Social phobia and difficulties in occupational adjustment.

This study examined whether social phobics differed from nonanxious controls in occupational adjustment. Results indicated that generalized and nongeneralized social phobics, in contrast to controls, were underemployed and believed that their supervisor would rate them as less dependable. Nongeneralized social phobics and controls believed their supervisor would rate them higher in work role conformance and likelihood of advancement than did generalized social phobics. Generalized socially phobic women, in contrast to nongeneralized and control group women, were more likely to be employed in noninterpersonally oriented jobs. Generalized social phobics were more anxious than controls when starting their current job but did not differ in job satisfaction. Results are discussed relative to the nature of social phobia, subtype differences, and counseling services. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Legal Frameworks Governing Water in the Middle East and North Africa

For millennia, countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region have developed laws, regulations and other rules to govern their scarce water. These laws have been updated in recent years. This review of the legal frameworks (including regulations, decrees and other rules) reveals both progress and gaps in managing water quality, water quantity and procedural aspects. Of note, while the general frameworks are usually in place, in many instances the necessary details are lacking to give effect to the goals. However, in some instances the legal frameworks governing water lack certain key principles or approaches. In order to effectively meet the growing demands on their water resources, MENA countries will need to further strengthen and develop their legal frameworks.     

Sanger DNA-sequencing reactions performed in a solid-phase nanoreactor directly coupled to capillary gel electrophoresis

A miniaturized, solid-phase nanoreactor was developed to prepare Sanger DNA-sequencing ladders which was directly interfaced to a capillary gel electrophoresis system. A biotinylated fragment of the rat brain actin gene (1 kbp) was amplified by PCR and attached to the interior wall of an (aminoalkyl)silane-derivatized fused-silica capillary tube via a biotin/streptavidin/biotin linkage. Coverage of the capillary wall with the biotinylated DNA averaged 77 +/- 10%. Stability of the anchored template under pressure (33 nL/s) and electroosmotic flows (11.3 nL/s) were favorable, requiring rinsing for > 150 h to reduce the surface coverage by only 50%. In addition, the immobilized template was stable toward temperatures required for preparing sequencing ladders, even under cycling conditions. Standard Sanger dideoxynucleotide termination performed in a large-volume (approximately 8 microL) solid-phase reactor using the thermally stable polymerase enzymes Taq and Vent and the polymerases T7 and Bst with off-line slab gel electrophoresis and autoradiographic detection indicated that acceptable fragment generation was achieved only in the case of the thermally stable polymerases. Banding was not apparent for T7 and Bst since all reagents were inserted into the column in a single plug at the beginning of the reaction. A small volume reactor (volume approximately 62 nL) was then used to perform DNA polymerase reactions and was coupled directly to a capillary gel column for separation. The capillary reactor was placed inside a thermocycler to control the temperature during chain extension and was directly connected to the gel column via zero dead volume fused-silica connectors. The complementary DNA fragments generated (C-track only) in the reactor were denatured using heat and directly injected onto the gel-filled capillary for size separation with detection accomplished using near-IR laser-induced fluorescence. Extension and single-base separation resolution of the C-track, which was directly injected onto the gel column, was estimated to be > 450 bases from the primer annealing site with plate numbers ranging from 1 x 10(6) to 2 x 10(6)/m.     

Optimization of composite plates with piezoelectric stiffener-actuators under in-plane compressive loads

Stiffeners which are used to strengthen a plate can be constructed of piezoceramic materials and subsequently used as piezo actuators to improve the load carrying capacity of the plate. In the present study, a fibre composite plate with initial imperfections and under in-plane compressive loads is studied with a view towards minimizing its deflection using the piezo actuators and the fibre orientations. Piezoceramic stiffeners are bonded symmetrically on the top and bottom of the plate and deployed as actuators. Two cases of electric fields, namely, the in-phase and out-of-phase voltages are applied to the actuators. The presence of initial deflections leads to deformation under the in-plane compressive loads which should be less than the critical buckling load. Two cases of initial imperfections are considered, and the first one is the deterministic initial deflections which are known a priori and as such they are given as input parameters for the problem. In the second case the initial deflections are uncertain and they have to be obtained according to a given criterion. In the present study they are determined to produce the least favourable initial deflection (largest deflection) at a given point and the solution is obtained by convex modelling. The effect of the actuators, the ply angles and the voltage are studied and their effects on the transverse deflection are investigated. A performance index involving the L₂ norm of the deflections is minimized using the piezo effect and as well as the ply angles the optimal values of which are determined for various problem parameters.     

Design∕Control Optimization of Cross‐Ply Laminates Under Buckling and Vibration

The optimal layer thicknesses and optimal feedback control function are determined for a symmetric, cross‐ply laminate. The objectives of the optimization are to maximize the biaxial buckling load (design objective) and to minimize the dynamic response to external disturbances (control objective) subject to a constraint on the expenditure of control energy. The design∕control problem is formulated as a multiobjective optimization problem by employing a performance index that combines the design and control objectives in a weighted sum. Numerical results are given for a laminate made of an advanced composite material. Comparisons of controlled and uncontrolled laminates as well as optimally designed and nonoptimal laminates indicate the benefits of treating the design and control problems in unified formulation. The implications of solving these two problems are discussed. The values of optimal design and control variables are given for a number of problem parameters.     

Maximum Principle for Optimal Boundary Control of Vibrating Structures with Applications to Beams

A maximum principle is derived for open-loop boundary control of one dimensional structures undergoing transverse vibrations. The optimal control law is obtained using a maximum principle and the applicability of the results to the boundary control of vibrating beams is demonstrated. The method of solution involves the transformation of the original problem into one with homogeneous boundary conditions for a general set of boundary forces and torques. An adjoint variable is introduced and used in the formulation of a Hamiltonian function which in turn leads to the derivation of the maximum principle. The effectiveness of the proposed control mechanism is illustrated numerically and it is shown that the implementation of the optimal boundary control using one force actuator can lead to substantial decrease in the dynamic response of a vibrating beam.     

V.P.E. GaAs m.e.s.f.e.t. structure using oxygen injection during buffer layer growth

GaAs m.e.s.f.e.t. structures with high-resistivity buffer layers were prepared by introducing oxygen into the deposition system during growth. The electrical properties of the buffer layers are independent of the oxygen content of the gas phase over a large range of partial pressures. The characteristics of devices prepared with such layers are excellent.     

Affective mechanisms linking dysfunctional behavior to performance in work teams: A moderated mediation study.

The present study examines the association between dysfunctional team behavior and team performance. Data included measures of teams' dysfunctional behavior and negative affective tone as well as supervisors' ratings of teams' (nonverbal) negative emotional expressivity and performance. Utilizing a field sample of 61 work teams, the authors tested the proposed relationships with robust data analytic techniques. Results were consistent with the hypothesized conceptual scheme, in that negative team affective tone mediated the relationship between dysfunctional team behavior and performance when teams' nonverbal negative expressivity was high but not when nonverbal expressivity was low. On the basis of the findings, the authors conclude that the connection between dysfunctional behavior and performance in team situations is more complex than was previously believed--thereby yielding a pattern of moderated mediation. In sum, the findings demonstrated that team members' collective emotions and emotional processing represent key mechanisms in determining how dysfunctional team behavior is associated with team performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pulmonary pathology of patients treated with partial liquid ventilation

Adsorption and size exclusion in starch and cross-linked dextran were phenomena discovered in Uppsala in the 1950s [Porath (1979), Biochem. Soc. Trans. 7, 1197; Porath (1981), Current Content 19, 21; Porath (1981), J. Chromatogr. 218, 241; Janson (1987), Chromatographia 23, 361; Laurent (1993), J. Chromatogr. 633, 1]. These discoveries were the background to the development of a variety of affinity chromatographic methods. At present attempts are being made to combine size exclusion chromatography (SEC) with adsorption into a single operation that we call adsorptive SEC (AdSEC).