FERROCENE INCORPORATED INTO POLYURETHANES FOR IMPROVED FLAME-RETARDANT PROPERTIES

Flame retardant polyurethanes are needed for various commercial and industrial applications; toward that end ferrocene derivatives with multiple hydroxyl groups were synthesized for incorporation into polyurethane thin films for testing. The derivatives synthesized were 2,3-dihydroxypropyl ferrocene carboxylate and di-(2,3-dihydroxypropyl) ferrocene 1-1’-dicarboxylate, which are a diol and a diol, respectively. These compounds were characterized using FT-IR spectroscopy, 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectroscopy. These derivatives were incorporated into a commercially available polyol mixture at various weight percentages, mixed with methylene diphenyl diisocyanate, and cast as thin films on glass plates. Each film was tested for flame retardance using a standard burn test chamber and thermal stability in both nitrogen and air. Differential scanning calorimetry and volatile organic compounds testing were also performed on selected films. In addition, potential synergistic effects of the ferrocenyl polyols with triphenylphosphine oxide was studied. These materials were tested using the standard burn test chamber and thermal stability

Freedom and Necessity in the Culture of Interpretation

I would like to offer a few reflections about the current situation of Literature and Theology in Australia, as an academic discipline. And it seems important to begin by noting that the very idea of an Australian university was built upon the premise that religion was a divisive influence which should be excluded from those institutions that would hopefully contribute to an Enlightened Australian Culture. This was a prevailing sentiment that dominated the constitution of every Australian state university, for generations the only providers of tertiary education in Australia

Long-Term Population Variability in the Palila, An Endangered Hawaiian Honeycreeper

Annual surveys of the entire range of the endangered Palila (Loxioides bailleui Oustalet) on Mauna Kea, Hawai'i, were conducted during 1980-1995. The majority of the Palila population was found on the southwestern slope of Mauna Kea near Pu'u La'au, and the range of Palila has not changed since 1975. The Palila population was highly variable. Mean population size during 1980-1995 was 3390 ± 333 SE, but the population ranged from 1584 ± 324 in 1985 to 5685 ± 535 in 1981. Population size outside the population center near Pu'u La'au has decreased significantly since 1980

Social preferences correlate with cortical thickness of the orbito-frontal cortex

Humans differ in their preferences for personal rewards, fairness and others' welfare. Such social preferences predict trust, public goods provision and mutual gains bargaining and have been linked to neural activity in regions involved in reward computation, cognitive control and perspective-taking. Although shaped by culture, social preferences are relatively stable across time, raising the question whether differences in brain anatomy predict social preferences and their key components-concern for personal outcomes and concern for others' outcomes. Here, we examine this possibility by linking social preferences measured with incentivized economic games to 74 cortical parcels in 194 healthy humans. Neither concerns for personal outcomes nor concerns for the outcomes of others in isolation were related to anatomical differences. However, fitting earlier findings, social preferences positively scaled with cortical thickness in the left olfactory sulcus, a structure in the orbital frontal cortex previously shown to be involved in value-based decision-making. Consistent with work showing that heavier usage corresponds to larger brain volume, findings suggest that pro-social preferences relate to cortical thickness in the left olfactory sulcus because of heavier reliance on the orbital frontal cortex during social decision-making. Keywords: brain anatomy; decision-making; social value orientatio

Political games of attack and defence

Political conflicts often revolve around changing versus defending a status quo. We propose to capture the dynamics between proponents and opponents of political change in terms of an asymmetric game of attack and defence with its equilibrium in mixed strategies. Formal analyses generate predictions about effort expended on revising and protecting the status quo, the form and function of false signalling and cheap talk, how power differences impact conflict intensity and the likelihood of status quo revision. Laboratory experiments on the neurocognitive and hormonal foundations of attack and defence reveal that out-of-equilibrium investments in attack emerge because of non-selfish preferences, limited capacity to compute costs and benefits and optimistic beliefs about the chances of winning from one's rival. We conclude with implications for the likelihood of political change and inertia, and discuss the role of ideology in political games of attack and defence. This article is part of the theme issue 'The political brain: neurocognitive and computational mechanisms'. Keywords: cognitive control; contest theory; decision-making; ideology; perspective taking; polarizatio

Pandemic influenza in Australia: Using telephone surveys to measure perceptions of threat and willingness to comply

Background: Baseline data is necessary for monitoring how a population perceives the threat of pandemic influenza, and perceives how it would behave in the event of pandemic influenza. Our aim was to develop a module of questions for use in telephone health surveys on perceptions of threat of pandemic influenza, and on preparedness to comply with specific public health behaviours in the event of pandemic influenza. Methods: A module of questions was developed and field tested on 192 adults using the New South Wales Department of Health's in-house Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) facility. The questions were then modified and re field tested on 202 adults. The module was then incorporated into the New South Wales Population Health Survey in the first quarter of 2007. A representative sample of 2,081 adults completed the module. Their responses were weighted against the state population. Results: The reliability of the questions was acceptable with kappa ranging between 0.25 and 0.51. Overall 14.9% of the state population thought pandemic influenza was very or extremely likely to occur; 45.5% were very or extremely concerned that they or their family would be affected by pandemic influenza if it occurred; and 23.8% had made some level of change to the way they live their life because of the possibility of pandemic influenza. In the event of pandemic influenza, the majority of the population were willing to: be vaccinated (75.4%), be isolated (70.2%), and wear a face mask (59.9%). People with higher levels of threat perception are significantly more likely to be willing to comply with specific public health behaviours. Conclusion: While only 14.9% of the state population thought pandemic influenza was very or extremely likely to occur, a significantly higher proportion were concerned for self and family should a pandemic actually occur. The baseline data collected in this survey will be useful for monitoring changes over time in the population's perceptions of threat, and preparedness to comply with specific public health behaviours.14 page(s

Learning rules of engagement for social exchange within and between groups

Globalizing economies and long-distance trade rely on individuals from different cul- tural groups to negotiate agreement on what to give and take. In such settings, indi- viduals often lack insight into what interaction partners deem fair and appropriate, potentially seeding misunderstandings, frustration, and conflict. Here, we examine how individuals decipher distinct rules of engagement and adapt their behavior to reach agreements with partners from other cultural groups. Modeling individuals as Bayesian learners with inequality aversion reveals that individuals, in repeated ultimatum bargaining with responders sampled from different groups, can be more generous than needed. While this allows them to reach agreements, it also gives rise to biased beliefs about what is required to reach agreement with members from distinct groups. Preregistered behavioral (N = 420) and neuroimaging experiments (N = 49) support model predictions: Seeking equitable agreements can lead to overly generous behavior toward partners from different groups alongside incorrect beliefs about prevailing norms of what is appropriate in groups and cultures other than one’s own

Koinonia

Spotlight FeatureThinking Globally in a Local Context, Jolene Cassellius Family and Balance, Shannon Schans Cultivating Philanthropy in the Co-Curriculum: An Alternative to the Narcissism of the iGeneration, Brian Powell InterviewThe Ministry of Reconciliation: A Conversation with Brenda Salter McNeil, Glen Kinoshita Thinking TheologicallyThought About Thinking Lately? How About Thinking Christianly?, Michael Santarosa Book ReviewHush: Moving From Silence to Healing After Childhood Sexual Abuse, reviewed by Carol Harding I\u27m the Teacher, You\u27re the Student: A Semester in the University Classroom, reviewed by Ryan K. Giffin Reconciliation Blues: A Black Evangelical\u27s Inside View of White Christianity, reviewed by Jesse Brown FeaturesThe President\u27s Corner Editor\u27s Desk Regional Updateshttps://pillars.taylor.edu/acsd_koinonia/1080/thumbnail.jp

In-group defense, out-group aggression, and coordination failures in intergroup conflict

Intergroup conflict persists when and because individuals make costly contributions to their group's fighting capacity, but how groups organize contributions into effective collective action remains poorly understood. Here we distinguish between contributions aimed at subordinating out-groups (out-group aggression) from those aimed at defending the in-group against possible out-group aggression (in-group defense). We conducted two experiments in which three-person aggressor groups confronted three-person defender groups in a multiround contest game (n = 276; 92 aggressor-defender contests). Individuals received an endowment from which they could contribute to their group's fighting capacity. Contributions were always wasted, but when the aggressor group's fighting capacity exceeded that of the defender group, the aggressor group acquired the defender group's remaining resources (otherwise, individuals on both sides were left with the remainders of their endowment). In-group defense appeared stronger and better coordinated than out-group aggression, and defender groups survived roughly 70% of the attacks. This low success rate for aggressor groups mirrored that of group-hunting predators such as wolves and chimpanzees (n = 1,382 cases), hostile takeovers in industry (n = 1,637 cases), and interstate conflicts (n = 2,586). Furthermore, whereas peer punishment increased out-group aggression more than in-group defense without affecting success rates (Exp. 1), sequential (vs. simultaneous) decision-making increased coordination of collective action for out-group aggression, doubling the aggressor's success rate (Exp. 2). The relatively high success rate of in-group defense suggests evolutionary and cultural pressures may have favored capacities for cooperation and coordination when the group goal is to defend, rather than to expand, dominate, and exploit. Keywords: collective action; competition; coordination; intergroup relations; parochial altruis

Cryptographically Secure Information Flow Control on Key-Value Stores

We present Clio, an information flow control (IFC) system that transparently incorporates cryptography to enforce confidentiality and integrity policies on untrusted storage. Clio insulates developers from explicitly manipulating keys and cryptographic primitives by leveraging the policy language of the IFC system to automatically use the appropriate keys and correct cryptographic operations. We prove that Clio is secure with a novel proof technique that is based on a proof style from cryptography together with standard programming languages results. We present a prototype Clio implementation and a case study that demonstrates Clio's practicality.Comment: Full version of conference paper appearing in CCS 201