Surface analysis in composite bonding

X ray photoelectron spectroscopy and contact angle measurements on graphite fiber composites pretreated in a number of different ways including mechanical, chemical, and light irradiation were analyzed. Data acquired on surface contamination as a result of fabrication techniques provides answers to the strength and durability of adhesively bonded composites. These techniques were shown to provide valuable information on surface analysis of pretreated composites prior to adhesive bonding and following lap shear fracture

Surface analysis of graphite fiber reinforced polyimide composites

Several techniques have been used to establish the effect of different surface pretreatments on graphite-polyimide composites. Composites were prepared from Celion 6000 graphite fibers and the polyimide LARC-160. Pretreatments included mechanical abrasion, chemical etching and light irradiation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used in the analysis. Contact angle of five different liquids of varying surface tensions were measured on the composites. SEM results showed polymer-rich peaks and polymer-poor valleys conforming to the pattern of the release cloth used durng fabrication. Mechanically treated and light irradiated samples showed varying degrees of polymer peak removal, with some degradation down to the graphite fibers. Minimal changes in surface topography were observed on concentrations of surface fluorine even after pretreatment. The light irradiation pretreatment was most effective at reducing surface fluorine concentrations whereas chemical pretreatment was the least effective. Critical surface tensions correlated directly with the surface fluorine to carbon ratios as calculated from XPS

Submicron gate InP power MISFET's with improved output power density at 18 and 20 GHz

The microwave characteristics are presented at 18 and 20 GHz of submicron gate indium phosphide (InP) metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MISFET's) for high output power density applications. InP power MISFET's were fabricated and the output power density was investigated as a function of drain-source spacing. The best output power density and gain were obtained for drain-source spacing of 3 microns. The output power density is 2.7 times greater than was previously measured for InP MISFET's at 18 and 20 GHz, and the power-added efficiency also increased

Demonstrating the validity of the Video Game Functional Assessment-Revised (VGFA-R)

Problematic video play has been well documented over the course of the last decade. So much so the DSM-5 (APA, 2013) has included problematic video gaming as disorder categorized as Internet Gaming Disorder. The field of applied behavior analysis has been utilizing functional assessments for the last 30 years and has showed evidence of effective results across different populations and environments. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation (comprising three studies) was to validate an indirect functional assessment entitled the Video Game Functional Assessment-Revised (VGFA-R). Using academic experts in the field of video game addiction and applied behavioral analysis (n=6), the first study examined the content validity of the VGFA-R and was able to demonstrate the assessment exceeded the criterion for an established assessment. A second study comprising a survey of 467 gamers examined the factorability by using a confirmatory factor analysis, and found that VGFA-R had an overall variance above .60. Within the third laboratory-based study using gamers (n=11), the VGFA-R was examined for construct validity and found the VGFA-R was able to predict 85% of the appropriate function of behavior. Implications of the study are discussed along with the strengths and limitations of the study and future research directions

Researcher Degrees of Freedom in the Psychology of Religion

There is a push in psychology toward more transparent practices, stemming partially as a response to the replication crisis. We argue that the psychology of religion should help lead the way toward these new, more transparent practices to ensure a robust and dynamic subfield. One of the major issues that proponents of Open Science practices hope to address is researcher degrees of freedom (RDF). We pre-registered and conducted a systematic review of the 2017 issues from three psychology of religion journals. We aimed to identify the extent to which the psychology of religion has embraced Open Science practices and the role of RDF within the subfield. We found that many of the methodologies that help to increase transparency, such as pre-registration, have yet to be adopted by those in the subfield. In light of these findings, we present recommendations for addressing the issue of transparency in the psychology of religion and outline how to move toward these new Open Science practices

Initial evidence for the criterion-related and structural validity of the long versions of the direct and meta-perspectives of the Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ 2010 Taylor & Francis.The aim of the present study was to develop and initially validate a longer version of the direct (Jowett & Ntoumanis, 2004) and meta-perspectives (Jowett, 2009a, 2009b) of the Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q). In Study 1, instruments (e.g. questionnaires, scales, and inventories) that have been used to assess relationship quality in the broader psychological literature were examined and items potentially relevant to the coach-athlete relationship were identified. The content validity of the identified items was then assessed using expert panels. A final questionnaire was subsequently prepared and administered to 693 participants (310 coaches and 383 athletes). Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to assess the multidimensional nature of the questionnaire based on the 3Cs (i.e. closeness, commitment, and complementarity) model of the coach-athlete relationship. The findings indicated that the direct and meta-perspective items of the long versions of the CART-Q approached an adequate data fit. Moreover, evidence for the internal consistency and criterion validity of the new instruments was also obtained. In Study 2, the newly developed measure was administered to an independent sample of 251 individuals (145 athletes and 106 coaches). Further statistical support was gained for the factorial validity and reliability of the longer version of the CART-Q

The GstLAL Search Analysis Methods for Compact Binary Mergers in Advanced LIGO's Second and Advanced Virgo's First Observing Runs

After their successful first observing run (September 12, 2015 - January 12, 2016), the Advanced LIGO detectors were upgraded to increase their sensitivity for the second observing run (November 30, 2016 - August 26, 2017). The Advanced Virgo detector joined the second observing run on August 1, 2017. We discuss the updates that happened during this period in the GstLAL-based inspiral pipeline, which is used to detect gravitational waves from the coalescence of compact binaries both in low latency and an offline configuration. These updates include deployment of a zero-latency whitening filter to reduce the over-all latency of the pipeline by up to 32 seconds, incorporation of the Virgo data stream in the analysis, introduction of a single-detector search to analyze data from the periods when only one of the detectors is running, addition of new parameters to the likelihood ratio ranking statistic, increase in the parameter space of the search, and introduction of a template mass-dependent glitch-excision thresholding method.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, to be submitted to Phys. Rev. D, comments welcom

Dietary yeast influences ethanol sedation in Drosophila via serotonergic neuron function

Abuse of alcohol is a major clinical problem with far- reaching health consequences. Understanding the environmental and genetic factors that contribute to alcohol- related behaviors is a potential gateway for developing novel therapeutic approaches for patients that abuse the drug. To this end, we have used Drosophila melanogaster as a model to investigate the effect of diet, an environmental factor, on ethanol sedation. Providing flies with diets high in yeast, a routinely used component of fly media, increased their resistance to ethanol sedation. The yeast- induced resistance to ethanol sedation occurred in several different genetic backgrounds, was observed in males and females, was elicited by yeast from different sources, was readily reversible, and was associated with increased nutrient intake as well as decreased internal ethanol levels. Inhibition of serotonergic neuron function using multiple independent genetic manipulations blocked the effect of yeast supplementation on ethanol sedation, nutrient intake, and internal ethanol levels. Our results demonstrate that yeast is a critical dietary component that influences ethanol sedation in flies and that serotonergic signaling is required for the effect of dietary yeast on nutrient intake, ethanol uptake/elimination, and ethanol sedation. Our studies establish the fly as a model for diet- induced changes in ethanol sedation and raise the possibility that serotonin might mediate the effect of diet on alcohol- related behavior in other species.Flies fed a high yeast diet consume more nutrients, have decreased levels of internal ethanol when exposed to ethanol vapor and require longer exposure to ethanol to become sedated (ie, increased ST50). Our studies implicate serotonergic neurons as key regulators of nutrient consumption and therefore, the effect of dietary yeast on ethanol sedation in flies.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/155987/1/adb12779.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/155987/2/adb12779_am.pd

Nudging Cooperation in a Crowd Experiment

We examine the hypothesis that driven by a competition heuristic, people don't even reflect or consider whether a cooperation strategy may be better. As a paradigmatic example of this behavior we propose the zero-sum game fallacy, according to which people believe that resources are fixed even when they are not. We demonstrate that people only cooperate if the competitive heuristic is explicitly overridden in an experiment in which participants play two rounds of a game in which competition is suboptimal. The observed spontaneous behavior for most players was to compete. Then participants were explicitly reminded that the competing strategy may not be optimal. This minor intervention boosted cooperation, implying that competition does not result from lack of trust or willingness to cooperate but instead from the inability to inhibit the competition bias. This activity was performed in a controlled laboratory setting and also as a crowd experiment. Understanding the psychological underpinnings of these behaviors may help us improve cooperation and thus may have vast practical consequences to our society.Fil: Niella, Tamara. Universidad Torcuato di Tella; ArgentinaFil: Stier, Nicolas. Universidad Torcuato di Tella; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Sigman, Mariano. Universidad Torcuato di Tella; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin