Putting reader roles to the test: an ethnomethodological approach

That readers read within roles has long been argued by literary theorists and more recently by technical communication theorists. Yet few scholars have attempted to put their theories to a test. The study reported in this paper attempts to do by using a conversation analysis tool called ethnomethodology. In an experimental setting, subjects were videotaped reading and responding to a set of instructions. Their responses indicate that: readers will often choose to play a role different from the one embedded in a text, especially if the text role offends them in some way; readers with similar education and interest may display different reader roles, making these roles difficult to predict; and within a single reading, a reader may change roles frequently. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of the findings and the appropriateness of ethnomethodology for reader-role research     

A survey of anesthesia support personnel in teaching programs

Although the amount and complexity of equipment and supplies used in the practice of anesthesia have sharply increased in the past decade, the role of technical support personnel dealing with this technology has not been assessed. In an effort to determine that role, a questionnaire survey was conducted of the apportionment, direction, duties, and training of anesthesia technicians in teaching departments. Two-thirds of the inquiries were returned, disclosing a typical allocation of three anesthetizing locations (or 2000 annual anesthetics) per technician. A large majority of these departments have direct control of their technicians. Virtually all of these personnel are responsible for the routine upkeep and setup of anesthesia machines and monitors, although about one-third perform more specialized clinical functions. The preparation of these technicians for their duties varies widely, with almost 60% high school graduates and virtually all reporting training as on-the-job. The authors conclude that the term "anesthesia technician" remains poorly defined and unstandardized, and that current diverse efforts to address this issue deserve attention.     

Redox chemistry of H2S oxidation by the British gas Stretford process part V: Aspects of the process chemistry

Stretford processes use air to oxidize H₂S in process and natural gases to elemental sulphur, by absorption in aqueous solution at about pH 9 and reaction of the resulting HS^– ions with dissolved oxygen, in the presence of anthraquinone disulphonates (AQDS) and vanadium (v) species, which act as catalysts. Kinetic measurements of the reactions (AQ27DS + HS^– ions), (V(v) + HS^– ions) and (AQ27DSH^– + O₂), primarily used stopped flow spectrophotometry, as reported here, following papers on the electrochemical behaviour of the individual redox couples in Stretford Processes. The course of reaction (AQ27DS + HS^– ions) was also followed with a gold bead indicator electrode, the potential of which was determined essentially by the AQ27DS/AQ27DSH^– couple as the former species were reduced to the latter. Attempts to use⁵¹V NMR to characterize aqueous vanadium-sulphur complexes were inconclusive. A possible mechanism for Stretford Processes is postulated, involving polysulphide (S _n ^2–) ions as intermediates, which are oxidized to elemental sulphur by another intermediate, H₂O₂, formed by reaction of AQ27DSH^– ions and dissolved oxygen.     

The effect of copper content and heat treatment on the hydrogen embrittlement of 7050-type alloys

The effect of copper content (0.01 and 2.1%) and microstructure on the intrinsic hydrogen embrittlement susceptibility of unl nercially-processed AI---6Zn---2Mg---XCu alloys was investigated. (The alloy with 2.1 Cu corresponds to 7059). Hydrogen was introduced into the alloys using cathodic charging, both with and without concurrent plastic straining. The copper-free alloy in both the under-aged and peak-aged conditions was embrittled by hydrogen and the effect was enhanced by concurrent plastic strain. The copper-containing alloy (7050) was susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement when under-aged, but once the peak-strength microstructure had been developed, the alloy in the longitudinal direction showed no embrittlement even under severe hydrogen-entry conditions. Similar beneficial effects have been reported for copper additions in imparting resistance to humid air and stress-corrosion cracking for high strength AI-Zn-Mg alloys, and the results are discussed with emphasis on the parallel nature of the phenomena of stress-corrosion cracking and hydrogen embrittlement.     

Ohmic contacts to p-type Hg0.3Cd0.7Te by metalorganic chemical vapour deposition of HgTe

Ohmic contacts were obtained to p-type Hg_0.3Cd_0.7Te crystals by metalorganic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) of HgTe as an interface material between the crystals and the contacting metal. Deposition at a reduced temperature of 350C did not lead to an obvious change in the material performance. Electronic-transport data are given. Two acceptor levels, at 4.8 and 60 meV above the valence-band edge, were found.     

Combined infra-red and X-ray studies of β-silicon nitride and β′-sialons

Previous investigations of the replacement of silicon by aluminium and nitrogen by oxygen in -silicon nitride have been based primarily on X-ray powder diffraction studies. In the present work this technique is coupled with parallel infra-red studies. X-ray analyses of sialons over a wide composition range confirm previous observations that increasing substitution of aluminium for silicon and nitrogen for oxygen in -silicon nitride is accompanied by an increase in cell size, with no evidence of any other structural modification. Parallel infra-red analyses show shifts in certain of the infra-red absorption bands to lower wavenumbers as the degree of substitution increases. Changes in the infrared spectra at the composition Si₂Al₄N₄O₄ indicate structural modifications which are not apparent from the X-ray investigations. It is suggested that these changes are a result of the ordering of the different atom types at this composition.     

Very low-temperature search for superconductivity in semiconducting KTaO3

A series of attempts have been made to detect the presence of superconductivity in semiconducting potassium tantalate (KTaO₃) single crystals. Semiconducting potassium tantalate has a number of properties in common with semiconducting SrTiO₃, which is superconducting below 0.3 K, with a critical temperatureT _c that varies as a function of the carrier concentration. Both KTaO₃ and SrTiO₃ are perovskite-structure oxides and both materials are so-called incipient ferroelectrics that are characterized by high dielectric constants at low temperature. These common properties suggest that superconductivity might also be observed in semiconducting potassium tantalate. In the temperature ange from 0.01 to 4.0 K, however, no evidence was found for superconductivity in KTaO₃ in the presence of magnetic fields of 10^–5–10^–4 T (i.e., 0.1–1 Oe). Below 1.5 K, the search for superconductivity in KTaO₃ was carried out using a³He-⁴He dilution refrigerator equipped with a SQUID magnetometer and an ac magnetometer. The system response was verified by measuring the paramagnetic susceptibility of Dy₂O₃-doped KTaO₃. The failure to observe superconductivity in KTaO₃, while SrTiO₃ is an established superconducting material, may be related to the fact that the latter substance assumes a tetragonal symmetry phase at 105 K, while KTaO₃ remains cubic to low temperatures.Operated by Union Carbide Corporation for the U.S. Department of Energy under contract w-7405-eng-26.