Cinpres'' — An advance in plastic moulding

The ‘Cinpres’ moulding process introduced by Peerless Plastics in 1985 represented the culmination of a development programme, lasting several years, to find a method of moulding polymers which overcame the shortcomings of structural foam and injection moulding.     

Phosphate Characteristics and Bioavailability of Suspended Sediments from Streams Draining into Lake Erie

Suspended sediments from major U.S. tributaries draining into Lake Erie were analyzed for phosphorus. Analyses included: sediment concentration, reactive and total filtered P, and total P on water samples. Recovered sediment total P was determined by perchloric and persulfate extraction. Sediment was fractionated for NaOH-P citrate-dithionite-bicarbonate (CDB)-P, HCl-P, and organic P. New York streams had the highest suspended solids and the lowest content of most sediment fractions except HCl-P. NaOH-P and CDB-P were highest in sediments from Ohio tributaries; these fractions are considered to be bioavailable with NaOH-P more available than CDB-P. Digestion with perchloric acid consistently removed more P than the persulfate method. The difference in the two methods was negatively correlated with HCl-P.     

Body weight and gastric acid secretion in rats with subdiaphragmatic vagotomy and lateral hypothalamic lesions.

Investigated the role of the vagus in the lateral hypothalamic (LH) syndrome to body weight loss in 80 male Sprague-Dawley albino rats. Ss were divided into 4 groups: (a) Ss with bilateral LH lesions that were subsequently given a bilateral subdiaphragmatic vagotomy, (b) LH Ss that received a control vagotomy operation, (c) nonlesion Ss that were given a subdiaphragmatic vagotomy, and (d) nonlesion Ss that received a control vagotomy operation. Both LH lesions and vagotomy reduced body weight levels, though the effects differed in terms of the length of time required to reach initial maximal loss, the time required to reach chronic levels of maintenance, and the severity of body weight reduction. Fasting gastric acid secretion was lowered by LH lesions, and the extent of this reduction was positively correlated with the reduction in body weight. Gastric contents after a 24-hr fast were greater in vagotomized than in nonvagotomized Ss. These data are discussed in relation to the role of the vagus in maintaining body weight levels and in relation to the changes in gastric functioning after LH lesions and vagotomy. (42 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social psychology of behavior modification: Problems of implementation in natural settings.

Discusses problems encountered by psychologists who have attempted to use behavior modification principles in applied settings, and illustrates these problems through the authors' experiences implementing a behavior modification system at a large state training school for male delinquent adolescents. Difficulties developed as a result of (a) institutional constraints causing frustrating setbacks or delays in implementing certain aspects of the program; (b) external pressures exercised by political, economic, or administrative forces which endorsed changes in conflict with behavior modification principles; (c) misunderstandings caused by inconsistencies in language and meanings used by behavior modifier psychologists and indigenous staff; (d) inconsistent reinforcement given by indigenous staff and created by peer pressure; (e) limited resources restricting certain aspects of a behavior modification program (e.g., behavior measurement); (f) labels used to suggest certain values (e.g., recreation, therapy, and education) which were upon occasion in conflict with the concept of positive reinforcement; (g) perceived inflexibility of behavior modifiers seeking to ensure program integrity; and (h) compromises necessary to remain in the applied setting. It is concluded that psychologists seeking to implement institutional change in applied settings must be aware of the theoretical limitations of behavior modification. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethnocultural and linguistic bias in mental health evaluation of Hispanics.

At the root of effective mental health care is valid psychodiagnosis, premised upon accurate psychometric technology and sound clinical judgment. The majority of clinicians, however, are monolingual and White, which does today (and will increasingly) pose a problem for mental health service delivery—particularly for Hispanic patients. This article examines sources of ethnic and linguistic bias in evaluation of Hispanic clients. It is argued that even if unbiased assessment techniques can be developed, valid psychodiagnosis of Hispanic patients will remain illusory to the extent that clinicians are insensitive to the linguistic and cultural nuances of their clientele. Recommendations for improving clinical practice are offered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

High-frequency, silicon-based ultrasonic nozzles using multiple Fourier horns

This paper presents the design, simulation, and characterization of microfabricated 0.5 MHz, silicon-based, ultrasonic nozzles. Each nozzle is made of a piezoelectric drive section and a silicon resonator consisting of multiple Fourier horns, each with half wavelength design and twice amplitude magnification. Results of finite element three-dimensional (3-D) simulation using a commercial program predicted existence of one resonant frequency of pure longitudinal vibration. Both impedance analysis and measurement of longitudinal vibration confirmed the simulation results with one pure longitudinal vibration mode at the resonant frequency in excellent agreement with the design value. Furthermore, at the resonant frequency, the measured longitudinal vibration amplitude at the nozzle tip increases as the number of Fourier horns (n) increases in good agreement with the theoretical values of 2(n). Using this design, very high vibration amplitude gain at the nozzle tip can be achieved with no reduction in the tip cross-sectional area for contact of liquid to be atomized. Therefore, the required electric drive power should be drastically reduced, decreasing the likelihood of transducer failure in ultrasonic atomization.     

Methods for Removing Signal Noise from Helicopter Electromagnetic Survey Data

Abstract.  A geophysical analysis was conducted over the abandoned T&T subsurface mines and portions of the Muddy and Roaring Creek watersheds in northeastern Preston County, West Virginia. The data were collected using helicopter-borne measurements of frequency-domain electromagnetic (FDEM) conductivity (390, 1555, 6254, 25,800, and 102,680 Hz). Noise was a significant issue in the lowest frequency EM conductivity data, especially the 390 Hz and 1555 Hz data; noise removal was accomplished by standard spatial frequency filtering, using homomorphic filters and Fourier filtering along individual flight lines. We interpret the filtered FDEM apparent conductivities and apparent resistivities as showing regions of potential mine pools and regions of contrasting groundwater conductivity related to discharge.     

An evaluation of four types of railway pedestrian crossing safety intervention

This study evaluated a programme of interventions designed to reduce the incidence of illegal and unsafe crossing of a rail corridor at a city station by boys on their way to and from the adjacent high school in Auckland, New Zealand. The boys were observed crossing before, during, and after implementation of each intervention; in addition, surveys were carried out before and after the programme to discover the boys' attitudes. Rail safety education in school, punishment for every unsafe crossing (continuous punishment), and punishment occasionally for unsafe crossing (intermittent punishment) were associated with significant decreases in unsafe crossing compared with that observed prior to any intervention. General communications about rail safety were not associated with significant decreases in unsafe crossing. When interventions were examined consecutively, unsafe crossing was significantly reduced between the communications and education phases, and even more so between education and continuous punishment, but there was no statistically significant difference in frequency of unsafe crossing between continuous and intermittent punishment. It was concluded that punishment may be more effective in reducing unsafe behaviour in this type of situation than targeted education, and is much more effective than communications to heighten awareness.     

Pavements as Embodiments of Meaning for a Fractal Mind

Taking as a point of departure one aspect of how the mind establishes a connection with the environment, this paper examines the role of pavement design in the environment as a vehicle for conveying meaning.