Prosodic sensitivity and reading fluency of musicians and non-musicians

Reading and Writing - This study investigates the effects of prosodic sensitivity on reading. Highly capable adult musicians (i.e., persons with potentially excellent prosodic skills) and...     

Sum and product separabilities of multivariable functions and applications

Necessary and sufficient conditions for reducibility of certain classes of multivariable polynomials are considered. The special case when a polynomial in that class can be factored into a finite product of single variable polynomials is investigated. A set of necessary and sufficient conditions for decomposing a multivariable p.r.f. into a sum of single variable p.r.f.'s is given. Examples to illustrate applications of sum and product separabilities of functions are given.     

Antioxidant and lipid lowering activities of Indian black tea

Indian black tea; CTC leaf and dust, produced by Tata Tea Limited, Kolkata, (India) was studiedin vitro as potential scavenger of oxygen free radicals. Super oxide anions were generated in a system containing xanthine—xanthine oxidase (enzymic system) and by NADH- phenozine methosulphate (non enzymic system). Anions were assayed in terms of uric acid formation and reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium salt, which were shown to be suppressed by tea extracts. Extracts from both leaf and dust also inhibted the formation of hydroxyl radicalsin vitro in the enzymic system comprising hypoxanthine—Cu⁺²—sodium ascorbate and xanthine oxidase and in non enzymic system of deoxyribose—Cu⁺²—sodium ascorbate and H₂O₂ as well as the Cu⁺² induced lipid peroxidation in human low density lipoprotein. Feeding with black tea in normal rats for sixty days increased their antioxidant activity and their liver microsomes were shown to be protected against peroxidation of lipids as stimulated by metal ions with enzymic or non enzymic reactants. Furthermore feeding with tea extracts in normal as well as triton WR—1339 induced hyperlipidemic rats caused decrease in their plasma levels of total cholesterol, phospholipids and triglycerides. The antioxidant and lipid lowering activities of both extracts from CTC leaf and dust tea was comparable and may be due to the presence of natural products like catechin and others.     

The development of assistive dementia technology that accounts for the values of those affected by its use

Developing technology that accounts for values has been achieved in many areas, including security, gaming, finance, engineering, and many more. The main methodological approach has been that of value sensitive design. But most of the work to date has been on the first of its three stages. The focus of this article is on advances related to its second stage, empirical investigation, and in particular the impact of contextual understanding in that stage. Although lessons can be learnt from other domains, the specific context of dementia means that there are nuances to understanding values, including justice and autonomy, that differ from other areas. The integration of value considerations in the development of assistive technology in dementia is explored in two broad categories: the traditional and ongoing need for fixed decision support, and adaptable decision support technologies. For fixed decision support the A&D Benchmark is particularly useful in design. But for adaptable technologies, that benchmark requires further development, including consideration of the values of additional stakeholders, such as the general public.     

Oxidant and antioxidant status in vegetarians and fish eaters

An adequate antioxidant reserve which is usually present in a vegetarian diet is associated with higher life expectancy. On the other hand habitual consumption of fish is associated with lower risk of cardiovascular diseases which is attributed to the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) present in it. However the PUFA are readily susceptible to oxidation leading to the formation of free radicals which is known to be involved in the causation of several diseases. The oxidant-antioxidant status of 23 vegetarians and 22 fish eaters was studied by determining the plasma lipid peroxides measured as malondialdehyde (MDA) and the antioxidants, viz. glutathione (GSH), ascorbic acid, ceruloplasmin and uric acid. Results show that the ascorbic acid values were significantly higher in vegetarians. In addition, MDA correlated negatively with ascorbic acid only in vegetarians. However, correlation of MDA with glutathione showed a significant negative correlation only in fish eaters. There was no statistically significant difference in the MDA, GSH, ceruloplasmin and uric acid levels. The mechanism behind these findings are not clear and needs to be explored.     

Applications of the stability-equation method to linear systems

This paper presents the applications of the stability-equation method to the analysis and design of linear systems. Control systems with multiple inputs and outputs are considered; the absolute stability and relative stability characteristics are analyzed. Stability conditions for control systems with a transport lag or a distributive lag are presented. Finally, the stability characteristics of a system with a distributive parameter are analyzed.     

Polymorphonuclear leukocytic sialic acid and sialidase activity in obesity

The level of sialic acid in the obese polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) was found to be significantly reduced as compared to normal. Activity of sialic acid degrading enzyme, sialidase, was found to be increased in the obese state. Restoration in both sialic acid content and sialidase activity was also evidenced in the PMNL of treated obese patients.