Deficient motor synchrony in schizophrenia.

Introduced a laboratory measure of motor function, synchronization of tapping with an auditory stimulus, as an index of motor disorganization in schizophrenia. It was hypothesized that (a) schizophrenics' performance on this task would be distinguishable from that of controls and would reflect a relative inability to take advantage of stimulus predictability, independent of task difficulty; (b) clinical measures of disturbed motor behavior would be associated with poorer synchronization; and (c) synchronization performance would be associated with clinical ratings of formal thought disorder and type-token ratio assessment of disorganization in spoken language. 16 schizophrenic, 8 affective, and 8 normal controls (18–48 yrs) were studied. The schizophrenics showed a specific pattern of disrupted synchrony not consistent with explanations based on S motivation, task difficulty, motor dexterity, a general psychosis factor, drug effects, or tapping speed ability. Deficient motor performance was associated with clinical evidence of abnormal movement and disturbed thinking and with the type-token ratio. (44 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Inhibitory effect of fermentation byproducts on formation of advanced glycation end-products

Distilled residues (DR) of rice spirit and its derived vinegar produced a negligible inhibitory effect on advanced glycation end-products (AGE) formation. However, recycled DRs of rice spirit and barley spirit and their derived vinegars inhibited formation of N^ε(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML), a major AGE. Unlike the aforementioned DR and derived vinegars, the DR of sweet potato spirit and vinegar, contained very little protein, lysine and arginine, but they most potently inhibited CML formation. The DRs of various spirits and vinegars showed similar free radical-scavenging activities.     

Measuring acceptance of milk and milk substitutes among younger and older children

Appropriate nutrient-dense foods and beverages are crucial for children for proper growth and development and to develop healthful lifelong habits. This study investigated children's (ages 8 to 16 y old) perception of sensory intensity, attribute liking and overall liking of unflavored and chocolate lactose-free cow's milk and soy beverages. Products were not identified as to whether they were soy or milk. Children showed greater acceptance of lactose-free cow's milk compared to milk substitute beverages, within flavor category. No differences in acceptance emerged by ethnic group (Caucasian, African American, Hispanic), but a large difference emerged by age group. All product acceptance differences perceived by older children reoccurred among the younger children and in the same direction, but the older children used a larger range of numbers, especially at the lower end, rather than at the higher end of acceptance. The effect of age is not a simple scaling bias but may suggest a reduced criticism by younger respondents of less-acceptable products.     

Chemistry of metal thio- and selenocarboxylates: precursors for metal sulfide/selenide materials, thin films, and nanocrystals

This Account focuses on recent developments of the chemistry of metal thio- and selenocarboxylates in our laboratory and potential use of some of these compounds as single-source precursors for making metal sulfide and selenide bulk materials, thin films, and nanoparticles.     

Wireless Aspects of Telehealth

Telehealth is the use of electronic information and communication technology to deliver health and medical information and services over large and small distances. Broadband wireless services available today, along with more powerful and convenient handheld devices, will enable a transformational change in health management and healthcare with the introduction of real-time monitoring and timely responses to a wide array of patient needs. Further, a network of low-cost sensors and wireless systems help in creating constantly vigilant and pervasive monitoring capability at home and at work. This paper addresses recent efforts in this growing field, including standards, system architectures, propagation models, and lower layer protocols for body area networks. The paper also suggests the use of cooperative transmission-based strategies for such wireless topologies.     

Interfacial Strain‐Induced Oxygen Disorder as the Cause of Enhanced Critical Current Density in Superconducting Thin Films

To understand the origin of the increase in critical current density of rare earth barium cuprate superconductor thin films with decreasing thickness, a series of sub‐300‐nm EuBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ thin films deposited on SrTiO₃ substrates are studied by X‐ray diffraction and electrical transport measurements. The out‐of‐plane crystallographic mosaic tilt and the out‐of‐plane microstrain both increase with decreasing film thickness. The calculated density of c‐axis threading dislocations matches the extent of the observed low‐field enhancement in critical current density for fields applied parallel to c. The in‐plane mosaic twist and in‐plane microstrain are both around twice the magnitude of the out‐of‐plane values, and both increase with decreasing film thickness. The results are consistent with the observed stronger field enhancement in critical current density for fields applied parallel to ab. The lattice parameter variation with thickness is not as expected from consideration of the biaxial strain with the substrate, indicative of in‐plane microstrain accommodation by oxygen disorder. Collectively, the results point to an enhancement of critical current by interfacial strain induced oxygen disorder which is greatest closest to the film‐substrate interface. The findings of this study have important implications for other thin functional oxide perovskite films and nanostructures where surface and interfacial strains dominate the properties.     

Bactericidal activity of silver nanoparticles supported on microporous titanosilicate ETS-10

The bactericidal activity of Ag nanoparticles supported on microporous titanosilicate ETS-10 was investigated. The nanoparticles were prepared by ion exchange followed by in situ reduction with NaBH₄ and characterized using XRD, XPS, HRTEM, and UV techniques. The Ag nanoparticles immobilized on ETS-10 were found to be stable against leaching with a concentration in an aqueous phase of less than the World Health Organization (WHO) specified secondary minimum concentration level. In comparison with the as-synthesized ETS-10 and Ag-exchanged ETS-10 materials, the ETS-10 materials containing an optimum amount of Ag nanoparticles were observed to exhibit a significantly enhanced bactericidal activity and a longer lifetime towards microorganisms, such as Escherichia coli.     

Hydrothermal Growth of Vertical ZnO Nanorods

Vertically aligned, single crystalline ZnO nanorods with a high packing density and diameter of ∼60 nm have been successfully synthesized via a low-temperature hydrothermal route on glass substrates pre-deposited with a ZnO seeding layer. The seeding layer exhibits an epitaxial effect on the growth and alignment of the ZnO nanorods. This epitaxial effect can arise from two considerations, namely the crystalline orientation and surface roughness of the seeding layer, which can be controlled by the curing temperature. The ZnO seeding layer that was cured at 350°C exhibited a preferred (0002) crystalline orientation of wurtzite hexagonal structure and a low surface roughness. It was demonstrated to promote the vertical growth of ZnO nanorods. The ZnO nanorods grew in an almost linear relationship with hydrothermal time up to 8 h, but thereafter started to dissolve as the reaction time extended beyond 8 h, due to competition from the homogeneous nucleation of ZnO microparticles in the solution.     

Effects of microwave radiation on electrodeposition processes at tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) electrodes

In situ microwave activation is investigated for the electrodeposition of a metal (gold) and for a metal oxide (hydrous Ti(IV) oxide) onto tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) film electrodes. It is demonstrated that localized microwave heating of the ITO film can be exploited to affect electrodeposition processes.The electrochemically reversible and temperature sensitive one-electron redox system Fe(CN)₆^3−/4− was employed in aqueous solution in order to calibrate the average surface temperature at the ITO film electrode. In the presence of microwave radiation the average electrode surface temperature reached ca. 363 K whereas under the same conditions the bulk solution temperature reached ca. 313 K. Therefore localized heating of the ITO film appears to be important.The rate of electrodeposition of gold from an aqueous 1 mM tetrachloroaurate(III) solution in 0.1 M KCl (adjusted to pH 2) is enhanced by microwave activation. However, the morphology of deposits remains un-effected. Hydrous titanium (IV) oxide films were electrodeposited from an aqueous solution of 1 mM TiCl₃ in 0.1 M acetate buffer pH 4.7. Dense films with blocking character were obtained with conventional heating but a fibrous more open deposit forms in the presence of microwaves.