Representing linguistic communicative functions in the premotor cortex.

Linguistic communication is often regarded as an action that serves a function to convey the speaker's goal to the addressee. Here, with an functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study and a lesion study, we demonstrated that communicative functions are represented in the human premotor cortex. Participants read scripts involving 2 interlocutors. Each script contained a critical sentence said by the speaker with a communicative function of either making a Promise, a Request, or a Reply to the addressee's query. With various preceding contexts, the critical sentences were supposed to induce neural activities associated with communicative functions rather than specific actions literally described by these sentences. The fMRI results showed that the premotor cortex contained more information, as revealed by multivariate analyses, on communicative functions and relevant interlocutors' attitudes than the perisylvian language regions. The lesion study results showed that, relative to healthy controls, the understanding of communicative functions was impaired in patients with lesions in the premotor cortex, whereas no reliable difference was observed between the healthy controls and patients with lesions in other brain regions. These findings convergently suggest the crucial role of the premotor cortex in representing the functions of linguistic communications, supporting that linguistic communication can be seen as an action.

Visual outcomes and optimal timing for repeat surgery in cases of postoperative hematoma following transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary neuroendocrine tumors: A retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the visual outcomes and optimal timing for repeat surgery in cases of postoperative hematoma following transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs). METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on 28 patients who developed evident postoperative hematoma out of a total of 9,010 patients. The hematomas were classified into three types based on their CT appearance. Type 1a - mild high density with no tension, Type 1b - thin-layer high density; Type 2a - solid high density with large empty cavities, Type 2b - solid high density with small empty cavities; Type 3 -solid high density with no cavity showing high tension. Patient data were collected for analysis. RESULTS: The study cohort comprised 10 female and 18 male patients, with a mean age of 51.5±11.9 years. Most patients presented with large adenomas (median diameter 36mm). Postoperative visual sight improved in 12 patients, remained stable in 11 patients, and worsened in 5 patients. Notably, no patients experienced worsened visual sight beyond twenty-four hours after the operation. Among the five patients with visual deterioration, four had CT type 3 hematoma (4/6, 66.7%), and one had CT type 2b hematoma (1/9, 11.1%). Patients in the type 3 CT group were significantly more prone to experience visual deterioration compared to those in the type 2 group (odds ratio [OR] 2.154 [95% CI 1.858-611.014], P=.027). Four patients underwent repeat surgery after visual deterioration, resulting in visual improvement following a prolonged recovery period. Postoperative hematoma had limited impact on pituitary dysfunction and hyponatremia. CONCLUSION: Our study reveals a significant association between postoperative hematoma CT types and visual deterioration. For patients with stable visual sight and type 1 or 2a hematoma, conservative strategies may be considered. Conversely, type 2b and 3 patients are at higher risk of visual deterioration, especially within the first 24 hours after the operation. Consequently, early reoperation before vision worsens may be a prudent approach to reduce risks and improve visual outcomes, particularly in type 3 patients.

Adolescents High in Callous-Unemotional Traits are Prone to be Bystanders: The Roles of Moral Disengagement, Moral Identity, and Perceived Social Support.

Bystanders are the most common role that adolescents play in bullying episodes, they have considerable influence on the formation of the victim's experience and the perpetrator's behavior. Based on the social-cognitive model, the current study examined the mediating role of moral disengagement in the association between callous-unemotional traits and bystander behavior and the moderating roles of moral identity and perceived social support. Participants included 2,286 Chinese adolescents aged 11-16 years (49.3% boys; Mage = 13.46, SDage = 0.93). The study showed callous-unemotional traits were significantly and positively associated with bystander behavior and this relation was partially mediated by moral disengagement. Moral identity moderated the relation between callous-unemotional traits and moral disengagement as well as callous-unemotional traits and bystander behavior. Perceived social support moderated in the direct and indirect associations between callous-unemotional traits and bystander behavior via moral disengagement. The relation between callous-unemotional traits and moral disengagement and the relation between callous-unemotional traits and bystander behavior became weaker for adolescents with high perceived social support. Surprisingly, the relation between moral disengagement and bystander behavior became stronger for adolescents with a high level of perceived social support. The results supported two specific patterns of perceived social support: stress-buffering and reverse stress-buffering. The present study contributes to our understanding of the key mechanisms underlying the association between callous-unemotional traits and adolescents' bystander behavior.

Associations among Parental Phubbing, Self-esteem, and Adolescents' Proactive and Reactive Aggression: A Three-Year Longitudinal Study in China.

Parental phubbing, as a new risk factor for adolescents' healthy development, has been noticed by scholars. However, few studies have clarified the associations between parental phubbing and adolescents' proactive and reactive aggression and the potential mediating mechanisms. To address the gaps, the current study explored the longitudinal associations among parental phubbing, self-esteem, and adolescents' proactive and reactive aggression by using the parallel process latent growth curve model and the cross-lagged panel model. The current study involved 2407 Chinese adolescents (girls were 1202, Mage = 12.75, SD = 0.58 at baseline, range = 11-16). Results indicated that parental phubbing significantly positively predicted adolescents' reactive aggression but not proactive aggression. Self-esteem significantly predicted the adolescents' reactive and proactive aggression. Self-esteem significantly mediated the associations between parental phubbing and adolescents' proactive and reactive aggression, respectively. These findings suggest that intervening with parental phubbing is a promising way to reduce adolescents' reactive aggression, and promoting adolescents' self-esteem is an effective approach to prevent their proactive and reactive aggression.

Synthesis of Ni3 B/Ni via Vacuum-Induced for Ultrahigh Stable and Efficient Methanol Oxidation.

Designing efficient catalysts to promote the electrochemical oxidation of anodes is the core of the development of electrochemical synthesis technologies, such as HER and CO2 RR. Here, a novel vacuum induction strategy is used to synthesize nickel boride/nickel (Ni3 B/Ni) heterostructure catalyst for electrochemical oxidation of methanol into formic acid. The catalyst has extremely high reactivity (only 146.9 mV overpotential at 10 mA cm-2 , the maximum current density reaches 555.70 mA mg-1 and 443.87 mA cm-2 ), ultra-high selectivity (Faraday efficiency of methanol conversion to formic acid is close to 100%), and ultra-long life (over 50 h at 100 mA cm-2 ). In-suit electrochemical impedance spectroscopy proved that MeOH is oxidized first and inhibits the phase transition of the electrocatalyst to the high-valent electrooxidation products, which not only enables the high selectivity of MeOH oxidation but also ensures high stability of the catalyst. The mechanism studies by density functional theory calculations show that the potential determining step, the formation of *CH2 O, occurs most favorably in the Ni3 B/Ni heterostructure. These results provide references for the development of MeOH oxidation catalysts with high activity, high stability, high selectivity, and low cost.

Surface-Diluted LiMn6 Superstructure Units Utilizing PO4 3- Confined Ni-Doping Sites to Stabilize Li-Rich Layered Oxides.

Serious capacity and voltage degradation of Li-rich layered oxides (LLOs) caused by severe interfacial side reactions (ISR), structural instability, and transition metal (TM) dissolution during charge/discharge need to be urgently resolved. Here, it is proposed for the inaugural time that the confinement effect of PO4 3- dilutes the LiMn6 superstructure units on the surface of LLOs, while deriving a stable interface with phosphate compounds and spinel species. Combining theoretical calculations, diffraction, spectroscopy, and micrography, an in-depth investigation of the mechanism is performed. The results show that the modified LLO exhibits excellent anionic/cationic redox reversibility and ultra-high cycling stability. The capacity retention is increased from 72.4% to 95.4%, and the voltage decay is suppressed from 2.48 to 1.29 mV cycle-1 after 300 cycles at 1 C. It also has stable long cycling performance, with capacity retention improved from 40.2% to 81.9% after 500 cycles at 2 C. The excellent electrochemical performance is attributed to the diluted superstructure units on the surface of LLO inhibiting the TM migration in the intralayer and interlayer. Moreover, the stable interfacial layers alleviate the occurrence of ISR and TM dissolution. Therefore, this strategy can give some important insights into the development of highly stable LLOs.

Optimizing the design of ultrafast photomultiplier tubes.

Ultrafast microchannel plate (MCP) photomultiplier tubes are under active development. To obtain high gain, high spatial resolution, and good time performance, we comprehensively investigate the effects of the gap distances and voltages from cathode to MCPin and MCPout to anode in a systematic study using the finite integral technique and Monte Carlo method. A three-dimensional model is introduced to simplify the calculations. From the simulation results, a short gap distance and high gap voltage were determined to achieve good time performance, high spatial resolution, and high gain.

The characteristics of brain structural remodeling in patients with unilateral vestibular schwannoma.

PURPOSE: Brain structural remodeling alters related brain function. However, few studies have assessed morphological alterations of unilateral vestibular schwannoma (VS) patients. Therefore, this study examined the characteristics of brain structural remodeling in unilateral VS patients. METHODS: We recruited 39 patients with unilateral VS (19 left, 20 right) and 24 matched normal controls (NCs). We obtained brain structural imaging data using 3T T1-weighted anatomical and diffusion tensor imaging scans. Then, we evaluated both gray and white matter (WM) changes using FreeSurfer software and tract-based spatial statistics, respectively. Furthermore, we constructed a structural covariance network to assess brain structural network properties and the connectivity strength between brain regions. RESULTS: Compared with NCs, VS patients showed cortical thickening in non-auditory areas (e.g., the left precuneus), especially left VS patients, along with reduced cortical thickness in the right superior temporal gyrus (auditory areas). VS patients also showed increased fractional anisotropy in extensive non-auditory-related WM (e.g., the superior longitudinal fasciculus), especially right VS patients. Both left and right VS patients showed increased small-worldness (more efficient information transfer). Left VS patients had a single reduced-connectivity subnetwork in contralateral temporal regions (right-side auditory areas), but increased connectivity between some non-auditory regions (e.g., left precuneus and left temporal pole). CONCLUSION: VS patients exhibited greater morphological alterations in non-auditory than auditory areas, with structural reductions seen in related auditory areas and a compensatory increase in non-auditory areas. Left and right VS patients show differential patterns of brain structural remodeling. These findings provide a new perspective on the treatment and postoperative rehabilitation of VS.

Agreeableness and adolescents' cyberbullying perpetration: A longitudinal moderated mediation model of moral disengagement and empathy.

OBJECTIVE: The current study explored whether agreeableness predicted cyberbullying perpetration across 3 years and extended previous studies by exploring the mediating effect of moral disengagement and the moderating effects of empathy and gender. METHOD: The participants included 2407 adolescents from 7 middle schools in China. They were recruited to complete the Big Five Personality Inventory, Bullying Scale and Empathy Scale at Time 1, Moral Disengagement Scale at Time 1 and Time 2, and Cyberbullying Perpetration Scale at Time 1, Time 2, and Time 3. RESULTS: Agreeableness at Time 1 predicted cyberbullying perpetration at Time 3 and moral disengagement at Time 2 mediated this relationship. The relationship between moral disengagement at Time 2 and cyberbullying perpetration at Time 3 was stronger for low cognitive empathy adolescents than high cognitive empathy adolescents at Time 1. The relationship between agreeableness at Time 1 and cyberbullying perpetration adolescents at Time 3 was stronger for low affective empathy than high affective empathy adolescents at Time 1. The link between moral disengagement at Time 2 and cyberbullying perpetration at Time 3 was weaker for females than males. CONCLUSIONS: Low agreeableness adolescents are more likely to use moral disengagement, which in turn leads to more cyberbullying perpetration.

Posterior fossa ependymoma with preoperative cerebrospinal metastases: a case report with literature review.

BACKGROUND: Adult posterior fossa ependymomas (PF-EPN) with preoperative cerebrospinal metastases are extremely rare. Only 3 cases have been reported in previous literature. CASE PRESENTATION: A case of a 32-year-old male patient complained of headaches for three months. Pure tone audiometry showed a slight decrease in bilateral hearing. Auditory evoked potential indicated that the hearing on the left was slightly weaker than that on the right. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a primary tumor arising within the fourth ventricle and metastasizing to bilateral cerebellopontine angle (CPA), the third ventricle, the left lateral ventricle, T1, L1-2 and L5. A gross total resection (GTR) was performed on the lesion located in the left CPA. The histological examination showed a papillary ependymoma (WHO grade II). Immunohistochemical staining for H3K27me3 showed that nuclear positivity in more than 80% of cells. No NF2 mutation was observed. No progression was found during a 24-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that preoperative multiple metastases in adult PF-EPN are extremely rare. This kind of disease usually has a low WHO grade and a favorable prognosis. GTR should be achieved when feasible and patients need a long-term follow-up with MRI.

Does Sensation Seeking Lead to Adolescents' Cyberbullying Perpetration? The Mediating Role of Moral Disengagement and The Moderating Role of Perceived Social Support.

Based on the general aggression model, the current study examined the mediating role of moral disengagement in the association between sensation seeking and cyberbullying perpetration and the moderating role of perceived social support. A total of 2,286 Chinese adolescents aged 11-16 years completed the questionnaires regarding sensation seeking, cyberbullying perpetration, moral disengagement, and perceived social support. After gender and age were controlled, sensation seeking was significantly and positively associated with cyberbullying perpetration and this relationship was partially mediated by moral disengagement. Moderated mediation analysis further indicated that perceived social support moderated the relationship between sensation seeking and moral disengagement as well as sensation seeking and cyberbullying perpetration. These two relationships became weaker for adolescents with high perceived social support. Specifically, adolescents with higher levels of sensation seeking were more likely to develop moral disengagement and further engaged in cyberbullying perpetration, when they perceived less social support.

The Bridge between Cybervictimization and Suicidal Ideation among Adolescents: A Vicious Cycle of Hopelessness.

Cybervictimization has been shown to relate to suicidal ideation. However, few studies have fully clarified the directionality of this relationship, and little is known about the potential mediating and moderating mechanisms of this relationship. To address these gaps, the current study tested bidirectional relationships among cybervictimization, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation across three years using a cross-lagged design and examined whether these relationships varied by openness, family socioeconomic status, perceived economic stress, and sex. A total of 2,407 Chinese adolescents (50.23% female, Mage = 12.75, SD = 0.58 at baseline) from seven schools participated in the present study. The results indicated that cybervictimization was related to hopelessness and suicidal ideation. There was a vicious cycle between cybervictimization and hopelessness after controlling the effects of cyberbullying at T1. There were significant reciprocal relationships between hopelessness and suicidal ideation. Hopelessness at T2 mediated the relationship between cybervictimization at T1 and suicidal ideation at T3. Openness moderated the relationships among cybervictimization, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation. Family socioeconomic status, perceived economic stress, and sex did not play a moderating role. These findings will help to understand that intervening with hopelessness is a promising way to reduce adolescents' cybervictimization and suicidal ideation, and promoting adolescents' openness is an effective approach to alleviate the negative outcome of cybervictimization.

Large area MCP-PMT design with good time performance.

A new large area photomultiplier tube based on the microchannel plates (MCP-PMT) with high collection efficiency (CE) and good time performance is proposed in this paper. A novel focusing system with two cylindrical and a conical barrels is designed to generate the accelerating and focusing electric field. A three-dimensional model is developed by CST Studio Suite to validate its feasibility. Finite Integral Technique and Monte Carlo method are combined to simulate the process. Results predict that CE of the novel MCP-PMT is expected to be 100%. TTS of the photoelectrons from the whole photocathode achieves 1.2 ns. Differ from other large area PMTs, it performs well in the geomagnetic field.

P-Doped Cotton Stalk Carbon for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries and Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Biomass as a carbon material source is the characteristic of green chemistry. Herein, a series of hierarchical P-doped cotton stalk carbon materials (HPCSCMs) were prepared from cheap and abundant biowaste cotton stalk. These materials possess a surface area of 3463.14 m2 g-1 and hierarchical pores. As lithium-ion battery (LIB) anodes, the samples exhibit 1100 mAh g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 after 100 cycles and hold 419 mAh g-1 at 1 A g-1 after 1000 cycles, with nearly 100% capacity retention. After HPCSCMs are loaded with sulfur (S/HPCSCMs), the samples (S/HPCSCMs-2) deliver a discharge capacity of 413 mAh g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 after 100 cycles as lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery cathodes. This excellent electrochemical performance can be attributed to P in carbon networks, which not only provides more active sites, but also improves electrical conductivity.

Parental Phubbing, Self-Esteem, and Suicidal Ideation among Chinese Adolescents: A Longitudinal Mediational Analysis.

Parental phubbing refers to a phenomenon in which parents are distracted by their smartphones when they interact with their children. It has become a common concern and linked to adolescents' internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. However, much remains unclear about reciprocal associations among parental phubbing, self-esteem, and suicidal ideation and the potential mechanisms underlying these associations. To address these gaps, the current study tested bidirectional relationships among parental phubbing, self-esteem, and suicidal ideation, as well as the mediating role of self-esteem. In addition, the present study examined whether these relationships varied by extraversion, gender, and perceived economic stress across three time points using a cross-lagged design. A total of 2407 Chinese adolescents (50.23% girls, Mage = 12.75, SD = 0.58 at baseline) participated in the study. The results showed that parental phubbing was associated with self-esteem as well as with suicidal ideation, and there were bidirectional relationships between self-esteem and suicidal ideation. Self-esteem significantly mediated the association between parental phubbing and suicidal ideation. Extraversion moderated the link between parental phubbing and suicidal ideation as well as self-esteem and suicidal ideation during the first year. Gender and perceived economic stress did not play a moderating role. The results indicate that parental phubbing is a new risk factor for adolescents' suicidal ideation. Parents concerned about adolescents' self-esteem and suicidal ideation should focus on minimizing the frequency of smartphone use and teach adolescents some social skills to seek more sources of social support.

Dicyanamide Anion-Based Ionic Liquid-Functionalized Graphene-Supported Pt Catalysts for Boosting Methanol Electrooxidation.

As an environmentally friendly energy technology, direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) meet the needs of sustainable development. Herein, novel dicyanamide anion-based (N(CN)2-) ionic liquid (IL)-functionalized reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-supported Pt catalysts are synthesized via a facile one-pot room temperature reduction method, which show a boost in methanol oxidation performance compared with Pt/rGO. The mass activities of the as-prepared Pt/emimN(CN)2/rGO (863.6 mA mg-1Pt) and Pt/epyN(CN)2/rGO (524.9 mA mg-1Pt) are about five and three times higher than that of Pt/rGO (178.6 mA mg-1Pt), and about six and four times higher than that of Pt/C (140.2 mA mg-1Pt), respectively. The participation of ILs significantly improves the CO poisoning resistance, stability, and activity for methanol oxidation of catalysts. The relationship between the structures and conductivities of diverse ILs and the performance of Pt catalysts are studied systematically. These findings may offer a promising prospect of ILs in DMFCs.

Continuous dural suturing for closure of grade 3 leaks after tumor removal via an endoscopic endonasal approach.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage is a major complication after extended endonasal transsphenoidal surgery (EETSS), which is commonly used in the treatment of anterior skull base tumors. Dural suturing and graded reconstruction are promising techniques to further decrease the incidence of postoperative CSF (poCSF) leakage. The effect of continuous dural suturing in endoscopic surgery was investigated in this retrospective study. A total of 79 EETSS patients were included; the procedures were performed for subdural tumor removal by a single endoscopic neurosurgical team. Comparisons were applied between patients who did and did not undergo endoscopic dural suturing after tumor removal. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify variables that significantly influenced the incidence of poCSF leakage. In all, 79 adult patients developed Esposito's grade 3 intraoperative high-flow CSF leakage. Ten patients (12.7%) experienced poCSF leakage. One of the 36 patients who underwent intraoperative dural suturing developed poCSF leakage, compared with nine of 43 patients who did not undergo dural suturing (p = 0.016). Regression analysis showed that dural suturing could significantly decrease the incidence of poCSF leakage (p = 0.049, OR 0.108, 95% CI 0.013-0.899). Prophylactic lumbar drainage could also help decrease the CSF leakage rate. Dural suturing under endoscopy is a promising and effective method for application in skull base reconstruction after subdural skull base tumor removal. With future progress, lumbar drainage and even nasoseptal flap placement could be replaced in certain groups of patients undergoing EETSS.

The role of empathy in the mechanism linking parental psychological control to emotional reactivities to COVID-19 pandemic: A pilot study among Chinese emerging adults.

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its worldwide spread have brought economic, social and personal stress. To better understand human adjustments to this public health emergency and its underlying mechanism, the relationship between perceived parental psychological control in emerging adults and individual's emotional reactivity to COVID-19 as well as the role of empathy was examined. The study was conducted among 445 emerging adults using questionnaires measuring parental psychological control, empathy, and emotional reactivities in the initial stage of COVID-19. Results revealed that parental psychological control conferred risks for individual's increased negative emotional reactivity to this pandemic. Moreover, our findings shedlight on personal distress as a mechanism through which parental psychological control induces negative emotional reactivities. Although no direct effect between parental psychological control and positive emotional reactivity was found, personal distress and perspective taking mediate the association in an opposite way. Findings have implications for predicting and intervening mental health problems in COVID-19 pandemic and future public health emergency.

Risk factors and outcomes of cerebrospinal fluid leak related to endoscopic pituitary adenoma surgery.

Objective: The incidence of and risk factors for intra- and postoperative cerebrospinal fluid (poCSF) leak in patients who underwent endoscopic surgery for pituitary adenoma were investigated in this retrospective study.Methods: A total of 216 consecutive patients operated on by a single neurosurgical team were included. Logistic regression was applied to identify risk factors for intraoperative CSF (ioCSF) and poCSF leaks, and the outcome and management of ioCSF and poCSF leaks were analyzed.Results: Sixty-five patients (30.1%) experienced ioCSF leak, of whom 10 developed poCSF leak. Three of 151 patients developed poCSF leak without obvious ioCSF leak. Multiple regression analysis revealed that tumor with lobular or irregular contour and gonadotrophic-positive staining increased the risk of ioCSF leak; additionally, nonfunctional tumor (p = 0.058) and preoperative gonadotrophic hormone abnormalities (p = 0.08) tended to increase this risk. The presence of ioCSF leak and preoperative visual impairment were predictors for poCSF leak. Tumor with Knosp grades 3-4 and a higher grade of ioCSF leak could increase the risk of poCSF leak. Tailored pedicled vascularized nasoseptal flaps (NSFs) preparation before tumor removal greatly decreased the rate of poCSF leak with ioCSF leak and the overall leak rate. Three prophylactic lumbar drains (LDs) were performed in patients with grade 3 ioCSF leak, none of whom developed poCSF leak.Conclusions: Lobular or irregular tumor contour and gonadotrophic-positive staining were associated with a high risk of ioCSF leak, while ioCSF leak and preoperative visual impairment were associated with poCSF leak. NSF preparation, preventive sellar reconstruction and LD use could likely decrease the rate of poCSF leak.

Correction to: Parental Phubbing and Adolescents' Depressive Symptoms: Self-Esteem and Perceived Social Support as Moderators.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.