Creating Action Research Quality in Organization Development: Rigorous,Reflective and Relevant

The purpose of the paper is to present a framework that enables action researchers to create quality action research projects within the organization development (OD) domain using the broad criteria of being rigorous, reflective and relevant and so contribute to the realm of practical knowing. What constitutes good quality action research within OD is a difficult question, given the broad range of approaches that operates in a wide variety of settings and with great diversity. It advances specific dimensions by which action researchers can create, review and assess quality in action research work. This integrative framework and criteria are practical tools to enable action researchers to create quality action research in OD.     

An equivalency condition of nonsingularity in nonlinear semidefinite programming

<正> In this paper,an equivalency condition of nonsingularity in nonlinear semidefinite programming,which can be viewed as a generalization of the equivalency condition of nonsingularity for linearsemidefinite programming,is established under certain conditions of convexity.     

High-frequency, scaled graphene transistors on diamond-like carbon

Owing to its high carrier mobility and saturation velocity, graphene has attracted enormous attention in recent years. In particular, high-performance graphene transistors for radio-frequency (r.f.) applications are of great interest. Synthesis of large-scale graphene sheets of high quality and at low cost has been demonstrated using chemical vapour deposition (CVD) methods. However, very few studies have been performed on the scaling behaviour of transistors made from CVD graphene for r.f. applications, which hold great potential for commercialization. Here we report the systematic study of top-gated CVD-graphene r.f. transistors with gate lengths scaled down to 40 nm, the shortest gate length demonstrated on graphene r.f. devices. The CVD graphene was grown on copper film and transferred to a wafer of diamond-like carbon. Cut-off frequencies as high as 155 GHz have been obtained for the 40-nm transistors, and the cut-off frequency was found to scale as 1/(gate length). Furthermore, we studied graphene r.f. transistors at cryogenic temperatures. Unlike conventional semiconductor devices where low-temperature performance is hampered by carrier freeze-out effects, the r.f. performance of our graphene devices exhibits little temperature dependence down to 4.3 K, providing a much larger operation window than is available for conventional devices.     

A new gamma-ray burst classification scheme from GRB 060614

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are known to come in two duration classes, separated at approximately 2 s. Long-duration bursts originate from star-forming regions in galaxies, have accompanying supernovae when these are near enough to observe and are probably caused by massive-star collapsars. Recent observations show that short-duration bursts originate in regions within their host galaxies that have lower star-formation rates, consistent with binary neutron star or neutron star-black hole mergers. Moreover, although their hosts are predominantly nearby galaxies, no supernovae have been so far associated with short-duration GRBs. Here we report that the bright, nearby GRB 060614 does not fit into either class. Its approximately 102-s duration groups it with long-duration GRBs, while its temporal lag and peak luminosity fall entirely within the short-duration GRB subclass. Moreover, very deep optical observations exclude an accompanying supernova, similar to short-duration GRBs. This combination of a long-duration event without an accompanying supernova poses a challenge to both the collapsar and the merging-neutron-star interpretations and opens the door to a new GRB classification scheme that straddles both long- and short-duration bursts.     

中国美学在21世纪的世界性意义

上个世纪的亚洲美学家们往往依据西方美学传统的基本模式来考察各种美学问题；但实际上，亚洲各国也有自己的与西方不同的美学传统。通过对中西美学传统的比较性考察，探讨中国美学在21世纪人类美学的总体发展中所具有的世界性意义。从中国美学的视点看，美不仅在人与审美对象的关系中具有单纯审美的意义，而且更在人的存在自身中具有形而上的意义；人不仅是审美对象和艺术作品的创造者，而且首先是人自身美的存在的创造者。事实上，只有当人自身的存在首先在形而上的意义上达到了美的层面时，人才有可能一方面在外部世界中创造出审美的对象，另一方面在内心世界中形成审美的心理。中国美学的这一洞见无疑能够大大扩展21世纪人类美学的理论视界和研究内容，使其超出西方美学传统的有限观念，甚至将其提升到人的存在的形而上层面，从而使其对人类的进步发展做出更大的贡献。     

Processing and characterization of the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al6061–TiB2 composite

In the present research, aluminum metal matrix composites were processed by the stir casting technique. The effects of TiB2 rein-forcement particles, severe plastic deformation through accumulative roll bonding (ARB), and aging treatment on the microstructural charac-teristics and mechanical properties were also evaluated. Uniaxial tensile tests and microhardness measurements were conducted, and the micro-structural characteristics were investigated. Notably, the important problems associated with cast samples, including nonuniformity of the rein-forcement particles and high porosity content, were solved through the ARB process. At the initial stage, particle-free zones, as well as particle clusters, were observed on the microstructure of the composite. However, after the ARB process, fracturing phenomena occurred in brittle ceramic particles, followed by breaking down of the fragments into fine particles as the number of rolling cycles increased. Subsequently, com-posites with a uniform distribution of particles were produced. Moreover, the tensile strength and microhardness of the ARB-processed com-posites increased with the increase in the reinforcement mass fraction. However, their ductility exhibited a different trend. With post-deforma-tion aging treatment (T6), the mechanical properties of composites were improved because of the formation of fine Mg2Si precipitates.     

Variations in nitrogenous compounds in the urine ofStrophocheilus (pulmonata,mollusca) with different diets

Résumé La composition de l'urine du pulmoné terrestreStrophocheilus oblongus musculus, spécialement le taux de l'urée, est un reflet des différences du contenu protéique des aliments. Ce fait confirme que le fonctionnement du rein des mollusques et des vertébrés est semblable.     

Hydrometallurgical application for treating a Nigerian chalcopyrite ore in chloride medium: Part I. Dissolution kinetics assessment

The dissolution kinetics of a Nigerian chalcopyrite ore in hydrochloric acid was studied in this article. Acid concentration, reaction temperature, and ore particle size were chosen as experimental parameters. The chemical and morphological studies of the ore before and after leaching at optimal conditions were carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It is revealed that increasing the acid concentration and system temperature and decreasing the ore particle size greatly enhances the dissolution rate. The dissolution kinetics was found to follow the shrinking core model for the diffusion control mechanism where the activation energy (E_a) of 32.92 kJ·mol?1 was obtained for the process and supported by morphological changes at a higher dissolution of 91.33%.