THE ROLES OF CARBON DIOXIDE IN METHANOL SYNTHESIS

The roles played by carbon dioxide in the chemistry of methanol synthesis over CuO/ZnO/A1₂O₃ catalysts have been experimentally investigated. It was concluded based on reaction rate measurements and thermodynamic considerations, that the two reactions that best describe the chemical system of methanol synthesis are the CO₂-hydrogenation and water-gas shift reactions. It was also found experimentally that the presence of CO₂ is vital for maintaining the catalytic activity. The significance of the study is enhanced by the fact that this was the first such investigation of the global chemistry of methanol synthesis to be based on the novel liquid phase process. It was also observed that the rates of methanol synthesis attained a maximum when the concentration of carbon dioxide in the reactor feed was controlled at a certain optimal value. The optimal CO₂ content was found to be a function of the operating temperature and syngas composition. The experimental data are especially important because the apparatus and the operating conditions have been well-defined and carefully chosen to closely simulate industrial reactors.     

Expert judgments of hypnosis from subjective state reports.

Suggestibility was assessed in 60 college students after a traditional hypnotic induction, an alert induction, progressive relaxation training, or instruction in goal-directed imagery. Responsiveness to suggestion did not differ between groups. Ss also generated open-ended reports of their states of awareness and of their experience of 3 hypnotic suggestions. A sample of these reports from 24 moderately to highly suggestible Ss were evaluated by 18 experts in the field of hypnosis. Expert ratings of Ss' open-ended reports indicated that (1) traditional hypnotic inductions produce a state of consciousness that is indistinguishable from nonhypnotic relaxation training, (2) the subjective experience of hypnotic suggestions after imagination training is indistinguishable from that after hypnotic inductions, and (3) suggestibility is unrelated to state of consciousness as assessed by experts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Early hormonal influences on cognitive functioning in congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

Administered a cognitive test battery that emphasized spatial ability, verbal fluency, and perceptual speed and accuracy to 17 females (aged 12.7–23.2 yrs) and 8 males (aged 13–29.9 yrs) with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and 13 normal female relatives (aged 11.4–31.1 yrs) and 14 unaffected male relatives (aged 12.5–28.8 yrs). In addition, 13 fathers and 15 mothers of CAH patients participated. Ss also completed the Progressive Matrices, a vocabulary test, and an early life activities questionnaire (ELAQ). Findings indicate that CAH females, as compared with normal females, showed significantly enhanced performance on hidden pattern, card rotation, and mental rotation tests of spatial ability. On the ELAQ, CAH females, relative to normal females, showed significantly lower frequencies of participation in activities involving verbal expression and a trend toward greater participation in spatial manipulation activities. However, differences between CAH females and normal females in early childhood activities did not account for observed differences in spatial ability, given the absence of a significant correlation between the spatial manipulation activity scale and spatial ability. There was an absence of reliable differences between male CAH patients and controls across spatial tasks. Results are consistent with an effect of pre- and perinatal androgenizing hormones on the development of spatial ability. (58 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Plug in to grid computing

This article discusses the potential benefits of grid computing for future power networks. It is also intended to alert the power system community to the concept of grid computing and to initiate a discussion of its potential applications in future power systems. Much like the Web, the grid can operate over the Internet or any other suitable computer networking technology. Grid computing offers an inexpensive and efficient means for participants to compete (but also cooperate) in providing reliable, cheap, and sustainable electrical energy supply. It also provides a relatively inexpensive new technology allowing the output of embedded generators to be monitored and, when necessary, controlled. Basically, the ability of grid-enabled systems to interact autonomously is vital for small generators where manned operation is likely to be viable.     

John P. Seward (1905–1985).

Presents an obituary for John Seward. John Seward was born April 24, 1905, in New York City, the son of J. Perry and Eadith de Charmes Seward. After graduating from Cornell in 1926, Seward went to Columbia University to pursue his developing interest in psychology and received his PhD in 1931. Seward developed a focus on learning and the conditions of reinforcement in the late 1930s, a direction that became the major area of his research and theorizing for the remainder of his life. In 1946, he joined the faculty at the University of California-Los Angeles. There followed a series of important articles on learning and problems of reinforcement. During the late 1940s and the 1950s he became known as a major contributor to learning theory, especially for his efforts at reconciling the theories of Tolman and Hull, the two major theorists of the time. Following his retirement from UCLA in 1972, Seward continued in research that concerned sex differences in behavior and socialization. He died in 1985. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hope, coping, and social support in combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder

Dispositional hope, coping, and perceived social support were assessed among Vietnam combat veterans upon admission to and discharge from inpatient treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Veterans reported lower dispositional hope than any previously described sample, and hope did not increase at discharge from treatment. At admission, higher hope was correlated with greater perceived social support coming from family (this relationship persisted when controlling for depression and PTSD symptoms). At discharge, higher hope was associated with greater perceived social support coming from family and friends and the use of adaptive coping strategies. Results indicate that hope confers a beneficial effect once veterans undergo treatment for combat-related PTSD, a finding that suggests that hope may be "gone but not lost" for these individuals.     

Development of fatigue cracks from mechanically machined scratches on 2024‐T351 aluminium alloy—part I: experimentation and fractographic analysis

Clad and unclad 2024‐T351 aluminium alloy sheets, weakened by mechanically machined scratches, were fatigued to investigate the effect of small surface damage, like scribe marks, on aircraft fuselage joints. The role of scratch cross section geometry on fatigue life of scribed components was analysed. Scratches between 25 and 185 µm deep, with 5, 25 and 50 µm root radii, were cut on sample surface by using diamond‐tipped tools. After testing, fracture surfaces were examined using a scanning electron microscope, and crack growth rates were measured by striation counting. Scratches reduced aluminium fatigue life under tensile and bending load up to 97.8% due to multiple crack nucleation at their roots. Short cracks nucleated from sharp scratches coalesced to form unique elongated cracks growing through sample thickness. Cracks initiated from scratches were typical short cracks, growing faster than conventional long cracks. Despite the different scribing process, fatigue data of regular diamond tool cut scribes can be used to conservatively predict life reduction owing to ploughed in‐service scribe marks on fuselage joints. Finite element analyses on scribed samples and the fatigue life prediction models are described in Part II of this paper.     

News Recommendations from Social Media Opinion Leaders: Effects on Media Trust and Information Seeking

Polls show a strong decline in public trust of traditional news outlets; however, social media offers new avenues for receiving news content. This experiment used the Facebook API to manipulate whether a news story appeared to have been posted on Facebook by one of the respondent's real‐life Facebook friends. Results show that social media recommendations improve levels of media trust, and also make people want to follow more news from that particular media outlet in the future. Moreover, these effects are amplified when the real‐life friend sharing the story on social media is perceived as an opinion leader. Implications for democracy and the news business are discussed.