Hooked on a feeling: Rumination about positive and negative emotion in inter-episode bipolar disorder.

Rumination has been consistently implicated in the onset and maintenance of depression. Less work has examined rumination in the context of bipolar disorder, especially rumination about positive emotion. The present study examined rumination about negative and positive emotion in interepisode bipolar disorder (BD; n = 39) and healthy controls (CTL; n = 34). Trait rumination about positive and negative emotion, as well as experiential and physiological responses to a rumination induction, was measured. Illness course was also assessed for the BD group. Results indicated that the BD group reported greater trait rumination about positive and negative emotion compared with the CTL group, though no group differences emerged during the rumination induction. For the BD group, trait rumination about positive and negative emotion, as well as increased cardiovascular arousal (i.e., heart rate), was associated with greater lifetime depression frequency; trait rumination about positive emotion was associated with greater lifetime mania frequency. These findings suggest that interepisode BD is associated with greater rumination about positive and negative emotion, which in turn is associated with illness course. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Blushing and physiological arousability in social phobia.

Blushing is the most prominent symptom of social phobia, and fear perception of visible anxiety symptoms is an important component of cognitive behavioral models of social phobia. However, it is not clear how physiological and psychological aspects of blushing and other somatic symptoms are linked in this disorder. The authors tested whether social situations trigger different facial blood volume changes (blushing) between social phobic persons with and without primary complaint of blushing and control participants. Thirty social phobic persons, 15 of whom were especially concerned about blushing, and 14 control participants were assessed while watching an embarrassing videotape, holding a conversation, and giving a talk. Only when watching the video did social phobic persons blush more than controls blushed. Social phobic persons who complained of blushing did not blush more intensely than social phobic persons without blushing complaints but had higher heart rates, possibly reflecting higher arousability of this subgroup. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Increasing concrete durability with high-reactivity metakaolin

High-reactivity metakaolin (HRM) is a manufactured pozzolan produced by thermal processing of purified kaolinitic clay. Field performance and laboratory research of concrete containing HRM have demonstrated its value for bridge decks, bridge deck overlays, industrial flooring, high-strength concrete and masonry products. This paper discusses laboratory evaluations to assess the long-term performance of concrete containing HRM produced in North America for resistance to chloride penetration and reduction in expansion due to alkali-silica reactivity. Bulk diffusion testing indicated that HRM substantially reduced chloride ion penetration in concrete with w/cm of 0.30 or 0.40. Reductions in diffusion coefficients compared to control specimens were of the order of 50% and 60% for concrete with 8% and 12% HRM, respectively. Also, the performance of the concrete containing 8% or 12% cement replacement with HRM showed improved performance versus merely reducing the w/c from 0.4 to 0.3. Such reductions can be expected to have a substantial impact on the service life of reinforced concrete in chloride environments. Expansion tests on concrete prisms containing reactive aggregates showed that 15% HRM can prevent deleterious expansion due to alkali-silica reactivity (ASR). The mechanism of control is likely linked to the substantial reduction in pore solution alkalinity seen in pastes containing 20% HRM in comparison to the control specimen which contained no supplementary cementing materials. However, the reduction was not large enough to depassivate steel reinforcement.     

Specific features of Eu^3＋ and Tb^3＋ magnetooptics in gadolinium-gallium garnet （Gd3Ga5O12）

We reported magnetooptical properties of Eu3+(4f(6)) and Tb3+(4f(8)) in single crystals of Gd3Ga5O12 (GGG), Y3Ga5O12 (YGG), and Eu3+(4f(6)) in Eu3Ga5O12 (EuGG) for both ions occupying sites of D2 symmetry in the garnet structure. Absorption, luminescence, and magnetic circular polarization of luminescence (MCPL) spectra of Tb3+ in GGG and YGG and absorption and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) of Eu3+ in EuGG were studied. The data were obtained at 85 K and room temperature (RT). Magnetic susceptibility of Eu3+ in EuGG was also measured between 85 K and RT. The magnetooptical and magnetic susceptibility data were modeled using the wavefunctions of the crystal-field split energy (Stark) levels of Eu3+ and Tb3+ occupying D2 sites in the same garnets. The results reported gave a precise determination of these Stark level assignments and confirmed the symmetry labels (irreducible representations) of the closely-spaced Stark levels (quasi-doublets) found in the 5D1 (Eu3+) and 5D4 (Tb3+) multiplets. Ultraviolet (UV) excitation (<300 nm) of the 6PJ and 6IJ states of Gd3+ in the doped GGG crystals led to emission from 5D4 (Tb3+) and 5D1 and 5D0 (Eu3+) through radiationless energy transfer to the 4f(n-1)5d band of Tb3+ and to UV quintet states of Eu3+. The temperature-dependent emission line shapes and line shifts of the magnetooptical transitions excited by UV radiation suggested a novel way to explore energy transfer mechanisms in this rare-earth doped garnet system.     

保护ADSL调制解调器防止电涌击穿

熟悉保护标准、指导原则和器件,可以提高设计人员保护ADSL调制解调器的电话线及数据线免遭过压冲击的能力。因为同普通电话线相连,异步数字用户线路(ADSL)调制解调器十分容易遭受电击,如雷电、电源线交叉和静电放电(ESD)。因此,必须对ADSL调制解调器进行恰当的保护,以防止破坏性过压和过流的冲击。     

Properties and drug release profile of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) microgels functionalized with maleic anhydride and alginate

This study highlights the advantages of functionalized poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) microgels over pure PNIPAAm microgels in terms of polymer network properties and drug release profiles. PNIPAAm network was modified by addition of maleic anhydride (MA) as a comonomer and by formation of interpenetrating polymer network in the presence of alginate. The functionalized thermosensitive microgels in the size range from 20 to 80 μm and with better performance in comparison with pure PNIPAAm microgels were prepared by inverse suspension polymerization. The impact of MA and alginate on the PNIPAAm microgel structure was evaluated through analysis of microgel size, size distribution, volume phase transition temperature (VPTT), equilibrium swelling ratio as well as morphology of the system. It was shown that the controlled modification of PNIPAAm network could result in microgels of considerably improved swelling capacity with unchanged thermosensitivity and maintained open pore morphology. In addition, drug release behavior of microgels could be markedly altered. Release of procaine hydrochloride from the selected microgels was studied using Franz diffusion cell at temperatures below and above VPTT of the microgels. Temperature-controlled drug release pattern was dependent on the type of functionalization of PNIPAAm network. According to drug loading properties and drug release mechanism, PNIPAAm/MA copolymer microgels demonstrated the optimal performances.     

Influence of cold remote nitrogen oxygen plasma treatment on carbon fabric and its composites with specialty polymers

The parameters controlling performance of a fiber-reinforced polymer composite are type of matrix and fibers, their amount, aspect ratio, fiber orientation with respect to loading direction, fiber–matrix interface, and processing technique. In the case of carbon fiber reinforcement, fiber–matrix interface has always been a serious concern, because of chemical inertness of carbon fibers toward matrix and hence efforts are continued to enhance the fiber–matrix adhesion. A recent technique of cold remote nitrogen oxygen plasma was employed for surface treatment of carbon fabric (CF) to enhance its chemical reactivity and mechanical interaction toward matrix material. Untreated and plasma treated CF were used as bidirectional reinforcement for developing high performance composites with various specialty polymer matrices such as Polyetherimide, Polyethersulfone, and Polyetheretherketone. Treated CF reinforced composites showed appreciable improvement in most of the mechanical properties, which varied with type of plasma, its dozing and matrix used. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy confirmed improvement in O/C and N/C ratio indicating inclusion of Oxygen and Nitrogen on the surfaces of fibers due to plasma treatment, which was responsible for enhanced adhesion. Similarly, Fourier Transform Infrared–Attenuated Total Reflectance Spectroscopy indicated presence of ether, carboxylic, and carbonyl functional groups on the plasma-treated surface of fibers. Raman spectroscopy indicated slight distortion in graphitic structure of treated CF. Scanning Electron Microscopy also indicated changes in the topography of treated CF, indicating enhanced mechanical interlocking with matrix.     

Thermal beam distortions in end-pumped Nd:YAG, Nd:GSGG, and Nd:YLFrods

The thermally induced beam distortions in end-pumped Nd:YAG, Nd:GSGG, and Nd:YLF rods were analyzed and the influence of edge- and face-cooling was investigated. The distributions of temperature, stress, and strain in the crystals were calculated by finite element analysis. Based on these data, the space-resolved changes of the refractive index were determined considering thermal dispersion, surface deformation, and strain-induced birefringence. The resulting optical path difference for one round-trip in the end-pumped rods was integrated numerically. For each rod, the induced thermal lens was determined over the extent of the pump spot radius. The calculations of the optical path difference were experimentally confirmed by investigations using a modified Twyman-Green interferometer with a polarized HeNe probe beam at 633 nm under lasing and nonlasing conditions     

Utilizing On-chip Resources for Testing Embedded Mixed-signal Cores

For mixed-signal cores on System-on-a-Chip (SoC) platforms, the current methodology in test development is to use special test modes for block isolation such that mixed-signal cores are accessible from the chip boundary through a well-defined interface. Since the access mechanism to the core is preserved, this method facilitates fast test development when the core is re-used on another SoC. In order to obtain the shortest per-device test times on low-cost test platforms, we explore the option of operating the SoC in its designed functional mode where all on-chip resources are fully available for test support. We demonstrate this new method for a microcontroller with embedded ADCs. For high-volume products, the ultimate target is to minimize test costs by maximizing the efficiency of testing multiple devices in parallel on one tester. We demonstrate two benefits of testing in a functional mode that increases parallel test efficiency: (1) Simultaneous testing of multiple on-chip cores, and (2) On-chip post-processing to reduce the amount of test data.