A biosocial developmental model of borderline personality: Elaborating and extending linehan’s theory.

Over the past several decades, research has focused increasingly on developmental precursors to psychological disorders that were previously assumed to emerge only in adulthood. This change in focus follows from the recognition that complex transactions between biological vulnerabilities and psychosocial risk factors shape emotional and behavioral development beginning at conception. To date, however, empirical research on the development of borderline personality is extremely limited. Indeed, in the decade since M. M. Linehan initially proposed a biosocial model of the development of borderline personality disorder, there have been few attempts to test the model among at-risk youth. In this review, diverse literatures are reviewed that can inform understanding of the ontogenesis of borderline pathology, and testable hypotheses are proposed to guide future research with at-risk children and adolescents. One probable pathway is identified that leads to borderline personality disorder; it begins with early vulnerability, expressed initially as impulsivity and followed by heightened emotional sensitivity. These vulnerabilities are potentiated across development by environmental risk factors that give rise to more extreme emotional, behavioral, and cognitive dysregulation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Turbulence effects of wall-pressure fluctuations for reattached flow

A methodology is presented to predict the frequency spectrum of fluctuating wall-pressures based on a steady Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) solution. The spectral modeling scheme solves a Poisson equation with a linear source term (LST) for the mean-velocity-turbulence interaction (MT) and non-linear source terms (NST) for the turbulence-turbulence interaction (TT). An anisotropic factor is used to account for the anisotropic features of the turbulence field. The prediction method was originally developed based on the equilibrium flow, i.e. turbulent flow with homogeneous and stationary characteristics, with the LST only. In this paper, the model is further applied to a non-equilibrium flow, i.e. flow over a backward facing step (BFS), to explore its predictability for the wall-pressure fluctuations. With the help of DNS results and experimental data for the BFSs, the model is investigated with the inclusion of NST. Prediction results demonstrate the impact of turbulence features of the wall shear layers to the predicted wall-pressure spectrum.     

Solvothermal synthesis,nanostructural characterization and gas cryo-adsorption studies in a metal–organic framework (IRMOF-1) material

A nanoporous metal–organic framework material, exhibiting an IRMOF-1 type crystalline structure, was prepared by following a direct solvothermal synthesis approach, using zinc nitrate and terephthalic acid as precursors and dimethylformamide as solvent, combined with supercritical CO₂ activation and vacuum outgassing procedures. A series of advanced characterization methods were employed, including scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared radiation spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, in order to study the morphology, surface chemistry and structure of the IRMOF-1 material directly upon its synthesis. Porosity properties, such as Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET) specific area (～520 m²/g) and micropore volume (～0.2 cm³/g), were calculated for the activated sample based on N₂ gas sorption data collected at 77 K. The H₂ storage performance was preliminary assessed by low-pressure (0–1 bar) H₂ gas adsorption and desorption measurements at 77 K. The activated IRMOF-1 material of this study demonstrated a fully reversible H₂ sorption behavior combined with an adequate gravimetric H₂ uptake relative to its BET specific area, thus achieving a value of ～1 wt.% under close-to-atmospheric pressure conditions.     

Effects of ion irradiation in metallic glasses

Application of metallic glasses as structural materials has been limited by their poor ductility. To overcome brittle failure, nanocrystals are intentionally introduced to stabilize the glasses. In this study, we report on the application of ion irradiation to induce nanocrystalization in a Cu₅₀Zr₄₅Ti₅ (CZT) alloy. Transmission electron microcopy, microindentation and nanoindentation have been used to characterize the CZT alloy irradiated with 140 keV He ions at room temperature. Hardness enhancement was observed near the projected range of the He ions, coinciding with the formation of nanocrystals. Such microstructural changes, however, were not observed in the near surface region, where the electronic stopping process is dominant.     

Foraging theory for autonomous vehicle speed choice

We consider the optimal control design of an abstract autonomous vehicle (AAV). The AAV searches an area for tasks that are detected with a probability that depends on vehicle speed, and each detected task can be processed or ignored. Both searching and processing are costly, but processing also returns rewards that quantify designer preferences. We generalize results from the analysis of animal foraging behavior to model the AAV. Then, using a performance metric common in behavioral ecology, we explicitly find the optimal speed and task processing choice policy for a version of the AAV problem. Finally, in simulation, we show how parameter estimation can be used to determine the optimal controller online when density of task types is unknown.     

Determination of longitudinal dispersion coefficient and net advection in the tidal hudson river with a large-scale,high resolution SF6 tracer release experiment

Physical processes such as advection, dispersion, and air-water gas exchange play important roles in determining the movement and change in concentration of contaminants discharged into rivers. In the following, we report results from a large-scale SF6 tracer release experiment conducted in the tidal Hudson Riverto examine longitudinal dispersion and net advection. SF6 was injected into the Hudson River near Newburgh, NY, and surveyed for 13 days using a new, fully automated, high-resolution SF6 sampling and analysis system. Net down river advection of the water body originally tagged with SF6 was slow, averaging mean displacement rates of about 0.5 +/- 0.2 km d(-1). In contrast, spreading of the tracer was driven by tidal movement, causing rapid mixing of the water up and down river. By examining the change in the second moment of the tracer distribution with time, we determined the mean longitudinal dispersion coefficient to be 70.1 +/- 4.3 m2 s(-1). Temporal evolution of the SF6 inventory indicates an average gas transfer velocity over the period of the experiment of 6.5 +/- 0.5 cm h(-1) (1.56 +/- 0.12 m d(-1)). Vertical profiles show that mixing into the bottom layers of the river, in places reaching more than 53 m, seemed to be rapid.     

Novel tubing microreactor for monitoring chemical reactions

There is an expanding interest in small-scale methods to evaluate catalysts and chemical reactions at a variety of conditions, ranging up to 6.9 MPa (1000 psig) and 300 degrees C. Multiwell parallel batch techniques are most commonly applied in high-throughput screening systems. In contrast, we describe here a rapid, serial, highly controllable method based on LC-type steel tubing rated for high pressures. The tube, containing a variety of flowing ingredients, such as carrier solvents, catalyst formulations, and reactants, is self-heated ohmically using electrical current from a power supply monitored and regulated with a precision of 0.01%. An array of voltage taps arranged along its length serves to sense the real-time temperature profile of the tube. Reactions are seen as temperature pulses progressing through the reactor, in zones of 200 microL each, and tracked with a temperature precision of 0.1 degrees C. A unique pressure controller was devised to maintain constant reactor pressures despite effluent viscosity fluctuations due to polymerization. Several chemical reaction systems have been characterized to date, including decomposition reactions of di-tert-butyl peroxide, polymerizations of styrene, formation of polyethylene from ethylene, and copolymerization of ethylene with 1-octene. For ethylene polymerization, the amount of mass of polymer formed is proportional to the responses observed.