Individual differences in indirect speech act processing found outside the language network

Face-to-face communication requires skills that go beyond core language abilities. In dialog, we routinely make inferences beyond the literal meaning of utterances and distinguish between different speech acts based on e.g. contextual cues. It is however not known whether such communicative skills potentially overlap with core language skills or other capacities, such as Theory of Mind (ToM). In this fMRI study we investigate these questions by capitalizing on individual variation in pragmatic skills in the general population. Based on behavioral data from 201 participants, we selected participants with higher vs lower pragmatic skills for the fMRI-study (N = 57). In the scanner, participants listened to dialogs including a direct or an indirect target utterance. The paradigm allowed participants at the whole group level to (passively) distinguish indirect from direct speech acts, as evidenced by a robust activity difference between these speech acts in an extended language network including ToM areas. Individual differences in pragmatic skills modulated activation in two additional regions outside the core language regions (one cluster in the left lateral parietal cortex and intraparietal sulcus and one in the precuneus). The behavioral results indicate segregation of pragmatic skill from core language and ToM. In conclusion, contextualized and multimodal communication requires a set of inter-related pragmatic processes that are neurocognitively segregated: (1) from core language and (2) partly from ToM.

Critical Role of Al Pair Sites in Methane Oxidation to Methanol on Cu-Exchanged Mordenite Zeolites

Cu-exchanged aluminosilicate zeolites have been intensively studied for the selective oxidation of methane to methanol via a chemical looping manner, while the nature of active Cu-oxo species for these catalysts is still under debate. This study inquired into the effects of Al distribution on methane oxidation over Cu-exchanged aluminosilicate zeolites, which provided an effective way to discern the activity difference between mononuclear and polynuclear Cu-oxo species. Specifically, conventional Na+/Co2+ ion-exchange methods were applied to quantify isolated Al and Al pair (i.e., Al−OH−(Si−O)1–3−Al−OH) sites for three mordenite (MOR) zeolites, and a correlation was established between the reactivity of the resultant Cu-MOR catalysts and the portions of the accessible framework Al sites. These results indicated that the Cu-oxo clusters derived from the Al pair sites were more reactive than the CuOH species grafted at the isolated Al sites, which is consistent with in situ ultraviolet-visible spectroscopic characterization and density functional theory calculations. Further theoretical analysis of the first C–H bond cleavage in methane on these Cu-oxo species unveiled that stabilization of the formed methyl group was the predominant factor in determining the reactivity of methane oxidation.

Computational insights into Ir(iii)-catalyzed allylic C–H amination of terminal alkenes: mechanism, regioselectivity, and catalytic activity

DFT studies on Ir(iii)-catalyzed branch-selective allylic C–H amination of terminal olefins with methyl dioxazolone have been carried out to investigate the mechanism, including the origins of regioselectivity and catalytic activity difference.

Theoretical insight into dihydrogen activation with β-diketiminato ligand supported Group 13 and 14 elements: mechanism and activity difference

On the basis of density functional theory (DFT) calculations within the framework of the ONIOM method, here we report a new bimolecular mechanism for understating dihydrogen activation using the β-diketiminate...

Efficacy and safety of antipsychotics in adolescents with an acute psychotic episode in relation to the activity of CYP3A and CYP2D6 isoenzymes

Antipsychotics are a first-line treatment for psychotic disorders. The cytochrome P450 isoenzymes CYP3A4/5 and CYP2D6 metabolize most antipsychotics. The activity of these isoenzymes in children changes with maturation, so it is different from that in adults. Objective: to study the associations of CYP3A and CYP2D6 isoenzyme activity parameters with the efficacy and safety of antipsychotics in adolescents with an acute psychotic episode. Patients and methods. The investigation enrolled 53 adolescents with an acute psychotic episode who took antipsychotics. The observation period lasted 14 days. The CGAS, PANSS, UKU SERS, SAS, and BARS scales were used to evaluate the efficiency and safety of the therapy on day 14. The activity of CYP3A and CYP2D6 isoenzymes was measured by determining the metabolic ratios of the concentrations of endogenous substrates of the isoenzymes and their metabolites in a morning urine sample on days 1 and 14 of the study. The activity of CYP3A was assessed by the 6-beta hydroxycortisol/cortisol ratio; that of CYP2D6 was measured by the 6-hydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-beta-carboline/pinoline ratio. The influence of carriage of polymorphic variants CYP2D6*4,*9,*10, CYP3A4*22, CYP3A5*3 on the activity of isoenzymes was excluded by removing their carriers from the analysis. Results and discussion. The investigators revealed an association of certain antipsychotic-induced undesirable symptoms with CYP3A and CYP2D6 activity parameters. On day 1, a lower CYP2D6 activity was initially observed in patients with tremor (0.54 [0.34; 1.34] vs 1.25 [0.91; 1.75]; p=0.023). Also, patients with any documented adverse reaction (ARs) to therapy had initially a decreased CYP3A activity (1.2 [0.85; 2.29] vs 2.55 [1.44; 4.83]; p=0.047) and an enhanced CYP3A activity during therapy (the activity difference between day 14 and day 1 was 0.28 [-0.28; 2.32] vs -1.3 [-3.47; 0.66]; p=0.042). Conclusion. The initially reduced activity of CYP2D6 and CYP3A isoenzymes is a significant predictor of antipsychotic-induced ARs in adolescents with an acute psychotic episode. The predictive role of CYP2D6 and CYP3A activity levels in the efficacy of antipsychotics has not been confirmed.

Seasonal Population Patterns of a New Scale Pest, Acanthococcus lagerstroemiae Kuwana (Hemiptera: Sternorrhynca: Eriococcidae), of Crapemyrtles in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas.1

The crapemyrtle bark scale, Acanthococcus lagerstroemiae, is an invasive scale insect pest of crapemyrtles. Crawler populations were monitored using double-sided sticky tape on established crapemyrtle trees in Tyler (TX), Huntsville (TX), Dallas (TX), College Station (TX), Shreveport (LA), and Little Rock (AR) from 2015 - 2017 to determine crawler activity and determine if degree-day models could predict the first peak in crawler activity. Difference in crawler densities on upper and lower branches of trees was also determined by using double-sided sticky tapes. The first peak in crapemyrtle bark scale crawler activity was between March 26th and May 22nd across all locations and years, with multiple subsequent peaks per season frequently found, suggesting multiple generations. Using the average date (May 2nd) to predict the first peak crawler activity resulted in the lowest variance and was subsequently considered a better predictor compared to any degree-day model. There was no apparent difference in crawler activity between upper and lower branches of crapemyrtle trees across an entire season. This study provides the first set of population dynamics data for crapemyrtle bark scale in the U.S. and will help with future bark scale management decisions. Index words:, Crapemyrtle bark scale, invasive insect, population dynamics, Lagerstroemia spp Species used in this study: Crapemyrtle bark scale (Acanthococcus lagerstroemiae Kuwana); Crapemyrtle (Lagerstroemia spp.)

Thermography mapping patterns in temporal lobe epilepsy surgery

Background: In several epilepsy etiologies, the macroscopic appearance of the epileptogenic tissue is identical to the normal, which makes it hard to balance between how much cytoreduction or disconnection and brain tissue preservation must be done. A strategy to tackle this situation is by evaluating brain metabolism during surgery using infrared thermography mapping (IrTM). Methods: In 12 epilepsy surgery cases that involved the temporal lobe, we correlated the IrTM, electrocorticography, and neuropathology results. Results: Irritative zones (IZ) had a lower temperature in comparison to the surrounding cortex with normal electric activity (difference in temperature (ΔT) from 1.2 to 7.1, mean 3.40°C standard deviation ± 1.61). The coldest zones correlated exactly with IZ in 9/10 cortical dysplasia (CD) cases. In case 3, the coldest area was at 1 cm away from the IZ. In 10/10 dysplasia cases (cases 1–4, 6–11), there was a radial heating pattern originating from the coldest cortical point. In 2/2 neoplasia cases, the temporal lobe cortical temperature was more homogeneous than in the CD cases, with no radial heating pattern, and there were no IZ detected. In case 8, we found the coldest IrTM recording in the hippocampus, which correlated to the maximal irritative activity recorded by strip electrodes. The ΔT is inversely proportional to epilepsy chronicity. Conclusion: IrTM could be useful in detecting hypothermic IZ in CD cases. As the ΔT is inversely proportional to epilepsy chronicity, this variable could affect the metabolic thermic patterns of the human brain.