Major Modes Research Articles

A UNIFIED MACHINE LEARNING MODEL TO PREDICT ULTIMATE TENSILE AND BOND CAPACITY OF FRCM

Fiber-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) is a new-era material for strengthening concrete and masonry structures. Unlike Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP), it has excellent substrate bond properties. However, FRCM shows intra-fiber slip and Fiber-matrix debonding as its major failure modes, effectively reducing its ultimate load-carrying capacity. It has led to broad research scope, and researchers have used permutations and combinations of various types of fibers, matrices, coatings, and substrates to improve the tensile and bond properties of the FRCM composites. Additionally, other experimental parameters, such as rate of loading and experimental setup (clevis, hydraulic or mechanical), affect the tensile and bond properties of FRCM composites. Complex failure modes and parameters make tensile and bond capacity prediction very difficult. Previous attempts by researchers showed the effectiveness of machine learning in predicting the bond capacity of the FRCM composites. Artificial neural network (ANN) based models have also been used successfully to predict the flexural capacity of FRCM-strengthened masonry panels. This study develops a unified machine learning-based model to predict bond and tensile capacity using complex tree-based algorithms such as extra tree regressor, categorically boosted trees, extreme Gradient boosted trees, etc. The authors extracted 603 data points from the literature to develop and validate the model; this includes 345 data points from tensile testing and 258 data points from FRCM-concrete bond testing. It is found that the developed tree-based model predicts the ultimate tensile and bond capacity with about 93% and 95% overall accuracy, respectively.

A UNIFIED MACHINE LEARNING MODEL TO PREDICT ULTIMATE TENSILE AND BOND CAPACITY OF FRCM

Fiber-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) is a new-era material for strengthening concrete and masonry structures. Unlike Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP), it has excellent substrate bond properties. However, FRCM shows intra-fiber slip and Fiber-matrix debonding as its major failure modes, effectively reducing its ultimate load-carrying capacity. It has led to broad research scope, and researchers have used permutations and combinations of various types of fibers, matrices, coatings, and substrates to improve the tensile and bond properties of the FRCM composites. Additionally, other experimental parameters, such as rate of loading and experimental setup (clevis, hydraulic or mechanical), affect the tensile and bond properties of FRCM composites. Complex failure modes and parameters make tensile and bond capacity prediction very difficult. Previous attempts by researchers showed the effectiveness of machine learning in predicting the bond capacity of the FRCM composites. Artificial neural network (ANN) based models have also been used successfully to predict the flexural capacity of FRCM-strengthened masonry panels. This study develops a unified machine learning-based model to predict bond and tensile capacity using complex tree-based algorithms such as extra tree regressor, categorically boosted trees, extreme Gradient boosted trees, etc. The authors extracted 603 data points from the literature to develop and validate the model; this includes 345 data points from tensile testing and 258 data points from FRCM-concrete bond testing. It is found that the developed tree-based model predicts the ultimate tensile and bond capacity with about 93% and 95% overall accuracy, respectively.

A structured FMEA approach to optimizing combinations of plan-specific quality assurance techniques for IMRT and VMAT QA.

Many commercial tools are available for plan-specific quality assurance (QA) of radiotherapy plans, with their functionality assessed in isolation. However, multiple QA tools are required to review the full range of potential errors. It is important to assess their effectiveness in combination with each other to look for ways to both streamline the QA process and to make certain that errors of high impact and/or high occurrence are caught before reaching patient treatment. To develop a structured method to assess the effective risk reduction of combinations of QA methods for IMRT/VMAT treatments. First, a structured prospective risk assessment was performed to establish the major failure modes (FMs) of IMRT/VMAT QA, and assign occurrence (O), severity (S), and baseline detectability (BD) rankings to them. The baseline assumed that chart checks and linear accelerator QA was performed, but no plan-specific secondary dose calculation or measurement was done. Second, the detectability of each FM for two secondary dose calculation methods and four plan measurement methods (point-based dose calculation, Monte-Carlo-based dose calculation, 2D fluence-based measurement, 2.5D phantom-based measurement, log file analysis with dose recalculation, and log file analysis combined with MLC QA) was determined. Third, we used a minimum detectability approach in addition to each FM's occurrence and severity to determine the optimal combination of QA methods.We analyzed the cumulative risk priority number of eight combinations of QA methods. The analysis was done on (1) all FMs, (2) FMs with high severity, (3) FMs with high-risk priority numbers (RPN) of O*S*BD, and (4) on FMs with both high severity and high RPN. Our analysis resulted in 54 FMs, including commissioning, planning, data transfer, and linear accelerator failures. 1D secondary dose calculation plus measurement provided a 19%-22% risk reduction from baseline. 1D/3D secondary dose calculation plus log files created a 25%-32% reduction. 3D secondary dose calculation plus measurement resulted in a 27%-34% reduction. 3D secondary dose calculation plus log files with additional machine QA provided the greatest reduction of 31%-42%. This novel structured approach to comparing combinations of QA methods will allow us to optimize our procedures, with the goal of detecting all clinically significant FMs. Our results show that log-file QA with 3D dose recalculation and supplemental machine QA provides better risk reduction than measurement-based QA. This work builds evidence to justify reducing or eliminating measurement-based PSQA with an independent 3D dose verification, log-file measurement, and appropriate supplementation of machine QA. The process also highlights FMs that cannot be caught by pre-treatment QA, prompting us to consider future directions for on-treatment QA.

An ethico‐political analysis of a national teacher competence framework: Unravelling a ‘preferred’ teacher identity

AbstractIn recent years, as evidenced in the transnational proliferation of codified competence frameworks for teacher education purposes, we have seen the increased politicisation and regulation of the task of teaching and what it means to be a teacher. Making the case for an ethico‐political conceptualisation of teacher identity and, using a Foucauldian‐based framework of ethico‐political identity, we apply a discourse analysis approach to unravel a ‘preferred’ teacher identity construction using Ireland's national teacher competence framework, the Initial Teacher Education Criteria and Guidelines for Programme Providers as an illustrative case. Findings illuminate this identity as: (i) telos vis‐à‐vis embodying national objectives via critical engagement underpinned by knowledge surfaces and a temporal appreciation of policy; (ii) ethical substance vis‐à‐vis seven modes of engagement animated in two interdependent phases with unique practice dynamics and policy emphases; (iii) discursive authority sources that utilise three major modes of sense‐making; and (iv) self‐practices as confessional dialogue and self‐writing. Considering codified teacher competence frameworks as politics of truth in teacher education, we make the case for macro ethico‐political identity work as a valuable analytical tool for policy analysis in teaching and teacher education.

Technical Imaging for Private Practice Conservators

ABSTRACT Technical imaging is a powerful group of tools and techniques that allow a work of art to be visually recorded under various wavelengths of light to document the current condition, detect restoration and alteration, identify condition issues, characterize materials and their location, and create a visual baseline for future study. Museum conservation laboratories have a long history of technical imaging, and its products are equally valuable for artworks outside museum collections. This article explains how private practice conservators can carry out advanced technical imaging like their museum counterparts with robust, reliable, and accessible tools. In this practical guide to imaging techniques for the private practice conservator, commercially available equipment and methods used by conservation professionals are examined; visible, ultraviolet, and infrared imaging methods are the primary topics. The article describes the components and function of a general technical imaging system, reviews the major technical imaging techniques and modes, discusses the equipment currently used in the field based on the results of a survey distributed to AIC members, and makes recommendations for equipment and methods for private practice conservators. Imaging examples include a painting attributed to Jean-Michel Basquiat, a seventeenth-century European painting, and a Liquitex acrylic paint color chart from 1989.

Musicological analysis of the recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha in the musically-performed congregational worship

The Qur’anic recitation with melodious vocals and melodies has a significant role in implementing congregational prayers in a mosque. Musical recitation by a competent Imam can increase the worshipers’ comfort during the prayers. However, little is known to the general public about what is behind the beautiful recited voice. Some Muslims believe that the recitation of the Qur’an in prayer could not be included as music, even though some musicological aspects support its aesthetics. Although the artistic significance of the Qur’an’s recitation is not uncommon among Muslims and even contested openly, the musicological aspects of its recitation in congregational prayer rarely be discussed. The problem discussed in this study is what underlies the recitation of a trained Imam so that the worshippers sincerely feel comfort in following the congregational. This study aims to identify the scale modes within recited Qur’anic verses by the Imam during the congregational prayer at the Jogokariyan Mosque in Yogyakarta. This research uses qualitative methods with a participating observation as its approach. The analysis unit of this study is the Al-Fatiha Chapter recitation by one of the best Imams of the mosque while leading the congregational prayers during the month of Ramadhan this year. Data disclosure uses musicological analysis involving field data recording transcription and theoretical methods. The research stage includes the field research process, transcription from the Qur’anic reading by the subject, theoretical analysis, and formulating findings. This study has resulted in an array of knowledge concerning the Imams and Muadzin management system and the characteristics of the Qur’anic recitation performed by the research subject. From a Western musicological perspective, the music transcription showed varieties of Qur’anic recitation tunes produced by the Imam within the framework of major and minor scale modes. The Imam clarified that the recitation implemented Islamic music theory known as maqam types. In conclusion, the Bayati maqam applied by the Imam resembles the Phrygian Mode of Medieval mode. Meanwhile, the Hijaz maqam resembles the Phrygian Dominant scale. Implication: While for some circles of Islamic society, music is controversial in reality, many valued aspects of Islamic religious activities can contribute to the development of musicological studies.

Prevalence and Awareness Survey of Tuberculosis in The Suspected Population of Bajaur Agency in Fata, Pakistan

Tuberculosis is most common infectious disease of the lungs and is a leading cause of Mortality among infectious caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Its infections occurring in about 1% of the population each year. Objective: To trace out the effects of TB in peoples of different ages, areas, and lifestyle and also check the Awareness level of TB in Educated and Married peoples. Methods: A total of 200 Samples were collected from Agency Headquarter hospital Khar Bajaur Agency and were screened out for TB by Microscopic examination, X-rays and Gene Xpert. Results: The Result revealed that out of 200 individuals 68 (34%) were positive, of which 36 (31.03%) were Male and 32(38.09%) were female. Conclusions: TB was higher in female as compared to Male. Prevalence of TB in different age groups was measured. The highest percentage was 39(69.64%) in age group 11-20 years while the lowest was 8(26.66%) in age group of 1-10 years. The major modes of transmission were spitting, coughing, sneezing, talking and singing.

A Defiant Act of Looking: Prisoners’ Illicit Documentary Practices of Shooting-Back

During an armed security operation on Lebanon’s most notorious prison, an image emerges from the POV of a prisoner. Capturing the military vehicles and the prison bars obstructing his vision, a prisoner snatches a photograph through his illicitly smuggled cellphone camera. In this article, I follow the events of Lebanese authorities’ intervention on Roumieh Central Prison’s Bloc B and collect a sample of images and videos produced and circulated by prisoners as the operation was taking place. By examining the frame, composition, POV, sound, and montage of such amateur fragmentary cellphone recordings, I note two major modes of framing adopted by prisoners; one frames outside the bars and the second frames inside. I contextualize such modes of framing as ‘counter-shots’ in relation to the state’s media strategies of legitimizing its repressive actions and I argue that prisoners utilize smuggled media technologies, such as the cellphone and its camera, as a response to the state’s performative acts of sovereignty. Prisoners operationalize the frame and the POV to create a ‘counter’ way of seeing and documenting the events on Bloc B. Hence, prison cellphone recordings reflect not only what is portrayed inside their frames, but also their means of production. Through the framework of media as practice and the notion of media witnessing, I argue that the illicitly produced modes of framing reflect a practice of media production based around the smuggling of media technologies into the prison. Through such a practice, prisoners produce images and videos to represent and document their lived experiences, relay testimonies, and make the audience bear witness to the horrific and precarious conditions of incarceration; hence, engaging in a practice of documentation from the prison.

Weld corrosion of GH3535 in molten (Li,Na,K)F

The corrosion of structural materials in molten fluoride salts restricts the development of a molten salt reactor (MSR), with local galvanic corrosion of the weld joint being one of the major failure modes associated with the structural materials in the operating environment of an MSR. In this paper, in situ electrochemical measurements, combined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDX) and metallographic microscope testing methods, are used to study the weld corrosion of GH3535 at 700 degrees C in molten (Li,Na,K)F. The results show that each part of the welding areas is in active dissolution state at the open circuit potential. The electrochemical behavior of the heat affected zone is similar to that of the GH3535 parent material. When the weld zone of the GH3535 is coupled with the parent alloy, galvanic corrosion occurs and the galvanic corrosion effect is larger than 1.

Unlocking the Beat: Dopamine and Eye Blink Response to Classical Music.

The present study examined music-induced dopamine release, as measured by a proxy measure of spontaneous eye blinks. Specifically, we explored the effects of uplifting and sombre tones in different sections of Vivaldi's Four Seasons to investigate the affective content of musical pieces within one composition. Seventeen participants listened to four concertos (Major modes: "Spring" and "Autumn", Minor modes: "Summer" and "Winter") and a silence condition while completing a three-stimulus odd-ball attention task. Electrooculograms were recorded from electrodes placed above and under the left eye. Self-reported arousal and music preference measures were also gathered during the testing session. In addition, the P3a Event-Related Potential (ERP) component was analysed as another potential index of dopamine function. Results revealed significant differences in the blink rates during music listening and silence, with the largest effect observed for the sad, melancholic "Winter" concerto. However, no significant correlation was found between blink rate and music preference or arousal. Furthermore, no reliable association was found between blink rate and the P3a ERP component, suggesting that these measures tap into different aspects of dopamine function. These findings contribute to understanding the link between dopamine and blink rate, particularly in response to classical music. Crucially, the study's discovery that the "Winter" concerto, with its sorrowful tone, significantly increased the blink rate highlights the significance of sad music and perhaps the programmatic qualities of this concerto to induce a strong emotional response.

Seismic failure modes of masonry structures exposed to Kahramanmaraş earthquakes (Mw 7.7 and 7.6) on February 6, 2023

In this study, the failure modes of masonry structures after the earthquakes (Mw 7.7 and 7.6) occurred in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023 were investigated by fieldwork. Within the scope of the study, information of the building stock in Türkiye and the Middle East countries was given, and a literature regarding the major failure modes in masonry structures was mentioned. The characteristics of the ground acceleration and earthquake parameters measured during the earthquake were presented. Damage distributions in historic masonry structures and masonry dwellings were examined. In addition to the out-of-plane behavior which is the most common failure mechanism in masonry structures, the corner failure mechanism has been also observed in many masonry buildings. It has been determined that the corner failure mechanism is triggered by the combination of the in-plane and out-of-plane failure behaviors. In this manner, the observed damages were classified as in-plane, out-of-plane, and corner failures. It has been determined that damaged masonry structures are mostly out of use with out-of-plane and corner failure mechanisms. These two failure mechanisms were directly related to inadequate wall-roof and wall-floor connections, insufficient axial load, low material strength, poor workmanship, and the lack of engineering service. In-plane failure mechanisms are triggered by irregular door and window openings exceeding the limits given in the regulations. In addition, it has been revealed that many masonry buildings do not have adequate vertical and horizontal lintel band to increase the lateral seismic performance of the walls. In the last part of the study, the advantages and disadvantages of the strengthening methods that can be used in masonry structures with light and moderate damage were examined, and some suggestions were made.

Effects of temperature on critical resolved shear stresses of slip and twining in Mg single crystal via experimental and crystal plasticity modeling

Magnesium (Mg) single crystal specimens with three different orientations were prepared and tested from room temperature to 733 K in order to systematically evaluate effects of temperature on the critical resolved shear stress (CRSS) of slips and twinning in Mg single crystals. The duplex non-basal <a> slip took place in the temperature range from 613 to 733 K when the single crystal samples were stretched along the <01¯10> direction. In contrast, the single basal <a> slip and prismatic <a> slip were mainly activated in the temperature range from RT to 733 K when the tensile directions were inclined at an angle of 45° with the basal and the prismatic plane, respectively. Viscoplastic self-consistent (VPSC) crystal modeling simulations with genetic algorithm code (GA-code) were carried out to obtain the best fitted CRSSs of major deformation modes, such as basal <a> slip, prismatic <a> slip, pyramidal II <c+a>, {101¯2} tensile twinning and {101¯1} compressive twinning when duplex slips accommodated deformation. Additionally, CRSSs of the basal <a> and the prismatic <a> slip were derived using the Schmid factor (SF) criterion when the single slip mainly accommodated deformation. From the CRSSs of major deformation modes obtained by the VPSC simulations and the SF calculations, the CRSSs for basal <a> slip and {101¯2} tensile twinning were found to show a weak temperature dependence, whereas those for prismatic <a>, <c+a> slip and {101¯1} compressive twinning exhibited a strong temperature dependence. From the comparison of previous results, VPSC-GA modeling was proved to be an effective method to obtain the CRSSs of various deformation modes of Mg and its alloys.

Fungitoxic role of endogenous eugenol in the hybrid grapevine cultivar Baco blanc resistant to &lt;i&gt;Botrytis cinerea&lt;/i&gt;

Eugenol (2-methoxy-4-(2-propenyl)-phenol), widely spread in various plants, notably clove, basil and bay, is a well-known antifungal and antibiotic molecule that is abundant in the hybrid grapevine cultivar Baco blanc (Vitis vinifera × Vitis riparia × Vitis labrusca). This variety, created by François Baco (19th century), is confirmed in this study as highly resistant to Botrytis cinerea by comparing fruit rot incidence and severity with two Vitis vinifera cultivars: Folle Blanche and Ugni Blanc. According to two major antibiosis modes of action, i.e., direct or volatile, this study demonstrated the efficiency of eugenol in vitro by also investigating precisely the effect on B. cinerea of small concentrations of eugenol, 3 to 4 ppm, corresponding to IC10. Moreover, the vapour-inhibiting effect was shown to be highly powerful. The total eugenol concentration peaked at the veraison stage, exceeding 1000 μg×kg-1 in the skin of Baco blanc berry under our conditions. At this point, leaf removal in the bunch zone induced a significant increase in eugenol (32 %), from 1118 to 1478 μg×kg-1, which was also associated with a significant decrease in B. cinerea infection in the vineyard. Thus, for the first time, eugenol, as an endogenous molecule of Baco blanc, was clearly demonstrated to be an inducible compound in the vineyard. Furthermore, significant intravarietal variability in eugenol concentrations according to the Baco blanc clone was demonstrated to be associated with significant differences in fruit susceptibility to the plant pathogen assessed in biotests. Interestingly, in keeping with fruit ontogenic resistance, a significant negative correlation was established between the technological maturity of berries and the total eugenol content in the berry skin. Finally, the time-progress study of the two biochemical forms of eugenol (bound vs. free eugenol) allowed us to hypothesise the effectiveness against the plant pathogen of some precursor forms of eugenol, and the corresponding biochemical structures are currently being investigated. Thus, eugenol appears to be a key biochemical marker of ontogenic resistance in the hybrid cultivar Baco blanc.

A study of high cycle fatigue life and its correlation with microstructural parameters in IN713C nickel-based superalloy

IN713C nickel-based superalloy is widely used in the form of turbine blades in the automobile industry. High cycle fatigue (HCF) or very-HCF is one of the major failure modes for the alloy. The significant grain structure/size variations produced during the casting process are supposed to affect its fatigue life. In the present study, IN713C cast bars with different grain structures and grain size were HCF tested under similar stress level (∼300 MPa) at 650 °C. The fatigue life, varying from ∼87,000 to 10 × 106 cycles, mainly determined by the size of porosity and faceting grain. Size of porosity determines the time of initiation of faceting and crack, i.e., the crack initiation stage, which occupies the major part of fatigue life. Smaller pore size leads to delay of faceting and higher fatigue life. Whilst size of facet has profound effects in the crack propagation stage. Smaller facet (grain) size leads to lower crack propagation rate and longer loading cycles, and finally contributes to higher fatigue life. This research revealed the beneficial effect of smaller grain size on fatigue property from the perspective of reducing initial crack propagation rate, which has rarely been reported before.

Strong Ligand Control for Noble Metal Nanostructures.

ConspectusNanosynthesis is the art of creating nanostructures, with on-demand synthesis as the ultimate goal. Noble metal nanoparticles have wide applications, but the available synthetic methods are still limited, often giving nanospheres and symmetrical nanocrystals. The fundamental reason is that the conventional weak ligands are too labile to influence the materials deposition, so the equivalent facets always grow equivalently. Considering that the ligands are the main synthetic handles in colloidal synthesis, our group has been exploring strong ligands for new growth modes, giving a variety of sophisticated nanostructures. The model studies often involve metal deposition on seeds functionalized with a certain strong ligand, so that the uneven distribution of the surface ligands could guide the subsequent deposition.In this Account, we focus on the design principles underlying the new growth modes, summarizing our efforts in this area along with relevant literature works. The basics of ligand control are first revisited. Then, the four major growth modes are summarized as follows: (1) The curvature effects would divert the materials deposition away from the high-curvature tips when the ligands are insufficient. With ligands fully covering the seeds, the sparser ligand packing at the tips would then promote the initial nucleation thereon. (2) The strong ligands may get trapped under the incoming metal layer, thus modulating the interfacial energy of the core-shell interface. The evidence for embedded ligands is discussed, along with examples of Janus nanostructures arising from the synthetic control, including metal-metal, metal-semiconductor, and metal-C60 systems using a variety of ligands. (3) Active surface growth is an unusual mode with divergent growth rates, so that part of the emerging surface is inhibited, and the growth is focused onto a few active sites. With seeds attached to oxide substrates, the selective deposition at the metal-substrate interface produces ultrathin nanowires. The synthesis can be generally applied to grow Au, Ag, Pd, Pt, and hybrid nanowires, with straight, spiral, or helical structures, and even rapid alteration of segments via electrochemical methods. In contrast, active surface growth for colloidal nanoparticles has to be more carefully controlled. The rich growth phenomena are discussed, highlighting the role of strong ligands, the control of deposition rates, the chiral induction, and the evidence for the active sites. (4) An active site with sparse ligands could also be exploited in etching, where the freshly exposed surface would promote further etching. The result is an unusual sharpening etching mode, in contrast to the conventional rounding mode for minimized surface energy.Colloidal nanosynthesis holds great promise for scalable on-demand synthesis, providing the crucial nanomaterials for future explorations. The strong ligands have delivered powerful synthetic controls, which could be further enhanced with in-depth studies on growth mechanisms and synthetic strategies, as well as functions and properties.

Peering into the future of SARS-CoV-2 evolution using a computational model of the SARS-CoV-2 serum antibody repertoire

Abstract The global emergence of SARS-CoV-2 has provided a wealth of immunological data, including more than 600 solved structures of SARS-CoV-2 Spike antibodies (Abs) available in the Protein Data Bank. We reasoned that this data could be used to generate a computational model of the serum Ab repertoire. We extracted a set of 275 non-redundant Abs, and clustered them using an unsupervised clustering method based on their contact positions with Spike. We identified 9 unique Ab clusters that together summarize the major binding modes of Abs to the Spike protein. To characterize each cluster, we mined 65 published papers extracting detailed information on each Ab. We then demonstrated Spike Ab contacts could be predicted based on the Ab’s CDRs sequence. Next, we developed a computational method for predicting immune escape. We extracted the set of all Spike mutations in SARS-CoV-2 sequences from GISAID. To assess the effects of single mutations on immune escape, we computed the ΔΔG for each Ab-mutation pair and constructed an aggregated escape score for each mutation. Our predicted escape scores were positively correlated with published experimental measurements of Ab escape. We used our escape score to rank novel viral variants and are dynamically ranking strains and novel variants of interest as they appear. To further validate its predictive power, we chose a set of predicted Ab-escaping mutations and are testing their escape from Abs in human sera samples. Taken together, our analysis demonstrates the feasibility of generating a computational model of the serum Ab repertoire, which may be used for the rapid characterization of novel Abs, and to computationally estimate the effects of mutations on immune escape from Ab recognition. Supposed by the Israel Science Foundation (ISF) grant no. 2683/21, and the NIH\NIAID CEIRR under contract 75N9302100016, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Prediction errors arising from switches between major and minor modes in music: An fMRI study

The major and minor modes in Western music have positive and negative connotations, respectively. The present fMRI study examined listeners’ neural responses to switches between major and minor modes. We manipulated the final chords of J. S. Bach’s keyboard pieces so that each major-mode passage ended with either the major (Major-Major) or minor (Major-Minor) tonic chord, and each minor-mode passage ended with either the minor (Minor-Minor) or major (Minor-Major) tonic chord. If the final major and minor chords have positive and negative reward values respectively, the Major-Minor and Minor-Major stimuli would cause negative and positive reward prediction errors (RPEs) respectively in a listener’s brain. We found that activity in a frontoparietal network was significantly higher for Major-Minor than for Major-Major. Based on previous research, these results support the idea that a major-to-minor switch causes negative RPE. The contrast of Minor-Major minus Minor-Minor yielded activation in the ventral insula and visual cortex, speaking against the idea that a minor-to-major switch causes positive RPE. We discuss our results in relation to executive functions and the emotional connotations of major versus minor modes.

Ions Generated from a Premixed Methane-Air Flame: Mobility Size Distributions and Charging Characteristics

ABSTRACT Chemical ionization in combustion systems forms concentrated ions of both polarities. Applying electric fields and plasmas to combustion systems has been shown to reduce emissions (such as particulate matter) potentially by controlling the ionic properties. Detailed flame-generated ion properties need to be characterized to better understand and predict the dynamics and roles of these ions in combustion and particle formation processes. In this work, we used a high-resolution differential mobility analyzer (HR-DMA) to map the mobility and size distributions of positive and negative ions generated from a premixed methane-air flat flame under atmospheric pressure. Measurements were conducted over a wide range of stoichiometric ratios (0.8 to 1.2) and heights above the burner (HAB, 7–42 mm). Positively charged ions are relatively stable over the entire range of experimental conditions, showing two major modes, one at 1.16 nm, and another at 1.42 nm. The mode corresponding to 1.42 nm showed a gradual increase in size with HAB, indicating the charging of hydrocarbon precursors. With the mobility values of the ions, we calculated their approximate mass values based on the empirical mobility–mass relationship and estimated the charging characteristics of particles in the flame. The ion profiles and particle charging characteristics obtained in this study will improve our understanding of electrostatic interactions in flame systems.

Biomechanical and biochemical assessment of YB-1 expression in A375 melanoma cell line: Exploratory study.

Malignant melanoma is the most lethal form of skin cancer. Y-box binding protein 1 (YB-1) plays a prominent role in mediating metastatic behavior by promoting epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Migratory melanoma cells exhibit two major migration modes: elongated mesenchymal or rounded amoeboid. Using A375 melanoma cell line and the YB-1 knock-out model, we aimed to elucidate biochemical and biomechanical changes in migration signaling pathways in the context of melanoma metastases. We subjected A375 YB-1 knock-out and parental cells to atomic force microscopy (stiffness determination), immunolabelling, and proteome analysis. We found that YB-1 expressing cells were significantly stiffer compared to the corresponding YB-1 knock-out cell line. Our study demonstrated that the constitutive expression of YB-1 in A375 melanoma cell line appears to be closely related to known biomarkers of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, nestin, and vimentin, resulting in a stiffer phenotype, as well as a wide array of proteins involved in RNA, ribosomes, and spliceosomes. YB-1 knock-out resulted in nestin depletion and significantly lower vimentin expression, as well as global upregulation of proteins related to the cytoskeleton and migration. YB-1 knock-out cells demonstrated both morphological features and biochemical drivers of mesenchymal/ameboid migration. Melanoma is a highly plastic, adaptable, and aggressive tumor entity, capable of exhibiting characteristics of different migratory modes.

Non-muscle myosin IIB is a driver of cellular reprogramming.

Nonmuscle myosin IIB (NMIIB) is considered a primary force generator during cell motility. Yet, many cell types, including motile cells, do not necessarily express NMIIB. Given the potential of cell engineering for the next wave of technologies, adding back NMIIB could be a strategy for creating super-cells with strategically altered cell morphology and motility. However, we wondered what unforeseen consequences could arise from such an approach. Here, we leveraged pancreatic cancer cells, which do not express NMIIB. We generated a series of cells where we added back NMIIB and strategic mutants that increase the ADP-bound time or alter the phosphorylation control of bipolar filament assembly. We characterized the cellular phenotypes and conducted RNA-seq analysis. The addition of NMIIB and the different mutants each has specific consequences for cell morphology, metabolism, cortical tension, mechanoresponsiveness, and gene expression. Major modes of ATP production are shifted, including alterations in spare respiratory capacity and the dependence upon glycolysis or oxidative phosphorylation. Several metabolic and growth pathways undergo significant changes in gene expression. This work demonstrates that NMIIB is highly integrated with many cellular systems and simple cell engineering has profound impact that extends beyond the primary contractile activity presumably being added to the cells.