A rejoinder to "Psychotherapy research ethics: Continuing the debate on controlled clinical trials."

Responds to C. A. Heflinger's (1987) critique of the present authors (1986) by reiterating their concern for the principle of autonomy. The present authors note that all patients were fully informed about the research plan and their right to withdraw. Nonetheless, the ethical criticism offered by Heflinger regarding randomization cannot be entirely dismissed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

New sources of resistance to Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) and Zabrotes subfasciatus Boheman (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) in mature seeds of five species of Phaseolus

The importance of carefully applied bioassay techniques is highlighted for identifying resistance of Phaseolus spp to the bruchids Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) and Zabrotes subfasciatus Boheman. Two potential sources of resistance are identified amongst the varieties of P. vulgaris screened. In one the presence of a lectin-like protein (LLP) was identified, which has previously been associated with resistance, while in the other, resistance may be linked to the presence of a novel protein, similar to but not the same as LLP. The use of anti-LLP antibodies are suggested as a useful tool for distinguishing between resistant and susceptible varieties. Five varieties of P. lunatus and six of P. acutifolius are shown to be resistant to A. obtectus, and the potential is recognized for transferring resistant genes to P. vulgaris via interspecific crosses.     

Poly(thienylenevinylene) prepared by ring-opening metathesis polymerization: Performance as a donor in bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic devices

Poly(3,4-dioctylthienylenevinylene) (PDOTV) was synthesised by ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) with controlled molecular weight. PDOTV has been used to fabricate organic photovoltaic devices in combination with phenyl C₆₁-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) for the first time. The devices show power conversion efficiency up to 0.18%. Optimal device performance was found at a film thickness of 100 nm and a ratio of PCBM to PTV of 2:1. External quantum efficiency (EQE) measurements, transient absorption spectroscopy and morphology studies were carried out to establish factors governing photovoltaic performance. These results suggest that the efficiency values for the devices were limited by the hole mobility and unexpected phase separation within the blend. Nevertheless, the results show that ROMP is a viable, alternative, synthetic strategy for preparing PTV donors for use in bulk heterojunction OPVs.     

Unifying statistical classification and geodesic active regions for segmentation of cardiac MRI

This paper presents a segmentation method that extends geodesic active region methods by the incorporation of a statistical classifier trained using feature selection. The classifier provides class probability maps based on class representative local features, and the geodesic active region formulation enables the partitioning of the image according to the region information. We demonstrate automatic segmentation results of the myocardium in cardiac late gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI) data using coupled level set curve evolutions, in which the classifier is incorporated both from a region term and from a shape term from particle filtering. The results show potential for clinical studies of scar tissue in late CE-MRI data.     

Developing and testing a model of loneliness.

This article presents a model of loneliness that incorporates characteristics of the social network, background variables, personality characteristics, and evaluative aspects. The most salient aspect of this approach is its emphasis on cognitive processes that mediate between characteristics of the social network and the experience of loneliness. A total of 554 adult men and women served as respondents. The program LISREL, a causal modelling approach, was used to analyze the data. The LISREL program includes a goodness-of-fit test that indicates the degree of fit between a particular model and the data. The hypothesized model made a valuable contribution to the understanding of loneliness: It accounted for 52.3% of the variance in the data set. One of the model's major advantages is its ability to disentangle both the direct and the indirect causal influences of the various factors on loneliness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An interdisciplinary perspective on industrial energy efficiency

This paper combines engineering and social science approaches to enhance our understanding of industrial energy efficiency and broaden our perspective on policy making in Europe. Sustainable development demands new strategies, solutions, and policy-making approaches. Numerous studies of energy efficiency potential state that cost-effective energy efficiency technologies in industry are not always implemented for various reasons, such as lack of information, procedural impediments, and routines not favoring energy efficiency. Another reason for the efficiency gap is the existence of particular values, unsupportive of energy efficiency, in the dominant networks of a branch of trade. Analysis indicates that different sectors of rather closed communities have established their own tacit knowledge, perceived truths, and routines concerning energy efficiency measures. Actors in different industrial sectors highlight different barriers to energy efficiency and why cost-effective energy efficiency measures are not being implemented. The identified barriers can be problematized in relation to the social context to understand their existence and how to resolve them.     

Locative Systems Using Mobile Phones

Editor's NoteIn the age of mobile media, artists interested in storytelling and place have been exploring various technologies to enable their locative media work. Jenny Weight traces the aesthetic and technical background to these works and discusses recent RMIT projects, which work with a solar powered Bluetooth server to deliver their poetic psychogeographic stories.—Norie Neumark     

The environmental impact of lightweight HCPV modules: efficient design and effective deployment

We present a life cycle analysis of a lightweight design of high concentration photovoltaic module. The materials and processes used in construction are considered to assess the total environmental impact of the module construction in terms of the cumulative energy demand and embodied greenhouse gas emissions, which were found to be 355.3 MJ and 27.9 kgCO_2eq respectively. We consider six potential deployment locations and the system energy payback times are calculated to be 0.22–0.33 years whilst the greenhouse gas payback times are 0.29–0.88 years. The emission intensities over the lifetimes of the systems are found to be 6.5–9.8 g CO_2eq/kWh, lower than those of other HCPV, PV and CSP technologies in similar locations. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Miniemulsion polymerization for synthesis of structured clay/polymer nanocomposites: Short review and recent advances

This review intends to present different aspects concerning clay/polymer nanocomposites produced by heterophase polymerization in aqueous media. This paper highlights the ability of miniemulsion polymerization to produce clay/polymer nanoparticles with tailored nanostructures. Indeed, this polymerization route enables the synthesis of composite nanoparticles with the clay platelets located either on the surface of the polymer particle or embedded inside the polymer particle. A focus is given on the influence of these nanostructures on the properties of the final material through a direct comparison of the composites obtained after water evaporation from these structured nanoparticles. Indeed, the film obtained from the film forming process of these nanoparticles present significantly different nanostructures and exhibit totally different mechanical behaviours and water uptakes. By comparing experimental results and modeling approaches, it is demonstrated that their properties are clearly related to the clay dispersion and contacts. It is also evidenced that the main drawback of miniemulsion from the coating application point of view, is the large water uptake promoted by the surfactant presence whose localization is strongly influenced by nanostructuration. This stresses the need for the further development of surfactant free miniemulsion polymerization using advantageously the clay presence to stabilize the emulsion.