Lung function at term in extremely preterm-born infants: A regional prospective cohort study

Objectives: To compare lung function of extremely preterm (EP)-born infants with and without bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) with that of healthy term-born infants, and to determine which perinatal characteristics were associated with lung function at term and how predictive these measurements were for later respiratory health in EP-born infants. Methods: Perinatal variables were recorded prospectively, and tidal breathing parameters were measured at term-equivalent age using electromagnetic inductance plethysmography. Respiratory morbidity was defined by hospital readmissions and/or treatment with asthma medications during the first year of life. Results: Fifty-two EP-born infants (mean gestational age 261, range 226–276 weeks) and 45 term-born infants were included. There was evidence of significant airway obstruction, higher tidal volumes and increased minute ventilation in the EP-born infants with and without BPD, although generally more pronounced for those with BPD. Male gender, antenatal steroids and number of days on continuous positive airway pressure were associated with lung function outcomes at term. A prediction model incorporating two unrelated tidal breathing parameters, BPD, birth weight z-score and gender, predicted respiratory morbidity in the first year of life with good accuracy (area under the curve 0.818, sensitivity and specificity 81.8% and 75.0%, respectively). Conclusion: Lung function measured at term-equivalent age was strikingly abnormal in EP-born infants, irrespective of BPD. Tidal breathing parameters may be of value in predicting future pulmonary health in infants born premature.publishedVersio

The impact of exploiting spectro-temporal context in computational speech segregation

The experimental data from the study: https://asa.scitation.org/doi/10.1121/1.5020273 Group 1 contains results, masks and audio from the models of the 16 GMM component segregation system Group 2 contains results, masks and audio from the models of the 64 GMM component segregation system There are three folders: Audio: The CLUE sentences that were used for the listener study IBM = Ideal Binary Mask, UP = UnProcessed, EBM = Estimated Binary Mask. The IBM and UP are stored in one of the configuration folders (Front-end), that is: Audio\Group1\Front-end\icra_01_10sec_matched\UP Audio\Group1\Front-end\icra_01_10sec_matched\IBM Audio\Group1\Front-end\icra_01_10sec_matched\EBM Results: The computed metrics for group 1 & 2 as well as Word Recognition Scores (WRSs) from the listener study BinaryMasks: a priori SNR masks, IBMs and EBMs from group 1 and 2. Developed with Matlab R2016a

Electromagnetic inductance plethysmography is well suited to measure tidal breathing in infants

Reliable, accurate and noninvasive methods for measuring lung function in infants are desirable. Electromagnetic inductance plethysmography has been used to perform infant spirometry and VoluSense Pediatrics (VSP) (VoluSense, Bergen, Norway) represents an updated version of this technique. We aimed to examine its accuracy compared to a validated system measuring airflow via a facemask using an ultrasonic flowmeter. We tested 30 infants with postmenstrual ages between 36 to 43 weeks and weights from 2.3 to 4.8 kg, applying both methods simultaneously and applying VSP alone. Agreement between the methods was calculated using Bland–Altman analyses and we also estimated the effect of applying the mask. Mean differences for all breathing parameters were within ±5.5% and limits of agreement between the two methods were acceptable, except perhaps for peak tidal expiratory flow (PTEF). Application of the facemask significantly increased tidal volume, minute ventilation, PTEF, the ratio of inspiratory to expiratory time and the ratio of expiratory flow at 50% of expired volume to PTEF. VSP accurately measured tidal breathing parameters and seems well suited for tidal breathing measurements in infants under treatment with equipment that precludes the use of a facemask.publishedVersio

Negative emission potentials using biogenic building materials:a case study from Denmark

Significant reductions in carbon footprint can be achieved by increasing the use of biogenic materials in construction. In biogenic materials, carbon is embedded as long as the materials are not biologically degraded, and they consequently act as carbon reservoirs that keep CO2 out of the atmosphere. The reservoirs of carbon are maintained if the biogenic materials during maintenance and renovation are replaced by similar ones. Buildings containing more wood, straw, and other biogenic materials and less concrete, steel, and mineral wool are therefore part of the way forward for a sustainable restructuring of the construction industry. Until now, the main focus has been on reducing energy consumption of buildings, while less focus has been on energy consumption and the climate impact from the production of materials and the construction process itself. This paper examines the potential carbon reservoir in the building stock in Denmark for the next 100 years. In detail the paper describes potential building components made from biogenic resources, outlines the necessary amounts and qualities of biogenic materials, and summarizes the available biogenic resources. The article is based on the conditions for construction in Denmark and the opportunities Denmark has as an industrialized agricultural country with a long coastline, which can be utilized in the production of biogenic resources for manufacturing of building materials.Significant reductions in carbon footprint can be achieved by increasing the use of biogenic materials in construction. In biogenic materials, carbon is embedded as long as the materials are not biologically degraded, and they consequently act as carbon reservoirs that keep CO2 out of the atmosphere. The reservoirs of carbon are maintained if the biogenic materials during maintenance and renovation are replaced by similar ones. Buildings containing more wood, straw, and other biogenic materials and less concrete, steel, and mineral wool are therefore part of the way forward for a sustainable restructuring of the construction industry. Until now, the main focus has been on reducing energy consumption of buildings, while less focus has been on energy consumption and the climate impact from the production of materials and the construction process itself. This paper examines the potential carbon reservoir in the building stock in Denmark for the next 100 years. In detail the paper describes potential building components made from biogenic resources, outlines the necessary amounts and qualities of biogenic materials, and summarizes the available biogenic resources. The article is based on the conditions for construction in Denmark and the opportunities Denmark has as an industrialized agricultural country with a long coastline, which can be utilized in the production of biogenic resources for manufacturing of building materials