A Switch of Dialect as Disguise

Criminals may purposely try to hide their identity by using a voice disguise such as imitating another dialect. This paper empirically investigates the power of dialect as an attribute that listeners use when identifying voices and how a switch of dialect affects voice identification. In order to delimit the magnitude of the perceptual significance of dialect and the possible impact of dialect imitation, a native bidialectal speaker was the target speaker in a set of four voice line-up experiments, two of which involved a dialect switch. Regardless of which dialect the bidialectal speaker spoke he was readily recognized. When the familiarization and target voices were of different dialects, it was found that the bidialectal speaker was significantly less well recognized. Dialect is thus a key feature for speaker identification that overrides many other features of the voice. Whether imitated dialect can be used for voice disguise to the same degree as native dialect switching demands further research

Myocardial recovery in peri-partum cardiomyopathy after continuous flow left ventricular assist device

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) offer effective therapy for severe heart failure (HF) as bridge to transplantation or destination therapy. Rarely, the sustained unloading provided by the LVAD has led to cardiac reverse remodelling and recovery, permitting explantation of the device. We describe the clinical course of a patient with severe peri-partum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) rescued with a continuous flow LVAD, who experienced recovery and explantation. We discuss assessment of and criteria for recovery

Pharmacological basis and clinical evidence of dabigatran therapy

Dabigatran is an emerging oral anticoagulant which is a direct inhibitor of thrombin activity. It has been approved in the European Union and the United States of America for the prevention of thrombosis after major orthopedic surgery. It has also been approved by the American Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency for the prevention of stroke in chronic atrial fibrillation. Dabigatran provides a stable anticoagulation effect without any need to perform periodical laboratory controls. Of note, there is a growing amount of clinical evidence which shows its safety and efficacy. For these reasons, dabigatran may suppose a revolution in oral anticoagulation. However, two important limitations remain. First, it is contraindicated in patients with end-stage renal disease. Second, there is no evidence of the prevention of thrombosis in mechanical heart valves

Interlaboratory comparison to evaluate the methodology for determination of the media filtration efficiency against nanoparticles

Current international standards dealing with efficiency test for filters and filter media focus on measurement of the minimum efficiency at the most penetrating particle size. The available knowledge and instruments provide a solid base for development of test methods to determine the effectiveness of filtration media against airborne nanoparticles down to single-digit nanometer range. An interlaboratory evaluation was performed in the framework of the European Mandate M/461 activities, within the Technical Committee 195 of European Committee for Standardization (CEN/TC195). The purpose was to develop a methodology to determine effectiveness of filtration media against air-borne particles in the 3 – 500 nm range. Five different laboratories (Camfil, ETH/Empa, Politecnico di Torino, University of Minnesota, Unifil) participate in the round robin test in order to verify the repeatability and reproducibility of the test method. The qualification of test rig and apparatus was performed prior of the filtration efficiency and air flow resistance measurement tests.Twilled dutch weave wire mesh was chosen to perform the validation filtration efficiency tests so as to ensure high uniformity of the samples being tested by each different laboratory. We present the experimental data with the discussion about their validity

L-Cysteine Containing Vitamin Supplement Which Prevents or Alleviates Alcohol-related Hangover Symptoms : Nausea, Headache, Stress and Anxiety

Correction ALCOHOL AND ALCOHOLISM Volume: 55 Issue: 6 Pages: 705-705 DOI: 10.1093/alcalc/agaa088 Published: NOV 2020Aims: Alcohol-related hangover symptoms: nausea, headache, stress and anxiety cause globally considerable amount of health problems and economic losses. Many of these harmful effects are produced by alcohol and its metabolite, acetaldehyde, which also is a common ingredient in alcohol beverages. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of the amino acid L-cysteine on the alcohol/acetaldehyde related aftereffects. Methods: Voluntary healthy participants were recruited through advertisements. Volunteers had to have experience of hangover and/or headache. The hangover study was randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled. Nineteen males randomly swallowed placebo and L-cysteine tablets. The alcohol dose was 1.5 g/kg, which was consumed during 3 h. Results: The primary results based on correlational analysis showed that L-cysteine prevents or alleviates hangover, nausea, headache, stress and anxiety. For hangover, nausea and headache the results were apparent with the L-cysteine dose of 1200 mg and for stress and anxiety already with the dose of 600 mg. Conclusions: L-cysteine would reduce the need of drinking the next day with no or less hangover symptoms: nausea, headache, stress and anxiety. Altogether, these effects of L-cysteine are unique and seem to have a future in preventing or alleviating these harmful symptoms as well as reducing the risk of alcohol addiction.Peer reviewe

Sleep homeostasis, seizures, and cognition in children with focal epilepsy

AIM: To investigate the link between sleep disruption and cognitive impairment in childhood epilepsy by studying the effect of epilepsy on sleep homeostasis, as reflected in slow-wave activity (SWA). METHOD: We examined SWA from overnight EEG-polysomnography in 19 children with focal epilepsy (mean [SD] age 11 years 6 months [3 years], range 6 years 6 months-15 years 6 months; 6 females, 13 males) and 18 age- and sex-matched typically developing controls, correlating this with contemporaneous memory consolidation task scores, full-scale IQ, seizures, and focal interictal discharges. RESULTS: Children with epilepsy did not differ significantly from controls in overnight SWA decline (p = 0.12) or gain in memory performance with sleep (p = 0.27). SWA was lower in patients compared to controls in the first hour of non-rapid eye movement sleep (p = 0.021), although not in those who remained seizure-free (p = 0.26). Full-scale IQ did not correlate with measures of SWA in patients or controls. There was no significant difference in SWA measures between focal and non-focal electrodes. INTERPRETATION: Overnight SWA decline is conserved in children with focal epilepsy and may underpin the preservation of sleep-related memory consolidation in this patient group. Reduced early-night SWA may reflect impaired or immature sleep homeostasis in those with a higher seizure burden

Navigating ‘taxation’ on the Congo River: the interplay of legitimation and ‘officialisation’

Based on comprehensive research among boat operators and navy personnel working on the Congo River (DRC), this article explores how assessments of ‘taxation’ are shaped by the interplay of legitimation and ‘officialisation’. As such, it draws upon and contributes to scholarly debates on taxpayers’ attitudes towards taxation. While boat operators resent having to pay a plethora of authorities, including the navy, along the Congo River, the article demonstrates how they locate these ‘taxes’ on a spectrum from more to less legitimate. These assessments are shaped by various factors: authorities’ legitimacy as ‘measured’ by their official mandate and importance; public and non-official service provision; and the deployment of symbols of ‘stateness’. In interaction, these factors legitimise and ‘officialise’ ‘taxes’ by the navy that are prohibited in legislation. These findings caution against the a priori use of the labels ‘official’ and ‘non-official’, emphasising the need to better grasp these notions’ emic understandings

Telomere Length and Frailty : The Helsinki Birth Cohort Study

Objectives: Telomere length is associated with aging-related pathologies. Although the association between telomere length and frailty has been studied previously, only a few studies assessing longitudinal changes in telomere length and frailty exist. Design: Longitudinal cohort study. Setting and participants: A subpopulation of the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study consisting of 1078 older adults aged 67 to 79 years born in Helsinki, Finland, between 1934 and 1944. Measures: Relative leukocyte telomere length (LTL) was measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction at the average ages of 61 and 71 years, and at the latter the participants were assessed for frailty according to Fried criteria. Results: The mean +/- SD relative LTLs were 1.40 +/- 0.29 (average age 61 years) and 0.86 +/- 0.30 (average age 71 years) for the cohort. A trend of shorter mean relative LTL across frailty groups was observed at 61 years (P =.016) and at 71 years (P =.057). Relative LTL at age 61 years was significantly associated with frailty: per 1-unit increase in relative LTL, the corresponding relative risk ratio (RRR) of frailty was 0.28 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.08-0.97), adjusting for several confounders. Also, LTL at age 71 years was associated with frailty (RRR 0.18, 95% CI 0.04-0.81) after adjustment for sex, age, and adult socioeconomic status, but further adjustment attenuated the association. No associations between telomere shortening and frailty were observed during the 10-year follow-up. Conclusions: Shorter relative LTL was associated with frailty in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, but telomere shortening was not, suggesting that short LTL may be a biomarker of frailty. (C) 2018 AMDA - The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.Peer reviewe

Sleep homeostasis, seizures, and cognition in children with focal epilepsy

AIM To investigate the link between sleep disruption and cognitive impairment in childhood epilepsy by studying the effect of epilepsy on sleep homeostasis, as reflected in slow-wave activity (SWA). METHOD We examined SWA from overnight EEG-polysomnography in 19 children with focal epilepsy (mean [SD] age 11 years 6 months [3 years], range 6 years 6 months-15 years 6 months; 6 females, 13 males) and 18 age- and sex-matched typically developing controls, correlating this with contemporaneous memory consolidation task scores, full-scale IQ, seizures, and focal interictal discharges. RESULTS Children with epilepsy did not differ significantly from controls in overnight SWA decline (p = 0.12) or gain in memory performance with sleep (p = 0.27). SWA was lower in patients compared to controls in the first hour of non-rapid eye movement sleep (p = 0.021), although not in those who remained seizure-free (p = 0.26). Full-scale IQ did not correlate with measures of SWA in patients or controls. There was no significant difference in SWA measures between focal and non-focal electrodes. INTERPRETATION Overnight SWA decline is conserved in children with focal epilepsy and may underpin the preservation of sleep-related memory consolidation in this patient group. Reduced early-night SWA may reflect impaired or immature sleep homeostasis in those with a higher seizure burden