Package images modulate flavors in memory: Incidental learning of fruit juice flavors

The effect of package images on incidental flavor memory for fruit juice was investigated. Ninety-two participants were allocated to three experimental conditions: (1) apple-label, (2) peach-label, and (3) control-label. In each condition, participants tasted a target flavor stimulus, a 1:1 mixture of 100% pure apple juice and 100% pure peach juice with pictures attached to the cups. Ten minutes later, participants were confronted with samples consisting of varying ratios of 100% peach to 100% apple juice, and were asked to rate their similarity to the target stimuli. Participants were also asked to rate how congruent the juice flavor and the image were at the initial tasting. Apple images modulated memories of the flavors of target stimuli: they shifted toward that of apples. This modulation occurred in participants who perceived the label and flavor as congruent. Peach images did not modulate memories, possibly because the subjects had significantly less experience of drinking peach juice than apple juice. These results reveal that flavor memory can be biased toward that of the image labels during initial tasting. However, memory bias depends on the perceived congruency between labels and flavors, and tasters’ prior experiences.     

Investigation of novel PCBM analogs containing thienyl groups for organic photovoltaic devices

Novel [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) analogs containing benzo[b]thiophene and thieno[3,2-b]thiophene were used as electron acceptors in bulk heterojunction thin layer organic photovoltaic devices. The solubility of the novel methanofullerenes in dichloromethane significantly varied, and es-TThCBM, which was 1.4 times as soluble as PCBM, exhibited maximum solubility. The morphology of the thin films prepared from the mixtures of these methanofullerenes with regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) was investigated by XRD, AFM, and UV–vis absorption spectroscopy. Devices containing the novel methanofullerenes exhibited nearly the same performance as those containing PCBM.     

Predicting the response of Hamilton Harbour to the nutrient loading reductions: A modeling analysis of the “ecological unknowns”

We examine the likelihood of delisting the Hamilton Harbour as an Area of Concern, if the nutrient loading reductions proposed by the Remedial Action Plan are actually implemented. Our analysis suggests that the chl a criterion of 10 μg L^{− 1} is achievable, but the water quality setting process should explicitly accommodate the natural variability by allowing for a realistic percentage of violations, e.g., exceedences of less than 10–15% of the weekly samples during the stratified period should still be considered as compliance of the system. The current epilimnetic total phosphorus criterion of 17 μg L^{− 1} is probably stringent and therefore a somewhat higher value (e.g., 20 μg L^{− 1}) may provide a more realistic goal. Phosphorus dynamics in the sediment–water column interface need to be revisited, as the internal nutrient loading can conceivably be a regulatory factor of the duration of the transient phase and the recovery resilience of the Harbour. We also pinpoint two critical aspects of the system dynamics that invite further investigation and will likely determine our predictive capacity to assess compliance with the chlorophyll a criterion of 10 μg L^{− 1}, i.e., the nutrient recycling mediated by the microbial food web and the structural shifts towards a zooplankton community dominated by large-sized and fast-growing herbivores. The latter prospect highlights the notion that the bottom-up (i.e., nutrient loading reduction) approach historically followed in the Harbour was sufficient to bring the system in its present state, but any further improvements should be viewed in the context of a combined bottom-up and top-down (i.e., alleviation of the zooplanktivorous pressure) control.     

Influence of the electron acceptor on nitrite reductase gene (nir) diversity in an activated sludge community

Analyses of the nitrite reductase gene diversities (nirK and nirS) in an activated sludge community fed with both nitrite and glucose were conducted. Results suggest that the topology of nirK and nirS gene fragment-based phylogenetic trees is influenced more by the available electron acceptor than by the carbon source. A denitrification reactor was operated for 53 days and a clone library constructed when the denitrifying communities in the SBR were supplied with both nitrite and glucose. Half of the nirK and nearly all the nirS gene fragments formed a cluster that was separate from a cluster containing nirK and nirS sequences derived from other communities in nitrate-fed reactors. On the other hand, nirK and nirS fragments obtained with glucose as the carbon source were similar to those detected in communities fed with other carbon sources.     

Growth of homogeneous polycrystalline Si1-xGex and Mg2Si1-xGex for thermoelectric application

Homogeneous polycrystalline Si_1-xGe_x were grown using a Si(seed)/Ge/Si(feed) sandwich structure under the low temperature gradient less than 0.4 °C/mm. It was found that the composition of the Si_1-xGe_x was controlled by the growth temperature. The homogeneous Mg₂Si_1-xGe_x was synthesized by heat treatment of the homogeneous Si_1-xGe_x powders under Mg vapor. The Mg₂Si_1-xGe_x sample with the relative density of 95% was synthesized by spark plasma sintering technique. The resistivity and the Seebeck coefficient of the Si, Ge, Si_1-xGe_x and Mg₂Si_1-xGe_x samples were evaluated as a function of temperature. It indicated that Seebeck coefficients of the Si_1-xGe_x and Mg₂Si_1-xGe_x samples were higher than those of Si and Ge. Moreover, the Seebeck coefficient of Mg₂Si_0.7Ge_0.3 sample was higher than that of Mg₂Si_0.5Ge_0.5 and Si_0.5Ge_0.5 samples.     

An approach to the pursuit problem on a heterogeneous multiagent system using reinforcement learning

Cooperation among agents is important for multiagent systems having a shared goal. In this paper, an example of the pursuit problem is studied, in which four hunters collaborate to catch a target. A reinforcement learning algorithm is employed to model how the hunters acquire this cooperative behavior to achieve the task. In order to apply Q-learning, which is one way of reinforcement learning, two kinds of prediction are needed for each hunter agent. One is the location of the other hunter agents and target agent, and the other is the movement direction of the target agent at next time step t. In our treatment we extend the standard problem to systems with heterogeneous agents. One motivation for this is that the target agent and hunter agents have differing abilities. In addition, even though those hunter agents are homogeneous at the beginning of the problem, their abilities become heterogeneous in the learning process. Simulations of this pursuit problem were performed on a continuous action state space, the results of which are displayed, accompanied by a discussion of their outcomes’ dependence upon the initial locations of the hunters and the speeds of the hunters and a target.     

Tribological Behavior of SiC-Reinforced Ti3SiC2-Based Composites under Dry Condition and under Lubricated Condition with Water and Ethanol

To evaluate the lubrication compatibility of SiC-reinforced Ti₃SiC₂-based composites, i.e., a Ti₃SiC₂/SiC composite, with water and alcohol, sliding experiments were conducted under dry condition and lubricated with water and C₂H₅OH. The friction and wear of the Ti₃SiC₂/SiC composite decreased in the order of dry condition, in water, and in C₂H₅OH. The worn surfaces indicated that oxide masses, which caused oxidation wear and abrasive wear, were formed by tribo-oxidation on the sliding surface under the dry condition and in water, while tribo-oxidation scarcely occurred in C₂H₅OH.     

Determination of unsaturated fatty acid composition by high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

High-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy provides useful data for analyzing fatty acid compositions of edible vegetable oils. Quantitation of each fatty acid was carried out by evaluation of particular peaks. According to the ¹H NMR method, terminal methyl protons, divinyl protons, and allyl protons are useful to calculate linolenic acid, linoleic acid, and oleic acid, respectively. The ω-2 carbon, divinyl carbon, and allylic carbons were used for calculation of these acids by the ¹³C NMR method. Compositional results obtained by NMR coincided well with those of the conventional gas chromatography (GC) method. Results from ¹³C NMR were in better agreement with those from GC than were the results obtained by the ¹H NMR method.     

偶氮二甲酰胺及其组成物的热分解特性

采用密闭压力容器试验测定了偶氮二甲酰胺（发泡剂ＡＣ）及其组成物的热分解温度和分解压力。结果表明,初始分解温度与差示扫描量热仪（ＤＳＣ）热分析测定值相近,其加热初始分解温度,最大压力和压力变化速度最大值随着升温速度的增加而增加,当升温速度＞６．０℃／ｍｉｎ时,影响较小。