Instantaneous neural processing of communicative functions conveyed by speech prosody

During conversations, speech prosody provides important clues about the speaker’s communicative intentions. In many languages, a rising vocal pitch at the end of a sentence typically expresses a question function, whereas a falling pitch suggests a statement. Here, the neurophysiological basis of intonation and speech act understanding were investigated with high-density electroencephalography (EEG) to determine whether prosodic features are reflected at the neurophysiological level. Already approximately 100 ms after the sentence-final word differing in prosody, questions, and statements expressed with the same sentences led to different neurophysiological activity recorded in the event-related potential. Interestingly, low-pass filtered sentences and acoustically matched nonvocal musical signals failed to show any neurophysiological dissociations, thus suggesting that the physical intonation alone cannot explain this modulation. Our results show rapid neurophysiological indexes of prosodic communicative information processing that emerge only when pragmatic and lexico-semantic information are fully expressed. The early enhancement of question-related activity compared with statements was due to sources in the articulatory-motor region, which may reflect the richer action knowledge immanent to questions, namely the expectation of the partner action of answering the question. The present findings demonstrate a neurophysiological correlate of prosodic communicative information processing, which enables humans to rapidly detect and understand speaker intentions in linguistic interactions

On the use of haptic tablets for UGV teleoperation in unstructured environments: system design and evaluation

Teleoperation of Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs), particularly for inspection of unstructured and unfamiliar environments still raises important challenges from the point of view of the operator interface. One of these challenges is caused by the fact that all information available to the operator is presented to the operator through a computer interface, providing only a partial view of the robot situation. The majority of existing interfaces provide information using visual, and, less frequently, sound channels. The lack of Situation Awareness (SA), caused by this partial view, may lead to an incorrect and inefficient response to the current UGV state, usually confusing and frustrating the human operator. For instance, the UGV may become stuck in debris while the operator struggles to move the robot, not understanding the cause of the UGV lack of motion. We address this problem by studying the use of haptic feedback to improve operator SA. More precisely, improving SA with respect to the traction state of the UGV, using a haptic tablet for both commanding the robot and conveying traction state to the user by haptic feedback. We report (1) a teleoperating interface, integrating a haptic tablet with an existing UGV teleoperation interface, and (2) the experimental results of a user study designed to evaluate the advantage of this interface in the teleoperation of a UGV, in a search and rescue scenario. Statistically significant results were found supporting the hypothesis that using the haptic tablet elicits a reduction in the time that the UGV spends in states without traction.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Dietary intakes of women with Type 1 diabetes before and during pregnancy: A pre‐specified secondary subgroup analysis among CONCEPTT participants

Aim To describe the dietary intakes of women with Type 1 diabetes before and during pregnancy. Methods This was a pre‐specified subgroup analysis of CONCEPTT involving 63 women planning pregnancy and 93 pregnant women from 14 sites in England, Scotland and Ireland. Two hundred and forty‐six 3‐day food diaries (104 planning pregnancy, 142 pregnant) were matched to data source and food reference codes, and analysed using dietary software. Participants were informed that food diaries would be de‐identified and used only for research purposes. Results Mean (sd) daily energy intake was 1588 (346) kcal and 1673 (384) kcal in women planning pregnancy and pregnant women respectively. Total carbohydrate intake was consistent with dietary guideline recommendations [180 (52) g planning pregnancy, 198 (54) g pregnant], but non‐recommended sources (e.g. sugars, preserves, confectionery, biscuits, cakes) contributed to 46% of total daily carbohydrate intake. Fat consumption exceeded guideline recommendations [70 (21) g planning pregnancy, 72 (21) g pregnant]. Fibre [15.5 (5.3) g planning pregnancy, 15.4 (5.1) g pregnant], fruit and vegetable intakes [3.5 (2.2) and 3.1 (1.8) serves/day] were inadequate. Twelve women planning pregnancy (19%) and 24 pregnant women (26%) did not meet micronutrient requirements. Conclusions The diets of pregnant women from England, Scotland and Ireland are characterized by high fat, low fibre and poor‐quality carbohydrate intakes. Fruit and vegetable consumption is inadequate, with one in four women at risk of micronutrient deficiencies. Further research is needed to optimize maternal nutrition for glycaemic control and for maternal and offspring health

The effects of the initial mass function on Galactic chemical enrichment

Context. We have been seeing mounting evidence that the stellar initial mass function (IMF) might extend far beyond the canonical Mi ∼ 100 M⊙ limit, but the impact of such a hypothesis on the chemical enrichment of galaxies is yet to be clarified. Aims. We aim to address this question by analysing the observed abundances of thin- and thick-disc stars in the Milky Way with chemical evolution models that account for the contribution of very massive stars dying as pair instability supernovae. Methods. We built new sets of chemical yields from massive and very massive stars up to Mi ∼ 350 M⊙ by combining the wind ejecta extracted from our hydrostatic stellar evolution models with explosion ejecta from the literature. Using a simple chemical evolution code, we analysed the effects of adopting different yield tables by comparing predictions against observations of stars in the solar vicinity. Results. After several tests, we set our focus on the [O/Fe] ratio that best separates the chemical patterns of the two Milky Way components. We find that with a standard IMF, truncated at Mi ∼ 100 M⊙, we can reproduce various observational constraints for thin-disc stars; however, the same IMF fails to account for the [O/Fe] ratios of thick-disc stars. The best results are obtained by extending the IMF up to Mi = 350 M⊙, while including the chemical ejecta of very massive stars in the form of winds and pair instability supernova (PISN) explosions. Conclusions. Our study indicates that PISN may have played a significant role in shaping the chemical evolution of the thick disc of the Milky Way. Including their chemical yields makes it easier to reproduce not only the level of the α-enhancement, but also the observed slope of thick-disc stars in the [O/Fe] vs. [Fe/H] diagram. The bottom line is that the contribution of very massive stars to the chemical enrichment of galaxies is potentially quite important and should not be neglected in models of chemical evolution

Impact of very massive stars on the chemical evolution of extremely metal-poor galaxies

Context. In recent observations of extremely metal-poor, low-mass, starburst galaxies, almost solar Fe/O ratios are reported, despite N/O ratios consistent with the low metallicity. Aims: We aim to investigate if the peculiar Fe/O ratios can be a distinctive signature of an early enrichment produced by very massive objects dying as pair-instability supernova (PISN). Methods: We ran chemical evolution models with yields that account for the contribution by PISN. We used both the non-rotating stellar yields from a recent study and new yields from rotating very massive stars calculated specifically for this work. We also searched for the best initial mass function (IMF) that is able to reproduce the observations. Results: We can reproduce the observations by adopting a bi-modal IMF and by including an initial burst of rotating very massive stars. Only with a burst of very massive stars can we reproduce the almost solar Fe/O ratios at the estimated young ages. We also confirm that rotation is absolutely needed to concomitantly reproduce the observed N/O ratios. Conclusions: These results stress the importance of very massive stars in galactic chemical evolution studies and strongly support a top-heavy initial mass function in the very early evolutionary stages of metal-poor starburst galaxies

Short-lived AUF1 p42-binding mRNAs of RANKL and BCL6 have two distinct instability elements each.

Regulation of mRNA stability by RNA-protein interactions contributes significantly to quantitative aspects of gene expression. We have identified potential mRNA targets of the AU-rich element binding protein AUF1. Myc-tagged AUF1 p42 was induced in mouse NIH/3T3 cells and RNA-protein complexes isolated using anti-myc tag antibody beads. Bound mRNAs were analyzed with Affymetrix microarrays. We have identified 508 potential target mRNAs that were at least 3-fold enriched compared to control cells without myc-AUF1. 22.3% of the enriched mRNAs had an AU-rich cluster in the ARED Organism database, against 16.3% of non-enriched control mRNAs. The enrichment towards AU-rich elements was also visible by AREScore with an average value of 5.2 in the enriched mRNAs versus 4.2 in the control group. Yet, numerous mRNAs were enriched without a high ARE score. The enrichment of tetrameric and pentameric sequences suggests a broad AUF1 p42-binding spectrum at short U-rich sequences flanked by A or G. Still, some enriched mRNAs were highly unstable, as those of TNFSF11 (known as RANKL), KLF10, HES1, CCNT2, SMAD6, and BCL6. We have mapped some of the instability determinants. HES1 mRNA appeared to have a coding region determinant. Detailed analysis of the RANKL and BCL6 3'UTR revealed for both that full instability required two elements, which are conserved in evolution. In RANKL mRNA both elements are AU-rich and separated by 30 bases, while in BCL6 mRNA one is AU-rich and 60 bases from a non AU-rich element that potentially forms a stem-loop structure

The cerium content of the Milky Way as revealed by Gaia DR3 GSP-Spec abundances

[Abstract]: The recent Gaia third data release contains a homogeneous analysis of millions of high-quality Radial Velocity Spectrometer (RVS) stellar spectra by the GSP-Spec module. This led to the estimation of millions of individual chemical abundances and allows us to chemically map the Milky Way. The published GSP-Spec abundances include three heavy elements produced by neutron-captures in stellar interiors: Ce, Zr, and Nd. Aims. We study the Galactic content in cerium based on these Gaia/RVS data and discuss the chemical evolution of this element. Methods. We used a sample of about 30 000 local thermal equilibrium Ce abundances, selected after applying different combinations of GSP-Spec flags. Based on the Gaia DR3 astrometric data and radial velocities, we explore the cerium content in the Milky Way and, in particular, in its halo and disc components. Results. The high quality of the Ce GSP-Spec abundances is quantified through literature comparisons. We found a rather flat [Ce/Fe] versus [M/H] trend. We also found a flat radial gradient in the disc derived from field stars and, independently, from about 50 open clusters. This agrees with previous studies. The [Ce/Fe] vertical gradient was also estimated. We also report an increasing [Ce/Ca] versus [Ca/H] in the disc, illustrating the late contribution of asymptotic giant branch stars with respect to supernovae of type II. Our cerium abundances in the disc, including the young massive population, are well reproduced by a new three-infall chemical evolution model. In the halo population, the M 4 globular cluster is found to be enriched in cerium. Moreover, 11 stars with cerium abundances belonging to the Thamnos, Helmi Stream, and Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus accreted systems were identified from chemo-dynamical diagnostics. We found that the Helmi Stream might be slightly underabundant in cerium compared to the two other systems. Conclusions. This work illustrates the high quality of the GSP-Spec chemical abundances, which significantly contribute to unveiling the heavy-element evolution history of the Milky Way.We thank the referee for their valuable comments. ES received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under SPACE-H2020 grant agreement number 101004214 (EXPLORE project). ARB also acknowledges support from this Horizon program. PAP and EP thanks the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) for funding support. VG acknowledges support from the European Research Council Consolidator Grant funding scheme (project ASTEROCHRONOMETRY, G.A. n. 772293, http://www.asterochronometry.eu ). Special thanks to Niels Nieuwmunster and Botebar for grateful comments on figures. This work has made use of data from the European Space Agency (ESA) mission Gaia ( https://www.cosmos.esa.int/gaia ), processed by the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC, https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/gaia/dpac/consortium ). Funding for the DPAC has been provided by national institutions, in particular the institutions participating in the Gaia Multilateral Agreement

An asteroseismic age estimate of the open cluster NGC 6866 using Kepler and Gaia

Asteroseismology of solar-like oscillations in giant stars allow the derivation of their masses and radii. For members of open clusters this allows an age estimate of the cluster which should be identical to the age estimate from the colour-magnitude diagram, but independent of the uncertainties that are present for that type of analysis. Thus, a more precise and accurate age estimate can be obtained. We aim to measure asteroseismic properties of oscillating giant members of the open cluster NGC 6866 and utilise these for a cluster age estimate. Model comparisons allow constraints on the stellar physics, and here we investigate the efficiency of convective-core overshoot and effects of rotation during the main-sequence, which has a significant influence on the age for these relatively massive giants. We identify six giant members of NGC 6866 and derive asteroseismic measurements for five of them. This constrains the convective-core overshoot and enables a more precise and accurate age estimate than previously possible. Asteroseismology establishes the helium-core burning evolutionary phase for the giants, which have a mean mass of 2.8 $M_{\odot}$. Their radii are significantly smaller than predicted by current 1D stellar models unless the amount of convective-core overshoot on the main sequence is reduced to $\alpha_{ov} \leq 0.1 H_p$ in the step-overshoot description. Our measurements also suggest that rotation has affected the evolution of the stars in NGC 6866 in a way that is consistent with 3D simulations but not with current 1D stellar models. The cluster age is estimated to be 0.43 $\pm$ 0.05 Gyr, significantly younger and more precise than most previous estimates. We derive a precise cluster age while constraining convective-core overshooting and effects of rotation in the models. We uncover potential biases for automated age estimates of helium-core burning stars.Comment: Accepted on 21/08/2023 for publication in Section 7. Stellar structure and evolution of Astronomy & Astrophysics. 20 Pages, 11 Figures + appendi