4,181 research outputs found
Influence of noise sensitivity on physiological responses to floor impact sounds
This study investigated the changes in physiological responses to floor impact sounds under a laboratory condition. A total of 34 normal-hearing participants took part in the experiment and were categorised into two groups with low and high noise-sensitivity scores. The participants were exposed to five-minute floor impact sounds produced by a standard impact noise source (an impact ball) and a real impact noise source (human footsteps). For comparison, road traffic noise was used as a reference stimulus. After being exposed to each stimulus, the participants were asked to rate annoyance. During the experiments, heart rate (HR), electrodermal activity (EDA), and respiratory rate (RR) were measured. Annoyance was found to be influenced by noise level, noise source, and noise sensitivity. All physiological responses were found to be changed significantly due to noise exposure. HR decelerated, EDA decreased, and RR decelerated for five minutes of noise exposure. The physiological responses were significantly influenced by noise sensitivity. However, there were no significant effects of noise level or noise source on the physiological responses
Complete gate control of supercurrent in graphene p-n junctions
In a conventional Josephson junction of graphene, the supercurrent is not turned off even at the charge neutrality point, impeding further development of superconducting quantum information devices based on graphene. Here we fabricate bipolar Josephson junctions of graphene, in which a p-n potential barrier is formed in graphene with two closely spaced superconducting contacts, and realize supercurrent ON/OFF states using electrostatic gating only. The bipolar Josephson junctions of graphene also show fully gate-driven macroscopic quantum tunnelling behaviour of Josephson phase particles in a potential well, where the confinement energy is gate tuneable. We suggest that the supercurrent OFF state is mainly caused by a supercurrent dephasing mechanism due to a random pseudomagnetic field generated by ripples in graphene, in sharp contrast to other nanohybrid Josephson junctions. Our study may pave the way for the development of new gate-tuneable superconducting quantum information devices.open114344sciescopu
Reduction of Motion Artifacts and Improvement of R Peak Detecting Accuracy Using Adjacent Non-Intrusive ECG Sensors
Non-intrusive electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring has many advantages: easy to measure and apply in daily life. However, motion noise in the measured signal is the major problem of non-intrusive measurement. This paper proposes a method to reduce the noise and to detect the R peaks of ECG in a stable manner in a sitting arrangement using non-intrusive sensors. The method utilizes two capacitive ECG sensors (cECGs) to measure ECG, and another two cECGs located adjacent to the sensors for ECG are added to obtain the information on motion. Then, active noise cancellation technique and the motion information are used to reduce motion noise. To verify the proposed method, ECG was measured indoors and during driving, and the accuracy of the detected R peaks was compared. After applying the method, the sum of sensitivity and positive predictivity increased 8.39% on average and 26.26% maximally in the data. Based on the results, it was confirmed that the motion noise was reduced and that more reliable R peak positions could be obtained by the proposed method. The robustness of the new ECG measurement method will elicit benefits to various health care systems that require noninvasive heart rate or heart rate variability measurements.1145Ysciescopu
Physician and nurse knowledge about patient radiation exposure in the emergency department
Background: Imaging methods that use ionizing radiation in emergency departments (EDs) have increased with advances in radiological diagnostic methods. Physician and nurse awareness of the radiation dose in the ED and the associated cancer risks to which the patients are exposed were surveyed with a questionnaire.Methods: A total of 191 subjects in six EDs participated in this study. ED physicians and ED nurses were asked about the risks and the radiation doses of imaging methods ordered in the ED. The differences between the two groups were compared using Student’s t‑test for continuous variables. A Fisher’s exact and Chi‑squared tests were used for categorical variables.Results: A total of 82 ED physicians and 109 ED nurses completed the questionnaire; 38 (46.3%) physicians and 8 (7.3%) nurses correctly answered the question about the chest X‑ray radiation dose. A question about the number of chest X‑rays that is equivalent to the dose of a pelvic X‑ray was answered correctly by 5 (6.1%) physicians and 9 (8.3%) nurses (P = 0.571). Questions regarding abdominal computed tomography (CT), chest CT, brain CT, abdominal ultrasonography, and brain magnetic resonance imaging were answered correctly more frequently by the physician group than the nurse group (P < 0.05). The risk of developing cancer over a lifetime due to a brain CT was correctly answered by 21 (25.6%) physicians and 30 (27.5%) nurses (P = 0.170). A similar question regarding abdominal CT was correctly answered by 21 (25.6%) physicians and 42 (38.5%) nurses (P = 0.127).Conclusions: Knowledge of the radiation exposure of radiology examinations was lower in nurses than physicians, but knowledge was poor in both groups. ED physicians and nurses should be educated about radiation exposure and cancer risks associated with various diagnostic radiological methods.Keywords: Diagnostic imaging, emergencies, radiation dosag
Charge ordering, ferroelectric, and magnetic domains in LuFe2O4 observed by scanning probe microscopy
LuFe2O4 is a multiferroic system which exhibits charge order, ferroelectricity, and ferrimagnetism simultaneously below similar to 230 K. The ferroelectric/charge order domains of LuFe2O4 are imaged with both piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) and electrostatic force microscopy (EFM), while the magnetic domains are characterized by magnetic force microscopy (MFM). Comparison of PFM and EFM results suggests that the proposed ferroelectricity in LuFe2O4 is not of usual displacive type but of electronic origin. Simultaneous characterization of ferroelectric/charge order and magnetic domains by EFM and MFM, respectively, on the same surface of LuFe2O4 reveals that both domains have irregular patterns of similar shape, but the length scales are quite different. The domain size is approximately 100 nm for the ferroelectric domains, while the magnetic domain size is much larger and gets as large as 1 mu m. We also demonstrate that the origin of the formation of irregular domains in LuFe2O4 is not extrinsic but intrinsic. (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.open11116sciescopu
Irradiation-induced localization of IL-12-expressing mesenchymal stem cells to enhance the curative effect in murine metastatic hepatoma
Irradiation in conjunction with gene therapy is considered for efficient cancer treatment. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), due to their irradiation-promotable tumor tropism, are ideal delivery vehicles for gene therapy. In this study, we investigated whether treatment with radiation and interleukin (IL)-12-expressing MSCs (MSCs/IL-12) exerts improved antitumor effects on murine metastatic hepatoma. HCa-I and Hepa 1-6 cells were utilized to generate heterotopic murine hepatoma models. Tumor-bearing mice were treated with irradiation or MSCs/IL-12 alone, or a combination. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1/CCL2) expression was assessed in irradiated hepatoma tissues to confirm a chemotactic effect. Combination treatment strategies were established and their therapeutic efficacies were evaluated by monitoring tumor growth, metastasis and survival rate. IL-12 expression was assessed and the apoptotic activity and immunological alterations in the tumor microenvironment were examined. MCP-1/CCL2 expression and localization of MSCs/IL-12 increased in the irradiated murine hepatoma cells. The antitumor effects, including suppression of pulmonary metastasis and survival rate improvements, were increased by the combination treatment with irradiation and MSCs/IL-12. IL-12 expression was increased in tumor cells, causing proliferation of cluster of differentiation 8(+) T-lymphocytes and natural killer cells. The apoptotic activity increased, indicating that the cytotoxicity of immune cells was involved in the antitumor effect of the combined treatment. Treatment with irradiation and MSCs/IL-12 showed effectiveness in treating murine metastatic hepatoma. IL-12-induced proliferation of immune cells played an important role in apoptosis of tumor cells. Our results suggest that treatment with irradiation and MSCs/IL-12 may be a useful strategy for enhancing antitumor activity in metastatic hepatoma. What's new? Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are promising gene-delivery vehicles, with the potential to improve antitumor effects when used in combination with existing therapies. In the present study, the combined use of interleukin (IL)-12-expressing MSCs (MSCs/IL-12) and radiation therapy increased antitumor activity in murine metastatic hepatoma, a model that is representative of human metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which affects nearly half of HCC patients. Treatment with MSCs/IL-12 resulted in increased IL-12 expression in tumor cells and immune cell proliferation. Immune cell cytotoxicity, evidenced by increased apoptotic activity, appeared to play a role in MSCs/IL-12 augmentation of antitumor effects.1178Ysciescopu
The clinical usefulness of initial serum procalcitonin as an aggravation predictor in a hepatobiliary tract infection at emergency department
Background and Objectives: The ability to predict future clinical deterioration early in patients who present to an emergency care center with a hepatobiliary tract infection is difficult. We studied the clinical usefulness of the initial serum levels of procalcitonin in a hepatobiliary tract infection as an indicator for predicting aggravation in the early stages.Methods: Of the patients who presented with the clinical symptoms of a hepatobiliary tract infection, 99 were diagnosed with a hepatobiliary tract infection by imaging studies and subsequently enrolled in the study. Laboratory tests were obtained in the early stage of disease after presentation to an emergency care center. We assessed and compared the serum levels of many early inflammatory markers (white blood cell [WBC] counts, C‑reactive protein and procalcitonin) between patients whose symptoms were initially stable upon arrival to an emergency care center but then deteriorated to, those whose symptoms remained consistently stable. Thus, we examined if the above serum markers are useful in predicting the possibility of future symptom aggravation.Results: Of a total of 99 patients, 27 were assigned to the symptom aggravation group. The serum levels of WBC counts and C‑reactive protein in the aggravation group were elevated. However, the median value (interquartile range) of procalcitonin was relatively increased at 2.28 (0.41–7.84 ng/ml), demonstrating a significant difference.Conclusions: In conclusion, initial serum levels of procalcitonin might be used as an indicator for aggravation in patients with hepatobiliary tract infection at the emergency department, even though there is hemodynamic stability.Key words: Hepatobiliary tract, infection, procalcitoni
Coagulation performance and floc characteristics of polytitanium tetrachloride and titanium tetrachloride compared with ferric chloride for coal mining wastewater treatment
© 2015 Elsevier B.V. Abstract The production and discharge of large volumes of wastewater during coal mining activities are one of the major environmental issues in Australia. Therefore, it is crucial to develop and optimise effective treatment processes for the safe disposal of coal mining wastewater (CMWW). In this study, we investigated the performance of a recently developed polytitanium tetrachloride (PTC) coagulant and compared with the performance of titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) and the commonly used ferric chloride (FeCl3) coagulant for the treatment of CMWW from one of the coal mining sites in Australia. The use of Ti-based coagulants is particularly attractive for the CMWW treatment due to the advantage of being able to recycle the sludge to produce functional titanium dioxide (TiO2) photocatalyst; unlike the flocs formed using conventional coagulants, which need to be disposed in landfill sites. The results showed that both PTC and TiCl4 performed better than FeCl3 in terms of turbidity, UV254 and inorganic compounds (e.g. aluminium, copper or zinc) removal, however, PTC performed poorly in terms of dissolved organic carbon removal (i.e. less than 10%). While charge neutralisation and bridging adsorption were the main coagulation mechanisms identified for TiCl4 treatment; sweep coagulation and bridging adsorption seemed to play a more important role for both PTC and FeCl3 treatments. The flocs formed by PTC coagulation achieved the largest floc size of around 900 μm with the highest floc growth rate. Both Ti-based coagulants (i.e., PTC and TiCl4) showed higher strength factor than FeCl3, while TiCl4 coagulant yielded the flocs with the highest recovery factor. This study indicates that Ti-based coagulants are effective and promising coagulants for the treatment of CMWW
On-chip analysis, indexing and screening for chemical producing bacteria in microfluidic static droplet array
Economic production of chemicals from microbes necessitates development of high-producing strains and an efficient screening technology is crucial to maximize the effect of the most popular strain improvement method, the combinatorial approach. However, high-throughput screening has been limited for assessment of diverse intracellular metabolites at the single-cell level. Herein, we established a screening platform that couples a microfluidic static droplet array (SDA) and an artificial riboswitch to analyse intracellular metabolite concentration from single microbial cells. Using this system, we entrapped single Escherichia coli cells in SDA to measure intracellular L-tryptophan concentrations. It was validated that intracellular L-tryptophan concentration can be evaluated by the fluorescence from the riboswitch. Moreover, high-producing strains were successfully screened from a mutagenized library, exhibiting up to 145% productivity compared to its parental strain. This platform will be widely applicable to strain improvement for diverse metabolites by developing new artificial riboswitches.111713Ysciescopu
Влияние степени повреждения листьев после обработки низкой температурой (охлаждения) на рост и репродуктивные параметры перца острого
Relevance. Pepper is sensitive to chilling temperatures in all growth stages and low temperatures are main factors affecting plant growth, fruit growth and development and productivity. Evaluation and identification low temperature (LT) tolerant pepper genotypes at different growth stages is actual in breeding program for developing new cultivars. In present study we investigated the effect of the leaf cold damage within 25% (LCD) after chilling treatment in seedling stage on vegetative and reproductive traits of pepper accessions with different cold tolerance.Material and methods. In this study two pepper accessions “PE-J-2” and “Neokgwang” selected as chilling tolerant and susceptible in juvenile stage (3-4 true leaf stage), were used respectively. The seedlings of the selected pepper accessions with 25% visual cold damages of leaf green part (become lightly yellowed-whited or desiccated-dried) and control non-treated (NT) were grown in a glasshouse condition (D/N 30-32/22-24°C) for 10 weeks to evaluate the effect of LCD on pepper accessions vegetative and reproductive parameters after chilling pre-treatment. In pepper plants the vegetative parameters such as plant height (PH), leaf length (LL) and width (LW), number of internodes (NI), length of main axis (LMA), plants fresh weight (PFW) and roots fresh weight (RFW), and reproductive the number of flowers (NFL) and fruits (NFR), fruit set ratio (FS), fruit length (FL) and diameter (FD), total yield per plant (TY) were measured. The experimental design of this study was completely randomized. Statistical analysis was performed using the SAS Enterprise Guide 7.1 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, North Carolina, USA).Results. According to the research result several accessions were identified: the accessions screened in juvenile stage as cold tolerant cannot always manifest good some agronomical traits performance at growth stages and it may range depending on the genotype specific features. The seedlings with LCD within 25% may significantly affect the vegetative and reproductive parameters of pepper plants. The phenomenon was recorded more distinctive in the correlations between some vegetative and reproductive parameters among NT and LCD plants.Актуалность. Растения перца чувствительны к пониженным температурам на всех этапах роста, и низкие температуры являются основным фактором, влияющим на рост растений, рост и развитие плодов и продуктивность. Оценка и идентификация низкотемпературных (LT) устойчивых генотипов перца на разных стадиях роста актуальна в селекционной программе для создания новых сортов. В настоящем исследовании мы исследовали влияние повреждения листа в пределах 25% (LCD) после обработки низкой температурой в стадии проростков на рост, вегетативные и репродуктивные параметры образцов перца с различной холодоустойчивостью.Материал и методика. Использовали два образца перца «PE-J-2» и «Neokgwang», отобранные как устойчивый и чувствительный к низким температурам на ювенильной стадии развития (стадия 3-4 настоящих листьев), соответственно. Проростки выбранных образцов перца с 25% визуальными повреждениями зеленой части листа от низких температур (становятся слегка пожелтевшими-беловатыми или высушенными) и растения в контроле (NT) выращивали в условиях теплицы (день/ночь 30…32/22…24°C) в течение 10 недель, чтобы оценить влияние LCD на вегетативные и репродуктивные параметры образцов перца после предварительной обработки охлаждением. У растений перца были измерены вегетативные параметры, такие как высота растения (PH), длина листа (LL) и ширина (LW), количество междоузлий (NI), длина главной оси (LMA), свежая масса растений (PFW) и корней (RFW), а также репродуктивное признаки: количество цветков (NFL) и плодов (NFR), коэффициент завязывания плодов (FS), длина (FL) и диаметр (FD) плодов, общая продуктивность растения (TY). Эксперимент был полностью рандомизирован. Статистический анализ выполняли с использованием SAS Enterprise Guide 7.1 (SAS Institute Inc., Кэри, Северная Каролина, США).Результаты. В результате исследования было выявлено, что отобранные образцы острого перца, холодоустойчивые на стадии проростка, не всегда могут проявлять хорошие агрономические показатели на стадиях роста, и они могут колебаться в зависимости от особенностей генотипа. Проростки с повреждением листьев в пределах 25% могут существенно повлиять на рост вегетативных и репродуктивных параметров растений перца. Выявлены более четкие корреляции между некоторыми вегетативными и репродуктивными параметрами у NT и LCD растений
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