473 research outputs found
Powering an Industry: The History of the Calumet and Hecla Electrical System and the Environmental Consequences Left Behind
The Calumet and Hecla Copper Mining Company in Houghton County, Michigan, was established in 1865 and closed its doors in 1968. This company was a major contributor in developing secondary copper processing and used these methods to produce copper even when its underground mines were closed. C&H built its own electrical transmission system that could have rivaled many during its time. This allowed the company to have the ability to produce and control its electrical network and expand, but it had major environmental effects. Polychlorinated biphenyl compounds (PCBs), used in transformer oil and other components were produced between about 1930 and the 1970s. They are known to be a carcinogen and to cause other harmful effects to both humans and the environment. This research describes the history of electrical development and maps C&H Torch Lake facilities to further understand how PCBs continue to affect the environment
Radiation Testing of Electronics for the CMS Endcap Muon System
The electronics used in the data readout and triggering system for the
Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)
particle accelerator at CERN are exposed to high radiation levels. This
radiation can cause permanent damage to the electronic circuitry, as well as
temporary effects such as data corruption induced by Single Event Upsets. Once
the High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) accelerator upgrades are completed it will
have five times higher instantaneous luminosity than LHC, allowing for
detection of rare physics processes, new particles and interactions. Tests have
been performed to determine the effects of radiation on the electronic
components to be used for the Endcap Muon electronics project currently being
designed for installation in the CMS experiment in 2013. During these tests the
digital components on the test boards were operating with active data readout
while being irradiated with 55 MeV protons. In reactor tests, components were
exposed to 30 years equivalent levels of neutron radiation expected at the
HL-LHC. The highest total ionizing dose (TID) for the muon system is expected
at the inner-most portion of the CMS detector, with 8900 rad over ten years.
Our results show that Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components selected for
the new electronics will operate reliably in the CMS radiation environment
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Farmyard Animal or Best Friend? Exploring Predictors of Dog vs Pig Pet Speciesism
Despite dogs’ and pigs’ shared similarities, previous research indicates people favor dogs over pigs (known as “pet speciesism”). While pet speciesism has been empirically sup-ported, little is known about its predictors. This gap in the literature is problematic as urgent requirements to decrease meat consumption emphasize the pressing need to develop interventions to reduce pet speciesism and thus reduce meat consumption. However, to develop these interventions, we must first identify why people view pigs (vs. dogs) negatively. To begin addressing this gap, the current study utilized the stereotype content model to uniquely explore pet speciesism’s predictors. We recruited participants via social media, posters, flyers, and the university’s Sona system, resulting in a total of 232 participants (all 18+; Mage = 28.57, SDage = 10.74; 61.2% meat consumers; 78.4% female; 45.3% British). Behavioral and subjective self- relevance, familiarity, similarity and pet status of an animal, alongside overall empathy toward animals, differentially predicted dogs’ and pigs’ perceived warmth and competence and may usefully explain pet speciesism. These predictors should be investigated causally in experiments. Both the current study and later experiments could explain why people exhibit prejudice in favor of dogs and against pigs, with unique theoretical implications for pet speciesism literature and practical implications for meat consumption, policies, and public perceptions of pigs
Recommended from our members
Farmyard animal or best friend? Exploring predictors of dog vs. pig pet speciesism
Despite dogs’ and pigs’ shared similarities, previous research indicates people favor dogs over pigs (known as “pet speciesism”). While pet speciesism has been empirically sup-ported, little is known about its predictors. This gap in the literature is problematic as urgent requirements to decrease meat consumption emphasize the pressing need to develop interventions to reduce pet speciesism and thus reduce meat consumption. However, to develop these interventions, we must first identify why people view pigs (vs. dogs) negatively. To begin addressing this gap, the current study utilized the stereotype content model to uniquely explore pet speciesism’s predictors. We recruited participants via social media, posters, flyers, and the university’s Sona system, resulting in a total of 232 participants (all 18+; Mage = 28.57, SDage = 10.74; 61.2% meat consumers; 78.4% female; 45.3% British). Behavioral and subjective self- relevance, familiarity, similarity and pet status of an animal, alongside overall empathy toward animals, differentially predicted dogs’ and pigs’ perceived warmth and competence and may usefully explain pet speciesism. These predictors should be investigated causally in experiments. Both the current study and later experiments could explain why people exhibit prejudice in favor of dogs and against pigs, with unique theoretical implications for pet speciesism literature and practical implications for meat consumption, policies, and public perceptions of pigs
Subjective self-assessment of physical activity is negatively affected by monitoring awareness in subjects with mild cognitive impairment : A crossover randomised controlled trial
Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Verduci Editore s.r.l. All rights reserved.OBJECTIVE: Physical activity plays an important role in maintaining mental and physical health. This study assessed the effect of physical activity monitoring awareness on the physical activity level and subjective self-assessment of physical activity in middle-aged subjects with normal cognitive function (NCF) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-five subjects aged 50-65 years with NCF and MCI were randomised into two experimental groups, each taking part in two one-week intervention periods. Subjects in group A were not aware that their physical activity was monitored in the first week (phase I) and were aware of the monitoring in the second week (phase II), whereas it was the opposite order for group B. Physical activity was assessed using the ActiGraph GT9X accelerometer and International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). RESULTS: A total of 32 subjects (MCI: n = 12, NCF: n = 20) completed both intervention periods, with MCI subjects having significantly lower objectively assessed physical activity than NCF participants. Moreover, subjectively assessed physical activity in the MCI group was significantly higher when the participants were unaware of physical activity monitoring. A significant phase-group interaction was found in total (MET-min/d: P = 0.0072; min/d: P = 0.0194) and moderate (MET-min/d: P = 0.0015; min/d: P = 0.0020) physical activity as well as energy expenditure (p = 0.0366) assessed by the IPAQ and in the percentage of sedentary behaviour (p = 0.0330) and the average number of steps (p = 0.0342) assessed by ActiGraph. CONCLUSIONS: The awareness of physical activity assessment might decrease the ability to subjectively assess physical activity in subjects with MCI.Peer reviewe
Cross-Cultural Sexism and the Effectiveness of Gender (Non)Traditional Advertising: A Comparison of Purchase Intentions in Poland, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.
Findings regarding the effectiveness of (non)traditionally gendered advertisements are mixed and largely emanate from the United States. We tested the stereotype content model and ambivalent sexism theory cross-nationally in an advertising context and predicted that paternalistic (vs. envious) female stereotypes will trigger higher purchase intent (PI) irrespective of country (Hypothesis 1), viewers’ benevolent sexism will positively predict PI for paternalistic housewife advertisements (Hypothesis 2a), viewers’ hostile sexism will negatively predict PI for envious businesswoman advertisements (Hypothesis 2b), and these relationships with sexism will be confined to less gender egalitarian countries (i.e., Poland and South Africa) (Hypothesis 3). Statistical analyses of data from 468 Polish, South African, and British university students supported Hypothesis 1 and partially supported Hypotheses 2 and 3. The predicted patterns held for South Africa, but in Poland, viewers’ benevolence positively predicted PI for both advertisement types, with the exception of highly hostile women. British viewers’ hostility positively predicted PI for the housewife advertisement. Our findings support the cross-cultural applicability of the stereotype content model to advertising and suggest that the predictive role of sexism changes depending on its type, advertisement type, country, and gender. We recommend that advertisers should adopt a nuanced approach in predicting the effectiveness of gendered advertisements
Calorimetric Investigation of Copper Binding in the N-Terminal Region of the Prion Protein at Low Copper Loading: Evidence for an Entropically Favorable First Binding Event
Although
the Cu<sup>2+</sup>-binding sites of the prion protein have been well
studied when the protein is fully saturated by Cu<sup>2+</sup>, the
Cu<sup>2+</sup>-loading mechanism is just beginning to come into view.
Because the Cu<sup>2+</sup>-binding modes at low and intermediate
Cu<sup>2+</sup> occupancy necessarily represent the highest-affinity
binding modes, these are very likely populated under physiological
conditions, and it is thus essential to characterize them in order
to understand better the biological function of copper–prion
interactions. Besides binding-affinity data, almost no other thermodynamic
parameters (e.g., Δ<i>H</i> and Δ<i>S</i>) have been measured, thus leaving undetermined the enthalpic and
entropic factors that govern the free energy of Cu<sup>2+</sup> binding
to the prion protein. In this study, isothermal titration calorimetry
(ITC) was used to quantify the thermodynamic parameters (<i>K</i>, Δ<i>G</i>, Δ<i>H</i>, and <i>T</i>Δ<i>S</i>) of Cu<sup>2+</sup> binding to
a peptide, PrPÂ(23–28, 57–98), that encompasses the majority
of the residues implicated in Cu<sup>2+</sup> binding by full-length
PrP. Use of the buffer <i>N</i>-(2-acetomido)-aminoethanesulfonic
acid (ACES), which is also a well-characterized Cu<sup>2+</sup> chelator,
allowed for the isolation of the two highest affinity binding events.
Circular dichroism spectroscopy was used to characterize the different
binding modes as a function of added Cu<sup>2+</sup>. The <i>K</i><sub>d</sub> values determined by ITC, 7 and 380 nM, are
well in line with those reported by others. The first binding event
benefits significantly from a positive entropy, whereas the second
binding event is enthalpically driven. The thermodynamic values associated
with Cu<sup>2+</sup> binding by the Aβ peptide, which is implicated
in Alzheimer’s disease, bear striking parallels to those found
here for the prion protein
Radiation testing of electronics for the CMS endcap muon system
The electronics used in the data readout and triggering system for the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) particle accelerator at CERN are exposed to high radiation levels. This radiation can cause permanent damage to the electronic circuitry, as well as temporary effects such as data corruption induced by Single Event Upsets. Once the High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) accelerator upgrades are completed it will have five times higher instantaneous luminosity than LHC, allowing for detection of rare physics processes, new particles and interactions. Tests have been performed to determine the effects of radiation on the electronic components to be used for the Endcap Muon electronics project currently being designed for installation in the CMS experiment in 2013. During these tests the digital components on the test boards were operating with active data readout while being irradiated with 55 MeV protons. In reactor tests, components were exposed to 30 years equivalent levels of neutron radiation expected at the HL-LHC. The highest total ionizing dose (TID) for the muon system is expected at the innermost portion of the CMS detector, with 8900 rad over 10 years. Our results show that Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components selected for the new electronics will operate reliably in the CMS radiation environment.Physic
Polymorphisms of Homologous Recombination RAD51, RAD51B, XRCC2, and XRCC3 Genes and the Risk of Prostate Cancer
Genetic polymorphisms in DNA repair genes may induce individual variations in DNA repair capacity, which may in turn contribute to the risk of cancer developing. Homologous recombination repair (HRR) plays a critical role in maintaining chromosomal integrity and protecting against carcinogenic factors. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between prostate cancer risk and the presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genes involved in HRR, that is, RAD51 (rs1801320 and rs1801321), RAD51B (rs10483813 and rs3784099), XRCC2 (rs3218536), and XRCC3 (rs861539). Polymorphisms were analyzed by PCR-RFLP and Real-Time PCR in 101 patients with prostate adenocarcinoma and 216 age-and sex-matched controls. A significant relationship was detected between the RAD51 gene rs1801320 polymorphism and increased prostate cancer risk. Our results indicate that the RAD51 gene rs1801320 polymorphism may contribute to prostate cancer susceptibility in Poland
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