Mexican Americans' bilingual ability, counselor bilingualism cues, counselor ethnicity, and perceived counselor credibility.

In a completely crossed, factorial design, 186 Mexican American college students were exposed to a counselor introduction that identified her as either Mexican American or Canadian American, followed by an audiotape-recorded bogus counseling session in which the counselor either spoke English only or English combined with cues of Spanish-speaking ability. After listening to the tape-recorded counseling session, participants rated the counselor's credibility and cross-cultural competence. No effect was found on ratings for counselor language or counselor ethnicity. However, ratings of both counselor credibility and cross-cultural competence were found to be a function of participants' bilingual ability. Combined with evidence of a similar relationship between generation since immigration and ratings of the counselor, these findings suggest that, as Mexican Americans acculturate, their perceptions of counselor credibility and cross-cultural competence diminish. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prolonged Activation of Brain CB2 Signaling Modulates Hypothalamic Microgliosis and Astrogliosis in High Fat Diet-Fed Mice

Low-grade inflammation of the hypothalamus is associated with the disturbance of energy balance. The endocannabinoid system has been implicated in the development and maintenance of obesity as well as in the control of immune responses. The type 2 cannabinoid receptor (CB2) signaling has been associated with anti-inflammatory effects. Therefore, in high fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice, we modulated CB2 signaling and investigated its effects on energy homeostasis and hypothalamic microgliosis/astrogliosis. We observed no effect on caloric intake and body weight gain in control diet-fed animals that received prolonged icv infusion of the CB2 receptor agonist HU308. Interestingly, we observed a decrease in glucose tolerance in HFD-fed animals treated with HU308. Prolonged icv infusion of HU308 increases astrogliosis in the ventromedial nucleus (VMH) of obese animals and reduced HFD-induced microgliosis in the hypothalamic arcuate (ARC) but not in the paraventricular (PVN) or VMH nuclei. These data indicate that central CB2 signaling modulates glucose homeostasis and glial reactivity in obesogenic conditions, irrespective of changes in body weight.     

Combination of forecasts for the price of crude oil on the spot market

In this paper, we present a combination of three forecast models, ARIMA, exponential smoothing and dynamic regression, in order to predict the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil spot price and the Brent North Sea (Brent) crude oil spot price. Using samples from the period between January 1994 and June 2012 (in-sample), we identify the parameters and estimate the models. The validated models are combined to perform a forecast out-of-sample between July 2012 and June 2013. The results demonstrate that among the three models tested in-sample with Brent Prices, based on the MAPE measurement error, the ARIMA (2,1,8) model produced the best result, and the dynamic regression model was the best in-sample model for the WTI price. In the validation phase, the dynamic regression models did not prove to be valid, and therefore the combinations are performed only with the ARIMA and exponential smoothing models. For both proxies of oil prices, the combination of forecasts using ARIMA and exponential smoothing (out-of-sample) performed better than individual ARIMA and exponential models and also better than our benchmark models (naive forecast and Neural Network model). Based on the results, it can be inferred that using to a combination of forecasts to predict WTI and Brent spot prices is promising. We also point out that the selected model is easily replicable in spreadsheets and forecasting software and is based only on the past or lagged WTI or Brent values for future predictions.     

Changes in optical properties of poly(phenylsilyne) films by photooxidation

We studied the chemical and optical changes in poly(phenylsilyne) films induced by irradiation at >350 nm and >320 nm. An increase in the number of SiOSi and SiOH groups is observed by FTIR measurements after irradiation. The presence of refractive index and relief modulations in these films is reported.     

Fabrication and electrical performance of high-density arrays of nanometric silicon tips

We propose and demonstrate a simple and low cost process for the fabrication of large area arrays of nanometric silicon tips, for use as Field Emission Devices (FEDs). The process combines Interference Lithography (IL) with isotropic Reactive Ion Etching (RIE). Si tips with typical curvature radius of 20 nm and height of 900 nm were recorded with a periodicity of 1 μm (density of 10⁶ tips/mm²) covering a Silicon wafer of 2 in. The measurement of the electrical performance of the arrays demonstrates the feasibility of the association of these two techniques for recording Field Emission Tips.     

Evaluation of nutritional characteristics and bioactive compounds of soursop-yoghurt and soursop-frozen dessert

Food Science and Biotechnology - The nutritional quality, sensory attributes, polyphenols and acetogenins content in yoghurt and frozen dessert formulated with soursop pulp were investigated. The...     

Assessment of soil and groundwater impacts by treated urban wastewater reuse. A case study: application in a golf course (Girona, Spain)

Starting in July 2000, treated wastewater of urban origin has been used for the "Serres de Pals" golf course irrigation (Girona, Spain). To evaluate if the soil and the aquifer underneath are affected by the utilization of this type of water, samples have been taken along a period of several months from the wastewater treatment plant, the stabilization lagoon, groundwater and soil profiles. Analyses have been performed for total coliforms and aerobic bacteria, soil water pressure and soil water content as well as chemical analyses of the irrigation water, aquifer and water of the vadose zone. Soil profiles taken at several times during the study indicate the absence of coliforms except for a short period during summer. In the vadose zone an increase of more than 1000 mg kg(-1) of NaO(2) in the top 60 cm of soil was observed while Cl(-) concentration in the aquifer reached up to 1200 mg l(-1) ten months after starting the irrigation.     

Autism and digital learning environments: Processes of interaction and mediation

Using a socio-historical perspective to explain social interaction and taking advantage of information and communication technologies (ICTs) currently available for creating digital learning environments (DLEs), this paper seeks to redress the absence of empirical data concerning technology-aided social interaction between autistic individuals. In terms of social interaction, autism can be likened to the negative of a photograph and it is currently one of the most disturbing and challenging syndromes. This study puts forward another viewpoint on the processes of interaction and mediation established in digital environments. Based on a 3-year multi-case study, which observed groups of autistic individuals in DLE-aided interaction activities, it identifies relevant technological categories that have an important contribution to make in the areas involved (Psychology, Education and Computer Science) in the development of a digital learning environment that takes the results achieved into account.