BM-Science

The extent to which adult second language (L2) learners can achieve native-like neural processing of complex inflectional morphology remains unresolved. This study used event-related fMRI to examine neural mechanisms underlying the potential gradual achievement of L1-like proficiency in adult learners of Finnish (L2) with Russian as their first language (L1). Three groups participated: late beginner learners (N = 15, mean exposure to Finnish 24.9 months), late advanced learners (N = 15, mean exposure to Finnish 131.8 months), and native Finnish speakers (N = 15). Participants completed overt and covert word generation tasks. In the overt task, they spoke an inflected word aloud; in the covert task, they silently generated a form and judged a visually presented form as correct or incorrect. Stimuli included high-, medium-frequency, and pseudoword stems, with or without consonant gradation (stem allomorphy). Beginners had significantly higher error rates in both tasks than advanced learners and native speakers, indicating challenges in morphological encoding and recognition. Advanced learners performed comparably to native speakers. Furthermore, only advanced learners and native speakers exhibited increased BOLD responses in the LIFG and MFG for stems requiring consonant gradation, suggesting a mechanism for the lexical lookup of stems. These findings indicate that proficient adult L2 learners can develop native-like neural patterns of morphological processing, particularly in handling complex inflectional forms. This research contributes to understanding the neural mechanisms underlying morphological development in adult L2 acquisition and underscores the critical role of proficiency in achieving native-like processing of morphological complexity. • Advanced L2 learners show native-like brain activation during word inflection. • Beginners rely on word frequency, showing higher BOLD for high freq. and pseudo words. • CG stems cause more errors and stronger BOLD than NoCG stems across all groups. • Only natives and advanced learners show ROI activation differences for CG stems.

Cognitive deficits are a common and debilitating consequence of stroke, yet our understanding of the structural neurobiological biomarkers predicting recovery of cognition after stroke remains limited. In this longitudinal observational study, we set out to investigate the effect of both focal lesions and structural connectivity on poststroke cognition. Sixty-two patients with stroke underwent advanced brain imaging and cognitive assessment, utilizing the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), at 3-month and 12-month poststroke. We first evaluated the relationship between lesions and cognition at 3 months using voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping. Next, a novel correlational tractography approach, using multi-shell diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data collected at both time points, was used to evaluate the relationship between the white matter connectome and cognition cross-sectionally at 3 months, and longitudinally (12 minus 3 months). Lesion-symptom mapping did not yield significant findings. In turn, correlational tractography analyses revealed positive associations between both MoCA and MMSE scores and bilateral cingulum and the corpus callosum, both cross-sectionally at the 3-month stage, and longitudinally. These results demonstrate that rather than focal neural structures, a consistent structural connectome underpins the performance of two frequently used cognitive screening tools, the MoCA and the MMSE, in people after stroke. This finding should encourage clinicians and researchers to not only suspect cognitive decline when lesions affect these tracts, but also to refine their investigation of novel approaches to differentially diagnosing pathology associated with cognitive decline, regardless of the aetiology.

Studies examining the long-term effects of neonatal music interventions on the cognition of children born preterm are scarce. We investigated whether a parental singing intervention before term age improves cognitive and language skills in preterm-born children. In this longitudinal, two-country Singing Kangaroo, randomised controlled trial, 74 preterm infants were allocated to a singing intervention or control group. A certified music therapist supported parents of 48 infants in the intervention group to sing or hum during daily skin-to-skin care (Kangaroo care) from neonatal care until term age. Parents of 26 infants in the control group conducted standard Kangaroo care. At 2-3 years of corrected age, the cognitive and language skills were assessed with the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition. There were no significant differences in cognitive and language skills between the intervention and control groups at the follow-up. No associations between the amount of singing and the cognitive and language scores were found. Parental singing intervention during the neonatal period, previously shown to have some beneficial short-term effects on auditory cortical response in preterm infants at term age, showed no significant long-term effects on cognition or language at 2-3 years of corrected age.

Excellent catalytic performance for NO reduction by CO in the presence of 5% O2over Cu1:Ce3/Al2O3.

The spin polarized complex first-order linear optical dispersion reveals the spin-polarized electronic structure of α-Eu2(MoO4)3.

Elementary unit cell of α-MoO3containing four MoO3units.

Details of comparison for some specific features of electronic structures and optical susceptibilities of g-BC3 and t-BC3 phases are provided. Calculations show that the g-BC3 phase is a narrow band gap semiconductor constructed from the ABAB stacking sequence. Whereas t-BC3 is a metallic phase constructed by a sandwich-like metal-insulator lattice from an alternately stacking sequence of metallic CBC and insulating CCC blocks. The two phases possess only two types of bonds (B-C and C-C). The density of states at the Fermi level N(EF) of the t-BC3 phase is determined by the overlapping of B-2p and C-2p empty orbitals of the CBC block with C-2p empty orbitals of the CCC block, and the shape of the Fermi surface originated from these empty orbitals. The B atoms cause a small perturbation on the C-ring's structure and hence to the charge density distribution. The linear optical properties of the two phases confirm the existence of the lossless regions and the considerable anisotropy. The second harmonic generation of the t-BC3 phase shows that χ(ω) is the dominant component of about 3.9 pm V(-1) at the static limit and 5.8 pm V(-1) at λ = 1064 nm, which suggests that the t-BC3 phase could be considered as a promising nonlinear optical material in comparison with the well known KTiOPO4 nonlinear optical single crystal.

The second harmonic generation (SHG) and the first hyperpolarizability (βijk) of β-BaTeMo2O9 and α-BaTeMo2O9 phases have been calculated.