Comparison of the performance of masterbatch and liquid color concentrates for mass coloration of polypropylene

The properties of polypropylene (PP) mixed with masterbatch (MB) and liquid color concentrates (LCC), respectively, were compared by preparing samples of PP with MB and PP with LCC and neat PP as a reference material using 1–4 extrusion cycles. Two colors were examined, i.e., a white color consisting of pigment white 6, and a green color consisting of pigment white 6, pigment blue 15:3, and pigment green 7. The color difference between PP prepared with MB and LCC was determined and the mechanical, rheological, and crystalline properties of PP prepared with MB and LCC were found to be generic. The color of PP obtained from MB and LCC were comparable. Further, it was found that the tensile strength, the viscosity, and the crystal structure obtained were similar when using LCC instead of MB. The viscosity of the treated PP generally decreased with increasing extruder retention time due to thermal degradation. The tensile strength and the crystal structure were independent of increased extruder retention time. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 41, 484–492, 2016     

The three Rs of river ecosystem resilience: Resources,recruitment, and refugia

Resilience in river ecosystems requires that organisms must persist in the face of highly dynamic hydrological and geomorphological variations. Disturbance events such as floods and droughts are postulated to shape life history traits that support resilience, but river management and conservation would benefit from greater understanding of the emergent effects in communities of river organisms. We unify current knowledge of taxonomic‐, phylogenetic‐, and trait‐based aspects of river communities that might aid the identification and quantification of resilience mechanisms. Temporal variations in river productivity, physical connectivity, and environmental heterogeneity resulting from floods and droughts are highlighted as key characteristics that promote resilience in these dynamic ecosystems. Three community‐wide mechanisms that underlie resilience are (a) partitioning (competition/facilitation) of dynamically varying resources, (b) dispersal, recolonization, and recruitment promoted by connectivity, and (c) functional redundancy in communities promoted by resource heterogeneity and refugia. Along with taxonomic and phylogenetic identity, biological traits related to feeding specialization, dispersal ability, and habitat specialization mediate organism responses to disturbance. Measures of these factors might also enable assessment of the relative contributions of different mechanisms to community resilience. Interactions between abiotic drivers and biotic aspects of resource use, dispersal, and persistence have clear implications for river conservation and management. To support these management needs, we propose a set of taxonomic, phylogenetic, and life‐history trait metrics that might be used to measure resilience mechanisms. By identifying such indicators, our proposed framework can enable targeted management strategies to adapt river ecosystems to global change.     

Thermodynamic Evaluation of Inclusions Formation and Behaviour in Steels during Casting and Solidification

For demanding applications high steel cleanliness and strictly controlled inclusions are required. Primary inclusions are formed during steel treatments in the ladle. Most of these are removed to the ladle slag or on the lining. However, the rest of the inclusions still remain through the successive process stages, and additionally new inclusions are formed during casting and solidification due to decreasing thermodynamic solubility of oxygen in the steel at lower temperatures, reactions with surrounding slag, refractory materials and eventual contact with air. Inclusions formation and transformation are simulated by thermodynamic calculations in the steel/inclusions/slag system taking into account the solidification phenomena. In this paper inclusions in Si/Mn‐deoxidised steel and Al‐deoxidised Ca‐treated steels are contributed. Calculations are compared with experimental results from steel plants.     

The use and nature of present-focused interventions in cognitive and behavioral therapies for depression.

To improve cognitive and behavioral therapies (CBT) for depression, several approaches recommend an increased focus on the occurrence of problems as they occur in the therapeutic relationship or in relation to the live therapy process, referred to as present-focused. A lingering question has been the degree to which CBT therapists already engage in present-focused work. This study utilized sessions from recent trials of CBT for depression and, in Phase I, raters identified present-focused interventions on a turn-by-turn basis. Phase II raters used a qualitative analysis to determine categories of present-focused interventions. Results indicated that therapists rarely focused on the therapeutic relationship; when they did, it was often transient and lacking in the elaborations suggested by newer approaches. Therapists more often performed therapy process and emotion focused interventions, but these also tended to lack elaboration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Veteran interest in family involvement in PTSD treatment.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 7(3) of Psychological Services (see record 2010-17074-004). The copyright for the article was listed incorrectly. This article is in the Public Domain. The online version has been corrected.] The present study examined interest in family involvement in treatment and preferences concerning the focus of family oriented treatment for veterans (N = 114) participating in an outpatient Veterans Affairs outpatient posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) program. Most veterans viewed PTSD as a source of family stress (86%) and expressed interest in greater family involvement in their treatment (79%). These results suggest the need to consider increasing family participation in the clinical care of individuals with PTSD and to develop specialized family educational and support services for this population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Kontextbasierte Kooperation für mobile Geschäftsanwendungen

Realistic requirements of mobile business applications often exceed the capabilities of their respective local environments. In order to overcome such restrictions of specific mobile devices, services, and resources, this contribution introduces the concept of context-based cooperation. It is based on mobile processes which enable applications to cross boundaries of individual systems and thereby allow combining both mobile and stationary resources in order to realize highly dynamic individual applications. This contribution presents an approach for realizing context-based cooperation built upon on a respective context management infrastructure and execution environment. It also identifies specific requirements and proposes related enhancements for mobile business applications.     

What footdrumming signals in kangaroo rats (Dipodomys heermanni).

Footdrumming during social interaction was studied in kangaroo rats (Dipodomys heermanni). Behaviors that elicited and followed footdrumming during mixed-sex encounters between adults were examined. Females spent more time in the burrow and footdrummed. Males showed higher rates of digging and approaching the females' burrow: these acts were reliably followed by female footdrumming. Footdrumming was associated with male retreat. The authors then tested whether this effect reflected a difference in sex or in social status, using each possible dyad in triads (adult male, adult female, juvenile male). Juvenile males drummed to all adults, but females only drummed to adult males; relationships were transitive. Social context and initial approach tendencies account for the occurrence of footdrumming, which communicates unwillingness to interact, particularly from within the burrow. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation of a Novel Thiol–Norbornene-Functionalized Gelatin Hydrogel for Bioprinting of Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Introduction: Three-dimensional bioprinting can be considered as an advancement of the classical tissue engineering concept. For bioprinting, cells have to be dispersed in hydrogels. Recently, a novel semi-synthetic thiolene hydrogel system based on norbornene-functionalized gelatin (GelNB) and thiolated gelatin (GelS) was described that resulted in the photoclick hydrogel GelNB/GelS. In this study, we evaluated the printability and biocompatibility of this hydrogel system towards adipose-tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs). Methods: GelNB/GelS was synthesized with three different crosslinking densities (low, medium and high), resulting in different mechanical properties with moduli of elasticity between 206 Pa and 1383 Pa. These hydrogels were tested for their biocompatibility towards ASCs in terms of their viability, proliferation and differentiation. The extrusion-based bioprinting of ASCs in GelNB/GelS-high was performed to manufacture three-dimensional cubic constructs. Results: All three hydrogels supported the viability, proliferation and chondrogenic differentiation of ASCs to a similar extent. The adipogenic differentiation of ASCs was better supported by the softer hydrogel (GelNB/GelS-low), whereas the osteogenic differentiation was more pronounced in the harder hydrogel (GelNB/GelS-high), indicating that the differentiation fate of ASCs can be influenced via the adaption of the mechanical properties of the GelNB/GelS system. After the ex vivo chondrogenic differentiation and subcutaneous implantation of the bioprinted construct into immunocompromised mice, the production of negatively charged sulfated proteoglycans could be observed with only minimal inflammatory signs in the implanted material. Conclusions: Our results indicate that the GelNB/GelS hydrogels are very well suited for the bioprinting of ASCs and may represent attractive hydrogels for subsequent in vivo tissue engineering applications.