Prediction of aircraft noise source and estimation of noise-level contours

Two computer programs aid aircraft designers who need to identify noise characteristics of various aircraft and engine configurations; calculated noise levels can then be compared with community goals for noise limitation

Clinical Effectiveness of the Queen Square Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Service for Patients With Poststroke Aphasia

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Poststroke aphasia has a major impact on peoples' quality of life. Speech and language therapy interventions work, especially in high doses, but these doses are rarely achieved outside of research studies. Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Programs (ICAPs) are an option to deliver high doses of therapy to people with aphasia over a short period of time. METHODS: Forty-six people with aphasia in the chronic stage poststroke completed the ICAP over a 3-week period, attending for 15 days and averaging 6 hours of therapy per day. Outcome measures included the Comprehensive Aphasia Test, an impairment-based test of the 4 main domains of language (speaking, writing, auditory comprehension, and reading) which was measured at 3 time points (baseline, immediately posttreatment at 3 weeks and follow-up at 12-week post-ICAP); and, the Communicative Effectiveness Index, a carer-reported measure of functional communication skills collected at baseline and 12 weeks. RESULTS: A 2-way repeated measures multivariate ANOVA was conducted. We found a significant domain-by-time interaction, F=12.7, P<0.0005, indicating that the ICAP improved people with aphasia's language scores across all 4 domains, with the largest gains in speaking (Cohen's d=1.3). All gains were maintained or significantly improved further at 12-week post-ICAP. Importantly, patients' functional communication, as indexed by changes on the Communicative Effectiveness Index, also significantly improved at 12-week post-ICAP, t=5.4, P<0.0005, also with a large effect size (Cohen's d=0.9). CONCLUSIONS: People with aphasia who participated in the Queen Square ICAP made large and clinically meaningful gains on both impairment-based and functional measures of language. Gains were sustained and in some cases improved further over the subsequent 12 weeks

Radio-frequency discharges in Oxygen. Part 1: Modeling

In this series of three papers we present results from a combined experimental and theoretical effort to quantitatively describe capacitively coupled radio-frequency discharges in oxygen. The particle-in-cell Monte-Carlo model on which the theoretical description is based will be described in the present paper. It treats space charge fields and transport processes on an equal footing with the most important plasma-chemical reactions. For given external voltage and pressure, the model determines the electric potential within the discharge and the distribution functions for electrons, negatively charged atomic oxygen, and positively charged molecular oxygen. Previously used scattering and reaction cross section data are critically assessed and in some cases modified. To validate our model, we compare the densities in the bulk of the discharge with experimental data and find good agreement, indicating that essential aspects of an oxygen discharge are captured.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figure

The Impact of Gymnastics on Children’s Physical Self-Concept and Movement Skill Development in Primary Schools

This study evaluated the effectiveness of an 8-week gymnastics curriculum on children’s movement competence and their physical self-concept. There were 113 children (46% girls, 49% intervention) with a mean age of 9.4 years (SD = 1.8) that participated. Intervention children underwent 8 weeks of gymnastics and the comparison group continued with their standard curriculum. Age was a significant co-variate, a separate analysis was conducted on the lower (grades 2 and 4) and upper (grade 6) groups. The lower age group showed significant improvement in favor of the gymnastic group in fundamental movement skills. The upper age group showed a significant improvement for the control group in general body coordination and fundamental movement skills. For all grades, the physical self-concept showed a significant main effect in favor of the gymnastics group. The gymnastics intervention was found to be of particular benefit for developing children’s movement competence and physical self-concept in younger children

An atlas of seabed biodiversity for Aotearoa New Zealand

\ua9 2023 Copernicus GmbH. All rights reserved. The waters of Aotearoa New Zealand span over 4.2ĝ€\uafmillionĝ€\uafkm2 of the South Pacific Ocean and harbour a rich diversity of seafloor-Associated taxa. Due to the immensity and remoteness of the area, there are significant gaps in the availability of data that can be used to quantify and map the distribution of seafloor and demersal biodiversity, limiting effective management. In this study, we describe the development and accessibility of an online atlas of seabed biodiversity that aims to fill these gaps. Species distribution models were developed for 579 taxa across four taxonomic groups: demersal fish, reef fish, subtidal invertebrates and macroalgae. Spatial layers for taxa distribution based on habitat suitability were statistically validated and then, as a further check, evaluated by taxonomic experts to provide measures of confidence to guide the future use of these layers. Spatially explicit uncertainty (SD) layers were also developed for each taxon distribution. We generated layer-specific metadata, including statistical and expert evaluation scores, which were uploaded alongside the accompanying spatial layers to the open access database Zenodo. This database provides the most comprehensive source of information on the distribution of seafloor taxa for Aotearoa New Zealand and is thus a valuable resource for managers, researchers and the public that will guide the management and conservation of seafloor communities. The atlas of seabed biodiversity for Aotearoa New Zealand is freely accessible via the open-Access database Zenodo under 10.5281/zenodo.7083642 (Stephenson et al., 2022)

A Systematic Review of Fitness Apps and Their Potential Clinical and Sports Utility for Objective and Remote Assessment of Cardiorespiratory Fitness

Key Points The validity and reliability of existing and/or underdevelopment fitness apps should be further investigated. Physiological signals should be incorporated into fitness apps, such as heart rate measures using a smartphone camera, during or after exercise testing. There is a need to develop interoperable fitness apps (e.g., different languages, apps integrated into both app markets, data that is device-independent). Fitness apps should incorporate evidence-based cutpoints of CRF, allowing interpretation of fitness testing resultsWe are grateful to Ms Carmen Sainz-Quinn for assistance with the English language.Background Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) assessment provides key information regarding general health status that has high clinical utility. In addition, in the sports setting, CRF testing is needed to establish a baseline level, prescribe an individualized training program and monitor improvement in athletic performance. As such, the assessment of CRF has both clinical and sports utility. Technological advancements have led to increased digitization within healthcare and athletics. Nevertheless, further investigation is needed to enhance the validity and reliability of existing fitness apps for CRF assessment in both contexts. Objectives The present review aimed to (1) systematically review the scientific literature, examining the validity and reliability of apps designed for CRF assessment; and (2) systematically review and qualitatively score available fitness apps in the two main app markets. Lastly, this systematic review outlines evidence-based practical recommendations for developing future apps that measure CRF. Data Sources The following sources were searched for relevant studies: PubMed, Web of Science®, ScopusTM, and SPORTDiscus, and data was also found within app markets (Google Play and the App Store). Study Eligibility Criteria Eligible scientific studies examined the validity and/or reliability of apps for assessing CRF through a field-based fitness test. Criteria for the app markets involved apps that estimated CRF. Study Appraisal and Synthesis Methods The scientific literature search included four major electronic databases and the timeframe was set between 01 January 2000 and 31 October 2018. A total of 2796 articles were identified using a set of fitness-related terms, of which five articles were finally selected and included in this review. The app market search was undertaken by introducing keywords into the search engine of each app market without specified search categories. A total of 691 apps were identified using a set of fitness-related terms, of which 88 apps were finally included in the quantitative and qualitative synthesis. Results Five studies focused on the scientific validity of fitness tests with apps, while only two of these focused on reliability. Four studies used a sub-maximal fitness test via apps. Out of the scientific apps reviewed, the SA-6MWTapp showed the best validity against a criterion measure (r = 0.88), whilst the InterWalk app showed the highest test–retest reliability (ICC range 0.85–0.86). Limitations Levels of evidence based on scientific validity/reliability of apps and on commercial apps could not be robustly determined due to the limited number of studies identified in the literature and the low-to-moderate quality of commercial apps. Conclusions The results from this scientific review showed that few apps have been empirically tested, and among those that have, not all were valid or reliable. In addition, commercial apps were of low-to-moderate quality, suggesting that their potential for assessing CRF has yet to be realized. Lastly, this manuscript has identified evidence-based practical recommendations that apps might potentially offer to objectively and remotely assess CRF as a complementary tool to traditional methods in the clinical and sports settings

Genes Are Often Sheltered from the Global Histone Hyperacetylation Induced by HDAC Inhibitors

Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) are increasingly used as therapeutic agents, but the mechanisms by which they alter cell behaviour remain unclear. Here we use microarray expression analysis to show that only a small proportion of genes (∼9%) have altered transcript levels after treating HL60 cells with different HDACi (valproic acid, Trichostatin A, suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid). Different gene populations respond to each inhibitor, with as many genes down- as up-regulated. Surprisingly, HDACi rarely induced increased histone acetylation at gene promoters, with most genes examined showing minimal change, irrespective of whether genes were up- or down-regulated. Many genes seem to be sheltered from the global histone hyperacetyation induced by HDACi

Lazarus1, a DUF300 Protein, Contributes to Programmed Cell Death Associated with Arabidopsis acd11 and the Hypersensitive Response

Programmed cell death (PCD) is a necessary part of the life of multi-cellular organisms. A type of plant PCD is the defensive hypersensitive response (HR) elicited via recognition of a pathogen by host resistance (R) proteins. The lethal, recessive accelerated cell death 11 (acd11) mutant exhibits HR-like accelerated cell death, and cell death execution in acd11 shares genetic requirements for HR execution triggered by one subclass of R proteins