Number theory an introduction via the density of primes

CERN Document Server

Fine, Benjamin

2016-01-01

Now in its second edition, this textbook provides an introduction and overview of number theory based on the density and properties of the prime numbers. This unique approach offers both a firm background in the standard material of number theory, as well as an overview of the entire discipline. All of the essential topics are covered, such as the fundamental theorem of arithmetic, theory of congruences, quadratic reciprocity, arithmetic functions, and the distribution of primes. New in this edition are coverage of p-adic numbers, Hensel's lemma, multiple zeta-values, and elliptic curve methods in primality testing. Key topics and features include: A solid introduction to analytic number theory, including full proofs of Dirichlet's Theorem and the Prime Number Theorem Concise treatment of algebraic number theory, including a complete presentation of primes, prime factorizations in algebraic number fields, and unique factorization of ideals Discussion of the AKS algorithm, which shows that primality testing is...

Fabrication of metal matrix composite by semi-solid powder processing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Yufeng [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

2011-01-01

Various metal matrix composites (MMCs) are widely used in the automotive, aerospace and electrical industries due to their capability and flexibility in improving the mechanical, thermal and electrical properties of a component. However, current manufacturing technologies may suffer from insufficient process stability and reliability and inadequate economic efficiency and may not be able to satisfy the increasing demands placed on MMCs. Semi-solid powder processing (SPP), a technology that combines traditional powder metallurgy and semi-solid forming methods, has potential to produce MMCs with low cost and high efficiency. In this work, the analytical study and experimental investigation of SPP on the fabrication of MMCs were explored. An analytical model was developed to understand the deformation mechanism of the powder compact in the semi-solid state. The densification behavior of the Al6061 and SiC powder mixtures was investigated with different liquid fractions and SiC volume fractions. The limits of SPP were analyzed in terms of reinforcement phase loading and its impact on the composite microstructure. To explore adoption of new materials, carbon nanotube (CNT) was investigated as a reinforcing material in aluminum matrix using SPP. The process was successfully modeled for the mono-phase powder (Al6061) compaction and the density and density distribution were predicted. The deformation mechanism at low and high liquid fractions was discussed. In addition, the compaction behavior of the ceramic-metal powder mixture was understood, and the SiC loading limit was identified by parametric study. For the fabrication of CNT reinforced Al6061 composite, the mechanical alloying of Al6061-CNT powders was first investigated. A mathematical model was developed to predict the CNT length change during the mechanical alloying process. The effects of mechanical alloying time and processing temperature during SPP were studied on the mechanical, microstructural and

Composite Coatings with Ceramic Matrix Including Nanomaterials as Solid Lubricants for Oil-Less Automotive Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Posmyk A.

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the theoretical basis of manufacturing and chosen applications of composite coatings with ceramic matrix containing nanomaterials as a solid lubricant (AHC+NL. From a theoretical point of view, in order to reduce the friction coefficient of sliding contacts, two materials are required, i.e. one with a high hardness and the other with low shear strength. In case of composite coatings AHC+NL the matrix is a very hard and wear resistant anodic oxide coating (AHC whereas the solid lubricant used is the nanomaterial (NL featuring a low shear strength such as glassy carbon nanotubes (GC. Friction coefficient of cast iron GJL-350 sliding against the coating itself is much higher (0.18-0.22 than when it slides against a composite coating (0.08-0.14. It is possible to reduce the friction due to the presence of carbon nanotubes, or metal nanowires.

Determination of clenbuterol in bovine liver by combining matrix solid phase dispersion and molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography/electrospray ion trap multiple stage mass spectrometry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Crescenzi, C; Bayoudh, S; Cormack, P.A G; Klein, T; Ensing, K

2001-01-01

Matrix solid-phase dispersion(MSPD) is a new sample pretreatment for solid samples. This technique greatly simplifies sample pretreatment but, nonetheless, the extracts often still require an extra cleanup step that is both laborious and time-consuming. The potential;of combining MSPD with

Masked priming effect reflects evidence accumulated by the prime.

Science.gov (United States)

Kinoshita, Sachiko; Norris, Dennis

2010-01-01

In the same-different match task, masked priming is observed with the same responses but not different responses. Norris and Kinoshita's (2008) Bayesian reader account of masked priming explains this pattern based on the same principle as that explaining the absence of priming for nonwords in the lexical decision task. The pattern of priming follows from the way the model makes optimal decisions in the two tasks; priming does not depend on first activating the prime and then the target. An alternative explanation is in terms of a bias towards responding "same" that exactly counters the facilitatory effect of lexical access. The present study tested these two views by varying both the degree to which the prime predicts the response and the visibility of the prime. Unmasked primes produced effects expected from the view that priming is influenced by the degree to which the prime predicts the response. In contrast, with masked primes, the size of priming for the same response was completely unaffected by predictability. These results rule out response bias as an explanation of the absence of masked priming for different responses and, in turn, indicate that masked priming is not a consequence of automatic lexical access of the prime.

Hydroxyapatite growth induced by native extracellular matrix deposition on solid surfaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pramatarova L.

2005-02-01

Full Text Available Biological systems have a remarkable capability to produce perfect fine structures such as seashells, pearls, bones, teeth and corals. These structures are composites of interacting inorganic (calcium phosphate or carbonate minerals and organic counterparts. It is difficult to say with certainty which part has the primary role. For example, the growth of molluscan shell crystals is thought to be initiated from a solution by the extracellular organic matrix (ECM. According to this theory, the matrix induces nucleation of calcium containing crystals. Recently, an alternative theory has been put forward, stating that a class of granulocytic hemocytes would be directly involved in shell crystal production in oysters. In the work presented here the surface of AISI 316 stainless steel was modified by deposition of ECM proteins. The ability of the modified substrates to induce nucleation and growth of hydroxyapatite (HA from simulated body fluid (SBF was examined by a kinetic study using two methods: (1 a simple soaking process in SBF and (2 a laser-liquid-solid interaction (LLSI process which allows interaction between a scanning laser beam and a solid substrate immersed in SBF. The deposited HA layers were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR and scanning electron microscopy (SEM. It was found that a coating of stainless steel surface with native ECM proteins induced nucleation and growth of HA and facilitated its crystallization. By the process of simple soaking of the samples, irrespective of their horizontal or vertical position in the solution, HA layers were grown due to the reactive ECM-coated stainless steel surface. It was shown that the process occurring in the first stages of the growth was not only a result of the force of gravity. The application of the LLSI process strongly influenced HA formation on the ECM-modified substrates by promoting and enhancing the HA nucleation and growth through a synergistic effect

Combinational approach using solid dispersion and semi-solid matrix technology to enhance in vitro dissolution of telmisartan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Syed Faisal Ali

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The present investigation was focused to formulate semi-solid capsules (SSCs of hydrophobic drug telmisartan (TLMS by encapsulating semi-solid matrix of its solid dispersion (SD in HPMC capsules. The combinational approach was used to reduce the lag time in drug release and improvise its dissolution. SDs of TLMS was prepared using hot fusion method by varying the combinations of Pluronic-F68, Gelucire 50/13 and Plasdone S630. A total of nine batches (SD1-SD9 were characterized for micromeritic properties, in vitro dissolution behavior and surface characterization. SD4 with 52.43% cumulative drug release (CDR in phosphate buffer, pH 7.4, in 120 min, t50% 44.2 min and DE30min 96.76% was selected for the development of semi-solid capsules. Differential scanning calorimetry of SD4 revealed molecular dispersion of TLMS in Pluronic-F68. SD4 was formulated into SSCs using Gelucire 44/14 and PEG 400 as semi-solid components and PEG 6000 as a suspending agent to achieve reduction in lag time for effective drug dissolution. SSC6 showed maximum in vitro drug dissolution 97.49 % in phosphate buffer, pH 7.4 with in 20 min that was almost a three folds reduction in the time required to achieve similar dissolution by SD. Thus, SSCs present an excellent approach to enhance in vitro dissolution as well as to reduce the lag time of dissolution for poorly water soluble drugs especially to those therapeutic classes that are intended for faster onset of action. Developed approach based on HPMC capsules provided a better alternative to target delivery of telmisartan to the vegetarian population.

EVALUATION OF A BUFFERED SOLID PHASE DISPERSION PROCEDURE ADAPTED FOR PESTICIDE ANALYSES IN THE SOIL MATRIX

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana María Domínguez

2015-08-01

Full Text Available An evaluation of the pesticides extracted from the soil matrix was conducted using a citrate-buffered solid phase dispersion sample preparation method (QuEChERS. The identification and quantitation of pesticide compounds was performed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Because of the occurrence of the matrix effect in 87% of the analyzed pesticides, the quantification was performed using matrix-matched calibration. The method's quantification limits were between 0.01 and 0.5 mg kg-1. Repeatability and intermediate precision, expressed as a relative standard deviation percentage, were less than 20%. The recoveries in general ranged between 62% and 99%, with a relative standard deviation < 20%. All the responses were linear, with a correlation coefficient (r ≥0.99.

Mobile plant for encapsulating of solid high-level radioactive waste in metal matrix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sobolev, I.A.; Arustamov, A.Eh.; Shiryaev, V.V.; Ozhovan, M.I.; Semenov, K.N.; Kachalov, M.B.

1993-01-01

Technology for disposal of spent radionuclide sources of ionizing radiation into the standard well-type storage facilities is considered. Universal mobile facility, providing for incorporation of high-level solid wastes into metallic matrices, is proposed. The facility consists of separate moduli, assembled on a transport platform. Electrical meter, wherein the matrix metal (lead and its alloys) is melted and heated up to 600-800 C constitutes the basic modulus in the facility. 4 refs., 4 figs

Transposed-Letter Priming Effects with Masked Subset Primes: A Re-Examination of the "Relative Position Priming Constraint"

Science.gov (United States)

Stinchcombe, Eric J.; Lupker, Stephen J.; Davis, Colin J.

2012-01-01

Three experiments are reported investigating the role of letter order in orthographic subset priming (e.g., "grdn"-GARDEN) using both the conventional masked priming technique as well as the sandwich priming technique in a lexical decision task. In all three experiments, subset primes produced priming with the effect being considerably…

2D matrix engineering for homogeneous quantum dot coupling in photovoltaic solids

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Jixian; Voznyy, Oleksandr; Liu, Mengxia; Kirmani, Ahmad R.; Walters, Grant; Munir, Rahim; Abdelsamie, Maged; Proppe, Andrew H.; Sarkar, Amrita; García de Arquer, F. Pelayo; Wei, Mingyang; Sun, Bin; Liu, Min; Ouellette, Olivier; Quintero-Bermudez, Rafael; Li, Jie; Fan, James; Quan, Lina; Todorovic, Petar; Tan, Hairen; Hoogland, Sjoerd; Kelley, Shana O.; Stefik, Morgan; Amassian, Aram; Sargent, Edward H.

2018-06-01

Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are promising photovoltaic (PV) materials because of their widely tunable absorption spectrum controlled by nanocrystal size1,2. Their bandgap tunability allows not only the optimization of single-junction cells, but also the fabrication of multijunction cells that complement perovskites and silicon3. Advances in surface passivation2,4-7, combined with advances in device structures8, have contributed to certified power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) that rose to 11% in 20169. Further gains in performance are available if the thickness of the devices can be increased to maximize the light harvesting at a high fill factor (FF). However, at present the active layer thickness is limited to 300 nm by the concomitant photocarrier diffusion length. To date, CQD devices thicker than this typically exhibit decreases in short-circuit current (JSC) and open-circuit voltage (VOC), as seen in previous reports3,9-11. Here, we report a matrix engineering strategy for CQD solids that significantly enhances the photocarrier diffusion length. We find that a hybrid inorganic-amine coordinating complex enables us to generate a high-quality two-dimensionally (2D) confined inorganic matrix that programmes internanoparticle spacing at the atomic scale. This strategy enables the reduction of structural and energetic disorder in the solid and concurrent improvements in the CQD packing density and uniformity. Consequently, planar devices with a nearly doubled active layer thicknesses ( 600 nm) and record values of JSC (32 mA cm-2) are fabricated. The VOC improved as the current was increased. We demonstrate CQD solar cells with a certified record efficiency of 12%.

Computing prime factors with a Josephson phase qubit quantum processor

Science.gov (United States)

Lucero, Erik; Barends, R.; Chen, Y.; Kelly, J.; Mariantoni, M.; Megrant, A.; O'Malley, P.; Sank, D.; Vainsencher, A.; Wenner, J.; White, T.; Yin, Y.; Cleland, A. N.; Martinis, John M.

2012-10-01

A quantum processor can be used to exploit quantum mechanics to find the prime factors of composite numbers. Compiled versions of Shor's algorithm and Gauss sum factorizations have been demonstrated on ensemble quantum systems, photonic systems and trapped ions. Although proposed, these algorithms have yet to be shown using solid-state quantum bits. Using a number of recent qubit control and hardware advances, here we demonstrate a nine-quantum-element solid-state quantum processor and show three experiments to highlight its capabilities. We begin by characterizing the device with spectroscopy. Next, we produce coherent interactions between five qubits and verify bi- and tripartite entanglement through quantum state tomography. In the final experiment, we run a three-qubit compiled version of Shor's algorithm to factor the number 15, and successfully find the prime factors 48% of the time. Improvements in the superconducting qubit coherence times and more complex circuits should provide the resources necessary to factor larger composite numbers and run more intricate quantum algorithms.

A transilient matrix for moist convection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Romps, D.; Kuang, Z.

2011-08-15

A method is introduced for diagnosing a transilient matrix for moist convection. This transilient matrix quantifies the nonlocal transport of air by convective eddies: for every height z, it gives the distribution of starting heights z{prime} for the eddies that arrive at z. In a cloud-resolving simulation of deep convection, the transilient matrix shows that two-thirds of the subcloud air convecting into the free troposphere originates from within 100 m of the surface. This finding clarifies which initial height to use when calculating convective available potential energy from soundings of the tropical troposphere.

The Prime Numbers Hidden Symmetric Structure and its Relation to the Twin Prime Infinitude and an Improved Prime Number Theorem

CERN Document Server

Mikoss, I

2006-01-01

Due to the sieving process represented by a Secondary Sieving Map; during the generation of the prime numbers, geometric structures with definite symmetries are formed which become evident through their geometrical representations. The study of these structures allows the development of a constructive prime generating formula. This defines a mean prime density yielding a second order recursive and discrete prime producing formula and a second order differential equation whose solutions produce an improved Prime Number Theorem. Applying these results to twin prime pairs is possible to generate a Twin Prime Number Theorem and important conclusions about the infinitude of the twin primes.

2D matrix engineering for homogeneous quantum dot coupling in photovoltaic solids

KAUST Repository

Xu, Jixian

2018-04-20

Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are promising photovoltaic (PV) materials because of their widely tunable absorption spectrum controlled by nanocrystal size1,2. Their bandgap tunability allows not only the optimization of single-junction cells, but also the fabrication of multijunction cells that complement perovskites and silicon 3 . Advances in surface passivation2,4-7, combined with advances in device structures 8 , have contributed to certified power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) that rose to 11% in 2016 9 . Further gains in performance are available if the thickness of the devices can be increased to maximize the light harvesting at a high fill factor (FF). However, at present the active layer thickness is limited to ~300 nm by the concomitant photocarrier diffusion length. To date, CQD devices thicker than this typically exhibit decreases in short-circuit current (JSC) and open-circuit voltage (VOC), as seen in previous reports3,9-11. Here, we report a matrix engineering strategy for CQD solids that significantly enhances the photocarrier diffusion length. We find that a hybrid inorganic-amine coordinating complex enables us to generate a high-quality two-dimensionally (2D) confined inorganic matrix that programmes internanoparticle spacing at the atomic scale. This strategy enables the reduction of structural and energetic disorder in the solid and concurrent improvements in the CQD packing density and uniformity. Consequently, planar devices with a nearly doubled active layer thicknesses (~600 nm) and record values of JSC (32 mA cm-2) are fabricated. The VOC improved as the current was increased. We demonstrate CQD solar cells with a certified record efficiency of 12%.

2D matrix engineering for homogeneous quantum dot coupling in photovoltaic solids

KAUST Repository

Xu, Jixian; Voznyy, Oleksandr; Liu, Mengxia; Kirmani, Ahmad R.; Walters, Grant; Munir, Rahim; Abdelsamie, Maged; Proppe, Andrew H.; Sarkar, Amrita; Garcí a de Arquer, F. Pelayo; Wei, Mingyang; Sun, Bin; Liu, Min; Ouellette, Olivier; Quintero-Bermudez, Rafael; Li, Jie; Fan, James; Quan, Li Na; Todorovic, Petar; Tan, Hairen; Hoogland, Sjoerd; Kelley, Shana O.; Stefik, Morgan; Amassian, Aram; Sargent, Edward H.

2018-01-01

Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are promising photovoltaic (PV) materials because of their widely tunable absorption spectrum controlled by nanocrystal size1,2. Their bandgap tunability allows not only the optimization of single-junction cells, but also the fabrication of multijunction cells that complement perovskites and silicon 3 . Advances in surface passivation2,4-7, combined with advances in device structures 8 , have contributed to certified power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) that rose to 11% in 2016 9 . Further gains in performance are available if the thickness of the devices can be increased to maximize the light harvesting at a high fill factor (FF). However, at present the active layer thickness is limited to ~300 nm by the concomitant photocarrier diffusion length. To date, CQD devices thicker than this typically exhibit decreases in short-circuit current (JSC) and open-circuit voltage (VOC), as seen in previous reports3,9-11. Here, we report a matrix engineering strategy for CQD solids that significantly enhances the photocarrier diffusion length. We find that a hybrid inorganic-amine coordinating complex enables us to generate a high-quality two-dimensionally (2D) confined inorganic matrix that programmes internanoparticle spacing at the atomic scale. This strategy enables the reduction of structural and energetic disorder in the solid and concurrent improvements in the CQD packing density and uniformity. Consequently, planar devices with a nearly doubled active layer thicknesses (~600 nm) and record values of JSC (32 mA cm-2) are fabricated. The VOC improved as the current was increased. We demonstrate CQD solar cells with a certified record efficiency of 12%.

2D matrix engineering for homogeneous quantum dot coupling in photovoltaic solids.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Jixian; Voznyy, Oleksandr; Liu, Mengxia; Kirmani, Ahmad R; Walters, Grant; Munir, Rahim; Abdelsamie, Maged; Proppe, Andrew H; Sarkar, Amrita; García de Arquer, F Pelayo; Wei, Mingyang; Sun, Bin; Liu, Min; Ouellette, Olivier; Quintero-Bermudez, Rafael; Li, Jie; Fan, James; Quan, Lina; Todorovic, Petar; Tan, Hairen; Hoogland, Sjoerd; Kelley, Shana O; Stefik, Morgan; Amassian, Aram; Sargent, Edward H

2018-04-23

Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are promising photovoltaic (PV) materials because of their widely tunable absorption spectrum controlled by nanocrystal size 1,2 . Their bandgap tunability allows not only the optimization of single-junction cells, but also the fabrication of multijunction cells that complement perovskites and silicon 3 . Advances in surface passivation 2,4-7 , combined with advances in device structures 8 , have contributed to certified power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) that rose to 11% in 2016 9 . Further gains in performance are available if the thickness of the devices can be increased to maximize the light harvesting at a high fill factor (FF). However, at present the active layer thickness is limited to ~300 nm by the concomitant photocarrier diffusion length. To date, CQD devices thicker than this typically exhibit decreases in short-circuit current (J SC ) and open-circuit voltage (V OC ), as seen in previous reports 3,9-11 . Here, we report a matrix engineering strategy for CQD solids that significantly enhances the photocarrier diffusion length. We find that a hybrid inorganic-amine coordinating complex enables us to generate a high-quality two-dimensionally (2D) confined inorganic matrix that programmes internanoparticle spacing at the atomic scale. This strategy enables the reduction of structural and energetic disorder in the solid and concurrent improvements in the CQD packing density and uniformity. Consequently, planar devices with a nearly doubled active layer thicknesses (~600 nm) and record values of J SC (32 mA cm -2 ) are fabricated. The V OC improved as the current was increased. We demonstrate CQD solar cells with a certified record efficiency of 12%.

Self-Aggregation in Pyrrole:  Matrix Isolation, Solid State Infrared Spectroscopy, and DFT Study

OpenAIRE

Gómez-Zavaglia, Andrea; Fausto, Rui

2004-01-01

Pyrrole (C4H5N) was embedded in low-temperature solid inert matrixes (argon, xenon; T = 9 K) and both the monomer and low-order aggregates characterized by FTIR spectroscopy. The spectroscopic studies were complemented by extensive theoretical [DFT(B3LYP)/6-311++G(d,p)] structural and vibrational studies carried out for the monomer and their self-aggregates (up to four units). The calculated spectrum for monomeric pyrrole fits well those obtained immediately after deposition (at 9 K) of dilut...

Analysis of semi-solid processing for metal matrix composite synthesis using factorial design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kratus Ranieri

2012-02-01

Full Text Available The main goal in this work is to conduct a quantitative analysis of the mechanical stir casting process for obtaining particulate metal matrix composites. A combined route of stirring at semi-solid state followed by stirring at liquid state is proposed. A fractional factorial design was developed to investigate the influence and interactions of factors as: time, rotation, initial fraction and particle size, on the incorporated fraction. The best incorporations were obtained with all factors at high levels, as well as that very long stirring periods have no strong influence being particle size and rotation the most important factors on the incorporated fraction. Particle wetting occurs during stirring at semi-solid state, highlighting the importance of the interactions between particles and the alloy globularized phase. The role of the alloying element Mg as a wettability-promoting agent is discussed. The shear forces resulting from the stirring system is emphasized and understood as the effect of rotation itself added to the propeller blade geometry.

Priming semantico e museografia / Semantic priming and museography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Annalisa Banzi

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Il priming è una tipologia di memoria implicita che facilita l’apprendimento di stimoli di diversa natura (stimoli visivi, semantici, etc.. Un allestimento museale che adotti strumenti basati sul priming potrebbe aiutare il pubblico a selezionare i contenuti relativi agli oggetti esposti. In questo articolo viene descritta l’applicazione del priming semantico allo spazio museale. Questa operazione in prima battutta potrebbe essere letta come una mancanza di fiducia nelle capacità cognitive del visitatore nel discriminare il significato delle informazioni. In realtà è una forma di sostegno per aiutare il visitatore a sviluppare gradualmente una propria metodologia di approccio ai contenuti proposti nel museo. Grazie al priming, il pubblico riceve una serie di stimoli che possono aiutare a costituire la base delle proprie conoscenze in ambito storico-artistico ed essere il punto di partenza sul quale costruire un metodo critico.   Many psychological aspects such as motivation, emotion, and attention, affect human learning. Among these, priming triggers and tunes implicit memory processes. Hence the goal of this paper is to check whether semantic priming can be used as an effective tool to design a supportive museum environment where people can easily learn. Moreover, the resulting stronger and more persistent memories could encourage museum visitors to learn more and better, and to develop a method to “read” the artworks. After a brief overview of current models of semantic priming, practical and theoretical issues are considered and discussed.

Development of a poly(dimethylacrylamide) based matrix material for solid phase high density peptide array synthesis employing a laser based material transfer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ridder, Barbara; Foertsch, Tobias C.; Welle, Alexander; Mattes, Daniela S.; Bojnicic-Kninski, Clemens M. von; Loeffler, Felix F.; Nesterov-Mueller, Alexander; Meier, Michael A.R.; Breitling, Frank

2016-01-01

Highlights: • New matrix material for peptide array synthesis from a ‘solid solvent’. • Resolution was increased with possible spot densities of up to 20.000 spots per cm"2. • The coupling depth and the effectiveness of washing steps analyzed by ToF-SIMS. • Adaptations and custom changes of the matrix material are possible. - Abstract: Poly(dimethylacrylamide) (PDMA) based matrix materials were developed for laser-based in situ solid phase peptide synthesis to produce high density arrays. In this specific array synthesis approach, amino acid derivatives are embedded into a matrix material, serving as a “solid” solvent material at room temperature. Then, a laser pulse transfers this mixture to the target position on a synthesis slide, where the peptide array is synthesized. Upon heating above the glass transition temperature of the matrix material, it softens, allowing diffusion of the amino acid derivatives to the synthesis surface and serving as a solvent for peptide bond formation. Here, we synthesized PDMA six-arm star polymers, offering the desired matrix material properties, using atom transfer radical polymerization. With the synthesized polymers as matrix material, we structured and synthesized arrays with combinatorial laser transfer. With densities of up to 20,000 peptide spots per cm"2, the resolution could be increased compared to the commercially available standard matrix material. Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry experiments revealed the penetration behavior of an amino acid derivative into the prepared acceptor synthesis surface and the effectiveness of the washing protocols.

Development of a poly(dimethylacrylamide) based matrix material for solid phase high density peptide array synthesis employing a laser based material transfer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ridder, Barbara [Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Institute of Organic Chemistry (IOC), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Fritz-Haber-Weg 6, 76131 Karlsruhe (Germany); Foertsch, Tobias C. [Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Welle, Alexander [Karlsruhe Nano Micro Facility (KNMF), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Mattes, Daniela S. [Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Institute of Organic Chemistry (IOC), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Fritz-Haber-Weg 6, 76131 Karlsruhe (Germany); Bojnicic-Kninski, Clemens M. von; Loeffler, Felix F.; Nesterov-Mueller, Alexander [Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Meier, Michael A.R., E-mail: m.a.r.meier@kit.edu [Institute of Organic Chemistry (IOC), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Fritz-Haber-Weg 6, 76131 Karlsruhe (Germany); Breitling, Frank, E-mail: frank.breitling@kit.edu [Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany)

2016-12-15

Highlights: • New matrix material for peptide array synthesis from a ‘solid solvent’. • Resolution was increased with possible spot densities of up to 20.000 spots per cm{sup 2}. • The coupling depth and the effectiveness of washing steps analyzed by ToF-SIMS. • Adaptations and custom changes of the matrix material are possible. - Abstract: Poly(dimethylacrylamide) (PDMA) based matrix materials were developed for laser-based in situ solid phase peptide synthesis to produce high density arrays. In this specific array synthesis approach, amino acid derivatives are embedded into a matrix material, serving as a “solid” solvent material at room temperature. Then, a laser pulse transfers this mixture to the target position on a synthesis slide, where the peptide array is synthesized. Upon heating above the glass transition temperature of the matrix material, it softens, allowing diffusion of the amino acid derivatives to the synthesis surface and serving as a solvent for peptide bond formation. Here, we synthesized PDMA six-arm star polymers, offering the desired matrix material properties, using atom transfer radical polymerization. With the synthesized polymers as matrix material, we structured and synthesized arrays with combinatorial laser transfer. With densities of up to 20,000 peptide spots per cm{sup 2}, the resolution could be increased compared to the commercially available standard matrix material. Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry experiments revealed the penetration behavior of an amino acid derivative into the prepared acceptor synthesis surface and the effectiveness of the washing protocols.

Matrix solid-phase dispersion coupled with homogeneous ionic liquid microextraction for the determination of sulfonamides in animal tissues using high-performance liquid chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhibing; He, Mengyu; Jiang, Chunzhu; Zhang, Fengqing; Du, Shanshan; Feng, Wennan; Zhang, Hanqi

2015-12-01

Matrix solid-phase dispersion coupled with homogeneous ionic liquid microextraction was developed and applied to the extraction of some sulfonamides, including sulfamerazine, sulfamethazine, sulfathiazole, sulfachloropyridazine, sulfadoxine, sulfisoxazole, and sulfaphenazole, in animal tissues. High-performance liquid chromatography was applied to the separation and determination of the target analytes. The solid sample was directly treated by matrix solid-phase dispersion and the eluate obtained was treated by homogeneous ionic liquid microextraction. The ionic liquid was used as the extraction solvent in this method, which may result in the improvement of the recoveries of the target analytes. To avoid using organic solvent and reduce environmental pollution, water was used as the elution solvent of matrix solid-phase dispersion. The effects of the experimental parameters on recoveries, including the type and volume of ionic liquid, type of dispersant, ratio of sample to dispersant, pH value of elution solvent, volume of elution solvent, amount of salt in eluate, amount of ion-pairing agent (NH4 PF6 ), and centrifuging time, were evaluated. When the present method was applied to the analysis of animal tissues, the recoveries of the analytes ranged from 85.4 to 118.0%, and the relative standard deviations were lower than 9.30%. The detection limits for the analytes were 4.3-13.4 μg/kg. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Smelly primes – when olfactory primes do or do not work

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Monique A Smeets

2014-02-01

Full Text Available In applied olfactory cognition the effects that olfactory stimulation can have on (human behavior are investigated. To enable an efficient application of olfactory stimuli a model of how they may lead to a change in behavior is proposed. To this end we use the concept of olfactory priming. Olfactory priming may prompt a special view on priming as the olfactory sense has some unique properties which make odors special types of primes. Examples of such properties are the ability of odors to influence our behavior outside of awareness, to lead to strong affective evaluations, to evoke specific memories, and to associate easily and quickly to other environmental stimuli. Opportunities and limitations for using odors as primes are related to these properties, and alternative explanations for reported findings are offered. Implications for olfactory semantic, construal, behavior and goal priming are given based on a brief overview of the priming literature from social psychology and from olfactory perception science. We end by formulating recommendations and ideas for a future research agenda and applications for olfactory priming.

Utilisation of solid waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Balu, K

1978-07-01

The prime solution to the present energy crisis is the recovery of latent energy from waste materials, for solid waste contains recoverable energy and it merely needs to be released. The paper is concerned with classification of solid waste, energy content of waste, methods of solid waste disposal, and chemical processing of solid waste. Waste disposal must be performed in situ with energy recovery. Scarcity of available land, pollution problem, and unrecovered latent energy restrict the use of the land-filling method. Pyrolysis is an effective method for the energy recovery and disposal problems. Chemical processing is suitable for the separated cellulosic fraction of the waste material.

Simultaneous determination of phenolic compounds in Equisetum palustre L. by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry combined with matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Zuofu; Pan, Youzhi; Li, Lu; Huang, Yuyang; Qi, Xiaolin; Luo, Meng; Zu, Yuangang; Fu, Yujie

2014-11-01

A method based on matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction followed by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry is presented for the extraction and determination of phenolic compounds in Equisetum palustre. This method combines the high efficiency of matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction and the rapidity, sensitivity, and accuracy of ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The influential parameters of the matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction were investigated and optimized. The optimized conditions were as follows: silica gel was selected as dispersing sorbent, the ratio of silica gel to sample was selected to be 2:1 (400/200 mg), and 8 mL of 80% methanol was used as elution solvent. Furthermore, a fast and sensitive ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the determination of nine phenolic compounds in E. palustre. This method was carried out within <6 min, and exhibited satisfactory linearity, precision, and recovery. Compared with ultrasound-assisted extraction, the proposed matrix solid-phase dispersion procedure possessed higher extraction efficiency, and was more convenient and time saving with reduced requirements on sample and solvent amounts. All these results suggest that the developed method represents an excellent alternative for the extraction and determination of active components in plant matrices. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

On-cartridge derivatisation using matrix solid phase dispersion for the determination of cyclamate in foods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Jianjun; Liu, Yun; Liu, Qianping; Hui, Junfeng; Liu, Yangzi

2017-01-01

A novel method for determination of sodium cyclamate in foods was developed. In this method, a syringe was loaded with the homogeneous mixture of the sample, KMnO 4 powder and silica dispersant and used as a matrix solid phase dispersion (MSPD) reactor. As the reactor was infiltrated with small amounts of concentrated HCl, cyclamate was converted to 2-chlorocyclohexanone quickly and effectively within 5 min and determined by HPLC on a reversed-phase column using UV detection at a wavelength of 310 nm. Comparing with the traditional derivatisation in solution, the better clean-up was provided using on-cartridge derivatisation of MSPD, and much time, labor, and expense were saved. The results showed good linearity (r 2  = 0.9998) over the concentration range of 1–500 mg/L. The limit of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ) of the cyclamate were 0.3 mg/L and 1 mg/L respectively. The recoveries ranged from 91.6% to 101.3% with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) in the range of 2.5%–4.3%. - Highlights: • A novel method was developed for the determination of cyclamate in foods. • On cartridge derivatisation, using matrix solid phase dispersion, was developed. • A new derivatisation reaction for cyclamate conversion to 2-chlorocyclohexanone was developed. • The method was rapid, simple, inexpensive, effective.

Solid phase extraction for removal of matrix effects in lipophilic marine toxin analysis by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gerssen, A.; McElhinney, M.; Mulder, P.P.J.; Bire, R.; Hess, P.; Boer, de J.

2009-01-01

The potential of solid phase extraction (SPE) clean-up has been assessed to reduce matrix effects (signal suppression or enhancement) in the liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC¿MS/MS) analysis of lipophilic marine toxins. A large array of ion-exchange, silica-based, and mixed-function

Solid phase extraction for removal of matrix effects in lipophilic marine toxin analysis by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gerssen, A.; McElhinney, A. M.; Mulder, P.P.J.; Bire, L.; Hess, P.; de Boer, J.

2009-01-01

The potential of solid phase extraction (SPE) clean-up has been assessed to reduce matrix effects (signal suppression or enhancement) in the liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis of lipophilic marine toxins. A large array of ion-exchange, silica-based, and mixed-function

Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method using solid-phase extraction and bead-beating-assisted matrix solid-phase dispersion to quantify the fungicide tebuconazole in controlled frog exposure study: analysis of water and animal tissue

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Martin; Poulsen, Rikke; Luong, Xuan

2014-01-01

and on tissue from exposed and non-exposed adult X. laevis. Using solid-phase extraction (SPE), the analytical method allows for quantification of tebuconazole at concentrations as low as 3.89 pg mL(-1) in 10 mL water samples. Using bead-beating-assisted matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD), it was possible...

Solid electrolytes

Science.gov (United States)

Abraham, Kuzhikalail M.; Alamgir, Mohamed

1993-06-15

This invention pertains to Li ion (Li.sup.+) conductive solid polymer electrolytes composed of solvates of Li salts immobilized (encapsulated) in a solid organic polymer matrix. In particular, this invention relates to solid polymer electrolytes derived by immobilizing complexes (solvates) formed between a Li salt such as LiAsF.sub.6, LiCF.sub.3 SO.sub.3 or LiClO.sub.4 and a mixture of aprotic organic solvents having high dielectric constants such as ethylene carbonate (EC) (dielectric constant=89.6) and propylene carbonate (PC) (dielectric constant=64.4) in a polymer matrix such as polyacrylonitrile, poly(tetraethylene glycol diacrylate), or poly(vinyl pyrrolidinone).

Stacking faults of {gamma}{prime}{prime} phase precipitated in a Ni-15Cr-8Fe-6Nb alloy; Ni-15Cr-8Fe-6Nb gokin ni sekishutsusuru {gamma}{prime}{prime} sonai no sekiso kekkan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kusabiraki, K; Ikeuchi, S [Toyama University, Toyama (Japan). Faculty of Engineering

1995-09-01

The stacking faults of a metastable {gamma}{prime}{prime} phase precipitated in a nickel-base superalloy, a modified NCF 3 type alloy (X-750M) were investigated by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction method. The {gamma}{prime}{prime} precipitates are circular shaped plates at the early stage of aging and they become elliptic or irregular shaped plates at the latter stage of aging up to 1033K. Contrast which suggests the existence of stacking faults on {l_brace}112{r_brace}{sub {gamma}{prime}{prime}} planes can be seen in many of large {gamma}{prime}{prime} precipitates extracted from the specimens aged at 1033K. It is clear that the values of {gamma}{prime}{prime}/{gamma} lattice mismatch increase with increasing the aging time from the measurement of lattice constants of the {gamma} and the {gamma}{prime}{prime} phase. The formation of stacking faults on {l_brace}112{r_brace}{sub {gamma}{prime}{prime}} in the large {gamma}{prime}{prime} precipitates is due to the movement of an a/6 [111] partial dislocation introduced by {gamma}{prime}{prime} /{gamma} coherency strain. Since a part of stacking sequence has a similar crystal structure to that of a stable {delta} phase precipitates in {gamma} phase, the formation of stacking faults in the {gamma}{prime}{prime} precipitates is considered to be favorable for the stabilization of them. 14 refs., 10 figs., 1 tab.

Separation of Nuclear Fuel Surrogates from Silicon Carbide Inert Matrix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baney, Ronald

2008-01-01

The objective of this project has been to identify a process for separating transuranic species from silicon carbide (SiC). Silicon carbide has become one of the prime candidates for the matrix in inert matrix fuels, (IMF) being designed to reduce plutonium inventories and the long half-lives actinides through transmutation since complete reaction is not practical it become necessary to separate the non-transmuted materials from the silicon carbide matrix for ultimate reprocessing. This work reports a method for that required process

The Exopolysaccharide Matrix

Science.gov (United States)

Koo, H.; Falsetta, M.L.; Klein, M.I.

2013-01-01

Many infectious diseases in humans are caused or exacerbated by biofilms. Dental caries is a prime example of a biofilm-dependent disease, resulting from interactions of microorganisms, host factors, and diet (sugars), which modulate the dynamic formation of biofilms on tooth surfaces. All biofilms have a microbial-derived extracellular matrix as an essential constituent. The exopolysaccharides formed through interactions between sucrose- (and starch-) and Streptococcus mutans-derived exoenzymes present in the pellicle and on microbial surfaces (including non-mutans) provide binding sites for cariogenic and other organisms. The polymers formed in situ enmesh the microorganisms while forming a matrix facilitating the assembly of three-dimensional (3D) multicellular structures that encompass a series of microenvironments and are firmly attached to teeth. The metabolic activity of microbes embedded in this exopolysaccharide-rich and diffusion-limiting matrix leads to acidification of the milieu and, eventually, acid-dissolution of enamel. Here, we discuss recent advances concerning spatio-temporal development of the exopolysaccharide matrix and its essential role in the pathogenesis of dental caries. We focus on how the matrix serves as a 3D scaffold for biofilm assembly while creating spatial heterogeneities and low-pH microenvironments/niches. Further understanding on how the matrix modulates microbial activity and virulence expression could lead to new approaches to control cariogenic biofilms. PMID:24045647

The matrix Euler-Fermat theorem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arnol'd, Vladimir I

2004-01-01

We prove many congruences for binomial and multinomial coefficients as well as for the coefficients of the Girard-Newton formula in the theory of symmetric functions. These congruences also imply congruences (modulo powers of primes) for the traces of various powers of matrices with integer elements. We thus have an extension of the matrix Fermat theorem similar to Euler's extension of the numerical little Fermat theorem

On-cartridge derivatisation using matrix solid phase dispersion for the determination of cyclamate in foods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Jianjun, E-mail: bootan12@126.com [Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule Chemistry of Ministry of Education, Northwest University, Xi' an 710069 (China); National Engineering Research Center for Miniaturized Detection Systems, Xi' an 710069 (China); Liu, Yun [College of Food Engineering and Nutritional Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi' an 710062 (China); Liu, Qianping [National Engineering Research Center for Miniaturized Detection Systems, Xi' an 710069 (China); Hui, Junfeng [Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule Chemistry of Ministry of Education, Northwest University, Xi' an 710069 (China); Liu, Yangzi [National Engineering Research Center for Miniaturized Detection Systems, Xi' an 710069 (China)

2017-06-15

A novel method for determination of sodium cyclamate in foods was developed. In this method, a syringe was loaded with the homogeneous mixture of the sample, KMnO{sub 4} powder and silica dispersant and used as a matrix solid phase dispersion (MSPD) reactor. As the reactor was infiltrated with small amounts of concentrated HCl, cyclamate was converted to 2-chlorocyclohexanone quickly and effectively within 5 min and determined by HPLC on a reversed-phase column using UV detection at a wavelength of 310 nm. Comparing with the traditional derivatisation in solution, the better clean-up was provided using on-cartridge derivatisation of MSPD, and much time, labor, and expense were saved. The results showed good linearity (r{sup 2} = 0.9998) over the concentration range of 1–500 mg/L. The limit of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ) of the cyclamate were 0.3 mg/L and 1 mg/L respectively. The recoveries ranged from 91.6% to 101.3% with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) in the range of 2.5%–4.3%. - Highlights: • A novel method was developed for the determination of cyclamate in foods. • On cartridge derivatisation, using matrix solid phase dispersion, was developed. • A new derivatisation reaction for cyclamate conversion to 2-chlorocyclohexanone was developed. • The method was rapid, simple, inexpensive, effective.

Prime tight frames

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lemvig, Jakob; Miller, Christopher; Okoudjou, Kasso A.

2014-01-01

to suggest effective analysis and synthesis computation strategies for such frames. Finally, we describe all prime frames constructed from the spectral tetris method, and, as a byproduct, we obtain a characterization of when the spectral tetris construction works for redundancies below two.......We introduce a class of finite tight frames called prime tight frames and prove some of their elementary properties. In particular, we show that any finite tight frame can be written as a union of prime tight frames. We then characterize all prime harmonic tight frames and use thischaracterization...

Non-cognate translation priming in masked priming lexical decision experiments: A meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Wen, Yun; van Heuven, Walter J B

2017-06-01

The masked translation priming paradigm has been widely used in the last 25 years to investigate word processing in bilinguals. Motivated by studies reporting mixed findings, in particular for second language (L2) to first language (L1) translation priming, we conducted, for the first time in the literature, a meta-analysis of 64 masked priming lexical decision experiments across 24 studies to assess the effect sizes of L1-L2 and L2-L1 non-cognate translation priming effects in bilinguals. Our meta-analysis also investigated the influence of potential moderators of translation priming effects. The results provided clear evidence of significant translation priming effects for both directions, with L1-L2 translation priming significantly larger than L2-L1 translation priming (i.e., effect size of 0.86 vs. 0.31). The analyses also revealed that L1-L2 translation effect sizes were moderated by the interval between prime and target (ISI), whereas L2-L1 translation effect sizes were modulated by the number of items per cell. Theoretical and methodological implications of this meta-analysis are discussed and recommendations for future studies are provided.

Matrix-isolation and solid state low temperature FT-IR study of 2,3-butanedione (diacetyl)

OpenAIRE

Gómez-Zavaglia, Andrea; Fausto, R.

2003-01-01

2,3-Butanedione (diacetyl) was studied by matrix-isolation and low temperature solid state FT-IR spectroscopy, supported by molecular orbital calculations undertaken at the DFT(B3LYP) and MP2 levels of theory with the 6-311++G(d,p) basis set. Both in the crystalline phase and in the matrices, the compound exists in the C2h symmetry trans conformation (O=C-C=O dihedral angle of 180°). This form corresponds to the single conformational state predicted by the theoretical calculations for the com...

Priming in concert: Assimilation and contrast with multiple affective and gender primes.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fockenberg, D.A.; Koole, S.L.; Semin, G.R.

2008-01-01

The present research investigated the influence of multiple sequential primes on social categorization processes. Study 1 examined an evaluative decision task in which targets were preceded and succeeded by two primes. As expected, the temporally closest forward primes had assimilative effects on

The elimination of positive priming with increasing prime duration reflects a transition from perceptual fluency to disfluency rather than bias against primed words.

Science.gov (United States)

Potter, Kevin W; Donkin, Chris; Huber, David E

2018-03-01

With immediate repetition priming of forced choice perceptual identification, short prime durations produce positive priming (i.e., priming the target leads to higher accuracy, while priming the foil leads to lower accuracy). Many theories explain positive priming following short duration primes as reflecting increased perceptual fluency for the primed target (i.e., decreased identification latency). However, most studies only examine either accuracy or response times, rather than considering the joint constraints of response times and accuracy to properly address the role of decision biases and response caution. This is a critical oversight because several theories propose that the transition to negative priming following a long duration prime reflects a decision strategy to compensate for the effect of increased perceptual fluency. In contrast, the nROUSE model of Huber and O'Reilly (2003) explains this transition as reflecting perceptual habituation, and thus a change to perceptual disfluency. We confirmed this prediction by applying a sequential sampling model (the diffusion race model) to accuracy and response time distributions from a new single item same-different version of the priming task. In this way, we measured strategic biases and perceptual fluency in each condition for each subject. The nROUSE model was only applied to accuracy from the original forced-choice version of the priming task. This application of nROUSE produced separate predictions for each subject regarding the degree of fluency and disfluency in each condition, and these predictions were confirmed by the drift rate parameters (i.e., fluency) from the response time model in contrast to the threshold parameters (i.e., bias). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Stabilization of pH in solid-matrix hydroponic systems

Science.gov (United States)

Frick, J.; Mitchell, C. A.

1993-01-01

2-[N-morpholino]ethanesulfonic acid (MES) buffer or Amberlite DP-1 (cation-exchange resin beads) were used to stabilize substrate pH of passive-wicking, solid-matrix hydroponic systems in which small canopies of Brassica napus L. (CrGC 5-2, genome : ACaacc) were grown to maturity. Two concentrations of MES (5 or 10 mM) were included in Hoagland 1 nutrient solution. Alternatively, resin beads were incorporated into the 2 vermiculite : 1 perlite (v/v) growth medium at 6% or 12% of total substrate volume. Both strategies stabilized pH without toxic side effects on plants. Average seed yield rates for all four pH stabilization treatments (13.3 to 16.9 g m-2 day-1) were about double that of the control (8.2 g m-2 day-1), for which there was no attempt to buffer substrate pH. Both the highest canopy seed yield rate (16.9 g m-2 day-1) and the highest shoot harvest index (19.5%) occurred with the 6% resin bead treatment, even though the 10 mM MES and 12% bead treatments maintained pH within the narrowest limits. The pH stabilization methods tested did not significantly affect seed oil and protein contents.

On the Control of Single-Prime Negative Priming: The Effects of Practice and Time Course

Science.gov (United States)

Chao, Hsuan-Fu

2009-01-01

Single-prime negative priming refers to the phenomenon wherein repetition of a prime as the probe target results in delayed response. Sometimes this effect has been found to be contingent on participants' unawareness of the primes, and sometimes it has not. Further, sometimes this effect has been found to be eliminated when the prime could predict…

Subliminal semantic priming in speech.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jérôme Daltrozzo

Full Text Available Numerous studies have reported subliminal repetition and semantic priming in the visual modality. We transferred this paradigm to the auditory modality. Prime awareness was manipulated by a reduction of sound intensity level. Uncategorized prime words (according to a post-test were followed by semantically related, unrelated, or repeated target words (presented without intensity reduction and participants performed a lexical decision task (LDT. Participants with slower reaction times in the LDT showed semantic priming (faster reaction times for semantically related compared to unrelated targets and negative repetition priming (slower reaction times for repeated compared to semantically related targets. This is the first report of semantic priming in the auditory modality without conscious categorization of the prime.

Primes, Geometry and Condensed Matter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Al Rabeh R. H.

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Fascination with primes dates back to the Greeks and before. Primes are named by some "the elementary particles of arithmetic" as every nonprime integer is made of a unique set of primes. In this article we point to new connections between primes, geometry and physics which show that primes could be called "the elementary particles of physics" too. This study considers the problem of closely packing similar circles/spheres in 2D/3D space. This is in effect a discretization process of space and the allowable number in a pack is found to lead to some unexpected cases of prime configurations which is independent of the size of the constituents. We next suggest that a non-prime can be considered geometrically as a symmetric collection that is separable (factorable into similar parts- six is two threes or three twos for example. A collection that has no such symmetry is a prime. As a result, a physical prime aggregate is more difficult to split symmetrically resulting in an inherent stability. This "number/physical" stability idea applies to bigger collections made from smaller (prime units leading to larger stable prime structures in a limitless scaling up process. The distribution of primes among numbers can be understood better using the packing ideas described here and we further suggest that differing numbers (and values of distinct prime factors making a nonprime collection is an important factor in determining the probability and method of possible and subsequent disintegration. Disintegration is bound by energy conservation and is closely related to symmetry by Noether theorems. Thinking of condensed matter as the packing of identical elements, we examine plots of the masses of chemical elements of the periodic table, and also those of the elementary particles of physics, and show that prime packing rules seem to play a role in the make up of matter. The plots show convincingly that the growth of prime numbers and that of the masses of

Variational study of the stability of the Nagaoka state against single-spin flips in the two-dimensional t-t#prime# Hubbard model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bajdich, M.; Hlubina, R.

2001-01-01

Making use of variational wave functions of the Basile-Elser type we study the stability of the Nagaoka state against single-spin flips in the two-dimensional t-t#prime# Hubbard model for t#prime#/t∼0.5. In the low-density limit the variational estimate of the stability region of the Nagaoka state is in qualitative agreement with the predictions of the T-matrix approximation

Comparison of Prime Movers Suitable for USMC Expeditionary Power Sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Theiss, T J; Conklin, J. C.; Thomas, John F.; Armstrong, T. R.

2000-04-18

This report documents the results of the ORNL investigation into prime movers that would be desirable for the construction of a power system suitable for the United States Marine Corps (USMC) expeditionary forces under Operational Maneuvers From The Sea (OMFTS) doctrine. Discrete power levels of {approx}1, 5, 15, and 30 kW are considered. The only requirement is that the prime mover consumes diesel fuel. A brief description is given for the prime movers to describe their basic scientific foundations and relative advantages and disadvantages. A list of key attributes developed by ORNL has been weighted by the USMC to indicate the level of importance. A total of 14 different prime movers were scored by ORNL personnel in four size ranges (1,5, 15, & 30 kW) for their relative strength in each attribute area. The resulting weighted analysis was used to indicate which prime movers are likely to be suitable for USMC needs. No single engine or prime mover emerged as the clear-cut favorite but several engines scored as well or better than the diesel engine. At the higher load levels (15 & 30 kW), the results indicate that the open Brayton (gas turbine) is a relatively mature technology and likely a suitable choice to meet USMC needs. At the lower power levels, the situation is more difficult and the market alone is not likely to provide an optimum solution in the time frame desired (2010). Several prime movers should be considered for future developments and may be satisfactory; specifically, the Atkinson cycle, the open Brayton cycle (gas turbine), the 2-stroke diesel. The rotary diesel and the solid oxide fuel cell should be backup candidates. Of all these prime movers, the Atkinson cycle may well be the most suitable for this application but is an immature technology. Additional demonstrations of this engine will be conducted at ORNL. If this analysis is positive, then the performance of a generator set using this engine, the open Brayton and the 2-stroke diesel should

Cognate status and cross-script translation priming.

Science.gov (United States)

Voga, Madeleine; Grainger, Jonathan

2007-07-01

Greek-French bilinguals were tested in three masked priming experiments with Greek primes and French targets. Related primes were the translation equivalents of target words, morphologically related to targets, or phonologically related to targets. In Experiment 1, cognate translation equivalents (phonologically similar translations) showed facilitatory priming, relative to matched phonologically related primes, in conditions in which morphologically related primes showed no effect (50-msec prime exposure). Cross-language morphological priming emerged at longer prime exposure durations (66 msec), but cognate primes continued to generate more priming than did those in the morphological condition. In Experiments 2 and 3, the level of phonological overlap across translation equivalents was varied, and priming effects were measured against those for matched phonologically related primes and those in an unrelated prime condition. When measured against the unrelated baseline, cognate primes showed the typical advantage over noncognate primes. However, this cognate advantage disappeared when priming was measured against the phonologically related prime condition. The results are discussed in terms of how translation equivalents are represented in bilingual memory.

False memories and lexical decision: even twelve primes do not cause long-term semantic priming.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeelenberg, René; Pecher, Diane

2002-03-01

Semantic priming effects are usually obtained only if the prime is presented shortly before the target stimulus. Recent evidence obtained with the so-called false memory paradigm suggests, however, that in both explicit and implicit memory tasks semantic relations between words can result in long-lasting effects when multiple 'primes' are presented. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether these effects would generalize to lexical decision. In four experiments we showed that even as many as 12 primes do not cause long-term semantic priming. In all experiments, however, a repetition priming effect was obtained. The present results are consistent with a number of other results showing that semantic information plays a minimal role in long-term priming in visual word recognition.

Primes, Geometry and Condensed Matter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Al Rabeh R. H.

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Fascination with primes dates back to the Greeks and before. Primes are named by some “the elementary particles of arithmetic” as every nonprime integer is made of a unique set of primes. In this article we point to new connections between primes, geometry and physics which show that primes could be called “the elementary particles of physics” too. This study considers the problem of closely packing similar circles / spheres in 2D / 3D space. This is in effect a discretization process of space and the allowable num- ber in a pack is found to lead to some unexpected cases of prime configurations which is independent of the size of the constituents. We next suggest that a non-prime can be considered geometrically as a symmetric collection that is separable (factorable into similar parts- six is two threes or three twos for example. A collection that has no such symmetry is a prime. As a result, a physical prime aggregate is more difficult to split symmetrically resulting in an inherent stability. This “number / physical” stability idea applies to bigger collections made from smaller (prime units leading to larger sta- ble prime structures in a limitless scaling up process. The distribution of primes among numbers can be understood better using the packing ideas described here and we further suggest that differing numbers (and values of distinct prime factors making a nonprime collection is an important factor in determining the probability and method of possible and subsequent disintegration. Disintegration is bound by energy conservation and is closely related to symmetry by Noether theorems. Thinking of condensed matter as the packing of identical elements, we examine plots of the masses of chemical elements of the periodic table, and also those of the elementary particles of physics, and show that prime packing rules seem to play a role in the make up of matter. The plots show con- vincingly that the growth of prime numbers and that

Silica Modified with Polyaniline as a Potential Sorbent for Matrix Solid Phase Dispersion (MSPD) and Dispersive Solid Phase Extraction (d-SPE) of Plant Samples

Science.gov (United States)

Sowa, Ireneusz; Wójciak-Kosior, Magdalena; Strzemski, Maciej; Sawicki, Jan; Staniak, Michał; Dresler, Sławomir; Szwerc, Wojciech; Mołdoch, Jarosław; Latalski, Michał

2018-01-01

Polyaniline (PANI) is one of the best known conductive polymers with multiple applications. Recently, it was also used in separation techniques, mostly as a component of composites for solid-phase microextraction (SPME). In the present paper, sorbent obtained by in situ polymerization of aniline directly on silica gel particles (Si-PANI) was used for dispersive solid phase extraction (d-SPE) and matrix solid–phase extraction (MSPD). The efficiency of both techniques was evaluated with the use of high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) quantitative analysis. The quality of the sorbent was verified by Raman spectroscopy and microscopy combined with automated procedure using computer image analysis. For extraction experiments, triterpenes were chosen as model compounds. The optimal conditions were as follows: protonated Si-PANI impregnated with water, 160/1 sorbent/analyte ratio, 3 min of extraction time, 4 min of desorption time and methanolic solution of ammonia for elution of analytes. The proposed procedure was successfully used for pretreatment of plant samples. PMID:29565297

The Biblical Matrix of Economics

OpenAIRE

Grigore PIROŞCĂ; Angela ROGOJANU

2012-01-01

The rationale of this paper is a prime pattern of history of economic thought in the previous ages of classic ancient times of Greek and Roman civilizations using a methodological matrix able to capture the mainstream ideas from social, political and religious events within the pages of Bible. The economic perspective of these events follows the evolution of the seeds of economic thinking within the Fertile Crescent, focused on the Biblical patriarchic heroes’ actions, but a...

Sequential Stereotype Priming: A Meta-Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kidder, Ciara K; White, Katherine R; Hinojos, Michelle R; Sandoval, Mayra; Crites, Stephen L

2017-08-01

Psychological interest in stereotype measurement has spanned nearly a century, with researchers adopting implicit measures in the 1980s to complement explicit measures. One of the most frequently used implicit measures of stereotypes is the sequential priming paradigm. The current meta-analysis examines stereotype priming, focusing specifically on this paradigm. To contribute to ongoing discussions regarding methodological rigor in social psychology, one primary goal was to identify methodological moderators of the stereotype priming effect-whether priming is due to a relation between the prime and target stimuli, the prime and target response, participant task, stereotype dimension, stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA), and stimuli type. Data from 39 studies yielded 87 individual effect sizes from 5,497 participants. Analyses revealed that stereotype priming is significantly moderated by the presence of prime-response relations, participant task, stereotype dimension, target stimulus type, SOA, and prime repetition. These results carry both practical and theoretical implications for future research on stereotype priming.

Studies on supercritical fluid extraction of uranium and thorium from liquid and solid matrix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, Pradeep; Pal, Ankita; Saxena, M.K.; Ramakumar, K.L.

2006-05-01

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) is being widely used in pharmaceutical and food industry. Because of its simplicity, ease of operation and more importantly the reduction in the analytical waste generation, this technique is being viewed as a potential application technique in nuclear industry also. CO 2 is employed as supercritical fluid (SCF) as it is easily recyclable, non-toxic, chemically inert, radiochemically stable and inexpensive. Radioanalytical chemistry section (Radiochemistry and Isotope group) has recently procured a supercritical fluid extraction/chromatography system. The present report describes the work carried out on the system. Detailed study on uranium and thorium extraction from highly acidic medium and tissue paper matrix has been carried out. Direct dissolution and extraction of uranium compounds employing SCF has been carried out. CO 2 was employed as supercritical fluid along with very small amount of Tri n-butyl phosphate (TBP) and Tri n-octyl phosphine oxide (TOPO) as co-solvents. The effect of various operating parameters like CO 2 flow rate, co-solvent percentage, temperature and pressure on extraction was investigated and parameters for maximum extraction were optimized. For comparison, the modes of extraction viz. static and dynamic and modes of complexation viz. in-situ and online were studied. Uranium extraction of ∼98% has been achieved from nitric acid medium employing TBP as co-solvent in 30 minutes extraction time, whereas with TOPO ∼99% uranium extraction could be achieved. Uranium from tissue paper matrix could be extracted upto the extent of 98% with TOPO as co-solvent whereas with TBP extraction of (66.83± 9.80)% was achievable. Direct dissolution of UO 2 , U 3 O 8 , U metal, U-Al alloy solids into SCF CO 2 was carried out employing TBP-HNO 3 complex and SFE of uranium was performed using TBP as co-solvent. UO 2 and U 3 O 8 solids could be dissolved within 20 minutes and extraction of ∼98% was achieved. For U

Carbon nanotubes as adsorbent of solid-phase extraction and matrix for laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Chensong; Xu, Songyun; Zou, Hanfa; Guo, Zhong; Zhang, Yu; Guo, Baochuan

2005-02-01

A method with carbon nanotubes functioning both as the adsorbent of solid-phase extraction (SPE) and the matrix for matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) to analyze small molecules in solution has been developed. In this method, 10 microL suspensions of carbon nanotubes in 50% (vol/vol) methanol were added to the sample solution to extract analytes onto surface of carbon nanotubes because of their dramatic hydrophobicity. Carbon nanotubes in solution are deposited onto the bottom of tube with centrifugation. After removing the supernatant fluid, carbon nanotubes are suspended again with dispersant and pipetted directly onto the sample target of the MALDI-MS to perform a mass spectrometric analysis. It was demonstrated by analysis of a variety of small molecules that the resolution of peaks and the efficiency of desorption/ionization on the carbon nanotubes are better than those on the activated carbon. It is found that with the addition of glycerol and sucrose to the dispersant, the intensity, the ratio of signal to noise (S/N), and the resolution of peaks for analytes by mass spectrometry increased greatly. Compared with the previously reported method by depositing sample solution onto thin layer of carbon nanotubes, it is observed that the detection limit for analytes can be enhanced about 10 to 100 times due to solid-phase extraction of analytes in solution by carbon nanotubes. An acceptable result of simultaneously quantitative analysis of three analytes in solution has been achieved. The application in determining drugs spiked into urine has also been realized.

Unconscious Congruency Priming from Unpracticed Words Is Modulated by Prime-Target Semantic Relatedness

Science.gov (United States)

Ortells, Juan J.; Mari-Beffa, Paloma; Plaza-Ayllon, Vanesa

2013-01-01

Participants performed a 2-choice categorization task on visible word targets that were preceded by novel (unpracticed) prime words. The prime words were presented for 33 ms and followed either immediately (Experiments 1-3) or after a variable delay (Experiments 1 and 4) by a pattern mask. Both subjective and objective measures of prime visibility…

Leading, but not trailing, primes influence temporal order perception: further evidence for an attentional account of perceptual latency priming.

Science.gov (United States)

Scharlau, Ingrid

2002-11-01

Presenting a masked prime leading a target influences the perceived onset of the masking target (perceptual latency priming; Scharlau & Neumann, in press). This priming effect is explained by the asynchronous updating model (Neumann, 1982; Scharlau & Neumann, in press): The prime initiates attentional allocation toward its location, which renders a trailing target at the same place consciously available earlier. In three experiments, this perceptual latency priming by leading primes was examined jointly with the effects of trailing primes in order to compare the explanation of the asynchronous updating model with the onset-averaging and the P-center hypotheses. Experiment 1 showed that an attended, as well as an unattended, prime leads to perceptual latency priming. In addition, a large effect of trailing primes on the onset of a target was found. As Experiment 2 demonstrated, this effect is quite robust, although smaller than that of a leading prime. In Experiment 3, masked primes were used. Under these conditions, no influence of trailing primes could be found, whereas perceptual latency priming persisted. Thus, a nonattentional explanation for the effect of trailing primes seems likely.

Mechanisms of subliminal response priming.

Science.gov (United States)

Kiesel, Andrea; Kunde, Wilfried; Hoffmann, Joachim

2008-07-15

Subliminal response priming has been considered to operate on several stages, e.g. perceptual, central or motor stages might be affected. While primes' impact on target perception has been clearly demonstrated, semantic response priming recently has been thrown into doubt (e.g. Klinger, Burton, & Pitts, 2000). Finally, LRP studies have revealed that subliminal primes evoke motor processes. Yet, the premises for such prime-evoked motor activation are not settled. A transfer of priming to stimuli that have never been presented as targets appears particularly interesting because it suggests a level of processing that goes beyond a reactivation of previously acquired S-R links. Yet, such transfer has not always withstood empirical testing. To account for these contradictory results, we proposed a two-process model (Kunde, Kiesel, & Hoffmann, 2003): First, participants build up expectations regarding imperative stimuli for the required responses according to experience and/or instructions. Second, stimuli that match these "action triggers" directly activate the corresponding motor responses irrespective of their conscious identification. In line with these assumptions, recent studies revealed that non-target primes induce priming when they fit the current task intentions and when they are expected in the experimental setting.

Synthesis, magnetic properties and Moessbauer spectroscopy for the pyrochlore family Bi{sub 2}BB Prime O{sub 7} with B=Cr and Fe and B Prime =Nb, Ta and Sb

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blanco, Maria C. [INFIQC (CONICET), Dpto. de Fisicoquimica, Fac. de Ciencias Quimicas, U.N.C., Cordoba (X5000HUA) (Argentina); Franco, Diego G. [INFIQC (CONICET), Dpto. de Fisicoquimica, Fac. de Ciencias Quimicas, U.N.C., Cordoba (X5000HUA) (Argentina); Centro Atomico Bariloche - CNEA, Av. E. Bustillo 9500, S.C. de Bariloche (8500), R.N. (Argentina); Jalit, Yamile; Pannunzio Miner, Elisa V. [INFIQC (CONICET), Dpto. de Fisicoquimica, Fac. de Ciencias Quimicas, U.N.C., Cordoba (X5000HUA) (Argentina); Berndt, Graciele; Paesano, Andrea [Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Estadual de Maringa, Parana (Brazil); Nieva, Gladys [Centro Atomico Bariloche - CNEA, Av. E. Bustillo 9500, S.C. de Bariloche (8500), R.N. (Argentina); Carbonio, Raul E., E-mail: carbonio@mail.fcq.unc.edu.ar [INFIQC (CONICET), Dpto. de Fisicoquimica, Fac. de Ciencias Quimicas, U.N.C., Cordoba (X5000HUA) (Argentina)

2012-08-15

The samples Bi{sub 2}BB Prime O{sub 7}, with B=Cr and Fe and B Prime =Nb, Ta and Sb were prepared by solid state method. The crystallographic structure was investigated on the basis of X-ray powder diffraction data. Rietveld refinements show that the crystal structure is cubic, space group Fd-3m. The Bi{sup 3+} cation on the eight-coordinate pyrochlore A-site shows displacive disorder, as a consequence of its lone pair electron configuration. There is also a considerable A-site disorder shown by Rietveld Analysis and confirmed in the case of the iron containing samples with Moessbauer spectroscopy. The magnetic measurements show paramagnetic behavior at all temperatures for the Cr oxides. The Fe pyrochlores show antiferromagnetic order around 10 K.

Quantitative methods for compensation of matrix effects and self-absorption in Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy signals of solids

Science.gov (United States)

Takahashi, Tomoko; Thornton, Blair

2017-12-01

This paper reviews methods to compensate for matrix effects and self-absorption during quantitative analysis of compositions of solids measured using Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and their applications to in-situ analysis. Methods to reduce matrix and self-absorption effects on calibration curves are first introduced. The conditions where calibration curves are applicable to quantification of compositions of solid samples and their limitations are discussed. While calibration-free LIBS (CF-LIBS), which corrects matrix effects theoretically based on the Boltzmann distribution law and Saha equation, has been applied in a number of studies, requirements need to be satisfied for the calculation of chemical compositions to be valid. Also, peaks of all elements contained in the target need to be detected, which is a bottleneck for in-situ analysis of unknown materials. Multivariate analysis techniques are gaining momentum in LIBS analysis. Among the available techniques, principal component regression (PCR) analysis and partial least squares (PLS) regression analysis, which can extract related information to compositions from all spectral data, are widely established methods and have been applied to various fields including in-situ applications in air and for planetary explorations. Artificial neural networks (ANNs), where non-linear effects can be modelled, have also been investigated as a quantitative method and their applications are introduced. The ability to make quantitative estimates based on LIBS signals is seen as a key element for the technique to gain wider acceptance as an analytical method, especially in in-situ applications. In order to accelerate this process, it is recommended that the accuracy should be described using common figures of merit which express the overall normalised accuracy, such as the normalised root mean square errors (NRMSEs), when comparing the accuracy obtained from different setups and analytical methods.

Rhizosphere priming: a nutrient perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Feike Auke Dijkstra

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Rhizosphere priming is the change in decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM caused by root activity. Rhizosphere priming plays a crucial role in soil carbon (C dynamics and their response to global climate change. Rhizosphere priming may be affected by soil nutrient availability, but rhizosphere priming itself can also affect nutrient supply to plants. These interactive effects may be of particular relevance in understanding the sustained increase in plant growth and nutrient supply in response to a rise in atmospheric CO2 concentration. We examined how these interactions were affected by elevated CO2 in two similar semiarid grassland field studies. We found that an increase in rhizosphere priming enhanced the release of nitrogen (N through decomposition of a larger fraction of SOM in one study, but not in the other. We postulate that rhizosphere priming may enhance N supply to plants in systems that are N limited, but that rhizosphere priming may not occur in systems that are phosphorus (P limited. Under P limitation, rhizodeposition may be used for mobilisation of P, rather than for decomposition of SOM. Therefore, with increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations, rhizosphere priming may play a larger role in affecting C sequestration in N poor than in P poor soils.

Degree of handedness and priming: Further evidence for a distinction between production and identification priming mechanisms.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Donna J. LaVoie

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The distinction between implicit and explicit forms of memory retrieval is long-standing, and important to the extent it reveals how different neural architecture supports different aspects of memory function. Similarly, distinctions have been made between kinds of repetition priming, a form of implicit memory retrieval. This study focuses on the production-identification priming distinction, which delineates priming tasks involving verification of stimulus features as compared to priming tasks that require use of a cue to guide response retrieval. Studies investigating this dissociation in dementia or similar patient populations indicate that these forms of priming may differ in their neural bases. The current study looks at degree of handedness as a way of investigating inferred neural architecture supporting these two forms of priming. A growing body of research indicates that degree of handedness (consistent, or CH, versus inconsistent, or ICH is associated with greater interhemispheric interaction and functional access to right hemisphere processing in ICH, with superior performance seen in ICH on memory tasks reliant on this processing. Arguments about the theoretical mechanisms underlying identification and production forms of perceptual priming tasks suggest that performance on these tasks will differ as a function of degree of handedness. We tested this question in a group of CH and ICH young adults, who were asked to study lists of words prior to performing a production priming task (word stem completion, a perceptual word identification task, and a word stem cued recall task. While both handedness groups exhibited reliable priming across tasks, word stem completion priming was greater in ICH than CH participants, with identification priming not differing between groups. This dissociation supports the argument that production and identification forms of priming have different underlying neural bases.

Rapid response learning of brand logo priming: Evidence that brand priming is not dominated by rapid response learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Boehm, Stephan G; Smith, Ciaran; Muench, Niklas; Noble, Kirsty; Atherton, Catherine

2017-08-31

Repetition priming increases the accuracy and speed of responses to repeatedly processed stimuli. Repetition priming can result from two complementary sources: rapid response learning and facilitation within perceptual and conceptual networks. In conceptual classification tasks, rapid response learning dominates priming of object recognition, but it does not dominate priming of person recognition. This suggests that the relative engagement of network facilitation and rapid response learning depends on the stimulus domain. Here, we addressed the importance of the stimulus domain for rapid response learning by investigating priming in another domain, brands. In three experiments, participants performed conceptual decisions for brand logos. Strong priming was present, but it was not dominated by rapid response learning. These findings add further support to the importance of the stimulus domain for the relative importance of network facilitation and rapid response learning, and they indicate that brand priming is more similar to person recognition priming than object recognition priming, perhaps because priming of both brands and persons requires individuation.

Mechanisms of masked evaluative priming: task sets modulate behavioral and electrophysiological priming for picture and words differentially.

Science.gov (United States)

Kiefer, Markus; Liegel, Nathalie; Zovko, Monika; Wentura, Dirk

2017-04-01

Research with the evaluative priming paradigm has shown that affective evaluation processes reliably influence cognition and behavior, even when triggered outside awareness. However, the precise mechanisms underlying such subliminal evaluative priming effects, response activation vs semantic processing, are matter of a debate. In this study, we determined the relative contribution of semantic processing and response activation to masked evaluative priming with pictures and words. To this end, we investigated the modulation of masked pictorial vs verbal priming by previously activated perceptual vs semantic task sets and assessed the electrophysiological correlates of priming using event-related potential (ERP) recordings. Behavioral and electrophysiological effects showed a differential modulation of pictorial and verbal subliminal priming by previously activated task sets: Pictorial priming was only observed during the perceptual but not during the semantic task set. Verbal priming, in contrast, was found when either task set was activated. Furthermore, only verbal priming was associated with a modulation of the N400 ERP component, an index of semantic processing, whereas a priming-related modulation of earlier ERPs, indexing visuo-motor S-R activation, was found for both picture and words. The results thus demonstrate that different neuro-cognitive processes contribute to unconscious evaluative priming depending on the stimulus format. © The Author (2016). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Silica Modified with Polyaniline as a Potential Sorbent for Matrix Solid Phase Dispersion (MSPD and Dispersive Solid Phase Extraction (d-SPE of Plant Samples

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ireneusz Sowa

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Polyaniline (PANI is one of the best known conductive polymers with multiple applications. Recently, it was also used in separation techniques, mostly as a component of composites for solid-phase microextraction (SPME. In the present paper, sorbent obtained by in situ polymerization of aniline directly on silica gel particles (Si-PANI was used for dispersive solid phase extraction (d-SPE and matrix solid–phase extraction (MSPD. The efficiency of both techniques was evaluated with the use of high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD quantitative analysis. The quality of the sorbent was verified by Raman spectroscopy and microscopy combined with automated procedure using computer image analysis. For extraction experiments, triterpenes were chosen as model compounds. The optimal conditions were as follows: protonated Si-PANI impregnated with water, 160/1 sorbent/analyte ratio, 3 min of extraction time, 4 min of desorption time and methanolic solution of ammonia for elution of analytes. The proposed procedure was successfully used for pretreatment of plant samples.

A Prime Example of the Maluma/Takete Effect? Testing for Sound Symbolic Priming.

Science.gov (United States)

Sidhu, David M; Pexman, Penny M

2017-09-01

Certain nonwords, like maluma and takete, are associated with roundness and sharpness, respectively. However, this has typically been demonstrated using explicit tasks. We investigated whether this association would be detectable using a more implicit measure-a sequential priming task. We began with a replication of the standard Maluma/Takete effect (Experiments 1a and 1b) before examining whether round and sharp nonword primes facilitated the categorization of congruent shapes (Experiment 2). We found modest evidence of a priming effect in response accuracy. We next examined whether nonword primes affected categorization of ambiguous shapes, using visual (Experiment 3) and auditory primes (Experiment 4). We found that ambiguous shapes were categorized as round (sharp) more often following the presentation of a round (sharp) nonword. This suggests that phonemes may activate related shape information which then affects the processing of shapes, and that this association emerges even when participants are not explicitly searching for it. Copyright © 2016 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Prime Slaughter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Valente, Andrea; Marchetti, Emanuela

2011-01-01

of primality and factorization into playful interactions, addressed to primary and early secondary school children. Taking into account individual needs expressed by children regarding play, during a participatory design processes aimed at enhancing learning in museums, Prime Slaughter allows for multiple......Starting from the difficulty of creating playful representation of domain-specific abstract concepts, this study discusses the design of Prime Slaughter, a computer game aimed at facilitating individual sense-making of abstract mathematical concepts. Specifically the game proposes a transposition...

Fabrication of a PVC membrane samarium(III) sensor based on N,N Prime ,N Double-Prime -tris(4-pyridyl)trimesic amide as a selectophore

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zamani, Hassan Ali, E-mail: haszamani@yahoo.com [Department of Applied Chemistry, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Naghavi-Reyabbi, Fatemeh [Resident of General Surgery, Endoscopic and Minimaly Invasive Surgery Research Center, Ghaem Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Faridbod, Farnoush [Center of Excellence in Electrochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Tehran, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Mohammadhosseini, Majid [Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Shahrood Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrood (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Ganjali, Mohammad Reza [Center of Excellence in Electrochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Tehran, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Tadjarodi, Azadeh; Rad, Maryam [Department of Chemistry, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2013-03-01

A new ion-selective electrode for Sm{sup 3+} ion is described based on the incorporation of N,N Prime ,N Double-Prime -tris(4-pyridyl)trimesic amide (TPTA) in a poly(vinylchloride) (PVC) matrix. The membrane sensor comprises nitrobenzene (NB) as a plasticizer, and oleic acid (OA) as an anionic additive. The sensor with the optimized composition shows a Nernstian potential response of 19.8 {+-} 0.5 mV decade{sup -1} over a wide concentration range of 1.0 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -2} and 1 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -6} mol L{sup -1}, with a lower detection limit of 4.7 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -7} mol L{sup -1} and satisfactor applicable pH range of 3.6-9.2. Having a short response time of less than 10 s and a very good selectivity towards the Sm{sup 3+} over a wide variety of interfering cations (e.g. alkali, alkaline earth, transition and heavy metal ions) the sensor seemed to be a promising analytical tool for determination of the Sm{sup 3+}. Hence, it was used as an indicator electrode in the potentiometric titration of samarium ion with EDTA. It was also applied to the direct samarium recovery in binary mixtures. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A new Sm{sup 3+}-PVC membrane sensor is introduced for determination of Sm{sup 3+} ions in the solutions. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer N,N Prime ,N Double-Prime -tris(4-pyridyl)trimesic amide was used as a suitable selectophore for samarium sensor. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Detection limit of the sensor is 4.7 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -7} mol L{sup -1} with a short response time of less than 10 s.

Molecular Structure, Vibrational Spectra, Quantum Chemical Calculations and Photochemistry of Picolinamide and Isonicotinamide Isolated in Cryogenic Inert Matrixes and in the Neat Low-Temperature Solid Phases

OpenAIRE

Borba, Ana; Gómez-Zavaglia, Andrea; Fausto, R.

2007-01-01

Picolinamide (PA) and isonicotinamide (INA), two structural isomers of pyridinecarboxamide, have been investigated by matrix isolation and low-temperature solid-state infrared spectroscopy, combined with UV (λ > 235 nm) photoexcitation and density functional theory and ab initio (MP2) theoretical studies. In consonance with the theoretical data, both PA and INA were found to exist in a single conformation in cryogenic rare gas matrixes. Comparison between the experimental spectra of the matri...

Discovery: Prime Numbers

Science.gov (United States)

de Mestre, Neville

2008-01-01

Prime numbers are important as the building blocks for the set of all natural numbers, because prime factorisation is an important and useful property of all natural numbers. Students can discover them by using the method known as the Sieve of Eratosthenes, named after the Greek geographer and astronomer who lived from c. 276-194 BC. Eratosthenes…

Superficial Priming in Episodic Recognition

Science.gov (United States)

Dopkins, Stephen; Sargent, Jesse; Ngo, Catherine T.

2010-01-01

We explored the effect of superficial priming in episodic recognition and found it to be different from the effect of semantic priming in episodic recognition. Participants made recognition judgments to pairs of items, with each pair consisting of a prime item and a test item. Correct positive responses to the test item were impeded if the prime…

Syntactic priming in American Sign Language.

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Matthew L; Ferreira, Victor S; Mayberry, Rachel I

2015-01-01

Psycholinguistic studies of sign language processing provide valuable opportunities to assess whether language phenomena, which are primarily studied in spoken language, are fundamentally shaped by peripheral biology. For example, we know that when given a choice between two syntactically permissible ways to express the same proposition, speakers tend to choose structures that were recently used, a phenomenon known as syntactic priming. Here, we report two experiments testing syntactic priming of a noun phrase construction in American Sign Language (ASL). Experiment 1 shows that second language (L2) signers with normal hearing exhibit syntactic priming in ASL and that priming is stronger when the head noun is repeated between prime and target (the lexical boost effect). Experiment 2 shows that syntactic priming is equally strong among deaf native L1 signers, deaf late L1 learners, and hearing L2 signers. Experiment 2 also tested for, but did not find evidence of, phonological or semantic boosts to syntactic priming in ASL. These results show that despite the profound differences between spoken and signed languages in terms of how they are produced and perceived, the psychological representation of sentence structure (as assessed by syntactic priming) operates similarly in sign and speech.

Repetition Priming Magnitude Depends on Affirmative Prime Responses: A Test of Two Congruity Explanations.

Science.gov (United States)

Fiet, Paula; Sorensen, Linda; Mayne, Zachary; Corgiat, Damon; Woltz, Dan

2016-01-01

We conducted 2 experiments to evaluate the impact of positive prime responses on repetition priming effects while decoupling this impact from content congruity and specific evaluation operations. Our first experiment consisted of word-meaning comparison trials that required participants to evaluate synonyms or antonyms. A crossing of evaluation operation with semantic content allowed us to test the goal-content congruity hypothesis against the semantic congruity explanation for greater facilitation from positive response primes. Results suggested that operation-based priming is affected by goal-content congruity. A second experiment tested the observed effect of positive responses on repetition priming using mental rotation of irregular shapes, affording a test of the impact of congruity in evaluation goals and content in a nonverbal stimulus domain. Both experiments produced a pattern of results inconsistent with Schulman's (1974) semantic congruity account and instead implicated a different form of congruity that affects memory for prior operations rather than memory for semantic and episodic content.

Complex architecture of primes and natural numbers.

Science.gov (United States)

García-Pérez, Guillermo; Serrano, M Ángeles; Boguñá, Marián

2014-08-01

Natural numbers can be divided in two nonoverlapping infinite sets, primes and composites, with composites factorizing into primes. Despite their apparent simplicity, the elucidation of the architecture of natural numbers with primes as building blocks remains elusive. Here, we propose a new approach to decoding the architecture of natural numbers based on complex networks and stochastic processes theory. We introduce a parameter-free non-Markovian dynamical model that naturally generates random primes and their relation with composite numbers with remarkable accuracy. Our model satisfies the prime number theorem as an emerging property and a refined version of Cramér's conjecture about the statistics of gaps between consecutive primes that seems closer to reality than the original Cramér's version. Regarding composites, the model helps us to derive the prime factors counting function, giving the probability of distinct prime factors for any integer. Probabilistic models like ours can help to get deeper insights about primes and the complex architecture of natural numbers.

Z(prime) Phenomenology and the LHC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rizzo, Thomas G.

2006-01-01

A brief pedagogical overview of the phenomenology of Z(prime) gauge bosons is ILC in determining Z(prime) properties is also discussed. and explore in detail how the LHC may discover and help elucidate the models, review the current constraints on the possible properties of a Z(prime) nature of these new particles. We provide an overview of the Z(prime) studies presented. Such particles can arise in various electroweak extensions of that have been performed by both ATLAS and CMS. The role of the the Standard Model (SM). We provide a quick survey of a number of Z(prime)

Reproducibility of serum protein profiling by systematic assessment using solid-phase extraction and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Callesen, Anne K; Christensen, René Depont; Madsen, Jonna S

2008-01-01

for serum protein profiling we investigated a range of sample preparation techniques and developed a statistical method based on repeated analyses for evaluation of protein-profiling performance of MALDI MS. Two different solid-phase extraction (SPE) methods were investigated, namely custom......Protein profiling of human serum by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI MS) is potentially a new diagnostic tool for early detection of human diseases, including cancer. Sample preparation is a key issue in MALDI MS and the analysis of complex samples such as serum......-made microcolumns and commercially available magnetic beads. Using these two methods, nineteen different sample preparation methods for serum profiling by MALDI MS were systematically tested with regard to matrix selection, stationary phase, selectivity, and reproducibility. Microcolumns were tested with regard...

Transposed-letter priming of prelexical orthographic representations.

Science.gov (United States)

Kinoshita, Sachiko; Norris, Dennis

2009-01-01

A prime generated by transposing two internal letters (e.g., jugde) produces strong priming of the original word (judge). In lexical decision, this transposed-letter (TL) priming effect is generally weak or absent for nonword targets; thus, it is unclear whether the origin of this effect is lexical or prelexical. The authors describe the Bayesian Reader theory of masked priming (D. Norris & S. Kinoshita, 2008), which explains why nonwords do not show priming in lexical decision but why they do in the cross-case same-different task. This analysis is followed by 3 experiments that show that priming in this task is not based on low-level perceptual similarity between the prime and target, or on phonology, to make the case that priming is based on prelexical orthographic representation. The authors then use this task to demonstrate equivalent TL priming effects for nonwords and words. The results are interpreted as the first reliable evidence based on the masked priming procedure that letter position is not coded absolutely within the prelexical, orthographic representation. The implications of the results for current letter position coding schemes are discussed.

Wrath of God: religious primes and punishment.

Science.gov (United States)

McKay, Ryan; Efferson, Charles; Whitehouse, Harvey; Fehr, Ernst

2011-06-22

Recent evidence indicates that priming participants with religious concepts promotes prosocial sharing behaviour. In the present study, we investigated whether religious priming also promotes the costly punishment of unfair behaviour. A total of 304 participants played a punishment game. Before the punishment stage began, participants were subliminally primed with religion primes, secular punishment primes or control primes. We found that religious primes strongly increased the costly punishment of unfair behaviours for a subset of our participants--those who had previously donated to a religious organization. We discuss two proximate mechanisms potentially underpinning this effect. The first is a 'supernatural watcher' mechanism, whereby religious participants punish unfair behaviours when primed because they sense that not doing so will enrage or disappoint an observing supernatural agent. The second is a 'behavioural priming' mechanism, whereby religious primes activate cultural norms pertaining to fairness and its enforcement and occasion behaviour consistent with those norms. We conclude that our results are consistent with dual inheritance proposals about religion and cooperation, whereby religions harness the byproducts of genetically inherited cognitive mechanisms in ways that enhance the survival prospects of their adherents.

Recognizing Plant Defense Priming

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Martinez-Medina, Ainhoa; Flors, Victor; Heil, Martin; Mauch-Mani, Brigitte; Pieterse, Corné M J|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/113115113; Pozo, Maria J; Ton, Jurriaan; van Dam, Nicole M; Conrath, Uwe

2016-01-01

Defense priming conditions diverse plant species for the superinduction of defense, often resulting in enhanced pest and disease resistance and abiotic stress tolerance. Here, we propose a guideline that might assist the plant research community in a consistent assessment of defense priming in

Recognizing plant defense priming

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Martinez-Medina, A.; Flors, V.; Heil, M.; Mauch-Mani, B.; Pieterse, C.M.J.; Pozo, M.J.; Ton, J.; Van Dam, N.M.; Conrath, U.

2016-01-01

Defense priming conditions diverse plant species for the superinduction of defense, often resulting in enhanced pest and disease resistance and abiotic stress tolerance. Here, we propose a guideline that might assist the plant research community in a consistent assessment of defense priming in

Syntactic priming in American Sign Language.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthew L Hall

Full Text Available Psycholinguistic studies of sign language processing provide valuable opportunities to assess whether language phenomena, which are primarily studied in spoken language, are fundamentally shaped by peripheral biology. For example, we know that when given a choice between two syntactically permissible ways to express the same proposition, speakers tend to choose structures that were recently used, a phenomenon known as syntactic priming. Here, we report two experiments testing syntactic priming of a noun phrase construction in American Sign Language (ASL. Experiment 1 shows that second language (L2 signers with normal hearing exhibit syntactic priming in ASL and that priming is stronger when the head noun is repeated between prime and target (the lexical boost effect. Experiment 2 shows that syntactic priming is equally strong among deaf native L1 signers, deaf late L1 learners, and hearing L2 signers. Experiment 2 also tested for, but did not find evidence of, phonological or semantic boosts to syntactic priming in ASL. These results show that despite the profound differences between spoken and signed languages in terms of how they are produced and perceived, the psychological representation of sentence structure (as assessed by syntactic priming operates similarly in sign and speech.

Multisensory Flavor Priming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dijksterhuis, Garmt Bernard

2016-01-01

with a taxonomy of different priming situations. In food-related applications of flavor, both bottom-up (sensory) as well as top-down (expectations) processes are at play. Most of the complex interactions that this leads to take place outside the awareness of the perceiving subject. A model is presented where...... many, past and current, aspects (sensory, surroundings, social, somatic, sentimental) of a (flavor) perception, together result in the perception of a flavor, its liking. or its choice. This model borrows on ideas from priming, situated/embodied cognition, and (food-related) perception.......Flavor is multisensory; several interacting sensory systems-taste, smell, and mouthfeel-together comprise "flavor," making it a cognitively constructed percept rather than a bottom-up sensory one. In this chapter, some of the complications this entails for flavor priming are introduced, along...

Semantic priming, not repetition priming, is to blame for false hearing.

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, Chad S

2017-08-01

Contextual and sensory information are combined in speech perception. Conflict between the two can lead to false hearing, defined as a high-confidence misidentification of a spoken word. Rogers, Jacoby, and Sommers (Psychology and Aging, 27(1), 33-45, 2012) found that older adults are more susceptible to false hearing than are young adults, using a combination of semantic priming and repetition priming to create context. In this study, the type of context (repetition vs. sematic priming) responsible for false hearing was examined. Older and young adult participants read and listened to a list of paired associates (e.g., ROW-BOAT) and were told to remember the pairs for a later memory test. Following the memory test, participants identified words masked in noise that were preceded by a cue word in the clear. Targets were semantically associated to the cue (e.g., ROW-BOAT), unrelated to the cue (e.g., JAW-PASS), or phonologically related to a semantic associate of the cue (e.g., ROW-GOAT). How often each cue word and its paired associate were presented prior to the memory test was manipulated (0, 3, or 5 times) to test effects of repetition priming. Results showed repetitions had no effect on rates of context-based listening or false hearing. However, repetition did significantly increase sensory information as a basis for metacognitive judgments in young and older adults. This pattern suggests that semantic priming dominates as the basis for false hearing and highlights context and sensory information operating as qualitatively different bases for listening and metacognition.

Finite element evaluation of elasto-plastic accommodation energies during solid state transformations: Coherent, spherical precipitate in finite matrix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sen, S.; Balasubramaniam, R.; Sethuraman, R.

1996-01-01

The molar volume difference between the matrix and the precipitate phases in the case of solid state phase transformations results in the creation of stain energy in the system due to the misfit strains. A finite element model based on the initial strain approach is proposed to evaluate elasto-plastic accommodation energies during solid state transformation. The three-dimensional axisymmetric model has been used to evaluate energies as a function of transformation for α-β hydrogen transformations in the Nb-H system. The transformation has been analyzed for the cases of transformation progressing both from the center to surface and from the surface to center of the system. The effect of plastic deformation has been introduced to make the model realistic, specifically to the Nb-NbH phase transformation which involves a 4% linear misfit strain. It has been observed that plastic deformation reduces the strain energies compared to the linear elastic analysis

Modified Multi Prime RSA Cryptosystem

Science.gov (United States)

Ghazali Kamardan, M.; Aminudin, N.; Che-Him, Norziha; Sufahani, Suliadi; Khalid, Kamil; Roslan, Rozaini

2018-04-01

RSA [1] is one of the mostly used cryptosystem in securing data and information. Though, it has been recently discovered that RSA has some weaknesses and in advance technology, RSA is believed to be inefficient especially when it comes to decryption. Thus, a new algorithm called Multi prime RSA, an extended version of the standard RSA is studied. Then, a modification is made to the Multi prime RSA where another keys is shared secretly between the receiver and the sender to increase the securerity. As in RSA, the methodology used for modified Multi-prime RSA also consists of three phases; 1. Key Generation in which the secret and public keys are generated and published. In this phase, the secrecy is improved by adding more prime numbers and addition of secret keys. 2. Encryption of the message using the public and secret keys given. 3. Decryption of the secret message using the secret key generated. For the decryption phase, a method called Chinese Remainder Theorem is used which helps to fasten the computation. Since Multi prime RSA use more than two prime numbers, the algorithm is more efficient and secure when compared to the standard RSA. Furthermore, in modified Multi prime RSA another secret key is introduced to increase the obstacle to the attacker. Therefore, it is strongly believed that this new algorithm is better and can be an alternative to the RSA.

The pros and cons of masked priming.

Science.gov (United States)

Forster, K I

1998-03-01

Masked priming paradigms offer the promise of tapping automatic, strategy-free lexical processing, as evidenced by the lack of expectancy disconfirmation effects, and proportionality effects in semantic priming experiments. But several recent findings suggest the effects may be prelexical. These findings concern nonword priming effects in lexical decision and naming, the effects of mixed-case presentation on nonword priming, and the dependence of priming on the nature of the distractors in lexical decision, suggesting possible strategy effects. The theory underlying each of these effects is discussed, and alternative explanations are developed that do not preclude a lexical basis for masked priming effects.

Priming Ability Emotional Intelligence

Science.gov (United States)

Schutte, Nicola S.; Malouff, John M.

2012-01-01

Two studies examined whether priming self-schemas relating to successful emotional competency results in better emotional intelligence performance. In the first study participants were randomly assigned to a successful emotional competency self-schema prime condition or a control condition and then completed an ability measure of emotional…

Evaluation of Antibacterial Enrofloxacin in Eggs by Matrix Solid Phase Dispersion-Flow Injection Chemiluminescence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaocui Duan

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The study based on the chemiluminescence (CL reaction of potassium ferricyanide and luminol in sodium hydroxide medium, enrofloxacin (ENRO could dramatically enhance CL intensities and incorporated with matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD technique (Florisil used as dispersant, dichloromethane eluted the target compounds. A simple flow injection chemiluminescence (FL-CL method with MSPD technique for determination of ENRO in eggs was described. Under optimal conditions, the CL intensities were linearly related to ENRO concentration ranging from 4.0×10-8 g.L−1 to 5.0×10-5 g.L−1, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9989 and detection limit of 5.0×10-9 g.L−1. The relative standard deviation was 3.6% at an ENRO concentration of 2.0×10-6 g.L−1. Our testing technique can help ensure food safety, and thus, protect public health.

Psychotherapy augmentation through preconscious priming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francois eBorgeat

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: To test the hypothesis that repeated preconscious (masked priming of personalized positive cognitions could augment cognitive change and facilitate achievement of patients’ goals following a therapy.Methods: Twenty social phobic patients (13 women completed a 36 weeks study beginning by 12 weeks of group behavioural therapy. After the therapy, they received 6 weeks of preconscious priming and 6 weeks of a control procedure in a randomized cross-over design. The Priming condition involved listening twice daily with a passive attitude to a recording of individualized formulations of appropriate cognitions and attitudes masked by music. The Control condition involved listening to an indistinguishable recording where the formulations had been replaced by random numbers. Changes in social cognitions were measured by the Social Interaction Self Statements Test (SISST.Results: Patients improved following therapy. The Priming procedure was associated with increased positive cognitions and decreased negative cognitions on the SISST while the Control procedure was not. The Priming procedure induced more cognitive change when applied immediately after the group therapy. Conclusion: An effect of priming was observed on social phobia related cognitions in the expected direction. This self administered addition to a therapy could be seen as an augmentation strategy.

In-line micro-matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction for simultaneous separation and extraction of Sudan dyes in different spices.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajabi, Maryam; Sabzalian, Sedigheh; Barfi, Behruz; Arghavani-Beydokhti, Somayeh; Asghari, Alireza

2015-12-18

A novel, simple, fast, and miniaturized method, termed in-line micro-matrix solid-phase dispersion (in-line MMSPD), coupled with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was developed for the simultaneous extraction and determination of Sudan dyes (i.e. Sudan I-IV, Sudan orange G, Sudan black B, and Sudan red G) with the aid of an experimental design strategy. In this method, a matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) column including a suitable mixture of polar sorbents was inserted in the mobile phase pathway, and while the interfering compounds were retained, the analytes were eluted and entered into the analytical column. In this way, the extraction, elution, and separation of the analytes were performed sequentially. Under the optimal experimental conditions (including the amount of sample, 0.0426g; amount of dispersant phase, 0.0216g of florisil, 0.0227g of silica, 0.0141g of alumina; and blending time, 112s), the limits of detection (LODs), limits of quantification, linear dynamic ranges, and recoveries were obtained to be 0.3-15.3μgkg(-1), 1-50μgkg(-1), 50-28,000μgkg(-1), and 94.5-99.1%, respectively. The results obtained showed that determination of the selected Sudan dyes in food samples using an enough sensitive and a simple analytically validated method like in-line MMSPD may offer a suitable screening method, which could be useful for food analysis and adulteration. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Prime time news: the influence of primed positive and negative emotion on susceptibility to false memories.

Science.gov (United States)

Porter, Stephen; ten Brinke, Leanne; Riley, Sean N; Baker, Alysha

2014-01-01

We examined the relation between emotion and susceptibility to misinformation using a novel paradigm, the ambiguous stimuli affective priming (ASAP) paradigm. Participants (N = 88) viewed ambiguous neutral images primed either at encoding or retrieval to be interpreted as either highly positive or negative (or neutral/not primed). After viewing the images, they either were asked misleading or non-leading questions. Following a delay, memory accuracy for the original images was assessed. Results indicated that any emotional priming at encoding led to a higher susceptibility to misinformation relative to priming at recall. In particular, inducing a negative interpretation of the image at encoding led to an increased susceptibility of false memories for major misinformation (an entire object not actually present in the scene). In contrast, this pattern was reversed when priming was used at recall; a negative reinterpretation of the image decreased memory distortion relative to unprimed images. These findings suggest that, with precise experimental control, the experience of emotion at event encoding, in particular, is implicated in false memory susceptibility.

Solid polymer electrolyte lithium batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Alamgir, Mohamed; Abraham, Kuzhikalail M.

1993-01-01

This invention pertains to Lithium batteries using Li ion (Li.sup.+) conductive solid polymer electrolytes composed of solvates of Li salts immobilized in a solid organic polymer matrix. In particular, this invention relates to Li batteries using solid polymer electrolytes derived by immobilizing solvates formed between a Li salt and an aprotic organic solvent (or mixture of such solvents) in poly(vinyl chloride).

Space-Valence Priming with Subliminal and Supraliminal Words

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ulrich eAnsorge

2013-02-01

Full Text Available To date it is unclear whether (1 awareness-independent non-evaluative semantic processes influence affective semantics and whether (2 awareness-independent affective semantics influence non-evaluative semantic processing. In the current study, we investigated these questions with the help of subliminal (masked primes and visible targets in a space-valence across-category congruence effect. In line with (1, we found that subliminal space prime words influenced valence classification of supraliminal target words (Experiment 1: Classifications were faster with a congruent prime (e.g., the prime ‘up’ before the target ‘happy’ than with an incongruent prime (e.g., the prime ‘up’ before the target ‘sad’. In contrast to (2, no influence of subliminal valence primes on the classification of supraliminal space targets into up- and down-words was found (Experiment 2. Control conditions showed that standard masked response-priming effects were found with both subliminal prime types, and that an across-category congruence effect was also found with supraliminal valence primes and spatial target words. The final Experiment 3 confirmed that the across-category congruence effect indeed reflected priming of target categorization of a relevant meaning category. Together, the data jointly confirmed prediction (1 that awareness-independent non-evaluative semantic priming influences valence judgments.

The Exopolysaccharide Matrix: A Virulence Determinant of Cariogenic Biofilm

OpenAIRE

Koo, H.; Falsetta, M.L.; Klein, M.I.

2013-01-01

Many infectious diseases in humans are caused or exacerbated by biofilms. Dental caries is a prime example of a biofilm-dependent disease, resulting from interactions of microorganisms, host factors, and diet (sugars), which modulate the dynamic formation of biofilms on tooth surfaces. All biofilms have a microbial-derived extracellular matrix as an essential constituent. The exopolysaccharides formed through interactions between sucrose- (and starch-) and Streptococcus mutans-derived exoenzy...

Building Numbers from Primes

Science.gov (United States)

Burkhart, Jerry

2009-01-01

Prime numbers are often described as the "building blocks" of natural numbers. This article shows how the author and his students took this idea literally by using prime factorizations to build numbers with blocks. In this activity, students explore many concepts of number theory, including the relationship between greatest common factors and…

Recognizing Plant Defense Priming.

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez-Medina, Ainhoa; Flors, Victor; Heil, Martin; Mauch-Mani, Brigitte; Pieterse, Corné M J; Pozo, Maria J; Ton, Jurriaan; van Dam, Nicole M; Conrath, Uwe

2016-10-01

Defense priming conditions diverse plant species for the superinduction of defense, often resulting in enhanced pest and disease resistance and abiotic stress tolerance. Here, we propose a guideline that might assist the plant research community in a consistent assessment of defense priming in plants. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The structure factor of primes

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, G.; Martelli, F.; Torquato, S.

2018-03-01

Although the prime numbers are deterministic, they can be viewed, by some measures, as pseudo-random numbers. In this article, we numerically study the pair statistics of the primes using statistical-mechanical methods, particularly the structure factor S(k) in an interval M ≤slant p ≤slant M + L with M large, and L/M smaller than unity. We show that the structure factor of the prime-number configurations in such intervals exhibits well-defined Bragg-like peaks along with a small ‘diffuse’ contribution. This indicates that primes are appreciably more correlated and ordered than previously thought. Our numerical results definitively suggest an explicit formula for the locations and heights of the peaks. This formula predicts infinitely many peaks in any non-zero interval, similar to the behavior of quasicrystals. However, primes differ from quasicrystals in that the ratio between the location of any two predicted peaks is rational. We also show numerically that the diffuse part decays slowly as M and L increases. This suggests that the diffuse part vanishes in an appropriate infinite-system-size limit.

Matrix Optical Absorption in UV-MALDI MS.

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Kenneth N; Steven, Rory T; Bunch, Josephine

2018-03-01

In ultraviolet matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (UV-MALDI MS) matrix compound optical absorption governs the uptake of laser energy, which in turn has a strong influence on experimental results. Despite this, quantitative absorption measurements are lacking for most matrix compounds. Furthermore, despite the use of UV-MALDI MS to detect a vast range of compounds, investigations into the effects of laser energy have been primarily restricted to single classes of analytes. We report the absolute solid state absorption spectra of the matrix compounds α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (CHCA), para-nitroaniline (PNA), 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT), 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,5-DHB), and 2,4,6-trihydroxyacetophenone (THAP). The desorption/ionization characteristics of these matrix compounds with respect to laser fluence was investigated using mixed systems of matrix with either angiotensin II, PC(34:1) lipid standard, or haloperidol, acting as representatives for typical classes of analyte encountered in UV-MALDI MS. The first absolute solid phase spectra for PNA, MBT, and THAP are reported; additionally, inconsistencies between previously published spectra for CHCA are resolved. In light of these findings, suggestions are made for experimental optimization with regards to matrix and laser wavelength selection. The relationship between matrix optical cross-section and wavelength-dependant threshold fluence, fluence of maximum ion yield, and R, a new descriptor for the change in ion intensity with fluence, are described. A matrix cross-section of 1.3 × 10 -17 cm -2 was identified as a potential minimum for desorption/ionization of analytes. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Aluminum matrix composites reinforced with alumina nanoparticles

CERN Document Server

Casati, Riccardo

2016-01-01

This book describes the latest efforts to develop aluminum nanocomposites with enhanced damping and mechanical properties and good workability. The nanocomposites exhibited high strength, improved damping behavior and good ductility, making them suitable for use as wires. Since the production of metal matrix nanocomposites by conventional melting processes is considered extremely problematic (because of the poor wettability of the nanoparticles), different powder metallurgy routes were investigated, including high-energy ball milling and unconventional compaction methods. Special attention was paid to the structural characterization at the micro- and nanoscale, as uniform nanoparticle dispersion in metal matrix is of prime importance. The aluminum nanocomposites displayed an ultrafine microstructure reinforced with alumina nanoparticles produced in situ or added ex situ. The physical, mechanical and functional characteristics of the materials produced were evaluated using different mechanical tests and micros...

PrimeFaces beginner's guide

CERN Document Server

Reddy, K Siva Prasad

2013-01-01

A guide for beginner's with step-by-step instructions and an easy-to-follow approach.PrimeFaces Beginners Guide is a simple and effective guide for beginners, wanting to learn and implement PrimeFaces in their JSF-based applications. Some basic JSF and jQuery skills are required before you start working through the book.

Hyperfine structure of the MnH X 7Σ+ state: A large gas-to-matrix shift in the Fermi contact interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varberg, T.D.; Field, R.W.; Merer, A.J.

1990-01-01

Sub-Doppler spectra of the A 7 Π--X 7 Σ + (0,0) band of gas phase MnH near 5680 A were recorded by intermodulated fluorescence spectroscopy. The spectra reveal hyperfine splittings arising from both the 55 Mn and 1 H nuclear spins. Internal hyperfine perturbations have been observed between the different spin components of the ground state at low N double-prime. From a preliminary analysis of several rotational lines originating from the isolated and unperturbed F 1 (J double-prime=3) spin component of the X 7 Σ + (N double-prime=0) level, the 55 Mn Fermi contact interaction in the ground state has been measured as b F =A iso =276(1) MHz. This value is 11% smaller than the value obtained by Weltner et al. from an electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) study of MnH in an argon matrix at 4 K. This unprecedented gas-to-matrix shift in the Fermi contact parameter is discussed

Strong work-hardening behavior induced by the solid solution strengthening of dendrites in TiZr-based bulk metallic glass matrix composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ma, D.Q. [State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China); Jiao, W.T. [College of Education, Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China); Zhang, Y.F. [State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China); Hebei Vocational and Technical College of Building Materials, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China); Wang, B.A.; Li, J.; Zhang, X.Y. [State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China); Ma, M.Z., E-mail: mz550509@ysu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China); Liu, R.P. [State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China)

2015-03-05

Highlights: • Hardness of dendrite of TiZr-based BMGMCs increases. • Strong work-hardening behavior is obtained after solid solution strengthening. • Lattice distortions of dendrite suffering from rapid cooling are detected. - Abstract: A series of TiZr-based bulk metallic glass matrix composites (BMGMCs) with distinguished mechanical properties are successfully fabricated by adding different volume fractions of Ta (Ti{sub 38.8}Zr{sub 28.8}Cu{sub 6.2}Be{sub 16.2}Nb{sub 10} as the basic composition, denoted as Ta{sub 0.0}–Ta{sub 8.0}). Along with the growth of precipitated phase, typical dendritic morphology is fully developed in the TiZr-based BMGMCs of Ta{sub 8.0}. Energy-dispersive spectrometry analysis of the dendrites and glass matrix indicates that the metallic elements of Nb and Ta should preferentially form solid solution into dendrites. The chaotic structure of high-temperature precipitate phase is trapped down by the rapid cooling of the copper-mould. The detected lattice distortions in the dendrites are attributed to the strong solid solution strengthening of the metallic elements of Ti, Zr, Nb, and Ta. These lattice distortions increase the resistance of the dislocation motion and pin the dislocations, thus the strength and hardness of dendrite increase. Dendrites create a strong barrier for the shear band propagation and generate multiple shear bands after solid solution strengthening, thereby providing the TiZr-based BMGMCs with greatly improved capacity to sustain plastic deformation and resistance to brittle fracture. Thus, the TiZr-based BMGMCs possess distinguished work-hardening capability. Among these TiZr-based BMGMCs, the sample Ta{sub 0.5} possesses the largest plastic strain (ε{sub p}) at 20.3% and ultimate strength (σ{sub max}) of 2613 MPa during compressive loading. In addition, the sample of Ta{sub 0.5} exhibits work-hardening up to an ultrahigh tensile strength of 1680 MPa during the tensile process, and then progressively

Semantic priming without association: a meta-analytic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Lucas, M

2000-12-01

A meta-analysis of 26 studies indicated that automatic semantic priming can occur without association. Priming did not vary substantially with differences in variables that affect automatic versus strategic processing, such as time spent processing the prime and target, relationship proportion, and task (except that average effects were smaller in the naming task). Although category coordinates were investigated in the majority of studies, synonyms, antonyms, and script relations also demonstrated priming; functional relations showed greater priming, and essential and perceptual relations showed less. The average effect size for semantic priming was smaller than that for associative priming, suggesting that there is an "associative boost" from adding an associative relationship to a semantic one. The implications of these findings for the modularity thesis and for models of semantic priming are discussed.

Extraction of acetanilides in rice using ionic liquid-based matrix solid phase dispersion-solvent flotation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Liyuan; Wang, Changyuan; Li, Zuotong; Zhao, Changjiang; Zhang, Hanqi; Zhang, Dongjie

2018-04-15

Ionic liquid-based matrix solid phase dispersion-solvent flotation coupled with high performance liquid chromatography was developed for the determination of the acetanilide herbicides, including metazachlor, propanil, alachlor, propisochlor, pretilachlor, and butachlor in rice samples. Some experimental parameters, including the type of dispersant, the mass ratio of dispersant to sample, pH of sample solution, the type of extraction solvent, the type of ionic liquid, flotation time, and flow rate of N 2 were optimized. The average recoveries of the acetanilide herbicides at spiked concentrations of 50, 125, and 250 µg/kg ranged from 89.4% to 108.7%, and relative standard deviations were equal to or lower than 7.1%, the limits of quantification were in the range of 38.0 to 84.7 µg/kg. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rovibrational matrix elements of the multipole moments

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Rovibrational matrix elements of the multipole moments ℓ up to rank 10 and of the linear polarizability of the H2 molecule in the condensed phase have been computed taking into account the effect of the intermolecular potential. Comparison with gas phase matrix elements shows that the effect of solid state interactions is ...

Priming methods in semantics and pragmatics.

Science.gov (United States)

Maldonado, Mora; Spector, Benjamin; Chemla, Emmanuel

2017-01-01

Structural priming is a powerful method to inform linguistic theories. We argue that this method extends nicely beyond syntax to theories of meaning. Priming, however, should still be seen as only one of the tools available for linguistic data collection. Specifically, because priming can occur at different, potentially conflicting levels, it cannot detect every aspect of linguistic representations.

A wave propagation matrix method in semiclassical theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, S.Y.; Takigawa, N.

1977-05-01

A wave propagation matrix method is used to derive the semiclassical formulae of the multiturning point problem. A phase shift matrix and a barrier transformation matrix are introduced to describe the processes of a particle travelling through a potential well and crossing a potential barrier respectively. The wave propagation matrix is given by the products of phase shift matrices and barrier transformation matrices. The method to study scattering by surface transparent potentials and the Bloch wave in solids is then applied

Matrix effect on hydrogen-atom tunneling of organic molecules in cryogenic solids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ichikawa, Tsuneki

2000-01-01

Although the tunneling of atoms through potential energy barriers separating the reactant and reaction systems is not paid much attention in organic reactions, this plays an important role in reactions including the transfer of light atoms. Atomic tunneling is especially important for chemical reactions at low temperatures, since the thermal activation of reactant systems is very slow process in comparison with the tunneling. One of the typical reactions of atomic tunneling is hydrogen-atom abstraction from alkanes in cryogenic solids exposed to high-energy radiation. Irradiation of alkane molecules causes the homolytic cleavage of C-H bonds, which results in the pairwise formation of free hydrogen atoms and organic free radicals. Since the activation energies for the abstraction of hydrogen atoms from alkane molecules by free hydrogen atoms are higher than 5 kcal/mol, the lifetime of free hydrogen atoms at 77 K is estimated from the Arrhenius equation of k=vexp(-E a /RT) to be longer than 10 hrs. However, except for solid methane, free hydrogen atoms immediately convert to alkyl radicals even at 4.2 K by hydrogen-atom tunneling from alkane molecules to the free hydrogen atoms. The rate of hydrogen atom tunneling does not necessary increase with decreasing activation energy or the peak height of the potential energy barrier preventing the tunneling. Although the activation energy is the lowest at the tertiary carbon of alkanes, hydrogen atom tunneling from branched alkanes with tertiary carbon at the antepenultimate position of the carbon skeleton is the fastest at the secondary penultimate carbon. Based on our experimental results, we have proposed that the peculiarity of the hydrogen-atom abstraction in cryogenic solids comes from the steric hindrance by matrix molecules to the deformation of alkane molecules from the initial sp 3 to the final sp 2 configurations. The steric hindrance causes the increase of the height of the potential energy barrier for the

Structural priming, action planning, and grammar.

Science.gov (United States)

MacDonald, Maryellen C; Weiss, Daniel J

2017-01-01

Structural priming is poorly understood and cannot inform accounts of grammar for two reasons. First, those who view performance as grammar + processing will always be able to attribute psycholinguistic data to processing rather than grammar. Second, structural priming may be simply an example of hysteresis effects in general action planning. If so, then priming offers no special insight into grammar.

The priming of basic combinatory responses in MEG.

Science.gov (United States)

Blanco-Elorrieta, Esti; Ferreira, Victor S; Del Prato, Paul; Pylkkänen, Liina

2018-01-01

Priming has been a powerful tool for the study of human memory and especially the memory representations relevant for language. However, although it is well established that lexical access can be primed, we do not know exactly what types of computations can be primed above the word level. This work took a neurobiological approach and assessed the ways in which the complex representation of a minimal combinatory phrase, such as red boat, can be primed, as evidenced by the spatiotemporal profiles of magnetoencephalography (MEG) signals. Specifically, we built upon recent progress on the neural signatures of phrasal composition and tested whether the brain activities implicated for the basic combination of two words could be primed. In two experiments, MEG was recorded during a picture naming task where the prime trials were designed to replicate previously reported combinatory effects and the target trials to test whether those combinatory effects could be primed. The manipulation of the primes was successful in eliciting larger activity for adjective-noun combinations than single nouns in left anterior temporal and ventromedial prefrontal cortices, replicating prior MEG studies on parallel contrasts. Priming of similarly timed activity was observed during target trials in anterior temporal cortex, but only when the prime and target shared an adjective. No priming in temporal cortex was observed for single word repetition and two control tasks showed that the priming effect was not elicited if the prime pictures were simply viewed but not named. In sum, this work provides evidence that very basic combinatory operations can be primed, with the necessity for some lexical overlap between prime and target suggesting combinatory conceptual, as opposed to syntactic processing. Both our combinatory and priming effects were early, onsetting between 100 and 150ms after picture onset and thus are likely to reflect the very earliest planning stages of a combinatory message

Social priming increases nonverbal expressive behaviors in schizophrenia.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonathan Del-Monte

Full Text Available Semantic priming tasks are classically used to influence and implicitly promote target behaviors. Recently, several studies have demonstrated that prosocial semantic priming modulated feelings of social affiliation. The main aim of this study was to determine whether inducing feelings of social affiliation using priming tasks could modulate nonverbal social behaviors in schizophrenia. We used the Scrambled Sentence Task to prime schizophrenia patients according to three priming group conditions: pro-social, non-social or anti-social. Forty-five schizophrenia patients, diagnosed according to DSM-IV-TR, were randomly assigned to one of the three priming groups of 15 participants. We evaluated nonverbal social behaviors using the Motor-Affective subscale of the Motor-Affective-Social-Scale. Results showed that schizophrenia patients with pro-social priming had significantly more nonverbal behaviors than schizophrenia patients with anti-social and non-social priming conditions. Schizophrenia patient behaviors are affected by social priming. Our results have several clinical implications for the rehabilitation of social skills impairments frequently encountered among individuals with schizophrenia.

Solid phase radioimmunoassays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wide, L.

1977-01-01

Solid phase coupled antibodies were introduced to facilitate the separation of bound and free labelled ligand in the competitive inhibition radioimmunoassay. Originally, the solid matrix used was in the form of small particles and since then a number of different matrices have been used such as very fine powder particles, gels, paper and plastic discs, magnetic particles and the inside surface of plastic tubes. The coupling of antibodies may be that of a covalent chemical binding, a strong physical adsorbtion, or an immunological binding to a solid phase coupled antigen. New principles of radioimmunoassay such as the solid phase sandwich techniques and the immunoradiometric assay were developped from the use of solid phase coupled antigens and antibodies. The solid phase sandwich techniques are reagent excess methods with a very wide applicability. Several of the different variants of solid phase techniques are suitable for automation. Advantages and disadvantages of solid phase radioimmunoassays when compared with those using soluble reagents are discussed. (orig.) [de

Optical coding theory with Prime

CERN Document Server

Kwong, Wing C

2013-01-01

Although several books cover the coding theory of wireless communications and the hardware technologies and coding techniques of optical CDMA, no book has been specifically dedicated to optical coding theory-until now. Written by renowned authorities in the field, Optical Coding Theory with Prime gathers together in one volume the fundamentals and developments of optical coding theory, with a focus on families of prime codes, supplemented with several families of non-prime codes. The book also explores potential applications to coding-based optical systems and networks. Learn How to Construct

Priming of antiherbivore defensive responses in plants

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Jinwon Kim; Gary W.Felton

2013-01-01

Defense priming is defined as increased readiness of defense induction.A growing body of literature indicates that plants (or intact parts of a plant) are primed in anticipation of impending environmental stresses,both biotic and abiotic,and upon the following stimulus,induce defenses more quickly and strongly.For instance,some plants previously exposed to herbivore-inducible plant volatiles (HIPVs) from neighboring plants under herbivore attack show faster or stronger defense activation and enhanced insect resistance when challenged with secondary insect feeding.Research on priming of antiherbivore defense has been limited to the HIPV-mediated mechanism until recently,but significant advances were made in the past three years,including non-HIPV-mediated defense priming,epigenetic modifications as the molecular mechanism of priming,and others.It is timely to consider the advances in research on defense priming in the plantinsect interactions.

Determination of six pesticides in the medicinal herb Cordia salicifolia by matrix solid-phase dispersion and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

de Carvalho, Pedro Henrique Viana; Prata, Vanessa de Menezes; Alves, Péricles Barreto; Navickiene, Sandro

2009-01-01

A simple and effective extraction method based on matrix solid-phase dispersion was developed for acephate, chlorpropham, pyrimicarb, bifenthrin, tetradifon, and phosalone in leaves of the medicinal plant Cordia salicifolia, whose extracts are commercialized in Brazil as diuretic, appetite suppressant, and weight loss products. The determination method was GC/MS with selected-ion monitoring. Different parameters of the method were evaluated, such as type of solid phase (C18, alumina, silica gel, and Florisil) and the amount of solid phase and eluent (dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, chloroform, and cyclohexane). The best results were obtained using 0.5 g herb sample, 0.5 g neutral alumina as the dispersant sorbent, 0.5 g C18 as the cleanup sorbent, and cyclohexane-dichloromethane (3 + 1, v/v) as the eluting solvent. The method was validated using herb samples fortified with pesticides at different concentration levels (0.3, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/kg). Average recoveries (seven replicates) ranged from 67.7 to 129.9%, with relative standard deviations between 6.3 and 26%. Detection and quantitation limits for the herb ranged from 0.10 to 0.15 and 0.15 to 0.25 mg/kg, respectively.

Random reward priming is task-contingent: The robustness of the 1-trial reward priming effect

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Árni Gunnar Ásgeirsson

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Consistent financial reward of particular features influences the allocation of visual attention in many ways. More surprising are 1-trial reward priming effects on attention where reward schedules are random and reward on one trial influences attentional allocation on the next. Those findings are thought to reflect that rewarded features become more salient than unrewarded ones on the subsequent trial. Here we attempt to conceptually replicate this effect, testing its generalizability. In three versions of an analogous paradigm to the additional singleton paradigm involving singleton search for a Gabor patch of odd spatial frequency we found no evidence of reward priming, while we only partially replicate the reward priming in the exact original paradigm tested by Hickey and colleagues. The results cast doubt on the proposal that random reward enhances salience, suggested in the original papers, and highlight the need for a more nuanced account. In many other paradigms reward effects have been found to progress gradually, becoming stronger as they build up, and we argue that for robust reward priming, reward schedules need to be more consistent than in the original 1-trial reward priming paradigm.

Comparison of solid waste management between Oslo (Norway) and Lahore (Pakistan)

OpenAIRE

Hafeez, Muhammad Shahzad

2014-01-01

The research is devised on two themes as; describe and compare solid waste management practices in Lahore (Pakistan) and Oslo (Norway). Solid Waste Management (SWM) is an important technique in the present times which works on the philosophy of Reuse, Reduce and Recycle and helps in containment of various environmental problems. In the developing countries waste contamination has become an important problem. My prime motive to select Lahore was due to the nature of environmenta...

Diphasic flow downstream of circulation-water condenser during priming

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ibler, B.; Sabaton, M.; Canavelis, R.

1982-01-01

The experimental study presented here describes the experiments for visualizing diphasic flow carried out on a 1/10 model of a circulation-water condenser for a 1,300-MW nuclear power unit. The essential object of the experiments was to validate the layout for the tubing proposed by the Design Office, from the point of view of its incidence on the stability of the flows and the mechanical solidity of the structures during the relatively anarchical phase of automatic priming of the condenser. The observations made have rendered it possible firstly to analyse the pattern of flows in greater detail and secondly to conclude that a simplified and cheaper layout of pipes is acceptable without great risk [fr

A new and efficient Solid Phase Microextraction approach for analysis of high fat content food samples using a matrix-compatible coating.

Science.gov (United States)

De Grazia, Selenia; Gionfriddo, Emanuela; Pawliszyn, Janusz

2017-05-15

The current work presents the optimization of a protocol enabling direct extraction of avocado samples by a new Solid Phase Microextraction matrix compatible coating. In order to further extend the coating life time, pre-desorption and post-desorption washing steps were optimized for solvent type, time, and degree of agitation employed. Using optimized conditions, lifetime profiles of the coating related to extraction of a group of analytes bearing different physical-chemical properties were obtained. Over 80 successive extractions were carried out to establish coating efficiency using PDMS/DVB 65µm commercial coating in comparison with the PDMS/DVB/PDMS. The PDMS/DVB coating was more prone to irreversible matrix attachment on its surface, with consequent reduction of its extractive performance after 80 consecutive extractions. Conversely, the PDMS/DVB/PDMS coating showed enhanced inertness towards matrix fouling due to its outer smooth PDMS layer. This work represents the first step towards the development of robust SPME methods for quantification of contaminants in avocado as well as other fatty-based matrices, with minimal sample pre-treatment prior to extraction. In addition, an evaluation of matrix components attachment on the coating surface and related artifacts created by desorption of the coating at high temperatures in the GC-injector port, has been performed by GCxGC-ToF/MS. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mechanisms of masked evaluative priming: task sets modulate behavioral and electrophysiological priming for picture and words differentially

OpenAIRE

Kiefer, Markus; Liegel, Nathalie; Zovko, Monika; Wentura, Dirk

2016-01-01

Research with the evaluative priming paradigm has shown that affective evaluation processes reliably influence cognition and behavior, even when triggered outside awareness. However, the precise mechanisms underlying such subliminal evaluative priming effects, response activation vs semantic processing, are matter of a debate. In this study, we determined the relative contribution of semantic processing and response activation to masked evaluative priming with pictures and words. To this end,...

Priming analogical reasoning with false memories.

Science.gov (United States)

Howe, Mark L; Garner, Sarah R; Threadgold, Emma; Ball, Linden J

2015-08-01

Like true memories, false memories are capable of priming answers to insight-based problems. Recent research has attempted to extend this paradigm to more advanced problem-solving tasks, including those involving verbal analogical reasoning. However, these experiments are constrained inasmuch as problem solutions could be generated via spreading activation mechanisms (much like false memories themselves) rather than using complex reasoning processes. In three experiments we examined false memory priming of complex analogical reasoning tasks in the absence of simple semantic associations. In Experiment 1, we demonstrated the robustness of false memory priming in analogical reasoning when backward associative strength among the problem terms was eliminated. In Experiments 2a and 2b, we extended these findings by demonstrating priming on newly created homonym analogies that can only be solved by inhibiting semantic associations within the analogy. Overall, the findings of the present experiments provide evidence that the efficacy of false memory priming extends to complex analogical reasoning problems.

Priming intelligent behavior: an elusive phenomenon.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David R Shanks

Full Text Available Can behavior be unconsciously primed via the activation of attitudes, stereotypes, or other concepts? A number of studies have suggested that such priming effects can occur, and a prominent illustration is the claim that individuals' accuracy in answering general knowledge questions can be influenced by activating intelligence-related concepts such as professor or soccer hooligan. In 9 experiments with 475 participants we employed the procedures used in these studies, as well as a number of variants of those procedures, in an attempt to obtain this intelligence priming effect. None of the experiments obtained the effect, although financial incentives did boost performance. A Bayesian analysis reveals considerable evidential support for the null hypothesis. The results conform to the pattern typically obtained in word priming experiments in which priming is very narrow in its generalization and unconscious (subliminal influences, if they occur at all, are extremely short-lived. We encourage others to explore the circumstances in which this phenomenon might be obtained.

Priming Intelligent Behavior: An Elusive Phenomenon

Science.gov (United States)

Shanks, David R.; Newell, Ben R.; Lee, Eun Hee; Balakrishnan, Divya; Ekelund, Lisa; Cenac, Zarus; Kavvadia, Fragkiski; Moore, Christopher

2013-01-01

Can behavior be unconsciously primed via the activation of attitudes, stereotypes, or other concepts? A number of studies have suggested that such priming effects can occur, and a prominent illustration is the claim that individuals' accuracy in answering general knowledge questions can be influenced by activating intelligence-related concepts such as professor or soccer hooligan. In 9 experiments with 475 participants we employed the procedures used in these studies, as well as a number of variants of those procedures, in an attempt to obtain this intelligence priming effect. None of the experiments obtained the effect, although financial incentives did boost performance. A Bayesian analysis reveals considerable evidential support for the null hypothesis. The results conform to the pattern typically obtained in word priming experiments in which priming is very narrow in its generalization and unconscious (subliminal) influences, if they occur at all, are extremely short-lived. We encourage others to explore the circumstances in which this phenomenon might be obtained. PMID:23637732

MPQS with three large primes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leyland, P.; Lenstra, A.K.; Dodson, B.; Muffett, A.; Wagstaff, S.; Fieker, C.; Kohel, D.R.

2002-01-01

We report the factorization of a 135-digit integer by the triple-large-prime variation of the multiple polynomial quadratic sieve. Previous workers [6][10] had suggested that using more than two large primes would be counterproductive, because of the greatly increased number of false reports from

Shifting evaluation windows : predictable forward primes with long SOAs eliminate the impact of backward primes.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fockenberg, D. A. F.; Koole, S.L.; Lakens, D.; Semin, G.R.

2013-01-01

Recent work suggests that people evaluate target stimuli within short and flexible time periods called evaluation windows. Stimuli that briefly precede a target (forward primes) or briefly succeed a target (backward primes) are often included in the target's evaluation. In this article, the authors

Wheat seed enhancement by vitamin and hormonal priming

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, M.B.; Gurchani, M.A.; Hussain, M.

2011-01-01

Seed priming has proven beneficial in many important agricultural crops. The present study was conducted to explore the role (if any) of hormonal and vitamin seed priming to improve the germination, seedling emergence, early seedling establishment, electrolyte leakage and nutrients uptake in wheat seedlings. The wheat seeds were soaked for 48 hours in aerated solution of salicylic acid, ascorbic acid, kinetin and GA3 with 20 ppm concentration of each solution, whereas untreated seeds were taken as control. Seed priming with ascorbic acid resulted in maximum final germination and emergence percentage (FGP and FEP), radical and plumule length, root and shoot length, number of secondary roots, root shoot ratio, root dry weight, shoot dry weight and seedling dry weight compared to control (untreated seeds). Minimum mean germination and emergence time (MGT and MET) was recorded in seeds primed with kinetin and GA3. While in case of biochemical attributes, seedling potassium contents were decreased by hormonal seed priming while total soluble sugars were increased by salicylic acid and ascorbic acid seed priming. Hormonal seed priming had non-significant effect on phosphorus seedling contents. Untreated (Control) seeds showed maximum electrical conductivity at 0.5, 1, 2, 6, 12 and 24 h after inbibition than primed seeds against the minimum electrical conductivity that was recorded in seeds primed with salicylic acid and ascorbic acid. In conclusion, the wheat seeds primed with 20 ppm solution of ascorbic acid may be used for wheat seed invigoration. (author)

The generation characteristics of solid radioactive wastes in the KEPCO nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shon, Soon Hwan; Kang, Duck Won; Kim, Hee Keun

1991-01-01

Solid radwastes generation trend and characteristics were discussed for nuclear power plants in KEPCO. Each plant has a specific tendency of solid radwastes generation due to the plant characteristics. The total volume of solid radwastes generated from nine power plants was accumulated in 23,012 drums by the end of 1989. The average annual volume per unit was about 670 drums. The solid radwaste mostly consisted of solidified concentrates and contaminated trash. The contaminated trash has been the major portion of the solid radwastes since 1982. The volume of the contaminated trash was dependent on the availability factor and period of overhaul. Therefore, the contaminated trash was considered to be a prime target for the solid radwastes minimization plan

Lexical priming in Alzheimer's disease and aphasia.

Science.gov (United States)

Arroyo-Anlló, Eva Maria; Beauchamps, Mireille; Ingrand, Pierre; Neau, Jean Philippe; Gil, Roger

2013-01-01

Lexical priming was examined in patients with Alzheimer's disease and in aphasic patients. Control participants were divided into young and elderly [cf. Arroyo-Anlló et al.: Eur J Cogn Psychol 2004;16:535-553]. For lexical priming, a word-stem completion task was used. Normal elderly participants had lexical priming scores that were significantly lower than those of young individuals. Analysis of covariance with age and educational level as covariates showed that the control participants, aphasic and Alzheimer patients did not differ significantly on the lexical priming task. Our results suggest that performance in the lexical priming task diminishes with physiological aging, but is not significantly affected by mild or moderate Alzheimer's disease or by fluent or non-fluent aphasia. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Evaluation of alternative environmentally friendly matrix solid phase dispersion solid supports for the simultaneous extraction of 15 pesticides of different chemical classes from drinking water treatment sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Soares, Karina Lotz; Cerqueira, Maristela Barnes Rodrigues; Caldas, Sergiane Souza; Primel, Ednei Gilberto

2017-09-01

This study describes the development, optimization and validation of a method for the extraction of 15 pesticides of different chemical classes in drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) by vortex-assisted Matrix Solid Phase Dispersion (MSPD) with determination by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. It focused on the application of alternative and different solid supports to the extraction step of the MSPD. The main parameters that influenced the extraction were studied in order to obtain better recovery responses. Recoveries ranged from 70 to 120% with RSD below 20% for all analytes. Limits of quantification (LOQ) of the method ranged from 5 to 500 μg kg -1 whereas the analytical curves showed correlation coefficients above 0.997. The method under investigation used low volume of solvent (5 mL), low sample mass (1.5 g) and low mass of chitin (0.5 g), an environmentally friendly support. It has advantages, such as speed, simplicity and low cost material, over other methods. When the method was applied, 4 out of 15 pesticides were detected in the DWTS samples in concentrations below the LOQ. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction of organophosphorus pesticide using SiO2-poly(N-vinylimidazole)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gutiérrez-Solís, M C; Muñoz-Rodríguez, D; Carrera-Figueiras, C; Ávila-Ortega, A; Medina-Peralta, S

2013-01-01

A sorbent material based on silica particles modified with poly(N-vinylimidazole) (SiO 2 -PVI) has been evaluated for the treatment of samples by matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD). The extraction of four organophosphorus pesticides was done from a spiked tomato and the extracts were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Six elution solvents were evaluated and acetone was selected due to better recovery of the four pesticides and low background signal in the chromatograms. A factorial design 2 4 was used for selection of extraction conditions. The factors were contact time, acetone volume, treatment (with or without freeze-drying) and adsorbent (SiO 2 or SiO 2 -PVI). The best recoveries were obtained using 15 minutes of contact, 2 mL of solvent and sorbent without freeze-drying. The recoveries were between 60 and 83% for SiO 2 -PVI in spiked tomato with 0.2 and 0.8μg/g.

High-flexibility combinatorial peptide synthesis with laser-based transfer of monomers in solid matrix material.

Science.gov (United States)

Loeffler, Felix F; Foertsch, Tobias C; Popov, Roman; Mattes, Daniela S; Schlageter, Martin; Sedlmayr, Martyna; Ridder, Barbara; Dang, Florian-Xuan; von Bojničić-Kninski, Clemens; Weber, Laura K; Fischer, Andrea; Greifenstein, Juliane; Bykovskaya, Valentina; Buliev, Ivan; Bischoff, F Ralf; Hahn, Lothar; Meier, Michael A R; Bräse, Stefan; Powell, Annie K; Balaban, Teodor Silviu; Breitling, Frank; Nesterov-Mueller, Alexander

2016-06-14

Laser writing is used to structure surfaces in many different ways in materials and life sciences. However, combinatorial patterning applications are still limited. Here we present a method for cost-efficient combinatorial synthesis of very-high-density peptide arrays with natural and synthetic monomers. A laser automatically transfers nanometre-thin solid material spots from different donor slides to an acceptor. Each donor bears a thin polymer film, embedding one type of monomer. Coupling occurs in a separate heating step, where the matrix becomes viscous and building blocks diffuse and couple to the acceptor surface. Furthermore, we can consecutively deposit two material layers of activation reagents and amino acids. Subsequent heat-induced mixing facilitates an in situ activation and coupling of the monomers. This allows us to incorporate building blocks with click chemistry compatibility or a large variety of commercially available non-activated, for example, posttranslationally modified building blocks into the array's peptides with >17,000 spots per cm(2).

Rapid and sensitive determination of major polyphenolic components in Euphoria longana Lam. seeds using matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction and UHPLC with hybrid linear ion trap triple quadrupole mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Rathore, Atul S; Sathiyanarayanan, L; Deshpande, Shreekant; Mahadik, Kakasaheb R

2016-11-01

A rapid and sensitive method for the extraction and determination of four major polyphenolic components in Euphoria longana Lam. seeds is presented for the first time based on matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction followed by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with hybrid triple quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometry. Matrix solid-phase dispersion method was designed for the extraction of Euphoria longana seed constituents and compared with microwave-assisted extraction and ultrasonic-assisted extraction methods. An Ultra high performance liquid chromatography with hybrid triple quadrupole linear ion-trap mass spectrometry method was developed for quantitative analysis in multiple-reaction monitoring mode in negative electrospray ionization. The chromatographic separation was accomplished using an ACQUITY UPLC BEH C 18 (2.1 mm × 50 mm, 1.7 μm) column with gradient elution of 0.1% aqueous formic acid and 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile. The developed method was validated with acceptable linearity (r 2 > 0.999), precision (RSD ≤ 2.22%) and recovery (RSD ≤ 2.35%). The results indicated that matrix solid-phase dispersion produced comparable extraction efficiency compared with other methods nevertheless was more convenient and time-saving with reduced requirements on sample and solvent volumes. The proposed method is rapid and sensitive in providing a promising alternative for extraction and comprehensive determination of active components for quality control of Euphoria longana products. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The prime numbers and their distribution

CERN Document Server

Tenenbaum, Gerald

2000-01-01

One notable new direction this century in the study of primes has been the influx of ideas from probability. The goal of this book is to provide insights into the prime numbers and to describe how a sequence so tautly determined can incorporate such a striking amount of randomness. The book opens with some classic topics of number theory. It ends with a discussion of some of the outstanding conjectures in number theory. In between are an excellent chapter on the stochastic properties of primes and a walk through an elementary proof of the Prime Number Theorem. This book is suitable for anyone who has had a little number theory and some advanced calculus involving estimates. Its engaging style and invigorating point of view will make refreshing reading for advanced undergraduates through research mathematicians.

Semantic transparency affects morphological priming . . . eventually.

Science.gov (United States)

Heyer, Vera; Kornishova, Dana

2018-05-01

Semantic transparency has been in the focus of psycholinguistic research for decades, with the controversy about the time course of the application of morpho-semantic information during the processing of morphologically complex words not yet resolved. This study reports two masked priming studies with English - ness and Russian - ost' nominalisations, investigating how semantic transparency modulates native speakers' morphological priming effects at short and long stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs). In both languages, we found increased morphological priming for nominalisations at the transparent end of the scale (e.g. paleness - pale) in comparison to items at the opaque end of the scale (e.g. business - busy) but only at longer prime durations. The present findings are in line with models that posit an initial phase of morpho-orthographic (semantically blind) decomposition.

Recovery evaluation of organophosphorus pesticides from bee pollen by matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction using sorbents based on silica and titania

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torres-Perea, C; Muñoz-Rodríguez, D; Carrera-Figueiras, C; Medina-Peralta, S; Moguel-Ordóñez, Y B

2013-01-01

This work focused on the evaluation of the recovery of organophosphorus pesticides from bee pollen after matrix solid phase-dispersion extraction (MSPD). Materials based on silica, titania and titania modified with polivylnylimidazole or polyestirene were used as adsorbents for the extraction of pesticides. Small amounts of fortified pollen (0.1 g, at 1 micro-g/g of pesticides), adsorbent (0.4 g) and solvent elution (1 mL de acetonitrile – ACN) were used in the extractions. For recovery evaluation, pollen extracts were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry.

Continued Funding for Prime Development

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-18

PHP language with the help of CMF Drupal-6. The standard modules of the Drupal core set are developed by third parties and obtained from the...repository drupal.org. Part of the modules was modified specifically for the PrIMe portal. The PrIMe portal uses MySQL for the database technology. It is

The Biblical Matrix of Economics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grigore PIROŞCĂ

2012-05-01

Full Text Available The rationale of this paper is a prime pattern of history of economic thought in the previous ages of classic ancient times of Greek and Roman civilizations using a methodological matrix able to capture the mainstream ideas from social, political and religious events within the pages of Bible. The economic perspective of these events follows the evolution of the seeds of economic thinking within the Fertile Crescent, focused on the Biblical patriarchic heroes’ actions, but also on the empires which their civilization interacted to. The paper aims to discover the path followed by the economic doctrines from the Bible in order to find a match with economic actuality of present days.

Comment on "Synergistic co-digestion of solid-organic-waste and municipal-sewage-sludge: 1 plus 1 equals more than 2 in terms of biogas production and solids reduction" [Water Research 87, 416-423].

Science.gov (United States)

Insam, Heribert; Markt, Rudolf

2016-05-15

Co-digestion of organic waste and sewage sludge enhances biogas production and reduces the mass of remaining solids. This phenomenon of enhanced organic matter decomposition by adding labile substrate is known from other habitats like soils and sediments where it is called priming effect. It is thus suggested to adopt the term priming effect also in environmental biotechnology, and in particular for biomethanisation of wastewater sludges by the addition of energy-rich co-substrates. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of Box-Behnken design to optimize multi-sorbent solid phase extraction for trace neonicotinoids in water containing high level of matrix substances.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Junjie; Wei, Yanli; Li, Huizhen; Zeng, Eddy Y; You, Jing

2017-08-01

Extensive use of neonicotinoid insecticides has raised great concerns about their ecological risk. A reliable method to measure trace neonicotinoids in complicated aquatic environment is a premise for assessing their aquatic risk. To effectively remove matrix interfering substances from field water samples before instrumental analysis with HPLC/MS/MS, a multi-sorbent solid phase extraction method was developed using Box-Behnken design. The optimized method employed 200mg HLB/GCB (w/w, 8/2) as the sorbents and 6mL of 20% acetone in acetonitrile as the elution solution. The method was applied for measuring neonicotinoids in water at a wide range of concentrations (0.03-100μg/L) containing various amounts of matrix components. The recoveries of acetamiprid, imidacloprid, thiacloprid and thiamethoxam from the spiked samples ranged from 76.3% to 107% while clothianidin and dinotefuran had relatively lower recoveries. The recoveries of neonicotinoids in water with various amounts of matrix interfering substances were comparable and the matrix removal rates were approximately 50%. The method was sensitive with method detection limits in the range of 1.8-6.8ng/L for all target neonicotinoids. Finally, the developed method was validated by measurement of trace neonicotinoids in natural water. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A matrix of cholesterol crystals, but not cholesterol alone, primes human monocytes/macrophages for excessive endotoxin-induced production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Role in atherosclerotic inflammation?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bendtzen, Klaus; Christensen, Ole; Nielsen, Claus Henrik

2014-01-01

When exposed to small amounts of bacterial endotoxin, matrices of cholesterol crystals, but not cholesterol itself, primed human monocytes/macrophages to a highly augmented (>10-fold) production of inflammatory tumor necrosis factor-α. Priming also sensitized the cells, as 10- to 100-fold lower...

Molten carbonate fuel cell integral matrix tape and bubble barrier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reiser, C.A.; Maricle, D.L.

1983-01-01

A molten carbonate fuel cell matrix material is described made up of a matrix tape portion and a bubble barrier portion. The matrix tape portion comprises particles inert to molten carbonate electrolyte, ceramic particles and a polymeric binder, the matrix tape being flexible, pliable and having rubber-like compliance at room temperature. The bubble barrier is a solid material having fine porosity preferably being bonded to the matrix tape. In operation in a fuel cell, the polymer binder burns off leaving the matrix and bubble barrier providing superior sealing, stability and performance properties to the fuel cell stack

Rapid modulation of spoken word recognition by visual primes.

Science.gov (United States)

Okano, Kana; Grainger, Jonathan; Holcomb, Phillip J

2016-02-01

In a masked cross-modal priming experiment with ERP recordings, spoken Japanese words were primed with words written in one of the two syllabary scripts of Japanese. An early priming effect, peaking at around 200ms after onset of the spoken word target, was seen in left lateral electrode sites for Katakana primes, and later effects were seen for both Hiragana and Katakana primes on the N400 ERP component. The early effect is thought to reflect the efficiency with which words in Katakana script make contact with sublexical phonological representations involved in spoken language comprehension, due to the particular way this script is used by Japanese readers. This demonstrates fast-acting influences of visual primes on the processing of auditory target words, and suggests that briefly presented visual primes can influence sublexical processing of auditory target words. The later N400 priming effects, on the other hand, most likely reflect cross-modal influences on activity at the level of whole-word phonology and semantics.

Prime implicants in dynamic reliability analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tyrväinen, Tero

2016-01-01

This paper develops an improved definition of a prime implicant for the needs of dynamic reliability analysis. Reliability analyses often aim to identify minimal cut sets or prime implicants, which are minimal conditions that cause an undesired top event, such as a system's failure. Dynamic reliability analysis methods take the time-dependent behaviour of a system into account. This means that the state of a component can change in the analysed time frame and prime implicants can include the failure of a component at different time points. There can also be dynamic constraints on a component's behaviour. For example, a component can be non-repairable in the given time frame. If a non-repairable component needs to be failed at a certain time point to cause the top event, we consider that the condition that it is failed at the latest possible time point is minimal, and the condition in which it fails earlier non-minimal. The traditional definition of a prime implicant does not account for this type of time-related minimality. In this paper, a new definition is introduced and illustrated using a dynamic flowgraph methodology model. - Highlights: • A new definition of a prime implicant is developed for dynamic reliability analysis. • The new definition takes time-related minimality into account. • The new definition is needed in dynamic flowgraph methodology. • Results can be represented by a smaller number of prime implicants.

48 CFR 45.501 - Prime contractor alternate locations.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Prime contractor alternate... CONTRACT MANAGEMENT GOVERNMENT PROPERTY Support Government Property Administration 45.501 Prime contractor... administration from another contract administration office, for purposes of evaluating prime contractor...

The exopolysaccharide matrix: a virulence determinant of cariogenic biofilm.

Science.gov (United States)

Koo, H; Falsetta, M L; Klein, M I

2013-12-01

Many infectious diseases in humans are caused or exacerbated by biofilms. Dental caries is a prime example of a biofilm-dependent disease, resulting from interactions of microorganisms, host factors, and diet (sugars), which modulate the dynamic formation of biofilms on tooth surfaces. All biofilms have a microbial-derived extracellular matrix as an essential constituent. The exopolysaccharides formed through interactions between sucrose- (and starch-) and Streptococcus mutans-derived exoenzymes present in the pellicle and on microbial surfaces (including non-mutans) provide binding sites for cariogenic and other organisms. The polymers formed in situ enmesh the microorganisms while forming a matrix facilitating the assembly of three-dimensional (3D) multicellular structures that encompass a series of microenvironments and are firmly attached to teeth. The metabolic activity of microbes embedded in this exopolysaccharide-rich and diffusion-limiting matrix leads to acidification of the milieu and, eventually, acid-dissolution of enamel. Here, we discuss recent advances concerning spatio-temporal development of the exopolysaccharide matrix and its essential role in the pathogenesis of dental caries. We focus on how the matrix serves as a 3D scaffold for biofilm assembly while creating spatial heterogeneities and low-pH microenvironments/niches. Further understanding on how the matrix modulates microbial activity and virulence expression could lead to new approaches to control cariogenic biofilms.

Event generators for {{\\eta }}/{{{\\eta }}}^{^{\\prime} } decays at BESIII

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Nian; Zhang, Zhen-Yu; Fang, Shuang-Shi; Zhou, Xiang; Du, Lin-Lin; Qiao, Hao-Xue

2018-01-01

The light unflavoured meson {{η }}/{{{η }}}^{\\prime } decays are valuable for testing non-perturbative quantum chromodynamics and exploring new physics beyond the Standard Model. This paper describes a series of event generators, including {{η }}/{{{η }}}^{\\prime }\\to {{γ }}{{{l}}}+{{{l}}}-, {{η }}/{{{η }}}^{\\prime }\\to {{γ }}{{{π }}}+{{{π }}}-, {{{η }}}^{\\prime }\\to {{ω }}{{{e}}}+{{{e}}}-, {{η }}\\to {{{π }}}+{{{π }}}-{{{π }}}0, {{η }}/{{{η }}}^{\\prime }\\to {{{π }}}0{{{π }}}0{{{π }}}0, {{{η }}}^{\\prime }\\to {{η }}{{π }}{{π }} and {{{η }}}^{\\prime }\\to {{{π }}}+{{{π }}}-{{{π }}}+{{{π }}}-/{{{π }}}+{{{π }}}-{{{π }}}0{{{π }}}0, which have been developed for investigating {{η }}/{{{η }}}^{\\prime } decay dynamics. For most of these generators, their usability has been validated in BESIII analyses for determining the detection efficiency, and background studies. The consistency between data and Monte Carlo shows that these generators work well in the BESIII simulation, and will also be useful for ongoing BESIII analyses and other experiments for studying {{η }}/{{{η }}}^{\\prime } physics. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (11205117, 11575133, 11675184), the China Scholarship Council (201506275156), the Wuhan University PhD Short-time Mobility Program 2016, the Joint Funds of the NSFC and Henan Province (U1504112)

Oriented Polar Molecules in a Solid Inert-Gas Matrix: A Proposed Method for Measuring the Electric Dipole Moment of the Electron

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. C. Vutha

2018-01-01

Full Text Available We propose a very sensitive method for measuring the electric dipole moment of the electron using polar molecules embedded in a cryogenic solid matrix of inert-gas atoms. The polar molecules can be oriented in the z ^ -direction by an applied electric field, as has recently been demonstrated by Park et al. The trapped molecules are prepared into a state that has its electron spin perpendicular to z ^ , and a magnetic field along z ^ causes precession of this spin. An electron electric dipole moment d e would affect this precession due to the up to 100 GV/cm effective electric field produced by the polar molecule. The large number of polar molecules that can be embedded in a matrix, along with the expected long coherence times for the precession, allows for the possibility of measuring d e to an accuracy that surpasses current measurements by many orders of magnitude. Because the matrix can inhibit molecular rotations and lock the orientation of the polar molecules, it may not be necessary to have an electric field present during the precession. The proposed technique can be applied using a variety of polar molecules and inert gases, which, along with other experimental variables, should allow for careful study of systematic uncertainties in the measurement.

Determination of selected UV filters in indoor dust by matrix solid-phase dispersion and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Negreira, N; Rodríguez, I; Rubí, E; Cela, R

2009-07-31

A simple, inexpensive sample preparation procedure, based on the matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) technique, for the determination of six UV filters: 2-ethylhexyl salicylate (EHS), 3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexyl salicylate (Homosalate, HMS), 3-(4-methylbenzylidene) camphor (4-MBC), isoamyl-p-methoxycinnamate (IAMC), 2-ethylhexyl-p-methoxycinnamate (EHMC) and octocrylene (OCR), in dust from indoor environments is presented and the influence of several operational parameters on the extraction performance discussed. Under the final working conditions, sieved samples (0.5 g) were mixed with the same amount of anhydrous sodium sulphate and dispersed with 2 g of octadecyl bonded silica (C18) in a mortar with a pestle. This blend was transferred to a polypropylene solid-phase extraction cartridge containing 2 g of activated silica, as the clean-up co-sorbent. The cartridge was first rinsed with 5 mL of n-hexane and the analytes were then recovered with 4 mL of acetonitrile. This extract was adjusted to 1 mL, filtered and the compounds were determined by gas chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). Recoveries for samples spiked at two different concentrations ranged between 77% and 99%, and the limits of quantification (LOQs) of the method between 10 and 40 ng g(-1). Analysis of settled dust from different indoor areas, including private flats, public buildings and vehicle cabins, showed that EHMC and OCR were ubiquitous in this matrix, with maximum concentrations of 15 and 41 microg g(-1), respectively. Both UV filters were also quantified in dust reference material SRM 2585 for first time. EHS, 4-MBC and IAMC were detected in some of the analyzed samples, although at lower concentrations than EHMC and OCR.

The frequency attenuation effect in identity and associative priming.

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Nievas, Francisco

2010-05-01

Three lexical decision experiments were carried out, where the masked priming paradigm is used to study the role of the frequency attenuation effect (more priming in low-frequency target words than in high-frequency target words) in repetition and associative priming, manipulating Prime Duration (PD) and Stimulus Onset Asynchrony (SOA). A new concept was introduced, Minimum Time Threshold (MTT), this is, the minimum time interval of exposure to the masked word in order to become aware of it. Results support the notion that MTT is a key to the appearance of the frequency attenuation effect when enough word processing time is allowed. Results do not support the unified explanation of masked priming and long-term priming as proposed by Bodner and Masson (2001). Moreover, information feedback from the semantic level was not the reason for the frequency attenuation effect in repetition priming.

The effects of divided attention on auditory priming.

Science.gov (United States)

Mulligan, Neil W; Duke, Marquinn; Cooper, Angela W

2007-09-01

Traditional theorizing stresses the importance of attentional state during encoding for later memory, based primarily on research with explicit memory. Recent research has begun to investigate the role of attention in implicit memory but has focused almost exclusively on priming in the visual modality. The present experiments examined the effect of divided attention on auditory implicit memory, using auditory perceptual identification, word-stem completion and word-fragment completion. Participants heard study words under full attention conditions or while simultaneously carrying out a distractor task (the divided attention condition). In Experiment 1, a distractor task with low response frequency failed to disrupt later auditory priming (but diminished explicit memory as assessed with auditory recognition). In Experiment 2, a distractor task with greater response frequency disrupted priming on all three of the auditory priming tasks as well as the explicit test. These results imply that although auditory priming is less reliant on attention than explicit memory, it is still greatly affected by at least some divided-attention manipulations. These results are consistent with research using visual priming tasks and have relevance for hypotheses regarding attention and auditory priming.

Affective priming using facial expressions modulates liking for abstract art.

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Flexas, Albert; Rosselló, Jaume; Christensen, Julia F; Nadal, Marcos; Olivera La Rosa, Antonio; Munar, Enric

2013-01-01

We examined the influence of affective priming on the appreciation of abstract artworks using an evaluative priming task. Facial primes (showing happiness, disgust or no emotion) were presented under brief (Stimulus Onset Asynchrony, SOA = 20 ms) and extended (SOA = 300 ms) conditions. Differences in aesthetic liking for abstract paintings depending on the emotion expressed in the preceding primes provided a measure of the priming effect. The results showed that, for the extended SOA, artworks were liked more when preceded by happiness primes and less when preceded by disgust primes. Facial expressions of happiness, though not of disgust, exerted similar effects in the brief SOA condition. Subjective measures and a forced-choice task revealed no evidence of prime awareness in the suboptimal condition. Our results are congruent with findings showing that the affective transfer elicited by priming biases evaluative judgments, extending previous research to the domain of aesthetic appreciation.

Affective priming using facial expressions modulates liking for abstract art.

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Albert Flexas

Full Text Available We examined the influence of affective priming on the appreciation of abstract artworks using an evaluative priming task. Facial primes (showing happiness, disgust or no emotion were presented under brief (Stimulus Onset Asynchrony, SOA = 20 ms and extended (SOA = 300 ms conditions. Differences in aesthetic liking for abstract paintings depending on the emotion expressed in the preceding primes provided a measure of the priming effect. The results showed that, for the extended SOA, artworks were liked more when preceded by happiness primes and less when preceded by disgust primes. Facial expressions of happiness, though not of disgust, exerted similar effects in the brief SOA condition. Subjective measures and a forced-choice task revealed no evidence of prime awareness in the suboptimal condition. Our results are congruent with findings showing that the affective transfer elicited by priming biases evaluative judgments, extending previous research to the domain of aesthetic appreciation.

Object color affects identification and repetition priming.

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Uttl, Bob; Graf, Peter; Santacruz, Pilar

2006-10-01

We investigated the influence of color on the identification of both non-studied and studied objects. Participants studied black and white and color photos of common objects and memory was assessed with an identification test. Consistent with our meta-analysis of prior research, we found that objects were easier to identify from color than from black and white photos. We also found substantial priming in all conditions, and study-to-test changes in an object's color reduced the magnitude of priming. Color-specific priming effects were large for color-complex objects, but minimal for color-simple objects. The pattern and magnitude of priming effects was not influenced either by the extent to which an object always appears in the same color (i.e., whether a color is symptomatic of an object) or by the object's origin (natural versus fabricated). We discuss the implications of our findings for theoretical accounts of object perception and repetition priming.

Preserved semantic priming effect in alexia.

Science.gov (United States)

Mimura, M; Goodglass, H; Milberg, W

1996-09-01

BH, a left-handed patient with alexia and nonfluent aphasia, was presented with a lexical-decision task in which words and pronounceable pseudowords were preceded by semantically related or unrelated picture primes (Experiment 1). In Experiment 2, BH was given an explicit reading task using the word lists from Experiment 1. Performance on Experiment 2 disclosed severe reading deficits in both oral reading and semantic matching of the words to pictures. However, in Experiment 1, BH demonstrated a significant semantic priming effect, responding more accurately and more quickly to words preceded by related primes than by unrelated primes. The present results suggest that even in a patient with severe alexia, implicit access to semantic information can be preserved in the absence of explicit identification. The possibility of categorical gradient in implicit activation (living vs. nonliving) in BH was also discussed, which, however, needs to be clarified in the further investigation.

Australia's First Prime Ministerial Library: Past and Future

Science.gov (United States)

Carman-Brown, Lesley; Henderson, Kandy-Jane; Wallace, Lesley

2005-01-01

In creating Australia's first prime ministerial library, a new cultural institution was developed which blends professional practice from the fields of librarianship, education, archives, journalism and museums. The John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library honours the contribution of wartime prime minister John Curtin, works towards the advancement…

Matriz de indicadores de sustentabilidade para a gestão de resíduos sólidos urbanos Matrix of sustainability indicatorsfor the urban solid waste management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leila Santos Santiago

2012-06-01

Full Text Available O artigo apresenta uma matriz de indicadores de sustentabilidade para a gestão de resíduos sólidos urbanos e a forma de sua construção. A construção foi realizada baseando-se em informações adquiridas em referências nacionais e internacionais. Os indicadores foram organizados em uma matriz preliminar, a qual passou por um processo de validação externa, com especialistas, por meio do método Delphi. Para a realização deste método foram necessárias duas rodadas. A matriz final possui 6 dimensões de sustentabilidade: política, tecnológica, econômica/financeira, ambiental/ecológica, conhecimento e inclusão social, contemplando 42 indicadores e 126 descritores. A matriz elaborada poderá ser utilizada como instrumento de avaliação e planejamento da gestão dos resíduos sólidos em municípios.This paper presents a matrix of Sustainability Indicators for the Urban Solid Waste Management and the way of its construction. The construction was performed based on information acquired in national and international references. The indicators were organized into a primary matrix, which has gone an external validation process, with experts through the Delphi method. To perform this method two rounds were necessary. The final matrix has 6 dimensions of sustainability: politics, technology, economic/financial, environmental/ecological, knowledge and social inclusion, comprising 42 indicators, 126 descriptors. The matrix produced can be used as a tool for evaluation and planning of the solid waste management in municipalities.

Theoretical approach in optimization of stability of the multicomponent solid waste form

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raicevic, S.; Plecas, I.; Mandic, M.

1998-01-01

Chemical precipitation of radionuclides and their immobilization into the solid matrix represents an important approach in the radioactive wastewater treatment. Unfortunately, because of the complexity of the system, optimization of this process in terms of its efficacy and safety represents a serious practical problem, even in treatment of the monocomponent nuclear waste. This situation is additionally complicated in the case of the polycomponent nuclear waste because of the synergic effects of interactions between the radioactive components and the solid matrix. Recently, we have proposed a general theoretical approach for optimization of the process of precipitation and immobilization of metal impurities by the solid matrix. One of the main advantages of this approach represents the possibility of treatment of the multicomponent liquid waste, immobilized by the solid matrix. This approach was used here for investigation of the stability of the system hydroxyapatite (HAP) - Pb/Cd, which was selected as a model multicomponent waste system. In this analysis, we have used a structurally dependent term of the cohesive energy as a stability criterion. (author)

Synthesis and application of mesoporous molecular sieve for miniaturized matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction of bioactive flavonoids from toothpaste, plant, and saliva.

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Cao, Wan; Cao, Jun; Ye, Li-Hong; Xu, Jing-Jing; Hu, Shuai-Shuai; Peng, Li-Qing

2015-12-01

This article describes the use of the mesoporous molecular sieve KIT-6 as a sorbent in miniaturized matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) in combination with ultra-performance LC for the determination of bioactive flavonoids in toothpaste, Scutellariae Radix, and saliva. In this study, for the first time, KIT-6 was used as a sorbent material for this mode of extraction. Compared with common silica-based sorbents (C18 and activated silica gel), the proposed KIT-6 dispersant with a three-dimensional cubic Ia3d structure and highly ordered arrays of mesoporous channels exhibits excellent adsorption capability of the tested compounds. In addition, several experimental variables, such as the mass ratio of sample to dispersant, grinding time, and elution solvent, were optimized to maximize the extraction efficiency. The proposed analytical method is simple, fast, and entails low consumption of samples, dispersants and elution solvents, thereby meeting "green chemistry" requirements. Under the optimized conditions, the recoveries of three bioactive flavonoids obtained by analyzing the spiked samples were from 89.22 to 101.17%. Also, the LODs and LOQs for determining the analytes were in the range of 0.02-0.04 μg/mL and 0.07-0.13 μg/mL, respectively. Finally, the miniaturized matrix solid-phase dispersion method was successfully applied to the analysis of target solutes in real samples, and satisfactory results were obtained. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A computational approach to negative priming

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Schrobsdorff, H.; Ihrke, M.; Kabisch, B.; Behrendt, J.; Hasselhorn, M.; Herrmann, J. Michael

2007-09-01

Priming is characterized by a sensitivity of reaction times to the sequence of stimuli in psychophysical experiments. The reduction of the reaction time observed in positive priming is well-known and experimentally understood (Scarborough et al., J. Exp. Psycholol: Hum. Percept. Perform., 3, pp. 1-17, 1977). Negative priming—the opposite effect—is experimentally less tangible (Fox, Psychonom. Bull. Rev., 2, pp. 145-173, 1995). The dependence on subtle parameter changes (such as response-stimulus interval) usually varies. The sensitivity of the negative priming effect bears great potential for applications in research in fields such as memory, selective attention, and ageing effects. We develop and analyse a computational realization, CISAM, of a recent psychological model for action decision making, the ISAM (Kabisch, PhD thesis, Friedrich-Schiller-Universitat, 2003), which is sensitive to priming conditions. With the dynamical systems approach of the CISAM, we show that a single adaptive threshold mechanism is sufficient to explain both positive and negative priming effects. This is achieved by comparing results obtained by the computational modelling with experimental data from our laboratory. The implementation provides a rich base from which testable predictions can be derived, e.g. with respect to hitherto untested stimulus combinations (e.g. single-object trials).

The effect of unimodal affective priming on dichotic emotion recognition.

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Voyer, Daniel; Myles, Daniel

2017-11-15

The present report concerns two experiments extending to unimodal priming the cross-modal priming effects observed with auditory emotions by Harding and Voyer [(2016). Laterality effects in cross-modal affective priming. Laterality: Asymmetries of Body, Brain and Cognition, 21, 585-605]. Experiment 1 used binaural targets to establish the presence of the priming effect and Experiment 2 used dichotically presented targets to examine auditory asymmetries. In Experiment 1, 82 university students completed a task in which binaural targets consisting of one of 4 English words inflected in one of 4 emotional tones were preceded by binaural primes consisting of one of 4 Mandarin words pronounced in the same (congruent) or different (incongruent) emotional tones. Trials where the prime emotion was congruent with the target emotion showed faster responses and higher accuracy in identifying the target emotion. In Experiment 2, 60 undergraduate students participated and the target was presented dichotically instead of binaurally. Primes congruent with the left ear produced a large left ear advantage, whereas right congruent primes produced a right ear advantage. These results indicate that unimodal priming produces stronger effects than those observed under cross-modal priming. The findings suggest that priming should likely be considered a strong top-down influence on laterality effects.

Effect of temperature on gamma prime and coating in a super alloy MAR-M200 Hf

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nusair, A.; Salam, I.; Tauqir, I.; Haq, A.U.

1999-01-01

Over temperature analysis was conducted on Mar M200-Hf, a Ni base super alloy used to cast turbine blades. The material has an aluminide coating. Samples cut from the coated material were exposed to temperatures from 1800 - 2000 deg. F in air, for 3.6 x 10/sup 3/ to 3.6 x 10/sup 5/ seconds. The processed samples were subjected to microstructural examination to study the behavior of gamma prime in the matrix and the effects on the coating. The exposure to temperatures ranging from 1800 to 2000 deg. F reveals the changes in microstructural features. The morphology of the gamma prime precipitates change from cuboidal to spherical as time and/or temperature is increased. At 2000 deg. F coalescence and then dissolution starts. The effect on coating is unusual and needle-like carbides dissolve while pores are generated. The study determines systematic relationships between exposure temperatures and the changes in microstructural changes. (author)

Stress priming in picture naming: an SOA study.

Science.gov (United States)

Schiller, Niels O; Fikkert, Paula; Levelt, Clara C

2004-01-01

This study investigates whether or not the representation of lexical stress information can be primed during speech production. In four experiments, we attempted to prime the stress position of bisyllabic target nouns (picture names) having initial and final stress with auditory prime words having either the same or different stress as the target (e.g., WORtel-MOtor vs. koSTUUM-MOtor; capital letters indicate stressed syllables in prime-target pairs). Furthermore, half of the prime words were semantically related, the other half unrelated. Overall, picture names were not produced faster when the prime word had the same stress as the target than when the prime had different stress, i.e., there was no stress-priming effect in any experiment. This result would not be expected if stress were stored in the lexicon. However, targets with initial stress were responded to faster than final-stress targets. The reason for this effect was neither the quality of the pictures nor frequency of occurrence or voice-key characteristics. We hypothesize here that this stress effect is a genuine encoding effect, i.e., words with stress on the second syllable take longer to be encoded because their stress pattern is irregular with respect to the lexical distribution of bisyllabic stress patterns, even though it can be regular with respect to metrical stress rules in Dutch. The results of the experiments are discussed in the framework of models of phonological encoding.

Anisotropic intermolecular interaction and rotational ordering in hydrogen-containing solids. Progress report No. 12

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1976-01-01

Progress is reviewed in these areas: nuclear spin-lattice relaxation in ortho-para mixtures of solid deuterium below T/sub lambda/; pulsed NMR experiments of matrix isolated HCl; stimulated Raman scattering in solid hydrogen and nitrogen; and infrared line broadening of matrix isolated molecules. (GHT)

Anisotropic intermolecular interaction and rotational ordering in hydrogen-containing solids. Progress report No. 12

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-01-01

Progress is reviewed in these areas: nuclear spin-lattice relaxation in ortho-para mixtures of solid deuterium below T/sub lambda/; pulsed NMR experiments of matrix isolated HCl; stimulated Raman scattering in solid hydrogen and nitrogen; and infrared line broadening of matrix isolated molecules

Structural diversity of solid dispersions of acetylsalicylic acid as seen by solid-state NMR.

Science.gov (United States)

Policianova, Olivia; Brus, Jiri; Hruby, Martin; Urbanova, Martina; Zhigunov, Alexander; Kredatusova, Jana; Kobera, Libor

2014-02-03

Solid dispersions of active pharmaceutical ingredients are of increasing interest due to their versatile use. In the present study polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), poly[N-(2-hydroxypropyl)-metacrylamide] (pHPMA), poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEOx), and polyethylene glycol (PEG), each in three Mw, were used to demonstrate structural diversity of solid dispersions. Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) was used as a model drug. Four distinct types of the solid dispersions of ASA were created using a freeze-drying method: (i) crystalline solid dispersions containing nanocrystalline ASA in a crystalline PEG matrix; (ii) amorphous glass suspensions with large ASA crystallites embedded in amorphous pHPMA; (iii) solid solutions with molecularly dispersed ASA in rigid amorphous PVP; and (iv) nanoheterogeneous solid solutions/suspensions containing nanosized ASA clusters dispersed in a semiflexible matrix of PEOx. The obtained structural data confirmed that the type of solid dispersion can be primarily controlled by the chemical constitutions of the applied polymers, while the molecular weight of the polymers had no detectable impact. The molecular structure of the prepared dispersions was characterized using solid-state NMR, wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). By applying various (1)H-(13)C and (1)H-(1)H correlation experiments combined with T1((1)H) and T1ρ((1)H) relaxation data, the extent of the molecular mixing was determined over a wide range of distances, from intimate intermolecular contacts (0.1-0.5 nm) up to the phase-separated nanodomains reaching ca. 500 nm. Hydrogen-bond interactions between ASA and polymers were probed by the analysis of (13)C and (15)N CP/MAS NMR spectra combined with the measurements of (1)H-(15)N dipolar profiles. Overall potentialities and limitations of individual experimental techniques were thoroughly evaluated.

Specific and non-specific match effects in negative priming.

Science.gov (United States)

Labossière, Danielle I; Leboe-McGowan, Jason P

2018-01-01

The negative priming effect occurs when withholding a response to a stimulus impairs generation of subsequent responding to a same or a related stimulus. Our goal was to use the negative priming procedure to obtain insights about the memory representations generated by ignoring vs. attending/responding to a prime stimulus. Across three experiments we observed that ignoring a prime stimulus tends to generate higher identity-independent, non-specific repetition effects, owing to an overlap in the coarse perceptual form of a prime distractor and a probe target. By contrast, attended repetition effects generate predominantly identity-specific sources of facilitation. We use these findings to advocate for using laboratory phenomena to illustrate general principles that can be of practical use to non-specialists. In the case of the negative priming procedure, we propose that the procedure provides a useful means for investigating attention/memory interactions, even if the specific cause (or causes) of negative priming effects remain unresolved. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The impact of auditory white noise on semantic priming.

Science.gov (United States)

Angwin, Anthony J; Wilson, Wayne J; Copland, David A; Barry, Robert J; Myatt, Grace; Arnott, Wendy L

2018-04-10

It has been proposed that white noise can improve cognitive performance for some individuals, particularly those with lower attention, and that this effect may be mediated by dopaminergic circuitry. Given existing evidence that semantic priming is modulated by dopamine, this study investigated whether white noise can facilitate semantic priming. Seventy-eight adults completed an auditory semantic priming task with and without white noise, at either a short or long inter-stimulus interval (ISI). Measures of both direct and indirect semantic priming were examined. Analysis of the results revealed significant direct and indirect priming effects at each ISI in noise and silence, however noise significantly reduced the magnitude of indirect priming. Analyses of subgroups with higher versus lower attention revealed a reduction to indirect priming in noise relative to silence for participants with lower executive and orienting attention. These findings suggest that white noise focuses automatic spreading activation, which may be driven by modulation of dopaminergic circuitry. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bounded Gaps between Products of Special Primes

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Ping Ngai Chung

2014-03-01

Full Text Available In their breakthrough paper in 2006, Goldston, Graham, Pintz and Yıldırım proved several results about bounded gaps between products of two distinct primes. Frank Thorne expanded on this result, proving bounded gaps in the set of square-free numbers with r prime factors for any r ≥ 2, all of which are in a given set of primes. His results yield applications to the divisibility of class numbers and the triviality of ranks of elliptic curves. In this paper, we relax the condition on the number of prime factors and prove an analogous result using a modified approach. We then revisit Thorne’s applications and give a better bound in each case.

Negative Priming in Free Recall Reconsidered

Science.gov (United States)

Hanczakowski, Maciej; Beaman, C. Philip; Jones, Dylan M.

2016-01-01

Negative priming in free recall is the finding of impaired memory performance when previously ignored auditory distracters become targets of encoding and retrieval. This negative priming has been attributed to an aftereffect of deploying inhibitory mechanisms that serve to suppress auditory distraction and minimize interference with learning and…

Human macrophages primed with angiogenic factors show dynamic plasticity, irrespective of extracellular matrix components

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ploeger, Diana T. A.; van Putten, Sander M.; Koerts, Jasper A.; van Luyn, Marja J. A.; Harmsen, Martin C.

Macrophages are important in inflammation as well as in tissue repair processes. They can be activated by various stimuli and classified into two major groups: M1 (classically activated) or M2 (alternatively activated). Inflammation, angiogenesis and matrix remodeling play a major role in tissue

Preparation of milk samples for immunoassay and liquid chromatographic screening using matrix solid-phase dispersion.

Science.gov (United States)

Barker, S A; Long, A R

1994-01-01

The use of drugs to maintain the health and maximize the output of dairy cattle has made the monitoring of milk for such agents essential. Screening tests based on immunological, microbial inhibition, and bacterial receptor assays have been developed for the detection of violative levels of therapeutic substances. However, such assays are not infallible, and false positive or negative results can occur when contaminants bind receptors or compete for the binding of the target residues. Such effects may arise from dietary sources, diseases, or other variables. Thus, a violation by such a test is not definitive until further confirmation is obtained. Our laboratory has developed extraction procedures for several drugs used in dairy production. Our method uses matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) to isolate drugs away from contaminants and to eliminate many possible interferences. MSPD can also be used to enhance the specificity of such assays by fractionating various classes of drugs that may cross-react. Similarly, such methods may be used for liquid chromatographic screening and confirmation of a suspect sample.

Novel Word Lexicalization and the Prime Lexicality Effect

Science.gov (United States)

Qiao, Xiaomei; Forster, Kenneth I.

2013-01-01

This study investigates how newly learned words are integrated into the first-language lexicon using masked priming. Two lexical decision experiments are reported, with the aim of establishing whether newly learned words behave like real words in a masked form priming experiment. If they do, they should show a prime lexicality effect (PLE), in…

Identity negative priming: a phenomenon of perception, recognition or selection?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hecke Schrobsdorff

Full Text Available The present study addresses the problem whether negative priming (NP is due to information processing in perception, recognition or selection. We argue that most NP studies confound priming and perceptual similarity of prime-probe episodes and implement a color-switch paradigm in order to resolve the issue. In a series of three identity negative priming experiments with verbal naming response, we determined when NP and positive priming (PP occur during a trial. The first experiment assessed the impact of target color on priming effects. It consisted of two blocks, each with a different fixed target color. With respect to target color no differential priming effects were found. In Experiment 2 the target color was indicated by a cue for each trial. Here we resolved the confounding of perceptual similarity and priming condition. In trials with coinciding colors for prime and probe, we found priming effects similar to Experiment 1. However, trials with a target color switch showed such effects only in trials with role-reversal (distractor-to-target or target-to-distractor, whereas the positive priming (PP effect in the target-repetition trials disappeared. Finally, Experiment 3 split trial processing into two phases by presenting the trial-wise color cue only after the stimulus objects had been recognized. We found recognition in every priming condition to be faster than in control trials. We were hence led to the conclusion that PP is strongly affected by perception, in contrast to NP which emerges during selection, i.e., the two effects cannot be explained by a single mechanism.

Can False Memories Prime Problem Solutions?

Science.gov (United States)

Howe, Mark L.; Garner, Sarah R.; Dewhurst, Stephen A.; Ball, Linden J.

2010-01-01

Previous research has suggested that false memories can prime performance on related implicit and explicit memory tasks. The present research examined whether false memories can also be used to prime higher order cognitive processes, namely, insight-based problem solving. Participants were asked to solve a number of compound remote associate task…

Affective Priming in Major Depressive Disorder

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Joelle eLeMoult

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Research on cognitive biases in depression has provided considerable evidence for the impact of emotion on cognition. Individuals with depression tend to preferentially process mood-congruent material and to show deficits in the processing of positive material leading to biases in attention, memory, and judgments. More research is needed, however, to fully understand which cognitive processes are affected. The current study further examines the impact of emotion on cognition using a priming design with facial expressions of emotion. Specifically, this study tested whether the presentation of facial expressions of emotion affects subsequent processing of affective material in participants with major depressive disorder (MDD and healthy controls (CTL. Facial expressions displaying happy, sad, angry, disgusted, or neutral expressions were presented as primes for 500ms, and participants’ speed to identify a subsequent target’s emotional expression was assessed. All participants displayed greater interference from emotional versus neutral primes, marked by slower response times to judge the emotion of the target face when it was preceded by an emotional prime. Importantly, the CTL group showed the strongest interference when happy emotional expressions served as primes whereas the MDD group failed to show this bias. These results add to a growing literature that shows that depression is associated with difficulties in the processing of positive material.

Bandgap calculation of two-dimensional mixed solid-fluid phononic crystals by Dirichlet-to-Neumann maps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Fenglian; Wang Yuesheng; Zhang Chuanzeng

2011-01-01

A numerical method based on the Dirichlet-to-Neumann (DtN) map is presented to compute the bandgaps of two-dimensional phononic crystals, which are composed of square or triangular lattices of circular solid cylinders in a fluid matrix. The DtN map is constructed using the cylindrical wave expansion in a unit cell. A linear eigenvalue problem, which depends on the Bloch wave vector and involves relatively small matrices, is formulated. Numerical calculations are performed for typical systems with various acoustic impedance ratios of the solid inclusions and the fluid matrix. The results indicate that the DtN-map based method can provide accurate results for various systems efficiently. In particular it takes into account the fluid-solid interface conditions and the transverse wave mode in the solid component, which has been proven to be significant when the acoustic impedance of the solid inclusions is close to or smaller than that of the fluid matrix. For systems with an acoustic impedance of the inclusion much less than that of the matrix, physical flat bands appear in the band structures, which will be missed if the transverse wave mode in the solid inclusions is neglected.

Oriented Polar Molecules in a Solid Inert-Gas Matrix: A Proposed Method for Measuring the Electric Dipole Moment of the Electron

Science.gov (United States)

Vutha, A.; Horbatsch, M.; Hessels, E.

2018-01-01

We propose a very sensitive method for measuring the electric dipole moment of the electron using polar molecules embedded in a cryogenic solid matrix of inert-gas atoms. The polar molecules can be oriented in the $\\hat{\\rm{z}}$ direction by an applied electric field, as has recently been demonstrated by Park, et al. [Angewandte Chemie {\\bf 129}, 1066 (2017)]. The trapped molecules are prepared into a state which has its electron spin perpendicular to $\\hat{\\rm{z}}$, and a magnetic field along $\\hat{\\rm{z}}$ causes precession of this spin. An electron electric dipole moment $d_e$ would affect this precession due to the up to 100~GV/cm effective electric field produced by the polar molecule. The large number of polar molecules that can be embedded in a matrix, along with the expected long coherence times for the precession, allows for the possibility of measuring $d_e$ to an accuracy that surpasses current measurements by many orders of magnitude. Because the matrix can inhibit molecular rotations and lock the orientation of the polar molecules, it may not be necessary to have an electric field present during the precession. The proposed technique can be applied using a variety of polar molecules and inert gases, which, along with other experimental variables, should allow for careful study of systematic uncertainties in the measurement.

Instant PrimeFaces starter

CERN Document Server

Hlavats, Ian

2013-01-01

Get to grips with a new technology, understand what it is and what it can do for you, and then get to work with the most important features and tasks. Instant Primefaces Starter is a fast-paced, introductory guide designed to give you all the information you need to start using Primfaces, instantly.Instant PrimeFaces Starter is great for developers looking to get started quickly with PrimeFaces. It's assumed that you have some JSF experience already, as well as familiarity with other Java technologies such as CDI and JPA and an understanding of MVC principles, object-relational mapping (ORM),

Facial expression primes and implicit regulation of negative emotion.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, HeungSik; Kim, Shin Ah; Kim, Sang Hee

2015-06-17

An individual's responses to emotional information are influenced not only by the emotional quality of the information, but also by the context in which the information is presented. We hypothesized that facial expressions of happiness and anger would serve as primes to modulate subjective and neural responses to subsequently presented negative information. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a functional MRI study in which the brains of healthy adults were scanned while they performed an emotion-rating task. During the task, participants viewed a series of negative and neutral photos, one at a time; each photo was presented after a picture showing a face expressing a happy, angry, or neutral emotion. Brain imaging results showed that compared with neutral primes, happy facial primes increased activation during negative emotion in the dorsal anterior cingulated cortex and the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, which are typically implicated in conflict detection and implicit emotion control, respectively. Conversely, relative to neutral primes, angry primes activated the right middle temporal gyrus and the left supramarginal gyrus during the experience of negative emotion. Activity in the amygdala in response to negative emotion was marginally reduced after exposure to happy primes compared with angry primes. Relative to neutral primes, angry facial primes increased the subjectively experienced intensity of negative emotion. The current study results suggest that prior exposure to facial expressions of emotions modulates the subsequent experience of negative emotion by implicitly activating the emotion-regulation system.

Masked priming for the comparative evaluation of camouflage conspicuity.

Science.gov (United States)

Brunyé, Tad T; Eddy, Marianna D; Cain, Matthew S; Hepfinger, Lisa B; Rock, Kathryn

2017-07-01

Human observer test and evaluation of camouflage patterns is critical for understanding relative pattern conspicuity against a range of background scenes. However, very few validated methodologies exist for this purpose, and those that do carry several limitations. Five experiments examined whether masked priming with a dot probe could be used to reliably differentiate camouflage patterns. In each experiment, participants were primed with a camouflaged target appearing on the left or right of the screen, and then made a speeded response to a dot probe appearing on the same (congruent) or different (incongruent) side. Across experiments we parametrically varied prime duration between 35, 42, 49, 56, and 63 ms. Results demonstrated that as prime duration increased, a response time disadvantage for incongruent trials emerged with certain camouflage patterns. Interestingly, the most conspicuous patterns showed behavioral differences at a relatively brief (49 ms) prime duration, whereas behavioral differences were only found at longer prime durations for less conspicuous patterns; this overall results pattern matched that predicted by a visual salience model. Together, we demonstrate the viability of masked priming for the test and evaluation of camouflage patterns, and correlated outcomes for saliency models and primed object processing. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Long-term repetition priming with symmetrical polygons and words.

Science.gov (United States)

Kersteen-Tucker, Z

1991-01-01

In two different tasks, subjects were asked to make lexical decisions (word or nonword) and symmetry judgments (symmetrical or nonsymmetrical) about two-dimensional polygons. In both tasks, every stimulus was repeated at one of four lags (0, 1, 4, or 8 items interposed between the first and second stimulus presentations). This paradigm, known as repetition priming, revealed comparable short-term priming (Lag 0) and long-term priming (Lags 1, 4, and 8) both for symmetrical polygons and for words. A shorter term component (Lags 0 and 1) of priming was observed for nonwords, and only very short-term priming (Lag 0) was observed for nonsymmetrical polygons. These results indicate that response facilitation accruing from repeated exposure can be observed for stimuli that have no preexisting memory representations and suggest that perceptual factors contribute to repetition-priming effects.

Semantic Priming for Coordinate Distant Concepts in Alzheimer's Disease Patients

Science.gov (United States)

Perri, R.; Zannino, G. D.; Caltagirone, C.; Carlesimo, G. A.

2011-01-01

Semantic priming paradigms have been used to investigate semantic knowledge in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). While priming effects produced by prime-target pairs with associative relatedness reflect processes at both lexical and semantic levels, priming effects produced by words that are semantically related but not associated should…

Syntactic Priming.

Science.gov (United States)

Nicol, Janet L.

1996-01-01

Reviews the syntactic priming task, a paradigm involving the presentation of a phrasal or clausal context, followed by the presentation of a target item for lexical decision or naming. Notes that response times are faster for targets syntactically congruent with the preceding context than for incongruent targets. Outlines how to administer this…

A prime a day keeps calories away: The effects of supraliminal priming on food consumption and the moderating role of gender and eating restraint.

Science.gov (United States)

Minas, Randall K; Poor, Morgan; Dennis, Alan R; Bartelt, Valerie L

2016-10-01

The link between intentions and action in weight control is weaker than previously thought, so recent research has called for further investigation of ways to improve weight control that bypass conscious intentions. Priming has been shown to have effects on individual behavior in a variety of contexts by influencing subconscious cognition. This paper investigates the effects of semantic priming using healthy body image, goal-oriented words on food consumption. The moderating role of both restrained eating and gender is investigated. 161 participants were involved in an experiment using a novel version of a scrambled sentence priming game. The outcome measure was the number of kilocalories consumed, examined using a between subjects ANCOVA with priming, gender, restrained eating index, self-reported BMI, and two interaction terms (primingxgender, and primingxrestrained eating index). There was no main effect of priming but there was an interaction of priming with gender. Females consumed significantly fewer kilocalories after being exposed to priming words related to a healthy body image (i.e. "slim", "fit,") compared to females receiving the neutral prime, with a medium effect size (d = 0.58). The body image prime did not significantly affect food intake for males, nor did it have a differential effect on restrained eaters. This study shows that priming can be an effective method for influencing females to reduce food intake, regardless of whether they are restrained or unrestrained eaters. Future studies could investigate whether different priming words related to a male's healthy body image goal (i.e. "buff," "muscles," etc.) would similarly reduce food intake for males. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Euclidean Primes Have the Minimum Number of Primitive Roots

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Křížek, Michal; Somer, L.

2008-01-01

Roč. 12, č. 1 (2008), s. 121-127 ISSN 0972-5555 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR(CZ) IAA100190803 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10190503 Keywords : Euclidean primes * Fermat primes * Sophie Germain primes Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics

Italy's Prime Minister visits CERN

CERN Multimedia

Stefania Pandolfi

2015-01-01

On Tuesday, 7 July 2015, the Prime Minister of the Italian Republic, Matteo Renzi, visited CERN. He was accompanied by a delegation that included Italy's Minister for Education, University and Research, Stefania Giannini.   From left to right: Fernando Ferroni, President of the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN); Sergio Bertolucci, CERN Director for Research and Scientific Computing; Stefania Giannini, Italy's Minister of Education, University and Research; Matteo Renzi, Prime Minister of the Italian Republic; Fabiola Gianotti, CERN Director-General Designate; Rolf Heuer, CERN Director-General.   The Prime Minister was welcomed by members of the CERN Management together with former CERN Director-General and Senator for Life of the Italian Republic, Carlo Rubbia. After a brief general introduction to CERN’s activities by Rolf Heuer, the Italian delegation visited LHC Point 1. After a tour of the ATLAS control room, they donned helmets to visit th...

Prime alternative algebras that are nearly commutative

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pchelintsev, S V

2004-01-01

We prove that by deforming the multiplication in a prime commutative alternative algebra using a C-operation we obtain a prime non-commutative alternative algebra. Under certain restrictions on non-commutative algebras this relation between algebras is reversible. Isotopes are special cases of deformations. We introduce and study a linear space generated by the Bruck C-operations. We prove that the Bruck space is generated by operations of rank 1 and 2 and that 'general' Bruck operations of rank 2 are independent in the following sense: a sum of n operations of rank 2 cannot be written as a linear combination of (n-1) operations of rank 2 and an arbitrary operation of rank 1. We describe infinite series of non-isomorphic prime non-commutative algebras of bounded degree that are deformations of a concrete prime commutative algebra

Syntactic Variance and Priming Effects in Translation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bangalore, Srinivas; Behrens, Bergljot; Carl, Michael

2016-01-01

The present work investigates the relationship between syntactic variation and priming in translation. It is based on the claim that languages share a common cognitive network of neural activity. When the source and target languages are solicited in a translation context, this shared network can...... lead to facilitation effects, so-called priming effects. We suggest that priming is a default setting in translation, a special case of language use where source and target languages are constantly co-activated. Such priming effects are not restricted to lexical elements, but do also occur...... on the syntactic level. We tested these hypotheses with translation data from the TPR database, more specifically for three language pairs (English-German, English-Danish, and English-Spanish). Our results show that response times are shorter when syntactic structures are shared. The model explains this through...

Solid-to-solid oxidation of a vanadium(IV) to a vanadium(V) compound: chemisty of a sulfur-containing siderophore.

Science.gov (United States)

Chatterjee, Pabitra B; Crans, Debbie C

2012-09-03

Visible light facilitates a solid-to-solid photochemical aerobic oxidation of a hunter-green microcrystalline oxidovanadium(IV) compound (1) to form a black powder of cis-dioxidovanadium(V) (2) at ambient temperature. The siderophore ligand pyridine-2,6-bis(thiocarboxylic acid), H(2)L, is secreted by a microorganism from the Pseudomonas genus. This irreversible transformation of a metal monooxo to a metal dioxo complex in the solid state in the absence of solvent is unprecedented. It serves as a proof-of-concept reaction for green chemistry occurring in solid matrixes.

The Nature of Affective Priming in Music and Speech

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Goerlich, K.S.; Witteman, J.; Schiller, N.O.; Van Heuven, V.J.; Aleman, A.; Martens, S.

The phenomenon of affective priming has caught scientific interest for over 30 years, yet the nature of the affective priming effect remains elusive. This study investigated the underlying mechanism of cross-modal affective priming and the influence of affective incongruence in music and speech on

Optimization of matrix solid-phase dispersion for the rapid determination of salicylate and benzophenone-type UV absorbing substances in marketed fish.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Dung-Ying; Chen, Chien-Liang; Ding, Wang-Hsien

2014-07-01

A simple and effective method for the rapid determination of five salicylate and benzophenone-type UV absorbing substances in marketed fish is described. The method involves the use of matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) prior to their determination by on-line silylation gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The parameters that affect the extraction efficiency were optimized using a Box-Behnken design method. The optimal extraction conditions involved dispersing 0.5g of freeze-dried powdered fish with 1.0g of Florisil using a mortar and pestle. This blend was then transferred to a solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridge containing 1.0g of octadecyl bonded silica (C18), as the clean-up co-sorbent. The target analytes were then eluted with 7mL of acetonitrile. The extract was derivatized on-line in the GC injection-port by reaction with a trimethylsilylating (TMS) reagent. The TMS-derivatives were then identified and quantitated by GC-MS/MS. The limits of quantitation (LOQs) were less than 0.1ng/g. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The priming of priming: Evidence that the N400 reflects context-dependent post-retrieval word integration in working memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Steinhauer, Karsten; Royle, Phaedra; Drury, John E; Fromont, Lauren A

2017-06-09

Which cognitive processes are reflected by the N400 in ERPs is still controversial. Various recent articles (Lau et al., 2008; Brouwer et al., 2012) have revived the idea that only lexical pre-activation processes (such as automatic spreading activation, ASA) are strongly supported, while post-lexical integrative processes are not. Challenging this view, the present ERP study replicates a behavioral study by McKoon and Ratcliff (1995) who demonstrated that a prime-target pair such as finger - hand shows stronger priming when a majority of other pairs in the list share the analogous semantic relationship (here: part-whole), even at short stimulus onset asynchronies (250ms). We created lists with four different types of semantic relationship (synonyms, part-whole, category-member, and opposites) and compared priming for pairs in a consistent list with those in an inconsistent list as well as unrelated items. Highly significant N400 reductions were found for both relatedness priming (unrelated vs. inconsistent) and relational priming (inconsistent vs. consistent). These data are taken as strong evidence that N400 priming effects are not exclusively carried by ASA-like mechanisms during lexical retrieval but also include post-lexical integration in working memory. We link the present findings to a neurocomputational model for relational reasoning (Knowlton et al., 2012) and to recent discussions of context-dependent conceptual activations (Yee and Thompson-Schill, 2016). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Improving Consumer Decisions: The Conscious Use of Primes as Performance Enhancers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonardo Nicolao

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Through this article we examine ways through which consumers can take advantage of marketers’ priming attempts and make better decisions. Specifically, we investigate what happens when individuals are made aware of primes that may potentially improve their performance. Using an Embedded Figures Test, we demonstrate that individuals can be consciously primed into an analytic thinking mindset and perform better when they believe that the prime will enhance performance. Individuals are able to successfully ignore the prime when they believe that the prime hinders performance. Utilizing both holistic and analytic primes and by alternating the valence of the prime’s potential outcome, we are able to disentangle the conscious effects of primes from demand effects. We discuss how these findings may lead to and suggest avenues for future research.

Persistent Structural Priming from Language Comprehension to Language Production

Science.gov (United States)

Bock, Kathryn; Dell, Gary S.; Chang, Franklin; Onishi, Kristine H.

2007-01-01

To examine the relationship between syntactic processes in language comprehension and language production, we compared structural persistence from sentence primes that speakers heard to persistence from primes that speakers produced. [Bock, J. K., & Griffin, Z. M. (2000). The persistence of structural priming: transient activation or implicit…

Effects of Religious Priming Concepts on Prosocial Behavior Towards Ingroup and Outgroup.

Science.gov (United States)

Batara, Jame Bryan L; Franco, Pamela S; Quiachon, Mequia Angelo M; Sembrero, Dianelle Rose M

2016-11-01

Several studies show that there is a connection between religion and prosociality (e.g., Saroglou, 2013). To investigate whether there is a causal relationship between these two variables, a growing number of scholars employed priming religious concepts and measure its influence on prosocial behavior (e.g., Pichon, Boccato, & Saroglou, 2007). In the recent development of religious priming, Ritter and Preston (2013) argued that different primes (agent prime, spiritual/abstract prime, and institutional prime) may also have varying influence on prosocial behavior specifically helping an ingroup or an outgroup target. With this in mind, a 2 (social categorization of the target of help) by 3 (agent prime, institutional prime, spiritual prime) experiment was conducted to directly investigate this hypothesis. Results suggest that priming religious concepts especially the spiritual prime can increase prosocial behaviors. However, no significant effect was found on the social categorization which implies that Filipino participants elicit prosocial behavior regardless of the social categorization (be it ingroup or outgroup) of the target of help. The present study's findings contribute to further the literature on religious priming and its influence on prosocial behavior.

Separating DDTs in edible animal fats using matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction with activated carbon filter, Toyobo-KF.

Science.gov (United States)

Furusawa, Naoto

2006-09-01

A technique is presented for the economical, routine, and quantitative analysis of contamination by dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethanes (DDTs) [pp'-DDT, pp'-dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethylene, and pp'-dichlorodiphenyl dichloreothane in beef tallow and chicken fat samples, based on their separation using matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) extraction with Toyobo-KF, an activated carbon fiber. Toyobo-KF is a newly applied MSPD sorbent, and it is followed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a photodiode array detector. The resulting analytical performance parameters [recoveries of spiked DDTs (0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 microg/g) > or = 81%, with relative standard deviations of < or = 8% (n = 5), and quantitation limits < or = 0.03 microg/g], with minimal handling and cost-efficiency, indicate that the present MSPD-HPLC method may be a useful tool for routine monitoring of DDT contamination in meat.

Arithmetically Related Ideal Topologies and the Infinitude of Primes ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

algebra. Mathematics Subject Classification (1991): 11N80, 11N25, 11A41, 11T99, 13A15, 20M25 Keywords: x-ideal, topological semigroup, ideal topology, infinitude of primes, generalized primes and integers, distribution, integers, specified multiplicative constraints, primes, ideals, multiplicative ideal theory, semigroup

Religious Priming: A Meta-Analysis With a Focus on Prosociality.

Science.gov (United States)

Shariff, Azim F; Willard, Aiyana K; Andersen, Teresa; Norenzayan, Ara

2016-02-01

Priming has emerged as a valuable tool within the psychological study of religion, allowing for tests of religion's causal effect on a number of psychological outcomes, such as prosocial behavior. As the literature has grown, questions about the reliability and boundary conditions of religious priming have arisen. We use a combination of traditional effect-size analyses, p-curve analyses, and adjustments for publication bias to evaluate the robustness of four types of religious priming (Analyses 1-3), review the empirical evidence for religion's effect specifically on prosocial behavior (Analyses 4-5), and test whether religious-priming effects generalize to individuals who report little or no religiosity (Analyses 6-7). Results across 93 studies and 11,653 participants show that religious priming has robust effects across a variety of outcome measures-prosocial measures included. Religious priming does not, however, reliably affect non-religious participants-suggesting that priming depends on the cognitive activation of culturally transmitted religious beliefs. © 2015 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Promoting Physical Activity through Priming the Content of Motivation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tom St Quinton

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Non-conscious processes are important in influencing the performance of a number of behaviors, such as physical activity. One way that such processes can be influenced is through priming. Despite this, approaches within health psychology have predominantly focused on reflective processes with a number of psychological theories dedicated to identifying the predictors of intention. In doing so, critical beliefs and thoughts are first identified and then altered within interventions. Such work has shown limited effectiveness, however, with a gap apparent between what one intends to do and what subsequently ensues. Although there have been attempts to bridge this gap, such as theoretical integration, recent efforts include priming implicit processes. The aim of this commentary is to demonstrate the potential effectiveness of priming non-conscious processes and to suggest that the content of motivation should also succumb to priming influences. This brief review suggests that priming one of the most influential conscious processes, that of self-efficacy, could demonstrate particular effectiveness in promoting physical activity. Thus, the main purpose of the article is to suggest that the content of implicit processes as well their more traditional conscious counterparts may provide useful intervention targets. To achieve this, the article will first introduce the role of non-conscious processes and behavioral priming. Following this, the more common reflective processes will be outlined as well as attempts at theoretical integration. Finally, the article will identify studies priming non-conscious processes and will then suggest priming self-efficacy.

Tribological properties and lubrication mechanism of in situ graphene-nickel matrix composite impregnated with lubricating oil

Science.gov (United States)

Lei, Yu; Du, Jinfang; Pang, Xianjuan; Wang, Haizhong; Yang, Hua; Jiang, Jinlong

2018-05-01

A solid-liquid synergetic lubricating system has been designed to develop a novel self-lubricating nickel matrix composite. The graphene-nickel (G-Ni) matrix composite with porous structure was fabricated by in situ growing graphene in bulk nickel using a powder metallurgy method. The porous structures of the composite were used to store polyalphaolefin (PAO) oil for self-lubricating. It is found that the G-Ni matrix composite under oil lubrication condition exhibited superior tribological properties as compared to pure nickel and the composite under dry sliding condition. The prestored oil was released from pores to the sliding surface forming a lubricating oil film during friction process. This lubricating oil film can protect the worn surface from severe oxidation, and help the formation and transfer of a carbon-based solid tribofilm derived from graphene and lubricating oil. This solid (graphene)-liquid (oil) synergistic lubricating mechanism is responsible for the reduction of friction coefficient and improvement of wear resistance of the in situ fabricated G-Ni matrix composite.

Method for priming and DNA sequencing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mugasimangalam, R.C.; Ulanovsky, L.E.

1997-12-01

A method is presented for improving the priming specificity of an oligonucleotide primer that is non-unique in a nucleic acid template which includes selecting a continuous stretch of several nucleotides in the template DNA where one of the four bases does not occur in the stretch. This also includes bringing the template DNA in contract with a non-unique primer partially or fully complimentary to the sequence immediately upstream of the selected sequence stretch. This results in polymerase-mediated differential extension of the primer in the presence of a subset of deoxyribonucleotide triphosphates that does not contain the base complementary to the base absent in the selected sequence stretch. These reactions occur at a temperature sufficiently low for allowing the extension of the non-unique primer. The method causes polymerase-mediated extension reactions in the presence of all four natural deoxyribonucleotide triphosphates or modifications. At this high temperature discrimination occurs against priming sites of the non-unique primer where the differential extension has not made the primer sufficiently stable to prime. However, the primer extended at the selected stretch is sufficiently stable to prime.

Auditory phonological priming in children and adults during word repetition

Science.gov (United States)

Cleary, Miranda; Schwartz, Richard G.

2004-05-01

Short-term auditory phonological priming effects involve changes in the speed with which words are processed by a listener as a function of recent exposure to other similar-sounding words. Activation of phonological/lexical representations appears to persist beyond the immediate offset of a word, influencing subsequent processing. Priming effects are commonly cited as demonstrating concurrent activation of word/phonological candidates during word identification. Phonological priming is controversial, the direction of effects (facilitating versus slowing) varying with the prime-target relationship. In adults, it has repeatedly been demonstrated, however, that hearing a prime word that rhymes with the following target word (ISI=50 ms) decreases the time necessary to initiate repetition of the target, relative to when the prime and target have no phonemic overlap. Activation of phonological representations in children has not typically been studied using this paradigm, auditory-word + picture-naming tasks being used instead. The present study employed an auditory phonological priming paradigm being developed for use with normal-hearing and hearing-impaired children. Initial results from normal-hearing adults replicate previous reports of faster naming times for targets following a rhyming prime word than for targets following a prime having no phonemes in common. Results from normal-hearing children will also be reported. [Work supported by NIH-NIDCD T32DC000039.

Study of theophylline stability on polymer matrix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodrigues, Kiriaki M.S.; Parra, Duclerc F.; Oliveira, Maria Jose A.; Bustillos, Oscar V.; Lugao, Ademar B.

2007-01-01

Theophylline is a bronchodilator, commonly known and used as a drug model in the development of pharmaceutical formulations. The stability of the drug and the matrix, scope of this study, was evaluated in the solid formulation. Polymeric matrix based on PHB containing the drug (theophylline) was prepared and submitted to radiation sterilization at different doses of: 5, 10, 20 and 25 kGy using a Cobalt- 60 source. The modified drug release of theophylline sterilized tablets has been studied. Modern techniques of HPLC (High Pressure Liquid Chromatography), DSC (Differential scanning calorimetry) and TGA (Thermogravimetry analysis) were employed. The results have shown the influence of sterilization by radiation process in both the theophylline and the polymeric drug delivery matrix samples. The increasing of polymeric matrix crosslinking under radiation conditions retards the drug release while the theophylline structure is stable under the radiation (author)

Effects of Religious Priming Concepts on Prosocial Behavior Towards Ingroup and Outgroup

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jame Bryan L. Batara

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Several studies show that there is a connection between religion and prosociality (e.g., Saroglou, 2013. To investigate whether there is a causal relationship between these two variables, a growing number of scholars employed priming religious concepts and measure its influence on prosocial behavior (e.g., Pichon, Boccato, & Saroglou, 2007. In the recent development of religious priming, Ritter and Preston (2013 argued that different primes (agent prime, spiritual/abstract prime, and institutional prime may also have varying influence on prosocial behavior specifically helping an ingroup or an outgroup target. With this in mind, a 2 (social categorization of the target of help by 3 (agent prime, institutional prime, spiritual prime experiment was conducted to directly investigate this hypothesis. Results suggest that priming religious concepts especially the spiritual prime can increase prosocial behaviors. However, no significant effect was found on the social categorization which implies that Filipino participants elicit prosocial behavior regardless of the social categorization (be it ingroup or outgroup of the target of help. The present study’s findings contribute to further the literature on religious priming and its influence on prosocial behavior.

Stochastic resolution analysis of co-prime arrays in radar

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pribic, R; Coutiño Minguez, M.A.; Leus, G.J.T.

2016-01-01

Resolution from co-prime arrays and from a full ULA of the size equal to the virtual size of co-prime arrays is investigated. We take into account not only the resulting beam width but also the fact that fewer measurements are acquired by co-prime arrays. This fact is relevant in compressive

Leaching of nano-ZnO in municipal solid waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sakallioglu, T.; Bakirdoven, M.; Temizel, I. [Institute of Environmental Sciences, Bogazici University, 34342 Istanbul (Turkey); Demirel, B., E-mail: burak.demirel@boun.edu.tr [Institute of Environmental Sciences, Bogazici University, 34342 Istanbul (Turkey); Copty, N.K.; Onay, T.T.; Uyguner Demirel, C.S. [Institute of Environmental Sciences, Bogazici University, 34342 Istanbul (Turkey); Karanfil, T. [Environmental Engineering and Earth Science, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634 (United States)

2016-11-05

Highlights: • Leaching potential of 3 different types of nano-ZnO in real fresh MSW was investigated. • Batch tests were conducted at different pH, ionic strength and ZnO concentrations. • Most of the added nano-ZnO mass was retained within the solid waste matrix. • The pH and IS conditions did not significantly influence the leaching behavior of ZnO. • A kinetic particle deposition/detachment model was developed to analyze ZnO behavior. - Abstract: Despite widespread use of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in commercial products and their potential disposal in landfills, the fate of ENMs in solid waste environments are still not well understood. In this study, the leaching behavior of nano ZnO -one of the most used ENMs- in fresh municipal solid waste (MSW) was investigated. Batch reactors containing municipal solid waste samples were spiked with three different types of nano ZnO having different surface stabilization. The leaching of ZnO was examined under acidic, basic and elevated ionic strength (IS) conditions. The results of the 3-day batch tests showed that the percent of the added nano-ZnO mass retained within the solid waste matrix ranged between 80% and 93% on average for the three types of nano-ZnO tested. The pH and IS conditions did not significantly influence the leaching behavior of ZnO. To further analyze the behavior of ZnO in the MSW matrix, a kinetic particle deposition/detachment model was developed. The model was able to reproduce the main trends of the batch experiments. Reaction rate constants for the batch tests ranged from 0.01 to 0.4 1/hr, reflecting the rapid deposition of nano-ZnO within the MSW matrix.

Associative priming in a masked perceptual identification task: evidence for automatic processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Pecher, Diane; Zeelenberg, René; Raaijmakers, Jeroen G W

2002-10-01

Two experiments investigated the influence of automatic and strategic processes on associative priming effects in a perceptual identification task in which prime-target pairs are briefly presented and masked. In this paradigm, priming is defined as a higher percentage of correctly identified targets for related pairs than for unrelated pairs. In Experiment 1, priming was obtained for mediated word pairs. This mediated priming effect was affected neither by the presence of direct associations nor by the presentation time of the primes, indicating that automatic priming effects play a role in perceptual identification. Experiment 2 showed that the priming effect was not affected by the proportion (.90 vs. .10) of related pairs if primes were presented briefly to prevent their identification. However, a large proportion effect was found when primes were presented for 1000 ms so that they were clearly visible. These results indicate that priming in a masked perceptual identification task is the result of automatic processes and is not affected by strategies. The present paradigm provides a valuable alternative to more commonly used tasks such as lexical decision.

Suggestibility and negative priming: two replication studies.

Science.gov (United States)

David, Daniel; Brown, Richard J

2002-07-01

Research suggests that inhibiting the effect of irrelevant stimuli on subsequent thought and action (cognitive inhibition) may be an important component of suggestibility. Two small correlation studies were conducted to address the relationship between different aspects of suggestibility and individual differences in cognitive inhibition, operationalized as the degree of negative priming generated by to-be-ignored stimuli in a semantic categorization task. The first study found significant positive correlations between negative priming, hypnotic suggestibility, and creative imagination; a significant negative correlation was obtained between negative priming and interrogative suggestibility, demonstrating the discriminant validity of the study results. The second study replicated the correlation between negative priming and hypnotic suggestibility, using a different suggestibility measurement procedure that assessed subjective experience and hypnotic involuntariness as well as objective responses to suggestions. These studies support the notion that the ability to engage in cognitive inhibition may be an important component of hypnotic responsivity and maybe of other forms of suggestibility.

Coulomb matrix elements in multi-orbital Hubbard models.

Science.gov (United States)

Bünemann, Jörg; Gebhard, Florian

2017-04-26

Coulomb matrix elements are needed in all studies in solid-state theory that are based on Hubbard-type multi-orbital models. Due to symmetries, the matrix elements are not independent. We determine a set of independent Coulomb parameters for a d-shell and an f-shell and all point groups with up to 16 elements (O h , O, T d , T h , D 6h , and D 4h ). Furthermore, we express all other matrix elements as a function of the independent Coulomb parameters. Apart from the solution of the general point-group problem we investigate in detail the spherical approximation and first-order corrections to the spherical approximation.

DNA polymerase preference determines PCR priming efficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Wenjing; Byrne-Steele, Miranda; Wang, Chunlin; Lu, Stanley; Clemmons, Scott; Zahorchak, Robert J; Han, Jian

2014-01-30

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is one of the most important developments in modern biotechnology. However, PCR is known to introduce biases, especially during multiplex reactions. Recent studies have implicated the DNA polymerase as the primary source of bias, particularly initiation of polymerization on the template strand. In our study, amplification from a synthetic library containing a 12 nucleotide random portion was used to provide an in-depth characterization of DNA polymerase priming bias. The synthetic library was amplified with three commercially available DNA polymerases using an anchored primer with a random 3' hexamer end. After normalization, the next generation sequencing (NGS) results of the amplified libraries were directly compared to the unamplified synthetic library. Here, high throughput sequencing was used to systematically demonstrate and characterize DNA polymerase priming bias. We demonstrate that certain sequence motifs are preferred over others as primers where the six nucleotide sequences at the 3' end of the primer, as well as the sequences four base pairs downstream of the priming site, may influence priming efficiencies. DNA polymerases in the same family from two different commercial vendors prefer similar motifs, while another commercially available enzyme from a different DNA polymerase family prefers different motifs. Furthermore, the preferred priming motifs are GC-rich. The DNA polymerase preference for certain sequence motifs was verified by amplification from single-primer templates. We incorporated the observed DNA polymerase preference into a primer-design program that guides the placement of the primer to an optimal location on the template. DNA polymerase priming bias was characterized using a synthetic library amplification system and NGS. The characterization of DNA polymerase priming bias was then utilized to guide the primer-design process and demonstrate varying amplification efficiencies among three commercially

Alcohol Primes, Expectancies, and the Working Self-Concept

Science.gov (United States)

Hicks, Joshua A.; Schlegel, Rebecca J.; Friedman, Ronald S.; McCarthy, Denis M.

2016-01-01

Previous research has shown that alcohol consumption can lead to momentary changes in the self-concept (e.g., Steele & Josephs, 1990). In two studies (n = 150), we examined whether the implicit activation of alcohol expectancies (i.e., sociability-related expectancies) would also lead to changes in self-perception. To test this idea, participants first completed a measure of sociability-related alcohol expectancies. In a subsequent laboratory session, participants were exposed to either alcohol-related primes (i.e., pictures or words associated with alcohol) or neutral primes. After the priming task, participants completed an ostensibly unrelated self-concept survey that contained words related to sociability (e.g., “outgoing”) and non-sociability related words (e.g., “clever”). For both studies, results revealed that sociability-related alcohol expectancies were positively associated with sociability-related self-concept ratings for participants exposed to alcohol primes, but not for participants exposed to the neutral primes. Implications for the role implicit self-concept activation may have on drinking behaviors are discussed. PMID:19769437

Visual Priming of Inverted and Rotated Objects

Science.gov (United States)

Knowlton, Barbara J.; McAuliffe, Sean P.; Coelho, Chase J.; Hummel, John E.

2009-01-01

Object images are identified more efficiently after prior exposure. Here, the authors investigated shape representations supporting object priming. The dependent measure in all experiments was the minimum exposure duration required to correctly identify an object image in a rapid serial visual presentation stream. Priming was defined as the change…

Priming in the Type I-F CRISPR-Cas system triggers strand-independent spacer acquisition, bi-directionally from the primed protospacer.

Science.gov (United States)

Richter, Corinna; Dy, Ron L; McKenzie, Rebecca E; Watson, Bridget N J; Taylor, Corinda; Chang, James T; McNeil, Matthew B; Staals, Raymond H J; Fineran, Peter C

2014-07-01

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR), in combination with CRISPR associated (cas) genes, constitute CRISPR-Cas bacterial adaptive immune systems. To generate immunity, these systems acquire short sequences of nucleic acids from foreign invaders and incorporate these into their CRISPR arrays as spacers. This adaptation process is the least characterized step in CRISPR-Cas immunity. Here, we used Pectobacterium atrosepticum to investigate adaptation in Type I-F CRISPR-Cas systems. Pre-existing spacers that matched plasmids stimulated hyperactive primed acquisition and resulted in the incorporation of up to nine new spacers across all three native CRISPR arrays. Endogenous expression of the cas genes was sufficient, yet required, for priming. The new spacers inhibited conjugation and transformation, and interference was enhanced with increasing numbers of new spacers. We analyzed ∼ 350 new spacers acquired in priming events and identified a 5'-protospacer-GG-3' protospacer adjacent motif. In contrast to priming in Type I-E systems, new spacers matched either plasmid strand and a biased distribution, including clustering near the primed protospacer, suggested a bi-directional translocation model for the Cas1:Cas2-3 adaptation machinery. Taken together these results indicate priming adaptation occurs in different CRISPR-Cas systems, that it can be highly active in wild-type strains and that the underlying mechanisms vary. © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Minimizing matrix effect by femtosecond laser ablation and ionization in elemental determination.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Bochao; He, Miaohong; Hang, Wei; Huang, Benli

2013-05-07

Matrix effect is unavoidable in direct solid analysis, which usually is a leading cause of the nonstoichiometric effect in quantitative analysis. In this research, experiments were carried out to study the overall characteristics of atomization and ionization in laser-solid interaction. Both nanosecond (ns) and femtosecond (fs) lasers were applied in a buffer-gas-assisted ionization source coupled with an orthogonal time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Twenty-nine solid standards of ten different matrices, including six metals and four dielectrics, were analyzed. The results indicate that the fs-laser mode offers more stable relative sensitivity coefficients (RSCs) with irradiance higher than 7 × 10(13) W·cm(-2), which could be more reliable in the determination of element composition of solids. The matrix effect is reduced by half when the fs-laser is employed, owing to the fact that the fs-laser ablation and ionization (fs-LAI) incurs an almost heat-free ablation process and creates a dense plasma for the stable ionization.

Simultaneous determination and qualitative analysis of six types of components in Naoxintong capsule by miniaturized matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction coupled with ultra high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Huilin; Jiang, Yan; Ding, Mingya; Li, Jin; Hao, Jia; He, Jun; Wang, Hui; Gao, Xiu-Mei; Chang, Yan-Xu

2018-02-03

A simple and effective sample preparation process based on miniaturized matrix solid-phase dispersion was developed for simultaneous determination of phenolic acids (gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, 3,5-dicaffeoylqunic acid, 1,5-dicaffeoylqunic acid, rosmarinic acid, lithospermic acid, and salvianolic acid B), flavonoids (kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, calycosin, and formononetin), lactones (ligustilide and butyllidephthalide), monoterpenoids (paeoniflorin), phenanthraquinones (cryptotanshinone), and furans (5-hydroxymethylfurfural) in Naoxintong capsule by ultra high-performance liquid chromatography. The optimized condition was that 25 mg Naoxintong powder was blended homogeneously with 100 mg Florisil PR for 4 min. One milliliter of methanol/water (75:25, v/v) acidified by 0.05% formic acid was selected to elute all components. It was found that the recoveries of the six types of components ranged from 61.36 to 96.94%. The proposed miniaturized matrix solid-phase dispersion coupled with ultra high-performance liquid chromatography was successfully applied to simultaneous determination of the six types of components in Naoxintong capsules. The results demonstrated that the proposed miniaturized matrix solid-phase dispersion coupled with ultra high-performance liquid chromatography could be used as an environmentally friendly tool for the extraction and determination of multiple bioactive components in natural products. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

[Neural correlates of priming in vision: evidence from neuropsychology and neuroimaging].

Science.gov (United States)

Kristjánsson, Arni

2005-04-01

When we look around us, we are overall more likely to notice objects that we have recently looked at; an effect known as priming. For example, when the color or shape of a visual search target is repeated, observers find the target faster than otherwise. Here I summarize recent research undertaken to uncover the temporary changes in brain activity that accompany these priming effects. In light of the fact that priming seems to have a large effect on how attention is allocated, we investigated priming effects in a visual search task on patients suffering from the neurological disorder "hemispatial neglect" in which patients typically fail to notice display items in one of their visual hemifields. Priming of target color was relatively normal for these patients, while priming of target location seemed to require awareness of the briefly presented visual search target. An experiment with functional magnetic resonance imaging of normal observers revealed that both color and location priming had a strong modulatory influence on attentional mechanisms of the frontal and parietal cortex. Color priming was also correlated with changes in activity in visual cortex as well as color processing areas in the temporal lobe. Location priming was correlated with changes in activity near the temporo- parietal junction and lateral inferior frontal cortex, areas that have been connected with attentional capture; which ties well with our finding of deficits of location priming for the neglect patients who indeed have lesions in the temporo-parietal junction. Overall, the results confirm the tight coupling of visual attention and priming in vision, and also that the visual areas of the brain show some modulation of activity as priming develops.

Natural gas prime movers: A prime income opportunity?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katz, M.G.

1997-01-01

Although almost every factory, for example, uses compressed air to operate and control equipment--from power tools to packaging machinery--most air compressors are driven by electric motors. Similarly, although industry uses refrigeration for everything from freezing food to chilling warehouses to making chemicals and ice to operating skating rinks, natural gas powers only about 100 industrial refrigeration units in North America. But several factors are beginning to make natural gas more attractive as a prime mover. For one thing, the rising cost of electricity, with its demand or time-of-day and summer on-peak charges, has everyone looking for ways to cut their electric bills. At the same time, in the wake of deregulation of the nation's electric industry, customers can build on-site power plants that use natural gas to generate their own electricity, or have outside power suppliers or energy service companies (ESCOs) do it for them. Waste and exhaust heat, which can represent up to 60% of the total energy supplied from both engines and turbines, can be captured and used. Finally, growing concern over electric power outages has made natural gas more attractive for mission-critical operations, while new financing options let people buy and install natural gas prime movers more easily

The effects of the concreteness of differently valenced words on affective priming.

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Yao, Zhao; Wang, Zhenhong

2013-07-01

This study aimed to determine whether affective priming is influenced by the concreteness of emotional words. To address this question, we conducted three experiments using lexical decision-priming task. In Experiment 1, positive-abstract (PA) and positive-concrete (PC) words were used as primes to examine the effect of the concreteness of positive words on affective priming, and in Experiment 2, negative-abstract (NA) and negative-concrete (NC) words were used as primes to examine the effect of the concreteness of negative words on affective priming. Results showed that participants responded faster to affectively congruent-abstract trails than incongruent-abstract trails in PA prime conditions, but for PC or negative word (NC and NA) prime conditions, there were no differences between the response times of congruent trails and incongruent trails. To examine the reliability of the priming effects observed in Experiments 1 and 2, we set up a neutral condition as a baseline in Experiment 3, through which we confirmed the difference in the affective priming effect between positive and negative primes in a concrete-abstract dimension. PA words were found to have the tendency to possess more emotional load and facilitate affective association between the prime and the target. The study finding suggests that aside from arousal and valence, the concreteness of positive words also has an impact on affective priming effect. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Oxygen transfer rate identifies priming compounds in parsley cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Schilling, Jana Viola; Schillheim, Britta; Mahr, Stefan; Reufer, Yannik; Sanjoyo, Sandi; Conrath, Uwe; Büchs, Jochen

2015-11-25

In modern agriculture, the call for an alternative crop protection strategy increases because of the desired reduction of fungicide and pesticide use and the continuously evolving resistance of pathogens and pests to agrochemicals. The direct activation of the plant immune system does not provide a promising plant protection measure because of high fitness costs. However, upon treatment with certain natural or synthetic compounds, plant cells can promote to a fitness cost-saving, primed state of enhanced defense. In the primed state, plants respond to biotic and abiotic stress with faster and stronger activation of defense, and this is often associated with immunity and abiotic stress tolerance. Until now, the identification of chemical compounds with priming-inducing activity (so-called plant activators) relied on tedious and invasive approaches, or required the late detection of secreted furanocoumarin phytoalexins in parsley cell cultures. Thus, simple, fast, straightforward, and noninvasive techniques for identifying priming-inducing compounds for plant protection are very welcome. This report demonstrates that a respiration activity-monitoring system (RAMOS) can identify compounds with defense priming-inducing activity in parsley cell suspension in culture. RAMOS relies on the quasi-continuous, noninvasive online determination of the oxygen transfer rate (OTR). Treatment of parsley culture cells with the known plant activator salicylic acid (SA), a natural plant defense signal, resulted in an OTR increase. Addition of the defense elicitor Pep13, a cell wall peptide of Phythophthora sojae, induced two distinctive OTR peaks that were higher in SA-primed cells than in unprimed cells upon Pep13 challenge. Both, the OTR increase after priming with SA and the Pep13 challenge were dose-dependent. Furthermore, there was a close correlation of a compound's activity to enhance the oxygen consumption in parsley cells and its capacity to prime Pep13-induced furanocoumarin

Measurement of Branching Fractions and Charge Asymmetries in B Meson Decays to eta(prime)K*, eta(prime)rho, and eta pi

CERN Document Server

Ford, W

2003-01-01

The present preliminary measurements of branching fractions and charge asymmetries for the B meson decays B -> eta(prime) K*, B -> eta(prime)rho, and B sup + -> eta(prime)pi sup +. The data were recorded with the BABAR detector at PEP-II and correspond to 89 x 10 sup 6 B(bar B) pairs produced in e sup + e sup - annihilation through the UPSILON(4S) resonance. They find the branching fractions BETA(B sup 0 -> eta K* sup 0) = (19.0 sub - sub 2 sub . sub 1 sup + sup 2 sup . sup 2 +- 1.3) x 10 sup - sup 6 , BETA(B sup + -> eta K* sup +) = (25.7 sub - sub 3 sub . sub 6 sup + sup 3 sup . sup 8 +- 1.8) x 10 sup - sup 6 with 90% confidence, and BETA(B sup + -> eta(prime)pi sup +) = (2.8 sub - sub 1 sub . sub 0 sup + sup 1 sup . sup 3 +- 0.3) x 10 sup - sup 6 ( eta(prime)K* sup 0) eta(prime)K* sup +) < 12 x 10 sup - sup 6. The time-integrated charge asymmetries are A sub c sub h (eta K* sup 0) = +0.03 +- 0.11 +- 0.02, A sub c sub h (eta K* sup +) = +0.15 +- 0.14 +- 0.02, and A sub c sub h (eta rho sup +) = +0.06 +-...

Thermal conductivity of microPCMs-filled epoxy matrix composites

OpenAIRE

Su, J.F.; Wang, X.Y; Huang, Z.; Zhao, Y.H.; Yuan, X.Y.

2011-01-01

Microencapsulated phase change materials (microPCMs) have been widely applied in solid matrix as thermal-storage or temperature-controlling functional composites. The thermal conductivity of these microPCMs/matrix composites is an important property need to be considered. In this study, a series of microPCMs have been fabricated using the in situ polymerization with various core/shell ratio and average diameter; the thermal conductivity of microPCMs/epoxy composites were investigated in detai...

7 CFR 29.1166 - Primings (P Group).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Primings (P Group). 29.1166 Section 29.1166... REGULATIONS TOBACCO INSPECTION Standards Grades § 29.1166 Primings (P Group). This group consists of round-tipped leaves from the lowest portion of the stalk. Leaves of the P group ripen prematurely as a result...

Priming healthy eating. You can't prime all the people all of the time.

Science.gov (United States)

Forwood, Suzanna E; Ahern, Amy L; Hollands, Gareth J; Ng, Yin-Lam; Marteau, Theresa M

2015-06-01

In the context of a food purchasing environment filled with advertising and promotions, and an increased desire from policy makers to guide individuals toward choosing healthier foods, this study tests whether priming methods that use healthy food adverts to increase preference for healthier food generalize to a representative population. In two studies (Study 1 n = 143; Study 2 n = 764), participants were randomly allocated to a prime condition, where they viewed fruit and vegetable advertisements, or a control condition, with no advertisements. A subsequent forced choice task assessed preference between fruits and other sweet snacks. Additional measures included current hunger and thirst, dietary restraint, age, gender, education and self-reported weight and height. In Study 1, hunger reduced preferences for fruits (OR (95% CI) = 0.38 (0.26-0.56), p choice was unaffected by hunger or the prime. This study provides preliminary evidence that the effects of adverts on healthy eating choices depend on key individual traits (education level) and states (hunger), do not generalize to a broader population and have the potential to increase health inequalities arising from food choice. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Priming healthy eating. You can't prime all the people all of the time☆

Science.gov (United States)

Forwood, Suzanna E.; Ahern, Amy L.; Hollands, Gareth J.; Ng, Yin-Lam; Marteau, Theresa M.

2015-01-01

Objective In the context of a food purchasing environment filled with advertising and promotions, and an increased desire from policy makers to guide individuals toward choosing healthier foods, this study tests whether priming methods that use healthy food adverts to increase preference for healthier food generalize to a representative population. MethodsIn two studies (Study 1 n = 143; Study 2 n = 764), participants were randomly allocated to a prime condition, where they viewed fruit and vegetable advertisements, or a control condition, with no advertisements. A subsequent forced choice task assessed preference between fruits and other sweet snacks. Additional measures included current hunger and thirst, dietary restraint, age, gender, education and self-reported weight and height. ResultsIn Study 1, hunger reduced preferences for fruits (OR (95% CI) = 0.38 (0.26–0.56), p choice was unaffected by hunger or the prime. ConclusionThis study provides preliminary evidence that the effects of adverts on healthy eating choices depend on key individual traits (education level) and states (hunger), do not generalize to a broader population and have the potential to increase health inequalities arising from food choice. PMID:25636234

Suggestion-Induced Modulation of Semantic Priming during Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Ulrich, Martin; Kiefer, Markus; Bongartz, Walter; Grön, Georg; Hoenig, Klaus

2015-01-01

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging during a primed visual lexical decision task, we investigated the neural and functional mechanisms underlying modulations of semantic word processing through hypnotic suggestions aimed at altering lexical processing of primes. The priming task was to discriminate between target words and pseudowords presented 200 ms after the prime word which was semantically related or unrelated to the target. In a counterbalanced study design, each participant performed the task once at normal wakefulness and once after the administration of hypnotic suggestions to perceive the prime as a meaningless symbol of a foreign language. Neural correlates of priming were defined as significantly lower activations upon semantically related compared to unrelated trials. We found significant suggestive treatment-induced reductions in neural priming, albeit irrespective of the degree of suggestibility. Neural priming was attenuated upon suggestive treatment compared with normal wakefulness in brain regions supporting automatic (fusiform gyrus) and controlled semantic processing (superior and middle temporal gyri, pre- and postcentral gyri, and supplementary motor area). Hence, suggestions reduced semantic word processing by conjointly dampening both automatic and strategic semantic processes. PMID:25923740

Suggestion-Induced Modulation of Semantic Priming during Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Ulrich

Full Text Available Using functional magnetic resonance imaging during a primed visual lexical decision task, we investigated the neural and functional mechanisms underlying modulations of semantic word processing through hypnotic suggestions aimed at altering lexical processing of primes. The priming task was to discriminate between target words and pseudowords presented 200 ms after the prime word which was semantically related or unrelated to the target. In a counterbalanced study design, each participant performed the task once at normal wakefulness and once after the administration of hypnotic suggestions to perceive the prime as a meaningless symbol of a foreign language. Neural correlates of priming were defined as significantly lower activations upon semantically related compared to unrelated trials. We found significant suggestive treatment-induced reductions in neural priming, albeit irrespective of the degree of suggestibility. Neural priming was attenuated upon suggestive treatment compared with normal wakefulness in brain regions supporting automatic (fusiform gyrus and controlled semantic processing (superior and middle temporal gyri, pre- and postcentral gyri, and supplementary motor area. Hence, suggestions reduced semantic word processing by conjointly dampening both automatic and strategic semantic processes.

Filling in the Gaps: Priming and the Ethics of Pharmaceutical Advertising.

Science.gov (United States)

Biegler, Paul

2015-06-01

A prime is a cue that makes associated concepts, behaviors, and goals more psychologically accessible to people, influencing their responses in subsequent related environments. I build a case that Direct to Consumer Advertising of Prescription Pharmaceuticals (DTCA) operates as a prime that causes some viewers to prefer and pursue the advertised drug. Drawing on literature from social psychology I show that people subject to priming are mostly unaware of its influence and liable to misattribute the reasons for their primed actions. Misattribution typically includes heightened appraisals of the value of a primed goal. Consistent with this account, I argue that viewers primed by DTCA hold favorable, yet false beliefs about the safety and efficacy of the advertised drug. I further argue that, because those drug properties are material to viewers with the relevant illness, priming in DTCA can undermine the autonomy of their medicine choices. The threat to autonomy posed by priming in DTCA suggests it warrants attention from both regulators and the wider research community. It also adds further reason to be sceptical about the permissibility of this form of advertising.

Anterior medial prefrontal cortex implements social priming of mimicry.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yin; Hamilton, Antonia F de C

2015-04-01

The neural and cognitive mechanisms by which primed constructs can impact on social behavior are poorly understood. In the present study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to explore how scrambled sentence priming can impact on mimicry behavior. Sentences involving pro/antisocial events from a first/third-person point of view were presented in short blocks, followed by a reaction-time assessment of mimicry. Behavioral results showed that both prosociality and viewpoint impact on mimicry, and fMRI analysis showed this effect is implemented by anterior medial prefrontal cortex (amPFC). We suggest that social primes may subtly modulate processing in amPFC in a manner linked to the later behavior, and that this same region also implements the top-down control of mimicry responses. This priming may be linked to processing of self-schemas in amPFC. Our findings demonstrate how social priming can be studied with fMRI, and have important implications for our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of prime-to-behavior effects as well as for current theories in social psychology. © The Author (2014). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Efficiency of a concentric matrix track detector surface scanning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bek-Uzarov, Dj.; Nikezic, D.; Kostic, D.; Krstic, D.; Cuknic, O.

1995-01-01

Heavy particle ionizing radiation track counting on the surface of a solid state round surface detector is made using the microscope and scanning step by step by a round field of vision. The whole solid state detector surface could not be fully or completely covered by round fields of visions. Therefore detector surface could be divided on the two parts, the larger surface, being under fields of vision, really scanned and no scanned missed or omitted surface. The ratio between omitted and scanned surfaces is so called track scanning efficiency. The knowledge of really counted, or scanned surface is a important value for evaluating the real surface track density an exposed solid state track detector. In the paper a matrix of a concentric field of vision made around the first microscope field of vision placed in center of the round disc of the scanned track detector is proposed. In a such scanning matrix the real scanned surface could be easy calculated and by the microscope scanning made as well. By this way scanned surface is very precisely obtained as well. Precise knowledge of scanned and omitted surface allows to obtain more precise scanning efficiency factor as well as real surface track density, the main parameter in solid state track detection measurements. (author)

Positional priming of pop-out is nested in visuospatial context.

Science.gov (United States)

Gokce, Ahu; Müller, Hermann J; Geyer, Thomas

2013-11-26

The present study investigated facilitatory and inhibitory positional priming using a variant of Maljkovic and Nakayama's (1996) priming of pop-out task. Here, the singleton target and the distractors could be presented in different visuospatial contexts-but identical screen locations-across trials, permitting positional priming based on individual locations to be disentangled from priming based on interitem configural relations. The results revealed both significant facilitatory priming, i.e., faster reaction times (RTs) to target presented at previous target relative to previously empty locations, and inhibitory priming, i.e., slower RTs to target at previous distractor relative to previously empty locations. However, both effects were contingent on repetitions versus changes of stimulus arrangement: While facilitation of target locations was dependent on the repetition of the exact item configuration (e.g., T-type followed by T-type stimulus arrangement), the inhibitory effect was more "tolerant," being influenced by repetitions versus changes of the item's visuospatial category (T-type followed by Z-type pattern; cf. Garner & Clement, 1963). The results suggest that facilitatory and inhibitory priming are distinct phenomena (Finke et al., 2009) and that both effects are sensitive to subtle information about the arrangement of the display items (Geyer, Zehetleitner, & Müller, 2010). The results are discussed with respect to the stage(s) of visual pop-out search that are influenced by positional priming.

Almost Fixed-Point-Free Automorphisms of Prime Power Order

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B.A.F. Wehrfritz

2016-06-01

Full Text Available We study the effect under various rank restrictions of a group having an automorphism of prime power order whose fixed-point set is also finite of prime power order for the same prime. Generally our conclusions are that the group has a soluble normal subgroup of bounded derived length. Not surprisingly the bound gets larger as the rank restrictions get weaker.

Seed priming improves salinity tolerance of wheat varieties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jamal, Y.; Shafi, M.; Arif, M.

2011-01-01

To evaluate the response of wheat varieties to seed priming and salinity, an experiment was conducted in completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications at Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (IBGE), KPK Agricultural University, Peshawar, Pakistan. The performance of 6 wheat varieties (Tatara-96, Ghaznavi-98, Fakhri Sarhad, Bakhtawar-92, Pirsabaq-2004 and Auqab-2000) at two seed conditions (primed with 30 mM NaCl and un primed) under four salinity levels (0, 40, 80 and 120 mM) was studied. Statistical analysis of the data revealed that salinity, seed priming and varieties had significantly (P= 0.05) affected shoot fresh weight plant/sup -1/ shoot dry weight plant/sup -1/, shoot Na/sup +/ contents (mg g/sup -1/ dry weight), shoot K/sup +/ contents (mg g/sup -1/ dry weight) and shoot K/sup +/Na/sup +/ ratio. Maximum shoot fresh weight plant/sup -1/ (7.71 g), shoot dry weight plant/sup -1/ (1.68 g), shoot K/sup +/ contents (1.39 mg g/sup -1/ dry weight) and shoot K/sup +/ Na/sup +/ratio (1.45) were recorded from Bakhtawar-92 as compared with other varieties. Highest shoot Na/sup +/ contents (1.43 mg g/sup -1/ dry weight) were recorded from Auqab-2000 when compared with other varieties. All parameters were enhanced with seed priming except shoot Na/sup +/ contents, which reduced significantly (p= 0.05) with seed priming. (author)

Behavioral Priming 2.0: Enter a Dynamical Systems Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Krpan, Dario

2017-01-01

On a daily basis, people are exposed to numerous stimuli, ranging from colors and smells to sounds and words, that could potentially activate different cognitive constructs and influence their actions. This type of influence on human behavior is referred to as priming. Roughly two decades ago, behavioral priming was hailed as one of the core forces that shape automatic behavior. However, failures to replicate some of the representative findings in this domain soon followed, which posed the following question: “How robust are behavioral priming effects, and to what extent are they actually important in shaping people's actions?” To shed a new light on this question, I revisit behavioral priming through the prism of a dynamical systems perspective (DSP). The DSP is a scientific paradigm that has been developed through a combined effort of many different academic disciplines, ranging from mathematics and physics to biology, economics, psychology, etc., and it deals with behavior of simple and complex systems over time. In the present paper, I use conceptual and methodological tools stemming from the DSP to propose circumstances under which behavioral priming effects are likely to occur. More precisely, I outline three possible types of the influence of priming on human behavior, to which I refer as emergence, readjustment, and attractor switch, and propose experimental designs to examine them. Finally, I discuss relevant implications for behavioral priming effects and their replications. PMID:28769846

Behavioral Priming 2.0: Enter a Dynamical Systems Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dario Krpan

2017-07-01

Full Text Available On a daily basis, people are exposed to numerous stimuli, ranging from colors and smells to sounds and words, that could potentially activate different cognitive constructs and influence their actions. This type of influence on human behavior is referred to as priming. Roughly two decades ago, behavioral priming was hailed as one of the core forces that shape automatic behavior. However, failures to replicate some of the representative findings in this domain soon followed, which posed the following question: “How robust are behavioral priming effects, and to what extent are they actually important in shaping people's actions?” To shed a new light on this question, I revisit behavioral priming through the prism of a dynamical systems perspective (DSP. The DSP is a scientific paradigm that has been developed through a combined effort of many different academic disciplines, ranging from mathematics and physics to biology, economics, psychology, etc., and it deals with behavior of simple and complex systems over time. In the present paper, I use conceptual and methodological tools stemming from the DSP to propose circumstances under which behavioral priming effects are likely to occur. More precisely, I outline three possible types of the influence of priming on human behavior, to which I refer as emergence, readjustment, and attractor switch, and propose experimental designs to examine them. Finally, I discuss relevant implications for behavioral priming effects and their replications.

An extracellular subtilase switch for immune priming in Arabidopsis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vicente Ramírez

Full Text Available In higher eukaryotes, induced resistance associates with acquisition of a priming state of the cells for a more effective activation of innate immunity; however, the nature of the components for mounting this type of immunological memory is not well known. We identified an extracellular subtilase from Arabidopsis, SBT3.3, the overexpression of which enhances innate immune responses while the loss of function compromises them. SBT3.3 expression initiates a durable autoinduction mechanism that promotes chromatin remodeling and activates a salicylic acid(SA-dependent mechanism of priming of defense genes for amplified response. Moreover, SBT3.3 expression-sensitized plants for enhanced expression of the OXI1 kinase gene and activation of MAP kinases following pathogen attack, providing additional clues for the regulation of immune priming by SBT3.3. Conversely, in sbt3.3 mutant plants pathogen-mediated induction of SA-related defense gene expression is drastically reduced and activation of MAP kinases inhibited. Moreover, chromatin remodeling of defense-related genes normally associated with activation of an immune priming response appear inhibited in sbt3.3 plants, further indicating the importance of the extracellular SBT3.3 subtilase in the establishment of immune priming. Our results also point to an epigenetic control in the regulation of plant immunity, since SBT3.3 is up-regulated and priming activated when epigenetic control is impeded. SBT3.3 represents a new regulator of primed immunity.

Semantic priming effects of synonyms, antonyms, frame, implication and verb-object categories

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Elsa Skënderi-Rakipllari

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Semantic priming has been a major subject of interest for psycholinguists, whose aim is to discover how lexical memory is structured and organized. The facilitation process of word retrieval through semantic priming has long been studied. The present research is aimed to reveal which semantic category has the best priming effect. Through a lexical decision task experiment we compared the reaction times of masked primed pairs and unprimed pairs. In addition, we analyzed the reaction times and priming effect of connected semantic relations: antonymy, frame, synonymy, implication and verb-object. The data collected and interpreted unveiled that the mean reaction times of primed pairs were shorter than those of unprimed pairs. As to semantic priming, the most significantly primed pairs were those of implications and verb- objects, and not those of synonymy or antonymy as it might be expected.

Matrix production and organization by endothelial colony forming cells in mechanically strained engineered tissue constructs.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicky de Jonge

Full Text Available AIMS: Tissue engineering is an innovative method to restore cardiovascular tissue function by implanting either an in vitro cultured tissue or a degradable, mechanically functional scaffold that gradually transforms into a living neo-tissue by recruiting tissue forming cells at the site of implantation. Circulating endothelial colony forming cells (ECFCs are capable of differentiating into endothelial cells as well as a mesenchymal ECM-producing phenotype, undergoing Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal-transition (EndoMT. We investigated the potential of ECFCs to produce and organize ECM under the influence of static and cyclic mechanical strain, as well as stimulation with transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1. METHODS AND RESULTS: A fibrin-based 3D tissue model was used to simulate neo-tissue formation. Extracellular matrix organization was monitored using confocal laser-scanning microscopy. ECFCs produced collagen and also elastin, but did not form an organized matrix, except when cultured with TGFβ1 under static strain. Here, collagen was aligned more parallel to the strain direction, similar to Human Vena Saphena Cell-seeded controls. Priming ECFC with TGFβ1 before exposing them to strain led to more homogenous matrix production. CONCLUSIONS: Biochemical and mechanical cues can induce extracellular matrix formation by ECFCs in tissue models that mimic early tissue formation. Our findings suggest that priming with bioactives may be required to optimize neo-tissue development with ECFCs and has important consequences for the timing of stimuli applied to scaffold designs for both in vitro and in situ cardiovascular tissue engineering. The results obtained with ECFCs differ from those obtained with other cell sources, such as vena saphena-derived myofibroblasts, underlining the need for experimental models like ours to test novel cell sources for cardiovascular tissue engineering.

Rapid Evaluation of Germinability of Primed China Aster (Callistephus Chinensis Ness. Seeds with Physiological and Biochemical Markers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Badek Bogumiła

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The correlation between the sowing value of primed China aster seeds represented by germination percentage (GP, mean germination time (MGT, germination uniformity expressed as the time between 25% and 75% of germinated seeds (T75-25 and some selected physiological characteristics - total activity of dehydrogenases (TAD, activity of catalase (AC, activity of cell cycle (ACC and electrolyte leakage (EL has been analysed in order to find useful markers of biological quality of seeds. To achieve this objective, analyses of effects of three methods of water supply to seeds viz. - hydroconditioning by soaking in excessive amount of water (M1, hydroconditioning by soaking in limited amount of water (M2 or hydroconditioning by contact with solid carrier of water - matriconditioning (M3, three levels (30.0, 35.0 and 40.0% of seed moisture content (m.c. and three incubation periods (1, 8 and 10 days during priming and hence their influence on germination properties (GP, MGT, T75-25 in comparison with TAD, AC, ACC and EL were determined. The results showed that MGT and T75-25 were correlated with TAD, AC, ACC and EL, irrespective of their priming method and sowing value. Therefore, all the investigated physiological/biochemical parameters of seed quality can be used as markers of germinability and sowing value reached by primed China aster seeds. The results also proved that, irrespective of the water supply method applied, hydration of seeds up to 37.5% m.c., and their incubation at 20 °C for 8 days, followed by drying to their initial moisture content, increased to the greatest extent the speed and uniformity of seed germination and their physiological activity.

Attentional Control and the Relatedness Proportion Effect in Semantic Priming

Science.gov (United States)

Hutchison, Keith A.

2007-01-01

In 2 experiments, participants completed both an attentional control battery (OSPAN, antisaccade, and Stroop tasks) and a modified semantic priming task. The priming task measured relatedness proportion (RP) effects within subjects, with the color of the prime indicating the probability that the to-be-named target would be related. In Experiment…

Does pizza prime coin? Perceptual priming in lexical decision and pronunciation.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pecher, D.; Zeelenberg, R.; Raaijmakers, J.G.W.

1998-01-01

In 6 experiments the authors investigated priming for perceptually related word pairs (i.e., words that refer to objects with the same shape such as pizza-coin), trying to replicate earlier findings by R. Schreuder et al (see record 1985-06198-001) while avoiding some of the methodological problems

Allograph priming is based on abstract letter identities: Evidence from Japanese kana.

Science.gov (United States)

Kinoshita, Sachiko; Schubert, Teresa; Verdonschot, Rinus G

2018-04-23

It is well-established that allographs like the uppercase and lowercase forms of the Roman alphabet (e.g., a and A) map onto the same "abstract letter identity," orthographic representations that are independent of the visual form. Consistent with this, in the allograph match task ("Are 'a' and 'A' the same letter?"), priming by a masked letter prime is equally robust for visually dissimilar prime-target pairs (e.g., d and D) and similar pairs (e.g., c and C). However, in principle this pattern of priming is also consistent with the possibility that allograph priming is purely phonological, based on the letter name. Because different allographic forms of the same letter, by definition, share a letter name, it is impossible to rule out this possibility a priori. In the present study, we investigated the influence of shared letter names by taking advantage of the fact that Japanese is written in two distinct writing systems, syllabic kana-that has two parallel forms, hiragana and katakana-and logographic kanji. Using the allograph match task, we tested whether a kanji prime with the same pronunciation as the target kana (e.g., - い, both pronounced /i/) produces the same amount of priming as a kana prime in the opposite kana form (e.g., イ- い). We found that the kana primes produced substantially greater priming than the phonologically identical kanji prime, which we take as evidence that allograph priming is based on abstract kana identity, not purely phonology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Matrix molecularly imprinted mesoporous sol-gel sorbent for efficient solid-phase extraction of chloramphenicol from milk.

Science.gov (United States)

Samanidou, Victoria; Kehagia, Maria; Kabir, Abuzar; Furton, Kenneth G

2016-03-31

Highly selective and efficient chloramphenicol imprinted sol-gel silica based inorganic polymeric sorbent (sol-gel MIP) was synthesized via matrix imprinting approach for the extraction of chloramphenicol in milk. Chloramphenicol was used as the template molecule, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (3-APTES) and triethoxyphenylsilane (TEPS) as the functional precursors, tetramethyl orthosilicate (TMOS) as the cross-linker, isopropanol as the solvent/porogen, and HCl as the sol-gel catalyst. Non-imprinted sol-gel polymer (sol-gel NIP) was synthesized under identical conditions in absence of template molecules for comparison purpose. Both synthesized materials were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and nitrogen adsorption porosimetry, which unambiguously confirmed their significant structural and morphological differences. The synthesized MIP and NIP materials were evaluated as sorbents for molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction (MISPE) of chloramphenicol in milk. The effect of critical extraction parameters (flow rate, elution solvent, sample and eluent volume, selectivity coefficient, retention capacity) was studied in terms of retention and desorption of chloramphenicol. Competition and cross reactivity tests have proved that sol-gel MIP sorbent possesses significantly higher specific retention and enrichment capacity for chloramphenicol compared to its non-imprinted analogue. The maximum imprinting factor (IF) was found as 9.7, whereas the highest adsorption capacity of chloramphenicol by sol-gel MIP was 23 mg/g. The sol-gel MIP was found to be adequately selective towards chloramphenicol to provide the necessary minimum required performance limit (MRPL) of 0.3 μg/kg set forth by European Commission after analysis by LC-MS even without requiring time consuming solvent evaporation and sample reconstitution step, often considered as an integral part in solid phase extraction work-flow. Intra and

Influence of Individual and Group Priming on Medical Students

OpenAIRE

McGeown, Helen Rosemary

2009-01-01

This study investigated the impact of information on level of prototypicality of the ingroup ‘medical students’, comparing self-esteem effects for those primed as individuals with self-esteem effects for those primed as group members. Indication of prototypicality was given by false feedback on purported individual levels of empathy, an important group norm for medical students. As well as priming type having interactive effects with prototypicality information, it was hypothesized that initi...

Positions priming in briefly presented search arrays

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Asgeirsson, Arni Gunnar; Kristjánsson, Árni; Kyllingsbæk, Søren

2011-01-01

Repetition priming in visual search has been a topic of extensive research since Maljkovic & Nakayama [1994, Memory & Cognition, 22, 657-672] presented the first detailed studies of such effects. Their results showed large reductions in reaction times when target color was repeated on consecutive...... the targets are oddly colored alphanumeric characters. The effects arise at very low exposure durations and benefit accuracy at all exposure durations towards the subjects’ ceiling. We conclude that temporally constricted experimental conditions can add to our understanding priming in visual search...... pop-out search trials. Such repetition effects have since been generalized to a multitude of target attributes. Priming has primarily been investigated using self-terminating visual search paradigms, comparing differences in response times. Response accuracy has predominantly served as a control...

Matrix-isolation and solid state low temperature FT-IR study of 2,3-butanedione (diacetyl)

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez-Zavaglia, A.; Fausto, R.

2003-12-01

2,3-Butanedione (diacetyl) was studied by matrix-isolation and low temperature solid state FT-IR spectroscopy, supported by molecular orbital calculations undertaken at the DFT(B3LYP) and MP2 levels of theory with the 6-311++G(d,p) basis set. Both in the crystalline phase and in the matrices, the compound exists in the C 2h symmetry trans conformation (OC-CO dihedral angle of 180°). This form corresponds to the single conformational state predicted by the theoretical calculations for the compound in vacuum. However, in the low temperature amorphous state, obtained by fast deposition of the vapour of the compound onto a suitable cold (9 K) substrate, as well as in the liquid and gaseous phases, spectroscopic features are observed that can only be explained by assuming that conformations without an inversion centre ( C 2 symmetry) do also contribute to the spectra. These results are in agreement with the experimental evidence that diacetyl has a permanent dipole moment (ca.1 Debye) in the vapour phase at room temperature and are here explained taking into consideration the influence of the low frequency large amplitude torsional vibration around the central C-C bond on the molecular properties.

Emotion potentiates response activation and inhibition in masked priming.

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Bocanegra, Bruno R; Zeelenberg, René

2012-01-01

Previous studies have shown that emotion can have 2-fold effects on perception. At the object-level, emotional stimuli benefit from a stimulus-specific boost in visual attention at the relative expense of competing stimuli. At the visual feature-level, recent findings indicate that emotion may inhibit the processing of small visual details and facilitate the processing of coarse visual features. In the present study, we investigated whether emotion can boost the activation and inhibition of automatic motor responses that are generated prior to overt perception. To investigate this, we tested whether an emotional cue affects covert motor responses in a masked priming task. We used a masked priming paradigm in which participants responded to target arrows that were preceded by invisible congruent or incongruent prime arrows. In the standard paradigm, participants react faster, and commit fewer errors responding to the directionality of target arrows, when they are preceded by congruent vs. incongruent masked prime arrows (positive congruency effect, PCE). However, as prime-target SOAs increase, this effect reverses (negative congruency effect, NCE). These findings have been explained as evidence for an initial activation and a subsequent inhibition of a partial response elicited by the masked prime arrow. Our results show that the presentation of fearful face cues, compared to neutral face cues, increased the size of both the PCE and NCE, despite the fact that the primes were invisible. This is the first demonstration that emotion prepares an individual's visuomotor system for automatic activation and inhibition of motor responses in the absence of visual awareness.

Interference with the HSF1/HSP70/BAG3 Pathway Primes Glioma Cells to Matrix Detachment and BH3 Mimetic-Induced Apoptosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Antonietti, Patrick; Linder, Benedikt; Hehlgans, Stephanie; Mildenberger, Iris C; Burger, Michael C; Fulda, Simone; Steinbach, Joachim P; Gessler, Florian; Rödel, Franz; Mittelbronn, Michel; Kögel, Donat

2017-01-01

Malignant gliomas exhibit a high intrinsic resistance against stimuli triggering apoptotic cell death. HSF1 acts as transcription factor upstream of HSP70 and the HSP70 co-chaperone BAG3 that is overexpressed in glioblastoma. To specifically target this resistance mechanism, we applied the selective HSF1 inhibitor KRIBB11 and the HSP70/BAG3 interaction inhibitor YM-1 in combination with the pan-Bcl-2 inhibitor AT-101. Here, we demonstrate that lentiviral BAG3 silencing significantly enhances AT-101-induced cell death and reactivates effector caspase-mediated apoptosis in U251 glioma cells with high BAG3 expression, whereas these sensitizing effects were less pronounced in U343 cells expressing lower BAG3 levels. KRIBB11 decreased protein levels of HSP70, BAG3, and the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 protein Mcl-1, and both KRIBB11 and YM-1 elicited significantly increased mitochondrial dysfunction, effector caspase activity, and apoptotic cell death after combined treatment with AT-101 and ABT-737. Depletion of BAG3 also led to a pronounced loss of cell-matrix adhesion, FAK phosphorylation, and in vivo tumor growth in an orthotopic mouse glioma model. Furthermore, it reduced the plating efficiency of U251 cells in three-dimensional clonogenic assays and limited clonogenic survival after short-term treatment with AT-101. Collectively, our data suggest that the HSF1/HSP70/BAG3 pathway plays a pivotal role for overexpression of prosurvival Bcl-2 proteins and cell death resistance of glioma. They also support the hypothesis that interference with BAG3 function is an effective novel approach to prime glioma cells to anoikis. Mol Cancer Ther; 16(1); 156-68. ©2016 AACR. ©2016 American Association for Cancer Research.

Multivariate analysis of nystatin and metronidazole in a semi-solid matrix by means of diffuse reflectance NIR spectroscopy and PLS regression.

Science.gov (United States)

Baratieri, Sabrina C; Barbosa, Juliana M; Freitas, Matheus P; Martins, José A

2006-01-23

A multivariate method of analysis of nystatin and metronidazole in a semi-solid matrix, based on diffuse reflectance NIR measurements and partial least squares regression, is reported. The product, a vaginal cream used in the antifungal and antibacterial treatment, is usually, quantitatively analyzed through microbiological tests (nystatin) and HPLC technique (metronidazole), according to pharmacopeial procedures. However, near infrared spectroscopy has demonstrated to be a valuable tool for content determination, given the rapidity and scope of the method. In the present study, it was successfully applied in the prediction of nystatin (even in low concentrations, ca. 0.3-0.4%, w/w, which is around 100,000 IU/5g) and metronidazole contents, as demonstrated by some figures of merit, namely linearity, precision (mean and repeatability) and accuracy.

Prime Slaughter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Valente, Andrea; Marchetti, Emanuela

2011-01-01

of primality and factorization into playful interactions, addressed to primary and early secondary school children. Taking into account individual needs expressed by children regarding play, during a participatory design processes aimed at enhancing learning in museums, Prime Slaughter allows for multiple...... forms of play and their integration. A simple working prototype has already been developed; it will be tested and re-designed through participatory workshops, involving a group of children in our target group....

Color coherent effects in (e,e{prime}N) and (e,e{prime}N,N(h)) processes at CEBAF

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frankfurt, L.L.; Sargsyan, M.M. [Tel Aviv Univ. (Israel); Strikman, M.I. [Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)]|[St. Petersburg Nuclear Physics Inst. (Russian Federation)

1994-04-01

The options for investigating color coherent effects and competing nuclear effects of nucleon-nucleon correlations in nuclei, nuclear shell effects in (e, e{prime}N) and (e, e{prime}NN(h)) reactions are considered. They argue that extension of CEBAF energies to reach Q{sup 2} = 10 GeV{sup 2} will allow systematical investigations of color coherent effects in nonperturbative regime of QCD and their interplay with nuclear effects.

STEP--a System for Teaching Experimental Psychology using E-Prime.

Science.gov (United States)

MacWhinney, B; St James, J; Schunn, C; Li, P; Schneider, W

2001-05-01

Students in psychology need to learn to design and analyze their own experiments. However, software that allows students to build experiments on their own has been limited in a variety of ways. The shipping of the first full release of the E-Prime system later this year will open up a new opportunity for addressing this problem. Because E-Prime promises to become the standard for building experiments in psychology, it is now possible to construct a Web-based resource that uses E-Prime as the delivery engine for a wide variety of instructional materials. This new system, funded by the National Science Foundation, is called STEP (System for the Teaching of Experimental Psychology). The goal of the STEP Project is to provide instructional materials that will facilitate the use of E-Prime in various learning contexts. We are now compiling a large set of classic experiments implemented in E-Prime and available over the Internet from http://step.psy.cmu.edu. The Web site also distributes instructional materials for building courses in experimental psychology based on E-Prime.

Prime Minister of Pakistan visits CERN

CERN Multimedia

Anaïs Schaeffer

2016-01-01

On Saturday, 23 January 2016, CERN welcomed Mr Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan.   From left to right: Minister of Finance Mr Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, CERN Director-General Fabiola Gianotti and CMS national contact physicist Hafeez Hoorani. Mr Muhammad Nawaz Sharif arrived at Point 5 in Cessy, where he was welcomed onto French soil by the sous-préfet of Cessy, Stéphane Donnot, and, representing CERN, Director-General Fabiola Gianotti, Directors Eckhard Elsen and Charlotte Warakaulle, and Rüdiger Voss, the adviser for relations with Pakistan. It was the first visit by a head of government of Pakistan since the country became CERN's latest Associate Member State in July 2015. The Prime Minister then had the opportunity to visit the CMS underground experimental area accompanied by the CMS Spokesperson, Tiziano Camporesi, and the CMS collaboration’...

Understanding Our Energy Footprint: Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory Investigation of Environmental Impacts of Solid Fossil Fuel Wastes

Science.gov (United States)

Berger, Michael; Goldfarb, Jillian L.

2017-01-01

Engaging undergraduates in the environmental consequences of fossil fuel usage primes them to consider their own anthropogenic impact, and the benefits and trade-offs of converting to renewable fuel strategies. This laboratory activity explores the potential contaminants (both inorganic and organic) present in the raw fuel and solid waste…

PrimeFaces blueprints

CERN Document Server

Jonna, Sudheer

2014-01-01

If you are a Java developer with experience of frontend UI development, and want to take the plunge to develop stunning UI applications with the most popular JSF framework, PrimeFaces, then this book is for you. For those with entrepreneurial aspirations, this book will provide valuable insights into how to utilize successful business models.

Neural correlates of cross-domain affective priming.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qin; Li, Xiaohua; Gold, Brian T; Jiang, Yang

2010-05-06

The affective priming effect has mostly been studied using reaction time (RT) measures; however, the neural bases of affective priming are not well established. To understand the neural correlates of cross-domain emotional stimuli presented rapidly, we obtained event-related potential (ERP) measures during an affective priming task using short SOA (stimulus onset asynchrony) conditions. Two sets of 480 picture-word pairs were presented at SOAs of either 150ms or 250ms between prime and target stimuli. Participants decided whether the valence of each target word was pleasant or unpleasant. Behavioral results from both SOA conditions were consistent with previous reports of affective priming, with longer RTs for incongruent than congruent pairs at SOAs of 150ms (771 vs. 738ms) and 250ms (765 vs. 720ms). ERP results revealed that the N400 effect (associated with incongruent pairs in affective processing) occurred at anterior scalp regions at an SOA of 150ms, and this effect was only observed for negative target words across the scalp at an SOA of 250ms. In contrast, late positive potentials (LPPs) (associated with attentional resource allocation) occurred across the scalp at an SOA of 250ms. LPPs were only observed for positive target words at posterior parts of the brain at an SOA of 150ms. Our finding of ERP signatures at very short SOAs provides the first neural evidence that affective pictures can exert an automatic influence on the evaluation of affective target words. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The set of prime numbers: Multiscale analysis and numeric accelerators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iovane, Gerardo

2009-01-01

In this work, we show that the prime numbers follow a multiscale distribution. Indeed they can be classified thanks to tree structures, which are expressed in terms of two maximal subsets of N and using multilayer selection rules, acting on these sets of prime candidates. Consequently, the prime numbers follow a specific deterministic rules. Indeed, a numeric accelerator for generating primes can be realized in terms of the above mentioned specific rules. From the comparison with the Fibonacci numbers a beautiful harmony comes in terms of the Golden Mean which is relevant to high energy physics and E-Infinity theory too.

Ovation Prime Real-Time

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Ovation Prime Real-Time (OPRT) product is a real-time forecast and nowcast model of auroral power and is an operational implementation of the work by Newell et...

Matrix removal in state of the art sample preparation methods for serum by charged aerosol detection and metabolomics-based LC-MS.

Science.gov (United States)

Schimek, Denise; Francesconi, Kevin A; Mautner, Anton; Libiseller, Gunnar; Raml, Reingard; Magnes, Christoph

2016-04-07

Investigations into sample preparation procedures usually focus on analyte recovery with no information provided about the fate of other components of the sample (matrix). For many analyses, however, and particularly those using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), quantitative measurements are greatly influenced by sample matrix. Using the example of the drug amitriptyline and three of its metabolites in serum, we performed a comprehensive investigation of nine commonly used sample clean-up procedures in terms of their suitability for preparing serum samples. We were monitoring the undesired matrix compounds using a combination of charged aerosol detection (CAD), LC-CAD, and a metabolomics-based LC-MS/MS approach. In this way, we compared analyte recovery of protein precipitation-, liquid-liquid-, solid-phase- and hybrid solid-phase extraction methods. Although all methods provided acceptable recoveries, the highest recovery was obtained by protein precipitation with acetonitrile/formic acid (amitriptyline 113%, nortriptyline 92%, 10-hydroxyamitriptyline 89%, and amitriptyline N-oxide 96%). The quantification of matrix removal by LC-CAD showed that the solid phase extraction method (SPE) provided the lowest remaining matrix load (48-123 μg mL(-1)), which is a 10-40 fold better matrix clean-up than the precipitation- or hybrid solid phase extraction methods. The metabolomics profiles of eleven compound classes, comprising 70 matrix compounds showed the trends of compound class removal for each sample preparation strategy. The collective data set of analyte recovery, matrix removal and matrix compound profile was used to assess the effectiveness of each sample preparation method. The best performance in matrix clean-up and practical handling of small sample volumes was showed by the SPE techniques, particularly HLB SPE. CAD proved to be an effective tool for revealing the considerable differences between the sample preparation methods. This detector can

Effects of polyurethane matrices on fungal tannase and gallic acid production under solid state culture

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2007-01-01

The influence of the physical structure of polyurethane matrix as a support in a solid state culture in tannase production and gallic acid accumulation by Aspergillus niger Aa-20 was evaluated. Three different polyurethane matrices were used as the support: continuous, semi-discontinuous and discontinuous. The highest tannase production at 2479.59 U/L during the first 12 h of culture was obtained using the discontinuous matrix. The gallic acid was accumulated at 7.64 g/L at the discontinuous matrix. The results show that the discontinuous matrix of polyurethane is better for tannase production and gallic acid accumulation in a solid state culture bioprocess than the continuous and semi-discontinuous matrices.

Priming of disability and elderly stereotype in motor performance: similar or specific effects?

Science.gov (United States)

Ginsberg, Frederik; Rohmer, Odile; Louvet, Eva

2012-04-01

In three experimental studies, the effects of priming participants with the disability stereotype were investigated with respect to their subsequent motor performance. Also explored were effects of activating two similar stereotypes, persons with a disability and elderly people. In Study 1, participants were primed with the disability stereotype versus with a neutral prime, and then asked to perform on a motor coordination task. In Studies 2 and 3, a third condition was introduced: priming participants with the elderly stereotype. Results indicated that priming participants with the disability stereotype altered their motor performance: they showed decreased manual dexterity and performed slower than the non-primed participants. Priming with the elderly stereotype decreased only performance speed. These findings underline that prime-to-behavior effects may depend on activation of specific stereotype content.

A solid state actuator based on polypyrrole (PPy) and a solid electrolyte NBR working in air

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Misuk; Nam, Jaedo; Choi, Hyouk Ryeol; Koo, Jachoon; Lee, Youngkwan

2005-05-01

The solid polymer electrolyte based conducting polymer actuator was presented. In the preparation of acutuator module, an ionic liquid impregnated a synthetic rubber (NBR) and PPy were used as a solid polymer electrolyte and conducting polymer, respectively. An ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis (trifluoromethyl sulfonyl)imide (BMITFSI) is gradually dispersed into the NBR film and the conducting polymer, PPy was synthesized on the surface of NBR. The ionic conductivity of new type solid polymer electrolyte as a function of the immersion time was investigated. The cyclic voltammetry responsed and the redox switching dynamics of PEDOT in NBR matrix were studied. The displacement of the actuator was measured by laser beam.

Target Categorization with Primes that Vary in Both Congruency and Sense Modality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kathryn eWeatherford

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In two experiments we examined conceptual priming within and across sense modalities by varying the modality (picture and environmental sounds and the category congruency of prime-target pairs. Both experiments used a repetition priming paradigm, but Experiment 1 studied priming effects with a task that required a superordinate categorization response (man-made or natural, while Experiment 2 used a lower-level category response (musical instruments or animal: one that was more closely associated with the basic level of the semantic network. Results from Experiment 1 showed a strong effect of target modality and two distinct patterns of conceptual priming effects with picture and environmental sound targets. However, no priming advantage was found when congruent and incongruent primes were compared. Results from Experiment 2, found congruency effects that were specific to environmental sound targets when preceded by picture primes. The findings provide support for the intermodal event file and multisensory framework, and suggest that auditory and visual features about a single item in a conceptual category may be more tightly connected than two different items from the same category.

Rapid Detection and Identification of Candidemia by Direct Blood Culturing on Solid Medium by Use of Lysis-Centrifugation Method Combined with Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization–Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS)

Science.gov (United States)

Idelevich, Evgeny A.; Grünastel, Barbara

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Candida sepsis is a life-threatening condition with increasing prevalence. In this study, direct blood culturing on solid medium using a lysis-centrifugation procedure enabled successful Candida species identification by matrix-assisted laser desorption–ionization time of flight mass spectrometry on average 3.8 h (Sabouraud agar) or 7.4 h (chocolate agar) before the positivity signal for control samples in Bactec mycosis-IC/F or Bactec Plus aerobic/F bottles, respectively. Direct culturing on solid medium accelerated candidemia diagnostics compared to that with automated broth-based systems. PMID:27795344

Rapid Detection and Identification of Candidemia by Direct Blood Culturing on Solid Medium by Use of Lysis-Centrifugation Method Combined with Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS).

Science.gov (United States)

Idelevich, Evgeny A; Grünastel, Barbara; Becker, Karsten

2017-01-01

Candida sepsis is a life-threatening condition with increasing prevalence. In this study, direct blood culturing on solid medium using a lysis-centrifugation procedure enabled successful Candida species identification by matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time of flight mass spectrometry on average 3.8 h (Sabouraud agar) or 7.4 h (chocolate agar) before the positivity signal for control samples in Bactec mycosis-IC/F or Bactec Plus aerobic/F bottles, respectively. Direct culturing on solid medium accelerated candidemia diagnostics compared to that with automated broth-based systems. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Microbiology.

Colorimetry and prime colours--a theorem.

Science.gov (United States)

Hornaes, Hans Petter; Wold, Jan Henrik; Farup, Ivar

2005-08-01

Human colour vision is the result of a complex process involving topics ranging from physics of light to perception. Whereas the diversity of light entering the eye in principle span an infinite-dimensional vector space in terms of the spectral power distributions, the space of human colour perceptions is three dimensional. One important consequence of this is that a variety of colours can be visually matched by a mixture of only three adequately chosen reference lights. It has been observed that there exists one particular set of monochromatic reference lights that, according to a certain definition, is optimal for producing colour matches. These reference lights are commonly denoted prime colours. In the present paper, we intend to rigorously show that the existence of prime colours is not particular to the human visual system as sometimes stated, but rather an algebraic consequence of the manner in which a kind of colorimetric functions called colour-matching functions are defined and transformed. The solution is based on maximisation of a determinant determining the gamut size of the colour space spanned by the prime colours. Cramer's rule for solving a set of linear equations is an essential part of the proof. By means of examples, it is shown that mathematically the optimal set of reference lights is not unique in general, and that the existence of a maximum determinant is not a necessary condition for the existence of prime colours.

Technology of stable, prolonged-release eye-drops containing Cyclosporine A, distributed between lipid matrix and surface of the solid lipid microspheres (SLM).

Science.gov (United States)

Wolska, Eliza; Sznitowska, Małgorzata

2013-01-30

The aim of this study was to prepare solid lipid microspheres (SLM) with incorporated Cyclosporine A (Cs), suitable for ocular application. For this purpose, SLM were formulated by using different lipids and three different nonionic surfactants. The SLM were produced using a hot emulsification method. The SLM dispersions contained 10, 20 or 30% of lipid (w/w) and up to 2% (w/w) of Cs. The size of the microspheres with Cs ranged from 1 to 15 μm. Physically stable SLM with Cs were prepared using Compritol, as a lipid matrix, and Tween 80, as a surfactant. In contrast, dispersion with Precirol alone, formed semi-solid gels during storage, while in formulations with Precirol and Miglyol, crystals of Cs were observed. In vitro release profile of Compritol formulations showed that 40% of Cs is released within 1h, while the release of the following 40% takes more time, depending on lipid content in the formulations. The large part of Cs, added to SLM formulations (from 45 to 80%), was found on the surface of microparticles, but no drug crystallization occurred during a long-term storage. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Making sense of the Sense Model: translation priming with Japanese-English bilinguals

OpenAIRE

Allen, David; Conklin, Kathy; Van Heuven, Walter J.B.

2015-01-01

Many studies have reported that first language (L1) translation primes speed responses to second language (L2) targets, whereas L2 translation primes generally do not speed up responses to L1 targets in lexical decision. According to the Sense Model (Finkbeiner, Forster, Nicol & Nakamura, 2004) this asymmetry is due to the proportion of senses activated by the prime. Because L2 primes activate only a subset of the L1 translations senses, priming is not observed. In this study we test the pred...

Withania somnifera Root Extract Enhances Chemotherapy through 'Priming'.

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Aine Brigette Henley

Full Text Available Withania somnifera extracts are known for their anti-cancerous, anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties. One of their mechanisms of actions is to modulate mitochondrial function through increasing oxidative stress. Recently 'priming' has been suggested as a potential mechanism for enhancing cancer cell death. In this study we demonstrate that 'priming', in HT-29 colon cells, with W. somnifera root extract increased the potency of the chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin. We have also showed the W. somnifera root extract enhanced mitochondrial dysfunction and that the underlying mechanism of 'priming' was selectively through increased ROS. Moreover, we showed that this effect was not seen in non-cancerous cells.

CROSS-TOLERANCE MECHANISM INDUCTION IN MELON SEEDS BY PRIMING PRIOR DRYING

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Jean Marcel Sousa Lira

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The loss of benefits after re-drying is one of the drawbacks of the seed priming technique. Different types of stresses have been used before re-drying to preserve the priming benefits. This process may be seen as promoting cross tolerance to increase the defense mechanisms that prevent loss of viability in seeds primed after drying. We tested the effect of some stresses to induce cross-tolerance and different drying conditions with the aim of maintaining priming benefits in melon seeds. The seeds were primed in an aerated KNO3 solution (0.35M, -1.7MPa, 25 °C, in the dark for six days. The primed seeds were then submitted to slow drying, fast drying, cold shock + slow drying, cold shock + fast drying, heat shock + slow drying, heat shock + fast drying, PEG + slow drying, PEG + fast drying, ABA + slow drying, ABA + fast drying and no drying (planted directly after priming. We evaluated antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, CAT and APX, germinability, mean time of germination (MTG and mean rate of germination (MRG. A completely randomized design was used with three repetitions of 50 seeds in each treatment. Data were analyzed by ANOVA and means were compared by the Scott-Knott test (p ≤ 0.05. ABA increased SOD activity after drying and CAT activity was reduced by priming. APX activity was not observed. The stress submission prior to re-drying improved the MRG and reduced MTG. Therefore, the induction of the cross-tolerance mechanism could be effective to maintain priming benefits in melon seeds.

Conscious, but not unconscious, logo priming of brands and related words.

Science.gov (United States)

Brintazzoli, Gigliola; Soetens, Eric; Deroost, Natacha; Van den Bussche, Eva

2012-06-01

This study assessed whether real-life stimulus material can elicit conscious and unconscious priming. A typical masked priming paradigm was used, with brand logo primes. We used a rigorous method to assess participants' awareness of the subliminal information. Our results show that shortly presented and masked brand logos (e.g., logo of McDonald's) have the power to prime their brand names (e.g., "McDonald's") and, remarkably, words associated to the brand (e.g., "hamburger"). However, this only occurred when the logos could be categorized clearly above the consciousness threshold. Once the primes were presented close to the consciousness threshold, no subliminal influences on behavior were observed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mechanocatalytic polymerization and cross-linking in a polymeric matrix

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jakobs, R.T.M.; Ma, Shuang; Sijbesma, R.P.

2013-01-01

A latent olefin metathesis catalyst, bearing two polymeric NHC ligands, was embedded in a semicrystalline polymer matrix containing cyclic olefins. The catalyst was activated by straining the solid material under compression, resulting in polymerization and cross-linking reactions of the monomers in

On prime ideals and associated spectrum of BCK-algebras

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahsan, J.; Thaheem, A.B.; Deeba, E.Y.

1989-07-01

In this paper we study prime ideals and define the spectrum of a bounded commutative BCK-algebra. We also obtain a characterization of minimal prime (lattice) ideals of these algebras. (author). 8 refs, 4 tabs

C3-dependent mechanism of microglial priming relevant to multiple sclerosis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ramaglia, Valeria; Hughes, Timothy R.; Donev, Rossen M.; Ruseva, Marieta M.; Wu, Xiaobo; Huitinga, Inge; Baas, Frank; Neal, James W.; Morgan, B. Paul

2012-01-01

Microglial priming predisposes the brain to neurodegeneration and affects disease progression. The signal to switch from the quiescent to the primed state is unknown. We show that deleting the C3 convertase regulator complement receptor 1-related protein y (Crry) induces microglial priming. Mice

Inflammasome priming is similar for francisella species that differentially induce inflammasome activation.

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Mohammed G Ghonime

Full Text Available Inflammasome activation is a two-step process where step one, priming, prepares the inflammasome for its subsequent activation, by step two. Classically step one can be induced by LPS priming followed by step two, high dose ATP. Furthermore, when IL-18 processing is used as the inflammasome readout, priming occurs before new protein synthesis. In this context, how intracellular pathogens such as Francisella activate the inflammasome is incompletely understood, particularly regarding the relative importance of priming versus activation steps. To better understand these events we compared Francisella strains that differ in virulence and ability to induce inflammasome activation for their relative effects on step one vs. step two. When using the rapid priming model, i.e., 30 min priming by live or heat killed Francisella strains (step 1, followed by ATP (step 2, we found no difference in IL-18 release, p20 caspase-1 release and ASC oligomerization between Francisella strains (F. novicida, F. holarctica -LVS and F. tularensis Schu S4. This priming is fast, independent of bacteria viability, internalization and phagosome escape, but requires TLR2-mediated ERK phosphorylation. In contrast to their efficient priming capacity, Francisella strains LVS and Schu S4 were impaired in inflammasome triggering compared to F. novicida. Thus, observed differences in inflammasome activation by F. novicida, LVS and Schu S4 depend not on differences in priming but rather on their propensity to trigger the primed inflammasome.

Priming involuntary autobiographical memories in the lab

OpenAIRE

Barzykowski, Krystian; Niedźwieńska, Agnieszka

2018-01-01

Involuntary autobiographical memories (IAMs) are recollections of personal past that frequently and spontaneously occur in daily life. Initial studies by Mace. Priming involuntary autobiographical memories. Showed that deliberately reminiscing about a certain lifetime period (e.g., high school) significantly increased the number of different IAMs from the same period in subsequent days, suggesting that priming may play a significant role in the retrieval of IAMs in everyday life. In the prese...

How visual working memory contents influence priming of visual attention.

Science.gov (United States)

Carlisle, Nancy B; Kristjánsson, Árni

2017-04-12

Recent evidence shows that when the contents of visual working memory overlap with targets and distractors in a pop-out search task, intertrial priming is inhibited (Kristjánsson, Sævarsson & Driver, Psychon Bull Rev 20(3):514-521, 2013, Experiment 2, Psychonomic Bulletin and Review). This may reflect an interesting interaction between implicit short-term memory-thought to underlie intertrial priming-and explicit visual working memory. Evidence from a non-pop-out search task suggests that it may specifically be holding distractors in visual working memory that disrupts intertrial priming (Cunningham & Egeth, Psychol Sci 27(4):476-485, 2016, Experiment 2, Psychological Science). We examined whether the inhibition of priming depends on whether feature values in visual working memory overlap with targets or distractors in the pop-out search, and we found that the inhibition of priming resulted from holding distractors in visual working memory. These results are consistent with separate mechanisms of target and distractor effects in intertrial priming, and support the notion that the impact of implicit short-term memory and explicit visual working memory can interact when each provides conflicting attentional signals.

Comparison of the irradiation effects on swelling and microstructure in commercial alloy A-286 and a simple Fe--25 Ni--15Cr gamma prime hardened alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chickering, R.W.; Bajaj, R.; Lally, J.S.

1977-01-01

The irradiation behaviors of alloy A-286 as well as experimental gamma prime hardened alloys are being studied in the National Alloy Development Program for application of gamma prime hardened alloys in the liquid metal fast breeder reactor. The principal direction of the studies concerns the high temperature strength and swelling resistance of the alloys. Minor element compositions may affect the phase stability and void swelling. A high Ti to Al ratio indicates a tendency for the gamma prime Ni 3 (Ti,Al) to transform into eta phase (Ni 3 Ti) after long term thermal aging and irradiation enhances the tendency for transformation. Another minor element, Si, as a constituent of G-phase, and irradiation may enhance G-phase formation. The Ti, Al, and Si contents affect the swelling of Fe-Cr-Ni alloys. The swelling resistance generally increases with increasing amounts of these three elements in the matrix. In the study the effects of Ti to Al ratio, Ti content, Al content, and Si content on swelling and phase stability were analyzed after Ni-ion irradiation

A proof of the conjecture on the twin primes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zuo-ling, Zhou [Department of Lingnan college, Sun Yat-sen University GuangZhou, GuangDong, 510275 (China)

2016-06-08

In this short note, we have proved the conjecture on twin primes using some thoughts of the set theory. Firstly, using the original sieve method and a new notation(concept)introduced by myself, the conjecture on twin primes is summed up as an elementary successive limit, afterwards we form a subsequence of positive integers,and using it,we prove that the successive limits are commutative and complete the proof of the conjecture on twin primes We also give a more straightforward proof of the conjecture.

Aggressive priming online: Facebook adverts can prime aggressive cognitions

OpenAIRE

Buchanan, Tom

2015-01-01

Through the process of priming, incidental stimuli in our environments can influence our thoughts, feelings and behavior. This may be true of incidental stimuli in online environments, such as adverts on websites. Two experiments (N=325, N=331) showed that the mere presence of advertisements with violent content on a simulated Facebook page induced higher levels of aggression-related cognition in comparison to non-violent adverts (d=0.56 , d=0.71). In a subsequent word recognition task, parti...

Application of Boston matrix combined with SWOT analysis on operational development and evaluations of hospital development.

Science.gov (United States)

Tao, Z-Q; Shi, A-M

2016-05-01

The aim of this study is to explore the application of Boston matrix combined with SWOT analysis on operational development and evaluations of hospital departments. We selected 73 clinical and medical technology departments of our hospital from 2011 to 2013, and evaluated our hospital by Boston matrix combined with SWOT analysis according to the volume of services, medical quality, work efficiency, patients' evaluations, development capacity, operational capability, economic benefits, comprehensive evaluation of hospital achievement, innovation ability of hospital, influence of hospital, human resources of hospital, health insurance costs, etc. It was found that among clinical departments, there were 11 in Stars (22.4%), 17 in cash cow (34.7%), 15 in question marks (31.2%), 6 Dogs (12.2%), 16 in the youth stage of life cycle assessment (27.6%), 14 in the prime stage (24.1%), 12 in the stationary stage (20.7%), 9 in the aristocracy stage (15.5%) and 7 in the recession stage (12.1%). Among medical technology departments, there were 5 in Stars (20.8%), 1 in Cash cow (4.2%), 10 in question marks (41.6%), 8 Dogs (29.1%), 9 in the youth stage of life cycle assessment (37.5%), 4 in the prime stage (16.7%), 4 in the stable stage (16.7%), 1 in the aristocracy stage (4.2%) and 6 in the recession stage (25%). In conclusion, Boston matrix combined with SWOT analysis is suitable for operational development and comprehensive evaluations of hospital development, and it plays an important role in providing hospitals with development strategies.

Antifouling booster biocide extraction from marine sediments: a fast and simple method based on vortex-assisted matrix solid-phase extraction.

Science.gov (United States)

Caldas, Sergiane Souza; Soares, Bruno Meira; Abreu, Fiamma; Castro, Ítalo Braga; Fillmann, Gilberto; Primel, Ednei Gilberto

2018-03-01

This paper reports the development of an analytical method employing vortex-assisted matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) for the extraction of diuron, Irgarol 1051, TCMTB (2-thiocyanomethylthiobenzothiazole), DCOIT (4,5-dichloro-2-n-octyl-3-(2H)-isothiazolin-3-one), and dichlofluanid from sediment samples. Separation and determination were performed by liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry. Important MSPD parameters, such as sample mass, mass of C18, and type and volume of extraction solvent, were investigated by response surface methodology. Quantitative recoveries were obtained with 2.0 g of sediment sample, 0.25 g of C18 as the solid support, and 10 mL of methanol as the extraction solvent. The MSPD method was suitable for the extraction and determination of antifouling biocides in sediment samples, with recoveries between 61 and 103% and a relative standard deviation lower than 19%. Limits of quantification between 0.5 and 5 ng g -1 were obtained. Vortex-assisted MPSD was shown to be fast and easy to use, with the advantages of low cost and reduced solvent consumption compared to the commonly employed techniques for the extraction of booster biocides from sediment samples. Finally, the developed method was applied to real samples. Results revealed that the developed extraction method is effective and simple, thus allowing the determination of biocides in sediment samples.

Seed Priming to Overcome Salinity Stress in Persian Cultivars of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.

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Ali SEPEHRI

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In order to investigate the effect of hydro-priming on seed germination with distilled water on germination of five Alfalfa cultivars under salinity stress, an experiment was conducted as a factorial experiment based on a completely randomized design with three replications. Seven levels of hydro-priming and salinity of NaCl including prime and non-salinity, prime and 50 mM salinity, prime and 100 mM salinity, prime and 150 mM salinity, prime and 200 mM salinity, prime and 250 mM salinity and without prime and salinity and five alfalfa varieties, including ‘Hamedani’, ‘Isfahani’, ‘Bami’, ‘Yazdi’ and ‘Ghareh Yonjeh’ were used. The results showed that the main effect of prime, salinity and cultivars and their interaction in all studied traits were significantly affected at the 5% probability level. Priming treatments in non-salinity of all cultivars were the highest. In all cultivars, final germination percentage, length and weight of radicle, plumule and seedling, germination rate and time, relative radicle elongation, vigor index and stress index, were significantly improved in response to priming in salinity levels of 50-200 mM, compared to control. Radicle produced higher length and weight than the plumule in hydro- priming and salinity treatments. ‘Hamedani’ cultivar in most of studied characteristics had a better response than others. The lowest response to salinity stress and priming was observed in ‘Yazdi’ cultivar.

Targeting ROCK activity to disrupt and prime pancreatic cancer for chemotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Vennin, Claire; Rath, Nicola; Pajic, Marina; Olson, Michael F; Timpson, Paul

2017-10-03

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a devastating disease; the identification of novel targets and development of effective treatment strategies are urgently needed to improve patient outcomes. Remodeling of the pancreatic stroma occurs during PDAC development, which drives disease progression and impairs responses to therapy. The actomyosin regulatory ROCK1 and ROCK2 kinases govern cell motility and contractility, and have been suggested to be potential targets for cancer therapy, particularly to reduce the metastatic spread of tumor cells. However, ROCK inhibitors are not currently used for cancer patient treatment, largely due to the overwhelming challenge faced in the development of anti-metastatic drugs, and a lack of clarity as to the cancer types most likely to benefit from ROCK inhibitor therapy. In 2 recent publications, we discovered that ROCK1 and ROCK2 expression were increased in PDAC, and that increased ROCK activity was associated with reduced survival and PDAC progression by enabling extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling and invasive growth of pancreatic cancer cells. We also used intravital imaging to optimize ROCK inhibition using the pharmacological ROCK inhibitor fasudil (HA-1077), and demonstrated that short-term ROCK targeting, or 'priming', improved chemotherapy efficacy, disrupted cancer cell collective movement, and impaired metastasis. This body of work strongly indicates that the use of ROCK inhibitors in pancreatic cancer therapy as 'priming' agents warrants further consideration, and provides insights as to how transient mechanical manipulation, or fine-tuning the ECM, rather than chronic stromal ablation might be beneficial for improving chemotherapeutic efficacy in the treatment of this deadly disease.

Sensing dissolved sediment porewater concentrations of persistent and bioaccumulative poolutants using disposable solid-phase microextraction fibers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mayer, P.; Vaes, W.H.J.; Wijnker, F.; Legierse, K.C.H.M.; Kraaij, R.H.; Tolls, J.; Hermens, J.L.M.

2000-01-01

Polymer coated glass fibers were applied as disposable samplers to measure dissolved concentrations of persistent and bioaccumulative pollutants (PBPs) in sediment porewater. The method is called matrix solid-phase microextraction (matrix-SPME), because it utilizes the entire sediment matrix as a

Multi-targeted priming for genome-wide gene expression assays

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Adomas Aleksandra B

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Complementary approaches to assaying global gene expression are needed to assess gene expression in regions that are poorly assayed by current methodologies. A key component of nearly all gene expression assays is the reverse transcription of transcribed sequences that has traditionally been performed by priming the poly-A tails on many of the transcribed genes in eukaryotes with oligo-dT, or by priming RNA indiscriminately with random hexamers. We designed an algorithm to find common sequence motifs that were present within most protein-coding genes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and of Neurospora crassa, but that were not present within their ribosomal RNA or transfer RNA genes. We then experimentally tested whether degenerately priming these motifs with multi-targeted primers improved the accuracy and completeness of transcriptomic assays. Results We discovered two multi-targeted primers that would prime a preponderance of genes in the genomes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Neurospora crassa while avoiding priming ribosomal RNA or transfer RNA. Examining the response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to nitrogen deficiency and profiling Neurospora crassa early sexual development, we demonstrated that using multi-targeted primers in reverse transcription led to superior performance of microarray profiling and next-generation RNA tag sequencing. Priming with multi-targeted primers in addition to oligo-dT resulted in higher sensitivity, a larger number of well-measured genes and greater power to detect differences in gene expression. Conclusions Our results provide the most complete and detailed expression profiles of the yeast nitrogen starvation response and N. crassa early sexual development to date. Furthermore, our multi-targeting priming methodology for genome-wide gene expression assays provides selective targeting of multiple sequences and counter-selection against undesirable sequences, facilitating a more complete and

Conceptual and non-conceptual repetition priming in category exemplar generation: Evidence from bilinguals.

Science.gov (United States)

Francis, Wendy S; Fernandez, Norma P; Bjork, Robert A

2010-10-01

One measure of conceptual implicit memory is repetition priming in the generation of exemplars from a semantic category, but does such priming transfer across languages? That is, do the overlapping conceptual representations for translation equivalents provide a sufficient basis for such priming? In Experiment 1 (N=96) participants carried out a deep encoding task, and priming between languages was statistically reliable, but attenuated, relative to within-language priming. Experiment 2 (N=96) replicated the findings of Experiment 1 and assessed the contributions of conceptual and non-conceptual processes using a levels-of-processing manipulation. Words that underwent shallow encoding exhibited within-language, but not between-language, priming. Priming in shallow conditions cannot therefore be explained by incidental activation of the concept. Instead, part of the within-language priming effect, even under deep-encoding conditions, is due to increased availability of language-specific lemmas or phonological word forms.

Radiation induced homogeneous precipitation in undersaturated solid-solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cauvin, Richard; Martin, Georges.

1978-01-01

The stability of various types of solid solutions under irradiation is studied. In this paper, observations made on AlZn solid solutions under 1 MeV electron irradiation are reported. Al-Zn was chosen as a prototype of solid solutions with a simple miscibility gap. It is shown that under appropriate irradiation conditions undersaturated AnZn solid solutions give rise to a homogeneous precipitation of coherent G.P. zones and of incoherent Zn precipitates the atomic volume of which is smaller than that of the matrix. We propose a more general treatment of solute concentration heterogeneities in solid solutions under irradiation and suggest how it might account for the nucleation of the observed phases. The growth of the observed precipitates is studied

Physiological and biochemical mechanisms of seed priming-induced chilling tolerance in rice cultivars

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Saddam eHussain

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Rice belongs to tropical and subtropical environments and is extremely sensitive to chilling stress particularly during emergence and early stages of seedling development. Seed priming can be a good approach to enhance rice germination and stand establishment under chilling stress. The present study examined the role of different seed priming techniques viz., hydropriming, osmopriming, redox priming, chemical priming, and hormonal priming, in enhancing the chilling tolerance in rice. The most effective reagents and their pre-optimized concentrations based on preliminary experiments were used in this study. Two different rice cultivars were sown under chilling stress (18˚C and normal temperatures (28˚C in separate growth chambers. A non-primed control treatment was also maintained for comparison. Chilling stress caused erratic and delayed germination, poor seedling growth, reduced starch metabolism and lower respiration rate, while higher lipid peroxidation and hydrogen peroxide accumulation in rice seedlings of both cultivars. Nevertheless, all the seed priming treatments effectively alleviated the negative effects of chilling stress. In addition, seed priming treatments triggered the activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase, and enhanced the accumulations of glutathione and free proline in rice seedlings, which suggests that these measures help prevent the rice seedlings from chilling induced oxidative stress. Chemical priming with selenium and hormonal priming with salicylic acid remained more effective treatments for both rice cultivars under chilling stress than all other priming treatments. The better performance and greater tolerance of primed rice seedlings was associated with enhanced starch metabolism, high respiration rate, lower lipid peroxidation, and strong antioxidative defense system under chilling stress.

Cavitation instabilities between fibres in a metal matrix composite

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tvergaard, Viggo

2016-01-01

induced by bonding to the ceramics that only show elastic deformation. In an MMC the stress state in the metal matrix is highly non-uniform, varying between regions where shear stresses are dominant and regions where hydrostatic tension is strong. An Al–SiC whisker composite with a periodic pattern......Short fibre reinforced metal matrix composites (MMC) are studied here to investigate the possibility that a cavitation instability can develop in the metal matrix. The high stress levels needed for a cavitation instability may occur in metal–ceramic systems due to the constraint on plastic flow...... of transversely staggered fibres is here modelled by using an axisymmetric cell model analysis. First the critical stress level is determined for a cavitation instability in an infinite solid made of the Al matrix material. By studying composites with different distributions and aspect ratios of the fibres...

On the last digits of consecutive primes

OpenAIRE

Holt, Fred B.

2016-01-01

Recently Oliver and Soundararajan made conjectures based on computational enumerations about the frequency of occurrence of pairs of last digits for consecutive primes. By studying Eratosthenes sieve, we have identified discrete dynamic systems that exactly model the populations of gaps across stages of Eratosthenes sieve. Our models provide some insight into the observed biases in the occurrences of last digits in consecutive primes, and the models suggest that the biases will ultimately be ...

A note on the countable union of prime submodules

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M. R. Pournaki

2001-01-01

Full Text Available Let M be a finitely-generated module over a Noetherian ring R. Suppose is an ideal of R and let N=M and =Ann(M/N. If ⫅J(R, M is complete with respect to the -adic topology, {Pi}i≥1 is a countable family of prime submodules of M, and x∈M, then x+N⫅∪i≥1Pi implies that x+N⫅Pj for some i≥1. This extends a theorem of Sharp and Vámos concerning prime ideals to prime submodules.

Physiological quality and seed respiration of primed Jatropha curcas seeds

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Micheli Angelica Horbach

2017-11-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Seed deterioration is a natural and irreversible process. Nevertheless, seed priming with water and antioxidants can minimize oxidative damage in oilseeds, resulting in attenuation of seed deterioration. The objective of this assay was to evaluate seed priming on respiratory activity of Jatropha curcas submitted to accelerated aging. Seeds from two provenances (Janauba and Pedro J. Caballero were submitted to three priming treatments (control, immersion in deionized water, and with 750 µmol L-1 of ascorbic acid and treated for accelerated aging at 41 °C for 72 h. The results showed that the priming of J. curcas seeds promoted tolerance to accelerated aging. Primed seeds, with ascorbic acid from Janauba and deionized water from Pedro J. Caballero, resulted in a higher percentage of normal seedlings, and increased germination speed index and seed respiration. The decline of physiological quality of J. curcas seeds after accelerated aging is directly associated with a reduction in respiratory activity that is related to seed moisture content.

Micro-matrix solid-phase dispersion coupled with MEEKC for quantitative analysis of lignans in Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus using molecular sieve TS-1 as a sorbent.

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Chu; Wei, Mengmeng; Wang, Shan; Zheng, Liqiong; He, Zheng; Cao, Jun; Yan, Jizhong

2017-09-15

A simple and effective method was developed for determining lignans in Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus by using a micro-matrix solid phase dispersion (MSPD) technique coupled with microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC). Molecular sieve, TS-1, was applied as a solid supporting material in micro MSPD extraction for the first time. Parameters that affect extraction efficiency, such as type of dispersant, mass ratio of the sample to the dispersant, grinding time, elution solvent and volume were optimized. The optimal extraction conditions involve dispersing 25mg of powdered Schisandrae samples with 50mg of TS-1 by a mortar and pestle. A grinding time of 150s was adopted. The blend was then transferred to a solid-phase extraction cartridge and the target analytes were eluted with 500μL of methanol. Moreover, several parameters affecting MEEKC separation were studied, including the type of oil, SDS concentration, type and concentration of cosurfactant, and concentration of organic modifier. A satisfactory linearity (R>0.9998) was obtained, and the calculated limits of quantitation were less than 2.77μg/mL. Finally, the micro MSPD-MEEKC method was successfully applied to the analysis of lignans in complex Schisandrae fructus samples. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Priming patient safety: A middle-range theory of safety goal priming via safety culture communication.

Science.gov (United States)

Groves, Patricia S; Bunch, Jacinda L

2018-05-18

The aim of this paper is discussion of a new middle-range theory of patient safety goal priming via safety culture communication. Bedside nurses are key to safe care, but there is little theory about how organizations can influence nursing behavior through safety culture to improve patient safety outcomes. We theorize patient safety goal priming via safety culture communication may support organizations in this endeavor. According to this theory, hospital safety culture communication activates a previously held patient safety goal and increases the perceived value of actions nurses can take to achieve that goal. Nurses subsequently prioritize and are motivated to perform tasks and risk assessment related to achieving patient safety. These efforts continue until nurses mitigate or ameliorate identified risks and hazards during the patient care encounter. Critically, this process requires nurses to have a previously held safety goal associated with a repertoire of appropriate actions. This theory suggests undergraduate educators should foster an outcomes focus emphasizing the connections between nursing interventions and safety outcomes, hospitals should strategically structure patient safety primes into communicative activities, and organizations should support professional development including new skills and the latest evidence supporting nursing practice for patient safety. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The structure of semantic person memory: evidence from semantic priming in person recognition.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiese, Holger

2011-11-01

This paper reviews research on the structure of semantic person memory as examined with semantic priming. In this experimental paradigm, a familiarity decision on a target face or written name is usually faster when it is preceded by a related as compared to an unrelated prime. This effect has been shown to be relatively short lived and susceptible to interfering items. Moreover, semantic priming can cross stimulus domains, such that a written name can prime a target face and vice versa. However, it remains controversial whether representations of people are stored in associative networks based on co-occurrence, or in more abstract semantic categories. In line with prominent cognitive models of face recognition, which explain semantic priming by shared semantic information between prime and target, recent research demonstrated that priming could be obtained from purely categorically related, non-associated prime/target pairs. Although strategic processes, such as expectancy and retrospective matching likely contribute, there is also evidence for a non-strategic contribution to priming, presumably related to spreading activation. Finally, a semantic priming effect has been demonstrated in the N400 event-related potential (ERP) component, which may reflect facilitated access to semantic information. It is concluded that categorical relatedness is one organizing principle of semantic person memory. ©2011 The British Psychological Society.

Thioredoxin priming prolongs lung allograft survival by promoting immune tolerance.

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Hanbo Hu

Full Text Available Tolerance to allograft antigen is the major challenge and final goal of transplant medicine. Our previous study demonstrated that thioredoxin-1 (Trx priming of donor lung significantly protected allogeneic lung graft. To determine whether Trx priming of donor lung inhibits allograft rejection, extends allograft survival and induces immune tolerance, orthotopic left lung transplantation was performed from Lewis to Sprague-Dawley rats without immunosuppression. Donor lungs were primed with Trx at 4°C for 4 hr prior to transplantation. After up to 37 days post-transplantation, allograft lung morphology, recipient T cell and humoral alloantigen-specific immune responses were examined. We found that Trx-primed lungs exhibited much reduced acute rejection and associated lung injuries resulting in loss of graft functional area at 5-37 days post-transplant in contrast to the control groups. CD4+ T cells from the recipients with Trx-primed grafts responded to the stimulation of dendritic cells (DCs of donor origin, in contrast to DCs from the third party, with significantly reduced proliferation. Consistent with above findings, we observed that CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells in spleen cells from the recipients with Trx-primed grafts were significantly increased compared to controls, and CD4+ T cells from the recipients with Trx-primed grafts produced much higher levels of immunosuppressive cytokine, IL-10 when stimulated with allogeneic donor DCs. In addition, humoral immune tolerance was also induced as there was no significant increase levels of serum antibodies against donor antigens in Trx-lung recipients when re-challenged with allogeneic donor antigens. Our results demonstrate that one-time Trx-priming of donor lung grafts prior to transplantation significantly prolongs the survival of the grafts through inducing or promoting cellular and humoral alloantigen-specific immune tolerance, which might be associated with the induction of

Priming T-cell responses with recombinant measles vaccine vector in a heterologous prime-boost setting in non-human primates.

Science.gov (United States)

Bolton, Diane L; Santra, Sampa; Swett-Tapia, Cindy; Custers, Jerome; Song, Kaimei; Balachandran, Harikrishnan; Mach, Linh; Naim, Hussein; Kozlowski, Pamela A; Lifton, Michelle; Goudsmit, Jaap; Letvin, Norman; Roederer, Mario; Radošević, Katarina

2012-09-07

Licensed live attenuated virus vaccines capable of expressing transgenes from other pathogens have the potential to reduce the number of childhood immunizations by eliciting robust immunity to multiple pathogens simultaneously. Recombinant attenuated measles virus (rMV) derived from the Edmonston Zagreb vaccine strain was engineered to express simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) Gag protein for the purpose of evaluating the immunogenicity of rMV as a vaccine vector in rhesus macaques. rMV-Gag immunization alone elicited robust measles-specific humoral and cellular responses, but failed to elicit transgene (Gag)-specific immune responses, following aerosol or intratracheal/intramuscular delivery. However, when administered as a priming vaccine to a heterologous boost with recombinant adenovirus serotype 5 expressing the same transgene, rMV-Gag significantly enhanced Gag-specific T lymphocyte responses following rAd5 immunization. Gag-specific humoral responses were not enhanced, however, which may be due to either the transgene or the vector. Cellular response priming by rMV against the transgene was highly effective even when using a suboptimal dose of rAd5 for the boost. These data demonstrate feasibility of using rMV as a priming component of heterologous prime-boost vaccine regimens for pathogens requiring strong cellular responses. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Priming with Rocuronium to Accelerate the Onset Time of Cisatracurium During Intubation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shih-Pin Lin

2009-01-01

Conclusion: Priming with rocuronium or cisatracurium for 3 minutes significantly accelerated the onset of cisatracurium. Priming with rocuronium for 3 minutes improved the onset time of cisatracurium even more than priming with cisatracurium itself.

The role of selective attention in perceptual and affective priming

Science.gov (United States)

Stone, M.; Ladd, S. L.; Gabrieli, J. D.

2000-01-01

Two kinds of perceptual priming (word identification and word fragment completion), as well as preference priming (that may rely on special affective mechanisms) were examined after participants either read or named the colors of words and nonwords at study. Participants named the colors of words more slowly than the colors of nonwords, indicating that lexical processing of the words occurred at study. Nonetheless, priming on all three tests was lower after color naming than after reading, despite evidence of lexical processing during color naming shown by slower responses to words than to nonwords. These results indicate that selective attention to (rather than the mere processing of) letter string identity at study is important for subsequent repetition priming.

Fall Colors, 2001-02: Prime Time Diversity Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Parker, McCrae A.; Miller, Patti; Espejo, Eileen; Grossman-Swenson, Sarah

Television is an integral part of American culture, and has the ability to play a major role in shaping belief systems, particularly for the youngest and most impressionable viewers. This study is the third annual study of diversity of characters in prime time television programming. The study examined the first two episodes of each prime time…

IPNS grooved, solid methane moderator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carpenter, J.M.; Schulke, A.W.; Scott, T.L.; Wozniak, D.G.; Benson, B.E.; Leyda, B.D.

1985-01-01

There are two motives for using cold moderators in pulsed neutron sources, to provide higher fluxes of long-wavelength neutrons, and to extend the epithermal range with its short pulse structure to lower energies. For both these purposes solid methane, operated at the lowest possible temperatures, is the best material we know of. Two problems accompany the use of solid methane in high power sources, namely heat transport in view of the low thermal conductivity of solid methane, and deterioration due to radiation damage. We have designed a system suitable to operate in IPNS, subject to nuclear heating of about 25 W, which incorporates an aluminum foam matrix to conduct the heat from within the moderator. We report the results of the first few months' operation and of a few tests that we have performed

Sulforaphane Modifies Histone H3, Unpacks Chromatin, and Primes Defense.

Science.gov (United States)

Schillheim, Britta; Jansen, Irina; Baum, Stephani; Beesley, Alexander; Bolm, Carsten; Conrath, Uwe

2018-03-01

Modern crop production calls for agrochemicals that prime plants for enhanced defense. Reliable test systems for spotting priming-inducing chemistry, however, are rare. We developed an assay for the high-throughput search for compounds that prime microbial pattern-induced secretion of antimicrobial furanocoumarins (phytoalexins) in cultured parsley cells. The screen produced 1-isothiocyanato-4-methylsulfinylbutane (sulforaphane; SFN), a secondary metabolite in many crucifers, as a novel defense priming compound. While elucidating SFN's mode of action in defense priming, we found that in Arabidopsis ( Arabidopsis thaliana ) the isothiocyanate provokes covalent modification (K4me3, K9ac) of histone H3 in the promoter and promoter-proximal region of defense genes WRKY6 and PDF1 2 , but not PR1 SFN-triggered H3K4me3 and H3K9ac coincide with chromatin unpacking in the WRKY6 and PDF1 2 regulatory regions, primed WRKY6 expression, unprimed PDF1 2 activation, and reduced susceptibility to downy mildew disease ( Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis ). Because SFN also directly inhibits H arabidopsidis and other plant pathogens, the isothiocyanate is promising for the development of a plant protectant with a dual mode of action. © 2018 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

An Intersensory Interaction Account of Priming Effects-and Their Absence.

Science.gov (United States)

Klatzky, Roberta L; Creswell, J David

2014-01-01

Psychological researchers have found that exposures to stimuli (primes) can subsequently influence people's behavior by pathways that would seem to be quite remote. For example, people exposed to words associated with older adults may walk more slowly. Recently priming studies, particularly those showing dramatic effects on social behavior, have been under scrutiny because of the unreliability of empirical results. In this article, we shed light on the issue by describing a general model of intersensory interaction, in which two or more sources of information provide an estimate or "bid" on a property of the world, with the perceptual outcome being a weighted combination of the bids. When it is extended by adding bids that stem from memory or inference, the model identifies systematic factors that might undermine priming, including random variation in estimates, contextual influences on memory retrieval and inference, competition among information sources, and cognitive control. These factors are not only explanatory but are predictive of when priming effects can be expected. Our hope is that by promoting the understanding of underlying processes that may explain how primes can influence behavior, the bidding model and the general approach that it represents offer novel insights into the hotly debated area of priming research. © The Author(s) 2013.

Solid dispersion application in pharmaceutical technology: Methods of preparation and characterization

OpenAIRE

Medarević, Đorđe; Ibrić, Svetlana; Đuriš, Jelena; Đurić, Zorica

2013-01-01

A growing number of newly synthesized drugs exhibit low aqueous solubility, leading to poor bioavailability. Therefore, improving drug solubility and dissolution rate became one of the greatest challenges during formulation development. Solid dispersions formulation is one of the commonly investigated techniques for improving solubility of poorly soluble drugs. Solid dispersions are dispersions of one or more drugs in an inert carrier (matrix) in the solid state prepared by melting, solvent, ...

Dynamic analysis of structures with solid-fluid interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nahavandi, A.N.; Pedrido, R.R.; Cloud, R.L.

1977-01-01

This study develops a finite element model for interaction between an elastic solid and fluid medium (flow-induced vibrations in nuclear reactor components). Plane triangular finite elements have been used separately for fluid, solid, and solid-fluid continuua and the equivalent mass, damping, and stiffness matrices and interaction load arrays for all elements are derived and assembled into global matrices. The global matrix differential equation of motion developed is solved in time to obtain the pressure and velocity distributions in the fluid, as well as the displacements in the solid. Two independent computer programs are used to obtain the dynamic solution. The first program is a finite element program developed for solid-fluid interaction studies. This program uses the modal superposition technique in which the eigenvalues and eigenvectors for the system are found and used to uncouple the equations. This approach allows an analytic solution in each integration time step. The second program is WECAN finite element program in which a new element library subroutine for solid-fluid interaction was incorporated. This program can employ a NASTRAN direct integration scheme based on a central difference formula for the acceleration and velocity terms and an implicit representation of the displacement term. This reduces the problem to a matrix equation whose right hand side is updated in every time step and is solved by a variation of the Gaussian elimination method known as the wave front technique. Results have been obtained for the case of water, between two flat elastic parallel plates, initially at rest and accelerated suddenly by applying a step pressure. The results obtained from the above-mentioned two independent finite element programs are in full agreement. This verification provides the confidence needed to initiate parametric studies. Both rigid wall (no solid-fluid interaction) and flexible wall (including solid-fluid interaction) cases were examined

The Particle-Matrix model: limitations and further improvements needed

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cepuritis, Rolands; Jacobsen, Stefan; Spangenberg, Jon

According to the Particle-Matrix Model (PMM) philosophy, the workability of concrete dependson the properties of two phases and the volumetric ratio between them: the fluid matrix phase (≤0.125 mm) and the solid particle phase (> 0.125 mm). The model has been successfully appliedto predict concrete...... workability for different types of concrete, but has also indicated that somepotential cases exist when its application is limited. The paper presents recent studies onimproving the method by analysing how the PMM one-point flow parameter λQ can beexpressed by rheological models (Bingham and Herschel-Bulkley)....

Self-consistent T-matrix theory of superconductivity

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Šopík, B.; Lipavský, Pavel; Männel, M.; Morawetz, K.; Matlock, P.

2011-01-01

Roč. 84, č. 9 (2011), 094529/1-094529/13 ISSN 1098-0121 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP204/10/0212; GA ČR(CZ) GAP204/11/0015 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100521 Keywords : superconductivity * T-matrix * superconducting gap * restricted self-consistency Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 3.691, year: 2011

An in-plane solid-liquid-solid growth mode for self-avoiding lateral silicon nanowires.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Linwei; Alet, Pierre-Jean; Picardi, Gennaro; Roca i Cabarrocas, Pere

2009-03-27

We report an in-plane solid-liquid-solid (IPSLS) mode for obtaining self-avoiding lateral silicon nanowires (SiNW) in a reacting-gas-free annealing process, where the growth of SiNWs is guided by liquid indium drops that transform the surrounding a-SiratioH matrix into crystalline SiNWs. The SiNWs can be approximately mm long, with the smallest diameter down to approximately 22 nm. A high growth rate of >10(2) nm/s and rich evolution dynamics are revealed in a real-time in situ scanning electron microscopy observation. A qualitative growth model is proposed to account for the major features of this IPSLS SiNW growth mode.

Stiffening solids with liquid inclusions

Science.gov (United States)

Style, Robert W.; Boltyanskiy, Rostislav; Allen, Benjamin; Jensen, Katharine E.; Foote, Henry P.; Wettlaufer, John S.; Dufresne, Eric R.

2015-01-01

From bone and wood to concrete and carbon fibre, composites are ubiquitous natural and synthetic materials. Eshelby’s inclusion theory describes how macroscopic stress fields couple to isolated microscopic inclusions, allowing prediction of a composite’s bulk mechanical properties from a knowledge of its microstructure. It has been extended to describe a wide variety of phenomena from solid fracture to cell adhesion. Here, we show experimentally and theoretically that Eshelby’s theory breaks down for small liquid inclusions in a soft solid. In this limit, an isolated droplet’s deformation is strongly size-dependent, with the smallest droplets mimicking the behaviour of solid inclusions. Furthermore, in opposition to the predictions of conventional composite theory, we find that finite concentrations of small liquid inclusions enhance the stiffness of soft solids. A straightforward extension of Eshelby’s theory, accounting for the surface tension of the solid-liquid interface, explains our experimental observations. The counterintuitive stiffening of solids by fluid inclusions is expected whenever inclusion radii are smaller than an elastocapillary length, given by the ratio of the surface tension to Young’s modulus of the solid matrix. These results suggest that surface tension can be a simple and effective mechanism to cloak the far-field elastic signature of inclusions.

Brand priming effect on consumers’ financial risk taking behavior

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danielle Mantovani

Full Text Available Abstract Taking the perspective of brand priming theory, this study proposes that brands associated with an audacious personality trait may influence consumers to be take more risks in making subsequent decisions. Two experiments, run in sport brands contexts, showed that individuals exposed to brands with high (vs. low audacity traits demonstrated a higher rate of risk taking in financial decisions. The studies also showed that this effect is moderated by individuals’ experience with the financial market. This moderation suggests that there was an activation of a goal not just semantic activation, but through the brand priming. This research provides insights into how today's consumers deal with brand priming effects in risky choice settings. From a managerial perspective, it can help managers to understand the likely effects of brand priming on behavior and better predict the probability of risk aversion or risk seeking outcomes.

Is Semantic Priming (Ir)rational? Insights from the Speeded Word Fragment Completion Task

Science.gov (United States)

Heyman, Tom; Hutchison, Keith A.; Storms, Gert

2016-01-01

Semantic priming, the phenomenon that a target is recognized faster if it is preceded by a semantically related prime, is a well-established effect. However, the mechanisms producing semantic priming are subject of debate. Several theories assume that the underlying processes are controllable and tuned to prime utility. In contrast, purely…

High performance passive matrix electrochromic display

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aliev, A.E.

2003-01-01

A matrix addressable electrochromic display (ECD) based on solid polymer electrolyte screen-printed on the surface of nano structured WO 3 +0.1TiO 2 electrodes, in which all pixels were insulted by negative photoresist material has been developed. Five types of nano structured films produced by a sol-gel method were investigated to enhance the electrochemical, optical, and mechanical properties of electrochromic tungsten oxide films. The film based on WO 3-x +0.1TiO 2-y sol-gel solution mixed with 32 mol.% oxalic acid was found to be stable and has excellent characteristics in coloring/bleaching kinetics. The ECD used nano structured electrochromic tungsten trioxide layer protected by SiO 2 -CeO 2 -Li 2 O thin film solid electrolyte, screen-printed solid polymer electrolyte mixed with white TiO 2 pigment (P25), and metallic counter electrode covered with carbon layer, has exhibited fast switching, excellent memory effect and substantially free from image diffusion and cross talk effects. (author)

Affective priming of emotional pictures in parafoveal vision: left visual field advantage.

Science.gov (United States)

Calvo, Manuel G; Avero, Pedro

2008-03-01

This study investigated whether stimulus affective content can be extracted from visual scenes when these appear in parafoveal locations of the visual field and are foveally masked, and whether there is lateralization involved. Parafoveal prime pleasant or unpleasant scenes were presented for 150 msec 2.5 degrees away from fixation and were followed by a foveal probe scene that was either congruent or incongruent in emotional valence with the prime. Participants responded whether the probe was emotionally positive or negative. Affective priming was demonstrated by shorter response latencies for congruent than for incongruent prime-probe pairs. This effect occurred when the prime was presented in the left visual field at a 300-msec prime-probe stimulus onset asynchrony, even when the prime and the probe were different in physical appearance and semantic category. This result reveals that the affective significance of emotional stimuli can be assessed early through covert attention mechanisms, in the absence of overt eye fixations on the stimuli, and suggests that right-hemisphere dominance is involved.

Verbal priming and taste sensitivity make moral transgressions gross.

Science.gov (United States)

Herz, Rachel S

2014-02-01

The aims of the present study were to assess whether: (a) visceral and moral disgust share a common oral origin (taste); (b) moral transgressions that are also viscerally involving are evaluated accordingly as a function of individual differences in taste sensitivity; (c) verbal priming interacts with taste sensitivity to alter how disgust is experienced in moral transgressions; and (d) whether gender moderates these effects. Standard tests of disgust sensitivity, a questionnaire developed for this research assessing different types of moral transgressions (nonvisceral, implied-visceral, visceral) with the terms "angry" and "grossed-out," and a taste sensitivity test of 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) were administered to 102 participants. Results confirmed past findings that the more sensitive to PROP a participant was the more disgusted they were by visceral, but not moral, disgust elicitors. Importantly, the findings newly revealed that taste sensitivity had no bearing on evaluations of moral transgressions, regardless of their visceral nature, when "angry" was the emotion primed. However, when "grossed-out" was primed for evaluating moral violations, the more intense PROP tasted to a participant the more "grossed-out" they were by all transgressions. Women were generally more disgust sensitive and morally condemning than men, but disgust test, transgression type, and priming scale modulated these effects. The present findings support the proposition that moral and visceral disgust do not share a common oral origin, but show that linguistic priming can transform a moral transgression into a viscerally repulsive event and that susceptibility to this priming varies as a function of an individual's sensitivity to the origins of visceral disgust-bitter taste.

Computing prime factors using a Josephson phase-qubit architecture: 15 = 3 x 5

Science.gov (United States)

Lucero, Erik Anthony

Josephson phase-quantum-bits, (“qubits”), together with superconducting resonators, comprise the essential quantum elements in a state-of-the-art quantum processor (QuP). A QuP can be used to exploit quantum mechanics to find the prime factors of composite numbers by running Shor's algorithm[57]. In this thesis, I describe the first solid-state demonstration of a compiled version of Shor's algorithm. To meet this challenge, I designed a QuP so that I could map the problem of factoring the number N = 15 onto a quantum circuit that is compatible with our technological capabilities. The QuP is composed of nine quantum elements: four phase qubits and five superconducting coplanar waveguide (CPW) resonators. Using this device, I ran a three-qubit complied version of Shor's algorithm and successfully found the prime factors 48% of the time (compared to the ideal success rate of 50 %). In addition, the QuP produced coherent interactions between five quantum elements, and bi- and tripartite entanglement, which was verified via quantum state tomography (QST). Scaling up to nine quantum elements and performing these experiments represent key milestones to realizing a quantum computer. Continued improvements in the superconducting qubit coherence times and more complex circuits should provide the resources necessary to factor larger composite numbers and run more intricate quantum algorithms in the near future.

Is semantic priming due to association strength or feature overlap? A microanalytic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Hutchison, Keith A

2003-12-01

In a recent meta-analysis, Lucas (2000) concluded that there is strong evidence of an overall pure semantic priming effect but no evidence of priming based purely on association. In the present review, I critically examine the individual studies claiming evidence of featural and associative relations in semantic memory. The most important conclusion is that automatic priming appears to be due to both association strength and feature overlap. Mediated associates provide the strongest evidence of automatic associative priming, whereas functional associates, synonyms, and antonyms instead support priming based on feature overlap. In contrast, automatic priming does not occur for category coordinates or perceptually similar items, at least when presented in the visual modality. The status of other relations, such as collocates, episodic relatives, and script relations, is unclear and requires further experimentation. Implications for current models of semantic representation and priming are discussed.

In vivo evaluation and in-depth pharmaceutical characterization of a rapidly dissolving solid ocular matrix for the topical delivery of timolol maleate in the rabbit eye model.

Science.gov (United States)

Moosa, Raeesa M; Choonara, Yahya E; du Toit, Lisa C; Tomar, Lomas K; Tyagi, Charu; Kumar, Pradeep; Carmichael, Trevor R; Pillay, Viness

2014-05-15

The purpose of this study was to investigate the in-depth pharmaceutical properties and in vivo behavior of a novel lyophilized rapidly dissolving solid ocular matrix (RD-SOM) as a 'solid eye drop' formulation comprising timolol maleate as the model drug. Thermal and molecular transition analysis displayed similar findings with no incompatibility between formulation components. Porositometric studies confirmed the presence of interconnecting pores across the matrix surface. The HETCAM test indicated an irritation score of 0 with the inference of good tolerability for the RD-SOM in the New Zealand White albino rabbit eye model. Ex vivo permeation across excised rabbit cornea showed an improved steady state drug flux (0.00052 mg cm(-2)min(-1)) and permeability co-efficient (1.7 × 10(-4)cmmin(-1)) for the RD-SOM compared to pure drug and a marketed eye drop preparation. UPLC analysis quantitatively separated timolol maleate and the internal standard (diclofenac sodium) and gamma irradiation was used as a terminal sterilization procedure. In vivo results revealed a peak concentration of timolol was reached at 104.9 min. In the case of a typical eye drop formulation a lower Cmax was obtained (1.97 ug/mL). Level A point-to-point IVIVC plots via the Wagner-Nelson method revealed a satisfactory R(2) value of 0.84. In addition, the biodegradability and ocular compatibility of the RD-SOM was confirmed by histopathological toxicity studies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sensitive determination of three aconitum alkaloids and their metabolites in human plasma by matrix solid-phase dispersion with vortex-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction and HPLC with diode array detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiaozhong; Li, Xuwen; Li, Lanjie; Li, Min; Liu, Ying; Wu, Qian; Li, Peng; Jin, Yongri

2016-05-01

A simple and sensitive method for determination of three aconitum alkaloids and their metabolites in human plasma was developed using matrix solid-phase dispersion combined with vortex-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction and high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. The plasma sample was directly purified by matrix solid-phase dispersion and the eluate obtained was concentrated and further clarified by vortex-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction. Some important parameters affecting the extraction efficiency, such as type and amount of dispersing sorbent, type and volume of elution solvent, type and volume of extraction solvent, salt concentration as well as sample solution pH, were investigated in detail. Under optimal conditions, the proposed method has good repeatability and reproducibility with intraday and interday relative standard deviations lower than 5.44 and 5.75%, respectively. The recoveries of the aconitum alkaloids ranged from 73.81 to 101.82%, and the detection limits were achieved within the range of 1.6-2.1 ng/mL. The proposed method offered the advantages of good applicability, sensitivity, simplicity, and feasibility, which makes it suitable for the determination of trace amounts of aconitum alkaloids in human plasma samples. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

On the Prime Ideals of C [0, 1

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

It is well known that the set C[0, 1] of real-valuedcontinuous functions on the closed interval [0, 1]has a natural ring structure. Its maximal idealsare known to be points. Here we show thatalthough there exist prime ideals which are notmaximal, the zero set is again a singleton. In particular,each prime ideal is contained in a ...

The effects of alcohol expectancy priming on group bonding.

Science.gov (United States)

Moltisanti, Allison J; Below, Maureen C; Brandon, Karen O; Goldman, Mark S

2013-12-01

According to alcohol expectancy theory, drinking-related information is stored in memory and, when cue activated, influences alcohol-related behavior. Priming of alcohol cues and expectancies has been shown to elicit both drinking and nonconsumptive behavior associated with alcohol consumption, such as willingness to meet with a stranger and aggression. These social influence effects have been shown to be moderated by individual differences in alcohol expectancies. In the present study, we tested whether an alcohol prime would facilitate social group bonding even in the absence of consumption, and whether such group bonding would be moderated by individually held social expectancies. One hundred twenty undergraduates (75% female) completed an alcohol expectancy measure prior to participation. Participants were primed with either alcohol or neutral beverage words and completed a collaborative group activity followed by questionnaires measuring perceived group cohesion. Several interactions were found between condition and expectancy reflecting that those in the alcohol prime condition with higher social alcohol expectancies reported greater cohesion on task-related, but not emotion-related, group measures. These findings underscore the complexity of the impact of expectancy and social behavior on drinking: the priming of alcohol expectancies may activate aspects of pro-social behavior, which may influence drinking, which in turn may feedback to positively reinforce social expectancies.

Self-Construal Priming Modulates Self-Evaluation under Social Threat

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tianyang Zhang

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Previous studies have shown that Westerners evaluate themselves in an especially flattering way when faced with a social-evaluative threat. The current study first investigated whether East Asians also have a similar pattern by recruiting Chinese participants and using social-evaluative threat manipulations in which participants perform self-evaluation tasks while adopting different social-evaluative feedbacks (Experiment 1. Then further examined whether the different response patterns can be modulated by different types of self-construal by using social-evaluative threat manipulations in conjunction with a self-construal priming task (Experiment 2. The results showed that, as opposed to Westerners' pattern, Chinese participants rated themselves as having significantly greater above-average effect only when faced with the nonthreatening feedback but not the social-evaluative threat. More importantly, we found that self-construal modulated the self-evaluation under social-evaluative threat: following independent self-construal priming, participants tended to show a greater above-average effect when faced with a social-evaluative threat. However, this pattern in conjunction with a social threat disappeared after participants received interdependent self-construal priming or neutral priming. These findings suggest that the effects of social-evaluative threat on self-evaluation are not culturally universal and is strongly modulated by self-construal priming.

Repetition-priming effect: a cognitive task for the definition of a clinical assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvia Pagani

2014-04-01

Full Text Available This research aims to study how semantic priming words can influence behavioral measures (RTs, accuracy, to develop an experimental paradigm to differentiate visual neglect and hemianopia. 69 experimental subjects were involved in four experiments. In each experiment target words were preceded by word primes semantically related, neutral or unrelated to the target. The four experiments differed in terms of: number of prime, prime duration and distance between PC monitor and subject. In general, related primes should improve facilitatory effect in target recognition more than unrelated primes, reducing RTs and increasing response accuracy. After repeated ANOVA analysis applied to each experiment and paired comparisons, it is possible to point out that single related primes, shown for 150 ms, greatly improve response behavior in terms of RTs reduction. For future applications to the clinical field, we assume that neglect patients should be facilitated in these specific experimental conditions, due to implicit contralesional prime processing. On the contrary, hemianopics should nowise be facilitated, due to visual field deficit.

Secretory Vesicle Priming by CAPS Is Independent of Its SNARE-Binding MUN Domain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cuc Quynh Nguyen Truong

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Priming of secretory vesicles is a prerequisite for their Ca2+-dependent fusion with the plasma membrane. The key vesicle priming proteins, Munc13s and CAPSs, are thought to mediate vesicle priming by regulating the conformation of the t-SNARE syntaxin, thereby facilitating SNARE complex assembly. Munc13s execute their priming function through their MUN domain. Given that the MUN domain of Ca2+-dependent activator protein for secretion (CAPS also binds syntaxin, it was assumed that CAPSs prime vesicles through the same mechanism as Munc13s. We studied naturally occurring splice variants of CAPS2 in CAPS1/CAPS2-deficient cells and found that CAPS2 primes vesicles independently of its MUN domain. Instead, the pleckstrin homology domain of CAPS2 seemingly is essential for its priming function. Our findings indicate a priming mode for secretory vesicles. This process apparently requires membrane phospholipids, does not involve the binding or direct conformational regulation of syntaxin by MUN domains of CAPSs, and is therefore not redundant with Munc13 action.

Polycarbonate-based polyurethane as a polymer electrolyte matrix for all-solid-state lithium batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Bao, Junjie; Shi, Gaojian; Tao, Can; Wang, Chao; Zhu, Chen; Cheng, Liang; Qian, Gang; Chen, Chunhua

2018-06-01

Four kinds of polycarbonate-based polyurethane with 8-14 wt% hard segments content are synthesized via reactions of polycarbonatediol, hexamethylene diisocyanate and diethylene glycol. The mechanical strength of the polyurethanes increase with the increase of hard segments content. Solid polymer electrolytes composed of the polycarbonate-based polyurethanes and LiTFSI exhibits fascinating characteristics for all-solid-state lithium batteries with a high ionic conductivity of 1.12 × 10-4 S cm-1 at 80 °C, an electrochemical stability window up to 4.5 V (vs. Li+/Li), excellent mechanical strength and superior interfacial stability against lithium metal. The all-solid-state batteries using LiFePO4 cathode can deliver high discharge capacities (161, 158, 134 and 93 mAh g-1 at varied rates of 0.2, 0.5, 1 and 2 C) at 80 °C and excellent cycling performance (with 91% capacity retention after 600 cycles at 1 C). All the results indicate that such a polyurethane-based solid polymer electrolyte can be a promising candidate for all-solid-state lithium batteries.

Cross-Linked Solid Polymer Electrolyte for All-Solid-State Rechargeable Lithium Batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ben youcef, Hicham; Garcia-Calvo, Oihane; Lago, Nerea; Devaraj, Shanmukaraj; Armand, Michel

2016-01-01

Semi-interpenetrated network Solid Polymer Electrolytes (SPEs) were fabricated by UV-induced cross-linking of poly(ethyleneglycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) and divinylbenzene (DVB) within a poly(ethyleneoxide) (PEO) matrix (M v = 5 × 10 6 g mol −1 ), comprising lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide salt (LiTFSI), at a molar ratio of EO:Li ∼ 30:1. The influence of the DVB content on the final SPE properties was investigated in detail. An increase of DVB concentration resulted in self-standing polymer electrolytes. The DVB cross-linker incorporation was found to decrease the crystallinity of the PEO matrix from 34% to 23%, with a decrease in the melting temperature (T m ) of the membrane from 50 °C to 34 °C. Moreover, the influence of the DVB concentration on the ionic conductivity was determined for polymer electrolytes with 0, 10, 20 and 45% DVB from room temperature (RT) to 80 °C. The resulting SPEs showed a high electrochemical stability of 4.3 V as well as practical conductivity values exceeding 10 −4 S cm −1 at 70 °C. Cycling performance of these semi-interpenetrated SPE’s have been shown with a Li metal polymer battery and all solid -state Li sulphur battery.

Behavioral priming: it's all in the mind, but whose mind?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stéphane Doyen

Full Text Available The perspective that behavior is often driven by unconscious determinants has become widespread in social psychology. Bargh, Chen, and Burrows' (1996 famous study, in which participants unwittingly exposed to the stereotype of age walked slower when exiting the laboratory, was instrumental in defining this perspective. Here, we present two experiments aimed at replicating the original study. Despite the use of automated timing methods and a larger sample, our first experiment failed to show priming. Our second experiment was aimed at manipulating the beliefs of the experimenters: Half were led to think that participants would walk slower when primed congruently, and the other half was led to expect the opposite. Strikingly, we obtained a walking speed effect, but only when experimenters believed participants would indeed walk slower. This suggests that both priming and experimenters' expectations are instrumental in explaining the walking speed effect. Further, debriefing was suggestive of awareness of the primes. We conclude that unconscious behavioral priming is real, while real, involves mechanisms different from those typically assumed to cause the effect.

The Influence of Working Memory Load on Semantic Priming

Science.gov (United States)

Heyman, Tom; Van Rensbergen, Bram; Storms, Gert; Hutchison, Keith A.; De Deyne, Simon

2015-01-01

The present research examines the nature of the different processes that have been proposed to underlie semantic priming. Specifically, it has been argued that priming arises as a result of "automatic target activation" and/or the use of strategies like prospective "expectancy generation" and "retrospective semantic…

76 FR 80907 - TRICARE Prime Urgent Care Demonstration Project

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-27

... care including minor illness or injury for Active Duty Family Members enrolled in TRICARE Prime or.... Current data indicates that the ADFMs frequently need urgent care while traveling to new duty stations for... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary TRICARE Prime Urgent Care Demonstration Project...

Homophonic and semantic priming of Japanese Kanji words: a time course study.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hsi-Chin; Yamauchi, Takashi; Tamaoka, Katsuo; Vaid, Jyotsna

2007-02-01

In an examination of the time course of activation of phonological and semantic information in processing kanji script, two lexical decision experiments were conducted with native readers of Japanese. Kanji targets were preceded at short (85-msec) and long (150-msec) intervals by homophonic, semantically related, or unrelated primes presented in kanji (Experiment 1) or by hiragana transcriptions of the kanji primes (Experiment 2). When primes were in kanji, semantic relatedness facilitated kanji target recognition at both intervals but homophonic relatedness did not. When primes were in hiragana, kanji target recognition was facilitated by homophonic relatedness at both intervals and by semantic relatedness only at the longer interval. The absence of homophonic priming of kanji targets by kanji primes challenges the universal phonology principle's claim that phonology is central to accessing meaning from print. The stimuli used in the present study may be downloaded from www.psychonomic.org/archive.

Abstract spatial concept priming dynamically influences real-world actions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah M Tower-Richardi

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Experienced regularities in our perceptions and actions play important roles in grounding abstract concepts such as social status, time, and emotion. Might we similarly ground abstract spatial concepts in more experienced-based domains? The present experiment explores this possibility by implicitly priming abstract spatial terms (north, south, east, west and then measuring participants’ hand movement trajectories while they respond to a body-referenced spatial target (up, down, left, right in a verbal (Exp. 1 or spatial (Exp. 2 format. Results from two experiments demonstrate temporally-dynamic and prime-biased movement trajectories when the primes are incongruent with the targets (e.g., north – left, west – up. That is, priming abstract coordinate directions influences subsequent actions in response to concrete target directions. These findings provide the first evidence that abstract concepts of world-centered coordinate axes are implicitly understood in the context of concrete body-referenced axes; critically, this abstract-concrete relationship manifests in motor movements, and may have implications for spatial memory organization.

Priming performance-related concerns induces task-related mind-wandering.

Science.gov (United States)

Jordano, Megan L; Touron, Dayna R

2017-10-01

Two experiments tested the hypothesis that priming of performance-related concerns would (1) increase the frequency of task-related mind-wandering (i.e., task-related interference; TRI) and (2) decrease task performance. In each experiment, sixty female participants completed an operation span task (OSPAN) containing thought content probes. The task was framed as a math task for those in a condition primed for math-related stereotype threat and as a memory task for those in a control condition. In both studies, women whose performance-related concerns were primed via stereotype threat reported more TRI than women in the control. The second experiment used a more challenging OSPAN task and stereotype primed women also had lower math accuracy than controls. These results support the "control failures×current concerns" framework of mind-wandering, which posits that the degree to which the environmental context triggers personal concerns influences both mind-wandering frequency and content. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Word Meaning Frequencies Affect Negative Compatibility Effects In Masked Priming.

Science.gov (United States)

Brocher, Andreas; Koenig, Jean-Pierre

2016-01-01

Negative compatibility effects (NCEs)-that is, slower responses to targets in related than unrelated prime-target pairs, have been observed in studies using stimulus-response (S-R) priming with stimuli like arrows and plus signs. Although there is no consensus on the underlying mechanism, explanations tend to locate NCEs within the motor-response system. A characteristic property of perceptuo-motor NCEs is a biphasic pattern of activation: A brief period in which very briefly presented (typically) masked primes facilitate processing of related targets is followed by a phase of target processing impairment. In this paper, we present data that suggest that NCEs are not restricted to S-R priming with low-level visual stimuli: The brief (50 ms), backward masked (250 ms) presentation of ambiguous words (bank) leads to slower responses than baseline to words related to the more frequent (rob) but not less frequent meaning (swim). Importantly, we found that slowed responses are preceded by a short phase of response facilitation, replicating the biphasic pattern reported for arrows and plus signs. The biphasic pattern of priming and the fact that the NCEs were found only for target words that are related to their prime word's more frequent meaning has strong implications for any theory of NCEs that locate these effects exclusively within the motor-response system.

Reading "glasses" will prime "vision," but reading a pair of "glasses" will not.

Science.gov (United States)

Neely, J H; VerWys, C A; Kahan, T A

1998-01-01

In a lexical decision task with two primes and a target, the target was preceded 300 msec by the second prime (P2) which in turn was preceded by a brief forward and backward masked first prime (P1). When P1 and P2 were unrelated, reaction times were faster when the target was related to P2 (e.g., wave SALT ... pepper) than when the target was unrelated to P2 (and P1--e.g., wave LOAN ... pepper). However, this semantic priming effect was reduced to statistically nonsignificant levels when P1 and P2 were repetitions of the same word. That is, priming did not occur for salt SALT ... pepper relative to loan LOAN ... pepper. This reduction in priming was observed whether P2 and the target were strongly or weakly related. These findings raise problems for current accounts of semantic priming.

Where perception meets memory: a review of repetition priming in visual search tasks.

Science.gov (United States)

Kristjánsson, Arni; Campana, Gianluca

2010-01-01

What we have recently seen and attended to strongly influences how we subsequently allocate visual attention. A clear example is how repeated presentation of an object's features or location in visual search tasks facilitates subsequent detection or identification of that item, a phenomenon known as priming. Here, we review a large body of results from priming studies that suggest that a short-term implicit memory system guides our attention to recently viewed items. The nature of this memory system and the processing level at which visual priming occurs are still debated. Priming might be due to activity modulations of low-level areas coding simple stimulus characteristics or to higher level episodic memory representations of whole objects or visual scenes. Indeed, recent evidence indicates that only minor changes to the stimuli used in priming studies may alter the processing level at which priming occurs. We also review recent behavioral, neuropsychological, and neurophysiological evidence that indicates that the priming patterns are reflected in activity modulations at multiple sites along the visual pathways. We furthermore suggest that studies of priming in visual search may potentially shed important light on the nature of cortical visual representations. Our conclusion is that priming occurs at many different levels of the perceptual hierarchy, reflecting activity modulations ranging from lower to higher levels, depending on the stimulus, task, and context-in fact, the neural loci that are involved in the analysis of the stimuli for which priming effects are seen.

French Prime Minister tours CERN

CERN Multimedia

Anaïs Schaeffer

2012-01-01

On 30 July, Jean-Marc Ayrault, the Prime Minister of the French Republic, and Geneviève Fioraso, the Minister of Higher Education and Research, visited the Laboratory.   After being met by the Director-General at LHC Point 5, they visited the CMS control centre and experiment cavern, and got a glimpse of the LHC tunnel at Point 5. The visit ended with a round-table discussion with French and other international members of CERN’s scientific community. During the discussion, the Prime Minister reaffirmed that “support for fundamental research has to be maintained, and France must continue to invest in education, research and innovation.” He also paid tribute to CERN's role in international cooperation, which he qualified as “a fine example of science without borders.”

Priming motivation through unattended speech.

Science.gov (United States)

Radel, Rémi; Sarrazin, Philippe; Jehu, Marie; Pelletier, Luc

2013-12-01

This study examines whether motivation can be primed through unattended speech. Study 1 used a dichotic-listening paradigm and repeated strength measures. In comparison to the baseline condition, in which the unattended channel was only composed by neutral words, the presence of words related to high (low) intensity of motivation led participants to exert more (less) strength when squeezing a hand dynamometer. In a second study, a barely audible conversation was played while participants' attention was mobilized on a demanding task. Participants who were exposed to a conversation depicting intrinsic motivation performed better and persevered longer in a subsequent word-fragment completion task than those exposed to the same conversation made unintelligible. These findings suggest that motivation can be primed without attention. © 2013 The British Psychological Society.

Goal-Directed Visual Attention Drives Health Goal Priming: An Eye-Tracking Experiment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Laan, van der Laura N.; Hooge, I.T.C.; Smeets, P.A.M.

2017-01-01

Objective: Several lab and field experiments have shown that goal priming interventions can be highly effective in promoting healthy food choices. Less is known, however, about the mechanisms by which goal priming affects food choice. This experiment tested the hypothesis that goal priming affects

The effects of associative and semantic priming in the lexical decision task.

Science.gov (United States)

Perea, Manuel; Rosa, Eva

2002-08-01

Four lexical decision experiments were conducted to examine under which conditions automatic semantic priming effects can be obtained. Experiments 1 and 2 analyzed associative/semantic effects at several very short stimulus-onset asynchronies (SOAs), whereas Experiments 3 and 4 used a single-presentation paradigm at two response-stimulus intervals (RSIs). Experiment 1 tested associatively related pairs from three semantic categories (synonyms, antonyms, and category coordinates). The results showed reliable associative priming effects at all SOAs. In addition, the correlation between associative strength and magnitude of priming was significant only at the shortest SOA (66 ms). When prime-target pairs were semantically but not associatively related (Experiment 2), reliable priming effects were obtained at SOAs of 83 ms and longer. Using the single-presentation paradigm with a short RSI (200 ms, Experiment 3), the priming effect was equal in size for associative + semantic and for semantic-only pairs (a 21-ms effect). When the RSI was set much longer (1,750 ms, Experiment 4), only the associative + semantic pairs showed a reliable priming effect (23 ms). The results are interpreted in the context of models of semantic memory.

Repetition priming with Japanese Kana scripts in word-fragment completion.

Science.gov (United States)

Komatsu, S; Naito, M

1992-03-01

Manipulating two types of Japanese Kana script, Katakana and Hiragana, we examined the effects of a script change between study and test on later word-fragment completion. Throughout three experiments, materials were composed of foreign loan nouns normally written in Katakana, but not in Hiragana, according to approved usage in Japanese. Experiment 1 demonstrated the reliable size of cross-script priming between Katakana and Hiragana. In Experiment 2, cross-modal priming was substantial when modality of presentation was changed from auditory to visual. In Experiment 3, generating a target word from its definition induced priming comparable in size to that in the prior reading condition. These results have been confirmed in the Hiragana test, as well as in the Katakana test, thereby suggesting that some conceptual and modality-independent processes may also mediate repetition priming.

A method to compute the inverse of a complex n-block tridiagonal quasi-hermitian matrix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Godfrin, Elena

1990-01-01

This paper presents a method to compute the inverse of a complex n-block tridiagonal quasi-hermitian matrix using adequate partitions of the complete matrix. This type of matrix is very usual in quantum mechanics and, more specifically, in solid state physics (e.g., interfaces and superlattices), when the tight-binding approximation is used. The efficiency of the method is analyzed comparing the required CPU time and work-area for different usual techniques. (Author)

Matrix solid-phase dispersion followed by gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of benzotriazole UV absorbers in sediments.

Science.gov (United States)

Carpinteiro, I; Abuín, B; Ramil, M; Rodríguez, I; Cela, R

2012-01-01

A cost-effective and low solvent consumption method, based on the matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) technique, for the determination of six benzotriazole UV absorbers in sediments is presented. Sieved samples (0.5 g) were first mixed in a mortar with a solid sorbent and then transferred to a polypropylene syringe containing a layer of clean-up co-sorbent. Analytes were eluted with a suitable solvent and further determined by gas chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). Under final conditions, diatomaceous earth and silica, deactivated to 10%, were used as inert dispersant and clean-up co-sorbent, respectively. Analytes were recovered using just 5 mL of dichloromethane, and this extract was concentrated and exchanged to 1 mL of isooctane. Further removal of co-extracted sulphur was achieved adding activated copper powder to final extracts, which were stored overnight, before injection in the GC-MS/MS system. The accuracy of the method was assessed with river and marine sediment samples showing different carbon contents and spiked at different concentrations in the range from 40 to 500 ng g(-1). Recoveries varied between 78% and 110% with associated standard deviations below 14%. The limits of quantification of the method stayed between 3 and 15 ng g(-1). Levels of target compounds in sediment samples ranged from not detected up to a maximum of 56 ng g(-1) for Tinuvin 328.

Comparing Repetition Priming Effects in Words and Arithmetic Equations: Robust Priming Regardless of Color or Response Hand Change

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ailsa Humphries

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Previous studies have shown that stimulus repetition can lead to reliable behavioral improvements. Although this repetition priming (RP effect has been reported in a number of paradigms using a variety of stimuli including words, objects, and faces, only a few studies have investigated mathematical cognition involving arithmetic computation, and no prior research has directly compared RP effects in a linguistic task with an arithmetic task. In two experiments, we used a within-subjects design to investigate and compare the magnitude of RP, and the effects of changing the color or the response hand for repeated, otherwise identical, stimuli in a word and an arithmetic categorization task. The results show that the magnitude of RP was comparable between the two tasks and that changing the color or the response hand had a negligible effect on priming in either task. These results extended previous findings in mathematical cognition. They also indicate that priming does not vary with stimulus domain. The implications of the results were discussed with reference to both facilitation of component processes and episodic memory retrieval of stimulus–response binding.

Comparing Repetition Priming Effects in Words and Arithmetic Equations: Robust Priming Regardless of Color or Response Hand Change.

Science.gov (United States)

Humphries, Ailsa; Chen, Zhe; Neumann, Ewald

2017-01-01

Previous studies have shown that stimulus repetition can lead to reliable behavioral improvements. Although this repetition priming (RP) effect has been reported in a number of paradigms using a variety of stimuli including words, objects, and faces, only a few studies have investigated mathematical cognition involving arithmetic computation, and no prior research has directly compared RP effects in a linguistic task with an arithmetic task. In two experiments, we used a within-subjects design to investigate and compare the magnitude of RP, and the effects of changing the color or the response hand for repeated, otherwise identical, stimuli in a word and an arithmetic categorization task. The results show that the magnitude of RP was comparable between the two tasks and that changing the color or the response hand had a negligible effect on priming in either task. These results extended previous findings in mathematical cognition. They also indicate that priming does not vary with stimulus domain. The implications of the results were discussed with reference to both facilitation of component processes and episodic memory retrieval of stimulus-response binding.

Vault Safety and Inventory System users manual, PRIME 2350. Revision 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Downey, N.J.

1994-01-01

This revision is issued to request review of the attached document: VSIS User Manual, PRIME 2350, which provides user information for the operation of the VSIS (Vault Safety and Inventory System). It describes operational aspects of Prime 2350 minicomputer and vault data acquisition equipment. It also describes the User's Main Menu and menu functions, including REPORTS. Also, system procedures for the Prime 2350 minicomputer are covered

Vault Safety and Inventory System users manual, PRIME 2350. Revision 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Downey, N.J.

1994-12-14

This revision is issued to request review of the attached document: VSIS User Manual, PRIME 2350, which provides user information for the operation of the VSIS (Vault Safety and Inventory System). It describes operational aspects of Prime 2350 minicomputer and vault data acquisition equipment. It also describes the User`s Main Menu and menu functions, including REPORTS. Also, system procedures for the Prime 2350 minicomputer are covered.

Exploring Visuomotor Priming Following Biological and Non-Biological Stimuli

Science.gov (United States)

Gowen, E.; Bradshaw, C.; Galpin, A.; Lawrence, A.; Poliakoff, E.

2010-01-01

Observation of human actions influences the observer's own motor system, termed visuomotor priming, and is believed to be caused by automatic activation of mirror neurons. Evidence suggests that priming effects are larger for biological (human) as opposed to non-biological (object) stimuli and enhanced when viewing stimuli in mirror compared to…

Solid Loss of Carrots During Simulated Gastric Digestion

OpenAIRE

Kong, Fanbin; Singh, R. Paul

2010-01-01

The knowledge of solid loss kinetics of foods during digestion is crucial for understanding the factors that constrain the release of nutrients from the food matrix and their fate of digestion. The objective of this study was to investigate the solid loss of carrots during simulated gastric digestion as affected by pH, temperature, viscosity of gastric fluids, mechanical force present in stomach, and cooking. Cylindrical carrot samples were tested by static soaking method and using a model st...

Model for UV induced formation of gold nanoparticles in solid polymeric matrices

Science.gov (United States)

Sapogova, N.; Bityurin, N.

2009-09-01

UV irradiation of polymeric PMMA films containing HAuCl 4 followed by annealing at 60-80 °C forms gold nanoparticles directly within the bulk material. The kinetics of nanoparticle formation was traced by extinction spectra of nanocomposite film changes vs annealing time. We propose that UV irradiation causes HAuCl 4 dissociation and thus provides a polymeric matrix with atomic gold. The presence of an oversaturated solid solution of atomic gold in the polymeric matrix leads to Au nanoparticle formation during annealing. This process can be understood as a phase transition of the first order. In this paper we apply several common kinetic models of the phase transition for describing Au nanoparticle formation inside the solid polymer matrix. We compare predictions of these models with the experimental data and show that these models cannot describe the process. We propose that the stabilization effect of the matrix on the growing gold nanoparticles is important. The simplest model introducing some probability for the transition from growing nanoparticle to the non-growing, stabilized form is suggested. It is shown that this model satisfactorily describes the experimentally observed evolution of the extinction spectrum of Au nanoparticles forming in a polymer matrix.

Emotion-Specific Priming: Congruence Effects on Affect and Recognition across Negative Emotions.

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, Christine H.; Shantz, Cynthia A.

1995-01-01

Demonstrated the emotion-specific priming effects of negatively valenced emotions (anger, sadness, and fear) in a divided attention task. Results indicated that a negative emotion displayed by a target that matched the emotion induced by a priming manipulation was significantly stronger than an incongruous priming manipulation and displayed…

Matrix effect on leaching of Bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE) from epoxy resin based inner lacquer of aluminium tubes into semi-solid dosage forms.

Science.gov (United States)

Lipke, Uwe; Haverkamp, Jan Boris; Zapf, Thomas; Lipperheide, Cornelia

2016-04-01

To study the impact of different semi-solid dosage form components on the leaching of Bisphenol A (BPA) and Bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE) from the epoxy resin-based inner lacquer of aluminium tubes, the tubes were filled with different matrix preparations and stored at an elevated temperature. Despite compliance with the European Standards EN 15348 and EN 15766 on porosity and polymerisation of internal coatings of aluminium tubes, the commercially available tubes used in the study contained an increased amount of polymerisation residues, such as unbound BPA, BADGE and BADGE derivatives in the lacquer, as determined by acetonitrile extraction. Storage of Macrogol ointments in these tubes resulted in an almost quantitative migration of the unbound polymerisation residues from the coating into the ointment. In addition, due to alterations observed in the RP-HPLC chromatograms of the matrix spiked with BADGE and BADGE derivatives it is supposed that the leachates can react with formulation components. The contamination of the medicinal product by BPA, BADGE and BADGE derivatives can be precluded by using aluminium tubes with an internal lacquer with a low degree of unbound polymerisation residues. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Alcohol dose dumping: The influence of ethanol on hot-melt extruded pellets comprising solid lipids.

Science.gov (United States)

Jedinger, N; Schrank, S; Mohr, S; Feichtinger, A; Khinast, J; Roblegg, E

2015-05-01

The objective of the present study was to investigate interactions between alcohol and hot-melt extruded pellets and the resulting drug release behavior. The pellets were composed of vegetable calcium stearate as matrix carrier and paracetamol or codeine phosphate as model drugs. Two solid lipids (Compritol® and Precirol®) were incorporated into the matrix to form robust/compact pellets. The drug release characteristics were a strong function of the API solubility, the addition of solid lipids, the dissolution media composition (i.e., alcohol concentration) and correspondingly, the pellet wettability. Pellets comprising paracetamol, which is highly soluble in ethanol, showed alcohol dose dumping regardless of the matrix composition. The wettability increased with increasing ethanol concentrations due to higher paracetamol solubilities yielding increased dissolution rates. For pellets containing codeine phosphate, which has a lower solubility in ethanol than in acidic media, the wettability was a function of the matrix composition. Dose dumping occurred for formulations comprising solid lipids as they showed increased wettabilities with increasing ethanol concentrations. In contrast, pellets comprising calcium stearate as single matrix component showed robustness in alcoholic media due to wettabilities that were not affected by the addition of ethanol. The results clearly indicate that the physico-chemical properties of the drug and the matrix systems are crucial for the design of ethanol-resistant dosage forms. Moreover, hydrophobic calcium stearate can be considered a suitable matrix system that minimizes the risk of ethanol-induced dose dumping for certain API's. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Towers of Function Fields over Non-prime Finite Fields

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bassa, Alp; Beelen, Peter; Garcia, Arnaldo

2015-01-01

Over all non-prime finite fields, we construct some recursive towers of function fields with many rational places. Thus we obtain a substantial improvement on all known lower bounds for Ihara’s quantity A(ℓ), for ℓ = pn with p prime and n > 3 odd. We relate the explicit equations to Drinfeld modu...

Independent priming of location and color in identification of briefly presented letters.

Science.gov (United States)

Ásgeirsson, Árni Gunnar; Kristjánsson, Árni; Bundesen, Claus

2014-01-01

Attention shifts are facilitated if the items to be attended remain the same across trials. Some researchers argue that this priming effect is perceptual, whereas others propose that priming is postperceptual, involving facilitated response selection. The experimental findings have not been consistent regarding the roles of variables such as task difficulty, response repetition, expectancies, and decision-making. Position priming, when repetition of a target position facilitates responses on a subsequent trial, is another source of disagreement among researchers. Experimental results have likewise been inconsistent as to whether position priming is dependent on the repetition of target features or has an independent effect on attention shifts. We attempted to isolate the perceptual components of priming by presenting brief (10-180 ms) search arrays to eight healthy observers. The task was to identify a color-singleton letter among distractors. All stimulus presentation contingencies were randomized, and responses were unspeeded, to avoid effects of observer expectation and postperceptual effects. Repeating target color and/or position strongly improved performance. The effects of color and position repetition were independent of one another and were stable across participants. The results argue for a strong perceptual component in priming, which biases selection toward recent target features and positions, showing that perceptual mechanisms are sufficient to produce priming in visual search and that such effects can be elicited with limited sensory evidence. The results are the first to demonstrate independent priming of color and position in the identification of briefly presented, postmasked stimuli.

Morphological changes of gamma prime precipitates in nickel-base superalloy single crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mackay, R.A.

1984-07-01

Changes in the morphology of the gamma prime precipitate were examined during tensile creep at temperatures between 927 and 1038 C in 001-oriented single crystals of a Ni-Al-Mo-Ta superalloy. In this alloy, which has a large negative misfit of -0.80%, the gamma prime particles link together during creep to form platelets, or rafts, which are aligned with their broad faces perpendicular to the applied tensile axis. The dimensions of the gamma and gamma prime phases were measured as directional coarsening developed in an attempt to trace the changing morphology under various stress levels. In addition, the effects of initial microstructure, as well as slight compositional variations, were related to raft development and creep properties. The results showed that directional coarsening of gamma prime began during primary creep, and under certain conditions, continued to develop after the onset of steady-state creep. The length of the rafts increased linearly with time up to a plateau region. The thickness of the rafts, however, remained equal to the initial gamma prime size at least up through the onset of tertiary creep this is a clear indication of the stability of the finely-spaced gamma-gamma prime lamellar structure. It was found that the single crystals with the finest gamma prime size exhibited the longest creep lives, because the resultant rafted structure had a larger number of gamma-gamma prime interfaces per unit volume of material

Theory of the particle matrix elements for Helium atom scattering in surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khater, A.; Toennies, J.P.

2000-01-01

Full text.A brief review is presented for the recent development of the theory of the particle transition matrix elements, basic to the cross section for Helium and inert particle scattering at thermal energies in solid surfaces. the Jackson and Mott matrix elements are presented and discussed for surface scattering processes, habitually classified as elastic and inelastic. Modified transition matrix elements, introduced originally to account for the cut-off effects, are presented in a direct and simple manner. the Debye-Waller factor is introduced and discussed. A recent calculation for the particle transition matrix elements is presented for the specular and inelastic transition matrix elements and the corresponding inelastic scattering cross section is compared in detail to experimental data. the specular and inelastic transition matrix elements are found to be intrinsically similar owing to the intermediate role of a proposed virtual particle squeezed state near the surface

Changing the threshold-Signals and mechanisms of mast cell priming.

Science.gov (United States)

Halova, Ivana; Rönnberg, Elin; Draberova, Lubica; Vliagoftis, Harissios; Nilsson, Gunnar P; Draber, Petr

2018-03-01

Mast cells play a key role in allergy and other inflammatory diseases involving engagement of multivalent antigen with IgE bound to high-affinity IgE receptors (FcεRIs). Aggregation of FcεRIs on mast cells initiates a cascade of signaling events that eventually lead to degranulation, secretion of leukotrienes and prostaglandins, and cytokine and chemokine production contributing to the inflammatory response. Exposure to pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, bacterial and viral products, as well as some other biological products and drugs, induces mast cell transition from the basal state into a primed one, which leads to enhanced response to IgE-antigen complexes. Mast cell priming changes the threshold for antigen-mediated activation by various mechanisms, depending on the priming agent used, which alone usually do not induce mast cell degranulation. In this review, we describe the priming processes induced in mast cells by various cytokines (stem cell factor, interleukins-4, -6 and -33), chemokines, other agents acting through G protein-coupled receptors (adenosine, prostaglandin E 2 , sphingosine-1-phosphate, and β-2-adrenergic receptor agonists), toll-like receptors, and various drugs affecting the cytoskeleton. We will review the current knowledge about the molecular mechanisms behind priming of mast cells leading to degranulation and cytokine production and discuss the biological effects of mast cell priming induced by several cytokines. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Attachment Security Balances Perspectives: Effects of Security Priming on Highly Optimistic and Pessimistic Explanatory Styles.

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Yanhe; Yan, Mengge; Chen, Henry; Sun, Xin; Zhang, Peng; Zeng, Xianglong; Liu, Xiangping; Lye, Yue

2016-01-01

Highly optimistic explanatory style (HOES) and highly pessimistic explanatory style (HPES) are two maladaptive ways to explain the world and may have roots in attachment insecurity. The current study aims to explore the effects of security priming - activating supportive representations of attachment security - on ameliorating these maladaptive explanatory styles. 57 participants with HOES and 57 participants with HPES were randomized into security priming and control conditions. Their scores of overall optimistic attribution were measured before and after priming. Security priming had a moderating effect: the security primed HOES group exhibited lower optimistic attribution, while the security primed HPES group evinced higher scores of optimistic attribution. Furthermore, the security primed HOES group attributed positive outcomes more externally, while the security primed HPES group attributed successful results more internally. The results support the application of security priming interventions on maladaptive explanatory styles. Its potential mechanism and directions for future study are also discussed.

Does the presence of priming hinder subsequent recognition or recall performance?

Science.gov (United States)

Stark, Shauna M; Gordon, Barry; Stark, Craig E L

2008-02-01

Declarative and non-declarative memories are thought be supported by two distinct memory systems that are often posited not to interact. However, Wagner, Maril, and Schacter (2000a) reported that at the time priming was assessed, greater behavioural and neural priming was associated with lower levels of subsequent recognition memory, demonstrating an interaction between declarative and non-declarative memory. We examined this finding using a similar paradigm, in which participants made the same or different semantic word judgements following a short or long lag and subsequent memory test. We found a similar overall pattern of results, with greater behavioural priming associated with a decrease in recognition and recall performance. However, neither various within-participant nor various between-participant analyses revealed significant correlations between priming and subsequent memory performance. These data suggest that both lag and task have effects on priming and declarative memory performance, but that they are largely independent and occur in parallel.

A solid tissue phantom for photon migration studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cubeddu, Rinaldo; Pifferi, Antonio; Taroni, Paola; Torricelli, Alessandro; Valentini, Gianluca

1997-01-01

A solid tissue phantom made of agar, Intralipid and black ink is described and characterized. The preparation procedure is fast and easily implemented with standard laboratory equipment. An instrumentation for time-resolved transmittance measurements was used to determine the optical properties of the phantom. The absorption and the reduced scattering coefficients are linear with the ink and Intralipid concentrations, respectively. A systematic decrease of the reduced scattering coefficient dependent on the agar content is observed, but can easily be managed. The phantom is highly homogeneous and shows good repeatability among different preparations. Moreover, agar inclusions can be easily embedded in either solid or liquid matrixes, and no artefacts are caused by the solid - solid or solid - liquid interfaces. This allows one to produce reliable and realistic inhomogeneous phantoms with known optical properties, particularly interesting for studies on optical imaging through turbid media. (author)

Self-construal priming affects speed of retrieval from short-term memory.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Justin A Macdonald

Full Text Available We investigated the effects of collective or individual self-construal priming on recall in a short-term memory (STM task. We primed participants to either their individual or their collective self-construals or a neutral control condition. Participants then completed a STM retrieval task using either random or patterned digit strings. Findings revealed that priming an individual self-construal resulted in faster retrieval of information from STM for both stimulus types. These results indicate that individual self-accessibility improves retrieval speed of digits from STM, regardless of set configuration. More broadly, the present findings extend prior research by adding further evidence of the effects of self-construal priming on cognitive information processing.

The influence of object relative size on priming and explicit memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Uttl, Bob; Graf, Peter; Siegenthaler, Amy L

2008-09-01

We investigated the effects of object relative size on priming and explicit memory for color photos of common objects. Participants were presented with color photos of pairs of objects displayed in either appropriate or inappropriate relative sizes. Implicit memory was assessed by speed of object size ratings whereas explicit memory was assessed by an old/new recognition test. Study-to-test changes in relative size reduced both priming and explicit memory and had large effects for objects displayed in large vs. small size at test. Our findings of substantial size-specific influences on priming with common objects under some but not other conditions are consistent with instance views of object perception and priming but inconsistent with structural description views.

Developmental differences in masked form priming are not driven by vocabulary growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhide, Adeetee; Schlaggar, Bradley L; Barnes, Kelly Anne

2014-01-01

As children develop into skilled readers, they are able to more quickly and accurately distinguish between words with similar visual forms (i.e., they develop precise lexical representations). The masked form priming lexical decision task is used to test the precision of lexical representations. In this paradigm, a prime (which differs by one letter from the target) is briefly flashed before the target is presented. Participants make a lexical decision to the target. Primes can facilitate reaction time by partially activating the lexical entry for the target. If a prime is unable to facilitate reaction time, it is assumed that participants have a precise orthographic representation of the target and thus the prime is not a close enough match to activate its lexical entry. Previous developmental work has shown that children and adults' lexical decision times are facilitated by form primes preceding words from small neighborhoods (i.e., very few words can be formed by changing one letter in the original word; low N words), but only children are facilitated by form primes preceding words from large neighborhoods (high N words). It has been hypothesized that written vocabulary growth drives the increase in the precision of the orthographic representations; children may not know all of the neighbors of the high N words, making the words effectively low N for them. We tested this hypothesis by (1) equating the effective orthographic neighborhood size of the targets for children and adults and (2) testing whether age or vocabulary size was a better predictor of the extent of form priming. We found priming differences even when controlling for effective neighborhood size. Furthermore, age was a better predictor of form priming effects than was vocabulary size. Our findings provide no support for the hypothesis that growth in written vocabulary size gives rise to more precise lexical representations. We propose that the development of spelling ability may be a more

Developmental differences in masked form priming are not driven by vocabulary growth.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adeetee eBhide

2014-07-01

Full Text Available As children develop into skilled readers, they are able to more quickly and accurately distinguish between words with similar visual forms (i.e. they develop precise lexical representations. The masked form priming lexical decision task is used to test the precision of lexical representations. In this paradigm, a prime (which differs by one letter from the target is briefly flashed before the target is presented. Participants make a lexical decision to the target. Primes can facilitate reaction time by partially activating the lexical entry for the target. If a prime is unable to facilitate reaction time, it is assumed that participants have a precise orthographic representation of the target and thus the prime is not a close enough match to activate its lexical entry. Previous developmental work has shown that children and adults' lexical decision times are facilitated by form primes preceding words from small neighborhoods (i.e. very few words can be formed by changing one letter in the original word; low N words, but only children are facilitated by form primes preceding words from large neighborhoods (high N words. It has been hypothesized that written vocabulary growth drives the increase in the precision of the orthographic representations; children may not know all of the neighbors of the high N words, making the words effectively low N for them. We tested this hypothesis by 1 equating the effective orthographic neighborhood size of the targets for children and adults and 2 testing whether age or vocabulary size was a better predictor of the extent of form priming. We found priming differences even when controlling for effective neighborhood size. Furthermore, age was a better predictor of form priming effects than vocabulary size. Our findings provide no support for the hypothesis that growth in written vocabulary size gives rise to more precise lexical representations. We propose that the development of spelling ability may be a more

75 FR 43166 - Information Collection; Central Contractor Registration Requirements for Prime Grant Recipients

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-23

...] Information Collection; Central Contractor Registration Requirements for Prime Grant Recipients AGENCY: Office... information collection requirement regarding Central Contractor Registration Requirements for Prime Grant... for the proper performance of functions of the Central Contractor Registration Requirements for Prime...

Prime time sexual harassment.

Science.gov (United States)

Grauerholz, E; King, A

1997-04-01

This study explores the explicit and implicit messages of sexual harassment that viewers receive when viewing prime-time television in the US. A content analysis of 48 hours of prime-time television reveals that sexual harassment on television is both highly visible and invisible. Sexual harassment is rendered visible simply by its prominence in these programs. Incidents involving quid-pro-quo harassment and environmental harassment occur with regularity on television. Furthermore, about 84% of the shows studied contained at least one incident of sexual harassment; yet these acts of sexual harassment remained largely invisible because none of the behaviors were labeled as sexual harassment. These incidents are presented in humorous ways, and victims are generally unharmed and very effective at ending the harassment. Although such programs may actually reflect the reality of many women's lives in terms of prevalence of sexual harassment, they perpetuate several myths about sexual harassment, such as that sexual harassment is not serious and that victims should be able to handle the situations themselves.

Priming semantic concepts affects the dynamics of aesthetic appreciation.

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Faerber, Stella J; Leder, Helmut; Gerger, Gernot; Carbon, Claus-Christian

2010-10-01

Aesthetic appreciation (AA) plays an important role for purchase decisions, for the appreciation of art and even for the selection of potential mates. It is known that AA is highly reliable in single assessments, but over longer periods of time dynamic changes of AA may occur. We measured AA as a construct derived from the literature through attractiveness, arousal, interestingness, valence, boredom and innovativeness. By means of the semantic network theory we investigated how the priming of AA-relevant semantic concepts impacts the dynamics of AA of unfamiliar product designs (car interiors) that are known to be susceptible to triggering such effects. When participants were primed for innovativeness, strong dynamics were observed, especially when the priming involved additional AA-relevant dimensions. This underlines the relevance of priming of specific semantic networks not only for the cognitive processing of visual material in terms of selective perception or specific representation, but also for the affective-cognitive processing in terms of the dynamics of aesthetic processing. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Semantic context effects and priming in word association.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeelenberg, René; Pecher, Diane; Shiffrin, Richard M; Raaijmakers, Jeroen G W

2003-09-01

Two experiments investigated priming in word association, an implicit memory task. In the study phase of Experiment 1, semantically ambiguous target words were presented in sentences that biased their interpretation. The appropriate interpretation of the target was either congruent or incongruent with the cue presented in a subsequent word association task. Priming (i.e., a higher proportion of target responses relative to a nonstudied baseline) was obtained for the congruent condition, but not for the incongruent condition. In Experiment 2, study sentences emphasized particular meaning aspects of nonambiguous targets. The word association task showed a higher proportion of target responses for targets studied in the more congruent sentence context than for targets studied in the less congruent sentence context. These results indicate that priming in word association depends largely on the storage of information relating the cue and target.

Assessment of molecular events during in vitro re-epithelialization under honey-alginate matrix ambience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barui, Ananya [Centre for Healthcare Science and Technology, BESU, Shibpur, Howrah 711103, West Bengal (India); Mandal, Naresh [Dept. of Electronics and Telecommunication Engg., BESU, Shibpur, Howrah 711103, West Bengal (India); Majumder, Subhadipa [Department of Biochemistry, University of Calcutta Ballygunge, Circular Road, Kolkata 700 019, West Bengal (India); Das, Raunak Kumar [School of Medical Science and Technology, IIT, Kharagpur 721 302, West Bengal (India); Sengupta, Sanghamitra [Department of Biochemistry, University of Calcutta Ballygunge, Circular Road, Kolkata 700 019, West Bengal (India); Banerjee, Provas [School of Medical Science and Technology, IIT, Kharagpur 721 302, West Bengal (India); Ray, Ajoy Kumar; RoyChaudhuri, Chirosree [Dept. of Electronics and Telecommunication Engg., BESU, Shibpur, Howrah 711103, West Bengal (India); Chatterjee, Jyotirmoy, E-mail: jchatterjee@smst.iitkgp.ernet.in [School of Medical Science and Technology, IIT, Kharagpur 721 302, West Bengal (India)

2013-08-01

Re-epithelialization is one of the most important stages of cutaneous regeneration and its success requires supportive micro-ambience which may be provided with suitable bio-matrix. Biocompatibility and efficacy of such bio-matrix in re-epithelialization could be explored by multimodal analysis of structural and functional attributes of in vitro wound healing model including evaluation of prime molecular expressions of the epithelial cells during repair. Present study examines the influence of honey-alginate and alginate matrices on re-epithelialization in keratinocyte (HaCaT) population in a 2-D wound model. Cellular viability, proliferation and cell–cell adhesion status were assessed during wound closure using live/dead cell assay and by evaluating expressions of Ki67, p63 and E-cadherin along-with % change in cellular electrical impedance. Efficacy of honey-alginate matrix in comparison to only alginate one was demonstrated by a quicker reduction in wound gap, improved cellular viability, enhanced expressions of Ki67, p63 and its isoforms (TAp63, ΔNp63) as well as E-cadherin. Faster restoration of electrical attribute (% of impedance change) after wounding also indicated better impact of honey-alginate matrix in re-epithelialization. - Highlights: • Role of honey based matrix is evaluated in wound re-epithelialization. • Healing impact of matrix studied in 2D in vitro keratinocyte (HaCaT) wound model. • Faster impedance restoration indicated rapid healing rate of HaCaT under honey. • PCR observations showed faster initiation of cell proliferation under honey. • ICC study indicated better up-regulation of healing markers under honey matrix.

Assessment of molecular events during in vitro re-epithelialization under honey-alginate matrix ambience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barui, Ananya; Mandal, Naresh; Majumder, Subhadipa; Das, Raunak Kumar; Sengupta, Sanghamitra; Banerjee, Provas; Ray, Ajoy Kumar; RoyChaudhuri, Chirosree; Chatterjee, Jyotirmoy

2013-01-01

Re-epithelialization is one of the most important stages of cutaneous regeneration and its success requires supportive micro-ambience which may be provided with suitable bio-matrix. Biocompatibility and efficacy of such bio-matrix in re-epithelialization could be explored by multimodal analysis of structural and functional attributes of in vitro wound healing model including evaluation of prime molecular expressions of the epithelial cells during repair. Present study examines the influence of honey-alginate and alginate matrices on re-epithelialization in keratinocyte (HaCaT) population in a 2-D wound model. Cellular viability, proliferation and cell–cell adhesion status were assessed during wound closure using live/dead cell assay and by evaluating expressions of Ki67, p63 and E-cadherin along-with % change in cellular electrical impedance. Efficacy of honey-alginate matrix in comparison to only alginate one was demonstrated by a quicker reduction in wound gap, improved cellular viability, enhanced expressions of Ki67, p63 and its isoforms (TAp63, ΔNp63) as well as E-cadherin. Faster restoration of electrical attribute (% of impedance change) after wounding also indicated better impact of honey-alginate matrix in re-epithelialization. - Highlights: • Role of honey based matrix is evaluated in wound re-epithelialization. • Healing impact of matrix studied in 2D in vitro keratinocyte (HaCaT) wound model. • Faster impedance restoration indicated rapid healing rate of HaCaT under honey. • PCR observations showed faster initiation of cell proliferation under honey. • ICC study indicated better up-regulation of healing markers under honey matrix

Priming dose of phenylhydrazine protects against hemolytic and lethal effects of 2-butoxyethanol

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palkar, Prajakta S.; Philip, Binu K.; Reddy, Ramesh N.; Mehendale, Harihara M.

2007-01-01

Protection against a high dose of a toxicant by prior exposure to another toxicant is called heteroprotection. Our objective was to establish a heteroprotection model in RBCs. Female Sprague Dawley rats treated with an LD90 dose of 2-butoxyethanol (BE, 1500 mg/kg in water, 5 ml/kg po) 14 days after priming with 0.9% NaCl suffered 90% mortality by 15 days, whereas all rats receiving the LD90 dose of BE 14 days after priming with phenylhydrazine (PHZ, 125 mg/kg in 0.9% NaCl, 3 ml/kg po) survived. Hematocrit decreased from normal 45% to 24% by day 3 after PHZ priming and improved thereafter. Increasing the time interval between the priming and LD90 dose to 21 days abolished the heteroprotection. RBCs obtained on days 7 and 14 after PHZ priming unlike those on day 21 were resilient to the hemotoxic metabolite of BE, butoxyacetic acid (BAA). Unaltered hepatic alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenase activities upon PHZ priming suggested that bioactivation of BE to BAA was unaffected. Lower renal (6 and 12 h) and hepatic (12 h) BAA levels and 3 fold higher excretion of BAA in PHZ-primed rat urine suggested a protective role of toxicokinetics. Higher erythropoietin, reticulocytes, and resiliency of PHZ-primed rat RBCs indicated that newly formed RBCs are resilient to hemolytic BAA. The antioxidant levels in the PHZ-primed rat RBCs did not indicate a protective role in heteroprotection. In conclusion, the resistance of PHZ-primed rats against BE-induced hemotoxicity and lethality is mediated by a combination of altered toxicokinetics, robust erythropoiesis, and resiliency of new RBCs

Precision probes of a leptophobic Z{sup Prime} boson

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buckley, Matthew R., E-mail: mbuckley@fnal.gov [Center for Particle Astrophysics, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Batavia, IL 60510 (United States); Ramsey-Musolf, Michael J. [Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 (United States); Kellogg Radiation Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

2012-06-06

Extensions of the Standard Model that contain leptophobic Z{sup Prime} gauge bosons are theoretically interesting but difficult to probe directly in high-energy hadron colliders. However, precision measurements of Standard Model neutral current processes can provide powerful indirect tests. We demonstrate that parity-violating deep inelastic scattering of polarized electrons off of deuterium offer a unique probe leptophobic Z{sup Prime} bosons with axial quark couplings and masses above 100 GeV. In addition to covering a wide range of previously uncharted parameter space, planned measurements of the deep inelastic parity-violating eD asymmetry would be capable of testing leptophobic Z{sup Prime} scenarios proposed to explain the CDF W plus dijet anomaly.

Photochemistry of the ozone-water complex in cryogenic neon, argon, and krypton matrixes.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsuge, Masashi; Tsuji, Kazuhide; Kawai, Akio; Shibuya, Kazuhiko

2013-12-12

The photochemistry of ozone-water complexes and the wavelength dependence of the reactions were studied by matrix isolation FTIR spectrometry in neon, argon, and krypton matrixes. Hydrogen peroxide was formed upon the irradiation of UV light below 355 nm. Quantitative analyses of the reactant and product were performed to evaluate the matrix cage effect of the photoreaction. In argon and krypton matrixes, a bimolecular O((1)D) + H2O → H2O2 reaction was found to occur to form hydrogen peroxide, where the O((1)D) atom generated by the photolysis of ozone diffused in the cryogenic solids to encounter water. In a neon matrix, hydrogen peroxide was generated through intracage photoreaction of the ozone-water complex, indicating that a neon matrix medium is most appropriate to study the photochemistry of the ozone-water complex.

The impact of locus of control and priming on the endowment effect.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Ya-Chung

2011-10-01

This paper demonstrates the effects of different priming conditions on the endowment effect with respect to seller and buyer roles for individuals with different loci of control. Individuals with an external locus of control process information less rationally, and they are more susceptible to external influences. In addition, the literature reports that when individuals are making a purchasing decision, they tend to perceive the value of the product as being higher because of its utility aspect because decision makers search for reasons and arguments to justify their choices (Shafir 1993; Tversky & Griffin, 1991). Therefore, this study investigates the effects of different priming conditions (utilitarian priming vs. hedonic priming) on the endowment effect according to each type of locus of control (internal vs. external). The results showed that the endowment effect was larger when externals were exposed to utilitarian priming as opposed to hedonic priming. Finally, the implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed. © 2011 The Author. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology © 2011 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.

Accessing world knowledge: evidence from N400 and reaction time priming.

Science.gov (United States)

Chwilla, Dorothee J; Kolk, Herman H J

2005-12-01

How fast are we in accessing world knowledge? In two experiments, we tested for priming for word triplets that described a conceptual script (e.g., DIRECTOR-BRIBE-DISMISSAL) but were not associatively related and did not share a category relationship. Event-related brain potentials were used to track the time course at which script information becomes available. In Experiment 1, in which participants made lexical decisions, we found a facilitation for script-related relative to unrelated triplets, as indicated by (i) a decrease in both reaction time and errors, and (ii) an N400-like priming effect. In Experiment 2, we further explored the locus of script priming by increasing the contribution of meaning integration processes. The participants' task was to indicate whether the three words presented a plausible scenario. Again, an N400 script priming effect was obtained. Directing attention to script relations was effective in enhancing the N400 effect. The time course of the N400 effect was similar to that of the standard N400 effect to semantic relations. The present results show that script priming can be obtained in the visual modality, and that script information is immediately accessed and integrated with context. This supports the view that script information forms a central aspect of word meaning. The RT and N400 script priming effects reported in this article are problematic for most current semantic priming models, like spreading activation models, expectancy models, and task-specific semantic matching/integration models. They support a view in which there is no clear cutoff point between semantic knowledge and world knowledge.

Internal damping due to dislocation movements induced by thermal expansion mismatch between matrix and particles in metal matrix composites. [Al/SiC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Girand, C.; Lormand, G.; Fougeres, R.; Vincent, A. (GEMPPM, Villeurbanne (France))

1993-05-01

In metal matrix composites (MMCs), the mechanical 1 of the reinforcement-matrix interface is an important parameter because it governs the load transfer from matrix to particles, from which the mechanical properties of these materials are derived. Therefore, it would be useful to set out an experimental method able to characterize the interface and the adjacent matrix behaviors. Thus, a study has been undertaken by means of internal damping (I.D.) measurements, which are well known to be very sensitive for studying irreversible displacements at the atomic scale. More especially, this investigation is based on the fact that, during cooling of MMC's, stress concentrations originating from differences in coefficients of thermal expansion (C.T.E.) of matrix and particles should induce dislocation movements in the matrix surrounding the reinforcement; that is, local microplastic strains occur. Therefore, during I.D. measurements vs temperature these movements should contribute to MMCs I.D. in a process similar to those involved around first order phase transitions in solids. The aim of this paper is to present, in the case of Al/SiC particulate composites, new developments of this approach that has previously led to promising results in the case of Al-Si alloys.

Efficiency criterion for teleportation via channel matrix, measurement matrix and collapsed matrix

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xin-Wei Zha

Full Text Available In this paper, three kinds of coefficient matrixes (channel matrix, measurement matrix, collapsed matrix associated with the pure state for teleportation are presented, the general relation among channel matrix, measurement matrix and collapsed matrix is obtained. In addition, a criterion for judging whether a state can be teleported successfully is given, depending on the relation between the number of parameter of an unknown state and the rank of the collapsed matrix. Keywords: Channel matrix, Measurement matrix, Collapsed matrix, Teleportation

In-Vial Micro-Matrix-Solid Phase Dispersion for the Analysis of Fragrance Allergens, Preservatives, Plasticizers, and Musks in Cosmetics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Celeiro

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Fragrance allergens, preservatives, plasticizers, and synthetic musks are usually present in cosmetic and personal care products formulations and many of them are subjected to use restrictions or labeling requirements. Matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD is a very suitable analytical technique for the extraction of these compounds providing a simple, low cost sample preparation, and the possibility of performing both extraction and clean-up in one step, reducing possible contamination and analyte losses. This extraction technique has been successfully applied to many cosmetics ingredients allowing obtaining quantitative recoveries. A new very simple micro-MSPD procedure performing the disruption step in a vial is proposed for the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS analysis of 66 chemicals usually present in cosmetics and personal care products. The method was validated showing general recoveries between 80% and 110%, relative standard deviation (RSD values lower than 15%, and limits of detection (LODs below 30 ng·g−1. The validated method was applied to a broad range of cosmetics and personal care products, including several products intended for baby care.

Determination of ibuprofen enantiomers in breast milk using vortex-assisted matrix solid-phase dispersion and direct chiral liquid chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

León-González, M E; Rosales-Conrado, N

2017-09-08

A mixture of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and primary and secondary amine (PSA) sorbents was employed for the extraction and quantification of ibuprofen enantiomers from human breast milk, combining a vortex-assisted matrix solid-phase dispersion method (MSPD) and direct chiral liquid chromatography (CLC) with ultraviolet detection (UV). The MSPD sample preparation procedure was optimized focusing on both the type and amount of dispersion/sorption sorbents and the nature of the elution solvent, in order to obtain acceptable recoveries and avoiding enantiomer conversion. These MSPD parameters were optimized with the aid of an experimental design approach. Hence, a factorial design was used for identification of the main variables affecting the extraction process of ibuprofen enantiomers. Under optimum selected conditions, MSPD combined with direct CLC-UV was successfully applied for ibuprofen enantiomeric determination in breast milk at enantiomer levels between 0.15 and 6.0μgg -1 . The proposed analytical method also provided good repeatability, with relative standard deviations of 6.4% and 8.3% for the intra-day and inter-day precision, respectively. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fundamental characteristics of degradation-recoverable solid-state DFB polymer laser.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshioka, Hiroaki; Yang, Yu; Watanabe, Hirofumi; Oki, Yuji

2012-02-13

A novel solid-state dye laser with degradation recovery was proposed and demonstrated. Polydimethylsiloxane was used as a nanoporous solid matrix to enable the internal circulation of dye molecules in the solid state. An internal circulation model for the dye molecules was also proposed and verified numerically by assuming molecular mobility and using a proposed diffusion equation. The durability of the laser was increased 20.5-fold compared with that of a conventional polymethylmethacrylate laser. This novel laser solves the low-durability problem of dye-doped polymer lasers.

Preparing to fight back: Generation and storage of priming compounds.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Victoria ePastor

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Immune-stimulated plants are able to respond more rapidly and adequately to various biotic stresses allowing them to efficiently combat an infection. During the priming phase, plant are stimulated in absence of a challenge, and can accumulate and store conjugates or precursors of molecules as well as other compounds that play a role in defense. These molecules can be released during the defensive phase following stress. These metabolites can also participate in the first stages of the stress perception. Here, we report the metabolic changes occuring in primed plants during the priming phase. β-aminobutyric acid (BABA causes a boost of the primary metabolism through the tricarboxylic acids (TCA such as citrate, fumarate, (S-malate and 2-oxoglutarate, and the potentiation of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and the octodecanoic pathway. On the contrary, Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato (PstAvrRpt2 represses the same pathways. Both systems used to prime plants share some common signals like the changes in the synthesis of amino acids and the production of SA and its glycosides, as well as IAA. Interestingly, a product of the purine catabolism, xanthosine, was found to accumulate following both BABA- and PstAvrRpt2-treatement. The compounds that are strongly affected in this stage are called priming compounds, since their effect on the metabolism of the plant is to induce the production of primed compounds that will help to combat the stress. At the same time, additional identified metabolites suggest the possible defense pathways that plants are using to get ready for the battle.

The influence of object relative size on priming and explicit memory.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bob Uttl

Full Text Available We investigated the effects of object relative size on priming and explicit memory for color photos of common objects. Participants were presented with color photos of pairs of objects displayed in either appropriate or inappropriate relative sizes. Implicit memory was assessed by speed of object size ratings whereas explicit memory was assessed by an old/new recognition test. Study-to-test changes in relative size reduced both priming and explicit memory and had large effects for objects displayed in large vs. small size at test. Our findings of substantial size-specific influences on priming with common objects under some but not other conditions are consistent with instance views of object perception and priming but inconsistent with structural description views.

Priming involuntary autobiographical memories in the lab.

Science.gov (United States)

Barzykowski, Krystian; Niedźwieńska, Agnieszka

2018-02-01

Involuntary autobiographical memories (IAMs) are recollections of personal past that frequently and spontaneously occur in daily life. Initial studies by Mace (2005) showed that deliberately reminiscing about a certain lifetime period (e.g., high school) significantly increased the number of different IAMs from the same period in subsequent days, suggesting that priming may play a significant role in the retrieval of IAMs in everyday life. In the present study, we used a modified experimental paradigm, originally used by Schlagman and Kvavilashvili (2008), to study IAMs under well-controlled laboratory conditions. Participants completed a monotonous vigilance task twice and reported the occurrence of any spontaneous thoughts that were later classed as IAMs or other thoughts. Priming was manipulated by having experimental participants reminiscing about high school period between the two vigilance tasks and control participants playing simple games. Results showed that participants in the experimental group reported IAMs relating to high school period more frequently during the second vigilance task than those in the control group. In the experimental group, the number of high school memories was marginally higher in the second vigilance task compared to the first vigilance task with the medium effect size, but this within subjects effect was not significant in the control group. Finally, priming also enhanced the retrieval of more remote IAMs in the experimental group compared to the control group. These results suggest that priming may play a significant role in the activation and recall of IAMs and open up interesting avenues for future research.

Lack of semantic priming effects in famous person recognition in Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Science.gov (United States)

Brambati, Simona M; Peters, Frédéric; Belleville, Sylvie; Joubert, Sven

2012-04-01

Growing evidence indicates that individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) manifest semantic deficits that are often more severe for items that are characterized by a unique semantic and lexical association, such as famous people and famous buildings, than common concepts, such as objects. However, it is still controversial whether the semantic deficits observed in MCI are determined by a degradation of semantic information or by a deficit in intentional access to semantic knowledge. Here we used a semantic priming task in order to assess the integrity of the semantic system without requiring explicit access to this system. This paradigm may provide new insights in clarifying the nature of the semantic deficits in MCI. We assessed the semantic and repetition priming effect in 13 individuals with MCI and 13 age-matched controls who engaged in a familiarity judgment task of famous names. In the semantic priming condition, the prime was the name of a member of the same occupation category as the target (Tom Cruise-Brad Pitt), while in the repetition priming condition the prime was the same name as the target (Charlie Chaplin-Charlie Chaplin). The results showed a defective priming effect in MCI in the semantic but not in the repetition priming condition. Specifically, when compared to controls, MCI patients did not show a facilitation effect in responding to the same occupation prime-target pairs, but they showed an equivalent facilitation effect when the target was the same name as the prime. The present results provide support to the hypothesis that the semantic impairments observed in MCI cannot be uniquely ascribed to a deficit in intentional access to semantic information. Instead, these findings point to the semantic nature of these deficits and, in particular, to a degraded representation of semantic information concerning famous people. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Srl. All rights reserved.

Priming effects in boreal black spruce forest soils: quantitative evaluation and sensitivity analysis.

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Zhaosheng Fan

Full Text Available Laboratory studies show that introduction of fresh and easily decomposable organic carbon (OC into soil-water systems can stimulate the decomposition of soil OC (SOC via priming effects in temperate forests, shrublands, grasslands, and agro-ecosystems. However, priming effects are still not well understood in the field setting for temperate ecosystems and virtually nothing is known about priming effects (e.g., existence, frequency, and magnitude in boreal ecosystems. In this study, a coupled dissolved OC (DOC transport and microbial biomass dynamics model was developed to simultaneously simulate co-occurring hydrological, physical, and biological processes and their interactions in soil pore-water systems. The developed model was then used to examine the importance of priming effects in two black spruce forest soils, with and without underlying permafrost. Our simulations showed that priming effects were strongly controlled by the frequency and intensity of DOC input, with greater priming effects associated with greater DOC inputs. Sensitivity analyses indicated that priming effects were most sensitive to variations in the quality of SOC, followed by variations in microbial biomass dynamics (i.e., microbial death and maintenance respiration, highlighting the urgent need to better discern these key parameters in future experiments and to consider these dynamics in existing ecosystem models. Water movement carries DOC to deep soil layers that have high SOC stocks in boreal soils. Thus, greater priming effects were predicted for the site with favorable water movement than for the site with limited water flow, suggesting that priming effects might be accelerated for sites where permafrost degradation leads to the formation of dry thermokarst.

Priming effects in boreal black spruce forest soils: quantitative evaluation and sensitivity analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Zhaosheng; Jastrow, Julie D; Liang, Chao; Matamala, Roser; Miller, Raymond Michael

2013-01-01

Laboratory studies show that introduction of fresh and easily decomposable organic carbon (OC) into soil-water systems can stimulate the decomposition of soil OC (SOC) via priming effects in temperate forests, shrublands, grasslands, and agro-ecosystems. However, priming effects are still not well understood in the field setting for temperate ecosystems and virtually nothing is known about priming effects (e.g., existence, frequency, and magnitude) in boreal ecosystems. In this study, a coupled dissolved OC (DOC) transport and microbial biomass dynamics model was developed to simultaneously simulate co-occurring hydrological, physical, and biological processes and their interactions in soil pore-water systems. The developed model was then used to examine the importance of priming effects in two black spruce forest soils, with and without underlying permafrost. Our simulations showed that priming effects were strongly controlled by the frequency and intensity of DOC input, with greater priming effects associated with greater DOC inputs. Sensitivity analyses indicated that priming effects were most sensitive to variations in the quality of SOC, followed by variations in microbial biomass dynamics (i.e., microbial death and maintenance respiration), highlighting the urgent need to better discern these key parameters in future experiments and to consider these dynamics in existing ecosystem models. Water movement carries DOC to deep soil layers that have high SOC stocks in boreal soils. Thus, greater priming effects were predicted for the site with favorable water movement than for the site with limited water flow, suggesting that priming effects might be accelerated for sites where permafrost degradation leads to the formation of dry thermokarst.

Density of primes in l-th power residues

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Given a prime number , a finite set of integers S={a1,…,am} and many -th roots of unity ril,i=1,…,m we study the distribution of primes in Q(l) such that the -th residue symbol of ai with respect to is ril, for all . We find out that this is related to the degree of the extension Q(a1l1,…,a1lm)/Q. We give an algorithm ...

Facial Features Can Induce Emotion: Evidence from Affective Priming Tasks

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Chia-Chen Wu

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Our previous study found that schematic faces with direct gazes, with mouths, with horizontal oval eyes, or without noses, tend to be perceived as in negative emotion. In this study we further explore these factors by the affective priming task. Faces were taking as prime, and positive or negative words were probe. The task was to judge the valence of the probe. If the faces could induce emotions, a target word with the same emotional valence should be judged faster than with opposite valence (the congruency effect. Experiment 1 used the most positive and negative rated faces in previous study as the primes. The positive faces were with vertical oval eyes and without mouth, while the negative faces were with horizontal eyes and with mouth. Results of 34 participants showed that those faces indeed elicited congruency effects. Experiment 2 manipulated gaze directions (N = 16. After the task the participants were asked to rate the prime faces. According to their rating, faces with direct gaze was perceive as positive, and elicited congruency effect with positive words in affective priming task. Our data thus support the conjecture that shape of eyes, the existence of mouths, and gaze directions could induces emotion.

Kinetic and metabolic studies on the priming effect of interferon in L cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosztoczy, I.

1977-01-01

In cultures primed by interferon pretreatment before stimulation by polyriboinosinic-polyribocytidylic acid interferon was detected one hour earlier, its production followed an enhanced pattern and became resistant to actinomycin D 30 min sooner than in unprimed cultures. The kinetics of development of the primed state was found to be a time- and dose-dependent phenomenon. The continuous presence of interferon during the pretreatment period was not required for the development of the primed state. Actinomycin D at a concentration inhibitory for nuclear RNA synthesis did not influence the development of priming. Higher concentrations of the drug and long term α-amanitin or cycloheximide pretreatments, inhibitory for heterogeneous nuclear RNA synthesis, prevented the establishment of the primed state. (author)

Reassessment of primed constant-infusion tracer method to measure urea kinetics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jahoor, F.; Wolfe, R.R.

1987-01-01

The validity of the primed constant-infusion tracer technique to make short-term measurements of urea production rates (R/sub a/) in humans in a physiological steady state and during disruption of steady state was evaluated. Four subjects received a primed constant infusion (P/I = 560 min) of [ 13 C]urea for 8 h. A plateau in urea enrichment was reached after 2 h and maintained throughout. When [ 13 C]- and [ 18 O]urea were simultaneously infused into four subjects at P/I ratios of 560:1 and 360:1, respectively, both tracers reached plateau enrichment at the same time (2-4 h). The enrichment at plateau was a function of the infusion rate rather than the priming dose, and calculated urea R/sub a/ was the same with either prime. In five additional experiments the technique responded acutely to a physiological perturbation (alanine infusion) in a dose-dependent manner. The results confirm that this technique is appropriate for short-term measurements of urea R/sub a/, and the requirement for accuracy in estimating the priming dose is not impractically stringent

UniPrime2: a web service providing easier Universal Primer design.

Science.gov (United States)

Boutros, Robin; Stokes, Nicola; Bekaert, Michaël; Teeling, Emma C

2009-07-01

The UniPrime2 web server is a publicly available online resource which automatically designs large sets of universal primers when given a gene reference ID or Fasta sequence input by a user. UniPrime2 works by automatically retrieving and aligning homologous sequences from GenBank, identifying regions of conservation within the alignment, and generating suitable primers that can be used to amplify variable genomic regions. In essence, UniPrime2 is a suite of publicly available software packages (Blastn, T-Coffee, GramAlign, Primer3), which reduces the laborious process of primer design, by integrating these programs into a single software pipeline. Hence, UniPrime2 differs from previous primer design web services in that all steps are automated, linked, saved and phylogenetically delimited, only requiring a single user-defined gene reference ID or input sequence. We provide an overview of the web service and wet-laboratory validation of the primers generated. The system is freely accessible at: http://uniprime.batlab.eu. UniPrime2 is licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Licence.

Modified Three-Dimensional Multicarrier Optical Prime Codes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajesh Yadav

2016-01-01

Full Text Available We propose a mathematical model for novel three-dimensional multicarrier optical codes in terms of wavelength/time/space based on the prime sequence algorithm. The proposed model has been extensively simulated on MATLAB for prime numbers (P to analyze the performance of code in terms of autocorrelation and cross-correlation. The simulated outcome resembles the mathematical model and gives better results over other methods available in the literature as far as autocorrelation and cross-correlation are concerned. The proposed 3D optical codes are more efficient in terms of cardinality, improved security, and providing quality of services.

Integers without large prime factors in short intervals: Conditional ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

α > 0 the interval (X, X +. √. X(log X)1/2+o(1)] contains an integer having no prime factor exceeding Xα for all X sufficiently large. Keywords. Smooth numbers; Riemann zeta function. 1. Introduction. Suppose P (n) denotes the largest prime factor of an integer n > 1 and let us declare. P(1) = 1. Given a positive real number y, ...

The functional unit of Japanese word naming: evidence from masked priming.

Science.gov (United States)

Verdonschot, Rinus G; Kiyama, Sachiko; Tamaoka, Katsuo; Kinoshita, Sachiko; Heij, Wido La; Schiller, Niels O

2011-11-01

Theories of language production generally describe the segment as the basic unit in phonological encoding (e.g., Dell, 1988; Levelt, Roelofs, & Meyer, 1999). However, there is also evidence that such a unit might be language specific. Chen, Chen, and Dell (2002), for instance, found no effect of single segments when using a preparation paradigm. To shed more light on the functional unit of phonological encoding in Japanese, a language often described as being mora based, we report the results of 4 experiments using word reading tasks and masked priming. Experiment 1 demonstrated using Japanese kana script that primes, which overlapped in the whole mora with target words, sped up word reading latencies but not when just the onset overlapped. Experiments 2 and 3 investigated a possible role of script by using combinations of romaji (Romanized Japanese) and hiragana; again, facilitation effects were found only when the whole mora and not the onset segment overlapped. Experiment 4 distinguished mora priming from syllable priming and revealed that the mora priming effects obtained in the first 3 experiments are also obtained when a mora is part of a syllable. Again, no priming effect was found for single segments. Our findings suggest that the mora and not the segment (phoneme) is the basic functional phonological unit in Japanese language production planning.

Effects of dividing attention during encoding on perceptual priming of unfamiliar visual objects

Science.gov (United States)

Soldan, Anja; Mangels, Jennifer A.; Cooper, Lynn A.

2008-01-01

According to the distractor-selection hypothesis (Mulligan, 2003), dividing attention during encoding reduces perceptual priming when responses to non-critical (i.e., distractor) stimuli are selected frequently and simultaneously with critical stimulus encoding. Because direct support for this hypothesis comes exclusively from studies using familiar word stimuli, the present study tested whether the predictions of the distractor-selection hypothesis extend to perceptual priming of unfamiliar visual objects using the possible/impossible object-decision test. Consistent with the distractor-selection hypothesis, Experiments 1 and 2 found no reduction in priming when the non-critical stimuli were presented infrequently and non-synchronously with the critical target stimuli, even though explicit recognition memory was reduced. In Experiment 3, non-critical stimuli were presented frequently and simultaneously during encoding of critical stimuli; however, no decrement in priming was detected, even when encoding time was reduced. These results suggest that priming in the possible/impossible object-decision test is relatively immune to reductions in central attention and that not all aspects of the distractor-selection hypothesis generalize to priming of unfamiliar visual objects. Implications for theoretical models of object-decision priming are discussed. PMID:18821167

Attention and Implicit Memory: Priming-Induced Benefits and Costs Have Distinct Attentional Requirements

OpenAIRE

Keane, Margaret M.; Cruz, Matt E.; Verfaellie, Mieke

2015-01-01

Attention at encoding plays a critical and ubiquitous role in explicit memory performance, but its role in implicit memory performance (i.e., priming) is more variable: Some, but not all, priming effects are reduced by division of attention at encoding. A wealth of empirical and theoretical work has aimed to define the critical features of priming effects that do or do not require attention at encoding. This work, however, has focused exclusively on priming effects that are beneficial in natu...

Atomic and molecular effects in the VUV spectra of solids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sonntag, B.

1977-10-01

The VUV spectra of solids are often dominated by atomic or molecular effects, which clearly manifest themselves in the gross features of the spectra and the fine structure at inner shell excitation thresholds. Evidence for the influence of atomic and molecular matrix elements, multiplet-splitting and correlation is presented. Special emphasis is given to the direct experimental verification based on the comparison of atomic and solid state spectra. (orig.) [de

Masked and unmasked priming effects as a function of semantic relatedness and associative strength.

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez-Casas, Rosa; Ferré, Pilar; Demestre, Josep; García-Chico, Teófilo; García-Albea, José E

2012-11-01

The study presented in this paper aimed to investigate the pattern of semantic priming effects, under masked and unmasked conditions, in the lexical decision task, manipulating type of semantic relation and associative strength. Three different kinds of word relations were examined in two experiments: only-semantically related words [e.g., codo (elbow)-rodilla (knee)] and semantic/associative related words with strong [e.g., mesa (table)-silla (chair) and weak association strength [e.g., sapo (toad)-rana (frog)]. In Experiment 1 a masked priming procedure was used with a prime duration of 56 ms, and in Experiment 2, the prime was presented unmasked for 150 ms. The results showed that there were masked priming effects with strong associates, but no evidence of these effects was found with weak associates or only-semantic related word pairs. When the prime was presented unmasked, the three types of relations produced significant priming effects and they were not influenced by association strength.

Universal chemiluminescence flow-through device based on directed self-assembly of solid-state organic chromophores on layered double hydroxide matrix.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhihua; Teng, Xu; Lu, Chao

2013-02-19

In this work, a universal chemiluminescence (CL) flow-through device suitable for various CL resonance energy transfer (CRET) systems has been successfully fabricated. Highly efficient CRET in solid-state photoactive organic molecules can be achieved by assembling them on the surface of layered double hydroxides (LDHs). We attribute these observations to the suppression of the intermolecular π-π stacking interactions among aromatic rings and the improvement of molecular orientation and planarity in the LDH matrix, enabling a remarkable increase in fluorescence lifetime and quantum yield of organic molecules. Under optimal conditions, using peroxynitrous acid-fluorescein dianion (FLUD) as a model CRET system, trace FLUD (10 μM) was assembled on the surface of LDHs. Peroxynitrous acid/nitrite could be assayed in the range of 1.0-500 μM, and the detection limit for peroxynitrous acid/nitrite (S/N = 3) was 0.6 μM. This CL flow-through device exhibited operational stability, high reproducibility, and long lifetime. While LDHs were immobilized in a flow-through device in the absence of FLUD, the detection limit for peroxynitrous acid/nitrite was 100 μM. On the other hand, FLUD at the same concentration can not enhance the CL intensity of peroxynitrous acid system. This fabricated CL flow-through column has been successfully applied to determine nitrite in sausage samples with recoveries of 98-102%. These satisfactory results demonstrated that our studies pave a novel way toward flow-through column-based CRET using solid-state organic molecules as acceptors for signal amplification.

Conflict processing in the anterior cingulate cortex constrains response priming.

Science.gov (United States)

Pastötter, Bernhard; Hanslmayr, Simon; Bäuml, Karl-Heinz T

2010-05-01

A prominent function of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is to process conflict between competing response options. In this study, we investigated the role of conflict processing in a response-priming task in which manual responses were either validly or invalidly cued. Examining electrophysiological measurements of oscillatory brain activity on the source level, we found response priming to be related to a beta power decrease in the premotor cortex and conflict processing to be linked to a theta power increase in the ACC. In particular, correlation of oscillatory brain activities in the ACC and the premotor cortex showed that conflict processing reduces response priming by slowing response time in valid trials and lowering response errors in invalid trials. This relationship emerged on a between subjects level as well as within subjects, on a single trial level. These findings suggest that conflict processing in the ACC constrains the automatic priming process. 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

On primes in Lucas sequences

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Křížek, Michal; Somer, L.

2015-01-01

Roč. 53, č. 1 (2015), s. 2-23 ISSN 0015-0517 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA14-02067S Institutional support: RVO:67985840 Keywords : Lucas sequence * primes Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics http://www.fq.math.ca/Abstracts/53-1/somer.pdf

Determination of the major constituents in fruit of Arctium lappa L. by matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction coupled with HPLC separation and fluorescence detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, He; Zhang, Yupu; Sun, Yantao; Wang, Xue; Zhai, Yujuan; Sun, Ye; Sun, Shuo; Yu, Aimin; Zhang, Hanqi; Wang, Yinghua

2010-10-15

The arctiin and arctigenin in the fruit of Arctium lappa L. were extracted by matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) and determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection. The experimental conditions for the MSPD were optimized. Silica gel was selected as dispersion adsorbent and methanol as elution solvent. The calibration curve showed good relationship (r>0.9998) in the concentration range of 0.010-5.0μgmL(-1) for arctiin and 0.025-7.5μgmL(-1) for arctigenin. The recoveries were between 74.4% and 100%. The proposed method consumed less sample, time and solvent compared with conventional methods, including ultrasonic and Soxhlet extraction. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Directing chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells with a solid-supported chitosan thermogel for cartilage tissue engineering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Hongjie; Zhang, Xin; Hu, Xiaoqing; Dai, Linghui; Zhu, Jingxian; Man, Zhentao; Ao, Yingfang; Chen, Haifeng; Zhou, Chunyan

2014-01-01

Hydrogels are attractive for cartilage tissue engineering because of their high plasticity and similarity with the native cartilage matrix. However, one critical drawback of hydrogels for osteochondral repair is their inadequate mechanical strength. To address this limitation, we constructed a solid-supported thermogel comprising a chitosan hydrogel system and demineralized bone matrix. Scanning electron microscopy, the equilibrium scanning ratio, the biodegradation rate, biomechanical tests, biochemical assays, metabolic activity tests, immunostaining and cartilage-specific gene expression analysis were used to evaluate the solid-supported thermogel. Compared with pure hydrogel or demineralized matrix, the hybrid biomaterial showed superior porosity, equilibrium swelling and degradation rate. The hybrid scaffolds exhibited an increased mechanical strength: 75% and 30% higher compared with pure hydrogels and demineralized matrix, respectively. After three days culture, bone-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) maintained viability above 90% in all three materials; however, the cell retention of the hybrid scaffolds was more efficient and uniform than the other materials. Matrix production and chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs in the hybrid scaffolds were superior to its precursors, based on glycosaminoglycan quantification and hyaline cartilage marker expression after three weeks in culture. Its easy preparation, favourable biophysical properties and chondrogenic capacity indicated that this solid-supported thermogel could be an attractive biomaterial framework for cartilage tissue engineering. (paper)

Linkage of biomolecules to solid phases for immunoassay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapman, R.S.

1998-01-01

Topics covered by this lecture include a brief review of the principal methods of linkage of biomolecules to solid phase matrices. Copies of the key self explanatory slides are presented as figures together with reprints of two publications by the author dealing with a preferred chemistry for the covalent linkage of antibodies to hydroxyl and amino functional groups and the effects of changes in solid phase matrix and antibody coupling chemistry on the performance of a typical excess reagent immunoassay for thyroid stimulating hormone

A yeast model for target-primed (non-LTR retrotransposition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Busby Jason N

2007-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Target-primed (non-LTR retrotransposons, such as the human L1 element, are mobile genetic elements found in many eukaryotic genomes. They are often present in large numbers and their retrotransposition can cause mutations and genomic rearrangements. Despite their importance, many aspects of their replication are not well understood. Results We have developed a yeast model system for studying target-primed retrotransposons. This system uses the Zorro3 element from Candida albicans. A cloned copy of Zorro3, tagged with a retrotransposition indicator gene, retrotransposes at a high frequency when introduced into an appropriate C. albicans host strain. Retrotransposed copies of the tagged element exhibit similar features to the native copies, indicating that the natural retrotransposition pathway is being used. Retrotransposition is dependent on the products of the tagged element's own genes and is highly temperature-regulated. The new assay permits the analysis of the effects of specific mutations introduced into the cloned element. Conclusion This Zorro3 retrotransposition assay system complements previously available target-primed retrotransposition assays. Due to the relative simplicity of the growth, manipulation and analysis of yeast cells, the system should advance our understanding of target-primed retrotransposition.

Understanding the relationship between repetition priming and mere exposure.

Science.gov (United States)

Butler, Laurie T; Berry, Dianne C

2004-11-01

Over the last two decades interest in implicit memory, most notably repetition priming, has grown considerably. During the same period, research has also focused on the mere exposure effect. Although the two areas have developed relatively independently, a number of studies has described the mere exposure effect as an example of implicit memory. Tacit in their comparisons is the assumption that the effect is more specifically a demonstration of repetition priming. Having noted that this assumption has attracted relatively little attention, this paper reviews current evidence and shows that it is by no means conclusive. Although some evidence is suggestive of a common underlying mechanism, even a modified repetition priming (perceptual fluency/attribution) framework cannot accommodate all of the differences between the two phenomena. Notwithstanding this, it seems likely that a version of this theoretical framework still offers the best hope of a comprehensive explanation for the mere exposure effect and its relationship to repetition priming. As such, the paper finishes by offering some initial guidance as to ways in which the perceptual fluency/attribution framework might be extended, as well as outlining important areas for future research.

Prime Numbers Comparison using Sieve of Eratosthenes and Sieve of Sundaram Algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Abdullah, D.; Rahim, R.; Apdilah, D.; Efendi, S.; Tulus, T.; Suwilo, S.

2018-03-01

Prime numbers are numbers that have their appeal to researchers due to the complexity of these numbers, many algorithms that can be used to generate prime numbers ranging from simple to complex computations, Sieve of Eratosthenes and Sieve of Sundaram are two algorithm that can be used to generate Prime numbers of randomly generated or sequential numbered random numbers, testing in this study to find out which algorithm is better used for large primes in terms of time complexity, the test also assisted with applications designed using Java language with code optimization and Maximum memory usage so that the testing process can be simultaneously and the results obtained can be objective

Search for W(prime) → tb resonances with left- and right-handed couplings to fermions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

We present a search for the production of a heavy gauge boson, W(prime), that decays to third-generation quarks, by the D0 Collaboration in p(bar p) collisions at √s = 1.96 TeV. We set 95% confidence level upper limits on the production cross section times branching fraction. For the first time, we set limits for arbitrary combinations of left- and right-handed couplings of the W(prime) boson to fermions. For couplings with the same strength as the standard model W boson, we set the following limits for M(W(prime)) > m(ν R ): M(W(prime)) > 863 GeV for purely left-handed couplings, M(W(prime)) > 885 GeV for purely right-handed couplings, and M(W(prime)) > 916 GeV if both left- and right-handed couplings are present. The limit for right-handed couplings improves for M(W(prime)) R ) to M(W(prime)) > 890 GeV.

Plane strain problem in microstretch elastic solid

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

R. Narasimhan (Krishtel eMaging) 1461 1996 Oct 15 13:05:22

College, Patti 143 416, India. 3Department of Mathematics, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar 143 005, ... lem in microstretch elastic solid by employing the eigenvalue approach. 975. Page 2. 976. Rajneesh Kumar et al. 2. Basic equations ..... of the matrix A are characteristic roots of (29) assuming that real parts of qs.

Nanophosphor composite scintillators comprising a polymer matrix

Science.gov (United States)

Muenchausen, Ross Edward; Mckigney, Edward Allen; Gilbertson, Robert David

2010-11-16

An improved nanophosphor composite comprises surface modified nanophosphor particles in a solid matrix. The nanophosphor particle surface is modified with an organic ligand, or by covalently bonding a polymeric or polymeric precursor material. The surface modified nanophosphor particle is essentially charge neutral, thereby preventing agglomeration of the nanophosphor particles during formation of the composite material. The improved nanophosphor composite may be used in any conventional scintillator application, including in a radiation detector.

Laser cladding of wear resistant metal matrix composite coatings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yakovlev, A.; Bertrand, Ph.; Smurov, I.

2004-01-01

A number of coatings with wear-resistant properties as well as with a low friction coefficient are produced by laser cladding. The structure of these coatings is determined by required performance and realized as metal matrix composite (MMC), where solid lubricant serves as a ductile matrix (e.g. CuSn), reinforced by appropriate ceramic phase (e.g. WC/Co). One of the engineered coating with functionally graded material (FGM) structure has a dry friction coefficient 0.12. Coatings were produced by coaxial injection of powder blend into the zone of laser beam action. Metallographic and tribological examinations were carried out confirming the advanced performance of engineered coatings

The distribution of prime numbers and associated problems in number theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nair, M.

1991-01-01

Some problems in number theory, namely the gaps between consecutive primes, the distribution of primes in arithmetic progressions, Brun-Titchmarsh theorem, Fermat's last theorem, The Thue equation, the gaps between square-free numbers are discussed

Priming in Episodic and Semantic Memory.

Science.gov (United States)

McKoon, Gail; Ratcliff, Roger

1979-01-01

Four experiments examined priming between newly learned paired associates through two procedures, lexical decision and item recognition. Results argue against a functional separation of the semantic and episodic memory systems. (Author/AM)

Structures of nitrato-(2-hydroxybenzaldehydo) (2,2 Prime -bipyridyl)copper and nitrato-(2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzaldehydo)(2,2 Prime -bipyridyl)copper

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chumakov, Yu. M. [Academy of Sciences of Moldova, Institute of Applied Physics (Moldova, Republic of); Paladi, L. G. [Moldova State University (Moldova, Republic of); Antosyak, B. Ya.; Simonov, Yu. A. [Academy of Sciences of Moldova, Institute of Applied Physics (Moldova, Republic of); Tsapkov, V. I., E-mail: vtsapkov@gmail.com [Moldova State University (Moldova, Republic of); Bocelli, G. [Institute of Materials for Electronics and Magnetism (Italy); Gulea, A. P. [Moldova State University (Moldova, Republic of); Ginju, D. [Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi (Romania); Palomares-Sanchez, S. A. [Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi (Mexico)

2011-03-15

Nitrato-(2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzaldehydo)(2,2 Prime -bipyridyl)copper (I) and nitrato-(2-hydroxybenzaldehydo)(2,2 Prime -bipyridyl)copper (II) were synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction. The coordination polyhedron of the central copper atom in complex I can be described as a distorted tetragonal pyramid whose base is formed by the phenol and carbonyl oxygen atoms of the monodeprotonated 2-hydroxy-5nitrobenzaldehyde molecule and the nitrogen atoms of the 2,2 Prime -bipyridyl ligand and whose apex is occupied by the oxygen atom of the nitrato group. In the crystal structure, complexes I are linked by the acido ligands and the NO{sub 2} groups of the aldehyde molecule into infinite chains. In complex II, the central copper atom is coordinated by 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde, 2,2 Prime -bipyridyl, and the nitrato group, resulting in the formation of centrosymmetric dimers. The coordination polyhedron of the central copper atom can be described as a bipyramid (4 + 1 + 1) with the same base as in complex I. The axial vertices of the bipyramid are occupied by the oxygen atom of the nitrato group and the bridging phenol oxygen atom of the adjacent complex related to the initial complex by a center of symmetry. In the crystal structure, complexes II are hydrogen bonded into infinite chains.

Leachability and thermal properties of ceramic solid forms immobilizing cesium and/or strontium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mimura, H.; Hirabayashi, T.; Ozawa, M.

2003-01-01

Solid forms immobilizing nuclides were prepared from Cs-mordenite and Sr-A zeolite by calcination at 1.200 deg C for 1 h. Cesium and strontium were fixed in the crystal phases of pollucite (CsAlSi 2 O 6 ) and Sr-feldspar (SrAl 2 Si 2 O 8 ), respectively. The leachability of Cs andSr was rather high in 0.1 M HNO 3 leachant, while the leached percentage was lowered in 0.1 M NaOH, 0.1 M NaCl and deionized water. The recrystallized phases formed on the surface after leaching in 0.1 M NaOH resulted in the lowering of the leachability of Cs and Sr. The thermal conductivities (κ) of solid forms of Cs-MOR, Sr-A, (Cs,Sr)-A and Al-matrix (calcined Cs-mordenite dispersed in Al metal matrix) were determined to be 0.83-1.00, 0.55-0.64, 0.83-1.01 and 47 W/(m·K), respectively. The central temperature of solid forms with the same diameter was in the order of Sr-A > Cs-MOR > Al-matrix. (author)

Seeing emotions in the eyes – Inverse priming effects induced by eyes expressing mental states

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caroline eWagenbreth

2014-09-01

Full Text Available ObjectiveAutomatic emotional processing of faces and facial expressions gain more and more of relevance in terms of social communication. Among a variety of different primes, targets and tasks, whole face images and facial expressions have been used to affectively prime emotional responses. This study investigates whether emotional information provided solely in eye regions that display mental states can also trigger affective priming.MethodsSixteen subjects answered a lexical decision task (LDT coupled with an affective priming paradigm. Emotion-associated eye regions were extracted from photographs of faces and acted as primes, whereas targets were either words or pseudo-words. Participants had to decide whether the targets were real German words or generated pseudo-words. Primes and targets belonged to the emotional categories fear, disgust, happiness and neutral.ResultsA general valence effect for positive words was observed: Responses in the LDT were faster for target words of the emotional category happiness when compared to other categories. Importantly, pictures of emotional eye regions preceding the target words affected their subsequent classification. While we show a classical priming effect for neutral target words - with shorter RT for congruent compared to incongruent prime-target pairs- , we observed an inverse priming effect for fearful and happy target words - with shorter RT for incongruent compared to congruent prime-target pairs. These inverse priming effects were driven exclusively by specific prime-target pairs.ConclusionReduced facial emotional information is sufficient to induce automatic implicit emotional processing. The emotional-associated eye regions were processed with respect to their emotional valence and affected the performance on the LDT.

Determination of Thermal Conductivity of Silicate Matrix for Applications in Effective Media Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Fiala, Lukáš; Jerman, Miloš; Reiterman, Pavel; Černý, Robert

2018-02-01

Silicate materials have an irreplaceable role in the construction industry. They are mainly represented by cement-based- or lime-based materials, such as concrete, cement mortar, or lime plaster, and consist of three phases: the solid matrix and air and water present in the pores. Therefore, their effective thermal conductivity depends on thermal conductivities of the involved phases. Due to the time-consuming experimental determination of the effective thermal conductivity, its calculation by means of homogenization techniques presents a reasonable alternative. In the homogenization theory, both volumetric content and particular property of each phase need to be identified. For porous materials the most problematic part is to accurately identify thermal conductivity of the solid matrix. Due to the complex composition of silicate materials, the thermal conductivity of the matrix can be determined only approximately, based on the knowledge of thermal conductivities of its major compounds. In this paper, the thermal conductivity of silicate matrix is determined using the measurement of a sufficiently large set of experimental data. Cement pastes with different open porosities are prepared, dried, and their effective thermal conductivity is determined using a transient heat-pulse method. The thermal conductivity of the matrix is calculated by means of extrapolation of the effective thermal conductivity versus porosity functions to zero porosity. Its practical applicability is demonstrated by calculating the effective thermal conductivity of a three-phase silicate material and comparing it with experimental data.

Can gender priming eliminate the effects of stereotype threat? The case of simple dynamic systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Lungwitz, Vivien; Sedlmeier, Peter; Schwarz, Marcus

2018-05-31

Mathematics and mental rotation are classic fields where it has been shown that priming women with their gender identity impedes performance. Whereas past research focused mainly on stereotype threat effects in women in a narrowly defined context, this study broadened the research focus: We primed 264 women and men equally with a male, a neutral, or a female prime before they had to solve a simple dynamic system task. As expected, female-primed women subsequently performed worst of all six groups. Solution rates were almost 14% higher for the women in the male-primed condition. Men performed better than women in all three priming conditions. However, this difference was reduced in the male-primed condition as women's performance had increased as anticipated. Unexpected was a decline in the male performance in the same condition. The study showed that gender priming had a significant effect on women in tasks involving simple dynamic systems. However, mathematical knowledge and area of occupation clearly were stronger predictors for both men and women. Priming alone cannot eliminate the effects of stereotype threat. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The impact of ice particle roughness on the scattering phase matrix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baum, Bryan A.; Yang Ping; Hu Yongxiang; Feng Qian

2010-01-01

The goal of this study is to explore the influence of ice particle habit (or shape) and surface roughness on the scattering phase matrix. As an example, reported here are the results for two wavelengths: 0.67 and 1.61 μm. For this effort, a database of single-scattering properties has been computed for a set of habits including hexagonal plates, hollow and solid columns, hollow and solid 3D bullet rosettes, droxtals, aggregates of solid columns, and aggregates of plates. The database provides properties for each of the habits at 101 wavelengths between 0.45 and 2.24 μm for smooth, moderately roughened, and severely roughened particles. At each wavelength, the scattering properties are provided at 233 discrete particle diameters ranging from 2 to 10,000 μm. A single particle size distribution from a very cold ice cloud sampled during the CRYSTAL-FACE field campaign (T cld =-76 o C) is used to illustrate the influence of habit and roughness on the phase matrix. In all, four different habit mixtures are evaluated. The nonzero elements of the phase matrix are shown to be quite sensitive to the assumed habit, particularly in the case of -P 12 /P 11 that is associated with the degree of linear polarization of scattered radiation. Surface roughness is shown to smooth out maxima in the scattering phase function and in the other elements of the phase matrix, consistent with other studies. To compare with the theoretical simulations of the phase matrix for smooth and roughened particles, a full year of cloud-aerosol lidar with orthogonal polarization (CALIOP) data from 2008 is analyzed to provide global statistics on the values of P 11 and P 22 /P 11 in the backscattering direction. In a comparison of two of the habit mixtures (one used for MODIS Collection 5 and another that incorporates new habits including hollow bullet rosettes and aggregates of plates) with the CALIOP data, the values for P 11 are higher regardless of the degree of particle surface roughness, and the

Comparing different kinds of words and word-word relations to test an habituation model of priming.

Science.gov (United States)

Rieth, Cory A; Huber, David E

2017-06-01

Huber and O'Reilly (2003) proposed that neural habituation exists to solve a temporal parsing problem, minimizing blending between one word and the next when words are visually presented in rapid succession. They developed a neural dynamics habituation model, explaining the finding that short duration primes produce positive priming whereas long duration primes produce negative repetition priming. The model contains three layers of processing, including a visual input layer, an orthographic layer, and a lexical-semantic layer. The predicted effect of prime duration depends both on this assumed representational hierarchy and the assumption that synaptic depression underlies habituation. The current study tested these assumptions by comparing different kinds of words (e.g., words versus non-words) and different kinds of word-word relations (e.g., associative versus repetition). For each experiment, the predictions of the original model were compared to an alternative model with different representational assumptions. Experiment 1 confirmed the prediction that non-words and inverted words require longer prime durations to eliminate positive repetition priming (i.e., a slower transition from positive to negative priming). Experiment 2 confirmed the prediction that associative priming increases and then decreases with increasing prime duration, but remains positive even with long duration primes. Experiment 3 replicated the effects of repetition and associative priming using a within-subjects design and combined these effects by examining target words that were expected to repeat (e.g., viewing the target word 'BACK' after the prime phrase 'back to'). These results support the originally assumed representational hierarchy and more generally the role of habituation in temporal parsing and priming. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chemical Priming of Plants Against Multiple Abiotic Stresses: Mission Possible?

KAUST Repository

Savvides, Andreas

2015-12-15

Crop plants are subjected to multiple abiotic stresses during their lifespan that greatly reduce productivity and threaten global food security. Recent research suggests that plants can be primed by chemical compounds to better tolerate different abiotic stresses. Chemical priming is a promising field in plant stress physiology and crop stress management. We review here promising chemical agents such as sodium nitroprusside, hydrogen peroxide, sodium hydrosulfide, melatonin, and polyamines that can potentially confer enhanced tolerance when plants are exposed to multiple abiotic stresses. The challenges and opportunities of chemical priming are addressed, with the aim to boost future research towards effective application in crop stress management.

Chemical Priming of Plants Against Multiple Abiotic Stresses: Mission Possible?

KAUST Repository

Savvides, Andreas; Ali, Shawkat; Tester, Mark A.; Fotopoulos, Vasileios

2015-01-01

Crop plants are subjected to multiple abiotic stresses during their lifespan that greatly reduce productivity and threaten global food security. Recent research suggests that plants can be primed by chemical compounds to better tolerate different abiotic stresses. Chemical priming is a promising field in plant stress physiology and crop stress management. We review here promising chemical agents such as sodium nitroprusside, hydrogen peroxide, sodium hydrosulfide, melatonin, and polyamines that can potentially confer enhanced tolerance when plants are exposed to multiple abiotic stresses. The challenges and opportunities of chemical priming are addressed, with the aim to boost future research towards effective application in crop stress management.

Matrix molecularly imprinted mesoporous sol–gel sorbent for efficient solid-phase extraction of chloramphenicol from milk

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samanidou, Victoria; Kehagia, Maria; Kabir, Abuzar; Furton, Kenneth G.

2016-01-01

Highly selective and efficient chloramphenicol imprinted sol–gel silica based inorganic polymeric sorbent (sol–gel MIP) was synthesized via matrix imprinting approach for the extraction of chloramphenicol in milk. Chloramphenicol was used as the template molecule, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (3-APTES) and triethoxyphenylsilane (TEPS) as the functional precursors, tetramethyl orthosilicate (TMOS) as the cross-linker, isopropanol as the solvent/porogen, and HCl as the sol–gel catalyst. Non-imprinted sol–gel polymer (sol–gel NIP) was synthesized under identical conditions in absence of template molecules for comparison purpose. Both synthesized materials were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and nitrogen adsorption porosimetry, which unambiguously confirmed their significant structural and morphological differences. The synthesized MIP and NIP materials were evaluated as sorbents for molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction (MISPE) of chloramphenicol in milk. The effect of critical extraction parameters (flow rate, elution solvent, sample and eluent volume, selectivity coefficient, retention capacity) was studied in terms of retention and desorption of chloramphenicol. Competition and cross reactivity tests have proved that sol–gel MIP sorbent possesses significantly higher specific retention and enrichment capacity for chloramphenicol compared to its non-imprinted analogue. The maximum imprinting factor (IF) was found as 9.7, whereas the highest adsorption capacity of chloramphenicol by sol–gel MIP was 23 mg/g. The sol–gel MIP was found to be adequately selective towards chloramphenicol to provide the necessary minimum required performance limit (MRPL) of 0.3 μg/kg set forth by European Commission after analysis by LC-MS even without requiring time consuming solvent evaporation and sample reconstitution step, often considered as an integral part in solid phase extraction work

Matrix molecularly imprinted mesoporous sol–gel sorbent for efficient solid-phase extraction of chloramphenicol from milk

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Samanidou, Victoria, E-mail: samanidu@chem.auth.gr [Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece); Kehagia, Maria [Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece); Kabir, Abuzar, E-mail: akabir@fiu.edu [International Forensic Research Institute, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida International University, Miami, FL (United States); Furton, Kenneth G. [International Forensic Research Institute, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida International University, Miami, FL (United States)

2016-03-31

Highly selective and efficient chloramphenicol imprinted sol–gel silica based inorganic polymeric sorbent (sol–gel MIP) was synthesized via matrix imprinting approach for the extraction of chloramphenicol in milk. Chloramphenicol was used as the template molecule, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (3-APTES) and triethoxyphenylsilane (TEPS) as the functional precursors, tetramethyl orthosilicate (TMOS) as the cross-linker, isopropanol as the solvent/porogen, and HCl as the sol–gel catalyst. Non-imprinted sol–gel polymer (sol–gel NIP) was synthesized under identical conditions in absence of template molecules for comparison purpose. Both synthesized materials were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and nitrogen adsorption porosimetry, which unambiguously confirmed their significant structural and morphological differences. The synthesized MIP and NIP materials were evaluated as sorbents for molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction (MISPE) of chloramphenicol in milk. The effect of critical extraction parameters (flow rate, elution solvent, sample and eluent volume, selectivity coefficient, retention capacity) was studied in terms of retention and desorption of chloramphenicol. Competition and cross reactivity tests have proved that sol–gel MIP sorbent possesses significantly higher specific retention and enrichment capacity for chloramphenicol compared to its non-imprinted analogue. The maximum imprinting factor (IF) was found as 9.7, whereas the highest adsorption capacity of chloramphenicol by sol–gel MIP was 23 mg/g. The sol–gel MIP was found to be adequately selective towards chloramphenicol to provide the necessary minimum required performance limit (MRPL) of 0.3 μg/kg set forth by European Commission after analysis by LC-MS even without requiring time consuming solvent evaporation and sample reconstitution step, often considered as an integral part in solid phase extraction work

Nanocellular foam with solid flame retardant

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Liang; Kelly-Rowley, Anne M.; Bunker, Shana P.; Costeux, Stephane

2017-11-21

Prepare nanofoam by (a) providing an aqueous solution of a flame retardant dissolved in an aqueous solvent, wherein the flame retardant is a solid at 23.degree. C. and 101 kiloPascals pressure when in neat form; (b) providing a fluid polymer composition selected from a solution of polymer dissolved in a water-miscible solvent or a latex of polymer particles in a continuous aqueous phase; (c) mixing the aqueous solution of flame retardant with the fluid polymer composition to form a mixture; (d) removing water and, if present, solvent from the mixture to produce a polymeric composition having less than 74 weight-percent flame retardant based on total polymeric composition weight; (e) compound the polymeric composition with a matrix polymer to form a matrix polymer composition; and (f) foam the matrix polymer composition into nanofoam having a porosity of at least 60 percent.

Interaction with extracellular matrix proteins influences Lsh/Ity/Bcg (candidate Nramp) gene regulation of macrophage priming/activation for tumour necrosis factor-alpha and nitrite release.

Science.gov (United States)

Formica, S; Roach, T I; Blackwell, J M

1994-05-01

The murine resistance gene Lsh/Ity/Bcg regulates activation of macrophages for tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)-dependent production of nitric oxide mediating antimicrobial activity against Leishmania, Salmonella and Mycobacterium. As Lsh is differentially expressed in macrophages from different tissue sites, experiments were performed to determine whether interaction with extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins would influence the macrophage TNF-alpha response. Plating of bone marrow-derived macrophages onto purified fibrinogen or fibronectin-rich L929 cell-derived matrices, but not onto mannan, was itself sufficient to stimulate TNF-alpha release, with significantly higher levels released from congenic B10.L-Lshr compared to C57BL/10ScSn (Lshs) macrophages. Only macrophages plated onto fibrinogen also released measurable levels of nitrites, again higher in Lshr compared to Lshs macrophages. Addition of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), but not bacterial lipopolysaccharide or mycobacterial lipoarabinomannan, as a second signal enhanced the TNF-alpha and nitrite responses of macrophages plated onto fibrinogen, particularly in the Lshr macrophages. Interaction with fibrinogen and fibronectin also primed macrophages for an enhanced TNF-alpha response to leishmanial parasites, but this was only translated into enhanced nitrite responses in the presence of IFN-gamma. In these experiments, Lshr macrophages remained superior in their TNF-alpha responses throughout, but to a degree which reflected the magnitude of the difference observed on ECM alone. Hence, the specificity for the enhanced TNF-alpha responses of Lshr macrophages lay in their interaction with fibrinogen and fibronectin ECM, while a differential nitrite response was only observed with fibrinogen and/or IFN-gamma. The results are discussed in relation to the possible function of the recently cloned candidate gene Nramp, which has structural identity to eukaryote transporters and an N-terminal cytoplasmic

Repetition priming of face recognition in a serial choice reaction-time task.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, T; Bruce, V

1989-05-01

Marshall & Walker (1987) found that pictorial stimuli yield visual priming that is disrupted by an unpredictable visual event in the response-stimulus interval. They argue that visual stimuli are represented in memory in the form of distinct visual and object codes. Bruce & Young (1986) propose similar pictorial, structural and semantic codes which mediate the recognition of faces, yet repetition priming results obtained with faces as stimuli (Bruce & Valentine, 1985), and with objects (Warren & Morton, 1982) are quite different from those of Marshall & Walker (1987), in the sense that recognition is facilitated by pictures presented 20 minutes earlier. The experiment reported here used different views of familiar and unfamiliar faces as stimuli in a serial choice reaction-time task and found that, with identical pictures, repetition priming survives and intervening item requiring a response, with both familiar and unfamiliar faces. Furthermore, with familiar faces such priming was present even when the view of the prime was different from the target. The theoretical implications of these results are discussed.

Unconscious and out of control: subliminal priming is insensitive to observer expectations.

Science.gov (United States)

Cressman, Erin K; Lam, Melanie Y; Franks, Ian M; Enns, James T; Chua, Romeo

2013-09-01

We asked whether the influence of an invisible prime on movement is dependent on conscious movement expectations. Participants reached to a central target, which triggered a directional prime-mask arrow sequence. Participants were instructed that the visible arrows (masks) would most often signal a movement modification in a specific (biased) direction. Kinematic analyses revealed that responses to the visible mask were influenced by participants' intentional bias, as movements were fastest when the more probable mask was displayed. In addition, responses were influenced by the invisible prime without regard to its relationship to the more probable mask. Analysis of the time of initial trajectory modifications revealed that both primes influenced responses in a similar manner after accounting for participants' bias. These results imply that invisible stimuli automatically activate their associated responses and that unconscious priming of the motor system is insensitive to the conscious expectations of the participant making the pointing movements. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Allee effect in the selection for prime-numbered cycles in periodical cicadas.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Yumi; Yoshimura, Jin; Simon, Chris; Cooley, John R; Tainaka, Kei-ichi

2009-06-02

Periodical cicadas are well known for their prime-numbered life cycles (17 and 13 years) and their mass periodical emergences. The origination and persistence of prime-numbered cycles are explained by the hybridization hypothesis on the basis of their lower likelihood of hybridization with other cycles. Recently, we showed by using an integer-based numerical model that prime-numbered cycles are indeed selected for among 10- to 20-year cycles. Here, we develop a real-number-based model to investigate the factors affecting the selection of prime-numbered cycles. We include an Allee effect in our model, such that a critical population size is set as an extinction threshold. We compare the real-number models with and without the Allee effect. The results show that in the presence of an Allee effect, prime-numbered life cycles are most likely to persist and to be selected under a wide range of extinction thresholds.

An adaptive-learning approach to affect regulation: strategic influences on evaluative priming.

Science.gov (United States)

Freytag, Peter; Bluemke, Matthias; Fiedler, Klaus

2011-04-01

An adaptive cognition approach to evaluative priming is not compatible with the view that the entire process is automatically determined by prime stimulus valence alone. In addition to the evaluative congruity of individual prime-target pairs, an adaptive regulation function should be sensitive to the base rates of positive and negative stimuli as well as to the perceived contingency between prime and target valence. The present study was particularly concerned with pseudocontingent inferences that offer a proxy for the assessment of contingencies from degraded or incomplete stimulus input. As expected, response latencies were shorter for the more prevalent target valence and for evaluatively congruent trials. However, crucially, the congruity effect was eliminated and overridden by pseudocontingencies inferred from the stimulus environment. These strategic inferences were further enhanced when the task called for the evaluation of both prime stimuli and target stimuli. © 2011 Psychology Press, an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business

Bone Mineral 31P and Matrix-Bound Water Densities Measured by Solid-State 1H and 31P MRI

Science.gov (United States)

Seifert, Alan C.; Li, Cheng; Rajapakse, Chamith S.; Bashoor- Zadeh, Mahdieh; Bhagat, Yusuf A.; Wright, Alexander C.; Zemel, Babette S.; Zavaliangos, Antonios; Wehrli, Felix W.

2014-01-01

Bone is a composite material consisting of mineral and hydrated collagen fractions. MRI of bone is challenging due to extremely short transverse relaxation times, but solid-state imaging sequences exist that can acquire the short-lived signal from bone tissue. Previous work to quantify bone density via MRI used powerful experimental scanners. This work seeks to establish the feasibility of MRI-based measurement on clinical scanners of bone mineral and collagen-bound water densities, the latter as a surrogate of matrix density, and to examine the associations of these parameters with porosity and donors’ age. Mineral and matrix-bound water images of reference phantoms and cortical bone from 16 human donors, ages 27-97 years, were acquired by zero-echo-time 31P and 1H MRI on whole body 7T and 3T scanners, respectively. Images were corrected for relaxation and RF inhomogeneity to obtain density maps. Cortical porosity was measured by micro-CT, and apparent mineral density by pQCT. MRI-derived densities were compared to x-ray-based measurements by least-squares regression. Mean bone mineral 31P density was 6.74±1.22 mol/L (corresponding to 1129±204 mg/cc mineral), and mean bound water 1H density was 31.3±4.2 mol/L (corresponding to 28.3±3.7 %v/v). Both 31P and bound water (BW) densities were correlated negatively with porosity (31P: R2 = 0.32, p bone mineralization ratio (expressed here as the ratio of 31P density to bound water density), which is proportional to true bone mineralization, was found to be uncorrelated with porosity, age, or pQCT density. This work establishes the feasibility of image-based quantification of bone mineral and bound water densities using clinical hardware. PMID:24846186

Environmental Dependence of Artifact CD Peaks of Chiral Schiff Base 3d-4f Complexes in Soft Mater PMMA Matrix

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Okamoto

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Four chiral Schiff base binuclear 3d-4f complexes (NdNi, NdCu, GdNi, and GdCu have been prepared and characterized by means of electronic and CD spectra, IR spectra, magnetic measurements, and X-ray crystallography (NdNi. A so-called artifact peak of solid state CD spectra, which was characteristic of oriented molecules without free molecular rotation, appeared at about 470 nm. Magnetic data of the complexes in the solid state (powder and in PMMA cast films or solutions indicated that only GdCu preserved molecular structures in various matrixes of soft maters. For the first time, we have used the changes of intensity of artifact CD peaks to detect properties of environmental (media solid state (KBr pellets, PMMA cast films, concentration dependence of PMMA in acetone solutions, and pure acetone solution for chiral 3d-4f complexes (GdCu. Rigid matrix keeping anisotropic orientation exhibited a decrease in the intensity of the artifact CD peak toward negative values. The present results suggest that solid state artifact CD peaks can be affected by environmental viscosity of a soft mater matrix.

Solid phase microextraction.

Science.gov (United States)

Pawliszyn, J

2001-01-01

Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME) uses a small volume of sorbent dispersed typically on the surface of small fibres, to isolate and concentrate analytes from sample matrix. After contact with sample, analytes are absorbed or adsorbed by the fibre phase (depending on the nature of the coating) until an equilibrium is reached in the system. The amount of an analyte extracted by the coating at equilibrium is determined by the magnitude of the partition coefficient of the analyte between the sample matrix and the coating material. After the extraction step, the fibres are transferred, with the help of a syringe-like handling device, to analytical instrument, for separation and quantitation of target analytes. This technique integrates sampling, extraction and sample introduction and is a simple way of facilitating on-site monitoring. Applications of this technique include environmental monitoring, industrial hygiene, process monitoring, clinical, forensic, food, flavour, fragrance and drug analyses, in laboratory and on-site analysis.

Early exposures to ecogenomics: Effects of priming and website interactivity among adolescents

OpenAIRE

Bos, M.J.W.; Koolstra, C.M.; Willems, J.T.J.M.

2009-01-01

In the context of public introductions to emerging technologies, this study examined effects of priming and Web site interactivity on adolescents' attitude development and information processing. In a four (priming) by three (interactivity levels) experiment, participants (N = 273) were required to search for and process Web-based information about ecogenomics. Results showed that priming ecogenomics as biotechnology, ecology, economy, or science in general did not affect attitude development...

Adults and children with high imagery show more pronounced perceptual priming effect.

Science.gov (United States)

Hatakeyama, T

1997-06-01

36 children in Grade 5 and 59 university students, all native speakers of Japanese, studied three types of priming stimuli in a mixed list: words written in hiragana (Japanese syllabary used in writing), words written in kanji (Chinese characters also used in writing), and pictures. They were then given a task involving completion of hiragana-word fragments: the task involved studied and nonstudied items. For both children and university students, words in hiragana produced the largest priming effects, that is, the words that had appeared in hiragana in the preceding study phase were generated more often in the test phase of word completion than the other two types of priming stimuli. This confirms that the perceptual priming effect depends much on data-driven processing. For both age groups, words in kanji produced nearly half the priming effects seen for hiragana-words. On the other hand, pictures had no priming effect for children but they had a similar effect to kanji-words for students. The discrepancy between kanji-words and pictures for children suggests that the former force the subject to read the words, which, possibly, activates the hiragana-words, while the latter do not necessarily force labelling the pictures. Among three kinds of imagery tests, the Verbalizer-Visualizer Questionnaire predicted priming scores for children and the Questionnaire upon Mental Imagery did so for students, but the Test of Visual Imagery Control did not predict the scores for either age group. This shows that children reporting habitual use of imagery and adults reporting vivid imagery have more pronounced perceptual priming effects. We conclude that the imagery ability based on self-judgments reflects real characteristics of the perceptual representation system of Tulving and Schacter (1990).

Independent and additive repetition priming of motion direction and color in visual search.

Science.gov (United States)

Kristjánsson, Arni

2009-03-01

Priming of visual search for Gabor patch stimuli, varying in color and local drift direction, was investigated. The task relevance of each feature varied between the different experimental conditions compared. When the target defining dimension was color, a large effect of color repetition was seen as well as a smaller effect of the repetition of motion direction. The opposite priming pattern was seen when motion direction defined the target--the effect of motion direction repetition was this time larger than for color repetition. Finally, when neither was task relevant, and the target defining dimension was the spatial frequency of the Gabor patch, priming was seen for repetition of both color and motion direction, but the effects were smaller than in the previous two conditions. These results show that features do not necessarily have to be task relevant for priming to occur. There is little interaction between priming following repetition of color and motion, these two features show independent and additive priming effects, most likely reflecting that the two features are processed at separate processing sites in the nervous system, consistent with previous findings from neuropsychology & neurophysiology. The implications of the findings for theoretical accounts of priming in visual search are discussed.

Concreteness of positive word contributions to affective priming: an ERP study.

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Zhao; Wang, Zhenhong

2014-09-01

Recent behavioral data suggest that the concreteness of positive words modulates subsequent cognitive processing; however, the underlying physiological processes of this influence are not well understood. To explore this process, positive-abstract words or positive-concrete words were used as primes when participants performed a lexical decision task during the measurement of event-related potentials (ERPs). The behavioral data revealed a significant affective priming effect (i.e., incongruent>congruent) only for abstract word pairs. The N400 amplitude was larger for affectively incongruent pairs compared to affectively congruent pairs, independent of the prime concreteness. The amplitude of the late positive component (LPC) was modulated by prime concreteness. The processing of positive-abstract targets was facilitated by previous exposure to a congruent prime, as reflected by the reduced LPC, which has been thought to reflect attentional and memory processes. However, no differences in the LPC amplitude were found between congruent and incongruent-concrete pairs. These findings suggest that the influence of the concreteness of positive words mainly occurs during the decision-making processing and memory-related stages. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

About mutually unbiased bases in even and odd prime power dimensions

Science.gov (United States)

Durt, Thomas

2005-06-01