Measuring individual and cultural differences in implicit trait theories.

A new measure of implicit theories or beliefs regarding the traitedness versus contextuality of behavior was developed and tested across cultures. In Studies 1 (N = 266) and 2 (N = 266), these implicit beliefs dimensions were reliably measured and replicated across U.S. college student samples and validity evidence was provided. In Study 3, their structure replicated well across an individualistic culture (the United States; N = 249) and a collectivistic culture (Mexico, N = 268). Implicit trait and contextual beliefs overlapped only modestly with implicit entity theory beliefs and were predicted by self-construals in ways that generally supported cultural psychology hypotheses. Implicit trait beliefs were fairly strongly endorsed in both cultures, suggesting that such beliefs may be university held. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Designing Phase Selectively Soluble Polymer-Supports for Dimethylaminopyridine and Phosphine-Ligated Pd(0) Catalysts

Soluble poly(4-alkylstyrene) containing 4-methyl-, 4-tert-butyl, 4-dodecyl-, and 4-octadecylstyrene were formed either with monomers containing dyes-, ligands, or catalysts or with 5–10 mol% of 4-chloromethylstyrene and studied as supports for ligands or catalysts. Studies with dye-labeled polymers showed that polymers containing longer alkyl groups alone or at ca. 10 mol% loading are highly soluble in heptane can be used to separate and recycle organo- and transition metal catalysts.

     

Fabrication of Surface-Modified One-Dimensional Titania Nanostructures in the Presence of Chitosan

One-dimensional TiO₂-based nanostructures with modified surface have been produced by alkaline hydrothermal treatment of TiO₂ and CoTiO₃ powders in the presence of bioactive natural polymer—chitosan—as the organic reagent. Nanostructures are characterized by multilayer morphology. However, characteristic interlayer distances are significantly higher than in those produced without chitosan. Moreover, thin bioorganic layers are observed on the surface of elongated structures produced by processing of TiO₂ powder. Quite different surfaces with numerous Co-containing agglomerates of chitosan derivatives are detected when CoTiO₃ powder is processed. After vacuum treatment at 600°C and higher, Co-containing elongated nanostructures demonstrate the abnormal high ferromagnetic properties.     

Study of the chemical composition of suspended particles in Lake Baikal

Samples of suspended material (solid particles) from Lake Baikal were analysed by using X‐ray fluorescence elemental analysis with the excitation of monochromatized synchrotron radiation (SRXFA, Novosibirsk, Russia) and electron probe X‐ray microanalysis (EPXMA, Antwerp, Belgium). The chemical composition of particles in different depths and basins of the lake is discussed. The chemical composition of the central parts of the lake are stable, but concentrations are higher in the southern basin, which is liable to pollution.     

Dilution methods to deprive Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cultures of sulfur for subsequent hydrogen photoproduction

Sulfur deprivation of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cultures gradually inactivates photosynthetic O₂ evolution and leads to the establishment of anaerobiosis in the medium. Sulfur-deprived algal cultures kept under anaerobic conditions will then produce H₂ gas for 3–5 days under continuous illumination. Currently, sulfur deprivation is achieved by mechanical centrifugation of cultures grown in sulfur-replete medium, followed by extensive and costly washing. The cells are finally resuspended in sulfur-free medium. The current study investigates two procedures to deprive algal cultures of sulfur that eliminate the centrifugation step. These procedures involve sulfur deprivation by dilution of sulfur-replete cultures into either sulfur-limited medium or sulfur-free medium. We demonstrate that efficient H₂ photoproduction can be achieved on a timely basis using either procedure. However, the dilution of sulfate-replete algal cultures 1:10 v/v into sulfur-free medium is the most appropriate procedure. These observations serve as the basis for developing an algal H₂-production system that is cheaper, less time-consuming, and less amenable to contamination with other microorganisms than systems employing centrifugation for sulfur deprivation.     

Cathode structure optimization for air-breathing DMFC by application of pore-forming agents

The cathode catalyst layer in an air-breathing, direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) has been improved by addition of pore-forming materials, such as ammonium carbonate and ammonium hydrocarbonate. These construct an effective electrode pore structure. During fabrication of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA), these pore-formers decompose, increase the BET surface area of the electrodes, and form additional porosity. Ammonium carbonate predominantly produces macropores, while ammonium hydrocarbonate is effective for mesopores. This results in an increase in electrochemical active area and catalyst utilization. The higher open-circuit voltage with MEAs prepared with pore-forming material indicates improved air transfer through the cathode. The power density is increased by 30–40% with the employment of the pore-forming materials.     

PEMFC catalyst layers: the role of micropores and mesopores on water sorption and fuel cell activity

The effects of carbon microstructure and ionomer loading on water vapor sorption and retention in catalyst layers (CLs) of PEM fuel cells are investigated using dynamic vapor sorption. Catalyst layers based on Ketjen Black and Vulcan XC-72 carbon blacks, which possess distinctly different surface areas, pore volumes, and microporosities, are studied. It is found that pores <20 nm diameter facilitate water uptake by capillary condensation in the intermediate range of relative humidities. A broad pore size distribution (PSD) is found to enhance water retention in Ketjen Black-based CLs whereas the narrower mesoporous PSD of Vulcan CLs is shown to have an enhanced water repelling action. Water vapor sorption and retention properties of CLs are correlated to electrochemical properties and fuel cell performance. Water sorption enhances electrochemical properties such as the electrochemically active surface area (ESA), double layer capacitance and proton conductivity, particularly when the ionomer content is very low. The hydrophilic properties of a CL on the anode and the cathode are adjusted by choosing the PSD of carbon and the ionomer content. It is shown that a reduction of ionomer content on either cathode or anode of an MEA does not necessarily have a significant detrimental effect on the MEA performance compared to the standard 30 wt % ionomer MEA. Under operation in air and high relative humidity, a cathode with a narrow pore size distribution and low ionomer content is shown to be beneficial due to its low water retention properties. In dry operating conditions, adequate ionomer content on the cathode is crucial, whereas it can be reduced on the anode without a significant impact on fuel cell performance.     

Imagining the future: Degraded representations of future rewards and events in schizophrenia.

Over the course of life, most people work toward temporally distant rewards such as university degrees or work-related promotions. In contrast, many people with schizophrenia show deficits in behavior oriented toward long-term rewards, although they function adequately when rewards are more immediately present. Moreover, when asked about possible future events, individuals with schizophrenia show foreshortened future time perspectives relative to healthy individuals. Here, we take the view that these deficits are related and can be explained by cognitive deficits. We compared the performance of participants with schizophrenia (n = 39) and healthy participants (n = 25) on tasks measuring reward discounting and future event representations. Consistent with previous research, we found that relative to healthy participants, those with schizophrenia discounted the value of future rewards more steeply. Furthermore, when asked about future events, their responses were biased toward events in the near future, relative to healthy participants' responses. Although discounting and future representations were unrelated in healthy participants, we found significant correlations across the tasks among participants with schizophrenia, as well as correlations with cognitive variables and symptoms. Further analysis showed that statistically controlling working memory eliminated group differences in task performance. Together these results suggest that the motivational deficits characteristic of schizophrenia relate to cognitive deficits affecting the ability to represent and/or evaluate distant outcomes, a finding with important implications for promoting recovery from schizophrenia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Shift of Phase Transition Temperature in Strontium Titanate Thin Films

The results of structural and electrical characterizations of SrTiO₃ thin films deposited onto MgO and LaAlO₃ substrates by pulsed laser deposition technique are presented. The influence of substrate and annealing procedure on the crystalline structure and dielectric properties of these ferroelectric thin films are investigated. The obtained experimental data are analyzed in terms of the Landau theory taking into account the room-temperature lattice mismatch of the ferroelectric and substrates as well as the difference in their thermal expansion. It is shown that the behavior of the SrTiO₃ thin films could not be attributed to the effect of the film/substrate mechanical coupling. As a possible nature of the observed behavior one can consider the non-stoichiometry of the film composition caused by the chemical contact of the film with the substrate and by the annealing.     

Getting and X-ray Diffraction Analysis of the Microsphere Catalyst U,Nd on the Basis Fly Ash of Thermal Power Plants

To study the physical and chemical properties of aluminosilicate microsphere catalyst by impregnation and calcination us was first obtained aluminosilicate microsphere catalyst U, Nd for petrochemical processes. The method of X-ray structure has been studied for the microsphere catalyst U, Nd.