Application of the Resources Model to the Supervision of an Automated Process

The present study was designed to ascertain how far flagging up potential errors can improve the automatic interpretation of technical documents. We used the resources model to analyze the supervised retro-conversion of architectural floor plans from the perspective of distributed cognition. Results showed that automated assistance helps users to correct errors spotted by the system and saves time. Surprisingly, they also showed that flagging up possible errors may make users less effective in identifying and correcting errors that go unnoticed by the system. Responses to a questionnaire probing the participants’ confidence in the system suggested that they were so trusting that they lowered their vigilance in those areas that had not been signaled by the system, leading to the identification of fewer errors there. Thus, although the participants’ confidence in the automated assistance system led to improved performances in those areas it highlighted, it also meant that areas to which the system did not draw attention were less thoroughly checked.     

Integration of Low-Impact Development into the International Stormwater BMP Database

Low impact development (LID) strategies are being encouraged in many communities as an approach to reduce potential adverse impacts of development on receiving streams. Many questions exist regarding how well various LID strategies perform in different settings, just as similar questions have been raised regarding performance of traditional stormwater best management practices (BMPs). Whereas historical focus on BMP performance has been water quality concentrations or loads, characterization of volume reduction benefits for both conventional and LID practices is increasingly an objective of researchers and stormwater managers. More than a decade ago, Urban Water Resources Research Council (UWRRC) members worked to develop a set of standardized monitoring and reporting protocols for traditional BMPs and to establish a master database for the purpose of evaluating BMP performance and the factors affecting performance. This effort culminated in the International Stormwater BMP Database (www.bmpdatabase.org), which contains data for more than 360 BMPs and continues to operate as a clearinghouse for stormwater BMP data and performance analyses. During 2008–2009, the International Stormwater BMP Database project expanded to better integrate LID into the database and develop a set of metrics that can be used to characterize BMP performance with regard to surface runoff volume reduction. This paper provides a condensed overview and progress report on the LID-focused effort, including the following topics: (1)?monitoring guidance for LID at the overall site development level, (2)?an overview of recent changes to the International Stormwater BMP Database to better accommodate LID studies, (3)?a summary of LID studies currently included in the database, and (4)?a proposed approach for evaluating performance of LID studies with regard to reducing surface runoff volumes.     

中联重科获深交所2009年度信息披露考核“优秀”

日前,深交所完成了对主板、中小企业板上市公司2009年度信息披露的考核工作。在深市758家上市公司中,中联重科等51家主板公司考核结果“优秀”,信息披露质量得到较快提高。此次考核是年度结束后对上市公司2009年全年信息披露工作进行的综合性考核,主要包括对上市公司全年临时报告及定期报告披露质量的考核。     

用ePCI-X使设计现代化

从PCI/ISA到双总线ePCI-X, 一种设计重用方法 　　在当今的PCI/ISA背板中,显然PC芯片组ISA插槽的数量在减少,PCI插槽的数量在增多.……     

陶瓷电容在DC-DC转换器中的应用

DC -DC转换器开关频率的提高允许采用越来越小的外部元件(MaximIntegratedProductsInc)。在传统设计中 ,一般采用钽电容作为开关电源的外部电容 ,事实上 ,新型陶瓷电容在许多开关电源中可以获取同等指标 ,并达到同样的设计目的 ,而且 ,用陶瓷电容替代钽电容可节省系统成本、同时又能减小系统尺寸。本文通过计算结果表明 :陶瓷电容用于正激和反激电路拓扑中是完全可以接受的。当然 ,它更适合低功率转换器的应用 (输出电流低于1A)。一般情况下 ,选择电容时主要考虑以下几个参数 :电容值(C)、等效串联电阻 (ESR)、等效串联电感 (ESL)、…     

Fabrication of organic semiconductor crystalline thin films and crystals from solution by confined crystallization

Highly crystalline thin films of organic semiconductors processed from solution for electronic devices are difficult to achieve due to a slow and preferential three-dimensional growth of the crystals. Here we describe the development of a processing technique to induce a preferential two-dimensional crystalline growth of organic semiconductors by means of minimizing one dimension and confining the solution in two dimensions into a thin layer. The versatility of the process is demonstrated by processing small molecules (TIPS-pentacene and C₆₀) and a polymer (P3HT), all from solvents with a relatively low boiling point, to obtain crystalline thin films. The thin films show an improved in-plane packing of the molecules compared to films processed under similar conditions by spin coating, which is beneficial for the use in organic field-effect transistors.     

Time-dependent competitive adsorption of milk proteins and surfactants in oil-in-water emulsions

Competitive adsorption of pure milk proteins and non-ionic surfactants has been studied in model oil-in-water emulsions (4 g kg^?1 β-lactoglobulin or β-casein, 200 g kg^?1 n-hexadecane) as a function of the age of the adsorbed protein layer at the oil-water interface. With β-lactoglobulin-stabilised emulsions containing oil-soluble surfactant C₁₂ E₂ (diethylene glycol n-dodecyl ether), there is found to be a steadily increasing amount of protein associated with the emulsion droplets over a few hours following emulsification. Addition of water-soluble surfactant Tween 20 (polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monolaurate) to a β-lactoglobulin-stabilised emulsion (with or without C₁₂E₂) leads to less protein displacement if the emulsion is aged prior to addition of Tween 20. Moderate additions of C₁₂E₂ or Tween 20 produce no time dependence in the competitive adsorption in β-casein-stabilised emulsions, although some time dependence is observed when C₁₂E₂ and a high concentration of Tween 20 are present together. Crystallisation of the oil phase in β-casein-stabilised emulsions at pH 7 leads to a lowering of the measured protein surface concentration, especially in the presence of C₁₂E₂ and a reduction in the surfactant to protein molar ratio required for complete protein displacement by water-soluble surfactant (Tween 20 or octaethylene glycol n-dodecyl ether). Under more acidic conditions of pH 5 or pH 3, the surface coverage and ease of displacement of β-lactoglobulin at the surface of liquid emulsion droplets is substantially different from that under neutral pH conditions.     

Thermodynamic Theory of Single-Crystal Lead Titanate with Consideration of Elastic Boundary Conditions

A phenomenological free-energy function including the effects of elastic boundary conditions was presented and used to investigate the single-domain, single-crystal properties of the ferroelectric perovskite, PbTiO₃. In particular, the effects of tensile and compressive hydrostatic stress on the spontaneous polarization, Curie point, dielectric susceptibility, and piezoelectric property coefficients were examined. The calculated shift of the Curie point with hydrostatic stress, along with the entropy and enthalpy of the ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transition, was found to be in good agreement with experimental measurements. The isothermal variation of the relative dielectric susceptibility and piezoelectric coefficients with hydrostatic stress exhibited the expected behavior near the ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transition.