Temperature Stabilization of the Phase-Reference Line at the European Spallation Source

We consider temperature stabilization of the phase-reference line at the European Spallation Source, a facility for neutron spallation currently under construction. Based on extensive modeling of the heat dynamics, a prototype model-based control system with associated hardware architecture is developed and experimentally evaluated on a small-scale setup. The results indicate that temperature stability within ±0.1°C is possible to achieve, also with significant disturbances in the ambient temperature expected during operation

Control Problems at the European Spallation Source

A background on the Europan Spallation Source is given, and our work on three control problems important for the design of its linear accelerator are presented

Feedback Analysis in Percutaneous Bone-Conduction Device and Bone-Conduction Implant on a Dry Cranium

Hypothesis: The bone-conduction implant (BCI) can use a higher gain setting without having feedback problems compared with a percutaneous bone-conduction device (PBCD). Background: The conventional PBCD, today, is a common treatment for patients with conductive hearing loss and single-sided deafness. However, there are minor drawbacks reported related to the percutaneous implant and specifically poor high-frequency gain. The BCI system is designed as an alternative to the percutaneous system because it leaves the skin intact and is less prone to fall into feedback oscillations, thus allowing more high-frequency gain. Methods: Loop gains of the Baha Classic 300 and the BCI were measured in the frequency range of 100 to 10,000 Hz attached to a Skull simulator and a dry cranium. The Baha and the BCI positions were investigated. The devices were adjusted to full-on gain. Results: It was found that the gain headroom using the BCI was generally 0 to 10 dB better at higher frequencies than using the Baha for a given mechanical output. More specifically, if the mechanical output of the devices were normalized at the cochlear level the improvement in gain headroom with the BCI versus the Baha were in the range of 10 to 30 dB. Conclusion: Using a BCI, significantly higher gain setting can be used without feedback problems as compared with using a PBCD

Bone Conduction Stimulated VEMP Using the B250 Transducer

Objective: Bone conduction (BC) stimulation is rarely used for clinical testing of vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) due to the limitations of conventional stimulation alternatives. The aim of this study is to compare VEMP using the new B250 transducer with the Minishaker and air conduction (AC) stimulation.Methods: Thirty normal subjects between 20 and 37 years old and equal gender distribution were recruited, 15 for ocular VEMP and 15 for cervical VEMP. Four stimulation conditions were compared: B250 on the mastoid (FM); Minishaker and B250 on the forehead (FZ); and AC stimulation using an insert earphone.Results: It was found that B250 at FM required a statistically significant lower hearing level than with AC stimulation, in average 41 dB and 35 dB lower for ocular VEMP and cervical VEMP, respectively, but gave longer n10 (1.1 ms) and n23 (1.6 ms). No statistical difference was found between B250 at FM and Minishaker at FZ.Conclusion: VEMP stimulated with B250 at FM gave similar response as the Minishaker at FZ and for a much lower hearing level than AC stimulation using insert earphones

Long-term follow-up and review of the Bone Conduction Implant

Active transcutaneous bone conduction devices are a type of bone conduction device developed to keep the skin intact and provide direct bone conduction stimulation. The Bone Conduction Implant (BCI) is such a device and has been implanted in 16 patients. The objective of this paper is to give a broad overview of the BCI development to the final results of 13 patients at 5-year follow-up. Follow-up of these patients included audiological performance investigations, questionnaires, as well as safety evaluation and objective functionality testing of the device. Among those audiological measure-ments were sound field warble tone thresholds, speech recognition threshold (SRT), speech recognition score (SRS) and signal to noise ratio threshold (SNR-threshold).The accumulated implant time for all 16 patients was 113 years in February 2022. During this time, no serious adverse events have occurred. The functional improvement for the 13 patients reported in this paper was on average 29.5 dB (average over 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 kHz), while the corresponding effective gain was-12.4 dB. The SRT improvement was 24.5 dB and the SRS improvement was 38.1%, while the aided SNR-threshold was on average -6.4 dB.It was found that the BCI can give effective and safe hearing rehabilitation for patients with conduc-tive and mild-to-moderate mixed hearing loss

Diverse pathways—common phenomena

Urban rainwater management is the terrain of varied initiatives that challenge existing drainage systems. The initiatives that this article refers to as Urban Rainwater Harvesting (URH), promise a more sustainable urban water approach; however, they remain isolated “niche” projects. The article aims to investigate challenges and opportunities for mainstreaming alternative URHs as sociotechnical systems (STS). It identifies six analytical categories: context, actors, instruments, processes/dynamics, outputs and impacts as a framework for the analyses of URH projects in Stockholm, Berlin and Barcelona. Despite the diversity of socio-spatial contexts, driving forces, purposes, instruments used, technical designs and scale of URH projects, relevant factors for a breakthrough of these systems are discussed. Even though URHs have not yet become a common component of rainwater management in any of the cities, context-specific combinations of these factors are found to be essential if these systems are to become complementary options for the sustainable management of rainwater in cities.Peer Reviewe

The radical-binding lipocalin A1M binds to a Complex I subunit and protects mitochondrial structure and function.

Aims: During cell death, energy-consuming cell degradation and recycling programs are performed. Maintenance of energy-delivery during cell death is therefore crucial but the mechanisms to keep the mitochondrial functions intact during these processes are poorly understood. We have investigated the hypothesis that the heme- and radical-binding ubiquitous protein A1M (α1-microglobulin) is involved in protection of the mitochondria against oxidative insult during cell death. Results: Using blood cells, keratinocytes and liver cells, we show that A1M binds with high affinity to apoptosis-induced cells and is localized to mitochondria. The mitochondrial Complex I subunit NDUFAB1 was identified as a major molecular target of the A1M-binding. Furthermore, A1M was shown to inhibit the swelling of mitochondria, and to reverse the severely abrogated ATP-production of mitochondria when exposed to heme and ROS. Innovation: Import of the radical- and heme-binding protein A1M from the extracellular compartment confers protection of mitochondrial structure and function during cellular insult. Conclusion: A1M binds to a subunit of Complex I and has a role in assisting the mitochondria to maintain its energy delivery during cell death. A1M may also, at the same time, counteract and eliminate the ROS generated by the mitochondrial respiration to prevent oxidative damage to surrounding healthy tissue

Effect of transducer attachment on vibration transmission and transcranial attenuation for direct drive bone conduction stimulation

Direct drive bone conduction devices (BCDs) are used to rehabilitate patients with conductive or mixed hearing loss by stimulating the skull bone directly, either with an implanted transducer (active transcutaneous BCDs), or through a skin penetrating abutment rigidly coupled to an external vibrating transducer (percutaneous BCDs). Active transcutaneous BCDs have been under development to overcome limitations of the percutaneous bone anchored hearing aid (BAHA), mainly related to the skin penetration. The attachment of a direct drive BCD to the skull bone can differ significantly between devices, and possibly influence the vibrations\u27 transmission to the cochleae. In this study, four different attachments are considered: (A) small-sized flat surface, (B) extended flat surface, (C) bar with a screw at both ends, and (D) standard bone anchored hearing aid screw. A, B, and C represent three active transcutaneous options, while D is for percutaneous applications. The primary aim of this study was to investigate how the different transcutaneous attachments (A, B, and C) affect the transmission of vibrations to the cochleae to the ipsilateral and the contralateral side. A secondary aim was to evaluate and compare transcranial attenuation (TA, ipsilateral minus contralateral signal level) between transcutaneous (A, B, and C) and percutaneous attachments (D). Measurements were performed on four human heads, measuring cochlear promontory velocity with a LDV (laser Doppler vibrometer) and sound pressure in the ear canal (ECSP) with an inserted microphone. The stimulation signal was a swept sine between 0.1 and 10 kHz. The comparison of ipsilateral transmission between transcutaneous adaptors A, B, and C was in agreement with previous findings, confirming that: (1) Adaptor C seems to give the most effective transmission for frequencies around 6 kHz but somewhat lower in the mid frequency range, and (2) keeping a smaller contact area seems to provide advantages compared to a more extended one. The same trends were seen ipsilaterally and contralaterally. The observed TA was similar for adaptors A, B, and C at the mastoid position, ranging -10-0 dB below 500 Hz, and 10-20 dB above. A lower TA was seen above 500 Hz when using adaptor D at the parietal position

Three-Year Follow-Up with the Bone Conduction Implant

Background: The bone conduction implant (BCI) is an active transcutaneous bone conduction device where the transducer has direct contact to the bone, and the skin is intact. Sixteen patients have been implanted with the BCI with a planned follow-up of 5 years. This study reports on hearing, quality of life, and objective measures up to 36 months of follow-up in 10 patients. Method: Repeated measures were performed at fitting and after 1, 3, 6, 12, and 36 months including sound field warble tone thresholds, speech recognition thresholds in quiet, speech recognition score in noise, and speech-to-noise thresholds for 50% correct words with adaptive noise. Three quality of life questionnaires were used to capture the benefit from the intervention, appreciation from different listening situations, and the ability to interact with other people when using the BCI. The results were compared to the unaided situation and a Ponto Pro Power on a soft band. The implant functionality was measured by nasal sound pressure, and the retention force from the audio processor against the skin was measured using a specially designed audio processor and a force gauge. Results: Audiometry and quality of life questionnaires using the BCI or the Ponto Pro Power on a soft band were significantly improved compared to the unaided situation and the results were statistically supported. There was generally no significant difference between the two devices. The nasal sound pressure remained stable over the study period and the force on the skin from the audio processor was 0.71 \ub1 0.22 N (mean \ub1 1 SD). Conclusion: The BCI improves the hearing ability for tones and speech perception in quiet and in noise for the indicated patients. The results are stable over a 3-year period, and the patients subjectively report a beneficial experience from using the BCI. The transducer performance and contact to the bone is unchanged over time, and the skin area under the audio processor remains without complications during the 3-year follow-up

Determinants of maternal and fetal exposure and temporal trends of perfluorinated compounds.

In recent years, some perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) have been identified as potentially hazardous substances which are harmful to the environment and human health. According to limited data, PFC levels in humans could be influenced by several determinants. However, the findings are inconsistent. In the present study, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) were measured in paired maternal and cord serum samples (N = 237) collected between 1978 and 2001 in Southern Sweden to study the relationship between these and to investigate several potential determinants of maternal and fetal exposure to PFCs. Time trends of PFCs in Swedish women were also evaluated. The study is a part of the Fetal Environment and Neurodevelopment Disorders in Epidemiological Research project. PFOS, PFOA, and PFNA levels (median) were higher in maternal serum (15, 2.1, and 0.24 ng/ml, respectively) than in cord serum (6.5, 1.7, and 0.20 ng/ml, respectively). PFC levels were among the highest in women originating from the Nordic countries and the lowest in women from the Middle East, North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa. Multiparous women had lower serum PFOA levels (1.7 ng/ml) than primiparous women (2.4 ng/ml). Maternal age, body mass index, cotinine levels, and whether women carried male or female fetuses did not affect serum PFC concentrations. Umbilical cord serum PFC concentrations showed roughly similar patterns as the maternal except for the gestational age where PFC levels increased with advancing gestational age. PFOS levels increased during the study period in native Swedish women. In summary, PFOS levels tend to increase while PFOA and PFNA levels were unchanged between 1978 and 2001 in our study population. Our results demonstrate that maternal country of origin, parity, and gestational age might be associated with PFC exposure