On the specificity of figurative language comprehension impairment in schizophrenia and its relation to cognitive skills but not psychopathological symptoms - Study on metaphor, humor and irony

People with schizophrenia have difficulty understanding figurative expressions, such as metaphors, humor or irony. The present study investigated the specificity of figurative language impairment in schizophrenia and its relation with cognitive and psychotic symptoms. It included 54 schizophrenia and 54 age and sex-matched healthy subjects who performed a cognitive screening (ACE-III) and figurative language comprehension task consisting of 60 short stories with three types of endings: a figurative one and its literal and an absurd (meaningless) counterparts. Each figurative domain - metaphor, humor, irony - was split into two sub-domains, i.e., conventional and novel metaphors, intended-to-be-funny and social-norm-violation jokes, simple irony and critical sarcasm, respectively. The main findings are: i) in schizophrenia, figurative language deficit manifests itself in each domain; ii) the most pronounced subdomain-specific impairment has been found for novel vs conventional metaphors and irony vs sarcasm; iii) altered figurative language comprehension was related to diminished cognitive abilities but not to psychopathology symptoms (PANSS) or other clinical characteristics. This may suggest that figurative language impairment, as a specific part of communication deficit, may be regarded as an essential characteristic of schizophrenia, related to primary cognitive deficits but independent of psychopathology

Hybrid self‐assembling peptide/gelatin methacrylate (gelma) bioink blend for improved bioprintability and primary myoblast response

Organ fabrication as the solution to renewable donor demands requires the ability to spatially deposit viable cells into biologically relevant constructs necessitating reliable and effective cell deposition through bioprinting and the subsequent ability to mature. However, effective bioink development demands advances in both printability and control of cellular response. Effective bioinks are designed to retain shape fidelity, influence cellular behavior, having bioactive morphologies stiffness and highly hydrated environment. Hybrid hydrogels are promising candidates as they reduce the need to re‐engineer materials for tissue‐specific properties, with each component offering beneficial properties. Herein, a multicomponent bioink is developed whereby gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) and fluorenylmethoxycarbonyprotected self‐assembling peptides (Fmoc‐SAPs) undergo coassembly to yield a tuneable bioink. This study shows that the reported fibronectin‐inspired fmoc‐SAPs present cell attachment epitopes RGD and PHSRN in the form of bioactive nanofibers and that the GelMA enables superior printability, stability in media, and controlled mechanical properties. Importantly, when in the hybrid format, no disruption to either the methacrylate crosslinking of GelMA, or self‐assembled peptide fibril formation is observed. Finally, studies with primary myoblasts show over 98% viability at 72 h and differentiation into fused myotubes at one and two weeks demonstrate the utility of the material as a functional bioink for muscle engineering. In this work, muscle tissue is 3D‐bioprinted with a novel bioink formulation. The bioink presents fibrous bioactive properties of the body's native scaffold, while also improving biofabrication outcomes. Self‐assembling peptides are combined with GelMA creating a hybrid bioink. This work sets the stage for future hybrid bioinks for muscle biofabrication

Dostrzec piękno psychiatrii. Doświadczenia młodych lekarzy i wspieranie ich rozwoju zawodowego

A written account of experiences of psychiatric patient contact at an inpatient ward has prompted reflection on the role of bonds of fellowship in postgraduate specialty training. Exchange of experiences between junior doctors and their more experienced, senior colleagues takes the form of a natural exchange of knowledge and inter-generational learning. This type of mentoring is considered a significant element of postgraduate training both in psychiatry and the other medical specialtiesSpisane doświadczenie kontaktu z pacjentami psychiatrycznymi na oddziale całodobowym stało się powodem refleksji nadrolą więzi koleżeńskich w procesie specjalizacji lekarskiej. Wymiana doświadczeń między młodymi a starszymi lekarzami— bardziej doświadczonymi kolegami, ma charakter naturalnej wymiany wiedzy i wzajemnego, międzypokoleniowegouczenia się. Tego typu mentoring uważa się za istotną cześć procesu szkolenia zarówno w kierunku specjalizacji z psychiatrii,jak i pozostałych specjalizacji lekarskich

Gas turbine direct exhaust gas integration in process industry – review of applications and opportunities for polish market

The typical combined heat and power plants requires the introduction of additional heating medium. The alternative solution is the direct integration of the exhaust gases from heat engine. The high temperature, surplus oxygen and low water content of the GTs exhaust gases enabled the successful integration at industrial scale as: preheated combustion air for industrial furnaces, heat source for drying and for absorption chillers. The article comprises the reference list for direct exhaust gas integration of GTs produced by GE, the processes overview, GTs selection criteria, as well as the review of documented GTs applications in process industry focusing on technical and economic considerations. The described solutions allowed to reduce the specific energy consumption in the range from 7 to 20% or the costs of energy consumption by 15-30%. The overall efficiency of cogeneration plant above 90% was achieved. The preliminary assessment of potential applications for GTs produced by GE with TEG integration in Polish process industry is done

Do better communication skills promote sheltered employment in schizophrenia?

Alongside various psychopathological symptoms and neurocognitive dysfunctions, communication skill impairments may be considered core feature of schizophrenia. Although many studies examined the relation between employment status and neurocognition in schizophrenia, we still know very little about the role of communication skills in vocational status among people with schizophrenia. The purpose of this study is to identify the most characteristic communication, neurocognitive and social cognition differences which separate the employed schizophrenia outpatients from those who do not work. The study included three groups: 33 schizophrenia outpatients employed in social firms, 29 unemployed schizophrenia outpatients participating in occupational therapy and sex & age matched 31 healthy controls. We assessed communication skills, global cognitive functioning, executive functions, memory, social cognition as well as severity of psychopathology. Our results indicate that the most characteristic differences between employed and unemployed schizophrenia outpatients are associated with selective language and communication skills, i.e. paralinguistic aspects of communication, understanding of discrete meaning of linguistic context and figurative meaning of language. We find no significant differences between both clinical groups with regard to neurocognition and social cognition. Moreover, unemployed group had more severe psychopathology than the employed group, so we re-analyzed results controlling for symptom severity. The only differences that endured were related to general communication skills and explanation of pictured metaphors, but only when controlling solely for positive or negative syndrome. In conclusion, the present study indicates that employment in schizophrenia is associated with better symptomatic remission and communication skills, but not with better neurocognition and social cognition

Mi-24 Helicopter Full Scale Fatigue Test Concept

This paper presents a general concept of the Full Scale Fatigue Test of the Mi-24 helicopter including the test layout and load distribution, as well as describes the milestones to be achieved. Additionally, some initial work conducted in order to determine both the mass and load distribution in the structure is described. The main goal of the test is to verify the low cycle fatigue life of the helicopter structure (fuselage, tail boom, wings and landing gear). The test will be divided into two main stages at which flight and landing loads will be applied. The authors demonstrate the general test concept, the helicopter’s structure fixture and the arrangement of the hydraulic actuators at both stages in order to achieve representative loads during the test. The proposed concept is based on AFIT’s previous experience in full scale structural testing, available literature and the experience of the test staff

Mi-24 Helicopter Full Scale Fatigue Test Concept

This paper presents a general concept of the Full Scale Fatigue Test of the Mi-24 helicopter including the test layout and load distribution, as well as describes the milestones to be achieved. Additionally, some initial work conducted in order to determine both the mass and load distribution in the structure is described. The main goal of the test is to verify the low cycle fatigue life of the helicopter structure (fuselage, tail boom, wings and landing gear). The test will be divided into two main stages at which flight and landing loads will be applied. The authors demonstrate the general test concept, the helicopter’s structure fixture and the arrangement of the hydraulic actuators at both stages in order to achieve representative loads during the test. The proposed concept is based on AFIT’s previous experience in full scale structural testing, available literature and the experience of the test staff

Mi-24 Helicopter Full Scale Fatigue Test Concept

This paper presents a general concept of the Full Scale Fatigue Test of the Mi-24 helicopter including the test layout and load distribution, as well as describes the milestones to be achieved. Additionally, some initial work conducted in order to determine both the mass and load distribution in the structure is described. The main goal of the test is to verify the low cycle fatigue life of the helicopter structure (fuselage, tail boom, wings and landing gear). The test will be divided into two main stages at which flight and landing loads will be applied. The authors demonstrate the general test concept, the helicopter’s structure fixture and the arrangement of the hydraulic actuators at both stages in order to achieve representative loads during the test. The proposed concept is based on AFIT’s previous experience in full scale structural testing, available literature and the experience of the test staff