Enhancement of semantic integration reasoning by tRNS.

The right hemisphere is involved with the integrative processes necessary to achieve global coherence during reasoning and discourse processing. Specifically, the right temporal lobe has been proven to facilitate the processing of distant associate relationships, such as generating novel ideas. Previous studies showed a specific swing of alpha and gamma oscillatory activity over the right parieto-occipital lobe and the right anterior temporal lobe respectively, when people solve semantic problems with a specific strategy, i.e., insight problem-solving. In this study, we investigated the specificity of the right parietal and temporal lobes for semantic integration using transcranial Random Noise Stimulation (tRNS). We administered a set of pure semantics (i.e., Compound Remote Associates [CRA]) and visuo-semantic problems (i.e., Rebus Puzzles) to a sample of 31 healthy volunteers. Behavioral results showed that tRNS stimulation over the right temporal lobe enhances CRA accuracy (+12%), while stimulation on the right parietal lobe causes a decrease of response time on the same task (-2,100 ms). No effects were detected for Rebus Puzzles. Our findings corroborate the involvement of the right temporal and parietal lobes when solving purely semantic problems but not when they involve visuo-semantic material, also providing causal evidence for their postulated different roles in the semantic integration process and promoting tRNS as a candidate tool to boost verbal reasoning in humans.

Visuomotor adaptation in head-mounted virtual reality versus conventional training.

Immersive, head-mounted virtual reality (HMD-VR) provides a unique opportunity to understand how changes in sensory environments affect motor learning. However, potential differences in mechanisms of motor learning and adaptation in HMD-VR versus a conventional training (CT) environment have not been extensively explored. Here, we investigated whether adaptation on a visuomotor rotation task in HMD-VR yields similar adaptation effects in CT and whether these effects are achieved through similar mechanisms. Specifically, recent work has shown that visuomotor adaptation may occur via both an implicit, error-based internal model and a more cognitive, explicit strategic component. We sought to measure both overall adaptation and balance between implicit and explicit mechanisms in HMD-VR versus CT. Twenty-four healthy individuals were placed in either HMD-VR or CT and trained on an identical visuomotor adaptation task that measured both implicit and explicit components. Our results showed that the overall timecourse of adaption was similar in both HMD-VR and CT. However, HMD-VR participants utilized a greater cognitive strategy than CT, while CT participants engaged in greater implicit learning. These results suggest that while both conditions produce similar results in overall adaptation, the mechanisms by which visuomotor adaption occurs in HMD-VR appear to be more reliant on cognitive strategies.

Low-rate sputter-deposited Fe3Si thin films on Si substrates: structural and ferromagnetic properties.

Fe3Si thin films were sputter-deposited on Si(001) substrates. Structural investigations show that Fe3Si was deposited poly-crystalline with a Si-containing layer at the Fe3Si/Si interface. The formation of the layer was attributed to the influence of low deposition rates used in this study on the grain nucleation in Fe3Si. This layer helps to stabilize the ferromagnetic properties of the subsequent annealed films at 350 degrees C with 5 Oe obtained for coercive field H(c), approximately 920 emu/cm3 for saturation magnetization M(s) and approximately 0.9M(s) for remnant magnetization M(r).

Optimization of medium composition for the production of a probiotic microorganism, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, using response surface methodology.

This study was undertaken to optimize yeast extract, glucose, and vitamin concentrations; and also culture pH for maximizing the growth of a probiotic bacterium, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and to assess the effects of these factors by using response surface methodology. A central composite design was used as an experimental design for the allocation of treatment combinations. A polynomial regression model with cubic and quartic terms was used for analysis of the experimental data. It was found that the effects involving yeast extract, glucose, vitamins and pH on the growth of L. rhamnosus were significant, and the strongest effect was given by the yeast extract concentration. Estimated optimum conditions of the factors for the growth of L. rhamnosus are as follows: pH=6.9; vitamin solution=1.28% (v/v); glucose=5.01% (w/v) and yeast extract=6.0% (w/v).