Gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) and Orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) Encode Relevant Problem Features in a Tool-Using Task.

Two important elements in problem solving are the abilities to encode relevant task features and to combine multiple actions to achieve the goal. The authors investigated these 2 elements in a task in which gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) and orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) had to use a tool to retrieve an out-of-reach reward. Subjects were able to select tools of an appropriate length to reach the reward even when the position of the reward and tools were not simultaneously visible. When presented with tools that were too short to retrieve the reward, subjects were more likely to refuse to use them than when tools were the appropriate length. Subjects were proficient at using tools in sequence to retrieve the reward. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Biofiltration of toluene in the absence and the presence of ethyl acetate under continuous and intermittent loading

BACKGROUND: Two peat biofilters were used for the removal of toluene from air for one year. One biofilter was fed with pure toluene and the other received 1:1 (by weight) ethyl acetate:toluene mixture. RESULTS: The biofilters were operated under continuous loading: the toluene inlet load (IL) at which 80% removal occurred was 116 g m^?3 h^?1 at 57 s gas residence time. Maximum elimination capacity of 360 g m^?3 h^?1 was obtained at an IL of 745 g m^?3 h^?1. The elimination of toluene was inhibited by the presence of ethyl acetate. Intermittent loading, with pollutants supplied for 16 h/day, 5 days/week, did not significantly affect the removal efficiency (RE). Biomass was fully activated in 2 h after night closures, but 6 h were required to recover RE after weekend closures. Live cell density remained relatively constant over the operational period, while the dead cell fraction increased. Finally, a 15 day starvation period was applied and operation then re‐started. Performance was restored with similar re‐acclimatization period to that after weekend closures, and a reduction in dead cell fraction was observed. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the capacity of the system to handle intermittent loading conditions that are common in industrial practices, including long‐term starvation. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

A high-frequency nonquasi-static analytical model including gate leakage effects for on-chip decoupling capacitors

This paper presents a compact model for on-chip decoupling capacitors (decaps) including gate-oxide leakage. The model makes use of only four parameters, namely, channel resistance, gate-oxide capacitance, and two parameters to quantify gate-oxide leakage, to predict the static and dynamic response of decaps. Quality indices have been defined to enable development of decap design guidelines and evaluation of performance of such capacitors. The model shows how the gate leakage and longer channel lengths severely affect the performance of on-chip decaps for both low and high frequencies. The model also shows that lumped models of decaps at high frequencies fail and have to be substituted by a distributed model. Application of the model uncovers tradeoffs for thin- and thick-oxide capacitors in an available 90-nm CMOS technology. For a general-purpose technology, a reference capacitance value has been realized using decaps with a discrete width and length. Our model predicts that thick-oxide n-channel (p-channel) capacitors require /spl sim/3.37x (/spl sim/3.31x) more silicon area and /spl sim/1.70x (/spl sim/1.17x) degraded time response as compared to their thin-oxide versions. The time response is even more degraded (/spl prop/L/sup 2/) when longer channel decaps are used. This paper contributes by defining performance benchmarks for decaps.     

Optimization of semiochemical-based trapping ofMetamasius hemipterus sericeus (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Response of adults of the West Indian sugarcane weevil,Metamasius hemipterus sericeus, to various semiochemical treatments and physical trap designs was studied in southern Florida in field-grown banana and Canary Island date palms. Ethyl acetate released alone at 860–1007 mg/day was as effective for the capture ofM. h. sericeus as a combination of ethyl acetate (844–919 mg/day), ethyl propionate (348–362 mg/day), and ethyl butyrate (117–137 mg/day) and in one trial was more effective than fermenting sugarcane (250 g), ethyl propionate alone (353–384 mg/day), ethyl butyrate alone (123–174 mg/day), or no treatment. Ethyl acetate released alone at 675–683 mg/day was as attractive as 250 g of fermenting sugarcane or the racemic blend of the male-produced aggregation pheromones [(±)-5-methyl-nonan-4-ol and (±)-2-methyl-heptan-4-ol (8:1 ratio) “metalure”] at 3 mg/day. Weevil counts increased with binary combinations of ethyl acetate, sugarcane, and/or metalure over these treatments alone and the ternary combination was two to three times more effective than any of the binary treatments. Attraction to ethyl acetate released alone at 777 mg/day with metalure was greater than to the hydrolysis products of ethyl acetate (ethanol and/or acetic acid each released at about 6–8 mg/day) with metalure. Weevil counts from traps baited with 250 g of sugarcane and metalure increased with increasing dose of ethyl acetate to about 400 mg/day and then appeared to plateau. Ethyl acetate (about 700 mg/day) and metalure increased weevil counts in traps with increasing amounts of sugarcane (0–2 kg). Molasses (45 g) + water (158 ml) substitutes for sugarcane were about as effective for capturingM. h. sericeus as 250 g of fermenting sugarcane [all treatments with ethyl acetate (847 mg/day) and metalure]. Early experiments used a lethal pitfall trap. We demonstrated that several alternative trap designs were more effective than the lethal pitfall trap for capturing weevils. Color and height (on ground vs. 1 m on pole) did not affect trap efficacy when baited with the ternary combination of ethyl acetate (672–825 mg/day), sugarcane (250 g), and metalure.     

Kinetics of phenol oxidation in a trickle bed reactor over active carbon catalyst

The wet air oxidation of phenol over a commercial active carbon catalyst was studied in a trickle bed reactor (TBR) in the temperature and oxygen partial pressure ranges of 120–160 °C and 0.1–0.2 MPa, respectively. The performance of the active carbon was compared in terms of phenol and COD destruction. The weight change of active carbon due to reaction was also measured. Finally, oxic phenol adsorption isotherms were assessed in batch conditions at 25, 125 and 160 °C. In order to use the conversion data obtained from the TBR for a kinetic study, special care was taken to check the kinetic control in the TBR experiments. Several kinetic models including power law or Langmuir–Hinshelwood expressions were considered to describe the catalytic oxidation of phenol over active carbon. The simple power law model with first order dependence on both phenol and oxygen concentration predicted satisfactorily the experimental data not only over the entire range of operating conditions studied, but also outside its validity range. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Altered ligand dissociation rates in thyrotropin-releasing hormone receptors mutated in glutamine 105 of transmembrane helix III

Glutamine 105 in the third transmembrane helix of the thyrotropin-releasing hormone receptor (TRH-R) occupies a position equivalent to a conserved negatively charged residue in receptors for biogenic amines where it acts as counterion interacting with the cationic amine moiety of the ligand. Maximum levels of response to TRH in oocytes expressing wild-type TRH-Rs were indistinguishable from those of oocytes expressing receptors mutated to Glu, Asn, or Asp in position 105. However, the EC50 values for activation of oocyte responses increased more than 500 times in oocytes expressing mutant Glu105 receptors, in which the amido group of Gln105 has been removed by site-directed mutagenesis. Charge effects do not seem to be involved in the huge effect of mutating Gln105 to Glu, since mutation of Gln105 to Asp induces only a 15-fold increase in EC50. Furthermore, no change in EC50 is observed after mutation of Asn110 to Asp. The affinity shift (identified by changes in EC50 values for systems of comparable efficacy) in Glu105 mutant receptors was partially recovered in oocytes expressing Asn105 mutant receptors. These results and those obtained after substitution of Lys, Leu, Tyr, and Ser for Gln105 suggest that the presence and the correct position of the Gln hydrogen bond-donor amido group are important for normal functionality of the receptor. In wild type or Asp105 mutant receptors showing the same maximal responses, decreases in affinity with TRH and methyl-histidyl-TRH correlated with increased dissociation rates of hormone from the receptor. Rapid dilution experiments following subsecond stimulation indicate that the TRH-R is converted rapidly from a form showing fast dissociation kinetics to a form from which the hormone dissociates slowly. Mutation of residue 105 impairs the receptor shift between these two forms. This effect was demonstrated in a direct way by comparing [3H]methyl-histidyl-TRH dissociation rates in COS-7 cells transfected with either wild type or Asp105 mutant TRH-Rs. Thus, residues located in transmembrane helix III positions equivalent to those of the counterions for biogenic amines, regulate hormone-receptor interactions in the TRH receptor (and perhaps other receptors). Furthermore, the nature of the amino acid in these positions may also play a role, directly or indirectly, in conformational changes leading to receptor activation, and hence to signal transduction.     

大爆炸宇宙学模型一些主要观测事实及其讨论

本文用近代物理学有关理论讨论了大爆炸宇宙学模型的一些主要观测事实，如哈勃定律，宇宙微波背景辐射、氦的丰度等问题，尝试对大爆炸宇宙学模型双观测事实到理论作一个初步地描述。