Circadian preference and facial emotion recognition among rehabilitation inpatients.

Objective: Examined the role of circadian preference on facial emotion recognition among rehabilitation inpatients. Design: 47 patients with stroke and 24 patients with orthopedic diagnoses were screened for circadian preference and assessed at preferred and nonpreferred times of day on a computerized task of facial emotion recognition. Results: Disproportionate effects of time of day, relative to individual circadian preference, were found among persons with stroke-related cognitive impairment, compared with orthopedic patients, on facial emotion recognition. These differences were independent of differences in visual perception, subjective mood, or sleepiness. Conclusions: The circadian preference effect can be understood in terms of cognitive reserve. Among persons with acquired brain injury, the ability to access cognitive reserve appears to be affected by environmental variables (e.g., time of day), suggesting an additional component to existing models of reserve. Limited ability to recognize facial emotional expression in this population may present behavioral, occupational, and interpersonal challenges to community reintegration poststroke. Understanding this time-of-day effect adds to existing knowledge of factors affecting successful postacute outcomes in stroke rehabilitation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Flexible and stretchable electrode based on multiwalled carbon nanotube/deproteinized natural rubber composites

One of stretchable electronic devices is known as the compliant electrode which can retain good electrical conductivity under deformation. Compliant electrodes from MWCNTs and DPNR were prepared by using a UV‐curing process and Triton X‐100 as a dispersing agent. The effect of Triton X‐100/MWCNTs volume ratio was investigated by transmission electron microscopy indicating the highest dispersion was obtained at the volume ratio of 15.6. The mechanical and electrical properties were investigated by a melt rheometer in a tension mode. The 3%v/v MWCNTs composite possessed an excellent mechanical behavior (Young's modulus = 1.27 × 10⁶ Pa) and a high electrical conductivity (1.03 S/cm) relative to previous works. Under the same experimental conditions, a commercial compliant electrode named Danfoss exhibited the Young's modulus and electrical conducivity values of 7.56 × 10⁶ Pa and 2.54 × 10^?2 S/cm, respectively, which were inferior to the 3%v/v MWCNTs/DPNR. Moreover, the composite film still retained good electrical behaviors under 100% strain, high extentional strain rate of 1 s^?1, high flexed angle, and repeated stretching cycles (40% strain, 50 times) due to the intimate compatibility between the MWCNTs and the elastomer matrix. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 57:1356–1366, 2017. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Making homework work at home: the parent's perspective

This article views homework through the eyes of parents in a rural area whose children with disabilities spent a majority of their time in general education classrooms. The qualitative analysis of data from individual interviews, focus groups, and parent action research logs yielded five themes: (a) Parents felt ill-prepared to help their children with homework; (b) parents wanted more information about the classroom teachers' expectations of their child and of their roles as parents in helping with homework; (c) parents wanted their children to be given individualized homework assignments; (d) parents valued hands-on homework and projects in which the whole family could participate; and (e) parents wanted a two-way communication system that would allow them to become partners on their child's instructional team.     

Stress relaxation behavior and low cycle fatigue behavior of bulk SAC 305

Bulk Sn_96.5Ag₃Cu_0.5 samples were mechanically tested to investigate the effect of temperature, frequency and applied stress on the low cycle fatigue and stress relaxation behavior and the corresponding microstructure. Samples were tested under a variety of parameters including applied stresses between 8 and 80 MPa, temperatures of 25, 50, 100 and 150 °C and frequencies of 1, 0.1 and 0.01 Hz, respectively. Samples used for the stress relaxation behavior exhibited plastic behavior with increased softening behavior with increased stress levels, increased temperature and lower frequencies. Bayesian analysis revealed that stress relaxation behavior could be expressed in general by the following expression: ?σ = AN ^B In the previous expression, Bayesian analysis showed that the testing frequency has an exponential dependency while the temperature has a power law dependency on the parameters A and b. The results of the low cycle fatigue study showed that life decreased with increased applied stress, decreased frequency and increased temperature. Bayesian analysis revealed that the low cycle fatigue behavior could be described by the following expression: ?σ = G(logN) ^m . Additionally, Bayesian analysis showed that the testing frequency and temperature both have a power law dependency on the parameters G and m.     

Influence of Sulfonated Graphene Oxide on Sulfonated Polysulfone Membrane for Direct Methanol Fuel Cell

Novel proton exchange membranes consisting of an inorganic filler, namely sulfonated graphene oxide, embedded in sulfonated polysulfone were fabricated. The membrane performance depended on the sulfonated graphene oxide content possessed the functional groups to provide the interfacial interaction with sulfonated polysulfone through ionic channels and blocking effect. The membrane with 3% v/v sulfonated graphene oxide content embedded in the matrix was shown to be suitable for direct methanol fuel cell applications. The membrane exhibited the highest proton conductivity of 4.27?×?10^?3 S cm^?1 which was higher than that of Nafion117. Moreover, the membrane provided the lowest methanol permeability of 3.48?×?10^?7?cm²/s which was lower than that of Nafion117.     

Effects of crosslinking ratio,model drugs,and electric field strength on electrically controlled release for alginate-based hydrogel

The drug release characteristics of calcium alginate hydrogels, (Ca-Alg), under an electric field assisted transdermal drug delivery system were systematically investigated. The Ca-Alg hydrogels were prepared by the solution-casting using CaCl₂ as a crosslinking agent. The diffusion coefficients and the release mechanism of the anionic model drugs, benzoic acid and tannic acid, and a cationic model drug, folic acid on the Ca-Alg hydrogels were determined and investigated using a modified Franz-Diffusion cell in an MES buffer solution of pH 5.5, at a temperature of 37°C, for 48 h. The influences of the crosslinking ratio, —the mole of the crosslinking agent to the mole of the alginate monomer—mesh size, model drug size, drug charge, electric field strength, and electrode polarity were systematically studied. The drug diffusion coefficient decreased with an increasing crosslinking ratio and drug size for all of the model drugs. The drug diffusion coefficient is precisely controlled by an applied electric field and the electrode polarity depending on the drug charge, suitable for a tailor-made transdermal drug delivery system.     

Refining natural rubber matrix for electrically stimulated transdermal drug delivery

This work focuses on the enhancement of transdermal delivery of indomethacin (IN) from natural rubber matrix by deproteinization, the addition of ethylene glycol (EG) as a plasticizer, and the enlarged matrix size under electrical field. The starting double-centrifuge natural rubber (DCNR) was deproteinized to produce the deproteinized natural rubber (DPNR). Both DCNR and DPNR patches were fabricated by the UV curing method, and blended with EG to enhance the IN loading and release–permeation. Using a pig skin to simulate the human skin, the IN release–permeation was found to increase with increasing plasticizer, removed protein, and applied electrical potential.     

Frequent breakpoints in the region surrounding FRA3B in sporadic renal cell carcinomas

The constitutive fragile site at chromosomal band 3p14.2, FRA3B, is the most active common fragile site in the human genome. We have localized aphidicolin-induced breakpoints to two distinct clusters, separated by 200 Kb, in FRA3B (Paradee et al., 1996). Sequence analysis of these regions identified two polymorphic microsatellite markers immediately adjacent to each of these breakpoint clusters. In this report we have used these two new microsatellites and 14 additional 3p microsatellites to analyse chromosome 3p breakage and loss in 94 sporadic RCC samples, including nonpapillary, papillary and oncocytomas. We have found heterozygous loss of 3p14 sequences in >60% of the RCC samples, including both clear cell and papillary renal cell carcinomas. We have found frequent breakage in the region immediately surrounding FRA3B, demonstrating that FRA3B does play a role in chromosome breakage and loss in RCC. In contrast to other reports, >50% of the papillary tumors also showed LOH of 3p markers. We also observed microsatellite instability (MIN) with most of the tested markers in seven of eight oncocytomas and one of 69 clear cell carcinomas. The MIN in some oncocytomas was of the RER+ (replication error) type I phenotype. None of the five 3p14.2 markers detected any homozygous deletions in tumor samples, but 69/94 (73%) of the tumors had LOH for the region, which includes the recently identified FHIT gene.     

Polycarbazole by chemical oxidative interfacial polymerization: morphology and electrical conductivity based on synthesis conditions

Polycarbazole (PCB) was synthesized via an interfacial polymerization method using carbazole monomer and ammonium persulfate as the oxidizing agent. The effects of surfactant type (non‐ionic Tween 20, cationic cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and anionic sodium dodecylsulfate) and concentration on the synthesized PCB were investigated based on the roles of micelle formation. Electron microscopy images revealed various PCB morphologies depending on the surfactant type and concentration. The newly found morphological structures of the PCB were macroporous honeycomb, connected hollow sphere and smaller hollow sphere depending on the surfactant type. The highest electrical conductivity of doped PCB_CTAB obtained was 11.3 ± 0.36 S cm^?1. The electrical conductivity values of the doped PCB synthesized with CTAB were higher than that without a surfactant by three orders of magnitude. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry