Analysis of seed oil from ricinus communis and dimorphoteca pluvialis by gas and supercritical fluid chromatography

The seed oils from Dimorphoteca pluvialis and Ricinus communis contain hydroxy fatty acids. Dimorphoteca pluvialis contains Δ-9-hydroxy-10t, 12t-octadecadienoic acid (dimorphecolic acid) and R. communis contains Δ-12-hydroxy-9c-octadecenoic acid (ricinoleic acid). The oils were derivatized and analyzed to determine the content of hydroxy fatty acids. The trimethylsilyl fatty acid methyl ester (TMS-FAME) derivatives were analyzed by capillary gas chromatography (GC), and the free fatty acid (FFA) derivatives and the oils were analyzed by capillary supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC). Further, mass spectroscopy of the TMS-FAME derivatives was performed to check the purity of the derivatives. The results from the GC analyses of TMS-FAME corresponded to the results found by SFC analysis of the FFA. The content of ricinoleic acid in the glycerolipids of R. communis was 87.7 wt%, and the content of dimorphecolic acid in D. pluvialis was 54.0 wt%. The methods were evaluated with respect to the cost, ease, and time needed for sample preparation and analysis.     

SIMULATION STUDIES OF THE REMOVAL OF WATER FROM ETHANOL BY A CATALYTIC DISTILLATION PROCESS

A new approach based on catalytic distillation (CD) technology was proposed to remove water from ethanol. Isobutylene was introduced to react with water in the CD column. The commercial software simulation tool Aspen Plus was used to investigate the effects of key design factors such as operating pressure and temperature, reactant ratios, reflux and distillate to feed ratios, number of separation and reaction stages, and feed and reaction zone location. It was found that the CD technology offers potential advantages of reduced energy consumption and reduced capital cost over traditional approaches for the removal of water from ethanol.     

All‐subsets regression under effect heredity restrictions for experimental designs with complex aliasing

We consider an all‐subsets regression method for models under effect heredity restrictions for experimental designs with complex aliasing, whose number of potential main effects and two‐factor interactions exceed the number of runs. In this paper, we present an algorithm that systematically attempts to fit all such models. We illustrate the algorithm with two published experiments. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A decision support system for coating selection based on fuzzy logic and multi-criteria decision making

Wear and corrosion are the most important factors that the surface of the engineering parts must confront. The need for protection and improvement of the mechanical characteristics of the surface of engineering parts can be to some extent satisfied by coatings. Coatings are considered as an excellent solution when resistance to corrosion, oxidation or low friction is demanded, but due the complexity of selecting the appropriate one, engineers often avoid them. The need for simultaneous consideration of qualitative and quantitative properties, render the use of classic material selection theories inadequate. An expert system for coating selection is presented in this paper, which can handle both qualitative and quantitative variables. The mathematical model used combines the multi-criteria decision making theories (MCDM) together with the fuzzy sets theory. The “Max-Min set” method is applied to calculate the ordering value of the alternatives while the TOPSIS method is used to rank them. A numerical example is provided to illustrate the method. Finally, the process presented can be easily computerized, to create the relative software.     

Aging and task switching: A meta-analysis.

A meta-analysis of 26 published articles (with 36 independent participant groups) was conducted to analyze the relationship between task-switching effects and aging. Latency served as the dependent measure. Multilevel modeling was used to test for additive and multiplicative complexity effects in local and global switch costs. Global task switching was found to add 1 or more stages to processing and resulted in a marked age deficit. Local task-switching costs, on the other hand, showed a multiplicative complexity effect but no specific attention-related age deficits. Cueing or switch predictability did not affect age differences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Are working memory deficits in bipolar disorder markers for psychosis?

Working memory deficits have been identified in bipolar disorder, but there is evidence suggesting that these deficits may be markers for psychosis rather than affective disorder. The current study examined this issue by comparing two groups of individuals with bipolar disorder, one with psychotic features and one without psychotic features, with a group of normal controls. Working memory was conceptualized as a multicomponent system that includes auditory and visuospatial short-term stores, executive control processes, and an episodic buffer that allows for communication between short- and long-term memory stores (Baddeley & Logie, 1999). Results indicated that only executive control processes significantly differentiated the psychotic and nonpsychotic bipolar groups, although visuospatial working memory differentiated both bipolar groups from controls. The results support the idea that some aspects of working memory performance are markers for psychosis, while others may be more general markers for bipolar disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Unique and common mechanisms of change across cognitive and dynamic psychotherapies.

The goal of this article was to examine theoretically important mechanisms of change in psychotherapy outcome across different types of treatment. Specifically, the role of gains in self-understanding, acquisition of compensatory skills, and improvements in views of the self were examined. A pooled study database collected at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Psychotherapy Research, which includes studies conducted from 1995 to 2002 evaluating the efficacy of cognitive and psychodynamic therapies for a variety of disorders, was used. Patient samples included major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, borderline personality disorder, and adolescent anxiety disorders. A common assessment battery of mechanism and outcome measures was given at treatment intake, termination, and 6-month follow-up for all 184 patients. Improvements in self-understanding, compensatory skills, and views of the self were all associated with symptom change across the diverse psychotherapies. Changes in self-understanding and compensatory skills across treatment were predictive of follow-up symptom course. Changes in self-understanding demonstrated specificity of change to dynamic psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The use of ICT in primary schools within emerging communities of implementation

To illustrate the conditions under which successful innovation adoption takes place, this paper focuses on the implementation of information and communication technologies (ICT) through emerging communities in schools. Two types of such communities are described in terms of the degree of participation in the implementation: school-wide communities and enclaves. The article describes implementation practices in four primary schools with reported high ICT use, selected as case-studies. Four criteria, reflecting the domain, personnel relationships, policy and implementation goals and strategies, as well as staff consistency, are employed to outline the existence and types of communities of implementation within these schools. Findings indicate that, although both school-wide communities and enclaves are present in successful schools, enclaves – compared to school-wide communities – are related to lower levels of implementation. Based on these findings the authors discuss policy directions towards the development of school-wide communities as a purposeful implementation strategy to help transition ICT institutionalization from the initiation to the habitualization stage.     

A Review of the Effectiveness of CPS Training: A Focus on Workplace Issues

A major focus within the field of creativity has been on the development of methodologies aimed at deliberately nurturing creative thinking. These methodologies have attempted to mirror the creative process in ways that allow individuals and groups to explicitly call on and employ their creative faculties. In an attempt to uplift employees’ creative capabilities many of these methodologies have been introduced into organizations through training programs, as well as through application to business challenges. Do these methods work? What is the empirical evidence that these deliberate creative process methods enhance employees’ creativity? Though there are a handful of creative process methods, few have married the concern for application with an interest in demonstrating the benefits of these applied efforts through systematic research. Creative Problem Solving (CPS), one of the more popular creative process models, has been one of the rare exceptions. The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the research literature that reports on the impact of CPS training carried out within organizational contexts, that is training programs that involved professionals or students working on real business challenges. Additionally, the positive benefits of CPS are further examined through reports that cite the outcomes of applying CPS to business challenges. In a field replete with methods that have been commercialized, it is imperative to strike a balance between research and practice as an imbalance towards practice may foster a field dominated by individuals who offer untested products and services.