Differences in hearing acuity among “normal-hearing” young adults modulate the neural basis for speech comprehension

AbstractIn this paper, we investigate how subtle differences in hearing acuity affect the neural systems supporting speech processing in young adults. Auditory sentence comprehension requires perceiving a complex acoustic signal and performing linguistic operations to extract the correct meaning. We used functional MRI to monitor human brain activity while adults aged 18–41 years listened to spoken sentences. The sentences varied in their level of syntactic processing demands, containing either a subject-relative or object-relative center-embedded clause. All participants self-reported normal hearing, confirmed by audiometric testing, with some variation within a clinically normal range. We found that participants showed activity related to sentence processing in a left-lateralized frontotemporal network. Although accuracy was generally high, participants still made some errors, which were associated with increased activity in bilateral cingulo-opercular and frontoparietal attention networks. A whole-brain regression analysis revealed that activity in a right anterior middle frontal gyrus (aMFG) component of the frontoparietal attention network was related to individual differences in hearing acuity, such that listeners with poorer hearing showed greater recruitment of this region when successfully understanding a sentence. The activity in right aMFGs for listeners with poor hearing did not differ as a function of sentence type, suggesting a general mechanism that is independent of linguistic processing demands. Our results suggest that even modest variations in hearing ability impact the systems supporting auditory speech comprehension, and that auditory sentence comprehension entails the coordination of a left perisylvian network that is sensitive to linguistic variation with an executive attention network that responds to acoustic challenge.</jats:p

In-situ fabrication of cobalt-doped SrFe2As2 thin films by using pulsed laser deposition with excimer laser

The remarkably high superconducting transition temperature and upper critical field of iron(Fe)-based layered superconductors, despite ferromagnetic material base, open the prospect for superconducting electronics. However, success in superconducting electronics has been limited because of difficulties in fabricating high-quality thin films. We report the growth of high-quality c-axis-oriented cobalt(Co)-doped SrFe2As2 thin films with bulk superconductivity by using an in-situ pulsed laser deposition technique with a 248-nm-wavelength KrF excimer laser and an arsenic(As)-rich phase target. The temperature and field dependences of the magnetization showing strong diamagnetism and transport critical current density with superior Jc-H performance are reported. These results provide necessary information for practical applications of Fe-based superconductors.Comment: 8 pages, 3figures. to be published at Appl. Phys. Let

Tai Chi for Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms and Quality of Life in Elderly Patients with Benign Prostate Hypertrophy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Tai chi exercise has been recommended as suitable for the improvement of health in the elderly. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of tai chi on lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTSs), quality of life (QoL), and sex hormone levels in patients with benign prostate hypertrophy (BPH). The elderly patients with BPH were randomized to receive tai chi or usual care. Fifty-six participants were randomized into either the tai chi group (n = 28) or the control group (n = 28). After 12 weeks of treatment, the tai chi group showed significant improvement in LUTS and QoL. There was a significant effect of tai chi on testosterone but no significant effect on insulin or glucose. No serious adverse events were observed during the study period. In conclusion, our results suggest that 12 weeks of tai chi may improve LUTS and QoL in elderly patients with BPH

Cocoa polyphenols suppress TNF-α-induced vascular endothelial growth factor expression by inhibiting phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase-1 (MEK1) activities in mouse epidermal cells

Cocoa polyphenols have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. TNF-α is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that has a vital role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases such as cancer and psoriasis. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression is associated with tumorigenesis, CVD, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. We tested whether cocoa polyphenol extract (CPE) inhibited TNF-α-induced VEGF expression in promotion-sensitive JB6 mouse epidermal cells. CPE significantly inhibited TNF-α-induced up-regulation of VEGF via reducing TNF-α-induced activation of the nuclear transcription factors activator protein-1 (AP-1) and NF-κB, which are key regulators of VEGF expression. CPE also inhibited TNF-α-induced phosphorylation of protein kinase B (Akt) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase. CPE blocked activation of their downstream kinases, p70 kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase and p90 kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase. CPE suppressed phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) activity via binding PI3K directly. CPE did not affect TNF-α-induced phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase-1 (MEK1) but suppressed TNF-α-induced MEK1 activity. Collectively, these results indicate that CPE reduced TNF-α-induced up-regulation of VEGF by directly inhibiting PI3K and MEK1 activities, which may contribute to its chemopreventive potentia

Variation in leaf functional traits of the Korean maple (Acer pseudosieboldianum) along an elevational gradient in a montane forest in Southern Korea

Plant functional traits have been shown to be useful to understand how and why ecosystems and their components vary across environmental heterogeneity or gradients. This study investigated how plant functional (leaf) traits vary according to an elevation-associated environmental gradient. Environmental gradients (mean annual temperature and precipitation) were quantified, and leaf traits (leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf nitrogen, leaf phosphorus, leaf carbon, and leaf C/N ratio) of the understory woody plant species Acer pseudosieboldianum were examined across an elevational gradient ranging from 600 to 1200 m in a Baegunsan Mountain in Gwangyang-si, Jeollanam-do, South Korea. The results showed that mean annual temperature and precipitation decreased and increased along with elevation, respectively. Leaf area of the plant species decreased slightly with increasing elevation, while specific leaf area did not differ significantly. Leaf nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon concentrations) were higher at high elevations, but leaf C/N ratio decreased with elevation.This research was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (NRF-2015R1C1A1A01053841), (2017-0994)

Hull-form optimization of a 66,000 dwt bulk carrier in irregular wave condition

This paper deploys optimization techniques to obtain the optimum hull form of a 66,000 DWT bulk carrier in calm water and in irregular head waves at sea state 6. Parametric modification functions for the bow hull-form variation are SAC shape, section shape (U-V type, DLWL type). Multi-objective functions are applied to minimize the values of wave-making resistance in calm water and mean added resistance in waves. WAVIS version 1.3 is used to obtain wave-making resistance in calm water condition. The modified Fujii and Takahashi's formula is applied to obtain the added resistance in short waves. The added resistance in long wave is obtained from the potential-flow solver based on the 3-D panel method. And the mean added resistance in irregular head waves is obtained by linear superposition of the wave spectrum and the response function. The PSO (Particle swarm optimization) algorithm is employed for the optimization technique. The resistance and motion characteristics in calm water, in regular head waves and in irregular head waves of the two hull forms are compared. It has been shown that the optimal brings 6.8% reduction in the mean added resistance at sea state 6

Dose-Dependent Changes of Chemical Attributes in Irradiated Sausages

To determine the effects of irradiation on the chemical attributes of sausages, TBARS values, volatile compounds, gas compounds, and hydrocarbons of vacuum-packaged sausages were analyzed during 60 d of refrigerated storage. A sulfur-containing volatile compound (dimethyl disulfide), a gas compound (methane), and radiation-induced hydrocarbons (1-tetradecene, pentadecane, heptadecane, 8-heptadecene, eicosane, 1, 7-hexadecadiene, hexadecane) were mainly detected in irradiated sausages, and the concentrations of the compounds were irradiation dosedependent. Especially methane and a few hydrocarbons were detected only in irradiated sausages and their amounts were dose-dependent. On the other hand, TBARS values, other off-odor volatiles (carbon disulfide, hexanal), and gas compounds (carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide) were found both in irradiated and nonirradiated sausages. Therefore, it is suggested that irradiation-induced hydrocarbons (1-tetradecene, pentadecane, heptadecane, 8-heptadecene, eicosane, 1, 7-hexadecadiene, hexadecane), dimethyl disulfide, and methane can be used as markers for irradiated sausages