An emerging strategy for tracing the anti-erectile dysfunction components of raw and salt-processed semens of Astragali Complanati by combinatory liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry-based quantitative analysis,efficacy assessment on impotent rats,and partial least squares regression

Semens of Astragali Complanati own anti-erectile dysfunction effect; however, the components which contribute to the anti-erectile dysfunction effect remain unclear. This work raised a strategy that integrates liquid chromatography coupled mass spectrometry-based quantitative analysis, anti-erectile dysfunction assessment on impotent rats, and their relationship analysis for pinpointing anti-erectile dysfunction components from semens of Astragali Complanati. For simultaneous quantification of seven major components in raw and salt-processed semens of Astragali Complanati, an accurate and reliable liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry method was developed under multiple reaction monitoring mode. Of note, chloramphenicol was employed as the internal standard. The method showed good linearity and repeatability, where the recovery rates of each component ranged from 98.1 to 104.7%, and the precisions of intra- and interday were all within 3.4%. The method has been used for quantification of the seven major components in 10 batches of raw and salt-processed semens of Astragali Complanati. Then, the anti-erectile dysfunction effects of raw and salt-processed semens of Astragali Complanati were evaluated on impotent rats. Gray relationship analysis and partial least squares regression were combined for elucidating the relationship. As a result, complanatuside, astragalin, complanatoside B, and kaempferol were found to be responsible for anti-erectile dysfunction effect of Astragali Complanati.     

Behavioral Characteristics of Children With Vocal Fold Nodules

Vocal fold nodules (VNs) in children are benign, bilateral lesions occurring on the mid-membranous vocal folds. Repetitive phonotraumatic behavior leading to chronic vocal fold injury and repair is frequently cited as the primary etiology; however, specific behavioral characteristics may predispose some children toward intense and potentially phonotraumatic voice use, thereby contributing secondarily to VN formation. The purpose of this case-control study was to determine whether children with VNs possess unique behavioral characteristics that may predispose them to VN development. Parents of 26 children with VNs (20 boys, 6 girls, mean age=7.2 years, SD=2.5 years), and 29 vocally normal, medical controls (22 boys, 7 girls, mean age=6.7 years, SD=2.4), completed the Childhood Behavior Checklist (CBCL/4-18, Achenbach, 1991), a standardized parent-rating scale with strong psychometric properties. No significant between-group differences were detected on any of the behavior problem syndrome scales. Group differences approached significance for the individual items "screams a lot" and "teases a lot" (VN group > Controls). The VN group scored significantly higher than the controls on the "Social Scale," a compilation of positive ratings of the child's social activity, frequency of contacts with friends, behavior with others, and behavior by themselves. Observed outcomes were consistent with previous characterizations of children with VN as "outgoing" or "extroverted" but were not consistent with other claims that this population may be at risk for "aggressive," "attentional," or "impulsive" behavior problems.     

Synthesis,Characterizations, Magnetism and Thermal Degradation of a 2‐Fold Interpenetrated 3D Cobalt‐Organic Framework

A new coordination polymer, [Co₂(L)₂(4,4′‐bipy)]_n·3nH₂O ( 1 ) based on 5‐(3‐methyl‐5‐phenyl‐4H‐1,2,4‐triazol‐4‐yl)isophthalic acid (H₂ L ) and 4,4′‐bipyridine (4,4′‐bipy) has been hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, XRPD, IR, and elemental analysis. Temperature‐dependent magnetic susceptibility and thermal degradation for 1 were also studied. The asymmetric unit of compound 1 consists of two crystallographically independent Co(II) ion, two L ^2? ligand, one 4,4′‐bipy ligand, and three lattice water molecules. The 2D triangle networks were linked by the bridging 4,4′‐bipy ligand to give rise to a 2‐fold interpenetrated 3D architecture. The simplest cyclic motif of the 2D networks is a triangle ring consisting of three Co(II) cations and three L ^2? ligands. So we can define Co(II) ions as 4‐connected nodes and the L ^2? ligands as 3‐connected nodes. Thus, the 3D structure can be described as a 2‐fold parallel interpenetrated ins InS 3,4‐conn topology.     

Level and Center Frequency of the Singer''s Formant

The "singer's formant" is a prominent spectrum envelope peak near 3 kHz, typically found in voiced sounds produced by classical operatic singers. According to previous research, it is mainly a resonatory phenomenon produced by a clustering of formants 3, 4, and 5. Its level relative to the first formant peak varies depending on vowel, vocal loudness, and other factors. Its dependence on vowel formant frequencies is examined. Applying the acoustic theory of voice production, the level difference between the first and third formant is calulated for some standard vowels. The difference between observed and calculated levels is determined for various voices. It is found to vary considerably more between vowels sung by professional singers than by untrained voices. The center frequency of the singer's formant as determined from long-term spectrum analysis of commercial recordings is found to increase slightly with the pitch range of the voice classification.     

Vocal Tract Resonance Analysis of Aging Voice Using Long-Term Average Spectra

This study is the first to use long-term average spectra (LTAS) to investigate resonance characteristics of dynamic speech in young adulthood and old age. A total of 80 speakers participated, divided equally by age group and gender. All elderly speakers were healthy, active members of the community. Measurement of the first three spectral peaks in LTAS from the first paragraph of the Rainbow Passage revealed significant lowering of peak 1 from young adulthood to old age in both men and women. Peaks 2 and 3 also lowered significantly across the adult lifespan in women and showed a tendency to lower in men. These acoustic findings are consistent with anatomic data suggesting that aging results in lengthening of the supraglottic vocal tract. Findings that women demonstrate more substantial lowering of spectral peaks with aging than men suggest that women may undergo more pronounced age-related lengthening of the supraglottic vocal tract. Alternatively, it is possible that elderly men systematically alter tongue position during vowel articulation while elderly women are less inclined to do so. Taken in conjunction with previous research, these findings suggest a "mixed model" of vocal tract resonance changes with aging in which an interaction exists between gender, the resonance effects of laryngeal lowering, and vowel articulatory patterns.     

Effects of Professional Singing Education on Vocal Vibrato—A Longitudinal Study

Vocal vibrato is regarded as one of the essential characteristics of voice quality in classical singing. Professional singers seem to develop vibrato automatically, without actively striving to acquire it. In this longitudinal investigation, the vocal vibrato of 22 singing students was examined at the beginning of and after 3 years of professional singing education. Subjects sang an ascending-descending triad pattern in slow tempo on vowel [a:] at a comfortable pitch level twice at soft (piano) and twice at medium (mezzoforte) loudness. The top note of the triad pattern was sustained for approximately 5s. The mean and the standard deviation (SD) of the vibrato rate were measured for this note. Results revealed that after 3 years of training, voices with vibrato slower than 5.2 Hz were found to have a faster vibrato, and voices with vibrato faster than 5.8 Hz were found to have a slower vibrato. Standard deviation of vibrato rate was higher in soft than in medium loudness, particularly before the education. Also high values of SD of vibrato rate, exceeding 0.65 Hz, had decreased after the education. These findings confirm that vibrato characteristics can be affected by singing education.     

Living fluids

One of the major emerging fields of research of the beginning of this century concerns living fluids. By “living fluids”, we mean two major categories of complex fluids: (i) fluids which are essential to life, like blood, and (ii) active fluids made of particles that are able to propel themselves in the suspending fluid by converting a form of their energy into mechanical motion. Studies on active fluids have known a considerable interest since the last decade. Blood might be viewed as an old topic, but the progresses in experimental techniques, analytical concepts and numerics, have contributed nowadays to a dramatic renewal of the interest in this field, with a great potential towards understanding physical and mechanical factors in cardiovascular diseases. These fields have considerably strengthened interdisciplinary research. The series of reviews of this dossier focus on the tremendous recent progress achieved in research on living fluids both from the experimental and theoretical points of views. These reviews present also the major open issues, making of this dossier a unique guide for future research in these fields. This project grew up thanks to the international summer school that we organized on the topic “living fluids” at the IES (Institut dʼétudes scientifiques) of Cargèse (Corsica) in 2012.