Recognizing, assessing, and intervening with problems of professional competence.

Working collaboratively, psychologist educators and trainers at the doctoral, internship, and postdoctoral levels; credentialers; practitioners; and students offer 8 proposals for psychologists to consider in recognizing, assessing, and intervening with problems of professional competence in students and practicing professionals. In the proposals, the authors address the following topics: definitions and categories; preparing the system; self-assessment; remediation; diversity; communication across various levels of the system; confidentiality; and ethical, regulatory, and legal underpinnings. They also propose future directions for the assessment of problems in professional competence in both students and practicing psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Possible Industrial Solution to Ferment Lignocellulosic Hydrolyzate to Ethanol: Continuous Cultivation with Flocculating Yeast

The cultivation of toxic lignocellulosic hydrolyzates has become a challenging research topic in recent decades. Although several cultivation methods have been proposed, numerous questions have arisen regarding their industrial applications. The current work deals with a solution to this problem which has a good potential application on an industrial scale. A toxic dilute-acid hydrolyzate was continuously cultivated using a high-cell-density flocculating yeast in a single and serial bioreactor which was equipped with a settler to recycle the cells back to the bioreactors. No prior detoxification was necessary to cultivate the hydrolyzates, as the flocks were able to detoxify it in situ. The experiments were successfully carried out at dilution rates up to 0.52 h⁻¹. The cell concentration inside the bioreactors was between 23 and 35 g-DW/L, while the concentration in the effluent of the settlers was 0.32 ± 0.05 g-DW/L. An ethanol yield of 0.42–0.46 g/g-consumed sugar was achieved, and the residual sugar concentration was less than 6% of the initial fermentable sugar (glucose, galactose and mannose) of 35.2 g/L.     

Modulation of silica layer properties by varying the granulometric state of tetraethyl orthosilicate precursor aerosols during combustion chemical vapor deposition (CCVD)

Abstract

For the purpose of silica surface layer modulation, a pneumatic-controlled two-substance atomizer with inertia-based coarse droplet separation was operated at different system pressures for tetraethyl orthosilicate precursor aerosol supply during combustion chemical vapor deposition. A comprehensive testing study was performed to characterize the atomizer’s performance characteristics, initial precursor aerosols at the atomizer’s outlet, transformed aerosols before combustion, combustion aerosols and formed layers. Laser diffraction spectrometry, differential electrical mobility analyses and condensation particle counting were used for aerosol characterization with regard to particle size and particle production quantities. Layers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, spectral ellipsometry, water contact angle measurements and light transmission concerning geometric properties (thickness, surface structure and roughness) and physical behaviors (i.e., optical behaviors, hydrophobicity). Results show a quasi-linear relationship of the ejection mass flow of the pneumatic-controlled atomizer and geometric layer properties which again show a direct relationship to the physical properties. No correlation was found between the aerosols before combustion and the combustion aerosols since the majority of combustion aerosol particles are synthesized solely from the gas phase based on evaporated precursor material.

Copyright © 2020 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Capillary HPLC-NMR Coupling: High-Resolution (1)H NMR Spectroscopy in the Nanoliter Scale

Coupling HPLC and NMR is one of the most powerful techniques for simultaneous separation and structural elucidation of unknown compounds in mixtures. To date, however, minimizing the detection volume, as is required when coupling NMR with miniaturized separation techniques, has been accompanied by a dramatic loss in resolution of the NMR spectra. Here, we report on the coupling of gradient capillary HPLC with on-column, high-resolution NMR detection. On-line stopped-flow and static (1)H NMR spectra were acquired with capillary columns of 75-315 μm i.d. With detection over a length of 1.2 cm, cell volumes cover a range of 50-900 nL. An on-line-detected NMR separation of dansylated amino acids was carried out in a 315 μm i.d. fused silica capillary packed to a length of 12 cm with C(18) stationary phase. The low solvent consumption makes the use of fully deuterated solvents economically feasible. NMR spectra with resolution on the order of 3 Hz were obtained using a 50 nL detection cell to measure 1.1 nmol of dansylated γ-aminobutyric acid under static conditions in a 75 μm i.d. capillary.     

Long‐Range Domain Structure and Symmetry Engineering by Interfacial Oxygen Octahedral Coupling at Heterostructure Interface

In epitaxial thin film systems, the crystal structure and its symmetry deviate from the bulk counterpart due to various mechanisms such as epitaxial strain and interfacial structural coupling, which is accompanyed by a change in their properties. In perovskite materials, the crystal symmetry can be described by rotations of sixfold coordinated transition metal oxygen octahedra, which are found to be altered at interfaces. Here, it is unraveled how the local oxygen octahedral coupling at perovskite heterostructural interfaces strongly influences the domain structure and symmetry of the epitaxial films resulting in design rules to induce various structures in thin films using carefully selected combinations of substrate/buffer/film. Very interestingly it is discovered that these combinations lead to structure changes throughout the full thickness of the film. The results provide a deep insight into understanding the origin of induced structures in a perovskite heterostructure and an intelligent route to achieve unique functional properties.