Evaluation of Psychoacoustic Sound Parameters for Sonification

Sonification designers have little theory or experimental evidence to guide the design of data-to-sound mappings. Many mappings use acoustic representations of data values which do not correspond with the listener's perception of how that data value should sound during sonification. This research evaluates data-to-sound mappings that are based on psychoacoustic sensations, in an attempt to move towards using data-to-sound mappings that are aligned with the listener's perception of the data value's auditory connotations. Multiple psychoacoustic parameters were evaluated over two experiments, which were designed in the context of a domain-specific problem - detecting the level of focus of an astronomical image through auditory display. Recommendations for designing sonification systems with psychoacoustic sound parameters are presented based on our results

[18F]Fluoroform - a versatile building block for PET tracer synthesis

Fluorine-18 (half-life: 110 min) is a popular radionuclide for positron emission tomography (PET), a functional imaging technique that non-invasively visualizes biochemical processes in vivo. It can be introduced into tracer molecules via fluorine-18 labelled building blocks. [18F]Fluoroform is a building block that has received much interest in recent years and is used to introduce radioactive CF3 groups into the tracer molecules. However, shortcomings of [18F]fluoroform, such as the low molar activities typically obtained and the limited 18F-trifluoromethylation strategies available, hampered its use in PET tracer synthesis so far. The aim of this thesis was therefore to address these shortcomings and develop [18F]fluoroform into a useful building block for PET tracer synthesis. In Chapter 1 a general introduction into the topic is provided, discussing the basic concepts of positron emission tomography, different radionuclides and radiofluorination strategies. Furthermore, the building block [18F]fluoroform is introduced. Chapter 2 gives a comprehensive overview of the fluorine-18 labelled building blocks used in PET tracer synthesis from 2010-2016. The overview comprises aromatic and aliphatic building blocks, including [18F]fluoroform. Chapter 3 reports the development of a new method to obtain reactive [18F]fluoride omitting the commonly used azeotropic drying procedures. For this method, hydrated [18F]fluoride was reacted with a bistriflate precursor to form gaseous [18F]triflyl fluoride. The [18F]triflyl fluoride was distilled into a dry organic solvent containing base and cryptand, where it was converted to free [18F]fluoride. Besides being fast, reliable, and high-yielding, this novel method offers high flexibility in the subsequent radiofluorination reaction, particularly enabling the reduction of base and cryptand amounts. Chapter 4 describes the optimization of the [18F]fluoroform synthesis towards a high molar activity procedure. Stability studies with the labelling precursor difluoroiodomethane showed that difluoroiodomethane was unstable under the basic radiofluorination conditions, probably causing the low molar activity typically observed with [18F]fluoroform. By reducing the amount of base and cryptand 100-fold compared to standard radiofluorination conditions the stability of difluoroiodomethane and the molar activity of [18F]fluoroform could be drastically improved. Radiochemical yields of around 40% and molar activities close to 100 GBq/µmol were obtained. The optimized synthesis procedure was automated on a commercially available synthesizer to enhance applicability and facilitate the use in other PET centres. In chapter 5 a novel precursor for the synthesis of [18F]fluoroform is presented, 1-(difluoromethyl)-3-methyl-4-phenyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-3-ium triflate. It was investigated whether this precursor could provide [18F]fluoroform with even higher molar activities than difluoroiodomethane. It was found that also for this precursor reduction of base and cryptand amounts led to increased precursor stability and high molar activities of [18F]fluoroform. Especially in the automated synthesis the triazolium precursor provided [18F]fluoroform with some of the highest molar activities observed so far (~150 GBq/µmol). Chapter 6 reports the first synthesis and application of fluorine-18 labelled Ruppert-Prakash reagent ([18F]Me3SiCF3) as 18F-trifluoromethylation agent. [18F]Me3SiCF3 was synthesized by reaction of [18F]fluoroform with trimethylsilyl chloride and obtained with radiochemical yields of 85-95% and radiochemical purities of >95%. It was reacted in a simple model reaction with a range of aromatic aldehydes and ketones and proved good reactivity as well as a complementary substrate scope to previously reported methods. Chapter 7 describes the development and evaluation of the new tracer [18F]cinacalcet for the localization of overactive parathyroid glands for surgery. [18F]Cinacalcet was synthesized using the optimized [18F]fluoroform procedure described in chapter 4, followed by aromatic 18F-trifluoromethylation of a boronic acid precursor. [18F]Cinacalcet was obtained with an overall radiochemical yield of 8±4% and a molar activity of 40±11 GBq/µmol within 1 hour (n=7,dc). A biodistribution and metabolite study was performed in healthy rats, showing decent uptake in the parathyroid glands and fast blood metabolism. Chapter 8 gives a short summary and outlook

Acupuncture for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neuro-psychiatric problem, affecting 7-9% of children. Pharmacological interventions are widely used with behavioral treatments in ADHD. Still, the origin of ADHD is unclear, limiting pharmacological effectiveness and making adverse effects common. The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has increased, especially for developmental and behavioral disorders, such as ADHD. CAM is used by 60-65% of parents of children with ADHD to relieve ADHD-associated symptoms and to avoid the side effects of conventional medication. Acupuncture has been widely used to treat patients with ADHD, but the available evidence of its effectiveness is insufficient. Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in patients (both and each treatment naive and conventional therapy children) with ADHD (any subtype) compared to the waitlist control.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>This study is a waitlist controlled open trial. We used a computer generated randomization scheme. This randomised, controlled trial had two parallel arms (acupuncture, and waitlist group). Each arm consisted of 40 participants. The acupuncture group received acupuncture treatment two times per week for a total of 12 sessions over 6 weeks. Post-treatment follow-up was performed 3 weeks later to complement the 12 acupuncture sessions. Participants in the waitlist group did not receive acupuncture treatments during the first six weeks but were only required to be assessed. After 6 weeks, the same treatments given to the acupuncture group were provided to the waitlist group. The primary outcome of this trial included differences in Korean version of ADHD-Rating Scale (K-ADHD-RS) before randomization, 3 weeks and 6 weeks after randomization, and 3 weeks after completing the treatment.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>Subjective measurements, like K-ADHD-RS, are commonly used in ADHD. Although these measurements have adequate reliability and validity, lack of objective assessment in ADHD may lead to some disputes, like parental placebo effects. More objective measurements, like Computerized Neurocognitive function Test (CNT) in this study, are needed in ADHD trials. Furthermore, this trial will provide evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment for ADHD.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>Clinical Research Information Service (CRiS) KCT0000019</p

Sport coaches' experiences of athlete injury : the development and regulation of guilt

This study sought to examine coaches’ stories of guilt in the specific context of athlete injury. Using narrative interviews with a diverse group of ten coaches, guilt was found to be a commonly experienced emotion that the participants also sought to regulate. The coaches’ experiences of the embodiment and management of guilt is primarily, although not exclusively, interrogated using the mainstream psychological theorising of Kubany and Watson (2003). The article concludes by connecting the coaches’ experiences of guilt with critiques of the prevailing deontological approach used to define what it means to be a ‘good’ sport coach. Here we suggest that dominant perspectives in coach education may be instrumental in entrenching coaches’ experience of guilt