Ethnicity, Expressed Emotion, Attributions, and Course of Schizophrenia: Family Warmth Matters.

The authors examined the role of family factors and the course of schizophrenia by carrying out additional assessments and analyses in 2 previously published studies of Mexican American and Anglo American patients and families. The authors found partial support for an attributional model of relapse for families who are low in emotional overinvolvement. Attributions of control, criticism, and warmth together marginally predicted relapse. The data also indicated that for Mexican Americans, family warmth is a significant protective factor, whereas for Anglo Americans, family criticism is a significant risk factor. These findings suggest that the sociocultural context shapes the pathways by which family processes are related to the course of illness. Moreover, the warmth findings suggest that families may contribute to preventing relapse. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Role of Melodic and Temporal Cues in Perceiving Musical Meter.

A number of different cues allow listeners to perceive musical meter. Three experiments examined effects of melodic and temporal accents on perceived meter in excerpts from folk songs scored in 6/8 or 3/4 meter. Participants matched excerpts with 1 of 2 metrical drum accompaniments. Melodic accents included contour change, melodic leaps, registral extreme, melodic repetition, and harmonic rhythm. Two experiments with isochronous melodies showed that contour change and melodic repetition predicted judgments. For longer melodies in the 2nd experiment, variables predicted judgments best at the beginning of excerpts. The final experiment, with rhythmically varied melodies, showed that temporal accents, tempo, and contour change were the strongest predictors of meter. The authors' findings suggest that listeners combine multiple melodic and temporal features to perceive musical meter. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Analyzing Nonindependent Outcomes in Couple Therapy Using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model.

The nonindependent components of couple data require data-analytic strategies tailored to the interpersonal processes occurring between relationship partners. This article examines the benefits of a specifically dyadic analytic method, the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM), for evaluating interpartner influence across time. Both conceptual and methodological features of the APIM are exemplified by applying this model to observations of negative and positive affect and global distress in spouses participating in a randomized trial of couple therapy. In addition to elucidating specific advantages of the APIM relative to alternative data-analytic strategies, the current results shed new light on previous findings from a comparative treatment outcome study evaluating behavioral and insight-oriented approaches to couple therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Lattice Softening Significantly Reduces Thermal Conductivity and Leads to High Thermoelectric Efficiency

The influence of micro/nanostructure on thermal conductivity is a topic of great scientific interest, particularly to thermoelectrics. The current understanding is that structural defects decrease thermal conductivity through phonon scattering where the phonon dispersion and speed of sound are assumed to remain constant. Experimental work on a PbTe model system is presented, which shows that the speed of sound linearly decreases with increased internal strain. This softening of the materials lattice completely accounts for the reduction in lattice thermal conductivity, without the introduction of additional phonon scattering mechanisms. Additionally, it is shown that a major contribution to the improvement in the thermoelectric figure of merit (zT > 2) of high‐efficiency Na‐doped PbTe can be attributed to lattice softening. While inhomogeneous internal strain fields are known to introduce phonon scattering centers, this study demonstrates that internal strain can modify phonon propagation speed as well. This presents new avenues to control lattice thermal conductivity, beyond phonon scattering. In practice, many engineering materials will exhibit both softening and scattering effects, as is shown in silicon. This work shines new light on studies of thermal conductivity in fields of energy materials, microelectronics, and nanoscale heat transfer.     

Oxygen Reduction Reaction Performance of [MTBD][beti]‐Encapsulated Nanoporous NiPt Alloy Nanoparticles

Recent advances in oxygen reduction reaction catalysis for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) include i) the use of electrochemical dealloying to produce high surface area and sometimes nanoporous catalysts with a Pt‐enriched outer surface, and ii) the observation that oxygen reduction in nanoporous materials can be potentially enhanced by confinement effects, particularly if the chemical environment within the pores can bias the reaction toward completion. Here, these advances are combined by incorporating a hydrophobic, protic ionic liquid, [MTBD][beti], into the pores of high surface‐area NiPt alloy nanoporous nanoparticles (np‐NiPt/C + [MTBD][beti]). The high O₂ solubility of the [MTBD][beti], in conjunction with the confined environment within the pores, biases reactant O₂ toward the catalytic surface, consistent with an increased residence time and enhanced attempt frequencies, resulting in improved reaction kinetics. Half‐cell measurements show the np‐NiPt/C+[MTBD][beti] encapsulated catalyst to be nearly an order of magnitude more active than commercial Pt/C, a result that is directly translated into operational PEMFCs.     

Determination of Volatile and Semivolatile Contaminants in Meat by Supercritical Fluid Extraction/Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry

Meat products that were exposed to a warehouse fire were collected and examined to identify contaminants present in the samples. An extraction method using supercritical carbon dioxide at 100 atm and 60°C was developed to analyse and characterise volatile and semi-volatile compounds from the samples. The major volatile compounds were lipid oxidation products, such as hexanal and nonanal. Volatiles concentrations from fire-exposed meat products were compared to control samples to determine compositional differences. Aromatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were identified, and naphthalene was measured in suspected fire-damaged meat products. Direct supercritical extraction from the meat samples proved to be a rapid and reproducible method to assess contamination in commercial meat products.     

Microstructure and multifunctional properties of liquid + polymer bicomponent structural electrolytes: Epoxy gels and porous monoliths

Multifunctional structural batteries and supercapacitors have the potential to improve performance and efficiency in advanced lightweight systems. A critical requirement is a structural electrolyte with superior multifunctional performance. We present here structural electrolytes prepared by the integration of liquid electrolytes with structural epoxy networks. Two distinct approaches were investigated: direct blending of an epoxy resin with a poly(ethylene‐glycol) (PEG)‐ or propylene carbonate (PC)‐based liquid electrolyte followed by in‐situ cure of the resin; and formation of a porous neat epoxy sample followed by backfill with a PC‐based electrolyte. The results show that in situ cure of the electrolytes within the epoxy network does not lead to good multifunctional performance due to a combination of plasticization of the structural network and limited percolation of the liquid network. In contrast, addition of a liquid electrolyte to a porous monolith results in both good stiffness and high ionic conductivity that approach multifunctional goals. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42681.     

Intrinsic carrier multiplication in layered Bi2O2Se avalanche photodiodes with gain bandwidth product exceeding 1 GHz

Emerging layered semiconductors present multiple advantages for optoelectronic technologies including high carrier mobilities, strong light-matter interactions, and tunable optical absorption and emission. Here, metal-semiconductor-metal avalanche photodiodes (APDs) are fabricated from Bi₂O₂Se crystals, which consist of electrostatically bound [Bi₂O₂]²⁺ and [Se]²⁻ layers. The resulting APDs possess an intrinsic carrier multiplication factor up to 400 at 7 K with a responsivity gain exceeding 3,000 A/W and bandwidth of ~ 400 kHz at a visible wavelength of 515.6 nm, ultimately resulting in a gain bandwidth product exceeding 1 GHz. Due to exceptionally low dark currents, Bi₂O₂Se APDs also yield high detectivities up to 4.6 × 10¹⁴ Jones. A systematic analysis of the photocurrent temperature and bias dependence reveals that the carrier multiplication process in Bi₂O₂Se APDs is consistent with a reverse biased Schottky diode model with a barrier height of ~ 44 meV, in contrast to the charge trapping extrinsic gain mechanism that dominates most layered semiconductor phototransistors. In this manner, layered Bi₂O₂Se APDs provide a unique platform that can be exploited in a diverse range of high-performance photodetector applications.

     

Interactions of arsenic and the dissolved substances derived from turf soils

Monosodium methanearsonate (MSMA) is frequently used as an herbicide for the control of weeds in turf grasses at golf courses in Florida. There are concerns about arsenic (As) contamination of local shallow groundwater from the application of MSMA. The distinction between "free" As and colloid-bound/complexed As in soil solution is important for understanding the mobility and bioavailability of As in the environment. In this study, the equilibrium membrane (500 and 3500 Da) dialysis method was employed to determine the "free" and "bound" As in water extracts of five types of golf-course soils containing coated and uncoated sands in various proportions with peat. All samples were evaluated for arsenic species (arsenite, AsIII and arsenate, AsV), dissolved organic matter, and additional constituents (iron, aluminum, and calcium). The impacts of microbial growth were evaluated by conducting experiments with and without the addition of sodium azide for one particular soil type. Results indicate that (1) the presence of peat in the soils plays a significant role in the distribution of As in the dissolved phase of soil solutions; (2) the majority of As present in the soil extracts from soils containing peat was associated with substances of molecular weight (MW) between 500 and 3500 Da; (3) the association of As and dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the soil solution strongly affected As bioavailability, thus determining As transformations via microorganism-mediated processes; and (4) the presence of peat greatly enhanced the release of iron, aluminum, and calcium from soil. Amendment of sand with peat is a common practice at Florida golf courses. However, the addition of peat will alter the properties of the soils, which in turn could affect As transport and transformation. The results of this study are useful for understanding the factors controlling As trapping and transport within porous soil media and in developing comprehensive plans for managing and remediating As contaminated environments, such as golf courses.