A General Role for Early Onset Cues and Intra-Event Learning; Comment on McDonald and Siegel (2004).

Research on classical conditioning with drug unconditional stimuli has had a profound effect on the understanding of general conditioning processes. The experiment reported by R. V. McDonald and S. Siegel (see record 2004-10475-001) demonstrates that cues coincident with the onset of an event can become associated with the rest of the event. This sort of learning is probably ubiquitous and has been proposed as a mechanism behind the development of panic disorder, in which interoceptive cues coincident with the start of a panic attack can be associated with the rest of the attack and can eventually come to elicit full-blown panic on their own. Evidence that extinction exposure to early onset cues can reduce their power is especially important. Drug conditioning research continues to provide a powerful testing ground for important general principles of learning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Slip Length Measurements Using µPIV and TIRF-Based Velocimetry

The goal of this paper is to review progress (mostly recent) made in micro and nanovelocimetry, focusing on two techniques: µPIV (microparticle image velocimetry) and nanoPTV (nanoparticle tracking velocimetry). The paper focuses on the measurement of slippage (taken as a benchmark for these techniques), concentrating on work done in our group. We review the developments of µPIV that led, in the last ten years, to the achievement of 100 nm accuracy in the measurement of slip lengths. Later, this approach was complemented by nanoPTV, which recently obtained ±5 nm precision. Here, we also mention recent application of these techniques toward better characterization of microgel and polymer flows. As a whole, the two techniques have conveyed valuable information on flow behavior within and close to the boundaries of microchannels, on the importance of wetting, and on the role of surface heterogeneities. µPIV is commercially available but nanoPTV is not mature. Interesting instrumental developments are expected in the future for the latter technique.     

Evaluation on a two-day time scale of high-reliability electronic assemblies by in-situ electrical and opto-mechanical test techniques

We present the results of SHORTEST, a BRITE EURAM II project for the introduction in industry of an advanced approach to the reliability evaluation of electronic assemblies. The achievements so far are the development and validation of seven in-situ test techniques. Five of the test techniques demonstrate the capability of detecting failure mechanisms at 48 hours with moderate stress conditions, and half of the in-situ test results obtained at 48 hours on 10 subtechnologies correlate with conventional tests. All correlation results are presented. The application of the method for quality assurance and building-in reliability is discussed. The final aim of SHORTEST is to look for the exploitation of the developed in-situ techniques. The marketing study that will define the industrial needs of European companies is presented. In parallel, the insertion in the CECC specification of recommendations based on the SHORTEST principle is foreseen.     

Photochemie von Acylaziden. VIII [1]. Reagieren Acylnitrene wie 1,3-Dipole??

Photochemistry of Acylazides. VIII. Do Acylnitrenes React like 1,3-Dipoles? The formation of three- ore five-membered heterocyclic rings by the reaction of acylnitrenes with olefins depends on the electron density at the double bond. The generally expected formation of aziridines by a cheletropic reaction was observed by photolysis of aroylazides 1 in the presence of 2,5-dihydrofuran 2 . But with enolethers 3 and 4 oxazolines were directly formed. This [3 + 2] cycloaddition is regiospecific. The cycloaddition is modestly stereoselective by steric hindrance within the cyclic enolether 3b . Very small de-values were found with chiral substituents in the acylazide 13 . The azide decomposition was also achieved by photoinduced electron transfer. The same cycloaddition products as obtained by direct photolysis of the azides were obtained via radical anions of the acylazide. Using Michler's ketone as electron donor in the triplet state the formation of isocyanate which diminishes the yield of cycloadducts can be avoided.     

Use of PCR-based methods and PFGE for typing and monitoring homofermentative lactobacilli during Comté cheese ripening

In order to obtain a better understanding of the biochemical events taking place in Saccharomyces cerevisiae during the lag phase, the proteins expressed during the first hours after inoculation were investigated by two-dimensional (2-D) gel electrophoresis and compared to those expressed in late respiratory growth phase. The studies were performed on a haploid strain (S288C) grown in defined minimal medium. Some of the abundant proteins, whose expression relative to total protein expression was induced during the lag phase, were identified by MALDI MS, and the expression of the corresponding genes was assessed by Northern blotting. The rate of protein synthesis was found to increase strongly during the lag phase and the number of spots detected on 2-D gels increased from 502 spots just after inoculation to 1533 spots at the end of the lag phase. During the first 20 min, the number of detectable spots was considerably reduced compared to the number of spots detected from the yeast in respiratory growth just prior to harvest and inoculation (747 spots), indicating an immediate pausing or shutdown in synthesis of many proteins just after inoculation. In this period, the cells got rid of most of their buds. The MALDI MS-identified, lag phase-induced proteins were adenosine kinase (Ado1p), whose cellular role is presently uncertain, cytosolic acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (Ald6p) and (DL)-glycerol-3-phosphatase 1, both involved in carbohydrate metabolism, a ribosomal protein (Asc1p), a fragment of the 70-kDa heat shock protein Ssb1, and translationally controlled tumour protein homologue (Yk1056cp), all involved in translation, and S-adenosylmethionine synthetase I involved in biosynthesis reactions. The level of mRNA of the corresponding genes was found to increase strongly after inoculation. By pattern matching using previously published 2-D maps of yeast proteins, several other lag phase-induced proteins were identified. These were also proteins involved in carbohydrate metabolism, translation, and biosynthesis reactions. The identified proteins together with other, yet unidentified, lag phase-induced proteins are expected to be important for yeast growth initiation and could be valuable biological markers for yeast performance. Such markers would be highly beneficial in the control and optimisation of industrial fermentations.     

Sequence diversity of the oprI gene, coding for major outer membrane lipoprotein I, among rRNA group I pseudomonads

The sequence of oprI, the gene coding for the major outer membrane lipoprotein I, was determined by PCR sequencing for representatives of 17 species of rRNA group I pseudomonads, with a special emphasis on Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas fluorescens. Within the P. aeruginosa species, oprI sequences for 25 independent isolates were found to be identical, except for one silent substitution at position 96. The oprI sequences diverged more for the other rRNA group I pseudomonads (85 to 91% similarity with P. aeruginosa oprI). An accumulation of silent and also (but to a much lesser extent) nonsilent substitutions in the different sequences was found. A clustering according to the respective presence and/or positions of the HaeIII, PvuII, and SphI sites could also be obtained. A sequence cluster analysis showed a rather widespread distribution of P. fluorescens isolates. All other rRNA group I pseudomonads clustered in a manner that was in agreement with other studies, showing that the oprI gene can be useful as a complementary phylogenetic marker for classification of rRNA group I pseudomonads.     

The effect of yohimbine on the extinction of conditioned fear: A role for context.

Six experiments with rat subjects examined the effect of yohimbine, an alpha-2 adrenergic autoreceptor antagonist, on the extinction of conditioned fear to a tone. Experiments 1 and 2 demonstrated that systemic administration of yohimbine (1.0 mg/kg) facilitated a long-term decrease in freezing after extinction, and this depended on pairing drug administration with extinction training. However, Experiments 3 and 4 demonstrated that yohimbine did not eradicate the original fear learning: Freezing was renewed when the tone was tested outside of the extinction context. Experiments 5 and 6 found that the contextually specific attenuation of fear produced by yohimbine transferred to another extinguished conditional stimulus (CS) and not to a nonextinguished CS. The results suggest that yohimbine, when administered in the presence of a neutral context, creates a form of inhibition in that context that allows that specific context to reduce fear of an extinguished CS. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Does a Cleaner Thames Pass an Economic Appraisal?

Abstract

Due to substantial clean-up efforts, water quality in the River Thames in London has steadily improved over the last three decades. However, London's Victorian sewage system still discharges untreated sewage into the Thames, at times of moderate to heavy rainfall. This happens approximately 60 times every year, creating adverse environmental and amenity impacts on the river. Major and costly engineering works will be required to solve the sewage overflow problem. This paper reports the results of a stated preference study designed to value the multiple non-market benefits—eductions in sewage litter, risk to human health, and risk to fish populations—associated with a range of potential engineering solutions. Our findings indicate that household willingness to pay for these benefits is likely to be significantly greater than the projected costs per household of, at least, some potential technical solutions. Although arguably justifiable on economic grounds, the final decision on whether to proceed with such a large infrastructure project is unlikely to depend wholly on cost-benefit thinking, but involve complex trade-offs with other socially desirable criteria.     

Importance of trials versus accumulating time across trials in partially reinforced appetitive conditioning.

Four experiments with rats examined partial reinforcement in appetitive conditioning. In Experiment 1, adding nonreinforced trials to a continuous reinforcement schedule slowed acquisition, whereas deleting reinforcers did not. Trial massing suppressed performance and learning. In Experiment 2, conditioning with a short conditioned stimulus (CS) was rapid, and partial reinforcement with a short CS was as effective as continuous reinforcement with equal accumulated time in the CS. In Experiment 3, conditioning was nevertheless influenced by the probability of reinforcement. In Experiments 3 and 4, conditioning was especially disrupted when nonreinforced trials preceded reinforced trials closely in time. The results underscore the importance of temporal variables in conditioning but are more consistent with trial-based accounts than time-accumulation accounts of conditioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)