Laterality, alternation, and perseveration relationships on the T-maze test.

The T-maze test has been used to study several entirely different issues: spontaneous alternation behavior (SAB), perseveration behavior (PB), and behavioral lateralization. Despite the fact that in this test the behavior studied is always the same one (i.e., side choice), the possible relationships among SAB, PB, and lateralization have not been previously evaluated. The present study investigated the relationships among these functions. The results demonstrated that (1) shock increases PB and lateralization decreases SAB, (2) practice increases lateralization and decreases SAB but does not modify PB, and (3) there are sex differences for alternation and SAB. Because these functions are expressed by the same behavioral pattern, they must be quantified simultaneously to avoid mistaken conclusions when the T-maze test is used. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Legal Frameworks Governing Water in the Middle East and North Africa

For millennia, countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region have developed laws, regulations and other rules to govern their scarce water. These laws have been updated in recent years. This review of the legal frameworks (including regulations, decrees and other rules) reveals both progress and gaps in managing water quality, water quantity and procedural aspects. Of note, while the general frameworks are usually in place, in many instances the necessary details are lacking to give effect to the goals. However, in some instances the legal frameworks governing water lack certain key principles or approaches. In order to effectively meet the growing demands on their water resources, MENA countries will need to further strengthen and develop their legal frameworks.     

Oxidation and mineralisation of substituted phenols by Fenton's reagent and catalytic wet oxidation.

Catalytic abatement of solutions of 1,000 mg/L in phenol, ortho and para nitrophenol and ortho and para cresols was acomplished by using two catalytic systems. Fenton's reagent was used at 50 degrees C by adding 10 mg/L of ferrous cation and different dosages of H2O2. The mixture was reacting isothermically in a batch way during 3 hours. Catalytic wet oxidation (CWO) was carried out by using a commercial Activated Carbon, Industrial React FE01606A, CWO runs were carried out in a fixed bed reactor (FBR) with concurrent upflow. Temperature and oxygen pressure of the reactor were set to 160 degrees C and 16 bar, respectively. While phenols are quicky oxidised by the Fenton reagent higher mineralisation was obtained in the CWO process.     

Evidence-Based Solutions for Overcoming Access Barriers, Decreasing Attrition, and Promoting Change With Underserved Families.

Various definitions exist for what constitutes family therapy. In this article, we consider family therapy to encompass any intervention that targets family interactions and conceptualizes problems as existing beyond individual clients. Numerous individual studies and several quantitative reviews have established family therapy as an effective treatment modality and the treatment of choice for many disorders. However, critiques of existing service provision highlight the unfortunate fact that numerous barriers to treatment exist at multiple levels of the broader ecology, preventing many families from benefiting from these services. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of Dilution and Porosity on Self-Propagating High-Temperature Synthesis of Silicon Nitride

Self-propagating high-temperature synthesis is a very easy and low-cost method to synthesize Si₃N₄. The nitriding of silicon powder takes place in a self-sustained regime under high pressures of nitrogen with dilution of silicon by Si₃N₄. In this work effects of dilution and green-mixture porosity on combustion velocity and phase content of reaction products are studied. Results are compared with previous work of other authors and different behaviors are found. An explanation of these behaviors is given.     

Inside Front Cover: Three‐Dimensionally Ordered Gold Nanocrystal/Silica Superlattice Thin Films Synthesized via Sol–Gel Self‐Assembly (Adv. Funct. Mater. 7/2006)

The synthesis of three‐dimensionally ordered, transparent gold‐nanocrystal (NC)/silica superlattice thin films using the self‐assembly (by spin‐coating) of water‐soluble gold nanocrystal micelles and soluble silica is reported by Fan and co‐workers on p. 891. The robust, 3D NC/silica superlattice films are of interest for the development of collective optical and electronic phenomena, and, importantly, for the integration of NC arrays into device architectures. Nanocrystals and their ordered arrays hold many important applications in fields such as catalysis, surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy based sensors, memory storage, and electronic and optical nanodevices. Herein, a simple and general method to synthesize ordered, three‐dimensional, transparent gold nanocrystal/silica superlattice thin films by self‐assembly of gold nanocrystal micelles with silica or organosilsesquioxane by spin‐coating is reported. The self‐assembly process is conducted under acidic sol–gel conditions (ca. pH 2), ensuring spin‐solution homogeneity and stability and facilitating the formation of ordered and transparent gold nanocrystal/silica films. The monodisperse nanocrystals are organized within inorganic host matrices as a face‐centered cubic mesostructure, and characterized by transmission electron spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction.     

Grain size dependence of the activation parameters for plastic deformation: Influence of crystal structure,slip system,and rate-controlling dislocation mechanism

A critical review of available results on the dependence of grain size on the activation parameters for deformation, specifically, the activation volume, V*, and the thermal component of flow stress, σ*, has been carried out with a view to verifying the Armstrong prediction that identifies the Hall-Petch (H-P) intercept with the easy slip system and the H-P slope with the most difficult system in polycrystals. The influence of slip system choice is demonstrated using results on Cd and Zr. The Armstrong prediction is valid for basal slip hcp metals, such as Cd and Zn, with V* and σ* determined by the difficult pyramidal slip. For the prism slip metals such as Zr and Ti, V* and σ* are controlled by interstitial solutes and are independent of grain size. The results on Zr are used to highlight the influence of dynamic strain aging on the H-P parameters. In bcc metals, in which the Peierls-Nabarro barrier is the rate-controlling obstacle, V* and σ* are again independent of grain size. For fcc metals, correlation of the H-P slope with the cross-slip stress, predicted by the Armstrong model, has been demonstrated for a few cases. The variation of V* with grain size in Ni as reported by Narutani and Takamura (Acta Metall. Mater., 1991, vol. 227, pp. 2037–49) is newly interpreted in terms of the Armstrong model that associates the H-P intercept in fcc metals with dislocation intersections and the H-P slope with cross-slip, and provides realistic results for the activation volumes for the two processes. This article is based on a presentation given in the symposium “Dynamic Deformation: Constitutive Modeling, Grain Size, and Other Effects: In Honor of Prof. Ronald W. Armstrong,” March 2–6, 2003, at the 2003 TMS/ASM Annual Meeting, San Diego, California, under the auspices of the TMS/ASM Joint Mechanical Behavior of Materials Committee.