Audiological Follow-up Results after Newborn Hearing Screening Program

ObjectivesTo investigate the validity of newborn hearing screening protocol using automated auditory brainstem response (AABR) with a confirmation method using click auditory brainstem response (ABR) and to evaluate changes in hearing status of infants with confirmed congenital hearing loss.MethodsNeonates in the well-baby nursery were screened by staged AABR. Subjects whose final AABR result was "refer" were tested by diagnostic click ABR and 226 Hz tympanometry within 3 months of age. Changes in hearing status of subjects with confirmed hearing loss were analyzed by follow-up ABR at 3-6 month intervals.ResultsOf the 12,193 healthy babies born during this period, 10,879 (89.22%) were screened by AABR. Of 10,879 neonates screened by AABR, 148 (1.36%) were "referred"; of these, 45 subjects showed ABR thresholds over 30 dB nHL in at least one ear. Thirty-four subjects underwent serial follow-up ABR tests, with 11 (32.4%) found to have normal ABR thresholds. Most subjects with mild to moderate hearing loss were found to be normal before 1 year of age, whereas all infants with severe or profound hearing loss were identified as having congenital hearing loss.ConclusionThe referral rate and the positive predictive value of our protocol were acceptable. We have also found here that substantial temporary hearing loss can be included in the first confirmative diagnosis. Temporary hearing loss of our study on follow-up give emphasis to need of further differentiation using the testing for bone conduction and middle ear status

EXPLORATIVE STUDY ON THE CYBER-ATTACK SOURCE TRACEBACK TECHNOLOGIES FOR BRIGHT INTERNET

In order to cope with the various types of cyber-attacks in the Internet, several methods of tracking the source of attack have been developed. However, until recently, most of them are defensive security methods rather than preventive one. In order to settle the Bright Internet, which is still in its early stage, it is necessary to establish a technical source tracking method. For this, a standard and evaluation criteria are needed to determine which technology would be appropriate for the Bright Internet requirements. In this paper, we classify cyber-attack source traceback technologies and derive some criteria for the evaluation of the technologies for the Bright Internet. Using the criteria, we can evaluate existing traceback technologies from the perspective of the Bright Internet. In this article, we try to evaluate SAVA, PPM, iTrace, Controlled flooding, Input Debugging, Central Track, IPSec, SPIE(Hash-based), and Marking+Logging methods. Based on this research, future research will require in-depth verification of traceback technologies that reflects all the principles of the Bright Internet in practice

An Active and Soft Hydrogel Actuator to Stimulate Live Cell Clusters by Self-folding

The hydrogels are widely used in various applications, and their successful uses depend on controlling the mechanical properties. In this study, we present an advanced strategy to develop hydrogel actuator designed to stimulate live cell clusters by self-folding. The hydrogel actuator consisting of two layers with different expansion ratios were fabricated to have various curvatures in self-folding. The expansion ratio of the hydrogel tuned with the molecular weight and concentration of gel-forming polymers, and temperature-sensitive molecules in a controlled manner. As a result, the hydrogel actuator could stimulate live cell clusters by compression and tension repeatedly, in response to temperature. The cell clusters were compressed in the 0.7-fold decreases of the radius of curvature with 1.0 mm in room temperature, as compared to that of 1.4 mm in 37 degrees C. Interestingly, the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-2 (IGFBP-2) in MCF-7 tumor cells exposed by mechanical stimulation was expressed more than in those without stimulation. Overall, this new strategy to prepare the active and soft hydrogel actuator would be actively used in tissue engineering, drug delivery, and micro-scale actuators

Robustness of the intrinsic anomalous Hall effect in Fe3GeTe2 to a uniaxial strain

Fe3GeTe2 (FGT), a ferromagnetic van der Waals topological nodal line semimetal, has recently been studied. Using first-principles calculations and symmetry analysis, we investigate the effect of a uniaxial tensile strain on the nodal line and the resultant intrinsic anomalous Hall effect (AHE). Our results reveal their robustness to the in-plane strain. Moreover, the intrinsic AHE remains robust even for artificial adjustment of the atomic positions introduced to break the crystalline symmetries of FGT. When the spin-orbit coupling is absent, the nodal line degeneracy remains intact as long as the inversion symmetry or the two-fold screw symmetry is maintained, which reveal that the nodal line may emerge much more easily than previously predicted. This strong robustness is surprising and disagrees with the previous experimental report [Y. Wang et al., Adv. Mater. 32, 2004533 (2020)], which reports that a uniaxial strain of less than 1 % of the in-plane lattice constant can double the anomalous Hall resistance. This discrepancy implies that the present understanding of the AHE in FGT is incomplete. The possible origins of this discrepancy are discussed.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure

Kuwait’s Strategic Response to its Developmental Challenges: Recasting its Strategic Options and Implementation Strategy from a Korean Perspective

Chapter 01. Introduction: Confronting Kuwait’s Present Reality Chapter 02. Critical Factors and SWOT Analysis for Crafting Strategic Response Chapter 03. Managing Stakeholders and Crafting the Implementation Strategy Chapter 04. Labor Market Reform Chapter 05. Updating Education and Human Resources Chapter 06. Fiscal Reform in Kuwait Chapter 07. Other Focal Areas Of Policy Initiatives For The Upcoming Five-Year Development Pla

Transcriptional Regulator TonEBP Mediates Oxidative Damages in Ischemic Kidney Injury

TonEBP (tonicity-responsive enhancer binding protein) is a transcriptional regulator whose expression is elevated in response to various forms of stress including hyperglycemia, inflammation, and hypoxia. Here we investigated the role of TonEBP in acute kidney injury (AKI) using a line of TonEBP haplo-deficient mice subjected to bilateral renal ischemia followed by reperfusion (I/R). In the TonEBP haplo-deficient animals, induction of TonEBP, oxidative stress, inflammation, cell death, and functional injury in the kidney in response to I/R were all reduced. Analyses of renal transcriptome revealed that genes in several cellular pathways including peroxisome and mitochondrial inner membrane were suppressed in response to I/R, and the suppression was relieved in the TonEBP deficiency. Production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the cellular injury was reproduced in a renal epithelial cell line in response to hypoxia, ATP depletion, or hydrogen peroxide. The knockdown of TonEBP reduced ROS production and cellular injury in correlation with increased expression of the suppressed genes. The cellular injury was also blocked by inhibitors of necrosis. These results demonstrate that ischemic insult suppresses many genes involved in cellular metabolism leading to local oxidative stress by way of TonEBP induction. Thus, TonEBP is a promising target to prevent AKI

Cellular energy stress induces AMPK-mediated regulation of YAP and the Hippo pathway.

YAP (Yes-associated protein) is a transcription co-activator in the Hippo tumour suppressor pathway and controls cell growth, tissue homeostasis and organ size. YAP is inhibited by the kinase Lats, which phosphorylates YAP to induce its cytoplasmic localization and proteasomal degradation. YAP induces gene expression by binding to the TEAD family transcription factors. Dysregulation of the Hippo-YAP pathway is frequently observed in human cancers. Here we show that cellular energy stress induces YAP phosphorylation, in part due to AMPK-dependent Lats activation, thereby inhibiting YAP activity. Moreover, AMPK directly phosphorylates YAP Ser 94, a residue essential for the interaction with TEAD, thus disrupting the YAP-TEAD interaction. AMPK-induced YAP inhibition can suppress oncogenic transformation of Lats-null cells with high YAP activity. Our study establishes a molecular mechanism and functional significance of AMPK in linking cellular energy status to the Hippo-YAP pathway

Fabrication of core/shell ZnWO4/carbon nanorods and their Li electroactivity

Carbon-coated ZnWO4 [C-ZW] nanorods with a one-dimensional core/shell structure were synthesised using hydrothermally prepared ZnWO4 and malic acid as precursors. The effects of the carbon coating on the ZnWO4 nanorods are investigated by thermogravimetry, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The coating layer was found to be in uniform thickness of approximately 3 nm. Moreover, the D and G bands of carbon were clearly observed at around 1,350 and 1,600 cm-1, respectively, in the Raman spectra of the C-ZW nanorods. Furthermore, lithium electroactivities of the C-ZW nanorods were evaluated using cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic cycling. In particular, the formed C-ZW nanorods exhibited excellent electrochemical performances, with rate capabilities better than those of bare ZnWO4 nanorods at different current rates, as well as a coulombic efficiency exceeding 98%. The specific capacity of the C-ZW nanorods maintained itself at approximately 170 mAh g-1, even at a high current rate of 3 C, which is much higher than pure ZnWO4 nanorods