This paper is concerned with pre-test single and double stage shrunken estimators for the mean (?) of normal distribution when a prior estimate (?0) of the actule value (?) is available, using specifying shrinkage weight factors ?(?) as well as pre-test region (R). Expressions for the Bias [B(?)], mean squared error [MSE(?)], Efficiency [EFF(?)] and Expected sample size [E(n/?)] of proposed estimators are derived. Numerical results and conclusions are drawn about selection different constants included in these expressions. Comparisons between suggested estimators, with respect to classical estimators in the sense of Bias and Relative Efficiency, are given. Furthermore, comparisons with the earlier existing works are drawn.

Background: The disc prolapse is a common condition especially in young adults. Different levels are affected in the lumber region; the L4/L5 disc is more susceptible to longitudinal load and is the most common site of lumbar disc prolapse. The L5/S1 disc is protected from torsion load by strong ilio-lumbar ligaments but it is more susceptible to axial compressive forces. Many factors affect the result and outcome of surgery in these levels.Objective: The aim of this study is to correlate operative data, short-term results, complications, and prognostic factors (age, gender, mobility, hospital stay, and level of pain) for one-level lumber discectomybetween different levels (L4–L5 vs. L5–S1).Methods In this prospective study, 32 patie

The present work focuses on the experimental implementation of one of the fiber optical sensors, the optical glass fiber built on surface Plasmon resonance. A type of optical glass fiber was used in this work, single-mode no-core fiber with pre-tapering diameter: (125.1 μm) and (125.3 μm), respectively. The taper method can be tested by measuring the output power of the optical fiber before and after chemical etching to show the difference in cladding diameter due to the effect of hydrofluoric acid with increasing time for the taper process. The optical glass fiber sensor can be fabricated using the taper method to reduce the cladding diameter of the fibers to (83.12 µm, 64.37 µm, and 52.45 µm) for single-mode fibers using Hydrofluoric

Power switches require snubbing networks for driving single – phase industrial heaters. Designing these networks, for controlling the maximum allowable rate of rise of anode current (di/dt) and excessive anode – cathode voltage rise (dv/dt) of power switching devices as thyristors and Triacs, is usually achieved using conventional methods like Time Constant Method (TCM), resonance Method (RM), and Runge-Kutta Method (RKM). In this paper an alternative design methodology using Fuzzy Logic Method (FLM) is proposed for designing the snubber network to control the voltage and current changes. Results of FLM, with fewer rules requirements, show the close similarity with those of conventional design methods in such a network of a Triac drivin

Particulate matter (PM) emitted from diesel engine exhaust have been measured in terms of mass, using
99.98 % pure ethanol blended directly, without additives, with conventional diesel fuel (gas – oil),to
get 10 % , 15 %, 20 % ethanol emulsions . The resulting PM collected has been compared with those
from straight diesel. The engine used is a stationary single cylinder, variable compression ratio Ricardo
E6/US. This engine is fully instrumented and could run as a compression or spark ignition.
Observations showed that particulate matter (PM) emissions decrease with increasing oxygenate
content in the fuel, with some increase of fuel consumption, which is due to the lower heating value of
ethanol. The reduction in

   Decision-makers in each country work to define a list of internal and external interests, goals and threats to their countries according to the nature of their awareness of these interests, goals and threats. 

  Hence, Iraq is not an exception to this rule, and the process of evaluating its interests and the objectives of its foreign policy is subject to the pattern of awareness of decision-makers and the influencing forces in defining its basic interests, which often witness some kind of difference in defining them, evaluating their importance and determining the size of the threats they face. And among these interests and threats that have witnessed a difference in the assessment of their

The present work reports the performance of three types of polyethersulfone (PES) membrane in the removal of highly polluting and toxic lead Pb2+ and cadmium Cd2+ ions from a single salt. This study investigated the effect of operating variables, including pH, types of PES membrane, and feed concentration, on the separation process. The transport parameters and mass transfer coefficient (k) of the membranes were estimated using the combined film theory-solution-diffusion (CFSD), combined film theory-Spiegler-Kedem (CFSK), and combined film theory-finely-porous (CFFP) membrane transport models. Various parameters were used to estimate the enrichment factors, concentration polarization modulus, and Péclet number. The pH values signif

In this paper, a miniaturized 2 × 2 electro-optic plasmonic Mach– Zehnder switch (MZS) based on metal–polymer–silicon hybrid waveguide is presented. Adiabatic tapers are designed to couple the light between the plasmonic phase shifter, implemented in each of the MZS arms, and the 3-dB input/output directional couplers. For 6 µm-long hybrid plasmonic waveguide supported by JRD1 polymer (r33= 390 pm/V), a π-phase shift voltage of 2 V is obtained. The switch is designed for 1550 nm operation wavelength using COMSOL software and characterizes by 2.3 dB insertion loss, 9.9 fJ/bit power consumption, and 640 GHz operation bandwidth