Saturated Solutions of Anhydrous Phases in the System Lime-Silica-Water: Example of β-C2S

Saturated solutions rerely form when the anhydrous constituents of aluminous and portland cement are stirred in water or in lime solutions of increasing concentrations. Apart from monocalcium aluminate, concentration of ions in solution cannot exceed maximum supersaturation with respect to the hydrate most likely to precipitate. The present work shows such a behavior for β-C₂S suspended in water and in lime solutions at low concentration. In more concentrated lime solutions, a short lifetime saturation state with respect to β-C₂S seems to be reached.     

How Perception Impacts on Drawings.

In 3 experiments the authors investigate how errors in perception produce errors in drawings. In Experiment 1, when Shepard stimuli were shown as a pair of tables, participants made severe errors in trying to adjust 1 part of the stimulus to match the other. When the table legs were removed, revealing a pair of parallelograms with minimal perspective cues, the illusion was weaker. The authors predicted that participants would err when drawing the table but not the parallelogram stimuli. The results of Experiment 2 support the prediction and establish a direct link between degree of perceptual distortion of the table stimuli and the severity of error in drawing. When drawing only the right-hand part of the figure, participants also erred to a greater degree in drawing the table than the parallelogram (Experiment 3). Collectively, the results suggest that perceptual distortion is linked with errors in drawing the table stimuli. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of multipurpose solutions for contact lens care on the in vitro drug-induced spoliation of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) in simulated aqueous humour.

Drug-induced spoliation of hydrogels as contact lenses or as implants in the anterior eye is a frequent occurrence in clinical practice. This study explores the capacity of three commercial multipurpose solutions for contact lens care to reduce the spoliation of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) specimens exposed to a simulated aqueous humour formulation and to three topical drugs commonly administered after insertion of artificial corneas (Predsol, Optimol and Depo-Ralovera). ReNu MultiPlus (Bausch & Lomb), Complete Blink-N-Cleantrade mark Lens Drops (Allergan) and Complete Protein Remover Tablets dissolved in Complete ComfortPLUS (both from Allergan) were evaluated. All multipurpose solutions were able to dislodge passively the deposits formed on hydrogels in the simulated aqueous and in the presence of Predsol and Optimol, but none were effective against the deposits induced by Depo-Ralovera. A reduction of the calcium content in deposits caused by Predsol and Optimol was confirmed after treatment with the protein remover preparation, while the other multipurpose solutions caused the complete removal of the deposits. In experiments designed to evaluate the preventive action of the multipurpose solutions, no such effects were observed regardless of the drug involved. The prospect of using multipurpose solutions as eye drops following implantation of a hydrogel artificial cornea is a valid alternative for reducing device spoliation, however it appears to depend on the nature of the postoperative medication.     

Quantitative Determination of Cellular Farnesyltransferase Activity: Towards Defining the Minimum Substrate Reactivity for Biologically Relevant Protein Farnesylation

Prenylation is a post‐translational modification wherein an isoprenoid group is attached to a protein substrate by a protein prenyltransferase. Hundreds of peptide sequences are in vitro substrates for protein farnesyltransferase (FTase), but it remains unknown which of these sequences can successfully compete for in vivo prenylation. Translating in vitro studies to predict in vivo protein farnesylation requires determining the minimum reactivity needed for modification by FTase within the cell. Towards this goal, we developed a reporter protein series spanning several orders of magnitude in FTase reactivity as a calibrated sensor for endogenous FTase activity. Our approach provides a minimally invasive method to monitor changes in cellular FTase activity in response to environmental or genetic factors. Determining the reactivity “threshold” for in vivo prenylation will help define the prenylated proteome and identify prenylation‐dependent pathways for therapeutic targeting.     

Adverse impact and predictive efficiency of various predictor combinations.

The effects of number of predictors, predictor intercorrelations, validity, and level of subgroup difference on composite validity, adverse impact ratios, and mean subgroup difference associated with various predictor composites, including and excluding a "high impact" ability measure, were assessed. The size of subgroup differences is substantially smaller when low-impact predictors are combined with a high-impact predictor, but hiring ratios for majority and minority groups still indicate a prima facie case of discrimination, using the fourth-fifths rule for most predictor-criterion combinations. However, the validity of a composite of alternate predictors and cognitive ability may exceed the validity of cognitive ability alone and reduce the size of subgroup differences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

évaluation préliminaire des qualités psychométriques d'un système de codification du soutien conjugal pour le trouble de stress post-traumatique.

Lack of social support (SS) is one of the most important factors influencing the development and maintenance of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and people living in couples seek the support of their spouse. To our knowledge, no study on PTSD has used an observational measure of SS in addition of the usual self-report method of measurement. The purpose of this study is to adapt the Social Support Interaction Global Coding System (SCIS) and to explore its psychometric properties using 20 support interactions videotaped with couples among whom a spouse has a PTSD diagnosis. Results suggest that the new SCIS (PTSD) shows satisfactory interrater reliability, good internal consistency and good convergent validity with self-reported measures of perceived support and marital adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Black bear femoral porosity decreases and mechanical properties increase with age despite annual periods of disuse (hibernation)

Inactivity causes bone loss, and a remobilization period that is 2-3 times longer than the disuse period is required to recover lost bone. Black bears (Ursus americanus), however, experience annual disuse (hibernation) and active periods that are approximately equal in length, but maintain bone material properties with age. Here, the effects of annual hibernation periods on whole bone properties were investigated. This study shows that mineral, geometrical and whole bone mechanical properties increase with age in black bear femurs, whereas porosity decreases with age. These results provide further support that black bears possess a biological mechanism to avoid disuse osteoporosis.     

Lien entre la qualité des relations familiales et sociales à l'adolescence et à l'age adulte.

Fifty-seven families with adolescent children participated in a study of a) the quality of family and friendship relationships in adolescence, and b) the quality of family, friendship, and romantic relationships of adolescents 7 years later. Observation measures and self-report questionnaires were used to examine the variables. Regression analyses showed that mothers' marital satisfaction, conjugal conflict, and quality of mother-daughter relationship in adolescence predicted daughters' satisfaction with romantic relationships in adulthood. However, only the parental variables during adolescence predicted the quality of friendship relationships in adulthood. This study highlighted the contribution that quality of family relationships in adolescence makes to the quality of interpersonal relationships in adulthood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The near wall behavior of an impinging jet

The present work investigates the applicability of scaling log-laws to the turbulent impinging jet. Both, the velocity and the temperature fields are studied under this assumption. To validate the proposed expressions, a detailed experimental program was carried out based on thermal anemometry. The experiments were conducted for one nozzle-to-plate spacing (H/D = 2.0) and Reynolds number of 35,000. A constant wall heat flux condition was achieved by conducting electricity through thin resistors that were placed beneath an aluminum disk. Measurements of local velocity and of temperature distributions are presented as well as longitudinal turbulence profiles. The mean temperature profiles were measured through thermocouples.