Why are some texts good and others not? Relationship between text quality and management of the writing processes.

Two experiments examined whether text quality is related to online management of the writing processes. Experiment 1 focused on the relationship between online management and text quality in narrative and argumentative texts. Experiment 2 investigated how this relationship might be affected by a goal emphasizing text quality. In both experiments, psychology students were instructed to think aloud while composing their texts. Reaction times to auditory probes were also collected to reflect writers' cognitive effort. Two sets of variables were measured: general temporal indicators (fluency, prewriting pause) and online management of writing processes (number, mean length of episodes). Finally, text quality was assessed. As expected, results confirmed that narrative and argumentative texts are composed using different strategies. Students also composed better texts when a quality-based goal had been set. The main reliable indicator of text quality was an increase of the prewriting pause and of planning processes. These findings indicate that writers tailor their writing behavior to match the type and quality of the text they are asked to produce. These results are discussed in the light of interventions and recommendations in the classroom. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Film formation mechanism in glass lubrication by polymer latex dispersions

The stabilization of organic coatings by tin dioxide resulting in glass bottle lubrication was investigated on flat glass. The anchoring function of SnO₂ was assessed for a mixture of polyethylene and polymethylmethacrylate. Friction tests in air confirm the SnO₂ anchoring property with the maintaining of the lubricant effect due to the polymer over large sliding distances. The persistence of the polymethylmethacrylate stretching band ν_C = O on significant sliding distances in infrared microscopy experiments shows that the polymer coating stabilization results from the strong adhesion of the polymer on SnO₂. The impact of roughness and surface chemistry on the stabilization of the polymer coating was tested. The suppression of the lubricant effect by surface chemistry alteration or by roughness modification of SnO₂ suggests that roughness and surface chemistry of SnO₂ are both necessary for lubrication.     

Strategies of containment in recall notices

To understand how strategies of containment operate in recall notices, a writer or reader must first consider two goals that these notices attempt to accomplish. The first of these goals is obvious: a well-constructed recall notice entices a consumer into returning a defective product to the manufacturer, allowing the manufacturer to repair or replace the product. The second goal, while somewhat less obvious, is equally important: the recall notice controls damage to the manufacturer's reputation. Faced with the unpleasant task of recalling a product, the manufacturer can use that recall notice to mitigate its responsibility for the defective product and to demonstrate its concern for the consumer     

Drug use, violence, and victimization among White American, Mexican American, and American Indian dropouts, students with academic problems, and students in good academic standing.

Problem-prone behaviors of White American, Mexican American, and American Indian high school dropouts, students in good academic standing, and students in poor academic standing were surveyed. Generally, dropouts were most involved with drugs, perpetration of violence, and victimization by violence, students in poor standing were the next most involved, and students in good standing were least involved. Ethnicity did not interact with academic status, suggesting that differences between dropouts and students were similar across ethnic groups. Some ethnicity and gender main effects were found. Findings were related to R. Jessor's (see record 1992-23064-001) theory of problem-prone behaviors, to peer cluster theory, and to intervention design. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Union commitment: Replication and extension.

The union commitment measure developed by M. E. Gordon et al (1980) was administered to 426 nonprofessional and 334 professional members of a white-collar union. Four orthogonal factors were extracted: Union Loyalty, Responsibility to the Union, Willingness to Work for the Union, and Belief in Unionism. Factor comparisons both between the union of the present study and the union of the original study, and between professional and nonprofessional members within the same union, suggest that the factors developed by Gordon et al are consistent and generalizable across these populations. (7 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Low-energy ion-implantation-induced quantum-well intermixing

In this paper, we present the attractive characteristics of low-energy ion-implantation-induced quantum-well intermixing of InP-based heterostructures. We demonstrate that this method can fulfil a list of requirements related to the fabrication of complex optoelectronic devices with a spatial control of the bandgap profile. First, we have fabricated high-quality discrete blueshifted laser diodes to verify the capability of low-energy ion implantation for the controlled modification of bandgap profiles in the absence of thermal shift. Based on this result, intracavity electroabsorption modulators monolithically integrated with laser devices were fabricated, for the first time, using this postgrowth technique. We have also fabricated monolithic six-channel multiple-wavelength laser diode chips using a novel one-step ion implantation masking process. Finally, we also present the results obtained with very low-energy (below 20 keV) ion implantation for the development of one-dimensional and zero-dimensional quantum confined structures.     

Plasmonic propagations distances for interferometric surface plasmon resonance biosensing

A surface plasmon resonance (SPR) scheme is proposed in which the local phase modulations of the coupled plasmons can interfere and yield phase-sensitive intensity modulations in the measured signal. The result is an increased traceability of the SPR shifts for biosensing applications. The main system limitation is the propagation distance of the coupled plasmon modes. This aspect is therefore studied for thin film microstructures operating in the visible and near-infrared spectral regions. The surface roughness of the substrate layer is examined for different dielectrics and deposition methods. The Au layer, on which the plasmonic modes are propagating and the biosensing occurs, is also examined. The surface roughness and dielectric values for various deposition rates of very thin Au films are measured. We also investigate an interferometric SPR setup where, due to the power flux transfer between plasmon modes, the specific choice of grating coupler can either decrease or increase the plasmon propagation length.