Effect of Listening to Music as a Function of Driving Complexity: A Simulator Study on the Differing Effects of Music on Different Driving Tasks

Research in regards to music’s effects on driving performance has been mixed. Previous research has found that music adds to mental workload. Other research has found that high mental workload is related to poorer driving performance in simulation. In this study, mental workload was manipulated by varying visual complexity and type of task (i.e., car-following or braking for unexpected obstacles). It was found that steering variance and delay in carfollowing response were reduced by music under low-workload conditions, while number of collisions with cars and number of lane excursions were increased under high-workload conditions. A practice effect was also found, with participants performing better when listening to music with more practice

Stellar Population near NGC 2021: Procession of Star Formation in the South Rim of Supergiant Shell LMC 4

Supergiant shells (SGSs) are the largest interstellar structures where heated and enriched gas flows into the host galaxy's halo. The SGSs in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) are so close that their stars can be resolved with ground-based telescopes to allow studies of star formation history. Aiming to study the star formation history and energy budget of LMC 4, we have conducted a pilot study of the cluster NGC 2021 and the OB associations in its vicinity near the south rim of LMC 4. We use the Magellanic Cloud Photometric Survey data of the LMC to establish a methodology to examine the stellar population and assess the massive star formation history. We find a radial procession of massive star formation from the northwest part of the OB association LH79 through NGC 2021 to the OB association LH78 in the south. Using the stellar content of NGC 2021 and the assumption of Salpeter's initial mass function, we estimate that $\sim$4 supernovae have occurred in NGC 2021, injecting at least $4\times10^{51}$ ergs of kinetic energy into the interior of LMC 4.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, accepted by the Astronomical Journa

Removal of nutrients and heavy metals from domestic and industry using botryococcus sp.

Microphytes or microalgae are the most basic food source of many types of organisms on earth and blooms during the presence of dissolved inorganic phosphorus. Wastewater is a body of water that is dangerous to organic life forms when consumed or used. It contains many pollutants that can cause health problems and also affect the ecosystem of an environment. This study aims to improve the water quality of wastewaters using phycoremediation process. The objectives of this study are to determine the growth of Botryococcus sp. in different types of wastewater in terms of resistance and survival of Botryococcus sp. in phycoremediation performance, to measure the environmental factor effecting the growth of Botryococcus sp. of phycoremediation process, to optimize the physiochemical and heavy metal removal in different types of wastewaters and to evaluate the effectiveness of Botryococcus sp. to remove the pollutants in wastewaters. Phycoremediation or bioremediation process is using macroalgae or microalgae for removing pollutants, nutrients, xenobiotics and heavy metals from wastewater. This research was done by collecting microalgae sample, isolating and culturing the required Botryococcus sp. Growth optimization and followed by phycoremediation process is done to remove unwanted elements from wastewaters. The optimum growth rate of algae is achieved when salinity is at 0M, temperature at 330C, photoperiod at 12:12 and light intensity of 18000 Lux. Result shows that the highest nitrate removal percentage occurs in semiconductor (100%), followed by palm oil mill effluent (97.29%), textile wastewater (98.04%) and domestic wastewater (85.43%). Total Phosphorus removal indicates the highest percentage for domestic wastewater (100%), palm oil effluent (99.2%), textile wastewater (98.44%) and semiconductor (50.39%). From this research, it is found that the best overall removal of physiochemical and heavy metal content occurs in palm oil mill effluent followed by domestic wastewater, semiconductor wastewater and textile wastewater

Evaluation of Incident Response Improvements for Statewide Application: Learnings from the New Regional Traffic Management Center in Jacksonville, FL [Summary]

University of North Florida researchers evaluated the performance of the new regional TMC in Jacksonville and quantified the impact of incidents on the operational and safety performance of the freeway network

Exercise training with negative pressure ventilation improves exercise capacity in patients with severe restrictive lung disease: a prospective controlled study

BACKGROUND: Exercise training is of benefit for patients with restrictive lung disease. However, it tends to be intolerable for those with severe disease. We examined whether providing ventilatory assistance by using negative pressure ventilators (NPV) during exercise training is feasible for such patients and the effects of training. METHODS: 36 patients with restrictive lung disease were prospectively enrolled for a 12-week multidisciplinary rehabilitation program. During this program, half of them (n:18; 60.3 ± 11.6 years; 6 men; FVC: 32.5 ± 11.7% predicted ) received regular sessions of exercise training under NPV, whilst the 18 others (59.6 ± 12.3 years; 8 men; FVC: 37.7 ± 10.2% predicted) did not. Exercise capacity, pulmonary function, dyspnea and quality of life were measured. The primary endpoint was the between-group difference in change of 6 minute-walk distance (6MWD) after 12 weeks of rehabilitation. RESULTS: All patients in the NPV-exercise group were able to tolerate and completed the program. The between-group differences were significantly better in the NPV-exercise group in changes of 6MWD (34.1 ± 12.7 m vs. -32.5 ± 17.5 m; P = 0.011) and St George Score (−14.5 ± 3.6 vs. 11.8 ± 6.0; P < 0.01). There was an improvement in dyspnea sensation (Borg’s scale, from 1.4 ± 1.5 point to 0.8 ± 1.3 point, P = 0.049) and a small increase in FVC (from 0.85 ± 0.09 L to 0.91 ± 0.08 L, P = 0.029) in the NPV-exercise group compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: Exercise training with NPV support is feasible for patients with severe restrictive lung diseases, and improves exercise capacity and health-related quality of life

In Vitro Growth of Human Keratinocytes and Oral Cancer Cells into Microtissues: An Aerosol-Based Microencapsulation Technique

Cells encapsulation is a micro-technology widely applied in cell and tissue research, tissue transplantation, and regenerative medicine. In this paper, we proposed a growth of microtissue model for the human keratinocytes (HaCaT) cell line and an oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cell line (ORL-48) based on a simple aerosol microencapsulation technique. At an extrusion rate of 20 �L/min and air flow rate of 0.3 L/min programmed in the aerosol system, HaCaT and ORL-48 cells in alginate microcapsules were encapsulated in microcapsules with a diameter ranging from 200 to 300 �m. Both cell lines were successfully grown into microtissues in the microcapsules of alginate within 16 days of culture. The microtissues were characterized by using a live/dead cell viability assay, field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), fluorescence staining, and cell re-plating experiments. The microtissues of both cell types were viable after being extracted from the alginate membrane using alginate lyase. However, the microtissues of HaCaT and ORL-48 demonstrated differences in both nucleus size and morphology. The microtissues with re-associated cells in spheroids are potentially useful as a cell model for pharmacological studies

In vitro growth of human keratinocytes and oral cancer cells into microtissues: an aerosol-based microencapsulation technique

Cells encapsulation is a micro-technology widely applied in cell and tissue research, tissue transplantation, and regenerative medicine. In this paper, we proposed a growth of microtissue model for the human keratinocytes (HaCaT) cell line and an oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cell line (ORL-48) based on a simple aerosol microencapsulation technique. At an extrusion rate of 20 µL/min and air flow rate of 0.3 L/min programmed in the aerosol system, HaCaT and ORL-48 cells in alginate microcapsules were encapsulated in microcapsules with a diameter ranging from 200 to 300 µm. Both cell lines were successfully grown into microtissues in the microcapsules of alginate within 16 days of culture. The microtissues were characterized by using a live/dead cell viability assay, field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), fluorescence staining, and cell re-plating experiments. The microtissues of both cell types were viable after being extracted from the alginate membrane using alginate lyase. However, the microtissues of HaCaT and ORL-48 demonstrated differences in both nucleus size and morphology. The microtissues with re-associated cells in spheroids are potentially useful as a cell model for pharmacological studies