Attentional control, high intensity pleasure, and risky pedestrian behavior in college students

Individual differences in temperament and personality are closely linked to motor vehicle safety. However, 13% of Americans who die in transportation-related injuries are not killed in motor vehicle crashes, but rather in pedestrian injuries. This study was designed to study links between two individual difference measures, attentional control and high intensity pleasure, and pedestrian injury risk among college students, a group at particular risk of pedestrian injury. A sample of 245 students completed a temperament questionnaire and engaged in a street-crossing task within an interactive, immersive virtual pedestrian environment. Individuals scoring high on attentional control (the capacity to focus and shift attention, one facet of conscientiousness) waited longer to choose gaps to cross within and showed some tendency to choose larger gaps after waiting. Individuals scoring high in high intensity pleasure (the tendency to desire novel, complex, and varied stimuli, one facet of sensation-seeking) were more likely to experience collisions with traffic in the virtual environment. Theoretical and applied implications are discussed.     

Periodic broadcasting with VBR-encoded video

We consider designing near video on demand (NVOD) systems that minimize startup latency while maintaining high image quality. Recently nonuniform segmentation has been used to develop periodic broadcasting techniques for NVOD. These techniques give significant reductions in startup latency as compared with more conventional uniform segmentation. Essentially all of these schemes assume, however, that the videos are CBR-encoded. Since a CBR-encoded video has a larger average rate than an open-loop VBR encoding with the same image quality, there is potential to obtain further performance improvements by using VBR video. In this paper we develop a series of multiplexing schemes for the periodic broadcasting of VBR-encoded video that are based on smoothing, server buffering, and client prefetching. Two key but conflicting performance measures exist when using VBR video: latency and packet loss. By introducing small additional delays in our multiplexing schemes, our trace-based numerical work shows that the schemes can achieve nearly 100% link utilization with negligible packet loss. When the ratio of the CBR rate to the VBR average rate is a modest 1.8, startup latency can be reduced by a factor of four or more for common scenarios.Martin Reisslein: Correspondence to: A shorter version of this paper appeared in Proceedings of IEEE Infocom 99, New York, March 1999, pp 464-471     

The Local Jahn-Teller Effect in (La/Sr)n+1MnnO3n+1

Lattice polarons play an important role in the mechanism of colossal magnetoresistance in the (La/Sr) _n+1Mn _n O_3n+1 manganites. Local lattice distortions were characterized by the pulsed neutron pair density function (PDF) analysis. The result shows that the doped holes form polarons related to the Jahn–Teller (JT) effect, both in the two-dimensional layered crystals (n=2) and in the perovskites (n=∞). The temperature effects are also similar in both systems suggesting that lattice polarons are largely independent of the crystal symmetry.     

Interface-Me: Pursuing Sociability Through Personal Devices

In this paper we describe the fundamental principles that guide our work process at 5050 Ltd, in developing concepts and prototypes for personal technology devices. We maintain that in designing personal devices it is critical to address the social interaction elements of the user experience. We introduce the term “social functionality” to refer to those aspects of a device that are specifically designed to elicit sociability and serendipity. It also refers to those aspects which enable users to communicate or represent individuating characteristics through the use of their device. Social functionality is seen as a critical success factor in the design of future personal devices. Introducing social functionality in personal technology devices requires a multidisciplinary approach. Design and technology are seen as inseparable elements of the development process. The mbracelet¹, a wearable prototype we developed for, and in association with, NCR’s The Knowledge Lab, is used as a case in point.     

Multiplex quantitative competitive polymerase chain reaction based on a multianalyte hybridization assay performed on spectrally encoded microspheres

Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) may be performed by two general approaches, namely, real-time PCR and quantitative competitive PCR (QC-PCR). QC-PCR makes use of the concept of a DNA competitor, which is the "gold standard" approach to circumvent the problem of the variation of amplification efficiency. However, QC-PCR in its classical form is a low-throughput method since it requires titration of each sample with the competitor followed by electrophoresis. The throughput of QC-PCR has been improved by capillary electrophoresis and microtiter well-based hybridization assays. The present work introduces a multiplex QC-PCR method, which is based on a multianalyte hybridization assay that is performed on spectrally encoded microspheres. The DNA competitors use the same primers and have equal size with their corresponding target DNA sequences but differ in a short (24 bp) centrally located sequence. Following multiplex PCR, biotinylated amplification products from all DNA targets and competitors are heat-denatured and hybridized with oligonucleotide probes, which are attached to addressable sets of fluorescent microspheres. The hybrids react with a streptavidin-phycoerythrin conjugate. The microspheres are then analyzed by flow cytometry employing two lasers. A red laser line is used for classification of the microspheres, and a green line excites phycoerythrin, whose fluorescence is related to the concentration of the analyte DNA. As a model, we have developed a multiplex quantitative competitive PCR assay for four targets. The amplification products from targets and competitors (a total of 8 DNA fragments) are determined simultaneously by the multianalyte hybridization assay. The limits of quantification for the hybridization assay of all amplified DNA fragments are below 13 pM. The multiplex quantitative competitive PCR assay detects approximately 500 copies from each target DNA. To our knowledge, the proposed method is the only approach to quantitative PCR that offers such a high potential for multiplexing.     

Molecular Mechanisms of Muscle Fatigue

Muscle fatigue (MF) declines the capacity of muscles to complete a task over time at a constant load. MF is usually short-lasting, reversible, and is experienced as a feeling of tiredness or lack of energy. The leading causes of short-lasting fatigue are related to overtraining, undertraining/deconditioning, or physical injury. Conversely, MF can be persistent and more serious when associated with pathological states or following chronic exposure to certain medication or toxic composites. In conjunction with chronic fatigue, the muscle feels floppy, and the force generated by muscles is always low, causing the individual to feel frail constantly. The leading cause underpinning the development of chronic fatigue is related to muscle wasting mediated by aging, immobilization, insulin resistance (through high-fat dietary intake or pharmacologically mediated Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor (PPAR) agonism), diseases associated with systemic inflammation (arthritis, sepsis, infections, trauma, cardiovascular and respiratory disorders (heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD))), chronic kidney failure, muscle dystrophies, muscle myopathies, multiple sclerosis, and, more recently, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The primary outcome of displaying chronic muscle fatigue is a poor quality of life. This type of fatigue represents a significant daily challenge for those affected and for the national health authorities through the financial burden attached to patient support. Although the origin of chronic fatigue is multifactorial, the MF in illness conditions is intrinsically linked to the occurrence of muscle loss. The sequence of events leading to chronic fatigue can be schematically denoted as: trigger (genetic or pathological) -> molecular outcome within the muscle cell -> muscle wasting -> loss of muscle function -> occurrence of chronic muscle fatigue. The present review will only highlight and discuss current knowledge on the molecular mechanisms that contribute to the upregulation of muscle wasting, thereby helping us understand how we could prevent or treat this debilitating condition.     

N-Acetylcysteine Administration Attenuates Sensorimotor Impairments Following Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury in Rats

Hypoxic ischemic (HI) brain injury that occurs during neonatal period has been correlated with severe neuronal damage, behavioral deficits and infant mortality. Previous evidence indicates that N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a compound with antioxidant action, exerts a potential neuroprotective effect in various neurological disorders including injury induced by brain ischemia. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of NAC as a potential therapeutic agent in a rat model of neonatal HI brain injury and explore its long-term behavioral effects. To this end, NAC (50 mg/kg/dose, i.p.) was administered prior to and instantly after HI, in order to evaluate hippocampal and cerebral cortex damage as well as long-term functional outcome. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression. The results revealed that NAC significantly alleviated sensorimotor deficits and this effect was maintained up to adulthood. These improvements in functional outcome were associated with a significant decrease in the severity of brain damage. Moreover, NAC decreased the short-term expression of iNOS, a finding implying that iNOS activity may be suppressed and that through this action NAC may exert its therapeutic action against neonatal HI brain injury.     

Graphene Enabled Low-Noise Surface Chemistry for Multiplexed Sepsis Biomarker Detection in Whole Blood

Affinity-based electrochemical (EC) sensors offer a potentially valuable approach for point-of-care (POC) diagnostics applications, and for the detection of diseases, such as sepsis, that require simultaneous detection of multiple biomarkers, but their development has been hampered due to biological fouling and EC noise. Here, an EC sensor platform that enables detection of multiple sepsis biomarkers simultaneously by incorporating a nanocomposite coating composed of crosslinked bovine serum albumin containing a network of reduced graphene oxide nanoparticles that prevents biofouling while maintaining electroconductivity is described. Using nanocomposite coated planar gold electrodes, a sensitive procalcitonin (PCT) sensor is constructed and validated in undiluted serum, which produced an excellent correlation with a conventional ELISA (adjusted r²  = 0.95) using clinical samples. A single multiplexed platform containing sensors for three different sepsis biomarkers—PCT, C-reactive protein, and pathogen-associated molecular patterns—is also developed, which exhibits specific responses within the clinically significant range without any cross-reactivity. This platform enables sensitive simultaneous EC detection of multiple analytes in human whole blood, and it can be applied to detect any target analyte with an appropriate antibody pair. Thus, this nanocomposite-enabled EC sensor platform may offer a potentially valuable tool for development of a wide range of clinical POC diagnostics.     

On the importance of the Vg,max-Vth parameter on LTPS TFT stressing behavior

In this work we point out the importance of the device parameter V_g,max-V_th (the difference between the gate voltage at maximum transconductance and the threshold voltage obtained from linear extrapolation method) for LTPS TFTs under dc stress. The evolution of this parameter with stress time is monitored for the first time, along with the other typical device parameters (V_th, G_m,max, S) in order to further clarify the nature of the traps generated. In the first dc stress case considered, we observed very different S degradation of the two samples, but very similar G_m,max degradation, as well as similar V_g,max-V_th evolution. Therefore, G_m,max evolution with stress time was found to be related more strongly to tail state generation, probed through V_g,max-V_th, and not to midgap trap generation, probed through S. In the second case, no midgap state generation is observed, but only severe tail state generation. Hence, the nature of the created defects and the reason for the significant G_m,max reduction could only be probed through the observation of V_g,max-V_th, a parameter not utilized until now. Finally, stressing both n- and p-channel devices, we are able to explain the much more intense G_m,max degradation observed for n-channel devices, associating it to the larger tail state generation in n-channel TFTs, also pointed by V_g,max-V_th evolution with stress.     

Reversible Diffraction Efficiency of Photochromic Polymer Gratings Related to Photoinduced Dimensional Changes

In this Full Paper, the possibility of reversibly changing the diffraction efficiency of gratings, fabricated by soft molding lithography on polymer films, containing photochromic molecules, is demonstrated. In particular, alternating UV and visible laser irradiation of the gratings causes the doped photochromic molecules to undergo transformations, which induce reversible dimensional changes to the samples. As a result, reversible changes are monitored in the intensity of the beams of a diode laser, transmitted and diffracted from the gratings. These changes affect the diffraction efficiency, which is increased upon irradiation with UV and decreased after irradiation with visible laser light. Such gratings are promising candidates for the fabrication of modern optical components such as optical switching devices.