Romantic attachment in individuals with physical disabilities.

Objective: To examine the relationship between adult attachment style and physical disability in intimate romantic relationships. Method: Participants were 50 individuals with adult-onset spinal cord injuries (SCI) and 50 individuals with congenital disabilities (CON) living in the community. The main outcome measures were adult attachment style and dyadic relationship adjustment. Results: Participants with SCI and CON did not differ in rates of secure versus insecure attachment, and the rates of neither group differed significantly from rates reported for persons without disability. Dyadic adjustment was clearly predicted by attachment variables and differed between the participants with SCI and those with CON; individuals with SCI reported greater total dyadic adjustment. Avoidance showed a strong negative association with dyadic satisfaction, but no association was found with dyadic cohesion. Social participation variables were associated with dyadic adjustment. For instance, mobility was positively associated with dyadic satisfaction. Conclusions: Dyadic adjustment in people with disabilities, as in other groups, is affected by attachment style, but disability and social participation variables may also affect dyadic adjustment. Clinicians should consider differences in attachment styles among persons with disabilities and their implications for intimate close relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Improving the Professional Engineering Licensure Process for Construction Engineers

Professional engineering licensure is important in the career development of engineers who undertake work critical to protecting public health, safety, and welfare. The knowledge and experience of construction engineers has not previously been well represented in professional engineering licensure evaluation. The ASCE-CI Construction Engineering Education Committee identified recognition of construction engineering in the professional engineering licensure process as one of its missions when it was organized in 1995. With the support of the states and the receptiveness of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), improvements were gradually achieved in recognition of construction engineering experience by changes in NCEES Model Rules. In 2003, the NCEES Board decided to evaluate modification of the Civil Engineering PE exam to include a Construction Engineering module. The evaluation included a Professional Activities and Knowledge Study (PAKS) of the skills appropriate for construction engineers. Following approval of the NCEES Board in 2005, exam development has been underway with implementation planned for April 2008. An additional benefit of the PAKS is the improved understanding of knowledge needed by construction engineers in completing their work activities. These results should be valuable to construction engineering education and industry in identifying critical subject matter for inclusion in courses, curriculums, and continuing education.     

X-Ray Radiation Effect in DRAM Retention Time

For quality verification, an X-ray inspection process is commonly being used for evaluating obscured and defective solder joints in surface-mount technologies, such as ball grid arrays and flip chips. Integrated circuits subjected to any form of radiation, i.e., ionizing or nonionizing, may incur some amount of damage depending on the absorbed dose. Though most X-ray inspections for high-quality imaging require ionizing dose amounts that are considered inconsequential for device failure or non-functionality, the degree of latent damage must be carefully considered. This paper discusses X-ray-induced vulnerabilities of high-density dynamic random access memory exposed to low ionizing radiation levels typical in X-ray inspection systems. We look at critical parameters and their sensitivity in relation to varying dose amounts of X-ray irradiation. In consideration of different methodologies of reducing radiation dose amounts and limiting device exposure, we propose a procedure for attenuating potentially harmful X-ray radiation levels while preserving quality images.     

Assessing Counter-Terrorism field training with multiple behavioral measures

Development of behavioral pattern recognition and analysis skills is an essential element of Counter-Terrorism training, particularly in the field. Three classes of behavioral measures were collected in an assessment of skill acquisition during a US Joint Forces Command-sponsored course consisting of Combat Tracking and Combat Profiling segments. Measures included situational judgment tests, structured behavioral observation checklists, and qualitative assessments of the emergence of specific knowledge–skills–attitudes over the course of the training. The paper describes statistical evidence across the three types of measures that indicate that behavioral pattern recognition and analysis skills were successfully acquired by most students (a mix of Army and civilian law enforcement personnel) during the field training exercises. Implications for broader training of these critical skills are also discussed.     

An Electrostatic Lens for Focusing Charged Particles in a Mass Spectrometer

The ability to transmit particles into the ablation region of an aerosol mass spectrometer determines in part the lower size limit for particles that can be analyzed. A large fraction of small particles (< 100 nm) are lost due to processes such as Brownian diffusion that broaden the particle beam. In this work, electrostatic focusing is used to overcome the limits of aerodynamic focusing in the analysis of nanometer-sized particles by aerosol mass spectrometry. A simple tube lens is used to focus charged particles into the ablation laser beam path. The diameter of the focused beam is smaller than the fundamental aerodynamic limit imposed by Brownian motion. Measured enhancements of the hit rate for particles between 21 and 33 nm diameter are between 3 and 6. These values are lower limits for the true enhancements. The lens is also energy selective and can be used to select the mass (size) of the particles being analyzed.     

Social networks and the implementation of environmental technology

A study of 83 firms in the North American electronics industry that have implemented environmentally “clean” process technology found that social networks have a significant positive impact on implementation success. This paper presents evidence that some types of social networks influence implementation success more than others. More specifically, interfirm networks composed of both suppliers and competitors were significantly correlated with the routinization and incorporation of alternative technical solutions to reducing ozone depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). This only held in situations where the complexity of the implementation was relatively high. Intrafirm and local social networks were not significant. The utilization of a network of publicly accessible sources of information and expertise had a negative impact. Brief case studies from field research are provided to help explain these results     

Teacher ratings predict peer ratings of aggression at 3-year follow-up in boys with attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity.

Compared initial and 3-yr follow-up peer ratings of 19 boys, who were in Grades 1–3 at the beginning of the study, who had attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADDH). When the entire group was considered, nominations on the Aggression and Likability factors of a pupil evaluation inventory improved. Subgroups were created using teacher ratings on an aggression scale. Peer ratings of Aggression improved for Ss whom teachers rated below the median on the aggression scale but not for Ss rated above the median. Subgroups reflecting other teacher and peer ratings were less effective in predicting differential change in peer ratings of ADDH Ss. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A novel feed for a multifrequency hybrid resonator antenna

A novel feed technique for a hybrid resonator antenna is proposed and developed. The antenna consists of microstrip-patch radiator and a pair of twin resonator slots. The proposed feed mechanism is based on a new coupling aperture technique, in which a single microstrip feed line is etched on the same side of the substrate as the radiating patches. The patches are coupled to the feed line through a twin slots located in the ground plane. By selecting suitable structure parameters for the slots and the patches, multifrequency operation is obtained. The proposed antenna structure is suitable for the development of large antenna arrays.