Switch rates vary due to expected payoff but not due to individual risk tendency.

When switching between different tasks, the initiation of task switches may depend on task characteristics (difficulty, salient cues, etc.) or reasons within the person performing the task (decisions, behavioral variability, etc.). The reasons for variance in switching strategies, especially in paradigms where participants are free to choose the order of tasks and the amount of switching between tasks, are not well researched. In this study, we follow up the recent discussion that variance in switching strategies might be partly explained by the characteristics of the person fulfilling the task. We examined whether risk tendency and impulsiveness differentiate individuals in their response (i.e., switch rates and time spent on tasks) to different task characteristics on a tracking-while-typing paradigm. In detail, we manipulated two aspects of loss prospect (i.e., "payoff" as the amount of points that could be lost when tracking was unattended for too long, and "cursor speed" determining the likelihood of such a loss occurring). To account for between-subject variance and within-subject variability in the data, we employed linear mixed effect analyses following the model selection procedure (Bates, Kliegl, et al., 2015). Besides, we tested whether risk tendency can be transformed into a decision parameter which could predict switching strategies when being computationally modelled. We transferred decision parameters from the Decision Field Theory to model "switching thresholds" for each individual. Results show that neither risk tendency nor impulsiveness explain between-subject variance in the paradigm, nonetheless linear mixed-effects models confirmed that within-subject variability plays a significant role for interpreting dual-task data. Our computational model yielded a good model fit, suggesting that the use of a decision threshold parameter for switching may serve as an alternative means to classify different strategies in task switching. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Interface state contribution to the photovoltaic effect in organic phototransistors:Photocapacitance measurements and optical sensing

Made available in DSpace on 2018-12-11T16:50:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2018-01-01Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Eletrônica OrgânicaWe report the results of an investigation into the contribution that trapping in interface states makes to the photovoltaic effect observed in organic phototransistors. To isolate this effect from other processes that occur in the transistor structure when under illumination, we focus attention on the photo-response of metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) capacitors - the core structure of transistors. The capacitors comprised poly(3-hexylthiophene), (P3HT), as the active semiconductor in combination with one of three insulators, namely, poly(amide-imide), (PAI), SU-8 photoresist and polysilsesquioxane (PSQ). Following initial characterization in the dark, the capacitor response was measured both during and after irradiation with light in the wavelength range 400–700 nm. Three different approaches were employed to study the photo-response, each providing a different insight into the processes occurring. Capacitance-voltage sweeps before, during and after illumination provided direct evidence supporting the view that the photovoltaic effect occurred as a result of electron trapping in interface states of density up to ∼2 × 1012 cm−2 in the P3HT/PAI combination but lower for SU-8 and PSQ. The dynamic photo-response, in which device capacitance was held constant by changing the applied bias, showed a fast component related to optically induced photoconduction in the semiconductor and a slower component reflecting the dynamics of interface electron trapping. Finally, photo-induced capacitance changes occurring with constant applied voltage were used to demonstrate a simple 3 × 3 imaging array.School of Electronic Engineering Bangor University, Dean StreetBrazilian Nanotechnology National Laboratory (LNNano) Brazilian Centre of Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM)Department of Physics São Paulo State University (UNESP), PO Box 266Institute of Physics of São Carlos University of São Paulo (USP), PO Box 369Catarinense Federal Institute of Education Science and Technology, PO Box 21Department of Physics São Paulo State University (UNESP), PO Box 26

Sexing freshwater turtles: penile eversion in Phrynops tuberosus (Testudines: Chelidae)

Here, we described a noninvasive method for sexing freshwater turtles by stimulating penile eversion. We immobilized the neck and limbs of animals using fingers and, after some seconds, turtles everted their penis. This method was tested in 33 male Phrynops tuberosus, and 28 everted the penis. The efficiency of the method was not dependent of animal size, which reinforces its applicability. Our method allows sexing turtles in the field, avoiding killing the animal or causing major injuries in order to assess the sex

Experimental evaluation of prefiltering for 56 Gbaud DP-QPSK signal transmission in 75 GHz WDM grid

We investigate optical prefiltering for 56Gbaud (224Gbit/s) electrical time-division multiplexed (ETDM) dual polarization (DP) quaternary phase shift keying (QPSK) transmission. Different transmitter-side optical filter shapes are tested and their bandwidths are varied. Comparison of studied filter shapes shows an advantage of a pre-emphasis filter. Subsequently, we perform a fiber transmission of the 56Gbaud DP QPSK signal filtered with the 65GHz pre-emphasis filter to fit the 75GHz transmission grid. Bit error rate (BER) of the signal remains below forward error correction (FEC) limit after 300km of fiber propagation

Nanocarriers as a tool for the treatment of colorectal cancer

Experimentele farmacotherapi

Interação da temperatura com o ácaro parasita Acarophenax lacunatus (Cross & Krantz) (Prostigmata: Acarophenacidae) sobre o desenvolvimento de Rhyzopertha dominica (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae)

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o efeito da interação de diferentes temperaturas com o parasita Acarophenax lacunatus (Cross & Krantz) na supressão populacional de Rhyzopertha dominica (Fabricius). Os ensaios foram realizados com e sem o parasita, em cinco repetições, às temperaturas de 20, 25, 30 e 35ºC, umidade relativa de 60 ± 5% e escotofase de 24h. As unidades experimentais consistiram de placas de Petri, contendo 40 g de grãos de trigo (13% b.u.), infestados com 10 adultos de R. dominica. Foram realizadas três inoculações de cinco fêmeas de A. lacunatus por placa de Petri. As avaliações foram realizadas depois de 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 e 120 dias do início do experimento. A interação da temperatura com A. lacunatus mostrou ser uma importante ferramenta para a supressão populacional de R. dominica. Todavia, em temperaturas maiores que 25ºC, mesmo A. lacunatus reduzindo grande proporção das fases imaturas de R. dominica, as perdas de massa dos grãos foram elevadas aos 120 dias do armazenamento. A manutenção da temperatura dos grãos armazenados a 20ºC pode ser usada como complemento para o controle biológico de R. dominica com A. lacunatus.The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different temperatures with the association of the mite Acarophenax lacunatus (Cross & Krantz) on the population suppression of Rhyzopertha dominica (Fabricius). The experimental units were petri dishes containing 40 g of whole wheat grains (13% moisture content) infested with 10 adults of R. dominica, under the temperatures of 20, 25, 30 and 35ºC, with or without A. lacunatus, in five replicates. Relative humidity of 60 ± 5% and escotophase of 24h were used for all temperatures. Five days after the infestation, five mites were inoculated in each experimental unit. The evaluations were carried out at 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120 days after R. dominica infestation. The interaction of the temperature with the parasite A. lacunatus was an important tool for the population suppression of R. dominica. In temperatures higher than 25ºC, however, despite the reduction of the immature stages of R. dominica, there was a high grain weight loss after 120 days. The maintenance of the temperature of the wheat grains stored at 20ºC can be used to complement the biological control of R. dominica with A. lacunatus

Maximizing the potency of oxaliplatin coated nanoparticles with folic acid for modulating tumor progression in colorectal cancer

One of the challenges of nanotechnology is to improve the efficacy of treatments for diseases, in order to reduce morbidity and mortality rates. Following this line of study, we made a nanoparticle formulation with a small size, uniform surfaces, and a satisfactory encapsulation coefficient as a target for colorectal cancer cells. The results of binding and uptake prove that using the target system with folic acid works: Using this system, cytotoxicity and cell death are increased when compared to using free oxaliplatin. The data show that the system maximized the efficiency of oxaliplatin in modulating tumor progression, increasing apoptosis and decreasing resistance to the drug. Thus, for the first time, our findings suggest that PLGA-PEG-FA increases the antitumor effectiveness of oxaliplatin by functioning as a facilitator of drug delivery in colorectal cancer.Radiolog

Cholesterol-functionalized carvedilol-loaded PLGA nanoparticles: anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antitumor effects

The inflammation has been identified as factor of tumor progression, which has increased the interest and use of molecules with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities in the cancer treatment. In this study, the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor potentials of carvedilol was explored in a different approach. The cholesterol (CHO) was investigated as facilitated agent in the action of carvedilol-loaded nanoparticles. Different formulations exhibited spherical and stable nanoparticle with mean diameter size < 250 nm. The cholesterol changed the copolymer-drug interactions and the encapsulation efficiency. The in vitro cancer study was performed using murine colorectal cancer cell line (CT-26) to observe the cell viability and apoptosis on MTS assay and flow cytometry, respectively. The experiments have demonstrated that cholesterol improved the performance of drug-loaded nanoparticles, which was much better than free drug. The in vivo inflammation peritonitis model revealed that carvedilol-loaded nanoparticles increased the level of glutathione and leukocyte migration mainly when the functionalized drug-loaded nanoparticles were tested, in a lower dose than the free drug. As hypothesized, the experimental data suggest that cholesterol-functionalized carvedilol-loaded PLGA nanoparticles can be a novel and promising approach in the inflammation-induced cancer therapy since showed anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antitumor effects.Graphical abstractRadiolog