Flicker sensitivity as a function of spectral density of external white temporal noise

Foveal flicker sensitivity at 0.5-30 Hz was measured as a function of the spectral density of external, white, purely temporal noise for a sharp-edged 2.5 deg circular spot (mean luminance 3.4 log phot td). Sensitivity at any given temporal frequency was constant at low powers of external noise, but then decreased in inverse proportion to the square root of noise spectral density. Without external noise, sensitivity as function of temporal frequency had the well-known band-pass characteristics peaking at about 10 Hz, as previously documented in a large number of studies. In the presence of strong external noise, however, sensitivity was a monotonically decreasing function of temporal frequency. Our data are well described (goodness of fit 90%) by a model comprising (i) low-pass filtering by retinal cones, (ii) high-pass filtering in the subsequent neural pathways, (iii) adding of the temporal equivalent of internal white spatiotemporal noise, and (iv) detection by a temporal matched filter, the efficiency of which decreases approximately as the power -0.58 of temporal frequency.     

Pyrolysed carbon supported cobalt porphyrin: a potent catalyst for oxidation of hydrogen sulfide

Pyrolysed carbon supported cobalt porphyrin, an electrocatalyst that is frequently used for oxygen reduction in fuel cells, is evaluated for catalytic oxidation of hydrogen sulfide by dissolved dioxygen. The catalyst performs best after heat treatment at 880 °C_, at pH 8. Analysis of the reaction products reveals that sulfur is the dominant product throughout the investigated pH range 5–10. The catalyst performs much better than powdered activated carbon, granular activated carbon and different other forms of unmodified carbon catalysts. This is as far as we know the first time that heat treated cobalt porphyrins are evaluated for non-electrocatalytic applications.     

Jennifer Government

One of the special pleasures of the Harry Potter stories is their send-up of modern consumer culture--from Bertie Botts' Every Flavour Beans (and they do mean every flavor) to Chocolate Frogs, which come complete with a collectible card featuring a celebrity witch or wizard. Potter's creator, J.K. Rowling, pokes fun at contemporary marketing and advertising with tongue-in-cheek warmth that manages to make her simultaneously attractive to Madison Avenue and the rest of us--a remarkable achievement. Max Barry's Jennifer Government, the satirical successor to his well-received first novel Syrup, takes a different angle on the consumer-marketing-gone-mad theme.     

Impact of γ-irradiation,CIPC treatment,and storage conditions on physicochemical and nutritional properties of potato starches

In the present study, three potato varieties were treated with chlorpropham (CIPC, 35 ppm), γ-irradiated (0.1 kGy) and stored for up to 5 months at 8 °C, and the physicochemical properties and in vitro starch digestibility of native and cooked starches were investigated. Sprouting was found to be satisfactorily suppressed by γ-irradiation and CIPC treatment. However, irradiation increased total free glucose content in two potato varieties, and decreased the thermal transition and pasting temperature of starch. The crystallinity of starch in irradiated potatoes decreased significantly (p ? 0.05) which may explain its decreased resistant starch content. Sprout inhibiting treatments and storage had no effect on in vitro starch digestibility in cooked starches, but cooling cooked starch significantly (p ? 0.05) increased its resistant starch content.     

The physicochemical properties and in vitro digestibility of selected cereals,tubers and legumes grown in China

Digestibility, gelatinization, retrogradation and pasting properties of starch in various cereal, tuber and legume flours were determined. Rapidly and slowly digestible starch and resistant starch were present in 11 selected flours. In general, cereal starches were more digestible than legume starches and tuber starches contained a high amount of resistant starch. Thermal and rheological properties of flours were different depending on the crop source.     

Assessing the aggregation behaviour of iron oxide nanoparticles under relevant environmental conditions using a multi-method approach

Iron nanoparticles are becoming increasingly popular for the treatment of contaminated soil and groundwater; however, their mobility and reactivity in subsurface environments are significantly affected by their tendency to aggregate. Assessing their stability under environmental conditions is crucial for determining their environmental fate. A multi-method approach (including different size-measurement techniques and the DLVO theory) was used to thoroughly characterise the behaviour of iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe₂O₃NPs) under environmentally relevant conditions. Although recent studies have demonstrated the importance of using a multi-method approach when characterising nanoparticles, the majority of current studies continue to use a single-method approach.Under some soil conditions (i.e. pH 7, 10 mM NaCl and 2 mM CaCl₂) and increasing particle concentration, Fe₂O₃NPs underwent extensive aggregation to form large aggregates (>1 μm). Coating the nanoparticles with dissolved organic matter (DOM) was investigated as an alternative “green” solution to overcoming the aggregation issue instead of using the more commonly proposed polyelectrolytes. At high concentrations, DOM effectively covered the surface of the Fe₂O₃NPs, thereby conferring negative surface charge on the particles across a wide range of pH values. This provided electrostatic stabilisation and considerably reduced the particle aggregation effect. DOM-coated Fe₂O₃NPs also proved to be more stable under high ionic strength conditions. The presence of CaCl₂, however, even at low concentrations, induced the aggregation of DOM-coated Fe₂O₃NPs, mainly via charge neutralisation and bridging. This has significant implications in regards to the reactivity and fate of these materials in the environment.     

呼吸房子——现代沙特房屋

项目地点:沙特阿拉伯利雅得项目类型:建筑(住宅)开工日期:未知该项目获2005年豪瑞可持续建筑大奖赛非洲中东地区提名奖     

Wave-front reconstruction with a shack-hartmann sensor with an iterative spline fitting method

One limitation of the conventional Shack-Hartmann sensor is that the spots of each microlens have to remain in their respective subapertures. We present an algorithm that assigns the spots to their reference points unequivocally even if they are situated far outside their subaperture. For this assignment a spline function is extrapolated in successive steps of the iterative algorithm. The proposed method works in a single-shot technique and does not need any aid from mechanical devices. The reconstruction of a simulated steep aspherical wave front (~100lambda/mm slope) is described as well as experimental results of the measurement of a spherical wave front with a huge peak-to-valley value (~400lambda). The performance of the method is compared with the unwrapping method, which has been published before.     

Tearing the child apart: The contribution of narcissism, envy, and perverse modes of thought to child custody wars.

This article takes a psychoanalytic approach to questions usually considered to be matters of the family court system. The psychological effects of high-conflict divorce on children are well known, but what motivates their parents is less understood. Pathological narcissism, pathological envy, disavowal, and a perverse attitude toward reality can produce unending conflicts over visitation and custody. Fighting over seemingly insignificant matters can manage aggression and ward off psychic collapse. These families are frequently referred to coparenting counseling or psychoeducational groups; however, the author proposes that psychoanalytically oriented treatment can best address these parents' unconscious wishes to damage or destroy their own children and the perverse character structure that enables parents to negate their roles in tearing their children apart. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Veterans Affairs Implantable Insulin Pump Study: effect on cardiovascular risk factors

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether implantable insulin pump (IIP) and multiple-dose insulin (MDI) therapy have different effects on cardiovascular risk factors in insulin-requiring patients with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A randomized clinical trial was conducted at seven Veterans Affairs medical centers in 121 male patients with type 2 diabetes between the ages of 40 and 69 years receiving at least one injection of insulin per day and with HbA1c, levels of > or =8% at baseline. Weights, blood pressures, insulin use, and glucose monitoring data were obtained at each visit. Lipid levels were obtained at 0, 4, 8, and 12 months, and free and total insulin levels were obtained at 0, 6, and 12 months. All medications being taken were recorded at each visit. RESULTS: No difference in absolute blood pressure, neither systolic nor diastolic, was seen between patients receiving MDI or IIP therapy, but significantly more MDI patients required anti-hypertensive medications. When blood pressure was modeled against weight and time, IIP therapy was significantly better than MDI therapy for systolic blood pressure in patients with BMI <33 and for diastolic blood pressure in patients with BMI >34 kg/m2. Total cholesterol levels decreased in the overall sample, but IIP patients exhibited significantly higher levels than MDI patients. Triglyceride levels increased over time for both groups, with IIP patients having significantly higher levels than patients in the MDI group. BMI was a significant predictor of, and inversely proportional to, HDL cholesterol level. No difference in lipid-lowering drug therapy was seen between the two groups. Free insulin and insulin antibodies tended to decrease in the IIP group as compared with the MDI group. C-peptide levels decreased in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: IIP therapy in insulin-requiring patients with type 2 diabetes has advantages over MDI therapy in decreasing the requirement for antihypertensive therapy and for decreasing total and free insulin and insulin antibodies. Both therapies reduce total cholesterol and C-peptide levels.