bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development and Implementation of a Spanish Minor for Nursing Majors
Authors: Fournier Ann , Fouts Elizabeth
Published: December 2020

Cultural competence is a recognized standard in baccalaureate nursing education, but nursing programs are challenged by a predetermined course sequence and mandated requirements. Interaction with and immersion in a Spanish-speaking country have been found to increase knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to cultural competence. This article describes the development and implementation of a Spanish minor for nursing majors, a unique set of experiences with an educational focus on language and culture related to the Hispanic/Latino population.
A Proposed Ninth Essential: Supporting Doctor of Nursing Practice Students With Current or Anticipated Roles in Nursing Education
Authors: Carley Annette , Hultgren Marianne
Published: December 2020

The doctor of nursing practice (DNP) essentials do not specifically include a teaching competency, yet several require teaching skills. To prepare the future nursing workforce and achieve essential competencies, DNP nurses must be prepared to teach. Despite the assumption that advance practice expertise makes them intuitive teachers, gaps exist in essential faculty development, including evidence-based teaching theory, methodology, and scholarship. In our institution, DNP students expressed interest in future academic and clinical teaching roles. To support these future educators, an innovative course series aligned with National League for Nursing recommendations was developed. Two courses were successfully implemented, with additional coursework planned.
PCNP: A new era in shaping health policy
Authors: Caruso Adele Marie , Schlamb Cheryl
Published: December 2020

The Pennsylvania Coalition of Nurse Practitioners (PCNP) is the state organization that promotes and protects the practice of more than 15,000 certified registered nurse practitioners in Pennsylvania. PCNP, credited for many legislative successes related to nurse practitioner (NP) practice since the 1980s, continues to expand its advocacy endeavors and mission to advance professional NP practice. To further promote the practice of NPs, a novel platform was established. This novel platform, PCNP: A New Era in Shaping Health Policy, was created as a forum where formal comments can be issued on proposed state and federal legislation that affects NP practice, as well as engages NPs from across the state to participate in the commenting process. After one year of active engagement in this forum, a formal commenting structure was successfully established with heighted visibility for health policy issues with real member participation.
Ralph Lainson. 21 February 1927—5 May 2015
Authors: Shaw Jeffrey Jon
Published: December 2020

Ralph Lainson was a distinguished protozoologist and a parasitologist of many abilities. Above all, he was a naturalist, as reflected both by his approach to work and by his two principal hobbies, fishing and collecting butterflies. Besides this, he had a strong artistic streak, expressed by his love of playing the trombone and painting. Many of his published works are exquisitely illustrated with his own watercolour and pen and ink drawings. These talents are present throughout his scientific career. He was a ‘traditional protozoologist’, who wanted to find out how parasites were transmitted and related to each other. Although many of the organisms he discovered were associated with a disease, Ralph openly admitted that his ultimate interest would always be the parasite. His research methods were simple, but he would readily embrace a technology if it solved his problem. He admitted to not being good with equipment. As an example, he mentioned an aptitude test used by the British Army: to put together a dismantled bicycle tyre pump—for him this was an impossible task! This shows his ability to use such tales to get others to do tasks he preferred not to, as they distracted him. His self-control was remarkable; in the 30 years that we worked together, I cannot remember a single instance of him raising his voice to anybody. He was extremely dedicated to whatever he did, be it work, hobbies or play. His stories at the dinner table or around a campfire, when out in the field, were a source of joy that reflected his good nature.
Haloferax volcanii
—a model archaeon for studying DNA replication and repair
Authors: Pérez-Arnaiz Patricia , Dattani Ambika , Smith Victoria , Allers Thorsten
Published: December 2020

The tree of life shows the relationship between all organisms based on their common ancestry. Until 1977, it comprised two major branches: prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Work by Carl Woese and other microbiologists led to the recategorization of prokaryotes and the proposal of three primary domains: Eukarya, Bacteria and Archaea. Microbiological, genetic and biochemical techniques were then needed to study the third domain of life.
Haloferax volcanii
, a halophilic species belonging to the phylum Euryarchaeota, has provided many useful tools to study Archaea, including easy culturing methods, genetic manipulation and phenotypic screening. This review will focus on DNA replication and DNA repair pathways in
H. volcanii
, how this work has advanced our knowledge of archaeal cellular biology, and how it may deepen our understanding of bacterial and eukaryotic processes.
Rich
p
-type-doping phenomena in boron-substituted silicene systems
Authors: Pham Hai Duong , Su Wu-Pei , Nguyen Thi Dieu Hien , Tran Ngoc Thanh Thuy , Lin Ming-Fa
Published: December 2020

The essential properties of monolayer silicene greatly enriched by boron substitutions are thoroughly explored through first-principles calculations. Delicate analyses are conducted on the highly non-uniform Moire superlattices, atom-dominated band structures, charge density distributions and atom- and orbital-decomposed van Hove singularities. The hybridized 2
p

z

–3
p

z

and [2s, 2
p

x

, 2
p

y

]–[3s, 3
p

x

, 3
p

y

] bondings, with orthogonal relations, are obtained from the developed theoretical framework. The red-shifted Fermi level and the modified Dirac cones/
π
bands/
σ
bands are clearly identified under various concentrations and configurations of boron-guest atoms. Our results demonstrate that the charge transfer leads to the non-uniform chemical environment that creates diverse electronic properties.
The postcranial skeleton of the erythrosuchid archosauriformGarjainia primafrom the Early Triassic of European Russia
Authors: Maidment Susannah C. R. , Sennikov Andrey G. , Ezcurra Martín D. , Dunne Emma M. , Gower David J. , Hedrick Brandon P. , Meade Luke E. , Raven Thomas J. , Paschchenko Dmitriy I. , Butler Richard J.
Published: December 2020

Erythrosuchidae were large-bodied, quadrupedal, predatory archosauriforms that dominated the hypercarnivorous niche in the aftermath of the Permo-Triassic mass extinction.Garjainia, one of the oldest members of the clade, is known from the late Olenekian of European Russia. The holotype ofGarjainia primacomprises a well-preserved skull, but highly incomplete postcranium. Recent taxonomic reappraisal demonstrates that material from a bone bed found close to the type locality, previously referred to as ‘Vjushkovia triplicostata', is referable toG. prima.At least, seven individuals comprising cranial remains and virtually the entire postcranium are represented, and we describe this material in detail for the first time. An updated phylogenetic analysis confirms previous results that a monophyleticGarjainiais the sister taxon to a clade containingErythrosuchus, ShansisuchusandChalishevia. Muscle scars on many limb elements are clear, allowing reconstruction of the proximal locomotor musculature. We calculate the body mass ofG. primato have been 147–248 kg, similar to that of an adult male lion. Large body size in erythrosuchids may have been attained as part of a trend of increasing body size after the Permo-Triassic mass extinction and allowed erythrosuchids to become the dominant carnivores of the Early and Middle Triassic.
Prediction and simulation of aircraft noise in the international Eskisehir Hasan Polatkan airport (LTBY)
Authors: Akdeniz Halil Yalcin , Sogut Mehmet Ziya , Turan Onder
Published: December 2020

Purpose

In recent years, in parallel with the increasing air traffic and the number of passengers in air transport, the number of people exposed to aircraft-induced noise has increased significantly. Especially people living in the areas close to the airports are affected by noise emission during the landing, take-off, taxi and ground operations. Negative effects of noise such as sleep disturbance, lack of concentration, anxiety and high blood pressure cardiac diseases were determined directly or indirectly for human health. For this reason, examining the noise effect caused by aircraft and determining the necessary measures to be taken is very important for the sustainable development of aviation. In the International Eskisehir Hasan Polatkan Airport (LTBY), this paper aims to calculate a noise mapping following international standards in line with the directives of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Also, Annex 8, “Airworthiness of Aircrafts” and Annex 16, “Environmental Protection Volume 1 Aircraft Noise”, which were taken at the International Civil Aviation Convention, were proposed to determine the exposure caused by aircraft noise.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, noise levels for the day (07.00–19.00), evening (19.00–23.00) and night (23.00–07.00) period around LTBY were predicted and calculated by the use of the IMMI software according to the “ECAC Doc. 29-Interim” method for the prediction and computation of the aircraft noise.

Findings

According to the calculated/mapped values, in the 24 hours (Lden), the noise level is 65 dB (A) and above. In the day time zone, the noise level is 63 dB (A) and above. When the calculations for the evening time zone are examined, the noise level is above 58 dB (A). When the calculations for the night time frame are examined, it is calculated that there is no dwelling that is affected by the noise level above 53 dB (A).

Practical implications

Along with future improvements, it is recommended to be applied to other civil airports.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is no previous research in the literature on aircraft noise mapping of LTBY. Also, unlike the software commonly used in other works in the literature, IMMI software was used in this study. Such investigations should be carried out in other civil airports in the coming years to struggle with noise emissions and noise control. If noise boundary values are exceeded, action plans should be developed for a sustainable aviation concept. Along with future improvements, it is recommended to be applied to other civil airports.
The impact of equity sensitivity on mental health, innovation orientation, and turnover intention in the Hungarian and Indian contexts
Authors: Rai Sumita , Megyeri Eszter , Kazár Klára
Published: December 2020

Purpose

Economic turbulence brings a significant impact in the mental health of workforce on both developed and developing countries. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of equity sensitivity on employee mental health. Innovation is considered to be among the critical drivers for the success and future of organizational existence, therefore this paper also investigates how the equity sensitivity impacts innovation orientation and turnover intentions across two geographies India and Hungary.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey was carried out among Hungarian and Indian students. Students were selected only on the basis of having two to three years of work experience and also from good business and economics colleges from India and Hungary.

Findings

The results were analyzed using partial least square–structural equation modelling method to test the hypotheses and it showed that equity sensitivity has a positive effect on employee mental health. The findings of the study highlight that even with significant cultural differences equity sensitivity perception does not differ between Hungary and India.

Research limitations/implications

The relationship between equity sensitivity and employee mental health is an important area to understand in a volatile economy. Innovation orientation and turnover intention both are important to understand the productivity of any organization; this paper is an effort to understand the impact of both variables bringing in the positive or negative impact on the growth of an organization. Limitations of this study include the sample size, cross-sectional data. Future studies can be based on a larger sample size from wider cross-sections and cultures.

Practical implications

Managers need to give importance to understand the equity sensitivity of employee and how it impacts their mental health and well-being. Knowing the volatile nature of economy this becomes very relevant and important for managers and organizations.

Social implications

This study is important to understand that how two countries that are significantly different in cultural values still have no difference in equity sensitivity perception. Therefore, equity sensitivity is an important determinant to bring innovation and productivity in organizations across cultures.

Originality/value

These findings contribute to literature of equity sensitivity by exploring the impact of equity sensitivity on employee mental health in the context of two countries. Mental health is a concern not only in India but also in Hungarian context as well.
The contribution of tourism to the renegeration of cities: a route for change
Authors: Santos Álvaro , Branco-Teixeira Miguel
Published: December 2020

Purpose

This paper identifies and discusses the best possible solutions for regenerating cities, with the aim of creating inclusive, pleasant and sustainable cities and more developed and inclusive societies. The purpose of this paper is to stimulate debate about how to use tourism to regenerate cities.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on background experience in civil engineering and territory planning, this viewpoint discusses the role of tourism in regenerating cities.

Findings

The paper identifies possible ways to take advantage of the enormous potential of tourism in the transition towards more pleasant and sustainable cities and more developed and inclusive societies.

Practical implications

This paper advocates a role for tourism in the creation of environments conducive to the launch of high quality, global, urban operations.

Originality/value

The paper offers ten measures whose implementation could contribute to building more dynamic, pleasant, sustainable and inclusive cities. These measures constitute a “roadmap for change” in urban development.
Synthetic Data in The Civil Service
Authors: Kaloskampis Ioannis , Joshi Chaitanya , Cheung Catrin , Nolan Louisa
Published: December 2020

In a data-driven economy, access to data is vital. So, what happens when data are not available due to disclosure issues or other restrictions? As Ioannis Kaloskampis, Chaitanya Joshi, Catrin Cheung, David Pugh and Louisa Nolan explain, in such situations it may still be possible to draw useful conclusions based on carefully manufactured data
Proteomics and phosphoproteomics reveal key regulators associated with cytostatic effect of amino acid transporter LAT1 inhibitor
Authors: Okanishi Hiroki , Ohgaki Ryuichi , Okuda Suguru , Endou Hitoshi , Kanai Yoshikatsu
Published: December 2020

L‐type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) is highly expressed in various cancers and plays important roles not only in the amino acid uptake necessary for cancer growth but also in cellular signaling. Recent research studies have reported anticancer effects of LAT1 inhibitors and demonstrated their potential for cancer therapy. Here, we characterized the proteome and phosphoproteome in LAT1‐inhibited cancer cells. We used JPH203, a selective LAT1 inhibitor, and performed tandem mass tag–based quantitative proteomics and phosphoproteomics on four biliary tract cancer cell lines sensitive to JPH203. Our analysis identified hundreds to thousands of differentially expressed proteins and phosphorylated sites, demonstrating the broad influence of LAT1 inhibition. Our findings showed various functional pathways altered by LAT1 inhibition, and provided possible regulators and key kinases in LAT1‐inhibited cells. Comparison of these changes among cell lines provides insights into general pathways and regulators associated with LAT1 inhibition and particularly suggests the importance of cell cycle–related pathways and kinases. Moreover, we evaluated the anticancer effects of the combinations of JPH203 with cell cycle–related kinase inhibitors and demonstrated their potential for cancer therapy. This is the first study providing the proteome‐wide scope of both protein expression and phosphorylation signaling perturbed by LAT1 inhibition in cancer cells.
Epstein‐Barr virus may contribute to the pathogenesis of adult‐onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis: A preliminary study
Authors: Formánek Martin , Formánková Debora , Hurník Pavel , Vrtková Adéla , Komínek Pavel
Published: December 2020

Objective

Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes adult‐onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (AORRP), but AORPP prevalence is much lower than HPV prevalence. Thus, HPV infection is necessary, but not sufficient, to cause AORRP and other factors likely contribute to its pathogenesis. The present study aimed to investigate whether co‐infection with herpetic viruses may contribute to the pathogenesis of AORRP.

Design

Prospective case‐control study conducted from January 2018 to November 2019.

Settings

Tertiary referral centre.

Participants

Eighteen consecutive patients with AORRP and 18 adults with healthy laryngeal mucosa (control group) undergoing surgery.

Main outcome measures

Cytomegalovirus, Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV), herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2, human herpesvirus 6, varicella zoster virus and HPV (including genotyping) were detected in biopsies of papilloma or healthy mucosa using real‐time polymerase chain reaction and reverse line blot. Dysplasia and Ki67 levels were determined in papilloma specimens.

Results

EBV was present in 6 (33.3%) AORRP patients and no control patients (P = .019). Presence was not dependent on tobacco exposure (P = .413) or HPV genotype or concentration (P > .999). EBV presence was strongly related to increased cell proliferation (P = .005) and number of previous surgeries (P = .039), but not dysplasia (P > .999). Human herpesvirus 6 was found in 3 (16.7%) AORRP biopsies, with one false positive. No other herpetic virus was found.

Conclusions

Unlike other herpetic viruses, EBV seems to interact with HPV, enhancing cell proliferation and contributing to the pathogenesis and progression of AORRP. Further research is required to elucidate specific interactions and their role in the pathogenesis of AORRP.
Ranking alien species based on their risks of causing environmental impacts: A global assessment of alien ungulates
Authors: Volery Lara , Jatavallabhula Divija , Scillitani Laura , Bertolino Sandro , Bacher Sven
Published: December 2020

For an efficient allocation of the limited resources to alien species management, the most damaging species should be prioritised. Comparing alien species based on their impacts is not straightforward, as the same species can cause different types and magnitudes of impacts when introduced to different contexts, making it difficult to summarise its overall impact. The Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) systematically summarises and compares detrimental impacts caused by alien populations to native biota and has been adopted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. For each alien species, all reported impacts to native populations within the introduced range are classified into five levels of severity, from negligible impact to irreversible local extinction. Currently, EICAT only compares alien species based on their highest impact, thereby ignoring variation in impact magnitudes. Here, we used information on the variation in impact magnitudes of alien species to estimate their risks to cause high impacts if introduced to a novel environment. We demonstrate the usefulness of this approach by classifying the global impacts of alien ungulates. We found impact reports for 27 of the 66 alien ungulate species established worldwide, highlighting substantial knowledge gaps in invasion science. We classified a total of 441 impacts to native fauna and flora caused by these 27 species. Twenty‐six of the species were found to cause harmful impacts (native population declines or local extinctions). Mouflon (Ovis orientalis, Gmelin, 1774) and dromedary (Camelus dromedarius, Linnaeus, 1758) had a higher risk of causing local extinctions if introduced to a novel environment than sika deer (Cervus nippon, Temminck, 1838) and goats (Capra hircus, Linnaeus, 1758). Including risk of high impacts allows to discriminate among species with the same EICAT classification and improves alien species prioritisation for management.
Neddylation inhibitor MLN4924 has anti‐HBV activity via modulating the ERK‐HNF1α‐C/EBPα‐HNF4α axis
Authors: Xie Mingjie , Guo Huiting , Lou Guohua , Yao Jiping , Liu Yanning , Sun Yi , Yang Zhenggang , Zheng Min
Published: December 2020

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major public health problem. The high levels of HBV DNA and HBsAg are positively associated with the development of secondary liver diseases, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Current treatment with nucleos(t)ide analogues mainly reduces viral DNA, but has minimal, if any, inhibitory effect on the viral antigen. Although IFN reduces both HBV DNA and HBsAg, the serious associated side effects limit its use in clinic. Thus, there is an urgent demanding for novel anti‐HBV therapy. In our study, viral parameters were determined in the supernatant of HepG2.2.15 cells, HBV‐expressing Huh7 and HepG2 cells which transfected with HBV plasmids and in the serum of HBV mouse models with hydrodynamic injection of pAAV‐HBV1.2 plasmid. RT‐qPCR and Southern blot were performed to detect 35kb mRNA and cccDNA. RT‐qPCR, Luciferase assay and Western blot were used to determine anti‐HBV effects of MLN4924 and the underlying mechanisms. We found that treatment with MLN4924, the first‐in‐class neddylation inhibitor currently in several phase II clinical trials for anti‐cancer application, effectively suppressed production of HBV DNA, HBsAg, 3.5kb HBV RNA as well as cccDNA. Mechanistically, MLN4924 blocks cullin neddylation and activates ERK to suppress the expression of several transcription factors required for HBV replication, including HNF1α, C/EBPα and HNF4α, leading to an effective blockage in the production of cccDNA and HBV antigen. Our study revealed that neddylation inhibitor MLN4924 has impressive anti‐HBV activity by inhibiting HBV replication, thus providing sound rationale for future MLN4924 clinical trial as a novel anti‐HBV therapy.
Spontaneous intranasal tumours in rabbits: 7 cases (2007‐2019)
Authors: Miwa Y. , Nakata M. , Takimoto H. , Chambers J. K. , Uchida K.
Published: December 2020

Objectives

Neoplasms that arise in the nasal cavity are reported infrequently in rabbits. This case series aims to review and determine the clinical behaviour of neoplasms in the nasal cavity in rabbits.

Materials and Methods

A retrospective study was conducted on seven pet rabbits diagnosed with intranasal tumours to describe the clinical and histopathological findings and prognoses after surgery and/or radiotherapy.

Results

The most common clinical signs were nasal snoring when breathing, nasal discharge, and subsequent dyspnoea and anorexia. Six different histopathological types of tumours were diagnosed: intranasal adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, osteosarcoma, carcinoid tumour, osteoma, and lymphoma. Skull radiography only revealed the abnormalities in three of seven cases but on CT, the intranasal masses were more clearly identified in all cases. All cases received tumour resection through rhinostomy and four cases received radiotherapy after surgery. In the six cases with a known outcome, the survival time after surgery was more than 13 months.

Clinical Significance

This case series provides an insight of the behavior of intranasal neoplasms in rabbits. Surgical treatment and radiotherapy could improve their clinical sings.
Cautious clams? Energetic state modifies risk assessment in giant clams
Authors: Hayes H. G. , Hollander E. N. R. , Vydro S. A. , Williams D. M. , Blumstein D. T.
Published: December 2020

A fundamental trade‐off exists between the essential activities of acquiring energy and avoiding predators, thus animals are expected to make decisions that optimize foraging and avoid predation. These assessments are often state‐dependent with hungrier animals taking greater risks when foraging. Previous studies have explored state‐dependent risk assessment in a variety of taxa, yet no studies have focused on giant clams, genus Tridacna. These organisms provide a unique system to test foraging‐risk trade‐offs because they have two main energy sources: photosynthesizing symbiotic algae and siphoning nutrients from the water column. These activities can only occur when the clams’ shells are open and the mantle is vulnerable to predation. Here, we tested whether risk assessment in giant clams was state‐dependent. We designed three experiments of different shading durations (within‐day and multiday) to block photosynthesis while allowing limited water flow for siphoning. We measured the latency of the clams to reopen after a simulated predator touch to determine whether different duration of shading modified their antipredator response. Our single‐day experiment did not show a change in the hiding times across the three treatments. However, clams increased their hiding time as the treatments increased food deprivation (no restrictions on flow or photosynthesis, restriction on flow, restriction on flow and photosynthesis) when exposed to treatments for multiple days. Overall, we found that clams that were more energy‐deprived had a longer hiding time. This contrasts with findings from previous state‐dependent risk assessment literature and suggests that clams are more cautious when energy deprived, a result that may be generalizable to other sessile invertebrates.
Racial disparity in healthcare utilization among patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome: results from a multicenter cohort
Authors: Silvernale Casey , Kuo Braden , Staller Kyle
Published: December 2020

Background

Racial disparity in healthcare is defined as differences in healthcare services received by racial groups not due to difference in needs or preferences. As irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is highly correlated with social factors, healthcare disparities are important factors in the sociocultural model of IBS. We used healthcare utilization as a lens to examine potential racial disparities in IBS.

Methods

We retrospectively matched 3823 IBS minority patients who self‐identified as “Hispanic,” “Black,” or “Asian” to white IBS controls and examined the number of patients with gastroenterology consults, gastroenterology procedures, and IBS‐related Primary Care visits within each cohort from 2003 to 2017.

Key results

Minority IBS patients were less likely to receive a gastroenterology consult than white IBS controls. Both Black and Asian IBS patients were more likely to have an IBS‐related Primary Care visit than white IBS controls. All 3 minority IBS cohorts received significantly more gastroenterology procedures compared to white IBS controls.

Conclusions & inferences

Minority IBS patients are more likely to receive gastroenterology procedures than white IBS patients. Further studies are needed to determine whether increased procedure likelihood in minority IBS patients represents a communication gap between minority patients and their providers or patient preference.
Suicidal ideation across race in a justice‐involved sample: An item response theory approach
Authors: Ruchensky Jared R. , Balsis Steve , Edens John F. , Douglas Kevin S.
Published: December 2020

Objectives

Compared to community samples, rates of suicide are much higher in forensic and correctional settings, yet limited research has focused on the development and improvement of suicide assessment methods used in such contexts. Moreover, despite evidence that suicide assessment varies across Caucasians and African Americans, to our knowledge this important issue has received little attention within higher risk correctional samples. We used Item Response Theory and Differential Item Functioning analyses to address this gap within the literature.

Method

Specifically, we examined the psychometric properties of the Suicidal Ideation scale of the Personality Assessment Inventory (Morey, 2007) in a large sample of justice‐involved individuals.

Results

Caucasians report greater suicidal ideation compared to African American participants on average. However, after controlling for mean differences, Caucasians and African Americans differentially endorsed symptoms of suicidal ideation. If the level of suicidal ideation is held constant across racial categories, Caucasians underreported suicidal ideation relative to African Americans.

Conclusion

Results suggest a nuanced picture of suicidal ideation across racial categories that can be informed by Item Response Theory approaches to scale construction and refinement.
Molecular phylogenetics of Doraditos (Aves, Pseudocolopteryx): Evolution of cryptic species, vocal and mechanical sounds
Authors: Jordan Emilio A. , Tello José G. , Benítez Saldívar María Juliana , Areta Juan I.
Published: December 2020

While bird vocalizations (produced by the syrinx) have been the focus of countless studies, mechanical sounds (produced by external body structures) have received much less attention. In particular, the evolutionary interplay between these two modes of acoustic communication remains largely unstudied. Here, we present the first species‐level molecular phylogeny of the doraditos (Pseudocolopteryx), reconstruct the evolutionary history of acoustic vocal and non‐vocal characters, elucidate their relationship to feather modifications and aerial displays, and explore the influence of acoustics in the speciation of cryptic species. Our well‐resolved phylogeny using four genes (ND2, COI, MB and ODC), recovered the monophyly of Pseudocolopteryx, resolving the relationships among its five species: ((((P. sclateri) P. acutipennis) P. dinelliana) P. citreola, P. flaviventris). Repetition and translocation of acoustic elements were commonplace in the evolution of Pseudocolopteryx. Songs were composed of introductory syllables and a final flourish. Bill‐snapping sounds of P. sclateri were functionally homologous to introductory vocal syllables of the other species. The song of P. dinelliana evolved to high levels of complexity and repetition and is the syntactically most complex song in Pseudocolopteryx (and perhaps in the Tyrannidae). Aerial displays, mechanical wing sounds and modifications of primary feathers coevolved in three species: P. sclateri, P. acutipennis and P. dinelliana. Wing sounds documented for P. acutipennis and P. dinelliana differed markedly, and their production mechanisms might differ. The two cryptic and sibling species P. flaviventris and P. citreola diverged ∽60,000 Ya were not reciprocally monophyletic and are a case of extremely rapid evolutionary acoustic differentiation with morphological stasis.
Performance Tests on Gas Storage Wells With/Without Thread Defects
Authors: Duan Zhixiang , Shi Kun
Published: December 2020

Gas storage well (GSW) is a type of underground pressure vessel. A series of fatigue and burst tests have been carried out on the simplified gas storage wells with/without thread defects. It can be concluded from the test results that: 1) the quality of the threads and the connecting torque of the threads are the key factor influencing the sealing performance and fatigue property of gas storage wells, the technical requirement of which should be described in the design documents. 2) Under the limited pressure, the threads failure first. The failure mode is pulling-out or leakage. 3) The positions such as connection of well pipe to coupling, connection of well pipe to well head equipment, connection of coupling to well bottom equipment, are the weak parts of the gas storage well. More attention should be paid on these parts in time of designing and in service inspection. 4) for the GSW with only axial thread defect (defect depth < thread height, defect length < thread axial length), the fatigue cycles can be higher than 30,000 and the ultimate strength can be basically equal to the one of the GSW without defects.
Bioacoustics and machine learning for automated avian species monitoring in global biodiversity hotspots
Authors: Zhong Ming , Taylor Ruth , Christey Damian , Palkovitz Shane , Bates Naomi , Dodhia Rahul , Lavista Ferres Juan
Published: December 2020

The complex realities of changing climate and biodiversity are often imperfectly understood. As a conservation tool, bioacoustic monitoring with machine learning (ML) models can provide valuable insights for informed decision making in conservation efforts. In this study, we built deep convolutional neural networks to classify calls of two rare bird species detected in ambient field recordings from the mountains of Nepal. With limited amount of training data, we used data augmentation techniques to effectively increase the size of training set and thus boost the model performance. The model output provides insights of species activity and abundance over time across multiple ecosystems, which can be used as a biodiversity change indicator, and also helps scientists and conservation experts to better understand species behavior, diversity, and habitat preference. This modeling methodology and its framework can be easily adopted by other acoustic classification problems.
Sediment sound speeds from a monostatic (multibeam) sonar
Authors: Holland Charles W. , Pinson Samuel
Published: December 2020

Time-averaged sediment layer sound speeds, or interval velocities are generally obtained from source-receiver separations at various offsets. In marine environments, the traditional measurement technique employs a towed broadband source and a long towed receive array, often kilometers in length. A method is described for estimating interval velocities using a simpler, monostatic configuration. The method is first tested using simulated data from various layered seabed structures with roughness at each interface; the resulting estimated interval velocity is within less than 1% of the true value. Monostatic measured data from the Gulf of Lion are also presented which exhibit many characteristics similar to the simulated data. The method applied to the measured data yield an interval velocity of 1569 m/s in an 18 m sediment layer. This accords with nearby independent data from cores and wide-angle reflection analysis. [Work supported by ONR Littoral Geosciences and Optics program.]
Acoustic scattering from cylinders for aquaculture applications
Authors: Al Mursaline Miad , Stanton Timothy K. , Lavery Andone C. , Fischell Erin M.
Published: December 2020

In aquaculture farms, long-lines are used to grow kelp for food, pharmaceuticals, and biofuel. As these farms become larger and move offshore, acoustic sensing with high-frequency broadband echosounders is likely a scalable option for large-scale monitoring, making understanding of the scattering properties of the long-lines critical. However, the boundary conditions for the long-lines are complicated, and field data show that the long-lines occupy only a small number of Fresnel zones. To determine the influence of Fresnel zone interference, cylindrical targets with known boundary conditions but a small number of Fresnel zones insonified were studied. Using a formulation involving a monopole line source and an infinitely long cylinder excited at normal incidence relative to the cylinder axis, an apparent volume flow is derived for the case of a spherically spreading source with Bessel function transceiver directivity. Element pressure derived using this volume flow is integrated along the length of the cylinder to yield the scattered field. Theoretical results using this method are validated experimentally at angles near normal incidence. The theoretical formulation is then extended for larger angles by deriving the volume flow based on the analytic solution to an obliquely excited infinite elastic cylinder. [Work funded by ARPA-E.]
Application-specific pulse-echo ultrasound image reconstruction using neural networks
Authors: Hyun Dongwoon , Brickson Leandra , Abou-Elkacem Lotfi , Bam Rakesh , Herickhoff Carl , Looby Kevin , Dahl Jeremy
Published: December 2020

Deep neural networks (DNNs) have recently emerged as powerful function approximators that can learn to transform given inputs into desired outputs when provided with enough training samples. Ultrasound B-mode images are traditionally formed using the delay-and-sum beamformer to display the echogenicity (i.e., backscattering strength) of the medium. Advanced beamformers are often designed to improve indirect metrics of image quality such as lesion detectability and point target resolution. Here, we describe how DNNs can be trained directly to minimize errors in the output images as compared to the ground truth targets and present recent work with DNNs for two specific applications. A simple convolutional DNN was trained to accurately estimate echogenicity for B-mode imaging using Field II simulations; the DNN produced speckle-reduced B-mode images of data acquired in simulations, phantoms, and in vivo. Similarly, a similar DNN was trained to detect targeted microbubbles for ultrasound molecular imaging; the DNN nondestructively detected microbubbles with similar performance to a state-of-the-art destructive imaging technique while enabling real-time molecular imaging.
A fast and efficient ultrasound tomography using deep learning
Authors: Prasad Sumukha , Almekkawy Mohamed
Published: December 2020

The potential of ultrasound tomography (UT) has been noticed to quantify the tissue acoustic properties for advanced clinical diagnosis. Conventionally, UT is a full-wave inversion (FWI) problem which is addressed through iterative methods formulated as an optimization problem. The existing iterative FWI methods are ill-posed and have poor non-linear mapping leading to low-resolution UT images with artifacts while also being computationally expensive. Recently, deep learning networks have proven their capabilities in solving many complex problems. We propose to incorporate the novelty of deep learning in UT, i.e., leveraging its potential to overcome ill-posedness and learn the direct representation mapping from the time-series sensor data to the spatial acoustical image of the region of interest. We built a deep learning model using an encoder-decoder architecture with a convolutional neural network (CNN). But CNNs are known to introduce artifacts so we employ a locally connected conditional random field (CRF) on top of the CNNs to enhance the UT image. The proposed CRF-CNN shows the feasibility of performing UT directly with deep learning with promising results with 9% more accuracy while the computational time is reduced to 3 min on synthetic ultrasound data.
Review of truncation techniques for full and half space acoustic problems
Authors: Herring Jensen Mads Jakob , Garcia Andres , Shaposhnikov Kirill , Svensson Elin
Published: December 2020

Many acoustic problems involve modeling radiation or scattering phenomena, including transducer characterization and design, sonar applications, or studying the human HRTF. In all cases open non-reflecting conditions or truncation techniques need to be set up when using numerical simulation methods. Several methods exist to model the open domain depending on the used numerical technique. In this contribution we will present and study the performance of several of these methods under various conditions. This includes radiation boundary conditions, perfectly matched layers, hybrid finite element (FEM) and boundary element (BEM) setups, as well as other sponge or absorbing layer methods. These will be applied to both frequency domain and time domain problems. Of particular interest will also be the application of the truncation techniques to half space scattering problems encountered in the analysis of absorption or transmission characteristics. In these setups oblique angles of incidence exist, which leads to numerical challenges.
Damage size quantification in one-dimensional bar using nonlinear ultrasonics
Authors: Ghodake Pravinkumar R. , Kulkarni Salil S.
Published: December 2020

The problem of finding the size of localized damage in a one-dimensional bar using nonlinear ultrasonics is explored in this study. The damaged region is considered as a material with both quadratic as well as cubic nonlinearity, considered separately, located between two linear elastic regions. Two different inverse problems are formulated depending on the type of material nonlinearity assumed for the damaged region. The inverse problem is formulated considering both the backscattered and transmitted waves which are functions of input frequency, linear wave velocity and damage size. The inverse problem is reformulated as an optimization problem in order to circumvent the problem of non-uniqueness of the solution. Gradient and non-gradient based methods are used to solve the optimization problem. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated numerically by solving the inverse problems by using synthetic data generated by first solving the forward problems. The robustness of the solution is also verified by adding noise to the synthetic data. It is observed that for the case of quadratically nonlinear damage, at least two independent experiments are needed to find the solution, but for cubically nonlinear case only one experiment is sufficient for most of the cases.
Ultrasonic differential travel time flow measurement in liquids with suspended granular solids
Authors: Deffenbaugh Max , Thiel Timothy , Gooneratne Chinthaka , Williams Albert J.
Published: December 2020

Flow rates in homogeneous liquids can be determined by simultaneously transmitting ultrasonic pulses in opposite directions along the same path and measuring the travel time difference between the pulses travelling with versus against the flow. We discuss the feasibility of extending this measurement technique to flows of a liquid with suspended granular solids. Two new factors limit the accuracy of the flow measurement for this mixture. First, the solids cause spreading and attenuation of the ultrasonic pulse, reducing the travel time measurement accuracy. Second, the flow moves slightly over the travel time of the pulse, such that the oppositely directed pulses do not encounter exactly the same medium. We present lab experiments on a liquid with suspended granular solids similar to the drilling fluids which are circulated through the bit during the drilling of oil and gas wells. The flow measurement accuracy is predicted as a function of the wavelength, grain size, volume fraction of solids, path length and flow velocity.
Pitch shifts and peak selection in autocorrelation models of pitch perception
Authors: Dahlbom David A. , Braasch Jonas
Published: December 2020

The standard autocorrelation (AC) model of pitch perception is capable of predicting a wide range of pitch phenomena, but there are a number of pitch-shift effects that it fails to predict. One of these is the pitch shift associated with a single mistuned harmonic, another noise edge pitch (NEP). A recent extension of the model by Hartmann et al. [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 145, 1993–2008 (2019)] employs a method that considers multiple peaks in the AC function, enabling the prediction of NEP. This extension, however, reduces the ability of the model to predict mistuned harmonic pitch. It can be shown that an additional extension to the AC model, which modifies the peak selection process, is capable of predicting both types of pitch shift. Specifically, a delay time is assigned to a peak of the AC function in a manner that takes into account the entire shape of the bump surrounding a local maximum. The end result is closely related to a template fitting procedure in the frequency domain, but it is suggested that such a procedure could correspond to processes in the time domain. The neuronal dynamics that support synchrony enhancement are suggested as a possible mechanism.
Short-term audibility is a better predictor of vocoded speech-in-speech recognition than long-term target-to-masker ratio
Authors: Bosen Adam K. , Buss Emily
Published: December 2020

Under natural listening conditions, speech is often heard in competing speech. In this case, the audibility of the target speech depends on short-term level fluctuations in both the target and the masker. In this experiment, we tested whether short-term audibility was a better predictor of speech-in-speech recognition than the average long-term target-to-masker ratio. 21 young adults with normal hearing listened to frozen combinations of PRESTO sentences and two-talker masking speech presented at average target-to-masker ratios between +10 and 0 dB in 2 dB steps. Frozen stimuli were vocoded with a 16-channel sine wave vocoder to discretize temporal envelope interactions between target and masker across frequencies. For each frozen stimulus we calculated short-term audibility as the proportion of time the envelope of the target speech was greater than the envelope of the masker within and across vocoder channels. Even though long-term target-to-masker ratios were set to a fixed value for each frozen stimulus, short-term audibility varied substantially across stimuli with the same target-to-masker ratio. Short-term audibility was also better predictor of speech recognition for each combination than long-term target-to-masker ratio. We conclude that short-term audibility quantifies interactions in level between fluctuating targets and maskers, whereas long-term target-to-masker ratio does not.
Damped ultrasonic vibro-acoustic behavior of temporal bone structures
Authors: Dumm Christopher M. , Hiers Anna C. , Maupin David B. , Vipperman Jeffrey S. , Klinzing George E. , Balaban Carey D.
Published: December 2020

Little research exists describing how the human auditory and vestibular systems respond to higher intensity pressure at ultrasonic frequencies. In large part, this literature gap arises from the well-known attenuation of frequencies higher than 20 kHz by the air-conduction hearing path. Most studies of bone-conducted sound also avoid characterization of ultrasonic sound transmission, in part because the basilar membrane of the cochlea is seen as a physical Fourier analyzer which does not have sensitivity above 20 kHz. We used finite-element modeling of human and macaque intracranial structures to investigate transmission of modulated airborne ultrasound signals in the skull base, middle ear, and inner ear. Even in the presence of soft tissue damping, a family of resonant structural features could locally amplify sound within ultrasonic frequency range. High-amplitude, air-propagated ultrasound carrier signals, heterodyned with audio-band signals, may be able to use these resonant features to deliver perceptible signals to the cochlea without activation of the vestibular sensors. These principles offer the potential to develop new, less obtrusive, noncontact equipment enabling personal communication. [Work supported by ONR Grant N00014-18-1-2157.]