Modified acrylamide polymers for enhanced oil recovery

Copolymers of sodium acrylate and N-methyl-, N-isopropyl-, N-n-butyl-, and N-t-butylacrylamide were prepared. The viscosities of these copolymers in 0.01% and 2.00% NaCl and their resistances to shear were compared with those of several partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamides. The poly(N-alkylacrylamide-co-sodium acrylate demonstrated somewhat better retention of viscosity in brine than did analagous partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamides. N-alkyl substitution increased sensitivity to shear in low salt solutions.     

The efficacy of a targeted personalized drinking feedback intervention among intercollegiate athletes: A randomized controlled trial.

College athletes are an at-risk population for excessive alcohol use and subsequent alcohol-related harms. The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of an electronically delivered personalized drinking feedback (PDF) intervention targeted specifically to college athletes, both in comparison with a standard (i.e., nontargeted) PDF intervention and an education-only (EO) condition that also included targeted information. Data were collected on 263 intercollegiate athletes from three colleges (76% women, 86% White) who were randomly assigned to one of the conditions. Results provided partial support for the efficacy of the targeted PDF intervention. Students in the targeted PDF condition reported a lower peak blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at the 6-month follow-up than those in the other conditions. Heavy drinking students in the targeted PDF condition reported a lower peak BAC than those in the other conditions at the 1-month follow-up and a lower peak BAC than those in the EO condition at the 6-month follow-up. Finally, in-season athletes in the targeted PDF condition reported fewer drinks per week than those in the PDF-standard condition at the 1-month follow-up. These findings provide preliminary support for the use of targeted PDF interventions with at-risk alcohol users, such as college athletes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Examining the associations among severity of injunctive drinking norms, alcohol consumption, and alcohol-related negative consequences: The moderating roles of alcohol consumption and identity.

This study examined a range of injunctive norms for alcohol use and related consequences from less severe behaviors (e.g., drinking with friends) to more severe behaviors (e.g., drinking enough alcohol to pass out), and their relationship with alcohol consumption and alcohol-related negative consequences among college students. In addition, this research aimed to determine whether these relationships between injunctive norms and consequences were moderated by alcohol consumption and level of identification with the typical same-gender college student. A random sample (N = 1,002) of undergraduates (56.9% women) completed a Web-based survey that was comprised of measures of drinking behavior, perceived approval of drinking behaviors that ranged in severity (i.e., injunctive norms), and level of identification with the typical same-gender college student. Results suggest that the association between negative consequences and injunctive drinking norms depend on one's own drinking behavior, identification with other students, and the severity of the alcohol use and related consequences for which injunctive norms are assessed. Findings are discussed in terms of false consensus and false uniqueness effects, and deviance regulation perspectives. Implications for preventive interventions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Optimal linear inverse solution with multiple priors in diffuse optical tomography

A general framework for incorporating single and multiple priors in diffuse optical tomography is described. We explore the use of this framework for simultaneously utilizing spatial and spectral priors in the context of imaging breast cancer. The utilization of magnetic resonance images of water and lipid content as a statistical spatial prior for the diffuse optical image reconstructions is also discussed. Simulations are performed to demonstrate the significant improvement in image quality afforded by combining spatial and spectral priors.