Verbal fluency as a measure of lexico-semantic access and cognitive control in bilingual aphasia

The research on bilingual language processing explores two main avenues of relevance to the present study: lexico-semantic access and cognitive control. Lexico-semantic access research investigates the manner in which bilingual individuals retrieve single words from their lexical system. Healthy bilingual individuals can manipulate their lexico-semantic access to accommodate settings in which code- or language-switching is expected. Alternatively, they can manipulate their lexico-semantic access to speak only their first (L1) or second (L2) languages. Cognitive control, also known as executive functioning, is closely related to lexico-semantic access. Specifically, bilingual individuals maintain and switch between their languages through a mechanism known as cognitive control. Both cognitive control and lexico-semantic access are important for language processing in healthy bilingual individuals as well as bilingual persons with aphasia (BPWA). However, the extent to which BPWA utilize each of these processes in the production of single words is still unknown. The present study used a method of verbal fluency in the form of a novel modified category generation task to assess the relative contributions of lexico-semantic access and cognitive control in bilingual healthy controls and BPWA

Tapping the unexploited plant resources for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles

Development of biologically inspired experimental processes for the synthesis of nanoparticles is evolving into an important branch of nanotechnology. The bioreduction behaviour of various plant leafextracts such as Helianthus annus (Asteraceae), Basella alba (Basellaceae), Oryza sativa, Saccharum officinarum, Sorghum bicolour and Zea mays (Poaceae) in the synthesis of silver nanoparticles wasinvestigated employing UV/Visible spectrophotometry, XRD (X-ray diffraction) and SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy). H. annus was found to exhibit strong potential for rapid reduction of silver ions. It was observed that there is no correlation always between the colour development and the increase in absorbance exhibited by the nanometal synthesised. The work adds to the confirmation of previous reports on biosynthesis of nanometals using plant leaf extracts

Synthesis and Characterization of Magnetic Metal-encapsulated Multi-walled Carbon Nanobeads

A novel, cost-effective, easy and single-step process for the synthesis of large quantities of magnetic metal-encapsulated multi-walled carbon nanobeads (MWNB) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) using catalytic chemical vapour deposition of methane over Mischmetal-based AB3alloy hydride catalyst is presented. The growth mechanism of metal-encapsulated MWNB and MWNT has been discussed based on the catalytically controlled root-growth mode. These carbon nanostructures have been characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM and HRTEM), energy dispersive analysis of X-ray (EDAX) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Magnetic properties of metal-filled nanobeads have been studied using PAR vibrating sample magnetometer up to a magnetic field of 10 kOe, and the results have been compared with those of metal-filled MWNT

Real-Time Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station High-Resolution Model Implementation and Verification

Customer: NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP), Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO), and Space Launch System (SLS) programs. NASA's LSP, GSDO, SLS and other programs at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) use the daily and weekly weather forecasts issued by the 45th Weather Squadron (45 WS) as decision tools for their day-to-day and launch operations on the Eastern Range (ER). For example, to determine if they need to limit activities such as vehicle transport to the launch pad, protect people, structures or exposed launch vehicles given a threat of severe weather, or reschedule other critical operations. The 45 WS uses numerical weather prediction models as a guide for these weather forecasts, particularly the Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) 1.67 kilometer Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Considering the 45 WS forecasters' and Launch Weather Officers' (LWO) extensive use of the AFWA model, the 45 WS proposed a task at the September 2013 Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU) Tasking Meeting requesting the AMU verify this model. Due to the lack of archived model data available from AFWA, verification is not yet possible. Instead, the AMU proposed to implement and verify the performance of an ER version of the AMU high-resolution WRF Environmental Modeling System (EMS) model (Watson 2013) in real-time. The tasking group agreed to this proposal; therefore the AMU implemented the WRF-EMS model on the second of two NASA AMU modeling clusters. The model was set up with a triple-nested grid configuration over KSC/CCAFS based on previous AMU work (Watson 2013). The outer domain (D01) has 12-kilometer grid spacing, the middle domain (D02) has 4-kilometer grid spacing, and the inner domain (D03) has 1.33-kilometer grid spacing. The model runs a 12-hour forecast every hour, D01 and D02 domain outputs are available once an hour and D03 is every 15 minutes during the forecast period. The AMU assessed the WRF-EMS 1.33-kilometer domain model performance for the 2014 warm season (May-September). Verification statistics were computed using the Model Evaluation Tools, which compared the model forecasts to observations. The mean error values were close to 0 and the root mean square error values were less than 1.8 for mean sea-level pressure (millibars), temperature (degrees Kelvin), dewpoint temperature (degrees Kelvin), and wind speed (per millisecond), all very small differences between the forecast and observations considering the normal magnitudes of the parameters. The precipitation forecast verification results showed consistent under-forecasting of the precipitation object size. This could be an artifact of calculating the statistics for each hour rather than for the entire 12-hour period. The AMU will continue to generate verification statistics for the 1.33-kilometer WRF-EMS domain as data become available in future cool and warm seasons. More data will produce more robust statistics and reveal a more accurate assessment of model performance. Once the formal task was complete, the AMU conducted additional work to better understand the wind direction results. The results were stratified diurnally and by wind speed to determine what effects the stratifications would have on the model wind direction verification statistics. The results are summarized in the addendum at the end of this report. In addition to verifying the model's performance, the AMU also made the output available in the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System II (AWIPS II). This allows the 45 WS and AMU staff to customize the model output display on the AMU and Range Weather Operations AWIPS II client computers and conduct real-time subjective analyses. In the future, the AMU will implement an updated version of the WRF-EMS model that incorporates local data assimilation. This model will also run in real-time and be made available in AWIPS II

How Outer Coordination Sphere Modifications Can Impact Metal Structures in Proteins: A Crystallographic Evaluation

A challenging objective of de novo metalloprotein design is to control of the outer coordination spheres of an active site to fine tune metal properties. The well‐defined three stranded coiled coils, TRI and CoilSer peptides, are used to address this question. Substitution of Cys for Leu yields a thiophilic site within the core. Metals such as HgII, PbII, and AsIII result in trigonal planar or trigonal pyramidal geometries; however, spectroscopic studies have shown that CdII forms three‐, four‐ or five‐coordinate CdIIS3(OH2)x (in which x=0–2) when the outer coordination spheres are perturbed. Unfortunately, there has been little crystallographic examination of these proteins to explain the observations. Here, the high‐resolution X‐ray structures of apo‐ and mercurated proteins are compared to explain the modifications that lead to metal coordination number and geometry variation. It reveals that Ala substitution for Leu opens a cavity above the Cys site allowing for water excess, facilitating CdIIS3(OH2). Replacement of Cys by Pen restricts thiol rotation, causing a shift in the metal‐binding plane, which displaces water, forming CdIIS3. Residue d‐Leu, above the Cys site, reorients the side chain towards the Cys layer, diminishing the space for water accommodation yielding CdIIS3, whereas d‐Leu below opens more space, allowing for equal CdIIS3(OH2) and CdIIS3(OH2)2. These studies provide insights into how to control desired metal geometries in metalloproteins by using coded and non‐coded amino acids.Controlling coordination geometries: The high‐resolution X‐ray structures of apo‐ and mercurated proteins were compared to explain the modifications that lead to metal coordination number and geometry variation. These studies provide insights into how to control desired metal geometries in metalloproteins by using coded and noncoded amino acids.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149308/1/chem201806040-sup-0001-misc_information.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149308/2/chem201806040.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149308/3/chem201806040_am.pd

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF JATROPHA CURCAS LINN.

Jatropha curcas Linn., a Bio-diesel plant known for various medicinal uses in folklore has been evaluated for few pharmacological aspects. The plant is being collected, dried and extracted by maceration method with ethanol and water. They were concentrated using vacuum distillation and the extracts were used for the evaluation of anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antibacterial activity using Formalin induced paw edema method, eddy’s hot plate method and disc diffusion method respectively. The analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity of bark water extract and leaf water extract was found significant at P<0.05 and P<0.001 respectively. The maximum analgesic effect was observed at 60min at 300mg/kg (i.p) and was similar to that of standard aspirin (50mg/kg). The edema inhibition effect was 100% for leaf water extract (300mg/kg) after 24hrs and was found effective when compared with standard Ibuprofen (50mg/kg). The antibacterial activity was also found effective at 10mg/ml

Asymmetric Flexible Supercapacitor Stack

Electrical double layer supercapacitor is very significant in the field of electrical energy storage which can be the solution for the current revolution in the electronic devices like mobile phones, camera flashes which needs flexible and miniaturized energy storage device with all non-aqueous components. The multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) have been synthesized by catalytic chemical vapor deposition technique over hydrogen decrepitated Mischmetal (Mm) based AB3alloy hydride. The polymer dispersed MWNTs have been obtained by insitu polymerization and the metal oxide/MWNTs were synthesized by sol-gel method. Morphological characterizations of polymer dispersed MWNTs have been carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM and HRTEM). An assymetric double supercapacitor stack has been fabricated using polymer/MWNTs and metal oxide/MWNTs coated over flexible carbon fabric as electrodes and nafion®membrane as a solid electrolyte. Electrochemical performance of the supercapacitor stack has been investigated using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

A prospective study of single versus recurrent episodes of typical febrile seizure among children attending a tertiary care hospital

Background: Recurrence in the febrile seizures is a significant problem after the seizure episode, and there is up to 30% chance of recurrence after the first episode and 50% chance after 2 or more episodes. Objective: The objective of the study is to do a comparative study of sociodemographic and hematologic profile of children aged 6 months–60 months admitted with single and recurrent episodes of typical febrile seizures. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in a tertiary care setting for a period of 2 and a ½ years. History, physical examination and hematologic investigations such as hemoglobin estimation, blood indices, and blood picture were done in all the study participants. Frequency of recurrence after the first episode cases was noted at 1 year after the seizure episode. Results: Of 121 total cases, 53.7% were of first, and 46.3% were of recurrent episodes of typical febrile seizure. Statistically, significant difference was noted in the age (p<0.001) and gender distribution (p<0.001). Statistically significant difference was noted between two groups regarding family history of seizure disorder (p=0.017), consanguinity (p=0.049), undernutrition (p=0.009), stunting (p=0.002), and anemia (p=0.027). Follow-up revealed recurrence of seizures in 13.8% after the first episode. Conclusion: Recurrence was noted in 13.8% of children with a first typical febrile seizure. We also found a significant association of recurrent episodes with age, gender, family history of seizure disorder, consanguinity, undernutrition, stunting, and anemia

The relationship between patient volume and mortality in NSW major trauma service hospitals

Introduction: Conventional wisdom is that Major Trauma Services (MTS) treating larger volumes of severe trauma patients will have better outcomes than lower volume centres, but recent studies from Europe have questioned this relationship. We aimed to determine if there is a relationship between patient volume and outcome in New South Wales (NSW) MTS hospitals. Materials and Methods: Retrospective observational study using data from the NSW State Trauma Registry from 2010 to 2019 inclusive. Adult patients with Injury Severity Score &gt;15 transported directly to a NSW MTS were included. Outcome measures were mortality at hospital discharge, and intensive care unit and hospital length of stay. Generalised estimating equation models were created to determine the adjusted relationship between patient volume and the main outcome measures. Results: The mean annual patient volume of the MTS ranged from 127.4 to 282.0 patients whilst the observed mortality rates p.a. ranged from 10.4 % to 17.19 %. Multivariate analysis, using low volume MTS as the reference, did not demonstrate a significant difference in mortality between high and low volume MTS (adjusted OR: 1.14 95 % CI: 0.98–1.25, P = 0.087). There was however a significant correlation between volume and length of hospital stay (adjusted β; 0.024, 95 % CI, 0.182 – 1.089, P = 0.006). Conclusions: There was no mortality difference between high and low volume MTS demonstrated. Length of hospital stay significantly increased with increasing volume however.</p

Closed Loop Fuzzy Logic Control of 3-∅ BLDC Motor Driven by High Voltage Gain Interleaved Boost Converter

This paper deals the Brush Less DC Motor (BLCDM) driven by an efficient closed loop fuzzy logic based high voltage gain interleaved boost converter. The proposed high voltage gain interleaved boost converter in this paper is to boosts an input DC voltage to required DC output voltage. The proposed converter performs the inverter operation to drive the BLCDM. For fine tuning and dynamic responses of BLDCM, such as speed, torque, stator current and stator voltage an improved closed loop fuzzy logic control method is adapted in this paper. The control technique is modeled and simulated in MATLAB 2009a GUI environment using Simulink and Sim Power System set tool boxes.  Finally the resultant simulation waveforms shows some more accuracy with the proposed closed loop fuzzy logic control technique as compared with conventional control techniques. The control techniques to drive the BLDCM are modeled and simulated in MATLAB 2009a GUI environment using Simulink and Sim Power System set tool boxe