To Google or not : differences on how online searches predict names and faces

Word and face recognition are processes of interest for a large number of fields, including both clinical psychology and computer calculations. The research examined here aims to evaluate the role of an online frequency’s ability to predict both face and word recognition by examining the stability of these processes in a given amount of time. The study will further examine the differences between traditional theories and current contextual frequency approaches. Reaction times were recorded through both a logarithmic transformation and through a Bayesian approach. The Bayes factor notation was employed as an additional test to support the evidence provided by the data. Although differences between face and name recognition were found, the results suggest that latencies for both face and name recognition are stable for a period of six months and online news frequencies better predict reaction time for both classical frequentist analyses. These findings support the use of the contextual diversity approach

The small-world of 'Le Petit Prince': Revisiting the word frequency distribution

[EN] Many complex systems are naturally described through graph theory, and different kinds of systems described as networks present certain important characteristics in common. One of these features is the so-called scale-free distribution for its node s connectivity, which means that the degree distribution for the network s nodes follows a power law. Scale-free networks are usually referred to as small-world because the average distance between their nodes do not scale linearly with the size of the network, but logarithmically. Here we present a mathematical analysis on linguistics: the word frequency effect for different translations of the Le Petit Prince in different languages. Comparison of word association networks with random networks makes evident the discrepancy between the random Erdo¿s-Re¿ny model for graphs and real-world networks.Gamermann ., D.; Moret-Tatay, C.; Navarro Pardo, E.; Fernández De Córdoba, P. (2016). The small-world of 'Le Petit Prince': Revisiting the word frequency distribution. Digital Scholarship in the Humanities. 32(2):301-311. doi:10.1093/llc/fqw005S30131132

Word and Face recognition processing based on response times and ex-Gaussian components

[EN] The face is a fundamental feature of our identity. In humans, the existence of specialized processing modules for faces is now widely accepted. However, identifying the processes involved for proper names is more problematic. The aim of the present study is to examine which of the two treatments is produced earlier and whether the social abilities are influent. We selected 100 university students divided into two groups: Spanish and USA students. They had to recognize famous faces or names by using a masked priming task. An analysis of variance about the reaction times (RT) was used to determine whether significant differences could be observed in word or face recognition and between the Spanish or USA group. Additionally, and to examine the role of outliers, the Gaussian distribution has been modified exponentially. Famous faces were recognized faster than names, and differences were observed between Spanish and North American participants, but not for unknown distracting faces. The current results suggest that response times to face processing might be faster than name recognition, which supports the idea of differences in processing nature.Moret-Tatay, C.; Garcia-Ramos, D.; Saiz Mauleón, MB.; Gamermann, D.; Bertheaux, C.; Borg, C. (2021). Word and Face recognition processing based on response times and ex-Gaussian components. Entropy. 23(5):1-17. https://doi.org/10.3390/e23050580S11723

Differences between young and old university students on lexical decision task: evidence through an ex-Gaussian approach

This work compared two common variants of a lexical decision task (LDT) through two different analysis procedures: first, the classical ANOVA method, and second, by fitting the data to an ex-Gaussian distribution function. Two groups of participants (old and young university students) had to perform, blocks of go/no-go and yes/no tasks. Reaction times and error rates were much lower in the go/no-go task than in the yes/no task. Changes in the ex-Gaussian parameter related to attention were found with word frequency but not with the type of LDT tasks. These findings suggest that word frequency shows an attentional cost that is independent of age

Surface Functionalization of Metal-Organic Framework Crystals with Catechol Coatings for Enhanced Moisture Tolerance

Robust catechol coatings for enhanced moisture tolerance were produced in one step by direct reaction of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) with synthetic catechols. We ascribe the rapid formation of homogeneous coatings around the metal-organic framework particles to the biomimetic catalytic activity of Cu(II) dimers in the external surface of the crystals. Use of fluorinated catechols results in hydrophobic, permeable coatings that protect HKUST from water degradation while retaining close to 100% of its original sorption capacity

Tablas de probabilidad acumulada para la distribución ex-Gaussiana

[ES] La distribución ex-Gaussiana proporciona un buen ajuste a múltiples distribuciones asimétricas positivas, como el tiempo de reacción. Este ajuste es una herramienta útil para estimar los intervalos de confianza y determinar las pruebas de hipótesis para las variables asimétricas. A los efectos de desarrollar tablas para la prueba de significación, la distribución ex-Gaussiana fue parametrizada en términos promedio, desviación estándar y un nuevo parámetro de asimetría ¿ = ¿(t/2). Para este fin, x se estandarizó, tratando de normalizar la distribución ex-Gaussiana para un promedio 0 y desviación estándar 1. De este modo, la distribución presenta un solo un parámetro libre (0 ¿ ¿ < 1).[EN] The ex-Gaussian distribution provides a good fit to multiple empirical positive skewed distributions, such as reaction time. This fit is a useful tool when estimating confidence intervals and determining hypothesis testing for skewed variables. In order to create tables for significance testing, the ex-Gaussian distribution was parametrize in terms of its average, standard deviation and a new skewness parameter ¿ = ¿(t/2). To this end, x was standardized in order to normalize the ex-Gaussian distribution for average of 0 and standard deviation of 1. In this way, the distribution has only one free parameter (0 ¿ ¿ < 1).Moret-Tatay, C.; Gamermann, D.; Fernández De Córdoba, P. (2018). Tables for cumulative probability of the ex-Gaussian distribution. Nereis. Revista Iberoamericana Interdisciplinar de Métodos, Modelización y Simulación. 10:95-98. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/121790S95981

Surface Functionalization of Metal-Organic Frameworks for Improved Moisture Resistance

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of porous inorganic materials with promising properties in gas storage and separation, catalysis and sensing. However, the main issue limiting their applicability is their poor stability in humid conditions. The common methods to overcome this problem involve the formation of strong metal-linker bonds by using highly charged metals, which is limited to a number of structures, the introduction of alkylic groups to the framework by post-synthetic modification (PSM) or chemical vapour deposition (CVD) to enhance overall hydrophobicity of the framework. These last two usually provoke a drastic reduction of the porosity of the material. These strategies do not permit to exploit the properties of the MOF already available and it is imperative to find new methods to enhance the stability of MOFs in water while keeping their properties intact. Herein, we report a novel method to enhance the water stability of MOF crystals featuring Cu2(O2C)4 paddle-wheel units, such as HKUST (where HKUST stands for Hong Kong University of Science & Technology), with the catechols functionalized with alkyl and fluoro-alkyl chains. By taking advantage of the unsaturated metal sites and the catalytic catecholase-like activity of CuII ions, we are able to create robust hydrophobic coatings through the oxidation and subsequent polymerization of the catechol units on the surface of the crystals under anaerobic and water-free conditions without disrupting the underlying structure of the framework. This approach not only affords the material with improved water stability but also provides control over the function of the protective coating, which enables the development of functional coatings for the adsorption and separations of volatile organic compounds. We are confident that this approach could also be extended to other unstable MOFs featuring open metal sites

Bioinspired catechol-terminated self-assembled monolayers with enhanced adhesion properties

The role of the catechol moiety in the adhesive properties of mussel proteins and related synthetic materials has been extensively studied in the last years but still remains elusive. Here, a simplified model approach is presented based on a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of upward-facing catechols thiol-bound to epitaxial gold substrates. The orientation of the catechol moieties is confirmed by spectroscopy, which also showed lack of significant amounts of interfering o-quinones. Local force-distance curves on the SAM measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM) shows an average adhesion force of 45 nN, stronger than that of a reference polydopamine coating, along with higher reproducibility and less statistical dispersion. This is attributed to the superior chemical and topographical homogeneity of the SAM coating. Catechol-terminated SAMs are also obtained on high-roughness gold substrates that show the ability to assemble magnetic nanoparticles, despite their lack of enhanced adhesion at the molecular level. Finally, the influence of the catechol group on the formation and quality of the SAM is explored both theoretically (molecular dynamics simulations) and experimentally using direct-write AFM lithography.This work was supported by MICINN through projects MAT2012–38318-C03–02, MAT2012–38319-C02–01, CTQ2010–15380 and CONSOLIDER NANOSELECT CSD 2007–00041. M. G. thanks the CSIC for a predoctoral grant.Peer Reviewe

Metabolic Profile of chronic liver disease by NMR spectroscopy of human biopsies

Abstract Among the different processes occurring during the evolution of liver disease, fibrosis has a predominant role. Liver fibrosis mechanisms are fairly constant irrespective of the underlying etiology. Cirrhosis is the end-stage of this reaction. Metabolic profiles, which are affected by many physiological and pathological processes, may provide further insight into the metabolic consequences of this severe liver disease. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the applicability of 1H high resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) NMR spectroscopy in the biochemical profile determination of human liver needle biopsy samples for the characterization of metabolic alterations related to the severity of liver disease. We recorded and analyzed HR-MAS spectra of 68 liver tissue samples obtained by needle biopsy from patients with chronic liver disease. Multivariate analysis was applied to these data to obtain discrimination patterns and to reveal relevant metabolites. The metabolic characterization of liver tissue from needle biopsies by HR-MAS NMR spectroscopy provided differential patterns for cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic chronic liver disease tissue. Metabolites closely related to the liver metabolism such as some fatty acids, glucose and amino acids show differences between the two groups. Phospholipid precursors, which have been previously correlated with hepatic lesions also show differences. Furthermore, the correlation between histologically assessed liver disease stages and the levels of the most discriminative metabolites show that liver dysfunction is present at the initial stages of chronic hepatic lesions. Overall, this work suggests that the additional information obtained by NMR metabolomics applied to needle biopsies of human liver may be useful for assessing metabolic alterations and liver dysfunction in chronic liver disease