A decision problem under uncertainty for nuclear power system development

Decision making under uncertainty is a further step in comparison with decision under risk in the more realistic approach to decision problems concerning, for instance, nuclear power system development. In this paper the theory developed is, however, based in a great measure on that of risk preference. The theory of decision making under uncertainty is applied to a nuclear power system NPS consisting of PHWRs and PWRs integrated with LMFBRs. Nine development alternatives of the system which evolves for a period of 40 years are considered. The fast reactor integration is accomplished beginning in year 15 with a variable time delay so that for every alternative, six final states are possible. An econometric model of the system offers the cost price of annual energy generated by the system at the end of the given time interval for every possible state of any alternative. Further, the complete ignorance case is considered, resulting from the principle of insufficient reason, and the risk preference theory is applied. Then the partial ignorance case is taken into account and finally it it shown how we can infer a plausible a priori optimal probability distribution to have an optimal decision characterized by an optimal selected development alternative, for which a minimum certain equivalent of cost price of annual energy is realized with an accepted level of risk and a determined value of risk averter.     

Are hypertensives less assertive? A controlled evaluation.

Assessed the performance of 12 male hypertensives (mean age 47.36 yrs) in increasingly demanding interpersonal interactions. 12 extended role-played scenes incorporating the expression of positive and negative emotional states were used. Behavioral, physiological, and subjective ratings were obtained. Performance of the hypertensives was compared to that of both patient and nonpatient normotensive Ss who were carefully matched with the hypertensives on a number of demographic variables. Results indicate that the hypertensives responded less assertively on a number of dimensions than did the nonpatient comparison group. However, the performance of the normotensive patient group was similar to that of the hypertensive patients. Physiological and subjective data indicated comparable responding across all 3 experimental groups. The discussion focuses on the existence of a chronic-illness syndrome that potentially has strong behavioral correlates. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preemployment predictors of union attitudes: Replication and extension.

Replicates and extends the J. Barling et al (see record 1992-07316-001) model of family socialization of union attitudes on the basis of data from 87 students and their parents. Students' union attitudes were predicted by students' Marxist work beliefs and their perceptions of parental union attitudes. Students' perceptions of parental union attitudes and participation were predicted from parents' self-reported attitudes and participation. Students' Marxist work beliefs were not related to parents' work beliefs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Empathy and cooperation in 4-year-olds.

4-yr-olds viewed slides of children designed to elicit emotions of fear, sadness, anger, and happiness in the S. Cooperative behavior was then assessed by having Ss play a game in dyads and by observing their behavior in nursery school. No differences in total empathy or in individual emotions were obtained between cooperative and noncooperative children. Girls obtained higher empathy scores than boys. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Poly(phenylquinoxaline-imide-amide)s containing perfluoroisopropylidene units

Poly(phenylquinoxaline-imide-amide)s have been synthesized by solution polycondensation of aromatic diamines containing preformed phenylquinoxaline units with diacid dichlorides incorporating preformed imide rings and perfluoroisopropylidene units. These polymers show high thermal stability; they decompose above 400°C and have glass transition temperatures in the 225–290°C range. Comparison of these compounds with related heterocyclic polymers leads to the conclusion that the decomposition of the former ones begins with the destruction of amide groups. Films prepared from polymer solutions showed good electrical insulating properties, comparable to those of a standard film (Film H). The highest quality of these poly(phenylquinoxaline-imide-amide)s is their remarkable solubility in polar aprotic solvents, which is very important for practical applications.     

Measuring the fidelity of implementation of a mental health program model.

Developed a fidelity index of program implementation for assertive community treatment (ACT). In Study 1, 20 experts rated the importance of 73 elements proposed as critical ACT ingredients, also indicating ideal model specifications for elements. Agreement among experts on ratings of importance was high (intraclass r?=?.98). In Study 2, a 17-item subset of the expert-identified critical ingredients was used to construct a fidelity index with 3 subscales: Staffing, Organization, and Service. Internal consistencies ranged from .50 to .72, with a .81 reliability for the total scale. Fidelity was linearly related to program "generations," suggesting "program drift." In 18 ACT programs, fidelity also was associated with measures of reduction in days in psychiatric hospitals. The correlation was significant for the total scale and for the Organization and Staffing subscales but not for the Service subscale. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Vectors for Cu2+-inducible production of glutathione S-transferase-fusion proteins for single-step purification from yeast

We describe six new yeast episomal vectors which encode glutathione S-transferase (GST) affinity tags. These allow for the production of GST-fusion proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae under the control of the CUP1 promoter. Affinity chromatography with glutathione-Sepharose permits convenient purification of the fusion protein from a yeast lysate. The presence of a protease cleavage site facilitates subsequent removal of the GST tag. The expression and single-step purification of both GST and a functional GST-metallothionein fusion from yeast are shown as an example of the application of these vectors.     

A declarative approach for first-order built-in's of Prolog

We provide here a framework for studying Prolog programs with various built-in's that include arithmetic operations, and such metalogical relations likevar andground. To this end we propose a new, declarative semantics and prove completeness of the Prolog computation mechanism w.r.t. this semantics. We also show that this semantics is fully abstract in an appropriate sense. Finally, we provide a method for proving termination of Prolog programs with built-in's which uses this semantics. The method is shown to be modular and is illustrated by proving termination of a number of programs including the unify program of Sterling and Shapiro [17].     

Thermal and electrical properties of nitrile‐containing polyimide/BaTiO3 composite films

Polyimide composite films were prepared by mixing the BaTiO₃ particles into poly(amic acid) solution followed by film casting and thermal imidization under controlled temperature conditions. The poly(amic acid) was synthesized by solution polycondensation reaction of 4,4′‐oxydiphthalic anhydride with 2,6‐bis(4‐aminophenoxy)benzonitrile, using N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone as solvent. The surface of BaTiO₃ particles was modified by treating with an aminosilane coupling agent, 3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize the structure and properties of the composites. The influence of BaTiO₃ content on the composite film properties was evidenced. The films exhibited good thermal stability having the initial decomposition temperature above 520°C. They had stable dielectric properties over large intervals of temperature and frequency. The dielectric constant and the dielectric loss increased with the increase of BaTiO₃ content. The dynamic mechanical analysis and dielectric spectroscopy revealed subglass transitions γ and β. At higher temperature an α‐relaxation that corresponds to the glass transition and a conductivity process were evidenced. POLYM. COMPOS., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Supercritical fluid extraction of alkaloids from Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil.

In this work a study about extracts obtained from Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil. leaves with supercritical CO₂ was carried out. Experiments were performed in a pilot-scale extractor with capacity of 1 L at pressure of 120, 150, 170 and 200 bar for four temperature conditions, 313.15, 323.15, 333.15 and 343.15 K. The experimental data were fitted using a mathematical model characterized by the existence of two distinct periods of extraction. Numerical results for the adjusted parameters correlated very well the supercritical extraction experimental data. The confidence of results obtained from mathematical model and experiments was assured through the chi-square test.