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Transportation – Related Enforcement Action

Transportation – Related Enforcement Action

Name:

Institution affiliation

Date:

Ilios Shipping Company S.A. was penalized in government court in New Orleans for damaging the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) and check of equity, advertised Assistant Attorney General Ignacia S. Moreno and Jim Letten, U.s. Lawyer for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Ilios worked the M/V AgiosEmilianos, a 738 foot, 36,573 ton mass transporter freight dispatch that pulled grain from New Orleans to different ports far and wide. As indicated by the supplication assertion, from April 2009 until April 2011, sleek bilge waste and ooze was routinely released from the vessel specifically into the ocean without the utilization of obliged contamination aversion supplies. Amid that time, the team purposefully concealed the illicit releases of oil waste by distorting the vessel’s oil record book. The expert of the vessel, Valentino Mislang, long ago conceded to and was sentenced for intrigue to impede equity for his part in wrecking proof and teaching crewmembers to deceive the Coast Guard amid a review of the vessel in April 2011. As per Mislang, a senior administrator of Ilios coordinated the devastation of machine records and requested Mislang to advise crewmembers to mislead the Coast Guard.

Sadly, we keep on seeing numerous ecological unlawful acts cases including maritime business vessels. The Coast Guard will keep on holding resistant organizations and administrators responsible when they overstep the law and imperil the marine environment or open wellbeing. The court requested Ilios to pay a general criminal punishment of $2 million. The Wildlife Foundation and the National Fish will get $250,000 to store activities went for the reclamation of marine and amphibian assets in the Eastern District of Louisiana.

As a state of probation, Ilios is obliged to actualize a natural consistence plan which will guarantee that any boat worked by Ilios consents to all sea ecological prerequisites created under relevant universal, banner state and port state laws. The arrangement guarantees that Ilios’ representatives and the group of any vessel worked by Iliosare appropriately prepared in forestalling oceanic contamination. An autonomous screen will appear for the court about Ilios’ agreeability with its commitments amid the time of probation.

References

European Conference of Ministers of Transport. (2006). Strengthening Inland WaterwayTransport: Pan-European Co-operation for Progress. Paris: OECD Publishing.

Gardner, J. M. (2013). Navigating the Rogue Waters of Inland Marine Transportation and theImpact of the Use of Third-Party Logistics Providers on Recovery for Cargo Loss andDamage.United Nations. (2004). Manual on modernization of inland water transport for integrationwithin a multimodal transport system. New York: United Nations.

Transparent Functional Oxide Stretchable Electronics Micro-Tectonics Enabled High Strain Electrodes

Transparent Functional Oxide Stretchable Electronics: Micro-Tectonics Enabled High Strain Electrodes.

INTRODUCTION

Transparent functional oxide stretchable electronics applications signify the building blocks of expectations of flexible and transparent device technology integrating multifaceted circuitry and functionality. However, two major challenges have to be overcome, one; the flexible substrate ought to rather be transparent and colorless this results to application of colorless materials like polyethylene8 and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).

To overcome these problems, there is integration of high-temperature processed functional oxides.

It make use of standard micro fabrication and materials processing methods. The substrate material selected for this job is PDMS, regularly used in flexible electronics and micro fluidics. The method is revealed with indium tin oxide (ITO). This has lead to the determination of elevated

uniaxial strain performance of ITO on PDMS resistor structures, facilitated by micro-tectonics in the corrugated oxide thin film. In addition, zinc oxide (ZnO) was selected to display the capability to transfer a high-quality semiconducting oxide that is at present in high demand in research.

In the procedure for convey of different oxides onto polymer substrates micro fabrication, thin film dispensation and photolithography methods were joined to realize a process of conveying of high-temperature functional oxides onto PDMS substrates. For the reason of indicating the transfer method, and initiating functionality, the development is explained using ITO thin films. These slim films need annealing temperatures 44001C, which is beyond polymer limits, to render them

conductive and clear.

Following lift-off in an acetone bath, the sample is annealed at 4001C in air for an hour. This step stabilizes the stoichiometry of ITO and renders it conductive and transparent A 1:10 combination of the curing agent and pre-polymer blend of PDMS is whirled onto the wafer surface and treated, following which the entire layer is unwrap off. The use of the 50 nm platinum layer allows this step, as platinum has very reduced adhesion to silicon. This guarantees that the platinum with the oxide material on its surface is entrenched in the cured PDMS layer.

In the transfer of micron-scale features the capability to transfer of high-resolution features or patterns exploiting the projected transfer procedure was discovered resulted to slits after lift-off when photolithography mask with sub10mm longitudinal stripes in close proximity were used. In Transmission measurements the results show that the ITO–PDMS devices transmit 460% and up to 80% of the incident light across the visible range and at higher wavelengths. In proposing a novel technique for the realization of high-temperature-processed oxide thin films on flexible substrates, our work utilized ITO and ZnO on PDMS for demonstration. The strain resistance relationship relevant to flexible and stretchable electronics highlighted that the ITO–PDMS structures endure greater strain (15%) than their identically sized gold–PDMS (10%) counterparts.

Although a complimentary outcome, this is unexpected when considering a brittle oxide material in relationship to gold thin films, which are metallic and known to be malleable. Lack of evidence has led to evidence of any delamination has led to the hypothesis that the ITO plates behave like geological tectonic plates that are capable of sliding over each other to attain equilibrium states. Change in resistance values in the stretching cycle are over three times higher for strains 47% in contrast with the non-encapsulated samples .At 10% maximum strain the resistor transforms from the very elevated resistance state (47% strain) to open circuit states, although with recoverability of the initial resistance. The importance of observation is that it changes in resistance is two orders of level higher for the encapsulated samples. This permit the winding up that encapsulation in the case of ITO–PDMS significantly degrades performance, in stark disparity to the gold–PDMS. A current study carried out by Chaeet al. confirmed that it is not momentous in films to be absolutely planar to show high performance. Consequently, we trust that our technology to convey high-temperature oxides presents a podium for numerous upcoming applications. By comparison, it is known that for gold on PDMS structures, the huge disparities in thermal expansion coefficients effect in cracks in the material, which affect adhesion and durability. The procedure displayed by the transparent conductor ITO on the flexible elastomer PDMS display high strain–resistance performance, with significant strain limits of 15% compared with gold on PDMS (10%).

An overlapping plate-like thin film microstructure leads to the improved strain act; where this exceptional micro-structure offers specific advantages that set off thin film electrodes. We exhibit outstanding patterning capability with sub 10mm characteristics and flexibility of the course of action through convey of high-temperature-deposited ZnO. We consider that the acid-free and scalable transport process presented for integration of high-temperature developed useful materials onto expandable substrates will enable a plethora of applications, moreover ,create chances for inventions such as the manipulate of micro-tectonics on strain resistance performance.

This has also resulted in the determination of high uniaxial strain performance of ITO on PDMS resistor structures, enabled by micro-tectonics in the corrugated oxide thin film.

In the course for transfer of functional oxides onto polymer substrates micro fabrication, thin film dispensation and photolithography methods were combined to realize different process. For the purpose of demonstrating the transfer technique, and establishing functionality, the process is described using ITO thin films. These thin films require annealing temperatures 44001C, which is beyond polymer limits, to render them conductive and transparent. Following lift off in an acetone bath, the sample is annealed at 4001C in air for an hour. This step stabilizes the stoichiometry of ITO and renders it conductive and transparent A 1:10 mixture of the curing agent and pre-polymer mixture of PDMS is spun onto the wafer surface and cured, following which the whole layer is peeled off. The use of the 50 nm platinum layer enables this step, as platinum has very poor adhesion to silicon. This ensures that the platinum with the oxide material on its surface is implanted in the cured PDMS layer.

In the transfer of micron-scale features the ability to transfer of high-resolution features or patterns utilizing the proposed transfer process was explored resulted to gaps after lift-off when photolithography mask with sub-10mm longitudinal stripes in close proximity were used. In Transmission measurements the results show that the ITO–PDMS devices transmit460% and up to 80% of the incident light across the visible range and at higher wavelengths. In the strain resistance measurements maximum strain values of 10% for gold resistors on as formed PDMS and 20% or greater for pretreated and pre-stretched PDMS layers have been reported.

In suggesting a novel method for the understanding of high-temperature processed oxide slim films on flexible substrates, our effort exploited ITO and ZnO on PDMS for expression. The strain resistance correlation significant to flexible and stretchable electronics tinted that the ITO–PDMS structures tolerate larger strain (15%) than their similarly sized gold–PDMS (10%) counterparts.

Although a complimentary outcome, this is unexpected when considering a brittle oxide material in relationship to gold thin films, which are metallic and known to be malleable. Lack of evidence has led to evidence of any delamination has led to the hypothesis that the ITO plates behave like geological tectonic plates that are capable of sliding over each other to attain equilibrium states.

Change in resistance values in the Stretching cycle are over three times higher for strains 47% in contrast with the non-encapsulated samples .At 10% maximum strain the resistor transforms from the very elevated resistance state (47% strain) to open circuit states, although with recoverability of the initial resistance. The importance of observation is that it changes in resistance is two orders of level higher for the encapsulated samples.

This permit the winding up that encapsulation in the case of ITO–PDMS significantly degrades performance, in stark disparity to the gold–PDMS. A current study carried out by Chaeet al. confirmed that it is not momentous in films to be absolutely planar to show high performance. Consequently, we trust that our technology to convey high temperature oxides presents a podium for numerous upcoming applications. By comparison, it is known that for gold on PDMS structures, the huge disparities in thermal expansion coefficients effect in cracks in the material, which affect adhesion and durability. The process demonstrated by the transparent conductor ITO on the flexible elastomer PDMS display high strain–resistance performance, with considerable strain limits of 15% compared with gold on PDMS (10%).

An overlapping plate-like thin film microstructure leads to the improved strain act; where this exceptional micro-structure offers specific advantages that set off thin film electrodes. We exhibit outstanding patterning capability with sub 10mm characteristics and flexibility of the course of action through convey of high-temperature-deposited ZnO. We consider that the acid-free and scalable transport process presented for integration of high-temperature developed useful materials onto expandable substrates will enable a plethora of applications, moreover ,create chances for inventions such as the manipulate of micro-tectonics on strain resistance performance.

Transparency and Corporate bond market

Transparency and Corporate bond market

Introduction:

This article brings into picture the operations of individual markets and analysis different patterns of behavior in the market for different goods and services along with different determinants and the effect of supply and demand, government regulations, the structure of the market and strategic behavior.

US Bond market:

The US bond market as per 2006 is estimated to be $5.37 trillion, which is highly governed by Treasury bills or municipal bonds, the corporate bonds amounted to be $470 billion. Corporate bonds are one of the major means with which the corporates raises funds. US corporate bond market has undergone many changes after the introduction of Transaction Reporting and compliance engine. With this it was compulsory for all the corporates to issue the bond through National Association of Security dealers. With a focus on this the security market became transparent.

Corporate bonds are the bonds that are issued by corporations and are exposed to default risk. There are different risks that are entailed by the corporate bonds which is highly dependent on issuing company’s characteristics and on the terms of the specific bond.

This paper brings into picture different aspects so as to increase the transparency in the corporate bond market. The corporate bond is the bond which makes coupon payments to the holder on the face value of the bond. All these bonds have a specified maturity date, after the expiry of which the issuing company pays back the value of the bond. This is one of the major means to raise capital. The rates of the bonds are highly affected by the economic conditions and the market rates along with the market perception. All these bonds which are sold in the market needs to be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The credit worthiness of all these bonds are evaluated by different credit rating companies which tells about the prospects of the company. All the bonds and debt obligations has some investment grade. The bonds which are not rated are generally considered as the junk bond or speculative bonds. Bond is usually rated as ‘BB’/ lower, because of the risk of high default. These bonds can be purchased for some purposes which are speculative. These bonds offer rate of interest which is three to four percent points higher when compared to any safe government issues.The trading of the corporate bonds is done in the OTC i.e. over the counter market in NYSE. Apart from this the bonds are also sold in the dealer market through which the investors purchases bonds.

The two specific risks associated with bonds are as follow:

Interest Rate Risk: There is an inverse relation between the bond prices and interest rates. The fall in the prices of bonds lead to the rise in the interest rate and rise in the interest rate leads to the fall in the price of bonds.

Inflation Risk: The investor receives a rate of return either fixed or variable for the duration of the bond. But the rise in the inflation or cost of living leads to decrease in the purchasing power and it results in the negative rate of return.

There is an inverse relation between the volatility of the interest rates and the price of the bonds. The increase in the volatility will lead to decrease in the price of the bonds. The bondholders rely on the interest payments as one of the source to recover the bond investment. Therefore, increase in the volatility will cause the investors to pay less for a non-callable bond that had high convexity. There is an inverse relation between rate of return and bond prices. If the market rate of return increases, then the current holdings of bond will have lower price as the securities with high rate of return will have more demand. If the there is a decline in the market interest rate, then the value of current holdings will increase, which will lead to increase in bond’s price.

To increase the transparency of the trading of the bonds, it is compulsory for all the bond dealers to report all their transactions to the National Association of security dealers as per the regulations of TRACE. With the regulations, the transparency of the trading of the bonds has increased which has highly benefited the investors. With this transparency, there has been a substantial reduction in the bid ask spreads that needs to be paid by the investors. This has benefited the investors to a great extent, but with this the bond dealers have experienced reduction in the employment as well as their compensation and they are focusing more on syndicate bank loans and credit default swaps which has higher pay as compared to the corporate bonds. The main complaint of the dealers with the trading if bonds is the decrease in the cost of the bonds along with the decrease in the corporate bonds.