How multiple repetitions influence the processing of self-, famous and unknown names and faces: an ERP study.

Because we live in an extremely complex social environment, people require the ability to memorize hundreds or thousands of social stimuli. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of multiple repetitions on the processing of names and faces varying in terms of pre-experimental familiarity. We measured both behavioral and electrophysiological responses to self-, famous and unknown names and faces in three phases of the experiment (in every phase, each type of stimuli was repeated a pre-determined number of times). We found that the negative brain potential in posterior scalp sites observed approximately 170 ms after the stimulus onset (N170) was insensitive to pre-experimental familiarity but showed slight enhancement with each repetition. The negative wave in the inferior-temporal regions observed at approximately 250 ms (N250) was affected by both pre-experimental (famous>unknown) and intra-experimental familiarity (the more repetitions, the larger N250). In addition, N170 and N250 for names were larger in the left inferior-temporal region, whereas right-hemispheric or bilateral patterns of activity for faces were observed. The subsequent presentations of famous and unknown names and faces were also associated with higher amplitudes of the positive waveform in the central-parietal sites analyzed in the 320-900 ms time-window (P300). In contrast, P300 remained unchanged after the subsequent presentations of self-name and self-face. Moreover, the P300 for unknown faces grew more quickly than for unknown names. The latter suggests that the process of learning faces is more effective than learning names, possibly because faces carry more semantic information.

Fingermark Detection on Thermal Papers: Proposition of an Updated Processing Sequence

The detection of latent fingermarks on thermal papers proves to be particularly challenging because the application of conventional detection techniques may turn the sample dark grey or black, thus preventing the observation of fingermarks. Various approaches aiming at avoiding or solving this problem have been suggested. However, in view of the many propositions available in the literature, it gets difficult to choose the most advantageous method and to decide which processing sequence should be followed when dealing with a thermal paper. In this study, 19 detection techniques adapted to the processing of thermal papers were assessed individually and then were compared to each other. An updated processing sequence, assessed through a pseudo-operational test, is suggested.

Double-oblique free-breathing high resolution three-dimensional coronary magnetic resonance angiography.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of the present study was to develop a strategy for three-dimensional (3D) volume acquisition along the major axes of the coronary arteries. BACKGROUND: For high-resolution 3D free-breathing coronary magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), coverage of the coronary artery tree may be limited due to excessive measurement times associated with large volume acquisitions. Planning the 3D volume along the major axis of the coronary vessels may help to overcome such limitations. METHODS: Fifteen healthy adult volunteers and seven patients with X-ray angiographically confirmed coronary artery disease underwent free-breathing navigator-gated and corrected 3D coronary MRA. For an accurate volume targeting of the high resolution scans, a three-point planscan software tool was applied. RESULTS: The average length of contiguously visualized left main and left anterior descending coronary artery was 81.8 +/- 13.9 mm in the healthy volunteers and 76.2 +/- 16.5 mm in the patients (p = NS). For the right coronary artery, a total length of 111.7 +/- 27.7 mm was found in the healthy volunteers and 79.3 +/- 4.6 mm in the patients (p = NS). Comparing coronary MRA and X-ray angiography, a good agreement of anatomy and pathology was found in the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Double-oblique submillimeter free-breathing coronary MRA allows depiction of extensive parts of the native coronary arteries. The results obtained in patients suggest that the method has the potential to be applied in broader prospective multicenter studies where coronary MRA is compared with X-ray angiography.

Coltop3D: A new software for structural analysis with high resolution 3D point clouds and DEM

Coltop3D is a software that performs structural analysis by using digital elevation model (DEM) and 3D point clouds acquired with terrestrial laser scanners. A color representation merging slope aspect and slope angle is used in order to obtain a unique code of color for each orientation of a local slope. Thus a continuous planar structure appears in a unique color. Several tools are included to create stereonets, to draw traces of discontinuities, or to compute automatically density stereonet. Examples are shown to demonstrate the efficiency of the method.

MEVA-Ambiental: MEtodologia per a la Valoració de l'Aprenentatge. Centrada en l'educació ambiental

Aquest projecte abasta el disseny i el desenvolupament d’un model prototípic de Metodologia per a la Valoració de l’Aprenentatge Ambiental, a la qual anomenem “MEVA-Ambiental”. Per a fer possible aquesta fita ens hem basat en fonaments ontològics i constructivistes per representar i analitzar el coneixement a fi de poder quantificar l’Increment de Coneixement (IC). Per nosaltres l’IC esdevé un indicador socio-educatiu que ens servirà per a determinar l’efectivitat dels tallers d’educació ambiental en percentatge. En procedir d’aquesta manera, les qualificacions resultats poden es poden prendre com punt de partida per a desenvolupar estudis en el temps i comprendre com “s’ancora” el nou coneixement a l’estructura cognitiva dels aprenents. Més enllà del plantejament teòric de mètode, també proveïm la solució tècnica que mostra com n’és de funcional i d’aplicable la part empírica metodològica. A aquesta solució que hem anomenat “MEVA-Tool”, és una eina virtual que automatitza la recollida i tractament de dades amb una estructura dinàmica basada en “qüestionaris web” que han d’emplenar els estudiants, una “base de dades” que acumula la informació i en permet un filtratge selectiu, i més “Llibre Excel” que en fa el tractament informatiu, la representació gràfica dels resultats, l’anàlisi i conclusions.

Hemispheric processing of differently valenced and self-relevant attachment words in middle-aged married and separated individuals

The reliance in experimental psychology on testing undergraduate populations with relatively little life experience, and/or ambiguously valenced stimuli with varying degrees of self-relevance, may have contributed to inconsistent findings in the literature on the valence hypothesis. To control for these potential limitations, the current study assessed lateralised lexical decisions for positive and negative attachment words in 40 middle-aged male and female participants. Self-relevance was manipulated in two ways: by testing currently married compared with previously married individuals and by assessing self-relevance ratings individually for each word. Results replicated a left hemisphere advantage for lexical decisions and a processing advantage of emotional over neutral words but did not support the valence hypothesis. Positive attachment words yielded a processing advantage over neutral words in the right hemisphere, while emotional words (irrespective of valence) yielded a processing advantage over neutral words in the left hemisphere. Both self-relevance manipulations were unrelated to lateralised performance. The role of participant sex and age in emotion processing are discussed as potential modulators of the present findings.

Aplicación de la ingeniería del software sobre la herramienta MATE: Common y DMLib

Aquest projecte intenta implantar una metodologia de treball sobre MATE. MATE es una eina de sintonització d'aplicacions paral·leles sorgida de la tesis doctoral d'Anna Sikora a 2003. Vistos els resultats obtinguts, es va decidir donar un pas endavant i convertir-la en un producte software Open Source. Per fer-ho ha sigut necessari aplicar una serie d'estàndards i fer un proces de tests. En aquest treball s'ha creat part de la metodologia i s'han modificat dos dels mòduls principals.

Inventari de CO2 a l’àrea de Barcelona com exemple d’emissions de gasos amb efecte hivernacle: càlcul de les emissions amb les eines de SIG i publicació dels resultats amb software lliure

El present document és la memòria descriptiva dels treballs realitzats per Matthias Wozel durant el projecte final del Màster en Tecnologies de la Informació Geogràfica, 12ª edició, durant el transcurs del conveni de col·labració entre el Departament de Geografia i AUMA Consultores en medio ambiente y energía SL. El projecte final consisteix, en primer lloc, en l’elaboració d’un inventari d’emissions de CO2 causades per la combustió i per processos industrials per a l’àrea de Barcelona per l’any 2008. L’inventari diferencia les emissions segons els tipus d’activitat: trànsit, port, aeroport, focus industrials, singulars i centrals elèctriques i focus domèstics i comercials. A la segona part del projecte es publiquen els resultats de l’inventari a una aplicació web amb software lliure

Disseny i desenvolupament d’una aplicació web basada en software lliure per a la gestió d’incidències de les Vies Verdes de Girona

El present document és la memòria descriptiva dels treballs realitzats per la Laura Vergoñós Pascual durant el projecte final del Màster en Tecnologies de la Informació Geogràfica, 12a edició, durant el transcurs del conveni de col·labració entre el Departament de Geografia i el SIGTE (Servei d’Informació Geogràfica i Teledetecció). S’hi exposen la seqüència de tasques realitzades durant el desenvolupament d’una aplicació web basada en software lliure per a la gestió d’incidències de les Vies Verdes de Girona. Processos: construcció de la base de dades, disseny i anàlisi de requeriments de l’aplicació, solució de programació, resultats

Proteolytic processing of the Cyt1Ab1 toxin produced by Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. medellin

Bacillus thuringiensis produces d-endotoxins that require proteolytic processing to become active. The activation of the B. thuringiensis subsp. medellin 28 kDa (Cyt1Ab1) cytolytic toxin by trypsin, chymotrypsin and gut extract from Culex quinquefasciatus larvae was analyzed. The Cyt1Ab1 toxin of B. thuringiensis subsp. medellin was processed by all proteases tested to fragments between 23 and 25 kDa, while processing of the Cyt1Aa1 toxin produce fragments between 22.5 and 24.5 kDa. The Cyt1Ab1 toxin was preferentially processed at the alkaline pH of 12. The in vitro proteolytic processing of the Cyt1Ab1 toxin by C. quinquefasciatus larvae midgut extract showed a 25 kDa fragment; a similar result was observed when the activation was performed in the in vivo experiments. The solubilized Cyt1Ab1 toxin and the protease resistant cores generated by in vitro processing showed hemolytic activity but not mosquitocidal activity. Amino terminal sequence of the C. quinquefasciatus gut extract resistant fragment indicated that the cutting site was located between Lys31 and Asp32, with a sequence DDPNEKNNHNS; while for the trypsin-resistant fragment the cutting site was determined between Leu29 and Arg30, and for the chymotrypsin-resistant fragment between Arg30 and Lys31.

Effect of irrigation water and processing on the microbial quality of lettuces produced and sold on markets in Dakar (Senegal)

The aim of this survey is to assess the microbiological impact of irrigation water on lettuces produced on two urban agricultural sites and sold on markets; 6 and 7%, respectively, of lettuces coming from the sites of Pikine and Patte d'Oie were Salmonella spp. positive. Lettuces irrigated with shallow groundwater (''Ceanes'' water) were more contaminated (8% at both Pikine and Patte d'Oie sites) compared to those irrigated with wastewater (4% at Pikine) or well water (5% at Patte d'Oie). As for the lettuces in marketplaces, their contamination seems to depend on the type of treatment occurring before sale. Lettuces previously washed in the ``Ceanes'' were more contaminated than those rinsed with tap water at the marketplace. Salmonella spp. have been isolated from all marketplaces. However, the rates of contamination in markets surrounding Patte d'Oie are higher (9 and 11% at Grand Yoff and Dalifort) than those surrounding Pikine (4 and 2% at Zinc and Sham) or Rufisque, the control (2%). Our results confirm that the reuse of wastewater in irrigation is an alternative to animal manure. Its risk of microbial contamination can be significantly reduced by washing the vegetables with tap water before they are sold. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Inhibition of the polymerase chain reaction by sputum samples from tuberculosis patients after processing using a silica-guanidiniumthiocyanate DNA isolation procedure

With the objective to evaluate PCR-mediated detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA as a diagnostic procedure for diagnosis of tuberculosis in individuals attending ambulatory services in Primary Health Units of the City Tuberculosis Program in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, their sputum samples were collected and treated with a DNA extraction procedure using silica-guanidiniumthiocyanate. This procedure has been described to be highly efficient for extraction of different kind of nucleic acids from bacteria and clinical samples. Upon comparing PCR results with the number of acid-fast bacilli, no direct relation was observed between the number of bacilli present in the sample and PCR positivity. Part of the processed samples was therefore spiked with pure DNA of M. tuberculosis and inhibition of the PCR reaction was verified in 22 out of 36 (61%) of the samples, demonstrating that the extraction procedure as originally described should not be used for PCR analysis of sputum samples.

Aplicación de la ingeniería software sobre la herramienta MATE Analyzer

MATE (Monitoring, Analysis and Tuning Environment) es un proyecto que surge en 2004 como tesis doctoral de Anna Sikora con el propósito de investigar la mejora de rendimiento de aplicaciones paralelas a través de la modificación dinámica. Nuestro proyecto supone un paso adelante en cuestiones de calidad de software y pretende dotar al proyecto MATE de una base de desarrollo sólida de cara a futuras lineas de trabajo. Para ello se hace frente a la problemática desde tres perspectivas: la creación de una metodología de desarrollo (y su aplicación sobre el proyecto existente), la implantación de un entorno de desarrollo de soporte y el desarrollo de nuevas características para favorecer la portabilidad y la usabilidad, entre otros aspectos.