Preference and the specificity of goals.

In this study, the authors examined (a) the effect of changes in the need to eat on expressed preferences for foods that are appropriate for different times of day and (b) whether that need is directed toward food in general or foods contextually appropriate to the time of day. Previous findings suggest that, when the goal is active relative to when it is inactive, items relevant to satisfying a goal increase in value but items unrelated to that goal decrease in value. The authors observed that, when people needed to eat, they sought foods that are contextually appropriate to the time of day of the study. Hence, the goal they sought to fulfill was narrower than seeking foods in general. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of gonadotrophin on cell and matrix retention and expression of metalloproteinases and their inhibitor in cultured human granulosa cells modelling corpus luteum function

A retrospective cohort study in 1794 male ceramic workers in the Netherlands was carried out to analyze the lung cancer risk in relation to crystalline silica exposure and silicosis. They had all been employed for two years or longer in ceramic industries between 1972 and 1982. During a health survey, 124 cases of simple pneumoconiosis were diagnosed; after 14 years of follow-up, 161 deaths had occurred. No increased overall and cause-specific mortality was found in the total group of ceramic workers, and a statistically significant cumulative dose-response relation for silica exposure and lung cancer did not emerge. An excess lung cancer mortality appeared among workers with simple pneumoconiosis. The authors conclude that the disease process resulting in silicosis in the ceramic industry carries an increased risk of lung cancer, which is supportive of a nongenotoxic pathway.     

A new repetitive control for LTI systems with input delay

In this paper, a new form of Repetitive Control (RC) is proposed which is applicable to an extended class of systems, including time-delay systems. A new convergence condition which is necessary and sufficient will be derived for this RC. Simulation examples will illustrate the practical applications of the results to process control problems.     

Mode selective chemistry at surfaces

Surface chemistry experiments can now quantify the reactivity of polyatomic reagents prepared in select vibrational states. These studies of vibrationally mediated chemistry are showing that the nature of the vibrational excitation, and not just its total energy, can play an important role in determining the rates and pathways of surface reactions. Such vibrational mode selective behavior results when the timescale for statistical redistribution of vibrational energy within the reaction complex is slower than reaction. This review surveys prior examples of mode selective reactivity on surfaces, and it emphasizes four aspects of experimental work published within the past year: the extension of earlier methane/nickel studies to another metal, the observation of vibrational mode selectivity in a precursor-mediated reaction, the demonstration of bond-selective control over a gas–surface reaction, and the outline of an emerging framework for understanding the origin of these non-statistical reaction patterns in surface chemistry. These studies impact our fundamental understanding of surface chemistry, and they point toward new strategies for controlling and manipulating reactivity in vapor deposition processes.     

Fatigue Performance of Nitinol Round Wire with Varying Cold Work Reductions

The role of cold work reduction and its effect on fatigue properties are examined by means of rotary beam fatigue testing. In this study, processing parameters from the initial ingot to the final size before finish drawing were held constant. Fatigue specimens were prepared with between 20 and 55% cold work in five percent increments. These samples were subsequently heat treated, cut into test sections at room temperature, and subjected to strain-controlled fatigue testing in a temperature-controlled RO water bath at a constant 10 °C above the measured active austenitic finish temperature (A _f). An empirical analysis of the relationship between final reduction prior to heat treatment and fatigue lifetime is presented. Under alternating strain amplitudes greater than 1%, the 20 to 30% cold work level was found to deliver the greatest mean cycles to failure. Supplemental to the fatigue data, mechanocyclic and thermomechanical data are also presented as they evolve with prior retained cold work.     

Measurement of solids concentration by an ultrasonic transmission technique

An ultrasonic transmission technique is under development to determine the concentration of solids in a three-phase slurry reactor by measuring the velocity of ultrasound in slurries. Preliminary measurements have been made on slurries consisting of water, glass beads, and air bubbles. The data show that both the sound speed and attenuation are well-defined functions of both the solid and gas concentrations in the slurries. A simple model is proposed to correlate the concentration of solids with the measured ultrasonic signals.     

Psychometric evaluation of Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence Scale.

Examined the psychometric properties of A. Antonovsky's (1988) Sense of Coherence (SOC) Scale. 374 Ss completed the SOC scale and a battery of theoretically relevant questionnaires. Principal-components analysis with a Varimax-Promax rotation produced a solution with 5 factors, which were further reduced to 1 factor, suggesting that the SOC scale is a unidimensional instrument. Additional analyses indicated satisfactory internal consistency as well as test–retest reliability at 1 and 2 wks. Evidence for the validity of the SOC scale was obtained in that nonclinical Ss obtained higher SOC scores than did clinical Ss. Additional validity evidence was provided by negative correlations between SOC scores and self-reports of (1) perceived stress, (2) trait anxiety, and (3) current depression. Discriminant evidence for the validity of the SOC scale was mixed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The attitude polarization phenomenon: Role of response measure, attitude extremity, and behavioral consequences of reported attitude change.

Four studies examined the generality of attitude polarization (C. G. Lord et al, 1979). Biased assimilation of essays on 2 controversial issues was substantial and correlated with reported attitude change. Polarization was observed for reported attitude change on capital punishment and generally stronger in Ss with extreme than moderate attitudes. Polarization was not indicated in a pre–post measurement design. For affirmative action, reported polarization was not observed. The hypothesis that Ss reporting polarization would subsequently write particularly strong essays was not supported, although those reporting depolarization wrote relatively weak essays. The results suggest the relevance of individual differences in reported attitude change but do not confirm the powerful inferences frequently drawn regarding the pervasive, undesirable consequences of self-reported attitude polarization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Chemical Evidence for Remnant cis Bonds in ‘trans’-Polyacetylene

Residual 740 cm^?1 absorption, a signature of the cis isomer, is always observed to the extent of ± 5% in ‘trans’-polyacetylene prepared thermally from the Shirawaka cis isomer, regardless of the temperature or duration of treatment. The view that a significant fraction of the ‘remnant cis bonds’ is in the form of or can be converted to cisoid single bonds is supported by the results of a Diels-Alder trapping experiment with maleic anhydride. The presence of the remnant cis linkages leads to simple rationalisation of free radical (soliton) generation and diffusion, conjugation lengths determined by Raman spectroscopy, x-ray structural evolution and electrical conductivity.