Definitely not a breeze: Extending an operant model of effective supervision to teams.

To identify what leaders ought to do to orchestrate optimal team performance, an expanded model of effective supervision was tested in a setting combining realism, control, and clear-cut outcomes. The components of the empirically based operant model—monitoring and consequences—were extended to tasks requiring the integration of team efforts. A sailboat regatta was arranged, with series standings as the primary measure of supervisory effectiveness. Using the Operant Supervisory Team Taxonomy and Index, trained observers recorded skippers' (N?=?19) actions. As predicted, racing success correlated significantly (p?r?=?–.51 and –.47, respectively) during the actual races. The relationship between the model's two critical behaviors and an unfiltered measure of effectiveness has implications for the group and leadership literatures as well as for management practices. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

History of bioceramics

The history of bioceramics is reviewed and the current status of the use of nearly inert, surface reactive, and resorbable bioceramics discussed.     

Effects of therapist sex on the outcome of therapy.

Examines studies of the effects of therapist sex on the outcome of therapy. Most studies supported 1 of the following 3 viewpoints: Female therapists are more effective with both sexes of clients; matching therapist and client sex produces the greatest therapeutic benefit; therapist sex is a poor predictor of outcome in therapy. Strengths and weaknesses of these positions and some less commonly held views are discussed. Due to unimpressive statistical findings, conflicting evidence, and poor experimental control in prior research, it is cautiously concluded that a therapist's sex is a poor predictor of outcome in therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Application of thermodynamics to the athabasca tar sands

Significant changes in the interfacial areas often accompany transformations in highly dispersed systems containing oil, water, solid and gas phases. When such changes in area are considered, interfacial tension expressions diametrically opposed to the conventional criteria for oil spreading or de-wetting may result. Further modifications in the energetics criteria are obtained when the electrical contributions to the free energy of the system (resulting from the adsorption of ionic surfactants) are included.     

Genetic markers for lactation persistency in primiparous Australian dairy cows

Good performance in extended lactations of dairy cattle may have a beneficial effect on food costs, health, and fertility. Because data for extended lactation performance is scarce, lactation persistency has been suggested as a suitable selection criterion. Persistency phenotypes were calculated in several ways: P1 was yield relative to an approximate peak, P2 was the slope after peak production, and P3 was a measure derived to be phenotypically uncorrelated to yield and calculated as a function of linear regressions on test-day deviations of days in milk. Phenotypes P1, P2, and P3 were calculated for sires as solutions estimated from a random regression model fitted to milk yield. Because total milk yield, calculated as the sum of daily sire solutions, was correlated to P1 and P2 (r = 0.30 and 0.35 for P1 and P2, respectively), P1 and P2 were also adjusted for milk yield (P1adj and P2adj, respectively). To find genomic regions associated with the persistency phenotypes, we used a discovery population of 743 Holstein bulls proven before 2005 and 2 validation data sets of 357 Holstein bulls proven after 2005 and 294 Jersey sires. Two strategies were used to search for genomic regions associated with persistency: 1) persistency solutions were regressed on each single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in turn and 2) a genomic selection method (BayesA) was used where all SNP were fitted simultaneously. False discovery rates in the validation data were high (>66% in Holsteins and >77% in Jerseys). However, there were 2 genomic regions on chromosome 6 that validated in both breeds, including a cluster of 6 SNP at around 13.5 to 23.7 Mbp and another cluster of 5 SNP (70.4 to 75.6 Mbp). A third cluster validated in both breeds on chromosome 26 (0.33 to 1.46 Mbp). Validating SNP effects across 2 breeds is unlikely to happen by chance even when false discovery rates within each breed are high. However, marker-assisted selection on these selected SNP may not be the best way to improve this trait because the average variation explained by validated SNP was only 1 to 2%. Genomic selection could be a better alternative. Correlations between genomic breeding values predicted using all SNP simultaneously and estimated breeding values based on progeny test were twice as high as the equivalent correlations between estimated breeding values and parent average. Persistency is a good candidate for genomic selection because the trait is expressed late in lactation.     

800 kV气体绝缘金属封闭输电线路及坚井安装

气体绝缘金属封闭输电线路(GIL)因其传输容量大、可靠性高、电磁兼容性好等优点,正在广泛地应用于核电站、城市输电和大型水电站等场合.对于500kV及以上电压等级,1回GIL的输送容量相当于同电压等级的交链聚乙烯(XLPE)电缆两三回的输送容量.对拉西瓦水电站800kVGIL的结构、设计、制造及安装调试等特殊问题进行了介绍.特别对高海拔(2450m)、高落差(207m)场合(例如竖井中)安装GIL,给出了一些建议.对比发现,GIL与传统的电缆及全封闭组合电器(GIS)母线相比,在可靠性及经济性上有一定的优越性.     

ß-phenylethylamine as a novel nutrient treatment to reduce bacterial contamination due to Escherichia coli O157:H7 on beef meat

Bacterial infection by Escherichia coli O157:H7 through the consumption of beef meat or meat products is an ongoing problem, in part because bacteria develop resistances towards chemicals aimed at killing them. In an approach that uses bacterial nutrients to manipulate bacteria into behaviors or cellular phenotypes less harmful to humans, we screened a library of 95 carbon and 95 nitrogen sources for their effect on E. coli growth, cell division, and biofilm formation. In the initial screening experiment using the Phenotype MicroArray^TM technology from BioLog (Hayward, CA), we narrowed the 190 starting nutrients down to eight which were consecutively tested as supplements in liquid beef broth medium. Acetoacetic acid (AAA) and ß-phenylethylamine (PEA) performed best in this experiment. On beef meat pieces, PEA reduced the bacterial cell count by 90% after incubation of the PEA treated and E. coli contaminated meat pieces at 10 °C for one week.     

A multi-sample design for assessing the comedolytic activity of topical products

Background: Facial comedolytic studies allow testing of a maximum of two products. The upper back provides a larger area with a more uniform distribution of microcomedones for comedolytic studies. Objective: To design a multi‐sample method for assessing comedolytic activity of topical products on the back. The effect of season on product discrimination was also explored. Methods: Three cleansing formulations (products B, C and D), a negative water control and 0.025% Retin‐A^® cream (positive control) were tested. Seven subjects were recruited in summer and nine in fall. Products were applied for 8 weeks, comedolysis was assessed by visually evaluating cyanoacrylate follicular biopsies taken at baseline and post‐treatment. Results: In all data sets (summer, fall and combined), sites treated with Retin‐A^® had a significantly lower number of microcomedones as compared to the negative water control. In addition, cleansers B and D showed a significant reduction from baseline in the fall and combined (summer and fall) data, but not in summer data alone indicating different responses to treatment during the year. Conclusions: The design was sensitive enough to detect differences between cleansing formulations under normal washing conditions. Reduced sensitivity observed during summer suggests hot humid conditions may decrease the comedolytic performance of topical products.