Trust for Ubiquitous,Transparent Collaboration

In this paper, trust-based recommendations control the exchange of personal information between handheld computers. Combined with explicit risk analysis, this enables unobtrusive information exchange, while limiting access to confidential information. The same model can be applied to a wide range of mobile computing tasks, such as managing personal address books and electronic diaries, to automatically provide an appropriate level of security. Recommendations add structure to the information, by associating categories with data and with each other, with degrees of trust belief and disbelief. Since categories also in turn confer privileges and restrict actions, they are analogous to rôles in a Rôle-Based Access Control system, while principals represent their trust policies in recommendations. Participants first compute their trust in information, by combining their own trust assumptions with others' policies. Recommendations are thus linked together to compute a considered, local trust assessment. Actions are then moderated by a risk assessment, which weighs up costs and benefits, including the cost of the user's time, before deciding whether to allow or forbid the information exchange, or ask for help. By unifying trust assessments and access control, participants can take calculated risks to automatically yet safely share their personal information.     

Nicotine withdrawal in chippers and regular smokers: Subjective and cognitive effects.

From previous studies, chippers (very light, long-time cigarette smokers) seem not to be nicotine dependent, despite decades of smoking. The effect of tobacco deprivation on chippers' withdrawal reactions was examined. Matched groups of 26 chippers and 25 regular smokers were studied while abstaining or smoking for 2-day blocks, with assessments administered 5 times daily by palm-top computers. As hypothesized, chippers showed no changes as a result of nicotine deprivation. In contrast, regular smokers demonstrated distinct changes in craving, mood, arousal, and sleep disturbance. The computers also tested participants' cognitive performance. Unlike chippers, regular smokers' performance on complex tasks was slower under deprivation; the effect could not be explained by changes in motor performance or simple reaction time. Results suggest performance may have been improved by nicotine rather than worsened by withdrawal. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Yttria Doping and Sintering of Submicrometer-Grained α-Alumina

The sintering behavior of α-alumina powders doped with magnesia (500 or 1500 ppm) and yttria (0, 500, or 1500 ppm) was investigated using constant-heating-rate dilato-metric experiments. The apparent activation energies for the intermediate stage of sintering were 740, 800, and 870 kJ/mol for 0, 500, and 1500 ppm yttria doping levels, respectively; these were independent of magnesia doping. Yttria-doped powder compacts exhibited systematic anomalous second peaks in the densification rate curves at certain grain sizes which were determined only by yttria doping levels. Before the anomalous peak, with lower yttrium contents at grain boundaries, yttrium in an atomic state delays densification and raises the apparent activation energy. Beyond the peak, with higher yttrium contents at grain boundaries, yttria-rich precipitation delays the densification. Within the peak, yttrium segregation near the saturation level enhances densification.     

Standards and industrial property

This article is primarily concerned with standards seen as a means for collective appropriation of technological information. It begins with an attempt to throw light on the relationships between standards, patents and licenses. Then we develop a two-stage duopolistic model whereby each firm must decide on a programme of standardization before choosing its level of production. The risks of multiple or inefficient equilibria are strong enough to justify the intervention of standardization organizations to inform and coordinate individual firms. But the paper also explains why some organizations likeetsi try to play a new role by promoting open access to master patents when used in the definition of a standard.     

Measuring perceived mutuality in close relationships: Validation of the Mutual Psychological Development Questionnaire.

In an initial validation study of the Mutual Psychological Development Questionnaire (MPDQ), a measure of perceived mutuality in close relationships, 345 respondents completed the scale for spouse or partner and friend relationships. Results indicated high interitem reliability. Construct and concurrent validity were demonstrated. MPDQ ratings were correlated with adequacy of social support, relationship satisfaction, and cohesion. Ratings correlated negatively with depression. Low spouse or partner mutuality was predictive of significant depressive symptoms in women but not in men. In a 2nd study, 81 respondents completed the scale at 2 time points. Test–retest reliability was satisfactory, and high interitem consistency was replicated. The substantive meaning of these findings, gender differences, and possible future research applications of the MPDQ are disscussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interhemispheric transfer after spontaneous recovery in 43 cases of severe closed head injury.

Examined the possibility of frequent callosal disconnection following closed head injury. Interhemispheric transfer was evaluated in 43 severe closed-head-injured patients (aged 18–51 yrs) using a wide-ranging battery of untimed behavioral tasks, after the period of spontaneous recovery. Only 1 S showed signs of callosal disconnection. Much effective interhemispheric transfer occurred in closed-head-injured Ss after the period of spontaneous recovery. More frequent occurrence of the disconnection syndrome in its acute phase is a possibility that cannot be excluded. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The nuclear fuel cycle

In the first half of the 21st century, a redistribution of the energy data should occur, where nuclear will play a more important role, particularly as coal will become more and more costly to extract.On a worldwide basis, the unability of oil to be replaced in some areas like transportation, and the difficulty of developing countries to find substitutes for this energy source, could also lead developed countries to keep the energy resources for a better utilization, and give the countries which have no access to other resources, a possibility to develop.Thus, France has extensively enhanced nuclear energy for its electricity production, and, consequently, makes the necessary efforts for the knowledge of the whole fuel cycle.     

Détermination des perturbations induites aux extrémités d’une ligne blindée soumise à une excitation ponctuelle de courant

This article allows the determination of the induced perturbations at the ends of the coaxial line in wide frequency band enough. The perturbation source is a current direct point injection into the cable screen in any position. For this, we have applied the theory of the state variables, with foundation of the quasi-TEM approximation, in order to simulate the coaxial line above a ground level that has a finished conductivity. This allows us to supply the current and voltage expressions at the ends of the line as their analytic forms for any conditions of charge. Next, the elaborate objective is to verify experimentally on concrete applications if the test obtained results confirm the theoretical expectations supplied by calculation code finalizing.