Virtual Circuit Laboratory*

We present the rationale, implementation and performance features of a virtual lab environment for an electronic circuits course. The primary purpose of the tool is to aid the student in learning debugging techniques by providing an environment that emulates some of the failure modes of a real lab. The tool is implemented as a Java application. Index Terms—Introductory circuits, technology‐enhanced learning environments, and virtual laboratories.     

Clients’ experiences giving gifts to therapists.

Nine therapy clients were interviewed regarding their experiences of giving gifts to therapists. Data were analyzed using consensual qualitative research. In describing a specific event when they gave a gift that was accepted, participants described having a good relationship with the therapist and usually identified their therapy concerns as relationship or family struggles or both. Most bought a relatively inexpensive gift they thought their therapist would like and gave it during a nontermination session to express appreciation or mark an important life event. Most participants acknowledged mixed emotions when giving the gift and noted that any discussion of the gift was brief and did not explore its deeper meaning. Nevertheless, most participants perceived that gift events positively affected them and their therapists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual supervisees' experiences of LGB-affirmative and nonaffirmative supervision.

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) supervisees were interviewed regarding their experiences of LGB-affirmative and nonaffirmative supervision. Supervisees were asked to describe one of each type of event (i.e., affirmative, nonaffirmative) from their past supervision. In LGB-affirmative supervision, all supervisees felt supported in their LGB-affirmative work with clients. Supervisees perceived that the affirming events also positively affected the supervision relationship, client outcomes, and themselves as supervisees. In LGB nonaffirming supervision, supervisees perceived supervisors to be biased or oppressive toward supervisees' clients or themselves on the basis of LGB concerns or identity. From supervisees' perspectives, the nonaffirming events negatively affected the supervision relationship, client outcomes, and supervisees. Implications for research and supervision are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

One for all—all for one: proof of authenticity and tracing of foods with flavonoids

The composition of flavonoids in plants is thought to be genetically determined. Thus it is characteristic for plant species. Here, proanthocyanidins are used to identify barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) varieties: six barley varieties and the corresponding malts in 61 samples of the growing years 1998–2001 from three locations in Germany are examined. Their absolute polyphenolic composition is quite similar, but the ratios of proanthocyanidins among each other—termed here “relative quantitative fingerprint” (RQF)—are characteristic for the variety independent from growing year, provenience and status (barley/malt). The analytical method presented is highly automated and robust, thus it allows analyzing a high number of samples and to detect small differences between samples unambiguously. Hence the polyphenols can be used as a tool for food tracing, to prove authenticity and to discover frauds of food from plant origin.     

Risk managed technical specifications

Application of probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) technology has become an essential component in the decision-making processes associated with the operation and regulation of commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs). As PRA technology has matured, it increasingly has been utilized to provide risk insights in the support of both operational and regulatory decision-making. This paper describes the next significant application of PRA technology to risk inform NPP operation. This Risk Managed Technical Specification (RMTS) application utilizes the results of the plant PRA to determine risk-informed technical specification (TS) allowed out of service times (AOTs). The RMTS process utilizes the PRA results to specify appropriate configuration specific TS AOTs and ensures the risk of events that could result in core damage or large early release are maintained below acceptable levels. In addition, RMTS requires development of integrated risk management actions to actively mitigate risks associated with the inoperability of TS structures, systems and components (SSCs). RMTS has been approved for implementation at commercial NPPs in the United States with the South Texas Project Electric Generating Station (STPEGS) serving as the initial application. In this paper we describe the programmatic requirements necessary to implement RMTS and provide several examples illustrating its application; thus demonstrating the applicability of RMTS to manage nuclear safety risk while simultaneously enhancing operational flexibility.     

Repealing minimum parking requirements in Buffalo: new directions for land use and development

Minimum parking requirements, which mandate off-street parking and have been a staple of American zoning codes for more than 80 years, are slowly falling out of favor due to incompatibility with sustainable urbanism, equity, and social responsibility. A new zoning ordinance in Buffalo, New York completely removes minimum parking requirements citywide, relieving developers and property owners from the mandate to provide off-street parking. This article performs a comparative analysis of guidelines in the zoning code before and after reform and examines the public engagement process that produced the change in parking control. Strong support for and little opposition to this zoning change suggest less resistance than anticipated to policies that formalize a reduction in off-street parking facilities. Findings suggest that removing minimum parking requirements is easiest where off-street parking requirements are least needed, and that the planning team in Buffalo proposed a bold idea after it detected, from special interest groups and the public, initial support for removing parking requirements. The article provides direction for future research to evaluate the repeal of minimum parking requirement and its effects on transport, the environment, and the economy.     

Multiplication of ampC upon Exposure to a Beta-Lactam Antibiotic Results in a Transferable Transposon in Escherichia coli

Plasmids play a crucial role in spreading antimicrobial resistance genes. Plasmids have many ways to incorporate various genes. By inducing amoxicillin resistance in Escherichia coli, followed by horizontal gene transfer experiments and sequencing, we show that the chromosomal beta-lactamase gene ampC is multiplied and results in an 8–13 kb contig. This contig is comparable to a transposon, showing similarities to variable regions found in environmental plasmids, and can be transferred between E. coli cells. As in eight out of nine replicate strains an almost completely identical transposon was isolated, we conclude that this process is under strict control by the cell. The single transposon that differed was shortened at both ends, but otherwise identical. The outcome of this study indicates that as a result of exposure to beta-lactam antibiotics, E. coli can form a transposon containing ampC that can subsequently be integrated into plasmids or genomes. This observation offers an explanation for the large diversity of genes in plasmids found in nature and proposes mechanisms by which the dynamics of plasmids are maintained.     

The antioxidant properties of baechu-kimchi and freeze-dried kimchi-powder in fermented sausages

The antioxidant properties of baechu-kimchi in fermented sausages were evaluated by investigating its effect on the changes in total free fatty acid content, peroxide value, and TBARS during ripening. The conditions for its antioxidant effectiveness were optimized in a model system (beaker sausages). For this, the conditions of added kimchi – form (kimchi and freeze-dried kimchi-powder), fermentation temperature (7 and 20 °C) and concentrations (5%, 10% and 15%) – were varied. The results were compared with that of the control without kimchi. According to the evolution of peroxide value and TBARS, the addition of 5% and 10% kimchi clearly indicated retardation of the development of lipid oxidation. However, an increase in the amount of kimchi added caused a prooxidant effect. The antioxidant effect of kimchi has been found to be dependant on its fermentation temperature as the batches treated with kimchi fermented at 20 °C displayed better protection against the formation of oxidative products than those fermented at 7 °C. Kimchi-powder did not show any antioxidant properties.     

Calponin,caldesmon, and chromatophores: The smooth muscle connection

Observations on pigment translocations in fish chromatophores and speculations on the chemo-mechanical transduction processes responsible for the recorded chromatosome motilities are briefly reviewed. The presence of the two smooth muscle proteins caldesmon and calponin is confirmed by immunocytochemistry for melanophores and iridophores of the Antarctic fishes Pagothenia borchgrevinki and Trematomus bernacchii. Troponin, a typical vertebrate skeletal muscle protein is absent from the chromatophores of the two fish species. It is suggested that calponin's role, in the presence of Ca(2+) and calmodulin, is that of a modulator and that caldesmon, a molecule that competes with calponin for actin binding sites, is in a position in which it can switch on and off Ca(2+)-dependent contractility and relaxation. Freshly caught Antarctic fish are receiving conflicting signals, when hauled from the dark under-ice to the bright above-ice environment (nor-adrenaline secretion promoting aggregation, but exposure to bright light bringing on pigment dispersion); it is in such situations that the two proteins in question could play important roles. The precise nature of their involvement still needs to be worked out, but the fact that they do exist in the chromatophores at all, appears to have an ontogenetic background.