Influence of Social and Behavioural Characteristics of Users on Their Evaluation of Subjective Loudness and Acoustic Comfort in Shopping Malls

A large-scale subjective survey was conducted in six shopping malls in Harbin City, China, to determine the influence of social and behavioural characteristics of users on their evaluation of subjective loudness and acoustic comfort. The analysis of social characteristics shows that evaluation of subjective loudness is influenced by income and occupation, with correlation coefficients or contingency coefficients of 0.10 to 0.40 (p<0.05 or p<0.01). Meanwhile, evaluation of acoustic comfort evaluation is influenced by income, education level, and occupation, with correlation coefficients or contingency coefficients of 0.10 to 0.60 (p<0.05 or p<0.01). The effect of gender and age on evaluation of subjective loudness and acoustic comfort is statistically insignificant. The effects of occupation are mainly caused by the differences in income and education level, in which the effects of income are greater than that of education level. In terms of behavioural characteristics, evaluation of subjective loudness is influenced by the reason for visit, frequency of visit, and length of stay, with correlation coefficients or contingency coefficients of 0.10 to 0.40 (p<0.05 or p<0.01). Evaluation of acoustic comfort is influenced by the reason for visit to the site, the frequency of visit, length of stay, and also season of visit, with correlation coefficients of 0.10 to 0.30 (p<0.05 or p<0.01). In particular, users who are waiting for someone show lower evaluation of acoustic comfort, whereas users who go to shopping malls more than once a month show higher evaluation of acoustic comfort. On the contrary, the influence of the period of visit and the accompanying persons are found insignificant

FUT2 Variants Confer Susceptibility to Familial Otitis Media

Non-secretor status due to homozygosity for the common FUT2 variant c.461G>A (p.Trp154∗) is associated with either risk for autoimmune diseases or protection against viral diarrhea and HIV. We determined the role of FUT2 in otitis media susceptibility by obtaining DNA samples from 609 multi-ethnic families and simplex case subjects with otitis media. Exome and Sanger sequencing, linkage analysis, and Fisher exact and transmission disequilibrium tests (TDT) were performed. The common FUT2 c.604C>T (p.Arg202∗) variant co-segregates with otitis media in a Filipino pedigree (LOD = 4.0). Additionally, a rare variant, c.412C>T (p.Arg138Cys), is associated with recurrent/chronic otitis media in European-American children (p = 1.2 × 10−5) and US trios (TDT p = 0.01). The c.461G>A (p.Trp154∗) variant was also over-transmitted in US trios (TDT p = 0.01) and was associated with shifts in middle ear microbiota composition (PERMANOVA p 20 were combined, FUT2 variants were over-transmitted in trios (TDT p = 0.001). Fut2 is transiently upregulated in mouse middle ear after inoculation with non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae. Four FUT2 variants—namely p.Ala104Val, p.Arg138Cys, p.Trp154∗, and p.Arg202∗—reduced A antigen in mutant-transfected COS-7 cells, while the nonsense variants also reduced FUT2 protein levels. Common and rare FUT2 variants confer susceptibility to otitis media, likely by modifying the middle ear microbiome through regulation of A antigen levels in epithelial cells. Our families demonstrate marked intra-familial genetic heterogeneity, suggesting that multiple combinations of common and rare variants plus environmental factors influence the individual otitis media phenotype as a complex trait

Snapshots of five clinical ethics committees in the UK

Each of the following papers gives an account of a different UK clinical ethics committee. The committees vary in the length of time they have been established, and also in the main focus of their work. The accounts discuss the development of the committees and some of the ethical problems that have been brought to them. The issues raised will be relevant for other National Health Service (NHS) trusts in the UK that wish to set up such a committee. Key Words: Ethics • committee • clinical • policy • ethicis

MRI sensing of neurotransmitters with a crown-ether appended Gd3+ complex

Molecular MRI approaches that detect biomarkers associated to neural activity would allow more direct observation of brain function than current functional MRI based on blood-oxygen-level-dependent contrast. Our objective was to create a synthetic molecular platform with appropriate recognition moieties for zwitterionic neurotransmitters that generate an MR signal change upon neurotransmitter binding. The gadolinium complex (GdL) we report offers ditopic binding for zwitterionic amino acid neurotransmitters, via: i) interactions between the positively charged and coordinatively unsaturated metal centre and the carboxylate function and ii) between a triazacrown ether and the amine group of the neurotransmitters. GdL discriminates zwitterionic neurotransmitters from monoamines. Neurotransmitter binding leads to a remarkable relaxivity change, related to a decrease in hydration number. GdL was successfully used to monitor neural activity in ex vivo mouse brain slices by MRI

Molecular architecture control in synthesis of spherical Ln-containing nanoparticles

Among the procedures to prepare lanthanide-containing nanoparticles a gap exists in the range between 5 and 40 nm. The miniemulsion technique presented here is intended to fill this discontinuity and offers a facile method that can be applied for the preparation of nanoparticles for various applications, e.g. medical imaging, optics and catalysis. We demonstrate that formation of nanodroplets under emulsion conditions is the key step in the size control of the nanoparticles. The type of surfactant and the nature of the dispersed and continuous phases strongly influence the interfacial activity and, consequently, the size of the final solid particles that result from the subsequent thermal decomposition. Moreover, the choice of the surfactant determines the final elemental composition of the particles, leading to either lanthanide oxides or oxysulfates when using Brij® 35 or sodium dodecyl sulfate, respectively. Nanoparticles of holmium and gadolinium were prepared and their applicability as magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents is shown.BiotechnologyApplied Science

&lt;i&gt;In Vivo&lt;/i&gt; 9.4T MRI and &lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt;H MRS for Evaluation of Brain Structural and Metabolic Changes in the Ts65Dn Mouse Model for Down Syndrome

International audienceIn the present study we investigated structural and metabolic modifications of the brain in the Ts65Dn mouse model of Down syndrome(DS)using both in vivo magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy(MRS). MRI was performed for further texture analysis and changes in texture parameters, including mean grey levels, contrast and homogeneity, and they were found in Ts65Dn compared to diploid littermates (2n). These phenotypic changes were different in the hippocampus and cerebellum, since in Ts65Dn mean grey levels increased in the cerebellum and decreased in the hippocampus. In addition, proton NMR spectra revealed differences in metabolite ratios. Levels of N-acetylaspartate(NAA)and glutamate(Glu), were lower compared to total creatine levels (CX), in the Ts65Dn brain. However, the most striking finding was an increase in the concentration of myo-inositol(Ins)and choline(Cho)in the hippocampus, whereas the Ins concentration was reduced in the cerebellum. Overall, these data illustrate that MRI and MRS are valuable assesment tools sufficiently sensitive to detect associated changes in different brain areas, thus providing new insight into the causative role of dosage-sensitive genes in the Ts65Dn DS mouse model

Utilisation de la résonance magnétique pour l’exploration non invasive du microenvironnement tumoral

National audienc