Systemised serendipity for producing computer art

Serendipity applied to Newton's method, and its derivative the Secant Method, produces unusual and beautiful fractal patterns. Serendipity may be systemised, for example, by the introduction of a perturbation parameter P1, [1] to facilitate searches for interesting pattern variations.     

Role of early supervisory experience in supervisor performance.

Explores the role of early supervisory experience and cognitive ability in 1st-line supervisor performance. Similar to the F. L. Schmidt et al (see record 1986-31441-001) study of nonsupervisors, this research tested structural models hypothesizing relationships among supervisory experience, cognitive ability, supervisory knowledge and proficiency, and performance ratings, using a sample of 570 2nd-tour soldiers. The Schmidt et al model with an additional ability?→?experience path provided the best fit. The significant ability?→?experience path was interpreted as indicating that demonstrated ability contributes to soldiers being given the opportunity to obtain supervisory experience. Experience had a greater impact on supervisor proficiency than on supervisor knowledge. Ability had a greater impact on supervisor knowledge than on proficiency. Discussion focuses on the personal characteristics that might be involved in being assigned supervisory responsibilities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A role for B cells in the development of T cell helper function in a malaria infection in mice

B cell knockout mice are unable to clear a primary erythrocytic infection of Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi. However, the early acute infection is controlled to some extent, giving rise to a chronic relapsing parasitemia that can be reduced either by drug treatment or by adoptive transfer of B cells. Similar to mice rendered B-cell deficient by lifelong treatment with anti-mu antibodies, B cell knockout mice (muMT) retain a predominant CD4+ Th1-like response to malarial antigens throughout a primary infection. This contrasts with the response seen in control C57BL/6 mice in which the CD4+ T-cell response has switched to that characteristic of Th2 cells at the later stages of infection, manifesting efficient help for specific antibodies in vitro and interleukin 4 production. Both chloroquine and adoptive transfer of immune B cells reduced parasite load. However, the adoptive transfer of B cells resulted in a Th2 response in recipient muMT mice, as indicated by a relative increase in the precursor frequency of helper cells for antibody production. These data support the idea that B cells play a role in the regulation of CD4+ T subset responses.     

SH3 binding domains in the dopamine D4 receptor

The dopamine D4 receptor is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that belongs to the dopamine D2-like receptor family. Functionally, the D2-like receptors are characterized by their ability to inhibit adenylyl cyclase. The dopamine D4 receptor as well as many other catecholaminergic receptors contain several putative SH3 binding domains. Most of these sites in the D4 receptor are located in a polymorphic repeat sequence and flanking sequences in the third intracellular loop. Here we demonstrate that this region of the D4 receptor can interact with a large variety of SH3 domains of different origin. The strongest interactions were seen with the SH2-SH3 adapter proteins Grb2 and Nck. The repeat sequence itself is not essential in this interaction. The data presented indicate that the different SH3 domains in the adapter proteins interact in a cooperative fashion with two distinct sites immediately upstream and downstream from the repeat sequence. Removal of all the putative SH3 binding domains in the third intracellular loop of the dopamine D4 receptor resulted in a receptor that could still bind spiperone and dopamine. Dopamine could not modulate the coupling of these mutant receptors to adenylyl cyclase and MAPK, although dopamine modulated receptor-G protein interaction appeared normal. The receptor deletion mutants show strong constitutive internalization that may account for the deficiency in functional activation of second messengers. The data indicates that the D4 receptor contains SH3 binding sites and that these sites fall within a region involved in the control of receptor internalization.     

Object-extending class transformations

Reorganisation and evolution of class hierarchies is important for object-oriented system development and has received considerable attention in the literature. The contributions of this paper are: (1) a formal study of a set of extension relations and transformations on class hierarchies; (2) a presentation of a small set of primitive transformations which form a minimal and complete basis for the extension relations; and (3) an analysis of the impact of these transformations at the object level.The study leads to a better understanding of evolution and reuse of object-oriented software and class hierarchies. It also provides a terminology and a means of classification for design reuse. The theory presented in this paper is based on the Demeter data model, which gives a concise mathematical foundation for classes and their inheritance and part-of relationships. Parts of the theory have been implemented in the Demeter System ^TM C++, a CASE tool for object-oriented design and programming.     

Removal of E. coli and helminth eggs in UASB: Polishing pond systems in Brazil.

Ponds following anaerobic reactors, such as Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactors, have been termed polishing ponds in the literature. The present paper analyses the removal of E. coli and helminth eggs in five UASB-polishing pond systems in Brazil. Since there were ponds in series, the total number of ponds was 10. The ponds had average retention times varying from 2 to 21 days, and depths ranging from 0.40 to 2.00 m. The shallow ponds in series, even with low retention times, were able to produce effluents complying with the coliform WHO guidelines for unrestricted irrigation (< or = 1000 MPN/100 ml). An equation for the coliform decay coefficient was proposed: Kb (dispersed flow) = 0.710H(-0955) (20 degrees C). The equation highlights the inverse relationship between the pond depth and the decay coefficient. All polishing pond systems were able to produce effluents with helminth eggs concentrations predominantly equal to zero, and satisfying the WHO guidelines for unrestricted and restricted irrigation (< or = 1 egg/L, arithmetic mean). The approximate range of helminth eggs removal efficiency was predicted satisfactorily.