MAGNESIUM HYDROXIDE FILLED EVA: THE EFFECTS OF FILLER SURFACE MODIFICATION ON THE STRENGTH OF FILLER/MATRIX ADHESION AND THE CONSEQUENCES FOR COMPOSITE STRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES

The interaction of ammonium stearate (AS) and γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS) treatments with a magnesium hydroxide flame retardant filler and their effects on its use in an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer compound have been investigated. The work has shown clear evidence of changes in the structure of the surface layers formed on the filler as the amount of additive is increased and the levels at which these occur can be correlated with theoretical monolayer quantities. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy data suggest that the stearate coating changes from a half salt to a full salt as the coating level is increased and that the APS coating on the filler initially has a significant bicarbonate content, presumably due to reaction with atmospheric carbon dioxide. The effect of coating level on the melt flow rate, insoluble matrix content, crystallisation behaviour, tensile properties, limiting oxygen index, and ageing of the filled compound has been studied. Distinct trends have been observed, many of which can be correlated with the structure of the filler surface layers. Of particular importance is the observation that, unlike APS, excess stearate appears to promote detrimental ageing effects.     

Prolonged poststrike elevation in tongue-flicking rate with rapid onset in gila monster,Heloderma suspectum: Relation to diet and foraging and implications for evolution of chemosensory searching

Experimental tests showed that poststrike elevation in tongue-flicking rate (PETF) and strike-induced chemosensory searching (SICS) in the gila monster last longer than reported for any other lizard. Based on analysis of numbers of tongue-flicks emitted in 5-min intervals, significant PETF was detected in all intervals up to and including minutes 41–45. Using 10-min intervals, PETF lasted though minutes 46–55. Two of eight individuals continued tongue-flicking throughout the 60 min after biting prey, whereas all individuals ceased tongue-flicking in a control condition after minute 35. The apparent presence of PETF lasting at least an hour in some individuals suggests that there may be important individual differences in duration of PETF. PETF and/or SICS are present in all families of autarchoglossan lizards studied except Cordylidae, the only family lacking linguallly mediated prey chemical discrimination. However, its duration is known to be greater than 2-min only in Helodermatidae and Varanidae, the living representatives of Varanoidea. That prolonged PETF and SICS are typical of snakes provides another character supporting a possible a varanoid ancestry for Serpentes. Analysis of 1-min intervals showed that PETF occurred in the first minute. A review of the literature suggests that a pause in tongue-flicking and delay of searching movements are absent in lizards and the few nonvenomous colubrid snakes tested. The delayed onset of SICS may be a specific adaptation of some viperid snakes to allow potentially dangerous prey to be rendered harmless by venom following voluntary release after envenomation and preceding further physical contact with the prey.     

New Directions in Water Research: IWMI at the Threshold of the Twenty-first Century

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) has made important changes in the thrust of its research programmesince 1995. These new thrusts include attention to the implications of increasing water scarcity at the global level; the adoption of a river basin paradigm leading to new insights into opportunities for water conservation and productivity; application of new information technologies and quantitative analytical techniques; and a stronger focus on policy, institutional issues, health and environment, and social inequities in access to water. This paper describes these changes and provides an overview of the remaining papers in this special issue of Water Resources Development.     

Variability in stepping direction explains the veering behavior of blind walkers.

Walking without vision results in veering, an inability to maintain a straight path that has important consequences for blind pedestrians. In this study, the authors addressed whether the source of veering in the absence of visual and auditory feedback is better attributed to errors in perceptual encoding or undetected motor error. Three experiments had the following results: No significant differences in the shapes of veering trajectories were found between blind and blindfolded participants; accuracy in detecting curved walking paths was not correlated with simple measures of veering behavior; and explicit perceptual cues to initial walking direction did not reduce veering. The authors present a model that accounts for the major characteristics of participants' veering behavior by postulating 3 independent sources of undetected motor error: initial orientation, consistent biases in step direction, and, most important, variable error in individual steps. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alcohol treatment training in psychology internship programs.

This investigation was designed to study alcohol treatment training by focusing on the components of training provided in psychology internship programs approved by the American Psychological Association. Data from 137 training sites revealed that two content areas—group psychotherapy and relapse prevention—were rated as most relevant to alcohol treatment training. Six other domains (aftercare, Alcoholics Anonymous, marital/family therapy, stress management/relaxation procedures, social skills training, and cognitive therapy) were rated as at least quite relevant. The extent to which interns were exposed to these content areas was variable. These findings are discussed in the context of issues surrounding alcohol treatment training among psychology interns and the provision of clinical services to alcohol-abusing patients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Anxiety and depression in children and adolescents: Negative affectivity and the utility of self-reports.

Self-reported depression and anxiety were examined in 233 inpatient children (aged 6–17 yrs) diagnosed with either an anxiety disorder or a depressive disorder. Depressed children reported more problems related to a loss of interest and low motivation, and they had a more negative view of themselves. Anxious children reported more worry about the future, their well-being, and the reactions of others. The groups did not differ in the degree of depressed affect reported in terms of being sad, lethargic, bothered by things, or feeling alone and isolated. Findings suggest that a general negative affectivity component is common to both anxiety and depression disorders and measures. Results demonstrate that anxiety and depression in children have distinguishing features that can be measured by common self-report instruments, and the findings indicate that one factor that may distinguish between anxiety and depression in children is positive affectivity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role of the inertia tensor in haptically perceiving where an object is grasped.

When an object is held and wielded, a time-invariant quantity of the wielding dynamics is the inertia tensor Iij. Examination of Iij as a function of different locations at which a cylindrical object is grasped revealed that the off-diagonal components of Iij, the products of inertia, related most systematically to grip position. In 3 experiments, Ss wielded an occluded rod held at an intermediate point along its length and reproduced, with the other hand, the felt grip position on a visible rod. In Exp 1, the wielded rods were homogeneous; in Exps 2 and 3, weights were added on either side of the grasp, with different manners of grasp contrasted in Exp 3. In all 3 experiments, perceived hand position was predicted by Iij. Discussion is focused on the role of Iij's eigenvalues in perceiving the magnitudes of objects and Iij's eigenvectors in perceiving hand–object relations (e.g., position of grasp). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)