Assessment of risk for substance use disorder consequent to consumption of illegal drugs: Psychometric validation of the neurobehavior disinhibition trait.

Previous research has shown that the trait neurobehavior disinhibition (ND), which consists of affect, behavior, and cognitive indicators of self-regulation, is a significant predictor of substance use disorder (SUD) between childhood and young adulthood. The authors evaluated the psychometric properties of the ND trait in 278 boys evaluated at ages 10-12 and 16 years. ND score significantly predicted SUD and outcomes that commonly manifest in tandem with SUD by age 19, such as violence, arrests, committing crime while intoxicated, and concussion injury. In addition to predictive validity, the ND trait was found to have good construct, discriminative, and concurrent validity, as well as good test-retest and internal reliability. The ND trait may be useful for detecting youths at high risk for developing SUD and related outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Utilization of seashells in matte glaze preparation

In this study, the investigation of the optical properties and microstructural development of matte glaze compositions prepared with the addition of seashells was aimed. The seashells obtained from Black Sea beaches of Samsun, Turkey were characterized using XRF, XRD, FTIR, TG-DTA techniques, and heating microscope. The calcite-aragonite polymorphic transition was provided by heat treatment of seashell powders at 700°C for 1 hour and then, aragonite-based seashell powders were incorporated to matte glaze compositions up to 30 wt%. Firstly, four different types of fired body specimens (red clay, chamotte, white, and porcelain) were produced at 800ºC for 7 hour. Secondly, the prepared glazes were applied on surface of all fired bodies and then, all bodies were sintered at 1100ºC for 8 hour. Finally, coloring parameters and microstructural features of seashell added glazes were determined. The addition of seashells to glaze composition by 10 and 20 wt% resulted in higher transparency. The matte glaze was formed with increment of seashell content to 30 wt%. The more reduced fluidity of the glaze caused nonhomogenous matte appearance. As a result, it is possible to produce transparent glazes in eco-friendly and cost-effective way by addition of seashells into glaze composition in 20 wt%.     

Electrolytic production of Cu-Ni alloys in CaCl2-Cu2S-NiS molten salt

An alternative metal/alloy production method, known as direct electrochemical reduction (DER), was introduced for the fabrication of CuNi alloys from mixed sulfides (Cu₂S, NiS) under both galvanostatic and potentiostatic conditions. The influences of the process parameters (e.g., cell voltage and current) on the compositions of the reduced compounds were investigated to yield industrially desirable alloys, namely, CuNi10, CuNi20, and CuNi30. The electrochemical behaviors of Cu₂S and NiS in CaCl₂ melt were examined at a temperature of 1200 °C via cyclic voltammetry (CV). Based on the CV results, the cathodic reduction of Cu₂S occurred in one step and cathodic reductions of NiS occurred in two steps, i.e., Cu₂S?Cu for copper reduction and NiS?Ni₃S₂ ?Ni for nickel reduction. Galvanostatic studies revealed that it was possible to fabricate high-purity CuNi10 alloys containing a maximum sulfur content of 320×10^?6 via electrolysis at 10 A for 15 min. Scanning electron microscopy along with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry and optical emission spectroscopy (OES) examinations showed that it was possible to fabricate CuNi alloys of preferred compositions and with low levels of impurities, i.e., less than 60×10^?6 sulfur, via DER at 2.5 V for 15 min.     

A Comparative Study for Material Selection of Sensor Element Using Analytic Hierarchy Process

Material selection is crucial for sensor elements. Because of the numerous material alternatives available in the market, systematic methods must be employed to select the most suitable sensor material that satisfies technical, metrological and economic criteria. In this study, analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is employed for the selection of sensor material. Twenty common materials are classified in three groups according to their elasticity modulus, and then the best sensor material in each group is determined then the AHP rankings of the materials are calculated. The results show that AISI 4340 steel and CuBe alloy are the most suitable materials within the high- and lower-modulus groups, respectively, and Ni-Span-C is another good alternative sensor element.     

ETBE synthesis over silicotungstic acid and tungstophosphoric acid catalysts calcined at different temperatures

Vapor phase ethyl tertiary butyl ether synthesis was investigated using heat treated heteropoly acid catalysts, namely silicotungtsic acid (STA) and tungstophosphoric acid-Keggin (TPA-K) and these results were compared with the results obtained with untreated catalysts. ETBE synthesis experiments showed that heat treatment of TPA-K at temperatures over 473 K had caused significant decrease of its catalytic activity. Activity of STA was more stable and deactivation of this catalyst was observed by heat treatment at 673 K and above. Heat treatment at high temperatures caused loss of constitutional water of STA and TPA-K, causing loss of protons, consequently the loss of acidity of the catalysts, resulting deactivation. FT-IR, TGA-DTA and DRIFTS analyses on pyridine-adsorbed catalysts supported the conclusions related to structural changes of STA and TPA-K with heat treatment. Highest ETBE yields were obtained at around 368 K, while at temperatures over 423 K formation of DEE and ethylene were observed due to dehydration of ethanol.     

Photovoltaic properties of benzotriazole containing alternating donor–acceptor copolymers: Effect of alkyl chain length

A series of variable alkyl chain length substituted donor–acceptor (D–A) conjugated polymers with thiophene ring as the donor and benzotriazole moiety as the acceptor has been investigated in bulk heterojunction solar cells. The optical and electrochemical properties showed that the absorption onsets and the energy levels of the copolymers were not affected by alkyl substitution revealing 1.9 eV of optical band gap. The morphologies of the blend film can be fine-tuned by increasing the chain length attached to the benzotriazole unit. Photovoltaic devices were fabricated using (6,6)-phenyl-C₆₁-butyric acid methyl ester (PC₆₀BM) and (6,6)-phenyl-C₇₁-butyric acid methyl ester (PC₇₀BM) as the acceptors. The maximum performance was achieved with a V_oc of 0.75 V, J_sc of 3.70 mA/cm², FF of 45% and a PCE of 1.23% for the PTBT-DA10:PC₇₀BM device using 1:4 w/w ratio in chlorobenzene (CB).     

Electrochromic properties of a copolymer of 1‐4‐di[2,5‐di(2‐thienyl)‐1H‐1‐pyrrolyl]benzene with EDOT

Homopolymer of 1‐4‐di[2,5‐di(2‐thienyl)‐1H‐1‐pyrrolyl]benzene and its copolymer with 3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) were electrochemically synthesized and characterized. Resulting homopolymer and copolymer films have distinct electrochromic properties. At the neutral state, homopolymer has λ_max due to the π‐π* transition as 410 nm and E_g was calculated as 2.03 eV. The resultant copolymer revealed multichromism through the entire visible region, displaying red‐violet, brownish yellow green, and blue colors with the variation of the applied potential. For the copolymer, λ_max and E_g were found to be 450 nm and 1.66 eV, respectively. Double potential step chronoamperometry experiment shows that homopolymer and copolymer films have good stability, fast switching times, and high optical contrast in NIR region as 41 and 30%, respectively. Copolymerization with EDOT not only decreases the band gap, E_g, but also enhances the electrochromic properties. Hence, electrochemical copolymerization is considered to be a powerful tool to improve the electrochromic properties of N‐substituted 2,5‐di(2‐thienylpyrrole) derivatives. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009