bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Children of time: the geological recency of intelligence and its implications for SETI
Authors: Mussini Giovanni
Published: December 2023

Of all species on Earth, only one – Homo sapiens – has developed a technological civilization. As a consequence, estimates of the number of similar civilizations beyond Earth often treat the emergence of human-like intelligence or ‘sophonce’ as an evolutionary unicum: a contingent event unlikely to repeat itself even in biospheres harbouring complex brains, tool use, socially transmitted behaviours and high general intelligence. Here, attention is drawn to the unexpected recency and temporal clustering of these evolutionary preconditions to sophonce, which are shown to be confined to the last ≤102 million years. I argue that this pattern can be explained by the exponential biotic diversification dynamics suggested by the fossil record, which translated into a nonlinearly expanding range of cognitive and behavioural outcomes over the course of Earth's history. As a result, the probability of sophonce arising out of a buildup of its enabling preconditions has been escalating throughout the Phanerozoic. The implications for the Silurian hypothesis and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) are discussed. I conclude that the transition from animal-grade multicellularity to sophonce is likely not a rate-limiting step in the evolution of extraterrestrial technological intelligences, and that while H. sapiens is probably the first sophont to evolve on Earth, on macroevolutionary grounds it is unlikely to be the last.
Neonatal nicotine exposure affects adult rat hepatic pathways involved in endoplasmic reticulum stress and macroautophagy in a sex-dependent manner
Authors: Souza Luana Lopes , Rossetti Camila Lüdke , Peixoto Thamara Cherem , Manhães Alex Christian , de Moura Egberto Gaspar , Lisboa Patrícia Cristina
Published: December 2023

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) involves changes in hepatic pathways, as lipogenesis, oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and macroautophagy. Maternal nicotine exposure exclusively during lactation leads to fatty liver (steatosis) only in the adult male offspring, not in females. Therefore, our hypothesis is that neonatal exposure to nicotine sex-dependently affects the signaling pathways involved in hepatic homeostasis of the offspring, explaining the hepatic lipid accumulation phenotype only in males. For this, between postnatal days 2 and 16, Wistar rat dams were implanted with osmotic minipumps, which released nicotine (NIC; 6 mg/Kg/day) or vehicle. The livers of offspring were evaluated at postnatal day 180. Only the male offspring that had been exposed to nicotine neonatally showed increased protein expression of markers of unfolded protein response (UPR), highlighting the presence of ER stress, as well as disruption of the activation of the macroautophagy repair pathway. These animals also had increased expression of diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 1 and 4-hydroxynonenal, suggesting increased triglyceride esterification and oxidative stress. These parameters were not altered in the female offspring that had been neonatally exposed to nicotine, however they exhibited increased phospho adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase pAMPK expression, possibly as a protective mechanism. Thus, the disturbance in the hepatic homeostasis by UPR, macroautophagy, and oxidative stress modifications seem to be the molecular mechanisms underlying the liver steatosis in the adult male offspring of the nicotine-programming model. This highlights the importance of maternal smoking cessation during breastfeeding to decrease the risk of NAFLD development, especially in males.
Subducted Seamounts May Lead to Larger Earthquakes
Authors: Scharping Nathaniel
Published: December 2023

New findings show that underwater mountains may increase friction along subduction zones, building up stress and making larger ruptures more likely.
Organic Matter Matters—The Imaginary Conductivity of Sediments Rich in Solid Organic Carbon
Authors: Strobel C. , Doerrich M. , Stieff E.‐H. , Huisman J. A. , Cirpka O. A. , Mellage A.
Published: December 2023

Solid organic matter (OM) is a biogeochemically relevant constituent of soils and sediments. It also affects sediments' geophysical properties, but is often overlooked in hydro‐ and biogeophysical approaches for the characterization of the shallow subsurface. Here, we explore the potential of spectral induced polarization (SIP) to delineate OM‐rich zones in the subsurface and provide insights into the mechanisms that drive OM‐polarization using measurements on both field cores and artificial OM‐sand mixtures. Both, field samples and artificial mixtures showed a linear relationship between the total organic carbon (TOC) content and charge storage (imaginary conductivity). The high cation exchange capacity of OM drives the increase in polarization and can help in delineating potentially microbially active OM‐rich zones in cores or field surveys. To avoid misinterpretation of SIP data in unconsolidated media, we strongly suggest quantifying TOC content in sediment samples to accompany the interpretation of field surveys.
Committed Ice Loss in the European Alps Until 2050 Using a Deep‐Learning‐Aided 3D Ice‐Flow Model With Data Assimilation
Authors: Cook Samuel J. , Jouvet Guillaume , Millan Romain , Rabatel Antoine , Zekollari Harry , Dussaillant Inés
Published: December 2023

Modeling the short‐term (<50 years) evolution of glaciers is difficult because of issues related to model initialization and data assimilation. However, this timescale is critical, particularly for water resources, natural hazards, and ecology. Using a unique record of satellite remote‐sensing data, combined with a novel optimisation and surface‐forcing‐calculation method within the framework of the deep‐learning‐based Instructed Glacier Model, we are able to ameliorate initialization issues. We thus model the committed evolution of all glaciers in the European Alps up to 2050 using present‐day climate conditions, assuming no future climate change. We find that the resulting committed ice loss exceeds a third of the present‐day ice volume by 2050, with multi‐kilometer frontal retreats for even the largest glaciers. Our results show the importance of modeling ice dynamics to accurately retrieve the ice‐thickness distribution and to predict future mass changes. Thanks to high‐performance GPU processing, we also demonstrate our method's global potential.
Regional and Teleconnected Impacts of Solar Radiation‐Topography Interaction Over the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Hao Dalei , Bisht Gautam , Gu Yu , Leung L. Ruby
Published: December 2023

Solar radiation‐topography interaction plays an important role in surface energy balance over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). However, the impacts of such interaction over the TP on climate locally and in the Asian regions remain unclear. This study uses the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) to evaluate the regional and teleconnected impacts of solar radiation‐topography interaction over the TP. Land‐atmosphere coupled experiments show that topography regulates the surface energy balance, snow processes, and surface climate over the TP across seasons. Accounting for solar radiation‐topography interaction improves E3SM simulation of surface climate. The winter cold bias in air temperature decreases from −4.57 to −3.79 K, and the wet bias in summer precipitation is mitigated in southern TP. The TP's solar radiation‐topography interaction further reduces the South and East Asian summer precipitation biases. Our results demonstrate the topographic roles in regional climate over the TP and highlight its teleconnected climate impacts.
A Seismic Tomography, Gravity, and Flexure Study of the Crust and Upper Mantle Structure of the Hawaiian Ridge: 1
Authors: MacGregor B. G. , Dunn R. A. , Watts A. B. , Xu C. , Shillington D. J.
Published: December 2023

The Hawaiian Ridge has long been a focus site for studying lithospheric flexure due to intraplate volcano loading, but crucial load and flexure details remain unclear. We address this problem using wide‐angle seismic refraction and reflection data acquired along a ∼535‐km‐long profile that intersects the ridge between the islands of Maui and Hawai'i and crosses 80–95 Myr‐old lithosphere. A tomographic image constructed using travel time data of several seismic phases reveals broad flexure of Pacific oceanic crust extending up to ∼200–250 km either side of the Hawaiian Ridge, and vertically up to ∼6–7 km. The P‐wave velocity structure, verified by gravity modeling, reveals that the west flank of Hawaii is comprised of extrusive lavas overlain by volcanoclastic sediments and a carbonate platform. In contrast, the Hāna Ridge, southeast of Maui, contains a high‐velocity core consistent with mafic or ultramafic intrusive rocks. Magmatic underplating along the seismic line is not evident. Reflectors at the top and bottom of the pre‐existing oceanic crust suggest a ∼4.5–6 km crustal thickness. Simple three‐dimensional flexure modeling with an elastic plate thickness, Te, of 26.7 km shows that the depths to the reflectors beneath the western flank of Hawai'i can be explained by volcano loading in which Maui and the older islands in the ridge contribute ∼43% to the flexure and the island of Hawai'i ∼51%. Previous studies, however, revealed a higher Te beneath the eastern flank of Hawai'i suggesting that isostatic compensation may not yet be complete at the youngest end of the ridge.
Opposing roles by KRAS and BRAF mutation on immune cell infiltration in colorectal cancer – possible implications for immunotherapy
Authors: Edin Sofia , Gylling Björn , Li Xingru , Stenberg Åsa , Löfgren-Burström Anna , Zingmark Carl , van Guelpen Bethany , Ljuslinder Ingrid , Ling Agnes , Palmqvist Richard
Published: December 2023

Background

The immune response has important clinical value in colorectal cancer (CRC) in both prognosis and response to immunotherapy. This study aims to explore tumour immune cell infiltration in relation to clinically well-established molecular markers of CRC.

Methods

Multiplex immunohistochemistry and multispectral imaging was used to evaluate tumour infiltration of cytotoxic T cells (CD8+), Th1 cells (T-bet+), T regulatory cells (FoxP3+), B cells (CD20+), and macrophages (CD68+) in a cohort of 257 CRC patients.

Results

We found the expected association between higher immune-cell infiltration and microsatellite instability. Also, whereas BRAF-mutated tumours displayed increased immune-cell infiltration compared to BRAF wild-type tumours, the opposite was seen for KRAS-mutated tumours, differences that were most prominent for cytotoxic T cells and Th1 cells. The opposing relationships of BRAF and KRAS mutations with tumour infiltration of cytotoxic T cells was validated in an independent cohort of 608 CRC patients. A positive prognostic importance of cytotoxic T cells was found in wild-type as well as KRAS and BRAF-mutated CRCs in both cohorts.

Conclusion

A combined evaluation of MSI status, KRAS and BRAF mutational status, and immune infiltration (cytotoxic T cells) may provide important insights to prognosis and response to immunotherapy in CRC.
Standardized assays to monitor drug sensitivity in hematologic cancers
Authors: Ayuda-Durán Pilar , Hermansen Johanne U. , Giliberto Mariaserena , Yin Yanping , Hanes Robert , Gordon Sandra , Kuusanmäki Heikki , Brodersen Andrea M. , Andersen Aram N. , Taskén Kjetil , Wennerberg Krister , Enserink Jorrit M. , Skånland Sigrid S.
Published: December 2023

The principle of drug sensitivity testing is to expose cancer cells to a library of different drugs and measure its effects on cell viability. Recent technological advances, continuous approval of targeted therapies, and improved cell culture protocols have enhanced the precision and clinical relevance of such screens. Indeed, drug sensitivity testing has proven diagnostically valuable for patients with advanced hematologic cancers. However, different cell types behave differently in culture and therefore require optimized drug screening protocols to ensure that their ex vivo drug sensitivity accurately reflects in vivo drug responses. For example, primary chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and multiple myeloma (MM) cells require unique microenvironmental stimuli to survive in culture, while this is less the case for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. Here, we present our optimized and validated protocols for culturing and drug screening of primary cells from AML, CLL, and MM patients, and a generic protocol for cell line models. We also discuss drug library designs, reproducibility, and quality controls. We envision that these protocols may serve as community guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays to monitor drug sensitivity in hematologic cancers and thus contribute to standardization. The read-outs may provide insight into tumor biology, identify or confirm treatment resistance and sensitivity in real time, and ultimately guide clinical decision-making.
Emerging role and therapeutic implications of p53 in intervertebral disc degeneration
Authors: Wang Yidian , Hu Shouye , Zhang Weisong , Zhang Binfei , Yang Zhi
Published: December 2023

Lower back pain (LBP) is a common degenerative musculoskeletal disease that imposes a huge economic burden on both individuals and society. With the aggravation of social aging, the incidence of LBP has increased globally. Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is the primary cause of LBP. Currently, IDD treatment strategies include physiotherapy, medication, and surgery; however, none can address the root cause by ending the degeneration of intervertebral discs (IVDs). However, in recent years, targeted therapy based on specific molecules has brought hope for treating IDD. The tumor suppressor gene p53 produces a transcription factor that regulates cell metabolism and survival. Recently, p53 was shown to play an important role in maintaining IVD microenvironment homeostasis by regulating IVD cell senescence, apoptosis, and metabolism by activating downstream target genes. This study reviews research progress regarding the potential role of p53 in IDD and discusses the challenges of targeting p53 in the treatment of IDD. This review will help to elucidate the pathogenesis of IDD and provide insights for the future development of precision treatments.
Triplet-mediated spin entanglement between organic radicals: integrating first principles and open-quantum-system simulations
Authors: Huang Tianhong , Chang Jiawei , Ma Lin , Fisher Andrew J. , Harrison Nicholas M. , Zou Taoyu , Wang Hai , Wu Wei
Published: December 2023

Controlling molecular spin quantum bits optically offers the potential to effectively reduce decoherence and raise the working temperature of quantum computers. Here, exchange interactions and spin dynamics, as mediated by an optically driven triplet state, are calculated for a molecule that consists of a pair of radicals and represents a potential quantum-circuit building block. Consistent with the previous experimental observation of spin coherence induced by the triplet state, our work demonstrates an optically driven quantum gate operation scheme in a molecule. A technological blueprint combining a two-dimensional molecular network and programmable nanophotonics, both of which are sufficiently developed, is proposed. We thus realize computational exploration of chemical databases to identify suitable candidates for molecular spin quantum bits and couplers to be hybridized with nanophotonic devices. The work presented here is proposed to realize a new approach for exploring molecular excited states and click chemistry, toward advancing molecular quantum technology.
EarSet: A Multi-Modal Dataset for Studying the Impact of Head and Facial Movements on In-Ear PPG Signals
Authors: Montanari Alessandro , Ferlini Andrea , Balaji Ananta Narayanan , Mascolo Cecilia , Kawsar Fahim
Published: December 2023

Photoplethysmography (PPG) is a simple, yet powerful technique to study blood volume changes by measuring light intensity variations. However, PPG is severely affected by motion artifacts, which hinder its trustworthiness. This problem is pressing in earables since head movements and facial expressions cause skin and tissue displacements around and inside the ear. Understanding such artifacts is fundamental to the success of earables for accurate cardiovascular health monitoring. However, the lack of in-ear PPG datasets prevents the research community from tackling this challenge. In this work, we report on the design of an ear tip featuring a 3-channels PPG and a co-located 6-axis motion sensor. This, enables sensing PPG data at multiple wavelengths and the corresponding motion signature from both ears. Leveraging our device, we collected a multi-modal dataset from 30 participants while performing 16 natural motions, including both head/face and full body movements. This unique dataset will greatly support research towards making in-ear vital signs sensing more accurate and robust, thus unlocking the full potential of the next-generation PPG-equipped earables.
A full-body motion capture gait dataset of 138 able-bodied adults across the life span and 50 stroke survivors
Authors: Van Criekinge Tamaya , Saeys Wim , Truijen Steven , Vereeck Luc , Sloot Lizeth H. , Hallemans Ann
Published: December 2023

This reference dataset contains biomechanical data of 138 able-bodied adults (21–86 years) and 50 stroke survivors walking bare-footed at their preferred speed. It is unique due to its size, and population, including adults across the life-span and over 70 years, as well as stroke survivors. Full-body kinematics (PiG-model), kinetics and muscle activity of 14 back and lower limbs muscles was collected with a Vicon motion capture system, ground-embedded force plates, and a synchronized surface EMG system. The data is reliable to compare within and between groups as the same methodology and infrastructure were used to gather all data. Both source files (C3D) and post-processed ready-to-use stride-normalized kinematics, kinetics and EMG data (MAT-file, Excel file) are available, allowing high flexibility and accessibility of analysis for both researchers and clinicians. These records are valuable to examine ageing, typical and hemiplegic gait, while also offering a wide range of reference data which can be utilized for age-matched controls during normal walking.
Observing ageism implicitly using the numerical parity judgment task
Authors: Aisenberg-Shafran D. , Henik A. , Gronau N.
Published: December 2023

Objective magnitude representations may be prone to subjective percepts when judging human beings. An elderly man is clearly “large” in terms of age. But, is he truly perceived as “big” in our minds? We investigated whether “objective” representation of age interacts with subjective stereotypical percepts of aging, using a numeral classification task preceded by prime images containing human figures. First, prime images of children and young adults demonstrated a positive correlation between perceived age and numerical size. Second, negatively and positively valenced prime images were associated with small and big numerical values, respectively. Third, joint effects of age and valence on numerical value perception revealed a linkage between old adults and small numerical values. It seems that magnitude perception is vulnerable to implicit subjective biases and stereotypical judgments dominate objective magnitude representation.
The influence of thionamides on intra-thyroidal uptake of 131I during radioiodine-131 treatment of Graves’ disease
Authors: Happel Christian , Bockisch Benjamin , Leonhäuser Britta , Sabet Amir , Grünwald Frank , Groener Daniel
Published: December 2023

Graves’ disease is one of the most common causes of hyperthyroidism. Guideline recommendations advocate the intake of thionamides for at least 1 year. If hyperthyroidism persists, subsequent radioiodine-131 treatment (RIT) is a therapeutic option. Thionamides are known to influence intra-thyroidal bio-kinetics of iodine and should therefore be discontinued at least 3 days prior to RIT if possible. However, the required therapeutic activity has to be calculated individually by pre-therapeutic measurement of the uptake prior to RIT [radioiodine-131 uptake test (RIUT)] in Germany according to national guidelines. Therefore, the aim of this study was to quantify the influence of thionamides on intra-therapeutic uptake. A cohort of 829 patients with Graves’ disease undergoing RIUT and RIT was analysed. Patients were subdivided into three groups. Group A: patients with carbimazole medication (n = 312), group B: patients with methimazole medication (n = 252) and group C: patients without thionamides (n = 265). Group A and B were further subdivided depending on the reduction of dosage of thionamides. In order to analyse the influence of thionamides, the variance of the determined individual extrapolated maximum intra-thyroidal uptake (EMU) between RIUT and RIT within the single groups and within the subgroups was statistically evaluated. When administering an equal dose of thionamides or no thionamides in RIUT and RIT (groups A1, B1 and C) no significant differences were detected when comparing EMU in RIT to EMU in RIUT (p > 0.05). In the subgroups A2–A4 (reduced dosage of carbimazole prior to RIT) EMU was significantly increased in RIT compared to RIUT [21% for a reduction of 0 to < 10 mg/d (A2), 39% for a reduction of 10–15 mg/d (A3) and 80% for a reduction of > 15 mg/d (A4)]. In the subgroups B2–B4 (reduced dosage of methimazole prior to RIT) EMU was as well significantly increased in RIT compared to RIUT [26% for a reduction of 0 to < 10 mg/d (B2), 36% for a reduction of 10–15 mg/d (B3) and 59% for a reduction of > 15 mg/d (B4)]. A significant dose-dependent increase of EMU in RIT compared to EMU in RIUT in patients discontinuing or reducing thionamides was detected. Therefore, thionamides should be discontinued at least 2 days prior to RIUT in order to achieve the designated target dose more precisely and to minimize radiation exposure of organs at risk.
A lightweight transformer for faster and robust EBSD data collection
Authors: Dong Harry , Donegan Sean , Shah Megna , Chi Yuejie
Published: December 2023

Three dimensional electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) microscopy is a critical tool in many applications in materials science, yet its data quality can fluctuate greatly during the arduous collection process, particularly via serial-sectioning. Fortunately, 3D EBSD data is inherently sequential, opening up the opportunity to use transformers, state-of-the-art deep learning architectures that have made breakthroughs in a plethora of domains, for data processing and recovery. To be more robust to errors and accelerate this 3D EBSD data collection, we introduce a two step method that recovers missing slices in an 3D EBSD volume, using an efficient transformer model and a projection algorithm to process the transformer’s outputs. Overcoming the computational and practical hurdles of deep learning with scarce high dimensional data, we train this model using only synthetic 3D EBSD data with self-supervision and obtain superior recovery accuracy on real 3D EBSD data, compared to existing methods.
Noble metal-free SERS: mechanisms and applications
Authors: Jin Sila , Zhang Daxin , Yang Bo , Guo Shuang , Chen Lei , Jung Young Mee
Published: December 2023

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a very important tool in vibrational spectroscopy.
Rh(iii)-catalyzed selective C2 C–H acyloxylation of indoles
Authors: Fang Chaoying , Li Li , Yang Haitao , Kong Caiyang , Zhang Jitan , Xie Meihua , Wu Jiaping
Published: December 2023

The first highly selective C2 C–H acyloxylation of indole under rhodium catalysis and an N-quinolinyl auxiliary is reported.
Ultralow thermal conductivity and high thermoelectric performance induced by multiscale lattice defects in Cu-doped BST alloys
Authors: Liu Yaohui , Tang Yu , Tao Yonggui , Zhang Ying , Shen Lanxian , Ge Wen , Deng Shukang
Published: December 2023

This study focuses on the effect of Cu doping on the thermoelectric properties of BiSbTe3 (BST) alloys.
Heterometallic cages: synthesis and applications
Authors: Moree Lana K. , Faulkner Logan A. V. , Crowley James D.
Published: December 2023

The general methods used for synthesizing heterometallic cages are described. The intrinsic properties and applications of these cages as host–guest systems and catalysts are also examined.
A Cu loaded NiFe layered double hydroxide bifunctional electrocatalyst with a coupled interface structure for both the nitrate reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction
Authors: Du Feng , Yao Jixin , Luo Hui , Chen Yanru , Qin Yujie , Du Yuxin , Wang Yijian , Hou Wei , Shuai Miaoxi , Guo Chunxian
Published: December 2023

We present an interface coupling strategy using Cu nanoclusters and NiFe LDH nanosheets to form a heterostructure electrocatalyst (Cu/NiFe LDH) and apply it as both NO3−RR and OER bifunctional electrodes under ambient conditions.
A CuMoO4 nanocatalyst for Csp2–O cross-couplings; easy access to nitrofen derivatives
Authors: Behera Pradyota Kumar , Behera Papita , Swain Amlan , Sahu Santosh Kumar , Sahoo Ajeena , Rout Laxmidhar
Published: December 2023

CuMoO4 is efficient for synthesizing diaryl ethers. The catalyst is recyclable and tolerated a wide range of substrates with different functional groups. The catalyst provides easy access for nitrofen derivatives (herbicides).
Simultaneous photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue and methyl orange using a green synthesized Zn0.98Mn0.02O/BiOCl nanocomposite
Authors: Farid Muhammad Asim , Ashraf Ahmad Raza , Sarfaraz Rida , Sadaf ul Hassan  , Naeem Nimra , Naeem Hamza
Published: December 2023

The Zn0.98Mn0.02O/BiOCl nanocomposite shows potential activity for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue and methyl orange. The primary role of superoxide and hydroxyl radicals is confirmed by radical scavenger studies.
An electrochemical method for direct sulfonylation of BODIPYs under green conditions
Authors: Chen Zhuo , Li Chen , Liu Kui , Wen Li-Rong , Li Ming , Zhang Lin-Bao
Published: December 2023

An environmentally benign electrochemical approach has been developed for the construction of β-sulfonylated BODIPYs by using sulfonylhydrazide as the sulfonyl source.
A guide to ERK dynamics, part 2: downstream decoding
Authors: Ram Abhineet , Murphy Devan , DeCuzzi Nicholaus , Patankar Madhura , Hu Jason , Pargett Michael , Albeck John G.
Published: December 2023

Signaling by the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway controls many cellular processes, including cell division, death, and differentiation. In this second installment of a two-part review, we address the question of how the ERK pathway exerts distinct and context-specific effects on multiple processes. We discuss how the dynamics of ERK activity induce selective changes in gene expression programs, with insights from both experiments and computational models. With a focus on single-cell biosensor-based studies, we summarize four major functional modes for ERK signaling in tissues: adjusting the size of cell populations, gradient-based patterning, wave propagation of morphological changes, and diversification of cellular gene expression states. These modes of operation are disrupted in cancer and other related diseases and represent potential targets for therapeutic intervention. By understanding the dynamic mechanisms involved in ERK signaling, there is potential for pharmacological strategies that not only simply inhibit ERK, but also restore functional activity patterns and improve disease outcomes.
Child-Directed Speech in Noise: Testing Signal- and Code-Based Phonetic Enhancement
Authors: Smith Nicholas A. , Hammans Christine A. , Vallier Timothy J. , McMurray Bob
Published: December 2023

Purpose:

Talkers adapt their speech according to the demands of their listeners and the communicative context, enhancing the properties of the signal (pitch, intensity) and/or properties of the code (enhancement of phonemic contrasts). This study asked how mothers adapt their child-directed speech (CDS) in ways that might serve the immediate goals of increasing intelligibility, as well as long-term goals of supporting speech and language development in their children.

Method:

Mothers (
N
= 28) participated in a real-time interactive speech production/perception paradigm, in which mothers instructed their young (3- to 5-year-old) children, or an adult listener, to select the picture corresponding to a target word. The task was performed at low and high levels (56 vs. 75 dB SPL) of background noise to examine the Lombard effects of decreased audibility on speech production.

Results:

Acoustic–phonetic analyses of CDS and adult-directed speech (ADS) productions of target words and carrier phrase (e.g., “Find pig”) revealed that mothers significantly enhanced the mean pitch, pitch variability, and intensity of target words in CDS, particularly at higher background noise levels and for younger children. Mothers produce CDS with a higher signal-to-noise ratio than ADS. However, limited evidence was found for phonetic enhancement of the segmental properties of speech. Although increased category separation was found in the voice onset time of stop consonants, decreased vowel category separation (an anti-enhancement effect) was observed in CDS.

Conclusions:

Mothers readily enhance the suprasegmental signal properties of their speech in CDS, but not the acoustic–phonetic properties of phonemes. This study fails to provide evidence of phonetic enhancement in preschool children in a dyadic communication task under noisy listening conditions.

Supplemental Material:

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.24645423
Feeding Characteristics in Children With Food Allergies: A Scoping Review
Authors: Kefford Jennifer , Marshall Jeanne , Packer Rebecca L. , Ward Elizabeth C.
Published: December 2023

Background:

Food allergy (FA) affects approximately 8% of children and may be immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated or non-IgE-mediated. It is recognized clinically that children with both subtypes of FA may present with features of pediatric feeding disorder (PFD); however, there is currently a limited detail of presenting characteristics.

Objective:

The objective of this study was to synthesize the current evidence regarding the feeding characteristics of children with FA, with a focus on the feeding skills and psychosocial domains of PFD.

Method:

This study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. Papers published between 2001 and 2022 describing feeding characteristics in the feeding skills and psychosocial domains in children with FA/history of FA were included. Papers that focused solely on characteristics from the medical or nutritional domains were excluded. Descriptive information regarding demographics, methodology, allergy profile and history, and the characteristics of PFD observed was extracted using a preconceived data extraction form.

Results:

Overall, 40 papers contained descriptions of feeding characteristics of children with non-IgE-mediated FA (
n
= 22) and IgE-mediated FA (
n
= 11), while four were nonspecific. In the psychosocial domain, food refusal/aversion, anxiety with eating, and poor intake were the most frequently reported, regardless of FA subtype. Less information was reported regarding feeding skills, although slowness in eating, immature diet, and delays in oral sensory-motor skills were described.

Conclusions:

Children with FA/history of FA may present with a range of characteristics that map across the feeding skill and psychosocial domains of PFD. Systematic research is needed to fully describe the feeding characteristics of children with FA.

Supplemental Material:

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.24562732
DNA Methylation Status of HYAL1 in Malignant and Benign
Thyroid Nodules
Authors: Li Mengxia , Yin Yifei , Zhang Minmin , Jiang Chenxia , Li Hong , Yang Rongxi
Published: December 2023

Differentiation between benign and malignant thyroid nodules has been a challenge
in clinical practice. Exploring a novel biomarker to determine the malignancy of
thyroid nodules has important implications. We semi-quantitatively determined
the DNA methylation levels of four CpG sites located at the gene body of HYAL1
in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples from 190 early-stage
papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) cases and 190 age- and gender-matched subjects
with benign thyroid nodule (BTN). HYAL1 expression was evaluated by
immunohistochemical (IHC) staining in another cohort of 55 PTC and 55 matched
BTN cases. Covariates-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for 10% increased
methylation were calculated by binary logistic regression. A 165 bp
amplicon covering four CpG sites at the second exon of HYAL1 gene was designed.
After adjusted for all covariates, higher methylation level of HYAL1_CpG_3,4 in
the FFPE tissue was associated with PTC (OR per 10% increased
methylation=1.53, p=0.025), even with stage І PTC (OR
per 10% increased methylation=1.58, p=0.021).
Hypermethylation of HYAL1_CpG_3,4 had a significant association with early-stage
PTC in the females (OR per 10% increased methylation=1.60,
p=0.028) rather than in the males. Besides, we found the higher
expression of HYAL1 protein in PTC than that in BTN patients (IHC score: 2.3 vs.
0.5, p=1.00E-06). Our study suggested altered methylation and expression
of HYAL1 could be a novel and potential biomarker in distinguishing malignant
and benign thyroid nodules.
The prediction of dynamical quantities in granular avalanches based on graph neural networks
Authors: Zhang Ling , Chen Jianfeng , Zhang Hang , Huang Duan
Published: December 2023

The study of granular avalanches in rotating drums is not only essential to understanding various complex behaviors of interest in granular media from a scientific perspective; it also has valuable applications in regard to industrial processes and geological catastrophes. Despite decades of research studies on avalanches, a proper understanding of their dynamic properties still remains a great challenge to scientists due to a lack of state-of-the-art techniques. In this study, we accurately predict the avalanche dynamic features of three-dimensional granular materials in rotating drums, by using graph neural networks on the basis of their initial static microstructures alone. We find that our method is robust to changes in various model parameters, such as the interaction potential, size polydispersity, and noise in particle coordinates. In addition, with the grain-scale velocities obtained either from our network or from numerical simulations, we find an approximately equal and strong correlation between the global velocity and global velocity fluctuation in our 3D granular avalanche systems, which further demonstrates the predictive power of our trained graph neural networks to uncover the fundamental physics of granular avalanches. We expect our method to provide more insight into the avalanche dynamics of granular materials and other amorphous systems in the future.
Synthesis, optical and photocatalysis property of corn-like ZnO/ZnS heterojunction with a certain lattice defects
Authors: Yang Lei , Zhou Lifang , Hong Chunshui , Zhu Wencai , Zhao Shihua
Published: December 2023

In order to greatly improve the photocatalytic properties, corn-like ZnO/ZnS heterojunctions with a particle size of about 60–71 nm have been synthesized by the solvothermal method and the subsequent sulfuration process. A declining trend is found for the specific surface area with increasing sulfuration time. The corn-like ZnO/ZnS heterojunctions exhibit good photocatalytic properties. With increasing sulfuration time, the degradation rate increases first and then decreases. The best degradation rate is observed for the heterojunction sulfurated for 90 min. The strong broad luminescence band is extremely beneficial to the absorption of visible light by multiphoton process. In addition, the energy transfer from ZnS to ZnO contributes to charge separation, forming a type-II heterojunction mechanism. After one cycle of photocatalytic process, except that corns become more broken, variation of particle size and shape is very small. The degradation speed of RhB after a second cycle of photocatalytic process is slower than the first one except when using the sample sulfurated for 360 min.
Influence of surface facets on the electronic structure of silicon nanowires and slabs from atomistic calculations
Authors: Nuñez-Murillo F. A. , Cárdenas J. R.
Published: December 2023

Fabrication of modern solid-state devices demands precise control of shape and dimensions, which requires an accurate knowledge of the role that surfaces play in such devices. To contribute to the understanding of surface effects on silicon nanowires, we present an atomistic study of the electronic properties of silicon nanostructures exhibiting surface facets over the (100), (110), (111), and (112) crystallographic planes. We calculate the electronic structure of slabs in such a way that the effect of individual facets may be observed. Subsequently, we determine the electronic structure of nanowires grown along the [100], [110], [111], and [112] directions, with surfaces defined by a combination of the mentioned facets. Our nanowires comprise diameters ranging from 1 to 6.7 nm and structures with more than 1000 atoms. We discuss the band structure, the relation between direct and indirect bandgaps, and the density of states. We base our calculations on semiempirical pseudopotentials where we implement complex potentials to describe passivants. We find that there is a transition from direct to indirect gap for the [111] direction at approximately 2 nm and that the difference between the direct and indirect gap may reach more than 300 meV depending on the diameter. We show that the occurrence of a direct bandgap is favored by the presence of the (100) facet and that it is related to a higher surface density of states. Conversely, we find that the (111) facet is the most inert surface type with a lower surface density of states.
Cottonseed meal derived porous carbon prepared via the protease pretreatment and reduced activator dosage carbonization for supercapacitor
Authors: Peng Lina , Wu Dongling , Wang Tao , Guo Jia , Jia Dianzeng
Published: December 2023

The high catalytic activity and specificity of enzymes can be used to pretreat biomass. Herein, the resourceful, reproducible, cheap, and crude protein-rich cottonseed meal (CM) is selected as a precursor and the protease in the K2CO3–KHCO3 buffer solution is used as the enzyme degradation substance to pretreat CM. The crude protein content is significantly reduced by the protease degradation, and, meanwhile, it results in a looser and porous structure of CM. What is more, it significantly reduces the amount of activator. In the subsequent carbonization process, the K2CO3–KHCO3 in the buffer solution is also used as an activating agent (the mass ratio of CM to activator is 2:1), and after carbonization, the O, S, and N doped porous carbon is obtained. The optimized PCM-800-4 exhibits high heteroatom contents and a hierarchical porous structure. The specific capacitance of the prepared porous carbon reaches up to 233 F g−1 in 6M KOH even when 10 mg of active material is loaded. In addition, a K2CO3–KHCO3/EG based gel electrolyte is prepared and the fabricated flexible capacitor exhibits an energy density of 15.6 Wh kg−1 and a wide temperature range (−25 to 100 °C). This study presents a simple enzymatic degradation and reduced activator dosage strategy to prepare a cottonseed meal derived carbon material and looks forward to preparing porous carbon using other biomass.
Failure behavior of dielectric films for peaking capacitor subjected to surface flashover under nanosecond pulses
Authors: Chen Zhiqiang , Sun Jinru , Dong Ziyi , Ren Jiaxin , Jia Wei , Guo Fan , Xie Linshen , Wu Wei , Yao Xueling
Published: December 2023

The flashover failure and damage of polypropylene (PP) and polyester (PET) films under nanosecond current pulses were experimentally investigated. A nanosecond pulse current test platform was established to study the flashover characteristics, performance degradation, and structural damage of dielectric films under repeated nanosecond current pulses. The accumulation and emission of surface charge influenced by field distortion and trap distribution were analyzed to clarify the mechanism by which the flashover voltage increases linearly with gas pressure at low pressure and saturates at high pressure. The significant effects of pulse energy, gas pressure, and discharge gap on film damage behavior were investigated. The damage pattern of PP and PET films includes surface deformation, reduced flash-voltage tolerance, molecular chain breakage, and group shedding. The damage of PP films is manifested as fine furrows, while PET corresponds to mountainous bumps. With the increasing number of discharges, the breakdown voltage of PP films decreased significantly, while the flash tolerance performance of PET films was more stable. Under the conditions of high pulse current amplitude, small discharge gap, and low air pressure, the damage degree of the film intensifies, which is characterized by severe destruction to the molecular structure and a significant decrease in flashover withstand voltage. Polymer films, flashover, nanosecond current pulses; performance degradation; microstructural damage.
MEnTaT: A machine-learning approach for the identification of mutations to increase protein stability
Authors: Muellers Samantha N. , Allen Karen N. , Whitty Adrian
Published: December 2023

Enhancing protein thermal stability is important for biomedical and industrial applications as well as in the research laboratory. Here, we describe a simple machine-learning method which identifies amino acid substitutions that contribute to thermal stability based on comparison of the amino acid sequences of homologous proteins derived from bacteria that grow at different temperatures. A key feature of the method is that it compares the sequences based not simply on the amino acid identity, but rather on the structural and physicochemical properties of the side chain. The method accurately identified stabilizing substitutions in three well-studied systems and was validated prospectively by experimentally testing predicted stabilizing substitutions in a polyamine oxidase. In each case, the method outperformed the widely used bioinformatic consensus approach. The method can also provide insight into fundamental aspects of protein structure, for example, by identifying how many sequence positions in a given protein are relevant to temperature adaptation.
Status and prospects of the PandaX-III experiment
Authors: Zhang W. , Lin H. , Liu Y. , Han K. , Ni K. , Wang S. , Zhai W. ,   the PandaX-III collaboration
Published: December 2023

The PandaX-III experiment searches for neutrinoless double beta decay of 136Xe with a high-pressure xenon gaseous time projection chamber (TPC). Thermal-bonding Micromegas modules are used for charge collection. Benefitting from the excellent energy resolution and imaging capability, the background rate can be significantly suppressed through the topological information of events. The technology is successfully demonstrated by a prototype detector. The final detector has been constructed. In this paper, we will report the status of the PandaX-III experiment, including the construction and commissioning of the final detector, and the Micromegas-based TPC performance test in the prototype detector.
IBC-Oxford University2023_BJSOral_1Dynamic Magnetic Resonance Imaging (Dy-MRI) Evaluation of the Impact of Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty (ESG) on Gastric Structure and Function in Morbid Obese Patients
Authors: Quero G , Fiorillo C , Reitano E , Berardo A , Toniolo I , Riva P , Marescaux J , Perretta S
Published: December 2023

Introduction

Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) is a restrictive endoluminal bariatric procedure consisting in the application of multiple full-thickness sutures to reduce gastric capacity (GC) and slow down gastric emptying (GE). Although results are promising, a large variation in the weight loss outcomes is reported. Dynamic resonance imaging (Dy-MRI) has been successfully applied for the assessment and analysis of gastrointestinal (GI) function. It permits to acquire large field-of-view, dynamic, high- resolution, three-dimensional (3D) image data with excellent soft-tissue contrast in less than a second3. In addition, our group previously demonstrated a significant correlation between weight loss and gastric anatomy changes assessed by Dy-MRI in laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) patients. The aim of this study is to use Dy-MRI to objectively assess gastric structural and functional changes 6 months after ESG and their impact on weight loss.

Material and methods

Prospective single centre study. Patients underwent preoperative and postoperative (after 6 months) Dy-MRI to evaluate total GC and GE changes, immediately after the ingestion of 400 ml of liquid meal and over time up to 120 minutes after ingestion (T120). Only patients with a complete follow up at and 6 months (M6) were included. Demographic data, pre- and intra-operative data, and weight loss outcomes were collected. Continuous variables were reported as median and interquartile rank (IQR), while categorical variables as numbers and percentages.

Results

From July 2021 to June 2023, 16 ESG patients participated in this study. Patients had a median age of 41.5 years (IQR:35-49.7) with a median BMI (kg/m2) of 36.9 (IQR: 34.08-42.18). A median number of 6 (IQR: 5.2-6) purse string sutures were placed during the ESG. There were no complications. At the follow-up gastroscopy at M6 all patients presented an intact ESG with all the suture still present. Dy- MRI showed a median GC reduction of 34.1% of the initial volume (p<0.0001) and GE decreased by 0.43 mL/min (p=0.01). As a whole, the study population had a 16.8% of total weight loss (TWL) at M6 (p<0.0001). Similarly, the median BMI decreased from 36.9 to 29.9 (p=0.01). %TWL varied from 15.5 at M3 to 18.3 at M6. During the same time-elapse, %EWL increased from 46.4 to 57.1.

Discussion and Conclusion

Dy- MRI is confirmed to be a non-invasive method capable of objectively quantify gastric volume reduction and GE changes after ESG. It is likely that these two factors play a synergic role in the weight loss journey of patients undergoing ESG. Further investigations in a larger sample are needed to support these initial findings and to support an evidence based, patient specific approach to endoscopic gastric remodelling.
IBC-Oxford University2023_BJSOral_4Comparison Between Two Different Intragastric Balloon Intervention in Terms of Weight- Loss, Tolerance, and Complications
Authors: Jamal M , Dsouza C , Al-Hamshari F , Al-Hassani S , Al-Kanawati N
Published: December 2023

Introduction

Obesity and its complications have been rising worldwide. Several interventions are available including lifestyle intervention, drug therapy, devices such as intragastric balloon (IGB), and metabolic surgery. This study focuses on two intragastric balloon (IGB) -The Orbera365 and Elipse in terms of weight loss, tolerance, and complications.

Methods

We performed a retrospective before and after study on patients who underwent IGB intervention in the period between July 2020–November 2021. Data on weight loss, tolerance and complications were recorded from patient’s files.

Results

A total of 311 patients underwent Elipse intervention and 107 underwent Orbera365 intervention. The average weight and BMI prior to Elipse were 94.7±19.1 kgs and 35.2±5.5 kg/m2 and Orbera365 was 94.6±19.1 kgs and 35.4±3.9 kg/m2. The average weight and BMI decreased significantly in four months post-Elipse and was 83.7±17.4 kgs and 31.3±4.8 kg/m2 while in 12-months post Orbera365, it was 79.8±15.5 kgs and 30.1±4.1 kg/m2. Moreover, maximum weight loss is achieved in the 4-6 months of balloon intervention, which continues at reduced rate till the end of the term. Intolerance rate was higher in Orbera365 (6.5%) as compared to Elipse (2.6 %).

Conclusion

IGB is effective in terms of weight reduction for short term with acceptable rate of complications and intolerance, however weight regain is observed after IGB removal.