Implementation of the Hydrographic Data Acquisition and Processing System (HDAPS) in the NOAA Fleet

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has developed an automated system for acquiring and processing hydrographic field data in support of its charting mission. The Hydrographic Data Acquisition and Processing System (HDAPS) addresses NOAA’s broad requirement to conduct hydrographic surveys in the coastal waters of the U.S. Systems have been successfully deployed on ships, launches, and small boats. Two types of HDAPS data acquisition systems (DAS) are presented. The first system, based on Hewlett-Packard (HP) hardware, is deployed on ships and launches. The second type is a small boat, 24-volt system, based on 1BM-PC compatible hardware. Both types of DAS are capable of conducting echo sounding and side scan sonar surveys. Data acquired by both systems are processed on an HP-based data processing system

The gatekeeper: individual differences are key in the chain from perception to behaviour

A basic assumption in mainstream social cognition is that the path from perception to behaviour is often automatic and direct, as supported for example by several experimental studies showing that priming can lead directly to a congruent behaviour without any need of conscious awareness of the process. However, we argue that the priming of a goal or an object activates individual differences in automatic evaluations at the associative level that in turn are the key predictors of action (gatekeeper model). A study (n = 90) on the American stereotype is presented to support the model. The results show that individual differences of the American stereotype as assessed with the IAT predicts a relevant action (essay evaluation) but only under condition of priming. Broader implications for predictive validity of implicit measures are also discussed

PV Cell Characteristic Extraction to Verify Power Transfer Efficiency in Indoor Harvesting System

A method is proposed to verify the efficiency of low-power harvesting systems based on Photovoltaic (PV) cells for indoor applications and a Fractional Open-Circuit Voltage (FOCV) technique to track the Maximum Power Point (MPP). It relies on an algorithm to reconstruct the PV cell Power versus Voltage (P-V) characteristic measuring the open circuit voltage and the voltage/current operating point but not the short-circuit current as required by state-of-the-art algorithms. This way the characteristic is reconstructed starting from the two values corresponding to standard operation modes of dc-dc converters implementing the FOCV Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) technique. The method is applied to a prototype system: an external board is connected between the transducer and the dc-dc converter to measure the open circuit voltage and the voltage/current operating values. Experimental comparisons between the reconstructed and the measured P-V characteristics validate the reconstruction algorithm. Experimental results show the method is able to clearly identify the error between the transducer operating point and the one corresponding to the maximum power transfer, whilst also suggesting corrective action on the programmable factor of the FOCV technique. The proposed technique therefore provides a possible way of estimating MPPT efficiency without sampling the full P-V characteristic

Comparison of the Toxicological Effects of Pesticides in Non-Tumorigenic MCF-12A and Tumorigenic MCF-7 Human Breast Cells

Humans are exposed to residues of organophosphate and neonicotinoid pesticides, commonly used in agriculture. Children are particularly vulnerable and, among possible adverse outcomes, the increased incidence of premature mammary gland development (thelarche) has raised concern. We evaluated the toxicological effects of chlorpyrifos (CPF), imidacloprid (IMI) and glyphosate (GLY) at exposure concentrations occurring in children on the tumorigenic MCF-7 and non-tumorigenic MCF-12A breast cell lines, as representative of the target organ model, assessing cytotoxicity, apoptosis, necrosis, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and ATP levels, 17β-estradiol secretion and gene expression of nuclear receptors involved in mammary gland development. The pesticides decreased cell vitality in MCF-7 and cell proliferation in MCF-12A cells. ATP levels were decreased in MCF-7 cells by pesticides and apoptosis was increased in MCF-12A cells only by GLY (2.3 nM). ROS production was decreased by pesticides in both cell lines, except IMI (1.6 nM) in MCF-7 cells. Endocrine disrupting activity was highlighted by induction of 17β-estradiol secretion and modulation of the gene expression of estrogen alpha and beta, progesterone, androgen, and aryl hydrocarbon receptors in both cell lines. The use of MCF-7 and MCF-12A cells highlighted dissimilar modes of action of each pesticide at low human relevant concentrations

Butyrylcholinesterase distribution in the mouse gastrointestinal tract: An immunohistochemical study

Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) is a hydrolytic enzyme that together with acetylcholinesterase (AChE) belongs to the cholinesterase family. Whereas AChE has a well-established role in regulating cholinergic neurotransmission in central and peripheral synapses, the physiological role of BChE remains elusive. In this morphological immunohistochemical and double-label confocal microscopy study we investigated the distribution of BChE in the mouse gastrointestinal tract. BChE-positive cells were detected in the liver (both in hepatocytes and cholangiocytes), in the keratinised layers of the squamous epithelium of the oesophagus and forestomach, in the oxyntic mucosa of the stomach, in the mucus-secreting cells of duodenal Brunner glands and the small and large intestinal mucosa. Interestingly, BChE-positive cells were often detected close to gastrointestinal proliferative niches. In the oxyntic mucosa, the close proximity of ghrelin-producing and BChE-positive parietal cells suggests that BChE may be involved in ghrelin hydrolysation through paracrine action. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive morphological study performed to gain insight into the physiological role of BChE in the gastrointestinal tract

Design of a multi-purpose building "to zero energy consumption" according to european directive 2010/31/ce: Architectural and plant solutions

Considering the significant impact that the residential sector has on energy consumption, it is particularly important to implement policies aimed at improving energy efficiency in buildings for saving primary energy, and also to spread the concept of sustainable development through the use of appropriate technology and proper project criteria for new constructions. For these reasons the Municipality of Città della Pieve promoted the creation of a "Renewable Energy Park" in a deprived area of its territory, so that there were the main technologies for the production of green energy. In this context, it could not be lacking an educational/demonstrative "zero energy consumption" building for multifunctional activities realized with the most innovative techniques to save energy. The building will exemplify the optimization of the benefits derived from improved energy efficiency in synergy with systems of energy production from renewable sources, such as to make possible the transition from "passive" building to get to "active" building. In this paper we describe the technical solutions adopted both in the building envelope and the system concept for the project of that "zero energy consumption" building according to Directive 2010/31/CE. In order to validate the proposed solutions, it has also been carried out a simulation of the behaviour of the building in summer and winter so that it is possible to assess the actual benefits obtained both in terms of energy and in economic terms following the adoption of the proposed solutions

Exploring Out-of-turn Interactions with Websites

Hierarchies are ubiquitous on the web for structuring online catalogs and indexing multidimensional attributed data sets. They are a natural metaphor for information seeking if their levelwise structure mirrors the user\u27s conception of the underlying domain. In other cases, they can be frustrating, especially if multiple drill‐downs are necessary to arrive at information of interest. To support a broad range of users, site designers often expose multiple faceted classifications or provide within‐page pruning mechanisms. We present a new technique, called out-of-turn interaction, that increases the richness of user interaction at hierarchical sites, without enumerating all possible completion paths in the site design. Using out‐of‐turn interaction, the user has the option to circumvent any navigation order imposed by the site and flexibly supply partial input that is otherwise relevant to the task. We conducted a user study to determine if and how users employ out‐of‐turn interaction, through a user interface we built called Extempore, for information-finding tasks. Extempore accepts out‐of‐turn input through voice or text, and we employed it in a U.S. congressional website for this study. Think‐aloud protocols and questionnaires were utilized to understand users\u27 rationale for choosing out‐of‐turn interaction. The results indicate that users are adept at discerning when out‐of‐turn interaction is necessary in a particular task and actively interleaved it with browsing. However, users found cascading information across information‐finding subtasks challenging. By empowering the user to supply unsolicited information while browsing, out‐of‐turn interaction bridges any mental mismatch between the user and the site. Our study not only improves our understanding of out‐of‐turn interaction, but also suggests further opportunities to enrich browsing experiences for users

Exploring Consumer Biased Evaluations : Halos Effects of Local Food and of Related Attributes

The paper explores the (mis)perceptions related to local food to identify potential halo effects. It also investigates whether product beliefs relate to the food category itself or to its perceived attributes. 133 students answered a questionnaire regarding four cheeses labelled as local, conventional, organic, or PDO. Results show that local claims lead to perceiving the cheese as healthier, but less hygienic. Results suggest also other two potential halos: (i) the \u201ctradition halo\u201d that links perceived traditional character to healthiness and taste; and (ii) the \u201cenvironmental and animal care halo\u201d that links respect for environment and animal welfare to food safety