bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Influence of Matching the Processing Delays of Cochlear Implant and Hearing Aid Devices for Bimodal Listeners on Speech Recognition in Noise
Authors: Richter Margaret E. , Rooth Meredith A. , Dillon Margaret T. 
Published: November 2024

Purpose:
Cochlear implant (CI) recipients who listen with a hearing aid (HA) in the contralateral ear, known as bimodal listeners, demonstrate individual variability in speech recognition in noise. This variability may be due in part to differences in the processing delays of the CI and HA devices. This study investigated the influence of matching the processing delays of CI and HA devices on masked speech recognition for bimodal listeners.

Method:
Twelve postlingually deafened adult CI recipients completed a task of masked speech recognition in two listening conditions: (a) independent default CI and HA processing delays (mismatched) and (b) with their HA-specific delay applied to the CI processing delay (matched). Speech recognition was evaluated with AzBio sentences presented in a 10-talker masker at a 0 dB SNR. The target was presented from the front loudspeaker at 0° azimuth, and the masker was co-located with the target, presented 90° toward the CI ear, or presented 90° toward the HA ear.

Results:
There was a significant main effect for target-to-masker configuration, with better performance when the masker was spatially separated from the target. Better masked speech recognition was observed in the matched condition as compared to the mismatched condition.

Conclusion:
Bimodal listeners may experience better masked speech recognition when the processing delay of the CI is individualized to match the processing delay of the contralateral HA.

Supplemental Material:

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.27616845
Comparative Effectiveness of In-Person and Virtual Picture-Naming Treatment for Poststroke Anomia
Authors: Jewell Courtney C. , Diedrichs Victoria A. , Blackett Deena Schwen , Durfee Alexandra Zezinka , Harnish Stacy M. 
Published: November 2024

Purpose:
In light of COVID-19, telepractice for speech therapy has been increasingly adopted. Telepractice promotes accessibility to therapy services for those in rural environments, lowers the frequency of missed appointments, and reduces the costs of rehabilitation. The efficacy of telepractice has been scarcely explored in the aphasia literature. Preliminary research has demonstrated comparable results of telepractice and in-person therapy for people with aphasia, but the current scope of research is insufficient to guide clinical practice. The present study examined whether the virtual administration of a picture-naming therapy paradigm was as effective as in-person administration.

Method:

The treatment effects of two similar clinical trials, one completed in-person (
n
= 13) and one completed virtually (
n
= 13), are compared. Participants were adults with chronic (> 6 months) poststroke aphasia. Both clinical trials administered Cued Picture-Naming Therapy 4 days a week for 2 weeks (eight treatment sessions). Treatment outcomes were analyzed using Tau-
U
effect sizes and Mann–Whitney
U
tests.

Results:

Weighted Tau-
U
averages showed an advantage of telepractice over in-person treatment in the acquisition effects of trained words, with participants demonstrating a very large effect (0.84,
p
< .01) following telepractice and a large effect (0.75,
p
< .01) following in-person treatment. Both telepractice and in-person rehabilitation demonstrated significant treatment effects and were not significantly different from each other per Mann–Whitney
U
independent-samples
t
tests.

Conclusions:
The present study demonstrated that telepractice of a picture-naming paradigm is as effective as in-person treatment administration. This justifies the use of telepractice to overcome accessibility and cost barriers to speech therapy administration and justifies taking patient preference into account. Future research should explore the efficacy of telepractice for treatments that promote greater generalizability to functional communication.

Supplemental Material:

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.27641031
Secret key generation for reconfigurable intelligent surface‐assisted MISO multi‐user system
Authors: Liu Kexin , Li Mingliang , Huang Kaizhi , Wan Zheng , Li Qinlong , Sun Xiaoli , Xu Xiaoming , Jin Liang 
Published: November 2024

AbstractReconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)‐assisted physical layer key generation plays an important role in the eavesdropping problem on a typical multi‐user scenario of wireless networks. Existing RIS‐assisted physical key generation technology mainly solved the security issues in the single‐antenna and multi‐user scenario, which is based on the idealistic assumption of a spatially independent channel model at the RIS. It limits the degrees of freedom and neglects the existence of channel spatial correlation, which would possibly degrade the sum key generation rate (SKGR). To solve the above problem, this paper proposes a secret key generation scheme for RIS‐assisted multiple‐input single‐output multi‐user system. This scheme establishes a spatial correlation channel model, which comprehensively considers the influence of spatial correlation among antennas of the base station (BS), multi‐user, and RIS elements on SKGR. Based on this, a key generation framework is designed to generate a more secure secret key with the maximum SKGR. Specifically, a closed‐form SKGR expression and an optimization problem formulation are obtained to obtain the joint optimal coefficient of the BS and RIS. Then, the difference convex‐successive convex approximation based alternating optimization algorithm is proposed to solve this optimization problem. The simulation results show that the proposed scheme has improved 10‐bit/channel use compared with the randomization scheme of BS precoding and RIS reflection coefficient. It also has an improvement of 12‐bit/channel use compared with the spatially independent scheme.
3D flux configuration cost effective switched reluctance motor with small torque ripple content; design and prototyping
Authors: Sayyaadi Hassan , Turani Amir Abbas , Nasiri Zarandi Reza 
Published: November 2024

AbstractSwitch reluctance motors (SRMs) have many advantages, such as easy construction, high reliability, low cost, and higher energy efficiency compared to the inductance motors. However, SRMs have a major drawback—severe torque ripple (TR), which causes a great deal of noise and movement. Hence, these motors are rarely used in industrial applications. Torque ripple reduction in reluctance motors has been studied since their invention in the 1950s, but the effectiveness of any such reduction methods remain controversial. Significant reductions in TR remain necessary to make the SRM more applicable for industrial use. The main objective of this study is to propose a new configuration of the SRM which greatly reduces TR and has low manufacturing costs. Although this new structure greatly reduces the TR, like most previous research, some aspects such as drive control and design optimisation methods could be used to more obviously reduce TR. The proposed motor has a simple configuration which is more efficient. Finite element method is used to verify the design, and a prototype has been fabricated and tested to experimentally verify its performance.
Improve the insulation performance of air‐insulated gaps: Application of polyurea materials on the ground potential side of transmission line
Authors: Li Le , Shen Huajie , Zhang Zhongyuan , Xu Shijie , Liu Yifan , Zhang Haishun , Tang Li , Peng Honggang , Wang Fan , Li Guangxi , Li Haoyi , Liu Yunpeng 
Published: November 2024

AbstractThe authors aim to explore the effectiveness of two‐component polyurea materials applied to transmission line towers (on the ground potential side) in improving the insulation performance of the conductor–tower gap. The physicochemical and electrical properties of the polyurea materials were first analysed and a conductor–tower gap testing platform was constructed to investigate the effects of the length and thickness of the polyurea layer on the ground potential side under a 50‐Hz AC voltage on the breakdown characteristics. Experimental studies revealed that the characteristic breakdown voltages of polyurea layers of different lengths (40, 100, 200, and 400 cm) are approximate. Compared with the air‐insulated gap before the application of polyurea, thinner polyurea layers (1 and 2 mm) showed no significant improvement in the breakdown voltage, whereas thicker layers (3, 4, and 5 mm) significantly improved it. In particular, with a polyurea layer thickness of 4 mm and gap distance of 20 cm, the characteristic breakdown voltage increased from 138.43 to 155.71 kV. In addition, the withstand voltage distance decreased from 4 to 3 cm without any breakdown, even when the high‐voltage conductor directly contacted the polyurea layer and the layer was not penetrated. The authors provide theoretical support and experimental data for improving the conductor–tower gap insulation performance by applying a polyurea layer on the ground potential side.
The interacting double white dwarf population with LISA: Stochastic foreground and resolved sources
Authors: Toubiana A. , Karnesis N. , Lamberts A. , Miller M. C. 
Published: November 2024

Aims. We investigate the impact of tidal torques and mass transfer on the population of double white dwarfs that will be observed with LISA.
Methods. Our Galactic distribution of double white dwarfs is based on the combination of a cosmological simulation and a binary population synthesis model. We used a semi-analytical model to evolve double white dwarf binaries considering ten different hypotheses for the efficiency of tidal coupling and three hypotheses for the birth spins of white dwarfs. We then estimated the stochastic foreground and the population of resolvable binaries for LISA for these different combinations.
Results. Our predicted double white dwarf binary distribution can differ substantially from the distribution expected if only gravitational waves (GWs) are considered. If white dwarfs spin slowly, then we predict an excess of systems around a few due to binaries that outspiral after the onset of mass transfer. This excess of systems leads to differences in the confusion noise, which are most pronounced for strong tidal coupling. In that case, we find a significantly higher number of resolvable binaries than in the GW-only scenario. If instead white dwarfs spin rapidly and tidal coupling is weak, then we find no excess around a few mHz, and the confusion noise due to double white dwarfs is very low. In that scenario, we also predict a subpopulation of outspiralling binaries below 0.1 mHz. Using the Fisher matrix approximation, we estimate the uncertainty on the GW-frequency derivative of resolvable systems. We find that, even for non-accreting systems, the mismodelling error due to neglecting effects other than GWs is larger than the statistical uncertainty, and thus this neglect would lead to biased estimates for mass and distance.
Conclusions. Our results suggest that the population of double white dwarfs is likely to be different from what is expected in the standard picture, which highlights the need for flexible tools in LISA data analysis. Because our semi-analytical model hinges upon a simplistic approach to determining the stability of mass accretion, it will be important to deepen our comprehension of stability in mass-transferring double white dwarf binaries.
Constraining the Hubble constant with scattering in host galaxies of fast radio bursts
Authors: Yang Tsung-Ching , Hashimoto Tetsuya , Hsu Tzu-Yin , Goto Tomotsugu , Ling Chih-Teng , Ho Simon C.-C. , Chen Amos Y.-A. , Kilerci Ece 
Published: November 2024

Aims. Measuring the Hubble constant (H0) is one of the most important missions in astronomy. Nevertheless, recent studies exhibit differences between the employed methods.
Methods. Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are coherent radio transients with large dispersion measures (DM) with a duration of millisecondsḊMIGM, the free electron column density along a line of sight in the intergalactic medium (IGM), could open a new avenue for probing H0. However, it has been challenging to separate DM contributions from different components (i.e., the IGM and the host galaxy plasma), and this hampers the accurate measurements of DMIGM and hence H0. We adopted a method to overcome this problem by using the temporal scattering of the FRB pulses due to the propagation effect through the host galaxy plasma (scattering time). The scattering-inferred DM in a host galaxy improves the estimate of DMIGM, which in turn leads to a better constraint on H0. In previous studies, a certain value or distribution has conventionally been assumed of the dispersion measure in host galaxies (DMh). We compared this method with ours by generating 100 mock FRBs, and we found that our method reduces the systematic (statistical) error of H0 by 9.1% (1%) compared to the previous method.
Results. We applied our method to 30 localized FRB sources with both scattering and spectroscopic redshift measurements to constrain H0. Our result is H0 = 74−7.2+7.5 km s−1 Mpc−1, where the central value prefers the value obtained from local measurements over the cosmic microwave background. We also measured DMh with a median value of 103−48+68 pc cm−3.
Conclusions. The DMh had to be assumed in previous works to derive DMIGM. Scattering enables us to measure DMIGM without assuming DMh to constrain H0. The reduction in systematic error is comparable to the Hubble tension (∼10%). Combined with the fact that more localized FRBs will become available, our result indicates that our method can be used to address the Hubble tension using future FRB samples.
The grazing-angle icy protoplanetary disk PDS 453
Authors: Martinien L. , Ménard F. , Duchêne G. , Tazaki R. , Perrin M. D. , Stapelfeldt K. R. , Pinte C. , Wolff S. G. , Grady C. , Dominik C. , Roumesy M. , Ma J. , Ginski C. , Benisty M. , Hines D. C. , Schneider G. 
Published: November 2024

Context. Observations of highly inclined protoplanetary disks provide a different point of view, in particular, they provide a more direct access to the vertical disk structure when compared to less steeply inclined more pole-on disks.
Aims. PDS 453 is a rare highly inclined disk where the stellar photosphere is seen at grazing incidence on the disk surface. Our goal is take advantage of this geometry to constrain the structure and composition of this protoplanetary disk. In particular, it shows a 3.1 µm water-ice band in absorption that can be uniquely related to the disk.
Methods. We observed the system in polarized intensity with the VLT/SPHERE instrument, as well as in polarized light and total intensity using the HST/NICMOS camera. Infrared archival photometry and a spectrum showing the water-ice band were used to model the spectral energy distribution under the Mie scattering theory. Based on these data, we fit a model using the radiative transfer code MCFOST to retrieve the geometry and dust and ice content of the disk.
Results. PDS 453 has the typical morphology of a highly inclined system with two reflection nebulae in which the disk partially attenuates the stellar light. The upper nebula is brighter than the lower nebula and shows a curved surface brightness profile in polarized intensity. This indicates a ring-like structure. With an inclination of 80° estimated from models, the line of sight crosses the disk surface, and a combination of absorption and scattering by ice-rich dust grains produces the water-ice band.
Conclusions. PDS 453 is seen at high inclination and is composed of a mixture of silicate dust and water ice. The radial structure of the disk includes a significant jump in density and scale height at a radius of 70 au that produces a ring-like image. The depth of the 3.1 µm water-ice band depends on the amount of water ice, until it saturates when the optical thickness along the line of sight becomes too large. Therefore, quantifying the exact amount of water from absorption bands in edge-on disks requires a detailed analysis of the disk structure and tailored radiative transfer modeling. Further observations with JWST and ALMA will allow us to refine our understanding of the structure and content of this interesting system.
Application of EUS or MRCP prior to ERCP in patients with suspected choledocholithiasis in clinical practice
Authors: de Jong Mike J.P. , Engels Megan M.L. , Sperna Weiland Christa , Krol Robin , Bisseling Tanya M. , van Geenen Erwin-Jan M. , Siersema Peter , van Delft Foke , van Hooft Jeanin E. 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Background and study aims Patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis can be stratified according to the 2019 European Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) guideline into low-, intermediate- and high-likelihood groups for presence of choledocholithiasis. For the intermediate group, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) or magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is recommended to assess whether an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is necessary prior to cholecystectomy. The aim of the study was to investigate adherence to the guideline for diagnostic and treatment strategy for cholelithiasis in daily clinical practice.
Patients and methods A multicenter, retrospective cross-sectional observational study of the diagnostic pathway of patients with suspicion of choledocholithiasis was conducted between 2019 and 2021. Patients were stratified according to the ESGE guideline "Endoscopic management of common bile duct stones”.
Results A total of 305 patients were included in the analysis and stratified into low- (17%), intermediate- (40%) and high- (43%) likelihood of choledocholithiasis. In these three categories, 182 patients (60%) underwent ERCP. Adherence to the ESGE guideline recommendation was 59.7% overall and was the highest in the intermediate-likelihood group (83.6%), compared with 45.1% in the low- and 43.2% in the high-likelihood group, respectively (P < 0.001). In the high-likelihood group, 49% underwent additional imaging. In 195 patients who underwent additional imaging, 55 ERCPs (28.2%) could be avoided.
Conclusions This study shows that stratification according to the ESGE guideline is useful to reduce the number of unnecessary additional imaging procedures and ERCPs in patients with a suspicion of choledocholithiasis. It seems worthwhile to perform EUS prior to ERCP in the same session.
Knowledge of Dental Students about the Association between Periodontal Bacteria and Obesity and Their Attitude toward Obese Patients
Authors: Hashim Ahmed 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Objective Periodontal disease (PD) and obesity are associated and highly prevalent in both developed and developing countries. This study aims to assess dental students' and interns' knowledge about the association and mechanism linking both conditions, as well as predict attitudes toward providing advice and treatment to obese patients.
Materials and Methods One hundred and ten participants, mean age 22.65 years, completed self-administered questionnaires. The survey consisted of 25 items, divided into 5 sections. Participants'responses were evaluated using a 5-point Likert scale.
Statistical Analysis The data were analyzed using SPSS version 26 for descriptive, correlation and regression analysis of the variables.
Results Over 62% of the participants agreed that they gained knowledge about the association between PD and obesity. Furthermore, they understood that the bidirectional link is initiated and driven by gram-negative bacteria and inflammation (75%). Over 50% of the participants showed a positive attitude toward obese patients. In contrast, many of the participants (57%) exhibited signs of stereotyping toward obese individuals, and 69% of the respondents were deficient in peer-assisted learning.
Conclusion Incorporating obesity education, peer-assisted learning, and stigma-free competency skills into the dental curriculum is crucial for enhancing attitudes towards obese patients.
Determination and analysis of compensation capacitor for a robust distance-variable wireless power transfer system
Authors: Lee Sungjin , Cheon Jeonghyeon , Park Heegeon , Kim Dongwook 
Published: November 2024

Wireless power transfer (WPT) systems have been widely adopted for full autonomy in various fields due to their convenience. However, changes in the air gap between the Tx and Rx coils significantly affect efficiency. To overcome this challenge, this paper introduces the determination of a compensation capacitor for a distance-variable WPT system that is robust in varying air gap conditions. The proposed method was verified using theoretical analysis, simulation, and experimental measurement. The electrical circuit was modeled using a T-equivalent model in a series–series (SS) topology to calculate power transfer efficiency (PTE). Specifically, compensation capacitors were analyzed at distances of 10, 30, and 50 mm, considering different self-inductance values. These results are compared against varying load resistances to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Additionally, the PTE drop ratio was defined to facilitate comparison. The results show that the PTE drop ratio for the compensation capacitor at the farthest distance was consistently smaller than that for the capacitor at the nearest distance under varying air gaps and load resistances. In this research, the difference in the PTE drop ratio between 10 and 50 mm was measured, demonstrating that determining the capacitor at the farthest distance reduces the PTE drop ratio across a range of operational conditions.