Interactions between color and word processing in a flanker task.

To examine interactions between color and word attributes, participants responded, either manually or vocally, to a central target (color patch or word) flanked by a Stroop stimulus. Color and word attributes of the flanker affected both vocal and manual responding to color patches. Color and word flankers also affected manual responding to word targets, but only word flanker affected vocal responding to word targets. These results are not consistent with models (e.g., translational models) of Stroop tasks, which posit that interactions between colors and words occur only when vocal responding is required. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Imaging MALDI mass spectrometry using an oscillating capillary nebulizer matrix coating system and its application to analysis of lipids in brain from a mouse model of Tay-Sachs/Sandhoff disease

The quality of tissue imaging by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) depends on the effectiveness of the matrix deposition, especially for lipids that may dissolve in the solvent used for the matrix application. This article describes the use of an oscillating capillary nebulizer (OCN) to spray small droplets of matrix aerosol onto the sample surface for improved matrix homogeneity, reduced crystal size, and controlled solvent effects. This system was then applied to the analysis of histological slices of brains from mice with homozygous disruption of the hexb gene (hexb-/-), a model of Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff disease, versus the functionally normal heterozygote (hexb+/-) by imaging MALDI-MS. This allowed profiling and localization of many different lipid species, and of particular interest, ganglioside GM2, asialo-GM2 (GA2), and sulfatides (ST). The presence of these compounds was confirmed by analysis of brain extracts using electrospray ionization in conjunction with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The major fatty acid of the ceramide backbone of both GM2 and GA2 was identified as stearic acid (18:0) versus nervonic acid (24:1) for ST by both tissue-imaging MS and ESI-MS/MS. GM2 and GA2 were highly elevated in hexb-/- and were both localized in the granular cell region of the cerebellum. ST, however, was localized mainly in myelinated fiber (white matter) region of the cerebellum as well as in the brain stem with a relatively uniform distribution and had similar relative signal intensity for both hexb+/- and hexb-/- brain. It was also observed that there were distinct localizations for numerous other lipid subclasses; hence, imaging MALDI-MS could be used for "lipidomic" studies. These results illustrate the usefulness of tissue-imaging MALDI-MS with matrix deposition by OCN for histologic comparison of lipids in tissues such as brains from this mouse model of Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff disease.     

Predicting the impact of child sexual abuse on women: The role of abuse severity, parental support, and coping strategies.

Female Navy recruits (N=5,226) completed surveys assessing history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), childhood strategies for coping with CSA, childhood parental support, and current psychological adjustment. Both CSA and parental support independently predicted later adjustment. In analyses examining whether CSA victims' functioning was associated with CSA severity (indexed by 5 variables), parental support (indexed by 3 variables), and coping (constructive, self-destructive, and avoidant), the negative coping variables were the strongest predictors. A structural equation model revealed that the effect of abuse severity on later functioning was partially mediated by coping strategies. However, contrary to predictions, the model revealed that childhood parental support had little direct or indirect impact on adult adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attention processes in children with shunted hydrocephalus versus attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder.

Children with congenital hydrocephalus, children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, and normal controls were evaluated with measures of focused attention (Visual Orienting and Detection Task), sustained attention (continuous performance test), and attention shifting (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test). Components from these tasks have been linked to attention systems mediated by anterior or posterior brain networks. Children with congenital hydrocephalus showed an inability to focus and shift attention, which specifically implicated impairment of the disengage and move components of the posterior brain attention system. Children with attention deficit- hyperactivity disorder displayed the expected performance patterns on measures of focused attention once their difficulties with sustained attention were taken into account. However, they showed problems with shifting and sustaining attention, which are commonly associated with the anterior brain attention system. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Deuterium trapping by irradiation damage in tungsten induced by different displacement processes

The deuterium trapping behaviors in tungsten damaged by light ions with lower energy (10 keV C⁺ and 3 keV He⁺) or a heavy ion with higher energy (2.8 MeV Fe²⁺) were compared by means of TDS to understand the effects of cascade collisions on deuterium retention in tungsten. By light ion irradiation, most of deuterium was trapped by vacancies, whose retention was almost saturated at the damage level of 0.2 dpa. For the heavy ion irradiation, the deuterium trapping by voids was found, indicating that cascade collisions by the heavy ion irradiation would create the voids in tungsten. Most of deuterium trapped by the voids was desorbed in higher temperature region compared to that trapped by vacancies. It was also found that deuterium could accumulate in the voids, resulting in the formation of blisters in tungsten.     

Safety Analysis Results for Cryostat Ingress Accidents in ITER

Accidents involving the ingress of air, helium, or water into the cryostat of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) tokamak design have been analyzed with a modified version of the MELCOR code for the ITER Non-site Specific Safety Report (NSSR-1). The air ingress accident is the result of a postulated breach of the cryostat boundary into an adjoining room. MELCOR results for this accident demonstrate that the condensed air mass and increased heat loads are not a magnet safety concern, but that the partial vacuum in the adjoining room must be accommodated in the building design. The water ingress accident is the result of a postulated magnet arc that results in melting of a Primary Heat Transport System (PHTS) coolant pipe, discharging PHTS water and PHTS water activated corrosion products and HTO into the cryostat. MELCOR results for this accident demonstrate that the condensed water mass and increased heat loads are not a magnet safety concern, that the cryostat pressure remains below design limits, and that the corrosion product and HTO releases are well within the ITER release limits.     

Effects of alcohol intoxication on metamemory and on retrieval from long-term memory.

In a balanced-placebo design, 160 male moderate to heavy drinkers (aged 21–35 yrs) expected either an alcohol drink or placebo drink and consumed either alcohol (1 ml/kg) or placebo. Shortly thereafter, each S attempted to recall the answers to general-information questions (e.g., "What is the capital of Chile?"), made confidence judgments about the accuracy of recall, made feeling-of-knowing judgments on all nonrecalled items, and received a recognition test. Unanticipated outcomes included the following: (a) Alcohol intoxication significantly hindered recall from long-term memory, contrary to previous conclusions that alcohol does not affect retrieval; (b) Ss' expectancy of alcohol had no significant effect on memory or metamemory performance, contrary to its established effects on other kinds of performance; (c) Alcohol intoxication produced no significant overconfidence in judgments about recall or in feeling-of-knowing judgments, contrary to the overconfidence produced in other kinds of judgments such as an intoxicated person's assessment of his/her driving ability. This last outcome implies that alcohol intoxication does not produce a general lowering of the threshold for confidence but rather has effects that are situation specific. (41 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Wheeling rates based on marginal-cost theory

Knowledge of what rates for wheeling electric power should be, if based on marginal costs, is vital in the debate on how wheeling should be priced. The authors present extensive computations of marginal costs. Sensitivities to losses, constraints, load levels, amount of power wheeled, revenue reconciliation, etc. are examined in the context of two case studies. Revenue reconciliation for capital recovery is described briefly     

A comprehensive classification system for lipids

Lipids are produced, transported, and recognized by the concerted actions of numerous enzymes, binding proteins, and receptors. A comprehensive analysis of lipid molecules, “lipidomics,” in the context of genomics and proteomics is crucial to understanding cellular physiology and pathology; consequently, lipid biology has become a major research target of the postgenomic revolution and systems biology. To facilitate international communication about lipids, a comprehensive classification of lipids with a common platform that is compatible with informatics requirements has been developed to deal with the massive amounts of data that will be generated by our lipid community. As an initial step in this development, we divide lipids into eight categories (fatty acyls, glycerolipids, glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, sterol lipids, prenol lipids, saccharolipids, and polyketides) containing distinct classes and subclasses of molecules, devise a common manner of representing the chemical structures of individual lipids and their derivatives, and provide a 12 digit identifier for each unique lipid molecule. The lipid classification scheme is chemically based and driven by the distinct hydrophobic and hydrophilic elements that compose the lipid. This structured vocabulary will facilitate the systematization of lipid biology and enable the cataloging of lipids and their properties in a way that is compatible with other macromolecular databases.[Reprinted with copyright permission from the Journal of Lipid Research. 2005. 46: 839–861.]