Satisfactory Settlement Research Articles

Investigation of structural, ultrasonic, and radiation shielding properties of PbO-B2O3 glasses reinforced MnO2

Glass composition systems of (65-x) B2O3+15 PbO +15 Na2O+ 5 Al2O3+ x MnO2, where x = 0, 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 mol% were organized by the usual melting-annealing process. Electron spin resonance (ESR) displayed broad hyperfine before and after exposing glasses to 25 kGy of gamma radiation, while sharp ESR signals at magnetic field range 3200–3500 Gauss were detected after irradiating glasses with 50 kGy. FTIR and Raman spectroscopy displayed the high structural stability of the glasses towards 25 kGy of gamma radiation, signifying the central building units of various borate groups at the same intensities and positions. Different ultrasonic characteristics such as ultrasonic velocities, elastic properties, Poisson’s ratio, Lamé constants, acoustic impedance, and ultrasonic attenuation coefficient didn’t variate greatly with gamma radiation exposure to 25 kGy. Comparing results showed that 0.5 % MnO2 glass has the most stable structure against gamma irradiation, the lowest ultrasonic velocity and wave passage, and the highest attenuation of waves, ensuring the high ability of the prepared glasses to inhibit the echoes. Experimental shielding parameters such as mass (MAC) and linear attenuation coefficients (LAC), half value layer (HVL) and tenth value layer (TVL) were measured for gamma rays and removal cross section area was measured for neutrons. Theoretical studies by WinXcom program revealed satisfactory settlement, with the experimental examinations displaying a high efficiency of the glasses to shield gamma rays especially the glass with 0.5 % MnO2, which has the highest attenuation and the lowest HVL and TVL. Therefore, the high efficiency of the glasses to be used as radiation shielding applicants in radiation institutes before 50 kGy, i.e. as storage containers for radioactive wastes in nuclear medicine.

Effectiveness Of Restorative Justice In Traffic Accident Case Settlement And Its Implications For The Parties Involved

Traffic accidents are a severe problem that significantly impacts people's safety and well-being. In Indonesia, the restorative justice approach has been adopted as an alternative to resolving traffic accident cases, which aims to restore the relationship between the perpetrator and the victim and reduce the burden on the criminal justice system. This study focuses on the effectiveness of the implementation of restorative justice by the Bintan Subregional Police in resolving traffic accident cases in Batam City, as well as its implications for the parties involved. This study aims to analyze how the application of restorative justice can affect the settlement of traffic accident cases, assess the effectiveness of this approach, and identify relevant obstacles and solutions to optimize its implementation. The research method used is qualitative, collecting data through in-depth interviews, observations, and document analysis. The research respondents comprised police officers, victims, perpetrators, and community leaders involved in the mediation process. The study results show that implementing restorative justice by the Bintan Subregional Police has excellent potential to create a fairer and more satisfactory settlement for all parties involved. However, its effectiveness is still hampered by limited resources and training for the police, lack of public understanding, and suboptimal coordination between institutions. The proposed solutions include increasing training programs for police officers, drafting more detailed regulations, and intensifying socialization to the public about the benefits and processes of restorative justice. The study suggests that police forces increase training and resources, communities are more active in supporting this approach, and governments develop regulations that support and improve coordination between agencies. By overcoming these obstacles, the application of restorative justice in resolving traffic accident cases can be more effective and provide more significant benefits to the community, as well as increase trust in the criminal justice system in Indonesia.

موقف المملكة العربية السعودية من الغزو العراقي للكويت في 2 آب 1990

After an eight-year war with Iran, Iraq found that it did not reap any strategic gains after that war, in addition to a huge economic loss and a stifling economic crisis as a result of the deterioration of oil prices in the global market, and Iraq accused the Gulf states of being involved in an international conspiracy targeting Iraq, especially those countries. It is Kuwait, which is characterized by an unstable relationship with Iraq as a result of the bilateral border problems between the two countries. After 1988, the signs of the crisis between Iraq and Kuwait began to loom on the horizon. In this research, we will address the role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in trying to improve the relationship between Iraq and Kuwait through diplomatic means and reach satisfactory settlements for both parties after the emerging crisis between Iraq and Kuwait in 1990, before the situation developed for an Iraqi invasion and a comprehensive annexation of the State of Kuwait, the position of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia after the invasion of Iraq the Kuwaiti lands, the mobilization of international armies in the territory of the Kingdom. and the intensification of efforts at all diplomatic and personal levels, coinciding with Iraq’s refusal to withdraw from Kuwait and the end operation expel the Iraqi forces from Kuwait . key words: Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Fahd bin Abdulaziz, Saddam Hussein

Mediasi Penal Tindak Pidana Kecelakaan Lalu Lintas Yang Menyebabkan Korban Jiwa Berdasarkan Keadilan Restoratif

Penal mediation is a means of seeking justice capable of providing a thorough and satisfactory settlement by both parties outside the court. In the case of a traffic accident that causes a fatality, penal mediation is conducted based on restorative justice. The purpose of this study is to find out the position of mediation of traffic accidents that cause fatalities in the Indonesian criminal justice system and to know the concept in the mediation of traffic accidents that cause fatalities based on restorative justice. The method uses in this study is pure legal research. Pure legal research is applied by using literature studies. The results are: First, the position of penal mediation in fatality traffic accidents has no umbrella act. Second, the concept of penal mediation in the traffic accidents that cause fatalities in Article 15 (2) k, Article 16 (1) L and (2), Article 18 (1) and (2) of Act 2/2002 (Police Act) and The National Chief of Police Letter Number Pol: B/322/XII/2009/SDEOPS dated 14/12/2009 is the legal basis for the police in taking discretionary action. But the letter Pol: B/322/XII/2009/SDEOPS also mentioned that penal mediation is only applicable for small losses. It means that in the case of traffic accidents that cause fatalities, the law is not accommodating out-of-court settlements.

Possibilities for Modernization of Conciliation Board Procedures in the Countries of Central and Eastern Europe - Online Dispute Resolution and Electronic Communication

Abstract Conciliation bodies are the main European forums for alternative dispute resolution for consumer disputes, providing an institutionalized opportunity to remedy consumer infringement cases quickly, cheaply and efficiently. The institution has excellent dispute resolution efficiency not only in Hungary, but also at the international level, which greatly contributes to the enforcement of the consumer protection legislation of the countries concerned. The scientific examination of the work of the bodies and the legislation related to them, the number of domestic and international scientific works resulting from them are modest, while the efficient operation of the bodies depends not only on practical and legal factors, but also on the theoretical basis. Although legislative reforms in this area have led to a number of innovations and modernizations, they have left untouched a number of theoretical and practical issues that also pose significant problems in law enforcement, such as the satisfactory settlement of cross-border disputes, electronic communication and even communication, that it is possible to involve artificial intelligence, other software solutions in decision-making or online dispute resolution within the framework of the procedure. Applied research on the operation of conciliation bodies covered bodies and bodies in Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. Due to the large number of consumer legal relations, the significance of these research results in the national economy cannot be considered negligible either. The research supported by the ÚNKP-20-3 New National Excellence Program of the Ministry for Innovation and Technology from the source of the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund.

The Power of Mediator Suggestions in Mediating the Settlement of Pancasila Industrial Relations Disputes Outside the Court

One of the settlements of disputes outside the court, mediation is understood as a settlement that is non-judgmental, fast, inexpensive, and provides access to the disputing parties to obtain justice or a satisfactory settlement by means of a win-win solution. The role of an industrial relations mediator is urgently needed to achieve harmonious industrial relations. The mediator becomes a point of contact who plays an active role in settlements outside the court. The strength of the mediator's suggestion in mediation is something that greatly determines the continuity of the settlement process because it can be a dispute resolution up to the Industrial Relations Court (PHI) if the negotiation and the mediator's written recommendation are not accepted by one or both parties. In a formal claim to the Industrial Relations court, a written recommendation is part of the minutes of industrial relations dispute settlement. A written recommendation only has power if a collective agreement is made and is registered with the PHI to get the power to be implemented. Deliberation to reach a consensus through mediation settlement with a written suggestion as one of the settlement methods in Law Number 2 of 2004 concerning Industrial Relations Dispute Settlement has not been optimally implemented as long as it is not registered with PHI to have permanent legal force. Keywords: Mediation; Pancasila; Industrial Relations Disputes.

Environmentally friendly foundation for the sustainability development of infrastructures in swamp area

Infrastructure development in Indonesia, especially, has moved into swamp areas. Swamps are usually associated with saturated clay and peat soils that are soft and highly compressible. The low bearing capacity and the high excessive settlement are usually solved with piles and pre-consolidation. The remove and replace method with new and better material is sometimes also used. Those methods have really changed the characteristics of the soils and are not friendly to the environment. Some foundation constructions for soft soils have also been proposed, but, in their application, there are technical constraints which are difficult to overcome. Research on the light foundation in soft soils has been carried out to support the light load with a satisfactory settlement. Further studies are carried out to obtain a foundation construction that can support larger loads, but which are still friendly to the swamp environment. The bearing capacity and settlement of foundation is plotted in the graph to formulate the satisfaction indicators of the foundation. In addition, the simple formulation procedures for practical application requirements will be also provided since it is the target of this research for general applications. This foundation is very useful for the sustainability of infrastructure developments that is environmentally friendly.

“The waiting and not knowing can be agonizing”: tracing the power of emotions in a prolonged conflict in the South Caucasus

ABSTRACTMoving beyond the usual strategic and national issues of war in international relations, feminist theorizing on aspects of war has stressed the pressing need to depict it as something experienced by individuals. This study addresses this need by considering the critical case of the protracted conflict over the Nagorny Karabakh region in the South Caucasus. Despite the 1994 ceasefire, no satisfactory settlement for all the parties involved in the conflict has yet been reached. In fact, since the four-day war in April 2016, the situation has become even more tense, with an increased risk of renewed hostilities. This article uses empirical research with women in Nagorny Karabakh to examine the impact of this protracted conflict through an analysis of emotions in their everyday lives. It argues that fear, grief and trauma not only affect individual women but also create a collective identity amongst them that is defined by compliance with the heightened militarization of society in this region. In this way, this study shows that emotions feed into the persistence of patriarchal relations. By exploring women’s emotions, this article contributes to the growing literature in international relations that examines war as lived experience.

VW’s ‘Defeat Devices’ and Liability for Claims for Lost Emissions Tax Revenue

Volkswagen Group’s utilisation of a ‘defeat device’ to produce inaccurate results for vehicle emissions tests in multiple consumer states, leads it to face potentially crippling fines, possible criminal liability, civil suits, and detriment to its own company caused by the loss of trust. However, this article considers a further issue, namely implications of the violations on taxation legislation and pursuant claims for losses as a result of lost tax revenue or recalculated taxes. With vehicles falling outside of the tax band they were purchased within, there is confusion around the world about how this will affect the tax status of the vehicles and those that own them. Vehicles could be re-banded or reassessed for a variety of different tax purposes, increasing the tax liability of the vehicle historically and prospectively to reflect the actual emissions or fuel consumption based on how the charge is designed. Through a comparative study, this article considers varying tax issues in several different countries across the globe for which the manufacturer may be liable for the life of the vehicle. This will seek to establish the scale of the potential liability for Volkswagen (vw) Group that has not yet been explored. Finally it examines how international cooperation could produce more satisfactory settlements for nations and customers.

Construction mediation and its hybridization: the case of the Hong Kong construction industry

AbstractIn view of the sophisticated nature of construction disputes, specialized dispute resolution mechanisms are of pivotal importance to the satisfactory settlement between disputing parties. Among the various construction dispute resolution mechanisms, mediation has been increasingly gaining recognition and acceptance. Its hybrid, namely mediation–arbitration (med-arb), has also emerged and has started receiving attention and appreciation. With special reference to the construction industry practice in Hong Kong, a commentary on the respective merits and demerits of construction mediation and construction med-arb, as well as the ways forward, are presented in this article.

The Defense Perspective on Mediation

WHEN I first started practicing law 23 years ago, there were very few cases that settled through alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Today, it is becoming and unusual for a case to not be subjected to some form of ADR. The reasons for this are many, but some of the important ones include the fact that ADR is less expensive and less time-consuming than litigation; it has simpler procedural and substantive rules than litigation; it tends to be less hostile and emotionally charged than litigation; and it is flexible in scheduling than litigation. In addition, during a mediation, the parties retain the decision-making power to reach their own resolution, oftentimes utilizing remedies and relief that are not available to the parties in litigation. Based on the foregoing, I think it is safe to say that mediation is here to stay. What exactly is mediation? Mediation is the by which a neutral third party (the mediator) attempts, through participation in face-to-face negotiations with the disputing parties, to assist those parties in reaching an agreement that resolves the dispute. An oft-cited survey of general counsel, deputy counsel and chief litigators from 528 of the 1,000 largest corporations in America, the respondents noted that 85% had used mediation in the last 3 years and 84% said they were likely or very likely to use it in the future. This same survey also indicated that 81% of the respondents felt mediation provides a more satisfactory process than litigation, 66% said mediation provides more satisfactory settlements and 59% said mediation preserves good relationships. (1) I. Why Are You Mediating? In most mediations, the preferred end result is a full and final settlement of the dispute in question. There are also other equally important objectives that can be obtained through the mediation that do not include a full settlement of the dispute. One commentator has the following to say about these objectives: A. A Partial Settlement of Peripheral Issues One reality of litigation is that all claims and all defenses arising out of the same facts and circumstances must be asserted in the same lawsuit. The judicial goal here--to avoid multiplicity of suits--is important to the judicial system and must be met. An unfortunate consequence of the rule, however, is that many lawsuits end up filled with peripheral arguments that really aren't determinative of the central issues between the parties. This tends to expand, rather than narrow, the focus of the trial and drives up the time and cost of an adjudicated resolution. Mediation can serve to eliminate those peripheral disputes by final or interim partial settlement agreements, stipulations to abate certain portions of the trial, or agreements to informally set certain issues aside pending the resolution of the main claims. B. A Process to Move Toward Final Settlement Many times, despite the best efforts to prepare for every contingency in advance, mediations become stalemated because of insufficient information or lack of agreement on what the facilitated negotiations reveal to be core or pivotal issues of fact or law. Rather than calling impasse and returning to the litigation path, the mediation can be used to facilitate an agreed downstream program defining and scheduling further steps aimed at breaking those logjams and continuing steps toward reconciliation. C. A Better Understanding of the Opposition's Case Plan to listen to everything said during a mediation. Despite the considerable discovery skills developed by practitioners within the trial bar, it is seldom that the opposition's full story--complete with intended themes, nuances and emphasis is flushed out during discovery. More often than not, discovery will only reluctantly yield what we ask--not what we need to know. More importantly, mediation can provide the critical opportunity to see both sides of the story contrasted against each other. …

On the use of embedded pile elements for the numerical analysis of disconnected piled rafts

Piled rafts (PRs) are widely employed to provide the foundations of high-rise buildings with both large bearing capacity and satisfactory settlement performances. In recent years, at variance with standard engineering practice, piles have been not infrequently designed with no structural connection to the raft, in order to let them mostly work as settlement-reducers. The analysis and design of disconnected piled rafts (DPRs) are made challenging by the occurrence of complex soil–structure interactions, including the load transfer mechanism through the raft–pile gap. While non-linear finite element (FE) simulations can improve the design reliability, excessive computational costs are likely to arise in the presence of large pile groups. To mitigate this shortcoming, PR/DPR FE models are often endowed with so-called “embedded piles” (EPs), i.e. 1D beam elements embedded into discretized soil domains.This paper tackles relevant issues related to the practical use of EPs for large DPRs, i.e. to setting up/calibrating FE elasto-plastic models combining bearable computational time and reasonable accuracy. Special attention is devoted to modelling the aforementioned stress transfer through the raft–pile gap, as well as the soil–pile connections (interface elements). Finally, the reliability of EP predictions is verified against the numerical results from previous “fully solid” (FS) DPR analyses (with no use of EPs).

Lok Adalat System in India

This paper discusses at length how the Lok Adalat system in India originated, its scope and ambit, need and also its importance. It also discusses in details the jurisdiction pertaining to Lok Adalats along with its procedure to deal with the cases and the powers of Lok Adalats.The concept of Lok Adalat is an innovative Indian contribution to the world jurisprudence. The introduction of Lok Adalats added a new chapter to the justice dispensation system of this country and succeeded in providing a supplementary forum to the victims for satisfactory settlement of their disputes. This system is based on Gandhian principles. It is one of the components of ADR systems. In ancient times the disputes were used to be referred to “panchayat” which were established at village level. Panchayat’s used to resolve the dispute through arbitration. It has proved to be a very effective alternative to litigation. This very concept of settlement of dispute through mediation, negotiation or through arbitral process known as decision of "Nyaya-Panchayat" is conceptualized and institutionalized in the philosophy of Lok Adalat. It involves people who are directly or indirectly affected by dispute resolution.

The Role of Guilt in the Perception of Divorce Settlements Depends on the Divorce Procedure

Little is known about the factors that influence satisfactory divorce settlements. We assumed that feelings of guilt toward the former partner might – directly or indirectly – be one of these factors. Feelings of guilt, which often occur in divorce, elicit cooperative negotiation behaviour. We hypothesised that guilt, mediated by cooperative negotiation behaviour, would be related to participants’ subjective appraisals of their divorce settlements. Furthermore, we predicted that this relation would be moderated by the divorce procedure (i.e., litigated divorce or consensual divorce) followed by the participants. We used survey data of 166 participants who were in the process of divorcing. Guilt was assessed at outset, as was negotiation behaviour at one year, and appraisals of divorce settlements at two years. Participants in the litigated divorce group appraised their settlements less positively than participants in the consensual group. In this group guilt was directly and indirectly (through yielding negotiation behaviour) negatively related to appraisals of personal aspects of settlements. In contrast, guilt was indirectly (through yielding negotiation behaviour) positively related to appraisals of factual aspects of settlements in the consensual divorce group.

Oyster Larvae Settle in Response to Habitat-Associated Underwater Sounds

Following a planktonic dispersal period of days to months, the larvae of benthic marine organisms must locate suitable seafloor habitat in which to settle and metamorphose. For animals that are sessile or sedentary as adults, settlement onto substrates that are adequate for survival and reproduction is particularly critical, yet represents a challenge since patchily distributed settlement sites may be difficult to find along a coast or within an estuary. Recent studies have demonstrated that the underwater soundscape, the distinct sounds that emanate from habitats and contain information about their biological and physical characteristics, may serve as broad-scale environmental cue for marine larvae to find satisfactory settlement sites. Here, we contrast the acoustic characteristics of oyster reef and off-reef soft bottoms, and investigate the effect of habitat-associated estuarine sound on the settlement patterns of an economically and ecologically important reef-building bivalve, the Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica). Subtidal oyster reefs in coastal North Carolina, USA show distinct acoustic signatures compared to adjacent off-reef soft bottom habitats, characterized by consistently higher levels of sound in the 1.5–20 kHz range. Manipulative laboratory playback experiments found increased settlement in larval oyster cultures exposed to oyster reef sound compared to unstructured soft bottom sound or no sound treatments. In field experiments, ambient reef sound produced higher levels of oyster settlement in larval cultures than did off-reef sound treatments. The results suggest that oyster larvae have the ability to respond to sounds indicative of optimal settlement sites, and this is the first evidence that habitat-related differences in estuarine sounds influence the settlement of a mollusk. Habitat-specific sound characteristics may represent an important settlement and habitat selection cue for estuarine invertebrates and could play a role in driving settlement and recruitment patterns in marine communities.

The “women's court” in India: an alternative dispute resolution body for women in distress

The ‘women's court’ (mahila adalat or mahila mandal) is a fairly recent but increasingly prevalent phenomenon in contemporary India. A particular kind of alternative dispute-resolution forum specifically designed to address women's marital and related family problems, it aims to provide a safe and unthreatening environment wherein women can air their grievances, work out satisfactory settlements with husbands and in-laws, or find ways to escape their difficult situations altogether. It encourages women to resolve domestic disputes informally, rather than by resort to the state's judicatory institutions. Most women's courts are run by women's NGOs, often with financial support from foreign donor agencies or, in some cases, from governmental or semi-governmental agencies such as State Women's Commissions or Legal Aid Societies. This paper discusses the structure and workings of some of these women's courts, based on two decades of ethnographic observations and interviews in such venues as well as on the work of other scholars who have studied similar bodies more intensively than I. It highlights some of the unique features of these ‘courts,’ shows why they are the forum of choice for so many poor women, and asks how effective they are in delivering justice to those who come to them for help.

Non-Compliance in WTO Dispute Settlement: The Multiple Purposes of WTO Retaliation

This paper concerns the purposes of WTO retaliation. There are two most competing purposes of WTO retaliation: inducing compliance and rebalancing. My paper introduces another purpose of retaliation that is reflected in the EC – Hormones dispute: inducing a mutually agreeable solution.In May 2009 the European Union and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) implementing an agreement that promises to end the long-standing dispute on hormone-treated beef. The memorandum sets up three phases in which the European Union would get to maintain its ban on the import of hormone-treated beef, but concurrently would provide a new tariff-free import quota for high-quality beef from the United States. In return, the United States would reduce and terminate its retaliatory measures on certain European Union exports.Accordingly, retaliatory sanctions imposed by the United States would be terminated not because the European Union has removed its inconsistent measures, but because both states have reached and agreed upon a mutually satisfactory settlement. Put differently, retaliation measures imposed by the United States do not induce the withdrawal of the inconsistent measures (compliance) but a mutually agreeable solution. The questions are does the DSU contemplate this purpose? Does this kind of purpose undermine the WTO dispute settlement system?My paper provides four primary arguments to promote the purpose of inducing a mutually agreeable solution: (1) WTO retaliation has multiple purposes; (2) Articles 22.8 and 3.7 of the DSU provide a legal basis for this purpose [inducing a mutually agreeable solution]; (3) this purpose supports the aim of the WTO dispute settlement system stipulated under Article 3.2 of the DSU (security and predictability); and (4) this purpose is the best alternative or option to settle the dispute when the purpose of inducing compliance is not attainable.

United States Foreign Policy and Ireland: From Empire to Independence, 1913-29

Since the late 1970s, encouraged in part by the activities and publications of the Royal Irish Academy, there has been a growing interest in the foreign relations of the Irish state in the twentieth century. While particular attention has been devoted to Irish relations with the Commonwealth, the League of Nations, the Vatican and Europe during the inter-war years, relatively little scholarly attention has been paid in the last thirty years to Irish relations with the United States during this period. Bernadette Whelan's study examines in meticulous detail the policies of the United States toward Ireland during the administrations of Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, and Calvin Coolidge and provides a much clearer and insightful understanding than anything written heretofore. President Wilson has often been criticised as being indifferent, if not hostile, to Irish nationalist issues. Whelan, by contrast, finds Wilson to have been well informed and sympathetic to Irish home rule and prepared to urge the British government to make a satisfactory settlement of the Irish question in order to promote greater support in the United States for the Allies during the Great War, although Wilson was not willing to jeopardise Anglo-American relations during the war or the peace conference. President Harding, perhaps through inexperience, supported relief efforts in Ireland during the Irish War for Independence, making statements which appeared to threaten Anglo-American relations. Whelan argues that Harding's Secretary of State, Charles Evans Hughes, distanced the president from his pro-Irish statements, although she notes that many in the Dáil Éireann government were convinced that Harding and his Secretary of State pushed the British toward negotiations in 1921 in a process that was linked to the Washington disarmament conference, which was taking place simultaneously. President Coolidge kept himself quite removed from foreign affairs generally until his second administration. Although diplomatic relations were established with the Irish Free State in 1924, it was not until 1927 that the United States sent a minister to Dublin. Then, as a result of tensions over naval arms limitations issues, Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg made an official visit to Ireland, bypassing Britain and using Ireland as a means to signal displeasure over the 1928 Anglo-French cruiser agreement. Whelan shows that in these circumstances Ireland found itself on the international stage.

The Palestinian Political Option After Arafat

The purpose of this article is to suggest a way forward for a successful implementation of the Palestinian political option. Although the election of Abu Mazen, in January 2005, as President of the Palestinian Authority and the conclusion of a Palestinian-Israeli ceasefire on 8 February have generated an atmosphere of cautious optimism regarding the resumption of the peace process between both sides, there are important obstacles that need to be tackled before a Palestinian-Israeli peace settlement becomes realisable. These obstacles are related mainly to the Palestinian, Israeli and regional actors, although external involvement, especially by the U.S., could have a significant impact on the success or failure of this peace process, both through pressure or mediation. On the Palestinian side there is an expectation by Israel and the international community that the Palestinians come to terms with accepting Israel as a state. Compromise is needed on the issues of the return of Palestinian refugees, East Jerusalem and Jewish settlements. Also both moderate and radical Palestinians would be expected to commit themselves formally to such a settlement with Israel. On the Israeli side the most basic expectation that the Palestinians would have is a virtually complete Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza and also the Israeli acceptance of some satisfactory (possibly compromise) solution that would help in dealing with the question of the Palestinian refugees. Moreover, since regional actors could play an important role in facilitating or complicating the conclusion and implementation of a Palestinian-Israeli settlement (through mediation between both sides or by encouraging and supporting radical Palestinian groups), it would be important to arrive at a broader and satisfactory Arab-Israeli settlement in a parallel or simultaneous way, involving Syria and Lebanon. Even if these optimistic objectives can be met, one should expect some elements on the Palestinian, Israeli, Arab and Islamic levels to be dissatisfied with this approach and to cause problems regarding its potential success.

A simplified nonlinear settlement prediction model for foundations on sand

This paper presents a simple method for predicting the settlement of spread foundations on sand operating under typical working loads. The method accounts for the well known effects on soil stiffness of strain, stress level, and density dependence, but adopts the simplifying assumption that the stress distribution beneath a loaded foundation can be obtained from Boussinesq's equations for an elastic half space. Despite this simplification, the method is shown to predict foundation responses that closely match those computed using more sophisticated finite element (FE) analyses and those measured in laboratory footing tests, where the stiffness characteristics in triaxial compression were well defined. The method is also seen to predict general variations of foundation settlement with bearing pressure, foundation width, and degree of preloading that are entirely consistent with empirically observed trends. It is concluded that satisfactory settlement predictions for shallow foundations on cohesionless soil may be obtained using Boussinesq's equations if the soil's vertical stiffness characteristics, as inferred from triaxial compression data, can be specified with some degree of precision.Key words: stiffness, settlement, cohesionless soil.