bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reflections on the “Topical Meeting on Classroom Acoustics” at the Acoustical Society of America's spring 2005 meeting in Vancouver
Authors: Wang Lily M.
Published: October 2018

I had the pleasure of co-organizing the “Topical Meeting on Classroom Acoustics” at the Acoustical Society of America’s spring 2005 meeting in Vancouver with Murray Hodgson. The topical meeting featured 26 presentations from a diverse group of international scholars; Hodgson and his research team presented seven of those. This talk will include my personal reflections from co-organizing the session with Hodgson, but also discuss the impact of the work presented by Hodgson and his students at that topical meeting. Special attention will be given to how the talks given by Hodgson and his research team demonstrate the breadth of his varied interests in classroom acoustics and point to the significant accomplishments he made in this area throughout his career. Hodgson’s body of work continues to heavily influence my own and many others who study classroom acoustics.
Do we still need diffuse field theory?
Authors: Martellotta Francesco
Published: October 2018

More than twenty years after Murray Hodgson’s “When is diffuse field theory applicable?” paper, we gathered more and more evidences that diffuse field is mostly a chimera. If we consider the two most important implications of the diffuse field model, i.e., sound pressure level uniform distribution and reverberation time invariance, it is quite easy to say that, based on actual measurements in a number of different spaces, such conditions are hardly found. Ideal sound diffusion requires ergodic and mixing conditions, which are not obvious to happen, particularly when sound absorption is unevenly distributed or rooms are not proportionate. So, apparently, diffuse field theory could even be dismissed in favour of more accurate approaches capable of taking into account the specific nature of each space. Nowadays, we have several instruments spanning from the many variations of the ray-tracing algorithm to the “brute force” numerical solution of the wave equation. However, such methods rely on the measurement or estimation of other coefficients that, if not properly made, may introduce even bigger inaccuracies. A critical analysis is carried out showing that diffuse field theory still represents an important way to understand sound propagation in enclosed spaces.
Vocalizations of common minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in an eastern North Pacific feeding ground
Authors: Towers Jared , Nikolich Katrina
Published: October 2018

The minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) is the smallest species of baleen whale and has a cosmopolitan distribution. Despite extensive study on the vocalizations of other balaenopterids, the acoustic repertoire of minke whales is not well known. Individuals of the North Pacific subspecies of common minke whale (B. a. scammoni) are known to produce unique vocalizations ("boings") during their putative breeding season from fall to spring. However, no vocalizations have been previously reported for this subspecies in summer feeding grounds. We present four novel call types recorded in the presence of minke whales in Cormorant Channel, in coastal British Columbia, Canada, during the summer of 2012. These calls consist of broadband pulses, tonal wavers, downsweeps, and pulse trains. Calling rates for minke whales in this study region were very low compared to those reported for North Atlantic minke whales on their feeding grounds. We compare our candidate call types with vocalizations described for other minke whale populations and propose predation risk as a cause of the low calling rates observed for minke whales in Cormorant Channel.
Do singing humpback whales (Megaptera novaengliae) favor specific frequency bands?
Authors: Perazio Christina E. , Mercado Eduardo
Published: October 2018

Many species alter their acoustic signals in response to environmental or anthropogenic factors. Differential use of frequency bands may occur as a result of overlapping biotic and abiotic sounds that interfere with communication signals between conspecifics. Singing humpback whales produce units with frequencies ranging from 30 Hz to over 10,000 Hz, but may favor specific frequency bands during song production. We tested the prediction that singing humpback whales consistently produce units with energy focused in specific spectral bands by measuring the consistency of peak frequency bands in the southeastern Pacific stock G population of humpback whales in the Gulf of Tribugá, Colombian Pacific. Preliminary results document extensive use of units with peak frequencies clustered in two different bands between 300 Hz and 1000 Hz for the dominant theme, and additional peak frequency bands between 300 Hz and 3000 Hz for other song themes. These analyses will allow for further spatial and temporal comparisons across distinct population segments, and can be used in future studies to assess whether singers change their use of frequency bands in response to increased anthropogenic noise or as themes evolve over time.
Long-term marine mammal occurrence in the Distributed Biological Observatory 2010–2015
Authors: Berchok Catherine L. , Braen Eric K. , Crance Jessica , Grassia Stephanie L. , Harlacher Jenna M. , Ives Eliza G. , Kimber Jessica M. , Mocklin Julie A. , Wood Megan A. , Wright Dana , Stabeno Phyllis J. , Moore Sue E.
Published: October 2018

The Distributed Biological Observatory (DBO) is a set of eight biological hotspot areas spanning latitudinally from the Northern Bering Sea to the Canadian Beaufort Sea. The DBO is an international collaboration between researchers from the United States, Japan, Canada, China, South Korea, and Russia that work in the Alaskan Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas; all research vessels passing through one of the DBO regions collect biophysical data (i.e., temperature, salinity, sea ice concentration and thickness, chlorophyll, nutrients, and zooplankton occurrence) along a pre-described line of sampling stations. Since the pilot study in 2010, and with funding from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the Marine Mammal Laboratory at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center of NOAA has maintained passive acoustic recorder moorings at two of the DBO regions, colocated with oceanographic moorings from the Pacific Marine Science Center (P. Stabeno). This coverage was expanded to five DBO regions in 2012, again with colocated oceanographic moorings at four of the sites. Here, an interannual comparison of the long-term mooring results from gray, bowhead, beluga, humpback, and killer whales, walrus, ribbon and bearded seals, and vessel and seismic airgun noise will be presented and compared with the sampled biophysical data.
Orcasound lab: A soundscape analysis case study in killer whale habitat with implications for coastal ocean observatories
Authors: Veirs Scott , Veirs Val , McWhinnie Lauren , O'Hara Patrick , O'Hagan Gregory
Published: October 2018

Orcasound lab is a cabled hydrophone array located near the shoreline of Haro Strait, the core summertime habitat of the endangered southern resident killer whales (SRKWs). In 2016–2017, we began to record data continuously on local hard drives and in 2018 are archiving both lossy and lossless data 24/7 in an AWS/S3 bucket. We discuss our statistical characterization of the soundscape from these continuous audio recordings, contextualized with the AIS data (to quantify sources of ship noise) and image data (to quantify sources of non-AIS boat noise). Of particular interest to ocean observatories are our methods of establishing non-anthropogenic acoustic baselines and then ranking noise pollution sources relative to these baselines. We explore the statistical consequences of selecting different averaging times (from seconds to years) and frequency band widths (spectrum to broadband levels) when computing baselines and pollution metrics, including “delta” metrics that may be most-relevant to SRKWs. Finally, we explain how soundscape analysis (with attention to tidal, diurnal, seasonal, or decadal time variations) could be implemented with cloud-based data in near-real-time and be enriched by citizen scientists interacting with a time-stamped live audio stream and other environmental data.
An acoustic and perceptual analysis of children’s adaptation to an electropalatographic sensor
Authors: Nissen Shawn L. , Duffield Kasey , Celaya Marissa
Published: October 2018

Previous research has investigated adults’ ability to adapt their speech to an electropalatographic (EPG) pseudopalate; however, less is known about how children adapt their speech to the presence of the device. This study examined the acoustic and perceptual effect of an EPG pseudopalate on six elementary school-aged children’s ability to produce the fricatives /s/ and /ʃ/. Speech productions were collected at eight time intervals including before placement of the pseudopalate, at 30-min increments with the pseudopalate in place, immediately following removal of the pseudopalate, and 30 min after removal. The fricative targets were produced in a carrier phrase and during spontaneous conversation. Adaptation was evaluated by measuring the fricative duration, spectral mean, spectral variance, and relative intensity, as well as a series of perceptual ratings from 20 native English listeners. Although there was a relatively high amount of variability among and within speakers, for several children evidence of adaptation was found after 30 minutes. For some participants, full adaptation did not occur until the pseudopalate was removed. Although future research is needed, it is hoped that this study will provide a greater understanding of children’s ability to adapt to the EPG pseudopalate.
Phoneme production by Hispanic hearing-impaired children
Authors: Flores Tanya
Published: October 2018

This study examines the speech production of Hispanic deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children from 4 to 8 years of age who have had delayed medical intervention. The data presented here are from the first year of data collection and will focus on the Spanish and English speech productions of the target group as compared to the productions of the control groups (Hispanic peers with normal hearing and non-Hispanic DHH peers) from the same local community. The goal of the study is to create a speech corpus of Hispanic DHH children that will be used to study various aspects of their language development. Findings will contribute to the currently limited acoustic research on minority DHH children whose home language differs from their specialized language program (in this case, English Listening and Spoken Language Program).
Perception-production relations in residual speech errors before and after biofeedback training
Authors: Campbell Heather M. , Cialdella Laine , McAllister Byun Tara
Published: October 2018

Rhotics are among the latest-emerging, most frequently misarticulated sounds in acquisition of American English (Smit et al., 1990). Children with residual speech errors (RSE) affecting rhotics may be unable to perceive differences between their own accurate and inaccurate productions (Shuster, 1998). Visual biofeedback may be an efficacious treatment approach for these children because it can bypass deficient auditory-perceptual channels (Shuster et al., 1995). Previous research has shown a relationship between accuracy in perceiving and producing rhotic targets in typically developing (TD) children (McAllister Byun & Tiede, 2017). We used the same methods to measure rhotic perception and production in a sample of 75 children with RSE. Based on previous literature (e.g., Hearnshaw et al., 2018; Rvachew & Jamieson, 1989), we hypothesize that children with RSE will show poorer perceptual abilities on average than TD children, but that they will show a similar degree of association between perception and production. Second, we will test whether changes in auditory acuity take place after a period of biofeedback treatment for RSE. Finding such changes would suggest that biofeedback may have its effect not only by retraining a target motor plan, but also by helping children update their auditory targets.
Speech accommodation across communication partners by adolescent speakers
Authors: Connaghan Kathryn , Kopp Zachary
Published: October 2018

Communication context has considerable impact on speech production, with speakers accommodating their speech based on the needs and attributes of their communication partner. For instance, speakers demonstrate acoustic-phonetic convergence, wherein they alter their speech characteristics to converge with those of their communication partner (e.g., Borrie & Liss, 2014). This speech modulation promotes closeness, shared identity, and communication effectiveness. While documented in adult speakers, the occurrence and presentation of speech accommodation throughout development is unclear. The current study compared the acoustic characteristics of speech samples produced by adolescent speakers in isolation versus in response to communication partners. Twelve neurotypical male adolescents (13–17 years) read sentences aloud with and without pre-exposure to speech recordings collected from four speakers varying by age and sex. Acoustic correlates of rhythm and prosody were compared across elicitation conditions. As a group, the participants significantly modulated their peak fundamental frequency and intensity across some conditions. Convergence was evaluated with bivariate correlations between exposure and response utterances. The highest correlation was observed for speech rate with the adult male, though unique patterns of convergence were observed across participants. Further study of speech accommodation by individuals with speech disorders may inform interventions to support successful social interactions.
The impact of melodic intonation therapy on rate and fundamental frequency in a client with Palilalia
Authors: Akbari Christina C.
Published: October 2018

Palilalia is a rarely documented speech disorder associated with Parkinson’s disease, stroke, epilepsy, etc. Palilalia is characterized by an increased rate of speech along with repetitions of words, phrases, or sentences. Only one published article has discussed treatment of Palilalia. Helm (1979) utilized a pacing board to help his 54-year-old client speak slower and reduce his repetitions. The participant touched the divided board with his fingers as he produced each syllable. This board reportedly slowed the patient’s speech. Melodic intonation therapy (MIT) was designed to help individuals with aphasia communicate more effectively (Sparks & Holland, 1976). MIT involves intoning propositional phrases and sentences using a limited range of musical notes to produce utterances along with tapping to keep the rhythm. Speech productions with MIT resulted in slower, more lyrical productions in comparison to spontaneous speech (Sparks & Holland). MIT incorporates aspects of pacing and rhythm that could be effective in slowing speech rate. This study utilized a single-subject design involving a 42-year-old male who experienced an anoxic brain injury. Speech samples from therapeutic sessions were collected and analyzed. The results indicated significant differences in terms of rate and fundamental frequency between spontaneous utterances and those produced using MIT strategies.
Seabed geoacoustic inversion using a hydrophone equipped underwater glider
Authors: Jiang Yong-Min , Dosso Stan E. , Holland Charles W.
Published: October 2018

The reflection coefficient at the sea floor as a function of grazing angle contains seabed geoacoustic properties that are crucial for predicting sound propagation accurately. NATO—STO—CMRE has developed a new technique for remote sensing the seabed reflection coefficient using underwater gliders equipped with passive acoustic payloads. This technique was applied during ONR sponsored Seabed Characterization Experiment conducted on the New England Mud Patch, USA, in March 2017. The reflected field was measured between grazing angles of 3.5 to 260, and frequency band of 2–20 kHz by an omni-directional hydrophone equipped Slocum glider, with the assistance of a broadband acoustic source. The data were analyzed both in time and frequency domains to obtain the reflection coefficient as a function of grazing angle at different frequencies. Ray tracing was also employed to fine tune the grazing angle information. Finally, Bayesian geoacoustic inversion of the reflection data at different frequencies was carried out. As a preliminary inversion attempt, the reflection data were modeled assuming a plane wave reflection coefficient. [Work funded by NATO-Allied Command Transformation, Office of Naval Research and Office of Naval Research—Global.]
Passive acoustic characterization of the ocean bottom using a horizontal array of hydrophones
Authors: Tan Tsu Wei , Godin Oleg A. , Katsnelson Boris , Yarina Marina
Published: October 2018

Cross-correlation functions (CCF) of ambient and shipping noise recorded by two hydrophones are known to contain valuable information about the propagation environment. This paper investigates the feasibility of quantitatively characterizing the seafloor using interferometry of the ambient noise data obtained with SHARK array during the Shallow Water 2006 (SW06) experiment. SHARK array contained 32 near-bottom hydrophones, which formed a horizontal line array with nominal hydrophone separation of 15 m. Noise CCFs have been calculated between elements of the horizontal array as well as between each element of the array and a single-hydrophone near-bottom receiver approximately 3.6 km away. Sound propagation between elements of the array has been interpreted in terms of direct and reflected ray arrivals and possibly refracted (head wave) arrivals originating at interfaces within the bottom. CCFs on the longer propagation paths between the array and the single-hydrophone receiver are controlled by waveguide effects and have been interpreted in terms of adiabatic normal modes. The warping transform of spectrograms of the measured CCFs has been used to separate the modes. Analysis and interpretation of the normal mode dispersion curves retrieved using the warping transform will be discussed. [Work supported by NSF and BSF.]
Geoacoustic inversion of the pressure gradient data using a single vector sensor
Authors: Shi Junjie , Sun Dajun , Dosso Stan E. , Liu Qingyu
Published: October 2018

A vector sensor has the capability of obtaining the acoustic field involving the sound pressure and three-dimensional particle velocities simultaneously, which means that there exists a potential to extract deep information for further applications like direction of arrival (DOA), positioning, classification, geoacoustic inversion, etc. This paper applies a nonlinear Bayesian approach to the pressure gradient data for geoacoustic properties of South China Sea, about which the experiment took place in July of 2013 in South China Sea of nearly 90 m depth. Recorded linear frequency modulation (LFM) signals of the pressure and vertical particle velocity are windowed and processed together to estimate the pressure gradient in the vertical direction at multiple frequencies as the observation data. After the optimal sediment model is selected based on BIC (Bayesian Information Criterion) using adaptive simplex simulated annealing (ASSA), delayed rejection adaptive Metropolis (DRAM), a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling method, is used not only to provide a maximum a-posteriori (MAP) parameters estimates but also to quantify the parameters uncertainties and inter-parameter relationships. [Work supported by the National Natural Science Foundation (Grant No. 61531012).]
Characteristics of Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) burst-pulse sounds emitted during different surface activity rates in Rio de Janeiro’s coast
Authors: Barbosa Mariana , Bittencourt Lis , Andrade Luciana , Bisi Tatiana , Lailson-Brito José , Azevedo Alexandre d.
Published: October 2018

Burst-pulses are still the least studied signals in delphinid acoustic repertoire. In this study, acoustic data were gathered in two Rio de Janeiro coastal bays where groups of Guiana dolphins can be found regularly. The acoustic equipment consisted of a C54XRS hydrophone (-155.8 dBV, 0.006 Hz a 203 kHz) and a Fostex digital recorder (192 kHz sampling rate). During each recording, the surface activity rate of the group was classified as being high or low. Burst-pulses were analyzed using SoundRuler software. Fifty signals were randomly selected and the values for duration (low = 143.9 ± 145.4; high = 82.2 ± 74.8), interpulse interval (low = 2.81 ± 1.92; high = 1.34 ± 1.35), number of pulses (low = 52.6 ± 55.7; high = 71.6 ± 64.5), peak frequency (low = 37.4 ± 2.5; high = 38.5 ± 3.2), and minimum frequency (low = 15.4 ± 6.5; high = 6.7 ± 5.3) were measured. Additionally, a Mann-Whitney U test compared all acoustic parameters of burst-pulses emitted during both surface activity rates. Significant differences between activity rates were found for interpulse interval (p<0.01) and minimum frequency (p<0.01). This scenario could indicate that some burst-pulse parameters are related to group arousal and behavior.
Strong nonlinear coupling between two cavitation bubbles in an acoustic field
Authors: Pandey Vikash
Published: October 2018

Strong nonlinear coupling comes into play between cavitation bubbles as a result of their individual oscillatory behavior in a strong acoustic field. Such a nonlinearity may play a significant role in the evolution of a bubble; from its inception to the violent collapse, in particular, in a system of multi-bubbles. The nonlinearity may also drive the bubble system to a chaotic regime, hence making the system inherently unpredictable, though deterministic. Ironically, nonlinearity has often been ignored in most of the scientific studies due to the complexity that it introduces in the theory and the resulting numerical solution. The nonlinear coupling in the simplest case of two cavitation bubbles is studied using the Keller-Miksis equation (KME). The governing KME is solved numerically assuming spherical symmetry and coupling of the bubble oscillations. Also, the role of initial conditions is examined in sufficient detail to explore the additional aspects of bubble dynamics. Further, it is found that the secondary Bjerknes force differs significantly from the predictions when nonlinearity is ignored. It is believed that these results may have implications in industries where the phenomena of acoustic cavitation, bubble cloud dynamics, and sonoluminescence are encountered.
Study of the refraction of sound by shear and boundary layers
Authors: Francoz David , Davy Renaud , Malbequi Patrice , Julliard Emmanuel , Roger Michel
Published: October 2018

Performing accurate acoustic measurements in aerodynamic wind tunnel is a challenge of great interest for the aeroacoustics community. Hence aeroacoustic measurements could be obtained in the same facility under the same aerodynamic conditions. This paper shows the refraction effects to be taken into account during aeroacoustics measurements in a closed test section, including flows up to high subsonic Mach numbers. In closed wind tunnel, the wall-mounted microphones are either flush-mounted or recessed in a cavity to avoid perturbations from the boundary layer. Besides, due to the wall, interference pattern generated by reflections occur. Thus, the acoustical wave front is strongly modified compared to the open test section configuration. Numerical computations, using the ONERA’s sAbrinA-v0 CAA code solving the Euler’s equations, allow us to accurately characterize the influence of a shear layer (recessed microphones) and of a boundary layer (flush-mounted microphones) and measurement setups, on the radiation from a monopolar source in the presence of a rigid wall. The CAA computations are made in the range 1 kHz to 10 kHz and for different boundary/shear layers thicknesses. The paper details a comparison between the Amiet’s model and the CAA computations. The comparisons are in a good agreement despite the absence of a wall in the Amiet’s model.
Formation of cylindrical shock wave in two-phase liquid layer with free surface
Authors: Kedrinskiy Valeriy , Bolshakova Ekaterina
Published: October 2018

Numerical model for formation of 1D cylindrical shock-wave (SW) in a liquid layer with a free surface is considered. The liquid states are pure water and distilled water containing free micro-bubbles (1.5 Î¼m, 106 cm-3). The SW initiation is performed on the axis by giving the pulse of mass velocity as the exponent for maximal amplitudes from 60 to 20 m/s. A two-phase mathematical model is the system of equation describing average pressure, velocity and density (including the Rayleigh-type equation). For pure water, the distributions of maximal amplitudes both from the axis along the radius for SW and from free surface up to the axis of symmetry for rarefaction wave (RW) were calculated. The distribution of maximal amplitudes of positive SW and negative RW along the radius appears to be completely symmetric. It was shown, the SW amplitude decreases proportionally to r -0.45 (within 3 cm from axis) and then asymptotics (r -0.72) is registered. The increase of RW amplitude during propagation to the axis is a cumulative effect. In two-phase model of distilled water the cavitation begins behind the RW front. Beginning from free surface, the volumetric gas concentration increases in 300 initial values (maximum velocity 60 m/s).
Global expansion of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
lineage 4 shaped by colonial migration and local adaptation
Authors: Brynildsrud Ola B. , Pepperell Caitlin S. , Suffys Philip , Grandjean Louis , Monteserin Johana , Debech Nadia , Bohlin Jon , Alfsnes Kristian , Pettersson John O.-H. , Kirkeleite Ingerid , Fandinho Fatima , da Silva Marcia Aparecida , Perdigao Joao , Portugal Isabel , Viveiros Miguel , Clark Taane , Caws Maxine , Dunstan Sarah , Thai Phan Vuong Khac , Lopez Beatriz , Ritacco Viviana , Kitchen Andrew , Brown Tyler S. , van Soolingen Dick , O’Neill Mary B. , Holt Kathryn E. , Feil Edward J. , Mathema Barun , Balloux Francois , Eldholm Vegard
Published: October 2018

Repeated emergence, not international dissemination, is behind the rise of multidrug-resistant lineage 4 tuberculosis.
Endangered species recovery: A resource allocation problem
Authors: Gerber Leah R. , Runge Michael C. , Maloney Richard F. , Iacona Gwenllian D. , Drew C. Ashton , Avery-Gomm Stephanie , Brazill-Boast James , Crouse Deborah , Epanchin-Niell Rebecca S. , Hall Sarah B. , Maguire Lynn A. , Male Tim , Morgan Don , Newman Jeff , Possingham Hugh P. , Rumpff Libby , Weiss Katherine C. B. , Wilson Robyn S. , Zablan Marilet A.
Published: October 2018

Explicit articulation of values and objectives is critical
Network for safe and secure labs
Authors: Le Duc James W. , Yuan Zhiming
Published: October 2018

The current outbreak of Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a reminder that dangerous diseases exist in many corners of the world and that they can cause substantial human suffering and financial devastation locally and internationally. In response, institutions and nations are constructing maximum biocontainment laboratories (MCLs) to address these threats. MCLs operate at the highest level of biological containment to diagnose, perform research on, and validate cures for life-threatening diseases like Ebola. There are more than 50 MCLs that are operational, under construction, or in advanced planning around the world. The global proliferation of these facilities raises questions about how to ensure their safe and secure operations while enhancing their contributions to science and global health. One solution is to establish an MCL network that enables the sharing of best practices, collaboration, transparency, and exchange of specimens and technology.
Draft Genome Sequence of Marine
Bacillus
sp. Strain ISO11, a Candidate Finfish and Shellfish Probiotic
Authors: Schreier Harold J.
Published: October 2018

Bacillus
sp. strain ISO11, a
Bacillus cereus
clade member isolated from the intestinal tract of
Fundulus heteroclitus
, possesses potential probiotic and antibacterial activity against
Vibrio
sp.
Effectiveness of exercise interventions in the prevention of excessive gestational weight gain and postpartum weight retention: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Ruchat Stephanie-May , Mottola Michelle F , Skow Rachel J , Nagpal Taniya S , Meah Victoria L , James Marina , Riske Laurel , Sobierajski Frances , Kathol Amariah J , Marchand Andree-Anne , Nuspl Megan , Weeks Ashley , Gray Casey E , Poitras Veronica J , Jaramillo Garcia Alejandra , Barrowman Nick , Slater Linda G , Adamo Kristi B , Davies Gregory A , Barakat Ruben , Davenport Margie H
Published: October 2018

Objective

Gestational weight gain (GWG) has been identified as a critical modifier of maternal and fetal health. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to examine the relationship between prenatal exercise, GWG and postpartum weight retention (PPWR).

Design

Systematic review with random effects meta-analysis and meta-regression. Online databases were searched up to 6 January 2017.

Study eligibility criteria

Studies of all designs in English, Spanish or French were eligible (except case studies and reviews) if they contained information on the population (pregnant women without contraindication to exercise), intervention (frequency, intensity, duration, volume or type of exercise, alone [“exercise-only”] or in combination with other intervention components [eg, dietary; “exercise + co-intervention”]), comparator (no exercise or different frequency, intensity, duration, volume or type of exercise) and outcomes (GWG, excessive GWG (EGWG), inadequate GWG (IGWG) or PPWR).

Results

Eighty-four unique studies (n=21 530) were included. ‘Low’ to ‘moderate’ quality evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) showed that exercise-only interventions decreased total GWG (n=5819; −0.9 kg, 95% CI −1.23 to –0.57 kg, I2=52%) and PPWR (n=420; −0.92 kg, 95% CI −1.84 to 0.00 kg, I2=0%) and reduced the odds of EGWG (n=3519; OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.57 to 0.80, I2=12%) compared with no exercise. ‘High’ quality evidence indicated higher odds of IGWG with prenatal exercise-only (n=1628; OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.67, I2=0%) compared with no exercise.

Conclusions

Prenatal exercise reduced the odds of EGWG and PPWR but increased the risk of IGWG. However, the latter result should be interpreted with caution because it was based on a limited number of studies (five RCTs).
Prenatal exercise is not associated with fetal mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Davenport Margie H , Kathol Amariah J , Mottola Michelle F , Skow Rachel J , Meah Victoria L , Poitras Veronica J , Jaramillo Garcia Alejandra , Gray Casey E , Barrowman Nick , Riske Laurel , Sobierajski Frances , James Marina , Nagpal Taniya , Marchand Andree-Anne , Slater Linda G , Adamo Kristi B , Davies Gregory A , Barakat Ruben , Ruchat Stephanie-May
Published: October 2018

Objective

To perform a systematic review of the relationship between prenatal exercise and fetal or newborn death.

Design

Systematic review with random-effects meta-analysis and meta-regression.

Data sources

Online databases were searched up to 6 January 2017.

Study eligibility criteria

Studies of all designs were included (except case studies) if they were published in English, Spanish or French and contained information on the population (pregnant women without contraindication to exercise), intervention (subjective or objective measures of frequency, intensity, duration, volume or type of exercise, alone [“exercise-only”] or in combination with other intervention components [eg, dietary; “exercise + co-intervention”]), comparator (no exercise or different frequency, intensity, duration, volume and type of exercise) and outcome (miscarriage or perinatal mortality).

Results

Forty-six studies (n=2 66 778) were included. There was ‘very low’ quality evidence suggesting no increased odds of miscarriage (23 studies, n=7125 women; OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.63 to 1.21, I2=0%) or perinatal mortality (13 studies, n=6837 women, OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.49 to 1.52, I2=0%) in pregnant women who exercised compared with those who did not. Stratification by subgroups did not affect odds of miscarriage or perinatal mortality. The meta-regressions identified no associations between volume, intensity or frequency of exercise and fetal or newborn death. As the majority of included studies examined the impact of moderate intensity exercise to a maximum duration of 60 min, we cannot comment on the effect of longer periods of exercise.

Summary/conclusions

Although the evidence in this field is of ‘very low’ quality, it suggests that prenatal exercise is not associated with increased odds of miscarriage or perinatal mortality. In plain terms, this suggests that generally speaking exercise is ‘safe’ with respect to miscarriage and perinatal mortality.
Pre-eclampsia and risk of dementia later in life: nationwide cohort study
Authors: Basit Saima , Wohlfahrt Jan , Boyd Heather A
Published: October 2018

Objective

To explore associations between pre-eclampsia and later dementia, overall and by dementia subtype and timing of onset.

Design

Nationwide register based cohort study.

Setting

Denmark.

Population

All women with at least one live birth or stillbirth between 1978 and 2015.

Main outcome measure

Hazard ratios comparing dementia rates among women with and without a history of pre-eclampsia, estimated using Cox regression.

Results

The cohort consisted of 1 178 005 women with 20 352 695 person years of follow-up. Women with a history of pre-eclampsia had more than three times the risk of vascular dementia (hazard ratio 3.46, 95% confidence interval 1.97 to 6.10) later in life, compared with women with no history of pre-eclampsia. The association with vascular dementia seemed to be stronger for late onset disease (hazard ratio 6.53, 2.82 to 15.1) than for early onset disease (2.32, 1.06 to 5.06) (P=0.08). Adjustment for diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease attenuated the hazard ratios only moderately; sensitivity analyses suggested that body mass index was unlikely to explain the association with vascular dementia. In contrast, only modest associations were observed for Alzheimer’s disease (hazard ratio 1.45, 1.05 to 1.99) and other/unspecified dementia (1.40, 1.08 to 1.83).

Conclusions

Pre-eclampsia was associated with an increased risk of dementia, particularly vascular dementia. Cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes were unlikely to mediate the associations substantially, suggesting that pre-eclampsia and vascular dementia may share underlying mechanisms or susceptibility pathways. Asking about a history of pre-eclampsia could help physicians to identify women who might benefit from screening for early signs of disease, allowing for early clinical intervention.
Short-term and long-term cost-effectiveness of a pedometer-based exercise intervention in primary care: a within-trial analysis and beyond-trial modelling
Authors: Anokye Nana , Fox-Rushby Julia , Sanghera Sabina , Cook Derek G , Limb Elizabeth , Furness Cheryl , Kerry Sally Margaret , Victor Christina R , Iliffe Steve , Ussher Michael , Whincup Peter H , Ekelund Ulf , deWilde Stephen , Harris Tess
Published: October 2018

Objectives

A short-term and long-term cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) of two pedometer-based walking interventions compared with usual care.

Design

(A) Short-term CEA: parallel three-arm cluster randomised trial randomised by household. (B) Long-term CEA: Markov decision model.

Setting

Seven primary care practices in South London, UK.

Participants

(A) Short-term CEA: 1023 people (922 households) aged 45–75 years without physical activity (PA) contraindications. (b) Long-term CEA: a cohort of 100 000 people aged 59–88 years.

Interventions

Pedometers, 12-week walking programmes and PA diaries delivered by post or through three PA consultations with practice nurses.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Accelerometer-measured change (baseline to 12 months) in average daily step count and time in 10 min bouts of moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA), and EQ-5D-5L quality-adjusted life-years (QALY).

Methods

Resource use costs (£2013/2014) from a National Health Service perspective, presented as incremental cost-effectiveness ratios for each outcome over a 1-year and lifetime horizon, with cost-effectiveness acceptability curves and willingness to pay per QALY. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses evaluate uncertainty.

Results

(A) Short-term CEA: At 12 months, incremental cost was £3.61 (£109)/min in ≥10 min MVPA bouts for nurse support compared with control (postal group). At £20 000/QALY, the postal group had a 50% chance of being cost saving compared with control. (B) Long-term CEA: The postal group had more QALYs (+759 QALYs, 95% CI 400 to 1247) and lower costs (−£11 million, 95% CI −12 to −10) than control and nurse groups, resulting in an incremental net monetary benefit of £26 million per 100 000 population. Results were sensitive to reporting serious adverse events, excluding health service use, and including all participant costs.

Conclusions

Postal delivery of a pedometer intervention in primary care is cost-effective long term and has a 50% chance of being cost-effective, through resource savings, within 1 year. Further research should ascertain maintenance of the higher levels of PA, and its impact on quality of life and health service use.

Trial registration number

ISRCTN98538934; Pre-results.
Medium-scale laboratory model of mono-bucket foundation for installation tests in sand
Authors: Koteras Aleksandra Katarzyna , Ibsen Lars Bo
Published: October 2018

Design implications of suction installation of bucket foundations are still not well understood. During suction installation, applied suction under the bucket lid results in seepage flow through the surrounding sand. Seepage flow plays a pivotal role in reducing the penetration resistance, allowing for full penetration despite the initial large soil resistance. However, loosening of the inside soil plug might be problematic when the soil approaches its failure stage, due to soil piping or extensive soil heave inside the bucket foundation. To better understand the interaction between the soil and bucket skirt during suction installation, this paper describes the results of medium-scale tests of bucket foundation installations in sand, comparing jacking and suction installations. Experimental measurements of the pore pressure around the bucket skirt are compared with the numerical simulation results, to validate the finite-element model and to enable analysis of the soil behavior around the skirt.
Optimizing marine spatial plans with animal tracking data
Authors: Lennox Robert J. , Engler-Palma Cecilia , Kowarski Katie , Filous Alexander , Whitlock Rebecca , Cooke Steven J. , Auger-Méthé Marie
Published: October 2018

Marine user–environment conflicts can have consequences for ecosystems that negatively affect humans. Strategies and tools are required to identify, predict, and mitigate the conflicts that arise between marine anthropogenic activities and wildlife. Estimating individual-, population-, and species-scale distributions of marine animals has historically been challenging, but electronic tagging and tracking technologies (i.e., biotelemetry and biologging) and analytical tools are emerging that can assist marine spatial planning (MSP) efforts by documenting animal interactions with marine infrastructure (e.g., tidal turbines, oil rigs), identifying critical habitat for animals (e.g., migratory corridors, foraging hotspots, reproductive or nursery zones), or delineating distributions for fisheries exploitation. MSP that excludes consideration of animals is suboptimal, and animal space-use estimates can contribute to efficient and responsible exploitation of marine resources that harmonize economic and ecological objectives of MSP. This review considers the application of animal tracking to MSP objectives, presents case studies of successful integration, and provides a look forward to the ways in which MSP will benefit from further integration of animal tracking data.
Restoration of polar-flagellum motility and biofilm-forming capacity in the mmsB1 mutant of the alphaproteobacterium Azospirillum brasilense Sp245 points to a new role for a homologue of 3-hydroxyisobutyrate dehydrogenase
Authors: Shelud’ko Andrei V. , Filip’echeva Yulia A. , Telesheva Elizaveta M. , Yevstigneyeva Stella S. , Petrova Lilia P. , Katsy Elena I.
Published: October 2018

The bacterium Azospirillum brasilense can swim and swarm owing to the rotation of a constitutive polar flagellum (Fla) and inducible lateral flagella, respectively. They also form biofilms on various interfaces. Experimental data on flagellar assembly and social behaviours in these bacteria are scarce. Here, for the first time, the chromosomal coding sequence mmsB1 for a homologue of 3-hydroxyisobutyrate dehydrogenase (protein accession Nos. ADT80774 and E7CWE2) was shown to play a role in the assembly of motile Fla and in biofilm biomass accumulation. In the previously obtained mutant SK039 of A. brasilense Sp245, an Omegon-Km insertion in mmsB1 was concurrent with changes in cell-surface properties and with suppression of Fla assembly (partial) and Fla-dependent motility (complete). Here, the immotile leaky Fla− mutant SK039 was complemented with the expression vector pRK415-borne mmsB1 gene of Sp245. In the complemented mutant, the elevated relative cell hydrophobicity and changed relative membrane fluidity of SK039 returned to the wild-type levels; also, biofilm biomass accumulation increased and even reached Sp245’s levels under nutritionally rich conditions. In strain SK039 (pRK415-mmsB1), the percentage of cells with Fla became significantly higher than that in mutant SK039, and the Fla-driven swimming velocity was equal to that in strain Sp245.
Estimation of the Country Ranking Scores on the Global Innovation Index 2016 Using the Artificial Neural Network Method
Authors: Pençe İhsan , Kalkan Adnan , Çeşmeli Melike Şişeci
Published: October 2018

The Global Innovation Index (GII) aims to rank countries using different innovation factors. This ranking list enables countries to observe their potential status according to the rankings of other countries. The countries are classified under four groups according to the World Bank Income Group Classification on the GII list. The groups are named as; low income (LI), lower-middle income (LM), upper-middle income (UM) and high income (HI). Also, every country has a score in this ranking list. In this study, the ranking scores of 128 countries are estimated using the artificial neural network (ANN). We chose the relevant 27 features on GII 2016 Report, as input data. The significance of this paper is that; it is the first curve fitting and estimation of the score processes on GII 2016 dataset. The low root mean square error (RMSE) value which is obtained in an experimental study shows that the fitting structure is good enough to determine the approximate score of the countries in GII list. The results also show that the selected 27 features are sufficient for obtaining the income score of the countries. Increasing the number of features would lower the RMSE value and enable better approximation in the curve fitting process. The final results can assist the countries in achieving long-term output growth and improving their innovation capabilities.
Transit cosmological models in FRW universe under the two-fluid scenario
Authors: Garg Pryanka , Zia Rashid , Pradhan Anirudh
Published: October 2018

This paper is an attempt to revisit the Friedmann–Robertson–Walker (FRW) cosmological models under the new scenario of observational cosmology, which has established that the current universe is expanding with an increasing rate, in contrast to the earlier belief that the rate of expansion is constant or slowing down. This paper represents a model which encompasses both, earlier decelerating and the current accelerating universe, passing through a transition phase. The universe is assumed to be filled with two fluids, barotropic and dark energy. We have considered two cases; first, when these fluids are assumed to be non-interacting and second, when they interact with each other. Some physical, kinematic and geometric properties of the model are also discussed along with the acceptability and stability of the solution. The results found are very compatible with the established results as well as recent observations.
ACE-2/ANG1-7 ameliorates ER stress-induced apoptosis in seawater aspiration-induced acute lung injury
Authors: Zhang MinLong , Gao Yongheng , Zhao Weiguo , Yu Gaole , Jin Faguang
Published: October 2018

Previous studies have shown that apoptosis of alveolar cells can be regulated by autocrine of angiotensin (ANG)II and its counter regulatory ACE-2/ANG1-7 axis. Our earlier study has shown that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in response to seawater aspiration eventually led to apoptosis in lung tissue. In this study, we examined the hypothesis that ER stress-induced apoptosis in seawater aspiration-induced acute lung injury (ALI) might also be regulated by the ANGII/ANG1-7 system. ER stress was induced by seawater stimulation and proteasome inhibitor MG132 (an ER stress inductor). Moreover, ER stress in seawater-stimulated lung tissues and rat pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (RPMVECs) promoted ANGII expression and decreased ACE-2/ANG1-7 expression. ER stress induced by seawater stimulation also led to apoptosis. Apoptosis induced by seawater stimulation and MG132 were inhibited by ANGII receptor blocker and abrogated by the addition of ANG1-7. These results suggest that apoptosis induced by ER stress in seawater aspiration-induced ALI is regulated by ANG II/ANG1-7 in lung tissues and RPMVECs. In addition, the active form of X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1), spliced XBP1 (XBP1s), a transcription factor that regulates ER-associated degradation genes during ER stress was significantly activated in seawater stimulated cells. Based on this phenomenon we designed a tandem gene, Wfs1 promoter (a target gene promoter of XBP1s)- ACE2 and ANG1-7 and transfected this tandem gene into seawater-stimulated cells. ACE-2/ANG1-7 expression were significantly promoted and apoptosis was inhibited in cells transfected with the tandem gene. These results suggest that stimulation of ACE-2/ANG1-7 may be a therapeutic target of ER stress-induced apoptosis in seawater aspiration-induced ALI.