Aluminum oxide (Al@d2O@d3) thin films are synthesized by reactive d.c. magnetron sputter deposition on silicon substrates. The impact of varying plasma power P@dp (i.e. 400 to 1000 W) and of thin ...film temperatures T up to 540 @uoC on the electrical performance are evaluated, as these dielectric layers with a thickness of 450 nm are targeted as potential candidates for high temperature sensor applications. From 150 @uoC to 500 @uoC, the current-voltage measurements show a leakage current behavior according to the Poole-Frenkel electron emission with an activation energy of 1.16 eV. At T > 500 @uoC, the conductivity increases above average, in respect to the extrapolated Poole-Frenkel behavior at T < 500 @uoC, most probably due to the migration of charged ions, such as Ar@u+, incorporated into the film during deposition. Basically, samples synthesized at higher plasma levels show an enhanced electrical insulation behavior. This result is supported by measurements applying optical ellipsometry as well as by the determination of the wet chemical etching behavior in phosphoric-based acid at different bath temperatures. At higher plasma power, the refractive index shows a slight tendency to increase, staying, however, below the value of single-crystalline Al@d2O@d3. In contrast, the etch rate decreases by a factor of 1.5 at samples deposited at 1000 W when lowering the temperature of the etchant from 90 @uoC to 60 @uoC. These results indicate an enhanced film density at higher P@dp values as the microstructure of the Al@d2O@d3 films is X-ray amorphous independent of plasma power and post-deposition annealing temperatures up to 650 @uoC.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a phenotypically very heterogeneous disease with high rates of comorbid psychiatric pathology. Previous studies have indicated that OCD is associated with ...higher levels of dissociation. The aims of the present study were to replicate and extend previous findings of a significant link between certain OCD symptom dimensions and dissociation.
The study sample comprised 50 patients with OCD, as confirmed by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview,who had a score of at least 16 on the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale. All patients were assessed with the short version of the Hamburg Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory and the Dissociative Experience Scale (DES). Correlation analyses and multiple regression analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between OCD symptom dimensions and dissociation.
The checking dimension was most strongly related to dissociation, followed by the symmetry/ordering and obsessive thoughts dimensions. In contrast, no significant relationship was found between dissociation and the washing/cleaning, counting/touching, and aggressive impulses/fantasies dimensions. Multiple regression analyses revealed that: (1) only the checking dimension showed an independent positive correlation with dissociation, and (2) only higher scores on the DES subscale "amnestic dissociation" were associated with higher scores for checking compulsions.
Our results suggest that there might be a specific link between checking behavior and dissociation in OCD. Moreover, checking compulsions seem to be particularly associated with amnestic dissociation. Further studies focusing on amnestic dissociation as a potentially important determinant of checking compulsions are warranted.
The World Health Organization/EURO Multicentre Project on Parasuicide is part of the action to implement target 12 of the WHO programme, "Health for All by the Year 2000', for the European region. ...Sixteen centres in 13 European countries are participating in the monitoring aspect of the project, in which trends in the epidemiology of suicide attempts are assessed. The highest average male age-standardized rate of suicide attempts was found for Helsinki, Finland (314/100,000), and the lowest rate (45/100,000) was for Guipuzcoa, Spain, representing a sevenfold difference. The highest average female age-standardized rate was found for Cergy-Pontoise, France (462/100,000), and the lowest (69/100,000) again for Guipuzcoa, Spain. With only one exception (Helsinki), the person-based suicide attempt rates were higher among women than among men. In the majority of centres, the highest person-based rates were found in the younger age groups. The rates among people aged 55 years or over were generally the lowest. For the majority of the centres, the rates for individuals aged 15 years or over decreased between 1989 and 1992. The methods used were primarily "soft' (poisoning) or cutting. More than 50% of the suicide attempters made more than one attempt, and nearly 20% of the second attempts were made within 12 months after the first attempt. Compared with the general population, suicide attempters more often belong to the social categories associated with social destabilization and poverty.
This paper describes the design and setup of analogue power amplifiers for generating calibration signals for test equipment for instrument transformers. Two amplifiers have been set up for a rating ...of 600 VA and 70 VA, respectively. The 600 VA version is used for testing standard burdens, while the other one is used as a source for a calibrator for testing test sets for conventional and non-conventional current or voltage transformers. The amplifiers offer the possibility to switch between a voltage mode and a current mode. The bandwidth of the amplifiers covers the range from 16.7 Hz to at least 3 kHz. Different ranges between 80 V to 280 V in the voltage mode, and 2 A to 10 A in the current mode are realized with a transformer-coupled output stage. The gain accuracy is in the order of 1 %, while the stability is better than 0.01 %. The smaller amplifier will be used to set up future measurement systems in the EMRP project "Non-conventional voltage and current sensors for future power grids".
In the past, weld-induced residual stresses caused damage to numerous (power) plant parts, components and systems (Erve, M., Wesseling, U., Kilian, R., Hardt, R., Brümmer, G., Maier, V., Ilg, U., ...1994. Cracking in Stabilized Austenitic Stainless Steel Piping of German Boiling Water Reactors — Characteristic Features and Root Causes. 20. MPA-Seminar 1994, vol. 2, paper 29, pp.29.1–29.21). In the case of BWR nuclear power plants, this damage can be caused by the mechanism of intergranular stress corrosion cracking in austenitic piping or the core shroud in the reactor pressure vessel and is triggered chiefly by weld-induced residual stresses. One solution of this problem that has been used in the past involves experimental measurements of residual stresses in conjunction with weld optimization testing. However, the experimental analysis of all relevant parameters is an extremely tedious process. Numerical simulation using the finite element method (FEM) not only supplements this method but, in view of modern computer capacities, is also an equally valid alternative in its own right. This paper will demonstrate that the technique developed for numerical simulation of the welding process has not only been properly verified and validated on austenitic pipe welds, but that it also permits making selective statements on improvements to the welding process. For instance, numerical simulation can provide information on the starting point of welding for every weld bead, the effect of interpass cooling as far as a possible sensitization of the heat affected zone (HAZ) is concerned, the effect of gap width on the resultant weld residual stresses, or the effect of the ‘last pass heat sink welding’ (welding of the final passes while simultaneously cooling the inner surface with water) producing compressive stresses in the root area of a circumferential weld in an austenitic pipe. The computer program
feresa (finite element residual stress analysis) was based on a commercially available
abaqus code (Hibbitt, Karlsson, Sorensen, Inc, 1997.
abaqus user's manual, version 5.6), and can be used as a 2-D or 3-D FEM analysis; depending on task definition it can provide a starting point for a fracture mechanics safety analysis with acceptable computing times.
The force properties of thermoformed appliances have not been systematically investigated. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to quantify the forces delivered by thermoplastic appliances ...manufactured from three different materials, with the same thickness, on a central upper incisor, during tipping. Five identical appliances were manufactured from three different materials all with a thickness of 1.0 mm (Ideal Clear®, Erkodur®, and Biolon®). For measuring the forces, an isolated measuring tooth, as part of a standardized resin model incorporated in a newly developed measuring device, was tipped in nine arc minute (degree) steps, from 0 to degrees in the vestibular and palatal directions around a rotational axis through the virtual apex, after positioning an appliance on the model. For statistical analysis, the force components Fx/tipping and Fz/intrusion at a displacement of ±0.151 mm from the incisor edge were determined. Means and standard deviations (SDs) were calculated. The Kruskal–Wallis test for overall effects and the Wilcoxon two-sample test for individual group pairings were used (P < 0.05 significance level). The mean Fx forces ranged from −2.82 N (SD 0.62) to 5.42 N (SD 0.56). The mean Fz forces were between −0.14 N (SD 0.52) and −2.3 N (SD 0.43). The highest intrusive forces were measured during vestibular displacement of the measuring tooth. The forces delivered by the Biolon® appliance were found to be much greater (P < 0.01) than those of the other materials. The forces delivered by the materials investigated were mostly higher than those stated in the literature.
Longitudinal studies with very long follow-up periods of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who have received adequate treatment are rare. In the current study, 30 of 37 inpatients ...(81%) with severe OCD were followed up 6-8 years after treatment with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in combination with either fluvoxamine or placebo in a randomized design. The significant improvements (with large effectsizes) in obsessive-compulsive symptoms from pre- to post-treatment (41% reduction on the Y-BOCS) remained stable at follow-up (45 %). Responder rates, defined as > or = 35% reduction on the Y-BOCS, were 67% and 60%, respectively. Depressive symptoms decreased significantly not only from pre- to post-treatment but also during follow-up. Re-hospitalization, which occurred in 11 patients (37 %), was associated with more severe depressive symptoms at pre-treatment and living without a partner. Full symptom remission at follow-up, defined as both Y-BOCS total score < or = 7 and no longer meeting diagnostic criteria for OCD, was achieved by 8 patients (27 %). Patients without full remission at follow-up had a significantly longer history of OCD, assessed at pretreatment, compared to remitted patients. The shortterm treatment outcome had no predictive value for the long-term course. Throughout the naturalistic follow-up, nearly all patients (29 patients) received additional psychotherapy and/or medication. This might indicate that such chronic OCD patients usually need additional therapeutic support after effective inpatient treatment to maintain their improvements over long periods.
Background: Phonological awareness (PA) is an important metalinguistic skill which is closely linked to language acquisition. The aim of the study was therefore to assess PA in 3-year-old children. ...Method: 33 monolingual German-speaking children aged 3;6-3;ll were assessed. Different syllable- and onset-rhyme-tasks were administered. Results: In general, test scores showed high variability. The majority of children successfully completed the syllable awareness tasks (84.8, 97 and 100% above chance level). Results for the onset-rhyme tasks varied considerably. Most children were able to complete verbally presented nursery rhymes (90.9% above chance) and to blend onset-rhymes into words (63.3 and 72.9%, respectively). However, the identification of rhymes (if presented with semantic and phonological distractors) and the production of rhyme words were difficult for many of the children (21.2 and 15.1%, respectively). Discussion: Our results underpin the assumption that PA is already present at the age of 3 years. Implicit PA skills at syllable level are observable and a considerable number of children are able to successfully complete rhyme awareness tasks. The performance levels seem partly dependent on task demands and instructions. Adapted from the source document
Chemoenzymatic synthesis is an important strategy for the formation of glycopolymers. The use of a smaller number of traditional chemical steps and enzyme catalyzed reactions increases the yield of ...glycopolymer that can be produced by reducing the overall number of synthetic steps. In addition, chemoenzymatic routes are likely to be more accessible to those without a background in carbohydrate synthesis, making glycopolymers more available for studies across a broader range of scientists. Here, the enzymatic addition of galactose to N-acetylglucosamine functionalized glycodendrimers reduced the requisite number of synthetic steps for the full chemical synthesis of N-acetyl lactosamine (LacNAc) functionalized dendrimers to four steps. Unpurified cell lysate was used in the enzyme catalyzed glycosylation, and product glycodendrimers were readily purified by dialysis after enzymatic degradation of all protein components of the lysate in the crude reaction mixture. LacNAc functionalized dendrimers were used very effectively in homotypic cancer cellular aggregation assays and were found to either inhibit or enhance galectin-3 mediated cancer cellular aggregation, with differences in outcomes dependent on the generation of LacNAc functionalized dendrimers that were used.
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