Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigating Differences in Preferred Noise Reduction Strength Among Hearing Aid Users

Even though hearing aid (HA) users can respond very differently to noise reduction (NR) processing, knowledge about possible drivers of this variability (and thus ways of addressing it in HA fittings) is sparse. The current study investigated differences in preferred NR strength among HA users. Participants were groups of experienced users with clear preferences (“NR lovers”; N = 14) or dislikes (“NR haters”; N = 13) for strong NR processing, as determined in two earlier studies. Maximally acceptable background noise levels, detection thresholds for speech distortions caused by NR processing, and self-reported “sound personality” traits were considered as candidate measures for explaining group membership. Participants also adjusted the strength of the (binaural coherence-based) NR algorithm to their preferred level. Consistent with previous findings, NR lovers favored stronger processing than NR haters, although there also was some overlap. While maximally acceptable noise levels and detection thresholds for speech distortions tended to be higher for NR lovers than for NR haters, group differences were only marginally significant. No clear group differences were observed in the self-report data. Taken together, these results indicate that preferred NR strength is an individual trait that is fairly stable across time and that is not easily captured by psychoacoustic, audiological, or self-report measures aimed at indexing susceptibility to background noise and processing artifacts. To achieve more personalized NR processing, an effective approach may be to let HA users determine the optimal setting themselves during the fitting process.
Simulated Microgravity Impairs Cardiac Autonomic Neurogenesis from Neural Crest Cells.

Microgravity-induced alterations in the autonomic nervous system (ANS) contribute to derangements in both the mechanical and electrophysiological function of the cardiovascular system, leading to severe symptoms in humans following space travel. Because the ANS forms embryonically from neural crest (NC) progenitors, we hypothesized that microgravity can impair NC-derived cardiac structures. Accordingly, we conducted in vitro simulated microgravity experiments employing NC genetic lineage tracing in mice with cKitCreERT2/+, Isl1nLacZ, and Wnt1-Cre reporter alleles. Inducible fate mapping in adult mouse hearts and pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) demonstrated reduced cKitCreERT2/+-mediated labeling of both NC-derived cardiomyocytes and autonomic neurons (P < 0.0005 vs. controls). Whole transcriptome analysis, suggested that this effect was associated with repressed cardiac NC- and upregulated mesoderm-related gene expression profiles, coupled with abnormal bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)/transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) and Wnt/β-catenin signaling. To separate the manifestations of simulated microgravity on NC versus mesodermal-cardiac derivatives, we conducted Isl1nLacZ lineage analyses, which indicated an approximately 3-fold expansion (P < 0.05) in mesoderm-derived Isl-1+ pacemaker sinoatrial nodal cells; and an approximately 3-fold reduction (P < 0.05) in cardiac NC-derived ANS cells, including sympathetic nerves and Isl-1+ cardiac ganglia. Finally, NC-specific fate mapping with a Wnt1-Cre reporter iPSC model of murine NC development confirmed that simulated microgravity directly impacted the in vitro development of cardiac NC progenitors and their contribution to the sympathetic and parasympathetic innervation of the iPSC-derived myocardium. Altogether, these findings reveal an important role for gravity in the development of NCs and their postnatal derivatives, and have important therapeutic implications for human space exploration, providing insights into cellular and molecular mechanisms of microgravity-induced cardiomyopathies/channelopathies.
Temperature dependence of elastic, piezoelectric and dielectric properties of La Ga SiO and La Ga Ta O : An application of resonant ultrasound spectroscopy

The electromechanical properties of lang- asite, La Ga SiO , and langatate, La Ga Ta O , have been studied at elevated temperatures using reso- nant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS). Furthermore, the coefficients of thermal expansion, the dielectric constants and their temperature derivatives, and the temperature evolution of the specific conductivity were investigated employing standard methods. At temperatures above about 550 K both compounds show strong ultrasonic at- tenuation phenomena at frequencies below 1 MHz which are correlated with a rising electric conductivity.
Liminal adjustment experiences of pharmacy students: A grounded theory analysis

Prevailing literature presented how adjustment to college and its domains has been progressively explored in higher education. However, studies supported by Turner’s liminality in exploring undergraduate students’ adjustment in pharmacy education remains a research blank spot. This paper aimed to explore the processes describing how pharmacy students adjust to their college education. Semi-structured interviews and essay writing were conducted to gather pertinent data and the transcripts were analysed using the Straussian approach of grounded theory. In-depth analysis of field texts generated The Roadmap Model of Student Adjustment which represents the phases of starting-off (initial adjustments in academic demands, socialisation, emotions), strategising (strategies to improve academic performance, socialise and participate, support emotions), and settling (progress in academics, expansion in one’s connections, developed attitudes and university attachment). Findings of this paper can contribute to the enhancement of pharmacy curriculum and expand higher education literature describing pharmacy students’ liminal adjustment experiences.
Dextran nanofiber production by needleless electrospinning process

Abstract This article presents the formation of a dextran nanofibrous layer by needleless electrospinning. Optimum process parameters such as polymer solution and addition (surfactant) concentration, voltage, distance, etc. were determined to obtain uniform and smooth dextran nanofibers. It was not possible to produce nanofibers from pure dextran/water solution. Instead, solution drops were deposited on the collector; therefore, anionic surfactant was added in various concentrations to start the nanofiber production. Also, the effects of surfactant concentration on the solution properties, spinnability and fiber properties were determined. Generally, uniform and fine nanofibers were obtained from the rod electrospinning method. The value of 2 wt% surfactant concentration was chosen as the optimum concentration to produce a dextran nanofibrous layer by roller electrospinning. According to the results, spinning performance was 0.6726 g/min per meter, average fiber diameter was 162 nm, diameter uniformity coefficient was 1.03 and the nonfibrous area was 0.5%. In conclusion, this methodology resulted in the production of good product properties such as good spinnability, fine and uniform nanofibers and high fiber density.
Clinical usefulness of D-dimer testing in cancer patients with suspected pulmonary embolism

Summary Limited data are available about the diagnostic value of D-dimer testing in cancer patients with clinically suspected pulmonary embolism (PE). Therefore, we evaluated i) the safety and clinical usefulness of an ELISA D-dimer test to rule out PE in cancer patients compared with non-cancer patients and ii) whether adopting a higher D-dimer cut-off value might increase the usefulness of D-dimer in cancer patients. We analysed data from two outcome studies which enrolled 1,721 consecutive patients presenting in the emergency department with clinically suspected PE. Presence of an active malignancy was abstracted from the database. All patients underwent a sequential diagnostic work-up including an ELISA D-dimer test and a 3-month followup. Sensitivity and predictive value (NPV) were 100% in both cancer and non-cancer patients. PE was ruled out by a negative D-dimer test in 494/1,554 (32%) patients without cancer, and in 18/164 (11%) patients witha malignancy. At cut-off values varying from 500 to 900 µg/l, the sensitivity was unchanged (100%, 95% CI: 93% to 100%) and the specificity increased from 16% (95% CI:11% to 24%) to 30% (95% CI:22% to 39%). The 3-month thromboembolic risk was 0% (95 % CI: 0% to 18%) in cancer patients witha negative D-dimer test. ELISA D-dimer appears safe to rule out pulmonary embolism in cancer patients but it is negative in only one of ten patients at the usual cut-off value. Increasing the cut-off value of D-dimer in cancer patients might increase the test’s clinical usefulness.
Nomograms for predicting progression and efficacy of post-operation radiotherapy in IIIA-pN2 non-small cell lung cancer patients

In this retrospective study, we developed nomograms for predicting the efficacy of post-operation radiotherapy (PORT) in IIIA-N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. In total, 334 patients received post-operational chemotherapy and were included in the analysis. Of those, 115 also received either concurrent or sequential post-operational radiotherapy (PORT). Nomograms were developed using Cox proportional hazard regression models to identify clinicopathological characteristics that predicted progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), and subgroup analyses of the effects of PORT were performed using nomogram risk scores. PFS and OS predicted using the nomogram agreed well with actual PFS and OS, and patients with high PFS/OS nomogram scores had poorer prognoses. In subgroup analyses, PORT increased survival more in patients with low PFS nomogram risk scores or high OS nomogram risk scores. Thus, our novel nomogram risk score model predicted PFS, OS, and the efficacy of PORT in IIIA-N2 NSCLC patients.
Misleading energy and performance claims in sub/near threshold digital systems

Many of us in the field of ultra-low-Vdd processors experience difficulty in assessing the sub/near threshold circuit techniques proposed by earlier papers. This paper investigates five major pitfalls which are often not appreciated by researchers when claiming that their circuits outperform others by working at a lower Vdd with a higher energy-efficiency. These pitfalls include: i) overlook the impacts of different technologies and different Vth definitions, ii) only emphasize energy reduction but ignore severe throughput degradation, or expect impractical pipelining depth and parallelism degree to compensate this throughput degradation, iii) unrealistically assume that memory's Vdd and energy could scale as well as standard cells, iv) use the highest temperature as the worst timing corner as in the super-threshold, but in fact negative temperature becomes much more detrimental in the sub/near threshold regime, v) pursue just-in-need Vdd to compensate effects of PVT, but without considering the high energy loss on DC-DC converters. Therefore, the actual energy benefit from using a sub/near threshold Vdd can be greatly overestimated. This work provides some design guidelines and silicon evidence to ultra-low-Vdd systems. The outlined pitfalls also shed light on future directions in this field.
Sensitivity and Tolerance of Riparian Arthropod Communities to Altered Water Resources along a Drying River

Background Rivers around the world are drying with increasing frequency, but little is known about effects on terrestrial animal communities. Previous research along the San Pedro River in southeastern AZ, USA, suggests that changes in the availability of water resources associated with river drying lead to changes in predator abundance, community composition, diversity, and abundance of particular taxa of arthropods, but these observations have not yet been tested manipulatively. Methods and Results In this study, we constructed artificial pools in the stream bed adjacent to a drying section of the San Pedro River and maintained them as the river dried. We compared pitfall trapped arthropods near artificial pools to adjacent control sites where surface waters temporarily dried. Assemblage composition changed differentially at multiple taxonomic levels, resulting in different assemblages at pools than at control sites, with multiple taxa and richness of carabid beetle genera increasing at pools but not at controls that dried. On the other hand, predator biomass, particularly wolf spiders, and diversity of orders and families were consistently higher at control sites that dried. These results suggest an important role for colonization dynamics of pools, as well as the ability of certain taxa, particularly burrowing wolf spiders, to withstand periods of temporary drying. Conclusions Overall, we found some agreement between this manipulative study of water resources and a previous analysis of river drying that showed shifts in composition, changes in diversity, and declines in abundance of certain taxa (e.g. carabid beetles). However, colonization dynamics of pools, as well as compensatory strategies of predatory wolf spiders seem to have led to patterns that do not match previous research, with control sites maintaining high diversity, despite drying. Tolerance of river drying by some species may allow persistence of substantial diversity in the face of short-term drying. The long-term effects of drying remain to be investigated.
Bio‐electrospraying: A potentially safe technique for delivering progenitor cells

Bio‐electrospraying is fast becoming an attractive tool for in situ cell delivery into scaffolds for tissue engineering applications, with several cell types been successfully electrosprayed. Bone marrow derived mesenchymal progenitor/stem cells (BMSC), which are an important cell source for tissue engineering, have not been explored in detail and the effect of electrospraying on their “stemness” is not known. This study therefore investigates the effects of electrospraying on BMSC viability, proliferation, and multilineage differentiation potential. Electrospraying a BMSC suspension at flow rate of 6 mL/h and voltages of 7.5–15 kV could successfully generate a continuous, stable and linearly directed electrospray of cells. Morphological observation, trypan blue tests and alamar blue based metabolic assays revealed about 88% of these electrosprayed cells were viable, and proliferated at rates similar to native BMSCs. However, at higher voltages, electrospraying became unstable and reduced cell viability, possibly due to electrical or thermal damage to the cells. BMSCs electrosprayed at 7.5 kV also retained their multipotency and could be successfully differentiated into adipogenic, chondrogenic, and osteogenic lineages, demonstrating similar morphology and gene expression levels as induced native BMSCs. These results indicate that bio‐electrospraying could be safely used as a progenitor/stem cell delivery technique for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010;106: 690–698. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Reducing the Surface Performance Requirements of a Primary Mirror by Adding a Deformable Mirror in its Optical Path

Abstract : In recent years, carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) mirrors been proposed for use in future imaging satellites. Compared to traditional glass-based mirrors, CFRP mirrors offer reduced manufacturing times, lower coefficients of thermal expansion, lower areal density, and higher strength-to-weight ratios. Shorter manufacturing times promise to reduce program schedule requirements and cost. These advantages come at the expense of surface quality, which results in wavefront errors that are outside of the diffraction limit for optical imaging. To compensate for the reduced surface quality of CFRP mirrors, a deformable mirror (DM) is required in the optical path. During this research, the surface quality of a CFRP mirror was evaluated to establish a root-mean-square (RMS) error threshold for the DM corrections. An integral DM control law that employed a constrained least-squares solution was utilized to reduce the overall system wavefront error to below the specified CFRP error threshold. The application of this control law yielded a 38% reduction in RMS wavefront error (as compared to the CFRP error threshold), thus reducing the CFRP RMS surface performance requirements by the same amount. Reducing the surface performance requirements of CFRP mirrors is a critical step toward employing these mirrors in future imaging satellites.
CELL VIABILITY STUDIES OF CUBIC GOLD NANOPARTICLES SYNTHESIZED USING THE EXTRACT OF ALTERNANTHERA SESSILIS

Gold nanoparticles were synthesized using the extract of Alternanthera sessilis under three different conditions. The synthesized gold nanoparticles were characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, XRD and SEM analysis. The particle size of the nanogold was confirmed by Debye-Scherrer’s equation and SEM analysis. The phytoconstituents present in Alternanthera sessilis was found to act as a good reductant and capping agent. The cell viability testing on MCF-7 cell lines by MTT assay revealed gold nanoparticles to be non-toxic to the array of cells tested. Though not cytotoxic the non-toxic nature of the biogenic gold nanoparticles provides new opportunities for the safe application in molecular imaging and therapy.
Introduction to a mechanism for automated myocardium boundary detection with displacement encoding with stimulated echoes (DENSE)

Objective: Displacement ENcoding with Stimulated Echoes (DENSE) is an MRI technique developed to encode phase related to myocardial tissue displacements, and the displacement information directly applied towards detecting left-ventricular (LV) myocardial motion during the cardiac cycle. The purpose of this study is to present a novel, three-dimensional (3D) DENSE displacement-based and magnitude image quantization-based, semi-automated detection technique for myocardial wall motion, whose boundaries are used for rapid and automated computation of 3D myocardial strain. Methods: The architecture of this boundary detection algorithm is primarily based on pixelwise spatiotemporal increments in LV tissue displacements during the cardiac cycle and further reinforced by radially searching for pixel-based image gradients in multithreshold quantized magnitude images. This spatiotemporal edge detection methodology was applied to all LV partitions and their subsequent timeframes that lead to full 3D LV reconstructions. It was followed by quantifications of 3D chamber dimensions and myocardial strains, whose rapid computation was the primary motivation behind developing this algorithm. A pre-existing two-dimensional (2D) semi-automated contouring technique was used in parallel to validate the accuracy of the algorithm and both methods tested on DENSE data acquired in (N = 14) healthy subjects. Chamber quantifications between methods were compared using paired t-tests and Bland–Altman analysis established regional strain agreements. Results: There were no significant differences in the results of chamber quantifications between the 3D semi-automated and existing 2D boundary detection techniques. This included comparisons of ejection fractions, which were 0.62 ± 0.04 vs 0.60 ± 0.06 (p = 0.23) for apical, 0.60 ± 0.04 vs 0.59 ± 0.05 (p = 0.76) for midventricular and 0.56 ± 0.04 vs 0.58 ± 0.05 (p = 0.07) for basal segments, that were quantified using the 3D semi-automated and 2D pre-existing methodologies, respectively. Bland–Altman agreement between regional strains generated biases of 0.01 ± 0.06, –0.01 ± 0.01 and 0.0 ± 0.06 for the radial, circumferential and longitudinal directions, respectively. Conclusion: A new, 3D semi-automated methodology for contouring the entire LV and rapidly generating chamber quantifications and regional strains is presented that was validated in relation to an existing 2D contouring technique. Advances in knowledge: This study introduced a scientific tool for rapid, semi-automated generation of clinical information regarding shape and function in the 3D LV.
Marginal accuracy of metal copings produced with different ring casting techniques: An in vitro study

Objective: Evaluation and comparison of marginal accuracy of three porcelain fused with metal alloy using ringless and closed ring casting techniques. Materials and Methods: A total of 60 metal copings was fabricated on a metal die. Specimens were divided into two groups (Group I ringless and II ring casting techniques) of 30 patterns each. Groups are further divided into three subgroups of 10 each representing porcelain fused to metal alloys castings namely Mealloy, Wiron-99, and Bellabond plus. The measurement of fit of the metal copings was recorded by stereo photomicroscope at four different surfaces. Results: No significant difference (P < 0.001) was found when the mean vertical marginal integrity at all the buccal, palatal, mesial and distal surfaces among three porcelain fused to metal alloys for both the groups. However on comparing in between group I and group II, it showed that there is significant difference (P > 0.001). The mean of the vertical integrity for the group I (Ringless) was less than group II (Closed Ring). Conclusions: Within the limitations of the study design, it can be concluded that there is a significant difference between ringless and closed ring casting but both are clinically acceptable.
The Photoluminescent and Magnetic Properties of Mn2+ Ions at the Interface of Core/Shell Mn-Doped Nanocrystals

Citation: Yang B (2017) The Photoluminescent and Magnetic Properties of Mn2+ Ions at the Interface of Core/Shell MnDoped Nanocrystals. Int J Nanoparticles Nanotech 3:009 Copyright: © 2017 Yang B. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. *Corresponding author: Boping Yang, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng 224051, P. R. China, Tel: 860515-88168187, E-mail: bpyang023@163.com Yang. Int J Nanoparticles Nanotech 2017, 3:009
Impact of carbohydrate mouth rinsing on time to exhaustion during Ramadan: A randomized controlled trial in Jordanian men

Abstract Mouth rinsing using a carbohydrate (CHO) solution has been suggested to improve physical performance in fasting participants. This study examined the effects of CHO mouth rinsing during Ramadan fasting on running time to exhaustion and on peak treadmill speed (Vpeak). In a counterbalanced crossover design, 18 sub-elite male runners (Age: 21 ± 2 years, Weight: 68.1 ± 5.7 kg, VO2max: 55.4 ± 4.8 ml/kg/min) who observed Ramadan completed a familiarization trial and three experimental trials. The three trials included rinsing and expectorating a 25 mL bolus of either a 7.5% sucrose solution (CHO), a flavour and taste matched placebo solution (PLA) for 10 s, or no rinse (CON). The treatments were performed prior to an incremental treadmill test to exhaustion. Three-day dietary and exercise records were obtained on two occasions and analysed. Anthropometric characteristics were obtained and recorded for all participants. A main effect for mouth rinse on peak velocity (Vpeak) (CHO: 17.6 ± 1.5 km/h; PLA: 17.1 ± 1.4 km/h; CON: 16.7 ± 1.2 km/h; P < .001, ηp2 = 0.49) and time to exhaustion (CHO: 1282.0 ± 121.3 s; PLA: 1258.1 ± 113.4 s; CON: 1228.7 ± 98.5 s; P = .002, ηp2 = 0.41) was detected, with CHO significantly higher than PLA (P < .05) and CON (P < .05). Oxygen consumption, heart rate, respiratory exchange ratio, and rating of perceived exertion were not significantly different between treatments or trials (P > .05). Energy availability from dietary analysis, body weight, and fat-free mass did not change during the last two weeks of Ramadan (P > .05). This study concludes that carbohydrate mouth rinsing improves running time to exhaustion and peak treadmill speed under Ramadan fasting conditions.