Psychologists' ratings of the best-interests-of-the-child custody and access criterion: A family systems assessment model.

Custody and access assessment is a complex, litigious, and ethically challenging area of clinical practice. Eighty-eight qualified psychologists completed an exploratory survey, the Best Interests of the Child (BIC) Questionnaire, by rating the importance of 60 specific criteria in three areas of assessment relevant to custody and access evaluations: (a) structural (relational assessment), (b) developmental (needs-of-the-child assessment), and (c) functional (abilities-of-the-parents assessment). The value of the BIC assessment model, developed through this study, is explored as a framework for advancing practice in custody and access assessment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cuticular hydrocarbons of dampwood termites,Zootermopsis: Intra- and intercolony variation and potential as taxonomic characters

Colonies ofZootermopsis were collected from the central Sierra Nevada and the Monterey Penninsula in California, and from southern Arizona. Cuticular hydrocarbons were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and quantified by gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) for each caste of all colonies. Four consistent and distinct cuticular hydrocarbon patterns, or chemical phenotypes, were identified. Unique and abundant monomethyl- and dimethylalkanes, and ann-alkene provided easy separation of the various phenotypes. Significant differences in the proportions of the various components were found among castes within a colony and colonies within phenotypes from California. Differences in the hydrocarbon proportions for castes were not consistent between colonies. The current taxonomy of the genusZootermopsis recognizes three species. Our identification of four consistent, unique cuticular hydrocarbon phenotypes from the three described species should alert systematists and others to a major concern. If there are truly only three extant species, then the hypothesis that cuticular hydrocarbon profiles in this genus are species specific is not acceptable. Conversely, if cuticular hydrocarbon profiles are truly species specific, then there is at least one new, undescribed species ofZootermopsis.Isoptera: Termopsidae.     

Variation of deep drawing steel grades’ properties in dependency of the stress state and its impact on FEA

In industrial sheet metal forming processes the complexity of parts has been increased within the last decade due to the demands on ambitious designs and lightweight construction. As the forming processes are often laid out near the limit of feasibility, small variations of process parameters and materials’ properties may lead to an increased scrap rate in serial production. The consideration of varying parameters in the computerized process design is generally realizable, but especially the modelling of the material properties’ variation in numerical simulation close to reality is not investigated comprehensively yet. The varying parameters considered in a so called stochastic simulation are often limited to the mechanical properties, which can be determined within the uniaxial tensile test. As within the forming process of a complex sheet metal part different stress states occur, the batch variation under different forming conditions has to be investigated in detail. Within this work a basic investigation for the consideration of the batch variation under different stress states is presented. Three coils of the same steel grade, the mild deep drawing steel DX56, are characterised experimentally in order to investigate the scatter band of the stresses between the three batches representing material variation close to reality. For this the flow behaviour is determined under uniaxial stress condition and under biaxial stress condition. Furthermore the results of the tests under biaxial stress condition lead to a batch specific biax-stress-point, which represents a further reference point for the yield locus interpolation according to Hill 90. The forming limit diagrams are determined experimentally for the three batches in order to reproduce scattering of the onset of necking as well. Based on the experimental results, three batch specific material models for FE-simulation are prepared and used as input parameters for numerical forming simulations. Using the cross die geometry with two different initial blank geometries, different stress states can be adjusted in four reference points, covering the stress states between uniaxial and biaxial stress condition, thus, the plane strain area. Within the reference points, the effect of materials’ properties variation on the risk of failure is evaluated.     

Transfer of noroviruses between fingers and fomites and food products

Human norovirus (NoV) contaminated hands are important routes for transmission. Quantitative data on transfer during contact with surfaces and food are scarce but necessary for a quantitative risk assessment. Therefore, transfer of MNV1 and human NoVs GI.4 and GII.4 was studied by artificially contaminating human finger pads, followed by pressing on stainless steel and Trespa® surfaces and also on whole tomatoes and cucumber slices. In addition, clean finger pads were pressed on artificially contaminated stainless steel and Trespa® surfaces. The transfers were performed at a pressure of 0.8–1.9 kg/cm² for approximately 2 s up to 7 sequential transfers either to carriers or to food products. MNV1 infectivity transfer from finger pads to stainless steel ranged from 13 ± 16% on the first to 0.003 ± 0.009% on the sixth transfer on immediate transfer. After 10 min of drying, transfer was reduced to 0.1 ± 0.2% on the first transfer to 0.013 ± 0.023% on the fifth transfer. MNV1 infectivity transfer from stainless steel and Trespa® to finger pads after 40 min of drying was 2.0 ± 2.0% and 4.0 ± 5.0% respectively. MNV1 infectivity was transferred 7 ± 8% to cucumber slices and 0.3 ± 0.5% to tomatoes after 10 min of drying, where the higher transfer to cucumber was probably due to the higher moisture content of the cucumber slices. Similar results were found for NoVs GI.4 and GII.4 transfers measured in PCR units. The results indicate that transfer of the virus is possible even after the virus is dried on the surface of hands or carriers. Furthermore, the role of fingers in transmission of NoVs was quantified and these data can be useful in risk assessment models and to establish target levels for efficacy of transmission intervention methods.     

The need to test hypotheses about paranoid schizophrenia: Reply to Clementz and Sweeney.

Responds to the criticism of B. A. Clementz and J. A. Sweeney (see record 1989-32933-001) on the article by the present authors (see record 1988-23546-001) presenting the hypothesis that paranoid schizophrenia is not a true schizophrenia but one of several responses to an underlying depressive mode. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cuticular hydrocarbons of four populations ofCoptotermes formosanus Shiraki in the united states

The degree of similarity among cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of four populations ofCoptotermes formosanus Shiraki in the United States is reported. Sixteen individual or isomeric mixtures of hydrocarbons were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Hydrocarbon components consist ofn-alkanes, 2-methylalkanes, 3-methylalkanes, internally branched monomethylalkanes on carbons 9–15, and dimethylalkanes. The predominant hydrocarbons have 27 carbons in the parent chain. Methyl-branched hydrocarbons are more abundant thann-alkanes. No qualitative differences were apparent in the hydrocarbon components of workers or soldiers from any of the four populations. Quantitative differences in the hydrocarbon components separate castes and populations into different concentration profiles. Stepwise discriminant analysis and canonical discriminant analysis were used to choose and display seven hydrocarbon components for workers and three for soldiers that best reveal the differences among populations. Within-population variation is low compared to the differences among populations. These results suggest thatC. formosanus from Hallandale, Florida; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Lake Charles, Louisiana, are not related to those from Honolulu, Hawaii, and probably originated from other geographical locations.Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae.     

Influence of network characterisitics on diffusion in silicone elastomer

Owing to their excellent biocompatibility, silicone elastomers are very often studied to prepare controlled-release systems of therapeutic molecules. In order to produce a loaded matrix, the influence of the physical properties of elastomers on molecule diffusion has to be characterized. In this work the influence of the mesh size on progesterone diffusion was analysed. The results show a very important evolution of the diffusion coefficient, D, in the smallest meshes. On the other hand, in the largest meshes, an increase in the mesh size involves a very slight increase in D, approaching an asymptotic value. In addition to the size, the mesh form has a significant effect on molecule diffusion. Moreover, in the case of a mesh size dispersion the smallest meshes of the network have a fundamental action on the diffusion coefficient of the progesterone.     

Recent developments of high-complexity HgCdTe focal plane arrays at leti infrared laboratory

In this article, we present recent developments of the research in France at LETI infrared laboratory in the field of complex third-generation HgCdTe IRCMOS focal plane arrays (FPAs). We illustrate this with three prototypes of FPAs made at LETI, which have involved some technological improvements from the standard process today in production at Sofradir. We present, using molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) growth, a 128 × 128 dual-band infrared (photodetector)-complementary metal oxide semiconductor (IRCMOS) with a pitch of 50 μm operating within 2–5 μm. Using the more conventional liquid-phase epitaxy (LPE) growth, we show a new generation of high-performance long linear arrays (1500 × 2; pitch, 30 μm) operating in medium-wavelength infrared (MWIR) or long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) bands based on a modular architecture of butted HgCdTe detection circuit and SiCMOS multiplexers. Finally, we present for the first time a megapixel (1000 × 1000) FPA with a pitch of 15 μm operating in the MWIR band that exhibits a very high performance and pixel operability.     

Penalty-free 2.5 Gbit/s photonic switching using a semiconductorfour-gate-array module

A penalty-free photonic switching experiment at 2.5 Gbit/s using a gate-array module of four semiconductor optical amplifiers, flip-chip-mounted on a silicon motherboard and provided with highspeed electronic drivers, is reported for the first time. Switching times shorter than 400 ps are obtained, allowing for guardbands as short as two bits between consecutive cells