Uncovering potential distinctive acoustic features of healing music

S Background Music therapy is a promising complementary intervention for addressing various mental health conditions.Despite evidence of the beneficial effects of music,the acoustic features that make music effective in therapeutic contexts remain elusive.Aims This study aimed to identify and validate distinctive acoustic features of healing music.Methods We constructed a healing music dataset(HMD)based on nominations from related professionals and extracted 370 acoustic features.Healing-distinctive acoustic features were identified as those that were(1)independent from genre within the HMD,(2)significantly different from music pieces in a classical music dataset(CMD)and(3)similar to pieces in a five-element music dataset(FEMD).We validated the identified features by comparing jazz pieces in the HMD with a jazz music dataset(JMD).We also examined the emotional properties of the features in a Chinese affective music system(CAMS).Results The HMD comprised 165 pieces.Among all the acoustic features,74.59%shared commonalities across genres,and 26.22%significantly differed between the HMD classical pieces and the CMD.The equivalence test showed that the HMD and FEMD did not differ significantly in 9.46%of the features.The potential healing-distinctive acoustic features were identified as the standard deviation of the roughness,mean and period entropy of the third coefficient of the mel-frequency cepstral coefficients.In a three-dimensional space defined by these features,HMD's jazz pieces could be distinguished from those of the JMD.These three features could significantly predict both subjective valence and arousal ratings in the CAMS.Conclusions The distinctive acoustic features of healing music that have been identified and validated in this study have implications for the development of artificial intelligence models for identifying therapeutic music,particularly in contexts where access to professional expertise may be limited.This study contributes to the growing body of research exploring the potential of digital technologies for healthcare interventions.

线上线下混合式智慧教学模式构想与实践

近20年来,中国高等教育领域在线课程资源和在线教学平台建设蒸蒸日上。当下,随着中国高等教育课程建设由规模扩张转入内涵式发展,在线课程资源和在线教学平台应用问题应该得到重视。探索线上线下混合式智慧教学模式、开展线上线下混合式智慧教学实践是落实该应用问题的重要举措。文章按教学内容(分理论内容为主和实践内容为主两种)和教学策略(分替代性教学策略为主和生成性教学策略为主两种)两个维度探索四种线上线下混合式智慧教学,以四门课程为例,经过多轮迭代更新,提出具有一定实践参考价值的线上线下混合式智慧教学TS模式、PS模式、TG模式、PG模式。

Tablets of paliperidone using compression-coated technology for controlled ascending release

The aim of this work was to prepare ascending release compression-coated(CC) tablets with paliperidone(PAL) using a simple manufacturing technique and short manufacturing process.The release behavior and mechanisms in vitro of the final tablets was investigated and evaluated. The PAL CC tablets were comprised of a core layer of high viscosity hydroxypropyl cellulose(HPC-H) and a coating layer of high viscosity hydroxypropyl methylcellulose(HPMCK100 M). Several factors such as materials and core tablet compositions were studied for their influence in the formulation procedure. The drug release mechanism was studied using gravimetric analysis. The data could be fitted to the Peppas model. The ascending drug release results were expressed in terms of the slope of the release curve at different time points.Results showed that the formulation could achieve a good ascending drug release when the weight ratio of PAL was 5:1(core:layer). The fraction of HPC and HPMC was 33 %, and the combination of Eudragit RL-PO was 10%. The ascending release mechanism was due to solvent penetration into the PAL CC tablets, and subsequent drug dissolution from the gelatinous HPC and HPMC matrix erosion. The release mechanism was therefore a combination of diffusion and erosion. This work demonstrated that the compression-coated tablets could achieve controlled ascending release over 24 h for the oral administration systems.

Study on the Heavy Metals Removal Efficiencies of Constructed Wetlands with Different Substrates

In this study constructed wetlands (CWs) were used to remove three heavy metals (Zn, Cu and Pb). The two tested substrates were made of coke and gravel, respectively. First order dynamic model was appropriate to describe removing of Zn and Cu. The experimental results showed that first dynamic removal rate constants of Zn in CWs with coke and gravel were 0.2326 h-1 and 0.1222 h-1, respectively. And those of Cu in CWs with coke and gravel were 0.2017 h-1 and 0.3739 h-1. However, removal efficiencies of Pb in the coke system and the gravel system were within 95-99%, so the first order dynamic model failed to fit the experimental data because the hydraulic resident times of Pb did not affect outlet concentration of Pb. From the removal rate constants, it is found that the coke and gravel system have different absorption efficiencies of heavy metal pollutants. Therefore, it is suggested that the removal efficiencies of heavy metals are influenced by the choice of substrates to some extent.

Different patterns of association between white matter microstructure and plasma unsaturated fatty acids in those with high risk for psychosis and healthy participants

Background Disrupted white matter(WM)microstructure has been commonly identified in youth at clinical high risk(CHR)for psychosis.Several lines of evidence suggest that fatty acids,especially unsaturated fatty acids(UFAs),might play a crucial role in the WM pathology of early onset psychosis.However,evidence linking UFA and WM microstructure in CHR is quite sparse.Aims We investigated the relationship between the plasma UFA level and WM microstructure in CHR participants and healthy controls(HC).Methods Plasma fatty acids were assessed and diffusion tensor imaging(DTI)data were performed with tract-based spatial statistics(TBSS)analysis for 66 individuals at CHR for psychosis and 70 HC.Results Both the global and regional diffusion measures showed significant between-group differences,with decreased fractional anisotropy(FA)but increased mean diffusivity(MD)and radial diffusivity(RD)found in the CHR group compared with the HC group.On top of that,we found that in the HC group,plasma arachidic acid showed obvious trend-level associations with higher global FA,lower global MD and lower global RD,which regionally spread over the corpus callosum,right anterior and superior corona radiata,bilateral anterior and posterior limb of the internal capsule,and bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculus.However,there were no associations between global WM measures and any UFA in the CHR group.Conversely,we even found negative associations between arachidic acid levels and regional FA values in the right superior longitudinal fasciculus and right retrolenticular part of the internal capsule in the CHR group.Conclusions Compared with the HC group,CHR subjects exhibited a different pattern of association between WM microstructure and plasma UFA,with a neuroprotective effect found in the HC group but not in the CHR group.Such discrepancy could be due to the excessively upregulated UFAs accumulated in the plasma of the CHR group,highlighting the role of balanced plasma-membrane fatty acids homeostasis in WM development.

Abnormal neural oscillations in clinical high risk for psychosis:a magnetoencephalography method study

Background Neural oscillations directly reflect the rhythmic changes of brain activities during the resting state or while performing specific tasks.Abnormal neural oscillations have been discovered in patients with schizophrenia.However,there is limited evidence available on abnormal spontaneous neural oscillations in clinical high risk for psychosis(CHR-P).The brain signals recorded by the magnetoencephalography(MEG)technique are not to be disrupted by the skull and scalp.Methods In this study,we applied the MEG technique to record the resting-state neural activities in CHR-P.This was followed by a detailed MEG analysis method including three steps:(1)preprocessing,which was band-pass filtering based on the 0.5-60Hz frequency range,removal of 50Hz power frequency interference,and removal of electrocardiography(ECG)and electrooculography(EOG)artefacts by independent component analysis;(2)time-frequency analysis,a multitaper time-frequency transformation based on the Hanning window,and(3)source localisation.an exact low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography.The method was verified by comparing aparticipant with CHR-P with a healthy control during the MEG recordings with an eyes-closed resting state.Results Experimental results show that the neural oscillations in CHR-P were significantly abnormal in the theta frequency band(4-7Hz)and the delta frequency band(1-3Hz).Also,relevant brain regions were located in the left occipital lobe and left temporo-occipital junction for the theta band and in the right dorsolateral prefrontal lobe and near orbitofrontal gyrus for the delta band.Conclusions Abnormal neural oscillations based on specific frequency bands and corresponding brain sources may become biomarkers for high-risk groups.Further work will validate these characteristics in CHR-P cohorts.

Different levels of facial expression recognition in patients with firstepisode schizophrenia:A functional MRI study

Background The impairment of facial expression recognition has become a biomarker for early identification of first-episode schizophrenia, and this kind of research is increasing.Aims To explore the differences in brain area activation using different degrees of disgusted facial expression recognition in antipsychotic-na?ve patients with firstepisode schizophrenia and healthy controls.Methods In this study, facial expression recognition tests were performed on 30 first-episode, antipsychoticna?ve patients with schizophrenia(treatment group) and 30 healthy subjects(control group) with matched age, educational attainment and gender. Functional MRI was used for comparing the differences of the brain areas of activation between the two groups.Results The average response time difference between the patient group and the control group in the ‘high degree of disgust' facial expression recognition task was statistically significant(1.359(0.408)/2.193(0.625), F=26.65, p<0.001), and the correct recognition rate of the treatment group was lower than that of the control group(41.05(22.25)/59.84(13.91, F=19.81, p<0.001). Compared with the control group, the left thalamus, right lingual gyrus and right middle temporal gyrus were negatively activated in the patients with first-episode schizophrenia in the ‘high degree of disgust' emotion recognition, and there was a significant activation in the left and right middle temporal gyrus and the right caudate nucleus. However, there was no significant activation difference in the ‘low degree of disgust' recognition.Conclusions In patients with first-episode schizophrenia, the areas of facial recognition impairment are significantly different in different degrees of disgust facial expression recognition.

Relationships between selfreflectiveness and clinical symptoms in individuals during pre-morbid and early clinical stages of psychosis

Background Self-reflectiveness,one dimension of cognitive insight,plays a protective role in an individual’s mental state.Both high and low levels of self-reflectiveness have been reported in patients with schizophrenia and individuals at clinical high risk for the illness.Aims This study aimed to explore the relationship patterns between self-reflectiveness and clinical symptoms in individuals during the pre-morbid and early clinical stages of psychosis.Methods A total of 181 subjects,including individuals with attenuated positive symptoms(APS,n=122)and patients with first-episode psychosis(FEP,n=59),completed the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale and were evaluated using the Schedule of Assessment of Insight and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale.All subjects were classified into three groups according to their level of selfreflectiveness:low level(LSR,n=59),medium level(MSR,n=67)and high level(HSR,n=55).Both linear and nonlinear relationships between self-reflectiveness and clinical symptoms were explored.Results More individuals with APS were classified into the MSR group,while more patients with FEP were classified into the LSR group.The LSR group demonstrated less awareness of illness than the MSR and HSR groups,more stereotyped thinking and poorer impulse control but less anxiety than the MSR group,and lower levels of blunted affect and guilt feelings than the HSR group.The MSR group demonstrated lower stereotyped thinking than the HSR group.Compared to the LSR group,the MSR group had increased selfreflectiveness,improved awareness of illness,decreased stereotyped thinking,and better impulse control,but increased feelings of guilt.The HSR group showed increased stereotyped thinking when compared to the MSR group,but the other variables did not change significantly between these two groups.Overall,self-reflectiveness demonstrated an approximately inverse S-shaped relationship with the awareness of illness,a U-shaped relationship with stereotyped thinking and poor impulse control,and an almost linear relationship with anxiety and guilt feelings.Conclusions Self-reflectiveness demonstrates complex relationships with clinical symptoms and fails to exert significant positive effects when reaching a certain high level.

A flat-foldable equiangular spiral folding pattern inspired by sunflowers for deployable structures

Flasher origami pattern has been widely utilized to improve the stowage efficiency of deployable structures.Nevertheless,flasher origami cannot be folded fully flat,and they still have great potential for optimization in terms of storage volume and folding creases.In this paper,a flat foldable equiangular spiral folding pattern inspired by the sunflower disk is introduced.Then,a parametric design method for this equiangular spiral crease diagram is introduced in detail.Subsequently,a kinematic model of the equiangular spiral folding pattern is established based on the kinematic equivalence between rigid origami and spherical linkages.A simulation of the developed model demonstrates that the equiangular spiral folding pattern can be folded flat.Using the folded ratio as an evaluation index,the calculated results and experiments show that the equiangular spiral crease pattern can yield fewer creases and improve stowage efficiency in comparison to flasher origami pattern.Equiangular spiral folding pattern can save a considerable amount of space and provide a new approach to spatially deployable structures.

Now We Can Tame the Wild West of Controlling Astrocytes for Treating Neocortical Epilepsy

Are activated astrocytes pro-excitatory in epilepsy?The answer tends to be"yes"with cumulative evidence proposing that astrocytic activation leads to hyperexcitability through excitatory transmitter release or neuroinflammatory pathways[1-3].But a very recent study published in Nature Communications by Zhao J et al.has refreshed this viewpoint by showing that optogenetic activation of astrocytes can alleviate neocortical seizures(a type of epileptic symptom that originates in the neocortex which is part of the external surface layer of the brain)through astrocytic Na^(+)-K^(+)-ATPase in animal models[4](Fig.1).

SCGN deficiency is a risk factor for autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder(ASD)affects 1-2%of all children and poses a great social and economic challenge for the globe.As a highly heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder,the development of its treatment is extremely challenging.Multiple pathways have been linked to the pathogenesis of ASD,including signaling involved in synaptic function,oxytocinergic activities,immune homeostasis,chromatin modifications,and mitochondrial functions.Here,we identify secretagogin(SCGN),a regulator of synaptic transmission,as a new risk gene for ASD.Two heterozygous loss-of-function mutations in SCGN are presented in ASD probands.Deletion of Scgn in zebrafish or mice leads to autism-like behaviors and impairs brain development.Mechanistically,Scgn deficiency disrupts the oxytocin signaling and abnormally activates inflammation in both animal models.Both ASD probands carrying Scgn mutations also show reduced oxytocin levels.Importantly,we demonstrate that the administration of oxytocin and anti-inflammatory drugs can attenuate ASD-associated defects caused by SCGN deficiency.Altogether,we identify a convergence between a potential autism genetic risk factor SCGN,and the pathological deregulation in oxytocinergic signaling and immune responses,providing potential treatment for ASD patients suffering from SCGN deficiency.Our study also indicates that it is critical to identify and stratify ASD patient populations based on their disease mechanisms,which could greatly enhance therapeutic success.

One Small Step for Neurotechnology,One Giant Leap for an In-Depth Understanding of the Brain

Is science mostly driven by ideas or by tools?The answers to the everlasting question remain open.But the advances in techniques undoubtedly push forward scientific research to investigate both more in-breadth and in-depth aspects.

Resetting amino acid metabolism of cancer cells by ATB^(0,+)-targeted nanoparticles for enhanced anticancer therapy

Reprogramed cellular metabolism is one of the most significant hallmarks of cancer.All cancer cells exhibit increased demand for specific amino acids,and become dependent on either an exogenous supply or upregulated de novo synthesis.The resultant enhanced availability of amino acids supports the reprogramed metabolic pathways and fuels the malignant growth and metastasis of cancers by providing energy and critical metabolic intermediates,facilitating anabolism,and activating signaling networks related to cell proliferation and growth.Therefore,pharmacologic blockade of amino acid entry into cancer cells is likely to have a detrimental effect on cancer cell growth.Here we developed a nanoplatform(LJ@Trp-NPs)to therapeutically target two transporters,SLC6A14(ATB^(0,+))and SLC7A5(LAT1),that are known to be essential for the sustenance of amino acid metabolism in most cancers.The LJ@Trp-NPs uses tryptophan to guide SLC6A14-targeted delivery of JPH203,a high-affinity inhibitor of SLC7A5.In the process,SLC6A14 is also down-regulated.We tested the ability of this strategy to synergize with the anticancer efficacy of lapatinib,an inhibitor of EGFR/HER1/HER2-assocated kinase.These studies show that blockade of amino acid entry amplifies the anticancer effect of lapatinib via interference with mTOR signaling,promotion of apoptosis,and suppression of cell proliferation and metastasis.This represents the first study to evaluate the impact of amino acid starvation on the anticancer efficacy of widely used kinase inhibitor.

Time to Reconsider Routine Timely Anti-epileptic Medication: Raising Hope with a “Smart” Nanoengineered System

Despite the substantial advances achieved in the development of anti-epileptic treatments,pharmacotherapy is still the optimal choice for patients with epilepsy(PWEs)[1].Once diagnosed,PWEs are required by clinicians to take anti-epileptic drugs(AEDs)orally in a continuous manner(usually twice or thrice daily).The majority of patients need months to years to achieve desirable seizure control and meet the criterion of drug withdrawal[2].However,this routine prophylactic medication in a long-term manner concomitantly imposes a heavy economic burden and unwanted side-effects such as drowsiness and ataxia.