Neuroticism and depressive symptoms among spouse caregivers: Do health behaviors mediate this relationship?

This study examined the mediating role of health behaviors in the relationship between neuroticism and depressive symptoms among spouse caregivers. Path analysis was used to test a model of the caregiver stress process among 233 caregivers of people with dementia. Results indicate that neuroticism has a significant direct effect on depressive symptoms and also indirectly influences depressive symptoms through health behaviors and perceived stress. When individual health behaviors were examined in the path model, only physical activity served a significant mediating role. These findings suggest that neuroticism may lead to depressive symptoms among caregivers partly through declines in physical activity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of attrition on baseline comparability in randomized experiments in education: A meta-analysis.

Using meta-analysis, randomized experiments in education that either clearly did or clearly did not experience student attrition were examined for the baseline comparability of groups. Results from 35 studies suggested that after attrition, the observed measures of baseline comparability of groups did not differ more than would be expected given sampling error. The degree of either overall or differential attrition did not relate to baseline comparability, a finding that held under sensitivity analyses. Also, both overall and differential attrition rates were unrelated to posttest effect sizes. All of these analyses, however, lacked sufficient statistical power to detect small but potentially meaningful effects. Results suggest caution is warranted when applying quality scales and other blanket rules pertaining to attrition that are meant to either serve as inclusion-exclusion criteria or in scoring study quality. Much greater attention is needed to both the reporting of attrition in primary studies and to the development of conceptual and empirical models of the attrition process. These developments would aid further investigation of the relation between attrition and study outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Redox and pH Dual Responsive Polymer Based Nanoparticles for In Vivo Drug Delivery

Responsive nanomaterials have emerged as promising candidates as drug delivery vehicles in order to address biomedical diseases such as cancer. In this work, polymer‐based responsive nanoparticles prepared by a supramolecular approach are loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) for the cancer therapy. The nanoparticles contain disulfide bonds within the polymer network, allowing the release of the DOX payload in a reducing environment within the endoplasm of cancer cells. In addition, the loaded drug can also be released under acidic environment. In vitro anticancer studies using redox and pH dual responsive nanoparticles show excellent performance in inducing cell death and apoptosis. Zebrafish larvae treated with DOX‐loaded nanoparticles exhibit an improved viability as compared with the cases treated with free DOX by the end of a 3 d treatment. Confocal imaging is utilized to provide the daily assessment of tumor size on zebrafish larva models treated with DOX‐loaded nanoparticles, presenting sustainable reduction of tumor. This work demonstrates the development of functional nanoparticles with dual responsive properties for both in vitro and in vivo drug delivery in the cancer therapy.     

Electrical and Mechanical Behavior of Aerosol Jet–Printed Gold on Alumina Substrate for High-Temperature Applications

There is a growing interest in the development of microelectronics that can perform reliably and robustly at temperatures above 300 °C. Such devices require stable thermal properties, low thermal drift, and thermal cycling resistance. Conventional hybrid circuit technology demonstrates high-temperature packages, but the high costs and lead time are significant drawbacks. In contrast, additive manufacturing processes, including aerosol jet printing (AJP), offer cost and time benefits, as well as 3D structures and embedded features. However, the properties and reliability of additive packaging materials at extreme temperatures are not well known. Herein, the reliability at temperatures up to 750 °C in terms of electrical performance and mechanical strength of aerosol jet printed gold thick films onto ceramic substrates are assessed. Thermal coefficient of resistance of printed gold films is measured. The electrical resistance stability and leakage current of printed gold structures are also characterized during over 100 h of aging at temperatures up to 750 °C. Finally, the mechanical adhesion strength of the printed gold films is evaluated after aging for 100 h at temperatures up to 750 °C. The adhesion of the printed gold to the ceramic substrates remains high after aging, very stable resistances and minimal leakage currents have been observed.     

Amelioration in physicochemical properties and single cell performance of sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) block copolymer composite membrane using sulfonated carbon nanotubes for intermediate humidity fuel cells

A composite membrane composed of a sulfonated diblock copolymer (SDBC) based on poly(ether ether ketone) blocks copolymerized with partially fluorinated poly(arylene ether sulfone) and sulfonated carbon nanotubes (SCNTs) was fabricated by simple solution casting. Addition of the SCNT filler enhanced the water absorption and proton conductivity of membranes because of the increased per‐cluster volume of sulfonic acid groups, at the same time reinforced the membranes' thermal and mechanical properties. The SDBC/SCNT‐1.5 membrane exhibited the most improved physicochemical properties among all materials. It obtained a proton conductivity of 10.1 mS/cm at 120°C under 20% relative humidity (RH) which was 2.6 times more improved than the pristine membrane (3.9 mS/cm). Moreover, the single cell performance of the SDBC/SCNT‐1.5 membrane at 60°C and 60% RH at ambient pressure exhibited a peak power density of 171 mW/cm² at a load current density of 378 mA/cm², while the pristine membrane exhibited 119 mW/cm² at a load current density of 294 mA/cm². Overall, the composite membrane exhibited very promising characteristics to be used as polymer electrolyte membrane in fuel cells operated at intermediate RH.     

New adhesion measurement technique for coated cutting tool materials

Adhesion properties of wear resistant coatings on cutting tool materials are essential to their performance in technical applications. It is therefore necessary to characterize the coating adhesion by an appropriate measurement technique which reveals both critical adhesion values as well as information on time dependent debonding. In particular, a quantitative and reproducible technique is required rather than largely qualitative methods such as indent or scratch tests. In addition, for multilayer coatings, the location of the weakest interface is required to facilitate improvement of interfacial integrity. Accordingly a sandwich double cantilever beam (DCB) test was developed and used to measure the adhesion properties of coatings on cermets. Additionally, the structure of the coatings in the as fabricated state and after mechanical testings were characterized by optical microscopy, SEM and TEM. With quantitative adhesion measurements and investigations of the interface microstructure, a comprehensive characterization of coating adhesion on cutting toolmaterials was achieved.     

The Energy Concept Adviser—A tool to improve energy efficiency in educational buildings

Educational buildings such as kindergartens, schools and universities display many similar design, operation and maintenance features in most countries. The two most noteworthy similarities amongst these building types are the high energy consumption and the necessity for retrofitting many buildings within this sector. However, studies have shown that during retrofit, energy saving measures are only rarely applied, because the decision-makers lack knowledge of investments and the efficiency of potential energy saving measures. The main goal of the International Energy Agency ECBCS Annex 36 is to provide the educational building decision-makers with sufficient data, information and tools to improve their learning and teaching environments by improving the energy efficiency of their buildings.