Evidence for two types of spatial representations: Hemispheric specialization for categorical and coordinate relations.

Analyses of human object recognition abilities led to the hypothesis that 2 kinds of spatial relation representations are used in human vision. Evidence for the distinction between abstract categorical spatial relation representations and specific coordinate spatial relation representations was provided in 4 experiments. These results indicate that Ss make categorical judgments—on/off, left/right, and above/below—faster when stimuli are initially presented to the left cerebral hemisphere, whereas they make evaluations of distance—in relation to 2 mm, 3 mm, or 1 in. (2.54 cm)—faster when stimuli are initially presented to the right cerebral hemisphere. In addition, there was evidence that categorical representations developed with practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mlcrolasers based on silica microspheres

Light can be confined efficiently in the high-Q, small-volume whispering-gallery-modes observed in silica microspheres. By coupling these microspheres to eroded optical fibers and fiber tips, direct mapping of the whispering-gallery modes has been achieved and the mode numbers have been assessed. The properties of these modes have allowed us to obtain laser action with very low thresholds in Nd-doped silica microspheres. Further projects in the field of non-linear optics and cavity quantum electrodynamics are described.     

Plasma Metabolomics Analysis of Polyvinyl Chloride Workers Identifies Altered Processes and Candidate Biomarkers for Hepatic Hemangiosarcoma and Its Development

Background: High-level occupational vinyl chloride (VC) exposures have been associated with hepatic hemangiosarcoma, which typically develops following a long latency period. Although VC is genotoxic, a more comprehensive mode of action has not been determined and diagnostic biomarkers have not been established. The purpose of this study is to address these knowledge gaps through plasma metabolomics. Methods: Plasma samples from polyvinyl chloride polymerization workers who developed hemangiosarcoma (cases, n = 15) and VC exposure-matched controls (n = 17) underwent metabolomic analysis. Random forest and bioinformatic analyses were performed. Results: Cases and controls had similar demographics and routine liver biochemistries. Mass spectroscopy identified 606 known metabolites. Random forest analysis had an 82% predictive accuracy for group classification. 60 metabolites were significantly increased and 44 were decreased vs. controls. Taurocholate, bradykinin and fibrin degradation product 2 were up-regulated by greater than 80-fold. The naturally occurring anti-angiogenic phenol, 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, was down-regulated 5-fold. Top affected ontologies involved: (i) metabolism of bile acids, taurine, cholesterol, fatty acids and amino acids; (ii) inflammation and oxidative stress; and (iii) nicotinic cholinergic signaling. Conclusions: The plasma metabolome was differentially regulated in polyvinyl chloride workers who developed hepatic hemangiosarcoma. Ontologies potentially involved in hemangiosarcoma pathogenesis and candidate biomarkers were identified.     

Implementation of a transient adaptive sub-cell module for the parallel-DSMC code using unstructured grids

A method of transient adaptive sub-cells (TAS) suitable for unstructured grids that is modified from the existing one for the structured grids of DSMC is introduced. The TAS algorithm is implemented within the framework of a parallelized DSMC code (PDSC). Benchmarking tests are conducted for steady driven cavity flow, steady hypersonic flow over a two-dimensional cylinder, steady hypersonic flow over a cylinder/flare and the unsteady vortex shedding behind a two-dimensional cylinder. The use of TAS enables a reduction in the computational expense of the simulation since larger sampling cells and less simulation particles can be employed. Furthermore, the collision quality of the simulation is maintained or improved and the preservation of property gradients and vorticity at the scale of the sub-cells enables correct unsteady vortex shedding frequencies to be predicted. The use of TAS in a parallel-DSMC code allows simulations of unsteady processes at a level to be carried out efficiently, accurately and with acceptable computational time.     

When does visual attention select all features of a distractor?

What happens after visual attention is allocated to an object? Although many theories of attention assume that all of its features are selected and processed, there has been little direct evidence that an irrelevant feature dimension of an attended nontarget is processed. In 5 experiments presented here, the authors used a singleton paradigm to investigate the effect of attention on nontarget objects. Participants made a speeded feature discrimination of a target for which the response was either compatible or incompatible with an irrelevant feature dimension of a distractor. The results show that the irrelevant distractor features were processed to the point that they interfered with the response to the target. The response compatibility effect was observed even when the location of the target or the distractor was invariant, although it was much weaker when both locations were invariant. These results demonstrate that in many circumstances, an attended distractor is completely selected and fully processed, and the complete processing of distractors depends on a number of factors, many of which are related to the strength of attention to the distractor. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Simulation analysis of producing xylitol from hemicelluloses of pre-hydrolysis liquor

The pre-hydrolysis liquor (PHL) of the kraft-based dissolving pulp production process is currently sent to the recovery boiler and incinerated. However, PHL contains about 5–8% lignocelluloses that can be utilized in the production of value-added chemicals. In this study, a process for producing xylitol from hemicelluloses in PHL is developed. This process involves several acidification, neutralization, adsorption (along with reactivation) and evaporation stages. The mass balance indicates that 533 kg/h xylitol (with 99% purity), 187 kg/h lignin, 806 kg/h basic ferric acetate, and 1600 kg/h gypsum can be produced from 41,670 kg/h PHL. The energy balance shows that the evaporators are the largest consumers of energy, while the reactivation kiln, acidification, neutralization, and precipitation processes generate some heat. Overall, 41% conversion of xylose to xylitol is achieved.     

The effect of an infusion of low molecular weight dextran on peripheral resistance in patients with arteriosclerosis

Low molecular weight dextran is frequently given to improve the flow of blood to the periphery, but its mode of action is uncertain. We measured the effect of an infusion of 500 ml of Dextran 40 on the peripheral resistance in 12 patients undergoing reconstructive surgery for atherosclerotic occlusion of the superficial femoral artery. After the infusion, values of packed cell volume and blood viscosity indicated haemodilution. There was a consistent increase in mean flow and a fall in peripheral resistance. There was no correlation between change in viscosity and change in peripheral resistance, but there was a good correlation between the percentage change in resistance and the initial resistance. This suggests that the increase in flow of blood was due to reflex vasodilatation rather than to any reduction in viscosity.     

Roles of salience and strategy in conjunction search.

In some cases, the search for a conjunction target proceeds through the smaller group of elements in a display, whereas in others, search is limited to those elements that share a particular feature with the target. In 6 experiments, participants searched for a conjunction target among displays consisting of various proportions of 2 distractor types. Smaller-group search was more prevalent than target-feature search with denser displays and with features that were highly discriminable. Explicit instructions to limit search to a specific feature affected performance only when the discriminability of the guiding feature was much greater than the other target feature. Together, these experiments show that bottom-up factors have more influence in guiding conjunction searches than previously thought. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the application of probabilistic risk assessment to reactors with inherently safe features

In this paper, it is shown that because of the public perception of the risk of nuclear power and the likelihood that in the event of a severe core damage accident in a reactor claimed to have a high degree of inherent safety, it is necessary to reconsider the basis for establishing safety objectives. It is shown that, if there were a large program of inherently safe reactors, the safety objectives would be determined more by investment risk than by the public health risk. These considerations lead to an objective on the order of 1 × 10⁻⁷ per r.yr (reactor year) for the probabability of a severe core damage accident. It is also shown that the introduction of inherently safe features leads to a considerable change in the allocation of the safety goal between the major safety functions. For these reactors, a major portion of the allocation shifts from the decay heat removal function to the scram function, with emphasis on insuring the integrity of critical structures.