Defining a complex intervention: The development of demarcation criteria for “meditation”.

The authors used a 5-round Delphi study with a panel of 7 experts in meditation research to achieve agreement on a set of criteria for a working definition of “meditation” for use in a comprehensive systematic review of the therapeutic use of meditation. Participants agreed that essential to a meditation practice is its use of (a) a defined technique, (b) logic relaxation, and (c) a self-induced state. Participants also agreed that a meditation practice may (d) involve a state of psychophysical relaxation somewhere in the process; (e) use a self-focus skill or anchor; (f) involve an altered state/mode of consciousness, mystic experience, enlightenment or suspension of logical thought processes; (g) be embedded in a religious/spiritual/philosophical context; or (h) involve an experience of mental silence. The results of this study provide insight into the challenges faced by researchers who want to demarcate meditative practices from nonmeditative practices, and they describe an approach to this problem that may prove useful for researchers trying to operationalize meditation in the context of comparative research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On thermal and vibrational properties of LaGaO3 single crystals

The thermal expansion and vibrational properties of [1 0 0] and [0 0 1] LaGaO₃ single crystals have been studied by thermal mechanical analysis and micro-Raman spectroscopy. A first-order orthorhombic to rhombohedral phase transition has been confirmed by both techniques, as well as by in situ heating using optical microscopy. The appearance of a metastable intermediate phase, tentatively assigned as monoclinic, has been detected both by optical microscopy and Raman spectroscopy upon heating of the [1 0 0] and [0 0 1] LaGaO₃ single crystals. Not only temperature, but the stress-induced orthorhombic to rhombohedral phase transition has also been detected by Raman mapping of the residual impression made by Vickers indentation. The position map of bands belonging to the lower-temperature/pressure orthorhombic and the higher-temperature/pressure rhombohedral phase show that the rhombohedral phase is located inside the impression, where the applied indentation stresses are the highest, whereas no rhombohedral phase is detected outside the impression, where the surface has not been altered by contact stresses.     

Modified track membranes with antibacterial properties

Microbiological contamination of polymeric membranes in the process of their exploitation is an essential problem of membrane technology. It results in the increase of manufacturing costs, destruction of membranes, operating life reduction and secondary contamination of water by the metabolism products of microorganisms. For the purpose of reduction of membrane biofouling and biodegradation investigation of adsorption of the guanidine containing oligomers on the surface of PET track membranes was conducted and their influence on the selectivity and antibacterial properties of the membranes was investigated. It was established that modified membranes have substantially higher resistance to biofouling.     

鸟粪石结晶法处理猪场污水的研究现状及发展趋势

采用乌粪石结晶法处理猪场污水,可实现猪场污水氮磷的去除及资源的回收,有利于畜牧业及磷资源的可持续发展.本文介绍了鸟粪石结晶法用于猪场污水的基本原理和影响因素,总结了目前研究的不足之处,展望了该法处理猪场污水的研究方向和发展前景.     

生态空间与容量约束下城市空间增长研究——以贵阳市花溪区为例

综合考虑快速增长的刚性需求、提质发展的客观要求以及山水生态环境保护的现实条件,是确保西部山地城市健康、快速发展需解决的关键问题。本文在分析生态敏感性、生态承载力的研究方法及其作用特征的基础上,设计了整合生态敏感性空间约束、生态承载力容量约束的城市空间规划技术方法。以贵阳市花溪区为实证,从规模容量控制、空间格局规划以及管控指引等方面示范了相应的技术方法,明确了其发展规模和空间,并提出了控制要点。     

Water Concession Principles for Geothermal Aquifers in the Mura-Zala Basin,NE Slovenia

Demand for thermal water in the Mura-Zala basin, situated between Slovenia, Austria, Hungary and Croatia, is constantly increasing, with the sandy geothermal aquifer within the Neogene Mura formation being the most exploited. During the water concession granting process various problems were identified, together with the need for elaboration of the uniform concession granting principles. The latter were devised according to the specific hydrogeological settings and field inspection of 23 geothermal wells, performed through use of an adapted methodology. The inspection revealed changes in wells performance, low efficiency of energy abstraction and a lack of reinjection. The acquired information was applied to the development of particular principles, including the six key indicators. Firstly, a unified and integrated operational monitoring programme must be established, and upgraded by a national surveillance monitoring. Secondly, an application of the best available techniques is proposed. Stimulation of energetic and balneology efficiency is also needed, with recharge and reinjection conditions evaluated and applied where possible. Limited or full water concessions could be granted based on their fulfilment then. This continuous step-by-step approach should enable the implementation of adequate measures to meet the standards required for the thermal groundwater bodies according to the EU water framework directions.     

A prescriptive approach for counselor training.

Measured the effectiveness of A. P. Goldstein's (1973) Structured Learning Training (SLT) for teaching confrontation skills to 56 trainees varying in conceptual development (Paragraph Completion Test). Both a self-instruction approach and a standard implementation of SLT were effective for teaching confrontation skills. When trainees' conceptual level (CL) was considered, the approaches proved differentially effective (as measured by pencil-and-paper tests). Self-instruction SLT was more effective with high CL trainees than with low CL trainees; guided-instruction SLT proved more effective than self-instruction SLT with low CL trainees in each treatment. Further, differences due to instructional approach and CL failed to reach significance when the dependent variable was assessed via taped role play. Findings suggest the need for multiple ways of assessing skills as well as multiple approaches for instruction. Further investigation seems necessary to specify the variables involved in maximizing the effect of instruction. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

对文化的介入在品牌战略中所起作用的探讨

本文通过对品牌战略和文化及其二者关系的分析来说明文化的介入在企业竞争中所起到的重要作用。文化的介入使品牌战略更具包容力,使企业更具凝聚力和竞争力。只有依靠优秀的文化,企业才能像常青藤一样生机盎然、充满活力。     

Business owners' action planning and its relationship to business success in three African countries.

A model of business success was developed with motivational resources (locus of control, self-efficacy, achievement motivation, and self-reported personal initiative) and cognitive resources (cognitive ability and human capital) as independent variables, business owners' elaborate and proactive planning as a mediator, and business size and growth as dependent variables. Three studies with a total of 408 African micro and small-scale business owners were conducted in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Structural equation analyses partially supported the hypotheses on the importance of psychological planning by the business owners. Elaborate and proactive planning was substantially related to business size and to an external evaluation of business success and was a (partial) mediator for the relationship between cognitive resources and business success. The model carries important implications for selection, training, and coaching of business owners. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multivariable control strategy based on bifurcation analysis of an industrial gas-phase polymerization reactor

In an industrial gas-phase polyethylene reactor, the safe operating range of temperature is rather narrow. Even within this temperature range, temperature excursions must be avoided because they can result in low catalyst productivity and significant changes in product properties. If the manipulated variable for temperature control saturates (i.e., the cooling water valve position is completely open), then the reactor operates without a feedback temperature controller, leading to oscillatory behavior and limit cycles. In this work, it has been demonstrated that the saturation in the manipulated variable and the complex non-linear dynamic behavior are removed when auxiliary manipulated variables, obtained by bifurcation analysis, are used in a multivariable control strategy for the reactor temperature control. Two control structures are proposed and compared considering their impact in the reactor production and polymer melt index. In the first control structure, the designed PID controller for the reactor temperature is considered and a switching strategy with a PI controller for the auxiliary manipulated variables is included. In the second control structure, the designed PID controller for the reactor temperature is also used, however, a MPC controller for the auxiliary manipulated variables is considered. The results suggest that the use of gain-scheduling strategy in the PID temperature controller with a MPC controller for the auxiliary manipulated variables avoids the saturation of the manipulated variable and, hence, the undesired non-linear dynamic behavior, reducing the production loss and improving the product quality.