The influence of stress on the pitting susceptibility of a 12%CrMoV martensitic stainless steel

The influence of applied macrostress on the pitting susceptibility of a 12%CrMoV martensitic stainless steel in a de-aerated caustic solution containing chloride at 373K has been investigated and discussed.     

Endometrial Epithelial ARID1A Is Required for Uterine Immune Homeostasis during Early Pregnancy

A growing body of work suggests epigenetic dysregulation contributes to endometriosis pathophysiology and female infertility. The chromatin remodeling complex subunit AT-rich interaction domain 1A (ARID1A) must be properly expressed to maintain normal uterine function. Endometrial epithelial ARID1A is indispensable for pregnancy establishment in mice through regulation of endometrial gland function; however, ARID1A expression is decreased in infertile women with endometriosis. We hypothesized that ARID1A performs critical operations in the endometrial epithelium necessary for fertility besides maintaining gland function. To identify alterations in uterine gene expression resulting from loss of epithelial ARID1A, we performed RNA-sequencing analysis on pre-implantation uteri from Ltf^iCre/+Arid1a^f/f and control mice. Differential expression analysis identified 4181 differentially expressed genes enriched for immune-related ingenuity canonical pathways including agranulocyte adhesion and diapedesis and natural killer cell signaling. RT-qPCR confirmed an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokine and macrophage-related gene expression but a decrease in natural killer cell signaling. Immunostaining confirmed a uterus-specific increase in macrophage infiltration. Flow cytometry delineated an increase in inflammatory macrophages and a decrease in uterine dendritic cells in Ltf^iCre/+Arid1a^f/f uteri. These findings demonstrate a role for endometrial epithelial ARID1A in suppressing inflammation and maintaining uterine immune homeostasis, which are required for successful pregnancy and gynecological health.     

Engineering the Thermoelectrical Properties of PEDOT:PSS by Alkali Metal Ion Effect

Engineering the electrical properties of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)(PEDOT:PSS)holds great potential for various applications such a...     

Who Experiences Foreclosures? The Characteristics of Households Experiencing a Foreclosure in Minneapolis,Minnesota

Much of the existing research on disparities in residential foreclosures provides strong, but not conclusive, evidence that minority households disproportionately experience foreclosures. Data commonly used in foreclosure research do not allow researchers to use household characteristics of foreclosed properties to test for disparities in experiencing foreclosure. This is a significant omission in the literature since understanding the types of households that most typically experience foreclosure might result in the creation of better targeted and more effective foreclosure prevention and mitigation programs. Using a unique data set this paper explores the characteristics of households that experienced a foreclosure in Minneapolis, Minnesota during fiscal years 2006 and 2007. Research results confirm that African American households disproportionately experience foreclosures, but also indicate that renter households, households with children and foreign-born homeowners are all over-represented among foreclosed households. These results have implications for how policy makers and practitioners address foreclosure prevention and mitigation efforts.     

Posttraumatic growth among Norwegian children and adolescents exposed to the 2004 tsunami.

This study examined posttraumatic growth (PTG), positive change experienced as a result of the struggle with trauma, in children and adolescents exposed to a high-impact disaster, after which their experience of secondary adversity was minimal. The study also examined whether reduction in posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) over time related to reports of PTG. There were 105 participants, age 6 to 17 years, who were directly exposed to the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia. They were interviewed 10 and 30 months after the disaster—PTSS was assessed at both time points, and PTG was assessed at 30 months. The individual's subjective reactions to the event and concurrent PTSS (30-months post-tsunami) were independently and positively related to PTG, whereas the decrease in PTSS was not related to growth. Children and youth in this study reported lower absolute levels of PTG than those in other studies. Taken in sum, findings suggest that secondary adversities may influence posttraumatic reactions and ongoing distress, which are hypothesized to play a key role in the development of PTG. In the absence of such secondary stressors, continued distress in the form of PTSS may serve to catalyze the growth process. Implications for clinical practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

High Temperature Millimeter Wave Radiometric and Interferometric Measurements of Slag-Refractory Interaction for Application to Coal Gasifiers

Millimeter wave (MMW) radiometry can be used for simultaneous measurement of emissivity and temperature of materials under extreme environments such as in slagging coal gasifiers, where sensors have been identified as a key enabling technology need for process optimization. We present a dual-channel MMW heterodyne radiometer with active interferometric capability that allows simultaneous measurements of sample temperature, emissivity, and flow dynamics. Interferometric capability at 137 GHz is supplied via a probe signal originating from a local oscillator allowing monitoring of sample dynamics such as volume expansion and thickness change. This capability has been used to monitor characteristic behavior between refractories and slag such as slag infiltration, slag melting, viscous flow, foaming, and crucible corrosion by the molten slag. These results show the promise of the MMW system for extracting process parameters from operating slagging coal gasifiers, providing valuable information for process efficiency, control, and increased productivity.     

The research productivity of academic psychologists: assessment,trends, and best practice recommendations

Research productivity affects the careers of academic psychologists. Unfortunately, there is a surprising lack of consensus on productivity’s meaning, measurement, and how to compare the productivity of one academic psychologist to another. In the present study, we review academic productivity research within psychology, and using a sample of 673 psychologists, compute six indexes of productivity. Most productivity metrics (publication count, citation count, or some combination of the two) were substantially interrelated and one (Integrated Research Productivity Index) was independent from years in the field. Female psychologists were equally as productive as male psychologists after accounting for years in the field, and pre-tenure psychologists showed steeper change-over-time productivity slopes than post-tenure psychologists. Based on these findings, we provide recommendations for the use and measurement of academic research productivity.     

Peeping Hals

Robotics and artificial intelligence hold enormous promise but raise a variety of ethical and legal concerns, including with respect to privacy. Robotics and artificial intelligence implicate privacy in at least three ways. First, they increase our capacity for surveillance. Second, they introduce new points of access to historically private spaces such as the home. Finally, they trigger hardwired social responses that can threaten several of the values privacy protects. Responding to the privacy implications of robotics and artificial intelligence is likely to require a combination of design, law, and education.