Shielding and scattering analysis of lossy cylindrical shells usingan extended multifilament current approach

An investigation of the multifilament current method's (MFCM) ability to solve electromagnetic scattering and/or absorption problems involving inhomogeneous cylindrical structures is presented. Dielectric cylinders of arbitrary cross section covered by multiple layers of lossy dielectrics are considered. Both cases of wave incidence, TM and TE, are treated. Like some other moment-method solutions, the MFCM experiences numerical difficulties when dealing with a medium characterized by a high loss tangent or large electrical conductivity. To overcome this problem, a new boundary condition based on an impedance matrix equivalent circuit approach that accounts for the curvature of the surfaces has been developed. This new impedance matrix boundary condition (IMBC) extends the MFCM capability to the analysis of two-dimensional (2-D) structures involving conducting layers with ohmic losses. The usefulness of this extended method is confirmed by the study of metallic shells for which a strong energy coupling with the incident electromagnetic (EM) field is demonstrated at their structural resonance frequencies     

Fan-Beam Millimeter-Wave Antenna Design Based on the Cylindrical Luneberg Lens

A new design of two-dimensional cylindrical Luneberg lens is introduced based on TE₁₀ mode propagation between parallel plates, with special focus on ease of manufacturing. The parallel plates are partially filled with low cost polymer material (Rexolite epsiv_r = 2.54) to match Luneberg's law. A planar linear tapered slot antenna (LTSA) is inserted into the air region between the parallel plates at the edge of the Luneberg lens as a feed antenna, with fine positioning to the focal point of the Luneberg lens to optimize the antenna system performance. A combined ray-optics/diffraction method is used to obtain the radiation pattern of the system and results are compared with predictions of a time domain numerical solver. Measurements done on a 10-cm Luneberg lens designed for operation at 30 GHz agree very well with predictions. For this prototype, 3-dB E- and if-plane beamwidths of 6.6deg and 54deg respectively were obtained, and the sidelobe level in the E-plane was -17.7-dB. Although the parallel plate configuration should lead to a narrow band design due to the dispersion characteristics of the TE₁₀ mode, the measurement results demonstrate broadband characteristics with radiation efficiencies varying between 43% and 72% over the tested frequency band of 26.5-37 GHz. The designed cylindrical Luneberg lens can be used to launch multiple beams by implementing an arc array of planar LTSA elements at the periphery of the lens, and can be easily extended to higher mm-wave frequencies.     

Expectancy versus absorption in the prediction of hypnotic responding.

Administered the absorption scale of the Differential Personality Questionnaire, a measure of imaginative involvement, to 64 undergraduates in the context of a hypnosis experiment and to an additional 64 Ss in a context unrelated to hypnosis. Expectancies of responding to hypnotic suggestions were assessed both before trance induction and after trance induction but before administration of hypnotic test suggestions. Hypnotic depth was assessed on a self-report scale (SRS) before the administration of test suggestions and on an inventory of hypnotic depth (IHD) after the hypnosis session. Absorption was correlated with hypnotic responsivity and expectancy, but only when assessed in the hypnotic context. Completing the Absorption scale in a hypnotic context appeared to affect hypnotic responsiveness by altering Ss' expectancies. Only postinduction expectancies were uniquely predictive of response to hypnotic test suggestions, and all variables except the SRS were predictive of IHD scores. Path analysis supported the hypothesis that trance inductions alter expectancies for responding to hypnotic suggestions and that these altered expectancies determine subsequent hypnotic behavior. (51 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Modeling the atmospheric transport and deposition of PCDD/F to the Great Lakes

Atmospheric deposition is a significant loading pathway for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (dioxin) to the Great Lakes. An innovative approach using NOAA's HYSPLIT atmospheric fate and transport model was developed to estimate the 1996 dioxin contribution to each lake from each of 5,700 point sources and 42,600 area sources in a U.S./Canadian air emissions inventory. These unusually detailed source-receptor modeling results show that deposition to each lake arises from a broad geographical region, with significant contributions from up to 2,000 km away. The source categories contributing most significantly to 1996 dioxin deposition appear to be municipal waste incineration, iron sintering, medical waste incineration, and cement kilns burning hazardous waste. Model-predicted air concentrations and deposition fluxes were consistent with ambient measurement data, within the uncertainties in each, but there may be a moderate tendency toward underestimation using midrange emissions estimates. The most likely reason for this tendency appears to be missing or underestimated emissions sources, but in-situ atmospheric formation of octachlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD) and heptachlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (HpCDD) may have also contributed. Despite uncertainties, the findings regarding the relative importance of different sources types and source regions appear to be relatively robust and may be useful in prioritizing pollution prevention efforts.     

Assessment of the relative sensitivity of milk ELISA for detection of Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis infectious dairy cows

Milk ELISA are commonly used for detection of Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP) antibodies in dairy cows, due to low cost and quick processing for large numbers of samples. However, low sensitivity and variations from host and environmental factors can impede detection of MAP antibodies at early disease stages. The objectives of our study were to assess the sensitivity of milk ELISA in comparison with fecal tests and to evaluate how detectable antibody concentrations in milk vary with changes in fecal shedding of MAP, cow age, cow parity, days in milk, and time of year. To compare the sensitivity of a commercial milk ELISA with solid and broth fecal culture and with fecal real-time PCR, a longitudinal study was performed for the identification of MAP-infectious animals as determined by prior fecal testing for MAP shedding. In addition, associations between variation in milk MAP ELISA score and changes in fecal MAP shedding, host age, days in milk, and season were evaluated. Monthly milk and fecal samples were collected over 1 yr from 46 cows that were previously shedding MAP in their feces. Sensitivity of milk ELISA was 29.9% (95% CI: 24.8 to 35.1%), compared with 46.7% (40.7 to 52.7%) for fecal solid culture, 55.0% (49.3 to 60.7%) for fecal broth culture, and 78.4% (73.3 to 83.1%) for fecal direct real-time PCR. The effect of stage of lactation could not be separated from the effect of season, with increased milk ELISA scores at greater days in milk in winter. However, unpredictable monthly variations in results were observed among the 3 assays for individual cow testing, which highlights the importance of identifying patterns in pathogen and antibody detection over time in MAP-positive herds.     

Surface science and model catalysis with ionic liquid-modified materials

Materials making use of thin ionic liquid (IL) films as support-modifying functional layer open up a variety of new possibilities in heterogeneous catalysis, which range from the tailoring of gas-surface interactions to the immobilization of molecularly defined reactive sites. The present report reviews recent progress towards an understanding of "supported ionic liquid phase (SILP)" and "solid catalysts with ionic liquid layer (SCILL)" materials at the microscopic level, using a surface science and model catalysis type of approach. Thin film IL systems can be prepared not only ex-situ, but also in-situ under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions using atomically well-defined surfaces as substrates, for example by physical vapor deposition (PVD). Due to their low vapor pressure, these systems can be studied in UHV using the full spectrum of surface science techniques. We discuss general strategies and considerations of this approach and exemplify the information available from complementary methods, specifically photoelectron spectroscopy and surface vibrational spectroscopy.     

Molecular-Cling-Effect of Fluoroethylene Carbonate Characterized via Ethoxy(pentafluoro)cyclotriphosphazene on SiOx/C Anode Materials – A New Perspective for Formerly Sub-Sufficient SEI Forming Additive Compounds

Effective electrolyte compositions are of primary importance in raising the performance of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Recently, fluorinated cyclic phosphazenes in combination with fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) have been introduced as promising electrolyte additives, which can decompose to form an effective dense, uniform, and thin protective layer on the surface of electrodes. Although the basic electrochemical aspects of cyclic fluorinated phosphazenes combined with FEC were introduced, it is still unclear how these two compounds interact constructively during operation. This study investigates the complementary effect of FEC and ethoxy(pentafluoro)cyclotriphosphazene (EtPFPN) in aprotic organic electrolyte in LiNi_0.5Co_0.2Mn_0.3O ∥ SiO_x/C full cells. The formation mechanism of lithium ethyl methyl carbonate (LEMC)-EtPFPN interphasial intermediate products and the reaction mechanism of lithium alkoxide with EtPFPN are proposed and supported by Density Functional Theory calculations. A novel property of FEC is also discussed here, called molecular-cling-effect (MCE). To the best knowledge, the MCE has not been reported in the literature, although FEC belongs to one of the most investigated electrolyte additives. The beneficial MCE of FEC toward the sub-sufficient solid-electrolyte interphase forming additive compound EtPFPN is investigated via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, gas chromatography high resolution-accurate mass spectrometry, in situ shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy.     

Social disadvantage and the self-regulatory function of justice beliefs.

Five studies support the hypothesis that beliefs in societal fairness offer a self-regulatory benefit for members of socially disadvantaged groups. Specifically, members of disadvantaged groups are more likely than members of advantaged groups to calibrate their pursuit of long-term goals to their beliefs about societal fairness. In Study 1, low socioeconomic status (SES) undergraduate students who believed more strongly in societal fairness showed greater intentions to persist in the face of poor performance on a midterm examination. In Study 2, low SES participants who believed more strongly in fairness reported more willingness to invest time and effort to achieve desirable career outcomes. In Study 3, ethnic minority participants exposed to a manipulation suggesting that fairness conditions in their country were improving reported more willingness to invest resources in pursuit of long-term goals, relative to ethnic minority participants in a control condition. Study 4 replicated Study 3 using an implicit priming procedure, demonstrating that perceptions of the personal relevance of societal fairness mediate these effects. Across these 4 studies, no link between fairness beliefs and self-regulation emerged for members of advantaged (high SES, ethnic majority) groups. Study 5 contributed evidence from the World Values Survey and a representative sample (Inglehart, Basa?ez, Diez-Medrano, Halman, & Luijkx, 2004). Respondents reported more motivation to work hard to the extent that they believed that rewards were distributed fairly; this effect emerged more strongly for members of lower SES groups than for members of higher SES groups, as indicated by both self-identified social class and ethnicity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Inequality, discrimination, and the power of the status quo: Direct evidence for a motivation to see the way things are as the way they should be.

How powerful is the status quo in determining people’s social ideals? The authors propose (a) that people engage in injunctification, that is, a motivated tendency to construe the current status quo as the most desirable and reasonable state of affairs (i.e., as the most representative of how things should be); (b) that this tendency is driven, at least in part, by people’s desire to justify their sociopolitical systems; and (c) that injunctification has profound implications for the maintenance of inequality and societal change. Four studies, across a variety of domains, provided supportive evidence. When the motivation to justify the sociopolitical system was experimentally heightened, participants injunctified extant (a) political power (Study 1), (b) public funding policies (Study 2), and (c) unequal gender demographics in the political and business spheres (Studies 3 and 4, respectively). It was also demonstrated that this motivated phenomenon increased derogation of those who act counter to the status quo (Study 4). Theoretical implications for system justification theory, stereotype formation, affirmative action, and the maintenance of inequality are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)