Voice-Controlled In-Vehicle Systems: Effects of Voice-Recognition Accuracy in the Presence of Background Noise

This paper presents initial findings from a driving simulator studyThis paper presents initial findings from a driving simulator studycomparing user responses to a noise-robust voice-controlled system while drivingto a noise-sensitive one in the presence of background noise. Twenty participantsinteracted with both noise-sensitive and noise-robust simulated voice-controlledinfotainment systems while driving under three background noise conditions (nonoise, music, and children). While both systems were viewed as useful andsatisfying, user acceptance was affected by background noise with the noisesensitivesystem, but not the noise-robust one. There was also no evidence that useracceptance was calibrated by having background noise as a context for varyinglevels of accuracy. No significant differences were observed between the twosystems in driving performance metrics analyzed (average speed, speed variability,and standard deviation of lane position), but the use of either system affecteddriving performance compared to baseline driving. A larger sample size at the endof this study along with the analysis of a larger set of performance metrics willprovide further insights

Gelatin-Sealed Dacron Graft is not more Susceptible to MRSA Infection than PTFE Graft

ObjectivesThe purpose of this experimental study was to compare the susceptibility of gelatin-sealed Dacron and PTFE prostheses to infection by MRSA.DesignProspective, randomized, controlled animal study.Materials and MethodsGraft infections were established in the subcutaneous tissues of 60 female Spraque-Dawley rats by the implantation of gelatin-sealed Dacron or PTFE prostheses followed by topical inoculation with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The study groups were as follows: (1A) uncontaminated gelatin-sealed Dacron group, (1B) untreated contaminated gelatin-sealed Dacron group, (1C) contaminated gelatin-sealed Dacron group with intraperitoneal teicoplanin treatment, (2A) uncontaminated PTFE group, (2B) untreated contaminated PTFE group, and (2C) contaminated PTFE group with intraperitoneal teicoplanin treatment. The grafts were removed after 7 days and evaluated for infection by counting the number of adherent bacteria on the graft material after rinsing and sonication. The perigraft tissue was harvested for histopathological study. To investigate the existence of any infection, blood samples were collected by cardiopuncture for a culture analysis.ResultsNo significant difference in bacteria counts was observed between gelatin-sealed Dacron and PTFE grafts. In groups 1A and 2A, there was no infection detected. The bacterial counts for MRSA were 7.4×105 in group 1B and 8.6×105 in group 2B. There was also no infection in groups 1C and 2C. While the difference between group 1B and 2B was not significant (p>.05), bacterial counts in group 1B or 2B were significantly higher than those in other groups. Blood cultures were only positive in four rats in group 1B and in two rats in group 2B. The severities of the inflammation of the perigraft tissues was low in groups 1A and 2A, high in groups 1C and 2C, and between the range from low to moderate in groups 1B and 2B.ConclusionThe susceptibility of gelatin-sealed Dacron to bacterial infection was not higher than that of PTFE

Efficacy of Vancomycin, Teicoplanin and Fusidic Acid as Prophylactic Agents in Prevention of Vascular Graft Infection: An Experimental Study in Rat

AbstractObjectivesTo compare the efficacy of a single prophylactic dose of intra-peritoneal vancomycin and teicoplanin with anti-biotic treated Dacron grafts (vancomycin, teicoplanin, 10 or 40% fusidic acid-soaked grafts) in preventing vascular graft infections in a rat model.DesignProspective, randomized, controlled animal study.Materials and methodsThe graft infections were established in the subcutaneous tissues of 80 female Sprague–Dawley rats by the implantation of Dacron prostheses followed by the topical inoculation with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The study groups were as follows: (1) uncontaminated control group, (2) untreated contaminated group, (3) contaminated group with intra-peritoneal vancomycin, (4) contaminated group with intra-peritoneal teicoplanin, (5) contaminated group received vancomycin-soaked Dacron graft, (6) contaminated group received teicoplanin-soaked Dacron graft, (7) contaminated group received 40% fusidic acid-soaked Dacron graft, and (8) contaminated group received 10% fusidic acid-soaked Dacron graft prophylaxis. The grafts were removed after 7 days and evaluated by a quantitative culture analysis.ResultsNo infection was detected in controls. The untreated contaminated group had a high bacteria count (6.0×104CFU/cm2 Dacron graft). Groups that received intra-peritoneal vancomycin or teicoplanin had less bacterial growth (4.8×103 and 3.9×103CFU/cm2 Dacron graft, respectively). Similarly, the group that received 10% fusidic acid-soaked graft showed less bacterial growth (3.6×103CFU/cm2 Dacron graft). The groups with vancomycin-, teicoplanin- and 40% fusidic acid-soaked grafts showed no evidence of infection. Statistical analyses demonstrated that intra-peritoneal prophylactic antibiotic treatment was less effective in inhibiting bacterial growth than high concentration antimicrobial-soaking of grafts.ConclusionThe use of vancomycin-, teicoplanin- and 40% fusidic acid-soaked grafts was effective in preventing primary prosthetic vascular graft infection

Collision Avoidance Training Using a Driving Simulator in Drivers with Parkinson\u27s Disease: A Pilot Study

Parkinson’s disease (PD) impairs driving performance, and simulator studies have shown increased crashes compared to controls. In this pilot study, eight drivers with PD participated in three drive sessions with multiple simulator intersections of varying visibility and traffic load, where an incurring vehicle posed a crash risk. Over the course of the three sessions (once every 1-2 weeks), we observed reduction in crashes (p=0.059) and reaction times (p=0.006) to the vehicle incursion. These findings suggest that our simulator training program is feasible and potentially useful in drivers with PD. Future research questions include transfer of training to different driving tasks, duration of benefit, and the effect on long term real life outcomes in comparison to a standard intervention (e.g., driver education class) in a randomized trial

Current-voltage relation of a centrifugally confined plasma

Observations of Jupiter's auroral regions indicate that electrons are accelerated into Jupiter's atmosphere creating emissions. The acceleration of the electrons intimate that parallel electric fields and field-aligned currents develop along the flux tubes which connect the equatorial plane to the areas with auroral emission. The relationship between the development of parallel electric fields and the parallel currents is often assumed to be the same as that on Earth. However, the relationship is significantly different at Jupiter due to a lack of plasma at high latitudes as large centrifugal forces caused by Jupiter's fast rotation period (about 9.8 h) constrain the magnetospheric plasma to the equatorial plane. We use a 1-D spatial, 2-D velocity space Vlasov code which has been modified to include centrifugal forces to examine the current-voltage relationship that exists at Jupiter. In particular, we investigate this relationship at a distance of 5.9 Jovian radii, the orbital radius of Io, which is coupled with the auroral spot and Io wake auroral emissions

Generation of parallel electric fields in the Jupiter-Io torus wake region

Infrared and ultraviolet images have established that auroral emissions at Jupiter caused by the electromagnetic interaction with Io not only produce a bright spot, but an emission trail that extends in longitude from Io's magnetic footprint. Electron acceleration that produces the bright spot is believed to be dominated by Alfvén waves whereas we argue that the trail or wake aurora results from quasi-static parallel electric fields associated with large-scale, field-aligned currents between the Io torus and Jupiter's ionosphere. These currents ultimately transfer angular momentum from Jupiter to the Io torus. We examine the generation and the impact of the quasi-static parallel electric fields in the Io trail aurora. A critical component to our analysis is a current-voltage relation that accounts for the low-density plasma along the magnetic flux tubes that connect the Io torus and Jupiter. This low-density region, ∼2 Rj from Jupiter's center, can significantly limit the field-aligned current, essentially acting as a "high-latitude current choke." Once parallel electric fields are introduced, the governing equations that couple Jupiter's ionosphere to the Io torus become nonlinear and, while the large-scale behavior is similar to that expected with no parallel electric field, there are substantial deviations on smaller scales. The solutions, bound by properties of the Io torus and Jupiter's ionosphere, indicate that the parallel potentials are on the order of 1 kV when constrained by peak energy fluxes of a few milliwatts per square meter. The parallel potentials that we predict are significantly lower than earlier reports

Continuum modelling of granular particle flow with inelastic inter-particle collisions

The kinetic theory of granular flow is a successful model for gas-solid flows. However, inelastic collisions between particles, among other mechanisms, cause agglomeration of particles, which may be the reason why undue sensitivity of the model to any slight inelasticity in inter-particle collisions has been seen previously. In contrast to a dry (i.e. no interstitial gas) granular system, this tendency to agglomerate in a gas driven two-phase system may be countered by the carrier gas turbulence. In this paper, a heuristic model for particle gas turbulence interaction is introduced within the scope of a generalized kinetic theory model which incorporates the carrier fluid effect on particulate stresses. The numerical results for the flow of granular particles in vertical pipes, which considers slightly inelastic inter-particle collisions, are in reasonably good agreement with published experimental data. Even in this relatively simple model, the results indicate that the interactions between the particle phase and gas turbulence need to be appropriately addressed in any kinetic theory based model for gas solid flows

Prevalence and distribution of staphylococcal enterotoxin genes among Staphylococcus aureus isolates from chicken and turkey carcasses in Algeria

This study is aimed to determine the prevalence of staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) by biochemical tests in poultry carcasses. It is also intend to detect the distribution of genes for classical staphylococcal enterotoxins A, B, C, D and E (sea, seb, sec, sed and see) and for gene femA, specific for S. aureus species, using multiplex PCR. A total of 385 samples of neck skins from fresh poultry carcasses were collected during the period 2012-2013 from 16 different slaughterhouses located in the region of Algiers, Algeria. The overall prevalence of S.aureus in freshly slaughtered poultry carcasses was 41.56%, with an individual prevalence of 40.63% and 45.71% for chicken and turkey respectively. From the 95 strains of S.aureus identified by biochemical tests. 82 (86.32%) isolates were femA positive using multiplex PCR. The investigation has also revealed the presence of both enterotoxins B and D, with a predominance of seb (13.33%) followed by sed (1.67%), in the chicken carcasses while in turkey only sed was detected (4.55%) It has been found that strains of S.aureus of poultry origin can be enterotoxigenic with the predominance of genes encoding for enterotoxins seb in chicken and sed in turkey. As enterotoxins can be produced in adequate amounts to induce foodborne illnesses, these potential dangers must be considered in terms of a real risk to public health