Comprehension of familiar and unfamiliar native accents under adverse listening conditions.

This study aimed to determine the relative processing cost associated with comprehension of an unfamiliar native accent under adverse listening conditions. Two sentence verification experiments were conducted in which listeners heard sentences at various signal-to-noise ratios. In Experiment 1, these sentences were spoken in a familiar or an unfamiliar native accent or in two familiar native accents. In Experiment 2, they were spoken in a familiar or unfamiliar native accent or in a nonnative accent. The results indicated that the differences between the native accents influenced the speed of language processing under adverse listening conditions and that this processing speed was modulated by the relative familiarity of the listener with the native accent. Furthermore, the results showed that the processing cost associated with the nonnative accent was larger than for the unfamiliar native accent. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of the Diffusion Layer Characteristics on the Performance of Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell Electrodes

Several carbon blacks and graphite were investigated as candidates for diffusion layer preparation in polymer electrolyte fuel cell electrodes (PEFC). Single cell electrochemical characterizations under different working cell conditions were carried out on the electrodes by varying the kind of carbon in the diffusion layer. An improvement in cell performance was found by using Shawinigan Acetylene Black (SAB) as carbon, resulting in a measured power density of about 360 mW cm^–2 in H₂/air operation at 70°C and 1/1 bar. Pore size distribution and scanning electron microscopy analyses were carried out to help the understanding of the different behaviour of the investigated carbon diffusion layers.     

Homology modeling of the multicopper oxidase Fet3 gives new insights in the mechanism of iron transport in yeast

Fet3, the multicopper oxidase of yeast, oxidizes extracellularferrous iron which is then transported into the cell throughthe permease Ftr1. A three-dimensional model structure of Fet3has been derived by homology modeling. Fet3 consists of threecupredoxin domains joined by a trinuclear copper cluster whichis connected to the blue copper site located in the third domain.Close to this site, which is the primary electron acceptor fromthe substrate, residues for a potential iron binding site couldbe identified. The surface disposition of negatively chargedresidues suggests that Fet3 can translocate Fe³⁺ to the permeaseFtr1 through a pathway under electrostatic guidance.     

Mercer's Adaptive Behavior Inventory, the McCarthy scales, and dental development as predictors of first-grade achievement.

Administered a battery of tests to 65 1st graders. Nine months later the Metropolitan Achievement Test was administered to 62 of the Ss. The McCarthy General Cognitive Index, the Adaptive Behavior Inventory for Children Average Scaled Score, and the McCarthy Motor Index demonstrated significant correlations with achievement. The McCarthy General Cognitive Index emerged as the only significant predictor of achievement in multiple regression analyses. Implications for 1st-grade screening are discussed. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role of chatburst versus song in the defense of fall territory in mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos).

40 hrs of focal animal sampling of each of 6 territorial male mockingbirds revealed that although chatbursts were not restricted to the context of fall territorial intrusions, they were significantly more likely to be associated with territorial intrusions than was either song or no vocalization. Song, however, was no more common during territorial intrusions than was the absence of vocalization. In agonistic encounters between mates sharing a territory, the chatburst was no more common than either song or absence of vocalization. Examination of the amount of song produced during the 5-min period following a territorial intrusion further indicated that song did not serve a supplemental defensive function. A nonsignificant negative correlation between total song and total territorial intrusions questions the importance of song in fall territorial pronouncement. It is concluded that the chatburst occurs primarily during the period of fall territoriality, the chatburst functions in fall territorial defense, and the chatburst (and not song) is the primary signal in fall territorial defense. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Production of Recombinant Human Ceruloplasmin: Improvements and Perspectives

The ferroxidase ceruloplasmin (CP) plays a crucial role in iron homeostasis in vertebrates together with the iron exporter ferroportin. Mutations in the CP gene give rise to aceruloplasminemia, a rare neurodegenerative disease for which no cure is available. Many aspects of the (patho)physiology of CP are still unclear and would benefit from the availability of recombinant protein for structural and functional studies. Furthermore, recombinant CP could be evaluated for enzyme replacement therapy for the treatment of aceruloplasminemia. We report the production and preliminary characterization of high-quality recombinant human CP in glycoengineered Pichia pastoris SuperMan5. A modified yeast strain lacking the endogenous ferroxidase has been generated and employed as host for heterologous expression of the secreted isoform of human CP. Highly pure biologically active protein has been obtained by an improved two-step purification procedure. Glycan analysis indicates that predominant glycoforms HexNAc2Hex8 and HexNAc2Hex11 are found at Asn119, Asn378, and Asn743, three of the canonical four N-glycosylation sites of human CP. The availability of high-quality recombinant human CP represents a significant advancement in the field of CP biology. However, productivity needs to be increased and further careful glycoengineering of the SM5 strain is mandatory in order to evaluate the possible therapeutic use of the recombinant protein for enzyme replacement therapy of aceruloplasminemia patients.     

The neck injury criterion: future considerations

The cost of whiplash injuries--both in dollars spent for medical care and disability, and in terms of human suffering--are quite high in westernized nations. This is of particular interest both from a public health perspective and a general societal one because the disorder is theoretically preventable: in the very least it can be minimized. This can be achieved with crash prevention strategies and improvements in vehicle safety design--especially with more effective seat back and head restraint systems. Toward the goal of developing a gold standard for safety research in this area, a neck injury criterion (NIC) was proposed by Bostr?m et al. in 1996 (Bostr?m O., Svennson, M.Y., Aldman, B. et al., 1996. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact, Dublin, Ireland). This criterion considers the relative horizontal acceleration and velocity between the bottom (T1) and top (C1) of the cervical spine and has face validity based on current literature. However, the NIC has still not been subjected to rigorous scientific investigation or validation in terms of its representativeness of human occupant injury. Such investigation should specifically consider, first, whether the NIC provides an adequate proxy for all potential neck injuries due to whiplash and, secondly, whether the proposed threshold value of 15 m2/s2 is an appropriate level for the stated goal. Based on a review of recent literature, recent human volunteer crash tests by Wheeler et al. and the those of the Spine Research Institute of San Diego, and based on mathematical MADYMO analysis of the first real world crash pulse data, it appears that the threshold for acute injury in the general population is likely to require a lowering of the originally proposed NIC value, and additional parameters, such as considering a forward rebound phase or neck extension criteria may be necessary. The conclusions of this paper should be considered preliminary because the numbers of crash test subjects and real world injury victims does not allow for rigorous statistical analysis. Certainly, ongoing work will be necessary to investigate this further and larger scale analysis of more onboard crash data will prove invaluable.     

Object oriented programming approach for quality improvement based on systematic diagram method

Systematic Diagram Method is a useful tool for many phases of Quality Control. The Systematic Diagram (SD) displays the means necessary to achieve specific goals and objectives, clarifies the essence of the problem by making the subject matter visible, and searches for the most suitable means of realizing objectives. The SD either breaks down the main subject into its basic elements and depicts goals or systematically shows the means and procedures necessary to successfully implement a given plan. In order to devise the SD, a thoroughly methodized information and its execution are necessary. Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) approach is proposed as the tool for this purpose. In this paper, we discuss how OOP can be used in implementing the SD method to improve quality in three phases of quality control, i.e., Quality Design, Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement.     

Web-Based Adaptive Tutoring: An Approach Based on Logic Agents and Reasoning about Actions

In this paper we describe an approach to the construction of adaptive tutoring systems, based on techniques from the research area of Reasoning about Actions and Change.This approach leads to the implementation of aprototype system, having a multi-agent architecture,whose kernel is a set of rational agents,programmed in the logic programminglanguage DyLOG. In the prototype that weimplemented the reasoning capabilities of theagents are exploited both to dynamically buildstudy plans and to verify the correctness ofuser-given study plans with respect to thecompetence that the user wants to acquire.