780 research outputs found
(Dis‑)Harmony in movement: effects of musical dissonance on movement timing and form
While the origins of consonance and dissonance in terms of acoustics, psychoacoustics and physiology have been debated for centuries, their plausible effects on movement synchronization have largely been ignored. The present study aimed to address this by investigating whether, and if so how, consonant/dissonant pitch intervals affect the spatiotemporal properties of regular reciprocal aiming movements. We compared movements synchronized either to consonant or to dissonant sounds and showed that they were differentially influenced by the degree of consonance of the sound presented. Interestingly, the difference was present after the sound stimulus was removed. In this case, the performance measured after consonant sound exposure was found to be more stable and accurate, with a higher percentage of information/movement coupling (tau coupling) and a higher degree of movement circularity when compared to performance measured after the exposure to dissonant sounds. We infer that the neural resonance representing consonant tones leads to finer perception/action coupling which in turn may help explain the prevailing preference for these types of tones
Towards the Design of a Synchronous Virtual Learning System
The field of education has undoubtedly been affected by the penetrating influence of information and communication technology, characterized by improved access to the internet, and the increasing use of computing devices. However, education in Africa generally and specifically in Nigeria and other developing countries still face a 21st Century challenge in making education available and accessible to all. To this end therefore, this paper presents a conceptual approach, as to how tailor made e-learning services could be realized and integrated with a real time video conference server and any existing learning management system in order to facilitate a synchronous virtual learning environment in making education accessible and available to both remote students (distance learning students) and onsite users in Universities and other related educational institutes. It proposes a functional framework to exemplify educational services such as file sharing to enhance collaboration, a digital resource center for retrieval of both free and paid relevant academic resource. A conference room for real time classroom participation which learning platform should provide in order to enhance both teaching and learning performance of course instructors and their students respectively is also proposed. It provides an operational design which describes how custom made e-learning portal integrated with an Open source Video Conference server could be realized, in facilitating a synchronous virtual learning service. Furthermore, it proposes a Virtual Learning Network architecture to show how both remote and onsite students could optimize quality network access in realizing these electronic learning services
A mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1/2 (mTORC1)/V-Akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 1 (AKT1)/cathepsin H axis controls filaggrin expression and processing in skin, a novel mechanism for skin barrier disruption in patients with atopic dermatitis
BACKGROUND: Filaggrin, encoded by the FLG gene, is an important component of the skin’s barrier to the external environment and genetic defects in FLG strongly associate with Atopic Dermatitis (AD). However, not all AD patients have FLG mutations. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesised that these patients may possess other defects in filaggrin expression and processing, contributing to barrier disruption and AD, and therefore present novel therapeutic targets for this disease. RESULTS: We describe the relationship between the mTORC1 protein subunit RAPTOR, the serine/threonine kinase AKT1 and the protease cathepsin H, for which we establish a role in filaggrin expression and processing. Increased RAPTOR levels correlated with decreased filaggrin expression in AD. In keratinocyte cell culture, RAPTOR up-regulation or AKT1 shRNA knockdown reduced the expression of the protease cathepsin H. Skin of cathepsin H-deficient mice and CTSH shRNA knockdown keratinocytes showed reduced filaggrin processing and the mouse showed both impaired skin barrier function and a mild proinflammatory phenotype. CONCLUSION: Our findings highlight a novel, potentially treatable, signalling axis controlling filaggrin expression and processing which is defective in AD
Gauged linear sigma model and pion-pion scattering
A simple gauged linear sigma model with several parameters to take the
symmetry breaking and the mass differences between the vector meson and the
axial vector meson into account is considered here as a possibly useful
template for the role of a light scalar in QCD as well as for (at a different
scale) an effective Higgs sector for some recently proposed walking technicolor
models. An analytic procedure is first developed for relating the Lagrangian
parameters to four well established (in the QCD application) experimental
inputs. One simple equation distinguishes three different cases:1. QCD with
axial vector particle heavier than vector particle, 2. possible technicolor
model with vector particle heavier than the axial vector one, 3. the unphysical
QCD case where both the KSRF and Weinberg relations hold. The model is applied
to the s-wave pion-pion scattering in QCD. Both the near threshold region and
(with an assumed unitarization) theglobal region up to about 800 MeV are
considered. It is noted that there is a little tension between the choice of
bare sigma mass parameter for describing these two regions. If a reasonable
globa fit is made, there is some loss of precision in the near threshold
region.Comment: 19 pages, 9 figure
Helicobacter pylori: association with gall bladder disorders in Pakistan
Helicobacter species colonise the biliary tract and therefore this study explores the relationship between of Helicobacter pylori and cholecystitis. Bile and gall bladder tissue samples were obtained from 144 Patients who underwent cholecystectomy. Of these, 89 had chronic cholecystitis with cholelithiasis, 44 had gall bladder carcinoma and 11 had gall bladder polyps. Histopathology examination included special staining and immunohistochemistry (IHC), while Helicobacter species (H. pylori, H. bilis and H. hepaticus) were detected by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Sequencing and BLAST query of PCR products was undertaken and samples were considered to contain H. pylori if both PCR and IHC were positive. Immunohistochemistry for H. pylori was positive in 22 (25%) cases compared to five (9%) in the control group (P=0.02). Testing (PCR) for 16S rDNA was positive in 23 (26%) cases compared to six (11%) controls (P=0.03). Negative PCR results were obtained for H. bilis and H. hepaticus. Twenty-four (89%) were positive by both 16S rDNA PCR and IHC for H. pylori (
Effect of Reducing Atmosphere on the Magnetism of Zn1-xCoxO Nanoparticles
We report the crystal structure and magnetic properties of Zn1-xCoxO
nanoparticles synthesized by heating metal acetates in organic solvent. The
nanoparticles were crystallized in wurtzite ZnO structure after annealing in
air and in a forming gas (Ar95%+H5%). The X-ray diffraction and X-ray
photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) data for different Co content show clear
evidence for the Co+2 ions in tetrahedral symmetry, indicating the substitution
of Co+2 in ZnO lattice. However samples with x=0.08 and higher cobalt content
also indicate the presence of Co metal clusters. Only those samples annealed in
the reducing atmosphere of the forming gas, and that showed the presence of
oxygen vacancies, exhibited ferromagnetism at room temperature. The air
annealed samples remained non-magnetic down to 77K. The essential ingredient in
achieving room temperature ferromagnetism in these Zn1-xCoxO nanoparticles was
found to be the presence of additional carriers generated by the presence of
the oxygen vacancies.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Nanotechnology IO
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