Hearing Loss in the Dental Office: The Effects of High Speed Dental Drills on Dentists\u27 Hearing

Hearing test results of 23 dentists obtained before and after working hours are compared to determine if dentists experience any temporary hearing loss. The aim of the project is to determine whether dental drills cause hearing loss and to document the consequences of the loss. Hearing evaluations include pure-tone audiometry, middle-ear testing, and measurements of otoacoustic emissions. The results are expected to convince dentists of the danger of noise exposure and the need for hearing protectio

Spatial distribution of Groundwater quality assessment using Water Quality Index and GIS techniques in Thanjavur Taluk, Thanjavur District, Tamil Nadu, India

Assessment of groundwater quality is of utmost importance to ensure sustainable use of water. Since the availability of water, irrespective of quantity and quality, varies from area to area in Thanjavur taluk. The present paper attempts to determine the spatial distribution of groundwater quality parameters and identify locations with the best quality for drinking and irrigation in the study area using GIS and WQI. Using IDW interpolation methods with ArcGIS 10.8, the spatial distribution maps of physical parameters, anions, cations, WQI, and irrigations indices have been generated. Piper pilot shows that Ca-Mg-Cl (mixed), Na-Cl, Ca-Cl, and Ca–Mg–HCO3 water types are found in the study area. Using a water quality index with a rating scale, 42.85%, 28.57%, and 14.3% of groundwater samples are fit, good, and very poor for drinking purposes, respectively. The obtained results of higher SAR, RSC, Na% show that 75% of groundwater samples are perfectly fit for irrigation purposes due to the long residence time of water, dissolution of minerals from lithological composition, and the addition of chemical fertilizers.  The results of groundwater quality analysis have been used to suggest models for assessing water quality. The present study ascertained that the area's groundwater must be treated prior to consumption and protected from the perils of contamination

Musical Training Influences Auditory Temporal Processing

Background: A link between musical expertise and auditory temporal processing abilities was examined. Material and methods: Trained musicians (n=13) and non-musicians (n=12) were tested on speech tasks (phonetic identification, speech recognition in noise) and non-speech tasks (temporal gap detection). Results: Results indicated musicians had shorter between-channel gap detection thresholds and sharper phonetic identification functions, suggesting that perceptual reorganization following musical training assists basic temporal auditory processes. Conclusions: In general, our results provide a conceptual advance in understanding how musical training influences speech processing, an ability which, when impaired, can affect speech and reading competency

Auditory Temporal Resolution in Normal-Hearing Preschool Children Revealed by Word Recognition in Continuous and Interrupted Noise

The purpose of this study was to examine temporal resolution in normal-hearing preschool children. Word recognition was evaluated in quiet and in spectrally identical continuous and interrupted noise at signal-to-noise ratios (S/Ns) of 10, 0, and −10dB−10dB−10dB. Sixteen children 4to5years4to5years4to5yearsof age and eight adults participated. Performance decreased with decreasing S/N. At poorer S/Ns, participants demonstrated superior performance or a release from masking in the interrupted noise. Adults performed better than children, yet the release from masking was equivalent. Collectively these findings are consistent with the notion that preschool children suffer from poorer processing efficiency rather than temporal resolution per se

Tinnitus and Qigong

Subjective tinnitus is the perception of sound despite the absence of an external stimulus. This challenging sensory event affects millions of people per year. There currently is no cure for tinnitus, but there have been many different options researched to help patients manage its effects, albeit with varying efficacy. In a viral internet video, the Beating the Heavenly Drum maneuver, found in the Eastern practice of Qigong, was said to eliminate the perception of tinnitus for the participants. In this current study, the Beating the Heavenly Drum maneuver was compared to a sham maneuver and evaluated for effectiveness in relieving tinnitus. To be included in this study, participants had experienced tinnitus for at least 6 months and were not currently receiving other tinnitus care. Exclusionary criteria included a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury, any neurological condition, whiplash, neck injury, or severe anxiety or depression, as determined by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Participants completed a tinnitus case history form, Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI), Tinnitus Handicap Index (THI), and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) ranking the annoyance of their tinnitus. Participants were assigned to groups in an alternating fashion, with odd identifiers in Group 1 and even identifiers in Group 2. In Group 2, participants received the experimental maneuver (Beating the Heavenly Drum) during the first session and the sham maneuver (circles rubbed at the base of the skull) during the second. In Group 1, participants received a sham maneuver during the first session and the experimental maneuver during the second session. Within 48 hours after each session, participants completed the TFI, THI, and rated the annoyance of their tinnitus on a scale of 0 to 10 (keeping the same parameters from the VAS) via phone call. Of the twelve participants, two reported that the experimental maneuver, Qigong, was effective for tinnitus relief; while five reported the sham condition relieved their tinnitus. The remaining five participants stated that neither maneuver altered their tinnitus sensation. Across all participants, there were no significant difference scores on the THI, and only one significant difference score on the TFI. While participants reported some change in their tinnitus with either maneuver, none of the questionnaire measures corroborated their subjective report. Additionally, the sham maneuver was perceived as more effective than the experimental maneuver. The Qigong maneuver was not effective for tinnitus relief in this study. It should be noted that a limitation to this study is the small sample size. While this Qigong maneuver did not relieve tinnitus, there are other Internet tinnitus “cures” that should be investigated for their effectiveness in tinnitus relief. With the rise of the Internet and more patients searching for “quick fixes” to tinnitus, it is vital that clinicians provide appropriate education and research to best help patients manage their tinnitus

Outline of microbial fuel cells technology and their significant developments, challenges, and prospects of oxygen reduction electrocatalysts

The microbial fuel cells (MFCs) which demonstrates simultaneous production of electricity and wastewater treatment have been considered as one of the potential and greener energy production technology among the available bioelectrochemical systems. The air-cathode MFCs have gained additional benefits due to using air and avoiding any chemical substances as catholyte in the cathode chamber. The sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics at the cathode is one of the main obstacles to achieve high microbial fuel cell (MFC) performances. Platinum (Pt) is one of the most widely used efficient ORR electrocatalysts due to its high efficient and more stable in acidic media. Because of the high cost and easily poisoned nature of Pt, several attempts, such as a combination of Pt with other materials, and using non-precious metals and non-metals based electrocatalysts has been demonstrated. However, the efficient practical application of the MFC technology is not yet achieved mainly due to the slow ORR. Therefore, the review which draws attention to develop and choosing the suitable cathode materials should be urgent for the practical applications of the MFCs. In this review article, we present an overview of the present MFC technology, then some significant advancements of ORR electrocatalysts such as precious metals-based catalysts (very briefly), non-precious metals-based, non-metals and carbon-based, and biocatalysts with some significant remarks on the corresponding results for the MFC applications. Lastly, we also discussed the challenges and prospects of ORR electrocatalysts for the practical application of MFCs

Temporal Resolution In Preschool Children

The purpose of this study was to examine temporal resolution in normal hearing pre-school children. Word recognition was evaluated in quiet and in spectrally identical continuous and interrupted noise at signal-to-noise ratios (S/Ns) of 10, 0, and -10 dB. Sixteen children four to five years of age and eight adults participated. Performance decreased with decreasing S/N. At poorer S/Ns, participants demonstrated superior performance or a release from masking in the interrupted noise. Adults performed better than children, yet, the release from masking was equivalent. Collectively these findings are consistent with the notion that preschool children suffer from poorer processing efficiency rather than temporal resolution per se

MMN and Differential Waveform

A mismatch negativity response (MMN) and a new differential waveform were derived in an effort to evaluate a neural refractory or recovery effect in adult listeners. The MMN was elicited using oddball test runs in which the standard and deviant stimuli differed in frequency. To derive the differential waveform, the same standard and deviant stimuli were presented alone. MMN responses were obtained by subtracting the averaged responses to standards from the deviants. The differential waveforms were obtained by subtracting the averaged responses to standards presented alone from deviants presented alone. Scalp topography for the MMN and differential waveforms were similar. A significant (p < .05) positive and negative correlation was found between the earlier and later components of the bimodal MMN and the N1 and P2 component of the differential waveform, respectively. Further, N1 and P2 of the differential waveform were significant (p < .05) predictor variables of early and late peak amplitudes of the MMN. These results suggest that refractory effects may overlay/modify the morphology of the MMN waveform