Synesthetic Soundtrack

This disclosure describes techniques to generate an audio experience or soundscape corresponding to the visual field of a user. With user permission, objects within the feed of a head-mounted camera are semantically identified using computer vision techniques. Based on the detected objects, a unique audio experience, shaped by the world around a user and by the physical items they engage with, is generated

Study on the effect of pre-treatment of Oil Palm Shell (OPS) as coarse aggregate using hot water 50-°C and room temperature water 28-°C to lightweight concrete strength

With a rapidly growing population, the need for homes is increasing, which means the demand for housing material is also increasing in Indonesia. On the other hand, as the largest producer of palm oil in the world, Indonesia produces almost half of the world’s palm oil inventories. Oil palm shells (OPS) are agricultural solid end products from palm oil manufacturing processes. In this research, the use of OPS waste as substitution materials for making concrete is investigated. In order to be used as structural building material, some mechanical properties of materials must achieve the requirements of the National Standard SNI. The general objective of this research is to understand the effect of the pretreatment process on OPS aggregate on the mechanical behaviour of lightweight concrete. To do so, first, pre-treatment on the OPS is performed using hot water (50°C) and room temperature water (26-28°C). Second, by using the most effective mixed proportions from previous research in laboratory, pre-treated OPS is used to cast concrete. Third, some experimental tests are carried out to evaluate its mechanical properties, such as: concrete compressive strength, flexural strength and tensile strength (split test). Then, behaviour from both different treatments are compared and discussed. Finally, this research can determine which method gives better result for the application of OPS as biosource substituent material

Correction: Dynamic Remodeling of Dendritic Arbors in GABAergic Interneurons of Adult Visual Cortex

Chronic in vivo imaging of fluorescent-labeled neurons in adult mice reveals extension and retraction of dendrites in GABAergic non-pyramidal interneurons of the cerebral cortex

Greenhouse gas (CO2, CH4, and N2O) emissions after abandonment of agriculture

The GHG (CO2, CH4, N2O) emission potential along a chronosequence of former agricultural soils abandoned for 9 to 32 years were compared to an actively managed (on-going) agricultural soil (reference). The soils were incubated in mesocosms with and without manure amendment, and microbial functional groups involved in nitrous oxide emission were quantitatively assessed. Carbon dioxide emission significantly increased after agriculture abandonment (< 24 years) consistent with higher decomposition rate, but total emission decreased in the long term (> 29 years). With the cessation of agriculture, the abandoned sites generally became a net methane sink. Notably, total nitrous oxide emission showed a significant monotonic decrease over years of abandonment in response to manure amendment, possibly reflecting an altered capacity for (de)nitrification as indicated in the response of the (de)nitrifier abundance. Overall, our findings suggest that the GHG legacy of agriculture diminishes over time (> 29 years), with lowered GHG emissions and global warming potential (GWP) after abandonment of agriculture. © 2022, The Author(s)

Randomized trial of minocycline in the treatment of HIV-associated cognitive impairment

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of minocycline in the management of HIV-associated cognitive impairment. METHODS: We enrolled HIV-positive participants with a CD4 count of 250 to 500 cells/μL in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. They received 100 mg of minocycline or matching placebo orally every 12 hours for 24 weeks. Cognitive function was measured using the Uganda neuropsychological test battery summary measure (U NP Sum) and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering (MSK) scale. The primary efficacy measure was the 24-week change in an average of 9 standardized U NP Sum z scores. RESULTS: Seventy-three participants were enrolled. Of these, 90% were female, 49% were between the ages 30 and 39 years, and 74% had 6 or more years of education. One participant had MSK score of stage 1 (i.e., mild HIV dementia), and 72 participants had MSK stage 0.5 (i.e., equivocal or subclinical dementia) at the baseline evaluation. The minocycline effect on the 24-week change of the U NP Sum compared with placebo was 0.03 (95% confidence interval -0.51, 0.46; p = 0.37). CONCLUSION: Minocycline was safe and well tolerated in HIV-positive individuals. However, it did not improve HIV-associated cognitive impairment. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class II evidence that 100 mg of minocycline given orally every 12 hours for 24 weeks had no significant effect compared with placebo in the improvement of cognitive function in antiretroviral therapy-naive, HIV-positive patients

Diagnostic accuracy of existing methods for identifying diabetic foot ulcers from inpatient and outpatient datasets

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>As the number of persons with diabetes is projected to double in the next 25 years in the US, an accurate method of identifying diabetic foot ulcers in population-based data sources are ever more important for disease surveillance and public health purposes. The objectives of this study are to evaluate the accuracy of existing methods and to propose a new method.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Four existing methods were used to identify all patients diagnosed with a foot ulcer in a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital from the inpatient and outpatient datasets for 2003. Their electronic medical records were reviewed to verify whether the medical records positively indicate presence of a diabetic foot ulcer in diagnoses, medical assessments, or consults. For each method, five measures of accuracy and agreement were evaluated using data from medical records as the gold standard.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our medical record reviews show that all methods had sensitivity > 92% but their specificity varied substantially between 74% and 91%. A method used in Harrington et al. (2004) was the most accurate with 94% sensitivity and 91% specificity and produced an annual prevalence of 3.3% among VA users with diabetes nationwide. A new and simpler method consisting of two codes (707.1× and 707.9) shows an equally good accuracy with 93% sensitivity and 91% specificity and 3.1% prevalence.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results indicate that the Harrington and New methods are highly comparable and accurate. We recommend the Harrington method for its accuracy and the New method for its simplicity and comparable accuracy.</p

Dynamic Remodeling of Dendritic Arbors in GABAergic Interneurons of Adult Visual Cortex

Despite decades of evidence for functional plasticity in the adult brain, the role of structural plasticity in its manifestation remains unclear. To examine the extent of neuronal remodeling that occurs in the brain on a day-to-day basis, we used a multiphoton-based microscopy system for chronic in vivo imaging and reconstruction of entire neurons in the superficial layers of the rodent cerebral cortex. Here we show the first unambiguous evidence (to our knowledge) of dendrite growth and remodeling in adult neurons. Over a period of months, neurons could be seen extending and retracting existing branches, and in rare cases adding new branch tips. Neurons exhibiting dynamic arbor rearrangements were GABA-positive non-pyramidal interneurons, while pyramidal cells remained stable. These results are consistent with the idea that dendritic structural remodeling is a substrate for adult plasticity and they suggest that circuit rearrangement in the adult cortex is restricted by cell type–specific rules

Oriented clonal cell dynamics enables accurate growth and shaping of vertebrate cartilage.

Cartilaginous structures are at the core of embryo growth and shaping before the bone forms. Here we report a novel principle of vertebrate cartilage growth that is based on introducing transversally-oriented clones into pre-existing cartilage. This mechanism of growth uncouples the lateral expansion of curved cartilaginous sheets from the control of cartilage thickness, a process which might be the evolutionary mechanism underlying adaptations of facial shape. In rod-shaped cartilage structures (Meckel, ribs and skeletal elements in developing limbs), the transverse integration of clonal columns determines the well-defined diameter and resulting rod-like morphology. We were able to alter cartilage shape by experimentally manipulating clonal geometries. Using in silico modeling, we discovered that anisotropic proliferation might explain cartilage bending and groove formation at the macro-scale