Lithium conducting solid electrolyte Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3 obtained via solution chemistry

NaSICON-type lithium conductor Li_1.3Al_0.3Ti_1.7(PO₄)₃ (LATP) is synthesized with controlled grain size and composition using solution chemistry. After thermal treatment at 850 °C, sub-micronic crystallized powders with high purity are obtained. They are converted into ceramic through Spark Plasma Sintering at 850–1000 °C. By varying the processing parameters, pellet with conductivities up to 1.6 × 10^?4 S/cm with density of 97% of the theoretical density have been obtained. XRD, FEG-SEM, ac-impedance and Vickers indentation were used to characterize the products. The influence of sintering parameters on pellet composition, microstructure and conductivity is discussed in addition to the analysis of the mechanical behavior of the grains interfaces.     

Modelling the solubility in Bayer liquors: A critical review and new models

An accurate and tractable model of solubility is a pre-requisite for any careful study of precipitation. Reviewing the abundant literature on the sodium aluminate solutions and Bayer Liquor, the authors point out the need for a new model for the apparent solubility of aluminium in actual Bayer Liquors and propose such a model, based on the well established Wesolowski's expression for the infinite dilution solubility and extended Debye–Hückel expression including a large empirical b I term for the “activity coefficient effect”. They suggest a chemical interpretation for this feature.     

TP53 Targeted Deep Sequencing of Cell-Free DNA in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Using Low-Quality Serum: Concordance with Tumor Mutation

Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is emerging as a potential tumor biomarker. CfDNA-based biomarkers may be applicable in tumors without an available non-invasive screening method among at-risk populations. Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and residents of the Asian cancer belt are examples of those malignancies and populations. Previous epidemiological studies using cfDNA have pointed to the need for high volumes of good quality plasma (i.e., >1 mL plasma with 0 or 1 cycles of freeze-thaw) rather than archival serum, which is often the main available source of cfDNA in retrospective studies. Here, we have investigated the concordance of TP53 mutations in tumor tissue and cfDNA extracted from archival serum left-over from 42 cases and 39 matched controls (age, gender, residence) in a high-risk area of Northern Iran (Golestan). Deep sequencing of TP53 coding regions was complemented with a specialized variant caller (Needlestack). Overall, 23% to 31% of mutations were concordantly detected in tumor and serum cfDNA (based on two false discovery rate thresholds). Concordance was positively correlated with high cfDNA concentration, smoking history (p-value = 0.02) and mutations with a high potential of neoantigen formation (OR; 95%CI = 1.9 (1.11–3.29)), suggesting that tumor DNA release in the bloodstream might reflect the effects of immune and inflammatory context on tumor cell turnover. We identified TP53 mutations in five controls, one of whom was subsequently diagnosed with ESCC. Overall, the results showed that cfDNA mutations can be reliably identified by deep sequencing of archival serum, with a rate of success comparable to plasma. Nonetheless, 70% non-identifiable mutations among cancer patients and 12% mutation detection in controls are the main challenges in applying cfDNA to detect tumor-related variants when blindly targeting whole coding regions of the TP53 gene in ESCC.     

SinFP,unification of active and passive operating system fingerprinting

The ubiquity of firewalls using Network Address Translation and Port Address Translation (NAT/PAT), stateful inspection, and packet normalization technologies is taking its toll on today’s approaches to operating system fingerprinting. Hence, SinFP was developed attempting to address the limitations of current tools. SinFP implements new methods, like the usage of signatures acquired by active fingerprinting when performing passive fingerprinting. Furthermore, SinFP is the first tool to perform operating system fingerprinting on IPv6 (both active and passive modes). Thanks to its signature matching algorithm, it is almost superfluous to add new signatures to its current database. In addition, its heuristic matching algorithm makes it highly resilient against signatures that have been modified by intermediate routing and/or filtering devices in-between, and against TCP/IP customization methods. This document presents an in-depth explanation of techniques implemented by SinFP tool.     

The influence of wine polymers on the spontaneous precipitation of calcium tartrate in a model wine solution

The influence of wine polymers on the spontaneous precipitation of calcium tartrate in a model wine system has been examined. Rhamnogalacturonan‐I was identified as the most effective inhibitor (precipitation induction time of 180 min compared with 7 min for the standard model). It is argued that this is a consequence of rhamnogalacturonan‐I's ability to participate in the ‘egg‐box’ type sequestration of calcium ions. The more structurally complex rhamnogalacturonan‐II had only a minor influence on the induction time (22 min). Arabinogalactan proteins and mannoproteins also have little influence with induction times ranging from 12 to 15 min. An ultra‐filtration study of four Chardonnay wines, prepared with and without the use of pectolytic enzymes, was performed in a search for conditions that might maximise the concentration of rhamnogalacturonan‐I. However, rhamnogalacturonan‐I could not be identified in any of the four wines. Implications of these observations, specifically the need to understand the inhibition exerted by specific uronic acids, for winemaking and calcium tartrate precipitation are discussed.     

Influence of various process conditions on surface finishes induced by the direct metal deposition laser technique on a Ti–6Al–4V alloy

The direct metal deposition (DMD) with laser is a free-form metal deposition process for manufacturing dense pieces, which allows generating a prototype or small series of near net-shape structures. One of the most critical issues is that produced pieces have a deleterious surface finish which systematically requires post machining steps. This problem has never been fully addressed before.The present work describes investigations on the DMD process, using an Yb-YAG disk laser, and a widely used titanium alloy (Ti–6Al–4V) to understand the influence of the main process parameters on the surface finish quality. The focus of our work was: (1) to understand the physical mechanisms responsible for deleterious surface finishes, (2) to propose different experimental solutions for improving surface finish.In order to understand the physical mechanisms responsible for deleterious surface finishes, we have carried out: (1) a precise characterization of the laser beam and the powder stream; (2) a large number of multi-layered walls using different process parameters (P(W), V(m/min), D_m (g/min), Gaussian or uniform beam distribution); (3) a real time fast camera analysis of melt pool dynamics and melt-pool – powder stream coupling; (4) a characterization of wall morphologies versus process parameters using 2D and 3D profilometry.The results confirm that surface degradation depends on two distinct aspects: the sticking of non-melted or partially melted particles on the free surfaces, and the formation of menisci with more or less pronounced curvature radii. Among other aspects, a reduction of layer thickness and an increase of melt-pool volumes to favor re-melting processes are shown to have a beneficial effect on roughness parameters. Last, a simple analytical model was proposed to correlate melt-pool geometries to resulting surface finishes.     

Hypothesized simple factor structure for the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire: Confirmatory factor analysis.

This study proposed and tested a theoretical factor structure for the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (AEQ; S. A. Brown, M. S. Goldman, A. Inn, & L. R. Anderson [see record 1981-01217-001]). Factors were hypothesized to (a) reflect either positive or negative reinforcement, and (b) target either personal feelings or social contexts, resulting in 4 hypothesized factors (Social Enhancement, Social Coping, Personal Enhancement, Personal Coping). Participants were 180 male and 226 female undergraduates who completed the AEQ and additional self-report measures. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the hypothesized model fit the data. Post hoc adjustments further improved the model. Finally, a higher order factor model fit the data best. Factors correlated in hypothesized ways with other measures: (a) Only Personal Coping expectancies correlated with negative affect; (b) self-efficacy to resist drinking for emotional relief correlated highest with Personal Coping; and (c) self-efficacy to resist social pressure to drink correlated highest with Social Enhancement. Correlations with B. C. Leigh and A. W. Stacy's (see record 1993-35856-001) Drinking Expectancy Questionnaire indicated congruent and divergent validity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Training system issues in the year 2000.

This article discusses the influence of future changes in the demographics of working populations and the characteristics of the workplace on research, development, and policy for training systems. Analyses of these changes indicate that there will be more expectations that training programs will serve as a positive hope to maximize the potential of each person. This will result in increased emphasis on research to identify abilities required to perform more cognitively complex jobs. Also, research on basic skill and support programs to permit unskilled youth to enter the world of work will be required. In addition, there will be a need for research on training necessary to help future managers and leaders work with members of a more diverse work force. Finally, the implications of these changes suggest that we need policies that consider research and development on retraining as a national need to help all individuals maximize their individual talents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

New Design of Quaternary Sequences

 We construct new families of quaternary periodic sequences having good autocorrelation properties that are useful for the synchronisation of messages in multiple access communications systems. The design of these quaternary periodic sequences makes use of a general construction based on the Gray map starting from couples of binary words with particular weight or correlation properties. Received: June 26, 2000; revised version: January 21, 2002