Conflict in the Latino parent-youth dyad: The role of emotional support from the opposite parent.

In the present study, the author examined the independent and interactive effects of support and conflict within a triadic familial context (mother-father-youth). The sample consisted of 6th- and 7th-grade inner-city Latino youths (N = 329; 142 boys, 187 girls). Using multiple regression techniques, level of conflict with either mother or father was consistently related to higher levels of both boys' and girls' internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Interaction effects were significant in predicting boys' externalizing behavior problems--a supportive parental relationship significantly reduced the risk associated with high conflict with the opposite parent. For boys' internalizing problems, mother and father support served a protective function regardless of the level of conflict with the opposite parent. Conflict with the mother was especially detrimental for Latina girls--highly conflictive mother-daughter relationships were associated with increased internalizing and externalizing symptomatology, and father support added little in predicting symptomatology. The study adds to the understanding of risk and protection in Latino families and underscores the importance of examining the parent-youth relationship from a triadic perspective, noting similarities and differences in mother-son, mother-daughter, father-son, and father-daughter relations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

METALLOPETROPORPHYRINS AS PROCESS INDICATORS: MASS SPECTRAL IDENTIFICATION OF Ni(ETIO) AND Ni(DPEP) HOMOLOGOUS SERIES IN GREEN RIVER SHALE OIL

Mass spectrometry (MS) of the porphyrin fraction of a demetallated shale oil from the LLNL Hot-Recycled-Solids retorting process exhibited homologous series of C₂₅ to C₃₃ (C₂₈ maximum) for etio and C₂₆ to C₃₆ (C₃₀ maximum) for DPEP (isocyclic) porphyrins, respectively. The sum of intensities after baseline correction yielded a ΣDPEP/Σetio ratio of 1/1. The petroporphyrin fraction was prepared by demetallation of the whole shale oil using methane sulfonic acid followed by isolation which involved extraction and purification by alumina chromatography. MS examination of silica purified fractions showed another type of homologous series, tentatively assigned as tetrahydrobenzo-DPEP por-phyrin. MS examination of porphyrin fractions isolated by alumina or alumina/silica chromatography without demetallation indicated Ni(etio) and Ni(DPEP) (isocyclic) porphyrins were observed with the same homologous series as seen in the demetallated fraction.     

The Influence of Molecular Architecture on the Macroscopic Lubrication Properties of the Brush-Like Co-polyelectrolyte Poly(L-lysine)-g-poly(ethylene glycol) (PLL-g-PEG) Adsorbed on Oxide Surfaces

The co-polymer poly(L-lysine)-g-poly(ethylene glycol) (PLL-g-PEG) has been investigated as a potential biomimetic boundary-lubrication additive for aqueous lubrication systems. In this work, the influence of the co-polymer's architecture on its tribological performance has been investigated. The architectural parameters investigated comprise side-chain (PEG) length, Lys/PEG grafting ratio and backbone chain (PLL) length. The tribological approaches applied in this work include ultra-thin-film interferometry, the mini-traction machine (MTM), and pin-on-disk tribometry. Both an increase in the molecular weight of the PEG side chains and a reduction in the grafting ratio result in an improvement in the lubricating properties of aqueous PLL-g-PEG solution at low speeds. MTM measurements show that an increase in the molecular weight of the PLL backbone results in an increase of the coefficient of friction.     

Modelling and prediction of phyto- and zooplankton dynamics in Lake Kasumigaura by artificial neural networks

An artificial neural network model was developed for Lake Kasumigaura to predict timing and magnitudes for chlorophyll a, five species of blue-green algae and three zooplankton groups. The model was trained by 8 years of limnological time series and validated by two independent years. The validation showed the potential of neural networks as predictive tools for highly non-linear phenomena such as blue-green algal blooms in freshwater lakes.     

Why CASE Is Not a Cure for Testing

Although systems development testing is a critical ingredient in the successful design of a system, it is often regarded as an unnecessary effort needed only to correct errors on poorly designed (or unlucky) systems. The author explains why testing is, in fact, the one constant element of systems development that must be performed more often and why computer-aided software engineering (CASE) does not eliminate the need for testing.     

Walking through CS AKTive Space: a demonstration of an integrated Semantic Web application

We describe CS AKTive Space, an integrated semantic web application and winner of the 2003 Semantic Web Challenge [http://www.challenge.semanticweb.org/]. A demonstration of the application is available at http://cs.aktivespace.org/. CS AKTive Space represents and integrates a wide range of heterogenous resources representing the computer science domain in the UK; it supports the exploration of patterns and implications inherent in the content and exploits a variety of services, visualisations and multidimensional representations to support questions like who is working with whom, where are there geographical concentrations in funding or research area, who are the most significant researchers in an area. We briefly show how this demonstration illustrates a number of substantial challenges for the Semantic Web. These include problems of referential integrity, tractable inference and interaction support. We review our approaches to these issues and discuss relevant related work.     

Design and fabrication of miniature compliant hinges for multi-material compliant mechanisms

Multi-material molding (MMM) enables the creation of multi-material mechanisms that combine compliant hinges, serving as revolute joints, and rigid links in a single part. There are three important challenges in creating these structures: (1) bonding between the materials used, (2) the ability of the hinge to transfer the required loads in the mechanism while allowing for the prescribed degree(s) of freedom, and (3) incorporating the process-specific requirements in the design stage. This paper presents the approach for design and fabrication of miniature compliant hinges in multi-material compliant mechanisms. The methodology described in this paper allows for the concurrent design of the part and the manufacturing process. For the first challenge, mechanical interlocking strategies are presented. For the second challenge, the development of a simulation-based optimization model of the hinge is presented, involving functional and manufacturing constrains. For the third challenge, the development of hinge positioning features and gate positioning constraints is presented. The developed MMM process is described, along with the main constraints and performance measures. This includes the process sequence, the mold cavity design, gate selection, and runner system development. A case study is presented to demonstrate the feasibility of creating multi-material mechanisms with miniature hinges serving as joints through MMM process. The approach described in this paper was utilized to design a drive mechanism for a flapping wing micro air vehicle. The methods described in this paper are applicable to any lightweight, load-bearing compliant mechanism manufactured using multi-material injection molding.