Magnetotransport studies of Superconducting Pr4_4Fe2_2As2_2Te1−x_{1-x}O4_4

We report a detailed study of the electrical transport properties of single crystals of Pr$_4$Fe$_2$As$_2$Te$_{1-x}$O$_4$, a recently discovered iron-based superconductor. Resistivity, Hall effect and magnetoresistance are measured in a broad temperature range revealing the role of electrons as dominant charge carriers. The significant temperature dependence of the Hall coefficient and the violation of Kohler's law indicate multiband effects in this compound. The upper critical field and the magnetic anisotropy are investigated in fields up to 16 T, applied parallel and perpendicular to the crystallographic c-axis. Hydrostatic pressure up to 2 GPa linearly increases the critical temperature and the resistivity residual ratio. A simple two-band model is used to describe the transport and magnetic properties of Pr$_4$Fe$_2$As$_2$Te$_{1-x}$O$_4$. The model can successfully explain the strongly temperature dependent negative Hall coefficient and the high magnetic anisotropy assuming that the mobility of electrons is higher than that of holes

L4Fe2As2Te1-xO4-yFy (L = Pr, Sm, Gd): a layered oxypnictide superconductor with Tc up to 45 K

The synthesis, structural and physical properties of iron lanthanide oxypnictide superconductors, L4Fe2As2Te1-xO4 (L = Pr, Sm, Gd), with transition temperature at ~ 25 K are reported. Single crystals have been grown at high pressure using cubic anvil technique. The crystal structure consists of layers of L2O2 tetrahedra separated by alternating layers of chains of Te and of Fe2As2 tetrahedra: -L2O2-Te-L2O2-Fe2As2-L2O2-Te-L2O2- (space group: I4/mmm, a ~ 4.0, c ~ 29.6 {\AA}). Substitution of oxygen by fluorine increases the critical temperature, e.g. in Gd4Fe2As2Te1-xOyF4-y up to 45 K. Magnetic torque measurements reveal an anisotropy of the penetration depths of ~31.Comment: 8 figures, 4 table

THREE-DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS OF PALATE MORPHOLOGY IN UNILATERAL CLEFT LIP AND PALATE CHILDREN

Abstract Object: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the orthopedic treatment (performed either by using active or passive plates) and the subsequent surgical treatment on the palatal size and shape of dental casts of patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP). Material and methods: 96 palatal cast models, obtained from 32 neonatal patients with UCLP, attending the Fundacion Clinica Noel de Medellin (Colombia) were analyzed using a 3D stereophotogrammetric system in three different time points: before the orthopedic treatment, before and after cheiloplasty. Half of the patients were treated with a passive plate, while the other patients received an active plate. The areas and volumes of the greater and minor segments were obtained using a new measurement protocol. Method repeatability both within and between operators was evaluated using the Paired Student\u2019s t-test and the technical error of measurement (TEM). Area and volume measurements were compared with a three-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine differences between plates, alveolar segments and time. Results: No systematic measurement errors were found for both inter-operator and intra-operator\u2019s tracings (p>0.05; TEM<0.32 cm2). No differences were found for the kind of plates (active or passive). Significant differences were found in alveolar segment and time in both area and volume (p<0.01). Conclusions: We showed that area and volume measurement by the 3D stereophotogrammetric system was a repeatable and reliable method of evaluating the stone casts of patients with UCLP. Data obtained were helpful to quantify changes occurring in maxillary arches of UCLP patients after orthopedic and surgical treatments. However, further investigation is needed to especially evaluate the effects of plates, increasing the number of additional time points and expanding the number of patients

Influence of early linguistic experience on regional dialect categorization by an adult cochlear implant user: a case study

To investigate the ability of a cochlear implant user to categorize talkers by region of origin and examine the influence of prior linguistic experience on the perception of regional dialect variation. A postlingually deafened adult cochlear implant user from the Southern region of the United States completed a six-alternative forced-choice dialect categorization task. The cochlear implant user was most accurate at categorizing unfamiliar talkers from his own region and another familiar dialect region, and least accurate at categorizing talkers from less familiar regions. Although the dialect-specific information made available by a cochlear implant may be degraded compared with information available to normal-hearing listeners, this experienced cochlear implant user was able to reliably categorize unfamiliar talkers by region of origin. The participant made use of dialect-specific acoustic-phonetic information in the speech signal and previously stored knowledge of regional dialect differences from early exposure before implantation despite an early hearing loss

Speech Communication

Contains reports on three research projects.National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 RO1 NS04332-13)National Institutes of Health (Grant 1 T32 NS07040-01)Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAB07-75-C-1346

Simulation of feed restriction and fasting: Effects on animal recovery and gastrointestinal permeability in unweaned Angus-Holstein calves

Feed restriction and fasting experienced during commercial production negatively affect unweaned calves' behavior and health status. Transportation and stays at assembly centers are the main factors generating these disorders. For this study, 20 unweaned Angus-Holstein bull calves [44.1 ± 2.04 kg of body weight (BW) and 14.7 ± 0.63 d of age (± standard error)] were used to evaluate the effects of feed restriction and fasting on performance, energy status [serum concentration of glucose, β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), and nonesterified fatty acids], and gastrointestinal permeability [serum concentration of citrulline, chromium (Cr)-EDTA, lactulose, and d-mannitol]. Calves were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatments that simulated the feed restrictions of an assembly center situation on one hand, and the fasting hours during transportation on the other. Treatments were as follows. Control (CT): from d −4 to −1, calves were fed 2.5 L of milk replacer (MR) twice daily; concentrate and straw were offered ad libitum. Mild (MD): calves were fed only MR (d −4 to −1) as described for CT, and on d −1 calves were subjected to a 9-h feed withdrawal. Moderate (MO): calves were fed only MR (d −4 to −1) as described for CT and on d −1 subjected to a 19-h feed withdrawal. Severe (SV): calves were fed only 2.5 L of a rehydrating solution twice daily (d −4 to −1) and on d −1 subjected to a 19-h feed withdrawal. From d 0 to d 42 (weaning) all calves were fed the same feeding program (MR, concentrate, and straw ad libitum). Results showed that BW was greater for the CT treatment compared with the others from d 0 to d 7, whereas BW of SV was lesser compared with the others from d −1 to d 7. No differences among treatments were observed at weaning. At d 2 concentrate intakes of MD, MO, and SV were lesser compared with CT. By d 4, concentrate intake of SV was similar to that for CT and greater than MD and MO. Similarly to BW, no differences in concentrate intake among treatments were observed at weaning on d 42 of the study. At d −1 for SV and d 0 in all restricted calves, serum glucose concentration was lesser compared with CT. At d −1 and 0, nonesterified fatty acids and BHB serum concentrations were greater in the SV calves compared with the other treatments. By d 2, serum concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids, BHB, and glucose were restored to CT levels. At d −1 serum citrulline concentration was lesser in SV and greater in MD calves. The CT calves had lower serum concentrations of Cr-EDTA (d −1 and d 0), lactulose (d 0), and d-mannitol (d 0) compared with the other restricted calves. Results showed that degree of dietary restriction, type of liquid diet (MR or rehydrating solution), and fasting hours (9 vs. 19 h) affected calves' BW, concentrate intake, and serum concentration of markers indicative of energy status and gastrointestinal permeability.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Validation of an optical, computer-assisted technique for intraoperative tracking of 3-dimensional canine stifle joint motion

Background: Cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) rupture is the most common orthopedic pathology in dog and in men. In human, optical computer-assisted technique is considered as a repeatable and reliable method for the biomechanical assessment of joint kinematics and laxity in case of CCL surgery. Aim: To evaluate the repeatability and reliability afforded by clinical tests in terms of laxity measured by means of a computer-assisted tracking system in two canine CCL conditions: CCL-Intact, CCL-Deficient. Methods: Fourteen fresh frozen canine stifles were passively subjected to Internal/External (IE) rotation at 120\ub0 of flexion and Cranial drawer test (CC). To quantify the repeatability and the reliability, intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and the mean percent error were evaluated (\u394 r %). Results: The study showed a very good intra-class correlation, before and after CCL resection for kinematics tests. It was found a minimum ICC = 0.73 during the IE rotation in CCL-Intact and a maximum value of ICC = 0.97 for the CC displacement in CC-Deficient. IE rotation with CCL-Intact is the condition with the greatest \u394 r % = 14%, while the lowest \u394 r % = 6% was obtained for CC displacement in CCL-Deficient. Conclusion: The presented work underlined the possibility of using a computer-assisted method also for biomechanical studies concerning stifle kinematics and laxity

Spatial-temporal modelling of disease risk accounting for PM2.5 exposure in the province of pavia: An area of the Po valley

Spatio-temporal Bayesian disease mapping is the branch of spatial epidemiology interested in providing valuable risk estimates in certain geographical regions using administrative areas as statistical units. The aim of the present paper is to describe spatio-temporal distribution of cardiovascular mortality in the Province of Pavia in 2010 through 2015 and assess its association with environmental pollution exposure. To produce reliable risk estimates, eight different models (hierarchical log-linear model) have been assessed: temporal parametric trend components were included together with some random effects that allowed the accounting of spatial structure of the region. The Bayesian approach allowed the borrowing information effect, including simpler model results in the more complex setting. To compare these models, Watanabe–Akaike Information Criteria (WAIC) and Leave One Out Information Criteria (LOOIC) were applied. In the modelling phase, the relationship between the disease risk and pollutants exposure (PM2.5) accounting for the urbanisation level of each geographical unit showed a strong significant effect of the pollutant exposure (OR = 1.075 and posterior probability, or PP, >0.999, equivalent to p < 0.001). A high-risk cluster of Cardiovascular mortality in the Lomellina subareas in the studied window was identified

List Equivalency of PRESTO for the Evaluation of Speech Recognition

BACKGROUND: There is a pressing clinical need for the development of ecologically valid and robust assessment measures of speech recognition. Perceptually Robust English Sentence Test Open-set (PRESTO) is a new high-variability sentence recognition test that is sensitive to individual differences and was designed for use with several different clinical populations. PRESTO differs from other sentence recognition tests because the target sentences differ in talker, gender, and regional dialect. Increasing interest in using PRESTO as a clinical test of spoken word recognition dictates the need to establish equivalence across test lists. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to establish list equivalency of PRESTO for clinical use. RESEARCH DESIGN: PRESTO sentence lists were presented to three groups of normal-hearing listeners in noise (multitalker babble [MTB] at 0 dB signal-to-noise ratio) or under eight-channel cochlear implant simulation (CI-Sim). STUDY SAMPLE: Ninety-one young native speakers of English who were undergraduate students from the Indiana University community participated in this study. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Participants completed a sentence recognition task using different PRESTO sentence lists. They listened to sentences presented over headphones and typed in the words they heard on a computer. Keyword scoring was completed offline. Equivalency for sentence lists was determined based on the list intelligibility (mean keyword accuracy for each list compared with all other lists) and listener consistency (the relation between mean keyword accuracy on each list for each listener). RESULTS: Based on measures of list equivalency and listener consistency, ten PRESTO lists were found to be equivalent in the MTB condition, nine lists were equivalent in the CI-Sim condition, and six PRESTO lists were equivalent in both conditions. CONCLUSIONS: PRESTO is a valuable addition to the clinical toolbox for assessing sentence recognition across different populations. Because the test condition influenced the overall intelligibility of lists, researchers and clinicians should take the presentation conditions into consideration when selecting the best PRESTO lists for their research or clinical protocols