Effects of Artificial Vegetation Restoration on Soil Physicochemical Properties in Southern Edge of Mu Us Sandy Land

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the artificial vegetations on soil physicochemical properties of sandy land. [Method] The soil physicochemical proper- ties in five representative lands respectively covered by Artemisia ordosica, Salix cheilophila, Hedysarum scoparium, Populus simonii and Amorpha fruticosa, all of which were planted artificially at the same year were measured in the present study, using a bare soil as the control. [Result] Artificial vegetation improved the soil physicochemical properties by different extents in the lands covered by different plants. The soil physicochemical properties such as bulk density under A. Fruticosa and H. Scoparium were improved greatly. The frequency distribution of soil particle size under artificial vegetations exhibited a bimodal curve. The average soil particle size under A. fruticosa was the smallest, and the soil was very poorly sorted. The soil nutrients in the sandy land were not significantly improved by artificial vegeta- tion. [Conclusion] Artificial vegetation has a certain impact on soil properties in sandy land, as it greatly improves the soil physical properties but not the chemical properties.

Principal Chemical Properties of Artificial Soil Composed of Fly Ash and Furfural Residue

To solve soil shortage in reclaiming subsided land of coal mines, the principal chemical properties of artificial soil formed by mixing organic furfural residue and inorganic fly ash were examined. The results indicated that the artificial soil was suitable for agriculture use after irrigation and desalination, the available nutrients in the artificial soil could satisfy the growth demand of plants, and the pH tended to the neutrality.

Bridging Civilizations From Asia to Europe： The Silk Road

Throughout history, Silk Road played an important role with connecting more than 50 countries between its endpoints. Reviving this ancient trade route is a contemporary discussion among politicians. There are many projects realized and proposed for the resurgence of the modem Silk Road, including the railroad project connecting Baku, Tiflis and Kars of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey; the undersea rail tunnel under the Bosphorus strait, Marmaray; the Silk Road Economic Belt proposed by China; and the Maritime Silk Road, again proposed by China. Just like the original Silk Road, it was not only a route for caravans or trade, but it was a meeting point for cultural, religious, and philosophical exchanges that served humanity for centuries; today＇s modem Silk Road initiatives should be considered as bridges between Eastern and Western civilizations that will serve the same purpose of its ancient predecessor. The revived Silk Road will facilitate strengthening of relationships in between countries that experienced harmony in history. The railways, transportation facilities, transnational gates, energy corridors, and natural gas pipelines that constitute the Silk Road will transform the region with improving its economy and bringing peace and economic prosperity. With recent developments, it witnesses the importance of geopolitical and historical ties in establishing contemporary alliances. Although there are great expectations with the revival of the modern Silk Road, authors would like to emphasize that it should be an agreement to foster shared interests rather than the interest of bigger partners.

The Cyborg Entity in Gibson＇s Neuromancer： An Idealistic ＂Cyborg Manifesto？＂

The idea of Cyborg initiates the blurring of frontiers between traditional gender roles in the post-modem era, transforming itself into a politicized entity. William Gibson＇s Neuromancer as an early introducer of the Cyborg characters tries to dissolve the boundaries through his female characters by balancing the power quota with the help of the non-gendered entity of the Cyborg. According to Donna Haraway, there will be a dawn of new cyborg era causing a gender role reversal. The objective of this paper is to find whether such role reversal is at all possible.

Polymorphisms of ERCC1, XPD, XRCC1 and XPG Predict Clinical Outcome in Advanced Gastric Cancer Patients Receiving Oxaliplatin-Based Chemotherapy in Chinese Population

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether polymorphisms in ERCC1, XPD, XPG, XRCC1 genes are associated with clinical outcomes in advanced gastric cancer （AGC） patients treated with oxaliplatinbased chemotherapy. METHODS The genetic polymorphisms in ERCCI, XPD, XPG, XRCC1 were determined in 94 advanced gastric cancer patients treated with oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy, using TaqMan-MGB probes. The clinical response of 60 patients with stage IV disease, time to progression （TTP） and overall survival （OS） of 94 patients were evaluated. RESULTS The overall disease control rate （CR ＋ PR ＋ SD） of the 60 patients in stage IV was 70% （42/60）. Patients with XRCC1 399 G/G, XPG 46 C/C genotypes showed enhanced response to the oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy compared to those with other genotypes （P 〈 0.05）. The median OS and TTP of the patients were 5.5 months and 9.0 months, respectively. Among the 4 types of polymorphisms in the study, XRCC1 399 G/A ＋ A/A, XPG 46 C/T ＋ T/T genotypes were regarded to be associated with chemoresistance and poor survival （P 〈 0.05）. Combination analysis of the 2 polymorphisms using the Kaplan-Meier method revealed that the TTP and OS of the patients with a number of risk genotypes were significantly shortened （P 〈 0.05）. No significant association was found between the genotypes of the XPD codon 751, the ERCC1 codon 118 and the clinical outcome （P 〉 0.05）. CONCLUSION Testing for XRCC1 399, XPG 46 polymorphisms may allow identification of the gastric cancer patients who will benefit from oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy. Specific polymorphisms may influence clinical outcomes of AGC patients. Selecting specific chemotherapy based on pretreatment genotyping represents an innovative strategy that warrants prospective studies.

Effects of small peptides, probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics on growth performance, digestive enzymes, and oxidative stress in orange-spotted grouper, Epinephelus coioides, juveniles reared in artificial seawater

Aquaculture production efficiency may increase by using feed additives. This study investigated the effects of different dietary additives [w/w: 2% small peptides, 0.01% probiotics( Bacillus licheniformis) and 0.2% prebiotics(inulin)] on growth performance, digestive enzyme activities, and oxidative stress in juvenile Epinephelus coioides reared in artificial seawater of two salt concentrations(13.5 vs. 28.5). Weight gain rate was significantly higher in fish fed the diet supplemented with small peptides, B. licheniformis, inulin, or synbiotics than that in fish fed the basal diet; the greatest weight gain rate was found in fish fed the small peptide treatment [56.0% higher than basal diet]. Higher feed efficiency was detected in fish fed the diet supplemented with small peptides than that of fish in the other dietary treatments. Total protease activity in the stomach and intestines was highest in fish fed the small peptide-treated diet, whereas lipase activity was highest in those fed synbiotics(combination of Bacillus licheniformis and inulin) than that in fish fed the other treatments. Antioxidant enzyme(total superoxide dismutase and catalase) activities and hepatic malondialdehyde content were higher in fish receiving the dietary supplements and maintained in artificial seawater containing 13.5 salinity compared with those in the control(28.5). Hepatic catalase activity in grouper fed the diets with small peptides or synbiotics decreased significantly compared with that in control fish. Overall, the three types of additives improved growth rate of juvenile grouper and digestive enzymes activities to varying degrees but did not effectively improve antioxidant capacity under low-salinity stress conditions.

Robust simultaneous tracking and stabilization of wheeled mobile robots not satisfying nonholonomic constraint

A robust unified controller was proposed for wheeled mobile robots that do not satisfy the ideal rolling without slipping constraint.Practical trajectory tracking and posture stabilization were achieved in a unified framework.The design procedure was based on the transverse function method and Lyapunov redesign technique.The Lie group was also introduced in the design.The left-invariance property of the nominal model was firstly explored with respect to the standard group operation of the Lie group SE(2).Then,a bounded transverse function was constructed,by which a corresponding smooth embedded submanifold was defined.With the aid of the group operation,a smooth control law was designed,which fulfills practical tracking/stabilization of the nominal system.An additional component was finally constructed to robustify the nominal control law with respect to the slipping disturbance by using the Lyapunov redesign technique.The design procedure can be easily extended to the robot system suffered from general unknown but bounded disturbances.Simulations were provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the robust unified controller.

Improved Mixed Integer Optimization Approach for Data Rectification with Gross Error Candidates

Mixed integer linear programming （MILP） approach for simultaneous gross error detection and data reconciliation has been proved as an efficient way to adjust process data with material, energy, and other balance constrains. But the efficiency will decrease significantly when this method is applled in a large-scale problem because there are too many binary variables involved. In this article, an improved method is proposed in order to gen- erate gross error candidates with reliability factors before data rectification. Candidates are used in the MILP objec- tive function to improve the efficiency and accuracy by reducing the number of binary variables and giving accurate weights for suspected gross errors candidates. Performance of this improved method is compared and discussed by applying the algorithm in a widely used industrial example.

Recovery of Fe,V,and Ti in modified Ti-bearing blast furnace slag

A two-stage oxidation—alkali leaching—acid leaching method was proposed to recovery Fe,V,and Ti in modified Ti-bearing blast furnace slag.The optimal experiment conditions of iron extraction were one-stage oxidation time 40 s and holding time 8 min.The recovery rate of iron was 89.93%.The optimum experiment conditions of vanadium extraction were total oxidation time of 126 s,NaOH concentration of 4.0 mol/L,leaching temperature of 95℃,leaching time of 90 min,and the number of cycle was 4.The leaching rate of vanadium was 92.13%.The optimal experiment conditions of titanium extraction were HCl concentration of 4.5 mol/L,leaching temperature of 75℃,and leaching time of 90 min.The TiO_(2)content of synthetic rutile was 98.61%.

Blood is not always thicker than water:The limited effect of kin selection on human kinship in the traditional Chinese family

To examine the importance of kin selection in shaping human societies, this study analyzed the kinship system practiced in traditional China for two millennia and teased apart its underlying genetic and other, presumably cultural, components. The results demonstrate that, in the traditional patrilineal Chinese family, both genetic relatedness and the cultural factor of generation were important in determining kinship status for male agnates （genetically related relatives）. For female agnates, however, only genetic relatedness was important. Another surprising finding was that the influence of gender was not as important as genetic relatedness. The most interesting finding in this study, however, was that kin selection and culture （i.e., seniority in generation and age） played vastly different roles in different lineages in the Chinese family： for collateral （indirect） agnates, genetic relatedness was the most important factor in determining their kinship status, but for lineal （direct） agnates, its importance was overridden by seniority in generation and age, a cultural factor. Several other bio-cultural factors also explained a considerable amount of variance in kinship status. Since kinship profoundly affected, and was often the foundation of, the legal and social systems in dynastic China, kin selection, while its strength may differ remarkably between lineal and collateral relatives, could act as a selective force in Chinese families

A Review of Wideband Circularly Polarized Dielectric Resonator Antennas

This article presents a technical review of circularly polarized(CP) dielectric resonator antennas(DRA) for wideband applications.The primary objective of this review is,to highlight the techniques used by different researchers for generating circular polarization in DRA.First,a general idea of circular polarization and it advantages over linear polarization is presented,and then all the major developments made in the CP DRA are highlighted.The emphasis of the paper is on the wideband circularly polarized dielectric resonator antenna.The current state of the art and all the realizable features of the CP DRA are addressed comprehensively.Finally,some recommendations for future CP DRAs are given and the paper ends with concluding remarks.

Adichie＇s Purple Hibiscus and the Issue of Feminism in African Novel

Adichie＇s Purple Hibiscus is a feminist work that challenges the dehumanizing tendencies of the menfolk as evident in the character of Mama （Beatrice Achike） who eventually exposed the African conception of an ideal woman who keeps dumb even in the face of humiliation, victimization, and brutality so as to be perceived as a good woman. We will make a resounding case to portray that Achike belongs to the category of liberal feminism. However, as events unfolds, she was forced by situations beyond her control to respond and go radical in order to crush anything that stands in her way to happiness. Efforts will be made to show how African women are rated based on the real and good women as represented by Ifeoma and Beatrice Achike respectively. This essay in exploring the different tenets of feminism will acknowledge that radical feminism is an off shoot of violence. We shall argue that radical feminism is a radical reaction to dehumanization, humiliation, and violence. This study seeks to address the issue of feminism and how characters subject to series of humiliation that leads to a radical approach to gain their freedom.

Bodies, Persons, and Respect for Humanity： A Kantian Look at the Permissibility of Organ Commerce and Donation

Can choosing to sale one＇s kidney be morally permissible？ ＂No＂, Kant would answer. Humanity, whether in one＇s own person or that of any other, must never be treated merely as a means, but always at the same time as an end, is Kant＇s instruction （Groundwork 4：429）. He thought that organ sale violates this imperative. Lectures on Ethics （27：346） shows that ＂... a man is not entitled to sell his limbs for money If a man does that, he turns himself into a thing, and then anyone may treat him as they please, because he has thrown his person away....＂ This paper explains Kant＇s reasons against commerce in organs, drawing on his views on prostitution, and the moral impermissibility of sexual use within this context, a case which he himself compares to the selling of one＇s body part（s）. Can choosing to donate one＇s kidney be morally permissible？ If we take Kant＇s views at face value, it would follow that organ donation is on a par with morality only if it takes place in a context where people have gained rights over each other＇s persons （for example, in a marital context）. In this context, however, a person has a right to her partner＇s kidney should she happen to need it, which can open the path to bodily violation. Moreover, this view severely restricts the permissibility of organ donation. In this paper, I argue that a closer examination of Kant＇s views on what is involved in the idea of respecting humanity could reveal that organ donation does not violate the categorical imperative. In fact, it could be said to follow from such an imperative that we actually have a duty to organ donation.

Research on Artifact Characteristics and Life Style of Products

As a part of the behavior function extension and the humanities characteristic, product is an entity performance that integrates the technique and culture. In the article, the inherent relation between technique and culture of products is analyzed to reveal the cultural mode of product development from the view of human society development in industry design. These will not only contribute to analyze the relation between notional technique characteristics and humanity, but also help to study the products developed under the inter-relation between life and environment.

Graduation is the Hallmark of Excellence How Colleges Can Achieve High Rates

Fine facilities, adequate financial aid, and sufficient resources are crucial elements for a university to be successful. But unless students graduate at an appropriate rate, the university will ultimately be considered ineffective. Students who exit the university without a degree will have their dreams deferred and often struggle to lead a life of any quality. Among those who fail to graduate are a disproportionate number of African Americans and other minorities; this of which must change for a country to thrive and be respected as an exemplary democracy. However, those who do graduate are prepared and financially compensated to lead and make a positive impact in education, politics, science and technology, and human-service areas. This manuscript provides findings from a thorough review of literature on graduation issues and concerns to support development of a framework of tenets to increase graduation rates, especially for African Americans. Further, it highlights specific efforts of a particular college to enhance its graduation rates and provides implications for future directions.

The Colourlessness of the Zener Diode

This short paper is about art and science and the human struggle to figure out the world we live in. It is also about the imagination and human progress, rationality and subjectivity, as well as the development of devices to ascertain out accurate knowledge--and yet the imagination and forms of thought are themselves devices that are integral to mechanical inventions. At the core of the subject under discussion, the aesthetic can be found reasons for the existence of other phenomena, the rational and the sensitive, epistemology and phenomenology, fulfilling human pleasure and necessity, and moving forward a humanized cosmos. Somewhere seems to rise and grow afresh a precise image of what we actually are and it can be revealed simply by being in the world and experiencing it on the basis of the mind-body-worM or by extending human senses through technology.

Natural Conditions of Humanity Appearance and Development in Kazakh Steppe

The first humans （hominids） appeared at about the same geological time in three independent areas： in East Africa, southern Indochina and in the Kazakh steppe. People inhabiting all continents and countries around the world descended from hominids that emerged in these three foci then resided elsewhere. The number of people emerged 2-3 million years ago now about 7.0 billion people. They inhabit the planet and the master space. Kazakh steppe, located in the middle of the Eurasian continent, has always had a positive impact on neighboring countries. According to historical geological data obtained in the south near the ridge Karatau, the first people emerged on the territory of Kazakhstan were found about 2 million years ago. Such a conclusion was made on the basis of residual cultural pebble tools of hominids, founded by scientists. As a result of geological survey work carried out in the 1960＇s there were found some primitive people, starting with the era of＂Arystandy culture＂ and including the Late Paleolithic era in the area of ridges Big and Small Karatau. There had been found the fossil remains of large mammals hunted by hominids around the sites of ancient people. Thanks for these residues the corresponding time of residence of primitive people can be judged from the animal world of the Kazakh steppe.

Pedogeochemical Environments and Peoples Health in China

It has long been recognized that pedogeochemistry is closely related with human health. Based on analytical data, the weathering or soil forming processes fall into four stages and China is divided into four geochemical regions: saline soil region, carbonate soil region, siallitic soil region and ferrallitic soil region. Moreover, some endemic diseases in relation to the deficit or excess of some elements are discussed in the viewpoint of pedogeochemistry.

Human Nature, Personality, and Human Freedom in Feng Qi＇s On Wisdom

In creating his theory of wisdom, Feng Qi emphasizes that Chinese Marxist philosophy should move from the theory of knowledge to a discourse on wisdom and concentrate on Chinese people＇s living world and life existence, so as to provide a spiritual home for the Chinese people and thereby highlight the importance of human nature, personality, and human freedom in Chinese Marxist philosophy. In researching human nature, he expatiates on the problems of mind （xin） and human nature （xing）, natural instincts （tian xing） and virtues （de xing）, and general character and individual character; in emphasizing personality, he puts forward the idea that the ideal personality is ＂free personality as a member of ordinary people;＂ in probing into the problems of human freedom, he explains how to get freedom from the basis of practical materialism. This philosophical inquiry enriches Chinese Marxist philosophy＇s researches into the understanding of humanity and the connection of philosophy with the living world, which opens up a new area of development in the sinicization of Marxist philosophy.

当代地域性博物馆建设之我见——以河南古陶瓷博物馆为例

要建设一座能够吸纳八方来客的博物馆,在依托地域人文资源优势基础上,不但要有丰富典型的藏品,还需对其进行科学规划与合理布局,并辅之以新颖的展示手段和便民、亲民的人性化服务等。