Determining Annoyance Thresholds of Tones in Noise

Building services equipment often produces noise signatures with significant tones in them that can lead to complaints in the built environment. Previous studies have investigated prominence levels of assorted tonal frequencies, but it is still unclear what prominence of the tones across varying tonal frequencies can lead to human annoyance. This project seeks to apply two different methods towards defining annoyance thresholds of tones in noise at two tonal frequencies: 125 Hz and 500 Hz. In the first, subjects are asked to perform a task, while exposed to ten minutes of a broadband noise spectrum with a specific level of tonal prominence. They are subsequently asked to rate their annoyance to that noise condition. Five prominence levels of each of the two tones are tested above two different background noise levels, for a total of 20 test trials. In the second methodology, subjects listen to each of the two tonal frequencies at a predetermined level above each of the two background noise levels, and then adjust the level of the tone up or down until it becomes just annoying. The strengths, weaknesses, and results obtained for the annoyance thresholds of tones in noise from each of these methods are compared

Passive reclamation of soft-sediment ecosystems on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada

Estuarine ecosystems are degraded through anthropogenic development, leading to reduced habitat suitability for biological communities. The Skeena River estuary (British Columbia, Canada) is undergoing passive reclamation from historical salmon canneries and pulp mills, while localized disturbances continue at present. To reveal both current impacts and the trajectory of passive reclamation from historical activities, the intertidal mudflat surrounding the longest operating salmon cannery, Cassiar Cannery, within the Skeena estuary was surveyed. Nutrient availability (chlorophyll a concentration/organic matter content), sediment variables (particle size, water content, penetrability, woody debris/macroalgae cover, apparent redox potential discontinuity depth), and infaunal community composition varied spatiotemporally, and suggest that an old dock may be influencing the infaunal community given the abundance of disturbance indicating taxa below the dock. However, with populations of amphipods, mobile polychaetes, and a complex community structure, the mudflat as a whole appears to be relatively healthy. Therefore, cessation of historic activities has allowed for passive reclamation to a reasonably unstressed state, though a threshold of recovery may exist for intertidal mudflats beyond which passive reclamation will not be effective

Plasma Neurofilament Light and Markers of Sensorimotor Function in a Predominantly Hispanic Population of Older Adults in San Antonio, Texas

Background: Sensorimotor and blood-based biomarkers are promising dementia biomarkers with high accessibility and limited invasiveness. Although sensorimotor changes appear with aging, more severe changes may precede cognitive decline, dementia, and other neurological diseases. Additionally, blood-based neurofilament light (NfL), a broad marker of neuroaxonal injury, is commonly elevated in many types of neurological disease. Prior studies have suggested that increased blood levels of NfL in conjunction with sensorimotor decline may allow for earlier neurological disease diagnosis and/or prediction of disease severity, but little is known about the correlation of these markers in the general population. We examined the association between NfL and sensorimotor markers in a predominantly Hispanic population in San Antonio, Texas. Method: Our sample included older adults from our San Antonio MarkVCID and South Texas Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) cohorts (n=152, mean age 71.2±7.63, 60.4% women, 79.5% Hispanic) with available plasma NfL, olfaction (B-SIT age-adjusted percentile), grip strength, and touch (monofilament) data (Table 1). NfL concentrations were log-transformed to achieve a normal distribution. We used linear or logistic regression models, as appropriate, to assess the association between NfL and sensorimotor outcomes, adjusting for age, sex, race, ethnicity, and cognitive diagnosis. Result: Higher plasma NfL was significantly associated with decreased olfaction score percentiles (Beta [95% Confidence Interval], β=-8.79; [95% CI -16.89; -0.12], p=0.05), grip strength in either hand (left: β=-3.62; [95% CI -5.51; -1.74], p=0.0002; right: β=-2.99; [95% CI -5.01; -1.03], p=0.003), and impaired touch perception (Odds Ratio [95% CI], OR=2.56; [95% CI 1.01; 6.48]; p=0.05), independent of the potential confounders listed above. Conclusion: These results highlight the association of plasma NfL with several markers of sensorimotor function, which may reflect central and peripheral neuroaxonal injury. Additional studies are needed in larger community samples to confirm these findings and explore the potential of NfL as a marker of functional decline in longitudinal studies. We plan to continue collecting these markers, as well as gait and balance, longitudinally to gain a better understanding of the link between neurodegeneration, sensorimotor markers, and neurological disease trajectory in our unique South Texas population

The Student Movement Volume 107 Issue 16: Soul Lounge, Self-Care, and Stripple Breakfast Burritos: There\u27s Something for Everyone

HUMANS AU\u27s Favorite Classes, Solana Campbell Becoming Multilingual, Gloria Oh Greatest Gazebo Orders, Solana Campbell Interview with VP Nixon, Caryn Cruz ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Currently: Babel, Terika Williams That 90\u27s Love: BSCF Soul Lounge, Skyler Campbell The Therapist, Marcel Mattox NEWS Experience Andrews University\u27s Community Adult Education, Gloria Oh Joyful Resilience: An Art Experience at AU, Solana Campbell Students Share Their African Heritage at Short Course, Andrew Francis IDEAS The Future of Self-Care, Katie Davis The Straw that Breaks the Camel\u27s Back? Beyoncé and the 2023 Grammys, Alexander J. Hess Death Toll Passes 41,000: Turkey and Syria Earthquakes, Abby Shim PULSE A Conversation with an NBA Physician, Reagan McCain Nick Bishop and Honduras, Interviewed by Abraham Bravo LAST WORD Intelligence, Artificial and Otherwise: A Reflection on Extended Cognition, ChatGPT, and Neurodivergence, Lily Burkehttps://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/sm-107/1015/thumbnail.jp

The Student Movement Volume 107 Issue 21: Evensong Vespers Honors President Luxton\u27s Gift of Service

HUMANS Apple vs Android, Grace No Senior Plans, Interviewed by: Solana Campbell Student Workers: Claudia Ruiz, Interviewed by: Nora Martin ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT WAUS: An Update on our Beloved Campus Radio Station, Grace No Creatives on Campus: Mateo Banks, Grace No Meditation for the Easter Season: Community Celebrates President Luxton, Lily Burke and Alannah Tjhatra NEWS A Night of Avant-Garde, Solana Campbell Environmental Events Bring Awareness to Berrien County, Andrew Francis Interview with Dr. Heather Thompson Day: Becoming an Author and Inspiring Change, Brendan Oh The Living Library: Stories from the Andrews Community, Isabella Koh IDEAS Enough with the Self Help Books, Valerie Akinyi Social Media and Authenticity, Nathaniel Reid The Resurgence of the Jim Crow Era in America, Shania Watts PULSE At Home at Andrews University, Elizabeth Dovich Sex Education in Adventist Institutions, Lexie Dunham The Importance of the Office of Culture and Inclusion, Zothile Sibanda LAST WORD Last Word, Solana Campbellhttps://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/sm-107/1020/thumbnail.jp

Genetic and Morphological Features of Human iPSC-Derived Neurons with Chromosome 15q11.2 (BP1-BP2) Deletions

Producción CientíficaBackground: Copy number variation on chromosome 15q11.2 (BP1-BP2) causes deletion of CYFIP1, NIPA1, NIPA2 and TUBGCP5; it also affects brain structure and elevates risk for several neurodevelopmental disorders that are associated with dendritic spine abnormalities. In rodents, altered cyfip1 expression changes dendritic spine morphology, motivating analyses of human neuronal cells derived from iPSCs (iPSC-neurons). Methods: iPSCs were generated from a mother and her offspring, both carrying the 15q11.2 (BP1-BP2) deletion, and a non-deletion control. Gene expression in the deletion region was estimated using quantitative real-time PCR assays. Neural progenitor cells (NPCs) and iPSC-neurons were characterized using immunocytochemistry. Results: CYFIP1, NIPA1, NIPA2 and TUBGCP5 gene expression was lower in iPSCs, NPCs and iPSC-neurons from the mother and her offspring in relation to control cells. CYFIP1 and PSD95 protein levels were lower in iPSC-neurons derived from the CNV bearing individuals using Western blot analysis. At 10 weeks post-differentiation, iPSC-neurons appeared to show dendritic spines and qualitative analysis suggested that dendritic morphology was altered in 15q11.2 deletion subjects compared with control cells. Conclusions: The 15q11.2 (BP1-BP2) deletion is associated with reduced expression of four genes in iPSC-derived neuronal cells; it may also be associated altered iPSC-neuron dendritic morphology

The Student Movement Volume 108 Issue 10: VP or Not VP?: That is the Question

HUMANS Interview with Dr. Ponce-Rodas: Change within the Church, Grace No Dean Spotlight Interview: Alyssa Palmer, Lauren Kim Maya Sukumaran\u27s Exploration: Unraveling the Neurobiology of Cricket Behavior, Nick Bishop ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT AUSO\u27s Vienna Classics Concert, Nate Miller Discovering the Fine Arts Program, Amelia Stefanescu What Do Murder and Law School Have in Common?, Amelia Stefanescu NEWS AU Abroad, Katie Davis Context, Changes, Reactions, What\u27s Coming, VP to the Assistant to the President, Lily Burke Founding of Andrews University, Kiheon Chung Israel-Gaza Follow Up, Robert Zhang Second Annual AU Shark Tank Features Intriguing Proposals, Andrew Francis IDEAS Coming Out Ministries in Berrien Springs, Erin Beers How to Spread Holiday Cheer on a Budget!, Reagan Westerman Rabbit Rabbit, Katie Davis What is Truth? My Personal Exploration into Moral Relativism, Bella Hamann PULSE A Taste of Goodness, Anna Rybachek Countdown to Finals: Tips for Test-Taking, Sumin Lee Why Andrews?, Alyssa Caruthers LAST WORD My Semester of Touching Grass and Smelling the Roses, Grace Nohttps://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/sm-108/1009/thumbnail.jp

A rapid, non-invasive population assessment technique for marine burrowing macrofauna inhabiting soft sediments

Population assessment techniques for soft-sediment infauna (invertebrates within the substrate) requires excavation of specimens, damaging or killing the specimen and surrounding habitat, while being time-consuming and costly. Rapid population assessments of some marine burrowing decapods have been possible by counting burrow openings to estimate abundance, and while they may be used as indicator species, these decapods are not ubiquitous to environments requiring monitoring. Additionally, the presence of other burrowing macrofauna (invertebrates living in the sediment and retained on 1mm mesh such as clams or large worms) may reduce the efficacy of burrow openings in estimating macrofauna abundance. As such, we assessed mudflats along the north coast of British Columbia, Canada, during summer 2017 to determine if macrofauna abundances could be estimated from burrow openings on the sediment surface in regions of low (n = 1 species) and high (n = 8 species) biodiversity. Abundance could not be estimated at the low diversity sites where only one macrofaunal species created burrows. At the high diversity site, species-specific models estimating abundance from burrow openings could not be constructed; however, the total number of burrow openings observed was useful in estimating total infaunal community abundance. As such, burrow openings may not be an effective tool in assessing species-specific abundances, but may be appropriate to estimate overall community changes

Conflicts of Interest in Sell-side Research and The Moderating Role of Institutional Investors

Because sell-side analysts are dependent on institutional investors for performance ratings and trading commissions, we argue that analysts are less likely to succumb to investment banking or brokerage pressure in stocks highly visible to institutional investors. Examining a comprehensive sample of analyst recommendations over the 1994-2000 period, we find that analysts’ recommendations relative to consensus are positively associated with investment banking relationships and brokerage pressure, but negatively associated with the presence of institutional investor owners. The presence of institutional investors is also associated with more accurate earnings forecasts and more timely re-ratings following severe share price falls