The objective of the present study is to observe the surface morphology, structure and elemental composition of the ash particles produced from some thermal power stations of India using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA). This information is useful to better understand the ash particles before deciding its utility in varied areas.

Encouraging the social empowerment of persons with disabilities—also known as “people of determination” is a crucial step toward advancing equality and inclusion in our communities. Consequently, the current study aimed to identify the mechanisms for activating social empowerment for people of determination from the deaf category. Identify the most prominent mechanisms and proposals from the point of view of the deaf. The study used a social survey approach based on a questionnaire on a sample of (30) deaf males in the Kuwaiti Sports Club for the Deaf, and it is the full sample size. The study reached several results, the most important of which are: integrating deaf people with disabilities into jobs integrated into society, raising the level of cultural awareness of sign language, in addition to spreading awareness of how to deal with deaf people. The study presented some recommendations and proposals, including media focus on the deaf group, and working to hold conferences and workshops targeting the community to spread awareness about the deaf group.

Aiming at the problem of incompatibility of biomass models of forest organs, taking Chinese fir in Fujian Jiangle State-owned Forest Farm as the research object, based on selecting the optimal independent model of each organ, the biomass compatibility model of Chinese fir was established with a three-level joint control scheme. The results show that the compatibility equation system based on the whole plant biomass can effectively solve the problem of incompatibility in the whole plant biomass, each sub-biomass and between sub-biomass. Besides, except for the leaf biomass model, all other biomass models have good fitting effect, which is of great significance to the guidance of the analysis of local Chinese fir biomass.

This paper uses Public Choice analysis to examine the case for and experience with Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). A PPP is a contractual platform which connects a governmental body and a private entity. The goal is to provide a public sector program, service, or asset that would normally be provided exclusively by a public sector entity. This paper focuses on PPPs in developed countries, but it also draws on studies of PPPs in developing countries. The economics literature generally defines PPPs as long-term contractual arrangements between a public authority (local or central government) and a private supplier for the delivery of services. The private sector supplier takes responsibility for building infrastructure components, securing financing of the investment, and then managing and maintaining this facility.

However, in addition to those formed through contracts, PPPs may take other forms such as those developed in response to tax subvention or coercion, as in the case of regulatory mandates. A key element of PPP is that the private partner takes on a significant portion of the risk through a schedule of specified remuneration, contingency payments, and provision for dispute resolution. PPPs typically are long-term arrangements and involve large corporations on the private side, but may also be limited to specific phases of a project.

The types of PPPs discussed in this paper exclude arrangements which may result from government mandates such as the statutory emission mandates imposed on automobile manufacturers and industrial facilities (e.g., power plants). It also excludes PPP-like organizations resulting from US section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, which provides tax subsidies for certain public charities, scientific research organizations, and organizations whose goals are to prevent cruelty to animals or erect public monuments at no expense to the government. This paper concludes that an array of Public Choice tools are applicable to understanding the emergence, success, or failure of PPPs. Several short case studies are provided to illustrate the practicalities of PPPs.