The generation effect is no artifact: Generating makes words distinctive.

The generation effect occurs if people remember items they complete from fragments better than complete items they read. Four experiments investigate two questions. When does the effect occur, and why does it do so? Targets generated in related contexts are recognized better than read targets, and they are recalled better with the contexts as cues; the contexts are recognized equally well, and the relation between the context and target is not enhanced by generation. Furthermore, generated items exceed items read in pure lists even when read ones from the mixed list are no worse than the controls. The generation effect is real; it is not an artifact. However, there is nothing special about generation. Generating is a type of encoding, and like any other type of encoding, its effects are maximal on tests that require subjects to do again whatever they did at study. Generating makes targets distinctive by contrasting them with other relatives of the context, and, as a result, the targets enjoy benefits in later discriminations within their family. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

FATIGUE LIFE ESTIMATION IN RESISTANCE SPOT WELDS: INITIATION AND EARLY GROWTH PHASE

Abstract— The main objective of this research is to develop a model of fatigue crack initiation and early crack growth in resistance spot welds that is specimen independent. This objective is achieved by examining the stress state around a resistance spot weld. A general expression for the structural stress around the weld is formulated that is dependent only on the loading immediately surrounding the weld. As such, it is specimen independent.
An additional objective is to explore the feasibility of applying this fatigue crack initiation model of life estimation using structural response data from finite element analysis (FEA). This numerical technique is often used for evaluating structural integrity of assemblies. Limited verification examples show that the structural stress range as calculated from FEA reaction load data is capable of describing fatigue crack initiation and early crack growth in cyclically loaded resistance spot welds.     

Personal spaces — ePerSpace

This paper describes the ePerSpace research project which aims to significantly increase user acceptance of networked audiovisual systems and applications at home and virtually anywhere by enabling innovative interoperable value-added personalised networked services and applications. Moreover, it aims to develop an open architecture and a framework that will significantly increase the speed of developing novel value-added personalised services by reusing well-defined system components with open APIs. The structure of the paper follows the methodology of the project. It starts with a vision of future personalised services from the users’ perspective by developing five scenarios. These scenarios are then used to extract the requirements of the personalisation framework which is then described in terms of its personalisation, service management, digital home environment management and content adaptation capabilities.     

Rural electrification: The institutional dimension

The institutional aspects of rural electrification programmes are often given much less attention than their importance warrants. In a number of important ways, rural electrification is in conflia with the primary concerns of the utilities mandated to implement it. Resolving this dilemma requires a separation of functions, with the agency responsible for rural electrification being given substantial autonomy. The range of institutional options for achieving this is wide and the choice should be tailored to the local context ana programme objectives.     

Near‐Infrared Light‐Emitting Diodes (LEDs) Based on Poly(phenylene)/Yb‐tris(β‐Diketonate) Complexes

Near‐infrared‐emitting electroluminescent (EL) devices using blue‐light‐emitting polymers blended with the Yb complexes Yb(DBM)₃phen (DBM = dibenzoylmethane), Yb(DNM)₃phen (DNM = dinaphthoylmethane), and Yb(TPP)L(OEt) (L(OEt) = [(C₅H₅)Co{P(O)Et₂}₃]^–) have been studied. EL devices composed of Yb(DNM)₃phen blended with PPP‐OR11 showed enhanced near‐IR output at 977 nm when compared to those fabricated with Yb(DBM)₃phen/PPP‐OR11 blends. The maximum near‐IR external efficiencies of the devices with Yb(DBM)₃phen and Yb(DNM)₃phen are, respectively, 7 × 10^–5 (at 6 V and at 0.81 mA mm^–2) and 4 × 10^–4 (at 7 V, and 0.74 mA mm^–2). The optimal blend composition for EL device performance consisted of PPP‐OR11 blended with 10–20 mol‐% Yb(DNM)₃phen. A device fabricated using Yb‐(TPP)L(OEt)/PPP‐OR11 showed significantly enhanced near‐IR output efficiency, and future efforts will focus on devices fabricated using porphyrin‐based materials.     

Agricultural land-use change in Brazilian Amazônia between 1980 and 1995: Evidence from integrated satellite and census data

As cropland and pasture have replaced forest and cerrado in Brazilian Amazônia, concern has mounted over the effects of changing the biogeochemical and hydrological properties of one of the world's great storehouses of biomass and biodiversity. Although much recent effort has focused on the location, effects, and causes of deforestation and cerrado conversion, much less is known about the basin-wide spatial distribution and density of the land use following conversion for crops or pasture.In this paper, we use census and satellite records to develop maps of the distribution and abundance of major agricultural land uses across 4.5×10⁸ ha of Brazilian Amazônia in 1980 and 1995. Results indicate an overall expansion of 7.0×10⁶ ha in total agricultural area in Brazilian Amazônia between 1980 and 1995. The net change during this period is estimated for three different land-use types: croplands (an increase of 0.8×10⁶ ha), natural pastures (a decrease of 8.4×10⁶ ha), and planted pastures (an increase of 14.7×10⁶ ha). These estimates, the first spatially explicit quantifications of agricultural land-use activities in 1980 and 1995 across Brazilian Amazônia, are shown to be consistent with the results of applying a land use change and secondary regrowth model to published deforestation rates for the period.The resulting time slices, presented for each land-use category at 5-min (∼9 km) spatial resolution, allow for the quantification of land-use changes in this region for biogeochemical, demographic and economic models. Several foci of agricultural change existed within Brazilian Amazônia during this period: in the state of Pará, cropland was lost and planted pasture increased markedly; in Mato Grosso, both cropland and planted pasture increased; in Rondônia, planted pasture replacing forest was the primary route to agricultural expansion.     

Linking air quality and watershed models for environmental assessments: Analysis of the effects of model-specific precipitation estimates on calculated water flux

Directly linking air quality and watershed models could provide an effective method for estimating spatially-explicit inputs of atmospheric contaminants to watershed biogeochemical models. However, to adequately link air and watershed models for wet deposition estimates, each model’s temporal and spatial representation of precipitation needs to be consistent. We explore how precipitation implemented within the Community Multi-Scale Air Quality Model (CMAQ) model algorithms, and multiple spatially-explicit precipitation datasets that could be used to improve the CMAQ model deposition estimates, links with the standard precipitation sources used to calibrate watershed models (i.e., rain gage data) via modeled water fluxes. Simulations are run using a grid-based watershed mercury model (GBMM) in two watersheds. Modeled monthly runoff suggests that multiple resolution Parameter-elevations Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM) and National Multi-sensor Precipitation Analysis Stage IV (NPA) data generate similar monthly runoff estimates, with comparable or greater accuracy when evaluated against stream gage data than that produced by the base rain gage data. However, across longer time periods, simulated water balances using 36 km Pennsylvania State University/National Center for Atmospheric Research mesoscale model (MM5) data are similar to that of base data. The investigation also examines the implications our results, providing suggestions for linking air quality and watershed fate and transport models.     

Fuel cycle analysis of GFR using advanced fuels

The potential benefits of a synergistic light-water reactor (LWR) and gas-cooled fast reactor (GFR) fuel cycle were evaluated for its impact on the front-end and back-end of the fuel cycle. Comparisons were made with conventional once-through cycle (OTC) and MOX fuel cycle. Variations in the synergistic LWR/GFR fuel cycles were based on the degree of recycle in the LWR including both plutonium and reprocessed uranium with concomitant impact on used LWR fuel inventory. This provided a wide range in composition of GFR feed from low to high plutonium content with impact on transmutation/incineration within the GFR fuel cycle. Self-recycle of all actinides was modeled for the GFR with analyses demonstrating that the GFR can be sustained on and consequently accept a wide range of feed materials. Analyses were done using Monteburns along with MCNP and Origen2.2 to model a 60-year period corresponding to the anticipated lifetime of supposed contemporary LWRs and GFRs. All cycles were evaluated based on actinide total mass and isotopic inventory, radiotoxicity, heatload, and resource requirements including natural uranium and SWU. For comparison, all fuel cycles were normalized based on 1 TWHe output. Improvements in fuel cycle performance are dictated by the production and incineration of minor actinides in the GFR and their continued recycle may not be feasible due to the buildup of troublesome isotopes such as ²⁴⁴Cm and ²⁵²Cf. But where uranium and plutonium continue to be recycled beyond the 60-year period, the LWR/GFR cycles demonstrated order of magnitude reductions in used fuel inventories, heatload, and radiotoxicity on a per TWHe basis over LWR only cycles. The full details of the advanced fuel cycle methodology and results are presented.