Speech in noise listening correlates identified in resting state and DTI MRI images.

This study presents an examination of the neural connectivity associated with processing speech in noisy environments, an ability that declines with age. We correlated subjects' speech-in-noise (SIN) ability with resting-state MRI scans and Fractional Anisotropy (FA) values from the auditory section of the corpus callosum, both with and without correcting for age. The results revealed that subjects who performed poorly on the right ear SIN test (QuickSIN, MedRx) had higher correlations between the primary auditory cortex and regions of the brain that process language.

Crystallography relevant to Mars and Galilean icy moons: crystal behavior of kieserite-type monohydrate sulfates at extraterrestrial conditions down to 15 K.

Monohydrate sulfate kieserites ( SO·HO) and their solid solutions are essential constituents on the surface of Mars and most likely also on Galilean icy moons in our solar system. Phase stabilities of end-member representatives ( = Mg, Fe, Co, Ni) have been examined crystallographically using single-crystal X-ray diffraction at 1 bar and temperatures down to 15 K, by means of applying open He cryojet techniques at in-house laboratory instrumentation. All four representative phases show a comparable, highly anisotropic thermal expansion behavior with a remarkable negative thermal expansion along the monoclinic axis and a pronounced anisotropic expansion perpendicular to it.

Extending the Stability Field of Polymeric Carbon Dioxide Phase V beyond the Earth's Geotherm.

We present a study on the phase stability of dense carbon dioxide (CO_{2}) at extreme pressure-temperature conditions, up to 6200 K within the pressure range 37±9 to 106±17  GPa. The investigations of high-pressure high-temperature in situ x-ray diffraction patterns recorded from laser-heated CO_{2}, as densified in diamond-anvil cells, consistently reproduced the exclusive formation of polymeric tetragonal CO_{2}-V at any condition achieved in repetitive laser-heating cycles. Using well-considered experimental arrangements, which prevent reactions with metal components of the pressure cells, annealing through laser heating was extended individually up to approximately 40 min per cycle in order to keep track of upcoming instabilities and changes with time.

CuSO/[Cu(NH)]SO-Composite Thermochemical Energy Storage Materials.

The thermochemical energy-storage material couple CuSO/[Cu(NH)]SO combines full reversibility, application in a medium temperature interval (<350 °C), and fast liberation of stored heat. During reaction with ammonia, a large change in the sulfate solid-state structure occurs, resulting in a 2.6-fold expansion of the bulk material due to NH uptake.

2/ Postorthopyroxene γ-LiScGeO, a New Dense High-Pressure Polymorph and Its Direct Transformation from the Structure.

Orthorhombic β-LiScGeO single crystals were compressed hydrostatically up to 10.35 GPa using a diamond anvil cell and investigated in situ by means of X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Crystal-structure investigations at ambient conditions and at high pressure show a structural transition from an orthopyroxene-type structure ( ≈ 18.