The strategy and motivational influences on the beneficial effect of neurostimulation: a tDCS and fNIRS study

The use and public knowledge of noninvasive neurostimulation is rapidly increasing. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive technique in which small amounts of current are passed through the cortex in order to change the resting state of underlying neurons. This technique has wide use in rehabilitation and research settings. Here we studied the use of tDCS in healthy younger adults. Our previous findings demonstrated that tDCS can improve working memory (WM) performance in some individuals. We learned that individual differences in education level and WM capacity modulate tDCS effects. In Experiment 1 and 2 we investigated why low WM capacity participants do not benefit or have reduced performance after tDCS. We also explored how tDCS affects cortical blood flow using functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). In Experiment 1 we examined how strategy use influences tDCS effects. The results demonstrated that active strategy use does not facilitate tDCS effects in low WM capacity participants. Conversely, the high WM capacity participants continued to improve. Furthermore, we found that only the high WM capacity participants had an increase in oxygenated blood flow following anodal tDCS regardless of strategy use. In Experiment 2 we investigated how motivation level modified tDCS effects. We found that motivation level promoted enhanced performance across tDCS conditions for both WM capacity groups. Interestingly, only the low WM capacity participants had an increase in oxygenated blood flow across all motivation and tDCS conditions. The results from all four experiences have important implications for future successful use of neurostimulation in both clinical and healthy populations

Faith Integration as Servant Leadership in the Communication College Classroom

The integration of faith and learning is often misunderstood. While the phrase is often used in Christian college circles, defining the phrase has proven challenging at times. While students may think it is just praying before class, there has to be more to it than just that. This essay defines integration as servant-leadership. Drawing upon critical pedagogy and the writings of several faith-based leadership authors, combined with real life experiences, I argue that the integration of faith and learning is a state-of-the-heart mindset of a true servant-leader

Mortification and Apodiorizo: Re-framing Apologia

Image restoration strategies and apologia have been used for years to explain how speakers engage in verbal self-defense. Kategoria has expanded our understanding of apologia when rhetors counter with an accusation to explain or justify their behavior. In recent years, however, a new tactic has emerged in apologia in which speakers admit to the transgression but then accuse the media of invading their privacy by stalking their families. Following the accusation, these speakers draw a boundary with the media and the audience regarding what the media can and cannot do. This strategy is unique because the rhetor does not attempt to create a scapegoat. The rhetor takes full responsibility for the transgression, sometimes even taunting the media to “come after me,” but then demands the media leave their family alone. This strategy of bringing a charge and drawing a boundary is absent in current image restoration literature. This essay will identify this new rhetorical posture as apodiorizo

Quantum mutual information of an entangled state propagating through a fast-light medium

Although it is widely accepted that classical information cannot travel faster than the speed of light in vacuum, the behavior of quantum correlations and quantum information propagating through actively-pumped fast-light media has not been studied in detail. To investigate this behavior, we send one half of an entangled state of light through a gain-assisted fast-light medium and detect the remaining quantum correlations. We show that the quantum correlations can be advanced by a small fraction of the correlation time while the entanglement is preserved even in the presence of noise added by phase-insensitive gain. Additionally, although we observe an advance of the peak of the quantum mutual information between the modes, we find that the degradation of the mutual information due to the added noise appears to prevent an advancement of the leading edge. In contrast, we show that both the leading and trailing edges of the mutual information in a slow-light system can be significantly delayed

At-Risk Students and Communication Skill Deficiencies: A Preliminary Study

Abstract Early research has explored the relationship between at-risk students and communication apprehension. Atrisk students have been found to have high levels of apprehension in a variety of communication settings. However, little attention has been given to exploring at-risk students perceptions of their communication skills and other areas of communication competency beyond general communication apprehension or fear of speaking. This study explores the relationship between at-risk students; self reported levels of communication competence, communication apprehension, and additional areas of communication skills such as selfmonitoring and verbal aggressiveness. The results of this study show that at-risk students tend to report having high communication competency levels, while testing very low on communication skill areas. Study implications and suggested areas for future research and curriculum development for teachers are explored

Exploring the nuclear pion dispersion relation through the anomalous coupling of photon to photon and neutral pion

We investigate the possibility of measuring the pion dispersion relation in nuclear matter through the anomalous coupling in the reaction \gamma - \gamma' \pi_0. It is shown that this reaction permits the study of pionic modes for space-like momenta. If the pion is softened in nuclear matter due to mixing with the delta-hole state, significant strength for this reaction is expected to move into the space-like region. Competing background processes are evaluated, and it is concluded that useful insight can be obtained experimentally, but only through a difficult exclusive measurement

Sodium Bose-Einstein Condensates in an Optical Lattice

The phase transition from a superfluid to a Mott insulator has been observed in a $^{23}$Na Bose-Einstein condensate. A dye laser detuned $\approx 5$nm red of the Na $3^2$S$\to 3^2$P$_{1/2}$ transition was used to form the three dimensional optical lattice. The heating effects of the small detuning as well as the three-body decay processes constrained the timescale of the experiment. Certain lattice detunings were found to induce a large loss of atoms. These loss features were shown to be due to photoassociation of atoms to vibrational levels in the Na$_2$ $(1) ^3\Sigma_g^+$ state.Comment: Figures somewhat compromised due to size reductio

High throughput profile-profile based fold recognition for the entire human proteome

BACKGROUND: In order to maintain the most comprehensive structural annotation databases we must carry out regular updates for each proteome using the latest profile-profile fold recognition methods. The ability to carry out these updates on demand is necessary to keep pace with the regular updates of sequence and structure databases. Providing the highest quality structural models requires the most intensive profile-profile fold recognition methods running with the very latest available sequence databases and fold libraries. However, running these methods on such a regular basis for every sequenced proteome requires large amounts of processing power. In this paper we describe and benchmark the JYDE (Job Yield Distribution Environment) system, which is a meta-scheduler designed to work above cluster schedulers, such as Sun Grid Engine (SGE) or Condor. We demonstrate the ability of JYDE to distribute the load of genomic-scale fold recognition across multiple independent Grid domains. We use the most recent profile-profile version of our mGenTHREADER software in order to annotate the latest version of the Human proteome against the latest sequence and structure databases in as short a time as possible. RESULTS: We show that our JYDE system is able to scale to large numbers of intensive fold recognition jobs running across several independent computer clusters. Using our JYDE system we have been able to annotate 99.9% of the protein sequences within the Human proteome in less than 24 hours, by harnessing over 500 CPUs from 3 independent Grid domains. CONCLUSION: This study clearly demonstrates the feasibility of carrying out on demand high quality structural annotations for the proteomes of major eukaryotic organisms. Specifically, we have shown that it is now possible to provide complete regular updates of profile-profile based fold recognition models for entire eukaryotic proteomes, through the use of Grid middleware such as JYDE

Model-assisted measurements of suspension-feeding flow velocities

Author Posting. © Company of Biologists, 2017. This article is posted here by permission of Company of Biologists for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Experimental Biology 220 (2017): 2096-2107, doi:10.1242/jeb.147934.Benthic marine suspension feeders provide an important link between benthic and pelagic ecosystems. The strength of this link is determined by suspension-feeding rates. Many studies have measured suspension-feeding rates using indirect clearance-rate methods, which are based on the depletion of suspended particles. Direct methods that measure the flow of water itself are less common, but they can be more broadly applied because, unlike indirect methods, direct methods are not affected by properties of the cleared particles. We present pumping rates for three species of suspension feeders, the clams Mya arenaria and Mercenaria mercenaria and the tunicate Ciona intestinalis, measured using a direct method based on particle image velocimetry (PIV). Past uses of PIV in suspension-feeding studies have been limited by strong laser reflections that interfere with velocity measurements proximate to the siphon. We used a new approach based on fitting PIV-based velocity profile measurements to theoretical profiles from computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models, which allowed us to calculate inhalant siphon Reynolds numbers (Re). We used these inhalant Re and measurements of siphon diameters to calculate exhalant Re, pumping rates, and mean inlet and outlet velocities. For the three species studied, inhalant Re ranged from 8 to 520, and exhalant Re ranged from 15 to 1073. Volumetric pumping rates ranged from 1.7 to 7.4 l h−1 for M. arenaria, 0.3 to 3.6 l h−1 for M. mercenaria and 0.07 to 0.97 l h−1 for C. intestinalis. We also used CFD models based on measured pumping rates to calculate capture regions, which reveal the spatial extent of pumped water. Combining PIV data with CFD models may be a valuable approach for future suspension-feeding studies.This research is part of a collaborative project (National Science Foundation grant OCE-1260232 to P.A.J., and grant OCE-1260199 to J. Crimaldi, University of Colorado). Funding was also provided by NSF grant OIA-1355457 to Maine EPSCoR at the University of Maine (D.C.B.).2018-05-3