Single Man Research Articles

Patrick H. Breen. The Land Shall Be Deluged in Blood: A New History of the Nat Turner Revolt.

In 1904, after being editorially deprived of writing a biography of Frederick Douglass, W. E. B. Du Bois informed his editor that he wished to write about Nat Turner because “no single man before 1850 had a [more] giant influence on southern loyalties & feeling” than did the failed Virginia insurrectionist. “There is abundant material for his life & times,” he concluded (Du Bois to Oberholtzer, [January 30?, 1904], handwritten draft #00244, W. E .B. Du Bois Papers, UMass Amherst Libraries, University of Massachusetts, Amherst). While Du Bois unfortunately was denied this project too, Patrick H. Breen certainly has proven him correct by making good use of this “abundant material” on Turner, notwithstanding his own recognition that information about the revolt at times “is sketchy and often suspect” (13). Nevertheless, perhaps, no scholar has so deepened the research or so sagaciously and meticulously examined the available sources as we find done in The Land Shall Be Deluged in Blood: A New History of the Nat Turner Revolt.

The Diffraction Research of Cylindrical Block Effect Based on Indoor 45 GHz Millimeter Wave Measurements

In this paper, four kinds of block diffraction models were proposed on the basis of the uniform geometrical theory of diffraction, and these models were validated by experiments with 45 GHz millimeter wave in the laboratory. The results are in agreement with the theoretical analysis. Some errors exist in the measurement results because of the unsatisfactory experimental environment. Single conducting cylindrical block measurement error was less than 0.5 dB, and single man block measurement error in the school laboratory was less than 1 dB, while in the factory laboratory environment, the peak to peak error reached 1.6 dB. Human body block attenuation was about 5.9–9.2 dB lower than that of the single conducting cylinder. A human body and a conducting cylinder were used together as a block in model (c) and model (d), but the positions of the cylinder in the two models were different. The measurement results showed that the attenuation of model (d) is about 3 dB higher than that of model (c).

Forensic psychiatric expertise of patients with anti-social personality

IntroductionEpidemiological studies in the general population confirm the indisputable link between criminological dangerousness and mental disorders especially anti-social personality, which increase clearly the prevalence of violent behavior.AimTo dress socio-demographic, clinical and medico-legal profile of offenders, with anti-social personality, in forensic psychiatric examination.MethodsIt was a retrospective study of a series of 195 patients with antisocial personality (DSM-IV). They were examined, during the period, from 2009 to 2013, on the occasion of a penal expertise in the department of psychiatry C in the Hedi Chaker university hospital, Sfax, Tunisia.ResultsThe mean age of patients at the offense moment, was 29.58 years, with a sex ratio of 26.85. Among them, 66.2% were single, 49.2% had a primary school level and 41% had no profession. Between the patients, 58.5% lived in urban area and 38.5% in a high crime area. Addictive behaviors were reported in 80% of cases. Self-injury behaviors were noted in 33.8% of offenders. Psychiatric histories were reported in 66.2%, and 25.6% of patients have been already hospitalized in psychiatry department. 64.1% had already committed forensic acts, and 36% had been imprisoned at least once. The current offense was: homicide 16.9%; sexual offense 9.2%; violence 18.5%; theft 30.2%. The offense was related to impulsivity (40%) or utilitarian purpose (39%).ConclusionA young single man with no profession, a limited educational attainment and a history of impulsive behaviors, such is the profile most frequently encountered among offenders with anti-social personality. Interventions for reducing forensic behavior should focus on those social and clinical characteristics.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Developing a food basket for fulfilling physical and non-physical needs in Cyprus. Is it affordable?

An acceptable and affordable food basket (FB) is necessary to meet not only physical (healthy) needs but also the non-physical needs of individuals and communities. FBs were developed based on the Cypriot national food-based dietary guidelines for six types of household: single woman (±40 years), single man (±40 years), a couple (±40 years) without children, single woman (±40 years) with two children (10-year-old boy and 14-year-old girl), single man (±40 years) with two children and a couple (±40 years) with two children. Non-physical needs (kitchen equipment, physical activity and other related functions of food) were added to the baskets. The cost, acceptability and feasibility of FB were examined through the focus group discussions. Affordability was defined as the cost of the each basket as a percentage of household income (Guaranteed Minimum Income [GMI]). The budget for healthy food has the highest proportion in the total food budget (83-89%) compared with the other components. The part of the budget required for other functions of food is small compared with that of healthy food and ranged between 4.7 and 6.7% of the total monthly budget. For low-income families, the proportion of income that needs to be spent on the FB for physical needs and FB for physical and non-physical needs ranged from around 39 to 72% and 47 to 81%, respectively. The FB fulfilling physical and non-physical needs is not affordable among the low-income families (mainly with children) receiving the GMI scheme in Cyprus.

Re-Thinking the caşabiyyah Sociological Theory of Ibn Khaldūn in the Modern Period: A Case Study of Fūlānī Emirate in ÌlỌrin

Re-Thinking the caşabiyyah Sociological Theory of Ibn Khaldūn in the Modern Period: A Case Study of Fūlānī Emirate in ÌlỌrin Dr. Kazeem Adekunle Adegoke Abstract Formation and sustainability of a state in every human society is a necessary venture as human beings have a great interest in civility and socialization by their natural disposition. The needed vital instrument to achieve this venture is not within the capacity of a single man as this venture requires the solidarity and co-operation of group of people in a society. The study aims at examining the theory of ‘Aşabiyyah as propounded by a renowned Muslim scholar, IbnKhaldūn in his introduction to his magnus opus “Kitāb Al-Ibār Wa Diwān’Al-Mabtada’ Wa Al-Khabar Fī Ayām Al-Arabī Wa Al-Ajamī Wa Al-Barbar WacAsarahum Min Dhāwī As-Sulţān Wa Al-Akbar” meaning “The Book of Wisdom and Anthology Concerning the Beginning and Discuss in the Time of Arab and the Non-Arab and the Berber and their Contemporaries who had Great Sultanate and Kingdom” titled Al- Muqaddimah in relation to the formation and sustainability of Fūlānī Emirate in Ìlọrin. The purpose is to see what element of impact does this theory of Aşabiyyah has on the formation and sustainability of Fūlānī Emirate in Ìlọrin since early nineteenth century of Christian era. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/jisc.v5n1a4

ОЦЕНКА ЭФФЕКТИВНОСТИ УПРАВЛЕНИЯ ИНТЕЛЛЕКТУАЛЬНЫМ КАПИТАЛОМ НАУКОГРАДА

Intellectual capital occupies a significant place among factors of economic development of such regional formations as sciencecities of the Russian Federation.
 In the paper there is formulated the author’s definition of intellectual capital of a territory as a category providing income growth both of single man and a science city as a whole and being a source and a basis for economy innovation development.
 To achieve management purposes, in authors’ opinion, the concept of an “intellectual capital level” (ICL) is more suitable which combines intellectual capital and the results of its realization. The identification of factors in management effectiveness is carried out with the use of characteristics in population life quality and the correspondence of scientific-industrial-complex indices of a municipal region to the science city status of the Russian Federation.
 The decomposition-aggregate method offered for the ICL assessment allows defining efficiently the ICL of a science city revealing problem areas managing in a system way an intellectual capital level increasing a living standard of population and keeping a high status of a ”science city of the RF”.

Ο άγαμος μοναχικός άντρας και η πρόσβασή του στην ιατρικώς υποβοηθούμενη αναπαραγωγή στην Ελλάδα και στο Ηνωμένο Βασίλειο

This paper compares the legal framework in Greece and the United Kingdom on the issue of access to medically assisted reproduction methods - and to the subsequent acquisition of a child - by a single man. Initially, the human right, particularly the right of a single man, to reproduction is presented. At the same time, the reasons for which legal systems explicitly allow access to medically assisted reproduction only to single women are explained.Then, the legal regime governing the method of surrogate motherhood in both countries is exposed, as this is practically the only method by which a single man can procreate. The presentation of the Greek legal framework follows, a framework which excludes single man from access to medically assisted reproduction, as well as the case law which sought to cover the legal vacuum, by applying in a proportional way the relevant provisions for single women. Then, the rules governing the United Kingdom on the question are analyzed, where the case law has bypassed the non-explicit inclusion of single man to the persons entitled to have a child using the methods of medically assisted reproduction.Finally, as a solution to the issue, the combination of the two systems is proposed, as well as an effective and de facto recognition of the right of single men to having a child with the help of technology.

Do low-income Cypriots experience food stress? The cost of a healthy food basket relative to guaranteed minimum income in Nicosia, Cyprus

The aim of the present study was to assess the cost, acceptability and affordability of the healthy food basket (HFB) among low-income families in Cyprus. HFBs were constructed based on the National Guidelines for Nutrition and Exercise for six different types of households. Acceptability was tested through focus groups. Affordability was defined as the cost of the HFB as a percentage of the guaranteed minimum income (GMI). The value of the GMI is set to be equal to €480 for a single individual and increases with the size of the recipient unit in accordance with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development equivalence scales. The Ministry of Labour estimates that, on average, nearly 50% of the GMI is required for food. The total monthly budget for HFB is 0.80, 1.11, 1.27, 1.28, 1.44 and 1.48 times higher than the GMI budget for food among different types of households in Cyprus (a single woman, a single man, a couple, a single woman with two children, a single man with two children and a couple with two children, respectively). In particular, a family with two children on GMI would need to spend a large proportion of their income on the HFB (71.68%). The GMI scheme appears not to consider the cost of healthy food, and thus, families on welfare payments in Cyprus are at a high risk of experiencing food stress. Therefore, additional research is required to measure the cost of the six HFBs in various settings.

Charles Davies Sherborn and the ‘Indexer’s Club’

The first few words of the title of this symposium are Anchoring Biodiversity Information. In order to properly anchor anything for a long-lasting future, a solid foundation needs to have been laid. For the zoological portion of biodiversity information, that firm foundation is best exemplified in the works of Charles Davies Sherborn. This man, like others of his ilk, was intimately focused on indexing names. This incredible focus was a life-long passion for him and culminated in his 9500-page Index Animalium of over 400,000 names of animals. This Index represents not only one of the most prodigious efforts in publication by a single man and the single most important reference to names in zoology, but a permanent legacy to the efforts of an indexer that proved to be an inspiration to many.

BCI-Triggered Functional Electrical Stimulation Therapy for Upper Limb.

We present here the integration of brain-computer interfacing (BCI) technology with functional electrical stimulation therapy to restore voluntary function. The system was tested with a single man with chronic (6 years) severe left hemiplegia resulting from a stroke. The BCI, implemented as a simple “brain-switch” activated by power decreases in the 18 Hz – 28 Hz frequency range of the participant’s electroencephalograpic signals, triggered a neuroprosthesis designed to facilitate forward reaching, reaching to the mouth, and lateral reaching movements. After 40 90-minute sessions in which the participant attempted the reaching tasks repeatedly, with the movements assisted by the BCI-triggered neuroprosthesis, the participant’s arm function showed a clinically significant six point increase in the Fugl-Meyer Asessment Upper Extermity Sub-Score. These initial results suggest that the combined use of BCI and functional electrical stimulation therapy may restore voluntary reaching function in individuals with chronic severe hemiplegia for whom the rehabilitation alternatives are very limited.

Would Jane Austen Be on eHarmony? How Changes in Women's Legal Status Have Influenced the Choice of a Spouse

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” ― Jane Austen.Jane Austen’s beloved novel Pride and Prejudice opens with the news that Mr. Bingley, “a young man of large fortune from the north of England,” has let Netherfield Park. According to local gossip, Mr. Bingley is “quite young, wonderfully handsome, extremely agreeable, and, to crown the whole, he meant to be at the next assembly with a large party.” Obsessed with finding spouses for her daughters, Mrs. Bennet’s joy in hearing news of wealthy, handsome Mr. Bingley’s imminent move to Netherfield Park may only be imagined. Of course, nothing goes quite as Mrs. Bennet imagines. While most women today do not see themselves as a Mrs. Bennet who goes hysterical when a new marriage prospect moves into town, do many women nonetheless still, at least initially, evaluate the Mr. Bingleys of life by their age, looks, wealth, and personality?Historically, restrictive property laws such as primogeniture and coverture prevented married women from owning or inheriting property. With limited employment and educational opportunities, marriage was every girl’s preeminent goal. Potential suitors were critically evaluated for their wealth, good looks, and social status — just ask Mrs. Bennet. By contrast, today women may independently own property, enter into contracts, earn advanced degrees, and pursue nearly limitless career options. Since New York authorized the Married Women’s Property Act of 1848, the law has continuously expanded women’s legal rights and opportunities. Women now have vast educational opportunities, with young women today more likely to earn an undergraduate and more likely to earn a graduate degree than their male counterparts. As a practical outcome, these educational attainments result in higher earnings than women have ever enjoyed before. Yet, despite these developments, could it be that the modern online dating trend indicates millions of women still evaluate suitors based on a remarkably similar criteria to that used generations ago, using a computer to filter matches based on evaluators such as wealth, social status, looks, and education? Since Match.com launched in 1995 as the first internet dating website, searching for spouses online has rapidly proliferated. Today, over 91 million people around the world use such websites, spending nearly $1.75 billion annually. Spousal matching is based on objective factors, with users inputting a list of what they are seeking in a spouse, such as age, distance, height, body type, education, job status, relationship status, religious background, and ethnicity. A computer algorithm then begins the matchmaking process. Statistics show that women “click” more on men with a higher income and it is axiomatic that better physical looks engender more responses for all users. This leaves the perplexing question: if women are still, at least initially, seeking the same things in a man that they have for generations — such as wealth, good looks, and social status — have the changes in women’s legal status and economic opportunities actually changed the spousal selection process or have we functionally returned to arranged marriage, only now arranged by computer algorithms instead of the village matchmaker? This Article suggests that women’s dramatic change in legal status has not changed the criteria for initially evaluating a potential spouse but it may have fundamentally changed the reasons for marriage. Part I traces the changes in a women’s legal and economic status throughout the last two centuries. Part II explores the historic changes in spousal selection from arranged marriage to online dating. Finally, Part III analyzes how a women’s reason for marriage has changed when her initial filtering criteria for a spouse remains the same. Part III concludes that while once women married for economic necessity, women today marry instead in an effort to find happiness. And for Jane Austen, marrying for happiness would probably make a lot of sense — after all, she turned down Mr. Harris Bigg-Wither because she did not think that they would be happy together. Would she be on eHarmony today?

Overcoming the Stigma: The Queer Denial of Indiewood

sex sells, except when it comes to Indiewood films with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) content. This is significantly evident when looking at the two trailers that were released for Tom Ford's A Single Man, film detailing day in the life of depressed gay British professor. Although neither trailer presents the film's basic narrative or emphasizes that the film is an adaptation of Christopher Isherwood novel of the same name, both present few key shots accompanied by the film's score. Tom Ford's initial trailer for the Toronto International Film Festival illustrates the film's gay content alongside other elements of the film's narrative. We have the shot of Colin Firth and Matthew Goode kissing, shot of Firth looking into Nicholas Hoult's eyes, and ultimately an equal pairing of Firth interacting with male characters as he does with female, particularly Julianne Moore. The film was then sold to the Weinstein Company, whose subsequent trailer tells markedly different story: Goode's and Hoult's names are removed from the final moments of the trailer; the gay kiss is removed; and there is conspicuously unsubtle attempt at pushing both Firth and Moore for Academy Awards-we even get quote from Playboy describing the film as a movie of beauty, mystery, visual dazzle, and emotional resistance. If one had not heard anything else about this film, one could easily assume from the Weinstein trailer that this is semiindependent film detailing the relationship between Firth and Moore. This stark difference led Indiewire film critic Peter Knegt to claim that this was the heterosexualization of gay film: In with the Oscar buzz, out with the gayness. It seems the Weinstein Company doesn't want to take any chances with all those homophobic Academy members (A Tale of Two Trailers). This approach is indicative of many LGBT films in that there is distinct downplay of content to favor the quality characteristics of the films, which in this case is perhaps most notable in the conscious decision to replace scene of Firth and Goode kissing with claims of the Oscar buzz surrounding Firth and Moore.The intention of this article is to identify how this differentiation between queer and quality content occurs within the LGBT films of Indiewood. Indiewood films are marketed as an art-house alternative to Hollywood but in fact are distributed by specialty divisions of major distribution companies. Brokeback Mountain and The Kids Are All Right, for instance, were distributed by Focus Features, which is subsidiary of Universal Pictures, which is subsidiary of NBC Universal, which in turn is division of the Comcast Corporation. A political-economic critique of this corporate formation questions how explicitly narratives are marketed to mass public with the sole purpose of making financial profit. Existing scholarship shows that quality features traditionally associated with cultural capital are highlighted in the promotion of these Indiewood films, perhaps most notably in the literary-adapted films distributed by Miramax (Collins 142). Highly celebrated literary figures dull the stigma associated with the commodification of films within Hollywood. This article argues that promotion of LGBT Indiewood films follows this same strategic approach. These films are surrounded by paratexts that distinctly emphasize quality cultural capital while downplaying any content. As Indiewire critic Peter Knegt has identified with the trailers for A Single Man, these are films that these subsidiary companies, alongside the private Weinstein Company, want to promote to mass public beyond niche audiences. Within this process, queerness becomes the very liability for these films to overcome.IndiewoodAbove all else, Indiewood is an economic trend. The Indiewood, or semi-independent, film signals shift in the production, distribution, and exhibition of many independent films, where specialty divisions owned by major media conglomerates distribute independently produced films (King 1; McDonald 354). …

Koro syndrome in an obsessive-compulsive disorder patient

IntroductionKoro syndrome is a culturally related disorder characterized by intense anxiety that the penis (vulva or nipples in females) is shrinking or retracting and will recede into the body. Usually it occurs in epidemics in Southeastern Asia, being extremely rare in western countries. The condition is more common in males and is classified within Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders.Case reportA 27-year-old single man was referred to the psychiatric department. By the age of 23, he began worrying that his penis was shrinking and retracting into the abdomen. He described these thoughts as intrusive, ridiculous and repetitive. During the first months the thoughts were not very disturbing but he progressively developed an urge to verify the length of his penis several times a day. To diminish the anxiety provoked by the obsessive doubts on penis length, he started to have repetitive thoughts and mental images about sexual acts, to consume pornography compulsively and to increase his masturbatory behaviors (from some times a week to several times a day). He described those thoughts and behaviors as unpleasant and uniquely driven to reduce anxiety provoked by obsessions.He was prescribed fluvoxamine 200 mg/day and initiated cognitive behavioral therapy with good response. Y-BOCS score decreased from 30 at initial evaluation to 18 after 3 months of treatment.ConclusionsKoro syndrome is a very rare condition in psychiatry in western countries, usually presenting secondarily to other psychiatric disorders. Awareness of this diagnosis and knowledge on its management are critical to provide optimal care to patients.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Charles Davies Sherborn and the "Indexer's Club".

The first few words of the title of this symposium are “Anchoring Biodiversity Information”. In order to properly anchor anything for a long-lasting future, a solid foundation needs to have been laid. For the zoological portion of biodiversity information, that firm foundation is best exemplified in the works of Charles Davies Sherborn. This man, like others of his ilk, was intimately focused on indexing names. This incredible focus was a life-long passion for him and culminated in his 9500-page Index Animalium of over 400,000 names of animals. This Index represents not only one of the most prodigious efforts in publication by a single man and the single most important reference to names in zoology, but a permanent legacy to the efforts of an indexer that proved to be an inspiration to many.

Sonning a Father

Sonning a Father Georgi Gospodinov (bio) Translated by Angela Rodel (bio) The Runt had no luck with fathers at all. On the whole, nobody here had any luck with parents, but most of them were always crying for their mothers. The orphanage that they came from was itself called “Mother and Child” for some unknown reason. First, there were no mothers there. And second, only girls want mothers. Men need fathers. But there was no “Father and Child” orphanage. Nobody could say why. All the fathers have gone to the dogs, his friend Ceca the cook would laugh. He was seven already, one of the elders in the orphanage. There wasn’t a single man in the whole orphanage besides the doorman, Mihal the Gimp. He had only one arm, but he could thrash you with it as if for two. He wore an old peaked cap, his empty sleeve was tucked into the belt of his uniform jacket, he almost never spoke, he just doled out beatings. If he wanted to say “hi,” he would simply smack you upside the head. That was his language. That’s all he’s ever known, the matrons would say in his defense. Everyone steered clear of him. He wasn’t father material at all. A father doesn’t beat you every time he catches sight of you. Yet the Runt really wanted a father. He was already at an advanced age for adoption, a geezer (that’s what Ceca called him); besides, in these tough times who would take on a foster child? And then one day, the Runt saw him, just like that, as he was staring out the window of the room. The big chestnut tree at the end of the yard. He snuck out that very afternoon after class and went over to him. He circled the tree, touching the bark, looking him over from all sides, sizing him up. Yes, he would make a good father; he had everything it took, he was hulking, with big branches. A lot bigger than Mihal the Gimp. And he would never beat him. I’ll son you as my father, he told the tree. He had come up with this phrase: sonning a father. Since men can father sons, that must mean boys can son fathers. The chestnut silently consented. So the Runt started sonning his new father. He would go out to see him every afternoon. He would tell him about [End Page 86] Seko and Teko, twins who were the class hell-raisers; about Nayden the Fatty, who had a grandfather and would completely show off when his grandfather came to take him out on Sunday afternoons; about Ceca the cook; about the cellar full of coal, where they would sometimes punish him… One day, the twins followed him and heard him talking to the tree. They jumped out from behind him and started making fun of him. They were beanpoles, each a whole head taller than he was. Man, I really gotta pee, one of them said, and they pulled down their pants and started pissing on his father. This was too much. The Runt ran at them and started pounding them with his puny fists. At first, they couldn’t believe it, then they caught him, twisted his arms behind his back and started wailing away at him. The Runt didn’t give up, he tried to kick and bite, he didn’t want his father to be the least bit ashamed of him. Luckily, at that moment one of the matrons turned up and rescued him. But the worst was yet to come. Toward the end of the year, in late autumn, the chestnut started drooping, its leaves turned rusty, covered with brown spots, it got sick, and started drying up. Word started going around that it wasn’t worth a darn anyway, that it was just taking up space that could be used for a nice coal shed. And so one day, Grandpa Stamo from the village arrived with his chainsaw. They were all in class when they heard the sound of the machine. The Runt immediately realized what was happening, jumped up from his...

SADE, UM HUMANISMO IMPOSSÍVEL?

At a moment in which the philosophy of the Enlightenment seems to suggest a worldview freed from ancient fatality, and in which the French Revolution transforms cyclic time in progressive time, Sade exposes a type of fictional imagination that denounces anthropological optimism and the hope in progress. He refuses providentialism in history, finalism in nature, but denounces to the same extent the faith in a single man, as well as in all men assembled. Would this dark vision be the equivalent to Rousseau’s state of nature, a theoretical fiction destined to a better comprehension of the becoming of humanity?

PENELOPE'S FOOT

There are dangers and pleasures in reducing stories to universal themes. The Odyssey seems all too aware of this. Part of its appeal comes from whether this tale of a single man returning home can stand for far greater questions of what it means to be human. Our pleasure as we recognize these familiar stories mirrors the delight of the poem's characters as they recognize Odysseus. We want such events to be universal, because the pleasure of the familiar helps us on our own journey through the dangers and uncertainties of life. But, as an increasingly vast scholarly bibliography reminds us, recognition in this poem is far from simple. The poem's delight in riddles and trickery means that the joy of any delight in recognition conflicts with its rhetoric of suspicion and the almost paranoid need of its hero for self-preservation. This to and fro is also part of the poem's wider economy of thrift, as if we must pay for any pleasure we gain in recognition with the pain of belated reflection.

Private Affairs, Public Office: Reading the Body of Virgília in The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas

As Machado de Assis's The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas (1881) reflects on the life of a single man, two dominant forces emerge within the narrative: Bras Cubas's desire for a family and his quest for political office. These parallel efforts coincide in the form of the political wife, the woman who enables both domestic and public glory. Using the encounter of public and private spaces as a point of departure, this essay considers female forms as circumscribed by their private and public duties. Evaluating Virgilia and Marcela, we explore the significance of materiality and promiscuity in the reading of women's bodies within the text.

TWO BIOGRAPHIES OF NAPOLEON

ABSTRACTThe central argument of this review essay is that the British and French traditions of biography, and specifically Napoleonic biography, are quite different. The two works under consideration are outstanding examples of the differences. Boswell's Life of Johnson is the cornerstone of modern British biography, and Andrew Roberts follows this example. Although Johnson was not a political or military figure but a man of letters, Roberts's biography of Napoleon adheres to the close focus on a single man, with only limited excursions beyond his hero's life and deeds. In addition, Roberts's work is essentially a military biography, and his considerable strengths lie here. The French, without a Boswell, have relegated biography to a lesser role, until recently. Patrice Gueniffey, in what will be a multi‐volume work—this first volume goes only to 1802—is more interested in Napoleon's place in the history of Europe, and especially Revolutionary France. Napoleon is often confined to the wings while Gueniffey sets the stage.Roberts's judgments and assessments, while shrewd and informed, are often more conventional than those of Gueniffey, who sees the Egyptian campaign as one of the important keys to understanding the young Bonaparte and his subsequent career. He is also deeply interested in fixing Bonaparte's place in the French Revolution. Because Gueniffey ends his first volume with the Consulate, a more detailed comparison of the two works is not possible.

A Building Management Evaluation Method Based on B-P Neural Networks

On the basis of in-depth study of the large number of documents, current theoretical research on overseas con- struction management evaluation methods is summarized. Many advanced building management theories and current models are described, as well as learnt government regulations. The study also discussed the basic building management assessment methods employed currently. On the basis of research results based on the major factors influencing construc- tion management in the relevant literatures, a building evaluation system is built for the evaluation of a single object man- agement architecture. The system includes: selecting the artificial neural networks comprehensive evaluation method, ob- taining the sample data by questionnaire method, establishing a management evaluation model based on BP artificial neu- ral network architecture, and applying and testing the model to evaluate the actual construction management. China's existing building area has more than 40 billion square meters, an annual area of approximately 18-20 mil- lion square meters. Building production requires a lot of land. In the construction and operation of the process, the direct energy consumption accounts for nearly 30% of the energy consumption of the whole society. Combined energy consumption of building materials 16.7%, accounting for 46.7% of the total energy consumption of the whole society. Water is 47% of urban water consumption, the use of steel products accounted for 30% of the country's steel consump- tion, cement accounted for 25% overall pollution in the envi- ronment, and construction-related air pollution, light pollu- tion, and electromagnetic pollution accounted for 34%; and construction waste garbage accounted for 40% in total (3). Moreover, the building has increasingly become the city's carbon emissions big resource. It is estimated that 60% of urban carbon emissions are from energy consumption used to maintain the building functions, while car traffic accounts for only about 30% (4). With the continuous improvement of the rapid develop- ment of China's economy and the people's living standards, building energy in the total energy consumption with the proportion of society will inevitably increase. It is foreseea- ble that in the next 20 years, the building will become a ma- jor growth point of China's energy consumption. When peo- ple put forward higher requirements for building manage- ment on the urban development, human beings are adjusting their behavior and taking efforts to create new forms of eco- nomic and social development. Low carbon and eco-building based urban development model is the choice for the future development.