Causal attributions, expectations, and task performance.

College students' performance on each of 2 chemistry tests (n?=?253 on the 1st test and 233 on the 2nd test) was classified as a success (or failure) if it met (or failed to meet) a minimum criterion of success that each S set prior to taking each test. Using a paired-comparison technique, Ss attributed their performance on each test to ability, effort, luck, and task difficulty. Among Ss who succeeded on the tests, expected and actual future performance were positively related to attributions to high ability and negatively related to attributions to good luck. Among Ss who experienced failure, expected performance was positively related to attributions to low effort and negatively related to attributions to low ability. Results of these analyses are related to D. T. Hall's (1976) model of psychological success. In addition, although expectations were strongly related to subsequent performance, the relationship was substantially weakened when prior performance and ability attributions were held constant. The implications of this finding for understanding expectancy perceptions are discussed. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interphase mass transfer in a gas fluidized bed

Mass transfer rates have been measured for bubbles containing ozone injected into an air-fluidized two-dimensional bed of particles. The overall mass transfer coefficient, corrected for unsteady bubble growth effects and with entrance effects eliminated, lies between predictions of models which assume that throughflow and diffusion are both additive and rate-controlling and those models which assume that mass transfer is governed by diffusion at the cloud boundary. The experimental value is consistent with a model which bases mass transfer purely on the throughflow predicted by Murray. Failure to account for bubble growth leads to drastic overestimation of the mass transfer coefficient.     

Multiphase diffusion in ternary Cu-Zn-Ni alloys

Isothermal, multiphase diffusion was studied in the Cu-Zn-Ni system at 775°C in order to investigate the development of time-dependent diffusion structures. Solid-solid couples set up with disks of a 46.5 Zn-31.5 Cu-22 Ni wt pct ternary alloy (bcc) sandwiched between disks of either pure nickel or copper (fcc) were diffusion-annealed for times of 2 hr to 2 days and studied metallographically and by electron microprobe analysis. The ternary alloy/nickel couples developed structures that exhibited complex, morphological evolution with time; single phase bands and highly orientation-dependent nonplanar morphologies and nonisolated precipitates observed initially in the diffusion zone gradually transformed to two-phase regions with isolated precipitates. Only minor structural changes in the diffusion zone were displayed by the ternary alloy/copper couples.     

Facilitating legislative research.

An IBM method for the quantitative treatment of dichotomous data is described. The data are recorded on mark-sense cards and punched and checked by machine. A matrix of joint occurrences is tabulated either on the electronic statistical machine (type 101), or the tabulator (type 402-403.) 22 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Naltrexone, relapse prevention, and supportive therapy with alcoholics: An analysis of patient treatment matching.

Alcohol-dependent patients (N?=?97 ) were randomly assigned to receive either naltrexone or placebo and either relapse prevention therapy or supportive therapy. The present report explored the hypothesis that patients could be matched to the above treatments on the basis of specific pretreatment characteristics. Treatment matching variables explored included craving, alcohol dependence severity, and cognitive measures of learning and memory. Results of linear regression analyses tentatively suggest that patients experiencing higher levels of craving and poorer cognitive functioning may derive the greatest benefit from naltrexone versus placebo. For psychotherapy, lower levels of verbal learning were associated with poorer drinking outcomes for relapse prevention therapy but not for supportive therapy. Conversely, higher levels of verbal learning were associated with better outcomes for relapse prevention therapy but not for supportive therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Action potential shortening through the putative beta4-adrenoceptor in ferret ventricle: comparison with beta1- and beta2-adrenoceptor-mediated effects

The electrophysiological responses to (-)-CGP 12177 ((-)-4-(3-tertiarybutylamino-2-hydroxypropoxy) benzimidazol-2-one), an agonist for the putative beta4-adrenoceptor, were investigated on isolated perfused ferret hearts paced at 100 min(-1) and compared to those of (-)-noradrenaline and (-)-adrenaline, mediated through beta1- and beta2-adrenoceptors respectively. The three agonists decreased ventricular monophasic action potential duration but prolonged the action potential plateau; beta3-adrenoceptor-selective agonists had no effect. (-)-CGP 12177 was the most potent, but (-)-noradrenaline the most efficacious; both agonists caused ventricular extra-systoles. Because only (-)-noradrenaline but not (-)-CGP 12177 elicited shortening of the refractory period, the mechanism of arrhythmias mediated through beta1- and putative beta4-adrenoceptors may be different.     

Atomic mobilities and vacancy wind effects for diffusion in ternary silver-zinc-cadmium solid solutions

Diffusion in the silver-zinc-cadmium system was investigated at 600°C with semiinfinite, vapor-solid couples in order to determine the atomic mobilities and contribution of the vacancy wind effect to the intrinsic diffusion fluxes of silver, zinc and cadmium in the alpha phase region. Atomic mobilities and vacancy wind parameters were computed at selected compositions in the alpha phase along isoconcentration lines of 11 at. pct Zn, 18 at. pct Zn, 5 at. pct Cd and 9 at. pct Cd. The existence of significant interactions between the diffusing species was indicated by the results of an earlier investigation; consequently, the vacancy wind effect was taken into consideration in the calculation of the mobilities. The mobilities of zinc and cadmium, determined by the method of Dayananda, were found to increase with increasing zinc and cadmium concentrations with the mobility of zinc being greater than that of cadmium. The results of the investigation show that the vacancy wind effect significantly affects the total intrinsic flux of each of the three species for diffusion in ternary silver-zinc-cadmium alloys. This investigation reports the experimental observation of the vacancy wind effect in a ternary system.     

Application of raman spectroscopy to monitor and quantify ethyl esters in soybean oil transesterification

Biodiesel (FA esters) has become very attractive as an alternative diesel fuel owing to its environmental benefits. Transesterification is the most usual and important method to make biodiesel from vegetable oils. This article investigates the potential for using Raman spectroscopy to monitor and quantify the transesterification of soybean oil to yield ethyl esters. The differences observed in the Raman spectra of soybean oil after transesterification were a peak at 2932 cm⁻¹ ( ), the displacement of the v _C=O band from 1748 to 1739 cm⁻¹, and the bands at 861 (v _R-C=O and v _C-C) and 372 cm⁻¹ (δ _CO-O-C). Uni- and multivariate analysis methods were used to build several analytical curves and then applied in known samples, treated as unknowns, to test their ability to predict concentrations. The best results were achieved by Raman/PLS calibration models (where PLS=partial least squares regression) using an internal normalization standard (v _=C-H band). The correlation coefficient (R ²) values so obtained were 0.9985 for calibration and 0.9977 for validation. Univariate regression analysis between biodiesel concentration and the increasing intensity of band or v _C=O displacement showed R ² values of 0.9983 and 0.9742, respectively. Although spectroscopic methods are less sensitive than chromatographic ones, the data obtained by spectroscopy can be correlated with other techniques, allowing biodiesel yield and quality to be quickly assessed.     

Gas and particle circulation in an internally circulating fluidized bed membrane reactor cold model

A cold model study was carried out of an internally circulating fluidized bed membrane reactor for hydrogen production by steam reforming. This configuration facilitates a novel process in which air is introduced for autothermal operation, while avoiding diluting the hydrogen in the gas stream by nitrogen. A column of diameter 230 mm and height 2.4 m contained a membrane box of square cross-section. Gas circulation was investigated by injecting helium tracer into the top of the bed above the membrane box and detecting its concentration in the annulus and lower membrane box by a thermal conductivity detector. Solids circulation was determined from the downward velocity of particles in the annulus. The major resistance to solids circulation was found to be at the passage connecting the outer downflow to the inner upflow compartment. A ring distributor helped overcome this resistance.