Comparisons of Contact Chemoreception and Food Acceptance by Larvae of Polyphagous Helicoverpa armigera and Oligophagous Bombyx mori

We compared food choice and the initial response to deterrent treated diet between fifth instars of Helicoverpa armigera, a polyphagous generalist pest, and Bombyx mori, an oligophagous specialist beneficial. Bombyx mori was more behaviorally sensitive to salicin than to caffeine. The relative sensitivities were reversed for H. armigera, which was tolerant to the highest levels of salicin found in natural sources but sensitive to caffeine. A single gustatory receptor neuron (GRN) in the medial styloconic sensillum of B. mori was highly sensitive to salicin and caffeine. The styloconic sensilla of H. armigera did not respond consistently to either of the bitter compounds. Phagostimulants also were tested. Myo-inositol and sucrose were detected specifically by two GRNs located in B. mori lateral styloconic sensillum, whereas, in H. armigera, sucrose was sensed by a GRN in the lateral sensillum, and myo-inositol by a GRN in the medial sensillum. Myo-inositol responsiveness in both species occurred at or below 10^?3 mM, which is far below the naturally occurring concentration of 1 mM in plants. Larval responses to specific plant secondary compounds appear to have complex determinants that may include host range, metabolic capacity, and gustatory repertoire.     

Psychometric analyses of the Leyton Obsessional Inventory in patients with obsessive-compulsive and other anxiety disorders.

Evaluated the psychometric properties of the Leyton Obsessional Inventory (LOI). In particular, internal consistency and intercorrelation of subscales were examined, as well as convergent, divergent, and discriminative validity. In a sample of 77 patients with primary Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-III-Revised (DSM-III-R) diagnoses of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD; n?=?18) or alternative anxiety disorders (n?=?59), internal consistency of the 4 LOI subscales (Symptom, Trait, Resistance, Interference) was strong, and subscale intercorrelations suggested the presence of a single construct. Analyses of convergent and divergent validity, including the SCL-90 and Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI) subscales, supported the specificity of the LOI. In addition, OCD and non-OCD patients differed significantly in Symptom, Interference, and Resistance scores. Discriminant function analyses revealed that Interference and Symptom subscales were the strongest predictors of group membership, together accounting for 57% of the variance. Classification data indicated that 88% of patients in the OCD and non-OCD groups were classified correctly according to LOI scores. An LOI Interference cutoff score of 15 may be optimal for identifying OCD and non-OCD groups. Implications of the data for use of the LOI in assessing OCD are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of dissimilar metals on fretting fatigue behavior of Ti–6Al–4V

An investigation was conducted to explore fretting fatigue behavior of Ti–6Al–4V specimens in contact with pads of varying composition. Four conditions were selected to provide a range of compositions: Ti–6Al–4V (with two surface finishes), aluminum and nickel. Behavior against each pad condition was evaluated for two pad geometries (cylinder-on-flat, blended flat-on-flat) in two separate test fixtures. Experiments were conducted with varying applied fatigue stresses and contact forces. Applied clamping stresses for the flat-on-flat pads were 200 and 650 MPa. For the cylinder-on-flat geometry, forces were selected to provide Hertzian peak pressures of 292 and 441 MPa. The coefficient of friction, μ, was quantified and pad surfaces were characterized through hardness and composition evaluation. Finite element analyses of the test fixtures were conducted to assess variations in the stress fields.     

Alteration of the specificity of the cofactor-binding pocket of Corynebacterium 2,5-diketo-D-gluconic acid reductase A

The NADPH-dependent 2,5-diketo-D-gluconic acid (2,5-DKG) reductaseenzyme is a required component in some novel biosynthetic vitaminC production processes. This enzyme catalyzes the conversionof 2,5-DKG to 2-keto-L-gulonic acid, which is an immediate precursorto L-ascorbic acid. Forty unique site-directed mutations weremade at five residues in the cofactor-binding pocket of 2,5-DKGreductase A in an attempt to improve its ability to use NADHas a cofactor. NADH is more stable, less expensive and moreprevalent in the cell than is NADPH. To the best of our knowledge,this is the first focused attempt to alter the cofactor specificityof a member of the aldo–keto reductase superfamily byengineering improved activity with NADH into the enzyme. Activityof the mutants with NADH or NADPH was assayed using activity-stainednative polyacrylamide gels. Eight of the mutants at three differentsites were identified as having improved activity with NADH.These mutants were purified and subjected to a kinetic characterizationwith NADH as a cofactor. The best mutant obtained, R238H, producedan almost 7-fold improvement in catalysis with NADH comparedwith the wild-type enzyme. Surprisingly, most of this catalyticimprovement appeared to be due to an improvement in the apparentk_cat for the reaction rather than a large improvement in theaffinity of the enzyme for NADH.     

Self-injury, substance use, and associated risk factors in a multi-campus probability sample of college students.

This research examined two questions: (1) What is the prevalence of self-injurious behavior (SIB) among college students, overall and by gender, academic level, and sexual orientation? (2) To what extent is SIB associated with different forms of substance use and other risk behaviors? A probability sample of 5,689 students completed an Internet survey on self-injury, mental health, and substance use. Past-year prevalence of SIB was 14.3%, with undergraduates significantly more likely than graduate students to engage in SIB. Drug use and frequent binge drinking were associated with higher rates of SIB. Among those who engaged in any SIB, those who used drugs had higher depression scores, higher prevalence of cigarette smoking, and higher rates of binge eating. In a multiple logistic regression model predicting SIB, depression, cigarette smoking, gambling, and drug use were significant predictors. Information about those at risk for SIB is critical for the design of prevention and intervention efforts as colleges continue to grapple with risky behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Statistical methods for interpolating missing meteorological data for use in building simulation

Building performance simulation is increasingly used to aid in decision making about the design, construction, retrofit, operation, and maintenance of new and existing buildings. Such simulations require a complete set of meteorological data sampled at regular intervals. A data file with even a single missing measurement value becomes useless for simulation. Unfortunately, it is extremely rare to find such a perfect body of data. Measurement errors and sensor failure are frequent occurrences in meteorological data collection and are among a host of reasons for missing measurement values. To overcome this problem, simulation users may rely on Typical Meteorological Years (TMYs) instead of actual historical data, or they may apply an existing interpolation method to fill the gaps in historical data. Historical data is often preferable, since TMYs fail to account for atypical weather conditions. Clearly, this could lead to poor decision making when the decision outcomes are strongly affected by the occurrence of atypical conditions. This paper presents several methods for statistical interpolation between discrete weather-data points. A normalization procedure is first used to transform meteorological data into a set of Gaussian-distributed sample data. Next, a vector autoregressive model is calibrated using the normalized site-specific meteorological data, and is then used to determine the most likely value for one or more missing data points. Variations of the model are described to address specific combinations of missing data, and the methods are validated for several cities in the USA. Results show that the normalization procedure is the most important contributor towards a significant improvement in accuracy relative to other interpolation methods.     

Properties of Extrusion-Expanded Whey Protein Products Containing Fiber

Three insoluble dietary fibers (cellulose, wheat, and oat) were incorporated into an extruded-expanded product containing 32% whey protein at three concentrations (18, 36, and 48%) to determine the influence of fiber on extrudate properties. As the concentration of fiber in the extrudates increased, there was a significant decrease in expansion ratio, air cell size, water soluble carbohydrate, and water solubility index, and a significant increase in extrudate density, breaking force, moisture content, and water absorption index. The main effects observed were attributed primarily to a decrease in the amount of normal cornstarch.     

Multilevel fault tolerance in infrastructure‐oriented wireless networks: framework and performance evaluation

Significant advances have been made in the design and implementation of dependable systems and networks over the last several years. However, many wireless networks have not been designed for highly dependable operation owing to network cost and complexity, and a lack of regulatory requirements on wireless service quality. One way to address this significant challenge is by introducing fault tolerance; however, very limited work has been done so far in the fault‐tolerant design of wireless networks. In this paper, we address how to utilize fault tolerance in the design of infrastructure‐oriented wireless networks. More specifically, an architectural design scheme is presented for multilevel fault tolerance using adaptable building blocks. The scheme utilizes ‘selective’ redundancy at component, link and block levels and a fault‐tolerant architecture for interconnection of building blocks. The design scheme has been implemented in both analytical and simulation models. The detailed performance results show that fault tolerance at component, link, block, and interconnection levels can significantly improve the overall dependability performance. One interesting observation is that, to achieve highest dependability, fault tolerance at link, component or block level is not sufficient and must be combined with the interconnection level fault‐tolerance. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Do Children Learn How to Watch Television' The Impact of Extensive Experience With Blue's Clues on Preschool Children's Television Viewing Behavior

This is, we believe, the first investigation of the effects of experience with a particular program series on children's subsequent television viewing behavior and comprehension. Three- to 5-year-old, regular, experienced Blue's Clues viewers were compared to new, inexperienced viewers. In Study 1, experienced Blue's Clues viewers looked less but overtly interacted more with a new episode of Blue's Clues . This effect was most pronounced during recurrent format portions of the episode. They also showed greater comprehension of familiar content. Study 2 compared experienced and inexperienced viewers on viewing behavior and comprehension of an episode of a different series. Experienced Blue's Clues viewers looked less but overtly interacted more; there were no differences in comprehension. These results suggest that a television series can teach children a style of television viewing transferable to new episodes and to new series.     

Effects of repeated exposures to a single episode of the television program Blue's Clues on the viewing behaviors and comprehension of preschool children.

A single episode of the preschool educational television program Blue's Clues was shown once or repeated on 5 consecutive days for 3- to 5-year-old viewers. A comparison group watched a different preschool program one time. Viewer behavior was videotaped, and comprehension and learning of Blue's Clues content was tested. With repetition, looking at the television screen remained at a high level. Only 5-year-old boys' looking decreased. Verbal and nonverbal interactions with the program (such as answering questions and pointing at the screen) increased, especially during educational content. Comprehension improved with repetition. Episode repetition is an effective strategy for enhancing learning and program involvement for a preschool audience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)