小湾电站坝基岩体卸荷工程地质力学研究

Dam is the key main works in the construction of water power. The success or failure of the construction of the dam mainly depends on the stability of the dam foundation. The double curvature arch dam-XiaoWan Dam is the highest one among the dams with the same type in the world, and the water thrust acted on it reaches ton, so the rock bearing capacity of dam foundation becomes more important. Because of the high and steep valley-side slope, the large scale of excavation and the complex body type of excavation, it is prominent that the problem of stress release of the rock mass in dam foundation. More great attentions should be paid for the stability and the degraded of rock properties of rock mass induced by the stress release. In this paper, the phenomena of stress release of rock mass in XiaoWan Dam foundation and its mechanisms were analyzed based on the collection of data, the detailed field engineering investigations, measurement of the rock mass and the 2D numerical calculations. The rock mass under the foundation is weak-weathered to intact, the quality of which is good. After excavation of the foundation, the rock mass near the slope surface occurred extend, stretch and stick-slip along original textures till the new fracture surface formed. Then platy structure of the rock mass takes on. The rock mass in the dam foundation occur resilience due to stress release towards free faces with the characteristics of time effect and localized deformation. In-situ measurements show that the rock mass near the surface are degraded. The stress release induced by excavation is a process of the interaction between engineering structures and geologic body. The stress release of rock mass in dam foundation is related to the changed degree of geometrical conditions. The rock near excavation surface failed nearly under uniaxial stresses. The bending-breaking mechanism of plate girder can interpret the failure model of the rock mass with platy structure in dam foundation slope. In essence, the stress release is the change of stress field including the change of directions and magnitudes of stress induced by excavation, which can induce the comedown of the safety margin. In this paper, the inducing conditions of stress release were calculated by numerical analyses. Moreover, from the point of view that the change of stress field, the coefficient of K, i.e. the variable load coefficient was proposed. Then the law of the change of it is interpreted. The distributional characteristics of fracture zone were expressed by the coefficient. The stress release of hard rock has the characteristic of localization. The measuring technique of sound wave can not reflect the small cracks in this kind of rock mass due to stress release. So, the spectral analysis method was proposed. At the same time, the application foreground in engineering of the Stockwell Time-Frequency- Spectrum method was discussed with a view to the limitation of it.

利用分频与反演提高地震资料信噪比与分辨率方法研究

This thesis mainly talks about the wavelet transfrom and the frequency division method. It describes the frequency division processing on prestack or post-stack seismic data and application of inversion noise attenuation, frequency division residual static correction and high resolution data in reservoir inversion. This thesis not only describes the frequency division and inversion in theory, but also proves it by model calculation. All the methods are integrated together. The actual data processing demonstrates the applying results. This thesis analyzes the differences and limitation between t-x prediction filter and f-x prediction filter noise attenuation from wavelet transform theory. It considers that we can do the frequency division attenuation process of noise and signal by wavelet frequency division theory according to the differences of noise and signal in phase, amplitude and frequency. By comparison with the f-x coherence noise, removal method, it approves the effects and practicability of frequency division in coherence and random noise isolation. In order to solve the side effects in non-noise area, we: take the area constraint method and only apply the frequency division processing in the noise area. So it can solve the problem of low frequency loss in non-noise area. The residual moveout differences in seismic data processing have a great effect on stack image and resolutions. Different frequency components have different residual moveout differences. The frequency division residual static correction realizes the frequency division and the calculation of residual correction magnitude. It also solves the problems of different residual correction magnitude in different frequency and protects the high frequency information in data. By actual data processing, we can get good results in phase residual moveout differences elimination of pre-stack data, stack image quality and improvement of data resolution. This thesis analyses the characters of the random noises and its descriptions in time domain and frequency domain. Furthermore it gives the inversion prediction solution methods and realizes the frequency division inversion attenuation of the random noise. By the analysis of results of the actual data processing, we show that the noise removed by inversion has its own advantages. By analyzing parameter's about resolution and technology of high resolution data processing, this thesis describes the relations between frequency domain and resolution, parameters about resolution and methods to increase resolution. It also gives the processing flows of the high resolution data; the effect and influence of reservoir inversion caused by high resolution data. Finally it proves the accuracy and precision of the reservoir inversion results. The research results of this thesis reveal that frequency division noise attenuation, frequency residual correction and inversion noise attenuation are effective methods to increase the SNR and resolution of seismic data.

多波分量地震资料处理解释方法

To deal with some key problems in multi-component seismic exploration, some methods are introduced in this thesis based on reading amounts of papers about multi-component seismic theories and methods. First, to find a solution for the detection of the fracture density and orientation in igneous, carbonate and shale reservoirs, a large amount of which exist in domestic oil fields with low exploration and development degree, a new fast and slow shear waves separation method called Ratio Method based on S-wave splitting theory is discussed in this thesis, through which the anisotropy coefficient as well as fracture parameters such as density and azimuthal angle can be acquired. Another main point in this thesis involves the application of seismic velocity ratio (Vp/Vs) to predict the Hthological parameters of subsurface medium. To deal with the unfeasibility of velocity ratio calculation method based on time ratio due to the usually low single-noise ratio of S-wave seismic data acquired on land, a new method based on detailed velocity analysis is introduced. Third, pre-stack Kirchhoff integral migration is a new method developed in recent years, through which both S and P component seismic data as well as amplitude ratio of P/S waves can be acquired. In this thesis, the research on untilizing the P and S wave sections as well as amplitude ratio sections to interpret low-amplitude structures and lithological traps is carried out. The fast and slow shear wave separation method is then be applied respectively to detect the density and azimuthal angle of fractures in an igneous rock gas reservoir and the coal formation in a coal field. Two velocity ratio-calculating methods are applied respectively in the lithological prediction at the gas and coal field after summarizing a large amount of experimental results draw domestically and abroad. P and S wave sections as well as amplitude ratio sections are used to identify low-amplitude structures and lithological traps in the slope area of a oil-bearing sedimentary basin. The calculated data concerning fracture density and azimuthal angle through the introduced method matches well with the regional stress and actual drilling data. The predicted lithological data reflects the actual drilling data. Some of the low-amplitude and lithological traps determined by Kirchhoff migration method are verified by the actual drilling data. These results indicate that these methods are very meaningful when dealing with complex oil and gas reservoir, and can be applied in other areas.

品牌形象的消费行为学分析

Brand image is the attributes set and the related associations of a brand in consumers mind, and it is the subjective reflections of brands. The paper explored the factors of brand image system and their weight. As the traditional means to evaluate weight coefficients are not perfect, a new method, conjoint analysis, was attempted. The factors of brand image were explored through questionnaire. Sports sneaker, toothpaste, and personal stereo were chosen as product sample, and four hundred and twenty university students from Tangshan city and Beijing as subjects(each person evaluated two kinds of products). The first two kinds of products were requisites of students, and sports sneaker belonged to High conspicuous products and toothpaste was low conspicuous product. On the other hand, personal stereo was the sample of development and entertainment products. Several factors of three products brand were taken out with factor analysis. In order to explore the weight of the brand image factors, a contrast of factor contribution ratio method, holistic quartation method and conjoint analysis is made here. Twenty university students evaluated the weight of the image factors of three kinds of brand with holistic quartation method, then they gave the weight of personal stereo with conjoint analysis method. Product function, advertising and propaganda, symbolic meaning, market orientation, brand appetency, consuming experience are the factors of sports sneaker brand image. Product function, advertising and propaganda, market orientation, product grade, corporation image are the factors of toothpaste brand image. Corporation image and product function, advertising and propaganda, consuming experience, symbolic meaning, price and function ratio are the factors of personal stereo brand image. So the hypothesis was proved that brand image is an ordinal and organical system, "ordinal" means the weight of factors are different, "organical" means that brand image can be deposed into several factors and the factors belonged to function components and meaning components (function components are the factors about physical characteristics and function, which are called "hard factors"); meaning factors are those that can show the personality、value and lifestyle of consumers, which are called "soft factors". The research also gave evidence of the hypothesis below: the factor structures of brand image of different product category have commonness and individuality; the function components of low conspicuous products are more important than the high conspicuous products. The exploration of conjoint analysis is what the paper seeks to be some creative in some degree.

Conventional 3D staging PET/CT in CT simulation for lung cancer: impact of rigid and deformable target volume alignments for radiotherapy treatment planning

Objective: Positron emission tomography (PET)/CT scans can improve target definition in radiotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). As staging PET/CT scans are increasingly available, we evaluated different methods for co-registration of staging PET/CT data to radiotherapy simulation (RTP) scans.

Methods: 10 patients underwent staging PET/CT followed by RTP PET/CT. On both scans, gross tumour volumes (GTVs) were delineated using CT (GTVCT) and PET display settings. Four PET-based contours (manual delineation, two threshold methods and a source-to-background ratio method) were delineated. The CT component of the staging scan was co-registered using both rigid and deformable techniques to the CT component of RTP PET/CT. Subsequently rigid registration and deformation warps were used to transfer PET and CT contours from the staging scan to the RTP scan. Dice’s similarity coefficient (DSC) was used to assess the registration accuracy of staging-based GTVs following both registration methods with the GTVs delineated on the RTP PET/CT scan.

Results: When the GTVCT delineated on the staging scan after both rigid registration and deformation was compared with the GTVCT on the RTP scan, a significant improvement in overlap (registration) using deformation was observed (mean DSC 0.66 for rigid registration and 0.82 for deformable registration, p50.008). A similar comparison for PET contours revealed no significant improvement in overlap with the use of deformable registration.

Conclusions: No consistent improvements in similarity measures were observed when deformable registration was used for transferring PET-based contours from a staging PET/CT. This suggests that currently the use of rigid registration remains the most appropriate method for RTP in NSCLC.

Nonlinear scattering by anisotropic dielectric periodic structures

The combinatorial frequency generation by the periodic stacks of binary layers of anisotropic nonlinear dielectrics is examined. The products of nonlinear scattering are characterised in terms of the three-wave mixing processes. It is shown that the intensity of the scattered waves of combinatorial frequencies is strongly influenced by the constitutive and geometrical parameters of the anisotropic layers, and the frequency ratio and angles of incidence of pump waves. The enhanced efficiency of the frequency conversion at Wolf-Bragg resonances has been demonstrated for the lossless and lossy-layered structures. © 2012 O. V. Shramkova and A. G. Schuchinsky.

Individual and social determinants of multiple chronic disease behavioural risk factors in Canadian children and adolescents

Contexte: Les facteurs de risque comportementaux, notamment l’inactivité physique, le comportement sédentaire, le tabagisme, la consommation d’alcool et le surpoids sont les principales causes modifiables de maladies chroniques telles que le cancer, les maladies cardiovasculaires et le diabète. Ces facteurs de risque se manifestent également de façon concomitante chez l’individu et entraînent des risques accrus de morbidité et de mortalité. Bien que les facteurs de risque comportementaux aient été largement étudiés, la distribution, les patrons d’agrégation et les déterminants de multiples facteurs de risque comportementaux sont peu connus, surtout chez les enfants et les adolescents. Objectifs: Cette thèse vise 1) à décrire la prévalence et les patrons d’agrégation de multiples facteurs de risque comportementaux des maladies chroniques chez les enfants et adolescents canadiens; 2) à explorer les corrélats individuels, sociaux et scolaires de multiples facteurs de risque comportementaux chez les enfants et adolescents canadiens; et 3) à évaluer, selon le modèle conceptuel de l’étude, l’influence longitudinale d’un ensemble de variables distales (c’est-à-dire des variables situées à une distance intermédiaire des comportements à risque) de type individuel (estime de soi, sentiment de réussite), social (relations sociales, comportements des parents/pairs) et scolaire (engagement collectif à la réussite, compréhension des règles), ainsi que de variables ultimes (c’est-à-dire des variables situées à une distance éloignée des comportements à risque) de type individuel (traits de personnalité, caractéristiques démographiques), social (caractéristiques socio-économiques des parents) et scolaire (type d’école, environnement favorable, climat disciplinaire) sur le taux d’occurrence de multiples facteurs de risque comportementaux chez les enfants et adolescents canadiens. Méthodes: Des données transversales (n = 4724) à partir du cycle 4 (2000-2001) de l’Enquête longitudinale nationale sur les enfants et les jeunes (ELNEJ) ont été utilisées pour décrire la prévalence et les patrons d’agrégation de multiples facteurs de risque comportementaux chez les jeunes canadiens âgés de 10-17 ans. L’agrégation des facteurs de risque a été examinée en utilisant une méthode du ratio de cas observés sur les cas attendus. La régression logistique ordinale a été utilisée pour explorer les corrélats de multiples facteurs de risque comportementaux dans un échantillon transversal (n = 1747) de jeunes canadiens âgés de 10-15 ans du cycle 4 (2000-2001) de l’ELNEJ. Des données prospectives (n = 1135) à partir des cycle 4 (2000-2001), cycle 5 (2002-2003) et cycle 6 (2004-2005) de l’ELNEJ ont été utilisées pour évaluer l’influence longitudinale des variables distales et ultimes (tel que décrit ci-haut dans les objectifs) sur le taux d’occurrence de multiples facteurs de risque comportementaux chez les jeunes canadiens âgés de 10-15 ans; cette analyse a été effectuée à l’aide des modèles de Poisson longitudinaux. Résultats: Soixante-cinq pour cent des jeunes canadiens ont rapporté avoir deux ou plus de facteurs de risque comportementaux, comparativement à seulement 10% des jeunes avec aucun facteur de risque. Les facteurs de risque comportementaux se sont agrégés en de multiples combinaisons. Plus précisément, l’occurrence simultanée des cinq facteurs de risque était 120% plus élevée chez les garçons (ratio observé/attendu (O/E) = 2.20, intervalle de confiance (IC) 95%: 1.31-3.09) et 94% plus élevée chez les filles (ratio O/E = 1.94, IC 95%: 1.24-2.64) qu’attendu. L’âge (rapport de cotes (RC) = 1.95, IC 95%: 1.21-3.13), ayant un parent fumeur (RC = 1.49, IC 95%: 1.09-2.03), ayant rapporté que la majorité/tous de ses pairs consommaient du tabac (RC = 7.31, IC 95%: 4.00-13.35) ou buvaient de l’alcool (RC = 3.77, IC 95%: 2.18-6.53), et vivant dans une famille monoparentale (RC = 1.94, IC 95%: 1.31-2.88) ont été positivement associés aux multiples comportements à risque. Les jeunes ayant une forte estime de soi (RC = 0.92, IC 95%: 0.85-0.99) ainsi que les jeunes dont un des parents avait un niveau d’éducation postsecondaire (RC = 0.58, IC 95%: 0.41-0.82) étaient moins susceptibles d’avoir de multiples facteurs de risque comportementaux. Enfin, les variables de type social distal (tabagisme des parents et des pairs, consommation d’alcool par les pairs) (Log du rapport de vraisemblance (LLR) = 187.86, degrés de liberté = 8, P < 0,001) et individuel distal (estime de soi) (LLR = 76.94, degrés de liberté = 4, P < 0,001) ont significativement influencé le taux d’occurrence de multiples facteurs de risque comportementaux. Les variables de type individuel ultime (âge, sexe, anxiété) et social ultime (niveau d’éducation du parent, revenu du ménage, structure de la famille) ont eu une influence moins prononcée sur le taux de cooccurrence des facteurs de risque comportementaux chez les jeunes. Conclusion: Les résultats suggèrent que les interventions de santé publique devraient principalement cibler les déterminants de type individuel distal (tel que l’estime de soi) ainsi que social distal (tels que le tabagisme des parents et des pairs et la consommation d’alcool par les pairs) pour prévenir et/ou réduire l’occurrence de multiples facteurs de risque comportementaux chez les enfants et les adolescents. Cependant, puisque les variables de type distal (telles que les caractéristiques psychosociales des jeunes et comportements des parents/pairs) peuvent être influencées par des variables de type ultime (telles que les caractéristiques démographiques et socioéconomiques), les programmes et politiques de prévention devraient également viser à améliorer les conditions socioéconomiques des jeunes, particulièrement celles des enfants et des adolescents des familles les plus démunies.

La structure du sommeil et l’activité cardiaque nocturne chez les adolescents ayant un trouble anxieux

L’objectif de la présente thèse était de caractériser le sommeil d’un groupe clinique d’enfants et d’adolescents ayant un trouble d’anxiété comme diagnostic primaire et le comparer à un groupe témoin. Dans un premier temps, nous avons vérifié si le profil de la fréquence cardiaque nocturne des enfants et des adolescents pouvait être regroupé selon le diagnostic. Pour ce faire, la fréquence cardiaque nocturne de 67 adolescents anxieux et 19 sujets non anxieux a été enregistrée à l’aide d’un équipement ambulatoire. Les résultats de cette étude montrent que le profil de la fréquence cardiaque nocturne chez les enfants anxieux varie selon le diagnostic. Alors que les adolescents non anxieux montrent un profil de la fréquence cardiaque nocturne plat, on retrouve les associations suivantes chez les adolescents ayant un trouble anxieux : a) un profil croissant de la fréquence cardiaque chez les adolescents ayant un trouble d’anxiété de séparation; b) un profil décroissant de la fréquence cardiaque chez les adolescents ayant un trouble d’anxiété généralisé; c) un profil en forme de U chez les adolescents ayant un trouble d’anxiété sociale. De plus, une association significative a été observée entre le diagnostic et la présence de fatigue matinale. L’association d’un profil de la fréquence cardiaque nocturne avec un diagnostic d’anxiété suggère la présence d’une dysrégulation de la modulation chronobiologique du système nerveux autonome. Étant donné que le profil de la fréquence cardiaque nocturne s’exprime différemment selon le diagnostic, qu’en est-il de l’architecture du sommeil? Dans un deuxième temps, nous avons enregistré le sommeil en laboratoire d’un groupe clinique de 19 jeunes ayant un trouble d’anxiété comme diagnostic primaire, avec comorbidités et médication et comparé à 19 jeunes non anxieux. Les résultats de cette étude ont montré que les participants du groupe anxieux ont une latence au sommeil plus longue, une latence au sommeil paradoxal plus longue et une durée d’éveil plus longue lorsque comparé au groupe témoin. L’évaluation subjective de la qualité du sommeil chez le groupe d’adolescents anxieux montre que leur auto-évaluation reflète les valeurs enregistrées en laboratoire. Nous avons également observé chez le groupe anxieux une fréquence cardiaque moyenne plus élevée et un index plus élevé d’apnée-hypopnée, bien que non pathologique. Nous avons également observé une association positive entre l’anxiété de trait et l’indice d’apnée-hypopnée et la latence au sommeil, ainsi qu’une association positive entre l’anxiété manifeste et la latence au sommeil paradoxal. Ces résultats suggèrent que le sommeil chez cette population est altéré, que des signes d’hypervigilance physiologique sont présents et qu'une association existe entre ces deux paramètres. Finalement, dans la troisième étude de cette thèse, nous avons analysé l’activité cardiaque pendant le sommeil en utilisant les paramètres temporels et fréquentiels de la variabilité cardiaque chez un groupe clinique de dix-sept enfants et adolescents ayant un trouble d’anxiété comme diagnostic primaire avec comorbidité et médication, et comparé à un groupe non anxieux. Les résultats ont montré que les participants du groupe anxieux, lorsque comparés au groupe non anxieux, présentent des intervalles interbattements plus courts, un indice temporel de la variabilité cardiaque représentant la branche parasympathique moindre, une activité des hautes fréquences normalisées moindre et un ratio basse fréquence sur haute fréquence augmenté. Plusieurs corrélations ont été observées entre les mesures cliniques de l’anxiété et les mesures de la variabilité cardiaque. Ces résultats viennent ajouter à la littérature actuelle un volet descriptif clinique à ce jour non documenté, soit l’impact de l’anxiété pathologique chez un groupe clinique d’enfants et d’adolescents sur le processus normal du sommeil et sur la régulation de la fréquence cardiaque. En résumé, les résultats de ces trois études ont permis de documenter chez un groupe clinique d’enfants et d’adolescents ayant de l’anxiété pathologique, la présence d’une altération circadienne du profil de la fréquence cardiaque, d’une architecture altérée du sommeil ainsi qu’une dysrégulation du système nerveux contrôlant l’activité cardiaque.

Marqueurs électroencéphalographiques du développement d’une maladie neurodégénérative dans le trouble comportemental en sommeil paradoxal

Le trouble comportemental en sommeil paradoxal (TCSP) est une parasomnie se caractérisant par la perte de l’atonie musculaire, la paralysie qui accompagne généralement le sommeil paradoxal, suivie de l’apparition de comportements indésirables et souvent violents. Des études suggèrent que le TCSP idiopathique (TCSPi) est fortement lié au développement ultérieur de la maladie de Parkinson, de la démence à corps de Lewy et de l’atrophie multisystémique. En effet, des signes subtils de neurodégénérescence sont observés chez ces patients, notamment un ralentissement de l’activité électrique cérébrale (EEG) à l’éveil et la présence de troubles cognitifs. Le but de cette thèse est 1) d’évaluer sur le plan transversal la contribution du trouble cognitif léger (TCL) dans le ralentissement de l’EEG à l’éveil observé chez ces patients et 2) d’évaluer la valeur prédictive des mesures de l’EEG à l’éveil mesurées au temps de base par rapport au développement d’une maladie neurodégénérative (MND) lors du suivi longitudinal. Dans le cadre de la première étude, l’EEG à l’éveil d’un groupe de patients avec un TCSPi présentant des atteintes cognitives a été comparé à celui d’un groupe de patients sans troubles cognitifs et à des sujets témoins sains. Seuls les patients avec un TCL affichaient un ralentissement de l’EEG d’éveil plus prononcé au niveau postérieur, c’est-à-dire une puissance relative thêta plus élevée dans les régions pariétale, temporale et occipitale, une puissance relative alpha plus faible dans les régions occipitale et temporale, en plus d’un ratio spectral (ondes lentes sur ondes rapides) plus élevé dans ces régions en comparaison avec les deux autres groupes. De plus, le ratio spectral corrélait négativement avec les fonctions attentionnelles/exécutives, visuospatiales et la mémoire épisodique verbale. La deuxième étude a quant à elle évalué l’EEG à l’éveil au temps initial de patients qui ont développé une MND sur une période de 3,5 ans en comparaison à celui de patients qui sont demeurés idiopathiques et à un groupe de témoins sains. Les patients avec un TCSPi qui ont évolué vers une MND présentaient une augmentation de la puissance de l’activité absolue delta et thêta, en plus d’un ratio spectral plus élevé dans les cinq régions corticales en comparaison avec les deux autres groupes. Cette thèse suggère ainsi que le ralentissement de l’EEG à l’éveil dans le TCSPi est relié à la présence d’un TCL concomitant. De plus, ces anomalies sont associées à un plus grand risque de développer une maladie de Parkinson, une démence à corps de Lewy ou une atrophie multisystémique à court terme chez ces patients. Le ralentissement de l’EEG à l’éveil semble donc être un marqueur prometteur d’une neurodégénérescence cérébrale plus sévère chez les patients souffrant d’un TCSPi.

Dual-band dual-polarized compact microstrip antenna

Experimental studies on a compact dual frequency microstrip antenna are presented. This antenna configuration provides an area reduction of 40% compared to a standard rectangular antenna operating at the same frequency without much degradation of the gain. The antenna structure can be modified to achieve the desired ratio between the two resonant frequencies

Compact dual band slot loaded circular microstrip antenna with a superstrate

Design of a compact dual frequency microstrip antenna is presented. The structure consists of a slotted circular patch with a dielectric superstrate. The superstrate,not only acts as a radome, but improves the bandwidth and lowers the resonant frequency also. The proposed design provides an overall size reduction of about 60% compared to an unslotted patch along with good efficiency,gain and bandwidth. The polarization planes at the two resonances are orthogonal and can be simultaneously excited using a coaxial feed. Parametric study of this configuration showed that the frequency ratio of the two resonances can be varied from 1.17 to 1.7 enabling its applications in the major wireless communication bands like AWS, DECT,PHS,Wi.Bro, ISM,and DMB. Design equations are also deduced for the proposed antenna and validated.

Using deuterated PAH amendments to validate chemical extraction methods to predict PAH bioavailability in soils

Validating chemical methods to predict bioavailable fractions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by comparison with accumulation bioassays is problematic. Concentrations accumulated in soil organisms not only depend on the bioavailable fraction but also on contaminant properties. A historically contaminated soil was freshly spiked with deuterated PAHs (dPAHs). dPAHs have a similar fate to their respective undeuterated analogues, so chemical methods that give good indications of bioavailability should extract the fresh more readily available dPAHs and historic more recalcitrant PAHs in similar proportions to those in which they are accumulated in the tissues of test organisms. Cyclodextrin and butanol extractions predicted the bioavailable fraction for earthworms (Eisenia fetida) and plants (Lolium multiflorum) better than the exhaustive extraction. The PAHs accumulated by earthworms had a larger dPAH:PAH ratio than that predicted by chemical methods. The isotope ratio method described here provides an effective way of evaluating other chemical methods to predict bioavailability.

Validation of three new measure-correlate-predict models for the long-term prospection of the wind resource

The estimation of the long-term wind resource at a prospective site based on a relatively short on-site measurement campaign is an indispensable task in the development of a commercial wind farm. The typical industry approach is based on the measure-correlate-predict �MCP� method where a relational model between the site wind velocity data and the data obtained from a suitable reference site is built from concurrent records. In a subsequent step, a long-term prediction for the prospective site is obtained from a combination of the relational model and the historic reference data. In the present paper, a systematic study is presented where three new MCP models, together with two published reference models �a simple linear regression and the variance ratio method�, have been evaluated based on concurrent synthetic wind speed time series for two sites, simulating the prospective and the reference site. The synthetic method has the advantage of generating time series with the desired statistical properties, including Weibull scale and shape factors, required to evaluate the five methods under all plausible conditions. In this work, first a systematic discussion of the statistical fundamentals behind MCP methods is provided and three new models, one based on a nonlinear regression and two �termed kernel methods� derived from the use of conditional probability density functions, are proposed. All models are evaluated by using five metrics under a wide range of values of the correlation coefficient, the Weibull scale, and the Weibull shape factor. Only one of all models, a kernel method based on bivariate Weibull probability functions, is capable of accurately predicting all performance metrics studied.

Estabelecimento e validação de normas DRIS para a cultura do algodão no centro-oeste do Brasil

Visando estabelecer normas para o DRIS na cultura do algodão, um produto agrícola em franca expansão no território nacional e com significativa contribuição econômica no PIB brasileiro, o presente trabalho estudou lavouras comerciais de municípios do Norte do Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul e Centro-Sul do Estado de Mato Grosso. Os resultados indicaram que a escolha da relação modifica a interpretação dos resultados, exceto quando é utilizada a metodologia proposta por Elwali e Gascho, pois, neste caso, os índices nutricionais convergem independentemente do método de escolha das relações. O método DRIS otimiza o gerenciamento das informações nutricionais do algodoeiro, e é possível detectar os nutrientes limitantes nas lavouras desta cultura.

Uma análise exploratória da jornada flexível de trabalho sob a perspectiva de tutores na educação a distância

Information Age has been providing accelerated development of technologies in teaching, which is making the increase in distance courses and flexibility in the tutors everyday work. In this context, it was aimed to study the influence of flexible work in the development of activities and personal life of the tutors in Distance Education at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte. More specifically, they have been sought to compare the types of flexibility detected, identifying the extent of the day's work in mentoring; investigating the relationship between flexible working time and productivity; evaluating the Quality of Working Life (QWL) and for Work and Family Relationship of the tutors. Thus, work is justified by the importance of academic and organizational achievement. To meet the goals, it was obtained a sample of 75 respondents (45.73% of the population). The data collection instrument was comprised of 48 variables mainly based by Walton (1975) and Paschoal, Tamayo and Barham (2002). The statistical techniques used were: analysis of frequency, ratio test, factor analysis and regression. The results collected have shown that the presence and distance tutors experience similar realities, but have different profiles; the day of their work is on average three hours daily; in view of the tutors, flexibility has a relation with the production, QWL work-family balance were evaluated in a satisfactory manner and the statistical techniques used have shown significant influence between the QWL and flexible working day. It is therefore concluded that flexibility at work can influence the development of activities and personal life of the tutors. Thus, the flexible working day may be used in a strategy way of routine in many organizations