Spatial impression in multichannel surround sound systems

Spatial impression in both concert halls and reproduced sound has been identified as an important attribute of the listening experience. In this study, the synthesis and objective measurement of spatial impression in reproduced sound is examined.A novel, multichannel spatializing technique for musical synthesis has been developed that entailed the separation of the individual harmonics of a musical note that were spatially distributed over multichannel surround systems. Subjective testing of the techniques revealed that the perceived degree of spatial impression significantly increased as the angular spread of harmonics increased, however, extending the spatial spread beyond 90° did not significantly increase the perception of spatial impression.The concert hall measure of spatial impression, the interaural cross correlation coefficient (IACC) was used to objectively measure the effects of the spatializing techniques. The IACC measurements displayed a strong correlation to the subjective results. Further examination of the IACC measurement indicated the possibility of it’s adaptation to multichannel surround sound in general.A method of adapting IACC to reproduced sound was further developed that involved comparing IACC measurements taken in a concert hall to IACC measurements taken in reproduced versions of the same concert hall. The method was first conducted as a simulation using basic auralisation techniques. Real concert hall measurements and reproduction systems were then employed. Results showed that the method was able to discriminate between the spatial capabilities of a number of different surround sound systems and rank them in a predictable order. The results were further validated by means of a subjective test.In an attempt to sensitise the IACC measurement, the frequency dependency of IACC was investigated by means of a subjective test. The results indicated that a perceptually more accurate indication of spatial impression may be gained by applying a frequency-dependent weighting to IACC measurements. This may be useful in the spatial measurement of both reproduced sound and concert halls

Association between purchase of over-the-counter medications and ovarian cancer diagnosis in the Cancer Loyalty Card Study (CLOCS): observational case-control study

BACKGROUND: Over-the-counter (OTC) medications are frequently used to self-care for nonspecific ovarian cancer symptoms prior to diagnosis. Monitoring such purchases may provide an opportunity for earlier diagnosis. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the Cancer Loyalty Card Study (CLOCS) was to investigate purchases of OTC pain and indigestion medications prior to ovarian cancer diagnosis in women with and without ovarian cancer in the United Kingdom using loyalty card data. METHODS: An observational case-control study was performed comparing purchases of OTC pain and indigestion medications prior to diagnosis in women with (n=153) and without (n=120) ovarian cancer using loyalty card data from two UK-based high street retailers. Monthly purchases of pain and indigestion medications for cases and controls were compared using the Fisher exact test, conditional logistic regression, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: Pain and indigestion medication purchases were increased among cases 8 months before diagnosis, with maximum discrimination between cases and controls 8 months before diagnosis (Fisher exact odds ratio [OR] 2.9, 95% CI 2.1-4.1). An increase in indigestion medication purchases was detected up to 9 months before diagnosis (adjusted conditional logistic regression OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.04-1.83). The ROC analysis for indigestion medication purchases showed a maximum area under the curve (AUC) at 13 months before diagnosis (AUC=0.65, 95% CI 0.57-0.73), which further improved when stratified to late-stage ovarian cancer (AUC=0.68, 95% CI 0.59-0.78). CONCLUSIONS: There is a difference in purchases of pain and indigestion medications among women with and without ovarian cancer up to 8 months before diagnosis. Facilitating earlier presentation among those who self-care for symptoms using this novel data source could improve ovarian cancer patients' options for treatment and improve survival. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03994653; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03994653

Building governance and energy efficiency: Mapping the interdisciplinary challenge

Improving the energy efficiency of multi-owned properties (MoPs)—commonly known as apartment or condominium buildings—is central to the achievement of European energy targets. However, little work to date has focused on how to facilitate retrofit in this context. Drawing on interdisciplinary Social Sciences and Humanities expertise in academia, policy and practice, this chapter posits that decision-making processes within MoPs might provide a key to the retrofit challenge. Existing theories or models of decision-making, applied in the MoP context, might help to explain how collective retrofit decisions are taken—or overlooked. Insights from case studies and practitioners are also key. Theories of change might then be employed to develop strategies to facilitate positive retrofit decisions. The chapter maps the issues and sets an agenda for further interdisciplinary research in this novel area

Self-care behaviors of ovarian cancer patients before their diagnosis: Proof-of-concept study

© James M Flanagan, Hanna Skrobanski, Xin Shi, Yasemin Hirst. Background: Longer patient intervals can lead to more late-stage cancer diagnoses and higher mortality rates. Individuals may delay presenting to primary care with red flag symptoms and instead turn to the internet to seek information, purchase over-the-counter medication, and change their diet or exercise habits. With advancements in machine learning, there is the potential to explore this complex relationship between a patient’s symptom appraisal and their first consultation at primary care through linkage of existing datasets (eg, health, commercial, and online). Objective: Here, we aimed to explore feasibility and acceptability of symptom appraisal using commercial- and health-data linkages for cancer symptom surveillance. Methods: A proof-of-concept study was developed to assess the general public’s acceptability of commercial- and health-data linkages for cancer symptom surveillance using a qualitative focus group study. We also investigated self-care behaviors of ovarian cancer patients using high-street retailer data, pre- and postdiagnosis. Results: Using a high-street retailer’s data, 1118 purchases—from April 2013 to July 2017—by 11 ovarian cancer patients and one healthy individual were analyzed. There was a unique presence of purchases for pain and indigestion medication prior to cancer diagnosis, which could signal disease in a larger sample. Qualitative findings suggest that the public are willing to consent to commercial- and health-data linkages as long as their data are safeguarded and users of this data are transparent about their purposes. Conclusions: Cancer symptom surveillance using commercial data is feasible and was found to be acceptable. To test efficacy of cancer surveillance using commercial data, larger studies are needed with links to individual electronic health records

Characterization of Shewanella oneidensis MtrC: a cell-surface decaheme cytochrome involved in respiratory electron transport to extracellular electron acceptors

MtrC is a decaheme c-type cytochrome associated with the outer cell membrane of Fe(III)-respiring species of the Shewanella genus. It is proposed to play a role in anaerobic respiration by mediating electron transfer to extracellular mineral oxides that can serve as terminal electron acceptors. The present work presents the first spectropotentiometric and voltammetric characterization of MtrC, using protein purified from Shewanella oneidensis MR-1. Potentiometric titrations, monitored by UV–vis absorption and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, reveal that the hemes within MtrC titrate over a broad potential range spanning between approximately +100 and approximately -500 mV (vs. the standard hydrogen electrode). Across this potential window the UV–vis absorption spectra are characteristic of low-spin c-type hemes and the EPR spectra reveal broad, complex features that suggest the presence of magnetically spin-coupled low-spin c-hemes. Non-catalytic protein film voltammetry of MtrC demonstrates reversible electrochemistry over a potential window similar to that disclosed spectroscopically. The voltammetry also allows definition of kinetic properties of MtrC in direct electron exchange with a solid electrode surface and during reduction of a model Fe(III) substrate. Taken together, the data provide quantitative information on the potential domain in which MtrC can operate

Occurrence of Didymella ascospores in western and southern Poland in 2004–2006

The concentration of airborne Didymella spores has been investigated at two monitoring sites situated along the west–south transect in Poland (Szczecin, Kraków), i.e. from a height of 100 to 219 m, respectively, above sea level. The aerobiological monitoring of fungal spores was performed by means of two Lanzoni volumetric spore traps. The high Didymella spore numbers were observed at both cities in June, July and August. Statistically significant correlations have been found mainly between the Didymella spore concentrations in the air and the minimum air temperature and relative air humidity. The spore count of Didymella is determined by the diversity of local flora and weather conditions, especially by the relative air humidity. The identification of factors that influence and shape spore concentrations may significantly improve the current methods of allergy prevention

Analysis of the prostate cancer cell line LNCaP transcriptome using a sequencing-by-synthesis approach

BACKGROUND: High throughput sequencing-by-synthesis is an emerging technology that allows the rapid production of millions of bases of data. Although the sequence reads are short, they can readily be used for re-sequencing. By re-sequencing the mRNA products of a cell, one may rapidly discover polymorphisms and splice variants particular to that cell. RESULTS: We present the utility of massively parallel sequencing by synthesis for profiling the transcriptome of a human prostate cancer cell-line, LNCaP, that has been treated with the synthetic androgen, R1881. Through the generation of approximately 20 megabases (MB) of EST data, we detect transcription from over 10,000 gene loci, 25 previously undescribed alternative splicing events involving known exons, and over 1,500 high quality single nucleotide discrepancies with the reference human sequence. Further, we map nearly 10,000 ESTs to positions on the genome where no transcription is currently predicted to occur. We also characterize various obstacles with using sequencing by synthesis for transcriptome analysis and propose solutions to these problems. CONCLUSION: The use of high-throughput sequencing-by-synthesis methods for transcript profiling allows the specific and sensitive detection of many of a cell's transcripts, and also allows the discovery of high quality base discrepancies, and alternative splice variants. Thus, this technology may provide an effective means of understanding various disease states, discovering novel targets for disease treatment, and discovery of novel transcripts

Pollen Nightmare: Elevated Airborne Pollen Levels at Night

High airborne pollen concentrations are generally associated with daylight hours when it is sunny and warm and plants release pollen into the air (Alcázar et al. 1999; Dahl et al. 2013). In contrast, cooler night-time periods are usually considered to be the time of low-allergy risk. This opinion is often reflected in pollen allergy avoidance strategies presented by the media, where the most commonly repeated recommendation is to stay indoors during the day and plan outdoor activities for the evening. However, there is evidence to suggest that elevated concentrations of airborne pollen might also occur during the evening (e.g. Norris-Hill and Emberlin 1991). So, is the night really a time of low-allergy risk? We present the results of the comparative analysis of pollen concentrations during daytime and night-time hours for five allergenic pollen types (Burbach et al. 2009), i.e. alder (Alnus sp.), birch (Betula sp.), grasses (Poaceae), mugwort (Artemisia sp.) and ragweed (Ambrosia sp.)