Computer automated experimentation for the control and assessment of the classically conditioned eyeblink response

The use of the classically conditioned eyeblink response, a form of associative learning, is a growing method of experimentation in modem science. This type of associative learning, has many features that make it useful for applications in the study of specific neurological functions. The goal of this project was to design and implement a software system for the automated control and on-line evaluation of a classical conditioning experiment for use with human subjects. A program was developed in the LabVIEW programming environment by National Instruments. Basic hardware components produce acoustic signals, deliver airpuffs, and sense and condition physiological responses. Safety features are utilized to eliminate hazards to test subjects. The apparatus is optimized for performance to reduce the cost of human experimentation. To verify the accuracy, reliability, and safety of the apparatus a series of tests was performed. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patients and healthy controls were tested in a sensory reactivity protocol, using white noise at three intensities, and a delay protocol for the evaluation of associative learning through the measurement of the classically conditioned eyeblink response. Though only a pilot study, the design of the experimental system has the reliability and sensitivity for the measurement of this type of experimentation

The Role of Support Systems for Success of Underrepresented Students in Communication Sciences and Disorders

There is limited representation in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) professions of individuals from diverse populations. This study examined the relationship among CSD students\u27 degree of financial, emotional/moral, and academic support. The relationship between role models and admissions outcomes was also assessed. It explored how support received by CSD students differs by racial/ethnic backgrounds. A survey was completed by 57 alumni of an undergraduate CSD program, revealing information about participants’ backgrounds, support characteristics, and other factors. The study 1) highlighted the importance of emotional/moral and financial support, 2) revealed reduced access to financial and academic role models among alumni from diverse backgrounds, and 3) demonstrated the impact of support in academic outcomes and graduate admissions. Establishing strong emotional/moral support systems and role models with more extensive educational backgrounds is a key to academic success in CSD. Finding a university program in which one can maintain a sense of belonging is critical for retention of students. The study suggests that graduate programs offer multidimensional supportive environments which provide both financial assistance and mentorship programs with access to role models for students from underrepresented minorities, so they can achieve successful graduate admissions leading to a career in the field of CSD

AUGUSTINE’S SPIRITUAL THEOLOGY OF SCRIPTURE IN HIS SERMONES AD POPULUM

Augustine of Hippo occupies an important place in the recent renewed interest in early Christian interpretation and application of Scripture. Yet, most studies of Augustine’s use of Scripture to date have focused primarily on his sign theory found in De doctrina christiana or on his developing use of Scripture forged in the 390s in opposition to the Manichees. However, while both of these are important aspects of his thought, I propose in this thesis that when the African Doctor’s use of the Bible is examined in the context which it primarily functioned for him throughout his life—that is, as a preacher—its distinct and unique spiritual character emerges as the centrepiece in his theology of Scripture. I argue that Augustine draws on his rhetorical training in general, and on the notion of narratio in particular, both to make sense of the spiritual strategy he finds at work in Scripture and to faithfully guide those under his care at Hippo into a deeper engagement with it. To make my case, I trace Augustine’s application of Scripture to those at three progressive stages of the spiritual maturation process—catechumens, neophytes, and the faithful—and I maintain that there is a discernable pattern at work in which he applies Scripture in such a way as to progressively lead his audience into the contemplation of immaterial reality: to the catechumens, he uses Scripture as a judicial narratio; to the neophytes, he uses it as a deliberative narratio; and to the faithful, he uses it as a dialectical narratio. Through these progressive stages, Augustine invites his parishioners to become participants in the divine oration playing out in time and thereby progress to the contemplation of the eternal God. Through a focused study of his Sermones ad populum, therefore, Augustine’s distinct spiritual understanding of the Bible, in which its character is intimately tied to the Christian spiritual maturation process, is found to be at the heart of his theology of Scripture

Micro and macro indicators of competition: comparison and relation with productivity change

This paper investigates competition in the Dutch manufacturing sector. We look at various indicators that have been used throughout the literature and relate these to productivity growth. Moreover, where possible, the indicators and productivity growth are calculated at both the firm and industry level. This enables us to investigate differences in competition and in its relation with productivity for both aggregation levels. Our results indicate that contemporaneous competition is associated with lower productivity, while lagged competition is positively associated with productivity. This finding is consistent between micro and macro, and robust over the various indicators and industries. The results are consistent with the idea that firms first experience negative effects of changes in competition and need time to adjust, while in the period after adjustment productivity rises again.competition, productivity change, growth accounts, Production Statistics, micro-macro

Clinical Implications of Binaural Interference: A Systematic Review of the Literature

A binaural advantage has been described in many studies over the past fifty years, although research also has demonstrated examples of a disadvantage known as binaural interference. The literature varies greatly in suggesting the incidence of binaural interference across all populations. It also raises questions about the underlying causes of this phenomenon, as well as whether age-related changes have an impact. A systematic review was engaged to summarize the literature associated with binaural interference, to identify clinical implications of this body of literature, and to answer two research questions: 1) Does the literature describe changes in susceptibility to binaural interference with age? and 2) Does evidence suggest whether binaural interference is a central or a peripheral mechanism? The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, MEDLINE and PsycINFO databases were searched, and the identified articles and reference lists were scrutinized to identify a total of 18 articles relevant to this review. With respect to the aforementioned research questions, the literature does not help to clearly determine whether binaural interference is a by-product of aging; however, the identified studies suggest increasing evidence of binaural interference as a central mechanism. The literature described in this systematic review helps to further illustrate clinical implications of binaural interference, including behavioral and electrophysiological assessment measures, as well as rehabilitative techniques. Additionally, the reviewed studies reveal many avenues for future research

Characterisation of the structure and function of the Salmonella flagellar export gate protein, FlhB.

Flagella, the helical propellers that extend from the bacterial cell surface, illustrate how complex nanomachines assemble outside the cell. The sequential construction of the flagellar rod, hook, and filament requires export of thousands of structural subunits across the cell membrane and this is achieved by a specialised flagellar Type III Secretion System (fT3SS) located at the base of each flagellum. The fT3SS imposes a crude ordering of subunits, with filament subunits only exported once the rod and hook are complete. This “export specificity switch” is controlled by the FlhB component of the fT3SS export gate in response to a signal from the exported molecular ruler FliK, which monitors the length of the growing hook. This study seeks to clarify how rod and hook subunits interact with FlhB, and how FlhB switches export specificity. Rod and hook subunits possess a conserved gate recognition motif (GRM; Fxxxφ, with φ being any hydrophobic residue) that is proposed to bind a surface-exposed hydrophobic patch on the FlhB cytosolic domain. Mutation of the GRM phenylalanine and the final hydrophobic residue resulted in impaired subunit export and decreased cell motility. Isothermal titration calorimetry was performed to assess whether subunit export order is imposed at FlhB. These experiments showed that rod and hook subunits bind to FlhB with micromolar dissociation constants (5-45 μM), suggesting transient interactions. There was no clear correlation between subunit affinity for FlhB and the order of subunit assembly in the nascent flagellum. Solution-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy supported prior data showing that rod and hook subunits interact with FlhB’s surface-exposed hydrophobic patch. NMR also indicated that residues away from the patch undergo a conformational change on subunit binding. FlhB autocleaves rapidly in its cytosolic domain, and the resulting polypeptides (FlhBCN and FlhBCC) are held together by non-covalent interactions between b-strands that encompass the autocleavage site. The autocleavage event is a prerequisite for the export specificity switch, but its function is unclear. Analysis of the cellular localization of FlhBCN and FlhBCC revealed that FlhBCC dissociated from the membrane export machinery, but only in the presence of FliK. Biochemical and biophysical studies of FlhB variants that undergo export specificity switching in the absence of FliK showed that these FlhB “autonomous switchers” were less stable than wildtype FlhB and their FlhBCC domain could dissociate from the export machinery in the absence of FliK. The results suggest that the export specificity switch involves a FliK-dependent loss of FlhBCC from the export machinery, eliminating the binding site for rod and hook subunits.Wellcome Trust, BBSRC, Gates Cambridg

A genome-wide linkage scan for body mass index on Framingham Heart Study families

BACKGROUND: Genome-wide scan data from a community-based sample was used to identify the genetic factors that affect body mass index (BMI). BMI was defined as weight (kg) over the square of height (m), where weight and height were obtained from the first measurement available between the ages of 40 and 50 years. RESULTS: Significant familial correlations were observed in mother:father (spouse) relative pairs and in all relative pairs examined except parent:daughter pairs. Single-point sib-pair regression analysis provided nominal evidence for linkage (p < 0.05) of loci to BMI at 23 markers. Multi-point sib-pair regression analysis provided nominal evidence for linkage to BMI at 42 loci on 12 chromosomes. Empirical p-values showed results consistent with the multi-point results; all but three of the loci identified by multi-point analysis were also significant. CONCLUSION: The largest regions of nominally significant linkage were found on chromosomes 2, 3, and 11. The most significant evidence for linkage was obtained with markers D2S1788, D2S1356, D2S1352, D3S1744, and D11S912 from multi-point sib-pair single-trait regression analysis. Our results are in agreement with some of the recently published reports on BMI using various data sets including the Framingham Heart Study data