Interactive optimal design of truss structures

A CAD system based on combining structural optimization methods and graphical interaction is presented. The optimization methods implement the automated decisions and algorithms while the interaction provides the means to implement the designer's decisions. A new interactive optimization procedure for optimal truss design is proposed. The structural topology, geometry and member sizes are treated as design variables. Results show that the system provides a powerful tool to obtain a practical optimum design.     

Self-help groups: A referral resource for professional therapists.

Discusses the nature, structure, limitations, and potential of self-help organizations. The effective utilization of self-help organizations requires the referring therapist's awareness of the goals, methods, and services provided by the group and evaluation of the unique needs of potential group members. The value of self-help groups may depend on appropriate referral by psychotherapists. (48 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hyperfine and Structural Isotope Effects in Muonated Cyclohexadienyl and Cyclopentyl Radicals

Incorporation of muonium, the ultra-light isotope of hydrogen with a mass of only one-ninth the mass of H, leads to pronounced isotope effects in hyperfine coupling constants of radicals. They reflect the mass dependence of the internal dynamics. A detailed analysis is presented for the cyclohexadienyl and the cyclopentyl radicals. It is concluded that the isotope dependent bond length in an anharmonic potential accounts quantitatively for the observed effects in rigid species.     

Internship Training: Do Models Really Matter?

During the past 50 years, a number of models of training (scientist-practitioner, practitioner-scholar, clinical scientist) have been developed. This study examined how these models are conceptualized and implemented at internship and postdoctoral training programs. Surveying 248 internship programs (42% response rate), the authors found that the model name (i.e., scientist-practitioner) was not related to how programs were conceptualized or how their training was implemented, raising questions about accreditation requirements. Implications for training sites and the American Psychological Association Committee on Accreditation are explored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Template-Directed Polymerization of Binary Acrylate Monomers on Surface-Activated Lignin Nanoparticles in Toughening of Bio-Latex Films

Fabricating bio-latex colloids with core–shell nanostructure is an effective method for obtaining films with enhanced mechanical characteristics. Nano-sized lignin is rising as a class of sustainable nanomaterials that can be incorporated into latex colloids. Fundamental knowledge of the correlation between surface chemistry of lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) and integration efficiency in latex colloids and from it thermally processed latex films are scarce. Here, an approach to integrate self-assembled nanospheres of allylated lignin as the surface-activated cores in a seeded free-radical emulsion copolymerization of butyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate is proposed. The interfacial-modulating function on allylated LNPs regulates the emulsion polymerization and it successfully produces a multi-energy dissipative latex film structure containing a lignin-dominated core (16% dry weight basis). At an optimized allyl-terminated surface functionality of 1.04 mmol g⁻¹, the LNPs-integrated latex film exhibits extremely high toughness value above 57.7 MJ m⁻³. With multiple morphological and microstructural characterizations, the well-ordered packing of latex colloids under the nanoconfinement of LNPs in the latex films is revealed. It is concluded that the surface chemistry metrics of colloidal cores in terms of the abundance of polymerization-modulating anchors and their accessibility have a delicate control over the structural evolution of core–shell latex colloids.