Maintaining perceptions of control: Finding perceived control in low-control circumstances.

Three questions about the role of perceived control in coping with a major life stressor were addressed in a sample of 71 cancer patients. As expected, those with greater perceptions of control were less depressed, even when physical functioning, marital satisfaction, and negative affectivity were controlled for. Consistent with a compensatory model of control, it was more important for patients to believe that they could control daily emotional reactions and physical symptoms than the course of the disease. Patients who endorsed irrational beliefs had lower overall perceptions of control. The results indicated that even patients who were physically or psychosocially worse off were better adjusted if they had higher perceptions of control. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Battered women: Sex roles and clinical issues.

Examines how sex role biases contribute to the origins of spousal violence, compound its psychological effects, and interfere with effective treatment for battered women. Issues that commonly arise during psychotherapy with battered women and their batterers are discussed, such as self-esteem, denial, manipulation, body integration and sexuality, and familial relationships. Clinical impressions are supported with preliminary results of data collected from 400 battered women. Suggestions are made for implementing effective, nonsexist treatment programs with preventive, secondary, and tertiary strategies. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Molecular tribology of lubricants and additives

Knowledge of the bulk viscosity provides little guidance to predict accurately the interfacial shear strength and effective viscosity of a fluid in a lubricated contact. To quantify these differences between bulk and thin-film viscosity, an instrument was developed to measure the shear of parallel single crystal solids separated by molecularly-thin lubricant films. The effective shear viscosity is enhanced compared to the bulk, relaxation times are prolonged, and nonlinear responses set in at lower shear rates. These effects are more prominent, the thinner the liquid film. Studies with lubricant additives cast doubt on the usefulness of the concept of a friction coefficient for lubricated sliding.     

Universal stress‐sensing dimeric anthracene‐based mechanophore particle fillers incorporated into polyurethane thermoset matrices

Mechanochemistry, in which mechanical forces induce chemical changes, can allow for targeted damage detection by way of embedded mechanophore units, which emit a measurable signal change correlating to an applied force. In this work, we successfully created stress‐sensing, functional composites by employing microparticles of the mechanophore dimeric 9‐anthracene carboxylic acid in a thermoset polyurethane matrix. The goal being to study the application of the particles as universal stress‐sensing fillers in network polymer matrix composites, after previously evaluating the particles in an epoxy matrix. Under a compressive force, there is bond breakage in the mechanically weak cyclooctane photodimers, such that there is reversion to the fluorescent anthracene‐type monomers. This fluorescent emission was then correlated to the applied strain, and the precursors to damage were detected with a noticeable signal change at a strain of only 2%, which was attributed to increased interactions between the matrix and the particles, with possible surface grafting occurring. This early damage detection was additionally possible at very low particle loadings of 2.5 and 5 wt%, with the 5 wt% loading showing enhanced material properties, due to particle reinforcement. Overall, the stress‐sensitive particle filler allows for facile addition of advanced functionality to these ubiquitous thermoset composites. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 57:901–909, 2017. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers