Toward an integrative perspective on bereavement.

For nearly a century, bereavement theorists have assumed that recovery from loss requires a period of grief work in which the ultimate goal is the severing of the attachment bond to the deceased. Reviews appearing in the 1980s noted a surprising absence of empirical support for this view, thus leaving the bereavement field without a guiding theoretical base. In this article, the authors consider alternative perspectives on bereavement that are based on cognitive stress theory, attachment theory, the social functional account of emotion, and trauma theory. They then elaborate on the most promising features of each theory in an attempt to develop an integrative framework to guide future research. The authors elucidate 4 fundamental components of the grieving process—context, meaning, representations of the lost relationship, and coping and emotion-regulation processes—and suggest ways in which these components may interact over the course of bereavement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A saturation analysis of error-spectrum shaping quantizers

Error spectrum shaping (ESS) quantizers are analyzed in the context of realistic FIR reconstruction filters and nonzero probability of saturation. Conditions for stable operation are derived, and a suboptimal but effective and computationally efficient design method is proposed. Excellent agreement is obtained between the analysis and simulations. Even under these more stringent constraints, ESS quantizers are shown to achieve significant signal-to-quantization-noise ratio (SQNR) gains when quantizing oversampled Gaussian sources     

Effect of concentration on the performance of flat plate photovoltaic modules

The effect of low concentration ratios on the performance of passively cooled conventional photovoltaic modules has been investigated. Peak power outputs of up to 140 W per square metre of module area have been obtained with single crystal modules of high cell packing factor using a 2.2X plane mirror concentrator. Both cell temperature and series resistance losses are found to be important in limiting module efficiency. Performance simulations indicate that the use of a 4X concentrator with polar axis tracking will increase annual peak output by a factor of 3.2 over that of a fixed flat plate module.     

Invitations for Partisan Identification: Attempts to Court Latino Voters Through Televised Latino-Oriented Political Advertisements, 1984–2000

By the year 2050, Latinos will represent the dominant ethnic minority in the United States, and researchers are just beginning to examine the campaign messages targeted to this voting bloc. This article employs identification theory to understand the rhetorical approaches used in campaign advertisements designed for these voters. Through a content analysis of campaign spots targeted to Latinos over four presidential elections (1984, 1988, 1996, 2000), we find that the invitations for party identification sent to this group tend to be positive, focus on the Latino (not the candidate), and depict Latinos as an emergent force in American politics. In trying to foster identification from this desirable voting population, it appears that campaign forces encourage Latinos to view themselves, and politics, as valuable and consequential—a marked alternative to most advertising strategies at the close of the 20th century.     

Petroleum fuel additives: A case for recognition

Additives intended to improve both physical and chemical properties of petroleum products have long been very widely accepted in many fields—particularly in connection with automotive application.However, the practical application of a parallel approach for directly fired petroleum fuels has, for a number of reasons, been largely ignored.Since the onset of the energy crisis, interest has mounted in the potential of this hitherto neglected technology, which draws together both chemical and physical principles.This paper sets out the reasons why the application of additive compounds may be expected to make positive contributions to improved efficiency and proceeds to examine in detail the several distinct classes into which the currently available products may be divided.     

A component analysis of cognitive-behavioral treatment for depression.

The purpose of this study was to provide an experimental test of the theory of change put forth by A. T. Beck, A. J. Rush, B. E Shaw, and G. Emery ( 1979 ) to explain the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CT) for depression. The comparison involved randomly assigning 150 outpatients with major depression to a treatment focused exclusively on the behavioral activation (BA) component of CT, a treatment that included both BA and the teaching of skills to modify automatic thoughts (AT), but excluding the components of CT focused on core schema, or the full CT treatment. Four experienced cognitive therapists conducted all treatments. Despite excellent adherence to treatment protocols by the therapists, a clear bias favoring CT, and the competent performance of CT, there was no evidence that the complete treatment produced better outcomes, at either the termination of acute treatment or the 6-month follow-up, than either component treatment. Furthermore, both BA and AT treatments were just as effective as CT at altering negative thinking as well as dysfunctional attributional styles. Finally, attributional style was highly predictive of both short- and long-term outcomes in the BA condition, but not in the CT condition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of low-volatile additives on the structure and strength of cokes

Blends of medium-volatile or high-volatile coals have been carbonized in a 7 kg oven with low-volatile coals (6–16% VM, dmmf). A comparison is made of the strength and structural properties of these cokes with those of the cokes made under corresponding conditions from the medium or high-volatile coals alone. With increasing levels of addition of the low-volatile coals the tensile strength of the blend cokes generally attains a maximum and then decreases. These strength changes are related to changes in porosity, pore-wall thickness and pore dimensions. Coals which display some degree of plasticity and which are weakly caking improve coke quality by altering the pore-structure due to the combined effects of decreasing the pore diameter and slightly increasing the wall thickness. Those additives which are non-caking act primarily as wall thickeners.     

Ultralow loading Pt nanocatalysts prepared by atomic layer deposition on carbon aerogels

Using atomic layer deposition (ALD), we show that Pt nanoparticles can be deposited on the inner surfaces of carbon aerogels (CA). The resultant Pt-loaded materials exhibit high catalytic activity for the oxidation of CO even at loading levels as low as approximately 0.05 mg Pt/cm2. We observe a conversion efficiency of nearly 100% in the 150-250 degrees C temperatures range, and the total conversion rate seems to be limited only by the thermal stability of the CA support in ambient oxygen. The ALD approach described here is universal in nature, and can be applied to the design of new catalytic materials for a variety of applications, including fuel cells, hydrogen storage, pollution control, green chemistry, and liquid fuel production.