The angles-of-arrival (AOA) estimation and beam- forming by an array antenna plays important roles in MIMO communication systems. In multipath environment, almost conventional subspace approaches with or without the eigendecomposition adopt the spatial smoothing (SS) using multiple subarrays. This paper proposes a new iterative AOA estimation of partially or fully coherent signals without adopting spatial smoothing using subarrays. The algorithm is derived by eliminating the coherent components of the reconstructed signal covariance matrix. One of the notable advantages of the proposed method is to improve the angle resolution due to larger aperture compared to ordinary SS-based methods using subarrays with small size. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm can directly be applied to non-uniformly spaced linear array and circular array without using the array transformation matrix. The effectiveness is validated in numerical simulation compared to the FBSS-based MUSIC.


A patient with a symptomatic mitral paravalvular leak was successfully treated by implantation of an Amplatzer (16 mm) occluder device (AGA Medical, Plymouth, Minnesota) at the defect via percutaneous direct transapical puncture of the left ventricle. We describe a novel technique for closure and immediate hemostasis of the transapical access tract, comprising two stainless steel coils deployed across the myocardial wound and a hemostatic matrix injected at the epicardium and within the subcutaneous tract.


We have systematically investigated the influence of different bonding parameters on void formation in a low-temperature adhesive bonding process. As a result of these studies we present guidelines for void free adhesive bonding of 10 cm diameter wafers. We have focused on polymer coatings with layer thicknesses between 1 µm and 18 µm. The tested polymer materials were benzocyclobutene (BCB) from Dow Chemical, a negative photoresist (ULTRA-i 300) and a positive photoresist (S1818) from Shipley, a polyimide (HTR3) from Arch Chemical and two different polyimides (PI2555 and PI2610) from DuPont. The polymer material, the bonding pressure and the pre-curing time and temperature for the polymer significantly influence void formation at the bond interface. High bonding pressure and optimum pre-curing times/temperatures counteract void formation. We present the process parameters to achieve void-free bonding with the BCB coating and with the ULTRA-i 300 photoresist coating as adhesive materials. Excellent void-free and strong bonds have been achieved by using BCB as the bonding material which requires a minimum bonding temperature of 180 °C.


A surge in research about mycorrhizae over the past few decades has revealed mycorrhizal associations to be critical to plant ecosystems. They are present in over 90% of plant species and allow them to share nutrients and information through fungal mycelia. The question of how pervasive mycorrhizae are in different habitats receives ever-changing answers as research continues. In this literature review, I explore what mycorrhizal species are likely to be present in a local ecosystem with diverse plant communities: the Chuckanut marsh estuary. I explain how I cross-referenced a plant species list from a Chuckanut marsh characterization study with plant species list that survey mycorrhizal status. I also reviewed literature about both mycorrhizal presence in wetland habitats and history of the study of mycorrhizae. I argue that Suzanne Simard can be credited with the popularity of the topic of mycorrhizae, through her scientific research but especially through her creative methods of communication to the public.


Abstract The implementation of the sustainable development concept is nowadays a key issue in almost all human activities. For the constructions domain an European strategy has already been elaborated. Among its goals are also the use of long lasting materials and the reduction of repair costs. This paper presents an interdisciplinary study concerning the efficiency of the use of hot-dip galvanized rebar for concrete structures. Experimental results about corrosion kinetics of coated and usual steel reinforcement embedded in concrete, subjected to chlorine ions attack, are analyzed. Electrochemical methods as chronoamperometry and linear polarization have been used. Corrosion potential values recorded for galvanized steel embedded in concrete indicate an uncertain corrosion activation process up to a rate of 2.5 % calcium chloride relative to concrete. For rates of 5% CaCl2 and more the corrosion process is activated. For unprotected steel bars embedded in concrete the corrosion activation process started at all calcium chloride studied rates and higher corrosion potential values has been registered than for the hot-dip galvanized ones, at the same rates. Economical assessments have been done using entire lifetime cost analysis of the reinforced concrete structures. Despite that the hot-dip galvanization is a rather expansive procedure, when taking into account the whole expected life span, the use of zinc coating proves to be efficient both from structural and financial approaches.


The global ecological environment is facing increasingly severe challenges; therefore, it is crucial to implement sustainable development policies and promote corporate innovation. Based on imprinting theory, we examine the relationship between CEO financial background and corporate innovation within the Chinese context. The results confirm that CEOs with a financial background negatively impact corporate innovation, while managerial ownership mitigates this effect. Existing literature has considered the impact of CEO background on corporate innovation; however, it mainly takes up corporate innovation from the perspective of upper-echelon theory. In addition, the mechanism of CEO financial background on corporate innovation is ambiguous in the Chinese cultural context. This study enriches the literature on the relationship between the characteristics of CEO background and corporate behavior, thereby offering guidance for corporate innovation practices.


THIS PAPER reports longitudinal steroid data on nine patients who subsequently committed suicide or who made a serious attempt and compares the significance of the elevations of these levels with 134 other individuals studied in our own laboratory and reviewed from the psychiatric literature. Behavioral and biochemical studies of severely depressed inpatients suggested the hypothesis that an association might exist between high urinary 17-hydroxycorticosteroids (17-OHCS), which were utilized as an index of psychological distress, and increased suicidal risk. This hypothesis was initially based on a retrospective study 1 of three depressed patients who committed suicide and a comparison group of 33 depressed impatients. These studies occurred during the course of five years of study which involved contact with 250 depressed patients, 36 of whom were treated in an inpatient setting. In the three years since this initial report, longitudinal steroid data have


Why is there no condemnation for those who are in Christ (Rom 8:1)? For card-carrying evangelicals the re ̆exive response is: because Christ died in their place and for their sins. Justi ̃cation through the substitutionary atonement of Christ is one of the ̃rst precepts drummed into new believers, and Romans 8:1 is often the prooftext employed to establish the point. 1 Yet while the meaning of this verse may seem self-evident, commentators have considerable trouble with it. The crux of the problem is that 8:1–2 appears to ground escape from condemnation not in the death of Christ as a substitute for sinners, but in the work of the Spirit in transforming sinners: "for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus freed you from the law of sin and death" (Rom 8:2). 2 At ̃rst blush, this seems to suggest that justi ̃cation depends on sancti ̃cation. Basically one of three approaches is taken to harmonize this passage with traditional Protestant doctrine. 3 One interprets 8:2 as a reference to the death of Christ for sinners so that condemnation is averted through justi ̃cation rather than through sancti ̃cation. 4 The second solution accepts 8:2 as a


Today, many bright photon beams in the ultraviolet and x-ray wavelength range are produced by insertion devices installed in specially designed third-generation storage rings. There is the possibility of producing photon beams that are orders of magnitude brighter than presently achieved at synchrotron sources, by using self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE). At the Advanced Photon Source (APS), the low-energy undulator test line (LEUTL) free-electron laser (FEL) project was built to explore the SASE process in the visible through vacuum ultraviolet wavelength range. While the understanding gained in these experiments will guide future work to extend SASE FELs to shorter wavelengths, the APS FEL itself will become a continuously tunable, bright light source. Measurements of the SASE process to saturation have been made at 530 and 385 nm. A number of quantities were measured to confirm our understanding of the SASE process and to verify that saturation was reached. The intensity of the FEL light was me...


The changes in species diversity follow-ing disturbance can give us insights into the pro-cesses governing the assembly and coexistence of species. In this study, we investigate different grassland community and calculate measures of taxonomic diversity, phylogenetic diversity, trait diversity within communities and among com-munities. The results showed disturbed plots have lower values in terms of their taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional trait diversity. This suggests that disturbance acts as a filter by cre-ating a harsh environment that selects for spe-cies. NMDS ordination also supported the pat-tern that the two habitat types differ in their species composition. In addition, variation in ordination scores was larger in disturbed plots than undisturbed plots. This was mainly due to different type and extent of disturbance. Further-more, disturbance weakened the strength of competition in communities by reducing the number of species and thus freeing resources, which provides the opportunity for immigration of alien species. It was also not difficult to get recruitment for disturbed communities from neighboring communities. Thus this disturbance of patchiness did not produce significant harm for mountain communities.


Starting from multiple frequency domain measurements, this paper presents a procedure to formulate a dynamic model of a servo actuator that consists of a nominal model and an allowable model perturbation in the form of a parametric and unstructured uncertainty. A separation between parametric and unstructured uncertainty is achieved by first estimating low order linear parameter models via frequency domain curve fitting followed by a linear Principle Component Analysis (PCA) to bound the parametric variations on the estimated parameters. Remaining differences between the low order parametric models and the measured frequency responses are captured by a bounded unstructured uncertainty on a frequency dependent dual-Youla parameter that uses prior information on a stabilizing feedback controller. The resulting perturbation model is written in a standard Linear Fractional Transformation (LFT) form and the procedure is applied to experimental data obtained from several mechanically equivalent servo actuators in a Linear Tape Open (LTO) drive.


Abstract Background Respiratory viral infections in HCT recipients are associated with high morbidity and mortality, especially after progression from upper respiratory tract infection (URI) to lower respiratory tract infections (LRI). Data on risk factors (RF) for LRI and mortality is lacking for HCoV infections after HCT. We aimed to validate our ISI in HCoV infections. Methods All adult HCT recipients with HCoV infection from 2015 to 2017 were evaluated. An ISI based on RF was used to classify patients as low (0–2), moderate (3–6), or high (7 or higher) risk for progression to LRI or death. We defined LRI as HCoV detected in nasal wash and/or bronchoalveolar lavage and new lung infiltrates on diagnostic imaging. Clinical parameters were collected and ISI were calculated for comparison. Results A total of 144 adult HCT recipients with 166 episodes of HCoV infections were analyzed. The most common HCoV serotype for LRI and URI was 229E (42.4%) and OC43 (37.6%), respectively, and most patients were infected between November and March each year (Figures 1 and 2). When compared with URI, patients with LRI were more likely in the pre-engraftment period, had multiple respiratory viruses infections, had nosocomially acquired HCoV, required hospitalization, ICU transfer, and mechanical ventilation (all, P < 0.05). Overall mortality rate was 4% at Day 30 from diagnosis and all patients who died had LRI with an 18% mortality. Among those who died, 33% had nosocomial infection, 67% were co-infected with another respiratory virus and 67% required mechanical ventilation. Using an ISI cut off of <4, the negative predictive value (NPV) for progression to LRI was 86% with a specificity of 76%.Figure 1. The seasonal distribution of HCT recipients by month of diagnosis and human coronavirus serotypes for upper respiratory infections (URIs).Figure 2. The seasonal distribution of HCT recipients by month of diagnosis and human coronavirus serotypes for lower respiratory infections (LRI). Conclusion HCT recipients with HCoV LRI were more likely to have a fatal outcome. The NPV of the ISI for progression to LRI was high and could be used as a prognostic tool for future studies and for therapeutic clinical trials. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


Five selected sites representing two biogeographical regions and five different vegetation types in Jordan were studied. Herbaceous vegetation were surveyed using the line transect. A total of 50 quadrat units (1m sq. each) per site were sampled along a ten fifty-meter-line transects with 5 quadrat units per line. Herbaceous vegetation total cover and maximum plant height, total number of individuals of each species and number of species were recorded. The analysis of the surveyed sites included species composition, species frequencies, abundances and Importance Value (IV). Analysis revealed that three to four families constituted more than 50% of the relative abundance of the total families in each site. Asteraceae was the most abundant family in all sites and had the highest IV. Other families that showed high abundance and IV values include, Leguminosae, Labiatae and Gramineae. Highest coverage, height, number of species, number of families and number of individuals have been recorded in Alouk and Na'ur areas, representing the deciduous oak and non-forest Mediterranean vegetation types, respectively. Dana and Adaseyeh had the lowest values. Only few species in each site contributed a major percent of the total abundance. Identifying the species with the highest IV values in each family at each of the five sites showed that these herbaceous vegetation types exhibit diverse array of species


Motives: It is expected that COVID-19 pandemic will impact future design, use and perception of urban green spaces such as public parks. How to facilitate residents' safe use of the urban green spaces and reduce health risks has become important question to consider by landscape architects and municipal authorities responsible for the public green areas resources. This research focuses on examination of urban parks of a typical residential district of a large city in terms of their security in time of COVID-19 pandemic.
Aim: In urban parks of Ursynów district in Warsaw were assessed: quality and present security and possibilities of re-adjustments to increase their security.
Results: Ursynów district has good quality, accessible parks. Larger parks offer picnic areas and shelters, have more than one, entrance and paths with widening for benches. All playgrounds are enclosed with gates to install dispenser for hand sanitization. Gates and knobs are made of metal allowing frequent disinfection. Benches and tables are usually properly distanced and those in shelters may be marked 'for visitors from one social bubble only' but in the future an emphasis should be put on more scattered pattern of park furniture. All parks are equipped with trash cans, but usually open or semi-closed, which should be avoided.


Since the early 1990s the health care sector in Nordic countries has significantly increased its investments in information and communications technology (ICT). As such, major spending on ICT is not exceptional-indeed, 40 % of European industrial and commercial investments goes into ICT. However, the goals for ICT expenditure are different in the private and public sector. Investments in the public sector are not usually intended to improve the competitive position, as is the case in the private sector. But on the other hand, as in the private sector they are expected to increase effectiveness. In this article we firstly discuss the role of public health care services as a base of a welfare society in the Nordic countries. We then present the theoretical framework-the resource based approach-then apply the theory to our empirical findings. Finally we draw conclusions about the compatibility of the two. We start by explaining the general health care situation in Nordic countries and later use Finland as a case country.


INTRODUCTIONThe workforce today consists of members of the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials (Gesell, 2010). As a result of such age diversity, it is likely that employees will have varying approaches to work, as well as differing workplace behaviors, which may result in conflict. Gesell (2010) contends that the current generational mix makes leadership today more complex, and that because of their stark differences when compared to other generations, using traditional approaches of leadership are not successful. Similarly, Ferri-Reed (2014b) suggested that employers need to transition "from a 'boomer-centric' workplace to a 'millennial-centric' workplace" (p. 13). Hershatter and Epstein (2010) noted that college educated Millennials started entering the workforce in 2004 and will continue until approximately 2022. Millennials as a whole are considered the best educated generation to enter the workforce (Zemke, Raines, & Filipczak, 2000). Given the rise of Millennials in the workforce, managers must consider how to effectively communicate with these employees by recognizing the communication preferences of Millennials.When a group of Millennials were asked what they look for in a full-time job, many mentioned elements such as "good communication between coworkers and managers," "respectful and professional work environment," "a good support system for guidance," and "good management." It is evident from comments such as these that the manager plays a large role in shaping the work environment and partially impacts whether an employee is satisfied with the job. Other desires expressed include "fair and equal treatment of all employees" and a "good culture in the workplace." In the opinions of those surveyed, bosses should also be "understanding," "easy to work for," "motivational," and "friendly and honest." The focus on boss-related traits when asked for elements desired in a full-time job emphasizes the importance of the manager's role within the organization. These responses and others will be further discussed in the results section of the paper. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the workplace communication preferences of Millennials.LITERATURE REVIEWAccording to Madlock (2008), the communication competence of a supervisor is the best predictor of the level of job satisfaction experienced by an employee. Cahill and Sedrak (2012) found that many leaders "have made generational issues a low priority" (p. 4) and that sometimes organizations deliberately avoided focusing on generational tensions that existed in the workplace. Since "early life experiences contribute to generational differences that are deeply imprinted in individuals' beliefs, values, preferences, and behaviors and are not easily changed" (Cahill & Sedrack, 2012, p. 4) it is important that managers recognize different generational preferences in order to effectively lead a multi-generational workforce. Alessandra (1995) set forth the idea of "the Platinum Rule." Whereas the Golden Rule focuses on treating others the way you want to be treated, the Platinum Rule suggests, "Do unto others the way they want to be done unto" (p. 23). As it relates to communication, this means communicating with others the way they want to be communicated with, or focusing more on the receiver's perspective, as opposed to the sender's. Alessandra (1995) suggested that by communicating with others the way they want to be communicated with, an "instant rapport" can be established "by learning how to do what they want done" (p. 23).Previous research has found that Millennials desire "frequent, positive, and open communication in the workplace" (Chou, 2012, p. 75) and readily share information with others as well (Chou, 2012; see also Gursoy, Maier, & Chi, 2008; Hill, 2002; Howe & Strauss, 2007; Marston, 2007; Martin, 2005; Tapscott, 1998; Zemke et al., 2000). According to Cahill and Sedrack (2012), Millennials want open communication and for their opinions and ideas to be heard. …


Plastid-related sequences, derived from putative nuclear or plastome genes, were searched in a large collection of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and genomic sequences from the Citrus Biotechnology initiative in Brazil. The identified putative Citrus chloroplast gene sequences were compared to those from Arabidopsis, Eucalyptus and Pinus. Differential expression profiling for plastid-directed nuclear-encoded proteins and photosynthesis-related gene expression variation between Citrus sinensis and Citrus reticulata, when inoculated or not with Xylella fastidiosa, were also analyzed. Presumed Citrus plastome regions were more similar to Eucalyptus. Some putative genes appeared to be preferentially expressed in vegetative tissues (leaves and bark) or in reproductive organs (flowers and fruits). Genes preferentially expressed in fruit and flower may be associated with hypothetical physiological functions. Expression pattern clustering analysis suggested that photosynthesis- and carbon fixation-related genes appeared to be up- or down-regulated in a resistant or susceptible Citrus species after Xylella inoculation in comparison to non-infected controls, generating novel information which may be helpful to develop novel genetic manipulation strategies to control Citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC).


Sigma-delta modulators use a noise-shaping technique to curtail the noise power in the band of interest during digital-to-analog conversion. Error feedback modulator employs an efficient noise transfer function for time varying inputs than any other sigma-delta modulators. However, the efficiency of the conventional noise transfer function degrades and the quantizer saturation issue provokes when the input signal reaches to full scale. This work proposes a new noise transfer function which is a combination of transfer functions of two-stage Feed-forward delays and a novel Hybrid multi-stage noise shaping-error feedback sigma-delta modulator. The noise transfer function of two-stage Feed-forward delays mitigates the concern of quantizer saturation. The noise transfer function offered by the Hybrid multi-stage noise shaping-error feedback architecture provides sustainable solutions to limit cycles and idle tones. The simulation concludes that the proposed noise-shaping approach obtains comparatively high signal-to-quantization noise ratio than the conventional error feedback modulators. Other performance parameters like spurious-free dynamic range, effective number of bits and signal-to-noise plus distortion ratio are also significantly improved.


Songbirds that follow a conspecific attraction strategy in the habitat selection process prefer to settle in habitat patches already occupied by other individuals. This largely affects the patterns of their spatio-temporal distribution and leads to clustered breeding. Although making informed settlement decisions is expected to be beneficial for individuals, such territory clusters may potentially provide additional fitness benefits (e.g., through the dilution effect) or costs (e.g., possibly facilitating nest localization if predators respond functionally to prey distribution). Thus, we hypothesized that the fitness consequences of following a conspecific attraction strategy may largely depend on the composition of the predator community. We developed an agent-based model in which we simulated the settling behavior of birds that use a conspecific attraction strategy and breed in a multi-predator landscape with predators that exhibited different foraging strategies. Moreover, we investigated whether Bayesian updating of prior settlement decisions according to the perceived predation risk may improve the fitness of birds that rely on conspecific cues. Our results provide evidence that the fitness consequences of conspecific attraction are predation-related. We found that in landscapes dominated by predators able to respond functionally to prey distribution, clustered breeding led to fitness costs. However, this cost could be reduced if birds performed Bayesian updating of prior settlement decisions and perceived nesting with too many neighbors as a threat. Our results did not support the hypothesis that in landscapes dominated by incidental predators, clustered breeding as a byproduct of conspecific attraction provides fitness benefits through the dilution effect. We suggest that this may be due to the spatial scale of songbirds' aggregative behavior. In general, we provide evidence that when considering the fitness consequences of conspecific attraction for songbirds, one should expect a trade-off between the benefits of making informed decisions and the costs of clustering.


This paper explores the relationship between natural language and the phenomenon of information. It argues that the Philosophy of Information can provide a bridge between linguistics and information science by offering a deeper understanding of how these two spheres of experience are entangled. Proceeding from the author's 2002 Foundations of Information Science Online Conference paper 'The Phantom of Information' it first asks the question 'How can we best define information'? The author then offers a brief historical perspective on the Philosophy of Language (PL) and the Philosophy of Information (PI) and highlights where the two fields overlap and interact. He indicates how the 'information turn' of the 1990's grew organically out of the 'linguistic turn' in philosophy. The author treats the phenomenon of information as a new language with distinctive features akin to syntax, person, tense, aspect, voice and mood. Specifically he examines Chomsky's concept of recursion and redundancy, Wittgenstein's language as game, Saussure's langue and parole, Benveniste's enonciation, informative illocutionary acts (Austin, Searle), the semantic approaches of Dretske Floridi and Barwise, Grice's implicature and Carl Friedrich von Weizsacker's 'inevitable circle between language and information'. He briefly discusses Terrence Deacon's recent work in biological anthropology on language and information as it relates to his concepts of deixis, reciprocal reference and incompletion. Secondly, the paper indicates how the notion of 'information' is embedded in traditional grammar through adpositions which empower language as a faculty for thought and communication. The Subject/Object template of historical grammar imposed on all natural languages is reviewed from the perspective of pragmatics. The notion of 'information' itself is traced back (by way of Capurro's informatio) to a configuration of ideas and concepts in classical Greek philosophy, specifically those of Epicurus and Chrysippus—the founder of formal grammar. Implications for the history and science of information are discussed. Finally, it proposes future directions for this area of study to explore how our total experience of the sphere of language and that of information are interconnected within a broader framework of mind. A distinction between cognition and connaissance is made. The faculty of human language, once the hallmark of humanism, is now under threat by the omnipresent Datocracy and its champion, Homo Informaticus. The informed and informing citizen, Homo Informationis, as defender of the information commons and infoversity, will need to ally with Herder's Homo Loquens if s/he is to survive. Information philosophers can provide a deeper understanding of these intriguing twin phenomena necessary for our civilization.


Although stem cell transplantation is a life-saving measure and the treatment of choice for many patients with various hematologic malignancies, a high incidence of complications and a transplantation associated mortality of about 30% are to be expected.Graft-versus-Host Disease (GvHD) is the major cause of morbidity and mortality after stem cell transplantation. GvHD can arise at various time points. Acute GvHD occurs during the first 100 days after transplantation in up to 50% of graft recipients, while chronic GvHD develops in about 30-50% usually within 100-500 days following allogeneic stem cell transplantation. It can involve the skin, liver, gastrointestinal tract, and less frequently the lungs, eyes and neuromuscular system. Early diagnosis of GvHD can be difficult, as drug reactions, viral infections and cutaneous reactions to radiation therapy may have clinical and histological similarities. In this review, the various cutaneous manifestations of GvHD, the histopathologic features, prophylaxis and therapy of acute and chronic GvHD are discussed in light of the recent literature.


This paper proposes the real-time estimation of the root-mean-square (rms) values, primary power quantities (active, total apparent, nonactive power, and power factor), and distortion power using the maximal overlap wavelet packet transform (MODWPT). The MODWPT provides a uniform frequency band and possesses the time-invariance property, which is ideal for the real-time power estimation. The performance of the proposed wavelet-based power measurement was assessed and compared to the IEEE Standard 1459-2010 in different case studies including stationary synthetic waveforms and power quality disturbances in experimental setup. The proposed method presented good results in the estimation of rms values and primary power quantities by using compact mother wavelets, whereas the estimation of distortion power was better with long mother wavelets.


The execution of construction projects such as a highwayconstruction or the elevation of a new bridge is a complex,highly equipment-intensive process and are subject to manydifferent uncertainties. This is very similar to the manufacturingexecution level in production systems where predefinedproductions plans and schedules cannot be completelyimplemented due to unexpected internal and external changesand disturbances. Following this analogy, the paper proposesthe application of a discrete–event simulation based methodwhich was already applied in the decision-support formanufacturing control to develop the decision-support in theexecution of a construction project where the effects of thedeviation from the short-term schedule can be easily andquickly analyzed.


: Meta-stereotype refers to a person's beliefs regarding the stereotype that out-group members hold about his or her own group. As intergroup meta-perception, the content and valence of meta-stereotype can reflect intergroup relations to a certain extent. In recent years, more and more researches had demonstrated that meta-stereotype exerted stronger influence on intergroup relation than other-stereotype. Meta-stereotype activation is more complicated and leads to a series of effects on people's feeling, thought and behavior. Future research should further explore the following issues: researchers should pay more attention to mental mechanism of meta-stereotype impacts on intergroup relations; explore the strategies that meta-stereotype may improve intergroup relations, different groups in the Chinese cultural context should also be taken into consideration in the research.


In this paper, a multi-application and feature-oriented database framework for web-based CAx applications is proposed based on client-server architecture. The web server provides a multi-view data access interface (MDAI) through which distributed users can access product and process information via data network. Application server can provide feature-modeling facilities on the basis of a geometric modeling kernel as well as DB manager. To enable information sharing among different applications for collaborative engineering, a four-layer information model is proposed. The entire product model (EPM) covers information of product entire life cycle. Sub-models, coming from CAx applications, can be accommodated as specific views of the EPM from an application-specific viewpoint. Mapping mechanisms are investigated to convert the EXPRESSdefined feature object information model to the database schemas. The generic feature representation and geometrical data representation in database is given on the basis of the proposed mapping mechanisms. The information workflow and mechanisms to control concurrency and to validate features are also discussed.


Home pregnancy test kits are more sensitive than many pregnancy kits used in laboratories or health centres. Nurses should know the sensitivity of the kit used in their centre or laboratory. A positive home pregnancy test should always be treated as the correct result until sufficient tests have been carried out to prove otherwise.


The comparative ecophysiology of yield and environmental adaptation of grain legumes is discussed. Emphasis is placed on opportunities for enhancing yield potential and resistance to abiotic stresses through breeding-improved cultivars and developing management methods that complement the new cultivars. This work concentrates on biotic stresses that interact with resistance to abiotic stresses and factors influencing yield potential. Symbiotic associations involving rhizobia and mycorrhizal fungi are particularly relevant to the function of grain legumes in cropping systems and are examined. Few comparisons have been made about the ecophysiology of different grain legume species. Such comparisons can be valuable in that what has been learned about one species may be relevant to another. Also, in the future, genetic engineering should make it possible to transfer genes and, possibly, traits between species. Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) is emphasized and compared with common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), peanut (Arachis


The main product of cotton gins is the bale of ginned lint but valuable fiber exists in several additional streams in the gin. In recent years more gins have installed equipment to reclaim the fiber in the material removed by the seed cotton cleaners. Data and samples were collected at one commercial gin which had installed such equipment. Three cultivars were used in the data collection. These data showed that about 19.0 lbs of material was reclaimed from the seed cotton cleaners and most of the cleaned material was loose lint and motes with little seed cotton. The material was of lower quality than the lint obtained from the seed cotton but contained considerable valuable fiber. Some differences due to cultivar were detected but no differences were detected with HVI or AFIS measurements of the bale lint quality or in card waste depending on whether this material was mixed with the seed cotton being ginned or not.


The reasons for carrying out experiments with high energy neutrinos are fairly obvious. Until two years ago, our knowledge of weak interactions came only from the study of processes like nuclear B decay, n decay, y decay, u capture, etc., involving energy transfers of the order of 100MeV or less. A fairly comprehensive theory of B decay, capable of accounting for the great bulk of the experimental data, was built up over the years which, however, left open a number of questions which could only be answered by looking at weak interactions at much higher energies, in the multi-GeV region. In principle, these high energy weak processes might be studied experimentally using a variety of beams of energetic particles (such as protons, muons, electrons). In practice, however, a beam of neutrinos, which are unique in that they can undergo only the weak interaction, offer tremendous advantages over other types of particle, since only then are the events to be studied not swamped by an enormous background due to the effects of strong or electromagnetic interactions. The possibility of carrying out experiments with high energy neutrino beams from accelerators was discussed several years ago by many people, notably by Schwartz, Pontecorvo and Lee & Yang. The cross-sections for the interaction of neutrinos with matter was known to be extremely low, of the order of 10-38 cm2/nucleon for a neutrino energy of 1 GeV. If the neutrino beams were to be produced by the decay in flight of pions or kaons produced in conventional proton synchrotrons, the fluxes were such that one might reasonably expect to observe about one interaction per day per ton of detector, and it seemed doubtful if this event rate would be sufficient for quantitative experiments. In fact, the first successful, large-scale neutrino experiment, carried out in 1962 by a group at Brookhaven from Columbia University (Danby et al. 1962) yielded a striking and definite result from only a handful of events; namely, that there are two types of neutrino, ve and vfl, associated with the electron (e) and the muon (y) respectively. More recently (during 1963), major technical advances, particularly at C. E. R. N. have increased the available neutrino fluxes by between one and two orders of magnitude. These developments have been, first, a considerable increase in proton beam intensity, from the region of a few times 1011 protons/pulse to nearly 1012 protons/pulse; secondly, the successful extraction of nearly the entire proton beam from the synchrotron, so that one is able to take advantage of the higher intensities of pions and kaons emitted in the forward direction from an external target, instead of taking the beam off at a considerable angle (5° to 10°) from an internal target; thirdly, the development of magnetic focusing devices ('horns') which collimate the pion beams from the target into a narrow forward cone. The corresponding neutrino event rates are then of the order of one per ton per hour, rather than one per ton per day, and, with the certainty of further order-of-magnitude increases in proton beam currents (for example at the Argonne ZGS accelerator), the possibility of quantitative neutrino experiments looks very good indeed. Certainly, the prospects are much brighter than anyone thought a few years ago.


The author analyzes the fundamental second-order nonlinearities and their composite distortions in lightwave analog AM CATV transport systems based on single frequency semiconductor lasers. The nonlinear interaction between the photons and the electrons in the laser, the nonlinear dynamics of laser spatial hole burning, and the nonlinear interaction of fiber chromatic dispersion and laser frequency chirping are strongly dependent on the CATV carrier frequencies. The author found that the overall distortions increase for higher carrier frequencies and longer fiber spans. The distortion levels, however, are within the critical requirements for current and future CATV transport systems. >


With ever increasing demands for intensities in modern accelerators, the understanding of space-charge effects becomes crucial. Herein are presented measurements of optically shaped picosecond-long electron beams in a superconducting L-band linac over a wide range of charges, from 0.2 nC to 3.4 nC. At low charges, the shape of the electron beam is preserved, while at higher charge densities, modulations on the beam convert to energy modulations. Energy profile measurements using a spectrometer and time profile measurements using a streak camera reveal the dynamics of longitudinal space-charge on MeV-scale electron beams.