Semantic context and visual feature effects in object naming: an fMRI study using arterial spin labeling

Previous behavioral studies reported a robust effect of increased naming latencies when objects to be named were blocked within semantic category, compared to items blocked between category. This semantic context effect has been attributed to various mechanisms including inhibition or excitation of lexico-semantic representations and incremental learning of associations between semantic features and names, and is hypothesized to increase demands on verbal self-monitoring during speech production. Objects within categories also share many visual structural features, introducing a potential confound when interpreting the level at which the context effect might occur. Consistent with previous findings, we report a significant increase in response latencies when naming categorically related objects within blocks, an effect associated with increased perfusion fMRI signal bilaterally in the hippocampus and in the left middle to posterior superior temporal cortex. No perfusion changes were observed in the middle section of the left middle temporal cortex, a region associated with retrieval of lexical–semantic information in previous object naming studies. Although a manipulation of visual feature similarity did not influence naming latencies, we observed perfusion increases in the perirhinal cortex for naming objects with similar visual features that interacted with the semantic context in which objects were named. These results provide support for the view that the semantic context effect in object naming occurs due to an incremental learning mechanism, and involves increased demands on verbal self-monitoring

Independent distractor frequency and age-of-acquisition effects in picture-word interference: fMRI evidence for post-lexical and lexical accounts according to distractor type

In two fMRI experiments, participants named pictures with superimposed distractors that were high or low in frequency or varied in terms of age of acquisition. Pictures superimposed with low-frequency words were named more slowly than those superimposed with high-frequency words, and late-acquired words interfered with picture naming to a greater extent than early-acquired words. The distractor frequency effect (Experiment 1) was associated with increased activity in left premotor and posterior superior temporal cortices, consistent with the operation of an articulatory response buffer and verbal self-monitoring system. Conversely, the distractor age-of-acquisition effect (Experiment 2) was associated with increased activity in the left middle and posterior middle temporal cortex, consistent with the operation of lexical level processes such as lemma and phonological word form retrieval. The spatially dissociated patterns of activity across the two experiments indicate that distractor effects in picture–word interference may occur at lexical or postlexical levels of processing in speech production

Effects of prevention and harm reduction interventions on gambling behaviours and gambling related harm: An umbrella review

Background Harms related to gambling have been found not only to affect problem gamblers, but also to occur amongst low- and moderate-risk gamblers. This has resulted in calls for a public health approach to address a possible ‘prevention paradox’ in gambling related harm. The aim of this study was to evaluate the systematic review evidence base on the effects of prevention and harm reduction interventions on gambling behaviours, and gambling related harm. We also aimed to examine differential effects of interventions across socio-demographic groups. Methods Systematic methods were used to locate and evaluate published systematic reviews of prevention and harm reduction interventions. We designed the review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Equity extension Guidelines. Four databases were searched from their start date until May 2018. The quality of the included articles was determined using A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews (AMSTAR 2). Results Ten systematic reviews were identified reporting 55 unique relevant primary studies. Much of the review evidence-base related to pre-commitment and limit setting (24%), self-exclusion (20%), youth prevention programmes (20%), and machine messages/feedback (20%). The effectiveness of harm reduction interventions are limited by the extent to which users adhere to voluntary systems. Less than half of studies examining youth prevention programmes demonstrated positive effects on behaviour. No review extracted data or reported on the differential effects of intervention strategies across sociodemographic groups. The quality of the included reviews (and their primary studies) were generally poor and clear gaps in the evidence base have been highlighted. Conclusions The evidence base is dominated by evaluations of individual-level harm reduction interventions, with a paucity of research on supply reduction interventions. Review conclusions are limited by the quality and robustness of the primary research. Future research should consider the equity effects of intervention strategies

Stimulation of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex Enhances adaptive cognitive control: a high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation study

Conflict adaptation is a hallmark effect of adaptive cognitive control and refers to the adjustment of control to the level of previously experienced conflict. Conflict monitoring theory assumes that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is causally involved in this adjustment. However,to date, evidence in humans is predominantly correlational, and heterogeneous with respecttothe lateralization of control in the DLPFC. We used high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS), which allows for more focal current delivery than conventional tDCS, to clarify the causal involvement of the DLPFC in conflict adaptation. Specifically, we investigated the regional specificity and lateralization of potential beneficial stimulation effects on conflict adaptation during a visual flanker task. One hundred twenty healthy participants were assigned to four HD-tDCS conditions: left or right DLPFC or left or right primary motor cortex (M1). Each group underwent both active and sham HD-tDCS in crossover, double-blind designs. We obtained a sizeable conflict adaptation effect (measured as the modulation of the flanker effect as a function of previous response conflict) in all groups and conditions. However,this effect was larger under active HD-tDCSthan under sham stimulation in both DLPFC groups. In contrast, active stimulation had no effect on conflict adaptation in the M1 groups. In sum, the present results indicate that the DLPFC plays a causal role in adaptive cognitive control, but that the involvement of DLPFC in control is not restricted to the left or right hemisphere. Moreover, our study confirms the potential of HD-tDCS to modulate cognition in a regionally specific manner

Liquid Phase Hydrodechlorination of Dieldrin and DDT over Pd/C and Raney-Ni

Selectivity and product distribution of hydrodechlorination (HDCl) of dieldrin and DDT are studied in different liquid phase systems, namely in: (1) in ethanol; and (2) in the supported ionic liquid heterogeneous catalytic system (multiphase system), composed by the organic phase and aqueous KOH, a quaternary ammonium ionic liquid promoter (Aliquat 336), and a metal catalyst, e.g. 5% Pd/C, 5% Pt/C, or Raney-Ni. At 50 8C and atmospheric pressure of hydrogen, a quantitative hydrodechlorination of DDT in the biphasic system with ionic liquid layer is achieved in 40 min and in 4 h with Raney-Ni and Pd/C, respectively, while the reaction on Pt/C or on Pd/C without Aliquat 336 is slow. Dieldrin undergoes partial dechlorination, with high selectivity achievable only for its mono- and bi-dechlorination products. Dechlorination pathways and reactivity of different types of organic chlorine atoms versus the catalyst nature and other conditions are discussed

Heritability of working memory brain activation

Although key to understanding individual variation in task-related brain activation, the genetic contribution to these individual differences remains largely unknown. Here we report voxel-by-voxel genetic model fitting in a large sample of 319 healthy, young adult, human identical and fraternal twins (mean ± SD age, 23.6 ± 1.8 years) who performed an n-back working memory task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at a high magnetic field (4 tesla). Patterns of task-related brain response (BOLD signal difference of 2-back minus 0-back) were significantly heritable, with the highest estimates (40–65%) in the inferior, middle, and superior frontal gyri, left supplementary motor area, precentral and postcentral gyri, middle cingulate cortex, superior medial gyrus, angular gyrus, superior parietal lobule, including precuneus, and superior occipital gyri. Furthermore, high test-retest reliability for a subsample of 40 twins indicates that nongenetic variance in the fMRI brain response is largely due to unique environmental influences rather than measurement error. Individual variations in activation of the working memory network are therefore significantly influenced by genetic factors. By establishing the heritability of cognitive brain function in a large sample that affords good statistical power, and using voxel-by-voxel analyses, this study provides the necessary evidence for task-related brain activation to be considered as an endophenotype for psychiatric or neurological disorders, and represents a substantial new contribution to the field of neuroimaging genetics. These genetic brain maps should facilitate discovery of gene variants influencing cognitive brain function through genome-wide association studies, potentially opening up new avenues in the treatment of brain disorders

3-Fluoro-N-(3-fluoro­benzo­yl)-N-(2-pyrid­yl)benzamide

The title compound, C19H12F2N2O2, a 2:1 product of the reaction of 3-fluoro­benzoyl­chloride and 2-amino­pyridine crystallizes with a disordered 3-fluoro­benzene ring adopting two conformations [ratio of occupancies 0.959 (4):0.041 (4)]. In the crystal structure, there are no classical hydrogen bonds and inter­actions comprise C—H⋯O in the form 2(C—H)⋯O=C [with motif R 2 1(5)]; C—H⋯π(arene) inter­actions are also present

The Grizzly, September 9, 2010

Phi Kappa Sigma Wins Ultimate Honor • Berman Museum Celebrates Opening of Pfeiffer Wing • Board of Trustees Continues Search for New President • Campus Activities Board Gets the Party Started with a Little Foam • Insider\u27s View to Avoiding the Dreaded Freshman 15 • Living Your Truth with Jenny Boylan • Opinions: Opting Out of Greek Life at Ursinus; Going Greek Without any Regrets; New Wismer Brings Mixed Feelings • UC Women\u27s Soccer Off to Strong Start within Conference • Football Takes Season One Game at a Timehttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1816/thumbnail.jp

An fMRI investigation of the effects of attempted naming on word retrieval in aphasia

In healthy controls, picture naming performance can be facilitated by a single prior exposure to the same picture ("priming"). This priming phenomenon is utilized in the treatment of aphasia, which often includes repeated picture naming as part of a therapeutic task. The current study sought to determine whether single and/or multiple exposures facilitate subsequent naming in aphasia and whether such facilitatory effects act through normal priming mechanisms. A functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigm was employed to explore the beneficial effects of attempted naming in two individuals with aphasia and a control group. The timing and number of prior exposures was manipulated, with investigation of both short-term effects (single prior exposure over a period of minutes) and long-term effects (multiple presentations over a period of days). Following attempted naming, both short-term and long-term facilitated items showed improvement for controls, while only the long-term condition showed benefits at a behavioral level for the participants with aphasia. At a neural level, effects of long-term facilitation were noted in the left precuneus for one participant with aphasia, a result also identified for the equivalent contrast in controls. It appears that multiple attempts are required to improve naming performance in the presence of anomia and that for some individuals with aphasia the source of facilitation may be similar to unimpaired mechanisms engaged outside the language network

2-Fluoro-N-(2-fluoro­benzo­yl)-N-(2-pyrid­yl)benzamide

The title compound, C19H12F2N2O2, a 2:1 product of the reaction of 2-fluoro­benzoyl chloride and 2-amino­pyridine, crystallizes with a disordered 2-fluoro­benzene ring adopting two conformations [ratio of occupancies = 0.930 (4):0.070 (4)] in one of the two independent mol­ecules (differing slightly in conformation) comprising the asymmetric unit. In the crystal structure, C—H⋯O and C—H⋯π(arene) inter­actions are present