Criticality of the geological copper family

Because modern technology depends on reliable supplies of a wide variety of materials, and because of increasing concern about those supplies, a comprehensive methodology has been created to quantify the degree of criticality of the metals of the periodic table. In this paper, we apply this methodology to the elements of the geological copper family: Cu, As, Se, Ag, Te, and Au. These elements are technologically important, but show a substantial variation in different factors relating to their supply risk, vulnerability to supply restriction, and environmental implications. Assessments are made on corporate, national, and global levels for year 2008. Evaluations of each of the multiple indicators are presented and the results plotted in "criticality space", together with Monte Carlo simulation-derived "uncertainty cloud" estimates for each of the aggregated evaluations. For supply risk over both the medium term and long term, As is the highest risk of the six metals, with Se and Ag nearly as high. Gold has the most severe environmental implications ranking. Vulnerability to supply restriction (VSR) at the corporate level for an invented solar cell manufacturing firm shows Se, Te, and Cu as approximately equal, Cu has the highest VSR at the national level, and Cu and Au have the highest VSRs at the global level. Criticality vector magnitudes are greatest at the global level for As (and then Au and Ag) and at the national level for As and Au; at the corporate level, Se is highest with Te and Cu lower. An extension of this work, now in progress, will provide criticality estimates for several different development scenarios for the period 2010-2050.     

Influence of energy balance on the somatotrophic axis and matrix metalloproteinase expression in the endometrium of the postpartum dairy cow

Postpartum dairy cows enter a period of negative energy balance (NEB) associated with low circulating IGF1, during which the uterus must undergo extensive repair following calving. This study investigated the effects of NEB on expression of IGF family members and related genes in the involuting uterus. Cows were allocated to two treatments using differential feeding and milking regimes to produce mild NEB or severe NEB (SNEB). Uterine endometrial samples collected 2 weeks post partum were analysed by quantitative PCR. The expression of IGF-binding protein 4 (IGFBP4) mRNA increased in the endometrium of SNEB cows, with trends towards increased IGFBP1 and reduced IGFBP6 expression. There were no significant differences between treatments in mRNA expression of IGF1, IGF2 or of any hormone receptor studied, but significant correlations across all cows in the expression levels of groups of receptors suggested common regulatory mechanisms: type 1 IGF receptor (IGF1R), IGF2R and insulin receptor (INSR); GHR with ESR1; and ESR2 with NR3C1. The expression of IGF1R and INSR also positively correlated with the circulating urea concentration. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are important in tissue remodelling and can affect IGF signalling via interaction with IGFBPs. The expression levels of MMP1, MMP3, MMP9 and MMP13 mRNAs all showed major upregulation in the endometrium of cows in SNEB and all except MMP9 were highly correlated with expression of IGFBP4. Alpha(2)-HS-glycoprotein (AHSG) and PDK4, two genes implicated in insulin resistance, were also highly expressed in SNEB. These results suggest that cows in SNEB experience alterations to the IGF and insulin signalling pathways in the postpartum endometrium. This may affect the rate of tissue repair with a possible negative impact on subsequent fertility.     

Positive and negative emotionality: Trajectories across six years and relations with social competence.

The goals of the present study were to examine (1) the mean-level stability and differential stability of children's positive emotional intensity, negative emotional intensity, expressivity, and social competence from early elementary school-aged to early adolescence, and (2) the associations between the trajectories of children's emotionality and social functioning. Using four waves of longitudinal data (with assessments 2 years apart), parents and teachers of children (199 kindergarten through third grade children at the first assessment) rated children's emotion-related responding and social competence. For all constructs, there was evidence of mean-level decline with age and stability in individual differences in rank ordering. Based on age-centered growth-to-growth curve analyses, the results indicated that children who had a higher initial status on positive emotional intensity, negative emotional intensity, and expressivity had a steeper decline in their social skills across time. These findings provide insight into the stability and association of emotion-related constructs to social competence across the elementary and middle school years. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Early gender differences in self-regulation and academic achievement.

This study examined gender differences in self-regulation in the fall and spring of kindergarten and their connection to gender differences in 5 areas of early achievement: applied problems (math), general knowledge, letter–word identification, expressive vocabulary, and sound awareness. Behavioral self-regulation was measured using both an objective direct measure (N = 268; Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task) and, for a subsample of children, a teacher report of classroom self-regulatory behavior (n = 156; Child Behavior Rating Scale). Results showed that girls outperformed boys in both assessments. Although gender differences in self-regulation were clear, no significant gender differences were found on the 5 academic achievement outcomes, as measured by the Woodcock–Johnson III Tests of Achievement. Self-regulation consistently predicted math and sound awareness, although links were stronger with the direct measure as compared with teacher reports. Implications for understanding the role of gender and self-regulation in early and later academic achievement and the role of self-regulation in particular areas of achievement are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of chemical vapour infiltration conditions of acetylene on the structural and textural properties of EMT-type zeolite nanocasted carbon replica

Ordered microporous carbons were synthesized by the nanocasting process using EMC-2 zeolite (EMT structure type) and acetylene as a mould and a carbon precursor, respectively. In this study, the conditions of the synthesis methods for preparing the ordered microporous carbons were examined. Temperature and duration parameters for the chemical vapour infiltration were optimized to yield an ordered carbon replica that displays up the three XRD diffraction peaks. This faithful replica exhibits also a high micropore volume (1.3–1.4 cm³/g) with mainly supermicroporosity, a high specific surface area (>2900 m²/g) and nearly no mesoporosity. The pore size distribution calculated with NLDFT method from nitrogen physisorption data shows three maxima at 0.6, 1.0 and 1.8 nm diameters. The second is due to the zeolite wall dissolution. The first and the third are attributed to different types of default. Compared to the classical two-step procedure, the direct infiltration with acetylene appears an interesting route for the preparation of ordered microporous carbon replicas with high micropore volume.     

Shedding some light on catching in the dark: Perceptual mechanisms for catching fly balls.

To catch a lofted ball, a catcher must pick up information that guides locomotion to where the ball will land. The acceleration of tangent of the elevation angle of the ball (AT) has received empirical support as a possible source of this information. Little, however, has been said about how the information is detected. Do catchers fixate on a stationary point, or do they track the ball with their gaze? Experiment 1 revealed that catchers use eye and head movements to track the ball. This means that if AT is picked up retinally, it must be done by means of background motion. Alternatively, AT could be picked up by extraretinal mechanisms, such as the vestibular and proprioceptive systems. In Experiment 2, catchers reliably ran to intercept luminous fly balls in the dark, that is, in absence of a visual background, under both binocular and monocular viewing conditions. This indicates that the optical information is not detected by a retinal mechanism alone. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developing and marketing patent information services to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Birmingham, UK

The Patent Information Service of Birmingham Central Library was re-assessed in the light of changing customer requirements and new opportunities to better meet those needs. A substantial funding injection enabled research to be carried out and the results put into practice, e.g., in expanding the range of services – with particular emphasis on helping small and medium enterprise (SME) businesses, and in positive marketing of the services, rather than the previous passive provision of services. The resulting integrated business and intellectual property service was then re-branded as ‘Business Insight' and given wide promotion in the Birmingham area.     

Development of an analyser to determine the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the head‐space of packages

This paper describes the development of an analyser intended to measure the concentrations of CO₂ and O₂ present as part of the gas mixture in the head‐space of food packages. The efficiency of the measuring device was evaluated by analysing the atmosphere of packages containing the following food products: grated Parmesan cheese, milk powder and fresh pasta. A comparison between the results of the analysis performed with the newly developed analyser and those obtained by gas chromatography showed good correlation between the two methods. The O₂ and CO₂ analyser presented satisfactory accuracy (absolute error smaller than 2.5%, v/v) and precision (relative standard deviation varying from 0.2% to 8.5%). In addition, final results of the levels of both gas types present in the atmosphere submitted to analysis are obtained after about 2 min. The proposed analyser constitutes an alternative solution for the analysis of gases present in the head‐space of packages, especially when gas samples of very small volumes—about 200 μl—are to be used. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High performance praseodymium nickelate oxide cathode for low temperature solid oxide fuel cell

The praseodymium nickelate oxide Pr₂NiO_4+δ, a mixed conducting oxide with the K₂NiF₄-type structure, was evaluated as cathode for low temperature solid oxide fuel cells (T = 873 K). The electrochemical performance of the cathode has been improved by optimization of the microstructure of the porous cathode combined with the use of a ceria barrier layer in between the cathode and zirconia electrolyte. Both low polarization and ohmic resistances were obtained using Pr₂NiO_4+δ-powders with a median particle size of 0.4 μm, and sintering the screen printed layer at a sintering temperature of about 1353 K for 1 h. These manufacturing conditions resulted in a cathode microstructure with well established connections between the cathode particles and good adhesion of the cathode on the electrolyte. Full-sized anode supported cells have been manufactured using the same process conditions for the Pr₂NiO_4+δ cathode and tested. The best results were obtained when using a dense Ce_0.8Gd_0.2O_1.9 (20CGO) barrier layer. While a complete optimization of the cell preparation has not yet been achieved, the electrochemical performances of anode supported cells with Pr₂NiO_4+δ are higher than those with the well known state-of-the-art La_0.6Sr_0.4Fe_0.8Co_0.2O_3−δ (LSFC) material.