Accuracy in perceptions of interpersonal interactions: Effects of dysphoria, friendship, and similarity.

Addressed conflicting views of depressives' interpersonal accuracy in an investigation of the accuracy of mild depressives (dysphorics) across differing social contexts. Women who were either friends or strangers and who were either similar or dissimilar in level of dysphoria conversed about 3 topics: a neutral topic, their own disclosure of a personal problem, and their partner's disclosure. Dysphorics were not more accurate in general than nondysphorics. After self-disclosure, all women more accurately detected sympathy from a similar stranger. After the partner's disclosure, women also better detected the mood of a similar partner. When interacting with nondysphoric strangers, however, dysphorics underestimated their partner's sympathy toward them. Implications for cognitive and interpersonal theories of depression and for depressives' relationships are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A 30-b integrated logarithmic number system processor

The authors describe an integrated processor that performs addition and subtraction of 30-b numbers in the logarithmic number system (LNS). This processor offers 5-MOPS performance in 3-μm CMOS technology, and is implemented in a two-chip set comprising 170 K transistors. Two techniques are used to achieve this precision in a moderate circuit area. Linear approximation of the LNS arithmetic functions using logarithmic arithmetic is shown to be simple due to the particular functions involved. A segmented approach to linear approximation minimizes the amount of table space required. Subsequent nonlinear compression of each lookup table leads to a further reduction in table size. The result is that a factor of 285 reduction in table size is achieved, compared to previous techniques. The circuit area of the implementation is minimized by optimizing the table parameters, using a computer program that accurately models ROM area. The implementation is highly pipelined, and produces one result per clock cycle using a ten-stage pipeline     

Phenomena-based thermal-hydraulic modeling requirements for systems analysis of a Modular High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor

The Modular High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (MHTGR) is a candidate design for new production and commercial power nuclear reactors. The MHTGR has inherent safety features including: (1) passive shutdown and decay heat removal, (2) reduced requirements for operator intervention, thereby reducing sensitivity to operator error, and (3) long time intervals for corrective action. In support of the Department of Energy's (DOE) initial development of the design, the authors have completed an evaluation of the thermal-hydraulic phenomena that will dominate the plant response during representative normal, off-normal and accident conditions. Phenomena having significance to the plant behavior have been identified, and ranked with respect to their relative importance in satisfying operational, investment and/or safety criteria. The resulting information provides the basis for evaluating the applicability of existing computer codes, and defines the requirements for the development of new codes, for thermal-hydraulic systems analysis. The phenomena-based requirements also support the quality assurance related verification and validation of these codes. This paper briefly describes the methodology employed, and gives illustrative examples of the resulting requirements. References are cited for reports that document the full body of requirements and provide additional information for the methodology.     

Stability of rack structures

Standard commercial pallet racking is used in warehouses, factories, shops and a multitude of other places where palletised goods are to be stored. The structural analysis of this type of structure is complicated by the semi-rigid nature of the beam-to-upright connection, which is different from one manufacturer to another.In the present paper an attempt has been made to provide a simple design approach to the stability of pallet rack structures, and the effect that the form of the moment-rotation characteristic has on the type of stability demonstrated by the system.Finally the role of small imperfections is studied, and the effect that they have on the maximum load carrying capacity of the structure is shown.     

Using fractal structure to describe nickel crystal morphology

The morphology of nickel crystals can be quantified using measurements of fractal structure. In the study described in this article, fractal dimensions of cross sections of 16 nickel samples were determined, and the numerical analysis indicates that the more rugged surfaces are characterized by higher fractal dimensions although the relationship between morphology and fractal dimension is relatively weak. However, the data also show that fractal dimension is a better predictor of morphology than apparent density, which is the measurement currently used. The nickel samples were also subjected to an avalanching disc technique that has the potential to separate out the differences in flow in the different types of nickel powder. The differences in flow between powders were ascribed to the similar gross morphologies of the particles, and the presence of shattered individual particles in the mix. For more information, contact A.E. Lewis, University of Cape Town, Precipitation and Crystallisation Research Facility, Department of Chemical Engineering, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa; +27-21-650-4091; fax +27-21-689-7479; e-mail alison@chemeng.uct.ac.za.     

Expanding the MOS: Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the MOS-R and MOS-X

The Mean Opinion Scale (MOS) is a questionnaire used to obtain listeners' subjective assessments of synthetic speech. This paper documents the motivation, method, and results of six experiments conducted from 1999 to 2002 that investigated the psychometric properties of the MOS and expanded the range of speech characteristics it evaluates. Our initial experiments documented the reliability, validity, sensitivity, and factor structure of the P.L. Salza et al. (Acta Acustica, Vol. 82, pp. 650–656, 1996) MOS and used psychometric principles to revise and improve the scale. This work resulted in the MOS-Revised (MOS-R). Four subsequent experiments expanded the MOS-R beyond its previous focus on Intelligibility and Naturalness, to include measurement of the Prosody and Social Impression of synthetic voices. As a result of this work, we created the MOS-Expanded (MOS-X), a rating scale shown to be reliable, valid, and sensitive for high-quality evaluation of synthetic speech in applied industrial settings.     

Solar building—European Union Research and Development Programmes

The European Commission's (EC) energy R&D programmes have completed two decades of progress. In the building sector special attention has been given to technology transfer and research dissemination, because of the particular problems which arise given the characteristics of the European construction industry, its diversity and fractured structure, and rather conservative nature.Projects such as the earlier Project MONITOR and BUILDING 2000, and the more recent INNOBUILD and SOLINFO projects and the Solar House programme together represent an unusual, if not unparalleled, effort aimed at bringing about technical change in building design and providing the necessary design and evaluation support and tools to professional architects and students and, to a lesser extent, to engineers. These projects are complemented by (and draw heavily from) an ambitious but clearly-targeted series of research projects investigating major energy-related issues concerning the heating, cooling and daylighting of buildings and deficiencies in knowledge of climate and human comfort, and building performance; activities such as the construction of passive solar test centres in ten EU Member States, each typically with four identical test cells equipped with interchangeable south walls, identical heating and cooling systems, sensors, and data acquisition systems. There is now in Europe considerable emphasis on the challenges of building in warmer climates, and on advancing daylighting design and performance and developing new materials.     

Evaluation of RU28318 and RU40555 as selective mineralocorticoid receptor and glucocorticoid receptor antagonists, respectively: receptor measures and functional studies

BACKGROUND: Australia has a high rate of cardiovascular disease mortality and also a significant proportion of migrants. Little is known about the morbidity experience or cardiovascular risk factors among the larger migrant groups, and this is especially true of the Arabic-speaking population. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the study were to identify the health profile of Arabic-speaking people in Sydney, Australia, to explore the relationship between level of acculturation and health indicators and to identify the morbidity profile of patients presenting to Arabic-speaking general practitioners (GPs). DESIGN: Adult Arabic-speaking patients aged 18-70 years attending 20 Arabic-speaking GPs in Canterbury, Sydney, during the 2-week study period were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire in Arabic or English while waiting to see the GP. Data on cardiovascular risk factors, level of acculturation and reasons for seeing the GP were collected. RESULTS: Data were collected from 851 patients (62% response rate). Almost three-quarters (73%) of males and 36% of females were considered overweight or obese (body mass index > 25). Of concern, 37% of males and 28% of females were smokers. Females were significantly less likely to have been tested for diabetes (p < .05) or raised blood pressure (p < 0.05) compared with females in NSW. Respondents consumed less bread per day and more fruits than in NSW overall. Respiratory complaints (flu and colds) were the most frequently reported reasons for patient encounters. Except for the youngest age group, males gave more reasons for encounters than females. CONCLUSIONS: Consecutive sampling of ethnic patients attending a GP who speaks their language holds promise as a method of needs assessment with migrant populations. Further, our results suggest that smoking and weight reduction programs are priorities in the Arabic-speaking community. These risk factors are ideal for intervention by GPs speaking the same language.