Inconsistent use of gesture space during abstract pointing impairs language comprehension

Pointing toward concrete objects is a well-known and efficient communicative strategy. Much less is known about the communicative effectiveness of abstract pointing where the pointing gestures are directed to “empty space.” McNeill's (2003) observations suggest that abstract pointing can be used to establish referents in gesture space, without the referents being physically present. Recently, however, it has been shown that abstract pointing typically provides redundant information to the uttered speech thereby suggesting a very limited communicative value (So et al., 2009). In a first approach to tackle this issue we were interested to know whether perceivers are sensitive at all to this gesture cue or whether it is completely discarded as irrelevant add-on information. Sensitivity to for instance a gesture-speech mismatch would suggest a potential communicative function of abstract pointing. Therefore, we devised a mismatch paradigm in which participants watched a video where a female was interviewed on various topics. During her responses, she established two concepts in space using abstract pointing (e.g., pointing to the left when saying Donald, and pointing to the right when saying Mickey). In the last response to each topic, the pointing gesture accompanying a target word (e.g., Donald) was either consistent or inconsistent with the previously established location. Event related brain potentials showed an increased N400 and P600 when gesture and speech referred to different referents, indicating that inconsistent use of gesture space impairs language comprehension. Abstract pointing was found to influence comprehension even though gesture was not crucial to understanding the sentences or conducting the experimental task. These data suggest that a referent was retrieved via abstract pointing and that abstract pointing can potentially be used for referent indication in a discourse. We conclude that abstract pointing has a potential communicative function

DEVELOPMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NOVEL SUB-COATINGS WITH POLYMORPHIC BROOKITE TITANIA NANOPARTICLES: ENHANCED UV/VIS PHOTOCATALYTIC ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTICANCER PROPERTIES

ABSTRACT Nosocomial and community infections and biofilm formation from bacteria has increased significantly through adaptation combined with overuse of broad spectrum antibiotics. Because the world population continues to escalate, hospitals and long-term managed care will also escalate, thereby increasing transmission of infections, lowering patients\u27 quality of health. Another disease on the rise throughout the world is skin cancer. A treatment modality that would cause less deleterious effects on the patient would be ideal. These two seemingly different issues could be solved with one product. First an inexpensive, safe, and non-selective antimicrobial surface coating would enhance the hospital arena and a coating that would treat skin cancer like wearing a band-aid would be patient friendly. We proposed two novel sub-coatings containing polymorphic Titanium dioxide, Br200 and BrNMP. Titanium dioxide is versatile, non-selective, and degrades compounds through photocatalytic oxidation. The antibacterial sub-coating made of Poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) solution (PDDA) and Poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid) solution (PSS) in a 1:1 ratio of 0.1M PDDA/PSS as a 25 layer-by-layer coating on glass cover slips is known as the P sub-coating. It contains Nitrogen and Sulfur molecules that were associated via low temperature liquid deposition with Br200 or BrNMP Titania. XRD and XPS evaluations of these P sub-coatings containing the polymorphic Br200 and BrNMP confirmed a match with the original properties of the loose nanoparticles. P sub-coating with these Titania under long range ultraviolet light and visible light were evaluated for Methyl Orange oxidative-degradation to quantify photocatalytic activity. UVA irradiation of Br200 and BrNMP on the P sub-coating degraded Methyl Orange approximately two times faster than the same Titania on the control B sub-coating. The B sub-coating consisted of five mol of 3-glycidoxypropyl-trimethoxysilane mixed with 3 mol of Tetramethyl orthosilicate, prehydrolyzed with Ethanol and brought to pH 3 with Nitric acid. Light intensity, wavelength, surface material characteristics, and bacterial load affect efficiency of photo-oxidation. The super-hydrophilic nature of the polyelectrolyte-Titania coating may attract and enhance photo-oxidative activity due to bacterial adherence via hydrophilic fimbriae that attach to biotic and abiotic surfaces. Br200 demonstrated a stable working pH range including pH 3 to 4. The broad absorption edge of the polymorphic Brookite Titania Br200 and BrNMP enhanced by the N and S molecule surface interactions, and a narrowing of the band-gap, of the P sub-coating exhibited superior photocatalytic oxidative degradation on bacteria compared to the commercial P25 and vlp7000 Titania, or binder sub-coating with Titania. The polymorphic nature of Br200 and BrNMP may delay the electron/hole recombination centers due to electron transfer to different phases of crystallites. The LB sub-coating provided the polymorphic Titania with superior photocatalytic activity as compared to the P25 commercial product in vitro on HT-29 human colon cancer cells and HTB-67 Human Melanoma cells. The novel P sub-coating with polymorphic Brookite Titania can provide a low cost, effective method for decreased transmission of bacterial infections and biofilm formation in the healthcare arena and community setting. The novel format of using FDA approved liquid band-aid coated with Br200 non-selective Titania coating can provide lower pain and scarring in a topical format cancer treatment

Soft Power And Hard Power Approaches In U.S. Foreign Policy: A Case Study Comparison In Latin America

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of soft power versus hard power in U.S. policy towards Latin America. In recent years America\u27s unipolar moment has been challenged from populist leaders in the region to its inability to get a handle on the flow of illegal immigrants and illicit drugs that reach its shores. This thesis is a step to understanding the difference between power and influence as well as the effects of hard power and soft power in U.S. foreign policy. A historical comparative case study analysis has been conducted utilizing the cases of FDR\u27s Good Neighbor policy and Reagan\u27s contra war policies. This qualitative approach examined specific short-term and long-term goals of each policy and analyzed each strategy\u27s ability to achieve those stated goals. The results of the study reveal that both soft and hard power approaches can have positive as well as negative effects on American influence in Latin America

Technology and the early childhood classroom

As we close in on the 21st century, educators all over the nation are racing to meet the challenge to develop technological literacy in their students, students who are able to use computers and other technology to improve their learning and performance

Collaborative Ontology Development — Distributed Architecture and Visualization

In this paper we present the architecture of the browser-based community-driven ontology engineering platform Ontoverse. We will present the architectural needs and designs for an extensible collaborative ontology platform as well as the current implementation based on tuplespaces. In this context we briefly introduce the SQLSpaces and the Semantic Web Application Toolkit (SWAT). To provide interactive collaborative means for editing, merging, and discussing about ontologies adequate visualization techniques are needed to support the ontology designers and ontology users. Therefore we introduce a visualization method called SmartTree that implements focus and context techniques

Das Versprechen der Soziologie

In den Debatten um das Verhältnis von Soziologie und Kritik sowie um Public Sociology wird die Disziplin stets auf die eine oder andere Weise mit gesellschaftskritischer Theorie und Praxis verknüpft. Ausgehend von der Überlegung, dass dieses besondere Verhältnis zur Kritik ein Versprechen auf kritisch-emanzipatorische Inhalte und Praxis als Kernelement der Soziologie darstellt, wird hier in einer explorativen Studie nach der Relevanz dieses Versprechens für die Studienmotivation sowie das Rollen- und Disziplinverständnis von Studierenden der Soziologie in Deutschland gefragt, deren Perspektive in den genannten Debatten bislang unterrepräsentiert ist. Mit Hilfe eines Onlinefragebogens wurden hierfür 1068 Studierende der Soziologie und Sozialwissenschaften befragt. Es zeigt sich, dass die Zustimmung zu einem kritisch-emanzipatorischen Verständnis der Disziplin und der eigenen Rolle als Soziolog*in durchgehend hoch ist, diese Zustimmung jedoch nicht in unmittelbaren Zusammenhang mit zentralen Sozialstrukturvariablen gebracht werden kann. Studienstandort und Position im Studienverlauf hingegen erweisen sich als deutliche Einflussgrößen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen die Bedeutung und das strukturierende Potential der hier verhandelten Fragestellung für eine Analyse des soziologischen Felds in Deutschland und den Bedarf an weiterer selbstreflexiver Forschung. In the debates about public sociology and about the relationship between sociology and criticism, the discipline is always linked in one way or another with social critique. Based on the premise that this special relationship to criticism is a promise for critical-emancipatory theory and praxis to be a core element of sociology, we conducted an exploratory study on the relevance of this promise for the study motivation as well as the individual role and the general understanding of the discipline of sociology students in Germany, whose perspective is so far underrepresented in the debates mentioned. An online questionnaire asked 1068 students of sociology and social sciences. It is shown that the consent to a criticalemancipatory understanding of the discipline and of the student’s own role as a sociologist is thoroughly endorsed, but this consent cannot be brought into direct connection with central social structure variables. However, the place of study and the position in the course of studies prove to be significant factors. The results illustrate the importance and the structuring potential of the question discussed here for an analysis of the sociological field in Germany and show the need for further self-reflective research