Apparatus and method for non-invasive diagnosis and control of motor operated valve condition

DOEpatents

Lyon, R.H.; Chai, J.; Lang, J.H.; Hagman, W.H.; Umans, S.D.; Saarela, O.J.

1997-01-14

An apparatus compares the torque from an MOV motor with the valve displacement, and from the comparison assesses MOV operating condition. A transducer measures the vibration of the housing of an MOV. The vibrations are due to the motions of the rotating elements within the housing, which motions are directly related to the motion of the valve relative to its seat. Signal processing apparatus analyzes the vibrations to recover the rotations of the rotating elements and thus the motion of the valve plug. Lost motion can also be determined (if a lost motion connection exists) by demodulating the vibration signal and thus taking into account also the lost motion. Simultaneously, the forces applied to the valve are estimated by estimating the torque between the stator and the rotor of the motor. Such torque can be estimated from measuring the input current and voltage alone, using a forgetting factor and a correction for the forgetting factor. A signature derived from relating the torque to the valve position can be used to assess the condition of the MOV, by comparing the signature to signatures for MOVs of known conditions. The vibration analysis components generate signals that relate to the position of elements in the operator. Similarly, the torque estimator estimates the torque output by any type of electric motor, whether or not part of an MOV analysis unit. 28 figs.

Apparatus and method for non-invasive diagnosis and control of motor operated valve condition

DOEpatents

Lyon, Richard H.; Chai, Jangbom; Lang, Jeffrey H.; Hagman, Wayne H.; Umans, Stephen D.; Saarela, Olli J.

1997-01-01

An apparatus compares the torque from an MOV motor with the valve displacement, and from the comparison assesses MOV operating condition. A transducer measures the vibration of the housing of an MOV. The vibrations are due to the motions of the rotating elements within the housing, which motions are directly related to the motion of the valve relative to its seat. Signal processing apparatus analyzes the vibrations to recover the rotations of the rotating elements and thus the motion of the valve plug. Lost motion can also be determined (if a lost motion connection exists) by demodulating the vibration signal and thus taking into account also the lost motion. Simultaneously, the forces applied to the valve are estimated by estimating the torque between the stator and the rotor of the motor. Such torque can be estimated from measuring the input current and voltage alone, using a forgetting factor and a correction for the forgetting factor. A signature derived from relating the torque to the valve position can be used to assess the condition of the MOV, by comparing the signature to signatures for MOVs of known conditions. The vibration analysis components generate signals that relate to the position of elements in the operator. Similarly, the torque estimator estimates the torque output by any type of electric motor, whether or not part of an MOV analysis unit.

Decomposing the gap in missed opportunities for vaccination between poor and non-poor in sub-Saharan Africa: A Multicountry Analyses.

PubMed

Ndwandwe, Duduzile; Uthman, Olalekan A; Adamu, Abdu A; Sambala, Evanson Z; Wiyeh, Alison B; Olukade, Tawa; Bishwajit, Ghose; Yaya, Sanni; Okwo-Bele, Jean-Marie; Wiysonge, Charles S

2018-04-24

Understanding the gaps in missed opportunities for vaccination (MOV) in sub-Saharan Africa would inform interventions for improving immunisation coverage to achieving universal childhood immunisation. We aimed to conduct a multicountry analyses to decompose the gap in MOV between poor and non-poor in SSA. We used cross-sectional data from 35 Demographic and Health Surveys in SSA conducted between 2007 and 2016. Descriptive statistics used to understand the gap in MOV between the urban poor and non-poor, and across the selected covariates. Out of the 35 countries included in this analysis, 19 countries showed pro-poor inequality, 5 showed pro-non-poor inequality and remaining 11 countries showed no statistically significant inequality. Among the countries with statistically significant pro-illiterate inequality, the risk difference ranged from 4.2% in DR Congo to 20.1% in Kenya. Important factors responsible for the inequality varied across countries. In Madagascar, the largest contributors to inequality in MOV were media access, number of under-five children, and maternal education. However, in Liberia media access narrowed inequality in MOV between poor and non-poor households. The findings indicate that in most SSA countries, children belonging to poor households are most likely to have MOV and that socio-economic inequality in is determined not only by health system functions, but also by factors beyond the scope of health authorities and care delivery system. The findings suggest the need for addressing social determinants of health.

Effect of parameters on picosecond laser ablation of Cr12MoV cold work mold steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Baoye; Liu, Peng; Zhang, Fei; Duan, Jun; Wang, Xizhao; Zeng, Xiaoyan

2018-01-01

Cr12MoV cold work mold steel, which is a difficult-to-machining material, is widely used in the mold and dye industry. A picosecond pulse Nd:YVO4 laser at 1064 nm was used to conduct the study. Effects of operation parameters (i.e., laser fluence, scanning speed, hatched space and number of scans) were studied on ablation depth and quality of Cr12MoV at the repetition rate of 20 MHz. The experimental results reveal that all the four parameters affect the ablation depth significantly. While the surface roughness depends mainly on laser fluence or scanning speed and secondarily on hatched space or number of scans. For laser fluence and scanning speed, three distinct surface morphologies were observed experiencing transition from flat (Ra < 1.40 μm) to bumpy (Ra = 1.40 - 2.40 μm) eventually to rough (Ra > 2.40 μm). However, for hatched space and number of scan, there is a small bumpy and rough zone or even no rough zone. Mechanisms including heat accumulation, plasma shielding and combustion reaction effects are proposed based on the ablation depth and processing morphology. By appropriate management of the laser fluence and scanning speed, high ablation depth with low surface roughness can be obtained at small hatched space and high number of scans.

Mo(V) co-ordination in the periplasmic nitrate reductase from Paracoccus pantotrophus probed by electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) spectroscopy.

PubMed Central

Butler, Clive S; Fairhurst, Shirley A; Ferguson, Stuart J; Thomson, Andrew J; Berks, Ben C; Richardson, David J; Lowe, David J

2002-01-01

The first electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) study of a member of the Mo-bis-molybdopterin guanine dinucleotide family of molybdoenzymes is presented, using the periplasmic nitrate reductase from Paracoccus pantotrophus. Rapid freeze-quenched time-resolved EPR revealed that during turnover the intensity of a Mo(V) EPR signal known as High-g [resting] increases. This signal is split by two interacting protons that are not solvent-exchangeable. X-band proton-ENDOR analysis resolved broad symmetrical resonance features that arose from four classes of protons weakly coupled to the Mo(V). Signals from two of these were lost upon exchange into deuterated buffer, suggesting that they may originate from OH(-) or H(2)O groups. One of these signals was also lost when the enzyme was redox-cycled in the presence of azide. Since these protons are very weakly coupled OH/H(2)O groups, they are not likely to be ligated directly to the Mo(V). This suggests that protonation of a Mo(VI)zO group does not occur on reduction to Mo(V), but most probably accompanies reduction of Mo(V) to Mo(IV). A resonance feature from a more strongly coupled proton, that was not lost following exchange into deuterated buffer, could also be resolved at 22-24 MHz. The anisotropy of this feature, determined from ENDOR spectra collected at a range of field positions, indicated a Mo-proton distance of approx. 3.2 A, consistent with this being one of the beta-methylene protons of a Mo-Cys ligand. PMID:11964184

The effect of RGB monochromatic and polychromatic LED lighting on growth performance, behavior, and development of broilers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morrill, Waldirene B. B.; Barnabé, Janice M. C.; da Silva, Tatiana P. N.; Pandorfi, Héliton; Gouveia-Neto, Artur S.; Souza, Wellington S.

2014-03-01

Growth performance, behavior, and development of broilers reared under red, green, and blue monochromatic and/or multicolor LED-based illuminants is investigated. The lighting treatments were performed on a 24h lighting basis during six weeks. Monochromatic red(630 nm), green(520 nm), and blue(460 nm), and simultaneous blue-green, and whitelight housing illumination was employed. Bodyweight, food consumption, and behavior were monitored and compared amongst light treatments. The behavioral data showed that broilers reared under green lighting presented the lowest respiratory rate (87 mov. min-1) while those under red lighting presented the highest (96 mov. min-1). Results also showed that broilers under blue and/or green monochromatic illumination exhibited up to 6%, and 8.9 % increase in final bodyweight when compared to those under red or white-light, respectively. The highest feed intake, and lowest body weight gain was observed in broilers reared under blue and red illumination, respectively.

Radioimmunotherapy of nude mice with intraperitoneally growing ovarian cancer xenograft utilizing 211At-labelled monoclonal antibody MOv18.

PubMed

Andersson, H; Lindegren, S; Back, T; Jacobsson, L; Leser, G; Horvath, G

2000-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of 211At-labelled monoclonal antibody given intraperitoneally to nude mice with intraperitoneal growth of a human ovarian cancer cell line. Female nude mice were inoculated intraperitoneally with 1 x 10(7) cells of the human ovarian cancer cell line NIH:OVCAR 3. After about two weeks they were injected with the 211At-labelled specific monoclonal antibody MOv18 intraperitoneally. For comparison, other groups of mice were given the same labelled antibody intravenously, 211At-labelled unspecific antibody C242 intraperitoneally or unalbelled MOv18 intraperitoneally. Six weeks later the animals were sacrificed and the occurrence of tumour and ascites was determined. When the mice were treated with 211At-labelled MOv18 intraperitoneally 9 out of 10 were apparently free of both ascites and tumour compared to none of the mice given unlabelled antibody. 211At-labelled MOv18 given intravenously or 211At-labelled unspecific antibody given intraperitoneally were less effective. Regional radioimmunotherapy with the alpa-emitter 211Astatine seems to be an effective treatment of nude mice with intraperitoneally growing human ovarian cancer. Hopefully this treatment can be given in an adjuvant setting to women with minimal residual ovarian cancer in the future.

Investigations into Recycling Zinc from Used Metal Oxide Varistors via pH Selective Leaching: Characterization, Leaching, and Residue Analysis

PubMed Central

Gutknecht, Toni; Gustafsson, Anna; Forsgren, Christer; Steenari, Britt-Marie

2015-01-01

Metal oxide varistors (MOVs) are a type of resistor with significantly nonlinear current-voltage characteristics commonly used in power lines to protect against overvoltages. If a proper recycling plan is developed MOVs can be an excellent source of secondary zinc because they contain over 90 weight percent zinc oxide. The oxides of antimony, bismuth, and to a lesser degree cobalt, manganese, and nickel are also present in varistors. Characterization of the MOV showed that cobalt, nickel, and manganese were not present in the varistor material at concentrations greater than one weight percent. This investigation determined whether a pH selective dissolution (leaching) process can be utilized as a starting point for hydrometallurgical recycling of the zinc in MOVs. This investigation showed it was possible to selectively leach zinc from the MOV without coleaching of bismuth and antimony by selecting a suitable pH, mainly higher than 3 for acids investigated. It was not possible to leach zinc without coleaching of manganese, cobalt, and nickel. It can be concluded from results obtained with the acids used, acetic, hydrochloric, nitric, and sulfuric, that sulfate leaching produced the most desirable results with respect to zinc leaching and it is also used extensively in industrial zinc production. PMID:26421313

Mo-doped V2O5 hierarchical nanorod/nanoparticle core/shell porous microspheres with improved performance for cathode of lithium-ion battery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Haolin; Zeng, Jianyun; Hao, Wen; Zhou, Peng; Wen, Xiaogang

2018-05-01

Mo-doped V2O5 hierarchical nanorod/nanoparticle core/shell porous microspheres (MVHPMs) were prepared via a simple hydrothermal approach using ammonium metavanadate and ammonium molybdate as precursors followed by a thermal annealing process. The samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, EDS, and XPS carefully; it confirmed that porous microspheres with uniform Mo doping in the V2O5 matrix were obtained, and it contains an inner core self-assembled with 1D nanorods and outer shell consisting of nanoparticles. A plausible growth mechanism of Mo-doped V2O5 (Mo-V2O5) porous microspheres is suggested. The unique microstructure made the Mo-V2O5 hierarchical microspheres a good cathode material for Li-ion battery. The results indicate the synthesized Mo-V2O5 hierarchical microspheres exhibit well-improved electrochemical performance compared to the undoped samples. It delivers a high initial reversible capacity of 282 mAh g-1 at 0.2 C, 208 mAh g-1 at 2 C, and 111 mAh g-1 at 10 C, and it also exhibits good cycling stabilities; a capacity of 144 mAh g-1 is obtained after 200 cycles at 6 C with a capacity retention of > 82%, which is much high than that of pure V2O5 (95 mAh g-1 with a capacity retention of 72%). [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Experiments of a 100 kV-level pulse generator based on metal-oxide varistor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Yan-cheng; Wu, Qi-lin; Yang, Han-wu; Gao, Jing-ming; Li, Song; Shi, Cheng-yu

2018-03-01

This paper introduces the development and experiments of a 100 kV-level pulse generator based on a metal-oxide varistor (MOV). MOV has a high energy handling capacity and nonlinear voltage-current (V-I) characteristics, which makes it useful for high voltage pulse shaping. Circuit simulations based on the measured voltage-current characteristics of MOV verified the shaping concept and showed that a circuit containing a two-section pulse forming network (PFN) will result in better defined square pulse than a simple L-C discharging circuit. A reduced-scale experiment was carried out and the result agreed well with simulation prediction. Then a 100 kV-level pulse generator with multiple MOVs in a stack and a two-section pulse forming network (PFN) was experimented. A pulse with a voltage amplitude of 90 kV, rise time of about 50 ns, pulse width of 500 ns, and flat top of about 400 ns was obtained with a water dummy load of 50 Ω. The results reveal that the combination of PFN and MOV is a practical way to generate high voltage pulses with better flat top waveforms, and the load voltage is stable even if the load's impedance varies. Such pulse generator can be applied in many fields such as surface treatment, corona plasma generation, industrial dedusting, and medical disinfection.

A soft computing scheme incorporating ANN and MOV energy in fault detection, classification and distance estimation of EHV transmission line with FSC.

PubMed

Khadke, Piyush; Patne, Nita; Singh, Arvind; Shinde, Gulab

2016-01-01

In this article, a novel and accurate scheme for fault detection, classification and fault distance estimation for a fixed series compensated transmission line is proposed. The proposed scheme is based on artificial neural network (ANN) and metal oxide varistor (MOV) energy, employing Levenberg-Marquardt training algorithm. The novelty of this scheme is the use of MOV energy signals of fixed series capacitors (FSC) as input to train the ANN. Such approach has never been used in any earlier fault analysis algorithms in the last few decades. Proposed scheme uses only single end measurement energy signals of MOV in all the 3 phases over one cycle duration from the occurrence of a fault. Thereafter, these MOV energy signals are fed as input to ANN for fault distance estimation. Feasibility and reliability of the proposed scheme have been evaluated for all ten types of fault in test power system model at different fault inception angles over numerous fault locations. Real transmission system parameters of 3-phase 400 kV Wardha-Aurangabad transmission line (400 km) with 40 % FSC at Power Grid Wardha Substation, India is considered for this research. Extensive simulation experiments show that the proposed scheme provides quite accurate results which demonstrate complete protection scheme with high accuracy, simplicity and robustness.

Effect of laser absorption on picosecond laser ablation of Cr12MoV mold steel, 9Cr18 stainless steel and H13A cemented carbide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Baoye; Liu, Peng; Wang, Xizhao; Zhang, Fei; Deng, Leimin; Duan, Jun; Zeng, Xiaoyan

2018-05-01

Due to excellent properties, Cr12MoV mold steel, 9Cr18 stainless steel and H13A cemented carbide are widely used in industry. In this paper, the effect of absorption of laser light on ablation efficiency and roughness have been studied using a picosecond pulse Nd:YVO4 laser. The experimental results reveal that laser wavelength, original surface roughness and chemical composition play an important role in controlling ablation efficiency and roughness. Firstly, higher ablation efficiency with lower surface roughness is achieved on the ablation of 9Cr18 at 532, comparing with 1064 nm. Secondly, the ablation efficiency increases while the Ra of the ablated region decreases with the decrease of original surface roughness on ablation of Cr12MoV mold steel at 532 nm. Thirdly, the ablation efficiency of H13A cemented carbide is much higher than 9Cr18 stainless steel and Cr12MoV mold steel at 1064 nm. Scanning electron microscopy images reveals the formation of pores on the surface of 9Cr18 stainless steel and Cr12MoV mold steel at 532 nm while no pores are formed at 1064 nm. As to H13A cemented carbide, worm-like structure is formed at 1064 nm. The synergetic effects of the heat accumulation, plasma shielding and ablation threshold on laser ablation efficiency and machining quality were analyzed and discussed systematically in this paper.

Synthesis and high proton conductive performance of a quaternary vanadomolybdotungstosilicic heteropoly acid.

PubMed

Cai, Huaxue; Wu, Xuefei; Wu, Qingyin; Yan, Wenfu

2016-09-28

A new vanadium and molybdenum-substituted quaternary silicon-containing heteropoly acid H6SiW9MoV2O40·15H2O has been synthesized in this paper by the stepwise acidification and the stepwise addition of elemental solutions. The structural feature and hydration of this product were characterized by IR, UV, XRD and TG-DTA, and its proton conductivity was measured by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The result of EIS shows that H6SiW9MoV2O40·15H2O is a solid high-proton conductor with a conductivity of 6.01 × 10(-3) S cm(-1) at 22 °C and 80% relative humidity, which increases at higher temperatures. Its conductive activation energy is 27.5 kJ mol(-1), which suggests that the mechanism of proton conduction is dominated by the vehicle mechanism.

Basaltic material in the main belt: a tale of two (or more) parent bodies?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ieva, S.; Dotto, E.; Lazzaro, D.; Fulvio, D.; Perna, D.; Epifani, E. Mazzotta; Medeiros, H.; Fulchignoni, M.

2018-06-01

The majority of basaltic objects in the main belt are dynamically connected to Vesta, the largest differentiated asteroid known. Others, due to their current orbital parameters, cannot be easily dynamically linked to Vesta. This is particularly true for all the basaltic asteroids located beyond 2.5 au, where lies the 3:1 mean motion resonance with Jupiter. In order to investigate the presence of other V-type asteroids in the middle and outer main belt (MOVs) we started an observational campaign to spectroscopically characterize in the visible range MOV candidates. We observed 18 basaltic candidates from TNG and ESO - NTT between 2015 and 2016. We derived spectral parameters using the same approach adopted in our recent statistical analysis and we compared our data with orbital parameters to look for possible clusters of MOVs in the main belt, symptomatic for a new basaltic family. Our analysis seemed to point out that MOVs show different spectral parameters respect to other basaltic bodies in the main belt, which could account for a diverse mineralogy than Vesta; moreover, some of them belong to the Eos family, suggesting the possibility of another basaltic progenitor. This could have strong repercussions on the temperature gradient present in the early Solar System, and on our current understanding of differentiation processes.

Genetic characterization of bank vole virus (BaVV), a new paramyxovirus isolated from kidneys of bank voles in Russia.

PubMed

Alkhovsky, Sergey; Butenko, Alexander; Eremyan, Aykaz; Shchetinin, Alexey

2018-03-01

A genome of bank vole virus (BaVV), isolated from kidney tissues of bank voles (Myodes glareolus) in Russia in 1973, was sequenced. The genomic organization of BaVV (3'-N-P/V/C-M-F-G-L-5', 16,992 nt in length; GenBank accession number MF943130) is most similar to that of Mossman virus (MoV) and Nariva virus (NarPV), two ungrouped paramyxoviruses isolated from rodents in Australia and Trinidad, respectively. The proteins of BaVV have the highest level of sequence identity (ranging from 23-28% for G protein to 66-73% for M protein) to proteins of MoV and NarPV. The results of genetic and phylogenetic analysis suggest that BaVV represents a new species and, together with MoV and NarPV, belongs to a new, yet not established genus of the family Paramyxoviridae.

Pain in chemotherapy-induced neuropathy--more than neuropathic?

PubMed

Geber, Christian; Breimhorst, Markus; Burbach, Berenike; Egenolf, Christina; Baier, Bernhard; Fechir, Marcel; Koerber, Juergen; Treede, Rolf-Detlef; Vogt, Thomas; Birklein, Frank

2013-12-01

Chemotherapy-induced neuropathy (CIN) is an adverse effect of chemotherapy. Pain in CIN might comprise neuropathic and nonneuropathic (ie, musculoskeletal) pain components, which might be characterized by pain patterns, electrophysiology, and somatosensory profiling. Included were 146 patients (100 female, 46 male; aged 56 ± 0.8 years) with CIN arising from different chemotherapy regimens. Patients were characterized clinically through nerve conduction studies (NCS) and quantitative sensory testing (QST). Questionnaires for pain (McGill) and anxiety/depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) were supplied. Patients were followed-up after 17 days. Large- (61%) and mixed- (35%) fibre neuropathies were more frequent than small-fibre neuropathy (1.4%). The 5 major chemotherapeutic regimens impacted differently on large- but not on small-fibre function and did not predict painfulness. Chronic pain associated with CIN was reported in 41.7%. Painless and painful CIN did not differ in QST profiles or electrophysiological findings, but different somatosensory patterns were found in CIN subgroups (pain at rest [RestP], n = 25; movement-associated pain [MovP], n = 15; both pain characteristics [MovP+RestP], n = 21; or no pain [NonP], n = 85): small-fibre function (cold-detection threshold, CDT: z score: -1.46 ± 0.21, P < 0.01) was most impaired in RestP; mechanical hyperalgesia was exclusively found in MovP (z score: +0.81 ± 0.30, P < 0.05). "Anxiety" discriminated between painful and painless CIN; "CDT" and "anxiety" discriminated between patients with ongoing (RestP) and movement-associated pain (MovP) or pain components (MovP+RestP). The detrimental effect of chemotherapy on large fibres failed to differentiate painful from painless CIN. Patients stratified for musculoskeletal or neuropathic pain, however, differed in psychological and somatosensory parameters. This stratification might allow for the application of a more specific therapy. Copyright © 2013 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rapid detection of pandemic influenza in the presence of seasonal influenza

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Key to the control of pandemic influenza are surveillance systems that raise alarms rapidly and sensitively. In addition, they must minimise false alarms during a normal influenza season. We develop a method that uses historical syndromic influenza data from the existing surveillance system 'SERVIS' (Scottish Enhanced Respiratory Virus Infection Surveillance) for influenza-like illness (ILI) in Scotland. Methods We develop an algorithm based on the weekly case ratio (WCR) of reported ILI cases to generate an alarm for pandemic influenza. From the seasonal influenza data from 13 Scottish health boards, we estimate the joint probability distribution of the country-level WCR and the number of health boards showing synchronous increases in reported influenza cases over the previous week. Pandemic cases are sampled with various case reporting rates from simulated pandemic influenza infections and overlaid with seasonal SERVIS data from 2001 to 2007. Using this combined time series we test our method for speed of detection, sensitivity and specificity. Also, the 2008-09 SERVIS ILI cases are used for testing detection performances of the three methods with a real pandemic data. Results We compare our method, based on our simulation study, to the moving-average Cumulative Sums (Mov-Avg Cusum) and ILI rate threshold methods and find it to be more sensitive and rapid. For 1% case reporting and detection specificity of 95%, our method is 100% sensitive and has median detection time (MDT) of 4 weeks while the Mov-Avg Cusum and ILI rate threshold methods are, respectively, 97% and 100% sensitive with MDT of 5 weeks. At 99% specificity, our method remains 100% sensitive with MDT of 5 weeks. Although the threshold method maintains its sensitivity of 100% with MDT of 5 weeks, sensitivity of Mov-Avg Cusum declines to 92% with increased MDT of 6 weeks. For a two-fold decrease in the case reporting rate (0.5%) and 99% specificity, the WCR and threshold methods, respectively, have MDT of 5 and 6 weeks with both having sensitivity close to 100% while the Mov-Avg Cusum method can only manage sensitivity of 77% with MDT of 6 weeks. However, the WCR and Mov-Avg Cusum methods outperform the ILI threshold method by 1 week in retrospective detection of the 2009 pandemic in Scotland. Conclusions While computationally and statistically simple to implement, the WCR algorithm is capable of raising alarms, rapidly and sensitively, for influenza pandemics against a background of seasonal influenza. Although the algorithm was developed using the SERVIS data, it has the capacity to be used at other geographic scales and for different disease systems where buying some early extra time is critical. PMID:21106071

Low-Cycle Fatigue Behavior of 10CrNi3MoV High Strength Steel and Its Undermatched Welds

PubMed Central

Liu, Xuesong; Berto, Filippo

2018-01-01

The use of high strength steel allows the design of lighter, more slender and simpler structures due to high strength and favorable ductility. Nevertheless, the increase of yield strength does not guarantee the corresponding improvement of fatigue resistance, which becomes a major concern for engineering structure design, especially for the welded joints. The paper presents a comparison of the low cycle fatigue behaviors between 10CrNi3MoV high strength steel and its undermatched weldments. Uniaxial tension tests, Push-pull, strain-controlled fatigue tests were conducted on base metal and weldments in the strain range of 0.2–1.2%. The monotonic and cyclic stress-strain curves, stress-life, strain-life and energy-life in terms of these materials were analyzed for fatigue assessment of materials discrepancy. The stress-life results of base metal and undermatched weld metal exhibit cyclic softening behaviors. Furthermore, the shapes of 10CrNi3MoV steel hysteresis loops show a satisfactory Masing-type behavior, while the weld metal shows a non-Masing type behavior. Strain, plastic and total strain energy density amplitudes against the number of reversals to failure results demonstrate that the undermatched weld metal presents a higher resistance to fatigue crack initiation than 10CrNi3MoV high strength steel. Finally, fatigue fracture surfaces of specimens were compared by scanning electron microscopy to identify the differences of crack initiation and the propagation between them. PMID:29695140

Low-Cycle Fatigue Behavior of 10CrNi3MoV High Strength Steel and Its Undermatched Welds.

PubMed

Song, Wei; Liu, Xuesong; Berto, Filippo; Razavi, S M J

2018-04-24

The use of high strength steel allows the design of lighter, more slender and simpler structures due to high strength and favorable ductility. Nevertheless, the increase of yield strength does not guarantee the corresponding improvement of fatigue resistance, which becomes a major concern for engineering structure design, especially for the welded joints. The paper presents a comparison of the low cycle fatigue behaviors between 10CrNi3MoV high strength steel and its undermatched weldments. Uniaxial tension tests, Push-pull, strain-controlled fatigue tests were conducted on base metal and weldments in the strain range of 0.2⁻1.2%. The monotonic and cyclic stress-strain curves, stress-life, strain-life and energy-life in terms of these materials were analyzed for fatigue assessment of materials discrepancy. The stress-life results of base metal and undermatched weld metal exhibit cyclic softening behaviors. Furthermore, the shapes of 10CrNi3MoV steel hysteresis loops show a satisfactory Masing-type behavior, while the weld metal shows a non-Masing type behavior. Strain, plastic and total strain energy density amplitudes against the number of reversals to failure results demonstrate that the undermatched weld metal presents a higher resistance to fatigue crack initiation than 10CrNi3MoV high strength steel. Finally, fatigue fracture surfaces of specimens were compared by scanning electron microscopy to identify the differences of crack initiation and the propagation between them.

Assembly of a basket-like {Sr ⊂ P6Mo18O73} cage from 0D dimmer to 2D network and its photo-/electro-catalytic properties.

PubMed

Zhang, He; Lv, Jing-Hua; Yu, Kai; Wang, Chun-mei; Wang, Chun-xiao; Sun, Di; Zhou, Bai-bin

2015-07-28

A series of basket-like heteropoly blues, formulated as (H4bth)[{Cu(H2O)}2{Sr ⊂ P6MoV2MoVI16O73}]·4H2O (1), {H2bih}3[{FeII(H2O)2}{Sr ⊂ P6MoV2MoVI16O73}]·2H2O (2), (H2bih)3[{CoII(H2O)2}{Sr ⊂ P6MoV2MoVI16O73}]·2H2O (3), (H2bih)3[{NiII(H2O)2}{Sr ⊂ P6MoV2MoVI16O73}]·2H2O (4), (H2bih)2(H2bip)[{Zn (H2O)0.5}{Sr ⊂ P6MoV2MoVI16O73}]·5.5H2O (5), (bth = 1,6-bis(triazole)hexane; bih = 1,6-bis(imidazol)hexane; bip = 1,5-bis(imidazol)pentane) have been synthesized hydrothermally and fully characterized. The structural analysis shows that all the compounds contain two electron reduced polyanions [Sr ⊂ P6MoV2MoVI16O73]8− (abbreviated as {P6Mo18O73}), which consists of a tetra vacant γ-Dawson-type{P2Mo14} unit and a “handle”-shaped {P4Mo4} segment encapsulating a Sr2+ cation in the central cavity. Compound 1 is a 6-connected two-dimensional (2D) layer, which represents the first 2D assembly of basket-type polyoxometalates. Compounds 2–4 are isostructural one-dimensional zigzag chains linked by an M(H2O)2 linker (M = iron for 2, cobalt for 3, and nickel for 4). Compound 5 is a dimeric cluster supported by a binuclear {Zn2(H2O)} unit. The optical band gaps of 1–5 reveal their semiconductive natures. The compounds if used as photocatalysts exhibit a universal high efficiency degradation ability for dyes such as methylene blue, Rhodamine B, and Azon phloxine. The lifetime and reaction mechanism of the catalysts were investigated with a series of experiments. The compounds also show good bifunctional electrocatalytic behavior for the oxidation of ascorbic acid (AA) and reduction of nitrite ions.

Visualization Development of the Ballistic Threat Geospatial Optimization

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-07-01

topographic globes, Keyhole Markup Language (KML), and Collada files. World Wind gives the user the ability to import 3-D models and navigate...present. After the first person view window is closed , the images stored in memory are then converted to a QuickTime movie (.MOV). The video will be...processing unit HPC high-performance computing JOGL Java implementation of OpenGL KML Keyhole Markup Language NASA National Aeronautics and Space

Missed detection of significant positive and negative shifts in gentamicin assay: implications for routine laboratory quality practices.

PubMed

Koerbin, Gus; Liu, Jiakai; Eigenstetter, Alex; Tan, Chin Hon; Badrick, Tony; Loh, Tze Ping

2018-02-15

A product recall was issued for the Roche/Hitachi Cobas Gentamicin II assays on 25 th May 2016 in Australia, after a 15 - 20% positive analytical shift was discovered. Laboratories were advised to employ the Thermo Fisher Gentamicin assay as an alternative. Following the reintroduction of the revised assay on 12 th September 2016, a second reagent recall was made on 20 th March 2017 after the discovery of a 20% negative analytical shift due to erroneous instrument adjustment factor. The practices of an index laboratory were examined to determine how the analytical shifts evaded detection by routine internal quality control (IQC) and external quality assurance (EQA) systems. The ability of the patient result-based approaches, including moving average (MovAvg) and moving sum of outliers (MovSO) approaches in detecting these shifts were examined. Internal quality control data of the index laboratory were acceptable prior to the product recall. The practice of adjusting IQC target following a change in assay method resulted in the missed negative shift when the revised Roche assay was reintroduced. While the EQA data of the Roche subgroup showed clear negative bias relative to other laboratory methods, the results were considered as possible 'matrix effect'. The MovAvg method detected the positive shift before the product recall. The MovSO did not detect the negative shift in the index laboratory but did so in another laboratory 5 days before the second product recall. There are gaps in current laboratory quality practices that leave room for analytical errors to evade detection.

A Fault Location Algorithm for Two-End Series-Compensated Double-Circuit Transmission Lines Using the Distributed Parameter Line Model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kang, Ning; Gombos, Gergely; Mousavi, Mirrasoul J.

A new fault location algorithm for two-end series-compensated double-circuit transmission lines utilizing unsynchronized two-terminal current phasors and local voltage phasors is presented in this paper. The distributed parameter line model is adopted to take into account the shunt capacitance of the lines. The mutual coupling between the parallel lines in the zero-sequence network is also considered. The boundary conditions under different fault types are used to derive the fault location formulation. The developed algorithm directly uses the local voltage phasors on the line side of series compensation (SC) and metal oxide varistor (MOV). However, when potential transformers are not installedmore » on the line side of SC and MOVs for the local terminal, these measurements can be calculated from the local terminal bus voltage and currents by estimating the voltages across the SC and MOVs. MATLAB SimPowerSystems is used to generate cases under diverse fault conditions to evaluating accuracy. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm is qualified for practical implementation.« less

s8ORF2 protein of infectious salmon anaemia virus is a RNA-silencing suppressor and interacts with Salmon salar Mov10 (SsMov10) of the host RNAi machinery.

PubMed

Thukral, Vandana; Varshney, Bhavna; Ramly, Rimatulhana B; Ponia, Sanket S; Mishra, Sumona Karjee; Olsen, Christel M; Banerjea, Akhil C; Mukherjee, Sunil K; Zaidi, Rana; Rimstad, Espen; Lal, Sunil K

2018-04-01

The infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) is a piscine virus, a member of Orthomyxoviridae family. It encodes at least 10 proteins from eight negative-strand RNA segments. Since ISAV belongs to the same virus family as Influenza A virus, with similarities in protein functions, they may hence be characterised by analogy. Like NS1 protein of Influenza A virus, s8ORF2 of ISAV is implicated in interferon antagonism and RNA-binding functions. In this study, we investigated the role of s8ORF2 in RNAi suppression in a well-established Agrobacterium transient suppression assay in stably silenced transgenic Nicotiana xanthi. In addition, s8ORF2 was identified as a novel interactor with SsMov10, a key molecule responsible for RISC assembly and maturation in the RNAi pathway. This study thus sheds light on a novel route undertaken by viral proteins in promoting viral growth, using the host RNAi machinery.

Towards a Formal Model of the X86 ISA

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-30

implies (and (natp i) (natp j) (< i *2^27*)) 101 (equal (nth i (nth *mem-tablei* (initialize-mem-table j x86-64))) (if (<= j i) 1 (nth i (nth *mem...for a MOV instruction ; targeting a GPR ; see Intel 2.2.1.5, p. 2-14, and see AMD Vol. 3 Sec. 1.6 ; (p. 24), which restricts 64-bit immediates to "MOV...instructions that load ; GPRs ". And see AMD Vol. 1 Sec. 3.2.3.3 ("Immediate Operand Size"), which ; specifies those opcodes as "B8h through BFh

Effect of ion-beam treatment on structure and fracture resistance of 12Cr1MoV steel under static, cyclic and dynamic loading

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Panin, S. V., E-mail: svp@ispms.tsc.ru; Vlasov, I. V., E-mail: good0@yandex.ru; Sergeev, V. P., E-mail: retc@ispms.tsc.ru

2015-10-27

Features of the structure and properties modification of 12Cr1MoV steel subjected to irradiation by zirconium ion beam have been investigated with the use of optical and electron microscopy as well as microhardness measurement. It has been shown that upon treatment the structure modification occurred across the entire cross-section of specimens with the thickness of 1 mm. Changes in the mechanical properties of these specimens under static, cyclic and impact loading are interpreted in terms of identified structure changes.

Equilibrium Noise in Ion Selective Field Effect Transistors.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-07-21

face. These parameters have been evaluated for several ion-selective membranes. DD I JAN ") 1473 EDITION or I Mov 09SIS OSSOLETE ONi 0102-LF-0146601...the "integrated circuit" noise on the processing parameters which were different for the two laboratories. This variability in the "integrated circuit...systems and is useful in the identification of the parameters limiting the performance of -11- these systems. In thermodynamic equilibrium, every

Quality of milk and of Canestrato Pugliese cheese from ewes exposed to different ventilation regimens.

PubMed

Albenzio, Marzia; Marino, Rosaria; Caroprese, Mariangela; Santillo, Antonella; Annicchiarico, Giovanni; Sevi, Agostino

2004-11-01

Effects of ventilation regimen on the quality of ewes' milk and on proteolysis in Canestrato Pugliese cheese during ripening were studied. Cheeses were manufactured from the bulk milk of Comisana ewes subjected to three different ventilation regimens, which were designated low (LOV, 23 m3/h per ewe), moderate (MOV, 47 m3/h per ewe) and programmed ventilation regimen (PROV, 73 m3/h per ewe; fan set to maintain 70% relative humidity). Bulk milk was analysed for chemical and microbial composition, renneting parameters and plasmin-plasminogen activities. At 1, 15, 30 and 45 d of ripening, the cheeses were analysed for gross chemical composition, nitrogen fractions, and plasmin and plasminogen activities. The pH 4.6-insoluble nitrogen fractions were analysed by urea-PAGE. Free amino acid content was determined at the end of ripening. Lower concentrations of bulk milk somatic cell count (BMSCC) and of mesophilic bacteria were found in the MOV group than in the LOV and the PROV groups. A lower plasminogen (PG) to plasmin (PL) ratio (PG/PL) was observed in the MOV and PROV than in the LOV cheeses. Irrespective of treatment, PL activity in cheeses was higher at 15d of ripening, while a sudden decrease of PL and PG activities was observed at 30 d, which was associated with a marked increase in non-protein nitrogen. The peptide profile characterized in the urea-PAGE showed a greater intensity of alpha- and beta-CN hydrolysis in the MOV than in the PROV and LOV cheeses. The results provide evidence that a proper ventilation regimen is critical for optimizing the hygienic quality of milk and the proteolysis of Canestrato Pugliese cheese during ripening.

Incidence of premature estrus in lactating dairy cows and conception rates to standing estrus or fixed-time inseminations after synchronization using GnRH and PGF(2alpha).

PubMed

DeJarnette, J M; Salverson, R R; Marshall, C E

2001-07-03

Fixed-time AI (TAI) after GnRH-PGF(2alpha)-GnRH treatment is a method to achieve pregnancies in dairy herds without estrous detection. However, cows that fail to respond to the initial GnRH may have compromised TAI conception rates due to asynchronous ovarian response. This study documented the percentage of GnRH-treated Holstein cows (n=345) in two herds that displayed estrus at an inopportune time for optimum TAI conception rate (< or =48h post-PGF(2alpha); premature estrus (PE)) and compared conception rates of two TAI protocols in cows that did not display PE. At biweekly herd health exams, cows diagnosed as not pregnant to a previous AI and cows >80 days postpartum with no AI were treated with 100 microg GnRH (day -7) and 25mg PGF(2alpha) (day 0). Cows detected in PE by twice-daily visual observation from day -7 to day 2 were bred by AI 8-12h later. Cows not detected in PE were randomly assigned by parity, body condition score, and postpartum interval to receive either: (1) 100microg GnRH at 48h after PGF(2alpha) and TAI 16 to 18h later (Ovsynch); or (2) TAI at 72h post-PGF(2alpha) and a concurrent 100 microg GnRH injection to those cows not detected in estrus between 48 and 72h post-PGF(2alpha) (modified Ovsynch (MOV)). All hormone injections were im. Twenty percent (68/345) of the cows were detected in estrus before 48 after PGF(2alpha), of which 5% (17/345) were detected in estrus before PGF(2alpha) (< or =day 0). Herd influenced the percentage of cows in the PE group (herd A versus herd B; 25% versus 14%; P<0.05). Conception rates were not affected by treatment (PE versus Ovsynch versus MOV; 32% (21/65) versus 30% (37/125) versus 32% (47/145); P>0.10). However, within MOV-treated cows, conception rates were greater (P<0.05) in cows detected in estrus (46% (23/50)) compared with cows not detected in estrus (25% (24/95)). In conclusion, 20% of GnRH-treated cows displayed PE and necessitates estrous detection during this period if maximal pregnancy rates are to be achieved. Although additional estrous detection is required compared to Ovsynch, reduced cow handling and hormone usage, efficient use of expensive semen through greater conception rates in cows detected in estrus, and comparable TAI conception rates, suggests the MOV protocol may be a cost effective alternative to Ovsynch in many dairy herd reproductive management programs.

Tensile Properties of 17-7 PH and 12 MoV Stainless-Steel Sheet under Rapid-Heating and Constant-Temperature Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manning, Charles R., Jr.; Price, Howard L.

1961-01-01

Results are presented of rapid-heating tests of 17-7 PH and 12 MoV stainless-steel sheet heated to failure at temperature rates from about 1 F to 170 F per second under constant-load conditions. Yield and rupture strengths obtained from rapid-heating tests are compared with yield and tensile strengths obtained from short-time elevated-temperature tensile tests (30-minute exposure). A rate-temperature parameter was used to construct master curves from which yield and rupture stresses or temperatures can be predicted. A method for measuring strain by optical means is described.

Main Oxidizer Valve Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Addona, Brad; Eddleman, David

2015-01-01

A developmental Main Oxidizer Valve (MOV) was designed by NASA-MSFC using additive manufacturing processes. The MOV is a pneumatically actuated poppet valve to control the flow of liquid oxygen to an engine's injector. A compression spring is used to return the valve to the closed state when pneumatic pressure is removed from the valve. The valve internal parts are cylindrical in shape, which lends itself to traditional lathe and milling operations. However, the valve body represents a complicated shape and contains the majority of the mass of the valve. Additive manufacturing techniques were used to produce a part that optimized mass and allowed for design features not practical with traditional machining processes.

The effect of user experience and inflation technique on endotracheal tube cuff pressure using a feline airway simulator.

PubMed

White, Donna M; Redondo, José I; Mair, Alastair R; Martinez-Taboada, Fernando

2017-09-01

The effect of user experience and inflation technique on endotracheal tube cuff pressure using a feline airway simulator. Prospective, experimental clinical study. Participants included veterinary students at the beginning (group S1) and end (group S2) of their 2-week anaesthesia rotation and veterinary anaesthetists (group A). The feline airway simulator was designed to simulate an average size feline trachea, intubated with a 4.5 mm low-pressure, high-volume cuffed endotracheal tube, connected to a Bain breathing system with oxygen flow of 2 L minute -1 . Participants inflated the on-endotracheal tube cuff by pilot balloon palpation and by instilling the minimum occlusive volume (MOV) required for loss of airway leaks during manual ventilation. Intracuff pressures were measured by manometers obscured to participants and ideally were 20-30 cm H 2 O. Student t, Fisher exact, and Chi-squared tests were used where appropriate to analyse data (p < 0.05). Participants were 12 students and eight anaesthetists. Measured intracuff pressures for palpation and MOV, respectively, were 19 ± 12 and 29 ± 19 cm H 2 O for group S1, 10 ± 5 and 20 ± 11 cm H 2 O for group S2 and 13 ± 6 and 29 ± 18 cm H 2 O for group A. All groups performed poorly at achieving intracuff pressures within the ideal range. There was no significant difference in intracuff pressures between techniques. Students administered lower (p = 0.02) intracuff pressures using palpation after their training. When using palpation and MOV for cuff inflation operators rarely achieved optimal intracuff pressures. Experience had no effect on this skill and, as such, a cuff manometer is recommended. Copyright © 2017 Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists and American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Consensus structures of the Mo(v) sites of sulfite-oxidizing enzymes derived from variable frequency pulsed EPR spectroscopy, isotopic labelling and DFT calculations.

PubMed

Enemark, John H

2017-10-10

Sulfite-oxidizing enzymes from eukaryotes and prokaryotes have five-coordinate distorted square-pyramidal coordination about the molybdenum atom. The paramagnetic Mo(v) state is easily generated, and over the years four distinct CW EPR spectra have been identified, depending upon enzyme source and the reaction conditions, namely high and low pH (hpH and lpH), phosphate inhibited (P i ) and sulfite (or blocked). Extensive studies of these paramagnetic forms of sulfite-oxidizing enzymes using variable frequency pulsed electron spin echo (ESE) spectroscopy, isotopic labeling and density functional theory (DFT) calculations have led to the consensus structures that are described here. Errors in some of the previously proposed structures are corrected.

Morphology and Performance of 5Cr5MoV Casting Die Steel in the Process of Surfacing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Yulai; Kong, Xiangrui; Yang, Pengcong; Fu, Hongde; Wang, Xuezhu

2017-12-01

To investigate the microstructures and mechanical properties of the deposited metal on surface of die steel, two layer of weld-seam were prepared on the surface of 5Cr5MoV die steel by arc surfacing. The surface microstructures and microhardness were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometer and Vickers microhardness tester, respectively. The effect of load on the abrasion resistance and wear mechanism of the base metal and surfacing metal was studied by pin-on-disk tribometer. The results showed that martensite and retained austenite exist in weld-seam, both of them grow up in the form of dendrites and equiaxed grains and microhardness reach 774.2HV. The microstructures of the quenching zone mainly consist of martensite and retained austenite, while tempered martensite is the dominant phase in partial quenching zone. The abrasion resistance of the surfacing metal is superior to the base metal based on the results of wear test. The wear rates of surfacing metal and base metal raise with the increase of load. The wear rates of base metal raise extremely when the load reach 210N. Both of two kinds of materials have the similar wear mechanism, namely, abrasive wear at low load, oxidative wear and adhesive wear at high load.

Keplerate cluster (Mo-132) mediated electrostatic assembly of nanoparticles.

PubMed

Gooch, Jonathan; Jalan, Abhishek A; Jones, Stephanie; Hine, Corey R; Alam, Rabeka; Garai, Somenath; Maye, Mathew M; Müller, Achim; Zubieta, Jon

2014-10-15

The electrostatic assembly between a series of differently charged Mo-132-type Keplerates present in the compounds (NH4)42[{(Mo(VI))Mo(VI)5O21(H2O)6}12 {Mo(V)2O4(CH3COO)}30].ca. {300 H2O+10 CH3COONH4} (Mo-132a), (NH4)72-n[{(H2O)81-n+(NH4)n} {(Mo(VI))Mo(VI)5O21(H2O)6}12 {Mo(V)2O4(SO4)}30].ca. 200 H2O (Mo-132b), and Na10(NH4)62[{(Mo(VI))Mo(VI)5O21(H2O)6}12 {Mo(V)2O4(HPO4)}30]. ca. {300H2O+2Na(+)+2NH4(+)+4H2PO4(-)} (Mo-132c) with cationic gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) was investigated for the first time. The rapid electrostatic assembly from nanoscopic entities to micron scale aggregates was observed upon precipitation, which closely matched the point of aggregate electroneutrality. Successful assembly was demonstrated using UV-vis, DLS, TEM, and zeta-potential analysis. Results indicate that the point at which precipitation occurs is related to charge balance or electroneutrality, and that counterions at both the Mo-132 and AuNP play a significant role in assembly. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Real time measurements of surface growth evolution in magnetron sputtered single crystal Mo/V superlattices using in situ reflection high energy electron diffraction analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Svedberg, E. B.; Birch, J.; Edvardsson, C. N. L.; Sundgren, J.-E.

1999-07-01

The use of video recording of reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) patterns for assessing the dynamic evolution of the surface morphology and crystallinity during growth was evaluated. As an example, Mo/V(001) superlattices with varying layer thickness (with periods Λ of 2.5 to 8.9 nm and a constant Mo:V ratio of 1:1) were examined. During the deposition, changes from two- to three-dimensional growth were observed in situ. From prior transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies, it is known that this transition is associated with a critical thickness and concurrent roughening of the V layer. Video recording and subsequent image and data processing allowed the surface morphology to be continuously followed during growth. Post-growth analyses of the recorded data provided the evolution of surface lattice parameters and short range [1-2 monolayer (ML)] surface roughnesses with a time resolution of 200-400 ms (0.02-0.04 nm thickness resolution). During growth of Mo, a smoothening effect could be observed while the growth of V evidently increased the surface roughness from 1 to 2 ML. Furthermore, the onset of coherency strain relaxation of the topmost growing layers was observed to occur at 2.0-2.5 nm layer thicknesses for both materials, which is in qualitative agreement with theoretical predictions.

Factors affecting the inter-annual to centennial timescale variability of Indian summer monsoon rainfall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malik, Abdul; Brönnimann, Stefan

2017-09-01

The Modes of Ocean Variability (MOV) namely Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), and El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) can have significant impacts on Indian Summer Monsoon Rainfall (ISMR) on different timescales. The timescales at which these MOV interacts with ISMR and the factors which may perturb their relationship with ISMR need to be investigated. We employ De-trended Cross-Correlation Analysis (DCCA), and De-trended Partial-Cross-Correlation Analysis (DPCCA) to study the timescales of interaction of ISMR with AMO, PDO, and ENSO using observational dataset (AD 1854-1999), and atmosphere-ocean-chemistry climate model simulations with SOCOL-MPIOM (AD 1600-1999). Further, this study uses De-trended Semi-Partial Cross-Correlation Analysis (DSPCCA) to address the relation between solar variability and the ISMR. We find statistically significant evidence of intrinsic correlations of ISMR with AMO, PDO, and ENSO on different timescales, consistent between model simulations and observations. However, the model fails to capture modulation in intrinsic relationship between ISRM and MOV due to external signals. Our analysis indicates that AMO is a potential source of non-stationary relationship between ISMR and ENSO. Furthermore, the pattern of correlation between ISMR and Total Solar Irradiance (TSI) is inconsistent between observations and model simulations. The observational dataset indicates statistically insignificant negative intrinsic correlation between ISMR and TSI on decadal-to-centennial timescales. This statistically insignificant negative intrinsic correlation is transformed to statistically significant positive extrinsic by AMO on 61-86-year timescale. We propose a new mechanism for Sun-monsoon connection which operates through AMO by changes in summer (June-September; JJAS) meridional gradient of tropospheric temperatures (ΔTTJJAS). There is a negative (positive) intrinsic correlation between ΔTTJJAS (AMO) and TSI. The negative intrinsic correlation between ΔTTJJAS and TSI indicates that high (low) solar activity weakens (strengthens) the meridional gradient of tropospheric temperature during the summer monsoon season and subsequently the weak (strong) ΔTTJJAS decreases (increases) the ISMR. However, the presence of AMO transforms the negative intrinsic relation between ΔTTJJAS and TSI into positive extrinsic and strengthens the ISMR. We conclude that the positive relation between ISMR and solar activity, as found by other authors, is mainly due to the effect of AMO on ISMR.

Factors affecting the inter-annual to centennial timescale variability of Indian summer monsoon rainfall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malik, Abdul; Brönnimann, Stefan

2018-06-01

The Modes of Ocean Variability (MOV) namely Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), and El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) can have significant impacts on Indian Summer Monsoon Rainfall (ISMR) on different timescales. The timescales at which these MOV interacts with ISMR and the factors which may perturb their relationship with ISMR need to be investigated. We employ De-trended Cross-Correlation Analysis (DCCA), and De-trended Partial-Cross-Correlation Analysis (DPCCA) to study the timescales of interaction of ISMR with AMO, PDO, and ENSO using observational dataset (AD 1854-1999), and atmosphere-ocean-chemistry climate model simulations with SOCOL-MPIOM (AD 1600-1999). Further, this study uses De-trended Semi-Partial Cross-Correlation Analysis (DSPCCA) to address the relation between solar variability and the ISMR. We find statistically significant evidence of intrinsic correlations of ISMR with AMO, PDO, and ENSO on different timescales, consistent between model simulations and observations. However, the model fails to capture modulation in intrinsic relationship between ISRM and MOV due to external signals. Our analysis indicates that AMO is a potential source of non-stationary relationship between ISMR and ENSO. Furthermore, the pattern of correlation between ISMR and Total Solar Irradiance (TSI) is inconsistent between observations and model simulations. The observational dataset indicates statistically insignificant negative intrinsic correlation between ISMR and TSI on decadal-to-centennial timescales. This statistically insignificant negative intrinsic correlation is transformed to statistically significant positive extrinsic by AMO on 61-86-year timescale. We propose a new mechanism for Sun-monsoon connection which operates through AMO by changes in summer (June-September; JJAS) meridional gradient of tropospheric temperatures (ΔTTJJAS). There is a negative (positive) intrinsic correlation between ΔTTJJAS (AMO) and TSI. The negative intrinsic correlation between ΔTTJJAS and TSI indicates that high (low) solar activity weakens (strengthens) the meridional gradient of tropospheric temperature during the summer monsoon season and subsequently the weak (strong) ΔTTJJAS decreases (increases) the ISMR. However, the presence of AMO transforms the negative intrinsic relation between ΔTTJJAS and TSI into positive extrinsic and strengthens the ISMR. We conclude that the positive relation between ISMR and solar activity, as found by other authors, is mainly due to the effect of AMO on ISMR.

An Investigation of the Mold-Flux Performance for the Casting of Cr12MoV Steel Using a Mold Simulator Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Lejun; Wang, Wanlin; Xu, Chao; Zhang, Chen

2017-08-01

Mold flux plays important roles in the process of continuous casting. In this article, the performance of mold flux for the casting of Cr12MoV steel was investigated by using a mold simulator. The results showed that the slag film formed in the gap between the initial shell and mold hot surface is thin and discontinuous during the casting process with the Flux BM, due to the absorption of chromic oxide inclusions into the liquid slag, while the slag film formed in the case of the optimized Flux NEW casting process is uniform. The main precipitated crystals in Flux BM slag film are cuspidine (Ca4Si2O7F2) and Cr3O4, but only Ca4Si2O7F2 precipitated in the Flux NEW case. Besides, both the responding temperature and heat flux in the case of Flux BM are relatively higher and fluctuate in a larger amplitude. The surface of the shell obtained in the case of the Flux BM experiment is quite uneven, and many severe depressions, cracks, and entrapped slags are observed in the surface due to the lack of lubrication. However, the obtained shell surface in the case of the Flux NEW shows good surface quality due to the addition of B2O3 and the adjustment of basicity, which can compensate for the negative effects of the mold-flux properties caused by the absorption of chromic oxide during the casting process.

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Molecular orbital study of some eight-coordinate sulfur chelate complexes of molybdenum

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Perkins, P.G.; Schultz, F.A.

1983-03-30

A number of molybdenum complexes involving the formal oxidation states Mo(IV) and Mo(V) have been studied by a self-consistent-field molecular orbital technique. All the complexes were of dodecahedral geometry and had eight sulfurs chelated to the central metal atom. In all, a series of five tetrakis complexes was studied, including the ligands dithiocarbamate (dtc), thioxanthate (txn), 1,1-dicyano-2,2-ethylenedithiolate (i-mnt), 1-cyano-1-carbethoxy-2,2-ethylenedithiolate (ced), and 1,1-dicarbethoxy-2,2-ethylenedithiolate (ded). The 4d orbitals were included on molybdenum, and the empty 3d levels on all sulfur atoms. The results show that the highest occupied molecular orbital in each case has over 90% metal d/sub xy/ character. Further, themore » energy of this orbital is linearly related to the reversible half-wave potentials for Mo(IV) ..-->.. Mo(V) and Mo(V) ..-->.. Mo(VI) oxidations of the complexes. A further irreversible oxidation observed experimentally also is closely related to the calculated energy levels. Relationships between the calculated results and Mo 3d/sub 5///sub 2/ X-ray photoelectron binding energies, EPR parameters, and charge-transfer absorption energies are discussed. Electrochemical and spectroscopic properties of these MoS/sub 8/ complexes can be understood in terms of a manifold of orbital energies that retain approximately constant spacings between one another and that move up or down in absolute energy in response to the charge donated or withdrawn by the ligands.« less

Electrical insulation design requirements and reliability goals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ross, R. G., Jr.

1983-11-01

The solar cells in a photovoltaic module which must be electrically isolated from module exterior surfaces to satisfy a variety of safety and operating considerations are discussed. The performance and reliability of the insulation system are examined. Technical requirements involve the capability of withstanding the differential voltage from the solar cells to the module frame. The maximum system voltage includes consideration of maximum open circuit array voltages achieved under low-temperature, high-irradiance conditions, and transient overvoltages due to system feedback of lightning transients. The latter is bounded by the characteristics of incorporated voltage limiting devices such as MOVs.

PANDAS: The Need to Use Definitive Diagnostic Criteria.

PubMed

Singer, Harvey S

2015-01-01

In Response to: Helm CE, Blackwood RA. Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS): Experience at a tertiary referral center. Tremor Other Hyperkinet Mov. 2015; 5. doi: 10.7916/D8348JCX.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Hydrogen Drive

Science.gov Websites

, contact Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition. Download QuickTime Video QuickTime (.mov ) Download Windows Media Video Windows Media (.wmv) Video Download Help Text version See more videos provided

Automated segmentation of mouse OCT volumes (ASiMOV): Validation & clinical study of a light damage model.

PubMed

Antony, Bhavna Josephine; Kim, Byung-Jin; Lang, Andrew; Carass, Aaron; Prince, Jerry L; Zack, Donald J

2017-01-01

The use of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) is becoming commonplace for the in vivo longitudinal study of murine models of ophthalmic disease. Longitudinal studies, however, generate large quantities of data, the manual analysis of which is very challenging due to the time-consuming nature of generating delineations. Thus, it is of importance that automated algorithms be developed to facilitate accurate and timely analysis of these large datasets. Furthermore, as the models target a variety of diseases, the associated structural changes can also be extremely disparate. For instance, in the light damage (LD) model, which is frequently used to study photoreceptor degeneration, the outer retina appears dramatically different from the normal retina. To address these concerns, we have developed a flexible graph-based algorithm for the automated segmentation of mouse OCT volumes (ASiMOV). This approach incorporates a machine-learning component that can be easily trained for different disease models. To validate ASiMOV, the automated results were compared to manual delineations obtained from three raters on healthy and BALB/cJ mice post LD. It was also used to study a longitudinal LD model, where five control and five LD mice were imaged at four timepoints post LD. The total retinal thickness and the outer retina (comprising the outer nuclear layer, and inner and outer segments of the photoreceptors) were unchanged the day after the LD, but subsequently thinned significantly (p < 0.01). The retinal nerve fiber-ganglion cell complex and the inner plexiform layers, however, remained unchanged for the duration of the study.

Automated segmentation of mouse OCT volumes (ASiMOV): Validation & clinical study of a light damage model

PubMed Central

Lang, Andrew; Carass, Aaron; Prince, Jerry L.; Zack, Donald J.

2017-01-01

The use of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) is becoming commonplace for the in vivo longitudinal study of murine models of ophthalmic disease. Longitudinal studies, however, generate large quantities of data, the manual analysis of which is very challenging due to the time-consuming nature of generating delineations. Thus, it is of importance that automated algorithms be developed to facilitate accurate and timely analysis of these large datasets. Furthermore, as the models target a variety of diseases, the associated structural changes can also be extremely disparate. For instance, in the light damage (LD) model, which is frequently used to study photoreceptor degeneration, the outer retina appears dramatically different from the normal retina. To address these concerns, we have developed a flexible graph-based algorithm for the automated segmentation of mouse OCT volumes (ASiMOV). This approach incorporates a machine-learning component that can be easily trained for different disease models. To validate ASiMOV, the automated results were compared to manual delineations obtained from three raters on healthy and BALB/cJ mice post LD. It was also used to study a longitudinal LD model, where five control and five LD mice were imaged at four timepoints post LD. The total retinal thickness and the outer retina (comprising the outer nuclear layer, and inner and outer segments of the photoreceptors) were unchanged the day after the LD, but subsequently thinned significantly (p < 0.01). The retinal nerve fiber-ganglion cell complex and the inner plexiform layers, however, remained unchanged for the duration of the study. PMID:28817571

Development of a miniaturized optical viscosity sensor with an optical surface tracking system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abe, H.; Nagamachi, R.; Taguchi, Y.; Nagasaka, Y.

2010-02-01

A new viscosity sensor enabling non-contact measurement at high speed, with less sample volume and high stability is required in a broad field. For example, in the industrial field, process control by real time monitoring of viscosity can enhance the quality of coating films and the process yield such as conductive films and optical films. Therefore, we have developed a new miniaturized optical viscosity sensor, namely MOVS (Miniaturized Optical Viscosity Sensor), based on a laser-induced capillary wave (LiCW) method which can meet the requirements above. In the MOVS, viscosity is estimated by observing the damping oscillation of LiCW, which is generated by an interference of two excitation laser beams on a liquid surface. By irradiating a probing laser on LiCW, a first order diffracted beam containing information of sample viscosity, is generated. The intensity of the reflected beam is utilized to control the distance between liquid-level and the sensor. The newly integrated optical surface tracking system makes possible the stable viscosity measurement in the presence of disturbance such as evaporation and external vibration. MOVS consists of five U-grooves fabricated by MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) process to possess the optical fibers (photonic crystal fibers and fusion-spliced lensed fibers). In this study, by integrating the optical surface tracking system on the chip, nanosecond order damping oscillation of LiCW is successfully observed in the presence of external forced vibration, high speed evaporation (speed of 1 micrometer per second) and drying process of a liquid film (thickness of hundreds micrometer order).

National Dam Safety Program. J. Bristow Lake Dam (MO 30985), Mississippi - Kaskaskia - St. Louis River Basin, Crawford County, Missouri. Phase I Inspection Report.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-08-01

8217 m’-* k TOW LAKE DAM -- CRAWFORD COUNTY, MISSOURI * ~MO 30MS PHASE 1 INSPECTION REPORT NATIONAL DAM SAFETY PROGRAM Unkd Ska AnviV €Ow" of Ifntineers I...REPORT NUMBER Crawford County, Missouri 7. AUTHOR() 1 . CONTRACT OR GRANT NUMBER(@) Anderson Engineering, Inc. D6ACW4 3-8j-C-#73 9. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION...oF 1 MOV SS IS O~LET’E 𔄃UNCLASSIFIED SECUFITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE (When Dote Entered) SI ’ SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAOR(3SOM DOS a

Ghrelin

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The gut hormone ghrelin was discovered in 1999. In the last 15 years, ample data have been generated on ghrelin. Bedsides its hallmark function as an appetite stimulator, ghrelin also has many other important functions. In this review, we discussed ghrelin's functions in learning and memory, gut mov...

An immunologically relevant rodent model demonstrates safety of therapy using a tumour-specific IgE.

PubMed

Josephs, Debra H; Nakamura, Mano; Bax, Heather J; Dodev, Tihomir S; Muirhead, Gareth; Saul, Louise; Karagiannis, Panagiotis; Ilieva, Kristina M; Crescioli, Silvia; Gazinska, Patrycja; Woodman, Natalie; Lomardelli, Cristina; Kareemaghay, Sedigeh; Selkirk, Christopher; Lentfer, Heike; Barton, Claire; Canevari, Silvana; Figini, Mariangela; Downes, Noel; Dombrowicz, David; Corrigan, Christopher J; Nestle, Frank O; Jones, Paul S; Gould, Hannah J; Blower, Philip J; Tsoka, Sophia; Spicer, James F; Karagiannis, Sophia N

2018-04-13

Designing biologically informative models for assessing the safety of novel agents, especially for cancer immunotherapy, carries substantial challenges. The choice of an in vivo system for studies on IgE antibodies represents a major impediment to their clinical translation, especially with respect to class-specific immunological functions and safety. Fcε receptor expression and structure are different in humans and mice, so that the murine system is not informative when studying human IgE biology. By contrast, FcεRI expression and cellular distribution in rats mirrors that of humans. We are developing MOv18 IgE, a human chimeric antibody recognizing the tumour-associated antigen folate receptor alpha. We created an immunologically congruent surrogate rat model likely to recapitulate human IgE-FcεR interactions, and engineered a surrogate rat IgE equivalent to MOv18. Employing this model, we examined in vivo safety and efficacy of anti-tumour IgE antibodies. In immunocompetent rats, rodent IgE restricted growth of syngeneic tumours in the absence of clinical, histopathological or metabolic signs associated with obvious toxicity. No physiological or immunological evidence of a 'cytokine-storm' or allergic response was seen, even at 50 mg/kg weekly doses. IgE treatment was associated with elevated serum concentrations of TNFα, a mediator previously linked with IgE-mediated anti-tumour and anti-parasitic functions, alongside evidence of substantially elevated tumoural immune cell infiltration and immunological pathway activation in tumour-bearing lungs. Our findings indicate safety of MOv18 IgE, in conjunction with efficacy and immune activation, supporting the translation of this therapeutic approach to the clinical arena. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Immunotherapy in a human ovarian cancer xenograft model with two bispecific monoclonal antibodies: OV-TL 3/CD3 and OC/TR.

PubMed

van Ravenswaay Claasen, H H; Eggermont, A M; Nooyen, Y A; Warnaar, S O; Fieuren, G J

1994-02-01

The bispecific antibodies (bs-mAbs) OV-TL 3/CD3 and OC/TR (MOv18/CD3) efficiently mediate ovarian tumor cell lysis by cytotoxic T cells and activated peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) in vitro. OV-TL 3/CD3 and OC/TR are reactive with tumor-associated antigens on ovarian carcinoma cells (OA3 and CA-MOv18, respectively), and CD3 on activated PBL, bridging both cells and simultaneously inducing activation of the effector cells. In a comparative study we investigated the therapeutic efficacy of OV-TL 3/CD3 and OC/TR by targeting activated PBL with the bs-mAbs against intraperitoneally growing NIH:OVCAR-3 human ovarian carcinoma cells. As they have good tumor localization characteristics, HPLC-purified bispecific F(ab')2 fragments were used to target highly active PHA and IL-2-stimulated PBL effector cells. The efficacy of OV-TL 3/CD3 was compared to OC/TR with respect to tumor-associated antigen (TAA) binding on NIH:OVCAR-3 ascites cells and NIH:OVCAR-3 tumor cell lysis in vitro. In this report we show that ip ovarian cancer-bearing nude mice treated with IL-2 and activated PBL coated with bispecific F(ab')2 had a significantly longer survival than the untreated mice. No significant difference in survival was found between the OC/TR or OV-TL 3/CD3 bispecific antibody, although MOv18 expression was higher on NIH:OVCAR-3 ascites cells and PBL targeted with OC/TR induced slightly higher tumor cell lysis in vitro. Thus, the therapeutic efficacy of these bs-mAbs in vivo could not be predicted by TAA expression or bs-mAb-mediated tumor cell lysis in vitro.

Species of the Mississippi River Headwaters Reservoirs Region.

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-07-01

inventory and analysis system (ERIAS). _ 00, ’<*" 14175 JAM TO WJ COITION OF > MOV «S IS OBSOLETE UNCLASSIFIED SECURITY CLASSIFICATION1 OF THIS...COMMON) SUNFISH, GREEN (SUNFISH), PUMPKIN SEED SWALLOW, BANK SWALLOW, BARN SWALLOW, ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW, TREE SWAN, WHISTLING SWIFT

Introduction to tillage erosion

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Tillage as a source of erosion Tillage erosion is the downslope movement of soil by tillage. During tillage, soil is lifted and gravity moves soil downslope. Soil movement by tillage increases with slope steepness. However, net soil transport by tillage is determined by the change in slope. Soil mov...

A workflow to process 3D+time microscopy images of developing organisms and reconstruct their cell lineage

PubMed Central

Faure, Emmanuel; Savy, Thierry; Rizzi, Barbara; Melani, Camilo; Stašová, Olga; Fabrèges, Dimitri; Špir, Róbert; Hammons, Mark; Čúnderlík, Róbert; Recher, Gaëlle; Lombardot, Benoît; Duloquin, Louise; Colin, Ingrid; Kollár, Jozef; Desnoulez, Sophie; Affaticati, Pierre; Maury, Benoît; Boyreau, Adeline; Nief, Jean-Yves; Calvat, Pascal; Vernier, Philippe; Frain, Monique; Lutfalla, Georges; Kergosien, Yannick; Suret, Pierre; Remešíková, Mariana; Doursat, René; Sarti, Alessandro; Mikula, Karol; Peyriéras, Nadine; Bourgine, Paul

2016-01-01

The quantitative and systematic analysis of embryonic cell dynamics from in vivo 3D+time image data sets is a major challenge at the forefront of developmental biology. Despite recent breakthroughs in the microscopy imaging of living systems, producing an accurate cell lineage tree for any developing organism remains a difficult task. We present here the BioEmergences workflow integrating all reconstruction steps from image acquisition and processing to the interactive visualization of reconstructed data. Original mathematical methods and algorithms underlie image filtering, nucleus centre detection, nucleus and membrane segmentation, and cell tracking. They are demonstrated on zebrafish, ascidian and sea urchin embryos with stained nuclei and membranes. Subsequent validation and annotations are carried out using Mov-IT, a custom-made graphical interface. Compared with eight other software tools, our workflow achieved the best lineage score. Delivered in standalone or web service mode, BioEmergences and Mov-IT offer a unique set of tools for in silico experimental embryology. PMID:26912388

Structures and reaction pathways of the molybdenum centres of sulfite-oxidizing enzymes by pulsed EPR spectroscopy.

PubMed

Enemark, John H; Astashkin, Andrei V; Raitsimring, Arnold M

2008-12-01

SOEs (sulfite-oxidizing enzymes) are physiologically vital and occur in all forms of life. During the catalytic cycle, the five-co-ordinate square pyramidal oxo-molybdenum active site passes through the Mo(V) state, and intimate details of the structure can be obtained from variable frequency pulsed EPR spectroscopy through the hyperfine and nuclear quadrupole interactions of nearby magnetic nuclei. By employing variable spectrometer operational frequencies, it is possible to optimize the measurement conditions for difficult quadrupolar nuclei of interest (e.g. (17)O, (33)S, (35)Cl and (37)Cl) and to simplify the interpretation of the spectra. Isotopically labelled model Mo(V) compounds provide further insight into the electronic and geometric structures and chemical reactions of the enzymes. Recently, blocked forms of SOEs having co-ordinated sulfate, the reaction product, were detected using (33)S (I=3/2) labelling. This blocking of product release is a possible contributor to fatal human sulfite oxidase deficiency in young children.

Enhanced Wnt signaling improves bone mass and strength, but not brittleness, in the Col1a1(+/mov13) mouse model of type I Osteogenesis Imperfecta.

PubMed

Jacobsen, Christina M; Schwartz, Marissa A; Roberts, Heather J; Lim, Kyung-Eun; Spevak, Lyudmila; Boskey, Adele L; Zurakowski, David; Robling, Alexander G; Warman, Matthew L

2016-09-01

Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) comprises a group of genetic skeletal fragility disorders. The mildest form of OI, Osteogenesis Imperfecta type I, is frequently caused by haploinsufficiency mutations in COL1A1, the gene encoding the α1(I) chain of type 1 collagen. Children with OI type I have a 95-fold higher fracture rate compared to unaffected children. Therapies for OI type I in the pediatric population are limited to anti-catabolic agents. In adults with osteoporosis, anabolic therapies that enhance Wnt signaling in bone improve bone mass, and ongoing clinical trials are determining if these therapies also reduce fracture risk. We performed a proof-of-principle experiment in mice to determine whether enhancing Wnt signaling in bone could benefit children with OI type I. We crossed a mouse model of OI type I (Col1a1(+/Mov13)) with a high bone mass (HBM) mouse (Lrp5(+/p.A214V)) that has increased bone strength from enhanced Wnt signaling. Offspring that inherited the OI and HBM alleles had higher bone mass and strength than mice that inherited the OI allele alone. However, OI+HBM and OI mice still had bones with lower ductility compared to wild-type mice. We conclude that enhancing Wnt signaling does not make OI bone normal, but does improve bone properties that could reduce fracture risk. Therefore, agents that enhance Wnt signaling are likely to benefit children and adults with OI type 1. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Statistical Analysis of the LMS and Modified Stochastic Gradient Algorithms

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-05-14

siloare of the input data and incorporated directly Into recurisive descriptions and/or nonuniform weighted mov- the altorithmn ar, a data-dependent time...houlsotaion- are al.~, ii%ed tito rteod the welitht tranotienitwbhav- These results are a measure of how rapidly the algo- lair . The Mrnuation,; aalggeut

Genetics Home Reference: infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy

MedlinePlus

... with brain iron accumulation (NBIA): an update on clinical presentations, histological and genetic underpinnings, and treatment considerations. Mov Disord. 2012 Jan;27(1):42-53. doi: 10.1002/mds.23971. Epub 2011 Oct 26. Review. ... Zhang Y, Xiao J, Wu X. Clinical study and PLA2G6 mutation screening analysis in Chinese ...

Nondestructive analysis of three-dimensional objects using a fluid displacement method

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Quantification of three-dimensional (3-D) objects has been a real challenge in agricultural, hydrological and environmental studies. We designed and tested a method that is capable of quantifying 3-D objects using measurements of fluid displacement. The device consists of a stand that supports a mov...

76 FR 15814 - Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing Company Model 747 Airplanes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-22

... listed above. This AD requires measuring the electrical bond resistance between the motor operated valve... SNPRM proposed to require measuring the electrical bond resistance between the motor operated valve (MOV... the relevant data, considered the comment received, and determined that air safety and the public...

Theoretical Analyses of the Functional Regions of the Heavy Chain of Botulinum Neurotoxin

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-01-01

SE. Schulz GM. liallctt M. Effects of hb)tulinum toxin injections on speech in adductor spasmodic dysphonia . Neurology 1988,38:1220-1225. 3. Jankovic...hemifacial spasm. Mov Disord 1987:4:237-254. 5. Brin MF. Blitzer A, Fahn S, Gould W. Lovelace RE. Adductor laryngeal dystonia (spastic dysphonia ): treatment

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Schwan's Home Service Delivers With

Science.gov Websites

distribute products across the United States. For information about this project, contact Twin Cities Clean Cities Coalition. Download QuickTime Video QuickTime (.mov) Download Windows Media Video Windows Media (.wmv) Video Download Help Text version See more videos provided by Clean Cities TV and FuelEconomy.gov

The curative and palliative potential of the monoclonal antibody MOv18 labelled with 211At in nude mice with intraperitoneally growing ovarian cancer xenografts--a long-term study.

PubMed

Andersson, H; Lindegren, S; Bäck, T; Jacobsson, L; Leser, G; Horvath, G

2000-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of 211At-labelled specific monoclonal antibody MOv18 in nude mice with intraperitoneal growth of the human ovarian cancer cell line OVCAR3. In the first part of the study the antibody was injected intraperitoneally when the cancer growth was microscopic. The injected activity was 485-555 kBq. The median survival for treated mice was 213 days compared to 138 days for untreated mice (p < 0.014, log-rank test). No obvious toxicity was seen. Thirty-three percent of the mice were apparently free of cancer after 7 months and were probably cured. In the second part of the study mice with macroscopic cancer and signs of ascites were injected intraperitoneally with the same 211At-labelled antibody (377-389 kBq). This treatment possibly delayed the production of ascites. Hopefully radioimmunotherapy with regionally administered 211At-labelled antibody will be of value in women with ovarian cancer as well.

Amplified Rate Acceleration by Simultaneous Up-Regulation of Multiple Active Sites in an Endo-Functionalized Porous Capsule.

PubMed

Kopilevich, Sivil; Müller, Achim; Weinstock, Ira A

2015-10-14

Using the hydrolysis of epoxides in water as a model reaction, the effect of multiple active sites on Michaelis-Menten compliant rate accelerations in a porous capsule is demonstrated. The capsule is a water-soluble Ih-symmetry Keplerate-type complex of the form, [{Mo(VI)6O21(H2O)6}12{Mo(V)2O4(L)}30](42-), in which 12 pentagonal "ligands," {(Mo(VI))Mo(VI)5O21(H2O)6}(6-), are coordinated to 30 dimolybdenum sites, {Mo(V)2O4L}(1+) (L = an endohedrally coordinated η(2)-bound carboxylate anion), resulting in 20 Mo9O9 pores. When "up-regulated" by removal of ca. one-third of the blocking ligands, L, an equal number of dimolybdenum sites are activated, and the newly freed-up space allows for encapsulation of nearly twice as many substrate guests, leading to a larger effective molarity (amplification), and an increase in the rate acceleration (k(cat)/k(uncat)) from 16,000 to an enzyme-like value of 182,800.

Effect of electroslag remelting on carbides in 8Cr13MoV martensitic stainless steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Qin-tian; Li, Jing; Shi, Cheng-bin; Yu, Wen-tao

2015-11-01

The effect of electroslag remelting (ESR) on carbides in 8Cr13MoV martensitic stainless steel was experimentally studied. Phases precipitated from liquid steel during solidification were calculated using the Thermo-Calc software. The carbon segregation was analyzed by original position analysis (OPA), and the carbides were analyzed by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy- dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results indicated that more uniform carbon distribution and less segregation were obtained in the case of samples subjected to the ESR process. After ESR, the amount of netty carbides decreased significantly, and the chromium and vanadium contents in the grain-boundary carbides was reduced. The total area and average size of carbides were obviously smaller after the ESR process. In the sample subjected to ESR, the morphology of carbides changed from lamellar and angular to globular or lump, whereas the types of carbides did not change; both M23C6 and M7C3 were present before and after the ESR process.

A Low-Cost, Passive Navigation Training System for Image-Guided Spinal Intervention.

PubMed

Lorias-Espinoza, Daniel; Carranza, Vicente González; de León, Fernando Chico-Ponce; Escamirosa, Fernando Pérez; Martinez, Arturo Minor

2016-11-01

Navigation technology is used for training in various medical specialties, not least image-guided spinal interventions. Navigation practice is an important educational component that allows residents to understand how surgical instruments interact with complex anatomy and to learn basic surgical skills such as the tridimensional mental interpretation of bidimensional data. Inexpensive surgical simulators for spinal surgery, however, are lacking. We therefore designed a low-cost spinal surgery simulator (Spine MovDigSys 01) to allow 3-dimensional navigation via 2-dimensional images without altering or limiting the surgeon's natural movement. A training system was developed with an anatomical lumbar model and 2 webcams to passively digitize surgical instruments under MATLAB software control. A proof-of-concept recognition task (vertebral body cannulation) and a pilot test of the system with 12 neuro- and orthopedic surgeons were performed to obtain feedback on the system. Position, orientation, and kinematic variables were determined and the lateral, posteroanterior, and anteroposterior views obtained. The system was tested with a proof-of-concept experimental task. Operator metrics including time of execution (t), intracorporeal length (d), insertion angle (α), average speed (v¯), and acceleration (a) were obtained accurately. These metrics were converted into assessment metrics such as smoothness of operation and linearity of insertion. Results from initial testing are shown and the system advantages and disadvantages described. This low-cost spinal surgery training system digitized the position and orientation of the instruments and allowed image-guided navigation, the generation of metrics, and graphic recording of the instrumental route. Spine MovDigSys 01 is useful for development of basic, noninnate skills and allows the novice apprentice to quickly and economically move beyond the basics. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Discovery and functional characterization of microRNAs and their potential roles for gonadal development in spotted knifejaw, Oplegnathus punctatus.

PubMed

Du, Xinxin; Liu, Xiaobing; Zhang, Kai; Liu, Yuxiang; Cheng, Jie; Zhang, Quanqi

2018-05-16

The spotted knifejaw (Oplegnathus punctatus) is a newly emerging economical fishery species in China. Studies focused on the regulation of gonadal development and gametogenesis of spotted knifejaw are still insufficient. As a key post-transcriptional regulator, miRNAs have been shown to play important roles in development and reproduction systems. In this study, small RNA deep sequencing in ovary and testis of spotted knifejaw were performed to screen miRNA expression patterns. After sequencing and bioinformatics analysis, a total of 247 conserved known miRNAs and 41 novel miRNAs were identified in spotted knifejaw gonads for the first time. In addition, 36 miRNAs were differentially expressed between testis and ovary. The putative target genes of differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs were significantly enriched in several pathways related to sexual differentiation and gonadal development, such as steroid hormone biosynthesis. Sequencing data was validated through qRT-PCR analysis of selected DE miRNAs. Dual-luciferase reporter analyses of filtered miRNA-target gene pairs confirmed that opu-miR-27b-3p targeted in piwi2 and mov10l1 3' UTRs and down-regulated their expressions in spotted knifejaw. The notion that mov10l1 and piwi2 enhance germ cells proliferation and regulate gonadal development and gametogenesis suggests that opu-miR-27b-3p may attenuated this process in the gonads of spotted knifejaw. These findings provided insights into regulatory roles of gonadal miRNAs and supplied fundamental resources for further studies on miRNA-mediated post-transcriptional regulation in reproductive system of spotted knifejaw. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

76 FR 13534 - Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing Company Model 767-200, -300, -300F, and -400ER Series Airplanes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-14

... certain motor operated valve actuators for the fuel tanks are installed, and related investigative and... additional inspections to determine if certain motor operated valve actuators for the fuel tanks are... requires an inspection to determine if certain motor operated valve (MOV) actuators for the fuel tanks are...

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Maine's Only Biodiesel Manufacturer Powers

Science.gov Websites

this project, contact Maine Clean Communities. Download QuickTime Video QuickTime (.mov) Download Windows Media Video Windows Media (.wmv) Video Download Help Text version See more videos provided by truck Krug Energy Opens Natural Gas Fueling Station in Arkansas June 18, 2016 photo of natural gas

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Texas Taxis Go Hybrid

Science.gov Websites

information about this project, contact Alamo Area Clean Cities (San Antonio). Download QuickTime Video QuickTime (.mov) Download Windows Media Video Windows Media (.wmv) Video Download Help Text version See more car Hydrogen Powers Fuel Cell Vehicles in California Nov. 18, 2017 Photo of a car Smart Car Shopping

Investigation of thermodynamic properties of metal-oxide catalysts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shah, Parag Rasiklal

An apparatus for Coulometric Titration was developed and used to measure the redox isotherms (i.e. oxygen fugacity P(O2) vs oxygen stoichiometry) of ceria-zirconia solid solutions, mixed oxides of vanadia, and vanadia supported on ZrO2. This data was used to correlate the redox thermodynamics of these oxides to their structure and catalytic properties. From the redox isotherms measured between 873 K and 973 K, the differential enthalpies of oxidation (DeltaH) for Ce0.81Zr0.19O 2.0 and Ce0.25Zr0.75O2.0 were determined, and they were found to be independent of extent of reduction or composition of the solid solution. They were also lower than DeltaH for ceria, which explains the better redox properties of ceria-zirconia solid solutions. The oxidation was driven by entropy in the low reduction region, and a structural model was proposed to explain the observed entropy effects. Redox isotherms were also measured for a number of bulk vanadates between 823 K and 973 K. DeltaG, DeltaH and DeltaS were reported for V 2O5, Mg3(VO4)2, CeVO 4 and ZrV2O7 along with DeltaG values for AlVO 4, LaVO4, CrVO4. V2O5 and ZrV2O7, which were the only oxides having V-O-V bonds, showed a two-step transition of vanadium for V+3↔V +4 and V+4↔V+5 equilibrium in the redox isotherms. The other oxides, all of which have only M-O-V (M=cation other than V), showed a direct one-step transition, V+3↔V +5. The nature of the M-atom also influenced the P(O2) at which the V+3↔V+5 transition occurs. Redox isotherms at 748 K were measured for vanadia supported on ZrO 2; with two different vanadia loadings corresponding to isolated vanadyls and polymeric vanadyls. The isotherm for the sample with isolated vanadyls showed a single-step transition, similar to the one seen in bulk vanadates with M-O-V linkages, while no such one-step transition was observed in the isotherm of the other sample. To study the affect of the varying redox properties of the vanadium-based catalysts on oxidation rates, kinetic studies were performed for methanol and propane oxidation reactions on some of these catalysts. The results suggested that there was no effect of thermodynamic properties of these catalysts on the rates of these oxidation reactions.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Kentucky Trucking Company Adds CNG Vehicles

Science.gov Websites

run on compressed natural gas (CNG) in Lousiville, Kentucky. Download QuickTime Video QuickTime (.mov California Nov. 18, 2017 Photo of a car Smart Car Shopping Nov. 4, 2017 Photo of a truck Natural Gas Vehicles truck Idaho Transports Mail and Reduces Emissions with Natural Gas Trucks June 23, 2017 Photo of a

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Coca-Cola Continues to Expand Its Heavy-Duty

Science.gov Websites

Hybrid Fleet in AtlantaA> Coca-Cola Continues to Expand Its Heavy-Duty Hybrid Fleet in Atlanta to information about this project, contact Clean Cities-Georgia. Download QuickTime Video QuickTime (.mov Provided by Maryland Public Television Related Videos Photo of a car Electric Vehicles Charge up at State

77 FR 47080 - Announcement of Requirements and Registration for “Stop Bullying Video Challenge”

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-07

... must upload their video to YouTube as private. To do this, select ``Privacy Settings,'' mark video as private, enter the YouTube username ``stopbullyinggov'' in the box that appears below, then select ``save changes.'' Videos must be uploaded to YouTube in one of the following file formats: WebM, MPEG4, 3GPP, MOV...

Soil Movement in Established Gullies After A Single Prescribed Burn in the South Carolina Piedmont

Treesearch

Charles T. Cushwa; Melvin Hopkins; Burd S. McGinnes

1971-01-01

The effect of prescribed burning on soil movement in 25 established gullies was studied on Sumter National Forest, South Carolina. One moderately intense backfire in Piedmont pine communities did not have a measurable effect on soil mov.ement in these gullies. Studies involving the effects of burning on factors other than soil movement are recommended.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: America's Largest Home Runs on Biodiesel in

Science.gov Websites

Coalition (Western North Carolina). Download QuickTime Video QuickTime (.mov) Download Windows Media Video Windows Media (.wmv) Video Download Help Text version See more videos provided by Clean Cities TV and Photo of a car Hydrogen Powers Fuel Cell Vehicles in California Nov. 18, 2017 Photo of a car Smart Car

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Rhode Island EV Initiative Adds Chargers

Science.gov Websites

Ocean State Clean Cities. Download QuickTime Video QuickTime (.mov) Download Windows Media Video Windows Media (.wmv) Video Download Help Text version See more videos provided by Clean Cities TV and Photo of a car Hydrogen Powers Fuel Cell Vehicles in California Nov. 18, 2017 Photo of a car Smart Car

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Worcester Regional Transit Authority Drives

Science.gov Websites

Clean Cities. Download QuickTime Video QuickTime (.mov) Download Windows Media Video Windows Media (.wmv ) Video Download Help Text version See more videos provided by Clean Cities TV and FuelEconomy.gov Fuel Cell Vehicles in California Nov. 18, 2017 Photo of a car Smart Car Shopping Nov. 4, 2017 Image of

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Propane Powers Airport Shuttles in New

Science.gov Websites

Clean Fuel Partnership. Download QuickTime Video QuickTime (.mov) Download Windows Media Video Windows Media (.wmv) Video Download Help Text version See more videos provided by Clean Cities TV and Vehicles in California Nov. 18, 2017 Photo of a car Smart Car Shopping Nov. 4, 2017 Photo of a truck

Cell type-dependent gene regulation by Staufen2 in conjunction with Upf1.

PubMed

Miki, Takashi; Kamikawa, Yasunao; Kurono, Sadamu; Kaneko, Yuka; Katahira, Jun; Yoneda, Yoshihiro

2011-11-16

dendritic mRNA transport machines. Although Stau2 is thought to be involved in the dendritic targeting of several mRNAs in neurons, the mechanism whereby Stau2 regulates these mRNAs is unknown. To elucidate the functions of Stau2, we screened for novel binding partners by affinity purification of GST-tagged Stau2 from 293F cells. Three RNA helicases, RNA helicase A, Upf1 and Mov10, were identified in Stau2-containing complexes. We focused our studies on Upf1, a key player in nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. Stau2 was found to bind directly to Upf1 in an RNA-independent manner in vitro. Tethering Stau2 to the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of a reporter gene had little effect on its expression in HeLa cells. In contrast, when the same tethering assay was performed in 293F cells, we observed an increase in reporter protein levels. This upregulation of protein expression by Stau2 turned out to be dependent on Upf1. Moreover, we found that in 293F cells, Stau2 upregulates the reporter mRNA level in an Upf1-independent manner. These results indicate that the recruitment of Stau2 alone or in combination with Upf1 differentially affects the fate of mRNAs. Moreover, the results suggest that Stau2-mediated fate determination could be executed in a cell type-specific manner.

Shipbuilding and Conversion, Navy, (SCN) Funds Flow for Major Shipbuilding Programs

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-05-01

Idenlty by bloc,. number) SEE ATTACHED SHEET D IAM 1473 EDITION OF I NOV 65 I OBSOLETE SECURITY CLASSIFICATI(Y’ OF THIS PAGE (Whaen Data Lnter..d...A C CEPTRJCE gTA; see foe*s aisa odstiens oe r usifeetey ,..d ~.ect"lJJ I AC -TitU OfIC11 (roe mov ox tite) . fIiNATUMI 40 ~I- MILITARY

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Kentucky Charges Forward with All-Electric

Science.gov Websites

Partnership. Download QuickTime Video QuickTime (.mov) Download Windows Media Video Windows Media (.wmv) Video Fuel Cell Vehicles in California Nov. 18, 2017 Photo of a car Smart Car Shopping Nov. 4, 2017 Image of Photo of a truck Natural Gas Fuels School Buses and Refuse Trucks in Tulsa, Oklahoma Feb. 18, 2017 Photo

Corrosion of Steel in a Black Mangrove Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-10-01

neceaaary and Identify by block number) Black Mangrove Environment Chloride Salts Corrosion Iron- Tannin Complex Steel Tannic Acid Tropic Test Center...identified to be as follows: rain water falling through the mangrove canopy picks up salts and tannins from the black mangroves. The salts...attack steel, forming water-soluble ferric ions. The tannins react DD , JAN 73 •*/J EDITION OF » MOV 65 IS OBSOLETE UNCLASSIFIED SECURITY

Robotic Prostate Biopsy in Closed MRI Scanner

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-02-01

radioactive seeds or diagnosis by harvesting tissue samples inside the mag- net bore, under remote control of the physician without mov- ing the patient out...and allows fast removal for reloading brachytherapy needles or col- lecting harvested biopsy tissue. The primary actuated motions of the robot...include two prismatic motions and two rotational motions for aligning the needle axis. In addition to these base motions, application-specific motions are

Redox chemistry of molybdenum in natural waters and its involvement in biological evolution

PubMed Central

Wang, Deli

2012-01-01

The transition element molybdenum (Mo) possesses diverse valances (+II to +VI), and is involved in forming cofactors in more than 60 enzymes in biology. Redox switching of the element in these enzymes catalyzes a series of metabolic reactions in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, and the element therefore plays a fundamental role in the global carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur cycling. In the present oxygenated waters, oxidized Mo(VI) predominates thermodynamically, whilst reduced Mo species are mainly confined within specific niches including cytoplasm. Only recently has the reduced Mo(V) been separated from Mo(VI) in sulfidic mats and even in some reducing waters. Given the presence of reduced Mo(V) in contemporary anaerobic habitats, it seems that reduced Mo species were present in the ancient reducing ocean (probably under both ferruginous and sulfidic conditions), prompting the involvement of Mo in enzymes including nitrogenase and nitrate reductase. During the global transition to oxic conditions, reduced Mo species were constrained to specific anaerobic habitats, and efficient uptake systems of oxidized Mo(VI) became a selective advantage for current prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Some prokaryotes are still able to directly utilize reduced Mo if any exists in ambient environments. In total, this mini-review describes the redox chemistry and biogeochemistry of Mo over the Earth’s history. PMID:23267355

2006 NRL Review

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-01-01

cool , the ink is solid and does not flow. When the cantilever is heated , the ink melts and flows from the tip onto the surface. Mov­ ing the tip...IBM for use in the “Millipede” memory storage system. Thermal cantilevers may be designed to give rapid heating (1 to 20 µs) and cooling (1 to 50 µs...ability of combin- ing reconfigurable hardware devices with optimization software capable of executing real-time autonomous reconfiguration opens up a

Exercise Desert Rock VII. Operation Order Number 1. Army, Camp Desert Rock, Nevada

DTIC Science & Technology

1957-05-11

te locetod at the rear of the serial. Vehic ’es * td ii break down durirG the mov ant to Uhe observer area will be pushed to the side of the road ni...26th TC Bn,Hq & IHq co 2d TC Truck Co (Peo) 38th TC Co (Hv) 351st TC Co (Red) TC Provisional Aircraft Uaint Det DESE,t- ROCK PROJECTS Project 50.3

{Mo96La8} eggshell ring and self-assembly to {Mo132} Keplerate through Mo-blue intermediate, involved in UV-photolysis of [Mo7O24](6-)/carboxylic acid system at pH 4.

PubMed

Yamase, Toshihiro; Kumagai, Shun; Prokop, Petra V; Ishikawa, Eri; Tomsa, Adrian-Raul

2010-10-18

The prolonged UV-photolysis of aqueous solutions containing [Mo(7)O(24)](6-) and C(2)H(5)CO(2)H (as electron donor) at pH 3.9-4.1 generates the carboxylate-coordinated {Mo(132)} Keplerate (1a) isolated as a formamidinium/ammonium-mixed salt, [HC(NH(2))(2)](26)(NH(4))(28)[Mo(V)(60)Mo(VI)(72)O(372)(H(2)O)(48)(C(2)H(5)CO(2))(36)((i)C(3)H(7)CO(2))(6)]·16H(2)O (1), through the Mo-blue intermediate (2). The coordination of 2 to La(3+) gives rise to the formation of the chain structure of the C(2)-symmetric {Mo(96)La(8)} eggshell rings, formulated by H(22)[Mo(V)(20)Mo(VI)(76)O(301)(H(2)O)(29){La(H(2)O)(6)}(2)]{La(H(2)O)(5)}(6)]·54.5H(2)O (3). The eggshell-ring geometry results from the insertion of [Mo(VI)(2)O(7)(H(2)O)](2-) (spacer) into the equator outer ring of the wheel-shaped Mo-blue, and 10 {(Mo(VI))(Mo(VI)(5))} pentagonal subunits alternately above and below the equator outer ring are connected by eight La(3+) and two {Mo(VI)(2)} linkers within two inner rings. The neighboring eggshell rings are linked through two Mo-O-Mo bonds formed by dehydrative condensation between the {Mo(VI)(2)} linkers to result in the chain structure. Together with the results of the elemental analysis and IR, electronic absorption, (13)C NMR, and ESI-MS spectra for 2, the ring profile analysis of 3 let us identify 2 with a carbolylate-coordinated Mo-blue ring of high nuclearity. The Mo(VI)→Mo(V) photoreductive change of 2 to the 60-electron reduced Keplerate in the presence of C(2)H(5)CO(2)H involves both degradation of the outer ring and splitting of the binuclear linkers, which leads to the formation of [(Mo(VI))Mo(VI)(5)O(21)(H(2)O)(4)(carboxylate)](7-) pentagonal subunits and [Mo(V)(2)O(4)(carboxylate)](+)/[Mo(V)O(2)(carboxylate)(1/2)](0.5+)-mixed linkers for 1.

Properties of synaptic transmission from the reticular formation dorsal to the facial nucleus to trigeminal motoneurons during early postnatal development in rats.

PubMed

Gemba-Nishimura, A; Inoue, T; Nakamura, S; Nakayama, K; Mochizuki, A; Shintani, S; Yoshimura, S

2010-03-31

We previously reported that electrical stimulation of the reticular formation dorsal to the facial nucleus (RdVII) elicited excitatory masseter responses at short latencies and that RdVII neurons were antidromically activated by stimulation of the trigeminal motor nucleus (MoV), suggesting that excitatory premotor neurons targeting the MoV are likely located in the RdVII. We thus examined the properties of synaptic transmission from the RdVII to jaw-closing and jaw-opening motoneurons in horizontal brainstem preparations from developing rats using voltage-sensitive dye, patch-clamp recordings and laser photostimulation. Electrical stimulation of the RdVII evoked optical responses in the MoV. Combined bath application of the non-N-methyl-d-aspartate (non-NMDA) receptor antagonist 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX), and the NMDA receptor antagonist DL-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (APV) reduced these optical responses, and addition of the glycine receptor antagonist strychnine and the GABA(A) receptor antagonist bicuculline further reduced the remaining responses. Electrical stimulation of the RdVII evoked postsynaptic currents (PSCs) in all 19 masseter motoneurons tested in postnatal day (P)1-4 rats, and application of CNQX and the NMDA receptor antagonist (+/-)-3(2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl)propyl-1-phosphonic acid (CPP) reduced the PSC amplitudes by more than 50%. In the presence of CNQX and CPP, the GABA(A) receptor antagonist SR95531 further reduced PSC amplitude, and addition of strychnine abolished the remaining PSCs. Photostimulation of the RdVII with caged glutamate also evoked PSCs in masseter motoneurons of P3-4 rats. In P8-11 rats, electrical stimulation of the RdVII also evoked PSCs in all 14 masseter motoneurons tested, and the effects of the antagonists on the PSCs were similar to those in P1-4 rats. On the other hand, RdVII stimulation evoked PSCs in only three of 16 digastric motoneurons tested. These results suggest that both neonatal and juvenile jaw-closing motoneurons receive strong synaptic inputs from the RdVII through activation of glutamate, glycine and GABA(A) receptors, whereas inputs from the RdVII to jaw-opening motoneurons seem to be weak. Copyright 2010 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Serious Gaming Technologies Support Human Factors Investigations of Advanced Interfaces for Semi-Autonomous Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-06-01

conventional camera vs. thermal imager vs. night vision; camera field of view (narrow, wide, panoramic); keyboard + mouse vs. joystick control vs...motorised platform which could scan the immediate area, producing a 360o panorama of “stitched-together” digital pictures. The picture file, together with...VBS was used to automate the process of creating a QuickTime panorama (.mov or .qt), which includes the initial retrieval of the images, the

Platinum Group Coatings for Refractory Metals

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-06-01

temperatures and deposition was very slow. We decided to try iridium hexaflouride, Siridium trichloride hydrate, iridiuw carbonyl and tris-acetyl acetonato...T:*ouu sue. CO. Rhenium Refractory Metals 03 1 d.pRsiý C rg Iridium Coatings 2i 8 bapo i 10. ASSTRACT Won#~.. on mov ofot~sfte.. iad k.dhItfV by b...b q Oxidation resistant coatings of iridium on rhenium substrates have been produced by chemical vapor deposition from an iridium acetyl acetonate

The Perception of the Higher Derivatives of Visual Motion.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-06-24

uniform velocity in one run with a target mov- ing with either an accelerating or decelerating motion on another run , and had to decide on which of...the two runs the motion was uniform. It was found that sensitivity to acceleration (as indicated by proportion of correct dis- criminations) decreased...20 subjects had 8 In an experiment by Runeson (1975), one target (the stan- tracking runs with each of the three tvpes of moving target. The third

Crystallization of a Keplerate-type polyoxometalate into a superposed kagome-lattice with huge channels.

PubMed

Saito, Masaki; Ozeki, Tomoji

2012-09-07

Crystal structures of two Sr(2+) salts of the Keplerate-type polyoxometalate, [Mo(VI)(72)Mo(V)(60)O(372)(CH(3)COO)(30)(H(2)O)(72)](42-), have been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. One compound exhibits a superposed kagome-lattice with huge channels whose diameters measure approximately 3.0 nm, while the arrangement of the Keplerate anions in the other compound approximates to a distorted cubic close packing.

Strengthening Sustainability and Resiliency of a Future Force, Phase 1. FY2010-2011 Summer Study

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-03-01

Resiliency of a Future Force: Phase I Interim Report - 48 Please Enter Custom Water factor adjustments below: m Unit Level* (Gat/Ptisan/ Dti ...cost of mov- ing the consumables in terms of the assets required to move the commodity and the security Intra Theater Resupply: 4 Legs Army...Expeditionary Force-Logistics ResupplyDetails Legl Leg 2 Leg 3 Leg 4 Resupply Trip Legs Super FOB (Div)to Base Camp (bde) Base Camp (Bde) to FOB (Bn

Digital Control System for An On-Borad Oxygen Generator

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-12-01

pecple who contributed to the success of this thesis. They include the following: Major Borky, my thesis advisor; the entire staff of the Electrical ...to required concentration. OE4 23 MOV A, # Combine rotation direction OE5 OD 0000/1101 with LEC control and016 4Q ORL A, R3 output resulItsOE7 AB MDV ...then attended the University of Texas at Austin and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering in 1971. After graduation, he

Trapping {BW12}2 tungstoborate: synthesis and crystal structure of hybrid [{(H2BW12O42)2O}{Mo6O6S6(OH)4(H2O)2}]14- anion.

PubMed

Korenev, V S; Abramov, P A; Vicent, C; Mainichev, D A; Floquet, S; Cadot, E; Sokolov, M N; Fedin, V P

2012-12-28

Reaction between monolacunary {BW(11)} tungstoborate and oxothiocationic building block, {Mo(2)O(2)S(2)}, results in the formation of a new polyoxothiometalate with a unique architecture in which two [H(2)BW(12)O(43)](9-) tungstoborate subunits are linked together with a hexamolybdate [Mo(V)(6)O(6)S(6)(OH)(4)(H(2)O)(2)](2+) bridge.

A new oxomolybdate component extracted from the "virtual dynamic library" yielding the macrocyclic anion [(Mo(VI)(8)O(28))(4)(Mo(V)(2)O(2)S(2))(4)](24-).

PubMed

Korenev, Vladimir S; Boulay, Antoine G; Dolbecq, Anne; Sokolov, Maxim N; Hijazi, Akram; Floquet, Sébastien; Fedin, Vladimir P; Cadot, Emmanuel

2010-11-01

A rare isomer of the {Mo(8)O(28)}(8-) anion has been trapped from an acidified aqueous solution of molybdate by using the {Mo(2)O(2)S(2)}(2+) oxothio cation as the linker and isolated as a part of a unique macrocyclic anion, which consists of four isopolyoxomolybdate fragments {Mo(8)O(28)} bridged by four {Mo(2)O(2)S(2)} units.

Infrared Heat Lamps used in Drying Chemical Samples, September-October 1974

DTIC Science & Technology

1974-10-01

reflected from the planchette exceeds current recommended limits. DD F2MM73 1473 ED’Tt0" OF ’MOV •*IS o"SOLETE UNCLASSIFIED SECÜmTY CLASSIFICATION OF... planchette exceeds current recommended limits. Recommendations include reducing reflected luminance from the sample planchette and placing a warning...Samples, Sep-Oct 74 Figure 1. Nuclear Associates Sample Dryer Showing Metal Planchettes and Heat Lamp at Top of Page •■;’^’""- ■■ ■ ■ *wmzm

Cell type-dependent gene regulation by Staufen2 in conjunction with Upf1

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Staufen2 (Stau2), a double-stranded RNA-binding protein, is a component of neuronal RNA granules, which are dendritic mRNA transport machines. Although Stau2 is thought to be involved in the dendritic targeting of several mRNAs in neurons, the mechanism whereby Stau2 regulates these mRNAs is unknown. To elucidate the functions of Stau2, we screened for novel binding partners by affinity purification of GST-tagged Stau2 from 293F cells. Results Three RNA helicases, RNA helicase A, Upf1 and Mov10, were identified in Stau2-containing complexes. We focused our studies on Upf1, a key player in nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. Stau2 was found to bind directly to Upf1 in an RNA-independent manner in vitro. Tethering Stau2 to the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of a reporter gene had little effect on its expression in HeLa cells. In contrast, when the same tethering assay was performed in 293F cells, we observed an increase in reporter protein levels. This upregulation of protein expression by Stau2 turned out to be dependent on Upf1. Moreover, we found that in 293F cells, Stau2 upregulates the reporter mRNA level in an Upf1-independent manner. Conclusions These results indicate that the recruitment of Stau2 alone or in combination with Upf1 differentially affects the fate of mRNAs. Moreover, the results suggest that Stau2-mediated fate determination could be executed in a cell type-specific manner. PMID:22087843

Multislice frozen phonon high angle annular dark-field image simulation study of Mo-V-Nb-Te-O complex oxidation catalyst "M1".

PubMed

Blom, Douglas A

2012-01-01

Multislice frozen phonon calculations were performed on a model structure of a complex oxide which has potential use as an ammoxidation catalyst. The structure has 11 cation sites in the framework, several of which exhibit mixed Mo/V substitution. In this paper the sensitivity of high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) imaging to partial substitution of V for Mo in this structure is reported. While the relationship between the average V content in an atom column and the HAADF image intensity is not independent of thickness, it is a fairly weak function of thickness suggesting that HAADF STEM imaging in certain cases can provide a useful starting point for Rietveld refinements of mixed occupancy in complex materials. The thermal parameters of the various cations and oxygen anions in the model affect the amount of thermal diffuse scattering and therefore the intensity in the HAADF images. For complex materials where the structure has been derived via powder Rietveld refinement, the uncertainty in the thermal parameters may limit the accuracy of HAADF image simulations. With the current interest in quantitative microscopy, simulations need to accurately describe the electron scattering to the very high angles often subtended by a HAADF detector. For this system approximately 15% of the scattering occurs above 200 mrad at 200 kV. To simulate scattering to such high angles, very fine sampling of the projected potential is necessary which increases the computational cost of the simulation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Catechin concentrates of garden tea leaves (Camellia sinensis L.): extraction/isolation and evaluation of chemical composition.

PubMed

Gadkari, Pravin Vasantrao; Kadimi, Udaya Sankar; Balaraman, Manohar

2014-11-01

Solid-liquid (SLE) and liquid-liquid (LLE) extraction techniques were applied to extract catechins and caffeine from quick mechanically expelled tea leaf juice (QMETLJ) and freeze-dried (FD)-QMETLJ of Camellia sinensis L. The concentrates obtained were analyzed for total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity (DPPH(•) inhibition, FRAP and phosphomolybdenum assay). Catechins were identified and quantified using HPLC. Overall, 95% (v/v) ethanol was the best solvent system for extracting total polyphenols (355.26 ± 23.68 to 457.89 ± 28.94 g GAE kg(-1) extractable solid yield (ESY)) and antioxidants (DPPH(•) inhibition, 16.97 ± 0.52 to 20.83 ± 3.11%; FRAP, 4.15 ± 0.32 to 6.38 ± 0.57 mmol TE g(-1) ESY; Mo(V) reduction, 2.47 ± 0.19 to 3.84 ± 0.39 mmol AAE g(-1) ESY) from FD-QMETLJ. Similarly, in LLE, ethyl acetate showed the best results for recovering polyphenols (960.52 ± 7.89 g GAE kg(-1) ESY) and antioxidants (DPPH(•) inhibition, 42.39 ± 0.91%; FRAP, 11.39 ± 0.83 mmol TE g(-1) ESY; Mo(V) reduction, 6.71 ± 1.14 mmol AAE g(-1) ESY) from QMETLJ. It was found that 95% ethanol can be used to increase the total polyphenols and antioxidants in extracts from FD-QMETLJ, while ethyl acetate can be effectively employed for concentrating catechins from QMETLJ. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

Toxicity of TNT Wastewaters to Aquatic Organisms. Volume 1. Acute Toxicity of LAP Wastewater and 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-03-01

trinitrobenzonitrile, 1, 3,5-trinitrobenzene, and 4,6-dinitroanthranil, which are phototransformation products of TNT and RDX. D D tA 1473 mSTIo ar I mov Is is...toxicity of these materials decreased as the photolytic degradation of TNT in- creased. The phototransformaticn products of TNT were generally mcre...Department of the Army endorsement or approval of the products or services of these organizations. Acco:sion For NTIS CG’iA&I DTIC TAB Unnnnoilinced

SFD-261 Crossed-Field Amplifier Manufacturing Technology Program.

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-09-28

microwave amplifier used to increase tet pow--rlel of pulses of energy by a factor of 20. It is used in the Aegis A4/SPY1V DD 1473 ECIIOwOF I MOV 65...transmitter. A single ship.,; complement without spares is seventy-six. Its internal parts are made from high purity copper and many are complex and...23 Cathode Support 39 24 Mounting Plate ’i 25 Support Plate 42 26 Tubing Support 43 27 SFD-261 High Voltage Can End 45 b 28 Comparison of MT Tube

The research of axial corrosion fatigue on 10Ni3CrMoV steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Xing; Yi, Hong; Xu, Jian; Xie, Kun

2017-09-01

Fatigue life had been studied with 10CrNi3MoV steel at different load ratios and in different environmental medias. The microstructure and micro-topography had been observed and analyzed by means of SEM, EDS and TEM. Our findings indicated that, the fatigue life of 10Ni3CrMoV steel in seawater was shorter than in air, the difference in longevity was larger with the decreasing of axis stress. Corrosion pits had a great influence on corrosion fatigue life.

Effect of T-2 Toxin, Fasting, and 2-Methyl-thiazolidine-4-carboxylate, a Glutathione Prodrug, on Hepatic Glutathione Levels1,2

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-11-14

Iftnvi fnr fard mirn: O Fo, M73 3 r0tiON OF I MOV 6s IS OBSOLETE SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PACE (When Does Entoeed) , I I I I I 4.5± 0.39...Glende, 1973). An important cellular defense against peroxida- tive damage is the presence of glutathione and its use as an enzyme substrate or...cofactor. Even though intracellular glutathione concentration is in the millimolar range (Kosower and Kosower, 1978), there are conditions which lead to

Control Electronics for Air-Borne Quadrupole Ion Mass Spectrometer.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-10-01

If .1J ACN1 A 7 SIA A,) ADI ;’C NI’~ ’IA N, 41t ; :)’’’ DATA ICJ M TOS F1 95 .SVf 9,O~ 1iIC CCHF03)~2 C if 1:-TR 1YU .1 1.1 Ui; C .. XkA A OUT "A4...OUT 0FBH ;OUTrPUT TO ANY G71 LXI H, 1962H ;LOAD -HL- WITH ANALOG 5 POINTER SCALL ALLDEF JC G48 ;JUMP IF BYPASSED MOV A, L i - 289- OUT OF9H ;OUTPUT TO

Development of a potentiometric EDTA method for determination of molybdenum. Use of the analysis for molybdenite concentrates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khristova, R.; Vanmen, M.

1986-01-01

Based on considerations of principles and experimental data, the interference of sulfate ions in poteniometric titration of EDTA with FeCl3 was confirmed. The method of back complexometric titration of molybdenum of Nonova and Gasheva was improved by replacing hydrazine sulfate with hydrazine hydrochloride for reduction of Mo(VI) to Mo(V). The method can be used for one to tenths of mg of molybdenum with 0.04 mg standard deviation. The specific method of determination of molybdenum in molybdenite concentrates is presented.

Plant maintenance and advanced reactors issue, 2004

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Agnihotri, Newal

2004-09-15

The focus of the September-October issue is on plant maintenance and advanced reactors. Major articles/reports in this issue include: Optimism about the future of nuclear power, by Ruth G. Shaw, Duke Power Company; Licensed in three countries, by GE Energy; Enhancing public acceptance, by Westinghouse Electric Company; Standardized MOV program, by Ted Neckowicz, Exelon; Inservice testing, by Steven Unikewicz, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Asian network for education, Fatimah Mohd Amin, Malaysian Institute for Nuclear Technology Research; and, Cooling water intake optimization, by Jeffrey M. Jones and Bert Mayer, P.E., Framatome ANP.

A further step towards tuning the properties of metal-chalcogenide nanocapsules by replacing skeletal oxide by sulphide ligands.

PubMed

Schäffer, Christian; Todea, Ana Maria; Bögge, Hartmut; Floquet, Sébastien; Cadot, Emmanuel; Korenev, Vladimir S; Fedin, Vladimir P; Gouzerh, Pierre; Müller, Achim

2013-01-14

Addition of [Mo(2)(V)O(2)(μ-O)(μ-S)(aq)](2+) linker-type units to a solution/dynamic library containing tungstates results via the formation of the complementary pentagonal {(W)W(5)} units logically in the self-assembly of a mixed oxide/sulphide {W(VI)(72)Mo(V)(60)}-type Keplerate, thereby demonstrating the ability to tune the capsule's skeletal softness (the (μ-O)(2) and (μ-S)(2) scenarios are known) and providing options to influence differently important capsule-substrate interactions.

Demand Controlled Economizer Cycles: A Direct Digital Control Scheme for Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning Systems,

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-05-01

Control Ignored any error of 1/10th degree or less. This was done by setting the error term E and the integral sum PREINT to zero If then absolute value of...signs of two errors jeq tdiff if equal, jump clr @preint else zero integal sum tdiff mov @diff,rl fetch absolute value of OAT-RAT ci rl,25 is...includes a heating coil and thermostatic control to maintain the air in this path at an elevated temperature, typically around 80 degrees Farenheit (80 F

Recombinant Temporal Aberration Detection Algorithms for Enhanced Biosurveillance

PubMed Central

Murphy, Sean Patrick; Burkom, Howard

2008-01-01

Objective Broadly, this research aims to improve the outbreak detection performance and, therefore, the cost effectiveness of automated syndromic surveillance systems by building novel, recombinant temporal aberration detection algorithms from components of previously developed detectors. Methods This study decomposes existing temporal aberration detection algorithms into two sequential stages and investigates the individual impact of each stage on outbreak detection performance. The data forecasting stage (Stage 1) generates predictions of time series values a certain number of time steps in the future based on historical data. The anomaly measure stage (Stage 2) compares features of this prediction to corresponding features of the actual time series to compute a statistical anomaly measure. A Monte Carlo simulation procedure is then used to examine the recombinant algorithms’ ability to detect synthetic aberrations injected into authentic syndromic time series. Results New methods obtained with procedural components of published, sometimes widely used, algorithms were compared to the known methods using authentic datasets with plausible stochastic injected signals. Performance improvements were found for some of the recombinant methods, and these improvements were consistent over a range of data types, outbreak types, and outbreak sizes. For gradual outbreaks, the WEWD MovAvg7+WEWD Z-Score recombinant algorithm performed best; for sudden outbreaks, the HW+WEWD Z-Score performed best. Conclusion This decomposition was found not only to yield valuable insight into the effects of the aberration detection algorithms but also to produce novel combinations of data forecasters and anomaly measures with enhanced detection performance. PMID:17947614

The H-bond network surrounding the pyranopterins modulates redox cooperativity in the molybdenum-bisPGD cofactor in arsenite oxidase.

PubMed

Duval, Simon; Santini, Joanne M; Lemaire, David; Chaspoul, Florence; Russell, Michael J; Grimaldi, Stephane; Nitschke, Wolfgang; Schoepp-Cothenet, Barbara

2016-09-01

While the molybdenum cofactor in the majority of bisPGD enzymes goes through two consecutive 1-electron redox transitions, previous protein-film voltammetric results indicated the possibility of cooperative (n=2) redox behavior in the bioenergetic enzyme arsenite oxidase (Aio). Combining equilibrium redox titrations, optical and EPR spectroscopies on concentrated samples obtained via heterologous expression, we unambiguously confirm this claim and quantify Aio's redox cooperativity. The stability constant, Ks, of the Mo(V) semi-reduced intermediate is found to be lower than 10(-3). Site-directed mutagenesis of residues in the vicinity of the Mo-cofactor demonstrates that the degree of redox cooperativity is sensitive to H-bonding interactions between the pyranopterin moieties and amino acid residues. Remarkably, in particular replacing the Gln-726 residue by Gly results in stabilization of (low-temperature) EPR-observable Mo(V) with KS=4. As evidenced by comparison of room temperature optical and low temperature EPR titrations, the degree of stabilization is temperature-dependent. This highlights the importance of room-temperature redox characterizations for correctly interpreting catalytic properties in this group of enzymes. Geochemical and phylogenetic data strongly indicate that molybdenum played an essential biocatalytic roles in early life. Molybdenum's redox versatility and in particular the ability to show cooperative (n=2) redox behavior provide a rationale for its paramount catalytic importance throughout the evolutionary history of life. Implications of the H-bonding network modulating Molybdenum's redox properties on details of a putative inorganic metabolism at life's origin are discussed. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Oxidation-reduction potentials of molybdenum, flavin and iron-sulphur centres in milk xanthine oxidase.

PubMed Central

Cammack, R; Barber, M J; Bray, R C

1976-01-01

1. The mid-point reduction potentials of the various groups in xanthine oxidase from bovine milk were determined by potentiometric titration with dithionite in the presence of dye mediators, removing samples for quantification of the reduced species by e.p.r. (electron-paramagnetic-resonance) spectroscopy. The values obtained for the functional enzyme in pyrophosphate buffer, pH8.2, are: Fe/S centre I, -343 +/- 15mV; Fe/S II, -303 +/- 15mV; FAD/FADH-; -351 +/- 20mV; FADH/FADH2, -236 +/-mV; Mo(VI)/Mo(V) (Rapid), -355 +/- 20mV; Mo(V) (Rapid)/Mo(IV), -355 +/- 20mV. 2. Behaviour of the functional enzyme is essentially ideal in Tris but less so in pyrophosphate. In Tris, the potential for Mo(VI)/Mo(V) (Rapid) is lowered relative to that in pyrophosphate, but the potential for Fe/S II is raised. The influence of buffer on the potentials was investigated by partial-reduction experiments with six other buffers. 3. Conversion of the enzyme with cyanide into the non-functional form, which gives the Slow molybdenum signal, or alkylation of FAD, has little effect on the mid-point potentials of the other centres. The potentials associated with the Slow signal are: Mo(VI)/Mo(V) (Slow), -440 +/- 25mV; Mo(V) (Slow)/Mo(IV), -480 +/- 25 mV. This signal exhibits very sluggish equilibration with the mediator system. 4. The deviations from ideal behaviour are discussed in terms of possible binding of buffer ions or anti-co-operative interactions amongst the redox centres. PMID:183752

Effect of Spheroidizing Annealing on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of High-Carbon Martensitic Stainless Steel 8Cr13MoV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Wen-Tao; Li, Jing; Shi, Cheng-Bin; Zhu, Qin-Tian

2017-02-01

The effects of holding time during both austenitizing and spheroidizing on microstructure and mechanical properties of high-carbon martensitic stainless steel 8Cr13MoV were experimentally studied. The results showed that the amount of carbides and the proportion of fine carbides decrease first and then increase with the increase in austenitizing time ( t 1) in the case of short spheroidizing time ( t 2), whereas the amount of the lamellar carbides increases. In the case of long t 2, both the amount of carbides and the proportion of fine carbides decrease, and the amount of the lamellar carbides did not increase. The hardness of the steel decreases first and then increases with the increase of t 1. Under the conditions of different t 1, the change in the size of carbides and hardness of the steel show a same trend with the variation of t 2. The size of spheroidized carbides increases, whereas the hardness of the steel decreases with increasing t 2. The longer the holding time of austenitizing, the higher is the spheroidizing rate at the earlier stage. However, the spheroidizing rate shows an opposite trend with t 1 at the later stage of spheroidizing. The effect of cooling rate on microstructure is similar with t 2. With increasing cooling rate, the dimension of carbides became smaller, and the amount of lamellar carbides increased. The elongation of the sample fracture exhibits no corresponding relationship with holding time, whereas it is closely related to the precipitation of secondary carbides caused by the alloying elements segregation.

Ada Compiler Validation Summary Report: Certificate Number: 900131I1. 10269,Telesoft and MODCOMP, MODCOMP TeleGen2 Ada System, MODCOMP 9730 Host and Target

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-01-31

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A XPS Study of the Passivity of Stainless Steels Influenced by Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Guocun

The influence of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) on the passivity of type 304 and 317L stainless steels (SS) was investigated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), microbiological and electrochemical techniques. Samples were exposed to SRB, and then the resultant surfaces were analyzed by XPS, and the corrosion resistance by potentiodynamic polarization in deaerated 0.1 M HCl. To further understand their passivity, the SRB-exposed samples were analyzed by XPS after potentiostatic polarization at a passive potential in the hydrochloric solution. The characterization was performed under two surface conditions: unrinsed and rinsed by deaerated alcohol and deionized water. Comparisons were made with control samples immersed in uninoculated medium. SRB caused a severe loss of the passivity of 304 SS through sulfide formation and possible additional activation to form hexavalent chromium. The sulfides included FeS, FeS_2, Cr_2S _3, NiS and possibly Fe_ {rm 1-x}S. The interaction took place nonuniformly, resulting in undercutting of the passive film and preferential hydration of inner surface layers. The bacterial activation of the Cr^{6+ }^ecies was magnified by subsequent potentiostatic polarization. In contrast, 317L SS exhibited a limited passivity. The sulfides were formed mainly in the outer layers. Although Cr^{6+}^ecies were observed after the exposure, they were dissolved upon polarization. Since 317L SS has a higher Mo content, its higher passivity was ascribed to Mo existing as molybdate on the surface and Mo^{5+} species in the biofilm. Consequently, the interaction of SRB with Mo was studied. It was observed that molybdate could be retained on the surfaces of Mo coupons by corrosion products. In the presence of SRB, however, a considerable portion of the molybdate interacted with intermediate sulfur -containing proteins, forming Mo(V)-S complexes and reducing bacterial growth and sulfate reduction. The limited insolubility of the Mo(V)-S complexes in 0.1 M HCl provided a certain protection so that the pitting potential of the SRB-exposed Mo coupons was not considerably decreased. The interaction of the sulfur-containing proteins with Mo also provided mechanistic information about the adhesion of biofilm to Mo-bearing steels. Additionally, the interactions of SRB with other alloying elements, Cr and Ni, were investigated.

Stem thrust prediction model for W-K-M double wedge parallel expanding gate valves

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eldiwany, B.; Alvarez, P.D.; Wolfe, K.

1996-12-01

An analytical model for determining the required valve stem thrust during opening and closing strokes of W-K-M parallel expanding gate valves was developed as part of the EPRI Motor-Operated Valve Performance Prediction Methodology (EPRI MOV PPM) Program. The model was validated against measured stem thrust data obtained from in-situ testing of three W-K-M valves. Model predictions show favorable, bounding agreement with the measured data for valves with Stellite 6 hardfacing on the disks and seat rings for water flow in the preferred flow direction (gate downstream). The maximum required thrust to open and to close the valve (excluding wedging andmore » unwedging forces) occurs at a slightly open position and not at the fully closed position. In the nonpreferred flow direction, the model shows that premature wedging can occur during {Delta}P closure strokes even when the coefficients of friction at different sliding surfaces are within the typical range. This paper summarizes the model description and comparison against test data.« less

Endogenous proteolytic cleavage of disease-associated prion protein to produce C2 fragments is strongly cell- and tissue-dependent.

PubMed

Dron, Michel; Moudjou, Mohammed; Chapuis, Jérôme; Salamat, Muhammad Khalid Farooq; Bernard, Julie; Cronier, Sabrina; Langevin, Christelle; Laude, Hubert

2010-04-02

The abnormally folded form of the prion protein (PrP(Sc)) accumulating in nervous and lymphoid tissues of prion-infected individuals can be naturally cleaved to generate a N-terminal-truncated fragment called C2. Information about the identity of the cellular proteases involved in this process and its possible role in prion biology has remained limited and controversial. We investigated PrP(Sc) N-terminal trimming in different cell lines and primary cultured nerve cells, and in the brain and spleen tissue from transgenic mice infected by ovine and mouse prions. We found the following: (i) the full-length to C2 ratio varies considerably depending on the infected cell or tissue. Thus, in primary neurons and brain tissue, PrP(Sc) accumulated predominantly as untrimmed species, whereas efficient trimming occurred in Rov and MovS cells, and in spleen tissue. (ii) Although C2 is generally considered to be the counterpart of the PrP(Sc) proteinase K-resistant core, the N termini of the fragments cleaved in vivo and in vitro can actually differ, as evidenced by a different reactivity toward the Pc248 anti-octarepeat antibody. (iii) In lysosome-impaired cells, the ratio of full-length versus C2 species dramatically increased, yet efficient prion propagation could occur. Moreover, cathepsin but not calpain inhibitors markedly inhibited C2 formation, and in vitro cleavage by cathepsins B and L produced PrP(Sc) fragments lacking the Pc248 epitope, strongly arguing for the primary involvement of acidic hydrolases of the endolysosomal compartment. These findings have implications on the molecular analysis of PrP(Sc) and cell pathogenesis of prion infection.

Endogenous Proteolytic Cleavage of Disease-associated Prion Protein to Produce C2 Fragments Is Strongly Cell- and Tissue-dependent*

PubMed Central

Dron, Michel; Moudjou, Mohammed; Chapuis, Jérôme; Salamat, Muhammad Khalid Farooq; Bernard, Julie; Cronier, Sabrina; Langevin, Christelle; Laude, Hubert

2010-01-01

The abnormally folded form of the prion protein (PrPSc) accumulating in nervous and lymphoid tissues of prion-infected individuals can be naturally cleaved to generate a N-terminal-truncated fragment called C2. Information about the identity of the cellular proteases involved in this process and its possible role in prion biology has remained limited and controversial. We investigated PrPSc N-terminal trimming in different cell lines and primary cultured nerve cells, and in the brain and spleen tissue from transgenic mice infected by ovine and mouse prions. We found the following: (i) the full-length to C2 ratio varies considerably depending on the infected cell or tissue. Thus, in primary neurons and brain tissue, PrPSc accumulated predominantly as untrimmed species, whereas efficient trimming occurred in Rov and MovS cells, and in spleen tissue. (ii) Although C2 is generally considered to be the counterpart of the PrPSc proteinase K-resistant core, the N termini of the fragments cleaved in vivo and in vitro can actually differ, as evidenced by a different reactivity toward the Pc248 anti-octarepeat antibody. (iii) In lysosome-impaired cells, the ratio of full-length versus C2 species dramatically increased, yet efficient prion propagation could occur. Moreover, cathepsin but not calpain inhibitors markedly inhibited C2 formation, and in vitro cleavage by cathepsins B and L produced PrPSc fragments lacking the Pc248 epitope, strongly arguing for the primary involvement of acidic hydrolases of the endolysosomal compartment. These findings have implications on the molecular analysis of PrPSc and cell pathogenesis of prion infection. PMID:20154089

Structural characterization of precious-mean quasiperiodic Mo/V single-crystal superlattices grown by dual-target magnetron sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Birch, J.; Severin, M.; Wahlström, U.; Yamamoto, Y.; Radnoczi, G.; Riklund, R.; Sundgren, J.-E.; Wallenberg, L. R.

1990-05-01

A class of quasiperiodic superlattice structures, which can be generated by the concurrent inflation rule A-->AmB and B-->A (where m=positive integer), has been studied both theoretically and experimentally. Given that the ratios between the thicknesses of the two superlattice building blocks, A and B, are chosen to be γ(m)=[m+(m2+4)1/2]/2 (known as the ``precious means''), then the x-ray- and electron-diffraction peak positions are analytically found to be located at the wave vectors q=2πΛ-1r[γ(m)]k, where r and k are integers and Λ is an average superlattice wavelength. The analytically obtained results have been compared to experimental results from single-crystalline Mo/V superlattice structures, generated with m=1, 2, and 3. The superlattices were grown by dual-target dc-magnetron sputtering on MgO(001) substrates kept at 700 °C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) showed that the analytical model mentioned above predicts the peak positions of the experimental XRD and SAED spectra with a very high accuracy. Furthermore, numerical calculations of the diffraction intensities based on a kinematical model of diffraction showed good agreement with the experimental data for all three cases. In addition to a direct verification of the quasiperiodic modulation, both conventional and high-resolution cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM) showed that the superlattices are of high crystalline quality with sharp interfaces. Based on lattice resolution images, the width of the interfaces was determined to be less than two (002) lattice-plane spacings (~=0.31 nm).

Effect of load ratio and saltwater corrosive environment on the initiation life of fatigue of 10Ni5CrMoV steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Xing; Yi, Hong; Xu, Jian; Gen, Liming; Chen, Luyun

2017-09-01

Fatigue initiation life has been studied with 10CrNi5MoV steel for use in ocean engineering at different load ratios and in different environmental media. The microstructure and micro-topography have been observed and analyzed by means of SEM, EDS and EBSD. Our findings indicate that, the initiation life of 10Ni5CrMoV steel in seawater is shorter than that in air, and the difference in longevity is larger with the increasing of load ratio. Corrosion pits had a great influence on initial corrosion fatigue life.

Underdrain Systems for Large Structures Placed Below the Groundwater Table.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-08-01

460 -MODE 177 25. 76.2322 Vs 62.666 -moDE 176 x s 76.6667 Vs a 61.22 DoDE ISO 2. 73.0000 Vs s0.o 0 Done IS& , 62.0000 Vs 0.0000 mov DOSE lE Es 2.0000...426 166 iI 017 166150 161 40 .00006600 .200006400 0. 4 141 ISO 116 166 460 11 143 142 .200006600 .200006600 0. 4 142 III IGO Ii 162 152 145 166...200006*00 .20000600 0. 66 146 152 162 163 166 153 147 165 .00006600 .200006600 0. 46 166 16 171 172 172 1016111 ISO .2000000 .200006600 0. 4• 10 II ?? T

USSR and Eastern Europe Scientific Abstracts Engineering and Equipment No.29

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-02-08

Perlite (12CrlMoV and 12Cr2MoVSib), ferrite - martensite (lCrllW2MoV), and austentite (Crl8Nil2Ti) steels are discussed for use in the heat-transfer...620°C. Other austentite steels have been developed, including EI695R, EP184, EP17, 45Crl0Mnl4Al-2 (which has a 20-40% ferrite phase ), 0Crl3Mnl2Ni2NSi2...middle zone of 10 mm and at the corners -- up to 40 mm. The shell was reinforced with a grid having square meshes of low -carbon steel wire, 1 mm in diam

Electronic structure of transition metal-cysteine complexes from X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

PubMed

Leung, Bonnie O; Jalilehvand, Farideh; Szilagyi, Robert K

2008-04-17

The electronic structures of HgII, NiII, CrIII, and MoV complexes with cysteine were investigated by sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy and density functional theory. The covalency in the metal-sulfur bond was determined by analyzing the intensities of the electric-dipole allowed pre-edge features appearing in the XANES spectra below the ionization threshold. Because of the well-defined structures of the selected cysteine complexes, the current work provides a reference set for further sulfur K-edge XAS studies of bioinorganic active sites with transition metal-sulfur bonds from cysteine residues as well as more complex coordination compounds with thiolate ligands.

Changes in the state of heat-resistant steel induced by repeated hot deformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyubimova, Lyudmila L.; Fisenko, Roman N.; Tashlykov, Alexander A.; Tabakaev, Roman B.

2018-01-01

This work deals with the problems of structural regeneration by thermal restoration treatment (TRT). These include the lack of a structural sign showing that TRT is possible, a consensus on TRT modes, the data on the necessary relaxation depth of residual stresses, or criteria of structural restoration. Performing a TRT without solving these problems may deteriorate the properties of steel or even accelerate its destruction. With this in view, the purpose of this work is to determine experimentally how the residual stress state changes under thermal and mechanical loads in order to specify the signs of the restoration of structure and structural stability. The object of this research is unused 12Cr1MoV steel that has been aged naturally for 13 years. Using X-ray dosimetry with X-ray spectral analysis, we study the distribution of internal residual stresses of the first kind during the repeated hot deformation. After repeated thermal deformation, the sample under study transforms from a viscoelastic Maxwell material into a Kelvin-Voigt material, which facilitates structural stabilization. A sign of this is the relaxation limit increase, prevention of continuous decay of an α-solid solution of iron and restoration of the lattice parameter.

Porous capsules with a large number of active sites: nucleation/growth under confined conditions.

PubMed

Garai, Somenath; Rubčić, Mirta; Bögge, Hartmut; Gouzerh, Pierre; Müller, Achim

2015-03-09

This work deals with the generation of large numbers of active sites and with ensuing nucleation/ growth processes on the inside wall of the cavity of porous nanocapsules of the type (pentagon)12(linker)30≡{(Mo(VI))Mo(VI)5}12{Mo(V)2(ligand)}30. A first example refers to sulfur dioxide capture through displacement of acetate ligands, while the grafted sulfite ligands are able to trap {MoO3H}(+) units thereby forming unusual {(O2SO)3MoO3H}(5-) assemblies. A second example relates to the generation of open coordination sites through release of carbon dioxide upon mild acidification of a carbonate-type capsule. When the reaction is performed in the presence of heptamolybdate ions, MoO4(2-) ions enter the cavity where they bind to the inside wall while forming new types of polyoxomolybdate architectures, thereby extending the molybdenum oxide skeleton of the capsule. Parallels can be drawn with Mo-storage proteins and supported MoO3 catalysts, making the results relevant to molybdenum biochemistry and to catalysis. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Room-Temperature and Aqueous-Phase Synthesis of Plasmonic Molybdenum Oxide Nanoparticles for Visible-Light-Enhanced Hydrogen Generation.

PubMed

Shi, Jiayuan; Kuwahara, Yasutaka; Wen, Meicheng; Navlani-García, Miriam; Mori, Kohsuke; An, Taicheng; Yamashita, Hiromi

2016-09-06

A straightforward aqueous synthesis of MoO3-x nanoparticles at room temperature was developed by using (NH4 )6 Mo7 O24 ⋅4 H2 O and MoCl5 as precursors in the absence of reductants, inert gas, and organic solvents. SEM and TEM images indicate the as-prepared products are nanoparticles with diameters of 90-180 nm. The diffuse reflectance UV-visible-near-IR spectra of the samples indicate localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) properties generated by the introduction of oxygen vacancies. Owing to its strong plasmonic absorption in the visible-light and near-infrared region, such nanostructures exhibit an enhancement of activity toward visible-light catalytic hydrogen generation. MoO3-x nanoparticles synthesized with a molar ratio of Mo(VI) /Mo(V) 1:1 show the highest yield of H2 evolution. The cycling catalytic performance has been investigated to indicate the structural and chemical stability of the as-prepared plasmonic MoO3-x nanoparticles, which reveals its potential application in visible-light catalytic hydrogen production. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of private sector immunization service providers in Gujarat, India.

PubMed

Hagan, José E; Gaonkar, Narayan; Doshi, Vikas; Patni, Anas; Vyas, Shailee; Mazumdar, Vihang; Kosambiya, J K; Gupta, Satish; Watkins, Margaret

2018-01-02

India is responsible for 30% of the annual global cohort of unvaccinated children worldwide. Private practitioners provide an estimated 21% of vaccinations in urban centers of India, and are important partners in achieving high vaccination coverage. We used an in-person questionnaire and on-site observation to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices of private immunization service providers regarding delivery of immunization services in the urban settings of Surat and Baroda, in Gujarat, India. We constructed a comprehensive sampling frame of all private physician providers of immunization services in Surat and Baroda cities, by consulting vaccine distributors, local branches of physician associations, and published lists of private medical practitioners. All providers were contacted and asked to participate in the study if they provided immunization services. Data were collected using an in-person structured questionnaire and directly observing practices; one provider in each practice setting was interviewed. The response rate was 82% (121/147) in Surat, and 91% (137/151) in Baroda. Of 258 participants 195 (76%) were pediatricians, and 63 (24%) were general practitioners. Practices that were potential missed opportunities for vaccination (MOV) included not strictly following vaccination schedules if there were concerns about ability to pay (45% of practitioners), and not administering more than two injections in the same visit (60%). Only 22% of respondents used a vaccination register to record vaccine doses, and 31% reported vaccine doses administered to the government. Of 237 randomly selected vaccine vials, 18% had expired vaccine vial monitors. Quality of immunization services in Gujarat can be strengthened by providing training and support to private immunization service providers to reduce MOVs and improve quality and safety; other more context specific strategies that should be evaluated may involve giving feedback to providers on quality of services delivered and working through professional societies to adopt standards of practice. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

A little adjustment of synthetic strategy led to a new highly repeated heteropolyblue: Structure, characterizations and photocatalytic properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Wu-Hua; Zhang, Zhu-Sen; Zhao, Jin-Hua; Qiu, Ze-Hai; Yuan, Qiu-Lan; Huang, Tian-Fu; Lin, Xue-Yu; Hu, Zhi-Biao

2017-06-01

Hydrothermal synthesis is known as the most efficient method to prepare novel structural polyoxometalate (POM)-based materials, but controlled synthesis of a structure-directing POM is always challenging task. The experimental repeatability is usually one of the key topics. To explore a reliable hydrothermal synthesis approach for new POMs will be a meaningful work. Our previous work, which we have hydrothermally synthesized the first Cr-complexes-capped Keggin-type POM, [Hdma]3[H2phen]{[Cr(phen)]2[MoV8MoVI4O36(PO4)]}·nH2O (n ≈ 2) (Chen et al., polyhedron, 2015, 85, 117), afford us some commendable synthetic experiences, arouse us some introspections as well for its tricky preparation conditions and low experimental repeatability. Based on the aforementioned work, a new high-repetition-rate and more steady heteropolyblue, [H3O]0.5(Hdma)2.5(dma)0.25{[Cr(phen)]2[MoV6MoVI6O8(PO4)]}·2H2O (1) (dma = dimethylamine (C2H7N), phen = 1,10-phenanthroline (C12H8N2)), has been successfully obtained by virtue of reasonably adjusting synthetic strategy. The adjustment of synthetic strategy includes controlling ratio of reactants and aging time, reasonably using redoxes and stepwise self-assembly plans. Compound 1 is the second POM with Keggin-type polyanion capped by Cr-complexes. Experiments demonstrate that compound 1 has good catalytic activity in the both degradation reactions of rhodamine B (RHB) and methyl orange (MO) under ultraviolet (UV)-light and oxidant H2O2 conditions. Detailed structural characterizations include single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) analyses, elemental analyses, cerate oxidimetry, powder XRD, fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared (UV-Vis-NIR) solid diffuse reflection spectrum and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses. The electrochemical property (cyclic voltammetry (CV)) of compound 1 has also been studied.

The Microcode for the Control Processor of the ARO (Array Oriented Processor) Array Processor.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-08-01

oiNi .TADDR=DBASE+MODE" 4CONT ŕWAfT’ FOR MEM, MORE", MOV) ,DRO BSX "S IGN EXT, MORE" SADD D FLDSEI,(6,3),IMN TADT)R=5+ 1 JMP I NDE-’XEI) "JU> IP ’ T1...JDTV1: YIP DIVI; TDIV2: Y,’ IP DIV2; JASHII: JMP ASHI; 4 JASH2: JMP AS112; JXOR1: YIP XDRI; JXOR2: YIP XOR2; JSOB: JMP SOB; JBPL: JMP BPL; JBMI: YIP BMI;0...JBHI: JMP BHill JBLOS: J! IP BLOS; JBVC: YIP BVC; JBWS: JMP BVS; JBCC: JMP BCC; JBCS: YIP BCS; JEMT: YIP EMT; JTRAP: YIP TRAPQ; JCLR6: YIP CLR6; JCOII

Fault Location Based on Synchronized Measurements: A Comprehensive Survey

PubMed Central

Al-Mohammed, A. H.; Abido, M. A.

2014-01-01

This paper presents a comprehensive survey on transmission and distribution fault location algorithms that utilize synchronized measurements. Algorithms based on two-end synchronized measurements and fault location algorithms on three-terminal and multiterminal lines are reviewed. Series capacitors equipped with metal oxide varistors (MOVs), when set on a transmission line, create certain problems for line fault locators and, therefore, fault location on series-compensated lines is discussed. The paper reports the work carried out on adaptive fault location algorithms aiming at achieving better fault location accuracy. Work associated with fault location on power system networks, although limited, is also summarized. Additionally, the nonstandard high-frequency-related fault location techniques based on wavelet transform are discussed. Finally, the paper highlights the area for future research. PMID:24701191

Purification and Characterization of (Per)Chlorate Reductase from the Chlorate-Respiring Strain GR-1

PubMed Central

Kengen, Servé W. M.; Rikken, Geoffrey B.; Hagen, Wilfred R.; van Ginkel, Cees G.; Stams, Alfons J. M.

1999-01-01

Strain GR-1 is one of several recently isolated bacterial species that are able to respire by using chlorate or perchlorate as the terminal electron acceptor. The organism performs a complete reduction of chlorate or perchlorate to chloride and oxygen, with the intermediate formation of chlorite. This study describes the purification and characterization of the key enzyme of the reductive pathway, the chlorate and perchlorate reductase. A single enzyme was found to catalyze both the chlorate- and perchlorate-reducing activity. The oxygen-sensitive enzyme was located in the periplasm and had an apparent molecular mass of 420 kDa, with subunits of 95 and 40 kDa in an α3β3 composition. Metal analysis showed the presence of 11 mol of iron, 1 mol of molybdenum, and 1 mol of selenium per mol of heterodimer. In accordance, quantitative electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy showed the presence of one [3Fe-4S] cluster and two [4Fe-4S] clusters. Furthermore, two different signals were ascribed to Mo(V). The Kmvalues for perchlorate and chlorate were 27 and <5 μM, respectively. Besides perchlorate and chlorate, nitrate, iodate, and bromate were also reduced at considerable rates. The resemblance of the enzyme to nitrate reductases, formate dehydrogenases, and selenate reductase is discussed. PMID:10542172

Genome-wide association study in Chinese identifies novel loci for blood pressure and hypertension

PubMed Central

Lu, Xiangfeng; Wang, Laiyuan; Lin, Xu; Huang, Jianfeng; Charles Gu, C.; He, Meian; Shen, Hongbing; He, Jiang; Zhu, Jingwen; Li, Huaixing; Hixson, James E.; Wu, Tangchun; Dai, Juncheng; Lu, Ling; Shen, Chong; Chen, Shufeng; He, Lin; Mo, Zengnan; Hao, Yongchen; Mo, Xingbo; Yang, Xueli; Li, Jianxin; Cao, Jie; Chen, Jichun; Fan, Zhongjie; Li, Ying; Zhao, Liancheng; Li, Hongfan; Lu, Fanghong; Yao, Cailiang; Yu, Lin; Xu, Lihua; Mu, Jianjun; Wu, Xianping; Deng, Ying; Hu, Dongsheng; Zhang, Weidong; Ji, Xu; Guo, Dongshuang; Guo, Zhirong; Zhou, Zhengyuan; Yang, Zili; Wang, Renping; Yang, Jun; Zhou, Xiaoyang; Yan, Weili; Sun, Ningling; Gao, Pingjin; Gu, Dongfeng

2015-01-01

Hypertension is a common disorder and the leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease and premature deaths worldwide. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) in the European population have identified multiple chromosomal regions associated with blood pressure, and the identified loci altogether explain only a small fraction of the variance for blood pressure. The differences in environmental exposures and genetic background between Chinese and European populations might suggest potential different pathways of blood pressure regulation. To identify novel genetic variants affecting blood pressure variation, we conducted a meta-analysis of GWASs of blood pressure and hypertension in 11 816 subjects followed by replication studies including 69 146 additional individuals. We identified genome-wide significant (P < 5.0 × 10−8) associations with blood pressure, which included variants at three new loci (CACNA1D, CYP21A2, and MED13L) and a newly discovered variant near SLC4A7. We also replicated 14 previously reported loci, 8 (CASZ1, MOV10, FGF5, CYP17A1, SOX6, ATP2B1, ALDH2, and JAG1) at genome-wide significance, and 6 (FIGN, ULK4, GUCY1A3, HFE, TBX3-TBX5, and TBX3) at a suggestive level of P = 1.81 × 10−3 to 5.16 × 10−8. These findings provide new mechanistic insights into the regulation of blood pressure and potential targets for treatments. PMID:25249183

Porous inorganic capsules in action: modelling transmembrane cation-transport parameter-dependence based on water as vehicle.

PubMed

Haupt, Erhard T K; Wontorra, Claudia; Rehder, Dieter; Müller, Achim

2005-08-21

Insight into basic principles of cation transport through "molecular channels", and especially details of the related fundamental H2O vehicle function, could be obtained via7Li NMR studies of the Li+ uptake/release processes by the unique porous nanocapsule [{(MoVI)MoVI5O21(H2O)6}12{MoV2O4(SO4)}30]72- which behaves as a semi-permeable inorganic membrane open for H2O and small cations; channel traffic as well as internal cavity distribution processes show a strong dependence on "environmental" effects such as exerted by solvent properties, the amount of water present, and competing complexing ligands, and end up in a complex equilibrium situation as in biological leak channels.

A self-powered kinesin-microtubule system for smart cargo delivery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Yi; Dong, Weiguang; Feng, Xiyun; Li, Jieling; Li, Junbai

2014-11-01

A smart self-powered cargo delivery system that is composed of creatine phosphate kinase (CPK) microspheres, kinesins and microtubules is demonstrated. The CPK microsphere not only acts as an ATP generation and buffering system, but also as a carrier for cargo transport, thus realizing the easy loading and self-powered delivery of cargos at the same time.A smart self-powered cargo delivery system that is composed of creatine phosphate kinase (CPK) microspheres, kinesins and microtubules is demonstrated. The CPK microsphere not only acts as an ATP generation and buffering system, but also as a carrier for cargo transport, thus realizing the easy loading and self-powered delivery of cargos at the same time. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Experimental details, Fig. S1-S4, and Mov. S1-S6. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr04454a

Monitoring the growth of polyoxomolybdate nanoparticles in suspension by flow field-flow fractionation.

PubMed

Chen, Bailin; Jiang, Huijian; Zhu, Yan; Cammers, Arthur; Selegue, John P

2005-03-30

We follow the evolution of polyoxomolybdate nanoparticles in suspensions derived from the keplerate (NH4)42[MoVI72MoV60O372(CH3CO2)30(H2O)72].ca..300H2O.ca..10CH3CO2NH4 ({Mo132}) by flow field-flow fractionation (FlFFF) to monitor the particle-size distribution in situ, atomic force and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (AFM, SEM, and HRTEM) to confirm particle sizes, inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) to determine the Mo content of the FlFFF-separated fractions, and UV/visible spectroscopy to confirm the identity of the species in suspension. We observe the formation of 3-75-nm polyoxomolybdate particles in suspension and the dynamic growth of {Mo132} crystals.

Revised Space Groups for Three Molybdenum(V) Phosphate Compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leclaire, A.; Borel, M. M.; Guesdon, A.; Marsh, Richard E.

2001-06-01

The space groups of three previously described Mo(V) phosphate structures are revised. (1) δ-KMo2P3O13, originally reported as triclinic, Poverline1, is revised to monoclinic, C2/c; it is identical to the compound previously identified as K4Mo8P12O52. (2) The compound formulated as [Mo12CdP8O50(OH)12]Cd [N(CH3)4]2(H3O)6·5H2O, originally described as monoclinic, Pn, is revised to P21/n (also monoclinic). (3) Rb3O2(MoO)4(PO4)4, originally reported as orthorhombic, C2221, is revised to tetragonal, P43212. The general descriptions of the structures are unchanged; however, for compound 2 the revision involves the addition of a center of symmetry and, as a result, there are significant changes in the interatomic distances and angles.

Effect of CeO2 on TiC Morphology in Ni-Based Composite Coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Yangchuan; Luo, Zhen; Chen, Yao

2018-03-01

The TiC/Ni composite coating with different content of CeO2 was fabricated on the Cr12MoV steel by laser cladding. The microstructure of cladding layers with the different content of CeO2 from the bottom to the surface is columnar crystal, cellular crystal, and equiaxed crystal. When the content of CeO2 is 0 %, the cladding layer has a coarse and nonuniform microstructure and TiC particles gathering in the cladding layer, and then the wear resistance was reduced. Appropriate rare-earth elements refined and homogenised the microstructure and enhanced the content of carbides, precipitated TiC particles and original TiC particles were spheroidised and refined, the wear resistance of the cladding layer was improved significantly. Excessive rare-earth elements polluted the grain boundaries and made the excessive burning loss of TiC particles that reduced the wear resistance of the cladding layer.

Data requirements to model creep in 9Cr-1Mo-V steel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swindeman, R. W.

1988-01-01

Models for creep behavior are helpful in predicting response of components experiencing stress redistributions due to cyclic loads, and often the analyst would like information that correlates strain rate with history assuming simple hardening rules such as those based on time or strain. On the one hand, much progress has been made in the development of unified constitutive equations that include both hardening and softening through the introduction of state variables whose evolutions are history dependent. Although it is difficult to estimate specific data requirements for general application, there are several simple measurements that can be made in the course of creep testing and results reported in data bases. The issue is whether or not such data could be helpful in developing unified equations, and, if so, how should such data be reported. Data produced on a martensitic 9Cr-1Mo-V-Nb steel were examined with these issues in mind.

Reduction-Triggered Self-Assembly of Nanoscale Molybdenum Oxide Molecular Clusters

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yin, Panchao; Wu, Bin; Li, Tao

A 2.9 nm molybdenum oxide cluster {Mo 132} (Formula: [Mo VI 72Mo V 60O 372(CH 3COO) 30(H 2O) 72] 42-) can be obtained by reducing ammonium molybdate with hydrazine sulfate in weakly acidic CH 3COOH/CH 3COO- buffers. This reaction has been monitored by time-resolved UV-Vis, 1H-NMR, small angle X-ray/neutron scattering, and X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy. The growth of {Mo 132} cluster shows a typical sigmoid curve, suggesting a multi-step assembly mechanism for this reaction. The reaction starts with a lag phase period when partial MoVI centers of molybdate precursors are reduced to form {MoV2(acetate)} structures under the coordinationmore » effect of the acetate groups. Once the concentration of {Mo V 2(acetate)} reaches a critical value, it triggers the assembly of Mo V and Mo VI species into {Mo 132} clusters. Parameters such as the type and amount of reducing agent, the pH, the type of cation, and the type of organic ligand in the reaction buffer, have been studied for the roles they play in the formation of the target clusters.Understanding the formation mechanism of giant molecular clusters is essential for rational design and synthesis of cluster-based nanomaterials with required morphologies and functionalities. Here, typical synthetic reactions of a 2.9 nm spherical molybdenum oxide cluster, {Mo 132} (formula: [Mo VI 72Mo V 60O 372(CH 3COO) 30(H 2O) 72] 42), with systematically varied reaction parameters have been fully explored to determine the morphologies and concentration of products, reduction of metal centers, and chemical environments of the organic ligands. The growth of these clusters shows a typical sigmoid curve, suggesting a general multistep self-assembly mechanism for the formation of giant molecular clusters. The reaction starts with a lag phase period when partial MoVI centers of molybdate precursors are reduced to form {Mo V 2(acetate)} structures under the coordination effect of the acetate groups. Once the concentration of {MoV2(acetate)} reaches a critical value, it triggers the co-assembly of Mo V and Mo VI species into the giant clusters.« less

New Defective Brannerite-Type Vanadates. I. Synthesis and Study of Mn 1- x- yφ xNa yV 2-2 x-yMo 2 x+yO 6 Solid Solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masłowska, Bogna; Ziółkowski, Jacek

1994-05-01

MnV 2O 6 of the brannerite-type structure (below 540°C) doped with MoO 3 and Na 2O forms isomorphous solid solutions MnNaφ = Mn 1- x-yφ xNa yV 2-2 x-yMo 2 x+ yO 6 (φ cation vacancy in the original Mn position), belonging to the pseudoternary MnV 2O 6-NaVMoO 6-MoO 3 system. Particular cases are MnNa = Mn 1- yNa y V 2- yMo yO 6 ( x = 0), Mnφ = Mn 1- xφ xV 2-2 xMo 2 xO 6 ( y = 0), and Naφ = Na 1- xφ xV 1- xMo 1+ xO 6 ( x + y = 1). MnV 2O 6 and NaVMoO 6 show miscibility in the entire composition range (MnNa). The opposite boundary of MnNaφ passes through the (100 x, 100 y) points (45, 0), (33, 30), and (30, 70). The phase diagram of the pseudobinary MnV 2O 6-NaVMoO 6 system (determined with DTA) shows (i) a narrow double-lens-type solidus-liquidus gap at high values of y , (ii) two peritectic meltings at lower y (yielding the high temperature β-MnNa and Mn 2V 2O 7), and (iii) little area of β-MnNa. Lattice parameters of MnNa (determined with X-ray diffraction) reveal small deviations from Vegard's law. As the ionic radii of both dopants (Na + and Mo 6+) are, respectively, larger than those of mother ions (Mn 2+ and V 5+), the unit cell increases in all directions with rising y along the MnNa series of solid solutions. However, due to the anisotropy of the structure, parameter c is strongly sensitive to Na/Mn substitution, b is ruled by Mo/V, and a is weakly influenced by Mo/V. Close analogy to the behavior of the previously studied MnV 2O 6-LiVMoO 6-MoO 6 system is discussed.

Reduction-Triggered Self-Assembly of Nanoscale Molybdenum Oxide Molecular Clusters

DOE PAGES

Yin, Panchao; Wu, Bin; Li, Tao; ...

2016-07-26

A 2.9 nm molybdenum oxide cluster {Mo 132} (Formula: [Mo VI 72Mo V 60O 372(CH 3COO) 30(H 2O) 72] 42-) can be obtained by reducing ammonium molybdate with hydrazine sulfate in weakly acidic CH 3COOH/CH 3COO- buffers. This reaction has been monitored by time-resolved UV-Vis, 1H-NMR, small angle X-ray/neutron scattering, and X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy. The growth of {Mo 132} cluster shows a typical sigmoid curve, suggesting a multi-step assembly mechanism for this reaction. The reaction starts with a lag phase period when partial MoVI centers of molybdate precursors are reduced to form {MoV2(acetate)} structures under the coordinationmore » effect of the acetate groups. Once the concentration of {Mo V 2(acetate)} reaches a critical value, it triggers the assembly of Mo V and Mo VI species into {Mo 132} clusters. Parameters such as the type and amount of reducing agent, the pH, the type of cation, and the type of organic ligand in the reaction buffer, have been studied for the roles they play in the formation of the target clusters.Understanding the formation mechanism of giant molecular clusters is essential for rational design and synthesis of cluster-based nanomaterials with required morphologies and functionalities. Here, typical synthetic reactions of a 2.9 nm spherical molybdenum oxide cluster, {Mo 132} (formula: [Mo VI 72Mo V 60O 372(CH 3COO) 30(H 2O) 72] 42), with systematically varied reaction parameters have been fully explored to determine the morphologies and concentration of products, reduction of metal centers, and chemical environments of the organic ligands. The growth of these clusters shows a typical sigmoid curve, suggesting a general multistep self-assembly mechanism for the formation of giant molecular clusters. The reaction starts with a lag phase period when partial MoVI centers of molybdate precursors are reduced to form {Mo V 2(acetate)} structures under the coordination effect of the acetate groups. Once the concentration of {MoV2(acetate)} reaches a critical value, it triggers the co-assembly of Mo V and Mo VI species into the giant clusters.« less

Development of downstream processing to minimize beta-glucan impurities in GMP-manufactured therapeutic antibodies.

PubMed

Vigor, Kim; Emerson, John; Scott, Robert; Cheek, Julia; Barton, Claire; Bax, Heather J; Josephs, Debra H; Karagiannis, Sophia N; Spicer, James F; Lentfer, Heike

2016-11-01

The presence of impurities or contaminants in biological products such as monoclonal antibodies (mAb) could affect efficacy or cause adverse reactions in patients. ICH guidelines (Q6A and Q6B) are in place to regulate the level of impurities within clinical drug products. An impurity less often reported and, therefore, lacking regulatory guideline is beta-glucan. Beta-glucans are polysaccharides of d-glucose monomers linked by (1-3) beta-glycosidic bonds, and are produced by prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, including plants. They may enter manufacturing processes via raw materials such as cellulose-based membrane filters or sucrose. Here we report the detection of beta-glucan contamination of a monoclonal IgE antibody (MOv18), manufactured in our facility for a first-in-human, first-in-class clinical trial in patients with cancer. Since beta-glucans have potential immunostimulatory properties and can cause symptomatic infusion reactions, it was of paramount importance to identify the source of beta-glucans in our product and to reduce the levels to clinically insignificant concentrations. We identified beta-glucans in sucrose within the formulation buffer and within the housing storage buffer of the virus removal filter. We also detected low level beta-glucan contamination in two of four commercially available antibodies used in oncology. Both formulation buffers contained sucrose. We managed to reduce levels of beta-glucan in our product 10-fold, by screening all sucrose raw material, filtering the sucrose by Posidyne® membrane filtration, and by incorporating extra wash steps when preparing the virus removal filter. The beta-glucan levels now lie within a range that is unlikely to cause clinically significant immunological effects. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 32:1494-1502, 2016. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Human tRNA-derived small RNAs in the global regulation of RNA silencing

PubMed Central

Haussecker, Dirk; Huang, Yong; Lau, Ashley; Parameswaran, Poornima; Fire, Andrew Z.; Kay, Mark A.

2010-01-01

Competition between mammalian RNAi-related gene silencing pathways is well documented. It is therefore important to identify all classes of small RNAs to determine their relationship with RNAi and how they affect each other functionally. Here, we identify two types of 5′-phosphate, 3′-hydroxylated human tRNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs). tsRNAs differ from microRNAs in being essentially restricted to the cytoplasm and in associating with Argonaute proteins, but not MOV10. The first type belongs to a previously predicted Dicer-dependent class of small RNAs that we find can modestly down-regulate target genes in trans. The 5′ end of type II tsRNA was generated by RNaseZ cleavage downstream from a tRNA gene, while the 3′ end resulted from transcription termination by RNA polymerase III. Consistent with their preferential association with the nonslicing Argonautes 3 and 4, canonical gene silencing activity was not observed for type II tsRNAs. The addition, however, of an oligonucleotide that was sense to the reporter gene, but antisense to an overexpressed version of the type II tsRNA, triggered robust, >80% gene silencing. This correlated with the redirection of the thus reconstituted fully duplexed double-stranded RNA into Argonaute 2, whereas Argonautes 3 and 4 were skewed toward less structured small RNAs, particularly single-strand RNAs. We observed that the modulation of tsRNA levels had minor effects on the abundance of microRNAs, but more pronounced changes in the silencing activities of both microRNAs and siRNAs. These findings support that tsRNAs are involved in the global control of small RNA silencing through differential Argonaute association, suggesting that small RNA-mediated gene regulation may be even more finely regulated than previously realized. PMID:20181738

Handwriting Movement Analyses for Monitoring Drug-Induced Motor Side Effects in Schizophrenia Patients Treated with Risperidone

PubMed Central

Caligiuri, Michael P.; Teulings, Hans-Leo; Dean, Charles E.; Niculescu, Alexander B.; Lohr, James

2009-01-01

Epidemiologic studies indicate that nearly 60% of schizophrenia (SZ) patients treated with conventional antipsychotic drugs develop extrapyramidal side effects (EPS) such as parkinsonism and tardive dyskinesia. Although the prevalence of EPS has decreased due to the newer antipsychotics, EPS continue to limit the effectiveness of these medicines. Ongoing monitoring of EPS is likely to improve treatment outcome or compliance and reduce the frequency of re-hospitalization. A quantitative analysis of handwriting kinematics was used to evaluate effects of antipsychotic medication type and dose in schizophrenia patients. Twenty-seven schizophrenia patients treated with risperidone, six schizophrenia patients who received no antipsychotic medication and 46 healthy comparison participants were enrolled. Participants performed a 20-minute handwriting task consisting of loops of various sizes and a sentence. Data were captured and analyzed using MovAlyzeR software. Results indicated that risperidone-treated participants exhibited significantly more dysfluent handwriting movements than either healthy or untreated SZ participants. Risperidone-treated participants exhibited lower movement velocities during production of simple loops compared to unmedicated patients. Handwriting dysfluency during sentence writing increased with dose. A 3-factor model consisting of kinematic variables derived from sentence writing accounted for 83% (r = .91) of the variability in medication dose. In contrast, we found no association between observer-based EPS severity ratings and medication dose. These findings support the importance of handwriting-based measures to monitor EPS in medicated schizophrenia patients. PMID:19692133

An Approach to the Lightning Overvoltage Protection of Medium Voltage Lines in Severe Lightning Areas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Omidiora, M. A.; Lehtonen, M.

2008-05-08

This paper deals with the effect of shield wires on lightning overvoltage reduction and the energy relief of MOV (Metal Oxide Varistor) arresters from direct strokes to distribution lines. The subject of discussion is the enhancement of lightning protection in Finnish distribution networks where lightning is most severe. The true index of lightning severity in these areas is based on the ground flash densities and return stroke data collected from the Finnish meteorological institute. The presented test case is the IEEE 34-node test feeder injected with multiple lightning strokes and simulated with the Alternative Transients Program/Electromagnetic Transients program (ATP/EMTP). Themore » response of the distribution line to lightning strokes was modeled with three different cases: no protection, protection with surge arresters and protection with a combination of shield wire and arresters. Simulations were made to compare the resulting overvoltages on the line for all the analyzed cases.« less

The Heliosphere in Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frisch, P. C.; Hanson, A. J.; Fu, P. C.

2008-12-01

A scientifically accurate visualization of the Journey of the Sun through deep space has been created in order to share the excitement of heliospheric physics and scientific discovery with the non-expert. The MHD heliosphere model of Linde (1998) displays the interaction of the solar wind with the interstellar medium for a supersonic heliosphere traveling through a low density magnetized interstellar medium. The camera viewpoint follows the solar motion through a virtual space of the Milky Way Galaxy. This space is constructed from real data placed in the three-dimensional solar neighborhood, and populated with Hipparcos stars in front of a precisely aligned image of the Milky Way itself. The celestial audio track of this three minute movie includes the music of the heliosphere, heard by the two Voyager satellites as 3 kHz emissions from the edge of the heliosphere. This short heliosphere visualization can be downloaded from http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~soljourn/pub/AstroBioScene7Sound.mov, and the full scientific data visualization of the Solar Journey is available commercially.

Selective Electrocatalytic Reduction of Nitrite to Dinitrogen Based on Decoupled Proton-Electron Transfer.

PubMed

He, Daoping; Li, Yamei; Ooka, Hideshi; Go, Yoo Kyung; Jin, Fangming; Kim, Sun Hee; Nakamura, Ryuhei

2018-02-14

The development of denitrification catalysts which can reduce nitrate and nitrite to dinitrogen is critical for sustaining the nitrogen cycle. However, regulating the selectivity has proven to be a challenge, due to the difficulty of controlling complex multielectron/proton reactions. Here we report that utilizing sequential proton-electron transfer (SPET) pathways is a viable strategy to enhance the selectivity of electrochemical reactions. The selectivity of an oxo-molybdenum sulfide electrocatalyst toward nitrite reduction to dinitrogen exhibited a volcano-type pH dependence with a maximum at pH 5. The pH-dependent formation of the intermediate species (distorted Mo(V) oxo species) identified using operando electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and Raman spectroscopy was in accord with a mathematical prediction that the pK a of the reaction intermediates determines the pH-dependence of the SPET-derived product. By utilizing this acute pH dependence, we achieved a Faradaic efficiency of 13.5% for nitrite reduction to dinitrogen, which is the highest value reported to date under neutral conditions.

Type I Interferon Controls Propagation of Long Interspersed Element-1*

PubMed Central

Yu, Qiujing; Carbone, Christopher J.; Katlinskaya, Yuliya V.; Zheng, Hui; Zheng, Ke; Luo, Mengcheng; Wang, P. Jeremy; Greenberg, Roger A.; Fuchs, Serge Y.

2015-01-01

Type I interferons (IFN) including IFNα and IFNβ are critical for the cellular defense against viruses. Here we report that increased levels of IFNβ were found in testes from mice deficient in MOV10L1, a germ cell-specific RNA helicase that plays a key role in limiting the propagation of retrotransposons including Long Interspersed Element-1 (LINE-1). Additional experiments revealed that activation of LINE-1 retrotransposons increases the expression of IFNβ and of IFN-stimulated genes. Conversely, pretreatment of cells with IFN suppressed the replication of LINE-1. Furthermore, the efficacy of LINE-1 replication was increased in isogenic cell lines harboring inactivating mutations in diverse elements of the IFN signaling pathway. Knockdown of the IFN receptor chain IFNAR1 also stimulated LINE-1 propagation in vitro. Finally, a greater accumulation of LINE-1 was found in mice that lack IFNAR1 compared with wild type mice. We propose that LINE-1-induced IFN plays an important role in restricting LINE-1 propagation and discuss the putative role of IFN in preserving the genome stability. PMID:25716322

Real-time recording and classification of eye movements in an immersive virtual environment.

PubMed

Diaz, Gabriel; Cooper, Joseph; Kit, Dmitry; Hayhoe, Mary

2013-10-10

Despite the growing popularity of virtual reality environments, few laboratories are equipped to investigate eye movements within these environments. This primer is intended to reduce the time and effort required to incorporate eye-tracking equipment into a virtual reality environment. We discuss issues related to the initial startup and provide algorithms necessary for basic analysis. Algorithms are provided for the calculation of gaze angle within a virtual world using a monocular eye-tracker in a three-dimensional environment. In addition, we provide algorithms for the calculation of the angular distance between the gaze and a relevant virtual object and for the identification of fixations, saccades, and pursuit eye movements. Finally, we provide tools that temporally synchronize gaze data and the visual stimulus and enable real-time assembly of a video-based record of the experiment using the Quicktime MOV format, available at http://sourceforge.net/p/utdvrlibraries/. This record contains the visual stimulus, the gaze cursor, and associated numerical data and can be used for data exportation, visual inspection, and validation of calculated gaze movements.

Real-time recording and classification of eye movements in an immersive virtual environment

PubMed Central

Diaz, Gabriel; Cooper, Joseph; Kit, Dmitry; Hayhoe, Mary

2013-01-01

Despite the growing popularity of virtual reality environments, few laboratories are equipped to investigate eye movements within these environments. This primer is intended to reduce the time and effort required to incorporate eye-tracking equipment into a virtual reality environment. We discuss issues related to the initial startup and provide algorithms necessary for basic analysis. Algorithms are provided for the calculation of gaze angle within a virtual world using a monocular eye-tracker in a three-dimensional environment. In addition, we provide algorithms for the calculation of the angular distance between the gaze and a relevant virtual object and for the identification of fixations, saccades, and pursuit eye movements. Finally, we provide tools that temporally synchronize gaze data and the visual stimulus and enable real-time assembly of a video-based record of the experiment using the Quicktime MOV format, available at http://sourceforge.net/p/utdvrlibraries/. This record contains the visual stimulus, the gaze cursor, and associated numerical data and can be used for data exportation, visual inspection, and validation of calculated gaze movements. PMID:24113087

Improvement of Surge Protection by Using an AlGaN/GaN-Based Metal-Semiconductor-Metal Two-Dimensional Electron Gas Varactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferng, Yi-Cherng; Chang, Liann-Be; Das, Atanu; Lin, Ching-Chi; Cheng, Chun-Yu; Kuei, Ping-Yu; Chow, Lee

2012-12-01

In this paper, a varactor with metal-semiconductor-metal diodes on top of the (NH4)2S/P2S5-treated AlGaN/GaN two-dimensional electron gas epitaxial structure (MSM-2DEG) is proposed to the surge protection for the first time. The sulfur-treated MSM-2DEG varactor properties, including current-voltage (I-V), capacitance-voltage (C-V), and frequency response of the proposed surge protection circuit, are presented. To verify its capability of surge protection, we replace the metal oxide varistor (MOV) and resistor (R) in a state-of-the-art surge protection circuit with the sulfur-treated MSM-2DEG varactor under the application conditions of system-level surge tests. The measured results show that the proposed surge protection circuit, consisted of a gas discharge arrester (GDA) and a sulfur-treated MSM-2DEG varactor, can suppress an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) voltage of 4000 to 360 V, a reduction of 91%, whereas suppression is to 1780 V, a reduction of 55%, when using only a GDA.

Multiple long-term trends and trend reversals dominate environmental conditions in a man-made freshwater reservoir.

PubMed

Znachor, Petr; Nedoma, Jiří; Hejzlar, Josef; Seďa, Jaromír; Kopáček, Jiří; Boukal, David; Mrkvička, Tomáš

2018-05-15

Man-made reservoirs are common across the world and provide a wide range of ecological services. Environmental conditions in riverine reservoirs are affected by the changing climate, catchment-wide processes and manipulations with the water level, and water abstraction from the reservoir. Long-term trends of environmental conditions in reservoirs thus reflect a wider range of drivers in comparison to lakes, which makes the understanding of reservoir dynamics more challenging. We analysed a 32-year time series of 36 environmental variables characterising weather, land use in the catchment, reservoir hydrochemistry, hydrology and light availability in the small, canyon-shaped Římov Reservoir in the Czech Republic to detect underlying trends, trend reversals and regime shifts. To do so, we fitted linear and piecewise linear regression and a regime shift model to the time series of mean annual values of each variable and to principal components produced by Principal Component Analysis. Models were weighted and ranked using Akaike information criterion and the model selection approach. Most environmental variables exhibited temporal changes that included time-varying trends and trend reversals. For instance, dissolved organic carbon showed a linear increasing trend while nitrate concentration or conductivity exemplified trend reversal. All trend reversals and cessations of temporal trends in reservoir hydrochemistry (except total phosphorus concentrations) occurred in the late 1980s and during 1990s as a consequence of dramatic socioeconomic changes. After a series of heavy rains in the late 1990s, an administrative decision to increase the flood-retention volume of the reservoir resulted in a significant regime shift in reservoir hydraulic conditions in 1999. Our analyses also highlight the utility of the model selection framework, based on relatively simple extensions of linear regression, to describe temporal trends in reservoir characteristics. This approach can provide a solid basis for a better understanding of processes in freshwater reservoirs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of an automated flow injection analysis system for determination of phosphate in nutrient solutions.

PubMed

Karadağ, Sevinç; Görüşük, Emine M; Çetinkaya, Ebru; Deveci, Seda; Dönmez, Koray B; Uncuoğlu, Emre; Doğu, Mustafa

2018-01-25

A fully automated flow injection analysis (FIA) system was developed for determination of phosphate ion in nutrient solutions. This newly developed FIA system is a portable, rapid and sensitive measuring instrument that allows on-line analysis and monitoring of phosphate ion concentration in nutrient solutions. The molybdenum blue method, which is widely used in FIA phosphate analysis, was adapted to the developed FIA system. The method is based on the formation of ammonium Mo(VI) ion by reaction of ammonium molybdate with the phosphate ion present in the medium. The Mo(VI) ion then reacts with ascorbic acid and is reduced to the spectrometrically measurable Mo(V) ion. New software specific for flow analysis was developed in the LabVIEW development environment to control all the components of the FIA system. The important factors affecting the analytical signal were identified as reagent flow rate, injection volume and post-injection flow path length, and they were optimized using Box-Behnken experimental design and response surface methodology. The optimum point for the maximum analytical signal was calculated as 0.50 mL min -1 reagent flow rate, 100 µL sample injection volume and 60 cm post-injection flow path length. The proposed FIA system had a sampling frequency of 100 samples per hour over a linear working range of 3-100 mg L -1 (R 2  = 0.9995). The relative standard deviation (RSD) was 1.09% and the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.34 mg L -1 . Various nutrient solutions from a tomato-growing hydroponic greenhouse were analyzed with the developed FIA system and the results were found to be in good agreement with vanadomolybdate chemical method findings. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

TOWARD THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CONSENSUS MATERIALS DATABASE FOR PRESSURE TECHNOLGY APPLICATIONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Swindeman, Robert W; Ren, Weiju

The ASME construction code books specify materials and fabrication procedures that are acceptable for pressure technology applications. However, with few exceptions, the materials properties provided in the ASME code books provide no statistics or other information pertaining to material variability. Such information is central to the prediction and prevention of failure events. Many sources of materials data exist that provide variability information but such sources do not necessarily represent a consensus of experts with respect to the reported trends that are represented. Such a need has been identified by the ASME Standards Technology, LLC and initial steps have been takenmore » to address these needs: however, these steps are limited to project-specific applications only, such as the joint DOE-ASME project on materials for Generation IV nuclear reactors. In contrast to light-water reactor technology, the experience base for the Generation IV nuclear reactors is somewhat lacking and heavy reliance must be placed on model development and predictive capability. The database for model development is being assembled and includes existing code alloys such as alloy 800H and 9Cr-1Mo-V steel. Ownership and use rights are potential barriers that must be addressed.« less

Spectroscopic and Kinetic Properties of the Molybdenum-containing, NAD+-dependent Formate Dehydrogenase from Ralstonia eutropha*

PubMed Central

Niks, Dimitri; Duvvuru, Jayant; Escalona, Miguel; Hille, Russ

2016-01-01

We have examined the rapid reaction kinetics and spectroscopic properties of the molybdenum-containing, NAD+-dependent FdsABG formate dehydrogenase from Ralstonia eutropha. We confirm previous steady-state studies of the enzyme and extend its characterization to a rapid kinetic study of the reductive half-reaction (the reaction of formate with oxidized enzyme). We have also characterized the electron paramagnetic resonance signal of the molybdenum center in its MoV state and demonstrated the direct transfer of the substrate Cα hydrogen to the molybdenum center in the course of the reaction. Varying temperature, microwave power, and level of enzyme reduction, we are able to clearly identify the electron paramagnetic resonance signals for four of the iron/sulfur clusters of the enzyme and find suggestive evidence for two others; we observe a magnetic interaction between the molybdenum center and one of the iron/sulfur centers, permitting assignment of this signal to a specific iron/sulfur cluster in the enzyme. In light of recent advances in our understanding of the structure of the molybdenum center, we propose a reaction mechanism involving direct hydride transfer from formate to a molybdenum-sulfur group of the molybdenum center. PMID:26553877

Correlation between grade of pearlite spheroidization and laser induced spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Shunchun; Dong, Meirong; Lu, Jidong; Li, Jun; Dong, Xuan

2013-12-01

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) which is used traditionally as a spectrochemical analytical technique was employed to analyze the grade of pearlite spheroidization. Three 12Cr1MoV steel specimens with different grades of pearlite spheroidization were ablated to produce plasma by pulse laser at 266 nm. In order to determine the optimal temporal condition and plasma parameters for correlating the grade of pearlite spheroidization and laser induced spectra, a set of spectra at different delays were analyzed by the principal component analysis method. Then, the relationship between plasma temperature, intensity ratios of ionic to atomic lines and grade of pearlite spheroidization was studied. The analysis results show that the laser induced spectra of different grades of pearlite spheroidization can be readily identifiable by principal component analysis in the range of 271.941-289.672 nm with 1000 ns delay time. It is also found that a good agreement exists between the Fe ionic to atomic line ratios and the tensile strength, whereas there is no obvious difference in the plasma temperature. Therefore, LIBS may be applied not only as a spectrochemical analytical technique but also as a new way to estimate the grade of pearlite spheroidization.

SURVEY AND SUMMARY: The morph server: a standardized system for analyzing and visualizing macromolecular motions in a database framework

PubMed Central

Krebs, Werner G.; Gerstein, Mark

2000-01-01

The number of solved structures of macromolecules that have the same fold and thus exhibit some degree of conformational variability is rapidly increasing. It is consequently advantageous to develop a standardized terminology for describing this variability and automated systems for processing protein structures in different conformations. We have developed such a system as a ‘front-end’ server to our database of macromolecular motions. Our system attempts to describe a protein motion as a rigid-body rotation of a small ‘core’ relative to a larger one, using a set of hinges. The motion is placed in a standardized coordinate system so that all statistics between any two motions are directly comparable. We find that while this model can accommodate most protein motions, it cannot accommodate all; the degree to which a motion can be accommodated provides an aid in classifying it. Furthermore, we perform an adiabatic mapping (a restrained interpolation) between every two conformations. This gives some indication of the extent of the energetic barriers that need to be surmounted in the motion, and as a by-product results in a ‘morph movie’. We make these movies available over the Web to aid in visualization. Many instances of conformational variability occur between proteins with somewhat different sequences. We can accommodate these differences in a rough fashion, generating an ‘evolutionary morph’. Users have already submitted hundreds of examples of protein motions to our server, producing a comprehensive set of statistics. So far the statistics show that the median submitted motion has a rotation of ~10° and a maximum Cα displacement of 17 Å. Almost all involve at least one large torsion angle change of >140°. The server is accessible at http://bioinfo.mbb.yale.edu/MolMovDB PMID:10734184

Kinetic and spectroscopic studies of the molybdenum-copper CO dehydrogenase from Oligotropha carboxidovorans.

PubMed

Zhang, Bo; Hemann, Craig F; Hille, Russ

2010-04-23

Carbon monoxide dehydrogenase from the aerobic bacterium Oligotropha carboxidovorans catalyzes the oxidation of CO to CO(2), yielding two electrons and two H(+). The steady-state kinetics of the enzyme exhibit a pH optimum of 7.2 with a k(cat) of 93.3 s(-1) and K(m) of 10.7 microM at 25 degrees C. k(red) for the reductive half-reaction agrees well with k(cat) and exhibits a similar pH optimum, indicating that the rate-limiting step of overall turnover is likely in the reductive half-reaction. No dependence on CO concentration was observed in the rapid reaction kinetics, however, suggesting that CO initially binds rapidly to the enzyme, possibly at the Cu(I) of the active site, prior to undergoing oxidation. A Mo(V) species that exhibits strong coupling to the copper of the active center (I = 3/2) has been characterized by EPR. The signal is further split when [(13)C]CO is used to generate it, demonstrating that substrate (or product) is a component of the signal-giving species. Finally, resonance Raman spectra of CODH reveal the presence of FAD, Fe/S clusters, and a [CuSMoO(2)] coordination in the active site, consistent with earlier x-ray absorption and crystallographic results.

A Mixed-Valent Molybdenum Monophosphate with a Layer Structure: KMo 3P 2O 14

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guesdon, A.; Borel, M. M.; Leclaire, A.; Grandin, A.; Raveau, B.

1994-03-01

A new mixed-valent molybdenum monophosphate with a layer structure KMo 3P 2O 14 has been isolated. It crystallizes in the space group P2 1/ m with a = 8.599(2) Å, b = 6.392(2) Å, c = 10.602(1) Å, and β = 111.65(2)°. The layers [Mo 3P 2O 14] ∞ are parallel to (100) and consist of [MoPO 8] ∞ chains running along limitb→ , in which one MoO 6 octahedron alternates with one PO 4 tetrahedron. In fact, four [MoPO 8] ∞ chains share the corners of their polyhedra and the edges of their octahedra, forming [Mo 4P 4O 24] ∞ columns which are linked through MoO 5 bipyramids along limitc→. The K + ions interleaved between these layers are surrounded by eight oxygens, forming bicapped trigonal prisms KO 8. Besides the unusual trigonal bipyramids MoO 5, this structure is also characterized by a tendency to the localization of the electrons, since one octahedral site is occupied by Mo(V), whereas the other octahedral site and the trigonal bipyramid are occupied by Mo(VI). The similarity of this structure with pure octahedral layer structures suggests the possibility of generating various derivatives, and of ion exchange properties.

Real-time distribution of pelagic fish: combining hydroacoustics, GIS and spatial modelling at a fine spatial scale.

PubMed

Muška, Milan; Tušer, Michal; Frouzová, Jaroslava; Mrkvička, Tomáš; Ricard, Daniel; Seďa, Jaromír; Morelli, Federico; Kubečka, Jan

2018-03-29

Understanding spatial distribution of organisms in heterogeneous environment remains one of the chief issues in ecology. Spatial organization of freshwater fish was investigated predominantly on large-scale, neglecting important local conditions and ecological processes. However, small-scale processes are of an essential importance for individual habitat preferences and hence structuring trophic cascades and species coexistence. In this work, we analysed the real-time spatial distribution of pelagic freshwater fish in the Římov Reservoir (Czechia) observed by hydroacoustics in relation to important environmental predictors during 48 hours at 3-h interval. Effect of diurnal cycle was revealed of highest significance in all spatial models with inverse trends between fish distribution and predictors in day and night in general. Our findings highlighted daytime pelagic fish distribution as highly aggregated, with general fish preferences for central, deep and highly illuminated areas, whereas nighttime distribution was more disperse and fish preferred nearshore steep sloped areas with higher depth. This turnover suggests prominent movements of significant part of fish assemblage between pelagic and nearshore areas on a diel basis. In conclusion, hydroacoustics, GIS and spatial modelling proved as valuable tool for predicting local fish distribution and elucidate its drivers, which has far reaching implications for understanding freshwater ecosystem functioning.

Molecular characterization of human xanthine oxidoreductase: the enzyme is grossly deficient in molybdenum and substantially deficient in iron-sulphur centres

PubMed Central

2005-01-01

XOR (xanthine oxidoreductase) purified from human milk was shown to contain 0.04 atom of Mo and 0.09 molecule of molybdopterin/subunit. On the basis of UV/visible and CD spectra, the human enzyme was approx. 30% deficient in iron-sulphur centres. Mo(V) EPR showed the presence of a weak rapid signal corresponding to the enzyme of low xanthine oxidase activity and a slow signal indicating a significant content of desulpho-form. Resulphuration experiments, together with calculations based on enzymic activity and Mo content, led to an estimate of 50–60% desulpho-form. Fe/S EPR showed, in addition to the well-known Fe/S I and Fe/S II species, the presence of a third Fe/S signal, named Fe/S III, which appears to replace partially Fe/S I. Comparison is made with similarly prepared bovine milk XOR, which has approx. 15-fold higher enzymic activity and Mo content. Taken along with evidence of low Mo content in the milk of other mammals, these findings add further support to the idea that XOR protein plays a physiological role in milk (e.g. in secretion) equal in importance to its catalytic function as an enzyme. PMID:15679468

Using a Feedback Environment to Improve Creative Performance: A Dynamic Affect Perspective.

PubMed

Gong, Zhenxing; Zhang, Na

2017-01-01

Prior research on feedback and creative performance has neglected the dynamic nature of affect and has focused only on the influence of positive affect. We argue that creative performance is the result of a dynamic process in which a person experiences a phase of negative affect and subsequently enters a state of high positive affect that is influenced by the feedback environment. Hierarchical regression was used to analyze a sample of 264 employees from seven industry firms. The results indicate that employees' perceptions of a supportive supervisor feedback environment indirectly influence their level of creative performance through positive affect (t2); the negative affect (t1) moderates the relationship between positive affect (t2) and creative performance (t2), rendering the relationship more positive if negative affect (t1) is high. The change in positive affect mediates the relationship between the supervisor feedback environment and creative performance; a decrease in negative affect moderates the relationship between increased positive affect and creative performance, rendering the relationship more positive if the decrease in negative affect is large. The implications for improving the creative performances of employees are further discussed.

Does performance management affect nurses' well-being?

PubMed

Decramer, Adelien; Audenaert, Mieke; Van Waeyenberg, Thomas; Claeys, Tine; Claes, Claudia; Vandevelde, Stijn; van Loon, Jos; Crucke, Saskia

2015-04-01

This article focuses on employee performance-management practices in the healthcare sector. We specifically aim to contribute to a better understanding of the impact of employee performance-management practices on affective well-being of nurses in hospitals. Theory suggests that the features of employee-performance management (planning and evaluation of individual performances) predict affective well-being (in this study: job satisfaction and affective commitment). Performance-management planning and evaluation and affective well-being were drawn from a survey of nurses at a Flemish hospital. Separate estimations were performed for different aspects of affective well-being. Performance planning has a negative effect on job satisfaction of nurses. Both vertical alignment and satisfaction with the employee performance-management system increase the affective well-being of nurses; however, the impact of vertical alignment differs for different aspects of affective well-being (i.e. job satisfaction and affective commitment). Performance-management planning and evaluation of nurses are associated with attitudinal outcomes. The results indicate that employee performance-management features have different impacts on different aspects of well-being. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using a Feedback Environment to Improve Creative Performance: A Dynamic Affect Perspective

PubMed Central

Gong, Zhenxing; Zhang, Na

2017-01-01

Prior research on feedback and creative performance has neglected the dynamic nature of affect and has focused only on the influence of positive affect. We argue that creative performance is the result of a dynamic process in which a person experiences a phase of negative affect and subsequently enters a state of high positive affect that is influenced by the feedback environment. Hierarchical regression was used to analyze a sample of 264 employees from seven industry firms. The results indicate that employees’ perceptions of a supportive supervisor feedback environment indirectly influence their level of creative performance through positive affect (t2); the negative affect (t1) moderates the relationship between positive affect (t2) and creative performance (t2), rendering the relationship more positive if negative affect (t1) is high. The change in positive affect mediates the relationship between the supervisor feedback environment and creative performance; a decrease in negative affect moderates the relationship between increased positive affect and creative performance, rendering the relationship more positive if the decrease in negative affect is large. The implications for improving the creative performances of employees are further discussed. PMID:28861025

Structural studies of the molybdenum center of mitochondrial amidoxime reducing component (mARC) by pulsed EPR spectroscopy and 17O-labeling

PubMed Central

Rajapakshe, Asha; Astashkin, Andrei V.; Klein, Eric L.; Reichmann, Debora; Mendel, Ralf R.; Bittner, Florian; Enemark, John H.

2011-01-01

Mitochondrial amidoxime reducing components (mARC-1 and mARC-2) represent a novel group of Mo containing enzymes in eukaryotes. These proteins form the catalytic part of a three-component enzyme complex known to be responsible for the reductive activation of several N-hydroxylated prodrugs. No X-ray crystal structures are available for these enzymes as yet. Previous biochemical investigation by B. Wahl et al. (J. Biol. Chem. 285 (2010) 37847–37859) has revealed that two of the Mo coordination positions are occupied by sulfur atoms from a pyranopterindithiolate (molybdopterin, MPT) cofactor. In this work, we have used continuous wave and pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and density functional theoretical (DFT) calculations to determine the nature of remaining ligands in the Mo(V) state of the active site of mARC-2. The experiments with samples in D2O have identified the exchangeable equatorial ligand as a hydroxyl group. The experiments on samples in H217O-enriched buffer have shown the presence of a slowly exchangeable axial oxo ligand. The comparison of the experimental 1H and 17O hyperfine interactions with those calculated using DFT has shown that the remaining non-exchangeable equatorial ligand is, most likely, protein-derived, and that the possibility of an equatorial oxo ligand can be excluded. PMID:21916412

Kinetic and spectroscopic characterization of tungsten-substituted DMSO reductase from Rhodobacter sphaeroides.

PubMed

Pacheco, Josué; Niks, Dimitri; Hille, Russ

2018-03-01

We have examined the kinetic and spectroscopic properties of a tungsten-substituted form of DMSO reductase from Rhodobacter sphaeroides, an enzyme that normally possesses molybdenum. Partial reduction with sodium dithionite yields a well-resolved W(V) EPR signal of the so-called "high-g split" type that exhibits markedly greater g-anisotropy than the corresponding Mo(V) signal of the native form of the enzyme, with the g values shifted to higher magnetic field by as much as Δg ave  = 0.056. Deuteration of the enzyme confirms that the coupled proton is solvent-exchangeable, allowing us to accurately simulate the tungsten hyperfine coupling. Global curve-fitting analysis of UV/vis absorption spectra observed in the course of the reaction of the tungsten-substituted enzyme with sodium dithionite affords a well-defined absorption spectrum for the W(V) species. Surprisingly, the absorption spectrum for this species exhibits significantly larger molar extinction coefficients than either the reduced or the oxidized spectrum. This spectrum, in conjunction with those for fully oxidized W(VI) and fully reduced W(IV) enzyme, has been used to deconvolute the absorption spectra seen in the course of turnover, in the which enzyme is reacted with sodium dithionite and DMSO, demonstrating that the W(V) is an authentic catalytic intermediate that accumulates to approximately 50% of the total enzyme in the steady state.

Electrochemical evidence that pyranopterin redox chemistry controls the catalysis of YedY, a mononuclear Mo enzyme

PubMed Central

Adamson, Hope; Simonov, Alexandr N.; Kierzek, Michelina; Rothery, Richard A.; Weiner, Joel H.; Bond, Alan M.

2015-01-01

A long-standing contradiction in the field of mononuclear Mo enzyme research is that small-molecule chemistry on active-site mimic compounds predicts ligand participation in the electron transfer reactions, but biochemical measurements only suggest metal-centered catalytic electron transfer. With the simultaneous measurement of substrate turnover and reversible electron transfer that is provided by Fourier-transformed alternating-current voltammetry, we show that Escherichia coli YedY is a mononuclear Mo enzyme that reconciles this conflict. In YedY, addition of three protons and three electrons to the well-characterized “as-isolated” Mo(V) oxidation state is needed to initiate the catalytic reduction of either dimethyl sulfoxide or trimethylamine N-oxide. Based on comparison with earlier studies and our UV-vis redox titration data, we assign the reversible one-proton and one-electron reduction process centered around +174 mV vs. standard hydrogen electrode at pH 7 to a Mo(V)-to-Mo(IV) conversion but ascribe the two-proton and two-electron transition occurring at negative potential to the organic pyranopterin ligand system. We predict that a dihydro-to-tetrahydro transition is needed to generate the catalytically active state of the enzyme. This is a previously unidentified mechanism, suggested by the structural simplicity of YedY, a protein in which Mo is the only metal site. PMID:26561582

A fully human chimeric antigen receptor with potent activity against cancer cells but reduced risk for off-tumor toxicity

PubMed Central

Song, De-Gang; Ye, Qunrui; Poussin, Mathilde; Liu, Lin; Figini, Mariangela; Powell, Daniel J.

2015-01-01

Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) can redirect T cells against antigen-expressing tumors in an HLA-independent manner. To date, various CARs have been constructed using mouse single chain antibody variable fragments (scFvs) of high affinity that are immunogenic in humans and have the potential to mediate “on-target” toxicity. Here, we developed and evaluated a fully human CAR comprised of the human C4 folate receptor-alpha (αFR)-specific scFv coupled to intracellular T cell signaling domains. Human T cells transduced to express the C4 CAR specifically secreted proinflammatory cytokine and exerted cytolytic functions when cultured with αFR-expressing tumors in vitro. Adoptive transfer of C4 CAR T cells mediated the regression of large, established human ovarian cancer in a xenogeneic mouse model. Relative to a murine MOv19 scFv-based αFR CAR, C4 CAR T cells mediated comparable cytotoxic tumor activity in vitro and in vivo but had lower affinity for αFR protein and exhibited reduced recognition of normal cells expressing low levels of αFR. Thus, T cells expressing a fully human CAR of intermediate affinity can efficiently kill antigen-expressing tumors in vitro and in vivo and may overcome issues of transgene immunogenicity and “on-target off-tumor” toxicity that plague trials utilizing CARs containing mouse-derived, high affinity scFvs. PMID:26101914

Affective biasing of choices in gambling task decision making.

PubMed

Hinson, John M; Whitney, Paul; Holben, Heather; Wirick, Aaron K

2006-09-01

The proponents of the somatic marker hypothesis presume that rational decision making is guided by emotional reactions that are developed from prior experience. Supporting evidence for the hypothesis comes almost exclusively from the short-term affective reactions that are learned during the course of a hypothetical decision-making task--the gambling task (GT). We examined GT performance and affective reactions to choices when those choices were biased by words that had preexisting affective value. In one experiment, affectively valued words directly signaled good and bad choices. A congruent relation between affective value of word and choice outcome improved GT performance, whereas an incongruent relation greatly interfered with performance. In another experiment, affectively valued words were maintained as a working memory (WM) load between GT choices. A WM load with affectively positive words somewhat improved GT performance, whereas affectively negative words interfered with performance. Somatic markers-indicated by differential anticipatory skin conductance response (SCR) amplitude for good and bad choices-appeared at a point in the GT session when choice performance was superior. However, differential SCR developed during the session after good choice performance was already established. These results indicate that preexisting affective biases can influence GT decision making. In addition, the somatic markers that are regular accompaniments of GT decision making appeared to be temporally lagging indicators of choice performance.

Positive affective tone and team performance: The moderating role of collective emotional skills.

PubMed

Collins, Amy L; Jordan, Peter J; Lawrence, Sandra A; Troth, Ashlea C

2016-01-01

Research on affect as a group-level phenomenon has shown that over time, individual members within a group become highly similar in their affect (i.e., members experience and display similar emotions and moods), and often become similar enough that the aggregation of individuals' affect can meaningfully represent the "affective tone" of the group. It is generally assumed that a more positive affective tone will lead to better team performance. We challenge the conclusion that positive affective tone is always good for team performance, suggesting that the relationship between positive affective tone and team performance is subject to moderating influences. Across two studies, we demonstrate that the self-reported collective emotional skills of team members play a crucial role in determining whether positive affective tone is beneficial or detrimental to team performance. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Social Anxiety, Affect, Cortisol Response and Performance on a Speech Task.

PubMed

Losiak, Wladyslaw; Blaut, Agata; Klosowska, Joanna; Slowik, Natalia

2016-01-01

Social anxiety is characterized by increased emotional reactivity to social stimuli, but results of studies focusing on affective reactions of socially anxious subjects in the situation of social exposition are inconclusive, especially in the case of endocrinological measures of affect. This study was designed to examine individual differences in endocrinological and affective reactions to social exposure as well as in performance on a speech task in a group of students (n = 44) comprising subjects with either high or low levels of social anxiety. Measures of salivary cortisol and positive and negative affect were taken before and after an impromptu speech. Self-ratings and observer ratings of performance were also obtained. Cortisol levels and negative affect increased in both groups after the speech task, and positive affect decreased; however, group × affect interactions were not significant. Assessments conducted after the speech task revealed that highly socially anxious participants had lower observer ratings of performance while cortisol increase and changes in self-reported affect were not related to performance. Socially anxious individuals do not differ from nonanxious individuals in affective reactions to social exposition, but reveal worse performance at a speech task. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Molybdenum Incorporation in Tungsten Aldehyde Oxidoreductase Enzymes from Pyrococcus furiosus▿ †

PubMed Central

Sevcenco, Ana-Maria; Bevers, Loes E.; Pinkse, Martijn W. H.; Krijger, Gerard C.; Wolterbeek, Hubert T.; Verhaert, Peter D. E. M.; Hagen, Wilfred R.; Hagedoorn, Peter-Leon

2010-01-01

The hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus expresses five aldehyde oxidoreductase (AOR) enzymes, all containing a tungsto-bispterin cofactor. The growth of this organism is fully dependent on the presence of tungsten in the growth medium. Previous studies have suggested that molybdenum is not incorporated in the active site of these enzymes. Application of the radioisotope 99Mo in metal isotope native radioautography in gel electrophoresis (MIRAGE) technology to P. furiosus shows that molybdenum can in fact be incorporated in all five AOR enzymes. Mo(V) signals characteristic for molybdopterin were observed in formaldehyde oxidoreductase (FOR) in electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR)-monitored redox titrations. Our finding that the aldehyde oxidation activity of FOR and WOR5 (W-containing oxidoreductase 5) correlates only with the residual tungsten content suggests that the Mo-containing AORs are most likely inactive. An observed W/Mo antagonism is indicative of tungstate-dependent negative feedback of the expression of the tungstate/molybdate ABC transporter. An intracellular selection mechanism for tungstate and molybdate processing has to be present, since tungsten was found to be preferentially incorporated into the AORs even under conditions with comparable intracellular concentrations of tungstate and molybdate. Under the employed growth conditions of starch as the main carbon source in a rich medium, no tungsten- and/or molybdenum-associated proteins are detected in P. furiosus other than the high-affinity transporter, the proteins of the metallopterin insertion machinery, and the five W-AORs. PMID:20562313

Spectral characterization of V-type asteroids: are all the basaltic objects coming from Vesta?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ieva, S.; Fulvio, D.; Dotto, E.; Lazzaro, D.; Perna, D.; Strazzulla, G.; Fulchignoni, M.

In the last twenty-five years several small basaltic V-type asteroids have been identified all around the main belt. Most of them are members of the Vesta dynamical family, but an increasingly large number appear to have no link with it. The question that arises is whether all these basaltic objects do indeed come from Vesta. In the light of the Dawn mission, who visited Vesta in 2011-2012, recent works were dedicated to the observation of several new V-type asteroids and their comparison with laboratory data (Fulvio et al., \\cite{Fulvio2015}), and to a statistical analysis of the spectroscopic and mineralogical properties of the largest sample of V-types ever collected (Ieva et al., \\cite{Ieva2015}, with the objective to highlight similarities and differences among objects belonging and not belonging to the Vesta dynamical family. Laboratory experiments support the idea that V-type NEAs spectral properties could be due to a balance of space weathering and rejuvenation processes triggered by close encounters with terrestrial planets. Statistical analysis shows that although most of the V-type asteroids in the inner main belt do have a surface composition compatible with Vesta family members, this seem not to be the case for V-types in the middle and outer main belt. For these Middle and Outer V-types (MOVs), their sizes, spectral parameters and location far away from the Vesta dynamical region point to a different origin than Vesta.

Reactive Fabrication and Effect of NbC on Microstructure and Tribological Properties of CrS Co-Based Self-Lubricating Coatings by Laser Cladding.

PubMed

Fang, Liuyang; Yan, Hua; Yao, Yansong; Zhang, Peilei; Gao, Qiushi; Qin, Yang

2017-12-28

The CrS/NbC Co-based self-lubricating composite coatings were successfully fabricated on Cr12MoV steel surface by laser clad Stellite 6, WS₂, and NbC mixed powders. The phase composition, microstructure, and tribological properties of the coatings ware investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), as well as dry sliding wear testing. Based on the experimental results, it was found reactions between WS₂ and Co-based alloy powder had occurred, which generated solid-lubricant phase CrS, and NbC play a key role in improving CrS nuclear and refining microstructure of Co-based composite coating during laser cladding processing. The coatings were mainly composed of γ-Co, CrS, NbC, Cr 23 C₆, and CoC x . Due to the distribution of the relatively hard phase of NbC and the solid lubricating phase CrS, the coatings had better wear resistance. Moreover, the suitable balance of CrS and NbC was favorable for further decreasing the friction and improving the stability of the contact surfaces between the WC ball and the coatings. The microhardness, friction coefficient, and wear rate of the coating 4 (Clad powders composed of 60 wt % Stellite 6, 30 wt % NbC and 10 wt % WS₂) were 587.3 HV 0.5 , 0.426, and 5.61 × 10 -5 mm³/N·m, respectively.

Relationship between touch sensation of the affected hand and performance of valued activities in individuals with chronic stroke.

PubMed

Hill, Valerie A; Fisher, Thomas; Schmid, Arlene A; Crabtree, Jeffrey; Page, Stephen J

2014-01-01

To investigate the association between touch sensation of the affected hand and performance and satisfaction with performance of valued activities in individuals with chronic stroke. Using a cross-sectional study design, this study correlated factors related to hand sensation and activity performance in individuals with chronic stroke. The Touch Test Evaluators and Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) were used. Correlations were used to determine the relationships between touch sensation of the affected hand and individuals' performance and satisfaction with performance of valued activities. There was a good to excellent relationship between sensation and performance and satisfaction with performance of valued activities for individuals with intact touch sensation of the affected hand who scored higher on the COPM. There was little to no relationship between touch sensation of the affected hand and performance of valued activities for individuals with impaired sensation. This is the first study to relate touch sensation of the affected hand and performance and satisfaction with performance of valued activities in individuals with stroke. The findings suggest that rehabilitation therapists need to continue to address sensory function in evaluation and intervention as it relates to performance in valued activities. This study serves as a foundation for future research in sensation and performance of valued activities in individuals with chronic stroke.

A study on the relationship of environmental regulations and economic performances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nisha, Jia; Chen, Shen

2017-11-01

This paper analyzes the mechanism transmission of environmental regulation affecting on economic performance from a new perspective. It shows that environmental regulations affect country’s economic performance through direct transmission and indirect transmission. Direct transmission means that environmental regulations affect economic performance from influencing corporation’s cost and revenue, and indirect transmission is that environmental regulations affect economic performance through leading to the increased effort of corporations in improving the quality of environment and building the image of fulfilling environmental responsibility.

Daily fluctuations in positive affect positively co-vary with working memory performance.

PubMed

Brose, Annette; Lövdén, Martin; Schmiedek, Florian

2014-02-01

Positive affect is related to cognitive performance in multiple ways. It is associated with motivational aspects of performance, affective states capture attention, and information processing modes are a function of affect. In this study, we examined whether these links are relevant within individuals across time when they experience minor ups and downs of positive affect and work on cognitive tasks in the laboratory on a day-to-day basis. Using a microlongitudinal design, 101 younger adults (20-31 years of age) worked on 3 working memory tasks on about 100 occasions. Every day, they also reported on their momentary affect and their motivation to work on the tasks. In 2 of the 3 tasks, performance was enhanced on days when positive affect was above average. This performance enhancement was also associated with more motivation. Importantly, increases in task performance on days with above-average positive affect were mainly unrelated to variations in negative affect. This study's results are in line with between-person findings suggesting that high levels of well-being are associated with successful outcomes. They imply that success on cognitively demanding tasks is more likely on days when feeling happier. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Probabilistic forecasts of debris-flow hazard at the regional scale with a combination of models.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malet, Jean-Philippe; Remaître, Alexandre

2015-04-01

Debris flows are one of the many active slope-forming processes in the French Alps, where rugged and steep slopes mantled by various slope deposits offer a great potential for triggering hazardous events. A quantitative assessment of debris-flow hazard requires the estimation, in a probabilistic framework, of the spatial probability of occurrence of source areas, the spatial probability of runout areas, the temporal frequency of events, and their intensity. The main objective of this research is to propose a pipeline for the estimation of these quantities at the region scale using a chain of debris-flow models. The work uses the experimental site of the Barcelonnette Basin (South French Alps), where 26 active torrents have produced more than 150 debris-flow events since 1850 to develop and validate the methodology. First, a susceptibility assessment is performed to identify the debris-flow prone source areas. The most frequently used approach is the combination of environmental factors with GIS procedures and statistical techniques, integrating or not, detailed event inventories. Based on a 5m-DEM and derivatives, and information on slope lithology, engineering soils and landcover, the possible source areas are identified with a statistical logistic regression model. The performance of the statistical model is evaluated with the observed distribution of debris-flow events recorded after 1850 in the study area. The source areas in the three most active torrents (Riou-Bourdoux, Faucon, Sanières) are well identified by the model. Results are less convincing for three other active torrents (Bourget, La Valette and Riou-Chanal); this could be related to the type of debris-flow triggering mechanism as the model seems to better spot the open slope debris-flow source areas (e.g. scree slopes), but appears to be less efficient for the identification of landslide-induced debris flows. Second, a susceptibility assessment is performed to estimate the possible runout distance with a process-based model. The MassMov-2D code is a two-dimensional model of mud and debris flow dynamics over complex topography, based on a numerical integration of the depth-averaged motion equations using shallow water approximation. The run-out simulations are performed for the most active torrents. The performance of the model has been evaluated by comparing modelling results with the observed spreading areas of several recent debris flows. Existing data on the debris flow volume, input discharge and deposits were used to back-analyze those events and estimate the values of the model parameters. Third, hazard is estimated on the basis of scenarios computed in a probabilistic way, for volumes in the range 20'000 to 350'000 m3, and for several combinations of rheological parameters. In most cases, the simulations indicate that the debris flows cause significant overflowing on the alluvial fans for volumes exceeding 100'000 m3 (height of deposits > 2 m, velocities > 5 m.s-1). Probabilities of debris flow runout and debris flow intensities are then computed for each terrain units.

Assessment of Factor Affecting Institutional Performance: The Case of Wolaita Sodo University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shibru, Sintayehu; Bibiso, Mesfin; Ousman, Kedir

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to explore factors that affect institutional performance of Wolaita Sodo University. The study has identified middle level manager's perceptions toward institutional performance to indicate the key factors that seem to affect the performance of the university. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and…

Reciprocal Modulation of Cognitive and Emotional Aspects in Pianistic Performances

PubMed Central

Higuchi, Marcia K. Kodama; Fornari, José; Del Ben, Cristina M.; Graeff, Frederico G.; Leite, João Pereira

2011-01-01

Background High level piano performance requires complex integration of perceptual, motor, cognitive and emotive skills. Observations in psychology and neuroscience studies have suggested reciprocal inhibitory modulation of the cognition by emotion and emotion by cognition. However, it is still unclear how cognitive states may influence the pianistic performance. The aim of the present study is to verify the influence of cognitive and affective attention in the piano performances. Methods and Findings Nine pianists were instructed to play the same piece of music, firstly focusing only on cognitive aspects of musical structure (cognitive performances), and secondly, paying attention solely on affective aspects (affective performances). Audio files from pianistic performances were examined using a computational model that retrieves nine specific musical features (descriptors) – loudness, articulation, brightness, harmonic complexity, event detection, key clarity, mode detection, pulse clarity and repetition. In addition, the number of volunteers' errors in the recording sessions was counted. Comments from pianists about their thoughts during performances were also evaluated. The analyses of audio files throughout musical descriptors indicated that the affective performances have more: agogics, legatos, pianos phrasing, and less perception of event density when compared to the cognitive ones. Error analysis demonstrated that volunteers misplayed more left hand notes in the cognitive performances than in the affective ones. Volunteers also played more wrong notes in affective than in cognitive performances. These results correspond to the volunteers' comments that in the affective performances, the cognitive aspects of piano execution are inhibited, whereas in the cognitive performances, the expressiveness is inhibited. Conclusions Therefore, the present results indicate that attention to the emotional aspects of performance enhances expressiveness, but constrains cognitive and motor skills in the piano execution. In contrast, attention to the cognitive aspects may constrain the expressivity and automatism of piano performances. PMID:21931716

Affective and cognitive decision-making in adolescents.

PubMed

van Duijvenvoorde, Anna C K; Jansen, Brenda R J; Visser, Ingmar; Huizenga, Hilde M

2010-01-01

Adolescents demonstrate impaired decision-making in emotionally arousing situations, yet they appear to exhibit relatively mature decision-making skills in predominantly cognitive, low-arousal situations. In this study we compared adolescents' (13-15 years) performance on matched affective and cognitive decision-making tasks, in order to determine (1) their performance level on each task and (2) whether performance on the cognitive task was associated with performance on the affective task. Both tasks required a comparison of choice dimensions characterized by frequency of loss, amount of loss, and constant gain. Results indicated that in the affective task, adolescents performed sub-optimally by considering only the frequency of loss, whereas in the cognitive task adolescents used relatively mature decision rules by considering two or all three choice dimensions. Performance on the affective task was not related to performance on the cognitive task. These results are discussed in light of neural developmental trajectories observed in adolescence.

Combined effects of positive and negative affectivity and job satisfaction on job performance and turnover intentions.

PubMed

Bouckenooghe, Dave; Raja, Usman; Butt, Arif Nazir

2013-01-01

Capturing data from employee-supervisor dyads (N = 321) from eight organizations in Pakistan, including human service organizations, an electronics assembly plant, a packaging material manufacturing company, and a small food processing plant, we used moderated regression analysis to examine whether the relationships between trait affect (positive affectivity [PA] and negative affectivity [NA]) and two key work outcome variables (job performance and turnover) are contingent upon the level of job satisfaction. We applied the Trait Activation Theory to explain the moderating effect of job satisfaction on the relationship between affect and performance and between affect and turnover. Overall, the data supported our hypotheses. Positive and negative affectivity influenced performance and the intention to quit, and job satisfaction moderated these relationships. We discuss in detail the results of these findings and their implications for research and practice.

Daily variability in working memory is coupled with negative affect: the role of attention and motivation.

PubMed

Brose, Annette; Schmiedek, Florian; Lövdén, Martin; Lindenberger, Ulman

2012-06-01

Across days, individuals experience varying levels of negative affect, control of attention, and motivation. We investigated whether this intraindividual variability was coupled with daily fluctuations in working memory (WM) performance. In 100 days, 101 younger individuals worked on a spatial N-back task and rated negative affect, control of attention, and motivation. Results showed that individuals differed in how reliably WM performance fluctuated across days, and that subjective experiences were primarily linked to performance accuracy. WM performance was lower on days with higher levels of negative affect, reduced control of attention, and reduced task-related motivation. Thus, variables that were found to predict WM in between-subjects designs showed important relationships to WM at the within-person level. In addition, there was shared predictive variance among predictors of WM. Days with increased negative affect and reduced performance were also days with reduced control of attention and reduced motivation to work on tasks. These findings are in line with proposed mechanisms linking negative affect and cognitive performance.

To branch out or stay focused? Affective shifts differentially predict organizational citizenship behavior and task performance.

PubMed

Yang, Liu-Qin; Simon, Lauren S; Wang, Lei; Zheng, Xiaoming

2016-06-01

We draw from personality systems interaction (PSI) theory (Kuhl, 2000) and regulatory focus theory (Higgins, 1997) to examine how dynamic positive and negative affective processes interact to predict both task and contextual performance. Using a twice-daily diary design over the course of a 3-week period, results from multilevel regression analysis revealed that distinct patterns of change in positive and negative affect optimally predicted contextual and task performance among a sample of 71 employees at a medium-sized technology company. Specifically, within persons, increases (upshifts) in positive affect over the course of a workday better predicted the subsequent day's organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) when such increases were coupled with decreases (downshifts) in negative affect. The optimal pattern of change in positive and negative affect differed, however, in predicting task performance. That is, upshifts in positive affect over the course of the workday better predicted the subsequent day's task performance when such upshifts were accompanied by upshifts in negative affect. The contribution of our findings to PSI theory and the broader affective and motivation regulation literatures, along with practical implications, are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

The developmental dynamics of children's academic performance and mothers' homework-related affect and practices.

PubMed

Silinskas, Gintautas; Kiuru, Noona; Aunola, Kaisa; Lerkkanen, Marja-Kristiina; Nurmi, Jari-Erik

2015-04-01

This study investigated the longitudinal associations between children's academic performance and their mothers' affect, practices, and perceptions of their children in homework situations. The children's (n = 2,261) performance in reading and math was tested in Grade 1 and Grade 4, and the mothers (n = 1,476) filled out questionnaires on their affect, practices, and perceptions while their children were in Grades 2, 3, and 4. The results showed, first, that the more help in homework the mothers reported, the slower was the development of their children's academic performance from Grade 1 to Grade 4. This negative association was true especially if mothers perceived their children not to be able to work autonomously. Second, children's good academic performance in Grade 1 predicted mothers' perception of child's ability to be autonomous and positive affect in homework situations later on, whereas poor performance predicted mothers' negative affect, help, and monitoring. Finally, mothers' negative affect mediated the association between children's poor performance, maternal practices, and perceptions of their children. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

The relationship between frequency of performance and perceived importance of health behaviours.

PubMed

Nudelman, Gabriel; Ivanova, Eliza

2018-04-01

The relationship between performance of health behaviours and their perceived importance was examined among 250 adults. Frequency of performance and perceived importance of 21 health behaviours, self-assessed health and the Big Five personality traits were measured. As expected, importance and performance were positively correlated. Self-assessed health was more strongly associated with performance than importance, and a model wherein importance affects performance, which in turn affects self-assessed health, was superior to a model wherein performance affects importance. The Big Five significantly explained performance, particularly conscientiousness, and importance explained performance beyond this effect. Consequently, importance perceptions should be considered when developing behavioural interventions.

Self-focused attention affects subsequent processing of positive (but not negative) performance appraisals.

PubMed

Holzman, Jacob B; Valentiner, David P

2016-03-01

Cognitive-behavioral models highlight the conjoint roles of self-focused attention (SFA), post-event processing (PEP), and performance appraisals in the maintenance of social anxiety. SFA, PEP, and biased performance appraisals are related to social anxiety; however, limited research has examined how SFA affects information-processing following social events. The current study examined whether SFA affects the relationships between performance appraisals and PEP following a social event.. 137 participants with high (n = 72) or low (n = 65) social anxiety were randomly assigned to conditions of high SFA or low SFA while engaging in a standardized social performance. Subsequent performance appraisals and PEP were measured. Immediate performance appraisals were not affected by SFA. High levels of SFA led to a stronger, inverse relationship between immediate positive performance appraisals and subsequent negative PEP. High levels of SFA also led to a stronger, inverse relationship between negative PEP and changes in positive performance appraisals.. Future research should examine whether the current findings, which involved a standardized social performance event, extend to interaction events as well as in a clinical sample. These findings suggest that SFA affects the processing of positive information following a social performance event. SFA is particularly important for understanding how negative PEP undermines positive performance appraisals.. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

An Analysis of Factors That Affect the Educational Performance of Agricultural Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenway, Gina

2012-01-01

Many factors contribute to student achievement. This study focuses on three areas: how students learn, how student personality type affects performance, and how course format affects performance outcomes. The analysis sought to improve understanding of the direction and magnitude with which each of these factors impacts student success. Improved…

Performance pressure and caffeine both affect cognitive performance, but likely through independent mechanisms.

PubMed

Boere, Julia J; Fellinger, Lizz; Huizinga, Duncan J H; Wong, Sebastiaan F; Bijleveld, Erik

2016-02-01

A prevalent combination in daily life, performance pressure and caffeine intake have both been shown to impact people's cognitive performance. Here, we examined the possibility that pressure and caffeine affect cognitive performance via a shared pathway. In an experiment, participants performed a modular arithmetic task. Performance pressure and caffeine intake were orthogonally manipulated. Findings indicated that pressure and caffeine both negatively impacted performance. However, (a) pressure vs. caffeine affected performance on different trial types, and (b) there was no hint of an interactive effect. So, though the evidence is indirect, findings suggest that pressure and caffeine shape performance via distinct mechanisms, rather than a shared one. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Performance processes within affect-related performance zones: a multi-modal investigation of golf performance.

PubMed

van der Lei, Harry; Tenenbaum, Gershon

2012-12-01

Individual affect-related performance zones (IAPZs) method utilizing Kamata et al. (J Sport Exerc Psychol 24:189-208, 2002) probabilistic model of determining the individual zone of optimal functioning was utilized as idiosyncratic affective patterns during golf performance. To do so, three male golfers of a varsity golf team were observed during three rounds of golf competition. The investigation implemented a multi-modal assessment approach in which the probabilistic relationship between affective states and both, performance process and performance outcome, measures were determined. More specifically, introspective (i.e., verbal reports) and objective (heart rate and respiration rate) measures of arousal were incorporated to examine the relationships between arousal states and both, process components (i.e., routine consistency, timing), and outcome scores related to golf performance. Results revealed distinguishable and idiosyncratic IAPZs associated with physiological and introspective measures for each golfer. The associations between the IAPZs and decision-making or swing/stroke execution were strong and unique for each golfer. Results are elaborated using cognitive and affect-related concepts, and applications for practitioners are provided.

Complex-formation between reduced xanthine oxidase and purine substrates demonstrated by electron paramagnetic resonance

PubMed Central

Pick, Frances M.; Bray, R. C.

1969-01-01

The origin of the Rapid molybdenum electron-paramagnetic-resonance signals, which are obtained on reducing xanthine oxidase with purine or with xanthine, and whose parameters were measured by Bray & Vänngård (1969), was studied. It is concluded that these signals represent complexes of reduced enzyme with substrate molecules. Xanthine forms one complex at high concentrations and a different one at low concentrations. Purine forms a complex indistinguishable from the low-concentration xanthine complex. There are indications that some other substrates also form complexes, but uric acid, a reaction product, does not appear to do so. The possible significance of the complexes in the catalytic cycle of the enzyme is discussed and it is suggested that they represent substrate molecules bound at the reduced active site, waiting their turn to react there, when the enzyme has been reoxidized. Support for this role for the complexes was deduced from experiments in which frozen samples of enzyme–xanthine mixtures, prepared by the rapid-freezing method, were warmed until the signals began to change. Under these conditions an increase in amplitude of the Very Rapid signal took place. Data bearing on the origin of the Slow molybdenum signal are also discussed. This signal disappears only slowly in the presence of oxygen, and its appearance rate is unaffected by change in the concentration of dithionite. It is concluded that, like other signals from the enzyme, it is due to Mov but that a slow change of ligand takes place before it is seen. The Slow species, like the Rapid, seems capable of forming complexes with purines. PMID:4310056

The Molybdenum(V) and Tungsten(VI) Oxoazides [MoO(N3 )3 ], [MoO(N3 )3 ⋅2 CH3 CN], [(bipy)MoO(N3 )3 ], [MoO(N3 )5 ](2-) , [WO(N3 )4 ], and [WO(N3 )4 ⋅CH3 CN].

PubMed

Haiges, Ralf; Skotnitzki, Juri; Fang, Zongtang; Dixon, David A; Christe, Karl O

2015-12-14

A series of novel molybdenum(V) and tungsten(VI) oxoazides was prepared starting from [MOF4 ] (M=Mo, W) and Me3 SiN3 . While [WO(N3 )4 ] was formed through fluoride-azide exchange in the reaction of Me3 SiN3 with WOF4 in SO2 solution, the reaction with MoOF4 resulted in a reduction of Mo(VI) to Mo(V) and formation of [MoO(N3 )3 ]. Carried out in acetonitrile solution, these reactions resulted in the isolation of the corresponding adducts [MoO(N3 )3 ⋅2 CH3 CN] and [WO(N3 )4 ⋅CH3 CN]. Subsequent reactions of [MoO(N3 )3 ] with 2,2'-bipyridine and [PPh4 ][N3 ] resulted in the formation and isolation of [(bipy)MoO(N3 )3 ] and [PPh4 ]2 [MoO(N3 )5 ], respectively. Most molybdenum(V) and tungsten(VI) oxoazides were fully characterized by their vibrational spectra, impact, friction and thermal sensitivity data and, in the case of [WO(N3 )4 ⋅CH3 CN], [(bipy)MoO(N3 )3 ], and [PPh4 ]2 [MoO(N3 )5 ], by their X-ray crystal structures. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

RNA helicase A is not required for RISC activity.

PubMed

Liang, Xue-Hai; Crooke, Stanley T

2013-10-01

It has been shown that siRNAs can compete with each other or with endogenous miRNAs for RISC components. This competition may complicate the interpretations of phenotypes observed through siRNA-mediated knockdown of genes, especially those genes implicated in the RISC pathway. In this study, we re-examined the function of RNA helicase A (RHA), which has been previously proposed to function in RISC loading based on siRNA-mediated knockdown studies. Here we show that reduced RISC activity or loading of siRNAs was observed only in cells depleted of RHA using siRNA, but not using RNaseH-dependent antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), suggesting that the impaired RISC function stems from the competition between pre-existing and newly transfected siRNAs, but not from reduction of the RHA protein. This view is further supported by the findings that cells depleted of a control protein, NCL1, using siRNA, but not ASO, exhibited similar defects on the loading and activity of a subsequently transfected siRNA. Transfection of RHA or NCL1 siRNAs, but not ASOs, reduced the levels of endogenous miRNAs, suggesting a competition mechanism. As a positive control, we showed that reduction of MOV10 by either siRNA or ASO decreased siRNA activity, confirming its role in RISC function. Together, our results indicate that RHA is not required for RISC activity or loading, and suggest that proper controls are required when using siRNAs to functionalize genes to avoid competition effects. © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reactive Fabrication and Effect of NbC on Microstructure and Tribological Properties of CrS Co-Based Self-Lubricating Coatings by Laser Cladding

PubMed Central

Fang, Liuyang; Yan, Hua; Yao, Yansong; Zhang, Peilei; Gao, Qiushi; Qin, Yang

2017-01-01

The CrS/NbC Co-based self-lubricating composite coatings were successfully fabricated on Cr12MoV steel surface by laser clad Stellite 6, WS2, and NbC mixed powders. The phase composition, microstructure, and tribological properties of the coatings ware investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), as well as dry sliding wear testing. Based on the experimental results, it was found reactions between WS2 and Co-based alloy powder had occurred, which generated solid-lubricant phase CrS, and NbC play a key role in improving CrS nuclear and refining microstructure of Co-based composite coating during laser cladding processing. The coatings were mainly composed of γ-Co, CrS, NbC, Cr23C6, and CoCx. Due to the distribution of the relatively hard phase of NbC and the solid lubricating phase CrS, the coatings had better wear resistance. Moreover, the suitable balance of CrS and NbC was favorable for further decreasing the friction and improving the stability of the contact surfaces between the WC ball and the coatings. The microhardness, friction coefficient, and wear rate of the coating 4 (Clad powders composed of 60 wt % Stellite 6, 30 wt % NbC and 10 wt % WS2) were 587.3 HV0.5, 0.426, and 5.61 × 10−5 mm3/N·m, respectively. PMID:29283411

Performing a secondary executive task with affective stimuli interferes with decision making under risk conditions.

PubMed

Gathmann, Bettina; Pawlikowski, Mirko; Schöler, Tobias; Brand, Matthias

2014-05-01

Previous studies demonstrated that executive functions are crucial for advantageous decision making under risk and that therefore decision making is disrupted when working memory capacity is demanded while working on a decision task. While some studies also showed that emotions can affect decision making under risk, it is unclear how affective processing and executive functions predict decision-making performance in interaction. The current experimental study used a between-subjects design to examine whether affective pictures (positive and negative pictures compared to neutral pictures), included in a parallel executive task (working memory 2-back task), have an impact on decision making under risk as assessed by the Game of Dice Task (GDT). Moreover, the performance GDT plus 2-back task was compared to the performance in the GDT without any additional task (GDT solely). The results show that the performance in the GDT differed between groups (positive, negative, neutral, and GDT solely). The groups with affective pictures, especially those with positive pictures in the 2-back task, showed more disadvantageous decisions in the GDT than the groups with neutral pictures and the group performing the GDT without any additional task. However, executive functions moderated the effect of the affective pictures. Regardless of affective influence, subjects with good executive functions performed advantageously in the GDT. These findings support the assumption that executive functions and emotional processing interact in predicting decision making under risk.

Affective and cognitive reactions to subliminal flicker from fluorescent lighting.

PubMed

Knez, Igor

2014-05-01

This study renews the classical concept of subliminal perception (Peirce & Jastrow, 1884) by investigating the impact of subliminal flicker from fluorescent lighting on affect and cognitive performance. It was predicted that low compared to high frequency lighting (latter compared to former emits non-flickering light) would evoke larger changes in affective states and also impair cognitive performance. Subjects reported high rather than low frequency lighting to be more pleasant, which, in turn, enhanced their problem solving performance. This suggests that sensory processing can take place outside of conscious awareness resulting in conscious emotional consequences; indicating a role of affect in subliminal/implicit perception, and that positive affect may facilitate cognitive task performance. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Students' Achievement Goals, Emotion Perception Ability and Affect and Performance in the Classroom: A Multilevel Examination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vassiou, Aikaterini; Mouratidis, Athanasios; Andreou, Eleni; Kafetsios, Konstantinos

2016-01-01

Performance at school is affected not only by students' achievement goals but also by emotional exchanges among classmates and their teacher. In this study, we investigated relationships between students' achievement goals and emotion perception ability and class affect and performance. Participants were 949 Greek adolescent students in 49 classes…

The Mechanics of Social Capital and Academic Performance in an Indian College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hasan, Sharique; Bagde, Surendrakumar

2013-01-01

In this article we examine how social capital affects the creation of human capital. Specifically, we study how college students' peers affect academic performance. Building on existing research, we consider the different types of peers in the academic context and the various mechanisms through which peers affect performance. We test our model…

Flow, affect and visual creativity.

PubMed

Cseh, Genevieve M; Phillips, Louise H; Pearson, David G

2015-01-01

Flow (being in the zone) is purported to have positive consequences in terms of affect and performance; however, there is no empirical evidence about these links in visual creativity. Positive affect often--but inconsistently--facilitates creativity, and both may be linked to experiencing flow. This study aimed to determine relationships between these variables within visual creativity. Participants performed the creative mental synthesis task to simulate the creative process. Affect change (pre- vs. post-task) and flow were measured via questionnaires. The creativity of synthesis drawings was rated objectively and subjectively by judges. Findings empirically demonstrate that flow is related to affect improvement during visual creativity. Affect change was linked to productivity and self-rated creativity, but no other objective or subjective performance measures. Flow was unrelated to all external performance measures but was highly correlated with self-rated creativity; flow may therefore motivate perseverance towards eventual excellence rather than provide direct cognitive enhancement.

Mechanisms linking affective reactions to competition-related and competition-extraneous concerns in male martial artists

PubMed Central

Cerin, E; Barnett, A

2011-01-01

The main aim of this study was to examine affective linkages between competition-related and competition-extraneous concern domains. A secondary purpose was to establish the contributions of pre-competition affects to post-competition performance appraisals, independent of pre-competition performance expectations. Thirty-nine highly skilled male martial artists were assessed at five random times a day for a week and 1 h before a major competition on affective states and sources of concern. They also reported their performance expectations and post-competition performance appraisals. Affective states triggered by competition-related and competition-extraneous concerns persisted in time. Carry-over effects were stronger after reports of competition-related concerns, emphasizing the subjective importance of the competitive event. Although positive (enjoyment and surprise) and negative (sadness and guilt) affective spill-over was observed from competition-extraneous to competition-related concerns, the reverse held true only for disgust. These findings may be due to the athletes' ability to regulate affective reactions within a sporting setting, in particular. Spill-over from competition-extraneous to competition-related concerns is indicative of a lesser degree of control over work/study and family life. Given that average weekly negative affects and anger/disgust were independent predictors of post-competition performance appraisals, the phenomenon of spill-over and other affective linkage mechanisms in sport warrant further investigation. PMID:21917020

Always look on the broad side of life: happiness increases the breadth of sensory memory.

PubMed

Kuhbandner, Christof; Lichtenfeld, Stephanie; Pekrun, Reinhard

2011-08-01

Research has shown that positive affect increases the breadth of information processing at several higher stages of information processing, such as attentional selection or knowledge activation. In the present study, we examined whether these affective influences are already present at the level of transiently storing incoming information in sensory memory, before attentional selection takes place. After inducing neutral, happy, or sad affect, participants performed an iconic memory task which measures visual sensory memory. In all conditions, iconic memory performance rapidly decreased with increasing delay between stimulus presentation and test, indicating that affect did not influence the decay of iconic memory. However, positive affect increased the amount of incoming information stored in iconic memory. In particular, our results showed that this occurs due to an elimination of the spatial bias typically observed in iconic memory. Whereas performance did not differ at positions where observers in the neutral and negative conditions showed the highest performance, positive affect enhanced performance at all positions where observers in the neutral and negative conditions were relatively "blind." These findings demonstrate that affect influences the breadth of information processing already at earliest processing stages, suggesting that affect may produce an even more fundamental shift in information processing than previously believed. 2011 APA, all rights reserved

35 GHz ENDOR characterization of the "very rapid" signal of xanthine oxidase reacted with 2-hydroxy-6-methylpurine (13C8): evidence against direct Mo-C8 interaction.

PubMed

Manikandan, P; Choi, E Y; Hille, R; Hoffman, B M

2001-03-21

Xanthine oxidase is a molybdenum-containing enzyme that catalyzes the hydroxylation of xanthine and a wide variety of other aromatic heterocycles. In the course of the reaction with xanthine and substrates such as 2-hydroxy-6-methylpurine (HMP), the enzyme gives rise to a Mo(V) EPR signal, denoted "very rapid", that arises from an authentic catalytic intermediate. The two alternative catalytic mechanisms proposed for this enzyme differ critically in whether the distance between Mo and C8 of the purine nucleus in this intermediate is short enough to admit a direct bonding interaction. To examine this distance, we have performed 13C ENDOR measurements of the "very rapid" EPR signal generated by xanthine oxidase during reaction with 13C8-HMP. The resulting (13)C8 hyperfine tensor, A = [10.2(1), 7.0(1), 6.5(1)] MHz, is discussed in the framework of a detailed consideration of factors involved in extracting metrical parameters from an anisotropic hyperfine interaction composed of contributions from multiple sources, in particular, the effect of the local contributions from spin density on (13)C8. The analysis presented here gives a Mo...C distance whose value is expected to be ca. 2.7-2.9 A in the "very rapid" intermediates formed with both xanthine and HMP, consistent with plausible bond lengths for a Mo-O-C8 fragment where C8 is a trigonal-planar aromatic carbon. The difference from earlier conclusions is explained. The data thus do not support the existence of a direct Mo-C bond in the signal-giving species. This conclusion supports a mechanism that does not involve such an interaction and which begins with base-assisted nucleophilic attack of the Mo(VI)-OH group on the C-8 of substrate, with concomitant hydride transfer to the Mo=S group to give Mo(IV)-SH; the EPR-active "very rapid" species then forms by one-electron oxidation and deprotonation to yield the EPR-detectable Mo(V)OS(OR) species. We further discuss the complexities and limitations of the semiempirical method used to arrive at these conclusions.

A flexible influence of affective feelings on creative and analytic performance.

PubMed

Huntsinger, Jeffrey R; Ray, Cara

2016-09-01

Considerable research shows that positive affect improves performance on creative tasks and negative affect improves performance on analytic tasks. The present research entertained the idea that affective feelings have flexible, rather than fixed, effects on cognitive performance. Consistent with the idea that positive and negative affect signal the value of accessible processing inclinations, the influence of affective feelings on performance on analytic or creative tasks was found to be flexibly responsive to the relative accessibility of different styles of processing (i.e., heuristic vs. systematic, global vs. local). When a global processing orientation was accessible happy participants generated more creative uses for a brick (Experiment 1), successfully solved more remote associates and insight problems (Experiment 2) and displayed broader categorization (Experiment 3) than those in sad moods. When a local processing orientation was accessible this pattern reversed. When a heuristic processing style was accessible happy participants were more likely to commit the conjunction fallacy (Experiment 3) and showed less pronounced anchoring effects (Experiment 4) than sad participants. When a systematic processing style was accessible this pattern reversed. Implications of these results for relevant affect-cognition models are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Cognition-Based and Affect-Based Trust as Mediators of Leader Behavior Influences on Team Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaubroeck, John; Lam, Simon S. K.; Peng, Ann Chunyan

2011-01-01

We develop a model in which cognitive and affective trust in the leader mediate the relationship between leader behavior and team psychological states that, in turn, drive team performance. The model is tested on a sample of 191 financial services teams in Hong Kong and the U.S. Servant leadership influenced team performance through affect-based…

The Functional Effect of Teacher Positive and Neutral Affect on Task Performance of Students with Significant Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Sungho; Singer, George H. S.; Gibson, Mary

2005-01-01

The study uses an alternating treatment design to evaluate the functional effect of teacher's affect on students' task performance. Tradition in special education holds that teachers should engage students using positive and enthusiastic affect for task presentations and praise. To test this assumption, we compared two affective conditions. Three…

Perfectionism, Performance, and State Positive Affect and Negative Affect after a Classroom Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flett, Gordon L.; Blankstein, Kirk R.; Hewitt, Paul L.

2009-01-01

The current study examined the associations among trait dimensions of perfectionism, test performance, and levels of positive and negative affect after taking a test. A sample of 92 female university students completed the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale one week prior to an actual class test. Measures of positive affect and negative affect…

Positive is usually good, negative is not always bad: The effects of group affect on social integration and task performance.

PubMed

Knight, Andrew P; Eisenkraft, Noah

2015-07-01

Grounded in a social functional perspective, this article examines the conditions under which group affect influences group functioning. Using meta-analysis, the authors leverage heterogeneity across 39 independent studies of 2,799 groups to understand how contextual factors-group affect source (exogenous or endogenous to the group) and group life span (one-shot or ongoing)-moderate the influence of shared feelings on social integration and task performance. As predicted, results indicate that group positive affect has consistent positive effects on social integration and task performance regardless of contextual idiosyncrasies. The effects of group negative affect, on the other hand, are context-dependent. Shared negative feelings promote social integration and task performance when stemming from an exogenous source or experienced in a 1-shot group, but undermine social integration and task performance when stemming from an endogenous source or experienced in an ongoing group. The authors discuss implications of their findings and highlight directions for future theory and research on group affect. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Can "the voices in the car" persuade drivers to go green?: effects of benefit appeals from in-vehicle voice agents and the role of drivers' affective states on eco-driving.

PubMed

Joo, Yeon Kyoung; Lee, Jong-Eun Roselyn

2014-04-01

The present research investigated the possibility of using an in-vehicle voice agent to promote eco-driving. Considering that both types of benefit appeals--egoistic (emphasizing benefits to the self) and altruistic (emphasizing benefits to others)--could be employed to promote eco-driving behavior, we explored the effects of benefit appeals delivered by an in-vehicle voice agent on driving performance. In particular, we tested whether and how the valence (positive vs. negative) of drivers' affective states moderates the effects, drawing on the functionalist affect-cognition framework, which has theorized that positive affect leads people to focus more on self-interest, whereas negative affect leads people to become more sensitive to social norms. An experiment was conducted in which participants, after undergoing affect (happy vs. sad) elicitation, received messages (egoistic vs. altruistic) promoting eco-driving from an in-vehicle voice agent while performing a simulated driving task. Results were partially consistent with the functionalist affect-cognition framework. Happy participants performed better on eco-driving when they were exposed to egoistic appeals than to altruistic appeals. On the other hand, the driving performance data from sad participants did not yield a significant difference between the egoistic condition and the altruistic condition. Participants' driving performance data further revealed that the joint effects of benefit appeals and affective states on safe driving performance mirrored the joint effects on eco-driving performance, confirming a close relationship between the two driving behaviors. Theoretical and practical implications for the use of in-vehicle voice agents and benefit appeals in promoting eco-driving and safe driving are discussed.

Neurobiological mechanisms associated with facial affect recognition deficits after traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Neumann, Dawn; McDonald, Brenna C; West, John; Keiski, Michelle A; Wang, Yang

2016-06-01

The neurobiological mechanisms that underlie facial affect recognition deficits after traumatic brain injury (TBI) have not yet been identified. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), study aims were to 1) determine if there are differences in brain activation during facial affect processing in people with TBI who have facial affect recognition impairments (TBI-I) relative to people with TBI and healthy controls who do not have facial affect recognition impairments (TBI-N and HC, respectively); and 2) identify relationships between neural activity and facial affect recognition performance. A facial affect recognition screening task performed outside the scanner was used to determine group classification; TBI patients who performed greater than one standard deviation below normal performance scores were classified as TBI-I, while TBI patients with normal scores were classified as TBI-N. An fMRI facial recognition paradigm was then performed within the 3T environment. Results from 35 participants are reported (TBI-I = 11, TBI-N = 12, and HC = 12). For the fMRI task, TBI-I and TBI-N groups scored significantly lower than the HC group. Blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signals for facial affect recognition compared to a baseline condition of viewing a scrambled face, revealed lower neural activation in the right fusiform gyrus (FG) in the TBI-I group than the HC group. Right fusiform gyrus activity correlated with accuracy on the facial affect recognition tasks (both within and outside the scanner). Decreased FG activity suggests facial affect recognition deficits after TBI may be the result of impaired holistic face processing. Future directions and clinical implications are discussed.

Factors that influence tractive performance of wheels, tracks, and vehicles

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Traction of agricultural vehicles and other off-road vehicles is important in allowing these vehicles to perform their desired tasks. This book chapter describes factors affecting the off-road tractive performance of tires and rubber tracks. Tractive performance is affected by soil type, soil cond...

Differentiating Motivational from Affective Influence of Performance-contingent Reward on Cognitive Control: The Wanting Component Enhances Both Proactive and Reactive Control.

PubMed

Chaillou, Anne-Clémence; Giersch, Anne; Hoonakker, Marc; Capa, Rémi L; Bonnefond, Anne

2017-04-01

Positive affect strongly modulates goal-directed behaviors and cognitive control mechanisms. It often results from the presence of a pleasant stimulus in the environment, whether that stimulus appears unpredictably or as a consequence of a particular behavior. The influence of positive affect linked to a random pleasant stimulus differs from the influence of positive affect resulting from performance-contingent pleasant stimuli. However, the mechanisms by which the performance contingency of pleasant stimuli modulates the influence of positive affect on cognitive control mechanisms have not been elucidated. Here, we tested the hypothesis that these differentiated effects are the consequence of the activation of the motivational "wanting" component specifically under performance contingency conditions. To that end, we directly compared the effects on cognitive control of pleasant stimuli (a monetary reward) attributed in a performance contingent manner, and of random pleasant stimuli (positive picture) not related to performance, during an AX-CPT task. Both proactive and reactive modes of control were increased specifically by performance contingency, as reflected by faster reaction times and larger amplitude of the CNV and P3a components. Our findings advance our understanding of the respective effects of affect and motivation, which is of special interest regarding alterations of emotion-motivation interaction found in several psychopathological disorders. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 60.190 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Standards of Performance for Primary Aluminum Reduction Plants § 60.190 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The affected facilities in primary aluminum reduction plants to which this subpart applies are...

Mental toughness in sport: motivational antecedents and associations with performance and psychological health.

PubMed

Mahoney, John W; Gucciardi, Daniel F; Ntoumanis, Nikos; Mallett, Cliff J; Mallet, Cliff J

2014-06-01

We argue that basic psychological needs theory (BPNT) offers impetus to the value of mental toughness as a mechanism for optimizing human functioning. We hypothesized that psychological needs satisfaction (thwarting) would be associated with higher (lower) levels of mental toughness, positive affect, and performance and lower (higher) levels of negative affect. We also expected that mental toughness would be associated with higher levels of positive affect and performance and lower levels of negative affect. Further, we predicted that coaching environments would be related to mental toughness indirectly through psychological needs and that psychological needs would indirectly relate with performance and affect through mental toughness. Adolescent cross-country runners (136 male and 85 female, M(age) = 14.36) completed questionnaires pertaining to BPNT variables, mental toughness, and affect. Race times were also collected. Our findings supported our hypotheses. We concluded that BPNT is generative in understanding some of the antecedents and consequences of mental toughness and is a novel framework useful for understanding mental toughness.

Cognition-based and affect-based trust as mediators of leader behavior influences on team performance.

PubMed

Schaubroeck, John; Lam, Simon S K; Peng, Ann Chunyan

2011-07-01

We develop a model in which cognitive and affective trust in the leader mediate the relationship between leader behavior and team psychological states that, in turn, drive team performance. The model is tested on a sample of 191 financial services teams in Hong Kong and the U.S. Servant leadership influenced team performance through affect-based trust and team psychological safety. Transformational leadership influenced team performance indirectly through cognition-based trust. Cognition-based trust directly influenced team potency and indirectly (through affect-based trust) influenced team psychological safety. The effects of leader behavior on team performance were fully mediated through the trust in leader variables and the team psychological states. Servant leadership explained an additional 10% of the variance in team performance beyond the effect of transformational leadership. We discuss implications of these results for research on the relationship between leader behavior and team performance, and for efforts to enhance leader development by combining knowledge from different leadership theories.

Mathematics Anxiety and the Affective Drop in Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ashcraft, Mark H.; Moore, Alex M.

2009-01-01

The authors provide a brief review of the history and assessment of math anxiety, its relationship to personal and educational consequences, and its important impact on measures of performance. Overall, math anxiety causes an "affective drop," a decline in performance when math is performed under timed, high-stakes conditions, both in laboratory…

Changes in task self-efficacy and emotion across competitive performances in golf.

PubMed

Boardley, Ian D; Jackson, Ben; Simmons, Alexander

2015-08-01

This research aimed to investigate (a) the effect of golfers' perceptions of coach motivation efficacy on golfers' precompetition task self-efficacy, (b) the effect of performance on pre-to-postround changes in self-efficacy, (c) the effect of pre-to-postround changes in self-efficacy on pre-to-postround changes in affect and emotion, and (d) whether any effects of performance on pre-to-postcompetition changes in affect and emotion were mediated by pre-to-postcompetition changes in self-efficacy. In Study 1, a scale measuring golf self-efficacy was developed and validated using data from 197 golfers. In Study 2, 200 golfers completed this measure alongside measures of coach motivation efficacy, and positive and negative affect before a golf competition; all measures (except coach motivation efficacy) were again completed following the competition. Structural equation modeling showed that coach motivation efficacy positively predicted precompetition self-efficacy, performance positively predicted pre-to-postcompetition changes in self-efficacy, which had positive and negative effects, respectively, on pre-to-postcompetition changes in positive and negative affect; mediation analyses demonstrated that pre-to-postcompetition changes in self-efficacy mediated effects of performance on pre-to-postcompetition changes in positive and negative affect. In Study 3, the Study-2 procedures were replicated with a separate sample of 212 golfers, except measures of excitement, concentration disruption, somatic anxiety, and worry replaced those for positive and negative affect. Structural analyses showed the findings from Study 2 were largely replicated when specific emotions were investigated in place of general indices of affect. This investigation makes novel contributions regarding the potential importance of perceptions of coach efficacy for golfers' own efficacy beliefs, and the role personal efficacy beliefs may play in facilitating the effects of performance on affective outcomes.

Relations between affective music and speech: evidence from dynamics of affective piano performance and speech production.

PubMed

Liu, Xiaoluan; Xu, Yi

2015-01-01

This study compares affective piano performance with speech production from the perspective of dynamics: unlike previous research, this study uses finger force and articulatory effort as indexes reflecting the dynamics of affective piano performance and speech production respectively. Moreover, for the first time physical constraints such as piano fingerings and speech articulatory constraints are included due to their potential contribution to different patterns of dynamics. A piano performance experiment and speech production experiment were conducted in four emotions: anger, fear, happiness and sadness. The results show that in both piano performance and speech production, anger and happiness generally have high dynamics while sadness has the lowest dynamics. Fingerings interact with fear in the piano experiment and articulatory constraints interact with anger in the speech experiment, i.e., large physical constraints produce significantly higher dynamics than small physical constraints in piano performance under the condition of fear and in speech production under the condition of anger. Using production experiments, this study firstly supports previous perception studies on relations between affective music and speech. Moreover, this is the first study to show quantitative evidence for the importance of considering motor aspects such as dynamics in comparing music performance and speech production in which motor mechanisms play a crucial role.

Relations between affective music and speech: evidence from dynamics of affective piano performance and speech production

PubMed Central

Liu, Xiaoluan; Xu, Yi

2015-01-01

This study compares affective piano performance with speech production from the perspective of dynamics: unlike previous research, this study uses finger force and articulatory effort as indexes reflecting the dynamics of affective piano performance and speech production respectively. Moreover, for the first time physical constraints such as piano fingerings and speech articulatory constraints are included due to their potential contribution to different patterns of dynamics. A piano performance experiment and speech production experiment were conducted in four emotions: anger, fear, happiness and sadness. The results show that in both piano performance and speech production, anger and happiness generally have high dynamics while sadness has the lowest dynamics. Fingerings interact with fear in the piano experiment and articulatory constraints interact with anger in the speech experiment, i.e., large physical constraints produce significantly higher dynamics than small physical constraints in piano performance under the condition of fear and in speech production under the condition of anger. Using production experiments, this study firstly supports previous perception studies on relations between affective music and speech. Moreover, this is the first study to show quantitative evidence for the importance of considering motor aspects such as dynamics in comparing music performance and speech production in which motor mechanisms play a crucial role. PMID:26217252

Neonicotinoid insecticides negatively affect performance measures of non‐target terrestrial arthropods: a meta‐analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Main, Anson; Webb, Elisabeth B.; Goyne, Keith W.; Mengel, Doreen C.

2018-01-01

Neonicotinoid insecticides are currently the fastest‐growing and most widely used insecticide class worldwide. Valued for their versatility in application, these insecticides may cause deleterious effects in a range of non‐target (beneficial) arthropods. However, it remains unclear whether strong patterns exist in terms of their major effects, if broad measures of arthropod performance are negatively affected, or whether different functional groups are equally vulnerable. Here, we present a meta‐analysis of 372 observations from 44 field and laboratory studies that describe neonicotinoid effects on 14 arthropod orders across five broad performance measures: abundance, behavior, condition, reproductive success, and survival. Across studies, neonicotinoids negatively affected all performance metrics evaluated; however, magnitude of the effects varied. Arthropod behavior and survival were the most negatively affected and abundance was the least negatively affected. Effects on arthropod functional groups were inconsistent. Pollinator condition, reproductive success, and survival were significantly lower in neonicotinoid treatments compared to untreated controls; whereas, neonicotinoid effects on detritivores were not significant. Although magnitude of arthropod response to neonicotinoids varied among performance measures and functional groups, we documented a consistent negative relationship between exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides in published studies and beneficial arthropod performance.

Understanding pretest and posttest reactions to cognitive ability and personality tests.

PubMed

Chan, D; Schmitt, N; Sacco, J M; DeShon, R P

1998-06-01

To understand the nature of test reactions and their relationship to test performance, the relationships among belief in tests, pretest reactions, test performance, and posttest reactions were modeled for cognitive ability and personality tests. Results from structural equation models that were fitted to responses from 197 undergraduate examinees supported the hypothesized relationships. On the cognitive ability test, pretest reactions affected test performance and mediated the relationship between belief in tests and test performance. Test performance affected posttest reactions even after taking into account the effect of pretest reactions. On the personality test, belief in tests affected pretest and posttest reactions, but the three variables were unrelated to test performance (Conscientiousness scores). Conceptual, methodological, and practical implications of the findings are discussed in the context of research on test reactions and test performance.

Structural and Thermodynamic Comparison of the Catalytic Domain of AMSH and AMSH-LP: Nearly Identical Fold but Different Stability

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Davies, Christopher W.; Paul, Lake N.; Kim, Myung-Il

2012-02-07

AMSH plays a critical role in the ESCRT (endosomal sorting complexes required for transport) machinery, which facilitates the down-regulation and degradation of cell-surface receptors. It displays a high level of specificity toward cleavage of Lys63-linked polyubiquitin chains, the structural basis of which has been understood recently through the crystal structure of a highly related, but ESCRT-independent, protein AMSH-LP (AMSH-like protein). We have determined the X-ray structure of two constructs representing the catalytic domain of AMSH: AMSH244, the JAMM (JAB1/MPN/MOV34)-domain-containing polypeptide segment from residues 244 to 424, and AMSH219{sup E280A}, an active-site mutant, Glu280 to Ala, of the segment from 219more » to 424. In addition to confirming the expected zinc coordination in the protein, the structures reveal that the catalytic domains of AMSH and AMSH-LP are nearly identical; however, guanidine-hydrochloride-induced unfolding studies show that the catalytic domain of AMSH is thermodynamically less stable than that of AMSH-LP, indicating that the former is perhaps structurally more plastic. Much to our surprise, in the AMSH219{sup E280A} structure, the catalytic zinc was still held in place, by the compensatory effect of an aspartate from a nearby loop moving into a position where it could coordinate with the zinc, once again suggesting the plasticity of AMSH. Additionally, a model of AMSH244 bound to Lys63-linked diubiquitin reveals a type of interface for the distal ubiquitin significantly different from that seen in AMSH-LP. Altogether, we believe that our data provide important insight into the structural difference between the two proteins that may translate into the difference in their biological function.« less

Consultants' Corner: System Performance. A Forum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drabenstott, John, Ed.

1986-01-01

Five library consultants address issues that affect online system performance: options in system design that relate to diverse library requirements; criteria that most affect performance; benchmark tests and sizing criteria; minimalizing the risks of miscalculation; and the roles and responsibilities of vendors, libraries, and consultants.…

The effect of occupational health and safety, work environment and discipline on employee performance in a consumer goods company

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Putri, D. O.; Triatmanto, B.; Setiyadi, S.

2018-04-01

Employee performance can be the supporting factor of company performance. However, employee performance can be affected by several factors. Employees can have optimal performance if they feel safe, have good working environment and have discipline. The purposes of this research are to analyze the effect of occupational health and safety, work environment and discipline on the employee performance in PPIC Thermo section in a consumer goods company and to find the dominant variable which primarily affects employee performance. This research was conducted by taking data from 47 respondents. The data were collected using questionnaire. The techniques in data analysis is multiple linear regression with SPSS software. The result shows that occupational health and safety, work environment and discipline are simultaneously significant to the employee performance. Discipline holds the dominant factor which affects employee performance.

Do prospective workday appraisals influence end-of-workday affect and self-monitored performance?

PubMed

Grawitch, Matthew J; Granda, Stephanie E; Barber, Larissa K

2008-10-01

The current study uses self-regulation as the basis for a model that examines the influence of three types of workday appraisals (resource, task, and response). At the beginning of their workday, a total of 170 faculty, graduate students, and staff of a university completed appraisal ratings of their anticipated workday tasks, resources, and responses. At the end of the workday, they completed assessments of positive and negative affect and self-monitored performance. Results suggested that resource appraisals of control and skills were predictive of task appraisals of difficulty, threat, and ambiguity. Task appraisals were then predictive of both response appraisals, in terms of anticipated support and effort, and self-monitored performance at the end of the day. Anticipated effort and self-monitored performance were both positively related to positive affect at the end of the day. Anticipated support and self-monitored performance were both negatively related to negative affect at the end of the day, while threat task appraisals were positively related to negative affect. Implications of the results for workplace interventions are discussed.

Identifying Affective Domains That Correlate and Predict Mathematics Performance in High-Performing Students in Singapore

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lim, Siew Yee; Chapman, Elaine

2015-01-01

Past studies have shown that distinct yet highly correlated sub-constructs of three broad mathematics affective variables: (a) motivation, (b) attitudes and (c) anxiety, have varying degree of correlation with mathematics achievement. The sub-constructs of these three affective constructs are as follows: (a) (i) amotivation, (ii) external…

Using a False Biofeedback Methodology to Explore Relationships between Learners' Affect, Metacognition, and Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strain, Amber Chauncey; Azevedo, Roger; D'Mello, Sidney K.

2013-01-01

We used a false-biofeedback methodology to manipulate physiological arousal in order to induce affective states that would influence learners' metacognitive judgments and learning performance. False-biofeedback is a method used to induce physiological arousal (and resultant affective states) by presenting learners with audio stimuli of false heart…

Psychological Factor Affecting English Speaking Performance for the English Learners in Indonesia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haidara, Youssouf

2016-01-01

In every learning situation or environment, human psychology plays a significant role. English speaking is a language skill that is highly affected by human psychology. This research aimed at describing the psychological factor that affects negatively the English speaking performance for the English learners in Indonesia. A descriptive qualitative…

Investigating Learner Affective Performance in Web-Based Learning by Using Entrepreneurship as a Metaphor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Ming-Chou; Chi, Ming-Hsiao

2012-01-01

In the era of the Internet, factors which influence effective learning in a Web-based learning environment are well worth exploring. In addition to knowledge acquisition and skills training, affect is also an important factor, since successful learning requires excellent affective performance. Thus this study focuses on learners' affective…

The Effect of Acute Exercise on Affect and Arousal in Inpatient Mental Health Consumers.

PubMed

Stanton, Robert; Reaburn, Peter; Happell, Brenda

2016-09-01

Acute exercise performed at a self-selected intensity improves affect and may improve long-term adherence. Similarly, in people with severe depression, acute aerobic exercise performed at self-selected intensity improves affect and arousal. However, the relationship between changes in affect and arousal and perceived exercise intensity in people with mental illness has not been evaluated. Affect and arousal were assessed immediately prior to, and immediately following, a group exercise program performed at a self-selected intensity in 40 inpatient mental health consumers who received a diagnosis of anxiety or bipolar or depressive disorders. Exercise intensity was assessed immediately after exercise. Postexercise affect was significantly improved for people with bipolar and depressive disorders but not for people with anxiety disorders. For the group as a whole, results showed a significant curvilinear relationship between ratings of perceived exertion and postexercise affect. These data will inform the development and delivery of future exercise interventions for inpatient mental health consumers.

Changes in track and field performance with chronological aging.

PubMed

Fung, L; Ha, A

1994-01-01

Use of existing records to study performance decline with age has been recommended by several writers. This investigation attempts to identify one running, jumping, and throwing event whose performance was most affected by age. Results indicated that the 400 meter run and the long jump events were most affected by advancing age among both male and female master athletes whereas in the area of throws, the event most affected was the javelin for men and the discus for women.

40 CFR 60.290 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Standards of Performance for Glass Manufacturing Plants § 60.290 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a...

40 CFR 60.80 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

...) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Standards of Performance for Sulfuric Acid Plants § 60.80 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The...

40 CFR 60.80 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Standards of Performance for Sulfuric Acid Plants § 60.80 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The...

Performance of full-sib families of Douglas-fir in pure-family and mixed-family deployments

Treesearch

Peter J. Gould; J. Bradley St.Clair; Paul D. Anderson

2011-01-01

A major objective of tree improvement programs is to identify genotypes that will perform well in operational deployments. Relatively little is known, however, about how the competitive environment affects performance in different types of deployments. We tested whether the genetic composition and density of deployments affect the performance of full-sib families of...

SNAP 10A FS-3 reactor performance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hawley, J.P.; Johnson, R.A.

1966-08-15

SNAP 10FS-3 was the first flight-qualified SNAP reactor system to be operated in a simulated space environment. Prestart-up qualification testing, automatic start-up, endurance period performance, extended operation test and reactor shutdown are described as they affected, or were affected by, overall reactor performance. Performance of the reactor control system and the diagnostic instrumentation is critically evaluted.

45 CFR 305.62 - Disregard of a failure which is of a technical nature.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES PROGRAM PERFORMANCE MEASURES, STANDARDS, FINANCIAL INCENTIVES, AND... adversely affect the performance of the State's IV-D program or does not adversely affect the determination of the level of the State's paternity establishment or other performance measures percentages. ...

Effect of oil source and peroxidation status on broiler performance and oxidative stress

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Oil source has been shown to affect broiler performance and oxidative status. Lipid peroxidation may also affect animal performance and oxidative status through the generation and degradation of peroxidation compounds which differ according to oil source and temperature and length of heating. The ob...

The Effects of Written Comments on Student Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leauby, Bruce A.; Atkinson, Maryanne

1989-01-01

Three accounting teachers gave two tests and a comprehensive final to 417 undergraduates using one of three treatments: no comments written on test paper, comments at teacher's discretion, or standard comments. The type of comment did not affect subsequent test performance, but did significantly affect performance on final exam, especially for…

Affective Cues and Processing Strategy: Color-Coded Examination Forms Influence Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sinclair, Robert C.; Soldat, Alexander S.; Mark, Melvin M.

1998-01-01

Argues that external cues provide affective information that influence processing strategy and, therefore, examination performance. Notes the differences in performance for two midterm examinations, identical, except that they were printed on blue and red paper. Discusses a method for appropriately adjusting scores to control for form effects.…

Conceptualizing Chronic Self-Destructiveness.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelley, Kathryn

Self-destructiveness can be viewed in two ways: as performing an act which one knows cognitively is not conducive to one's welfare but nonetheless leads to some pleasurable affect (e.g., overeating, smoking); or not performing an act one knows one should perform but which has some negative affective consequences (e.g., dental checkups, saving…

Changes in Track and Field Performance with Chronological Aging.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fung, Lena; Ha, Amy

1994-01-01

Examined official records of VIII World Veterans Championships to identify running, jumping, and throwing events whose performance was most affected by age. Found that 400-meter run and long jump were most affected by advancing age among both male and female master athletes whereas, in areas of throws, event most affected was javelin for men and…

Happy Places, Horrible Times, and Scary Learners: Affective Performances and Sticky Objects in Inclusive Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naraian, Srikala; Khoja-Moolji, Shenila

2016-01-01

Drawing on data from two studies conducted in US public schools, this paper traces the affective productions and performances of teachers to illustrate the role of affect in delineating (non)normative pedagogical practices in inclusive classrooms. Occupying a borderland space in narrative inquiry that permitted the straddling of differing…

Searching for Affective and Cognitive Restoration: Examining the Restorative Effects of Casual Video Game Play.

PubMed

Rupp, Michael A; Sweetman, Richard; Sosa, Alejandra E; Smither, Janan A; McConnell, Daniel S

2017-11-01

We investigated the effects of a passive break, relaxation activity, and casual video game on affect, stress, engagement, and cognitive performance. Reducing stress and improving cognitive performance is critical across many domains. Previous studies investigated taking a break, relaxation techniques, or playing a game; however, these methods have not been compared within a single experiment. Participants completed a baseline affective and cognitive assessment (ACA), which included the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, shortened version of the Dundee Stress State Questionnaire, and backward digit-span. Next, participants completed a vigilance task, followed by another ACA. Participants were then assigned at random to complete a break or relaxation activity or play a casual video game, followed by a final ACA. Participants who played the casual video game exhibited greater engagement and affective restoration than the relaxation condition. The break condition slightly decreased affect and prevented cognitive restoration. Playing a casual video game even briefly can restore individuals' affective abilities, making it a suitable activity to restore mood in response to stress. However, future research is needed to find activities capable of cognitive restoration. Many activities in life require sustained cognitive demand, which are stressful and decrease performance, especially for workers in performance-critical domains. Our research suggests some leisure activities are better than others for restoring fatigued affective processes.

40 CFR 60.70 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Standards of Performance for Nitric Acid Plants § 60.70 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The provisions...

40 CFR 60.70 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

...) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Standards of Performance for Nitric Acid Plants § 60.70 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The provisions...

Size, but not experience, affects the ontogeny of constriction performance in ball pythons (Python regius).

PubMed

Penning, David A; Dartez, Schuyler F

2016-03-01

Constriction is a prey-immobilization technique used by many snakes and is hypothesized to have been important to the evolution and diversification of snakes. However, very few studies have examined the factors that affect constriction performance. We investigated constriction performance in ball pythons (Python regius) by evaluating how peak constriction pressure is affected by snake size, sex, and experience. In one experiment, we tested the ontogenetic scaling of constriction performance and found that snake diameter was the only significant factor determining peak constriction pressure. The number of loops applied in a coil and its interaction with snake diameter did not significantly affect constriction performance. Constriction performance in ball pythons scaled differently than in other snakes that have been studied, and medium to large ball pythons are capable of exerting significantly higher pressures than those shown to cause circulatory arrest in prey. In a second experiment, we tested the effects of experience on constriction performance in hatchling ball pythons over 10 feeding events. By allowing snakes in one test group to gain constriction experience, and manually feeding snakes under sedation in another test group, we showed that experience did not affect constriction performance. During their final (10th) feedings, all pythons constricted similarly and with sufficiently high pressures to kill prey rapidly. At the end of the 10 feeding trials, snakes that were allowed to constrict were significantly smaller than their non-constricting counterparts. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The influence of positive affect on the components of expectancy motivation.

PubMed

Erez, Amir; Isen, Alice M

2002-12-01

The influence of positive affect on expectancy motivation was investigated in 2 studies. The results of Study 1 indicated that positive affect improved people's performance and affected their perceptions of expectancy and valence. In Study 1, in which outcomes depended on chance, positive affect did not influence people's perceptions of instrumentality. In Study 2, in which the link between performance and outcomes was specified, positive affect influenced all 3 components of expectancy motivation. Together, the results of Studies 1 and 2 indicated that positive affect interacts with task conditions in influencing motivation and that its influence on motivation occurs not through general effects, such as response bias or general activation, but rather through its influence on the cognitive processes involved in motivation.

Effect of Principal Managerial Leadership and Compensation towards Physics Teacher Performance in Senior High School in Baguala District-Ambon

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wenno, Izaak Hendrik

2017-01-01

The performance of teachers is an important factor that must be considered in efforts to improve the quality of education. Teacher's performance is affected by many factors. Factors that affect the performance of teachers are principals' managerial leadership and compensation. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of principals'…

Encoding specificity manipulations do affect retrieval from memory.

PubMed

Zeelenberg, René

2005-05-01

In a recent article, P.A. Higham (2002) [Strong cues are not necessarily weak: Thomson and Tulving (1970) and the encoding specificity principle revisited. Memory &Cognition, 30, 67-80] proposed a new way to analyze cued recall performance in terms of three separable aspects of memory (retrieval, monitoring, and report bias) by comparing performance under both free-report and forced-report instructions. He used this method to derive estimates of these aspects of memory in an encoding specificity experiment similar to that reported by D.M. Thomson and E. Tulving (1970) [Associative encoding and retrieval: weak and strong cues. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 86, 255-262]. Under forced-report instructions, the encoding specificity manipulation did not affect performance. Higham concluded that the manipulation affected monitoring and report bias, but not retrieval. I argue that this interpretation of the results is problematic because the Thomson and Tulving paradigm is confounded, and show in three experiments using a more appropriate design that encoding specificity manipulations do affect performance in forced-report cued recall. Because in Higham's framework forced-report performance provides a measure of retrieval that is uncontaminated by monitoring and report bias it is concluded that encoding specificity manipulations do affect retrieval from memory.

How Need for Cognition Affects the Formation of Performance Expectancies at School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dickhauser, Oliver; Reinhard, Marc-Andre

2009-01-01

Individuals with low Need for Cognition (NFC) have been found to process information using a peripheral route compared to individuals higher in NFC. These differences affect the formation of performance expectancies. Based on previous work demonstrating that the formation of performance expectancies can be understood as an information processing…

Priming Ability-Relevant Social Categories Improves Intellectual Test Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Phoebe S.; Kennette, Lynne N.; Van Havermaet, Lisa R.; Frank, Nichole M.; McIntyre, Rusty B.

2012-01-01

Research shows that priming affects behavioral tasks; fewer studies, however, have been conducted on how social category primes affect cognitive tasks. The present study aimed to examine the effects of social category primes on math performance and word recall. It was hypothesized that Asian prime words would improve math performance and word…

Assessing the Effects of Different Multimedia Materials on Emotions and Learning Performance for Visual and Verbal Style Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Chih-Ming; Sun, Ying-Chun

2012-01-01

Multimedia materials are now increasingly used in curricula. However, individual preferences for multimedia materials based on visual and verbal cognitive styles may affect learners' emotions and performance. Therefore, in-depth studies that investigate how different multimedia materials affect learning performance and the emotions of learners…

Some Factors That Affecting the Performance of Mathematics Teachers in Junior High School in Medan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manullang, Martua; Rajagukguk, Waminton

2016-01-01

Some Factor's That Affecting The Mathematic Teacher Performance For Junior High School In Medan. This research will examine the effect of direct and indirect of the Organizational Knowledge towards the achievement motivation, decision making, organizational commitment, the performance of mathematics teacher. The research method is a method of…

Factors Affecting Performance of Undergraduate Students in Construction Related Disciplines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olatunji, Samuel Olusola; Aghimien, Douglas Omoregie; Oke, Ayodeji Emmanuel; Olushola, Emmanuel

2016-01-01

Academic performance of students in Nigerian institutions has been of much concern to all and sundry hence the need to assess the factors affecting performance of undergraduate students in construction related discipline in Nigeria. A survey design was employed with questionnaires administered on students in the department of Quantity Surveying,…

The effect of motivation and positive affect on ego depletion: Replenishment versus release mechanism.

PubMed

Zhu, Ze; Li, Jian; Zhang, Bo; Li, Ye; Zhang, Houcan

2017-12-01

In this study, 2 experiments were conducted to investigate whether motivation and positive affect can alleviate ego depletion and to elucidate their possible mechanisms. In Experiment 1, a crossing-out-letter task was adapted to reach an ego depletion state for Chinese participants. Participants were then randomly assigned to the extrinsic motivation group, the positive affect group or the depletion control group. After the experimental treatment, a dumbbell task was used to measure participants' remaining self-regulatory resources. The results showed that participants in the motivation and positive affect groups performed better on the dumbbell task than participants in the depletion control group. Experiment 2 was similar to Experiment 1 except that participants were asked to perform an additional unexpected dumbbell task after a neutral video following the above procedure. The results of Experiment 1 were replicated; however, participants' performance on the additional dumbbell task differed. The positive affect group performed better than the depletion control group, indicating an increase in self-regulatory resources and thus supporting the replenishment effect of positive affect. No significant difference was found between the motivation group and the depletion control group. © 2015 International Union of Psychological Science.

Reducing negative affect and increasing rapport improve interracial mentorship outcomes

PubMed Central

Ayduk, Özlem; Boykin, C. Malik; Mendoza-Denton, Rodolfo

2018-01-01

Research suggests that interracial mentoring relationships are strained by negative affect and low rapport. As such, it stands to reason that strategies that decrease negative affect and increase rapport should improve these relationships. However, previous research has not tested this possibility. In video-chats (Studies 1 and 2) and face-to-face meetings (Study 3), we manipulated the degree of mutual self-disclosure between mentees and mentors, a strategy that has been shown to reduce negative affect and increase rapport. We then measured negative affect and rapport as mediators, and mentee performance (quality of speech delivered; Studies 1 and 3) and mentor performance (warmth and helpfulness; Studies 2 and 3) as key outcomes. Results revealed that increased self-disclosure decreased negative affect and increased rapport for both mentees and mentors. Among mentees, decreased negative affect predicted better performance (Studies 1 and 3). Among mentors, increased rapport predicted warmer feedback (Studies 2 and 3). These effects remained significant when we meta-analyzed data across studies (Study 4), and also revealed the relationship of rapport to more helpful feedback. Findings suggest that affect and rapport are key features in facilitating positive outcomes in interracial mentoring relationships. PMID:29617368

Mathematical model development and simulation of heat pump fruit dryer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Achariyaviriya, S.; Soponronnarit, S.; Terdyothin, A.

2000-01-01

A mathematical model of a heat pump fruit dryer was developed to study the performance of heat pump dryers. Using the moisture content of papaya glace drying, the refrigerant temperature at the evaporator and condenser and the performance, was verified. It was found that the simulated results using closed loop heat pump dryer were close to the experimental results. The criteria for evaluating the performance were specific moisture extraction rate and drying rate. The results showed that ambient conditions affected significantly on the performance of the open loop dryer and the partially closed loop dryer. Also, the fraction of evaporatormore » bypass air affected markedly the performance of all heat pump dryers. In addition, it was found that specific air flow rate and drying air temperature affected significantly the performance of all heat pump dryers.« less

Affective Modulation of Cognitive Control is Determined by Performance-Contingency and Mediated by Ventromedial Prefrontal and Cingulate Cortex

PubMed Central

King, Joseph A.; Korb, Franziska M.; Krebs, Ruth M.; Notebaert, Wim; Egner, Tobias

2013-01-01

Cognitive control requires a fine balance between stability, the protection of an on-going task-set, and flexibility, the ability to update a task-set in line with changing contingencies. It is thought that emotional processing modulates this balance, but results have been equivocal regarding the direction of this modulation. Here, we tested the hypothesis that a crucial determinant of this modulation is whether affective stimuli represent performance-contingent or task-irrelevant signals. Combining functional magnetic resonance imaging with a conflict task-switching paradigm, we contrasted the effects of presenting negative- and positive-valence pictures on the stability/flexibility trade-off in humans, depending on whether picture presentation was contingent on behavioral performance. Both the behavioral and neural expressions of cognitive control were modulated by stimulus valence and performance contingency: in the performance-contingent condition, cognitive flexibility was enhanced following positive pictures, whereas in the nonperformance-contingent condition, positive stimuli promoted cognitive stability. The imaging data showed that, as anticipated, the stability/flexibility trade-off per se was reflected in differential recruitment of dorsolateral frontoparietal and striatal regions. In contrast, the affective modulation of stability/flexibility shifts was mirrored, unexpectedly, by neural responses in ventromedial prefrontal and posterior cingulate cortices, core nodes of the “default mode” network. Our results demonstrate that the affective modulation of cognitive control depends on the performance contingency of the affect-inducing stimuli, and they document medial default mode regions to mediate the flexibility-promoting effects of performance-contingent positive affect, thus extending recent work that recasts these regions as serving a key role in on-task control processes. PMID:24155301

The affective reactivity of psychotic speech: The role of internal source monitoring in explaining increased thought disorder under emotional challenge.

PubMed

de Sousa, Paulo; Sellwood, William; Spray, Amy; Bentall, Richard P

2016-04-01

Thought disorder (TD) has been shown to vary in relation to negative affect. Here we examine the role internal source monitoring (iSM, i.e. ability to discriminate between inner speech and verbalized speech) in TD and whether changes in iSM performance are implicated in the affective reactivity effect (deterioration of TD when participants are asked to talk about emotionally-laden topics). Eighty patients diagnosed with schizophrenia-spectrum disorder and thirty healthy controls received interviews that promoted personal disclosure (emotionally salient) and interviews on everyday topics (non-salient) on separate days. During the interviews, participants were tested on iSM, self-reported affect and immediate auditory recall. Patients had more TD, poorer ability to discriminate between inner and verbalized speech, poorer immediate auditory recall and reported more negative affect than controls. Both groups displayed more TD and negative affect in salient interviews but only patients showed poorer performance on iSM. Immediate auditory recall did not change significantly across affective conditions. In patients, the relationship between self-reported negative affect and TD was mediated by deterioration in the ability to discriminate between inner speech and speech that was directed to others and socially shared (performance on the iSM) in both interviews. Furthermore, deterioration in patients' performance on iSM across conditions significantly predicted deterioration in TD across the interviews (affective reactivity of speech). Poor iSM is significantly associated with TD. Negative affect, leading to further impaired iSM, leads to increased TD in patients with psychosis. Avenues for future research as well as clinical implications of these findings are discussed. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Gender Stereotype Susceptibility

PubMed Central

Pavlova, Marina A.; Weber, Susanna; Simoes, Elisabeth; Sokolov, Alexander N.

2014-01-01

Gender affects performance on a variety of cognitive tasks, and this impact may stem from socio-cultural factors such as gender stereotyping. Here we systematically manipulated gender stereotype messages on a social cognition task on which no initial gender gap has been documented. The outcome reveals: (i) Stereotyping affects both females and males, with a more pronounced impact on females. Yet an explicit negative message for males elicits a striking paradoxical deterioration in performance of females. (ii) Irrespective of gender and directness of message, valence of stereotype message affects performance: negative messages have stronger influence than positive ones. (iii) Directness of stereotype message differentially impacts performance of females and males: females tend to be stronger affected by implicit than explicit negative messages, whereas in males this relationship is opposite. The data are discussed in the light of neural networks underlying gender stereotyping. The findings provide novel insights into the sources of gender related fluctuations in cognition and behavior. PMID:25517903

Gender stereotype susceptibility.

PubMed

Pavlova, Marina A; Weber, Susanna; Simoes, Elisabeth; Sokolov, Alexander N

2014-01-01

Gender affects performance on a variety of cognitive tasks, and this impact may stem from socio-cultural factors such as gender stereotyping. Here we systematically manipulated gender stereotype messages on a social cognition task on which no initial gender gap has been documented. The outcome reveals: (i) Stereotyping affects both females and males, with a more pronounced impact on females. Yet an explicit negative message for males elicits a striking paradoxical deterioration in performance of females. (ii) Irrespective of gender and directness of message, valence of stereotype message affects performance: negative messages have stronger influence than positive ones. (iii) Directness of stereotype message differentially impacts performance of females and males: females tend to be stronger affected by implicit than explicit negative messages, whereas in males this relationship is opposite. The data are discussed in the light of neural networks underlying gender stereotyping. The findings provide novel insights into the sources of gender related fluctuations in cognition and behavior.

The Future Battlefield: Human Dimensions and Implications for Doctrine and Research

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-12-01

Brodan, V., & Kuhn, E. Physical Performance in Man During Sleep Deprivation. 1967. Journal Sports Medicine Phys. Fit. 7:28-30. Bugge, J.F., Opstad, P.K...S- 1 𔃾. , : • - . ... _. . .q r •j • .,,• CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 MILITARY SITUATIONAL STRESSORS AND HUMAN PERFORMANCE FACTORS 3 The Battlefield...Situation 4 External Factors Affecting Performance Capability 6 Internal Factors Affecting Performance Capability 8 MILITARY IMPLICATIONS 10 Leadership

Focus of Attention Affects Performance of Motor Skills in Music

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duke, Robert A.; Cash, Carla Davis; Allen, Sarah E.

2011-01-01

To test the extent to which learners performing a simple keyboard passage would be affected by directing their focus of attention to different aspects of their movements, 16 music majors performed a brief keyboard passage under each of four focus conditions arranged in a counterbalanced design--a total of 64 experimental sessions. As they…

How Does Satisfaction Translate into Performance? An Examination of Commitment and Cultural Values

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Jin; Zheng, Wei

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study is to add new insights into the mechanism through which job satisfaction relates to job performance. Affective commitment was tested as a potential mediator between job satisfaction and job performance, and traditionality was used as a potential moderator between job satisfaction and affective commitment. A survey study…

The Developmental Dynamics of Children's Academic Performance and Mothers' Homework-Related Affect and Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silinskas, Gintautas; Kiuru, Noona; Aunola, Kaisa; Lerkkanen, Marja-Kristiina; Nurmi, Jari-Erik

2015-01-01

This study investigated the longitudinal associations between children's academic performance and their mothers' affect, practices, and perceptions of their children in homework situations. The children's (n = 2,261) performance in reading and math was tested in Grade 1 and Grade 4, and the mothers (n = 1,476) filled out questionnaires on their…

Performance Assessment in CTE: Focusing on the Cognitive, Psychomotor ...and Affective Domains

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Washer, Bart; Cochran, Lori

2012-01-01

When a student is performing in the psychomotor domain, the authors believe the student is also performing in the cognitive domain (sequencing steps, evaluating the situation) and in the affective domain (appreciating a job well done, quality control, safety). As Dabney Doty, former instructor at the University of Central Missouri, stated, "There…

Centrality and Charisma: Comparing How Leader Networks "and" Attributions Affect Team Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balkundi, Prasad; Kilduff, Martin; Harrison, David A.

2011-01-01

When leaders interact in teams with their subordinates, they build social capital that can have positive effects on team performance. Does this social capital affect team performance because subordinates come to see the leader as charismatic? We answered this question by examining 2 models. First, we tested the charisma-to-centrality model…

A Qualitative Study of Indian and Indian Immigrant Adolescents' Perceptions of the Factors Affecting Their Engagement and Performance in School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Areepattamannil, Shaljan; Freeman, John G.; Klinger, Don A.

2018-01-01

Although a growing body of quantitative research has examined the non-cognitive factors affecting the school engagement and performance of adolescents across cultures, there is relatively sparse qualitative research investigating the perceptions of adolescents regarding the factors influencing their engagement and performance in school. This focus…

Spatial working memory load affects counting but not subitizing in enumeration.

PubMed

Shimomura, Tomonari; Kumada, Takatsune

2011-08-01

The present study investigated whether subitizing reflects capacity limitations associated with two types of working memory tasks. Under a dual-task situation, participants performed an enumeration task in conjunction with either a spatial (Experiment 1) or a nonspatial visual (Experiment 2) working memory task. Experiment 1 showed that spatial working memory load affected the slope of a counting function but did not affect subitizing performance or subitizing range. Experiment 2 showed that nonspatial visual working memory load affected neither enumeration efficiency nor subitizing range. Furthermore, in both spatial and nonspatial memory tasks, neither subitizing efficiency nor subitizing range was affected by amount of imposed memory load. In all the experiments, working memory load failed to influence slope, subitizing range, or overall reaction time. These findings suggest that subitizing is performed without either spatial or nonspatial working memory. A possible mechanism of subitizing with independent capacity of working memory is discussed.

Priming effects for affective vs. neutral faces.

PubMed

Burton, Leslie A; Rabin, Laura; Wyatt, Gwinne; Frohlich, Jonathan; Bernstein Vardy, Susan; Dimitri, Diana

2005-12-01

Affective and Neutral Tasks (faces with negative or neutral content, with different lighting and orientation) requiring reaction time judgments of poser identity were administered to 32 participants. Speed and accuracy were better for the Affective than Neutral Task, consistent with literature suggesting facilitation of performance by affective content. Priming effects were significant for the Affective but not Neutral Task. An Explicit Post-Test indicated no conscious knowledge of the stimulus frequency that was associated with performance facilitation. Faster performance by female vs. male participants, and differential speeds and susceptibility to priming of different emotions were also found. Anger and shock were responded to most rapidly and accurately in several conditions, showed no gender differences, and showed significant priming for both RT and accuracy. Fear and pain were responded to least accurately, were associated with faster female than male reaction time, and the accuracy data showed a kind of reverse priming.

Sleep complaints affecting school performance at different educational levels.

PubMed

Pagel, James F; Kwiatkowski, Carol F

2010-01-01

The clear association between reports of sleep disturbance and poor school performance has been documented for sleepy adolescents. This study extends that research to students outside the adolescent age grouping in an associated school setting (98 middle school students, 67 high school students, and 64 college students). Reported restless legs and periodic limb movements are significantly associated with lower GPA's in junior high students. Consistent with previous studies, daytime sleepiness was the sleep variable most likely to negatively affects high school students. Sleep onset and maintenance insomnia were the reported sleep variables significantly correlated with poorer school performance in college students. This study indicates that different sleep disorder variables negatively affect performance at different age and educational levels.

Local Navon letter processing affects skilled behavior: a golf-putting experiment.

PubMed

Lewis, Michael B; Dawkins, Gemma

2015-04-01

Expert or skilled behaviors (for example, face recognition or sporting performance) are typically performed automatically and with little conscious awareness. Previous studies, in various domains of performance, have shown that activities immediately prior to a task demanding a learned skill can affect performance. In sport, describing the to-be-performed action is detrimental, whereas in face recognition, describing a face or reading local Navon letters is detrimental. Two golf-putting experiments are presented that compare the effects that these three tasks have on experienced and novice golfers. Experiment 1 found a Navon effect on golf performance for experienced players. Experiment 2 found, for experienced players only, that performance was impaired following the three tasks described above, when compared with reading or global Navon tasks. It is suggested that the three tasks affect skilled performance by provoking a shift from automatic behavior to a more analytic style. By demonstrating similarities between effects in face recognition and sporting behavior, it is hoped to better understand concepts in both fields.

A review of the thermal sensitivity of the mechanics of vertebrate skeletal muscle.

PubMed

James, Rob S

2013-08-01

Environmental temperature varies spatially and temporally, affecting many aspects of an organism's biology. In ectotherms, variation in environmental temperature can cause parallel changes in skeletal muscle temperature, potentially leading to significant alterations in muscle performance. Endotherms can also undergo meaningful changes in skeletal muscle temperature that can affect muscle performance. Alterations in skeletal muscle temperature can affect contractile performance in both endotherms and ectotherms, changing the rates of force generation and relaxation, shortening velocity, and consequently mechanical power. Such alterations in the mechanical performance of skeletal muscle can in turn affect locomotory performance and behaviour. For instance, as temperature increases, a consequent improvement in limb muscle performance causes some lizard species to be more likely to flee from a potential predator. However, at lower temperatures, they are much more likely to stand their ground, show threatening displays and even bite. There is no consistent pattern in reported effects of temperature on skeletal muscle fatigue resistance. This review focuses on the effects of temperature variation on skeletal muscle performance in vertebrates, and investigates the thermal sensitivity of different mechanical measures of skeletal muscle performance. The plasticity of thermal sensitivity in skeletal muscle performance has been reviewed to investigate the extent to which individuals can acclimate to chronic changes in their thermal environment. The effects of thermal sensitivity of muscle performance are placed in a wider context by relating thermal sensitivity of skeletal muscle performance to aspects of vertebrate species distribution.

Survey of the incidence of pectinate ligament dysplasia and glaucoma in the UK Leonberger population.

PubMed

Fricker, Georgina V; Smith, Kerry; Gould, David J

2016-09-01

To determine the prevalence of pectinate ligament dysplasia (PLD) in UK Leonbergers and identify cases affected by glaucoma. Also, to define the spectrum of pectinate ligament (PL) appearance in this breed and determine whether gonioscopic monitoring should be recommended. Data were compiled from 78 prospective gonioscopy examinations performed by one author (GF) and retrospective analysis of 233 UK eye scheme certificates (2009-2014). Clinical cases of glaucoma in Leonbergers diagnosed by UK veterinary ophthalmologists, where gonioscopy of the fellow eyes or histology of affected eyes had been performed, were also reviewed. In the prospective study, intraocular pressure was recorded prior to gonioscopy using a rebound tonometer. Gonioscopy was performed using a slit-lamp biomicroscope with a Koeppe goniolens. PLD was categorized according to the percentage of the iridocorneal drainage angle affected (grade 0 = <25% affected; grade 1 = 25-50% affected; grade 2 = 51-75% affected; and grade 3 = >75% affected), and the degree of narrowing of the angle was noted. Of 78 dogs examined prospectively, 64/78 (82%) were grade 0, 7/78 (9%) were grade 1, 3/78 (4%) were grade 2, and 4/78 (5%) were grade 3. A large phenotypic variation was observed. Spearman's rank correlation showed a positive correlation between age and severity of PLD (P < 0.0055). 52 (22%) of Leonbergers examined under the UK eye scheme 2009-2014 were affected by PLD. Five clinical cases of glaucoma were reviewed where gonioscopy had been performed and one where histology was performed. All individuals had grade 3 PLD with gonioscopy of the contralateral eye or severe goniodysgenesis with histological sections of the affected eye. This survey suggests the prevalence of PLD is sufficient to justify ongoing screening of Leonbergers. © 2015 American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.

Tail autotomy affects bipedalism but not sprint performance in a cursorial Mediterranean lizard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savvides, Pantelis; Stavrou, Maria; Pafilis, Panayiotis; Sfenthourakis, Spyros

2017-02-01

Running is essential in all terrestrial animals mainly for finding food and mates and escaping from predators. Lizards employ running in all their everyday functions, among which defense stands out. Besides flight, tail autotomy is another very common antipredatory strategy within most lizard families. The impact of tail loss to sprint performance seems to be species dependent. In some lizard species, tail shedding reduces sprint speed, in other species, increases it, and, in a few species, speed is not affected at all. Here, we aimed to clarify the effect of tail autotomy on the sprint performance of a cursorial lizard with particular adaptations for running, such as bipedalism and spike-like protruding scales (fringes) on the toepads that allow high speed on sandy substrates. We hypothesized that individuals that performed bipedalism, and have more and larger fringes, would achieve higher sprint performance. We also anticipated that tail shedding would affect sprint speed (though we were not able to define in what way because of the unpredictable effects that tail loss has on different species). According to our results, individuals that ran bipedally were faster; limb length and fringe size had limited effects on sprint performance whereas tail autotomy affected quadrupedal running only in females. Nonetheless, tail loss significantly affected bipedalism: the ability for running on hindlimbs was completely lost in all adult individuals and in 72.3% of juveniles.

Tail autotomy affects bipedalism but not sprint performance in a cursorial Mediterranean lizard.

PubMed

Savvides, Pantelis; Stavrou, Maria; Pafilis, Panayiotis; Sfenthourakis, Spyros

2017-02-01

Running is essential in all terrestrial animals mainly for finding food and mates and escaping from predators. Lizards employ running in all their everyday functions, among which defense stands out. Besides flight, tail autotomy is another very common antipredatory strategy within most lizard families. The impact of tail loss to sprint performance seems to be species dependent. In some lizard species, tail shedding reduces sprint speed, in other species, increases it, and, in a few species, speed is not affected at all. Here, we aimed to clarify the effect of tail autotomy on the sprint performance of a cursorial lizard with particular adaptations for running, such as bipedalism and spike-like protruding scales (fringes) on the toepads that allow high speed on sandy substrates. We hypothesized that individuals that performed bipedalism, and have more and larger fringes, would achieve higher sprint performance. We also anticipated that tail shedding would affect sprint speed (though we were not able to define in what way because of the unpredictable effects that tail loss has on different species). According to our results, individuals that ran bipedally were faster; limb length and fringe size had limited effects on sprint performance whereas tail autotomy affected quadrupedal running only in females. Nonetheless, tail loss significantly affected bipedalism: the ability for running on hindlimbs was completely lost in all adult individuals and in 72.3% of juveniles.

AFFECTIVE GUIDANCE OF INTELLIGENT AGENTS: How Emotion Controls Cognition1

PubMed Central

Clore, Gerald L.; Palmer, Janet E.

2008-01-01

Emotions and moods color cognition. In this article, we outline how emotions affect judgments and cognitive performance of human agents. We argue that affective influences are due, not to the affective reactions themselves, but to the information they carry about value, a potentially useful finding for creators of artificial agents. The kind of influence that occurs depends on the focus of the agent at the time. When making evaluative judgments, for example, agents may experience positive affect as a positive attitude toward a person or object. But when an agent focuses on a cognitive task, positive affect may act like performance feedback, with positive affect giving a green light to cognitive, relational processes. By contrast, negative affect tends to inhibit relational processing, resulting in a more perceptual, stimulus-specific processing. One result is that many textbook phenomena from cognitive psychology occur readily in happy moods, but are inhibited in sad moods. PMID:19255620

Factors affecting construction performance: exploratory factor analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soewin, E.; Chinda, T.

2018-04-01

The present work attempts to develop a multidimensional performance evaluation framework for a construction company by considering all relevant measures of performance. Based on the previous studies, this study hypothesizes nine key factors, with a total of 57 associated items. The hypothesized factors, with their associated items, are then used to develop questionnaire survey to gather data. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was applied to the collected data which gave rise 10 factors with 57 items affecting construction performance. The findings further reveal that the items constituting ten key performance factors (KPIs) namely; 1) Time, 2) Cost, 3) Quality, 4) Safety & Health, 5) Internal Stakeholder, 6) External Stakeholder, 7) Client Satisfaction, 8) Financial Performance, 9) Environment, and 10) Information, Technology & Innovation. The analysis helps to develop multi-dimensional performance evaluation framework for an effective measurement of the construction performance. The 10 key performance factors can be broadly categorized into economic aspect, social aspect, environmental aspect, and technology aspects. It is important to understand a multi-dimension performance evaluation framework by including all key factors affecting the construction performance of a company, so that the management level can effectively plan to implement an effective performance development plan to match with the mission and vision of the company.

The Influence of the Antecedent Variable on the Teachers' Performance through Achievement Motivation in Senior High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dewi, Erni R.; Bundu, Patta; Tahmir, Suradi

2016-01-01

This study aims at analysing whether the antecedent variable directly affects the performance of the high school teachers or not. In addition, this research strives to find out whether the antecedent variable indirectly affects the teachers' performance through the achievement motivation of the high school teachers. It was a quantitative research…

Milking performance evaluation and factors affecting milking claw vacuum levels with flow simulator.

PubMed

Enokidani, Masafumi; Kawai, Kazuhiro; Shinozuka, Yasunori; Watanabe, Aiko

2017-08-01

Milking performance of milking machines that matches the production capability of dairy cows is important in reducing the risk of mastitis, particularly in high-producing cows. This study used a simulated milking device to examine the milking performance of the milking system of 73 dairy farms and to analyze the factors affecting claw vacuum. Mean claw vacuum and range of fluctuation of claw vacuum (claw vacuum range) were measured at three different flow rates: 5.7, 7.6 and 8.7 kg/min. At the highest flow rate, only 16 farms (21.9%) met both standards of mean claw vacuum ≥35 kPa and claw vacuum range ≤ 7 kPa, showing that milking systems currently have poor milking performance. The factors affecting mean claw vacuum were claw type, milk-meter and vacuum shut-off device; the factor affecting claw vacuum range was claw type. Examination of the milking performance of the milking system using a simulated milking device allows an examination of the performance that can cope with high producing cows, indicating the possibility of reducing the risk of mastitis caused by inappropriate claw vacuum. © 2016 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

Daily micro-breaks and job performance: General work engagement as a cross-level moderator.

PubMed

Kim, Sooyeol; Park, YoungAh; Headrick, Lucille

2018-03-29

Despite the growing research on work recovery and its well-being outcomes, surprisingly little attention has been paid to at-work recovery and its job performance outcomes. The current study extends the work recovery literature by examining day-level relationships between prototypical microbreaks and job performance as mediated by state positive affect. Furthermore, general work engagement is tested as a cross-level moderator weakening the indirect effects of microbreaks on job performance via positive affect. Using multisource experience sampling method, the authors collected two daily surveys from 71 call center employees and obtained objective records of daily sales performance for two consecutive weeks (n = 632). Multilevel path analysis results showed that relaxation, socialization, and cognitive microbreaks were related to increased positive affect at work which, in turn, predicted greater sales performance. However, breaks for nutrition-intake (having snacks and drinks) did not show significant effects. Importantly, microbreaks had significant indirect effects on job performance via positive affect only for workers who had lower general work engagement, whereas the indirect effects did not exist for workers who had higher general work engagement. Furthermore, Bayesian multilevel analyses confirmed the results. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Power affects performance when the pressure is on: evidence for low-power threat and high-power lift.

PubMed

Kang, Sonia K; Galinsky, Adam D; Kray, Laura J; Shirako, Aiwa

2015-05-01

The current research examines how power affects performance in pressure-filled contexts. We present low-power-threat and high-power-lift effects, whereby performance in high-stakes situations suffers or is enhanced depending on one's power; that is, the power inherent to a situational role can produce effects similar to stereotype threat and lift. Three negotiations experiments demonstrate that role-based power affects outcomes but only when the negotiation is diagnostic of ability and, therefore, pressure-filled. We link these outcomes conceptually to threat and lift effects by showing that (a) role power affects performance more strongly when the negotiation is diagnostic of ability and (b) underperformance disappears when the low-power negotiator has an opportunity to self-affirm. These results suggest that stereotype threat and lift effects may represent a more general phenomenon: When the stakes are raised high, relative power can act as either a toxic brew (stereotype/low-power threat) or a beneficial elixir (stereotype/high-power lift) for performance. © 2015 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Human resources management and firm performance: The differential role of managerial affective and continuance commitment.

PubMed

Gong, Yaping; Law, Kenneth S; Chang, Song; Xin, Katherine R

2009-01-01

In this study, the authors developed a dual-concern (i.e., maintenance and performance) model of human resources (HR) management. The authors identified commonly examined HR practices that apply to the middle manager level and classified them into the maintenance- and performance-oriented HR subsystems. The authors found support for the 2-factor model on the basis of responses from 2,148 managers from 463 firms operating in China. Regression results indicate that the performance-oriented HR subsystems had a positive relationship with firm performance and that the relationship was mediated by middle managers' affective commitment to the firm. The maintenance-oriented HR subsystems had a positive relationship with middle managers' continuance commitment but not with their affective commitment and firm performance. This study contributes to the understanding of how HR practices relate to firm performance and offers an improved test of the argument that valuable and firm-specific HR provide a source of competitive advantage. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved).

40 CFR 60.180 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Standards of Performance for Primary Lead Smelters § 60.180 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The...: sintering machine, sintering machine discharge end, blast furnace, dross reverberatory furnace, electric...

40 CFR 60.180 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Standards of Performance for Primary Lead Smelters § 60.180 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The...: sintering machine, sintering machine discharge end, blast furnace, dross reverberatory furnace, electric...

Job Satisfaction and Performance: The Moderating Effects of Value Attainment and Affective Disposition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hochwarter, Wayne A.; Perrewe, Pamela L.; Ferris, Gerald R.; Brymer, Robert A.

1999-01-01

A study of 270 hotel managers found that the strongest positive relationship between job satisfaction and performance occurred when high attainment of values associated with work was coupled with high-positive or low-negative affective disposition. (SK)

Associations between Tactile Sensory Threshold and Postural Performance and Effects of Healthy Aging and Subthreshold Vibrotactile Stimulation on Postural Outcomes in a Simple Dual Task

PubMed Central

Dettmer, Marius; Pourmoghaddam, Amir; Lee, Beom-Chan; Layne, Charles S.

2016-01-01

Specific activities that require concurrent processing of postural and cognitive tasks may increase the risk for falls in older adults. We investigated whether peripheral receptor sensitivity was associated with postural performance in a dual-task and whether an intervention in form of subthreshold vibration could affect performance. Ten younger (age: 20–35 years) and ten older adults (70–85 years) performed repeated auditory-verbal 1-back tasks while standing quietly on a force platform. Foot sole vibration was randomly added during several trials. Several postural control and performance measures were assessed and statistically analyzed (significance set to α-levels of .05). There were moderate correlations between peripheral sensitivity and several postural performance and control measures (r = .45 to .59). Several postural performance measures differed significantly between older and younger adults (p < 0.05); addition of vibration did not affect outcome measures. Aging affects healthy older adults' performance in dual-tasks, and peripheral sensitivity may be a contributor to the observed differences. A vibration intervention may only be useful when there are more severe impairments of the sensorimotor system. Hence, future research regarding the efficacy of sensorimotor interventions in the form of vibrotactile stimulation should focus on older adults whose balance is significantly affected. PMID:27143967

Theory of mind impairment and its clinical correlates in patients with schizophrenia, major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder.

PubMed

Wang, Yan-Yu; Wang, Yi; Zou, Ying-Min; Ni, Ke; Tian, Xue; Sun, Hong-Wei; Lui, Simon S Y; Cheung, Eric F C; Suckling, John; Chan, Raymond C K

2017-11-06

Although Theory of Mind (ToM) impairment has been observed in patients with a wide range of mental disorders, the similarity and uniqueness of these deficits across diagnostic groups has not been thoroughly investigated. We recruited 35 participants with schizophrenia (SCZ), 35 with bipolar disorder (BD), 35 with major depressive disorder (MDD), and 35 healthy controls in this study. All participants were matched in age, gender proportion and IQ estimates. The Yoni task, capturing both the cognitive and affective components of ToM at the first- and second-order level was administered. Repeated-measure ANOVA and MANOVA were conducted to compare the group differences in ToM performance. A network was then constructed with ToM performances, psychotic and depressive symptoms, and executive function as nodes exploring the clinical correlates of ToM. Overall, ToM impairments were observed in all patient groups compared with healthy controls, with patients with SCZ performing worse than those with BD. In second-order conditions, patients with SCZ and MDD showed deficits in both cognitive and affective conditions, while patients with BD performed significantly poorer in cognitive conditions. Network analysis showed that second-order affective ToM performance was associated with psychotic and depressive symptoms as well as executive dysfunction, while second-order affective ToM performance and negative symptoms showed relatively high centrality in the network. Patients with SCZ, MDD and BD exhibited different types and severity of impairments in ToM sub-components. Impairment in higher-order affective ToM appears to be closely related to clinical symptoms in both psychotic and affective disorders. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Detection of genetic variants affecting cattle behaviour and their impact on milk production: a genome-wide association study.

PubMed

Friedrich, Juliane; Brand, Bodo; Ponsuksili, Siriluck; Graunke, Katharina L; Langbein, Jan; Knaust, Jacqueline; Kühn, Christa; Schwerin, Manfred

2016-02-01

Behaviour traits of cattle have been reported to affect important production traits, such as meat quality and milk performance as well as reproduction and health. Genetic predisposition is, together with environmental stimuli, undoubtedly involved in the development of behaviour phenotypes. Underlying molecular mechanisms affecting behaviour in general and behaviour and productions traits in particular still have to be studied in detail. Therefore, we performed a genome-wide association study in an F2 Charolais × German Holstein cross-breed population to identify genetic variants that affect behaviour-related traits assessed in an open-field and novel-object test and analysed their putative impact on milk performance. Of 37,201 tested single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs), four showed a genome-wide and 37 a chromosome-wide significant association with behaviour traits assessed in both tests. Nine of the SNPs that were associated with behaviour traits likewise showed a nominal significant association with milk performance traits. On chromosomes 14 and 29, six SNPs were identified to be associated with exploratory behaviour and inactivity during the novel-object test as well as with milk yield traits. Least squares means for behaviour and milk performance traits for these SNPs revealed that genotypes associated with higher inactivity and less exploratory behaviour promote higher milk yields. Whether these results are due to molecular mechanisms simultaneously affecting behaviour and milk performance or due to a behaviour predisposition, which causes indirect effects on milk performance by influencing individual reactivity, needs further investigation. © 2015 Stichting International Foundation for Animal Genetics.

Associations of Affective Responses During Free-Living Physical Activity and Future Physical Activity Levels: an Ecological Momentary Assessment Study.

PubMed

Liao, Yue; Chou, Chih-Ping; Huh, Jimi; Leventhal, Adam; Dunton, Genevieve

2017-08-01

Affective response during physical activity may influence motivation to perform future physical activity behavior. However, affective response during physical activity is often assessed under controlled laboratory conditions. The current study used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to capture affective responses during free-living physical activity performed by adults, and determined whether these affective responses predict future moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) levels after 6 and 12 months. At baseline, electronic EMA surveys were randomly prompted across 4 days asking about current activities and affective states (e.g., happy, stressed, energetic, tired). Affective response during physical activity was operationalized as the level of positive or negative affect reported when concurrent physical activity (e.g., exercise or sports) was also reported. Data were available for 82 adults. Future levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were measured using accelerometers, worn for seven consecutive days at 6 and 12 months after the baseline assessment. Feeling more energetic during physical activity was associated with performing more minutes of daily MVPA after both 6 and 12 months. Feeling less negative affect during physical activity was associated with engaging in more daily MVPA minutes after 12 months only. This study demonstrated how EMA can be used to capture affective responses during free-living physical activity. Results found that feelings more energetic and less negative during physical activity were associated with more future physical activity, suggesting that positive emotional benefits may reinforce behavior.

Positive and negative affect, depression, and cognitive processes in the Cognition in the Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene (Co-STAR) Trial.

PubMed

Danhauer, Suzanne C; Legault, Claudine; Bandos, Hanna; Kidwell, Kelley; Costantino, Joseph; Vaughan, Leslie; Avis, Nancy E; Rapp, Steve; Coker, Laura H; Naughton, Michelle; Naylor, Cecile; Terracciano, Antonio; Shumaker, Sally

2013-01-01

This study examined the relationship between positive and negative affect, depressive symptoms, and cognitive performance. The sample consisted of 1479 non-demented, postmenopausal women (mean age = 67 years) at increased risk of breast cancer enrolled in the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project's Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene. At each annual visit, women completed a standardized neuropsychological battery and self-report measures of affect and depression. Data from three visits were used in linear mixed models for repeated measures using likelihood ratio tests. Separate analyses were performed to relate positive/negative affect and depression to each cognitive measure. Higher positive affect was associated with better letter fluency (p = .006) and category fluency (p < .0001). Higher negative affect was associated with worse global cognitive function (p < .0001), verbal memory (CVLT List B; p = .002), and spatial ability (p < .0001). Depressive symptoms were negatively associated with verbal knowledge (p = .004), figural memory (p < .0001), and verbal memory (p's ≤ .0001). Findings are consistent with some prior research demonstrating a link between positive affect and increased verbal fluency and between depressive symptoms and decreased memory. The most novel finding shows that negative affect is related to decreased global cognition and visuospatial ability. Overall, this research in a large, longitudinal sample supports the notion that positive affect is related to increases and negative affect to decreases in performance on distinct cognitive measures.

A review of methodological factors in performance assessments of time-varying aircraft noise effects. [with annotated bibliography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coates, G. D.; Alluisi, E. A.; Adkins, C. J., Jr.

1977-01-01

Literature on the effects of general noise on human performance is reviewed in an attempt to identify (1) those characteristics of noise that have been found to affect human performance; (2) those characteristics of performance most likely to be affected by the presence of noise, and (3) those characteristics of the performance situation typically associated with noise effects. Based on the characteristics identified, a theoretical framework is proposed that will permit predictions of possible effects of time-varying aircraft-type noise on complex human performance. An annotated bibliography of 50 articles is included.

Quality and performance indicators in an academic department of head and neck surgery.

PubMed

Weber, Randal S; Lewis, Carol M; Eastman, Scott D; Hanna, Ehab Y; Akiwumi, Olubumi; Hessel, Amy C; Lai, Stephen Y; Kian, Leslie; Kupferman, Michael E; Roberts, Dianna B

2010-12-01

to create a method for assessing physician performance and care outcomes that are adjusted for procedure acuity and patient comorbidity. between 2004 and 2008 surgical procedures performed by 10 surgeons were stratified into high-acuity procedures (HAPs) and low-acuity procedures (LAPs). Risk adjustment was made for comorbid conditions examined singly or in groups of 2 or more. a tertiary care medical center. a total of 2618 surgical patients. performance measures included length of stay; return to operating room within 7 days of surgery; and the occurrence of mortality, hospital readmission, transfusion, and wound infection within 30 days of surgery. the transfusion rate was 2.7% and 40.6% for LAPs and HAPs, respectively. Wound infection rates were 1.4% for LAPs vs 14.1% for HAPs, while 30-day mortality rate was 0.3% and 1.6% for LAPs and HAPs, respectively. The mean (SD) hospital stay for LAPs was 2.1 (3.6) vs 10.5 (7.0) days for HAPs. Negative performance factors were significantly higher for patients who underwent HAPs and had comorbid conditions. Differences among surgeons significantly affect the incidence of negative performance indicators. Factors affecting performance measures were procedure acuity, the surgeon, and comorbidity, in order of decreasing significance. Surgeons were ranked low, middle, and high based on negative performance indicators. performance measures following oncologic procedures were significantly affected by comorbid conditions and by procedure acuity. Although the latter most strongly affects quality and performance indicators, both should weigh heavily in physician comparisons. The incidence of negative performance indicators was also influenced by the individual surgeon. These data may serve as a tool to evaluate and improve physician performance and outcomes and to develop risk-adjusted benchmarks. Ultimately, reimbursement may be tied to quantifiable measures of physician and institutional performance.

Can Salience of Gender Identity Impair Math Performance among 7-8 Years Old Girls? The Moderating Role of Task Difficulty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neuville, Emmanuelle; Croizet, Jean-Claude

2007-01-01

Can the salience of gender identity affect the math performance of 7-8 year old girls? Third-grade girls and boys were required to solve arithmetical problems of varied difficulty. Prior to the test, one half of the participants had their gender identity activated. Results showed that activation of gender identity affected girls' performance but…

40 CFR 60.667 - Chemicals affected by subpart NNN.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... (CONTINUED) STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Standards of Performance for Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Emissions From Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturing Industry (SOCMI) Distillation... 40 Protection of Environment 7 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Chemicals affected by subpart NNN. 60...

40 CFR 60.667 - Chemicals affected by subpart NNN.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... (CONTINUED) STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Standards of Performance for Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Emissions From Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturing Industry (SOCMI) Distillation... 40 Protection of Environment 7 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Chemicals affected by subpart NNN. 60...

Sibsize, Family Environment, Cognitive Performance, and Affective Characteristics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marjoribanks, Kevin

1976-01-01

Incorporates measures of family environment (parent-child interaction) into research methodology to study the effects of sibsize (family size and birth order) on a child's cognitive performance and affective behavior. Provides tentative support for the confluence model of sibsize influences on children's behaviors. (RL)

High variability impairs motor learning regardless of whether it affects task performance.

PubMed

Cardis, Marco; Casadio, Maura; Ranganathan, Rajiv

2018-01-01

Motor variability plays an important role in motor learning, although the exact mechanisms of how variability affects learning are not well understood. Recent evidence suggests that motor variability may have different effects on learning in redundant tasks, depending on whether it is present in the task space (where it affects task performance) or in the null space (where it has no effect on task performance). We examined the effect of directly introducing null and task space variability using a manipulandum during the learning of a motor task. Participants learned a bimanual shuffleboard task for 2 days, where their goal was to slide a virtual puck as close as possible toward a target. Critically, the distance traveled by the puck was determined by the sum of the left- and right-hand velocities, which meant that there was redundancy in the task. Participants were divided into five groups, based on both the dimension in which the variability was introduced and the amount of variability that was introduced during training. Results showed that although all groups were able to reduce error with practice, learning was affected more by the amount of variability introduced rather than the dimension in which variability was introduced. Specifically, groups with higher movement variability during practice showed larger errors at the end of practice compared with groups that had low variability during learning. These results suggest that although introducing variability can increase exploration of new solutions, this may adversely affect the ability to retain the learned solution. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We examined the role of introducing variability during motor learning in a redundant task. The presence of redundancy allows variability to be introduced in different dimensions: the task space (where it affects task performance) or the null space (where it does not affect task performance). We found that introducing variability affected learning adversely, but the amount of variability was more critical than the dimension in which variability was introduced.

Disassociation of cognitive and affective aspects of theory of mind in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

PubMed

Liu, Wanting; Fan, Jie; Gan, Jun; Lei, Hui; Niu, Chaoyang; Chan, Raymond C K; Zhu, Xiongzhao

2017-09-01

Impairment in social functioning has been widely described in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, several aspects of social cognition, such as theory of mind (ToM), have not been substantially investigated in this context. This study examined cognitive and affective ToM in 40 OCD patients and 38 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls (HCs) with the computerized Yoni task and a battery of neurocognitive tests. OCD symptom severity was assessed with the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). Depressive and anxiety symptoms were also assessed. Compared to HCs, OCD patients performed worse on second-order affective condition trials, but not cognitive or physical condition trials, of the Yoni task; there were not group differences in any of the first-order condition domains. Second-order ToM performance of OCD patients was associated with estimated intelligence and working memory performance. After controlling for neurocognitive variables, the group difference in second-order affective condition performance remained significant. These findings indicate that the affective component of ToM may be selectively impaired in OCD patients and that the observed deficit is largely independent of other neurocognitive impairments and clinical characteristics. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effects of 72 hours of sleep loss on psychological variables.

PubMed

Mikulincer, M; Babkoff, H; Caspy, T; Sing, H

1989-05-01

A study was conducted on the effects of 72 hours of sleep loss and modified continuous operations on performance and psychological variables. This paper presents the results of self-report data of 12 subjects for the following psychological variables: sleepiness, affect, motivation, cognitive difficulties, and waking dreams. The relationship between the self-report measures and performance in a visual search and memory task is also examined. Most of the psychological variables are significantly affected by the number of days of sleep deprivation, all are significantly affected by hour of day; but only sleepiness, affect and motivation are also significantly affected by the interaction between these variables. The peak hours for self-reported psychological complaints are generally between 0400 and 0800, while the lowest number of complaints are usually reported in the afternoon/early evening, between 1600 and 2000. In addition, the results showed that (a) the amplitude of the circadian component of the psychological data increased over the period of sleep loss, and (b) psychological data were more highly correlated with a measure of general performance than with accuracy. The mechanisms of sleep deprivation underlying its effects on psychological and performance measures are discussed.

Factors affecting reproductive performance of dairy cows.

PubMed

Coleman, D A; Thayne, W V; Dailey, R A

1985-07-01

We conducted two studies to determine how herd management practices and traits of individual cows affect performance of the herd and of the cow within a herd. Management practices, reproductive performance of the herd, and relationships between management and reproductive performance were characterized on 83 dairy farms with 7596 cows. Data included 21 management variables (e.g., facilities, herd health program, estrous detection program) and 8 performance variables obtained from Dairy Herd Improvement or unofficial records (e.g., size of herd, production, days open). Although varying among herds, annual average herd incidences of reproductive disorders and reproductive performance were similar to those reported. Managerial practices influenced incidences of retained placenta and uterine infection, days open of cows not bred and of all cows, services per conception, and percentages of herd open more than 100 days and culled for low production. Veterinarian was the most consistent variable influencing herd reproductive performance. Data also were collected from production and lifetime records of 2532 cows in 19 herds. Reproductive performance was affected by season of calving, production, maturity, and reproductive disorders. Several cows with extremely poor reproductive records were maintained.

Psychometric Characteristics of the EEAA (Scale of Affective Strategies in the Learning Process)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Villardón-Gallego, Lourdes; Yániz, Concepción

2014-01-01

Introduction: Affective strategies for coping with affective states linked to the learning process may be oriented toward controlling emotions or toward controlling motivation. Both types affect performance, directly and indirectly. The objective of this research was to design an instrument for measuring the affective strategies used by university…

[Effect of emotional content and self reference of learning materials on recall performance].

PubMed

Spies, K

1994-01-01

It is assumed that high affective value and high self-reference of learning material help to improve memory performance as these factors allow better memory consolidation (activation hypothesis) or better integration of the new material into existing knowledge structures (extent-of-processing hypothesis). To test this assumption, 60 subjects were shown 16 short advertising films characterized by low vs. high affective value and low vs. high self-reference. Both factors were varied within subjects. After the films had each been presented twice, subjects had to recall the product names and answer two questions to each film. Results showed for both dependent variables that films with high affective values were better remembered than films with low affective values. The same held true--though to a lower extent--with respect to self-reference. According to the expected linear trend, performance was best for material scoring high on affective value as well as on self-reference, while it was worst for material scoring low on both factors.

The role of medial prefrontal cortex in theory of mind: a deep rTMS study.

PubMed

Krause, Laura; Enticott, Peter G; Zangen, Abraham; Fitzgerald, Paul B

2012-03-01

Neuroimaging studies suggest that the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays a central role in cognitive theory of mind (ToM). This can be assessed more definitively, however, using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Sixteen healthy participants (10 females, 6 males) completed tasks assessing cognitive and affective ToM following low-frequency deep rTMS to bilateral mPFC in active-stimulation and placebo-stimulation sessions. There was no effect of deep rTMS on either cognitive or affective ToM performance. When examining self-reported empathy, however, there was evidence for a double dissociation: deep rTMS disrupted affective ToM performance for those with high self-reported empathy, but improved affective ToM performance for those with low self-reported empathy. mPFC appears to play a role in affective ToM processing, but the present study suggest that stimulation outcomes are dependent on baseline empathic abilities. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Similarities Between Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Hearing Students' Awareness of Affective Words' Valence in Written Language.

PubMed

Li, Degao; Zhang, Fan; Zeng, Xihong

2016-01-01

An affective priming task was used with two cohorts of college students, one deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH), the other hearing, in two experiments. The same set of affective-word targets, preceded by "※※" in Experiment 1 but by affective-word primes of the same valence as the targets in Experiment 2, were presented vertically above or below the screen center. Stimuli that preceded the targets were shown at the screen center. D/HH participants generally performed more poorly than hearing participants, but both groups performed similarly in that both did better on the positive targets than on the negative in both experiments, and on supporting metaphorical associations between valence and vertical positions (Meier & Robinson, 2004), as indicated by reaction times, in Experiment 2. The researchers concluded that D/HH and hearing college students perform similarly in developing cognition-grounded representations of affective words in written language.

Effects of Socio-Economic Background Factors on Typewriting Speed and Accuracy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erickson, Lawrence W.

The socioeconomic backgrounds of typewriting students as such backgrounds affect typewriting performance is evaluated in this research. There is convincing evidence that socioeconomic factors play a significant role in affecting typewriting performance. Students from low socioeconomic backgrounds are almost always associated with the poorest…

40 CFR 60.707 - Chemicals affected by subpart RRR.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... (CONTINUED) STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Standards of Performance for Volatile Organic Compound Emissions From Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturing Industry (SOCMI) Reactor Processes § 60... 40 Protection of Environment 7 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Chemicals affected by subpart RRR. 60...

40 CFR 60.150 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Standards of Performance for Sewage Treatment Plants § 60.150 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The... (dry basis) produced by municipal sewage treatment plants, or each incinerator that charges more than...

40 CFR 60.170 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Standards of Performance for Primary Zinc Smelters § 60.170 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The...: roaster and sintering machine. (b) Any facility under paragraph (a) of this section that commences...

How patients stress, con, and intimidate physicians to file dubious disability reports.

PubMed

Brooks, T R

1996-05-01

This study was undertaken to determine the association between health providers' stress and performances, and patients who presented with disability forms that the providers did not feel were justified. Two questionnaires were given to health-care providers at the Family Practice Clinic, Martin Luther King/Drew Medical Center, Los Angeles, California. One questionnaire assessed the level of stress they suffered from, and a second questionnaire assessed how these types of patients may affect their general performance. The data suggested that the performance of providers was definitely affected by hostile, demanding, threatening, and malingering patients. The students, residents, nurses, and clinic administrative staff were all affected. Third-year medical students and foreign-trained doctors appeared not to be affected as much, probably because of a lack of knowledge about the "system" or because they preferred not to "rock the boat".

The Abilities of Understanding Spatial Relations, Spatial Orientation, and Spatial Visualization Affect 3D Product Design Performance: Using Carton Box Design as an Example

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liao, Kun-Hsi

2017-01-01

Three-dimensional (3D) product design is an essential ability that students of subjects related to product design must acquire. The factors that affect designers' performance in 3D design are numerous, one of which is spatial abilities. Studies have reported that spatial abilities can be used to effectively predict people's performance in…

Troubleshooting crude vacuum tower overhead ejector systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lines, J.R.; Frens, L.L.

1995-03-01

Routinely surveying tower overhead vacuum systems can improve performance and product quality. These vacuum systems normally provide reliable and consistent operation. However, process conditions, supplied utilities, corrosion, erosion and fouling all have an impact on ejector system performance. Refinery vacuum distillation towers use ejector systems to maintain tower top pressure and remove overhead gases. However, as with virtually all refinery equipment, performance may be affected by a number of variables. These variables may act independently or concurrently. It is important to understand basic operating principles of vacuum systems and how performance is affected by: utilities, corrosion and erosion, fouling, andmore » process conditions. Reputable vacuum-system suppliers have service engineers that will come to a refinery to survey the system and troubleshoot performance or offer suggestions for improvement. A skilled vacuum-system engineer may be needed to diagnose and remedy system problems. The affect of these variables on performance is discussed. A case history is described of a vacuum system on a crude tower in a South American refinery.« less

Preparatory power posing affects nonverbal presence and job interview performance.

PubMed

Cuddy, Amy J C; Wilmuth, Caroline A; Yap, Andy J; Carney, Dana R

2015-07-01

The authors tested whether engaging in expansive (vs. contractive) "power poses" before a stressful job interview--preparatory power posing--would enhance performance during the interview. Participants adopted high-power (i.e., expansive, open) poses or low-power (i.e., contractive, closed) poses, and then prepared and delivered a speech to 2 evaluators as part of a mock job interview. All interview speeches were videotaped and coded for overall performance and hireability and for 2 potential mediators: verbal content (e.g., structure, content) and nonverbal presence (e.g., captivating, enthusiastic). As predicted, those who prepared for the job interview with high- (vs. low-) power poses performed better and were more likely to be chosen for hire; this relation was mediated by nonverbal presence, but not by verbal content. Although previous research has focused on how a nonverbal behavior that is enacted during interactions and observed by perceivers affects how those perceivers evaluate and respond to the actor, this experiment focused on how a nonverbal behavior that is enacted before the interaction and unobserved by perceivers affects the actor's performance, which, in turn, affects how perceivers evaluate and respond to the actor. This experiment reveals a theoretically novel and practically informative result that demonstrates the causal relation between preparatory nonverbal behavior and subsequent performance and outcomes. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Learning under your gaze: the mediating role of affective arousal between perceived direct gaze and memory performance.

PubMed

Helminen, Terhi M; Pasanen, Tytti P; Hietanen, Jari K

2016-03-01

Previous studies have shown that cognitive performance can be affected by the presence of an observer and self-directed gaze. We investigated whether the effect of gaze direction (direct vs. downcast) on verbal memory is mediated by autonomic arousal. Male participants responded with enhanced affective arousal to both male and female storytellers' direct gaze which, according to a path analysis, was negatively associated with the performance. On the other hand, parallel to this arousal-mediated effect, males' performance was affected by another process impacting the performance positively and suggested to be related to effort allocation on the task. The effect of this process was observed only when the storyteller was a male. The participants remembered more details from a story told by a male with a direct vs. downcast gaze. The effect of gaze direction on performance was the opposite for female storytellers, which was explained by the arousal-mediated process. Surprisingly, these results were restricted to male participants only and no effects of gaze were observed among female participants. We also investigated whether the participants' belief of being seen or not (through an electronic window) by the storyteller influenced the memory and arousal, but this manipulation had no effect on the results.

Correlations between Stroop task performance and white matter lesion measures in late-onset major depression.

PubMed

Dalby, Rikke B; Frandsen, Jesper; Chakravarty, M Mallar; Ahdidan, Jamila; Sørensen, Leif; Rosenberg, Raben; Østergaard, Leif; Videbech, Poul

2012-05-31

Cerebral white matter lesions (WMLs) are believed to play an important role in a subset of patients with late-onset depression by affecting the white matter connectivity in circuitries essential for mood and cognition. In this study we used diffusion tensor imaging-based (DTI-based) tractography to assess white matter fiber tracts affected by deep WMLs (DWMLs) in patients with late-onset major depression and age- and gender-matched controls. Tractography outcome, illustrated as pathways affected by DWMLs, was analyzed for associations with cognitive performance on the Stroop Test (ST). The patients (n=17) performed significantly worse on the ST than the controls (n=22). Poor performance on the ST correlated with higher lesion load. Regression analysis showed a significant correlation between poor performance on the ST and tracts affected by DWMLs in multiple brain areas in the control group, but very sparse correlation in the patient group. Our results suggest that DWMLs play an important role in the cognitive performance of controls,whereas their influence in depressed patients is overruled by additional, state-dependent factors. Future focus on the tract-specific localization of WMLs using DTI tractography may reveal important associations between neuroconnectivity and clinical measures. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Testing cognition in the wild: factors affecting performance and individual consistency in two measures of avian cognition.

PubMed

Shaw, Rachael C

2017-01-01

Developing cognitive tasks to reliably quantify individual differences in cognitive ability is critical to advance our understanding of the fitness consequences of cognition in the wild. Several factors may influence individual performance in a cognitive task, with some being unrelated to the cognitive ability that is the target of the test. It is therefore essential to assess how extraneous factors may affect task performance, particularly for those tasks that are frequently used to quantify individual differences in cognitive ability. The current study therefore measured the performance of wild North Island robins in two tasks commonly used to measure individual differences in avian cognition: a novel motor task and a detour reaching task. The robins' performance in the motor task was affected by prior experience; individuals that had previously participated in a similar task that required a different motor action pattern outperformed naïve subjects. By contrast, detour reaching performance was influenced by an individual's body condition, suggesting that energetic state may affect inhibitory control in robins. Designing tasks that limit the influence of past experience and developing means of standardising motivation across animals tested in the wild remain key challenges to improving current measurements of cognitive ability in birds. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 60.330 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Performance for Stationary Gas Turbines § 60.330 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The provisions of this subpart are applicable to the following affected facilities: All stationary gas turbines...

40 CFR 60.330 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Performance for Stationary Gas Turbines § 60.330 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The provisions of this subpart are applicable to the following affected facilities: All stationary gas turbines...

40 CFR 60.330 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Performance for Stationary Gas Turbines § 60.330 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The provisions of this subpart are applicable to the following affected facilities: All stationary gas turbines...

40 CFR 60.330 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Performance for Stationary Gas Turbines § 60.330 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The provisions of this subpart are applicable to the following affected facilities: All stationary gas turbines...

40 CFR 60.170 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Performance for Primary Zinc Smelters § 60.170 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The provisions of this subpart are applicable to the following affected facilities in primary zinc smelters...

40 CFR 60.330 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Performance for Stationary Gas Turbines § 60.330 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The provisions of this subpart are applicable to the following affected facilities: All stationary gas turbines...

Effect of Directed Study of Mathematics Vocabulary on Standardized Mathematics Assessment Questions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waite, Adel Marlane

2017-01-01

The problems under investigation included (a) Did a directed study of mathematics vocabulary significantly affect student performance levels on standardized mathematical questions? and (b) Did the strategies used in this study significantly affect student performance levels on standardized mathematical questions? The population consisted of…

77 FR 12832 - Non-RTO/ISO Performance Metrics; Commission Staff Request Comments on Performance Metrics for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-02

...- peak hours; and (4) additional information on equipment types affected and kV of lines affected. Items... Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC), among other actions, work with regional transmission... Average burden FERC-922 requirements respondents responses per hours per Total annual annually respondent...

Effects of altered seasonality of precipitation on grass production and grasshopper performance in a northern mixed prairie

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Climatic changes are leading to differing patterns and timing of precipitation in grassland ecosystems, with the seasonal timing of precipitation affecting plant biomass and plant composition. No previous studies have examined how drought seasonality affects grasshopper performance and the impact of...

Employee Assistance: Policies and Programs. Pamphlet Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milgram, Gail Gleason

Approximately six to eight percent of the nation's workers have problems which affect their job performance; without assistance, these problems become worse, affect others, and may have serious consequences to the employer as well. The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a pragmatic but compassionate attempt to improve performance by constructing…

Performativity and Affect in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruitenberg, Claudia W.

2015-01-01

This essay examines the concept of performativity in relation to what are perceived to be reasonable and unreasonable affective responses to discourse. It considers how discourse, especially in classrooms and other educational contexts, produces effects, and how it is that those effects are sometimes seen as attached to the discourse, and…

ULTRAFINE CARBON PARTICLE (UFCP) INHALATION AFFECTS CARDIOVASCULAR PERFORMANCE IN HYPERTENSIVE RATS (SHR)

EPA Science Inventory

Inhaled UfCP affect cardiovascular performance in healthy rats (Harder et al. Inhal Toxicol 2005; 17:29-42) without apparent pulmonary damage. To assess whether geriatric cardiovascular compromised rats are more susceptible to UfCP effects, male adult (6months) and geriatric (13m...

Effects of Physical Attractiveness on Evaluation of Vocal Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wapnick, Joel; Darrow, Alice Ann; Kovacs, Jolan; Dalrymple, Lucinda

1997-01-01

Studies whether physical attractiveness of singers affects judges' ratings of their vocal performances. Reveals that physical attractiveness does impact evaluation, that male raters were more severe than female raters, and that the rating of undergraduate majors versus graduate students and professors combined were not differently affected by…

Visual/motion cue mismatch in a coordinated roll maneuver

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shirachi, D. K.; Shirley, R. S.

1981-01-01

The effects of bandwidth differences between visual and motion cueing systems on pilot performance for a coordinated roll task were investigated. Visual and motion cue configurations which were acceptable and the effects of reduced motion cue scaling on pilot performance were studied to determine the scale reduction threshold for which pilot performance was significantly different from full scale pilot performance. It is concluded that: (1) the presence or absence of high frequency error information in the visual and/or motion display systems significantly affects pilot performance; and (2) the attenuation of motion scaling while maintaining other display dynamic characteristics constant, affects pilot performance.

Do candidate reactions relate to job performance or affect criterion-related validity? A multistudy investigation of relations among reactions, selection test scores, and job performance.

PubMed

McCarthy, Julie M; Van Iddekinge, Chad H; Lievens, Filip; Kung, Mei-Chuan; Sinar, Evan F; Campion, Michael A

2013-09-01

Considerable evidence suggests that how candidates react to selection procedures can affect their test performance and their attitudes toward the hiring organization (e.g., recommending the firm to others). However, very few studies of candidate reactions have examined one of the outcomes organizations care most about: job performance. We attempt to address this gap by developing and testing a conceptual framework that delineates whether and how candidate reactions might influence job performance. We accomplish this objective using data from 4 studies (total N = 6,480), 6 selection procedures (personality tests, job knowledge tests, cognitive ability tests, work samples, situational judgment tests, and a selection inventory), 5 key candidate reactions (anxiety, motivation, belief in tests, self-efficacy, and procedural justice), 2 contexts (industry and education), 3 continents (North America, South America, and Europe), 2 study designs (predictive and concurrent), and 4 occupational areas (medical, sales, customer service, and technological). Consistent with previous research, candidate reactions were related to test scores, and test scores were related to job performance. Further, there was some evidence that reactions affected performance indirectly through their influence on test scores. Finally, in no cases did candidate reactions affect the prediction of job performance by increasing or decreasing the criterion-related validity of test scores. Implications of these findings and avenues for future research are discussed. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved

Relation Between Mathematical Performance, Math Anxiety, and Affective Priming in Children With and Without Developmental Dyscalculia.

PubMed

Kucian, Karin; Zuber, Isabelle; Kohn, Juliane; Poltz, Nadine; Wyschkon, Anne; Esser, Günter; von Aster, Michael

2018-01-01

Many children show negative emotions related to mathematics and some even develop mathematics anxiety. The present study focused on the relation between negative emotions and arithmetical performance in children with and without developmental dyscalculia (DD) using an affective priming task. Previous findings suggested that arithmetic performance is influenced if an affective prime precedes the presentation of an arithmetic problem. In children with DD specifically, responses to arithmetic operations are supposed to be facilitated by both negative and mathematics-related primes (= negative math priming effect ).We investigated mathematical performance, math anxiety, and the domain-general abilities of 172 primary school children (76 with DD and 96 controls). All participants also underwent an affective priming task which consisted of the decision whether a simple arithmetic operation (addition or subtraction) that was preceded by a prime (positive/negative/neutral or mathematics-related) was true or false. Our findings did not reveal a negative math priming effect in children with DD. Furthermore, when considering accuracy levels, gender, or math anxiety, the negative math priming effect could not be replicated. However, children with DD showed more math anxiety when explicitly assessed by a specific math anxiety interview and showed lower mathematical performance compared to controls. Moreover, math anxiety was equally present in boys and girls, even in the earliest stages of schooling, and interfered negatively with performance. In conclusion, mathematics is often associated with negative emotions that can be manifested in specific math anxiety, particularly in children with DD. Importantly, present findings suggest that in the assessed age group, it is more reliable to judge math anxiety and investigate its effects on mathematical performance explicitly by adequate questionnaires than by an affective math priming task.

Relation Between Mathematical Performance, Math Anxiety, and Affective Priming in Children With and Without Developmental Dyscalculia

PubMed Central

Kucian, Karin; Zuber, Isabelle; Kohn, Juliane; Poltz, Nadine; Wyschkon, Anne; Esser, Günter; von Aster, Michael

2018-01-01

Many children show negative emotions related to mathematics and some even develop mathematics anxiety. The present study focused on the relation between negative emotions and arithmetical performance in children with and without developmental dyscalculia (DD) using an affective priming task. Previous findings suggested that arithmetic performance is influenced if an affective prime precedes the presentation of an arithmetic problem. In children with DD specifically, responses to arithmetic operations are supposed to be facilitated by both negative and mathematics-related primes (=negative math priming effect).We investigated mathematical performance, math anxiety, and the domain-general abilities of 172 primary school children (76 with DD and 96 controls). All participants also underwent an affective priming task which consisted of the decision whether a simple arithmetic operation (addition or subtraction) that was preceded by a prime (positive/negative/neutral or mathematics-related) was true or false. Our findings did not reveal a negative math priming effect in children with DD. Furthermore, when considering accuracy levels, gender, or math anxiety, the negative math priming effect could not be replicated. However, children with DD showed more math anxiety when explicitly assessed by a specific math anxiety interview and showed lower mathematical performance compared to controls. Moreover, math anxiety was equally present in boys and girls, even in the earliest stages of schooling, and interfered negatively with performance. In conclusion, mathematics is often associated with negative emotions that can be manifested in specific math anxiety, particularly in children with DD. Importantly, present findings suggest that in the assessed age group, it is more reliable to judge math anxiety and investigate its effects on mathematical performance explicitly by adequate questionnaires than by an affective math priming task. PMID:29755376

Positive and negative affect, depression, and cognitive processes in the Cognition in the Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene (Co-STAR) Trial

PubMed Central

Danhauer, Suzanne C.; Legault, Claudine; Bandos, Hanna; Kidwell, Kelley; Costantino, Joseph; Vaughan, Leslie; Avis, Nancy E.; Rapp, Steve; Coker, Laura H.; Naughton, Michelle; Naylor, Cecile; Terracciano, Antonio; Shumaker, Sally

2013-01-01

Objectives This study examined the relationship between positive and negative affect, depressive symptoms, and cognitive performance. Methods The sample consisted of 1,479 non-demented, postmenopausal women (mean age=67 years) at increased risk of breast cancer enrolled in the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project’s Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene (STAR). At each annual visit, women completed a standardized neuropsychological battery and self-report measures of affect and depression. Data from 3 visits were used in linear mixed models for repeated measures using likelihood ratio tests. Separate analyses were performed to relate positive/negative affect and depression to each cognitive measure. Results Higher positive affect was associated with better letter fluency (p=0.006) and category fluency (p<0.0001). Higher negative affect was associated with worse global cognitive function (p<0.0001), verbal memory (CVLT List B; p=0.002), and spatial ability (p<0.0001). Depressive symptoms were negatively associated with verbal knowledge (p=0.004), figural memory (p<0.0001), and verbal memory (p’s≤0.0001). Discussion Findings are consistent with some prior research demonstrating a link between positive affect and increased verbal fluency and between depressive symptoms and decreased memory. The most novel finding shows that negative affect is related to decreased global cognition and visuospatial ability. Overall, this research in a large, longitudinal sample supports the notion that positive affect is related to increases and negative affect to decreases in performance on distinct cognitive measures. PMID:23237718

Predicting race performance in triathlon: the role of perfectionism, achievement goals, and personal goal setting.

PubMed

Stoeber, Joachim; Uphill, Mark A; Hotham, Sarah

2009-04-01

The question of how perfectionism affects performance is highly debated. Because empirical studies examining perfectionism and competitive sport performance are missing, the present research investigated how perfectionism affected race performance and what role athletes' goals played in this relationship in two prospective studies with competitive triathletes (Study 1: N = 112; Study 2: N = 321). Regression analyses showed that perfectionistic personal standards, high performance-approach goals, low performance-avoidance goals, and high personal goals predicted race performance beyond athletes' performance level. Moreover, the contrast between performance-avoidance and performance-approach goals mediated the relationship between perfectionistic personal standards and performance, whereas personal goal setting mediated the relationship between performance-approach goals and performance. The findings indicate that perfectionistic personal standards do not undermine competitive performance, but are associated with goals that help athletes achieve their best possible performance.

How Health Behaviors Relate to Academic Performance via Affect: An Intensive Longitudinal Study

PubMed Central

Flueckiger, Lavinia; Lieb, Roselind; Meyer, Andrea H.; Mata, Jutta

2014-01-01

Objective This intensive longitudinal study examined how sleep and physical activity relate to university students’ affect and academic performance during a stressful examination period. Methods On 32 consecutive days, 72 first-year students answered online questionnaires on their sleep quality, physical activity, positive and negative affect, learning goal achievement, and examination grades. First-year university students are particularly well-suited to test our hypotheses: They represent a relatively homogeneous population in a natural, but controlled setting, and simultaneously deal with similar stressors, such as examinations. Data were analyzed using multilevel structural equation models. Results Over the examination period, better average sleep quality but not physical activity predicted better learning goal achievement. Better learning goal achievement was associated with increased probability of passing all examinations. Relations of average sleep quality and average physical activity with learning goal achievement were mediated by experienced positive affect. In terms of day-to-day dynamics, on days with better sleep quality, participants reported better learning goal achievement. Day-to-day physical activity was not related to daily learning goal achievement. Daily positive and negative affect both mediated the effect of day-to-day sleep quality and physical activity on daily learning goal achievement. Conclusion Health behaviors such as sleep quality and physical activity seem important for both academic performance and affect experience, an indicator of mental health, during a stressful examination period. These results are a first step toward a better understanding of between- and within-person variations in health behaviors, affect, and academic performance, and could inform prevention and intervention programs for university students. PMID:25353638

How health behaviors relate to academic performance via affect: an intensive longitudinal study.

PubMed

Flueckiger, Lavinia; Lieb, Roselind; Meyer, Andrea H; Mata, Jutta

2014-01-01

This intensive longitudinal study examined how sleep and physical activity relate to university students' affect and academic performance during a stressful examination period. On 32 consecutive days, 72 first-year students answered online questionnaires on their sleep quality, physical activity, positive and negative affect, learning goal achievement, and examination grades. First-year university students are particularly well-suited to test our hypotheses: They represent a relatively homogeneous population in a natural, but controlled setting, and simultaneously deal with similar stressors, such as examinations. Data were analyzed using multilevel structural equation models. Over the examination period, better average sleep quality but not physical activity predicted better learning goal achievement. Better learning goal achievement was associated with increased probability of passing all examinations. Relations of average sleep quality and average physical activity with learning goal achievement were mediated by experienced positive affect. In terms of day-to-day dynamics, on days with better sleep quality, participants reported better learning goal achievement. Day-to-day physical activity was not related to daily learning goal achievement. Daily positive and negative affect both mediated the effect of day-to-day sleep quality and physical activity on daily learning goal achievement. Health behaviors such as sleep quality and physical activity seem important for both academic performance and affect experience, an indicator of mental health, during a stressful examination period. These results are a first step toward a better understanding of between- and within-person variations in health behaviors, affect, and academic performance, and could inform prevention and intervention programs for university students.

The effect of environmental regulation on firms' competitive performance: the case of the building & construction sector in some EU regions.

PubMed

Testa, Francesco; Iraldo, Fabio; Frey, Marco

2011-09-01

There is a considerable debate on the effects of environmental regulation on competitive performance. Based on survey data, this paper analyzes the two main research questions, derived from literature, on the links between environmental regulation and competitiveness, by focusing on firms operating in the building and construction sector, i.e.: 1) whether environmental policy stringency affects the competitive performance of firms in the building and construction sector 2) and how a specific form of environmental regulation (direct regulation, economic instruments and soft instruments) affects this performance? By applying a regression analysis, we find that a more stringent environmental regulation, measured by inspection frequency, provides a positive impulse for increasing investments in advanced technological equipment and innovative products and on business performance. Moreover, a well-designed "direct regulation" appears to be the most effective policy instrument for prompting the positive impact of environmental policies on innovation and intangible performance while economic instruments do negatively affect business performance. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adolescent sleep disturbance and school performance: the confounding variable of socioeconomics.

PubMed

Pagel, James F; Forister, Natalie; Kwiatkowki, Carol

2007-02-15

To assess how selected socioeconomic variables known to affect school performance alter the association between reported sleep disturbance and poor school performance in a contiguous middle school/high school population. A school district/college IRB approved questionnaire was distributed in science and health classes in middle school and high school. This questionnaire included a frequency scaled pediatric sleep disturbance questionnaire for completion by students and a permission and demographic questionnaire for completion by parents (completed questionnaires n = 238 with 69.3% including GPA). Sleep complaints occur at high frequency in this sample (sleep onset insomnia 60% > 1 x /wk.; 21.2% every night; sleepiness during the day (45.7% > 1 x /wk.; 15.2 % every night), and difficulty concentrating (54.6% > 1 x /wk.; 12.9% always). Students with lower grade point averages (GPAs) were more likely to have restless/aching legs when trying to fall asleep, difficulty concentrating during the day, snoring every night, difficulty waking in the morning, sleepiness during the day, and falling asleep in class. Lower reported GPAs were significantly associated with lower household incomes. After statistically controlling for income, restless legs, sleepiness during the day, and difficulty with concentration continued to significantly affect school performance. This study provides additional evidence indicating that sleep disturbances occur at high frequencies in adolescents and significantly affect daytime performance, as measured by GPA. The socioeconomic variable of household income also significantly affects GPA. After statistically controlling for age and household income, the number and type of sleep variables noted to significantly affect GPA are altered but persistent in demonstrating significant effects on school performance.

Factors Affecting Open-Set Word Recognition in Adults with Cochlear Implants

PubMed Central

Holden, Laura K.; Finley, Charles C.; Firszt, Jill B.; Holden, Timothy A.; Brenner, Christine; Potts, Lisa G.; Gotter, Brenda D.; Vanderhoof, Sallie S.; Mispagel, Karen; Heydebrand, Gitry; Skinner, Margaret W.

2012-01-01

A monosyllabic word test was administered to 114 postlingually-deaf adult cochlear implant (CI) recipients at numerous intervals from two weeks to two years post-initial CI activation. Biographic/audiologic information, electrode position, and cognitive ability were examined to determine factors affecting CI outcomes. Results revealed that Duration of Severe-to-Profound Hearing Loss, Age at Implantation, CI Sound-field Threshold Levels, Percentage of Electrodes in Scala Vestibuli, Medio-lateral Electrode Position, Insertion Depth, and Cognition were among the factors that affected performance. Knowledge of how factors affect performance can influence counseling, device fitting, and rehabilitation for patients and may contribute to improved device design. PMID:23348845

The Association between Motivation, Affect, and Self-regulated Learning When Solving Problems.

PubMed

Baars, Martine; Wijnia, Lisette; Paas, Fred

2017-01-01

Self-regulated learning (SRL) skills are essential for learning during school years, particularly in complex problem-solving domains, such as biology and math. Although a lot of studies have focused on the cognitive resources that are needed for learning to solve problems in a self-regulated way, affective and motivational resources have received much less research attention. The current study investigated the relation between affect (i.e., Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale), motivation (i.e., autonomous and controlled motivation), mental effort, SRL skills, and problem-solving performance when learning to solve biology problems in a self-regulated online learning environment. In the learning phase, secondary education students studied video-modeling examples of how to solve hereditary problems, solved hereditary problems which they chose themselves from a set of problems with different complexity levels (i.e., five levels). In the posttest, students solved hereditary problems, self-assessed their performance, and chose a next problem from the set of problems but did not solve these problems. The results from this study showed that negative affect, inaccurate self-assessments during the posttest, and higher perceptions of mental effort during the posttest were negatively associated with problem-solving performance after learning in a self-regulated way.

Towards a Semantic-Based Approach for Affect and Metaphor Detection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Li; Barnden, John

2013-01-01

Affect detection from open-ended virtual improvisational contexts is a challenging task. To achieve this research goal, the authors developed an intelligent agent which was able to engage in virtual improvisation and perform sentence-level affect detection from user inputs. This affect detection development was efficient for the improvisational…

Strategies for Developing the Affective Work Competencies of Marketing Education Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyer, Earl C.

Effective strategies for developing the affective work competencies of marketing education students include teaching procedures, acquisition of skills and materials for teaching in the affective domain, and implementation considerations. Affective concerns in marketing can be grouped into three broad types of performance categories--self-concept,…

Running with emotion: when affective content hampers working memory performance.

PubMed

Fairfield, Beth; Mammarella, Nicola; Di Domenico, Alberto; Palumbo, Rocco

2015-03-01

This study tested the hypothesis that affective content may undermine rather than facilitate working memory (WM) performance. To this end, participants performed a running WM task with positive, negative and neutral words. In typical running memory tasks, participants are presented with lists of unpredictable length and are asked to recall the last three or four items. We found that accuracy with affective words decreased as lists lengthened, whereas list length did not influence recall of neutral words. We interpreted this pattern of results in terms of a limited resource model of WM in which valence represents additional information that needs to be manipulated, especially in the context of difficult trials. © 2014 International Union of Psychological Science.

Predicting nitrogen loading with land-cover composition: how can watershed size affect model performance?

PubMed

Zhang, Tao; Yang, Xiaojun

2013-01-01

Watershed-wide land-cover proportions can be used to predict the in-stream non-point source pollutant loadings through regression modeling. However, the model performance can vary greatly across different study sites and among various watersheds. Existing literature has shown that this type of regression modeling tends to perform better for large watersheds than for small ones, and that such a performance variation has been largely linked with different interwatershed landscape heterogeneity levels. The purpose of this study is to further examine the previously mentioned empirical observation based on a set of watersheds in the northern part of Georgia (USA) to explore the underlying causes of the variation in model performance. Through the combined use of the neutral landscape modeling approach and a spatially explicit nutrient loading model, we tested whether the regression model performance variation over the watershed groups ranging in size is due to the different watershed landscape heterogeneity levels. We adopted three neutral landscape modeling criteria that were tied with different similarity levels in watershed landscape properties and used the nutrient loading model to estimate the nitrogen loads for these neutral watersheds. Then we compared the regression model performance for the real and neutral landscape scenarios, respectively. We found that watershed size can affect the regression model performance both directly and indirectly. Along with the indirect effect through interwatershed heterogeneity, watershed size can directly affect the model performance over the watersheds varying in size. We also found that the regression model performance can be more significantly affected by other physiographic properties shaping nitrogen delivery effectiveness than the watershed land-cover heterogeneity. This study contrasts with many existing studies because it goes beyond hypothesis formulation based on empirical observations and into hypothesis testing to explore the fundamental mechanism.

Effects of Aromatherapy on Test Anxiety and Performance in College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunnigan, Jocelyn Marie

2013-01-01

Test anxiety is a complex, multidimensional construct composed of cognitive, affective, and behavioral components that have been shown to negatively affect test performance. Furthermore, test anxiety is a pervasive problem in modern society largely related to the evaluative nature of educational programs, therefore meriting study of its nature,…

Sex, Affect, and Academic Performance: It's Not What You Think

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewine, Rich; Sommers, Alison; Waford, Rachel; Bustanoby, Heather; Robertson, Catherine; Hall, Rachel; Eisenmenger, Karen

2011-01-01

The academic impact of serious depression among college students is beginning to receive increased attention in the research literature. In contrast, we know very little about the affect of mild depression, or dysphoria, on academic performance. This study examines the relationship of baseline dysphoria in 188 students to five measures of academic…

The Consequences of Perfectionism Scale: Factorial Structure and Relationships with Perfectionism, Performance Perfectionism, Affect, and Depressive Symptoms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoeber, Joachim; Hoyle, Azina; Last, Freyja

2013-01-01

This study investigated the Consequences of Perfectionism Scale (COPS) and its relationships with perfectionism, performance perfectionism, affect, and depressive symptoms in 202 university students using confirmatory factor analysis, correlations, and regression analyses. Results suggest that the COPS is a reliable and valid measure of positive…

Relationships between day one piglet serum immunoglobulin immunocrit and subsequent growth, puberty attainment, litter size, and lactation performance

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Colostrum affects gut and uterine gland development in the neonatal piglet, suggesting that subsequent growth and reproductive performance may be affected. Measuring immunoglobulin in piglet serum using the immunoglobulin immunocrit on day 1 of age provides a simple inexpensive indication of the amo...

Student Application for Special Consideration for Examination Performance Following a Natural Disaster

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collings, David; Garrill, Ashley; Johnston, Lucy

2018-01-01

Universities have a long-established tradition of granting students special consideration when circumstances beyond their control negatively affect performance in assessments. Typically, such situations affect only one student (e.g. medical emergencies) but we consider the impact of a natural disaster that led to all students being eligible for…

40 CFR 60.5380 - What standards apply to centrifugal compressor affected facilities?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 7 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false What standards apply to centrifugal compressor affected facilities? 60.5380 Section 60.5380 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Standards of Performance for Crude Oil and Natura...

40 CFR 60.5380 - What standards apply to centrifugal compressor affected facilities?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 7 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false What standards apply to centrifugal compressor affected facilities? 60.5380 Section 60.5380 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Standards of Performance for Crude Oil and Natura...

40 CFR 60.5375 - What standards apply to gas well affected facilities?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 7 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false What standards apply to gas well affected facilities? 60.5375 Section 60.5375 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Standards of Performance for Crude Oil and Natural Gas...

40 CFR 60.5375 - What standards apply to gas well affected facilities?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 7 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false What standards apply to gas well affected facilities? 60.5375 Section 60.5375 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Standards of Performance for Crude Oil and Natural Gas...

Effects of Perceived Social Loafing, Social Interdependence, and Group Affective Tone on Students' Group Learning Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teng, Chih-Ching; Luo, Yu-Ping

2015-01-01

This study investigates how students perceived social loafing and social interdependence influence group learning performance through group affective tone in undergraduate hospitality and tourism curricula. A questionnaire survey was administered to collect data from college students majoring hospitality and tourism management at four Taiwanese…

Factors Affecting University Entrants' Performance in High-Stakes Tests: A Multiple Regression Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uy, Chin; Manalo, Ronaldo A.; Cabauatan, Ronaldo R.

2015-01-01

In the Philippines, students seeking admission to a university are usually required to meet certain entrance requirements, including passing the entrance examinations with questions on IQ and English, mathematics, and science. This paper aims to determine the factors that affect the performance of entrants into business programmes in high-stakes…

The Role of Training, Individual Differences and Knowledge Representation in Cognitive-Oriented Task Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koubek, Richard J.

The roles of training, problem representation, and individual differences on performance of both automated (simple) and controlled (complex) process tasks were studied. The following hypotheses were tested: (1) training and cognitive style affect the representation developed; (2) training and cognitive style affect the development and performance…

Affect Response to Simulated Information Attack during Complex Task Performance

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-02

AND FRUSTRATION ........................ 42 FIGURE 27. TASK LOAD INDEX OF MENTAL DEMAND, TEMPORAL DEMAND, AND PHYSICAL DEMAND...situational awareness, affect, and trait characteristics interact with human performance during cyberspace attacks in the physical and information...Operator state was manipulated using emotional stimulation portrayed through the presentation of video segments. The effect of emotions on

Internal Challenges Affecting Academic Performance of Student-Athletes in Ghanaian Public Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Apaak, Daniel; Sarpong, Emmanuel Osei

2015-01-01

This paper examined internal challenges affecting academic performance of student-athletes in Ghanaian public universities, using a descriptive survey research design. Proportionate random sampling technique was employed to select Three Hundred and Thirty-Two (332) respondents for the study. The instrument used in gathering data for the study was…

Individual differences in cognition, affect, and performance: Behavioral, neuroimaging, and molecular genetic approaches

PubMed Central

Parasuraman, Raja; Jiang, Yang

2012-01-01

We describe the use of behavioral, neuroimaging, and genetic methods to examine individual differences in cognition and affect, guided by three criteria: (1) relevance to human performance in work and everyday settings; (2) interactions between working memory, decision-making, and affective processing; and (3) examination of individual differences. The results of behavioral, functional MRI (fMRI), event-related potential (ERP), and molecular genetic studies show that analyses at the group level often mask important findings associated with sub-groups of individuals. Dopaminergic/noradrenergic genes influencing prefrontal cortex activity contribute to inter-individual variation in working memory and decision behavior, including performance in complex simulations of military decision-making. The interactive influences of individual differences in anxiety, sensation seeking, and boredom susceptibility on evaluative decision-making can be systematically described using ERP and fMRI methods. We conclude that a multi-modal neuroergonomic approach to examining brain function (using both neuroimaging and molecular genetics) can be usefully applied to understanding individual differences in cognition and affect and has implications for human performance at work. PMID:21569853

Personality and performance are affected by age and early life parameters in a small primate.

PubMed

Zablocki-Thomas, Pauline B; Herrel, Anthony; Hardy, Isabelle; Rabardel, Lucile; Perret, Martine; Aujard, Fabienne; Pouydebat, Emmanuelle

2018-05-01

A whole suite of parameters is likely to influence the behavior and performance of individuals as adults, including correlations between phenotypic traits or an individual's developmental context. Here, we ask the question whether behavior and physical performance traits are correlated and how early life parameters such as birth weight, litter size, and growth can influence these traits as measured during adulthood. We studied 486 captive gray mouse lemurs ( Microcebus murinus ) and measured two behavioral traits and two performance traits potentially involved in two functions: exploration behavior with pull strength and agitation score with bite force. We checked for the existence of behavioral consistency in behaviors and explored correlations between behavior, performance, morphology. We analyzed the effect of birth weight, growth, and litter size, while controlling for age, sex, and body weight. Behavior and performance were not correlated with one another, but were both influenced by age. Growth rate had a positive effect on adult morphology, and birth weight significantly affected emergence latency and bite force. Grip strength was not directly affected by early life traits, but bite performance and exploration behavior were impacted by birth weight. This study shows how early life parameters impact personality and performance.

Affective mentalizing and brain activity at rest in the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia.

PubMed

Caminiti, Silvia P; Canessa, Nicola; Cerami, Chiara; Dodich, Alessandra; Crespi, Chiara; Iannaccone, Sandro; Marcone, Alessandra; Falini, Andrea; Cappa, Stefano F

2015-01-01

bvFTD patients display an impairment in the attribution of cognitive and affective states to others, reflecting GM atrophy in brain regions associated with social cognition, such as amygdala, superior temporal cortex and posterior insula. Distinctive patterns of abnormal brain functioning at rest have been reported in bvFTD, but their relationship with defective attribution of affective states has not been investigated. To investigate the relationship among resting-state brain activity, gray matter (GM) atrophy and the attribution of mental states in the behavioral variant of fronto-temporal degeneration (bvFTD). We compared 12 bvFTD patients with 30 age- and education-matched healthy controls on a) performance in a task requiring the attribution of affective vs. cognitive mental states; b) metrics of resting-state activity in known functional networks; and c) the relationship between task-performances and resting-state metrics. In addition, we assessed a connection between abnormal resting-state metrics and GM atrophy. Compared with controls, bvFTD patients showed a reduction of intra-network coherent activity in several components, as well as decreased strength of activation in networks related to attentional processing. Anomalous resting-state activity involved networks which also displayed a significant reduction of GM density. In patients, compared with controls, higher affective mentalizing performance correlated with stronger functional connectivity between medial prefrontal sectors of the default-mode and attentional/performance monitoring networks, as well as with increased coherent activity in components of the executive, sensorimotor and fronto-limbic networks. Some of the observed effects may reflect specific compensatory mechanisms for the atrophic changes involving regions in charge of affective mentalizing. The analysis of specific resting-state networks thus highlights an intermediate level of analysis between abnormal brain structure and impaired behavioral performance in bvFTD, reflecting both dysfunction and compensation mechanisms.

Depressive symptoms, functional measures and long-term outcomes of high-risk ST-elevated myocardial infarction patients treated by primary angioplasty.

PubMed

Compostella, Leonida; Lorenzi, Sonia; Russo, Nicola; Setzu, Tiziana; Compostella, Caterina; Vettore, Elia; Isabella, Giambattista; Tarantini, Giuseppe; Iliceto, Sabino; Bellotto, Fabio

2017-02-01

The presence of major depressive symptoms is usually considered a negative long-term prognostic factor after an acute myocardial infarction (AMI); however, most of the supporting research was conducted before the era of immediate reperfusion by percutaneous coronary intervention. The aims of this study are to evaluate if depression still retains long-term prognostic significance in our era of immediate coronary reperfusion, and to study possible correlations with clinical parameters of physical performance. In 184 patients with recent ST-elevated AMI (STEMI), treated by immediate reperfusion, moderate or severe depressive symptoms (evaluated by Beck Depression Inventory version I) were present in 10 % of cases. Physical performance was evaluated by two 6-min walk tests and by a symptom-limited cardiopulmonary exercise test: somatic/affective (but not cognitive/affective) symptoms of depression and perceived quality of life (evaluated by the EuroQoL questionnaire) are worse in patients with lower levels of physical performance. Follow-up was performed after a median of 29 months by means of telephone interviews; 32 major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) occurred. The presence of three vessels disease and low left ventricle ejection fraction are correlated with a greater incidence of MACE; only somatic/affective (but not cognitive/affective) symptoms of depression correlate with long-term outcomes. In patients with recent STEMI treated by immediate reperfusion, somatic/affective but not cognitive/affective symptoms of depression show prognostic value on long-term MACE. Depression symptoms are not predictors "per se" of adverse prognosis, but seem to express an underlying worse cardiac efficiency, clinically reflected by poorer physical performance.

Impact of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner noise on affective state and attentional performance.

PubMed

Jacob, Shawna N; Shear, Paula K; Norris, Matthew; Smith, Matthew; Osterhage, Jeff; Strakowski, Stephen M; Cerullo, Michael; Fleck, David E; Lee, Jing-Huei; Eliassen, James C

2015-01-01

Previous research has shown that performance on cognitive tasks administered in the scanner can be altered by the scanner environment. There are no previous studies that have investigated the impact of scanner noise using a well-validated measure of affective change. The goal of this study was to determine whether performance on an affective attentional task or emotional response to the task would change in the presence of distracting acoustic noise, such as that encountered in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) environment. Thirty-four young adults with no self-reported history of neurologic disorder or mental illness completed three blocks of the affective Posner task outside of the scanner. The task was meant to induce frustration through monetary contingencies and rigged feedback. Participants completed a Self-Assessment Manikin at the end of each block to rate their mood, arousal level, and sense of dominance. During the task, half of the participants heard noise (recorded from a 4T MRI system), and half heard no noise. The affective Posner task led to significant reductions in mood and increases in arousal in healthy participants. The presence of scanner noise did not impact task performance; however, individuals in the noise group did report significantly poorer mood throughout the task. The results of the present study suggest that the acoustic qualities of MRI enhance frustration effects on an affective attentional task and that scanner noise may influence mood during similar functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) tasks.

Organisational stressors, coping, and outcomes in competitive sport.

PubMed

Arnold, Rachel; Fletcher, David; Daniels, Kevin

2017-04-01

Organisational stressors are associated with positive and negative outcomes in extant literature; however, little is known about which demands predict which outcomes. Extant theory and literature also suggests that coping style may influence an individual's resilience or vulnerability to stressors and, subsequently, their psychological responses and outcomes. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to examine the main effects of organisational stressors and coping styles on various outcomes (e.g., positive and negative affect, performance satisfaction). Sport performers (n = 414) completed measures of organisational stressors, coping styles, positive and negative affect, and performance satisfaction. Multiple regression analyses revealed positive relationships of both goals and development stressors (duration and intensity) and team and culture stressors (frequency and intensity) on negative affect. Furthermore, problem-focused coping was positively related to positive affect, and emotion-focused coping was positively related to negative affect. This study furthers theoretical knowledge regarding the associations that both organisational stressors (and their dimensions) and coping styles can have with various outcomes, and practical understanding regarding the optimal design of stress management interventions.

Quality and Performance Indicators in an Academic Department of Head and Neck Surgery

PubMed Central

Weber, Randal S.; Lewis, Carol M.; Eastman, Scott D.; Hanna, Ehab Y.; Akiwumi, Olubumi; Hessel, Amy C.; Lai, Stephen Y.; Kian, Leslie; Kupferman, Michael E.; Roberts, Dianna B.

2018-01-01

Objective To create a method for assessing physician performance and care outcomes that are adjusted for procedure acuity and patient comorbidity. Design Between 2004 and 2008 surgical procedures performed by 10 surgeons were stratified into high-acuity procedures (HAPs) and low-acuity procedures (LAPs). Risk adjustment was made for comorbid conditions examined singly or in groups of 2 or more. Setting A tertiary care medical center. Patients A total of 2618 surgical patients. Main Outcome Measures Performance measures included length of stay; return to operating room within 7 days of surgery; and the occurrence of mortality, hospital readmission, transfusion, and wound infection within 30 days of surgery. Results The transfusion rate was 2.7% and 40.6% for LAPs and HAPs, respectively. Wound infection rates were 1.4% for LAPs vs 14.1% for HAPs, while 30-day mortality rate was 0.3% and 1.6% for LAPs and HAPs, respectively. The mean (SD) hospital stay for LAPs was 2.1 (3.6) vs 10.5 (7.0) days for HAPs. Negative performance factors were significantly higher for patients who underwent HAPs and had comorbid conditions. Differences among surgeons significantly affect the incidence of negative performance indicators. Factors affecting performance measures were procedure acuity, the surgeon, and comorbidity, in order of decreasing significance. Surgeons were ranked low, middle, and high based on negative performance indicators. Conclusions Performance measures following oncologic procedures were significantly affected by comorbid conditions and by procedure acuity. Although the latter most strongly affects quality and performance indicators, both should weigh heavily in physician comparisons. The incidence of negative performance indicators was also influenced by the individual surgeon. These data may serve as a tool to evaluate and improve physician performance and outcomes and to develop risk-adjusted benchmarks. Ultimately, reimbursement may be tied to quantifiable measures of physician and institutional performance. PMID:21173370

Effects of root herbivory by nematodes on the performance and preference of a leaf-infesting generalist aphid depend on nitrate fertilization.

PubMed

Kutyniok, Magdalene; Persicke, Marcus; Müller, Caroline

2014-02-01

The performance and behavior of herbivores is strongly affected by the quality of their host plants, which is determined by various environmental conditions. We investigated the performance and preference of the polyphagous shoot-infesting aphid Myzus persicae on the host-plant Arabidopsis thaliana in a two-factorial design in which nitrate fertilization was varied by 33 %, and the root-infesting cyst-nematode Heterodera schachtii was present or absent. Aphid performance was influenced by these abiotic and biotic factors in an interactive way. Nematode presence decreased aphid performance when nitrate levels were low, whereas nematode infestation did not influence aphid performance under higher nitrate fertilization. Aphids followed the "mother knows best" principle when given a choice, settling preferentially on those plants on which they performed best. Hence, they preferred nematode-free over nematode-infested plants in the low fertilization treatment but host choice was not affected by nematodes under higher nitrate fertilization. The amino acid composition of the phloem exudates was significantly influenced by fertilization but also by the interaction of the two treatments. Various glucosinolates in the leaves, which provide an estimate of phloem glucosinolates, were not affected by the individual treatments but by the combination of fertilization and herbivory. These changes in primary and secondary metabolites may be decisive for the herbivore responses. Our data demonstrate that abiotic and biotic factors can interactively affect herbivores, adding a layer of complexity to plant-mediated herbivore interactions.

Cognitive Impairments in Fibromyalgia Syndrome: Associations With Positive and Negative Affect, Alexithymia, Pain Catastrophizing and Self-Esteem.

PubMed

Galvez-Sánchez, Carmen M; Reyes Del Paso, Gustavo A; Duschek, Stefan

2018-01-01

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain accompanied by symptoms like depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance and fatigue. In addition, affected patients frequently report cognitive disruption such as forgetfulness, concentration difficulties or mental slowness. Though cognitive deficits in FMS have been confirmed in various studies, not much is known about the mechanisms involved in their origin. This study aimed to investigate the contribution of affect-related variables to cognitive impairments in FMS. For this purpose, 67 female FMS patients and 32 healthy control subjects completed a battery of cognitive tests measuring processing speed, attention, visuospatial and verbal memory, cognitive flexibility and planning abilities. In addition, participants completed self-report questionnaires pertaining to positive and negative affect, alexithymia, pain catastrophizing and self-esteem. Clinical characteristics including pain severity, symptoms of depression and anxiety, insomnia and fatigue were also assessed. FMS patients showed markedly poorer performance than healthy controls in all of the cognitive domains assessed, in addition to greater levels of depression, anxiety, negative affect, alexithymia and pain catastrophizing, and lower self-esteem and positive affect. In exploratory correlation analysis in the FMS sample, lower cognitive performance was associated with higher pain severity, depression, anxiety, negative affect, alexithymia and pain catastrophizing, as well as lower self-esteem and positive affect. However, in regression analyses, pain, self-esteem, alexithymia, and pain catastrophizing explained the largest portion of the variance in performance. While interference effects of clinical pain in cognition have been previously described, the present findings suggest that affective factors also substantially contribute to the genesis of cognitive impairments. They support the notion that affective disturbances form a crucial aspect of FMS pathology, whereas strategies aiming to improve emotional regulation may be a beneficial element of psychological therapy in the management of FMS.

Affective Factors in the Mediation of Background Effects on Cognitive Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cuttance, Peter F.

1980-01-01

Academic achievement at age 16 was influenced more by achievement at age 14 than by affective variables. Affective variables included academic and occupational aspiration, parent expectations, school attitudes, sex, socioeconomic status, parents' education, and migrancy. (CP)

Acute stress negatively affects object recognition early memory consolidation and memory retrieval unrelated to state-dependency.

PubMed

Nelissen, Ellis; Prickaerts, Jos; Blokland, Arjan

2018-06-01

It is well known that stress affects memory performance. However, there still appears to be inconstancy in literature about how acute stress affects the different stages of memory: acquisition, consolidation and retrieval. In this study, we exposed rats to acute stress and measured the effect on memory performance in the object recognition task as a measure for episodic memory. Stress was induced 30 min prior to the learning phase to affect acquisition, directly after the learning phase to affect consolidation, or 30 min before the retrieval phase to affect retrieval. Additionally, we induced stress both 30 min prior to the learning phase and 30 min prior to the retrieval phase to test whether the effects were related to state-dependency. As expected, we found that acute stress did not affect acquisition but had a negative impact on retrieval. To our knowledge, we are the first to show that early consolidation was negatively affected by acute stress. We also show that stress does not have a state-dependent effect on memory. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Workplace stress, job satisfaction, job performance, and turnover intention of health care workers in rural Taiwan.

PubMed

Chao, Ming-Che; Jou, Rong-Chang; Liao, Cing-Chu; Kuo, Chung-Wei

2015-03-01

Workplace stress (WS) has been found to affect job satisfaction (JS), performance, and turnover intentions (TIs) in developed countries, but there is little evidence from other countries and especially rural areas. In rural Taiwan, especially, there is an insufficient health care workforce, and the situation is getting worse. To demonstrate the relationship, we used a cross-sectional structured questionnaire, and data from 344 licensed professionals in 1 rural regional hospital were analyzed using the structural equation model. The results showed that WS had a positive effect on both TI and job performance (JP) but a negative effect on satisfaction. JS did improve performance. For the staff with an external locus of control, stress affected JP and satisfaction significantly. For the staff with lower perceived job characteristics, JS affected performance significantly. The strategies to decrease stress relating to work load, role conflict, family factors, and working environment should be focused and implemented urgently to lower the turnover rate of health care workers in rural Taiwan. © 2013 APJPH.

Malaysian and Singaporean students' affective characteristics and mathematics performance: evidence from PISA 2012.

PubMed

Thien, Lei Mee; Ong, Mei Yean

2015-01-01

This paper attempts to identify the extent to which the affective characteristics of Malaysian and Singaporean students' attainment compared to the OECD average in Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012, and examine the influence of students' affective characteristics, gender, and their socioeconomic status on mathematics performance at both student and school levels. Sample consisted of 5197 and 5546 15-year-old Malaysian and Singaporean students. Data were analysed using hierarchical linear modelling approach with HLM 7.0 software. Results showed that the Index of economic, social, and cultural status (ESCS), mathematics self-efficacy, and mathematics anxiety have significant effects on mathematics performance in Malaysia and Singapore at the student level. Proportion of boys at the school level has no significant effects on mathematics performance for both Malaysian and Singaporean students. ESCS mean at the school level has positive and significant effects on mathematics performance in Malaysia, but not in Singapore. Limitations, implications, and future studies were discussed.

Ertl and Non-Ertl amputees exhibit functional biomechanical differences during the sit-to-stand task.

PubMed

Ferris, Abbie E; Christiansen, Cory L; Heise, Gary D; Hahn, David; Smith, Jeremy D

2017-05-01

People with transtibial amputation stand ~50times/day. There are two general approaches to transtibial amputation: 1) distal tibia and fibula union using a "bone-bridge" (Ertl), 2) non-union of the tibia and fibula (Non-Ertl). The Ertl technique may improve functional outcomes by increasing the end-bearing ability of the residual limb. We hypothesized individuals with an Ertl would perform a five-time sit-to-stand task faster through greater involvement/end-bearing of the affected limb. Ertl (n=11) and Non-Ertl (n=7) participants sat on a chair with each foot on separate force plates and performed the five-time sit-to-stand task. A symmetry index (intact vs affected limbs) was calculated using peak ground reaction forces. The Ertl group performed the task significantly faster (9.33s (2.66) vs 13.27 (2.83)s). Symmetry index (23.33 (23.83)% Ertl, 36.53 (13.51)% Non-Ertl) indicated the intact limb for both groups produced more force than the affected limb. Ertl affected limb peak ground reaction forces were significantly larger than the Non-Ertl affected limb. Peak knee power and net work of the affected limb were smaller than their respective intact limb for both groups. The Ertl intact limb produced significantly greater peak knee power and net work than the Non-Ertl intact knee. Although loading asymmetries existed between the intact and affected limb of both groups, the Ertl group performed the task ~30% faster. This was driven by greater power and work production of the Ertl intact limb knee. Our results suggest that functional differences exist between the procedures. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Motion of the center of mass in children with spastic hemiplegia: balance, energy transfer, and work performed by the affected leg vs. the unaffected leg.

PubMed

Feng, Jing; Pierce, Rosemary; Do, K Patrick; Aiona, Michael

2014-01-01

Asymmetry between limbs in people with spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy (HEMI) adversely affects limb coordination and energy generation and consumption. This study compared how the affected leg and the unaffected leg of children with HEMI would differ based on which leg trails. Full-body gait analysis data and force-plate data were analyzed for 31 children (11.9 ± 3.8 years) with HEMI and 23 children (11.1 ± 3.1 years) with typical development (TD). Results showed that peak posterior center of mass-center of pressure (COM-COP) inclination angles of HEMI were smaller than TD when the affected leg trailed but not when the unaffected leg trailed. HEMI showed greater peak medial COM-COP inclination angles and wider step width than TD, no matter which leg trailed. More importantly, when the affected leg of HEMI trailed, it did not perform enough positive work during double support to propel COM motion. Consequently, the unaffected leg had to perform additional positive work during the early portion of single support, which costs more energy. When the unaffected leg trailed, the affected leg performed more negative work during double support; therefore, more positive work was still needed during early single support, but energy efficiency was closer to that of TD. Energy recovery factor was lower when the affected leg trailed than when the unaffected leg trailed; both were lower than TD. These findings suggest that the trailing leg plays a significant role in propelling COM motion during double support, and the 'unaffected' side of HEMI may not be completely unaffected. It is important to strengthen both legs. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cognitive reserve is not associated with improved performance in all cognitive domains.

PubMed

Lavrencic, Louise M; Churches, Owen F; Keage, Hannah A D

2017-06-08

Cognitive reserve beneficially affects cognitive performance, even into advanced age. However, the benefits afforded by high cognitive reserve may not extend to all cognitive domains. This study investigated whether cognitive reserve differentially affects performance on cognitive tasks, in 521 cognitively healthy individuals aged 60 to 98 years (Mage = 68, SD = 6.22, 287 female); years of education was used to index cognitive reserve. Cognitive performance variables assessed attention, executive functions, verbal memory, motor performance, orientation, perception of emotion, processing speed, and working memory. Bootstrapped regression analyses revealed that cognitive reserve was associated with attention, executive functions, verbal and working memory, and orientation; and not significantly related to emotion perception, processing speed, or motor performance. Cognitive reserve appears to differentially affect individual cognitive domains, which extends current theory that purports benefits for all domains. This finding highlights the possibility of using tests not (or minimally) associated with cognitive reserve, to screen for cognitive impairment and dementia in late life; these tests will likely best track brain health, free of compensatory neural mechanisms.

Hierarchy of Dysfunction Related to Dressing Performance in Stroke Patients: A Path Analysis Study.

PubMed

Fujita, Takaaki; Nagayama, Hirofumi; Sato, Atsushi; Yamamoto, Yuichi; Yamane, Kazuhiro; Otsuki, Koji; Tsuchiya, Kenji; Tozato, Fusae

2016-01-01

Previous reports indicated that various dysfunctions caused by stroke affect the level of independence in dressing. These dysfunctions can be hierarchical, and these effects on dressing performance can be complicated in stroke patients. However, there are no published reports focusing on the hierarchical structure of the relationships between the activities of daily living and balance function, motor and sensory functions of the affected lower limb, strength of the abdominal muscles and knee extension on the unaffected side, and visuospatial deficits. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the hierarchical and causal relationships between dressing performance and these dysfunctions in stroke patients. This retrospective study included 104 first-time stroke patients. The causal relationship between the dressing performance and age, time post stroke, balance function, motor and sensory functions of the affected lower limb, strength of the abdominal muscles and knee extension on the unaffected side, and visuospatial deficits were examined using path analysis. A hypothetical path model was created based on previous studies, and the goodness of fit between the data and model were verified. A modified path model was created that achieved an almost perfect fit to the data. Balance function and abdominal muscle strength have direct effects on dressing performance, with standardized direct effect estimates of 0.78 and 0.15, respectively. Age, motor and sensory functions of the affected lower limb, and strength of abdominal muscle and knee extension on the unaffected side have indirect effects on dressing by influencing balance function. Our results suggest that dressing performance depends strongly on balance function, and it is mainly influenced by the motor function of the affected lower limb.

Effects of oral iron(III) hydroxide polymaltose complex supplementation on hemoglobin increase, cognitive function, affective behavior and scholastic performance of adolescents with varying iron status: a single centre prospective placebo controlled study.

PubMed

Devaki, Pallaki Baby; Chandra, Ranjit K; Geisser, Peter

2009-01-01

To assess the effects of iron supplementation on iron status, cognitive function, affective behavior and scholastic performance in adolescents with varying iron status. Adolescents of both sexes with varying iron status were allocated to four treatment groups by using inclusion criteria. Three of the four groups (iron deficient anemic, iron deficient and control supplement) received iron(III) hydroxide polymaltose complex (IPC, Maltofer) containing 100 mg of elemental iron 6 days a week for 8 months, while the fourth group (control placebo) was given a placebo. Hematological parameters, cognitive function, affective behavior and scholastic performance were assessed at baseline, 4 months and 8 months of supplementation. Cognitive and scholastic performance test scores for the three supplemented groups increased from baseline to 4 months and from 4 months to 8 months (with concomitant increases in hematological parameters), whereas no increase was observed in the placebo group. No increase was seen in affective behavior scores for any of the groups during or after supplementation. IPC supplementation for eight months yielded significant improvements in cognitive function and scholastic performance in Indian adolescents with and without iron deficiency and anemia.

Relational approach in managing construction project safety: a social capital perspective.

PubMed

Koh, Tas Yong; Rowlinson, Steve

2012-09-01

Existing initiatives in the management of construction project safety are largely based on normative compliance and error prevention, a risk management approach. Although advantageous, these approaches are not wholly successful in further lowering accident rates. A major limitation lies with the approaches' lack of emphasis on the social and team processes inherent in construction project settings. We advance the enquiry by invoking the concept of social capital and project organisational processes, and their impacts on project safety performance. Because social capital is a primordial concept and affects project participants' interactions, its impact on project safety performance is hypothesised to be indirect, i.e. the impact of social capital on safety performance is mediated by organisational processes in adaptation and cooperation. A questionnaire survey was conducted within Hong Kong construction industry to test the hypotheses. 376 usable responses were received and used for analyses. The results reveal that, while the structural dimension is not significant, the mediational thesis is generally supported with the cognitive and relational dimensions affecting project participants' adaptation and cooperation, and the latter two processes affect safety performance. However, the cognitive dimension also directly affects safety performance. The implications of these results for project safety management are discussed. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Motivating Factors that Affect Enrolment and Student Performance in an ODL Engineering Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dadigamuwa, P. R.; Senanayake, Samans

2012-01-01

The present study was carried out to determine the motivating factors for enrolling in an engineering study programme in open and distance learning (ODL) and the factors that affect the students' performance. The study was conducted with two convenient samples of students following distance learning courses in engineering technology, conducted by…

Building Teacher Teams: Evidence of Positive Spillovers from More Effective Colleagues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sun, Min; Loeb, Susanna; Grissom, Jason A.

2017-01-01

Student peer effects are well documented; however, we know far less about peer effects among teachers. We hypothesize that a relatively effective teacher can positively affect the performance of his or her peers, whereas a relatively ineffective teacher may negatively affect the performance of other teachers with whom he or she works closely.…

Sex Differences in Affect Efficacy, Task Efficacy, Anxiety and Willingness To Participate in a Performance Situation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arch, Elizabeth C.

This study investigated responses of men and women to simulated performance situations as a means of determining if affect efficacy relates independently to willingness to participate in such situations, and whether its effect differs by sex. Questionnaires were distributed to 178 graduate students at a small private liberal arts institution. The…

Mathematics Performance and the Role Played by Affective and Background Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grootenboer, Peter; Hemmings, Brian

2007-01-01

In this article, we report on a study examining those factors which contribute to the mathematics performance of a sample of children aged between 8 and 13 years. The study was designed specifically to consider the potency of a number of mathematical affective factors, as well as background characteristics (viz., gender, ethnicity, and…

75 FR 22586 - Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Notice of Petition for Waiver of General...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-29

... asterisks, or wild cards, denote color or other features that do not affect energy performance.) DOE notes...****, ZFGP21HZ****. The asterisks, or wild cards, denote color or other features that do not affect energy performance. GE incorporates herein the original humidity sensor waiver petition and has attached the petition...

The Effect of Background Music and Background Noise on the Task Performance of Introverts and Extraverts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cassidy, Gianna; MacDonald, Raymond A. R.

2007-01-01

The study investigated the effects of music with high arousal potential and negative affect (HA), music with low arousal potential and positive affect (LA), and everyday noise, on the cognitive task performance of introverts and extraverts. Forty participants completed five cognitive tasks: immediate recall, free recall, numerical and delayed…

Testing Accommodations for ELL Students on an Achievement Test Battery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dockery, Lori Lee

2013-01-01

How well students perform on standardized tests can affect their educational paths and the rest of their lives. In addition, students' performances on state assessments will affect their schools due to the No Child Left Behind Act. For English language learners (ELLs), the success on tests may be diminished due to their inability to completely…

Economy Affects Students' Academic Performance as Well as Spending Decisions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sander, Libby

2012-01-01

Like many Americans caught up in the economic downturn, college students are worried about money. Now research indicates that financial worries may affect their academic performance. The author presents the results of this year's National Survey of Student Engagement. The survey reveals that more than a third of seniors and more than a quarter of…

Spatial representation of pitch height: the SMARC effect.

PubMed

Rusconi, Elena; Kwan, Bonnie; Giordano, Bruno L; Umiltà, Carlo; Butterworth, Brian

2006-03-01

Through the preferential pairing of response positions to pitch, here we show that the internal representation of pitch height is spatial in nature and affects performance, especially in musically trained participants, when response alternatives are either vertically or horizontally aligned. The finding that our cognitive system maps pitch height onto an internal representation of space, which in turn affects motor performance even when this perceptual attribute is irrelevant to the task, extends previous studies on auditory perception and suggests an interesting analogy between music perception and mathematical cognition. Both the basic elements of mathematical cognition (i.e. numbers) and the basic elements of musical cognition (i.e. pitches), appear to be mapped onto a mental spatial representation in a way that affects motor performance.

Using representations in geometry: a model of students' cognitive and affective performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panaoura, Areti

2014-05-01

Self-efficacy beliefs in mathematics, as a dimension of the affective domain, are related with students' performance on solving tasks and mainly on overcoming cognitive obstacles. The present study investigated the interrelations of cognitive performance on geometry and young students' self-efficacy beliefs about using representations for solving geometrical tasks. The emphasis was on confirming a theoretical model for the primary-school and secondary-school students and identifying the differences and similarities for the two ages. A quantitative study was developed and data were collected from 1086 students in Grades 5-8. Confirmatory factor analysis affirmed the existence of a coherent model of affective dimensions about the use of representations for understanding the geometrical concepts, which becomes more stable across the educational levels.

Effects of simulated ice on the performance of price type-AA current meter rotors

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fulford, Janice M.

1994-01-01

Slush ice readily adheres to the standard metal rotor of the winter Price type-AA current meter and affects the ability of the meter to measure the flow velocity accurately. Tests conducted at the U.S. Geological Survey Hydraulics Laboratory at Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, attempt to quantify the effects of slush ice on the performance of standard Price type-AA meter metal rotors. Test data obtained for rotors filled with simulated slush are compared with data for solid-cup polymer and standard hollow-cup metal rotors. Partial filling of the cups only marginally affects rotor performance at velocities greater than 15.24 centimeters per second. However, when cups are filled or over-filled with simulated slush, rotor performance is noticeably affected. Errors associated with slush over-filling and filling of cups are also significant when flows are angled vertically.

On the independence of compliance and reliance: are automation false alarms worse than misses?

PubMed

Dixon, Stephen R; Wickens, Christopher D; McCarley, Jason S

2007-08-01

Participants performed a tracking task and system monitoring task while aided by diagnostic automation. The goal of the study was to examine operator compliance and reliance as affected by automation failures and to clarify claims regarding independence of these two constructs. Background data revealed a trend toward nonindependence of the compliance-reliance constructs. Thirty-two undergraduate students performed the simulation that presented the visual display while dependent measures were collected. False alarm-prone automation hurt overall performance more than miss-prone automation. False alarm-prone automation also clearly affected both operator compliance and reliance, whereas miss-prone automation appeared to affect only operator reliance. Compliance and reliance do not appear to be entirely independent of each other. False alarms appear to be more damaging to overall performance than misses, and designers must take the compliance-reliance constructs into consideration.

Developmental and sex-related differences in preschoolers' affective decision making.

PubMed

Heilman, Renata M; Miu, Andrei C; Benga, Oana

2009-01-01

This study investigated developmental and sex-related differences in affective decision making, using a two-deck version of Children's Gambling Task administered to 3- and 4-year-old children. The main findings were that 4-year-old children displayed better decision-making performance than 3-year-olds. This effect was independent of developmental changes in inductive reasoning, language, and working memory. There were also sex differences in decision-making performance, which were apparent only in 3-year-old children and favored girls. Moreover, age predicted awareness of task and the correlation between the latter and decision-making performance was significant, but only in 4-year-old children. This study thus indicates that there is a remarkable developmental leap in affective decision making, whose effects are apparent around the age of 4, which according to our results, also marks the age when the correlation of declarative knowledge and decision-making performance becomes significant.

Mothers' negative evaluations of their children's performances enhance boys' memories for crafts.

PubMed

Dunsmore, Julie C; Halberstadt, Amy G; Robinson, Megan L

2004-12-01

The authors predicted that mothers' evaluative comments would affect their preschool-aged children's learning during a craft-making activity. Each mother (N = 67) taught her child 6 crafts in a playroom in a university setting. Three weeks later, the child returned to the playroom to redo the crafts. Evaluators tested the children's memories of the procedures for completing the crafts. The authors used videotapes of the mothers' teaching to code for statements that positively evaluated their children's performances (praise) or that negatively evaluated their children's performances (criticism). Maternal praise did not affect children's memories. Maternal criticism did not affect their daughters' memories. However, sons were more likely to more accurately redo craft steps for which their mothers had made at least 1 comment criticizing their performances. The authors proposed that emotional arousal was a reason for girls' and boys' differential responses to maternal criticism.

Interactive effects of trait and state affect on top-down control of attention

PubMed Central

Hur, Juyoen; Miller, Gregory A.; McDavitt, Jenika R.B.; Spielberg, Jeffrey M.; Crocker, Laura D.; Infantolino, Zachary P.; Towers, David N.; Warren, Stacie L.

2015-01-01

Few studies have investigated how attentional control is affected by transient affective states while taking individual differences in affective traits into consideration. In this study, participants completed a color-word Stroop task immediately after undergoing a positive, neutral or negative affective context manipulation (ACM). Behavioral performance was unaffected by any ACM considered in isolation. For individuals high in trait negative affect (NA), performance was impaired by the negative but not the positive or neutral ACM. Neuroimaging results indicate that activity in primarily top-down control regions of the brain (inferior frontal gyrus and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex) was suppressed in the presence of emotional arousal (both negative and positive ACMs). This effect appears to have been exacerbated or offset by co-occurring activity in other top-down control regions (parietal) and emotion processing regions (orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala and nucleus accumbens) as a function of the valence of state affect (positive or negative) and trait affect (trait NA or trait PA). Neuroimaging results are consistent with behavioral findings. In combination, they indicate both additive and interactive influences of trait and state affect on top-down control of attention. PMID:25556211

40 CFR 60.260 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... affected facility. 60.260 Section 60.260 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... Performance for Ferroalloy Production Facilities § 60.260 Applicability and designation of affected facility..., ferrochrome silicon, silvery iron, high-carbon ferrochrome, charge chrome, standard ferromanganese...

40 CFR 60.260 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... affected facility. 60.260 Section 60.260 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... Performance for Ferroalloy Production Facilities § 60.260 Applicability and designation of affected facility..., ferrochrome silicon, silvery iron, high-carbon ferrochrome, charge chrome, standard ferromanganese...

Structure of the molybdenum site in YedY, a sulfite oxidase homologue from Escherichia coli.

PubMed

Havelius, Kajsa G V; Reschke, Stefan; Horn, Sebastian; Döring, Alexander; Niks, Dimitri; Hille, Russ; Schulzke, Carola; Leimkühler, Silke; Haumann, Michael

2011-02-07

YedY from Escherichia coli is a new member of the sulfite oxidase family of molybdenum cofactor (Moco)-containing oxidoreductases. We investigated the atomic structure of the molybdenum site in YedY by X-ray absorption spectroscopy, in comparison to human sulfite oxidase (hSO) and to a Mo(IV) model complex. The K-edge energy was indicative of Mo(V) in YedY, in agreement with X- and Q-band electron paramagnetic resonance results, whereas the hSO protein contained Mo(VI). In YedY and hSO, molybdenum is coordinated by two sulfur ligands from the molybdopterin ligand of the Moco, one thiolate sulfur of a cysteine (average Mo-S bond length of ∼2.4 Å), and one (axial) oxo ligand (Mo═O, ∼1.7 Å). hSO contained a second oxo group at Mo as expected, but in YedY, two species in about a 1:1 ratio were found at the active site, corresponding to an equatorial Mo-OH bond (∼2.1 Å) or possibly to a shorter Mo-O(-) bond. Yet another oxygen (or nitrogen) at a ∼2.6 Å distance to Mo in YedY was identified, which could originate from a water molecule in the substrate binding cavity or from an amino acid residue close to the molybdenum site, i.e., Glu104, that is replaced by a glycine in hSO, or Asn45. The addition of the poor substrate dimethyl sulfoxide to YedY left the molybdenum coordination unchanged at high pH. In contrast, we found indications that the better substrate trimethylamine N-oxide and the substrate analogue acetone were bound at a ∼2.6 Å distance to the molybdenum, presumably replacing the equatorial oxygen ligand. These findings were used to interpret the recent crystal structure of YedY and bear implications for its catalytic mechanism.

EPR/ENDOR and Theoretical Study of the Jahn-Teller-Active [HIPTN3N]MoVL Complexes (L = N-, NH).

PubMed

Sharma, Ajay; Roemelt, Michael; Reithofer, Michael; Schrock, Richard R; Hoffman, Brian M; Neese, Frank

2017-06-19

The molybdenum trisamidoamine (TAA) complex [Mo] {[3,5-(2,4,6-i-Pr 3 C 6 H 2 ) 2 C 6 H 3 NCH 2 CH 2 N]Mo} carries out catalytic reduction of N 2 to ammonia (NH 3 ) by protons and electrons at room temperature. A key intermediate in the proposed [Mo] nitrogen reduction cycle is nitridomolybdenum(VI), [Mo(VI)]N. The addition of [e - /H + ] to [Mo(VI)]N to generate [Mo(V)]NH might, in principle, follow one of three possible pathways: direct proton-coupled electron transfer; H + first and then e - ; e - and then H + . In this study, the paramagnetic Mo(V) intermediate {[Mo]N} - and the [Mo]NH transfer product were generated by irradiating the diamagnetic [Mo]N and {[Mo]NH} + Mo(VI) complexes, respectively, with γ-rays at 77 K, and their electronic and geometric structures were characterized by electron paramagnetic resonance and electron nuclear double resonance spectroscopies, combined with quantum-chemical computations. In combination with previous X-ray studies, this creates the rare situation in which each one of the four possible states of [e - /H + ] delivery has been characterized. Because of the degeneracy of the electronic ground states of both {[Mo(V)]N} - and [Mo(V)]NH, only multireference-based methods such as the complete active-space self-consistent field (CASSCF) and related methods provide a qualitatively correct description of the electronic ground state and vibronic coupling. The molecular g values of {[Mo]N} - and [Mo]NH exhibit large deviations from the free-electron value g e . Their actual values reflect the relative strengths of vibronic and spin-orbit coupling. In the course of the computational treatment, the utility and limitations of a formal two-state model that describes this competition between couplings are illustrated, and the implications of our results for the chemical reactivity of these states are discussed.

Unusual occurrence of a DAG motif in the Ipomovirus Cassava brown streak virus and implications for its vector transmission.

PubMed

Ateka, Elijah; Alicai, Titus; Ndunguru, Joseph; Tairo, Fred; Sseruwagi, Peter; Kiarie, Samuel; Makori, Timothy; Kehoe, Monica A; Boykin, Laura M

2017-01-01

Cassava is the main staple food for over 800 million people globally. Its production in eastern Africa is being constrained by two devastating Ipomoviruses that cause cassava brown streak disease (CBSD); Cassava brown streak virus (CBSV) and Ugandan cassava brown streak virus (UCBSV), with up to 100% yield loss for smallholder farmers in the region. To date, vector studies have not resulted in reproducible and highly efficient transmission of CBSV and UCBSV. Most virus transmission studies have used Bemisia tabaci (whitefly), but a maximum of 41% U/CBSV transmission efficiency has been documented for this vector. With the advent of next generation sequencing, researchers are generating whole genome sequences for both CBSV and UCBSV from throughout eastern Africa. Our initial goal for this study was to characterize U/CBSV whole genomes from CBSD symptomatic cassava plants sampled in Kenya. We have generated 8 new whole genomes (3 CBSV and 5 UCBSV) from Kenya, and in the process of analyzing these genomes together with 26 previously published sequences, we uncovered the aphid transmission associated DAG motif within coat protein genes of all CBSV whole genomes at amino acid positions 52-54, but not in UCBSV. Upon further investigation, the DAG motif was also found at the same positions in two other Ipomoviruses: Squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV), Coccinia mottle virus (CocMoV). Until this study, the highly-conserved DAG motif, which is associated with aphid transmission was only noticed once, in SqVYV but discounted as being of minimal importance. This study represents the first comprehensive look at Ipomovirus genomes to determine the extent of DAG motif presence and significance for vector relations. The presence of this motif suggests that aphids could potentially be a vector of CBSV, SqVYV and CocMov. Further transmission and ipomoviral protein evolutionary studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis.

Regulation of Proteolysis by Human Deubiquitinating Enzymes

PubMed Central

Eletr, Ziad M.; Wilkinson, Keith D.

2013-01-01

The post-translational attachment of one or several ubiquitin molecules to a protein generates a variety of targeting signals that are used in many different ways in the cell. Ubiquitination can alter the activity, localization, protein-protein interactions or stability of the targeted protein. Further, a very large number of proteins are subject to regulation by ubiquitin-dependent processes, meaning that virtually all cellular functions are impacted by these pathways. Nearly a hundred enzymes from five different gene families (the deubiquitinating enzymes or DUBs), reverse this modification by hydrolyzing the (iso)peptide bond tethering ubiquitin to itself or the target protein. Four of these families are thiol proteases and one is a metalloprotease. DUBs of the Ubiquitin C-terminal Hydrolase (UCH) family act on small molecule adducts of ubiquitin, process the ubiquitin proprotein, and trim ubiquitin from the distal end of a polyubiquitin chain. Ubiquitin Specific Proteases (USP) tend to recognize and encounter their substrates by interaction of the variable regions of their sequence with the substrate protein directly, or with scaffolds or substrate adapters in multiprotein complexes. Ovarian Tumor (OTU) domain DUBs show remarkable specificity for different Ub chain linkages and may have evolved to recognize substrates on the basis of those linkages. The Josephin family of DUBs may specialize in distinguishing between polyubiquitin chains of different lengths. Finally, the JAB1/MPN+/MOV34 (JAMM) domain metalloproteases cleave the isopeptide bond near the attachment point of polyubiquitin and substrate, as well as being highly specific for the K63 poly-Ub linkage. These DUBs regulate proteolysis by: directly interacting with and co-regulating E3 ligases; altering the level of substrate ubiquitination; hydrolyzing or remodeling ubiquitinated and poly-ubiquitinated substrates; acting in specific locations in the cell and altering the localization of the target protein; and acting on proteasome bound substrates to facilitate or inhibit proteolysis. Thus, the scope and regulation of the ubiquitin pathway is very similar to that of phosphorylation, with the DUBs serving the same functions as the phosphatase. PMID:23845989

Using Google Earth to Explore Strain Rate Models of Southern California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richard, G. A.; Bell, E. A.; Holt, W. E.

2007-12-01

A series of strain rate models for the Transverse Ranges of southern California were developed based on Quaternary fault slip data and geodetic data from high precision GPS stations in southern California. Pacific-North America velocity boundary conditions are applied for all models. Topography changes are calculated using the model dilatation rates, which predict crustal thickness changes under the assumption of Airy isostasy and a specified rate of crustal volume loss through erosion. The models were designed to produce graphical and numerical output representing the configuration of the region from 3 million years ago to 3 million years into the future at intervals of 50 thousand years. Using a North American reference frame, graphical output for the topography and faults and numerical output for locations of faults and points on the crust marked by the locations on cities were used to create data in KML format that can be used in Google Earth to represent time intervals of 50 thousand years. As markers familiar to students, the cities provide a geographic context that can be used to quantify crustal movement, using the Google Earth ruler tool. By comparing distances that markers for selected cities have moved in various parts of the region, students discover that the greatest amount of crustal deformation has occurred in the vicinity of the boundary between the North American and Pacific plates. Students can also identify areas of compression or extension by finding pairs of city markers that have converged or diverged, respectively, over time. The Google Earth layers also reveal that faults that are not parallel to the plate boundary have tended to rotate clockwise due to the right lateral motion along the plate boundary zone. KML TimeSpan markup was added to two versions of the model, enabling the layers to be displayed in an automatic sequenced loop for a movie effect. The data is also available as QuickTime (.mov) and Graphics Interchange Format (.gif) animations and in ESRI Shapefile format.

Phase stability of Keplerate-type polyoxomolybdates controlled by added cationic surfactant.

PubMed

Fan, Dawei; Hao, Jingcheng

2009-05-15

Phase stability of two nanometer-scale Keplerate-type polyoxomolybdates, (NH(4))(42)[Mo(VI)(72)Mo(V)(60)O(372)(CH(3)COO)(30)(H(2)O)(72)]300H(2)O10CH(3)COONH(4) ({Mo(132)}) and Mo(VI)(72)Fe(III)(30)O(252)L(102)ca. 180H(2)O with L=H(2)O/CH(3)COO(-)/Mo(2)O(n-)(8/9) ({Mo(72)Fe(30)}), can be easily achieved by controlling the concentration of a cationic surfactant, tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTABr), in aqueous solution. Precipitates and floccules were observed when the stoichiometric ratios of rTTA+/{Mo132} and rTTA+/{Mo72Fe30} were 40:1 and 90:1, respectively, which were determined by zeta potential measurements. The surface charge properties and structure morphologies of {Mo(132)} and {Mo(72)Fe(30)} induced by controlling cationic TTABr in aqueous solution were determined by zeta potential measurements and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations. {Mo(132)} and {Mo(72)Fe(30)} can self-assemble into supramolecular "Blackberry" structures and exist at compositions less than the stoichiometric ratios of rTTA+/{Mo132} and rTTA+/{Mo72Fe30} in aqueous solution. Above the 1:1 stoichiometric ratio of TTABr/{Mo(132)} or TTABr/{Mo(72)Fe(30)}, the precipitates and floccules dissolve. Dynamic laser light scattering (DLS) measurements clearly demonstrated that the R(h) values have essentially no angular dependence at excess amounts of TTABr, suggesting the presence of spherically symmetric aggregates of {Mo(132)} and {Mo(72)Fe(30)}. Bilayer-like structures in aqueous solution were also demonstrated by TEM images. The interesting phase transition observed in our model systems of {Mo(132)} and {Mo(72)Fe(30)} macroanions with high chemical stability, similar shape, and masses could provide models for the understanding of more complex polyelectrolyte solutions and self-assembled soft magnetic materials and in bioapplications for highly selective adsorbents of proteins with different molecular sizes and charges.

Novel composite material polyoxovanadate@MIL-101(Cr): a highly efficient electrocatalyst for ascorbic acid oxidation.

PubMed

Fernandes, Diana M; Barbosa, André D S; Pires, João; Balula, Salete S; Cunha-Silva, Luís; Freire, Cristina

2013-12-26

A novel hybrid composite material, PMo10V2@MIL-101 was prepared by the encapsulation of the tetra-butylammonium (TBA) salt of the vanadium-substituted phosphomolybdate [PMo10V2O40](5-) (PMo10V2) into the porous metal-organic framework (MOF) MIL-101(Cr). The materials characterization by powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectra and scanning electron microscopy confirmed the preparation of the composite material without disruption of the MOF porous structure. Pyrolytic graphite electrodes modified with the original components (MIL-101(Cr), PMo10V2), and the composite material PMo10V2@MIL-101 were prepared and their electrochemical responses were studied by cyclic voltammetry. Surface confined redox processes were observed for all the immobilized materials. MIL-101(Cr) showed one-electron reduction process due to chromium centers (Cr(III) → Cr(II)), while PMo10V2 presented five reduction processes: the peak at more positive potentials is attributed to two superimposed 1-electron vanadium reduction processes (V(V) → V(IV)) and the other four peaks to Mo-centred two-electron reduction processes (Mo(VI) → Mo(V)). The electrochemical behavior of the composite material PMo10V2@MIL-101 showed both MIL-101(Cr) and PMo10V2 redox features, although with the splitting of the two vanadium processes and the shift of the Mo- and Cr- centered processes to more negative potentials. Finally, PMo10V2@MIL-101 modified electrode showed outstanding enhanced vanadium-based electrocatalytic properties towards ascorbic acid oxidation, in comparison with the free PMo10V2, as a result of its immobilization into the porous structure of the MOF. Furthermore, PMo10V2@MIL-101 modified electrode showed successful simultaneous detection of ascorbic acid and dopamine.

The Effects of Binge Drinking on College Students’ Next-Day Academic Test-Taking Performance and Mood State

PubMed Central

Howland, Jonathan; Rohsenow, Damaris J; Greece, Jacey A; Littlefield, Caroline A; Almeida, Alissa; Heeren, Timothy; Winter, Michael; Bliss, Caleb A.; Hunt, Sarah; Hermos, John

2010-01-01

Aim To assess the effects of binge drinking on students’ next-day academic test-taking performance. Design A placebo-controlled cross-over design with randomly assigned order of conditions. Participants were randomized to either alcoholic beverage (mean =.12 g% breath alcohol concentration [BrAC]) or placebo on the first night and then received the other beverage a week later. The next day, participants were assessed on test-taking, neurocognitive performance and mood state. Participants 193 college students (≥ 21 years) recruited from greater Boston. Setting The trial was conducted at the General Clinical Research Center at the Boston Medical Center. Measurements The Graduate Record Exams © (GREs) and a quiz on a lecture presented the previous day measured test-taking performance; the Neurobehavioral Evaluation System (NES3) and the Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) measured neurocognitive performance; and, the Profile of Mood States (POMS) measured mood. Findings Test-taking performance was not affected the morning after alcohol administration, but mood state and attention/reaction time were. Conclusion Drinking to a level of .12 g% BrAC does not affect next-day test-taking performance, but does affect some neurocognitive measures and mood state. PMID:20403018

The Association between Motivation, Affect, and Self-regulated Learning When Solving Problems

PubMed Central

Baars, Martine; Wijnia, Lisette; Paas, Fred

2017-01-01

Self-regulated learning (SRL) skills are essential for learning during school years, particularly in complex problem-solving domains, such as biology and math. Although a lot of studies have focused on the cognitive resources that are needed for learning to solve problems in a self-regulated way, affective and motivational resources have received much less research attention. The current study investigated the relation between affect (i.e., Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale), motivation (i.e., autonomous and controlled motivation), mental effort, SRL skills, and problem-solving performance when learning to solve biology problems in a self-regulated online learning environment. In the learning phase, secondary education students studied video-modeling examples of how to solve hereditary problems, solved hereditary problems which they chose themselves from a set of problems with different complexity levels (i.e., five levels). In the posttest, students solved hereditary problems, self-assessed their performance, and chose a next problem from the set of problems but did not solve these problems. The results from this study showed that negative affect, inaccurate self-assessments during the posttest, and higher perceptions of mental effort during the posttest were negatively associated with problem-solving performance after learning in a self-regulated way. PMID:28848467

Universal and culture-specific factors in the recognition and performance of musical affect expressions.

PubMed

Laukka, Petri; Eerola, Tuomas; Thingujam, Nutankumar S; Yamasaki, Teruo; Beller, Grégory

2013-06-01

We present a cross-cultural study on the performance and perception of affective expression in music. Professional bowed-string musicians from different musical traditions (Swedish folk music, Hindustani classical music, Japanese traditional music, and Western classical music) were instructed to perform short pieces of music to convey 11 emotions and related states to listeners. All musical stimuli were judged by Swedish, Indian, and Japanese participants in a balanced design, and a variety of acoustic and musical cues were extracted. Results first showed that the musicians' expressive intentions could be recognized with accuracy above chance both within and across musical cultures, but communication was, in general, more accurate for culturally familiar versus unfamiliar music, and for basic emotions versus nonbasic affective states. We further used a lens-model approach to describe the relations between the strategies that musicians use to convey various expressions and listeners' perceptions of the affective content of the music. Many acoustic and musical cues were similarly correlated with both the musicians' expressive intentions and the listeners' affective judgments across musical cultures, but the match between musicians' and listeners' uses of cues was better in within-cultural versus cross-cultural conditions. We conclude that affective expression in music may depend on a combination of universal and culture-specific factors.

Working memory and affective decision-making in addiction: a neurocognitive comparison between heroin addicts, pathological gamblers and healthy controls.

PubMed

Yan, Wan-Sen; Li, Yong-Hui; Xiao, Lin; Zhu, Ning; Bechara, Antoine; Sui, Nan

2014-01-01

Cognitive deficits are observed both in heroin dependence and in pathological gambling (PG) on various tasks. PG, as a non-substance addiction, is free of toxic consequences of drug use. Therefore a direct neurocognitive comparison of heroin addicts and pathological gamblers helps dissociate the consequences of chronic heroin use on cognitive function from the cognitive vulnerabilities that predispose addiction. A case-control design was used, comparing 58 abstinent heroin addicts, 58 pathological gamblers, and 60 healthy controls on working memory and affective decision-making functions. Working memory was assessed using the Self-ordered Pointing Test (SOPT). Affective decision-making was measured by the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). Heroin addicts performed significantly worse both on the IGT and on the SOPT, compared to healthy controls. Pathological gamblers performed worse on the IGT than healthy controls, but did not differ from controls on the SOPT. Years of heroin use were negatively correlated with working memory and affective decision-making performance in heroin addicts, while severity of gambling was not significantly correlated with any task performance in pathological gamblers. Our findings indicate that deficits in affective decision-making shared by heroin dependence and PG putatively represent vulnerabilities to addiction and that working memory deficits detected only in heroin addicts may be identified as heroin-specific harmful effects. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 60.540 - Applicability and designation of affected facilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Performance for the Rubber Tire Manufacturing Industry § 60.540 Applicability and designation of affected... each of the following affected facilities in rubber tire manufacturing plants that commence... cementing operation in rubber tire manufacturing plants that commenced construction, modification, or...

The carry-over effect of competition in task-sharing: evidence from the joint Simon task.

PubMed

Iani, Cristina; Anelli, Filomena; Nicoletti, Roberto; Rubichi, Sandro

2014-01-01

The Simon effect, that is the advantage of the spatial correspondence between stimulus and response locations when stimulus location is a task-irrelevant dimension, occurs even when the task is performed together by two participants, each performing a go/no-go task. Previous studies showed that this joint Simon effect, considered by some authors as a measure of self-other integration, does not emerge when during task performance co-actors are required to compete. The present study investigated whether and for how long competition experienced during joint performance of one task can affect performance in a following joint Simon task. In two experiments, we required pairs of participants to perform together a joint Simon task, before and after jointly performing together an unrelated non-spatial task (the Eriksen flanker task). In Experiment 1, participants always performed the joint Simon task under neutral instructions, before and after performing the joint flanker task in which they were explicitly required either to cooperate with (i.e., cooperative condition) or to compete against a co-actor (i.e., competitive condition). In Experiment 2, they were required to compete during the joint flanker task and to cooperate during the subsequent joint Simon task. Competition experienced in one task affected the way the subsequent joint task was performed, as revealed by the lack of the joint Simon effect, even though, during the Simon task participants were not required to compete (Experiment 1). However, prior competition no longer affected subsequent performance if a new goal that created positive interdependence between the two agents was introduced (Experiment 2). These results suggest that the emergence of the joint Simon effect is significantly influenced by how the goals of the co-acting individuals are related, with the effect of competition extending beyond the specific competitive setting and affecting subsequent interactions.

Understanding Resident Performance, Mindfulness, and Communication in Critical Care Rotations.

PubMed

Real, Kevin; Fields-Elswick, Katelyn; Bernard, Andrew C

Evidence from the medical literature suggests that surgical trainees can benefit from mindful practices. Surgical educators are challenged with the need to address resident core competencies, some of which may be facilitated by higher levels of mindfulness. This study explores whether mindful residents perform better than their peers as members of the health care team. This study employed a multiphase, multimethod design to assess resident mindfulness, communication, and clinical performance. Academic, tertiary medical center. Residents (N = 51) working in an intensive care unit. In phase I, medical residents completed a self-report survey of mindfulness, communication, emotional affect, and clinical decision-making. In phase II, resident performance was assessed using independent ratings of mindfulness and clinical decision-making by attending physicians and registered nurses. In phase 1, a significant positive relationship was found between resident performance and mindfulness, positive affect (PA), and communication. In phase 2, attending physicians/registered nurses' perceptions of residents' mindfulness were positively correlated with communication and inversely related to negative affect (NA). The top quartile of residents for performance and mindfulness had the lowest NA. Higher-rated residents underestimated their performance/mindfulness, whereas those in the lowest quartile overestimated these factors. This study offers a number of implications for medical resident education. First, mindfulness was perceived to be a significant contributor to self-assessments of competency and performance. Second, both PA and NA were important to mindfulness and performance. Third, communication was associated with resident performance, mindfulness, and PA. These implications suggest that individual characteristics of mindfulness, communication, and affect, all potentially modifiable, influence care quality and safety. To improve low performers, surgical educators could screen and identify residents with inaccurate self-assessments. Residents open to feedback will improve faster and develop awareness toward situations and interactions with patients, colleagues, attending physicians, and staff. Copyright © 2017 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Justice at the millennium, a decade later: a meta-analytic test of social exchange and affect-based perspectives.

PubMed

Colquitt, Jason A; Scott, Brent A; Rodell, Jessica B; Long, David M; Zapata, Cindy P; Conlon, Donald E; Wesson, Michael J

2013-03-01

Although a flurry of meta-analyses summarized the justice literature at the turn of the millennium, interest in the topic has surged in the decade since. In particular, the past decade has witnessed the rise of social exchange theory as the dominant lens for examining reactions to justice, and the emergence of affect as a complementary lens for understanding such reactions. The purpose of this meta-analytic review was to test direct, mediating, and moderating hypotheses that were inspired by those 2 perspectives, to gauge their adequacy as theoretical guides for justice research. Drawing on a review of 493 independent samples, our findings revealed a number of insights that were not included in prior meta-analyses. With respect to social exchange theory, our results revealed that the significant relationships between justice and both task performance and citizenship behavior were mediated by indicators of social exchange quality (trust, organizational commitment, perceived organizational support, and leader-member exchange), though such mediation was not apparent for counterproductive behavior. The strength of those relationships did not vary according to whether the focus of the justice matched the target of the performance behavior, contrary to popular assumptions in the literature, or according to whether justice was referenced to a specific event or a more general entity. With respect to affect, our results showed that justice-performance relationships were mediated by positive and negative affect, with the relevant affect dimension varying across justice and performance variables. Our discussion of these findings focuses on the merit in integrating the social exchange and affect lenses in future research.

Effect of Sensors on the Reliability and Control Performance of Power Circuits in the Web of Things (WoT)

PubMed Central

Bae, Sungwoo; Kim, Myungchin

2016-01-01

In order to realize a true WoT environment, a reliable power circuit is required to ensure interconnections among a range of WoT devices. This paper presents research on sensors and their effects on the reliability and response characteristics of power circuits in WoT devices. The presented research can be used in various power circuit applications, such as energy harvesting interfaces, photovoltaic systems, and battery management systems for the WoT devices. As power circuits rely on the feedback from voltage/current sensors, the system performance is likely to be affected by the sensor failure rates, sensor dynamic characteristics, and their interface circuits. This study investigated how the operational availability of the power circuits is affected by the sensor failure rates by performing a quantitative reliability analysis. In the analysis process, this paper also includes the effects of various reconstruction and estimation techniques used in power processing circuits (e.g., energy harvesting circuits and photovoltaic systems). This paper also reports how the transient control performance of power circuits is affected by sensor interface circuits. With the frequency domain stability analysis and circuit simulation, it was verified that the interface circuit dynamics may affect the transient response characteristics of power circuits. The verification results in this paper showed that the reliability and control performance of the power circuits can be affected by the sensor types, fault tolerant approaches against sensor failures, and the response characteristics of the sensor interfaces. The analysis results were also verified by experiments using a power circuit prototype. PMID:27608020

Affective differences in Iowa Gambling Task performance associated with sexual risk taking and substance use among HIV-positive and HIV-negative men who have sex with men.

PubMed

Golub, Sarit A; Thompson, Louisa I; Kowalczyk, William J

2016-01-01

We investigated the relationship between emotional distress and decision making in sexual risk and substance use behavior among 174 (ages 25 to 50 years, 53% black) men who have sex with men (MSM), a population at increased risk for HIV. The sample was stratified by HIV status. Measures of affective decision making, depression, anxiety, sex acts, and substance use during the past 60 days were collected at our research center. Negative binomial regression models were used to examine the relationship between age, HIV status, anxiety, depression, and IGT performance in the prediction of number of risky sex acts and substance use days. Among those without anxiety or depression, both number of risky sex acts and drug use days decreased with better performance during risky trials (i.e., last two blocks) of the IGT. For those with higher rates of anxiety, but not depression, IGT risk trial performance and risky sex acts increased concomitantly. Anxiety also interacted with IGT performance across all trials to predict substance use, such that anxiety was associated with greater substance use among those with better IGT performance. The opposite was true for those with depression, but only during risk trials. HIV-positive participants reported fewer substance use days than HIV-negative participants, but there was no difference in association between behavior and IGT performance by HIV status. Our findings suggest that anxiety may exacerbate risk-taking behavior when affective decision-making ability is intact. The relationship between affective decision making and risk taking may be sensitive to different profiles of emotional distress, as well as behavioral context. Investigations of affective decision making in sexual risk taking and substance use should examine different distress profiles separately, with implications for HIV prevention efforts.

Affective differences in Iowa Gambling Task performance associated with sexual risk taking and substance use among HIV-positive and HIV-negative men who have sex with men

PubMed Central

Golub, Sarit A.; Thompson, Louisa I.; Kowalczyk, William J.

2016-01-01

We investigated the relationship between emotional distress and decision-making in sexual risk and substance use behavior among 174 (ages 25 to 50, 53% black) men who have sex with men (MSM), a population at increased risk for HIV. The sample was stratified by HIV status. Measures of affective decision-making (Iowa Gambling Task, IGT, Bechara et al., 1994), depression, anxiety, sex acts, and substance use during the past 60 days were collected at our research center. Negative binomial regression models were used to examine the relationship between age, HIV status, anxiety, depression, and IGT performance in the prediction of number of risky sex acts and substance use days. Among those without anxiety or depression, both number of risky sex acts and drug use days decreased with better performance during risky trials (i.e., last two blocks) of the IGT. For those with higher rates of anxiety, but not depression, IGT risk trial performance and risky sex acts increased concomitantly. Anxiety also interacted with IGT performance across all trials to predict substance use, such that anxiety was associated with greater substance use among those with better IGT performance. The opposite was true for those with depression, but only during risk trials. HIV-positive participants reported fewer substance use days than HIV-negative participants, but there was no difference in association between behavior and IGT performance by HIV status. Our findings suggest that anxiety may exacerbate risk-taking behavior when affective decision-making ability is intact. The relationship between affective decision-making and risk taking may be sensitive to different profiles of emotional distress, as well as behavioral context. Investigations of affective decision-making in sexual risk taking and substance use should examine different distress profiles separately, with implications for HIV prevention efforts. PMID:26745769

Protocol for Reliability Assessment of Structural Health Monitoring Systems Incorporating Model-assisted Probability of Detection (MAPOD) Approach

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

a quality evaluation with limited data, a model -based assessment must be...that affect system performance, a multistage approach to system validation, a modeling and experimental methodology for efficiently addressing a ...affect system performance, a multistage approach to system validation, a modeling and experimental methodology for efficiently addressing a wide range

Do Schools Affect Girls' and Boys' Reading Performance Differently? A Multilevel Study on the Gendered Effects of School Resources and School Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Hek, Margriet; Kraaykamp, Gerbert; Pelzer, Ben

2018-01-01

Few studies on male-female inequalities in education have elaborated on whether school characteristics affect girls' and boys' educational performance differently. This study investigated how school resources, being schools' socioeconomic composition, proportion of girls, and proportion of highly educated teachers, and school practices, being…

Teacher Discourse and Sixth Graders' Reported Affect and Achievement Behaviors in Two High-Mastery/High-Performance Mathematics Classrooms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turner, Julianne C.; Meyer, Debra K.; Midgley, Carol; Patrick, Helen

2003-01-01

Examined the relation between the nature of teacher discourse and sixth-grade students' reports of affect and behavior in mathematics classrooms students perceived as emphasizing both mastery and performance goals. Found that students in the classroom in which there was constant and explicit support for autonomy and intrinsic motivation, positive…

Success Estimations and Performance in Children as Influenced by Age, Gender, and Task.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Amelia M.; And Others

1988-01-01

Randomly assigned 80 boys and girls in grades 3 and 7 to either a football-related or a dance-related group. Performance expectancies obtained prior to engaging in a novel motor task can be affected by the way a task is presented. Boys were more affected than girls by labels of sex appropriateness. (Author/BJV)

Study of Core Competency Elements and Factors Affecting Performance Efficiency of Government Teachers in Northeastern Thailand

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chansirisira, Pacharawit

2012-01-01

The research aimed to investigate the core competency elements and the factors affecting the performance efficiency of the civil service teachers in the northeastern region, Thailand. The research procedure consisted of two steps. In the first step, the data were collected using a questionnaire with the reliability (Cronbach's Alpha) of 0.90. The…

Self-Efficacy and Academic Performance in First-Semester Organic Chemistry: Testing a Model of Reciprocal Causation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Villafañe, Sachel M.; Xu, Xiaoying; Raker, Jeffrey R.

2016-01-01

Self-efficacy is an affective learning outcome that has been associated with academic performance and retention in STEM. Self-efficacy has been defined as students' beliefs about their ability to complete a given task, and it can be affected by a student's positive or negative experience in a course. In this study, students' chemistry…

Factors Affecting Business Students' Performance: The Case of Students in United Arab Emirates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harb, Nasri; El-Shaarawi, Ahmed

2007-01-01

In this study, the authors found that the most important factor that affected student performance was their competence in speaking English. The sample was a group of 864 business and economics students in United Arab Emirates. The authors used regression analysis for the study. The results of the study showed that students who participated in…

A Study of the Cognitive and Affective Performance of Children in the Elementary Science Study Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henson, Stanley

Three studies are reported for children participating in the Elementary Science Study (ESS) program. They are the cognitive and affective performances and the classroom learning environment. Three groups of ESS children were evaluated: nine-year-olds, ten-year-olds, and eleven-year-olds. Each age group contained 30 randomly selected subjects. The…

An Experimental Design of a Foundational Framework for the Application of Affective Computing to Soaring Flight Simulation and Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moon, Shannon

2017-01-01

In the absence of tools for intelligent tutoring systems for soaring flight simulation training, this study evaluated a framework foundation to measure pilot performance, affect, and physiological response to training in real-time. Volunteers were asked to perform a series of flight tasks selected from Federal Aviation Administration Practical…

System-Level Evaluation: Language and Other Background Factors Affecting Mathematics Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howie, Sarah

2005-01-01

The aim of this study is to describe and to explore the main factors affecting the performance of South African pupils in the mathematics test of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study-Repeat (TIMSS-R). The first objective was to describe the performance of the pupils in the mathematics test, the pupils' proficiency in English, as…

The effect of preferred music on mood and performance in a high-cognitive demand occupation.

PubMed

Lesiuk, Teresa

2010-01-01

Mild positive affect has been shown in the psychological literature to improve cognitive skills of creative problem-solving and systematic thinking. Individual preferred music listening offers opportunity for improved positive affect. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of preferred music listening on state-mood and cognitive performance in a high-cognitive demand occupation. Twenty-four professional computer information systems developers (CISD) from a North American IT company participated in a 3-week study with a music/no music/music weekly design. During the music weeks, participants listened to their preferred music "when they wanted, as they wanted." Self-reports of State Positive Affect, State Negative Affect, and Cognitive Performance were measured throughout the 3 weeks. Results indicate a statistically significant improvement in both state-mood and cognitive performance scores. "High-cognitive demand" is a relative term given that challenges presented to individuals may occur on a cognitive continuum from need for focus and selective attention to systematic analysis and creative problem-solving. The findings and recommendations have important implications for music therapists in their knowledge of the effect of music on emotion and cognition, and, as well, have important implications for music therapy consultation to organizations.

Consequences of Team Job Demands: Role Ambiguity Climate, Affective Engagement, and Extra-Role Performance

PubMed Central

Mañas, Miguel A.; Díaz-Fúnez, Pedro; Pecino, Vicente; López-Liria, Remedios; Padilla, David; Aguilar-Parra, José M.

2018-01-01

In the absence of clearly established procedures in the workplace, employees will experience a negative affective state. This situation influences their well-being and their intention to behave in ways that benefit the organization beyond their job demands. This impact is more relevant on teamwork where members share the perception of ambiguity through emotional contagion (role ambiguity climate). In the framework of the job demands-resources model, the present study analyzes how high levels of role ambiguity climate can have such an effect to reduce employee affective engagement. Over time it has been associated with negative results for the organization due to a lack of extra-role performance. The sample included 706 employees from a multinational company, who were divided into 11 work teams. In line with the formulated hypotheses, the results confirm the negative influence of the role ambiguity climate on extra-role performance, and the mediated effect of affective engagement in the relationship between the role ambiguity climate and extra-role performance. These findings indicate that the role ambiguity climate is related to the adequate or inadequate functioning of employees within a work context. PMID:29375424

Post-conflict slowing after incongruent stimuli: from general to conflict-specific.

PubMed

Rey-Mermet, Alodie; Meier, Beat

2017-05-01

Encountering a cognitive conflict not only slows current performance, but it can also affect subsequent performance, in particular when the conflict is induced with bivalent stimuli (i.e., stimuli with relevant features for two different tasks) or with incongruent trials (i.e., stimuli with relevant features for two response alternatives). The post-conflict slowing following bivalent stimuli, called "bivalency effect", affects all subsequent stimuli, irrespective of whether the subsequent stimuli share relevant features with the conflict stimuli. To date, it is unknown whether the conflict induced by incongruent stimuli results in a similar post-conflict slowing. To investigate this, we performed six experiments in which participants switched between two tasks. In one task, incongruent stimuli appeared occasionally; in the other task, stimuli shared no feature with the incongruent trials. The results showed an initial performance slowing that affected all tasks after incongruent trials. On further trials, however, the slowing only affected the task sharing features with the conflict stimuli. Therefore, the post-conflict slowing following incongruent stimuli is first general and then becomes conflict-specific across trials. These findings are discussed within current task switching and cognitive control accounts.

Touching the private parts: how gender and sexuality norms affect medical students' first pelvic examination.

PubMed

Sörensdotter, Renita; Siwe, Karin

2016-11-01

Gynaecologists are in a position to challenge norms about gender and sexuality in relation to female genitals. Through their work they have the opportunity to educate patients, which is why teaching medical students to perform examinations in a gender sensitive way is significant. Medical students performing their first pelvic examination often experience the examination as uncomfortable because it is a body part that is connected to sex and to something private. This paper uses medical students' interpretations of performing their first pelvic examination as a means to discuss how cultural norms for gender, sexuality and female genitals affect these examinations. Issues raised include how cultural connotations of female genitals affect the pelvic examination, how female and male students relate differently to examining female genitals and the interpretations they make in relation to themselves. Findings show that the female genitals are perceived as a special body part connected to sexuality and intimacy. Students' gender also affects the interpretations they make during pelvic examinations. Norms of gender, sexuality and female genitals need to be challenged in the teaching and performance of pelvic examination in order to demystify this experience.

Consequences of Team Job Demands: Role Ambiguity Climate, Affective Engagement, and Extra-Role Performance.

PubMed

Mañas, Miguel A; Díaz-Fúnez, Pedro; Pecino, Vicente; López-Liria, Remedios; Padilla, David; Aguilar-Parra, José M

2017-01-01

In the absence of clearly established procedures in the workplace, employees will experience a negative affective state. This situation influences their well-being and their intention to behave in ways that benefit the organization beyond their job demands. This impact is more relevant on teamwork where members share the perception of ambiguity through emotional contagion (role ambiguity climate). In the framework of the job demands-resources model, the present study analyzes how high levels of role ambiguity climate can have such an effect to reduce employee affective engagement. Over time it has been associated with negative results for the organization due to a lack of extra-role performance. The sample included 706 employees from a multinational company, who were divided into 11 work teams. In line with the formulated hypotheses, the results confirm the negative influence of the role ambiguity climate on extra-role performance, and the mediated effect of affective engagement in the relationship between the role ambiguity climate and extra-role performance. These findings indicate that the role ambiguity climate is related to the adequate or inadequate functioning of employees within a work context.

Upper limb performance and the structuring of joint movement in teenagers with cerebral palsy: the reciprocal role of task demands and action capabilities.

PubMed

Figueiredo, Priscilla Rezende Pereira; Silva, Paula Lanna; Avelar, Bruna Silva; da Fonseca, Sérgio Teixeira; Bootsma, Reinoud J; Mancini, Marisa Cotta

2015-04-01

Individuals with unilateral cerebral palsy (CP) demonstrate reduced performance in upper limb tasks compared to typically developing (TD) peers. We examined whether task conditions modify differences between teenagers with and without CP during a reciprocal aiming task. Twenty teenagers (nine CP and 11 TD) moved a pointer between two targets as fast as possible without missing a target. Task conditions were manipulated by changing the targets' size, by modifying the inertial properties of the pointer and by varying the upper limb used to perform the task (preferred/non-affected and non-preferred/affected upper limbs). While compared to TD peers, CP teenagers exhibited lower performance (longer movement times). Such differences were attenuated when the task was performed with the preferred upper limb and when accuracy requirements were less stringent. CP teenagers were not differentially affected by the pointer inertia manipulation. Task conditions not only affected performance but also joint kinematics. CP teenagers revealed less movement at the elbow and more movement at the shoulder when performing the task with their less skilled upper limb. However, both CP and TD teenagers demonstrated a larger contribution of trunk movement when facing more challenging task conditions. The overall pattern of results indicated that the joint kinematics employed by individuals with unilateral CP constituted adaptive responses to task requirements. Thus, the explanation of the effects of unilateral CP on upper limb behavior needs to go beyond a context-indifferent manifestation of the brain injury to include the interaction between task demands and action capabilities.

How motivation affects academic performance: a structural equation modelling analysis.

PubMed

Kusurkar, R A; Ten Cate, Th J; Vos, C M P; Westers, P; Croiset, G

2013-03-01

Few studies in medical education have studied effect of quality of motivation on performance. Self-Determination Theory based on quality of motivation differentiates between Autonomous Motivation (AM) that originates within an individual and Controlled Motivation (CM) that originates from external sources. To determine whether Relative Autonomous Motivation (RAM, a measure of the balance between AM and CM) affects academic performance through good study strategy and higher study effort and compare this model between subgroups: males and females; students selected via two different systems namely qualitative and weighted lottery selection. Data on motivation, study strategy and effort was collected from 383 medical students of VU University Medical Center Amsterdam and their academic performance results were obtained from the student administration. Structural Equation Modelling analysis technique was used to test a hypothesized model in which high RAM would positively affect Good Study Strategy (GSS) and study effort, which in turn would positively affect academic performance in the form of grade point averages. This model fit well with the data, Chi square = 1.095, df = 3, p = 0.778, RMSEA model fit = 0.000. This model also fitted well for all tested subgroups of students. Differences were found in the strength of relationships between the variables for the different subgroups as expected. In conclusion, RAM positively correlated with academic performance through deep strategy towards study and higher study effort. This model seems valid in medical education in subgroups such as males, females, students selected by qualitative and weighted lottery selection.

The acute effects of MDMA and ethanol administration on electrophysiological correlates of performance monitoring in healthy volunteers.

PubMed

Spronk, D B; Dumont, G J H; Verkes, R J; De Bruijn, E R A

2014-07-01

Knowing how commonly used drugs affect performance monitoring is of great importance, because drug use is often associated with compromised behavioral control. Two of the most commonly used recreational drugs in the western world, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or "ecstasy") and ethanol (alcohol), are also often used in combination. The error-related negativity (ERN), correct-related negativity (CRN), and N2 are electrophysiological indices of performance monitoring. The present study aimed to investigate how ethanol, MDMA, and their co-administration affect performance monitoring as indexed by the electrophysiological correlates. Behavioral and EEG data were obtained from 14 healthy volunteers during execution of a speeded choice-reaction-time task after administration of ethanol, MDMA, and combined ethanol and MDMA, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized crossover design. Ethanol significantly reduced ERN amplitudes, while administration of MDMA did not affect the ERN. Co-administration of MDMA and ethanol did not further impair nor ameliorate the effect of ethanol alone. No drug effects on CRN nor N2 were observed. A decreased ERN following ethanol administration is in line with previous work and offers further support for the impairing effects of alcohol intoxication on performance monitoring. This impairment may underlie maladaptive behavior in people who are under influence. Moreover, these data demonstrate for the first time that MDMA does not affect performance monitoring nor does it interact with ethanol in this process. These findings corroborate the notion that MDMA leaves central executive functions relatively unaffected.

Motivation of men and women in mathematics and language.

PubMed

Vrugt, Anneke; Oort, Frans J; Waardenburg, Lydeke

2009-10-01

Based on the multiple goal perspective it is argued that mastery and performance goals contribute to different motivational variables-mastery goals to self-efficacy and performance goals to social comparison-that contribute through affect to achievement. The first aim of this study was to determine whether this model is applicable irrespective of sex and subject. The expected relationships occurred for female students studying Dutch and mathematics, and for male students studying Dutch. The second aim was to test a model in which the perceived gender appropriateness of the subject affects the pursued achievement goal. We expected that subjects perceived as gender-appropriate--Dutch for female and mathematics for male students--would result in strong relationships between mastery goals, self-efficacy, affect, and achievement, and that less gender-appropriate subjects--mathematics for women and Dutch for men--would result in strong relationships between performance goals, social comparison, affect, and achievement. Several of the expected relationships occurred for female and males students studying Dutch and mathematics. Furthermore, female students obtained higher course grades in Dutch than male students, while male students studying mathematics scored higher on self-efficacy and affect than female students.

The influence of positive vs. negative affect on multitasking.

PubMed

Morgan, Brent; D'Mello, Sidney K

2016-10-01

Considerable research has investigated how affect influences performance on a single task; however, little is known about the role of affect in complex multitasking environments. In this paper, 178 participants multitasked in a synthetic work environment (SYNWORK) consisting of memory, visual monitoring, auditory monitoring, and math tasks. Participants multitasked for a 3-min baseline phase (MT1), following which they were randomly assigned to watch one of three affect-induction videos: positive, neutral, or negative. Participants then resumed multitasking for two additional critical phases (MT2, MT3; 3min each). In MT2, performance of the positive and neutral conditions was statistically equivalent and higher than the negative condition. In MT3, the positive condition performed better than the negative condition, with the neutral condition not significantly different from the other two. The differences in overall multitasking scores were largely driven by errors in the Math task (the most cognitively demanding task) in MT2 and the Memory task in MT3. These findings have implications for how positive and negative affective states influence processing in a cognitively demanding multitasking environment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Neuropsychological dysfunction in schizophrenia and affective disease.

PubMed

Taylor, M A; Redfield, J; Abrams, R

1981-05-01

We used Smith's neuropsychological test battery to study the cortical functioning of 52 patients with affective disorders, 17 schizophrenics, and 8 patients with coarse brain disease (CBD), all diagnosed according to research criteria. Testing and diagnoses were made independently and blindly. After accounting for the variance due to age, sex, handedness, educational level, and psychotropic drugs, we found that on tests of dominant hemisphere function schizophrenics performed significantly worse than patients with affective disorder but were no different from patients with CBD. On tests of nondominant hemisphere function the performance of the schizophrenics was similar to that of the other two groups, which were different from each other in that patients with CBD had poorer performance than affectives. A discriminant function analysis of the test scores applied to a jackknifed classification matrix successfully predicted research diagnosis in 86.5% of the affectively ill patients and 76.5% of the schizophrenics, for an overall hit rate of 84.1%. A canonical plot of the discriminant scores further showed distinct groups, with manics and depressives most alike but quite different from schizophrenics and patients with CBD. These findings are consistent with those derived from other neuropsychological studies, as well as EEG and CT scan studies.

Cell Phone Ring Suppression and HUD Caller ID: Effectiveness in Reducing Momentary Driver Distraction under Varying Workload Levels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nowakowski, C.; Friedman, D.; Green, P.

2001-10-01

The purpose of the current experiment is to provide a preliminary driving simulator assessment of several hands-free design solutions with regard to the task of answering the phone while driving. Specifically, the following questions were examined: (1) Does the location of a caller ID display and the phone buttons (two HUD (Head Up Display) locations vs. phone cradle) affect either the time to answer the phone or driving performance; (2) Does the presence or absence of a ring affect either the time to answer the phone or driving performance; (3) Does increased driving workload (visual demand) affect either the time to answer the phone or driving performance; (4) What were the initial driver reactions to a HUD-based call timer.

Ocular dimensions, corneal thickness, and corneal curvature in quarter horses with hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia.

PubMed

Badial, Peres R; Cisneros-Àlvarez, Luis Emiliano; Brandão, Cláudia Valéria S; Ranzani, José Joaquim T; Tomaz, Mayana A R V; Machado, Vania M; Borges, Alexandre S

2015-09-01

The aim of this study was to compare ocular dimensions, corneal curvature, and corneal thickness between horses affected with hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia (HERDA) and unaffected horses. Five HERDA-affected quarter horses and five healthy control quarter horses were used. Schirmer's tear test, tonometry, and corneal diameter measurements were performed in both eyes of all horses prior to ophthalmologic examinations. Ultrasonic pachymetry was performed to measure the central, temporal, nasal, dorsal, and ventral corneal thicknesses in all horses. B-mode ultrasound scanning was performed on both eyes of each horse to determine the dimensions of the ocular structures and to calculate the corneal curvature. Each corneal region examined in this study was thinner in the affected group compared with the healthy control group. However, significant differences in corneal thickness were only observed for the central and dorsal regions. HERDA-affected horses exhibited significant increases in corneal curvature and corneal diameter compared with unaffected animals. The ophthalmologic examinations revealed mild corneal opacity in one eye of one affected horse and in both eyes of three affected horses. No significant between-group differences were observed for Schirmer's tear test, intraocular pressure, or ocular dimensions. Hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia-affected horses exhibit decreased corneal thickness in several regions of the cornea, increased corneal curvature, increased corneal diameter, and mild corneal opacity. Additional research is required to determine whether the increased corneal curvature significantly impacts the visual accuracy of horses with HERDA. © 2014 American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.

Cognitive correlates of verbal memory and verbal fluency in schizophrenia, and differential effects of various clinical symptoms between male and female patients.

PubMed

Brébion, Gildas; Villalta-Gil, Victoria; Autonell, Jaume; Cervilla, Jorge; Dolz, Montserrat; Foix, Alexandrina; Haro, Josep Maria; Usall, Judith; Vilaplana, Miriam; Ochoa, Susana

2013-06-01

Impairment of higher cognitive functions in patients with schizophrenia might stem from perturbation of more basic functions, such as processing speed. Various clinical symptoms might affect cognitive efficiency as well. Notably, previous research has revealed the role of affective symptoms on memory performance in this population, and suggested sex-specific effects. We conducted a post-hoc analysis of an extensive neuropsychological study of 88 patients with schizophrenia. Regression analyses were conducted on verbal memory and verbal fluency data to investigate the contribution of semantic organisation and processing speed to performance. The role of negative and affective symptoms and of attention disorders in verbal memory and verbal fluency was investigated separately in male and female patients. Semantic clustering contributed to verbal recall, and a measure of reading speed contributed to verbal recall as well as to phonological and semantic fluency. Negative symptoms affected verbal recall and verbal fluency in the male patients, whereas attention disorders affected these abilities in the female patients. Furthermore, depression affected verbal recall in women, whereas anxiety affected it in men. These results confirm the association of processing speed with cognitive efficiency in patients with schizophrenia. They also confirm the previously observed sex-specific associations of depression and anxiety with memory performance in these patients, and suggest that negative symptoms and attention disorders likewise are related to cognitive efficiency differently in men and women. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The impact of workplace spirituality dimensions on organisational citizenship behaviour among nurses with the mediating effect of affective organisational commitment.

PubMed

Kazemipour, Farahnaz; Mohd Amin, Salmiah

2012-12-01

To investigate the relationship between workplace spirituality dimensions and organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) among nurses through the mediating effect of affective organisational commitment. Nurses' OCB has been considered recently to improve the quality of services to patients and subsequently, their performance. As an influential attitude, affective organisational commitment has been recognized to influence OCB, and ultimately, organisational performance. Meanwhile, workplace spirituality is introduced as a new organisational behaviour concept to increase affective commitment influencing employees' OCB. The cross-sectional study and the respective data were collected with a questionnaire-based survey. The questionnaires were distributed to 305 nurses employed in four public and general Iranian hospitals. To analyse the data, descriptive statistics, Pearson coefficient, simple regression, multiple regression and path analyses were also conducted. The results indicated that workplace spirituality dimensions including meaningful work, a sense of community and an alignment with organisational values have a significant positive relationship with OCB. Moreover, affective organisational commitment mediated the impact of workplace spirituality on OCB. The concept of workplace spirituality through its dimensions predicts nurses' OCB, and affective organisational commitment partially mediated the relationship between workplace spirituality and OCB. Nurses' managers should consider the potentially positive influence of workplace spirituality on OCB and affective commitment among their nurses. With any plan to increase workplace spirituality, the respective managers can improve nurses' performance and would be of considerable importance in the healthcare system. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Priming Effects for Affective vs. Neutral Faces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burton, Leslie A.; Rabin, Laura; Wyatt, Gwinne; Frohlich, Jonathan; Vardy, Susan B.; Dimitri, Diana

2005-01-01

Affective and Neutral Tasks (faces with negative or neutral content, with different lighting and orientation) requiring reaction time judgments of poser identity were administered to 32 participants. Speed and accuracy were better for the Affective than Neutral Task, consistent with literature suggesting facilitation of performance by affective…

40 CFR 60.370 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Applicability and designation of affected facility. 60.370 Section 60.370 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... Performance for Lead-Acid Battery Manufacturing Plants § 60.370 Applicability and designation of affected...

Some Children are Convinced, They Can't Win.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eisenberg, Leon

1967-01-01

Social class differences affect a student's academic achievement but do not particularly affect his intellectual potential. Adult judgement of intelligence is based upon observation of the student's behavior and his performance on standardized tests. This behavior is in turn affected by the student's motivation, background experience, and…

40 CFR 60.300 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 7 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Applicability and designation of affected facility. 60.300 Section 60.300 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... Performance for Grain Elevators § 60.300 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The...

40 CFR 60.300 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 6 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Applicability and designation of affected facility. 60.300 Section 60.300 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... Performance for Grain Elevators § 60.300 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The...

Interactive effects of trait and state affect on top-down control of attention.

PubMed

Hur, Juyoen; Miller, Gregory A; McDavitt, Jenika R B; Spielberg, Jeffrey M; Crocker, Laura D; Infantolino, Zachary P; Towers, David N; Warren, Stacie L; Heller, Wendy

2015-08-01

Few studies have investigated how attentional control is affected by transient affective states while taking individual differences in affective traits into consideration. In this study, participants completed a color-word Stroop task immediately after undergoing a positive, neutral or negative affective context manipulation (ACM). Behavioral performance was unaffected by any ACM considered in isolation. For individuals high in trait negative affect (NA), performance was impaired by the negative but not the positive or neutral ACM. Neuroimaging results indicate that activity in primarily top-down control regions of the brain (inferior frontal gyrus and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex) was suppressed in the presence of emotional arousal (both negative and positive ACMs). This effect appears to have been exacerbated or offset by co-occurring activity in other top-down control regions (parietal) and emotion processing regions (orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala and nucleus accumbens) as a function of the valence of state affect (positive or negative) and trait affect (trait NA or trait PA). Neuroimaging results are consistent with behavioral findings. In combination, they indicate both additive and interactive influences of trait and state affect on top-down control of attention. © The Author (2015). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

When the third party observer of a neuropsychological evaluation is an audio-recorder.

PubMed

Constantinou, Marios; Ashendorf, Lee; McCaffrey, Robert J

2002-08-01

The presence of third parties during neuropsychological evaluations is an issue of concern for contemporary neuropsychologists. Previous studies have reported that the presence of an observer during neuropsychological testing alters the performance of individuals under evaluation. The present study sought to investigate whether audio-recording affects the neuropsychological test performance of individuals in the same way that third party observation does. In the presence of an audio-recorder the performance of the participants on memory tests declined. Performance on motor tests, on the other hand, was not affected by the presence of an audio-recorder. The implications of these findings in forensic neuropsychological evaluations are discussed.

Lighting in digital game worlds: effects on affect and play performance.

PubMed

Knez, Igor; Niedenthal, Simon

2008-04-01

As a means of extending the significance of findings in experimental psychology and nonvisual psychological lighting research to digital game research, the present study was designed to investigate the impact of warm (reddish) and cool (bluish) simulated illumination in digital game worlds on game users' affect and play performance. In line with some previous findings, we predicted that lighting in a digital game world might, as in the real world, differently influence the nonvisual psychological mechanisms of affect, which in turn might enhance or impair the players' performance. It was shown that the players performed best and fastest in a game world lit with a warm (reddish) as compared to a cool (bluish) lighting. The former color of lighting also induced the highest level of pleasantness in game users. A regression analysis indicated tentatively that it was the level of pleasantness induced by the warm lighting that enhanced the players' better performance in that digital game world. It was also shown that high- as opposed to medium- or low-skilled players engage almost 2.5 times more per week in game playing. Given their skill, they performed significantly faster and felt significantly calmer and more relaxed in doing so.

The impact of the dimensions of environmental performance on firm performance in travel and tourism industry.

PubMed

Tan, Siow-Hooi; Habibullah, Muzafar Shah; Tan, Siow-Kian; Choon, Shay-Wei

2017-12-01

This study investigates the impact of the aggregate and individual dimensions of environmental performance (EP) on financial performance (FP), based on a dataset covering the travel and tourism industry (airlines, casinos, hotels, and restaurants) across different economic regions over the period 2003-2014. The results reveal that EP positively affects the FP in the hotel industry when aggregate EP is used. When individual dimensions of EP are considered, resource reduction is found to positively (negatively) affect the performance in the hotel (airline) industry, while product innovation positively affects the performance in the restaurant industry. Hence, the trade-off effect seems to be dominant in the airline industry, and the 'heterogeneous resources and reputation-building' hypothesis is evident in both the hotel and restaurant industries. In addition, in general, the findings support the positive moderating effect of slack resources on the relationship between the individual dimensions of EP and FP in the travel and tourism industry, and, hence, are supportive of the slack resources hypothesis. These effects, however, vary depending on the travel and tourism industry under investigation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Psycho-social factors determining success in high-performance triathlon: compared perception in the coach-athlete pair.

PubMed

Ruiz-Tendero, Germán; Salinero Martín, Juan José

2012-12-01

High-level sport can be analyzed using the complex system model, in which performance is constrained by many factors. Coaches' and athletes' perceptions of important positive and negative factors affecting performance were compared. Participants were 48 high-level international triathletes (n = 34) and their coaches (n = 14). They were personally interviewed via a questionnaire designed by four accredited experts, who selected groups of both positive and negative factors affecting performance. A list of factors was developed, in order of greater to lesser importance in the opinion of athletes and coaches, for subsequent analysis. Two ranked lists (positive and negative factors) indicated that athletes appear to rate personal environment factors (family, teammates, lack of support from relatives) higher, while the coaches tended to give more importance to technical and institutional aspects (institutional support, coach, medical support). There was complete agreement between coaches and triathletes about the top five positive factors. Negative factor agreement was somewhat lower (agreement on 3/5 factors). The most important positive factor for coaches and athletes was "dedication/engagement," while the most important factor adversely affecting performance was "injuries".

Factors affecting running performance in 6-12-year-olds: The Health Oriented Pedagogical Project (HOPP).

PubMed

Fredriksen, Per Morten; Mamen, Asgeir; Gammelsrud, Heidi; Lindberg, Morten; Hjelle, Ole Petter

2018-05-01

The purpose of this study was to examine factors affecting running performance in children. A cross-sectional study exploring the relationships between height, weight, waist circumference, muscle mass, body fat percentage, relevant biomarkers, and the Andersen intermittent running test in 2272 children aged 6 to 12 years. Parental education level was used as a non-physiological explanatory variable. Mean values (SD) and percentiles are presented as reference values. Height (β = 6.4, p < .0001), high values of haemoglobin (β = 18, p = .013) and low percentage of body fat (β = -7.5, p < .0001) showed an association with results from the running test. In addition, high parental education level showed a positive association with the running test. Boys display better running performance than girls at all age ages, except 7 years old, probably because of additional muscle mass and less fatty tissue. Height and increased level of haemoglobin positively affected running performance. Lower body fat percentage and high parental education level correlated with better running performance.

Affective mentalizing and brain activity at rest in the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia

PubMed Central

Caminiti, Silvia P.; Canessa, Nicola; Cerami, Chiara; Dodich, Alessandra; Crespi, Chiara; Iannaccone, Sandro; Marcone, Alessandra; Falini, Andrea; Cappa, Stefano F.

2015-01-01

Background bvFTD patients display an impairment in the attribution of cognitive and affective states to others, reflecting GM atrophy in brain regions associated with social cognition, such as amygdala, superior temporal cortex and posterior insula. Distinctive patterns of abnormal brain functioning at rest have been reported in bvFTD, but their relationship with defective attribution of affective states has not been investigated. Objective To investigate the relationship among resting-state brain activity, gray matter (GM) atrophy and the attribution of mental states in the behavioral variant of fronto-temporal degeneration (bvFTD). Methods We compared 12 bvFTD patients with 30 age- and education-matched healthy controls on a) performance in a task requiring the attribution of affective vs. cognitive mental states; b) metrics of resting-state activity in known functional networks; and c) the relationship between task-performances and resting-state metrics. In addition, we assessed a connection between abnormal resting-state metrics and GM atrophy. Results Compared with controls, bvFTD patients showed a reduction of intra-network coherent activity in several components, as well as decreased strength of activation in networks related to attentional processing. Anomalous resting-state activity involved networks which also displayed a significant reduction of GM density. In patients, compared with controls, higher affective mentalizing performance correlated with stronger functional connectivity between medial prefrontal sectors of the default-mode and attentional/performance monitoring networks, as well as with increased coherent activity in components of the executive, sensorimotor and fronto-limbic networks. Conclusions Some of the observed effects may reflect specific compensatory mechanisms for the atrophic changes involving regions in charge of affective mentalizing. The analysis of specific resting-state networks thus highlights an intermediate level of analysis between abnormal brain structure and impaired behavioral performance in bvFTD, reflecting both dysfunction and compensation mechanisms. PMID:26594631

[The impact of oral health on daily performance of municipal waste disposal workers in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil].

PubMed

Gomes, Andréa Silveira; Abegg, Claides

2007-07-01

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of oral health impact on daily performance in Brazilian adults. 276 civil servants 35 to 44 years of age from the Public Works and Waste Disposal Department of Porto Alegre, in southern Brazil, were interviewed and clinically examined. Oral Impacts on Daily Performance (OIDP) was used to evaluate the impact of oral health status on daily performance. 73.6% of all subjects had at least one daily performance affected by an oral impact in the previous six months. The most commonly affected performance was eating (48.6%), while the most common symptoms were discomfort (40.6%) and dissatisfaction with one's appearance (31.5%). Missing teeth (21.7%) and toothache (20.7%) were recognized as the main causes of oral impacts on daily performance. OIDP was useful for measuring (physically, psychologically, and socially) the oral impacts on daily performance.

Acute physical exercise affected processing efficiency in an auditory attention task more than processing effectiveness.

PubMed

Dutke, Stephan; Jaitner, Thomas; Berse, Timo; Barenberg, Jonathan

2014-02-01

Research on effects of acute physical exercise on performance in a concurrent cognitive task has generated equivocal evidence. Processing efficiency theory predicts that concurrent physical exercise can increase resource requirements for sustaining cognitive performance even when the level of performance is unaffected. This hypothesis was tested in a dual-task experiment. Sixty young adults worked on a primary auditory attention task and a secondary interval production task while cycling on a bicycle ergometer. Physical load (cycling) and cognitive load of the primary task were manipulated. Neither physical nor cognitive load affected primary task performance, but both factors interacted on secondary task performance. Sustaining primary task performance under increased physical and/or cognitive load increased resource consumption as indicated by decreased secondary task performance. Results demonstrated that physical exercise effects on cognition might be underestimated when only single task performance is the focus.

More than just the mean: moving to a dynamic view of performance-based compensation.

PubMed

Barnes, Christopher M; Reb, Jochen; Ang, Dionysius

2012-05-01

Compensation decisions have important consequences for employees and organizations and affect factors such as retention, motivation, and recruitment. Past research has primarily focused on mean performance as a predictor of compensation, promoting the implicit assumption that alternative aspects of dynamic performance are not relevant. To address this gap in the literature, we examined the influence of dynamic performance characteristics on compensation decisions in the National Basketball Association (NBA). We predicted that, in addition to performance mean, performance trend and variability would also affect compensation decisions. Results revealed that performance mean and trend, but not variability, were significantly and positively related to changes in compensation levels of NBA players. Moreover, trend (but not mean or variability) predicted compensation when controlling for future performance, suggesting that organizations overweighted trend in their compensation decisions. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).

Work-family conflicts and work performance.

PubMed

Roth, Lawrence; David, Emily M

2009-08-01

Prior research indicates that work-family conflict interferes with family far more than it interferes with work. Conservation of resources provides a possible explanation: when shifting resources from family is no longer sufficient to maintain satisfactory work performance, then workers must acquire additional resources or reduce investments in work. One source of such additional resources could be high performance peers in the work group. The performance of workers with resource-rich peers may be less adversely affected by work-family conflict. In this study, 136 employees of a wholesale distribution firm (61% women, 62% minority) working in groups of 7 to 11 in manual labor and low-level administrative jobs rated their own work-to-family conflict. Their supervisors rated workers' performance. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that work-to-family conflict increasingly adversely affected job performance as work group performance decreased. Hence, work group performance may be an important moderator of the effects of work-family conflict.

Antecedent Factors Affecting Academic Performance of Graduate Students at the Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mbogo, Rosemary Wahu

2016-01-01

This paper reports the findings of a Master's level thesis work that was done in 1997 to assess the antecedent factors affecting the academic performance of graduate students at the Nairobi Evangelical School of Theology (N.E.G.S.T.), which is currently Africa International University (AIU). The paper reviews the effect of lack of finance on…

Determining the Factors That Affect the Objectives of Pre-Service Science Teachers to Perform Outdoor Science Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karademir, Ersin; Erten, Sinan

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine whether pre-service teachers have an aim to perform outdoor education activities within the scope of science and technology course; by which factors this aim is affected, through The Theory of Planned Behaviour and the opinions of pre-service teachers. Accordingly, the study was designed as mixed research…

Effect of semen preparation on casa motility results in cryopreserved bull spermatozoa.

PubMed

Contri, Alberto; Valorz, Claudio; Faustini, Massimo; Wegher, Laura; Carluccio, Augusto

2010-08-01

Computer-assisted sperm analyzers (CASA) have become the standard tool for evaluating sperm motility and kinetic patterns because they provide objective data for thousands of sperm tracks. However, these devices are not ready-to-use and standardization of analytical practices is a fundamental requirement. In this study, we evaluated the effects of some settings, such as frame rate and frames per field, chamber and time of analysis, and samples preparations, including thawing temperature, sperm sample concentration, and media used for dilution, on the kinetic results of bovine frozen-thawed semen using a CASA. In Experiment 1, the frame rate (30-60 frame/s) significantly affected motility parameters, whereas the number of frames per field (30 or 45) did not seem to affect sperm kinetics. In Experiment 2, the thawing protocol affects sperm motility and kinetic parameters. Sperm sample concentration significantly limited the opportunity to perform the analysis and the kinetic results. A concentration of 100 and 50 x 10(6) sperm/mL limited the device's ability to perform the analysis or gave wrong results, whereas 5, 10, 20, and 30 x 10(6) sperm/mL concentrations allowed the analysis to be performed, but with different results (Experiment 3). The medium used for the dilution of the sample, which is fundamental for a correct sperm head detection, affects sperm motility results (Experiment 4). In this study, Makler and Leja chambers were used to perform the semen analysis with CASA devices. The chamber used significantly affected motility results (Experiment 5). The time between chamber loading and analysis affected sperm velocities, regardless of chamber used. Based on results recorded in this study, we propose that the CASA evaluation of motility of bovine frozen-thawed semen using Hamilton-Thorne IVOS 12.3 should be performed using a frame rate of 60 frame/s and 30 frames per field. Semen should be diluted at least at 20 x 10(6) sperm/mL using PBS. Furthermore, it is necessary to consider the type of chamber used and perform the analysis within 1 or 2 min, regardless of the chamber used. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cognition and aging in a complex work environment: relationships with performance among air traffic control specialists.

PubMed

Becker, J T; Milke, R M

1998-10-01

Chronological age affects the performance of demanding cognitive tasks within the aviation environment. Within the domain of air traffic control (ATC), the ability to handle simultaneous visual and auditory input, or to return to a task after a break to complete another task, is critical to success and is the sort of cognitive function most affected by age. The limited available data suggest a strong relationship between age and job performance among ATC specialists, whether measured at the time of entry into the system or during the working lifetime of a full-performance-level controller. An analysis of the distribution of the ages of controllers currently in the system, and a projection for the years 2001 and 2006, leads to the conclusion that a high proportion of the ATC work force will be at risk for displaying age-related changes in job performance efficiency over the next 10 yr. It seems important, therefore, to determine the nature and extent of the age-related cognitive changes that can occur during the lifespan of a controller (i.e., 25-55 yr of age) and how these changes may affect job performance. The results of such an analysis should aid in the design and implementation of new control systems to minimize any deleterious effects of aging on performance.

Cognitive Impairments in Fibromyalgia Syndrome: Associations With Positive and Negative Affect, Alexithymia, Pain Catastrophizing and Self-Esteem

PubMed Central

Galvez-Sánchez, Carmen M.; Reyes del Paso, Gustavo A.; Duschek, Stefan

2018-01-01

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain accompanied by symptoms like depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance and fatigue. In addition, affected patients frequently report cognitive disruption such as forgetfulness, concentration difficulties or mental slowness. Though cognitive deficits in FMS have been confirmed in various studies, not much is known about the mechanisms involved in their origin. This study aimed to investigate the contribution of affect-related variables to cognitive impairments in FMS. For this purpose, 67 female FMS patients and 32 healthy control subjects completed a battery of cognitive tests measuring processing speed, attention, visuospatial and verbal memory, cognitive flexibility and planning abilities. In addition, participants completed self-report questionnaires pertaining to positive and negative affect, alexithymia, pain catastrophizing and self-esteem. Clinical characteristics including pain severity, symptoms of depression and anxiety, insomnia and fatigue were also assessed. FMS patients showed markedly poorer performance than healthy controls in all of the cognitive domains assessed, in addition to greater levels of depression, anxiety, negative affect, alexithymia and pain catastrophizing, and lower self-esteem and positive affect. In exploratory correlation analysis in the FMS sample, lower cognitive performance was associated with higher pain severity, depression, anxiety, negative affect, alexithymia and pain catastrophizing, as well as lower self-esteem and positive affect. However, in regression analyses, pain, self-esteem, alexithymia, and pain catastrophizing explained the largest portion of the variance in performance. While interference effects of clinical pain in cognition have been previously described, the present findings suggest that affective factors also substantially contribute to the genesis of cognitive impairments. They support the notion that affective disturbances form a crucial aspect of FMS pathology, whereas strategies aiming to improve emotional regulation may be a beneficial element of psychological therapy in the management of FMS. PMID:29623059

40 CFR 60.420 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Performance for Ammonium Sulfate Manufacture § 60.420 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The affected facility to which the provisions of this subpart apply is each ammonium sulfate dryer within an ammonium sulfate manufacturing plant in the caprolactam by-product, synthetic, and coke oven by...

40 CFR 60.420 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Performance for Ammonium Sulfate Manufacture § 60.420 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The affected facility to which the provisions of this subpart apply is each ammonium sulfate dryer within an ammonium sulfate manufacturing plant in the caprolactam by-product, synthetic, and coke oven by...

Affect-Based Adaptation of an Applied Video Game for Educational Purposes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bontchev, Boyan; Vassileva, Dessislava

2017-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to clarify how affect-based adaptation can improve implicit recognition of playing style of individuals during game sessions. This study presents the "Rush for Gold" game using dynamic difficulty adjustment of tasks based on both player performance and affectation inferred through electrodermal activity and…

40 CFR 60.560 - Applicability and designation of affected facilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...) manufacturing processes. (i) Affected facilities with a design capacity to produce less than 1,000 Mg/yr (1,102... Performance for Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Emissions from the Polymer Manufacturing Industry § 60.560... apply to affected facilities involved in the manufacture of polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, or...

40 CFR 60.420 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Performance for Ammonium Sulfate Manufacture § 60.420 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The affected facility to which the provisions of this subpart apply is each ammonium sulfate dryer within an ammonium sulfate manufacturing plant in the caprolactam by-product, synthetic, and coke oven by...

40 CFR 60.420 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Performance for Ammonium Sulfate Manufacture § 60.420 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The affected facility to which the provisions of this subpart apply is each ammonium sulfate dryer within an ammonium sulfate manufacturing plant in the caprolactam by-product, synthetic, and coke oven by...

40 CFR 60.400 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Performance for Phosphate Rock Plants § 60.400 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The provisions of this subpart are applicable to the following affected facilities used in phosphate rock plants..., calciners, grinders, and ground rock handling and storage facilities, except those facilities producing or...

40 CFR 60.400 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Performance for Phosphate Rock Plants § 60.400 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The provisions of this subpart are applicable to the following affected facilities used in phosphate rock plants..., calciners, grinders, and ground rock handling and storage facilities, except those facilities producing or...

40 CFR 60.400 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Performance for Phosphate Rock Plants § 60.400 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The provisions of this subpart are applicable to the following affected facilities used in phosphate rock plants..., calciners, grinders, and ground rock handling and storage facilities, except those facilities producing or...

40 CFR 60.400 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Performance for Phosphate Rock Plants § 60.400 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The provisions of this subpart are applicable to the following affected facilities used in phosphate rock plants..., calciners, grinders, and ground rock handling and storage facilities, except those facilities producing or...

40 CFR 60.400 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Performance for Phosphate Rock Plants § 60.400 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The provisions of this subpart are applicable to the following affected facilities used in phosphate rock plants..., calciners, grinders, and ground rock handling and storage facilities, except those facilities producing or...

40 CFR 60.620 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Performance for Petroleum Dry Cleaners § 60.620 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The provisions of this subpart are applicable to the following affected facilities located at a petroleum dry... pounds): Petroleum solvent dry cleaning dryers, washers, filters, stills, and settling tanks. (1) When...

Facial Affect Recognition and Social Anxiety in Preschool Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ale, Chelsea M.; Chorney, Daniel B.; Brice, Chad S.; Morris, Tracy L.

2010-01-01

Research relating anxiety and facial affect recognition has focused mostly on school-aged children and adults and has yielded mixed results. The current study sought to demonstrate an association among behavioural inhibition and parent-reported social anxiety, shyness, social withdrawal and facial affect recognition performance in 30 children,…

[Neuropsychological performance in neurofibromatosis type 1].

PubMed

Hernández Del Castillo, Lilia; Martínez Bermejo, Antonio; Portellano Pérez, José Antonio; Tirado Requero, Pilar; Garriz Luis, Alexandra; Velázquez Fragua, Ramón

2017-08-01

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a genetic disorder with various clinical manifestations that affect the peripheral and central nervous system, as well as the skin, bones and endocrine and vascular system. There is still insufficient knowledge of neuropsychological effects of NF1 on children, and there is some controversy about the cognitive deficits that defines the cognitive profile of patients affected by this disorder. In this study an analysis is made of the neuropsychological performance of a group of patients affected by NF1, compared with a control group of healthy children. A comparison was made between the neuropsychological performance of a group of 23 boys and girls with a mean age of 8.7 years (+/-1.39) and diagnosed with NF1, and a control group consisting of 21 healthy children, with mean age of 8.9 years (+/- 1.41) and with similar socio-demographic characteristics. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) was applied to evaluate the subjects of both groups. The group of patients affected with NF1 showed a lower performance in every primary index of WISC IV: Verbal Comprehension Index, Fluid Reasoning Index, Working Memory Index, Processing Speed Index, and full Scale IQ. Only in two subscales were no statistically significant differences observed: similarities and coding. The results show subtle and generalised neuropsychological alterations in the sample of children affected with NF1, which affect most of cognitive domains that have been evaluated. Proper specific and early neuropsychological treatment should be provided in order to prevent the high risk for these children of presenting learning difficulties and school failure. Copyright © 2016 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Declarative verbal memory impairments in middle-aged women who are caregivers of offspring with autism spectrum disorders: The role of negative affect and testosterone.

PubMed

Romero-Martínez, A; González-Bono, E; Salvador, A; Moya-Albiol, L

2016-01-01

Caring for offspring diagnosed with a chronic psychological disorder such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is used in research as a model of chronic stress. This chronic stress has been reported to have deleterious effects on caregivers' cognition, particularly in verbal declarative memory. Moreover, such cognitive decline may be mediated by testosterone (T) levels and negative affect, understood as depressive mood together with high anxiety and anger. This study aimed to compare declarative memory function in middle-aged women who were caregivers for individuals with ASD (n = 24; mean age = 45) and female controls (n = 22; mean age = 45), using a standardised memory test (Rey's Auditory Verbal Learning Test). It also sought to examine the role of care recipient characteristics, negative mood and T levels in memory impairments. ASD caregivers were highly sensitive to proactive interference and verbal forgetting. In addition, they had higher negative affect and T levels, both of which have been associated with poorer verbal memory performance. Moreover, the number of years of caregiving affected memory performance and negative affect, especially, in terms of anger feelings. On the other hand, T levels in caregivers had a curvilinear relationship with verbal memory performance; that is, increases in T were associated with improvements in verbal memory performance up to a certain point, but subsequently, memory performance decreased with increasing T. Chronic stress may produce disturbances in mood and hormonal levels, which in turn might increase the likelihood of developing declarative memory impairments although caregivers do not show a generalised decline in memory. These findings should be taken into account for understanding the impact of cognitive impairments on the ability to provide optimal caregiving.

Task Performance and Meta-Cognitive Outcomes When Using Activity Workstations and Traditional Desks

PubMed Central

Pilcher, June J.; Baker, Victoria C.

2016-01-01

The purpose of the current study is to compare the effects of light physical activity to sedentary behavior on cognitive task performance and meta-cognitive responses. Thirty-eight undergraduate students participated in the study. The participants used a stationary bicycle with a desk top and a traditional desk while completing two complex cognitive tasks and measures of affect, motivation, morale, and engagement. The participants pedaled the stationary bicycle at a slow pace (similar in exertion to a normal walking pace) while working. The results indicated that cognitive task performance did not change between the two workstations. However, positive affect, motivation, and morale improved when using the stationary bicycle. These results suggest that activity workstations could be implemented in the work place and in educational settings to help decrease sedentary behavior without negatively affecting performance. Furthermore, individuals could experience a positive emotional response when working on activity workstations which in turn could help encourage individuals to choose to be more physical active during daily activities. PMID:27445921

Emotional and cognitive influences in air traffic controller tasks: An investigation using a virtual environment?

PubMed

Truschzinski, Martina; Betella, Alberto; Brunnett, Guido; Verschure, Paul F M J

2018-05-01

Air traffic controllers are required to perform complex tasks which require attention and high precision. This study investigates how the difficulty of such tasks influences emotional states, cognitive workload and task performance. We use quantitative and qualitative measurements, including the recording of pupil dilation and changes in affect using questionnaires. Participants were required to perform a number of air traffic control tasks using the immersive human accessible Virtual Reality space in the "eXperience Induction Machine". Based on the data collected, we developed and validated a model which integrates personality, workload and affective theories. Our results indicate that the difficulty of an air traffic control task has a direct influence on cognitive workload as well as on the self-reported mood; whereas both mood and workload seem to change independently. In addition, we show that personality, in particular neuroticism, affects both mood and performance of the participants. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Cognitive reserve and linguistic skills in healthy elderly persons].

PubMed

López-Higes, Ramón; Rubio-Valdehita, Susana; Prados, José M; Galindo, Marta

2013-08-01

One research strategy that can be used with the cognitive reserve is to establish groups of elderly persons who differ in key variables that affect the cognitive reserve and then compare their performance in cognitive tests. To determine which of the variables that have an influence on the cognitive reserve (measured by means of the cognitive reserve questionnaire) are related with performance in the Boston Naming Test, and in the vocabulary and grammar comprehension tests from the ECCO_Senior battery. The sample consisted of 83 elderly persons aged between 60 and 75 years. Schooling, parents' schooling, job and reading habits are closely related to the performance of the elderly in naming, grammar comprehension and vocabulary. Schooling affects the comprehension of sentences with a higher propositional density, and reading habits seem to be closely related with the comprehension of sentences that are more complex in terms of their syntax. Schooling and job affect the performance obtained when dealing with verbs in the vocabulary test.

The Role of Culture, Competitiveness and Economic Performance in Explaining Academic Performance: A Global Market Analysis for International Student Segmentation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baumann, Chris; Hamin

2011-01-01

A nation's culture, competitiveness and economic performance explain academic performance. Partial Least Squares (PLS) testing of 2252 students shows culture affects competitiveness and academic performance. Culture and economic performance each explain 32%; competitiveness 36%. The model predicts academic performance when culture, competitiveness…

Muscle, functional and cognitive adaptations after flywheel resistance training in stroke patients: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Fernandez-Gonzalo, Rodrigo; Fernandez-Gonzalo, Sol; Turon, Marc; Prieto, Cristina; Tesch, Per A; García-Carreira, Maria del Carmen

2016-04-06

Resistance exercise (RE) improves neuromuscular function and physical performance after stroke. Yet, the effects of RE emphasizing eccentric (ECC; lengthening) actions on muscle hypertrophy and cognitive function in stroke patients are currently unknown. Thus, this study explored the effects of ECC-overload RE training on skeletal muscle size and function, and cognitive performance in individuals with stroke. Thirty-two individuals with chronic stroke (≥6 months post-stroke) were randomly assigned into a training group (TG; n = 16) performing ECC-overload flywheel RE of the more-affected lower limb (12 weeks, 2 times/week; 4 sets of 7 maximal closed-chain knee extensions; <2 min of contractile activity per session) or a control group (CG; n = 16), maintaining daily routines. Before and after the intervention, quadriceps femoris volume, maximal force and power for each leg were assessed, and functional and dual task performance, and cognitive functions were measured. Quadriceps femoris volume of the more-affected leg increased by 9.4 % in TG. Muscle power of the more-affected, trained (48.2 %), and the less-affected, untrained limb (28.1 %) increased after training. TG showed enhanced balance (8.9 %), gait performance (10.6 %), dual-task performance, executive functions (working memory, verbal fluency tasks), attention, and speed of information processing. CG showed no changes. ECC-overload flywheel resistance exercise comprising 4 min of contractile activity per week offers a powerful aid to regain muscle mass and function, and functional performance in individuals with stroke. While the current intervention improved cognitive functions, the cause-effect relationship, if any, with the concomitant neuromuscular adaptations remains to be explored. Clinical Trials NCT02120846.