Self-evaluation maintenance and the mediational role of emotion: The perception of friends and strangers.

Examined the causal role of emotional arousal in self-evaluation maintenance (SEM) processes. In previous work, A. Tesser and J. Campbell (see record 1983-12693-001) found that Ss were most charitable in their perception of another's performance when self-relevance was low and the other was close. If emotional arousal mediated this pattern of behavior, then the pattern of behavior should be replicated when arousal is present but attenuated when arousal is misattributed or low. The misattribution hypothesis was tested in Study 1. Study 2 was a correlational study in which physiological arousal and misattribution were measured. Results supported the prediction that SEM processes would be attenuated when arousal was attributed to external sources. The misattribution effect was particularly pronounced among more highly aroused Ss. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for the SEM model and person perception. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

BCL-2 overexpression attenuates cortical cell loss after traumatic brain injury in transgenic mice

The proto-oncogene, BCL-2, has been suggested to participate in cell survival during development of, and after injury to, the CNS. Transgenic (TG) mice overexpressing human Bcl-2 (n = 21) and their wild-type (WT) littermates (n = 18) were subjected to lateral controlled cortical impact brain injury. Lateral controlled cortical impact brain injury resulted in the formation of a contusion in the injured cortex at 2 days, which developed into a well-defined cavity by 7 days in both WT and TG mice. At 7 days after injury, brain-injured TG mice had a significantly reduced cortical lesion (volume = 1.99 mm3) compared with that of the injured WT mice (volume = 5.1 mm3, P < 0.01). In contrast, overexpression of BCL-2 did not affect the extent of hippocampal cell death after lateral controlled cortical impact brain injury. Analysis of motor function revealed that both brain-injured WT and TG mice exhibited significant right-sided deficits at 2 and 7 days after injury (P < 0.05 compared with the uninjured controls). Although composite neuroscores (sum of scores from forelimb and hind limb flexion, lateral pulsion, and inclined plane tests) were not different between WT and TG brain-injured mice, TG mice had a slightly but significantly reduced deficit in the inclined plane test (P < 0.05 compared to the WT mice). These data suggest that the cell death regulatory gene, BCL-2, may play a protective role in the pathophysiology of traumatic brain injury.     

The implementation of temperature control to an inductive‐coil photoconductance instrument for the range of 0–230°C

A new device setup for temperature and injection‐dependent lifetime spectroscopy (TIDLS) is described. It comprises two off‐the‐shelf components: a heating and cooling stage (HCS) from INSTEC and an inductive‐coil photoconductance (PC) instrument (WCT‐100) from Sinton Consulting Inc. The HCS was fitted to the WCT‐100 in a manner that circumscribes the inductive coil (the sensor) of the RF bridge circuit and controls the temperature of the wafer effectively. This setup has the advantage of requiring minor modifications to industry standard instruments while attaining a large temperature range. As experimental verification, injection‐dependent lifetimes were measured over a temperature range, 0–230°C, in three iron‐implanted silicon wafers. The measured lifetimes are consistent with the Shockley–Read–Hall equation using the impurity concentration calculated from the implant dose and the energy level and capture cross‐sections of interstitial iron from the literature. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effect of damp‐heat and UV aging tests on the optical properties of silicone and EVA encapsulants

The absorption coefficient α(λ) of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) silicone and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) is monitored during exposure to damp‐heat (DH) and UV accelerated aging tests. In the DH test, the samples were exposed to 85% relative humidity at 85°C for 1325 h, satisfying the DH components of the IEC, UL, and IEEE's humidity‐freeze and DH tests. It is shown that moisture introduced by the DH exposure scatters incident light, reducing transmission through test samples and complicating optical experiments. It was therefore necessary to dry out the samples to assess the effect of DH exposure on α(λ). By this procedure, it was found that DH exposure caused an increase of α(λ) in both PDMS and EVA, where small absorption shoulders were introduced at wavelengths of 250–500 nm; this translates to a 0.14% and 0.39% loss in module efficiency for the silicone and EVA, respectively. The weight gain due to moisture was 0.035% for PDMS and 0.28% for EVA. In the UV test, the samples were held at 60 ± 5°C and exposed to 52 kWh/m² between the wavelengths of 280 and 385 nm, and 5.0 kWh/m² between 280 and 320 nm, satisfying the pre‐conditioning UV tests of the IEC reliability standard. The UV exposure did not affect α(λ) of either the PDMS or the EVA. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A quantitative risk assessment of a domestic property connected to a hydrogen distribution network

The increased reliance on natural gas for heating worldwide makes the search for carbon-free alternatives imperative, especially if international decarbonisation targets are to be met. Hydrogen does not release carbon dioxide (CO₂) at the point of use which makes it an appealing candidate to decarbonise domestic heating. Hydrogen can be produced from either 1) the electrolysis of water with no associated carbon emissions, or 2) from methane reformation (using steam) which produces CO₂, but which is easily captured and storable during production. Hydrogen could be transported to the end-user via gas distribution networks similar to, and adapted from, those in use today. This would reduce both installation costs and end-user disruption. However, before hydrogen can provide domestic heat, it is necessary to assess the ‘risk’ associated with its distribution in direct comparison to natural gas. Here we develop a comprehensive and multi-faceted quantitative risk assessment tool to assess the difference in ‘risk’ between current natural gas distribution networks, and the potential conversion to a hydrogen based system. The approach uses novel experimental and modelling work, scientific literature, and findings from historic large scale testing programmes. As a case study, the risk assessment tool is applied to the newly proposed H100 demonstration (100% hydrogen network) project. The assessment includes the comparative risk of gas releases both upstream and downstream of the domestic gas meter. This research finds that the risk associated with the proposed H100 network (based on its current design) is lower than that of the existing natural gas network by a factor 0.88.     

The metabolism of neutral lipids in the spur dogfish,Squalus acanthias

Cell free studies have shown that liver and intestine are the major sites of synthesis of triacyl glycerols inSqualus acanthias. The liver and to a lesser extent the intestine and stomach are major sites of wax ester synthesis. Muscle does not synthesize either triacyl glycerols or wax esters significantly. In vivo studies have shown that intravenously injected (³H) fatty alcohol is massively oxidized to (³H) fatty acid, the bulk of which appears in muscle. Liver appears to export both free fatty acids and triacyl glycerols to serum and thence to muscle. Free fatty acids, triacyl glycerols, wax esters and cholesteryl esters are all turned over within 48 hr inSqualus serum. The turnover of triacyl glycerols greatly exceeds the turnover of alkyl diacyl glycerols.     

A new technique for characterizing floating‐junction‐passivated solar cells from their dark IV curves

The incorporation of a floating junction (FJ) at the surface of a solar cell is a proven means of attaining excellent surface passivation. The development of FJ passivation for commercial use, however, has been hindered by an inherent difficulty in characterizing the FJ itself; to measure FJ parameters directly requires that electrical contact be made to the floating (i.e. uncontacted) layer that forms the FJ, and this is an irreversible process that can alter the properties of the FJ. This paper presents a new, simple technique to characterize an FJ that does not require electrical contact to the floating layer. The Ebers–Moll equivalent circuit is used to derive relationships between the cell parameters of an FJ‐passivated solar cell and the shape of its dark IV curve. With these relationships, lumped, one‐dimensional values can be determined for the current gains and the dark saturation currents of both the contacted and the floating junction, and the shunt resistance across the FJ. The technique is verified with device simulation and then demonstrated on two experimental FJ‐passivated solar cells. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The utility of IgA antibody to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in early diagnosis of vertically transmitted infection. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Women and Infants Transmission Study Group

OBJECTIVE: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) IgA in identifying infected infants at or before 6 months of age among the offspring of HIV-infected mothers. DESIGN: Prospective comparison of anti-HIV IgA measurement performed in 2 different laboratories by 2 different methods with the criterion standard of blood culture. SETTING: Five centers in the United States and Puerto Rico. PATIENTS: Population-based sample of 156 infants of HIV-infected mothers in the Women and Infants Transmission Study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Results of anti-HIV IgA test in relation to the infection status of the infants as measured by blood culture. RESULTS: Six-month plasma or serum samples were first tested in the 2 laboratories. The sensitivity and specificity of anti-HIV IgA in detecting infected infants at this age by laboratories 1 and 2 were 69% and 63% and 100% and 99%, respectively. A look-back study of samples obtained at birth, 1, 2, and 4 months was then performed on all infected children and a matched set of uninfected children. The performance of the test at birth was unsatisfactory in both laboratories (sensitivity 44% and 33%, specificity 43% and 60%), whether peripheral or cord blood was examined. At 1, 2, and 4 months, the sensitivity of the test was lower than at 6 months, but specificity was high. A modest correlation of absent anti-HIV IgA antibody and low percentage of CD4 cells in peripheral blood was seen at 6 months of age. CONCLUSIONS: The anti-HIV IgA test has moderate sensitivity and high specificity for the diagnosis of HIV infection at 6 months of age in the offspring of infected mothers.