Single- Versus Dual-Drug Target: Effects in a Brief Abstinence Incentive Procedure.

The number of drugs targeted may have an important influence on the ability of drug abusers to abstain during motivational incentive procedures. The authors investigated outcomes in methadone maintenance patients (n = 58), who had evidence of both opiate and cocaine use, when continuous abstinence from cocaine only (single target) or from both cocaine and heroin (dual target) was required to earn $200 in voucher incentives over a 4-day period. Study patients were equally likely to initiate and sustain abstinence from cocaine under the single- versus the dual-drug target. They were more likely to initiate opiate abstinence under the dual-target condition, demonstrating sensitivity to reinforcer effects. Results suggest that adding a second drug target does not impede short-term cocaine abstinence initiation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of water content on thermal and dynamic mechanical properties of xanthan powder: A comparison between standard and novel techniques

In this work, the sorption isotherms of xanthan powder obtained under static and dynamic conditions and their fitting with mathematical models were discussed. The transitions within xanthan-water systems have been investigated using a standard material characterization technique - Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) - and two novel techniques - Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis (DMTA) material pocket and Phase Transition Analysis (PTA). It was found that within water-xanthan systems, the onset temperature for the melting of freezable water obtained from DSC method was in agreement with freezable water melting peaks obtained via DMTA material pocket at levels of hydration when the freezable water was present. Also, low-temperature transitions, related to polysaccharide-water interactions, were observed by both techniques within xanthan systems which contained no freezable water. However, the use of the PTA technique was limited to xanthan systems with low water content.     

An observer-based psychoacoustic procedure for use with young infants.

This article describes an observer-based technique for assessing auditory capacities of infants from 3 to 12 months of age. This technique, referred to as the Observer-based Psychoacoustic Procedure (OPP), combines features of the Forced-choice Preferential Looking technique developed by Teller (1979) and of Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (Moore, Thompson, & Thompson, 1975). The rationale behind the procedure and the specific techniques used in its application are detailed here. Psychometric functions and thresholds for pure-tone detection and frequency discrimination obtained with OPP are also presented. The results for 6-month-olds are compared with results from previous studies employing a visually reinforced head-turn procedure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Unusual thermal relaxation of viscosity-and-shear-induced strain in poly(ether-ketones) synthesized in highly viscous polyphosphoric acid/P2O5 medium

We recently described an improved method to synthesize poly(ether-ketones) or PEKs. It utilized an optimized mixture of polyphosphoric acid (PPA) and P₂O₅ that is not only milder, less corrosive and less expensive than super-acid media, but also can play the multiple roles of solvent, Friedel-Crafts catalyst and dehydrating agent. The as-prepared PEKs from such a highly viscous reaction medium displayed unexpected, thermally induced relaxation exotherms regardless of the amorphous or semi-crystalline nature of polymer. This thermal behavior was not observed for the formally identical polymers [viz. pPEK or poly(oxy-1,4-phenylenecarbonyl-1,4-phenylene] which is normally semi-crystalline) that were separately prepared in a much less viscous mixture of methanesulfonic acid and P₂O₅ (Eaton's reagent) or N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP). Such an observation was first made when both samples of pPEKs were subjected to the same thermal history and the thermal relaxation exotherms were observed only for the pPEK sample that was prepared in PPA/P₂O₅ medium. Further confirmation of viscosity-and-shear-induced strain stored in the as-synthesized PEKs was provided by a systematic annealing study with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) analysis and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Based on these data, pPEK was successfully compression-molded in the temperature range of 230-250 °C which is more than 100 °C below its melting temperature.     

Drug-induced hypothermia and conditioned place aversion.

Examined the relationship between ethanol's thermal and motivational effects in a place conditioning task. In 3 experiments, male albino rats were exposed to a differential conditioning procedure that paired a distinctive tactile stimulus with ethanol (1.2 or 1.8 g/kg) or lithium chloride (3 meq/kg); a different stimulus was paired with saline. Different groups were exposed to ambient temperatures (Ta) of 5°, 21°, or 32°C during each 60-min conditioning trial. Both ethanol and lithium chloride produced hypothermia and conditioned place aversion in rats conditioned at normal Ta. Exposure to high Ta reduced drug-induced hypothermia, increased activity, and decreased conditioned place aversion. Exposure to low Ta did not enhance drug-induced hypothermia or change conditioned place aversion. In general, these findings support the suggestion that the hedonic effects of ethanol and lithium chloride interact with their thermal effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Processing of mesocarbon microbeads to high-performance materials: Part III. High-temperature sintering and graphitization

The sintering and graphitization behavior of mesocarbon microbeads (MCMB) at high temperatures (1900-2800 K) is investigated. It is shown that while the low temperature sintering performance of MCMB is unique, at high temperature it appears to be similar to that of conventional materials. In contrast, the obtained activation energy for MCMB high-temperature graphitization is ∼100 kcal/mol, which is smaller than that (∼240 kcal/mol) for typical carbon systems. It is concluded that the combination of such unique properties as excellent compressibility, low temperature sinterability, and rapid graphitization makes MCMB an attractive precursor for manufacturing carbon-based materials.     

Time-dependent characteristics of Herschel–Bulkley fluids from edible powders

Herschel–Bulkley shear thinning fluids were produced by blending saturated aqueous solutions of sucrose with one of the following edible powders: potato starch, wheat flour, maize flour, cocoa powder and milk powder. In each case, plasticity only occurred over a narrow range of proportions of saturated sucrose solution to edible powder. This proportion was crucial in controlling storage changes and textural properties. Bingham yield stresses increased with storage time and this was attributed to the competition for water between saccharides in the saturated solutions and components of the admixed powders. Dissolution of the components of the admixed powders was thought to be a key factor in determining the rate of change of textural properties such as hardness, fracturability, adhesiveness, springiness, cohesiveness, resilience and stringiness.     

A new testing configuration for shrinkage cracking of shotcrete and fiber reinforced shotcrete

Shotcrete and fiber reinforced shotcrete are commonly employed to produce layers or linings with large surface area versus volume ratios. Restrained shrinkage cracking is hence an important concern. The common test set-up used for shrinkage cracking of concrete, with a ring specimen cast around a stiff steel form, is not applicable to shotcrete. A new testing configuration, consisting of a shotcrete specimen bonded to a steel I-section and angles, is therefore proposed. In this investigation, a finite element analysis was first performed to identify member sizes that provide a good compromise between the effectiveness of constraint and weight of steel members. Restrained shrinkage tests using this new configuration were performed for plain and fiber reinforced shotcrete. Despite the simplifying assumptions in the finite element analysis, the predicted degree of restraint is in reasonable agreement with test results. From the results, the proposed set-up is shown to be a practical and viable approach for investigating the shrinkage cracking behavior of shotcrete and fiber reinforced shotcrete.