This cross-sectional study examined the network structure and centrality of clinically meaningful psychopathology constructs across adolescence (14–17 years; N = 895), emerging adulthood (18–29 years; N = 717), and established adulthood (30–45 years; N = 381) in a Brazilian sample. Using the clinical scales of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) and PAI-Adolescent (PAI-A), we applied exploratory graph analysis (EGA) and estimated centrality and bridge centrality metrics to identify communities and structurally connected constructs within each age group. Across all three age groups, EGA revealed a three-community structure partially consistent with dimensional models of psychopathology, identifying internalizing, externalizing, and severe dysregulation clusters. Borderline features were the most central across all networks and served as the dominant bridge in emerging and established adulthood groups, whereas somatic complaints played this role in the adolescent group. A notable difference across age groups was observed for mania, which clustered with the severe dysregulation community in adolescents but with the externalizing community in emerging and established adults. These findings highlight both similarities and cross-sectional age-related differences in the organization of broad psychopathology domains across age groups. The use of a large Brazilian sample contributes to addressing geographic inequities in mental health research.
Software beamforming has enabled the introduction of a myriad adaptive beamformers. To reproduce and compare those techniques, a unified beamforming framework is imperative. Here, we propose such a framework, called the Generalized Beamformer (GB), which provides a unified approach to most state-of-the-art beamforming techniques through a single core expression. This generalization is achieved through a range of delay and apodization models that enable translation across various transmit sequences. Exploiting the GB we also demonstrate a novel synthetic transmit focusing strategy for adaptive beamforming, where signals are coherently combined across transmit events prior to e.g. Coherence Factor or Minimum Variance processing. For the investigated CPWC case, this substantially reduces computational complexity while improving resolution and maintaining contrast. The GB is implemented within the open-source UltraSound ToolBox (USTB) for MATLAB, and its pixel-based approach provides flexibility in scan grid definition. The framework is shown to successfully beamform conventional transmit sequences, including focused, diverging, plane, and single-element transmissions. Its versatility is showcased through diverse applications, including in-vivo cardiac and fetal imaging, as well as subsea sonar.
We propose a new analytical approach based on ordinal pattern analysis to investigate respiratory heart rate variability (RespHRV, also called respiratory sinus arrhythmia), specifically modulation of heart rate across different phases of the respiratory cycle. The method uses RR interval time series derived from ECG signals, along with simultaneous respiratory recordings obtained with a respiratory belt. The method produces distributions of ordinal patterns that reflect the dynamics of heart rate variability throughout the respiratory cycle. We systematically test how variations in parameters defining ordinal patterns affect the results and interpretation, and discuss the optimal parameter configuration for quantification of RespHRV in short-term recordings. Finally, we demonstrate the ability of the method to differentiate between healthy controls and patients with obstructive sleep apnea based on daytime cardiorespiratory data.
Affected by the interaction and mixing of oceanic and continental air masses, water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) in offshore atmospheric aerosols exhibits unique complexity and characteristics. This study examines the light-absorption properties and chromophores of WSOC over the East China Sea (ECS). The light-absorption properties of WSOC, termed as water-soluble brown carbon (WS-BrC), reached its highest level when continental outflows were dominant. An absolute high proportion of secondary BrC likely formed in high-abundance precursor regions and was bleached during long-range transport. The low levels of WS-BrC occurred under the prevalence of marine air masses, and the secondary formation exceeded the bleaching effect. Combining the spectral absorption ratio (E2/E3, 250 nm/365 nm) with a spectra-constrained positive matrix factorization model, light-absorbing components of WS-BrC were attributed to humic-like substances (HULIS) and aromatics. Likewise, excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy (EEMs) results indicated that HULIS and aromatics collectively accounted for approximately 90% of WSOC when continental outflows were dominant. Protein-like compounds constitute the primary component of WSOC (similar to 80%) in marine air masses, the synergistic regulation of marine dissolved oxygen and ambient temperature explained over 80% of the variability in protein-like compounds. This study demonstrates that air mass transport drives differences in sources and secondary processes, and underscores the importance of environmental variability in regulating the physicochemical properties of marine atmospheric organic aerosols.
The detailed mineralogical study of serpentinized peridotites collected at 13 localities at mid-ocean ridges, in ophiolites and ultramafic bodies shows the formation of two alteration zones around olivine grains. At the olivine contact, a fine-grained mixture of serpentine, Fe-brucite ($\frac{Mg}{Mg + Fe}$ molar ratio comprised between 0.66 and 0.82) and awaruite occurs (Reaction Zone 1). X-ray mapping indicates limited mass transfer during Reaction Zone 1 formation, suggesting isochemical serpentinization except for the addition of water. The measured distribution of Fe and Mg between serpentine and brucite in Reaction Zone 1 is well reproduced with thermodynamic modelling incorporating the latest data for the Fe$\left ( OH ight )_{2}$ endmember. Thermodynamic modelling also reveals that, at low water to rock ratio, awaruite formation limits H$_{2}$ production to values more than one order of magnitude lower than previous estimates. The predicted H$_{2,aq}$ concentrations are comprised between 10$<^>{-3}$ and 10$<^>{-2}$ mol/kg, that is in the same range than the maximum values measured in fluids expelled at ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal sites. At a water to rock ratio of 1, the updated thermodynamic model only predicts magnetite formation after olivine at temperatures above 300 $<^>{\circ }$C, that is above the temperature estimates for serpentinization based on published oxygen isotope data. Nevertheless, a second assemblage composed of Ni-bearing magnetite, serpentine and Mg-brucite ($\frac{Mg}{Mg + Fe}$ molar ratio comprised between 0.83 and 0.98) can be found at the mesh rim (Reaction Zone 2). Reaction Zone 2 can display a symplectite microtexture. Transmission electron microscopy reveals the presence of porosity and Fe-brucite relics in the symplectite, suggesting Reaction Zone 2 formation after Reaction Zone 1 by dissolution-precipitation. Significant mass transfer is observed in Reaction Zone 2 at the mesh rim, probably associated with the solid volume decrease of 7$\%$ during Reaction Zone 1 reaction to form Reaction Zone 2. The mineralogy and the composition of Reaction Zone 2 are reproduced with thermodynamic modelling of olivine serpentinization not by increasing the water to rock ratio but rather by removing H$_{2}$ from the system. This indicates that H$_{2}$ diffusion is the main driver for magnetite formation during serpentinization. The H$_{2,aq}$ concentrations at the equilibrium with Reaction Zone 2 fall in the 10$<^>{-7}$-10$<^>{-3}$ mol/kg range. The relative proportion of Reaction Zone 1 and Reaction Zone 2 in serpentinized peridotites has first-order impacts on H$_{2}$ production.
