bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Forward projection of transient signals obtained from a fiber-optic pressure sensor
Authors: Clement G. T. , Liu R. , Letcher S. V. , Stepanishen P. R.
Published: July 2002

An analytical/experimental approach is presented to reconstruct the space–time pressure field in a plane and forward project the resultant space–time pressure field using tomographic and wave vector time-domain methods. Transient pressure signals from an underwater ultrasonic planar transducer are first measured using a line fiber-optic pressure sensor which is scanned across a plane at a fixed distance z0 from the transducer. The resulting spatial line integrals in the plane are time-dependent signals which are first used to reconstruct the space–time pressure field in the plane via simply implemented tomographic methods. These signals are then used to forward project the space–time pressure field to arbitrary planes employing a wave vector time-domain method. Verification of the method is first presented using synthetic signals and the impulse response approach. An experimental verification of the approach is then presented using an ultrasonic planar transducer. The results of the projected and experimental fields are compared at various distances for synthetic signals and experimental data. Good correlation is found between the calculated, projected, and experimental data.
Numerical simulation of the acoustic field of a phased-array medical ultrasound scanner
Authors: Cahill Mark D. , Baker Andrew C.
Published: July 2002

In order to evaluate the possible side effects of diagnostic medical ultrasound, and in particular the effects of nonlinear propagation of sound, it is necessary to characterize the scanners used. To this end, the acoustic field emitted by a phased-array Hitachi EUB-26 ultrasound scanner operating in a strongly focused mode was measured a small distance from the scanner head, and the velocity field at the surface of the head deduced. A finite difference model was then used to propagate the pressure field beyond the focus, taking into account nonlinear effects, attenuation and diffraction, and the result compared with observations in water, giving reasonable agreement out to the scanplane focus. The extrapolated field was then examined in detail, revealing those regions in which most power is lost to the medium, some of which are off-axis, and so might not be detected by normal calibration procedures.
Diffuser assessment using surface spherical harmonics
Authors: Angus James A. S.
Published: July 2002

The problem of deriving a diffusion figure of merit may be alleviated by forming a continuous, functional representation of its polar pattern, expressing the polar patterns mathematically, as a continuous function of direction. This paper develops a form of continuous, orthogonal representation by expressing a diffusers polar pattern as a weighted sum of surface spherical harmonics (a hierarchical set of basis functions which are orthogonal upon the surface of a sphere). The surface spherical harmonic weights can be calculated from a limited set of experimental measurements by means of a discrete Fourier analysis. The resulting spherical harmonic representation is continuous, yielding a modeled polar pattern for any arbitrary direction. It is also hierarchical, in that the more harmonics that are included the greater the accuracy of the model, and has a meaningful spatial structure, with particular surface spherical harmonic weights expressing particular patterns of directional variation in the polar pattern. The paper first explains surface spherical harmonics and a means of efficiently deriving them from measured or calculated data. The implication and applications to diffuser assessment are then discussed and finally some results of the analysis applied to diffuser assessment are presented.
Discriminability of vowel representations in cat auditory-nerve fibers after acoustic trauma
Authors: Miller Roger L. , Calhoun Barbara M. , Young Eric D.
Published: July 2002

This paper attempts to connect deficits seen in the neural representation of speech with perceptual deficits. Responses of auditory-nerve fibers were studied in cats exposed to acoustic trauma. Four synthetic steady-state vowels were used as test signals; these stimuli are identical, except that the second formant (F2) resonator in the synthesizer was set to 1.4, 1.5, 1.7, or 2 kHz, producing four spectra that differ mainly in the vicinity of the F2 frequency. These stimuli were presented to a large population (523) of auditory-nerve fibers in four cats with sloping high-frequency threshold shifts that reached 50–70 dB at 2–4 kHz. In normal animals, [Auditory Neurosci. 3, 135–162 (1996)] showed previously that the discharge rates of fibers with best frequencies near the F2 frequencies provide enough information to allow discrimination of these stimuli at the performance levels shown by cats in behavioral experiments. Here it is shown that, after acoustic trauma, there is essentially no rate information which would allow the vowels with different F2 frequencies to be discriminated. However, information that could allow discrimination remains in the temporal (phase-locked) aspects of the responses.
Adaptive compensation of noise in a sonar system
Authors: Wicker Kai , Arens Egidius
Published: July 2002

The performance of a sonar system on a ship is strongly influenced or even limited by its own and other ship’s noise. Its own noise can have different sound sources. The engine causes disturbing line spectra, the auxiliary equipment can radiate both harmonic signals and white or colored noise signals. Due to the viscous flow during ship movement, disturbing noise can also arise. Interaction between the hydrodynamic flow and the whole ship structure can excite the ship’s own modes, which results in strong natural oscillations (flow noise-induced resonances). Additionally, other loud ships can disturb the sonar processing, too. An adaptive noise reduction method is presented. It is suited to reduce a ship’s own machinery noise, and, with slight variations, also jamming targets. The output of the adaptive method can be calculated in the time domain as well as in the frequency domain. Working in the time-domain, techniques are available which reduce the numerical expense, but some reasons suggest the calculation in the frequency domain. Calculations based on both simulated data and real data recorded at sea are presented.
Assessment of musical instrument quality criteria: The notion of ‘‘openness’’ for a trumpet
Authors: Causse Rene , Begnis Camille , Misdariis Nicolas
Published: July 2002

Judgment of musical instrument quality is a complex process that implies criteria relating to the nature of the sound produced (accuracy, timbre, ...) but also sensations closely linked to the contact between the instrument and the musician (ease of playing, ...). From this viewpoint, a set of trumpets was studied [Causse et al. (1995)]: from playing tests carried out by professional trumpet players, attempts were made, on the one hand, to define subjective factors they used in their judgments and, on the other hand, to correlate these factors with geometrical or acoustical parameters. This preliminary study led to three notions implied in this judgment process, among which was the sound volume, and to propose, for each of them, a significant physical interpretation. Following this study, the sound volume, which is an important component of the trumpet player’s vocabulary and which seems to be associated with a broader notion of openness, was focused on. Different possible interpretations of openness, through a questionnaire, followed by an experimental procedure (playing and hearing tests), were explored. In addition, complementary measurements were done in order to propose a more precise physical interpretation. The first results obtained from the second study will be presented and discussed.
Binaural room scanning—A new tool for acoustic and psychoacoustic research
Authors: Mackensen Philip , Felderhof Uwe , Theile Günther , Horbach Ulrich , Pellegrini Renato
Published: July 2002

A new technology called ‘‘binaural room scanning’’ (BRS) is introduced, allowing real-time virtual loudspeaker reproduction in any virtual room. It is based on a special convolution algorithm for auralization and on the involvement of spontaneous head movements by means of a head-tracking system. A complete set of relevant dummy head HRTFs is measured for each loudspeaker and the resulting response in the original room. The data are stored and used for convolution. Thus the BRS system does not apply room synthesis methods (e.g., ray-tracing), but, in contrast, enables accurate virtual binaural listening in a real (cloned) loudspeaker reproduction room. Since natural head movements are realizable in the simulated sound field, it offers new possibilities in the application of listening tests, not only in the area of room acoustics and loudspeaker reproduction, but also for psychoacoustic research. Examples will be reported.
Phenomenological theory of the translational relaxation times in gases
Authors: Zuckerwar Allan J.
Published: July 2002

The exact solution to the classical equations governing the translational dispersion and absorption of sound in a gas obscures its relaxational character because of its mathematical complexity. The approach taken here is to solve the secular equation by the method of Padé approximants, which even to the relatively low order R11 yields a remarkably close approximation to the exact solution over a wide range of frequency/pressure (f/P) ratios. As a result, translational relaxation can be formulated in terms of a conventional relaxation process with well-defined relaxation times, relaxation strength, collision numbers, additivity relations, etc. To extend the theory to high values of f/P ratio, a model is proposed to account for the noncontinuum behavior of the transport coefficients (viscosity and thermal conductivity) as the molecular mean free path approaches the acoustical enclosure dimensions. The theoretical dispersion and absorption show good agreement with measurements in argon over the classical and transition regions of f/P, but a discrepancy appears at higher values of f/P, where collective propagating modes, assumed in the theory, give way to single-particle modes, prevailing in the experiments.
Phoneme recognition by cochlear implant users as a function of signal-to-noise ratio and nonlinear amplitude mapping
Authors: Fu Qian-Jie , Shannon Robert V.
Published: July 2002

The present study measured phoneme recognition as a function of signal-to-noise levels when different nonlinear loudness mapping functions were implemented in three cochlear implant users using a 4-channel continuous interleaved sampler (CIS) strategy. Results show that phoneme recognition scores in quiet vary only slightly when different amplitude mappings from highly compressive to weakly compressive are applied. As the level of background noise is increased, recognition scores decrease more rapidly for the strongly compressive mapping than for the weakly compressive mapping. Results indicate that, although a strongly compressive mapping between acoustic and electric amplitude produces slightly better performance in quiet, a less compressive mapping may be beneficial for implant listeners in noisy listening conditions.
Criteria for designing multiple-sprung masses for wideband noise control
Authors: Maidanik G. , Becker K. J.
Published: July 2002

In a companion paper the characterization of a multiple-sprung masses design for wideband noise control is presented. The characterization is largely conducted in terms of the point impedance of a set of sprung masses. The sprung masses in the set are collectively acting at a point. In that companion paper the dependencies of the joint impedance on the number of sprung masses, the modal overlap factors, the total mass, and the resonance frequency distribution are of particular interest. In the present paper this characterization of a set of sprung masses is utilized to define a number of design criteria that determine the potential viability of the set as a noise control device. In the final analysis, the device must be assessed in an in situ setting. In that setting the device is tested in terms of the overall gain. The determination of the overall gain requires, in addition to the joint impedance of the device, the impedance of the hosting master structure at the point of attachment. (The device is meant to control the noise in the master structure.) It is argued that although the overall gain is the final judge, the potential viability of a device may be a useful critique of the intended performance of the device. In this vein, a viability and a criterion of promise are defined to assist with the design processes of this noise control device. In assessing the viability and in satisfying the criterion of promise, the desired characteristics in a set of sprung masses can be judicially selected.
Measurement and prediction of diffuse fields in structures
Authors: Evans M. J. , Cawley P.
Published: July 2002

Measurements and predictions of the response of a variety of plain and coupled plates when excited by a point source have been reported. Tests on plain plates showed that a diffuse field was generated within the first 30 wave transits across the plate. In plates coupled by a thin ligament, around 50 wave transits across one of the substructures was required for a diffuse field to be established in the whole system. This is equivalent to about 25 transits across the whole plate so the time required to set up a diffuse field was not significantly affected, even when the ligament width was only 2.5% of the total plate width. Tests on plates bolted or adhesively bonded together showed that in both cases, although a diffuse field was established in each of the substructures, the damping was too great for a diffuse field to be set up in the whole structure. Tests on stepped plates have shown that the measured surface amplitudes in the thinner sections tend to be much larger than those in the thick sections, but that the energy in the thinner sections is only slightly larger than that in a thick section of similar plan area. The field is not diffuse in the sense that the amplitude or energy density is the same throughout the coupled structure, but the field is diffuse in each substructure.
Reduced models for structures in the medium-frequency range coupled with internal acoustic cavities
Authors: Soize Christian
Published: July 2002

This paper concerns the development of a method adapted for constructing reduced models in the medium-frequency range to a general three-dimensional dissipative structure consisting of an anisotropic, inhomogeneous, viscoelastic bounded medium coupled with an internal acoustic cavity. The reduced models are obtained using the Ritz–Galerkin method for which the projection subspace corresponds to the dominant eigensubspace of the energy operator of the structure in the medium-frequency band of analysis. Two fundamental cases are considered: (1) both the structure and the internal acoustic cavity have a medium-frequency behavior in the frequency band of analysis; (2) the structure has a medium-frequency behavior in the frequency band of analysis while the internal acoustic cavity has a low-frequency behavior.
The sensitivity of structural acoustic response to attachment feature scale representation
Authors: Cunefare Kenneth A. , De Rosa Sergio
Published: July 2002

This paper presents a technique to assess the impact on model fidelity introduced through discretization of attachments on harmonically forced fluid-loaded structural acoustic models. While fluid loading is included, it is not a requirement or restriction to the methods presented. The perspective taken is one of knowledge of a reference state, with a desire to determine the impact on the total radiated acoustic power due to perturbations in the reference state. Such perturbations change the predicted resonance frequencies of a structure under consideration and, hence, change the predicted response amplitudes. The method uses a single degree of freedom response model in the local region of each fluid-loaded resonance, coupled with eigenvalue sensitivities, to estimate the perturbation impact. The sensitivity of the eigenvalues to changes in model detail is derived based on variations in the spatial representation of attached features (e.g., point versus distributed attachments). Elements of the analysis method are not necessarily restricted to model perturbations nor acoustic power, rather they may be used to assess the perturbation of any quadratic response quantity of interest due to changes in resonance frequency. The analysis reveals that the bandwidth of response perturbation increases with increasing resonance frequency. For frequencies within ±5% of a resonance frequency, the amount of damping in the system determines and limits the magnitude of the response perturbation. The perturbation outside the range of ±5% of the resonance frequency is relatively insensitive to damping. The SDOF analysis method is limited by its assumption of constant modal forcing between the reference and perturbed states.
Detection of quasitrapezoidal frequency and amplitude modulation
Authors: Sek Aleksander , Moore Brian C. J.
Published: July 2002

It has been proposed that the detection of frequency modulation (FM) of sinusoidal carriers can be mediated by two mechanisms; a place mechanism based on FM-induced amplitude modulation (AM) in the excitation pattern, and a temporal mechanism based on phase locking in the auditory nerve. The temporal mechanism appears to be “sluggish” and does not play a role for FM rates above about 10 Hz. It also does not play a role for high carrier frequencies (above about 5 kHz). This experiment provided a further test of the hypothesis that the effectiveness of the temporal mechanism depends upon the time spent close to frequency extremes during the modulation cycle. Psychometric functions for the detection of AM and FM were measured for two carrier frequencies, 1 and 6 kHz. The modulation waveform was quasitrapezoidal. Within each modulation period, P, a time TSS was spent at each extreme of frequency or amplitude. The transitions between the extremes, with duration Ttrans had the form of a half-cycle of a cosine function. The modulation rate was 2, 5, 10, or 20 Hz, giving values of P of 500, 200, 100, and 50 ms. TSS varied from 0 ms (sinusoidal modulation) up to 160, 80, 40, or 20 ms, for rates of 2, 5, 10, and 20 Hz, respectively. The detectability of AM was not greatly affected by modulation rate or by the value of TSS, except for a slight improvement with increasing TSS for the lowest modulation rates; this was true for both carrier frequencies. For FM of the 6-kHz carrier, the pattern of results was similar to that found for AM, which is consistent with an excitation-pattern model of FM detection. For FM of the 1-kHz carrier, performance improved markedly with increasing TSS, especially for the lower FM rates; there was no change in performance with TSS for the 20-Hz modulation rate. The results are consistent with the idea that detection of FM of a 1-kHz carrier is partly mediated by a sluggish temporal mechanism. That mechanism benefits from greater time spent at frequency extremes of the modulation cycle for rates up to 10 Hz.
The influence of aspirin on temporal effects in simultaneous masking with noise and tonal maskers
Authors: Bacon Sid P. , Hicks Michelle L.
Published: July 2002

Temporal effects in simultaneous masking were measured before and during the administration of a moderate dose of aspirin that caused about 5–15 dB of temporary hearing loss. The 10-ms, 4.0-kHz signal was presented at the beginning or in the temporal center of a 400-ms masker. The masker was either a broadband noise presented at a spectrum level of 10 or 20 dB SPL or a tone with a frequency of 5.2, 5.4, or 5.6 kHz presented at a level of 80 dB SPL. Consistent with previous results [D. McFadden and C. A. Champlin, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 87, 2634–2642 (1990)], aspirin tended to reduce the temporal effect with the broadband masker (i.e., the overshoot) by decreasing the threshold for the signal at masker onset. Aspirin also tended to reduce the temporal effect in the presence of the tonal masker, but in this case by increasing the threshold for the signal in the temporal center and, to a lesser extent, at masker onset. This differential effect of aspirin suggests that the mechanisms underlying the two temporal effects may differ. [Work supported by NIDCD.]
Forensic models for recorded acoustic gunshot signals
Authors: Beck Steven D. , Nakason Hirotaka , Kalb Joel T.
Published: July 2002

Forensic analysis of recorded acoustic gunshot signals requires knowledge of the acoustic sources and a fundamental understanding of the impulse waveforms and the physical factors affecting their characteristics. A data collection experiment was designed and conducted with the underlying purpose of determining if models can be developed to predict acoustic waveform characteristics under a set of controlled conditions. Weapons ranging from handguns to military style rifles were fired at an outdoor range and recorded under free-field conditions using microphones located at multiple range and bearing positions. Using these data, multiple discrete signal events are identified in a gunshot, and the waveform characteristics are measured. Traditional matched-filter and correlation-based matching techniques are shown to be not effective for analyzing and discriminating among gunshot signals. Instead, parametric models for these signals are developed and empirically tested. In general, the measured results conformed to the model predictions. A novel procedure is developed to decompose a superposition of signal events from a recorded gunshot waveform using adaptive physics-based wavelets. Finally, forensic procedures are developed that incorporate prior knowledge in the analysis of recorded acoustic gunshot signals.
Intensity discrimination and detection of amplitude modulation in electric hearing
Authors: Donaldson Gail S. , Viemeister Neal F.
Published: July 2002

Wojtczak and Viemeister [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 106, 1917–1924 (1999)] demonstrated a close relationship between intensity difference limens (DLs) and 4-Hz amplitude modulation (AM) detection thresholds in normal-hearing acoustic listeners. The present study demonstrates a similar relationship between intensity DLs and AM detection thresholds in cochlear-implant listeners, for gated stimuli. This suggests that acoustic and cochlear-implant listeners make use of a similar decision variable to perform intensity discrimination and modulation detection tasks. It can be shown that the absence of compression in electric hearing does not preclude this possibility.
Comparative Studies of Some Simple Viscoelastic Theories
Authors: Tanner R. I.
Published: July 2002

Some current simple integral theories of the Lodge type are compared in simple shearing, small sinusoidal shearing, combined simple and sinusoidal shearing, cessation and start of simple shearing, finite amplitude sinusoidal shearing, and simple elongational motions. Of the simpler models only the recently proposed network-rupture theory shows a realistic response in elongational flows; in the other flows it gives a reasonable prediction of experimental results from poly-isobutylene-cetane solutions.
The use of line spectra in the estimation of the zero-shear-rate steady-state fluidity and of the steady-state compliance
Authors: Emri I. , Tschoegl N. W.
Published: July 2002

Determination of the retardation line spectra from data on both the storage and the loss compliances of a rheodictic material may yield an acceptable estimate of the zero-shear-rate stead-state fluidity (the reciprocal of the zero-shear-rate steady-state viscosity), even when the loss compliance data do not extend sufficiently far into the flow region to determine it from the loss asymptote. The same calculations also furnish an estimate of the difference between the steady-state and the glassy compliance. The zero-shear-rate steady-state viscosity can be obtained from the storage and loss moduli by first converting them to the compliances. This route is preferable to the traditional ways of estimating it via summation or integration, because those routes yield an acceptable value for the viscosity only when the experimental window is ‘‘pseudoinfinite,’’ i.e., it spans a sufficiently large portion of the frequency scale to approach effectively the ‘‘infinite’’ window extending on the logarithmic frequency scale from minus to plus infinity.
Prevalence of Age-Related Macular Degeneration in the US in 2019
Authors: Rein David B. , Wittenborn John S , Burke-Conte Zeb , Gulia Rohit , Robalik Toshana , Ehrlich Joshua R. , Lundeen Elizabeth A. , Flaxman Abraham D.
Published: November 2022

Importance

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of vision loss and blindness. AMD prevalence has not been estimated for the US in over a decade and early-stage AMD prevalence estimates are scarce and inconsistently measured.

Objective

To produce estimates of early- and late-stage AMD prevalence overall and by age, gender, race and ethnicity, county, and state.

Design, Setting, and Participants

The study team conducted a bayesian meta-regression analysis of relevant data sources containing information on the prevalence of AMD among different population groups in the US.

Data Sources

We included data from the American Community Survey (2019), the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005-2008), US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services claims for fee-for-service beneficiaries (2018), and population-based studies (2004-2016).

Study Selection

We included all relevant data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vision and Eye Health Surveillance System.

Data Extraction and Synthesis

The prevalence of early- and late-stage AMD was estimated and stratified when possible by factors including county, age group, gender, and race and ethnicity. Data analysis occurred from June 2021 to April 2022.

Main Outcomes or Measures

The prevalence of early- (defined as retinal pigment epithelium abnormalities or the presence of drusen 125 or more microns in diameter in either eye) and late-stage (defined as choroidal neovascularization and/or geographic atrophy in either eye) manifestations of AMD.

Results

This study used data from nationally representative and local population-based studies that represent the populations in which they were conducted. For 2019, we estimated that there were 18.34 million people 40 years and older (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 15.30-22.03) living with early-stage AMD, corresponding to a crude prevalence rate of 11.64% (95% UI, 9.71-13.98). We estimated there were 1.49 million people 40 years and older (95% UI, 0.97-2.15) living with late-stage AMD, corresponding to a crude prevalence rate of 0.94% (95% UI, 0.62-1.36). Prevalence rates of early- and late-stage AMD varied by demographic characteristics and geography.

Conclusions and Relevance

We estimated a higher prevalence of early-stage AMD and a similar prevalence of late-stage AMD as compared with earlier studies. State-level and county-level AMD estimates may help guide public health practice.
Ocular Pox Lesions in a Male Patient With Monkeypox Treated With Tecovirimat
Authors: Rai Ravneet S. , Kahan Elias , Hirsch Bruce , Udell Ira , Hymowitz Maggie
Published: November 2022

This case report describes the treatment of ocular pox lesions with tecovirimat in a male patient with monkeypox infection.
Development and Psychometric Validation of the Taste And Smell Tool for Evaluation (TASTE) Questionnaire
Authors: Niklassen Andreas Steenholt , Christensen Karl Bang , Fjaeldstad Alexander Wieck , Ovesen Therese
Published: November 2022

Importance

The human senses of taste and smell are essential in everyday life. However, as clinical testing of the senses and patient-reported sensory problems are often diverging, additional validated questionnaires are essential for the evaluation of chemosensory impairments.

Objective

To develop an instrument with all relevant domains concerning chemosensory dysfunction and quality of life using modern psychometrics.

Design, Setting, and Participants

The study was designed as a questionnaire study for developing a new instrument. The study started in 2019 and was completed in 2022. Patients with chemosensory dysfunction were recruited from a specialized smell and taste clinic at an ear, nose, and throat department in Denmark. Healthy participants with no history of chemosensory dysfunction were recruited through social media.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Eight domains were included (distorted chemosensation, emotional, food and meals, social, hygiene, danger, work, and relationship), and 35 items were generated based on review of the existing literature and interviews with patients and experts. Participants were tested with the Major Depression Inventory, 36-Item Short Form Health Survey, Taste Sprays, and Sniffin’ Sticks for chemosensory function. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all items. Reliability, internal consistency, and validity were investigated, and a Rasch model was fitted. Healthy controls (n = 39) filled out the questionnaire for comparison of known-groups validity. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed. Finally, item reduction was performed, resulting in a final version with 21 items in 8 domains.

Results

The study included responses from 316 patients, 183 women (58%) and 133 men (42%), with a mean (SD) age of 57 (15.1) years. Rasch model fit was acceptable with P > .05 for all items. An 8-dimensional confirmatory factor analysis model showed a better fit than a bifactor confirmatory factor analysis model. Cronbach α ranged from 0.65 to 0.86. Criterion validity with the Sniffin’ Sticks, Taste Sprays, Major Depression Inventory, and the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey was satisfactory. The test-retest reliability was good in all domains, ranging from 0.55 to 0.86. All domains were discriminative, except the social and work domains.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this survey study, the instrument was validated with 8 domains related to chemosensory dysfunction and quality of life. All items had good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, interitem correlations, item-total correlations, and Rasch model fit. The questionnaire appears suitable for use in clinical and research settings.
Photosensitive and Conductive Hydrogel Induced Innerved Bone Regeneration for Infected Bone Defect Repair
Authors: Jing Xirui , Xu Chao , Su Weijie , Ding Qiuyue , Ye Bing , Su Yanlin , Yu Keda , Zeng Lian , Yang Xu , Qu Yanzhen , Chen Kaifang , Sun Tingfang , Luo Zhiqiang , Guo Xiaodong
Published: November 2022

Repairing infected bone defects is a challenge in the field of orthopedics because of the limited self‐healing capacity of bone tissue and the susceptibility of refractory materials to bacterial activity. Innervation is the initiating factor for bone regeneration and plays a key regulatory role in subsequent vascularization, ossification, and mineralization processes. Infection leads to necrosis of local nerve fibers, impeding the repair of infected bone defects. Herein, a biomaterial that can induce skeletal‐associated neural network reconstruction and bone regeneration with high antibacterial activity is proposed for the treatment of infected bone defects. A photosensitive conductive hydrogel is prepared by incorporating magnesium‐modified black phosphorus (BP@Mg) into gelatin methacrylate (GelMA). The near‐infrared irradiation‐based photothermal and photodynamic treatment of black phosphorus endows it with strong antibacterial activity, improving the inflammatory microenvironment and reducing bacteria‐induced bone tissue damage. The conductive nanosheets and bioactive ions released from BP@Mg synergistically improve the migration and secretion of Schwann cells, promote neurite outgrowth, and facilitate innerved bone regeneration. In an infected skull defect model, the GelMA‐BP@Mg hydrogel shows efficient antibacterial activity and promotes bone and CGRP+ nerve fiber regeneration. The phototherapy conductive hydrogel provides a novel strategy based on skeletal‐associated innervation for infected bone defect repair.
Merging the Interfaces of Different Shape‐Shifting Polymers Using Hybrid Exchange Reactions
Authors: Liang Huan , Zhang Shuai , Liu Yawen , Yang Yang , Zhang Yubai , Wu Yahe , Xu Hongtu , Wei Yen , Ji Yan
Published: November 2022

Sophisticated shape‐shifting structures and integration of advanced functions often call for different‐chemistry‐based polymers (such as epoxy and polyurethane) in a unified system. However, permanent cross‐links pose crucial obstacles to be seamless. Here, merging interfaces via hybrid exchange reactions among different dynamic covalent bonds (including ester, urethane, thiourethane, boronic–ester, and oxime–ester linkages) is proposed, breaking the long‐lasting restriction that these widely used bonds only undergo self‐exchange reactions. Model compound studies are conducted to verify that hybrid exchange reactions occur. As demonstrations, different liquid crystal elastomers are tenaciously joined into coherent assemblies, with the desired biomimetic structures (e.g., flying fish containing stiff and flexible parts) and rare deformation modes (e.g., flower blooming upon both heating and cooling). Besides connecting polymers, hybrid exchange reactions also facilitate the creation of new materials through cross‐fusion of different polymers. In addition to the polymers used in this work, hybrid exchange reactions can be adapted to other polymers based on similar mechanisms and beyond. Besides shape‐shifting‐related areas (e.g., soft robots, flexible electronics, and biomedical devices), it may also foster innovation in other fields involving general polymers, as well as promote deeper understanding of dynamic covalent chemistry.
Low‐Damping Spin‐Wave Transmission in YIG/Pt‐Interfaced Structures
Authors: Serha Rostyslav O. , Bozhko Dmytro A. , Agrawal Milan , Verba Roman V. , Kostylev Mikhail , Vasyuchka Vitaliy I. , Hillebrands Burkard , Serga Alexander A.
Published: November 2022

Magnetic heterostructures consisting of single‐crystal yttrium iron garnet (YIG) films coated with platinum are widely used in spin‐wave experiments related to spintronic phenomena such as the spin‐transfer‐torque, spin‐Hall, and spin‐Seebeck effects. However, spin waves in YIG/Pt bilayers experience much stronger attenuation than in bare YIG films. For micrometer‐thick YIG films, this effect is caused by microwave eddy currents in the Pt layer. This paper reports that by employing an excitation configuration in which the YIG film faces the metal plate of the microstrip antenna structure, the eddy currents in Pt are shunted and the transmission of the Damon–Eschbach surface spin wave is greatly improved. The reduction in spin‐wave attenuation persists even when the Pt coating is separated from the ground plate by a thin dielectric layer. This makes the proposed excitation configuration suitable for injection of an electric current into the Pt layer and thus for application in spintronics devices. The theoretical analysis carried out within the framework of the electrodynamic approach reveals how the platinum nanolayer and the nearby highly conductive metal plate affect the group velocity and the lifetime of the Damon–Eshbach surface wave and how these two wavelength‐dependent quantities determine the transmission characteristics of the spin‐wave device.
Wettability Patternable Hybrid Polymer Films Based on TiO2 and Fluorinated Polymer for Bioelectronics Applications
Authors: Yamamoto Shunsuke , Kai Hiroyuki
Published: November 2022

Organic–inorganic hybrid films based on TiO2 and a fluorinated polymer are fabricated, and their properties are investigated for bioelectronic applications. The analysis revealed that the preparation process requires (1) aging the blend solution before spin coating and (2) spin coating under humid conditions to obtain hydrophobic honeycomb‐like surfaces. Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation changed the surface wettability to hydrophilic, and patterned irradiation resulted in hydrophobic‐hydrophilic surface patterns. Patterned hybrid films have been used as substrates in both open microfluidics and organic electrochemical transistor applications. This multimodal application will open up an integrated biosensing device that collects body fluids and analyzes them on a single platform.
Synthesis of tamarind seed gum‐based semi‐IPN hydrogels with integration of fertilizer retention and anti‐evaporation
Authors: Liu Xiaomei , Feng Tao , Ding Wenbin , Zeng Wei , Wang Na , Yang Fenghong , Yang Cailing , Yang Shenghua , Kong Yanrong , Lei Ziqiang
Published: November 2022

In this article, a tamarind seed gum‐g‐poly (acrylic acid‐co‐2‐Acrylamido‐2‐methyl‐1‐propane sulfonic acid/polyvinyl alcohol) (TSG‐g‐P[AA‐co‐AMPS/PVA]) was prepared by aqueous solution polymerization. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis were used to characterize. The swelling behaviors, reusability and water‐retention capabilities of hydrogels were evaluated. Under optimum synthesis conditions, the maximum equilibrium absorption of hydrogel was 1295 g·g−1, 208 g·g−1, 116 g·g−1 in deionized water, tap water and NaCl solution (0.9 wt%) respectively. Application of the hydrogel to soils increased their water‐holding and fertilizer retention capacities. Furthermore, the excellent water retention anti‐evaporation performance indicated that the hydrogel has the potential for applications in future sustainable agriculture and forestry.
Yunnan–Hong Kong wide field photometric survey
Authors: Gu Shenghong , Wang Xiaobin , Yeung Bill , Ng Eric , Yu Kamfung , Bai Jinming , Fan Yufeng , Sun Leilei , Xiang Yue , Cao Dongtao , Lun Baoli , Xin Yuxin , Wang Chuanjun , Xu Fukun , Liu Yisi
Published: November 2022

We are running a wide field photometric survey under the collaboration between Yunnan Observatories and Hong Kong Astronomical Society with a Centurion 18‐inch telescope at the Lijiang station of Yunnan Observatories, China. Its scientific goals are discovering new transiting exoplanetary systems and other types of variable stars, and studying asteroids of the solar system. The survey was designed to monitor several fixed sky areas through time series photometry with short cadences. Since 2016, numerous observing data have been accumulated and reduced by means of dedicated pipelines to deliver the light curves for tens of thousands objects, which are cross‐matched through the Carlsberg Meridian Catalog 15 or USNO‐B1.0 catalog. Systematic errors and trends that existed in the raw photometric results are simulated through selected reference stars and then removed to improve signal‐to‐noise ratios of the light curves, which is crucial to detect weak signals like exoplanet transits and other variable stars of low amplitudes in brightness variations. The final data products own the photometric precision better than 0.01 magnitude for stars brighter than 13.8 magnitude in the V band. By means of generalized Lomb–Scargle, phase dispersion minimization, and box‐fitting least squares techniques, we have already identified about a thousand of variable stars from the survey, including transiting exoplanet candidates, spotted stars, eclipsing binaries, pulsating stars, and so on. In addition, we have also captured around a thousand of asteroids of the solar system in the survey fields and produced their light curves due to spins.
Comparing the effects of static and dynamic signals during multiple schedules
Authors: Campos Claudia , Bloom Sarah E. , Kollin Lori , Weyman Jennifer R.
Published: November 2022

The extent to which multiple schedules are an effective schedule thinning method following functional communication training (FCT) relies on the control the schedule‐correlated stimuli exert over behavior. Thus, the stimuli used to signal the schedule in place (e.g., reinforcement and extinction) in a multiple schedule arrangement require special attention. To date, the majority of the research on multiple schedules has evaluated the use of different arbitrary signals as schedule‐correlated stimuli (e.g., poster boards). These signals are considered static as they lack movement. More recently, some studies have successfully used dynamic signals, which include movement or animation, within multiple schedule arrangements. However, the extent to which one type of signal may result in faster stimulus control over behavior has not been evaluated. Thus, the purpose of this study was to compare the use of static and dynamic signals as schedule‐correlated stimuli in multiple schedules used within the context of FCT. Four children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder participated in the study. The results suggest that no differences in discriminated manding were observed for three out of four participants. Only dynamic signals resulted in discriminated manding for one participant.
A nonlinear relationship between corporate environmental performance and economic performance of green technology innovation: Moderating effect of government market‐based regulations
Authors: Wang Mingyue , Li Yingming , Wang Zitong
Published: November 2022

Green technology innovation corporates can effectively coordinate the relationship between the environment and the economy, which has been an area of interest among academia and governments. To stimulate the sustainable green technology innovation of corporates, it is necessary to clarify the internal correlation among green technology innovation, environmental performance, and economic performance. Based on the information of 642 industrial corporates obtained from a field investigation in China, this article systematically examines the relationships between corporate green technology innovation and environmental performance, economic performance, and the moderating effect of different governmental market‐based regulations on these relationships. The results show the following. (1) Green technology innovation can significantly improve corporate environmental performance and economic performance. (2) Corporate environmental performance can be transformed into economic performance, and an improvement in environmental performance leads to an increase in the economic performance produced by unit environmental performance, which shows a nonlinear relationship. (3) Government supply‐based market regulation negatively moderates the relationship between end‐of‐pipe technology innovation and environmental performance while positively moderating the relationship between green process innovation and environmental performance and the relationship between green product innovation and economic performance; government demand‐based market regulation positively moderates the relationship between green process innovation and environmental performance and the relationship between green process innovation and economic performance; government competitive‐based market regulation only has a positive effect on the relationship between green product innovation and economic performance. (4) Government market‐based regulations can positively promote the transformation from environmental performance to economic performance. The stronger the market‐based regulations, the greater the economic performance that corporate environmental performance can bring.
Development and pilot testing of PROACTIVE: A pediatric onco‐critical care capacity and quality assessment tool for resource‐limited settings
Authors: Arias Anita V. , Sakaan Firas M. , Puerto‐Torres Maria , Al Zebin Zebin , Bhattacharyya Parthasarathi , Cardenas Adolfo , Gunasekera Sanjeeva , Kambugu Joyce , Kirgizov Kirill , Libes Jaime , Martinez Angelica , Matinyan Nune V. , Mendez Alejandra , Middlekauff Janet , Nielsen Katie R. , Pappas Andrew , Ren Hong , Sharara‐Chami Rana , Torres Silvio F. , McArthur Jennifer , Agulnik Asya
Published: November 2022

Background

Nearly 90% children with cancer reside in low‐ and middle‐income countries, which face multiple challenges delivering high‐quality pediatric onco‐critical care (POCC). We recently identified POCC quality and capacity indicators for PROACTIVE (PediatRic Oncology cApaCity assessment Tool for IntensiVe carE), a tool that evaluates strengths and limitations in POCC services. This study describes pilot testing of PROACTIVE, development of center‐specific reports, and identification of common POCC challenges.

Methods

The original 119 consensus‐derived PROACTIVE indicators were converted into 182 questions divided between 2 electronic surveys for intensivists and oncologists managing critically ill pediatric cancer patients. Alpha‐testing was conducted to confirm face‐validity with four pediatric intensivists. Eleven centers representing diverse geographic regions, income levels, and POCC services conducted beta‐testing to evaluate usability, feasibility, and applicability of PROACTIVE. Centers' responses were scored and indicators with mean scores ≤75% in availability/performance were classified as common POCC challenges.

Results

Alpha‐testing ensured face‐validity and beta‐testing demonstrated feasibility and usability of PROACTIVE (October 2020–June 2021). Twenty‐two surveys (response rate 99.4%) were used to develop center‐specific reports. Adjustments to PROACTIVE were made based on focus group feedback and surveys, resulting in 200 questions. Aggregated data across centers identified common POCC challenges: (1) lack of pediatric intensivists, (2) absence of abstinence and withdrawal symptoms monitoring, (3) shortage of supportive care resources, and (4) limited POCC training for physicians and nurses.

Conclusions

PROACTIVE is a feasible and contextually appropriate tool to help clinicians and organizations identify challenges in POCC services across a wide range of resource‐levels. Widespread use of PROACTIVE can help prioritize and develop tailored interventions to strengthen POCC services and outcomes globally.
Novel combination approaches with targeted agents in frontline chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Authors: Lipsky Andrew H. , Lamanna Nicole
Published: November 2022

Targeted therapies have revolutionized the frontline treatment landscape for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and have largely displaced a reliance on chemoimmunotherapy when treating this disease. Multiple randomized trials have documented the efficacy of oral therapy with the Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors ibrutinib and acalabrutinib (and zanubrutinib, pending a supplemental new drug application in CLL), as well as BCL2 inhibition using venetoclax. In this review, the authors highlight novel therapeutic strategies for using these agents in combination, either as doublet therapy or as triplet therapy, with anti‐CD20 antibodies. First, the current treatment landscape is outlined, and the data are reviewed for continuous and time‐limited therapeutic approaches, which constitute the current standard of care. Then, more recent reports are described from phase 2 and 3 studies exploring different combination strategies of Bruton tyrosine kinase and BCL2 inhibition for treatment‐naive patients. In addition, relevant differences are emphasized between patient characteristics (e.g., patient fitness and the presence of high‐risk disease features) and study methodology (e.g., dosing schedule, randomization, and assessment of measurable residual disease) across trials. Finally, the authors revisit the currently available data for these approaches in the context of ongoing studies and future planned trials, evaluating their potential impact on the frontline treatment landscape for CLL in the years to come.