Introduction.

This article introduces the current issue of Health Psychology. The call for early intervention to prevent adulthood health problems and the need to consider each period of children's lives within its developmental perspective are the main emphases in this special issue of the journal. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Control of the permeability of a porous media using a thermally sensitive polymer

Experiments explore the reduction in permeability of a porous bead pack when a suspension of thermally responsive polymer is injected and the temperature then increased above the thermal activation temperature. The change in permeability is greater with higher polymer concentration, provided that the ionic concentration of the solution is sufficient for floc formation. The time for activation of the blocking effect is within tens of seconds to minutes of when the polymer solution is heated. This is consistent with the timescale for diffusion‐limited aggregation, although the detailed value depends on the geometry and polymer concentration. Dynamical experiments demonstrate that once the porous media is blocked, adding additional polymer has no effect. The mechanism for permeability reduction may be modeled in the context of a pore‐network model, and we build a simple model to illustrate the permeability reduction as a function of the fraction of pores links which are blocked. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 1193–1201, 2014     

Doppler ultrasound

The use of Doppler today ranges from assessing blood flow in the fetus and umbilical cord, to flow patterns through valves in the heart or monitoring of blood flow to the brain. This article looks at how the Doppler effect is applied in commercial systems, its clinical uses, and research developments. It is concluded that Doppler ultrasound has progressed over the last 30 years from a simple audio signal to a predominantly subjective image format that still requires an operator and/or interpreter skilled in the art. The improvements in velocity estimation methods and gradual changes in the use of Doppler information suggest that this diagnostic modality will continue to evolve. The most likely directions for this evolution appear to be physiological quantification and reduction in dependence on the user through automation of both the system parameters and measurements     

Long Range Self‐Assembly of Polythiophene Breath Figures: Optical and Morphological Characterization

Large‐area, device relevant sized microporous thin films are formed with commercially available polythiophenes by the breath figure technique, a water‐assisted micropatterning method, with such semitransparent thin films exhibiting periodicity and uniformity dictated by the length of the polymer side chain. Compared to drop‐casted thin films, the microporous thin films exhibit increased crystallinity due to stronger packing of the polymer inside the honeycomb frame.     

Time evolution of transition points in drying latex films

The change of minimum film formation temperature (MFFT) with time was studied utilizing a temperature gradient bar. Fitting the data to a theory which assumed that particles deform due to the action of the polymer-air surface tension, the glass transition temperature, T_g, of the latex was predicted. This T_g was compared to the value obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and good agreement was observed between the two measurements.     

Televised classroom events as distractors for reading-disabled children

Three experiments examined the influence of videotaped classroom events on the academic performance and study behavior of reading-disabled and normally reading children in grades 1 through 6. In experiments 1 and 2a an experimenter-controlled presentation of these distractors resulted in performance decrements, the magnitude of which was greater for higher difficulty tasks. The distractor effects were similar for the two groups in this condition. However, when the children themselves were allowed to control their degree of exposure to the same distractors in experiment 2b, the reading-disabled children were less likely to act to escape the distraction. Results are discussed in terms of children's metacognitive awareness of distraction, and implications for the classroom are considered.     

Development of activity level in children revisited: Effects of mother presence.

D. K. Routh et al (see record 1974-25047-001) found a consistent decrease in children's activity in a standardized playroom over the ages 3–9 yrs. The present experiment (using 100 10 mo–5 yr olds) was an attempt to extend these findings downward to the age of 10 mo, which necessitated certain changes in procedures. Surprisingly, in Exp I there was a significant increase in activity level over the ages from 3 to 5 yrs. Exp II (96 3-, 4-, and 5-yr-olds) then varied factorially the procedural differences between the 1974 Routh et al study and Exp I, namely the furnishings (tables and chairs vs rugs), type of toys (child toys vs baby toys), and the presence or absence of the child's mother from a small adjoining cubicle. The anomalous findings of the other 2 studies were reproduced and found to be due to the effects of mother presence rather than the other factors varied. With mother present, 5-yr-olds (but not 3- or 4-yr-olds) were significantly more active than with mother absent. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

High-gravity-assisted synthesis of aqueous nanodispersions of organic fluorescent dyes for counterfeit labeling

Organic fluorescent dyes have attracted wide interest because of their high photoluminescence quantum efficiencies. However, there are several application limitations arising from their hydrophobicity, poor dispersity and large particle sizes. These problems can be improved by preparing nanoparticles with a small size. Herein, we present a continuous approach to efficiently prepare an aqueous nanodispersion of water-insoluble organic fluorescent dye Nile red (NR) with monodispersed and uniform nanoparticles (35 nm) by high-gravity antisolvent precipitation in a rotating packed bed (RPB). In contrast, NR nanodispersions prepared using a traditional batch stirred tank (ST) had a broad size distribution (20–150 nm). Due to its small size effect and good dispersity in water, the RPB nanodispersion displayed significantly increased saturation solubility and much stronger fluorescent intensity compared to raw NR, and was obviously superior to the ST counterpart. Furthermore, NR nanodispersions were mixed with ink to draw fluorescent patterns on paper for counterfeit labeling.     

Lightner Witmer and the first 100 years of clinical psychology.

linical psychology has developed over its first century in certain ways that Lightner Witmer's work anticipated. These include clinicians' emphases on trying to help individuals and on collaboration with physicians and other professionals and at least some continued emphasis on children 's academic problems. In other respects, the field developed along lines Witmer did not anticipate: Clinical psychology as it developed emphasized first the IQ, then other kinds of testing, including projective and neuropsychological assessment, and most recently clinical psychology has emphasized psychotherapy with adults more than children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sealing performance prediction software

Elastomer seals are widely used throughout industry and seal failure can be very expensive, in both financial and safety terms. One failure mode causing major concern is progressive degradation. It is generally of a long term nature and its extent and consequences in service can be particularly difficult to predict. BHR Group has developed seal-life prediction software in a user friendly, Windows format to address the problem of progressive seal degradation.