Sintered High-Temperature Alloys

This paper outlines some of the properties of alloys produced from atomized powders of nickel-chromium-cobalt and nickel-chromium-cobalt-molybdenum and describes certain aspects of further development work on sintered high-temperature alloys.     

On phatic technologies for creating and maintaining human relationships

In our time, with the growth in the Internet and associated technologies, technology and society are increasingly integrated. Although technology studies focus on the development of technical artefacts, systems and techniques, and their relation to society, current theories of technology do not seem to be sufficient to provide an understanding of new phenomena to be found in the intimate union between Internet technologies – our primary interest – and contemporary society. In this paper, we explore a concept of phatic technology in light of various technologies and theories about technology and society. The nature of a phatic technology is to establish, develop and maintain human relationships. Many technologies exhibit some degrees of phatic use. Examples range from telephones to software for social networking and building cybercommunities. We suggest that the Internet is a primary source of phatic technologies.     

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and measures of thyroid function in second trimester pregnant women in California

Prenatal exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) may disrupt thyroid function and contribute to adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. We conducted a pilot study to explore the relationship between serum concentrations of lower-brominated PBDEs (BDE-17 to -154), higher-brominated PBDEs (BDE-183 to -209), and hydroxylated PBDE metabolites (OH-PBDEs) with measures of thyroid function in pregnant women. Concentrations of PBDEs, OH-PBDEs, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), total thyroxine (T(4)), and free T(4) were measured in serum samples collected between 2008 and 2009 from 25 second trimester pregnant women in California. Median concentrations of lower-brominated PBDEs and OH-PBDEs were the highest reported to date in pregnant women. Median concentrations of BDE-47 and the sum of lower-brominated PBDEs (ΣPBDE(5)) were 43.1 ng/g lipid and 85.8 ng/g lipid, respectively, and the sum of OH-PBDEs (ΣOH-PBDE(4)) was 0.084 ng/mL. We observed a positive association between the weighted sum of chemicals known to bind to transthyretin (ΣTTR binders) and TSH levels. We also found positive associations between TSH and ΣPBDE(5), ΣOH-PBDE(4), BDE-47, BDE-85, 5-OH-BDE47, and 4'-OH-BDE49, and an inverse association with BDE-207. Relationships with free and total T(4) were weak and inconsistent. Our results indicate that PBDE exposures are elevated in pregnant women in California and suggest a relationship with thyroid function. Further investigation is warranted to characterize the risks of PBDE exposures during pregnancy.     

Perception of taste intensity in solutions of random-coil polysaccharides above and below c

Sensory paired comparison tests were used to study differences in taste intensity in solutions of hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC) at concentrations above (1.0% w/w) and below (0.2% w/w) c^*, the coil-overlap concentration (the point at which viscosity changes abruptly with increasing thickener). The sweetness intensities of aspartame (250 ppm), sucrose (5% w/w), fructose (4.5% w/w) and neohesperidin dihydrochalcone (39 ppm) and the saltiness of sodium chloride (0.35%) were all found to be significantly reduced in the more viscous HPMC solution. There was no significant effect of HPMC concentration on the acidity of citric acid (600 ppm) or the bitterness of quinine hydrochloride (26 ppm). The sweetness intensities of sucrose and aspartame were likewise investigated in two further hydrocolloid solutions, guar gum and λ-carrageenan. Experiments were designed so that the ratios of the thickener concentrations (above and below c^*) to their measured c^* values remained constant. The sweetness of sucrose was found to be significantly reduced in the more viscous guar gum solution (P<0.05) and that of aspartame was reduced in the λ-carrageenan above c^* (P<0.001). A multiple paired comparison design was used to show that the perceived sweetness of 6.5% sucrose in 1.0% HPMC did not differ significantly from that of 5% sucrose in 0.2% HPMC. The magnitude of effect with aspartame was broadly analogous.     

Cross-cultural structural equivalence of RIASEC models and measures.

A structural meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the fit of J. L. Holland's (1985) circular order model, I. Gati's (see record 1983-09045-001) three-group partition, and an alternative three-class partition on vocational interest correlation matrices drawn from the cross-cultural literature. The randomization test of hypothesized order relations (L. Hubert & P. Arabie; see record 1987-30217-001) was used to evaluate the model fit for 20 U.S. ethnic matrices, 76 international matrices (representing 18 countries), and a U.S. benchmark sample of 73 matrices. The cross-culture structural equivalence of Holland's circular order model was not supported. Both Gati's partition and the alternative partition fit the U.S. benchmark and international samples equally well. None of the 3 models were found to be an adequate representation of the structure of vocational interests for U.S. ethnic samples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Age differences in coping with chronic illness.

We examined the correlation between age and six coping strategies in a sample of 151 middle-aged and older chronically ill adults. Coping strategies included cognitive restructuring, emotional expression, wish fulfilling fantasy, self-blame, information seeking, and threat minimization. Older adults were less likely to use emotional expression or information seeking than were middle-aged adults in their efforts to cope with the illness. These strategies were related to age even when numerous illness characteristics (e.g., physical limitations) were used to control variables. Interaction effects showed that older adults who perceived their illnesses as highly serious were less likely than were others to cope by seeking information, reconstruing their illness as having positive aspects, or engaging in wishfulfilling fantasies, and more likely to cope by simply minimizing the illness's threat. Consideration of related research studies suggests that the age differences in emotional expression may be due to age-related shifts in the types of stresses experienced, whereas the age differences in information seeking may be more strongly linked to cohort phenomena. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effect of germination on seed trypsin inhibitors in Vicia faba and Cicer arietinum

During germination, trypsin inhibitor (TI) content increased relative to total protein and dry weight in cotyledons from two varieties of Vicia faba. These data, together with changes in total protein profiles and amounts, suggest that TI proteins are not hydrolysed in parallel with other seed proteins and dry matter. In contrast, TI content in germinating Cicer arietinum seeds remained constant during the germination period; in this case, however, substantial changes in the total protein profile were not observed. TI isoform analyses indicated that compositional changes occurred during germination in both species. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry