No Link Between Speech-in-Noise Perception and Auditory Sensory Memory - Evidence From a Large Cohort of Older and Younger Listeners

A growing literature is demonstrating a link between working memory (WM) and speech-in-noise (SiN) perception. However, the nature of this correlation and which components of WM might underlie it, are being debated. We investigated how SiN reception links with auditory sensory memory (aSM) - the low-level processes that support the short-term maintenance of temporally unfolding sounds. A large sample of old (N = 199, 60-79 yo) and young (N = 149, 20-35 yo) participants was recruited online and performed a coordinate response measure-based speech-in-babble task that taps listeners' ability to track a speech target in background noise. We used two tasks to investigate implicit and explicit aSM. Both were based on tone patterns overlapping in processing time scales with speech (presentation rate of tones 20 Hz; of patterns 2 Hz). We hypothesised that a link between SiN and aSM may be particularly apparent in older listeners due to age-related reduction in both SiN reception and aSM. We confirmed impaired SiN reception in the older cohort and demonstrated reduced aSM performance in those listeners. However, SiN and aSM did not share variability. Across the two age groups, SiN performance was predicted by a binaural processing test and age. The results suggest that previously observed links between WM and SiN may relate to the executive components and other cognitive demands of the used tasks. This finding helps to constrain the search for the perceptual and cognitive factors that explain individual variability in SiN performance

Pupil responses to pitch deviants reflect predictability of melodic sequences

Humans automatically detect events that, in deviating from their expectations, may signal prediction failure and a need to reorient behaviour. The pupil dilation response (PDR) to violations has been associated with subcortical signals of arousal and prediction resetting. However, it is unclear how the context in which a deviant occurs affects the size of the PDR. Using ecological musical stimuli that we characterised using a computational model, we showed that the PDR to pitch deviants is sensitive to contextual uncertainty (quantified as entropy), whereby the PDR was greater in low than high entropy contexts. The PDR was also positively correlated with unexpectedness of notes. No effects of music expertise were found, suggesting a ceiling effect due to enculturation. These results show that the same sudden environmental change can lead to differing arousal levels depending on contextual factors, providing evidence for a sensitivity of the PDR to long-term context

MiR-199a-5p and miR-375 affect colon cancer cell sensitivity to cetuximab by targeting PHLPP1

We aimed to analyze the differentially-expressed miRNAs in colon cancer cells in order to identify novel potential biomarkers involved in cancer cell resistance

Willingness to pay for one-stop anesthesia in pediatric day surgery

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This study assesses the parents' Willingness To Pay (WTP) for One Stop Anesthesia (OSA). OSA is part of a free screening procedure that determines the timing of the anesthesiological assessment. In OSA-positive patients, the preoperative assessment is carried out on the same day as the surgery. The OSA allows patients who have to undergo surgery in a pediatric day surgery to avoid accessing the pre-admission clinic.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>This is a descriptive cohort study. A sample of 106 parents were interviewed directly by means of a questionnaire. The questionnaire builds a hypothetical scenario where the interviewee has a chance to buy the OSA health service with the WTP. The WTP values are distributed in classes and are contingent to the market built in the questionnaire. The Chi Square and Cramer's V tests evaluate the WTP dependence on the parents' place of origin and occupation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The approximate average of the WTP classes is €87.21 per family. The Chi Square test relative to the WTP classes and the places of origin is statistically significant (p < 0.05). The Cramer's V test is 0.347 and points to a positive association between the two demographics. The Cramer's V test of the WTP classes and the types of job is 0.339 and indicates a positive association.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Nearly 90% of pediatric patients who were screened for timing the preoperative assessment are true positives to OSA. This allows doing away with the pre-hospitalization, with definite advantages for the families. This screening is a health service that families would be hypothetically willing to pay.</p

Postmortem microbiology as a routine tool for legal-medicine in Italy: is it time?

Postmortem microbiology may be important to determine the cause of the death. We report a case study of Klebsiella pneumoniae meningitis where the lack of sampling standardization and poor knowledge of this tool could affect medical-legal investigation

Novel Multifunctional Magnetic Inorganic Composites: Synthesis and Characterization

We report the preparation of a series of new magnetic inorganic composites (MICs) with tuneable magnetic and mechanical properties. In the field of power inductive components and inductive heating, they could transfer energy with high robustness and excellent performances. Moreover, they may mitigate electromagnetic interference (EMI) in the LF and MF band. The MICs have been prepared using an alkaline or acidic activation process carried out in the presence of commercial magnetic micrometric particles made of anisotropic and isotropic Sr-ferrite. Three different matrices have been prepared, varying the type of activator, slag addition, water content, and aggregates

Novel Multifunctional Magnetic Inorganic Composites: Synthesis and Characterization

We report the preparation of a series of new magnetic inorganic composites (MICs) with tuneable magnetic and mechanical properties. In the field of power inductive components and inductive heating, they could transfer energy with high robustness and excellent performances. Moreover, they may mitigate electromagnetic interference (EMI) in the LF and MF band. The MICs have been prepared using an alkaline or acidic activation process carried out in the presence of commercial magnetic micrometric particles made of anisotropic and isotropic Sr-ferrite. Three different matrices have been prepared, varying the type of activator, slag addition, water content, and aggregates