Children's understanding of the knowledge prerequisites of drawing and pretending.

Many young children will claim that someone is pretending to be something even when the person does not know what that something is. To examine whether children's failure to take knowledge prerequisites into account is part of a more fundamental problem in recognizing how mental representations constrain external ones, the authors asked children whether an artist who did not know what something was, yet whose drawing bore resemblance to it, was drawing it. The same questions were asked regarding pretending. Children performed similarly on pretending and drawing questions, and performance on both questions improved when the protagonists' point of view was emphasized. Performance for drawing improved somewhat when alternative goals were stated. Further, cross-sectional data indicated that understanding how knowledge relates to producing external representations increases gradually from age 4 to age 8, suggesting that experiential factors may be crucial to this understanding. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How to Develop More Creative Strategic Plans: Results from an Empirical Study

What factors help and hinder creativity within the strategic planning process? An exploratory study examined the strategic plans of groups of graduates for their own business school. The students were assessed for rigidity of cognitive orientation, and divided into open‐minded groups, and two other groups of more rigid orientation. Strategic plans were rated for originality and relevance. An open minded orientation affected the production of a strategic plan in a positive way. The productivity (quantity) of the more closed‐mind type of group was enhanced in the elaboration of a strategic plan through interventions introducing creativity. The quality of production was only marginally enhanced. We conclude that creativity‐enhancing techniques had a marginal direct effect on efforts to deal with ill‐defined problems such as a strategic plan. Additional indirect effects (by influencing rigid cognitive orientation) may be occurring.     

Ethnopsychologies: Cultural variations in theories of mind.

A set of basic beliefs about others' minds and behavior, referred to as folk psychology or theory of mind, is often discussed as if it were the same the world over. Yet, certainly variation in folk psychology exists. This article compares several aspects of European American theory of mind with other cultural models, as suggested by experiments and ethnographies, with the purpose of illuminating the degree to which there is variation. After summarizing 4 types of variation, the author explores possible sources of variability, implications for the mindreading process, potential universals, and directions for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of a direct sampling method for verifying the cleanliness of equipment shared with peanut products

A direct sampling method was developed to verify the cleanliness of stainless steel equipment used to produce peanut products. The protocol consisted of sampling the product-contact area with two Critical Swab^® flat zapped-head foam swabs pre-moistened with 20 mM phosphate, pH 7.2 (PBS), mixing each swab in PBS for 1 h, and analyzing the extract for peanut residues. Quantitation of peanut residues was accomplished with a non-specific assay while SDS–PAGE was used to ensure the recovery of the allergen, Ara h 1. This sampling approach was able to recover 90–95% of the peanut proteins at sub-microgram levels and Ara h 1 at low nanogram levels directly from a stainless steel surface.     

Traditional fermented foods and beverages in Burundi

Several traditional fermented foods and beverages are produced at the household level in Burundi. These include milk products (urubu, amateregua and amavuta), cereal and banana-based beverages (Urwarwa, Isongo, Impeke and Kanyanga) and cassava-based fermented foods (Ikivunde, Inyange, Imikembe and Ubswage). Literature on Burundian fermented foods and beverages is non-existent. Therefore, the objective of this review is to document the methods by which these Burundian foods and beverages are produced and to devise scientific means to improve their quality and optimize their production methods.     

Substantia nigra pars reticulata single unit activity in normal and 60HDA-lesioned rats: effects of intrastriatal apomorphine and subthalamic lesions

The spontaneous activity and the response to intrastriatal application of apomorphine of substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNpr) single units was studied in four experimental groups of rats: (1) normal rats; (2) subthalamic nucleus (STN) lesioned rats; (3) rats bearing a 6-hydroxydopamine (60HDA) lesion; and (4) 60HDA-lesioned animals with an additional STN lesion. Thirty-eight percent of units from 60HDA-lesioned rats showed a bursting pattern of spontaneous activity, which was never found in normal rats. STN lesions had no effect on the spontaneous activity of SNpr units from normal rats, but reduced the percentage of burst units in 60HDA-lesioned animals. Intrastriatal apomorphine produced responses in 62% of SNpr units from normal rats and 85% of units from 60HDA-lesioned animals (P < 0.05). In addition, the modifications in the firing rate and in the coefficient of variation of the interspike intervals induced by intrastriatal apomorphine were significantly greater for the units isolated from 60HDA-lesioned rats. In particular, it was noted that all the burst units responded to apomorphine, showing the highest changes in firing rate and coefficient of variation. However, intrastriatal apomorphine did not always turn the activity of burst units into a more physiological pattern. STN lesions reduced the percentage of units responding to intrastriatal apomorphine in normal rats. In 60HDA-lesioned rats, STN lesions reduced the number of responsive units, and their change in mean firing rate and coefficient of variation. Our results show that the STN participates in the genesis of the bursting pattern of activity of SNpr units in 60HDA-lesioned rats, and that STN lesions can partially revert the abnormal spontaneous and apomorphine-induced responses of SNpr units in these animals.     

Stack-and-Draw Applied to the Engineering of Multi-Material Fibers with Non-Cylindrical Profiles

Here, it is demonstrated that the stack-and-draw approach can be expanded to unusual materials association and profile geometries to generate fiber assemblies with unprecedented functionalities. This approach relies on the stacking of flat oxide glass slides into a preform, which is then thermally elongated into tens-of-meters-long ribbon fibers with preserved cross-section ratio. Fabrication methodology is introduced. In order to illustrate the versatility of the method, a panel of fibers with diverse geometries and functions is exposed, including glass-only exposed-core fibers for chemical sensing and, upon the insertion of metal electrodes, H-shaped multi-cavity structures and compact, glass-metal fiber optical detectors applied to a gas analysis by means of fiber-tip plasma spectroscopy. It is believed this new approach will offer an attractive, straightforward solution for designing innovative, complex multimaterial fiber platforms with enhanced functionalities.     

A low temperature scanning tunneling microscope for electronic and force spectroscopy

In this article, we describe and test a novel way to extend a low temperature scanning tunneling microscope with the capability to measure forces. The tuning fork that we use for this is optimized to have a high quality factor and frequency resolution. Moreover, as this technique is fully compatible with the use of bulk tips, it is possible to combine the force measurements with the use of superconductive or magnetic tips, advantageous for electronic spectroscopy. It also allows us to calibrate both the amplitude and the spring constant of the tuning fork easily, in situ and with high precision.     

Biosorption of Zn(II) from Seawater Solution by the Microalgal Biomass of Tetraselmis marina AC16-MESO

Biosorption refers to a physicochemical process where substances are removed from the solution by a biological material (live or dead) via adsorption processes governed by mechanisms such as surface complexation, ion exchange, and precipitation. This study aimed to evaluate the adsorption of Zn²⁺ in seawater using the microalgal biomass of Tetraselmis marina AC16-MESO “in vivo” and “not alive” at different concentrations of Zn²⁺ (0, 5, 10, and 20 mg L⁻¹) at 72 h. Analysis was carried out by using the Langmuir isotherms and by evaluating the autofluorescence from microalgae. The maximum adsorption of Zn²⁺ by the Langmuir model using the Q_max parameter in the living microalgal biomass (Q_max = 0.03051 mg g⁻¹) was more significant than the non-living microalgal biomass of T. marine AC16-MESO (Q_max = 0.02297 mg g⁻¹). Furthermore, a decrease in fluorescence was detected in cells from T. marina AC16-MESO, in the following order: Zn²⁺ (0 < 20 < 5 < 10) mg L⁻¹. Zn²⁺ was adsorbed quickly by living cells from T. marine AC16-MESO compared to the non-living microalgal biomass, with a decrease in photosystem II activities from 0 to 20 mg L⁻¹ Zn²⁺ in living cells.