Early time-locked gamma response and gender specificity

Cataloged from PDF version of article.The aim was to investigate whether gender is a causative factor in the gamma status according to which some individuals respond with time-locked, early gamma response, G+, while the others do not show this response, G-. The sample consisted of 42 volunteer participants (between 19 and 37 years of age with at least 9 years of education). There were 22 females and 20 males. Data were collected under the oddball paradigm. Auditory stimulation (10 ms r/f time, 50 ms duration, 65 dB SPL) consisted of target (2000 Hz; p = .20) stimuli that occurred randomly within a series of standard stimuli (1000 Hz; p = .80). Gamma responses were studied in the amplitude frequency characteristics, in the digitally filtered event-related potentials (f-ERPs) and in the distributions which were obtained using the recently developed time-frequency component analysis (TFCA) technique. Participants were classified into G+ and G- groups with a criterion of full agreement between the results of an automated gamma detection technique and expert opinion. The 2 × 2 × 2 ANOVA on f-ERPs and 2 × 2 × 2 multivariate ANOVA on TFCA distributions showed the main effect of gamma status and gender as significant, and the interaction between gamma status and gender as nonsignificant. Accordingly, individual difference in gamma status is a reliable phenomenon, but this does not depend on gender. There are conflicting findings in the literature concerning the effect of gender on ERP components (N100, P300). The present study showed that if the gamma status is not included in research designs, it may produce a confounding effect on ERP parameters. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Persistent Activist Communication in Occupy Gezi

We revisit the notion of activist persistence against the backdrop of protest communication on Twitter. We take an event-based approach and examine Occupy Gezi, a series of protests that occurred in Turkey in the early summer of 2013. By cross-referencing survey data with longitudinal Twitter data and in-depth interviews, we investigate the relationship between biographical availability, relational and organisational ties, social and personal costs to persistent activism online and on-location. Contrary to expectations, we find no clear-cut relationship between those factors and sustained commitment to participation in the occupation. We show that persistent activist communication did not feed into enduring organisational structures despite the continuous online activity observed during and beyond the peak of the Gezi occupation. The article concludes with reflections on the organisational ramifications of persistent communication and its significance in a political context posing high risks to participation in dissident politics

Presentations of patients of poisoning and predictors of poisoning-related fatality: Findings from a hospital-based prospective study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Poisoning is a significant public health problem worldwide and is one of the most common reasons for visiting emergency departments (EDs), but factors that help to predict overall poisoning-related fatality have rarely been elucidated. Using 1512 subjects from a hospital-based study, we sought to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of poisoning patients and to identify predictors for poisoning-related fatality.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Between January 2001 and December 2002 we prospectively recruited poisoning patients through the EDs of two medical centers in southwest Taiwan. Interviews were conducted with patients within 24 hours after admission to collect relevant information. We made comparisons between survival and fatality cases, and used logistic regressions to identify predictors of fatality.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 1512 poisoning cases were recorded at the EDs during the study period, corresponding to an average of 4.2 poisonings per 1000 ED visits. These cases involved 828 women and 684 men with a mean age of 38.8 years, although most patients were between 19 and 50 years old (66.8%), and 29.4% were 19 to 30 years. Drugs were the dominant poisoning agents involved (49.9%), followed by pesticides (14.5%). Of the 1512 patients, 63 fatalities (4.2%) occurred. Paraquat exposure was associated with an extremely high fatality rate (72.1%). The significant predictors for fatality included age over 61 years, insufficient respiration, shock status, abnormal heart rate, abnormal body temperature, suicidal intent and paraquat exposure.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In addition to well-recognized risk factors for fatality in clinical settings, such as old age and abnormal vital signs, we found that suicidal intent and ingestion of paraquat were significant predictors of poisoning-related fatality. Identification of these predictors may help risk stratification and the development of preventive interventions.</p

The Effects of Some Inorganic and Organic Species on Oxidation with Atmospheric Oxygen of Manganese in Natural Water

Manganese (Mn) is an important element in environmental geochemistry. In many natural aquatic systems, high concentrations of manganese are present with organic and inorganic matters. The oxidation of Mn(II) in aqueous systems has been extensively studied. But inorganic and organic matter effects on oxidation have not been fully clarified. It is clear that Mn(II) oxidation in the presence of inorganic and organic matter runs differently

Free transverse vibrations of rotating annular disks under various boundary conditions

Free vibrations of rotating disks are investigated by using the Galerkin method. An approximate function which satisfies the boundary conditions and normalizing constraint is chosen. The different boundary conditions are also investigated in order to understand the vibrational characteristics of this type of structures. The stress distributions on the rotating disk with different boundary conditions are used in the analysis. The effects of rotation speed on the natural frequencies are studied. The results are presented in tables and figures and also compared with the results given in the literature

Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in patients with Alzheimer sisease

PubMed: 22918296The aim of this study was to investigate retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) without visual impairment using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and to compare the results with healthy controls. A total of 80 subjects, including 40 patients with early untreated AD (mean age, 69.3 ± 4.9 years) and 40 healthy controls (mean age, 68.9 ± 5.1 years) were enrolled. Both eyes of patients with AD and controls were imaged using SD-OCT. The average RNFL thickness was significantly less in the AD patients than in controls (65 ± 6.2 ?m vs 75 ± 3.8?m; P = 0.001). There was selective thinning of the RNFL in the superior quadrant, the mean superior quadrant RNFL thickness being 76 ± 6.7 ?m in AD patients and 105 ± 4.8 ?m in controls (P = 0.001). In our study, the thickness of RNFL in patient with AD was lower than that of controls. This suggests that SD- OCT has the potential to be used in the early diagnosis of AD as well as in the study of therapeutic agents. Further studies are needed to validate this technology as a viable ocular biomarker over time in AD. © 2012 by North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society

Leachate removal rate and the effect of leachate on the hydraulic conductivity of natural (undisturbed) clay

264-269 Hydraulic conductivity (HC) is perhaps the most important unique parameter determined in the laboratory for predicting mobility of leachates through clay liners. Typically, HC must be -9 m/s for soil liners and covers used to contain hazardous waste, industrial waste, and municipal solid waste (MSW). Soil samples used in this study were obtained from the Kemerburgaz landfill in Istanbul. The study presents change in clay HC brought about by the chemical reactions between clay and a permeant. Any change induced by such a reaction in the microstructure (microfabric) of the clay was studied by scanning electron microscope. In order to determine the removal capability of the natural clay, COD, SS, VSS, Total P, TKN, Cu, Mn, Fe are also measured in the influent and effluent of the lab-scale reactor. </smarttagtype