Understanding the impact of cross-group friendship on interactions with novel outgroup members.

We examined the cognitive processes that might account for the impact of cross-group friendship on novel intergroup situations. Study 1 demonstrated that closeness with outgroup members predicts an association of the outgroup with the self, both in terms of the group itself and the personality traits stereotypically associated with the group. In Studies 2 and 3, we manipulated the accessibility of either a same-group friendship or cross-group friendship. Participants who described a cross-group friend exhibited a greater association of the friend's ethnicity with the self, and this association mediated the effects of friendship accessibility on positive expectations for intergroup contact (Study 2) and adaptive hormonal responses during a real interaction with a novel outgroup member (Study 3). These findings imply that cross-group friendship improves novel intergroup experiences to the degree that outgroups become associated with the self. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

14C sample preparation for AMS microdosing studies at Lund University using online combustion and septa-sealed vials

The Department of Physics at Lund University is participating in a European Union project called EUMAPP (European Union Microdose AMS Partnership Programme), in which sample preparation and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) measurements of biological samples from microdosing studies have been made. This paper describes a simplified method of converting biological samples to solid graphite for ¹⁴C analysis with AMS. The method is based on online combustion of the samples, and reduction of CO₂ in septa-sealed vials. The septa-sealed vials and disposable materials are used to eliminate sample cross-contamination. Measurements of ANU and Ox I standards show deviations of 2% and 3%, respectively, relative to reference values. This level of accuracy is sufficient for biological samples from microdosing studies. Since the method has very few handling steps from sample to graphite, the risk of failure during the sample preparation process is minimized, making the method easy to use in routine preparation of samples.     

Efficient Phosphorus Catalysts for the Halogen‐Exchange (Halex) Reaction

New families of monomeric to dendritic, and monocationic to multicationic (PNP) compounds have been prepared and tested as catalysts in halogen exchange (Halex) reactions. Some of them allow an increase in the efficiency of these reactions which are performed in some cases under the mildest conditions reported up to now.     

COSMOS: A Middleware for Integrated Data Processing over Heterogeneous Sensor Networks

With the increasing need for intelligent environment monitoring applications and the decreasing cost of manufacturing sensor devices, it is likely that a wide variety of sensor networks will be deployed in the near future. In this environment, the way to access heterogeneous sensor networks and the way to integrate various sensor data are very important. This paper proposes the common system for middleware of sensor networks (COSMOS), which provides integrated data processing over multiple heterogeneous sensor networks based on sensor network abstraction called the sensor network common interface. Specifically, this paper introduces the sensor network common interface which defines a standardized communication protocol and message formats used between the COSMOS and sensor networks.     

An Electrochemical Bottom‐Up Approach to Producing Nanostructured Electrodes Based on Nanocolumnar ZnO Acting as a Self‐Assembled Template

An Fe₃O₄/Cu nanostructured prototype electrode was developed from a 100% bottom‐up approach thanks to an original three‐step electrodeposition procedure that enlists 1) the growth of a ZnO nanocolumnar template, 2) the filling of the template voids by copper prior to the dissolution of the zincite nanopillars, and 3) the plating on the remaining copper nanodots of the Fe₃O₄ phase. The key technological point is that ZnO readily forms nanorod arrays by self‐assembly when an aqueous solution of Zn^II, saturated by dioxygen, is cathodically polarized. The as‐obtained inorganic solid template is sufficiently stable for further deposition steps of any kind (metals, oxides, polymers, and so on) but is easy to remove in both acidic and alkaline media. The self‐supported Fe₃O₄/Cu nanostructured electrode shows, besides sustained capacity retention, outstanding rate capability when electrochemically tested versus Li. This original and soft process, derived from template‐assisted synthesis, avoids fixing (mechanically) a nanoporous membrane on the substrate, thus, enabling nanostructural design on shapeless surfaces.     

Adaptation to Climate Change in the Management of a Canadian Water-Resources System Exploited for Hydropower

The management adaptation potential of the Peribonka River water resource system (Quebec, Canada) is investigated in the context of the evolution of climate change. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impacts on hydropower, power plant efficiency, unproductive spills and reservoir reliability due to changes in the hydrological regimes. The climate change projections used here are from the Canadian regional climate model (CRCM) nested by the Canadian-coupled global climate model (CGCM3) forced with the SRES A2 greenhouse gas emission scenario. The hydrological regimes were simulated with the distributed hydrological model Hydrotel. They were incorporated into a dynamic and stochastic optimization model in order to adapt the operating rules of the water resource system annually, according to the evolution of the climate. The impacts were analyzed over the years 1961–2099, split into four periods for comparison purposes: control period (1961–1990), horizon 2020 (2010–2039), horizon 2050 (2040–2069) and horizon 2080 (2070–2099). The main results indicate that annual mean hydropower would decrease by 1.8% for the period 2010–2039 and then increase by 9.3% and 18.3% during the periods 2040–2069 and 2070–2099, respectively. The trend to increase is statistically significant starting from 2061 (Mann–Kendall with p = 5%). The change in the mean annual production is statistically significant for the 2040–2069 and 2070–2099 periods (t-test with p = 5%). Also, the change in the variance is significant for the periods 2010–2039, 2040–2069 and 2070–2099 (F-test). Annual mean unproductive spills would increase from 1961–2099, but the trend is not statistically significant. However, the changes in the variance of the annual mean spills are significant in the periods 2010–2039, 2040–2069 and 2070–2099. Overall, the reliability of a reservoir would decrease and the vulnerability increase as the climate changes.     

Children’s inferential styles, 5-HTTLPR genotype, and maternal expressed emotion-criticism: An integrated model for the intergenerational transmission of depression.

The authors tested a model for the intergenerational transmission of depression integrating specific genetic (5-HTTLPR), cognitive (inferential style), and environmental (mother depressive symptoms and expressed-emotion criticism [EE-Crit]) risk factors. Supporting the hypothesis that maternal depression is associated with elevated levels of stress in children’s lives, mothers with a history of major depressive disorder (MDD) exhibited higher depressive symptoms across a 6-month multiwave follow-up than mothers with no depression history. In addition, partially supporting our hypothesis, levels of maternal criticism during the follow-up were significantly related to mothers’ current depressive symptoms but not to history of MDD. Finally, the authors found support for an integrated Gene × Cognition × Environment model of risk. Specifically, among children with negative inferential styles regarding their self-characteristics, there was a clear dose response of 5-HTTLPR genotype moderating the relation between maternal criticism and children’s depressive symptoms, with the highest depressive symptoms during the follow-up observed among children carrying 2 copies of the 5-HTTLPR lower expressing alleles (short [S] or long [LG]) who also exhibited negative inferential styles for self-characteristics and who experienced high levels of EE-Crit. In contrast, children with positive inferential styles exhibited low depressive symptoms regardless of 5-HTTLPR genotype or level of maternal criticism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reconciling the complexity of human development with the reality of legal policy: Reply to Fischer, Stein, and Heikkinen (2009).

The authors respond to both the general and specific concerns raised in Fischer, Stein, and Heikkinen’s (see record 2009-18110-002) commentary on their article (Steinberg, Cauffman, Woolard, Graham, & Banich) (see record 2009-18110-001), in which they drew on studies of adolescent development to justify the American Psychological Association’s positions in two Supreme Court cases involving the construction of legal age boundaries. In response to Fischer et al.’s general concern that the construction of bright-line age boundaries is inconsistent with the fact that development is multifaceted, variable across individuals, and contextually conditioned, the authors argue that the only logical alternative suggested by that perspective is impractical and unhelpful in a legal context. In response to Fischer et al.’s specific concerns that their conclusion about the differential timetables of cognitive and psychosocial maturity is merely an artifact of the variables, measures, and methods they used, the authors argue that, unlike the alternatives suggested by Fischer et al., their choices are aligned with the specific capacities under consideration in the two cases. The authors reaffirm their position that there is considerable empirical evidence that adolescents demonstrate adult levels of cognitive capability several years before they evince adult levels of psychosocial maturity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Topography of collapsed triglyceride monolayers on glass

The stability and conformation of tripalmitin (TP) and triolein (TO) Langmuir‐Blodgett (LB) monolayers on glass were investigated using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Compression isotherms revealed that TP reached the solid state at 15 mN m⁻¹, with a trident conformation. LB deposition of the monolayer on the glass surface was performed at the solid state (30 mN m⁻¹) with a transfer ratio close to 1. The TO monolayer collapsed in the liquid‐expanded phase at 13 mN m⁻¹. LB deposition was performed at 11 mN m⁻¹ with a transfer ratio of 1.4. The LB films were imaged by AFM (tapping mode). The TO monolayer collapsed in amorphous droplets. TP presented tiny amorphous drops plus crystalline shapes with unit layers of a thickness of 40—46 Å, corresponding to the long spacing of the β and α polymorphic forms. TP monolayer thus collapsed in aggregates to form crystalline structures. The thickness of the first step was mostly 86 Å, but sometimes 68 Å steps were observed, while the transferred monolayer generally reorganizes as a tuning fork in a regular crystalline unit, but can also remain as a trident, providing a hydrophobic support for upper layers. This findings supply backing for technical processes such as the interpretation of fat fractionation by microfiltration membranes, based on triglyceride/solid interaction statements.     

Profiling and Functional Analysis of microRNA Deregulation in Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Depicts an Anti-Invasive Role of microRNA-204 via Regulation of Their Motility

Background: Knowledge on the role of miR changes in tumor stroma for cancer progression is limited. This study aimed to investigate the role of miR dysregulation in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Methodology: CAF and normal oral fibroblasts (NOFs) were isolated from biopsies of OSCC patients and healthy individuals after informed consent and grown in 3D collagen gels. Total RNA was extracted. Global miR expression was profiled using Illumina version 2 panels. The functional impact of altered miR-204 expression in fibroblasts on their phenotype and molecular profile was investigated using mimics and inhibitors of miR-204. Further, the impact of miR-204 expression in fibroblasts on invasion of adjacent OSCC cells was assessed in 3D-organotypic co-cultures. Results: Unsupervised hierarchical clustering for global miR expression resulted in separate clusters for CAF and NOF. SAM analysis identified differential expression of twelve miRs between CAF and NOF. Modulation of miR-204 expression did not affect fibroblast cell proliferation, but resulted in changes in the motility phenotype, expression of various motility-related molecules, and invasion of the adjacent OSCC cells. 3′ UTR miR target reporter assay showed ITGA11 to be a direct target of miR-204. Conclusions: This study identifies differentially expressed miRs in stromal fibroblasts of OSCC lesions compared with normal oral mucosa and it reveals that one of the significantly downregulated miRs in CAF, miR-204, has a tumor-suppressive function through inhibition of fibroblast migration by modulating the expression of several different molecules in addition to directly targeting ITGA11.