Does Local Television News Coverage Cultivate Fatalistic Beliefs About Cancer Prevention?

Many U.S. adults hold fatalistic beliefs about cancer prevention despite evidence that a large proportion of cancer deaths are preventable. We report findings from two studies that assess the plausibility of the claim that local television (TV) news cultivates fatalistic beliefs about cancer prevention. Study 1 features a content analysis of an October 2002 national sample of local TV and newspaper coverage about cancer. Study 2 describes an analysis of the 2005 Annenberg National Health Communication Survey (ANHCS). Overall, findings are consistent with the claim that local TV news coverage may promote fatalistic beliefs about cancer prevention. We conclude with a discussion of study implications for cultivation theory and the knowledge gap hypothesis and suggest foci for future research.     

A multi-objective model for seasonal personnel reassignment

The focus of this research was the development of a model to address the problem of reassigning summer construction workers to winter snow and ice removal teams in an efficient and cost-effective manner. The model is a multi-objective integer program that can generate the complete and precise trade-off curve between the objectives of minimizing total distance that the reassigned workforce must travel from their respective homes to one of many site locations, and minimizing the maximum distance that any one worker must travel. System constraints include demand requirements for workers at each site and the limited availability of state-owned vehicles that may be issued to workers assigned to remote sites. Details of the model structure and solution procedure are presented together with the results of an actual application.     

TPS6108x:极具多功能的升压转换器

引言 TPS61080与TPS61081是高集成度升压转换器,这两种器件的可调输出电压可达27 V,而输入电压则可低至2.5V.     

Quantitative analysis of micro structural and conductivity evolution of Ni-YSZ anodes during thermal cycling based on nano-computed tomography

Understanding the mechanism of degradation in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) using nickel/yttria-stabilized zirconia (Ni-YSZ) as the anode material is very important for the optimization of cell performance. In this work, the effects of thermal cycling on the microstructure of the Ni-YSZ anode are explored using the three-dimensional X-ray nano computed tomography (nano-CT) imaging technique. It is found that the average Ni particle size increased with thermal cycling, which is associated with the decreased connectivity of the Ni phase and the three-phase-boundary (TPB) length. Moreover, the conductivities of the anode samples are also reduced with the increase in thermal cycle times. The implication of these observations is discussed in terms of the relationship between the conductivity and connectivity of the Ni phase.     

Does Kripke’s Argument Against Functionalism Undermine the Standard View of What Computers Are?

Kripke’s argument against functionalism extended to physical computers poses a deep philosophical problem (not previously addressed in the literature) for understanding the standard view of what computers are. The problem puts into jeopardy the definition in the standard view that computers are physical machines for performing physical computations. Indeed, it is entirely possible that, unless this philosophical problem is resolved, we will never have a good understanding of computers and may never know just what they are.     

Computational analysis of citric acid pertraction in emulsion liquid membranes

Citric acid is one of the most widely used acids in industry, and its recovery from waste streams is critical. Emulsion liquid membrane (ELM) is one of the most effective recovery methods that has been investigated in recent years. Numerous transport phenomena parameters affect the efficiency of this process. From the process equipment design point of view, optimization based on overall cost is of great importance, and important equipment sizing decisions/constraints must be considered. A physics-based model for a full-scale simulation of ELM systems is very useful. This work is focused on developing and verifying such a model. A coupled particle/mixture simulation was carried out in this work, and the modelling results were fitted on the experimental data. The novelty of this modelling work is physics-based results based on the system's geometry and its effects on the mass transfer resistances. Since the model is physics-based, the model is capable of simulating similar systems with any geometry or experimental conditions.     

Automated Spore Measurements Using Microscopy,Image Analysis,and Peak Recognition of Near-Monodisperse Aerosols

Rapid detection of airborne fungal and bacterial spores would enable public agencies to respond quickly and appropriately to intentional releases of hazardous aerosols. Automated analysis of microscope images and automated detection of near-monodisperse peaks in aerosol size distribution data offer complementary approaches to traditional methods for the identification and counting of fungal and bacterial spores. First, spores of the fungus Scopulariopsis brevicaulis were aerosolized in a chamber and then collected with a slit impactor; later, digital microscope images were analyzed manually to determine spore cluster distributions. The images also were analyzed with ImageJ, a program that automatically outlined objects and measured Feret's diameter, area, perimeter, and circularity. These characteristics were used to identify spore clusters automatically using two data analysis methods. Second, a computer program was developed to discriminate near-monodisperse bioaerosol peaks from those for polydisperse ambient particulate matter (PM) and was successfully tested using simulated and real aerosol mixtures. The observed agreement between manual and automated spore counts and the ability to detect spore peaks suggest that it may be possible to develop a system to recognize intentional releases rapidly through examination of particle morphology and size distributions. The peak detection procedure is potentially the fastest technique when used with real-time instrument data, but assumes that intentional releases would consist of large numbers of uniformly sized particles in the respirable size range.

Copyright 2012 American Association for Aerosol Research