Assessing Associative Distance among Ideas Elicited by Tests of Divergent Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Acar, Selcuk; Runco, Mark A.

2014-01-01

Tests of divergent thinking represent the most commonly used assessment of creative potential. Typically they are scored for total ideational output (fluency), ideational originality, and, sometimes, ideational flexibility. That scoring system provides little information about the underlying process and about the associations among ideas. It also…

76 FR 42590 - Retrospective Review Under E.O. 13563; Improving Common Acreage Reporting Processes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-19

... solutions to preserve and strengthen the economic stability of America's agricultural producers. RMA..., commodity, credit, conservation, disaster, and emergency assistance programs that help improve the stability... management system. To implement ACRSI in an economical manner, we plan to the extent possible to utilize CIMS...

The Vision of Geography Underlying the Australian Geography Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maude, Alaric

2013-01-01

A common geography curriculum for Australian schools was approved in May 2013. This paper describes the conceptual and philosophical foundations of the curriculum through a discussion of its definition of geography, selection of concepts, integration of skills into the process of inquiry, and specification of learning about countries and…

29 CFR 780.710 - A country elevator may sell products and services to farmers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... EXEMPTIONS APPLICABLE TO AGRICULTURE, PROCESSING OF AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES, AND RELATED SUBJECTS UNDER THE... feeders and other farmers, sell fuels for farm use, sell and treat seeds, and sell other farm supplies... seeds, supplying bottled gas, and gasoline station services. As conducted by establishments commonly...

29 CFR 780.710 - A country elevator may sell products and services to farmers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... EXEMPTIONS APPLICABLE TO AGRICULTURE, PROCESSING OF AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES, AND RELATED SUBJECTS UNDER THE... feeders and other farmers, sell fuels for farm use, sell and treat seeds, and sell other farm supplies... seeds, supplying bottled gas, and gasoline station services. As conducted by establishments commonly...

29 CFR 780.710 - A country elevator may sell products and services to farmers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... EXEMPTIONS APPLICABLE TO AGRICULTURE, PROCESSING OF AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES, AND RELATED SUBJECTS UNDER THE... feeders and other farmers, sell fuels for farm use, sell and treat seeds, and sell other farm supplies... seeds, supplying bottled gas, and gasoline station services. As conducted by establishments commonly...

29 CFR 780.710 - A country elevator may sell products and services to farmers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... EXEMPTIONS APPLICABLE TO AGRICULTURE, PROCESSING OF AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES, AND RELATED SUBJECTS UNDER THE... feeders and other farmers, sell fuels for farm use, sell and treat seeds, and sell other farm supplies... seeds, supplying bottled gas, and gasoline station services. As conducted by establishments commonly...

29 CFR 780.710 - A country elevator may sell products and services to farmers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... EXEMPTIONS APPLICABLE TO AGRICULTURE, PROCESSING OF AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES, AND RELATED SUBJECTS UNDER THE... feeders and other farmers, sell fuels for farm use, sell and treat seeds, and sell other farm supplies... seeds, supplying bottled gas, and gasoline station services. As conducted by establishments commonly...

Methods for Documenting Systematic Review Searches: A Discussion of Common Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rader, Tamara; Mann, Mala; Stansfield, Claire; Cooper, Chris; Sampson, Margaret

2014-01-01

Introduction: As standardized reporting requirements for systematic reviews are being adopted more widely, review authors are under greater pressure to accurately record their search process. With careful planning, documentation to fulfill the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses requirements can become a valuable…

The Language, Working Memory, and Other Cognitive Demands of Verbal Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Archibald, Lisa M. D.

2013-01-01

Purpose: To gain a better understanding of the cognitive processes supporting verbal abilities, the underlying structure and interrelationships between common verbal measures were investigated. Methods: An epidemiological sample (n = 374) of school-aged children completed standardized tests of language, intelligence, and short-term and working…

75 FR 65032 - Notice of Lodging of Consent Decree

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-21

... absorber vent as a Group 2 process vent under the Hazardous Organic NESHAP regulations. For three years, Westlake will also implement an enhanced Leak Detection and Repair program to control emissions of...'s common control, and Westlake will not contest administratively or judicially a finding by the...

Using Online Measures to Determine How Learners Process Instructional Explanations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanchez, Emilio; Garcia-Rodicio, Hector

2013-01-01

The goal of the present study was to examine the mechanisms underlying a strategy that we developed to make instructional explanations effective. In two experiments participants learned about plate tectonics from a multimedia material, including adjunct explanations that revised common misunderstandings. These explanations were either marked…

Multiple-Reason Decision Making Based on Automatic Processing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glockner, Andreas; Betsch, Tilmann

2008-01-01

It has been repeatedly shown that in decisions under time constraints, individuals predominantly use noncompensatory strategies rather than complex compensatory ones. The authors argue that these findings might be due not to limitations of cognitive capacity but instead to limitations of information search imposed by the commonly used experimental…

76 FR 22058 - Reducing Regulatory Burden; Retrospective Review Under Executive Order 13563

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-20

... program data that is common across agencies to be collected once and utilized or redistributed to agency... operating costs by sharing similar data across participating agencies. DATES: Comments and information are... simplify and standardize, to the extent practical, acreage reporting processes, program dates, and data...

Cognitive Task Demands and Discourse Performance after Traumatic Brain Injury

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byom, Lindsey; Turkstra, Lyn S.

2017-01-01

Background: Social communication problems are common in adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI), particularly problems in spoken discourse. Social communication problems are thought to reflect underlying cognitive impairments. Aims: To measure the contribution of two cognitive processes, executive functioning (EF) and theory of mind (ToM), to the…

Darwin's diagram of divergence of taxa as a causal model for the origin of species.

PubMed

Bouzat, Juan L

2014-03-01

On the basis that Darwin's theory of evolution encompasses two logically independent processes (common descent and natural selection), the only figure in On the Origin of Species (the Diagram of Divergence of Taxa) is often interpreted as illustrative of only one of these processes: the branching patterns representing common ancestry. Here, I argue that Darwin's Diagram of Divergence of Taxa represents a broad conceptual model of Darwin's theory, illustrating the causal efficacy of natural selection in producing well-defined varieties and ultimately species. The Tree Diagram encompasses the idea that natural selection explains common descent and the origin of organic diversity, thus representing a comprehensive model of Darwin's theory on the origin of species. I describe Darwin's Tree Diagram in relation to his argumentative strategy under the vera causa principle, and suggest that the testing of his theory based on the evidence from the geological record, the geographical distribution of organisms, and the mutual affinities of organic beings can be framed under the hypothetico-deductive method. Darwin's Diagram of Divergence of Taxa therefore represents a broad conceptual model that helps understanding the causal construction of Darwin's theory of evolution, the structure of his argumentative strategy, and the nature of his scientific methodology.

Disentangling the Role of Entanglement Density and Molecular Alignment in the Mechanical Response of Glassy Polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Connor, Thomas; Robbins, Mark

Glassy polymers are a ubiquitous part of modern life, but much about their mechanical properties remains poorly understood. Since chains in glassy states are hindered from exploring their conformational entropy, they can't be understood with common entropic network models. Additionally, glassy states are highly sensitive to material history and nonequilibrium distributions of chain alignment and entanglement can be produced during material processing. Understanding how these far-from equilibrium states impact mechanical properties is analytically challenging but essential to optimizing processing methods. We use molecular dynamics simulations to study the yield and strain hardening of glassy polymers as separate functions of the degree of molecular alignment and inter-chain entanglement. We vary chain alignment and entanglement with three different preparation protocols that mimic common processing conditions in and out of solution. We compare our results to common mechanical models of amorphous polymers and assess their applicability to different experimental processing conditions. This research was performed within the Center for Materials in Extreme Dynamic Environments (CMEDE) under the Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Financial support was provided by Grant W911NF-12-2-0022.

Interfering with memory for faces: The cost of doing two things at once.

PubMed

Wammes, Jeffrey D; Fernandes, Myra A

2016-01-01

We inferred the processes critical for episodic retrieval of faces by measuring susceptibility to memory interference from different distracting tasks. Experiment 1 examined recognition of studied faces under full attention (FA) or each of two divided attention (DA) conditions requiring concurrent decisions to auditorily presented letters. Memory was disrupted in both DA relative to FA conditions, a result contrary to a material-specific account of interference effects. Experiment 2 investigated whether the magnitude of interference depended on competition between concurrent tasks for common processing resources. Studied faces were presented either upright (configurally processed) or inverted (featurally processed). Recognition was completed under FA, or DA with one of two face-based distracting tasks requiring either featural or configural processing. We found an interaction: memory for upright faces was lower under DA when the distracting task required configural than featural processing, while the reverse was true for memory of inverted faces. Across experiments, the magnitude of memory interference was similar (a 19% or 20% decline from FA) regardless of whether the materials in the distracting task overlapped with the to-be-remembered information. Importantly, interference was significantly larger (42%) when the processing demands of the distracting and target retrieval task overlapped, suggesting a processing-specific account of memory interference.

A delta-rule model of numerical and non-numerical order processing.

PubMed

Verguts, Tom; Van Opstal, Filip

2014-06-01

Numerical and non-numerical order processing share empirical characteristics (distance effect and semantic congruity), but there are also important differences (in size effect and end effect). At the same time, models and theories of numerical and non-numerical order processing developed largely separately. Currently, we combine insights from 2 earlier models to integrate them in a common framework. We argue that the same learning principle underlies numerical and non-numerical orders, but that environmental features determine the empirical differences. Implications for current theories on order processing are pointed out. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Ecosystem services as a common language for coastal ecosystem-based management.

PubMed

Granek, Elise F; Polasky, Stephen; Kappel, Carrie V; Reed, Denise J; Stoms, David M; Koch, Evamaria W; Kennedy, Chris J; Cramer, Lori A; Hacker, Sally D; Barbier, Edward B; Aswani, Shankar; Ruckelshaus, Mary; Perillo, Gerardo M E; Silliman, Brian R; Muthiga, Nyawira; Bael, David; Wolanski, Eric

2010-02-01

Ecosystem-based management is logistically and politically challenging because ecosystems are inherently complex and management decisions affect a multitude of groups. Coastal ecosystems, which lie at the interface between marine and terrestrial ecosystems and provide an array of ecosystem services to different groups, aptly illustrate these challenges. Successful ecosystem-based management of coastal ecosystems requires incorporating scientific information and the knowledge and views of interested parties into the decision-making process. Estimating the provision of ecosystem services under alternative management schemes offers a systematic way to incorporate biogeophysical and socioeconomic information and the views of individuals and groups in the policy and management process. Employing ecosystem services as a common language to improve the process of ecosystem-based management presents both benefits and difficulties. Benefits include a transparent method for assessing trade-offs associated with management alternatives, a common set of facts and common currency on which to base negotiations, and improved communication among groups with competing interests or differing worldviews. Yet challenges to this approach remain, including predicting how human interventions will affect ecosystems, how such changes will affect the provision of ecosystem services, and how changes in service provision will affect the welfare of different groups in society. In a case study from Puget Sound, Washington, we illustrate the potential of applying ecosystem services as a common language for ecosystem-based management.

Accelerator controls at CERN: Some converging trends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuiper, B.

1990-08-01

CERN's growing services to the high-energy physics community using frozen resources has led to the implementation of "Technical Boards", mandated to assist the management by making recommendations for rationalizations in various technological domains. The Board on Process Control and Electronics for Accelerators, TEBOCO, has emphasized four main lines which might yield economy in resources. First, a common architecture for accelerator controls has been agreed between the three accelerator divisions. Second, a common hardware/software kit has been defined, from which the large majority of future process interfacing may be composed. A support service for this kit is an essential part of the plan. Third, high-level protocols have been developed for standardizing access to process devices. They derive from agreed standard models of the devices and involve a standard control message. This should ease application development and mobility of equipment. Fourth, a common software engineering methodology and a commercial package of application development tools have been adopted. Some rationalization in the field of the man-machine interface and in matters of synchronization is also under way.

A psychometric investigation of gender differences and common processes across Borderline and Antisocial Personality Disorders

PubMed Central

Chun, Seokjoon; Harris, Alexa; Carrion, Margely; Rojas, Elizabeth; Stark, Stephen; Lejuez, Carl; Lechner, William V.; Bornovalova, Marina A.

2016-01-01

The comorbidity between Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) is well-established, and the two disorders share many similarities. However, there are also differences across disorders: most notably, BPD is diagnosed more frequently in females and ASPD in males. We investigated if a) comorbidity between BPD and ASPD is attributable to two discrete disorders or the expression of common underlying processes, and b) if the model of comorbidity is true across sex. Using a clinical sample of 1400 drug users in residential substance abuse treatment, we tested three competing models to explore whether the comorbidity of ASPD and BPD should be represented by a single common factor, two correlated factors, or a bifactor structure involving a general and disorder-specific factors. Next, we tested whether our resulting model was meaningful by examining its relationship with criterion variables previously reported to be associated with BPD and ASPD. The bifactor model provided the best fit and was invariant across sex. Overall, the general factor of the bifactor model significantly accounted for a large percentage of the variance in criterion variables, whereas the BPD and AAB specific factors added little to the models. The association of the general and specific factor with all criterion variables was equal for males and females. Our results suggest common underlying vulnerability accounts for both the comorbidity between BPD and AAB (across sex), and this common vulnerability drives the association with other psychopathology and maladaptive behavior. This in turn has implications for diagnostic classification systems and treatment. General scientific summary This study found that, for both males and females, borderline and antisocial personality disorders show a large degree of overlap, and little uniqueness. The commonality between BPD and ASPD mainly accounted for associations with criterion variables. This suggests that BPD and ASPD show a large common core that accounts for their comorbidity. PMID:27808543

On prediction and discovery of lunar ores

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haskin, Larry A.; Colson, Russell O.; Vaniman, David

1991-01-01

Sampling of lunar material and remote geochemical, mineralogical, and photogeologic sensing of the lunar surface, while meager, provide first-cut information about lunar composition and geochemical separation processes. Knowledge of elemental abundances in known lunar materials indicates which common lunar materials might serve as ores if there is economic demand and if economical extraction processes can be developed, remote sensing can be used to extend the understanding of the Moon's major geochemical separations and to locate potential ore bodies. Observed geochemical processes might lead to ores of less abundant elements under extreme local conditions.

Welding parameter optimization of alloy material by friction stir welding using Taguchi approach and design of experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karwande, Amit H.; Rao, Seeram Srinivasa

2018-04-01

Friction stir welding (FSW) a welding process in which metals are joint by melting them at their solid state. In different engineering areas such as civil, mechanical, naval and aeronautical engineering beams are widely used of the magnesium alloys for different applications and that are joined by conventional inert gas welding process. Magnesium metal has less density and low melting point for that reason large heat generation in the common welding process so its necessity to adapt new welding process. FSW process increases the weld quality which observed under various mechanical testing by using different tool size.

Developmental Commonalities between Object and Face Recognition in Adolescence

PubMed Central

Jüttner, Martin; Wakui, Elley; Petters, Dean; Davidoff, Jules

2016-01-01

In the visual perception literature, the recognition of faces has often been contrasted with that of non-face objects, in terms of differences with regard to the role of parts, part relations and holistic processing. However, recent evidence from developmental studies has begun to blur this sharp distinction. We review evidence for a protracted development of object recognition that is reminiscent of the well-documented slow maturation observed for faces. The prolonged development manifests itself in a retarded processing of metric part relations as opposed to that of individual parts and offers surprising parallels to developmental accounts of face recognition, even though the interpretation of the data is less clear with regard to holistic processing. We conclude that such results might indicate functional commonalities between the mechanisms underlying the recognition of faces and non-face objects, which are modulated by different task requirements in the two stimulus domains. PMID:27014176

A Bayesian hierarchical diffusion model decomposition of performance in Approach–Avoidance Tasks

PubMed Central

Krypotos, Angelos-Miltiadis; Beckers, Tom; Kindt, Merel; Wagenmakers, Eric-Jan

2015-01-01

Common methods for analysing response time (RT) tasks, frequently used across different disciplines of psychology, suffer from a number of limitations such as the failure to directly measure the underlying latent processes of interest and the inability to take into account the uncertainty associated with each individual's point estimate of performance. Here, we discuss a Bayesian hierarchical diffusion model and apply it to RT data. This model allows researchers to decompose performance into meaningful psychological processes and to account optimally for individual differences and commonalities, even with relatively sparse data. We highlight the advantages of the Bayesian hierarchical diffusion model decomposition by applying it to performance on Approach–Avoidance Tasks, widely used in the emotion and psychopathology literature. Model fits for two experimental data-sets demonstrate that the model performs well. The Bayesian hierarchical diffusion model overcomes important limitations of current analysis procedures and provides deeper insight in latent psychological processes of interest. PMID:25491372

Dopamine dysregulation hypothesis: the common basis for motivational anhedonia in major depressive disorder and schizophrenia?

PubMed

Szczypiński, Jan Józef; Gola, Mateusz

2018-03-24

Abnormalities in reward processing are crucial symptoms of major depressive disorder (MDD) and schizophrenia (SCH). Recent neuroscientific findings regarding MDD have led to conclusions about two different symptoms related to reward processing: motivational and consummatory anhedonia, corresponding, respectively, to impaired motivation to obtain rewards ('wanting'), and diminished satisfaction from consuming them ('liking'). One can ask: which of these is common for MDD and SCH. In our review of the latest neuroscientific studies, we show that MDD and SCH do not share consummatory anhedonia, as SCH patients usually have unaltered liking. Therefore, we investigated whether motivational anhedonia is the common symptom across MDD and SCH. With regard to the similarities and differences between the neural mechanisms of MDD and SCH, here we expand the current knowledge of motivation deficits and present the common underlying mechanism of motivational anhedonia - the dopamine dysregulation hypothesis - stating that any prolonged dysregulation in tonic dopamine signaling that exceeds the given equilibrium can lead to striatal dysfunction and motivational anhedonia. The implications for further research and treatment of MDD and SCH are also discussed.

Generation and the role of dislocations in single-crystalline phase-change In 2 Se 3 nanowires under electrical pulses

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

Mafi, Elham; Tao, Xin; Zhu, Wenguang

2016-07-08

Using single crystalline In2Se3 nanowires as a platform, we have studied the RESET switching (from low to high electrical resistance) in this phase-change material under electric pulses. Particularly, we correlated the atomic-scale structural evolutions with local electrical resistance variations, by performing transmission electron microscopy and scanning Kelvin probe microscopy on the same nanowires. By coupling the experimental results with density functional theory calculations, we show that the immobile dislocations generated via vacancy condensations are responsible for the RESET switching and that the material maintains the single crystallinity during the process. This new mechanism is fundamentally different from the crystalline-amorphous transition,more » which is commonly understood as the underlying process for the RESET switching in similar phase-change materials.« less

Solving the multiple-set split equality common fixed-point problem of firmly quasi-nonexpansive operators.

PubMed

Zhao, Jing; Zong, Haili

2018-01-01

In this paper, we propose parallel and cyclic iterative algorithms for solving the multiple-set split equality common fixed-point problem of firmly quasi-nonexpansive operators. We also combine the process of cyclic and parallel iterative methods and propose two mixed iterative algorithms. Our several algorithms do not need any prior information about the operator norms. Under mild assumptions, we prove weak convergence of the proposed iterative sequences in Hilbert spaces. As applications, we obtain several iterative algorithms to solve the multiple-set split equality problem.

Construct Maps as a Foundation for Standard Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wyse, Adam E.

2013-01-01

Construct maps are tools that display how the underlying achievement construct upon which one is trying to set cut-scores is related to other information used in the process of standard setting. This article reviews what construct maps are, uses construct maps to provide a conceptual framework to view commonly used standard-setting procedures (the…

Reasoning about Evolutionary History: Post-Secondary Students' Knowledge of Most Recent Common Ancestry and Homoplasy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morabito, Nancy P.; Catley, Kefyn M.; Novick, Laura R.

2010-01-01

Evolution curricula are replete with information about Darwin's theory of evolution as well as microevolutionary mechanisms underlying this process of change. However, other fundamental facets of evolutionary theory, particularly those related to macroevolution are often missing. One crucial idea typically overlooked is that of most recent common…

A Complexity Perspective on Innovation Processes for Subsea Technology Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aasen, Tone Merethe Berg

2009-01-01

In today's business thinking, innovation is commonly equated with progress, indicating an underlying assumption that company management have the power to choose a specific future and control the way into it. Drawing on examples from a longitudinal research initiative in the Norwegian petroleum company StatoilHydro, this article raises some of the…

How Does Sexual Minority Stigma "Get under the Skin"? A Psychological Mediation Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hatzenbuehler, Mark L.

2009-01-01

Sexual minorities are at increased risk for multiple mental health burdens compared with heterosexuals. The field has identified 2 distinct determinants of this risk, including group-specific minority stressors and general psychological processes that are common across sexual orientations. The goal of the present article is to develop a…

Comprehension of Metaphor and Metonymy in Children with Williams Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Annaz, Dagmara; Van Herwegen, Jo; Thomas, Michael; Fishman, Roza; Karmiloff-Smith, Annette; Rundblad, Gabriella

2009-01-01

Background: Figurative language, such as metaphor and metonymy, is very common in daily language use. Its underlying cognitive processes are sometimes viewed as lying at the interface of language and thought. Williams syndrome, which is a rare genetic developmental disorder, provides an opportunity to study this interface because individuals with…

Impact of nonnative feral pig removal on soil structure and nutrient availability in Hawaiian tropical montane wet forests

Treesearch

Michael S. Long; Creighton M. Litton; Christian P. Giardina; Jonathan Deenik; Rebecca J. Cole; Jed P. Sparks

2017-01-01

Conservation and restoration of ecosystems impacted by nonnative ungulates increasingly involves their removal and exclusion. While the influence of nonnative ungulate removal on plant communities is commonly monitored, impacts on underlying ecological processes are seldom quantified. Here we examined how nonnative feral pig (

Redox Flow Batteries, a Review

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

Knoxville, U. Tennessee; U. Texas Austin; U, McGill

2011-07-15

Redox flow batteries are enjoying a renaissance due to their ability to store large amounts of electrical energy relatively cheaply and efficiently. In this review, we examine the components of redox flow batteries with a focus on understanding the underlying physical processes. The various transport and kinetic phenomena are discussed along with the most common redox couples.

Qualitative Teacher Research and the Complexity of Classroom Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klehr, Mary

2012-01-01

This article discusses how the underlying assumptions and practices of teacher research position it as a distinct form of educational inquiry, and identifies qualitative methodology as a central influence on the work. A discussion of some of the common conceptualizations and processes of PK-12 teacher research, the complex yet continually changing…

A Genome-Wide Association Study of Amygdala Activation in Youths with and without Bipolar Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Xinmin; Akula, Nirmala; Skup, Martha; Brotman, Melissa A.; Leibenluft, Ellen; McMahon, Francis J.

2010-01-01

Objective: Functional magnetic resonance imaging is commonly used to characterize brain activity underlying a variety of psychiatric disorders. A previous functional magnetic resonance imaging study found that amygdala activation during a face-processing task differed between pediatric patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and healthy controls. We…

Transboundary EIA: Iberian experiences

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

Albergaria, Rita; Fidelis, Teresa

2006-10-15

The 1314 km border shared by Portugal and Spain is simultaneously a conflict generator, due to joint access to common resources such as water, and a motive for transboundary cooperation in terms of development projects based on common concerns. Transboundary cooperation associated with Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) has been encouraged through the enactment of the Espoo Convention (1997). The European Union has adopted a Directive (97/11/CE Directive) under which taking transboundary impacts into consideration during EIA processes has become mandatory for member states. As a consequence, Portugal and Spain have approved related provisions. This paper aims to critically analyse themore » legal and procedural features of bilateral cooperation through the comparison of two case studies related to water management projects (the Sela and Alqueva dams). The paper highlights procedural weaknesses and puts forward a 'Good Practice Model' for cooperation under transboundary EIA processes. The model focuses on the ways in which EIA-based bilateral cooperation should proceed through the specification of phases and procedures for collaboration between Portugal and Spain in the identification and evaluation of transboundary impacts, as well in the public participation procedures.« less

An information processing/associative learning account of behavioral disinhibition in externalizing psychopathology.

PubMed

Endres, Michael J; Donkin, Chris; Finn, Peter R

2014-04-01

Externalizing psychopathology (EXT) is associated with low executive working memory (EWM) capacity and problems with inhibitory control and decision-making; however, the specific cognitive processes underlying these problems are not well known. This study used a linear ballistic accumulator computational model of go/no-go associative-incentive learning conducted with and without a working memory (WM) load to investigate these cognitive processes in 510 young adults varying in EXT (lifetime problems with substance use, conduct disorder, ADHD, adult antisocial behavior). High scores on an EXT factor were associated with low EWM capacity and higher scores on a latent variable reflecting the cognitive processes underlying disinhibited decision-making (more false alarms, faster evidence accumulation rates for false alarms [vFA], and lower scores on a Response Precision Index [RPI] measure of information processing efficiency). The WM load increased disinhibited decision-making, decisional uncertainty, and response caution for all subjects. Higher EWM capacity was associated with lower scores on the latent disinhibited decision-making variable (lower false alarms, lower vFAs and RPI scores) in both WM load conditions. EWM capacity partially mediated the association between EXT and disinhibited decision-making under no-WM load, and completely mediated this association under WM load. The results underline the role that EWM has in associative-incentive go/no-go learning and indicate that common to numerous types of EXT are impairments in the cognitive processes associated with the evidence accumulation-evaluation-decision process. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

An information processing/associative learning account of behavioral disinhibition in externalizing psychopathology

PubMed Central

Endres, Michael J.; Donkin, Chris; Finn, Peter R.

2014-01-01

Externalizing psychopathology (EXT) is associated with low executive working memory (EWM) capacity and problems with inhibitory control and decision-making; however, the specific cognitive processes underlying these problems are not well known. This study used a linear ballistic accumulator computational model of go/no-go associative-incentive learning conducted with and without a working memory (WM) load to investigate these cognitive processes in 510 young adults varying in EXT (lifetime problems with substance use, conduct disorder, ADHD, adult antisocial behavior). High scores on an EXT factor were associated with low EWM capacity and higher scores on a latent variable reflecting the cognitive processes underlying disinhibited decision making (more false alarms, faster evidence accumulation rates for false alarms (vFA), and lower scores on a Response Precision Index (RPI) measure of information processing efficiency). The WM load increased disinhibited decision making, decisional uncertainty, and response caution for all subjects. Higher EWM capacity was associated with lower scores on the latent disinhibited decision making variable (lower false alarms, lower vFAs and RPI scores) in both WM load conditions. EWM capacity partially mediated the association between EXT and disinhibited decision making under no-WM load, and completely mediated this association under WM load. The results underline the role that EWM has in associative – incentive go/no-go learning and indicate that common to numerous types of EXT are impairments in the cognitive processes associated with the evidence accumulation – evaluation – decision process. PMID:24611834

Carbene-catalysed reductive coupling of nitrobenzyl bromides and activated ketones or imines via single-electron-transfer process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Bao-Sheng; Wang, Yuhuang; Proctor, Rupert S. J.; Zhang, Yuexia; Webster, Richard D.; Yang, Song; Song, Baoan; Chi, Yonggui Robin

2016-09-01

Benzyl bromides and related molecules are among the most common substrates in organic synthesis. They are typically used as electrophiles in nucleophilic substitution reactions. These molecules can also be activated via single-electron-transfer (SET) process for radical reactions. Representative recent progress includes α-carbon benzylation of ketones and aldehydes via photoredox catalysis. Here we disclose the generation of (nitro)benzyl radicals via N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalysis under reductive conditions. The radical intermediates generated via NHC catalysis undergo formal 1,2-addition with ketones to eventually afford tertiary alcohol products. The overall process constitutes a formal polarity-inversion of benzyl bromide, allowing a direct coupling of two initially electrophilic carbons. Our study provides a new carbene-catalysed reaction mode that should enable unconventional transformation of (nitro)benzyl bromides under mild organocatalytic conditions.

Effects of wastewater disinfection on waterborne bacteria and viruses

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blatchley, E. R.; Gong, W.-L.; Alleman, J.E.; Rose, J.B.; Huffman, D.E.; Otaki, M.; Lisle, J.T.

2007-01-01

Wastewater disinfection is practiced with the goal of reducing risks of human exposure to pathogenic microorganisms. In most circumstances, the efficacy of a wastewater disinfection process is regulated and monitored based on measurements of the responses of indicator bacteria. However, inactivation of indicator bacteria does not guarantee an acceptable degree of inactivation among other waterborne microorganisms (e.g., microbial pathogens). Undisinfected effluent samples from several municipal wastewater treatment facilities were collected for analysis. Facilities were selected to provide a broad spectrum of effluent quality, particularly as related to nitrogenous compounds. Samples were subjected to bench-scale chlorination and dechlorination and UV irradiation under conditions that allowed compliance with relevant discharge regulations and such that disinfectant exposures could be accurately quantified. Disinfected samples were subjected to a battery of assays to assess the immediate and long-term effects of wastewater disinfection on waterborne bacteria and viruses. In general, (viable) bacterial populations showed an immediate decline as a result of disinfectant exposure; however, incubation of disinfected samples under conditions that were designed to mimic the conditions in a receiving stream resulted in substantial recovery of the total bacterial community. The bacterial groups that are commonly used as indicators do not provide an accurate representation of the response of the bacterial community to disinfectant exposure and subsequent recovery in the environment. UV irradiation and chlorination/dechlorination both accomplished measurable inactivation of indigenous phage; however, the extent of inactivation was fairly modest under the conditions of disinfection used in this study. UV irradiation was consistently more effective as a virucide than chlorination/dechlorination under the conditions of application, based on measurements of virus (phage) diversity and concentration. Taken together, and when considered in conjunction with previously published research, the results of these experiments illustrate several important limitations of common disinfection processes as applied in the treatment of municipal wastewaters. In general, it is not clear that conventional disinfection processes, as commonly implemented, are effective for control of the risks of disease transmission, particularly those associated with viral pathogens. Microbial quality in receiving streams may not be substantially improved by the application of these disinfection processes; under some circumstances, an argument can be made that disinfection may actually yield a decrease in effluent and receiving water quality. Decisions regarding the need for effluent disinfection must account for site-specific characteristics, but it is not clear that disinfection of municipal wastewater effluents is necessary or beneficial for all facilities. When direct human contact or ingestion of municipal wastewater effluents is likely, disinfection may be necessary. Under these circumstances, UV irradiation appears to be superior to chlorination in terms of microbial quality and chemistry and toxicology. This advantage is particularly evident in effluents that contain appreciable quantities of ammonia-nitrogen or organic nitrogen.

Coherent instability in wall-bounded turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hack, M. J. Philipp

2017-11-01

Hairpin vortices are commonly considered one of the major classes of coherent fluid motions in shear layers, even as their significance in the grand scheme of turbulence has remained an openly debated question. The statistical prevalence of the dynamic process that gives rise to the hairpins across different types of flows suggests an origin in a robust common mechanism triggered by conditions widespread in wall-bounded shear layers. This study seeks to shed light on the physical process which drives the generation of hairpin vortices. It is primarily facilitated through an algorithm based on concepts developed in the field of computer vision which allows the topological identification and analysis of coherent flow processes across multiple scales. Application to direct numerical simulations of boundary layers enables the time-resolved sampling and exploration of the hairpin process in natural flow. The analysis yields rich statistical results which lead to a refined characterization of the hairpin process. Linear stability theory offers further insight into the flow physics and especially into the connection between the hairpin and exponential amplification mechanisms. The results also provide a sharpened understanding of the underlying causality of events.

Technique for Determination of Rational Boundaries in Combining Construction and Installation Processes Based on Quantitative Estimation of Technological Connections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gusev, E. V.; Mukhametzyanov, Z. R.; Razyapov, R. V.

2017-11-01

The problems of the existing methods for the determination of combining and technologically interlinked construction processes and activities are considered under the modern construction conditions of various facilities. The necessity to identify common parameters that characterize the interaction nature of all the technology-related construction and installation processes and activities is shown. The research of the technologies of construction and installation processes for buildings and structures with the goal of determining a common parameter for evaluating the relationship between technologically interconnected processes and construction works are conducted. The result of this research was to identify the quantitative evaluation of interaction construction and installation processes and activities in a minimum technologically necessary volume of the previous process allowing one to plan and organize the execution of a subsequent technologically interconnected process. The quantitative evaluation is used as the basis for the calculation of the optimum range of the combination of processes and activities. The calculation method is based on the use of the graph theory. The authors applied a generic characterization parameter to reveal the technological links between construction and installation processes, and the proposed technique has adaptive properties which are key for wide use in organizational decisions forming. The article provides a written practical significance of the developed technique.

Inducible variation in anaerobic energy metabolism reflects hypoxia tolerance across the intertidal and subtidal distribution of the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas).

PubMed

Meng, Jie; Wang, Ting; Li, Li; Zhang, Guofan

2018-07-01

Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) distribute a steep gradient of environmental stress between intertidal and subtidal habits and provide insight into population-scale patterns and underlying processes of variation in physiological tolerance. In this study, 1-year-old-F 1 oysters, collected from subtidal and intertidal habitats, were obtained after common garden experiment. Genetic differentiation and physiological responses under air exposure were examined to determine whether they had evolved into local adapted subpopulations. Mortality rate, anaerobic glycolysis metabolism, and energy status indicated that oyster had initiated metabolism depression and anaerobic glycolysis metabolism in both intertidal and subtidal oysters under air exposure. However, the subtidal oysters displayed the larger energy metabolism depressions and the earlier anaerobic glycolysis responses. This may indicate that subtidal oysters were more sensitives to hypoxia stress, which may lead the higher mortality rate under long term of air exposure. Based on a common garden experimental design, we propose that this diversification may have a genetic background. Overall, the clear differences between intertidal and subtidal oysters under air exposure have provided an important reference for their aquaculture and transportation used in commercial production. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Sign changes as a universal concept in first-passage-time calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braun, Wilhelm; Thul, Rüdiger

2017-01-01

First-passage-time problems are ubiquitous across many fields of study, including transport processes in semiconductors and biological synapses, evolutionary game theory and percolation. Despite their prominence, first-passage-time calculations have proven to be particularly challenging. Analytical results to date have often been obtained under strong conditions, leaving most of the exploration of first-passage-time problems to direct numerical computations. Here we present an analytical approach that allows the derivation of first-passage-time distributions for the wide class of nondifferentiable Gaussian processes. We demonstrate that the concept of sign changes naturally generalizes the common practice of counting crossings to determine first-passage events. Our method works across a wide range of time-dependent boundaries and noise strengths, thus alleviating common hurdles in first-passage-time calculations.

Managing Data From Signal-Propagation Experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kantak, A. V.

1989-01-01

Computer programs generate characteristic plots from amplitudes and phases. Software system enables minicomputer to process data on amplitudes and phases of signals received during experiments in ground-mobile/satellite radio propagation. Takes advantage of file-handling capabilities of UNIX operating system and C programming language. Interacts with user, under whose guidance programs in FORTRAN language generate plots of spectra or other curves of types commonly used to characterize signals. FORTRAN programs used to process file-handling outputs into any of several useful forms.

Digital ultrasonic signal processing: Primary ultrasonics task and transducer characterization use and detailed description

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hammond, P. L.

1979-01-01

This manual describes the use of the primary ultrasonics task (PUT) and the transducer characterization system (XC) for the collection, processing, and recording of data received from a pulse-echo ultrasonic system. Both PUT and XC include five primary functions common to many real-time data acquisition systems. Some of these functions are implemented using the same code in both systems. The solicitation and acceptance of operator control input is emphasized. Those operations not under user control are explained.

Clinical assessment of organizational strategy: An examination of healthy adults.

PubMed

Banerjee, Pia; White, Desirée A

2015-06-01

During the assessment of patients with cognitive difficulties, clinicians often examine strategic processing, particularly the ability to use organization-based strategies to efficiently complete various tasks. Several commonly used neuropsychological tasks are currently thought to provide measures of organizational strategic processing, but empirical evidence for the construct validity of these strategic measures is needed before interpreting them as measuring the same underlying ability. This is particularly important for the assessment of organizational strategic processing because the measures span cognitive domains (e.g., memory strategy, language strategy) as well as types of organization. In the present study, 200 adults were administered cognitive tasks commonly used in clinical practice to assess organizational strategic processing. Factor analysis was used to examine whether these measures of organizational strategic processing, which involved different cognitive domains and types of organization, could be operationalized as measuring a unitary construct. A very good-fitting model of the data demonstrated no significant shared variance among any of the strategic variables from different tasks (root mean square error of approximation < .0001, standardized root-mean-square residual = .045, comparative fit index = 1.000). These findings suggest that organizational strategic processing is highly specific to the demands and goals of individual tasks even when tasks share commonalities such as involving the same cognitive domain. In the design of neuropsychological batteries involving the assessment of organizational strategic processing, it is recommended that various strategic measures across cognitive domains and types of organizational processing are selected as guided by each patient's individual cognitive difficulties. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Geospatial Data Stream Processing in Python Using FOSS4G Components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McFerren, G.; van Zyl, T.

2016-06-01

One viewpoint of current and future IT systems holds that there is an increase in the scale and velocity at which data are acquired and analysed from heterogeneous, dynamic sources. In the earth observation and geoinformatics domains, this process is driven by the increase in number and types of devices that report location and the proliferation of assorted sensors, from satellite constellations to oceanic buoy arrays. Much of these data will be encountered as self-contained messages on data streams - continuous, infinite flows of data. Spatial analytics over data streams concerns the search for spatial and spatio-temporal relationships within and amongst data "on the move". In spatial databases, queries can assess a store of data to unpack spatial relationships; this is not the case on streams, where spatial relationships need to be established with the incomplete data available. Methods for spatially-based indexing, filtering, joining and transforming of streaming data need to be established and implemented in software components. This article describes the usage patterns and performance metrics of a number of well known FOSS4G Python software libraries within the data stream processing paradigm. In particular, we consider the RTree library for spatial indexing, the Shapely library for geometric processing and transformation and the PyProj library for projection and geodesic calculations over streams of geospatial data. We introduce a message oriented Python-based geospatial data streaming framework called Swordfish, which provides data stream processing primitives, functions, transports and a common data model for describing messages, based on the Open Geospatial Consortium Observations and Measurements (O&M) and Unidata Common Data Model (CDM) standards. We illustrate how the geospatial software components are integrated with the Swordfish framework. Furthermore, we describe the tight temporal constraints under which geospatial functionality can be invoked when processing high velocity, potentially infinite geospatial data streams. The article discusses the performance of these libraries under simulated streaming loads (size, complexity and volume of messages) and how they can be deployed and utilised with Swordfish under real load scenarios, illustrated by a set of Vessel Automatic Identification System (AIS) use cases. We conclude that the described software libraries are able to perform adequately under geospatial data stream processing scenarios - many real application use cases will be handled sufficiently by the software.

The Effects of Popping Popcorn Under Reduced Pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quinn, Paul; Cooper, Amanda

2008-03-01

In our experiments, we model the popping of popcorn as an adiabatic process and develop a process for improving the efficiency of popcorn production. By lowering the pressure of the popcorn during the popping process, we induce an increase in popcorn size, while decreasing the number of remaining unpopped kernels. In this project we run numerous experiments using three of the most common popping devices, a movie popcorn maker, a stove pot, and a microwave. We specifically examine the effects of varying the pressure on total sample size, flake size and waste. An empirical relationship is found between these variables and the pressure.

On optima: the case of myoglobin-facilitated oxygen diffusion.

PubMed

Wittenberg, Jonathan B

2007-08-15

The process of myoglobin/leghemoglobin-facilitated oxygen diffusion is adapted to function in different environments in diverse organisms. We enquire how the functional parameters of the process are optimized in particular organisms. The ligand-binding properties of the proteins, myoglobin and plant symbiotic hemoglobins, we discover, suggest that they have been adapted under genetic selection pressure for optimal performance. Since carrier-mediated oxygen transport has probably evolved independantly many times, adaptation of diverse proteins for a common functionality exemplifies the process of convergent evolution. The progenitor proteins may be built on the myoglobin scaffold or may be very different.

29 CFR 4001.3 - Trades or businesses under common control; controlled groups.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... CORPORATION GENERAL TERMINOLOGY § 4001.3 Trades or businesses under common control; controlled groups. For... control with such person. (2) Persons are under common control if they are members of a “controlled group... 29 Labor 9 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Trades or businesses under common control; controlled...

29 CFR 4001.3 - Trades or businesses under common control; controlled groups.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... CORPORATION GENERAL TERMINOLOGY § 4001.3 Trades or businesses under common control; controlled groups. For... control with such person. (2) Persons are under common control if they are members of a “controlled group... 29 Labor 9 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Trades or businesses under common control; controlled...

29 CFR 4001.3 - Trades or businesses under common control; controlled groups.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... CORPORATION GENERAL TERMINOLOGY § 4001.3 Trades or businesses under common control; controlled groups. For... control with such person. (2) Persons are under common control if they are members of a “controlled group... 29 Labor 9 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Trades or businesses under common control; controlled...

29 CFR 4001.3 - Trades or businesses under common control; controlled groups.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... CORPORATION GENERAL TERMINOLOGY § 4001.3 Trades or businesses under common control; controlled groups. For... control with such person. (2) Persons are under common control if they are members of a “controlled group... 29 Labor 9 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Trades or businesses under common control; controlled...

29 CFR 4001.3 - Trades or businesses under common control; controlled groups.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... CORPORATION GENERAL TERMINOLOGY § 4001.3 Trades or businesses under common control; controlled groups. For... control with such person. (2) Persons are under common control if they are members of a “controlled group... 29 Labor 9 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Trades or businesses under common control; controlled...

Intelligent Process Abnormal Patterns Recognition and Diagnosis Based on Fuzzy Logic.

PubMed

Hou, Shi-Wang; Feng, Shunxiao; Wang, Hui

2016-01-01

Locating the assignable causes by use of the abnormal patterns of control chart is a widely used technology for manufacturing quality control. If there are uncertainties about the occurrence degree of abnormal patterns, the diagnosis process is impossible to be carried out. Considering four common abnormal control chart patterns, this paper proposed a characteristic numbers based recognition method point by point to quantify the occurrence degree of abnormal patterns under uncertain conditions and a fuzzy inference system based on fuzzy logic to calculate the contribution degree of assignable causes with fuzzy abnormal patterns. Application case results show that the proposed approach can give a ranked causes list under fuzzy control chart abnormal patterns and support the abnormity eliminating.

Resolvent-Techniques for Multiple Exercise Problems

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

Christensen, Sören, E-mail: christensen@math.uni-kiel.de; Lempa, Jukka, E-mail: jukka.lempa@hioa.no

2015-02-15

We study optimal multiple stopping of strong Markov processes with random refraction periods. The refraction periods are assumed to be exponentially distributed with a common rate and independent of the underlying dynamics. Our main tool is using the resolvent operator. In the first part, we reduce infinite stopping problems to ordinary ones in a general strong Markov setting. This leads to explicit solutions for wide classes of such problems. Starting from this result, we analyze problems with finitely many exercise rights and explain solution methods for some classes of problems with underlying Lévy and diffusion processes, where the optimal characteristicsmore » of the problems can be identified more explicitly. We illustrate the main results with explicit examples.« less

Clustering Analysis of Common Tasks Undertaken by Engineering Technicians in Informatics and Manufacturing in Seven European Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Papadourakis, George M.; Natsika, Christina; Magnan, Myrna; Barsics, Joseph

2008-01-01

VALEURTECH is a pilot project under the European Commission's Leonardo II programme. It includes 35 partners from higher education institutions and professional organizations in eight European countries and has the major objectives: of (a) setting up a homogeneous "labelling" process, such as a diploma supplement, based on a common…

Applying Rasch Model and Generalizability Theory to Study Modified-Angoff Cut Scores

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arce, Alvaro J.; Wang, Ze

2012-01-01

The traditional approach to scale modified-Angoff cut scores transfers the raw cuts to an existing raw-to-scale score conversion table. Under the traditional approach, cut scores and conversion table raw scores are not only seen as interchangeable but also as originating from a common scaling process. In this article, we propose an alternative…

Developmental Differences in Young Children's Sex-Typing: Automatic versus Reflective Processing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perry, Louise C.; Sung, Hung-yen A.

To investigate social cognitive factors in early sex-role development, this study examined young children's gender-related judgments of toy appropriateness under speeded and delayed response conditions. Subjects were 55 boys and 59 girls, aged 3, 5, and 7. Ninety-two photographs of common toys were independently rated as mainly for girls, mainly…

Orientation and Affective Expression Effects on Face Recognition in Williams Syndrome and Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rose, Fredric E.; Lincoln, Alan J.; Lai, Zona; Ene, Michaela; Searcy, Yvonne M.; Bellugi, Ursula

2007-01-01

We sought to clarify the nature of the face processing strength commonly observed in individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) by comparing the face recognition ability of persons with WS to that of persons with autism and to healthy controls under three conditions: Upright faces with neutral expressions, upright faces with varying affective…

Imaginary Companions and Young Children's Responses to Ambiguous Auditory Stimuli: Implications for Typical and Atypical Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fernyhough, Charles; Bland, Kirsten; Meins, Elizabeth; Coltheart, Max

2007-01-01

Background: Previous research has reported a link between imaginary companions (ICs) in middle childhood and the perception of verbal material in ambiguous auditory stimuli. These findings have been interpreted in terms of commonalities in the cognitive processes underlying children's engagement with ICs and adults' reporting of imaginary verbal…

Motivations and Decision-Making Processes of Mainland Chinese Students for Undertaking Master's Programs Abroad

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Qi

2014-01-01

Mobility of mainland Chinese students across national borders has become common worldwide; however, the underlying reasons that motivate these students to pursue postgraduation abroad and why these factors are influential are not sufficiently studied. By analyzing the results of a case study performed at three British universities, we examine the…

Industrial Design: A Phoenix Reborn from the Ashes of Technology Education--A Case History

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenwald, Martin; Feigler, Denis

2009-01-01

Like the "phoenix," technology education (TE) can, under the right circumstances, give life to new programs--curricula with different emphases and directions from technology education, yet sharing a common heritage: the belief that applied technology will continue to shape the world. How that shaping process takes place--and the problems that it…

Games of Character: Team Sports, Games, and Character Development in Victorian Public Schools, 1850-1900

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dishon, Gideon

2017-01-01

This article examines the ascendance of team sports as tools of "character building" in British Victorian public schools in the second half of the nineteenth century. The focus of this enquiry is the commonly overlooked pedagogical innovation underlying this process--the utilisation of "organised games" as educational tools.…

Outcomes of Quality Assurance: A Discussion of Knowledge, Methodology and Validity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stensaker, Bjorn

2008-01-01

A common characteristic in many quality assurance schemes around the world is their implicit and often narrowly formulated understanding of how organisational change is to take place as a result of the process. By identifying some of the underlying assumptions related to organisational change in current quality assurance schemes, the aim of this…

Investigation of the abnormal Zn diffusion phenomenon in III-V compound semiconductors induced by the surface self-diffusion of matrix atoms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Liangliang; Xu, Chang; Liu, Zhuming

2017-01-01

Zn diffusion in III-V compound semiconductorsare commonly processed under group V-atoms rich conditions because the vapor pressure of group V-atoms is relatively high. In this paper, we found that group V-atoms in the diffusion sources would not change the shaped of Zn profiles, while the Zn diffusion would change dramatically undergroup III-atoms rich conditions. The Zn diffusions were investigated in typical III-V semiconductors: GaAs, GaSb and InAs. We found that under group V-atoms rich or pure Zn conditions, the double-hump Zn profiles would be formed in all materials except InAs. While under group III-atoms rich conditions, single-hump Zn profiles would be formed in all materials. Detailed diffusion models were established to explain the Zn diffusion process; the surface self-diffusion of matrix atoms is the origin of the abnormal Zn diffusion phenomenon.

Brain-Computer Interfaces: A Neuroscience Paradigm of Social Interaction? A Matter of Perspective

PubMed Central

Mattout, Jérémie

2012-01-01

A number of recent studies have put human subjects in true social interactions, with the aim of better identifying the psychophysiological processes underlying social cognition. Interestingly, this emerging Neuroscience of Social Interactions (NSI) field brings up challenges which resemble important ones in the field of Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI). Importantly, these challenges go beyond common objectives such as the eventual use of BCI and NSI protocols in the clinical domain or common interests pertaining to the use of online neurophysiological techniques and algorithms. Common fundamental challenges are now apparent and one can argue that a crucial one is to develop computational models of brain processes relevant to human interactions with an adaptive agent, whether human or artificial. Coupled with neuroimaging data, such models have proved promising in revealing the neural basis and mental processes behind social interactions. Similar models could help BCI to move from well-performing but offline static machines to reliable online adaptive agents. This emphasizes a social perspective to BCI, which is not limited to a computational challenge but extends to all questions that arise when studying the brain in interaction with its environment. PMID:22675291

Commonalities in the central nervous system's involvement with complementary medical therapies: limbic morphinergic processes.

PubMed

Esch, Tobias; Guarna, Massimo; Bianchi, Enrica; Zhu, Wei; Stefano, George B

2004-06-01

Currently, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are experiencing growing popularity, especially in former industrialized countries. However, most of the underlying physiological and molecular mechanisms as well as participating biological structures are still speculative. Specific and non-specific effects may play a role in CAM. Moreover, trust, belief, and expectation may be of importance, pointing towards common central nervous system (CNS) pathways involved in CAM. Four CAM approaches (acupuncture, meditation, music therapy, and massage therapy) were examined with regard to the CNS activity pattern involved. CNS commonalities between different approaches were investigated. Frontal/prefrontal and limbic brain structures play a role in CAM. Particularly, left-anterior regions of the brain and reward or motivation circuitry constituents are involved, indicating positive affect and emotion-related memory processing--accompanied by endocrinologic and autonomic functions--as crucial components of CAM effects. Thus, trust and belief in a therapist or positive therapy expectations seem to be important. However, besides common non-specific or subjective effects, specific (objective) physiological components also exist. Non-specific CNS commonalities are involved in various CAM therapies. Different therapeutic approaches physiologically overlap in the brain. However, molecular correspondents of the detected CNS analogies still have to be specified. In particular, fast acting autoregulatory signaling molecules presumably play a role. These may also be involved in the placebo response.

Aggregation in particle rich environments: a textural study of examples from volcanic eruptions, meteorite impacts, and fluidized bed processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mueller, Sebastian B.; Kueppers, Ulrich; Huber, Matthew S.; Hess, Kai-Uwe; Poesges, Gisela; Ruthensteiner, Bernhard; Dingwell, Donald B.

2018-04-01

Aggregation is a common process occurring in many diverse particulate gas mixtures (e.g. those derived from explosive volcanic eruptions, meteorite impact events, and fluid bed processing). It results from the collision and sticking of particles suspended in turbulent gas/air. To date, there is no generalized model of the underlying physical processes. Here, we investigate aggregates from 18 natural deposits (16 volcanic deposits and two meteorite impact deposits) as well as aggregates produced experimentally via fluidized bed techniques. All aggregates were analyzed for their size, internal structuring, and constituent particle size distribution. Commonalities and differences between the aggregate types are then used to infer salient features of the aggregation process. Average core to rim ratios of internally structured aggregates (accretionary lapilli) is found to be similar for artificial and volcanic aggregates but up to an order of magnitude different than impact-related aggregates. Rim structures of artificial and volcanic aggregates appear to be physically similar (single, sub-spherical, regularly-shaped rims) whereas impact-related aggregates more often show multiple or irregularly shaped rims. The particle size distributions (PSDs) of all three aggregate types are similar (< 200 μm). This proves that in all three environments, aggregation occurs under broadly similar conditions despite the significant differences in source conditions (particle volume fraction, particle size distribution, particle composition, temperature), residence times, plume conditions (e.g., humidity and temperature), and dynamics of fallout and deposition. Impact-generated and volcanic aggregates share many similarities, and in some cases may be indistinguishable without their stratigraphic context.

Aggregation in particle rich environments: a textural study of examples from volcanic eruptions, meteorite impacts, and fluidized bed processing.

PubMed

Mueller, Sebastian B; Kueppers, Ulrich; Huber, Matthew S; Hess, Kai-Uwe; Poesges, Gisela; Ruthensteiner, Bernhard; Dingwell, Donald B

2018-01-01

Aggregation is a common process occurring in many diverse particulate gas mixtures (e.g. those derived from explosive volcanic eruptions, meteorite impact events, and fluid bed processing). It results from the collision and sticking of particles suspended in turbulent gas/air. To date, there is no generalized model of the underlying physical processes. Here, we investigate aggregates from 18 natural deposits (16 volcanic deposits and two meteorite impact deposits) as well as aggregates produced experimentally via fluidized bed techniques. All aggregates were analyzed for their size, internal structuring, and constituent particle size distribution. Commonalities and differences between the aggregate types are then used to infer salient features of the aggregation process. Average core to rim ratios of internally structured aggregates (accretionary lapilli) is found to be similar for artificial and volcanic aggregates but up to an order of magnitude different than impact-related aggregates. Rim structures of artificial and volcanic aggregates appear to be physically similar (single, sub-spherical, regularly-shaped rims) whereas impact-related aggregates more often show multiple or irregularly shaped rims. The particle size distributions (PSDs) of all three aggregate types are similar (< 200 μm). This proves that in all three environments, aggregation occurs under broadly similar conditions despite the significant differences in source conditions (particle volume fraction, particle size distribution, particle composition, temperature), residence times, plume conditions (e.g., humidity and temperature), and dynamics of fallout and deposition. Impact-generated and volcanic aggregates share many similarities, and in some cases may be indistinguishable without their stratigraphic context.

Vacuum Brazing of Accelerator Components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Rajvir; Pant, K. K.; Lal, Shankar; Yadav, D. P.; Garg, S. R.; Raghuvanshi, V. K.; Mundra, G.

2012-11-01

Commonly used materials for accelerator components are those which are vacuum compatible and thermally conductive. Stainless steel, aluminum and copper are common among them. Stainless steel is a poor heat conductor and not very common in use where good thermal conductivity is required. Aluminum and copper and their alloys meet the above requirements and are frequently used for the above purpose. The accelerator components made of aluminum and its alloys using welding process have become a common practice now a days. It is mandatory to use copper and its other grades in RF devices required for accelerators. Beam line and Front End components of the accelerators are fabricated from stainless steel and OFHC copper. Fabrication of components made of copper using welding process is very difficult and in most of the cases it is impossible. Fabrication and joining in such cases is possible using brazing process especially under vacuum and inert gas atmosphere. Several accelerator components have been vacuum brazed for Indus projects at Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), Indore using vacuum brazing facility available at RRCAT, Indore. This paper presents details regarding development of the above mentioned high value and strategic components/assemblies. It will include basics required for vacuum brazing, details of vacuum brazing facility, joint design, fixturing of the jobs, selection of filler alloys, optimization of brazing parameters so as to obtain high quality brazed joints, brief description of vacuum brazed accelerator components etc.

"A psychometric investigation of gender differences and common processes across borderline and antisocial personality disorders": Correction to Chun et al. (2017).

PubMed

2017-07-01

Reports an error in "A psychometric investigation of gender differences and common processes across borderline and antisocial personality disorders" by Seokjoon Chun, Alexa Harris, Margely Carrion, Elizabeth Rojas, Stephen Stark, Carl Lejuez, William V. Lechner and Marina A. Bornovalova ( Journal of Abnormal Psychology , 2017[Jan], Vol 126[1], 76-88). In the article, there were two errors in the article's supplemental material. The supplemental material stated, "In each case, if the relaxed model fit significantly better than the baseline model (i.e., Δ X ²> 3.84, Δ df =2), then the item under investigation was flagged as noninvariant; otherwise the item was marked as invariant." The value for Δ X ² should have been 5.99. The supplemental material also stated, "If there was no decrement in fit as a function of constraining a given item, the item in question was flagged as noninvariant." It should have stated that these items were flagged as invariant. The online version of this article has been corrected. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2016-53090-001.) The comorbidity between borderline personality disorder (BPD) and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is well-established, and the 2 disorders share many similarities. However, there are also differences across disorders: most notably, BPD is diagnosed more frequently in women and ASPD in men. We investigated if (a) comorbidity between BPD and ASPD is attributable to 2 discrete disorders or the expression of common underlying processes, and (b) if the model of comorbidity is true across sex. Using a clinical sample of 1,400 drug users in residential substance abuse treatment, we tested 3 competing models to explore whether the comorbidity of ASPD and BPD should be represented by a single common factor, 2 correlated factors, or a bifactor structure involving a general and disorder-specific factors. Next, we tested whether our resulting model was meaningful by examining its relationship with criterion variables previously reported to be associated with BPD and ASPD. The bifactor model provided the best fit and was invariant across sex. Overall, the general factor of the bifactor model significantly accounted for a large percentage of the variance in criterion variables, whereas the BPD and AAB specific factors added little to the models. The association of the general and specific factor with all criterion variables was equal for men and women. Our results suggest common underlying vulnerability accounts for both the comorbidity between BPD and AAB (across sex), and this common vulnerability drives the association with other psychopathology and maladaptive behavior. This in turn has implications for diagnostic classification systems and treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

ImgLib2--generic image processing in Java.

PubMed

Pietzsch, Tobias; Preibisch, Stephan; Tomancák, Pavel; Saalfeld, Stephan

2012-11-15

ImgLib2 is an open-source Java library for n-dimensional data representation and manipulation with focus on image processing. It aims at minimizing code duplication by cleanly separating pixel-algebra, data access and data representation in memory. Algorithms can be implemented for classes of pixel types and generic access patterns by which they become independent of the specific dimensionality, pixel type and data representation. ImgLib2 illustrates that an elegant high-level programming interface can be achieved without sacrificing performance. It provides efficient implementations of common data types, storage layouts and algorithms. It is the data model underlying ImageJ2, the KNIME Image Processing toolbox and an increasing number of Fiji-Plugins. ImgLib2 is licensed under BSD. Documentation and source code are available at http://imglib2.net and in a public repository at https://github.com/imagej/imglib. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics Online. saalfeld@mpi-cbg.de

Organization of the Drosophila larval visual circuit

PubMed Central

Gendre, Nanae; Neagu-Maier, G Larisa; Fetter, Richard D; Schneider-Mizell, Casey M; Truman, James W; Zlatic, Marta; Cardona, Albert

2017-01-01

Visual systems transduce, process and transmit light-dependent environmental cues. Computation of visual features depends on photoreceptor neuron types (PR) present, organization of the eye and wiring of the underlying neural circuit. Here, we describe the circuit architecture of the visual system of Drosophila larvae by mapping the synaptic wiring diagram and neurotransmitters. By contacting different targets, the two larval PR-subtypes create two converging pathways potentially underlying the computation of ambient light intensity and temporal light changes already within this first visual processing center. Locally processed visual information then signals via dedicated projection interneurons to higher brain areas including the lateral horn and mushroom body. The stratified structure of the larval optic neuropil (LON) suggests common organizational principles with the adult fly and vertebrate visual systems. The complete synaptic wiring diagram of the LON paves the way to understanding how circuits with reduced numerical complexity control wide ranges of behaviors.

Carbene-catalysed reductive coupling of nitrobenzyl bromides and activated ketones or imines via single-electron-transfer process

PubMed Central

Li, Bao-Sheng; Wang, Yuhuang; Proctor, Rupert S. J.; Zhang, Yuexia; Webster, Richard D.; Yang, Song; Song, Baoan; Chi, Yonggui Robin

2016-01-01

Benzyl bromides and related molecules are among the most common substrates in organic synthesis. They are typically used as electrophiles in nucleophilic substitution reactions. These molecules can also be activated via single-electron-transfer (SET) process for radical reactions. Representative recent progress includes α-carbon benzylation of ketones and aldehydes via photoredox catalysis. Here we disclose the generation of (nitro)benzyl radicals via N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalysis under reductive conditions. The radical intermediates generated via NHC catalysis undergo formal 1,2-addition with ketones to eventually afford tertiary alcohol products. The overall process constitutes a formal polarity-inversion of benzyl bromide, allowing a direct coupling of two initially electrophilic carbons. Our study provides a new carbene-catalysed reaction mode that should enable unconventional transformation of (nitro)benzyl bromides under mild organocatalytic conditions. PMID:27671606

Removal of antibiotics from surface and distilled water in conventional water treatment processes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Adams, C.; Wang, Y.; Loftin, K.; Meyer, M.

2002-01-01

Conventional drinking water treatment processes were evaluated under typical water treatment plant conditions to determine their effectiveness in the removal of seven common antibiotics: carbadox, sulfachlorpyridazine, sulfadimethoxine, sulfamerazine, sulfamethazine, sulfathiazole, and trimethoprim. Experiments were conducted using synthetic solutions prepared by spiking both distilled/ deionized water and Missouri River water with the studied compounds. Sorption on Calgon WPH powdered activated carbon, reverse osmosis, and oxidation with chlorine and ozone under typical plant conditions were all shown to be effective in removing the studied antibiotics. Conversely, coagulation/flocculation/sedimentation with alum and iron salts, excess lime/soda ash softening, ultraviolet irradiation at disinfection dosages, and ion exchange were all relatively ineffective methods of antibiotic removal. This study shows that the studied antibiotics could be effectively removed using processes already in use many water treatment plants. Additional work is needed on by-product formation and the removal of other classes of antibiotics.

Neuroinflammation and ageing: current theories and an overview of the data.

PubMed

Pizza, Vincenzo; Agresta, Anella; D'Acunto, Cosimo W; Festa, Michela; Capasso, Anna

2011-09-01

The increase in the average lifespan and the consequent proportional growth of the elderly segment of society has furthered the interest in studying ageing processes. Ageing may be considered a multifactorial process derived from the interaction between genetic and environmental factors including lifestyle. There is ample evidence in many species that the maximum age attainable (maximum lifespan potential, MLSP) is genetically determined and several mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms are associated with longevity. This review will address the current understanding of the relationship between ageing and several factors both genetics and life style related. Firstly we focused on the most reliable and commonly shared theories which attempt to explain the phenomenon of ageing as the genetic, cellular, neuroendocrine, immunological and free-radicals related theories. Many studies have shown that most of the phenotypic characteristics observed in the aging process are the result of the occurrence, with age, of a low grade chronic pro-inflammatory status called "inflammaging", partially under genetic control. The term indicate that aging is accompanied by a low degree of chronic inflammatory, an up-regulation of inflammatory response and that inflammatory changes are common to many age-related diseases. In this review special attention was dedicated to diseases related to age as atherosclerosis, cancer and Alzheimer disease. Despite the fact that in recent years many theories about ageing have been developed, we are still far from a full understanding of the mechanisms underlying the ageing process.

Visual and Auditory Components in the Perception of Asynchronous Audiovisual Speech

PubMed Central

Alcalá-Quintana, Rocío

2015-01-01

Research on asynchronous audiovisual speech perception manipulates experimental conditions to observe their effects on synchrony judgments. Probabilistic models establish a link between the sensory and decisional processes underlying such judgments and the observed data, via interpretable parameters that allow testing hypotheses and making inferences about how experimental manipulations affect such processes. Two models of this type have recently been proposed, one based on independent channels and the other using a Bayesian approach. Both models are fitted here to a common data set, with a subsequent analysis of the interpretation they provide about how experimental manipulations affected the processes underlying perceived synchrony. The data consist of synchrony judgments as a function of audiovisual offset in a speech stimulus, under four within-subjects manipulations of the quality of the visual component. The Bayesian model could not accommodate asymmetric data, was rejected by goodness-of-fit statistics for 8/16 observers, and was found to be nonidentifiable, which renders uninterpretable parameter estimates. The independent-channels model captured asymmetric data, was rejected for only 1/16 observers, and identified how sensory and decisional processes mediating asynchronous audiovisual speech perception are affected by manipulations that only alter the quality of the visual component of the speech signal. PMID:27551361

Recollective performance advantages for implicit memory tasks.

PubMed

Sheldon, Signy A M; Moscovitch, Morris

2010-10-01

A commonly held assumption is that processes underlying explicit and implicit memory are distinct. Recent evidence, however, suggests that they may interact more than previously believed. Using the remember-know procedure the current study examines the relation between recollection, a process thought to be exclusive to explicit memory, and performance on two implicit memory tasks, lexical decision and word stem completion. We found that, for both implicit tasks, words that were recollected were associated with greater priming effects than were words given a subsequent familiarity rating or words that had been studied but were not recognised (misses). Broadly, our results suggest that non-voluntary processes underlying explicit memory also benefit priming, a measure of implicit memory. More specifically, given that this benefit was due to a particular aspect of explicit memory (recollection), these results are consistent with some strength models of memory and with Moscovitch's (2008) proposal that recollection is a two-stage process, one rapid and unconscious and the other more effortful and conscious.

Neural correlates of math anxiety - an overview and implications.

PubMed

Artemenko, Christina; Daroczy, Gabriella; Nuerk, Hans-Christoph

2015-01-01

Math anxiety is a common phenomenon which can have a negative impact on numerical and arithmetic performance. However, so far little is known about the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms. This mini review provides an overview of studies investigating the neural correlates of math anxiety which provide several hints regarding its influence on math performance: while behavioral studies mostly observe an influence of math anxiety on difficult math tasks, neurophysiological studies show that processing efficiency is already affected in basic number processing. Overall, the neurocognitive literature suggests that (i) math anxiety elicits emotion- and pain-related activation during and before math activities, (ii) that the negative emotional response to math anxiety impairs processing efficiency, and (iii) that math deficits triggered by math anxiety may be compensated for by modulating the cognitive control or emotional regulation network. However, activation differs strongly between studies, depending on tasks, paradigms, and samples. We conclude that neural correlates can help to understand and explore the processes underlying math anxiety, but the data are not very consistent yet.

Neural correlates of math anxiety – an overview and implications

PubMed Central

Artemenko, Christina; Daroczy, Gabriella; Nuerk, Hans-Christoph

2015-01-01

Math anxiety is a common phenomenon which can have a negative impact on numerical and arithmetic performance. However, so far little is known about the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms. This mini review provides an overview of studies investigating the neural correlates of math anxiety which provide several hints regarding its influence on math performance: while behavioral studies mostly observe an influence of math anxiety on difficult math tasks, neurophysiological studies show that processing efficiency is already affected in basic number processing. Overall, the neurocognitive literature suggests that (i) math anxiety elicits emotion- and pain-related activation during and before math activities, (ii) that the negative emotional response to math anxiety impairs processing efficiency, and (iii) that math deficits triggered by math anxiety may be compensated for by modulating the cognitive control or emotional regulation network. However, activation differs strongly between studies, depending on tasks, paradigms, and samples. We conclude that neural correlates can help to understand and explore the processes underlying math anxiety, but the data are not very consistent yet. PMID:26388824

Common molecular basis of the sentence comprehension network revealed by neurotransmitter receptor fingerprints.

PubMed

Zilles, Karl; Bacha-Trams, Maraike; Palomero-Gallagher, Nicola; Amunts, Katrin; Friederici, Angela D

2015-02-01

The language network is a well-defined large-scale neural network of anatomically and functionally interacting cortical areas. The successful language process requires the transmission of information between these areas. Since neurotransmitter receptors are key molecules of information processing, we hypothesized that cortical areas which are part of the same functional language network may show highly similar multireceptor expression pattern ("receptor fingerprint"), whereas those that are not part of this network should have different fingerprints. Here we demonstrate that the relation between the densities of 15 different excitatory, inhibitory and modulatory receptors in eight language-related areas are highly similar and differ considerably from those of 18 other brain regions not directly involved in language processing. Thus, the fingerprints of all cortical areas underlying a large-scale cognitive domain such as language is a characteristic, functionally relevant feature of this network and an important prerequisite for the underlying neuronal processes of language functions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Common molecular basis of the sentence comprehension network revealed by neurotransmitter receptor fingerprints

PubMed Central

Zilles, Karl; Bacha-Trams, Maraike; Palomero-Gallagher, Nicola; Amunts, Katrin; Friederici, Angela D.

2015-01-01

The language network is a well-defined large-scale neural network of anatomically and functionally interacting cortical areas. The successful language process requires the transmission of information between these areas. Since neurotransmitter receptors are key molecules of information processing, we hypothesized that cortical areas which are part of the same functional language network may show highly similar multireceptor expression pattern (“receptor fingerprint”), whereas those that are not part of this network should have different fingerprints. Here we demonstrate that the relation between the densities of 15 different excitatory, inhibitory and modulatory receptors in eight language-related areas are highly similar and differ considerably from those of 18 other brain regions not directly involved in language processing. Thus, the fingerprints of all cortical areas underlying a large-scale cognitive domain such as language is a characteristic, functionally relevant feature of this network and an important prerequisite for the underlying neuronal processes of language functions. PMID:25243991

High CO2 enhances the competitive strength of seaweeds over corals.

PubMed

Diaz-Pulido, Guillermo; Gouezo, Marine; Tilbrook, Bronte; Dove, Sophie; Anthony, Kenneth R N

2011-02-01

Space competition between corals and seaweeds is an important ecological process underlying coral-reef dynamics. Processes promoting seaweed growth and survival, such as herbivore overfishing and eutrophication, can lead to local reef degradation. Here, we present the case that increasing concentrations of atmospheric CO(2) may be an additional process driving a shift from corals to seaweeds on reefs. Coral (Acropora intermedia) mortality in contact with a common coral-reef seaweed (Lobophora papenfussii) increased two- to threefold between background CO(2) (400 ppm) and highest level projected for late 21st century (1140 ppm). The strong interaction between CO(2) and seaweeds on coral mortality was most likely attributable to a chemical competitive mechanism, as control corals with algal mimics showed no mortality. Our results suggest that coral (Acropora) reefs may become increasingly susceptible to seaweed proliferation under ocean acidification, and processes regulating algal abundance (e.g. herbivory) will play an increasingly important role in maintaining coral abundance. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/CNRS.

High CO2 enhances the competitive strength of seaweeds over corals

PubMed Central

Diaz-Pulido, Guillermo; Gouezo, Marine; Tilbrook, Bronte; Dove, Sophie; Anthony, Kenneth R N

2011-01-01

Space competition between corals and seaweeds is an important ecological process underlying coral-reef dynamics. Processes promoting seaweed growth and survival, such as herbivore overfishing and eutrophication, can lead to local reef degradation. Here, we present the case that increasing concentrations of atmospheric CO2 may be an additional process driving a shift from corals to seaweeds on reefs. Coral (Acropora intermedia) mortality in contact with a common coral-reef seaweed (Lobophora papenfussii) increased two- to threefold between background CO2 (400 ppm) and highest level projected for late 21st century (1140 ppm). The strong interaction between CO2 and seaweeds on coral mortality was most likely attributable to a chemical competitive mechanism, as control corals with algal mimics showed no mortality. Our results suggest that coral (Acropora) reefs may become increasingly susceptible to seaweed proliferation under ocean acidification, and processes regulating algal abundance (e.g. herbivory) will play an increasingly important role in maintaining coral abundance. PMID:21155961

Metaproteogenomics reveals the soil microbial communities active in nutrient cycling processes under different tree species

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keiblinger, Katharina Maria; Masse, Jacynthe; Zühlke, Daniela; Riedel, Katharina; Zechmeister-Boltenstern, Sophie; Prescott, Cindy E.; Grayston, Sue

2016-04-01

Tree species exert strong effects on microbial communities in litter and soil and may alter rates of soil processes fundamental to nutrient cycling and carbon fluxes (Prescott and Grayston 2013). However, the influence of tree species on decomposition processes are still contradictory and poorly understood. An understanding of the mechanisms underlying plant influences on soil processes is important for our ability to predict ecosystem response to altered global/environmental conditions. In order to link microbial community structure and function to forest-floor nutrient cycling processes, we sampled forest floors under western redcedar (Thuja plicata), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) grown in nutrient-poor sites in common garden experiments on Vancouver island (Canada). We measured forest-floor total N, total C, initial NH4+ and NO3- concentrations, DOC, Cmic and Nmic. Gross rates of ammonification and NH4+ consumption were measured using the 15N pool-dilution method. Organic carbon quality was assessed through FTIR analyses. Microbial community structure was analysed by a metaproteogenomic approach using 16S and ITS amplification and sequencing with MiSeq platform. Proteins were extracted and peptides characterized via LC-MS/MS on a Velos Orbitrap to assess the active microbial community. Different microbial communities were active under the three tree species and variation in process rates were observed and will be discussed. This research provides new insights on microbial processes during organic matter decomposition. The metaproteogenomic approach enables us to investigate these changes with respect to possible effects on soil C-storage at even finer taxonomic resolution.

Deep processing activates the medial temporal lobe in young but not in old adults.

PubMed

Daselaar, Sander M; Veltman, Dick J; Rombouts, Serge A R B; Raaijmakers, Jeroen G W; Jonker, Cees

2003-11-01

Age-related impairments in episodic memory have been related to a deficiency in semantic processing, based on the finding that elderly adults typically benefit less than young adults from deep, semantic as opposed to shallow, nonsemantic processing of study items. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that elderly adults are not able to perform certain cognitive operations under deep processing conditions. We further hypothesised that this inability does not involve regions commonly associated with lexical/semantic retrieval processes, but rather involves a dysfunction of the medial temporal lobe (MTL) memory system. To this end, we used functional MRI on rather extensive groups of young and elderly adults to compare brain activity patterns obtained during a deep (living/nonliving) and a shallow (uppercase/lowercase) classification task. Common activity in relation to semantic classification was observed in regions that have been previously related to semantic retrieval, including mainly left-lateralised activity in the inferior prefrontal, middle temporal, and middle frontal/anterior cingulate gyrus. Although the young adults showed more activity in some of these areas, the finding of mainly overlapping activation patterns during semantic classification supports the idea that lexical/semantic retrieval processes are still intact in elderly adults. This received further support by the finding that both groups showed similar behavioural performances as well on the deep and shallow classification tasks. Importantly, though, the young revealed significantly more activity than the elderly adults in the left anterior hippocampus during deep relative to shallow classification. This finding is in line with the idea that age-related impairments in episodic encoding are, at least partly, due to an under-recruitment of the medial temporal lobe memory system.

The functional architectures of addition and subtraction: Network discovery using fMRI and DCM.

PubMed

Yang, Yang; Zhong, Ning; Friston, Karl; Imamura, Kazuyuki; Lu, Shengfu; Li, Mi; Zhou, Haiyan; Wang, Haiyuan; Li, Kuncheng; Hu, Bin

2017-06-01

The neuronal mechanisms underlying arithmetic calculations are not well understood but the differences between mental addition and subtraction could be particularly revealing. Using fMRI and dynamic causal modeling (DCM), this study aimed to identify the distinct neuronal architectures engaged by the cognitive processes of simple addition and subtraction. Our results revealed significantly greater activation during subtraction in regions along the dorsal pathway, including the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), middle portion of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (mDLPFC), and supplementary motor area (SMA), compared with addition. Subsequent analysis of the underlying changes in connectivity - with DCM - revealed a common circuit processing basic (numeric) attributes and the retrieval of arithmetic facts. However, DCM showed that addition was more likely to engage (numeric) retrieval-based circuits in the left hemisphere, while subtraction tended to draw on (magnitude) processing in bilateral parietal cortex, especially the right intraparietal sulcus (IPS). Our findings endorse previous hypotheses about the differences in strategic implementation, dominant hemisphere, and the neuronal circuits underlying addition and subtraction. Moreover, for simple arithmetic, our connectivity results suggest that subtraction calls on more complex processing than addition: auxiliary phonological, visual, and motor processes, for representing numbers, were engaged by subtraction, relative to addition. Hum Brain Mapp 38:3210-3225, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Stochastic Dynamical Model of a Growing Citation Network Based on a Self-Exciting Point Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golosovsky, Michael; Solomon, Sorin

2012-08-01

We put under experimental scrutiny the preferential attachment model that is commonly accepted as a generating mechanism of the scale-free complex networks. To this end we chose a citation network of physics papers and traced the citation history of 40 195 papers published in one year. Contrary to common belief, we find that the citation dynamics of the individual papers follows the superlinear preferential attachment, with the exponent α=1.25-1.3. Moreover, we show that the citation process cannot be described as a memoryless Markov chain since there is a substantial correlation between the present and recent citation rates of a paper. Based on our findings we construct a stochastic growth model of the citation network, perform numerical simulations based on this model and achieve an excellent agreement with the measured citation distributions.

On the Overdispersed Molecular Clock

PubMed Central

Takahata, Naoyuki

1987-01-01

Rates of molecular evolution at some loci are more irregular than described by simple Poisson processes. Three situations under which molecular evolution would not follow simple Poisson processes are reevaluated from the viewpoint of the neutrality hypothesis: (i) concomitant or multiple substitutions in a gene, (ii) fluctuating substitution rates in time caused by coupled effects of deleterious mutations and bottlenecks, and (iii) changes in the degree of selective constraints against a gene (neutral space) caused by successive substitutions. The common underlying assumption that these causes are lineage nonspecific excludes the case where mutation rates themselves change systematically among lineages or taxonomic groups, and severely limits the extent of variation in the number of substitutions among lineages. Even under this stringent condition, however, the third hypothesis, the fluctuating neutral space model, can generate fairly large variation. This is described by a time-dependent renewal process, which does not exhibit any episodic nature of molecular evolution. It is argued that the observed elevated variances in the number of nucleotide or amino acid substitutions do not immediately call for positive Darwinian selection in molecular evolution. PMID:3596230

Age effect in generating mental images of buildings but not common objects.

PubMed

Piccardi, L; Nori, R; Palermo, L; Guariglia, C; Giusberti, F

2015-08-18

Imagining a familiar environment is different from imagining an environmental map and clinical evidence demonstrated the existence of double dissociations in brain-damaged patients due to the contents of mental images. Here, we assessed a large sample of young and old participants by considering their ability to generate different kinds of mental images, namely, buildings or common objects. As buildings are environmental stimuli that have an important role in human navigation, we expected that elderly participants would have greater difficulty in generating images of buildings than common objects. We found that young and older participants differed in generating both buildings and common objects. For young participants there were no differences between buildings and common objects, but older participants found easier to generate common objects than buildings. Buildings are a special type of visual stimuli because in urban environments they are commonly used as landmarks for navigational purposes. Considering that topographical orientation is one of the abilities mostly affected in normal and pathological aging, the present data throw some light on the impaired processes underlying human navigation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Food processing methods influence the glycaemic indices of some commonly eaten West Indian carbohydrate-rich foods.

PubMed

Bahado-Singh, P S; Wheatley, A O; Ahmad, M H; Morrison, E Y St A; Asemota, H N

2006-09-01

Glycaemic index (GI) values for fourteen commonly eaten carbohydrate-rich foods processed by various methods were determined using ten healthy subjects. The foods studied were round leaf yellow yam (Dioscorea cayenensis), negro and lucea yams (Dioscorea rotundata), white and sweet yams (Dioscorea alata), sweet potato (Solanum tuberosum), Irish potato (Ipomoea batatas), coco yam (Xanthosoma spp.), dasheen (Colocasia esculenta), pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata), breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis), green banana (Musa sapientum), and green and ripe plantain (Musa paradisiaca). The foods were processed by boiling, frying, baking and roasting where applicable. Pure glucose was used as the standard with a GI value of 100. The results revealed marked differences in GI among the different foods studied ranging from 35 (se 3) to 94 (se 8). The area under the glucose response curve and GI value of some of the roasted and baked foods were significantly higher than foods boiled or fried (P<0.05). The results indicate that foods processed by roasting or baking may result in higher GI. Conversely, boiling of foods may contribute to a lower GI diet.

Direct patterning of highly-conductive graphene@copper composites using copper naphthenate as a resist for graphene device applications.

PubMed

Bi, Kaixi; Xiang, Quan; Chen, Yiqin; Shi, Huimin; Li, Zhiqin; Lin, Jun; Zhang, Yongzhe; Wan, Qiang; Zhang, Guanhua; Qin, Shiqiao; Zhang, Xueao; Duan, Huigao

2017-11-09

We report an electron-beam lithography process to directly fabricate graphene@copper composite patterns without involving metal deposition, lift-off and etching processes using copper naphthenate as a high-resolution negative-tone resist. As a commonly used industrial painting product, copper naphthenate is extremely cheap with a long shelf time but demonstrates an unexpected patterning resolution better than 10 nm. With appropriate annealing under a hydrogen atmosphere, the produced graphene@copper composite patterns show high conductivity of ∼400 S cm -1 . X-ray diffraction, conformal Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to analyze the chemical composition of the final patterns. With the properties of high resolution and high conductivity, the patterned graphene@copper composites could be used as conductive pads and interconnects for graphene electronic devices with ohmic contacts. Compared to common fabrication processes involving metal evaporation and lift-off steps, this pattern-transfer-free fabrication process using copper naphthenate resist is direct and simple but allows comparable device performance in practical device applications.

The development of a Kalman filter clock predictor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, John A.; Greenhall, Charles A.; Boudjemaa, Redoane

2005-01-01

A Kalman filter based clock predictor is developed, and its performance evaluated using both simulated and real data. The clock predictor is shown to possess a neat to optimal Prediction Error Variance (PEV) when the underlying noise consists of one of the power law noise processes commonly encountered in time and frequency measurements. The predictor's performance is the presence of multiple noise processes is also examined. The relationship between the PEV obtained in the presence of multiple noise processes and those obtained for the individual component noise processes is examined. Comparisons are made with a simple linear clock predictor. The clock predictor is used to predict future values of the time offset between pairs of NPL's active hydrogen masers.

Beyond the Face of Race: Emo-Cognitive Explorations of White Neurosis and Racial Cray-Cray

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matias, Cheryl E.; DiAngelo, Robin

2013-01-01

In this article, the authors focus on the emotional and cognitive context that underlies whiteness. They employ interdisciplinary approaches of critical Whiteness studies and critical race theory to entertain how common White responses to racial material stem from the need for Whites to deny race, a traumatizing process that begins in childhood.…

Temporal Target Integration Underlies Performance at Lag 1 in the Attentional Blink

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akyurek, Elkan G.; Eshuis, Sander A. H.; Nieuwenstein, Mark R.; Saija, Jefta D.; Baskent, Deniz; Hommel, Bernhard

2012-01-01

When two targets follow each other directly in rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP), they are often identified correctly but reported in the wrong order. These order reversals are commonly explained in terms of the rate at which the two targets are processed, the idea being that the second target can sometimes overtake the first in the race…

The Training of Qualified Specialists in the Countries of the Black Sea Region in the Context of Globalization Education Processes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheludko, Inna

2017-01-01

The article presents the trends in higher education development in the countries of the Black Sea region, namely, historical, methodological, methodical and technological, which determine the objective and subjective connections and relationships that are common to the system of higher pedagogical education of the countries under study and define…

What Do I Do When... The Answer Book on Placement under the IDEA and Section 504.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pitasky, Vicki M.

Formatted in a question-and-answer style, this book is intended to provide a survey and overview of the federal law governing the placement of students with disabilities. It explores the procedural and substantive requirements of the placement process and addresses the most common concerns that arise in this area of special education law. The…

[Merging different biobanks under one roof : Benefits and constraints on the way to a centralized biobank using the example of the BMBH].

PubMed

Schmitt, S; Döllinger, C; Maier, A; Herpel, E; Schirmacher, P; Kirsten, R

2018-05-23

Founded in 1386, Heidelberg University is Germany's oldest and one of Europe's most reputable universities. As a scientific hub in Germany, Heidelberg is home to several internationally renowned medical research facilities that have an enormous demand for biomaterial samples and data-especially in the field of translational and cancer research.The main objective of the BMBF-funded project "BioMaterialBank Heidelberg" (BMBH) was the harmonization of local biobanking under the same administrative roof through the implementation of common and standardized project, data, and quality management procedures.In the very beginning, existing structures and processes of the participating biobanks in Heidelberg were identified and a common administrative structure with central representatives for IT and quality management (QM) was established to coordinate all BMBH activities.Over time, implementation of consented structures and processes took place, also revealing organizational challenges that had to be solved concerning, for example, differences in sample handling and the definition of consistent access regulations.We will discuss below these challenges as well as the opportunities of building a centralized biobank and show how issues can be resolved using the example of the BMBH.

Stochastic model predicts evolving preferences in the Iowa gambling task

PubMed Central

Fuentes, Miguel A.; Lavín, Claudio; Contreras-Huerta, L. Sebastián; Miguel, Hernan; Rosales Jubal, Eduardo

2014-01-01

Learning under uncertainty is a common task that people face in their daily life. This process relies on the cognitive ability to adjust behavior to environmental demands. Although the biological underpinnings of those cognitive processes have been extensively studied, there has been little work in formal models seeking to capture the fundamental dynamic of learning under uncertainty. In the present work, we aimed to understand the basic cognitive mechanisms of outcome processing involved in decisions under uncertainty and to evaluate the relevance of previous experiences in enhancing learning processes within such uncertain context. We propose a formal model that emulates the behavior of people playing a well established paradigm (Iowa Gambling Task - IGT) and compare its outcome with a behavioral experiment. We further explored whether it was possible to emulate maladaptive behavior observed in clinical samples by modifying the model parameter which controls the update of expected outcomes distributions. Results showed that the performance of the model resembles the observed participant performance as well as IGT performance by healthy subjects described in the literature. Interestingly, the model converges faster than some subjects on the decks with higher net expected outcome. Furthermore, the modified version of the model replicated the trend observed in clinical samples performing the task. We argue that the basic cognitive component underlying learning under uncertainty can be represented as a differential equation that considers the outcomes of previous decisions for guiding the agent to an adaptive strategy. PMID:25566043

Stochastic model predicts evolving preferences in the Iowa gambling task.

PubMed

Fuentes, Miguel A; Lavín, Claudio; Contreras-Huerta, L Sebastián; Miguel, Hernan; Rosales Jubal, Eduardo

2014-01-01

Learning under uncertainty is a common task that people face in their daily life. This process relies on the cognitive ability to adjust behavior to environmental demands. Although the biological underpinnings of those cognitive processes have been extensively studied, there has been little work in formal models seeking to capture the fundamental dynamic of learning under uncertainty. In the present work, we aimed to understand the basic cognitive mechanisms of outcome processing involved in decisions under uncertainty and to evaluate the relevance of previous experiences in enhancing learning processes within such uncertain context. We propose a formal model that emulates the behavior of people playing a well established paradigm (Iowa Gambling Task - IGT) and compare its outcome with a behavioral experiment. We further explored whether it was possible to emulate maladaptive behavior observed in clinical samples by modifying the model parameter which controls the update of expected outcomes distributions. Results showed that the performance of the model resembles the observed participant performance as well as IGT performance by healthy subjects described in the literature. Interestingly, the model converges faster than some subjects on the decks with higher net expected outcome. Furthermore, the modified version of the model replicated the trend observed in clinical samples performing the task. We argue that the basic cognitive component underlying learning under uncertainty can be represented as a differential equation that considers the outcomes of previous decisions for guiding the agent to an adaptive strategy.

Department of Defense picture archiving and communication system acceptance testing: results and identification of problem components.

PubMed

Allison, Scott A; Sweet, Clifford F; Beall, Douglas P; Lewis, Thomas E; Monroe, Thomas

2005-09-01

The PACS implementation process is complicated requiring a tremendous amount of time, resources, and planning. The Department of Defense (DOD) has significant experience in developing and refining PACS acceptance testing (AT) protocols that assure contract compliance, clinical safety, and functionality. The DOD's AT experience under the initial Medical Diagnostic Imaging Support System contract led to the current Digital Imaging Network-Picture Archiving and Communications Systems (DIN-PACS) contract AT protocol. To identify the most common system and component deficiencies under the current DIN-PACS AT protocol, 14 tri-service sites were evaluated during 1998-2000. Sixteen system deficiency citations with 154 separate types of limitations were noted with problems involving the workstation, interfaces, and the Radiology Information System comprising more than 50% of the citations. Larger PACS deployments were associated with a higher number of deficiencies. The most commonly cited systems deficiencies were among the most expensive components of the PACS.

Loss aversion, large deviation preferences and optimal portfolio weights for some classes of return processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duffy, Ken; Lobunets, Olena; Suhov, Yuri

2007-05-01

We propose a model of a loss averse investor who aims to maximize his expected wealth under certain constraints. The constraints are that he avoids, with high probability, incurring an (suitably defined) unacceptable loss. The methodology employed comes from the theory of large deviations. We explore a number of fundamental properties of the model and illustrate its desirable features. We demonstrate its utility by analyzing assets that follow some commonly used financial return processes: Fractional Brownian Motion, Jump Diffusion, Variance Gamma and Truncated Lévy.

Optimal performance of single-column chromatography and simulated moving bed processes for the separation of optical isomers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Medi, Bijan; Kazi, Monzure-Khoda; Amanullah, Mohammad

2013-06-01

Chromatography has been established as the method of choice for the separation and purification of optically pure drugs which has a market size of about 250 billion USD. Single column chromatography (SCC) is commonly used in the development and testing phase of drug development while multi-column Simulated Moving Bed (SMB) chromatography is more suitable for large scale production due to its continuous nature. In this study, optimal performance of SCC and SMB processes for the separation of optical isomers under linear and overloaded separation conditions has been investigated. The performance indicators, namely productivity and desorbent requirement have been compared under geometric similarity for the separation of a mixture of guaifenesin, and Tröger's base enantiomers. SCC process has been analyzed under equilibrium assumption i.e., assuming infinite column efficiency, and zero dispersion, and its optimal performance parameters are compared with the optimal prediction of an SMB process by triangle theory. Simulation results obtained using actual experimental data indicate that SCC may compete with SMB in terms of productivity depending on the molecules to be separated. Besides, insights into the process performances in terms of degree of freedom and relationship between the optimal operating point and solubility limit of the optical isomers have been ascertained. This investigation enables appropriate selection of single or multi-column chromatographic processes based on column packing properties and isotherm parameters.

Earthworm responses to different reclamation processes in post opencast mining lands during succession.

PubMed

Hlava, Jakub; Hlavová, Anna; Hakl, Josef; Fér, Miroslav

2015-01-01

This study provides earthworm population data obtained from localities with a substantial anthropogenic impact spoils. The spoil heaps were reclaimed at the end of an opencast brown coal mining period. We studied spoils reclaimed by the two most commonly used reclamation processes: forestry and agricultural. The results show the significance of the locality age and the utilized reclamation process and treatment and their effect on earthworm communities. Our data indicate that apart from soil physical and chemical properties, the reclamation process itself may also induce viability and distribution of earthworm communities. Under standardized soil properties, the changes in earthworm populations during the succession were larger within the agricultural reclamation process as opposed to the forestry reclamation process for earthworm ecological groups and individual species.

Identification of Crowding Stress Tolerance Co-Expression Networks Involved in Sweet Corn Yield

PubMed Central

Choe, Eunsoo; Drnevich, Jenny; Williams, Martin M.

2016-01-01

Tolerance to crowding stress has played a crucial role in improving agronomic productivity in field corn; however, commercial sweet corn hybrids vary greatly in crowding stress tolerance. The objectives were to 1) explore transcriptional changes among sweet corn hybrids with differential yield under crowding stress, 2) identify relationships between phenotypic responses and gene expression patterns, and 3) identify groups of genes associated with yield and crowding stress tolerance. Under conditions of crowding stress, three high-yielding and three low-yielding sweet corn hybrids were grouped for transcriptional and phenotypic analyses. Transcriptional analyses identified from 372 to 859 common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) for each hybrid. Large gene expression pattern variation among hybrids and only 26 common DEGs across all hybrid comparisons were identified, suggesting each hybrid has a unique response to crowding stress. Over-represented biological functions of DEGs also differed among hybrids. Strong correlation was observed between: 1) modules with up-regulation in high-yielding hybrids and yield traits, and 2) modules with up-regulation in low-yielding hybrids and plant/ear traits. Modules linked with yield traits may be important crowding stress response mechanisms influencing crop yield. Functional analysis of the modules and common DEGs identified candidate crowding stress tolerant processes in photosynthesis, glycolysis, cell wall, carbohydrate/nitrogen metabolic process, chromatin, and transcription regulation. Moreover, these biological functions were greatly inter-connected, indicating the importance of improving the mechanisms as a network. PMID:26796516

Reliability, return periods, and risk under nonstationarity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Read, Laura K.; Vogel, Richard M.

2015-08-01

Water resources design has widely used the average return period as a concept to inform management and communication of the risk of experiencing an exceedance event within a planning horizon. Even though nonstationarity is often apparent, in practice hydrologic design often mistakenly assumes that the probability of exceedance, p, is constant from year to year which leads to an average return period To equal to 1/p; this expression is far more complex under nonstationarity. Even for stationary processes, the common application of an average return period is problematic: it does not account for planning horizon, is an average value that may not be representative of the time to the next flood, and is generally not applied in other areas of water planning. We combine existing theoretical and empirical results from the literature to provide the first general, comprehensive description of the probabilistic behavior of the return period and reliability under nonstationarity. We show that under nonstationarity, the underlying distribution of the return period exhibits a more complex shape than the exponential distribution under stationary conditions. Using a nonstationary lognormal model, we document the increased complexity and challenges associated with planning for future flood events over a planning horizon. We compare application of the average return period with the more common concept of reliability and recommend replacing the average return period with reliability as a more practical way to communicate event likelihood in both stationary and nonstationary contexts.

Defects in middle ear cavitation cause conductive hearing loss in the Tcof1 mutant mouse.

PubMed

Richter, Carol A; Amin, Susan; Linden, Jennifer; Dixon, Jill; Dixon, Michael J; Tucker, Abigail S

2010-04-15

Conductive hearing loss (CHL) is one of the most common forms of human deafness. Despite this observation, a surprising gap in our understanding of the mechanisms underlying CHL remains, particularly with respect to the molecular mechanisms underlying middle ear development and disease. Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) is an autosomal dominant disorder of facial development that results from mutations in the gene TCOF1. CHL is a common feature of TCS but the causes of the hearing defect have not been studied. In this study, we have utilized Tcof1 mutant mice to dissect the developmental mechanisms underlying CHL. Our results demonstrate that effective cavitation of the middle ear is intimately linked to growth of the auditory bulla, the neural crest cell-derived structure that encapsulates all middle ear components, and that defects in these processes have a profoundly detrimental effect on hearing. This research provides important insights into a poorly characterized cause of human deafness, and provides the first mouse model for the study of middle ear cavity defects, while also being of direct relevance to a human genetic disorder.

Dendritic mechanisms contribute to stimulus-specific adaptation in an insect neuron

PubMed Central

Triblehorn, Jeffrey D.

2013-01-01

Reduced neuronal activation to repetitive stimulation is a common feature of information processing in nervous systems. Such stimulus-specific adaptation (SSA) occurs in many systems, but the underlying neural mechanisms are not well understood. The Neoconocephalus (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae) TN-1 auditory neuron exhibits an SSA-like process, characterized by reliably detecting deviant pulses after response cessation to common standard pulses. Therefore, TN-1 provides a model system to study the cellular mechanisms underlying SSA with an identified neuron. Here we test the hypothesis that dendritic mechanisms underlie TN-1 response cessation to fast-pulse rate repeated signals. Electrically stimulating TN-1 with either high-rate or continuous-current pulses resulted in a decreased ability in TN-1 to generate action potentials but failed to elicit cessation of spiking activity as observed with acoustic stimulation. BAPTA injection into TN-1 delayed the onset of response cessation to fast-pulse rate acoustic stimuli in TN-1 but did not eliminate it. These results indicate that calcium-mediated processes contribute to the fast cessation of spiking activity in TN-1 but are insufficient to cause spike cessation on its own. Replacing normal saline with low-Na+ saline (replacing sodium chloride with either lithium chloride or choline chloride) eliminated response cessation, and TN-1 no longer responded selectively to the deviant pulses. Sodium-mediated potassium channels are the most likely candidates underlying sodium-mediated response suppression in TN-1, triggered by Na+ influx in dendritic regions activated by acoustic stimuli. On the basis of these results, we present a model for a cellular mechanism for SSA in a single auditory neuron. PMID:23945779

EVALUATION OF LOW-SUN ILLUMINATED LANDSAT-4 THEMATIC MAPPER DATA FOR MAPPING HYDROTHERMALLY ALTERED ROCKS IN SOUTHERN NEVADA.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Podwysocki, Melvin H.; Power, Marty S.; Salisbury, Jack; Jones, O.D.

1984-01-01

Landsat-4 Thematic Mapper (TM) data of southern Nevada collected under conditions of low-angle solar illumination were digitally processed to identify hydroxyl-bearing minerals commonly associated with hydrothermal alteration in volcanic terrains. Digital masking procedures were used to exclude shadow areas and vegetation and thus to produce a CRC image suitable for testing the new TM bands as a means to map hydrothermally altered rocks. Field examination of a masked CRC image revealed that several different types of altered rocks displayed hues associated with spectral characteristics common to hydroxyl-bearing minerals. Several types of unaltered rocks also displayed similar hues.

X-ray versus gamma irradiation effects on polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Croonenborghs, B.; Smith, M. A.; Strain, P.

2007-11-01

Today, the most common methods used for medical device sterilisation are by gaseous ethylene oxide and by electron beam or gamma irradiation. With X-ray sterilisation about to enter the market, its material compatibility needs to be assessed at doses typically encountered during a sterilisation process. This paper reports on a study that compares the effects of exposing different types of plastics that are commonly used in medical devices to 60Co or to 5 MeV X-rays. The dose rate for both irradiation modalities was of the same order of magnitude. Under these conditions, both types of radiation are found to have similar effects on polymer properties.

Dual-processing accounts of reasoning, judgment, and social cognition.

PubMed

Evans, Jonathan St B T

2008-01-01

This article reviews a diverse set of proposals for dual processing in higher cognition within largely disconnected literatures in cognitive and social psychology. All these theories have in common the distinction between cognitive processes that are fast, automatic, and unconscious and those that are slow, deliberative, and conscious. A number of authors have recently suggested that there may be two architecturally (and evolutionarily) distinct cognitive systems underlying these dual-process accounts. However, it emerges that (a) there are multiple kinds of implicit processes described by different theorists and (b) not all of the proposed attributes of the two kinds of processing can be sensibly mapped on to two systems as currently conceived. It is suggested that while some dual-process theories are concerned with parallel competing processes involving explicit and implicit knowledge systems, others are concerned with the influence of preconscious processes that contextualize and shape deliberative reasoning and decision-making.

The Analytic Hierarchy Process of the Decision-Making Factors of African Students in Obtaining Higher Education in the United Arab Emirates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahmad, Syed Zamberi; Hussain, Matloub

2017-01-01

The mobility of African students beyond national territories has become common worldwide. However, the underlying reasons motivating students to leave their countries of origin in pursuit of higher education in other developing nations and why these factors are important have not been fully explored. This study attempts to explore why and how…

Challenging Common Sense: Cases of School Reform for Learning Community under an International Cooperation Project in Bac Giang Province, Vietnam

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saito, Eisuke; Tsukui, Atsushi

2008-01-01

This paper aims to discuss the challenges in the process of building a learning community in Vietnamese primary schools. Five lessons emerge from the cases. First, changing teachers' beliefs is time-consuming. Second, because of the reluctance of teachers to change, large-scale delivery of the educational project should be critically revisited…

Unearthing ‘dead capital’: Heirs’ property prediction in two U.S. southern counties

Treesearch

Cassandra Johnson Gaither; Stanley J. Zarnoch

2017-01-01

Heirs’ property is a form of tenancy in common. It is typically inherited land passed to subsequent generations asintestate property, or property inherited outside of the formal probate process, without “clear title.” In economicterms, this form of property ownership can result in inefficient property uses, as owners tend to under-invest in

Learning and Innovation in Agriculture and Rural Development: The Use of the Concepts of Boundary Work and Boundary Objects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tisenkopfs, Talis; Kunda, Ilona; šumane, Sandra; Brunori, Gianluca; Klerkx, Laurens; Moschitz, Heidrun

2015-01-01

Purpose: The paper explores the role of boundary work and boundary objects in enhancing learning and innovation processes in hybrid multi-actor networks for sustainable agriculture (LINSA). Design/Methodology/Approach: Boundary work in LINSA is analysed on the basis of six case studies carried out in SOLINSA project under a common methodology. In…

Landscape-and regional-scale shifts in forest composition under climate change in the Central Hardwood Region of the United States

Treesearch

Wen J. Wang; Hong S. He; Frank R. Thompson; Jacob S. Fraser; William D. Dijak

2016-01-01

Tree species distribution and abundance are affected by forces operating at multiple scales. Niche and biophysical process models have been commonly used to predict climate change effects at regional scales, however, these models have limited capability to include site-scale population dynamics and landscape- scale disturbance and dispersal. We applied a landscape...

Lethality prediction for Escherichia coli 0157:H7 and Uropathogenic E. coli in ground chicken treated with high pressure processing and trans-cinnamaldehyde

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Pathogenic Escherichia coli, intestinal (O157:H7) as well as extraintestinal types (Uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC)) are commonly found in many foods including chicken meat. In this study we compared the resistance of E. coli O157:H7 to UPEC in chicken meat under the stresses of high hydrostatic pressu...

Memory reconsolidation, repeating, and working through: Science and culture in psychotherapeutic research and practice.

PubMed

Levin, Charles

2015-01-01

Hypothesizing that an effective common feature in divergent forms of psychotherapy is a process of memory reconsolidation integrating new emotional experiences, Lane et al. usefully shift the focus away from established and/or specialized techniques to deeper questions about the underlying principles of psychotherapeutic change. More research attention to cultural factors influencing the definition and treatment of psychopathology is also needed.

How common is within-plant signaling via volatiles?

PubMed

Li, Tao; Blande, James D

2017-08-03

Many plants respond to herbivory by releasing a complex blend of volatiles that may differ from that emitted by intact counterparts. These herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPV) mediate many interactions among plants and their community members, including alerting undamaged leaves of the attacked or neighboring plants to impending danger. It has been postulated that HIPVs evolved for within-plant signaling and that other organisms subsequently evolved to use them. However, only 7 studies have reported HIPV-mediated within-plant signaling, most conducted in the laboratory or greenhouse. This leaves open the ecological relevance and evolutionary underpinning of the phenomenon. We recently observed within-plant signaling in hybrid aspen under laboratory and field conditions. Greenhouse experiments showed that HIPVs mediated the process. While our study adds an aspen hybrid to the list of plants in which within-plant signaling has been demonstrated, we lack understanding of how common the process is and whether plants obtain fitness benefits.

A survey of camera error sources in machine vision systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jatko, W. B.

In machine vision applications, such as an automated inspection line, television cameras are commonly used to record scene intensity in a computer memory or frame buffer. Scene data from the image sensor can then be analyzed with a wide variety of feature-detection techniques. Many algorithms found in textbooks on image processing make the implicit simplifying assumption of an ideal input image with clearly defined edges and uniform illumination. The ideal image model is helpful to aid the student in understanding the principles of operation, but when these algorithms are blindly applied to real-world images the results can be unsatisfactory. This paper examines some common measurement errors found in camera sensors and their underlying causes, and possible methods of error compensation. The role of the camera in a typical image-processing system is discussed, with emphasis on the origination of signal distortions. The effects of such things as lighting, optics, and sensor characteristics are considered.

Conscientious Classification: A Data Scientist's Guide to Discrimination-Aware Classification.

PubMed

d'Alessandro, Brian; O'Neil, Cathy; LaGatta, Tom

2017-06-01

Recent research has helped to cultivate growing awareness that machine-learning systems fueled by big data can create or exacerbate troubling disparities in society. Much of this research comes from outside of the practicing data science community, leaving its members with little concrete guidance to proactively address these concerns. This article introduces issues of discrimination to the data science community on its own terms. In it, we tour the familiar data-mining process while providing a taxonomy of common practices that have the potential to produce unintended discrimination. We also survey how discrimination is commonly measured, and suggest how familiar development processes can be augmented to mitigate systems' discriminatory potential. We advocate that data scientists should be intentional about modeling and reducing discriminatory outcomes. Without doing so, their efforts will result in perpetuating any systemic discrimination that may exist, but under a misleading veil of data-driven objectivity.

Current Treatment Options for Auricular Hematomas.

PubMed

MacPhail, Catriona

2016-07-01

Ear disease, such as otitis externa, resulting in aggressive head shaking or ear scratching, is the most common cause of the development of aural hematomas in dogs and cats. An underlying immunologic cause has also been proposed to explain cartilage and blood vessel fragility. Numerous options exist for management of aural hematomas, from medical management alone with corticosteroids, to simple hematoma centesis, to surgical intervention. Because this condition is usually secondary to another disease process, regardless of mode of treatment, likelihood of recurrence is low if the underlying condition is managed properly. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Ultrasonography of the lower urethra in male sheep lambs].

PubMed

AlLugami, Ammar; von Pückler, Kerstin; Sickinger, Marlene

2018-06-01

In male small ruminants, voiding disturbances are not uncommon. A precise knowledge of the underlying disease is essential for prognostic evaluation as well as for a decision concerning the therapeutic approach. Common reasons for voiding disturbances in the male small ruminant are obstructive urolithiasis, traumata of the penis or inflammatory processes within the urethra or urinary bladder. The diagnostic method of choice - in addition to clinical examination - is diagnostic imaging. Because radiology is not always possible under field conditions, the aim of this article is a detailed presentation of ultrasonography of the distal urethra of the male lamb. Schattauer GmbH.

The effect of different standard illumination conditions on color balance failure in offset printed images on glossy coated paper expressed by color difference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spiridonov, I.; Shopova, M.; Boeva, R.; Nikolov, M.

2012-05-01

One of the biggest problems in color reproduction processes is color shifts occurring when images are viewed under different illuminants. Process ink colors and their combinations that match under one light source will often appear different under another light source. This problem is referred to as color balance failure or color inconstancy. The main goals of the present study are to investigate and determine the color balance failure (color inconstancy) of offset printed images expressed by color difference and color gamut changes depending on three of the most commonly used in practice illuminants, CIE D50, CIE F2 and CIE A. The results obtained are important from a scientific and a practical point of view. For the first time, a methodology is suggested and implemented for the examination and estimation of color shifts by studying a large number of color and gamut changes in various ink combinations for different illuminants.

Studying mechanism of radical reactions: From radiation to nitroxides as research tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maimon, Eric; Samuni, Uri; Goldstein, Sara

2018-02-01

Radicals are part of the chemistry of life, and ionizing radiation chemistry serves as an indispensable research tool for elucidation of the mechanism(s) underlying their reactions. The ever-increasing understanding of their involvement in diverse physiological and pathological processes has expanded the search for compounds that can diminish radical-induced damage. This review surveys the areas of research focusing on radical reactions and particularly with stable cyclic nitroxide radicals, which demonstrate unique antioxidative activities. Unlike common antioxidants that are progressively depleted under oxidative stress and yield secondary radicals, nitroxides are efficient radical scavengers yielding in most cases their respective oxoammonium cations, which are readily reduced back in the tissue to the nitroxide thus continuously being recycled. Nitroxides, which not only protect enzymes, cells, and laboratory animals from diverse kinds of biological injury, but also modify the catalytic activity of heme enzymes, could be utilized in chemical and biological systems serving as a research tool for elucidating mechanisms underlying complex chemical and biochemical processes.

Progesterone Inhibition of Neuronal Calcium Signaling Underlies Aspects of Progesterone-Mediated Neuroprotection

PubMed Central

Luoma, Jessie I; Stern, Christopher M; Mermelstein, Paul G.

2011-01-01

Progesterone is being utilized as a therapeutic means to ameliorate neuron loss and cognitive dysfunction following traumatic brain injury Although there have been numerous attempts to determine the means by which progesterone exerts neuroprotective effects, studies describing the underlying molecular mechanisms are lacking What has become clear, however, is the notion that progesterone can thwart several physiological processes that are detrimental to neuron function and survival, including inflammation, edema, demyelination and excitotoxicity One clue regarding the means by which progesterone has restorative value comes from the notion that these aforementioned biological processes all share the common theme of eliciting pronounced increases in intracellular calcium. Thus, we propose the hypothesis that progesterone regulation of calcium signaling underlies its ability to mitigate these cellular insults, ultimately leading to neuroprotection. Further, we describe recent findings that indicate neuroprotection is achieved via progesterone block of voltage-gated calcium channels, although additional outcomes may arise from blockade of various other ion channels and neurotransmitter receptors. PMID:22101209

Key environmental processes affecting the fate of the insecticide chloropyrifos applied to leaves.

PubMed

Lester, Yaal; Sabach, Sara; Zivan, Ohad; Dubowski, Yael

2017-03-01

Chlorpyrifos (CP) is still a commonly employed organophosphorus insecticide worldwide. In semi-arid and Mediterranean climates, applied CP is expected to remain on leaves surfaces for relatively long time due to the lack of summer rains and common use of drip irrigation. The present work examines the loss rate of CP from leaves via different surface processes: evaporation, direct photolysis and reactions with ozone and OH radicals. Laboratory experiments showed that evaporation rate constant of CP increased from 0.109 to 0.492 h -1 with the increase in wind speed up to 4 m/s. First-order rate constant of direct photolysis, measured using a solar simulator, was k' UV  = 1.15 (±0.01) x 10 -20  cm 2 photon -1 . Second-order rate constants for the reaction of CP with ozone and OH were measured as 6 × 10 -20 and 6 × 10 -12  cm 3  molecule -1  s -1 , respectively. The above rate constants were applied successfully in an outdoor experiment to predict the disappearance of chloropyrifos under specific environmental conditions. Further modeling showed that the insecticide half-life time on exposed surfaces under typical Mediterranean environment will be in the range of 0.9-6.9 h. Evaporation is expected to be the dominant removal path under most environmental conditions, followed by direct photolysis and reaction with OH. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Torsional stress impedance and magneto-impedance in (Co0.95Fe0.05)72.5 Si12.5B15 amorphous wire with helical induced anisotropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blanco, J. M.; Zhukov, A. P.; González, J.

1999-12-01

The magneto-impedance effect icons/Journals/Common/Delta" ALT="Delta" ALIGN="TOP"/> Z/ZH = [Z(H)-Z(Hmax)]/Z(Hmax) has been measured in (Fe0.95Co0.05)72.5B15Si12.5 wire under torsion stress, icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="TOP"/> (torsion angle per unit length) with axial magnetic field (H) as parameter. Without stress (icons/Journals/Common/Delta" ALT="Delta" ALIGN="TOP"/> Z/Z)H(H) dependence has a non-monotonous shape with first an increase of total impedance Z and then a decrease, i.e. shows a maximum at certain axial magnetic field Hm. It was found that the torsion stress dependence of electrical impedance (torsion impedance), (icons/Journals/Common/Delta" ALT="Delta" ALIGN="TOP"/> Z/Z)icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="MIDDLE"/> = [Z(icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="TOP"/>)-Z(icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="TOP"/>max)]/Z(icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="TOP"/>max), has asymmetric character with a clear maximum at torsion angle, icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="TOP"/> around 7icons/Journals/Common/pi" ALT="pi" ALIGN="TOP"/> rad m-1 in as-cast wire, while (icons/Journals/Common/Delta" ALT="Delta" ALIGN="TOP"/> Z/Z)icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="MIDDLE"/> reaches a maximum around 170%. Thermal treatments under torsion stress (without and with a previous annealing stage) develop a helical anisotropy on the amorphous wire, which drastically modifies the (icons/Journals/Common/Delta" ALT="Delta" ALIGN="TOP"/> Z/Z)icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="MIDDLE"/> response. Such treatments were carried out by using current annealing which resulted in a drastic increase of the maximum (icons/Journals/Common/Delta" ALT="Delta" ALIGN="TOP"/> Z/Z)icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="MIDDLE"/> up to 225%, and a change of torsion dependence of icons/Journals/Common/Delta" ALT="Delta" ALIGN="TOP"/> Z/Z with a tendency to a finally symmetric dependence of (icons/Journals/Common/Delta" ALT="Delta" ALIGN="TOP"/> Z/Z)icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="MIDDLE"/>(icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="TOP"/>). The maximum (icons/Journals/Common/Delta" ALT="Delta" ALIGN="TOP"/> Z/Z)icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="MIDDLE"/> ratio, (icons/Journals/Common/Delta" ALT="Delta" ALIGN="TOP"/> Z/Z)icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="TOP"/> m, was obtained under torsion stress of icons/Journals/Common/xi" ALT="xi" ALIGN="TOP"/> = 20icons/Journals/Common/pi" ALT="pi" ALIGN="TOP"/> rad m-1 (in a torsion annealed sample) and = 11 rad m-1 (with pre-annealing and torsion annealing). Observed dependences were explained taking into account the frozen-in magneto-elastic anisotropy owing to the internal stress distribution during the fabrication process, the helical anisotropies induced by the torsion strain and that developed by thermal treatment under torsion stress (torsion annealing). The differences in the shape and intensity of the maximum ( Z/Z) m between the torsion annealed and pre-annealed and torsion annealed samples should be ascribed to the visco-elastic character of the helical anisotropy induced by torsion stress.

False memory and level of processing effect: an event-related potential study.

PubMed

Beato, Maria Soledad; Boldini, Angela; Cadavid, Sara

2012-09-12

Event-related potentials (ERPs) were used to determine the effects of level of processing on true and false memory, using the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm. In the DRM paradigm, lists of words highly associated to a single nonpresented word (the 'critical lure') are studied and, in a subsequent memory test, critical lures are often falsely remembered. Lists with three critical lures per list were auditorily presented here to participants who studied them with either a shallow (saying whether the word contained the letter 'o') or a deep (creating a mental image of the word) processing task. Visual presentation modality was used on a final recognition test. True recognition of studied words was significantly higher after deep encoding, whereas false recognition of nonpresented critical lures was similar in both experimental groups. At the ERP level, true and false recognition showed similar patterns: no FN400 effect was found, whereas comparable left parietal and late right frontal old/new effects were found for true and false recognition in both experimental conditions. Items studied under shallow encoding conditions elicited more positive ERP than items studied under deep encoding conditions at a 1000-1500 ms interval. These ERP results suggest that true and false recognition share some common underlying processes. Differential effects of level of processing on true and false memory were found only at the behavioral level but not at the ERP level.

Normalization regulates competition for visual awareness

PubMed Central

Ling, Sam; Blake, Randolph

2012-01-01

Summary Signals in our brain are in a constant state of competition, including those that vie for motor control, sensory dominance and awareness. To shed light on the mechanisms underlying neural competition, we exploit binocular rivalry, a phenomenon that allows us to probe the competitive process that ordinarily transpires outside of our awareness. By measuring psychometric functions under different states of rivalry, we discovered a pattern of gain changes that are consistent with a model of competition in which attention interacts with normalization processes, thereby driving the ebb and flow between states of awareness. Moreover, we reveal that attention plays a crucial role in modulating competition; without attention, rivalry suppression for high-contrast stimuli is negligible. We propose a framework whereby our visual awareness of competing sensory representations is governed by a common neural computation: normalization. PMID:22884335

The impact of cultural differences in self-representation on the neural substrates of posttraumatic stress disorder

PubMed Central

Liddell, Belinda J.; Jobson, Laura

2016-01-01

A significant body of literature documents the neural mechanisms involved in the development and maintenance of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, there is very little empirical work considering the influence of culture on these underlying mechanisms. Accumulating cultural neuroscience research clearly indicates that cultural differences in self-representation modulate many of the same neural processes proposed to be aberrant in PTSD. The objective of this review paper is to consider how culture may impact on the neural mechanisms underlying PTSD. We first outline five key affective and cognitive functions and their underlying neural correlates that have been identified as being disrupted in PTSD: (1) fear dysregulation; (2) attentional biases to threat; (3) emotion and autobiographical memory; (4) self-referential processing; and (5) attachment and interpersonal processing. Second, we consider prominent cultural theories and review the empirical research that has demonstrated the influence of cultural variations in self-representation on the neural substrates of these same five affective and cognitive functions. Finally, we propose a conceptual model that suggests that these five processes have major relevance to considering how culture may influence the neural processes underpinning PTSD. Highlights of the article Cultural variations in individualistic-collectivistic self-representation modulate many of the same neural and psychological processes disrupted in PTSD. These commonly affected processes include fear perception and regulation mechanisms, attentional biases (to threat), emotional and autobiographical memory systems, self-referential processing and attachment systems. A conceptual model is proposed whereby culture is considered integral to the development and maintenance of PTSD and its neural substrates. PMID:27302635

The neural correlates of beauty comparison

PubMed Central

Mussweiler, Thomas; Mullins, Paul; Linden, David E. J.

2014-01-01

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. How attractive someone is perceived to be depends on the individual or cultural standards to which this person is compared. But although comparisons play a central role in the way people judge the appearance of others, the brain processes underlying attractiveness comparisons remain unknown. In the present experiment, we tested the hypothesis that attractiveness comparisons rely on the same cognitive and neural mechanisms as comparisons of simple nonsocial magnitudes such as size. We recorded brain activity with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while participants compared the beauty or height of two women or two dogs. Our data support the hypothesis of a common process underlying these different types of comparisons. First, we demonstrate that the distance effect characteristic of nonsocial comparisons also holds for attractiveness comparisons. Behavioral results indicated, for all our comparisons, longer response times for near than far distances. Second, the neural correlates of these distance effects overlapped in a frontoparietal network known for its involvement in processing simple nonsocial quantities. These results provide evidence for overlapping processes in the comparison of physical attractiveness and nonsocial magnitudes. PMID:23508477

The neural correlates of beauty comparison.

PubMed

Kedia, Gayannée; Mussweiler, Thomas; Mullins, Paul; Linden, David E J

2014-05-01

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. How attractive someone is perceived to be depends on the individual or cultural standards to which this person is compared. But although comparisons play a central role in the way people judge the appearance of others, the brain processes underlying attractiveness comparisons remain unknown. In the present experiment, we tested the hypothesis that attractiveness comparisons rely on the same cognitive and neural mechanisms as comparisons of simple nonsocial magnitudes such as size. We recorded brain activity with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while participants compared the beauty or height of two women or two dogs. Our data support the hypothesis of a common process underlying these different types of comparisons. First, we demonstrate that the distance effect characteristic of nonsocial comparisons also holds for attractiveness comparisons. Behavioral results indicated, for all our comparisons, longer response times for near than far distances. Second, the neural correlates of these distance effects overlapped in a frontoparietal network known for its involvement in processing simple nonsocial quantities. These results provide evidence for overlapping processes in the comparison of physical attractiveness and nonsocial magnitudes.

BioconductorBuntu: a Linux distribution that implements a web-based DNA microarray analysis server.

PubMed

Geeleher, Paul; Morris, Dermot; Hinde, John P; Golden, Aaron

2009-06-01

BioconductorBuntu is a custom distribution of Ubuntu Linux that automatically installs a server-side microarray processing environment, providing a user-friendly web-based GUI to many of the tools developed by the Bioconductor Project, accessible locally or across a network. System installation is via booting off a CD image or by using a Debian package provided to upgrade an existing Ubuntu installation. In its current version, several microarray analysis pipelines are supported including oligonucleotide, dual-or single-dye experiments, including post-processing with Gene Set Enrichment Analysis. BioconductorBuntu is designed to be extensible, by server-side integration of further relevant Bioconductor modules as required, facilitated by its straightforward underlying Python-based infrastructure. BioconductorBuntu offers an ideal environment for the development of processing procedures to facilitate the analysis of next-generation sequencing datasets. BioconductorBuntu is available for download under a creative commons license along with additional documentation and a tutorial from (http://bioinf.nuigalway.ie).

Soda Taxes: The Importance of Analysing Policy Processes Comment on "The Untapped Power of Soda Taxes: Incentivising Consumers, Generating Revenue, and Altering Corporate Behaviours".

PubMed

Le Bodo, Yann; De Wals, Philippe

2017-10-21

Sarah A. Roache and Lawrence O. Gostin's recent editorial comprehensively presents soda taxation rationales from a public health perspective. While we essentially agree that soda taxes are gaining momentum, this commentary expands upon the need for a better understanding of the policy processes underlying their development and implementation. Indeed, the umbrella concept of soda taxation actually covers a diversity of objectives and mechanisms, which may not only condition the feasibility and acceptability of a proposal, but also alter its impact. We briefly highlight some conditions that may have influenced soda tax policy processes and why further theory-driven case studies may be instructive. © 2018 The Author(s); Published by Kerman University of Medical Sciences. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Visual processing speed.

PubMed

Owsley, Cynthia

2013-09-20

Older adults commonly report difficulties in visual tasks of everyday living that involve visual clutter, secondary task demands, and time sensitive responses. These difficulties often cannot be attributed to visual sensory impairment. Techniques for measuring visual processing speed under divided attention conditions and among visual distractors have been developed and have established construct validity in that those older adults performing poorly in these tests are more likely to exhibit daily visual task performance problems. Research suggests that computer-based training exercises can increase visual processing speed in older adults and that these gains transfer to enhancement of health and functioning and a slowing in functional and health decline as people grow older. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Timing of Moderate Level Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Influences Gene Expression of Sensory Processing Behavior in Rhesus Monkeys

PubMed Central

Schneider, Mary L.; Moore, Colleen F.; Larson, Julie A.; Barr, Christina S.; DeJesus, Onofre T.; Roberts, Andrew D.

2009-01-01

Sensory processing disorder, characterized by over- or under-responsivity to non-noxious environmental stimuli, is a common but poorly understood disorder. We examined the role of prenatal alcohol exposure, serotonin transporter gene polymorphic region variation (rh5-HTTLPR), and striatal dopamine (DA) function on behavioral measures of sensory responsivity to repeated non-noxious sensory stimuli in macaque monkeys. Results indicated that early gestation alcohol exposure induced behavioral under-responsivity to environmental stimuli in monkeys carrying the short (s) rh5-HTTLPR allele compared to both early-exposed monkeys homozygous for the long (l) allele and monkeys from middle-to-late exposed pregnancies and controls, regardless of genotype. Moreover, prenatal timing of alcohol exposure altered the relationship between sensory scores and DA D2R availability. In early-exposed monkeys, a positive relationship was shown between sensory scores and DA D2R availability, with low or blunted DA function associated with under-responsive sensory function. The opposite pattern was found for the middle-to-late gestation alcohol-exposed group. These findings raise questions about how the timing of prenatal perturbation and genotype contributes to effects on neural processing and possibly alters neural connections. PMID:19936317

Adaptation of maize source leaf metabolism to stress related disturbances in carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus balance

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Abiotic stress causes disturbances in the cellular homeostasis. Re-adjustment of balance in carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus metabolism therefore plays a central role in stress adaptation. However, it is currently unknown which parts of the primary cell metabolism follow common patterns under different stress conditions and which represent specific responses. Results To address these questions, changes in transcriptome, metabolome and ionome were analyzed in maize source leaves from plants suffering low temperature, low nitrogen (N) and low phosphorus (P) stress. The selection of maize as study object provided data directly from an important crop species and the so far underexplored C4 metabolism. Growth retardation was comparable under all tested stress conditions. The only primary metabolic pathway responding similar to all stresses was nitrate assimilation, which was down-regulated. The largest group of commonly regulated transcripts followed the expression pattern: down under low temperature and low N, but up under low P. Several members of this transcript cluster could be connected to P metabolism and correlated negatively to different phosphate concentration in the leaf tissue. Accumulation of starch under low temperature and low N stress, but decrease in starch levels under low P conditions indicated that only low P treated leaves suffered carbon starvation. Conclusions Maize employs very different strategies to manage N and P metabolism under stress. While nitrate assimilation was regulated depending on demand by growth processes, phosphate concentrations changed depending on availability, thus building up reserves under excess conditions. Carbon and energy metabolism of the C4 maize leaves were particularly sensitive to P starvation. PMID:23822863

Adaptation of maize source leaf metabolism to stress related disturbances in carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus balance.

PubMed

Schlüter, Urte; Colmsee, Christian; Scholz, Uwe; Bräutigam, Andrea; Weber, Andreas P M; Zellerhoff, Nina; Bucher, Marcel; Fahnenstich, Holger; Sonnewald, Uwe

2013-07-03

Abiotic stress causes disturbances in the cellular homeostasis. Re-adjustment of balance in carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus metabolism therefore plays a central role in stress adaptation. However, it is currently unknown which parts of the primary cell metabolism follow common patterns under different stress conditions and which represent specific responses. To address these questions, changes in transcriptome, metabolome and ionome were analyzed in maize source leaves from plants suffering low temperature, low nitrogen (N) and low phosphorus (P) stress. The selection of maize as study object provided data directly from an important crop species and the so far underexplored C4 metabolism. Growth retardation was comparable under all tested stress conditions. The only primary metabolic pathway responding similar to all stresses was nitrate assimilation, which was down-regulated. The largest group of commonly regulated transcripts followed the expression pattern: down under low temperature and low N, but up under low P. Several members of this transcript cluster could be connected to P metabolism and correlated negatively to different phosphate concentration in the leaf tissue. Accumulation of starch under low temperature and low N stress, but decrease in starch levels under low P conditions indicated that only low P treated leaves suffered carbon starvation. Maize employs very different strategies to manage N and P metabolism under stress. While nitrate assimilation was regulated depending on demand by growth processes, phosphate concentrations changed depending on availability, thus building up reserves under excess conditions. Carbon and energy metabolism of the C4 maize leaves were particularly sensitive to P starvation.

Disclosing the Molecular Basis of the Postharvest Life of Berry in Different Grapevine Genotypes1

PubMed Central

Fasoli, Marianna; Amato, Alessandra; Anesi, Andrea; Ceoldo, Stefania; Avesani, Linda; Pezzotti, Mario

2016-01-01

The molecular events that characterize postripening grapevine berries have rarely been investigated and are poorly defined. In particular, a detailed definition of changes occurring during the postharvest dehydration, a process undertaken to make some particularly special wine styles, would be of great interest for both winemakers and plant biologists. We report an exhaustive survey of transcriptomic and metabolomic responses in berries representing six grapevine genotypes subjected to postharvest dehydration under identical controlled conditions. The modulation of phenylpropanoid metabolism clearly distinguished the behavior of genotypes, with stilbene accumulation as the major metabolic event, although the transient accumulation/depletion of anthocyanins and flavonols was the prevalent variation in genotypes that do not accumulate stilbenes. The modulation of genes related to phenylpropanoid/stilbene metabolism highlighted the distinct metabolomic plasticity of genotypes, allowing for the identification of candidate structural and regulatory genes. In addition to genotype-specific responses, a core set of genes was consistently modulated in all genotypes, representing the common features of berries undergoing dehydration and/or commencing senescence. This included genes controlling ethylene and auxin metabolism as well as genes involved in oxidative and osmotic stress, defense responses, anaerobic respiration, and cell wall and carbohydrate metabolism. Several transcription factors were identified that may control these shared processes in the postharvest berry. Changes representing both common and genotype-specific responses to postharvest conditions shed light on the cellular processes taking place in harvested berries stored under dehydrating conditions for several months. PMID:27670818

Effects of Antenatal Maternal Depressive Symptoms and Socio-Economic Status on Neonatal Brain Development are Modulated by Genetic Risk.

PubMed

Qiu, Anqi; Shen, Mojun; Buss, Claudia; Chong, Yap-Seng; Kwek, Kenneth; Saw, Seang-Mei; Gluckman, Peter D; Wadhwa, Pathik D; Entringer, Sonja; Styner, Martin; Karnani, Neerja; Heim, Christine M; O'Donnell, Kieran J; Holbrook, Joanna D; Fortier, Marielle V; Meaney, Michael J

2017-05-01

This study included 168 and 85 mother-infant dyads from Asian and United States of America cohorts to examine whether a genomic profile risk score for major depressive disorder (GPRSMDD) moderates the association between antenatal maternal depressive symptoms (or socio-economic status, SES) and fetal neurodevelopment, and to identify candidate biological processes underlying such association. Both cohorts showed a significant interaction between antenatal maternal depressive symptoms and infant GPRSMDD on the right amygdala volume. The Asian cohort also showed such interaction on the right hippocampal volume and shape, thickness of the orbitofrontal and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Likewise, a significant interaction between SES and infant GPRSMDD was on the right amygdala and hippocampal volumes and shapes. After controlling for each other, the interaction effect of antenatal maternal depressive symptoms and GPRSMDD was mainly shown on the right amygdala, while the interaction effect of SES and GPRSMDD was mainly shown on the right hippocampus. Bioinformatic analyses suggested neurotransmitter/neurotrophic signaling, SNAp REceptor complex, and glutamate receptor activity as common biological processes underlying the influence of antenatal maternal depressive symptoms on fetal cortico-limbic development. These findings suggest gene-environment interdependence in the fetal development of brain regions implicated in cognitive-emotional function. Candidate biological mechanisms involve a range of brain region-specific signaling pathways that converge on common processes of synaptic development. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

Computational Studies for Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatterjee, Dipankar

2017-07-01

Underground coal gasification (UCG) is a well proven technology in order to access the coal lying either too deep underground, or is otherwise too costly to be extracted using the conventional mining methods. UCG product gas is commonly used as a chemical feedstock or as fuel for power generation. During the UCG process, a cavity is formed in the coal seam during its conversion to gaseous products. The cavity grows in a three-dimensional fashion as the gasification proceeds. The UCG process is indeed a result of several complex interactions of various geo-thermo-mechanical processes such as the fluid flow, heat and mass transfer, chemical reactions, water influx, thermo-mechanical failure, and other geological aspects. The rate of the growth of this cavity and its shape will have a significant impact on the gas flow patterns, chemical kinetics, temperature distributions, and finally the quality of the product gas. It has been observed that there is insufficient information available in the literature to provide clear insight into these issues. It leaves us with a great opportunity to investigate and explore the UCG process, both from the experimental as well as theoretical perspectives. In the development and exploration of new research, experiment is undoubtedly very important. However, due to the excessive cost involvement with experimentation it is not always recommended for the complicated process like UCG. Recently, with the advent of the high performance computational facilities it is quite possible to make alternative experimentation numerically of many physically involved problems using certain computational tools like CFD (computational fluid dynamics). In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the underlying physical phenomena, modeling strategies have frequently been utilized for the UCG process. Keeping in view the above, the various modeling strategies commonly deployed for carrying out mathematical modeling of UCG process are described here in a concise manner. The available strategies are categorized in several groups and their salient features are discussed in order to have a good understanding of the underlying physical phenomena. This would likely to be a valuable documentation in order to understand the physical process of UCG and will pave to formulate new and involved modeling and simulation techniques for computationally modeling the UCG process.

Is chronic insomnia a precursor to major depression? Epidemiological and biological findings.

PubMed

Baglioni, Chiara; Riemann, Dieter

2012-10-01

Insomnia has been found to be a clinical predictor of subsequent depression. Nevertheless the biological processes underlying this causal relationship are yet not fully understood. Both conditions share a common imbalance of the arousal system. Patients with insomnia present fragmented REM sleep, which probably interferes with basal processes of emotion regulation. The interaction between the arousal and the affective system with the persistence of the disorder could slowly alter also the cognitive system and lead to depression. Although preliminary results seem to support this hypothesis, data are still too few to make valid conclusions.

Variational processes and stochastic versions of mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zambrini, J. C.

1986-09-01

The dynamical structure of any reasonable stochastic version of classical mechanics is investigated, including the version created by Nelson [E. Nelson, Quantum Fluctuations (Princeton U.P., Princeton, NJ, 1985); Phys. Rev. 150, 1079 (1966)] for the description of quantum phenomena. Two different theories result from this common structure. One of them is the imaginary time version of Nelson's theory, whose existence was unknown, and yields a radically new probabilistic interpretation of the heat equation. The existence and uniqueness of all the involved stochastic processes is shown under conditions suggested by the variational approach of Yasue [K. Yasue, J. Math. Phys. 22, 1010 (1981)].

A Second Opinion: A Case Narrative on Clinical Ethics Mediation.

PubMed

Weinstein, Michael S

2015-01-01

Contrasting traditional and common forms if ethics consultation with bioethics mediation. I describe the case of a "second opinion" consultation in the care of a patient with advanced cancer for whom treatment was futile. While the initial ethics consultation, performed by a colleague, let to a recommendation that some may deem ethical, the process failed to involve key stakeholders and failed to explore the underlying values and reasons for the opinions voiced by various stakeholders. The process of mediation ultimately led to creative solutions in which all stakeholders could reach consensus on a plan of care.

Hand controller commonality evaluation process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stuart, Mark A.; Bierschwale, John M.; Wilmington, Robert P.; Adam, Susan C.; Diaz, Manuel F.; Jensen, Dean G.

1990-01-01

A hand controller evaluation process has been developed to determine the appropriate hand controller configurations for supporting remotely controlled devices. These devices include remote manipulator systems (RMS), dexterous robots, and remotely-piloted free flyers. Standard interfaces were developed to evaluate six different hand controllers in three test facilities including dynamic computer simulations, kinematic computer simulations, and physical simulations. The hand controllers under consideration were six degree-of-freedom (DOF) position and rate minimaster and joystick controllers, and three-DOF rate controllers. Task performance data, subjective comments, and anthropometric data obtained during tests were used for controller configuration recommendations to the SSF Program.

Extending the boundaries of reverse engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawrie, Chris

2002-04-01

In today's market place the potential of Reverse Engineering as a time compression tool is commonly lost under its traditional definition. The term Reverse Engineering was coined way back at the advent of CMM machines and 3D CAD systems to describe the process of fitting surfaces to captured point data. Since these early beginnings, downstream hardware scanning and digitising systems have evolved in parallel with an upstream demand, greatly increasing the potential of a point cloud data set within engineering design and manufacturing processes. The paper will discuss the issues surrounding Reverse Engineering at the turn of the millennium.

Finding gene-environment interactions for phobias.

PubMed

Gregory, Alice M; Lau, Jennifer Y F; Eley, Thalia C

2008-03-01

Phobias are common disorders causing a great deal of suffering. Studies of gene-environment interaction (G x E) have revealed much about the complex processes underlying the development of various psychiatric disorders but have told us little about phobias. This article describes what is already known about genetic and environmental influences upon phobias and suggests how this information can be used to optimise the chances of discovering G x Es for phobias. In addition to the careful conceptualisation of new studies, it is suggested that data already collected should be re-analysed in light of increased understanding of processes influencing phobias.

A Model of Workflow Composition for Emergency Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xin, Chen; Bin-ge, Cui; Feng, Zhang; Xue-hui, Xu; Shan-shan, Fu

The common-used workflow technology is not flexible enough in dealing with concurrent emergency situations. The paper proposes a novel model for defining emergency plans, in which workflow segments appear as a constituent part. A formal abstraction, which contains four operations, is defined to compose workflow segments under constraint rule. The software system of the business process resources construction and composition is implemented and integrated into Emergency Plan Management Application System.

Neurologic manifestations of electrolyte disturbances.

PubMed

Riggs, Jack E

2002-02-01

Electrolyte disturbances occur commonly and are associated with a variety of characteristic neurologic manifestations involving both the central and peripheral nervous systems. Electrolyte disturbances are essentially always secondary processes. Effective management requires identification and treatment of the underlying primary disorder. Since neurological symptoms of electrolyte disorders are generally functional rather than structural, the neurologic manifestations of electrolyte disturbances are typically reversible. The neurologic manifestations of serum sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium disturbances are reviewed.

JPRS Report Environmental Issues.

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-05-30

countries Gerais has been under way in the past two weeks. Varied in a repeat wave of the immigration which first made this irregularities were found, both...which But it is common knowledge that we have no psycho- they themselves named: The process of compartmental- therapists .... ization is complex and...Republic Academy of Sciences Institute expressed no enthusiasm whatsoever on that score. I of Physics . would like to ask the question of the authors

Making sense out of confusion: a review of fire-oak papers published in the past 50 years

Treesearch

Patrick H. Brose; Thomas A. Waldrop

2014-01-01

The existing fire-oak literature is contradictory on whether fire helps or hinders the oak regeneration process. This confusion occurs because the fire-oak studies have been conducted under a wide variety of conditions. In this paper, we review the fire-oak literature by stand age class, season of burn, and number of burns to identify commonalities and trends. Overall...

Physical and Biological Processes Underlying the Sudden Appearance of a Red-Tide Surface Patch in the Nearshore

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

DISTRIBUTION /AVAILABILITY STATEMENT Approved for public release; distribution unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT 15. SUBJECT TERMS 16...Survey (USGS) programs at Huntington Beach . George Robertson, Marlene Noble, Uwe Send, Steve Weisberg are thanked for their cooperation and assistance...Huntington Beach CA, was dominated by the locally common red-tide 5 forming dinoflagellate Lingulodinium polyedrum (F. Stein). Surface chlorophyll-a

Using connectivity to identify climatic drivers of local adaptation: a response to Macdonald et al.

PubMed

Prunier, Jérôme G; Blanchet, Simon

2018-04-30

Macdonald et al. (Ecol. Lett., 21, 2018, 207-216) proposed an analytical framework for identifying evolutionary processes underlying trait-environment relationships observed in natural populations. Here, we propose an expanded and refined framework based on simulations and bootstrap-based approaches, and we elaborate on an important statistical caveat common to most datasets. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

Tolerance or avoidance: drought frequency determines the response of an N 2 -fixing tree

Treesearch

Jeffrey M. Minucci; Chelcy Ford Miniat; Robert O. Teskey; Nina Wurzburger

2017-01-01

• Climate change is increasing drought frequency, which may affect symbiotic N2 fixation (SNF), a process that facilitates ecosystem recovery from disturbance. Here, we assessed the effect of drought frequency on the ecophysiology and SNF rate of a common N2-fixing tree in eastern US forests.•We grew Robinia pseudoacacia seedlings under the same mean soil...

Fair Processes for Priority Setting: Putting Theory into Practice Comment on "Expanded HTA: Enhancing Fairness and Legitimacy".

PubMed

Jansen, Maarten P; Helderman, Jan-Kees; Boer, Bert; Baltussen, Rob

2016-07-03

Embedding health technology assessment (HTA) in a fair process has great potential to capture societal values relevant to public reimbursement decisions on health technologies. However, the development of such processes for priority setting has largely been theoretical. In this paper, we provide further practical lead ways on how these processes can be implemented. We first present the misconception about the relation between facts and values that is since long misleading the conduct of HTA and underlies the current assessment-appraisal split. We then argue that HTA should instead be explicitly organized as an ongoing evidence-informed deliberative process, that facilitates learning among stakeholders. This has important consequences for whose values to consider, how to deal with vested interests, how to consider all values in the decision-making process, and how to communicate decisions. This is in stark contrast to how HTA processes are implemented now. It is time to set the stage for HTA as learning. © 2017 The Author(s); Published by Kerman University of Medical Sciences. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Using the CER Hub to ensure data quality in a multi-institution smoking cessation study.

PubMed

Walker, Kari L; Kirillova, Olga; Gillespie, Suzanne E; Hsiao, David; Pishchalenko, Valentyna; Pai, Akshatha Kalsanka; Puro, Jon E; Plumley, Robert; Kudyakov, Rustam; Hu, Weiming; Allisany, Art; McBurnie, MaryAnn; Kurtz, Stephen E; Hazlehurst, Brian L

2014-01-01

Comparative effectiveness research (CER) studies involving multiple institutions with diverse electronic health records (EHRs) depend on high quality data. To ensure uniformity of data derived from different EHR systems and implementations, the CER Hub informatics platform developed a quality assurance (QA) process using tools and data formats available through the CER Hub. The QA process, implemented here in a study of smoking cessation services in primary care, used the 'emrAdapter' tool programmed with a set of quality checks to query large samples of primary care encounter records extracted in accord with the CER Hub common data framework. The tool, deployed to each study site, generated error reports indicating data problems to be fixed locally and aggregate data sharable with the central site for quality review. Across the CER Hub network of six health systems, data completeness and correctness issues were prevalent in the first iteration and were considerably improved after three iterations of the QA process. A common issue encountered was incomplete mapping of local EHR data values to those defined by the common data framework. A highly automated and distributed QA process helped to ensure the correctness and completeness of patient care data extracted from EHRs for a multi-institution CER study in smoking cessation. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Non-cooperative game theory in biology and cooperative reasoning in humans.

PubMed

Kabalak, Alihan; Smirnova, Elena; Jost, Jürgen

2015-06-01

The readiness for spontaneous cooperation together with the assumptions that others share this cooperativity has been identified as a fundamental feature that distinguishes humans from other animals, including the great apes. At the same time, cooperativity presents an evolutionary puzzle because non-cooperators do better in a group of cooperators. We develop here an analysis of the process leading to cooperation in terms of rationality concepts, game theory and epistemic logic. We are, however, not attempting to reconstruct the actual evolutionary process. We rather want to provide the logical structure underlying cooperation in order to understand why cooperation is possible and what kind of reasoning and beliefs would lead to cooperative decision-making. Game theory depends on an underlying common belief in non-cooperative rationality of the players, and cooperativity similarly can utilize a common belief in cooperative rationality as its basis. We suggest a weaker concept of rational decision-making in games that encompasses both types of decision-making. We build this up in stages, starting from simple optimization, then using anticipation of the reaction of others, to finally arrive at reflexive and cooperative reasoning. While each stage is more difficult than the preceding, importantly, we also identify a reduction of complexity achieved by the consistent application of higher stage reasoning.

Both Low Temperature and Shorter Duration of Food Availability Delay Testicular Regression and Affect the Daily Cycle in Body Temperature in a Songbird.

PubMed

Dawson, Alistair

Photoperiodic control of reproduction in birds is based on two processes, a positive effect leading to gonadal maturation and an inhibitory effect subsequently inducing regression. Nonphotoperiodic cues can modulate photoperiodic control, particularly the inhibitory process. In previous studies of common starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), (1) restriction of food availability to 8 h after dawn had little effect on testicular maturation but dramatically delayed subsequent regression and (2) lower ambient temperature also had little effect during maturation but delayed regression. Could the effects of food restriction and temperature share a common underlying mechanism? Four groups of starlings were kept on a simulated natural cycle in photoperiod in a 2 × 2 factorial experimental design. Two groups were held under an ambient temperature of 16°C, and the other two were held under 6°C. One of each of these groups had food provided ad lib., and in the other two groups access to food was denied 7 h after dawn. In both the ad lib. food groups and the food-restricted groups, lower temperature had little effect on testicular maturation but delayed subsequent regression and molt. In both the 16°C groups and the 6°C groups, food restriction had no effect on testicular maturation but delayed regression and molt. The daily cycle in body temperature was recorded in all groups when the photoperiod had reached 12L∶12D, the photoperiod at which regression is initiated. In both 6°C groups, nighttime body temperature was lower than in the 16°C groups, a characteristic of shorter photoperiods. In the two ad lib. food groups high daytime temperature was maintained until dusk, whereas in the two food-restricted groups body temperature began to decrease after food withdrawal. Thus, both lower temperature and food restriction delayed regression, as if the photoperiod was shorter than it actually was, and both resulted in daily cycles in body temperature that reflected cycles under shorter photoperiods. This implies that the daily cycle in body temperature is possibly a common pathway through which nonphotoperiodic cues may operate.

GIS interpolations of witness tree records (1839-1866) for northern Wisconsin at multiple scales

USGS Publications Warehouse

He, H.S.; Mladenoff, D.J.; Sickley, T.A.; Guntenspergen, G.R.

2000-01-01

To construct forest landscape of pre-European settlement periods, we developed a GIS interpolation approach to convert witness tree records of the U.S. General Land Office (GLO) survey from point to polygon data, which better described continuously distributed vegetation. The witness tree records (1839-1866) were processed for a 3-million ha landscape in northern Wisconsin, U.S.A. at different scales. We provided implications of processing results at each scale. Compared with traditional GLO mapping that has fixed mapping scales and generalized classifications, our approach allows presettlement forest landscapes to be analysed at the individual species level and reconstructed under various classifications. We calculated vegetation indices including relative density, dominance, and importance value for each species, and quantitatively described the possible outcomes when GLO records are analysed at three different scales (resolution). The 1 x 1-section resolution preserved spatial information but derived the most conservative estimates of species distributions measured in percentage area, which increased at coarser resolutions. Such increases under the 2 x 2-section resolution were in the order of three to four times for the least common species, two to three times for the medium to most common species, and one to two times for the most common or highly contagious species. We marred the distributions of hemlock and sugar maple from the pre-European settlement period based on their witness tree locations and reconstructed presettlement forest landscapes based on species importance values derived for all species. The results provide a unique basis to further study land cover changes occurring after European settlement.

Design of experiments applications in bioprocessing: concepts and approach.

PubMed

Kumar, Vijesh; Bhalla, Akriti; Rathore, Anurag S

2014-01-01

Most biotechnology unit operations are complex in nature with numerous process variables, feed material attributes, and raw material attributes that can have significant impact on the performance of the process. Design of experiments (DOE)-based approach offers a solution to this conundrum and allows for an efficient estimation of the main effects and the interactions with minimal number of experiments. Numerous publications illustrate application of DOE towards development of different bioprocessing unit operations. However, a systematic approach for evaluation of the different DOE designs and for choosing the optimal design for a given application has not been published yet. Through this work we have compared the I-optimal and D-optimal designs to the commonly used central composite and Box-Behnken designs for bioprocess applications. A systematic methodology is proposed for construction of the model and for precise prediction of the responses for the three case studies involving some of the commonly used unit operations in downstream processing. Use of Akaike information criterion for model selection has been examined and found to be suitable for the applications under consideration. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Impact of electromagnetic fields on stem cells: common mechanisms at the crossroad between adult neurogenesis and osteogenesis

PubMed Central

Leone, Lucia; Podda, Maria Vittoria; Grassi, Claudio

2015-01-01

In the recent years adult neural and mesenchymal stem cells have been intensively investigated as effective resources for repair therapies. In vivo and in vitro studies have provided insights on the molecular mechanisms underlying the neurogenic and osteogenic processes in adulthood. This knowledge appears fundamental for the development of targeted strategies to manipulate stem cells. Here we review recent literature dealing with the effects of electromagnetic fields on stem cell biology that lends support to their use as a promising tool to positively influence the different steps of neurogenic and osteogenic processes. We will focus on recent studies revealing that extremely-low frequency electromagnetic fields enhance adult hippocampal neurogenesis by inducing epigenetic modifications on the regulatory sequences of genes responsible for neural stem cell proliferation and neuronal differentiation. In light of the emerging critical role played by chromatin modifications in maintaining the stemness as well as in regulating stem cell differentiation, we will also attempt to exploit epigenetic changes that can represent common targets for electromagnetic field effects on neurogenic and osteogenic processes. PMID:26124705

Linking Cognitive and Visual Perceptual Decline in Healthy Aging: The Information Degradation Hypothesis

PubMed Central

Monge, Zachary A.; Madden, David J.

2016-01-01

Several hypotheses attempt to explain the relation between cognitive and perceptual decline in aging (e.g., common-cause, sensory deprivation, cognitive load on perception, information degradation). Unfortunately, the majority of past studies examining this association have used correlational analyses, not allowing for these hypotheses to be tested sufficiently. This correlational issue is especially relevant for the information degradation hypothesis, which states that degraded perceptual signal inputs, resulting from either age-related neurobiological processes (e.g., retinal degeneration) or experimental manipulations (e.g., reduced visual contrast), lead to errors in perceptual processing, which in turn may affect non-perceptual, higher-order cognitive processes. Even though the majority of studies examining the relation between age-related cognitive and perceptual decline have been correlational, we reviewed several studies demonstrating that visual manipulations affect both younger and older adults’ cognitive performance, supporting the information degradation hypothesis and contradicting implications of other hypotheses (e.g., common-cause, sensory deprivation, cognitive load on perception). The reviewed evidence indicates the necessity to further examine the information degradation hypothesis in order to identify mechanisms underlying age-related cognitive decline. PMID:27484869

Mechanisms Linking Colorectal Cancer to the Consumption of (Processed) Red Meat: A Review.

PubMed

Demeyer, Daniel; Mertens, Birgit; De Smet, Stefaan; Ulens, Michèle

2016-12-09

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world. The vast majority of CRC cases have been linked to environmental causes rather than to heritable genetic changes. Over the last decades, epidemiological evidence linking the consumption of red and, more convincingly, of processed red meat to CRC has accumulated. In parallel, hypotheses on carcinogenic mechanisms underlying an association between CRC and the intake of red and processed red meat have been proposed and investigated in biological studies. The hypotheses that have received most attention until now include (1) the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic aromatic amines, two groups of compounds recognized as carcinogenic, (2) the enhancing effect of (nitrosyl)heme on the formation of carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds and lipid peroxidation. However, none of these hypotheses completely explains the link between red and processed red meat intake and the CRC risk. Consequently, scientists have proposed additional mechanisms or refined their hypotheses. This review first briefly summarizes the development of CRC followed by an in-depth overview and critical discussion of the different potential carcinogenic mechanisms underlying the increased CRC risk associated with the consumption of red and processed red meat.

Seed rain under native and non-native tree species in the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge, Puerto Rico.

PubMed

Arias Garcia, Andrea; Chinea, J Danilo

2014-09-01

Seed dispersal is a fundamental process in plant ecology and is of critical importance for the restoration of tropical communities. The lands of the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge (CRNWR), formerly under agriculture, were abandoned in the 1970s and colonized mainly by non-native tree species of degraded pastures. Here we described the seed rain under the most common native and non-native trees in the refuge in an attempt to determine if focal tree geographic origin (native versus non-native) influences seed dispersal. For this, seed rain was sampled for one year under the canopies of four native and four non-native tree species common in this refuge using 40 seed traps. No significant differences were found for the abundance of seeds, or their diversity, dispersing under native versus non-native focal tree species, nor under the different tree species. A significantly different seed species composition was observed reaching native versus non-native focal species. However, this last result could be more easily explained as a function of distance of the closest adults of the two most abundantly dispersed plant species to the seed traps than as a function of the geographic origin of the focal species. We suggest to continue the practice of planting native tree species, not only as a way to restore the community to a condition similar to the original one, but also to reduce the distances needed for effective dispersal.

An observational study of the frequency, severity, and etiology of failures in postoperative care after major elective general surgery.

PubMed

Symons, Nicholas R A; Almoudaris, Alex M; Nagpal, Kamal; Vincent, Charles A; Moorthy, Krishna

2013-01-01

To investigate the nature of process failures in postoperative care, to assess their frequency and preventability, and to explore their relationship to adverse events. Adverse events are common and are frequently caused by failures in the process of care. These processes are often evaluated independently using clinical audit. There is little understanding of process failures in terms of their overall frequency, relative risk, and cumulative effect on the surgical patient. Patients were observed daily from the first postoperative day until discharge by an independent surgeon. Field notes on the circumstances surrounding any nonroutine or atypical event were recorded. Field notes were assessed by 2 surgeons to identify failures in the process of care. Preventability, the degree of harm caused to the patient, and the underlying etiology of process failures were evaluated by 2 independent surgeons. Fifty patients undergoing major elective general surgery were observed for a total of 659 days of postoperative care. A total of 256 process failures were identified, of which 85% were preventable and 51% directly led to patient harm. Process failures occurred in all aspects of care, the most frequent being medication prescribing and administration, management of lines, tubes, and drains, and pain control interventions. Process failures accounted for 57% of all preventable adverse events. Communication failures and delays were the main etiologies, leading to 54% of process failures. Process failures are common in postoperative care, are highly preventable, and frequently cause harm to patients. Interventions to prevent process failures will improve the reliability of surgical postoperative care and have the potential to reduce hospital stay.

Genome-wide identification and characterization of aquaporin gene family in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.).

PubMed

Ariani, Andrea; Gepts, Paul

2015-10-01

Plant aquaporins are a large and diverse family of water channel proteins that are essential for several physiological processes in living organisms. Numerous studies have linked plant aquaporins with a plethora of processes, such as nutrient acquisition, CO2 transport, plant growth and development, and response to abiotic stresses. However, little is known about this protein family in common bean. Here, we present a genome-wide identification of the aquaporin gene family in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), a legume crop essential for human nutrition. We identified 41 full-length coding aquaporin sequences in the common bean genome, divided by phylogenetic analysis into five sub-families (PIPs, TIPs, NIPs, SIPs and XIPs). Residues determining substrate specificity of aquaporins (i.e., NPA motifs and ar/R selectivity filter) seem conserved between common bean and other plant species, allowing inference of substrate specificity for these proteins. Thanks to the availability of RNA-sequencing datasets, expression levels in different organs and in leaves of wild and domesticated bean accessions were evaluated. Three aquaporins (PvTIP1;1, PvPIP2;4 and PvPIP1;2) have the overall highest mean expressions, with PvTIP1;1 having the highest expression among all aquaporins. We performed an EST database mining to identify drought-responsive aquaporins in common bean. This analysis showed a significant increase in expression for PvTIP1;1 in drought stress conditions compared to well-watered environments. The pivotal role suggested for PvTIP1;1 in regulating water homeostasis and drought stress response in the common bean should be verified by further field experimentation under drought stress.

Global dynamics of oscillator populations under common noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braun, W.; Pikovsky, A.; Matias, M. A.; Colet, P.

2012-07-01

Common noise acting on a population of identical oscillators can synchronize them. We develop a description of this process which is not limited to the states close to synchrony, but provides a global picture of the evolution of the ensembles. The theory is based on the Watanabe-Strogatz transformation, allowing us to obtain closed stochastic equations for the global variables. We show that at the initial stage, the order parameter grows linearly in time, while at the later stages the convergence to synchrony is exponentially fast. Furthermore, we extend the theory to nonidentical ensembles with the Lorentzian distribution of natural frequencies and determine the stationary values of the order parameter in dependence on driving noise and mismatch.

Hybrid Cubature Kalman filtering for identifying nonlinear models from sampled recording: Estimation of neuronal dynamics.

PubMed

Madi, Mahmoud K; Karameh, Fadi N

2017-01-01

Kalman filtering methods have long been regarded as efficient adaptive Bayesian techniques for estimating hidden states in models of linear dynamical systems under Gaussian uncertainty. Recent advents of the Cubature Kalman filter (CKF) have extended this efficient estimation property to nonlinear systems, and also to hybrid nonlinear problems where by the processes are continuous and the observations are discrete (continuous-discrete CD-CKF). Employing CKF techniques, therefore, carries high promise for modeling many biological phenomena where the underlying processes exhibit inherently nonlinear, continuous, and noisy dynamics and the associated measurements are uncertain and time-sampled. This paper investigates the performance of cubature filtering (CKF and CD-CKF) in two flagship problems arising in the field of neuroscience upon relating brain functionality to aggregate neurophysiological recordings: (i) estimation of the firing dynamics and the neural circuit model parameters from electric potentials (EP) observations, and (ii) estimation of the hemodynamic model parameters and the underlying neural drive from BOLD (fMRI) signals. First, in simulated neural circuit models, estimation accuracy was investigated under varying levels of observation noise (SNR), process noise structures, and observation sampling intervals (dt). When compared to the CKF, the CD-CKF consistently exhibited better accuracy for a given SNR, sharp accuracy increase with higher SNR, and persistent error reduction with smaller dt. Remarkably, CD-CKF accuracy shows only a mild deterioration for non-Gaussian process noise, specifically with Poisson noise, a commonly assumed form of background fluctuations in neuronal systems. Second, in simulated hemodynamic models, parametric estimates were consistently improved under CD-CKF. Critically, time-localization of the underlying neural drive, a determinant factor in fMRI-based functional connectivity studies, was significantly more accurate under CD-CKF. In conclusion, and with the CKF recently benchmarked against other advanced Bayesian techniques, the CD-CKF framework could provide significant gains in robustness and accuracy when estimating a variety of biological phenomena models where the underlying process dynamics unfold at time scales faster than those seen in collected measurements.

Hybrid Cubature Kalman filtering for identifying nonlinear models from sampled recording: Estimation of neuronal dynamics

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Kalman filtering methods have long been regarded as efficient adaptive Bayesian techniques for estimating hidden states in models of linear dynamical systems under Gaussian uncertainty. Recent advents of the Cubature Kalman filter (CKF) have extended this efficient estimation property to nonlinear systems, and also to hybrid nonlinear problems where by the processes are continuous and the observations are discrete (continuous-discrete CD-CKF). Employing CKF techniques, therefore, carries high promise for modeling many biological phenomena where the underlying processes exhibit inherently nonlinear, continuous, and noisy dynamics and the associated measurements are uncertain and time-sampled. This paper investigates the performance of cubature filtering (CKF and CD-CKF) in two flagship problems arising in the field of neuroscience upon relating brain functionality to aggregate neurophysiological recordings: (i) estimation of the firing dynamics and the neural circuit model parameters from electric potentials (EP) observations, and (ii) estimation of the hemodynamic model parameters and the underlying neural drive from BOLD (fMRI) signals. First, in simulated neural circuit models, estimation accuracy was investigated under varying levels of observation noise (SNR), process noise structures, and observation sampling intervals (dt). When compared to the CKF, the CD-CKF consistently exhibited better accuracy for a given SNR, sharp accuracy increase with higher SNR, and persistent error reduction with smaller dt. Remarkably, CD-CKF accuracy shows only a mild deterioration for non-Gaussian process noise, specifically with Poisson noise, a commonly assumed form of background fluctuations in neuronal systems. Second, in simulated hemodynamic models, parametric estimates were consistently improved under CD-CKF. Critically, time-localization of the underlying neural drive, a determinant factor in fMRI-based functional connectivity studies, was significantly more accurate under CD-CKF. In conclusion, and with the CKF recently benchmarked against other advanced Bayesian techniques, the CD-CKF framework could provide significant gains in robustness and accuracy when estimating a variety of biological phenomena models where the underlying process dynamics unfold at time scales faster than those seen in collected measurements. PMID:28727850

The effect of hydrogen peroxide on uranium oxide films on 316L stainless steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilbraham, Richard J.; Boxall, Colin; Goddard, David T.; Taylor, Robin J.; Woodbury, Simon E.

2015-09-01

For the first time the effect of hydrogen peroxide on the dissolution of electrodeposited uranium oxide films on 316L stainless steel planchets (acting as simulant uranium-contaminated metal surfaces) has been studied. Analysis of the H2O2-mediated film dissolution processes via open circuit potentiometry, alpha counting and SEM/EDX imaging has shown that in near-neutral solutions of pH 6.1 and at [H2O2] ⩽ 100 μmol dm-3 the electrodeposited uranium oxide layer is freely dissolving, the associated rate of film dissolution being significantly increased over leaching of similar films in pH 6.1 peroxide-free water. At H2O2 concentrations between 1 mmol dm-3 and 0.1 mol dm-3, formation of an insoluble studtite product layer occurs at the surface of the uranium oxide film. In analogy to corrosion processes on common metal substrates such as steel, the studtite layer effectively passivates the underlying uranium oxide layer against subsequent dissolution. Finally, at [H2O2] > 0.1 mol dm-3 the uranium oxide film, again in analogy to common corrosion processes, behaves as if in a transpassive state and begins to dissolve. This transition from passive to transpassive behaviour in the effect of peroxide concentration on UO2 films has not hitherto been observed or explored, either in terms of corrosion processes or otherwise. Through consideration of thermodynamic solubility product and complex formation constant data, we attribute the transition to the formation of soluble uranyl-peroxide complexes under mildly alkaline, high [H2O2] conditions - a conclusion that has implications for the design of both acid minimal, metal ion oxidant-free decontamination strategies with low secondary waste arisings, and single step processes for spent nuclear fuel dissolution such as the Carbonate-based Oxidative Leaching (COL) process.

The unifying role of dissipative action in the dynamic failure of solids

DOE PAGES

Grady, Dennis

2015-05-19

Dissipative action, the product of dissipation energy and transport time, is fundamental to the dynamic failure of solids. Invariance of the dissipative action underlies the fourth-power nature of structured shock waves observed in selected solid metals and compounds. Dynamic failure through shock compaction, tensile spall and adiabatic shear are also governed by a constancy of the dissipative action. This commonality underlying the various modes of dynamic failure is described and leads to deeper insights into failure of solids in the intense shock wave event. These insights are in turn leading to a better understanding of the shock deformation processes underlyingmore » the fourth-power law. Experimental result and material models encompassing the dynamic failure of solids are explored for the purpose of demonstrating commonalities leading to invariance of the dissipation action. As a result, calculations are extended to aluminum and uranium metals with the intent of predicting micro-scale energetics and spatial scales in the structured shock wave.« less

Networked Community Change: Understanding Community Systems Change through the Lens of Social Network Analysis.

PubMed

Lawlor, Jennifer A; Neal, Zachary P

2016-06-01

Addressing complex problems in communities has become a key area of focus in recent years (Kania & Kramer, 2013, Stanford Social Innovation Review). Building on existing approaches to understanding and addressing problems, such as action research, several new approaches have emerged that shift the way communities solve problems (e.g., Burns, 2007, Systemic Action Research; Foth, 2006, Action Research, 4, 205; Kania & Kramer, 2011, Stanford Social Innovation Review, 1, 36). Seeking to bring clarity to the emerging literature on community change strategies, this article identifies the common features of the most widespread community change strategies and explores the conditions under which such strategies have the potential to be effective. We identify and describe five common features among the approaches to change. Then, using an agent-based model, we simulate network-building behavior among stakeholders participating in community change efforts using these approaches. We find that the emergent stakeholder networks are efficient when the processes are implemented under ideal conditions. © Society for Community Research and Action 2016.

Robust Scale Transformation Methods in IRT True Score Equating under Common-Item Nonequivalent Groups Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

He, Yong

2013-01-01

Common test items play an important role in equating multiple test forms under the common-item nonequivalent groups design. Inconsistent item parameter estimates among common items can lead to large bias in equated scores for IRT true score equating. Current methods extensively focus on detection and elimination of outlying common items, which…

Umbrella sampling of proton transfer in a creatine-water system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivchenko, Olga; Bachert, Peter; Imhof, Petra

2014-04-01

Proton transfer reactions are among the most common processes in chemistry and biology. Proton transfer between creatine and surrounding solvent water is underlying the chemical exchange saturation transfer used as a contrast in magnetic resonance imaging. The free energy barrier, determined by first-principles umbrella sampling simulations (EaDFT 3 kcal/mol) is in the same order of magnitude as the experimentally obtained activation energy. The underlying mechanism is a first proton transfer from the guanidinium group to the water pool, followed by a second transition where a proton is "transferred back" from the nearest water molecule to the deprotonated nitrogen atom of creatine.

Thermography Inspection for Early Detection of Composite Damage in Structures During Fatigue Loading

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zalameda, Joseph N.; Burke, Eric R.; Parker, F. Raymond; Seebo, Jeffrey P.; Wright, Christopher W.; Bly, James B.

2012-01-01

Advanced composite structures are commonly tested under controlled loading. Understanding the initiation and progression of composite damage under load is critical for validating design concepts and structural analysis tools. Thermal nondestructive evaluation (NDE) is used to detect and characterize damage in composite structures during fatigue loading. A difference image processing algorithm is demonstrated to enhance damage detection and characterization by removing thermal variations not associated with defects. In addition, a one-dimensional multilayered thermal model is used to characterize damage. Lastly, the thermography results are compared to other inspections such as non-immersion ultrasonic inspections and computed tomography X-ray.

Understanding and shifting drug-related decisions: Contributions of automatic decision-making processes

PubMed Central

Carpenter, Kenneth M.; Bedi, Gillinder; Vadhan, Nehal P.

2015-01-01

While substance use is common, only a minority of individuals who use drugs or alcohol develop problematic use. An understanding of the factors underlying the transition from substance use to misuse may improve prevention and intervention efforts. A key feature of substance misuse is ongoing decisions to use drugs or alcohol despite escalating negative consequences. Research findings highlight the importance of both relatively automatic, associative cognitive processes and relatively controlled, deliberative, and rational-analytic cognitive processes, for understanding situational decisions to use drugs. In this review, we discuss several cognitive component processes that may contribute to decision-making that promotes substance use and misuse, with a focus on more automatic processes. A growing body of evidence indicates that relative differences in the strength of these component processes can account for individual differences in the transition from substance use to misuse, and may offer important avenues for developing novel intervention strategies. PMID:26084667

Understanding and shifting drug-related decisions: contributions of automatic decision-making processes.

PubMed

Carpenter, Kenneth M; Bedi, Gillinder; Vadhan, Nehal P

2015-08-01

While substance use is common, only a minority of individuals who use drugs or alcohol develop problematic use. An understanding of the factors underlying the transition from substance use to misuse may improve prevention and intervention efforts. A key feature of substance misuse is ongoing decisions to use drugs or alcohol despite escalating negative consequences. Research findings highlight the importance of both relatively automatic, associative cognitive processes and relatively controlled, deliberative, and rational-analytic cognitive processes, for understanding situational decisions to use drugs. In this review, we discuss several cognitive component processes that may contribute to decision-making that promotes substance use and misuse, with a focus on more automatic processes. A growing body of evidence indicates that relative differences in the strength of these component processes can account for individual differences in the transition from substance use to misuse and may offer important avenues for developing novel intervention strategies.

KaBOB: ontology-based semantic integration of biomedical databases.

PubMed

Livingston, Kevin M; Bada, Michael; Baumgartner, William A; Hunter, Lawrence E

2015-04-23

The ability to query many independent biological databases using a common ontology-based semantic model would facilitate deeper integration and more effective utilization of these diverse and rapidly growing resources. Despite ongoing work moving toward shared data formats and linked identifiers, significant problems persist in semantic data integration in order to establish shared identity and shared meaning across heterogeneous biomedical data sources. We present five processes for semantic data integration that, when applied collectively, solve seven key problems. These processes include making explicit the differences between biomedical concepts and database records, aggregating sets of identifiers denoting the same biomedical concepts across data sources, and using declaratively represented forward-chaining rules to take information that is variably represented in source databases and integrating it into a consistent biomedical representation. We demonstrate these processes and solutions by presenting KaBOB (the Knowledge Base Of Biomedicine), a knowledge base of semantically integrated data from 18 prominent biomedical databases using common representations grounded in Open Biomedical Ontologies. An instance of KaBOB with data about humans and seven major model organisms can be built using on the order of 500 million RDF triples. All source code for building KaBOB is available under an open-source license. KaBOB is an integrated knowledge base of biomedical data representationally based in prominent, actively maintained Open Biomedical Ontologies, thus enabling queries of the underlying data in terms of biomedical concepts (e.g., genes and gene products, interactions and processes) rather than features of source-specific data schemas or file formats. KaBOB resolves many of the issues that routinely plague biomedical researchers intending to work with data from multiple data sources and provides a platform for ongoing data integration and development and for formal reasoning over a wealth of integrated biomedical data.

Interference and memory capacity limitations.

PubMed

Endress, Ansgar D; Szabó, Szilárd

2017-10-01

Working memory (WM) is thought to have a fixed and limited capacity. However, the origins of these capacity limitations are debated, and generally attributed to active, attentional processes. Here, we show that the existence of interference among items in memory mathematically guarantees fixed and limited capacity limits under very general conditions, irrespective of any processing assumptions. Assuming that interference (a) increases with the number of interfering items and (b) brings memory performance to chance levels for large numbers of interfering items, capacity limits are a simple function of the relative influence of memorization and interference. In contrast, we show that time-based memory limitations do not lead to fixed memory capacity limitations that are independent of the timing properties of an experiment. We show that interference can mimic both slot-like and continuous resource-like memory limitations, suggesting that these types of memory performance might not be as different as commonly believed. We speculate that slot-like WM limitations might arise from crowding-like phenomena in memory when participants have to retrieve items. Further, based on earlier research on parallel attention and enumeration, we suggest that crowding-like phenomena might be a common reason for the 3 major cognitive capacity limitations. As suggested by Miller (1956) and Cowan (2001), these capacity limitations might arise because of a common reason, even though they likely rely on distinct processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Sleep in childhood and adolescence: age-specific sleep characteristics, common sleep disturbances and associated difficulties.

PubMed

Barclay, Nicola L; Gregory, Alice M

2014-01-01

Sleep changes throughout the lifespan, with particularly salient alterations occurring during the first few years of life, as well as during the transition from childhood to adolescence. Such changes are partly the result of brain maturation; complex changes in the organisation of the circadian system; as well as changes in daily routine, environmental demands and responsibilities. Despite the automaticity of sleep, given that it is governed by a host of complex mechanisms, there are times when sleep becomes disturbed. Sleep disturbances in childhood are common and may stem from behavioural difficulties or abnormalities in physiological processes-and, in some cases manifest into diagnosable sleep disorders. As well as occurring exclusively, childhood sleep disturbances often co-occur with other difficulties. The purpose of this chapter is to outline the neurobiology of typical sleep/wake processes, and describe changes in sleep physiology and architecture from birth to adulthood. Furthermore, common childhood sleep disorders are described as are their associations with other traits, including all of the syndromes presented in this handbook: ASDs, ADHD, schizophrenia and emotional/behavioural difficulties. Throughout, we attempt to explain possible mechanisms underlying these disorders and their associations.

Common Visual Preference for Curved Contours in Humans and Great Apes.

PubMed

Munar, Enric; Gómez-Puerto, Gerardo; Call, Josep; Nadal, Marcos

2015-01-01

Among the visual preferences that guide many everyday activities and decisions, from consumer choices to social judgment, preference for curved over sharp-angled contours is commonly thought to have played an adaptive role throughout human evolution, favoring the avoidance of potentially harmful objects. However, because nonhuman primates also exhibit preferences for certain visual qualities, it is conceivable that humans' preference for curved contours is grounded on perceptual and cognitive mechanisms shared with extant nonhuman primate species. Here we aimed to determine whether nonhuman great apes and humans share a visual preference for curved over sharp-angled contours using a 2-alternative forced choice experimental paradigm under comparable conditions. Our results revealed that the human group and the great ape group indeed share a common preference for curved over sharp-angled contours, but that they differ in the manner and magnitude with which this preference is expressed behaviorally. These results suggest that humans' visual preference for curved objects evolved from earlier primate species' visual preferences, and that during this process it became stronger, but also more susceptible to the influence of higher cognitive processes and preference for other visual features.

Integrated Payload Data Handling Systems Using Software Partitioning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, Alun; Hann, Mark; Wishart, Alex

2015-09-01

An integrated Payload Data Handling System (I-PDHS) is one in which multiple instruments share a central payload processor for their on-board data processing tasks. This offers a number of advantages over the conventional decentralised architecture. Savings in payload mass and power can be realised because the total processing resource is matched to the requirements, as opposed to the decentralised architecture here the processing resource is in effect the sum of all the applications. Overall development cost can be reduced using a common processor. At individual instrument level the potential benefits include a standardised application development environment, and the opportunity to run the instrument data handling application on a fully redundant and more powerful processing platform [1]. This paper describes a joint program by SCISYS UK Limited, Airbus Defence and Space, Imperial College London and RAL Space to implement a realistic demonstration of an I-PDHS using engineering models of flight instruments (a magnetometer and camera) and a laboratory demonstrator of a central payload processor which is functionally representative of a flight design. The objective is to raise the Technology Readiness Level of the centralised data processing technique by address the key areas of task partitioning to prevent fault propagation and the use of a common development process for the instrument applications. The project is supported by a UK Space Agency grant awarded under the National Space Technology Program SpaceCITI scheme. [1].

The Paradox of Isochrony in the Evolution of Human Rhythm

PubMed Central

Ravignani, Andrea; Madison, Guy

2017-01-01

Isochrony is crucial to the rhythm of human music. Some neural, behavioral and anatomical traits underlying rhythm perception and production are shared with a broad range of species. These may either have a common evolutionary origin, or have evolved into similar traits under different evolutionary pressures. Other traits underlying rhythm are rare across species, only found in humans and few other animals. Isochrony, or stable periodicity, is common to most human music, but isochronous behaviors are also found in many species. It appears paradoxical that humans are particularly good at producing and perceiving isochronous patterns, although this ability does not conceivably confer any evolutionary advantage to modern humans. This article will attempt to solve this conundrum. To this end, we define the concept of isochrony from the present functional perspective of physiology, cognitive neuroscience, signal processing, and interactive behavior, and review available evidence on isochrony in the signals of humans and other animals. We then attempt to resolve the paradox of isochrony by expanding an evolutionary hypothesis about the function that isochronous behavior may have had in early hominids. Finally, we propose avenues for empirical research to examine this hypothesis and to understand the evolutionary origin of isochrony in general. PMID:29163252

Computationally efficient confidence intervals for cross-validated area under the ROC curve estimates.

PubMed

LeDell, Erin; Petersen, Maya; van der Laan, Mark

In binary classification problems, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) is commonly used to evaluate the performance of a prediction model. Often, it is combined with cross-validation in order to assess how the results will generalize to an independent data set. In order to evaluate the quality of an estimate for cross-validated AUC, we obtain an estimate of its variance. For massive data sets, the process of generating a single performance estimate can be computationally expensive. Additionally, when using a complex prediction method, the process of cross-validating a predictive model on even a relatively small data set can still require a large amount of computation time. Thus, in many practical settings, the bootstrap is a computationally intractable approach to variance estimation. As an alternative to the bootstrap, we demonstrate a computationally efficient influence curve based approach to obtaining a variance estimate for cross-validated AUC.

iBiology: communicating the process of science.

PubMed

Goodwin, Sarah S

2014-08-01

The Internet hosts an abundance of science video resources aimed at communicating scientific knowledge, including webinars, massive open online courses, and TED talks. Although these videos are efficient at disseminating information for diverse types of users, they often do not demonstrate the process of doing science, the excitement of scientific discovery, or how new scientific knowledge is developed. iBiology (www.ibiology.org), a project that creates open-access science videos about biology research and science-related topics, seeks to fill this need by producing videos by science leaders that make their ideas, stories, and experiences available to anyone with an Internet connection. © 2014 Goodwin. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). Two months after publication it is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Polymerase chain reaction assay targeting cytochrome b gene for the detection of dog meat adulteration in meatball formulation.

PubMed

Rahman, Md Mahfujur; Ali, Md Eaqub; Hamid, Sharifah Bee Abd; Mustafa, Shuhaimi; Hashim, Uda; Hanapi, Ummi Kalthum

2014-08-01

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for the assessment of dog meat adulteration in meatballs was developed. The assay selectively amplified a 100-bp region of canine mitochondrial cytochrome b gene from pure, raw, processed and mixed backgrounds. The specificity of the assay was tested against 11 animals and 3 plants species, commonly available for meatball formulation. The stability of the assay was proven under extensively autoclaving conditions that breakdown target DNA. A blind test from ready to eat chicken and beef meatballs showed that the assay can repeatedly detect 0.2% canine meat tissues under complex matrices using 0.04 ng of dog DNA extracted from differentially treated meatballs. The simplicity, stability and sensitivity of the assay suggested that it could be used in halal food industry for the authentication of canine derivatives in processed foods. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Computationally efficient confidence intervals for cross-validated area under the ROC curve estimates

PubMed Central

Petersen, Maya; van der Laan, Mark

2015-01-01

In binary classification problems, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) is commonly used to evaluate the performance of a prediction model. Often, it is combined with cross-validation in order to assess how the results will generalize to an independent data set. In order to evaluate the quality of an estimate for cross-validated AUC, we obtain an estimate of its variance. For massive data sets, the process of generating a single performance estimate can be computationally expensive. Additionally, when using a complex prediction method, the process of cross-validating a predictive model on even a relatively small data set can still require a large amount of computation time. Thus, in many practical settings, the bootstrap is a computationally intractable approach to variance estimation. As an alternative to the bootstrap, we demonstrate a computationally efficient influence curve based approach to obtaining a variance estimate for cross-validated AUC. PMID:26279737

Self-organizing linear output map (SOLO): An artificial neural network suitable for hydrologic modeling and analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsu, Kuo-Lin; Gupta, Hoshin V.; Gao, Xiaogang; Sorooshian, Soroosh; Imam, Bisher

2002-12-01

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) can be useful in the prediction of hydrologic variables, such as streamflow, particularly when the underlying processes have complex nonlinear interrelationships. However, conventional ANN structures suffer from network training issues that significantly limit their widespread application. This paper presents a multivariate ANN procedure entitled self-organizing linear output map (SOLO), whose structure has been designed for rapid, precise, and inexpensive estimation of network structure/parameters and system outputs. More important, SOLO provides features that facilitate insight into the underlying processes, thereby extending its usefulness beyond forecast applications as a tool for scientific investigations. These characteristics are demonstrated using a classic rainfall-runoff forecasting problem. Various aspects of model performance are evaluated in comparison with other commonly used modeling approaches, including multilayer feedforward ANNs, linear time series modeling, and conceptual rainfall-runoff modeling.

Detection of a novel, integrative aging process suggests complex physiological integration.

PubMed

Cohen, Alan A; Milot, Emmanuel; Li, Qing; Bergeron, Patrick; Poirier, Roxane; Dusseault-Bélanger, Francis; Fülöp, Tamàs; Leroux, Maxime; Legault, Véronique; Metter, E Jeffrey; Fried, Linda P; Ferrucci, Luigi

2015-01-01

Many studies of aging examine biomarkers one at a time, but complex systems theory and network theory suggest that interpretations of individual markers may be context-dependent. Here, we attempted to detect underlying processes governing the levels of many biomarkers simultaneously by applying principal components analysis to 43 common clinical biomarkers measured longitudinally in 3694 humans from three longitudinal cohort studies on two continents (Women's Health and Aging I & II, InCHIANTI, and the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging). The first axis was associated with anemia, inflammation, and low levels of calcium and albumin. The axis structure was precisely reproduced in all three populations and in all demographic sub-populations (by sex, race, etc.); we call the process represented by the axis "integrated albunemia." Integrated albunemia increases and accelerates with age in all populations, and predicts mortality and frailty--but not chronic disease--even after controlling for age. This suggests a role in the aging process, though causality is not yet clear. Integrated albunemia behaves more stably across populations than its component biomarkers, and thus appears to represent a higher-order physiological process emerging from the structure of underlying regulatory networks. If this is correct, detection of this process has substantial implications for physiological organization more generally.

The role of genetics in fisheries management under the E.U. common fisheries policy.

PubMed

Casey, J; Jardim, E; Martinsohn, J Th

2016-12-01

Exploitation of fish and shellfish stocks by the European Union fishing fleet is managed under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), which aims to ensure that fishing and aquaculture are environmentally, economically and socially sustainable and that they provide a source of healthy food for E.U. citizens. A notable feature of the CFP is its legally enshrined requirement for sound scientific advice to underpin its objectives. The CFP was first conceived in 1970 when it formed part of the Common Agricultural Policy. Its formal inception as a stand-alone regulation occurred in 1983 and since that time, the CFP has undergone reforms in 1992, 2002 and 2013, each time bringing additional challenges to the scientific advisory process as the scope of the advice increased in response to changing objectives arising from E.U. regulations and commitments to international agreements. This paper reviews the influence that genetics has had on fish stock assessments and the provision of management advice for European fisheries under successive reforms of the CFP. The developments in genetics since the inception of the CFP have given rise to a diverse and versatile set of genetic techniques that have the potential to provide significant added value to fisheries assessments and the scientific advisory process. While in some cases, notably Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp., genetics appear to be very well integrated into existing management schemes, it seems that for marine fishes, discussions on the use of genetics and genomics for fisheries management are often driven by the remarkable technological progress in this field, rather than imminent needs emerging from policy frameworks. An example is the recent suggestion to use environmental (e)DNA for monitoring purposes. While there is no denying that state-of-the-art genetic and genomic approaches can and will be of value to address a number of issues relevant for the management and conservation of marine renewable natural resources, a focus on technology rather than policy and management needs is prone to widen the gap between science and policy, governance and management, thereby further impeding the effective integration of genetic and genomic information into the fisheries management decision making process. Hence, rather than focusing on what is technically achievable, this review outlines suggestions as to which modern genetic and genomic approaches are likely to help address some of the most pressing fisheries management challenges under the CFP. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Fish Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

The values underlying team decision-making in work rehabilitation for musculoskeletal disorders.

PubMed

Loisel, Patrick; Falardeau, Marlène; Baril, Raymond; José-Durand, Marie; Langley, Ann; Sauvé, Sandrine; Gervais, Julie

2005-05-20

This paper presents the results of a qualitative study on the values underlying the decision-making process of an interdisciplinary team working in a work rehabilitation facility of a Québec teaching hospital. In order to document the values underlying the decision-making process, a single case observational study was conducted. Interdisciplinary team weekly discussions on ongoing cases of 22 workers absent from work due to musculoskeletal disorders were videotaped. All discourses were transcribed and analyzed following an inductive and iterative approach. The values identified were validated by feedback from team members. Ten common decision values emerged from the data: (1) team unity and credibility, (2) collaboration with stakeholders, (3) worker's internal motivation, (4) worker's adherence to the program, (5) worker's reactivation, (6) single message, (7) reassurance, (8) graded intervention, (9) pain management and (10) return to work as a therapy. The analysis of these values led to the design of a model describing interrelations between them. This study throws light on some mechanisms underlying the decisions made by the team and determining its action. This improves understanding of the actions taken by an interdisciplinary team in work rehabilitation and may facilitate knowledge transfer in the training of other teams.

Data Telemetry and Acquisition System for Acoustic Signal Processing Investigations.

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-02-20

were VME- based computer systems operating under the VxWorks real - time operating system . Each system shared a common hardware and software... real - time operating system . It interfaces to the Berg PCM Decommutator board, which searches for the embedded synchronization word in the data and re...software were built on top of this architecture. The multi-tasking, message queue and memory management facilities of the VxWorks real - time operating system are

Hypoparathyroidism associated with systemic lupus erythematosus.

PubMed

Gazarian, M; Laxer, R M; Kooh, S W; Silverman, E D

1995-11-01

We describe a 15-year-old girl with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who presented with hypocalcemia and a generalized seizure in the setting of an intercurrent illness and active central nervous system lupus. She was subsequently found to have idiopathic hypoparathyroidism. The association of SLE with hypoparathyroidism is extremely rare and this case represents the first pediatric report of this rare association. We suggest there may be a common underlying pathophysiological process linking these diseases.

A Scientific Approach to the Teaching of Chemistry: What Do We Know about How Students Learn in the Sciences, and How Can We Make Our Teaching Match This to Maximise Performance?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reid, Norman

2008-01-01

Around 1960, there were quite radical changes in emphasis in many countries in school chemistry education, with subsequent changes in many university courses. Considerable research was undertaken to explore the learning problems students were reporting and the common thread underlying became apparent: it related to the way humans process new…

Quadrennial Defense Review Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-02-06

reforms will not occur overnight, and care must be taken not to weaken what works eff ectively during the transition to a more cross-cutting...but will be part of a process of continuous change. Common to all of the focus areas is the imperative to work with other government agencies...indiscriminate violence in an attempt to subjugate the Muslim world under a radical theocratic tyranny. Th ese networks also aim to exhaust the will of

Digital Topographic Support System (DTSS).

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-07-29

effects applications software, a word processing package and a Special Purpose Product Builder ( SPPB ) in terms common to his Job. Through the MI, the...communicating with the TA in terms he understands, the applications software, the SPPB and the GIS form the underlying tools which perform the computations and...displayed on the monitors or plotted on paper or Mylar. The SPPB will guide the TA enabling him to design products which are not included in the applications

Emerging concepts in effector biology of plant-associated organisms.

PubMed

Hogenhout, Saskia A; Van der Hoorn, Renier A L; Terauchi, Ryohei; Kamoun, Sophien

2009-02-01

Plant-associated organisms secrete proteins and other molecules to modulate plant defense circuitry and enable colonization of plant tissue. Understanding the molecular function of these secreted molecules, collectively known as effectors, became widely accepted as essential for a mechanistic understanding of the processes underlying plant colonization. This review summarizes recent findings in the field of effector biology and highlights the common concepts that have emerged from the study of cellular plant pathogen effectors.

Common bean proteomics: Present status and future strategies.

PubMed

Zargar, Sajad Majeed; Mahajan, Reetika; Nazir, Muslima; Nagar, Preeti; Kim, Sun Tae; Rai, Vandna; Masi, Antonio; Ahmad, Syed Mudasir; Shah, Riaz Ahmad; Ganai, Nazir Ahmad; Agrawal, Ganesh K; Rakwal, Randeep

2017-10-03

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a legume of appreciable importance and usefulness worldwide to the human population providing food and feed. It is rich in high-quality protein, energy, fiber and micronutrients especially iron, zinc, and pro-vitamin A; and possesses potentially disease-preventing and health-promoting compounds. The recently published genome sequence of common bean is an important landmark in common bean research, opening new avenues for understanding its genetics in depth. This legume crop is affected by diverse biotic and abiotic stresses severely limiting its productivity. Looking at the trend of increasing world population and the need for food crops best suited to the health of humankind, the legumes will be in great demand, including the common bean mostly for its nutritive values. Hence the need for new research in understanding the biology of this crop brings us to utilize and apply high-throughput omics approaches. In this mini-review our focus will be on the need for proteomics studies in common bean, potential of proteomics for understanding genetic regulation under abiotic and biotic stresses and how proteogenomics will lead to nutritional improvement. We will also discuss future proteomics-based strategies that must be adopted to mine new genomic resources by identifying molecular switches regulating various biological processes. Common bean is regarded as "grain of hope" for the poor, being rich in high-quality protein, energy, fiber and micronutrients (iron, zinc, pro-vitamin A); and possesses potentially disease-preventing and health-promoting compounds. Increasing world population and the need for food crops best suited to the health of humankind, puts legumes into great demand, which includes the common bean mostly. An important landmark in common bean research was the recent publication of its genome sequence, opening new avenues for understanding its genetics in depth. This legume crop is affected by diverse biotic and abiotic stresses severely limiting its productivity. Therefore, the need for new research in understanding the biology of this crop brings us to utilize and apply high-throughput omics approaches. Proteomics can be used to track all the candidate proteins/genes responsible for a biological process under specific conditions in a particular tissue. The potential of proteomics will not only help in determining the functions of a large number of genes in a single experiment but will also be a useful tool to mine new genes that can provide solution to various problems (abiotic stress, biotic stress, nutritional improvement, etc). We believe that a combined approach including breeding along with omics tools will lead towards attaining sustainability in legumes, including common bean. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Etiology and clinical outcome in dogs with aspiration pneumonia: 88 cases (2004-2006).

PubMed

Kogan, David A; Johnson, Lynelle R; Sturges, Beverly K; Jandrey, Karl E; Pollard, Rachel E

2008-12-01

To evaluate the number and types of underlying disorders detected in dogs with aspiration pneumonia and determine the survival rate among affected dogs. Retrospective case series. Animals-88 dogs with aspiration pneumonia. Medical records were reviewed to identify disease processes that could result in aspiration pneumonia. To assess outcome (ie, survival to discharge from the hospital or nonsurvival), dogs were grouped by the type and number of underlying disease processes. Duration of hospitalization and radiographic severity of disease were evaluated with regard to case outcome. As the cause of aspiration pneumonia, a single underlying disorder was identified in 60 of the 88 dogs; 2 or more diseases were identified in the remaining dogs. Esophageal disease (n = 35), vomiting (34), neurologic disorders (24), laryngeal disease (16), and postanesthetic aspiration (12) were identified most commonly. Overall, 68 dogs survived to discharge from the hospital (survival rate, 77%). Survival rates were comparable among dogs regardless of the underlying cause of aspiration pneumonia. Radiographic severity of disease and duration of hospitalization did not influence survival. Among these study dogs, aspiration pneumonia was associated with a high survival rate. The presence of more than 1 underlying disease associated with aspiration pneumonia did not adversely impact survival rate. Interestingly, radiographic severity of disease and duration of hospitalization were not associated with overall survival rate.

Unusual Sediment Transportation Processes Under Low Pressure Environments and Implications For Gullies and Recurring Slope Lineae (RSL)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raack, J.; Herny, C.; Conway, S. J.; Balme, M. R.; Carpy, S.; Patel, M.

2017-12-01

Recently and presently active mass wasting features such as gullies and recurring slope lineae (RSL) are common on the surface of Mars, but their origin and triggering mechanisms are under intense debate. While several active mass wasting features have been linked to sublimation of CO2ice, dry granular flows (avalanches), or a combination of both effects, others have been more closely linked to liquid water or briny outflows (e.g. for RSL). However, liquid water on the surface of Mars is unstable under present-day low pressures and surface temperatures. Nevertheless, numerical modeling and remote sensing data have shown that maximum surface temperatures can exceed the frost point of water and that liquid water could exist on the surface of actual Mars in a transient state. But to explain the observed spatial extent of RSL and recent modification of gullies, it is estimated that relatively large amounts of liquid water are necessary. It is proving challenging to generate such quantities from the atmosphere. In this contribution we explore the potential effects of boiling water (boiling occurs at martian pressures slightly above the frost point of 273 K) on sediment transport. We will present the outcomes of a series of experiments under low surface and water temperatures (between 278 and 297 K, analogous to surface temperatures observed near RSL) and low pressures (between 8 and 11 mbar). We simulate sediment transport by boiling liquid water over a sloping bed of unconsolidated sediment. Our results reveal a suite of unusual and very reactive sediment transportation processes, which are not produced under terrestrial pressures. We will discuss the impact of these unusual sediment transport processes on estimates of water budgets for active mass wasting processes.

Biological Networks Underlying Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Temperate Crops—A Proteomic Perspective

PubMed Central

Kosová, Klára; Vítámvás, Pavel; Urban, Milan Oldřich; Klíma, Miroslav; Roy, Amitava; Prášil, Ilja Tom

2015-01-01

Abiotic stress factors, especially low temperatures, drought, and salinity, represent the major constraints limiting agricultural production in temperate climate. Under the conditions of global climate change, the risk of damaging effects of abiotic stresses on crop production increases. Plant stress response represents an active process aimed at an establishment of novel homeostasis under altered environmental conditions. Proteins play a crucial role in plant stress response since they are directly involved in shaping the final phenotype. In the review, results of proteomic studies focused on stress response of major crops grown in temperate climate including cereals: common wheat (Triticum aestivum), durum wheat (Triticum durum), barley (Hordeum vulgare), maize (Zea mays); leguminous plants: alfalfa (Medicago sativa), soybean (Glycine max), common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), pea (Pisum sativum); oilseed rape (Brassica napus); potato (Solanum tuberosum); tobacco (Nicotiana tabaccum); tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum); and others, to a wide range of abiotic stresses (cold, drought, salinity, heat, imbalances in mineral nutrition and heavy metals) are summarized. The dynamics of changes in various protein functional groups including signaling and regulatory proteins, transcription factors, proteins involved in protein metabolism, amino acid metabolism, metabolism of several stress-related compounds, proteins with chaperone and protective functions as well as structural proteins (cell wall components, cytoskeleton) are briefly overviewed. Attention is paid to the differences found between differentially tolerant genotypes. In addition, proteomic studies aimed at proteomic investigation of multiple stress factors are discussed. In conclusion, contribution of proteomic studies to understanding the complexity of crop response to abiotic stresses as well as possibilities to identify and utilize protein markers in crop breeding processes are discussed. PMID:26340626

Neurocomputational mechanisms underlying subjective valuation of effort costs

PubMed Central

Giehl, Kathrin; Sillence, Annie

2017-01-01

In everyday life, we have to decide whether it is worth exerting effort to obtain rewards. Effort can be experienced in different domains, with some tasks requiring significant cognitive demand and others being more physically effortful. The motivation to exert effort for reward is highly subjective and varies considerably across the different domains of behaviour. However, very little is known about the computational or neural basis of how different effort costs are subjectively weighed against rewards. Is there a common, domain-general system of brain areas that evaluates all costs and benefits? Here, we used computational modelling and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the mechanisms underlying value processing in both the cognitive and physical domains. Participants were trained on two novel tasks that parametrically varied either cognitive or physical effort. During fMRI, participants indicated their preferences between a fixed low-effort/low-reward option and a variable higher-effort/higher-reward offer for each effort domain. Critically, reward devaluation by both cognitive and physical effort was subserved by a common network of areas, including the dorsomedial and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the intraparietal sulcus, and the anterior insula. Activity within these domain-general areas also covaried negatively with reward and positively with effort, suggesting an integration of these parameters within these areas. Additionally, the amygdala appeared to play a unique, domain-specific role in processing the value of rewards associated with cognitive effort. These results are the first to reveal the neurocomputational mechanisms underlying subjective cost–benefit valuation across different domains of effort and provide insight into the multidimensional nature of motivation. PMID:28234892

The therapeutic use of the relaxation response in stress-related diseases.

PubMed

Esch, Tobias; Fricchione, Gregory L; Stefano, George B

2003-02-01

The objective of this work was to investigate a possible (therapeutic) connection between the relaxation response (RR) and stress-related diseases. Further, common underlying molecular mechanisms and autoregulatory pathways were examined. For the question of (patho)physiology and significance of RR techniques in the treatment of stress-related diseases, we analyzed peer-reviewed references only. The RR has been shown to be an appropriate and relevant therapeutic tool to counteract several stress-related disease processes and certain health-restrictions, particularly in certain immunological, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases/mental disorders. Further, common underlying molecular mechanisms may exist that represent a connection between the stress response, pathophysiological findings in stress-related diseases, and physiological changes/autoregulatory pathways described in the RR. Here, constitutive or low-output nitric oxide (NO) production may be involved in a protective or ameliorating context, whereas inducible, high-output NO release may facilitate detrimental disease processes. In mild or early disease states, a high degree of biological and physiological flexibility may still be possible (dynamic balance). Here, the therapeutic use of RR techniques may be considered particularly relevant, and the observable (beneficial) effects may be exerted via activation of constitutive NO pathways. RR techniques, regularly part of professional stress management or mind/body medical settings, represent an important tool to be added to therapeutic strategies dealing with stress-related diseases. Moreover, as part of 'healthy' life-style modifications, they may serve primary (or secondary) prevention. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the complex physiology underlying the RR and its impact upon stress-related disease states.

Transcriptome profiling of the floating-leaved aquatic plant Nymphoides peltata in response to flooding stress.

PubMed

Wu, Jinwei; Zhao, Hua-Bin; Yu, Dan; Xu, Xinwei

2017-01-31

Waterlogging or flooding is one of the most challenging abiotic stresses experienced by plants. Unlike many flooding-tolerant plants, floating-leaved aquatic plants respond actively to flooding stress by fast growth and elongation of its petioles to make leaves re-floating. However, the molecular mechanisms of this plant group responding to flood have not been investigated before. Here, we investigated the genetic basis of this adaptive response by characterizing the petiole transcriptomes of a floating-leaved species Nymphoides peltata under normal and flooding conditions. Clean reads under normal and flooding conditions with pooled sampling strategy were assembled into 124,302 unigenes. A total of 8883 unigenes were revealed to be differentially expressed between normal and flooding conditions. Among them, top ranked differentially expressed genes were mainly involved in antioxidant process, photosynthesis process and carbohydrate metabolism, including the glycolysis and a modified tricarboxylic acid cycle - alanine metabolism. Eight selected unigenes with significantly differentiated expression changes between normal and flooding conditions were validated by qRT-PCR. Among these processes, antioxidant process and glycolysis are commonly induced by waterlogging or flooding environment in plants, whereas photosynthesis and alanine metabolism are rarely occurred in other flooding-tolerant plants, suggesting the significant contributions of the two processes in the active response of N. peltata to flooding stress. Our results provide a valuable genomic resource for future studies on N. peltata and deepen our understanding of the genetic basis underlying the response to flooding stress in aquatic plants.

Evidence of different underlying processes in pattern recall and decision-making.

PubMed

Gorman, Adam D; Abernethy, Bruce; Farrow, Damian

2015-01-01

The visual search characteristics of expert and novice basketball players were recorded during pattern recall and decision-making tasks to determine whether the two tasks shared common visual-perceptual processing strategies. The order in which participants entered the pattern elements in the recall task was also analysed to further examine the nature of the visual-perceptual strategies and the relative emphasis placed upon particular pattern features. The experts demonstrated superior performance across the recall and decision-making tasks [see also Gorman, A. D., Abernethy, B., & Farrow, D. (2012). Classical pattern recall tests and the prospective nature of expert performance. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 65, 1151-1160; Gorman, A. D., Abernethy, B., & Farrow, D. (2013a). Is the relationship between pattern recall and decision-making influenced by anticipatory recall? The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 66, 2219-2236)] but a number of significant differences in the visual search data highlighted disparities in the processing strategies, suggesting that recall skill may utilize different underlying visual-perceptual processes than those required for accurate decision-making performance in the natural setting. Performance on the recall task was characterized by a proximal-to-distal order of entry of the pattern elements with participants tending to enter the players located closest to the ball carrier earlier than those located more distal to the ball carrier. The results provide further evidence of the underlying perceptual processes employed by experts when extracting visual information from complex and dynamic patterns.

An annotated key to the identification of commonly occurring and dominant genera of algae observed in the phytoplankton of the United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Greeson, Phillip E.

1982-01-01

In early 1979, a retrieval was made for all phytoplankton data contained in the computerized data file of the U. S. Geological Survey. The retrieval revealed the analytical results of 17,959 samples collected and processed between October 1973 and October 1978. Of the approximately 500 genera of freshwater algae reported in the United States, the U.S. Geological Survey observed 321 genera in the phytoplankton. Fifty-two genera were considered to be commonly occurring and 42 genera were considered to be community dominants. The report lists, describes, and provides a detailed taxonomic key to the identification of 58 genera of algae considered either commonly occurring or dominant. Also included is a summary of environmental conditions under which each algal genus was observed, as well as a glossary and an extensive list of selected references.

Inflammation: The Common Pathway of Stress-Related Diseases

PubMed Central

Liu, Yun-Zi; Wang, Yun-Xia; Jiang, Chun-Lei

2017-01-01

While modernization has dramatically increased lifespan, it has also witnessed that the nature of stress has changed dramatically. Chronic stress result failures of homeostasis thus lead to various diseases such as atherosclerosis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and depression. However, while 75%–90% of human diseases is related to the activation of stress system, the common pathways between stress exposure and pathophysiological processes underlying disease is still debatable. Chronic inflammation is an essential component of chronic diseases. Additionally, accumulating evidence suggested that excessive inflammation plays critical roles in the pathophysiology of the stress-related diseases, yet the basis for this connection is not fully understood. Here we discuss the role of inflammation in stress-induced diseases and suggest a common pathway for stress-related diseases that is based on chronic mild inflammation. This framework highlights the fundamental impact of inflammation mechanisms and provides a new perspective on the prevention and treatment of stress-related diseases. PMID:28676747

Finding erotic oases: locating the sites of men's same-sex anonymous sexual encounters.

PubMed

Tewksbury, Richard

2008-01-01

Because anonymous sexual relations between two men are widely considered deviant many men seeking such activities look to erotic oases-natural environments appropriated for covert, often furtive sexual purposes. Previous research on erotic oases has focused on characteristics of involved men and processes of locating, negotiating with, and consummating sexual relations with others. This study draws on one major Web site listing of "cruising places" in the United States to identify common locations for erotic oases. Results show that the most common locations identified as erotic oases by users are public parks, adult bookstores, health clubs, and college campuses. Locations most likely to be listed as believed to be under law enforcement surveillance are outdoor, high traffic locations. Based on these results existing research has only begun to examine the most common locations for this highly stigmatized, deviant behavior and subculture.

Neurocognitive mechanisms underlying deceptive hazard evaluation: An event-related potentials investigation.

PubMed

Fu, Huijian; Qiu, Wenwei; Ma, Haiying; Ma, Qingguo

2017-01-01

Deceptive behavior is common in human social interactions. Researchers have been trying to uncover the cognitive process and neural basis underlying deception due to its theoretical and practical significance. We used Event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate the neural correlates of deception when the participants completed a hazard judgment task. Pictures conveying or not conveying hazard information were presented to the participants who were then requested to discriminate the hazard content (safe or hazardous) and make a response corresponding to the cues (truthful or deceptive). Behavioral and electrophysiological data were recorded during the entire experiment. Results showed that deceptive responses, compared to truthful responses, were associated with longer reaction time (RT), lower accuracy, increased N2 and reduced late positive potential (LPP), suggesting a cognitively more demanding process to respond deceptively. The decrement in LPP correlated negatively with the increment in RT for deceptive relative to truthful responses, regardless of hazard content. In addition, hazardous information evoked larger N1 and P300 than safe information, reflecting an early processing bias and a later evaluative categorization process based on motivational significance, respectively. Finally, the interaction between honesty (truthful/deceptive) and safety (safe/hazardous) on accuracy and LPP indicated that deceptive responses towards safe information required more effort than deceptive responses towards hazardous information. Overall, these results demonstrate the neurocognitive substrates underlying deception about hazard information.

Neurocognitive mechanisms underlying deceptive hazard evaluation: An event-related potentials investigation

PubMed Central

Qiu, Wenwei; Ma, Haiying; Ma, Qingguo

2017-01-01

Deceptive behavior is common in human social interactions. Researchers have been trying to uncover the cognitive process and neural basis underlying deception due to its theoretical and practical significance. We used Event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate the neural correlates of deception when the participants completed a hazard judgment task. Pictures conveying or not conveying hazard information were presented to the participants who were then requested to discriminate the hazard content (safe or hazardous) and make a response corresponding to the cues (truthful or deceptive). Behavioral and electrophysiological data were recorded during the entire experiment. Results showed that deceptive responses, compared to truthful responses, were associated with longer reaction time (RT), lower accuracy, increased N2 and reduced late positive potential (LPP), suggesting a cognitively more demanding process to respond deceptively. The decrement in LPP correlated negatively with the increment in RT for deceptive relative to truthful responses, regardless of hazard content. In addition, hazardous information evoked larger N1 and P300 than safe information, reflecting an early processing bias and a later evaluative categorization process based on motivational significance, respectively. Finally, the interaction between honesty (truthful/deceptive) and safety (safe/hazardous) on accuracy and LPP indicated that deceptive responses towards safe information required more effort than deceptive responses towards hazardous information. Overall, these results demonstrate the neurocognitive substrates underlying deception about hazard information. PMID:28793344

Common features of fluency-evoking conditions studied in stuttering subjects and controls: an H(2)15O PET study.

PubMed

Stager, Sheila V; Jeffries, Keith J; Braun, Allen R

2003-01-01

We used H(2)15O PET to characterize the common features of two successful but markedly different fluency-evoking conditions -- paced speech and singing -- in order to identify brain mechanisms that enable fluent speech in people who stutter. To do so, we compared responses under fluency-evoking conditions with responses elicited by tasks that typically elicit dysfluent speech (quantifying the degree of stuttering and using this measure as a confounding covariate in our analyses). We evaluated task-related activations in both stuttering subjects and age- and gender-matched controls. Areas that were either uniquely activated during fluency-evoking conditions, or in which the magnitude of activation was significantly greater during fluency-evoking than dysfluency-evoking tasks included auditory association areas that process speech and voice and motor regions related to control of the larynx and oral articulators. This suggests that a common fluency-evoking mechanism might relate to more effective coupling of auditory and motor systems -- that is, more efficient self-monitoring, allowing motor areas to more effectively modify speech. These effects were seen in both PWS and controls, suggesting that they are due to the sensorimotor or cognitive demands of the fluency-evoking tasks themselves. While responses seen in both groups were bilateral, however, the fluency-evoking tasks elicited more robust activation of auditory and motor regions within the left hemisphere of stuttering subjects, suggesting a role for the left hemisphere in compensatory processes that enable fluency. The reader will learn about and be able to: (1) compare brain activation patterns under fluency- and dysfluency-evoking conditions in stuttering and control subjects; (2) appraise the common features, both central and peripheral, of fluency-evoking conditions; and (3) discuss ways in which neuroimaging methods can be used to understand the pathophysiology of stuttering.

Common-Cause Failure Treatment in Event Assessment: Basis for a Proposed New Model

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

Dana Kelly; Song-Hua Shen; Gary DeMoss

2010-06-01

Event assessment is an application of probabilistic risk assessment in which observed equipment failures and outages are mapped into the risk model to obtain a numerical estimate of the event’s risk significance. In this paper, we focus on retrospective assessments to estimate the risk significance of degraded conditions such as equipment failure accompanied by a deficiency in a process such as maintenance practices. In modeling such events, the basic events in the risk model that are associated with observed failures and other off-normal situations are typically configured to be failed, while those associated with observed successes and unchallenged components aremore » assumed capable of failing, typically with their baseline probabilities. This is referred to as the failure memory approach to event assessment. The conditioning of common-cause failure probabilities for the common cause component group associated with the observed component failure is particularly important, as it is insufficient to simply leave these probabilities at their baseline values, and doing so may result in a significant underestimate of risk significance for the event. Past work in this area has focused on the mathematics of the adjustment. In this paper, we review the Basic Parameter Model for common-cause failure, which underlies most current risk modelling, discuss the limitations of this model with respect to event assessment, and introduce a proposed new framework for common-cause failure, which uses a Bayesian network to model underlying causes of failure, and which has the potential to overcome the limitations of the Basic Parameter Model with respect to event assessment.« less

Method for sequentially processing a multi-level interconnect circuit in a vacuum chamber

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Routh, D. E.; Sharma, G. C. (Inventor)

1984-01-01

An apparatus is disclosed which includes a vacuum system having a vacuum chamber in which wafers are processed on rotating turntables. The vacuum chamber is provided with an RF sputtering system and a dc magnetron sputtering system. A gas inlet introduces various gases to the vacuum chamber and creates various gas plasma during the sputtering steps. The rotating turntables insure that the respective wafers are present under the sputtering guns for an average amount of time such that consistency in sputtering and deposition is achieved. By continuous and sequential processing of the wafers in a common vacuum chamber without removal, the adverse affects of exposure to atmospheric conditions are eliminated providing higher quality circuit contacts and functional device.

Method for sequentially processing a multi-level interconnect circuit in a vacuum chamber

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Routh, D. E.; Sharma, G. C. (Inventor)

1982-01-01

The processing of wafer devices to form multilevel interconnects for microelectronic circuits is described. The method is directed to performing the sequential steps of etching the via, removing the photo resist pattern, back sputtering the entire wafer surface and depositing the next layer of interconnect material under common vacuum conditions without exposure to atmospheric conditions. Apparatus for performing the method includes a vacuum system having a vacuum chamber in which wafers are processed on rotating turntables. The vacuum chamber is provided with an RF sputtering system and a DC magnetron sputtering system. A gas inlet is provided in the chamber for the introduction of various gases to the vacuum chamber and the creation of various gas plasma during the sputtering steps.

On whether mirror neurons play a significant role in processing affective prosody.

PubMed

Ramachandra, Vijayachandra

2009-02-01

Several behavioral and neuroimaging studies have indicated that both right and left cortical structures and a few subcortical ones are involved in processing affective prosody. Recent investigations have shown that the mirror neuron system plays a crucial role in several higher-level functions such as empathy, theory of mind, language, etc., but no studies so far link the mirror neuron system with affective prosody. In this paper is a speculation that the mirror neuron system, which serves as a common neural substrate for different higher-level functions, may play a significant role in processing affective prosody via its connections with the limbic lobe. Actual research must apply electrophysiological and neuroimaging techniques to assess whether the mirror neuron systems underly affective prosody in humans.

Study of wear performance of deep drawing tooling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naranje, Vishal G.; Karthikeyan, Ram; Nair, Vipin

2017-09-01

One of the most common challenges for many of the mechanical engineers and also in the field of materials science is the issue of occurrences of wear of the material parts which is used in certain applications that involves such surface interactions. In this paper, wear behaviour of particular grade High Carbon High Chromium Steel and many most famously D2, H13, O1 known as the Viking steel has been studied, evaluated and analyzed under certain processing parameters such as speed, load, track diameter and time required for deep drawing process to know it’s the wear rate and coefficient of friction. Also, the significance of the processing parameters which is used for wear testing analysis is also examined.

Process for structural geologic analysis of topography and point data

DOEpatents

Eliason, Jay R.; Eliason, Valerie L. C.

1987-01-01

A quantitative method of geologic structural analysis of digital terrain data is described for implementation on a computer. Assuming selected valley segments are controlled by the underlying geologic structure, topographic lows in the terrain data, defining valley bottoms, are detected, filtered and accumulated into a series line segments defining contiguous valleys. The line segments are then vectorized to produce vector segments, defining valley segments, which may be indicative of the underlying geologic structure. Coplanar analysis is performed on vector segment pairs to determine which vectors produce planes which represent underlying geologic structure. Point data such as fracture phenomena which can be related to fracture planes in 3-dimensional space can be analyzed to define common plane orientation and locations. The vectors, points, and planes are displayed in various formats for interpretation.

Charge-transfer state excitation as the main mechanism of the photodarkening process in ytterbium-doped aluminosilicate fibres

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

Bobkov, K K; Rybaltovsky, A A; Vel'miskin, V V

2014-12-31

We have studied photodarkening in ytterbium-doped fibre preforms with an aluminosilicate glass core. Analysis of their absorption and luminescence spectra indicates the formation of stable Yb{sup 2+} ions in the glass network under IR laser pumping at a wavelength λ = 915 nm and under UV irradiation with an excimer laser (λ = 193 nm). We have performed comparative studies of the luminescence spectra of the preforms and crystals under excitation at a wavelength of 193 nm. The mechanism behind the formation of Yb{sup 2+} ions and aluminium – oxygen hole centres (Al-OHCs), common to ytterbium-doped YAG crystals and aluminosilicatemore » glass, has been identified: photoinduced Yb{sup 3+} charge-transfer state excitation. (optical fibres)« less

Our current approach to root cause analysis: is it contributing to our failure to improve patient safety?

PubMed

Kellogg, Kathryn M; Hettinger, Zach; Shah, Manish; Wears, Robert L; Sellers, Craig R; Squires, Melissa; Fairbanks, Rollin J

2017-05-01

Despite over a decade of efforts to reduce the adverse event rate in healthcare, the rate has remained relatively unchanged. Root cause analysis (RCA) is a process used by hospitals in an attempt to reduce adverse event rates; however, the outputs of this process have not been well studied in healthcare. This study aimed to examine the types of solutions proposed in RCAs over an 8-year period at a major academic medical institution. All state-reportable adverse events were gathered, and those for which an RCA was performed were analysed. A consensus rating process was used to determine a severity rating for each case. A qualitative approach was used to categorise the types of solutions proposed by the RCA team in each case and descriptive statistics were calculated. 302 RCAs were reviewed. The most common event types involved a procedure complication, followed by cardiopulmonary arrest, neurological deficit and retained foreign body. In 106 RCAs, solutions were proposed. A large proportion (38.7%) of RCAs with solutions proposed involved a patient death. Of the 731 proposed solutions, the most common solution types were training (20%), process change (19.6%) and policy reinforcement (15.2%). We found that multiple event types were repeated in the study period, despite repeated RCAs. This study found that the most commonly proposed solutions were weaker actions, which were less likely to decrease event recurrence. These findings support recent attempts to improve the RCA process and to develop guidance for the creation of effective and sustainable solutions to be used by RCA teams. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Implications of intelligent, integrated microsystems for product design and development

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

MYERS,DAVID R.; MCWHORTER,PAUL J.

2000-04-19

Intelligent, integrated microsystems combine some or all of the functions of sensing, processing information, actuation, and communication within a single integrated package, and preferably upon a single silicon chip. As the elements of these highly integrated solutions interact strongly with each other, the microsystem can be neither designed nor fabricated piecemeal, in contrast to the more familiar assembled products. Driven by technological imperatives, microsystems will best be developed by multi-disciplinary teams, most likely within the flatter, less hierarchical organizations. Standardization of design and process tools around a single, dominant technology will expedite economically viable operation under a common production infrastructure.more » The production base for intelligent, integrated microsystems has elements in common with the mathematical theory of chaos. Similar to chaos theory, the development of microsystems technology will be strongly dependent on, and optimized to, the initial product requirements that will drive standardization--thereby further rewarding early entrants to integrated microsystem technology.« less

Removing inorganics: Common methods have limits

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

Sorg, T.J.

1991-06-01

When EPA sets a regulation (a maximum contaminant level) for a contaminant, it must also specify the best available technology (BAT) that can be used to remove the contaminant. Because the regulations apply to community water systems, the technologies selected are ones that are commonly used to treat community size water systems. Thus, EPA R and D program has focused its efforts on evaluating primarily community applied technologies such as conventional coagulation-filtration, lime softening, ion exchange, adsorption, and membrane process. When BAT is identified for a specific contaminant, frequently the BAT will be listed with its limitations because the processmore » is often not effective under all water quality conditions. The same limitations would also apply to POU/POE treatment. The paper discusses EPA's regulations on inorganic contaminants, the best available technologies cited by EPA, and the limitations of the processes. Using arsenic as an example, the impact of the contaminant chemistry and water quality on removals is presented.« less

Mathematical models utilized in the retrieval of displacement information encoded in fringe patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sciammarella, Cesar A.; Lamberti, Luciano

2016-02-01

All the techniques that measure displacements, whether in the range of visible optics or any other form of field methods, require the presence of a carrier signal. A carrier signal is a wave form modulated (modified) by an input, deformation of the medium. A carrier is tagged to the medium under analysis and deforms with the medium. The wave form must be known both in the unmodulated and the modulated conditions. There are two basic mathematical models that can be utilized to decode the information contained in the carrier, phase modulation or frequency modulation, both are closely connected. Basic problems connected to the detection and recovery of displacement information that are common to all optical techniques will be analyzed in this paper, focusing on the general theory common to all the methods independently of the type of signal utilized. The aspects discussed are those that have practical impact in the process of data gathering and data processing.

A Second Opinion: A Case Narrative on Clinical Ethics Mediation.

PubMed

Weinstein, Michael S

2015-01-01

Contrasting traditional and common forms of ethics consultation with bioethics mediation, I describe the case of a "second opinion" consultation in the care of a patient with advanced cancer for whom treatment was futile. While the initial ethics consultation, performed by a colleague, led to a recommendation that some may deem ethical, the process failed to involve key stakeholders and failed to explore the underlying values and reasons for the opinions voiced by various stakeholders. The process of mediation ultimately led to creative solutions in which all stakeholders could reach consensus on a plan of care. Copyright 2015 The Journal of Clinical Ethics. All rights reserved.

Effects of catalysts on liquefaction of Agaricus versicolor (L.)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Durak, Halil

2016-04-01

Supercritical liquefaction process is used for producing energy from biomass. The common reaction conditions for supercritical liquefaction process are the 240-380 °C temperature range and 5-20 Mpa pressure values range. Agaricus versicolor (L.) was liquefied by acetone in an autoclave (75 mL) under high pressure with (aluminium oxide and calcium hydroxide) and without catalyst at 290 °C for producing bio-oil. The products of liquefaction (bio-oil) were analysed and characterized using various methods including elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. GC-MS identified 27 different compounds in the bio-oils obtained at 290 °C.

Seeking unique and common biological themes in multiple gene lists or datasets: pathway pattern extraction pipeline for pathway-level comparative analysis.

PubMed

Yi, Ming; Mudunuri, Uma; Che, Anney; Stephens, Robert M

2009-06-29

One of the challenges in the analysis of microarray data is to integrate and compare the selected (e.g., differential) gene lists from multiple experiments for common or unique underlying biological themes. A common way to approach this problem is to extract common genes from these gene lists and then subject these genes to enrichment analysis to reveal the underlying biology. However, the capacity of this approach is largely restricted by the limited number of common genes shared by datasets from multiple experiments, which could be caused by the complexity of the biological system itself. We now introduce a new Pathway Pattern Extraction Pipeline (PPEP), which extends the existing WPS application by providing a new pathway-level comparative analysis scheme. To facilitate comparing and correlating results from different studies and sources, PPEP contains new interfaces that allow evaluation of the pathway-level enrichment patterns across multiple gene lists. As an exploratory tool, this analysis pipeline may help reveal the underlying biological themes at both the pathway and gene levels. The analysis scheme provided by PPEP begins with multiple gene lists, which may be derived from different studies in terms of the biological contexts, applied technologies, or methodologies. These lists are then subjected to pathway-level comparative analysis for extraction of pathway-level patterns. This analysis pipeline helps to explore the commonality or uniqueness of these lists at the level of pathways or biological processes from different but relevant biological systems using a combination of statistical enrichment measurements, pathway-level pattern extraction, and graphical display of the relationships of genes and their associated pathways as Gene-Term Association Networks (GTANs) within the WPS platform. As a proof of concept, we have used the new method to analyze many datasets from our collaborators as well as some public microarray datasets. This tool provides a new pathway-level analysis scheme for integrative and comparative analysis of data derived from different but relevant systems. The tool is freely available as a Pathway Pattern Extraction Pipeline implemented in our existing software package WPS, which can be obtained at http://www.abcc.ncifcrf.gov/wps/wps_index.php.

Numerical Simulation of Thermal Performance of Glass-Fibre-Reinforced Polymer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Yuchao; Jiang, Xu; Zhang, Qilin; Wang, Qi

2017-10-01

Glass-Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP), as a developing construction material, has a rapidly increasing application in civil engineering especially bridge engineering area these years, mainly used as decorating materials and reinforcing bars for now. Compared with traditional construction material, these kinds of composite material have obvious advantages such as high strength, low density, resistance to corrosion and ease of processing. There are different processing methods to form members, such as pultrusion and resin transfer moulding (RTM) methods, which process into desired shape directly through raw material; meanwhile, GFRP, as a polymer composite, possesses several particular physical and mechanical properties, and the thermal property is one of them. The matrix material, polymer, performs special after heated and endue these composite material a potential hot processing property, but also a poor fire resistance. This paper focuses on thermal performance of GFRP as panels and corresponding researches are conducted. First, dynamic thermomechanical analysis (DMA) experiment is conducted to obtain the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the object GFRP, and the curve of bending elastic modulus with temperature is calculated according to the experimental data. Then compute and estimate the values of other various thermal parameters through DMA experiment and other literatures, and conduct numerical simulation under two condition respectively: (1) the heat transfer process of GFRP panel in which the panel would be heated directly on the surface above Tg, and the hot processing under this temperature field; (2) physical and mechanical performance of GFRP panel under fire condition. Condition (1) is mainly used to guide the development of high temperature processing equipment, and condition (2) indicates that GFRP’s performance under fire is unsatisfactory, measures must be taken when being adopted. Since composite materials’ properties differ from each other and their high temperature parameters can’t be obtained through common methods, some parameters are estimated, the simulation is to guide the actual high temperature experiment, and the parameters will also be adjusted by then.

Using imagination to understand the neural basis of episodic memory

PubMed Central

Hassabis, Demis; Kumaran, Dharshan; Maguire, Eleanor A.

2008-01-01

Functional MRI (fMRI) studies investigating the neural basis of episodic memory recall, and the related task of thinking about plausible personal future events, have revealed a consistent network of associated brain regions. Surprisingly little, however, is understood about the contributions individual brain areas make to the overall recollective experience. In order to examine this, we employed a novel fMRI paradigm where subjects had to imagine fictitious experiences. In contrast to future thinking, this results in experiences that are not explicitly temporal in nature or as reliant on self-processing. By using previously imagined fictitious experiences as a comparison for episodic memories, we identified the neural basis of a key process engaged in common, namely scene construction, involving the generation, maintenance and visualisation of complex spatial contexts. This was associated with activations in a distributed network, including hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, and retrosplenial cortex. Importantly, we disambiguated these common effects from episodic memory-specific responses in anterior medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus. These latter regions may support self-schema and familiarity processes, and contribute to the brain's ability to distinguish real from imaginary memories. We conclude that scene construction constitutes a common process underlying episodic memory and imagination of fictitious experiences, and suggest it may partially account for the similar brain networks implicated in navigation, episodic future thinking, and the default mode. We suggest that further brain regions are co-opted into this core network in a task-specific manner to support functions such as episodic memory that may have additional requirements. PMID:18160644

Using imagination to understand the neural basis of episodic memory.

PubMed

Hassabis, Demis; Kumaran, Dharshan; Maguire, Eleanor A

2007-12-26

Functional MRI (fMRI) studies investigating the neural basis of episodic memory recall, and the related task of thinking about plausible personal future events, have revealed a consistent network of associated brain regions. Surprisingly little, however, is understood about the contributions individual brain areas make to the overall recollective experience. To examine this, we used a novel fMRI paradigm in which subjects had to imagine fictitious experiences. In contrast to future thinking, this results in experiences that are not explicitly temporal in nature or as reliant on self-processing. By using previously imagined fictitious experiences as a comparison for episodic memories, we identified the neural basis of a key process engaged in common, namely scene construction, involving the generation, maintenance and visualization of complex spatial contexts. This was associated with activations in a distributed network, including hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, and retrosplenial cortex. Importantly, we disambiguated these common effects from episodic memory-specific responses in anterior medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus. These latter regions may support self-schema and familiarity processes, and contribute to the brain's ability to distinguish real from imaginary memories. We conclude that scene construction constitutes a common process underlying episodic memory and imagination of fictitious experiences, and suggest it may partially account for the similar brain networks implicated in navigation, episodic future thinking, and the default mode. We suggest that additional brain regions are co-opted into this core network in a task-specific manner to support functions such as episodic memory that may have additional requirements.

Representational similarity analysis reveals commonalities and differences in the semantic processing of words and objects.

PubMed

Devereux, Barry J; Clarke, Alex; Marouchos, Andreas; Tyler, Lorraine K

2013-11-27

Understanding the meanings of words and objects requires the activation of underlying conceptual representations. Semantic representations are often assumed to be coded such that meaning is evoked regardless of the input modality. However, the extent to which meaning is coded in modality-independent or amodal systems remains controversial. We address this issue in a human fMRI study investigating the neural processing of concepts, presented separately as written words and pictures. Activation maps for each individual word and picture were used as input for searchlight-based multivoxel pattern analyses. Representational similarity analysis was used to identify regions correlating with low-level visual models of the words and objects and the semantic category structure common to both. Common semantic category effects for both modalities were found in a left-lateralized network, including left posterior middle temporal gyrus (LpMTG), left angular gyrus, and left intraparietal sulcus (LIPS), in addition to object- and word-specific semantic processing in ventral temporal cortex and more anterior MTG, respectively. To explore differences in representational content across regions and modalities, we developed novel data-driven analyses, based on k-means clustering of searchlight dissimilarity matrices and seeded correlation analysis. These revealed subtle differences in the representations in semantic-sensitive regions, with representations in LIPS being relatively invariant to stimulus modality and representations in LpMTG being uncorrelated across modality. These results suggest that, although both LpMTG and LIPS are involved in semantic processing, only the functional role of LIPS is the same regardless of the visual input, whereas the functional role of LpMTG differs for words and objects.

The Mechanisms of Psychedelic Visionary Experiences: Hypotheses from Evolutionary Psychology

PubMed Central

Winkelman, Michael J.

2017-01-01

Neuropharmacological effects of psychedelics have profound cognitive, emotional, and social effects that inspired the development of cultures and religions worldwide. Findings that psychedelics objectively and reliably produce mystical experiences press the question of the neuropharmacological mechanisms by which these highly significant experiences are produced by exogenous neurotransmitter analogs. Humans have a long evolutionary relationship with psychedelics, a consequence of psychedelics' selective effects for human cognitive abilities, exemplified in the information rich visionary experiences. Objective evidence that psychedelics produce classic mystical experiences, coupled with the finding that hallucinatory experiences can be induced by many non-drug mechanisms, illustrates the need for a common model of visionary effects. Several models implicate disturbances of normal regulatory processes in the brain as the underlying mechanisms responsible for the similarities of visionary experiences produced by psychedelic and other methods for altering consciousness. Similarities in psychedelic-induced visionary experiences and those produced by practices such as meditation and hypnosis and pathological conditions such as epilepsy indicate the need for a general model explaining visionary experiences. Common mechanisms underlying diverse alterations of consciousness involve the disruption of normal functions of the prefrontal cortex and default mode network (DMN). This interruption of ordinary control mechanisms allows for the release of thalamic and other lower brain discharges that stimulate a visual information representation system and release the effects of innate cognitive functions and operators. Converging forms of evidence support the hypothesis that the source of psychedelic experiences involves the emergence of these innate cognitive processes of lower brain systems, with visionary experiences resulting from the activation of innate processes based in the mirror neuron system (MNS). PMID:29033783

Frugivores bias seed-adult tree associations through nonrandom seed dispersal: a phylogenetic approach.

PubMed

Razafindratsima, Onja H; Dunham, Amy E

2016-08-01

Frugivores are the main seed dispersers in many ecosystems, such that behaviorally driven, nonrandom patterns of seed dispersal are a common process; but patterns are poorly understood. Characterizing these patterns may be essential for understanding spatial organization of fruiting trees and drivers of seed-dispersal limitation in biodiverse forests. To address this, we studied resulting spatial associations between dispersed seeds and adult tree neighbors in a diverse rainforest in Madagascar, using a temporal and phylogenetic approach. Data show that by using fruiting trees as seed-dispersal foci, frugivores bias seed dispersal under conspecific adults and under heterospecific trees that share dispersers and fruiting time with the dispersed species. Frugivore-mediated seed dispersal also resulted in nonrandom phylogenetic associations of dispersed seeds with their nearest adult neighbors, in nine out of the 16 months of our study. However, these nonrandom phylogenetic associations fluctuated unpredictably over time, ranging from clustered to overdispersed. The spatial and phylogenetic template of seed dispersal did not translate to similar patterns of association in adult tree neighborhoods, suggesting the importance of post-dispersal processes in structuring plant communities. Results suggest that frugivore-mediated seed dispersal is important for structuring early stages of plant-plant associations, setting the template for post-dispersal processes that influence ultimate patterns of plant recruitment. Importantly, if biased patterns of dispersal are common in other systems, frugivores may promote tree coexistence in biodiverse forests by limiting the frequency and diversity of heterospecific interactions of seeds they disperse. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

Analysis of deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) arteries by using MDCTA: Comparison between 2 post-processing techniques.

PubMed

Saba, Luca; Atzeni, Matteo; Ribuffo, Diego; Mallarini, Giorgio; Suri, Jasjit S

2012-08-01

Our purpose was to compare two post-processing techniques, Maximum-Intensity-Projection (MIP) and Volume Rendering (VR) for the study of perforator arteries. Thirty patients who underwent Multi-Detector-Row CT Angiography (MDCTA) between February 2010 and May 2010 were retrospectively analyzed. For each patient and for each reconstruction method, the image quality was evaluated and the inter- and intra-observer agreement was calculated according to the Cohen statistics. The Hounsfield Unit (HU) value in the common femoral artery was quantified and the correlation (Pearson Statistic) between image quality and HU value was explored. The Pearson r between the right and left common femoral artery was excellent (r=0.955). The highest image quality score was obtained using MIP for both observers (total value 75, with a mean value 2.67 for observer 1 and total value of 79 and a mean value of 2.82 for observer 2). The highest agreement between the two observers was detected using the MIP protocol with a Cohen kappa value of 0.856. The ROC area under the curve (Az) for the VR is 0.786 (0.086 SD; p value=0.0009) whereas the ROC area under the curve (Az) for the MIP is 0.0928 (0.051 SD; p value=0.0001). MIP showed the optimal inter- and intra-observer agreement and the highest quality scores and therefore should be used as post-processing techniques in the analysis of perforating arteries. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of Acetic Acid Removal Technology for the UREX+Process

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

Robert M. Counce; Jack S. Watson

2009-06-30

It is imperative that acetic acid is removed from a waste stream in the UREX+process so that nitric acid can be recycled and possible interference with downstreatm steps can be avoidec. Acetic acid arises from acetohydrozamic acid (AHA), and is used to suppress plutonium in the first step of the UREX+process. Later, it is hydrolyzed into hydroxyl amine nitrate and acetic acid. Many common separation technologies were examined, and solvent extraction was determined to be the best choice under process conditions. Solvents already used in the UREX+ process were then tested to determine if they would be sufficient for themore » removal of acetic acid. The tributyl phosphage (TBP)-dodecane diluent, used in both UREX and NPEX, was determined to be a solvent system that gave sufficient distribution coefficients for acetic acid in addition to a high separation factor from nitric acid.« less

Impaired information processing triggers altered states of consciousness.

PubMed

Fritzsche, M

2002-04-01

Schizophrenia, intoxication with tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta-THC), and cannabis psychosis induce characteristic time and space distortions suggesting a common psychotic dysfunction. Since genetic research into schizophrenia has led into disappointing dead ends, the present study is focusing on this phenotype. It is shown that information theory can account for the dynamical basis of higher sensorimotor information processing and consciousness under physiologic as well as pathologic conditions. If Kolmogorov entropy (inherent in the processing of action and time) breaks down in acute psychosis, it is predicted that Shannon entropy (inherent in the processing of higher dimensional perception) will increase, provoking positive symptoms and altered states of consciousness. In the search for candidate genes and the protection of vulnerable individuals from cannabis abuse, non-linear EEG analysis of Kolmogorov information could thus present us with a novel diagnostic tool to directly assess the breakdown of information processing in schizophrenia. Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aqueous Photochemistry of Secondary Organic Aerosol of α-Pinene and α-Humulene Oxidized with Ozone, Hydroxyl Radical, and Nitrate Radical

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

Romonosky, Dian E.; Li, Ying; Shiraiwa, Manabu

Formation of secondary organic aerosols (SOA) from biogenic volatile organic compounds 13 (BVOC) occurs via O 3 - and OH-initiated reactions during the day and reactions with NO 3 during the 14 night. We explored the effect of these three oxidation conditions on the molecular composition and 15 aqueous photochemistry of model SOA prepared from two common BVOC. A common monoterpene, α- 16 pinene, and sesquiterpene, α-humulene, were used to form SOA in a smog chamber via BVOC + O3, 17 BVOC + NO3, and BVOC + OH + NOx oxidation. Samples of SOA were collected, extracted in water,more » 18 and photolyzed in an aqueous solution in order to simulate the photochemical cloud processing of SOA. 19 The extent of change in the molecular level composition of SOA over 4 hours of photolysis (roughly 20 equivalent to 64 hours of photolysis under ambient conditions) was assessed with high-resolution 21 electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The analysis revealed significant differences in the molecular 22 composition between monoterpene and sesquiterpene SOA formed by the different oxidation pathways. 23 The composition further evolved during photolysis with the most notable change corresponding to the 24 nearly-complete removal of nitrogen-containing organic compounds. Hydrolysis of SOA compounds also 25 occurred in parallel with photolysis. The preferential loss of larger SOA compounds during photolysis 26 and hydrolysis made the SOA compounds more volatile on average. This study suggests that cloud- and 27 fog-processing may under certain conditions lead to a reduction in the SOA loading as opposed to an 28 increase in SOA loading commonly assumed in the literature.« less

Common and Distinctive Patterns of Cognitive Dysfunction in Children With Benign Epilepsy Syndromes.

PubMed

Cheng, Dazhi; Yan, Xiuxian; Gao, Zhijie; Xu, Keming; Zhou, Xinlin; Chen, Qian

2017-07-01

Childhood absence epilepsy and benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes are the most common forms of benign epilepsy syndromes. Although cognitive dysfunctions occur in children with both childhood absence epilepsy and benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes, the similarity between their patterns of underlying cognitive impairments is not well understood. To describe these patterns, we examined multiple cognitive functions in children with childhood absence epilepsy and benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes. In this study, 43 children with childhood absence epilepsy, 47 children with benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes, and 64 control subjects were recruited; all received a standardized assessment (i.e., computerized test battery) assessing processing speed, spatial skills, calculation, language ability, intelligence, visual attention, and executive function. Groups were compared in these cognitive domains. Simple regression analysis was used to analyze the effects of epilepsy-related clinical variables on cognitive test scores. Compared with control subjects, children with childhood absence epilepsy and benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes showed cognitive deficits in intelligence and executive function, but performed normally in language processing. Impairment in visual attention was specific to patients with childhood absence epilepsy, whereas impaired spatial ability was specific to the children with benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes. Simple regression analysis showed syndrome-related clinical variables did not affect cognitive functions. This study provides evidence of both common and distinctive cognitive features underlying the relative cognitive difficulties in children with childhood absence epilepsy and benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes. Our data suggest that clinicians should pay particular attention to the specific cognitive deficits in children with childhood absence epilepsy and benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes, to allow for more discriminative and potentially more effective interventions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analytical design of an industrial two-term controller for optimal regulatory control of open-loop unstable processes under operational constraints.

PubMed

Tchamna, Rodrigue; Lee, Moonyong

2018-01-01

This paper proposes a novel optimization-based approach for the design of an industrial two-term proportional-integral (PI) controller for the optimal regulatory control of unstable processes subjected to three common operational constraints related to the process variable, manipulated variable and its rate of change. To derive analytical design relations, the constrained optimal control problem in the time domain was transformed into an unconstrained optimization problem in a new parameter space via an effective parameterization. The resulting optimal PI controller has been verified to yield optimal performance and stability of an open-loop unstable first-order process under operational constraints. The proposed analytical design method explicitly takes into account the operational constraints in the controller design stage and also provides useful insights into the optimal controller design. Practical procedures for designing optimal PI parameters and a feasible constraint set exclusive of complex optimization steps are also proposed. The proposed controller was compared with several other PI controllers to illustrate its performance. The robustness of the proposed controller against plant-model mismatch has also been investigated. Copyright © 2018 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characteristics of Crushing Energy and Fractal of Magnetite Ore under Uniaxial Compression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, F.; Gan, D. Q.; Zhang, Y. B.

2018-03-01

The crushing mechanism of magnetite ore is a critical theoretical problem on the controlling of energy dissipation and machine crushing quality in ore material processing. Uniaxial crushing tests were carried out to research the deformation mechanism and the laws of the energy evolution, based on which the crushing mechanism of magnetite ore was explored. The compaction stage and plasticity and damage stage are two main compression deformation stages, the main transitional forms from inner damage to fracture are plastic deformation and stick-slip. In the process of crushing, plasticity and damage stage is the key link on energy absorption for that the specimen tends to saturate energy state approaching to the peak stress. The characteristics of specimen deformation and energy dissipation can synthetically reply the state of existed defects inner raw magnetite ore and the damage process during loading period. The fast releasing of elastic energy and the work done by the press machine commonly make raw magnetite ore thoroughly broken after peak stress. Magnetite ore fragments have statistical self-similarity and size threshold of fractal characteristics under uniaxial squeezing crushing. The larger ratio of releasable elastic energy and dissipation energy and the faster energy change rate is the better fractal properties and crushing quality magnetite ore has under uniaxial crushing.

Attention moderates the fearlessness of psychopathic offenders

PubMed Central

Newman, Joseph P.; Curtin, John J.; Bertsch, Jeremy D.; Baskin-Sommers, Arielle R.

2009-01-01

Background Psychopathic behavior is generally attributed to a fundamental, amygdala-mediated deficit in fearlessness that undermines social conformity. An alternative view is that psychopathy involves an attention-related deficit that undermines the processing of peripheral information including fear stimuli. Methods We evaluated these alternative hypotheses by measuring fear-potentiated startle (FPS) in a group of 125 prisoners under experimental conditions that (a) focused attention directly on fear-relevant information or (b) established an alternative attentional focus. Psychopathy was assessed using Hare’s (1) Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R). Results Psychopathic individuals displayed normal FPS under threat-focused conditions but manifested a significant deficit in FPS under alternative-focus conditions. Moreover, these findings were essentially unchanged when analyses employed the interpersonal-affective factor of the PCL-R instead of PCL-R total scores. Conclusions The results provide unprecedented evidence that higher-order cognitive processes moderate the fear deficits of psychopathic individuals. These findings suggest that psychopaths’ diminished reactivity to fear stimuli, and emotion-related cues more generally, reflect idiosyncrasies in attention that limit their processing of peripheral information. Although psychopathic individuals are commonly described as cold-blooded predators who are unmotivated to change, the attentional dysfunction identified in this study supports an alternative interpretation of their chronic disinhibition and insensitive interpersonal style. PMID:19793581

Parkinson's Disease, Diabetes and Cognitive Impairment.

PubMed

Ashraghi, Mohammad R; Pagano, Gennaro; Polychronis, Sotirios; Niccolini, Flavia; Politis, Marios

2016-01-01

Parkinson's disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying Parkinson's are still unknown. Mitochondrial dysfunction, abnormal protein aggregation, increased neuroinflammation and impairment of brain glucose metabolism are shared processes among insulinresistance, diabetes and neurodegeneration and have been suggested as key mechanisms in development of Parkinson's and cognitive impairment. To review experimental and clinical evidence of underlying Parkinson's pathophysiology in common with diabetes and cognitive impairment. Anti-diabetic agents and recent patents for insulin-resistance that might be repositioned in the treatment of Parkinson's also have been included in this review. A narrative review using MEDLINE database. Common antidiabetic treatments such as DPP4 inhibitors, GLP-1 agonists and metformin have shown promise in the treatment of Parkinson's disease and cognitive impairment in animals and humans. Study of the pathophysiology of neurodegeneration common between diabetes and Parkinson's disease has given rise to new treatment possibilities. Patents published in the last 5 years could be used in novel approaches to Parkinson's treatment by targeting specific pathophysiology proteins, such as Nurr1, PINK1 and NrF2, while patents to improve penetration of the blood brain barrier could allow improved efficacy of existing treatments. Further studies using GLP-1 agonists and DPP-4 inhibitors to treat PD are warranted as they have shown promise.

A meta-analysis of fMRI studies on Chinese orthographic, phonological, and semantic processing.

PubMed

Wu, Chiao-Yi; Ho, Moon-Ho Ringo; Chen, Shen-Hsing Annabel

2012-10-15

A growing body of neuroimaging evidence has shown that Chinese character processing recruits differential activation from alphabetic languages due to its unique linguistic features. As more investigations on Chinese character processing have recently become available, we applied a meta-analytic approach to summarize previous findings and examined the neural networks for orthographic, phonological, and semantic processing of Chinese characters independently. The activation likelihood estimation (ALE) method was used to analyze eight studies in the orthographic task category, eleven in the phonological and fifteen in the semantic task categories. Converging activation among three language-processing components was found in the left middle frontal gyrus, the left superior parietal lobule and the left mid-fusiform gyrus, suggesting a common sub-network underlying the character recognition process regardless of the task nature. With increasing task demands, the left inferior parietal lobule and the right superior temporal gyrus were specialized for phonological processing, while the left middle temporal gyrus was involved in semantic processing. Functional dissociation was identified in the left inferior frontal gyrus, with the posterior dorsal part for phonological processing and the anterior ventral part for semantic processing. Moreover, bilateral involvement of the ventral occipito-temporal regions was found for both phonological and semantic processing. The results provide better understanding of the neural networks underlying Chinese orthographic, phonological, and semantic processing, and consolidate the findings of additional recruitment of the left middle frontal gyrus and the right fusiform gyrus for Chinese character processing as compared with the universal language network that has been based on alphabetic languages. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Vortex breakdown in simple pipe bends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ault, Jesse; Shin, Sangwoo; Stone, Howard

2016-11-01

Pipe bends and elbows are one of the most common fluid mechanics elements that exists. However, despite their ubiquity and the extensive amount of research related to these common, simple geometries, unexpected complexities still remain. We show that for a range of geometries and flow conditions, these simple flows experience unexpected fluid dynamical bifurcations resembling the bubble-type vortex breakdown phenomenon. Specifically, we show with simulations and experiments that recirculation zones develop within the bends under certain conditions. As a consequence, fluid and particles can remain trapped within these structures for unexpectedly-long time scales. We also present simple techniques to mitigate this recirculation effect which can potentially have impact across industries ranging from biomedical and chemical processing to food and health sciences.

Common Graphics Library (CGL). Volume 2: Low-level user's guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, Nancy L.; Hammond, Dana P.; Theophilos, Pauline M.

1989-01-01

The intent is to instruct the users of the Low-Level routines of the Common Graphics Library (CGL). The Low-Level routines form an application-independent graphics package enabling the user community to construct and design scientific charts conforming to the publication and/or viewgraph process. The Low-Level routines allow the user to design unique or unusual report-quality charts from a set of graphics utilities. The features of these routines can be used stand-alone or in conjunction with other packages to enhance or augment their capabilities. This library is written in ANSI FORTRAN 77, and currently uses a CORE-based underlying graphics package, and is therefore machine-independent, providing support for centralized and/or distributed computer systems.

The multifractal nature of plume structure in high-Rayleigh-number convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puthenveettil, Baburaj A.; Ananthakrishna, G.; Arakeri, Jaywant H.

2005-03-01

The geometrically different planforms of near-wall plume structure in turbulent natural convection, visualized by driving the convection using concentration differences across a membrane, are shown to have a common multifractal spectrum of singularities for Rayleigh numbers in the range 1010-1011 at Schmidt number of 602. The scaling is seen for a length scale range of 25 and is independent of the Rayleigh number, the flux, the strength and nature of the large-scale flow, and the aspect ratio. Similar scaling is observed for the plume structures obtained in the presence of a weak flow across the membrane. This common non-trivial spatial scaling is proposed to be due to the same underlying generating process for the near-wall plume structures.

75 FR 48613 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Implementation of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-11

... under common pool regulations for the 2010 fishing year (FY). This action also corrects a previously published cod trip limit for common pool vessels fishing under a limited access Handgear A permit. This... common pool (common pool sub-ACL) and underharvesting the sub-ACL for pollock during FY 2010 (May 1, 2010...

Microwave interconnection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fry, P. E.

1993-06-01

A limited evaluation was made of two commonly found microwave interconnections: microstrip-to-microstrip and coaxial-to-microstrip. The evaluation attempted to select the interconnection technique which worked best for the particular interface type. Short ribbon wires worked best for the microstrip-to-microstrip interconnection. A published method of compensating the microstrip conductor had the best performance for the coaxial-to-microstrip interconnection. The work was conducted under the Microwave Technology Process Capability Assurance Program at Allied-Signal Inc., Kansas City Division.

Analysis of Decisions Made Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

country petroleum pipelines (Dey, 2003), deciding how best to manage U.S. watersheds (De Steiguer, Duberstein, and Lopes, 2003), and the U. S. Army...many benefits to its use. Primarily these fall under the heading of managing chaos. Specifically, the AHP is a tool that can be used to simplify and...originally. The commonly used scenario is this: the waiter asks if you want chicken or fish, and you reply fish. The waiter then remembers that steak is

Neil Hayes, M.D., M.P.H., Explains TCGA Findings on GBM Subtypes - TCGA

Cancer.gov

New findings by researchers at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center suggest that the most common form of malignant brain cancer in adults, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is probably not a single disease but a set of diseases, each with a distinct underlying molecular disease process. The study was published by Cell Press in the January issue of the journal Cancer Cell and the researchers are part of the The Cancer Genome Atlas.

Neutral null models for diversity in serial transfer evolution experiments.

PubMed

Harpak, Arbel; Sella, Guy

2014-09-01

Evolution experiments with microorganisms coupled with genome-wide sequencing now allow for the systematic study of population genetic processes under a wide range of conditions. In learning about these processes in natural, sexual populations, neutral models that describe the behavior of diversity and divergence summaries have played a pivotal role. It is therefore natural to ask whether neutral models, suitably modified, could be useful in the context of evolution experiments. Here, we introduce coalescent models for polymorphism and divergence under the most common experimental evolution assay, a serial transfer experiment. This relatively simple setting allows us to address several issues that could affect diversity patterns in evolution experiments, whether selection is operating or not: the transient behavior of neutral polymorphism in an experiment beginning from a single clone, the effects of randomness in the timing of cell division and noisiness in population size in the dilution stage. In our analyses and discussion, we emphasize the implications for experiments aimed at measuring diversity patterns and making inferences about population genetic processes based on these measurements. © 2014 The Author(s). Evolution © 2014 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Hybrid Weighted Minimum Norm Method A new method based LORETA to solve EEG inverse problem.

PubMed

Song, C; Zhuang, T; Wu, Q

2005-01-01

This Paper brings forward a new method to solve EEG inverse problem. Based on following physiological characteristic of neural electrical activity source: first, the neighboring neurons are prone to active synchronously; second, the distribution of source space is sparse; third, the active intensity of the sources are high centralized, we take these prior knowledge as prerequisite condition to develop the inverse solution of EEG, and not assume other characteristic of inverse solution to realize the most commonly 3D EEG reconstruction map. The proposed algorithm takes advantage of LORETA's low resolution method which emphasizes particularly on 'localization' and FOCUSS's high resolution method which emphasizes particularly on 'separability'. The method is still under the frame of the weighted minimum norm method. The keystone is to construct a weighted matrix which takes reference from the existing smoothness operator, competition mechanism and study algorithm. The basic processing is to obtain an initial solution's estimation firstly, then construct a new estimation using the initial solution's information, repeat this process until the solutions under last two estimate processing is keeping unchanged.

Unfolding the chaperone story.

PubMed

Hartl, F Ulrich

2017-11-01

Protein folding in the cell was originally assumed to be a spontaneous process, based on Anfinsen's discovery that purified proteins can fold on their own after removal from denaturant. Consequently cell biologists showed little interest in the protein folding process. This changed only in the mid and late 1980s, when the chaperone story began to unfold. As a result, we now know that in vivo, protein folding requires assistance by a complex machinery of molecular chaperones. To ensure efficient folding, members of different chaperone classes receive the nascent protein chain emerging from the ribosome and guide it along an ordered pathway toward the native state. I was fortunate to contribute to these developments early on. In this short essay, I will describe some of the critical steps leading to the current concept of protein folding as a highly organized cellular process. © 2017 Hartl. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). Two months after publication it is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Contributions of phonological awareness, phonological short-term memory, and rapid automated naming, toward decoding ability in students with mild intellectual disability.

PubMed

Soltani, Amanallah; Roslan, Samsilah

2013-03-01

Reading decoding ability is a fundamental skill to acquire word-specific orthographic information necessary for skilled reading. Decoding ability and its underlying phonological processing skills have been heavily investigated typically among developing students. However, the issue has rarely been noticed among students with intellectual disability who commonly suffer from reading decoding problems. This study is aimed at determining the contributions of phonological awareness, phonological short-term memory, and rapid automated naming, as three well known phonological processing skills, to decoding ability among 60 participants with mild intellectual disability of unspecified origin ranging from 15 to 23 years old. The results of the correlation analysis revealed that all three aspects of phonological processing are significantly correlated with decoding ability. Furthermore, a series of hierarchical regression analysis indicated that after controlling the effect of IQ, phonological awareness, and rapid automated naming are two distinct sources of decoding ability, but phonological short-term memory significantly contributes to decoding ability under the realm of phonological awareness. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The fossilized birth–death process for coherent calibration of divergence-time estimates

PubMed Central

Heath, Tracy A.; Huelsenbeck, John P.; Stadler, Tanja

2014-01-01

Time-calibrated species phylogenies are critical for addressing a wide range of questions in evolutionary biology, such as those that elucidate historical biogeography or uncover patterns of coevolution and diversification. Because molecular sequence data are not informative on absolute time, external data—most commonly, fossil age estimates—are required to calibrate estimates of species divergence dates. For Bayesian divergence time methods, the common practice for calibration using fossil information involves placing arbitrarily chosen parametric distributions on internal nodes, often disregarding most of the information in the fossil record. We introduce the “fossilized birth–death” (FBD) process—a model for calibrating divergence time estimates in a Bayesian framework, explicitly acknowledging that extant species and fossils are part of the same macroevolutionary process. Under this model, absolute node age estimates are calibrated by a single diversification model and arbitrary calibration densities are not necessary. Moreover, the FBD model allows for inclusion of all available fossils. We performed analyses of simulated data and show that node age estimation under the FBD model results in robust and accurate estimates of species divergence times with realistic measures of statistical uncertainty, overcoming major limitations of standard divergence time estimation methods. We used this model to estimate the speciation times for a dataset composed of all living bears, indicating that the genus Ursus diversified in the Late Miocene to Middle Pliocene. PMID:25009181

Tracking the footsteps: a constructivist grounded theory of the clinical reasoning processes that registered nurses use to recognise delirium.

PubMed

El Hussein, Mohamed; Hirst, Sandra

2016-02-01

To construct a grounded theory that explains the clinical reasoning processes that registered nurses use to recognise delirium while caring for older adults in acute care settings. Delirium is often under-recognised in acute care settings; this may stem from underdeveloped clinical reasoning processes. Little is known about registered nurses' clinical reasoning processes in complex situations such as delirium recognition. Seventeen registered nurses working in acute care settings were interviewed. Concurrent data collection and analysis, constant comparative analysis and theoretical sampling were conducted in 2013-2014. A grounded theory approach was used to analyse interview data about the clinical reasoning processes of registered nurse in acute hospital settings. The core category that emerged from data was 'Tracking the footsteps'. This refers to the common clinical reasoning processes that registered nurses in this study used to recognise delirium in older adults in acute care settings. It depicted the process of continuously trying to catch the state of delirium in older adults. Understanding the clinical reasoning processes that contribute to delirium under-recognition provides a strategy by which this problem can be brought to the forefront of awareness and intervention by registered nurses. Registered nurses could draw from the various processes identified in this research to develop their clinical reasoning practice to enhance their effective assessment strategies. Delirium recognition by registered nurses will contribute to quality care to older adults. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Giant seafloor craters formed by hydrate-controlled large-scale methane expulsion from the Arctic seafloor after ice sheet retreat

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andreassen, K.; Hubbard, A.; Patton, H.; Vadakkepuliyambatta, S.; Winsborrow, M.; Plaza-Faverola, A. A.; Serov, P.

2017-12-01

Large-scale methane releases from thawing Arctic gas hydrates is a major concern, yet the processes and fluxes involved remain elusive. We present geophysical data indicating two contrasting processes of natural methane emissions from the seafloor of the northern Barents Sea, Polar North Atlantic. Abundant gas flares, acoustically imaged in the water column reveal slow, gradual release of methane bubbles, a process that is commonly documented from nearby areas, elsewhere in the Arctic and along continental margins worldwide. Conversely, giant craters across the study area indicate a very different process. We propose that these are blow-out craters, formed through large-scale, abrupt methane expulsion induced when gas hydrates destabilized after the Barents Sea Ice Sheet retreated from the area. The data reveal over 100 giant seafloor craters within an area of 440 km2. These are up to 1000 m in diameter, 30 m deep and with a semi-circular to elliptical shape. We also identified numerous large seafloor mounds, which we infer to have formed by the expansion of gas hydrate accumulations within the shallow subsurface, so-called gas hydrate pingos. These are up to 1100 m wide and 20 m high. Smaller craters and mounds < 200 m wide and with varying relief are abundant across the study site. The empirical observations and analyses are combined with numerical modelling of ice sheet, isostatic and gas hydrate evolution and indicate that during glaciation, natural gas migrating from underlying hydrocarbon reservoirs was stored as subglacial gas hydrates. On ice sheet retreat, methane from these hydrate reservoirs and underlying free gas built up and abruptly released, forming the giant mounds and craters observed in the study area today. Petroleum basins are abundant beneath formerly and presently glaciated regions. We infer that episodes of subglacial sequestration of gas hydrates and underlying free gas and subsequent abrupt expulsions were common and widespread throughout Quaternary glacial cycles. The presented conceptual model for the evolution of giant craters can also serve as an analogue for future destabilization of glacially influenced hydrate reservoirs.

Aetiological agents of ear discharge: a two year review in a teaching hospital in Ghana.

PubMed

Appiah-Korang, L; Asare-Gyasi, S; Yawson, A E; Searyoh, K

2014-06-01

The discharging ear is a common presentation in medical practice affecting all age groups but primarily children. This study shows the current aetiological causes of ear discharge and their antibiograms, data which would guide empirical treatment of ear infections, and also form a basis for further research. This was a retrospective review of laboratory records of all ear swabs submitted for culture over a two year period in the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital Accra, Ghana. Data was obtained on demographic characteristics of patients, clinical diagnosis, isolated organisms and antibiotic susceptibility patterns of the isolated organisms. Data was analyzed by simple descriptive statistics. A total of 351 ear swabs were received by the laboratory for processing over the two year period. Of these 277(78.9%) had microorganisms isolated. A significant number127 (47%) was obtained from children under five years. Pseudomonas spp was the commonly isolated organism 121(46%) followed by Staphylococcus aureus 33(12.5%) and Proteus spp 32(12.2%). Candida was the commonest isolated fungi 9 (69.2%). Susceptibility of Pseudomonas spp to commonly used ototopics (ciprofloxacin & gentamicin) was 93% and 74% respectively. Most cases of the discharging ear were found in children under the age of five years. The most common bacteriologic cause of the discharging ear was Pseudomonas spp followed by Staphylococcus aureus. Candida species was the commonest fungal cause of ear discharge. Ciprofloxacin and gentamicin are effective ototopic antimicrobial agents for empirical treatment of the discharging ear.

Using transfer functions to quantify El Niño Southern Oscillation dynamics in data and models.

PubMed

MacMartin, Douglas G; Tziperman, Eli

2014-09-08

Transfer function tools commonly used in engineering control analysis can be used to better understand the dynamics of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), compare data with models and identify systematic model errors. The transfer function describes the frequency-dependent input-output relationship between any pair of causally related variables, and can be estimated from time series. This can be used first to assess whether the underlying relationship is or is not frequency dependent, and if so, to diagnose the underlying differential equations that relate the variables, and hence describe the dynamics of individual subsystem processes relevant to ENSO. Estimating process parameters allows the identification of compensating model errors that may lead to a seemingly realistic simulation in spite of incorrect model physics. This tool is applied here to the TAO array ocean data, the GFDL-CM2.1 and CCSM4 general circulation models, and to the Cane-Zebiak ENSO model. The delayed oscillator description is used to motivate a few relevant processes involved in the dynamics, although any other ENSO mechanism could be used instead. We identify several differences in the processes between the models and data that may be useful for model improvement. The transfer function methodology is also useful in understanding the dynamics and evaluating models of other climate processes.

Smiling faces and cash bonuses: Exploring common affective coding across positive and negative emotional and motivational stimuli using fMRI.

PubMed

Park, Haeme R P; Kostandyan, Mariam; Boehler, C Nico; Krebs, Ruth M

2018-06-01

Although it is clear that emotional and motivational manipulations yield a strong influence on cognition and behaviour, these domains have mostly been investigated in independent research lines. Therefore, it remains poorly understood how far these affective manipulations overlap in terms of their underlying neural activations, especially in light of previous findings that suggest a shared valence mechanism across multiple affective processing domains (e.g., monetary incentives, primary rewards, emotional events). This is particularly interesting considering the commonality between emotional and motivational constructs in terms of their basic affective nature (positive vs. negative), but dissociations in terms of instrumentality, in that only reward-related stimuli are typically associated with performance-contingent outcomes. Here, we aimed to examine potential common neural processes triggered by emotional and motivational stimuli in matched tasks within participants using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Across tasks, we found shared valence effects in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and left inferior frontal gyrus (part of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex), with increased activity for positive and negative stimuli, respectively. Despite this commonality, emotion and reward tasks featured differential behavioural patterns in that negative valence effects (performance costs) were exclusive to emotional stimuli, while positive valence effects (performance benefits) were only observed for reward-related stimuli. Overall, our data suggest a common affective coding mechanism across different task domains and support the idea that monetary incentives entail signed basic valence signals, above and beyond the instruction to perform both gain and loss trials as accurately as possible to maximise the outcome.

Genetic architecture of the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System Trail Making Test: evidence for distinct genetic influences on executive function.

PubMed

Vasilopoulos, Terrie; Franz, Carol E; Panizzon, Matthew S; Xian, Hong; Grant, Michael D; Lyons, Michael J; Toomey, Rosemary; Jacobson, Kristen C; Kremen, William S

2012-03-01

To examine how genes and environments contribute to relationships among Trail Making Test (TMT) conditions and the extent to which these conditions have unique genetic and environmental influences. Participants included 1,237 middle-aged male twins from the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging. The Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System TMT included visual searching, number and letter sequencing, and set-shifting components. Phenotypic correlations among TMT conditions ranged from 0.29 to 0.60, and genes accounted for the majority (58-84%) of each correlation. Overall heritability ranged from 0.34 to 0.62 across conditions. Phenotypic factor analysis suggested a single factor. In contrast, genetic models revealed a single common genetic factor but also unique genetic influences separate from the common factor. Genetic variance (i.e., heritability) of number and letter sequencing was completely explained by the common genetic factor while unique genetic influences separate from the common factor accounted for 57% and 21% of the heritabilities of visual search and set shifting, respectively. After accounting for general cognitive ability, unique genetic influences accounted for 64% and 31% of those heritabilities. A common genetic factor, most likely representing a combination of speed and sequencing, accounted for most of the correlation among TMT 1-4. Distinct genetic factors, however, accounted for a portion of variance in visual scanning and set shifting. Thus, although traditional phenotypic shared variance analysis techniques suggest only one general factor underlying different neuropsychological functions in nonpatient populations, examining the genetic underpinnings of cognitive processes with twin analysis can uncover more complex etiological processes.

The effects of acute stress and perceptual load on distractor interference.

PubMed

Sato, Hirotsune; Takenaka, Ippei; Kawahara, Jun I

2012-01-01

Selective attention can be improved under conditions in which a high perceptual load is assumed to exhaust cognitive resources, leaving scarce resources for distractor processing. The present study examined whether perceptual load and acute stress share common attentional resources by manipulating perceptual and stress loads. Participants identified a target within an array of nontargets that were flanked by compatible or incompatible distractors. Attentional selectivity was measured by longer reaction times in response to the incompatible than to the compatible distractors. Participants in the stress group participated in a speech test that increased anxiety and threatened self-esteem. The effect of perceptual load interacted with the stress manipulation in that participants in the control group demonstrated an interference effect under the low perceptual load condition, whereas such interference disappeared under the high perceptual load condition. Importantly, the stress group showed virtually no interference under the low perceptual load condition, whereas substantial interference occurred under the high perceptual load condition. These results suggest that perceptual and stress related demands consume the same attentional resources.

A latent process model for forecasting multiple time series in environmental public health surveillance.

PubMed

Morrison, Kathryn T; Shaddick, Gavin; Henderson, Sarah B; Buckeridge, David L

2016-08-15

This paper outlines a latent process model for forecasting multiple health outcomes arising from a common environmental exposure. Traditionally, surveillance models in environmental health do not link health outcome measures, such as morbidity or mortality counts, to measures of exposure, such as air pollution. Moreover, different measures of health outcomes are treated as independent, while it is known that they are correlated with one another over time as they arise in part from a common underlying exposure. We propose modelling an environmental exposure as a latent process, and we describe the implementation of such a model within a hierarchical Bayesian framework and its efficient computation using integrated nested Laplace approximations. Through a simulation study, we compare distinct univariate models for each health outcome with a bivariate approach. The bivariate model outperforms the univariate models in bias and coverage of parameter estimation, in forecast accuracy and in computational efficiency. The methods are illustrated with a case study using healthcare utilization and air pollution data from British Columbia, Canada, 2003-2011, where seasonal wildfires produce high levels of air pollution, significantly impacting population health. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Sustainability assessment of shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alkahla, Ibrahim; Pervaiz, Salman

2017-09-01

Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) process is one of the most commonly employed material joining processes utilized in the various industrial sectors such as marine, ship-building, automotive, aerospace, construction and petrochemicals etc. The increasing pressure on manufacturing sector wants the welding process to be sustainable in nature. The SMAW process incorporates several types of inputs and output streams. The sustainability concerns associated with SMAW process are linked with the various input and output streams such as electrical energy requirement, input material consumptions, slag formation, fumes emission and hazardous working conditions associated with the human health and occupational safety. To enhance the environmental performance of the SMAW welding process, there is a need to characterize the sustainability for the SMAW process under the broad framework of sustainability. Most of the available literature focuses on the technical and economic aspects of the welding process, however the environmental and social aspects are rarely addressed. The study reviews SMAW process with respect to the triple bottom line (economic, environmental and social) sustainability approach. Finally, the study concluded recommendations towards achieving economical and sustainable SMAW welding process.

The human genome as common heritage: common sense or legal nonsense?

PubMed

Ossorio, Pilar N

2007-01-01

This essay identifies two legal lineages underlying the common heritage concept, and applies each to the human genome. The essay notes some advantages and disadvantages of each approach, and argues that patenting of human genes would be allowable under either approach.

The need for GPS standardization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lewandowski, Wlodzimierz W.; Petit, Gerard; Thomas, Claudine

1992-01-01

A desirable and necessary step for improvement of the accuracy of Global Positioning System (GPS) time comparisons is the establishment of common GPS standards. For this reason, the CCDS proposed the creation of a special group of experts with the objective of recommending procedures and models for operational time transfer by GPS common-view method. Since the announcement of the implementation of Selective Availability at the end of last spring, action has become much more urgent and this CCDS Group on GPS Time Transfer Standards has now been set up. It operates under the auspices of the permanent CCDS Working Group on TAI and works in close cooperation with the Sub-Committee on Time of the Civil GPS Service Interface Committee (CGSIC). Taking as an example the implementation of SA during the first week of July 1991, this paper illustrates the need to develop urgently at least two standardized procedures in GPS receiver software: monitoring GPS tracks with a common time scale and retaining broadcast ephemeris parameters throughout the duration of a track. Other matters requiring action are the adoption of common models for atmospheric delay, a common approach to hardware design and agreement about short-term data processing. Several examples of such deficiencies in standardization are presented.

Effects of a common variant in the CD38 gene on social processing in an oxytocin challenge study: possible links to autism.

PubMed

Sauer, Carina; Montag, Christian; Wörner, Christiane; Kirsch, Peter; Reuter, Martin

2012-05-01

The intranasal application of oxytocin (OT) has been shown to influence behavioral and neural correlates of social processing. These effects are probably mediated by genetic variations within the OT system. One potential candidate could be the CD38 gene, which codes for a transmembrane protein engaged in OT secretion processes. A common variation in this gene (rs3796863) was recently found to be associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Using an imaging genetics approach, we studied differential effects of an intranasal OT application on neural processing of social stimuli in 55 healthy young men depending on their CD38 gene variant in a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover design. Genotype had a significant influence on both behavioral and neuronal measures of social processing. Homozygotic risk allele carriers showed slower reaction times (RT) and higher activation of left fusiform gyrus during visual processing of social stimuli. Under OT activation differences between genotypes were more evident (though not statistically significantly increased) and RT were accelerated in homozygotic risk allele carriers. According to our data, rs3796863 mainly influences fusiform gyrus activation, an area which has been widely discussed in ASD research. OT seems to modulate this effect by enhancing activation differences between allele groups, which suggests an interaction between genetic makeup and OT availability on fusiform gyrus activation. These results support recent approaches to apply OT as a pharmacological treatment of ASD symptoms.

Pain chronification: what should a non-pain medicine specialist know?

PubMed

Morlion, Bart; Coluzzi, Flaminia; Aldington, Dominic; Kocot-Kepska, Magdalena; Pergolizzi, Joseph; Mangas, Ana Cristina; Ahlbeck, Karsten; Kalso, Eija

2018-04-12

Pain is one of the most common reasons for an individual to consult their primary care physician, with most chronic pain being treated in the primary care setting. However, many primary care physicians/non-pain medicine specialists lack enough awareness, education and skills to manage pain patients appropriately, and there is currently no clear, common consensus/formal definition of "pain chronification". This article, based on an international Change Pain Chronic Advisory Board meeting which was held in Wiesbaden, Germany, in October 2016, provides primary care physicians/non-pain medicine specialists with a narrative overview of pain chronification, including underlying physiological and psychosocial processes, predictive factors for pain chronification, a brief summary of preventive strategies, and the role of primary care physicians and non-pain medicine specialists in the holistic management of pain chronification. Based on currently available evidence, we propose the following consensus-based definition of pain chronification which provides a common framework to raise awareness among non-pain medicine specialists: "Pain chronification describes the process of transient pain progressing into persistent pain; pain processing changes as a result of an imbalance between pain amplification and pain inhibition; genetic, environmental and biopsychosocial factors determine the risk, the degree, and time-course of chronification." Early intervention plays an important role in preventing pain chronification and, as key influencers in the management of patients with acute pain, it is critical that primary care physicians are equipped with the necessary awareness, education and skills to manage pain patients appropriately.

Consensus Paper: Pathological Mechanisms Underlying Neurodegeneration in Spinocerebellar Ataxias

PubMed Central

Matilla-Dueñas, A.; Ashizawa, T.; Brice, A.; Magri, S.; McFarland, K. N.; Pandolfo, M.; Pulst, S. M.; Riess, O.; Rubinsztein, D. C.; Schmidt, J.; Schmidt, T.; Scoles, D. R.; Stevanin, G.; Taroni, F.; Underwood, B. R.; Sánchez, I.

2014-01-01

Intensive scientific research devoted in the recent years to understand the molecular mechanisms or neurodegeneration in spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are identifying new pathways and targets providing new insights and a better understanding of the molecular pathogenesis in these diseases. In this consensus manuscript, the authors discuss their current views on the identified molecular processes causing or modulating the neurodegenerative phenotype in spinocerebellar ataxias with the common opinion of translating the new knowledge acquired into candidate targets for therapy. The following topics are discussed: transcription dysregulation, protein aggregation, autophagy, ion channels, the role of mitochondria, RNA toxicity, modulators of neurodegeneration and current therapeutic approaches. Overall point of consensus includes the common vision of neurodegeneration in SCAs as a multifactorial, progressive and reversible process, at least in early stages. Specific points of consensus include the role of the dysregulation of protein folding, transcription, bioenergetics, calcium handling and eventual cell death with apoptotic features of neurons during SCA disease progression. Unresolved questions include how the dysregulation of these pathways triggers the onset of symptoms and mediates disease progression since this understanding may allow effective treatments of SCAs within the window of reversibility to prevent early neuronal damage. Common opinions also include the need for clinical detection of early neuronal dysfunction, for more basic research to decipher the early neurodegenerative process in SCAs in order to give rise to new concepts for treatment strategies and for the translation of the results to preclinical studies and, thereafter, in clinical practice. PMID:24307138

Moment Lyapunov Exponent and Stochastic Stability of Binary Airfoil under Combined Harmonic and Non-Gaussian Colored Noise Excitations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, D. L.; Liu, X. B.

Both periodic loading and random forces commonly co-exist in real engineering applications. However, the dynamic behavior, especially dynamic stability of systems under parametric periodic and random excitations has been reported little in the literature. In this study, the moment Lyapunov exponent and stochastic stability of binary airfoil under combined harmonic and non-Gaussian colored noise excitations are investigated. The noise is simplified to an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process by applying the path-integral method. Via the singular perturbation method, the second-order expansions of the moment Lyapunov exponent are obtained, which agree well with the results obtained by the Monte Carlo simulation. Finally, the effects of the noise and parametric resonance (such as subharmonic resonance and combination additive resonance) on the stochastic stability of the binary airfoil system are discussed.

Effect of biocompatible polymers on the structural integrity of lipid bilayers under external stimuli

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jia-Yu; Kausik, Ravinath; Chen, Chi-Yuan; Han, Song-I.; Marks, Jeremy; Lee, Ka Yee

2010-03-01

Cell membrane dysfunction due to loss of structural integrity is the pathology of tissue death in trauma and common diseases. It is now established that certain biocompatible polymers, such as Poloxamer 188, Poloxamine 1107 and polyethylene glycol (PEG), are effective in sealing of injured cell membranes, and able to prevent acute necrosis. Despite these broad applications of these polymers for human health, the fundamental mechanisms by which these polymers interact with cell membranes are still under debate. Here, the effects of a group of biocompatible polymers on phospholipid membrane integrity under osmotic and oxidative stress were explored using giant unilamellar vesicles as model cell membranes. Our results suggest that the adsorption of the polymers on the membrane surface is responsible for the cell membrane resealing process due to its capability of slowing down the surface hydration dynamics.

A scheme for the classification of explosions in the chemical process industry.

PubMed

Abbasi, Tasneem; Pasman, H J; Abbasi, S A

2010-02-15

All process industry accidents fall under three broad categories-fire, explosion, and toxic release. Of these fire is the most common, followed by explosions. Within these broad categories occur a large number of sub-categories, each depicting a specific sub-type of a fire/explosion/toxic release. But whereas clear and self-consistent sub-classifications exist for fires and toxic releases, the situation is not as clear vis a vis explosions. In this paper the inconsistencies and/or shortcomings associated with the classification of different types of explosions, which are seen even in otherwise highly authentic and useful reference books on process safety, are reviewed. In its context a new classification is attempted which may, hopefully, provide a frame-of-reference for the future.

Graphene Ambipolar Nanoelectronics for High Noise Rejection Amplification.

PubMed

Liu, Che-Hung; Chen, Qi; Liu, Chang-Hua; Zhong, Zhaohui

2016-02-10

In a modern wireless communication system, signal amplification is critical for overcoming losses during multiple data transformations/processes and long-distance transmission. Common mode and differential mode are two fundamental amplification mechanisms, and they utilize totally different circuit configurations. In this paper, we report a new type of dual-gate graphene ambipolar device with capability of operating under both common and differential modes to realize signal amplification. The signal goes through two stages of modulation where the phase of signal can be individually modulated to be either in-phase or out-of-phase at two stages by exploiting the ambipolarity of graphene. As a result, both common and differential mode amplifications can be achieved within one single device, which is not possible in the conventional circuit configuration. In addition, a common-mode rejection ratio as high as 80 dB can be achieved, making it possible for low noise circuit application. These results open up new directions of graphene-based ambipolar electronics that greatly simplify the RF circuit complexity and the design of multifunction device operation.

Neurophysiological correlates of word processing deficits in isolated reading and isolated spelling disorders.

PubMed

Bakos, Sarolta; Landerl, Karin; Bartling, Jürgen; Schulte-Körne, Gerd; Moll, Kristina

2018-03-01

In consistent orthographies, isolated reading disorders (iRD) and isolated spelling disorders (iSD) are nearly as common as combined reading-spelling disorders (cRSD). However, the exact nature of the underlying word processing deficits in isolated versus combined literacy deficits are not well understood yet. We applied a phonological lexical decision task (including words, pseudohomophones, legal and illegal pseudowords) during ERP recording to investigate the neurophysiological correlates of lexical and sublexical word-processing in children with iRD, iSD and cRSD compared to typically developing (TD) 9-year-olds. TD children showed enhanced early sensitivity (N170) for word material and for the violation of orthographic rules compared to the other groups. Lexical orthographic effects (higher LPC amplitude for words than for pseudohomophones) were the same in the TD and iRD groups, although processing took longer in children with iRD. In the iSD and cRSD groups, lexical orthographic effects were evident and stable over time only for correctly spelled words. Orthographic representations were intact in iRD children, but word processing took longer compared to TD. Children with spelling disorders had partly missing orthographic representations. Our study is the first to specify the underlying neurophysiology of word processing deficits associated with isolated literacy deficits. Copyright © 2017 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Dimensionality of Reasoning: Inductive and Deductive Inference can be Explained by a Single Process.

PubMed

Hayes, Brett K; Stephens, Rachel G; Ngo, Jeremy; Dunn, John C

2018-02-01

Three-experiments examined the number of qualitatively different processing dimensions needed to account for inductive and deductive reasoning. In each study, participants were presented with arguments that varied in logical validity and consistency with background knowledge (believability), and evaluated them according to deductive criteria (whether the conclusion was necessarily true given the premises) or inductive criteria (whether the conclusion was plausible given the premises). We examined factors including working memory load (Experiments 1 and 2), individual working memory capacity (Experiments 1 and 2), and decision time (Experiment 3), which according to dual-processing theories, modulate the contribution of heuristic and analytic processes to reasoning. A number of empirical dissociations were found. Argument validity affected deduction more than induction. Argument believability affected induction more than deduction. Lower working memory capacity reduced sensitivity to argument validity and increased sensitivity to argument believability, especially under induction instructions. Reduced decision time led to decreased sensitivity to argument validity. State-trace analyses of each experiment, however, found that only a single underlying dimension was required to explain patterns of inductive and deductive judgments. These results show that the dissociations, which have traditionally been seen as supporting dual-processing models of reasoning, are consistent with a single-process model that assumes a common evidentiary scale for induction and deduction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Genetic variation of loci potentially under selection confounds species-genetic diversity correlations in a fragmented habitat.

PubMed

Bertin, Angeline; Gouin, Nicolas; Baumel, Alex; Gianoli, Ernesto; Serratosa, Juan; Osorio, Rodomiro; Manel, Stephanie

2017-01-01

Positive species-genetic diversity correlations (SGDCs) are often thought to result from the parallel influence of neutral processes on genetic and species diversity. Yet, confounding effects of non-neutral mechanisms have not been explored. Here, we investigate the impact of non-neutral genetic diversity on SGDCs in high Andean wetlands. We compare correlations between plant species diversity and genetic diversity (GD) calculated with and without loci potentially under selection (outlier loci). The study system includes 2188 specimens from five species (three common aquatic macroinvertebrate and two dominant plant species) that were genotyped for 396 amplified fragment length polymorphism loci. We also appraise the importance of neutral processes on SGDCs by investigating the influence of habitat fragmentation features. Significant positive SGDCs were detected for all five species (mean SGDC = 0.52 ± 0.05). While only a few outlier loci were detected in each species, they resulted in significant decreases in GD and in SGDCs. This supports the hypothesis that neutral processes drive species-genetic diversity relationships in high Andean wetlands. Unexpectedly, the effects on genetic diversity GD of the habitat fragmentation characteristics in this study increased with the presence of outlier loci in two species. Overall, our results reveal pitfalls in using habitat features to infer processes driving SGDCs and show that a few loci potentially under selection are enough to cause a significant downward bias in SGDC. Investigating confounding effects of outlier loci thus represents a useful approach to evidence the contribution of neutral processes on species-genetic diversity relationships. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Psychedelics and reconsolidation of traumatic and appetitive maladaptive memories: focus on cannabinoids and ketamine.

PubMed

Fattore, Liana; Piva, Alessandro; Zanda, Mary Tresa; Fumagalli, Guido; Chiamulera, Cristiano

2018-02-01

Clinical data with 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients recently stimulated interest on the potential therapeutic use of psychedelics in disorders characterized by maladaptive memories, including substance use disorders (SUD). The rationale for the use of MDMA in PTSD and SUD is being extended to a broader beneficial "psychedelic effect," which is supporting further clinical investigations, in spite of the lack of mechanistic hypothesis. Considering that the retrieval of emotional memories reactivates specific brain mechanisms vulnerable to inhibition, interference, or strengthening (i.e., the reconsolidation process), it was proposed that the ability to retrieve and change these maladaptive memories might be a novel intervention for PTSD and SUD. The mechanisms underlying MDMA effects indicate memory reconsolidation modulation as a hypothetical process underlying its efficacy. Mechanistic and clinical studies with other two classes of psychedelic substances, namely cannabinoids and ketamine, are providing data in support of a potential use in PTSD and SUD based on the modulation of traumatic and appetitive memory reconsolidation, respectively. Here, we review preclinical and clinical data on cannabinoids and ketamine effects on biobehavioral processes related to the reconsolidation of maladaptive memories. We report the findings supporting (or not) the working hypothesis linking the potential therapeutic effect of these substances to the underlying reconsolidation process. We also proposed possible approaches for testing the use of these two classes of drugs within the current paradigm of reconsolidation memory inhibition. Metaplasticity may be the process in common between cannabinoids and ketamine/ketamine-like substance effects on the mediation and potential manipulation of maladaptive memories.

Transcriptomic characterization of temperature stress responses in larval zebrafish.

PubMed

Long, Yong; Li, Linchun; Li, Qing; He, Xiaozhen; Cui, Zongbin

2012-01-01

Temperature influences nearly all biochemical, physiological and life history activities of fish, but the molecular mechanisms underlying the temperature acclimation remains largely unknown. Previous studies have identified many temperature-regulated genes in adult tissues; however, the transcriptional responses of fish larvae to temperature stress are not well understood. In this study, we characterized the transcriptional responses in larval zebrafish exposed to cold or heat stress using microarray analysis. In comparison with genes expressed in the control at 28 °C, a total of 2680 genes were found to be affected in 96 hpf larvae exposed to cold (16 °C) or heat (34 °C) for 2 and 48h and most of these genes were expressed in a temperature-specific and temporally regulated manner. Bioinformatic analysis identified multiple temperature-regulated biological processes and pathways. Biological processes overrepresented among the earliest genes induced by temperature stress include regulation of transcription, nucleosome assembly, chromatin organization and protein folding. However, processes such as RNA processing, cellular metal ion homeostasis and protein transport and were enriched in genes up-regulated under cold exposure for 48 h. Pathways such as mTOR signalling, p53 signalling and circadian rhythm were enriched among cold-induced genes, while adipocytokine signalling, protein export and arginine and praline metabolism were enriched among heat-induced genes. Although most of these biological processes and pathways were specifically regulated by cold or heat, common responses to both cold and heat stresses were also found. Thus, these findings provide new interesting clues for elucidation of mechanisms underlying the temperature acclimation in fish.

Regulation of Ocean Iron Fertilization (OIF): a Model for Balancing Research, Environmental and Policy Concerns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leinen, M.; Lamotte, R.

2008-12-01

The potential of enhancing carbon sequestration by the biosphere for climate mitigation often raises questions of offsetting effects. These questions become more important as the scale of the enhancement increases. Ocean iron fertilization is accompanied by additional questions related to use of the ocean commons. The London Convention (LC) and London Protocol (LP), international treaties adopted in 1972 and 1996 respectively, were designed to prevent use of the ocean for disposal of toxic, harmful and radioactive pollutants. Recently the LC/LP has been called upon to decide whether climate mitigation activities, such as subseafloor injection of CO2 and OIF, are legal under the framework and, if so, how they should be regulated. The broad consultation with the science community by the LC/LP in developing their perspective, and the involvement of the NGO community in these deliberations, provides a model for the process that the international policy community can use to develop science-based regulatory guidelines for carbon mitigation projects involving the commons. And the substance of that emerging regulatory framework -- built on a national-level permitting process informed by internationally agreed guidelines and standards -- may also serve as a model for the oversight of other emerging technologies that take place in the global commons.

Automated filtering of common-mode artifacts in multichannel physiological recordings.

PubMed

Kelly, John W; Siewiorek, Daniel P; Smailagic, Asim; Wang, Wei

2013-10-01

The removal of spatially correlated noise is an important step in processing multichannel recordings. Here, a technique termed the adaptive common average reference (ACAR) is presented as an effective and simple method for removing this noise. The ACAR is based on a combination of the well-known common average reference (CAR) and an adaptive noise canceling (ANC) filter. In a convergent process, the CAR provides a reference to an ANC filter, which in turn provides feedback to enhance the CAR. This method was effective on both simulated and real data, outperforming the standard CAR when the amplitude or polarity of the noise changes across channels. In many cases, the ACAR even outperformed independent component analysis. On 16 channels of simulated data, the ACAR was able to attenuate up to approximately 290 dB of noise and could improve signal quality if the original SNR was as high as 5 dB. With an original SNR of 0 dB, the ACAR improved signal quality with only two data channels and performance improved as the number of channels increased. It also performed well under many different conditions for the structure of the noise and signals. Analysis of contaminated electrocorticographic recordings further showed the effectiveness of the ACAR.

Automated Filtering of Common Mode Artifacts in Multi-Channel Physiological Recordings

PubMed Central

Kelly, John W.; Siewiorek, Daniel P.; Smailagic, Asim; Wang, Wei

2014-01-01

The removal of spatially correlated noise is an important step in processing multi-channel recordings. Here, a technique termed the adaptive common average reference (ACAR) is presented as an effective and simple method for removing this noise. The ACAR is based on a combination of the well-known common average reference (CAR) and an adaptive noise canceling (ANC) filter. In a convergent process, the CAR provides a reference to an ANC filter, which in turn provides feedback to enhance the CAR. This method was effective on both simulated and real data, outperforming the standard CAR when the amplitude or polarity of the noise changes across channels. In many cases the ACAR even outperformed independent component analysis (ICA). On 16 channels of simulated data the ACAR was able to attenuate up to approximately 290 dB of noise and could improve signal quality if the original SNR was as high as 5 dB. With an original SNR of 0 dB, the ACAR improved signal quality with only two data channels and performance improved as the number of channels increased. It also performed well under many different conditions for the structure of the noise and signals. Analysis of contaminated electrocorticographic (ECoG) recordings further showed the effectiveness of the ACAR. PMID:23708770

Using perspective to resolve reference: The impact of cognitive load and motivation.

PubMed

Cane, James E; Ferguson, Heather J; Apperly, Ian A

2017-04-01

Research has demonstrated a link between perspective taking and working memory. Here we used eye tracking to examine the time course with which working memory load (WML) influences perspective-taking ability in a referential communication task and how motivation to take another's perspective modulates these effects. In Experiment 1, where there was no reward or time pressure, listeners only showed evidence of incorporating perspective knowledge during integration of the target object but did not anticipate reference to this common ground object during the pretarget-noun period. WML did not affect this perspective use. In Experiment 2, where a reward for speed and accuracy was applied, listeners used perspective cues to disambiguate the target object from the competitor object from the earliest moments of processing (i.e., during the pretarget-noun period), but only under low load. Under high load, responses were comparable with the control condition, where both objects were in common ground. Furthermore, attempts to initiate perspective-relevant responses under high load led to impaired recall on the concurrent WML task, indicating that perspective-relevant responses were drawing on limited cognitive resources. These results show that when there is ambiguity, perspective cues guide rapid referential interpretation when there is sufficient motivation and sufficient cognitive resources. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

The perceptual control of goal-directed locomotion: a common control architecture for interception and navigation?

PubMed

Chardenon, A; Montagne, G; Laurent, M; Bootsma, R J

2004-09-01

Intercepting a moving object while locomoting is a highly complex and demanding ability. Notwithstanding the identification of several informational candidates, the role of perceptual variables in the control process underlying such skills remains an open question. In this study we used a virtual reality set-up for studying locomotor interception of a moving ball. The subject had to walk along a straight path and could freely modify forward velocity, if necessary, in order to intercept-with the head-a ball moving along a straight path that led it to cross the agent's displacement axis. In a series of experiments we manipulated a local (ball size) and a global (focus of expansion) component of the visual flow but also the egocentric orientation of the ball. The experimental observations are well captured by a dynamic model linking the locomotor acceleration to properties of both global flow and egocentric direction. More precisely the changes in locomotor velocity depend on a linear combination of the change in bearing angle and the change in egocentric orientation, allowing the emergence of adaptive behavior under a variety of circumstances. We conclude that the mechanisms underlying the control of different goal-directed locomotion tasks (i.e. steering and interceptive tasks) could share a common architecture.

Neural activations associated with feedback and retrieval success

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiklund-Hörnqvist, Carola; Andersson, Micael; Jonsson, Bert; Nyberg, Lars

2017-11-01

There is substantial behavioral evidence for a phenomenon commonly called "the testing effect", i.e. superior memory performance after repeated testing compared to re-study of to-be-learned materials. However, considerably less is known about the underlying neuro-cognitive processes that are involved in the initial testing phase, and thus underlies the actual testing effect. Here, we investigated functional brain activity related to test-enhanced learning with feedback. Subjects learned foreign vocabulary across three consecutive tests with correct-answer feedback. Functional brain-activity responses were analyzed in relation to retrieval and feedback events, respectively. Results revealed up-regulated activity in fronto-striatal regions during the first successful retrieval, followed by a marked reduction in activity as a function of improved learning. Whereas feedback improved behavioral performance across consecutive tests, feedback had a negligable role after the first successful retrieval for functional brain-activity modulations. It is suggested that the beneficial effects of test-enhanced learning is regulated by feedback-induced updating of memory representations, mediated via the striatum, that might underlie the stabilization of memory commonly seen in behavioral studies of the testing effect.

Allelic genealogies in sporophytic self-incompatibility systems in plants.

PubMed

Schierup, M H; Vekemans, X; Christiansen, F B

1998-11-01

Expectations for the time scale and structure of allelic genealogies in finite populations are formed under three models of sporophytic self-incompatibility. The models differ in the dominance interactions among the alleles that determine the self-incompatibility phenotype: In the SSIcod model, alleles act codominantly in both pollen and style, in the SSIdom model, alleles form a dominance hierarchy, and in SSIdomcod, alleles are codominant in the style and show a dominance hierarchy in the pollen. Coalescence times of alleles rarely differ more than threefold from those under gametophytic self-incompatibility, and transspecific polymorphism is therefore expected to be equally common. The previously reported directional turnover process of alleles in the SSIdomcod model results in coalescence times lower and substitution rates higher than those in the other models. The SSIdom model assumes strong asymmetries in allelic action, and the most recessive extant allele is likely to be the most recent common ancestor. Despite these asymmetries, the expected shape of the allele genealogies does not deviate markedly from the shape of a neutral gene genealogy. The application of the results to sequence surveys of alleles, including interspecific comparisons, is discussed.

Respiratory-aspirated 35-mm hairpin successfully retrieved with a Teflon® snare system under fluoroscopic guidance via a split endotracheal tube: a useful technique in cases of failed extraction by bronchoscopy and avoiding the need for a thoracotomy.

PubMed

Gill, S S; Pease, R A; Ashwin, C J; Gill, S S; Tait, N P

2012-09-01

Respiratory foreign body aspiration (FBA) is a common global health problem requiring prompt recognition and early treatment to prevent potentially fatal complications. The majority of FBAs are due to organic objects and treatment is usually via either endoscopic or surgical extraction. FBA of a straight hairpin has been described as a unique entity in the literature, occurring most commonly in females, particularly during adolescence. In the process of inserting hairpins, the pins will typically be between the teeth with the head tilted backwards, while tying their hair with both hands. This position increases the risk of aspiration, particularly if there is any sudden coughing or laughing. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of a 35-mm straight metallic hairpin foreign body that has been successfully retrieved by a radiological snare system under fluoroscopic guidance. This was achieved with the use of a split endotracheal tube, and therefore avoided the need for a thoracotomy in an adolescent female patient.

Oligonucleotide microarray analysis reveals dysregulation of energy-related metabolism in insulin-sensitive tissues of type 2 diabetes patients.

PubMed

Wang, M; Wang, X C; Zhao, L; Zhang, Y; Yao, L L; Lin, Y; Peng, Y D; Hu, R M

2014-06-17

Impaired insulin action within skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, and the liver is an important characteristic of type 2 diabetes (T2D). In order to identify common underlying defects in insulin-sensitive tissues that may be involved in the pathogenesis of T2D, the gene expression profiles of skeletal muscle, visceral adipose tissue, and liver from autopsy donors with or without T2D were examined using oligonucleotide microarrays and quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR. Compared with controls, 691 genes were commonly dysregulated in these three insulin-sensitive tissues of humans with T2D. These co-expressed genes were enriched within the mitochondrion, with suggested involvement in energy metabolic processes such as glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, fatty acid beta oxidative, tricarboxylic acid cycle, and electron transport. Genes related to energy metabolism were mostly downregulated in diabetic skeletal muscle and visceral adipose tissue, while they were upregulated in the diabetic liver. This observed dysregulation in energy-related metabolism may be the underlying factor leading to the molecular mechanisms responsible for the insulin resistance of patients with T2D.

The cell biology of polycystic kidney disease

PubMed Central

Chapin, Hannah C.

2010-01-01

Polycystic kidney disease is a common genetic disorder in which fluid-filled cysts displace normal renal tubules. Here we focus on autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, which is attributable to mutations in the PKD1 and PKD2 genes and which is characterized by perturbations of renal epithelial cell growth control, fluid transport, and morphogenesis. The mechanisms that connect the underlying genetic defects to disease pathogenesis are poorly understood, but their exploration is shedding new light on interesting cell biological processes and suggesting novel therapeutic targets. PMID:21079243

Soil recycling paves the way for treating brownfields

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

Gladdys, R.

A soil recycling and stabilization process allows once-contaminated soil to be incorporated into paving materials. Contaminated soils is more widespread than often realized, with one of the more common sources being petroleum products such as fuel oil and gasoline. Until recently, the conventional solution was to have the material excavated, separated from remining soil and trucked to a hazardous waste landfill. This article describes an alternative approach under the following topics: move the solution, not the problem; on site recycling; heavy metals stabilization; economics.

Impacts of Woody Debris on Fluvial Processes and Channel Morphology in Stable and Unstable Streams

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-06-01

the channel, 4 through erosion and flotation of emergent and riparian trees (Hogan, 1987) (Figuie 2.1). Fetherston et al. (1995) suggest that debris...the CEM or is actively meandering. Jams tend to form where the key debris elements fall into the river and, hence, ar,- commonly located at bend apices ... flotation force due to the pressure on the under surface of a submerged or partially submerged body is given by: Ff - p•,gLA (5.1) where, Ft. - flotation

Symbolic dynamic filtering and language measure for behavior identification of mobile robots.

PubMed

Mallapragada, Goutham; Ray, Asok; Jin, Xin

2012-06-01

This paper presents a procedure for behavior identification of mobile robots, which requires limited or no domain knowledge of the underlying process. While the features of robot behavior are extracted by symbolic dynamic filtering of the observed time series, the behavior patterns are classified based on language measure theory. The behavior identification procedure has been experimentally validated on a networked robotic test bed by comparison with commonly used tools, namely, principal component analysis for feature extraction and Bayesian risk analysis for pattern classification.

Personalization of structural PDB files.

PubMed

Woźniak, Tomasz; Adamiak, Ryszard W

2013-01-01

PDB format is most commonly applied by various programs to define three-dimensional structure of biomolecules. However, the programs often use different versions of the format. Thus far, no comprehensive solution for unifying the PDB formats has been developed. Here we present an open-source, Python-based tool called PDBinout for processing and conversion of various versions of PDB file format for biostructural applications. Moreover, PDBinout allows to create one's own PDB versions. PDBinout is freely available under the LGPL licence at http://pdbinout.ibch.poznan.pl.

Solar Orbiter: Exploring the Sun-Heliosphere Connection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mueller, D.; Marsden, R. G.; St.Cyr, O. C.; Gilbert, H. R.

2013-01-01

The heliosphere represents a uniquely accessible domain of space, where fundamental physical processes common to solar, astrophysical and laboratory plasmas can be studied under conditions impossible to reproduce on Earth and unfeasible to observe from astronomical distances. Solar Orbiter, the first mission of ESA's Cosmic Vision 2015 - 2025 programme, will address the central question of heliophysics: How does the Sun create and control the heliosphere? In this paper, we present the scientific goals of the mission and provide an overview of the mission implementation.

[Food addiction].

PubMed

Locatelli, L; Correia, J C; Golay, A

2015-03-25

Food addiction is a common term used in everyday language by obese patients. Although the neurobiological evidence points to some similarities between addictive mechanisms and the consumption of certain foods, this diagnosis is not yet officially recognized. After a brief history of food addiction compared to other eating disorders, we review the neurobiological processes underlying this concept. A food addiction assessment tool is presented and discussed with the current literature and new classifications of the DSM-5. The concept of food addiction needs to be rethought and requires further research.

Solar Orbiter Exploring the Sun-Heliosphere Connection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mueller, Daniel; Marsden, Richard George; Cyr, O. C. St.; Gilbert, Holly Robin

2012-01-01

The heliosphere represents a uniquely accessible domain of space, where fundamental physical processes common to solar, astrophysical and laboratory plasmas can be studied under conditions impossible to reproduce on Earth and unfeasible to observe from astronomical distances. Solar Orbiter, the first mission of ESA's Cosmic Vision 2015 - 2025 programme, will address the central question of heliophysics: How does the Sun create and control the heliosphere? In this paper, we present the scientific goals of the mission and provide an overview of the mission implementation.

Motion estimation of subcellular structures from fluorescence microscopy images.

PubMed

Vallmitjana, A; Civera-Tregon, A; Hoenicka, J; Palau, F; Benitez, R

2017-07-01

We present an automatic image processing framework to study moving intracellular structures from live cell fluorescence microscopy. The system includes the identification of static and dynamic structures from time-lapse images using data clustering as well as the identification of the trajectory of moving objects with a probabilistic tracking algorithm. The method has been successfully applied to study mitochondrial movement in neurons. The approach provides excellent performance under different experimental conditions and is robust to common sources of noise including experimental, molecular and biological fluctuations.

Building Capacity in Community-Based Participatory Research Partnerships Through a Focus on Process and Multiculturalism.

PubMed

Corbie-Smith, Giselle; Bryant, Angela R; Walker, Deborah J; Blumenthal, Connie; Council, Barbara; Courtney, Dana; Adimora, Ada

2015-01-01

In health research, investigators and funders are emphasizing the importance of collaboration between communities and academic institutions to achieve health equity. Although the principles underlying community-academic partnered research have been well-articulated, the processes by which partnerships integrate these principles when working across cultural differences are not as well described. We present how Project GRACE (Growing, Reaching, Advocating for Change and Empowerment) integrated participatory research principles with the process of building individual and partnership capacity. We worked with Vigorous Interventions In Ongoing Natural Settings (VISIONS) Inc., a process consultant and training organization, to develop a capacity building model. We present the conceptual framework and multicultural process of change (MPOC) that was used to build individual and partnership capacity to address health disparities. The process and capacity building model provides a common language, approach, and toolset to understand differences and the dynamics of inequity. These tools can be used by other partnerships in the conduct of research to achieve health equity.

Batch-processed semiconductor gas sensor array for the selective detection of NOx in automotive exhaust gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jang, Hani; Kim, Minki; Kim, Yongjun

2016-12-01

This paper reports on a semiconductor gas sensor array to detect nitrogen oxides (NOx) in automotive exhaust gas. The proposed semiconductor gas sensor array consisted of one common electrode and three individual electrodes to minimize the size of the sensor array, and three sensing layers [TiO2 + SnO2 (15 wt%), SnO2, and Ga2O3] were deposited using screen printing. In addition, sensing materials were sintered under the same conditions in order to take advantage of batch processing. The sensing properties of the proposed sensor array were verified by experimental measurements, and the selectivity improved by using pattern recognition.

Delegation versus empowerment: what, how, and is there a difference?

PubMed

McConnell, C R

1995-09-01

Delegation--or empowerment--represents the essence of the supervisory task: getting things done through people. The terms are no different from each other; empowerment is simply delegation done properly. The process still fails for the same old reasons, and failure still causes the same kinds of problems. Delegation or empowerment involves authority; it is authority that is delegated, not responsibility, as commonly claimed. Under either name it is an imperfect process requiring subjective judgments and chronic risk. Although either label is acceptable--the few differences between delegation and empowerment are semantic only--the significant constant that must be present is a sense of task ownership on the part of the empowered employee.

Role of adult neurogenesis in hippocampal-cortical memory consolidation

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Acquired memory is initially dependent on the hippocampus (HPC) for permanent memory formation. This hippocampal dependency of memory recall progressively decays with time, a process that is associated with a gradual increase in dependency upon cortical structures. This process is commonly referred to as systems consolidation theory. In this paper, we first review how memory becomes hippocampal dependent to cortical dependent with an emphasis on the interactions that occur between the HPC and cortex during systems consolidation. We also review the mechanisms underlying the gradual decay of HPC dependency during systems consolidation from the perspective of memory erasures by adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Finally, we discuss the relationship between systems consolidation and memory precision. PMID:24552281

Not all sounds sound the same: Parkinson's disease affects differently emotion processing in music and in speech prosody.

PubMed

Lima, César F; Garrett, Carolina; Castro, São Luís

2013-01-01

Does emotion processing in music and speech prosody recruit common neurocognitive mechanisms? To examine this question, we implemented a cross-domain comparative design in Parkinson's disease (PD). Twenty-four patients and 25 controls performed emotion recognition tasks for music and spoken sentences. In music, patients had impaired recognition of happiness and peacefulness, and intact recognition of sadness and fear; this pattern was independent of general cognitive and perceptual abilities. In speech, patients had a small global impairment, which was significantly mediated by executive dysfunction. Hence, PD affected differently musical and prosodic emotions. This dissociation indicates that the mechanisms underlying the two domains are partly independent.

Lightning attachment process to common buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saba, M. M. F.; Paiva, A. R.; Schumann, C.; Ferro, M. A. S.; Naccarato, K. P.; Silva, J. C. O.; Siqueira, F. V. C.; Custódio, D. M.

2017-05-01

The physical mechanism of lightning attachment to grounded structures is one of the most important issues in lightning physics research, and it is the basis for the design of the lightning protection systems. Most of what is known about the attachment process comes from leader propagation models that are mostly based on laboratory observations of long electrical discharges or from observations of lightning attachment to tall structures. In this paper we use high-speed videos to analyze the attachment process of downward lightning flashes to an ordinary residential building. For the first time, we present characteristics of the attachment process to common structures that are present in almost every city (in this case, two buildings under 60 m in São Paulo City, Brazil). Parameters like striking distance and connecting leaders speed, largely used in lightning attachment models and in lightning protection standards, are revealed in this work.