Comparative Study of Models on Confinement of Concrete Cylinders with Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites

The use of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites for strengthening and/or rehabilitation of concrete structures is gaining increasing popularity in the civil engineering community. One of the most attractive applications of FRP materials is their use as confining devices for concrete columns, which may result in remarkable increases of strength and ductility as indicated by numerous published experimental results. Despite a large research effort, a proper analytical tool to predict the behavior of FRP-confined concrete has not yet been established. Most of the available models are empirical in nature and have been calibrated against their own sets of experimental data. On the other hand, the experimental results available in the literature encompass a wide range of values of the significant variables. The objective of this work is a systematic assessment of the performance of the existing models on confinement of concrete columns with FRP materials. The study is conducted in the following steps: the experimental data on confinement of concrete cylinders with FRP available in the technical literature are classified according to the values of the significant variables; the existing empirical and analytical models are reviewed, pointing out their distinct features; the whole set of available experimental results is compared with the whole set of analytical models; and strengths and weaknesses of the various models are analyzed. Finally, a new equation is proposed to evaluate the axial strain at peak stress of FRP-confined concrete cylinders.     

Aspects of social and emotional competence in adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Social and emotional competence were evaluated using self-report and behavioral measures in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and controls. Adults with ADHD viewed themselves as less socially competent but more sensitive toward violations of social norms than controls. Films depicting emotional interactions were used to assess linguistic properties of free recall and perceived emotional intensity. Although adults with ADHD used more words to describe the scenes, they used fewer emotion-related words, despite rating the emotions depicted as more intense than did controls. In contrast, no group differences for words depicting social or cognitive processes were observed. Overall, adults with ADHD appear more aware of their problems in social versus emotional skills. Findings may have implications for improving the psychosocial functioning of these adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

成品率的预测准确度有多高

成品率预测是可制造性设计（DFM）的基础之，但它还远不止于此。IBM系统和技术群300mm半导体运营副总裁DanArmbrust说：“我们精确预测成品率的能力就是我们的经济模式。”Armbrust是SEMICON West 2007成品率论坛讨论DFM现状的三位参与者之一。与他共同参加讨论的是Synopsys公司DFM解决方案副总裁Anantha Sethuraman和Photronics公司的CTO Chris Progler。     

Can being scared cause tummy aches? Naive theories, ambiguous evidence, and preschoolers' causal inferences.

Causal learning requires integrating constraints provided by domain-specific theories with domain-general statistical learning. In order to investigate the interaction between these factors, the authors presented preschoolers with stories pitting their existing theories against statistical evidence. Each child heard 2 stories in which 2 candidate causes co-occurred with an effect. Evidence was presented in the form: AB→E; CA→E; AD→E; and so forth. In 1 story, all variables came from the same domain; in the other, the recurring candidate cause, A, came from a different domain (A was a psychological cause of a biological effect). After receiving this statistical evidence, children were asked to identify the cause of the effect on a new trial. Consistent with the predictions of a Bayesian model, all children were more likely to identify A as the cause within domains than across domains. Whereas 3.5-year-olds learned only from the within-domain evidence, 4- and 5-year-olds learned from the cross-domain evidence and were able to transfer their new expectations about psychosomatic causality to a novel task. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neutron Reflectometry Characterization of Interface Width between Sol-Gel Titanium Dioxide and Silicon Dioxide Thin Films

Neutron reflectometry (NR) was used to directly measure the interface width between a titanium dioxide and a silicon dioxide film deposited by sol-gel processing. In a bilayer heated to 450°C, NR measurements showed that the interface width is 0.8 nm. This width is the same as the roughness of a sol-gel silicon dioxide surface after the same heat treatment, suggesting no interdiffusion or mixing at the bilayer interface.     

Thermal Diffusivity/Conductivity and Specific Heat of Mullite-Zirconia-Silicon Carbide Whisker Composites

The thermal diffusivity of mullite-ZrO₂-SiC_w materials was determined from 25° to 1000°C for composites in which the ZrO₂ had different amounts of monoclinic and tetragonal phase, and varying SiC _w content. At 25°C the thermal diffusivity of the matrix materials increased with increasing amounts of monoclinic phase, and little or no anisotropy was seen. Composites with SiC _w additions showed significant increases in thermal diffusivity and anisotropy as compared with the matrix materials. With increasing temperature, thermal diffusivities of the matrices and their respective composites decreased, and at 1000°C differences were small. Specific heat was determined from 25° to 700°C and thermal conductivity values calculated. Specific heat increased with temperature and was not composition dependent, except for one sample. Thermal conductivity values as a function of temperature followed the same trends as the thermal diffusivity values.     

The localisation of TPPS4 in some organs and its possible nephrotoxicity in rats

Endogenous opioids have been implicated in the mechanism of action of antidepressant drugs. In this study, we evaluated effects of single and repeated imipramine administration on proenkephalin and prodynorphin gene expression in the rat nucleus accumbens and striatum. In situ hybridization study showed that single imipramine injection (10 mg/kg, i.p.) decreased the level of proenkephalin (by ca. 20%) and prodynorphin (by ca. 25%) mRNA to the same extent in both structures. Repeated imipramine administration (10 mg/kg i.p. twice daily for 10 days) had no effect on proenkephalin mRNA level, whereas the prodynorphin gene expression was regulated differently. At 3 h after the last dose of imipramine the prodynorphin mRNA level was decreased (by ca. 25%) in the striatum, but not in the nucleus accumbens, whereas at 24 h an up-regulation (by ca. 27%) of prodynorphin mRNA level could be observed in the nucleus accumbens only. In the light of involvement of opioids in mood regulation, these adaptive changes may participate in neurochemical mechanisms of antidepressant therapy.     

Externalizing lupus: A therapist/patient's challenge.

Coping with a serious and chronic illness poses unique challenges for individuals in helping professions. What techniques and resources can be used to help the helpers? A narrative framework using the process of externalizing the problem is presented as a potentially useful approach for psychotherapists experiencing a serious illness. The author describes her own experience with lupus and offers recommendations for therapists struggling to balance their professional responsibilities with their own personal needs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adult rats stressed as neonates show exaggerated behavioral responses to both pharmacological and environmental challenges.

Adult rats that were isolated from the mother and nest for 1 hr per day from Postnatal Day 2 to 9 were studied. Controls consisted of handled littermates as well as separate litters that were never handled. As adults, animals were given either a pharmacological challenge (1.0 or 2.0 mg/kg amphetamine) or an environmental challenge (restraint). Previously isolated animals demonstrated increased activity compared to controls at both drug doses. Similarly, isolated animals manifested exaggerated inhibition of activity after restraint. Previously isolated animals usually did not show differences compared to controls under baseline conditions (saline injection or no restraint). The neuroplastic changes that result from the neonatal experience are long lasting and appear when the system is challenged. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)