Manipulating the taste-related composition of strawberry fruits (Fragaria × ananassa) from different cultivars using deficit irrigation

Demand and, consequently, production of strawberry fruits has increased over the past few years and, as a result, the water abstractions for cultivation of this fruit have risen considerably. To limit the amounts of water used for several horticultural crops, water deficit irrigation (DI) has been seen as a potential alternative for new cultivation systems. DI in strawberry fruits is generally associated with reduction in berry size and yield; however, a recent study demonstrated that DI on strawberry can increase the concentration of some taste- and health-related compounds in fruits from cv. Elsanta. Hence, the aim of the present study was to further corroborate such findings and to assess the response (and variability) among different strawberry cultivars (namely Christine, Elsanta, Florence, Sonata and Symphony) to imposed water-DI conditions. Water-DI affected both fruit physiology and biochemistry. Nevertheless, the response to drought stress was different for each of the cultivars tested. Plants from cvs. Elsanta, Sonata and Symphony showed a greater reduction in berry size, accompanied by a significant increase in dry matter content for fruit harvested from DI-treated plants. Concomitant to this, and where dry matter was increased, the concentrations of sugars and some acids were generally higher in DI-derived fruit. In contrast, cvs. Florence and Christine did not show significant variations in berry weight or any of the target analytes measured when grown under the conditions imposed in this study. The results presented herein suggest that reducing water irrigation between flower initiation and fruit harvest may be a viable technique for increasing the concentrations of taste-related compounds in cvs. Elsanta, Sonata and Symphony and it may not have a negative impact on overall fruit size of cvs. Christine and Florence.     

Searching for differences in race: Is there evidence for preferential detection of other-race faces?

Previous research has suggested that like animal and social fear-relevant stimuli, other-race faces (African American) are detected preferentially in visual search. Three experiments using Chinese or Indonesian faces as other-race faces yielded the opposite pattern of results: faster detection of same-race faces among other-race faces. This apparently inconsistent pattern of results was resolved by showing that Asian and African American faces are detected preferentially in tasks that have small stimulus sets and employ fixed target searches. Asian and African American other-race faces are found slower among Caucasian face backgrounds if larger stimulus sets are used in tasks with a variable mapping of stimulus to background or target. Thus, preferential detection of other-race faces was not found under task conditions in which preferential detection of animal and social fear-relevant stimuli is evident. Although consistent with the view that same-race faces are processed in more detail than other-race faces, the current findings suggest that other-race faces do not draw attention preferentially. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Potential use of chemical cues for colony-mate recognition in the big brown bat,Eptesicus fuscus

Bats should benefit from recognition of their roost-mates when colonies form stable social units that persist over time. We used Y-maze experiments and gas chromatography–olfactometry (GC-O) to evaluate whether female big brown bats Eptesicus fuscus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) use chemical cues to distinguish among conspecifics. In dual-choice Y-maze experiments, females chose the scent of another female from their own roost over a conspecific female from a different roost in a majority of trials. Analysis of total body odors using GC-O suggests that individuals from a given colony may share a more common odor signature with roost-mates than with non-roost-mate conspecifics. Using four principle components derived from 15 odor variables, discriminant function analysis correctly assigned most individuals to the correct colony.     

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Individual differences during driver secondary task performance: verbal protocol and visual allocation findings

This paper reports a study in which visual allocation and verbal reports were recorded to determine individual differences in drivers conducting in-vehicle tasks. Participants drove a simulated route whilst conducting pre-defined tasks using the in-vehicle entertainment system. Tasks of varying complexity were presented to the participants. Licensed (experienced) drivers made significantly more verbal reports relating to road signs and markings, vehicles, scenery in general and vehicle operations; than did unlicensed (novices). No significant difference was found between expert and novice drivers when reporting in-car entertainment system related utterances. Surprising gender differences were also found. Males drove faster, with greater variance, and made more utterances in identified categories. Females were found to make significantly less verbal reports during secondary task performance. The difference in results obtained between expert and novices may imply that novices need to use their attention capacity to focus on the skill of driving, whereas experts through experience, have automated this skill and can use their attention capacity to more effectively during primary tasks. Results suggest that expert drivers are not necessarily experts at undertaking secondary tasks.     

Least-mean-squares algorithm to determine submicrometer particle diameter,volume fraction,and size distribution width by elastic light scattering

A computationally fast method to determine values and their uncertainty for particulate system volume median diameter, volume fraction, and size distribution width is presented. These properties cannot be obtained for submicrometer particulate by diffraction-based methods. The technique relies on a least-mean-squares method applied over a prespecified size range and distribution width. Prespecifying the range significantly reduces the number of calculations required to determine the particulate parameters from experimental data, allowing the practical evaluation of large data sets. The solution method that was developed has significant advantages over ratio-style calculations that are more commonly performed, the primary of which is a simple method to determine errors in the measurement parameters. We evaluated the predicted performance for a specific experimental system for various levels of noise, with monodisperse and log-normal distributions, by analyzing synthetic data with the algorithm. Results were a quantitative statement of system accuracy. In addition, synthetic log-normal data evaluated with monodisperse models revealed significant and systematic errors in the predicted volume median diameter. These errors indicate that, in general, systems with a significant size distribution width must be analyzed with a model that includes this size distribution. Finally, calibrated polystyrene spheres were measured with an experimental system that used four simultaneous scattering measurements, and all diameters were within the reported uncertainty.     

Temperature-dependent microtensile testing of thin film materials for application to microelectromechanical system

A specially designed microtensile apparatus capable of carrying out a series of tests on microscale thin films for microelectromechanical system (MEMS) applications at room temperature and at temperature up to 400°C has been developed and tested, and is described here. Several MEMS-applicable thin films were measured with it, including thermally grown silicon dioxide, gold, and gold–vanadium. The silicon dioxide was tested at room temperature. Gold and gold–vanadium films were tested at room temperature and at 200 and 400°C. Examples of these results are presented.

     

An empirical examination of a process-oriented IT business success model

The value of information technology (IT) to modern organizations is almost undeniable. However, the determination of that value has been elusive in research and practice. We used a process-oriented research model developed using two streams of IT research to examine the value of IT in business organizations. One stream is characterized by examining how IT and non-IT variables affect other so-called IT success variables. The second stream is commonly referred to as IT business value, defined as the contribution of IT to firm performance. The resulting research model is referred to in our paper as the IT business success model. Data was collected from 225 top IS executives in fairly large organizations to empirically examine several hypotheses derived from theory concerning the causal nature of the IT business success model. A set of measures for the IT business success model was developed through an intense investigation of the IT literature. The measures were tested for validity and reliability using confirmatory factor analysis. The hypotheses that resulted from past research and conceptually illustrated in the research model were assessed using structural equation analysis. The implications of these findings and the limitations of the study are discussed in an effort to contribute to building a process-oriented theory base for IT business success at the organizational level of analysis.