Identity fusion: The interplay of personal and social identities in extreme group behavior.

The authors propose that when people become fused with a group, their personal and social identities become functionally equivalent. Two hypotheses follow from this proposition. First, activating either personal or social identities of fused persons should increase their willingness to endorse extreme behaviors on behalf of the group. Second, because personal as well as social identities support group-related behaviors of fused persons, the 2 forms of identity may combine synergistically, fostering exceptionally high levels of extreme behavior. Support for these hypotheses came from 5 preliminary studies and 3 experiments. In particular, fused persons were more willing to fight or die for the group than nonfused persons, especially when their personal or social identities had been activated. The authors conclude that among fused persons, both the personal and social self may energize and direct group-related behavior. Implications for related theoretical approaches and for conceptualizing the relationship between personal identities, social identities, and group processes are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Probability of Pressure Deficit in On-Demand Branched Networks and Incorporation into Design Decisions

This technical paper presents analytical expressions to estimate the probability function of head losses in any path of an on-demand branched irrigation network. They are developed for estimating the probability of pressure deficit of a given magnitude at any hydrant. They are also useful for examining the probability of a power deficit at a pumping station designed to guarantee service to a hydrant, as well as the head characteristic curve of the distribution system linked to a definite probability. All this quantified information is useful for decision making on network design and performance. The probabilities calculated with the developed expressions can be taken as complementary or alternative concepts to Clément’s classical design flow method, which is taken here as a benchmark for comparisons. Illustrative examples of network designs are presented to validate the proposed expressions. The least cost design solutions using Clément’s design flows are compared with design solutions here obtained to get the same probability of pressure deficit at the most unfavorable hydrants. The new solutions are less expensive because the flow constraint can be avoided.     

North–South transfers vs biodiversity conservation: a trade differential game

Trade relationships connect developed and developing countries. The former produces a consumption good, using labor, capital, and an intermediate “natural” good which is produced in the developing countries using labor and natural species. A finite horizon differential game is settled out. The North decides about either the saving rate or the portion of its disposable income to transfer to the South or both variables jointly. The South selects the range of species used in the production of the intermediate “natural” good required in the North’s productive process. This is a measure of biodiversity loss. The aim of the paper is to study how transfers from North to South affect capital growth and biodiversity conservation.

HPLC flavonoid profiles as markers for the botanical origin of European unifloral honeys

The HPLC phenolic profiles of 52 selected unifloral honey samples produced in Europe were analysed to detect possible markers for the floral origin of the different honeys. Lime‐tree (five markers), chestnut (five markers), rapeseed (one marker), eucalyptus (six markers) and heather (three markers) honeys had specific markers with characteristic UV spectra. In addition, the flavanone hesperetin was confirmed as a marker for citrus honey, as well as kaempferol for rosemary honey and quercetin for sunflower honey. Abscisic acid, which had been reported to be a possible marker for heather honey, was also detected in rapeseed, lime‐tree and acacia honeys. Ellagic acid in heather honey and the hydroxycinnamates caffeic, p‐coumaric and ferulic acids in chestnut, sunflower, lavender and acacia honeys were also detected. The characteristic propolis‐derived flavonoids pinocembrin, pinobanksin and chrysin were present in most samples in variable amounts. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Copolymerization of styrene by diphenylzinc-additive systems. Part II: Copolymerization of styrene/1-alkene by Ph2Zn-metallocene-MAO systems

Summary The copolymerization of styrene with 1-alkene (1-hexene, 1-decene and 1-hexadecene) has been tested using combined diphenylzinc-additive initiator systems, including diphenylzinc (Ph₂Zn), a metallocene and methylaluminoxane (MAO). The metallocene were biscyclopentadienyltitanium dichloride, bis(n-butylcyclopentadienyl)titanium dichloride, cyclopentadienyltitanium trichloride and bisindenylzirconium dichloride. For Ph₂Zn-metallocene-MAO systems, titanocenes gave mainly syndiotactic homo polystyrene irrespective of the styrene/1-alkene proportion in the initial feed. Systems including Ind₂ZrCl₂ were able to copolymerize styrene 1-alkene with the copolymers incorporating alkene in a lower proportion than the present in the initial feed. Keywords: Styrene copolymerization; diphenylzinc; metallocene catalysts; tacticity. Received: 17 November 2000/Revised version: 9 May 2001/Accepted: 10 May 2001     

An octaethylene glycol monododecyl ether-based mixed micellar assay for determining the lipid acyl hydrolase activity of patatin

Patatin was extracted from potato tubers (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Spunta) and purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate salt fractionation and one sole chromatographic step. A spectrophotometric mixed micellar assay for patatin lipid acyl hydrolase (LAH) activity was designed with the detergent octaethylene glycol monododecyl ether (C₁₂E₈). Patatin LAH used p-nitrophenyl butyrate (PNP-butyrate) as substrate when solubilized in (C₁₂E₈) micelles. In the mixed micellar system, patatin LAH responds to the PNP-butyrate surface concentration expressed as mol% (=[PNP-butyrate]·100/([detergent]-critical micellar concentration)) and not to the molarity of PNP-butyrate. The kinetic parameters were determinined; V _max was independent of the mixed micelle concentration, as was K _m, when expressed as mol%. However, K _m was dependent on C₁₂E₈ concentration when expressed in molar concentration. C₁₂E₈/PNP-butyrate proved to be a reliable system for assaying patatin LAH activity and is superior to the commonly used Triton X-100 and SDS methods. It permits investigation of the substrate requirements of patatin LAH activity because the concentration-independent K _m can be determined both in mol% and as the absolute number of substrate molecules per micelle. In addition, the detergent did not affect the enzyme activity.     

Reassessing the role of climate change in the Tupi expansion (South America, 5000–500 BP)

The expansion of forest farmers across tropical lowland South America during the Late Holocene has long been connected to climate change. The more humid conditions established during the Late Holocene are assumed to have driven the expansion of forests, which would have facilitated the dispersal of cultures that practised agroforestry. The Tupi, a language family of widespread distribution in South America, occupies a central place in the debate. Not only are they one of the largest families in the continent, but their expansion from an Amazonian homeland has long been hypothesized to have followed forested environments wherever they settled. Here, we assess that hypothesis using a simulation approach. We employ equation-based and cellular automaton models, simulating demic-diffusion processes under two different scenarios: a null model in which all land cells can be equally settled, and an alternative model in which non-forested cells cannot be settled or delay the expansion. We show that including land cover as a constraint to movement results in a better approximation of the Tupi expansion as reconstructed by archaeology and linguistics.     

BETaaS: A Platform for Development and Execution of Machine-to-Machine Applications in the Internet of Things

Wireless Personal Communications - The integration of everyday objects into the Internet represents the foundation of the forthcoming Internet of Things (IoT). Smart objects will be the building...