Toward Empowering Conversational Agency in Aphasia: Understanding Mechanisms of Topic Initiation in People With and Without Aphasia

Purpose: This study examined topic initiation (TI) in conversations involving people with aphasia (PWA), matched people without aphasia (M-PWoA), and speech-language pathologists who were their conversation partners (SLP-Ps). For each speaker type, we analyzed patterns of distribution of typical mechanisms of TI and patterns of simultaneous use of multiple TI mechanisms. Lastly, we examined associations between use of simultaneous TI mechanisms and communicative success. Method: Twenty PWA and 20 M-PWoA each participated in two conversations with SLP-Ps. Conversation samples were analyzed for TI locations and mechanisms, with results tallied for each speaker type following a published typology. A measure of communicative success was applied to TI utterances. Rank-order correlations were conducted to evaluate the patterns of distribution of the TI mechanisms between speaker types and the patterns of multiple mechanism usage between speaker types. Descriptive analysis was conducted to provide additional insight to the TI behaviors of each speaker type and to evaluate the relationship between multiple TI mechanisms and communicative success. Results: All speaker types used cohesion most often to achieve TI. PWA used an abrupt method of TI (noncoherent TI) more often than other speaker types. A single mechanism of TI was used most often by all speaker types, except for SLP-Ps when they were in conversations with PWA. In this case, SLP-Ps most often used two or more layered mechanisms of TI. SLP-Ps also used a highly salient TI mechanism with greater frequency when speaking with PWA than observed between other speaker types. When PWA layered mechanisms of TI, they appeared to be more likely to achieve better communicative success. Conclusions: Specific, teachable behaviors such as favoring certain TI mechanisms and using multiple TI mechanisms may improve communicative success during TI for PWA. Furthermore, findings suggest that SLP-Ps modify their TI behaviors when speaking to PWA. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.17699423

Assessing the mechanisms thought to govern ice and snow friction and their interplay with substrate brittle behavior

Sliding friction on ice and snow is characteristically low at temperatures common on Earth’s surface. This slipperiness underlies efficient sleds, winter sports, and the need for specialized tires. Friction can also play micro-mechanical role affecting ice compressive and crushing strengths. Researchers have proposed several mechanisms thought to govern ice and snow friction, but directly validating the underlying mechanics has been difficult. This may be changing, as instruments capable of micro-scale measurements and imaging are now being brought to bear on friction studies. Nevertheless, given the broad regimes of practical interest (interaction length, temperature, speed, pressure, slider properties, etc.), it may be unrealistic to expect that a single mechanism accounts for why ice and snow are slippery. Because bulk ice, and the ice grains that constitute snow, are solids near their melting point at terrestrial temperatures, most research has focused on whether a lubricating water film forms at the interface with a slider. However, ice is extremely brittle, and dry-contact abrasion and wear at the front of sliders could prevent or delay a transition to lubricated contact. Also, water is a poor lubricant, and lubricating films thick enough to separate surface asperities may not form for many systems of interest. This article aims to assess our knowledge of the mechanics underlying ice and snow friction.

THE STRUCTURE AND CONTENT OF SOCIAL PERCEPTION IMAGES IN THE CONSCIOUS OF FOSTER MOTHERS

This article examines the problem of the image of a foster child in the representations of foster mothers. The goal of the work is to determine the structural features of the foster mother's I-image, the You-image of the foster child. Research hypothesis - the structure and content of I-images and images of foster children are statistically and qualitatively related. Study participants were 78 people, foster mothers aged 29-66 years (М=49,64; SD=7,54). Based on the results of the empirical study, structural and content features were revealed in the ideas of foster mothers about themselves and their foster children. There are differences in the components of images: social intelligence (p≤0,05), behavioral (p≤0,05), bodily (p≤0,05), neutral (p≤0.05), negative (p≤0,05). Correlations were established between the characteristics of the images reflecting attitudes toward a person. Comparison of social-perceptual images in structure and content indicates the similarity of the I-images of mothers with the You-images of their foster children. The results obtained are based on a single mechanism for the development of socio-perceptual images. Foster mothers choose a child and build interaction with him/her, relying not so much on the reflection of real personal features of the child, as on their own ideas about themselves, on their I-concept.

Study of lifting platforms using three-dimensional computer-aided modeling

In the modern world, an aerial platform (auto-hydraulic lift) is an integral part of a rich model range of special crane equipment. The first primitive lift consisted of a lever, hinged on the base. A traction rope was placed on one side of the lever, and a counterweight on the other. With the help of his own physical strength, a person was able to rise to a small height using such a simple lifting mechanism. Currently, many types of lifts are used, which differ in height characteristics and the design of the lifting mechanism. Goal. The aim of this work is to study the kinematics of the moving elements of a hydraulic lift using a virtual model created on the basis of the Autodesk Inventor Professional software package. The model is based on an existing physical object. To study the kinematics of individual units and the installation as a whole, we use the method of modeling individual units and units of a machine, collecting them into a single mechanism with the task of all possible movements of structural elements in the Inventor package. Methodology. The assigned tasks can be solved by special design tools that are included in the software product, namely the environment for dynamic modeling, stress analysis. These tools are accessed while working in the "Assembly" environment, using the ribbon tabs "Design" and "Environments". The results of further research will bepresented in future publications.

FEATURES OF THE CONTRACT FOR ENGINEERING SERVICES IN CIVIL LAW OF UKRAINE: WAYS TO IMPROVE THE PROCESS IN THE CONTEXT OF IMPROVING BUSINESS

The current state of regulation of the engineering services market in the world is at the level of constant development and improvement. The formation of a system for concluding contractual relations in the field of engineering services is no exception. The imperfection of the system for concluding the contract for engineering services indicates the weak state of the current management system in the field of innovation and intellectual property in the field of doing business both in a single country and throughout the world, which necessitates revising and improving the principles of concluding contracts in the field of engineering services. The contract for engineering services appeared in the world legislation relatively recently, in science there is still no unity in understanding the nature of this contract, as well as in the terminology used to designate legal relations arising on its basis. There are different, sometimes polar, approaches to the essence, features and elements of the contract for engineering services. In addition, there is still no single mechanism for forming a contract. Given this, an important step towards improving the contract for engineering servicess in civil law will be the formation of a systematic sequence of steps using the IDEF0 functional model. In this regard, the main goal of the article is to form the basic principles of consistency and algorithmization of the process of concluding the contract for engineering servicess on the basis of a functional model IDEF0.

Overview on Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: A Review

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a neuropathic pain disease characterized by the presence of allodynia, hyperalgesia, sudomotor and vasomotor abnormalities, and trophic alterations. CRPS can be caused by a variety of degrees or types of tissue damage, but it has also been reported in the absence of injury or after lengthy periods of immobility. A fracture is the most prevalent injury linked to the development of CRPS. CRPS is thought to be caused by a complex process involving both the peripheral and central nerve systems, according to a recent acceptance. Patients with CRPS are said to have all of the symptoms of inflammation, including heat, discomfort, redness, and swelling. CRPS symptoms have been greatly reduced by corticosteroids in several clinical studies. The diagnosis of CRPS is mostly dependent on a patient's medical history and clinical examination, which includes a variety of tests that can help rule out other diseases. Given the syndrome's complexity, it's doubtful that focusing on a single mechanism will be successful. Combination therapy, like with other chronic conditions, may be the future of CRPS treatment. In this review we will be looking at disease definition, pathophysiology, and treatment.

Development of Sustainable Partnership Organizational Mechanism (POM): Case of Local Action Groups (LAG)

The study of the partnership organization mechanism (POM) aims to answer the question of how an organization manages the mechanical operation of the partnership and how the partnership system shapes itself in order to achieve a fairer balance across all junctions of the POM, through shafts connected into a single mechanism. The study has led to a deeper understanding of the empirical operation of the POM and has led to the identification of 20 POM configuration principles, the harmonization of which, in accordance with the principle of coherence, enables sustainability to be achieved and managed. The study is exploratory and therefore empirical facts supporting theoretical insights were sought. The information database of the study consists of 5-year observation data of Lithuanian local action groups, exploratory survey data and in-depth interviews for verification of the phenomenon. The empirical study allowed us to verify the theoretical operation of the POM and helped us to determine the content and purpose of the relationships between different groups of stakeholders in the region. A total of 10 POM empirical models have been detected, which confirmed the fundamental thesis of the study that sustainability can be managed by ensuring the harmonious operation of the system and by controlling the level of system coherence.

Priming Maltese plurals

We investigate the storage and processing of sound and broken plural forms in the Maltese lexicon by means of a cross-modal priming study. The results show no significant differences in reaction time between sound and broken plurals, but indicate a different priming effect for sound than for broken plurals. We argue that the different priming effect is a result of the phonological overlap between sound singulars and their corresponding plurals forms, while broken singulars and their plurals do not share the same phonological structure. Our results support a single-mechanism model of morphological processing in which both frequency of pattern and morphophonological similarity interact.

Brain networks in human conscious visual perception

Consciousness is not explained by a single mechanism, rather it involves multiple specialized neural systems overlapping in space and time. We hypothesize that synergistic, large-scale subcortical and cortical attention and signal processing networks encode conscious experiences. To identify brain activity in conscious perception without overt report, we classified visual stimuli as perceived or not using eye measurements. Report-independent event-related potentials and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signals both occurred at early times after stimuli. Direct recordings revealed a novel thalamic awareness potential linked to conscious visual perception based on report. fMRI showed thalamic and cortical detection, arousal, attentional salience, task-positive, and default mode networks were involved independent of overt report. These findings identify a specific sequence of neural mechanisms in human conscious visual perception.One-Sentence SummaryHuman conscious visual perception engages large-scale subcortical and cortical networks even without overt report.

CK2 Regulation: Perspectives in 2021

The protein kinase CK2 (CK2) family encompasses a small number of acidophilic serine/threonine kinases that phosphorylate substrates involved in numerous biological processes including apoptosis, cell proliferation, and the DNA damage response. CK2 has also been implicated in many human malignancies and other disorders including Alzheimer′s and Parkinson’s diseases, and COVID-19. Interestingly, no single mechanism describes how CK2 is regulated, including activation by external proteins or domains, phosphorylation, or dimerization. Furthermore, the kinase has an elongated activation loop that locks the kinase into an active conformation, leading CK2 to be labelled a constitutively active kinase. This presents an interesting paradox that remains unanswered: how can a constitutively active kinase regulate biological processes that require careful control? Here, we highlight a selection of studies where CK2 activity is regulated at the substrate level, and discuss them based on the regulatory mechanism. Overall, this review describes numerous biological processes where CK2 activity is regulated, highlighting how a constitutively active kinase can still control numerous cellular activities. It is also evident that more research is required to fully elucidate the mechanisms that regulate CK2 and what causes aberrant CK2 signaling in disease.