Assessing the way people look to judge their intentions.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 11(4) of Emotion (see record 2011-13790-001). Figure 1 should have been printed in color.] [Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Emotion July 4 2011 (see record 2011-13790-001). Figure 1, which should have been printed in color, was inadvertently printed in black and white. The online version has been corrected.] Faces of unknown persons are processed to infer the intentions of these persons not only when they depict full-blown emotions, but also at rest, or when these faces do not signal any strong feelings. We explored the brain processes involved in these inferences to test whether they are similar to those found when judging full-blown emotions. We recorded the event-related brain potentials (ERPs) elicited by faces of unknown persons who, when they were photographed, were not asked to adopt any particular expression. During the ERP recording, participants had to decide whether each face appeared to be that of a positively, negatively, ambiguously, or neutrally intentioned person. The early posterior negativity, the EPN, was found smaller for neutrally categorized faces than for the other faces, suggesting that the automatic processes it indexes are similar to those evoked by full-blown expressions and thus that these processes might be involved in the decoding of intentions. In contrast, in the same 200–400 ms time window, ERPs were not more negative at anterior sites for neutrally intentioned faces. Second, the peaks of the late positive potentials (LPPs) maximal at parietal sites around 700 ms postonset were not significantly smaller for neutrally intentioned faces. Third, the slow positive waves that followed the LPP were larger for faces that took more time to categorize, that is, for ambiguously intentioned faces. These three series of unexpected results may indicate processes similar to those triggered by full-blown emotions studies, but they question the characteristics of these processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fatigue failure and molecular machine design

Sophisticated molecular machines have evolved in nature, and the first synthetic molecular machines have been demonstrated. With our increasing understanding of individual operating cycles, the question of how operation can be sustained over many cycles comes to the forefront. In the design of macroscale machines, performance and lifetime are opposing goals. Similarly, the natural evolution of biological nanomachines, such as myosin motor proteins, is likely constrained by lifetime requirements. Rather than bond rupture at high forces, bond fatigue under repeated small stresses may limit the mechanical performance of molecular machines. Here, the effect of cyclic stresses using single and double bonds as simple examples are discussed. Additionally, it is demonstrated that an increase in lifetime requires a reduction in mechanical load and that molecular engineering design features, such as polyvalent bonds capable of rebinding, can extend the bond lifetime dramatically. A universal scaling law for the force output of motors is extrapolated to the molecular scale to estimate the design space for molecular machines.     

The impact of the fusarium mycotoxin deoxynivalenol on the health and performance of broiler chickens

The aim of the present experiment was to investigate the effects of feeding grains naturally contaminated with Fusarium mycotoxins on morphometric indices of jejunum and to follow the passage of deoxynivalenol (DON) through subsequent segments of the digestive tract of broilers. A total of 45 1-d-old broiler chickens (Ross 308 males) were randomly allotted to three dietary treatments (15 birds/treatment): (1) control diet; (2) diet contaminated with 1 mg DON/kg feed; (3) diet contaminated with 5 mg DON/kg feed for five weeks. None of the zootechnical traits (body weight, body weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion) responded to increased DON levels in the diet. However, DON at both dietary levels (1 mg and 5 mg DON/kg feed) significantly altered the small intestinal morphology. In the jejunum, the villi were significantly (P < 0.01) shorter in both DON treated groups compared with the controls. Furthermore, the dietary inclusion of DON decreased (P < 0.05) the villus surface area in both DON treated groups. The absolute or relative organ weights (liver, heart, proventriculus, gizzard, small intestine, spleen, pancreas, colon, cecum, bursa of Fabricius and thymus) were not altered (P > 0.05) in broilers fed the diet containing DON compared with controls. DON and de-epoxy-DON (DOM-1) were analyzed in serum, bile, liver, feces and digesta from consecutive segments of the digestive tract (gizzard, cecum, and rectum). Concentrations of DON and its metabolite DOM-1 in serum, bile, and liver were lower than the detection limits of the applied liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. Only about 10 to 12% and 6% of the ingested DON was recovered in gizzard and feces, irrespective of the dietary DON-concentration. However, the DON recovery in the cecum as percentage of DON-intake varied between 18 to 22% and was not influenced by dietary DON-concentration. Interestingly, in the present trial, DOM-1 did not appear in the large intestine and in feces. The results indicate that deepoxydation in the present study hardly occurred in the distal segments of the digestive tract, assuming that the complete de-epoxydation occurs in the proximal small intestine where the majority of the parent toxin is absorbed. In conclusion, diets with DON contamination below levels that induce a negative impact on performance could alter small intestinal morphology in broilers. Additionally, the results confirm that the majority of the ingested DON quickly disappears through the gastrointestinal tract.     

Expansion of core–shell PS/PMMA particles

Structured micrometric polystyrene/poly(methyl methacrylate) particles were obtained by suspension polymerization and their expansion behavior was investigated using n‐pentane as blowing agent. The expanded particles presented two distinct microstructures with an outer region (PMMA‐rich shell) composed by cells of about 10 µm while the center of the particle (PS‐rich core) had much larger cells (50–100 μm). The core–shell particles did not expand at 100°C meaning that the PMMA shell hindered the expansion of the particles. Maximum expansion was dependent on the PMMA concentration and also on the heating temperature and the increase in the PMMA molar mass led to a delay in the onset of the process. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 4521–4527, 2013     

Extraocular fast myosin heavy chain expression in the levator palpebrae and retractor bulbi muscles

PURPOSE: To determine whether the levator palpebrae superioris (LPS) and the retractor bulbi (RB) muscles, which share contractile characteristics with extraocular muscles (EOMs), express fast EOM-specific myosin heavy chain (MyHC) in the rabbit and other mammalian species. METHODS: Cryostat sections of rabbit eye and limb muscles were stained by indirect peroxidase immunohistochemical procedures using monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), including one (4A6) against EOM-specific fast MyHC. Myosin heavy chain isoforms from these muscles were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and the 4A6-reactive component was identified by immunoblotting. RESULTS: MAb 4A6 stained muscle fibers in rabbit LPS and RB. SDS-PAGE resolved a rabbit EOM-specific MyHC isoform (band 1) from two other components (bands 2 and 3) that comigrated with limb fast MyHCs. MAb 4A6 reacted only with band 1. Rabbit LPS and RB also displayed corresponding MyHC components with the same mobilities and immunoreactivities as bands 1 to 3 in the EOM. MAb 4A6 also stained muscle fibers in monkey and cat LPS, but it failed to stain muscle fibers in cat RB and rat LPS and RB. CONCLUSIONS: The expression of EOM-specific fast MyHC in EOM, LPS, and RB reflect their common developmental origin and similar contractile characteristics. These properties set them apart from other skeletal muscle groups. Eye muscles may constitute a distinct muscle group or allotype characterized by unique properties, including their propensity or resistance to disease.     

Disinfection by calcium hydroxide pastes of dentinal tubules infected with two obligate and one facultative anaerobic bacteria

Bovine dentine cylinders were experimentally infected with Actinomyces israelii, Fusobacterium nucleatum, or Enterococcus faecalis. The latter is a facultative anaerobic bacteria and the others are obligate anaerobes commonly found in endodontic infections. The infected specimens were exposed to pastes of calcium hydroxide mixed with saline solution or camphorated paramonochlorophenol for periods of 1 h, 1 day, and 1 week. The viability of bacteria after these exposure times was evaluated by specimen incubation in culture medium to compare the effectiveness of the pastes in disinfecting dentinal tubules. The calcium hydroxide/camphorated paramonochlorophenol paste effectively killed bacteria in the tubules after a 1-h period of exposure, except for E. faecalis that required one day of exposure. In contrast, the calcium hydroxide/saline paste was ineffective against E. faecalis and F. nucleatum even after 1 week of exposure. The results showed that camphorated paramonochlorophenol increased the antibacterial effects of calcium hydroxide.     

Battery switch array system with application for JPL's rechargeable micro-scale batteries

A battery switch array system is developed for solid-state rechargeable micro-scale lithium batteries, designed and developed by Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology, for aerospace applications. The heart of the system is a topology unique in its dynamic reconfiguration ability by providing selective connection and isolation and versatile in its core design by incorporating passive, active or energy storage elements. It allows up to N-batteries to be connected in any desired configuration; providing maximum voltage, maximum capacity and a voltage/capacity ratio. This battery switch array system is part of a power management system that is developed to utilize these features and provide for multiple charging algorithms, real time status information and fault tolerant capabilities. A two microbattery prototype circuit is built using a microprocessor-based controller for verification of the system design and its features. The topology and its features will be explored in this paper to provide methods for modular and scalable energy storage system design.     

A new technique to quantify deuterium passivation of interfacetraps in MOS devices

The ubiquitous presence of hydrogen in the fabrication of complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices results in the passivation of most interface traps by hydrogen. In this letter, we show that this hydrogen cannot be completely replaced by deuterium through a one-step deuterium anneal process. Improved device reliability attributed to deuterium incorporation at the oxide/silicon interface is thus limited by the remnant hydrogen. To determine the deuterium passivation fraction, we propose a new technique that is based solely on electrical testing. Compared to other techniques such as secondary ion mass spectrum (SIMS), the new technique can be used to measure the deuterium passivation fraction in deep submicron MOS devices with very small testing areas     

Addressable failure site test structures (AFS-TS) for CMOSprocesses: Design guidelines, fault simulation, and implementation

As technologies scale down, semiconductor manufacturing processes require more and more areas for test structures to ensure accurate yield estimation. This paper presents design guidelines for test structures with addressable failure sites to efficiently utilize a given area. Different types of test structures with three-level interconnects are developed and validated using a novel simulation system. Based on the proposed algorithm, single and multiple defects can be detected and identified precisely without ambiguity. The methodology standardizes the design of test structures for defect capturing as well as their usage within a common pad frame, which can be shared for various processes and applications. A test chip of 22×6.6 mm² containing a variety of types of these test structures was implemented to demonstrate the design feasibility