Disorders of lexical access and production

Disorders of lexical access are characterized by inconsistent lexical access such that individuals successfully comprehend or produce a word in some contexts but fail on other occasions. Therefore, the lexical representations are thought to be intact, but their retrieval or activation is impaired and/or competing representations are not effectively managed. Lexical access deficits are most well-studied in individuals with aphasia, though some degree of lexical access difficulty can occur in a wide variety of neurogenic and developmental disorders, as well as in typical aging. This chapter focuses on the intersections of language, cognitive control, and memory: (1) how inhibition of lexical competitors and selection among competitors may explain some lexical access deficit phenomena, and (2) learning and retrieval processes in lexical access deficits from both basic research and translational application perspectives

Advances in Identifying Beryllium Sensitization and Disease

Beryllium is a lightweight metal with unique qualities related to stiffness, corrosion resistance, and conductivity. While there are many useful applications, researchers in the 1930s and l940s linked beryllium exposure to a progressive occupational lung disease. Acute beryllium disease is a pulmonary irritant response to high exposure levels, whereas chronic beryllium disease (CBD) typically results from a hypersensitivity response to lower exposure levels. A blood test, the beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test (BeLPT), was an important advance in identifying individuals who are sensitized to beryllium (BeS) and thus at risk for developing CBD. While there is no true “gold standard” for BeS, basic epidemiologic concepts have been used to advance our understanding of the different screening algorithms

Plasma protein biomarkers for depression and schizophrenia by multi analyte profiling of case-control collections.

Despite significant research efforts aimed at understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of psychiatric disorders, the diagnosis and the evaluation of treatment of these disorders are still based solely on relatively subjective assessment of symptoms. Therefore, biological markers which could improve the current classification of psychiatry disorders, and in perspective stratify patients on a biological basis into more homogeneous clinically distinct subgroups, are highly needed. In order to identify novel candidate biological markers for major depression and schizophrenia, we have applied a focused proteomic approach using plasma samples from a large case-control collection. Patients were diagnosed according to DSM criteria using structured interviews and a number of additional clinical variables and demographic information were assessed. Plasma samples from 245 depressed patients, 229 schizophrenic patients and 254 controls were submitted to multi analyte profiling allowing the evaluation of up to 79 proteins, including a series of cytokines, chemokines and neurotrophins previously suggested to be involved in the pathophysiology of depression and schizophrenia. Univariate data analysis showed more significant p-values than would be expected by chance and highlighted several proteins belonging to pathways or mechanisms previously suspected to be involved in the pathophysiology of major depression or schizophrenia, such as insulin and MMP-9 for depression, and BDNF, EGF and a number of chemokines for schizophrenia. Multivariate analysis was carried out to improve the differentiation of cases from controls and identify the most informative panel of markers. The results illustrate the potential of plasma biomarker profiling for psychiatric disorders, when conducted in large collections. The study highlighted a set of analytes as candidate biomarker signatures for depression and schizophrenia, warranting further investigation in independent collections

Highway Performance Monitoring System Traffic Data for High-Volume Routes: Best Practices and Guidelines

The primary purpose of the Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) is to serve data and information needs to reflect the condition and operating characteristics of the nation\u2019s highways. HPMS data support the analyses needed for the biennial condition and performance reports to Congress. One of the required data elements for the HPMS program is vehicle-miles traveled (VMT). VMT is derived from average annual daily traffic (AADT), so an accurate measure of AADT is essential. Traffic data collected on the highest volume routes have the most significant impact since these data represent a large share of total statewide and national travel. These routes are also often the most difficult locations to monitor. State and public agencies use various strategies to develop effective counting programs at these locations. The objective of this project is to investigate and document information that can be shared with states on various procedures being used to estimate and report traffic data on high-volume routes. This study focuses on the accurate collection of traffic data on high-volume routes, as well as the processes that accompany the collection of these data. The study develops best practices and guidelines for improving the quality of AADT estimates on these high-volume routes

Spectrally-resolved Imaging of the Transverse Modes in Multimode VCSELs

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) enable a range of applications such as data transmission, trace sensing, atomic clocks, and optical mice. For many of these applications, the output power and beam quality are both critical (i.e. high output power with good beam quality is desired). Multi-mode VCSELs offer much higher power than single-mode devices, but this comes at the expense of lower beam quality. Directly observing the resolved mode structure of multi-mode VCSELs would enable engineers to better understand the underlying physics and help them to develop multi-mode devices with improved beam quality. In this work, a low-cost, high-resolution (\u3c3 \u3epm) Echelle grating spectrometer system is used to map the two-dimensional VCSEL near-field emission profile. The system spectrally disperses the VCSEL beam and images it with high magnification onto a CMOS camera. The narrow spectral content of each LP mode allows direct observation of the modal content of the VCSEL

Case Studies and Annotated Bibliography of Truck Accident Countermeasures on Urban Freeways

DTFH61-90-C-00029To address the growing problem of congestion caused by incidents, especially truck-involved incidents, this study was undertaken to identify truck accident countermeasures which have been used nationwide. Desired conditions surrounding implemented countermeasures in this study included urban freeway volumes of 95,000 vehicles per day or higher, a significant number of trucks in the traffic stream (typically 5% or more), and countermeasures involving road design. The study omitted countermeasures directly related to the vehicle and the driver. This project included the following steps: literature search, telephone survey, and field visits to selected sites. The information collected by this project is intended to assist agencies in identifying, selecting, and implementing truck accident countermeasures. Information was gathered on the following truck accident countermeasures: lane restrictions, separate truck roadways, urban inspection stations, ramp treatments, major incident response and clearance, and truck bans/diversion and time restrictions. The detailed information found in this document is summarized in the final report, FHWA-RD-92-059 (TRIS 662764)

Potential Applications to Expand the Texas Connected Freight Corridors System

0-7125The Texas Connected Freight Corridors (TCFC) system is a connected vehicle (CV) environment that seeks to improve safety and mobility for the Texas Triangle, which consists of the Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Laredo metropolitan regions. The TCFC project is a baseline effort to develop and deliver six initial applications for use by vehicle fleets. The applications selected for deployment include advanced travel information systems, queue warning, work zone warning, wrong-way driving, road weather warning, and freight signal priority. This project expands the initial TCFC system by considering additional CV applications for inclusion and consideration. Project activities included reviewing existing CV efforts and pursuits, surveying key private stakeholders operating within the TCFC system, assessing the effectiveness and financial feasibility, and outlining the next steps for procurement and implementation

People of the British Isles: preliminary analysis of genotypes and surnames in a UK control population

There is a great deal of interest in fine scale population structure in the UK, both as a signature of historical immigration events and because of the effect population structure may have on disease association studies. Although population structure appears to have a minor impact on the current generation of genome-wide association studies, it is likely to play a significant part in the next generation of studies designed to search for rare variants. A powerful way of detecting such structure is to control and document carefully the provenance of the samples involved. Here we describe the collection of a cohort of rural UK samples (The People of the British Isles), aimed at providing a well-characterised UK control population that can be used as a resource by the research community as well as providing fine scale genetic information on the British population. So far, some 4,000 samples have been collected, the majority of which fit the criteria of coming from a rural area and having all four grandparents from approximately the same area. Analysis of the first 3,865 samples that have been geocoded indicates that 75% have a mean distance between grandparental places of birth of 37.3km, and that about 70% of grandparental places of birth can be classed as rural. Preliminary genotyping of 1,057 samples demonstrates the value of these samples for investigating fine scale population structure within the UK, and shows how this can be enhanced by the use of surnames

How Can the EU Beating Cancer Plan Help in Tackling Lung Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Breast Cancer and Melanoma?

Cancer is the second leading cause of mortality in EU countries, and the needs to tackle cancer are obvious. New scientific understanding, techniques and methodologies are opening up horizons for significant improvements in diagnosis and care. However, take-up is uneven, research needs and potential outstrip currently available resources, manifestly beneficial practices—such as population-level screening for lung cancer—are still not generalised, and the quality of life of patients and survivors is only beginning to be given attention it merits. This paper, mainly based on a series of multistakeholder expert workshops organised by the European Alliance for Personalised Medicine (EAPM), looks at some of those specifics in the interest of planning a way forward. Part of this exercise also involves taking account of the specific nature of Europe and its constituent countries, where the complexities of planning a way forward are redoubled by the wide variations in national and regional approaches to cancer, local epidemiology and the wide disparities in health systems. Despite all the differences between cancers and national and regional resources and approaches to cancer care, there is a common objective in pursuing broader and more equal access to the best available care for all European citizens