Balancing cognitive demands: Control adjustments in the stop-signal paradigm.

Cognitive control enables flexible interaction with a dynamic environment. In 2 experiments, the authors investigated control adjustments in the stop-signal paradigm, a procedure that requires balancing speed (going) and caution (stopping) in a dual-task environment. Focusing on the slowing of go reaction times after stop signals, the authors tested 5 competing hypotheses for post-stop-signal adjustments: goal priority, error detection, conflict monitoring, surprise, and memory. Reaction times increased after both successful and failed inhibition, consistent with the goal priority hypothesis and inconsistent with the error detection and conflict hypotheses. Post-stop-signal slowing was greater if the go task stimulus repeated on consecutive trials, suggesting a contribution of memory. We also found evidence for slowing based on more than the immediately preceding stop signal. Post-stop-signal slowing was greater when stop signals occurred more frequently (Experiment 1), inconsistent with the surprise hypothesis, and when inhibition failed more frequently (Experiment 2). This suggests that more global manipulations encompassing many trials affect post-stop-signal adjustments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Unconscious goal pursuit primes attitudes towards technology usage: A virtual reality experiment

Several approaches in technology adoption, such as the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), ask future users to provide evaluations of technology. Such evaluations are expected to predict actual use behavior. For example, users’ evaluations in terms of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are considered meaningful indicators of intention to use the technology, and future usage. However, these approaches still show limited reliability and do not consider other critical aspects, such as situated, unconscious goals and the tendency to perceive related affordances. In order to test the hypothesis that technology evaluation may be influenced by unconscious goals, forty participants were split in two groups. The experimental session included two phases. In the first phase, each group explored a virtual environment that primed a specific goal. In the second phase, participants were asked to evaluate the usefulness and the easiness of use of two versions of the same technology (a mobile devices interface). Results showed that each group evaluated as more useful the version of the technology which featured an affordance related to the respective primed goal. Discussion deals with the possible unconscious influences on attitudes towards technology adoption, and provides operative guidelines to account for them in technology adoption research.     

Design of microalgal biomass production in a continuous photobioreactor: An integrated experimental and modeling approach

The industrial production of microalgae in continuous photobioreactors (PBRs) was investigated using an integrated experimental-modeling approach.     

Combining Protein and Strain Engineering for the Production of Glyco-Engineered Horseradish Peroxidase C1A in Pichia pastoris

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP), conjugated to antibodies and lectins, is widely used in medical diagnostics. Since recombinant production of the enzyme is difficult, HRP isolated from plant is used for these applications. Production in the yeast Pichia pastoris (P. pastoris), the most promising recombinant production platform to date, causes hyperglycosylation of HRP, which in turn complicates conjugation to antibodies and lectins. In this study we combined protein and strain engineering to obtain an active and stable HRP variant with reduced surface glycosylation. We combined four mutations, each being beneficial for either catalytic activity or thermal stability, and expressed this enzyme variant as well as the unmutated wildtype enzyme in both a P. pastoris benchmark strain and a strain where the native α-1,6-mannosyltransferase (OCH1) was knocked out. Considering productivity in the bioreactor as well as enzyme activity and thermal stability, the mutated HRP variant produced in the P. pastoris benchmark strain turned out to be interesting for medical diagnostics. This variant shows considerable catalytic activity and thermal stability and is less glycosylated, which might allow more controlled and efficient conjugation to antibodies and lectins.     

Flow cytometric examination of bacterial growth in a local drinking water network

Bacterial growth in drinking water networks can result in health‐based implications, affect network hydrology and induce customer complaints. In this study, cultivation‐based methods were compared to flow cytometric methods for the study of growth in a local drinking water network. Comparison of flow cytometric cell concentrations indicated growth in several samples, while further data analysis with fingerprinting algorithms showed the different origin of this growth; low similarity between samples with elevated cell counts indicated that growth occurred mainly in the sampled household plumbing installations instead of centrally in the water network. Fast obtained flow cytometric data made this thorough analysis possible, while cultivation‐based methods were yielding too scarce information. Flow cytometry showed to be more rapid, complete, and accurate than cultivation‐based methods for a network growth study. It is proposed as a future useful tool for the fast detection of microbial point contaminations in drinking water networks.     

不同棚膜颜色对赤霞珠葡萄果实氨基酸含量的影响

葡萄中的氨基酸含量是影响葡萄和葡萄酒香气品质的重要因素。试验以陕西泾阳的赤霞珠葡萄为试材，研究了不同颜色的避雨棚膜（白色、蓝色和紫色）对葡萄成熟时氨基酸含量的影响。结果表明，连续两年，蓝色和白色棚膜显著提高了葡萄中的谷氨酸、丝氨酸和天冬氨酸含量（P＜0.05）；蓝色棚膜显著提高了葡萄中精氨酸、甘氨酸和丙氨酸等大部分氨基酸的含量（P＜0.05）。综合考虑，蓝色棚膜是提升赤霞珠葡萄氨基酸含量的最佳棚膜。     

Error bounds for the reliability index in finite element reliability analysis

This work presents an extension of the goal‐oriented error estimation techniques to the reliability analysis of a linear elastic structure. We use a first‐order reliability method in conjunction with a finite element analysis (FEA) to compute the failure probability of the structure. In such a situation the output of interest that is computed from the FEA is the reliability index β. The accuracy of this output, and thus of the reliability analysis, depends, in particular, on the accuracy of the FEA. In this paper, upper and lower bounds of the reliability index are proposed, as well as simple bounds of the failure probability. An application to linear fracture mechanics is presented. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

建筑人才节能理念培养的创新教学模式建构与实践

"教"与"用"是教学过程中的两个重要方面,以教师为主导的"教"和以学生为主导的"用"之间的良好互动是教学目的得以实现的保证。通过整合节能相关理论、立体化拆分主干课程及将节能理念阶段化融入设计课程,以搭建节能理论教学与设计实践有机融合的平台,构建思维"连贯化"和技术"阶段化"的建筑人才节能理念培养的创新教学模式,并在教学环节中加以实践,取得了良好的教学效果。     

Plastic Film Mulching for Water-Efficient Agricultural Applications and Degradable Films Materials Development Research

The dramatic increase in plastic film mulching in water-efficient agriculture is primarily due to its versatile nature that has proven to be very beneficial over the last decade in the arid region. However, as carelessly used plastic mulch films lead to agro-environmental pollution, there has been vigorous research recently to develop degradable film materials for mulching. This review describes the use of plastic film for mulching in water-efficient agriculture practices with special reference to progress made in degradable film materials. Moreover, this review includes water-efficient mechanisms and techniques of mulching film cultivation, photodegradable and biodegradable plastic polymers (PHA, PCL etc. synthetic- and natural-based polymers films), their degradation process and developmental deficiencies, and an outlook of degradable film materials. There exists great potential for the further development of water-efficient agriculture; however, it is dependent upon effective research and the wide-spectrum applications of degradable film materials.