A bilingual advantage in 54-month-olds’ use of referential cues in fast mapping

Research has demonstrated a bilingual advantage in how young children use referential cues such as eye gaze and pointing gesture to locate an object or to categorize objects. This study investigated the use of referential cues (i.e., eye gaze) in fast mapping in three groups of children that differed in their language exposure. One hundred and seven 54-month-old children who were English monolinguals (n=29), English-Mandarin bilinguals (n=48), and English-Mandarin bilinguals with exposure to a third language (i.e., trilinguals, n=31) were assessed with a wordlearning task using two types of tests – a referent test and a mutual exclusivity test. During the task, following the gaze of an adult speaker was needed to be able to indicate the correct referent of a novel word at test. All three groups of children demonstrated successful word learning in explicit selection of and implicit looking time toward the target object during testing. However, bilingual and trilingual children outperformed their monolingual peers in both types of tests when they were asked to explicitly select the correct objects. These findings suggest positive effects of bilingualism on children’s use of referential cues in fast mapping

Dynamic assessment of word learning skills of preschool children with primary language impairment

Dynamic assessment has been shown to have considerable theoretical and clinical significance in the assessment of socially disadvantaged and culturally and linguistically diverse children. In this study it is used to enhance assessment of pre-school children with primary language impairment. The purpose of the study was to determine whether a dynamic assessment (DA) has the potential to enhance the predictive capacity of a static measure of receptive vocabulary in pre-school children. Forty pre-school children were assessed using the static British Picture Vocabulary Scale (BPVS), a DA of word learning potential and an assessment of non-verbal cognitive ability. Thirty-seven children were followed up 6 months later and re-assessed using the BPVS. Although the predictive capacity of the static measure was found to be substantial, the DA increased this significantly especially for children with static scores below the 25th centile. The DA of children's word learning has the potential to add value to the static assessment of the child with low language skills, to predict subsequent receptive vocabulary skills and to increase the chance of correctly identifying children in need of ongoing support

PTMs in Conversation: Activity and Function of Deubiquitinating Enzymes Regulated via Post-Translational Modifications

Deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) constitute a diverse protein family and their impact on numerous biological and pathological processes has now been widely appreciated. Many DUB functions have to be tightly controlled within the cell, and this can be achieved in several ways, such as substrate-induced conformational changes, binding to adaptor proteins, proteolytic cleavage, and post-translational modifications (PTMs). This review is focused on the role of PTMs including monoubiquitination, sumoylation, acetylation, and phosphorylation as characterized and putative regulative factors of DUB function. Although this aspect of DUB functionality has not been yet thoroughly studied, PTMs represent a versatile and reversible method of controlling the role of DUBs in biological processes. In several cases PTMs might constitute a feedback mechanism insuring proper functioning of the ubiquitin proteasome system and other DUB-related pathways

Augmented material interfaces : exploring bidirectional microinteractions enabled by radical elements

Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2015.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 124-130).Advances in material science and miniaturization of electromechanical devices are liberating the surface of the embedded device from its rigid shell. These new modes of dynamic expression have to be coupled with sensing capabilities in order to create comprehensible interactions. This thesis explores the space of augmented materials that are bidirectional transducers, called radical elements. We present currently available radical elements that facilitate embodied interactions through sensing and actuation methods on the same modality. To exemplify how a radical element can be fabricated with simple materials, we present a thin film shape-changing composite uniMorph. It is based on a flexible circuit composite that is able to actuate its own shape by combining the thermo- electric characteristics of copper with the high thermal expansion rate of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. Finally, a taxonomy for augmented materials is presented that explores how new material capabilities can extend the perceived behavior of materials in the context of microinteractions. This thesis concludes with a survey of tangible interface projects in the design space of radical element enabled augmented materials.by Felix Heibeck.S.M

Wheel.

Patent for light weight wheels for use in wheelbarrows and trucks, which are capable of handling large, heavy loads and lubricating its own hub bearings

Process Simulation: Zinc and Cadmium production, Lead refining

A process simulation model for the production and purification of Zinc via the Roast-Leach-Electrowinning (RLE) process and the subsequent production of its byproduct, Cadmium. It also includes a process for the precipitation of jarosite, and produces residues that can be further processed for the production of Copper and Cobalt. The refining of crude Lead (Pb) bullion is included as a separate stand-alone section. The simulation was created using flowsheet configurations and operating parameters available in the public domain. Feed and product stream compositions are therefore metallurgically sound and representative of industrial operations that use the processes modelled. The simulation remains an abstraction of reality, however, and should be verified and adopted to the specific operation under consideration. The model was developed using the HSC Sim Flowsheet Module in HSC Chemistry 10 (version 10.0.0.5). (https://www.outotec.com/products-and-services/technologies/digital-solutions/hsc-chemistry/) Note: The authors do not accept responsibility for any errors. The onus is on the user to verify and validate results against the system being investigated, as system configurations and operating parameters differ from site to site