Suprathreshold contrast summation over area using drifting gratings.

Science.gov (United States)

McDougall, Thomas J; Dickinson, J Edwin; Badcock, David R

2018-04-01

This study investigated contrast summation over area for moving targets applied to a fixed-size contrast pedestal-a technique originally developed by Meese and Summers (2007) to demonstrate strong spatial summation of contrast for static patterns at suprathreshold contrast levels. Target contrast increments (drifting gratings) were applied to either the entire 20% contrast pedestal (a full fixed-size drifting grating), or in the configuration of a checkerboard pattern in which the target increment was applied to every alternate check region. These checked stimuli are known as "Battenberg patterns" and the sizes of the checks were varied (within a fixed overall area), across conditions, to measure summation behavior. Results showed that sensitivity to an increment covering the full pedestal was significantly higher than that for the Battenberg patterns (areal summation). Two observers showed strong summation across all check sizes (0.71°-3.33°), and for two other observers the summation ratio dropped to levels consistent with probability summation once check size reached 2.00°. Therefore, areal summation with moving targets does operate at high contrast, and is subserved by relatively large receptive fields covering a square area extending up to at least 3.33° × 3.33° for some observers. Previous studies in which the spatial structure of the pedestal and target covaried were unable to demonstrate spatial summation, potentially due to increasing amounts of suppression from gain-control mechanisms which increases as pedestal size increases. This study shows that when this is controlled, by keeping the pedestal the same across all conditions, extensive summation can be demonstrated.

Impact of sub and supra-threshold adaptation currents in networks of spiking neurons.

Science.gov (United States)

Colliaux, David; Yger, Pierre; Kaneko, Kunihiko

2015-12-01

Neuronal adaptation is the intrinsic capacity of the brain to change, by various mechanisms, its dynamical responses as a function of the context. Such a phenomena, widely observed in vivo and in vitro, is known to be crucial in homeostatic regulation of the activity and gain control. The effects of adaptation have already been studied at the single-cell level, resulting from either voltage or calcium gated channels both activated by the spiking activity and modulating the dynamical responses of the neurons. In this study, by disentangling those effects into a linear (sub-threshold) and a non-linear (supra-threshold) part, we focus on the the functional role of those two distinct components of adaptation onto the neuronal activity at various scales, starting from single-cell responses up to recurrent networks dynamics, and under stationary or non-stationary stimulations. The effects of slow currents on collective dynamics, like modulation of population oscillation and reliability of spike patterns, is quantified for various types of adaptation in sparse recurrent networks.

Suprathreshold Heat Pain Response Predicts Activity-Related Pain, but Not Rest-Related Pain, in an Exercise-Induced Injury Model

Science.gov (United States)

Coronado, Rogelio A.; Simon, Corey B.; Valencia, Carolina; Parr, Jeffrey J.; Borsa, Paul A.; George, Steven Z.

2014-01-01

Exercise-induced injury models are advantageous for studying pain since the onset of pain is controlled and both pre-injury and post-injury factors can be utilized as explanatory variables or predictors. In these studies, rest-related pain is often considered the primary dependent variable or outcome, as opposed to a measure of activity-related pain. Additionally, few studies include pain sensitivity measures as predictors. In this study, we examined the influence of pre-injury and post-injury factors, including pain sensitivity, for induced rest and activity-related pain following exercise induced muscle injury. The overall goal of this investigation was to determine if there were convergent or divergent predictors of rest and activity-related pain. One hundred forty-three participants provided demographic, psychological, and pain sensitivity information and underwent a standard fatigue trial of resistance exercise to induce injury of the dominant shoulder. Pain at rest and during active and resisted shoulder motion were measured at 48- and 96-hours post-injury. Separate hierarchical models were generated for assessing the influence of pre-injury and post-injury factors on 48- and 96-hour rest-related and activity-related pain. Overall, we did not find a universal predictor of pain across all models. However, pre-injury and post-injury suprathreshold heat pain response (SHPR), a pain sensitivity measure, was a consistent predictor of activity-related pain, even after controlling for known psychological factors. These results suggest there is differential prediction of pain. A measure of pain sensitivity such as SHPR appears more influential for activity-related pain, but not rest-related pain, and may reflect different underlying processes involved during pain appraisal. PMID:25265560

Modulation of neuronal dynamic range using two different adaptation mechanisms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lei Wang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The capability of neurons to discriminate between intensity of external stimulus is measured by its dynamic range. A larger dynamic range indicates a greater probability of neuronal survival. In this study, the potential roles of adaptation mechanisms (ion currents in modulating neuronal dynamic range were numerically investigated. Based on the adaptive exponential integrate-and-fire model, which includes two different adaptation mechanisms, i.e. subthreshold and suprathreshold (spike-triggered adaptation, our results reveal that the two adaptation mechanisms exhibit rather different roles in regulating neuronal dynamic range. Specifically, subthreshold adaptation acts as a negative factor that observably decreases the neuronal dynamic range, while suprathreshold adaptation has little influence on the neuronal dynamic range. Moreover, when stochastic noise was introduced into the adaptation mechanisms, the dynamic range was apparently enhanced, regardless of what state the neuron was in, e.g. adaptive or non-adaptive. Our model results suggested that the neuronal dynamic range can be differentially modulated by different adaptation mechanisms. Additionally, noise was a non-ignorable factor, which could effectively modulate the neuronal dynamic range.

Development of a test of suprathreshold acuity in noise in Brazilian Portuguese: a new method for hearing screening and surveillance.

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Vaez, Nara; Desgualdo-Pereira, Liliane; Paglialonga, Alessia

2014-01-01

This paper describes the development of a speech-in-noise test for hearing screening and surveillance in Brazilian Portuguese based on the evaluation of suprathreshold acuity performances. The SUN test (Speech Understanding in Noise) consists of a list of intervocalic consonants in noise presented in a multiple-choice paradigm by means of a touch screen. The test provides one out of three possible results: "a hearing check is recommended" (red light), "a hearing check would be advisable" (yellow light), and "no hearing difficulties" (green light) (Paglialonga et al., Comput. Biol. Med. 2014). This novel test was developed in a population of 30 normal hearing young adults and 101 adults with varying degrees of hearing impairment and handicap, including normal hearing. The test had 84% sensitivity and 76% specificity compared to conventional pure-tone screening and 83% sensitivity and 86% specificity to detect disabling hearing impairment. The test outcomes were in line with the degree of self-perceived hearing handicap. The results found here paralleled those reported in the literature for the SUN test and for conventional speech-in-noise measures. This study showed that the proposed test might be a viable method to identify individuals with hearing problems to be referred to further audiological assessment and intervention.

Development of a Test of Suprathreshold Acuity in Noise in Brazilian Portuguese: A New Method for Hearing Screening and Surveillance

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Nara Vaez

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the development of a speech-in-noise test for hearing screening and surveillance in Brazilian Portuguese based on the evaluation of suprathreshold acuity performances. The SUN test (Speech Understanding in Noise consists of a list of intervocalic consonants in noise presented in a multiple-choice paradigm by means of a touch screen. The test provides one out of three possible results: “a hearing check is recommended” (red light, “a hearing check would be advisable” (yellow light, and “no hearing difficulties” (green light (Paglialonga et al., Comput. Biol. Med. 2014. This novel test was developed in a population of 30 normal hearing young adults and 101 adults with varying degrees of hearing impairment and handicap, including normal hearing. The test had 84% sensitivity and 76% specificity compared to conventional pure-tone screening and 83% sensitivity and 86% specificity to detect disabling hearing impairment. The test outcomes were in line with the degree of self-perceived hearing handicap. The results found here paralleled those reported in the literature for the SUN test and for conventional speech-in-noise measures. This study showed that the proposed test might be a viable method to identify individuals with hearing problems to be referred to further audiological assessment and intervention.

Predicting effects of impaired cochlear processing on consonant discrimination in stationary noise

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jepsen, Morten Løve; Dau, Torsten; Ghitza, Oded

Cochlear hearing loss is typically associated with reduced sensitivity due to inner hair-cell (IHC) and outer hair-cell (OHC) dysfunction. OHC dysfunction also leads to supra-threshold deficits, such as reduced basilar-membrane (BM) compression as well as reduced frequency selectivity and temporal...... patterns from a Diagnostic Rhyme Test (DRT) were measured and analyzed in terms of acoustic-phonetic features. This was done for three listeners with cochlear hearing loss and at two signal-to-noise ratios. It is shown that the predicted errors patterns matched the measured patterns in most conditions......, such as the evaluation of hearing-instrument signal processing, where the effects of specific processing strategies can be simulated for individual hearing losses....

A user-operated test of suprathreshold acuity in noise for adult hearing screening: The SUN (Speech Understanding in Noise) test.

Science.gov (United States)

Paglialonga, Alessia; Tognola, Gabriella; Grandori, Ferdinando

2014-09-01

A novel, user-operated test of suprathreshold acuity in noise for use in adult hearing screening (AHS) was developed. The Speech Understanding in Noise test (SUN) is a speech-in-noise test that makes use of a list of vowel-consonant-vowel (VCV) stimuli in background noise presented in a three-alternative forced choice (3AFC) paradigm by means of a touch sensitive screen. The test is automated, easy-to-use, and provides self-explanatory results (i.e., 'no hearing difficulties', or 'a hearing check would be advisable', or 'a hearing check is recommended'). The test was developed from its building blocks (VCVs and speech-shaped noise) through two main steps: (i) development of the test list through equalization of the intelligibility of test stimuli across the set and (ii) optimization of the test results through maximization of the test sensitivity and specificity. The test had 82.9% sensitivity and 85.9% specificity compared to conventional pure-tone screening, and 83.8% sensitivity and 83.9% specificity to identify individuals with disabling hearing impairment. Results obtained so far showed that the test could be easily performed by adults and older adults in less than one minute per ear and that its results were not influenced by ambient noise (up to 65dBA), suggesting that the test might be a viable method for AHS in clinical as well as non-clinical settings. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Feedback on differences between business processes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dijkman, R.M.

2007-01-01

This paper presents techniques to pinpoint differences between business processes. We say that two processes are different if they are not (completed trace) equivalent. We developed techniques to point out where two processes are different and to explain why they are different. This in contrast to

Diagnosing differences between business process models

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dijkman, R.M.; Dumas, M.; Reichert, M.; Shan, M.-C.

2008-01-01

This paper presents a technique to diagnose differences between business process models in the EPC notation. The diagnosis returns the exact position of a difference in the business process models and diagnoses the type of a difference, using a typology of differences developed in previous work.

Detecting Difference between Process Models Based on the Refined Process Structure Tree

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Jing Fan

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The development of mobile workflow management systems (mWfMS leads to large number of business process models. In the meantime, the location restriction embedded in mWfMS may result in different process models for a single business process. In order to help users quickly locate the difference and rebuild the process model, detecting the difference between different process models is needed. Existing detection methods either provide a dissimilarity value to represent the difference or use predefined difference template to generate the result, which cannot reflect the entire composition of the difference. Hence, in this paper, we present a new approach to solve this problem. Firstly, we parse the process models to their corresponding refined process structure trees (PSTs, that is, decomposing a process model into a hierarchy of subprocess models. Then we design a method to convert the PST to its corresponding task based process structure tree (TPST. As a consequence, the problem of detecting difference between two process models is transformed to detect difference between their corresponding TPSTs. Finally, we obtain the difference between two TPSTs based on the divide and conquer strategy, where the difference is described by an edit script and we make the cost of the edit script close to minimum. The extensive experimental evaluation shows that our method can meet the real requirements in terms of precision and efficiency.

Vibrotactile sense in patients with different upper limb disorders compared with a control group

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Laursen, Lise Hedegaard; Jepsen, Jørgen Riis; Sjøgaard, Gisela

2006-01-01

diagnostic tools to reveal underlying mechanisms for specific diagnoses. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possible differences in vibration perception threshold (VPT) and tolerance to suprathreshold stimulation (STS) between controls and specific diagnostic ULD patient groups with uni- and bilateral neuropathy...... patients in all diagnostic groups had significantly higher VPT (Pgroups defined with neuropathy demonstrated significantly higher VPT in the limb with diagnoses compared with the contralateral limb without...... diagnoses. The highest VPTs were found in the patient group with unilateral neuropathy and MCD, and for the radial nerve, VPT was significantly higher than that for patients with unilateral MCD alone. These findings were confirmed by almost similar findings in STS responses. CONCLUSIONS: The ULD patients...

Speakers of different languages process the visual world differently.

Science.gov (United States)

Chabal, Sarah; Marian, Viorica

2015-06-01

Language and vision are highly interactive. Here we show that people activate language when they perceive the visual world, and that this language information impacts how speakers of different languages focus their attention. For example, when searching for an item (e.g., clock) in the same visual display, English and Spanish speakers look at different objects. Whereas English speakers searching for the clock also look at a cloud, Spanish speakers searching for the clock also look at a gift, because the Spanish names for gift (regalo) and clock (reloj) overlap phonologically. These different looking patterns emerge despite an absence of direct language input, showing that linguistic information is automatically activated by visual scene processing. We conclude that the varying linguistic information available to speakers of different languages affects visual perception, leading to differences in how the visual world is processed. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Rational modulation of neuronal processing with applied electric fields.

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Bikson, Marom; Radman, Thomas; Datta, Abhishek

2006-01-01

Traditional approaches to electrical stimulation, using trains of supra-threshold pulses to trigger action potentials, may be replaced or augmented by using 'rational' sub-threshold stimulation protocols that incorporate knowledge of single neuron geometry, inhomogeneous tissue properties, and nervous system information coding. Sub-threshold stimulation, at intensities (well) below those sufficient to trigger action potentials, may none-the-less exert a profound effect on brain function through modulation of concomitant neuronal activity. For example, small DC fields may coherently polarize a network of neurons and thus modulate the simultaneous processing of afferent synaptic input as well as resulting changes in synaptic plasticity. Through 'activity-dependent plasticity', sub-threshold fields may allow specific targeting of pathological networks and are thus particularly suitable to overcome the poor anatomical focus of noninvasive (transcranial) electrical stimulation. Additional approaches to improve targeting in transcranial stimulation using novel electrode configurations are also introduced.

Vestibular perception following acute unilateral vestibular lesions.

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Sian Cousins

Full Text Available Little is known about the vestibulo-perceptual (VP system, particularly after a unilateral vestibular lesion. We investigated vestibulo-ocular (VO and VP function in 25 patients with vestibular neuritis (VN acutely (2 days after onset and after compensation (recovery phase, 10 weeks. Since the effect of VN on reflex and perceptual function may differ at threshold and supra-threshold acceleration levels, we used two stimulus intensities, acceleration steps of 0.5°/s(2 and velocity steps of 90°/s (acceleration 180°/s(2. We hypothesised that the vestibular lesion or the compensatory processes could dissociate VO and VP function, particularly if the acute vertiginous sensation interferes with the perceptual tasks. Both in acute and recovery phases, VO and VP thresholds increased, particularly during ipsilesional rotations. In signal detection theory this indicates that signals from the healthy and affected side are still fused, but result in asymmetric thresholds due to a lesion-induced bias. The normal pattern whereby VP thresholds are higher than VO thresholds was preserved, indicating that any 'perceptual noise' added by the vertigo does not disrupt the cognitive decision-making processes inherent to the perceptual task. Overall, the parallel findings in VO and VP thresholds imply little or no additional cortical processing and suggest that vestibular thresholds essentially reflect the sensitivity of the fused peripheral receptors. In contrast, a significant VO-VP dissociation for supra-threshold stimuli was found. Acutely, time constants and duration of the VO and VP responses were reduced - asymmetrically for VO, as expected, but surprisingly symmetrical for perception. At recovery, VP responses normalised but VO responses remained shortened and asymmetric. Thus, unlike threshold data, supra-threshold responses show considerable VO-VP dissociation indicative of additional, higher-order processing of vestibular signals. We provide evidence of

Paired Associative Stimulation Targeting the Tibialis Anterior Muscle using either Mono or Biphasic Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

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Natalie Mrachacz-Kersting

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Paired associative stimulation (PAS protocols induce plastic changes within the motor cortex. The objectives of this study were to investigate PAS effects targeting the tibialis anterior (TA muscle using a biphasic transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS pulse form and, to determine whether a reduced intensity of this pulse would lead to significant changes as has been reported for hand muscles using a monophasic TMS pulse. Three interventions were investigated: (1 suprathreshold PAbi-PAS (n = 11; (2 suprathreshold PAmono-PAS (n = 11 where PAS was applied using a biphasic or monophasic pulse form at 120% resting motor threshold (RMT; (3 subthreshold PAbi-PAS (n = 10 where PAS was applied as for (1 at 95% active motor threshold (AMT. The peak-to-peak motor evoked potentials (MEPs were quantified prior to, immediately following, and 30 min after the cessation of the intervention. TA MEP size increased significantly for all interventions immediately post (61% for suprathreshold PAbi-PAS, 83% for suprathreshold PAmono-PAS, 55% for subthreshold PAbi-PAS and 30 min after the cessation of the intervention (123% for suprathreshold PAbi-PAS, 105% for suprathreshold PAmono-PAS, 80% for subthreshold PAbi-PAS. PAS using a biphasic pulse form at subthreshold intensities induces similar effects to conventional PAS.

Movement and afferent representations in human motor areas: a simultaneous neuroimaging and transcranial magnetic/peripheral nerve-stimulation study

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Hitoshi eShitara

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Neuroimaging combined with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS to primary motor cortex (M1 is an emerging technique that can examine motor-system functionality through evoked activity. However, because sensory afferents from twitching muscles are widely represented in motor areas the amount of evoked activity directly resulting from TMS remains unclear. We delivered suprathreshold TMS to left M1 or electrically stimulated the right median nerve (MNS in 18 healthy volunteers while simultaneously conducting functional magnetic resonance imaging and monitoring with electromyography (EMG. We examined in detail the localization of TMS-, muscle afferent- and superficial afferent-induced activity in M1 subdivisions. Muscle afferent- and TMS-evoked activity occurred mainly in rostral M1, while superficial afferents generated a slightly different activation distribution. In 12 participants who yielded quantifiable EMG, differences in brain activity ascribed to differences in movement-size were adjusted using integrated information from the EMGs. Sensory components only explained 10-20% of the suprathreshold TMS-induced activity, indicating that locally and remotely evoked activity in motor areas mostly resulted from the recruitment of neural and synaptic activity. The present study appears to justify the use of fMRI combined with suprathreshold TMS to M1 for evoked motor network imaging.

Developing Cultural Differences in Face Processing

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, David J.; Liu, Shaoying; Rodger, Helen; Miellet, Sebastien; Ge, Liezhong; Caldara, Roberto

2011-01-01

Perception and eye movements are affected by culture. Adults from Eastern societies (e.g. China) display a disposition to process information "holistically," whereas individuals from Western societies (e.g. Britain) process information "analytically." Recently, this pattern of cultural differences has been extended to face…

Different Mass Processing Services in a Bit Repository

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jurik, Bolette; Zierau, Eld

2011-01-01

This paper investigates how a general bit repository mass processing service using different programming models and platforms can be specified. Such a service is needed in large data archives, especially libraries, where different ways of doing mass processing is needed for different digital...

The effect of preference for three different types of music on magnitude estimation-scaling behavior in young adults.

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Fucci, D; Petrosino, L; Banks, M; Zaums, K; Wilcox, C

1996-08-01

The purpose of the present study was to assess the effect of preference for three different types of music on magnitude estimation scaling behavior in young adults. Three groups of college students, 10 who liked rock music, 10 who liked big band music, and 10 who liked classical music were tested. Subjects were instructed to assign numerical values to a random series of nine suprathreshold intensity levels of 10-sec, samples of rock music, big band music, and classical music. Analysis indicated that subjects who liked rock music scaled that stimulus differently from those subjects who liked big band and classical music. Subjects who liked big band music scaled that stimulus differently from those subjects who liked rock music and classical music. All subjects scaled classical music similarly regardless of their musical preferences. Results are discussed in reference to the literature concerned with personality and preference as well as spectrographic analyses of the three different types of music used in this study.

Reasoning strategies modulate gender differences in emotion processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Markovits, Henry; Trémolière, Bastien; Blanchette, Isabelle

2018-01-01

The dual strategy model of reasoning has proposed that people's reasoning can be understood asa combination of two different ways of processing information related to problem premises: a counterexample strategy that examines information for explicit potential counterexamples and a statistical strategy that uses associative access to generate a likelihood estimate of putative conclusions. Previous studies have examined this model in the context of basic conditional reasoning tasks. However, the information processing distinction that underlies the dual strategy model can be seen asa basic description of differences in reasoning (similar to that described by many general dual process models of reasoning). In two studies, we examine how these differences in reasoning strategy may relate to processing very different information, specifically we focus on previously observed gender differences in processing negative emotions. Study 1 examined the intensity of emotional reactions to a film clip inducing primarily negative emotions. Study 2 examined the speed at which participants determine the emotional valence of sequences of negative images. In both studies, no gender differences were observed among participants using a counterexample strategy. Among participants using a statistical strategy, females produce significantly stronger emotional reactions than males (in Study 1) and were faster to recognize the valence of negative images than were males (in Study 2). Results show that the processing distinction underlying the dual strategy model of reasoning generalizes to the processing of emotions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Neural Correlates of Sex/Gender Differences in Humor Processing for Different Joke Types.

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Yu-Chen

2016-01-01

Humor operates through a variety of techniques, which first generate surprise and then amusement and laughter once the unexpected incongruity is resolved. As different types of jokes use different techniques, the corresponding humor processes also differ. The present study builds on the framework of the 'tri-component theory of humor,' which details the mechanisms involved in cognition (comprehension), affect (appreciation), and laughter (expression). This study seeks to identify differences among joke types and between sexes/genders in the neural mechanisms underlying humor processing. Three types of verbal jokes, bridging-inference jokes (BJs), exaggeration jokes (EJs), and ambiguity jokes (AJs), were used as stimuli. The findings revealed differences in brain activity for an interaction between sex/gender and joke type. For BJs, women displayed greater activation in the temporoparietal-mesocortical-motor network than men, demonstrating the importance of the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) presumably for 'theory of mind' processing, the orbitofrontal cortex for motivational functions and reward coding, and the supplementary motor area for laughter. Women also showed greater activation than men in the frontal-mesolimbic network associated with EJs, including the anterior (frontopolar) prefrontal cortex (aPFC, BA 10) for executive control processes, and the amygdala and midbrain for reward anticipation and salience processes. Conversely, AJs elicited greater activation in men than women in the frontal-paralimbic network, including the dorsal prefrontal cortex (dPFC) and parahippocampal gyrus. All joke types elicited greater activation in the aPFC of women than of men, whereas men showed greater activation than women in the dPFC. To confirm the findings related to sex/gender differences, random group analysis and within group variance analysis were also performed. These findings help further establish the mechanisms underlying the processing of different joke types

Neural Correlates of Sex/Gender Differences in Humor Processing for Different Joke Types

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu-Chen eChan

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Humor operates through a variety of techniques, which first generate surprise and then amusement and laughter once the unexpected incongruity is resolved. As different types of jokes use different techniques, the corresponding humor processes also differ. The present study builds on the framework of the ‘tri-component theory of humor’, which details the mechanisms involved in cognition (comprehension, affect (appreciation, and laughter (expression. This study seeks to identify differences among joke types and between sexes/genders in the neural mechanisms underlying humor processing. Three types of verbal jokes, bridging-inference jokes (BJs, exaggeration jokes (EJs, and ambiguity jokes (AJs, were used as stimuli. The findings revealed differences in brain activity for an interaction between sex/gender and joke type. For BJs, women displayed greater activation in the temporoparietal-mesocortical-motor network than men, demonstrating the importance of the temporoparietal junction (TPJ presumably for ‘theory of mind’ processing, the orbitofrontal cortex for motivational functions and reward coding, and the supplementary motor area for laughter. Women also showed greater activation than men in the frontal-mesolimbic network associated with EJs, including the anterior (frontopolar prefrontal cortex (aPFC, BA 10 for executive control processes, and the amygdala and midbrain for reward anticipation and salience processes. Conversely, AJs elicited greater activation in men than women in the frontal-paralimbic network, including the dorsal prefrontal cortex (dPFC and parahippocampal gyrus. All joke types elicited greater activation in the aPFC of women than of men, whereas men showed greater activation than women in the dPFC. To confirm the findings related to sex/gender differences, random group analysis and within group variance analysis were also performed. These findings help further establish the mechanisms underlying the processing of

Gender differences in regional cerebral activity during the perception of emotion: a functional MRI study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hofer, Alex; Siedentopf, Christian M; Ischebeck, Anja; Rettenbacher, Maria A; Verius, Michael; Felber, Stephan; Fleischhacker, W Wolfgang

2006-08-15

Whether men activate different brain regions during various emotions compared to women or whether gender differences exist in transient emotional states has been the subject of only few studies. We used event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate gender differences during the perception of positive or negative emotions. The experiment comprised two emotional conditions (pleasant/unpleasant visual stimuli) during which fMRI data were acquired. Altogether, 38 healthy volunteers (19 males, 19 females) were investigated. When subtracting the activation values of men from those of women, suprathreshold positive signal changes were detected in the right posterior cingulate, the left putamen and the left cerebellum during positive mood induction, and in bilateral superior temporal gyri and cerebellar vermis during negative mood induction. The subtraction of activation values of women from those of men yielded no significant differences. Our findings suggest gender-related neural responses to emotional stimuli and could contribute to the understanding of mechanisms underlying gender-related vulnerability of the prevalence and severity of neuropsychiatric disorders.

Temporal and speech processing skills in normal hearing individuals exposed to occupational noise.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, U Ajith; Ameenudin, Syed; Sangamanatha, A V

2012-01-01

Prolonged exposure to high levels of occupational noise can cause damage to hair cells in the cochlea and result in permanent noise-induced cochlear hearing loss. Consequences of cochlear hearing loss on speech perception and psychophysical abilities have been well documented. Primary goal of this research was to explore temporal processing and speech perception Skills in individuals who are exposed to occupational noise of more than 80 dBA and not yet incurred clinically significant threshold shifts. Contribution of temporal processing skills to speech perception in adverse listening situation was also evaluated. A total of 118 participants took part in this research. Participants comprised three groups of train drivers in the age range of 30-40 (n= 13), 41 50 ( = 13), 41-50 (n = 9), and 51-60 (n = 6) years and their non-noise-exposed counterparts (n = 30 in each age group). Participants of all the groups including the train drivers had hearing sensitivity within 25 dB HL in the octave frequencies between 250 and 8 kHz. Temporal processing was evaluated using gap detection, modulation detection, and duration pattern tests. Speech recognition was tested in presence multi-talker babble at -5dB SNR. Differences between experimental and control groups were analyzed using ANOVA and independent sample t-tests. Results showed a trend of reduced temporal processing skills in individuals with noise exposure. These deficits were observed despite normal peripheral hearing sensitivity. Speech recognition scores in the presence of noise were also significantly poor in noise-exposed group. Furthermore, poor temporal processing skills partially accounted for the speech recognition difficulties exhibited by the noise-exposed individuals. These results suggest that noise can cause significant distortions in the processing of suprathreshold temporal cues which may add to difficulties in hearing in adverse listening conditions.

Temporal and speech processing skills in normal hearing individuals exposed to occupational noise

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

U Ajith Kumar

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Prolonged exposure to high levels of occupational noise can cause damage to hair cells in the cochlea and result in permanent noise-induced cochlear hearing loss. Consequences of cochlear hearing loss on speech perception and psychophysical abilities have been well documented. Primary goal of this research was to explore temporal processing and speech perception Skills in individuals who are exposed to occupational noise of more than 80 dBA and not yet incurred clinically significant threshold shifts. Contribution of temporal processing skills to speech perception in adverse listening situation was also evaluated. A total of 118 participants took part in this research. Participants comprised three groups of train drivers in the age range of 30-40 (n= 13, 41 50 ( = 13, 41-50 (n = 9, and 51-60 (n = 6 years and their non-noise-exposed counterparts (n = 30 in each age group. Participants of all the groups including the train drivers had hearing sensitivity within 25 dB HL in the octave frequencies between 250 and 8 kHz. Temporal processing was evaluated using gap detection, modulation detection, and duration pattern tests. Speech recognition was tested in presence multi-talker babble at -5dB SNR. Differences between experimental and control groups were analyzed using ANOVA and independent sample t-tests. Results showed a trend of reduced temporal processing skills in individuals with noise exposure. These deficits were observed despite normal peripheral hearing sensitivity. Speech recognition scores in the presence of noise were also significantly poor in noise-exposed group. Furthermore, poor temporal processing skills partially accounted for the speech recognition difficulties exhibited by the noise-exposed individuals. These results suggest that noise can cause significant distortions in the processing of suprathreshold temporal cues which may add to difficulties in hearing in adverse listening conditions.

Modulation of central sensitisation by detoxification in MOH

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Munksgaard, Signe B; Bendtsen, Lars; Jensen, Rigmor H

2013-01-01

detoxification. For baseline comparison, we tested 40 healthy controls. We measured cephalic and extra-cephalic pressure-pain thresholds and supra-threshold pressure-pain scores and extra-cephalic pain thresholds, supra-threshold pain scores and temporal summation for electrical stimulation.ResultsOf the 35...

Serial Comparison Processes and Sex Differences in Clerical Speed.

Science.gov (United States)

Majeres, Raymond L.

1988-01-01

Three experiments were conducted with 91 male and 91 female university students to assess sex differences in performance on speeded matching tests and theory on same-different judgments. Results are interpreted via the dual-process hypothesis of same-difference judgments with sex differences explained in terms of serial comparison processes rather…

Individual differences in emotion word processing: A diffusion model analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Mueller, Christina J; Kuchinke, Lars

2016-06-01

The exploratory study investigated individual differences in implicit processing of emotional words in a lexical decision task. A processing advantage for positive words was observed, and differences between happy and fear-related words in response times were predicted by individual differences in specific variables of emotion processing: Whereas more pronounced goal-directed behavior was related to a specific slowdown in processing of fear-related words, the rate of spontaneous eye blinks (indexing brain dopamine levels) was associated with a processing advantage of happy words. Estimating diffusion model parameters revealed that the drift rate (rate of information accumulation) captures unique variance of processing differences between happy and fear-related words, with highest drift rates observed for happy words. Overall emotion recognition ability predicted individual differences in drift rates between happy and fear-related words. The findings emphasize that a significant amount of variance in emotion processing is explained by individual differences in behavioral data.

Sex differences in the processing of flankers.

Science.gov (United States)

Stoet, Gijsbert

2010-04-01

The study of sex differences in cognition has often focused on differences in spatial processing. Recently, sex differences in selective attention have been observed by Bayliss, di Pellegrino, and Tipper (2005), showing that women are more influenced than men by irrelevant spatial cues. The current study elaborates on this finding and tests whether sex differences in the processing of irrelevant information also occur in a simpler task, in which there is no need to redirect visual attention and no need to remember multiple spatial stimulus-response associations. Here, attention is studied using a novel combination of a go/no-go task and a flanker task. A total of 80 neurotypical participants were studied, and it was found that responses in women were more strongly affected by flanker information than were responses in men. This suggests that these sex differences were not due to difficulties with spatial reorientation, or remembering spatial stimulus-response relationships. The findings are discussed in the context of the hunter-gatherer theory of sex differences.

Individual Differences in Language Acquisition and Processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Kidd, Evan; Donnelly, Seamus; Christiansen, Morten H

2018-02-01

Humans differ in innumerable ways, with considerable variation observable at every level of description, from the molecular to the social. Traditionally, linguistic and psycholinguistic theory has downplayed the possibility of meaningful differences in language across individuals. However, it is becoming increasingly evident that there is significant variation among speakers at any age as well as across the lifespan. Here, we review recent research in psycholinguistics, and argue that a focus on individual differences (IDs) provides a crucial source of evidence that bears strongly upon core issues in theories of the acquisition and processing of language; specifically, the role of experience in language acquisition, processing, and attainment, and the architecture of the language system. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Individual Differences in Depth and Breadth of Processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmeck, Ronald R.; McCarthy, Patricia

Memory has been defined as traces left behind by past information processing. One approach to the study of everyday memory is to isolate reliable differences between individuals in the ways in which they process information when preparing for test events. The Inventory of Learning Processes, consisting of four scales, i.e., Deep Processing,…

Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus enhances emotional processing in Parkinson disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, Frank; Habel, Ute; Volkmann, Jens; Regel, Sabine; Kornischka, Jürgen; Sturm, Volker; Freund, Hans-Joachim

2003-03-01

High-frequency electrical stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus is a new and highly effective therapy for complications of long-term levodopa therapy and motor symptoms in advanced Parkinson disease (PD). Clinical observations indicate additional influence on emotional behavior. Electrical stimulation of deep brain nuclei with pulse rates above 100 Hz provokes a reversible, lesioning-like effect. Here, the effect of deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus on emotional, cognitive, and motor performance in patients with PD (n = 12) was examined. The results were compared with the effects of a suprathreshold dose of levodopa intended to transiently restore striatal dopamine deficiency. Patients were tested during medication off/stimulation off (STIM OFF), medication off/stimulation on (STIM ON), and during the best motor state after taking levodopa without deep brain stimulation (MED). More positive self-reported mood and an enhanced mood induction effect as well as improvement in emotional memory during STIM ON were observed, while during STIM OFF, patients revealed reduced emotional performance. Comparable effects were revealed by STIM ON and MED. Cognitive performance was not affected by the different conditions and treatments. Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus selectively enhanced affective processing and subjective well-being and seemed to be antidepressive. Levodopa and deep brain stimulation had similar effects on emotion. This finding may provide new clues about the neurobiologic bases of emotion and mood disorders, and it illustrates the important role of the basal ganglia and the dopaminergic system in emotional processing in addition to the well-known motor and cognitive functions.

Age Differences in Information Use While Making Decisions: Resource Limitations or Processing Differences?

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobs-Lawson, Joy M; Schumacher, Mitzi M; Wackerbarth, Sarah B

2016-09-20

Recent research on the decision-making abilities of older adults has shown that they use less information than young adults. One explanation ascribes this age difference to reductions in cognitive abilities with age. The article includes three experimental studies that focused on determining the conditions in which older and young adults would display dissimilar information processing characteristics. Findings from Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated that older adults are not necessarily at greater disadvantage than young adults in decision contexts that demand more information processing resources. Findings from Study 3 indicated that older adults when faced with decisions that require greater processing are likely to use a strategy that reduces the amount of information needed, whereas younger adults rely on strategies that utilize more resources. Combined the findings indicate that older adults change their decision-making strategies based on the context and information provided. Furthermore, support is provided for processing difference. © The Author(s) 2016.

Subjective workload and individual differences in information processing abilities

Science.gov (United States)

Damos, D. L.

1984-01-01

This paper describes several experiments examining the source of individual differences in the experience of mental workload. Three sources of such differences were examined: information processing abilities, timesharing abilities, and personality traits/behavior patterns. On the whole, there was little evidence that individual differences in information processing abilities or timesharing abilities are related to perceived differences in mental workload. However, individuals with strong Type A coronary prone behavior patterns differed in both single- and multiple-task performance from individuals who showed little evidence of such a pattern. Additionally, individuals with a strong Type A pattern showed some dissociation between objective performance and the experience of mental workload.

Exploring the Link Between Cognitive Abilities and Speech Recognition in the Elderly Under Different Listening Conditions

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Theresa Nuesse

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Elderly listeners are known to differ considerably in their ability to understand speech in noise. Several studies have addressed the underlying factors that contribute to these differences. These factors include audibility, and age-related changes in supra-threshold auditory processing abilities, and it has been suggested that differences in cognitive abilities may also be important. The objective of this study was to investigate associations between performance in cognitive tasks and speech recognition under different listening conditions in older adults with either age appropriate hearing or hearing-impairment. To that end, speech recognition threshold (SRT measurements were performed under several masking conditions that varied along the perceptual dimensions of dip listening, spatial separation, and informational masking. In addition, a neuropsychological test battery was administered, which included measures of verbal working and short-term memory, executive functioning, selective and divided attention, and lexical and semantic abilities. Age-matched groups of older adults with either age-appropriate hearing (ENH, n = 20 or aided hearing impairment (EHI, n = 21 participated. In repeated linear regression analyses, composite scores of cognitive test outcomes (evaluated using PCA were included to predict SRTs. These associations were different for the two groups. When hearing thresholds were controlled for, composed cognitive factors were significantly associated with the SRTs for the ENH listeners. Whereas better lexical and semantic abilities were associated with lower (better SRTs in this group, there was a negative association between attentional abilities and speech recognition in the presence of spatially separated speech-like maskers. For the EHI group, the pure-tone thresholds (averaged across 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz were significantly associated with the SRTs, despite the fact that all signals were amplified and therefore in principle

Difference-based Model Synchronization in an Industrial MDD Process

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Könemann, Patrick; Kindler, Ekkart; Unland, Ludger

2009-01-01

Models play a central role in model-driven software engineering. There are different kinds of models during the development process, which are related to each other and change over time. Therefore, it is difficult to keep the different models consistent with each other. Consistency of different m...... model versions, and for synchronizing other types of models. The main concern is to apply our concepts to an industrial process, in particular keeping usability and performance in mind. Keyword: Model Differencing, Model Merging, Model Synchronization...

Cultural Differences in the Development of Processing Speed

Science.gov (United States)

Kail, Robert V.; McBride-Chang, Catherine; Ferrer, Emilio; Cho, Jeung-Ryeul; Shu, Hua

2013-01-01

The aim of the present work was to examine cultural differences in the development of speed of information processing. Four samples of US children ("N" = 509) and four samples of East Asian children ("N" = 661) completed psychometric measures of processing speed on two occasions. Analyses of the longitudinal data indicated…

Immigrant-Native Differences in Earnings Mobility Processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ahmad, Nisar; Esmaeilzadeh, Rayhaneh; Hansen, Jørgen

2014-01-01

This study compares the earnings mobility between immigrants and natives within and between Denmark and Canada. Both countries have different labour market conditions and immigration history which leads to an interesting comparison of earning mobility processes. The paper employs a dynamic...

Immigrant-Native Differences in Earnings Mobility Processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ahmad, Nisar; Esmaeilzadeh, •Rayhaneh

2009-01-01

This study compares the earnings mobility between immigrants and natives within and between Denmark and Canada. Both countries have different labour market conditions and immigration history which leads to an interesting comparison of earning mobility processes. The paper employs a dynamic...

Radial frequency stimuli and sine-wave gratings seem to be processed by distinct contrast brain mechanisms

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M.L.B. Simas

2005-03-01

Full Text Available An assumption commonly made in the study of visual perception is that the lower the contrast threshold for a given stimulus, the more sensitive and selective will be the mechanism that processes it. On the basis of this consideration, we investigated contrast thresholds for two classes of stimuli: sine-wave gratings and radial frequency stimuli (i.e., j0 targets or stimuli modulated by spherical Bessel functions. Employing a suprathreshold summation method, we measured the selectivity of spatial and radial frequency filters using either sine-wave gratings or j0 target contrast profiles at either 1 or 4 cycles per degree of visual angle (cpd, as the test frequencies. Thus, in a forced-choice trial, observers chose between a background spatial (or radial frequency alone and the given background stimulus plus the test frequency (1 or 4 cpd sine-wave grating or radial frequency. Contrary to our expectations, the results showed elevated thresholds (i.e., inhibition for sine-wave gratings and decreased thresholds (i.e., summation for radial frequencies when background and test frequencies were identical. This was true for both 1- and 4-cpd test frequencies. This finding suggests that sine-wave gratings and radial frequency stimuli are processed by different quasi-linear systems, one working at low luminance and contrast level (sine-wave gratings and the other at high luminance and contrast levels (radial frequency stimuli. We think that this interpretation is consistent with distinct foveal only and foveal-parafoveal mechanisms involving striate and/or other higher visual areas (i.e., V2 and V4.

The Processing on Different Types of English Formulaic Sequences

Science.gov (United States)

Qian, Li

2015-01-01

Formulaic sequences are found to be processed faster than their matched novel phrases in previous studies. Given the variety of formulaic types, few studies have compared processing on different types of formulaic sequences. The present study explored the processing among idioms, speech formulae and written formulae. It has been found that in…

The Hawkes process with different excitation functions and its asymptotoc behavior

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fierro, Raúl; Leiva, Víctor; Møller, Jesper

The standard Hawkes process is constructed from a homogeneous Poisson process and using the same exciting function for dierent generations of offspring. We propose an extension of this process by considering different exciting functions. This consideration could be important to be taken into acco......The standard Hawkes process is constructed from a homogeneous Poisson process and using the same exciting function for dierent generations of offspring. We propose an extension of this process by considering different exciting functions. This consideration could be important to be taken...... into account in a number of fields; e.g. in seismology, where main shocks produce aftershocks with possibly different intensities. The main results are devoted to the asymptotic behavior of this extension of the Hawkes process. Indeed, a law of large numbers and a central limit theorem are stated...

Different Concepts of Materiality in Userdriven Processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Helms, Niels Henrik; Tellerup, Susanne

This paper introduces the Quadrant model for innovation. The model should be seen as a generative model for structuring processes in innovation with complex partnerships. The paper discusses the model and especially emphasises the need for, and the different concepts of materiality in innovation....

From face processing to face recognition: Comparing three different processing levels.

Science.gov (United States)

Besson, G; Barragan-Jason, G; Thorpe, S J; Fabre-Thorpe, M; Puma, S; Ceccaldi, M; Barbeau, E J

2017-01-01

Verifying that a face is from a target person (e.g. finding someone in the crowd) is a critical ability of the human face processing system. Yet how fast this can be performed is unknown. The 'entry-level shift due to expertise' hypothesis suggests that - since humans are face experts - processing faces should be as fast - or even faster - at the individual than at superordinate levels. In contrast, the 'superordinate advantage' hypothesis suggests that faces are processed from coarse to fine, so that the opposite pattern should be observed. To clarify this debate, three different face processing levels were compared: (1) a superordinate face categorization level (i.e. detecting human faces among animal faces), (2) a face familiarity level (i.e. recognizing famous faces among unfamiliar ones) and (3) verifying that a face is from a target person, our condition of interest. The minimal speed at which faces can be categorized (∼260ms) or recognized as familiar (∼360ms) has largely been documented in previous studies, and thus provides boundaries to compare our condition of interest to. Twenty-seven participants were included. The recent Speed and Accuracy Boosting procedure paradigm (SAB) was used since it constrains participants to use their fastest strategy. Stimuli were presented either upright or inverted. Results revealed that verifying that a face is from a target person (minimal RT at ∼260ms) was remarkably fast but longer than the face categorization level (∼240ms) and was more sensitive to face inversion. In contrast, it was much faster than recognizing a face as familiar (∼380ms), a level severely affected by face inversion. Face recognition corresponding to finding a specific person in a crowd thus appears achievable in only a quarter of a second. In favor of the 'superordinate advantage' hypothesis or coarse-to-fine account of the face visual hierarchy, these results suggest a graded engagement of the face processing system across processing

Sex differences in humor processing: An event-related potential study.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Yi-Tzu; Ku, Li-Chuan; Chen, Hsueh-Chih

2018-02-01

Numerous behavioral studies and a handful of functional neuroimaging studies have reported sex differences in humor. However, no study to date has examined differences in the time-course of brain activity during multistage humor processing between the sexes. The purpose of this study was to compare real-time dynamics related to humor processing between women and men, with reference to a proposed three-stage model (involving incongruity detection, incongruity resolution, and elaboration stages). Forty undergraduate students (20 women) underwent event-related potential recording while subjectively rating 30 question-answer-type jokes and 30 question-answer-type statements in a random order. Sex differences were revealed by analyses of the mean amplitudes of difference waves during a specific time window between 1000 and 1300 ms poststimulus onset (P1000-1300). This indicates that women recruited more mental resources to integrate cognitive and emotional components at this late stage. In contrast, men recruited more automated processes during the transition from the cognitive operations of the incongruity resolution stage to the emotional response of the humor elaboration stage. Our results suggest that sex differences in humor processing lie in differences in the integration of cognitive and emotional components, which are closely linked and interact reciprocally, particularly in women. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Developmental differences in beta and theta power during sentence processing

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Julie M. Schneider

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Although very young children process ongoing language quickly and effortlessly, research indicates that they continue to improve and mature in their language skills through adolescence. This prolonged development may be related to differing engagement of semantic and syntactic processes. This study used event related potentials and time frequency analysis of EEG to identify developmental differences in neural engagement as children (ages 10–12 and adults performed an auditory verb agreement grammaticality judgment task. Adults and children revealed very few differences in comprehending grammatically correct sentences. When identifying grammatical errors, however, adults displayed widely distributed beta and theta power decreases that were significantly less pronounced in children. Adults also demonstrated a significant P600 effect, while children exhibited an apparent N400 effect. Thus, when identifying subtle grammatical errors in real time, adults display greater neural activation that is traditionally associated with syntactic processing whereas children exhibit greater activity more commonly associated with semantic processing. These findings support previous claims that the cognitive and neural underpinnings of syntactic processing are still developing in adolescence, and add to them by more clearly identifying developmental changes in the neural oscillations underlying grammatical processing.

[Analysis of chondroitin sulfate content of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum with different processing methods and different parts].

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Rui-Ze; Wang, Yan-Hua; Sun, Yin-Shi

2018-02-01

The differences and the variations of chondroitin sulfate content in different parts of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum(CCP) with different processing methods were investigated. The chondroitin sulfate from velvet was extracted by dilute alkali-concentrated salt method. Next， the chondroitin sulfate was digested by chondroitinase ABC.The contents of total chondroitin sulfate and chondroitin sulfate A， B and C in the samples were determined by high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC).The content of chondroitin sulfate in wax，powder，gauze，bone slices of CCP with freeze-drying processing is 14.13，11.99，1.74，0.32 g·kg⁻¹， respectively. The content of chondroitin sulfate in wax，powder，gauze，bone slices of CCP with boiling processing is 10.71，8.97，2.21，1.40 g·kg⁻¹， respectively. The content of chondroitin sulfate in wax，powder，gauze，bone slices of CCP without blood is 12.47，9.47，2.64，0.07 g·kg⁻¹， respectively. And the content of chondroitin sulfate in wax，powder，gauze，bone slices of CCP with blood is 8.22，4.39，0.87，0.28 g·kg⁻¹ respectively. The results indicated that the chondroitin sulfate content in different processing methods was significantly different.The content of chondroitin sulfate in CCP with freeze-drying is higher than that in CCP with boiling processing.The content of chondroitin sulfate in CCP without blood is higher than that in CCP with blood. The chondroitin sulfate content in differerent paris of the velvet with the same processing methods was arranged from high to low as： wax slices， powder， gauze slices， bone slices. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

[Influence of different processing methods on Angelica sinensis polysaccharides from same origin].

Science.gov (United States)

Lv, Jieli; Chen, Hongli; Duan, Jinao; Yan, Hui; Tang, Yuping; Song, Bingsheng

2011-04-01

To study the influences of different processing methods on the content of Angelica sinensis polysaccharides (APS) from the same origin. The contents of neutral polysaccharides and acidic polysaccharides in various samples of A. sinensis were determined by phenol-sulfuric acid and carbazole-sulfuric acid method, respectively. The proliferation ability of lymphocyte was detected by MTT method after the cells were cultured with different concentrations of APS from two samples processed by different methods. The different processing methods had different effects on the contents of polysaccharide. The maximum content of APS (26.03%) was found in the sample processed by microwave drying medium-fired, but the minimum content of APS (2.25%) was found in the sample processed by vacuum drying at 50 TC. Furthermore, the APS (high concentration group, P methods have different effects on the contents of APS and the proliferation ability of lymphocytes.

Hemispheric specialization in dogs for processing different acoustic stimuli.

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Marcello Siniscalchi

Full Text Available Considerable experimental evidence shows that functional cerebral asymmetries are widespread in animals. Activity of the right cerebral hemisphere has been associated with responses to novel stimuli and the expression of intense emotions, such as aggression, escape behaviour and fear. The left hemisphere uses learned patterns and responds to familiar stimuli. Although such lateralization has been studied mainly for visual responses, there is evidence in primates that auditory perception is lateralized and that vocal communication depends on differential processing by the hemispheres. The aim of the present work was to investigate whether dogs use different hemispheres to process different acoustic stimuli by presenting them with playbacks of a thunderstorm and their species-typical vocalizations. The results revealed that dogs usually process their species-typical vocalizations using the left hemisphere and the thunderstorm sounds using the right hemisphere. Nevertheless, conspecific vocalizations are not always processed by the left hemisphere, since the right hemisphere is used for processing vocalizations when they elicit intense emotion, including fear. These findings suggest that the specialisation of the left hemisphere for intraspecific communication is more ancient that previously thought, and so is specialisation of the right hemisphere for intense emotions.

The Influence of Different Processing Methods on Component Content of Sophora japonica

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, Y. B.; Zhu, H. J.; Xin, G. S.; Wei, C.

2017-12-01

The purpose of this experiment is to understand the effect of different processing methods on the content of active ingredients in Sophora japonica, and to determine the content of rutin and quercetin in Sophora japonica under different processing methods by UV spectrophotometry of the content determination. So as to compare the effect of different processing methods on the active ingredient content of Sophora japonica. Experiments can be seen in the rutin content: Fried Sophora japonica>Vinegar sunburn Sophora> Health products Sophora japonica> Charred sophora flower, Vinegar sunburn Sophora and Fried Sophora japonica difference is not obvious; Quercetin content: Charred sophora flower> Fried Sophora japonica> Vinegar sunburn Sophora>Health products Sophora japonica. It is proved that there are some differences in the content of active ingredients in Sophora japonica in different processing methods. The content of rutin increased with the increase of the processing temperature, but the content decreased after a certain temperature; Quercetin content will increase gradually with time.

A review on sex differences in processing emotional signals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kret, M.E.; de Gelder, B.

2012-01-01

Interest in sex-related differences in psychological functioning has again come to the foreground with new findings about their possible functional basis in the brain. Sex differences may be one way how evolution has capitalized on the capacity of homologous brain regions to process social

Lipolysis and lipid oxidation in fermented sausages depending on different processing conditions and different antioxidants.

Science.gov (United States)

Zanardi, Emanuela; Ghidini, Sergio; Battaglia, Alessandra; Chizzolini, Roberto

2004-02-01

Lipolysis and lipid oxidation in Mediterranean and North Europe type sausages were studied in relation to raw material, processing conditions and additives. In particular the effect of ascorbic acid, nitrites and spices was evaluated. Lipolysis was measured by the determination of total and free fatty acids of fresh minces and matured products and lipid oxidation was evaluated by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and cholesterol oxidation products. The increase of free fatty acids during maturation appears to be independent from processing conditions and the differences in polyunsaturated fatty acids increment found among the formulations appear to be due to inherent variations of raw materials. The presence of ascorbic acid and/or nitrite seems important for cholesterol protection and, as a consequence, for the safety of fermented meat products while spices at doses up to 0.1% do not seem to have a remarkable effect. The effect on fatty acid oxidation of the same additives and of the different processing technologies is not significantly different and the variations linked to raw material may play the greatest role.

Individual Differences in Zhong-Yong tendency and Processing Capacity

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Ting-Yun eChang

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The present study investigated how an individual’s Zhong-Yong tendency is related to his/her perceptual processing capacity. In two experiments, participants completed a Zhong-Yong Thinking Style Scale and performed a redundant-target detection task. Processing capacity was assessed with a nonparametric approach (systems factorial technology, SFT and a parametric (linear ballistic accumulator model, LBA approach. Results converged to suggest a positive correlation between Zhong-Yong tendency and processing capacity. High middle-way thinkers had larger processing capacity in multiple-signal processing compared with low middle-way thinkers, indicating that they processed information more efficiently and in an integrated fashion. Zhong-Yong tendency positively correlates with the processing capacity. These findings suggest that the individual differences in processing capacity can account for the reasons why high middle-way thinkers tend to adopt a global and flexible processing strategy to deal with the external world. Furthermore, the influence of culturally dictated thinking style on cognition can be revealed in a perception task.

Are there cross-cultural differences in emotional processing and social problem-solving?

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Kwaśniewska Aneta

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Emotional processing and social problem-solving are important for mental well-being. For example, impaired emotional processing is linked with depression and psychosomatic problems. However, little is known about crosscultural differences in emotional processing and social problem-solving and whether these constructs are linked. This study examines whether emotional processing and social problem-solving differs between Western (British and Eastern European (Polish cultures. Participants (N = 172 completed questionnaires assessing both constructs. Emotional processing did not differ according to culture, but Polish participants reported more effective social problem-solving abilities than British participants. Poorer emotional processing was also found to relate to poorer social problem-solving. Possible societal reasons for the findings and the implications of the findings for culture and clinical practice are discussed.

The nurses' work process in different countries: an integrative review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juliana Alves Leite Leal

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze the characteristics of nurses' work process in different countries. Method: We have used the integrative review method and selected 84 publications (articles, theses and dissertations in national and foreign thesis banks and databases. We analyzed the evidence based on dialectical materialism. Results: The rejection of managerial tasks hides the singularity of nurses' work, due to the failure to understand the inseparable nature of managerial and healthcare tasks, given that it is what provides the expertise to coordinate the nursing work process and guide the healthcare work processes. The social and technical division is present in the work process in all countries studied, albeit in different ways. The nurse's position in the healthcare work process is subordinated to that of the physician. Conclusion: The characteristics are similar. The rejection of the dual nature of the work by nurses themselves due to alienation results in the non-recognition of their own work.

Effect of different machining processes on the tool surface integrity and fatigue life

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cao, Chuan Liang [College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanchang University, Nanchang (China); Zhang, Xianglin [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan (China)

2016-08-15

Ultra-precision grinding, wire-cut electro discharge machining and lapping are often used to machine the tools in fine blanking industry. And the surface integrity from these machining processes causes great concerns in the research field. To study the effect of processing surface integrity on the fine blanking tool life, the surface integrity of different tool materials under different processing conditions and its influence on fatigue life were thoroughly analyzed in the present study. The result shows that the surface integrity of different materials was quite different on the same processing condition. For the same tool material, the surface integrity on varying processing conditions was quite different too and deeply influenced the fatigue life.

Plasma analysis of different TiN PVD processes at various process parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strauss, G.N.; Schlichtherle, S.; Pulker, H.K.; Meyer, M.; Jehn, H.; Balzer, M.; Misiano, C.; Silipo, V.

2002-01-01

TiN coatings of some microns in thickness were deposited by different reactive plasma deposition technologies (Magnetron Sputtering Magnetically Assisted, Arc Source Ion Plating, Sputter Ion Plating Plasma Assisted) on various metal parts. The experiments were carried out in specially designed plants under variable vacuum and plasma conditions. The plasma properties of the different processes were investigated by mass spectrometry and the energy distribution of process relevant particles was additionally determined. The aim of this work was to find proper processes and conditions for a reliable low cost deposition of hard coatings at relatively high gas pressures. It was found that the magnetically forced and medium frequency pulsed biased dc magnetron sputter deposition variants, operating in the 10 -3 mbar gas pressure range, showed a relatively large amount of single and double charged positive ions with kinetic energies up to 55 and 95 eV, as consequence of the applied modifications. Cathodic arc deposition, in the same gas pressure range of 10 - 3 mbar, showed a very high number of such ions with energies up to more than 100 eV, depending on the value of the applied arc current. However, at constant distance between source and substrate the higher gas pressure increases also the number of energy reducing collisions of the coating-material vapour-species with the gas molecules. The arc source process, even when performed at high gas pressures of about 10 -1 mbar, showed a remarkable amount of ions with energies up to 75 eV resulting in high performance TiN films of quite proper 3D homogeneity. The arc source technique is able to increase film thickness uniformity up to 3 times with respect to the traditional coatings if the samples are mounted in a way that they do not influence each other. (nevyjel)

Age Differences in Text Processing: The Role of Working Memory, Inhibition, and Processing Speed

OpenAIRE

BORELLA ERIKA; GHISLETTA PAOLO; DE RIBAUPIERRE ANIK

2011-01-01

Objectives. Age-related changes in the efficiency of various general cognitive mechanisms have been evoked to account for age-related differences between young and older adults in text comprehension performance. Using structural equation modeling, we investigate the relationship between age, working memory (WM), inhibition-related mechanisms, processing speed, and text comprehension, focusing on surface and text-based levels of processing. Methods. Eighty-nine younger (M = 23.11 years) and 10...

ERP differences between processing of physical characteristics and personality attributes

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background Limited data from behavioral and brain-imaging studies indicate that personality traits and physical characteristics are processed differently by the brain. Additionally, electrophysiological results of studies comparing the processing of positive and negative words have produced mixed results. It is therefore not clear how physical and personality attributes with emotional valence (i.e., positive and negative valence) are processed. Thus, this study aimed to examine the neural activity associated with words describing personality traits and physical characteristics with positive or negative emotional valence using Event Related Potentials (ERPs). Methods A sample of 15 healthy adults (7 men, 8 women) participated in a computerized word categorization task. Participants were asked to categorize visual word stimuli as physical characteristics or personality traits, while ERPs were recorded synchronously. Results Behavioral reaction times to negative physical stimuli were shorter compared to negative personality words, however reaction times did not significantly differ for positive stimuli. Electrophysiological results showed that personality stimuli elicited larger P2 and LPC (Late Positive Component) amplitudes compared to physical stimuli, regardless of negative or positive valence. Moreover, negative as compared with positive stimuli elicited larger P2 and LPC amplitudes. Conclusion Personality and physical stimuli were processed differently regardless of positive or negative valence. These findings suggest that personality traits and physical characteristics are differentially classified and are associated with different motivational significance. PMID:22967478

Quality assessment of baby food made of different pre-processed organic raw materials under industrial processing conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Seidel, Kathrin; Kahl, Johannes; Paoletti, Flavio; Birlouez, Ines; Busscher, Nicolaas; Kretzschmar, Ursula; Särkkä-Tirkkonen, Marjo; Seljåsen, Randi; Sinesio, Fiorella; Torp, Torfinn; Baiamonte, Irene

2015-02-01

The market for processed food is rapidly growing. The industry needs methods for "processing with care" leading to high quality products in order to meet consumers' expectations. Processing influences the quality of the finished product through various factors. In carrot baby food, these are the raw material, the pre-processing and storage treatments as well as the processing conditions. In this study, a quality assessment was performed on baby food made from different pre-processed raw materials. The experiments were carried out under industrial conditions using fresh, frozen and stored organic carrots as raw material. Statistically significant differences were found for sensory attributes among the three autoclaved puree samples (e.g. overall odour F = 90.72, p processed from frozen carrots show increased moisture content and decrease of several chemical constituents. Biocrystallization identified changes between replications of the cooking. Pre-treatment of raw material has a significant influence on the final quality of the baby food.

A Generic Methodology for Superstructure Optimization of Different Processing Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bertran, Maria-Ona; Frauzem, Rebecca; Zhang, Lei

2016-01-01

In this paper, we propose a generic computer-aided methodology for synthesis of different processing networks using superstructure optimization. The methodology can handle different network optimization problems of various application fields. It integrates databases with a common data architecture......, a generic model to represent the processing steps, and appropriate optimization tools. A special software interface has been created to automate the steps in the methodology workflow, allow the transfer of data between tools and obtain the mathematical representation of the problem as required...

Age differences in dual information-processing modes: implications for cancer decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Peters, Ellen; Diefenbach, Michael A; Hess, Thomas M; Västfjäll, Daniel

2008-12-15

Age differences in affective/experiential and deliberative processes have important theoretical implications for cancer decision making, as cancer is often a disease of older adulthood. The authors examined evidence for adult age differences in affective and deliberative information processes, reviewed the sparse evidence about age differences in decision making, and introduced how dual process theories and their findings might be applied to cancer decision making. Age-related declines in the efficiency of deliberative processes predict poorer-quality decisions as we age, particularly when decisions are unfamiliar and the information is numeric. However, age-related adaptive processes, including an increased focus on emotional goals and greater experience, can influence decision making and potentially offset age-related declines. A better understanding of the mechanisms that underlie cancer decision processes in our aging population should ultimately allow us to help older adults to better help themselves.

How Do Pre-Service Teachers' Reflective Processes Differ in Relation to Different Contexts?

Science.gov (United States)

Kaasila, Raimo; Lauriala, Anneli

2012-01-01

Reflective practice represents a central theme in teacher education. The focus of this study is to look at pre-service teachers' reflection processes and their breadth and depth in four different contexts. Our research data consist of 53 pre-service teachers' mathematics portfolios, from which three were selected for closer scrutiny. The chosen…

Radiodegradation process in PVDF with different molecular weight

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, L.; Batista, A.S.M.; Nascimento, J.P.; Furtado, C.A.; Faria, L.O.

2017-01-01

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) is a semi-crystalline polymer with several industrial applications due to its mechanical, ferroelectric and biocompatibility properties. Due to the particularity of some of its applications this polymer is exposed to high energy radiation, for example in the aerospace industry and with biomaterial, in sterilization processes. In this sense it is of interest studies that evaluate the radiodegradation of this material, as a way to predict its mechanical behavior after processes of exposure to gamma radiation. In this study the radioresistance of PVDF with different molecular weights is evaluated, considering that large molecular chains can provide greater resistance than smaller chains. Method: PVDF samples with different molecular weights were produced by the solvent dilution process. They were irradiated with gamma doses of 100, 300, 500, 1000 and 2000 kGy with a source of cobalt in the Laboratório de Irradiação Gama (LIG) of the Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear (CDTN). FTIR, UV-Vis, DSC and XRD analyzes were used to evaluate the induced radiodegradation processes immediately after irradiation and one month later. Results: The FTIR and UV-Vis analyzes showed formation of unsaturations in the polymer chains. The DSC technique showed a drop in the crystalline fraction of the polymer confirmed by the XRD technique. Conclusion: Post-irradiation sample evaluations are discussed in terms of the effect of high energy ionizing radiation on polymeric mate-rials for industrial and biomedical use for safety in quality assurance and performance in service. (author)

Radiodegradation process in PVDF with different molecular weight

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva, L.; Batista, A.S.M., E-mail: adriananuclear@yahoo.com.br [Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil); Nascimento, J.P.; Furtado, C.A.; Faria, L.O. [Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear (CDTN/CNEN-MG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil)

2017-07-01

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) is a semi-crystalline polymer with several industrial applications due to its mechanical, ferroelectric and biocompatibility properties. Due to the particularity of some of its applications this polymer is exposed to high energy radiation, for example in the aerospace industry and with biomaterial, in sterilization processes. In this sense it is of interest studies that evaluate the radiodegradation of this material, as a way to predict its mechanical behavior after processes of exposure to gamma radiation. In this study the radioresistance of PVDF with different molecular weights is evaluated, considering that large molecular chains can provide greater resistance than smaller chains. Method: PVDF samples with different molecular weights were produced by the solvent dilution process. They were irradiated with gamma doses of 100, 300, 500, 1000 and 2000 kGy with a source of cobalt in the Laboratório de Irradiação Gama (LIG) of the Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear (CDTN). FTIR, UV-Vis, DSC and XRD analyzes were used to evaluate the induced radiodegradation processes immediately after irradiation and one month later. Results: The FTIR and UV-Vis analyzes showed formation of unsaturations in the polymer chains. The DSC technique showed a drop in the crystalline fraction of the polymer confirmed by the XRD technique. Conclusion: Post-irradiation sample evaluations are discussed in terms of the effect of high energy ionizing radiation on polymeric mate-rials for industrial and biomedical use for safety in quality assurance and performance in service. (author)

Differences between LASL- and ANL-processed cross sections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kidman, R.B.; MacFarlane, R.E.; Becker, M.

1978-03-01

As part of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) cross-section processing development, LASL cross sections and results from MINX/1DX system are compared to the Argonne National Laboratory cross sections and results from the ETOE-2/MC 2 -2 system for a simple reactor problem. Exact perturbation theory is used to establish the eigenvalue effect of every isotope group cross-section difference. Cross sections, cross-section differences, and their eigenvalue effects are clearly and conveniently displayed and compared on a group-by-group basis

Binaural processing of modulated interaural level differences

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thompson, Eric Robert; Dau, Torsten

2008-01-01

Two experiments are presented that measure the acuity of binaural processing of modulated interaural level differences ILDs using psychoacoustic methods. In both experiments, dynamic ILDs were created by imposing an interaurally antiphasic sinusoidal amplitude modulation AM signal on high...... frequency, broadly tuned, bandpass-shaped patterns were obtained. Simulations with an existing binaural model show that a low-pass filter to limit the binaural temporal resolution is not sufficient to predict the results of the experiments....

Differences in holistic processing do not explain cultural differences in the recognition of facial expression.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Xiaoqian; Young, Andrew W; Andrews, Timothy J

2017-12-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the causes of the own-race advantage in facial expression perception. In Experiment 1, we investigated Western Caucasian and Chinese participants' perception and categorization of facial expressions of six basic emotions that included two pairs of confusable expressions (fear and surprise; anger and disgust). People were slightly better at identifying facial expressions posed by own-race members (mainly in anger and disgust). In Experiment 2, we asked whether the own-race advantage was due to differences in the holistic processing of facial expressions. Participants viewed composite faces in which the upper part of one expression was combined with the lower part of a different expression. The upper and lower parts of the composite faces were either aligned or misaligned. Both Chinese and Caucasian participants were better at identifying the facial expressions from the misaligned images, showing interference on recognizing the parts of the expressions created by holistic perception of the aligned composite images. However, this interference from holistic processing was equivalent across expressions of own-race and other-race faces in both groups of participants. Whilst the own-race advantage in recognizing facial expressions does seem to reflect the confusability of certain emotions, it cannot be explained by differences in holistic processing.

Age Differences in Dual Information-Processing Modes: Implications for Cancer Decision Making

Science.gov (United States)

Peters, Ellen; Diefenbach, Michael A.; Hess, Thomas M.; Västfjäll, Daniel

2008-01-01

Age differences in affective/experiential and deliberative processes have important theoretical implications for cancer decision making as cancer is often a disease of older adulthood. We examine evidence for adult age differences in affective and deliberative information processes, review the sparse evidence about age differences in decision making and introduce how dual process theories and their findings might be applied to cancer decision making. Age-related declines in the efficiency of deliberative processes predict poorer-quality decisions as we age, particularly when decisions are unfamiliar and the information is numeric. However, age-related adaptive processes, including an increased focus on emotional goals and greater experience, can influence decision making and potentially offset age-related declines. A better understanding of the mechanisms that underlie cancer decision processes in our aging population should ultimately allow us to help older adults to better help themselves. PMID:19058148

Langevin equation with multiplicative white noise: Transformation of diffusion processes into the Wiener process in different prescriptions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwok, Sau Fa

2012-01-01

A Langevin equation with multiplicative white noise and its corresponding Fokker–Planck equation are considered in this work. From the Fokker–Planck equation a transformation into the Wiener process is provided for different orders of prescription in discretization rule for the stochastic integrals. A few applications are also discussed. - Highlights: ► Fokker–Planck equation corresponding to the Langevin equation with mul- tiplicative white noise is presented. ► Transformation of diffusion processes into the Wiener process in different prescriptions is provided. ► The prescription parameter is associated with the growth rate for a Gompertz-type model.

Characterisation of Aronia powders obtained by different drying processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Horszwald, Anna; Julien, Heritier; Andlauer, Wilfried

2013-12-01

Nowadays, food industry is facing challenges connected with the preservation of the highest possible quality of fruit products obtained after processing. Attention has been drawn to Aronia fruits due to numerous health promoting properties of their products. However, processing of Aronia, like other berries, leads to difficulties that stem from the preparation process, as well as changes in the composition of bioactive compounds. Consequently, in this study, Aronia commercial juice was subjected to different drying techniques: spray drying, freeze drying and vacuum drying with the temperature range of 40-80 °C. All powders obtained had a high content of total polyphenols. Powders gained by spray drying had the highest values which corresponded to a high content of total flavonoids, total monomeric anthocyanins, cyaniding-3-glucoside and total proanthocyanidins. Analysis of the results exhibited a correlation between selected bioactive compounds and their antioxidant capacity. In conclusion, drying techniques have an impact on selected quality parameters, and different drying techniques cause changes in the content of bioactives analysed. Spray drying can be recommended for preservation of bioactives in Aronia products. Powder quality depends mainly on the process applied and parameters chosen. Therefore, Aronia powders production should be adapted to the requirements and design of the final product. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Distinct Processes Drive Diversification in Different Clades of Gesneriaceae.

Science.gov (United States)

Roalson, Eric H; Roberts, Wade R

2016-07-01

Using a time-calibrated phylogenetic hypothesis including 768 Gesneriaceae species (out of [Formula: see text]3300 species) and more than 29,000 aligned bases from 26 gene regions, we test Gesneriaceae for diversification rate shifts and the possible proximal drivers of these shifts: geographic distributions, growth forms, and pollination syndromes. Bayesian Analysis of Macroevolutionary Mixtures analyses found five significant rate shifts in Beslerieae, core Nematanthus, core Columneinae, core Streptocarpus, and Pacific Cyrtandra These rate shifts correspond with shifts in diversification rates, as inferred by Binary State Speciation and Extinction Model and Geographic State Speciation and Extinction model, associated with hummingbird pollination, epiphytism, unifoliate growth, and geographic area. Our results suggest that diversification processes are extremely variable across Gesneriaceae clades with different combinations of characters influencing diversification rates in different clades. Diversification patterns between New and Old World lineages show dramatic differences, suggesting that the processes of diversification in Gesneriaceae are very different in these two geographic regions. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Society of Systematic Biologists. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Sex differences in sensorimotor mu rhythms during selective attentional processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Popovich, C; Dockstader, C; Cheyne, D; Tannock, R

2010-12-01

We used magnetoencephalography to investigate the effect of directed attention on sensorimotor mu (8-12 Hz) response (mu reactivity) to non-painful electrical stimulation of the median nerve in healthy adults. Mu desynchronization in the 10-12 Hz bandwidth is typically observed during higher-order cognitive functions including selective attentional processing of sensorimotor information (Pfurtscheller, Neuper, & Krauz, 2000). We found attention-related sex differences in mu reactivity, with females showing (i) prolonged mu desynchrony when attending to somatosensory stimuli, (ii) attentional modulation of the mu response based on whether attention was directed towards or away from somatosensory stimuli, which was absent in males, and (iii) a trend for greater neuronal excitability of the primary somatosensory region suggesting greater physiological responsiveness to sensory stimulation overall. Our findings suggest sex differences in attentional control strategies when processing somatosensory stimuli, whose salience may be greater for females. These sex differences in attention to somatosensory stimuli may help elucidate the well-documented sex biases in pain processing wherein females typically report greater sensitivity to experimental and clinical pain. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of different natural physical fields on biological processes

Science.gov (United States)

Mashinsky, A. L.

2001-01-01

In space flight conditions gravity, magnetic, and electrical fields as well as ionizing radiation change both in size, and in direction. This causes disruptions in the conduct of some physical processes, chemical reactions, and metabolism in living organisms. In these conditions organisms of different phylogenetic level change their metabolic reactions undergo changes such as disturbances in ionic exchange both in lower and in higher plants, changes in cell morphology for example, gyrosity in Proteus ( Proteus vulgaris), spatial disorientation in coleoptiles of Wheat ( Triticum aestivum) and Pea ( Pisum sativum) seedlings, mutational changes in Crepis ( Crepis capillaris) and Arabidopsis ( Arabidopsis thaliana) seedling. It has been found that even in the absence of gravity, gravireceptors determining spatial orientation in higher plants under terrestrial conditions are formed in the course of ontogenesis. Under weightlessness this system does not function and spatial orientation is determined by the light flux gradient or by the action of some other factors. Peculiarities of the formation of the gravireceptor apparatus in higher plants, amphibians, fish, and birds under space flight conditions have been observed. It has been found that the system in which responses were accompanied by phase transition have proven to be gravity-sensitive under microgravity conditions. Such reactions include also the process of photosynthesis which is the main energy production process in plants. In view of the established effects of microgravity and different natural physical fields on biological processes, it has been shown that these processes change due to the absence of initially rigid determination. The established biological effect of physical fields influence on biological processes in organisms is the starting point for elucidating the role of gravity and evolutionary development of various organisms on Earth.

Limited evidence of individual differences in holistic processing in different versions of the part-whole paradigm.

Science.gov (United States)

Sunday, Mackenzie A; Richler, Jennifer J; Gauthier, Isabel

2017-07-01

The part-whole paradigm was one of the first measures of holistic processing and it has been used to address several topics in face recognition, including its development, other-race effects, and more recently, whether holistic processing is correlated with face recognition ability. However the task was not designed to measure individual differences and it has produced measurements with low reliability. We created a new holistic processing test designed to measure individual differences based on the part-whole paradigm, the Vanderbilt Part Whole Test (VPWT). Measurements in the part and whole conditions were reliable, but, surprisingly, there was no evidence for reliable individual differences in the part-whole index (how well a person can take advantage of a face part presented within a whole face context compared to the part presented without a whole face) because part and whole conditions were strongly correlated. The same result was obtained in a version of the original part-whole task that was modified to increase its reliability. Controlling for object recognition ability, we found that variance in the whole condition does not predict any additional variance in face recognition over what is already predicted by performance in the part condition.

Bacterial diversity at different stages of the composting process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paulin Lars

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Composting is an aerobic microbiological process that is facilitated by bacteria and fungi. Composting is also a method to produce fertilizer or soil conditioner. Tightened EU legislation now requires treatment of the continuously growing quantities of organic municipal waste before final disposal. However, some full-scale composting plants experience difficulties with the efficiency of biowaste degradation and with the emission of noxious odours. In this study we examine the bacterial species richness and community structure of an optimally working pilot-scale compost plant, as well as a full-scale composting plant experiencing typical problems. Bacterial species composition was determined by isolating total DNA followed by amplifying and sequencing the gene encoding the 16S ribosomal RNA. Results Over 1500 almost full-length 16S rRNA gene sequences were analysed and of these, over 500 were present only as singletons. Most of the sequences observed in either one or both of the composting processes studied here were similar to the bacterial species reported earlier in composts, including bacteria from the phyla Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Deinococcus-Thermus. In addition, a number of previously undetected bacterial phylotypes were observed. Statistical calculations estimated a total bacterial diversity of over 2000 different phylotypes in the studied composts. Conclusions Interestingly, locally enriched or evolved bacterial variants of familiar compost species were observed in both composts. A detailed comparison of the bacterial diversity revealed a large difference in composts at the species and strain level from the different composting plants. However, at the genus level, the difference was much smaller and illustrated a delay of the composting process in the full-scale, sub-optimally performing plants.

Differences in cognitive and emotional processes between persecutory and grandiose delusions.

Science.gov (United States)

Garety, Philippa A; Gittins, Matthew; Jolley, Suzanne; Bebbington, Paul; Dunn, Graham; Kuipers, Elizabeth; Fowler, David; Freeman, Daniel

2013-05-01

Cognitive models propose that cognitive and emotional processes, in the context of anomalies of experience, lead to and maintain delusions. No large-scale studies have investigated whether persecutory and grandiose delusions reflect differing contributions of reasoning and affective processes. This is complicated by their frequent cooccurrence in schizophrenia. We hypothesized that persecutory and grandiose subtypes would differ significantly in their associations with psychological processes. Participants were the 301 patients from the Psychological Prevention of Relapse in Psychosis Trial (ISRCTN83557988). Persecutory delusions were present in 192 participants, and grandiose delusions were present in 97, while 58 were rated as having delusions both of persecution and grandiosity. Measures of emotional and reasoning processes, at baseline only, were employed. A bivariate response model was used. Negative self-evaluations and depression and anxiety predicted a significantly increased chance of persecutory delusions whereas grandiose delusions were predicted by less negative self-evaluations and lower anxiety and depression, along with higher positive self and positive other evaluations. Reasoning biases were common in the whole group and in categorically defined subgroups with only persecutory delusions and only grandiose delusions; however, jumping to conclusions, and belief flexibility were significantly different in the 2 groups, the grandiose group having a higher likelihood of showing a reasoning bias than the persecutory group. The significant differences in the processes associated with these 2 delusion subtypes have implications for etiology and for the development of targeted treatment strategies.

Neuronal specializations for the processing of interaural difference cues in the chick

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Harunori eOhmori

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Sound information is encoded as a series of spikes of the auditory nerve fibers (ANFs, and then transmitted to the brainstem auditory nuclei. Features such as timing and level are extracted from ANFs activity and further processed as the interaural time difference (ITD and the interaural level difference (ILD, respectively. These two interaural difference cues are used for sound source localization by behaving animals. Both cues depend on the head size of animals and are extremely small, requiring specialized neural properties in order to process these cues with precision. Moreover, the sound level and timing cues are not processed independently from one another. Neurons in the nucleus angularis (NA are specialized for coding sound level information in birds and the ILD is processed in the posterior part of the dorsal lateral lemniscus nucleus (LLDp. Processing of ILD is affected by the phase difference of binaural sound. Temporal features of sound are encoded in the pathway starting in nucleus magnocellularis (NM, and ITD is processed in the nucleus laminaris (NL. In this pathway a variety of specializations are found in synapse morphology, neuronal excitability, distribution of ion channels and receptors along the tonotopic axis, which reduces spike timing fluctuation in the ANFs-NM synapse, and imparts precise and stable ITD processing to the NL. Moreover, the contrast of ITD processing in NL is enhanced over a wide range of sound level through the activity of GABAergic inhibitory systems from both the superior olivary nucleus (SON and local inhibitory neurons that follow monosynaptic to NM activity.

Influence of differently processed mango seed kernel meal on ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Influence of differently processed mango seed kernel meal on performance response of west African ... and TD( consisted spear grass and parboiled mango seed kernel meal with concentrate diet in a ratio of 35:30:35). ... HOW TO USE AJOL.

Effects of Allzyme SSF ® supplementation of differently processed ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Effects of Allzyme SSF ® supplementation of differently processed pigeon pea ( Cajanus cajan ) seeds on performance and carcass characteristics of broiler ... Nigerian Journal of Animal Science ... Keywords: Pigeon pea seed meal, Allzyme SSF®, supplementation, performance, broiler chicks, carcass characteristics.

Individual differences in processing coherence markers: the effect of metacognitive knowledge

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vlaar, M.A.J.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/412585669; Sanders, T.J.M.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/075243911; Welie, Camille

2017-01-01

Coherence markers such as connectives positively influence the reading process and reading comprehension for most, but not all, readers. Metacognitive knowledge, concerning strategies to regulate the reading process, may explain these individual differences. We investigated how metacognitive

Equilibrium positions due to different cooling processes in superconducting levitation systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Navau, C; Sanchez, A; Pardo, E; Chen, D-X

2004-01-01

The equilibrium position of a superconducting levitation device is determined not only by the geometry and electromagnetic properties of its components, but also by the cooling process of the superconductor. In this work we study the dependence of the equilibrium positions upon the cooling process by introducing diagrams of a new kind which display the different possibilities for a given levitation system. Using the critical state model and the principle of magnetic energy, we calculate different diagrams of this type for the case of a cylindrically symmetric permanent magnet-superconductor system. The results allow us to find out, for a given levitation system, which cooling process improves the capabilities of the system

Maintaining activity engagement: individual differences in the process of self-regulating motivation.

Science.gov (United States)

Sansone, Carol; Thoman, Dustin B

2006-12-01

Typically, models of self-regulation include motivation in terms of goals. Motivation is proposed to differ among individuals as a consequence of the goals they hold as well as how much they value those goals and expect to attain them. We suggest that goal-defined motivation is only one source of motivation critical for sustained engagement. A second source is the motivation that arises from the degree of interest experienced in the process of goal pursuit. Our model integrates both sources of motivation within the goal-striving process and suggests that individuals may actively monitor and regulate them. Conceptualizing motivation in terms of a self-regulatory process provides an organizing framework for understanding how individuals might differ in whether they experience interest while working toward goals, whether they persist without interest, and whether and how they try to create interest. We first present the self-regulation of motivation model and then review research illustrating how the consideration of individual differences at different points in the process allows a better understanding of variability in people's choices, efforts, and persistence over time.

Olfactory Imagination and Odor Processing: Three Same-Different Experiments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koster, E.P.; Stelt, van der O.; Nixdorf, R.R.; Linschoten, M.R.I.; Mojet, J.; Wijk, de R.A.

2014-01-01

Do people who claim to have olfactory imagination process odors more efficiently? In three same–different experiments, using all possible combinations of odors and odor names as primes and targets, selected high imagers (n¿=¿12) were faster (±230 ms; P¿

Sensation and perception of sucrose and fat stimuli predict the reinforcing value of food.

Science.gov (United States)

Panek-Scarborough, Leah M; Dewey, Amber M; Temple, Jennifer L

2012-03-20

Chronic overeating can lead to weight gain and obesity. Sensory system function may play a role in the types of foods people select and the amount of food people eat. Several studies have shown that the orosensory components of eating play a strong role in driving food intake and food selection. In addition, previous work has shown that motivation to get food, or the reinforcing value of food, is a predictor of energy intake. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that higher detection thresholds and lower suprathreshold intensity ratings of sweet and fat stimuli are associated with greater reinforcing value of food. In addition, we sought to determine if the sensory ratings of the stimuli would differ depending on whether they were expectorated or swallowed. The reinforcing value of food was measured by having participants perform operant responses for food on progressive ratio schedules of reinforcement. Taste detection thresholds and suprathresholds for solutions containing varied concentrations of sucrose and fat were also measured in two different Experiments. In Experiment 1, we found that sucrose, but not fat, detection predicted the reinforcing value of food with the reinforcing value of food increasing as sucrose detection threshold increased (indicating poorer detection). In Experiment 2, we found that lower suprathreshold ratings of expectorated fat and sucrose predicted greater reinforcing value of food. In addition, higher detection thresholds for fat stimuli (indicating poorer detection) were associated with greater reinforcing value of food. When taken together, these studies suggest that there is a relationship between taste detection and perception and reinforcing value of food and that these relationships vary based on whether the stimulus is swallowed or expectorated. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Optimization of input parameters of supra-threshold stochastic resonance image processing algorithm for the detection of abdomino-pelvic tumors on PET/CT scan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pandey, Anil Kumar; Saroha, Kartik; Patel, C.D.; Bal, C.S.; Kumar, Rakesh

2016-01-01

Administration of diuretics increases the urine output to clear radioactive urine from kidneys and bladder. Hence post-diuretic pelvic PET/CT scan enhances the probability of detection of abdomino-pelvic tumor. However, it causes discomfort in patients and has some side effects also. Application of supra threshold stochastic resonance (SSR) image processing algorithm on Pre-diuretic PET/CT scan may also increase the probability of detection of these tumors. Amount of noise and threshold are two variable parameters that effect the final image quality. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of these two variable parameters on the detection of abdomen-pelvic tumor

Sex differences in effective fronto-limbic connectivity during negative emotion processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Lungu, Ovidiu; Potvin, Stéphane; Tikàsz, Andràs; Mendrek, Adrianna

2015-12-01

In view of the greater prevalence of depression and anxiety disorders in women than in men, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have examined sex-differences in brain activations during emotion processing. Comparatively, sex-differences in brain connectivity received little attention, despite evidence for important fronto-limbic connections during emotion processing across sexes. Here, we investigated sex-differences in fronto-limbic connectivity during negative emotion processing. Forty-six healthy individuals (25 women, 21 men) viewed negative, positive and neutral images during an fMRI session. Effective connectivity between significantly activated regions was examined using Granger causality and psychophysical interaction analyses. Sex steroid hormones and feminine-masculine traits were also measured. Subjective ratings of negative emotional images were higher in women than in men. Across sexes, significant activations were observed in the dorso-medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and the right amygdala. Granger connectivity from right amygdala was significantly greater than that from dmPFC during the 'high negative' condition, an effect driven by men. Magnitude of this effect correlated negatively with highly negative image ratings and feminine traits and positively with testosterone levels. These results highlight critical sex differences in brain connectivity during negative emotion processing and point to the fact that both biological (sex steroid hormones) and psychosocial (gender role and identity) variables contribute to them. As the dmPFC is involved in social cognition and action planning, and the amygdala-in threat detection, the connectivity results suggest that compared to women, men have a more evaluative, rather than purely affective, brain response during negative emotion processing. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Attachment reorganization following divorce: normative processes and individual differences.

Science.gov (United States)

Sbarra, David A; Borelli, Jessica L

2018-03-21

This paper uses attachment theory as a lens for reviewing contemporary research on how adults cope with marital separation and loss. The first section of the paper discusses the process of normative attachment reorganization, or the psychology of adaptive grief responses following relationship transitions. We argue that changes two processes, in particular, can be uses to track changes in this normative reorganization process: narrative coherence and self-concept clarity. The second section of the paper suggest that individual differences in attachment anxiety and avoidance shape the variability in this normative reorganization process, largely as a result of the characteristic ways in which these styles organize emotion-regulatory tendencies. The paper closes with a series of integrative questions for future research, including a call for new studies aimed at understanding under what contexts anxiety and avoidance may be adaptive in promoting emotion recovery to separation and divorce experiences. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparing composts formed by different technological processing

Science.gov (United States)

Lyckova, B.; Mudrunka, J.; Kucerova, R.; Glogarova, V.

2017-10-01

The presented article compares quality of composts which were formed by different technological processes. The subject to comparison was a compost which was created in a closed fermenter where ideal conditions for decomposition and organic substances conversion were ensured, with compost which was produced in an open box of community composting. The created composts were analysed to determine whether it is more important for the final compost to comply with the composting conditions or better sorting of raw materials needed for compost production. The results of the carried out experiments showed that quality of the resulting compost cannot be determined unequivocally.

Spatiotemporal mapping of sex differences during attentional processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Neuhaus, Andres H; Opgen-Rhein, Carolin; Urbanek, Carsten; Gross, Melanie; Hahn, Eric; Ta, Thi Minh Tam; Koehler, Simone; Dettling, Michael

2009-09-01

Functional neuroimaging studies have increasingly aimed at approximating neural substrates of human cognitive sex differences elicited by visuospatial challenge. It has been suggested that females and males use different behaviorally relevant neurocognitive strategies. In females, greater right prefrontal cortex activation has been found in several studies. The spatiotemporal dynamics of neural events associated with these sex differences is still unclear. We studied 22 female and 22 male participants matched for age, education, and nicotine with 29-channel-electroencephalogram recorded under a visual selective attention paradigm, the Attention Network Test. Visual event-related potentials (ERP) were topographically analyzed and neuroelectric sources were estimated. In absence of behavioral differences, ERP analysis revealed a novel frontal-occipital second peak of visual N100 that was significantly increased in females relative to males. Further, in females exclusively, a corresponding central ERP component at around 220 ms was found; here, a strong correlation between stimulus salience and sex difference of the central ERP component amplitude was observed. Subsequent source analysis revealed increased cortical current densities in right rostral prefrontal (BA 10) and occipital cortex (BA 19) in female subjects. This is the first study to report on a tripartite association between sex differences in ERPs, visual stimulus salience, and right prefrontal cortex activation during attentional processing. 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

A quantitative review of ethnic group differences in experimental pain response: do biology, psychology, and culture matter?

Science.gov (United States)

Rahim-Williams, Bridgett; Riley, Joseph L; Williams, Ameenah K K; Fillingim, Roger B

2012-04-01

Pain is a subjectively complex and universal experience. We examine research investigating ethnic group differences in experimental pain response and factors contributing to group differences. We conducted a systematic literature review and analysis of studies using experimental pain stimuli to assess pain sensitivity across multiple ethnic groups. Our search covered the period from 1944 to 2011, and used the PubMed bibliographic database; a reference source containing over 17 million citations. We calculated effect sizes; identified ethnic/racial group categories, pain stimuli, and measures; and examined findings regarding biopsychosociocultural factors contributing to ethnic/racial group differences. We found 472 studies investigating ethnic group differences and pain. Twenty-six of these met our review inclusion criteria of investigating ethnic group differences in experimental pain. The majority of studies included comparisons between African Americans (AA) and non-Hispanic Whites (NHW). There were consistently moderate to large effect sizes for pain tolerance across multiple stimulus modalities; AA demonstrated lower pain tolerance. For pain threshold, findings were generally in the same direction, but effect sizes were small to moderate across ethnic groups. Limited data were available for suprathreshold pain ratings. A subset of studies comparing NHW and other ethnic groups showed a variable range of effect sizes for pain threshold and tolerance. There are potentially important ethnic/racial group differences in experimental pain perception. Elucidating ethnic group differences has translational merit for culturally competent clinical care and for addressing and reducing pain treatment disparities among ethnically/racially diverse groups. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Positive and negative affect dimensions in chronic knee osteoarthritis: effects on clinical and laboratory pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Finan, Patrick H; Quartana, Phillip J; Smith, Michael T

2013-06-01

This study investigated whether daily and laboratory assessed pain differs as a function of the temporal stability and valence of affect in individuals with chronic knee osteoarthritis (KOA). One hundred fifty-one men and women with KOA completed 14 days of electronic diaries assessing positive affect (PA), negative affect (NA), and clinical pain. A subset of participants (n =79) engaged in quantitative sensory testing (QST). State PA and NA were assessed prior to administration of stimuli that induced suprathreshold pain and temporal summation. Multilevel modeling and multiple regression evaluated associations of affect and pain as a function of valence (i.e., positive versus negative) and stability (i.e., stable versus state). In the diary, stable NA (B = -.63, standard error [SE] = .13, p affect-pain processes in the field may reflect individual differences in central pain facilitation.

Influence of different positive emotions on persuasion processing: a functional evolutionary approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Griskevicius, Vladas; Shiota, Michelle N; Neufeld, Samantha L

2010-04-01

Much research has found that positive affect facilitates increased reliance on heuristics in cognition. However, theories proposing distinct evolutionary fitness-enhancing functions for specific positive emotions also predict important differences among the consequences of different positive emotion states. Two experiments investigated how six positive emotions influenced the processing of persuasive messages. Using different methods to induce emotions and assess processing, we showed that the positive emotions of anticipatory enthusiasm, amusement, and attachment love tended to facilitate greater acceptance of weak persuasive messages (consistent with previous research), whereas the positive emotions of awe and nurturant love reduced persuasion by weak messages. In addition, a series of mediation analyses suggested that the effects distinguishing different positive emotions from a neutral control condition were best accounted for by different mediators rather than by one common mediator. These findings build upon approaches that link affective valence to certain types of processing, documenting emotion-specific effects on cognition that are consistent with functional evolutionary accounts of discrete positive emotions. Copyright 2010 APA, all rights reserved.

Continuous fermentative hydrogen production in different process conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nasirian, N. [Islamic Azad Univ., Shoushtar (Iran, Islamic Republic of). Dept. of Agricultural Mechanization; Almassi, M.; Minaee, S. [Islamic Azad Univ., Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of). Dept. of Agricultural Mechanization; Widmann, R. [Duisburg-Essen Univ., Essen (Germany). Dept. of Environmental Engineering, Waste and Water

2010-07-01

This paper reported on a study in which hydrogen was produced by fermentation of biomass. A continuous process using a non-sterile substrate with a readily available mixed microflora was used on heat treated digested sewage sludge from a wastewater treatment plant. Hydrogen was produced from waste sugar at a pH of 5.2 and a temperature of 37 degrees C. An experimental setup of three 5.5 L working volume continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTR) in different stirring speeds were constructed and operated at 7 different hydraulic retention times (HRTs) and different organic loading rates (OLR). Dissolved organic carbon was examined. The results showed that the stirring speed of 135 rpm had a beneficial effect on hydrogen fermentation. The best performance was obtained in 135 rpm and 8 h of HRT. The amount of gas varied with different OLRs, but could be stabilized on a high level. Methane was not detected when the HRT was less than 16 h. The study identified the reactor in which the highest specific rate of hydrogen production occurred.

Relationship between individual differences in speech processing and cognitive functions.

Science.gov (United States)

Ou, Jinghua; Law, Sam-Po; Fung, Roxana

2015-12-01

A growing body of research has suggested that cognitive abilities may play a role in individual differences in speech processing. The present study took advantage of a widespread linguistic phenomenon of sound change to systematically assess the relationships between speech processing and various components of attention and working memory in the auditory and visual modalities among typically developed Cantonese-speaking individuals. The individual variations in speech processing are captured in an ongoing sound change-tone merging in Hong Kong Cantonese, in which typically developed native speakers are reported to lose the distinctions between some tonal contrasts in perception and/or production. Three groups of participants were recruited, with a first group of good perception and production, a second group of good perception but poor production, and a third group of good production but poor perception. Our findings revealed that modality-independent abilities of attentional switching/control and working memory might contribute to individual differences in patterns of speech perception and production as well as discrimination latencies among typically developed speakers. The findings not only have the potential to generalize to speech processing in other languages, but also broaden our understanding of the omnipresent phenomenon of language change in all languages.

Response of West African dwarf sheep to differently processed ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A feeding trial was conducted to assess the response of West African Dwarf sheep to differently processed corncob meal based-diets. Sun-dried corncobs were collected at Teaching and Research farm of Federal University of Technology, Akure, treated with water, lye, urea, poultry litter and fermented for twenty-one (21) ...

Adult Age Differences in Dual Information Processes: Implications for the Role of Affective and Deliberative Processes in Older Adults' Decision Making.

Science.gov (United States)

Peters, Ellen; Hess, Thomas M; Västfjäll, Daniel; Auman, Corinne

2007-03-01

Age differences in affective/experiential and deliberative processes have important theoretical implications for judgment and decision theory and important pragmatic implications for older-adult decision making. Age-related declines in the efficiency of deliberative processes predict poorer-quality decisions as we age. However, age-related adaptive processes, including motivated selectivity in the use of deliberative capacity, an increased focus on emotional goals, and greater experience, predict better or worse decisions for older adults depending on the situation. The aim of the current review is to examine adult age differences in affective and deliberative information processes in order to understand their potential impact on judgments and decisions. We review evidence for the role of these dual processes in judgment and decision making and then review two representative life-span perspectives (based on aging-related changes to cognitive or motivational processes) on the interplay between these processes. We present relevant predictions for older-adult decisions and make note of contradictions and gaps that currently exist in the literature. Finally, we review the sparse evidence about age differences in decision making and how theories and findings regarding dual processes could be applied to decision theory and decision aiding. In particular, we focus on prospect theory (Kahneman & Tversky, 1979) and how prospect theory and theories regarding age differences in information processing can inform one another. © 2007 Association for Psychological Science.

Multiresolution approach to processing images for different applications interaction of lower processing with higher vision

CERN Document Server

Vujović, Igor

2015-01-01

This book presents theoretical and practical aspects of the interaction between low and high level image processing. Multiresolution analysis owes its popularity mostly to wavelets and is widely used in a variety of applications. Low level image processing is important for the performance of many high level applications. The book includes examples from different research fields, i.e. video surveillance; biomedical applications (EMG and X-ray); improved communication, namely teleoperation, telemedicine, animation, augmented/virtual reality and robot vision; monitoring of the condition of ship systems and image quality control.

Comparative analyses of diffusion coefficients for different extraction processes from thyme

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petrovic Slobodan S.

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This work was aimed to analyze kinetics and mass transfer phenomena for different extraction processes from thyme (Thymus vulgaris L. leaves. Different extraction processes with ethanol were studied: Soxhlet extraction and ultrasound-assisted batch extraction on the laboratory scale as well as pilot plant batch extraction with mixing. The extraction processes with ethanol were compared to the process of supercritical carbon dioxide extraction performed at 10 MPa and 40°C. Experimental data were analyzed by mathematical model derived from the Fick’s second law to determine and compare diffusion coefficients in the periods of constant and decreasing extraction rate. In the fast extraction period, values of diffusion coefficients were one to three orders of magnitude higher compared to those determined for the period of slow extraction. The highest diffusion coefficient was reported for the fast extraction period of supercritical fluid extraction. In the case of extraction processes with ethanol, ultrasound, stirring and extraction temperature increase enhanced mass transfer rate in the washing phase. On the other hand, ultrasound contributed the most to the increase of mass transfer rate in the period of slow extraction.

Age Differences in Face Processing: The Role of Perceptual Degradation and Holistic Processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Boutet, Isabelle; Meinhardt-Injac, Bozana

2018-01-24

We simultaneously investigated the role of three hypotheses regarding age-related differences in face processing: perceptual degradation, impaired holistic processing, and an interaction between the two. Young adults (YA) aged 20-33-year olds, middle-age adults (MA) aged 50-64-year olds, and older adults (OA) aged 65-82-year olds were tested on the context congruency paradigm, which allows measurement of face-specific holistic processing across the life span (Meinhardt-Injac, Persike & Meinhardt, 2014. Acta Psychologica, 151, 155-163). Perceptual degradation was examined by measuring performance with faces that were not filtered (FSF), with faces filtered to preserve low spatial frequencies (LSF), and with faces filtered to preserve high spatial frequencies (HSF). We found that reducing perceptual signal strength had a greater impact on MA and OA for HSF faces, but not LSF faces. Context congruency effects were significant and of comparable magnitude across ages for FSF, LSF, and HSF faces. By using watches as control objects, we show that these holistic effects reflect face-specific mechanisms in all age groups. Our results support the perceptual degradation hypothesis for faces containing only HSF and suggest that holistic processing is preserved in aging even under conditions of reduced signal strength. © The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Process variant comparison: using event logs to detect differences in behavior and business rules

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bolt, A.; de Leoni, M.; van der Aalst, W.M.P.

2018-01-01

This paper addresses the problem of comparing different variants of the same process. We aim to detect relevant differences between processes based on what was recorded in event logs. We use transition systems to model behavior and to highlight differences. Transition systems are annotated with

Gender differences in identity processes and self-esteem in middle and later adulthood.

Science.gov (United States)

Skultety, Karyn M; Krauss Whitbourne, Susan

2004-01-01

Gender differences were examined in the identity processes of identity assimilation (maintaining identity despite age changes), identity accommodation (changing identity) and balance (using both processes) and in the relationship of these processes to self-esteem. We tested a community sample of 222 adults (131 females and 91 males) ranging from 40 to 84 years of age (M = 57.5, SD = 12.1). Analysis of variance yielded evidence showing greater use of identity accommodation for women. Identity accommodation was negatively associated with self-esteem for both genders, while identity assimilation was positively associated with self-esteem for women only. For both men and women, identity balance was positively related to self-esteem. Women's use of the identity processes in relation to self-esteem is discussed. Societal views on aging are suggested to impact women, such that they engage in identity accommodation while benefiting from identity assimilation. From these findings, it appears that examining the processes contributing to the maintenance of self-esteem may be a more useful approach to characterizing the aging process and gender differences than focusing on mean differences alone.

Brain function differences in language processing in children and adults with autism.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Diane L; Cherkassky, Vladimir L; Mason, Robert A; Keller, Timothy A; Minshew, Nancy J; Just, Marcel Adam

2013-08-01

Comparison of brain function between children and adults with autism provides an understanding of the effects of the disorder and associated maturational differences on language processing. Functional imaging (functional magnetic resonance imaging) was used to examine brain activation and cortical synchronization during the processing of literal and ironic texts in 15 children with autism, 14 children with typical development, 13 adults with autism, and 12 adult controls. Both the children and adults with autism had lower functional connectivity (synchronization of brain activity among activated areas) than their age and ability comparison group in the left hemisphere language network during irony processing, and neither autism group had an increase in functional connectivity in response to increased task demands. Activation differences for the literal and irony conditions occurred in key language-processing regions (left middle temporal, left pars triangularis, left pars opercularis, left medial frontal, and right middle temporal). The children and adults with autism differed from each other in the use of some brain regions during the irony task, with the adults with autism having activation levels similar to those of the control groups. Overall, the children and adults with autism differed from the adult and child controls in (a) the degree of network coordination, (b) the distribution of the workload among member nodes, and (3) the dynamic recruitment of regions in response to text content. Moreover, the differences between the two autism age groups may be indicative of positive changes in the neural function related to language processing associated with maturation and/or educational experience. © 2013 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Cleanliness of Ti-bearing Al-killed ultra-low-carbon steel during different heating processes

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Jian-long; Bao, Yan-ping; Wang, Min

2017-12-01

During the production of Ti-bearing Al-killed ultra-low-carbon (ULC) steel, two different heating processes were used when the converter tapping temperature or the molten steel temperature in the Ruhrstahl-Heraeus (RH) process was low: heating by Al addition during the RH decarburization process and final deoxidation at the end of the RH decarburization process (process-I), and increasing the oxygen content at the end of RH decarburization, heating and final deoxidation by one-time Al addition (process-II). Temperature increases of 10°C by different processes were studied; the results showed that the two heating processes could achieve the same heating effect. The T.[O] content in the slab and the refining process was better controlled by process-I than by process-II. Statistical analysis of inclusions showed that the numbers of inclusions in the slab obtained by process-I were substantially less than those in the slab obtained by process-II. For process-I, the Al2O3 inclusions produced by Al added to induce heating were substantially removed at the end of decarburization. The amounts of inclusions were substantially greater for process-II than for process-I at different refining stages because of the higher dissolved oxygen concentration in process-II. Industrial test results showed that process-I was more beneficial for improving the cleanliness of molten steel.

Electrocoagulation in wastewater containing arsenic: Comparing different process designs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hansen, Henrik K.; Nunez, Patricio; Raboy, Deborah; Schippacasse, Italo; Grandon, Rodrigo

2007-01-01

Arsenic removal from wastewater is a key problem for copper smelters. This work shows results of electrocoagulation of aqueous solutions containing arsenic with three different process designs and operating parameters. Three types of electrocoagulation reactors were tested and compared: (a) a modified flow continuous reactor, (b) a turbulent flow reactor and (c) an airlift reactor. All used iron as sacrificial anodes. The results showed that the electrocoagulation process of a 100 mg/L As(V) solution could decrease the arsenic concentration to less than 2 mg/L in the effluent with a current density of 1.2 A/dm 2 with both the modified flow and the airlift reactor. The removal of arsenic with the turbulent flow reactor did not reach the same level but the Fe-to-As ratio (mol/mol) achieved in the coagulation process was in this case lower (approximately 7) than with the other two reactors. In addition, it seems that increasing the current density beyond a maximum value, the electrocoagulation process would not improve any further. This could probably be explained by passivation of the anode

Electrocoagulation in wastewater containing arsenic: Comparing different process designs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hansen, Henrik K. [Departamento de Procesos Quimicos, Biotecnologicos y Ambientales, Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria, Avenida Espana 1680, Valparaiso (Chile)]. E-mail: henrik.hansen@usm.cl; Nunez, Patricio [Departamento de Procesos Quimicos, Biotecnologicos y Ambientales, Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria, Avenida Espana 1680, Valparaiso (Chile); Raboy, Deborah [Departamento de Procesos Quimicos, Biotecnologicos y Ambientales, Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria, Avenida Espana 1680, Valparaiso (Chile); Schippacasse, Italo [Departamento de Procesos Quimicos, Biotecnologicos y Ambientales, Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria, Avenida Espana 1680, Valparaiso (Chile); Grandon, Rodrigo [Departamento de Procesos Quimicos, Biotecnologicos y Ambientales, Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria, Avenida Espana 1680, Valparaiso (Chile)

2007-02-25

Arsenic removal from wastewater is a key problem for copper smelters. This work shows results of electrocoagulation of aqueous solutions containing arsenic with three different process designs and operating parameters. Three types of electrocoagulation reactors were tested and compared: (a) a modified flow continuous reactor, (b) a turbulent flow reactor and (c) an airlift reactor. All used iron as sacrificial anodes. The results showed that the electrocoagulation process of a 100 mg/L As(V) solution could decrease the arsenic concentration to less than 2 mg/L in the effluent with a current density of 1.2 A/dm{sup 2} with both the modified flow and the airlift reactor. The removal of arsenic with the turbulent flow reactor did not reach the same level but the Fe-to-As ratio (mol/mol) achieved in the coagulation process was in this case lower (approximately 7) than with the other two reactors. In addition, it seems that increasing the current density beyond a maximum value, the electrocoagulation process would not improve any further. This could probably be explained by passivation of the anode.

Sex differences in the relationships between parasympathetic activity and pain modulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Nahman-Averbuch, Hadas; Dayan, Lior; Sprecher, Elliot; Hochberg, Uri; Brill, Silviu; Yarnitsky, David; Jacob, Giris

2016-02-01

Higher parasympathetic activity is related to lower pain perception in healthy subjects and pain patients. We aimed to examine whether this relationship depends on sex, in healthy subjects. Parasympathetic activity was assessed using time- and frequency-domain heart rate variability indices and deep breathing ratio. Pain perception parameters, consisting of heat pain thresholds and pain ratings of supra-thresholds stimuli, as well as pain modulation parameters of mechanical temporal summation, pain adaptation, offset analgesia and conditioned pain modulation (CPM) response were examined. Forty healthy subjects were examined (20 men). Women demonstrated higher parasympathetic activity compared to men (high frequency power of 0.55±0.2 and 0.40±0.2, respectively, p=0.02) and less pain reduction in the offset analgesia paradigm (-35.4±29.1 and -55.0±31.2, respectively, p=0.046). Separate slopes models analyses revealed sex differences such that a significant negative correlation was observed between higher rMSSD (the root mean square of successive differences) and higher pain adaptation in men (r=-0.649, p=0.003) but not in women (r=0.382, p=0.106). Similarly, a significant negative correlation was found between higher rMSSD and higher efficiency of the CPM response in men (r=-0.510, p=0.026) but not in women (r=0.406, p=0.085). Sex hormones levels, psychological factors or baseline autonomic activity can be possible explanations for these sex differences. Future autonomic interventions destined to change pain modulation should consider sex as an important intervening factor. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparing auditory filter bandwidths, spectral ripple modulation detection, spectral ripple discrimination, and speech recognition: Normal and impaired hearing.

Science.gov (United States)

Davies-Venn, Evelyn; Nelson, Peggy; Souza, Pamela

2015-07-01

Some listeners with hearing loss show poor speech recognition scores in spite of using amplification that optimizes audibility. Beyond audibility, studies have suggested that suprathreshold abilities such as spectral and temporal processing may explain differences in amplified speech recognition scores. A variety of different methods has been used to measure spectral processing. However, the relationship between spectral processing and speech recognition is still inconclusive. This study evaluated the relationship between spectral processing and speech recognition in listeners with normal hearing and with hearing loss. Narrowband spectral resolution was assessed using auditory filter bandwidths estimated from simultaneous notched-noise masking. Broadband spectral processing was measured using the spectral ripple discrimination (SRD) task and the spectral ripple depth detection (SMD) task. Three different measures were used to assess unamplified and amplified speech recognition in quiet and noise. Stepwise multiple linear regression revealed that SMD at 2.0 cycles per octave (cpo) significantly predicted speech scores for amplified and unamplified speech in quiet and noise. Commonality analyses revealed that SMD at 2.0 cpo combined with SRD and equivalent rectangular bandwidth measures to explain most of the variance captured by the regression model. Results suggest that SMD and SRD may be promising clinical tools for diagnostic evaluation and predicting amplification outcomes.

Comparing auditory filter bandwidths, spectral ripple modulation detection, spectral ripple discrimination, and speech recognition: Normal and impaired hearinga)

Science.gov (United States)

Davies-Venn, Evelyn; Nelson, Peggy; Souza, Pamela

2015-01-01

Some listeners with hearing loss show poor speech recognition scores in spite of using amplification that optimizes audibility. Beyond audibility, studies have suggested that suprathreshold abilities such as spectral and temporal processing may explain differences in amplified speech recognition scores. A variety of different methods has been used to measure spectral processing. However, the relationship between spectral processing and speech recognition is still inconclusive. This study evaluated the relationship between spectral processing and speech recognition in listeners with normal hearing and with hearing loss. Narrowband spectral resolution was assessed using auditory filter bandwidths estimated from simultaneous notched-noise masking. Broadband spectral processing was measured using the spectral ripple discrimination (SRD) task and the spectral ripple depth detection (SMD) task. Three different measures were used to assess unamplified and amplified speech recognition in quiet and noise. Stepwise multiple linear regression revealed that SMD at 2.0 cycles per octave (cpo) significantly predicted speech scores for amplified and unamplified speech in quiet and noise. Commonality analyses revealed that SMD at 2.0 cpo combined with SRD and equivalent rectangular bandwidth measures to explain most of the variance captured by the regression model. Results suggest that SMD and SRD may be promising clinical tools for diagnostic evaluation and predicting amplification outcomes. PMID:26233047

Correlations decrease with propagation of spiking activity in the mouse barrel cortex

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gayathri Nattar Ranganathan

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Propagation of suprathreshold spiking activity through neuronal populations is important for the function of the central nervous system. Neural correlations have an impact on cortical function particularly on the signaling of information and propagation of spiking activity. Therefore we measured the change in correlations as suprathreshold spiking activity propagated between recurrent neuronal networks of the mammalian cerebral cortex. Using optical methods we recorded spiking activity from large samples of neurons from two neural populations simultaneously. The results indicate that correlations decreased as spiking activity propagated from layer 4 to layer 2/3 in the rodent barrel cortex.

Reconciling Sex Differences in Information-Processing and Career Outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolleat, Patricia L.

1990-01-01

Information processing theory could be made more sensitive to differences in career outcomes for males and females by (1) examining the nature of the career decision; (2) expanding the notion of information; (3) relating the vocational schema to the gender schema; and (4) noting whether variables are general, sex related, or sex specific. (SK)

Health technology assessment process of a cardiovascular medical device in four different settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Olry de Labry Lima, Antonio; Espín Balbino, Jaime; Lemgruber, Alexandre; Caro Martínez, Araceli; García-Mochón, Leticia; Martín Ruiz, Eva; Lessa, Fernanda

2017-10-01

Health technology assessment (HTA) is a tool to help the decision-making process. The aim is to describe methods and processes used in the reimbursement decision making for drug-eluting stents (DES) in four different settings. DES as a technology under study was selected according to different criteria, all of them agreed by a working group. A survey of key informants was designed. DES was evaluated following well-structured HTA processes. Nonetheless, scope for improvement was observed in relation to the data considered for the final decision, the transparency and inclusiveness of the process as well as in the methods employed. An attempt to describe the HTA processes of a well-known medical device.

Individual Differences in Working Memory Capacity and Dual-Process Theories of the Mind

Science.gov (United States)

Barrett, Lisa Feldman; Tugade, Michele M.; Engle, Randall W.

2004-01-01

Dual-process theories of the mind are ubiquitous in psychology. A central principle of these theories is that behavior is determined by the interplay of automatic and controlled processing. In this article, the authors examine individual differences in the capacity to control attention as a major contributor to differences in working memory…

Sex differences in social cognition: The case of face processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Proverbio, Alice Mado

2017-01-02

Several studies have demonstrated that women show a greater interest for social information and empathic attitude than men. This article reviews studies on sex differences in the brain, with particular reference to how males and females process faces and facial expressions, social interactions, pain of others, infant faces, faces in things (pareidolia phenomenon), opposite-sex faces, humans vs. landscapes, incongruent behavior, motor actions, biological motion, erotic pictures, and emotional information. Sex differences in oxytocin-based attachment response and emotional memory are also mentioned. In addition, we investigated how 400 different human faces were evaluated for arousal and valence dimensions by a group of healthy male and female University students. Stimuli were carefully balanced for sensory and perceptual characteristics, age, facial expression, and sex. As a whole, women judged all human faces as more positive and more arousing than men. Furthermore, they showed a preference for the faces of children and the elderly in the arousal evaluation. Regardless of face aesthetics, age, or facial expression, women rated human faces higher than men. The preference for opposite- vs. same-sex faces strongly interacted with facial age. Overall, both women and men exhibited differences in facial processing that could be interpreted in the light of evolutionary psychobiology. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

New analyses of the National Institute of Mental Health Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program: do different treatments reflect different processes?

Science.gov (United States)

Herbert, Gregory L; Callahan, Jennifer; Ruggero, Camilo J; Murrell, Amy R

2013-01-01

To determine whether or not different therapies have distinct patterns of change, it is useful to investigate not only the end result of psychotherapy (outcome) but also the processes by which outcomes are attained. The present study subjected data from the National Institute of Mental Health Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program to survival analyses to examine whether the process of psychotherapy, as conceptualized by the phase model, differed between psychotherapy treatment approaches. Few differences in terms of progression through phases of psychotherapy were identified between cognitive behavior therapy and interpersonal therapy. Additionally, results indicate that phases of psychotherapy may not represent discrete, sequentially invariant processes.

Different central effects of needle rotation in false and real acupoints on functional MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang Jiliang; Meister, I.

2004-01-01

Objective: To observed the cerebral activation patterns under different acupuncture stimuli by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Methods: The cortical activation patterns on fMRI during stimulation of two real (LIV3 and GB40) and one sham acupoints were investigated in 13 healthy subjects, they were punctured in a randomized fashion and for the subjects blinded order employing a) rotating and b) non-rotating methods using a blocked paradigm on a 1.5 T scanner. Results: Only during stimulation of the real acupoints, differential effects were observed, namely on LIV3 an increase of activation within both parietal cortices Brodmann's area (BA) 40, right frontal cortices BA47 and BA10, right thalamus, and left cerebellum; on GB40 an increase of activation within both parietal BA40, right parietal BA2, left frontal BA9, 10, 44, left insula cortices BA13, left temporal cortices BA22, right temporal BA42, right putamen, and left cerebellum. When doing the same contrast in the sham point, there were no suprathreshold voxels. The rotating needle strengthened the effects of acupuncture (the so-called De-Qi) only in real acupoints. Conclusion: Acupuncture seems to result in specific cerebral activation patterns which might explain its therapeutic effects in specific subjects. (author)

Image quality and dose differences caused by vendor-specific image processing of neonatal radiographs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sensakovic, William F.; O'Dell, M.C.; Letter, Haley; Kohler, Nathan; Rop, Baiywo; Cook, Jane; Logsdon, Gregory; Varich, Laura

2016-01-01

Image processing plays an important role in optimizing image quality and radiation dose in projection radiography. Unfortunately commercial algorithms are black boxes that are often left at or near vendor default settings rather than being optimized. We hypothesize that different commercial image-processing systems, when left at or near default settings, create significant differences in image quality. We further hypothesize that image-quality differences can be exploited to produce images of equivalent quality but lower radiation dose. We used a portable radiography system to acquire images on a neonatal chest phantom and recorded the entrance surface air kerma (ESAK). We applied two image-processing systems (Optima XR220amx, by GE Healthcare, Waukesha, WI; and MUSICA"2 by Agfa HealthCare, Mortsel, Belgium) to the images. Seven observers (attending pediatric radiologists and radiology residents) independently assessed image quality using two methods: rating and matching. Image-quality ratings were independently assessed by each observer on a 10-point scale. Matching consisted of each observer matching GE-processed images and Agfa-processed images with equivalent image quality. A total of 210 rating tasks and 42 matching tasks were performed and effective dose was estimated. Median Agfa-processed image-quality ratings were higher than GE-processed ratings. Non-diagnostic ratings were seen over a wider range of doses for GE-processed images than for Agfa-processed images. During matching tasks, observers matched image quality between GE-processed images and Agfa-processed images acquired at a lower effective dose (11 ± 9 μSv; P < 0.0001). Image-processing methods significantly impact perceived image quality. These image-quality differences can be exploited to alter protocols and produce images of equivalent image quality but lower doses. Those purchasing projection radiography systems or third-party image-processing software should be aware that image processing

Perceptual learning of basic visual features remains task specific with Training-Plus-Exposure (TPE) training.

Science.gov (United States)

Cong, Lin-Juan; Wang, Ru-Jie; Yu, Cong; Zhang, Jun-Yun

2016-01-01

Visual perceptual learning is known to be specific to the trained retinal location, feature, and task. However, location and feature specificity can be eliminated by double-training or TPE training protocols, in which observers receive additional exposure to the transfer location or feature dimension via an irrelevant task besides the primary learning task Here we tested whether these new training protocols could even make learning transfer across different tasks involving discrimination of basic visual features (e.g., orientation and contrast). Observers practiced a near-threshold orientation (or contrast) discrimination task. Following a TPE training protocol, they also received exposure to the transfer task via performing suprathreshold contrast (or orientation) discrimination in alternating blocks of trials in the same sessions. The results showed no evidence for significant learning transfer to the untrained near-threshold contrast (or orientation) discrimination task after discounting the pretest effects and the suprathreshold practice effects. These results thus do not support a hypothetical task-independent component in perceptual learning of basic visual features. They also set the boundary of the new training protocols in their capability to enable learning transfer.

Categorical scaling of partial loudness in a condition of masking release.

Science.gov (United States)

Verhey, Jesko L; Heeren, Wiebke

2015-08-01

Categorical loudness scaling was used to measure suprathreshold release from masking. The signal was a 986-Hz sinusoid that was embedded in a bandpass-filtered masking noise. This noise was either unmodulated or was amplitude modulated with a square-wave modulator. The unmodulated noise had either the same level as the modulated noise or had a level that was reduced by the difference in thresholds for the 986-Hz signal obtained with the modulated and unmodulated noise masker presented at the same level (i.e., the masking release). A comparison with loudness matching data of the same set of subjects showed that the data obtained with loudness scaling capture main aspects of the change in suprathreshold perception of the sinusoid when the masker was modulated. The scaling data for the signal masked by the unmodulated noise with the reduced masker level were similar to that for the signal embedded in the modulated noise. This similarity supports the hypothesis that the mechanism eliciting the masking release is effectively reducing the masker level.

Pain perception is increased in congenital but not late onset blindness

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Slimani, Hocine; Danti, Sabrina; Ptito, Maurice

2014-01-01

There is now ample evidence that blind individuals outperform sighted individuals in various tasks involving the non-visual senses. In line with these results, we recently showed that visual deprivation from birth leads to an increased sensitivity to pain. As many studies have shown that congenit......There is now ample evidence that blind individuals outperform sighted individuals in various tasks involving the non-visual senses. In line with these results, we recently showed that visual deprivation from birth leads to an increased sensitivity to pain. As many studies have shown...... that congenitally and late blind individuals show differences in their degree of compensatory plasticity, we here address the question whether late blind individuals also show hypersensitivity to nociceptive stimulation. We therefore compared pain thresholds and responses to supra-threshold nociceptive stimuli...... in congenitally blind, late blind and normally sighted volunteers. Participants also filled in questionnaires measuring attention and anxiety towards pain in everyday life. Results show that late blind participants have pain thresholds and ratings of supra-threshold heat nociceptive stimuli similar...

Effects of differently processed soybean substituted diets on nutrient ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Growth and nutrient studies was carried out on Clarias gariepinus Juveniles of mean weight 7.00-8.00g stocked into rectangular plastic aquarium tanks 30cm x 15cm for 120 days fed with differently processed soya bean meal. There were eight treatments labeled as diet T1-T8, diet T1 (control diet; contains no soybean meal ...

Gender differences in hemispheric asymmetry for face processing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matarazzo Silvia

2006-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Current cognitive neuroscience models predict a right-hemispheric dominance for face processing in humans. However, neuroimaging and electromagnetic data in the literature provide conflicting evidence of a right-sided brain asymmetry for decoding the structural properties of faces. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether this inconsistency might be due to gender differences in hemispheric asymmetry. Results In this study, event-related brain potentials (ERPs were recorded in 40 healthy, strictly right-handed individuals (20 women and 20 men while they observed infants' faces expressing a variety of emotions. Early face-sensitive P1 and N1 responses to neutral vs. affective expressions were measured over the occipital/temporal cortices, and the responses were analyzed according to viewer gender. Along with a strong right hemispheric dominance for men, the results showed a lack of asymmetry for face processing in the amplitude of the occipito-temporal N1 response in women to both neutral and affective faces. Conclusion Men showed an asymmetric functioning of visual cortex while decoding faces and expressions, whereas women showed a more bilateral functioning. These results indicate the importance of gender effects in the lateralization of the occipito-temporal response during the processing of face identity, structure, familiarity, or affective content.

Characterization of depleted uranium oxides fabricated using different processing methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hastings, E.P.; Lewis, C.; FitzPatrick, J.; Rademacher, D.; Tandon, L.

2008-01-01

Identifying both physical and chemical characteristics of Special Nuclear Material (SNM) production processes is the corner stone of nuclear forensics. Typically, processing markers are based on measuring an interdicted sample's bulk chemical properties, such as the elemental or isotopic composition, or focusing on the chemical and physical morphology of only a few particles. Therefore, it is imperative that known SNM processes be fully characterized from bulk to trace level for each particle size range. This report outlines a series of particle size measurements and fractionation techniques that can be applied to a bulk SNM powders, categorizing both chemical and physical properties in discrete particle size fractions. This will be demonstrated by characterizing the process signatures of a series of different depleted uranium oxides prepared at increasing firing temperatures (350-1100 deg C). Results will demonstrate how each oxides' material density, particle size distribution, and morphology varies. (author)

Individual differences in drivers' cognitive processing of road safety messages.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaye, Sherrie-Anne; White, Melanie J; Lewis, Ioni M

2013-01-01

Using Gray and McNaughton's (2000) revised reinforcement sensitivity theory (r-RST), we examined the influence of personality on processing of words presented in gain-framed and loss-framed anti-speeding messages and how the processing biases associated with personality influenced message acceptance. The r-RST predicts that the nervous system regulates personality and that behaviour is dependent upon the activation of the behavioural activation system (BAS), activated by reward cues and the fight-flight-freeze system (FFFS), activated by punishment cues. According to r-RST, individuals differ in the sensitivities of their BAS and FFFS (i.e., weak to strong), which in turn leads to stable patterns of behaviour in the presence of rewards and punishments, respectively. It was hypothesised that individual differences in personality (i.e., strength of the BAS and the FFFS) would influence the degree of both message processing (as measured by reaction time to previously viewed message words) and message acceptance (measured three ways by perceived message effectiveness, behavioural intentions, and attitudes). Specifically, it was anticipated that, individuals with a stronger BAS would process the words presented in the gain-frame messages faster than those with a weaker BAS and individuals with a stronger FFFS would process the words presented in the loss-frame messages faster than those with a weaker FFFS. Further, it was expected that greater processing (faster reaction times) would be associated with greater acceptance for that message. Driver licence holding students (N=108) were recruited to view one of four anti-speeding messages (i.e., social gain-frame, social loss-frame, physical gain-frame, and physical loss-frame). A computerised lexical decision task assessed participants' subsequent reaction times to message words, as an indicator of the extent of processing of the previously viewed message. Self-report measures assessed personality and the three message

Hypersensitivity to pain in congenital blindness

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Slimani, Hocine; Danti, Sabrina; Ricciardi, Emiliano

2013-01-01

Vision is important for avoiding encounters with objects in the environment that may imperil physical integrity. We tested whether, in the absence of vision, a lower pain threshold would arise from an adaptive shift to other sensory channels. We therefore measured heat and cold pain thresholds an...... that blind subjects are more attentive to signals of external threats. These findings indicate that the absence of vision from birth induces a hypersensitivity to painful stimuli, lending new support to a model of sensory integration of vision and pain processing......., congenitally blind subjects have lower heat pain thresholds, rate suprathreshold heat pain stimuli as more painful, and have increased sensitivity for cold pain stimuli. Thresholds for nonpainful thermal stimulation did not differ between groups. The results of the pain questionnaires further indicated...

Image quality and dose differences caused by vendor-specific image processing of neonatal radiographs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sensakovic, William F.; O' Dell, M.C.; Letter, Haley; Kohler, Nathan; Rop, Baiywo; Cook, Jane; Logsdon, Gregory; Varich, Laura [Florida Hospital, Imaging Administration, Orlando, FL (United States)

2016-10-15

Image processing plays an important role in optimizing image quality and radiation dose in projection radiography. Unfortunately commercial algorithms are black boxes that are often left at or near vendor default settings rather than being optimized. We hypothesize that different commercial image-processing systems, when left at or near default settings, create significant differences in image quality. We further hypothesize that image-quality differences can be exploited to produce images of equivalent quality but lower radiation dose. We used a portable radiography system to acquire images on a neonatal chest phantom and recorded the entrance surface air kerma (ESAK). We applied two image-processing systems (Optima XR220amx, by GE Healthcare, Waukesha, WI; and MUSICA{sup 2} by Agfa HealthCare, Mortsel, Belgium) to the images. Seven observers (attending pediatric radiologists and radiology residents) independently assessed image quality using two methods: rating and matching. Image-quality ratings were independently assessed by each observer on a 10-point scale. Matching consisted of each observer matching GE-processed images and Agfa-processed images with equivalent image quality. A total of 210 rating tasks and 42 matching tasks were performed and effective dose was estimated. Median Agfa-processed image-quality ratings were higher than GE-processed ratings. Non-diagnostic ratings were seen over a wider range of doses for GE-processed images than for Agfa-processed images. During matching tasks, observers matched image quality between GE-processed images and Agfa-processed images acquired at a lower effective dose (11 ± 9 μSv; P < 0.0001). Image-processing methods significantly impact perceived image quality. These image-quality differences can be exploited to alter protocols and produce images of equivalent image quality but lower doses. Those purchasing projection radiography systems or third-party image-processing software should be aware that image

Image quality and dose differences caused by vendor-specific image processing of neonatal radiographs.

Science.gov (United States)

Sensakovic, William F; O'Dell, M Cody; Letter, Haley; Kohler, Nathan; Rop, Baiywo; Cook, Jane; Logsdon, Gregory; Varich, Laura

2016-10-01

Image processing plays an important role in optimizing image quality and radiation dose in projection radiography. Unfortunately commercial algorithms are black boxes that are often left at or near vendor default settings rather than being optimized. We hypothesize that different commercial image-processing systems, when left at or near default settings, create significant differences in image quality. We further hypothesize that image-quality differences can be exploited to produce images of equivalent quality but lower radiation dose. We used a portable radiography system to acquire images on a neonatal chest phantom and recorded the entrance surface air kerma (ESAK). We applied two image-processing systems (Optima XR220amx, by GE Healthcare, Waukesha, WI; and MUSICA(2) by Agfa HealthCare, Mortsel, Belgium) to the images. Seven observers (attending pediatric radiologists and radiology residents) independently assessed image quality using two methods: rating and matching. Image-quality ratings were independently assessed by each observer on a 10-point scale. Matching consisted of each observer matching GE-processed images and Agfa-processed images with equivalent image quality. A total of 210 rating tasks and 42 matching tasks were performed and effective dose was estimated. Median Agfa-processed image-quality ratings were higher than GE-processed ratings. Non-diagnostic ratings were seen over a wider range of doses for GE-processed images than for Agfa-processed images. During matching tasks, observers matched image quality between GE-processed images and Agfa-processed images acquired at a lower effective dose (11 ± 9 μSv; P < 0.0001). Image-processing methods significantly impact perceived image quality. These image-quality differences can be exploited to alter protocols and produce images of equivalent image quality but lower doses. Those purchasing projection radiography systems or third-party image-processing software should be aware that image

Effects of context and individual differences on the processing of taboo words.

Science.gov (United States)

Christianson, Kiel; Zhou, Peiyun; Palmer, Cassie; Raizen, Adina

2017-07-01

Previous studies suggest that taboo words are special in regards to language processing. Findings from the studies have led to the formation of two theories, global resource theory and binding theory, of taboo word processing. The current study investigates how readers process taboo words embedded in sentences during silent reading. In two experiments, measures collected include eye movement data, accuracy and reaction time measures for recalling probe words within the sentences, and individual differences in likelihood of being offended by taboo words. Although certain aspects of the results support both theories, as the likelihood of a person being offended by a taboo word influenced some measures, neither theory sufficiently predicts or describes the effects observed. The results are interpreted as evidence that processing effects ascribed to taboo words are largely, but not completely, attributable to the context in which they are used and the individual attitudes of the people who hear/read them. The results also demonstrate the importance of investigating taboo words in naturalistic language processing paradigms. A revised theory of taboo word processing is proposed that incorporates both global resource theory and binding theory along with the sociolinguistic factors and individual differences that largely drive the effects observed here. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sex differences in face processing are mediated by handedness and sexual orientation.

Science.gov (United States)

Brewster, Paul W H; Mullin, Caitlin R; Dobrin, Roxana A; Steeves, Jennifer K E

2011-03-01

Previous research has demonstrated sex differences in face processing at both neural and behavioural levels. The present study examined the role of handedness and sexual orientation as mediators of this effect. We compared the performance of LH (left-handed) and RH (right-handed) heterosexual and homosexual male and female participants on a face recognition memory task. Our main findings were that homosexual males have better face recognition memory than both heterosexual males and homosexual women. We also demonstrate better face processing in women than in men. Finally, LH heterosexual participants had better face recognition than LH homosexual participants and also tended to be better than RH heterosexual participants. These findings are consistent with differences in the organisation and laterality of face-processing mechanisms as a function of sex, handedness, and sexual orientation.

Processing Chains for Desis and Enmap Imaging Spectroscopy Data: Similarities and Differences

Science.gov (United States)

Storch, T.; Müller, R.

2017-10-01

The Earth Observation Center (EOC) of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) realizes operational processors for DESIS (DLR Earth Sensing Imaging Spectrometer) and EnMAP (Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program) high-resolution imaging spectroscopy remote sensing satellite missions. DESIS is planned to be launched in 2018 and EnMAP in 2020. The developmental (namely schedule, deployment, and team) and functional (namely processing levels, algorithms in processors, and archiving approaches) similarities and differences of the fully-automatic processors are analyzed. The processing chains generate high-quality standardized image products for users at different levels taking characterization and calibration data into account. EOC has long lasting experiences with the airborne and spaceborne acquisition, processing, and analysis of hyperspectral image data. It turns out that both activities strongly benefit from each other.

Paired associative stimulation targeting the tibialis anterior muscle using either mono or biphasic transcranial magnetic stimulation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mrachacz-Kersting, Natalie; Stevenson, Andrew James Thomas

2017-01-01

Paired associative stimulation (PAS) protocols induce plastic changes within the motor cortex. The objectives of this study were to investigate PAS effects targeting the tibialis anterior (TA) muscle using a biphasic transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) pulse form and, to determine whether...... a reduced intensity of this pulse would lead to significant changes as has been reported for hand muscles using a monophasic TMS pulse. Three interventions were investigated: (1) suprathreshold PAbi-PAS (n = 11); (2) suprathreshold PAmono-PAS (n = 11) where PAS was applied using a biphasic or monophasic......% for subthreshold PAbi-PAS. PAS using a biphasic pulse form at subthreshold intensities induces similar effects to conventional PAS....

Flux behaviour under different operational conditions in osmosis process

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Korenak, Jasmina; Zarebska, Agata; Buksek, Hermina

the active membrane layer is facing draw solution. Osmosis process can be affected by several factors, such as operating conditions (temperature and cross flow velocity), feed and draw solution properties, and membrane characteristics. These factors can significantly contribute to the efficiency......, and total dissolved solids. Taken together our results can contribute understanding of the how performance of asymmetric FO membranes can be enhanced by feed and draw properties, membrane characteristics and operational conditions.......The transport of water molecules across a semi-permeable membrane is driven by the osmotic pressure difference between feed and draw solution. Two different operational modes can be distinguished, namely FO mode when the active membrane layer is facing the wastewater (feed), and PRO mode when...

An effort allocation model considering different budgetary constraint on fault detection process and fault correction process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vijay Kumar

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Fault detection process (FDP and Fault correction process (FCP are important phases of software development life cycle (SDLC. It is essential for software to undergo a testing phase, during which faults are detected and corrected. The main goal of this article is to allocate the testing resources in an optimal manner to minimize the cost during testing phase using FDP and FCP under dynamic environment. In this paper, we first assume there is a time lag between fault detection and fault correction. Thus, removal of a fault is performed after a fault is detected. In addition, detection process and correction process are taken to be independent simultaneous activities with different budgetary constraints. A structured optimal policy based on optimal control theory is proposed for software managers to optimize the allocation of the limited resources with the reliability criteria. Furthermore, release policy for the proposed model is also discussed. Numerical example is given in support of the theoretical results.

Conflict Tasks of Different Types Divergently Affect the Attentional Processing of Gaze and Arrow.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Lingxia; Yu, Huan; Zhang, Xuemin; Feng, Qing; Sun, Mengdan; Xu, Mengsi

2018-01-01

The present study explored the attentional processing mechanisms of gaze and arrow cues in two different types of conflict tasks. In Experiment 1, participants performed a flanker task in which gaze and arrow cues were presented as central targets or bilateral distractors. The congruency between the direction of the target and the distractors was manipulated. Results showed that arrow distractors greatly interfered with the attentional processing of gaze, while the processing of arrow direction was immune to conflict from gaze distractors. Using a spatial compatibility task, Experiment 2 explored the conflict effects exerted on gaze and arrow processing by their relative spatial locations. When the direction of the arrow was in conflict with its spatial layout on screen, response times were slowed; however, the encoding of gaze was unaffected by spatial location. In general, processing to an arrow cue is less influenced by bilateral gaze cues but is affected by irrelevant spatial information, while processing to a gaze cue is greatly disturbed by bilateral arrows but is unaffected by irrelevant spatial information. Different effects on gaze and arrow cues by different types of conflicts may reflect two relatively distinct specific modes of the attentional process.

Processes influencing differences in Arctic and Antarctic Trough Mouth Fan sedimentology

OpenAIRE

Gales, J; Hillenbrand, C-D; Larter, R; Laberg, J-S; Melles, M; Benetti, S; Passchier, S

2018-01-01

Trough Mouth Fans (TMFs) are sediment depocentres that form along high-latitude continental margins at the mouths of some cross-shelf troughs. They reflect the dynamics of past ice sheets over multiple glacial cycles and processes operating on (formerly) glaciated continental shelves and slopes, such as erosion, reworking, transport and deposition. The similarities and differences in TMF morphology and formation processes of the Arctic and Antarctic regions remain poorly constrained. Here, we...

Gender differences in responses to moral dilemmas: a process dissociation analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Friesdorf, Rebecca; Conway, Paul; Gawronski, Bertram

2015-05-01

The principle of deontology states that the morality of an action depends on its consistency with moral norms; the principle of utilitarianism implies that the morality of an action depends on its consequences. Previous research suggests that deontological judgments are shaped by affective processes, whereas utilitarian judgments are guided by cognitive processes. The current research used process dissociation (PD) to independently assess deontological and utilitarian inclinations in women and men. A meta-analytic re-analysis of 40 studies with 6,100 participants indicated that men showed a stronger preference for utilitarian over deontological judgments than women when the two principles implied conflicting decisions (d = 0.52). PD further revealed that women exhibited stronger deontological inclinations than men (d = 0.57), while men exhibited only slightly stronger utilitarian inclinations than women (d = 0.10). The findings suggest that gender differences in moral dilemma judgments are due to differences in affective responses to harm rather than cognitive evaluations of outcomes. © 2015 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Eye Contact Modulates Cognitive Processing Differently in Children with Autism

Science.gov (United States)

Falck-Ytter, Terje; Carlström, Christoffer; Johansson, Martin

2015-01-01

In humans, effortful cognitive processing frequently takes place during social interaction, with eye contact being an important component. This study shows that the effect of eye contact on memory for nonsocial information is different in children with typical development than in children with autism, a disorder of social communication. Direct…

FERMENTATION PROCESS CHARACTERISTICS OF DIFFERENT MAIZE SILAGE HYBRIDS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Bíro

2009-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to detect the fermentation process differences in different hybrid maize silage. We conserved in laboratory conditions hybrids of whole maize plants with different length of the vegetative period (FAO number. Maize hybrids for silage were harvested in the vegetation stage of the milk-wax maturity of corn and the content of dry matter was from 377.7 to 422.8 g.kg-1. The highest content of dry matter was typical for silages made from the hybrids with FAO number 310 (400.0 g.kg-1 and FAO 300a (400.4 g.kg-1. The content of desirable lactic acid ranged from 23.7 g.kg-1 of dry matter (FAO 350 to 58.9 g.kg-1 of dry matter (FAO 420. We detected the occurrence of undesirable butyric acid in silages from hybrids FAO 250, 300b, 310 and 380. The highest content of total alcohols we found in silages made from hybrid with FAO number 240 (25.2 g.kg-1 of dry matter. Ammonia contents were in tested silages from 0.153 (FAO 270 to 0.223 g.kg-1 of dry matter (FAO 240. The lowest value of silage titration acidity we analyzed in silage made from hybrid FAO 420 (3.66. We observed in maize silages with different length of plant maturity tested in the experiment differences in content of lactic acid, total alcohols, titration acidity, pH and content of fermentation products.

A comparison of two different processing chemicals for mammography: Repercussion on dose to patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sendra-Portero, F.; Ristori-Bogajo, E.; Buch-Tome, P.; Martinez-Morillo, M.; Nava-Baro, E.

2001-01-01

The main technical objective of screen-film mammography is to reach the best image quality with the lowest dose to the breast. Sensitometric gradient and speed are factors related to both subjects respectively. For a given choice of film, these factors are affected by processing variables. For this reason, manufacturers have developed different types of films that are recommended for particular processing conditions. The purpose of this work is to compare the variations of both sensitometric characteristics of mammographic screen and film systems induced by two different manufactured chemicals: RPX-Omat EX/LO (Kodak) and G139/G334 (Agfa). A comparison of thirteen mammographic films by means of light sensitometry was performed at different processing conditions: 90s/Kodak, 120s/Kodak, 180s/Kodak, 90s/Agfa, 120s/Agfa and 180s/Agfa. Secondly, 99 combinations of screens and films were evaluated by X-ray sensitometry at 120s/Kodak and 120s/Agfa processing. At light sensitometry, variations in processing time led to different modifications in film speed, depending on the chemicals used. At X-Ray sensitometry, Agfa chemicals induced higher values of sensitivity for almost all combinations, while Kodak chemicals gave higher gradient/speed quotient. The results show that dose to patients in mammography and image contrast are highly dependent on the chemicals selected at medium cycle (120s) processing. (author)

Tecnored process - high potential in using different kinds of solid fuels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Henrique Noldin Júnior

2005-12-01

Full Text Available One important feature of the Brazilian Tecnored ironmaking process is its flexibility to use different types of solid fuels, other than metallurgical coke, as proved in the pilot plant tests by extensively using green petroleum coke, biomasses, high ash cokes, etc. Even if new solid fuels not thus far used are envisaged for a given project, thru the bench scale simulator of the process it is possible to predict the behavior of such solid fuels in the Tecnored furnace and establish the best techno-economical-environmental equation for its use. This paper discusses the key aspects involved in the use of alternative solid fuels in the Tecnored process.

Effects of drying process on the physicochemical properties of nopal cladodes at different maturity stages.

Science.gov (United States)

Contreras-Padilla, Margarita; Gutiérrez-Cortez, Elsa; Valderrama-Bravo, María Del Carmen; Rojas-Molina, Isela; Espinosa-Arbeláez, Diego Germán; Suárez-Vargas, Raúl; Rodríguez-García, Mario Enrique

2012-03-01

Chemical proximate analysis was done in order to determine the changes of nutritional characteristics of nopal powders from three different maturity stages 50, 100, and 150 days and obtained by three different drying processes: freeze dried, forced air oven, and tunnel. Results indicate that nopal powder obtained by the process of freeze dried retains higher contents of protein, soluble fiber, and fat than the other two processes. Also, freeze dried process had less effect on color hue variable. No changes were observed in insoluble fiber content, chroma and lightness with the three different drying processes. Furthermore, the soluble fibers decreased with the age of nopal while insoluble fibers and ash content shows an opposite trend. In addition, the luminosity and hue values did not show differences among the maturity stages studied. The high content of dietary fibers of nopal pad powder could to be an interesting source of these important components for human diets and also could be used in food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry.

Textual and chemical information processing: different domains but similar algorithms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Willett

2000-01-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses the extent to which algorithms developed for the processing of textual databases are also applicable to the processing of chemical structure databases, and vice versa. Applications discussed include: an algorithm for distribution sorting that has been applied to the design of screening systems for rapid chemical substructure searching; the use of measures of inter-molecular structural similarity for the analysis of hypertext graphs; a genetic algorithm for calculating term weights for relevance feedback searching for determining whether a molecule is likely to exhibit biological activity; and the use of data fusion to combine the results of different chemical similarity searches.

Noise exposure in gold miners: utilising audiogram configuration to determine hearing handicap

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Vermaas, RL

2007-09-01

Full Text Available of important stimuli, which assists the listener to exclude background sounds.6 NIHL results in sounds being heard in an abnormal way and the hearing loss results in reduced hearing thresholds and reduced supra-threshold functioning and speech processing 7... to frequency responses of hearing aids and listening devices during rehabilitation. The results of this study highlight the need for an extension to the traditional use of PLH, namely as a measure of when compensation for NIHL will be paid. PLH should...

Application of Solid-State NMR to Reveal Structural Differences in Cefazolin Sodium Pentahydrate from Different Manufacturing Processes

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Ye; Wang, Wei D.; Zou, Wen-Bo; Qian, Jian-Qin; Hu, Chang-Qin

2018-04-01

The solid form of an active pharmaceutical ingredient is important when developing a new chemical entity. A solid understanding of the crystal structure and morphology that affect the mechanical and physical characteristics of pharmaceutical powders determines the manufacturing process. Solid-state NMR, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy were combined with theoretical calculation to investigate different crystal packings of α-cefazolin sodium from three different vendors and conformational polymorphism was identified to exist in the α-cefazolin sodium. Marginal differences observed among CEZ-Na pentahydrate 1, 2, and 3 were speculated as the proportion of conformation 2. Understanding the differences in the polymorphic structure of α-cefazolin sodium may help with making modifications to incorporate new knowledge with a product’s development.

Neural processes underlying cultural differences in cognitive persistence.

Science.gov (United States)

Telzer, Eva H; Qu, Yang; Lin, Lynda C

2017-08-01

Self-improvement motivation, which occurs when individuals seek to improve upon their competence by gaining new knowledge and improving upon their skills, is critical for cognitive, social, and educational adjustment. While many studies have delineated the neural mechanisms supporting extrinsic motivation induced by monetary rewards, less work has examined the neural processes that support intrinsically motivated behaviors, such as self-improvement motivation. Because cultural groups traditionally vary in terms of their self-improvement motivation, we examined cultural differences in the behavioral and neural processes underlying motivated behaviors during cognitive persistence in the absence of extrinsic rewards. In Study 1, 71 American (47 females, M=19.68 years) and 68 Chinese (38 females, M=19.37 years) students completed a behavioral cognitive control task that required cognitive persistence across time. In Study 2, 14 American and 15 Chinese students completed the same cognitive persistence task during an fMRI scan. Across both studies, American students showed significant declines in cognitive performance across time, whereas Chinese participants demonstrated effective cognitive persistence. These behavioral effects were explained by cultural differences in self-improvement motivation and paralleled by increasing activation and functional coupling between the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and ventral striatum (VS) across the task among Chinese participants, neural activation and coupling that remained low in American participants. These findings suggest a potential neural mechanism by which the VS and IFG work in concert to promote cognitive persistence in the absence of extrinsic rewards. Thus, frontostriatal circuitry may be a neurobiological signal representing intrinsic motivation for self-improvement that serves an adaptive function, increasing Chinese students' motivation to engage in cognitive persistence. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights

Design, scale-up, Six Sigma in processing different feedstocks in a fixed bed downdraft biomass gasifier

Science.gov (United States)

Boravelli, Sai Chandra Teja

This thesis mainly focuses on design and process development of a downdraft biomass gasification processes. The objective is to develop a gasifier and process of gasification for a continuous steady state process. A lab scale downdraft gasifier was designed to develop the process and obtain optimum operating procedure. Sustainable and dependable sources such as biomass are potential sources of renewable energy and have a reasonable motivation to be used in developing a small scale energy production plant for countries such as Canada where wood stocks are more reliable sources than fossil fuels. This thesis addresses the process of thermal conversion of biomass gasification process in a downdraft reactor. Downdraft biomass gasifiers are relatively cheap and easy to operate because of their design. We constructed a simple biomass gasifier to study the steady state process for different sizes of the reactor. The experimental part of this investigation look at how operating conditions such as feed rate, air flow, the length of the bed, the vibration of the reactor, height and density of syngas flame in combustion flare changes for different sizes of the reactor. These experimental results also compare the trends of tar, char and syngas production for wood pellets in a steady state process. This study also includes biomass gasification process for different wood feedstocks. It compares how shape, size and moisture content of different feedstocks makes a difference in operating conditions for the gasification process. For this, Six Sigma DMAIC techniques were used to analyze and understand how each feedstock makes a significant impact on the process.

The Effect of Keyboard-Based Word Processing on Students With Different Working Memory Capacity During the Process of Academic Writing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van der Steen, Steffie; Samuelson, Dianne; Thomson, Jennifer M.

This study addresses the current debate about the beneficial effects of text processing software on students with different working memory (WM) during the process of academic writing, especially with regard to the ability to display higher-level conceptual thinking. A total of 54 graduate students

Quantitative analysis of geomorphic processes using satellite image data at different scales

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, R. S., Jr.

1985-01-01

When aerial and satellite photographs and images are used in the quantitative analysis of geomorphic processes, either through direct observation of active processes or by analysis of landforms resulting from inferred active or dormant processes, a number of limitations in the use of such data must be considered. Active geomorphic processes work at different scales and rates. Therefore, the capability of imaging an active or dormant process depends primarily on the scale of the process and the spatial-resolution characteristic of the imaging system. Scale is an important factor in recording continuous and discontinuous active geomorphic processes, because what is not recorded will not be considered or even suspected in the analysis of orbital images. If the geomorphic process of landform change caused by the process is less than 200 m in x to y dimension, then it will not be recorded. Although the scale factor is critical, in the recording of discontinuous active geomorphic processes, the repeat interval of orbital-image acquisition of a planetary surface also is a consideration in order to capture a recurring short-lived geomorphic process or to record changes caused by either a continuous or a discontinuous geomorphic process.

Influence of different sterilization processes on the properties of commercial poly(lactic acid)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Savaris, M.; Santos, V. dos; Brandalise, R.N.

2016-01-01

This study aims at analyzing the modifications in the morphological, physical, chemical and thermal properties of commercial poly(lactic acid) (PLA) films after exposure to five different sterilization processes. Films were obtained by compression molding, hygienized and sterilized by ethylene oxide (SEtO), hydrogen peroxide plasma (SH 2 O 2 ), saturated steam (SSS), electron beam radiation (SEB) and gamma radiation (SGR). The samples of PLA SEtO , PLA SH2O2 , PLA SEB and PLA SGR exhibited thermal and physical changes after being submitted to sterilization processes. PLA SSS showed morphological, chemical, thermal and physical changes. It is concluded that processes by SEtO, SH 2 O 2 , SEB and EGR can be applied for the sterilization of PLA films and the SSS process is not recommended in view of the data obtained and test conditions reported in this study for PLA films. - Highlights: • PLA was subjected to five different sterilization process. • All sterilization processes do not changed the hydrophilicity of PLA. • Morphological, chemical, physical and thermal changes were observed for the PLA SSS . • The sterilization by saturated steam is not recommended to sterilize PLA.

Control of three different continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing processes: Use of soft sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Rehrl, Jakob; Karttunen, Anssi-Pekka; Nicolaï, Niels; Hörmann, Theresa; Horn, Martin; Korhonen, Ossi; Nopens, Ingmar; De Beer, Thomas; Khinast, Johannes G

2018-05-30

One major advantage of continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing over traditional batch manufacturing is the possibility of enhanced in-process control, reducing out-of-specification and waste material by appropriate discharge strategies. The decision on material discharge can be based on the measurement of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) concentration at specific locations in the production line via process analytic technology (PAT), e.g. near-infrared (NIR) spectrometers. The implementation of the PAT instruments is associated with monetary investment and the long term operation requires techniques avoiding sensor drifts. Therefore, our paper proposes a soft sensor approach for predicting the API concentration from the feeder data. In addition, this information can be used to detect sensor drift, or serve as a replacement/supplement of specific PAT equipment. The paper presents the experimental determination of the residence time distribution of selected unit operations in three different continuous processing lines (hot melt extrusion, direct compaction, wet granulation). The mathematical models describing the soft sensor are developed and parameterized. Finally, the suggested soft sensor approach is validated on the three mentioned, different continuous processing lines, demonstrating its versatility. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cortical and Sensory Causes of Individual Differences in Selective Attention Ability Among Listeners With Normal Hearing Thresholds.

Science.gov (United States)

Shinn-Cunningham, Barbara

2017-10-17

This review provides clinicians with an overview of recent findings relevant to understanding why listeners with normal hearing thresholds (NHTs) sometimes suffer from communication difficulties in noisy settings. The results from neuroscience and psychoacoustics are reviewed. In noisy settings, listeners focus their attention by engaging cortical brain networks to suppress unimportant sounds; they then can analyze and understand an important sound, such as speech, amidst competing sounds. Differences in the efficacy of top-down control of attention can affect communication abilities. In addition, subclinical deficits in sensory fidelity can disrupt the ability to perceptually segregate sound sources, interfering with selective attention, even in listeners with NHTs. Studies of variability in control of attention and in sensory coding fidelity may help to isolate and identify some of the causes of communication disorders in individuals presenting at the clinic with "normal hearing." How well an individual with NHTs can understand speech amidst competing sounds depends not only on the sound being audible but also on the integrity of cortical control networks and the fidelity of the representation of suprathreshold sound. Understanding the root cause of difficulties experienced by listeners with NHTs ultimately can lead to new, targeted interventions that address specific deficits affecting communication in noise. http://cred.pubs.asha.org/article.aspx?articleid=2601617.

Electrophysiological differences in the processing of affect misattribution.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yohei Hashimoto

Full Text Available The affect misattribution procedure (AMP was proposed as a technique to measure an implicit attitude to a prime image [1]. In the AMP, neutral symbols (e.g., a Chinese pictograph, called the target are presented, following an emotional stimulus (known as the prime. Participants often misattribute the positive or negative affect of the priming images to the targets in spite of receiving an instruction to ignore the primes. The AMP effect has been investigated using behavioral measures; however, it is difficult to identify when the AMP effect occurs in emotional processing-whether the effect may occur in the earlier attention allocation stage or in the later evaluation stage. In this study, we examined the neural correlates of affect misattribution, using event-related potential (ERP dividing the participants into two groups based on their tendency toward affect misattribution. The ERP results showed that the amplitude of P2 was larger for the prime at the parietal location in participants showing a low tendency to misattribution than for those showing a high tendency, while the effect of judging neutral targets amiss according to the primes was reflected in the late processing of targets (LPP. In addition, the topographic pattern analysis revealed that EPN-like component to targets was correlated with the difference of AMP tendency as well as P2 to primes and LPP to targets. Taken together, the mechanism of the affective misattribution was closely related to the attention allocation processing. Our findings provide neural evidence that evaluations of neutral targets are misattributed to emotional primes.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2015-01-01

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

Temperament trait of sensory processing sensitivity moderates cultural differences in neural response.

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Aron, Arthur; Ketay, Sarah; Hedden, Trey; Aron, Elaine N; Rose Markus, Hazel; Gabrieli, John D E

2010-06-01

This study focused on a possible temperament-by-culture interaction. Specifically, it explored whether a basic temperament/personality trait (sensory processing sensitivity; SPS), perhaps having a genetic component, might moderate a previously established cultural difference in neural responses when making context-dependent vs context-independent judgments of simple visual stimuli. SPS has been hypothesized to underlie what has been called inhibitedness or reactivity in infants, introversion in adults, and reactivity or responsivness in diverse animal species. Some biologists view the trait as one of two innate strategies-observing carefully before acting vs being first to act. Thus the central characteristic of SPS is hypothesized to be a deep processing of information. Here, 10 European-Americans and 10 East Asians underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing simple visuospatial tasks emphasizing judgments that were either context independent (typically easier for Americans) or context dependent (typically easier for Asians). As reported elsewhere, each group exhibited greater activation for the culturally non-preferred task in frontal and parietal regions associated with greater effort in attention and working memory. However, further analyses, reported here for the first time, provided preliminary support for moderation by SPS. Consistent with the careful-processing theory, high-SPS individuals showed little cultural difference; low-SPS, strong culture differences.

Acceleration of Linear Finite-Difference Poisson-Boltzmann Methods on Graphics Processing Units.

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Qi, Ruxi; Botello-Smith, Wesley M; Luo, Ray

2017-07-11

Electrostatic interactions play crucial roles in biophysical processes such as protein folding and molecular recognition. Poisson-Boltzmann equation (PBE)-based models have emerged as widely used in modeling these important processes. Though great efforts have been put into developing efficient PBE numerical models, challenges still remain due to the high dimensionality of typical biomolecular systems. In this study, we implemented and analyzed commonly used linear PBE solvers for the ever-improving graphics processing units (GPU) for biomolecular simulations, including both standard and preconditioned conjugate gradient (CG) solvers with several alternative preconditioners. Our implementation utilizes the standard Nvidia CUDA libraries cuSPARSE, cuBLAS, and CUSP. Extensive tests show that good numerical accuracy can be achieved given that the single precision is often used for numerical applications on GPU platforms. The optimal GPU performance was observed with the Jacobi-preconditioned CG solver, with a significant speedup over standard CG solver on CPU in our diversified test cases. Our analysis further shows that different matrix storage formats also considerably affect the efficiency of different linear PBE solvers on GPU, with the diagonal format best suited for our standard finite-difference linear systems. Further efficiency may be possible with matrix-free operations and integrated grid stencil setup specifically tailored for the banded matrices in PBE-specific linear systems.

Processing of syllable stress is functionally different from phoneme processing and does not profit from literacy acquisition

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Ulrike eSchild

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Speech is characterized by phonemes and prosody. Neurocognitive evidence supports the separate processing of each type of information. Therefore, one might suggest individual development of both pathways. In this study, we examine literacy acquisition in middle childhood. Children become aware of the phonemes in speech at that time and refine phoneme processing when they acquire an alphabetic writing system. We test whether an enhanced sensitivity to phonemes in middle childhood extends to other aspects of the speech signal, such as prosody. To investigate prosodic processing, we used stress priming. Spoken stressed and unstressed syllables (primes preceded spoken German words with stress on the first syllable (targets. We orthogonally varied stress overlap and phoneme overlap between the primes and onsets of the targets. Lexical decisions and Event-Related Potentials (ERPs for the targets were obtained for pre-reading preschoolers, reading pupils and adults. The behavioral and ERP results were largely comparable across all groups. The fastest responses were observed when the first syllable of the target word shared stress and phonemes with the preceding prime. ERP stress priming and ERP phoneme priming started 200 ms after the target word onset. Bilateral ERP stress priming was characterized by enhanced ERP amplitudes for stress overlap. Left-lateralized ERP phoneme priming replicates previously observed reduced ERP amplitudes for phoneme overlap. Groups differed in the strength of the behavioral phoneme priming and in the late ERP phoneme priming effect. The present results show that enhanced phonological processing in middle childhood is restricted to phonemes and does not extend to prosody. These results are indicative of two parallel processing systems for phonemes and prosody that might follow different developmental trajectories in middle childhood as a function of alphabetic literacy.

Logical-rules and the classification of integral dimensions: Individual differences in the processing of arbitrary dimensions

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Anthea G. Blunden

2015-01-01

Full Text Available A variety of converging operations demonstrate key differences between separable dimensions, which can be analyzed independently, and integral dimensions, which are processed in a non-analytic fashion. A recent investigation of response time distributions, applying a set of logical rule-based models, demonstrated that integral dimensions are pooled into a single coactive processing channel, in contrast to separable dimensions, which are processed in multiple, independent processing channels. This paper examines the claim that arbitrary dimensions created by factorially morphing four faces are processed in an integral manner (i.e., coactively. In two experiments, sixteen participants completed a categorization task in which either upright or inverted morph stimuli were classified in a speeded fashion. Analyses focused on contrasting different assumptions about the psychological representation of the stimuli, perceptual and decisional separability, and the processing architecture. We report consistent individual differences which demonstrate a mixture of some observers who demonstrate coactive processing with other observers who process the dimensions in a parallel self-terminating manner.

What is the source of cultural differences? -- Examining the influence of thinking style on the attribution process.

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Jen, Chun-Hui; Lien, Yunn-Wen

2010-02-01

The present research is intended to find out whether individuals with analytic or holistic thought have different attribution processes. Cross-cultural research has suggested that East Asians, who tend to have a holistic thought pattern, differ in cognitive process from Westerners, who tend to engage in analytic thought. However, studies that found cultural difference in attribution process may have non-equivalence problems that make it hard to interpret the causal relationship between thinking style and attribution process. The present research extends this by measuring participants' thinking style within a single culture in order to ensure equivalence on potentially confounding variables such as prior knowledge and cognitive capacity. Two experiments demonstrate that both types of thinkers have identical attribution processes and suggest different thinking styles might relate to different tendencies toward situational information, but not to the attribution process itself. Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Influence of different processing methods and mature stages on 3,29-dibenzoyl rarounitriol of Trichosanthes kirilowii seeds].

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jin-Na; Xie, Xiao-Liang; Yang, Tai-Xin; Zhang, Cun-Li; Jia, Dong-Sheng; Liu, Ming; Wen, Chun-Xiu

2014-04-01

To study the different mature stages and the best processing methods on the quality of Trichosanthes kirilowii seeds. The content of 3,29-dibenzoyl rarounitriol in Trichosanthes kirilowii seeds was determined by HPLC. The sample of different mature stages such as immature, near mature and fully mature and processed by different methods were studied. Fully mature Trichosanthes kirilowii seeds were better than the immatured, and the best processing method was dried under 60degrees C, the content of 3,29-dibenzoyl rarounitriol reached up to 131.63microlg/mL. Different processing methods and different mature stages had a significant influence on the quality of Trichosanthes kirilowii seeds.

KV7 Channels Regulate Firing during Synaptic Integration in GABAergic Striatal Neurons

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M. Belén Pérez-Ramírez

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Striatal projection neurons (SPNs process motor and cognitive information. Their activity is affected by Parkinson’s disease, in which dopamine concentration is decreased and acetylcholine concentration is increased. Acetylcholine activates muscarinic receptors in SPNs. Its main source is the cholinergic interneuron that responds with a briefer latency than SPNs during a cortical command. Therefore, an important question is whether muscarinic G-protein coupled receptors and their signaling cascades are fast enough to intervene during synaptic responses to regulate synaptic integration and firing. One of the most known voltage dependent channels regulated by muscarinic receptors is the KV7/KCNQ channel. It is not known whether these channels regulate the integration of suprathreshold corticostriatal responses. Here, we study the impact of cholinergic muscarinic modulation on the synaptic response of SPNs by regulating KV7 channels. We found that KV7 channels regulate corticostriatal synaptic integration and that this modulation occurs in the dendritic/spines compartment. In contrast, it is negligible in the somatic compartment. This modulation occurs on sub- and suprathreshold responses and lasts during the whole duration of the responses, hundreds of milliseconds, greatly altering SPNs firing properties. This modulation affected the behavior of the striatal microcircuit.

Influence of different sterilization processes on the properties of commercial poly(lactic acid)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Savaris, M.; Santos, V. dos, E-mail: vsantos2@ucs.br; Brandalise, R.N.

2016-12-01

This study aims at analyzing the modifications in the morphological, physical, chemical and thermal properties of commercial poly(lactic acid) (PLA) films after exposure to five different sterilization processes. Films were obtained by compression molding, hygienized and sterilized by ethylene oxide (SEtO), hydrogen peroxide plasma (SH{sub 2}O{sub 2}), saturated steam (SSS), electron beam radiation (SEB) and gamma radiation (SGR). The samples of PLA{sub SEtO}, PLA{sub SH2O2}, PLA{sub SEB} and PLA{sub SGR} exhibited thermal and physical changes after being submitted to sterilization processes. PLA{sub SSS} showed morphological, chemical, thermal and physical changes. It is concluded that processes by SEtO, SH{sub 2}O{sub 2}, SEB and EGR can be applied for the sterilization of PLA films and the SSS process is not recommended in view of the data obtained and test conditions reported in this study for PLA films. - Highlights: • PLA was subjected to five different sterilization process. • All sterilization processes do not changed the hydrophilicity of PLA. • Morphological, chemical, physical and thermal changes were observed for the PLA{sub SSS}. • The sterilization by saturated steam is not recommended to sterilize PLA.

[Content comparison of diterpenoid pigments in different processed products of Gardenia jasminoides].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Cun; Xiao, Yong-Qing; Li, Li; Li, Gui-Liu; Pang, Zhen

2008-11-01

To compare the contents of diterpenoid pigments in the different processed products of Gardenia jasminoides. The separation of Crocin 1, Crocin 2, Crocin 3, Crocetin were determined simultaneously by HPLC on a kromasil C18 column at 35 degrees C with the m methanol-acetonitrile-0.3% formic acid anhydrous in gradient elution as the mobile phrase. The detection wavelength was set at 440 nm and the flow rate was 1.0 mL x min(-1). The obtained linearity of the four components was better over 0.9995 and the average recoveries were 97.77%, 100.05% , 98.40%, 101.02%, respectively. The method is simple, accurate with good reproducibility. The results showed that the remarkable variation regulations appear among the different processed products.

An examination of gender differences in the American Fisheries Society peer-review process

Science.gov (United States)

Handley, Grace; Frantz, Cynthia M; Kocovsky, Patrick; DeVries, Dennis R.; Cooke, Steven J.; Claussen, Julie

2015-01-01

This study investigated the possibility of gender differences in outcomes throughout the peer review process of American Fisheries Society (AFS) journals. For each manuscript submitted to four AFS journals between January 2003 and December 2010, we collated information regarding the gender and nationality of authors, gender of associate editor, gender of reviewers, reviewer recommendations, associate editor's decision, and publication status of the manuscript. We used hierarchical linear modeling to test for differences in manuscript decision outcomes associated with author, reviewer, and associate editor gender. Gender differences were present at some but not every stage of the review process and were not equal among the four journals. Although there was a small gender difference in decision outcomes, we found no evidence of bias in editors’ and reviewers’ recommendations. Our results support the conclusion that the current single-blind review system does not result in bias against female authors within AFS journals.

Non-cellulosic polysaccharides from cotton fibre are differently impacted by textile processing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Runavot, Jean-Luc; Guo, Xiaoyuan; Willats, William George Tycho

2014-01-01

-cellulosic cotton fibre polysaccharides during different steps of cotton textile processing using GC-MS, HPLC and comprehensive microarray polymer profiling to obtain monosaccharide and polysaccharide amounts and linkage compositions. Additionally, in situ detection was used to obtain information on polysaccharide......Cotton fibre is mainly composed of cellulose, although non-cellulosic polysaccharides play key roles during fibre development and are still present in the harvested fibre. This study aimed at determining the fate of non-cellulosic polysaccharides during cotton textile processing. We analyzed non...... localization and accessibility. We show that pectic and hemicellulosic polysaccharide levels decrease during cotton textile processing and that some processing steps have more impact than others. Pectins and arabinose-containing polysaccharides are strongly impacted by the chemical treatments, with most being...

The Effect of Keyboard-Based Word Processing on Students with Different Working Memory Capacity during the Process of Academic Writing

Science.gov (United States)

Van Der Steen, Steffie; Samuelson, Dianne; Thomson, Jennifer M.

2017-01-01

This study addresses the current debate about the beneficial effects of text processing software on students with different working memory (WM) during the process of academic writing, especially with regard to the ability to display higher-level conceptual thinking. A total of 54 graduate students (15 male, 39 female) wrote one essay by hand and…

Mathematical Modelling of Thermal Process to Aquatic Environment with Different Hydrometeorological Conditions

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Alibek Issakhov

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the mathematical model of the thermal process from thermal power plant to aquatic environment of the reservoir-cooler, which is located in the Pavlodar region, 17 Km to the north-east of Ekibastuz town. The thermal process in reservoir-cooler with different hydrometeorological conditions is considered, which is solved by three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations and temperature equation for an incompressible flow in a stratified medium. A numerical method based on the projection method, divides the problem into three stages. At the first stage, it is assumed that the transfer of momentum occurs only by convection and diffusion. Intermediate velocity field is solved by fractional steps method. At the second stage, three-dimensional Poisson equation is solved by the Fourier method in combination with tridiagonal matrix method (Thomas algorithm. Finally, at the third stage, it is expected that the transfer is only due to the pressure gradient. Numerical method determines the basic laws of the hydrothermal processes that qualitatively and quantitatively are approximated depending on different hydrometeorological conditions.

Sensory processes modulate differences in multi-component behavior and cognitive control between childhood and adulthood.

Science.gov (United States)

Gohil, Krutika; Bluschke, Annet; Roessner, Veit; Stock, Ann-Kathrin; Beste, Christian

2017-10-01

Many everyday tasks require executive functions to achieve a certain goal. Quite often, this requires the integration of information derived from different sensory modalities. Children are less likely to integrate information from different modalities and, at the same time, also do not command fully developed executive functions, as compared to adults. Yet still, the role of developmental age-related effects on multisensory integration processes has not been examined within the context of multicomponent behavior until now (i.e., the concatenation of different executive subprocesses). This is problematic because differences in multisensory integration might actually explain a significant amount of the developmental effects that have traditionally been attributed to changes in executive functioning. In a system, neurophysiological approach combining electroencephaloram (EEG) recordings and source localization analyses, we therefore examined this question. The results show that differences in how children and adults accomplish multicomponent behavior do not solely depend on developmental differences in executive functioning. Instead, the observed developmental differences in response selection processes (reflected by the P3 ERP) were largely dependent on the complexity of integrating temporally separated stimuli from different modalities. This effect was related to activation differences in medial frontal and inferior parietal cortices. Primary perceptual gating or attentional selection processes (P1 and N1 ERPs) were not affected. The results show that differences in multisensory integration explain parts of transformations in cognitive processes between childhood and adulthood that have traditionally been attributed to changes in executive functioning, especially when these require the integration of multiple modalities during response selection. Hum Brain Mapp 38:4933-4945, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Application of the TDABC model in the logistics process using different capacity cost rates

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Paulo Afonso

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The understanding of logistics process in terms of costs and profitability is a complex task and there is a need of more research and applied work on these issues. In this research project, the concepts underlying Time-Driven Activity Based Costing (TDABC have been used in the context of logistics costs. Design/methodology/approach: A Distribution Centre of wood and carpentry related materials has been studied. A multidisciplinary team has been composed to support the project including the researchers and three employees of the company responsible for accounting, logistics and warehousing. The design and implementation of the costing model asked for a deep understanding of the different tasks and processes that should be considered. Accordingly, a TDABC model for the logistics function was developed. Findings: The cost model presented here is supported on a series of time equations designed for the logistics function which allow the analysis and discussion of costs and profitability of different cost objects namely, products, clients, distribution channels, processes and activities. The cost of unused capacity and the effectiveness of logistics processes are also highlighted in this model. Research limitations/implications: In a case study, results and implications cannot be directly or immediately generalized. Nevertheless, the proposed time equations and cost model can be easily adapted to explain other types of logistics functions and it gives the foundations or other TDABC models with more than one capacity cost rate. Practical implications: The TDABC model developed in this case study can be used in similar cases and as a basis for the analysis of logistics costs in other logistics processes. Furthermore, managers can rely on the proposed approach to analyze products’ profitability and logistics cost structure.  Originality/value: In this case, different capacity cost rates were computed in order to reflect appropriately the

Application of the TDABC model in the logistics process using different capacity cost rates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Afonso, Paulo; Santana, Alex

2016-01-01

Purpose: The understanding of logistics process in terms of costs and profitability is a complex task and there is a need of more research and applied work on these issues. In this research project, the concepts underlying Time-Driven Activity Based Costing (TDABC) have been used in the context of logistics costs. Design/methodology/approach: A Distribution Centre of wood and carpentry related materials has been studied. A multidisciplinary team has been composed to support the project including the researchers and three employees of the company responsible for accounting, logistics and warehousing. The design and implementation of the costing model asked for a deep understanding of the different tasks and processes that should be considered. Accordingly, a TDABC model for the logistics function was developed. Findings: The cost model presented here is supported on a series of time equations designed for the logistics function which allow the analysis and discussion of costs and profitability of different cost objects namely, products, clients, distribution channels, processes and activities. The cost of unused capacity and the effectiveness of logistics processes are also highlighted in this model. Research limitations/implications: In a case study, results and implications cannot be directly or immediately generalized. Nevertheless, the proposed time equations and cost model can be easily adapted to explain other types of logistics functions and it gives the foundations or other TDABC models with more than one capacity cost rate. Practical implications: The TDABC model developed in this case study can be used in similar cases and as a basis for the analysis of logistics costs in other logistics processes. Furthermore, managers can rely on the proposed approach to analyze products’ profitability and logistics cost structure. Originality/value: In this case, different capacity cost rates were computed in order to reflect appropriately the logistics function which

Application of the TDABC model in the logistics process using different capacity cost rates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Afonso, Paulo; Santana, Alex

2016-07-01

Purpose: The understanding of logistics process in terms of costs and profitability is a complex task and there is a need of more research and applied work on these issues. In this research project, the concepts underlying Time-Driven Activity Based Costing (TDABC) have been used in the context of logistics costs. Design/methodology/approach: A Distribution Centre of wood and carpentry related materials has been studied. A multidisciplinary team has been composed to support the project including the researchers and three employees of the company responsible for accounting, logistics and warehousing. The design and implementation of the costing model asked for a deep understanding of the different tasks and processes that should be considered. Accordingly, a TDABC model for the logistics function was developed. Findings: The cost model presented here is supported on a series of time equations designed for the logistics function which allow the analysis and discussion of costs and profitability of different cost objects namely, products, clients, distribution channels, processes and activities. The cost of unused capacity and the effectiveness of logistics processes are also highlighted in this model. Research limitations/implications: In a case study, results and implications cannot be directly or immediately generalized. Nevertheless, the proposed time equations and cost model can be easily adapted to explain other types of logistics functions and it gives the foundations or other TDABC models with more than one capacity cost rate. Practical implications: The TDABC model developed in this case study can be used in similar cases and as a basis for the analysis of logistics costs in other logistics processes. Furthermore, managers can rely on the proposed approach to analyze products’ profitability and logistics cost structure. Originality/value: In this case, different capacity cost rates were computed in order to reflect appropriately the logistics function which

Differences in Low and High Working-Memory Capacity Readers' Cognitive and Metacognitive Processing Patterns as a Function of Reading for Different Purposes

Science.gov (United States)

Linderholm, Tracy; Cong, Xiaosi; Zhao, Qin

2008-01-01

Differences in cognitive and metacognitive processing patterns as a function of working-memory capacity and reading for different purposes were examined in college-aged readers by collecting reading times and calculating absolute monitoring accuracy, which is the difference between estimated and actual comprehension test performance. Readers read…

Hormones as Difference Makers in Cognitive and Socioemotional Aging Processes

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Natalie eEbner

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Aging is associated with well-recognized alterations in brain function, some of which are reflected in cognitive decline. While less appreciated, there is also considerable evidence of socioemotional changes later in life, some of which are beneficial. In this review, we examine age-related changes and individual differences in four neuroendocrine systems—cortisol, estrogen, testosterone, and oxytocin—as difference makers in these processes. This suite of interrelated hormonal systems actively coordinates regulatory processes in brain and behavior throughout development, and their level and function fluctuate during the aging process. Despite these facts, their specific impact in cognitive and socioemotional aging has received relatively limited study. It is known that chronically elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol exert neurotoxic effects on the aging brain with negative impacts on cognition and socioemotional functioning. In contrast, the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone appear to have neuroprotective effects in cognitive aging, but may decrease prosociality. Higher levels of the neuropeptide oxytocin benefit socioemotional functioning, but little is known about the effects of oxytocin on cognition or about age-related changes in the oxytocin system. In this paper, we will review the role of these hormones in the context of cognitive and socioemotional aging. In particular, we address the aforementioned gap in the literature by: 1 examining both singular actions and interrelations of these four hormonal systems; 2 exploring their correlations and causal relationships with aspects of cognitive and socioemotional aging; and 3 considering multilevel internal and external influences on these hormone systems within the framework of explanatory pluralism. We conclude with a discussion of promising future research directions.

Individual differences influence two-digit number processing, but not their analog magnitude processing: a large-scale online study.

Science.gov (United States)

Huber, Stefan; Nuerk, Hans-Christoph; Reips, Ulf-Dietrich; Soltanlou, Mojtaba

2017-12-23

Symbolic magnitude comparison is one of the most well-studied cognitive processes in research on numerical cognition. However, while the cognitive mechanisms of symbolic magnitude processing have been intensively studied, previous studies have paid less attention to individual differences influencing symbolic magnitude comparison. Employing a two-digit number comparison task in an online setting, we replicated previous effects, including the distance effect, the unit-decade compatibility effect, and the effect of cognitive control on the adaptation to filler items, in a large-scale study in 452 adults. Additionally, we observed that the most influential individual differences were participants' first language, time spent playing computer games and gender, followed by reported alcohol consumption, age and mathematical ability. Participants who used a first language with a left-to-right reading/writing direction were faster than those who read and wrote in the right-to-left direction. Reported playing time for computer games was correlated with faster reaction times. Female participants showed slower reaction times and a larger unit-decade compatibility effect than male participants. Participants who reported never consuming alcohol showed overall slower response times than others. Older participants were slower, but more accurate. Finally, higher grades in mathematics were associated with faster reaction times. We conclude that typical experiments on numerical cognition that employ a keyboard as an input device can also be run in an online setting. Moreover, while individual differences have no influence on domain-specific magnitude processing-apart from age, which increases the decade distance effect-they generally influence performance on a two-digit number comparison task.

Motivation and self-regulated learning in secondary vocational education : information-processing type and gender differences

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rozendaal, JS; Minnaert, A; Boekaerts, M

2001-01-01

In this article, information-processing type and gender differences in the interplay between motivational aspects (i.e., interest, persistence, test anxiety, and performance anxiety) and information processing were investigated. We argue that the two common information-processing modes, surface- and

[Analysis of Volatile Oils from Different Processed Products of Zingiber officinale Rhizome by GC-MS].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Hong-bing; Wang, Zhi-hui; He, Fang; Meng, Han; Peng, Jian-hua; Shi, Ji-lian

2015-04-01

To analyze the volatile components in different processed products of Zingiber officinale rhizome, and to make clear the effect of different heating degree on them. The volatile components were extracted from four kinds of processed products by applying steam distillation, and then were analyzed by GC-MS. There were totally 43 components of volatile oil identified from four kinds of processed products of Zingiber officinale rhizome. Fresh product, dried product, and charcoal product of Zingiber officinale rhizome each had 27 components of volatile oil, while sand fried product contained 24 components. Fresh Zingiber officinale rhizome contained 22. 59% of zingiberene, 20. 87% of a-citral and 11. 01% of β-phellandrene, respectively. After processing in different heating degree, the volatile components changed greatly in both of their quantity and quality, For instance, dried Zingiber officinale rhizome contained 40. 48% of α-citral and 8-phellandrene content was slightly lower at 10. 38%. 32.73% of 3,7,11-trimethyl-l, 6, 10-dodecatriene,16. 38% of murolan-3, 9 (11)-diene-10-peroxy and 3. 36% of cubebene newly emerged in the sand fried Zingiber officinale rhizome, and eudesm-4 (14) and β-bisabolol, etc. However, β-phellandrene content was only 1. 95%. The zingiberene and β-sesquiphellandrene were the highest in charcoal product, besides, new components such as α-cedrene, decanal and γ-elemene appeared. Volatile components in different processed products of Zingiber officinale rhizome were different in both of their kinds and contents. This method is suitable for the analysis of volatile components in Zingiber officinale rhizome, and this study can provide the experimental evidence for quality evaluation and clinical application for ginger processed products.

Self-Evaluation Processes in Life Satisfaction: Uncovering Measurement Non-Equivalence and Age-Related Differences

Science.gov (United States)

Heidemeier, Heike; Staudinger, Ursula M.

2012-01-01

This study demonstrates how self-evaluation processes explain subgroup differences in ratings of life satisfaction (population heterogeneity). Life domains differ with regard to the constraints they impose on beliefs in internal control. We hypothesized that these differences are linked with cognitive biases in ratings of life satisfaction. In…

Carbon Dust Filtration in Three Different Nuclear Process Environments: A comparison the challenges Carbon Dust Filtration Presents Under Different Process Conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chadwick, Chris

2014-01-01

Inits thirty five years of activity as an engineering company in nuclear filtration sector, the Porvair Filtration Group has experienced several demands to remove of Carbon/graphite dust from several nuclear gas streams. Of particular interest among those applications are, and those to be reported upon in this paper, are; • High temperature, high pressure, high DP resistant (high strength) filters operating in the CO2 environment of the UK fleet of AGR (Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactors) • Removing gross quantities of Carbon dust from the exhaust stream of a radioactive, nuclear organics decomposition, waste process • High pressure Helium filtration to remove Carbon dust for a gas flow associated with the Fuel Handling System in the High Temperature Reactor programme Each process is different from the other and presents its own unique problems. The paper will present to this conference the very different properties Carbon dust appears to exhibit in each of these very different applications, and to discuss the effects those significant differences had/have on Porvair’s responses to each application. An interesting comparison will be made of the substantial difference between the performance of the UK AGR filters and those used in the US for the removal of decomposed organics, and the significantly different properties the Carbon appears to exhibit in each unique set of conditions Two UK AGR stations which are described are taken out of service when their bypass blowdown filters reach an operating DP of about 700mB DP (starting at a clean DP of around 100mB) to enable their replacement. The used filter assemblies are lifted from their housings and placed in an active storage area. Analysis of the used filter assemblies has shown that, where they are observable, they appear to be pristine with no apparent surface discolouration. It is only when examined under magnification that it becomes obvious that the filter medium, under the outer layer of fibres, is coated in

Precipitation modeling of inclusions at different stages of the steel making process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carreno, V.; Morales, R.D.; Romeero, A.; Hernandez, M.; Morales, R.D.

1998-01-01

Steel making processes are continuously improved in order to attend the increasing requirements of the cleanness of the liquid metal. At the refining stages, as deoxidation and desulphuration, the formation of inclusions of oxides and sulphides is promoted, which on the other hand, are the most frequent inclusions. In this work a mathematical simulator of the precipitation and chemical composition of non-metallic inclusions at different steps of the steel making process is presented. To this purpose, it is assumed that inclusions formed by reoxidation can be simulated by increasing arbitrarily the oxygen levels consumed by the residual elements (aluminium, calcium, etc) and starting the chemical reaction with less powerful deoxidants (silicium and manganese). Accordingly, different operative conditions can be simulated. Numerical predictions are compared with experimental results of industrial trials, as well as results included in the bibliography. (Author) 7 refs

Neural processes underlying the"same"-"different" judgment of two simultaneously presented objects--an EEG study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruiling Zhang

Full Text Available The present study investigated the neural processes underlying "same" and -"different" judgments for two simultaneously presented objects, that varied on one or both, of two dimensions: color and shape. Participants judged whether or not the two objects were "same" or "different" on either the color dimension (color task or the shape dimension (shape task. The unattended irrelevant dimension of the objects was either congruent (same-same; different-different or incongruent (same-different. ERP data showed a main effect of color congruency in the time window 190-260 ms post-stimulus presentation and a main effect of shape congruency in the time window 220-280 ms post-stimulus presentation in both color and shape tasks. The interaction between color and shape congruency in the ERP data occurred in a later time window than the two main effects, indicating that mismatches in task-relevant and task-irrelevant dimensions were processed automatically and independently before a response was selected. The fact that the interference of the task-irrelevant dimension occurred after mismatch detection, supports a confluence model of processing.

Computational fluid dynamics modeling of bun baking process under different oven load conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Tank, A; Chhanwal, N; Indrani, D; Anandharamakrishnan, C

2014-09-01

A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed to study the temperature profile of the bun during baking process. Evaporation-condensation mechanism and effect of the latent heat during phase change of water was incorporated in this model to represent actual bun baking process. Simulation results were validated with experimental measurements of bun temperature at two different positions. Baking process is completed within 20 min, after the temperature of crumb become stable at 98 °C. Further, this study was extended to investigate the effect of partially (two baking trays) loaded and fully loaded (eight baking trays) oven on temperature profile of bun. Velocity and temperature profile differs in partially loaded and fully loaded oven. Bun placed in top rack showed rapid baking while bun placed in bottom rack showed slower baking due to uneven temperature distribution in the oven. Hence, placement of bun inside the oven affects temperature of bun and consequently, the quality of the product.

Categorization for Faces and Tools-Two Classes of Objects Shaped by Different Experience-Differs in Processing Timing, Brain Areas Involved, and Repetition Effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Kozunov, Vladimir; Nikolaeva, Anastasia; Stroganova, Tatiana A

2017-01-01

The brain mechanisms that integrate the separate features of sensory input into a meaningful percept depend upon the prior experience of interaction with the object and differ between categories of objects. Recent studies using representational similarity analysis (RSA) have characterized either the spatial patterns of brain activity for different categories of objects or described how category structure in neuronal representations emerges in time, but never simultaneously. Here we applied a novel, region-based, multivariate pattern classification approach in combination with RSA to magnetoencephalography data to extract activity associated with qualitatively distinct processing stages of visual perception. We asked participants to name what they see whilst viewing bitonal visual stimuli of two categories predominantly shaped by either value-dependent or sensorimotor experience, namely faces and tools, and meaningless images. We aimed to disambiguate the spatiotemporal patterns of brain activity between the meaningful categories and determine which differences in their processing were attributable to either perceptual categorization per se , or later-stage mentalizing-related processes. We have extracted three stages of cortical activity corresponding to low-level processing, category-specific feature binding, and supra-categorical processing. All face-specific spatiotemporal patterns were associated with bilateral activation of ventral occipito-temporal areas during the feature binding stage at 140-170 ms. The tool-specific activity was found both within the categorization stage and in a later period not thought to be associated with binding processes. The tool-specific binding-related activity was detected within a 210-220 ms window and was located to the intraparietal sulcus of the left hemisphere. Brain activity common for both meaningful categories started at 250 ms and included widely distributed assemblies within parietal, temporal, and prefrontal regions

Categorization for Faces and Tools—Two Classes of Objects Shaped by Different Experience—Differs in Processing Timing, Brain Areas Involved, and Repetition Effects

Science.gov (United States)

Kozunov, Vladimir; Nikolaeva, Anastasia; Stroganova, Tatiana A.

2018-01-01

The brain mechanisms that integrate the separate features of sensory input into a meaningful percept depend upon the prior experience of interaction with the object and differ between categories of objects. Recent studies using representational similarity analysis (RSA) have characterized either the spatial patterns of brain activity for different categories of objects or described how category structure in neuronal representations emerges in time, but never simultaneously. Here we applied a novel, region-based, multivariate pattern classification approach in combination with RSA to magnetoencephalography data to extract activity associated with qualitatively distinct processing stages of visual perception. We asked participants to name what they see whilst viewing bitonal visual stimuli of two categories predominantly shaped by either value-dependent or sensorimotor experience, namely faces and tools, and meaningless images. We aimed to disambiguate the spatiotemporal patterns of brain activity between the meaningful categories and determine which differences in their processing were attributable to either perceptual categorization per se, or later-stage mentalizing-related processes. We have extracted three stages of cortical activity corresponding to low-level processing, category-specific feature binding, and supra-categorical processing. All face-specific spatiotemporal patterns were associated with bilateral activation of ventral occipito-temporal areas during the feature binding stage at 140–170 ms. The tool-specific activity was found both within the categorization stage and in a later period not thought to be associated with binding processes. The tool-specific binding-related activity was detected within a 210–220 ms window and was located to the intraparietal sulcus of the left hemisphere. Brain activity common for both meaningful categories started at 250 ms and included widely distributed assemblies within parietal, temporal, and prefrontal regions

Working through the pain: working memory capacity and differences in processing and storage under pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanchez, Christopher A

2011-02-01

It has been suggested that pain perception and attention are closely linked at both a neural and a behavioural level. If pain and attention are so linked, it is reasonable to speculate that those who vary in working memory capacity (WMC) should be affected by pain differently. This study compares the performance of individuals who differ in WMC as they perform processing and memory span tasks while under mild pain and not. While processing performance under mild pain does not interact with WMC, the ability to store information for later recall does. This suggests that pain operates much like an additional processing burden, and that the ability to overcome this physical sensation is related to differences in WMC. © 2011 Psychology Press, an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business

Ageing differentially affects neural processing of different conflict types-an fMRI study.

Science.gov (United States)

Korsch, Margarethe; Frühholz, Sascha; Herrmann, Manfred

2014-01-01

Interference control and conflict resolution is affected by ageing. There is increasing evidence that ageing does not compromise interference control in general but rather shows distinctive effects on different components of interference control. Different conflict types, [e.g., stimulus-stimulus (S-S) or stimulus-response (S-R) conflicts] trigger different cognitive processes and thus activate different neural networks. In the present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we used a combined Flanker and Stimulus Response Conflict (SRC) task to investigate the effect of ageing on S-S and S-R conflicts. Behavioral data analysis revealed larger SRC effects in elderly. fMRI Results show that both age groups recruited similar regions [caudate nucleus, cingulate gyrus and middle occipital gyrus (MOG)] during Flanker conflict processing. Furthermore, elderly show an additional activation pattern in parietal and frontal areas. In contrast, no common activation of both age groups was found in response to the SRC. These data suggest that ageing has distinctive effects on S-S and S-R conflicts.

Improvement of home composting process of food waste using different minerals.

Science.gov (United States)

Margaritis, M; Psarras, K; Panaretou, V; Thanos, A G; Malamis, D; Sotiropoulos, A

2018-03-01

This article presents the experimental study of the process of composting in a prototype home-scale system with a special focus on process improvement by using different additives (i.e. woodchips, perlite, vermiculite and zeolite). The interventions with different bulking agents were realized through composting cycles using substrates with 10% additives in specific mixtures of kitchen waste materials. The pre-selected proportion of the mixtures examined was 3:1:1 in cellulosic:proteins:carbohydrates, in order to achieve an initial C/N ratio equal to 30. The control of the initial properties of the examined substrates aimed at the consequent improvement of the properties of the final product (compost). The results indicated that composting process was enhanced with the use of additives and especially the case of zeolite and perlite provided the best results, in terms of efficient temperature evolution (>55 °C for 4 consecutive days). Carbon to nitrogen ratios decreased by 40% from the initial values for the reactors were minerals were added, while for the bioreactor tested with woodchips the reduction was slight, showing slowest degradation rate. Moisture content of produced compost varied within the range of 55-64% d.m., while nutrient content (K, Na, Ca, Mg) was in accordance with the limit values reported in literature. Finally, the composts obtained, exhibited a satisfactory degree of maturity, fulfilling the criterion related to the absence of phytotoxic compounds. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A dynamic processes study of PM retention by trees under different wind conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Changkun; Kan, Liyan; Guo, Jiankang; Jin, Sijia; Li, Zhigang; Chen, Dan; Li, Xin; Che, Shengquan

2018-02-01

Particulate matter (PM) is one of the most serious environmental problems, exacerbating respiratory and vascular illnesses. Plants have the ability to reduce non-point source PM pollution through retention on leaves and branches. Studies of the dynamic processes of PM retention by plants and the mechanisms influencing this process will help to improve the efficiency of urban greening for PM reduction. We examined dynamic processes of PM retention and the major factors influencing PM retention by six trees with different branch structure characteristics in wind tunnel experiments at three different wind speeds. The results showed that the changes of PM numbers retained by plant leaves over time were complex dynamic processes for which maximum values could exceed minimum values by over 10 times. The average value of PM measured in multiple periods and situations can be considered a reliable indicator of the ability of the plant to retain PM. The dynamic processes were similar for PM 10 and PM 2.5 . They could be clustered into three groups simulated by continually-rising, inverse U-shaped, and U-shaped polynomial functions, respectively. The processes were the synthetic effect of characteristics such as species, wind speed, period of exposure and their interactions. Continually-rising functions always explained PM retention in species with extremely complex branch structure. Inverse U-shaped processes explained PM retention in species with relatively simple branch structure and gentle wind. The U-shaped processes mainly explained PM retention at high wind speeds and in species with a relatively simple crown. These results indicate that using plants with complex crowns in urban greening and decreasing wind speed in plant communities increases the chance of continually-rising or inverse U-shaped relationships, which have a positive effect in reducing PM pollution. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Intuition and insight: Two processes that build on each other or fundamentally differ?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thea Zander

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Intuition and insight are intriguing phenomena of non-analytical mental functioning: Whereas intuition denotes ideas that have been reached by sensing the solution without any explicit representation of it, insight has been understood as the sudden and unexpected apprehension of the solution by recombining the single elements of a problem. By face validity, the two processes appear similar; according to a lay perspective, it is assumed that intuition precedes insight. Yet, predominant scientific conceptualizations of intuition and insight consider the two processes to differ with regard to their (dis-continuous unfolding. That is, intuition has been understood as an experience-based and gradual process, whereas insight is regarded as a genuinely discontinuous phenomenon. Unfortunately, both processes have been investigated differently and without much reference to each other. In this contribution, we therefore set out to fill this lacuna by examining the conceptualizations of the assumed underlying cognitive processes of both phenomena, and by also referring to the research traditions and paradigms of the respective field. Based on early work put forward by Bowers and colleagues (1990 and Bowers and colleagues (1995, we referred to semantic coherence tasks consisting of convergent word triads (i.e., the solution has the same meaning to all three clue words and/or divergent word triads (i.e., the solution means something different with respect to each clue word as an excellent kind of paradigm that may be used in the future to disentangle intuition and insight experimentally. By scrutinizing the underlying mechanisms of intuition and insight, with this theoretical contribution, we hope to launch lacking but needed experimental studies and to initiate scientific cooperation between the research fields of intuition and insight that are currently still separated from each other.

Intuition and Insight: Two Processes That Build on Each Other or Fundamentally Differ?

Science.gov (United States)

Zander, Thea; Öllinger, Michael; Volz, Kirsten G

2016-01-01

Intuition and insight are intriguing phenomena of non-analytical mental functioning: whereas intuition denotes ideas that have been reached by sensing the solution without any explicit representation of it, insight has been understood as the sudden and unexpected apprehension of the solution by recombining the single elements of a problem. By face validity, the two processes appear similar; according to a lay perspective, it is assumed that intuition precedes insight. Yet, predominant scientific conceptualizations of intuition and insight consider the two processes to differ with regard to their (dis-)continuous unfolding. That is, intuition has been understood as an experience-based and gradual process, whereas insight is regarded as a genuinely discontinuous phenomenon. Unfortunately, both processes have been investigated differently and without much reference to each other. In this contribution, we therefore set out to fill this lacuna by examining the conceptualizations of the assumed underlying cognitive processes of both phenomena, and by also referring to the research traditions and paradigms of the respective field. Based on early work put forward by Bowers et al. (1990, 1995), we referred to semantic coherence tasks consisting of convergent word triads (i.e., the solution has the same meaning to all three clue words) and/or divergent word triads (i.e., the solution means something different with respect to each clue word) as an excellent kind of paradigm that may be used in the future to disentangle intuition and insight experimentally. By scrutinizing the underlying mechanisms of intuition and insight, with this theoretical contribution, we hope to launch lacking but needed experimental studies and to initiate scientific cooperation between the research fields of intuition and insight that are currently still separated from each other.

Blast Overpressure Studies. Nonauditory Damage Risk Assessment for Simulated Muzzle Blast from a l2Omm Ml2l Mortar System

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Yelverton, John

1997-01-01

This study was undertaken to establish the subthreshold, threshold, and suprathresholds for nonauditory injuries in a simulated muzzle blast environment like that produced when firing a 120mm M121 mortar system...

Color categories only affect post-perceptual processes when same- and different-category colors are equally discriminable.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Xun; Witzel, Christoph; Forder, Lewis; Clifford, Alexandra; Franklin, Anna

2014-04-01

Prior claims that color categories affect color perception are confounded by inequalities in the color space used to equate same- and different-category colors. Here, we equate same- and different-category colors in the number of just-noticeable differences, and measure event-related potentials (ERPs) to these colors on a visual oddball task to establish if color categories affect perceptual or post-perceptual stages of processing. Category effects were found from 200 ms after color presentation, only in ERP components that reflect post-perceptual processes (e.g., N2, P3). The findings suggest that color categories affect post-perceptual processing, but do not affect the perceptual representation of color.

The anticonvulsant action of AHR-11748 on kindled amygdaloid seizures in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Albertson, T E; Walby, W F

1987-03-01

The anticonvulsant effectiveness of AHR-11748 (3-[3-(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy]-1-azetidinecarboxamide) was evaluated in the kindled amygdaloid seizure model in rats. Doses of AHR-11748 that did not cause prestimulation toxicity significantly attenuated elicited afterdischarge durations and the severity of the accompanying behavioral convulsive response in previously kindled rats. AHR-11748 (25-100 mg/kg i.p.) was evaluated at 30 min in previously kindled rats using both threshold (20 microA increments) and suprathreshold (400 microA) paradigms. AHR-11748 (50-100.mg/kg) reduced suprathreshold elicited after discharges and seizure severity. Utilizing a suprathreshold kindling paradigm, the maximum anticonvulsant effectiveness for the 100 mg/kg i.p. dose of AHR-11748 was seen at 180 min. AHR-11748 significantly elevated seizure thresholds only at the 100 mg/kg dose. AHR-11748 (25-100 mg/kg) significantly reduced the severity of threshold elicited seizures. When AHR-11748 (50 and 100 mg/kg i.p.) was administered daily during kindling acquisition, the number of daily trials necessary to complete kindling significantly increased. A reduction in both the duration and the severity of the responses induced by the daily stimulations during the acquisition period was seen with AHR-11748 treatment. This study has demonstrated that AHR-11748 significantly modifies both the acquisition of kindling and the fully kindled amygdaloid seizures at doses that do not cause behavioral toxicity.

[Contents of general flavonoides in Epimedium acuminatum Franch. and its differently-processed products].

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, H L; Wang, J K; Zhang, L L; Wu, Z Y

2000-04-01

Determining and comparing the contents of general flavonoides in four kinds of differently-processed products of Epimedium acuminatum. Determining the contents by ultraviolet spectrophotometry. The contents were found in the following seguence: unprocessed product, clearly-fried product, alcohol-broiled product, salt-broiled product, sheep-fat-broiled product. The average recovery rate was 96.01%, with a 0.74% RSD(n = 5). Heating causes the contents of general flavonoides in the processed products to decrease. These processed products are still often used in clinical treatment, for the reason that the adjuvant features certain coordinating and promoting functions. The study is to be pursued further.

Chromatic Perceptual Learning but No Category Effects without Linguistic Input.

Science.gov (United States)

Grandison, Alexandra; Sowden, Paul T; Drivonikou, Vicky G; Notman, Leslie A; Alexander, Iona; Davies, Ian R L

2016-01-01

Perceptual learning involves an improvement in perceptual judgment with practice, which is often specific to stimulus or task factors. Perceptual learning has been shown on a range of visual tasks but very little research has explored chromatic perceptual learning. Here, we use two low level perceptual threshold tasks and a supra-threshold target detection task to assess chromatic perceptual learning and category effects. Experiment 1 investigates whether chromatic thresholds reduce as a result of training and at what level of analysis learning effects occur. Experiment 2 explores the effect of category training on chromatic thresholds, whether training of this nature is category specific and whether it can induce categorical responding. Experiment 3 investigates the effect of category training on a higher level, lateralized target detection task, previously found to be sensitive to category effects. The findings indicate that performance on a perceptual threshold task improves following training but improvements do not transfer across retinal location or hue. Therefore, chromatic perceptual learning is category specific and can occur at relatively early stages of visual analysis. Additionally, category training does not induce category effects on a low level perceptual threshold task, as indicated by comparable discrimination thresholds at the newly learned hue boundary and adjacent test points. However, category training does induce emerging category effects on a supra-threshold target detection task. Whilst chromatic perceptual learning is possible, learnt category effects appear to be a product of left hemisphere processing, and may require the input of higher level linguistic coding processes in order to manifest.

Individual differences in holistic processing predict the own-race advantage in recognition memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Degutis, Joseph; Mercado, Rogelio J; Wilmer, Jeremy; Rosenblatt, Andrew

2013-01-01

Individuals are consistently better at recognizing own-race faces compared to other-race faces (other-race effect, ORE). One popular hypothesis is that this recognition memory ORE is caused by differential own- and other-race holistic processing, the simultaneous integration of part and configural face information into a coherent whole. Holistic processing may create a more rich, detailed memory representation of own-race faces compared to other-race faces. Despite several studies showing that own-race faces are processed more holistically than other-race faces, studies have yet to link the holistic processing ORE and the recognition memory ORE. In the current study, we sought to use a more valid method of analyzing individual differences in holistic processing by using regression to statistically remove the influence of the control condition (part trials in the part-whole task) from the condition of interest (whole trials in the part-whole task). We also employed regression to separately examine the two components of the ORE: own-race advantage (regressing other-race from own-race performance) and other-race decrement (regressing own-race from other-race performance). First, we demonstrated that own-race faces were processed more holistically than other-race faces, particularly the eye region. Notably, using regression, we showed a significant association between the own-race advantage in recognition memory and the own-race advantage in holistic processing and that these associations were weaker when examining the other-race decrement. We also demonstrated that performance on own- and other-race faces across all of our tasks was highly correlated, suggesting that the differences we found between own- and other-race faces are quantitative rather than qualitative. Together, this suggests that own- and other-race faces recruit largely similar mechanisms, that own-race faces more thoroughly engage holistic processing, and that this greater engagement of holistic

Individual Differences in Holistic Processing Predict the Own-Race Advantage in Recognition Memory

Science.gov (United States)

DeGutis, Joseph; Mercado, Rogelio J.; Wilmer, Jeremy; Rosenblatt, Andrew

2013-01-01

Individuals are consistently better at recognizing own-race faces compared to other-race faces (other-race effect, ORE). One popular hypothesis is that this recognition memory ORE is caused by differential own- and other-race holistic processing, the simultaneous integration of part and configural face information into a coherent whole. Holistic processing may create a more rich, detailed memory representation of own-race faces compared to other-race faces. Despite several studies showing that own-race faces are processed more holistically than other-race faces, studies have yet to link the holistic processing ORE and the recognition memory ORE. In the current study, we sought to use a more valid method of analyzing individual differences in holistic processing by using regression to statistically remove the influence of the control condition (part trials in the part-whole task) from the condition of interest (whole trials in the part-whole task). We also employed regression to separately examine the two components of the ORE: own-race advantage (regressing other-race from own-race performance) and other-race decrement (regressing own-race from other-race performance). First, we demonstrated that own-race faces were processed more holistically than other-race faces, particularly the eye region. Notably, using regression, we showed a significant association between the own-race advantage in recognition memory and the own-race advantage in holistic processing and that these associations were weaker when examining the other-race decrement. We also demonstrated that performance on own- and other-race faces across all of our tasks was highly correlated, suggesting that the differences we found between own- and other-race faces are quantitative rather than qualitative. Together, this suggests that own- and other-race faces recruit largely similar mechanisms, that own-race faces more thoroughly engage holistic processing, and that this greater engagement of holistic

Age differences in neural correlates of feedback processing after economic decisions under risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandes, Carina; Pasion, Rita; Gonçalves, Ana R; Ferreira-Santos, Fernando; Barbosa, Fernando; Martins, Isabel P; Marques-Teixeira, João

2018-05-01

This study examines age-related differences in behavioral responses to risk and in the neurophysiological correlates of feedback processing. Our sample was composed of younger, middle-aged, and older adults, who were asked to decide between 2 risky options, in the gain and loss domains, during an EEG recording. Results evidenced group-related differences in early and later stages of feedback processing, indexed by differences in the feedback-related negativity (FRN) and P3 amplitudes. Specifically, in the loss domain, younger adults showed higher FRN amplitudes after non-losses than after losses, whereas middle-aged and older adults had similar FRN amplitudes after both. In the gain domain, younger and middle-aged adults had higher P3 amplitudes after gains than after non-gains, whereas older adults had similar P3 amplitudes after both. Behaviorally, older adults had higher rates of risky decisions than younger adults in the loss domain, a result that was correlated with poorer performance in memory and executive functions. Our results suggest age-related differences in the outcome-related expectations, as well as in the affective relevance attributed to the outcomes, which may underlie the group differences found in risk-aversion. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Co-occurrence of and remission from general anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms after acute lung injury: a 2-year longitudinal study

Science.gov (United States)

Bienvenu, O. Joseph; Colantuoni, Elizabeth; Mendez-Tellez, Pedro A.; Shanholtz, Carl; Dennison-Himmelfarb, Cheryl R.; Pronovost, Peter J.; Needham, Dale M.

2014-01-01

Objective To evaluate the co-occurrence, and predictors of remission, of general anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms during 2-year follow-up in survivors of acute lung injury (ALI) treated in an intensive care unit (ICU). Design, Setting, and Patients This prospective cohort study enrolled 520 patients from 13 medical and surgical ICUs in 4 hospitals, with follow-up at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months post-ALI. Measurements and Main Results The outcomes of interest were measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) anxiety and depression subscales (scores ≥8 indicating substantial symptoms) and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IESR, scores ≥1.6 indicating substantial PTSD symptoms). Of the 520 enrolled patients, 274 died before 3-month follow-up; 186/196 consenting survivors (95%) completed at least one HADS and IESR assessment during 2-year follow-up, and most completed multiple assessments. Across follow-up time points, the prevalence of supra-threshold general anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms ranged from 38–44%, 26–33%, and 22–24%, respectively; more than half of the patients had supra-threshold symptoms in at least one domain during 2-year follow-up. The majority (59%) of survivors with any supra-threshold symptoms were above threshold for 2 or more types of symptoms (i.e., of general anxiety, depression, and/or PTSD). In fact, the most common pattern involved simultaneous general anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms. Most patients with general anxiety, depression, or PTSD symptoms during 2-year follow-up had supra-threshold symptoms at 24-month (last) follow-up. Higher SF-36 physical functioning domain scores at the prior visit were associated with a greater likelihood of remission from general anxiety and PTSD symptoms during follow-up. Conclusions The majority of ALI survivors had clinically significant general anxiety, depressive, or PTSD symptoms, and these symptoms tended to co-occur across

Cooccurrence of and remission from general anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms after acute lung injury: a 2-year longitudinal study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bienvenu, O Joseph; Colantuoni, Elizabeth; Mendez-Tellez, Pedro A; Shanholtz, Carl; Dennison-Himmelfarb, Cheryl R; Pronovost, Peter J; Needham, Dale M

2015-03-01

To evaluate the cooccurrence, and predictors of remission, of general anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms during 2-year follow-up in survivors of acute lung injury treated in an ICU. Prospective cohort study, with follow-up at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months post-acute lung injury. Thirteen medical and surgical ICUs in four hospitals. Survivors among 520 patients with acute lung injury. The outcomes of interest were measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale anxiety and depression subscales (scores ≥ 8 indicating substantial symptoms) and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (scores ≥ 1.6 indicating substantial posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms). Of the 520 enrolled patients, 274 died before 3-month follow-up; 186 of 196 consenting survivors (95%) completed at least one Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Impact of Event Scale-Revised assessment during 2-year follow-up, and most completed multiple assessments. Across follow-up time points, the prevalence of suprathreshold general anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms ranged from 38% to 44%, 26% to 33%, and 22% to 24%, respectively; more than half of the patients had suprathreshold symptoms in at least one domain during 2-year follow-up. The majority of survivors (59%) with any suprathreshold symptoms were above threshold for two or more types of symptoms (i.e., general anxiety, depression, and/or posttraumatic stress disorder). In fact, the most common pattern involved simultaneous general anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Most patients with general anxiety, depression, or posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms during 2-year follow-up had suprathreshold symptoms at 24-month (last) follow-up. Higher Short-Form-36 physical functioning domain scores at the prior visit were associated with a greater likelihood of remission from general anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms during follow-up. The majority

Effects of Two Different Pozole Preparation Processes on Quality Variables and Pasting Properties of Processed Maize Grain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María Gricelda Vázquez-Carrillo

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The effects of two different pozole preparation processes, traditional (TP and industrial (IP, on quality variables, chemical composition, and pasting properties of processed grain of nine maize landraces were evaluated. Nixtamalization and steeping time in TP (~15 h allowed more water absorption resulting in higher moisture content as well as softer debranned nixtamal relative to the debranned nixtamal produced by IP (52 min. Steeping in TP and bleaching in IP increased the pasting temperature, peak viscosity, and time to peak viscosity of maize starch. Flowering time was shorter in IP (120 min and was significantly affected by the hardness of debranned nixtamal and bleached precooked grains. Total dry matter loss was higher in IP (>10.5% than in TP (<5.0%, mainly due to the complete elimination of pedicel and pericarp by the Ca(OH2 + NaOH solution during cooking. Soft grains, with low test weight, a high proportion of floury endosperm, and high peak viscosity, are required to obtain higher yield of bleached precooked grains and soft flowered grains in both processes.

[Influence of different original processing methods on quality of Salvia Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma from Shandong].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Zhi-Gang; Gao, Shu-Rui; Hou, Jun-Ling; Wang, Wen-Quan; Xu, Zhen-Guang; Song, Yan; Zhang, Xian-Ming; Li, Jun

2014-04-01

In this paper the contents of rosmarinic acid, salvianolic acid B, crytotanshinone, tanshinone II(A) in samples of different original processed Salvia Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma were determined by HPLC. Different processing methods have varied influences on four active ingredients in Salvia Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma. Sun-drying reduced the content of crytotanshinone, tanshi-none II(A) and rosmarinic acid, integralsamples were better than those cut into segments. Oven dry method had great influence on water--soluble ingredients, high temperature (80-100 degrees C) could easily cause big loss of rosmarinic acid and salvianolic acid B. The role of traditional processing method "fahan: was complicated, the content of rosmarinic acid decreased, crytotanshinone and tanshinone II(A) increased, and salvianolic acid B showed no difference after "fahan". Drying in the shade and oven dry under low temperatrure (40-60 degrees C) were all effective to keep active ingredients of Salvia Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, and, there was no difference between integral samples and samples cut into segments. Therefore, considering comprehensively the content of active ingredients in Salvia Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, and processing costing etc., shade-drying or oven dry underlow temperature (40-60 degrees C) should be the most suitable original processing method.

Different letter-processing strategies in diagnostic subgroups of developmental dyslexia.

Science.gov (United States)

Lachmann, Thomas; van Leeuwen, Cees

2008-07-01

Normally reading adults (N = 15) and primary school children (N = 24) and two diagnostic subgroups of children with developmental dyslexia (N = 21)-all native German speakers-performed a successive same-different task with pairs of letters and nonletters (pseudoletters or geometrical shapes). The first item of a pair was always presented on its own, and the second either on its own or surrounded by a congruent or incongruent nontarget shape. Adults showed congruence effects with nonletters but not with letters, and children with both types of stimuli. Frequent-word reading-impaired dyslexics (N = 11) in addition showed dramatically slower overall reaction times. Nonword reading-impaired dyslexics (N = 10) showed congruence effects with nonletters but negative congruence effects with letters. The results support the notion that normal readers have established a special visual processing strategy for letters. Processing speed rather than reading expertise seems crucial for this strategy to emerge. The contrasting effects between subgroups of dyslexics reveal specific underlying deficits.

Nutritional Potential and Functionality of Whey Powder Influenced by Different Processing Temperature and Storage

OpenAIRE

Zarmina Gillani; Nuzhat Huma; Aysha Sameen; Mulazim Hussain Bukhari

2017-01-01

Whey is an excellent food ingredient owing to its high nutritive value and its functional properties. However, composition of whey varies depending on composition of milk, processing conditions, processing method, and its whey protein content. The aim of this study was to prepare a whey powder from raw whey and to determine the influence of different processing temperatures (160 and 180 °C) on the physicochemical, functional properties during storage of 180 days and on whey protein denaturati...

Factors Affecting Sentence-in-Noise Recognition for Normal Hearing Listeners and Listeners with Hearing Loss.

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Jung Sun; Kim, Kyung Hyun; Lee, Jae Hee

2017-07-01

Despite amplified speech, listeners with hearing loss often report more difficulties understanding speech in background noise compared to normalhearing listeners. Various factors such as deteriorated hearing sensitivity, age, suprathreshold temporal resolution, and reduced capacity of working memory and attention can attribute to their sentence-in-noise problems. The present study aims to determine a primary explanatory factor for sentence-in-noise recognition difficulties in adults with or without hearing loss. Forty normal-hearing (NH) listeners (23-73 years) and thirty-four hearing-impaired (HI) listeners (24-80 years) participated for experimental testing. For both NH and HI group, the younger, middle-aged, older listeners were included. The sentence recognition score in noise was measured at 0 dB signal-to-noise ratio. The ability of temporal resolution was evaluated by gap detection performance using the Gaps-In-Noise test. Listeners' short-term auditory working memory span was measured by forward and backward digit spans. Overall, the HI listeners' sentence-in-noise recognition, temporal resolution abilities, and digit forward and backward spans were poorer compared to the NH listeners. Both NH and HI listeners had a substantial variability in performance. For NH listeners, only the digit backward span explained a small proportion of the variance in their sentence-in-noise performance. For the HI listeners, all the performance was influenced by age, and their sentence-in-noise difficulties were associated with various factors such as high-frequency hearing sensitivity, suprathreshold temporal resolution abilities, and working memory span. For the HI listeners, the critical predictors of the sentence-in-noise performance were composite measures of peripheral hearing sensitivity and suprathreshold temporal resolution abilities. The primary explanatory factors for the sentence-in-noise recognition performance differ between NH and HI listeners. Factors

Identifying the Individual Differences among Students during Learning and Teaching Process by Science Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Kubat, Ulas

2018-01-01

It is important for teachers to know variables such as physical characteristics, intelligence, perception, gender, ability, learning styles, which are individual differences of the learners. An effective and productive learning-teaching process can be planned by considering these individual differences of the students. Since the learners' own…

Individual differences in the habitual use of cognitive reappraisal predict the reward-related processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Sai, Liyang; Wang, Sisi; Ward, Anne; Ku, Yixuan; Sang, Biao

2015-01-01

Recent studies have shown that instructed cognitive reappraisal can regulate the neural processing of reward. However, it is still unclear whether the habitual use of cognitive reappraisal in everyday life is related to brain activity involved in reward processing. In the present study, participants' neural responses to reward were measured using electroencephalography (EEG) recorded during a gambling task and their tendency to use cognitive reappraisal was assessed using the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). Event-related potential (ERP) results indicated that losses on the gambling task elicited greater negative reward-related feedback negativity (FN) than gains. The differential FN between losses and gains was significantly correlated with cognitive reappraisal scores across participants such that individuals with a higher tendency to use cognitive reappraisal showed stronger reward processing (i.e., amplified FN difference between losses and gains). This correlation remained significant after controlling for expressive suppression scores. However, expressive suppression per se was not correlated with FN differences. Taken together, these results suggest that the habitual use of cognitive reappraisal is associated with increased neural processing of reward.

Auditory brainstem response latency in forward masking, a marker of sensory deficits in listeners with normal hearing thresholds

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mehraei, Golbarg; Paredes Gallardo, Andreu; Shinn-Cunningham, Barbara G.

2017-01-01

In rodent models, acoustic exposure too modest to elevate hearing thresholds can nonetheless cause auditory nerve fiber deafferentation, interfering with the coding of supra-threshold sound. Low-spontaneous rate nerve fibers, important for encoding acoustic information at supra-threshold levels...... and in noise, are more susceptible to degeneration than high-spontaneous rate fibers. The change in auditory brainstem response (ABR) wave-V latency with noise level has been shown to be associated with auditory nerve deafferentation. Here, we measured ABR in a forward masking paradigm and evaluated wave......-V latency changes with increasing masker-to-probe intervals. In the same listeners, behavioral forward masking detection thresholds were measured. We hypothesized that 1) auditory nerve fiber deafferentation increases forward masking thresholds and increases wave-V latency and 2) a preferential loss of low...

Functional neuronal processing of body odors differs from that of similar common odors.

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Lundström, Johan N; Boyle, Julie A; Zatorre, Robert J; Jones-Gotman, Marilyn

2008-06-01

Visual and auditory stimuli of high social and ecological importance are processed in the brain by specialized neuronal networks. To date, this has not been demonstrated for olfactory stimuli. By means of positron emission tomography, we sought to elucidate the neuronal substrates behind body odor perception to answer the question of whether the central processing of body odors differs from perceptually similar nonbody odors. Body odors were processed by a network that was distinctly separate from common odors, indicating a separation in the processing of odors based on their source. Smelling a friend's body odor activated regions previously seen for familiar stimuli, whereas smelling a stranger activated amygdala and insular regions akin to what has previously been demonstrated for fearful stimuli. The results provide evidence that social olfactory stimuli of high ecological relevance are processed by specialized neuronal networks similar to what has previously been demonstrated for auditory and visual stimuli.

Emotion word processing: does mood make a difference?

Science.gov (United States)

Sereno, Sara C.; Scott, Graham G.; Yao, Bo; Thaden, Elske J.; O'Donnell, Patrick J.

2015-01-01

Visual emotion word processing has been in the focus of recent psycholinguistic research. In general, emotion words provoke differential responses in comparison to neutral words. However, words are typically processed within a context rather than in isolation. For instance, how does one's inner emotional state influence the comprehension of emotion words? To address this question, the current study examined lexical decision responses to emotionally positive, negative, and neutral words as a function of induced mood as well as their word frequency. Mood was manipulated by exposing participants to different types of music. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions—no music, positive music, and negative music. Participants' moods were assessed during the experiment to confirm the mood induction manipulation. Reaction time results confirmed prior demonstrations of an interaction between a word's emotionality and its frequency. Results also showed a significant interaction between participant mood and word emotionality. However, the pattern of results was not consistent with mood-congruency effects. Although positive and negative mood facilitated responses overall in comparison to the control group, neither positive nor negative mood appeared to additionally facilitate responses to mood-congruent words. Instead, the pattern of findings seemed to be the consequence of attentional effects arising from induced mood. Positive mood broadens attention to a global level, eliminating the category distinction of positive-negative valence but leaving the high-low arousal dimension intact. In contrast, negative mood narrows attention to a local level, enhancing within-category distinctions, in particular, for negative words, resulting in less effective facilitation. PMID:26379570

Individual Differences in the Processing of Written Sarcasm and Metaphor: Evidence from Eye Movements

Science.gov (United States)

Olkoniemi, Henri; Ranta, Henri; Kaakinen, Johanna K.

2016-01-01

The present study examined individual differences in the processing of different forms of figurative language. Sixty participants read sarcastic, metaphorical, and literal sentences embedded in story contexts while their eye movements were recorded, and responded to a text memory and an inference question after each story. Individual differences…

Metabolic analysis of guava (Psidium guajava L.) fruits at different ripening stages using different data-processing approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Sarah; Choi, Hyung-Kyoon; Cho, Somi Kim; Kim, Young-Suk

2010-11-01

Gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry and principal component analysis were used to obtain the metabolite profiles of guava (Psidium guajava) fruits. Results with two types of data-processing software, ChromaTOF and AMDIS, were compared to explain the differences between the samples. There were some differences in score and loading plot patterns of PCA as well as in the composition of the metabolites. However, little difference was observed in the type of metabolites detected and identified using either type of software. Both the flesh and peel of premature and mature white guava fruits were compared for the analysis of the metabolite profiles. Malic acid, aspartic acid, and glucose were the major metabolites distinguishing the different parts of guava fruits in the PCA loading plot. In addition, the metabolic profiles of the fruits revealed significant changes in some metabolites during ripening. The major components contributing to the separation were serine, citric acid, fructose, sucrose, and some unknowns. In particular, sucrose, fructose, serine and citric acid were related to the ripening of guava fruits. Fructose and sucrose were increased whereas citric acid was decreased during guava fruit ripening. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Is Sweet Taste Perception Associated with Sweet Food Liking and Intake?

Science.gov (United States)

Jayasinghe, Shakeela N; Kruger, Rozanne; Walsh, Daniel C I; Cao, Guojiao; Rivers, Stacey; Richter, Marilize; Breier, Bernhard H

2017-07-14

A range of psychophysical taste measurements are used to characterize an individual's sweet taste perception and to assess links between taste perception and dietary intake. The aims of this study were to investigate the relationship between four different psychophysical measurements of sweet taste perception, and to explore which measures of sweet taste perception relate to sweet food intake. Forty-four women aged 20-40 years were recruited for the study. Four measures of sweet taste perception (detection and recognition thresholds, and sweet taste intensity and hedonic liking of suprathreshold concentrations) were assessed using glucose as the tastant. Dietary measurements included a four-day weighed food record, a sweet food-food frequency questionnaire and a sweet beverage liking questionnaire. Glucose detection and recognition thresholds showed no correlation with suprathreshold taste measurements or any dietary intake measurement. Importantly, sweet taste intensity correlated negatively with total energy and carbohydrate (starch, total sugar, fructose, glucose) intakes, frequency of sweet food intake and sweet beverage liking. Furthermore, sweet hedonic liking correlated positively with total energy and carbohydrate (total sugar, fructose, glucose) intakes. The present study shows a clear link between sweet taste intensity and hedonic liking with sweet food liking, and total energy, carbohydrate and sugar intake.

Combining Different Tools for EEG Analysis to Study the Distributed Character of Language Processing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Armando Freitas da Rocha

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Recent studies on language processing indicate that language cognition is better understood if assumed to be supported by a distributed intelligent processing system enrolling neurons located all over the cortex, in contrast to reductionism that proposes to localize cognitive functions to specific cortical structures. Here, brain activity was recorded using electroencephalogram while volunteers were listening or reading small texts and had to select pictures that translate meaning of these texts. Several techniques for EEG analysis were used to show this distributed character of neuronal enrollment associated with the comprehension of oral and written descriptive texts. Low Resolution Tomography identified the many different sets (si of neurons activated in several distinct cortical areas by text understanding. Linear correlation was used to calculate the information H(ei provided by each electrode of the 10/20 system about the identified si. H(ei Principal Component Analysis (PCA was used to study the temporal and spatial activation of these sources si. This analysis evidenced 4 different patterns of H(ei covariation that are generated by neurons located at different cortical locations. These results clearly show that the distributed character of language processing is clearly evidenced by combining available EEG technologies.

Depolarization current relaxation process of insulating dielectrics after corona poling under different charging conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. W. Zhang

2017-10-01

Full Text Available As an insulating dielectric, polyimide is favorable for the application of optoelectronics, electrical insulation system in electric power industry, insulating, and packaging materials in space aircraft, due to its excellent thermal, mechanical and electrical insulating stability. The charge storage profile of such insulating dielectric is utmost important to its application, when it is exposed to electron irradiation, high voltage corona discharge or other treatments. These treatments could induce changes in physical and chemical properties of treated samples. To investigate the charge storage mechanism of the insulating dielectrics after high-voltage corona discharge, the relaxation processes responsible for corona charged polyimide films under different poling conditions were analyzed by the Thermally Stimulated Discharge Currents method (TSDC. In the results of thermal relaxation process, the appearance of various peaks in TSDC spectra provided a deep insight into the molecular status in the dielectric material and reflected stored space charge relaxation process in the insulating polymers after corona discharge treatments. Furthermore, the different space charge distribution status under various poling temperature and different discharge voltage level were also investigated, which could partly reflect the influence of the ambiance condition on the functional dielectrics after corona poling.

Depolarization current relaxation process of insulating dielectrics after corona poling under different charging conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, J. W.; Zhou, T. C.; Wang, J. X.; Yang, X. F.; Zhu, F.; Tian, L. M.; Liu, R. T.

2017-10-01

As an insulating dielectric, polyimide is favorable for the application of optoelectronics, electrical insulation system in electric power industry, insulating, and packaging materials in space aircraft, due to its excellent thermal, mechanical and electrical insulating stability. The charge storage profile of such insulating dielectric is utmost important to its application, when it is exposed to electron irradiation, high voltage corona discharge or other treatments. These treatments could induce changes in physical and chemical properties of treated samples. To investigate the charge storage mechanism of the insulating dielectrics after high-voltage corona discharge, the relaxation processes responsible for corona charged polyimide films under different poling conditions were analyzed by the Thermally Stimulated Discharge Currents method (TSDC). In the results of thermal relaxation process, the appearance of various peaks in TSDC spectra provided a deep insight into the molecular status in the dielectric material and reflected stored space charge relaxation process in the insulating polymers after corona discharge treatments. Furthermore, the different space charge distribution status under various poling temperature and different discharge voltage level were also investigated, which could partly reflect the influence of the ambiance condition on the functional dielectrics after corona poling.

Racial and Socioeconomic Differences Manifest in Process Measure Adherence for Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Leeds, Ira L; Alimi, Yewande; Hobson, Deborah R; Efron, Jonathan E; Wick, Elizabeth C; Haut, Elliott R; Johnston, Fabian M

2017-10-01

Adherence to care processes and surgical outcomes varies by population subgroups for the same procedure. Enhanced recovery after surgery pathways are intended to standardize care, but their effect on process adherence and outcomes for population subgroups is unknown. This study aims to demonstrate the association between recovery pathway implementation, process measures, and short-term surgical outcomes by population subgroup. This study is a pre- and post-quality improvement implementation cohort study. This study was conducted at a tertiary academic medical center. A modified colorectal enhanced recovery after surgery pathway was implemented. Patients were included who had elective colon and rectal resections before (2013) and following (2014-2016) recovery pathway implementation. Thirty-day outcomes by race and socioeconomic status were analyzed using a difference-in-difference approach with correlation to process adherence. We identified 639 cases (199 preimplementation, 440 postimplementation). In these cases, 75.2% of the patients were white, and 91.7% had a high socioeconomic status. Groups were similar in terms of other preoperative characteristics. Following pathway implementation, median lengths of stay improved in all subgroups (-1.0 days overall, p ≤ 0.001), but with no statistical difference by race or socioeconomic status (p = 0.89 and p = 0.29). Complication rates in both racial and socioeconomic groups were no different (26.4% vs 28.8%, p = 0.73; 27.3% vs 25.0%, p = 0.86) and remained unchanged with implementation (p = 0.93, p = 0.84). By race, overall adherence was 31.7% in white patients and 26.5% in nonwhite patients (p = 0.32). Although stratification by socioeconomic status demonstrated decreased overall adherence in the low-status group (31.8% vs 17.1%, p = 0.05), white patients were more likely to have regional pain therapy (57.1% vs 44.1%, p = 0.02) with a similar trend seen with socioeconomic status. Data were collected primarily for

Speed and lateral inhibition of stimulus processing contribute to individual differences in Stroop-task performance

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Marnix eNaber

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The Stroop task is a popular neuropsychological test that measures executive control. Strong Stroop interference is commonly interpreted in neuropsychology as a diagnostic marker of an impairment in executive control, possibly reflecting executive dysfunction. However, popular models of the Stroop task indicate that several other aspects of colour and word processing may also account for individual differences in the Stroop task, independent of executive control. Here we use new approaches to investigate the degree to which individual differences in Stroop interference correlate with the relative processing speed of word and colour stimuli, and the lateral inhibition between visual stimuli. We conducted an electrophysiological and behavioural experiment to measure (1 how quickly an individual’s brain processes words and colours presented in isolation (P3 latency, and (2 the strength of an individual’s lateral inhibition between visual representations with a visual illusion. Both measures explained at least 40% of the variance in Stroop interference across individuals. As these measures were obtained in contexts not requiring any executive control, we conclude that the Stroop effect also measures an individual’s pre-set way of processing visual features such as words and colours. This study highlights the important contributions of stimulus processing speed and lateral inhibition to individual differences in Stroop interference, and challenges the general view that the Stroop task primarily assesses executive control.

Speed and Lateral Inhibition of Stimulus Processing Contribute to Individual Differences in Stroop-Task Performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Naber, Marnix; Vedder, Anneke; Brown, Stephen B R E; Nieuwenhuis, Sander

2016-01-01

The Stroop task is a popular neuropsychological test that measures executive control. Strong Stroop interference is commonly interpreted in neuropsychology as a diagnostic marker of impairment in executive control, possibly reflecting executive dysfunction. However, popular models of the Stroop task indicate that several other aspects of color and word processing may also account for individual differences in the Stroop task, independent of executive control. Here we use new approaches to investigate the degree to which individual differences in Stroop interference correlate with the relative processing speed of word and color stimuli, and the lateral inhibition between visual stimuli. We conducted an electrophysiological and behavioral experiment to measure (1) how quickly an individual's brain processes words and colors presented in isolation (P3 latency), and (2) the strength of an individual's lateral inhibition between visual representations with a visual illusion. Both measures explained at least 40% of the variance in Stroop interference across individuals. As these measures were obtained in contexts not requiring any executive control, we conclude that the Stroop effect also measures an individual's pre-set way of processing visual features such as words and colors. This study highlights the important contributions of stimulus processing speed and lateral inhibition to individual differences in Stroop interference, and challenges the general view that the Stroop task primarily assesses executive control.

Individual differences and predictors of forgetting in old age: the role of processing speed and working memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Zimprich, Daniel; Kurtz, Tanja

2013-01-01

The goal of the present study was to examine whether individual differences in basic cognitive abilities, processing speed, and working memory, are reliable predictors of individual differences in forgetting rates in old age. The sample for the present study comprised 364 participants aged between 65 and 80 years from the Zurich Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging. The impact of basic cognitive abilities on forgetting was analyzed by modeling working memory and processing speed as predictors of the amount of forgetting of 27 words, which had been learned across five trials. Forgetting was measured over a 30-minute interval by using parceling and a latent change model, in which the latent difference between recall performance after five learning trials and a delayed recall was modeled. Results implied reliable individual differences in forgetting. These individual differences in forgetting were strongly related to processing speed and working memory. Moreover, an age-related effect, which was significantly stronger for forgetting than for learning, emerged even after controlling effects of processing speed and working memory.

Different strategies for recovering metals from CARON process residue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cabrera, G.; Gomez, J.M.; Hernandez, I.; Coto, O.; Cantero, D.

2011-01-01

The capacity of Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans DMS 11478 to recover the heavy metals contained in the residue obtained from the CARON process has been evaluated. Different bioreactor configurations were studied: a two-stage batch system and two semi-continuous systems (stirred-tank reactor leaching and column leaching). In the two-stage system, 46.8% Co, 36.0% Mg, 26.3% Mn and 22.3% Ni were solubilised after 6 h of contact between the residue and the bacteria-free bioacid. The results obtained with the stirred-tank reactor and the column were similar: 50% of the Mg and Co and 40% of the Mn and Ni were solubilised after thirty one days. The operation in the column reactor allowed the solid-liquid ratio to be increased and the pH to be kept at low values (<1.0). Recirculation of the leachate in the column had a positive effect on metal removal; at sixty five days (optimum time) the solubilisation levels were as follows: 86% Co, 83% Mg, 72% Mn and Ni, 62% Fe and 23% Cr. The results corroborate the feasibility of the systems studied for the leaching of metals from CARON process residue and these methodologies can be considered viable for the recovery of valuable metals.

Comparative study of the different industrial manufacturing routes for UO2 pellet specifications through the wet process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palheiros, Franklin; Gonzaga, Reinaldo; Soares, Alexandre

2009-01-01

In the fuel cycle, converting UF 6 to UO 2 powder is an intermediate step for fabrication of pellets for fuel assemblies to be used in nuclear power plants. The basic proposal common to the different powder fabrication processes is to provide raw material capable of being processed into the form of pellets. The wet processes is the most often used industrially and are divided in two categories: the ADU (Ammonium Diuranate) and AUC (Ammonium Uranyl Carbonate) processes, whose names originate in the precipitate obtained in aqueous solution during the intermediate steps of UO 2 powder fabrication. It has known that the powder characteristics have a considerable influence in the UO 2 pellet manufacturing and quality characteristics. INB has used the AUC process to produce UO 2 pellets and supply fuel to Angra 1 and 2 Nuclear Power Plants. Despite of this process is characterized by the precipitation of a different intermediate precipitate compared to the ADU route (i.e., (NH 4 ) 4 UO 2 (CO 3 ) 3 , in the AUC process, and (NH 4 ) 2 U 2 O 7 in ADU process) leading to some slight differences in the final pellet microstructure, it has been considered that the models that predict the pellet behavior during irradiation in a nuclear reactor are basically the same compared to those used to predict the pellets form the ADU process. In order to evaluate how different the pellets originated from these two industrial routes are, this paper aims to compare the INB production historical data (Angra 1, Cycles 14 and 15) with the key parameters of a common product specification from the ADU process. (author)

Visual word form familiarity and attention in lateral difference during processing Japanese Kana words.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakagawa, A; Sukigara, M

2000-09-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between familiarity and laterality in reading Japanese Kana words. In two divided-visual-field experiments, three- or four-character Hiragana or Katakana words were presented in both familiar and unfamiliar scripts, to which subjects performed lexical decisions. Experiment 1, using three stimulus durations (40, 100, 160 ms), suggested that only in the unfamiliar script condition was increased stimulus presentation time differently affected in each visual field. To examine this lateral difference during the processing of unfamiliar scripts as related to attentional laterality, a concurrent auditory shadowing task was added in Experiment 2. The results suggested that processing words in an unfamiliar script requires attention, which could be left-hemisphere lateralized, while orthographically familiar kana words can be processed automatically on the basis of their word-level orthographic representations or visual word form. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.

Bilinguals Have Different Hemispheric Lateralization in Visual Word Processing from Monolinguals

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Sze-Man Lam

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Previous bilingual studies showed reduced hemispheric asymmetry in visual tasks such as face perception in bilinguals compared with monolinguals, suggesting experience in reading one or two languages could be a modulating factor. Here we examined whether difference in hemispheric asymmetry in visual tasks can also be observed in bilinguals who have different language backgrounds. We compared the behavior of three language groups in a tachistoscopic English word sequential matching task: English monolinguals (or alphabetic monolinguals, A-Ms, bilinguals with an alphabetic-L1 and English-L2 (alphabetic-alphabetic bilinguals, AA-Bs, and bilinguals with Chinese-L1 and English-L2 (logographic-alphabetic bilinguals, LA-Bs. The results showed that AA-Bs had a stronger right visual field/ left hemispheric (LH advantage than A-Ms and LA-Bs, suggesting that different language learning experiences can influence how visual words are processed in the brain. In addition, we showed that this effect could be accounted for by a computational model that implements a theory of hemispheric asymmetry in perception (i.e., the Double Filtering by Frequency theory; Ivry & Robertson, 1998; the modeling data suggested that this difference may be due to both the difference in participants' vocabulary size and the difference in word-to-sound mapping between alphabetic and logographic languages.

Red Brain, Blue Brain: Evaluative Processes Differ in Democrats and Republicans

Science.gov (United States)

Schreiber, Darren; Fonzo, Greg; Simmons, Alan N.; Dawes, Christopher T.; Flagan, Taru; Fowler, James H.; Paulus, Martin P.

2013-01-01

Liberals and conservatives exhibit different cognitive styles and converging lines of evidence suggest that biology influences differences in their political attitudes and beliefs. In particular, a recent study of young adults suggests that liberals and conservatives have significantly different brain structure, with liberals showing increased gray matter volume in the anterior cingulate cortex, and conservatives showing increased gray matter volume in the in the amygdala. Here, we explore differences in brain function in liberals and conservatives by matching publicly-available voter records to 82 subjects who performed a risk-taking task during functional imaging. Although the risk-taking behavior of Democrats (liberals) and Republicans (conservatives) did not differ, their brain activity did. Democrats showed significantly greater activity in the left insula, while Republicans showed significantly greater activity in the right amygdala. In fact, a two parameter model of partisanship based on amygdala and insula activations yields a better fitting model of partisanship than a well-established model based on parental socialization of party identification long thought to be one of the core findings of political science. These results suggest that liberals and conservatives engage different cognitive processes when they think about risk, and they support recent evidence that conservatives show greater sensitivity to threatening stimuli. PMID:23418419

Differences in Pornography Use Among Couples: Associations with Satisfaction, Stability, and Relationship Processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Willoughby, Brian J; Carroll, Jason S; Busby, Dean M; Brown, Cameron C

2016-01-01

The present study utilized a sample of 1755 adult couples in heterosexual romantic relationships to examine how different patterns of pornography use between romantic partners may be associated with relationship outcomes. While pornography use has been generally associated with some negative and some positive couple outcomes, no study has yet explored how differences between partners may uniquely be associated with relationship well-being. Results suggested that greater discrepancies between partners in pornography use were related to less relationship satisfaction, less stability, less positive communication, and more relational aggression. Mediation analyses suggested that greater pornography use discrepancies were primarily associated with elevated levels of male relational aggression, lower female sexual desire, and less positive communication for both partners which then predicted lower relational satisfaction and stability for both partners. Results generally suggest that discrepancies in pornography use at the couple level are related to negative couple outcomes. Specifically, pornography differences may alter specific couple interaction processes which, in turn, may influence relationship satisfaction and stability. Implications for scholars and clinicians interested in how pornography use is associated with couple process are discussed.

Selection Criteria and Methods for Testing Different Surface Materials for Contact Frying Processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ashokkumar, Saranya

Inner surfaces of industrial process equipment for food are often coated to give the surfaces particular properties with respect to adhesion and cleanability. Existing coating materials (PTFE (Teflon®) or silicone based polymers) suffer from drawbacks when used in contact frying, because these co...... surface materials for contact frying processes. The surfaces selected for this purpose cover a wide spectrum of materials that range from hydrophobic to hydrophilic materials. The different surface materials investigated include stainless steel (reference), aluminium (Al Mg 5754), PTFE......, an experimental rig has been constructed which enabled a controlled fouling of different coatings on steel and aluminium substrates under realistic frying conditions. A subjective rating procedure was employed for screening different surfaces according to their non-stick properties when used for frying of a model...... defects and surface roughness play a significant role. The wear resistance of the coatings was tested by performing abrasive wear experiments. The ceramic coatings: TiAlN and ZrN were found to show the best wear resistance properties. The experiments also revealed the poor wear resistance of stainless...

Developmental differences in explicit and implicit conceptual memory tests: a processing view account.

Science.gov (United States)

Sauzéon, Hélène; Déjos, Marie; Lestage, Philippe; Arvind Pala, Prashant; N'kaoua, Bernard

2012-01-01

The present study addressed contradictory results in childhood literature about conceptual priming. Based on the processing view, two forms of conceptual priming were investigated across two experiments in children aged from 7 to 16: associative priming (using the free-association test) and relational (categorical) priming (using the categorical exemplar generation test) as well as their explicit memory measure counterparts (the associative-cued recall and the category-cued recall). Experiment 1 compared age differences in associative and relational (categorical) priming. Experiment 2 focused on relational (categorical) priming with manipulations of blocked/unblocked words per category. The results showed that (a) associative priming was unchanged in children aged from 7 to 16, whereas relational (categorical) priming improved from 7-9 to 13-16 years old, and (b) age differences in relational (categorical) priming still occurred under unblocked conditions and blocked condition, while age differences in explicit measures were reduced under blocked conditions. These findings were discussed in line with the debate between the system and processing view and in terms of knowledge and automaticity development.

Comparison of light and x-ray sensitometric responses of double-emulsion films for different processing conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blendl, Christian; Buhr, Egbert

2001-01-01

The effects of different film processing conditions on light and x-ray sensitometric responses were compared for a variety of double-emulsion x-ray films. The processing conditions were altered by changes of the developer temperature. Three different exposure variants were applied: x-ray sensitometry using two stepped neutral density attenuators between film and screens, simultaneous double-sided light sensitometry, and single-sided light sensitometry. 13 different types of double-emulsion x-ray films were investigated, among them three asymmetric films. In the special case of exposing the asymmetric films with the single-sided light sensitometer, a method was investigated where each side of the film is exposed at different locations and the sum effect is analyzed. From each sensitometric curve shape two parameters, the logarithmic speed (log S) and the average gradient (G), were evaluated. The results of this study can be summarized as follows: (1) Single-sided and double-sided light sensitometers revealed almost equal changes of log S when the processing conditions are altered. Thus, single-sided light sensitometers can serve as a substitute for double-sided light sensitometers provided that suited exposure methods are used and appropriate sensitometric parameters are evaluated. (2) Light sensitometry quantitatively indicated changes of the film processing that affect the x-ray speed. Hence, light sensitometry is a useful method to monitor changes in film processing

Microstructure and Corrosion Resistance Property of a Zn-AI-Mg Alloy with Different Solidification Processes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiang Guang-rui

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Zn-Al-Mg alloy coating attracted much attention due to its high corrosion resistance properties, especially high anti-corrosion performance at the cut edge. As the Zn-Al-Mg alloy coating was usually produced by hot-dip galvanizing method, solidification process was considered to influence its microstructure and corrosion properties. In this work, a Zn-Al-Mg cast alloy was melted and cooled to room temperature with different solidification processes, including water quench, air cooling and furnace cooling. Microstructure of the alloy with different solidification processes was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM. Result shows that the microstructure of the Zn-Al-Mg alloy are strongly influenced by solidification process. With increasing solidification rate, more Al is remained in the primary crystal. Electrochemical analysis indicates that with lowering solidification rate, the corrosion current density of the Zn-Al-Mg alloy decreases, which means higher corrosion resistance.

Comparison of three different collectors for process heat applications

Science.gov (United States)

Brunold, Stefan; Frey, R.; Frei, Ulrich

1994-09-01

In general vacuum tube collectors are used in solar process heat systems. Another possibility is to use transparent insulated flat plate collectors. A critical point however, is that most of the common transparent insulating materials can not withstand high temperatures because they consist of plastics. Thus, temperature resistive collector covers combining a high tranmisivity with a low U-value are required. One possibility is to use capillaries made of glass instead of plastics. Measurement results of collector efficiency and incident angle modifier will be presented as well as calculated energy gains for three different collectors: a vacuum tube collector (Giordano Ind., France), a CPC vacuum tube collector (microtherm Energietechnik Germany; a new flat plate collector using glass capillary as transparent insulation (SET, Germany).

Same pattern, different mechanism: Locking onto the role of key species in seafloor ecosystem process.

Science.gov (United States)

Woodin, Sarah Ann; Volkenborn, Nils; Pilditch, Conrad A; Lohrer, Andrew M; Wethey, David S; Hewitt, Judi E; Thrush, Simon F

2016-05-27

Seafloor biodiversity is a key mediator of ecosystem functioning, but its role is often excluded from global budgets or simplified to black boxes in models. New techniques allow quantification of the behavior of animals living below the sediment surface and assessment of the ecosystem consequences of complex interactions, yielding a better understanding of the role of seafloor animals in affecting key processes like primary productivity. Combining predictions based on natural history, behavior of key benthic species and environmental context allow assessment of differences in functioning and process, even when the measured ecosystem property in different systems is similar. Data from three sedimentary systems in New Zealand illustrate this. Analysis of the behaviors of the infaunal ecosystem engineers in each system revealed three very different mechanisms driving ecosystem function: density and excretion, sediment turnover and surface rugosity, and hydraulic activities and porewater bioadvection. Integrative metrics of ecosystem function in some cases differentiate among the systems (gross primary production) and in others do not (photosynthetic efficiency). Analyses based on behaviors and activities revealed important ecosystem functional differences and can dramatically improve our ability to model the impact of stressors on ecosystem and global processes.

The Minimum Data Set Depression Quality Indicator: Does It Reflect Differences in Care Processes?

Science.gov (United States)

Simmons, S.F.; Cadogan, M.P.; Cabrera, G.R.; Al-Samarrai, N.R.; Jorge, J.S.; Levy-Storms, L.; Osterweil, D.; Schnelle, J.F.

2004-01-01

Purpose. The objective of this work was to determine if nursing homes that score differently on prevalence of depression, according to the Minimum Data Set (MDS) quality indicator, also provide different processes of care related to depression. Design and Methods. A cross-sectional study with 396 long-term residents in 14 skilled nursing…

Visualization of amino acid composition differences between processed protein from different animal species by self-organizing feature maps

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xingfan ZHOU,Zengling YANG,Longjian CHEN,Lujia HAN

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Amino acids are the dominant organic components of processed animal proteins, however there has been limited investigation of differences in their composition between various protein sources. Information on these differences will not only be helpful for their further utilization but also provide fundamental information for developing species-specific identification methods. In this study, self-organizing feature maps (SOFM were used to visualize amino acid composition of fish meal, and meat and bone meal (MBM produced from poultry, ruminants and swine. SOFM display the similarities and differences in amino acid composition between protein sources and effectively improve data transparency. Amino acid composition was shown to be useful for distinguishing fish meal from MBM due to their large concentration differences between glycine, lysine and proline. However, the amino acid composition of the three MBMs was quite similar. The SOFM results were consistent with those obtained by analysis of variance and principal component analysis but more straightforward. SOFM was shown to have a robust sample linkage capacity and to be able to act as a powerful means to link different sample for further data mining.

MULTI-DIMENSIONAL MEASURE OF STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS FROM A DIFFERENT CONTEXT: AN EMPIRICAL RESEARCH ON TURKISH MANAGERS

OpenAIRE

Ozleblebici, Zafer

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to provide another explanation of strategy development process from a different context. Even though several studies exploring different approaches to strategy development process have been employed, most of them have examined organizations in similar samplings, more specifically Anglo-Saxon cultures/countries. Therefore, in order to explore the strategy development approaches from a different context, the paper aims to expose and describe the strategy development...

Dynamic analysis of the photoenhancement process of colloidal quantum dots with different surface modifications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Valledor Llopis, Marta; Campo Rodriguez, Juan Carlos; Ferrero Martin, Francisco J [Departamento de Ingenieria Electrica, Electronica, C y S Universidad de Oviedo, Campus de Gijon s/n, 33204 Gijon, Asturias, (Spain); Coto, Ana Maria; Fernandez-Argueelles, Maria T; Costa-Fernandez, J M; Sanz-Medel, A [Departamento de Quimica Fisica y Analitica, Universidad de Oviedo, Campus del Cristo, 33006 Oviedo, Asturias (Spain)

2011-09-23

Photoinduced fluorescence enhancement of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) is a hot topic addressed in many studies due to its great influence on the bioanalytical performance of such nanoparticles. However, understanding of this process is not a simple task, and it cannot be explained by a general mechanism as it greatly depends on the QDs' nature, solubilization strategies, surrounding environment, etc. In this vein, we have critically compared the behavior of CdSe QDs (widely used in bioanalytical applications) with different surface modifications (ligand exchange and polymer coating), in different controlled experimental conditions, in the presence-absence of the ZnS layer and in different media when exposed for long times to intense UV irradiation. Thus six different types of colloidal QDs were finally studied. This research was carried out from a novel perspective, based on the analysis of the dynamic behavior of the photoactivation process (of great interest for further applications of QDs as labels in biomedical applications). The results showed a different behavior of the studied colloidal QDs after UV irradiation in terms of their photoluminescence characteristics, potential toxicity due to metal release to the environment, nanoparticle stability and surface coating degradation.

Dynamic analysis of the photoenhancement process of colloidal quantum dots with different surface modifications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valledor Llopis, Marta; Campo Rodriguez, Juan Carlos; Ferrero Martin, Francisco J; Coto, Ana Maria; Fernandez-Argueelles, Maria T; Costa-Fernandez, J M; Sanz-Medel, A

2011-01-01

Photoinduced fluorescence enhancement of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) is a hot topic addressed in many studies due to its great influence on the bioanalytical performance of such nanoparticles. However, understanding of this process is not a simple task, and it cannot be explained by a general mechanism as it greatly depends on the QDs' nature, solubilization strategies, surrounding environment, etc. In this vein, we have critically compared the behavior of CdSe QDs (widely used in bioanalytical applications) with different surface modifications (ligand exchange and polymer coating), in different controlled experimental conditions, in the presence-absence of the ZnS layer and in different media when exposed for long times to intense UV irradiation. Thus six different types of colloidal QDs were finally studied. This research was carried out from a novel perspective, based on the analysis of the dynamic behavior of the photoactivation process (of great interest for further applications of QDs as labels in biomedical applications). The results showed a different behavior of the studied colloidal QDs after UV irradiation in terms of their photoluminescence characteristics, potential toxicity due to metal release to the environment, nanoparticle stability and surface coating degradation.

Differences in emotion processing in patients with essential and secondary hypertension.

Science.gov (United States)

Consoli, Silla M; Lemogne, Cédric; Roch, Bernard; Laurent, Stéphane; Plouin, Pierre-François; Lane, Richard D

2010-05-01

An impaired ability to experience and express emotions, known as alexithymia, has previously been associated with hypertension. Alexithymia and related emotion-processing variables, however, have never been examined as a function of the type of hypertension, essential (EH) or secondary (SH). Our working hypothesis was that if dysregulated emotional processes play a key neurobiological role in EH, they would be less present in hypertension due to specific medical causes or SH. A total of 98 consecutive hypertensive patients (73 EH, 25 SH) with similar blood pressure levels completed two complementary measures of emotion processing: the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale (LEAS). After controlling for confounding variables, LEAS score was lower in EH than SH (estimated means: 46.4 vs. 52.0; P = 0.028; effect size 0.52). TAS-20 scores did not differentiate EH from SH, but the differences were in the expected direction, with an effect size of 0.34 for TAS-20 total score. Neither psychometric measure was associated with the duration of hypertension or the presence of cardiovascular (CV) complications. These results are consistent with a contribution of an emotional or psychosomatic component in EH and may have practical implications for the nonpharmacological management of hypertension. They also demonstrate the utility of complementary measures of emotion processing in medically ill patients.

Unconscious neural processing differs with method used to render stimuli invisible

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Sergey Victor Fogelson

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Visual stimuli can be kept from awareness using various methods. The extent of processing that a given stimulus receives in the absence of awareness is typically used to make claims about the role of consciousness more generally. The neural processing elicited by a stimulus, however, may also depend on the method used to keep it from awareness, and not only on whether the stimulus reaches awareness. Here we report that the method used to render an image invisible has a dramatic effect on how category information about the unseen stimulus is encoded across the human brain. We collected fMRI data while subjects viewed images of faces and tools, that were rendered invisible using either continuous flash suppression (CFS or chromatic flicker fusion (CFF. In a third condition, we presented the same images under normal fully visible viewing conditions. We found that category information about visible images could be extracted from patterns of fMRI responses throughout areas of neocortex known to be involved in face or tool processing. However, category information about stimuli kept from awareness using CFS could be recovered exclusively within occipital cortex, whereas information about stimuli kept from awareness using CFF was also decodable within temporal and frontal regions. We conclude that unconsciously presented objects are processed differently depending on how they are rendered subjectively invisible. Caution should therefore be used in making generalizations on the basis of any one method about the neural basis of consciousness or the extent of information processing without consciousness.

Unconscious neural processing differs with method used to render stimuli invisible.

Science.gov (United States)

Fogelson, Sergey V; Kohler, Peter J; Miller, Kevin J; Granger, Richard; Tse, Peter U

2014-01-01

Visual stimuli can be kept from awareness using various methods. The extent of processing that a given stimulus receives in the absence of awareness is typically used to make claims about the role of consciousness more generally. The neural processing elicited by a stimulus, however, may also depend on the method used to keep it from awareness, and not only on whether the stimulus reaches awareness. Here we report that the method used to render an image invisible has a dramatic effect on how category information about the unseen stimulus is encoded across the human brain. We collected fMRI data while subjects viewed images of faces and tools, that were rendered invisible using either continuous flash suppression (CFS) or chromatic flicker fusion (CFF). In a third condition, we presented the same images under normal fully visible viewing conditions. We found that category information about visible images could be extracted from patterns of fMRI responses throughout areas of neocortex known to be involved in face or tool processing. However, category information about stimuli kept from awareness using CFS could be recovered exclusively within occipital cortex, whereas information about stimuli kept from awareness using CFF was also decodable within temporal and frontal regions. We conclude that unconsciously presented objects are processed differently depending on how they are rendered subjectively invisible. Caution should therefore be used in making generalizations on the basis of any one method about the neural basis of consciousness or the extent of information processing without consciousness.

Ageing differentially affects neural processing of different conflict types – an fMRI study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Margarethe eKorsch

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Interference control and conflict resolution is affected by ageing. There is increasing evidence that ageing does not compromise interference control in general but rather shows distinctive effects on different components of interference control. Different conflict types, (e.g. stimulus-stimulus (S-S or stimulus-response (S-R conflicts trigger different cognitive processes and thus activate different neural networks. In the present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI study, we used a combined Flanker and Stimulus Response Conflict (SRC task to investigate the effect of ageing on S-S and S-R conflicts. Behavioral data analysis revealed larger SRC effects in elderly. fMRI Results show that both age groups recruited similar regions (caudate nucleus, cingulate gyrus and middle occipital gyrus during Flanker conflict processing. Furthermore, elderly show an additional activation pattern in parietal and frontal areas. In contrast, no common activation of both age groups was found in response to the SRC. These data suggest that ageing has distinctive effects on S-S and S-R conflicts.

Sensitivity to pulse phase duration in cochlear implant listeners: Effects of stimulation mode

Science.gov (United States)

Chatterjee, Monita; Kulkarni, Aditya M.

2014-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate charge-integration at threshold by cochlear implant listeners using pulse train stimuli in different stimulation modes (monopolar, bipolar, tripolar). The results partially confirmed and extended the findings of previous studies conducted in animal models showing that charge-integration depends on the stimulation mode. The primary overall finding was that threshold vs pulse phase duration functions had steeper slopes in monopolar mode and shallower slopes in more spatially restricted modes. While the result was clear-cut in eight users of the Cochlear CorporationTM device, the findings with the six user of the Advanced BionicsTM device who participated were less consistent. It is likely that different stimulation modes excite different neuronal populations and/or sites of excitation on the same neuron (e.g., peripheral process vs central axon). These differences may influence not only charge integration but possibly also temporal dynamics at suprathreshold levels and with more speech-relevant stimuli. Given the present interest in focused stimulation modes, these results have implications for cochlear implant speech processor design and protocols used to map acoustic amplitude to electric stimulation parameters. PMID:25096116

Desirable and undesirable future thoughts call for different scene construction processes.

Science.gov (United States)

de Vito, S; Neroni, M A; Gamboz, N; Della Sala, S; Brandimonte, M A

2015-01-01

Despite the growing interest in the ability of foreseeing (episodic future thinking), it is still unclear how healthy people construct possible future scenarios. We suggest that different future thoughts require different processes of scene construction. Thirty-five participants were asked to imagine desirable and less desirable future events. Imagining desirable events increased the ease of scene construction, the frequency of life scripts, the number of internal details, and the clarity of sensorial and spatial temporal information. The initial description of general personal knowledge lasted longer in undesirable than in desirable anticipations. Finally, participants were more prone to explicitly indicate autobiographical memory as the main source of their simulations of undesirable episodes, whereas they equally related the simulations of desirable events to autobiographical events or semantic knowledge. These findings show that desirable and undesirable scenarios call for different mechanisms of scene construction. The present study emphasizes that future thinking cannot be considered as a monolithic entity.

Stochastic chaos induced by diffusion processes with identical spectral density but different probability density functions.

Science.gov (United States)

Lei, Youming; Zheng, Fan

2016-12-01

Stochastic chaos induced by diffusion processes, with identical spectral density but different probability density functions (PDFs), is investigated in selected lightly damped Hamiltonian systems. The threshold amplitude of diffusion processes for the onset of chaos is derived by using the stochastic Melnikov method together with a mean-square criterion. Two quasi-Hamiltonian systems, namely, a damped single pendulum and damped Duffing oscillator perturbed by stochastic excitations, are used as illustrative examples. Four different cases of stochastic processes are taking as the driving excitations. It is shown that in such two systems the spectral density of diffusion processes completely determines the threshold amplitude for chaos, regardless of the shape of their PDFs, Gaussian or otherwise. Furthermore, the mean top Lyapunov exponent is employed to verify analytical results. The results obtained by numerical simulations are in accordance with the analytical results. This demonstrates that the stochastic Melnikov method is effective in predicting the onset of chaos in the quasi-Hamiltonian systems.

Different sides of the grieving process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barbara Pilecka

2016-07-01

The article contains certain therapeutic suggestions for resolving the grieving process, with a particular focus on the role of mindfulness in transforming mental suffering, as well as its use in the development of personality.

Working memory-driven attention improves spatial resolution: Support for perceptual enhancement.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Yi; Luo, Qianying; Cheng, Min

2016-08-01

Previous research has indicated that attention can be biased toward those stimuli matching the contents of working memory and thereby facilitates visual processing at the location of the memory-matching stimuli. However, whether this working memory-driven attentional modulation takes place on early perceptual processes remains unclear. Our present results showed that working memory-driven attention improved identification of a brief Landolt target presented alone in the visual field. Because the suprathreshold target appeared without any external noise added (i.e., no distractors or masks), the results suggest that working memory-driven attention enhances the target signal at early perceptual stages of visual processing. Furthermore, given that performance in the Landolt target identification task indexes spatial resolution, this attentional facilitation indicates that working memory-driven attention can boost early perceptual processing via enhancement of spatial resolution at the attended location.

Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI of the prostate. Comparison of two different post-processing algorithms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beyersdorff, Dirk; Franiel, T.; Luedemann, L.; Dietz, E.; Galler, D.; Marchot, P.

2011-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate the usefulness of a commercially available post-processing software tool for detecting prostate cancer on dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to compare the results to those obtained with a custom-made post-processing algorithm already tested under clinical conditions. Materials and Methods: Forty-eight patients with proven prostate cancer were examined by standard MRI supplemented by dynamic contrast-enhanced dual susceptibility contrast (DCE-DSC) MRI prior to prostatectomy. A custom-made post-processing algorithm was used to analyze the MRI data sets and the results were compared to those obtained using a post-processing algorithm from Invivo Corporation (Dyna CAD for Prostate) applied to dynamic T 1-weighted images. Histology was used as the gold standard. Results: The sensitivity for prostate cancer detection was 78 % for the custom-made algorithm and 60 % for the commercial algorithm and the specificity was 79 % and 82 %, respectively. The accuracy was 79 % for our algorithm and 77.5 % for the commercial software tool. The chi-square test (McNemar-Bowker test) yielded no significant differences between the two tools (p = 0.06). Conclusion: The two investigated post-processing algorithms did not differ in terms of prostate cancer detection. The commercially available software tool allows reliable and fast analysis of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI for the detection of prostate cancer. (orig.)

Identification of different processes in magnetization dynamics of API steels using magnetic Barkhausen noise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pérez-Benítez, J A; Espina-Hernández, J H; Le Man, Tu; Caleyo, F; Hallen, J M

2015-01-01

This work presents a method to identify processes in magnetization dynamics using the angular dependence of the magnetic Barkhausen noise. The analysis reveals that three different processes of the magnetization dynamics could be identified using the angular dependence of the magnetic Barkhausen noise energy. The first process is the reversed domain nucleation which is related to the magneto-crystalline energy of the material, and the second and third ones are associated with 180° and 90° domain walls motions, respectively. Additionally, two transition regions were identified and they are located between the regions associated with the aforementioned processes. The causes involving these processes are analyzed and a method for establishing their location in the Barkhausen noise signal with respect to the applied magnetic field intensity is proposed. (paper)

Miniemulsification process - different form of spontaneous emulsification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

El-Aasser, M.S.; Lack, C.D.; Vanderhoff, J.W.; Fowkes, F.M.

1988-01-15

The miniemulsification process involves the use of low concentrations of mixed emulsifier combinations of an ionic surfactant (e.g. sodium lauryl sulfate) and a cosurfactant (e.g. long-chain fatty alcohol - cetyl alcohol). The product is an oil-in-water miniemulsion with an average droplet diameter of 100-400 nm, and excellent shelf stability. The dominant presence of liquid crystals in the aqueous mixed emulsifier system, under conditions of the miniemulsification process, was confirmed by consideration of phase diagrams, conductivity and birefringence studies. Unexpectedly, interfacial tension studies showed relatively high values of 5-15 dyn cm/sup -1/. In spite of these high interfacial tensions, spontaneous emulsification was found at the oil-water interface, contrary to what is known in the field. Adsorption and electrophoretic mobility studies suggested that the miniemulsification process takes place by unidirectional swelling of the lamellar bilayers in the aqueous mixed emulsifier liquid crystal system as a result of absorption of oil, followed by subdivision of these entities. The stability of miniemulsions formed by this process is influenced by a steric component in the mixed emulsifier complex adsorbed at the oil-water interface.

Working memory processes show different degrees of lateralization : Evidence from event-related potentials

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Talsma, D; Wijers, A.A.; Klaver, P; Mulder, G.

This study aimed to identify different processes in working memory, using event-related potentials (ERPs) and response times. Abstract polygons were presented for memorization and subsequent recall in a delayed matching-to-sample paradigm. Two polygons were presented bilaterally for memorization and

Flow and Stress Field Analysis of Different Fluids and Blades for Fermentation Process

OpenAIRE

Cheng-Chi Wang; Po-Jen Cheng; Kuo-Chi Liu; Ming-Yi Tsai

2014-01-01

Fermentation techniques are applied for the biotechnology and are widely used for food manufacturing, materials processing, chemical reaction, and so forth. Different fluids and types of blades in the tank for fermentation cause distinct flow and stress field distributions on the surface between fluid and blade and various flow reactions in the tank appear. This paper is mainly focused on the analysis of flow field with different fluid viscosities and also studied the stress field acting on t...

Changes of pressure and humidity affect olfactory function.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuehn, Michael; Welsch, Heiko; Zahnert, Thomas; Hummel, Thomas

2008-03-01

The present study aimed at investigating the question whether olfactory function changes in relation to barometric pressure and humidity. Using climate chambers, odor threshold and discrimination for butanol were tested in 75 healthy volunteers under hypobaric and hyperbaric, and different humidity conditions. Among other effects, olfactory sensitivity at threshold level, but not suprathreshold odor discrimination, was impaired in a hypobaric compared to a hyperbaric milieu, and thresholds were lower in humid, compared to relatively dry conditions. In conclusion, environmental conditions modulate the sense of smell, and may, consecutively, influence results from olfactory tests.

Flow and Stress Field Analysis of Different Fluids and Blades for Fermentation Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cheng-Chi Wang

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Fermentation techniques are applied for the biotechnology and are widely used for food manufacturing, materials processing, chemical reaction, and so forth. Different fluids and types of blades in the tank for fermentation cause distinct flow and stress field distributions on the surface between fluid and blade and various flow reactions in the tank appear. This paper is mainly focused on the analysis of flow field with different fluid viscosities and also studied the stress field acting on the blades with different scales and shapes of them under specific rotational speed. The results show that the viscosity of fluid influences the flow field and stress distributions on the blades. The maximum stress that acts on the blade is increased with the increasing of viscosity. On the other hand, the ratio of blade length to width influences stress distributions on the blade. At the same time, the inclined angle of blade is also the key parameter for the consideration of design and appropriate inclined angle of blade will decrease the maximum stress. The results provide effective means of gaining insights into the flow and stress distribution of fermentation process.

Inferring social attributes from different face regions: evidence for holistic processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Santos, Isabel M; Young, Andrew W

2011-04-01

Two experiments investigated the role that different face regions play in a variety of social judgements that are commonly made from facial appearance (sex, age, distinctiveness, attractiveness, approachability, trustworthiness, and intelligence). These judgements lie along a continuum from those with a clear physical basis and high consequent accuracy (sex, age) to judgements that can achieve a degree of consensus between observers despite having little known validity (intelligence, trustworthiness). Results from Experiment 1 indicated that the face's internal features (eyes, nose, and mouth) provide information that is more useful for social inferences than the external features (hair, face shape, ears, and chin), especially when judging traits such as approachability and trustworthiness. Experiment 2 investigated how judgement agreement was affected when the upper head, eye, nose, or mouth regions were presented in isolation or when these regions were obscured. A different pattern of results emerged for different characteristics, indicating that different types of facial information are used in the various judgements. Moreover, the informativeness of a particular region/feature depends on whether it is presented alone or in the context of the whole face. These findings provide evidence for the importance of holistic processing in making social attributions from facial appearance.

Electrophysiological differences in the processing of affective information in words and pictures.

Science.gov (United States)

Hinojosa, José A; Carretié, Luis; Valcárcel, María A; Méndez-Bértolo, Constantino; Pozo, Miguel A

2009-06-01

It is generally assumed that affective picture viewing is related to higher levels of physiological arousal than is the reading of emotional words. However, this assertion is based mainly on studies in which the processing of either words or pictures has been investigated under heterogenic conditions. Positive, negative, relaxing, neutral, and background (stimulus fragments) words and pictures were presented to subjects in two experiments under equivalent experimental conditions. In Experiment 1, neutral words elicited an enhanced late positive component (LPC) that was associated with an increased difficulty in discriminating neutral from background stimuli. In Experiment 2, high-arousing pictures elicited an enhanced early negativity and LPC that were related to a facilitated processing for these stimuli. Thus, it seems that under some circumstances, the processing of affective information captures attention only with more biologically relevant stimuli. Also, these data might be better interpreted on the basis of those models that postulate a different access to affective information for words and pictures.

Quantification of process induced disorder in milled samples using different analytical techniques

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zimper, Ulrike; Aaltonen, Jaakko; McGoverin, Cushla M.

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to compare three different analytical methods to detect and quantify the amount of crystalline disorder/ amorphousness in two milled model drugs. X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Raman spectroscopy were used as analytical methods...... and indomethacin and simvastatin were chosen as the model compounds. These compounds partly converted from crystalline to disordered forms by milling. Partial least squares regression (PLS) was used to create calibration models for the XRPD and Raman data, which were subsequently used to quantify the milling......-induced crystalline disorder/ amorphousness under different process conditions. In the DSC measurements the change in heat capacity at the glass transition was used for quantification. Differently prepared amorphous indomethacin standards (prepared by either melt quench cooling or cryo milling) were compared...

Syntactic constraints and individual differences in native and non-native processing of wh-movement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adrienne eJohnson

2016-04-01

Full Text Available There is a debate as to whether second language (L2 learners show qualitatively similar processing profiles as native speakers or whether L2 learners are restricted in their ability to use syntactic information during online processing. In the realm of wh-dependency resolution, research has examined whether learners, similar to native speakers, attempt to resolve wh-dependencies in grammatically licensed contexts but avoid positing gaps in illicit contexts such as islands. Also at issue is whether the avoidance of gap filling in islands is due to adherence to syntactic constraints or whether islands simply present processing bottlenecks. One approach has been to examine the relationship between processing abilities and the establishment of wh-dependencies in islands. Grammatical accounts of islands do not predict such a relationship as the parser should simply not predict gaps in illicit contexts. In contrast, a pattern of results showing that individuals with more processing resources are better able to establish wh-dependencies in islands could conceivably be compatible with certain processing accounts. In a self-paced reading experiment which examines the processing of wh- dependencies, we address both questions, examining whether native English speakers and Korean learners of English show qualitatively similar patterns and whether there is a relationship between working memory, as measured by counting span and reading span, and processing in both island and non-island contexts. The results of the self-paced reading experiment suggest that learners can use syntactic information on the same timecourse as native speakers, showing qualitative similarity between the two groups. Results of regression analyses did not reveal a significant relationship between working memory and the establishment of wh-dependencies in islands but we did observe significant relationships between working memory and the processing of licit wh-dependencies. As the

The time course of indirect moral judgment in gossip processing modulated by different agents.

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Xiaozhe; Jiao, Can; Cui, Fang; Chen, Qingfei; Li, Peng; Li, Hong

2017-10-01

Previous studies have investigated personal moral violations with different references (i.e., the protagonists in moral scenarios are the participants themselves or unknown other individuals). However, the roles of various agents in moral judgments have remained unclear. In the present study, ERPs were used to investigate moral judgments when the participants viewed gossip that described (im)moral behaviors committed by different agents (self, friend, celebrity). The results demonstrate that the P2 and late positive component (LPC) correspond to two successive processes of indirect moral judgment when individuals process gossip. Specifically, the P2 amplitude in the celebrity condition was more sensitive in distinguishing immoral behaviors from moral behaviors than that in the other two conditions, whereas the moral valence effect on the LPC was predominately driven by the self-reference. These findings expand our current understanding of moral judgments in a gossip evaluation task and demonstrate that the early processing of gossip depends on both the entertainment value of the agent and the salience of moral behaviors. Processing in the later stage reflects reactions to intensified affective stimuli, or reflects cognitive effort that was required to resolve the conflict between negative gossip about self and the self-positivity bias. © 2017 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Comparison of Chemical Constituents in Scrophulariae Radix Processed by Different Methods based on UFLC-MS Combined with Multivariate Statistical Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Shengnan; Hua, Yujiao; Zou, Lisi; Liu, Xunhong; Yan, Ying; Zhao, Hui; Luo, Yiyuan; Liu, Juanxiu

2018-02-01

Scrophulariae Radix is one of the most popular traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). Primary processing of Scrophulariae Radix is an important link which closely related to the quality of products in this TCM. The aim of this study is to explore the influence of different processing methods on chemical constituents in Scrophulariae Radix. The difference of chemical constituents in Scrophulariae Radix processed by different methods was analyzed by using ultra fast liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry coupled with principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis. Furthermore, the contents of 12 index differential constituents in Scrophulariae Radix processed by different methods were simultaneously determined by using ultra fast liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry. Gray relational analysis was performed to evaluate the different processed samples according to the contents of 12 constituents. All of the results demonstrated that the quality of Scrophulariae Radix processed by "sweating" method was better. This study will provide the basic information for revealing the change law of chemical constituents in Scrophulariae Radix processed by different methods and facilitating selection of the suitable processing method of this TCM. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Reproducible cancer biomarker discovery in SELDI-TOF MS using different pre-processing algorithms.

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Jinfeng Zou

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: There has been much interest in differentiating diseased and normal samples using biomarkers derived from mass spectrometry (MS studies. However, biomarker identification for specific diseases has been hindered by irreproducibility. Specifically, a peak profile extracted from a dataset for biomarker identification depends on a data pre-processing algorithm. Until now, no widely accepted agreement has been reached. RESULTS: In this paper, we investigated the consistency of biomarker identification using differentially expressed (DE peaks from peak profiles produced by three widely used average spectrum-dependent pre-processing algorithms based on SELDI-TOF MS data for prostate and breast cancers. Our results revealed two important factors that affect the consistency of DE peak identification using different algorithms. One factor is that some DE peaks selected from one peak profile were not detected as peaks in other profiles, and the second factor is that the statistical power of identifying DE peaks in large peak profiles with many peaks may be low due to the large scale of the tests and small number of samples. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the DE peak detection power in large profiles could be improved by the stratified false discovery rate (FDR control approach and that the reproducibility of DE peak detection could thereby be increased. CONCLUSIONS: Comparing and evaluating pre-processing algorithms in terms of reproducibility can elucidate the relationship among different algorithms and also help in selecting a pre-processing algorithm. The DE peaks selected from small peak profiles with few peaks for a dataset tend to be reproducibly detected in large peak profiles, which suggests that a suitable pre-processing algorithm should be able to produce peaks sufficient for identifying useful and reproducible biomarkers.

Influence of pulsed plasma streams processing on wear behavior of steels in different friction conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bandura, A.N.; Byrka, O.V.; Tereshin, V.I.; Bovda, A.M.; Tortika, A.S.

2000-01-01

Pulsed plasma streams processing was applied for surface modification of industrial steel samples. Different types of wear tests (pin-on-disk,flat-on-flat, abrasive,cavitation) were carried out for samples irradiated by pulsed nitrogen plasma streams. There was achieved essential decrease of wear and tear of processed surfaces of all kinds of steels including previously thermally quenched ones. Obtained results are of importance for both determination of optimal regimes of plasma streams processing and the most resulting use of pulsed plasma streams for technology purpose, i.e. for identification of wear modes and optimal friction conditions for steels processed by plasma streams

Uncovering cognitive processes: Different techniques that can contribute to cognitive load research and instruction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Gog, Tamara; Kester, Liesbeth; Nievelstein, Fleurie; Giesbers, Bas; Fred, Paas

2009-01-01

Van Gog, T., Kester, L., Nievelstein, F., Giesbers, B., & Paas, F. (2009). Uncovering cognitive processes: Different techniques that can contribute to cognitive load research and instruction. Computers in Human Behavior, 25, 325-331.

Energy and Nutrient Intakes from Processed Foods Differ by Sex, Income Status, and Race/Ethnicity of US Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Eicher-Miller, Heather A; Fulgoni, Victor L; Keast, Debra R

2015-06-01

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommends nutrients to increase and to decrease for US adults. The contributions processed foods make to the US intake of nutrients to increase and decrease may vary by the level of processing and by population subgroup. The hypotheses that the intakes of nutrients to increase or decrease, as specified by the DGA, are contributed exclusively from certain processed food categories and consumed differentially by population subgroups by sex, poverty-income ratio (ratio of household income to poverty threshold), and race/ethnicity was tested along with the hypothesis that specific processed food categories are responsible for nutrient intake differences between the population subgroups. The 24-hour dietary recall data from the cross-sectional 2003-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was used to determine population subgroup energy and nutrient intake differences among processed food categories defined by the International Food Information Council Foundation Continuum of Processed Foods. Fifteen thousand fifty-three US adults aged ≥19 years. The mean daily intake of energy and nutrients from processed food categories reported by population subgroups were compared using regression analysis to determine covariate-adjusted least square means. Processed food categories that contributed to energy and nutrient intake differences within subgroups did not uniformly or exclusively contribute nutrients to increase or decrease per DGA recommendations. The between-group differences in mean daily intake of both nutrients to increase and decrease contributed by the various processed food categories were diverse and were not contributed exclusively from specific processed food categories. Recommendations for a diet adhering to the DGA should continue to focus on the energy and nutrient content, frequency of consumption, and serving size of individual foods rather than the level of processing. Copyright © 2015

Differences in metabolite profiles caused by pre-analytical blood processing procedures.

Science.gov (United States)

Nishiumi, Shin; Suzuki, Makoto; Kobayashi, Takashi; Yoshida, Masaru

2018-05-01

Recently, the use of metabolomic analysis of human serum and plasma for biomarker discovery and disease diagnosis in clinical studies has been increasing. The feasibility of using a metabolite biomarker for disease diagnosis is strongly dependent on the metabolite's stability during pre-analytical blood processing procedures, such as serum or plasma sampling and sample storage prior to centrifugation. However, the influence of blood processing procedures on the stability of metabolites has not been fully characterized. In the present study, we compared the levels of metabolites in matched human serum and plasma samples using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. In addition, we evaluated the changes in plasma metabolite levels induced by storage at room temperature or at a cold temperature prior to centrifugation. As a result, it was found that 76 metabolites exhibited significant differences between their serum and plasma levels. Furthermore, the pre-centrifugation storage conditions significantly affected the plasma levels of 45 metabolites. These results highlight the importance of blood processing procedures during metabolome analysis, which should be considered during biomarker discovery and the subsequent use of biomarkers for disease diagnosis. Copyright © 2017 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Short term memory for serial order : Unraveling individual differences in the use of processes and changes across tasks

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Gonzalez Marin, G.V.; Bouwmeester, S.; Vermunt, J.K.

2013-01-01

In this study we investigated whether we could distinguish the use of specific verbal and visual short term memory (STM) processes in children, or whether the differences in memory performance could be interpreted only in terms of quantitative differences. First, the number of processes involved in

Speech reception with different bilateral directional processing schemes: Influence of binaural hearing, audiometric asymmetry, and acoustic scenario.

Science.gov (United States)

Neher, Tobias; Wagener, Kirsten C; Latzel, Matthias

2017-09-01

Hearing aid (HA) users can differ markedly in their benefit from directional processing (or beamforming) algorithms. The current study therefore investigated candidacy for different bilateral directional processing schemes. Groups of elderly listeners with symmetric (N = 20) or asymmetric (N = 19) hearing thresholds for frequencies below 2 kHz, a large spread in the binaural intelligibility level difference (BILD), and no difference in age, overall degree of hearing loss, or performance on a measure of selective attention took part. Aided speech reception was measured using virtual acoustics together with a simulation of a linked pair of completely occluding behind-the-ear HAs. Five processing schemes and three acoustic scenarios were used. The processing schemes differed in the tradeoff between signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) improvement and binaural cue preservation. The acoustic scenarios consisted of a frontal target talker presented against two speech maskers from ±60° azimuth or spatially diffuse cafeteria noise. For both groups, a significant interaction between BILD, processing scheme, and acoustic scenario was found. This interaction implied that, in situations with lateral speech maskers, HA users with BILDs larger than about 2 dB profited more from preserved low-frequency binaural cues than from greater SNR improvement, whereas for smaller BILDs the opposite was true. Audiometric asymmetry reduced the influence of binaural hearing. In spatially diffuse noise, the maximal SNR improvement was generally beneficial. N 0 S π detection performance at 500 Hz predicted the benefit from low-frequency binaural cues. Together, these findings provide a basis for adapting bilateral directional processing to individual and situational influences. Further research is needed to investigate their generalizability to more realistic HA conditions (e.g., with low-frequency vent-transmitted sound). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Software process improvement in CMS-are we different?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wellisch, J.P.

2001-01-01

One of the most challenging issues faced in HEP in recent years is the question of how to capitalise on software development and maintenance experience in a continuous manner. To capitalise in our context means to evaluate and apply new technologies as they arise, and to further evolve technologies already widely in use. It also implies the definition and adoption of standards, while ensuring reproducibility and quality of results. The CMS process improvement effort is two-pronged. It aims at continuous improvement of the ways we do Object Oriented software, as well as continuous improvement in the efficiency of the working environment. In particular the use and creation of de-facto software process standards within CMS has proven to be key to successful software process improvement program. The authors describe the successful CMS implementation of a software process improvement strategy, following ISO 15504 since three years. The authors give the current status of the most important processes families formally established in CMS, and provide the guidelines followed both for tool development, and methodology establishment

Large-scale functional networks connect differently for processing words and symbol strings.

Science.gov (United States)

Liljeström, Mia; Vartiainen, Johanna; Kujala, Jan; Salmelin, Riitta

2018-01-01

Reconfigurations of synchronized large-scale networks are thought to be central neural mechanisms that support cognition and behavior in the human brain. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings together with recent advances in network analysis now allow for sub-second snapshots of such networks. In the present study, we compared frequency-resolved functional connectivity patterns underlying reading of single words and visual recognition of symbol strings. Word reading emphasized coherence in a left-lateralized network with nodes in classical perisylvian language regions, whereas symbol processing recruited a bilateral network, including connections between frontal and parietal regions previously associated with spatial attention and visual working memory. Our results illustrate the flexible nature of functional networks, whereby processing of different form categories, written words vs. symbol strings, leads to the formation of large-scale functional networks that operate at distinct oscillatory frequencies and incorporate task-relevant regions. These results suggest that category-specific processing should be viewed not so much as a local process but as a distributed neural process implemented in signature networks. For words, increased coherence was detected particularly in the alpha (8-13 Hz) and high gamma (60-90 Hz) frequency bands, whereas increased coherence for symbol strings was observed in the high beta (21-29 Hz) and low gamma (30-45 Hz) frequency range. These findings attest to the role of coherence in specific frequency bands as a general mechanism for integrating stimulus-dependent information across brain regions.

A statistical method (cross-validation) for bone loss region detection after spaceflight

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Qian; Li, Wenjun; Li, Caixia; Chu, Philip W.; Kornak, John; Lang, Thomas F.

2010-01-01

Astronauts experience bone loss after the long spaceflight missions. Identifying specific regions that undergo the greatest losses (e.g. the proximal femur) could reveal information about the processes of bone loss in disuse and disease. Methods for detecting such regions, however, remains an open problem. This paper focuses on statistical methods to detect such regions. We perform statistical parametric mapping to get t-maps of changes in images, and propose a new cross-validation method to select an optimum suprathreshold for forming clusters of pixels. Once these candidate clusters are formed, we use permutation testing of longitudinal labels to derive significant changes. PMID:20632144

Flexural Strength of Acrylic Resin Denture Bases Processed by Two Different Methods

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Jafar Gharechahi

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Background and aims. The aim of this study was to compare flexural strength of specimens processed by conventional and injection-molding techniques. Materials and methods. Conventional pressure-packed PMMA was used for conventional pressure-packed and injection-molded PMMA was used for injection-molding techniques. After processing, 15 specimens were stored in distilled water at room temperature until measured. Three-point flexural strength test was carried out. Statistical analysis was carried out by SPSS using t-test. Statistical significance was defined at P<0.05. Results. Flexural strength of injection-polymerized acrylic resin specimens was higher than that of theconventional method (P=0.006. This difference was statistically significant (P=0.006. Conclusion. Within the limitations of this study, flexural strength of acrylic resin specimens was influenced by the mold-ing technique.

Effects of orthographic consistency on eye movement behavior: German and English children and adults process the same words differently.

Science.gov (United States)

Rau, Anne K; Moll, Kristina; Snowling, Margaret J; Landerl, Karin

2015-02-01

The current study investigated the time course of cross-linguistic differences in word recognition. We recorded eye movements of German and English children and adults while reading closely matched sentences, each including a target word manipulated for length and frequency. Results showed differential word recognition processes for both developing and skilled readers. Children of the two orthographies did not differ in terms of total word processing time, but this equal outcome was achieved quite differently. Whereas German children relied on small-unit processing early in word recognition, English children applied small-unit decoding only upon rereading-possibly when experiencing difficulties in integrating an unfamiliar word into the sentence context. Rather unexpectedly, cross-linguistic differences were also found in adults in that English adults showed longer processing times than German adults for nonwords. Thus, although orthographic consistency does play a major role in reading development, cross-linguistic differences are detectable even in skilled adult readers. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Individual Differences in Behavioral and Electrophysiological Measures of Binaural Processing Across the Adult Life Span.

Science.gov (United States)

Roup, Christina M; Leigh, Elizabeth D

2015-06-01

The purpose of the present study was to examine individual differences in binaural processing across the adult life span. Sixty listeners (aged 23-80 years) with symmetrical hearing were tested. Binaural behavioral processing was measured by the Words-in-Noise Test, the 500-Hz masking level difference, and the Dichotic Digit Test. Electrophysiologic responses were assessed by the auditory middle latency response binaural interaction component. No correlations among binaural measures were found. Age accounted for the greatest amount of variability in speech-in-noise performance. Age was significantly correlated with the Words-in-Noise Test binaural advantage and dichotic ear advantage. Partial correlations, however, revealed that this was an effect of hearing status rather than age per se. Inspection of individual results revealed that 20% of listeners demonstrated reduced binaural performance for at least 2 of the binaural measures. The lack of significant correlations among variables suggests that each is an important measurement of binaural abilities. For some listeners, binaural processing was abnormal, reflecting a binaural processing deficit not identified by monaural audiologic tests. The inclusion of a binaural test battery in the audiologic evaluation is supported given that these listeners may benefit from alternative forms of audiologic rehabilitation.

Exploring cultural differences in feedback processes and perceived instructiveness during clerkships: replicating a Dutch study in Indonesia.

Science.gov (United States)

Suhoyo, Yoyo; van Hell, Elisabeth A; Prihatiningsih, Titi S; Kuks, Jan B M; Cohen-Schotanus, Janke

2014-03-01

Cultural differences between countries may entail differences in feedback processes. By replicating a Dutch study in Indonesia, we analysed whether differences in processes influenced the perceived instructiveness of feedback. Over a two-week period, Indonesian students (n = 215) recorded feedback moments during clerkships, noting who provided the feedback, whether the feedback was based on observations, who initiated the feedback, and its perceived instructiveness. Data were compared with the earlier Dutch study and analysed with χ(2) tests, t-tests and multilevel techniques. Cultural differences were explored using Hofstede's Model, with Indonesia and the Netherlands differing on "power distance" and "individualism." Perceived instructiveness of feedback did not differ significantly between both countries. However, significant differences were found in feedback provider, observation and initiative. Indonesian students perceived feedback as more instructive if provided by specialists and initiated jointly by the supervisor and student (βresidents = -0.201, p culture. Further research is necessary to unravel other possible influences of culture in implementing feedback procedures in different countries.

Gender differences in the motivational processing of babies are determined by their facial attractiveness.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rinah Yamamoto

2009-06-01

Full Text Available This study sought to determine how esthetic appearance of babies may affect their motivational processing by the adults.Healthy men and women were administered two laboratory-based tasks: a key pressing to change the viewing time of normal-looking babies and of those with abnormal facial features (e.g., cleft palate, strabismus, skin disorders, Down's syndrome and fetal alcohol syndrome and b attractiveness ratings of these images. Exposure to the babies' images produced two different response patterns: for normal babies, there was a similar effort by the two groups to extend the visual processing with lower attractiveness ratings by men; for abnormal babies, women exerted greater effort to shorten the viewing time despite attractiveness ratings comparable to the men.These results indicate that gender differences in the motivational processing of babies include excessive (relative to the esthetic valuation motivation to extend the viewing time of normal babies by men vs. shortening the exposure to the abnormal babies by women. Such gender-specific incentive sensitization phenomenon may reflect an evolutionary-derived need for diversion of limited resources to the nurturance of healthy offspring.

Gender Differences in the Motivational Processing of Babies Are Determined by Their Facial Attractiveness

Science.gov (United States)

Yamamoto, Rinah; Ariely, Dan; Chi, Won; Langleben, Daniel D.; Elman, Igor

2009-01-01

Background This study sought to determine how esthetic appearance of babies may affect their motivational processing by the adults. Methodology and Principal Findings Healthy men and women were administered two laboratory-based tasks: a) key pressing to change the viewing time of normal-looking babies and of those with abnormal facial features (e.g., cleft palate, strabismus, skin disorders, Down's syndrome and fetal alcohol syndrome) and b) attractiveness ratings of these images. Exposure to the babies' images produced two different response patterns: for normal babies, there was a similar effort by the two groups to extend the visual processing with lower attractiveness ratings by men; for abnormal babies, women exerted greater effort to shorten the viewing time despite attractiveness ratings comparable to the men. Conclusions These results indicate that gender differences in the motivational processing of babies include excessive (relative to the esthetic valuation) motivation to extend the viewing time of normal babies by men vs. shortening the exposure to the abnormal babies by women. Such gender-specific incentive sensitization phenomenon may reflect an evolutionary-derived need for diversion of limited resources to the nurturance of healthy offspring. PMID:19554100

Experimental analysis of influence of different lubricants types on the multi-phase ironing process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milan Djordjević

2013-05-01

Full Text Available This paper is aimed at presenting results of an experimental analysis of the different types of lubricants influence on the multi-phase ironing process. Based on sliding of the metal strip between the two contact elements a special tribological model was adopted. The subject of experimental investigations was variations of the drawing force, contact pressure and the friction coefficient for each type of the applied lubricants. The ironing process was conducted in three-phases at the constant sliding velocity. The objective of this analysis was to compare all the applied lubricants in order to estimate their quality from the point of view of their applicability in the multi-phase ironing process.

EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT LUBRICANTS TYPES ON THE MULTI-PHASE IRONING PROCESS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milan Djordjević

2013-09-01

Full Text Available This paper is aimed at presenting results of an experimental analysis of the different types of lubricants influence on the multi-phase ironing process. Based on sliding of the metal strip between the two contact elements a special tribological model was adopted. The subject of experimental investigations was variations of the drawing force, contact pressure and the friction coefficient for each type of the applied lubricants. The ironing process was conducted in three-phases at the constant sliding velocity. The objective of this analysis was to compare all the applied lubricants in order to estimate their quality from the point of view of their applicability in the multi-phase ironing process.

Pain perception studies in tension-type headache.

Science.gov (United States)

Bezov, David; Ashina, Sait; Jensen, Rigmor; Bendtsen, Lars

2011-02-01

Tension-type headache (TTH) is a disorder with high prevalence and significant impact on society. Understanding of pathophysiology of TTH is paramount for development of effective treatments and prevention of chronification of TTH. Our aim was to review the findings from pain perception studies of pathophysiology of TTH as well as to review the research of pathophysiology of TTH. Pain perception studies such as measurement of muscle tenderness, pain detection thresholds, pain tolerance thresholds, pain response to suprathreshold stimulation, temporal summation and diffuse noxious inhibitory control (DNIC) have played a central role in elucidating the pathophysiology of TTH. It has been demonstrated that continuous nociceptive input from peripheral myofascial structures may induce central sensitization and thereby chronification of the headache. Measurements of pain tolerance thresholds and suprathreshold stimulation have shown presence of generalized hyperalgesia in chronic tension-type headache (CTTH) patients, while DNIC function has been shown to be reduced in CTTH. One imaging study showed loss of gray matter structures involved in pain processing in CTTH patients. Future studies should aim to integrate pain perception and imaging to confirm this finding. Pharmacological studies have shown that drugs like tricyclic anti-depressant amitriptyline and nitric oxide synthase inhibitors can reverse central sensitization and the chronicity of headache. Finally, low frequency electrical stimulation has been shown to rapidly reverse central sensitization and may be a new modality in treatment of CTTH and other chronic pain disorders. © 2010 American Headache Society.

Loud Music Exposure and Cochlear Synaptopathy in Young Adults: Isolated Auditory Brainstem Response Effects but No Perceptual Consequences.

Science.gov (United States)

Grose, John H; Buss, Emily; Hall, Joseph W

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that listeners with frequent exposure to loud music exhibit deficits in suprathreshold auditory performance consistent with cochlear synaptopathy. Young adults with normal audiograms were recruited who either did ( n = 31) or did not ( n = 30) have a history of frequent attendance at loud music venues where the typical sound levels could be expected to result in temporary threshold shifts. A test battery was administered that comprised three sets of procedures: (a) electrophysiological tests including distortion product otoacoustic emissions, auditory brainstem responses, envelope following responses, and the acoustic change complex evoked by an interaural phase inversion; (b) psychoacoustic tests including temporal modulation detection, spectral modulation detection, and sensitivity to interaural phase; and (c) speech tests including filtered phoneme recognition and speech-in-noise recognition. The results demonstrated that a history of loud music exposure can lead to a profile of peripheral auditory function that is consistent with an interpretation of cochlear synaptopathy in humans, namely, modestly abnormal auditory brainstem response Wave I/Wave V ratios in the presence of normal distortion product otoacoustic emissions and normal audiometric thresholds. However, there were no other electrophysiological, psychophysical, or speech perception effects. The absence of any behavioral effects in suprathreshold sound processing indicated that, even if cochlear synaptopathy is a valid pathophysiological condition in humans, its perceptual sequelae are either too diffuse or too inconsequential to permit a simple differential diagnosis of hidden hearing loss.

Interference in Ballistic Motor Learning: Specificity and Role of Sensory Error Signals

Science.gov (United States)

Lundbye-Jensen, Jesper; Petersen, Tue Hvass; Rothwell, John C.; Nielsen, Jens Bo

2011-01-01

Humans are capable of learning numerous motor skills, but newly acquired skills may be abolished by subsequent learning. Here we ask what factors determine whether interference occurs in motor learning. We speculated that interference requires competing processes of synaptic plasticity in overlapping circuits and predicted specificity. To test this, subjects learned a ballistic motor task. Interference was observed following subsequent learning of an accuracy-tracking task, but only if the competing task involved the same muscles and movement direction. Interference was not observed from a non-learning task suggesting that interference requires competing learning. Subsequent learning of the competing task 4 h after initial learning did not cause interference suggesting disruption of early motor memory consolidation as one possible mechanism underlying interference. Repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of corticospinal motor output at intensities below movement threshold did not cause interference, whereas suprathreshold rTMS evoking motor responses and (re)afferent activation did. Finally, the experiments revealed that suprathreshold repetitive electrical stimulation of the agonist (but not antagonist) peripheral nerve caused interference. The present study is, to our knowledge, the first to demonstrate that peripheral nerve stimulation may cause interference. The finding underscores the importance of sensory feedback as error signals in motor learning. We conclude that interference requires competing plasticity in overlapping circuits. Interference is remarkably specific for circuits involved in a specific movement and it may relate to sensory error signals. PMID:21408054

Phycocyanin stability in microcapsules processed by spray drying method using different inlet temperature

Science.gov (United States)

Purnamayati, L.; Dewi, EN; Kurniasih, R. A.

2018-02-01

Phycocyanin is natural blue colorant which easily damages by heat. The inlet temperature of spray dryer is an important parameter representing the feature of the microcapsules.The aim of this study was to investigate the phycocyanin stability of microcapsules made from Spirulina sp with maltodextrin and κ-Carrageenan as the coating material, processed by spray drying method in different inlet temperature. Microcapsules were processed in three various inlet temperaturei.e. 90°C, 110°C, and 130°C, respectively. The results indicated that phycocyanin microcapsule with 90°C of inlet temperature produced the highest moisture content, phycocyanin concentration and encapsulation efficiency of 3,5%, 1,729% and 29,623%, respectively. On the other hand, the highest encapsulation yield was produced by 130°C of theinlet temperature of 29,48% and not significantly different with 110°C. The results of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) showed that phycocyanin microcapsules with 110°C of inlet temperature produced the most rounded shape. To sum up, 110°C was the best inlet temperature to phycocyanin microencapsulation by the spray dryer.

Antioxidant activity of Macrolepiota procera wild mushroom submitted to different processing technologies

OpenAIRE

Fernandes, Ângela; Carocho, Márcio; Antonio, Amilcar L.; Oliveira, M.B.P.P.; Martins, Anabela; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.

2013-01-01

Mushrooms are very perishable food products and tend to lose quality immediately after harveStr. Drying is the most common method for preserving mushrooms, freezing is becoming increasingly popular and food irradiation has also been suggested by many researchers as a good conservation technique in order to maintain and increase the food shelf life. In the present work, the effects of different processing technologies (freezing, drying and gamma irradiation) on antioxidant activity...

Comparative Study of Different Processing Methods for the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The result of the two processing methods reduced the cyanide concentration to the barest minimum level required by World Health Organization (10mg/kg). The mechanical pressing-fermentation method removed more cyanide when compared to fermentation processing method. Keywords: Cyanide, Fermentation, Manihot ...

The role of peripheral afferents in persistent inguinal postherniorrhaphy pain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wijayasinghe, N; Ringsted, T K; Bischoff, J M

2016-01-01

) in the medial aspect of the inguinal region that triggers pain upon minimal pressure. As TPs may play a role in the pathophysiology of PIPP, the aim of this trial was to investigate the analgesic effects of local anaesthetic TP-blockade. METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial......-algometry) and quantitative sensory testing (pressure pain thresholds, thermal detection/pain thresholds, supra-threshold heat perception), before and after the TP-blockade. RESULTS: The median (95% CI) reduction in pain was 63% (44.1 to 73.6%) after bupivacaine compared with 36% (11.6 to 49.7%; P=0.003) after placebo....... Significant increases in cool detection (P=0.01) and pressure pain thresholds (P=0.009) with decreases in supra-threshold heat pain perception (P=0.003) were seen after bupivacaine only. In four out of six volunteers, increased thermal and evoked-pain thresholds after bupivacaine compared with placebo...

Assessing the processing quality of different potato cultivars during storage at various temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amjad, A.; Randhawa, M.A.; Butt, M.S.; Asghar, M.

2016-01-01

Processing industry needs continuous supply of tubers for fries/chips preparation throughout the year. Storage is obligatory to meet the increasing demand of population. Objective of this study was to evaluate the processing and quality characteristics of different potato cultivars (Lady Rosetta, Sante, Hermes, Crozo, Kuroda and Asterix) during storage with 75-80 percent relative humidity for the period of 160 days at various temperatures (3 degree C, 7 degree C, 11 degree C). Quality parameters such as specific gravity, sprouting, weight loss, dry matter, starch content, ascorbic acid, sugar content and invertase enzyme activity were determined to estimate the processing potential of each cultivar. High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) equipped with amino (NH2) column and Refractive Index Detector (RID) was used for the identification and quantification of sugars. The findings of the present work showed that temperature significantly (p Hermes > Crozo > Sante > Asterix > Kuroda. (author)

Evaluation of Soybean–Navy Bean Emulsions Using Different Processing Technologies

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Sean X. Liu

2017-05-01

Full Text Available In this study, an innovative emulsion made from soybean and navy bean blends of different proportionalities was developed. In addition, two processing methods were used: traditional cooking and jet-cooking. The physical attributes and storage stability were measured and compared. This study found that the high content of starch and fiber in navy bean flour contributes to the increase in viscosity of the emulsions, at both room and refrigeration temperatures, as the proportion of navy bean flour in the blends increased. The steam jet-cooked emulsions with higher soybean content has better shelf life stability, smaller particle size, higher fat, lower starch, and lower viscosity, whereas the traditional kettle cooking method is better in reducing anti-nutritional components. No significant difference was found between the two cooking methods in terms of nutritional contents in the emulsions, such as protein, crude fat, and total starch. The traditional kettle cooking, with its longer cooking time, seems to reduce more trypsin inhibitor in the emulsions than those prepared with the steam jet-cooking. This exploratory study is the first to report soybean–navy bean beverage prototypes having desirable nutritional value and the potential for functional beverage market.

COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT ADVANCED OXIDATION PROCESSES DEGRADING P-CHLOROPHENOL IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION

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H. Movahedyan ، A. M. Seid Mohammadi ، A. Assadi

2009-07-01

Full Text Available In present study, degradation of p-chlorophenol using several oxidation systems involving advanced oxidation processes such as ultraviolet/H2O2, microwave/H2O2 and both in the absence of hydrogen peroxide in batch mode by photolytic pilot plant and modified domestic microwave oven was evaluated. The oxidation rate was influenced by many factors, such as the pH value, the amount of hydrogen peroxide, irradiation time and microwave power. The optimum conditions obtained for the best degradation rate were pH=7 and H2O2 concentration of 0.05 mol/L for ultraviolet/H2O2 system and pH=10.5, H2O2 concentration of about 0.1 mol/L and microwave irradiation power of about 600W for microwave/H2O2 system at constant p-chlorophenol concentration. The degradation of p-chlorophenol by different types of oxidation processes followed first order rate decay kinetics. The rate constants were 0.137, 0.012, 0.02 and 0.004/min1 for ultraviolet/H2O2, microwave/H2O2, ultraviolet and microwave irradiation alone. Finally a comparison of the specific energy consumption showed that ultraviolet/H2O2 process reduced the energy consumption by at least 67% compared with the microwave/H2O2 process.

Effect of different film packaging on microbial growth in minimally processed cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica).

Science.gov (United States)

Palma, A; Mangia, N P; Fadda, A; Barberis, A; Schirra, M; D'Aquino, S

2013-01-01

Microorganisms are natural contaminants of fresh produce and minimally processed products, and contamination arises from a number of sources, including the environment, postharvest handling and processing. Fresh-cut products are particularly susceptible to microbial contaminations because of the changes occurring in the tissues during processing. In package gas composition of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) in combination with low storage temperatures besides reducing physiological activity of packaged produce, can also delay pathogen growth. Present study investigated on the effect of MAPs, achieved with different plastic films, on microbial growth of minimally processed cactus pear (Opuntio ficus-indica) fruit. Five different plastic materials were used for packaging the manually peeled fruit. That is: a) polypropylene film (Termoplast MY 40 micron thickness, O2 transmission rate 300 cc/m2/24h); b) polyethylene film (Bolphane BHE, 11 micron thickness, O2 transmission rate 19000 cc/m2/24h); c) polypropylene laser-perforated films (Mach Packaging) with 8, 16 or 32 100-micron holes. Total aerobic psychrophilic, mesophilic microorganisms, Enterobacteriaceae, yeast, mould populations and in-package CO2, O2 and C2H4 were determined at each storage time. Different final gas compositions, ranging from 7.8 KPa to 17.1 KPa O2, and 12.7 KPa to 2.6 KPa CO2, were achieved with MY and micro perforated films, respectively. Differences were detected in the mesophilic, Enterobacteriaceae and yeast loads, while no difference was detected in psychrophilic microorganisms. At the end of storage, microbial load in fruits sealed with MY film was significantly lower than in those sealed with BHE and micro perforated films. Furthermore, fruits packed with micro-perforated films showed the highest microbial load. This occurrence may in part be related to in-package gas composition and in part to a continuous contamination of microorganisms through micro-holes.

Outcome and process differences between professional and nonprofessional therapists in time-limited group psychotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Burlingame, G M; Barlow, S H

1996-10-01

The outcome of clients who saw one of four "expert" professional group therapists selected by peer nomination or four "natural helper" nonprofessional nominated by students is contrasted in a 15-session psychotherapy group. Process measures tapping specific group and "common factors" were drawn from sessions 3, 8, and 14; outcome was assessed at pre, mid, posttreatment, and a 6-month follow-up. Results were examined by leader condition (professional vs. nonprofessional therapists) and time (group development). Virtually no reliable differences were found on measures of outcome primarily because of a floor effect on several measures. Therapist differences on the process measures tapping the "common factors" of therapeutic alliance, client expectancy, and perception of therapists were either nonsignificant or disappeared by the end of treatment. A complex picture of differences on one therapeutic factor (insight), common factor measures and subtle variation in the outcome data suggests a distinct pattern of change, however. Methodological limitations are also addressed including problems inherent in large-scale clinical-trial studies, ethical concerns raised by using nonprofessional leaders, and problems with generalizability, given the absence of significant psychopathology in group members.

Brain oscillatory subsequent memory effects differ in power and long-range synchronization between semantic and survival processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Fellner, Marie-Christin; Bäuml, Karl-Heinz T; Hanslmayr, Simon

2013-10-01

Memory crucially depends on the way information is processed during encoding. Differences in processes during encoding not only lead to differences in memory performance but also rely on different brain networks. Although these assumptions are corroborated by several previous fMRI and ERP studies, little is known about how brain oscillations dissociate between different memory encoding tasks. The present study therefore compared encoding related brain oscillatory activity elicited by two very efficient encoding tasks: a typical deep semantic item feature judgment task and a more elaborative survival encoding task. Subjects were asked to judge words either for survival relevance or for animacy, as indicated by a cue presented prior to the item. This allowed dissociating pre-item activity from item-related activity for both tasks. Replicating prior studies, survival processing led to higher recognition performance than semantic processing. Successful encoding in the semantic condition was reflected by a strong decrease in alpha and beta power, whereas successful encoding in the survival condition was related to increased alpha and beta long-range phase synchrony. Moreover, a pre-item subsequent memory effect in theta power was found which did not vary with encoding condition. These results show that measures of local synchrony (power) and global long range-synchrony (phase synchronization) dissociate between memory encoding processes. Whereas semantic encoding was reflected in decreases in local synchrony, increases in global long range synchrony were related to elaborative survival encoding, presumably reflecting the involvement of a more widespread cortical network in this task. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gender differences in cerebral metabolism for color processing in mice: A PET/MRI Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Njemanze, Philip C; Kranz, Mathias; Amend, Mario; Hauser, Jens; Wehrl, Hans; Brust, Peter

2017-01-01

Color processing is a central component of mammalian vision. Gender-related differences of color processing revealed by non-invasive functional transcranial Doppler ultrasound suggested right hemisphere pattern for blue/yellow chromatic opponency by men, and a left hemisphere pattern by women. The present study measured the accumulation of [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) in mouse brain using small animal positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) with statistical parametric mapping (SPM) during light stimulation with blue and yellow filters compared to darkness condition. PET revealed a reverse pattern relative to dark condition compared to previous human studies: Male mice presented with left visual cortex dominance for blue through the right eye, while female mice presented with right visual cortex dominance for blue through the left eye. We applied statistical parametric mapping (SPM) to examine gender differences in activated architectonic areas within the orbital and medial prefrontal cortex and related cortical and sub-cortical areas that lead to the striatum, medial thalamus and other brain areas. The metabolic connectivity of the orbital and medial prefrontal cortex evoked by blue stimulation spread through a wide range of brain structures implicated in viscerosensory and visceromotor systems in the left intra-hemispheric regions in male, but in the right-to-left inter-hemispheric regions in female mice. Color functional ocular dominance plasticity was noted in the right eye in male mice but in the left eye in female mice. This study of color processing in an animal model could be applied in the study of the role of gender differences in brain disease.

Inter-Governmental E-Government Processes:Comparison of Different Solution Approaches- Based on Examples from Switzerland / Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frank Zimmermann

2006-12-01

Full Text Available The main objective of this article is to describe different solution approaches for e-Government processes across different institutions at different levels of public administrations: a phased approach for specific e-Government solutions and a platform approach for cross-organisational public services. We discuss selection criteria for the different approaches considering several examples and indicate a relationship between the expected return-on-investment and the complexity of the solution.

Individual differences in emotion lateralisation and the processing of emotional information arising from social interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Bourne, Victoria J; Watling, Dawn

2015-01-01

Previous research examining the possible association between emotion lateralisation and social anxiety has found conflicting results. In this paper two studies are presented to assess two aspects related to different features of social anxiety: fear of negative evaluation (FNE) and emotion regulation. Lateralisation for the processing of facial emotion was measured using the chimeric faces test. Individuals with greater FNE were more strongly lateralised to the right hemisphere for the processing of anger, happiness and sadness; and, for the processing of fearful faces the relationship was found for females only. Emotion regulation strategies were reduced to two factors: positive strategies and negative strategies. For males, but not females, greater reported use of negative emotion strategies is associated with stronger right hemisphere lateralisation for processing negative emotions. The implications for further understanding the neuropsychological processing of emotion in individuals with social anxiety are discussed.

[Perception, processing of visual information and resistance to emotional stresses in athletes of different ages].

Science.gov (United States)

Korobeĭnikova, L H; Makarchuk, M Iu

2013-01-01

Among the numerous studies devoted to the study of perception and information processing, no data available on the effects of age on these processes. In this paper we studied the influence of psycho-emotional stress and different levels of stress on the mental processes of perception and information processing in highly skilled athletes divided into two groups. The first group included the athletes aged 19-24 years (12 athletes, members of the Ukrainian team in Greco-Roman wrestling), the second group included the athletes aged 27-31 years (7 highly skilled athletes, members of the Ukrainian team in Greco-Roman wrestling). We revealed that the athletes of the first group had higher productivity and better visual perception and visual information processing efficiency, compared with athletes from the second group. This observation suggests a dependency of cognitive component of perception and information processing on the age of the athletes. Sportsmen from the second group had higher stress resistance compared to the older age group.

Pain sensation and nociceptive reflex excitability in surgical patients and human volunteers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dahl, J B; Erichsen, C J; Fuglsang-Frederiksen, A

1992-01-01

Pain threshold, nociceptive flexion reflex (NFR) threshold and responses to suprathreshold stimulation were investigated in 15 female patients (mean age 32 yr (range 22-48 yr)) before and 68 (range 48-96) h after gynaecological laparotomy. Control measurements were performed in 17 healthy human v...

Selective exposure to information: how different modes of decision making affect subsequent confirmatory information processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Fischer, Peter; Fischer, Julia; Weisweiler, Silke; Frey, Dieter

2010-12-01

We investigated whether different modes of decision making (deliberate, intuitive, distracted) affect subsequent confirmatory processing of decision-consistent and inconsistent information. Participants showed higher levels of confirmatory information processing when they made a deliberate or an intuitive decision versus a decision under distraction (Studies 1 and 2). As soon as participants have a cognitive (i.e., deliberate cognitive analysis) or affective (i.e., intuitive and gut feeling) reason for their decision, the subjective confidence in the validity of their decision increases, which results in increased levels of confirmatory information processing (Study 2). In contrast, when participants are distracted during decision making, they are less certain about the validity of their decision and thus are subsequently more balanced in the processing of decision-relevant information.

Assessment of iron bioavailability from different bread making processes using an in vitro intestinal cell model.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez-Ramiro, I; Brearley, C A; Bruggraber, S F A; Perfecto, A; Shewry, P; Fairweather-Tait, S

2017-08-01

Myo-inositol hexakisphosphate (IP6), is the main iron chelator in cereals and bread. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of three commercial baking processes (sourdough, conventional yeast and Chorleywood Bread Making Process (CBP)) on the IP6 content of wholemeal bread, its impact on iron uptake in Caco-2 cells and the predicted bioavailability of iron from these breads with added iron, simulating a mixed-meal. The sourdough process fully degraded IP6 whilst the CBP and conventional processes reduced it by 75% compared with wholemeal flour. The iron released in solution after a simulated digestion was 8-fold higher in sourdough bread than with others but no difference in cellular iron uptake was observed. Additionally, when iron was added to the different breads digestions only sourdough bread elicited a significant ferritin response in Caco-2 cells (4.8-fold compared to the other breads) suggesting that sourdough bread could contribute towards improved iron nutrition. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sex differences in brain activation patterns during processing of positively and negatively valenced emotional words.

Science.gov (United States)

Hofer, Alex; Siedentopf, Christian M; Ischebeck, Anja; Rettenbacher, Maria A; Verius, Michael; Felber, Stephan; Wolfgang Fleischhacker, W

2007-01-01

Previous studies have suggested that men and women process emotional stimuli differently. In this study, we used event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate gender differences in regional cerebral activity during the perception of positive or negative emotions. The experiment comprised two emotional conditions (positively/negatively valenced words) during which fMRI data were acquired. Thirty-eight healthy volunteers (19 males, 19 females) were investigated. A direct comparison of brain activation between men and women revealed differential activation in the right putamen, the right superior temporal gyrus, and the left supramarginal gyrus during processing of positively valenced words versus non-words for women versus men. By contrast, during processing of negatively valenced words versus non-words, relatively greater activation was seen in the left perirhinal cortex and hippocampus for women versus men, and in the right supramarginal gyrus for men versus women. Our findings suggest gender-related neural responses to emotional stimuli and could contribute to the understanding of mechanisms underlying the gender disparity of neuropsychiatric diseases such as mood disorders.

Role of activated carbon on micropollutans degradation by different radiation processes

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Inmaculada Velo Gala

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to analyse the influence of the presence of activated carbon on radiation processes. The triiodinated contrast medium diatrizoate was chosen as the contaminant model. We selected four commercial activated carbons and sixteen gamma radiation-modified carbons derived from these. The different advanced oxidation/reduction processes that have been studied were improved through the addition of activated carbon in the UV light and gamma radiating processes. In the UV/activated carbon process, the synergic activity of the activated carbon is enhanced in the samples with higher percentages of surface oxygen, ester/anhydride groups and carbon atoms with sp2 hybridization. Band gap determination of activated carbons revealed that they behave as semiconductor materials and, therefore, as photoactive materials in the presence of UV radiation, given that all band gap values are <4 eV. We also observed that the gamma radiation treatment reduces the band gap values of the activated carbons and that, in a single series of commercial carbons, lower band gap values correspond to higher contaminant removal rate values. We observed that the activity of the reutilized activated carbons is similar to that of the original carbons. Based on these results, we proposed that the activated carbon acts as a photocatalyst, promoting electrons of the valence band to the conduction band and increasing the generation of HO• radicals in the medium. Similarly, there was a synergic effect made by the presence of activated carbon in gamma radiation system, which favours pollutant removal. This synergic effect is independent of the textural but not the chemical characteristics of the activated carbon, observing a higher synergic activity for carbons with a higher surface content of oxygen, specifically quinone groups. We highlight that the synergic effect of the activated carbon requires adsorbent–adsorbate electrostatic interaction and is absent

Self-organized dynamical complexity in human wakefulness and sleep: Different critical brain-activity feedback for conscious and unconscious states

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Allegrini, Paolo; Paradisi, Paolo; Menicucci, Danilo; Laurino, Marco; Piarulli, Andrea; Gemignani, Angelo

2015-09-01

Criticality reportedly describes brain dynamics. The main critical feature is the presence of scale-free neural avalanches, whose auto-organization is determined by a critical branching ratio of neural-excitation spreading. Other features, directly associated to second-order phase transitions, are: (i) scale-free-network topology of functional connectivity, stemming from suprathreshold pairwise correlations, superimposable, in waking brain activity, with that of ferromagnets at Curie temperature; (ii) temporal long-range memory associated to renewal intermittency driven by abrupt fluctuations in the order parameters, detectable in human brain via spatially distributed phase or amplitude changes in EEG activity. Herein we study intermittent events, extracted from 29 night EEG recordings, including presleep wakefulness and all phases of sleep, where different levels of mentation and consciousness are present. We show that while critical avalanching is unchanged, at least qualitatively, intermittency and functional connectivity, present during conscious phases (wakefulness and REM sleep), break down during both shallow and deep non-REM sleep. We provide a theory for fragmentation-induced intermittency breakdown and suggest that the main difference between conscious and unconscious states resides in the backwards causation, namely on the constraints that the emerging properties at large scale induce to the lower scales. In particular, while in conscious states this backwards causation induces a critical slowing down, preserving spatiotemporal correlations, in dreamless sleep we see a self-organized maintenance of moduli working in parallel. Critical avalanches are still present, and establish transient auto-organization, whose enhanced fluctuations are able to trigger sleep-protecting mechanisms that reinstate parallel activity. The plausible role of critical avalanches in dreamless sleep is to provide a rapid recovery of consciousness, if stimuli are highly arousing.

Where innovation processes make a difference in products' short- and long-term market success

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Enzing, C.; Batterink, M.H.; Janszen, F.H.A.; Omta, S.W.F.

2011-01-01

Purpose – This paper seeks to investigate with reference to which factors the innovation processes of new and improved products differ and how these factors relate to the products' success on the market, with a specific focus on technology- and market-related factors. Design/methodology approach –

Health technology funding decision-making processes around the world: the same, yet different.

Science.gov (United States)

Stafinski, Tania; Menon, Devidas; Philippon, Donald J; McCabe, Christopher

2011-06-01

All healthcare systems routinely make resource allocation decisions that trade off potential health gains to different patient populations. However, when such trade-offs relate to the introduction of new, promising health technologies, perceived 'winners' and 'losers' are more apparent. In recent years, public scrutiny over such decisions has intensified, raising the need to better understand how they are currently made and how they might be improved. The objective of this paper is to critically review and compare current processes for making health technology funding decisions at the regional, state/provincial and national level in 20 countries. A comprehensive search for published, peer-reviewed and grey literature describing actual national, state/provincial and regional/institutional technology decision-making processes was conducted. Information was extracted by two independent reviewers and tabulated to facilitate qualitative comparative analyses. To identify strengths and weaknesses of processes identified, websites of corresponding organizations were searched for commissioned reviews/evaluations, which were subsequently analysed using standard qualitative methods. A total of 21 national, four provincial/state and six regional/institutional-level processes were found. Although information on each one varied, they could be grouped into four sequential categories: (i) identification of the decision problem; (ii) information inputs; (iii) elements of the decision-making process; and (iv) public accountability and decision implementation. While information requirements of all processes appeared substantial and decision-making factors comprehensive, the way in which they were utilized was often unclear, as were approaches used to incorporate social values or equity arguments into decisions. A comprehensive inventory of approaches to implementing the four main components of all technology funding decision-making processes was compiled, from which areas for future

Effect of DNA extraction in the Rosa canina L. identification under different processing temperature

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Jana Žiarovská

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Rosa canina, L. is widely used for medicinal purposes as well as in food industry where it is a valuable source, bioactive compounds and natural colorants. Actually, no specific method is recommended as suitable one for DNA extraction from rose hips. The aim of the study was to compare three commercial and three non-commercial methods to extract total genomic DNA from rose hips hyphanthium. Four methods are based on the precipitation in principle and two methods are based on resin-binding. Extracted DNA was proved for the effectivity in following PCR. In total, six different DNA isolations was performed for differently heat processes rose hips - fresh hyphanthium, 2-weeks frozen hyphanthium, dried hyphanthium (50 °C and boiled hyphanthium (100 °C. The amplification parameters of 500 bp chloroplast gene amplicon were evaluated. Obtained amounts of extracted DNA was very variable not only for every individual method used but for individual treatment of samples, too. In general, non-commercial method provided higher amount of extracted DNA, but the A260/280 ratio was lower. When regarding the processing treatment of the samples, high differences were found among the samples untreated by heat and those that were dried or boiled for three of the used extraction methods. All the samples were positive for amplification, but different amounts of amplified product were obtained. The comparison of data for concentrations of extracted DNA and concentrations of amplified product showed large differences when regarding the achieved purity of DNA in extraction.

Subcortical amplitude modulation encoding deficits suggest evidence of cochlear synaptopathy in normal-hearing 18-19 year olds with higher lifetime noise exposure.

Science.gov (United States)

Paul, Brandon T; Waheed, Sajal; Bruce, Ian C; Roberts, Larry E

2017-11-01

Noise exposure and aging can damage cochlear synapses required for suprathreshold listening, even when cochlear structures needed for hearing at threshold remain unaffected. To control for effects of aging, behavioral amplitude modulation (AM) detection and subcortical envelope following responses (EFRs) to AM tones in 25 age-restricted (18-19 years) participants with normal thresholds, but different self-reported noise exposure histories were studied. Participants with more noise exposure had smaller EFRs and tended to have poorer AM detection than less-exposed individuals. Simulations of the EFR using a well-established cochlear model were consistent with more synaptopathy in participants reporting greater noise exposure.

Mechanical behaviour of Astm A 297 grade Hp joints welded using different processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emygdio, Paulo Roberto Oliveira; Zeemann, Annelise; Almeida, Luiz Henrique de

1996-01-01

The influence of different arc welding processes on mechanical behaviour was studied for cast heat resistant stainless steel welded joints, in the as welded conditions. ASTM A 297 grade HP with niobium and niobium/titanium additions were welded following three different welding procedures, using shielded metal arc welding gas tungsten arc welding and plasma arc welding, in six welded joints. The welded joint mechanical behaviour was evaluated by ambient temperature and 870 deg C tensile tests; and creep tests at 900 deg C and 50 MPa. Mechanical test results showed that the welding procedure qualification following welding codes is not suitable for high temperature service applications. (author)

Individual Hearing Loss

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Sébastien Santurette

2016-06-01

Full Text Available It is well-established that hearing loss does not only lead to a reduction of hearing sensitivity. Large individual differences are typically observed among listeners with hearing impairment in a wide range of suprathreshold auditory measures. In many cases, audiometric thresholds cannot fully account for such individual differences, which make it challenging to find adequate compensation strategies in hearing devices. How to characterize, model, and compensate for individual hearing loss were the main topics of the fifth International Symposium on Auditory and Audiological Research (ISAAR, held in Nyborg, Denmark, in August 2015. The following collection of papers results from some of the work that was presented and discussed at the symposium.

Recursive Estimation for Dynamical Systems with Different Delay Rates Sensor Network and Autocorrelated Process Noises

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Jianxin Feng

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The recursive estimation problem is studied for a class of uncertain dynamical systems with different delay rates sensor network and autocorrelated process noises. The process noises are assumed to be autocorrelated across time and the autocorrelation property is described by the covariances between different time instants. The system model under consideration is subject to multiplicative noises or stochastic uncertainties. The sensor delay phenomenon occurs in a random way and each sensor in the sensor network has an individual delay rate which is characterized by a binary switching sequence obeying a conditional probability distribution. By using the orthogonal projection theorem and an innovation analysis approach, the desired recursive robust estimators including recursive robust filter, predictor, and smoother are obtained. Simulation results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approaches.

Individual differences in emotion processing: how similar are diffusion model parameters across tasks?

Science.gov (United States)

Mueller, Christina J; White, Corey N; Kuchinke, Lars

2017-11-27

The goal of this study was to replicate findings of diffusion model parameters capturing emotion effects in a lexical decision task and investigating whether these findings extend to other tasks of implicit emotion processing. Additionally, we were interested in the stability of diffusion model parameters across emotional stimuli and tasks for individual subjects. Responses to words in a lexical decision task were compared with responses to faces in a gender categorization task for stimuli of the emotion categories: happy, neutral and fear. Main effects of emotion as well as stability of emerging response style patterns as evident in diffusion model parameters across these tasks were analyzed. Based on earlier findings, drift rates were assumed to be more similar in response to stimuli of the same emotion category compared to stimuli of a different emotion category. Results showed that emotion effects of the tasks differed with a processing advantage for happy followed by neutral and fear-related words in the lexical decision task and a processing advantage for neutral followed by happy and fearful faces in the gender categorization task. Both emotion effects were captured in estimated drift rate parameters-and in case of the lexical decision task also in the non-decision time parameters. A principal component analysis showed that contrary to our hypothesis drift rates were more similar within a specific task context than within a specific emotion category. Individual response patterns of subjects across tasks were evident in significant correlations regarding diffusion model parameters including response styles, non-decision times and information accumulation.

Similarity and Difference in Drug Addiction Process Between Heroin- and Methamphetamine-Dependent Users.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ziyun; Li, Wei-Xiu; Zhi-Min, Liu

2017-03-21

This study aimed to compare the drug addiction process between Chinese heroin- and methamphetamine (MA)-dependent users via a modified 4-stage addiction model (experimentation, occasional use, regular use, and compulsive use). A descriptive study was conducted among 683 eligible participants. In the statistical analysis, we selected 340 heroin- and 295 MA-dependent users without illicit drug use prior to onset of heroin or MA use. The addiction process of heroin-dependent users was shorter than that of MA-dependent users, with shorter transitions from the onset of drug-use to the first drug craving (19.5 vs. 50.0 days), regular use (30.0 vs. 60.0 days), and compulsive use (50.0 vs. 85.0 days). However, no significant differences in the addiction process were observed in frequency of drug administration, except that heroin users reported more administrations of the drug (20.0 vs. 15.0) before progressing to the stage of compulsive drug use. A larger proportion of regular heroin users progressed to use illicit drugs recklessly than did MA users. Most heroin and MA users reported psychological dependence as their primary motivation for compulsive drug use, but more heroin users selected uncomfortable symptoms upon ceasing drug use as further reason to continue. Our results suggest that typical heroin and MA users may experience a similar four-stage addiction process, but MA users might undergo a longer addiction process (in days). More research is necessary to further explore factors influencing the drug addiction process.

Increased sensitivity to supra-threshold painful stimuli in patients with multiple functional somatic symptoms (MFS)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kuzminskyte, Ruta; Kupers, Ronny Clement Florent; Videbech, Poul

2010-01-01

threshold and pain tolerance levels in patients with MFS. Twenty-two patients with MFS and 27 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects volunteered for this study. The subjects received innocuous and noxious thermal stimuli to the volar forearm by means of a Peltier contact heat probe. We assessed pain...... threshold and pain tolerance with an ascending staircase method. Anxiety levels and hemodynamic (blood pressure, pulse rate) and endocrine (cortisol and prolactin release) responses were measured before and after pain testing. We found no group differences for any of the physiological or self...

The comparison of greenhouse gas emissions in sewage treatment plants with different treatment processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Masuda, Shuhei; Sano, Itsumi; Hojo, Toshimasa; Li, Yu-You; Nishimura, Osamu

2018-02-01

Greenhouse gas emissions from different sewage treatment plants: oxidation ditch process, double-circulated anoxic-oxic process and anoxic-oxic process were evaluated based on the survey. The methane and nitrous oxide characteristics were discussed based on the gaseous and dissolved gas profiles. As a result, it was found that methane was produced in the sewer pipes and the primary sedimentation tank. Additionally, a ventilation system would promote the gasification of dissolved methane in the first treatment units. Nitrous oxide was produced and emitted in oxic tanks with nitrite accumulation inside the sewage treatment plant. A certain amount of nitrous oxide was also discharged as dissolved gas through the effluent water. If the amount of dissolved nitrous oxide discharge is not included, 7-14% of total nitrous oxide emission would be overlooked. Based on the greenhouse gas calculation, electrical consumption and the N 2 O emission from incineration process were major sources in all the plants. For greenhouse gas reduction, oxidation ditch process has an advantage over the other advanced systems due to lower energy consumption, sludge production, and nitrogen removal without gas stripping. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Feeding differently processed soya bean. Part 2. An assessment of haematological responses in the chicken.

Science.gov (United States)

Aletor, V A; Egberongbe, O

1992-01-01

The use of differently processed soya bean as a major source of dietary protein was evaluated in a haematological study using broiler chickens in which groundnut cake (GNC), raw soya bean (RSB), roasted soya bean (RtSB), cooked soya bean (CSB) and soya bean oil cake (SBC) were fed on equi-protein basis. The results showed that: 1. Red blood cell (RBC) count and haemoglobin content of blood significantly (P less than 0.05) increased in chicks fed RSB relative to the other soya bean diets. Feeding differently processed soya bean significantly (P less than 0.05) influenced mean cell haemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) while the mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) was not significantly influenced. 2. Both the total white blood cell (WBC) count and the monocytes were significantly (P less than 0.05) influenced by the dietary treatments. Chicks fed processed soya bean generally had higher number of monocytes. 3. Physical properties determined were specific gravity and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. The latter was significantly (P less than 0.05) lower in all the processed soya bean-fed chicks. 4. Minerals determined in blood were Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu and P. Of all these, chicks fed RSB had significantly (P less than 0.01) lower levels of blood Mg and marked decrease in Ca.

UHPLC-MS/MS Quantification Combined with Chemometrics for Comparative Analysis of Different Batches of Raw, Wine-Processed, and Salt-Processed Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae

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Liu Yang

2018-03-01

Full Text Available An accurate and reliable method using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography combined with triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS was established for simultaneous quantification of five major bioactive analytes in raw, wine-processed, and salt-processed Radix Achyranthis bidentatae (RAB. The results showed that this method exhibited desirable sensitivity, precision, stability, and repeatability. The overall intra-day and inter-day variations (RSD were in the range of 1.57–2.46 and 1.51–3.00%, respectively. The overall recoveries were 98.58–101.48% with a relative standard deviation (RSD of 0.01–1.86%. In addition, the developed approach was applied to 21 batches of raw, wine-processed, and salt-processed samples of RAB. Hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA, principal component analysis (PCA, heat map, and boxplot analysis were performed to evaluate the quality of raw, wine-processed, and salt-processed RAB collected from different regions. The chemometrics combined with the quantitative analysis based on UHPLC–MS/MS results indicated that the content of five analytes increased significantly in processed RAB compared to raw RAB.

Consumer acceptability of differently processed bacons using raw materials from entire males

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lunde, Kathrine; Skuterud, Ellen; Lindahl, Gunilla Karin

2013-01-01

The aim of the present work was to investigate consumers' acceptability of bacons produced from entire males. Three different processing technologies (brine injection, dry salting with and without fermentation) were used. The raw materials had skatole levels from 0.04 to 0.43 mg/kg. The consumers...... showed little variation in liking scores for bacon produced with the different technologies. Assessors trained for recognizing skatole flavour, nevertheless identified the odour and flavour of skatole for more samples and technologies than the consumers did. However, trained sensory panellists could...... not identify taint in all dry salted bacons fermented with Staphylococcus xylosus even at a skatole level of 0.43 mg/kg fat. Sufficient liquid smoke in brine injected bacons masked the skatole flavour of bacons having 0.43 mg skatole/kg fat. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved....

Research on the experiment of reservoir water treatment applying ultrafiltration membrane technology of different processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Liyong; Zhang, Penghui; Wang, Meng; Yang, Kai; Liu, Junliang

2016-09-01

The processes and effects of coagulation-ultrafiltration (C-UF) and coagulation sedimentation-ultrafiltration (CS-UF) process used in the treatment of Dalangdian Reservoir water were compared. The experiment data indicated that 99% of turbidity removal and basically 100% of microorganism and algae removal were achieved in both C-UF and CS-UF process. The organic removal effect of CS-UF? process was slightly better than C-UF process. However, the organic removal effect under different processes was not obvious due to limitation of ultrafiltration membrane aperture. Polyaluminium chloride was taken as a coagulant in water plant. The aluminum ion removal result revealed that coagulant dosage was effectively saved by using membrane technology during megathermal high algae laden period. Within the range of certain reagent concentration and soaking time, air-water backwashing of every filtration cycle of membrane was conducted to effectively reduce membrane pollution. Besides, maintenance cleaning was conducted every 60 min. whether or not restorative cleaning was conducted depends on the pollution extent. After cleaning, recovery of membrane filtration effect was obvious.

Neural bases of different cognitive strategies for facial affect processing in schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Fakra, Eric; Salgado-Pineda, Pilar; Delaveau, Pauline; Hariri, Ahmad R; Blin, Olivier

2008-03-01

To examine the neural basis and dynamics of facial affect processing in schizophrenic patients as compared to healthy controls. Fourteen schizophrenic patients and fourteen matched controls performed a facial affect identification task during fMRI acquisition. The emotional task included an intuitive emotional condition (matching emotional faces) and a more cognitively demanding condition (labeling emotional faces). Individual analysis for each emotional condition, and second-level t-tests examining both within-, and between-group differences, were carried out using a random effects approach. Psychophysiological interactions (PPI) were tested for variations in functional connectivity between amygdala and other brain regions as a function of changes in experimental conditions (labeling versus matching). During the labeling condition, both groups engaged similar networks. During the matching condition, schizophrenics failed to activate regions of the limbic system implicated in the automatic processing of emotions. PPI revealed an inverse functional connectivity between prefrontal regions and the left amygdala in healthy volunteers but there was no such change in patients. Furthermore, during the matching condition, and compared to controls, patients showed decreased activation of regions involved in holistic face processing (fusiform gyrus) and increased activation of regions associated with feature analysis (inferior parietal cortex, left middle temporal lobe, right precuneus). Our findings suggest that schizophrenic patients invariably adopt a cognitive approach when identifying facial affect. The distributed neocortical network observed during the intuitive condition indicates that patients may resort to feature-based, rather than configuration-based, processing and may constitute a compensatory strategy for limbic dysfunction.

Antioxidant properties of differently processed spinach products

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Castenmiller, J.J.M.; Linssen, J.P.H.; Heinonen, I.M.; Hopia, A.I.; Schwarz, K.; Hollman, P.C.H.; West, C.E.

2002-01-01

The effect of variously processed spinach products (whole-leaf, minced and enzymatically liquefied spinach) on lipid oxidation was determined. In an autoxidative methyl linoleate (MeLo) system the inhibition of hydroperoxide formation, measured by HPLC after three days of oxidation, was in

Schizophrenia and sex differences in emotional processing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Scholten, M.R.M.

2007-01-01

Patients with schizophrenia are known to be impaired in several domains of emotional processing. These deficits have been associated with impaired social functioning. Since female patients show better social skills than male patients and healthy women outperform men in emotion recognition and

[Effect of different parts, harvesting time and processing technologies on alkaloids content of Coptis chinensis adventitious root].

Science.gov (United States)

Pang, Jie; Wang, De-Zhen; Zou, Zong-Yao; Wang, Yan-Zhi; Gao, Qian; Li, Xue-Gang

2014-03-01

To investigate the effect of different parts, harvesting time and processing technologies on alkaloids content of Coptis chinensis adventitious root. The content of alkaloids were analyzed by HPLC. The content of total alkaloids in adventitious root harvested in different time was ranged from 2.5% to 2.9%, in which that of berberine and coptisine were the highest, reaching to 1%, and that of palmatine was only 0.1%. It suggested there was no significant difference of total alkaloids at different harvesting time. Nevertheless, the difference of the alkaloids content from different parts was much significant. The content of total alkaloid of adventitious root near to rhizome was about 4%, 2 times higher than that away from rhizome (only 2%). In addition, different processing technologies would affect alkaloids content obviously. There was hardly loss of alkaloids when the fresh adventitious root was washed with water, but it would decrease alkaloids content when the dried adventitious root was washed. Medicine value of Coptis chinensis adventitious root near to rhizome is higher than that away from rhizome. And fresh Coptis chinensis adventitious root can be washed with water.

Highly Processed and Ready-to-Eat Packaged Food and Beverage Purchases Differ by Race/Ethnicity among US Households.

Science.gov (United States)

Poti, Jennifer M; Mendez, Michelle A; Ng, Shu Wen; Popkin, Barry M

2016-09-01

Racial/ethnic disparities in dietary quality persist among Americans, but it is unclear whether highly processed foods or convenience foods contribute to these inequalities. We examined the independent associations of race/ethnicity with highly processed and ready-to-eat (RTE) food purchases among US households. We determined whether controlling for between-group differences in purchases of these products attenuated associations between race/ethnicity and the nutritional quality of purchases. The 2000-2012 Homescan Panel followed US households (n = 157,142) that scanned their consumer packaged goods (CPG) food and beverage purchases. By using repeated-measures regression models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, we examined time-varying associations of race/ethnicity with processed and convenience food purchases, expressed as a percentage of calories purchased. We estimated associations between race/ethnicity and saturated fat, sugar, or energy density of total purchases with and without adjustment for processed and convenience food purchases. Compared with white households, black households had significantly lower purchases of highly processed foods (-4.1% kcal) and RTE convenience foods (-4.9% kcal) and had higher purchases of basic processed foods, particularly cooking oils and sugar (+5.4% kcal), foods requiring cooking/preparation (+4.5% kcal), and highly processed beverages (+7.1% kcal). Hispanics also had lower purchases of highly processed and RTE foods than whites. Blacks had CPG purchases with significantly higher median sugar (+2.2% kcal) and energy density (+72 kcal/1000 g), whereas Hispanics had purchases with lower saturated fat (-0.6% kcal) and energy density (-25 kcal/1000 g) than whites. Racial/ethnic differences remained significant after adjustment for processed and convenience food purchases. In our study, compared with white households, both black and Hispanic households had lower purchases of highly processed and RTE foods, yet had

Femtosecond laser-induced structural difference in fused silica with a non-reciprocal writing process

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Hui; Dai, Ye; Song, Juan; Ma, Hongliang; Yan, Xiaona; Ma, Guohong

2017-04-01

In this paper, we report a non-reciprocal writing process for inducing asymmetric microstructure using a femtosecond laser with tilted pulse fronts in fused silica. The shape of the induced microstructure at the focus closely depends on the laser scan direction. An elongated end is observed as a kind of structural difference between the written lines with two reverse scans along + x and - x, which further leads to a birefringence intensity difference. We also find a bifurcation in the head region of the induced microstructure between the written lines along x and y. That process results from the focal intensity distortion caused by the pulse front tilt by comparing the simulated intensity distribution with the experimental results. The current results demonstrate that the pulse front tilt not only affects the free electron excitation at the focus but also further distorts the shape of the induced microstructure during a high-energy femtosecond laser irradiation. These results offer a route to fabricate optical elements by changing the spatiotemporal characteristics of ultrashort pulses.

Oefening baart kunst : Crowdingtraining verbetert visuele functies van slechtziende kinderen

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Huurneman, Bianca; Cox, Ralf F.A; Boonstra, F. Nienke

Crowding is a visual perceptual phenomenon that refers to impaired ability to recognize a suprathreshold object when it is presented in the vicinity of other objects. Crowding therefore poses a limit on object recognition. The phenomenon is regarded to be one of the reasons why young children need

Interdisciplinary and Intercultural Differences in Learning Strategy Use: Implications for Language Processing, Curriculum and Instruction

Science.gov (United States)

Shawer, Saad F.

2012-01-01

This investigation examines English as foreign language college interdisciplinary and intercultural differences in learning strategy use and their implications for language processing. Positivism underpins this research at the levels of ontology (standardized variables), epistemology (detachment from the subjects) and methodology, using nomothetic…

The Contribution of Numerical Magnitude Comparison and Phonological Processing to Individual Differences in Fourth Graders' Multiplication Fact Ability.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tamara M J Schleepen

Full Text Available Although numerical magnitude processing has been related to individual differences in arithmetic, its role in children's multiplication performance remains largely unknown. On the other hand, studies have indicated that phonological awareness is an important correlate of individual differences in children's multiplication performance, but the involvement of phonological memory, another important phonological processing skill, has not been studied in much detail. Furthermore, knowledge about the relative contribution of above mentioned processes to the specific arithmetic operation of multiplication in children is lacking. The present study therefore investigated for the first time the unique contributions of numerical magnitude comparison and phonological processing in explaining individual differences in 63 fourth graders' multiplication fact ability (mean age = 9.6 years, SD = .67. The results showed that children's multiplication fact competency correlated significantly with symbolic and nonsymbolic magnitude comparison as well as with phonological short-term memory. A hierarchical regression analysis revealed that, after controlling for intellectual ability and general reaction time, both symbolic and nonsymbolic magnitude comparison and phonological short-term memory accounted for unique variance in multiplication fact performance. The ability to compare symbolic magnitudes was found to contribute the most, indicating that the access to numerical magnitudes by means of Arabic digits is a key factor in explaining individual differences in children's multiplication fact ability.

Effects of the benzodiazepine antagonists RO 15-1788, CGS-8216 and PK-11195 on amygdaloid kindled seizures and the anticonvulsant efficacy of diazepam.

Science.gov (United States)

Albertson, T E; Walby, W F

1986-11-01

The anticonvulsant effectiveness of the benzodiazepine antagonists RO 15-1788, CGS-8216 and PK-11195 were evaluated against threshold and suprathreshold (400 microA) stimulation in fully amygdaloid-kindled rats. Pretreatment with either RO 15-1788 (3, 10 and 30 mg/kg), CGS-8216 (3, 10 and 30 mg/kg) or PK-11195 (10 and 60 mg/kg) failed in this study to modify consistently either the afterdischarge thresholds or elicited suprathreshold seizures or duration of afterdischarge. Using a double injection paradigm, the effectiveness of these three benzodiazepine antagonists to reverse the anti-convulsant and behavioral effects of diazepam were studied. When diazepam (3 mg/kg) was injected 15 min before or after a second injection of the vehicle control DMSO (0.25 ml/kg), a significant reduction in the duration of afterdischarge and seizure rank, elicited by a suprathreshold stimulation in amygdaloid-kindled rats, occurred. When either CGS 8216 (10 mg/kg) or RO 15-1788 (10 mg/kg) were given 15 min before diazepam (3 mg/kg) prior to stimulation, the anticonvulsant properties of diazepam were blocked. When RO 15-1788 (10 mg/kg) was given 15 min after diazepam, antagonism of the anticonvulsant effects on diazepam was shown. However, when either CGS-8216 (10 mg/kg) or PK-11195 (10 and 60 mg/kg) were given 15 min after diazepam (3 mg/kg), the anticonvulsant properties of diazepam were not blocked. The anticonvulsant effects of diazepam were reversed when CGS-8216 (10 mg/kg) was given 5 min after diazepam (3 mg/kg) or when a larger dose (30 mg/kg) was given at the same 15 min interval.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Nutritional value of seed rape meal in relation to different processing conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aurang-Zeb; Bibi, N.; Badshah, A.; Sattar, A.; Khan, I.

1990-01-01

Rat bioassays were conducted to study the effects of different processing methods on the nutritive value of rape seed meal. Treatments given to rape seed were irradiation alone, irradiation + autoclaving, irradiation + dry heating and sprouting. Results revealed that feeding rape seed as the sole source of dietary protein resulted in severe weight loss with control as well as all the treated samples. However, replacing half the maintenance level protein with wheat resulted in remarkable improvement in the nutritional quality of meal. There were weigh gains in all the groups. Weight gains were 32.15, 20.06, 17.36, 34.00, 19.93 and 26.27 g/rat in casein, control, sprouting, radiation, radiation + heat and radiation + autoclving groups, respectively. Protein efficiency ratios (PER) when adjusted to casein, were 2.10 for radiation + autoclaving and 2.03 for sprouting. Protein digestibility ranged from 92.68 to 96.79% among all the rape seed groups as compared to 97.77% for casein. Among organs, heart weight was influenced most by different diets (0.43 to 0.48% of body weight), while differences in weights of lungs, liver, spleen and kidney were negligible. (author)

Event-related brain potentials and second language learning: syntactic processing in late L2 learners at different L2 proficiency levels

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hell, J.G. van; Tokowicz, N.

2010-01-01

There are several major questions in the literature on late second language (L2) learning and processing. Some of these questions include: Can late L2 learners process an L2 in a native-like way? What is the nature of the differences in L2 processing among L2 learners at different levels of L2

How the elderly and young adults differ in the decision making process of nonprescription medication purchases.

Science.gov (United States)

Sansgiry, S S; Cady, P S

1996-01-01

The study compared elderly and young adults in their behavior and involvement in the decision making process of over-the-counter (OTC) medication purchases. Elderly subjects were more involved in the decision making process to purchase OTC medications compared to young adults. The elderly not only purchase and spend more money on medications but also read OTC labels completely. They requested help from the pharmacist more frequently than young adults. Needs of the elderly in making an OTC medication purchase were different compared to young adults. The two age groups differed on importance rating for several attributes regarding OTC medications, such as; ease of opening the package, child resistant package, side effects of medicine, manufacturer of medicine, print size on package labels, and greater choice of medicine.

Efficiency of alfalfa seed processing with different seed purity

OpenAIRE

Đokić, Dragoslav; Stanisavljević, Rade; Terzić, Dragan; Milenković, Jasmina; Radivojević, Gordana; Koprivica, Ranko; Štrbanović, Ratibor

2015-01-01

The work was carried out analysis of the impact of the initial purity of raw alfalfa seed on the resulting amount of processed seed in the processing. Alfalfa is very important perennial forage legume which is used for fodder and seed production. Alfalfa seed is possible to achieve high yields and very good financial effects. To obtain the seed material with good characteristics complex machines for cleaning and sorting seeds are used. In the processing center of the Institute for forage crop...

Different CAD/CAM-processing routes for zirconia restorations: influence on fitting accuracy.

Science.gov (United States)

Kohorst, Philipp; Junghanns, Janet; Dittmer, Marc P; Borchers, Lothar; Stiesch, Meike

2011-08-01

The aim of the present in vitro study was to evaluate the influence of different processing routes on the fitting accuracy of four-unit zirconia fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) fabricated by computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM). Three groups of zirconia frameworks with ten specimens each were fabricated. Frameworks of one group (CerconCAM) were produced by means of a laboratory CAM-only system. The other frameworks were made with different CAD/CAM systems; on the one hand by in-laboratory production (CerconCAD/CAM) and on the other hand by centralized production in a milling center (Compartis) after forwarding geometrical data. Frameworks were then veneered with the recommended ceramics, and marginal accuracy was determined using a replica technique. Horizontal marginal discrepancy, vertical marginal discrepancy, absolute marginal discrepancy, and marginal gap were evaluated. Statistical analyses were performed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), with the level of significance chosen at 0.05. Mean horizontal discrepancies ranged between 22 μm (CerconCAM) and 58 μm (Compartis), vertical discrepancies ranged between 63 μm (CerconCAD/CAM) and 162 μm (CerconCAM), and absolute marginal discrepancies ranged between 94 μm (CerconCAD/CAM) and 181 μm (CerconCAM). The marginal gap varied between 72 μm (CerconCAD/CAM) and 112 μm (CerconCAM, Compartis). Statistical analysis revealed that, with all measurements, the marginal accuracy of the zirconia FDPs was significantly influenced by the processing route used (p manufacture of four-unit FDPs.

Individual differences in event-based prospective memory: Evidence for multiple processes supporting cue detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Brewer, Gene A; Knight, Justin B; Marsh, Richard L; Unsworth, Nash

2010-04-01

The multiprocess view proposes that different processes can be used to detect event-based prospective memory cues, depending in part on the specificity of the cue. According to this theory, attentional processes are not necessary to detect focal cues, whereas detection of nonfocal cues requires some form of controlled attention. This notion was tested using a design in which we compared performance on a focal and on a nonfocal prospective memory task by participants with high or low working memory capacity. An interaction was found, such that participants with high and low working memory performed equally well on the focal task, whereas the participants with high working memory performed significantly better on the nonfocal task than did their counterparts with low working memory. Thus, controlled attention was only necessary for detecting event-based prospective memory cues in the nonfocal task. These results have implications for theories of prospective memory, the processes necessary for cue detection, and the successful fulfillment of intentions.

Physical evaluations of Co-Cr-Mo parts processed using different additive manufacturing techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Ghani, Saiful Anwar Che; Mohamed, Siti Rohaida; Harun, Wan Sharuzi Wan; Noar, Nor Aida Zuraimi Md

2017-12-01

In recent years, additive manufacturing with highly design customization has gained an important technique for fabrication in aerospace and medical fields. Despite the ability of the process to produce complex components with highly controlled architecture geometrical features, maintaining the part's accuracy, ability to fabricate fully functional high density components and inferior surfaces quality are the major obstacles in producing final parts using additive manufacturing for any selected application. This study aims to evaluate the physical properties of cobalt chrome molybdenum (Co-Cr-Mo) alloys parts fabricated by different additive manufacturing techniques. The full dense Co-Cr-Mo parts were produced by Selective Laser Melting (SLM) and Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) with default process parameters. The density and relative density of samples were calculated using Archimedes' principle while the surface roughness on the top and side surface was measured using surface profiler. The roughness average (Ra) for top surface for SLM produced parts is 3.4 µm while 2.83 µm for DMLS produced parts. The Ra for side surfaces for SLM produced parts is 4.57 µm while 9.0 µm for DMLS produced parts. The higher Ra values on side surfaces compared to the top faces for both manufacturing techniques was due to the balling effect phenomenon. The yield relative density for both Co-Cr-Mo parts produced by SLM and DMLS are 99.3%. Higher energy density has influence the higher density of produced samples by SLM and DMLS processes. The findings of this work demonstrated that SLM and DMLS process with default process parameters have effectively produced full dense parts of Co-Cr-Mo with high density, good agreement of geometrical accuracy and better surface finish. Despite of both manufacturing process yield that produced components with higher density, the current finding shows that SLM technique could produce components with smoother surface quality compared to DMLS

Painful tonic heat stimulation induces GABA accumulation in the prefrontal cortex in man

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kupers, Ron; Danielsen, Else R; Kehlet, Henrik

2009-01-01

Relatively little is known on pain-induced neurotransmitter release in the human cerebral cortex. We used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) during tonic painful heat stimulation to test the hypothesis of increases in both glutamate and GABA, two neurotransmitters with a key role...... that GABA is released in the human cerebral cortex during painful stimulation. The results are in line with animal findings on the role of GABA in pain processing and with studies in humans showing analgesic efficacy of GABA-related drugs in clinical pain conditions....... in pain processing. Using a 3T MR scanner, we acquired spectra from the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) in 13 healthy right-handed subjects at rest and during painful heat stimulation. The painful stimulus consisted of a suprathreshold painful tonic heat pulse, which was delivered to the right...

Signs of noise-induced neural degeneration in humans

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holtegaard, Pernille; Olsen, Steen Østergaard

2015-01-01

of background noise, while leaving the processing of low-level stimuli unaffected. The purpose of this study was to investigate if signs of such primary neural damage from noise-exposure could also be found in noiseexposed human individuals. It was investigated: (1) if noise-exposed listeners with hearing......Animal studies demonstrated that noise exposure causes a primary and selective loss of auditory-nerve fibres with low spontaneous firing rate. This neuronal impairment, if also present in humans, can be assumed to affect the processing of supra-threshold stimuli, especially in the presence...... thresholds within the “normal” range perform poorer, in terms of their speech recognition threshold in noise (SRTN), and (2) if auditory brainstem responses (ABR) reveal lower amplitude of wave I in the noise-exposed listeners. A test group of noise/music-exposed individuals and a control group were...

Effects of different drying processes on the concentrations of metals and metalloids in plant materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anawar, H.M.; Canha, N.; Freitas, M.C; Santa Regina, I.; Garcia-Sanchez, A.

2011-01-01

The drying process of fresh plant materials may affect the porous structure, dehydration and a number of quality characteristics of these materials. Therefore, this study has investigated the effect of different drying processes on the variation of metal and metalloid concentrations in the dried plant materials. Seven varieties of native plant species collected from Sao Domingos mine were analyzed by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) to investigate the effects of freeze-drying (FD), ambient air-drying (AAD) and oven-drying (OD) process on the concentrations of metals and metalloids in the plant biomass. Comparison of ambient air-dried, oven-dried and freeze-dried preparations allows a phenomenological description of the dehydration artefacts. In the quantitative analysis of metals and metalloids, FD and OD plant samples show the higher concentrations of metals and metalloids when compared to those in the AAD plant biomass. The freeze-drying process is comparatively reliable for determination of metals and metalloids concentrations in plant materials. (author)

Educational process their different contents, singularities to the sculpture the Formation integral in university students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Margarita Fernández-Martínez

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Presently article is approached important relating theoretical the in artistic education, that facilitate the formation integral in university students, the educational process their different contents, singularities to the sculpture artistic manifestation, with which one works methodologically. However, it is necessary to establish a methodological theoretical position in this respect to be able to evidence the relationship education-culture the understanding of the artistic education in that relationship and their contribution to the formation integral. From the didactic point of view, it is sustained in the basics of the teaching-learning process, related with the Didactics of the Superior Education and in the analysis and valuation of the components of the process of teaching learning where the dynamics of the relationships is revealed among these that it is constituted in a dialectical process where starting from the created conditions the fellow appropriates of the necessary tools for interaction with the reality.

The Different Role of Working Memory in Open-Ended versus Closed-Ended Creative Problem Solving: A Dual-Process Theory Account

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Wei-Lun; Lien, Yunn-Wen

2013-01-01

This study examined how working memory plays different roles in open-ended versus closed-ended creative problem-solving processes, as represented by divergent thinking tests and insight problem-solving tasks. With respect to the analysis of different task demands and the framework of dual-process theories, the hypothesis was that the idea…

Role of peptide processing predictions in T cell epitope identification : contribution of different prediction programs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Calis, Jorg J A; Reinink, Peter; Keller, Christin; Kloetzel, Peter M; Kesmir, Can

2015-01-01

Proteolysis is the general term to describe the process of protein degradation into peptides. Proteasomes are the main actors in cellular proteolysis, and their activity can be measured in in vitro digestion experiments. However, in vivo proteolysis can be different than what is measured in these

The influence of olfactory concept on the probability of detecting sub- and peri-threshold odorants in a complex mixture

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bult, J.H.F.; Schifferstein, H.N.J.; Roozen, J.P.; Voragen, A.G.J.; Kroeze, J.H.A.

2001-01-01

The headspace of apple juice was analysed to obtain an ecologically relevant stimulus model mixture of apple volatiles. Two sets of volatiles were made up: a set of eight supra-threshold volatiles (MIX) and a set of three sub-threshold volatiles. These sets were used to test the hypothesis that

Multiclass pesticide determination in olives and their processing factors in olive oil: comparison of different olive oil extraction systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Amvrazi, Elpiniki G; Albanis, Triantafyllos A

2008-07-23

The processing factors (pesticide concentration found in olive oil/pesticide concentration found in olives) of azinphos methyl, chlorpyrifos, lambda-cyhalothrin, deltamethrin, diazinon, dimethoate, endosulfan, and fenthion were determined in olive oil production process in various laboratory-scale olive oil extractions based on three- or two-phase centrifugation systems in comparison with samples collected during olive oil extractions in conventional olive mills located at different olive oil production areas in Greece. Pesticide analyses were performed using a multiresidue method developed in our laboratory for the determination of different insecticides and herbicides in olive oil by solid-phase extraction techniques coupled to gas chromatography detection (electron capture detection and nitrogen phosphorus detection), optimized, and validated for olive fruits sample preparation. Processing factors were found to vary among the different pesticides studied. Water addition in the oil extraction procedure (as in a three-phase centrifugation system) was found to decrease the processing factors of dimethoate, alpha-endosulfan, diazinon, and chlorpyrifos, whereas those of fenthion, azinphos methyl, beta-endosulfan, lambda-cyhalothrin, and deltamethrin residues were not affected. The water content of olives processed was found to proportionally affect pesticide processing factors. Fenthion sulfoxide and endosulfan sulfate were the major metabolites of fenthion and endosulfan, respectively, that were detected in laboratory-produced olive oils, but only the concentration of fenthion sulfoxide was found to increase with the increase of water addition in the olive oil extraction process.

Influence of Different Container Closure Systems and Capping Process Parameters on Product Quality and Container Closure Integrity (CCI) in GMP Drug Product Manufacturing.

Science.gov (United States)

Mathaes, Roman; Mahler, Hanns-Christian; Roggo, Yves; Huwyler, Joerg; Eder, Juergen; Fritsch, Kamila; Posset, Tobias; Mohl, Silke; Streubel, Alexander

2016-01-01

Capping equipment used in good manufacturing practice manufacturing features different designs and a variety of adjustable process parameters. The overall capping result is a complex interplay of the different capping process parameters and is insufficiently described in literature. It remains poorly studied how the different capping equipment designs and capping equipment process parameters (e.g., pre-compression force, capping plate height, turntable rotating speed) contribute to the final residual seal force of a sealed container closure system and its relation to container closure integrity and other drug product quality parameters. Stopper compression measured by computer tomography correlated to residual seal force measurements.In our studies, we used different container closure system configurations from different good manufacturing practice drug product fill & finish facilities to investigate the influence of differences in primary packaging, that is, vial size and rubber stopper design on the capping process and the capped drug product. In addition, we compared two large-scale good manufacturing practice manufacturing capping equipment and different capping equipment settings and their impact on product quality and integrity, as determined by residual seal force.The capping plate to plunger distance had a major influence on the obtained residual seal force values of a sealed vial, whereas the capping pre-compression force and the turntable rotation speed showed only a minor influence on the residual seal force of a sealed vial. Capping process parameters could not easily be transferred from capping equipment of different manufacturers. However, the residual seal force tester did provide a valuable tool to compare capping performance of different capping equipment. No vial showed any leakage greater than 10(-8)mbar L/s as measured by a helium mass spectrometry system, suggesting that container closure integrity was warranted in the residual seal force range

[Effect of fluoride concentration on the corrosion behavior of cobalt-chromium alloy fabricated by two different technology processes].

Science.gov (United States)

Qiuxia, Yang; Ying, Yang; Han, Xu; Di, Wu; Ke, Guo

2016-02-01

This study aims to determine the effect of fluoride concentration on the corrosion behavior of cobalt-chromium alloy fabricated by two different technology processes in a simulated oral environment. A total of 15 specimens were employed with selective laser melting (SLM) and another 15 for traditional casting (Cast) in cobalt-chromium alloy powders and blocks with the same material composition. The corrosion behavior of the specimens was studied by potentiodynamic polarization test under different oral environments with varying solubilities of fluorine (0, 0.05%, and 0.20% for each) in acid artificial saliva (pH = 5.0). The specimens were soaked in fluorine for 24 h, and the surface microstructure was observed under a field emission scanning electron microscope after immersing the specimens in the test solution at constant temperature. The corrosion potential (Ecorr) value of the cobalt-chromium alloy cast decreased with increasing fluoride concentration in acidic artificial saliva. The Ecorr, Icorr, and Rp values of the cobalt-chromium alloy fabricated by two different technology processes changed significantly when the fluoride concentration was 0.20% (P technology processes exhibited a statistically significant difference. The Icorr value of the cobalt-chromium alloy cast was higher than that in the SLM group cobalt-chromium alloy when the fluoride concentration was 0.20% (P technology processes. The corrosion resistance of the cobalt-chromium alloy cast was worse than that of the SLM group cobalt-chromium alloy when the fluoride concentration was 0.20%.

Radiological environmental risk associated with different water management systems in amang processing in Malaysia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ismail, B.; Yasir, M.S.; Redzuwan, Y.; Amran, A.M.

2003-01-01

The processing of amang (tin-tailing) for its valuable minerals have shown that it technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials, and has a potential of impacting the environment. Large volume of water is used to extract these valuable minerals from amang. Three types of water management systems are used by amang plants, i.e. Open Water System (OWS), Close Water System Man-made (CWS mm) and Close Water System Natural (CWSn). A study was carried out to determine the radiological environmental risk associated with these different water management systems in amang processing in Malaysia. The parameters studied were pH of water, Water Quality Indices, and uranium ad thorium concentrations in water and sediments. Three different sampling locations were selected for each water management system, i.e. the source, the receiver and related reference water bodies. Results obtained showed that amang reduces the pH and contaminates the water. However, OWS appears have the least radiological environmental impact. On the contrary both CWS (man-made and natural) pose a potential environmental risk if great care are not given to the treatment of accumulated sediment and contaminated water before discharge into the environment

Dissecting empathy: high levels of psychopathic and autistic traits are characterised by difficulties in different social information processing domains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patricia L Lockwood

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Individuals with psychopathy or autism spectrum disorder (ASD can behave in ways that suggest lack of empathy towards others. However, many different cognitive and affective processes may lead to unempathic behavior and the social processing profiles of individuals with high psychopathic vs. ASD traits are likely different. Whilst psychopathy appears characterized by problems with resonating with others’ emotions, ASD appears characterized by problems with cognitive perspective-taking. In addition, alexithymia has previously been associated with both disorders, but the contribution of alexithymia needs further exploration. In a community sample (N=110 we show for the first time that although affective resonance and cognitive perspective-taking are related, high psychopathic traits relate to problems with resonating with others’ emotions, but not cognitive perspective taking. Conversely, high ASD traits relate to problems with cognitive perspective-taking but not resonating with others’ emotions. Alexithymia was associated with problems with affective resonance independently of psychopathic traits, suggesting that different component processes (reduced tendency to feel what others feel and reduced ability to identify and describe feelings comprise affective resonance. Alexithymia was not associated with the reduced cognitive perspective-taking in high ASD traits. Our data suggest that (1 elevated psychopathic and ASD traits are characterized by difficulties in different social information processing domains and (2 reduced affective resonance in individuals with elevated psychopathic traits and the reduced cognitive perspective taking in individuals with elevated ASD traits are not explained by co-occurring alexithymia. (3 Alexithymia is independently associated with reduced affective resonance. Consequently, our data point to different component processes within the construct of empathy that are suggestive of partially separable cognitive

Attention modulates specific motor cortical circuits recruited by transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Mirdamadi, J L; Suzuki, L Y; Meehan, S K

2017-09-17

Skilled performance and acquisition is dependent upon afferent input to motor cortex. The present study used short-latency afferent inhibition (SAI) to probe how manipulation of sensory afference by attention affects different circuits projecting to pyramidal tract neurons in motor cortex. SAI was assessed in the first dorsal interosseous muscle while participants performed a low or high attention-demanding visual detection task. SAI was evoked by preceding a suprathreshold transcranial magnetic stimulus with electrical stimulation of the median nerve at the wrist. To isolate different afferent intracortical circuits in motor cortex SAI was evoked using either posterior-anterior (PA) or anterior-posterior (PA) monophasic current. In an independent sample, somatosensory processing during the same attention-demanding visual detection tasks was assessed using somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEP) elicited by median nerve stimulation. SAI elicited by AP TMS was reduced under high compared to low visual attention demands. SAI elicited by PA TMS was not affected by visual attention demands. SEPs revealed that the high visual attention load reduced the fronto-central P20-N30 but not the contralateral parietal N20-P25 SEP component. P20-N30 reduction confirmed that the visual attention task altered sensory afference. The current results offer further support that PA and AP TMS recruit different neuronal circuits. AP circuits may be one substrate by which cognitive strategies shape sensorimotor processing during skilled movement by altering sensory processing in premotor areas. Copyright © 2017 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Noninvasive fMRI investigation of interaural level difference processing in the rat auditory subcortex.

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Condon Lau

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Interaural level difference (ILD is the difference in sound pressure level (SPL between the two ears and is one of the key physical cues used by the auditory system in sound localization. Our current understanding of ILD encoding has come primarily from invasive studies of individual structures, which have implicated subcortical structures such as the cochlear nucleus (CN, superior olivary complex (SOC, lateral lemniscus (LL, and inferior colliculus (IC. Noninvasive brain imaging enables studying ILD processing in multiple structures simultaneously. METHODS: In this study, blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI is used for the first time to measure changes in the hemodynamic responses in the adult Sprague-Dawley rat subcortex during binaural stimulation with different ILDs. RESULTS AND SIGNIFICANCE: Consistent responses are observed in the CN, SOC, LL, and IC in both hemispheres. Voxel-by-voxel analysis of the change of the response amplitude with ILD indicates statistically significant ILD dependence in dorsal LL, IC, and a region containing parts of the SOC and LL. For all three regions, the larger amplitude response is located in the hemisphere contralateral from the higher SPL stimulus. These findings are supported by region of interest analysis. fMRI shows that ILD dependence occurs in both hemispheres and multiple subcortical levels of the auditory system. This study is the first step towards future studies examining subcortical binaural processing and sound localization in animal models of hearing.

Limited capacity for contour curvature in iconic memory.

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Sakai, Koji

2006-06-01

We measured the difference threshold for contour curvature in iconic memory by using the cued discrimination method. The study stimulus consisting of 2 to 6 curved contours was briefly presented in the fovea, followed by two lines as cues. Subjects discriminated the curvature of two cued curves. The cue delays were 0 msec. and 300 msec. in Exps. 1 and 2, respectively, and 50 msec. before the study offset in Exp. 3. Analysis of data from Exps. 1 and 2 showed that the Weber fraction rose monotonically with the increase in set size. Clear set-size effects indicate that iconic memory has a limited capacity. Moreover, clear set-size effect in Exp. 3 indicates that perception itself has a limited capacity. Larger set-size effects in Exp. 1 than in Exp. 3 suggest that iconic memory after perceptual process has limited capacity. These properties of iconic memory at threshold level are contradictory to the traditional view that iconic memory has a high capacity both at suprathreshold and categorical levels.

Influence of different processing techniques on the mechanical properties of used tires in embankment construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edincliler, Ayse; Baykal, Goekhan; Saygili, Altug

2010-01-01

Use of the processed used tires in embankment construction is becoming an accepted way of beneficially recycling scrap tires due to shortages of natural mineral resources and increasing waste disposal costs. Using these used tires in construction requires an awareness of the properties and the limitations associated with their use. The main objective of this paper is to assess the different processing techniques on the mechanical properties of used tires-sand mixtures to improve the engineering properties of the available soil. In the first part, a literature study on the mechanical properties of the processed used tires such as tire shreds, tire chips, tire buffings and their mixtures with sand are summarized. In the second part, large-scale direct shear tests are performed to evaluate shear strength of tire crumb-sand mixtures where information is not readily available in the literature. The test results with tire crumb were compared with the other processed used tire-sand mixtures. Sand-used tire mixtures have higher shear strength than that of the sand alone and the shear strength parameters depend on the processing conditions of used tires. Three factors are found to significantly affect the mechanical properties: normal stress, processing techniques, and the used tire content.

Influence of different processing techniques on the mechanical properties of used tires in embankment construction.

Science.gov (United States)

Edinçliler, Ayşe; Baykal, Gökhan; Saygili, Altug

2010-06-01

Use of the processed used tires in embankment construction is becoming an accepted way of beneficially recycling scrap tires due to shortages of natural mineral resources and increasing waste disposal costs. Using these used tires in construction requires an awareness of the properties and the limitations associated with their use. The main objective of this paper is to assess the different processing techniques on the mechanical properties of used tires-sand mixtures to improve the engineering properties of the available soil. In the first part, a literature study on the mechanical properties of the processed used tires such as tire shreds, tire chips, tire buffings and their mixtures with sand are summarized. In the second part, large-scale direct shear tests are performed to evaluate shear strength of tire crumb-sand mixtures where information is not readily available in the literature. The test results with tire crumb were compared with the other processed used tire-sand mixtures. Sand-used tire mixtures have higher shear strength than that of the sand alone and the shear strength parameters depend on the processing conditions of used tires. Three factors are found to significantly affect the mechanical properties: normal stress, processing techniques, and the used tire content. Copyright 2009. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Investigation of different cage designs and mechano-regulation algorithms in the lumbar interbody fusion process - a finite element analysis.

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Postigo, Sergio; Schmidt, Hendrik; Rohlmann, Antonius; Putzier, Michael; Simón, Antonio; Duda, Georg; Checa, Sara

2014-04-11

Lumbar interbody fusion cages are commonly used to treat painful spinal degeneration and instability by achieving bony fusion. Many different cage designs exist, however the effect of cage morphology and material properties on the fusion process remains largely unknown. This finite element model study aims to investigate the influence of different cage designs on bone fusion using two mechano-regulation algorithms of tissue formation. It could be observed that different cages play a distinct key role in the mechanical conditions within the fusion region and therefore regulate the time course of the fusion process. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exploratory and discriminative studies of commercial processed Brazilian coffees with different degrees of roasting and decaffeinated

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Juliano Souza Ribeiro

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The fingerprints of the volatile compounds of 21 commercial Brazilian coffee samples submitted to different industrial processing i.e. decaffeinated or different roasting degrees (traditional and dark were studied. The volatiles were collected by headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME and analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. The chromatographic data matrices (fingerprints obtained were explored by the principal component analysis (PCA and partial least squares - discriminative analysis (PLS-DA. Initially the chromatographic profiles were aligned by the algorithm correlation optimized warping (COW. The PCA showed the discrimination of the decaffeinated coffees from the others with both the SPME fibres used. This separation probably occurred due to the loss of some volatile precursors during the decaffeination process, such as sucrose. For both the fibres tested, PDMS/DVB and CX / PDMS SPME, the PLS-DA models correctly classified 100% of the samples according to their roasting degree: (medium and dark, the main differences being the concentrations of some of the volatile compounds such as 2-methyl furan, 2-methylbutanal, 2,3-pentanedione, pyrazine, 2-carboxyaldehyde pyrrole, furfural and 2-furanmethanol.

Bim Orientation: Grades of Generation and Information for Different Type of Analysis and Management Process

Science.gov (United States)

Banfi, F.

2017-08-01

Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry is facing a great process re-engineering of the management procedures for new constructions, and recent studies show a significant increase of the benefits obtained through the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) methodologies. This innovative approach needs new developments for information and communication technologies (ICT) in order to improve cooperation and interoperability among different actors and scientific disciplines. Accordingly, BIM could be described as a new tool capable of collect/analyse a great quantity of information (Big data) and improve the management of building during its life of cycle (LC). The main aim of this research is, in addition to a reduction in production times, reduce physical and financial resources (economic impact), to demonstrate how technology development can support a complex generative process with new digital tools (modelling impact). This paper reviews recent BIMs of different historical Italian buildings such as Basilica of Collemaggio in L'Aquila, Masegra Castle in Sondrio, Basilica of Saint Ambrose in Milan and Visconti Bridge in Lecco and carries out a methodological analysis to optimize output information and results combining different data and modelling techniques into a single hub (cloud service) through the use of new Grade of Generation (GoG) and Information (GoI) (management impact). Finally, this study shows the need to orient GoG and GoI for a different type of analysis, which requires a high Grade of Accuracy (GoA) and an Automatic Verification System (AVS ) at the same time.

On the search for an appropriate metric for reaction time to suprathreshold increments and decrements.

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Vassilev, Angel; Murzac, Adrian; Zlatkova, Margarita B; Anderson, Roger S

2009-03-01

Weber contrast, DeltaL/L, is a widely used contrast metric for aperiodic stimuli. Zele, Cao & Pokorny [Zele, A. J., Cao, D., & Pokorny, J. (2007). Threshold units: A correct metric for reaction time? Vision Research, 47, 608-611] found that neither Weber contrast nor its transform to detection-threshold units equates human reaction times in response to luminance increments and decrements under selective rod stimulation. Here we show that their rod reaction times are equated when plotted against the spatial luminance ratio between the stimulus and its background (L(max)/L(min), the larger and smaller of background and stimulus luminances). Similarly, reaction times to parafoveal S-cone selective increments and decrements from our previous studies [Murzac, A. (2004). A comparative study of the temporal characteristics of processing of S-cone incremental and decremental signals. PhD thesis, New Bulgarian University, Sofia, Murzac, A., & Vassilev, A. (2004). Reaction time to S-cone increments and decrements. In: 7th European conference on visual perception, Budapest, August 22-26. Perception, 33, 180 (Abstract).], are better described by the spatial luminance ratio than by Weber contrast. We assume that the type of stimulus detection by temporal (successive) luminance discrimination, by spatial (simultaneous) luminance discrimination or by both [Sperling, G., & Sondhi, M. M. (1968). Model for visual luminance discrimination and flicker detection. Journal of the Optical Society of America, 58, 1133-1145.] determines the appropriateness of one or other contrast metric for reaction time.

Effects of Different Multimedia Presentations on Viewers' Information-Processing Activities Measured by Eye-Tracking Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Chuang, Hsueh-Hua; Liu, Han-Chin

2012-01-01

This study implemented eye-tracking technology to understand the impact of different multimedia instructional materials, i.e., five successive pages versus a single page with the same amount of information, on information-processing activities in 21 non-science-major college students. The findings showed that students demonstrated the same number…

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF RESIDUAL STRESSES GENERATED IN THE WIRE DRAWING PROCESS FOR DIFFERENT PROCESS PARAMETERS

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Juliana Zottis

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The drawing process of steel bars is usually used to check better dimensional accuracy and mechanical properties to the material. In the other hand, the major concern found in manufacturing axes through this process is the appearance of distortion of shape. Such distortions are directly linked to the accumulation of residual stresses generated during the processes. As a result, this paper aims to study the influence of process parameters such as shape of puller, speed and lubrication used in wire drawing analyzing the accumulation of residual stress after the process. The stress analysis was performed by FEM being used two simulation software: Simufact.formingGP and DeformTM. Through these analyzes, it was found that the shape of how the bar is pulled causes a reduction of up to 100 MPa in residual stresses in the center of the bar, which represents an important factor in the study of the possible causes of the distortion. As well as factors speed and homogeneity of lubrication significantly altered the profile of residual stresses in the bar.

Performance of Process Damping in Machining Titanium Alloys at Low Cutting Speed with Different Helix Tools

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shaharun, M A; Yusoff, A R; Reza, M S; Jalal, K A

2012-01-01

Titanium is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant and transition metal with a silver color to produce strong lightweight alloys for industrial process, automotive, medical instruments and other applications. However, it is very difficult to machine the titanium due to its poor machinability. When machining titanium alloys with the conventional tools, the wear rate of the tool is rapidly accelerate and it is generally difficult to achieve at high cutting speed. In order to get better understanding of machining titanium alloy, the interaction between machining structural system and the cutting process which result in machining instability will be studied. Process damping is a useful phenomenon that can be exploited to improve the limited productivity of low speed machining. In this study, experiments are performed to evaluate the performance of process damping of milling under different tool helix geometries. The results showed that the helix of 42° angle is significantly increase process damping performance in machining titanium alloy.

Performance and microbial community structures of hydrolysis acidification process treating azo and anthraquinone dyes in different stages.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Na; Xie, Xuehui; Yang, Bo; Zhang, Qingyun; Yu, Chengzhi; Zheng, Xiulin; Xu, Leyi; Li, Ran; Liu, Jianshe

2017-01-01

In this study, performance of hydrolysis acidification process treating simulated dyeing wastewater containing azo and anthraquinone dyes in different stages was investigated. The decolorization ratio, COD Cr removal ratio, BOD 5 /COD Cr value, and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) production were almost better in stage 1 than that in stage 2. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) confirmed the biodegradation of Reactive Black 5 (RB5) and Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RBBR) in hydrolysis acidification process. Polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) analyses revealed that significant difference of microbial community structures existed in stage 1 and 2. The dominant species in stage 1 was related to Bacteroidetes group, while the dominant species in stage 2 was related to Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes groups. From the results, it could be speculated that different dyes' structures might have significant influence on the existence and function of different bacterial species, which might supply information for bacteria screening and acclimation in the treatment of actual dyeing wastewater.

Highly Processed and Ready-to-Eat Packaged Food and Beverage Purchases Differ by Race/Ethnicity among US Households123

Science.gov (United States)

Mendez, Michelle A

2016-01-01

Background: Racial/ethnic disparities in dietary quality persist among Americans, but it is unclear whether highly processed foods or convenience foods contribute to these inequalities. Objective: We examined the independent associations of race/ethnicity with highly processed and ready-to-eat (RTE) food purchases among US households. We determined whether controlling for between-group differences in purchases of these products attenuated associations between race/ethnicity and the nutritional quality of purchases. Methods: The 2000–2012 Homescan Panel followed US households (n = 157,142) that scanned their consumer packaged goods (CPG) food and beverage purchases. By using repeated-measures regression models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, we examined time-varying associations of race/ethnicity with processed and convenience food purchases, expressed as a percentage of calories purchased. We estimated associations between race/ethnicity and saturated fat, sugar, or energy density of total purchases with and without adjustment for processed and convenience food purchases. Results: Compared with white households, black households had significantly lower purchases of highly processed foods (–4.1% kcal) and RTE convenience foods (–4.9% kcal) and had higher purchases of basic processed foods, particularly cooking oils and sugar (+5.4% kcal), foods requiring cooking/preparation (+4.5% kcal), and highly processed beverages (+7.1% kcal). Hispanics also had lower purchases of highly processed and RTE foods than whites. Blacks had CPG purchases with significantly higher median sugar (+2.2% kcal) and energy density (+72 kcal/1000 g), whereas Hispanics had purchases with lower saturated fat (–0.6% kcal) and energy density (–25 kcal/1000 g) than whites. Racial/ethnic differences remained significant after adjustment for processed and convenience food purchases. Conclusions: In our study, compared with white households, both black and Hispanic

Application of process tomography in gas-solid fluidised beds in different scales and structures

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, H. G.; Che, H. Q.; Ye, J. M.; Tu, Q. Y.; Wu, Z. P.; Yang, W. Q.; Ocone, R.

2018-04-01

Gas-solid fluidised beds are commonly used in particle-related processes, e.g. for coal combustion and gasification in the power industry, and the coating and granulation process in the pharmaceutical industry. Because the operation efficiency depends on the gas-solid flow characteristics, it is necessary to investigate the flow behaviour. This paper is about the application of process tomography, including electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) and microwave tomography (MWT), in multi-scale gas-solid fluidisation processes in the pharmaceutical and power industries. This is the first time that both ECT and MWT have been applied for this purpose in multi-scale and complex structure. To evaluate the sensor design and image reconstruction and to investigate the effects of sensor structure and dimension on the image quality, a normalised sensitivity coefficient is introduced. In the meantime, computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis based on a computational particle fluid dynamic (CPFD) model and a two-phase fluid model (TFM) is used. Part of the CPFD-TFM simulation results are compared and validated by experimental results from ECT and/or MWT. By both simulation and experiment, the complex flow hydrodynamic behaviour in different scales is analysed. Time-series capacitance data are analysed both in time and frequency domains to reveal the flow characteristics.

Effects of the differences between the ITRF2000 and ITRF2005 models in GNSS data processing

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Zhan Wei

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In comparison with the ITRF2000 model, the ITRF2005 model represents a significant improvement in solution generation, datum definition and realization. However, these improvements cause a frame difference between the ITRF2000 and ITRF2005 models, which may impact GNSS data processing. To quantify this impact, the differences of the GNSS results obtained using the two models, including station coordinates, baseline length and horizontal velocity field, were analyzed. After transformation, the differences in position were at the millimeter level, and the differences in baseline length were less than 1 mm. The differences in the horizontal velocity fields decreased with as the study area was reduced. For a large region, the differences in these value were less than 1 mm/a, with a systematic difference of approximately 2 degrees in direction, while for a medium-sized region, the differences in value and direction were not significant.

Difference Spectroscopy in the Analysis of the Effects of Coffee Cherry Processing Variables on the Flavor of Brewed Coffee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lyman, D.J.; Benck, R.M.; Merle, S.F.

2011-01-01

Infrared difference spectroscopy was used to study how changes in the processing of Arabica coffee cherries into green beans affected the flavor of coffee brewed from roasted green beans. Paired samples of green beans, in which the drying step or fermentation/washing step in their processing was altered, were roasted and brewed in a standard manner and their ATR-FT-IR spectra obtained. Difference spectra of the 1800 to 1680 cm-1 carbonyl region of water-subtracted spectra of paired samples of these brewed coffees provided data which indicated differences in brewed coffee flavor due to changes in fermentation/washing steps and drying steps involved in the processing of coffee cherries. The role of acid, ketone, aldehyde, ester, lactone, and vinyl ester carbonyl components on the flavor of brewed coffee is proposed that is consistent with the flavors as perceived by the coffee tasters.

Difference Spectroscopy in the Analysis of the Effects of Coffee Cherry Processing Variables on the Flavor of Brewed Coffee

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Donald J. Lyman

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Infrared difference spectroscopy was used to study how changes in the processing of Arabica coffee cherries into green beans affected the flavor of coffee brewed from roasted green beans. Paired samples of green beans, in which the drying step or fermentation/washing step in their processing was altered, were roasted and brewed in a standard manner and their ATR-FT-IR spectra obtained. Difference spectra of the 1800 to 1680 cm−1 carbonyl region of water-subtracted spectra of paired samples of these brewed coffees provided data which indicated differences in brewed coffee flavor due to changes in fermentation/washing steps and drying steps involved in the processing of coffee cherries. The role of acid, ketone, aldehyde, ester, lactone, and vinyl ester carbonyl components on the flavor of brewed coffee is proposed that is consistent with the flavors as perceived by the coffee tasters.

Oral opioid administration and hyperalgesia in patients with cancer or chronic nonmalignant pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Reznikov, Igor; Pud, Dorit; Eisenberg, Elon

2005-09-01

Previous research has reported on reduced paw withdrawal latencies to heat and mechanical stimuli after parenteral administration of opioids in animals and on increased pain sensitivity in humans subsequent to postoperative infusions of short-acting opioids or in drug addicts. The aim of the present study was to explore the possibility that oral opioid treated patients with cancer-related or chronic nonmalignant pain differ in their pain sensitivity from patients treated with non-opioid analgesics. The study population consisted of 224 patients, including 142 in the opioid-treated group and 82 in the non-opioid-treated group. Pain thresholds for punctuate measured by von Frey filaments (g), mechanical pressure measured by pressure algometer (mmHg), heat stimuli measured by quantitative sensory testing (degrees C), as well as suprathreshold tonic heat pain intensity (46.5 degrees C for 1 min) measured by 0-10 numerical pain scale (NPS) were obtained at a nonpainful site (thenar eminence) in all patients. No differences between the groups were found for gender, age, duration of pain, or duration of treatment (independent variables). No significant differences between the groups were found in punctuate (difference = 17.0 g (95% CI -8.8, 42.8), P = 0.19), pressure (2.2 mmHg (-28.7, 33.2), P = 0.89) and heat (-0.3 degrees C (-1.5, 0.9), P = 0.70) pain thresholds, or in suprathreshold heat pain intensity (difference between maximal pain intensities -0.4 NPS units (95% CI -1.2, 0.4), P = 0.31). Pearson correlations within the opioid-treated group failed to show significant relationships between any of the independent variables and the outcome measures. A further comparison of the outcomes between the 'weak' opioid-treated subgroup and the 'strong' opioid-treated subgroup again revealed insignificant results. These results suggest that the administration of 'commonly used' dosages of oral opioids does not result in abnormal pain sensitivity beyond that of patients

Challenges for the registration of vaccines in emerging countries: Differences in dossier requirements, application and evaluation processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Dellepiane, Nora; Pagliusi, Sonia

2018-06-07

The divergence of regulatory requirements and processes in developing and emerging countries contributes to hamper vaccines' registration, and therefore delay access to high-quality, safe and efficacious vaccines for their respective populations. This report focuses on providing insights on the heterogeneity of registration requirements in terms of numbering structure and overall content of dossiers for marketing authorisation applications for vaccines in different areas of the world. While it also illustrates the divergence of regulatory processes in general, as well as the need to avoid redundant reviews, it does not claim to provide a comprehensive view of all processes nor existing facilitating mechanisms, nor is it intended to touch upon the differences in assessments made by different regulatory authorities. This report describes the work analysed by regulatory experts from vaccine manufacturing companies during a meeting held in Geneva in May 2017, in identifying and quantifying differences in the requirements for vaccine registration in three aspects for comparison: the dossier numbering structure and contents, the application forms, and the evaluation procedures, in different countries and regions. The Module 1 of the Common Technical Document (CTD) of 10 countries were compared. Modules 2-5 of the CTDs of two regions and three countries were compared to the CTD of the US FDA. The application forms of eight countries were compared and the registration procedures of 134 importing countries were compared as well. The analysis indicates a high degree of divergence in numbering structure and content requirements. Possible interventions that would lead to significant improvements in registration efficiency include alignment in CTD numbering structure, a standardised model-application form, and better convergence of evaluation procedures. Copyright © 2018.

Apple wine processing with different nitrogen contents

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Aline Alberti

2011-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of this work was to evaluate the nitrogen content in different varieties of apple musts and to study the effect of different nitrogen concentrations in apple wine fermentation. The average total nitrogen content in 51 different apples juices was 155.81 mg/L, with 86.28 % of the values above 100 mg/L. The apple must with 59.0, 122.0 and 163.0 mg/L of total nitrogen content showed the maximum population of 2.05x 10(7; 4.42 x 10(7 and 8.66 x 10(7 cell/mL, respectively. Therefore, the maximum fermentation rates were dependent on the initial nitrogen level, corresponding to 1.4, 5.1 and 9.2 g/L.day, respectively. The nitrogen content in the apple musts was an important factor of growth and fermentation velocity.

The internal processes and behavioral dynamics of hospital boards: an exploration of differences between high- and low-performing hospitals.

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Kane, Nancy M; Clark, Jonathan R; Rivenson, Howard L

2009-01-01

Nonprofit hospital boards are under increasing pressure to improve financial, clinical, and charitable and community benefit performance. Most research on board effectiveness focuses on variables measuring board structure and attributes associated with competing ideal models of board roles. However, the results do not provide clear evidence that one role is superior to another and suggest that in practice boards pursue hybrid roles. Board dynamics and processes have received less attention from researchers, but emerging theoretical frameworks highlight them as key to effective corporate governance. We explored differences in board processes and behavioral dynamics between financially high- and low-performing hospitals, with the goal of developing a better understanding of the best board practices in nonprofit hospitals. A comparative case study approach allowed for in-depth, qualitative assessments of how the internal workings of boards differ between low- and high-performing facilities. Boards of hospitals with strong financial performance exhibited behavioral dynamics and internal processes that differed in important ways from those of hospitals with poor financial performance. Boards need to actively attend to key processes and foster positive group dynamics in decision making to be more effective in governing hospitals.

Fate and Prediction of Phenolic Secoiridoid Compounds throughout the Different Stages of the Virgin Olive Oil Making Process.

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Fregapane, Giuseppe; Salvador, M Desamparados

2017-08-03

The evolution of the main phenolic secoiridoid compounds throughout the different stages of the virgin olive oil making process-crushing, malaxation and liquid-solid separation-is studied here, with the goal of making possible the prediction of the partition and transformation that take place in the different steps of the process. The concentration of hydroxytyrosol secoiridoids produced under the different crushing conditions studied are reasonably proportional to the intensity of the milling stage, and strongly depend on the olive variety processed. During malaxation, the content of the main phenolic secoiridoids is reduced, especially in the case of the hydroxytyrosol derivatives, in which a variety-dependent behaviour is observed. The prediction of the concentration of phenolic secoiridoids finally transferred from the kneaded paste to the virgin olive oil is also feasible, and depends on the phenolic content and amount of water in the olive paste. The determination of the phenolic compounds in the olive fruit, olive paste and olive oil has been carried out by LC-MS (Liquid-Chromatography Mass-Spectrometry). This improved knowledge could help in the use of more adequate processing conditions for the production of virgin olive oil with desired properties; for example, higher or lower phenolic content, as the amount of these minor components is directly related to its sensory, antioxidant and healthy properties.

Different methods of dentin processing for application in bone tissue engineering: A systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Tabatabaei, Fahimeh Sadat; Tatari, Saeed; Samadi, Ramin; Moharamzadeh, Keyvan

2016-10-01

Dentin has become an interesting potential biomaterial for tissue engineering of oral hard tissues. It can be used as a scaffold or as a source of growth factors in bone tissue engineering. Different forms of dentin have been studied for their potential use as bone substitutes. Here, we systematically review different methods of dentin preparation and the efficacy of processed dentin in bone tissue engineering. An electronic search was carried out in PubMed and Scopus databases for articles published from 2000 to 2016. Studies on dentin preparation for application in bone tissue engineering were selected. The initial search yielded a total of 1045 articles, of which 37 were finally selected. Review of studies showed that demineralization was the most commonly used dentin preparation process for use in tissue engineering. Dentin extract, dentin particles (tooth ash), freeze-dried dentin, and denatured dentin are others method of dentin preparation. Based on our literature review, we can conclude that preparation procedure and the size and shape of dentin particles play an important role in its osteoinductive and osteoconductive properties. Standardization of these methods is important to draw a conclusion in this regard. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 104A: 2616-2627, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Are the different gully morphologies due to different formation processes on the Kaiser dune field on Mars?

Science.gov (United States)

Pasquon, K.; Gargani, J.; Nachon, M.; Conway, S. J.; Massé, M.; Jouannic, G.; Balme, M. R.; Costard, F.; Vincendon, M.

2017-12-01

sublimation seems to be a good candidate for the present-day activity of large apron gullies and linear dune gullies. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that the linear gullies are formed by a completely different process to the large apron gullies, namely flows of brine occurring as the temperature warms rapidly after the final removal of the CO2 ice.

Microbiota dynamics and diversity at different stages of industrial processing of cocoa beans into cocoa powder

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Líma, L.J.R.; Velpen, van der V.; Wolkers-Rooijackers, J.C.M.; Kamphuis, H.J.; Zwietering, M.H.; Nout, M.J.R.

2012-01-01

We sampled a cocoa powder production line to investigate the impact of processing on the microbial community size and diversity at different stages. Classical microbiological methods were combined with 16S rRNA gene PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, coupled with clone library

BIM ORIENTATION: GRADES OF GENERATION AND INFORMATION FOR DIFFERENT TYPE OF ANALYSIS AND MANAGEMENT PROCESS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. Banfi

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC industry is facing a great process re-engineering of the management procedures for new constructions, and recent studies show a significant increase of the benefits obtained through the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM methodologies. This innovative approach needs new developments for information and communication technologies (ICT in order to improve cooperation and interoperability among different actors and scientific disciplines. Accordingly, BIM could be described as a new tool capable of collect/analyse a great quantity of information (Big data and improve the management of building during its life of cycle (LC. The main aim of this research is, in addition to a reduction in production times, reduce physical and financial resources (economic impact, to demonstrate how technology development can support a complex generative process with new digital tools (modelling impact. This paper reviews recent BIMs of different historical Italian buildings such as Basilica of Collemaggio in L’Aquila, Masegra Castle in Sondrio, Basilica of Saint Ambrose in Milan and Visconti Bridge in Lecco and carries out a methodological analysis to optimize output information and results combining different data and modelling techniques into a single hub (cloud service through the use of new Grade of Generation (GoG and Information (GoI (management impact. Finally, this study shows the need to orient GoG and GoI for a different type of analysis, which requires a high Grade of Accuracy (GoA and an Automatic Verification System (AVS at the same time.

Differential Left Hippocampal Activation during Retrieval with Different Types of Reminders: An fMRI Study of the Reconsolidation Process

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De Pino, Gabriela; Fernández, Rodrigo Sebastián; Villarreal, Mirta Fabiana; Pedreira, María Eugenia

2016-01-01

Consolidated memories return to a labile state after the presentation of cues (reminders) associated with acquisition, followed by a period of stabilization (reconsolidation). However not all cues are equally effective in initiating the process, unpredictable cues triggered it, predictable cues do not. We hypothesize that the different effects observed by the different reminder types on memory labilization-reconsolidation depend on a differential neural involvement during reminder presentation. To test it, we developed a declarative task and compared the efficacy of three reminder types in triggering the process in humans (Experiment 1). Finally, we compared the brain activation patterns between the different conditions using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) (Experiment 2). We confirmed that the unpredictable reminder is the most effective in initiating the labilization-reconsolidation process. Furthermore, only under this condition there was differential left hippocampal activation during its presentation. We suggest that the left hippocampus is detecting the incongruence between actual and past events and allows the memory to be updated. PMID:26991776

Differential Left Hippocampal Activation during Retrieval with Different Types of Reminders: An fMRI Study of the Reconsolidation Process.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cecilia Forcato

Full Text Available Consolidated memories return to a labile state after the presentation of cues (reminders associated with acquisition, followed by a period of stabilization (reconsolidation. However not all cues are equally effective in initiating the process, unpredictable cues triggered it, predictable cues do not. We hypothesize that the different effects observed by the different reminder types on memory labilization-reconsolidation depend on a differential neural involvement during reminder presentation. To test it, we developed a declarative task and compared the efficacy of three reminder types in triggering the process in humans (Experiment 1. Finally, we compared the brain activation patterns between the different conditions using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI (Experiment 2. We confirmed that the unpredictable reminder is the most effective in initiating the labilization-reconsolidation process. Furthermore, only under this condition there was differential left hippocampal activation during its presentation. We suggest that the left hippocampus is detecting the incongruence between actual and past events and allows the memory to be updated.

Experimentally Investigating the Effect of Temperature Differences in the Particle Deposition Process on Solar Photovoltaic (PV Modules

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Jiang

2016-10-01

Full Text Available This paper reports an experimental investigation of the dust particle deposition process on solar photovoltaic (PV modules with different surface temperatures by a heating plate to illustrate the effect of the temperature difference (thermophoresis between the module surface and the surrounding air on the dust accumulation process under different operating temperatures. In general, if the temperature of PV modules is increased, the energy conversion efficiency of the modules is decreased. However, in this study, it is firstly found that higher PV module surface temperature differences result in a higher energy output compared with those modules with lower temperature differences because of a reduced accumulation of dust particles. The measured deposition densities of dust particles were found to range from 0.54 g/m2 to 0.85 g/m2 under the range of experimental conditions and the output power ratios were found to increase from 0.861 to 0.965 with the increase in the temperature difference from 0 to 50 °C. The PV module with a higher temperature difference experiences a lower dust density because of the effect of the thermophoresis force arising from the temperature gradient between the module surface and its surrounding air. In addition, dust particles have a significant impact on the short circuit current, as well as the output power. However, the influence of particles on open circuit voltage can be negligible.

Differences in neural responses to reward and punishment processing between anorexia nervosa subtypes: An fMRI study.

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Murao, Ema; Sugihara, Genichi; Isobe, Masanori; Noda, Tomomi; Kawabata, Michiko; Matsukawa, Noriko; Takahashi, Hidehiko; Murai, Toshiya; Noma, Shun'ichi

2017-09-01

Anorexia nervosa (AN) includes the restricting (AN-r) and binge-eating/purging (AN-bp) subtypes, which have been reported to differ regarding their underlying pathophysiologies as well as their behavioral patterns. However, the differences in neural mechanisms of reward systems between AN subtypes remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to explore differences in the neural processing of reward and punishment between AN subtypes. Twenty-three female patients with AN (11 AN-r and 12 AN-bp) and 20 healthy women underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing a monetary incentive delay task. Whole-brain one-way analysis of variance was conducted to test between-group differences. There were significant group differences in brain activation in the rostral anterior cingulate cortex and right posterior insula during loss anticipation, with increased brain activation in the AN-bp group relative to the AN-r and healthy women groups. No significant differences were found during gain anticipation. AN-bp patients showed altered neural responses to punishment in brain regions implicated in emotional arousal. Our findings suggest that individuals with AN-bp are more sensitive to potential punishment than individuals with AN-r and healthy individuals at the neural level. The present study provides preliminary evidence that there are neurobiological differences between AN subtypes with regard to the reward system, especially punishment processing. © 2017 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2017 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.

[Sex differences in relationship between creativity and hemispheric information processing in global and local levels].

Science.gov (United States)

Razumnikova, O M; Vol'f, N V

2012-01-01

Sex differences in creativity related global-local hemispheric selective processing were examined by hierarchical letter presenting in conditions of their perception and comparison. Fifty-six right-handed males and 68 females (aged 17-22 years) participated in the experiments. Originality-imagery was assessed by a computer-based Torrance 'Incomplete Figures' test software. Verbal creativity was valued by original sentence using of three nouns from remote semantic categories. The results show that irrespectively of the sex factor and the type of creative thinking, its originality is provided by high speed of right-hemispheric processes of information selection on the global level and delay in the interhemispheric communication. Relationships between originality of ideas and hemispheric attentional characteristics are presented mostly in men while verbal creative problem solving, and in women while figurative original thinking. Originality of verbal activity in men is more associated with success of selective processes in the left hemisphere, but in women--with selective functions of both hemispheres. Figurative thinking in men is less related to hemispheric characteristics of attention compared with women. Increase of figurative originality in women is accompanied acceleration of processes of selection of the information in the right hemisphere, and also higher efficiency of local attention as well as speeds ofglobal processing in the left hemisphere.

Combination of monthly gravity field solutions from different processing centers

Science.gov (United States)

Jean, Yoomin; Meyer, Ulrich; Jäggi, Adrian

2015-04-01

Currently, the official GRACE Science Data System (SDS) monthly gravity field solutions are generated independently by the Centre for Space Research (CSR) and the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ). Additional GRACE SDS monthly fields are provided by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for validation and outside the SDS by a number of other institutions worldwide. Although the adopted background models and processing standards have been harmonized more and more by the various processing centers during the past years, notable differences still exist and the users are more or less left alone with a decision which model to choose for their individual applications. Combinations are well-established in the area of other space geodetic techniques, such as the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR), and Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), where regular comparisons and combinations of space-geodetic products have tremendously increased the usefulness of the products in a wide range of disciplines and scientific applications. In the frame of the recently started Horizon 2020 project European Gravity Service for Improved Emergency Management (EGSIEM), a scientific combination service shall therefore be established to deliver the best gravity products for applications in Earth and environmental science research based on the unified knowledge of the European GRACE community. In a first step the large variety of available monthly GRACE gravity field solutions shall be mutually compared spatially and spectrally. We assess the noise of the raw as well as filtered solutions and compare the secular and seasonal periodic variations fitted to the monthly solutions. In a second step we will explore ways to generate combined solutions, e.g., based on a weighted average of the individual solutions using empirical weights derived from pair-wise comparisons. We will also assess the quality of such a combined solution and discuss the

A Dual Process Motivational Model of Ambivalent Sexism and Gender Differences in Romantic Partner Preferences

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Sibley, Chris G.; Overall, Nickola C.

2011-01-01

We tested a dual process motivational model of ambivalent sexism and gender differences in intimate partner preferences. Meta-analysis of 32 samples (16 with men, 16 with women; N = 5,459) indicated that Benevolent Sexism (BS) in women was associated with greater preferences for high-resource partners (r = 0.24), whereas Hostile Sexism (HS) in men…

A survey of processes for producing hydrogen fuel from different sources for automotive-propulsion fuel cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, L.F.

1996-03-01

Seven common fuels are compared for their utility as hydrogen sources for proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells used in automotive propulsion. Methanol, natural gas, gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation jet fuel, ethanol, and hydrogen are the fuels considered. Except for the steam reforming of methanol and using pure hydrogen, all processes for generating hydrogen from these fuels require temperatures over 1000 K at some point. With the same two exceptions, all processes require water-gas shift reactors of significant size. All processes require low-sulfur or zero-sulfur fuels, and this may add cost to some of them. Fuels produced by steam reforming contain {approximately}70-80% hydrogen, those by partial oxidation {approximately}35-45%. The lower percentages may adversely affect cell performance. Theoretical input energies do not differ markedly among the various processes for generating hydrogen from organic-chemical fuels. Pure hydrogen has severe distribution and storage problems. As a result, the steam reforming of methanol is the leading candidate process for on-board generation of hydrogen for automotive propulsion. If methanol unavailability or a high price demands an alternative process, steam reforming appears preferable to partial oxidation for this purpose.

Sex differences in functional activation patterns revealed by increased emotion processing demands.

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Hall, Geoffrey B C; Witelson, Sandra F; Szechtman, Henry; Nahmias, Claude

2004-02-09

Two [O(15)] PET studies assessed sex differences regional brain activation in the recognition of emotional stimuli. Study I revealed that the recognition of emotion in visual faces resulted in bilateral frontal activation in women, and unilateral right-sided activation in men. In study II, the complexity of the emotional face task was increased through tje addition of associated auditory emotional stimuli. Men again showed unilateral frontal activation, in this case to the left; whereas women did not show bilateral frontal activation, but showed greater limbic activity. These results suggest that when processing broader cross-modal emotional stimuli, men engage more in associative cognitive strategies while women draw more on primary emotional references.

An ERP Study of the Processing of Common and Decimal Fractions: How Different They Are

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Zhang, Li; Wang, Qi; Lin, Chongde; Ding, Cody; Zhou, Xinlin

2013-01-01

This study explored event-related potential (ERP) correlates of common fractions (1/5) and decimal fractions (0.2). Thirteen subjects performed a numerical magnitude matching task under two conditions. In the common fraction condition, a nonsymbolic fraction was asked to be judged whether its magnitude matched the magnitude of a common fraction; in the decimal fraction condition, a nonsymbolic fraction was asked to be matched with a decimal fraction. Behavioral results showed significant main effects of condition and numerical distance, but no significant interaction of condition and numerical distance. Electrophysiological data showed that when nonsymbolic fractions were compared to common fractions, they displayed larger N1 and P3 amplitudes than when they were compared to decimal fractions. This finding suggested that the visual identification for nonsymbolic fractions was different under the two conditions, which was not due to perceptual differences but to task demands. For symbolic fractions, the condition effect was observed in the N1 and P3 components, revealing stimulus-specific visual identification processing. The effect of numerical distance as an index of numerical magnitude representation was observed in the P2, N3 and P3 components under the two conditions. However, the topography of the distance effect was different under the two conditions, suggesting stimulus specific semantic processing of common fractions and decimal fractions. PMID:23894491

An ERP study of the processing of common and decimal fractions: how different they are.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Zhang

Full Text Available This study explored event-related potential (ERP correlates of common fractions (1/5 and decimal fractions (0.2. Thirteen subjects performed a numerical magnitude matching task under two conditions. In the common fraction condition, a nonsymbolic fraction was asked to be judged whether its magnitude matched the magnitude of a common fraction; in the decimal fraction condition, a nonsymbolic fraction was asked to be matched with a decimal fraction. Behavioral results showed significant main effects of condition and numerical distance, but no significant interaction of condition and numerical distance. Electrophysiological data showed that when nonsymbolic fractions were compared to common fractions, they displayed larger N1 and P3 amplitudes than when they were compared to decimal fractions. This finding suggested that the visual identification for nonsymbolic fractions was different under the two conditions, which was not due to perceptual differences but to task demands. For symbolic fractions, the condition effect was observed in the N1 and P3 components, revealing stimulus-specific visual identification processing. The effect of numerical distance as an index of numerical magnitude representation was observed in the P2, N3 and P3 components under the two conditions. However, the topography of the distance effect was different under the two conditions, suggesting stimulus specific semantic processing of common fractions and decimal fractions.

Considering sex differences clarifies the effects of depression on facial emotion processing during fMRI.

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Jenkins, L M; Kendall, A D; Kassel, M T; Patrón, V G; Gowins, J R; Dion, C; Shankman, S A; Weisenbach, S L; Maki, P; Langenecker, S A

2018-01-01

Sex differences in emotion processing may play a role in women's increased risk for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). However, studies of sex differences in brain mechanisms involved in emotion processing in MDD (or interactions of sex and diagnosis) are sparse. We conducted an event-related fMRI study examining the interactive and distinct effects of sex and MDD on neural activity during a facial emotion perception task. To minimize effects of current affective state and cumulative disease burden, we studied participants with remitted MDD (rMDD) who were early in the course of the illness. In total, 88 individuals aged 18-23 participated, including 48 with rMDD (32 female) and 40 healthy controls (HC; 25 female). fMRI revealed an interaction between sex and diagnosis for sad and neutral facial expressions in the superior frontal gyrus and left middle temporal gyrus. Results also revealed an interaction of sex with diagnosis in the amygdala. Data was from two sites, which might increase variability, but it also increases power to examine sex by diagnosis interactions. This study demonstrates the importance of taking sex differences into account when examining potential trait (or scar) mechanisms that could be useful in identifying individuals at-risk for MDD as well as for evaluating potential therapeutic innovations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Across-site patterns of electrically evoked compound action potential amplitude-growth functions in multichannel cochlear implant recipients and the effects of the interphase gap.

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Schvartz-Leyzac, Kara C; Pfingst, Bryan E

2016-11-01

Electrically evoked compound action potential (ECAP) measures of peak amplitude, and amplitude-growth function (AGF) slope have been shown to reflect characteristics of cochlear health (primarily spiral ganglion density) in anesthetized cochlear-implanted guinea pigs. Likewise, the effect of increasing the interphase gap (IPG) in each of these measures also reflects SGN density in the implanted guinea pig. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that suprathreshold ECAP measures, and also how they change as the IPG is increased, have the potential to be clinically applicable in human subjects. However, further work is first needed in order to determine the characteristics of these measures in humans who use cochlear implants. The current study examined across-site patterns of suprathreshold ECAP measures in 10 bilaterally-implanted, adult cochlear implant users. Results showed that both peak amplitude and slope of the AGF varied significantly from electrode to electrode in ear-specific patterns across the subjects' electrode arrays. As expected, increasing the IPG on average increased the peak amplitude and slope. Across ears, there was a significant, negative correlation between the slope of the ECAP AGF and the duration of hearing loss. Across-site patterns of ECAP peak amplitude and AGF slopes were also compared with common ground impedance values and significant correlations were observed in some cases, depending on the subject and condition. The results of this study, coupled with previous studies in animals, suggest that it is feasible to measure the change in suprathreshold ECAP measures as the IPG increases on most electrodes. Further work is needed to investigate the relationship between these measures and cochlear implant outcomes, and determine how these measures might be used when programming a cochlear-implant processor. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Theory and methodology of social, political and economic processes risks determining in different countries of the world

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Yashina Nadezhda, I.

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The study deals with the problems of the theory and methodology of social, political and economic processes risks in different countries with relative indicators of the socio-economic development level, as well as the size and condition of the public debt. Developed by the authors the methodology of determining the risks of social, political and economic processes of public policy around the world revealed close relationship between socio-economic situation of the countries and their public debt. Within the framework of this methodology two groups of factors characterizing the socio-political and economic processes in the country are being developed. After that each exponent and indicator are being processed, using expert procedures. Maximum statutory values for tentatively referenced countries with effective and ineffective government policies are identified. Then standardization (specification and definition of integral (generalized indexes of socio-political and economic processes in the country are taking place. After that the ranking of countries by aggregated standardized ratio is arranged, taking into account the significance of the developed indicators. The final phase of implementation methodology is identifying risks of social, political and economic processes of public policy around the world. This is the ranking of countries by ratio of stability in public policy (stability of economic and socio-political processes in the country. As the result of implementation methodology the following output was received: what really makes a difference is not the amount of the country's debt, but how effectively it manages this debt, whether it has a goal to improve social and economic indicators. Practical testing methodology has proven that studied indicators fully characterize the development of the countries, their political, social and economic situation on the world stage.

How Differences Between Manager and Clinician Perceptions of Safety Culture Impact Hospital Processes of Care.

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Richter, Jason; Mazurenko, Olena; Kazley, Abby Swanson; Ford, Eric W

2017-11-04

Evidenced-based processes of care improve patient outcomes, yet universal compliance is lacking, and perceptions of the quality of care are highly variable. The purpose of this study is to examine how differences in clinician and management perceptions on teamwork and communication relate to adherence to hospital processes of care. Hospitals submitted identifiable data for the 2012 Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Hospital Compare. The dependent variable was a composite, developed from the scores on adherence to acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia process of care measures. The primary independent variables reflected 4 safety culture domains: communication openness, feedback about errors, teamwork within units, and teamwork between units. We assigned each hospital into one of 4 groups based on agreement between managers and clinicians on each domain. Each hospital was categorized as "high" (above the median) or "low" (below) for clinicians and managers in communication and teamwork. We found a positive relationship between perceived teamwork and communication climate and processes of care measures. If managers and clinicians perceived the communication openness as high, the hospital was more likely to adhere with processes of care. Similarly, if clinicians perceived teamwork across units as high, the hospital was more likely to adhere to processes of care. Manager and staff perceptions about teamwork and communications impact adherence to processes of care. Policies should recognize the importance of perceptions of both clinicians and managers on teamwork and communication and seek to improve organizational climate and practices. Clinician perceptions of teamwork across units are more closely linked to processes of care, so managers should be cognizant and try to improve their perceptions.

The Relationship of Individual Difference and Group Process Variables with Self-Managed Team Performance: A Field Investigation

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Jordan, Mark

2001-01-01

The efficacy of dispositional individual difference team composition and group process variables in explaining team performance was examined for 1,030 military officers working in 92 teams over a 5-week period...

Affect of different ICT processing parameters to the quality of tomograms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Jiang; Sun Lingxia; Ye Yunchang

2009-01-01

The quality of ICT tomograms is affected by detecting processing parameters and image processing methods besides the performances of ICT systems. Optimal processing parameters and image processing methods can promote not only the quality of tomogram but also the resolution. Some research work was carried out about processing parameters and image processing methods including choice of collimator, filter, false color composite image. And some examples were given in this paper, which can provide the ICT analyst with reference. (authors)

Altered cortical and subcortical connectivity due to infrasound administered near the hearing threshold - Evidence from fMRI.

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Markus Weichenberger

Full Text Available In the present study, the brain's response towards near- and supra-threshold infrasound (IS stimulation (sound frequency near-threshold as well as the right superior frontal gyrus (rSFG during the near-threshold condition. In summary, this study is the first to demonstrate that infrasound near the hearing threshold may induce changes of neural activity across several brain regions, some of which are known to be involved in auditory processing, while others are regarded as keyplayers in emotional and autonomic control. These findings thus allow us to speculate on how continuous exposure to (sub-liminal IS could exert a pathogenic influence on the organism, yet further (especially longitudinal studies are required in order to substantialize these findings.

Physiological conditions for the effective interpretation of radiographic images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Overington, I.

1989-01-01

A wide range of factors influence the ability of the human observer to perceive detail in images. Most of these factors are of some significance in interpretation of one or more types of radiographic image. Human observer performance may be conveniently categorized in terms of multiparametric threshold surfaces, suprathreshold visibility and observer variance. The general multiparametric trends of human threshold performance are discussed, together with the implications for visibility. The importance and implications of observer variance are then explored, with particular reference to their effects on search processes. Finally, attempts are made to highlight the implications of some of the factors on typical radiographic interpretation tasks and on the adequacy of certain types of phantom image used for equipment calibration. (author)

Electrospun 4th-Generation Solid Dispersions of Poorly Water-Soluble Drug Utilizing Two Different Processes

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Zhu Zhang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Different from traditional solid dispersion (SD for improving the dissolution rates of poorly water-soluble drugs, the upgraded 4th SD was developed to furnish a drug sustained-release profile. In this work, two different kinds of 4th SDs were fabricated using two electrospinning processes. One is a ternary SD (nanofibers F2 that consisted of ethyl cellulose (EC, polyethylene glycol 1000 (PEG, and tamoxifen citrate (TAM from a modified coaxial process, and the other is a binary SD (nanofibers F1 which is comprised of EC and TAM from a single-fluid blending process. Scanning electronic microscopic observations demonstrated that F2 (330±50 nm showed a better quality than F1 (870±230 nm in terms of size and size distribution although both of them had a smooth surface morphology and a cross section. X-ray diffraction patterns verified that both SDs were amorphous nanocomposites owing to the favorable secondary interactions among these components, as suggested from the results of FTIR. In vitro dissolution experiments indicated that F2 could furnish an improved drug sustained-release characteristics compared to F1, exhausting all the contained TAM and having weaker leveling-off late release. The molecular behaviors of drug sustained-release from the binary 4th SD were suggested. The protocols reported here paved an alternative way for developing novel functional nanomaterials for effective delivery of poorly water-soluble drugs.

Prediction of postoperative pain by preoperative pain response to heat stimulation in total knee arthroplasty

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lunn, Troels H; Gaarn-Larsen, Lissi; Kehlet, Henrik

2013-01-01

It has been estimated that up to 54% of the variance in postoperative pain experience may be predicted with preoperative pain responses to experimental stimuli, with suprathreshold heat pain as the most consistent test modality. We aimed to explore if 2 heat test paradigms could predict postopera......It has been estimated that up to 54% of the variance in postoperative pain experience may be predicted with preoperative pain responses to experimental stimuli, with suprathreshold heat pain as the most consistent test modality. We aimed to explore if 2 heat test paradigms could predict...... and logistic regressions analyses were carried out including 8 potential preoperative explanatory variables (among these anxiety, depression, preoperative pain and pain catastrophizing) to assess pain response to preoperative heat pain stimulation as independent predictor for postoperative pain. 100 patients...... by the linear and logistic regression analyses, where only anxiety, preoperative pain and pain catastrophizing were significant explanatory variables (but with low R-Squares;0.05-0.08). Pain responses to 2 types of preoperative heat stimuli were not independent clinical relevant predictors for postoperative...

Altered Pain Sensitivity in Elderly Women with Chronic Neck Pain

Science.gov (United States)

Uthaikhup, Sureeporn; Prasert, Romchat; Paungmali, Aatit; Boontha, Kritsana

2015-01-01

Background Age-related changes occur in both the peripheral and central nervous system, yet little is known about the influence of chronic pain on pain sensitivity in older persons. The aim of this study was to investigate pain sensitivity in elders with chronic neck pain compared to healthy elders. Methods Thirty elderly women with chronic neck pain and 30 controls were recruited. Measures of pain sensitivity included pressure pain thresholds, heat/cold pain thresholds and suprathreshold heat pain responses. The pain measures were assessed over the cervical spine and at a remote site, the tibialis anterior muscle. Results Elders with chronic neck pain had lower pressure pain threshold over the articular pillar of C5-C6 and decreased cold pain thresholds over the cervical spine and tibialis anterior muscle when compared with controls (p pain thresholds and suprathreshold heat pain responses (p > 0.05). Conclusion The presence of pain hypersensitivity in elderly women with chronic neck pain appears to be dependent on types of painful stimuli. This may reflect changes in the peripheral and central nervous system with age. PMID:26039149

Processing of masked and unmasked emotional faces under different attentional conditions: an electrophysiological investigation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marzia eDel Zotto

2015-10-01

Full Text Available In order to investigate the interactions between non-spatial selective attention, awareness and emotion processing, we carried out an ERP study using a backward masking paradigm, in which angry, fearful, happy and neutral facial expressions were presented, while participants attempted to detect the presence of one or the other category of facial expressions in the different experimental blocks. ERP results showed that negative emotions enhanced an early N170 response over temporal-occipital leads in both masked and unmasked conditions, independently of selective attention. A later effect arising at the P2 was linked to awareness. Finally, selective attention was found to affect the N2 and N3 components over occipito-parietal leads. Our findings reveal that i the initial processing of facial expressions arises prior to attention and awareness; ii attention and awareness give rise to temporally distinct periods of activation independently of the type of emotion with only a partial degree of overlap; and iii selective attention appears to be influenced by the emotional nature of the stimuli, which in turn impinges on unconscious processing at a very early stage. This study confirms previous reports that negative facial expressions can be processed rapidly, in absence of visual awareness and independently of selective attention. On the other hand, attention and awareness may operate in a synergistic way, depending on task demand.

RNA Processing Factor 5 is required for efficient 5' cleavage at a processing site conserved in RNAs of three different mitochondrial genes in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Science.gov (United States)

Hauler, Aron; Jonietz, Christian; Stoll, Birgit; Stoll, Katrin; Braun, Hans-Peter; Binder, Stefan

2013-05-01

The 5' ends of many mitochondrial transcripts are generated post-transcriptionally. Recently, we identified three RNA PROCESSING FACTORs required for 5' end maturation of different mitochondrial mRNAs in Arabidopsis thaliana. All of these factors are pentatricopeptide repeat proteins (PPRPs), highly similar to RESTORERs OF FERTILTY (RF), that rescue male fertility in cytoplasmic male-sterile lines from different species. Therefore, we suggested a general role of these RF-like PPRPs in mitochondrial 5' processing. We now identified RNA PROCESSING FACTOR 5, a PPRP not classified as an RF-like protein, required for the efficient 5' maturation of the nad6 and atp9 mRNAs as well as 26S rRNA. The precursor molecules of these RNAs share conserved sequence elements, approximately ranging from positions -50 to +9 relative to mature 5' mRNA termini, suggesting these sequences to be at least part of the cis elements required for processing. The knockout of RPF5 has only a moderate influence on 5' processing of atp9 mRNA, whereas the generation of the mature nad6 mRNA and 26S rRNA is almost completely abolished in the mutant. The latter leads to a 50% decrease of total 26S rRNA species, resulting in an imbalance between the large rRNA and 18S rRNA. Despite these severe changes in RNA levels and in the proportion between the 26S and 18S rRNAs, mitochondrial protein levels appear to be unaltered in the mutant, whereas seed germination capacity is markedly reduced. © 2013 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Numerical simulation of temperature distribution using finite difference equations and estimation of the grain size during friction stir processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arora, H.S.; Singh, H.; Dhindaw, B.K.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Magnesium alloy AE42 was friction stir processed under different cooling conditions. ► Heat flow model was developed using finite difference heat equations. ► Generalized MATLAB code was developed for solving heat flow model. ► Regression equation for estimation of grain size was developed. - Abstract: The present investigation is aimed at developing a heat flow model to simulate temperature history during friction stir processing (FSP). A new approach of developing implicit form of finite difference heat equations solved using MATLAB code was used. A magnesium based alloy AE42 was friction stir processed (FSPed) at different FSP parameters and cooling conditions. Temperature history was continuously recorded in the nugget zone during FSP using data acquisition system and k type thermocouples. The developed code was validated at different FSP parameters and cooling conditions during FSP experimentation. The temperature history at different locations in the nugget zone at different instants of time was further utilized for the estimation of grain growth rate and final average grain size of the FSPed specimen. A regression equation relating the final grain size, maximum temperature during FSP and the cooling rate was developed. The metallurgical characterization was done using optical microscopy, SEM, and FIB-SIM analysis. The simulated temperature profiles and final average grain size were found to be in good agreement with the experimental results. The presence of fine precipitate particles generated in situ in the investigated magnesium alloy also contributed in the evolution of fine grain structure through Zener pining effect at the grain boundaries.

[CO2 response process and its simulation of Prunus sibirica photosynthesis under different soil moisture conditions].

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Qin; Zhang, Guang-Can; Pei, Bin; Xu, Zhi-Qiang; Zhao, Yu; Fang, Li-Dong

2013-06-01

Taking the two-year old potted Prunus sibirica seedlings as test materials, and using CIRAS-2 photosynthetic system, this paper studied the CO2 response process of P. sibirica photosynthesis in semi-arid loess hilly region under eight soil moisture conditions. The CO2 response data of P. sibirica were fitted and analyzed by rectangular hyperbola model, exponential equation, and modified rectangular hyperbola model. Meanwhile, the quantitative relationships between the photosynthesis and the soil moisture were discussed. The results showed that the CO2 response process of P. sibirica photosynthesis had obvious response characteristics to the soil moisture threshold. The relative soil water content (RWC) required to maintain the higher photosynthetic rate (P(n)) and carboxylation efficiency (CE) of P. sibirica was in the range of 46.3%-81.9%. In this RWC range, the photosynthesis did not appear obvious CO2 saturated inhibition phenomenon. When the RWC exceeded this range, the photosynthetic capacity (P(n max)), CE, and CO2 saturation point (CSP) decreased evidently. Under different soil moisture conditions, there existed obvious differences among the three models in simulating the CO2 response data of P. sibirica. When the RWC was in the range of 46.3%-81.9%, the CO2 response process and the characteristic parameters such as CE, CO2 compensation point (see symbol), and photorespiration rate (R(p)) could be well fitted by the three models, and the accuracy was in the order of modified rectangular hyperbola model > exponential equation > rectangular hyperbola model. When the RWC was too high or too low, namely, the RWC was > 81.9% or CO2 response process and the characteristic parameters. It was suggested that when the RWC was from 46.3% to 81.9%, the photosynthetic efficiency of P. sibirica was higher, and, as compared with rectangular hyperbola model and exponential equation, modified rectangular hyperbola model had more applicability to fit the CO2 response data of

Music-syntactic processing and auditory memory: similarities and differences between ERAN and MMN.

Science.gov (United States)

Koelsch, Stefan

2009-01-01

The early right anterior negativity (ERAN) is an event-related potential (ERP) reflecting processing of music-syntactic information, that is, of acoustic information structured according to abstract and complex regularities. The ERAN is usually maximal between 150 and 250 ms, has anterior scalp distribution (and often right-hemispheric weighting), can be modified by short- and long-term musical experience, can be elicited under ignore conditions, and emerges in early childhood. Main generators of the ERAN appear to be located in inferior fronto-lateral cortex. The ERAN resembles both the physical MMN and the abstract feature MMN in a number of properties, but the cognitive mechanisms underlying ERAN and MMN partly differ: Whereas the generation of the MMN is based on representations of regularities of intersound relationships that are extracted online from the acoustic environment, the generation of the ERAN relies on representations of music-syntactic regularities that already exist in a long-term memory format. Other processes, such as predicting subsequent acoustic events and comparing new acoustic information with the predicted sound, presumably overlap strongly for MMN and ERAN.

A finite difference model of the iron ore sinter process

OpenAIRE

Muller, J.; de Vries, T.L.; Dippenaar, B.A.; Vreugdenburg, J.C.

2015-01-01

Iron ore fines are agglomerated to produce sinter, which is an important feed material for blast furnaces worldwide. A model of the iron ore sintering process has been developed with the objective of being representative of the sinter pot test, the standard laboratory process in which the behaviour of specific sinter feed mixtures is evaluated. The model aims to predict sinter quality, including chemical quality and physical strength, as well as key sinter process performance parameters such ...

Human sex differences in emotional processing of own-race and other-race faces.

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Ran, Guangming; Chen, Xu; Pan, Yangu

2014-06-18

There is evidence that women and men show differences in the perception of affective facial expressions. However, none of the previous studies directly investigated sex differences in emotional processing of own-race and other-race faces. The current study addressed this issue using high time resolution event-related potential techniques. In total, data from 25 participants (13 women and 12 men) were analyzed. It was found that women showed increased N170 amplitudes to negative White faces compared with negative Chinese faces over the right hemisphere electrodes. This result suggests that women show enhanced sensitivity to other-race faces showing negative emotions (fear or disgust), which may contribute toward evolution. However, the current data showed that men had increased N170 amplitudes to happy Chinese versus happy White faces over the left hemisphere electrodes, indicating that men show enhanced sensitivity to own-race faces showing positive emotions (happiness). In this respect, men might use past pleasant emotional experiences to boost recognition of own-race faces.

Individual Distinctive Features of Self-Regulation Processes Peculiar to Students of Different Profiles of Lateral Organization

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Korneeva, Svetlana A.; Zherebnenko, Oksana A.; Mukhamedzyanova, Flera G.; Moskalenko, Svetlana V.; Gorelikova, Olga N.

2016-01-01

The research paper presents an analysis of the interrelation between the lateral organisation profiles' indicators and self-regulation features. The existence of significant distinctions in the processes of self-regulation among respondents with different variants of lateral profiles of the interhemispheric asymmetry is proved, as well as the…

Study on emission characteristics and reduction strategy of nitrous oxide during wastewater treatment by different processes.

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Sun, Shichang; Bao, Zhiyuan; Sun, Dezhi

2015-03-01

Given the inexorable increase in global wastewater treatment, increasing amounts of nitrous oxide are expected to be emitted from wastewater treatment plants and released to the atmosphere. It has become imperative to study the emission and control of nitrous oxide in the various wastewater treatment processes currently in use. In the present investigation, the emission characteristics and the factors affecting the release of nitrous oxide were studied via full- and pilot-scale experiments in anoxic-oxic, sequencing batch reactor and oxidation ditch processes. We propose an optimal treatment process and relative strategy for nitrous oxide reduction. Our results show that both the bio-nitrifying and bio-denitrifying treatment units in wastewater treatment plants are the predominant sites for nitrous oxide production in each process, while the aerated treatment units are the critical sources for nitrous oxide emission. Compared with the emission of nitrous oxide from the anoxic-oxic (1.37% of N-influent) and sequencing batch reactor (2.69% of N-influent) processes, much less nitrous oxide (0.25% of N-influent) is emitted from the oxidation ditch process, which we determined as the optimal wastewater treatment process for nitrous oxide reduction, given the current technologies. Nitrous oxide emissions differed with various operating parameters. Controlling the dissolved oxygen concentration at a proper level during nitrification and denitrification and enhancing the utilization rate of organic carbon in the influent for denitrification are the two critical methods for nitrous oxide reduction in the various processes considered.

Characteristics and functionality of appetite-reducing thylakoid powders produced by three different drying processes.

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Östbring, Karolina; Sjöholm, Ingegerd; Sörenson, Henrietta; Ekholm, Andrej; Erlanson-Albertsson, Charlotte; Rayner, Marilyn

2018-03-01

Thylakoids, a chloroplast membrane extracted from green leaves, are a promising functional ingredient with appetite-reducing properties via their lipase-inhibiting effect. Thylakoids in powder form have been evaluated in animal and human models, but no comprehensive study has been conducted on powder characteristics. The aim was to investigate the effects of different isolation methods and drying techniques (drum-drying, spray-drying, freeze-drying) on thylakoids' physicochemical and functional properties. Freeze-drying yielded thylakoid powders with the highest lipase-inhibiting capacity. We hypothesize that the specific macromolecular structures involved in lipase inhibition were degraded to different degrees by exposure to heat during spray-drying and drum-drying. We identified lightness (Hunter's L-value), greenness (Hunter's a-value), chlorophyll content and emulsifying capacity to be correlated to lipase-inhibiting capacity. Thus, to optimize the thylakoids functional properties, the internal membrane structure indicated by retained green colour should be preserved. This opens possibilities to use chlorophyll content as a marker for thylakoid functionality in screening processes during process optimization. Thylakoids are heat sensitive, and a mild drying technique should be used in industrial production. Strong links between physicochemical parameters and lipase inhibition capacity were found that can be used to predict functionality. The approach from this study can be applied towards production of standardized high-quality functional food ingredients. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Similarities and Differences in Mechanical Alloying Processes of V-Si-B and Mo-Si-B Powders

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Manja Krüger

2016-10-01

Full Text Available V-Si-B and Mo-Si-B alloys are currently the focus of materials research due to their excellent high temperature capabilities. To optimize the mechanical alloying (MA process for these materials, we compare microstructures, morphology and particles size as well as hardness evolution during the milling process for the model alloys V-9Si-13B and Mo-9Si-8B. A variation of the rotational speed of the planetary ball mill and the type of grinding materials is therefore investigated. These modifications result in different impact energies during ball-powder-wall collisions, which are quantitatively described in this comparative study. Processing with tungsten carbide vials and balls provides slightly improved impact energies compared to vials and balls made of steel. However, contamination of the mechanically alloyed powders with flaked particles of tungsten carbide is unavoidable. In the case of using steel grinding materials, Fe contaminations are also detectable, which are solved in the V and Mo solid solution phases, respectively. Typical mechanisms that occur during the MA process such as fracturing and comminution are analyzed using the comminution rate KP. In both alloys, the welding processes are more pronounced compared to the fracturing processes.

Mass production and photoelectric performances of P and Al Co-doped ZnO nanocrystals under different cooling post-processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deng, Ya-Juan; Lu, Yi; Liu, Jin-Ku; Yang, Xiao-Hong

2015-01-01

The phosphorus and aluminum co-doped in zinc oxide (ZnO) called PAZO nano-crystals (NCs) have been mass synthesized by a combustion method, which shows a preferable photocatalytic capability and conductive ability. This article focuses on the properties of PAZO NCs experienced by three cooling-down aftertreatments, which were the normalizing, quenching and annealing process, respectively. The influences of different cooling processes on the photocatalytic and conductive performances are discussed in details. From the research, we found the quenched-PAZO NCs showed the most unappealing photocatalysis and conductivity, because excessive defects as the recombination center of electron–hole pairs were generated in the quenching process. - Graphical abstract: This research focuses on the PAZO NCs experienced by different cooling-down aftertreatments, which were the normalizing, quenching and annealing process, respectively. The quenched-PAZO NCs had the most unappealing photocatalysis and conductivity, because of generating excessive defects as the recombination center of electron–hole pairs in the quenching process. - Highlights: • We presented a method to mass synthesize co-doped P and Al in ZnO nanocrystals. • The PAZO NCs have novel photoelectric performances. • The cooling post-process influence on the photoelectric properties was studied. • The excessive defects decline the photocatalytic and conductive activities

Mood-dependent integration in discourse comprehension: happy and sad moods affect consistency processing via different brain networks.

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Egidi, Giovanna; Caramazza, Alfonso

2014-12-01

According to recent research on language comprehension, the semantic features of a text are not the only determinants of whether incoming information is understood as consistent. Listeners' pre-existing affective states play a crucial role as well. The current fMRI experiment examines the effects of happy and sad moods during comprehension of consistent and inconsistent story endings, focusing on brain regions previously linked to two integration processes: inconsistency detection, evident in stronger responses to inconsistent endings, and fluent processing (accumulation), evident in stronger responses to consistent endings. The analysis evaluated whether differences in the BOLD response for consistent and inconsistent story endings correlated with self-reported mood scores after a mood induction procedure. Mood strongly affected regions previously associated with inconsistency detection. Happy mood increased sensitivity to inconsistency in regions specific for inconsistency detection (e.g., left IFG, left STS), whereas sad mood increased sensitivity to inconsistency in regions less specific for language processing (e.g., right med FG, right SFG). Mood affected more weakly regions involved in accumulation of information. These results show that mood can influence activity in areas mediating well-defined language processes, and highlight that integration is the result of context-dependent mechanisms. The finding that language comprehension can involve different networks depending on people's mood highlights the brain's ability to reorganize its functions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Black-White Differences in Cognitive Processing: A Study of the Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, and Successive Theory of Intelligence

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Naglieri, Jack A.; Rojahn, Johannes; Matto, Holly C.; Aquilino, Sally A.

2005-01-01

Researchers have typically found a mean difference of about 15 points between Blacks and Whites on traditional measures of intelligence. Some have argued that the difference between Blacks and Whites would be smaller on measures of cognitive processing. This study examined Black (n = 298) and White (n = 1,691) children on Planning, Attention,…

Effects of Test Media on Different EFL Test-Takers in Writing Scores and in the Cognitive Writing Process

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Zou, Xiao-Ling; Chen, Yan-Min

2016-01-01

The effects of computer and paper test media on EFL test-takers with different computer familiarity in writing scores and in the cognitive writing process have been comprehensively explored from the learners' aspect as well as on the basis of related theories and practice. The results indicate significant differences in test scores among the…

Aboveground and belowground arthropods experience different relative influences of stochastic versus deterministic community assembly processes following disturbance

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Scott Ferrenberg

2016-10-01

aboveground arthropod communities and vegetation and soil properties, but no significant association among belowground arthropod communities and environmental factors. Discussion Our results suggest context-dependent influences of stochastic and deterministic community assembly processes across different fractions of a spatially co-occurring ground-dwelling arthropod community following disturbance. This variation in assembly may be linked to contrasting ecological strategies and dispersal rates within above- and below-ground communities. Our findings add to a growing body of evidence indicating concurrent influences of stochastic and deterministic processes in community assembly, and highlight the need to consider potential variation across different fractions of biotic communities when testing community ecology theory and considering conservation strategies.

Aboveground and belowground arthropods experience different relative influences of stochastic versus deterministic community assembly processes following disturbance

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez, Alexander S.; Faist, Akasha M.

2016-01-01

communities and vegetation and soil properties, but no significant association among belowground arthropod communities and environmental factors. Discussion Our results suggest context-dependent influences of stochastic and deterministic community assembly processes across different fractions of a spatially co-occurring ground-dwelling arthropod community following disturbance. This variation in assembly may be linked to contrasting ecological strategies and dispersal rates within above- and below-ground communities. Our findings add to a growing body of evidence indicating concurrent influences of stochastic and deterministic processes in community assembly, and highlight the need to consider potential variation across different fractions of biotic communities when testing community ecology theory and considering conservation strategies. PMID:27761333

A Dynamical System Approach Explaining the Process of Development by Introducing Different Time-scales.

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Hashemi Kamangar, Somayeh Sadat; Moradimanesh, Zahra; Mokhtari, Setareh; Bakouie, Fatemeh

2018-06-11

A developmental process can be described as changes through time within a complex dynamic system. The self-organized changes and emergent behaviour during development can be described and modeled as a dynamical system. We propose a dynamical system approach to answer the main question in human cognitive development i.e. the changes during development happens continuously or in discontinuous stages. Within this approach there is a concept; the size of time scales, which can be used to address the aforementioned question. We introduce a framework, by considering the concept of time-scale, in which "fast" and "slow" is defined by the size of time-scales. According to our suggested model, the overall pattern of development can be seen as one continuous function, with different time-scales in different time intervals.

Reference-Free Assessment of Speech Intelligibility Using Bispectrum of an Auditory Neurogram

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Hossain, Mohammad E.; Jassim, Wissam A.; Zilany, Muhammad S. A.

2016-01-01

Sensorineural hearing loss occurs due to damage to the inner and outer hair cells of the peripheral auditory system. Hearing loss can cause decreases in audibility, dynamic range, frequency and temporal resolution of the auditory system, and all of these effects are known to affect speech intelligibility. In this study, a new reference-free speech intelligibility metric is proposed using 2-D neurograms constructed from the output of a computational model of the auditory periphery. The responses of the auditory-nerve fibers with a wide range of characteristic frequencies were simulated to construct neurograms. The features of the neurograms were extracted using third-order statistics referred to as bispectrum. The phase coupling of neurogram bispectrum provides a unique insight for the presence (or deficit) of supra-threshold nonlinearities beyond audibility for listeners with normal hearing (or hearing loss). The speech intelligibility scores predicted by the proposed method were compared to the behavioral scores for listeners with normal hearing and hearing loss both in quiet and under noisy background conditions. The results were also compared to the performance of some existing methods. The predicted results showed a good fit with a small error suggesting that the subjective scores can be estimated reliably using the proposed neural-response-based metric. The proposed metric also had a wide dynamic range, and the predicted scores were well-separated as a function of hearing loss. The proposed metric successfully captures the effects of hearing loss and supra-threshold nonlinearities on speech intelligibility. This metric could be applied to evaluate the performance of various speech-processing algorithms designed for hearing aids and cochlear implants. PMID:26967160

Improved cancer diagnostics by different image processing techniques on OCT images

Science.gov (United States)

Kanawade, Rajesh; Lengenfelder, Benjamin; Marini Menezes, Tassiana; Hohmann, Martin; Kopfinger, Stefan; Hohmann, Tim; Grabiec, Urszula; Klämpfl, Florian; Gonzales Menezes, Jean; Waldner, Maximilian; Schmidt, Michael

2015-07-01

Optical-coherence tomography (OCT) is a promising non-invasive, high-resolution imaging modality which can be used for cancer diagnosis and its therapeutic assessment. However, speckle noise makes detection of cancer boundaries and image segmentation problematic and unreliable. Therefore, to improve the image analysis for a precise cancer border detection, the performance of different image processing algorithms such as mean, median, hybrid median filter and rotational kernel transformation (RKT) for this task is investigated. This is done on OCT images acquired from an ex-vivo human cancerous mucosa and in vitro by using cultivated tumour applied on organotypical hippocampal slice cultures. The preliminary results confirm that the border between the healthy and the cancer lesions can be identified precisely. The obtained results are verified with fluorescence microscopy. This research can improve cancer diagnosis and the detection of borders between healthy and cancerous tissue. Thus, it could also reduce the number of biopsies required during screening endoscopy by providing better guidance to the physician.

Chronic electrical stimulation with a suprachoroidal retinal prosthesis: a preclinical safety and efficacy study.

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David A X Nayagam

Full Text Available To assess the safety and efficacy of chronic electrical stimulation of the retina with a suprachoroidal visual prosthesis.Seven normally-sighted feline subjects were implanted for 96-143 days with a suprachoroidal electrode array and six were chronically stimulated for 70-105 days at levels that activated the visual cortex. Charge balanced, biphasic, current pulses were delivered to platinum electrodes in a monopolar stimulation mode. Retinal integrity/function and the mechanical stability of the implant were assessed monthly using electroretinography (ERG, optical coherence tomography (OCT and fundus photography. Electrode impedances were measured weekly and electrically-evoked visual cortex potentials (eEVCPs were measured monthly to verify that chronic stimuli were suprathreshold. At the end of the chronic stimulation period, thresholds were confirmed with multi-unit recordings from the visual cortex. Randomized, blinded histological assessments were performed by two pathologists to compare the stimulated and non-stimulated retina and adjacent tissue.All subjects tolerated the surgical and stimulation procedure with no evidence of discomfort or unexpected adverse outcomes. After an initial post-operative settling period, electrode arrays were mechanically stable. Mean electrode impedances were stable between 11-15 kΩ during the implantation period. Visually-evoked ERGs & OCT were normal, and mean eEVCP thresholds did not substantially differ over time. In 81 of 84 electrode-adjacent tissue samples examined, there were no discernible histopathological differences between stimulated and unstimulated tissue. In the remaining three tissue samples there were minor focal fibroblastic and acute inflammatory responses.Chronic suprathreshold electrical stimulation of the retina using a suprachoroidal electrode array evoked a minimal tissue response and no adverse clinical or histological findings. Moreover, thresholds and electrode impedance remained

Different types of nitrogen deposition show variable effects on the soil carbon cycle process of temperate forests.

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Du, Yuhan; Guo, Peng; Liu, Jianqiu; Wang, Chunyu; Yang, Ning; Jiao, Zhenxia

2014-10-01

Nitrogen (N) deposition significantly affects the soil carbon (C) cycle process of forests. However, the influence of different types of N on it still remained unclear. In this work, ammonium nitrate was selected as an inorganic N (IN) source, while urea and glycine were chosen as organic N (ON) sources. Different ratios of IN to ON (1 : 4, 2 : 3, 3 : 2, 4 : 1, and 5 : 0) were mixed with equal total amounts and then used to fertilize temperate forest soils for 2 years. Results showed that IN deposition inhibited soil C cycle processes, such as soil respiration, soil organic C decomposition, and enzymatic activities, and induced the accumulation of recalcitrant organic C. By contrast, ON deposition promoted these processes. Addition of ON also resulted in accelerated transformation of recalcitrant compounds into labile compounds and increased CO2 efflux. Meanwhile, greater ON deposition may convert C sequestration in forest soils into C source. These results indicated the importance of the IN to ON ratio in controlling the soil C cycle, which can consequently change the ecological effect of N deposition. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Coastal Vulnerability to Erosion Processes: Study Cases from Different Countries

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Anfuso, Giorgio; Martinez Del Pozo, Jose Angel; Rangel-Buitrago, Nelson

2010-05-01

When natural processes affect or threaten human activities or infrastructures they become a natural hazard. In order to prevent the natural hazards impact and the associated economic and human losses, coastal managers need to know the intrinsic vulnerability of the littoral, using information on the physical and ecological coastal features, human occupation and present and future shoreline trends. The prediction of future coastline positions can be based on the study of coastal changes which have occurred over recent decades. Vertical aerial photographs, satellite imagery and maps are very useful data sources for the reconstruction of coast line changes at long (>60 years) and medium (between 60 and 10 years) temporal and spatial scales. Vulnerability maps have been obtained for several coastal sectors around the world through the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS), computer-assisted multivariate analysis and numerical models. In the USA, "Flood Insurance Rate Maps" have been created by the government and "Coastal Zone Hazard Maps" have been prepared for coastal stretches affected by hurricane Hugo. In Spain, the vulnerability of the Ebro and an Andalusia coastal sector were investigated over different time scales. McLaughlin et al., (2002) developed a GIS based coastal vulnerability index for the Northern Ireland littoral that took into account socio-economic activities and coastal resistance to erosion and energetic characteristics. Lizárraga et al., (2001) combined beach reduction at Rosario (Mexico) with the probability of damage to landward structures, obtaining a vulnerability matrix. In this work several coastal vulnerability maps have also been created by comparing data on coastal erosion/accretion and land use along different coastal sectors in Italy, Morocco and Colombia. Keywords: Hazard, Vulnerability, Coastal Erosion, Italy, Morocco, Colombia.

Information Use Differences in Hot and Cold Risk Processing: When Does Information About Probability Count in the Columbia Card Task?

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Markiewicz, Łukasz; Kubińska, Elżbieta

2015-01-01

This paper aims to provide insight into information processing differences between hot and cold risk taking decision tasks within a single domain. Decision theory defines risky situations using at least three parameters: outcome one (often a gain) with its probability and outcome two (often a loss) with a complementary probability. Although a rational agent should consider all of the parameters, s/he could potentially narrow their focus to only some of them, particularly when explicit Type 2 processes do not have the resources to override implicit Type 1 processes. Here we investigate differences in risky situation parameters' influence on hot and cold decisions. Although previous studies show lower information use in hot than in cold processes, they do not provide decision weight changes and therefore do not explain whether this difference results from worse concentration on each parameter of a risky situation (probability, gain amount, and loss amount) or from ignoring some parameters. Two studies were conducted, with participants performing the Columbia Card Task (CCT) in either its Cold or Hot version. In the first study, participants also performed the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT) to monitor their ability to override Type 1 processing cues (implicit processes) with Type 2 explicit processes. Because hypothesis testing required comparison of the relative importance of risky situation decision weights (gain, loss, probability), we developed a novel way of measuring information use in the CCT by employing a conjoint analysis methodology. Across the two studies, results indicated that in the CCT Cold condition decision makers concentrate on each information type (gain, loss, probability), but in the CCT Hot condition they concentrate mostly on a single parameter: probability of gain/loss. We also show that an individual's CRT score correlates with information use propensity in cold but not hot tasks. Thus, the affective dimension of hot tasks inhibits correct

Different processing of CAPA and pyrokinin precursors in the giant mealworm beetle Zophobas atratus (Tenebrionidae) and the boll weevil Anthonomus grandis grandis (Curculionidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Neupert, Susanne; Marciniak, Pawel; Köhler, Rene; Nachman, Ronald J; Suh, Charles P-C; Predel, Reinhard

2018-03-01

Capa and pyrokinin (pk) genes in hexapods share a common evolutionary origin. Using transcriptomics and peptidomics, we analyzed products of these genes in two beetles, the giant mealworm beetle (Zophobas atratus; Tenebrionidae) and the boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis grandis; Curculionidae). Our data revealed that even within Coleoptera, which represents a very well-defined group of insects, highly different evolutionary developments occurred in the neuropeptidergic system. These differences, however, primarily affect the general structure of the precursors and differential processing of mature peptides and, to a lesser degree, the sequences of the active core motifs. With the differential processing of the CAPA-precursor in Z. atratus we found a perfect example of completely different products cleaved from a single neuropeptide precursor in different cells. The CAPA precursor in abdominal ganglia of this species yields primarily periviscerokinins (PVKs) whereas processing of the same precursor in neurosecretory cells of the subesophageal ganglion results in CAPA-tryptoPK and a novel CAPA-PK. Particularly important was the detection of that CAPA-PK which has never been observed in the CNS of insects before. The three different types of CAPA peptides (CAPA-tryptoPK, CAPA-PK, PVK) each represent potential ligands which activate different receptors. In contrast to the processing of the CAPA precursor from Z. atratus, no indications of a differential processing of the CAPA precursor were found in A. g. grandis. These data suggest that rapid evolutionary changes regarding the processing of CAPA precursors were still going on when the different beetle lineages diverged. The sequence of the single known PVK of A. g. grandis occupies a special position within the known PVKs of insects and might serve asa basis to develop lineage-specific peptidomimetics capable of disrupting physiological processes regulated by PVKs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dual process theory and intermediate effect: are faculty and residents' performance on multiple-choice, licensing exam questions different?

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Ting; Durning, Steven J; Artino, Anthony R; van der Vleuten, Cees; Holmboe, Eric; Lipner, Rebecca; Schuwirth, Lambert

2015-04-01

Clinical reasoning is essential for the practice of medicine. Dual process theory conceptualizes reasoning as falling into two general categories: nonanalytic reasoning (pattern recognition) and analytic reasoning (active comparing and contrasting of alternatives). The debate continues regarding how expert performance develops and how individuals make the best use of analytic and nonanalytic processes. Several investigators have identified the unexpected finding that intermediates tend to perform better on licensing examination items than experts, which has been termed the "intermediate effect." We explored differences between faculty and residents on multiple-choice questions (MCQs) using dual process measures (both reading and answering times) to inform this ongoing debate. Faculty (board-certified internists; experts) and residents (internal medicine interns; intermediates) answered live licensing examination MCQs (U.S. Medical Licensing Examination Step 2 Clinical Knowledge and American Board of Internal Medicine Certifying Examination) while being timed. We conducted repeated analysis of variance to compare the 2 groups on average reading time, answering time, and accuracy on various types of items. Faculty and residents did not differ significantly in reading time [F (1,35) = 0.01, p = 0.93], answering time [F (1,35) = 0.60, p = 0.44], or accuracy [F (1,35) = 0.24, p = 0.63] regardless of easy or hard items. Dual process theory was not evidenced in this study. However, this lack of difference between faculty and residents may have been affected by the small sample size of participants and MCQs may not reflect how physicians made decisions in actual practice setting. Reprint & Copyright © 2015 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.