New solid acids in the triple-layer Dion-Jacobson layered perovskite family

Dion-Jacobson type layered perovskites such as A′Ca₂Nb₃O₁₀ (A′ = K, Rb, H) have continued to be of great interest due to their compositional variability, rich interlayer chemistry, and wide range of physical properties. In this study, we investigated the range and effects of substitutional doping of Ta⁵⁺ for Nb⁵⁺ and of Sr²⁺ for Ca²⁺ in A′Ca₂Nb₃O₁₀. We have prepared and characterized three new solid solutions: KCa₂Nb_3−xTa_xO₁₀, RbCa₂Nb_3−xTa_xO₁₀, and RbCa_2−xSr_xNb₃O₁₀. These materials all readily undergo proton exchange to form two new series of hydrated solid acid phases, which in most cases can be dehydrated to form stable HCa₂Nb_3−xTa_xO₁₀ and HCa_2−xSr_xNb₃O₁₀ compounds. Intercalation studies with n-hexylamine and pyridine were carried out to gauge the relative Brønsted acidities across the HCa₂Nb_3−xTa_xO₁₀ series, and we determined that materials with the highest tantalum contents are weaker acids than the parent compound HCa₂Nb₃O₁₀. Preliminary intercalation studies with pyridine for the HCa_2−xSr_xNb₃O₁₀·yH₂O solid acids, however, showed no significant difference in acidity with varying strontium content.     

Factor structure of the Paranoia scale of the MMPI–2 in relation to the Harris-Lingoes subscales and Comrey factor analysis.

A 3-factor structure for the Paranoia (Pa) scale of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—2 (J. N. Butcher. W. G. Dahlstrom, J. R. Graham, A. Tellegen, & B. Kaemmer, 1989) was derived in a sample of 378 patients with substance use disorders and validated by confirmatory factor analysis in a separate sample of 226 patients. Factors labeled Paranoia and Low Morale were positively correlated with each other but inversely correlated with Naiveté, and factor correlations were largely explained by a General Maladjustment construct, as defined by Welsh's Anxiety scale. The content of the Paranoia factor was obviously related to the concept of paranoia, and Low Morale had a high correlation with General Maladjustment. Naiveté was defined primarily by "false" responses to items that endorse cynical attitudes. The 3 factors corresponded well with the Harris-Lingoes Pa subscales of Persecutory Ideas, Poignancy, and Naiveté and aligned closely with groups of factors from the 9-factor solution of Comrey (1958). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of language in therapy with the Spanish-English bilingual client.

The clinical and counseling psychology profession has witnessed a steady increase in research on the development and application of Hispanic/Latino-centered therapeutic approaches; however, little attention has been given to incorporating the dynamics of a client's language background in treatment. The authors discuss the important role of language representation and emotions and the implications for conducting therapy with bilingual clients who speak Spanish and English. The contributions of psychoanalysis and psycholinguistics that have guided the research on language issues in counseling and therapy are presented, and future directions in research, training, and practice are outlined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Modelling the loss in strength of AR-glass fibres in textile-reinforced concrete

AR-glass-reinforcement in concrete, which for example is used in the new composite material textile-reinforced concrete, loses strength in the long term as a consequence of weathering. The knowledge of this time-dependant development of strength loss is an essential aspect for the application of textile-reinforced components in structurally relevant areas. The present work describes investigations about the development of strength loss of AR-glass-reinforcement in concrete caused by weathering. First of all, the main reason for the loss in strength of AR-glass in concrete was determined [1]. Based on this, a mathematical approach to describe the loss in strength was derived for constant climatic conditions. This model was verified with numerous test results acquired by various investigation methods. The influence of humidity, temperature, pH-value and glass composition on the loss in strength of the AR-glass-reinforcement was investigated. The loss in strength of the reinforcement starts above a critical humidity and increases exponentially with higher temperatures. Additionally combined loads were analysed to finally derive a basis for a durability-model which can take arbitrarily complex weathering into account. Pull-out investigations underline that the bond between AR-glass-reinforcement and matrix is independent of the long-term weathering.     

Behavioral study of the visual cortex of Galago senegalensis.

Reports an ablation study which found that the effects of ablating area 17 are similar in bushbabies and monkeys (i.e., a profound sensory loss characterized by deficiencies in pattern discrimination, localization of objects, depth perception, and tracking), while minimal sensory loss is produced by ablating area 17 in squirrels or tree shrews. It is suggested that this difference may depend on the extent of the cortical target of the tecto-pulvinar path. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multiplexed lipid dip-pen nanolithography on subcellular scales for the templating of functional proteins and cell culture

Molecular patterning processes taking place in biological systems are challenging to study in vivo because of their dynamic behavior, subcellular size, and high degree of complexity. In vitro patterning of biomolecules using nanolithography allows simplification of the processes and detailed study of the dynamic interactions. Parallel dip-pen nanolithography (DPN) is uniquely capable of integrating functional biomolecules on subcellular length scales due to its constructive nature, high resolution, and high throughput. Phospholipids are particularly well suited as inks for DPN since a variety of different functional lipids can be readily patterned in parallel. Here DPN is used to spatially pattern multicomponent micro- and nanostructured supported lipid membranes and multilayers that are fluid and contain various amounts of biotin and/or nitrilotriacetic acid functional groups. The patterns are characterized by fluorescence microscopy and photoemission electron microscopy. Selective adsorption of functionalized or recombinant proteins based on streptavidin or histidine-tag coupling enables the semisynthetic fabrication of model peripheral membrane bound proteins. The biomimetic membrane patterns formed in this way are then used as substrates for cell culture, as demonstrated by the selective adhesion and activation of T-cells.     

Fractionation and identification of ACE-inhibitory peptides from α-lactalbumin and β-casein produced by thermolysin-catalysed hydrolysis

The thermolysin catalysed hydrolysates of α-lactalbumin and β-casein were fractionated by size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) in order to identify the peptides responsible for the high ACE-inhibitory activity of these hydrolysates. The SEC fractionation separated many co-eluting peptides into different fractions allowing individual peptides to be isolated in one or two subsequent semi-preparative RP-HPLC fractionation steps. Five potent ACE-inhibitory peptides from α-lactalbumin were isolated. They all contained the C-terminal sequence -PEW, corresponding to amino acid residues 24–26 in α-lactalbumin, and had IC₅₀ values of 1–5 μm. From one SEC fraction of the β-casein hydrolysate two potent ACE-inhibitory peptides were isolated and identified as f58-76 and f59-76 of β-casein A2. They both contained IPP as the C-terminal sequence and had IC₅₀ values of 4 and 5 μm. From another SEC fraction a new but less ACE-inhibitory peptide from β-casein was identified (f192–196; LYQQP).     

Coatings to prevent frost

The ability of hydrophobic, organic–inorganic hybrid coatings to decelerate frost propagation was investigated. Compared to a bare aluminum surface, the coatings do not significantly reduce the freezing probability of supercooled water drops. On both surfaces, the probability for ice nucleation at temperatures just below 0°C, for example at ?4°C, is low. Freezing of a single drop on aluminum leads, however, to instant freezing of the complete surface. On hydrophobic coatings, such a freezing drop is isolated; the frozen area grows slowly. At ?4°C surface temperature in a +12°C/90% relative humidity environment, on surfaces providing a water contact angle hysteresis of about 10° and receding water contact angles higher than 90°, a rate for the growth of the average radius of the frozen area of about 2 µm/s was observed. Submitting the surface to an airflow of 1 m/s led to faster frost spreading in flow direction. Although the airflow compromised the anti-ice properties to some extent, the application of the hydrophobic coating in a heat recovery ventilation experiment extended the time interval between defrosting cycles by a factor of 2.3.     

Therapists’ views on working with bilingual Spanish–English speaking clients: A qualitative investigation.

Through semistructured interviews, language switching in therapy was examined with 9 bilingual Spanish and English therapists. Therapists were asked about how and when they switched from one language to another during treatment, as well as the ways in which their clients’ switched languages. After the use of consensual qualitative research methods (C. E. Hill et al., 2005; C. E. Hill, B. J. Thompson, & E. N. Williams, 1997), the results revealed that therapists used language switching as a mechanism to establish trust, bond with clients, and promote disclosure through the use of specific phrases or specific words; particularly, the use of Spanish idiomatic expressions (dichos) served to engage, redirect, and increase client self-understanding and awareness. Therapists reported that their clients switched from English to Spanish when recounting experiences that involved certain emotions (e.g., anger) and represented themselves differently depending on the language they were speaking. Therapists also reported that their clients switched from English to Spanish to improve communication and to connect with them. Future directions for research and implications for training and practice are outlined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Screening level risk assessment model for chemical fate and effects in the environment

A screening level risk assessment model is developed and described to assess and prioritize chemicals by estimating environmental fate and transport, bioaccumulation, and exposure to humans and wildlife for a unit emission rate. The most sensitive risk endpoint is identified and a critical emission rate is then calculated as a result of that endpoint being reached. Finally, this estimated critical emission rate is compared with the estimated actual emission rate as a risk assessment factor. This "back-tracking" process avoids the use of highly uncertain emission rate data as model input. The application of the model is demonstrated in detail for three diverse chemicals and in less detail for a group of 70 chemicals drawn from the Canadian Domestic Substances List. The simple Level II and the more complex Level III fate calculations are used to "bin" substances into categories of similar probable risk. The essential role of the model is to synthesize information on chemical and environmental properties within a consistent mass balance framework to yield an overall estimate of screening level risk with respect to the defined endpoint. The approach may be useful to identify and prioritize those chemicals of commerce that are of greatest potential concern and require more comprehensive modeling and monitoring evaluations in actual regional environments and food webs.