Investigating the role of time in affective forecasting: temporal influences on forecasting accuracy.

Using extensive diary data from people taking their driver's license exam, the authors investigated the role of time in affective forecasting accuracy. Replicating existing findings, participants grossly overestimated the intensity and duration of their negative affect after failure and only slightly overestimated the intensity and duration of their positive affect after success. Extending existing findings, participants accurately predicted a decrease of their affective reactions over time but underestimated the speed with which this decrease would occur. In addition, they showed greater forecasting accuracy for positive affect than negative affect when the exam was distant and greater forecasting accuracy for negative affect than positive affect when the exam was close. The motivational processes underlying these findings are being discussed. © 2007 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc

Snap evaporation of droplets on smooth topographies

Droplet evaporation on solid surfaces is important in many applications including printing, micro-patterning and cooling. While seemingly simple, the configuration of evaporating droplets on solids is difficult to predict and control. This is because evaporation typically proceeds as a “stick-slip” sequence—a combination of pinning and de-pinning events dominated by static friction or “pinning”, caused by microscopic surface roughness. Here we show how smooth, pinning-free, solid surfaces of non-planar topography promote a different process called snap evaporation. During snap evaporation a droplet follows a reproducible sequence of configurations, consisting of a quasi-static phase-change controlled by mass diffusion interrupted by out-of-equilibrium snaps. Snaps are triggered by bifurcations of the equilibrium droplet shape mediated by the underlying non-planar solid. Because the evolution of droplets during snap evaporation is controlled by a smooth topography, and not by surface roughness, our ideas can inspire programmable surfaces that manage liquids in heat- and mass-transfer applications

Equivalence classes of the second order ODEs with the constant Cartan invariant

Second order ordinary differential equations that possesses the constant invariant are investigated. Four basic types of these equations were found. For every type the complete list of nonequivalent equations is issued. As the exampes the equivalence problem for the Painleve II equation, Painleve III equation with three zero parameters, Emden equations and for some other equations is solved

Investigating the Correlation between Performance Scores and Energy Consumption of Mobile Web Apps

Context. Developers have access to tools like Google Lighthouse to assess the performance of web apps and to guide the adoption of development best practices. However, when it comes to energy consumption of mobile web apps, these tools seem to be lacking. Goal. This study investigates on the correlation between the performance scores produced by Lighthouse and the energy consumption of mobile web apps. Method. We design and conduct an empirical experiment where 21 real mobile web apps are (i) analyzed via the Lighthouse performance analysis tool and (ii) measured on an Android device running a software-based energy profiler. Then, we statistically assess how energy consumption correlates with the obtained performance scores and carry out an effect size estimation. Results. We discover a statistically significant negative correlation between performance scores and the energy consumption of mobile web apps (with medium to large effect sizes), implying that an increase of the performance score tend to lead to a decrease of energy consumption. Conclusions. We recommend developers to strive to improve the performance level of their mobile web apps, as this can also have a positive impact on their energy consumption on Android devices

The septic milieu triggers expression of spliced tissue factor mRNA in human platelets: Sepsis induces platelet tissue factor mRNA

Activated platelets have previously-unrecognized mechanisms of post-transcriptional gene expression that may influence hemostasis and inflammation. A novel pathway involves splicing of pre-mRNAs in resting platelets to mature, translatable mRNAs in response to cellular activation

Active behaviour during early development shapes glucocorticoid reactivity

TGlucocorticoids are the final effectors of the stress axis, with numerous targets in the central nervous system and the periphery. They are essential for adaptation, yet currently it is unclear how early life events program the glucocorticoid response to stress. Here we provide evidence that involuntary swimming at early developmental stages can reconfigure the cortisol response to homotypic and heterotypic stress in larval zebrafish (Danio rerio), also reducing startle reactivity and increasing spontaneous activity as well as energy efficiency during active behaviour. Collectively, these data identify a role of the genetically malleable zebrafish for linking early life stress with glucocorticoid function in later life

Water quality is a poor predictor of recreational hotspots in England

Maintaining and improving water quality is key to the protection and restoration of aquatic ecosystems, which provide important benefits to society. In Europe, the Water Framework Directive (WFD) defines water quality based on a set of biological, hydro-morphological and chemical targets, and aims to reach good quality conditions in all river bodies by the year 2027. While recently it has been argued that achieving these goals will deliver and enhance ecosystem services, in particular recreational services, there is little empirical evidence demonstrating so. Here we test the hypothesis that good water quality is associated with increased utilization of recreational services, combining four surveys covering walking, boating, fishing and swimming visits, together with water quality data for all water bodies in eight River Basin Districts (RBDs) in England. We compared the percentage of visits in areas of good water quality to a set of null models accounting for population density, income, age distribution, travel distance, public access, and substitutability. We expect such association to be positive, at least for fishing (which relies on fish stocks) and swimming (with direct contact to water). We also test if these services have stronger association with water quality relative to boating and walking alongside rivers, canals or lakeshores. In only two of eight RBDs (Northumbria and Anglian) were both criteria met (positive association, strongest for fishing and swimming) when comparing to at least one of the null models. This conclusion is robust to variations in dataset size. Our study suggests that achieving the WFD water quality goals may not enhance recreational ecosystem services, and calls for further empirical research on the connection between water quality and ecosystem services

Hydrodynamics of the VanA-type VanS histidine kinase: an extended solution conformation and first evidence for interactions with vancomycin

VanA-type resistance to glycopeptide antibiotics in clinical enterococci is regulated by the VanSARA two-component signal transduction system. The nature of the molecular ligand that is recognised by the VanSA sensory component has not hitherto been identified. Here we employ purified, intact and active VanSA membrane protein (henceforth referred to as VanS) in analytical ultracentrifugation experiments to study VanS oligomeric state and conformation in the absence and presence of vancomycin. A combination of sedimentation velocity and sedimentation equilibrium in the analytical ultracentrifuge (SEDFIT, SEDFIT-MSTAR and MULTISIG analysis) showed that VanS in the absence of the ligand is almost entirely monomeric (molar mass M = 45.7 kDa) in dilute aqueous solution with a trace amount of high molar mass material (M ~ 200 kDa). The sedimentation coefficient s suggests the monomer adopts an extended conformation in aqueous solution with an equivalent aspect ratio of ~ (12+2). In the presence of vancomycin over a 33% increase in the sedimentation coefficient is observed with the appearance of additional higher s components, demonstrating an interaction, an observation consistent with our circular dichroism measurements. The two possible causes of this increase in s – either a ligand induced dimerization and/or compaction of the monomer are considered

Symbolism in bank marketing and architecture: the headquarters of National Provincial Bank of England

This article undertakes an analysis of the symbolism present in the architecture and design in nineteenth century British banking. It focuses upon the headquarters of National Provincial Bank of England, which was built in the 1860s. It explores the symbols and messages that those at the bank wished to communicate to those that viewed the building. The analysis finds that those at the bank impressed its national identity, achieved through its extensive branch network, as its key message which differentiated it from its rivals. Other symbols emphasized that it had adapted to the local market and was equal in terms of competency and richness in comparison to its competitors. We argue that these messages became part of the organization’s identity and its brand, as well as the culture of the City of London more broadly. The article provides a new explanation for symbolic meanings represented by bank architecture. It integrates the existing discussion of bank architecture in historical research with the theoretical frameworks and literature being developed in organizational identity and branding