Mesomorphism of Lanthanide(Ⅲ) 4-Hexyloxybenzoates

The 4-alkoxybenzoic acids are well-known liquid crystals showing several mesophases(nematic,smectic C phase or both)depending on the alkoxy chain length and whereby the rigid core of the mesogen is formed by intermolecular hydrogen bonds.In this paper it is shown that the thermal behaviour of lanthanide salts of 4-hexyloxybenzoic acids depends on the lanthanide ion(Ln=La,Pr,Nd,Sm,Eu).The lanthanum(Ⅲ)and praseodymium(Ⅲ)4-hexyloxybenzoates exhibit a smectic A mesophase.No mesophase is found for the corresponding compounds of heavier lanthanides.The thermal properties of the lanthanide(Ⅲ)4-hexyloxybenzoates were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC),polarising thermo-optical microscopy and synchrotron X-ray radiation.     

Numerical Study of Scale Effects of Ultra-Thin Nickel Beams

Recent experiments have shown that metallic materials display significant size effects when the characteristic length scale of non-uniform plastic deformation is close to a micron. Couple stress plasticity has been developed to explain such phenomena by Fleck and Hutchinson. The mechanical behaviors of ultra-thin nickel beams in different boundary conditions were studied with the hybrid element developed for couple stress plasticity before. Strong scale effects are found when the beam's thickness is close to the material characteristic length scale. Such phenomena will disappear if the beam' s thickness is greatly larger than the material characteristic length scale. The scale effect is the beams inherent property and it does not change with the change of support conditions.     

Stress in Dairy Farming and the Adoption of New Technology.

Previous studies have identified a number of different farm stressors and have reported gender and age differences in levels of stress. This study aimed to determine stress experienced by New Zealand dairy farmers, particularly in relation to adoption of new technology and its relationship to age and gender. Measures of farm stress and adoption of technology were completed by 985 dairy farmers. The highest levels of stress were reported for time pressures, machinery breakdown, weather, and government policies. Stress related to new technologies occurred rarely. Women reported more stress and higher levels of stress for understanding new technologies. There was also an increase in severity of stress with age related to new technologies. Overall, stress levels were moderate and may reflect favorable economic conditions. The findings suggest a need to tailor stress interventions to meet specific needs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Virtual Teams: Guide to Successful Implementation

The successful initiation and execution of a virtual team is gaining increasing attention in the design and construction community. From opportunities to integrate international and multidisciplinary teams to the opportunity to leverage the best resources in an organization on a given project, virtual teams can transform the concept of project planning and execution. However, potential barriers exist in several areas to the successful implementation of virtual teams. The needs of increased management emphasis, social and cultural understanding, and emphasis on common goals are only a few of the nontechnical factors that can turn successful virtual teaming into virtual frustration. When combined with traditional technical challenges including compatibility of systems, security, and the selection of appropriate technologies, the line between leveraging virtual technologies for enhanced solutions and introducing additional complications into the project process is one that can be easily crossed. This paper presents the findings of research that addresses the opportunities and potential barriers to successful virtual teams in the engineering, procurement, and construction industry. Combining results from current research, industry practices, and early results from nonconstruction industries, the research findings provide an initial path to successful virtual team implementation.     

伴随内转换电子发射的俄歇电子能量及强度计算

简要介绍了伴随内转换电子发射产生的俄歇电子能量与强度的计算方法、计算程序及工作流程，并以^129Iβ^-衰变为例说明其具体应用。     

石油套管的壁厚公差对承载能力的影响

石油套管的强度计算是按API标准进行的，它未能反映高强度套管和尺寸公差对抗压溃能力的影响。利用弹塑性力学理论建立理想的石油套管的抗压溃能力计算公式，并考虑套管的壁厚公差对计算公式进行修正。用该方法对受均匀载荷及非均匀载荷作用的套管进行分析，并同有限元计算结果相比，两者十分吻合，说明该方法的有效性。     

Motion compensated film restoration

Motion picture films are susceptible to local degradations such as dust spots. Other deteriorations are global such as intensity and spatial jitter. It is obvious that motion needs to be compensated for before the detection/correction of such local and dynamic defects. Therefore, we propose a hierarchical motion estimation method ideally suited for high resolution film sequences. This recursive block-based motion estimator relies on an adaptive search strategy and Radon projections to improve processing speed. The localization of dust particles then becomes straightforward. Thus, it is achieved by simple inter-frame differences between the current image and motion compensated successive and preceding frames. However, the detection of spatial and intensity jitter requires a specific process taking advantage of the high temporal correlation in the image sequence. In this paper, we present our motion compensation-based algorithms for removing dust spots, spatial and intensity jitter in degraded motion pictures. Experimental results are presented showing the usefulness of our motion estimator for film restoration at reasonable computational costs. Received: 9 July 2000 / Accepted: 13 January 2002 Correspondence to:S. Boukir     

Longitudinal analysis of the relationship between symptoms and quality of life in veterans treated for posttraumatic stress disorder.

This study examined how change in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms relates to change in quality of life. The sample consisted of 325 male Vietnam veterans with chronic PTSD who participated in a randomized trial of group psychotherapy. Latent growth modeling was used to test for synchronous effects of PTSD symptom change on psychosocial and physical health-related quality of life within the same time period and lagged effects of initial PTSD symptom change on later change in quality of life. PTSD symptoms were associated with reduced quality of life before treatment. There were synchronous effects of symptom change on change in quality of life but no significant lagged effects. Results indicate the importance of measuring quality of life in future investigations of PTSD treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

利用茚三酮或DFO加强显现热敏纸张上的潜在指纹

本文介绍一种新技术——利用茚三酮或DFO加强显现热敏纸张上的潜在指纹。大部分热敏纸张的热敏剂表面,使用DFO或茚三酮石油醚溶液(NPB)显影时将会变黑。显现的指纹和背景之间反差很小。新技术介绍了在指纹和热敏层之间,用丙酮水洗,可以去掉黑色污斑。其它新的化学试剂漂洗,显现的指纹有清晰的纹线和很高的反差。大量使用这种技术,可以使试剂优化,成本降低,短时间内能处理大量检材。工作试剂包括商用、不挥发、含氮的有机化合物,也使用象NPB这样的浸透性试剂。