Influence of visual stimuli on perceptual attributes of spatial audio

Reproduced audio is often accompanied with visuals (i.e. television, virtual reality, gaming, and cinema). However, the audio technology for these systems is often researched and evaluated in isolation from the visual component. Previous research indicates that the auditory and visual modalities are not processed separately. For example, visual stimuli can influence ratings of audio quality and vice versa. This paper presents an experiment to investigate the influence of visual stimuli on a set of attributes relevant to the perception of spatial audio. Eighteen participants took part in a paired comparison listening test where they were asked to judge pairs of stimuli rendered to fourteen-, five-, and two-channel systems using ten perceptual attributes. The stimuli were presented in audio only and audio-visual conditions. The results show a significant and large main effect of the loudspeaker configuration for all the tested attributes other than overall spectral balance and depth of field. The effect of visual stimuli was found to be small and significant for the attributes realism, sense of space, and spatial clarity. These results suggest that evaluations of audio-visual technologies aiming to evoke a sense of realism or presence should consider the influence of both the audio and visual modalities

Left main bronchus compression due to main pulmonary artery dilatation in pulmonary hypertension: two case reports

Abstract. Pulmonary arterial dilatation associated with pulmonary hypertension may result in significant compression of local structures. Left main coronary artery and left recurrent laryngeal nerve compression have been described. Tracheobronchial compression from pulmonary arterial dilatation is rare in adults, and there are no reports in the literature of its occurrence in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. Compression in infants with congenital heart disease has been well described. We report 2 cases of tracheobronchial compression: first, an adult patient with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension who presents with symptomatic left main bronchus compression, and second, an adult patient with Eisenmenger ventricular septal defect and right-sided aortic arch, with progressive intermedius and right middle lobe bronchi compression in association with enlarged pulmonary arteries

Elicitation of expert knowledge to inform object-based audio rendering to different systems

Object-based audio presents the opportunity to optimise audio reproduction for different listening scenarios. Vector base amplitude panning (VBAP) is typically used to render object-based scenes. Optimizing this process based on knowledge of the perception and practices of experts could result in significant improvements to the end user's listening experience. An experiment was conducted to investigate how content creators perceive changes in the perceptual attributes of the same content rendered to systems with different numbers of channels, and to determine what they would do differently to standard VBAP and matrix based downmixes to minimize these changes. Text mining and clustering of the content creators' responses revealed 6 general mix processes: the spatial spread of individual objects, EQ and processing, reverberation, position, bass, and level. Logistic regression models show the relationships between the mix processes, perceived changes in perceptual attributes, and the rendering method/speaker layout. The relative frequency of use for the different mix processes was found to differ between categories of audio object suggesting that any downmix rules should be object category specific. These results give insight into how object-based audio can be used to improve listener experience and provide the first template for doing this across different reproduction systems

Women with inherited bleeding disorders and their offspring - the unresolved issues

The past few decades have seen major advances in management of gynaecological conditions and multidisciplinary obstetric care in women with inherited bleeding disorders (IBDs) and their offspring. However, there remain many unresolved issues within the field. A series of observational studies were conducted to address these issues with an overarching aim of improving patient care. A case-control study determined if there was an association between IBDs and endometriosis. Women with a surgically confirmed diagnosis of endometriosis (n = 84) and controls (n = 30) underwent investigations of haemostasis. Women with endometriosis had significantly more platelet aggregation defects to one and multiple agonists compared to controls (31% vs 4%, p = 0.005 and 15% vs 4%, p < 0.05, respectively). Reduced von willebrand factor (VWF) activity correlated with increased laparoscopic stage of endometriosis (r = -0.35, p = 0.01). A 10-year review and questionnaire study was carried out in carriers of haemophilia to determine their attitudes towards prenatal diagnosis. Sixty-one carriers of haemophilia had obstetric care in 73 pregnancies. Forty-one out of 61 women responded to the questionnaire. The uptake for invasive prenatal diagnosis of haemophilia was reduced compared to previous studies published at the Royal Free Hospital (15% versus 20% in 2008 [1], and 35% in 1997 [2]). Invasive testing to confirm the haemophilia status of the fetus was used to guide management decisions of labour and delivery. The rate of termination of pregnancy (TOP) for haemophilia was lower than in previous case series [1]. Non-invasive determination of fetal gender using free fetal DNA (ffDNA) was carried out in 58 pregnancies (79%). Fifty-nine deliveries were managed at the Royal Free Hospital over 10-years. The majority of women (66%) in this series underwent elective caesarean section (CS). The primary indication for CS was for haemophilia in 59% of deliveries. A literature review and meta-analysis assessed the incidence of cranial bleeding at birth in newborns with haemophilia. The incidence of symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage (ICH) was determined by mode of delivery (MOD). Newborns with haemophilia were 44 times (95%CI 34.7-57.1, p < 0.01) more likely to experience symptomatic ICH, and 8 times (95%CI 5.38-12.6, p < 0.01) more likely to experience extracranial haemorrhage (ECH) at birth, compared to the general population. The OR of experiencing ICH following an assisted vaginal delivery was 4.4 (95%CI 1.46-13.7, p = 0.008) compared to vaginal delivery in newborns with haemophilia. The OR of experiencing ICH following CS was 0.34 (95%CI 0.14-0.83, p = 0.018) compared to vaginal delivery. CS was associated with the lowest risk of ICH in newborns with haemophilia. A prospective MRI screening study in term newborns with severe IBDs was undertaken to determine feasibility and incidence of asymptomatic ICH. Cranial MRI within 72 hours of delivery excluded asymptomatic ICH in affected infants. No cases of ICH were reported among eight participants. One newborn experienced cephalohaematoma following an emergency CS. Two of the eight newborns experienced spontaneous ICH in early infancy. A case-control study analysed the differences in rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM®) parameters between parturient women with FXI deficiency, and parturient and non-parturient controls. Women with FXI deficiency achieved a hypercoagulable status during the third trimester of pregnancy; however, the changes were not as pronounced as in pregnant controls. Women with prolonged clotting time and clot formation time were considered to have an increased risk of bleeding. A prospective cohort study evaluated the role of ROTEM® analysis in assessment of bleeding risk in women with FXI deficiency. Pregnancy outcomes and haemostatic cover was reviewed in 57 deliveries in women with FXI deficiency. ROTEM® enabled treatment decision and reduced the need for treatment with factor concentrate in women with severe FXI deficiency. A cohort study assessed the correlation between bleeding score, haemostatic and prothrombotic variables in women with VWD and carriers of haemophilia. The presence of a thrombotic marker (anticoagulant deficiency or prothrombotic gene mutation) altered the bleeding score for a given VWF:RCo level in women with VWD (p = 0.015). Co-inheritance of thrombophilia reduces bleeding severity in women with IBDs, and thrombotic risk must be considered in these women

Response to pulmonary arterial hypertension drug therapies in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension and cardiovascular risk factors.

The age at diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and the prevalence of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors are increasing. We sought to determine whether the response to drug therapy was influenced by CV risk factors in PAH patients. We studied consecutive incident PAH patients (n = 146) between January 1, 2008, and July 15, 2011. Patients were divided into two groups: the PAH-No CV group included patients with no CV risk factors (obesity, systemic hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, permanent atrial fibrillation, mitral and/or aortic valve disease, and coronary artery disease), and the PAH-CV group included patients with at least one. The response to PAH treatment was analyzed in all the patients who received PAH drug therapy. The PAH-No CV group included 43 patients, and the PAH-CV group included 69 patients. Patients in the PAH-No CV group were younger than those in the PAH-CV group (P < 0.0001). In the PAH-No CV group, 16 patients (37%) improved on treatment and 27 (63%) did not improve, compared with 11 (16%) and 58 (84%) in the PAH-CV group, respectively (P = 0.027 after adjustment for age). There was no difference in survival at 30 months (P = 0.218). In conclusion, in addition to older age, CV risk factors may predict a reduced response to PAH drug therapy in patients with PAH

Performance of parallel-in-time integration for Rayleigh Bénard convection

Rayleigh–Bénard convection (RBC) is a fundamental problem of fluid dynamics, with many applications to geophysical, astrophysical, and industrial flows. Understanding RBC at parameter regimes of interest requires complex physical or numerical experiments. Numerical simulations require large amounts of computational resources; in order to more efficiently use the large numbers of processors now available in large high performance computing clusters, novel parallelisation strategies are required. To this end, we investigate the performance of the parallel-in-time algorithm Parareal when used in numerical simulations of RBC. We present the first parallel-in-time speedups for RBC simulations at finite Prandtl number. We also investigate the problem of convergence of Parareal with respect to statistical numerical quantities, such as the Nusselt number, and discuss the importance of reliable online stopping criteria in these cases

The Development of Texture in Copper and Copper-Zinc Alloys

The crystallite orientation distribution function has been determined for cold-rolled copper, copper-10 per cent zinc and copper-30 per cent zinc (α-brass) at cold reductions of 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 90 and 95 per cent. The copper texture exhibits a steady development and contains a tube of orientations between limits which have previously been shown to be stable during multiple slip processes ({110}〈112〉 to {4411}〈11118〉). The textures of the copper-zinc alloys both show a similar initial development to that of copper but a transition occurs above a reduction of about 40 per cent. This indicated that an additional deformation mode had become active. The features of the transition are consistent with those expected if the additional deformation mode were mechanical twinning. The development of the basic texture (pure-metal type) is in agreement with predictions based on the assumption of multiple slip conditions incorporating a considerable amount of cross-slip.Peer Reviewe

Mechanics of mouse blastocyst hatching revealed by a hydrogel-based microdeformation assay.

Mammalian embryos are surrounded by an acellular shell, the zona pellucida. Hatching out of the zona is crucial for implantation and continued development of the embryo. Clinically, problems in hatching can contribute to failure in assisted reproductive intervention. Although hatching is fundamentally a mechanical process, due to limitations in methodology most studies focus on its biochemical properties. To understand the role of mechanical forces in hatching, we developed a hydrogel deformation-based method and analytical approach for measuring pressure in cyst-like tissues. Using this approach, we found that, in cultured blastocysts, pressure increased linearly, with intermittent falls. Inhibition of Na/K-ATPase led to a dosage-dependent reduction in blastocyst cavity pressure, consistent with its requirement for cavity formation. Reducing blastocyst pressure reduced the probability of hatching, highlighting the importance of mechanical forces in hatching. These measurements allowed us to infer details of microphysiology such as osmolarity, ion and water transport kinetics across the trophectoderm, and zona stiffness, allowing us to model the embryo as a thin-shell pressure vessel. We applied this technique to test whether cryopreservation, a process commonly used in assisted reproductive technology (ART), leads to alteration of the embryo and found that thawed embryos generated significantly lower pressure than fresh embryos, a previously unknown effect of cryopreservation. We show that reduced pressure is linked to delayed hatching. Our approach can be used to optimize in vitro fertilization (IVF) using precise measurement of embryo microphysiology. It is also applicable to other biological systems involving cavity formation, providing an approach for measuring forces in diverse contexts.This work was supported by a studentship (to K.L.) from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/ J014427/1), Lithuanian Science Council Postdoctoral Award (code 09.3.3- LMT-K-712-02-0067), the Welcome Trust (203141/Z/16/Z), and a Wellcome Senior Investigator Award (103788/Z/14/Z) (to S.S.)

Earing in Deep-Drawing Steels

The variations of the fourth-order coefficients of the crystallite orientation distribution function, with rolling reduction have been determined after cold-rolling and annealing for a deep-drawing quality rimming steel and an aluminium-killed steel. These coefficients influence drawability and earing behaviour and by the manipulation of the coefficients in the distribution function of a 60% cold-rolled and annealed rimming steel, a hypothetical non-earing sheet texture has been derived. By comparison with the actual sheet texture those textural components which most affect earing behaviour are identified.Peer Reviewe