Getting a Grip on Your Feelings: Effects of Action Orientation and External Demands on Intuitive Affect Regulation.

The authors propose that volitional action is supported by intuitive affect regulation, defined as flexible, efficient, and nonrepressive control of own affective states. Intuitive affect regulation should be most apparent among action-oriented individuals under demanding conditions. Consistent with this, a demanding context led action-oriented individuals to down-regulate negative affect in self-reports (Study 1), in an affective Simon task (Study 2), and in a face discrimination task (Study 3). In line with the idea that intuitive affect regulation is guided by top-down self-regulation processes, intuitive affect regulation in a face discrimination task was mediated by increases in self-accessibility (Study 3). No parallel effects emerged among action-oriented participants in a nondemanding context or among state-oriented participants. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The development of an open-network digital circuit multiplication equipment system

This paper discusses the systematization effort undertaken to generate an equipment specification of an extremely detailed and new nature for DCMEs in accordance with the INTELSAT specification IESS-501. The main areas of importance addressed are additional to what has already been defined within the IESS-501. A discussion of important aspects when introducing DCME into actual network conditions is also contained and results based on simulations of performance under simulated network environments are included.     

Optimized High-Order Derivative and Dissipation Operators Satisfying Summation by Parts,and Applications in Three-dimensional Multi-block Evolutions

We construct optimized high-order finite differencing operators which satisfy summation by parts. Since these operators are not uniquely defined, we consider several optimization criteria: minimizing the bandwidth, the truncation error on the boundary points, the spectral radius, or a combination of these. We examine in detail a set of operators that are up to tenth order accurate in the interior, and we surprisingly find that a combination of these optimizations can improve the operators’ spectral radius and accuracy by orders of magnitude in certain cases. We also construct high-order dissipation operators that are compatible with these new finite difference operators and which are semi-definite with respect to the appropriate summation by parts scalar product. We test the stability and accuracy of these new difference and dissipation operators by evolving a three-dimensional scalar wave equation on a spherical domain consisting of seven blocks, each discretized with a structured grid, and connected through penalty boundary conditions. In particular, we find that the constructed dissipation operators are effective in suppressing instabilities that are sometimes otherwise present in the restricted full norm case.     

An algorithm for the solution of differential games with bounds on the state and control variables—II: The application of the algorithm

This is the second part of a paper, which is concerned with the development of a numerical algorithm for the solution of a class of differential games. The theoretical derivation is made in Part I and this part exemplifies the use of the algorithm on an atmospheric pursuit-evasion game with a nonlinear dynamic structure. The applicability and efficiency of the method is discussed in a concluding section.     

Directionally solidified ZrO2-Ta and ZrO2(Y2O3)-Ta composites

Aligned eutectic composites of unstabilized ZrO₂-Ta and Y₂O₃-stabilized ZrO₂-Ta were grown by direct internal zone melting. Samples with unstabilized ZrO₂ were almost completely crack-free even though the matrix had transformed from the tetragonal to the monoclinic lattice. Stabilized ZrO₂-Ta composites were heavily cracked and exhibited less homogeneous fiber growth. The Ta fiber diameter in unstabilized eutectics decreased from 0.45 to 0.20 μm, as growth rates increased from 4.4 to 27 cm/h. The fracture of the composites always took place in a controlled manner. The reason is plastic deformation of the fibers and subsidiary crack formation within the twinned ZrO₂ matrix. The Ta fiber ductility is caused by solute Zr which reduces the oxygen solubility of Ta considerably.     

Application of the micrometeorological mass balance method to the determination of ammonia loss from a grazed sward

The micrometeorological mass balance method has been assessed with a view to its use in the determination of ammonia (NH₃) loss from grazed swards. The method involves the measurement of wind speed and the concentration of NH₃ in air at different heights above the sward at its windward boundary and a position leeward of the grazed area. The flux of NH₃ is calculated from these measurements and a continuous record of wind direction. Quantitative recovery of NH₃ from air flows up to 10 litre min^?1 was achieved using a simple trap containing dilute orthophosphoric acid and a gas dispersion tube. Wind speed measured at a height of 0.25 m at six different positions above a previously grazed sward varied by <2%. The NH₃ concentration at the same positions was affected by the distance between the windward edge of the sward and the sampling position (i.e. the fetch) and by heterogeneity in the distribution of sources of NH₃ (urine- or dung-affected areas). However, the normalised horizontal flux through 0.25 m (wind speedXNH₃ concentration/fetch) varied by less than ±8.1% probably due to mixing through fluctuations in wind direction (approximately ±30° on the mean) as air passed over the sources of NH₃ during each measurement period. Plots of wind speed or NH₃ concentration versus logarithm of height indicated that each approximated a linear relationship. This facilitated the calculation of the NH₃ flux per unit land area and reduced the total error to about 10%. The total loss of NH₃ derived by summing losses during individual sampling intervals of 2 to 18 h within a 24 h period was essentially the same as that derived by averaging wind speeds and NH₃ concentrations measured continuously over the same 24 h period. The flux of NH₃ from a ryegrass sward grazed by yearling steers ranged from 0.01 to 0.14 kg N ha^?1 h^?1 during a 2 day grazing period within a 28 day rotation and during the 5 days following removal of animals. A pronounced diurnal variation was observed in the flux of NH₃, the maximum occurring between 13.00 and 20.00 hours on each day. Rainfall and low rates of evapotranspiration reduced the flux to <0.02 kg N h^?1 h^?1. The total loss of NH₃ during 28 days was 20.7 kg N ha^?1.     

The effect of ethanol and specific growth rate on the lipid content and composition of Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown anaerobically in a chemostat

The effects of produced ethanol and specific growth rate on the lipid content and composition of Saccharomyces cerevisiae CBS 2806 were studied using anaerobic chemostat cultures. The cells adapted to increased concentrations of produced ethanol by increasing the proportion of ergosterol at the expense of lanosterol, by increasing the proportion of phosphatidylinositol at the expense of phosphatidylcholine, and by increasing the amount of C_18:0 fatty acids in total phospholipids at the expense of C_16:0 fatty acids. The produced ethanol had no effect on the phospholipid content nor on the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids in the phospholipids. The specific growth rate had no effect on the phospholipid content, the sterol composition, the phospholipid composition, the fatty acid composition of total phospholipids, or on the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids in the phospholipids of S. cerevisiae. It was not possible to separate the effects of produced ethanol and growth rate on the ergosterol content of the chemostat-grown S. cerevisiae cells.     

Umwandlungsverstärkte Keramische Werkstoffe

Transformation-Toughened Ceramics A summary is given on the toughening of ceramics by utilizing the tetragonal-to-monoclinic phase transformation of ZrO₂ particles dispersed in the ceramic matrix. Various parameters controlling this martensitic transformation (especially M_s) are discussed together with in situ-TEM observations. The possible toughening mechanisms that allow for additional energy dissipation at crack tips are stress-induced transformation and nucleation of microcracks. Further strengthening is achieved by introducing steady-state surface compressive stresses. The type and magnitude of toughening is controlled by the microstructural design parameters such as volume fraction, chemical composition, size and size distribution of ZrO₂ particles which again determine the M_s temperature. The homogeneous dispersion of ZrO₂ is the most important step in the technology of transformation-toughened ceramics. Experimental examples for the toughening effect are given for the ceramic matrices Al₂O₃, ZnO, spinel, mullite and Si₃N₄.     

Grain-Size Dependence of Fracture Energy in Ceramics

A simple model incorporating thermal elastic anisotropy stresses is used to calculate the microcrack zone size around cracks in Al₂O₃. It is found that the ratio of microcrack zone size to grain size is almost constant for notched beam tests, but increases with grain size for double cantilever beam data. It is suggested that notched-beam ratios of fracture toughness are related to crack initiation, whereas double cantilever beam values are related to propagation and reflect R-curve behavior of the material.     

Theoretical analyses of some simple wave power devices

The problem of how to extract energy from ocean waves is discussed by analysing theoretically the hydrodynamic properties of a few ideal devices, involving vertical energy absorbing plates. the aim is to find a mechanism with high ideal efficiency, but still simple enough, such that its realization in practice can be economically feasible. The most promising device involves one or more vertical elastic plates situated in the water perpendicular to the incoming waves. About a quarter of a wavelength after the (first) plate there is a stiff vertical construction extending sufficiently deep in the water such that it is rather immobile. It serves as a reflector of the waves. the elastic plate is set in oscillation by the wave motion and this motion is used to extract the energy by applying a braking force. the optimal force field is discussed in some detail, and it is shown that not much of the optimal efficiency is lost by letting the force field simply be proportional to the velocity. the device is also shown to be sensitive to a fairly broad spectrum of wavelengths, and this spectrum can be broadened by adding more swinging plates. In this way efficiencies of 80-100 per cent are attained in theory over a wavelength spectrum extending over an order of magnitude.