Infant abuse and neglect in monkeys—a discussion of definitions, epidemiology, etiology, and implications for child maltreatment: Reply to Cicchetti (1998) and Mason (1998).

In response to D. Cicchetti's (see record 1998-01884-002) and W. A. Mason's (see record 1998-01884-003) commentaries, this article scrutinizes infant maltreatment in monkeys and its public health implications. Studies of infant abuse and neglect in monkeys have used operational definitions based on (a) adult behavior or (b) adult behavior and infant outcome (depending on data available for analysis). Direct comparisons between the incidence of maltreatment in monkey and human populations can be only tentative as a result of differences in operational definitions of maltreatment. A simplified version of the ecological-transactional model of maltreatment can be used in research with nonhuman primates, and different species can be used to model different aspects of the human phenomenon. Although abuse and neglect take different forms in animals and humans, research with animal models can make an important contribution to elucidating the adaptive function, if any, of child maltreatment and the proximate mechanisms underlying its occurrence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

2DEG base hot electron transistors fabricated using MBE and in situion beam lithography

A vertical hot electron transistor incorporating a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) base has been fabricated in the GaAs-AlGaAs materials system. The difficulties caused by the need to form selective ohmic contacts to the different conducting layers have been overcome using a combination of in situ focused ion beam (FIB) isolation and molecular beam epitaxial (MBE) regrowth. This has allowed a high yield of working devices to be achieved with a typical common emitter current gain of h_FE=6 at low temperatures     

The controlled rounding problem: Relaxations and complexity issues

Summary Controlled rounding is a procedure that perturbs tabular data collected from respondents in such a way as to preserve the anonymity of the respondents while maintaining the integrity of the data. Controlled rounding techniques are regularly used by the United States Bureau of the Census and its counterparts in other countries. This paper discusses the complexity of the three-dimensional controlled rounding problem. In particular, the three-dimensional, zero-restricted controlled rounding problem is shown to be NP-complete. As zero-restricted controlled roundings may fail to exist, various relaxations of this basic rounding problem have been defined. The paper introduces a sequence of such relaxations and proceeds to address the existence of solutions and complexity issues for the relaxed problems.

---

Zusammenfassung Die Technik des kontrollierten Rundens (Controlled Rounding) wird von Behörden wie dem United States Bureau of Census benutzt, um in mehrdimensionalen Tabellen oder Matrizen erfaßte statistische Daten durch Approximation so zu verändern, daß sowohl die Anonymität von Einzeldaten (Matrixeinträgen) als auch die Integrität der Gesamtdaten (Zeilensummen, Spaltensummen etc.) gewährleistet ist. In dieser Arbeit behandeln wir die Komplexität und Lösbarkeit des dreidimensionalen Rundungsproblems und diskutieren eine Hierarchie von Relaxationen, die bei Nichtlösbarkeit des Ausgangsproblems alternative, nahezu zulässige Lösungen liefern.

     

Investigation of fusion reactions in palladium and titanium tritide using galvanostatic,coulometric, and hydrogen permeation techniques

We describe several electrochemical methods used to investigate the possibility of cold fusion phenomena in palladium and titanium tritide cathodes. We performed long-term (up to 77 days) electrolysis experiments with electrochemical cells of the University of Utah type at current densities as high as 1 A/cm², while monitoring neutron and tritium levels. With some cells, we pulsed the current to determine if neutron bursts would result. In another cell, we used titanium tritide as the cathode to determine if D-T reactions yielding neutrons would occur. In no instance were levels of neutrons or tritium significantly above background except in the titanium tritide cell where isotopic exchange, occcurring between the electrode and the electrolyte, resulted in significant tritium levels. We also combined x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electrochemical hydrogen permeation experiments to determine the effectiveness of various Pd surface treatment procedures on the resultant electrochemical hydrogen absorption efficiency. Electroanalytical and thermal desorption/gas analysis techniques indicated the maximum loading of H in Pd was to a ratio of HPd=0.8.     

The right view from the wrong location: depth perception in stereoscopic multi-user virtual environments

Stereoscopic depth cues improve depth perception and increase immersion within virtual environments (VEs). However, improper display of these cues can distort perceived distances and directions. Consider a multi-user VE, where all users view identical stereoscopic images regardless of physical location. In this scenario, cues are typically customized for one "leader" equipped with a head-tracking device. This user stands at the center of projection (CoP) and all other users ("followers") view the scene from other locations and receive improper depth cues. This paper examines perceived depth distortion when viewing stereoscopic VEs from follower perspectives and the impact of these distortions on collaborative spatial judgments. Pairs of participants made collaborative depth judgments of virtual shapes viewed from the CoP or after displacement forward or backward. Forward and backward displacement caused perceived depth compression and expansion, respectively, with greater compression than expansion. Furthermore, distortion was less than predicted by a ray-intersection model of stereo geometry. Collaboration times were significantly longer when participants stood at different locations compared to the same location, and increased with greater perceived depth discrepancy between the two viewing locations. These findings advance our understanding of spatial distortions in multi-user VEs, and suggest a strategy for reducing distortion.     

Measurements and analysis of transmitted spectra from LOTUS fission-suppressed hybrid blanket driven by D-T neutrons

The neutron spectra transmitted across a fission-suppressed hybrid blanket and its components, driven by a low intensity 14 MeV Haefely neutron generator, were measured with a 2×2 NE213 detector at LOTUS facility. These experiments have been analyzed with 2D and 3D codes DOT3.5 and MCNP, respectively. The spectral integrals between 15 to 1 MeV show good agreement among the 2D, the 3D, and the NE213 for 15 cm lead, 18 cm beryllium, and 25 cm graphite slabs. However, there are large discrepancies for 6.2 cm stainless steel and 15 cm lithium carbonate slabs. The assemblies involving two or more of these slabs reflect these tendencies. We observe also considerable disagreement over pointwise spectra for a number of assemblies.Work done while on visiting assignment to Institut de Génie Atomique, E.P.F.L.     

Secondary Metabolic Profile as a Tool for Distinction and Characterization of Cultivars of Black Pepper (Piper nigrum L.) Cultivated in Pará State,Brazil

This study evaluated the chemical compositions of the leaves and fruits of eight black pepper cultivars cultivated in Pará State (Amazon, Brazil). Hydrodistillation and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry were employed to extract and analyze the volatile compounds, respectively. Sesquiterpene hydrocarbons were predominant (58.5–90.9%) in the cultivars “Cingapura”, “Equador”, “Guajarina”, “Iaçará”, and “Kottanadan”, and “Bragantina”, “Clonada”, and “Uthirankota” displayed oxygenated sesquiterpenoids (50.6–75.0%). The multivariate statistical analysis applied using volatile composition grouped the samples into four groups: γ-Elemene, curzerene, and δ-elemene (“Equador”/“Guajarina”, I); δ-elemene (“Iaçará”/“Kottanadan”/“Cingapura”, II); elemol (“Clonada”/“Uthirankota”, III) and α-muurolol, bicyclogermacrene, and cubebol (“Bragantina”, IV). The major compounds in all fruit samples were monoterpene hydrocarbons such as α-pinene, β-pinene, and limonene. Among the cultivar leaves, phenolics content (44.75–140.53 mg GAE·g⁻¹ FW), the enzymatic activity of phenylalanine-ammonia lyase (20.19–57.22 µU·mL⁻¹), and carotenoids (0.21–2.31 µg·mL⁻¹) displayed significant variations. Due to black pepper’s susceptibility to Fusarium infection, a molecular docking analysis was carried out on Fusarium protein targets using each cultivar’s volatile components. F. oxysporum endoglucanase was identified as the preferential protein target of the compounds. These results can be used to identify chemical markers related to the susceptibility degree of black pepper cultivars to plant diseases prevalent in Pará State.     

Design of Dual-Gate P-type IMOS Based Industrial Purpose Pressure Sensor

Silicon - In this treatise, we have proposed a Single Material Gate–Dual Gate Impact Ionization Metal Oxide Semiconductor (SMG DG-IMOS) based Pressure Sensor. The pressure sensor has the most...     

Computational modeling of cathodic limitations on localized corrosion of wetted SS 316L at room temperature

The ability of a SS 316L surface wetted with a thin electrolyte layer to serve as an effective cathode for an active localized corrosion site was studied computationally. The dependence of the total net cathodic current, I_net, supplied at the repassivation potential E_rp (of the anodic crevice) on relevant physical parameters including water layer thickness (WL), chloride concentration ([Cl⁻]) and length of cathode (Lc) were investigated using a three-level, full factorial design. The effects of kinetic parameters including the exchange current density (i_o,c) and Tafel slope (β_c) of oxygen reduction, the anodic passive current density (i_p) (on the cathodic surface), and E_rp were studied as well using three-level full factorial designs of [Cl⁻] and Lc with a fixed WL of 25 μm. The study found that all the three parameters WL, [Cl⁻] and Lc as well as the interactions of Lc × WL and Lc × [Cl⁻] had significant impact on I_net. A five-factor regression equation was obtained which fits the computation results reasonably well, but demonstrated that interactions are more complicated than can be explained with a simple linear model. Significant effects on I_net were found upon varying either i_o,c, β_c, or E_rp, whereas i_p in the studied range was found to have little impact. It was observed that I_net asymptotically approached maximum values (I_max) when Lc increased to critical minimum values. I_max can be used to determine the stability of coupled localized corrosion and the critical Lc provides important information for experimental design and corrosion protection.