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The State of the art of concrete filled steel tubular columns is presented in this paper. Experimental data has been collected and compiled in a comprehensive format listing parameters involved in the study. Areas of further research are presented and results of ongoing experimental and numerical investigations are also shown.

Cover change study was carried out within and adjacent to peri-urban mangroves of Mtwapa in Kilifi County using medium resolution Landsat (1990; 2000), SPOT (2009) imageries and a mangrove species vector map of 1992. The objective of the study was to assess the temporal mangrove cover change with respect to the immediate land cover changes surrounding the creek. Between 1992 and 2009 Mangrove forest cover saw a loss of 21%. Land-cover from 1990 to 2009 revealed high rate of upland deforestation (3.85% yr-1) and an increase in agricultural land (13.9% yr-1). There is need for reforestation and conservation of the remaining patches of upland forests as well as establishment of riparian zones to enhance soil retention to minimize sedimentation.

This paper presents a novel approach to the design and implementation of CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Devices) based DAS (Data Acquisition System) for varies application. This technique performs the acquisition of physical signal, conversion of analog signal to digital signal and storing of the information. The core heart of the proposed system is CPLD, which allows individual modules on a chip to work independently from each other which is configured and programmed to acquire real time data. The data for the process is acquired using suitable temperature and gas sensors. Signal conditioners are designed for each sensor and are tested in real time. The ADC0808 (analog to digital converter) is adopted for this system, which is a high speed monolithic CMOS device with an 8-bit, 8-channel analog-to-digital converter using successive approximation as the conversion technique. Cool Runner-II CPLD by Xilinx is used as the main controller from which all modules are implemented in VHDL using Xilinx ISE Design Suite9.2 and simulated using Isim.

In a deregulated electricity industry, congestion is most likely to occur and FACTS devices have been proven to be very effective in mitigating this challenge. In this paper a sensitivity based analysis is used to determine the optimal place to locate series FACTS devices, the device used for the investigation is Thyristor Controlled Series Capacitor (TCSC). This approach was tested on the South East Nigerian 11 – bus network. The Power System Analysis Toolbox (PSAT), was used for the simulation of the system. The load flow results obtained showed the effectiveness of the method.

Pedagogical content knowledge exerts significant driving influence in educational research of teachers. PCK is a basic guarantee for teachers to become expert educators. For physics teachers, PCK is a knowledge synthesis which is developed in a specific teaching situation. PCK development of physics teachers needs the accumulation of time and experience. There are many methods to develop physics teachers’ PCK, such as self-study, teaching reflection and school-based educational research.

We are very happy to announce that from 11th November 2013, Dr. Abbas Khodayari has joined the team of Elixir Editorial Advisory Board. He will carry a special responsibility for dealing with manuscripts based on Physical Education and Sport Science. Dr. Abbas Khodayari is currently working as Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Azad University, Karaj, Iran. The appointment of Dr. Abbas Khodayari as member Editorial Advisory Board strengthens the links and will make it easier for prospective authors to establish contact with the journal. Please send any expressions of interest to elixirpublishers@gmail.com. Sincerely Editor-in-Chief

We are very happy to announce that from 13th April 2013, Dr. Ashok G. Matani has joined the team of Elixir Editorial Advisory Board. He will carry a special responsibility for dealing with manuscripts based on Energy Conservation, Environment, Pollution, General Management, Industrial Engineering. Dr. Ashok G. Matani is currently working as Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, Govt. College of Engineering, V.M. V. P. O., Amravati- 444604 [M.S.] India. The appointment of Dr. Ashok G. Matani as member Editorial Advisory Board strengthens the links and will make it easier for prospective authors to establish contact with the journal. Please send any expressions of interest to elixirpublishers@gmail.com. Sincerely Editor-in-Chief

We are very happy to announce that from 1st August 2012, Dr.N.S.Kumar has joined the team of Elixir Editorial Advisory Board. He will carry a special responsibility for dealing with manuscripts based on Civil Engineering. Dr.N.S.Kumar is currently associated with Director (R&D) Civil Engineering, Ghousia College of Engineering, Ramanagara, Bangalore, India. The appointment of Dr.N.S.Kumar as member Editorial Advisory Board strengthens the links and will make it easier for prospective authors to establish contact with the journal. Please send any expressions of interest to chiefeditor@elixirjournal.org. Sincerely Editor-in-Chief

Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures get deteriorated due to numerous reasons like cracks, cover concrete spalling, large deflection, etc. The identified the factors responsible for these deteriorations are due to increasing load, rebar corrosion, earthquake occurrence, environmental effects and accidental impact on the structure. It is always preferable to strengthen the structures rather than rebuild them. Therefore, repair and rehabilitation have become an increasingly important challenge for the reinforced cement concrete structures in recent years. The tools such as STRAP, ETABS, ANSYS, and STAAD play pivotal role in the detailed analysis of RC structures. It was intended to model the stiffness of RC beam attached with external truss using STAAD Pro. The result indicates that the strengthening of RC beams with external truss could provide an appreciable increase in the stiffness of reinforced concrete beams. It is evident that the stiffness and strength of the beams strengthened with external truss substantially increased up to 4250 kN.m. Also the results of stiffness according to theoretical calculation were found to be almost similar to that of STAAD results.

The general objective of this study was to investigate the effect of diversification of the financial performance in Somalia with specific focus of the industrial small businesses in bakara market. This study investigated to ascertain how liquidity, risk diversification and mergers and acquisition affects financial performance of an organization in small businesses bakara market in Mogadishu. The study employed a survey research design in data collection.This research employed quantitative data collection method whereby data was gathered by the use of closed ended questionnaires which were self-administered. Factor analysis was used to assess the validity and Cronbach alpha to assess reliability of the questionnaire. Multiple regression analysis (standard and step wise) were conducted to determine the effects between the effect of diversification determinants and financial performance. Results confirm the varying importance of diversification determinants in the small businesses processing in Bakara market Mogadishu-Somalia. In general, the results reveal that risk diversification and marchers acquisition have significant and positive effects on financial performance, liquidity and risk diversification have insignificant effects on financial performance in the small businesses in bakara market Mogadishu-Somalia. The study recommends that to improve financial performance in the small businesses in bakar market Mogadishu-Somalia, managers of the small businesses in bakara market Mogadishu-somalia should nurture and develop market Competition and financial performance. Based on the findings of the study, it is essential to give recommendations in order to gather more gains from diversification. It is recommended that; 4 Management should in still discipline upon itself by ensuring good financial performance, promote technological progress and increase it?s paid up capital regardless of the statutory requirements so that the continued existence of the firm is not jeopardized after undergoing diversification. Management should not only undertake diversification in order to improve operation and sustain failing businesses but also improve their competitiveness and financial performance. Management should come up with a sound strategy towards liquidity and risk diversification management so as to avert the problem of mismatching investments and also the quality of liquidity should be enhanced. Management should put into consideration the degree of transferability and marketability of liquidity invested in so that these assets can provide liquidity to the firm with ease.