A field experiment on the impact of sounds from a jet-and-basin fountain on soundscape quality in an urban park

AbstractA field experiment was conducted to explore whether water sounds from a fountain had a positive impact on soundscape quality in a downtown park. In total, 405 visitors were recruited to answer a questionnaire on how they perceived the park, including its acoustic environment. Meanwhile the fountain was turned on or off, at irregular hours. Water sounds from the fountain were not directly associated with ratings of soundscape quality. Rather, the predictors of soundscape quality were the variables “Road-traffic noise” and “Other natural sounds”. The former had a negative and the latter a positive impact. However, water sounds may have had an indirect impact on soundscape quality by affecting the audibility of road-traffic and natural sounds. The present results, obtained in situ, agree with previous results in soundscape research that the sounds perceived—particularly roadtraffic and natural sounds—explain soundscape quality. They also agree with the results from laboratory studies that water sounds may mask road-traffic sounds, but that this is not simple and straight forward. Thus sound should be brought into the design scheme when introducing water features in urban open spaces, and their environmental impact must be thoroughly assessed empirically

Role of regulatory T cells in acute myeloid leukemia patients undergoing relapse-preventive immunotherapy

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been proposed to dampen functions of anti-neoplastic immune cells and thus promote cancer progression. In a phase IV trial (Re:Mission Trial, NCT01347996, http://www.clinicaltrials.gov ) 84 patients (age 18-79) with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in first complete remission (CR) received ten consecutive 3-week cycles of immunotherapy with histamine dihydrochloride (HDC) and low-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2) to prevent relapse of leukemia in the post-consolidation phase. This study aimed at defining the features, function and dynamics of Foxp3+CD25highCD4+ Tregs during immunotherapy and to determine the potential impact of Tregs on relapse risk and survival. We observed a pronounced increase in Treg counts in peripheral blood during initial cycles of HDC/IL-2. The accumulating Tregs resembled thymic-derived natural Tregs (nTregs), showed augmented expression of CTLA-4 and suppressed the cell cycle proliferation of conventional T cells ex vivo. Relapse of AML was not prognosticated by Treg counts at onset of treatment or after the first cycle of immunotherapy. However, the magnitude of Treg induction was diminished in subsequent treatment cycles. Exploratory analyses implied that a reduced expansion of Tregs in later treatment cycles and a short Treg telomere length were significantly associated with a favorable clinical outcome. Our results suggest that immunotherapy with HDC/IL-2 in AML entails induction of immunosuppressive Tregs that may be targeted for improved anti-leukemic efficiency

Changes in PPARδ Protein Content following Acute Aerobic Exercise in Human Vastus Lateralis Muscle.

PPARδ is a transcription factor which functions in the regulation of lipid and glucose metabolism, and may be implicated as a therapeutic target for several metabolic diseases. Exercise training has previously been shown to increase PPARδ protein content, but the response of PPARδ to acute exercise is not yet understood. PURPOSE: To explore changes in PPARδ protein content following an acute bout of aerobic exercise in untrained obese adults. METHODS: 8 men and 4 women participated in the study. Subjects’ mean age, weight, VO2MAX (Bruce treadmill GXT), and body composition (DEXA) were 44 yr, 93.2 kg, 28.2 mL/kg/min, and 40.5% body fat, respectively. Subjects were asked to refrain from exercise for 1 week prior to the experiment and to maintain normal dietary habits during the study. Muscle biopsies were obtained from the vastus lateralis 3 days prior to acute exercise and again 24 hours after exercise. Subjects were exercised on a motorized treadmill at 70% VO2MAX for a target duration of 400kcal energy expenditure during the exercise session. PPARδ protein content in biopsied tissue was determined by Western blot analysis. Data were analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA and expressed as means ± standard error. RESULTS: PPARδ content was enhanced 24 hours following acute exercise in previously untrained, obese adults (unexercised 1.54±0.38 vs. exercised 2.30±0.39 arbitrary units, P\u3c0.05). Gel mobility shift indicated no difference in activity of PPARδ (phosphorylated: total) following exercise (unexercised 0.36±0.03 vs. exercised 0.34±0.04). CONCLUSION: Our study shows that PPARδ expression is enhanced in untrained, obese adults following a single bout of aerobic exercise with no relative change in phosphorylation of PPARδ. These data indicate that acute exercise plays a role in the expression of PPARδ. Funding for this research was provided by HydroWorx International, Inc., the Sydney & J.L. Huffines Institute for Sports Medicine and Human Performance at Texas A&M University and The Texas Chapter of The American College of Sports Medicin

Affinity proteomics reveals elevated muscle proteins in plasma of children with cerebral malaria

Systemic inflammation and sequestration of parasitized erythrocytes are central processes in the pathophysiology of severe Plasmodium falciparum childhood malaria. However, it is still not understood why some children are more at risks to develop malaria complications than others. To identify human proteins in plasma related to childhood malaria syndromes, multiplex antibody suspension bead arrays were employed. Out of the 1,015 proteins analyzed in plasma from more than 700 children, 41 differed between malaria infected children and community controls, whereas 13 discriminated uncomplicated malaria from severe malaria syndromes. Markers of oxidative stress were found related to severe malaria anemia while markers of endothelial activation, platelet adhesion and muscular damage were identified in relation to children with cerebral malaria. These findings suggest the presence of generalized vascular inflammation, vascular wall modulations, activation of endothelium and unbalanced glucose metabolism in severe malaria. The increased levels of specific muscle proteins in plasma implicate potential muscle damage and microvasculature lesions during the course of cerebral malaria

Stress Recovery during Exposure to Nature Sound and Environmental Noise

Research suggests that visual impressions of natural compared with urban environments facilitate recovery after psychological stress. To test whether auditory stimulation has similar effects, 40 subjects were exposed to sounds from nature or noisy environments after a stressful mental arithmetic task. Skin conductance level (SCL) was used to index sympathetic activation, and high frequency heart rate variability (HF HRV) was used to index parasympathetic activation. Although HF HRV showed no effects, SCL recovery tended to be faster during natural sound than noisy environments. These results suggest that nature sounds facilitate recovery from sympathetic activation after a psychological stressor

Functional diversity and trait composition of vascular plant and Sphagnum moss communities during peatland succession across land uplift regions

1. Most of the carbon accumulated into peatlands is derived from Sphagnum mosses. During peatland development, the relative share of vascular plants and Sphagnum mosses in the plant community changes, which impacts ecosystem functions. Little is known on the successional development of functional plant traits or functional diversity in peatlands, although this could be a key for understanding the mechanisms behind peatland resistance to climate change. Here we aim to assess how functionality of successive plant communities change along the autogenic peatland development and the associated environmental gradients, namely peat thickness and pH, and to determine whether trait trade-offs during peatland succession are analogous between vascular plant and moss communities. 2. We collected plant community and trait data on successional peatland gradients from post-glacial rebound areas in coastal Finland, Sweden and Russia, altogether from 47 peatlands. This allowed us to analyse the changes in community-weighted mean trait values and functional diversity (diversity of traits) during peatland development. 3. Our results show comparative trait trade-offs from acquisitive species to conservative species in both vascular plant and Sphagnum moss communities during peatland development. However, mosses had higher resistance to environmental change than vascular plant communities. This was seen in the larger proportion of intraspecific trait variation than species turnover in moss traits, while the proportions were opposite for vascular plants. Similarly, the functional diversity of Sphagnum communities increased during the peatland development, while the opposite occurred for vascular plants. Most of the measured traits showed a phylogenetic signal. More so, the species common to old successional stages, namely Ericacae and Sphagna from subgroup Acutifolia were detected as most similar to their phylogenetic neighbours. 4. Synthesis. During peatland development, vegetation succession leads to the dominance of conservative plant species accustomed to high stress. At the same time, the autogenic succession and ecological engineering of Sphagna leads to higher functional diversity and intraspecific variability, which together indicate higher resistance towards environmental perturbations

Perceptual constancy in auditory perception of distance to railway tracks

Distance to a sound source can be accurately estimated solely from auditory information. With a sound source such as a train that is passing by at a relatively large distance, the most important auditory information for the listener for estimating its distance consists of the intensity of the sound, spectral changes in the sound caused by air absorption, and the motion-induced rate of change of intensity. However, these cues are relative because prior information/experience of the sound source-its source power, its spectrum and the typical speed at which it moves-is required for such distance estimates. This paper describes two listening experiments that allow investigation of further prior contextual information taken into account by listeners-viz., whether they are indoors or outdoors. Asked to estimate the distance to the track of a railway, it is shown that listeners assessing sounds heard inside the dwelling based their distance estimates on the expected train passby sound level outdoors rather than on the passby sound level actually experienced indoors. This form of perceptual constancy may have consequences for the assessment of annoyance caused by railway noise.Full Tex