The exponent of the non-abelian tensor square and related constructions of pp-groups

Let $G$ be a finite $p$-group. In this paper we obtain bounds for the exponent of the non-abelian tensor square $G \otimes G$ and of $\nu(G)$, which is a certain extension of $G \otimes G$ by $G \times G$. In particular, we bound $\exp(\nu(G))$ in terms of $\exp(\nu(G/N))$ and $\exp(N)$ when $G$ admits some specific normal subgroup $N$. We also establish bounds for $\exp(G \otimes G)$ in terms of $\exp(G)$ and either the nilpotency class or the coclass of the group $G$, improving some existing bounds

Determining changes in visual behavior resulting from visual training

Determining changes in visual behavior resulting from visual trainin

UV irradiated graphene-based nanocomposites: Change in the mechanical properties by local harmoniX atomic force microscopy detection

Epoxy based coatings are susceptible to ultra violet (UV) damage and their durability can be significantly reduced in outdoor environments. This paper highlights a relevant property of graphene-based nanoparticles: Graphene Nanoplatelets (GNPs) incorporated in an epoxy-based free-standing film determine a strong decrease of the mechanical damages caused by UV irradiation. The effects of UV light on the morphology and mechanical properties of the solidified nanocharged epoxy films are investigated by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), in the acquisition mode "HarmoniX." Nanometric-resolved maps of the mechanical properties of the multi-phase material evidence that the incorporation of low percentages, between 0.1% and 1.0% by weight, of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) in the polymeric film causes a relevant enhancement in the mechanical stability of the irradiated films. The beneficial effect progressively increases with increasing GNP percentage. The paper also highlights the potentiality of AFM microscopy, in the acquisition mode "HarmoniX" for studying multiphase polymeric systems

Mental State Inferences Abilities Contribution to Verbal Irony Comprehension in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment

Objective. The present study examined mentalizing capacities as well as the relative implication of mentalizing in the comprehension of ironic and sincere assertions among 30 older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 30 healthy control (HC) subjects. Method. Subjects were administered a task evaluating mentalizing by means of short stories. A verbal irony comprehension task, in which participants had to identify ironic or sincere statements within short stories, was also administered; the design of the task allowed uniform implication of mentalizing across the conditions. Results. Findings indicated that participants with MCI have second-order mentalizing difficulties compared to HC subjects. Moreover, MCI participants were impaired compared to the HC group in identifying ironic or sincere stories, both requiring mental inference capacities. Conclusion. This study suggests that, in individuals with MCI, difficulties in the comprehension of ironic and sincere assertions are closely related to second-order mentalizing deficits. These findings support previous data suggesting a strong relationship between irony comprehension and mentalizing

Indications and Limits of Surgery for Spinal Metastases Derived from Lung Cancer: A Single-Center Experience

Lung cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer in the world, and surgery is an integral part of the treatment for spinal metastases. The aims of this retrospective study were to assess the overall survival of surgically treated patients affected by lung cancer spinal metastases and identify any factors related to a better survival rate. We recruited 56 consecutive patients (34 male and 22 female) surgically treated for metastatic lung cancer in the spine from 2009 to 2019. Surgical indications were based on a previously published and validated flow chart following a multidisciplinary evaluation. We assessed the localization of vertebral metastases, the presence of other bone or visceral metastases, neurological status according to the Frankel score, ambulatory autonomy, and general status, measured with the Karnofsky performance scale. The expected prognosis was retrospectively assessed according to the revised Tokuhashi score. The median survival was 8.1 months, with over a third of patients surviving more than 1 year. We observed a global improvement in all clinical parameters after surgical treatment. The Tokuhashi predictive score did not correlate with survival after surgery. The results of this study suggest that the surgical treatment of symptomatic spinal metastases from lung cancer can improve quality of life, even in patients with a shorter life expectancy, by controlling pain and improving autonomy

Recognizing Emotions in a Foreign Language

Expressions of basic emotions (joy, sadness, anger, fear, disgust) can be recognized pan-culturally from the face and it is assumed that these emotions can be recognized from a speaker's voice, regardless of an individual's culture or linguistic ability. Here, we compared how monolingual speakers of Argentine Spanish recognize basic emotions from pseudo-utterances ("nonsense speech") produced in their native language and in three foreign languages (English, German, Arabic). Results indicated that vocal expressions of basic emotions could be decoded in each language condition at accuracy levels exceeding chance, although Spanish listeners performed significantly better overall in their native language ("in-group advantage"). Our findings argue that the ability to understand vocally-expressed emotions in speech is partly independent of linguistic ability and involves universal principles, although this ability is also shaped by linguistic and cultural variables

Advanced Fluorescence Microscopy Techniques-FRAP, FLIP, FLAP, FRET and FLIM

Fluorescence microscopy provides an efficient and unique approach to study fixed and living cells because of its versatility, specificity, and high sensitivity. Fluorescence microscopes can both detect the fluorescence emitted from labeled molecules in biological samples as images or photometric data from which intensities and emission spectra can be deduced. By exploiting the characteristics of fluorescence, various techniques have been developed that enable the visualization and analysis of complex dynamic events in cells, organelles, and sub-organelle components within the biological specimen. The techniques described here are fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), the related fluorescence loss in photobleaching (FLIP), fluorescence localization after photobleaching (FLAP), Forster or fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and the different ways how to measure FRET, such as acceptor bleaching, sensitized emission, polarization anisotropy, and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM). First, a brief introduction into the mechanisms underlying fluorescence as a physical phenomenon and fluorescence, confocal, and multiphoton microscopy is given. Subsequently, these advanced microscopy techniques are introduced in more detail, with a description of how these techniques are performed, what needs to be considered, and what practical advantages they can bring to cell biological research

The role of left and right hemispheres in the comprehension of idiomatic language: an electrical neuroimaging study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The specific role of the two cerebral hemispheres in processing idiomatic language is highly debated. While some studies show the involvement of the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG), other data support the crucial role of right-hemispheric regions, and particularly of the middle/superior temporal area. Time-course and neural bases of literal vs. idiomatic language processing were compared. Fifteen volunteers silently read 360 idiomatic and literal Italian sentences and decided whether they were semantically related or unrelated to a following target word, while their EEGs were recorded from 128 electrodes. Word length, abstractness and frequency of use, sentence comprehensibility, familiarity and cloze probability were matched across classes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Participants responded more quickly to literal than to idiomatic sentences, probably indicating a difference in task difficulty. Occipito/temporal N2 component had a greater amplitude in response to idioms between 250-300 ms. Related swLORETA source reconstruction revealed a difference in the activation of the left fusiform gyrus (FG, BA19) and medial frontal gyri for the contrast idiomatic-minus-literal. Centroparietal N400 was much larger to idiomatic than to literal phrases (360-550 ms). The intra-cortical generators of this effect included the left and right FG, the left cingulate gyrus, the right limbic area, the right MTG (BA21) and the left middle frontal gyrus (BA46). Finally, an anterior late positivity (600-800 ms) was larger to idiomatic than literal phrases. ERPs also showed a larger right centro-parietal N400 to associated than non-associated targets (not differing as a function of sentence type), and a greater right frontal P600 to idiomatic than literal associated targets.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The data indicate bilateral involvement of both hemispheres in idiom comprehension, including the right MTG after 350 ms and the right medial frontal gyrus in the time windows 270-300 and 500-780 ms. In addition, the activation of left and right limbic regions (400-450 ms) suggests that they have a role in the emotional connotation of colourful idiomatic language. The data support the view that there is direct access to the idiomatic meaning of figurative language, not dependent on the suppression of its literal meaning, for which the LIFG was previously thought to be responsible.</p