Non-stoichiometry and optical spectra of Nd(III) substituted PbTiO3

The non-stoichiometry of the perovskite (ABO3)-type phase in the system PbO---TiO2---Nd2O3 has been studied. Monophasic compounds of composition Pb1−αxNdxTiO3+x(1.5−α) with x 0.21 and 0.09 α 1.5 were prepared. The ferroelectric Curie temperature (Tc) shows a decrease of 18.5 K/at% Nd with increasing value of x. Tc shows an increase of 3.5 K/mol % PbO with decreasing value of α (increasing content of PbO). The observed effect of α on optical spectra can be interpreted by assuming that Nd(III) ions partly occupy B sites in compounds with α < 1.5

A hierarchy of linguistic predictions during natural language comprehension

Understanding spoken language requires transforming ambiguous acoustic streams into a hierarchy of representations, from phonemes to meaning. It has been suggested that the brain uses prediction to guide the interpretation of incoming input. However, the role of prediction in language processing remains disputed, with disagreement about both the ubiquity and representational nature of predictions. Here, we address both issues by analyzing brain recordings of participants listening to audiobooks, and using a deep neural network (GPT-2) to precisely quantify contextual predictions. First, we establish that brain responses to words are modulated by ubiquitous predictions. Next, we disentangle model-based predictions into distinct dimensions, revealing dissociable neural signatures of predictions about syntactic category (parts of speech), phonemes, and semantics. Finally, we show that high-level (word) predictions inform low-level (phoneme) predictions, supporting hierarchical predictive processing. Together, these results underscore the ubiquity of prediction in language processing, showing that the brain spontaneously predicts upcoming language at multiple levels of abstraction

Comparative analysis on strains in asphalt pavement design using linear elastic and viscoelastic theories

In Colombia it is common to design pavements using the AASHTO 93 method and to complement it with an elastic analysis of the deformations that cause fatigue and rutting; this has repercussions on the behavior of the structure since it does not take into account the viscoelastic behavior of the asphalt mixtures, In this research, a comparison of three structures at different velocity ranges is made to compare the variation in fatigue and rutting concerning the traditional method of analysis in Colombia and to analyze the differences that may occur in linear elastic analysis and viscoelastic analysis of rutting and fatigue

Sociology and postcolonialism: another 'missing' revolution?

Sociology is usually represented as having emerged alongside European modernity. The latter is frequently understood as sociology's special object with sociology itself a distinctively modern form of explanation. The period of sociology's disciplinary formation was also the heyday of European colonialism, yet the colonial relationship did not figure in the development of sociological understandings. While the recent emergence of postcolonialism appears to have initiated a reconsideration of understandings of modernity, with the development of theories of multiple modernities, I suggest that this engagement is more an attempt at recuperating the transformative aspect of postcolonialism than engaging with its critiques. In setting out the challenge of postcolonialism to dominant sociological accounts, I also address `missing feminist/queer revolutions', suggesting that by engaging with postcolonialism there is the potential to transform sociological understandings by opening up a dialogue beyond the simple pluralism of identity claims

Gene-Environment Interactions for Parkinson's Disease.

OBJECTIVE: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with complex etiology. Multiple genetic and environmental factors have been associated with PD, but most PD risk remains unexplained. The aim of this study was to test for statistical interactions between PD-related genetic and environmental exposures in the 23andMe, Inc. research dataset. METHODS: Using a validated PD polygenic risk score and common PD-associated variants in the GBA gene, we explored interactions between genetic susceptibility factors and 7 lifestyle and environmental factors: body mass index (BMI), type 2 diabetes (T2D), tobacco use, caffeine consumption, pesticide exposure, head injury, and physical activity (PA). RESULTS: We observed that T2D, as well as higher BMI, caffeine consumption, and tobacco use, were associated with lower odds of PD, whereas head injury, pesticide exposure, GBA carrier status, and PD polygenic risk score were associated with higher odds. No significant association was observed between PA and PD. In interaction analyses, we found statistical evidence for an interaction between polygenic risk of PD and the following environmental/lifestyle factors: T2D (p = 6.502 × 10-8 ), PA (p = 8.745 × 10-5 ), BMI (p = 4.314 × 10-4 ), and tobacco use (p = 2.236 × 10-3 ). Although BMI and tobacco use were associated with lower odds of PD regardless of the extent of individual genetic liability, the direction of the relationship between odds of PD and T2D, as well as PD and PA, varied depending on polygenic risk score. INTERPRETATION: We provide preliminary evidence that associations between some environmental and lifestyle factors and PD may be modified by genotype. ANN NEUROL 2024