Attributions, vulnerability, and psychological adjustment: The case of breast cancer.

Hypothesized that psychological adjustment would be positively associated with breast cancer victims' perceptions of invulnerability to a recurrence of cancer and that victims' causal attributions for cancer (e.g., self-blame, birth control pills, sexually demanding husband) would influence adjustment to the extent that the attributions contributed to or detracted from perceived invulnerability. A path model was developed based on the proposed association between invulnerability and adjustment, and attributions were tested for whether they directly or indirectly influenced adjustment. Responses from intensive interviews of 42 breast cancer victims (aged 23–81 yrs) who had undergone mastectomies within 2 yrs prior to being interviewed were used to test the path model. Ss were also administered the Beck Depression Inventory and another measure to assess emotional response to breast cancer at Ss' present stage of adjustment. Results support the hypothesized positive association between perceived invulnerability and adjustment and show that the relationships between specific attributions and adjustment were mediated by vulnerability beliefs. Follow-up data may be useful in ascertaining the role played by cognitions in the biological progression of cancer. (52 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factorial validity of problematic Internet use scales

There exists a number of multidimensional measurement scales for problematic Internet use (PIU) with varying factor structures. This study reviews the factor analytic techniques used to develop these measures and discusses their implications for the factorial validity, particularly discriminant validity, of these PIU scales. To further illustrate these points, we reformulate the four-factor Online Cognition Scale into a more parsimonious two-factor measure (i.e., dependency and distraction) and demonstrate its factorial validity as well as robustness across student and working adult samples. Contributions of this research are discussed.     

Hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) and musculoskeletal symptoms in the neck and the upper limbs in professional drivers of terrain vehicles--a cross sectional study

This study compares the prevalence of symptoms of Hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) and musculoskeletal symptoms in the neck and the upper limbs, between professional drivers of terrain vehicles and a referent group. 769 male professional drivers of forest machines, snowmobiles, snowgroomers and reindeer herders and 296 randomly selected male referents completed a questionnaire about symptoms of HAVS and musculoskeletal symptoms in the neck and the upper limbs. They also gave information about their lifetime exposure duration driving terrain vehicles and their nicotine use. Prevalence odds ratios (POR) were determined and adjusted for age and nicotine use. Results show that there is a relation between exposure to driving terrain vehicles and some of the symptoms of HAVS (POR: 1.2–6.1). Increased odds of musculoskeletal symptoms in neck, shoulders and wrists were also found (POR 1.2–6.4), and it seemed to be related to the cumulative exposure time.     

Water pipe condition assessment: a hierarchical beta process approach for sparse incident data

Prediction of water pipe condition through statistical modelling is an important element for the risk management strategy of water distribution systems. In this work a hierarchical nonparametric model has been used to enhance the performance of pipe condition assessment. The main aims of this work are three-fold: (1) For sparse incident data, develop an efficient approximate inference algorithm based on hierarchical beta process. (2) Apply the hierarchical beta process based method to water pipe condition assessment. (3) Interpret the outcomes in financial terms usable by the water utilities. The experimental results show superior performance of the proposed method compared to current best practice methods, leading to substantial savings on reactive repairs and maintenance, as well as improved prioritization for capital expenditure.     

Role of hydrogen environment induced hydrogen embrittlement of Ti–8Al–1Mo–2V alloy

Structural analysis by mean of metallographic, SEM fractographic and TEM replica technique including acoustics-emission studies have been carried out on Ti–8Al–1Mo–2V alloy specimen tested at room temperature in gaseous hydrogen environment. The result provided evidences of the presence of face centred cubic titanium hydride at the fracture surfaces, with discontinuous nature of crack propagation. The present work confirmed that an essentially continuous path of β phase is necessary for the occurrence of slow crack growth in gaseous hydrogen. Metallographic and fractographic observation leave little doubt that cracks propagates along the α–β interface rather than through stable α phase.     

Determining optimal electricity technology mix with high level of wind power penetration

Notwithstanding its variability and limited controllability, wind power is expected to contribute strongly to electricity generation from renewable energy sources in the coming decades. Treating wind power as non-dispatchable by subtracting its output from the original load profile, results in a net load profile, which must be covered by conventional power generation. The screening curve methodology is a first approximation to find the optimal generation technology mix, based on relative cost levels. However, increased variability of the net load profile, due to wind power generation, strongly influences system operation. Therefore a static linear programming investment model is developed to determine the optimal technology mix. This alternative methodology shows a reduced capacity of inflexible generation after including operational constraints to properly account for net load variability. In order to illustrate this methodology, an example is set up, showing the sensitivity with respect to ramp rates of conventional generation, transmission interconnection and energy storage. The comparison of those different sources of system flexibility suggests that energy storage facilities better facilitate the integration of wind power generation.     

Interplay of adsorbate-adsorbate and adsorbate-substrate interactions in self-assembled molecular surface nanostructures

The adsorption of 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid (NDCA) molecules on the Ag(110), Cu(110), and Ag(111) surfaces at room temperature has been studied by means of scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM). Further supporting results were obtained using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). On the Ag(110) support, which had an average terrace width of only 15 nm, the NDCA molecules form extended one-dimensional (1-D) assemblies, which are oriented perpendicular to the step edges and have lengths of several hundred nanometres. This shows that the assemblies have a large tolerance to monatomic surface steps on the Ag(110) surface. The observed behaviour is explained in terms of strong intermolecular hydrogen bonding and a strong surface-mediated directionality, assisted by a sufficient degree of molecular backbone flexibility. In contrast, the same kind of step-edge crossing is not observed when the molecules are adsorbed on the isotropic Ag(111) or more reactive Cu(110) surfaces. On Ag(111), similar 1-D assemblies are formed to those on Ag(110), but they are oriented along the step edges. On Cu(110), the carboxylic groups of NDCA are deprotonated and form covalent bonds to the surface, a situation which is also achieved on Ag(110) by annealing to 200 °C. These results show that the formation of particular self-assembled molecular nanostructures depends significantly on a subtle balance between the adsorbate-adsorbate and adsorbate-substrate interactions and that kinetic factors play an important role.      

Physicochemical Characterization,Fatty Acid And Tocopherol Content of Moringa ovalifolia (African Moringa) Oil From Namibia

Moringa ovalifolia tree is indigenous to Namibia and is a multipurpose tree whose leaves, pods, fruits, and flowers are edible. The tree is well adapted to the harsh climatic conditions of the region and easily cultivated. In this paper, we investigate the physicochemical characteristics of the oil extracted from M. ovalifolia seeds collected from Remhoogte Farm, Khomas region, Namibia. The oil yield was 34.86 ± 2.47%. The oil contained a high level of monounsaturated fatty acids, with oleic acid (18:1) being the dominant one. The oil had high levels of tocopherol, with a total of 44.56 mg 100 g^?1 of oil, comprising α‐tocopherol (33.94 mg 100 g^?1), β‐tocopherol (6.64 mg 100 g^?1), and δ‐tocopherol (3.98 mg 100 g^?1). High levels of stigmasterol (142.41 mg 100 g^?1) and β‐sitosterol (330.70 mg 100 g^?1) were also detected. The seed oil exhibited good‐quality characteristics, making it a useful new seed oil to be considered for food and nonfood applications.     

Number density of turbulent vortices in the entire energy spectrum

In coalescence and break‐up modeling, vortex number density and size distributions of turbulent vortices are required to calculate the rate of interaction between continuous and dispersed phases. Existing number density models are only valid for the inertial subrange of the energy spectrum and no model of the vortex number density, valid for the entire energy spectrum, is available. The number density of the turbulent vortices were studied and modeled for the entire energy spectrum including the dissipative, inertial, and energy containing subranges. It was observed that the new number density model depends on vortex size, local turbulent kinetic energy, and dissipation rate. Moreover, the new number density model was validated by the number density distributions quantified in a turbulent pipe flow. The turbulent vortices of the pipe were identified and labeled using a vortex‐tracking algorithm that was developed recently by the authors. © 2014 The Authors AIChE Journal published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 3989–3995, 2014     

(Re-)creating Urban Destination Image: Opinions of Foreign Visitors to South Africa on Safety and Security?

The intention of tourists to visit urban destinations is influenced by their perceptions or their knowledge of that destination. Risk perceptions, although situation specific, have an impact on travel behaviour. Mega events are once-off occasions in which a negative perception of destination, in this case related to crime, can be turned into a positive image. Can the 2010 Fédération Internationale de Football Association World Cup (WC) help South Africa undo the current perceptions and opinions, especially among foreign visitors, that our cities are dangerous places to visit? Can South Africa manage the 2010 WC in such a way that the destination image can be changed to a more positive one? It is within the context of speculating about the potential impacts the event may have in 2010 on reshaping internationally (and nationally) the safety and security image that visitors have of South African cities as crime ridden that this paper aims mainly to investigate international visitors’ perceptions and opinions on safety and security. Nine hundred and seven international visitors were interviewed when exiting the country at the OR Tambo and Cape Town International airports. The findings revealed that more than a third of the respondents indicated that they were worried about their safety before travelling to South Africa, that the central business districts of Cape Town and Johannesburg are the most feared places they visited and 6% of the respondents were victims of crime. Perceptions, however, changed for the better after their visit to the country, and it is against this background that the 2010 WC can potentially show the world that the country is a safe destination to visit and in the process re-create the destination’s image as a safe tourist experience.