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We investigate whether second language (L2) learners of English rely on first language (L1) transfer and atomicity in the acquisition of the count/mass distinction by examining L1-French and L1-Chinese learners of English. Atomicity encodes whether a noun contains 'atoms' or minimal elements that retain the property of the noun. As a semantic universal, atomicity holds across languages. However, the count/mass status of nouns may differ cross-linguistically. Our results, which show difficulty on atomic mass nouns in both learner groups, support an argument that atomicity is used as a semantic universal in the L2. Our results also suggest that both count/mass status in the L1 and word frequency in the L2 impact performance, suggesting roles for both L1 lexical transfer and lexical frequency. In addition, learners had better performance on abstract as opposed to concrete atomic mass nouns, providing evidence consistent with a theory of the accessibility of atoms.

The demand for multifunctional materials with optical and electrical properties in industrial high-temperature applications has witnessed a rapid upsurge. Among ultra-high Curie temperature perovskite-like layered structure piezoelectrics, La2Ti2O7 (LTO) single crystal possesses the highest piezoelectric coefficient, but the lack of luminescence limits its optical applications. In this work, by combining experiments and first-principles calculations, we find that Sm3+ doped LTO single crystals not only create strong orange emission with high-color-purity and high-color-stability under high temperature/pressure, but also achieve higher piezoelectric coefficient of 21.7 pC/N at 298 K and 25.6 pC/N at 773 K, accompanied by polarization enhancement originating from inner TiO6 octahedral twisting. In addition, systematic high-temperature in situ electrical measurements showed that Sm3+ doping also contributes to weakening the adverse effects of ferroelectric–ferroelectric phase transition on piezoelectricity, dielectricity, and conductivity. Our work provides insights into the performance optimization mechanisms of ultra-high Curie temperature piezoelectrics and paves the way for the development of high-performance electro-optic integrated and coupled devices for applications under extreme conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Squid belongs to the cephalopod class of mollusks, with short survival time, fast reproduction speed, comprehensive nutrition, high protein content, low-fat content, and low-calorie content. Squid skin accounts for 8% - 13% of squid processing waste, and full utilization of squid skin can prevent resource waste. This article reviewed the nutritional components, peeling methods, extraction methods of collagen and gelatin from squid skin, as well as the preparation methods of squid skin collagen peptides with antioxidant activity, antihypertension, anti-skin aging, anti-tumor activity, and anti-freezing activity. The application of squid skin collagen products in industries such as food, medicine, cosmetics, and cosmeceuticals was also introduced. This article provided a systematic introduction to the research progress in the processing and utilization of squid skin, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for the deep processing of squid skin and promote the sustainable and healthy development of China's aquatic product processing industry. In the future, the research should focus on optimizing the extraction process of squid skin collagen, improving the targeting of its target peptide screening, and conducting active clinical validation studies, to provide reference for the development and high-value utilization of squid skin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By considering market demand information, the objective of this study is to measure the bullwhip effect in a two-stage supply chain with one supplier and multiple retailers. First, a model is detailed for measuring the bullwhip effect in which multiple retailers exhibit AR(1) demand processes and the order-up-to inventory level is calculated using market demand information. We find results that the bullwhip effect increases with the market share and lead time and decreases with the contemporaneous correlation and the number of retailers. Second, by comparing the bullwhip effect with or without market information, our model can better control and reduce the bullwhip effect. Third, we calculate the value of market information with the newsvendor model and discover that the value of market information increases with the number of retailers and the contemporaneous correlation and decreases with the market share. In addition, numerical analyses are given to verify the previous results. Moreover, some suggestions are presented to help managers make decisions on the bullwhip effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

De novo germline variants of the SRY‐related HMG‐box 11 gene (SOX11) have been reported to cause Coffin–Siris syndrome‐9 (CSS‐9), a rare congenital disorder associated with multiple organ malformations, including ear anomalies. Previous clinical and animal studies have found that intragenic pathogenic variant or haploinsufficiency in the SOX11 gene could cause inner ear malformation, but no studies to date have documented the external ear malformation caused by SOX11 deficiency. Here, we reported a Chinese male with unilateral microtia and bilateral sensorineural deafness who showed CSS‐like manifestations, including dysmorphic facial features, impaired neurodevelopment, and fingers/toes malformations. Using trio‐based whole‐exome sequencing, a de novo missense variant in SOX11 (NM_003108.4: c.347A>G, p.Y116C) was identified and classified as pathogenic variant as per American College of Medical Genetics guidelines. Moreover, a systematic search of the literature yielded 12 publications that provided data of 55 SOX11 intragenic variants affecting various protein‐coding regions of SOX11 protein. By quantitatively analyzing phenotypic spectrum information related to these 56 SOX11 variants (including our case), we found variants affecting different regions of SOX11 protein (high‐mobility group [HMG] domain and non‐HMG regions) appear to influence the phenotypic spectrum of organ malformations in CSS‐9; variants altering the HMG domain were more likely to cause the widest range of organ anomalies. In summary, this is the first report of CSS with external ear malformation caused by pathogenic variant in SOX11, indicating that the SOX11 gene may be not only essential for the development of the inner ear but also critical for the morphogenesis of the external ear. In addition, thorough clinical examination is recommended for patients who carry pathogenic SOX11 variants that affect the HMG domain, as these variants may cause the widest range of organ anomalies underlying this condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]