Nature Of Communication Research Articles

Abstract IA15: Single cell origins and targeting of genomic instability in breast cancers

Abstract Early whole genome sequencing studies have emphasised the different modes by which breast cancers can evolve. However, bulk NGS tissue analysis obscures mutations that are contemporaneous and/or lead to negative selection, and does not resolve clone specific metrics such as replication rate and fitness. We have developed single cell genome sequencing methods (Laks et al., Cell 2019) to identify large scale copy number-structural (CNA-SV) mutational processes that result in genomic shuffling through the duplication or deletion of chromosomal regions, obscured by bulk tissue analysis. This has revealed the existence and activity of distinct “foreground” mutational processes, i.e. mutational events in single mitoses that are observed directly, before the effects of purifying selection. We discovered that foreground processes are preferentially associated with background patterns of genome instability (Funnell et al., Nature 2022). We also discovered that CNA-SV mutational patterns are associated with relative sensitivity or resistance to platinum, a commonly used DNA targeting agent in TNBC and HGSOC. Our second recent discovery has been the association of CNA-SV mutations with clonal resistance to platinum in TNBC (Salehi et al., Nature 2021). Taken together, we now understand that ongoing CNA-SV mutations contribute to the evolution of fitness landscapes for DNA targeting therapeutics. In parallel work (Xu et al Nat. comms 2017) we have discovered stabilisers of folded DNA guanine stacked bases, G-quadruplexes (G4), to be synthetically lethal in contexts including HR and TMEJ that are underpinned by the single cell processes identified through single genome sequencing. To this end we have recently observed G4-ligand clinical activity in BRCA2 and PALB2 mutated cancers in a phase 1 trial (Hilton et al, Nature communication 2022). Citation Format: Samuel Aparicio. Single cell origins and targeting of genomic instability in breast cancers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Advances in Breast Cancer Research; 2023 Oct 19-22; San Diego, California. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(3 Suppl_1):Abstract nr IA15.

Young and old persons' subjective feelings when facing with a non-human computer-graphics-based agent's emotional responses in consideration of differences in emotion perception

Virtual agents (computer-graphics-based agents) have been developed for many purposes such as supporting the social life, mental care, education, and entertainment of both young and old people individuals. Promoting affective communication between young/old users and agents requires clarifying subjective feelings induced by an agent's expressions. However, an emotional response model of agents to induce positive feelings has not been fully understood due to differences in emotion perception between young and old adults. We investigated subjective feelings induced when facing with a non-human computer-graphics-based agent's emotional responses in consideration of differences of emotion perception between young adults and old adults. To emphasize the differences in emotion perception, the agent's expressions were developed by adopting exaggerated human expressions. The differences in their emotion perception of happy, sadness, and angry between young and old participants were then identified through a preliminary experiment. Considering the differences in emotion perception, induced feelings when facing with the agent's expressions were analyzed from the three types of emotion sources of the participant, agent, and other, which was defined as subject and responsibility of induced emotion. The subjective feelings were evaluated using a subjective rating task with 139 young and 211 old participants. The response of the agent that most induced positive feelings was happy when participants felt happy, and that was sad when participants felt sad, regardless emotion sources in both young and old groups. The response that most induced positive feelings was sad when participants felt angry and emotion sources were participant and the agent, and that was angry when the emotion source was other. The emotion types of the response to induce most positive feelings were the same between the young and old participants, and the way to induce most positive feelings was not always to mimic the emotional expressions, which is a typical tendency of human responses. These findings suggest that a common agent response model can be developed for young and old people by combining an emotional mimicry model with a response model to induce positive feelings in users and promote natural and affective communication, considering age characteristics of emotion perception.

P062 Characterization of UC1 and UC2 patients: towards personalized medicine in Ulcerative Colitis

Abstract Background Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a highly heterogeneous chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that primarily affects the colon. Although there are some available classifications, mostly based on clinical parameters, the lack of a molecular stratification prevents full comprehension of the diagnostic and prognostic heterogeneity of patients, and thus from correctly predicting their response to available treatments. We have recently developed an unbiased stratification of UC patients (UC1/UC2) based on their transcriptomic profiles (Czarnewski P; et al. Nature Communications, 2019), which holds great potential for the design of personalized medicine in IBD. However, further characterization is necessary to validate it and consolidate its clinical application. Methods To achieve this goal, we used bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing (sc-RNAseq) datasets from a prospective cohort of Swedish IBD patients to understand whether UC1 and UC2 are different diseases or states of the same disease, and to deeply characterize the cellular composition of UC1 and UC2 patients. In addition, we took advantage of murine spatial transcriptomics datasets of colonic tissues at steady state or during mucosal healing, to get insights into the spatiotemporal dynamics of UC1/UC2 transcriptional profiles. Results A longitudinal analysis of UC1/UC2 transcriptomic profiles as well as gene module analysis revealed that UC1 and UC2 profiles are fluctuant during the course of disease, eventually representing different stages of the same disease. scRNAseq analysis allowed us to identify specific cell types characterizing UC2 patients.[FC1] Finally, while genes defining UC2 patients distributed homogenously within the murine mouse colon at steady state and during mucosal healing, UC1 genes primarily mapped within damage/regeneration regions. Conclusion This study details the differences in immune cell composition and molecular pathways in UC1 and UC2 patients, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of the new molecular stratification system we have developed for ulcerative colitis patients.

Abstract C076: New insights into the role of FOXA1- HNF4 axis in pancreatic cancer

Abstract Despite recent advances in the treatment of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the median survival remains <12 months. Patients typically present with late-stage disease and have limited treatment options. Therefore, there is an immediate need for the generation of new and innovative therapeutic targets. Little is known about the role of pioneer factors such as FOXA1 and their interaction partners in a PDAC context. Inspired by literature reports implicating FOXA1 and GATA5/GATA6 in regulating pancreatic cancer resistance and metastasis, our study hypothesised the possibility of an undiscovered nuclear receptor that works with FOXA1 (similar to Estrogen receptor in breast cancer). Using innovative ‘omic’ based approaches (RIME) developed in our laboratory 1 we discovered a nuclear receptor (NR) complex involving HNF4A and HNF4G in the classical sub-type of pancreatic cancer. Subsequently the interaction was independently validated in Whipple surgical biopsies from PDAC patients using ChIP-sequencing studies. Across multiple patient tumors (n=7) a binding overlap specifically between FOXA1 and HNF4G (3461 sites) was established. To investigate the therapeutic potential of HNF4G in the classical subtype of PDAC, we generated CRISPR deletions (KO) of HNF4G in the HPAF-II cells. HNF4G-KO cells were orthotopically implanted into the pancreas of NSG mice. A significant survival advantage of 12 days (<0.001) and reduced growth (<0.02) was observed in these mice compared to the controls. To better understand the impact of HNF4G-KO on gene expression, the orthotopic tumors were subjected to RNA-seq analyses. Gene set enrichment and pathway analysis revealed significantly down-regulated pathways to include EMT transition. TCGA data highlighted HNF4G amplification in 9% of PDAC patients with concomitant decreased progression free survival. These data point towards HNF4G being a therapeutically viable target for further exploration. Protein Arginine Methyl Transferase 1 (PRMT1) is a common interactor of both FOXA1 and HNF4G. Our study reveals a unique dependency of PRMT1 on the HNF4G-FOXA1 complex in PDAC biopsies. HNF4G-KO drastically reduces the chromatin binding of PRMT1, implicating them as functionally dependent. Treatment of HNF4G-KO cells with GSK3368715 (PRMT1 inhibitor) further sensitizes these cells and results in a significant survival advantage (10 days <0.02). We propose a model of HNF4G inhibition in combination with PRMT1 as a novel therapeutic opportunity to treat the classical sub-type of PDAC. Further, our study reveals a unique reliance of primary classical tumors on HNF4G. Although HNF4G appears to dominate FOXA1 functionality in the primary disease, FOXA1 remains instrumental in priming metastasis and enhancer reprograming. 1. Papachristou EK, Kishore K, Holding AN, Harvey K, Roumeliotis TI, Chilamakuri CSR, et al. A quantitative mass spectrometry-based approach to monitor the dynamics of endogenous chromatin-associated protein complexes. Nature Communications. 2018;9(1):2311. Citation Format: Shalini V. Rao, Lisa Young, Danya Cheeseman, Stephanie Mack, Jill Temple, Chandra Shekar Reddy Chilamakuri, Evangelia Papachristou, Catherina Pelicano, Amy Smith, Dominique-Laurent Couturier, Michael Gill, Duncan Jodrell Jodrell, Alasdair Russell, Igor Chernukhin, Jason Carroll. New insights into the role of FOXA1- HNF4 axis in pancreatic cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Pancreatic Cancer; 2023 Sep 27-30; Boston, Massachusetts. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(2 Suppl):Abstract nr C076.

Bibliometric and visual analysis of single-cell sequencing from 2010 to 2022.

Background: Single-cell sequencing (SCS) is a technique used to analyze the genome, transcriptome, epigenome, and other genetic data at the level of a single cell. The procedure is commonly utilized in multiple fields, including neurobiology, immunology, and microbiology, and has emerged as a key focus of life science research. However, a thorough and impartial analysis of the existing state and trends of SCS-related research is lacking. The current study aimed to map the development trends of studies on SCS during the years 2010-2022 through bibliometric software. Methods: Pertinent papers on SCS from 2010 to 2022 were obtained using the Web of Science Core Collection. Research categories, nations/institutions, authors/co-cited authors, journals/co-cited journals, co-cited references, and keywords were analyzed using VOSviewer, the R package "bibliometric", and CiteSpace. Results: The bibliometric analysis included 9,929 papers published between 2010 and 2022, and showed a consistent increase in the quantity of papers each year. The United States was the source of the highest quantity of articles and citations in this field. The majority of articles were published in the periodical Nature Communications. Butler A was the most frequently quoted author on this topic, and his article "Integrating single-cell transcriptome data across diverse conditions, technologies, and species" has received numerous citations to date. The literature and keyword analysis showed that studies involving single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) were prominent in this discipline during the study period. Conclusion: This study utilized bibliometric techniques to visualize research in SCS-related domains, which facilitated the identification of emerging patterns and future directions in the field. Current hot topics in SCS research include COVID-19, tumor microenvironment, scRNA-seq, and neuroscience. Our results are significant for scholars seeking to identify key issues and generate new research ideas.

American Sign Language Recognition and Translation Using Perception Neuron Wearable Inertial Motion Capture System.

Sign language is designed as a natural communication method to convey messages among the deaf community. In the study of sign language recognition through wearable sensors, the data sources are limited, and the data acquisition process is complex. This research aims to collect an American sign language dataset with a wearable inertial motion capture system and realize the recognition and end-to-end translation of sign language sentences with deep learning models. In this work, a dataset consisting of 300 commonly used sentences is gathered from 3 volunteers. In the design of the recognition network, the model mainly consists of three layers: convolutional neural network, bi-directional long short-term memory, and connectionist temporal classification. The model achieves accuracy rates of 99.07% in word-level evaluation and 97.34% in sentence-level evaluation. In the design of the translation network, the encoder-decoder structured model is mainly based on long short-term memory with global attention. The word error rate of end-to-end translation is 16.63%. The proposed method has the potential to recognize more sign language sentences with reliable inertial data from the device.

Effects of Stimulus Type on 16-kHz Detection Thresholds.

Audiometric testing typically does not include frequencies above 8 kHz. However, recent research suggests that extended high-frequency (EHF) sensitivity could affect hearing in natural communication environments. Clinical assessment of hearing often employs pure tones and frequency-modulated (FM) tones interchangeably regardless of frequency. The present study was designed to evaluate how the stimulus chosen to measure EHF thresholds affects estimates of hearing sensitivity. The first experiment used standard audiometric procedures to measure 8- and 16-kHz thresholds for 5- to 28-year olds with normal hearing in the standard audiometric range (250 to 8000 Hz). Stimuli were steady tones, pulsed tones, and FM tones. The second experiment tested 18- to 28-year olds with normal hearing in the standard audiometric range using psychophysical procedures to evaluate how changes in sensitivity as a function of frequency affect detection of stimuli that differ with respect to bandwidth, including bands of noise. Thresholds were measured using steady tones, pulsed tones, FM tones, narrow bands of noise, and one-third-octave bands of noise at a range of center frequencies in one ear. In experiment 1, thresholds improved with increasing age at 8 kHz and worsened with increasing age at 16 kHz. Thresholds for individual participants were relatively similar for steady, pulsed, and FM tones at 8 kHz. At 16 kHz, mean thresholds were approximately 5 dB lower for FM tones than for steady or pulsed tones. This stimulus effect did not differ as a function of age. Experiment 2 replicated this greater stimulus effect at 16 kHz than at 8 kHz and showed that the slope of the audibility curve accounted for these effects. Contrary to prior expectations, there was no evidence that the choice of stimulus type affected school-age children more than adults. For individual participants, audiometric thresholds at 16 kHz were as much as 20 dB lower for FM tones than for steady tones. Threshold differences across stimuli at 16 kHz were predicted by differences in audibility across frequency, which can vary markedly between listeners. These results highlight the importance of considering spectral width of the stimulus used to evaluate EHF thresholds.

Behavioral consequences of second-person pronouns in written communications between authors and reviewers of scientific papers

Pronoun usage’s psychological underpinning and behavioral consequence have fascinated researchers, with much research attention paid to second-person pronouns like “you,” “your,” and “yours.” While these pronouns’ effects are understood in many contexts, their role in bilateral, dynamic conversations (especially those outside of close relationships) remains less explored. This research attempts to bridge this gap by examining 25,679 instances of peer review correspondence with Nature Communications using the difference-in-differences method. Here we show that authors addressing reviewers using second-person pronouns receive fewer questions, shorter responses, and more positive feedback. Further analyses suggest that this shift in the review process occurs because “you” (vs. non-“you”) usage creates a more personal and engaging conversation. Employing the peer review process of scientific papers as a backdrop, this research reveals the behavioral and psychological effects that second-person pronouns have in interactive written communications.

Mapping and visualization of global research progress on deubiquitinases in ovarian cancer: a bibliometric analysis.

Ovarian cancer is a highly aggressive malignancy with limited therapeutic options and a poor prognosis. Deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) have emerged as critical regulators of protein ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation, influencing various cellular processes relevant to cancer pathogenesis. In this study, the research progress between ovarian cancer and DUBs was mapped and visualized using bibliometrics, and the expression patterns and biological roles of DUBs in ovarian cancer were summarized. Studies related to DUBs in ovarian cancer were extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database. VOSviewer 1.6.20, CiteSpace 6.3.R1, and R4.3.3 were used for bibliometric analysis and visualization. For analysis 243 articles were included in this study. The number of publications on DUBs in ovarian cancer has gradually increased each year. China, the United States, and the United Kingdom are at the center of this field of research. The Johns Hopkins University, Genentech, and Roche Holding are the main research institutions. David Komander, Zhihua Liu, and Richard Roden are the top authors in this field. The top five journals with the largest publication volumes in this field are Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Journal of Biological Chemistry, PLOS One, Nature Communications, and Oncotarget. Keyword burst analysis identified five research areas: "deubiquitinating enzyme," "expression," "activation," "degradation," and "ubiquitin." In addition, we summarized the expression profiles and biological roles of DUBs in ovarian cancer, highlighting their roles in tumor initiation, growth, chemoresistance, and metastasis. An overview of the research progress is provided in this study on DUBs in ovarian cancer over the last three decades. It offers insight into the most cited papers and authors, core journals, and identified new trends.

Introducing electron correlation in solid-state calculations for superconducting states.

Analyzing the electronic localization of superconductors has been recently shown to be relevant for understanding their critical temperature [Nature Communications, 12, 5381, (2021)]. However, these relationships have only been shown at the Kohn-Sham density functional theory (DFT) level, where the onset of strong correlation linked to the superconducting state is missing. In this contribution, we approximate the superconducting gap in order to reconstruct the superconducting the one-reduced density matrix (1RDM) from a DFT calculation. This allows us to analyse the electron density and localization in the strong correlation regime. The method is applied to two well-known superconductors. Electron localization features along the electron-phonon coupling directions and hydrogen cluster formations are observed for different solids. However, in both cases we see that the overall localization channels are not affected by the onset of superconductivity, explaining the ability of DFT localization channels to characterize the superconducting ones.

Manipulating metastability: Quenched control of topological defects in multiferroics

The topological properties of quasiparticles, such as skyrmions and vortices, have the potential to offer extraordinary metastability through topological protection, and drive motion with minimal electrical current excitation. This has promising implications for future applications in spintronics. Skyrmions frequently appear either in lattice form or as separate, isolated quasiparticles [Y. Tokura and N. Kanazawa, Chemical Reviews 121, 2857–2897 (2021)]. Magnetic ferroelectrics, a subset of multiferroics that exhibit magnetically induced ferroelectricity, possess intriguing characteristics like magnetic (electric) field-controlled ferroelectric (magnetic) responses. Previous research based on Landau theory indicated the potential to stabilize metastable phases in multiferroic barium hexaferrite [Karpov et al., Phys. Rev. B 100, 054432 (2019)]. We have successfully stabilized these meta-stable phases through magnetic quenching of hexaferrite nanoparticles, leading to the creation of compelling topological structures. The structural changes in individual BaFe12O19 nanocrystals were scrutinized using Bragg coherent diffractive imaging, granting us insight into the emergent topological structures in field-quenched multiferroics. Additionally, we explored why these structures are energetically preferable for the formation of metastable topological structures [Karpov et al., Nature Communications 8, 280 (2017) and Karpov et al., Phys. Rev. B 100, 054432 (2019)].

ФОРМИРОВАНИЕ БЛАГОПРИЯТНОГО ПСИХОЛОГИЧЕСКОГО КЛИМАТА НА ЗАНЯТИЯХ ПО ИНОСТРАННОМУ ЯЗЫКУ В ЯЗЫКОВОМ ВУЗЕ

The article is devoted to description of the most significant components of a favorable psychological climate in a foreign language class at the linguistic university. These components were identified on the basis of a survey carried out among students. The authors consider modern approaches to the notion “psychological climate”, analyze its compositional structure and factors, which determine it. The paper puts a special emphasis on the idea that a favorable climate plays a crucial role for mastering a foreign language, as emotional disposition of the participants of the educational process determines considerably the work of students in a foreign language class, demotivating, or on the contrary, motivating them for an initiative participation in a classroom conversation, which is an obligatory condition of mastering a foreign language. The foreign language as an academic subject has its obvious specificity and it enables the authors to suppose that it is possible to single out the components of the psychological climate which are perceived by students as the most essential for a foreign language class. The article presents the results of the survey among senior students, specializing in learning foreign languages. Thanks to this survey the mentioned above components have been identified. They are the following: 1) personality of the teacher; 2) the style of the pedagogical activity;3) the forms how the work is organized in class; 4) the range of tasks offered to students;5) the ways the mistakes are corrected. The interpretation of the obtained results makes it possible to make a concussion that psychological climate in a foreign language class has a manageable character, as the teacher can influence its key components which seem to be the most significant for students. All these constituents to this or that degree are connected with communication. All they promote transformation of a rather regulated formalized classroom conversation into a livelier personal communication, making it more similar to natural interpersonal communication.

A Language Modeling-Based Approach to Real-Time Language Translation Quality Enhancement in ESL Education

Abstract With the development of ESL education in recent years, real-time language translation has gradually become a research hotspot in the field of natural language communication. In this paper, the data processing technology of real-time translation is introduced, and then a Transducer (RNN-T) model based on real-time language translation is constructed based on the BPE subword segmentation method under the condition of probability gradient calculation algorithm and transcription network. Secondly, this model determines and tests the content involved in the process of real-time language translation and finally obtains results to improve the quality of real-time language translation. The experimental results show that the accuracy of character translation among the six language models is 85.8%, 86.2%, 88%, 93.4%, 94.03%, and 94.36%, respectively. In addition, the error rate of inserting, deleting, and replacing characters is < 20%. Compared with the other four models, the word error rate of the RNN-Transducer algorithm is reduced by 1.59%, 3.94%, 3.86%, and 9.01%, and the RTF is reduced by 3.91%, 10.96%, 10.09%, and 7.94%, respectively, which reflects the superiority of the RNN-Transducer method proposed in this paper.

Examples of Sea Grant Efforts to Improve Aquatic Invasive Species Research, Outreach, and Management

The NOAA Sea Grant College Program is well suited to address aquatic invasive species issues based on the roles Sea Grant institutions play within their communities and the resources available to them through university systems. The three primary areas of a Sea Grant program—research, education, and outreach—can be used to limit and prevent the impacts of invasive species. Specifically, Sea Grant has expertise in natural science, social science, education, communication, legal support, and community science, all of which can help communities and aquatic invasive species management programs address these problematic species. This article shares examples of Sea Grant work as well as tips designed to inspire new communities and aquatic invasive species management programs to partner with Sea Grant to address these issues.

Values of humanitarian security concerning institutional and public support

The study of humanitarian security’s value orientations is based on the results of a content analysis of the content of national documents and current publications of Ukrainian and European researchers. It was determined that the values of humanitari-an security are correlated with the general humanistic values of strategic develop-ment – intellectual freedom, justice, tolerance, people-centeredness. In the condi-tions of war, one of the key values is "security" (informational, national, personal). From the point of view of national security, the importance of the Strategy’s imple-mentation for Popularization of the Ukrainian Language until 2030 "A Strong Lan-guage – a Successful State" and the Strategy for the Development of Reading for the period until 2032 "Reading as a Life Strategy" was noted. The formation, devel-opment and ability to practically apply critical thinking and media literacy were noted as influential factors for ensuring the humanitarian security of the individual as a result of the civic education development. Special attention is paid to the spectrum of existential problems of humanitarian security, which the author highlights in the context of the study "Psychological well-being in Europe after the outbreak of war in Ukraine", carried out by a research group from many European universities. The re-sults of this study were published in the journal Nature Communications in early 2024.

Analysing the Overseas Spread of Chinese Songs on TikTok Using Textual Analysis

The prevalence of short videos around the world, especially the huge success of TikTok overseas, has provided a brand-new opportunity for the spread of Chinese culture and China’s national image. Chinese songs, with their natural communication attributes and carrying Chinese cultural values, have spread rapidly around the world using TikTok as a communication platform and have crossed language and cultural barriers, touching people’s hearts deeply. It is with this unique charm that Chinese songs have successfully attracted the love and attention of overseas people through TikTok. In this era, the communication of China’s national image should proactively seize the opportunities of this era, make full use of various emerging communication platforms and channels, change the passive situation of overseas communication of the national image in the past, and take a more active and proactive attitude to show the world China’s charisma and elegance, so as to enable the world to better understand China’s culture, values, and development achievements.

Role of translation in teaching foreign lan-guages

Problem. Since people started communicating in different languages the various approaches and methods have been used throughout the history of language learning. During this time, there were and still are disputes regarding the most effective methods of teaching foreign languages. Such discussions include the choice between the classical grammar-translation method, which once prevailed in the methodology of teaching foreign languages, especially "dead" languages, the so-called "direct" method, which rejects the use of the native language, and the mediation method, which arose as the result of rethinking the formal and cultural goals of language learning. Mediation is analyzed as one of the most up-to-date method as it is not only a translation, but also a new formulation and summarization, which further emphasizes the ubiquitous nature of mediation in foreign language communication. In the perspective of multilingualism, mediation is considered as natural inter- and intra-lingual communication. Using the term mediation, the specific forms of which are translation and interpretation, the fact is emphasized that translation is a part of everyday, natural and spontaneous communication and corresponds to the desire for mutual understanding. Goal. The purpose of this article is to consider the evolution of the role of translation in the process of learning foreign languages since the beginning of this subject. Methodology. The purpose and specificity of the study determined the use of the method of description with elements of comparative analysis for a comprehensive coverage of the issue. Results. The article showed the stages of evolution in teaching translation which still have more than one approach and requires deep study. Originality. The is an analysis of the translation science development. Those whom this subject concerns may find it interesting to go deep into the history and follow the analysis of old and new practices in the subject. Practical value. Certain issues in the article can help the teachers organize the process of translation teaching in the class and as an individual students’ work.

MULTIMODAL APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF SPECIALIZED TEXTS IN TECHNICAL DISCOURSE

The article aims to highlight the possibilities of a multimodal approach to the study of specialized texts in technical discourse. The research design for this study is analytical and descriptive, which focuses on a deductive narrative approach and a complex of complementary theoretical methods: analyzing, summarizing and interpreting scholarly sources on the issue under scrutiny; conceptual analysis of the term “multimodal approach”; analyzing multimodal elements of a technical text; distributional analysis – to find out the environment, which contains various multimodal components; monographic method – to interpret the results obtained in a coherent logical way. The theoretical significance of the article lies: firstly, in expanding the existing understanding of multimodality in linguistic studies at large and in modern technical discourse in particular; secondly, in applying multimodal analysis to the study of technical texts, which differs significantly from similar analyses of other types of discourse due to its powerful semiotic component. Its practical significance is determined by the identification of additional opportunities for linguists to analyze technical texts in terms of a multimodal approach. It is stated that a growing interest in multimodality from the linguistic point of view can be attributed to two main reasons. Firstly, in linguistics, there has been a general turn to functional pragmatism, in particular, to the study of linguistic performance, including the interaction of sociocultural and cognitive factors of speech activity. Secondly, significant changes have also occurred in the field of speech practice: mediated, multi-channel communication in nature, based on the convergence of the semiotic resources available, has come to the fore. The principles of the multimodal approach and a model for conducting a multimodal analysis of a text are considered. As mentioned in the article, the multimodal approach can be applied to analyzing all types and forms of communication, including the analysis of texts, including technical ones, in which two or more semiotic resources are integrated and interact to realize the communicative functions of the text. A multimodal technical text is viewed as a special linguistic and visual phenomenon, where linguistic and extralinguistic means form a common semantic field, have a complex impact on the addressee of these texts. These texts demonstrate the diversity and complexity of approaches to expressing the content and achieving the communicative goal of the message, where, along with verbal elements, non-verbal ones are integral, in particular, illustrations, diagrams, graphs and schemes. On the whole, visual content plays an extremely important role in written technical communication. The image is the most important part of multimodal technical texts and carries a significant functional load, providing a more complete, comprehensive perception. Also, among the main and most important elements of multimodal texts, color and signature stand out. Given that, a distinctive feature of multimodal technical discourse is the presence of accompanying drawings or / and explanatory drawings, which demonstrate all the geometric parameters and other information concerning the manufacturing processes of the product. From an extralinguistic point of view, it is not the language that is considered, but a drawing, a table, a diagram as a whole, creating an image and representing encrypted data, the correct analysis of which reveals a large layer of technical information. Extralinguistic parameters of a technical text also include the surrounding text background – font size and color. Knowledge of these parameters and the ability to correctly decode and use them helps not only a technical specialist to successfully perform his duties, but also an ordinary person to successfully interact with machines and mechanisms, to understand innovation in the information technology age. Therefore, the analysis of non-verbal means in technical texts makes it possible to single out their main functions. Each non-verbal tool has its own function, but often these functions are intertwined due to the combination of elements. At the same time, not only the number of non-verbal means increases, but also the attractiveness of the text, because the general function of non-verbal means is to explain the verbal series. In the interaction of verbal and non-verbal means in the analyzed technical texts, the following general patterns have been revealed: parallel use of verbal and non-verbal elements to explain the text and create a coherent image; extensive use of graphs, diagrams, illustrations and other graphic elements (use of colors, fonts and formatting) to visualize information and facilitate its effective perception.

The impact of natural resource, information and communication technology adoption, and economic expansion on financial development in post COVID era

This study explores the interplay between natural resources, economic growth, and financial development in China, extending the inquiry to the moderating role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Utilizing the advanced Fourier Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) framework on data spanning from 1991 to 2020, our analysis delineates the dual influence of natural resources on financial development. Results indicate that natural resources alone have a deleterious effect on financial development both in the short and long run. However, when combined with ICT, the long-run effects are positive, suggesting that ICT has a transformative potential on the natural resources-financial development nexus. Conversely, in the short run, this interaction proves detrimental. These findings underscore the imperative for a holistic strategy that harmonizes economic growth, ICT advancement, and natural resource utilization to foster sustainable financial development.

Clarifying the Limitations of Copper Hexacyanoferrate in Rechargeable Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries Via in Situ X-Ray Techniques

Copper hexacyanoferrate (CuHCF) is a compound belonging to the Prussian Blue Analogue (PBA) family, known for its open structure with cubic symmetry and large cavities capable of accommodating various cations, such as alkali-metal ions and divalent cations, making it an interesting candidate for ion-insertion batteries.CuHCF has been increasingly attracting attention for innovative approaches in rechargeable aqueous batteries which represent an emerging alternative technology for realizing sustainable and efficient stationary storage of intermittent electricity produced via renewable sources1.CuHCF stands out as an environmentally friendly cathode material in rechargeable aqueous Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs), enabling the realization of cost-effective and safe cells that support elevated charge/discharge rates and thus provide high power delivery2, 3. Relying only on abundant, inexpensive and non-toxic materials, combined with non-flammable and mildly acidic electrolytes, Zn/CuHCF cells are an attractive electrochemical system for addressing the challenges of developing energy storage devices for power grids due to their quick response and contained fabrication costs, although their energy density is intrinsically limited4 (< 100 Wh·kg-1).CuHCF displays one of the highest operating potentials (≈1.7 V vs. Zn2+/Zn) among cathode materials in aqueous ZIBs2, 3 and a modest capacity of ≈60 mAhg-1. Yet, what sets CuHCF apart is its ability to undergo ion insertion/de-insertion with negligible structural variations or volume changes5, making these electrodes apt for extensive cycling under heavy-duty conditions without risking induced mechanical or electrical damages causing early cell failure.However, a series of obstacles are present along the way of Zn/CuHCF cell development. Aside from issues on the Zinc side (e.g. uncontrolled Zn deposition/stripping), notoriously challenging in terms of interface stabilization6 and effective utilization4, significant limitations arise from the CuHCF ageing mechanisms during cycling. Such mechanisms have remained elusive so far, mostly due to the complexity of this compound and a simultaneous interaction of various species in the electrochemical processes. To date, there have been only speculative attempts to explain the capacity fading in CuHCF and, consequently, only a few scenarios have been suggested for it. Possible phase segregation and formation of spurious, non-stoichiometric Zn-rich phases (e.g. ZnxCu1-xHCF) have been argued7-9, while also signs of Cu dissolution were previously detected10, yet thought to be minimal and not affecting the CuHCF performances.Here, we will shed light on the limitations of CuHCF during cycling in ZIBs and explore its ageing mechanism by conducting a thorough study employing X-ray techniques11. Our investigation reveals that CuHCF is less stable than previously assumed, and that its debated Cu dissolution is linked to the ageing process11, forming Cu vacancies that can accept Zn2+. This Cu dissolution also results in a gradual activation of the Fe3+/Fe2+ couple, which has unambiguously been assigned to the appearance of a plateau on charge at ≈1.8 V vs. Zn2+/Zn (Figure 1). This is believed as the main contributor to the subsequent capacity loss. These insights into the CuHCF ageing in ZIBs may help in devising strategies to mitigate this critical aspect and improve battery performances in terms of stability and cycle life. Figure 1. (a) Scheme of an aqueous Zn/CuHCF cell. (b) Galvanostatic charge-discharge profiles of a Zn/CuHCF cell between 1.00 and 2.15 V at 0.6 mAcm-2. Note the emergence of a sloping plateau around 1.8 V and a slight capacity loss after 200 cycles. Acknowledgements M.V. acknowledges the funding by the ÅForsk Foundation, the support by the Swedish Electromobility Centre, the Swedish Energy Agency and StandUp for Energy. References C. D. Wessells, R. A. Huggins and Y. Cui, Nature communications, 2011, 2, 1-5.R. Trócoli and F. La Mantia, ChemSusChem, 2015, 8, 481-485. Z. Jia, B. Wang and Y. Wang, Materials Chemistry and Physics, 2015, 149, 601-606.G. Zampardi and F. La Mantia, Nature communications, 2022, 13, 687. V. Renman, D. O. Ojwang, M. Valvo, C. P. Gómez, T. Gustafsson and G. Svensson, Journal of Power Sources, 2017, 369, 146-153. Z. Cao, P. Zhuang, X. Zhang, M. Ye, J. Shen and P. M. Ajayan, Advanced Energy Materials, 2020, 10, 2001599.G. Kasiri, R. Trócoli, A. B. Hashemi and F. La Mantia, Electrochimica Acta, 2016, 222, 74-83. R. Trócoli, G. Kasiri and F. La Mantia, Journal of Power Sources, 2018, 400, 167-171. G. Kasiri, J. Glenneberg, A. B. Hashemi, R. Kun and F. La Mantia, Energy Storage Materials, 2019, 19, 360-369. J. Lim, G. Kasiri, R. Sahu, K. Schweinar, K. Hengge, D. Raabe, F. La Mantia and C. Scheu, Chemistry–A European Journal, 2020, 26, 4917-4922. M. Görlin, D. O. Ojwang, M.-T. Lee, V. Renman, C.-W. Tai and M. Valvo, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2021, 13, 59962-59974. Figure 1