Proxemics literature is synthesized and placed in a theoretical framework based on norms and expectations. Two major and three subordinate propositions are supported, and a model for predicting effects of violations of proxemic expectations is advanced. A sample of hypotheses generated from the model is included.In recent years, an abundance of speculation, observation, and research on proxemic behavior has come forth. A great deal of attention has been given to such concerns as identifying personal spacing norms, examining human parallels to the use of space by animals, theorizing on the origins of human proxemic behavior, and analyzing the effects of spatial changes. More attention is also being focused on the manipulation of space as a communicative act. However, no effort has been made to integrate systematically knowledge about how space is used as communication and its subsequent effects on communication outcomes. This paper is an effort to supply such a communication perspective, to offer an initial conceptual framework within which the relationship between manipulation of space and communication can be better understood.We have confined our focus to personal space since it appears to be most amenable to manipulation for communication purposes. Personal space refers to the inviolable volume of space that surrounds an individual. It is an invisible, dynamic, and transportable space the size of which is governed by the individual's felt need at any point in time. We are interested in how much personal space people claim during communicative interactions and how alterations in the distancing patterns affect the outcomes.Since we are interested in the communication potential of such behaviors, we need to clarify what we mean by communication. The definition offered by Burgoon and Saine (in press) is consistent with our view. They define those nonverbal behaviors as communication which are either intentionally encoded as messages or have the potential to be interpreted by a receiver as intentional. They need not be symbolic-which space manipulation is not-but they must have shared meaning and have the potential for aresponse by the receiver. Behaviors that are not consciously committed and are either not consciously perceived or are interpreted as unintentional by the receiver do not qualify. Spacing behaviors, then, to be communication must be consciously recognized and viewed as a message by at least one of the participants.It is the contention of the authors that the communicative functions and effects of spatial relationships can best be viewed within the context of expectations and violations of expectations. The concept of violations of expectations has successfully explained other communication effects such as attitudinal shifts due to level of language intensity (e.g., Burgoon & Chase, 1973). To illustrate the viability of this framework for explaining spacing behaviors, we will develop some propositional statements about the nature of expectations and variables influencing the effects of violations of ...

Scientists have predicted that carbon's immediate neighbors on the periodic chart, boron and nitrogen, may also form perfect nanotubes, since the advent of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in 1991. First proposed then synthesized by researchers at UC Berkeley in the mid 1990's, the boron nitride nanotube (BNNT) has proven very difficult to make until now. Herein we provide an update on a catalyst-free method for synthesizing highly crystalline, small diameter BNNTs with a high aspect ratio using a high power laser under a high pressure and high temperature environment first discovered jointly by NASA/NIA/JSA. Progress in purification methods, dispersion studies, BNNT mat and composite formation, and modeling and diagnostics will also be presented. The white BNNTs offer extraordinary properties including neutron radiation shielding, piezoelectricity, thermal oxidative stability (> 800˚C in air), mechanical strength, and toughness. The characteristics of the novel BNNTs and BNNT polymer composites and their potential applications are discussed.

Norepinephrine modulates the inflammatory and proliferative phases of wound healing in a temporally defined, cell-specific manner. By increasing recruitment of innate immune cells and expediting wound closure, norepinephrine appears to play a protective role in defense against infection.