Is it necessary to measure all brain regions for the assessment of PAF?

From decades of research, electroencephalography (EEG) has been proved as a potential non-invasive medical technique to measure the electrophysiological activities of brain. Alpha is one of the most prominent frequency bands of EEG because of its applications in cognitive enhancement and biofeedback methods. 300 participants were included in the present study to investigate the relationships between their cognitive performance and Peak Alpha Frequency (PAF). Brain activity was recorded from all significant brain regions in 250 participants and only from occipital region in 50 participants. The aim of the present study was to ensure the brain region which is the most dominant one to measure PAF/ IAF. Power Spectrum Density (PSD) method was used for EEG signal analysis. Interrelationship among PAF, IAF and PAF of six individual electrode positions was also explored. Findings reveled that parieto- occipital electrode points are sufficient to assess one’s peak alpha frequency

Synthesis of Al and Ag nanoparticles through ultra-sonic dissociation of thermal evaporation deposited thin films for promising clinical applications as polymer nanocomposite

Nanoparticles (NPs) having well-defined shape, size and clean surface serve as ideal model system to investigate surface/interfacial reactions. Ag and Al NPs are receiving great interest due to their wide applications in bio-medical field, aerospace and space technology as combustible additives in propellants and hydrogen generation. Hence, in this study, we have synthesized Ag and Al NPs using an innovative approach of ultra-sonic dissociation of thin films. Phase and particle size distributions of the Ag and Al NPs have been determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Thin film dissociation/dissolution mechanism, hence conversion into NPs has been characterized by SEM- scanning electron microscope. EDXA & ICPMS have been performed for chemical analysis of NPs. Optical properties have been characterized by UV-Vis and PL spectroscopy. These NPs have also been investigated for their anti-bacterial activity against Escherichia coli bacteria. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time when NPs has been synthesized by ultra-sonic dissociation of thin films. As an application, these NPs were used further for synthesis of nanocomposite polymer membranes, which show excellent activity against bio film formation

Task irrelevant external cues can influence language selection in voluntary object naming: evidence from Hindi-English bilinguals

We examined if external cues such as other agents’ actions can influence the choice of language during voluntary and cued object naming in bilinguals in three experiments. Hindi– English bilinguals first saw a cartoon waving at a color patch. They were then asked to either name a picture in the language of their choice (voluntary block) or to name in the instructed language (cued block). The colors waved at by the cartoon were also the colors used as language cues (Hindi or English). We compared the influence of the cartoon’s choice of color on naming when speakers had to indicate their choice explicitly before naming (Experiment 1) as opposed to when they named directly on seeing the pictures (Experiment 2 and 3). Results showed that participants chose the language indicated by the cartoon greater number of times (Experiment 1 and 3). Speakers also switched significantly to the language primed by the cartoon greater number of times (Experiment 1 and 2). These results suggest that choices leading to voluntary action, as in the case of object naming can be influenced significantly by external non-linguistic cues. Importantly, these symbolic influences can work even when other agents are merely indicating their choices and are not interlocutors in bilingual communicatio

Goodbye Season 1, and Thank You!

Thank you so much for joining us for this first season! We are collecting listener feedback for our capstone project via this survey. If you have a couple minutes to spare, please consider filling it out. We hope to see you soon with a season 2! The transcript for this podcast is available for download as an additional file

Episode 4: Dear Anonymous Donor

Divya Bhatia and Qiuwei Yang sit down with Bridget Yang to discuss her piece, Dear Anonymous Donor,” and the anatomy lab experience. Recorded October 2019. Bridget Yang\u27s poem Dear Anonymous Donor and the transcript for this episode are available for download as additional files

Episode 5: Penal Code

Qiuwei Yang and Dr. Hugh Silk are joined by family physician Dr. Lisa Gussak to discuss the impact of incarceration on health and medical care. Recorded November 2019. Dr. Gussak\u27s piece Penal Code was first published in Pulse: Voices from the Heart of Medicine. The transcript for this episode is available for download as an additional file

Episode 6: Asylum Body Work

Divya Bhatia and Dr. Hugh Silk sit down with Dr. Lucy Candib to talk about the importance of medical-legal partnerships in advocating for individuals who are victims of abuse or torture in their home countries seeking asylum in the US. Content warning: physical and sexual abuse, homophobia, and torture. Recorded March 2020. Dr. Candib\u27s poem Asylum Body Work was first published in The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. The transcript for this episode is available for download as an additional file