Early adversity alters attention and locomotion in adult Sprague-Dawley rats.

This study investigated the effects of prenatal stress and its interaction with artificial rearing (AR) on adult rat behavior. Pregnant dams underwent restraint stress from Gestational Day 10 to 21. After parturition, pups were raised by their mothers or in the AR paradigm, with or without stroking stimulation. In adulthood, rats were tested on prepulse inhibition (PPI), locomotor activity, elevated plus-maze, and spatial working memory. There were main effects and interactions of both prenatal stress and AR on activity. Additional stimulation reduced activity in nonstressed AR rats but increased activity in prenatally stressed AR rats. AR altered PPI and plus-maze behavior whereas additional stimulation partially reversed these effects. This study demonstrates that prenatal experiences can modulate the effects of postnatal treatments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Itinerant 2D Electron Gas of the Indium Oxide (111) Surface: Implications for Carbon‐ and Energy‐Conversion Applications

Transparent conducting oxides (TCO) have integral and emerging roles in photovoltaic, thermoelectric energy conversion, and more recently, photocatalytic systems. The functional properties of TCOs, and thus their role in these applications, are often mediated by the bulk electronic band structure but are also strongly influenced by the electronic structure of the native surface 2D electron gas (2DEG), particularly under operating conditions. This study investigates the 2DEG, and its response to changes in chemistry, at the (111) surface of the model TCO In₂O₃, through angle resolved and core level X‐ray photoemission spectroscopy. It is found that the itinerant charge carriers of the 2DEG reside in two quantum well subbands penetrating up to 65 Å below the surface. The charge carrier concentration of this 2DEG, and thus the high surface n‐type conductivity, emerges from donor‐type oxygen vacancies of surface character and proves to be remarkably robust against surface absorbents and contamination. The optical transparency, however, may rely on the presence of ubiquitous surface adsorbed oxygen groups and hydrogen defect states that passivate localized oxygen vacancy states in the bandgap of In₂O₃.     

A system identification approach to the modelling of pulsed eddy-current systems

The purpose of this article is to present a novel approach in the modelling of pulsed eddy-current systems. Frequency-domain finite element analysis is used to build up a z-domain, finite impulse response (FIR) model. The FIR model allows excitation to be varied without need for the field analysis to be performed again. Furthermore, the proposed approach to the modelling of the system function allows unequal spacing of the frequency samples. This enables greater accuracy of the modelling in the frequency range where the magnitude or phase response of the system varies greatly. The proposed approach was validated on a pulsed remote-field eddy-current system in a ferromagnetic tube. Excellent agreement between predicted and measured response was achieved.     

A ferromagnetic resonance study of as-quenched and annealed amorphous Fe78Cr2B12Si8

Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) studies of as-quenched and annealed amorphous Fe₇₈Cr₂B₁₂Si₈ are presented. For short annealing times (30 min) and low annealing temperatures (473 K) the resonant field,H ₁, and the FMR line width, H, are essentially constant. This can be explained in terms of a combination of effects due to magnetic anisotropy and the in homogeneous demagnetization due to stress relief in the sample. For larger annealing times or higher annealing temperatures,H ₁ and H increase due to the percipitation of crystallites in the amorphous structure. X-ray diffraction, selected area electron diffraction patterns and transmission electron micrographs are consistent with this interpretation.     

The 2007 procurement challenge: A competition to evaluate mixed procurement strategies

Global competition is putting a premium on the ability to manage risk through flexible and agile web-enabled procurement practices. This article discusses the design of the 2007 “supply chain management – procurement challenge” (SCM-PC), a competition designed by the first three authors to evaluate the performance of mixed procurement strategies that balance risk through combinations of long-term, quantity-flexible contracts and one-off contracts. Specifically, the SCM-PC challenge revolves around a PC assembly scenario, where web-enabled trading agents developed by different teams compete for components required to assemble different types of PCs.Collectively the authors represent the top three entries in the 2007 procurement challenge. They present the strategies their teams developed for the competition, compare their performances, and discuss lessons learned from the competition.     

Understanding Photocapacitive and Photofaradaic Processes in Organic Semiconductor Photoelectrodes for Optobioelectronics

Photoactive organic semiconductor substrates are envisioned as a novel class of bioelectronic devices that transduce light into stimulating biological signals with relevance for retinal implants or guided cellular differentiation. The direct interface between the semiconductor and the electrolyte gives rise to different competing optoelectronic transduction mechanisms. A detailed understanding of such faradaic or capacitive processes and the underlying material science is necessary to develop and optimize future devices. Here, the problem in organic photoelectrodes is addressed based on a planar p-n junction containing phthalocyanine (H₂Pc) and N,N′-dimethyl perylenetetracarboxylic diimide (PTCDI). The detailed characterization of photoelectrochemical current transients is combined with spectroscopic measurements, impedance spectroscopy, and local photovoltage measurements to establish a model that predicts quantitatively faradaic or capacitive current transients. The decisive elements of the model are the energy levels present at the interface and the voltage building up in the photoelectrode. The result of the efforts is a comprehensive model of photocapacitive and photofaradaic effects that can be applied to developing wireless bioelectronic photostimulation devices.     

Über die Autoxidation von Vinylcylopentan,Vinylcyclohexan und 4-Vinylcyclohex-1-en

Autoxidation of Vinylcyclopentane, Vinylcyclohexane, and 4-Vinylcyclohex-1-ene The title olefins were oxidized with molecular oxygen at 75–80°C. About 40% of the oxygen absorbed were found by iodometric titration as peroxidic oxygen. The reaction products were analyzed by a combination of chemical methods, gas chromatography, and ¹³C-n.m.r.-spectroscopy. Vinylcyclopentane and vinylcyclohexane are attacked preferably at the tertiary allylic C-H-bonds giving almost equimolar mixtures of the corresponding allylisomeric hydroperoxides. In the case of 4-vinylcyclohex-1-ene the C-H-bonds in position 6 are preferably attacked, but products of attack on the other allylic C-H-bonds also could be identified. In all cases the amount of products which could not be detected gaschromatographically was determined by balance experiments in the presence of an internal standard.     

Feed-in tariff and market electricity price comparison: The case of cogeneration units in Croatia

In August 2007, the Government of the Republic of Croatia instituted a feed-in tariff system, requiring the Croatian Electricity Market Operator (HROTE) to off-take the electricity produced from renewable energy sources or cogeneration units fueled by natural gas. Analysis of the off-take electricity price range, which depends on the net electrical output and electricity market trends, indicates that it is more cost effective for cogeneration units greater than 1 MW to sell their electricity on the exchange market. This was confirmed by developing a mathematical model to calculate the cost-effectiveness ratio of a cogeneration unit. This ratio represents the relation between the profit spread, i.e. the difference between the profit generated from selling the electricity on the exchange market and the profit made from dispatching the electricity to HROTE, as well as the total investment costs. The model can be applied for changes in certain parameters, such as the net electrical output, volatility and spot electricity price. The Monte Carlo method is used to obtain the most probable cost-effectiveness ratio and average future electricity price. Together with these two economic parameters and market price analysis, it is possible to calculate and calibrate an acceptable off-take electricity price.