Akin to nitric oxide, carbon monoxide (CO) was initially viewed as a pure toxic gas, yet it has been recently demonstrated to be an important endogenous molecule of gas that has profound physiological and pathophysiological effects on the cardiovascular system. In spite of the growing understanding achieved in this field, until now a comprehensive book summarizing the extraordinary advances in the research of the cardiovascular effects of CO has not been available. Carbon Monoxide and Cardiovascular Functions responds to the vexing challenges and exciting opportunities that confront researchers and clinicians studying the biological roles of CO in the cardiovascular system. This book presents many never-before-published results including the first case of human CO deficiency. It also discusses disorders where the cardiovascular effects of CO might have been altered, including hypertension, diabetes, stroke, and ischemic heart damage. A product of the collected knowledge of internationally respected scientists, this book serves as a standard reference summarizing recent developments, scientific controversies, and future directions in the study of the biological actions of CO on the cardiovascular system. By covering both ancient and state-of-the-art methodologies in great detail, Carbon Monoxide and Cardiovascular Functions, affords a rapid mastery of the powerful new advances in CO study.

In recent years, research has prospered in the study of language policy. However, there are still many problems behind this prosperity. For example, much of the research lacks theoretical intervention and neglects perspectives of linguistic theories. This book, a trailblazer for academic researchers in the fields of language policy and Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) as appliable linguistics, examines language policy from the perspective of SFL, which could provide different angles for language policy and offer a valuable attempt to test SFL as appliable linguistics. This book also explores many typical controversial issues in Chinese language policy with an SFL approach, such as ongoing conflicts between Putonghua and dialects. It not only addresses authentic problems emerging from the implementation process of Chinese language policy, but also has produced some feasible and customized suggestions to improve Chinese language policy.

In recent years, research has prospered in the study of language policy. However, there are still many problems behind this prosperity. For example, much of the research lacks theoretical intervention and neglects perspectives of linguistic theories. This book, a trailblazer for academic researchers in the fields of language policy and Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) as appliable linguistics, examines language policy from the perspective of SFL, which could provide different angles for language policy and offer a valuable attempt to test SFL as appliable linguistics. This book also explores many typical controversial issues in Chinese language policy with an SFL approach, such as ongoing conflicts between Putonghua and dialects. It not only addresses authentic problems emerging from the implementation process of Chinese language policy, but also has produced some feasible and customized suggestions to improve Chinese language policy.

This proceedings book gathers contributions presented at the First International Conference on Embankment Dams (1st ICED, Beijing, 5-7 June 2020), which was the inaugural conference of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE) Technical Committee TC210 on Embankment Dams. The contributions address five themes: (1) case histories on the failure of embankment dams and landslide dams; (2) dam failure process modelling; (3) soil mechanics for embankment dams; (4) dam risk assessment and management; and (5) monitoring, early warning and emergency response. These proceedings offer a unique resource that systematically presents recent dam breaching cases, their social impact, associated risk management strategies, and disposal methods for failed dams. It is an excellent reference guide for dam and levee engineers, flood safety officials, and emergency management agencies.

This proceedings book gathers contributions presented at the First International Conference on Embankment Dams (1st ICED, Beijing, 5-7 June 2020), which was the inaugural conference of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE) Technical Committee TC210 on Embankment Dams. The contributions address five themes: (1) case histories on the failure of embankment dams and landslide dams; (2) dam failure process modelling; (3) soil mechanics for embankment dams; (4) dam risk assessment and management; and (5) monitoring, early warning and emergency response. These proceedings offer a unique resource that systematically presents recent dam breaching cases, their social impact, associated risk management strategies, and disposal methods for failed dams. It is an excellent reference guide for dam and levee engineers, flood safety officials, and emergency management agencies.

This thesis focuses on the seismic response of piles in liquefiable ground. It describes the design of a three-dimensional, unified plasticity model for large post-liquefaction shear deformation of sand, formulated and implemented for parallel computing. It also presents a three-dimensional, dynamic finite element analysis method for piles in liquefiable ground, developed on the basis of this model,. Employing a combination of case analysis, centrifuge shaking table experiments and numerical simulations using the proposed methods, it demonstrates the seismic response patterns of single piles in liquefiable ground. These include basic force-resistance mode, kinematic and inertial interaction coupling mechanism and major influence factors. It also discusses a beam on the nonlinear Winkler foundation (BNWF) solution and a modified neutral plane solution developed and validated using centrifuge experiments for piles in consolidating and reconsolidating ground. Lastly, it studies axial pile force and settlement during post-earthquake reconsolidation, showing pile axial force to be irrelevant in the reconsolidation process, while settlement is process dependent.

This thesis focuses on the seismic response of piles in liquefiable ground. It describes the design of a three-dimensional, unified plasticity model for large post-liquefaction shear deformation of sand, formulated and implemented for parallel computing. It also presents a three-dimensional, dynamic finite element analysis method for piles in liquefiable ground, developed on the basis of this model,. Employing a combination of case analysis, centrifuge shaking table experiments and numerical simulations using the proposed methods, it demonstrates the seismic response patterns of single piles in liquefiable ground. These include basic force-resistance mode, kinematic and inertial interaction coupling mechanism and major influence factors. It also discusses a beam on the nonlinear Winkler foundation (BNWF) solution and a modified neutral plane solution developed and validated using centrifuge experiments for piles in consolidating and reconsolidating ground. Lastly, it studies axial pile force and settlement during post-earthquake reconsolidation, showing pile axial force to be irrelevant in the reconsolidation process, while settlement is process dependent.

The Fifth Chinese Peptide Symposium, hosted by Lanzhou University, was held at Lanzhou, China July 14-17, 1998, with 156 participants, including 30 scientists from abroad, representing nine countries. The four-day conference was both intense and spiritually rewarding. Our goal for CPS-98 was to provide a forum for the exchange of knowledge, cooperation and friendship between the international and Chinese scientific communities, and we believe this goal was met. The symposium consisted of 8 sessions with 42 oral and 90 poster presentations, including synthetic methods, molecular diversity and peptide libraries, structure and conformation of peptides and proteins, bioactive peptides, peptide immunology, De Novo design and synthesis of proteins and peptides, ligand-receptor interactions, the chemistry-biology-interface and challenging problems in peptides. The enthusiastic cooperation and excellent contributions were gratifying and the active response of the invited speakers contributed to the success of the symposium. The presentations were of excellent caliber and represented the most current and significant aspects of peptide science. Dr. Kit Lam of the University of Arizona and Dr. Yun-Hua Ye of Peking University were the recipients of "The Cathay Award" sponsored by the H. H. Liu Education Foundation, offered for their seminal contribution in peptide science and the Chinese Peptide Symposium. Four outstanding young scientists were selected by the organizing committee to receive awards sponsored by Haikou Nanhai Pharmaceutical Industry Co. Ltd. (Zhong He Group).

The Fifth Chinese Peptide Symposium, hosted by Lanzhou University, was held at Lanzhou, China July 14-17, 1998, with 156 participants, including 30 scientists from abroad, representing nine countries. The four-day conference was both intense and spiritually rewarding. Our goal for CPS-98 was to provide a forum for the exchange of knowledge, cooperation and friendship between the international and Chinese scientific communities, and we believe this goal was met. The symposium consisted of 8 sessions with 42 oral and 90 poster presentations, including synthetic methods, molecular diversity and peptide libraries, structure and conformation of peptides and proteins, bioactive peptides, peptide immunology, De Novo design and synthesis of proteins and peptides, ligand-receptor interactions, the chemistry-biology-interface and challenging problems in peptides. The enthusiastic cooperation and excellent contributions were gratifying and the active response of the invited speakers contributed to the success of the symposium. The presentations were of excellent caliber and represented the most current and significant aspects of peptide science. Dr. Kit Lam of the University of Arizona and Dr. Yun-Hua Ye of Peking University were the recipients of "The Cathay Award" sponsored by the H. H. Liu Education Foundation, offered for their seminal contribution in peptide science and the Chinese Peptide Symposium. Four outstanding young scientists were selected by the organizing committee to receive awards sponsored by Haikou Nanhai Pharmaceutical Industry Co. Ltd. (Zhong He Group).

The Chinese imperial examination system is unique in traditional Chinese society with origins dating back 1,300 years, and has had a far-reaching impact not only on contemporary Chinese society, but also on government systems of other countries around the world. The system was originally created as a political institution to recruit officials to serve the Chinese imperial government. During the period of its use, from 605 through 1905, the imperial examination system played a central role in the Chinese imperial government. It served as a tool for the political and ideological control, functioned as a proxy for education, produced the elite social class, and became a dominant culture in the traditional Chinese society. During its 1,300 years, the system generated countless publications, including the imperial government publications and a variety of non-government works. After the abolition of the system in 1905, numerous publications produced by the international research community spawned the Chinese imperial examination studies. The interdisciplinary study involved a whole range of disciplines, including history, political science, sociology, education, psychology, culture, literature, linguistics, anthropology, philosophy, religion, mathematics, economics, and archive studies. It would be impossible for one to understand China without knowing the imperial examination system and the vast collection of the imperial examination studies. This book provides an annotated bibliography for 214 publications that are relevant to the imperial examination studies, and each entry includes a review to serve as a guide to readers for this collection. Of the 214 publications, 155 are written in Chinese, and 59 are English publications. Although the 214 publications only comprise a fraction of the imperial examination studies, with a variety of subjects and research quality, this bibliography represents in considerable depth the scope of the development of the imperial examination studies. Through selecting, presenting, and reviewing a variety of significant publications, this book provides quick access to the essential literature of the imperial examination studies. College students, faculty, or any other readers who are interested in learning, teaching, or researching the Chinese imperial examination system, Chinese history, the Chinese government systems, culture, ideology, education, literature, and current social issues will find The Chinese Imperial Examination System: An Annotated Bibliography to be an important addition to their research.

Distinguished researchers and clinicians review the biological and biomedical aspects of gasotransmitters, emphasizing signaling transduction mechanisms in general, and ion channel regulation in particular. The authors discuss the endogeneous metabolism and regulation of gasotransmitters, their toxicological profiles and biological actions, and their interactions in terms of their production and effects. The physiological roles of NO, CO, and H2S in the regulation of the cardiovascular, neuronal, and gastrointestinal systems, as well as of cell metabolism, are also reviewed, along with the interaction of the gastrotransmitters with KATP, KCa voltage-gated Ca2+, voltage-gated Na+, and cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channels.

Distinguished researchers and clinicians review the biological and biomedical aspects of gasotransmitters, emphasizing signaling transduction mechanisms in general, and ion channel regulation in particular. The authors discuss the endogeneous metabolism and regulation of gasotransmitters, their toxicological profiles and biological actions, and their interactions in terms of their production and effects. The physiological roles of NO, CO, and H2S in the regulation of the cardiovascular, neuronal, and gastrointestinal systems, as well as of cell metabolism, are also reviewed, along with the interaction of the gastrotransmitters with KATP,KCa voltage-gated Ca2+, voltage-gated Na+, and cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channels.

The 4th International Conference on Performance-based Design in Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering (PBD-IV) is held in Beijing, China. The PBD-IV Conference is organized under the auspices of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering - Technical Committee TC203 on Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering and Associated Problems (ISSMGE-TC203). The PBD-I, PBD-II, and PBD-III events in Japan (2009), Italy (2012), and Canada (2017) respectively, were highly successful events for the international earthquake geotechnical engineering community. The PBD events have been excellent companions to the International Conference on Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering (ICEGE) series that TC203 has held in Japan (1995), Portugal (1999), USA (2004), Greece (2007), Chile (2011), New Zealand (2015), and Italy (2019). The goal of PBD-IV is to provide an open forum for delegates to interact with their international colleagues and advance performance-based design research and practices for earthquake geotechnical engineering.

Written with a fast-paced but friendly and engaging approach, this Packt Beginner's Guide is designed to be placed alongside the computer as your guide and mentor. Step-by-step tutorials are bolstered by explanations of the reasoning behind what you are doing. You will quickly pick up the necessary skills, tips, and tricks for creating successful 3D graphics with practical examples that help you to learn by experiment and play. This book is intended for software developers who are new to OpenSceneGraph and considering using it in their applications. It is assumed that you have basic knowledge of C++ before using this book, especially the standard template library (STL) constructs, of which OSG makes extensive use. Some familiarity with design patterns as implemented in C++ is also useful, but is not required. You need to be familiar with OpenGL, the standard cross-platform low-level 3D graphics API. We'll meet some maths in the book-geometry and linear algebra-and familiarity with these topics will be great, but you don't need to be a maths whiz to use this book.

Microsoft Kinect changes the notion of user interface design. It differs from most other user input controllers as it enables users to interact with the program without touching the mouse or a trackpad. It utilizes motion sensing technology and all it needs is a real-time cameras, tracked skeletons, and gestures. This title will help you get into the world of Microsoft Kinect programming with the C/C++ language. The book covers the installation, image streaming, skeleton and face tracking, multi-touch cursors, and gesture emulation. Finally, you will end up with a complete Kinect-based game.