Revisiting human language and speech production network: a meta-analytic connectivity modeling study.

In recent decades, converging evidence has reached a consensus that human speech production is carried out by large-scale hierarchical network comprising both language-selective and domain-general systems. However, it remains unclear how these systems interact during speech production and the specific contributions of their component regions. By utilizing a series of meta-analytic approaches based on various language tasks, we dissociated four major systems in this study: domain-general, high-level language, motor-perception, and speech-control systems in this study.

Altered thalamotemporal structural connectivity is associated with autistic traits in children with ASD.

Background: Thalamocortical functional and structural connectivity alterations may contribute to clinical phenotype of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). As previous studies focused mainly on thalamofrontal connections in ASD, we comprehensively investigated the thalamic functional networks and white matter pathways projecting also to temporal, parietal, occipital lobes and their associations with core and co-occurring conditions of this population.

Methods: A total of 38 children (19 with ASD) underwent magnetic resonance imaging and behavioral assessment.

The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test: adaptation into Russian and a new digital "RAVLT World".

The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) is a classic test used to assess episodic verbal memory in research and clinical practice. We aimed to adapt the RAVLT materials into Russian, provide performance norms across the adult lifespan for the Russian adaptation, and develop a mobile application for automated RAVLT administration across languages. We created three psycholinguistically matched alternative versions of the RAVLT materials in Russian and incorporated them into a new tablet application.

Flexibility and Stability in Lexical Tone Recalibration: Evidence from Tone Perceptual Learning.

Listeners adjust their perception of sound categories when confronted with variations in speech. Previous research on speech recalibration has primarily focused on segmental variation, demonstrating that recalibration tends to be specific to individual speakers and situations and often persists over time. In this study, we present findings on the perceptual learning of lexical tone in Standard Chinese, a suprasegmental feature signaled primarily through pitch variations to distinguish morpheme/word meanings.

Collaborative working with Parents of Children with DLD in Speech and Language Therapy: Identifying Dutch Speech and Language Therapists' barriers to enhancing practice.

Background: Collaboration between Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) and parents is considered best practice for children with developmental disorders. However, such collaborative approach is not yet implemented in therapy for children with developmental language disorders (DLD) in the Netherlands. Improving Dutch SLTs' collaboration with parents requires insight in factors that influence the way SLTs work with parents.

An international core outcome set for primary progressive aphasia (COS-PPA): Consensus-based recommendations for communication interventions across research and clinical settings.

Introduction: Interventions to treat speech-language difficulties in primary progressive aphasia (PPA) often use word accuracy as a highly comparable outcome. However, there are more constructs of importance to people with PPA that have received less attention.

Methods: Following Core Outcome Set Standards for Development Recommendations (COSSTAD), this study comprised: Stage 1 - systematic review to identify measures; Stage 2 - consensus groups to identify important outcome constructs for people with PPA (n = 82) and care partners (n = 91); Stage 3 - e-Delphi consensus with 57 researchers.

Infants Produce Optimally Informative Points to Satisfy the Epistemic Needs of Their Communicative Partner.

Pragmatic theories assume that during communicative exchanges humans strive to be optimally informative and spontaneously adjust their communicative signals to satisfy their addressee's inferred epistemic needs. For instance, when necessary, adults flexibly and appropriately modify their communicative gestures to provide their partner the relevant information she lacks about the situation. To investigate this ability in infants, we designed a cooperative task in which 18-month-olds were asked to point at the target object they wanted to receive.

Acoustic encoding of vocally expressed confidence and doubt in Chinese bidialectics.

Language communicators use acoustic-phonetic cues to convey a variety of social information in the spoken language, and the learning of a second language affects speech production in a social setting. It remains unclear how speaking different dialects could affect the acoustic metrics underlying the intended communicative meanings. Nine Chinese Bayannur-Mandarin bidialectics produced single-digit numbers in statements of both Standard Mandarin and the Bayannur dialect with different levels of intended confidence.

Processing of Emotional Words in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulties in understanding emotional language, but little research has discussed the developmental course of the processing of emotional words in the clinical population. Previous studies have revealed distinct processing for emotion-label (e.g.

Atypical effective connectivity from the frontal cortex to striatum in alcohol use disorder.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a profound psychiatric condition marked by disrupted connectivity among distributed brain regions, indicating impaired functional integration. Previous connectome studies utilizing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have predominantly focused on undirected functional connectivity, while the specific alterations in directed effective connectivity (EC) associated with AUD remain unclear. To address this issue, this study utilized multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) and spectral dynamic causal modeling (DCM).

Causal role of frontocentral beta oscillation in comprehending linguistic communicative functions.

Linguistic communication is often considered as an action serving the function of conveying the speaker's goal to the addressee. Although neuroimaging studies have suggested a role of the motor system in comprehending communicative functions, the underlying mechanism is yet to be specified. Here, by two EEG experiments and a tACS experiment, we demonstrate that the frontocentral beta oscillation, which represents action states, plays a crucial part in linguistic communication understanding.

Tracking dynamic social impressions from multidimensional voice representation.

Recent research by Lavan et al. explores how individuals form complex impressions from voices. Using electroencephalography and behavioral measures, the study identifies distinct time courses for discerning traits, with early acoustic processing preceding higher-order perception.

Journalists in a circular economy: Stakeholders' engagement in the media discourse on single-use plastics during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The world faces an alarming plastic waste problem. The volume of plastic waste is rapidly and continuously increasing, mainly due to the single-use plastics overconsumption, whereas its recycling and utilization leave much to be desired. Despite the negative effects of plastic on the environment and public health, the COVID-19 outbreak shifted the public attention away from the environmental issues, potentially giving space for extended lobbyism by interest groups and industry to delay or even prevent legislation to combat plastic pollution.

Writing direction influences the spatial representations of past- and future-tense forms: Evidence from eye tracking.

The present study tests the hypothesis that the directionality of reading habits (left-to-right or right-to-left) impacts individuals' representation of nonspatial events. Using the blank screen paradigm, we examine whether eye movements reflect culture-specific spatial biases in processing temporal information, specifically, grammatical tense in Russian and Hebrew. Sixty-two native speakers of Russian (a language with a left-to-right reading and writing system) and 62 native speakers of Hebrew (a language with a right-to-left reading and writing system) listened to verbs in the past or future tense while their spontaneous gaze positions were recorded.

GMXPolymer: a generated polymerization algorithm based on GROMACS.

Context: This work introduces a method for generating generalized structures of amorphous polymers using simulated polymerization and molecular dynamics equilibration, with a particular focus on amorphous polymers. The techniques and algorithms used in this method are described in the main text, and example input scripts are provided for the GMXPolymer code, which is based on the GROMACS molecular dynamics package. To demonstrate the efficacy of our method, we apply it to different glassy polymers exhibiting varying degrees of functionality, polarity, and rigidity.

Orientation towards the vernacular and style-shifting as language behaviours in speech of first-generation Polish migrant communities speaking Norwegian in Norway.

This study describes the patterns of dialect use among L3 Norwegian speakers born in Poland who have migrated to Norway. We collected the data in the form of sociolinguistic interviews recorded in Tromsø and Oslo, two different dialect regions, in order to examine potential differences in acquisition of two dissimilar dialects in Norwegian by L3 speakers. The analyses focus on dialectal and accentual variation in their speech, and whether frequency of dialect use is dependent on selected sociocultural factors.

Exploring Pragmatic Factors on the Logical Relationships of Conditional Reasoning: A Study of Counterfactual and Hypothetical Conditionals.

Previous theories have established the mental model activation of processing different types of conditionals, stating that counterfactual conditionals expressing events that contradict known facts (e.g., "If it had rained, then they would not go to the park.

Memorization-Based Training and Testing Paradigm for Robust Vocal Identity Recognition in Expressive Speech Using Event-Related Potentials Analysis.

Recognizing familiar speakers from vocal streams is a fundamental aspect of human verbal communication. However, it remains unclear how listeners can still discern the speaker's identity in expressive speech. This study develops a memorization-based individual speaker identity recognition approach and an accompanying electroencephalogram (EEG) data analysis pipeline, which monitors how listeners recognize familiar speakers and tell unfamiliar ones apart.

A high-frequency sense list.

A number of high-frequency word lists have been created to help foreign language learners master English vocabulary. These word lists, despite their widespread use, did not take word meaning into consideration. Foreign language learners are unclear on which meanings they should focus on first.

The Web-based Open-access Reliable Decision on Synonyms (WORDS) English Vocabulary Test.

A quick and reliable test of vocabulary knowledge is a vital component of many studies looking at a range of language processing skills. Recent proliferation of online (web-based) research has generated a growing need for reliable open-access vocabulary tests that can be administered online. This data report presents the newly developed 30-item Web-based Open-access Reliable Decision on Synonyms (WORDS) English Vocabulary Test.

Tumor morphology evaluation using 3D-morphometric features of renal masses.

Objective: To assess the correlation between the general (gender, age, and maximum tumor size) and 3D morphotopometric features of the renal tumor node, following the MSCT data post-processing, and the tumor histological structure; to propose an equation allowing for kidney malignancy assessment based on general and morphometric features.

Materials And Methods: In total, 304 patients with unilateral solitary renal neoplasms underwent laparoscopic (retroperitoneoscopic) or robotic partial or radical nephrectomy. Before the procedure, kidney contrast-enhanced MSCT followed by the tumor 3D-modeling was performed.

A Three-Month Probiotic (the M18 Strain) Supplementation Decreases Gingival Bleeding and Plaque Accumulation: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

M18 administration has been proven to provide positive effects on periodontal health; however, there is still no consensus on the optimum duration of probiotic administration. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of three months of probiotic supplementation on bleeding on probing, signs of gingival inflammation, and dental biofilm. Sixty-two eligible individuals with gingivitis were enrolled in this placebo-controlled, double-blind trial and randomly allocated to the M18 or control groups.