三峡库区滑坡的时空分布、成因及其预报模式

Landslides are widely distributed along the main stream banks of the Three Gorges Reservoir area. Especially with the acceleration of the human economic activities in the recent 30 years, the occurrence of landslide hazards in the local area trends to be more serious. Because of the special geological, topographic and climatic conditions of the Three Gorges areas, many Paleo-landslides are found along the gentle slope terrain of the population relocation sites. Under the natural condition, the Paleo-landslides usually keep stable. The Paleo-landslides might revive while they are influenced under the strong rainfall, water storage and migration engineering disturbance. Therefore, the prediction and prevention of landslide hazards have become the important problem involving with the safety of migration engineering of the Three Gorges Reservoir area.The past research on the landslides of the Three Gorges area is mainly concentrated on the stability analysis of individual landslide, and importance was little attached to the knowledge on the geological environment background of the formation of regional landslides. So, the relationship between distribution and evolution of landslides and globe dynamic processes was very scarce in the past research. With further study, it becomes difficult to explain the reasons for the magnitude and frequency of major geological hazards in terms of single endogenic or exogenic processes. It is possible to resolve the causes of major landslides in the Three Gorges area through the systematic research of regional tectonics and river evolution history.In present paper, based on the view of coupling of earth's endogenic and exogenic processes, the author researches the temporal and spacial distribution and formation evolution of major landslides(Volume^lOOX 104m3) in the Three Gorges Reservoir area through integration of first-hand sources statistics, .geological evolution history, isotope dating and numerical simulation method etc. And considering the main formation factors of landslides (topography, geology and rainfall condition), the author discusses the occurrence probability and prediction model of rainfall induced landslides.The distribution and magnitude of Paleo-landslides in the Three Gorges area is mainly controlled by lithology, geological structure, bank slope shape and geostress field etc. The major Paleo-landslides are concentrated on the periods 2.7-15.0 X 104aB.R, which conrresponds to the warm and wettest Paleoclimate stages. In the same time, the Three Gorges area experiences with the quickest crust uplift phase since 15.0X 104aB.P. It is indicated that the dynamic factor of polyphase major Paleo-landslides is the coupling processes of neotectonic movement and Quaternary climate changes. Based on the numerical simulation results of the formation evolution of Baota landslide, the quick crust uplift makes the deep river incision and the geostress relief causes the rock body of banks flexible. Under the strong rainfall condition, the pore-water pressure resulted from rain penetration and high flood level can have the shear strength of weak structural plane decrease to a great degree. Therefore, the bank slope is easy to slide at the slope bottom where shear stress concentrates. Finally, it forms the composite draught-traction type landslide of dip stratified rocks.The susceptibility idea for the rainfall induced landslide is put forward in this paper and the degree of susceptibility is graded in terms of the topography and geological conditions of landslides. Base on the integration with geological environment factors and rainfall condition, the author gives a new probabilistic prediction model for rainfall induced landslides. As an example from Chongqing City of the Three Gorges area, selecting the 5 factors of topography, lithology combination, slope shape, rock structure and hydrogeology and 21 kinds of status as prediction variables, the susceptibility zonation is carried out by information methods. The prediction criterion of landslides is established by two factors: the maximum 24 hour rainfall and the antecedent effective precipitation of 15 days. The new prediction model is possible to actualize the real-time regional landslide prediction and improve accuracy of landslide forecast.

Rough set feature selection and rule induction for prediction of malignancy degree in brain glioma

X. Wang, J. Yang, R. Jensen and X. Liu, 'Rough Set Feature Selection and Rule Induction for Prediction of Malignancy Degree in Brain Glioma,' Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine, vol. 83, no. 2, pp. 147-156, 2006.

Propagation of the degree of polarisation in a few-mode optical fibre: Experimental results

R. Zwiggelaar and M.G.F. Wilson, 'Propagation of the degree of polarisation in a few-mode optical fibre: Experimental results', International Journal of Optoelectronics 10 (4), 295-297 (1996)

Single Mueller matrix description of the propagation of degree of polarisation in a uniformly anisotropic single-mode optical fibre

R. Zwiggelaar and M.G.F. Wilson, 'Single Mueller matrix description of the propagation of degree of polarisation in a uniformly anisotropic single-mode optical fibre', IEE Proceedings Optoelectronics 141 (6), 367-372 (1994)

Handedness and social anxiety: using Bryden's research as a catalyst to explore the influence of familial sinistrality and degree of handedness

Phil Bryden's work has impacted on many areas of laterality, including degree and measurement of hand preference, as well as influences of familial sinistrality (FS). For example, Bryden[(1977). Measuring handedness with questionnaires. Neuropsychologia, 15, 617–624] is a well-cited and influential paper that remains relevant to this day. Inspired by this we extended our analysis of the relationship between handedness and anxiety in a number of ways. We used familial handedness and strength of handedness to examine their potential influences on anxiety, and extended our research by exploring their relationship to social anxiety, using the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN). Inconsistent left-handers (ILH) were found to be more socially anxious. In all categories of SPIN except avoidance, ILH were significantly more anxious than consistent right- and left-handers. There were FS differences between ILH with a first degree left-handed relative (FS+) compared to ILH with no first degree left-handed relative (FS−) on all categories of anxiety scores. Within FS+ participants, ILH had significantly higher anxiety scores, compared with consistent handers across all categories. This suggests that ILH's social anxiety may be influenced by a close left-handed relative. Inspired by examining Bryden's work for this special issue, we will continue to add both strength of preference and familial handedness to our work.

Mission tales in the days of the dons, by Mrs. A.S.C. Forbes ... with nine full page illustrations and decorative drawings, by Langdon Smith.

http://www.archive.org/details/missiontalesday00forbrich

Historical sketch of the Flathead Indian nation from the year 1813 to 1890 : embracing the history of the establishment of St. Mary's Indian Mission in the Bitter Root Valley, Mont. : with sketches of the missionary life of Father Ravalli and other early missionaries : wars of the Blackfeet and Flatheads and sketches of history, trapping and trading in the early days / by Peter Ronan.

http://www.canadiana.org/ECO/mtq?doc=16974 View document online

Generating Good Degree Distributions for Sparse Parity Check Codes using Oracles

Fast forward error correction codes are becoming an important component in bulk content delivery. They fit in naturally with multicast scenarios as a way to deal with losses and are now seeing use in peer to peer networks as a basis for distributing load. In particular, new irregular sparse parity check codes have been developed with provable average linear time performance, a significant improvement over previous codes. In this paper, we present a new heuristic for generating codes with similar performance based on observing a server with an oracle for client state. This heuristic is easy to implement and provides further intuition into the need for an irregular heavy tailed distribution.

Work experience in transition year: a mixed methods study of subject and career choices

Transition Year (TY) has been a feature of the Irish Education landscape for 39 years. Work experience (WE) has become a key component of TY. WE is defined as a module of between five and fifteen days duration where students engage in a work placement in the broader community. It places a major emphasis on building relationships between schools and their external communities and concomitantly between students and their potential future employers. Yet, the idea that participation in a TY work experience programme could facilitate an increased awareness of potential careers has drawn little attention from the research community. This research examines the influence WE has on the subsequent subjects choices made by students along with the effects of that experience on the students’ identities and emerging vocational identities. Socio-cultural Learning Theory and Occupational Choice Theory frame the overall study. A mixed methods approach to data collection was adopted through the administration of 323 quantitative questionnaires and 32 individual semi-structured interviews in three secondary schools. The analysis of the data was conducted using a grounded theory approach. The findings from the research show that WE makes a significant contribution to the students’ sense of agency in their own lives. It facilitates the otherwise complex process of subject choice, motivates students to work harder in their senior cycle, introduces them to the concepts of active, experience-based and self-directed learning, while boosting their self-confidence and nurturing the emergence of their personal and vocational identities. This research is a gateway to further study in this field. It also has wide reaching implications for students, teachers, school authorities, parents and policy makers regarding teaching and learning in our schools and the value of learning beyond the walls of the classroom.

Totality of experience: sound, music and mythology in Gus Van Sant’s “Death Quartet”

Reflecting on Gus Van Sant’s films Gerry (2003) Elephant (2004) and Last Days (2005), the director’s long-term sound-designer Leslie Shatz observed that “You have to get into the totality of the experience and not just the dialogue”. Shatz’s comment expresses something fundamental about the experimental approach to cinema and to soundscapes undertaken by Van Sant in these three films, unofficially known as the “Death Trilogy”. This thesis contends that Van Sant makes deliberate aesthetic choices which do indicate a distinctly “auteurist” leaning. However, I also argue that intertextual elements, prior knowledge, and audience participation in meaningmaking enhance the experience of, and reveal the nuances in, the soundtracks themselves. This thesis aims to contribute to a growing body of work within filmmusic scholarship concerned with resisting a traditional bias in the field: that film music should be understood as a means of characterisation and as emotional signifier. The films of the “Death Quartet”, which includes Paranoid Park (2007), I believe, offer fertile ground on which to explore these new approaches. It is my contention that these films deconstruct the traditional approach to soundtracking and the relationship between soundtrack and character, and that only an approach sensitive to the aesthetic and philosophical functions of music and sound can adequately acknowledge their unique cinematic qualities.

Level of beta-adrenergic receptor kinase 1 inhibition determines degree of cardiac dysfunction after chronic pressure overload-induced heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Heart failure is characterized by abnormalities in beta-adrenergic receptor (betaAR) signaling, including increased level of myocardial betaAR kinase 1 (betaARK1). Our previous studies have shown that inhibition of betaARK1 with the use of the Gbetagamma sequestering peptide of betaARK1 (betaARKct) can prevent cardiac dysfunction in models of heart failure. Because inhibition of betaARK activity is pivotal for amelioration of cardiac dysfunction, we investigated whether the level of betaARK1 inhibition correlates with the degree of heart failure. METHODS AND RESULTS: Transgenic (TG) mice with varying degrees of cardiac-specific expression of betaARKct peptide underwent transverse aortic constriction (TAC) for 12 weeks. Cardiac function was assessed by serial echocardiography in conscious mice, and the level of myocardial betaARKct protein was quantified at termination of the study. TG mice showed a positive linear relationship between the level of betaARKct protein expression and fractional shortening at 12 weeks after TAC. TG mice with low betaARKct expression developed severe heart failure, whereas mice with high betaARKct expression showed significantly less cardiac deterioration than wild-type (WT) mice. Importantly, mice with a high level of betaARKct expression had preserved isoproterenol-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity and normal betaAR densities in the cardiac membranes. In contrast, mice with low expression of the transgene had marked abnormalities in betaAR function, similar to the WT mice. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that the level of betaARK1 inhibition determines the degree to which cardiac function can be preserved in response to pressure overload and has important therapeutic implications when betaARK1 inhibition is considered as a molecular target.

Characterization of topographical effects on macrophage behavior in a foreign body response model.

Current strategies to limit macrophage adhesion, fusion and fibrous capsule formation in the foreign body response have focused on modulating material surface properties. We hypothesize that topography close to biological scale, in the micron and nanometric range, provides a passive approach without bioactive agents to modulate macrophage behavior. In our study, topography-induced changes in macrophage behavior was examined using parallel gratings (250 nm-2 mum line width) imprinted on poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL), poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS). RAW 264.7 cell adhesion and elongation occurred maximally on 500 nm gratings compared to planar controls over 48 h. TNF-alpha and VEGF secretion levels by RAW 264.7 cells showed greatest sensitivity to topographical effects, with reduced levels observed on larger grating sizes at 48 h. In vivo studies at 21 days showed reduced macrophage adhesion density and degree of high cell fusion on 2 mum gratings compared to planar controls. It was concluded that topography affects macrophage behavior in the foreign body response on all polymer surfaces examined. Topography-induced changes, independent of surface chemistry, did not reveal distinctive patterns but do affect cell morphology and cytokine secretion in vitro, and cell adhesion in vivo particularly on larger size topography compared to planar controls.

Innovations in learning and teaching approaches using game technologies - can "The Movies" teach how to make a movie?

The use of games technology in education is not a new phenomenon. Even back in the days of 286 processors, PCs were used in some schools along with (what looks like now) primitive simulation software to teach a range of different skills and techniques – from basic programming using Logo (the turtle style car with a pen at the back that could be used to draw on the floor – always a good way of attracting the attention of school kids!) up to quite sophisticated replications of physical problems, such as working out the trajectory of a missile to blow up an enemies’ tank. So why are games not more widely used in education (especially in FE and HE)? Can they help to support learners even at this advanced stage in their education? We aim to provide in this article an overview of the use of game technologies in education (almost as a small literature review for interested parties) and then go more in depth into one particular example we aim to introduce from this coming academic year (Sept. 2006) to help with teaching and assessment of one area of our Multimedia curriculum. Of course, we will not be able to fully provide the reader with data on how successful this is but we will be running a blog (http://themoviesineducation.blogspot.com/) to keep interested parties up to date with the progress of the project and to hopefully help others to set up similar solutions themselves. We will also only consider a small element of the implementation here and cover how the use of such assessment processes could be used in a broader context. The use of a game to aid learning and improve achievement is suggested because traditional methods of engagement are currently failing on some levels. By this it is meant that various parts of the production process we normally cover in our Multimedia degree are becoming difficult to monitor and continually assess.

On Hamilton cycles in locally connected graphs with vertex degree constraints

It is shown that every connected, locally connected graph with the maximum vertex degree Δ(G)=5 and the minimum vertex degree δ(G)3 is fully cycle extendable. For Δ(G)4, all connected, locally connected graphs, including infinite ones, are explicitly described. The Hamilton Cycle problem for locally connected graphs with Δ(G)7 is shown to be NP-complete