Given the largely prefrontostriatal neuropathogenesis of HIV-associated neurobehavioral deficits, it is often presumed that HIV infection leads to greater impairment on letter versus category fluency. A meta-analysis of the HIV verbal fluency literature was conducted (k = 37, n = 7110) to assess this hypothesis and revealed generally small effect sizes for both letter and category fluency, which increased in magnitude with advancing HIV disease severity. Across all studies, the mean effect size of category fluency was slightly larger than that of letter fluency. However, the discrepancy between category and letter fluency dissipated in a more conservative analysis of only those studies that included both tests. Thus, HIV-associated impairments in letter and category fluency are of similar magnitude, suggesting that mild word generation deficits are evident in HIV, regardless of whether traditional letter or semantic cues are used to guide the word search and retrieval process (JINS, 2007, 13, 183–189.)

Thermal curing of the (4,4,4-trifluoro-1-(2-thienyl)-1,3-butanedionato)silver(I)-containing poly(amic acid) formed from 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenone tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (BTDA) and 4,4′-oxydianiline (4,4′-ODA) in dimethylacetamide gives both polyimide films via cyclodehydration and reduction of silver(I) to the native metal. Silver(0) migrates to the surface resulting in surface metallized composite films, which can have excellent reflectivity, but do not exhibit surface electrical conductivity. The films retain mechanical and thermal properties similar to those of the parent polyimide. X-ray diffraction shows crystalline face-centered-cubic silver in the films after thermal curing. Microscopy data show that the surface particle sizes are in the range of approximately 50–100 nm. Significant silver remains in the bulk of the polyimide film with varying particles sizes generally less than approximately 15 nm. The interior of the metallized films is not electrically conducting. Films were characterized by x-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, thermal gravimetric analysis, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and mechanical measurements.