Bar-Ilan University

About: Bar-Ilan University is a education organization based out in Ramat Gan, Israel. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 12835 authors who have published 34964 publications receiving 995648 citations. The organization is also known as: Bar Ilan University & BIU.

Influence of slope aspect on Mediterranean woody formations: Comparison of a semiarid and an arid site in Israel

Abstract: This study investigates the effects of slope aspect on plant community characteristics such as plant cover, species composition and above-ground biomass production in Mediterranean trees and shrubs in two climatological regions. Two experimental sites were selected in a climatic gradient that runs from the foothills of the Judean Hills to the northern Negev desert in Israel. In each site, 16 quadrats of 10 m × 10 m (eight south-facing and eight north-facing slopes) were established and the vegetation was recorded. Dominant tree and shrub species were measured using allometric parameters of area and volume, and representative branches were cut and weighed. Species studied were Quercus calliprinos, Phillyrea latifolia, Pistacia lentiscus, Cistus creticus, Coridothymus capitatus, and Sarcopoterium spinosum. The results showed that slope aspect had significant effects on the composition, structure and density of the plant communities developing in both sites. Vegetation structure within a site changed significantly in the short distance separating the north and south-facing slopes, and that pattern remained generally constant when comparing the two sites along the rainfall gradient. The data collected here provides new insight into the slope aspect effects on biomass allocation of different woody life forms of eastern Mediterranean plant communities.

Surface crystallization of liquid normal-alkanes.

Abstract: X-ray scattering and surface tension measurements reveal the formation of a crystalline monolayer on the surface of liquid n-alkanes at about 3 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C above the bulk solidification temperature. The molecules in the monolayer are hexagonally packed and oriented normal to the surface. The single solid monolayer persists down to the bulk solidification temperature, thus exhibiting a very limited partial wetting.

Coalition formation with uncertain heterogeneous information

Abstract: Coalition formation methods allow agents to join together and are thus necessary in cases where tasks can only be performed cooperatively by groups. This is the case in the Request For Proposal (RFP) domain, where some requester business agent issues an RFP - a complex task comprised of sub-tasks - and several service provider agents need to join together to address this RFP. In such environments the value of the RFP may be common knowledge, however the costs that an agent incurs for performing a specific sub-task are unknown to other agents. Additionally, time for addressing RFPs is limited. These constraints make it hard to apply traditional coalition formation mechanisms, since those assume complete information, and time constraints are of lesser significance there.To address this problem, we have developed a protocol that enables agents to negotiate and form coalitions, and provide them with simple heuristics for choosing coalition partners. The protocol and the heuristics allow the agents to form coalitions in the face of time constraints and incomplete information. The overall payoff of agents using our heuristics is very close to an experimentally measured optimal value, as our extensive experimental evaluation shows.

New Horizons for Conventional Lithium Ion Battery Technology

Abstract: Secondary lithium ion battery technology has made deliberate, incremental improvements over the past four decades, providing sufficient energy densities to sustain a significant mobile electronic device industry Because current battery systems provide ∼100-150 km of driving distance per charge, ∼5-fold improvements are required to fully compete with internal combustion engines that provide >500 km range per tank Despite expected improvements, the authors believe that lithium ion batteries are unlikely to replace combustion engines in fully electric vehicles However, high fidelity and safe Li ion batteries can be used in full EVs plus range extenders (eg, metal air batteries, generators with ICE or gas turbines) This perspective article describes advanced materials and directions that can take this technology further in terms of energy density, and aims at delineating realistic horizons for the next generations of Li ion batteries This article concentrates on Li intercalation and Li alloying electrodes, relevant to the term Li ion batteries

How leaders cultivate social capital and nurture employee vigor: implications for job performance.

Abstract: This study examined how leader relational behaviors (i.e., relational leadership) cultivate bonding social capital among organizational members and the way bonding social capital augments feelings of vigor at work. In addition, the authors examined how vigor enhances employee job performance. Using a sample of 209 participants in Israeli community centers, the results of structural equation modeling indicate a 2-stage mediation model in which leader relational behaviors are positively related to bonding social capital; this, in turn, results in feelings of vigor, which are positively associated with manager ratings of employee job performance.