Preservation of the Video Game

Archivists have witnessed the preservation pitfalls of aging paper, videotape, and film and may wonder what the future holds for the video games of this era. Will children fifty years from now be able to play Super Mario World? More importantly, will historians lose objects that have made a significant cultural impact on the society of the late twentieth century and early twenty-first? If a variety of institutions do not take up significant preservation efforts then the games of today could slip away more quickly than one might think

Decoding differences on the verbal and nonverbal channels among A and B therapist types

The original designation of therapists into A and B types was made by Whitehorn and Betz (1954) on the basis of success with schizophrenic and neurotic patients. Subsequent studies have yielded mixed results concerning this therapist-patient interaction. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the apparent differences in interpersonal styles between A and B therapist types could be linked to decoding preferences on the visual, audio and linguistic channels of communication. Specifically, it was predicted that the A therapist type would decode more accurately on the visual channel, while the B therapist type would decode more accurately on the linguistic channel. Decoding accuracy on the audio channel was predicted to fall in the mid­ range of scores between the visual and linguistic channel s for both therapist types. The effect of sex as a variable in decoding ability was also considered. A videotape of a female actress portraying a submissive style in an interview was targeted as the independent variable. A silent videotape was used to convey the visual communication channel; an audio tape was used to convey the audio communication channel, and a transcript was used for the linguistic channel. Sixty-four subjects (32 male and 32 female) were selected according to their scores on sub­ form SSZ-46 of the Whitehorn-Betz A-B scale. The subjects viewed either the silent videotape, listened to the audio tape, or read the transcript of the submissive interviewee and then rated their feelings about that person on a set of Semantic Differential Scales and the Impact Message Inventory. Two scales from the IMI, Submissiveness and Inhibition, were used to record the impact. The hypotheses were tested by a 2 x 2 x 3 analysis of variance, followed by a Newman-Keuls multimean test. The IMI scores showed a significant interaction between the A therapist type and the visual channel. A trend toward a significant interaction for the B therapist type and the linguistic channel was also observed. No significant differences were found on the audio channel or for the sex variable. No differences were found with the Semantic Differential Scales for any of the experimental conditions. The results indicate that differences do exist between A and B therapist types for decoding preferences, with the A therapist type receiving a significantly higher impact on the visual channel than the B therapist type as measured by the IMI scales of Submissiveness and Inhibition. Implications for future research were discussed, focusing on the role of nonverbal communication in therapeutic interactions and the effect of individual subject variables such as sex and experience on decoding abilities

Infrared Spectroscopy of Matrix-Isolated Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Cations. 3. The Polyacenes Anthracene, Tetracene, and Pentacene

Gaseous, ionized Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH's) are thought to be responsible for a very common family of interstellar infrared emission bands. Unfortunately, very little infrared spectroscopic data are available on ionized PAH's. Here we present the near- and mid-infrared spectra of the polyacene cations anthracene, tetracene, and pentacene. We also report the vibrational frequencies and relative intensities of the pentacene anion. The cation bands corresponding to the CC modes are typically about 10-20 times more intense than those of the CH out-of-plane bending vibrations. For the cations the CC stretching and CH in-plane bending modes give rise to bands which are an order of magnitude stronger than for the neutral species, and the CH out-of-plane bends produce bands which are 3-20 times weaker than in the neutral species. This behavior is similar to that found for most other PAH cations. The most intense PAH cation bands fall within the envelopes of the most intense interstellar features. The strongest absorptions in the polyacenes anthracene, tetracene, and pentacene tend to group around 1400 / cm (between about 1340 and 1500 / cm) and near 1180 /cm, regions of only moderate interstellar emission. These very strong polyacene bands tend to fall in gaps in the spectra of the other PAH cations studied to date suggesting that while PAHs with polyacene structures may contribute to specific regions of the interstellar emission spectra, they are not dominant members of the interstellar PAH family

The 5.25 & 5.7 μ\mum Astronomical Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Emission Features

Astronomical mid-IR spectra show two minor PAH features at 5.25 and 5.7 $\mu$m (1905 and 1754 cm$^{\rm - 1}$) that hitherto have been little studied, but contain information about the astronomical PAH population that complements that of the major emission bands. Here we report a study involving both laboratory and theoretical analysis of the fundamentals of PAH spectroscopy that produce features in this region and use these to analyze the astronomical spectra. The ISO SWS spectra of fifteen objects showing these PAH features were considered for this study, of which four have sufficient S/N between 5 and 6 $\mu$m to allow for an in-depth analysis. All four astronomical spectra show similar peak positions and profiles. The 5.25 $\mu$m feature is peaked and asymmetric, while the 5.7 $\mu$m feature is broader and flatter. Detailed analysis of the laboratory spectra and quantum chemical calculations show that the astronomical 5.25 and 5.7 $\mu$m bands are a blend of combination, difference and overtone bands primarily involving CH stretching and CH in-plane and CH out-of-plane bending fundamental vibrations. The experimental and computational spectra show that, of all the hydrogen adjacency classes possible on PAHs, solo and duo hydrogens consistently produce prominent bands at the observed positions whereas quartet hydrogens do not. In all, this a study supports the picture that astronomical PAHs are large with compact, regular structures. From the coupling with primarily strong CH out-of-plane bending modes one might surmise that the 5.25 and 5.7 $\mu$m bands track the neutral PAH population. However, theory suggests the role of charge in these astronomical bands might also be important.Comment: Accepted ApJ, 40 pages in pre-print, 14 figures, two onlin

Intrathecal Urokinase as a treatment for intraventricular hemorrhage in the preterm infant

Despite improvements in the care of preterm infants, intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus (PHH) continue to be frequent occurrences in this patient population. Shunt procedures in these children are frequently complicated by obstruction and/or infection. As the hydrocephalus is usually caused by an obliterative arachnoiditis due to contact of the blood with the basilar meninges, it was postulated that infusion of urokinase into the ventricles of infants who have sustained an IVH would clear the blood, mitigate the arachnoiditis, and prevent the progression of PHH. Accordingly, 18 preterm infants who had sustained IVH and subsequently developed PHH were treated with intraventricular urokinase instilled via a surgically implanted subcutaneous reservoir. There were no complications associated with the urokinase. Infants were divided into two dosage groups: low dose (110,000–140,000 IU total) and high dose (280,000 IU total). One infant in the low-dose group died at 1 month of life of respiratory complications. In the low-dose group, 3 of 8 (37%) infants required shunt placement; in the high-dose group, all 9 required shunt placement. For the total group, the shunt rate was 71 %. This compares to a historical control group shunt rate of 92%. While the difference between the treatment group as a whole and control group approaches, but does not reach, statistical significance (p = 0.068), there was a significant reduction in the shunt rate when the low-dose group was considered separately (p \u3c 0.002). For those infants that required shunt placement, there were fewer shunt revisions performed in the treatment group than in the control group during the first 24 months following shunt placement: 0.67 versus 1.5 shunt revisions/shunted child. Initial experience with intraventricular urokinase following IVH and PHH in preterm infants suggests a beneficial effect in reducing the shunt revision rate in both high- and low-dose groups. Reduction in shunt placement rate is seen only in the low-dose group

Infrared Spectroscopy of Matrix-Isolated Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Cations

Gaseous, ionized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are thought to be responsible for a very common family of interstellar infrared emission bands. Here the near- and mid-infrared spectra of the cations of the five most thermodynamically favored PAHs up to coronene: phenanthrene, pyrene, benzo(e)pyrene, benzo-(ghi)perylene, and coronene, are presented to test this hypothesis. For those molecules that have been studied previously (pyrene, pyrene-d(sub 10), and coronene), band positions and relative intensities are in agreement. In all of these cases we report additional features. Absolute integrated absorbance values are given for the phenanthrene, perdeuteriophenanthrene, pyrene, benzo(ghi]perylene, and coronene cations. With the exception of coronene, the cation bands corresponding to the CC modes are typically 2-5 times more intense than those of the CH out-of-plane bending vibrations. For the cations, the CC stretching and CH in-plane bending modes give rise to bands that are an order of magnitude stronger than those of the neutral species, and the CH out-of-plane bends produce bands that are 5-20 times weaker than those of the neutral species. This behavior is similar to that found in most other PAH cations studied to date. The astronomical implications of these PAH cation spectra are also discussed

Fate and effects of experimental oil spills in an eastern coastal plain marsh system : final report

The objectives of this program conducted over a four year period were to determine the ecological effects, chemical fate and microbial responses of marsh systems to crude oil spills. To conduct these studies in a manner which maximized control, large enclosures were constructed in a natural mesohaline marsh (Figure 1). Both fresh South Louisiana crude and artificially aged South Louisiana crude were studied

Recertification of the air and methane storage vessels at the Langley 8-foot high-temperature structures tunnel

This center operates a number of sophisticated wind tunnels in order to fulfill the needs of its researchers. Compressed air, which is kept in steel storage vessels, is used to power many of these tunnels. Some of these vessels have been in use for many years, and Langley is currently recertifying these vessels to insure their continued structural integrity. One of the first facilities to be recertified under this program was the Langley 8-foot high-temperature structures tunnel. This recertification involved (1) modification, hydrotesting, and inspection of the vessels; (2) repair of all relevant defects; (3) comparison of the original design of the vessel with the current design criteria of Section 8, Division 2, of the 1974 ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code; (4) fracture-mechanics, thermal, and wind-induced vibration analyses of the vessels; and (5) development of operating envelopes and a future inspection plan for the vessels. Following these modifications, analyses, and tests, the vessels were recertified for operation at full design pressure (41.4 MPa (6000 psi)) within the operating envelope developed