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Response Speed (response + speed)
Selected AbstractsEffects of alcoholism severity and smoking on executive neurocognitive functionADDICTION, Issue 1 2009Jennifer M. Glass ABSTRACT Aims Neurocognitive deficits in chronic alcoholic men are well documented. Impairments include memory, visual,spatial processing, problem solving and executive function. The cause of impairment could include direct effects of alcohol toxicity, pre-existing cognitive deficits that predispose towards substance abuse, comorbid psychiatric disorders and abuse of substances other than alcohol. Cigarette smoking occurs at higher rates in alcoholism and has been linked to poor cognitive performance, yet the effects of smoking on cognitive function in alcoholism are often ignored. We examined whether chronic alcoholism and chronic smoking have effects on executive function. Methods Alcoholism and smoking were examined in a community-recruited sample of alcoholic and non-alcoholic men (n = 240) using standard neuropsychological and reaction-time measures of executive function. Alcoholism was measured as the average level of alcoholism diagnoses across the study duration (12 years). Smoking was measured in pack-years. Results Both alcoholism and smoking were correlated negatively with a composite executive function score. For component measures, alcoholism was correlated negatively with a broad range of measures, whereas smoking was correlated negatively with measures that emphasize response speed. In regression analyses, both smoking and alcoholism were significant predictors of executive function composite. However, when IQ is included in the regression analyses, alcoholism severity is no longer significant. Conclusions Both smoking and alcoholism were related to executive function. However, the effect of alcoholism was not independent of IQ, suggesting a generalized effect, perhaps affecting a wide range of cognitive abilities of which executive function is a component. On the other hand, the effect of smoking on measures relying on response speed were independent of IQ, suggesting a more specific processing speed deficit associated with chronic smoking. [source] Photoresponse Properties of CdSe Single-Nanoribbon Photodetectors,ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 11 2007Y. Jiang Abstract Photodetectors are fabricated from individual single-crystal CdSe nanoribbons, and the photoresponse properties of the devices are studied systematically. The photodetector shows a high sensitivity towards excitation wavelength with a sharp cut-off at 710,nm, corresponding to the bandgap of CdSe. The device exhibits a high photo-to-dark current ratio of five orders of magnitude at 650,nm, and can function with excellent stability, reproducibility, and high response speed (<,1,ms) in a wide range of switching frequency (up to 300,Hz). The photocurrent of the device shows a power-law dependence on light intensity. This finding together with the analysis of the light intensity-dependent response speed reveals the existence of various traps at different energy levels (shallow and deep) in the bandgap. Coating with a thin SiO2 isolating layer increases the photocurrent but decreases the response speed of the CdSe nanoribbon, which is attributed to reduction of recombination centers on ribbon surface. [source] Artifical Muscles: Nanocomposite Hydrogel with High Toughness for Bioactuators (Adv. Mater.ADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 17 200917/2009) The inside cover shows a nanofibrous hydrogel based on ferritin for a bioinspired nanocomposite actuator, reported in work by Seon Jeong Kim and co-workers on p. 1712. The ferritin-based nanofibrous hydrogels demonstrate synergy between the ferritin protein and a synthetic polymer matrix, as the protein shell of ferritin behaves like an elastic nanospring in the polymer. The actuator is reversibly actuated by chemical energy under external tensile stress, showing improved response speed in comparison to bulk and microfiber hydrogels, coming closer to the goal of mimicking the performance of natural muscle. [source] Photoconductivity of a Single Small-Molecule Organic Nanowire,ADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 12 2008Xiujuan Zhang The photoconductivity of a methyl squarylium (MeSq) single-nanowire device shows a high light sensitivity, wavelength-dependent photoresponse, good response speed, and excellent stability and reproducibility. Nanodevices fabricated on flexible substrates (see figure) exhibit good mechanical bendability and no obvious change in performance after bending to a curvature of 0.5,cm,1. [source] Nonlinear controls for a class of discrete-time bilinear systemsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ROBUST AND NONLINEAR CONTROL, Issue 11 2003Min-Shin Chen Abstract For a discrete-time neutrally stable bilinear system, a nonlinear state feedback control based on the passivity design has been proposed to stabilize the system globally and asymptotically. This paper shows that the decay rate resulting from the passivity control is not exponential, and the system's response speed becomes very sluggish asymptotically. A ,normalized' nonlinear control is therefore proposed to achieve exponential stability. The new exponentially stabilizing control not only improves the system's response speed, but also enhances the system's robustness against small parametric perturbations. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Study of the near-neutral pH-sensitivity of chitosan/gelatin hydrogels by turbidimetry and microcantilever deflectionBIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 3 2006Jinshu Mao Abstract The fundamental properties and pH-sensitivity of chitosan/gelating hydrogels were investigated using spectroscopic and microelectro mechanical (MEMS) measurement approaches. Turbidimetric titration revealed that there were electrostatic attractive interactions between tripolyphosphate (TPP), chitosan, and gelatin in the acidic pH range, depending on their degree of ionization. The pH-sensitive swelling behavior of the hydrogels was investigated by monitoring the deflection of hydrogel-coated microcantilevers, which exhibited a sensitive and repeatable response to solution pH. The deflection of the microcantilever increased as the pH decreased, and the response speed of the system exhibited a nearly linear relationship with pH. The effects of the pH and concentration of TPP solution, as well as the ratio of chitosan to gelatin in gel precursor solutions, on the pH sensitivity of the hydrogels were also investigated. It was found that the swelling of the hydrogel is mainly a result of chain relaxation of chitosan,TPP complexes caused by protonation of free amino groups in chitosan, which depends on the crosslinking density set during the formation of the network. An increase in initial crosslink density induced a decrease in swelling and pH sensitivity. It can be concluded from this study that pH-sensitive chitosan gel properties can be tuned by preparatory conditions and inclusion of gelatin. Furthermore, microcantilevers can be used as a platform for gaining increased understanding of environmentally sensitive polymers. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Timing of Thyroid Hormone Action in the Developing Brain: Clinical Observations and Experimental FindingsJOURNAL OF NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 10 2004R. T. Zoeller Abstract The original concept of the critical period of thyroid hormone (TH) action on brain development was proposed to identify the postnatal period during which TH supplement must be provided to a child with congenital hypothyroidism to prevent mental retardation. As neuropsychological tools have become more sensitive, it has become apparent that even mild TH insufficiency in humans can produce measurable deficits in very specific neuropsychological functions, and that the specific consequences of TH deficiency depends on the precise developmental timing of the deficiency. Models of maternal hypothyroidism, hypothyroxinaemia and congential hyperthyroidism have provided these insights. If the TH deficiency occurs early in pregnancy, the offspring display problems in visual attention, visual processing (i.e. acuity and strabismus) and gross motor skills. If it occurs later in pregnancy, children are at additional risk of subnormal visual (i.e. contrast sensitivity) and visuospatial skills, as well as slower response speeds and fine motor deficits. Finally, if TH insufficiency occurs after birth, language and memory skills are most predominantly affected. Although the experimental literature lags behind clinical studies in providing a mechanistic explanation for each of these observations, recent studies confirm that the specific action of TH on brain development depends upon developmental timing, and studies informing us about molecular mechanisms of TH action are generating hypotheses concerning possible mechanisms to account for these pleiotropic actions. [source] | |||||||||||||