Intentional and unintentional contributions of nonspecific preparation during reaction time foreperiods.

The nonspecific preparation that follows a warning stimulus (WS) to speed responding to an impending imperative stimulus (IS) is generally viewed as a strategic, intentional process. An alternative view holds that WS acts as a conditioned stimulus that unintentionally elicits a tendency to respond at the moment of IS presentation as a result of a process of trace conditioning. These views were contrasted as explanatory frameworks for classical effects on reaction time of the duration and intertrial variability of the foreperiod, the interval between WS and IS. It is shown that the conditioning view accounts for the available data at least as well as the strategic view. In addition, the results of 3 experiments provide support for the conditioning view by showing that unintentional contributions to nonspecific preparation can be dissociated from intentional contributions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of the NIST and NPL Air Kerma Standards Used for X-Ray Measurements Between 10 kV and 80 kV

A direct comparison was made between the air kerma primary standards used for the measurements of low-energy x rays at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL). The comparison was conducted at the NPL using NPL reference radiation qualities between 10 kV and 80 kV. The results show the primary air-kerma standards to agree within 0.6 % of their values for beam qualities up to 80 kV.     

Chromophore‐Linked Substrate (CLS405): Probing Metallo‐β‐Lactamase Activity and Inhibition

Serine‐ and metallo‐β‐lactamases present a threat to the clinical use of nearly all β‐lactam antibiotics, including penicillins, cephalosporins, and carbapenems. Efforts to develop metallo‐β‐lactamase (MBL) inhibitors require suitable screening platforms to allow the rapid determination of β‐lactamase activity and efficient inhibition. Unfortunately, the platforms currently available are not ideal for this purpose. Further progress in MBL inhibitor identification requires inexpensive and widely applicable assays. Herein the identification of an inexpensive and stable chromogenic substrate suitable for use in assays of clinically relevant MBLs is described. (6R,7R)‐3‐((4‐Nitrophenoxy)methyl)‐8‐oxo‐7‐(2‐phenylacetamido)‐5‐thia‐1‐azabicyclo[4.2.0]oct‐2‐ene‐2‐carboxylic acid 5,5‐dioxide (CLS405) was synthesised in a three‐step protocol. CLS405 was then characterised spectroscopically, and its stability and kinetic properties evaluated. With a Δλ_max value of 100 nm between the parent and hydrolysis product, a higher analytical accuracy is possible with CLS405 than with commonly used chromogenic substrates. The use of CLS405 in assays was validated by MBL activity measurements and inhibitor screening that resulted in the identification of N‐hydroxythiazoles as new inhibitor scaffolds for MBLs. Further evaluation of the identified N‐hydroxythiazoles against a panel of clinically relevant MBLs showed that they possess inhibitory activities in the mid‐ to low‐micromolar range. The findings of this study provide both a useful tool compound for further inhibitor identification, and novel scaffolds for the design of improved MBL inhibitors with potential as antibiotics against resistant strains of bacteria.     

Inferring surface trace and differential structure from 3-D images

Early image understanding seeks to derive analytic representations from image intensities. The authors present steps towards this goal by considering the inference of surfaces from three-dimensional images. Only smooth surfaces are considered and the focus is on the coupled problems of inferring the trace points (the points through which the surface passes) and estimating the associated differential structure given by the principal curvature and direction fields over the estimated smooth surfaces. Computation of these fields is based on determining an atlas of local charts or parameterizations at estimated surface points. Algorithm robustness and the stability of results are essential for analyzing real images; to this end, the authors present a functional minimization algorithm utilizing overlapping local charts to refine surface points and curvature estimates, and develop an implementation as an iterative constraint satisfaction procedure based on local surface smoothness properties. Examples of the recovery of local structure are presented for synthetic images degraded by noise and for clinical magnetic resonance images     

The effect of silicide on ESD performance of transistors

In this paper a new model for localized breakdown in NMOSTs under ESD stress is developed, which accounts for the reduced ESD strength in silicided devices. The model explains the impact of a stabilizing drain resistance on second breakdown current for both silicided and unsilicided protections.