The Effectiveness of Telephone-Based Continuing Care in the Clinical Management of Alcohol and Cocaine Use Disorders: 12-Month Outcomes.

This study of continuing care for substance dependent patients compared a telephone-based monitoring and brief counseling intervention (TEL) with 2 face-to-face interventions, relapse prevention (RP) and standard 12-step group counseling (STND). The participants were graduates of intensive outpatient programs who had current dependence on alcohol and/or cocaine. Self-report, collateral, and biological measures of alcohol and cocaine use were obtained over a 12-month follow-up. The treatment groups did not differ on abstinence-related outcomes in the complete sample (N = 359) or on cocaine use outcomes in participants with cocaine dependence (n = 268). However, in participants with alcohol dependence only (n = 91), TEL produced better alcohol use outcomes than STND on all measures examined and better outcomes than RP on some of the measures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Short Crack R-Curves in Ferroelectric and Electrostrictive PLZT

This work describes the measurement of R -curve behavior in ferroelectric ceramics using four-point bend specimens with controlled semielliptical surface cracks. The results are compared for two compositions of lead lanthanum zirconate titanate. One exhibits ferroelastic behavior, the other electrostrictive linear elastic behavior. R -curves are measured in the crack length regime of 0.1 to 0.8 mm. The ferroelastic composition displays a toughness increase from 0.5 to 1.2 MPa·m^1/2. The linear elastic composition displays a flat R -curve. The R -curve behavior is attributed to ferroelastic toughening.     

Effect of green manure and supplemental fertility amendments on selected soil quality parameters in an organic potato rotation in Eastern Canada

The effects of green manure, crop sequence and off-farm composts on selected soil quality parameters were assessed in a three-year organic potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) rotation in Eastern Canada. Three crop sequences varying in preceding green manure [red clover (RCl) + RCl, and beans/buckwheat or carrots + oats/peas/vetch mixture (OPV)] as main plots and four fertility treatments applied in the potato phase only [control; inorganic fertilizer; municipal solid waste compost (MSW); composted paper mill biosolid (PMB)] as subplots were compared. In 2008 and 2010, changes in selected soil quality parameters (0–15 cm) were assessed prior to planting of potatoes and at potato tuber initiation stage. Potentially mineralizable nitrogen (N) and the acid phosphatase enzyme activity average values across years were greater following RCl (1.51 abs and 622 kg ha^?1) compared with OPV (1.32 abs and 414 kg ha^?1) at potato planting. Soil NO₃–N average value was greater following RCl compared with OPV (63 vs. 52 kg ha^?1) at tuber initiation. For the other measured parameters, OPV and RCl were similar. The soil organic carbon (C) and particulate organic matter-C were greater under PMB and MSW (31.1 and 7.57 kg ha^?1) compared with fertilizer treatment (27.9 and 6.05 kg ha^?1). The microbial biomass C and microbial biomass quotient were greater under MSW (216 kg ha^?1 and 0.73 %) than PMB and fertilizer (147 kg ha^?1 and 0.50 %) across crop rotations. Annual legume green manures and off-farm composts can be used to satisfy potato N requirement and maintains soil quality in organic potato rotations.     

Divine Living: Marketing and Selling Churches as Lofts in Toronto,Canada

In recent years, a growing number of churches no longer used by religious groups have been converted to loft housing. Church lofts offer consumers heritage architecture and unique aesthetics, elements that distinguish these spaces in the housing market. In order to sell converted churches as viable homes, however, developers and their marketing teams deploy a variety of marketing strategies. Through an analysis of advertising media in Toronto, Ontario, in this paper, I show how former churches are repackaged and promoted with a heritage identity that fits a normative ideal of upscale loft living. In particular, I analyse three central marketing themes: the reinvention of a church to a house and home, the production of identity through place names and the representation of church lofts in the urban landscape. Woven together, these themes rewrite a building’s religious past and legitimize an emerging housing market that makes use of built religious heritage.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In Situ</Emphasis> Observation of Strain Evolution in Cp-Ti Over Multiple Length Scales

The strain evolution in polycrystalline CP-Ti strip under tension was studied in situ and at two length scales using Synchrotron X-ray diffraction. To establish the bulk material behavior, experiments were performed at the Australian Synchrotron facility. Because of the relatively large grain size, discontinuous “spotty” Debye ring patterns were observed, and a peak fitting algorithm was developed to determine the individual spot positions with the necessary precision for strain determination. The crystallographic directional dependence of strain anisotropy during the loading cycle was determined. Strain anisotropy and yielding of individual crystallographic planes prior to the macroscopic yield point were further clarified by in situ loading experiments performed at the Advanced Light Source (ALS). The deviatoric strain accumulation and plastic response were mapped on a grain-by-grain basis. The onset of microscopic yielding in the grains was identified and correlated with the relative orientation of the grains with respect to the loading direction.     

Evaluation of rib steak colour from Friesian, Hereford and Charolais heifers pastured or overwintered prior to slaughter

Heifers (n=10) were randomly selected from the slaughter line of a local factory each month for a period of 21 months. Rib steak (sampled at the 10th rib) from the left side of each carcass was taken for analysis. The cattle breeds selected during this study were Friesian, Hereford and Charolais. The mean weight of the left side for all carcasses was 146.6 (S.E.M.= 1.0kg). Graded carcasses selected for sampling during this trial were classified using the EUROP scale and the specific heifer grades chosen were factory grades EO4L and EO4H. Initial Hunter 'a' values (on the day of arrival in the laboratory) of rib steak from heifers finished between November and March (overwintered) were significantly (P<0.001) higher than Hunter 'a' values from heifers finished between April and October (pastured). After storage at 4?°C under simulated retail display conditions for 6 days, the Hunter 'a' values for overwintered samples were also significantly (P<0.001) greater than those for pastured samples. Breed also had an effect on the colour of the meat. After storage for 6 days, Hunter 'a' values of rib steak from Charolais were significantly (P<0.05) higher than either Friesian or Hereford. Pastured heifers had significantly (P<0.05) higher levels of the monounsaturated fatty acid C16.1 in the total lipid fraction of rib steak (neutral and polar) than samples taken from overwintered heifers. Pastured heifers had significantly (P<0.01) higher levels of the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) C18.3 in the phospholipid fraction than those from overwintered cattle. However, Hereford had significantly (P<0.05) higher levels of C14.0, C16.1 and C18.0 in the phospholipid fraction than those found in Friesian and Charolais. The level of α-tocopherol in the muscle was not affected by either pasturing/overwintering or breed. However, Continental breeds had significantly (P<0.05) higher levels of α-tocopherol in adipose tissue than Friesian.     

Testing Self-Similar Networks

A hard problem in network testing is verifying the correctness of a class of networks, as well as the actual networks under test. In practice, at most a few networks (sometimes only one) are actually tested. Thus an important question is how to select one or more networks that are sufficiently representative to apply the results to a class of networks. We present a model-based technique for selecting a representative network. The central theorem establishes that the representative network displays any faults present in any network of the class. This paper introduces the concept of “self-similarity,” which is used to select the network, and presents the results of an experiment in testing one class of networks.     

Perceptions of News Credibility about the War in Iraq: Why War Opponents Perceived the Internet as the Most Credible Medium

This study investigated cross‐media credibility perception with respect to news coverage about the Iraq War. In an environment of political partisanship, perceptions of media credibility were likely affected by the audience’s political position on the war. Based on hostile media effect theory, a set of hypotheses was proposed to investigate whether the minority opinion group, war opponents, evaluated the Internet as a more credible medium than did neutrals or supporters. An online survey was conducted to which 481 people responded (71% war supporters, 19% opponents, 10% neutrals). Results showed that opponents of the war perceived the Internet as less aligned with a pro‐government position and as more credible than did neutrals or supporters. The opponent group also showed a strong negative correlation between perceived pro‐government alignment and perceptions of Internet credibility. For the minority partisan group, the diversity of information and views on the war was the main reason for the perception of high credibility of the Internet as a news channel.