on model development and neglect fundamentals of computing such as requirement engineering, data communication, data management and human centred computing. Thus, decision support systems are complicated and are less efficient in supporting the decision making of project team members. It is desirable for decision support systems to be simpler, to provide a better collaborative platform, to allow for efficient data manipulation, and to adequately reflect user needs. In this chapter, a framework for a more desirable decision support system environment is presented. Some key issues related to decision support system implementation are also described.

Real-time simulation for power systems based on parallel computing - an empirical study

Abstract Computer simulation is a versatile and commonly used tool for the design and evaluation of systems with different degrees of complexity. Power distribution systems and electric railway network are areas for which computer simulations are being heavily applied. A dominant factor in evaluating the performance of a software simulator is its processing time, especially in the cases of real-time simulation. Parallel processing provides a viable mean to reduce the computing time and is therefore suitable for building real-time simulators. In this paper, we present different issues related to solving the power distribution system with parallel computing based on a multiple-CPU server and we will concentrate, in particular, on the speedup performance of such an approach.

Eschewing the fat: strong production but Neil LaBute below his best : a review

AWARD-WINNING American play and screen writer Neil LaBute is known for producing character-driven dramas that concentrate on the darker side of human nature and desire. In Fat Pig, LaBute picks up on a familiar theme: the way a perverse social preference for physical perfection affects human relationships. It is a topic LaBute has tackled before in The Shape of Things, a compelling play in which a beautiful young woman's efforts to help her new boyfriend pursue a program of self-improvement are eventually revealed to be part of a bizarre human experiment for her master-of-fine-arts degree.

Examination of process to develop a framework for better implementation of quality practices in building projects

Quality, as well as project success, in construction projects should be capable of being regarded as the fulfillment of expectation of those contributors and stakeholders involved in such projects. Although a significant amount of quality practices have been introduced within the industry, establishment and attainment of reasonable levels of quality internationally in construction projects continues to be an ongoing problem. To date, some investigation into the introduction and improvement of quality practices and stakeholder management in the construction industry has been accomplished independently, but so far no major studies have been completed that examine comprehensively how quality management practices that particularly concentrate on the stakeholders’ perspective of quality can be used to contribute to final project quality outcomes. This paper aims to examine the process for development of a framework for better involvement of stakeholders in quality planning and practices and subsequently to contribute to higher quality outcomes within construction projects. Through extensive literature review it highlights various perceptions of quality, categorizes quality issues with particular focus on benefits and shortcomings and also examines stakeholders’ viewpoint of project quality in order to promote the improvement of outcomes throughout a project’s lifecycle. It proposes a set of arranged information as a basis for development of prospective framework which ultimately aims to improve project quality outcomes. The subsequent framework that will be developed from this research will provide project managers and owners with the required information and strategic direction to achieve their own and their stakeholders’ targets for implementation of quality practices and achievement of high quality outcomes on their future projects.

Equity in the twenty-first century

Issues of equity and inequity have always been part of employment relations and are a fundamental part of the industrial landscape. For example, in most countries in the nineteenth century and a large part of the twentieth century women and members of ethnic groups (often a minority in the workforce) were barred from certain occupations, industries or work locations, and received less pay than the dominant male ethnic group for the same work. In recent decades attention has been focused on issues of equity between groups, predominantly women and different ethnic groups in the workforce. This has been embodied in industrial legislation, for example in equal pay for women and men, and frequently in specific equity legislation. In this way a whole new area of law and associated workplace practice has developed in many countries. Historically, employment relations and industrial relations research has not examined employment issues disaggregated by gender or ethnic group. Born out of concern with conflict and regulation at the workplace, studies tended to concentrate on white, male, unionized workers in manufacturing and heavy industry (Ackers, 2002, p. 4). The influential systems model crafted by Dunlop (1958) gave rise to The discipline’s preoccupation with the ‘problem of order’ [which] ensures the invisibility of women, not only because women have generally been less successful in mobilizing around their own needs and discontents, but more profoundly because this approach identifies the employment relationship as the ultimate source of power and conflict at work (Forrest, 1993, p. 410). While ‘the system approach does not deliberately exclude gender . . . by reproducing a very narrow research approach and understanding of issues of relevance for the research, gender is in general excluded or looked on as something of peripheral interest’ (Hansen, 2002, p. 198). However, long-lived patterns of gender segregation in occupations and industries, together with discriminatory access to work and social views about women and ethnic groups in the paid workforce, mean that the employment experience of women and ethnic groups is frequently quite different to that of men in the dominant ethnic group. Since the 1980s, research into women and employment has figured in the employment relations literature, but it is often relegated to a separate category in specific articles or book chapters, with women implicitly or explicitly seen as the atypical or exceptional worker (Hansen, 2002; Wajcman, 2000). The same conclusion can be reached for other groups with different labour force patterns and employment outcomes. This chapter proposes that awareness of equity issues is central to employment relations. Like industrial relations legislation and approaches, each country will have a unique set of equity policies and legislation, reflecting their history and culture. Yet while most books on employment and industrial relations deal with issues of equity in a separate chapter (most commonly on equity for women or more recently on ‘diversity’), the reality in the workplace is that all types of legislation and policies which impact on the wages and working conditions interact, and their impact cannot be disentangled one from another. When discussing equity in workplaces in the twenty-first century we are now faced with a plethora of different terms in English. Terms used include discrimination, equity, equal opportunity, affirmative action and diversity with all its variants (workplace diversity, managing diversity, and so on). There is a lack of agreed definitions, particularly when the terms are used outside of a legislative context. This ‘shifting linguistic terrain’ (Kennedy-Dubourdieu, 2006b, p. 3) varies from country to country and changes over time even within the one country. There is frequently a division made between equity and its related concepts and the range of expressions using the term ‘diversity’ (Wilson and Iles, 1999; Thomas and Ely, 1996). These present dilemmas for practitioners and researchers due to the amount and range of ideas prevalent – and the breadth of issues that are covered when we say ‘equity and diversity in employment’. To add to these dilemmas, the literature on equity and diversity has become bifurcated: the literature on workplace diversity/management diversity appears largely in the business literature while that on equity in employment appears frequently in legal and industrial relations journals. Workplaces of the twenty-first century differ from those of the nineteenth and twentieth century not only in the way they deal with individual and group differences but also in the way they interpret what are fair and equitable outcomes for different individuals and groups. These variations are the result of a range of social conditions, legislation and workplace constraints that have influenced the development of employment equity and the management of diversity. Attempts to achieve employment equity have primarily been dealt with through legislative means, and in the last fifty years this legislation has included elements of anti-discrimination, affirmative action, and equal employment opportunity in virtually all OECD countries (Mor Barak, 2005, pp. 17–52). Established on human rights and social justice principles, this legislation is based on the premise that systemic discrimination has and/or continues to exist in the labour force and particular groups of citizens have less advantageous employment outcomes. It is based on group identity, and employment equity programmes in general apply across all workplaces and are mandatory. The more recent notions of diversity in the workplace are based on ideas coming principally from the USA in the 1980s which have spread widely in the Western world since the 1990s. Broadly speaking, diversity ideas focus on individual differences either on their own or in concert with the idea of group differences. The diversity literature is based on a business case: that is diversity is profitable in a variety of ways for business, and generally lacks a social justice or human rights justification (Burgess et al., 2009, pp. 81–2). Managing diversity is represented at the organizational level as a voluntary and local programme. This chapter discusses some major models and theories for equity and diversity. It begins by charting the history of ideas about equity in employment and then briefly discusses what is meant by equality and equity. The chapter then analyses the major debates about the ways in which equity can be achieved. The more recent ideas about diversity are then discussed, including the history of these ideas and the principles which guide this concept. The following section discusses both major frameworks of equity and diversity. The chapter then raises some ways in which insights from the equity and diversity literature can inform employment relations. Finally, the future of equity and diversity ideas is discussed.