Prospective memory and the efficacy of a memory strategy in multiple sclerosis.

Prospective memory (PM), which is the ability to remember to carry out actions that are planned for the future, plays an important role in professional and social life as well as in activities of daily living. This study examined PM performance among adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) and evaluated the efficacy of a mnemonic strategy, implementation intentions. Compared to controls, adults with MS were impaired on PM, both in terms of acting when encountering the correct circumstances (prospective component) and in terms of remembering the correct action to perform (retrospective component). The prospective-component deficit was greater for tasks that depended on more resource-demanding cognitive processes and smaller on tasks that could be performed more automatically. Use of implementation intentions improved MS-group performance on the prospective component, particularly on the more resource-demanding tasks, consistent with the explanation that implementation intentions improved performance by allowing the use of more automatic processes to perform these PM tasks. Implications for providing environmental support to encourage the use of mnemonic strategies are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Solids suspension agitation in square tanks

The Zwietering correlation for the just‐suspended speed has been modified to include baffling and geometric effects (impeller‐to‐tank diameter ratio and impeller off‐bottom clearance) for two impeller types (high‐efficiency and pitched‐blade). Baffles are generally not required when using square tanks although they improve solids suspension performance of pitched‐blade turbines. Comparison of square tank solids suspension to that in a fully baffled cylindrical tank has also been made. Very little difference was observed in the power number, but the just‐suspended speed, torque, and power requirements were higher in the square tank.     

On the correctness of the Krivine machine

We provide a short proof of the correctness of the Krivine machine by showing how it simulates weak head reduction.     

In-Band OSNR Monitoring Using Spectral Analysis After Frequency Down-Conversion

A novel method for simultaneous optical signal-to-noise ratio and chromatic dispersion monitoring in wavelength-division multiplexed 40-Gb/s systems is proposed and demonstrated. This technique has a fast response time of <10 ms, applicable to dynamically reconfigurable networks, and is able to simultaneously monitor multiple impairments across multiple channels     

The synthesis of a near infrared-sensitive tackifier

A general method to prepare near infrared absorbing abietic acid derivatives is described in which the carboxylic acid of abietic acid is sterically hindered, making the seemingly simple esterification of the acid with a functional near infrared dye the most troublesome stage of the synthesis. Optimum results were obtained by constructing the chromophore from components previously attached to abietic acid. The spectral properties of the desired compound both in solution and within polymer films are discussed. The tackifiers increase the near infrared absorption, offering the potential for near infrared-activated hot-melt adhesives.     

Visualizing Validation of Protein Surface Classifiers

Many bioinformatics applications construct classifiers that are validated in experiments that compare their results to known ground truth over a corpus. In this paper, we introduce an approach for exploring the results of such classifier validation experiments, focusing on classifiers for regions of molecular surfaces. We provide a tool that allows for examining classification performance patterns over a test corpus. The approach combines a summary view that provides information about an entire corpus of molecules with a detail view that visualizes classifier results directly on protein surfaces. Rather than displaying miniature 3D views of each molecule, the summary provides 2D glyphs of each protein surface arranged in a reorderable, small‐multiples grid. Each summary is specifically designed to support visual aggregation to allow the viewer to both get a sense of aggregate properties as well as the details that form them. The detail view provides a 3D visualization of each protein surface coupled with interaction techniques designed to support key tasks, including spatial aggregation and automated camera touring. A prototype implementation of our approach is demonstrated on protein surface classifier experiments.     

User-centred design of neogeography: the impact of volunteered geographic information on users' perceptions of online map ‘mashups’

This paper investigates the influence of presenting volunteered and professionally created geographic information to 101 wheelchair users through an interactive website that included information collected by wheelchair-using volunteers. The aim of this experiment was to understand the influence that (1) knowing a map-based website contains volunteered information and (2) actually including volunteered information within an online interactive map (a mashup) have on the perceived trust of the user, described in terms of quality and authority. Analysis using Kruskal–Wallis showed that judgements of currency were influenced by including geo-information from untrained volunteers (volunteered geographic information) within the mashup, but not influenced by the participant being told that the online map contained volunteered information. The participants appeared to make judgements based on what information they saw, rather than what they were told about the source of the information.