Study of miscibility enhancement in poly(styrene‐co‐4‐vinylphenol)/poly(ethylene oxide) blends by the spin labelling method

The electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra of end‐group spin labelled poly(ethylene oxide) (SLPEO) using 2,2,6,6‐tetramethyl‐piperdine‐1‐oxyl nitroxide and its blends with poly(styrene‐co‐4‐vinylphenol) (STVPhs) of different hydroxyl contents were recorded over a wide temperature range. For a blend of SLPEO and pure polystyrene (PS), the ESR spectrum was composed of a single motion component, indicating that PS was immiscible with PEO. For blends composed of SLPEO and different‐hydroxyl‐content STVPhs, two spectral components with different motion rates were observed over a certain temperature range. The difference between the motion rates should be attributed to micro‐heterogeneity in the blends, with the faster rate corresponding to a nitroxide radical motion trapped in the PEO‐rich domain and the slower rate corresponding to a nitroxide radical motion trapped in the STVPh‐rich domain. Variations in the values of a number of the ESR parameters (T_a, T_d and T_50G) and the apparent activation energy (E_a) with hydroxyl content in the blends indicated that the miscibility of the blends increased with increasing hydrogen‐bonding density due to specific interactions between the hydroxyl groups in STVPh and the ether oxygens in PEO. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

A Class of Algorithms for Collision Resolution with Multiplicity Estimation

The wireless connectivity in pervasive computing has ephemeral character and can be used for creating ad hoc networks, sensor networks, connection with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags etc. The communication tasks in such wireless networks often involve an inquiry over a shared channel, which can be invoked for: discovery of neighboring devices in ad hoc networks, counting the number of RFID tags that have a certain property, estimating the mean value contained in a group of sensors etc. Such an inquiry solicits replies from possibly large number of terminals n. This necessitates the usage of algorithms for resolving batch collisions (conflicts) with unknown conflict multiplicity n. In this paper we present a novel approach to the problem of collision resolution for batch conflicts. We show how the conventional tree algorithms for collision resolution can be used to obtain progressively accurate estimation of the multiplicity. We use the estimation to propose a more efficient binary tree algorithm, termed Estimating Binary Tree (EBT) algorithm. The EBT algorithm is suited for implementation when the conflicting nodes are passive, such as e.g. RFID tags. We extend the approach to design the Interval Estimation Conflict Resolution (IECR) algorithm. For n→∞ we prove that the efficiency achieved by IECR for batch arrivals is identical with the efficiency that Gallager’s FCFS algorithm achieves for Poisson packet arrivals. For finite n, the simulation results show that IECR is, to the best of our knowledge, the most efficient batch resolution algorithm reported to date.     

Linkages between spouses' psychological distress and marital conflict in the home.

To elucidate the processes that underlie the established association between psychopathology and marital functioning, researchers have given attention to how symptomatic individuals manage their interpersonal contexts, particularly during the handling of disagreements. In the current study, the authors evaluate the role of marital conflict strategies in relation to wives' and husbands' psychological distress levels. A sample of 100 community-based couples completed assessments of psychological distress and diaries describing marital conflict that occurred at home during a 15-day reporting period. Findings from multilevel modeling of dyadic data revealed associations between both spouses' psychological distress and multiple behavioral and emotional conflict expressions in the home. Psychological symptoms uniquely predicted the occurrence of certain conflict expressions, even when accounting for global negative marital sentiments. The findings encourage subsequent consideration of marital conflict expressions and resolution strategies when studying processes involved in the marriage-psychological adjustment link. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Siblings' differential experiences of marital conflict and differences in psychological adjustment.

The present study examined whether siblings experience marital conflict differently and whether such differences, if present, were associated with differences in their adjustment. Self-report data about marital conflict, children's depressed mood, behavioral conduct, and externalizing problems were obtained from 122 sibling pairs (mean ages = 10 and 12 years) and their parents. Results indicated that siblings were significantly different in exposure to and appraisals of marital conflict. Differences in siblings' exposure to marital conflict were significantly correlated with differences in their depressed mood, behavioral conduct, and externalizing problems. Differences in siblings' feelings of self-blame for marital conflict were significantly correlated with differences in their depressed mood and behavioral conduct. Children who experienced more marital conflict than their siblings had more adjustment problems than their siblings. These results highlight the importance of studying siblings' unique experiences of marital conflict to better understand its impact on children's adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

结构工艺性冲突解决策略的研究

通过分析各种冲突解决方法的特点，提出了一种冲突的集成解决方案。采用面向对象的Object Pascal语言编制了一个实例，给出了该方法在零件结构工艺性设计中的具体应用。     

Effects of Economic Pressure on Marital Conflict in Romania.

This study examined the interrelationships among economic pressure, maternal depression, social support, and marital conflict in a sample of 239 mothers in Romania. Data were collected through a school-based survey. Findings indicated that higher levels of economic pressure were associated with higher levels of marital conflict. Economic pressure was also associated with higher marital conflict indirectly through increased maternal depression and lowered social support. The present results were similar to those obtained in studies conducted among U.S. samples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ranking with uncertain labels and its applications

The techniques for image analysis and classification generally consider the image sample labels fixed and without uncertainties. The rank regression problem studied in this paper is based on the training samples with uncertain labels, which often is the case for the manual estimated image labels. A core ranking model is designed first as the bilinear fusing of multiple candidate kernels. Then, the parameters for feature selection and kernel selection are learned simultaneously by maximum a posteriori for given samples and uncertain labels. The provable convergency Expectation Maximization (EM) method is used for inferring these parameters in an iterative manner. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is finally validated by the extensive experiments on age ranking task and human tracking task. The popular FG-NET and the large scale Yamaha aging database are used for the age estimation experiments, and our algorithm outperforms those state-of-the-art algorithms ever reported by other interrelated literatures significantly. The experiment result of human tracking task also validates its advantage over conventional linear regression algorithm. A short version of this paper appeared in ICME07.     

非线性FCA模型在流域水资源冲突风险评价中的应用

介绍模糊矩阵合成算子的性质及其在评价中的实际意义。建立了流域水资源冲突风险评价的指标体系。在改进层次分析法的基础上,用非线性模糊综合评价模型对资水流域水资源冲突风险进行了评价。评价结果表明,所建模型对于涉及水量、水质、生态与体制等多因子的流域水资源冲突风险评价具有良好的适用性,可反映不同指标对评价结果的突出影响,弥补了线性加权模糊综合评价模型的不足,使评价结果更可靠。该模型可在不同流域不同时期和不同条件下的水资源冲突风险综合评价中推广应用。     

Dangerous ideas: Five beliefs that propel groups toward conflict.

The toll in death, suffering, and displacement caused by conflicts engaging groups defined by ethnicity, nationality, religion, or other social identities has reached staggering proportions over the past decade. With expertise in research and intervention, psychologists have critical contributions to make to more fully understanding and more effectively confronting this distressing global phenomenon. The authors focus on the parallels between the core beliefs of individuals and the collective worldviews of groups that may operate to trigger or constrain violent struggles. On the basis of a review of relevant literatures, 5 belief domains--superiority, injustice, vulnerability, distrust, and helplessness--are identified as particularly important for further study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A new DSmT combination rule in open frame of discernment and its application

A new combination rule based on Dezert-Smarandache theory (DSmT) is proposed to deal with the conflict evidence resulting from the non-exhaustivity of the discernment frame. A two-dimensional measure factor in Dempster-Shafer theory (DST) is extended to DSmT to judge the conflict degree between evidence. The original DSmT combination rule or new DSmT combination rule can be selected for fusion according to this degree. Finally, some examples in simultaneous fault diagnosis of motor rotor are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed combination rule.