LEED Implementation Guide for Construction Practitioners

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a certification program developed by the U.S. Green Building Council for designing, constructing, and certifying green buildings. This paper presents a LEED implementation guide for construction practitioners to assist them in the certification process. The guide was formulated primarily through input, suggestions, and recommendations received from LEED accredited professionals including architects, engineers, commissioning authorities, general contractors, construction managers, and facility managers. Data were collected through four questionnaire surveys where two of which were used for guide development and the other two for modification and validation. General contractors, construction managers, and engineers can use the LEED implementation guide as a reference for managing their LEED certification process. The proposed guide can also assist owners interested in building a LEED certified facility.     

The social norms of alcohol-related negative consequences.

Social norms for alcohol use are important influences on individual college student drinking. The present study extends social norms research by examining alcohol-related consequences and, in particular, whether similar misperceptions exist regarding the frequency and evaluation of these consequences over time. College student drinkers (N = 624) participating in a longitudinal study completed Web-based surveys assessing alcohol use and related consequences, as well as their beliefs about frequency and evaluation of consequences for the typical college student. Findings suggest that students overestimated how often typical college students experience negative consequences and underestimated how negatively other students evaluated those consequences. Finally, results support a bidirectional model for alcohol-related consequences, possibly indicating a reciprocal, mutually influential feed-forward loop of norms and consequences that promotes maintenance of college student drinking and consequences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Optical Kerr switching technique for the production of a picosecond,multiwavelength CO2 laser pulse

A wavelength-independent method for optical gating, based on the optical Kerr effect, has been demonstrated. Using this method, we produced 100-ps, 10-kW, two-wavelength pulses (10.3 and 10.6 microm) with a signal-to-background ratio contrast of 10(5) by slicing a long CO2 pulse. The capability of gating consecutive pulses separated on a picosecond time scale with this method is also shown.     

Being controlled by normative influences: Self-determination as a moderator of a normative feedback alcohol intervention.

The objectives of this research were to evaluate the efficacy of computer-delivered personalized normative feedback among heavy drinking college students and to evaluate controlled orientation as a moderator of intervention efficacy. Participants (N = 217) included primarily freshman and sophomore, heavy drinking students who were randomly assigned to receive or not to receive personalized normative feedback immediately following baseline assessment. Perceived norms, number of drinks per week, and alcohol-related problems were the main outcome measures. Controlled orientation was specified as a moderator. At 2-month follow-up, students who received normative feedback reported drinking fewer drinks per week than did students who did not receive feedback, and this reduction was mediated by changes in perceived norms. The intervention also reduced alcohol-related negative consequences among students who were higher in controlled orientation. These results provide further support for computer-delivered personalized normative feedback as an empirically supported brief intervention for heavy drinking college students, and they enhance the understanding of why and for whom normative feedback is effective. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An Integrated Framework for Implementing Quality of Network Concepts

This paper presents an integrated framework for describing and implementing quality of network (QoN) concepts. It focuses on identifying a systems engineering framework for better understanding how to specify and implement QoN concepts. We demonstrate, by means of several examples, that the quality of service interfaces between the end user and the underlying network are very important. Finally, we provide insights as to future development efforts needed to realize the goal of high quality networks.     

Double-positive thymocytes resistant to antigen-MHC-induced negative selection lack active caspase

The aim of the current study was to elucidate the synergism of dietary calcium restriction and exhaustive exercise in the antioxidant enzyme system of rat soleus muscle, and to investigate the involvement of neutrophils in exercise-induced muscle damage. Forty-eight male Wistar rats were assigned to the following groups: control (C) or calcium-restricted [1 month (1 M) or 3 months (3 M)]. Each group was subdivided into acutely exercised or non-exercised groups. Soleus muscle from each rat was analysed to determine the levels of antioxidant enzymes [Mn-superoxide dismutase (SOD), Cu, Zn-SOD, glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and catalase (CAT)]. Dietary calcium restriction resulted in calcium deficiency and upregulated the antioxidant enzymes examined except GPX. Conversely, exhaustive exercise significantly decreased GPX and CAT, but not SODs activities in the calcium-restricted (1 M and/or 3 M) rats. Contents of immunoreactive Mn-SOD and Cu,Zn-SOD were only increased in the 3 M rats. During calcium restriction, the mRNA expression of both forms of SOD showed initial upregulation, followed by downregulation. Exhaustive exercise significantly increased the mRNA expressions only in the 3 M rats. Moreover, exhaustive exercise markedly increased myeloperoxidase activity in soleus muscles from the 1 M and 3 M rats compared with the C rats, and significantly enhanced the ability of neutrophils to generate superoxide in the 3 M rats. The results demonstrate that dietary calcium restriction upregulates certain antioxidant enzyme activities in rat soleus muscle, indicating an enhanced resistance to potential increases in intracellular reactive oxygen species. The results also suggest that exhaustive exercise may cause oxidative damage in soleus muscle of calcium-deficient rats through the activation of neutrophils.     

The modulation of cellular responses to poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) hydrogel surfaces: phosphorylation decreases macrophage collagenase production in vitro

We examined the regulation of collagenase production by the monocyte/macrophage THP-1 cell line when these cells were exposed to poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) hydrogel surfaces with different chemistries and morphologies. Tissue culture modified polystyrene (TCP), used as a control surface, induced the maximum collagenase response. Copolymer hydrogels containing 2-ethoxyethyl methacrylate (EMA) or methyl methacrylate (MMA) also induced a high response, while PHEMA hydrogels induced a low level response and the phosphorylated hydrogel induced no response. This pattern was altered when the morphology of the hydrogels was changed to that of a sponge. The overall enzyme response to the sponge hydrogels was lower than that to the homogeneous hydrogels. Sponges containing EMA and MMA produced low level response relative to the TCP control. PHEMA and phosphorylated sponges produced little and no response respectively. The dramatically reduced enzyme response to phosphorylated surfaces was not a consequence of cell death, and may be a phenomenon related to changes in cell surface charge.     

Effect of individual, group, and intergroup relations on attitudes toward a management development program.

Studied the impact of a management development program in a medium-sized bank that was designed to increase the number of competent and aggressive young managers available to the organization. In this situation after a period of 10 yr., the training program had developed into a subsystem of the organization. 263 employees completed an attitude and job satisfaction questionnaire. Attitudes toward the program were a function of seniority, organizational rank, pay satisfaction, and perception of own career prospects. The kinds of attitudes also depended heavily on status as an employee, trainee, or officer, and on sex. Behavioral explanations of the attitude effects are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rubber-toughening of plastics

A new and quantitative method for studying rubber-toughening is presented: the extent of crazing in creep specimens is determined from time-dependent volume changes, which are compared with longitudinal strains in order to determine the contribution of other mechanisms. The results show that creep deformation in HIPS under high tensile stress consists essentially of elastic deformation followed by crazing. A simple model for the kinetics of crazing is developed, from which rate constants for initiation (k _I) and propagation (k _P) of crazes are obtained. Bothk _I, andk _P exhibit an Eyring-type dependence upon stress, with the same apparent activation volume of 5000 ų.