Variability of Affective Responses to Odors: Culture, Gender, and Olfactory Knowledge

Emotion and odor scales (EOS) measuring odor-related affective feelings were recently developed for three different countries (Switzerland, United Kingdom, and Singapore). The first aim of this study was to investigate gender and cultural differences in verbal affective response to odors, measured with EOS and the usual pleasantness scale. To better understand this variability, the second aim was to investigate the link between affective reports and olfactory knowledge (familiarity and identification). Responses of 772 participants smelling 56-59 odors were collected in the three countries. Women rated odors as more intense and identified them better in all countries, but no reliable sex differences were found for verbal affective responses to odors. Disgust-related feelings revealed odor-dependent sex differences, due to sex differences in identification and categorization. Further, increased odor knowledge was related to more positive affects as reported with pleasantness and odor-related feeling evaluations, which can be related to top-down influences on odor representation. These top-down influences were thought, for example, to relate to beliefs about odor properties or to categorization (edible vs. nonedible). Finally, the link between odor knowledge and olfactory affect was generally asymmetrical and significant only for pleasant odors, not for unpleasant ones that seemed to be more resistant to cognitive influences. This study, for the first time using emotional scales that are appropriate to the olfactory domain, brings new insights into the variability of affective responses to odors and its relationship to odor knowledg

Affective semantic space of scents. Towards a universal scale to measure self-reported odor-related feelings

Measuring self-reported affective feelings to odors and odorous products is a recent challenge for the food and cosmetic field, requiring the development of suited instruments. This paper finalizes a line of studies aimed at developing Emotion and Odor Scales (EOSs) in several cultures. Previously available for Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Singapore, new EOSs are presented here for the United States, Brazil, and China. These scales, developed with 350-540 participants per country, have been conceived to allow the measurement of affective feelings (e.g., emotions, moods, attitudes) in response to a wide range of odors including pleasant and unpleasant, food and non-food ones. Several affective categories were recurrent in the countries examined here: Disgust/Irritation, Happiness/Well-being, Sensuality/Desire, Energy, but also Soothing/Peacefulness and Hunger/Thirst, indicating a potential link between emotion and adaptive universal functions of olfaction such as danger avoidance, ingestion and social communication. For these common categories, similarity in affective responses generally reflected geographic proximity indicating also a strong influence of cultural aspects. Exceptions to this pattern were Singapore and China, with affective responses of Singaporeans being closer to those of Europeans. This series of studies allows us to propose a universal scale (UniGEOS) that might be used in the future for examination of other cultures. This scale comprises affective categories that we found to be culturally shared, enclosing the most frequently shared affective terms, and several culture-specific aspects that may be relevant in other cultures. This tool can be used in its complete form (25 affective terms) or as a short version with nine categories entitled Unpleasant feelings, Happiness/Delight, Sensuality/Desire, Energy, Soothing/ Peacefulness, Hunger/Thirst, Interest, Nostalgia and Spirituality

III-N optoelectronic devices: understanding the physics of electro-optical degradation

III-N optoelectronic devices are of great interest for many applications. Visible emitters (based on InGaN) are widely used in the lighting, display and automotive fields. Ultraviolet LEDs (based on AlGaN) are expected to be widely used for disinfection, medical treatments, surface curing and sensing. Photodetectors and solar cells based on InGaN are also of interest, thanks to their great robustness and wavelength tunability. III-N semiconductors are expected to be robust, thanks to the wide bandgap (allowing high temperature operation) and to the high breakdown field (favoring the robustness against electrostatic discharges and electrical overstress). However, InGaN- and AlGaN-based devices can show a significant degradation when submitted to long-term ageing. Several driving forces can contribute to the worsening of the electrical and optical characteristics, including the operating temperature, the current, and the rate of non-radiative recombination in the quantum wells. The goal of this paper is to discuss the physics of degradation of III-V devices, by presenting a set of recent case studies, evaluated in our laboratories

Deep defects in InGaN LEDs: modeling the impact on the electrical characteristics

Deep defects have a fundamental role in determining the electro-optical characteristics and in the efficiency of InGaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs). However, modeling their effect on the electrical characteristics of the LED is not straightforward. In this paper we analyze the impact of the defects on the electrical characteristics of LEDs: we analyze three single-quantum-well (SQW) InGaN/GaN LED wafers, which differ in the density of defects. Through steady-state photocapacitance (SSPC) and light-capacitance-voltage measurements, the energy levels of these deep defects and their concentrations have been estimated. By means of a simulation campaign, we show that these defects have a fundamental impact on the current voltage characteristic of LEDs, especially in the sub turn-on region. The model adopted takes into consideration trap assisted tunneling as the main mechanism responsible for current leakage in forward bias. For the first time, we use in simulations the defect parameters (concentration, energy) extracted from SSPC. In this way, we can reproduce with great accuracy the current-voltage characteristics of InGaN LEDs in a wide current range (from pA to mA). In addition, based on SSPC measurements, we demonstrate that the defect density in the active region scales with the QW thickness. This supports the hypothesis that defects are incorporated in In-containing layers, consistently with recent publications

Defects in III-N LEDs: experimental identification and impact on electro-optical characteristics

III-N light-emitting-diodes (LEDs) are subject of intense investigations, thanks to their high efficiency and great reliability. The quality of the semiconductor material has a significant impact on the electro-optical performance of LEDs: for this reason, a detailed characterization of defect properties and the modeling of the impact of defects on device performance are of fundamental importance. This presentation addresses this issue, by discussing a set of recent case studies on the topic; specifically, we focus on the experimental characterization of defects, and on the modeling of their impact on the electro-optical characteristics of the devices

Functional abdominal pain disorders and patient- and parent- reported outcomes in children with inflammatory bowel disease in remission

BACKGROUND: Chronic abdominal pain occurs frequently in pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in remission. AIMS: To assess the prevalence and factors associated with Functional Abdominal Pain Disorders among IBD children in remission (IBD-FAPD). METHODS: Patients with IBD for > 1 year, in clinical remission for ≥ 3 months were recruited from a National IBD network. IBD-FAPDs were assessed using the Rome III questionnaire criteria. Patient- or parent- reported outcomes were assessed. RESULTS: Among 102 included patients, 57 (56%) were boys, mean age (DS) was 15.0 (± 2.0) years and 75 (74%) had Crohn's disease. Twenty-two patients (22%) had at least one Functional Gastrointestinal Disorder among which 17 had at least one IBD-FAPD. Past severity of disease or treatments received and level of remission were not significantly associated with IBD-FAPD. Patients with IBD-FAPD reported more fatigue (peds-FACIT-F: 35.9 ± 9.8 vs. 43.0 ± 6.9, p = 0.01) and a lower HR-QoL (IMPACT III: 76.5 ± 9.6 vs. 81.6 ± 9.2, p = 0.04) than patients without FAPD, and their parents had higher levels of State and Trait anxiety than the other parents. CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of IBD-FAPD was 17%. IBD-FAPD was not associated with past severity of disease, but with fatigue and lower HR-QoL

Étude rétrospective sur l'insuffisance surrénale à l'arrêt d'une corticothérapie prolongée chez les enfants et adolescents atteints de maladie inflammatoire chronique intestinale suivis au CHU de Caen

Introduction: Adrenal insufficiency is one of the complications of long-term corticosteroid therapy during flare-ups of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The main risk is acute decompensation, which can be lethal. However, the recommendations of pediatric gastroenterology don’t recommend Hydrocortisone or biological tests for systematic screening. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study from 2006 to 2020 to evaluate the clinical practices about the screening of adrenal insufficiency after corticosteroid therapy in IBD children. Results: Among 119 IBD patients, 58 received 1 to 3 courses of corticosteroids, with a total 91 courses. Among the 58 patients, there were 30 boys, age at diagnosis was 11.9±3.18 years and 55% had Crohn’s disease. Only 19 screening results were found following the 91 courses, 12 of which showed adrenal insufficiency. The estimated adrenal insufficiency rate was 63%. Hydrocortisone relay was prescribed in 13 of 91 corticosteroid courses. Conclusion: Our study found a wide variety of clinical practices about the decrease of corticosteroid treatment and the screening of adrenal insufficiency. We therefore used the data from the literature and the recommendations of the French Society of Endocrinology to establish a screening protocol in order to standardize clinical practices.Introduction : l’insuffisance surrénalienne fait partie des complications de la corticothérapie au long cours lors des poussées des maladies inflammatoires chroniques intestinales (MICI). Le principal risque restant la décompensation aigüe pouvant être létale. Cependant les recommandations de gastroentérologie pédiatrique ne recommandent pas le relais par hydrocortisone ni le dépistage de l’insuffisance surrénalienne de façon systématique. Méthodes : nous avons réalisé une étude rétrospective de 2006 à 2020, afin d’évaluer les bonnes pratiques cliniques concernant le dépistage de l’insuffisance surrénalienne post-corticothérapie chez les enfants et adolescents atteints de MICI. Résultats : parmi 119 patients suivis pour MICI, 58 ont reçu entre 1 et 3 cures de corticoïdes soit un total de 91 cures. Parmi les 58 patients, il y avait 30 garçons, l’âge au moment du diagnostic était de 11.9± 3.18 ans et 55% avaient une maladie de Crohn. Au décours des 91 cures, il y a eu 19 dépistages d’IS, dont 12 montrant une IS biologique, soit un taux d’IS estimé de 63%. Un relais par Hydrocortisone avait été prescrit chez 13/91. Conclusion : notre étude a permis de constater une grande diversité des pratiques cliniques concernant la décroissance du traitement par corticoïdes et le dépistage de l’IS post-corticothérapie. Nous nous sommes donc appuyés sur les données de la littérature et les recommandations de la société française d’endocrinologie pour établir un protocole de dépistage afin d’uniformiser les pratiques cliniques

L’effet de l’hypnose dans la prise en charge de la douleur chez les patients adultes brûlés et hospitalisés

Objectif : l’objectif de l’étude est de déterminer l’efficacité de l’hypnose associée à un traitement pharmacologique sur l’intensité de la douleur chez les patients adultes brûlés et hospitalisés. Méthode : une recension narrative des écrits a été effectuée à partir de CINAHL et PubMed. Aucune limite n’a été insérée dans les bases de données. Les articles en français ou en anglais, publiés après l’année 2000 et comportant une population adulte brûlée et hospitalisée ont été retenus. Les études dont l’échantillon comporte des patients avec des troubles cognitifs ont été exclues. Résultats : les six recherches scientifiques critiquées démontrent une diminution de l’évaluation de la douleur chez les patients ayant bénéficié d’une technique d’analgésie hypnotique associée à un traitement pharmacologique. De plus, les six études mettent en avant une diminution significative de l’anxiété. Conclusion : l’hypnose contribue à la réduction de la douleur chez les patients brûlés, mais permet également la diminution d’autres variables et ce dans plusieurs populations de patients. Cependant, pour une utilisation routinière de cette technique non pharmacologique, des recherches supplémentaires seraient nécessaires

InAlN underlayer for near ultraviolet InGaN based light emitting diodes

We report on InAlN underlayer (UL) to improve the efficiency of near ultraviolet (NUV) light emitting diodes (LEDs). While InGaN UL is commonly used in high-efficiency blue LEDs it may absorb light for shorter wavelengths. InAlN lattice-matched to GaN exhibits a bandgap of 4.6 eV. This allows alleviating absorption issues in NUV LEDs. We demonstrate that the internal quantum efficiency of 405 nm single InGaN/GaN quantum well LEDs with InAlN UL is similar to 70% compared to less than 10% for LEDs without UL. Excellent I-V characteristics are achieved thanks to polarization charge screening with high doping level at the InAlN/GaN interface. (C) 2019 The Japan Society of Applied Physic