Molecular speciation of fish sperm phospholipids: Large amounts of dipolyunsaturated phosphatidylserine

The molecular species compositions of the main diacyl phosphoglyceride classes and ether-linked subclasses from sperm of three species of fish, sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax, Atlantic salmon Salmo salar and Chinook salmon Onchorhynchus tsawytscha, were determined. The phospholipids from sperm were highly unsaturated, dipolyunsaturated fatty acid (diPUFA) molecular species comprised 64.6 to 71.8% of phosphatidylserine (PS), 10.1 to 17.4% of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and 3.3 to 10.1% of phosphatidylcholine (PC). In sea bass sperm, di22∶6n-3 phospholipid was the predominant diPUFA molecular species, but in both salmon species 22∶5n-3/22∶6n-3 was also a major constituent of PS. Phospholipids containing 22∶6n-3 dominated in sea bass sperm with 16∶0/22∶6n-3 as a major component of PC and PE, and 18∶0/22∶6n-3 of PE and PS in addition to di22∶6n-3 in the latter two classes. In contrast, both salmon species contained much more 20∶5n-3 and less 22∶6n-3 so that saturated/20∶5n-3 and monounsaturated/20∶5n-3 molecular species were more abundant than the corresponding molecules containing 22∶6n-3. Ether-linked lipids comprised 11.3–36.3% of choline and ethanolamine phosphoglycerides in each fish species. Molecular species containing 22∶6n-3 were the major components of 1-O-alkyl-2-acyl-glycerophosphocholine, especially 16∶0a/22∶6n-3 in sea bass and 18∶1a/∶6n-3 in the two salmon species, while in 1-O-alk-1′-enyl-2-acyl-glycerophosphoethanolamine, 16∶0a/22∶6n-3 was the major component in both salmon and 18∶0a/22∶6n-3 in sea bass with 18∶1a/22∶6n-3 abundant in all three species. In Atlantic salmon 1-O-alkyl-2-acylglycerophosphoethanolamine comprised 24.6% of ethanolamine glycerophospholipids which were predominantly 16∶0a/22∶6n-3 and 18∶1a/22∶6n-3. Phosphatidylinositol from sperm was dominated by stearoyl/C₂₀ PUFA molecular species, in sea bass overwhelmingly 18∶0/20∶4n-6, while in both salmon species 18∶0/20∶4n-6 and 18∶0/20∶5n-3 were equally abundant.     

When ratee satisfaction influences performance evaluations: A case of illusory correlation.

M. T. Iaffaldano and P. Muchinsky's (see record 1985-21607-001) meta-analysis suggested that the satisfaction–performance relation constitutes an illusory correlation. Two experiments are reported that investigated whether this illusory correlation may systematically bias performance evaluations when ratee satisfaction levels are known. In Experiment 1, students who were told that an instructor was satisfied rated his performance more favorably than students who were told that he was dissatisfied. In Experiment 2, subjects performed an in-basket task and completed a satisfaction questionnaire prior to evaluating a ratee's performance on a similar in-basket task. Subjects appraised a satisfied ratee more favorably than they appraised a dissatisfied ratee. In addition, subjects provided with bogus feedback indicating that their task satisfaction was high evaluated their own performance more favorably than subjects provided with dissatisfaction feedback. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coronary artery spasm in the denervated transplanted human heart: a clue to underlying mechanisms

The mechanism of coronary artery spasm has been poorly understood but there has been some suggestion that cardiac autonomic innervation may play an important role. We report coronary artery spasm in a 43 year old man two years after he had received a transplant. Provocative pharmacologic testing suggested functional denervation of the patient's heart. Thus, coronary artery spasm can occur in the transplanted, denervated human heart. Autonomic innervation of the heart is not essential in all cases of coronary spasm, and circulating catecholamines and/or metabolic of hormonal products may play an important role.     

Premises for Statistic Control of a Tribocharging Process for Granular Materials

This article aims to identify the appropriate sampling duration for a tribocharging process on a vibratory feeder device in order to compute the capability indexes and set up a statistical control procedure. The outcome of the process is evaluated as the ratio between the charge and the mass of the granules that exit the tribocharging device during a given laps of time. A virtual instrument developed in LabWiew was used in conjunction with a Faraday cage connected to an electrometer and with an electronic scale, to simultaneously measure the charge and the mass of tribocharged granular plastics, for fixed sampling durations.     

Accuracy of automatically determined borders in digital two-dimensional echocardiography using a cardiac phantom

Although two-dimensional echocardiography (2-D echo) is a useful technique for evaluation of global and regional left ventricular function, the main limitation is the inability to easily extract reliable and accurate quantitative information throughout all phases of the cardiac cycle. We sought to develop suitable automated techniques for the objective determination of endocardial and epicardial borders in two-dimensional echocardiographic images. To test algorithms for the automatic detection of myocardial borders we constructed a cardiac ultrasound phantom consisting of 16 echogenic annuli of known dimensions embedded in a material of low echogenicity which allowed imaging without partial volume effects. An algorithm based on Gaussian filtering followed by a difference gradient operator was applied to detect edges in the 2-D echo images of these annuli. The radii of the automatically determined inner borders were within 0.44 mm root meansquared error over a range of 15-25 mm true radius. This lower boundary for the error in our approach to automatic placement of myocardial borders in 2-D echocardiograms suggests the potential to extract more information concerning left ventricular function than is available with current techniques.     

Learning–testing process in classroom: An empirical simulation model

This paper presents an empirical micro-simulation model of the teaching and the testing process in the classroom (Programs and sample data are available – the actual names of pupils have been hidden). It is a non-econometric micro-simulation model describing informational behaviors of the pupils, based on the observation of the pupils’ communication behavior during lessons and tests. The representation of the knowledge process is very simplified. However, we tried to study the involvements of individual motivation, capability and relationship with other pupils of each pupil, to compare them to the new-classical (and keynesian) and Austrian information and knowledge theoretical results. It is a first step and future development should concern expectation behaviors and dynamics. This paper aims too to give, we hope so, some criteria of pupils’ rationality in the classroom.     

SIMUL 3.2: An Econometric Tool for Multidimensional Modelling

Initially developed in the context of ${\tt REGILINK}$ project, ${\tt SIMUL 3.2}$ econometric software is able to estimate and to run large-scale dynamic multi-regional, multi-sectoral models. The package includes a data bank management module, ${\tt GEBANK}$ which performs the usual data import/export functions, and transformations (especially the RAS and the aggregation one), a graphic module, ${\tt GRAPHE}$ , a cartographic module, ${\tt GEOGRA}$ for a “typical use”. For an “atypical use” the package includes ${\tt CHRONO}$ to help for the WDC (Working Days Correction) estimation and ${\tt GNOMBR}$ to replace the floating point arithmetic by a multi-precision one in a program. Although the current package includes a basic estimation’s (OLS) and solving’s (Gauss–Seidel) algorithms, it allows user to implement the equations in their reduced form ${Y_{r,b}=X_{r,b} + \varepsilon}$ and to use alternative econometric equations. ${\tt SIMUL}$ provides results and reports documentation in ASCII and ${\hbox{\LaTeX}}$ formats. The next releases of ${\tt SIMUL}$ should improve the OLS procedure according to the Wilkinson’s criteria, include Hildreth–Lu’s algorithm and comparative statics option. Later, the package should allow other models implementations (Input–Output, VAR etc.). Even if it’s probably outclassed by the major softwares in terms of design and statistic tests sets, ${\tt SIMUL}$ provides freely basic evolutive tools to estimate and run easily and safety some large scale multi-sectoral, multi-regional, econometric models.     

4-Mb MOSFET-selected /spl mu/trench phase-change memory experimental chip

A /spl mu/trench Phase-Change Memory (PCM) cell with MOSFET selector and its integration in a 4-Mb experimental chip fabricated in 0.18-/spl mu/m CMOS technology are presented. A cascode bitline biasing scheme allows read and write voltages to be fed to the addressed storage elements with the required accuracy. The high-performance capabilities of PCM cells were experimentally investigated. A read access time of 45 ns was measured together with a write throughput of 5 MB/s, which represents an improved performance as compared to NOR Flash memories. Programmed cell current distributions on the 4-Mb array demonstrate an adequate working window and, together with first endurance measurements, assess the feasibility of PCMs in standard CMOS technology with few additional process modules.     

Time-frequency transforms: a new approach to first heart soundfrequency dynamics

This study employed a new analytical tool, the Binomial joint time-frequency transform, to test the hypothesis that first heart sound frequency rises during the isovolumic contraction period. Cardiac vibrations were recorded from eight open chest dogs using an ultralight accelerometer cemented directly to the epicardium of the anterior left ventricle. The frequency response of the recording system was flat +/- 3 dB from 0.1 to 400 Hz. Three characteristic time-frequency spectral patterns were evident in the animals investigated: 1) A frequency component that rose from approximately 40-140 Hz in a 30-50 ms interval immediately following the ECG R-wave. 2) A slowly varying or static frequency of 60-100 Hz beginning midway through the isovolumic contraction period. 3) Broad-band peaks occurring at the time of the Ia and Ib high frequency components. The presence of rapid frequency dynamics limits the usefulness of stationary analysis techniques for the first heart sound. The Binomial transform provided much better resolution than the spectrograph or spectrogram, the two most common non-stationary signal analysis techniques. By revealing the onset and dynamics of first heart sound frequencies, time-frequency transforms may allow mechanical assessment of individual cardiac structures.     

Better phase-modulation error performance using trellis phase codes

We construct phase codes for use in phase- and frequency-shift modulation. A trellis structure allows simple decoding using the Viterbi algorithm. Even short codes give a large improvement in error performance.