Age-related differences in emotion recognition ability: A cross-sectional study.

Experimental studies indicate that recognition of emotions, particularly negative emotions, decreases with age. However, there is no consensus at which age the decrease in emotion recognition begins, how selective this is to negative emotions, and whether this applies to both facial and vocal expression. In the current cross-sectional study, 607 participants ranging in age from 18 to 84 years (mean age = 32.6 ± 14.9 years) were asked to recognize emotions expressed either facially or vocally. In general, older participants were found to be less accurate at recognizing emotions, with the most distinctive age difference pertaining to a certain group of negative emotions. Both modalities revealed an age-related decline in the recognition of sadness and—to a lesser degree—anger, starting at about 30 years of age. Although age-related differences in the recognition of expression of emotion were not mediated by personality traits, 2 of the Big 5 traits, openness and conscientiousness, made an independent contribution to emotion-recognition performance. Implications of age-related differences in facial and vocal emotion expression and early onset of the selective decrease in emotion recognition are discussed in terms of previous findings and relevant theoretical models. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of coals for cocombustion with Estonian shale oil

The article reports the results of investigation into the possibility of using off-design coals as an additional fuel in connection with predicted reduction in the heat of combustion of shale oil and more stringent environmental regulations on harmful emissions. For this purpose, a mathematical model of a TP-101 boiler at the Estonian Power Plant has been constructed and verified; the model describes the boiler’s current state. On the basis of the process flow chart, the experience of operating the boiler, the relevant regulations, and the environmental requirement criteria for evaluation of the equipment operation in terms of reliability, efficiency, and environmental safety have been developed. These criteria underlie the analysis of the calculated operating parameters of the boiler and the boiler plant as a whole upon combustion with various shale-oil-to-coal ratios. The computational study shows that, at the minimal load, the normal operation of the boiler is ensured almost within the entire range of the parts by the heat rate of coal. With the decreasing load on the boiler, the normal equipment operation region narrows. The basic limitation factors are the temperature of the steam in the superheater, the temperature of the combustion products at the furnace outlet and the flow rate of the combustion air and flue gases. As a result, the parts by heat rate of lignite and bituminous coal have been determined that ensure reliable and efficient operation of the equipment. The efficiency of the boiler with the recommended lignite-to-coal ratio is higher than that achieved when burning the design shale oil. Based on the evaluation of the environmental performance of the boiler, the necessary additional measures to reduce emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere have been determined.     

Coherence and fragmentation of landscape patterns as characterized by correlograms: A case study of Estonia

The homogenization and fragmentation of landscapes caused by intensive management is an increasing problem worldwide. Therefore, there is need for development of methods that help to improve sustainable management and maintain the identity of landscapes. We proposed that landscape coherence is the similarity between soil pattern (potential landscape) and land use intensity (actual landscape), which may be investigated by means of correlograms. We studied the spatial autocorrelation (Moran's I) of raster format soil maps and land use maps (1:10,000; 10 m pixel size) in 35 study areas representing all landscape regions in Estonia. Various soil characteristics were taken into consideration in compiling the scale of contrast of 17 soil groups, whereas 19 land use types were ordered according to the intensity of human influence. We use a simple characteristic based on correlograms: a half-value distance lag, h_I = 0.5, a distance where Moran's I equals 0.5. According to the value of h_I = 0.5, in till-covered areas, the landscape structure is more fragmented in uplands than in lowlands. We found two study areas where the soil pattern was coherent with land use intensity, and detected a tendency that human influence makes the landscape pattern in uplands more homogeneous and in lowlands more heterogeneous, whereas the similarity between landscape patterns in lowlands and uplands is increasing due to human influence. This concept of coherence helps planners and decision makers to determine the optimal land use in landscapes by either reducing or increasing the fragmentation of the landscape pattern.     

Bias dependent NO2 sensitivity of SnO2 thin films at room temperature

Amorphous granular SnO₂ thin films were investigated from a standpoint of an NO₂ gas sensor working at room temperature. The films were deposited using pulsed laser deposition method with substrate at room temperature and ～90 nm thick SnO₂ films with amorphous structure were obtained as a result. SnO₂ films deposited on Pt electrode substrates formed a sensor structure that showed response I_air/I_gas to 4 ppm NO₂ up to ～8000. I–V characteristics of the sensor structure were described by the power law dependence, whereas the power indexes were different for measurements in pure air and in the presence of NO₂. As a result, the sensor response was highly dependent on bias voltage between the sensor electrodes. It was demonstrated that the nonlinear electrical characteristics and bias dependent gas sensitivity were the inherent properties of thin films and the contacts were ohmic.     

Luminescence characterization of ultrathin MgO films of high crystallinity prepared by pulsed laser deposition

Thin MgO films with thicknesses ranging from 127 to 35 nm were prepared by pulsed laser deposition on Si substrates. The crystalline films were smooth (rms roughness 0.6–1.2 nm) with an average density of 3.5 g/cm³. Cathodoluminescence study revealed emissions peaked at 7.65 eV and ascribed to the edge emission of large radius exciton states as well as luminescence due to the F and F⁺ colour centres in the range of 2–4 eV. This luminescence is efficiently excited in the absorption band peaked at 6.2 eV and in the intrinsic absorption with the onset at 7.4 eV via energy transfer processes.     

Atomic layer deposition of ferromagnetic cobalt doped titanium oxide thin films

TiO₂ thin films doped or mixed with cobalt oxide were grown by atomic layer deposition using titanium tetramethoxide and cobalt(III)acetylacetonate as metal precursors. The films could be deposited using both O₃ and H₂O as oxygen precursors. The films grown using water exhibited considerably smoother surface than those grown with ozone. The TiO₂:Co films with Co/(Co + Ti) cation ratio ranging from 0.01 to 0.30 were crystallized by annealing at 650 °C, possessing mixed phase composition comprising rutile and anatase and, additionally, CoTiO₃ or CoTi₂O₅. The annealed films demonstrated magnetic response expressed by magnetization curves with certain hysteresis and coercive fields.     

Salmon fibrinogen and chitosan scaffold for tissue engineering: in vitro and in vivo evaluation

3D fibrous scaffolds have received much recent attention in regenerative medicine. Use of fibrous scaffolds has shown promising results in tissue engineering and wound healing. Here we report the development and properties of a novel fibrous scaffold that is useful for promoting wound healing. A scaffold made of salmon fibrinogen and chitosan is produced by electrospinning, resulting in a biocompatible material mimicking the structure of the native extracellular matrix (ECM) with suitable biochemical and mechanical properties. The scaffold is produced without the need for enzymes, in particular thrombin, but is fully compatible with their addition if needed. Human dermal fibroblasts cultured on this scaffold showed progressive proliferation for 14 days. Split-thickness experimental skin wounds treated and untreated were compared in a 10-day follow-up period. Wound healing was more effective using the fibrinogen-chitosan scaffold than in untreated wounds. This scaffold could be applicable in various medical purposes including surgery, tissue regeneration, burns, traumatic injuries, and 3D cell culture platforms.

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