Perturbative Theoretical Model of Electronic Transient Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy of Molecular Aggregates

A chiral analog of transient absorption spectroscopy, transient circular dichroism (TCD) spectroscopy is an emerging time-resolved method. Both spectroscopic methods can probe the electronic transitions of a sample, and TCD is additionally sensitive to the dynamic aspects of chirality, such as those induced by molecular excitons. Here, we develop a theoretical description of TCD for electronic multi-level models in which the pump pulse is linearly polarized and probe pulse is alternately left- and right-circularly polarized. We derive effective response functions analogous to those often used to describe other four-wave mixing methods and then simulate and analyze TCD spectra for three representative multi-level electronic model systems. We elaborate on the presence and detection of the spectral signatures of electronic coherences

Evaluating clinical significance through equivalence testing: Extending the normative comparisons approach

The field of psychology, as with many other disciplines, has been increasingly interested in being able to measure the effectiveness of behavioral interventions. This trend has led to a number of different approaches for measuring clinical significance, each addressing a slightly different aspect of the clinical outcome. Recently, clinical psychologists (and clients) have supported the contention that one of the most important therapeutic questions is whether clients are functioning equivalently to normal controls following an intervention. To address this question, Kendall, Marrs-Garcia, Nath, and Sheldrick (1999) presented an approach to measuring clinical significance that utilizes tests of equivalence. The present study clarifies the nature of the hypotheses being conducted in measuring clinical significance with tests of equivalence and extends the approach by incorporating recent advances in equivalence testing. A revised approach for evaluating clinical significance via equivalence testing is proposed, and an empirical example demonstrating this approach is provided.Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC

Pengaruh Komposisi Media Tanam Dan Konsentrasi Paklobutrazol Terhadap Keragaan Tanaman Cabai (Capsicum Annuum L.) CV “Candlelight” Pada Budidaya Tanaman Secara Hidroponik

Capsicum annuumL. CV. “Candlelight” atau sering disebut cabai rawit tumpuk memiliki buah beraturan seperti kumpulan lilin yang menyala, cocok untuk ditanam di pot. Tanaman cabai Candlelight memiliki potensi menjadi tanaman hias, dengan membuat tinggi tanaman lebih pendek, daun lebih hijau, cabang dan jumlah daun lebih banyak melalui pemberian paklobutrazol dan penggunaan media tanam yang tepat melalui budidaya tanaman secara hidroponik. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh komposisi media tanam, konsentrasi paklobutrazol dan interaksi keduanya terhadap keragaan tanaman cabai Candlelight pada budidaya tanaman secara hidroponik. Penelitian dilaksanakan pada bulan Desember 2015 sampai Juni 2016 di Rumah Kaca Universitas Lampug dengan Rancangan Acak Kelompok. Perlakuan disusun faktorial 2 x 5 dengan 3 kelompok yang terdapat 2 sub sampel. Faktor pertama adalah komposisi media tanam (M) terdiri dari; sekam bakar (m 1 ), dan sekam bakar + sekam mentah 1:1 (m 2 ). Faktor kedua konsentrasi paklobutrazol (D) terdiri; dari 0 ppm (d 0 ), 25 ppm (d 1 ), 50 ppm (d 2 ), 75 ppm (d 3 ), dan 100 ppm (d 4 ). Homogenitas ragamn diuji dengan Uji Bartlett dan aditivitas dengan Uji Tukey. Pemisahan nilai tengah diuji dengan Uji Polinomial Ortogonal pada taraf 5%. Hasil penelitian menunjukan media sekam bakar hasil lebih baik dibandingkan sekam campuran. Konsentrasi paklobutrazol 50 ppm berpengaruh terhadap jumlah daun total, tinggi tanaman, jumlah tunas, muncul bunga pertama, jumlah bunga, jumlah cabang, jumlah buah, umur buah di tanaman, panjang buah, dan kehijauan daun. Jumlah buah pada media sekam bakar tidak ada pengaruh paklobutrazol tetapi pada media campuran pengaruh konsentrasi paklobutrazol memberikan pengaruh. Pada media sekam bakar setiap penambahan konsentrasi 1 ppm paklobutrazol menurunkan tinggi tanaman sebesar 0,2 cm, sedangkan pada media sekam campuran paklobutrazol menurunkan tinggi tanaman sebesar 0,36 cm

Positioning of the SCRAMBLED Receptor Requires UDP-Glc:sterol Glucosyltransferase 80B1 in \u3cem\u3eArabidopsis\u3c/em\u3e Roots

The biological function of sterol glucosides (SGs), the most abundant sterol derivatives in higher plants, remains uncertain. In an effort to improve our understanding of these membrane lipids we examined phenotypes exhibited by the roots of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) lines carrying insertions in the UDP-Glc:sterol glucosyltransferase genes, UGT80A2 and UGT80B1. We show that although ugt80A2 mutants exhibit significantly lower levels of total SGs they are morphologically indistinguishable from wild-type plants. In contrast, the roots of ugt80B1 mutants are only deficient in stigmasteryl glucosides but exhibit a significant reduction in root hairs. Sub-cellular investigations reveal that the plasma membrane cell fate regulator, SCRAMBLED (SCM), is mislocalized in ugt80B1 mutants, underscoring the aberrant root epidermal cell patterning. Live imaging of roots indicates that SCM:GFP is localized to the cytoplasm in a non cell type dependent manner instead of the hair (H) cell plasma membrane in these mutants. In addition, we provide evidence for the localization of the UGT80B1 enzyme in the plasma membrane. These data lend further support to the notion that deficiencies in specific SGs are sufficient to disrupt normal cell function and point to a possible role for SGs in cargo transport and/or protein targeting to the plasma membrane

Equivalence based tests of clinical significance: Assessing treatments for depression

Treatment efficacy is largely determined by statistical significance testing, and clinical significance testing is often used to quantify or qualify the efficacy of a treatment at the individual or group level. This study applies the equivalence based clinical significance model proposed by Kendall, Marrs-Garcia, Nath and Sheldrick (1999), and a revised model proposed by Cribbie and Arpin-Cribbie (2009), to the assessment of treatments for depression. Using several studies that investigated treatments for depression, we tested whether the post-treatment means were equivalent to the means for a similar normal comparison group. All of the studies had significant improvement from pretest to posttest, although for many of the studies the treated group was not equivalent to a normal comparison group at posttest. Further, there are important differences between the conclusions drawn from the Kendall et al. and Cribbie and Arpin-Cribbie methods for assessing equivalence based clinical significance.Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC

Characterizing Mode Anharmonicity and Huang–Rhys Factors Using Models of Femtosecond Coherence Spectra

Femtosecond laser pulses readily produce coherent quantum beats in transient–absorption spectra. These oscillatory signals often arise from molecular vibrations and therefore may contain information about the excited-state potential energy surface near the Franck–Condon region. Here, by fitting the measured spectra of two laser dyes to microscopic models of femtosecond coherence spectra (FCS) arising from molecular vibrations, we classify coherent quantum-beat signals as fundamentals or overtones and quantify their Huang–Rhys factors and anharmonicity values. We discuss the extracted Huang–Rhys factors in the context of quantum-chemical computations. This work solidifies the use of FCS for analysis of coherent quantum beats arising from molecular vibrations, which will aid studies of molecular aggregates and photosynthetic proteins

Perfectionism and psychological distress: A modeling approach to understanding their therapeutic relationship

The present study assessed the effectiveness of a web-based psychoeducational intervention protocol for decreasing levels of perfectionism and psychological distress. Different levels of therapeutic intervention (no treatment, general stress management intervention, general stress management intervention plus cognitive behavioral intervention) were provided to perfectionistic participants over a 10-week period. It was found via a longitudinal structural equation model that higher levels of therapeutic intervention predicted greater improvements in perfectionism and psychological distress. Further, amount of improvement in trait perfectionism and perfectionistic automatic thoughts was highly related to amount of improvement in psychological distress. The findings attest to the potential usefulness of a web-based intervention that combines a general stress management intervention with a cognitive behavioral intervention.Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC