Working memory and articulation rate in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy.

A. D. Baddeley, N. Thomson, and M. Buchanan (1975) suggested that articulatory rehearsal rate determines the amount of verbal material that can be maintained in working memory. In the current study, 12 children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy (SDCP) and 38 normal children were tested on measures of articulation rate and memory span for 1-, 2-, and 3-syllable words. Across all conditions, articulation rate for the SDCP group was significantly slower than for the normal group; nonetheless, memory span was equivalent for both groups. This finding implies that covert rehearsal proceeded normally for the SDCP group, in spite of decrements in speech rate. Thus, the relationship between overt and covert rehearsal rates differs for children with SDCP compared with normal children. Findings from the current study further suggest that normal speech rates are not necessary for development of normal covert rehearsal rates. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Theory and application of charge pumping for the characterizationof Si-SiO2 interface and near-interface oxide traps

A generalized charge pumping model has been developed which extends the use of charge pumping from a study of traps at the Si-SiO ₂ interface to a study of traps in the oxide. The analytical model, based on tunneling theory, allows the spatial distribution of near-interface oxide traps to be determined from variable frequency charge pumping data. Profiling of near-interface oxide traps in irradiated MOSFET's as well as SONOS nonvolatile memory devices is presented     

Selective interactions among the multiple connexin proteins expressed in the vertebrate lens: the second extracellular domain is a determinant of compatibility between connexins

Gap junctions are collections of intercellular channels composed of structural proteins called connexins (Cx). We have examined the functional interactions of the three rodent connexins present in the lens, Cx43, Cx46, and Cx50, by expressing them in paired Xenopus oocytes. Homotypic channels containing Cx43, Cx46, or Cx50 all developed high conductance. heterotypic channels composed of Cx46 paired with either Cx43 or Cx50 were also well coupled, whereas Cx50 did not form functional channels with Cx43. We also examined the functional response of homotypic and heterotypic channels to transjunctional voltage and cytoplasmic acidification. We show that all lens connexins exhibited sensitivity to cytoplasmic acidification as well as to voltage, and that voltage-dependent closure of heterotypic channels for a given connexin was dramatically influenced by its partner connexins in the adjacent cell. Based on the observation that Cx43 can discriminate between Cx46 and Cx50, we investigated the molecular determinants that specify compatibility by constructing chimeric connexins from portions of Cx46 and Cx50 and testing them for their ability to form channels with Cx43. When the second extracellular (E2) domain in Cx46 was replaced with the E2 of Cx50, the resulting chimera could no longer form heterotypic channels with Cx43. A reciprocal chimera, where the E2 of Cx46 was inserted into Cx50, acquired the ability to functionally interact with Cx43. Together, these results demonstrate that formation of intercellular channels is a selective process dependent on the identity of the connexins expressed in adjacent cells, and that the second extracellular domain is a determinant of heterotypic compatibility between connexins.     

Precision winding of fiber optic filament. II. Winding control

For pt.I see ibid., vol.39, no.3, p.258-67 (1992). The winding of fiber optic filament in the hoop, or precision, pattern is considered. Various automatic control options that have been designed and tested are described. The controllers are designed to regulate the fiber lag angle, which is the angle at which the feed filament approaches the take-up spool. Successful, flawless winding is directly related to accurate lag regulation. The contributions are distinguished by the fact that the automatic winding rate is 10 to 30 times greater than that achieved before by operator-assisted winding     

The digi-neocognitron: a digital neocognitron neural network modelfor VLSI

One of the most complicated ANN models, the neocognitron (NC), is adapted to an efficient all-digital implementation for VLSI. The new model, the digi-neocognitron (DNC), has the same pattern recognition performance as the NC. The DNC model is derived from the NC model by a combination of preprocessing approximation and the definition of new model functions, e.g., multiplication and division are eliminated by conversion of factors to powers of 2, requiring only shift operations. The NC model is reviewed, the DNC model is presented, a methodology to convert NC models to DNC models is discussed, and the performances of the two models are compared on a character recognition example. The DNC model has substantial advantages over the NC model for VLSI implementation. The area-delay product is improved by two to three orders of magnitude, and I/O and memory requirements are reduced by representation of weights with 3 bits or less and neuron outputs with 4 bits or 7 bits.     

Heat transfers in treatment furnaces

For heat treating cylindrical metal billets, their lay-out in a furnace usually resembles that of an in-line heat-exchanger tube bank, with the air flows orthogonal to the billets. For maximum effectiveness of transferring thermal energy from the forced convecting air to the billets, the optimal horizontal pitch-to-diameter ratio for the billets should be 1·33 ± 0·05. For this same purpose it is advantageous to employ a vertical spacing (between the billets) as large as can be permitted for a given load of billets.     

Effects of Fimbria-Fornix, Hippocampus, and Amygdala Lesions on Discrimination Between Proximal Locations.

The conditioned cue preference (CCP) task was used to study the information required to discriminate between spatial locations defined by adjacent arms of an 8-arm radial maze. Normal rats learned the discrimination after 3 unreinforced preexposure (PE) sessions and 4 food paired-unpaired training trials. Fimbria-fornix lesions made before, but not after, PE, and hippocampus lesions made at either time, blocked the discrimination, suggesting that the 2 structures processed different information. Lateral amygdala lesions made before PE facilitated the discrimination. This amygdala-mediated interference with the discrimination was the result of a conditioned approach response that did not discriminate between the 2 arm locations. A hippocampus/fimbria-fornix system and an amygdala system process different information about the same learning situation simultaneously and in parallel. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Response of dairy cows to high doses of a sustained-release bovine somatotropin administered during two lactations. 2. Health and reproduction.

Eighty-two lactating Holstein cows in their first, second, or third lactation received either one, three, or five concurrent i.m. injections of a unit dose (.6 g) of zinc methionyl bST (sometribove) or five doses of the vehicle. Injections were given at 14-d intervals from 60 +/- 3 d postpartum until the end of lactation or necropsy. Thirty-eight animals were continued on treatment for a 2nd yr. Sometribove did not affect the incidence of ketosis, milk fever, tetany, or pneumonia. Digestive disorders, primarily cows going off feed, were increased by bST during yr 1 only. The incidence of lameness was increased by bST in some time frames because of an increase in the 3.0-g bST group. Lameness was not associated with treatment-specific histopathologic changes or with abnormalities in cartilage or bone. Reproductive health generally was unaffected by treatment, but delayed conception and increased incidence of abortion were noted. Incidence of cystic ovaries was unaffected by bST. Pregnancy rates were decreased during the 100-d breeding interval of yr 1 but not during the 215-d interval of yr 2. The incidence of clinical mastitis was increased by bST, primarily at the 3.0-g dose. During the 2-yr study, 0, 3, 3, and 2 cows died or became moribund on 0, .6, 1.8, and 3.0 g of bST, respectively. Health issues identified for further evaluation included lameness and clinical mastitis for the 3.0-g group and early removal from the herd and decreased reproductive performance for all bST groups. Bovine somatotropin caused no treatment-specific toxic effects in dairy cows even at 3.0 g every 14 d.     

A connectionist implementation of the theory of planned behavior: Association of beliefs with exercise intention.

The theory of planned behavior suggests attitudes are a product of salient beliefs. This study examined whether aggregating salient beliefs was plausible within a more biologically centered information-processing environment. A neural network was used to examine associations among beliefs relating to exercise intention. Data on intentions and behavioral, normative, and control beliefs from 114 respondents were used to train (by error backpropagation) a neural network to associate beliefs with intention. The R2 between the network's estimated and self-reported intention was .66. The network's representation comprised 6 belief profiles associated with high, moderate, or low behavioral intention. The neural network accommodated complex relationships among beliefs and belief-intention associations and indicated how high-level constructs such as attitudes may be viewed as the best fit (compromise state) between aroused beliefs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)