Reinstating the original principles of Proctor's unified theory for matching-task phenomena: An evaluation of Krueger and Shapiro's reformulation.

L. E. Krueger and R. G. Shapiro (see record 1982-02747-001) have reformulated R. W. Proctor's (see record 1981-24888-001) unified theory for matching-task phenomena by replacing his inhibition principle with Krueger's (see record 1979-22735-001) internal noise (IN) principle and altering Proctor's facilitation principle from one of sensitivity change to one of criterion change. The present article examines both of these modifications and concludes that they are unwarranted. The IN principle is shown to rely on several unjustified assumptions, the most critical of which seems to render it incapable of explaining the "same–different" RT disparity for which it was developed. On the other hand, empirical evidence for the inhibition principle is shown to be considerably more substantial than acknowledged by Krueger and Shapiro. An examination of facilitation indicates that although it can occur through either sensitivity or criterion changes, the former apparently predominates in the standard matching-task situation. (57 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Aggregation Behaviour of Acid Dyes in N,N-Dimethylformamide-Trichloroethylene Solvent Mixtures - A Quasielastic Light-scattering Study

A new technique, quasielastic light scattering, was employed to study the aggregation behaviour of three acid dyes in dimethylformamide—trichloroethylene solvent mixtures. Observations on the aggregation of these dyes showed that they behaved differently in these mixtures than in aqueous solution. The extent of aggregation was found to vary with the number of sulphonic acid groups present in the dye molecule. Both monosulphonated and disulphonated acid dyes showed a tendency to aggregate with increase either in dye concentration or in trichloroethylene content in dimethylformamide. The low dielectric constant of trichloroethylene was responsible for the tendency of dye to aggregate with increase in trichloroethylene content. The trisulphonated acid dye showed least tendency to aggregate; this may be accounted for by the fact that sulphonic acid groups in the dye molecule are located at sites unfavourable to aggregation.     

Wholesale Power Price Dynamics Under Transmission Line Limits: A Use of an Agent-Based Intelligent Simulator

This research proposes a use of an agent-based intelligent simulator to numerically examine the influence of a transmission line limit on the dynamics of a wholesale power market. In the proposed simulator, all agents are equipped with learning capabilities. The power market is structured by multiple zones connected by transmission lines. The following business implications are found in this study. 1) The learning speed of reinforcement learning depends upon a dynamic change of market price. 2) The marketprice and volatility of electricity is increased by a line limit. The increase is influenced by not only a capacity limit but also a zone structure and an amount of demand. 3) The average price and volatility of electricity are influenced by the number of capacity-limited links. 4) There is no major difference between day-ahead (DA) and real-time (RT) markets in terms of the influence of a line limit. 5) There is a slightly increasing trend in average DA and RT market prices along with the percentage reduction of a current line limit.     

A Novel Approach for Minimization of Tool Vibration and Surface Roughness in Orthogonal Turn Milling of Silicon Bronze Alloy

Silicon - The advanced manufacturing system is aimed to produce components at right quantity, quality and cost. Turnmilling is one of the advanced machining techniques that combines turning and...     

Systemic inflammatory load in humans is suppressed by consumption of two formulations of dried,encapsulated juice concentrate

Chronic inflammation contributes to an increased risk for developing chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. A high “inflammatory load” is defined as elevated inflammation markers in blood or other tissues. We evaluated several markers of systemic inflammation from healthy adults and tested the hypothesis that two formulations of encapsulated fruit and vegetable juice powder concentrate with added berry powders (FVB) or without (FV) could impact markers of inflammatory load. Using a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled approach, 117 subjects were randomly assigned to receive placebo, FV, or FVB capsules. Blood was drawn at baseline and after 60 d of capsule consumption. We measured inflammatory markers (high sensitivity C‐Reactive Protein, Monocyte Chemotactic Protein‐1, Macrophage Inflammatory Protein 1‐β, and Regulated upon Activation, Normal T cell Expressed and Secreted), superoxide dismutase, and micronutrients (β‐carotene, vitamin C, and vitamin E). Results showed Monocyte Chemotactic Protein‐1, Macrophage Inflammatory Protein 1‐β, and RANTES levels were significantly reduced and superoxide dismutase and micronutrient levels were significantly increased in subjects consuming both FV and FVB, relative to placebo. Data suggest a potential health benefit by consuming either formulation of the encapsulated juice concentrates through their anti‐inflammatory properties.     

Assessment of the effect of residual stresses in elastic-plastic fracture of dissimilar welded components

Residual stresses in welds pose a significant threat to the structural integrity of a component, especially in the presence of defects and are required to be accounted for in assessing component safety. Although the R6 assessment procedure suggests various approximate methods for incorporating these effects in defect assessment, most of them are overly conservative and not very cost-effective. A more reliable approach is to characterise the weld residual stresses around a defect and study how they interact with primary load. The current paper analyses the effects of weld residual stresses on the fracture of a dissimilar weld in the presence of defect. The weld is made between modified 9Cr–1Mo steel and 316LN stainless steel using autogenous electron beam welding. A C(T) specimen was extracted from the centre of the weld and a crack introduced in the fusion zone using electro-discharge machining. The residual stresses around the crack were measured on a grid of measurement points at mid-thickness of the C(T) specimen using neutron diffraction on the strain diffractometer SALSA at ILL, Grenoble. The measured residual stresses around the crack-tip were incorporated into a finite element model and the interaction of these with applied load was predicted under fracture.     

Mechanical,morphological, and thermogravimetric analysis of alkali-treated Cordia-Dichotoma natural fiber composites

ABSTRACT

Usage of composites with natural fiber reinforcement is drastically increasing in recent times because of their low density, biodegradable nature, and low cost. However, natural fibers have certain core problems such as poor adhesion between the fiber and matrix and a relatively high degree of moisture absorption. Alkaline treatment of natural fibers is aimed at improving the adhesive strength so that effective stress transferability takes place in the composite. In the present work, Cordia-Dichotoma fibers were treated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and composites were prepared with different weight ratios of these fibers reinforced with epoxy. The prepared composites were tested for their tensile and flexural strengths (mechanical properties). Besides, for a comprehensive material characterization, IR spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope, and thermogravimetric analysis were carried out. This work investigates the influence of aforementioned NaOH treatment on thermal, mechanical, and morphological properties of the composite material.     

Oil composition,mineral nutrient and fatty acid distribution in the lipid classes of underutilized oils of Trilepisium madagascariense and Antiaris africana from Nigeria

Trilepisium madagascariense (TM) and Antiaris africana (AA) are two underutilized plants from Nigeria. They have been subjected to standard analytical techniques in order to evaluate the proximate composition, physico-chemical properties, mineral nutrient, fatty acid composition and distribution in the lipid classes of the seeds and seed oils. The carbohydrate composition of these seeds are high; TM is 62.73 ± 0.30% and AA is 53.97 ± 0.50%. Iodine value of TM was found to be 46.10 ± 0.70 mg iodine/g while that of AA was 88.24 ± 0.50 mg iodine/g. The mineral composition of the seeds and the oils varied with K having the highest concentration in the seed and Na the highest concentration in the oils. Linoleic acid is the dominant fatty acid in the oil of AA with the highest composition in the neutral lipids while palmitic acid is the dominant fatty acid in oil of TM. Vitamin E, Gamma-Sitosterol, α and β-Amyrin, Lupeol, Stigmast-4-en-3-one, and hydrocarbons were isolated from these oils. The results of the proximate, mineral nutrient compositions, chemical characterization and fatty acid distribution of these seeds and seed oils shows their possibility as potential resources.     

Multiplex PCR-based strategy to detect contamination with mycotoxigenic Fusarium species in rice and fingermillet collected from southern India

BACKGROUND: The genus Fusarium comprises a diverse group of fungi including several species that produce mycotoxins in food commodities. In the present study, a multiplex PCR was standardised for the group‐specific detection of fumonisin‐producing and trichothecene‐producing strains of Fusarium species. Primers for genus‐level recognition of Fusarium spp. were designed from the internal transcribed spacer regions 1 and 2 of rDNA. Primers for group‐specific detection were designed from the tri5 and tri6 genes involved in trichothecene biosynthesis and the fum1 and fum13 genes involved in fumonisin biosynthesis. RESULTS: Among the various genera and their strains tested, all the 85 confirmed Fusarium strains were positive for rDNA gene and the rest stayed negative. From among the Fusarium strains, 15 had amplification for trichothecene‐ and 20 for fumonisin‐encoding genes. All PCR positive trichothecene chemotypes of Fusarium species tested were positive for chemical analysis but in the case of fumonisins, of the 20 PCR positive cultures, only 13 showed positive for chemical analysis by HPTLC. CONCLUSION: The assay described here provided a rapid and reliable detection of trichothecene‐ and fumonisin‐producing Fusarium directly from natural food grains and the results were always comparable with a conventional HPTLC detection method. It can, therefore, be used by the food industry to monitor quality and safety. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry